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diff --git a/old/56087-h/56087-h.htm b/old/56087-h/56087-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index ea8104c..0000000 --- a/old/56087-h/56087-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,13654 +0,0 @@ -<?xml version="1.0" encoding="iso-8859-1"?> - -<!DOCTYPE html - PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" - "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd" > - -<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> - <head> - <title> - In Queer Street - </title> - <meta name="Author" content="Fergus Hume" /> - <meta name="Publisher" content="F. V. White & Co., Ltd." /> - <meta name="Date" content="1913" /> - <style type="text/css" xml:space="preserve"> -body {margin-left:10%; - margin-right:10%; background-color:#FFFFFF; - text-align: justify} - - -p.normal {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;} - - -.t0 {margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:0em; margin-right:0em;} -.t1 {margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:1em; margin-right:0em;} -.t2 {margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:2em; margin-right:0em;} -.t3 {margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:3em; margin-right:0em;} -.t4 {margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:4em; margin-right:0em;} -.t5 {margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px; margin-left:5em; margin-right:0em;} - - -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 xml:space="preserve"> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of In Queer Street, by Fergus Hume - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere 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/license - - -Title: In Queer Street - -Author: Fergus Hume - -Release Date: November 30, 2017 [EBook #56087] -First Updated: February 12, 2018 -Last Updated: March 4, 2018 - - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK IN QUEER STREET *** - - - - -Produced by Charles Bowen from page scans provided by the -Haithi Trust Org. --images digitized by Google (original -from University of Wisconsin) - - - - - - -</pre> - <p> - <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> - </p> - <p class="hang1"> - Transcriber's Notes:<br /> 1. Page scan source: Haithi Trust Org. images - digitized by Google<br /> (original from University of Wisconsin) - </p> - <p> - <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> - </p> - <h3> - IN QUEER STREET - </h3> - <p> - <br /> <br /> - </p> - <h5> - BY - </h5> - <h4> - FERGUS HUME - </h4> - <h5> - AUTHOR OF<br /> "THE MYSTERY OF A HANSOM CAB," "THE PINK - SHOP,"<br /> "ACROSS THE FOOTLIGHTS," "SEEN IN THE - SHADOW,"<br /> ETC., ETC. - </h5> - <p> - <br /> <br /> <br /> - </p> - <h3> - <span style="font-size:smaller">LONDON</span><br /> F. V. WHITE & CO., - LTD.<br /> <span style="font-size:smaller">17, BUCKINGHAM STREET, STRAND, - W.C.<br /> 1913</span> - </h3> - <p> - <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> - </p> - <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> - CHAPTER - </td> - <td> - - </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td> - <a name="div1Ref_01" href="#div1_01" id="div1Ref_01">I.</a> - </td> - <td> - <span class="sc">THE BOARDING-HOUSE</span> - </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td> - <a name="div1Ref_02" href="#div1_02" id="div1Ref_02">II.</a> - </td> - <td> - <span class="sc">OLD SCHOOL-FELLOWS</span> - </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td> - <a name="div1Ref_03" href="#div1_03" id="div1Ref_03">III.</a> - </td> - <td> - <span class="sc">MAN PROPOSES</span> - </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td> - <a name="div1Ref_04" href="#div1_04" id="div1Ref_04">IV.</a> - </td> - <td> - <span class="sc">THE ADVERTISEMENT</span> - </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td> - <a name="div1Ref_05" href="#div1_05" id="div1Ref_05">V.</a> - </td> - <td> - <span class="sc">THE NEXT STEP</span> - </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td> - <a name="div1Ref_06" href="#div1_06" id="div1Ref_06">VI.</a> - </td> - <td> - <span class="sc">SEEKING TROUBLE</span> - </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td> - <a name="div1Ref_07" href="#div1_07" id="div1Ref_07">VII.</a> - </td> - <td> - <span class="sc">AN AMAZING DISCOVERY</span> - </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td> - <a name="div1Ref_08" href="#div1_08" id="div1Ref_08">VIII.</a> - </td> - <td> - <span class="sc">FAMILY HISTORY</span> - </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td> - <a name="div1Ref_09" href="#div1_09" id="div1Ref_09">IX.</a> - </td> - <td> - <span class="sc">GWEN</span> - </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td> - <a name="div1Ref_10" href="#div1_10" id="div1Ref_10">X.</a> - </td> - <td> - <span class="sc">VANE'S AUNT</span> - </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td> - <a name="div1Ref_11" href="#div1_11" id="div1Ref_11">XI.</a> - </td> - <td> - <span class="sc">MACBETH'S BANQUET</span> - </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td> - <a name="div1Ref_12" href="#div1_12" id="div1Ref_12">XII.</a> - </td> - <td> - <span class="sc">CUPID'S GARDEN</span> - </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td> - <a name="div1Ref_13" href="#div1_13" id="div1Ref_13">XIII.</a> - </td> - <td> - <span class="sc">DANGER</span> - </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td> - <a name="div1Ref_14" href="#div1_14" id="div1Ref_14">XIV.</a> - </td> - <td> - <span class="sc">AT BAY</span> - </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td> - <a name="div1Ref_15" href="#div1_15" id="div1Ref_15">XV.</a> - </td> - <td> - <span class="sc">A FRIEND IN NEED</span> - </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td> - <a name="div1Ref_16" href="#div1_16" id="div1Ref_16">XVI.</a> - </td> - <td> - <span class="sc">EXPLANATIONS</span> - </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td> - <a name="div1Ref_17" href="#div1_17" id="div1Ref_17">XVII.</a> - </td> - <td> - <span class="sc">BLACKMAIL</span> - </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td> - <a name="div1Ref_18" href="#div1_18" id="div1Ref_18">XVIII.</a> - </td> - <td> - <span class="sc">HENCH'S DIPLOMACY</span> - </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td> - <a name="div1Ref_19" href="#div1_19" id="div1Ref_19">XIX.</a> - </td> - <td> - <span class="sc">A DENIAL</span> - </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td> - <a name="div1Ref_20" href="#div1_20" id="div1Ref_20">XX.</a> - </td> - <td> - <span class="sc">REAPING THE WHIRLWIND</span> - </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td> - <a name="div1Ref_21" href="#div1_21" id="div1Ref_21">XXI.</a> - </td> - <td> - <span class="sc">THE SUNSHINE OR LIFE</span> - </td> - </tr> - </table> - <p> - <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> - </p> - <h3> - IN QUEER STREET - </h3> - <p> - <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> - </p> - <h3> - IN QUEER STREET - </h3> - <p> - <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> - </p> - <h4> - <a name="div1_01" href="#div1Ref_01" id="div1_01">CHAPTER I</a> - </h4> - <h5> - THE BOARDING-HOUSE - </h5> - <p> - <br /> - </p> - <p> - "Here," explained the landlady, "we are not wildly gay, as - the serious aspect of life prevents our indulging in unrestrained mirth. - Each one of us is devoted to an ideal, Mr. Spruce." - </p> - <p> - "And what is the ideal, Mrs. Tesk?" asked the twinkling little - man who was proposing himself as a boarder. - </p> - <p> - "The intention of gaining wealth in virtuous ways, by exercising the - various talents with which we have been endowed by an All-seeing - Providence." - </p> - <p> - "If you eliminate the word 'virtuous,' most people have some such - ideal," was the dry reply of Mr. Spruce. "I want money myself, - or I shouldn't come to live here. A Bethnal Green lodging-house isn't my - idea of luxury." - </p> - <p> - "Boarding-house, if you please," said Mrs. Tesk, drawing up her - thin figure. "I would point out that my establishment is most - superior. Brought up in scholastic circles, I assisted my father and my - husband for many years in teaching the young idea how to shoot, and----" - </p> - <p> - "In plain English, you kept a school." - </p> - <p> - "Crudely put, it is as you say, Mr. Spruce," assented the - landlady; "but habit has accustomed me to express myself in a more - elegant way. My husband and my father having been long numbered with the - angelic host, I was unable to continue successfully as a teacher of youth. - A learned friend suggested to me that an excellent income might be derived - from a high-class boarding-house. Therefore I rented this mansion for the - purpose of entertaining a select number of paying guests." - </p> - <p> - "Paying guests! How admirably you express yourself, Mrs. Tesk." - </p> - <p> - "It has always been my custom to do full justice to our beautiful - language, Mr. Spruce. Even my establishment has a name redolent of classic - times. It is called--and not unfittingly I think--The Home of the Muses." - </p> - <p> - "So I observed in your advertisement. Why not call this place - Parnassus? Then one word would serve for five." - </p> - <p> - "The suggestion is not without merit," said the former - school-mistress. "I perceive, Mr. Spruce, that you have some - knowledge of the classics." - </p> - <p> - "I was educated at Winchester and Cambridge, Mrs. Tesk. The Home of - the Muses--what a delightful name and how very appropriate." - </p> - <p> - Poor Mrs. Tesk having no sense of humour, did not understand that this - last remark was ironical, and smiled gravely in full approval. Spruce - screwed in his eye-glass, and glanced with a shrug at his surroundings. - These were scarcely calculated to satisfy a sybarite, being extremely - ugly, inartistic, well-worn and dingy. The room, of no great size, was - over-crowded with clumsy furniture made in the early years of the - nineteenth century, when solidity was much more valued than beauty. What - with six ordinary chairs, two armchairs, a horse-hair sofa to match, a - sideboard, a bookcase, and a fender-stool all of mahogany, to say nothing - of an Indian screen and a rosewood piano, there was scarcely room to move. - And everywhere appeared patterns;--on the carpet, on the wall-paper, on - the curtains and on the table-cloth: the eye ached to find some plain - spot, which was not striped, or spotted, or scrolled, or dotted. The sole - redeeming feature of the dreadful apartment was that many years and - constant use had mellowed everything into a sober congruity, so that the - whole looked comfortable and homely. As the Home of the Muses, it was an - entire failure; as the sanctum of the sedate middle-aged woman in the worn - black silk gown, it was quite successful. And as there were many - out-of-date educational volumes in the bookcase, and as the walls were - decorated with samplers, water-coloured drawings, geographical maps, and - even with framed specimens of hand-writing, it could be easily guessed - that the apartment belonged to a retired school-mistress. There was - something quite pathetic in Mrs. Tesk's flotsam and jetsam, which she had - saved from the dire wreck of her superior fortunes. - </p> - <p> - And the landlady was as suited to the room as her visitor was unsuited, - for there could not be a greater contrast than the two presented to one - another. Mrs. Tesk belonged to a bygone age, while Spruce had to do with - the very immediate present. In her shabby-genteel gown, which clothed a - thin bony figure, and with a severe parchment-coloured face, the former - teacher of the young looked very respectable indeed. Her mittens, her - be-ribboned cap, her long gold chain, her large brooch containing locks of - hair, and her cloth boots suggested the stories of Emma Jane Worboise and - Mrs. Henry Wood. She was prim, pedantic and eminently genteel, the - survival of an epoch when women wore full skirts and believed that their - duty was to keep house, rather than to smash windows. Spruce stared at her - through his eye-glass as he would have done at a prehistoric animal. - </p> - <p> - The would-be boarder was the last expression of man, as representing the - lily of the fields which toils not. He resembled a cherub and was dressed - like a Nut, that last variety of the masher, the swell, the dandy and the - buck. With his clean-shaven pink and white face, his mild blue eyes, his - smooth fair hair, little hands, little feet, and general well-groomed - aspect, he looked like a good boy thoroughly acquainted with the Church - Catechism. But his extravagant attire suggested Piccadilly, music-halls, - the Park and afternoon teas. He wore a pale-green suit, the coat of which - was made to show his waist, and turned-up trousers, which revealed purple - socks and brogues of russia leather. His waistcoat was cut low, revealing - a lavender-hued shirt and a purple scarf painted with a portrait of a - famous dancer; and he held a green Trilby hat in his gloved hands, - together with a gold-headed cane and an unlighted cigarette, which he did - not dare to smoke in the severe presence of Mrs. Tesk. On the whole, Mr. - Cuthbert Spruce was a thing of beauty, and wore as many colours as Joseph - did when he put on his famous coat. He was the kind of male doll that - virile men long to kick but dare not lest they should smash the thing. - </p> - <p> - When he had completed his survey of the room and of Mrs. Tesk, the Nut - explained himself glibly. "I have come down here for a few months in - order to study character for a book. Until I write that book I am rather - hard up, so I should like to know if your terms are----" - </p> - <p> - "Twenty-five shillings a week," interrupted Mrs. Tesk solemnly. - "No one, not even the most captious, can call such terms expensive or - prohibitive." - </p> - <p> - "I certainly don't. In fact you ask so little that I am not sure if - you can make me comfortable at the price." - </p> - <p> - "Good food, a good bed and genteel society, Mr. Spruce. What more - does mortal man require, save a fire, which is not necessary, seeing that - summer is with us in all its annual glory?" - </p> - <p> - "I don't think much of its annual glory comes to Bethnal Green, Mrs. - Tesk. However, your terms will suit me, and I'll bring my boxes this - afternoon. I can have a bath, I suppose?" - </p> - <p> - "Sixpence extra if cold and one shilling if warm." - </p> - <p> - "A cold bath will suit me as it is summer. Have you a valet in the - house?" - </p> - <p> - "No, Mr. Spruce. Such a menial is only to be found in the houses of - the rich, as I understand from the perusal of novels read for recreation. - Here you will find plain living and high thinking. My cook is an old - servant, who is able to roast and boil healthy viands. Amelia, who is - sixteen, attends to the house-work, and there is the boy, Simon - Jedd--commonly called Bottles, which is a facetious appellation given to - him by a paying guest inclined to merriment. Such is my staff." - </p> - <p> - "And the paying guests?" asked Spruce, who began to think that - five and twenty shillings was quite the top price to ask for such board - and lodging. - </p> - <p> - Mrs. Tesk coughed. "Our circle is limited at present to a chosen few, - as London is rather empty just now, on account of the summer season, which - attracts people to the green woods and the sounding sea. There is Madame - Alpenny, who is of Hungarian extraction, but who married an Englishman; - together with her daughter, Zara, a dancer of repute at the Bijou - Music-hall. I hesitated to accept the daughter as a paying guest," - added Mrs. Tesk loftily, "as my education scarcely permits me to - approve of the profession of Terpsichore." - </p> - <p> - "She was one of the Muses, you know," Spruce reminded her; - "and as this is the Home of those ladies----" - </p> - <p> - "Quite so," interrupted Mrs. Tesk in her most stately fashion. - "That fact may have biassed me in my permitting her to reside under - my roof. Also, not having many paying guests at present, the money was a - consideration, and humanity interdicted me from parting mother and child; - although I am bound to say that Madame Alpenny refused to come if I did - not take her daughter also. Finally I consented, and since seeing Zara - dance I have not regretted my yielding. She exhibits the poetry of motion - in a high degree and is quite respectable." - </p> - <p> - "Any other paying guests?" - </p> - <p> - "Mr. Edward Bracken--ordinarily termed Ned,--who plays the violin in - the Bijou orchestra with great delicacy, and Mr. Owain Hench, who is at - present absent, and will not return for a week." - </p> - <p> - Spruce rose and looked surprised. "Owain Hench. Will you spell his - first name, Mrs. Tesk? I fancy I know him." - </p> - <p> - Mrs. Tesk spelt the name slowly. "It is a Welsh title!" she said - as if Hench was a member of the House of Lords, "and the spelling is - peculiar. In history we are told of Owen Tudor, and Owen Glendower, who - signed their Christian appellations somewhat differently." - </p> - <p> - "It is the proper Welsh spelling," said Spruce, smiling. "He - must be the same fellow I used to know at Winchester. We used to rag him - about the queer way in which he spelt his name. Fancy Hench in this galley"--and - he looked disdainfully round the shabby room--"I thought he was rich." - </p> - <p> - "I am not acquainted with the financial affairs of Mr. Hench," - said the landlady stiffly; "but I am quite certain that he is by no - means endowed largely with specie. Nevertheless he is a kind-hearted and - estimable young man, who will yet achieve fame and fortune, although in - what particular direction it is at present hard to say. He has resided - here for six months, so I can speak of his qualities with some knowledge." - </p> - <p> - Spruce walked to the door. "I shall be glad to see Hench again," - he remarked lightly. "Well, Mrs. Tesk, you may expect me and my - luggage by four o'clock." - </p> - <p> - "I understand." Mrs. Tesk folded her hands and bowed graciously. - "You will be in time for afternoon tea, when I shall have the - pleasure of introducing you to Madame Alpenny, Mademoiselle Zara, and to - Mr. Edward Bracken. You will find us a happy family, Mr. Spruce, and I - trust you will never regret coming to stay in The Home of the Muses." - </p> - <p> - Spruce stifled a laugh and went out, lighting his cigarette and putting - his hat on in the hall. He was immensely amused with the stately - old-fashioned airs of the ex-school-mistress, and promised himself some - fun in drawing her out. He did not anticipate a rosy time in the - boarding-house, which was much too shabby and poor and sordid for one of - his pleasure-loving nature; but he felt that the companionship of his old - schoolfellow would enable him to pass the time fairly pleasantly. In his - explanation to Mrs. Tesk as to his reason for coming to Bethnal Green, Mr. - Spruce had not been entirely truthful, but the excuse of gathering - material for a book would serve his purpose. The truth was that the Nut - had been mixed up in a gambling affair with which cheating had been - connected, so he had wisely determined to obliterate himself for a few - months. Not being able to go abroad or into the country by reason of a - lean purse, he had made up his mind to rusticate in Bethnal Green, and - hoped that when the scandal was ended he could return to the West End. In - the meantime, he was safe from observation, as no one would ever suspect - that he was in London, so near and yet so far from civilization. He - intended to give to Hench the same excuse as he had already given to Mrs. - Tesk, and had no doubt but what it would be accepted. Hench, as he - considered, was smart in many ways and the reverse in a few. While at - Winchester he had been considered clever, but always over-confident that - others were as honourable as himself, a belief which led to his being - taken advantage of on many occasions. Spruce had never been intimate with - Hench, as he belonged to a different set, but he was quite ready to be - intimate with him now in such a dull locality as Bethnal Green. The - cherubic little man by no means cared for the plain living and high - thinking to which Mrs. Tesk had alluded, as he preferred high living and - plain thinking, the latter having to do with thoughts of how to kill time - by amusing himself. It was not likely that Hench would be of the same - opinion, as from what Spruce remembered he had always been a solid sort of - chap. Of course, it was eight years since the Nut had seen the young man, - but if living in The Home of the Muses denoted his status, it was probable - that he would be more solid than ever. And solid in the opinion of Mr. - Spruce meant woeful dullness and pronounced common-sense. Therefore he - scarcely anticipated that Hench would prove to be an ideal companion. - </p> - <p> - However, owing to the trouble in the West End, Spruce had to make the best - of things, and duly arrived at the appointed time with his five boxes. - People did not usually come to Mrs. Tesk's establishment with so much - luggage, but Spruce being a Nut, and eminently fashionable, required many - clothes to set off his rather mean little person. Amelia, the - maid-of-all-work, and Jedd, who was facetiously called "Bottles," - helped the cabman to carry up the many trunks to the new-comer's bedroom, - and looked upon him with awe as the owner of such costly paraphernalia. - Mrs. Tesk was also pleased in her stately fashion, as the arrival of such - a quantity of luggage imparted dignity in some mysterious way to her - establishment. By four o'clock the new paying guest had taken possession - of his new abode, and was on his way to the drawing-room to meet those - already assembled under Mrs. Tesk's hospitable roof. To do honour to the - occasion, and to produce a good impression, Spruce had changed into a - brand-new suit, and looked like Solomon-in-all-his-glory when he entered - the stuffy apartment grandiloquently termed the drawing-room. It was - tolerably large and less crowded with furniture than the sanctum of the - landlady, but the windows being closed and the day being warm, Spruce - gasped when he ventured in. It was like entering the coolest room of a - Turkish bath. - </p> - <p> - "Allow me," said Mrs. Tesk in her deepest and most genteel - voice. "Mr. Spruce, permit me to introduce you to Madame Alpenny, to - Mademoiselle Zara Alpenny and to Mr. Edward Bracken. Madame Alpenny, - Mademoiselle Alpenny and Mr. Edward Bracken, permit me to introduce you to - Mr. Spruce, our new companion." - </p> - <p> - During the landlady's long-winded introduction the Nut bowed to the - several people mentioned and swiftly noted their outward looks. The - Hungarian lady, who had married an Englishman, was a very stout woman, - slightly taller than Spruce himself, which was not saying much, and the - remains of former beauty were apparent in her face if not in her figure. - It is true that her complexion was sallow and her hair an unpleasant red, - but she had finely-cut features and splendid eyes, dark, eloquent and - alluring. She wore a dark dress spotted with orange circles, a loose black - velvet mantle trimmed with beads, and a large floppy picture-hat, together - with many costly bracelets, rings, chains, brooches and lockets. Evidently - she carried her fortune on her person for security, and looked like a - walking jeweller's shop. Spruce saw at a glance that she was a lady, - although why she should wear such shabby clothes and live in such a shabby - place when she possessed such valuable ornaments he could not say. - Privately he decided that she looked interesting, and determined to find - out all about her during his stay in the boarding-house. - </p> - <p> - "You will find us very quiet here," observed Madame Alpenny in - excellent English, and smiling with very white teeth at the new-comer's - resplendent appearance; "it will be dull in these parts for a young - gentleman." - </p> - <p> - "Oh, I can make myself at home anywhere, Madame," replied - Spruce, accepting a cup of very weak tea from Mrs. Tesk. "My visit - here is only to collect material for a novel." - </p> - <p> - "I read the stories of my countryman, Maurus Jokai," said Madame - with a nod. "You write like him. Is it not so?" - </p> - <p> - "By no means. I know nothing of Maurus Jokai." - </p> - <p> - "Gaszynski! Morzycka! Zmorski! Mukulitch! Riedl! Vehse?" the - foreign lady ran off these difficult names of Polish, Russian and - Hungarian authors still smiling; "you know them. Eh? What?" - </p> - <p> - "Never heard of them Madame. They sound like names out of the Book of - Numbers to me. I am a very ignorant person, as you will find." - </p> - <p> - "Ah, say not so, Mr. Spruce. You like amusement perhaps. The dance, - the cricket, the five o'clock tea? Tell me." - </p> - <p> - "All those things are more in my line. I hear from Mrs. Tesk that - your daughter dances?" - </p> - <p> - "Ah, yes. Zara?" - </p> - <p> - "I am at the Bijou Music-hall just now in a Fire-dance," said - the girl in an indifferent manner, for Spruce had not made the same - impression on her as he had on her mother; "and Mr. Bracken here is - in the orchestra." - </p> - <p> - "Second-violin," growled Bracken, who was paying great attention - to the thin bread and butter. "Hard work and bad pay"--he stole - a glance at the dancer--"but I have my compensations." - </p> - <p> - The look was sufficient to make Spruce understand that the young man was - in love with Zara, just as the frown of Madame Alpenny, who had - intercepted the look, showed him the mother's disapproval. The dancer was - a tall and rather gaunt girl, handsome in a bold gipsy flamboyant way, - with flashing dark eyes and a somewhat defiant manner, while the violinist - was roughly good-looking, and seemed to pay very little attention to his - dress. Evidently a romance was in progress here, and Spruce promised - himself some amusement in watching the efforts--which he was sure were - being made--of the mother to keep the lovers apart. - </p> - <p> - "You see," said Mrs. Tesk complacently, "we have many - talents assembled here, Mr. Spruce. Mademoiselle Zara indulges in the - light fantastic toe; Mr. Bracken is devoted to the noble art of music, and - Madame Alpenny is conversant with the literature of foreign nations, which - is natural considering her nationality. In my own person, I represent the - English element of letters, and if you enjoy heart to heart talks, I am - prepared to discuss poetry with you from Dan Chaucer down to Robert - Browning." - </p> - <p> - "Thanks very much," said the new guest hastily and scarcely - relishing the prospect; "but my doctor won't let me read much, as my - health is not very good. But I daresay," he added, glancing round at - the queer set he found himself amongst, "we can get up a game of - bridge occasionally." - </p> - <p> - "Ah, but certainly," cried Madame with vivacity and her splendid - eyes flashed; "for my part I delight in cards!" - </p> - <p> - "My preference is for Patience," said Mrs. Tesk solemnly. "I - find it relieves the strain on my mind. So long as the stakes are not very - high, Mr. Spruce, I shall be delighted to join you and Madame and - Mademoiselle Zara in a friendly game. Oh, you will not find us dull, I - think. And when Mr. Owain Hench returns he will be able to inform you - about many parts of the world not usually accessible to the ordinary - person." - </p> - <p> - Spruce rather resented Mrs. Tesk calling him an ordinary person, as he - considered that he was head and shoulders above the assembled company. - However, he did not allow any sign of annoyance at her density to escape - him, but uttered a little chuckling laugh of acquiescence. "I'll be - glad to see Hench again. He was always a good chap." - </p> - <p> - "Ah!" Madame glanced at her defiant daughter and then at Spruce; - "it appears, then, that you know Mr. Hench?" - </p> - <p> - "We were at school together." - </p> - <p> - "So! He is a charming young man." - </p> - <p> - Zara laughed meaningly. "With money mamma thinks that he would be - still more charming," she said significantly, and the sallow face of - Madame grew red. - </p> - <p> - "It is true," she admitted frankly. "When one has a - daughter, one must be careful of charming young men who are not rich. What - do you say, Mr. Spruce?" - </p> - <p> - "Well, I never had a daughter, so I can't say anything," replied - the little man, who was rapidly understanding many things. "And your - opinion, Mr. Bracken, if I may ask it?" He put the question - advisedly, as the mention of Hench's name had brought a scowl to the face - of the violinist. - </p> - <p> - "Money isn't everything," growled Bracken, passing his hand - through his rough hair, which he wore a trifle long, after the fashion of - musicians. "Hench is a good fellow, and being clever will be rich - some day." - </p> - <p> - "Ah! no"--Madame Alpenny shook her head vehemently--"he is - too--what you call--careless of money. He is idle; he is a mystery." - </p> - <p> - Spruce opened his pale blue eyes at the last word, and put in his monocle - to stare at the Hungarian lady. "There never was any mystery about - Hench at school," he observed rather puzzled. "He was always - rather a commonplace sort of chap." - </p> - <p> - "There is a mystery," insisted Madame more vehemently than ever. - "I have seen him before, but where--no, it is impossible to say." - </p> - <p> - "You don't mean to say that he is wanted by the police?" asked - Bracken. - </p> - <p> - "Don't speak like that!" cried Zara with a frown. "Mr. - Hench is the most honourable man in the world. There is nothing mean about - him." - </p> - <p> - "He is all that is agreeable and polite," said her mother - gravely; "and but for one thing I have no fault to find with him. - Still, I have seen him somewhere, that young gentleman; he has a history!" - </p> - <p> - "History! mystery! You jump to conclusions, mamma." - </p> - <p> - "Zara, my father was a diplomatist, and I am observant." - </p> - <p> - "Suspicious, I should say," remarked Bracken under his breath. - </p> - <p> - But low as he spoke the woman heard him. "Of some people I am," - she said with a dark glance, which revealed that she was not so - good-humoured as she looked. - </p> - <p> - Zara rose with a swing of her skirts and looked as graceful and as - dangerous as a pantheress. "I am going to lie down," she - observed rather irrelevantly. "I always lie down, Mr. Spruce, so as - to prepare for the fatigues of the night. If you ask Mr. Bracken he will - take you to the smoking-room." - </p> - <p> - "Oh, thanks," gasped Spruce, who did not wish to remain in the - company of the violinist, whom he privately termed a bounder; "but I - am going to my room to write letters." - </p> - <p> - "Fancy staying in to write letters on this beautiful day. Mr. Bracken - will be wiser, I am sure, and take a walk." - </p> - <p> - "You've hit it," said Mr. Bracken, taking out a well-worn briar - pipe. "I'm off for a breather." And he escorted Zara out of the - room without noticing Spruce, to whom he had taken a dislike. - </p> - <p> - Madame Alpenny half arose when she saw the two departing in company, but - sat down again with a frown. In a few minutes she walked to the window and - drew a sigh of relief on seeing Bracken standing on the pavement lighting - his pipe. Spruce guessed by this by-play that she did not approve of the - violinist being with her daughter, and became more certain than ever that - the romance he had conjectured existed. Zara had got rid of Bracken, it - was evident, so as not to leave him in the company of her mother. Hence - her mention that the violinist would show Spruce the smoking-room, and her - suggestion of a walk for Bracken when the new guest refused the offer of - tobacco. However, Madame now seeing that the two were parted, returned to - her seat satisfied, and resumed her talk about Mr. Hench. - </p> - <p> - "You must tell me of your old schoolfellow," she said - graciously; "he is a young man I greatly admire. I study his - character." - </p> - <p> - "An admirable character," said Mrs. Tesk loftily. - </p> - <p> - "I cannot help you, Madame, as I haven't seen Hench for years," - said Spruce. - </p> - <p> - "Ah indeed! You will find him very mysterious!" And she nodded - significantly. - </p> - <p> - <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> - </p> - <h4> - <a name="div1_02" href="#div1Ref_02" id="div1_02">CHAPTER II</a> - </h4> - <h5> - OLD SCHOOL-FELLOWS - </h5> - <p> - <br /> - </p> - <p> - Mr. Spruce found The Home of the Muses less dull than he expected it to - be, in spite of its ridiculous name. For six days he amused himself very - tolerably in contemplating the novelty of his surroundings, and in getting - what amusement he could out of the same. Desiring "something new," - after the fashion of the Athenians, he explored Bethnal Green more or less - thoroughly, and learned that the seamy side of life here exhibited had - attractions for a keen-witted observer, as he truly was. People in the - West End were always on the look-out for money with which to indulge their - fancies; people in this neighbourhood hunted likewise for the nimble - shilling, but used it when obtained to keep a roof over their heads and - bread in their mouths. But the excitement of the money-chase was always - the same, and Spruce watched the same with great interest. In fact he took - part in the hunt for dollars himself, as he also had to live in such - comfort as his depleted purse could command. - </p> - <p> - That Destiny had not dealt lavishly with Spruce was due to his own crooked - way of propitiating the whimsical goddess, since he disliked honest toil. - On leaving college and entering the great world, he had enjoyed a fair - fortune nursed for years by jealous guardians, which ought to have kept - him in luxury for the whole of his useless life. But the Nut, thinking he - possessed the purse of Fortunatus, dipped into it too freely, and like the - earthen pot at once smashed when the brass pots dashed against him. He - entered a fast set, fascinating and expensive, whose members gambled - heavily, who flirted freely with free-lance ladies and who ran up bills on - every occasion. A few years of this life reduced Spruce to living on his - wits, and as these were sharp enough, he managed to scramble along somehow - and keep his head above water. - </p> - <p> - But not making money fast enough honestly, he attempted to cheat at cards, - and therefore was expelled from his profligate paradise. For this reason - he had come to rusticate in Bethnal Green, and intended to return as soon - as he could make sure of being tolerated in his former haunts and by his - former associates. But as he had committed the one crime which society, - however rapid, will never condone, the prospect of his being whitewashed - was not very promising. However, the little man knew that money covers a - multitude of sins, and would go far to excuse the particular sin of - cheating, which had ruined him. He therefore looked here, there and - everywhere during his retirement in the hope of making money, so that he - could return with full pockets to the West End. But it must be admitted - that Bethnal Green was not exactly Tom Tiddler's ground, and little gold - and silver did Spruce pick up. - </p> - <p> - The Nut certainly won a certain amount of money from Madame Alpenny, who - was a born gambler, and staked her jewellery when coin was wanting. She - was always hard up, as she frankly informed Spruce when she came to know - him better, and had long since turned what money she possessed into the - costly ornaments she wore. Zara earned enough to keep her mother and - herself at the boarding-house, but otherwise spent her earnings on - herself, knowing, as she did, that Madame Alpenny would only gamble away - what was given her. Therefore the old woman sometimes had to sell a brooch - or a bracelet in order to get funds for her gambling. She was clever at - cards, but scarcely so clever, and it may be added unscrupulous, as - Spruce, so by the end of the week her person was not quite so lavishly - decorated with jewellery as it had been when the Nut first set eyes on - her. But in spite of her bad luck, the Hungarian lady always behaved - amiably towards Spruce, as she took him at his own valuation and believed - him to be a rich young man indulging in the fantastic whim of living in - Mrs. Tesk's house. It did not take much time for the Nut to see that - Madame Alpenny's agreeable demeanour was due to the hope she entertained - that he would make love to Zara, and perhaps become her son-in-law. Spruce - had about as much idea of courting the dancer as of flying, but he allowed - the lady to think that he admired her daughter so that she might continue - to gamble. Being quite deceived as to his real status and his real - intentions, she did; so Spruce found himself much better off in pocket by - the end of the week, and about the time when Owain Hench was expected - back. - </p> - <p> - The little man was waiting for Hench, as he greatly desired to see if any - money could be made out of him. People who travelled about the world, as - Hench apparently did, often found gold-mines, or knew of some hidden - treasure, or had an idea of how to make money in large quantities. Spruce - was very vague as to how he could exploit Hench to his own advantage, as - he had not seen him for eight years and did not know his possibilities. - However, he was assured that while residing under the same roof as Hench - he would soon be able to learn if he was worth making a friend of, and so - waited anxiously for the young man's return. Meanwhile he gambled with - Madame Alpenny; made himself agreeable to the ex-school-mistress, whom he - found a frightful bore; and went several times to the Bijou Music-hall to - see Mademoiselle Zara dance. To his surprise he found that she was really - a very brilliant artist, who was entirely thrown away on a Bethnal Green - audience, and asked himself quite seriously if it would not be worth while - to marry her and secure for her an engagement at the West End. If she made - a success there--as he was sure she would do--then she could support him - in luxury and the old woman could be got rid of somehow. Oh, Spruce found - many ideas in The Home of the Muses which might result in the gain of - money, although he saw plainly that to bring the same to fruition time was - necessary. At all events, he was making a living out of Madame Alpenny; - foresaw possibilities in Zara's dancing with the chance of profit to - himself, and always kept in his scheming little mind that Hench might - prove to be a valuable acquaintance. Therefore, the six days prior to the - young man's return proved to be amusing and profitable and promising. As - Spruce had become an adventurer and a picker-up of unconsidered trifles, - after the fashion of Autolycus, he was quite content with the progress he - had made so far in his new camping-ground. For that it was, since Spruce - had no idea of having a home, and disliked domesticity. - </p> - <p> - It was on Sunday afternoon that Hench returned. Madame Alpenny was lying - down for a rest, as she always did on the seventh day; Zara had slipped - out for a walk with Bracken; and Mrs. Tesk was laboriously reading a - religious book, which she found extremely dull, but considered the correct - thing to peruse on the Sabbath. Spruce being left very much to his own - devices, had amused himself by sorting his wardrobe, and towards five - o'clock was beginning to find time hang heavy on his hands. With a yawn he - descended to the smoking-room to idle away an hour with a cigarette and - the Sunday papers. In the bleak little apartment devoted to the goddess - Nicotine--a goddess unknown to the Olympians, it may be remarked--he came - suddenly upon a tall young man who was puffing his pipe and listlessly - staring out of the window. Rather from intuition than from positive - knowledge, the Nut guessed that this was the returned wanderer. - </p> - <p> - "Hullo, Hench, and how are you?" was his greeting, and he - advanced with a gracious smile and an outstretched hand. - </p> - <p> - The young man rose slowly, looking very much astonished, but mechanically - accepted the proferred grasp. Apparently he did not recognize that this - resplendent being was his old schoolfellow, and hinted as much in a rough - and ready fashion. "Who the deuce are you?" he demanded with a - puzzled expression. - </p> - <p> - "Cuthbert Spruce!" replied the Nut, nettled as a vain man would - be by the want of recognition. - </p> - <p> - "Cuthbert Spruce! Well?" Hench still appeared to be ignorant and - waited for some light to be cast upon the subject of this hearty greeting. - </p> - <p> - "Oh, come now, you are an ass, Hench. Don't you remember Winchester, - and the day you picked me up when I got lost during the hare and hounds - run?" - </p> - <p> - Hench stared at the pink and white cherubic face and a smile broke over - his face, as he shook the little man's hand heartily. "Of course. - Little Spruce, isn't it?" - </p> - <p> - "I have already said as much," retorted the mortified Nut dryly. - </p> - <p> - "Well, I didn't see much of you at Winchester, you know," - confessed the stalwart young man, sitting down for a chat; "you were - in a different set, anyhow. And I don't fancy I cared much for your set, - such as it was. H'm!" Hench stared hard at the other and pulled hard - at his pipe. "Yes. Little Spruce, of course, commonly called The - Cherub. And by gad, Spruce, you're a cherub still." - </p> - <p> - "No one could call you so, Hench," said Spruce affably, sitting - down and producing a dainty cigarette-case; "you are more like - Hercules, big and stolid and dull and honest." - </p> - <p> - "What a mixture of depreciation and compliment," said Hench - coolly. "Well, I am glad to see you, in spite of your somewhat free - speech. After all, one's heart warms to a chap from the old school." - </p> - <p> - "Rather!" agreed the Nut, whose heart never warmed towards any - one or anything. "It's queer meeting you here. Let's have a look at - you." - </p> - <p> - Hench laughed and shifted his position, so that the light from the window - fell full upon him. A woman would have thought, as women did think, that - he was well worth looking at, since he was tall and stalwart, undeniably - handsome and possessed of great strength. With his well-built figure and - upright carriage he looked more like a soldier than anything else. His - hair, closely cropped, was brown, as were his eyes, and he had a full - spade-shaped beard which added to his virile looks. The two men formed a - marked contrast, and the small, dainty, over-dressed Nut looked like a - doll beside the big, handsome, carelessly attired man. And it was on this - attire that Spruce's eyes were fixed, as it hinted at many things. A - well-worn blue-serge suit, a woollen shirt and mended brown boots did not - suggest money, any more than the presence of Hench in this cheap boarding - house intimated a good income. The Nut began to think that his dreams of - making use of Hench were purely visionary. There was no wealth to be - extracted from such an obvious pauper. Nevertheless, Spruce, who never - threw away a chance, behaved very cordially and paid compliments. - </p> - <p> - "But for that beard you are just the same as you were at Winchester," - he remarked. "You were always big and heroic-looking. What are you - doing here?" - </p> - <p> - "Marking time!" said Hench laconically. - </p> - <p> - "In the hopes of what?" - </p> - <p> - "Of making my fortune." - </p> - <p> - "Hum!" Spruce looked dissatisfied, as he did not care about - meeting old schoolfellows who required help; "you do look down on - your luck." - </p> - <p> - "Not more than usual. I always make sufficient to keep my head above - water by writing articles and stories for cheap newspapers and journals. - But that is a poor state of things for a man of twenty-five." - </p> - <p> - "There isn't much pie-crust about it, I admit, Hench. Why, I thought - you were rich. I know at school the fellows always talked about your - father being a Duke of sorts constantly on the move." - </p> - <p> - "My father travelled a great deal on the Continent, certainly, and - when I left school I joined him. But he died five or six years ago and - left me with very little money. Since then I have been voyaging round the - terrestrial globe to find money, and so far have not achieved success. But - I say"--Hench broke off to re-fill his pipe--"why make me - egotistical? My affairs don't interest you." - </p> - <p> - "Oh yes, they do," Spruce protested, then baited his hook with a - minnow to catch a possible whale. "And if you will allow me to be - your banker----" - </p> - <p> - "No! No! It's awfully good of you. But I have enough for my needs." - </p> - <p> - "Well, when you haven't, come to me. Old schoolfellows, you know, - should help one another at a pinch." - </p> - <p> - "You're a good chap, Spruce," said the big man, gratefully. - </p> - <p> - Spruce smiled graciously in response to the compliment, and privately - considered that Hench was as trusting as he always had been, taking men at - their own valuation, instead of putting a price on them himself. However, - he had gained the good-will of the man by his delicate offer--which he by - no means intended should be accepted--and therefore hoped, should Hench - prove to be worth powder and shot, to benefit by his artful diplomacy. - "Oh, that's all right, old fellow," he said airily and blowing - rings of smoke; "since we're in the same galley we may as well renew - our old friendship." - </p> - <p> - "Begin a friendship, you mean," said Hench very directly. "We - weren't pals at school, so far as I can recollect." - </p> - <p> - "No! that's true enough. But you picked me up out of that ditch and - played the part of a Good Samaritan, so I have reason to be friendly." - </p> - <p> - "Thanks! I'm with you, Spruce. While we camp here I daresay we'll see - a lot of one another, and I shan't forget your kind offer to help. I'm not - quick to make friends, you know, as I find most people jolly well look - after themselves to the exclusion of every one else." - </p> - <p> - "I do, myself," said the Nut coolly. "Don't think that I go - about playing the part of the Good Samaritan haphazard. But an old - schoolfellow, you know----" - </p> - <p> - "Yes! I understand. There's something in having been at the same - desk, isn't there. But I say, Spruce, what are you doing here? Now that I - cast my memory back, you were supposed to be very well off." - </p> - <p> - "Oh, I am still," lied the Nut in a most brazen way; "that - is I have enough money on which to live comfortably, although not a - millionaire. But the fact is, I have literary ambitions, and wish to write - a book. Some fellow said that Bethnal Green had never been written up - since the time of the celebrated beggar, so I thought I'd come down and - gather material. I spotted Mrs. Tesk's advertisement in the papers and the - name of the house attracted me." - </p> - <p> - Hench laughed. "The Home of the Muses! It's rather a queer title to - give a house in this poverty-stricken neighbourhood; but then Mrs. Tesk, - bless her, is queer herself. She's a good sort though, all the same. Well, - you've come to the right place to get material for a sort of Charles - Dickens book. We all live in Queer Street here, Spruce." - </p> - <p> - "Queer Street, which, like Bohemia, is nowhere and yet is everywhere, - Hench." - </p> - <p> - "You are epigrammatic. That won't do for a book of the Dickens type." - </p> - <p> - The Nut shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know what sort of book I'll - write, and that's a fact. In Queer Street, which I take it comprises the - whole of Bethnal Green, there are many interesting people, for I have been - walking about and have kept my eyes open. But those I find most - interesting are under this roof." - </p> - <p> - "Madame Alpenny?" - </p> - <p> - "Yes! She's quite a character with her jewellery and her gambling. By - the way, you won't find her so decked out Hindoo fashion as hitherto. - During the week of my stay here, I have won two bracelets, several rings - and a pair of ear-rings." - </p> - <p> - Hench looked displeased. "You shouldn't encourage her love of - gambling," he said strongly. "I'm not a saint, but it doesn't - seem right for a well-to-do man such as you are to win Madame Alpenny's - jewellery." - </p> - <p> - "Why not? She has the same chance of winning my money. We play quite - fairly, you know, Hench, and one must pass the time somehow. But I quite - understand why you don't wish me to loot the lady." - </p> - <p> - "Oh, do you." Hench grew red and smoothed his beard. "Well?" - </p> - <p> - "I have listened and looked and questioned and considered while I - have been here," explained the Nut coolly, "and by doing so I - have found out your romance." - </p> - <p> - "My romance!"--the big man bit his nether lip and thought that - it was like the cheek of this finicky little devil to meddle with what did - not in any way concern him--"what the deuce are you talking about?" - </p> - <p> - "About your romance; about Bracken's romance; and about Mademoiselle - Zara, who is the subject of both romances." - </p> - <p> - "You are talking through your hat, Spruce." - </p> - <p> - "By no means. I can give you chapter and verse for my surmises. Zara - Alpenny is a handsome gipsy, although to my fancy she is a trifle gaunt - and fierce, as any one can see. Her mother being poor, intends that her - daughter shall be the wife of a wealthy man. You have fallen in love with - this divinity of the Bijou Music-hall, and so has that bounder of a - violinist. Madame Alpenny, knowing your circumstances, will have nothing - to do with either of you as sons-in-law, preferring yours truly." - </p> - <p> - "You!" Hench sat up and stared indignantly at the smooth - speaker. "Now what the dickens do you mean by that rubbish?" - </p> - <p> - "What I say. You understand King's English, I take it. But you need - have no fear so far as I am concerned. Mademoiselle Zara is not my sort, - and I have no intention of forwarding Madame Alpenny's matrimonial aims. - But you----" - </p> - <p> - Hench rose, looking considerably irritated. "I wish you would mind - your own business," he said sharply. "You have found a mare's - nest." - </p> - <p> - "Oh, well," observed Spruce lazily, "if that is the case I - may as well change my mind and become a suitor for Zara's hand." - </p> - <p> - "You shall do nothing of the sort." - </p> - <p> - "Why not? You don't love her, if I am to credit your mare's nest - parable." - </p> - <p> - Hench found that the Nut was too sharp for him and sat down with a - defeated air. "I admire the girl, rather than love her," he - admitted reluctantly. "She's a good sort and would make a good - wife--something of a comrade, you know." - </p> - <p> - "I don't think that fierce-eyed girl would care for a marriage of the - comrade sort, Hench. She wants love of the most pronounced and romantic - kind, and that kind she is getting from Bracken. He worships her, and will - carry off the prize if all you can give is cautious admiration." - </p> - <p> - "It's none of your business, anyway," fumed the big man. - </p> - <p> - "No. I admit that! But suppose I make it my business by asking Madame - Alpenny for her daughter's hand. She believes me to be rich and----" - </p> - <p> - "And you are not. Come, be honest." - </p> - <p> - Spruce saw that he had overshot the mark and retreated dexterously. "I - have already been honest, as I told you that I was not a millionaire but - only well off. Anyhow, I am a better husband for Zara so far as money is - concerned than you or that bounder." - </p> - <p> - "But hang it, man, you can't love her. You've only known her a week." - </p> - <p> - "I never said that I did love her, or could possibly come to love - her. Still, Zara is handsome and clever, so why shouldn't I make her my - comrade-wife, since you suggested the same kind of half-baked alliance - with yourself." - </p> - <p> - "Look here, Spruce," stated the other very seriously, and - irritated by the nimble wit of his schoolfellow, "you have proved - yourself to be a decent sort by offering to help me. For that offer I - thank you, and because of it I am willing that we should be friends. But - if you make love to Zara we are sure to quarrel." - </p> - <p> - "Aren't you rather a dog-in-the-manger, Hench?" - </p> - <p> - "No. I admire the girl." - </p> - <p> - "She wants love, which you evidently can't give her," retorted - Spruce in an emphatic manner. "Now, if I can love her----" - </p> - <p> - "You said that she wasn't your sort." - </p> - <p> - "She isn't. Still, she is handsome, and one might pick up a worse - wife." - </p> - <p> - "But not a worse mother-in-law. So far as I am concerned it doesn't - matter, as I have neither kith nor kin to my knowledge, and, moreover, I - am a vagabond upon the face of the earth. But with your family connections - and position and money, the marriage would not be a success, seeing that - it entails your taking Madame Alpenny to the West End. There she would - scarcely do you credit." - </p> - <p> - Spruce rocked with laughter, and wondered what Hench would say if he knew - the true position of affairs which had been so carefully withheld from - him. "I give in, old fellow," he said, wiping his eyes with a - mauve silk handkerchief and wafting a perfume about the room. "I was - only codding you. I don't want to marry the girl. But Bracken does." - </p> - <p> - "And so do I," rejoined Hench tartly. - </p> - <p> - "H'm! I'm not so sure of that. Yours is a cold-blooded wooing. The - girl asks you for the bread of love and you give her the stone of - admiration." - </p> - <p> - "She doesn't ask me for love," said the tall young man with a - sigh. "I am not so blind but what I can see that she loves Bracken." - </p> - <p> - "Then why don't you sheer off?" - </p> - <p> - "I don't like any man to get the better of me." - </p> - <p> - "There speaks the buccaneer, the cave-man, the prehistoric grabber. - Lord! what a weird state of things, and how simple you are, Hench, to - place all your cards on the table. I can teach you a thing or two." - </p> - <p> - "I am quite sure you can," said Hench dryly, and disliking the - wit of this effeminate little creature, which was so extremely keen; - "but I go my own way, thank you, and dree my own weird. It is - probable that I will ask Madame Alpenny if I can marry Zara, and if Zara - is agreeable----" - </p> - <p> - "Which by your own showing she won't be," put in Spruce - parenthetically. - </p> - <p> - "----I'll marry her. If not, I'll go away and let Bracken make her - his wife." - </p> - <p> - Spruce rose with a yawn. "I fancy Madame Alpenny will have a word or - two to say to that, my dear fellow. Why don't you skip now?" - </p> - <p> - "Because I admire Zara and mean to give her the chance of accepting - or rejecting me," said Hench doggedly. "Also, I can't leave - London for a few weeks, as I have to interview my father's lawyers." - </p> - <p> - "What about?" - </p> - <p> - "I can't tell you. My father left certain papers with his lawyers - which were to be given to me when I attained the age of twenty-five. My - birthday arrives shortly, and then I'll see what is to be done." - </p> - <p> - "It sounds like a mystery," yawned Spruce, apparently in a - listless manner, but secretly all agog to learn what the lawyers of his - friend knew; "Madame Alpenny says you are a mystery." - </p> - <p> - "Me!" Hench laughed scornfully; "why, there's nothing - mysterious about me. As you said just now, I am a simple person who places - all his cards on the table." - </p> - <p> - "Yes"--Spruce nodded--"more fool you. Now, if you will only - allow that old woman to think that there really is a mystery connected - with you--and there seems to be so far as this legal interview is - concerned--she may give you a chance of becoming her daughter's husband." - </p> - <p> - "Perhaps! But why does she think me a mystery?" - </p> - <p> - "I can't tell you. She was very vague about the matter. She declares - that she has seen you somewhere and that you have a history." - </p> - <p> - "History be hanged. My father had sufficient money to travel about - and put me to school at Winchester. When I left I joined him, and we went - through Europe to this place and that until he died and was buried in - Paris. What mystery is there about that?" - </p> - <p> - "None. But your family----?" - </p> - <p> - "I haven't got any save my father, who is dead. And he told me very - little about himself or his belongings. We are a Welsh family, I believe." - </p> - <p> - "Hench isn't a Welsh name." - </p> - <p> - "Owain is, anyhow, and the spelling is old Welsh," retorted the - other. - </p> - <p> - "True. We used to rag you about the spelling at school. Well, with - such a name as that, you might find out the truth about your family." - </p> - <p> - "I'm not curious." - </p> - <p> - "You should be then, as I would be if I were in your shoes. For all - you know there may be a title and money waiting for you." - </p> - <p> - "Oh, rubbish! Well, you can tell Madame Alpenny what I have told you. - No. On second thoughts, I'll tell her myself. She and her mystery, indeed!" - and with a scornful nod Hench left the bleak smoking-room. - </p> - <p> - Spruce reflected that Hench was a simpleton to be so frank about his - private affairs, and had not changed, so far as trusting people went, - since his school-days. "Also there is a mystery," he mused. - "I'll search it out." - </p> - <p> - <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> - </p> - <h4> - <a name="div1_03" href="#div1Ref_03" id="div1_03">CHAPTER III</a> - </h4> - <h5> - MAN PROPOSES - </h5> - <p> - <br /> - </p> - <p> - Everyone, without exception, was glad that Hench had returned, for he - appeared to be a favourite with all. And not the least pleased to see him - was the boy Simon Jedd, commonly called "Bottles." He was a - freckled, red-haired, laughing youngster of fifteen, with a wide mouth and - a snub nose, not by any manner of means handsome, but genial and cheerful - and extremely honest. He helped Amelia with the house-work, ran errands, - waited at table, cleaned the boots of the paying guests, and earned his - scanty wages by making himself uncommonly useful on all and every - occasion. But being a restless youth, and much given at odd moments to - reading books of highly-coloured adventure in the form of penny stories, - he had a soul above his drudgery, and longed with all his heart to face - dangers of the most pronounced kind. Such a lad was bound to have some - sort of actual hero to worship and adore. - </p> - <p> - In Hench, Bottles saw exactly the pioneering type, which was his ideal of - perfect manhood, and he looked upon the young man as the model of all the - virtues which most appealed to him. This being the case, he never could do - enough to prove his devotion. No bed was so well made as that of Hench; no - room was kept so spotlessly clean, and no boots were so highly polished. - Half amused and half touched by this genuine hero-worship, Hench lent the - boy books of travel, told him about his adventures in far lands, gave him - odd shillings to patronize the local picture palace and music-hall, and - generally treated him in a way which made the heart of the boy swell with - pride. It was no wonder that Bottles adored him and could never do enough - for him. - </p> - <p> - On the morning after his return, Hench found his clothes well brushed, his - bath ready, and a cup of tea at his elbow, while Bottles hovered round the - room wondering what else he could do to show his rejoicing spirit. In his - shabby patched clothes, and wearing an apron of green baize, Bottles - grinned respectfully when Hench sat up in bed to drink his tea. He also - supplied him with small-beer chronicles concerning events which had taken - place in The Home of the Muses during his hero's absence. Hench cared very - little for such gossip, but allowed Bottles to prattle on because it - pleased the lad. And certainly Master Jedd might have been a detective, so - full and clever was his report. In the course of his narrative he arrived - at Spruce. Then Hench really did listen, for, simple as he was, he began - to wonder if the Nut had given his true reason for this visit to Bethnal - Green. - </p> - <p> - "Such a swell as he is, ain't he?" babbled Bottles, who was now - slipping links and studs into Hench's shirt. "I never did see a cove - come with so many boxes, sir. Must be rich, I think, though he ain't free - with his money. Says he knew you at school, sir, he does. True, ain't it?" - </p> - <p> - "Quite true, Bottles!" replied Hench, nodding. "I haven't - seen him for eight or more years." - </p> - <p> - "And you don't like him now you do see him, do you, sir?" - </p> - <p> - "Why should you say that?" - </p> - <p> - "Well, sir"--Bottles scratched his scarlet poll--"he don't - seem to me to be quite your style. There ain't no Buffalo Bill, Pathfinder - business about him. If you don't mind my saying so, sir, I don't think - it's cricket his winning all that foreign lady's jewellery at cards, - nohow." - </p> - <p> - "That's none of your business, Bottles." - </p> - <p> - "Sorry, sir. But I can't help seeing and thinking when I do see. And - what's a swell like him doing down here, I'd like to know?" - </p> - <p> - "You'd better ask him." - </p> - <p> - "And get a clip on the ears for my pains, sir. Not me. Though I - dessay he ain't the cove to hit out." - </p> - <p> - "Too kind-hearted?" asked Hench, amused. - </p> - <p> - "Well," said Bottles slowly, "I shouldn't use them words - myself. Mr. Spruce is the kind of feller who'd trip you up when you wasn't - looking; but I don't think he'd meet any one's eye straight. Seems to me - as he might have done a glide, if you take me, sir." - </p> - <p> - "I don't take you, Bottles?" - </p> - <p> - "Bolted, mizzled, cut away," explained the boy earnestly. "Swells - don't come to this place for fun." - </p> - <p> - "Don't be a fool, boy. Mr. Spruce has only come here to gather - material for a book he is writing." - </p> - <p> - "Oh, he says that, do he, sir? Well, I don't think! Ho! I'll keep my - eye on all the illustrated papers and see if his picture's in 'em." - </p> - <p> - "Why should his picture be in them?" - </p> - <p> - Bottles shook his head mysteriously and skipped lightly towards the door. - He saw that Hench did not approve of his groundless suspicions, so made up - his mind to say no more. All the same, having got the idea that Spruce had - "done something" into his head, which came from reading too many - penny-dreadful romances, he made up his mind to watch the Nut. This he did - not tell his hero lest he should be forbidden to "follow the trail," - as he put it. Therefore he held his tongue and removed himself swiftly. - </p> - <p> - While Hench took his bath and dressed slowly, he wondered if by chance the - boy had hit the mark. It did appear to be strange that a well-to-do and - fashionable young man should come and live amidst such sordid - surroundings. Spruce's story of gathering material for a novel was - plausible enough, yet somehow it did not ring true. Hench, as the Nut - thought with some degree of truth, was a very simple and unsuspicious - person, but he was not quite such a fool as Mr. Spruce imagined him to be. - Affable as the young man had been, and pleased as he was with his old - schoolfellow's offer of pecuniary aid, he could not bring himself to like - the Cherub. His dandified dress, his mincing ways, his gorgeous array and - use of perfume, irritated the rough-and-ready manhood of Hench. He sensed - something poisonous about the little man, and resolved very rightly to be - wary in his dealings with him. Moreover, Spruce was altogether too curious - about matters which did not concern him, though why he should be so Hench - was unable to say. The Nut had made himself acquainted with the affairs of - every one in the house since his arrival, and knew much which could not - possibly interest him. However, if he had come to Bethnal Green to plot - and contrive, it would be a case of diamond cut diamond, for Hench guessed - that Bottles would keep his eye on the little man's doings. And the eye of - Bottles was sharp, while the brain of Bottles was keen; so the schemes of - Mr. Spruce would be baffled in the end, always presuming that he really - had any. - </p> - <p> - "But it's all bosh," said Hench aloud to himself, as he made - ready to go down to breakfast. "Spruce has come here to write a book, - and it's silly of me to make a mountain out of a molehill. I daresay he'll - grow tired of this dull life here and cut away back to the West End. Upon - my word I shan't be sorry when he goes. Strange that Bottles should - dislike him so thoroughly. He's a sharp lad, is Bottles, and doesn't - usually make mistakes." - </p> - <p> - Having unloaded his mind in this soliloquy, Hench descended to breakfast - and enjoyed that meal all alone, as he was late and every one was out. - Spruce, indeed, was having breakfast in his room, and of this Hench was - glad, as he always liked to read the newspaper while drinking his coffee. - This would have been impossible had such a chattering magpie as the Nut - been present. But he did not escape the attentions of his old schoolfellow - entirely, for Spruce made his appearance just as he finished eating. The - Nut wore a suit of cream-coloured serge with a black necktie, black boots, - black gloves, and a black hat of soft felt. Hench stared. - </p> - <p> - "I say, you look like a negative," he remonstrated. "Don't - go out in that get-up or you'll be mobbed." - </p> - <p> - "Oh, no," said Spruce smoothly; "only pointed at. I'm - accustomed to that, as I have put on a different suit every day since - coming here. It must be a pleasure for these Bethnal Green rotters to see - a well-dressed man." - </p> - <p> - "I don't mind a fellow being well dressed," retorted Hench with - emphasis, "but I do object to over-dressing." - </p> - <p> - Spruce shrugged his shoulders. "You never did care to look decent." - </p> - <p> - "I'm decent enough; confound your impudence!" - </p> - <p> - "What with that shaggy beard and shabby clothes, and----" - </p> - <p> - "There! There! Keep off the grass, Spruce. My clothes are well - enough, although I do admit my beard is a trifle out of place. But when I - returned from South America six months ago I never bothered to shave. Too - much trouble." - </p> - <p> - "Well, if I were a good-looking chap such as you are, I would pay - more attention to my appearance. Coming out for a walk?" - </p> - <p> - "No. Not with you in that get-up!" - </p> - <p> - Spruce laughed. "Rum sort of chap you are to object to a fellow - dressing decently. However, have it your own way. I'll see you this - afternoon." - </p> - <p> - Hench nodded absently and filled his pipe, while Spruce departed to - delight the jeering inhabitants of Bethnal Green. And they did jeer, in - what Spruce considered their coarse, common, vulgar way, but did not - manage to upset him in the least. He was much too conceited to think that - he could possibly be wrong in his selection of clothes. And it must be - confessed that, as the day was hot even for July, he looked wonderfully - cool and comfortable in his white garb. The men jeered, but for the most - part the women admired him, and so long as he gained admiration from the - fair sex Spruce was wholly content. So he screwed in his eye-glass and - strutted and smiled, and made a progress through the main streets of - Bethnal Green with a heroism worthy of a better cause. And it was heroism - in a way to venture amongst the great unwashed in such fantastic clothes, - although in Spruce it took the form of absolute vanity, and a certainty - that he was "a thing of beauty and a joy for ever." - </p> - <p> - As the day was warm and sunny the Nut did not return to luncheon, but - enjoyed that meal in a City restaurant. He did not risk travelling beyond - Fleet Street, lest he should stumble against some former friend who - certainly would not be amiably disposed. Like the Peri, Spruce stood at - the Gates of Paradise, but did not dare to venture in, so after a long - look up the Strand, which was closed to him, he returned gloomily to - Bethnal Green. But by the time he reached The Home of the Muses, he felt - much better, as his nature was too shallow for him to be impressed - strongly by any emotion--sorrowful or joyful. It was late in the afternoon - when he entered the dingy drawing-room, and here he found Hench and Madame - Alpenny enjoying the regulation tea. Zara, it appeared, was lying down to - refresh herself for the evening's performance, and Bracken was attending a - rehearsal. As for Mrs. Tesk, her mind was engaged with the approaching - dinner, and she was consulting the cook in the kitchen. - </p> - <p> - As soon as Bottles, who was attending to the meal, saw Spruce stepping in - he became at once upon the alert, and devoured him with his light blue - eyes. Hench, noticing this espionage, sent the lad away to get fresh tea, - as he did not approve of Bottles watching and listening to what did not - concern him. Madame Alpenny smiled blandly when Spruce entered and - complimented him on his cool looks. She was hot herself, and this was - little to be wondered at, as she wore her constant black dress with the - orange spots, her picture hat and her heavy bead mantle. The Nut wondered - if she had any other clothes, as she never seemed to wear another garb. - </p> - <p> - "You are just in time, Mr. Spruce," said Madame Alpenny in her - lively way, and after she had paid her compliment. "Tell me what you - know of Mr. Hench here." - </p> - <p> - Spruce stared. "Why do you ask me that?" - </p> - <p> - "Indeed you may well ask," said Hench with a frown, "as you - cannot answer the question. But Madame here will not permit me to pay - attention to Mademoiselle Zara until she knows more about me." - </p> - <p> - "I am a good mother, you see, and must consider my daughter's - happiness," was the reply of the Hungarian lady, as she took the - freshly filled teapot from Bottles and sent him out of the room again. - </p> - <p> - "If that is the case," said Spruce politely, "then you must - allow her to become Mrs. Bracken." - </p> - <p> - "Certainly I shall not. Ah, but you are smiling." - </p> - <p> - "Indeed, I think your daughter will only be happy with Bracken," - insisted the Nut lightly. "He loves her, and I think that she loves - him." - </p> - <p> - "In that case," commented Madame with a shrug and glancing at - Hench, "there is no chance for you." - </p> - <p> - "I admire Mademoiselle Zara and wish to make her my wife," said - Hench steadily. "I am young and strong, and will soon make a fortune." - </p> - <p> - "So far you have been unsuccessful," she replied dryly; "and - for my daughter I prefer a ready-made fortune." Her eyes rested on - Spruce as she spoke. The little man did not take the hint, but chuckled - softly in his hateful fashion, so she was obliged to go on. "Tell me, - Mr. Spruce, what do you know of Mr. Hench?" - </p> - <p> - "Only that he is the best fellow in the world." - </p> - <p> - Hench frowned. "I don't see how you can swear to that, seeing we have - not met for eight years." - </p> - <p> - "Oh, you were always a good sort of chap," said Spruce gaily. - "If you don't mind my saying so, you haven't enough brains to be - wicked. It takes a clever person to sin properly." - </p> - <p> - "Ah, but you will amuse yourself with this talk," broke in - Madame, smiling. "I want a good man for my daughter." - </p> - <p> - "Take Bracken, then. He's a bit of a bounder, but decent enough." - </p> - <p> - The old woman pursed up her lips and shook her head. After a few moments - of reflection she spoke freely. "My daughter must marry money, and - neither you, Mr. Hench, nor Mr. Bracken have any money. I will not allow - you to pay your addresses to her. Nor will Zara receive them. She is a - good girl and loves her old mother." - </p> - <p> - "Well, Hench," said Spruce, when this speech was ended, "now - you know. Are you not heart-broken?" - </p> - <p> - "No!" retorted Hench sharply. "Nor am I defeated. Zara will - decide." - </p> - <p> - "She will decide what I order her to decide!" cried Madame - Alpenny furiously. "And my daughter is not for you, Mr. Hench!" - </p> - <p> - "I should prefer to discuss that question privately," said the - young man in a stiff, haughty way; "there is no need for Mr. Spruce - to be present." - </p> - <p> - "Oh, don't say that," chimed in the Nut reproachfully; "I - may be able to help you, old fellow. You don't go the right way to work." - </p> - <p> - "It's my own way," snapped Hench restlessly, and objecting to - interference. - </p> - <p> - "Then it's the wrong way," snapped Spruce in his turn. "Remember - that Madame Alpenny thinks you are a mystery. Use that to help you." - </p> - <p> - "In what way?" Hench opened his brown eyes. - </p> - <p> - "Mysterious persons are always interesting, and if Madame here finds - that you may turn out to be some one great, who knows but what she may - change her mind?" - </p> - <p> - "Are you something great?" asked the lady, addressing Hench - quickly. - </p> - <p> - "No. I am nobody, and will remain nobody. Why should you think that I - am, what you call, a mystery?" - </p> - <p> - "It is hard to say," she answered dreamily and staring hard at - him. "I have seen eyes like yours somewhere. They are connected with - a story--a kind of family mystery. But I can't remember to whom those eyes - belonged." - </p> - <p> - "Perhaps you have met our friend here before," suggested the Nut - eagerly. - </p> - <p> - "No!" said Madame positively, and Hench also shook his head. - "I met him here for the first time. The person who had eyes like him - I met--or I fancy I met--some twenty years ago. But it is all vague and - uncertain. Yet I feel that the story I allude to is here"--she - touched her forehead--"a mere word will bring it back to my memory." - </p> - <p> - "Then let us try and find the magic word," cried the - irrepressible Spruce. "I am desperately curious myself to fathom a - mystery which the person concerned in it does not guess." - </p> - <p> - "Meaning me," said Hench tartly. "You are talking rubbish." - </p> - <p> - "Sense, sense, common-sense. When the mystery is discovered you may - be able to marry Mademoiselle Zara." - </p> - <p> - "There is no mystery about me, I tell you." - </p> - <p> - "Well, I am not so sure of that," remarked the little man, in - spite of his friend's frown. "You don't know anything about your - family, as you admitted to me. Yet I dare swear that those papers you are - to inspect at your lawyers' in a few weeks, when you arrive at the age of - twenty-five, may contain a history which will astonish you." - </p> - <p> - "Papers at your lawyers'," echoed Madame Alpenny, looking - excited; "is that so?" Hench reluctantly admitted that such was - the case. "But I don't suppose that anything I don't know will come - to my knowledge." - </p> - <p> - "Who knows," observed the old lady thoughtfully. "Mr. - Spruce is right. This hint of mystery interests me in you and makes me - more ready to entertain your proposal to marry Zara. If you turned out to - be wealthy----" - </p> - <p> - "I never will, I tell you," insisted Hench crossly. - </p> - <p> - "Then why are these mysterious papers in existence? No! believe me, - they have a story to tell. I am better disposed towards you because of - those papers, as who knows to what they may lead. Mr. Spruce is right - about a mystery interesting me, and I congratulate Mr. Spruce. He ought to - be in the diplomatic service. His knowledge of human nature does him - credit." - </p> - <p> - Evidently both Madame and the Cherub were bent upon building a castle in - the air, as Hench could not think that the papers in question were likely - to make him a rich man. His father had never been rich, and knowing the - sybaritism of his deceased parent, the young man was pretty certain that - if there had been any money about, the elder Hench would have obtained it - to waste. "You are both wrong," he said gloomily. "There is - not likely to be a fortune waiting for me when I read those papers. My - name is a commonplace one, and I have every reason to believe that my - family is commonplace also. My father never gave me any information about - his parents. All I know is that his name was Owain Hench, as mine is, and - that he once or twice remarked that his youth had been passed in some - Welsh place, called Rhaiadr!" - </p> - <p> - The effect of this last word on Madame was astonishing. She turned quite - pale with sudden emotion, her large dark eyes blazed into vivid life and - she clapped her hands loudly. "Rhaiadr! Owain of Rhaiadr! The word - means water tumbling over a rock--a waterfall. Ah, yes, and so they call a - torrent in the barbarous country of Wales." - </p> - <p> - Hench stared at her, not understanding this outburst, but Spruce, much - more alive to what was meant, laughed and nodded. "We have hit upon - the magic word, it seems," he observed, all on the alert for - knowledge. "Tell us who was the owner of the eyes which were like - those of Hench's, Madame?" - </p> - <p> - "Your father had such eyes," said Madame, turning to the - astonished man. - </p> - <p> - "My father!"--Hench started to his feet--"you have never - met my father. Why, he died about five years ago." - </p> - <p> - Madame nodded complacently and signed that he should seat himself again. - "Ah, is that so? He is dead, then. Oh, but I did meet him, Mr. Hench. - Some twenty years back--it was in Buda Pesth. I remember it all"--she - pressed her jewelled fingers to her forehead--"it all comes back to - me." - </p> - <p> - "Tell us about it, then," suggested Spruce eagerly. "Bah!" - said Hench rather rudely, "it's all imagination." - </p> - <p> - "Indeed it is not," protested Madame, gesticulating. "If it - were so, how would I know that Rhaiadr meant a waterfall and was in Wales, - a country I know nothing about? Owain of Rhaiadr!--that is what your - father called himself." - </p> - <p> - "Owain is my Christian name, and was my father's before me. But we - don't live in the Middle Ages, when a man was known by his first name - being connected with a town, or village, or county, or country. Owain - Hench of Rhaiadr, if you like, Madame." - </p> - <p> - The woman shook her head and her eyes sparkled like diamonds. "Ah, - but it is not so. Owain of Rhaiadr was what your father said. I remember - we were sitting on the terrace of the hotel, and feeling ill, he sought my - sympathy. Ah, my friend, and more than my sympathy. He wished to marry me." - </p> - <p> - "Marry you!" Hench stared at the withered old woman in - amazement. - </p> - <p> - "Why not? I was a handsome young widow in those days and had some - money. Afterwards I lost it, being unlucky at cards." - </p> - <p> - "Well, let us hope that to make up for your loss you were lucky in - love," said Spruce affably. - </p> - <p> - "No! I did not wish to marry again, as I was devoted to the memory of - my English husband. But I liked your father, Mr. Hench, even though I - refused to become his wife. He was not rich, you understand, so it was - useless for me to marry a poor man. But I liked him because he was - well-bred and sympathetic in many ways. How it all comes back to me. I - told him of my daughter, who was with her nurse in the gardens below the - terrace, and he informed me that he had a son of four or five, who was in - England being looked after by strangers." - </p> - <p> - "By strangers," echoed Hench bitterly; "that is true. All - my life I have had to do with strangers." - </p> - <p> - "Ah, but, my friend, it was not the fault of your good father," - said Madame in a hurried tone. "His young wife--your mother--died - early, and it was impossible for your father to travel about the Continent - with a baby--as you were." - </p> - <p> - "A baby of over four years old could have travelled well enough," - said Hench in a sombre tone; "but my father never cared about me - over-much. He----" here the young man checked himself, as he did not - wish to discuss his father in the presence of Spruce, although he might - have done so with Madame Alpenny, since he desired to marry her daughter. - After a pause he continued: "Well, did my father tell you his family - history?" - </p> - <p> - It was quite one minute before the old lady answered this question. She - reflected deeply, with her eyes searching his handsome face, then shook - her head sadly. "No! We were not so confidential as that. We met - several times again, but as I refused to marry him, your father went away - to Paris. I never saw him again, but the memory of his eyes remained, and - those same eyes you now use to look at me suggested my old romance." - </p> - <p> - "They would not have done so but for the magic word Rhaiadr," - said Spruce in brisk tones. "Well, Hench, you see that there is a - mystery." - </p> - <p> - "There is not," declared the young man sharply and much vexed. - "Your mystery resolves itself into what Madame here calls her - romance. My father asked her to marry him and she refused. Very wisely, I - think," he added, as if to himself--"she would never have been - happy." - </p> - <p> - Madame overheard him, shrugged her shoulders, and rose, looking more - shapeless in figure and more untidy in dress than ever. "In any case, - I have never been happy," she said sadly, "so it does not - matter. But I am now inclined to consider your proposal to pay attentions - to Zara." - </p> - <p> - "He is not yet rich, remember," put in Spruce, grinning. - </p> - <p> - "Mind your own business," said Hench vehemently. - </p> - <p> - "No"--Madame's tone was peculiar--"and perhaps he never may - be rich. But if Zara likes you, I am not sure but what I will not allow - you to marry her. No, I have not yet quite made up my mind. Give me time - to think"--she moved ponderously towards the door. "Owain of - Rhaiadr! Ah, if you were only able to call yourself that. Well, who knows," - and with a mysterious nod she disappeared. - </p> - <p> - "Queer thing, coming across an old flame of your father's in Queer - Street," said the Nut affably. "What do you think?" - </p> - <p> - "I think," said Hench in anything but an amiable tone, "that - you had better mind your own damned business." - </p> - <p> - Spruce was by no means offended. "As you will, although you should be - sensible enough to use my brains to help you with your family mystery." - </p> - <p> - "There is no mystery. How often am I to repeat that?" And Hench - walked away fuming with rage at the little man's persistence. - </p> - <p> - <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> - </p> - <h4> - <a name="div1_04" href="#div1Ref_04" id="div1_04">CHAPTER IV</a> - </h4> - <h5> - THE ADVERTISEMENT - </h5> - <p> - <br /> - </p> - <p> - Hench felt annoyed with himself for talking so freely about his private - affairs in the presence of Spruce, yet he could not see how he could have - done otherwise. Madame Alpenny, disregarding the obvious fact that his - proposal for her daughter's hand was not for public discussion, had - appealed to the little man for information concerning the suitor, and in - this way the Nut had been drawn into the conversation. If was not that - Hench affected reticence, as he was a singularly frank man; or that there - was anything to conceal in his past life, since that was free from - punishable misdeeds. But it irritated him that Spruce should meddle, as - the man appeared to have a finger in everybody's pie, and Hench saw no - reason why he should have anything to do with this particular pastry. For - this reason he gave his old schoolfellow the cold shoulder. - </p> - <p> - Spruce objected to this, as it was his aim to ingratiate himself, with a - view to possible happenings which would place him in possession of money. - At the outset Hench's friendship had not appeared to be worth cultivating, - as he was poor, aggressively honest, and not at all a man to be exploited - by the unscrupulous. But after Hench's confidence regarding the papers at - the lawyers', Spruce scented a mystery which might be profitable. His - suspicions, which at the outset were of the very faintest description, - received colour and were rendered more substantial by the knowledge that - Madame Alpenny had been acquainted with the young man's father. Spruce had - noted her hesitation in replying to the question concerning the telling of - the family history, and was satisfied in his own mind that she knew more - than she would admit. The fact that after the conversation in the - drawing-room she was willing to consider the proposal of marriage to Zara, - implied that there was something in the wind. Having regard to Madame - Alpenny's poverty and to her desire that Zara should marry a wealthy man, - that something undoubtedly had to do with money. As yet Spruce was very - vague about the whole matter, as his information was not accurate enough - to enable him to act. But the key to the mystery, whatever it might be, - was in the possession of Madame Alpenny, therefore the Nut watched her - carefully. If she was agreeable that Zara should become the wife of Hench, - there was certainly money to be gained by her as the result of the - marriage; and if Hench was likely to possess riches, Spruce made up his - mind to share in the same. - </p> - <p> - For this reason he ignored the young man's bearish manner and scant - civility, which otherwise he would not have tolerated. Spruce was - amiability itself, and went out of his way to amuse the paying guests, so - that Mrs. Tesk looked upon him as quite an acquisition. He played the - piano, he sang songs, he performed conjuring tricks, and made himself - generally agreeable. Also he escorted Zara to the Bijou Music-hall and - there became acquainted with the management, with the stage hands, and - with the hangers-on of the profession. In a week he was quite at home - behind the scenes, and even became friendly with Mrs. Jedd, who was the - mother of Bottles, and the wardrobe mistress. In fact, he ingratiated - himself with every one and was highly popular; meantime watching Madame - Alpenny with the ardour of a cat at a mouse-hole, and giving his best - attentions to Hench. These were so coldly received that finally he - remonstrated in a most plaintive manner. - </p> - <p> - "I don't see why you should be so confoundedly disagreeable," he - said after seven days of hard work to be polite; "we are two - gentlemen who are stranded here, and may as well chum up for the sake of - company." - </p> - <p> - "I don't wish to chum up, as you call it, with any one," - retorted Hench coldly. - </p> - <p> - "Not with Zara?" Spruce could not help giving his friend the - dig. - </p> - <p> - "That is my business." - </p> - <p> - "I never suggested otherwise. But I would point out that Madame - Alpenny's resolve to consider your marriage proposition favourably is due - to me. Had I not guided the conversation as I did, she would never have - remembered her meeting with your father. It is the romance of that which - has inclined her to permit your wooing." - </p> - <p> - "Madame Alpenny would have remembered without your help." - </p> - <p> - "I think not. You have been here along with her for six months and - have had endless conversations. But until I made a third----" - </p> - <p> - "An inconvenient third." - </p> - <p> - "Oh, as you will. But until I made a third, she did not recollect the - adventure of her youth which has softened her towards you. This being the - case, I don't see why you should hold me at arm's length." - </p> - <p> - "I am not taking the trouble to consider you in any way," said - Hench in his most freezing manner. "We were never chums at school, - and I see nothing in you to make me more friendly now. It is true that you - offered to help me with money, but as I don't require your help in that - way, I lie under no obligation to you. Why the dickens can't you go back - to the West End?" - </p> - <p> - "I shall go back," lied Spruce, "when I gather sufficient - material for my proposed book. Meanwhile, my friend----" - </p> - <p> - "Meanwhile," repeated Hench, cutting him short, "suppose - you mind your own business and leave mine alone." - </p> - <p> - "Had I left your business alone, Madame Alpenny would not now be so - agreeable to you, old fellow," said Spruce, persistently polite. - "However, since you object, I shall meddle no more. All the same, if - I can do you a good turn I am perfectly willing to do so." - </p> - <p> - "Don't be worthy and pose as a bed-rock Christian!" - </p> - <p> - "I'm sure I don't know what you mean," sighed the little man, - who knew perfectly well what was implied; "but as you are bent upon - making yourself disagreeable, you will be pleased to hear that I am - returning to the West End to-morrow for a few days." - </p> - <p> - "I hope you'll stay there," growled Hench wrathfully, and quite - unable to get rid of this gadfly. "I prefer to be alone." - </p> - <p> - "You will be more alone than you think," retorted Spruce tartly. - "Madame Alpenny is going away also for a few days. She told Mrs. - Tesk, who told me." - </p> - <p> - "Just like you, to go interfering with other people's business, - Spruce. Madame Alpenny can go away without the world coming to an end." - He paused, then asked a question which he immediately regretted having - put. "Where's she going?" - </p> - <p> - "Ah!" Spruce chuckled cynically, "you are curious in spite - of your pretended dislike to meddle with what doesn't concern you. Well, - she is going to see if any West End manager will come to see Zara dancing - at the Bijou Music-hall, with a view to getting her daughter a better - engagement." - </p> - <p> - "I hope she will succeed," said Hench heartily. "Zara is a - rare dancer and well deserves better luck." - </p> - <p> - "If she goes, you will be parted." - </p> - <p> - "Oh, hang your interference!" cried Hench, and walked out of the - smoking-room. - </p> - <p> - "Better make hay while the sun shines," Spruce called out after - him, and, after his usual manner, chuckled when the door banged by way of - reply. - </p> - <p> - There appeared to be a perfect exodus from The Home of the Muses, for - Bracken also became conspicuous by his absence. He went to see his mother - at Folkestone, who was a widow, as news came that her health was not what - it might be. But the greatest surprise was when Bottles came to Hench on - the morning of the exodus, dressed in his best clothes and smiling all - over his freckled face. He was blushing also, which was a rare thing for - the imp to do, and made a request which accounted for the same. - </p> - <p> - "Would you mind, sir--I mean, am I asking too much--that is, if you - won't think it sauce on my part," he stumbled amongst his words and - blushed deeper. - </p> - <p> - "Out with it, Bottles! What is it? Speak straight and to the point." - </p> - <p> - Jedd did so and very bluntly. "I want you to lend me five shillings, - sir. Oh, I'll pay it back out of my wages at sixpence a week, see if I - don't"--the boy went through a pantomine--"that wet; that dry; - cut my throat if I tell a lie." - </p> - <p> - Hench, who had every reason to trust Bottles, and who considered him to be - a lad with a future if clever wits went for anything, produced a couple of - half-crowns from his slender resources. "There you are! You needn't - pay me back." - </p> - <p> - "Oh, but I will, sir, thanking you all the same," said Bottles, - pocketing the cash. "Mother's brought me up proper, she has, and - always told me never to borrer. But I can't help borrering this time; it's - business." - </p> - <p> - "What business?" - </p> - <p> - "Private," said the lad stiffly; "but the five bob shall be - paid back, honest, Mr. Hench." - </p> - <p> - "Well, Bottles, I admire your principles and will accept the sixpence - a week repayment. But why are you so excited and why this splendour of - dress?" - </p> - <p> - "I'm going down the country to see my brother, sir." - </p> - <p> - "Your brother. I never knew you had a brother." - </p> - <p> - "Oh, yes sir, please. We're twins, we are, and I'm the elder by half - an hour, as mother always says. Peter's a page in a lady's house in the - country, and Mrs. Tesk allows me to go and see him sometimes. I asked her - if I could go to-day, and she said that as Mr. Spruce and Mr. Bracken and - Madame Alpenny were away for a few days, and there wouldn't be much work, - that she would let me go." - </p> - <p> - "Well," said Hench with a good-natured laugh, "I hope - you'll enjoy yourself, my lad. So you are Simon and your brother is Peter. - Eh?" - </p> - <p> - "Yes, sir. Called after the Chief Apostle, sir. Mother reads her - Bible even though she's only looking after the clothes at the Bijour - Music-hall. I'm going to stay away for two days, Mr. Hench, and p'raps - three. But I won't waste my time; oh no, not much, you bet, sir." - </p> - <p> - "What do you mean?" asked his patron, considerably mystified. - </p> - <p> - "I'll tell you some day, sir, as you've a right to know." - </p> - <p> - "Know what?" - </p> - <p> - "What I've got up my sleeve. It may be rot, and it may be something - else. All I can tell you, sir, is, that when the time comes, you'll know. - S'elp me Bob, I'll tell you everything," and Bottles panted with - excitement. - </p> - <p> - "Bottles, you've muddled your brain with your adventure and detective - penny-dreadful yarns. Well, go on your Sexton Blake errand, and mind you - have a good time. I shall miss your attentions, though," ended Hench - kindly. - </p> - <p> - "I hope you won't miss 'em very much, sir. I've told Amelia to see as - you get everything you want. She's only a gal, but she'll do her best for - my sake, sir," ended Bottles grandly. "She and me's going to - marry when we're rich." - </p> - <p> - "Go away, you precocious imp, and don't talk nonsense." - </p> - <p> - "There's many a true word spoke in nonsense, as mother says, sir. - She's great on proverbs, is mother!" and with this parting shot - Bottles rapidly disappeared, grinning amiably and very much excited. Hench - wondered at the boy's mysterious hints and could not for the life of him - see how they could have anything to do with his own affairs. However, - thinking that Bottles was merely drawing on his imagination, he dismissed - the matter from his mind. - </p> - <p> - And, indeed, for the next few days, and until the return of the absent, - the young man found his hands full enough. Zara being alone, with neither - her mother nor Bracken at her elbow, Hench thought that he might as well - take advantage of the opportunity to carry on an uninterrupted wooing. He - escorted Zara to the music-hall and escorted her home again. He took her - sundry walks, gave her sundry meals in restaurants, and provided her with - cheap amusements in the form of cinematograph entertainments. Zara, who - really liked Hench, was very grateful for his attentions, but she - resolutely refused to allow him to make love to her. With the dexterity of - a woman she managed to keep him at arm's length; but one evening while he - conducted her to business the young man managed to get nearer to his - divinity. Certainly the crowded streets, flaring with gas-lights, were - unfit surroundings for love-making. But Hench had to carry on his romance - as best he could, since Zara was so clever in throwing obstacles in his - way. On this occasion, however, he broke through them. - </p> - <p> - "You are very cruel to me," he remarked, after many minutes of - desultory conversation, and seizing the opportunity when the pair turned - down into a quiet side street, "very cruel indeed." - </p> - <p> - The handsome girl was silent for a moment or so. "It's no use my - pretending to misunderstand you, Mr. Hench," she said at length. - "What's the time?" - </p> - <p> - Rather surprised by the irrelevance of the question, Hench looked at his - very cheap watch. "Eight o'clock." - </p> - <p> - "Well, I'm not on until a quarter to nine, and although I do take a - long time to dress, I can give you ten minutes." - </p> - <p> - "Oh, thank you, Zara. You are----" - </p> - <p> - "Don't make any mistake, Mr. Hench. I won't have those ten minutes - spent in love-making, which would bore me and waste your time." - </p> - <p> - "No time spent upon you is wasted, Zara." - </p> - <p> - "There you are wrong. It is time we had an explanation. So long as - mother objected to you as she does to Ned----" - </p> - <p> - "To Ned?" - </p> - <p> - "I mean to Mr. Bracken," said Zara, colouring and wincing. - "Well then, so long as she was in that frame of mind, I let things - slide. But now mother seems inclined to consider you as a possible - son-in--law, and I must appeal to you." - </p> - <p> - "Command me in any way." - </p> - <p> - "Then don't worry me with attentions. Oh, I don't mind your behaving - like a gentleman, as you have been doing, to pass the time while mother is - away. I am very grateful to you for the amusement you have given me. But"--added - the girl, leaning against the railings of a convenient dwelling-house--"I - am not in love with you, no more than you are with me." - </p> - <p> - "I do love you," said Hench, frowning; "what's the use of - saying otherwise?" - </p> - <p> - "You don't love me, I tell you," insisted Zara petulantly. - "Trust a woman to understand the exact state of a man's heart. You - like me, you admire me, you think me a good sort, but love"--she - shook her head--"you don't understand love as Ned--I mean, Mr. - Bracken--does." - </p> - <p> - "Oh, call him Ned by all means," said Hench quietly. "I see - you are friendly enough with him to do so." - </p> - <p> - "I am engaged to him." - </p> - <p> - "With your mother's consent?" - </p> - <p> - "No. You know very well that mother wants me to marry a rich man, and - Ned is poor, although he does hope to get a few hundred pounds now that - his mother is dying. I love him and I intend somehow to marry him." - </p> - <p> - "That is unpleasant hearing for me, Zara." - </p> - <p> - "Indeed, it isn't, Mr. Hench. I know quite well what has led you to - propose marriage to me----" - </p> - <p> - "I never have proposed as yet," interpolated Hench quickly. - </p> - <p> - "No. But you intended to. If I had not prevented you from going too - far these last few days you would have proposed. Come now, isn't that the - truth?" - </p> - <p> - "Yes! And to make you understand me fully I ask you now to be my - wife." - </p> - <p> - "Then I refuse. I love Ned, and Ned only, even though he's but a poor - violinist in the orchestra and earns little money. He loves me also, and - in a way which you cannot comprehend." - </p> - <p> - "Why not?" - </p> - <p> - "Because your heart has never been touched either by me or by any - other woman. It's no use your saying that it has been. I know you better - than you do yourself, Mr. Hench." - </p> - <p> - The young man felt slightly mortified. "You appear to have a bad - opinion of me, Mademoiselle." - </p> - <p> - "Indeed, I have a most excellent opinion of you. Make no mistake - about that, Mr. Hench. You are an honourable gentleman; you are extremely - kind-hearted and you will be an admirable husband--to the woman you love." - </p> - <p> - "You are the woman, believe me!" cried Hench impetuously. - </p> - <p> - Zara shook her proud head, smiling, and looked less fierce than usual. - "Oh, what children men are. They want a toy and cry when they don't - get it, yet break it when it is in their possession. I am the toy, Mr. - Hench, and you are the child who wants it." - </p> - <p> - "And if I got the toy I would break it. Eh?" - </p> - <p> - "Yes," said the dancer frankly, and began to walk on slowly, as - the ten minutes were nearly up, "and I'll tell you why. You are a - lonely man, who has no home, no relations, no centre in life, if I may put - it so. Having an intensely domestic nature--that nature which makes an - admirable husband, a devoted father, and which is domestic in its - essence--you want a wife to create a centre round which you can revolve. I - happen to be passably good-looking, to have some good qualities, and to be - an agreeable companion. Therefore, liking me, you mistake that liking for - love, and offer me a respectable but dull future. Any other woman, - decently kind and presentable, would suit you just as well as I would, and - with her you would believe yourself to be in love as you think you are - with me. But a happy marriage is not built up upon such a foundation, Mr. - Hench, believe me. A woman wants love, she wants a heart. You can give me - neither." - </p> - <p> - "And Mr. Bracken can?" - </p> - <p> - "Yes! Otherwise I wouldn't marry him. If mother is successful and can - get me a West End engagement, I daresay I'll have plenty of men fluttering - about me, and can pick and choose amongst lovers of higher rank and with - more money than poor Ned has. But I won't find one who loves me as he - does." - </p> - <p> - "I don't quite understand the kind of love you mean," murmured - Hench, perplexed. - </p> - <p> - "Of course you don't, for the very simple reason that you require an - explanation. True love comes from within and not from without. When you - really feel the passion you require no explanation. Come and tell me when - you really fall in love, Mr. Hench, if I am not right." - </p> - <p> - "Where did you learn how to talk in this way?" asked Hench, who - was beginning to see that she was right. - </p> - <p> - "Experience has taught me, and experience is a great teacher. I am - older than you think, Mr. Hench." - </p> - <p> - "You are only three and twenty. Your mother told me so." - </p> - <p> - "I am older in experience, for you know that a woman is always twice - as old as a man in the ways of the world. However, here is the Bijou, and - I must go in to get ready for my work. You understand what I mean, don't - you?" - </p> - <p> - "Yes. I daresay my love is of a very feeble quality." - </p> - <p> - "Don't be bitter and don't pity yourself, Mr. Hench. Your liking for - me is perfectly honourable, and I am sure you would make a kind husband. - But love--you know nothing of love. I said that before, I fancy, and I say - it again." She offered her gloved hand. "Come! Let us be - friends, nothing nearer, nothing dearer. Otherwise you will make me - unhappy." - </p> - <p> - Round the corner of the music-hall, where no one was about, Hench bent - over Zara's hand and kissed it. "Let it be as you say," he said - firmly; "all the same, I envy Bracken his future wife." - </p> - <p> - "You will meet a woman who will suit you better than I will," - Zara assured him, and her great black eyes shone. "When you do, come - and tell me how wholly correct I have been. And another thing, Mr. Hench, - don't let mother bully me about you." - </p> - <p> - "There's no chance. I am too poor to be your husband so far as Madame - Alpenny is concerned, even though she likes me better than she did." - </p> - <p> - Zara looked at him curiously. "Are you sure that you are poor?" - she asked in an enigmatic tone, and then ran into the music-hall, through - the dark stage door, before he could reply. - </p> - <p> - Hench strolled home leisurely, wondering what she meant by her last - speech. Of course he was poor. She knew it; so did Madame Alpenny; so did - every one in the boarding-house. Yet she implied a doubt. Resolving to ask - for an explanation when occasion served, the young man dismissed this - particular matter from his mind, and thought of his misfortune in losing - Zara. He had always admired her, and now that she had spoken to him so - eloquently he admired her more than ever. Hitherto more or less silent, - she had never displayed the common-sense qualities of her mind before. - Therefore Hench saw that she was not only a handsome woman and an - accomplished girl, but had considerable mental powers. Otherwise she could - scarcely have placed the truth so plainly before him as she had done. And - with a sigh the pseudo-lover confessed that it was the truth. What he felt - was not love, for, although he regretted his dismissal from the wooing of - a noble woman, he by no means felt broken-hearted, as Bracken would have - done. Hench recognized that his desire for Zara was only a strong wish for - a home and a wife and a family, and--as she put it--for a centre round - which his life could revolve. Having arrived at this conclusion he decided - to leave the girl alone, and wait until fortune brought him to the feet of - his true mate. "And I must have some sort of mate in the world, - anyhow," added Hench to himself, by way of comfort. - </p> - <p> - Henceforth the relations of the two were much more unembarrassed, for it - was a brother and sister connection--frank and markedly comfortable. - During the remainder of Madame Alpenny's absence, Hench took Zara about as - usual, and she confided in him her love for Bracken, her plans for the - accomplishment of that love, and her many difficulties with her mother. - Madame Alpenny, it seemed, was by no means an angel, as she possessed a - furious temper, and wasted all her money in gambling. She was an ill woman - to cross, since her nature was vindictive and eminently determined to have - its own way. Zara gave Hench to understand that if she could marry Bracken - and pension her mother she would be truly happy. At present she was very - miserable, and only the hope of escaping from her mother's clutches in the - manner described enabled her to endure trouble. Hench, in his new - character of her brother, consoled her, and promised to do what he could - to forward her aims. But he did not see at the present moment how he could - do anything. - </p> - <p> - Madame Alpenny returned on the third day, but the other absentees still - remained away. The old woman looked very satisfied with herself, and - hinted that she had done good business which would improve Zara's - position. She was markedly civil to Hench, and encouraged him greatly to - pay attentions to her daughter. As the two now understood one another, to - do this was easy--both for Hench to pay them and for Zara to receive - them--but Madame Alpenny remained in the dark as to the true meaning of - their comedy. Then, on the second day after her return, a surprising thing - happened, with which she had to do. What it was Hench learned while - sitting at a lonely breakfast. Madame Alpenny, who always took that meal - in her own room, came down unexpectedly arrayed in a greasy dressing-gown - and flourishing a newspaper in her hand. "Rhaiadr! Rhaiadr!" she - called out excitedly. "What does it mean?" Hench looked at her - in surprise. "Tumbling water, you told me," he said, after an - astonished pause. "Don't you remember----?" - </p> - <p> - "No! No! I don't mean that." She clapped <i> The Express</i> on - the table before him, and pointed with one chubby finger at an - advertisement. "I mean, what do you make of that? Rhaiadr! No one can - have anything to do with that word but your father--and you." - </p> - <p> - Hench, more puzzled than ever by her excitement, read the advertisement - upon which her finger rested. "If Rhaiadr," he read aloud, - "will come to the Gipsy Stile at Cookley, Essex, at eight o'clock on - the 1st of July, he will hear of something greatly to his advantage." - </p> - <p> - "There!" said Madame Alpenny triumphantly, and looking more - shapeless than ever in her dressing-gown; "what do you think of that?" - </p> - <p> - "It has nothing to do with me," said Hench, with a shrug. - </p> - <p> - "Nothing to do with you!" she screamed. "Why, the name - Rhaiadr shows that it has everything to do with you. Go there and see what - it means. Ah, I always said that you were a mystery; now I am sure of it." - And she rubbed her hands. - </p> - <p> - <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> - </p> - <h4> - <a name="div1_05" href="#div1Ref_05" id="div1_05">CHAPTER V</a> - </h4> - <h5> - THE NEXT STEP - </h5> - <p> - <br /> - </p> - <p> - Hench could not help admitting that the mention of the peculiar Welsh word - "Rhaiadr" in the newspaper had something to do with him. - Undoubtedly he was the person whom the unknown advertiser wished to meet; - but the whole matter was so strange and unexpected that he determined to - think it over carefully before taking any steps. For this reason he said - little to the excited Hungarian lady, who was rather annoyed by his - reticence. But he did not take any notice of her hints, and retired as - speedily as possible to his own room. There he lighted his pipe, sat by - the window and read the advertisement twice and thrice again, after which - he laid down the newspaper so that he might think more freely. And his - thoughts had to do with his past life when travelling with his father. - </p> - <p> - The record of earlier days was bare enough, as Hench decided when he - recalled the same. His father had paid strangers to look after him - immediately after the death of Mrs. Hench, and when Owain was only five - years of age. For years the lad saw very little of his parent, who was - always moving from one place to another after the fashion of the Wandering - Jew. Then came his education at a private school, and afterwards the wider - training at Winchester. Later, Owain had expected to go to Oxford, but his - father, finding the need of some one to lean upon in his old age, had - summoned the boy to Berlin unexpectedly. Owain's mysterious parent proved - to be an aristocratic-looking gentleman, perfectly dressed, perfectly - acquainted with the motley Continental world, and perfectly heartless. - Hench senior frankly acknowledged that he cared for no one but himself, - and turned his son into a kind of superior servant. The two travelled all - over Europe in moderately good style, as Mr. Hench always seemed to have - enough to keep him in comfort if not in luxury. But this last he also - obtained by gambling, as he frequently won large sums of money, which were - always squandered in extravagant whims and fancies. If Owain had not - possessed a sterling thoughtful nature he would have been ruined by this - hand-to-mouth existence, which was distinguished by continual ups and - downs. But the young man had his own views of leading a decent life, and - when unhampered by his spendthrift father determined to carry them out. - The opportunity did not come to him until he was twenty years of age, when - Mr. Hench died in Paris and was buried without parade in Pere La Chaise. - Cold-hearted and selfish to the end, he passed away without suggesting how - his son, to whom he had given no profession, was to exist. He simply told - him to go to Gilberry & Gilberry, solicitors, of Lincoln's Inn Fields, - on his twenty-fifth birthday, when certain papers would be handed to him. - Thus it can be seen that the young man had little reason to regret the - demise of so egotistic a parent, who had been a curse rather than a - blessing. - </p> - <p> - What the papers in charge of Gilberry & Gilberry might contain, Owain - could not guess, nor had his dying father enlightened him, but he fancied - that they might have something to do with proving the identity of the dead - man. Owain had always suspected, from the strict silence preserved by his - father about his past, that Hench was an assumed name, and hoped that the - mysterious documents might afford some clue to the family history. The - sole clue which the young man had to guide him to knowledge of any sort or - description was the mention of his father of Rhaiadr as the place where he - had passed his youthful days. Yet the word had proved to be of some value, - for its mention had evoked a memory of Madame Alpenny's early romance, - although that story had proved to be more interesting than useful. Now it - appeared that the talismanic word was being used to lure him to meet a - stranger, who--as the advertisement put it--would tell him of something - greatly to his advantage. - </p> - <p> - Owain, having reached this point of his meditations, rose to pace the room - and consider the position. He was of two minds about answering the - summons, since an open-air meeting seemed scarcely business-like or even - reasonable. Also it was now the last week in June, and the appointment was - arranged for the first day of July. But on the tenth day of that month - came Owain's birthday, when he would be placed in possession of the papers - for which he had waited so long. The young man considered, prudently - enough, that it would be just as well to curb his curiosity for nine days, - as the documents might throw some light on the admittedly odd - advertisement. If he obeyed the summons to the Gipsy Stile, Cookley, - Essex, on the first of July, he would be at the disadvantage of being in - the dark, since he would know nothing, while the person who met him would - know much. The rough-and-tumble life which he had led since the death of - his father inclined Owain to prudence, as he knew from dire experience - what tricky people there were in the world. Therefore he determined to - take no notice of the advertisement--at all events for the present, since - he had a week to think over the matter--and calmly wait until he became - possessed of the papers on his twenty-fifth birthday. Finally, he resolved - to say nothing to Spruce, who, luckily, had not yet returned, and to ask - Madame Alpenny to keep the Nut in ignorance of the advertisement. He - certainly would have to be more or less frank with the Hungarian lady, - since she had drawn his attention to the notice in <i>The Express</i>. - </p> - <p> - Madame Alpenny was full of curiosity when she met Hench at afternoon tea, - and, as they had the room to themselves, she immediately proceeded to ask - questions. Hench baffled her as well as he could, but found it difficult - to do so. She appeared to be certain that he was more of a mystery than - ever, and insisted upon scenting a fortune in the same. Naturally, as - Zara's mother, she was anxious to know if her belief was correct, as then - Hench could make the girl his wife and supply a meritorious mother-in-law - with ample funds. As usual, she wore her eternal orange-spotted dress, her - shabby bead mantle and her flamboyant picture hat, looking quite a merry - old blackguard of an adventuress. Hench had long since decided that she - was such a one. - </p> - <p> - "Of course you'll keep this appointment," said Madame Alpenny - eagerly, when she handed Hench his tea. - </p> - <p> - "I'm not sure. You see, I may not be the person wanted." - </p> - <p> - "Pfui!" said the woman contemptuously, and her large, dark eyes - sparkled. "Why, the word Rhaiadr proves conclusively that you are the - person. It is strange, Mr. Hench," she continued with great vivacity, - "that I should have heard the word from you only a few days before - this advertisement appeared." - </p> - <p> - "It's very strange," assented the young man, with his eyes - searching her face. "You know nothing about the advertisement, I - suppose?" - </p> - <p> - "Eh, but why should I?" she asked in amazement. "Only by - chance did I see the name Rhaiadr, and immediately brought the paper to - you, remembering our conversation of some days back. I presume, sir," - she went on, with a shrug, "that you do not think I put in the - advertisement?" - </p> - <p> - "Oh, no; by no means," said Owain hastily; "but you might - have mentioned the Welsh name to some one else." - </p> - <p> - "No," said Madame Alpenny decidedly. "That is, I mentioned - it only to Zara, and she took little notice of what I mentioned. Of - course, there was Mr. Spruce, who was in this room when we talked about my - meeting with your father. But he is not likely to have asked you to meet - him in Essex, when he can see you here any day; also he probably has not - seen the advertisement." - </p> - <p> - "Oh, I don't suspect Spruce, Madame; and that reminds me, it will be - as well to say nothing to Spruce about the matter." - </p> - <p> - "Am I a chatter-box, or a fool?" asked Madame fiercely, and with - a lowering look on her face. "Certainly I will say nothing to Mr. - Spruce. But you must tell me all that takes place when you meet whosoever - you are to meet." - </p> - <p> - "I am going to meet no one," retorted Hench resolutely; "there - is no need for me to do so." - </p> - <p> - "But, my friend, you will hear of something greatly to your - advantage, as it said in the newspaper," expostulated the woman, - frowning. - </p> - <p> - "I mean to wait until I get the papers from my lawyers on the tenth - of July, Madame. They may tell me of the something greatly to my advantage - without my going on a wild-goose chase into Essex." - </p> - <p> - "But I don't understand your objection." - </p> - <p> - "It is this. If I go now, I am quite in ignorance of my family - history with which this appointment has to do, as I shrewdly suspect. If I - go after the tenth of July I will be in a better position to deal with the - matter, as I think the papers at my lawyers' will tell me much about my - father." - </p> - <p> - Madame Alpenny nodded. "There is something in that. All the same, - this advertisement concerns you and not your father, who is dead and - buried." - </p> - <p> - "It and the papers also concern my father's past life, and therefore - concern my present," argued Hench seriously. "And I have waited - so long for light to be thrown on the past that I can easily wait a few - days longer." - </p> - <p> - "You have made no attempt to get at the past up till now?" - </p> - <p> - "Oh, yes. After my father's death I went to my lawyers"--Hench - did not intend to tell Madame Alpenny the name of the firm--"and - asked about the papers. They admitted that they had them, and promised to - deliver them on my twenty-fifth birthday. Otherwise they would say - nothing." - </p> - <p> - "And you--what did you do?" - </p> - <p> - "What could I do save go away and do my best to keep myself alive for - five years. I went as a sailor on a tramp vessel and met with many - adventures. I found that I had a talent for writing, and in San Francisco - I managed to get a short story of mine accepted, printed and paid for. - Then I went to Peru, and afterwards to the South Seas, coming back to - England through Australia, China, India and Persia. Rather a roundabout - way of progression, I admit. But I was like a leaf blown by the winds of - fortune--and bitter winds they were. In one way and another, chiefly by - writing short adventure tales, I managed to keep myself afloat. This year - I came here, six months ago, to wait for the tenth of July. Here I met - you----" - </p> - <p> - "And Zara," said Madame quickly. - </p> - <p> - Hench looked at her with a peculiar expression, and raked his brown beard - with outspread fingers. It was on the tip of his tongue to relate how he - had been refused by the girl, but on second thoughts he refrained. - According to Zara her mother had a quick temper, and if all was told the - girl might suffer from that temper. Also Madame Alpenny, being given a - clue, might learn that Zara and Bracken were engaged, which knowledge - would assuredly lead to trouble. On the whole, therefore, Hench decided to - be silent, and replied evasively. "Ah, yes, I met your charming - daughter, of course." - </p> - <p> - "And admired her?" persisted Madame, not finding his speech - sufficiently ardent in tone. - </p> - <p> - "And admired her to the extent of asking your permission to propose - to her. But, of course, when you refused me that, because I am poor, I - have changed my mind. As a gentleman I can do no less." - </p> - <p> - "As a lover you can do much more," retorted the old woman, with - a look of annoyance. "And remember that I was favourable to your - proposal when I learned that you were the son of the man who wished to - marry me so long ago." - </p> - <p> - "Yet I am still poor," said Hench ironically. - </p> - <p> - "That has yet to be proved," rejoined Madame bluntly. "Oh, - don't look so astonished, my friend. I am old and I am shrewd, and I have - learned by experience that two and two make four. Those papers you - mention, together with this advertisement which plainly refers to you, - appear to me proof that you will inherit money." - </p> - <p> - "I don't see that, Madame, unless, of course, my father gave you some - hint that there was money in the family." - </p> - <p> - "Mr. Hench gave me no hint," said the lady sharply and hastily. - "He explained that he had a small income, and frequently won large - sums at cards. On the whole, he gave me to understand that if I married - him there would be no lack of money. But he never said a word about a - fortune coming to him." - </p> - <p> - "Then why should you think that a fortune is likely to come to me?" - asked Hench very naturally. - </p> - <p> - "I have intuition, my friend, and intuition tells me that those - papers and that advertisement mean money." Madame Alpenny paused, and - then continued after some thought: "You say that you had great - difficulty in getting money after your father's death?" - </p> - <p> - "That is so. I had to earn every penny." - </p> - <p> - "Strange, when he had a sufficient income to keep him comfortable." - </p> - <p> - "That was an annuity. He told me so shortly before he died." - </p> - <p> - "And told you that the papers with your lawyers would place you in - possession of money?" - </p> - <p> - "No." Hench shook his head. "He never even hinted at such a - thing." - </p> - <p> - Madame Alpenny nursed her pointed chin and frowned at the carpet. "I - am sure there is money," she mused, loud enough for the young man to - overhear. "Your father gave you no profession or trade with which to - earn money, and it is not likely that he would have behaved so unless he - knew that the future held a fortune in store for you." - </p> - <p> - Hench's lip curled. "I am sorry to destroy any illusion about my - father," he said with a shrug; "but I don't think he cared two - straws about my future." - </p> - <p> - "Then why should he tell you about the papers?" asked Madame, as - sharp as a needle. "Believe me, those papers refer to a fortune." - </p> - <p> - "Well"--Hench rose and stretched himself--"I shall know all - about that when I see the lawyers on the tenth of July." - </p> - <p> - "Or when you meet this unknown person in Essex on the first of July." - </p> - <p> - "I am not going to meet the person," said Hench coldly; "and - I have given my reasons for not meeting him." - </p> - <p> - "Him!" Madame Alpenny laughed. "It may be a woman, for all - you know." - </p> - <p> - Hench wheeled round to face her searchingly. "Why do you think it is - a woman?" - </p> - <p> - "Oh," she answered smoothly, "I only surmise. I don't say - that the person is a woman, for I know no more about the matter than you - do. All I do say is, that if you wish to marry my daughter you will have - to learn about this fortune as quickly as possible. I hope that I have - managed to get an engagement for Zara in the West End, and there she may - meet with some one wealthy who will make her his wife." - </p> - <p> - "You don't appear to take Mademoiselle Zara's feelings into - consideration." - </p> - <p> - "Feelings!" echoed Madame Alpenny vehemently. "What are - feelings of any sort compared with poverty? I have little money myself, - and what I have is all in these things." She touched her rings, - bracelets and brooches. "Zara does not earn what her talents demand. - We want money, and the sole way in which we can get it is for her to marry - money. Failing you there are others." - </p> - <p> - "Quite so," said Hench, thinking of Bracken, and smiling - slightly. "But a man who has no wealth may wish to marry her." - </p> - <p> - "Referring to yourself, I suppose," said Madame Alpenny dryly, - and quite mistaking his meaning. "Well, you won't marry her unless - you prove through those papers and that advertisement to be possessed of a - fortune. Until then, I hope you will be circumspect with regard to Zara. - Don't be too attentive to her, and turn the poor child's head." - </p> - <p> - "There is no fear of my doing that," said Hench equally dryly, - "but to make things safe I propose to remove myself from temptation. - To-morrow I shall leave this place." - </p> - <p> - "For how long?" - </p> - <p> - "For ever." - </p> - <p> - "Oh,"--Madame Alpenny looked as black as thunder, as this - proposal by no means suited her scheme of getting a rich son-in-law,--"don't - do that." - </p> - <p> - "Why not? After all, there is nothing to keep me here." - </p> - <p> - "Zara!" - </p> - <p> - "But you will not let me pay attention to Zara with a view to - matrimony." Madame Alpenny looked uneasy and puzzled. "You place - me on the horns of a dilemma, Mr. Hench. I can't let you become engaged to - my daughter until I am sure you have money. But of course"--she - brightened up--"if what I suspect is true, and money comes, you can - return and marry her." - </p> - <p> - This frank suggestion placed Hench on the horns of a dilemma, but he - managed to evade binding himself in a most dexterous way. "If - Mademoiselle Zara is really able to return my love, and thinks that she - will be happy as my wife, I shall certainly return and renew my suit. But - remember, Madame, she must become my wife of her own free will, and not - because you insist." - </p> - <p> - "Oh, that's all right," said the old lady easily. "Zara is - a good girl and will obey her mother to whom she owes so much." - </p> - <p> - "That is the very thing I don't wish her to do," insisted Hench, - sharply; "it is no question of filial obedience. If she accepts me of - her own free will, and without coercion from you, I marry her; otherwise I - will not." - </p> - <p> - "I am not in the habit of coercing my daughter," said Madame - Alpenny loftily, and, as usual, evading the main point; "and I shall - expect you to return with all information about your family. Then we can - talk. I look upon you as a man of honour, Mr. Hench, so much so that I do - not even ask you to give me any address. If you get money you will marry - Zara." - </p> - <p> - "And if I do not?" - </p> - <p> - Madame Alpenny shrugged her fat shoulders. "In that case she will - marry another person who has money." - </p> - <p> - "You are very business-like," said Hench, highly disapproving of - this mercantile way of looking at things. - </p> - <p> - "I always am," she assured him coolly; "it saves trouble!" - </p> - <p> - Owain said no more at the moment, nor did he have any conversation on the - subject again with the Hungarian lady prior to his departure. Madame - Alpenny evidently had full confidence in his love for her daughter, and - believed that Zara's beauty would lure him back again with gold in his - pockets. Had she had any idea of the interview between the two young - people, and the new relationship of brother and sister which that - interview had suggested, she might have been less easy in her scheming - mind. But Hench held his tongue and so did Zara, therefore Madame Alpenny - was kept in a kind of fool's paradise. The young man reported the - conversation hurriedly to the girl, and being clever, she knew exactly how - to act so as to keep her mother in ignorance, until such time as she could - declare her own mind and choose her own mate. - </p> - <p> - Meanwhile; Hench got to work expeditiously and packed his scanty luggage, - after paying Mrs. Tesk what he owed her. The ex-school-mistress was very - sorry to lose him, not only from a financial point of view but because she - really had a regard for him. Still, as she intimated, they were both - leaves floating on the river of life, and the currents of circumstances - were parting them. She hoped that he would enjoy himself and prosper - wherever he was going, but if Fortune proved unkind, he was to remember - that a refined abode always waited for him as a haven in adversity. All - this and much more said Mrs. Tesk, who had a warm heart and hospitable - nature. Hench was quite sorry to leave her, as he liked the quaint old - lady and her odd ways. And just when Owain finished his business in her - sanctum he emerged to run against Spruce, who looked more like a - fashion-plate and less like a man than ever. - </p> - <p> - "Just got back," said the Nut airily; "had a topping time. - Wish you had been with me, instead of wasting your sweetness on the desert - air hereabouts." - </p> - <p> - "I was not going to waste it any longer," said Hench dryly. - "I am leaving this house this afternoon." - </p> - <p> - "Oh, I say,"--Spruce looked disappointed and uneasy,--"for - how long?" - </p> - <p> - "For ever! There is nothing to keep me here that I know of, and as I - told you long ago, I am more or less of a bird of passage." - </p> - <p> - "What about Mademoiselle Zara?" - </p> - <p> - "Oh, that's all right; and may I remind you it's none of your - business?" - </p> - <p> - "Well, don't get in a wax," protested Spruce amiably. "I - never saw such a chap for jumping on a fellow." - </p> - <p> - "If you think so, you must be glad that I am going away." - </p> - <p> - "No, I'm not," confessed the Nut frankly. "You're a - gentleman and so am I, and in this hole you're the only chap I can chum up - with." - </p> - <p> - "We have not chummed up, as you put it," said Hench frigidly. - "Well, that isn't my fault. I am always willing to be friendly, and - if you won't be it's your loss, not mine. Where are you going?" - </p> - <p> - "That, again, is my business. I may be going abroad, or I may stay in - London, or I may be going to the moon." - </p> - <p> - "You're crazy enough for that last, anyhow, if lunatics live there as - some one said," fumed Spruce, who was growing angry. "And you're - silly to make an enemy of me, you know." - </p> - <p> - "I don't want you as a friend, and I don't care if you are my enemy - five times over," said Hench very straightly. "What the deuce do - you mean by that threat? What harm can you do me?" - </p> - <p> - "I never said that I could or would do you any harm," protested - Spruce, feeling uncomfortable; "but some day I may be able to do you - a good turn." - </p> - <p> - Hench looked at the spic and span little man, and felt rather sorry for - him, as he seemed to mean well, in spite of his irritating curiosity. - "Let us part friends," he said, holding out his hand. "After - all, you are an old schoolfellow and have got your good points. But oil - and water don't mix. See?" - </p> - <p> - Spruce gave the extended hand a feeble shake and dropped it. "I can't - help seeing, when you put things so straightly. It's a difference of - temperament, I suppose--you're clay and I'm china. But I tell you what," - cried Spruce, with his pale blue eyes flashing maliciously, "you'll - be glad enough some day for me to come and help you!" - </p> - <p> - "I always make a point of seeking no one's assistance," said - Hench coldly, and walked up to his room, wondering what Spruce meant, - since there was a significance in his tone which intimated that he quite - expected to meet his enemy again. - </p> - <p> - Spruce looked after the tall, straight form of the young man, and bit his - nether lip with anything but an amiable look. He greatly regretted that - Hench should go away thus suddenly, as the unexpected departure upset his - plans for making money out of him. He still clung to the idea that the - mysterious papers at the lawyers' had something to do with a fortune, and - determined not to lose sight of Hench, come what may. Therefore he also - retired to his own room to plot and plan and devise schemes whereby he - could entangle his prey in invisible nets. But this he could not do - without the aid of Madame Alpenny, since she was the mother of Zara, whom - Hench loved. So to Madame Alpenny the Nut went and had quite a long - conversation with her, which conversation resulted in his quitting the - house at the hour of Hench's departure. Owain was relieved when the time - came for him to go to find that Spruce was not at his elbow with his - disagreeable civilities. He never could bring himself to like Spruce. - </p> - <p> - It was Bottles who helped the taxi-cab driver to carry down the trunk and - portmanteau which formed his hero's luggage. The boy had returned on the - morning of the day when Hench departed and was desperately sorry to hear - of the exit. Hench gave him a sovereign and comforted him with a promise - that on some future occasion they would meet again. Then Bottles proffered - a request that Hench would give him some address to write to, and strange - to say, the young man supplied him with the information he asked for. He - felt that he could wholly trust Bottles. - </p> - <p> - "But you won't have anything to write to me about," he said, - when the written address was handed over. - </p> - <p> - Bottles looked up with a shrewd smile on his freckled face. "The - mouse helped the lion, sir, as mother told me, and I may help you." - </p> - <p> - "What do you mean by that? How can you help me?" - </p> - <p> - "Least said is soonest mended, as mother says," retorted Bottles - wisely. "And it ain't for nothing as I've read detective stories. I - won't give any one the address, sir. I'm yours till death!" and he - folded his arms with a noble air. - </p> - <p> - Hench drove away rather bewildered. "The boy is mad," he said. - But the boy was not. - </p> - <p> - <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> - </p> - <h4> - <a name="div1_06" href="#div1Ref_06" id="div1_06">CHAPTER VI</a> - </h4> - <h5> - SEEKING TROUBLE - </h5> - <p> - <br /> - </p> - <p> - It was for two reasons that Hench left The Home of the Muses and - vanished--so far as the paying guests were concerned--into the unknown. In - the first place, he wished to render Zara's position more easy; in the - second he desired to have nothing more to do with Madame Alpenny; and also - there was a third and less important reason, which had to do with Cuthbert - Spruce. While Owain drove westward in the taxi, he amused himself by - surveying his position. - </p> - <p> - With regard to the girl, Hench was beginning to grasp the fact that he - really did not love her, or he would have been more moved by her frank - confession of love for Bracken. What she had said was quite true, as he - now acknowledged. He admired her, and being lonely, wished for a - companion, so as to make a centre in life round which he could revolve. It - was an odd comparison but a very true one. Any other woman, handsome, - kind-hearted and affectionate, would have done as well as Zara to bring - about the desired end, and Owain confessed to himself that to propose such - a business-like scheme to a girl was rather a cold-blooded way of looking - at love. She was--he confessed this also--quite right to refuse him, and - to accept the offer of a man who adored her. This being the case, Hench - decided that it only remained for him to go away, since his presence would - more or less embarrass her, in spite of the brother-and-sister compact. - Finally, being very human, Owain felt that it was impossible to stay, and - witnessing Bracken triumphing where he had failed. On the whole, - therefore, he was well pleased to escape from Bethnal Green, and his - feelings suffered very little from the exile. - </p> - <p> - The second reason, which had Madame Alpenny for its excuse, was also - connected more or less indirectly with Zara's refusal. Since the idea of - money coming to him had occurred to the Hungarian lady, she had been more - amiably disposed towards Hench with regard to his half-hearted wooing of - her daughter. Yet, as she was still uncertain that Owain would be rich, - she had not--according to the slang phrase--forced the pace. But if fancy - became fact and the mysterious papers really did place him in possession - of a fortune, Hench felt tolerably convinced that Madame Alpenny would - worry him and worry Zara until she brought about the marriage. Under the - circumstances this was not to be thought of, as apart from the fact of his - readjusted relations with the girl, Madame Alpenny was by no means - desirable as a mother-in-law. She was poor, inquisitive, scheming and - decidedly dangerous; always on the alert to make what she could out of - others, and--as Hench believed--unscrupulous in her methods of gaining - what she desired. Already he had told her more about his private affairs - than was altogether wise, more or less against his will, as it would seem, - since she had wormed her way into his confidence with remarkable - dexterity. It struck him forcibly that he was wise to avoid her by leaving - the boarding-house, and he congratulated himself on his promptitude in - dealing with the situation. And as he had done so judiciously, it was - unlikely that Madame Alpenny would ever trouble him again. - </p> - <p> - It was when the taxi was sweeping down a quiet street near the British - Museum that Owain came to the third and minor reason, which concerned - Spruce. The Nut, also, was much too curious about affairs which nothing to - do with him in any way, and seemed to take a pleasure in meddling. He was - just the kind of person to read other people's letters, give unasked - advice and take a thousand liberties out of pretended good-nature. All the - same, Hench firmly believed that all this interference was intended, in - the end, to benefit Spruce himself. But Owain could not see how his old - school-friend could in any way make capital out of him. Nevertheless, - instinct warned him to avoid the man as something dangerous. By leaving - Mrs. Tesk's establishment he had avoided him, and he was as unlikely to - meet him again as he was to meet with Madame Alpenny. Taking everything - into consideration, Hench alighted at his new abode with the conviction - that he had escaped from some danger--he could not put a name to it--just - in time. - </p> - <p> - Owing to some unexpected good fortune in connection with gold-mining - shares, Hench possessed quite one hundred pounds, which was sufficient to - keep him in comfort and even in luxury until he could call on Gilberry - & Gilberry. That visit he expected would result in throwing light on - his somewhat dark path, and perhaps would bring him wealth. Yet, being - cautious, he husbanded his resources lest his expectations should be - disappointed. Therefore the hotel he came to was a quiet and cheap hostel - in Burney Street, Bloomsbury, chiefly patronized by country people. It was - a much better class establishment than that of Mrs. Tesk, and Hench found - it very comfortable. He had been there on a former occasion when in - England, and found very little change. The manageress was the same, the - staff had not been altered, and on the whole Owain felt that the place was - more home-like than any he had been in. Also, having risen out of the - submerged tenth, the young man brushed up his apparel, had his hair cut - and his beard trimmed, and got out his scarcely-worn suit of dress - clothes. For the next week he amused himself in a quiet way, generally - sauntering in the Park, exploring the Museum, enjoying the theatres and - music-halls, and taking what quiet inexpensive pleasures came in his way. - All he wished to do was to pass the time pleasantly until his twenty-fifth - birthday, when he intended to call on Gilberry & Gilberry. Then he - would learn his fate, and his future career would be ordained by the - contents of the papers. - </p> - <p> - But all the time Hench was haunted by an uneasy feeling regarding the - advertisement brought to his notice by Madame Alpenny. Had he stayed at - the boarding-house, he assuredly would not have obeyed the request for a - meeting, as the woman would have become aware that he had done so. This he - did not wish her to do, since he regarded her as dangerous, and did not - know what the result of his errand to Cookley would be. But now that - Madame Alpenny belonged to the past, Owain was inclined out of sheer - curiosity to keep the appointment for the 1st of July, and learn why the - word "Rhaiadr" had been used. Of course, as he had already - recognized, the papers at Gilberry & Gilberry's might place him in - possession of details which would enable him to deal more openly with the - person who wished to meet him at the Gipsy Stile. But it wanted ten days - to his birthday, and by brooding over the advertisement Hench became so - curious that he finally decided to take the journey into Essex. There was - a spice of adventure about the matter, which appealed to his pioneering - spirit, and, moreover, as he had nothing to do, he thought that he might - as well employ his mind and time in satisfying his curiosity. According to - Dr. Watts, "Satan finds some mischief still, for idle hands to do," - and never was the line so exemplified as by Hench's action. Although he - did not know it, he was going out to seek trouble, when he left the hotel - for Liverpool Street Station. - </p> - <p> - Besides being haunted by the advertisement, Hench during his week in - Bloomsbury had been also haunted by a feeling that Madame Alpenny was - somewhere in his vicinity. Twice or thrice he had fancied she was at his - elbow, and had as many times made sure that he had caught a glimpse in the - distance of her orange-spotted frock, her bead mantle and picture hat. As - he walked to the railway station this feeling was insistently strong, and - Hench found himself searching the crowds here, there and everywhere for - the sinister face and red hair of the old woman. But he saw no one who - resembled her, until he was descending the stairs after taking his ticket - to Cookley. Then he was positive that in the throng moving below he - recognized her shabby garb. Of course, he did not find her when he mingled - with the mob, and laughed at the trick which his eyesight had played him. - Why he should be so haunted by the woman--in his thoughts that is, as he - did not believe that there was any ground for his suspicions--he could not - say. But it was not until he was seated in a third-class smoking - compartment that he shook off the feeling of her near presence. It was all - a case of nerves, he assured himself, and by the time he was well on his - journey he thoroughly convinced himself of this fact. At all events, as - the train gradually left London behind, Owain quite got rid of his - nightmare. - </p> - <p> - Cookley is slightly over thirty miles from the metropolis, so Hench, - having left the latter at five o'clock, arrived at his destination - somewhere about half-past six o'clock. The appointment at the Gipsy Stile - was precisely at eight, So he had an hour and a half to wait. This time he - employed in learning the whereabouts of the rendezvous, as he had not the - least idea of the direction in which it lay. As there was no hurry, he - took things easy and sauntered leisurely out of the local station and down - the long road which led to the village. After a lengthy period spent in a - smoky city, the pure air and rural sights of the country were exceedingly - pleasant. - </p> - <p> - The village was not large, but decidedly picturesque, being one of those - somnolent old-world hamlets beloved of artists and wondered at by - tourists. Formerly no strangers came near it, but since the advent of the - ubiquitous motor-car it had become quite a centre of interest. This was - mainly owing to its squared-towered Norman church, a venerable and stately - structure, which was much too large for so small a place. Also there was a - Saxon cross on the village green and sundry Roman remains in an adjacent - field. Archæologists and antiquarians, together with tourists, chiefly - American, frequently came to inspect these objects of interest, and - artists often took up their quarters in the Bull Inn to paint the church, - the ancient cottages and the surrounding country. It was quite the nook - which a student would have loved, but much too quiet for a restless young - man such as Owain Hench assuredly was. The quicksilver in his veins never - allowed him to remain long in one place, yet even he confessed to feeling - the charm of Cookley. - </p> - <p> - No one took much notice of him, for which slight he was thankful. In his - shabby suit of blue serge, his woollen shirt and ragged Panama hat, he - looked like an ordinary tramp, and those gentry of the road were much too - common in Cookley to be even glanced at. Also the night was closing in, - and in the soft warm twilight the young man passed almost unheeded, a fact - upon which he afterwards had reason to congratulate himself. After - wandering through several crooked streets, he emerged into the gracious - spaces of the village green and made for the Bull Inn--easily recognized - by its gigantic sign--where he treated himself to a tankard of beer in the - tap-room. Owain really did not require the drink, but ordered it so as to - give some excuse for his questions. The ancients of the village were - already gathered for their evening symposium, and the room was filled with - the blue haze of tobacco-smoke. It was none too well lighted by a solitary - oil lamp, and Hench sat down in a secluded corner to enjoy his briar and - sip his ale. Also, when occasion served, he asked the buxom wench who - attended to thirsty customers where the Gipsy Stile was to be found. She - looked at him in surprise. - </p> - <p> - "Why, every one hereabouts knows where that be." - </p> - <p> - "I am a stranger here." - </p> - <p> - "One of them tramps, ain't you?" said the girl, tossing her - head. "Well, you can't miss the Gipsy Stile. There's a path leading - out of the churchyard, across the meadows, and that takes you into the - heart of the wood, where you'll find it right in your way." - </p> - <p> - "Oh, it's in a wood, is it?" questioned Owain, secretly - wondering again, as he had wondered before, why such a rendezvous had been - chosen. - </p> - <p> - "Why, yes. Parley Wood, it is called, and lies long-side Squire - Evans' old house. There's only a red brick wall divides the wood from the - park." - </p> - <p> - "Thank you," said Hench politely, and attended to his beer and - pipe, while the villagers talked politics and crops and local gossip, and - he amused himself by listening to their crude views. - </p> - <p> - In the old days and before Cookley had been brought into near contact with - the outer world, the stranger would have been more closely observed and - the conversation would have been listened to. But so many tourists now - came to the village that the inhabitants paid little attention to them. In - his dark corner Owain sat for close upon an hour, wondering at the narrow - limits of the Cookley intellect. Still, he was interested in the - old-fashioned views of the labourers, and time passed quicker than he - noticed. A glance at his watch showed him to his surprise that it was a - few minutes to eight, so he rose hastily to seek his destination. As he - had already paid for his beer, there was nothing to detain him, and he was - speedily passing through the green on his way to the square tower of the - church, which stood up blackly in the luminous twilight. So far as Owain - could guess there was no danger of his losing his way. - </p> - <p> - A narrow lane, sloping slightly upward to the lychgate, conducted him to - the churchyard, and he soon found himself surrounded by tombstones old and - new, dotted irregularly amongst the long grass of the enclosure. Keeping - to the gravelled path, he made a circuit of the vast church, and finally - came to a stile set in the stone wall girdling the place. On climbing over - this, he found his feet treading a well-defined path, which meandered - across a wide meadow to enter into Parley Wood, which was visible some - distance away. Owain, with the aid of a match, found that it was eight - o'clock, and the chimes of the church again assured him of the fact. - Fearing lest he should be late, he hurried quickly, and his long legs soon - took him under the shade of ancient trees. Here it was somewhat dark, but - Hench had eyes like a cat, and could very easily follow the path, which - wound deviously through the woodland. Around him, in the fragrant dark, - life was stirring, and he heard the piercing song of the nightingale, the - occasional hoot of an owl, and became aware that sundry creatures were - moving more or less noiselessly amongst the undergrowth. At times he moved - across a dell where the light was stronger, and then again he would plunge - into the gloom of the trees. The young man enjoyed the adventure apart - from the reason which had led him to undertake it, as he had a great love - of Nature, and enjoyed her beauty. - </p> - <p> - At length he emerged into a wide clearing across which ran a ragged fence - of time-stained wood overgrown with woodbine and more or less buried in - nettles, darnels, shrubs and young trees. In the centre of this there was - an old-fashioned stile, which Owain took to be the place of meeting. - Beyond the open ground stretched for some distance, and faintly in the - warm twilight he could see a tall wall and beyond it the thick foliage of - oaks, beeches and elms. This was undoubtedly the place, as he remembered - how the girl at the Bull Inn had assured him that the wood lay long-side - the park of the squire, and no great distance from a red brick wall. - Therefore Owain walked briskly up to the stile, taking off his straw hat - for the sake of coolness, and looked all round the place to see if the - person who had advertised was waiting. He saw no one. - </p> - <p> - A glance at his watch after lighting a match showed him that he had been - fifteen minutes walking from the church to the stile, so he wondered if - the person had grown tired of waiting. But that was unlikely, since he was - not so very much behind his time. The man--he presumed that it was a - man--who had advertised would certainly wait longer when he had taken so - much trouble to bring about the meeting. Hench therefore believed that - something had detained the person in question, and sat down on the stile - to wait. Already the moon was well up in the cloudless sky and her silver - radiance flooded the whole solemn woodland. Owain admired the mingled - beauty of light and shade, listened to the distant nightingale singing - triumphantly, and stared every now and then round about to make sure that - he would not miss his man, since he did not know from which quarter he - would appear. Then came a surprise, and a highly unpleasant one. - </p> - <p> - In the course of his glancing here, there and everywhere, he became aware - that in the long grass some distance beyond the stile, and some distance - away from the meandering path, lay a dark object. At first Hench thought - it was merely the trunk of a tree, but as the moonlight grew stronger and - the outlines of the object more distinct, he began to believe that it was - a man. Doubtless, as he concluded hastily, some tramp had thrown himself - down to sleep in the safe cover of the wood, where no policeman would - rouse him from his slumbers. But Hench knew that it was scarcely wise to - sleep in the moonbeams, so clambered over the stile and walked towards the - man with the intention of awakening him. Shortly he was bending over the - presumably sleeping tramp, and then became aware with a shock of surprise - that the man was clothed in evening-dress, over which a dark, loose cloak - had been thrown. With a vivid feeling of fear Hench turned the man - over--he was lying on his face--and started back with an ejaculation of - horror. The stiff white shirt-front was red with blood, and in the man's - heart was buried a knife with a horn handle. Owain struck a match to - assure himself of the truth, although the moonlight was so strong that he - scarcely needed to take such trouble. But while he held the match with - shaking hand over the dead face, its wavering light showed him very - plainly that he was right. The man was dead--the man had been - murdered--and there he lay mysteriously done to death in the heart of a - lonely wood. - </p> - <p> - Of course, Hench's first impulse, which was the impulse of an ordinary - human being when brought face to face with crime, was to run back to - Cookley village and give the alarm. But even as he turned to fly, he - halted, struck with a sudden thought which made the blood freeze in his - young veins. He had been lured to this place by means of the - advertisement, and here he found the dead body of a man not long stabbed - to the heart. Was it a trap? Had he been brought to this solitary spot to - be entangled in a crime? It seemed very like it, and swiftly thinking over - the matter, Hench did not see how he could exonerate himself should he - give the alarm. With a feeling of absolute terror, he bent over the dead - so as to make himself acquainted with the appearance of the poor creature. - There was no doubt that the man was a gentleman, since he was in - evening-dress and was wearing studs and sleeve-links of gold, together - with a silk-lined overcoat, or rather cloak. His face was clean-shaven, - with an aquiline nose and thin compressed lips, decidedly that of a - handsome man. From his lined countenance and white hair, Owain took him to - be about sixty years of age, although being dead there was an astonishing - look of youth about him. Even as Hench stared, the lines on the old face - seemed to fade away and leave it young and smooth. Yes, he was a - gentleman, as was apparent from the well-bred, disdainful face. It did not - need the evening-dress, the silk-lined cloak, the silk socks or the - patent-leather shoes to show the man's station in the world. Here, as it - occurred to Owain, was a gentleman, who had strolled into the wood after - dinner, there to meet with a terrible death at the hands of some unknown - person. - </p> - <p> - Starting to his feet, the young man remembered how the girl at the inn had - talked of Squire Evans' estate lying long-side the wood and divided - therefrom by a brick wall. Here was the wood, yonder the wall in question; - so it came strongly into Hench's mind that the dead man was Squire Evans. - But who had killed him and why had he been killed? Hench looked round - searchingly into the shadow of the trees, but could see no lurking form. - Whosoever had struck the blow had done so shortly before Hench arrived, as - the body was still warm and still supple. After all, the man was dead, - sure enough, and it would be useless to run to the village for succour. In - fact it would be dangerous, as Owain thought with fear knocking at his - heart, for how could he prove his innocence of the crime. There was no - motive for him to kill this unknown man, certainly; not even the motive of - robbery, as the studs and sleeve-links had not been taken by the assassin. - Hench wavered between a desire to consult his own safety by flight and a - wish to rouse the village and hunt hot-footed for the murderer. For two - long, long minutes he pondered over the horrible situation, then, without - a backward glance, raced at top speed along the unknown path leading into - the further recesses of the wood. And while he ran his heart beat - tumultuously, the perspiration beaded his forehead, and his body shivered - with cold, in spite of the warm night. Safety was what he made for, and he - tore onward as if the officers of justice were already on his track. An - innocent man--yes, he was an innocent man--yet the circumstantial evidence - might hang him in spite of that same innocence. - </p> - <p> - Instinct led Hench to avoid returning to London by passing through the - village and boarding the train at Cookley Station. Already--and he thought - of the possibility with terror--his face and figure might be remembered by - some keen-sighted yokel. There was the conversation with the girl in the - tap-room. He had talked long enough with her to be remembered, even though - the atmosphere, hazy with smoke, had only been illuminated by one dingy - lamp. Then, again, he had spoken about the Gipsy Stile; he had asked where - it was, and at the Gipsy Stile the murder had taken place. Then there was - the advertisement; the police would be sure to find that out, and if there - was any reward offered, Madame Alpenny might speak to the authorities - about the same. Then he would be linked with the crime, and run the risk - of arrest. When confronted with the girl at the inn, she would probably - recognize him. Then what possible defence could he make to an accusation - of murder? - </p> - <p> - These and many other thoughts buzzed like distracting bees through Owain's - brain as he fled from that awful place. All his idea was to get away, to - reach some other railway station, to hide in London, and remain quiet - until he saw what the police would do. But on the face of it, he would be - safe nowhere; yet with the instinct of self-preservation he plunged onward - through the wood in the hope of escape. Hench was a brave man, and had - faced many dangers, but to be hanged for a crime which he had not - committed, to be entangled in circumstances over which he had no control, - made him choose the least of two evils. Once or twice he halted in his - headlong flight wondering if it would not be best to return and give - himself up to the village policeman, as, after all, he had no motive to - kill the man and moreover could produce the advertisement. But the - resolution was momentary. He simply could not face the trouble, even - though he did his best to screw up his courage to the sticking point. - Wiping his forehead, he drew a long breath and strode onward. It was too - late now to think of returning, as the body might already have been found. - All he could do was to walk on and on and on, in the hope of leaving - terror behind. - </p> - <p> - After leaving the wood, Hench found himself traversing other meadows - similar to that near Cookley church, These bordered a narrow lane, into - which a stile afforded him access. From this lane he gained the high-road, - and from a sign-post learned that it would conduct him to London. At first - Owain intended to walk on until he arrived at the nearest railway station, - for there was yet time to catch a late train to town. But on reflection he - decided to use his legs, as there would be less danger in solitary - pedestrianism than in venturing to ask for a ticket at a local station, - where his appearance might be observed. Also the night was warm, the moon - gave her full light, and the journey to London would be more pleasurable - on foot than it would be were he cooped up in a train. Besides, he was - much too agitated by what he had gone through to sit quiet under the gaze - of fellow-travellers. Innocent though he was, conscience made a coward of - him, and he knew that every careless eye cast upon him would make him - wince. He was safer to walk, so walk he did. - </p> - <p> - Owain never forgot that thirty odd miles tramp through the lovely summer - night, when--as the saying goes--he saw a bird in every bush. Certainly he - was guiltless of any crime, yet fate had connected him with one, and he - felt like Cain, so strong was the power of his imagination. Again and - again he asked himself if it would not have been wiser to dare the worst, - trusting in God's justice and his own innocence. But again and again came - the reply that innocent men have been hanged ere now on purely - circumstantial evidence, and that he had done right to fly the danger of a - judicial death. Hench cursed himself for not having waited until his - twenty-fifth birthday. Had he taken no notice of the advertisement, as he - originally intended to do, he would not now be in this plight. But it was - too late to blame himself now. He had come to the rendezvous, he had found - a dead body, he had fled like a true criminal from the spot, so it was no - use crying over spilt milk. Whatever was in store for him he would have to - face it. As he had sown, so would he have to reap. - </p> - <p> - <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> - </p> - <h4> - <a name="div1_07" href="#div1Ref_07" id="div1_07">CHAPTER VII</a> - </h4> - <h5> - AN AMAZING DISCOVERY - </h5> - <p> - <br /> - </p> - <p> - Owain reached his hotel in the early hours of the morning, and finding no - one about but the sleepy night-porter, who was just leaving, had no - difficulty in getting to his bedroom almost unobserved. Once in that haven - he drew a long breath of relief, and wearied by his long tramp, threw - himself on his bed without undressing. Notwithstanding his anxiety, which - had increased instead of lessening, he speedily fell fast asleep into a - heavy dreamless slumber, which resembled lethargy rather than natural - repose. It was high noon when he woke, feeling much refreshed and as - hungry as the proverbial hunter. Considering the trouble in which he was - involved, it was fortunate that travel had steadied his nerves to face the - worst, if needs be. The result of his experience of danger led him to - prepare for possibilities. He therefore took a cold bath to brace himself, - dressed more carefully than usual with great deliberation, and went down - to make an excellent breakfast. As yet the hue and cry was not out against - him, so he had ample time to consider his position. - </p> - <p> - Over a pipe in the smoking-room, he glanced at several of the daily - papers, but naturally found therein nothing about the murder in Parley - Wood at Cookley. It was more than probable that the evening news would - contain an account of the finding of the body, and--for all Hench knew--a - description of himself as the criminal. Of this, however, he was - uncertain, since he had not been noticed closely in the twilight, and his - conversation with the girl of the Bull Inn had taken place in a darkish - and smoky room, dimly lighted by a solitary lamp. Of course the girl would - say that a man had asked her where the Gipsy Stile was to be found, and - the person she had conversed with would be suspected. But the questioner - assuredly could not be described, unless the serving-wench was sharper - than Owain gave her credit for being. Only a very inquisitive and - observant person would have examined him closely enough to give a fair - word-picture of him to the authorities. And Owain's experience led him to - believe that few people ever did observe with much degree of accuracy. So - far as the girl at the inn and the inhabitants of Cookley were concerned - he felt tolerably safe. But there was another person to consider in - connection with his adventure, and that was Madame Alpenny. The Hungarian - lady certainly knew that he was the man required to meet the advertiser at - Cookley, as the use of the word "Rhaiadr" had enlightened her on - that point. Therefore it was probable that, when the details of the murder - were made public, she would inform the police about the matter. But the - woman did not know that he had kept the appointment, as he had given her - to understand very plainly that he did not intend to do so. Assuredly the - feeling that she was at his elbow had haunted him when he had set forth on - his errand, and he had fancied that she had been lurking about Liverpool - Street Station. But even then he had set down the faint belief to - imagination, so there was no reason why he should conclude that she - actually had been spying on him. In fact he did not see how she possibly - could have done so, since he had not given her his address. Only Bottles - knew that, and Bottles--as Hench felt sure--was to be thoroughly trusted. - </p> - <p> - So far the young man could see no cause for alarm, but an hour's - reflection made him resolve to make things doubly sure against discovery. - Thanks to the twilight and the dimly-lighted tap-room, Hench made sure - that any description given of his appearance would be more or less vague, - and was not likely to be recognized by any one in the hotel when it - appeared in the newspapers. Nevertheless, so as to place the matter beyond - all doubt, he paid his bill, packed his luggage and took his departure - late in the afternoon for Victoria Station. Here he left his box and - portmanteau in the cloak-room, and went down to South Kensington in search - of quiet lodgings. But before venturing to inquire for the same, Owain - sought out a barber's shop in Brampton Road and had his heavy brown beard - removed. He would rather have shaved himself, so as to do away with the - possibility of the barber noticing any description in the newspapers, even - though the same was vague and inaccurate. But to do this was impossible. - He could not change his appearance before leaving the Bloomsbury Hotel - without exciting remark, and he did not wish to present himself at his new - lodgings in any degree like his old self, as it was known to the paying - guests of Mrs. Tesk's establishment. Therefore he was obliged to risk a - barber's razor and a barber's curiosity. - </p> - <p> - One thing was certain, that when he emerged from the shop, no one would - have recognized him for the man who had entered. The removal of his beard - altered him wonderfully, making him look years younger, and improving his - good looks in a marked degree. Owain sat in the barber's chair a bearded - colonist of the type dear to penny fiction, he rose from it looking like - the Hermes of the Vatican. Even the hairdresser exclaimed at the - extraordinary transformation and complimented him on his improved - appearance. Hench was rather annoyed that the man should take so much - notice, and paying him hurriedly, departed as swiftly as he could without - exciting suspicion. Then he walked down the Brompton Road and sought out a - quiet side street in South Kensington, where he knew there were rooms to - be let. The place was already known to him, during the last six months, as - under the same roof lived an old school-friend, with whom Hench had kept - up a correspondence. On returning to England he had looked up this friend, - and they had renewed their acquaintanceship with uncommon fervour. - Therefore Owain deemed it best to live near him, so that he might make use - of him should any trouble ensue from his adventure. It may be remarked - that the friend was a barrister, and as such--so Hench considered--would - be able to attend to legal details if necessary. - </p> - <p> - The rooms in question were still to be had, as a voluble landlady assured - Mr. Hench, so he engaged them for a month, paying the rent in advance. - Then he left a message for his friend, and returned to get his luggage - from the cloak-room in Victoria Station. By seven o'clock, Owain was - installed in a tolerably comfortable bedroom and sitting-room, and was - dawdling over a hurriedly provided meal. His friend, he was informed, was - not expected back until nine o'clock, so Hench passed the time in reading - the evening papers. These he had bought at the railway station when - getting his luggage, and in two of them he found what he sought. - </p> - <p> - The account of the Parley Wood crime was necessarily meagre, as so short a - time had elapsed since the discovery of the body that the police were not - in possession of much information. It appeared, from the scanty details, - that the dead man was--as Hench suspected--Squire Madoc Evans, the Lord of - the Manor and the owner of Cookley Grange. He had gone for a stroll in the - woods shortly after dinner, and not having returned, search had been made, - with the result that the poor old gentleman was found stabbed to the heart - near the Gipsy Stile. The weapon used to execute the murder was a common - carving-knife with a horn handle, and the medical examination showed that - Evans had met with his violent death about half-past seven. The account - ended with the information that the police were making all inquiries in - the hope of tracing the criminal, but as yet had been unsuccessful. - </p> - <p> - Owain breathed more freely, as there was no word of the girl at the Bull - Inn or of her conversation with himself. Still, it was early days yet, and - the young man felt very sure that shortly she would speak out. An account - of the man who had inquired where the Gipsy Stile was to be found would - assuredly appear in print; then it would depend entirely upon the memory - and acuteness of the girl whether he would be traced. And, of course, if - Madame Alpenny became suspicious--and Owain was positive that she would - become so--her story to the police would certainly result in his arrest. - Then, when confronted with the girl of the inn, there would be small - chance of denying his identity with the tramp who had made those fatal - inquiries. Hench felt extremely uncomfortable in spite of his innocence, - and longed to have some one to whom he could talk freely. Later on in the - evening, and while gloomily smoking in an armchair, the young man thought - that he could trust his old school-friend. James Vane was quite a - different man to Spruce, who also had been at the same school, and was as - true as the Nut was false. After much reflection and some hesitation, - Hench decided to unbosom himself to the barrister, since the dangers which - environed him were so great that he could not deal with them unaided. - </p> - <p> - At nine o'clock precisely, a sharp knock came to the door of the - sitting-room, and Hench sprang up to greet his visitor. Vane was a tall, - slim man, with a lean, hatchet face, keen dark eyes, and thin dark hair, - touched already with grey although he was only thirty years of age. He was - perfectly dressed and perfectly well-groomed, quick in his movements and a - trifle saturnine in his manner. Some people were rather afraid of him, as - he was always cold and cautious. But Owain knew that this frigid exterior - concealed a truly warm heart, and that--as the saying goes--Vane's bark - was worse than his bite. To his old school-chum he showed himself as he - really was, and few would have recognized the chilly barrister in the - smiling friend. It was as though ice had melted on a mountain-top to - reveal a green sward. - </p> - <p> - "Well, I am glad to see you again, Owain," said Vane, after - shaking hands warmly; "it is quite six months since I set eyes on - you. Where have you been all this time? What have you been doing with - yourself? And where is that patriarchal beard which made you look like - Abraham? H'm! You're in love." - </p> - <p> - Hench stared and made his friend comfortable in an armchair. "What on - earth makes you say that?" he inquired with a puzzled look. - </p> - <p> - "No girl could possibly love a man with a beard which made him look - one hundred and ten years old. You have met with a girl--with <i>the</i> - girl--and are in love. Therefore have you shaved your chin, reduced your - age, and made yourself look like a young Greek god." - </p> - <p> - "I don't feel like a Greek god, Jim," said Hench, taking a seat - and glancing round to see that windows and doors were closed. "I'm - worried." - </p> - <p> - "Poor old chap," said Vane with quick sympathy; "rely on me - to help. We always were pals at school, you know. Is it money?" - </p> - <p> - "No. I have enough to keep me going. By the way, your mention of our - being pals at school reminds me that I met another chap who was with us at - Winchester ages ago." - </p> - <p> - "Don't make us out to be as old as the hills, Owain. We're young yet, - and the wine of life still sparkles in the bowl. Who is this chap?" - </p> - <p> - "Spruce. He is----" - </p> - <p> - "Oh Lord!" Vane removed his cigarette from his thin lips with an - air of disgust. "I know what he is; you needn't tell me anything - about him. You don't mean to say that you look upon him as a pal?" - </p> - <p> - "No! He wanted me to but I couldn't stomach him and his dandified - airs. If you want my opinion of him," continued Hench frankly, "he's - a sickening little beast, as arrogant as they make them." - </p> - <p> - "He's all that and more--one of the Gadarene swine. Where did you - meet him?" - </p> - <p> - "At a boarding-house in Bethnal Green." - </p> - <p> - "Oh! That's the fox's hole, is it. I thought he would go further - afield." - </p> - <p> - "Has he any reason to go afield at all?" asked Hench, staring. - "You bet he has, old fellow. Mr. Cuthbert Spruce has been a man on - the market for quite a long time." - </p> - <p> - "What is a man on the market?" - </p> - <p> - "A chap who gets his living by his wits," explained the - barrister leisurely, "and Spruce has been at that sort of game for - ever so long. He started with a decent income but got rid of it at cards. - Cards queered his pitch ultimately, as he was caught cheating and had to - clear out. H'm! He's ruralizing at Bethnal Green, is he? I expect he will - stay there until his little bad wind blows away. Then he'll try and - return. But it's all of no use, Owain, as no one will have the little - beast at any price." - </p> - <p> - "He told me quite a different story." - </p> - <p> - "Oh, he would, naturally. Spruce is very good at telling stories. He - ought to be a novelist by rights." - </p> - <p> - "That's exactly what he claims to be," retorted Owain, opening - his eyes widely. "He said that he had come to Bethnal Green to gather - material for a yarn." - </p> - <p> - "Pretty thin," commented Vane, with a shrug, "considering - he can't write a single paragraph of King's English without a dozen - mistakes. I credited him with sufficient imagination to manufacture a - better lie. However, it's useless for us to waste time over Spruce and his - shady doings. Cheating at cards has finished him, and now he'll go under - altogether. R.I.P. and be hanged to him. But what were you doing at - Bethnal Green, old son?" - </p> - <p> - "I thought that a cheap boarding-house down there would suit my - pocket." - </p> - <p> - "H'm! You explained that much before, even though I offered to share - my pennies with you." - </p> - <p> - "Very good of you, Jim," said Hench hastily and colouring, - "but I don't care about shoving my burden on to another man's - shoulders. However, a gold mine I had a few shares in turned up trumps, - and I have a hundred pounds more or less at my back." - </p> - <p> - "And for that reason you have come West?" - </p> - <p> - "Well, not exactly. If you don't mind being bored with my----" - </p> - <p> - "Nothing you tell me will ever bore me, Owain," interrupted Vane - quickly. "It's a girl, I swear. Come, be honest." - </p> - <p> - "Well, there was a girl, but there isn't now," confessed Owain, - and while Vane chuckled at his own perspicuity he related what had taken - place at The Home of the Muses in connection with Zara, Bracken, Madame - Alpenny and Spruce. Vane listened intently, and when Hench ended made his - first remark in connection with the Nut, for whom he seemed to have no - great love. - </p> - <p> - "The sordid little animal wished to make money out of you, Owain," - he said in his shrewd way, "and for that reason made up to you and - kept his eye on you." - </p> - <p> - "But he knew that I had no money," protested Hench, puzzled. - </p> - <p> - "These papers at the lawyers' may mean money," retorted the - barrister. "I am inclined to agree with that old lady you mention so - far. Well, it's only about nine days until your birthday, so you haven't - long to wait. And now that you've cut the place--very wisely, I - think--Spruce won't be able to line his pockets at your expense. As to the - girl--you never did love her." - </p> - <p> - "Well, perhaps you are right. But I admired her." - </p> - <p> - "That's nothing. I admire scores of girls, but that doesn't mean - matrimony, my son. You are at that age, Owain, when any woman could collar - you. I'm glad that this Zara girl had enough sense to cotton to the other - man. Madame Alpenny----" - </p> - <p> - Hench rose restlessly. "I'm afraid of her," he interrupted - bluntly. - </p> - <p> - "Pooh! Why should you be? She can't force you to marry her daughter." - </p> - <p> - "No." Owain spoke slowly. "It's not that. But the - advertisement----" - </p> - <p> - "Well, it had to do with you, certainly, going by the mention of the - place where your father passed his youth. But you told her that you did - not intend to keep the appointment." - </p> - <p> - "Yes. All the same, I did keep the appointment." - </p> - <p> - "The deuce!" Vane looked surprised. "Well?" - </p> - <p> - "I'm coming to my trouble now," said Hench, picking up one of - the newspapers nervously; "read that paragraph." - </p> - <p> - Vane looked at his friend in surprise, and then swiftly made himself - acquainted with the information about the Parley Wood murder. He started - when he first grasped what the paragraph was about, but afterwards read on - slowly to the end. When he knew all about the matter he threw aside the - newspaper and looked inquiringly at Hench. "Well?" - </p> - <p> - "Well," repeated Owain, sitting down with his hands in his - pockets, "can't you see, Jim? I went to the Gipsy Stile and----" - </p> - <p> - "And murdered this man," finished Vane derisively. "Do you - expect me to believe that, you fool?" - </p> - <p> - "No. I'm not given to behaving in that way. But I kept the - appointment and I found the corpse." - </p> - <p> - "Oh, the devil!" Vane sat up. - </p> - <p> - "So I said at the time," remarked Hench dryly. - </p> - <p> - "And when Madame Alpenny reads about the crime, she will put two and - two together." - </p> - <p> - "They won't make four in her calculations," said Vane swiftly. - "After all, you are innocent. She can't prove you to be guilty." - </p> - <p> - "Well, I don't know. The circumstantial evidence is rather strong." - </p> - <p> - "The circumstantial evidence!" Vane stared and reflected. "You - had a beard when I saw you last, now----" - </p> - <p> - "I shaved to-day, so that there might be no chance of my being - discovered by any description that girl at the Bull Inn might give." - </p> - <p> - "Girl at the Bull Inn? What do you mean?" - </p> - <p> - Hench lost no time but promptly gave a full account of his adventures from - the time he left Liverpool Street Station to the moment that he sat down - to dinner in the very room in which the two were speaking. Vane - interrupted him frequently, and his face grew grave as he recognized that - Hench was in a woeful plight. "Of course, I've acted like an ass," - confessed Owain in a rueful manner; "but how would you have acted, - Jim?" - </p> - <p> - "Sitting in this chair and being wise after the event, I should have - faced the thing out," said Vane slowly. "But had I been in your - shoes in that wood I should probably have run away as you did." He - paused, shook his head, stared at the carpet. "Damn!" he - muttered emphatically. - </p> - <p> - "I thought it best to speak to you," murmured Owain anxiously. - </p> - <p> - Vane nodded. "Quite right. What's the use of a pal if he doesn't rise - to the occasion. After all, if Madame Alpenny does speak to the police she - can't prove you to be guilty. You had no motive to murder this Evans. He - was quite a stranger to you." - </p> - <p> - "Quite. All the same----" - </p> - <p> - "All the same, hold your confounded tongue!" insisted the - barrister. "My advice to you is to sit tight and wait events." - </p> - <p> - "Madame Alpenny?" - </p> - <p> - "Exactly. If she is the old adventuress you think she is, and which - from your description she certainly appears to be, I don't think you need - have any fear for the moment." - </p> - <p> - "Why not?" - </p> - <p> - "Because she will wait until you are in possession of those papers on - your twenty-fifth birthday. If they place you in possession of money she - will be silent on condition that you marry her daughter." - </p> - <p> - "I won't. Nothing would induce me to marry a girl who loves another - man." - </p> - <p> - "Oh, I don't say that you would marry her, but that Madame Alpenny - would try and make you marry her. Until all hope fails in that direction - she'll say nothing about the advertisement. Of course, if there is no - money the old hag will split, especially if there is a reward. As this - Squire Evans seems to be a landowner and a rich man, I expect there will - be a reward." - </p> - <p> - "I see. Then the best thing for me to do is to wait." - </p> - <p> - "Exactly. I'll support you, and you can talk your heart out to me." - </p> - <p> - "You're a good fellow, Jim. Why, I half believed you would think - me----" - </p> - <p> - "Don't talk bosh!" Vane jumped up irritably. "Why, you're - the whitest man I know, and my old school-pal. I'd as soon believe myself - guilty as you. Now I'm off to bed; go thou and do likewise and don't - worry." After which speech he shook hands with Hench and the two - parted for the night. - </p> - <p> - For the next nine days they had many such talks, and kept themselves well - informed of the progress which the case was making so far as they could - learn in print. Of course, the girl at the Bull Inn <i>did</i> tell the - police about the interview in the tap-room, and of course great capital - was made out of this. But as Owain had suspected, the girl being - inobservant, and not having seen him very clearly in the smoky - dimly-lighted atmosphere, gave a most incoherent account of his - appearance. All she could say was that the questioner was a rough-looking - tramp with a bushy black beard, who spoke civilly enough, but who was not - a gentleman. Vane chuckled when he read this unflattering description, - which was sufficiently wrong and vague to preserve Hench from suspicions. - And, indeed, if the girl had been confronted with Hench she would never - have recognized in this handsome clean-shaven young gentleman, fashionably - dressed, the rough tramp who had drank his beer in the tap-room. It was - Vane who made Owain dress fashionably, so as to make him look as unlike - his old bearded self as possible. He took him to his tailor, to his - haberdasher, to his bootmaker, and to various other tradesmen, with the - result that Owain's new wardrobe did full justice to his handsome looks. - Hench, being of the pioneering legion, rather kicked against being thus - civilized, but he recognized that Vane was right to insist upon the - transformation. - </p> - <p> - Whatever Madame Alpenny might have thought she did not put her thoughts - into action, for nothing appeared in the papers likely to show that Hench - was suspected by the police. The inquest on Squire Madoc Evans' body was - duly held, and the verdict was brought in of "Wilful murder against - some person or persons unknown," although every one was pretty - certain that the shabby tramp who had inquired the way to the Gipsy Stile - was the culprit. But he had vanished, and--thanks to Madame Alpenny's - silence--no word came to the police suggesting his identity with Owain - Hench. The funeral took place in due time, and it gave Owain a thrill when - he read that the body had been taken to Rhaiadr in Wales for burial. It - was said that Evans came from that place, and that all his ancestors were - buried there. Incidentally, it was mentioned that the dead man had left a - daughter who inherited Cookley Grange, and by her father's death became - the Lady of the Manor. - </p> - <p> - "I think it's all right now," said Vane when matters reached - this pitch. "After the nine days' wonder the excitement will - gradually die away. And, by Jupiter!" cried the barrister, "it - is exactly nine days. Owain, old son, this is your birthday. Off with you - and call on Gilberry & Gilberry." - </p> - <p> - "Won't you come also, Jim?" - </p> - <p> - "No, I won't. You can't get into trouble in a respectable legal - office, and you are so changed that no one is likely to spot you as the - man who is wanted for Squire Madoc Evans' death." - </p> - <p> - Owain was content to go alone, although he felt slightly nervous. His - strongest card, should anything come out, was that he had not known Evans, - and therefore had no reason to kill him. And by this time he was growing - used to the situation, since Madame Alpenny was holding her tongue. Why - she acted in this kind way he could not understand, but accepted the - explanation provided by Vane. However, if he came into money she probably - would find him out and move in the matter. Therefore it was with some - reluctance that Hench went to Gilberry & Gilberry's office in - Lincoln's Inn Fields. He wanted to let sleeping dogs lie, and was - unwilling to become rich, as by doing so he would certainly bring Madame - Alpenny down on his head. All the same, Hench felt very curious when he - faced the white-headed old gentleman who was the head of the firm, and was - rather astonished by the warmth of the greeting he received. - </p> - <p> - "I am glad to see you," said Mr. Gilberry heartily. "You - come in the nick of time, my dear young friend." - </p> - <p> - "To do what, sir?" - </p> - <p> - "To inherit ten thousand a year." - </p> - <p> - "What?" Owain became pale with amazement. - </p> - <p> - Gilberry chuckled. "Oh yes. It is as I say, Mr. Evans." - </p> - <p> - "What?" cried Owain again, and this time louder, with a - quavering voice. - </p> - <p> - "Of course; of course," the old man chuckled once more. "You - think that your name is Hench. Not so; not so. You are Owain Evans of - Rhaiadr, the heir of Squire Madoc Evans, of Cookley Grange, in Essex." - </p> - <p> - "And--and--what relation am I to--to--to----" - </p> - <p> - "Oh, yes. You don't know. Why, my dear sir, Madoc Evans was your - uncle." - </p> - <p> - Owain gasped, and turned as white as the corpse he had seen in Parley - Wood. - </p> - <p> - <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> - </p> - <h4> - <a name="div1_08" href="#div1Ref_08" id="div1_08">CHAPTER VIII</a> - </h4> - <h5> - FAMILY HISTORY - </h5> - <p> - <br /> - </p> - <p> - Like M. Jourdain in Moliere's comedy, Vane was only surprised when he - found virtue in unexpected places, but he certainly was astonished in - another direction when Hench stumbled into his chambers white-faced, - wild-eyed and trembling. The barrister hastily arose and supported his - friend to a chair, and as hastily produced a glass of brandy to hold to - his lips. - </p> - <p> - "Drink this, Owain," he commanded, wondering what had happened - to put his visitor in such a state. "Don't say a word until you feel - better." - </p> - <p> - Hench drank the whole glassful of fiery liquor, and the colour began to - return to his wan cheeks. He did not speak, as requested, but sat in the - chair with a broken-down look, which startled Vane more than he showed. - Looking anxiously at his friend he came to the sole conclusion he could - come to, seeing what he knew in connection with Hench's adventure. "Madame - Alpenny has found you out?" - </p> - <p> - Hench shook his head. "It's worse than that," he muttered - faintly. - </p> - <p> - "Then the worse it is the better you should brace yourself up to face - it," was Vane's irritable retort. "Have another glass of brandy, - although I don't approve of Dutch courage myself." - </p> - <p> - "No. No more brandy. Wait a bit. I'll soon pull round." - </p> - <p> - Vane nodded approvingly, and turned his back so as to give the man time to - recover himself. He went to the window and looked at the busy traffic of - Chancery Lane, in which thoroughfare his chambers were situated. The same - were directly opposite that gateway which leads into Lincoln's Inn Fields, - through the highways and byeways of pleasant grounds sacred to the goddess - Themis. Hench had evidently come straight in this way from the offices of - Gilberry & Gilberry. Vane wondered how he had managed to arrive - without attracting observation and being stopped, so wild had been his - looks when he entered the chambers. The journey was very short, truly, but - the appearance of the man was sufficient to warrant interference. - Evidently the unexpected had happened to throw Hench into this abnormal - state, and with a shrug of his shoulders Vane turned to see how he was - getting on. Hench smiled faintly as he met the inquiring gaze of the - barrister and wiped his forehead, which was wet with perspiration. Then he - essayed to speak and apologize, succeeding after one or two desperate - attempts. - </p> - <p> - "Sorry, Jim, but I couldn't help myself." - </p> - <p> - "Seems like it," snapped Vane, trying to bully him into - calmness. He had never before seen Hench so upset, as the man was usually - very quiet and self-controlled. Something very bad must have happened to - unnerve him in this way. "I should like to know what is the meaning - of all this," went on Vane crossly. "Upon my Sam, Owain, if I - didn't know you were a sober chap I should have believed that you were - drunk when you came in. I wonder some policeman didn't run you in between - here and Lincoln's Inn Fields." - </p> - <p> - "I did see people staring at me," replied Hench in a stronger - voice, as the brandy had done its work and he was rapidly recovering his - balance. "Perhaps if I had come by a longer way I might have got into - trouble. But you see, Jim, the distance----" - </p> - <p> - "Yes! Yes!" Vane dropped into his own favourite chair. "I - know all about that, old son. Come to the point. What's up?" - </p> - <p> - "I've had a shock." - </p> - <p> - "Oh Lord! as if the most stupid person--which I am not--couldn't see - as much. I can only conclude that Madame Alpenny has told the police and - you are in danger of arrest. Yet you deny that such is the case." - </p> - <p> - "I do. Madame Alpenny has nothing to do with this particular matter. - Yes, I have had a shock, but I'm all right now." Hench shook himself - like a dog coming out of a pond and drew a long breath, then continued to - talk calmly. His first remark was a question. "If I did get arrested, - Jim, I suppose my best line of defence would be to say that, not knowing - the dead man, I had no motive to kill him." - </p> - <p> - "That is my opinion," admitted the barrister. "Well?" - </p> - <p> - "Well, there is no chance of my taking up that line of defence." - </p> - <p> - "Why not? You told me that you did not know Squire Evans." - </p> - <p> - "I did. I don't contradict my admission." - </p> - <p> - "Then why can't you defend yourself, if necessary, on that score?" - </p> - <p> - "I'll answer that question by asking you another? Who am I?" - </p> - <p> - Vane stared and looked wholly bewildered. "Owain Hench!" - </p> - <p> - "So I thought. Now I learn from Gilberry & Gilberry that I am - Owain Evans." - </p> - <p> - "What?" Vane uttered the ejaculation in as astonished a tone as - Hench had done in the solicitor's office. "Are you a relative of the - dead man?" - </p> - <p> - "Yes. I am his nephew." - </p> - <p> - "Well, the unexpected is always happening," commented Vane, - after a pause of sheer surprise. "But even so, as you did not know - your uncle and never met him, you can still say, if necessary, that you - had no motive to murder him." - </p> - <p> - "I can't." Owain rose and began to pace the room. "I can't; - and that's the worst of it, Jim. As you say, I did not know him and I - never met him, but evil tongues might give me the lie, seeing what I stood - to gain." - </p> - <p> - "What did you stand to gain?" - </p> - <p> - "Ten thousand a year." - </p> - <p> - "Ten thousand a year!" Vane echoed the words with a gasp of - astonishment. "I say, Owain, those mysterious papers left by your - father did mean a fortune after all, as Madame Alpenny suspected?" - </p> - <p> - Hench nodded, and sat down again with a disconsolate air. "It is a - dangerous position that I am in. Owain Evans of Rhaiadr with ten thousand - a year, which comes to me now that Uncle Madoc is dead----that is who I - am." - </p> - <p> - "But you knew nothing about such an inheritance?" - </p> - <p> - "Who will believe that?" asked Owain derisively. "Already, - as the tramp who asked the way to the Gipsy Stile, I am accused of the - crime. Should the truth of my keeping that appointment become known, the - motive of gaining ten thousand a year will be imputed to me as an excuse - for committing the deed." - </p> - <p> - "Don't go too fast, Owain," said Vane sharply; "remember - only Gilberry & Gilberry had this information. They can prove that you - knew nothing about the same on the first of July when the man was - murdered." - </p> - <p> - "True enough. All the same I kept the appointment," persisted - Hench stubbornly. "Who is to prove that I did not have a long - interview with my uncle in Parley Wood; who is to declare that he did not - admit I was his heir and that his death would place me in possession of so - large an income? And, remember, Jim, that I am poor. A man would do much - to gain ten thousand a year." - </p> - <p> - "A man like you, Owain, would do nothing mean or dishonourable or - cruel to gain double the sum," said Vane sharply. "Don't be a - fool." - </p> - <p> - "Am I a fool? You know me, Jim, but other people don't. Supposing - Madame Alpenny tells what she knows to the police and sets them on my - track----" - </p> - <p> - "She doesn't know your address. You told me so." - </p> - <p> - "I told you truly. She doesn't. But seeing that I have given my usual - name both at the hotel I stayed at and to the landlady of my lodgings in - South Kensington, there won't be much difficulty in the police finding me. - People will talk, you know. I have shaved off my beard too, and that might - be quoted against me as a sign of my guilt." - </p> - <p> - "It might," assented Vane restlessly, for he recognized that the - position was a dangerous one. "But it all depends upon Madame - Alpenny. So far she has made no move, and now that you really are rich she - will hold her tongue." - </p> - <p> - "Provided I marry her daughter, I suppose?" inquired Owain - dryly. - </p> - <p> - "Of course. The woman is an adventuress, as you say, and means to - make money out of you. Marry her daughter and supply her with funds, and - you will place yourself in the power of a possible blackmailer." - </p> - <p> - Hench's face became dour and obstinate in its looks. "Even if Madame - Alpenny placed me in the dock at the New Bailey, I won't marry Zara, or - give the old woman a single penny." - </p> - <p> - "I'm with you, old son." Vane leaned forward and shook his - friend's hand. "You can depend upon me to do all I can to pull you - through." - </p> - <p> - "You're a good sort, Jim, to stand by me," said Hench, much - moved. - </p> - <p> - "Pooh! Pooh! Pooh! I take a right view of friendship, that's all," - said Vane cheerfully. "Come, old man, let us discuss the situation. - We have ample time, as Madame Alpenny will hold her tongue until you - openly refuse the demands she is sure to make. Who gains time, gains - everything, and lots of things may happen before she can place your neck - in a noose." - </p> - <p> - "I am in a dangerous position." - </p> - <p> - "You are. I don't wish to minimize the risk, or undervalue Madame - Alpenny as an enemy. But remember, Owain, that she is not your enemy until - you give her cause to be so by declining to marry the girl and pension - Madame. Thus the police will learn nothing for many a long day, and - meantime we can act." - </p> - <p> - "In what way?" - </p> - <p> - "Why, in trying to learn who really did murder your uncle." Vane - drew a long breath. "By Jupiter, old son, I don't wonder you were - knocked all of a heap by the information that you had a new relative and - ten thousand a year." - </p> - <p> - "Oh, it wasn't that which upset me," explained Hench with a - shrug, "but the knowledge that my uncle was the dead man I found in - Parley Wood." - </p> - <p> - "Gilberry & Gilberry don't know that, I suppose?" - </p> - <p> - "Of course not. I kept that information to myself. They didn't even, - so far as I could gather, know anything about the advertisement, or they - would have spoken about it. I said nothing." - </p> - <p> - "Very wise of you. I wonder," mused the barrister, "why - your uncle put in that advertisement?" - </p> - <p> - "To make you understand, Jim, it will be necessary to repeat my - family history as Mr. Gilberry told it to me." - </p> - <p> - "That is what I have been wishing you to do for the last fifteen - minutes, old boy. Here, take a cigarette and make yourself comfortable. - When I am in possession of facts I shall be in a better position to advise - you." - </p> - <p> - "I need advice," sighed Hench, lighting up. - </p> - <p> - "Well, don't shed tears over it, sonny. Fire away." - </p> - <p> - Vane's banter and anxious desire to cheer him up did Hench good, and he - produced a large blue envelope out of his pocket which contained several - papers. The young man glanced at these doubtfully, then laid them on the - table. "You can examine them at your leisure," he said, leaning - back comfortably in his chair. "I'll tell you the story instead of - reading it." - </p> - <p> - "That will be best," assented Vane brightly. "Begin, - Scheherazade." - </p> - <p> - "My grandfather," said Hench conversationally, "lived at - Rhaiadr in South Wales, where his family had resided for centuries. They - were minor princes, I believe, before the first Edward conquered the - country, but dwindled in importance as the centuries went by. When the - family estates came to my grandfather, all he had was considerable - property in Rhaiadr and a tumbledown family seat. He was called Mynydd - Evans----" - </p> - <p> - "Curious Christian name," commented Vane, lighting a fresh - cigarette. - </p> - <p> - "Yes! Gilberry, who seems to know something of the Welsh language, - told me that it means 'Great.' So my grandfather was really Great Evans, - so called because he was the chief person in Rhaiadr, and because he was a - stout, bulky man, over six feet three in height. He was discontented with - his lot, as he wanted money and power and position, and the deuce knows - what." - </p> - <p> - "Rather a grabber, Owain, considering that he was the Lord of - Rhaiadr--and that's another queer name." - </p> - <p> - "It means water tumbling over a rock--a waterfall, in fact," - said Hench, with a nod. "My father mentioned the word to Madame - Alpenny and gave her the translation. Well, to continue. Mynydd Evans - collected what money he could and came to London. There he set up as a - merchant, and being clever, in a wonderfully short space of time he made a - large fortune." - </p> - <p> - "He must have done so considering he could leave your uncle ten - thousand a year," said Vane emphatically. "But why didn't he - return to Rhaiadr?" - </p> - <p> - "Mr. Gilberry couldn't explain that. I expect the old man found the - Welsh parish of his ancestors too narrow for his ambition, and perhaps too - far from London and his place of business. He bought the Lordship of the - Manor of Cookley, in Essex, and took up his abode in the old Grange. There - he died." - </p> - <p> - "And your Uncle Madoc, as the eldest son, became the heir?" - </p> - <p> - "Now, that is exactly what did not happen. Mynydd Evans had two - sons--my father, Owain, and Madoc--and my father was the elder of the two. - He was"--Hench wriggled uneasily--"he was a rotter, and I'm - breaking the fifth commandment in saying so, Jim." - </p> - <p> - "Well," said the barrister coolly, "from what you told me - of your father when we met six months ago, I rather think he was a bad - lot." - </p> - <p> - "Unfortunately, yes," said Hench hastily. "But he is dead, - so let us say as little about him as possible. Anyhow, he contrived so - mortally to offend my grandfather with his doings that he was cut out of - the will." - </p> - <p> - "What did he do particularly shady?" - </p> - <p> - "I can't tell you," said Hench, with a shrug. "From what - Gilberry said I gathered that it wasn't one shady deed, but the - culmination of many that induced Mynydd Evans to give the estate to my - Uncle Madoc. He was the good boy of the family, and Mynydd Evans knew that - his hard-earned fortune would not be dissipated in his hands. My father - was allowed five or six hundred a year, and told to keep away from - England. He did so and afterwards married abroad--an English governess, my - mother. She died in due time and I was sent to England to board with - strangers. Then I went to a private school, afterwards to Winchester, - where we met, Jim." - </p> - <p> - "Yes, I know all that. Afterwards your father sent for you and - ultimately died in Paris. You told me about your life since, when you came - back six months ago. But why didn't your father relate your family history - to you? Why did he keep you in the dark?" - </p> - <p> - "Really, Jim, I can't say, unless it was that he felt ashamed of his - doings. He would have had to tell me that he was not straight, to account - for his being cut out of the will, you know. Anyhow, he saw Gilberry & - Gilberry and left with them those papers, which include my birth - certificate and my baptismal one--things which are necessary to prove my - identity, you know. Gilberry & Gilberry were my father's lawyers and - the lawyers of my uncle and grandfather. They saw that my school fees were - paid and kept an eye on me while my father was in exile. So I had no - difficulty in proving who I was. In fact old Gilberry knew me from my - likeness to my father the moment I entered the office. It's all right so - far." - </p> - <p> - "But if the money was left to your uncle, how do you inherit?" - </p> - <p> - "Well, it seems that Mynydd Evans always had some qualms about - cutting off the direct line, and, I suppose, hoped that the third - generation would be better than the second, as represented by my father. - Anyhow, he made a will excluding my father, save for the five or six - hundred a year allowance, and left the whole eleven thousand pounds per - annum he was worth to Uncle Madoc." - </p> - <p> - "You said it was ten thousand." - </p> - <p> - "Yes. But of the extra thousand, five hundred went to my father - during his life and the remaining five hundred--or it might be four with - six to my father, as I'm not quite clear about the exact amounts--to Gwen - Evans, my first cousin, Uncle Madoc's daughter." - </p> - <p> - "Oh! There's a girl, then?" - </p> - <p> - "Yes, and if old Gilberry is to be believed, she is a very pretty - girl. I understand that she is about twenty years of age. We can talk of - her later, Jim. Anyhow, you must understand that Uncle Madoc only had the - income and the Grange for life. Afterwards it was to go to the offspring - of my father, who was the true heir. I am the sole offspring, so I - inherit." - </p> - <p> - "I see," pondered Vane. "Well, all that seems clear and - reasonable enough. Only I should like to know why your uncle didn't find - you out and treat you as his heir. He could have done so through Gilberry - & Gilberry, who--as you say--kept their eye on you all the time." - </p> - <p> - "According to Mr. Gilberry, my uncle hated my father fervently, and - did not at all approve of Mynydd Evans' will, which left the property to - the son of the brother he detested. He made no inquiries, I understand, - and was quite content to enjoy the property and let the deluge in the - shape of myself come after him. Of course he would rather, as Mr. Gilberry - said, have had Gwen get the property, but he could not, as the will of my - grandfather was too clear." - </p> - <p> - "Well, I can understand that the brothers did not love one another," - said Vane, after a pause; "family feuds are unfortunately too common. - But what made the old man put in that advertisement?" - </p> - <p> - "As I didn't mention the advertisement to Mr. Gilberry for obvious - reasons, I could obtain no information on that point," explained - Owain, looking somewhat perplexed. "And why he sought me out in that - peculiar way at the eleventh hour, I can't say. He might as well have done - the thing straight through the family lawyers. Anyhow, I suppose he - thought that the mention of the name Rhaiadr would show me that I was - wanted, although I can't understand why he worded the advertisement so - obscurely. But that my father mentioned the place of his family to me, I - wouldn't have bothered about the matter. Let alone the fact," - concluded Hench after a pause, "that I wouldn't have seen the - advertisement at all but for Madame Alpenny. It was queer, wasn't it, Jim, - that the advertisement should have appeared with the name Rhaiadr just - after she remembered meeting my father over twenty years ago?" - </p> - <p> - "So queer," said Vane dryly, "that I wonder if Madame - Alpenny had anything to do with the insertion of the advertisement." - </p> - <p> - "Oh, that's rubbish, Jim. She never met my uncle, and couldn't have - put in the advertisement on her own, as she didn't know the ropes. My - uncle put it in sure enough, or he would not have been in the wood to meet - me. But why the deuce he should choose out-of-doors as a meeting place - instead of asking me into his own house, I can't understand." - </p> - <p> - "He was evidently an original," said the barrister, with a - shrug. "By the way, if you died, or if you had never been born, who - would inherit the estate?" - </p> - <p> - "Gwen, my cousin, of course. The will left the property to the - offspring of the eldest son, and failing such offspring, to the children - of the second son. Why do you ask that, Jim?" - </p> - <p> - "Well, it occurs to me that the cautiously worded advertisement and - the appointment of so lonely a place to meet in, suggests foul play on the - part of your beloved uncle." - </p> - <p> - "Foul play?" Hench stared. "What the deuce do you mean?" - </p> - <p> - "Madoc might have intended to murder you so that his daughter might - inherit." - </p> - <p> - "Oh, rot!" - </p> - <p> - "Not at all. We must look at all possibilities. Madoc hated your - father and doubtless hated you also as the son of your father. If he could - have done you out of the inheritance by murdering you, I don't see why he - should have held his hand." - </p> - <p> - "But you don't know the man's character," protested Hench. - "He may have been a very harmless person." - </p> - <p> - "A very cunning and plotting person, anyhow," said Vane quickly. - "Else, why the carefully worded advertisement and the strange place - chosen for the meeting. No, Owain, my conjecture may be wild, but there is - some truth in it, I am sure. Madoc intended to get rid of you, and your - lucky stars led some one to get rid of him, before you appeared on the - scene." - </p> - <p> - "My lucky stars," said Hench, rising. "How can you say - that, when I am in danger of being arrested for his death?" - </p> - <p> - "There is no danger just now, until Madame Alpenny moves. And when - she does move we may be able to counterplot her." - </p> - <p> - "She will move as soon as I enter into my inheritance." - </p> - <p> - "I know that. Therefore, if I were you, I should not take up my - inheritance just yet." - </p> - <p> - "How can I prevent that? Gilberry & Gilberry will take immediate - steps to place me in possession, and the business is sure to get into the - newspapers. Then Madame Alpenny will see that I am rich and come to bother - me." - </p> - <p> - "Of course. But you can tell Gilberry & Gilberry to hold over - action until you learn who murdered your uncle. Once you find the true - assassin you will be safe from the malice of Madame Alpenny and all other - people." - </p> - <p> - "Oh, there is no one can spot me but Madame Alpenny," said Owain - confidentially. - </p> - <p> - "Not even Spruce?" asked Vane significantly. - </p> - <p> - "Certainly not. He knows nothing about my affairs." - </p> - <p> - "You told me that he knew about the papers you were to see on your - twenty-fifth birthday?" - </p> - <p> - "Oh, yes. But those papers won't connect me with Uncle Madoc's death. - Only the advertisement can do that, and I don't suppose Spruce has set - eyes on it." - </p> - <p> - "Let us hope not," said Vane uneasily. "But since he heard - the name Rhaiadr when the meeting with your father was explained by Madame - Alpenny, he certainly might put two and two together if he did see the - advertisement. And if the old woman saw it, why shouldn't Spruce see it?" - </p> - <p> - "My dear Jim, why manufacture trouble, when we have enough to deal - with as things stand? If Spruce does get on the trail, I shall deal with - him very promptly, I assure you. I'm not afraid of that little rat." - </p> - <p> - "Rats can be dangerous, Owain, and Spruce is a meddlesome animal - always on the make. You with your ten thousand a year would be a god-send - to him. Now, if you will take my advice----" - </p> - <p> - "What is it?" - </p> - <p> - "This. Tell Gilberry & Gilberry to let things remain as they are, - until you tell them to place you legally in possession of your property. - They can look after the ten thousand odd pounds coming to you and allow - your cousin the four or five hundred a year to which she is entitled. Then - go down to Cookley as Owain Hench and look about for any possible person - who might have knifed your uncle." - </p> - <p> - "But Gilberry & Gilberry will think it queer." - </p> - <p> - "What the devil does it matter what they think? So long as they get - their fees all they have to do is to execute your orders. And if you like, - you can make a romance out of the business and tell them that you are - going down to Cookley to see your cousin under your false name, so as to - find out what she is like. Of course, you can hint that you may fall in - love----" - </p> - <p> - "Oh, rats!" interrupted Hench inelegantly. "I'm not likely - to fall in love. I don't believe that I understand what love is, seeing - what a hash I made of my attentions to Zara." - </p> - <p> - "You made a hash because you didn't love her, old son. But you may - fall in love with your cousin." - </p> - <p> - "Don't anticipate the worst," said Owain dryly. "Anyhow, - your advice is good, Jim. I shall tell Gilberry & Gilberry to hold - over and will give them to understand that I wish to see the beautiful - heiress I have dispossessed. As Hench, I shall go to Cookley and look - round for the criminal. With my changed appearance I don't suppose I'll be - spotted." - </p> - <p> - "No, I think you are safe so far," said Vane, looking at his - friend in a critical manner, "but don't risk seeing that girl at the - Bull Inn. She may recognize your voice. And I'll tell you what, Owain, - I'll give you an introduction to an old aunt of mine, Mrs. Perage, who is - a great swell in those parts. Her respectability may help you to hold your - own amongst the very suspicious, narrow-minded people one finds in the - country." - </p> - <p> - "Jim, you're a brick." - </p> - <p> - "Oh, fudge! I'll loot you when you enter into your kingdom," and - Vane laughed uproariously at his small joke. "See if I don't make you - pay up!" - </p> - <p> - <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> - </p> - <h4> - <a name="div1_09" href="#div1Ref_09" id="div1_09">CHAPTER IX</a> - </h4> - <h5> - GWEN - </h5> - <p> - <br /> - </p> - <p> - Naturally, Gilberry & Gilberry were extremely astonished when the heir - to Cookley Grange refused to enter into his kingdom immediately. Such a - wonderful reluctance to enjoy a large income and a splendid position had - never before come under their notice. Fortunately, however, Mr. Samuel - Gilberry, the senior partner, who attended particularly to the business of - the estate, was of a romantic turn of mind, unusual in a lawyer, and - Owain's suggestion of acting the part of a disguised prince rather - appealed to him. Adopting Vane's suggestion, Hench--as he persisted in - calling himself for the time being--artfully pointed out that it would be - just as well to make the acquaintance of his cousin as a stranger before - revealing himself. He did not wish her, as he put it, to be biassed by the - fact that he was the son of his father. "For you see, sir," he - said to the old gentleman, who was a white-bearded benevolent person, - somewhat like the traditional Father Christmas, "so far as I can - gather from the papers which my father left behind him, these brothers, - who are the parents of Gwen and myself, were not friends." - </p> - <p> - "They hated one another fervently, if you don't mind my saying so," - was the emphatic response of the old lawyer, as he took a pinch of snuff. - </p> - <p> - "I don't mind your stating the truth, Mr. Gilberry, which is what I - want to get at," replied Hench readily. "Well then, admitting - that the two hated one another, it is more than likely that Uncle Madoc - had no great love for me." - </p> - <p> - "He had not, my young friend. I pointed out to him frequently that as - he had never set eyes on you, he could scarcely form any judgment, good, - bad or indifferent. But he declared that you were the son of your father - and that no good could come out of Nazareth." - </p> - <p> - "Quite so. And doubtless he passed on his opinion to his daughter." - </p> - <p> - "I think it is extremely likely, although I cannot speak positively, - Mr. Owain," said the solicitor. "By the way, I may as well call - you by that name, since you refuse to take your proper appellation, and I - don't like to call you Mr. Hench." - </p> - <p> - "I don't mind what you call me," Owain assured him, "so - long as you don't let the cat out of the bag. My cousin is sure to have a - bad opinion of me, since her father was so bitter. This being the case, I - shall have no chance of becoming friendly with her if I present myself as - her cousin. I do not wish to carry on the feud, so it is necessary for me - to gain Gwen's good opinion. Therefore, under the name my father adopted, - I shall make her acquaintance as a stranger, and win her friendship - entirely on my own merits." - </p> - <p> - "It is rather a fantastical way of acting, and is scarcely - business-like," was Gilberry's reply. "All the same the idea is - not without merit. I am quite ready to help you, and can do so, by saying - that you are abroad." - </p> - <p> - "I don't think it is even necessary to say as much. Let Gwen know - that I have communicated with you, and have decided to wait for a time - before taking over the estate. She can put it down to eccentricity, or to - my late father's influence, if she likes. Anyhow, I don't suppose she will - trouble to search very deeply into the matter, and will probably be - pleased that I don't take possession of Cookley Grange immediately. She - can continue to live there until I give her notice to quit." - </p> - <p> - Gilberry laughed and shook his head. "Miss Evans is a very decided - young lady, Mr. Owain," he remarked in a judicial manner, "and - having her own income of five hundred a year, she has already quitted the - Grange." - </p> - <p> - "Because she expected me to take possession?" - </p> - <p> - "Yes." - </p> - <p> - "There!" cried Hench triumphantly. "Didn't I tell you that - she was biassed by her father. Has she left Cookley?" - </p> - <p> - "No. She has gone to stay with a very charming old lady in the - neighbourhood, called Mrs. Perage." - </p> - <p> - "Better and better. That will enable me to make her acquaintance - without unduly forcing myself upon her. My friend, Mr. Vane, who is a - barrister----" - </p> - <p> - "Yes! Yes! I know the name. I have heard that he is clever. Well?" - </p> - <p> - "Well, he has given me a letter of introduction to Mrs. Perage, who - is his aunt." - </p> - <p> - Mr. Samuel Gilberry rubbed his hands and chuckled. "Very good--very - good indeed, my young friend. It is quite a romance. Now, to carry the - same to a proper conclusion, may I suggest that you should fall in love - with Miss Evans?" - </p> - <p> - Hench shook his head doubtfully. "Private feelings can't be ordered - about like private soldiers," he remarked dryly. "I am not the - kind of man to fall in love, Mr. Gilberry." - </p> - <p> - "Pooh! Pooh! A handsome young fellow like you is sure to experience - the grand passion. And let me tell you that Miss Evans is a beautiful - girl, both clever and sensible. If you could manage to marry her," - went on the lawyer coaxingly, "think how delightfully you would end - the family feud. And after all, poor girl, it is rather hard for her to be - reduced to five hundred a year after enjoying, through her father, ten - thousand per annum." - </p> - <p> - "Oh, as to that," said Owain promptly, "you can allow her - two or three thousand out of my income." - </p> - <p> - "She wouldn't take it, seeing that your consent is necessary." - </p> - <p> - "Yet you talk about my marrying her," was Hench's retort. "I - have about as much chance of doing that as the man in the moon. However, I - shall make her acquaintance as Hench, and see what comes of it. By the - way, doesn't she know the name my father took in place of Evans?" - </p> - <p> - "No. Your late uncle never mentioned it. As Owain Hench you are quite - safe in making her acquaintance. She will never think that you are her - cousin, unless you let her see how you spell your Christian name. The - Welsh spelling may give her a hint, and she is very sharp, remember." - </p> - <p> - "If I have occasion to write it, I shall spell the name in the - English way. I don't suppose that will be necessary, anyhow. Well, that's - all right. Act as we have decided and I shall go down to Cookley to carry - out my romance, as you call it, Mr. Gilberry. One question I should like - to ask you, however, before leaving." - </p> - <p> - "And that is, Mr. Owain---?" - </p> - <p> - "Who murdered my uncle?" Mr. Gilberry took a pinch of snuff and - shook his venerable head. "Really, it is hard to say, unless it was - that tramp who asked the way to the Gipsy Stile, Mr. Owain. I suppose you - saw all about that in the papers?" - </p> - <p> - Hench winced, but recovered himself immediately. "Yes, I did, Mr. - Gilberry. But what reason could that tramp have had to murder my uncle. - Not robbery, if the report of the inquest is to be believed, for then it - was said that neither the money, nor the watch, nor the jewellery had been - taken." - </p> - <p> - "Exactly. So far as I can see, there was no reason why this man - should have murdered Mr. Evans." Mr. Gilberry knitted his brows and - looked perplexed. "Maybe it was revenge," he concluded - doubtfully. - </p> - <p> - "Revenge. Then my uncle had enemies?" - </p> - <p> - "Dozens, I should think," said the lawyer coolly. "Mr. - Madoc Evans was a very cantankerous person. I may say that much ill of the - dead. He quarrelled with many people, and, moreover, was very severe on - poaching both as a magistrate and as a landowner. This tramp, for all I - know, may have been a poacher who had a grudge against him." - </p> - <p> - "Do the police think so?" - </p> - <p> - "The police say nothing, because they have no evidence to go upon," - said the lawyer sharply. "The sole person they suspect is the tramp - who came to the Bull Inn. But he has disappeared, and they can't find him. - However, in the village it is said that the tramp was a poacher, who - murdered the Squire out of revenge. You can take or leave that opinion, as - you like. The whole thing is a mystery to me, Mr. Owain." - </p> - <p> - "And to me," said Hench, in all good faith. "I shall never - be satisfied until I learn who murdered my uncle." - </p> - <p> - "That wish does you credit, Mr. Owain," said Mr. Gilberry - approvingly, and again the young man winced. "Considering how - unfriendly the late Squire was towards your father." - </p> - <p> - "Well, my father was just as unfriendly towards him," returned - Hench with a shrug. "And, as I say, I don't wish to carry on the - feud. Good-bye, Mr. Gilberry. When I am settled in Cookley I shall let you - know my address and will write you if necessary. You are sure that no one - knows my name of Hench as having anything to do with the family at the - Grange?" - </p> - <p> - "I am quite sure, although I don't call one solitary girl a family," - chuckled the old man, walking with his client towards the door. "Good-bye, - good-bye. I hope--I sincerely hope--that the feud will be ended by your - marriage to my late friend's daughter." - </p> - <p> - "You might as well expect water to run up hill," retorted Hench - sceptically, and went on his way, certain that he was not likely to lose - his heart. - </p> - <p> - Consequent on the necessity of preserving the secret of his identity - carefully, Hench requested Vane to introduce him by letter to Mrs. Perage - as Mr. Hench, suppressing the Christian name, which might have given Gwen - a clue, if only from the oddness of the spelling. Vane, on learning that - the girl had gone to stay with his aunt, quite approved of this, and both - in his letter of introduction and his private epistle to the old lady made - all things safe. As Mr. Hench, the young man went down to Cookley, and if - he was forced to state what his Christian name was, he resolved to spell - it in the English way. That would provoke no remark from Gwen, as "Owen" - was not a particularly unusual designation. All the same, Hench felt that - he was treading on thin ice. He determined to stay at Cookley as short a - time as possible, and to see no more of his cousin than he could help. - After all he was going down not to meet her, as Mr. Gilberry believed, but - to learn if possible who had murdered the unfortunate Squire. - </p> - <p> - While reading a newspaper entitled <i>The Setting Sun</i> in the train, - Hench received a distinct shock, although by this time he was growing - accustomed to being startled. Some amateur detective had written a letter - to the editor of this halfpenny evening journal, drawing attention to the - advertisement in <i>The Express</i> with reference to the meeting at the - Gipsy Stile. Of the name "Rhaiadr" nothing was said, as such was - Greek to the writer of the letter. But the fact that some one was invited - to meet Squire Evans at the very place and on the very evening when he was - murdered was largely commented upon. The very officious person who wrote - suggested that the police should try and learn to whom the advertisement - was addressed, "when without doubt"--the letter went on to say--"the - assassin will be captured." - </p> - <p> - Although it was rather like asking the authorities to look for a needle in - a bottle of hay, seeing that there were eight million people in London to - any one of whom the advertisement might have been addressed, Owain felt - cold water running down his spine. Not on account of the Hungarian lady, - because he agreed with Vane that she would not give information to the - police until she learned if he was prepared to marry her daughter. It was - Spruce he feared--the little rat who was meddlesome and secretive, and - unscrupulous, and who could do much mischief once he got on the trail. - From what Vane had said, it was plain that the Nut had rendered his - position in the West End untenable owing to his cheating, and the sole - chance he had of becoming even tolerable to his former associates--and - perhaps not even then--was to return with his pockets full of money. Then, - for the sake of winning the same, they might overlook his fault. Probably - they would not, but Hench was quite sure that Spruce believed that money - would do anything. Naturally, he would do much to get money, being - anything but an honourable man as had been ample proved. In Bethnal Green - there were few opportunities of making a fortune, and Spruce was not - sufficiently clever to take advantage even of what chances there were. - Consequently, he would be quite prepared--Hench was certain of this--to - get what he could by blackmail. Already he believed that there was some - mystery about Hench, and if he saw the advertisement, or the letter which - had drawn attention to the same, he would be certain to get at the truth. - Having been present at the conversation between Hench and Madame Alpenny - when the woman's meeting with his father--Hench's father that is--had been - discussed, the word "Rhaiadr" would certainly come again into - his mind. Connecting the same with Hench, the young man was convinced that - Spruce would venture to accuse him of keeping the appointment and - murdering the advertiser. Then if it came out that the dead man was - Hench's uncle, so strong a motive was provided that arrest would certainly - follow. - </p> - <p> - It was a very uncomfortable journey for Owain, and he alighted at Cookley - Station with the firm idea that he was about to have a trying time. Madame - Alpenny was dangerous and so was Spruce, as both wanted cash and both were - wholly unscrupulous. However, if either went to the police they were not - likely to get what they wanted, so Hench comforted himself with the idea - that before taking any action they would find him out and offer to treat. - On what he discovered at Cookley would depend his attitude, as if he could - only get at the truth he could place the matter in the hands of the police - without danger to himself. On the other hand, if he made no discovery - likely to prove who was the assassin, it would be necessary to come to - some arrangement or risk the consequence. And Hench could not disguise - from himself that on the face of it his defence was weak, since the - strongest point--that of being a stranger to the dead man--was removed. - Certainly, as he had never met Squire Evans, the deceased _was a stranger - to him, but the fact that the dead man was his uncle, whose demise would - give him ten thousand five hundred a year, assuredly provided a strong - motive for the commission of the crime. It was all puzzling and difficult, - and dangerous and highly unpleasant. All that Hench could do was to wait - and see what Madame Alpenny, and possibly Spruce, would do. Any one who - has experienced suspense will understand what agonies this unfortunate - young man underwent. It required all his courage and all his nerve to - endure the anxiety of the next few days. And to make matters worse, Vane - was not at hand to relieve the tension by listening to Owain's fears. - </p> - <p> - It was with an odd feeling, and not one of safety, that Hench again set - foot in Cookley. As he walked down the crooked street he noted how many - eyes of both men and women followed his movements, and for the moment - believed that he was recognized. But that was impossible, considering the - contrast between the rough-bearded tramp who had visited the Bull Inn and - the smart, fashionable, clean-shaven young gentleman now strolling - complacently through the little town. What the people looked at, - especially the women, were his handsome face and distinguished appearance. - From a muttered remark or so which his ear caught, Owain understood that - they took him for a tourist, who had come to see the lions of the place. - Therefore, in this character the young man asked one or two where he could - find lodgings. Of course he was at once directed to the inn, but here, for - obvious reasons, he did not wish to go. With the idea of finding quiet - rooms he had left his portmanteau at the railway station, so as to seek - the same unhampered by luggage. For some time he was unsuccessful in his - search, until on the outskirts of the village and no great distance from - the church he saw a notice in a cottage window of "Apartments to Let." - At once he knocked at the door, since the place seemed clean and quiet. A - delicate, slender little woman answered his inquiries by stating that she - was called Mrs. Bell and had rooms to let. An inspection of these - satisfied the young man, although they were rather poorly furnished and - decidedly small. At once he took them at the very moderate sum demanded, - and Mrs. Bell at his request sent her nephew to the station to get her new - lodger's portmanteau. The little woman, who was meek and fragile, at once - took a great interest in Hench, as he had kind eyes and a gentle manner. - In a short time the two were good friends, and Mrs. Bell congratulated - herself that for one month she had such a pleasant-spoken gentleman under - her homely roof. She said as much to her big burly nephew when he returned - with the portmanteau on his shoulder, and her nephew thoroughly agreed - with her, which was natural, seeing that the new lodger had given him half - a crown for his trouble. So Hench was made very comfortable by the two, - who approved of him more and more every day. Mrs. Bell was a busy bee in - the way of looking after household affairs, and Giles her nephew, who was - a labourer, brushed Owain's boots and clothes for him. Also--and this was - a great point--Mrs. Bell was no gossip and kept very much to herself, so - the neighbours heard little about Hench from her. On the whole, the young - man decided that he was very well placed. - </p> - <p> - Hench did not present his letter of introduction to Mrs. Perage straight - away, but busied himself in learning what he could of the geography of - Cookley. He examined the church, explored the village,--never going into - the Bull Inn, by the way,--and even ventured to look at the Gipsy Stile. - It gave him a qualm when he found himself on the well-remembered spot, and - saw beyond the old brick wall the picturesque Grange, which was now his - property. Mrs. Bell, who knew everything about the place and talked freely - enough when asked, although she was no scandal-monger, told him how Miss - Evans had gone to stay with Mrs. Perage since the death of her father. - </p> - <p> - "And they do say," said Mrs. Bell, who always prefaced her - remarks with this phrase, "that she ain't going to rest until she - finds out who killed him." - </p> - <p> - "Is there any clue?" asked Owain, keeping his face turned away. - </p> - <p> - "No, there ain't, sir, unless you can call that tramp a clue. He did - ask Betsy Jane at the Bull where the Gipsy Stile was, and the old Squire - was found there some hours later as dead as mutton. But since then no - one's clapped eyes on him, and I don't suppose, sir, as any one ever will." - </p> - <p> - "Do you think the tramp murdered the Squire?" - </p> - <p> - "Lord, sir, how do I know!" cried Mrs. Bell in a panic. "I - hev enough to do in the house without thinking of murders. But they do say - as Squire Evans was a hard man on poachers, as Giles knows, he having got - into trouble over a pheasant. It might be, sir, as that tramp was one of - them poachers, and done for the Squire. Though to be sure," added the - woman, rubbing her nose in a perplexed way, "if he was a poacher - hereabouts some one would hev knowed him, and he wouldn't hev had to ask - Betsy Jane of the Bull where the stile was. It's my opinion, that for all - Miss Gwen's trying she'll never find out who killed her father. And they - do say as if the murderer ain't found it won't be any great grief to them - as knowed old Mr. Evans." - </p> - <p> - "What kind of a girl is Miss Evans?" asked Hench irrelevantly. - </p> - <p> - "Ah!" cried Mrs. Bell, nursing her hands under her apron. "Now - they do say, sir, as I knows myself, as she's as nice a young lady as you - ever set eyes on. Lovely I call her, and small like me, though quite a - lady, which I ain't. She's as loved as her father was hated, and they do - say as that's saying a great deal. I do assure you, sir, as we'd rather - hev Miss Gwen for the head of the place than this new young Squire, as - comes from no one knows where!" - </p> - <p> - Hench had many conversations about these matters with Mrs. Bell, and - gradually came to know a great deal during the next few days. His uncle, - it appeared, had been very unpopular, while Gwen was the reverse. - Generally, it was quite believed amongst the ancients of the village that - the Squire had been murdered by the unknown tramp, who was a poacher, and - the verdict was that it served the dead man right, because he was always - so hard on the poor. Owain was tolerably sure that the Cookley people - would have been quite sorry had the presumed criminal been arrested. But - as he was the person in question, he was glad that they had not been - troubled to mourn in this way. All the same, in spite of all his - questioning, he was unable to learn anything likely to show who had met - Squire Evans in Parley Wood. So far his mission to Cookley had proved a - complete failure. - </p> - <p> - Then Destiny intervened to conduct him a step further on the dark path, - which was leading him he knew not where. Towards the end of the week, and - when he was beginning to feel safer and more at home in the village, he - had an adventure, the consequences of which were far-reaching. Owain had - gone for a long walk into the surrounding country, and was returning - leisurely under the many-coloured glories of the sunset. The weather was - warm, the road was dusty, and he paused by a stile to remove his straw hat - and allow the breeze to cool his heated brow. Before him was the church, - round the square ivy-clothed tower of which the jackdaws were flying; to - the right was the road, melting almost imperceptibly into the narrow - village street, while to the left ran the same road curving abruptly round - a corner into the agricultural lands. So dangerous was this bend in the - highway that it was marked with one of those red triangles elevated on a - post to warn motorists and cyclists not to move at too great a pace. The - injunction was very much needed, and never more so than in the present - instance. - </p> - <p> - Hench leaned idling against the stile enjoying the beauty of the evening - and the picturesque character of the landscape. He could not see very far, - as the place was muffled with hawthorn hedges and tall trees, but there - was a quiet domestic loveliness about the prospect which soothed his - tormented soul. Suddenly his eye was caught by a moving figure in the - porch of the church, which was under the west window. It was that of a - slender girl, not very tall, but singularly graceful. As she came down the - path towards the lychgate, he saw that she had a beautiful face, - aristocratic in its looks and rather pensive in its expression. Arrayed in - white, and with a white sunshade, she stepped daintily through the gate - and out on to the dusty road, turning her face towards the village, - whither she was evidently going. But scarcely had she taken three steps - when a motor-car, without warning, swept swiftly round the dangerous - corner. The girl was directly in his path, and although Hench shouted at - once, she did not step aside. In fact she seemed to be puzzled by his cry, - until the noise of the approaching machine struck her ear. Then she - wheeled suddenly and stood where she was, paralysed with fright. Hench saw - that in a second she would be cut down and be crushed under those cruel - wheels, so plunged suddenly forward and dashed across the roadway to - thrust her out of the way. So impetuous was his onset that she was tumbled - back into the hedge girdling the churchyard, and Hench himself fell - sprawling in the dust. With a whirr, the motor passed and he felt a sharp - pain in his ankle. The next moment the car was buzzing at top-speed - through the village, its driver evidently afraid of prosecution for - neglecting to sound his horn. Meanwhile the girl gathered herself up out - of the hedge, and Owain lay still on the highway. The whole event lasted - less than a minute--the girl being saved, the man being hurt in the - twinkling of an eye. And in the same twinkling of an eye the car had - vanished into the unknown. - </p> - <p> - "Oh!" The young lady hurried towards her preserver. "Are - you hurt?" - </p> - <p> - "My ankle," gasped Hench, sitting up with an effort; "it's - giving me a warm time--a wheel went over it, I think--probably it is - broken!" and he winced with the pain. - </p> - <p> - "You have saved my life!" - </p> - <p> - "Oh, that's all right," replied the young man, speaking with - difficulty, for the suffering was great. "You can repay me by helping - me home, or by getting assistance. I can't walk by myself." - </p> - <p> - "Give me your hand," said the girl quickly, quite cool and - mistress of herself. "There! Can you get on to your feet?" - </p> - <p> - "On to one foot, anyhow," gasped Hench, smiling to reassure her, - and managed to stand upright. "But my ankle is not so very bad. I - don't think it is broken--only crushed." - </p> - <p> - "That's bad enough. Lean on me. Where do you live?" - </p> - <p> - "At Mrs. Bell's." - </p> - <p> - "That's not far away. Come. What a hero you are to save me. My name - is Evans." - </p> - <p> - "Evans!" repeated Owain, and then knew that he had at last met - his cousin. - </p> - <p> - <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> - </p> - <h4> - <a name="div1_10" href="#div1Ref_10" id="div1_10">CHAPTER X</a> - </h4> - <h5> - VANE'S AUNT - </h5> - <p> - <br /> - </p> - <p> - "I should have been killed to a certainty but for the way in which he - got me out of the way," said Gwen to Mrs. Perage, when recounting her - adventure, and speaking rather incoherently, for the same had shaken her - nerves. - </p> - <p> - Mrs. Perage growled. She was a gaunt, dark-brewed old lady, with a - formidable frown and a very determined character. "All's well that - ends well," she said in a deep contralto voice, which suggested that - of a man. "It might have been worse but for this hero of yours. Did - you take the number of the car?" - </p> - <p> - "My goodness!" cried the girl pettishly. "How could I, when - I was lying on my back in the ditch under the churchyard hedge? The car - passed like a flash." - </p> - <p> - "Daresay," sniffed Mrs. Perage aggressively. "Having done - wrong, the chauffeur got out of the way. We'll make inquiries and - prosecute. I'd hang every one of those road-hogs if I had my way." - </p> - <p> - "Oh, I don't think it is worth making a fuss about," said Gwen - quickly. "I am all right, and his ankle will soon be quite well. I - fetched the doctor as soon as I got him to Mrs. Bell's, and there are no - bones broken. He will be out and about in a few days." - </p> - <p> - "His--him--he," said Mrs. Perage sharply. "How indefinite - you are. What's the name of your Achilles?" - </p> - <p> - "Hench. Mr. Hench. So Mrs. Bell told me, and he's been with her for - nearly a whole week." - </p> - <p> - "Hench!" Mrs. Perage rubbed her beaky nose and reflected. "Why, - that's the name of Jim's friend he wrote me about. There was a letter of - introduction given. Hum! And he's been a week in Cookley without calling. - That doesn't look as if he wished to make my acquaintance, Gwen." - </p> - <p> - "Perhaps he's down here on business," suggested the girl, "and - did not wish to call on any one until he was free." - </p> - <p> - "Well, if he doesn't call on me, I'll call on him," said the old - dame grimly; "if only to thank him for saving your life. Hum! Quite - romantic the way in which the man's come into your little world, my dear. - Quite romantic, I call it." Then, being very much the woman, in spite - of her masculine appearance, Mrs. Perage asked a leading question. "Good-looking?" - </p> - <p> - "Oh!" Gwen clasped her hands. "He's a Greek god." - </p> - <p> - "So was Vulcan. Anything like that heavenly blacksmith?" - </p> - <p> - "No. He's tall and splendidly built, with brown hair and brown eyes; - clean-shaven with clearly-cut features." - </p> - <p> - "Hum!" Mrs. Perage brought out the ejaculation with a boom. - "You examined him pretty closely, young lady." - </p> - <p> - "Well, I had plenty of time to do so," retorted Miss Evans - pertly. "I helped him to hobble to Mrs. Bell's house, and saw him - again to thank him after the doctor had examined his poor ankle. I'm sure - you will like him." - </p> - <p> - "That has yet to be seen. I don't like many people. However, Jim says - that Mr. Hench is a thoroughly good fellow, and----" - </p> - <p> - "I'm sure he is. He saved my life." - </p> - <p> - "Consequently you intend to tumble head over heels in love with him?" - </p> - <p> - Gwen grew red. "I certainly don't. All the same he's very nice, and - I'm sorry he's suffering pain." - </p> - <p> - "Pity is akin to love," quoted Mrs. Perage, apparently to the - ceiling. The girl laughed and shook her head. "In spite of your - matter-of-fact ways and the common-sense you pride yourself upon, you have - an imaginative vein, Mrs. Perage. I am sure you see in this accident the - beginning of a romance." - </p> - <p> - "If the young man is handsome, as you say, and a good sort as Jim - Vane says, why not?" asked the old lady, smiling. "Besides, I - don't believe in chance, as everything is ordained by Providence. I - shouldn't be at all surprised if, in the long run, it was proved that Mr. - Hench tumbled out of the clouds to be your husband. However, it's early - days yet to talk. Wait and see!" - </p> - <p> - As the result of long experience, dating from the time when she was a - small child in short frocks, Gwen knew that it was useless to argue with - Mrs. Perage, so she left the room and went upstairs to change her dress. - And as a matter of fact, she had been extremely struck with Hench's good - looks, as a woman naturally would be. Also, he seemed to be excessively - agreeable, and likewise she owed him her life, not forgetting that she was - just at that age when girls begin to dream of marriage. Poor Gwen had not - passed a very happy time with her cantankerous father, and was not averse - to having a pleasant home and an aggressively devoted lover. So she looked - at herself in the glass, pondering over Mrs. Perage's remarks, and blushed - crimson to find that Hench was taking up much more of her thoughts than - she considered altogether proper. That it was a case of love at first - sight she would not admit, but on the whole her feelings had a great deal - to do with the oft-quoted proverb. - </p> - <p> - On his side, Owain had no doubts whatever on the subject, strange as it - may seem, considering that hitherto he had never been in love. His - cousin's lovely face, her sympathetic kindness, together with the - undeniable fact that he had saved her life, created in him a number of - tumultuous feelings, which he spent the night in analysing. To be sure, he - told himself that he did so because the pain of his ankle kept him wide - awake, and because thoughts in this direction took his mind off his aching - bones. But when the dawn came, he was tolerably certain that he was in - love. The feeling he now experienced was wholly different to that with - which he had regarded Zara. He had admired the dancer in a cool, - reflective, judicious way, seeing that she had faults as well as virtues. - But in Gwen he could see no faults, and never paused to consider that he - could scarcely know her character from the little he had seen of her. - </p> - <p> - Sensible as Hench usually was, some power--he presumed it was the power of - love---swept him off his feet, and he credited the girl with all the - virtues of the angels, and with their beauty also. He was glad that he had - saved her, as she would be grateful; he was glad that he had hurt himself, - as she would pity him; and he was decidedly glad that he had concealed the - relationship. Now, at least, there was every chance that he would be able - to make a friend of her. Not that he wanted to halt at friendship. He was - now firmly bent upon making her his wife, and thus would be able to fulfil - Mr. Gilberry's prophecy and end the family feud in quite an agreeable and - romantic way. All the night Owain was building castles in the air, and - when the dawn came they were still firm. Only on the arrival of the doctor - to examine his ankle did the young man descend from these Olympian - heights. Then, with a sudden and very natural reaction, he began to think - that he had been too premature in his building. - </p> - <p> - The result of this was disastrous to Gwen. She called at mid-day to see - how he was getting on, and he received her coldly, while lying on the - slippery horse-hair sofa in Mrs. Bell's tiny sitting-room. The girl, - flushed with the romance of the whole adventure and struck anew with the - splendid looks of her preserver, felt chilled by his calm politeness. The - two talked in a more or less formal way and parted very soon. Gwen went - back to tell Mrs. Perage that her hero was horrid, and her hero remained - on his sofa trying to assure himself that he had rescued only an ordinary - girl. But it was all of no use, for Nature would have her way. During the - next few days the two met under the chaperonage of the widow Bell, and - gradually became aware that the feelings they entertained towards one - another were more than those of mere friendship. Of course this knowledge - made them more stiff and formal than ever in their intercourse, as their - conversation was confined to commonplace subjects, not likely to awaken - emotion. Hench was anxious to ask his cousin about her father, but as she - said nothing, he did not venture to broach the matter. Still, remembering - that she had been clothed in white on the day of the accident, and seeing - that her frocks since, beyond black ribbons, did not suggest mourning in - any great degree, he came to the conclusion that she had not been - particularly attached to her father, although he could not be quite sure. - But all doubts on this question were set aside by Mrs. Perage, who placed - matters very plainly before him, according to her somewhat grim custom. - </p> - <p> - The old lady did not call for a few days, although she sent creams and - jellies, books and flowers, by the hands of Gwen. Owain was very grateful - for these kind attentions, and asked Miss Evans to take back his letter of - introduction, which she did. Etiquette thus having been complied with, one - day, instead of the fairy vision of Gwen, the patient beheld a tall and - lean old dame stalk into his room. By this time he was able to get about - with a crutch, and rose to greet her, upon which she thrust him back into - his armchair with a pair of very capable hands. - </p> - <p> - "Not so," said Mrs. Perage, when he was again seated and taking - a chair opposite, where she kilted her black stuff dress to show a pair of - large boots. "Stay where you are, young man. Hum! You look better - than I expected." - </p> - <p> - "I'm quite well now, thank you, Mrs. Perage. And I must apologise for - not having presented Jim's letter before." - </p> - <p> - "Jim sent another letter, and I know all about you," said the - old lady sharply. - </p> - <p> - "Oh, I don't think you do," said Hench, rather alarmed, as he - feared that Vane might have been indiscreet. - </p> - <p> - "Why not?" Mrs. Perage bent her sharp old eyes on his perturbed - face, the good looks of which she secretly approved of. "There's - nothing wrong about you, I hope and trust?" - </p> - <p> - "Not what you would call wrong," said Hench evasively. - </p> - <p> - "Pooh, young man. How do you know anything about my standard of - morality. I don't suppose it's what you'd call a high one," added - Mrs. Perage, rubbing her nose. "I always make allowance for fools, - and most of those who dwell in this world, which is much too good for - them, are fools." - </p> - <p> - Hench laughed. He liked Mrs. Perage, who was quite a character. In her - young days she had been a great beauty, although she was now old and - weather-beaten, careless of her attire, and quite manly in her manner. - Since the death of her husband, some thirty years ago, she had managed her - estates herself, for being childless she had little else to do, and had - long since outgrown the toys which amuse Society. For a woman she was - uncommonly tall, and with her aquiline nose, her swart complexion and dark - eyes, she resembled a gipsy. In spite of her coarse dress so carelessly - worn, there was an air of good-breeding about her, and also a shrewd look - on her fierce face. Owain stared hard at her Amazonian looks, considering - that here was a woman who should have been the mother of heroes to gird - armour on them and send them forth to the fray. She was quite out of place - in a peaceful community. - </p> - <p> - "Well, young man," said Mrs. Perage roughly, "you'll know - me again, I daresay, if staring goes for anything. What are your thoughts?" - </p> - <p> - Hench told them and suggested how unfit she was for a peaceful world where - a policeman stands at every corner. "I can't see you anywhere, Mrs. - Perage, but in some Norse hall, worshipping Odin and urging men to battle." - </p> - <p> - "Perhaps going to battle myself," said the old dame grimly, yet - very pleased with the strange compliment. "Hum! You are right, the - world is tame now-a-day, and a long life has bored me with the petty - concerns of baby folk. You seem to have ideas in your head, Master Owain." - Hench stared and fear clutched at his heart. If she knew this much, she - might know more. "Who told you my Christian name?" he faltered. - </p> - <p> - "My own common sense, man alive! I have lived here all my life and - knew your grandfather, Mynydd Evans, aye and your father, and Madoc also. - Hench was the name Owain took when he was outlawed. See, my boy, how - naturally I use the Norse word, after your suggestions of my being a - modern Valkyrie." - </p> - <p> - "Does my cousin know who I am?" asked the young man anxiously. - "No. I wanted to see you first before I told her." - </p> - <p> - "Don't tell her, Mrs. Perage." - </p> - <p> - "Why not. Hum!"--her eyes were as piercing as spears--"there - is some reason for you masquerading as Hench." - </p> - <p> - "Hench was the name adopted by my father, and until a few days ago I - quite believed that it was my true name. But certain papers which he left - with our family lawyers explained matters." - </p> - <p> - "Did they explain that you inherit Cookley Grange and ten thousand a - year?" - </p> - <p> - "Yes." - </p> - <p> - "Hum!"--Mrs. Perage rubbed her nose again and looked puzzled. - "Then, knowing that you were the heir, why did you not come and see - your uncle after the death of your father? I know he died in Paris five - years ago, as Madoc told me." - </p> - <p> - "I did not know that I was the heir until my twenty-fifth birthday on - the tenth day of this month. My father left instructions with Gilberry - & Gilberry that they were not to give the papers to me until then. I - have already told you, Mrs. Perage, that only lately did I learn my true - name." - </p> - <p> - The old dame nodded absently, thinking deeply for a few minutes. "I - think your father was wise to keep you thus in ignorance until you were - older and had some experience of the world. A man of twenty-five could - have managed Madoc better than a boy of twenty. Yes, Owain was wise, - knowing Madoc's character." - </p> - <p> - "The late Squire does not appear to have had a very good one," - remarked Hench dryly. "He was unpopular, I am told by Mrs. Bell." - </p> - <p> - "He was a wicked, selfish, greedy, miserly old scoundrel," - retorted Mrs. Perage, aggressively blunt. "And if that's speaking - evil of the dead, I don't care. I am quite sure that Madoc fed your - grandfather's anger when it was directed towards Owain, who, after all, - was not so very evil, although selfish enough. Still, your father would - never have been cut out of the will but for Madoc. And if Madoc had met - you, young man, he would have tried to settle your hash in some way, you - may be certain." - </p> - <p> - "Oh!" Hench started, and was on the point of revealing the story - of the advertisement and his adventure, when he checked himself prudently - and made quite a different remark. "But if Uncle Madoc was such a - rotter, why is Gwen such a nice girl, and I am sure a good girl?" - </p> - <p> - "She is all that," endorsed Mrs. Perage heartily. "And if - your father was such a selfish profligate--I don't wish to hurt your - filial feelings, but he was--why are you such a nice young man?" - </p> - <p> - Hench coloured at the compliment. "I may be a profligate also." - </p> - <p> - "Pooh!" said Mrs. Perage with supreme contempt, "don't you - think that I am able to read faces? Yours is a good one and so is Gwen's. - The decency of you both comes in each case from the mother's side, I - expect, for both your fathers were--what they were. Children of Old Nick, - I call them. You had a bad time with that father of yours, I'll be bound?" - </p> - <p> - "Well"--Hench winced--"he was not a very amiable parent, I - must admit, although I wouldn't say that to any one save you." - </p> - <p> - Mrs. Perage bent her keen old eyes on him, read between the lines, and - laughed in a short rasping manner after the style of a fox barking. "Just - as I thought, young man. Owain was a selfish, cruel animal, and so was - Madoc. He gave you as bad a time as Madoc did Gwen." - </p> - <p> - "I rather gathered from Gwen's absence of mourning that she had no - great love for her father," remarked Hench musingly. "Your - powers of observation are great, Owain. Gwen and her father got on about - as well together as a ferret and a rabbit; she being the last and he the - first. But for me I don't know what the poor girl would have done. She - would have run away from home, I expect. However, she always came to me - when her father was particularly trying, and now she has come to me - altogether. With me she will stay, until you take her away." - </p> - <p> - Hench raised himself on his elbow and blushed in a delightfully youthful - manner. "What makes you say that?" he asked confusedly. - </p> - <p> - "Am I a fool?" queried Mrs. Perage grimly. "Doesn't a cat - love cream, and is not a young man likely to fall in love with one whose - life he has saved, provided that one is charming and good. Go to, my boy." - She spoke quite in the style of her nephew Jim. "I can see through a - brick wall, I suppose. But all this doesn't explain why you are - masquerading here under your father's false name. Come now, tell me all - about it." - </p> - <p> - Hench did not do as she asked him, even though she was such a sensible old - lady, for he thought that the time was not yet ripe for him to speak - freely about his Gipsy Stile adventure. Therefore he told her the same - story that he had told to Mr. Gilberry. "And you see I was right to - meet my cousin under a feigned name," he concluded, "for had I - come as Owain Evans she would have been prejudiced against me." - </p> - <p> - "Well, I don't know." Mrs. Perage again rubbed her nose - thoughtfully. "As you may guess, Madoc always spoke ill of you, - saying you were the true son of your wicked father, which was a case of - the pot calling the kettle black, I rather think. But, you see, Madoc - hated the idea of your getting the property." - </p> - <p> - "He wanted Gwen to get it?" - </p> - <p> - "Not a bit. So long as you didn't succeed he would have been content - to let an hospital have it. He cared nothing for his daughter, and being - such a bad father she naturally disbelieved anything he said. Far from - thinking you the rascal Madoc said you were, Gwen fancied that you were - quite a nice agreeable young man, which you are. I think she would have - welcomed Owain Evans just as kindly as she has welcomed Owain Hench. All - the same, if you win her heart as a disguised prince the romance of it - will appeal to her when she learns the delightful truth." - </p> - <p> - Hench laughed, feeling greatly relieved. "Mrs. Perage, I don't - believe you are a Norse goddess. You are much too romantic." - </p> - <p> - "Perhaps, young man. I am an old fool." - </p> - <p> - "You are one of the most charming people I have ever met," said - Hench warmly. - </p> - <p> - "Pooh!" retorted Mrs. Perage, pleased with the compliment. - "Don't make love to me, or you'll break Gwen's heart." - </p> - <p> - "Has she a heart to break--on my account, that is?" - </p> - <p> - "Young man,"--Mrs. Perage rose until her head nearly touched the - low ceiling, and she assumed her grand manner,--"you don't expect one - woman to tell the secrets of another woman. All the same, a nod is as good - as a wink to a blind horse. And you are blind, being in love." - </p> - <p> - "Am I in love?" - </p> - <p> - "Something tells me that you are--and with Gwen. But if you are - already engaged, or if there is any other girl in the question, I tell - you, young man, that I won't have it. Gwen is much too good a girl to be - trifled with." - </p> - <p> - "Oh, I assure you, I am not going to trifle with her." - </p> - <p> - "Good. If you do, you'll have me to reckon with," said the old - woman grimly. "I am quite Norse enough to twist your neck if you - repeat in your own person the very objectionable character of your father. - Tell me plump and plain, if you please: do you love Gwen?" - </p> - <p> - "I think so." - </p> - <p> - "Think so! Then you don't love her. No man worth a woman's affection - can be in doubt on that point." - </p> - <p> - "Well, you see, I'm a bit of an ass as regards women," confessed - Hench, flustered by her imperious insistence. "I have never been in - love before." - </p> - <p> - "All the better!" cried Mrs. Perage sharply. "But I thought - I was." - </p> - <p> - "Hum! Well, and why not; one must gain experience. How many times?" - </p> - <p> - "Once only. I admired this girl but she loved another man, so I went - away." - </p> - <p> - "Hum!" said Mrs. Perage once more. "Is your heart broken?" - </p> - <p> - "Oh Lord, no. I soon got over it." - </p> - <p> - "Then you haven't been in love. But with regard to Gwen"--Mrs. - Perage suddenly sat down and laughed heartily--"aren't we rather - silly to talk in this way? We are only weaving ropes of sand, for I know - nothing certain about the state of your affections or those of Gwen. I - think I had better let you two manage things in your own way, and as - Mother Nature--who has a large experience--dictates. All I say is, act - honestly towards the girl, or you'll have me to deal with. Understand?" - </p> - <p> - "I understand." Hench laughed. "You can trust me." - </p> - <p> - Mrs. Perage went away very well satisfied with the state of affairs. At - heart she was romantic like every woman, and like every woman she was - quite a matchmaker. There was no young man in Cookley worthy of Gwen, so - far as she knew, and this swain--so her thoughts ran--had been brought by - Providence in the nick of time to save the girl from being an old maid. - She longed to speak as freely to Miss Evans as she had spoken to her - cousin, but did not dare to do so, lest she should frighten her into - banishing the dawning feeling of love. Mrs. Perage had seen much harm come - from meddling, so decided to refrain from throwing the young people too - violently at one another's heads. But she certainly threw them gently, for - when Hench was nearly all right a few days later, she sent him an - invitation to dinner. This he accepted with great delight, and the more - eagerly as Gwen had ceased her visits since he became convalescent. At the - dinner he would have a chance of seeing her again, and perhaps an - opportunity of hinting at his feelings. For by this time he had proved the - truth of the saying that "Absence makes the heart grow fonder," - and was very sure that he really and truly loved her with all the power - that was in him. And this was the genuine passion of man for woman--not - the counterfeit one which had led him to seek Zara Alpenny. - </p> - <p> - By this time, since the Hungarian lady was not making trouble, Hench began - to think that she would leave him alone altogether. Surely, he thought, if - she intended to scheme for her daughter's marriage with him, she would - have made some advance before now. Her silence lifted a weight off his - mind, and he arrayed himself in purple and fine linen for the dinner, - feeling that the sun of prosperity was beaming on him. He went to Mrs. - Perage's house, believing that the fine weather would continue, and quite - forgot the adage about the treacherous calm before the storm. But when he - got to the door, and the door was opened by a small smart page with a - freckled face and red hair, he was reminded that it did not do to trust - wholly to appearance. The sight of the boy gave him quite a shock, and an - uncomfortable one, reminding him as he did of Bethnal Green. - </p> - <p> - "Bottles!" he said, stepping into the hall and staring at the - lad. - </p> - <p> - "No, sir; no, Mr. Hench. I'm Peter!" grinned the boy, and began - to help Hench off with his overcoat. - </p> - <p> - Then Owain remembered how Simon Jedd had told him he had a brother in - service in the country--the same he had gone to see. But he never expected - to find that brother in Cookley and in the service of Mrs. Perage. "You - know my name?" he said hesitatingly, and wondering if the imp was to - be trusted. - </p> - <p> - "Oh yes, sir. Simon has spoken heaps heaps of times to me about you, - saying how kind you were to him. Knew your name, sir, the minute Miss Gwen - said as you'd saved her life." - </p> - <p> - "Simon came down to see you some weeks ago?" - </p> - <p> - "Yes, sir!" Peter spoke eagerly, and was evidently about to say - much, when he suddenly shut his wide mouth and said no more than the two - words. - </p> - <p> - Hench settled his coat and his tie, pondering over the situation. The - sight of the boy, who was connected with Bottles, revived his anxiety, and - he feared lest the lad should write to London and say where he was. In - that case Madame Alpenny might find him out, and then there would be - trouble. But then Simon, if he did write, would do so to his brother, and - Bottles was entirely to be trusted. Still, Hench would have liked to give - this page a hint, yet could not do so, as it would be undignified. Peter - noted his lingering and hesitation. - </p> - <p> - "Simon wants to see you, sir. It's all right." - </p> - <p> - "What's all right?" asked Hench sharply. - </p> - <p> - The page wriggled uneasily. "Simon will tell you, sir. I don't know - nothing, I don't, Mr. Hench." - </p> - <p> - Owain felt uneasy at the implied mystery, but judged it wise to affect - careless confidence. "Simon can come and see me when he likes," - he said, and entered the drawing-room, considerably annoyed by the - encounter. - </p> - <p> - <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> - </p> - <h4> - <a name="div1_11" href="#div1Ref_11" id="div1_11">XI</a> - </h4> - <h5> - MACBETH'S BANQUET - </h5> - <p> - <br /> - </p> - <p> - The house of Mrs. Perage was quaint and old-fashioned, being so - delightfully reminiscent of gracious antiquity that Hench was charmed with - his surroundings. As a very modern young man, who had wandered largely in - new lands where civilization was still raw, he was pleasantly impressed by - the panelled room with the low ceiling. The furniture was Chippendale and - Sheraton of the powder and puff epoch, while carpet and curtains were - mellowed by age into restful colours, comfortable to the eye. An odour of - dried rose leaves scented the air, mingling with the more living perfume - of countless blossoms. Mrs. Perage had the happy taste to be extremely - fond of flowers, it would seem, for the room was filled with colour and - fragrance, even to the fireplace, which bloomed like a garden with white - buds and green leaves. Even though the curtains were not yet drawn, and - the luminous summer twilight stole in through the wide windows, the many - lamps were lighted. And the radiance of these, diffused through - rose-tinted shades, bathed the whole room in the delicate hues of dawn. - This was a haven of rest, a bower of joy, a paradise of delight, and Hench - drew a long breath of sheer pleasure on its threshold. - </p> - <p> - "What a charming room," he said, advancing to greet his hostess. - "Charming!" - </p> - <p> - "Blunderer!" retorted that lady in her contralto voice, which - boomed like the buzz of a bee in a fox glove bell. "You should say, - what charming ladies." - </p> - <p> - "You would think me too bold if I put my thoughts into words." - </p> - <p> - "Very cleverly turned, young man. But women never think men are too - bold when they pay compliments." - </p> - <p> - Hench laughed and smiled in a friendly way at Gwen, who was smiling in a - friendly way at him. She looked wonderfully fresh, attractively - delightful, as delicate as Titania and wholly as fascinating. Her dress of - plain white silk adorned with black ribbons, hinting at mourning, became - her well in its dainty simplicity, and Owain felt again that queer - heart-throb which informed him very distinctly that this was the one girl - in the world for him. No woman could be lovely unless she had golden hair - and blue eyes and a complexion of cream and roses. He wondered how he ever - could have admired Zara, who did not possess these necessary charms. But - when he was attracted by the dancer he was a fool, now he intended to be a - wise man and lay his heart at Gwen's feet. Whether she would pick it up - had yet to be seen, for she gave no intimation of her feelings. - </p> - <p> - "When you two finish grinning at one another like a couple of Chinese - dolls, perhaps you will remember that I am present. Sit down, young man. - Are you very hungry? I have a very good dinner for you." - </p> - <p> - "Splendid! I'm not hungry, Mrs. Perage, but I am greedy." - </p> - <p> - "Pooh! That joke is as old as the hills. Be more original." - </p> - <p> - "That's difficult. How can I be original, Miss Evans?" Hench - asked the question with ceremonious courtesy, which made Mrs. Perage - smile, knowing what she did know. - </p> - <p> - "I think you are original," said Gwen brightly. "You saved - my life!" - </p> - <p> - "Hum!" came the boom of Mrs. Perage, "and that's - originality, is it?" - </p> - <p> - "Well, I don't make a practice of saving lives," laughed Hench - lightly. "And I don't think I ever saved any one before. So I <i>am_ - original, you see."</i> - </p> - <p> - The old dame smiled grimly, as she relished the young man's flippant - conversation. "One grows so tired of common-sense," she - murmured, following her own thoughts. - </p> - <p> - "Why, you are always commending common-sense," exclaimed Gwen, - lifting her eyebrows and laughing. - </p> - <p> - "In its place, child, in its place. To-night you and Mr. Hench can - talk nonsense, as it will make me feel young." - </p> - <p> - "You <i>are</i> young, Mrs. Perage," said Owain seriously. - "Your heart is in its spring-time. You are one whom the gods love." - </p> - <p> - "Ta! Ta! Ta! young Chesterfield. Don't make me blush, as I have long - since forgotten how to do so. You and your compliments, indeed! Not but - what I wear tolerably well, although a trifle time-worn," which final - sentence showed that Mrs. Perage had her little vanities. - </p> - <p> - And she was right in having them, for having stepped out of her rough - day-clothes into sumptuous evening dress, she looked wonderfully stately. - Amber satin, black lace and diamonds, oddly enough, seemed as natural to - her as the more or less masculine dress which she affected during her - business hours. Mrs. Perage always called looking after her farms and - attending to her accounts business, which it assuredly was, and business - moreover which required a clear head. In the day-time she was like one of - her labourers in appearance, and her clothes might have graced a - scarecrow, but when evening came she always appeared as a fine lady. This - change, which reminded Hench somewhat of Miss Hardcastle in Goldsmith's - comedy, amused the young man. He liked Mrs. Perage. - </p> - <p> - "I wrote and asked Jim Vane to come down to dinner," went on - Mrs. Perage, after a pause. "As I thought that I could amuse myself - with his wit while you attended to Gwen here. But he wrote saying that he - could not come, as he was exploring Bethnal Green." - </p> - <p> - "Bethnal Green," echoed Hench with a start. "What the - deuce--I beg your pardon, Mrs. Perage---but what is Jim doing there?" - </p> - <p> - "He did not explain. Why do you ask?" - </p> - <p> - "Oh, nothing, nothing!" - </p> - <p> - "What an irrelevant reply." - </p> - <p> - "Well, I was only thinking that Jim usually prefers the West End to - the quarters of the poor," said Hench guardedly. He was not quite - certain if he had mentioned his sojourn at Bethnal Green to Mrs. Perage, - and resolved to do so now, as--so far as he was able--he wished to be - quite straight and above-board with the keen old lady. "I stayed - there for six months." - </p> - <p> - "In Bethnal Green?" said Gwen, amazed. "And what were you - doing in such a horrible place, Mr. Hench?" - </p> - <p> - "Well, as Jim would put it, I was doing a perish. I am a poor man, - Miss Evans, and have lived for many years in Queer Street." - </p> - <p> - "Queer Street?" Gwen looked puzzled. - </p> - <p> - "It is the name given to the locality where those unsuccessful people - who are trying for what they can't get live in penury." - </p> - <p> - Gwen looked at Hench's well-cut suit of evening clothes, at his well-bred - face, and considered his general debonair appearance. "You don't look - poor." - </p> - <p> - "There is poverty and poverty," said Mrs. Perage gruffly. "Mr. - Hench is not yet in the workhouse, Gwen. For my part I think 'a perish,' - as you say Jim calls it, is not a bad thing for a young man. It gives him - experience of life----" - </p> - <p> - "Of the seamy side of life, Mrs. Perage," interpolated the young - man. - </p> - <p> - "And what is more picturesque than that. Here we are all respectable - and eminently dull. There's the gong." She rose with a well-managed - sweep of her skirts. "Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die." - </p> - <p> - "Or diet," said Hench, holding the door open for the ladies. - "Pooh! nonsense!" said the Amazon vigorously. "Young men - shouldn't know the meaning of such a word. I'm sure I don't. I have a - strong digestion and a hard heart." - </p> - <p> - "Not that last," said Gwen quickly; "as I know." - </p> - <p> - "What imagination you have, child," retorted Mrs. Perage, and - took her position at the head of a small table, while Gwen and Hench sat - on either side. "And I hope you don't mind our straggling into the - dining-room in this free and easy way," she added to the young man; - "but I couldn't take your arm as Gwen would have felt out of it, and - I wasn't going to let you give Gwen your arm lest you should lack - reverence for my age." And she laughed in her deep, hearty fashion, - evidently desirous of making her guest feel quite at home. - </p> - <p> - The dining-room was a small apartment decorated and furnished in the - Jacobean style. But Hench could not see much of it, as there were only - candles in sconces here and there. The most powerful illumination was that - thrown by a large lamp with a green shade, which hung low over the table. - In its light the white napery, the old silver, the crystal glasses and the - many flowers, looked peculiarly attractive. And the table not being over - large, the three seated at it could converse with one another very much at - their ease. A deft maid and Peter waited dexterously, and everything ran - smoothly during the meal. - </p> - <p> - "This is my hour of relaxation," explained Mrs. Perage briskly. - "I am ominously fond of my creature comforts and this is my favourite - soup." - </p> - <p> - "Why ominously?" - </p> - <p> - "Silly questioner. Doesn't devotion to eating show that one is - growing old?" - </p> - <p> - "Then I must have been born old," said Hench gaily, "for I - have always had a good appetite since I was a boy, and have always liked - nice things." His eyes rested, perhaps inadvertently, on Gwen as he - spoke. - </p> - <p> - "Ah!" Mrs. Perage had noticed the look, and spoke significantly. - "You are one of those lucky people who will always get the nice - things." - </p> - <p> - "I haven't had much luck so far, Mrs. Perage." - </p> - <p> - "Ungrateful! What do you call this?" - </p> - <p> - "Paradise!" said Hench briefly. - </p> - <p> - "With you as Adam, Gwen as Eve, and myself as the Serpent." - </p> - <p> - "Aren't you talking dreadful nonsense?" observed the girl - seriously. - </p> - <p> - "Not at all," retorted the old lady coolly. "It is - common-sense to chatter amusingly. Enjoy yourself, child, and when trouble - comes you will be able to remember at least one happy hour." - </p> - <p> - "Trouble has come, and severe trouble, too," replied Gwen - softly, and with a gloomy air. - </p> - <p> - "Now, not another word!" Mrs. Perage spoke sharply. "We can - talk of that afterwards in the drawing-room." - </p> - <p> - "Talk of what?" asked Hench innocently, for he was surprised by - Gwen's gloom and Mrs. Perage's sharpness. - </p> - <p> - The old dame rubbed her nose in a vexed way. "Gwen has something to - ask you this evening," she observed. "I think it is nonsense - myself. No! I won't tell you what it is just now, neither will Gwen. Let - us enjoy our meal without the discussion of horrors." - </p> - <p> - This was all very well, but how was Hench to enjoy his meal when Care - stood like a waiter behind his chair? The presence of Peter reminded him - of Bottles, and that memory brought to his recollection The Home of the - Muses in Bethnal Green, where, for all he knew, Madame Alpenny might be - plotting. Then he wondered what had taken Jim to the house, for there he - must have gone, as it was unlikely he would journey to such a district for - any other purpose. Perhaps the Hungarian lady was already weaving her nets - to snare him--the thinker-either as a husband for Zara, or as a criminal. - It was very uncomfortable thinking. - </p> - <p> - And being so alarmed, Hench did his best to talk brightly and amusingly. - For the time being he was "fey," as the Scotch say, and roused - his cousin out of her gloom by his sallies. Mrs. Perage seconded him - admirably, as she quite enjoyed a contest of wits, which was rare to come - by in Cookley. The food was good, the wine was excellent, the company - interesting. All the same Hench felt that this meal was like Macbeth's - banquet, and behind the revelry lurked the grim figure of Tragedy with her - bowl and dagger. At any moment Banquo in the person of Madame Alpenny - might appear. Of course such a supposition was nonsense, as the Hungarian - lady did not know where he was. But the feeling became so real to Hench - that he cast several uneasy looks behind his chair. Gwen noticed this and - remarked on the same nervously. - </p> - <p> - "Why do you look over your shoulder?" she asked petulantly. - </p> - <p> - "For the Kill-joy," said Hench in a blunt way. "You know, - Miss Evans, man is never permitted to be entirely happy. There is always - the Kill-joy." - </p> - <p> - "Gwen will provide you with all the Kill-joy you are needing," - said Mrs. Perage significantly. "Wait until we go to the - drawing-room. Meantime go on scintillating, young man. Talk your heart - out." - </p> - <p> - "To whom?" asked Hench audaciously. - </p> - <p> - "To me, sir. You can flirt with Gwen to-morrow; to-night old age must - have its turn. Here are some very excellent cigarettes. Light up and talk." - </p> - <p> - "You remind me of the lady who asked Sydney Smith when he was going - to be funny," said Hench dryly. "It is not easy to talk when so - ordered. As to Miss Evans, she never flirts." - </p> - <p> - "Ah, you don't know my capabilities," retorted Gwen, with a - mischievous gleam in her blue eyes. "I have many sides to my - character." - </p> - <p> - "And all charming, I am sure," answered the young man - courteously. - </p> - <p> - And so the conversation went on, all frothy, all about nothings--mere - spume and spindrift of the mind. And the lighter it became the more - certain did Hench become sure that Banquo's ghost was haunting the room. - He felt quite relieved when Mrs. Perage conducted himself and Gwen into - the drawing-room, for there the psychic atmosphere was less oppressive. - The girl, however, appeared to feel it otherwise, for after playing on the - piano for a few minutes she began to wander restlessly round the room. - Mrs. Perage attempted to frown her into sitting down, but as this proved - to be an impossible task she accepted the situation with grim resignation. - </p> - <p> - "You may as well enlist Mr. Hench as your champion, child. You will - never be quiet until you do." - </p> - <p> - "Enlist me as your champion!" echoed Hench, glancing at Gwen. - </p> - <p> - The girl grew flushed. "That is Mrs. Perage's pretty way of putting - things," was her reply, as she sat down near the hostess. "But I - do wish you to help me, Mr. Hench. I'm not quite sure if I am right in - doing so, and perhaps you will think it is presumption on my part. But, - somehow, your having saved my life has made you more than a friend." - </p> - <p> - "More than a friend?" - </p> - <p> - "I mean"--Gwen became even more crimson than she already was, as - she became aware that she had spoken more freely than was necessary--"more - familiar than most of my friends." - </p> - <p> - "Who are usually mere acquaintances," observed Mrs. Perage - quietly. "Why beat about the bush, Gwen? You know that Mr. Hench is - clever and kind-hearted, and you are anxious that he should do you a - favour. That is the situation." - </p> - <p> - "Any favour I can do you, Miss Evans----" began the young man - eagerly, when the girl stopped him. - </p> - <p> - "Don't say another word until you know what the favour is," she - said in an abrupt manner; "to do what I want may be unpleasant. In a - word I want you to try and find out who murdered my father." - </p> - <p> - "That's about a dozen words, more or less," sighed Mrs. Perage, - but Hench took no notice of her flippant remark. He was too much taken - aback to do so, and remained silent. - </p> - <p> - Gwen misunderstood his silence, and looked mortified "You won't help - me?" - </p> - <p> - "I was thinking," said the young man gravely. "Of course I - have read all about the death of your father in the newspapers, Miss - Evans, and I can quite understand your desire to avenge him. Anything I - can do shall be done with the very greatest pleasure. How do matters - stand?" - </p> - <p> - "As they stood after the inquest," explained Gwen with a shrug. - "The jury brought in an open verdict, but the general opinion is that - my father was murdered by the man who spoke to the girl in the tap-room of - the Bull Inn." Hench winced. Every one appeared to be agreed that the - tramp was the culprit, and he guessed that if discovered the tramp would - have little chance of escaping a most uncomfortable trial. Even if he - proved his innocence the experience would be unpleasant. Wondering what - Mrs. Perage and the girl would say if he were to acknowledge that he was - the man referred to, he began to ask questions in a grave voice. - </p> - <p> - "Do you think that this tramp is the guilty person?" - </p> - <p> - "It looks like it," rejoined Gwen promptly. "The man asked - the way to the Gipsy Stile and evidently went there. Afterwards my father - was found dead near the stile." - </p> - <p> - "Had this tramp any motive to murder your father?" - </p> - <p> - "How can I tell that?" said the girl irritably. "I am only - taking what evidence suggests his guilt. Why should he come to Cookley and - ask the way to the very place where my father was afterwards found dead?" - </p> - <p> - "But the fact that the man asked the way to the stile shows that he - was a stranger in Cookley. Would a stranger come here to murder your - father?" - </p> - <p> - "Hum!" said Mrs. Perage suddenly. "Madoc Evans had many - enemies!" - </p> - <p> - "Can you name any of them?" - </p> - <p> - "Every one in the neighbourhood, I should say," snapped the old - lady cynically. - </p> - <p> - "Exactly. Every one in the neighbourhood. But this tramp was a - stranger." - </p> - <p> - "He might have been hired by some one to murder the Squire," - said Mrs. Perage vaguely. - </p> - <p> - "In that case the some one would have explained how this bravo was to - get to the stile," said Hench coolly. And then he wondered if Gwen - knew anything about the advertisement. "Also," he continued, - "the some one must have known that Squire Evans would be at the stile - at that particular time. Now, Miss Evans, can you tell me if your father - made any appointment?" - </p> - <p> - Gwen shook her head. "I can't say. My father did many things about - which he told me nothing. Often in summer he walked out after dinner, as - he did on the night he was murdered, but where he went I can't say. We - searched the park when we missed him, and afterwards the woods on chance." - </p> - <p> - "Was your father agitated on that night?" - </p> - <p> - "He was agitated from the time the woman came to see him," said - Gwen quickly. Hench sat up, and a thrill passed through him. - </p> - <p> - "A woman?" - </p> - <p> - "Yes! Some time in June a woman called one afternoon and had an - interview with my father in the library. She was with him for two hours, - and when she went away he was very much upset. I asked him who she was and - why the visit annoyed him--as it plainly did." - </p> - <p> - "And he told you to mind your own business, I'll be bound," said - Mrs. Perage with a grim smile, for she knew Evans thoroughly. - </p> - <p> - "Yes, he did. But from the time this woman called my father was - silent and morose and irritable. I hope you won't think that I am - undutiful, Mr. Hench, when I say that my father was not a - pleasant-tempered man. But after the interview he became unbearable." - </p> - <p> - "I never knew him when he was otherwise," cried the old lady, - determined that Hench should know everything. "Madoc Evans was - without doubt the most disagreeable person I have ever met. A bear would - have had a more amiable temper." - </p> - <p> - "Well, my father is dead," said Gwen coldly, "so it's no - use calling him names." - </p> - <p> - "Oh, I'll be a very tombstone for lying about the dead, if you like, - my dear Gwen. But if Mr. Hench is to help he must know that your father - was one of those uncomfortable men who never had a friend, and who never - wanted one, so far as I know." - </p> - <p> - "My father was eccentric," said Gwen, her colour coming and - going as she explained herself to the young man. "And certainly he - did not get on well with people. He quarrelled with my grandfather and - with his brother Owain." - </p> - <p> - "And with every one else," said Mrs. Perage. "After all - Mynydd Evans would have done better to leave the money to Owain"--she - stole a glance at Hench as she spoke. "He was a better man than - Madoc." - </p> - <p> - "Madoc was my father," said Gwen impatiently, "so please - say as little bad of him as possible. And, after all, the estate has gone - to my cousin, Owain's son, though I don't know why he doesn't come and - take possession. What do you think is the reason, Mr. Hench?" - </p> - <p> - "How can I tell the reason?" asked Hench awkwardly, and aware - that Mrs. Perage was looking at him significantly. "Let us leave that - fact alone for the present and talk of this woman who evidently upset your - father. Who was she, Miss Evans?" - </p> - <p> - "I have told you that my father refused to say." - </p> - <p> - "Did you see her?" - </p> - <p> - "I caught a glimpse of her when she went away from the Grange, as I - happened to be looking out of the drawing-room window." - </p> - <p> - "What was she like to look at?" - </p> - <p> - "I didn't see her face. Her back was turned towards me, as she was - going down the avenue." - </p> - <p> - "Oh," said Hench disappointed, "that's a pity." - </p> - <p> - "But I remember how she was dressed." - </p> - <p> - "That's better. Well?" - </p> - <p> - "She looked an untidy old thing," said Gwen, after a pause to - recollect the appearance of this important stranger. "Very fat and - unshapely. She wore a black dress spotted with orange dots, a black velvet - mantle trimmed with jet beads, and a hat much too large for her, and----" - She broke off. "What's the matter, Mr. Hench?" - </p> - <p> - Owain's sudden change of colour and sudden start at this vivid description - of Madame Alpenny betrayed him immediately, and he looked confused, not - very well knowing how to excuse himself. For obvious reasons he did not - wish to admit that he recognized the costume described. Therefore he took - refuge in a white lie, and told the first one that occurred to him. "An - idea struck me, Miss Evans, that your father might have been murdered by - gipsies." - </p> - <p> - "Hum!" cried Mrs. Perage, quite taken in by this plausible - untruth. "That isn't at all unlikely. Madoc was hard on gipsies, - especially when they poached." - </p> - <p> - "But why do you suggest gipsies?" Gwen asked Owain, without - attending to her hostess. - </p> - <p> - "Well," he said, with an affected shrug, "that queer dress - of the untidy old woman hints at a gipsy. Perhaps it's only a fancy on my - part." - </p> - <p> - "It's a very good fancy," said Mrs. Perage emphatically. "If - this tramp is innocent, which he may be for all I know, the gipsies may - have something to do with the crime. Why, Gwen, don't you remember how - your father turned a whole gang of them off Parley Common a year ago - because they were robbing the hen-roosts? And an orange spotted dress is - just what a gipsy would wear." - </p> - <p> - "But you don't think, Mrs. Perage, that this woman murdered my - father?" - </p> - <p> - "My dear, I don't suggest anything because I don't know anything. All - I say is, that Mr. Hench's chance shot may have hit the bull's-eye." - </p> - <p> - Gwen looked down thoughtfully at the carpet. "My father certainly was - very much worried after his interview with this woman, and his worry - lasted up to the time of his death. Gipsies--if this woman was a - gipsy--might have something to do with the matter." - </p> - <p> - "It's only my idea, of course," said Owain hastily, for he did - not wish Madame Alpenny to be run to earth immediately. "Don't let us - jump to conclusions. We must think. I shall be here for a few weeks, and - during that time, Miss Evans, I am wholly at your disposal." - </p> - <p> - "You will help me to learn who murdered my father?" - </p> - <p> - "Yes. I'll do my best to find out," said Hench earnestly. - </p> - <p> - "Hum!" boomed Mrs. Perage. "Easier said than done. How do - you intend to begin?" - </p> - <p> - "Well," remarked Hench, after a pause. "I think it will be - a good start if Miss Evans takes me over Cookley Grange and into Parley - Wood where the corpse was found. Then we can talk over the matter." - </p> - <p> - Gwen looked doubtful. "Do you think my cousin would mind if I went - over the Grange and took Mr. Hench?" she asked her hostess. - </p> - <p> - Mrs. Perage stole a sly glance at Owain. "No, I don't think he would. - Why should he, if you come to that?" - </p> - <p> - "Well, his father and my father didn't get on well together." - </p> - <p> - "That is no reason why their son and daughter shouldn't," - retorted Mrs. Perage. "You can take Mr. Hench to the Grange to-morrow - at noon. Now, young man,"--she rose to the full height of her lofty - stature,----"you can depart. I keep early hours here, as it is - necessary that I should have my beauty sleep." - </p> - <p> - "As if you needed it!" said Owain jestingly, and this agreeable - visit ended as it had begun--with badinage and frivolity. - </p> - <p> - <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> - </p> - <h4> - <a name="div1_12" href="#div1Ref_12" id="div1_12">CHAPTER XII</a> - </h4> - <h5> - CUPID'S GARDEN - </h5> - <p> - <br /> - </p> - <p> - That night Hench awoke during the small hours of the morning with the - conviction that he knew all about the mystery in which he was involved. He - had fallen asleep much exercised in his mind so far as the visit of Madame - Alpenny to Cookley Grange was concerned. He remembered that about the time - mentioned by Gwen the Hungarian lady had gone away from Bethnal Green, - presumably to procure an engagement for Zara in a West End music-hall. - Certainly that might have been one very good reason why she had remained - absent for a few days, but now it appeared that there was another, which - had to do with Madoc Evans. When unconsciousness came Owain was still - wrestling with the problem, and somehow it seemed that the same was solved - during slumber. But with the working of his physical brain the scheme - broke up, and he was only able to retain fragments. These he proceeded to - piece together while staring at the ceiling through the faint twilight of - the already dawning day. It was rather a difficult task to put two and two - together. - </p> - <p> - The young man recollected that Madame Alpenny had denied all knowledge of - the elder Hench's family history, but recollected also that she had done - so with a certain amount of hesitation. It now was borne in forcibly upon - him that his father had told the woman much more about his past than she - would admit. Probably he had informed her of the quarrel with the - grandfather, and of his dislike for the brother, explaining also that - Madoc enjoyed Cookley Grange and the large income for life. The word - "Rhaiadr" had brought back the interview clearly to Madame - Alpenny's mind, and it was more than probable that she knew Owain would - inherit the estate. For that reason she had been agreeable to his paying - attentions to her daughter, and for that reason she had paid her visit to - Cookley Grange. Hench now quite understood how she had come to see the - advertisement and to draw his attention to it. Without the least - hesitation he concluded that she had learned from his father where Cookley - Grange was situated, and thither she had gone to tell Madoc of her meeting - with his pauper nephew. Why his uncle should have put in the queer - advertisement and have appointed so strange a meeting-place Owain could - not conceive, but he was certain that Madoc had done so, and had used the - very word to attract attention which had awakened the Hungarian lady's - memory of the twenty-year-old meeting. She was without doubt on the - look-out for the advertisement, knowing in which paper it would appear. - Thus she had easily been able to show it to him, and having--so to - speak--assisted Madoc to lay the trap she had waited results. - </p> - <p> - Now what puzzled Hench was why Squire Evans should have acted in this very - roundabout way to bring about a meeting. An honest man would have either - ignored the son of the brother he hated or would have openly invited him - as his heir to visit him. Instead of doing this Madoc had behaved - mysteriously in making the appointment, and had chosen for the rendezvous - a solitary place out-of-doors. It seemed tolerably clear to Owain that his - uncle had intended to do him harm; perhaps his idea was to murder him so - that he should not inherit. Squire Evans, if the hints of Gwen and the - very plain speaking of Mrs. Perage were to be believed, was by no means - honest, so it was just possible that he wanted to get his hated heir out - of the way. Hench shrunk from this conclusion, but after much thought - could come to no other. The unexpected murder of the Squire had prevented - his own death taking place. - </p> - <p> - When the young man rose in the morning he turned the matter over in his - mind, both while he was having his bath and while he was getting into his - clothes. It then occurred to him that, as Madame Alpenny wished him to - inherit so that he might marry Zara, the scheme of Evans would scarcely - have suited her. She would have been no party to such a transaction, as - such would have rendered void all her plans to get money through the - marriage. But Madoc, being crafty, had probably not explained what he - intended to do, and Madame Alpenny had returned to The Home of the Muses - simply to bring about a meeting which would result in Owain entering into - his kingdom on the death of his uncle. As things had turned out that death - had taken place very unexpectedly, and Hench wondered if Madame Alpenny - believed that he was the criminal. It seemed impossible that she should so - believe, as in the first place she was ignorant that he had kept the - appointment, and in the second if she was aware she would assuredly have - moved in the matter before now. Owain could not understand her silence. - The only reason he could conceive why she should remain in the background - when things had come to such a pass was that her intention was to come - forward when he took possession of the estate. Then--as he thought--she - would appear at Cookley Grange with Zara, and if he refused to marry the - girl would then accuse him of the murder. - </p> - <p> - And again Hench remembered how he had been haunted by the feeling of this - scheming woman's presence both at his hotel and when he started for - Cookley. He had even believed that he had seen her amongst the crowd at - Liverpool Street Station. Certainly the feeling was vague and he had been - unable to prove that she was actually present on the platform. All the - same he was now pretty certain that Madame Alpenny had been watching him, - and that she knew he was staying at Cookley. When she thought it was time - she would very likely appear to continue her plots. It was all very - uncomfortable and unpleasant to a young man who was honest and straight in - all his dealings. Against his will he was involved in these sordid - schemes, and he did not see any way of extricating himself from their - mire. All he could do was to wait until the Hungarian lady took action. - Meanwhile he would do his best to try and learn who had actually murdered - his uncle. It was for this reason he had so readily agreed to assist Gwen - in her search. - </p> - <p> - The day was very hot, as there was not a cloud in the sky and the sun was - blazing like a great jewel in the softly-hued azure. Hench, scorning - convention, assumed a tropical kit which he had brought from the warm - lands of the equator. In a white linen suit, white shoes and a solar - topee, he looked sufficiently noticeable as he made his way to Mrs. - Perage's house. The Cookley villagers, accustomed as they were to the - eccentricities of tourists, were very much surprised to behold him clothed - so strangely. Naturally, being excessively prejudiced, they did not - consider the cool comfort of such a garb, and jeered at the young man's - common-sense while they sweated in their hot dark apparel. Matrons even - came to the doors to remark audibly that his washing-bill must be - something enormous. But Hench took no notice of the attention he - attracted. He was even glad, as it proved conclusively to him that no one - recognized in his spotless dress the rough tramp who was being hunted for - far and wide. - </p> - <p> - At the gate of Mrs. Perage's grounds he met Gwen, likewise clothed in fair - white linen with a large straw hat girdled by artificial corn-flowers, as - blue as her own eyes. She met Hench with a smile and he smiled also, for - each of them considered that the other looked wonderfully handsome. Gwen - even said as much with delightfully childish candour, blushing as she - spoke. - </p> - <p> - "How nice you look, Mr. Hench, and what a sensible dress for a hot - day." - </p> - <p> - "I return the compliment," said Owain, standing very straight - and slim and saluting her in a strictly military fashion by way of a joke. - "But people hereabouts have been making very rude remarks regarding - my laundry-bill." - </p> - <p> - "Of course they would. It is eccentric in England to be comfortable - in white clothes. You wouldn't dare to go to London in that suit." - </p> - <p> - "Try me," said Hench laughing. "I might do it out of - dare-devilment, although I am not anxious to attract undue attention." - </p> - <p> - "Why?" asked the girl, looking at him in what his guilty - conscience told him was a searching way. - </p> - <p> - Conscious that he had said an awkward thing, which he had, having regard - to his position, Owain strove to turn it off with a laugh. "I am not - vain enough to wish for admiration. I leave that to the Nuts and the Nibs." - </p> - <p> - "Horrid, conceited young men," said Gwen, as she fell into step - beside him. "I do detest that class of person." - </p> - <p> - "Then I hope you don't think that I belong to the class in question." - </p> - <p> - "No. You're a man!" - </p> - <p> - "A very faulty man." - </p> - <p> - "I hope so. A perfect man would be horrid." - </p> - <p> - "And a perfect woman?" asked Owain, peeping under her large hat. - </p> - <p> - "There isn't such a thing." - </p> - <p> - "There is," he insisted. "I know one, at all events." - </p> - <p> - "Mrs. Perage would be very flattered if she heard you say that," - said Gwen in a demure tone and smiling. - </p> - <p> - "I don't mean Mrs. Perage, delightful as she is. I mean----" - </p> - <p> - "Now, don't spoil things with explanations," interrupted Miss - Evans quickly. - </p> - <p> - "Are you to pay all the compliments?" - </p> - <p> - "I don't pay compliments. I say that you are a man, because you saved - my life and don't talk about yourself as those horrid Nuts do. If you were - like them I shouldn't ask you to assist me." - </p> - <p> - Owain nodded comprehendingly. "I hope we will be successful," he - said soberly, "but the task is a difficult one!" - </p> - <p> - "To me more than to you it is difficult," said Gwen, colouring. - "For to make you understand I have to say things about my father - which I would rather leave unspoken." - </p> - <p> - "Leave them unspoken," advised Hench coolly. "I have - learned quite enough from Mrs. Perage to know that your father was a man - who made many enemies. One of them murdered him; which one we have to find - out." - </p> - <p> - "How are we to begin?" - </p> - <p> - "I hardly know. Perhaps Fate will begin for us," said Hench. He - was thinking of Madame Alpenny as Fate. His cousin said nothing more, as - her mind was busy considering his remarks, so the two walked on very - quietly along the dusty road until they came to the scene of the motor-car - adventure. Gwen was about to recall Owain's bravery, but checked herself, - lest she should say too much, for her gratitude towards Hench was very - strong. Also she saw that he was as attracted by her as she was by him, - and thought if she spoke too ardently that he might say things which she - did not wish to be said at the present moment. By this time the girl was - tolerably certain that the young man loved her, and would probably propose - if she gave him the least chance. As she knew little about his worldly - position, she did not desire to move too swiftly in matters of love. Much - as she loved him and admired him and was grateful to him, yet, like all - women, even the most romantic, she had a vein of practical wisdom, which - made her look before she leaped. Soon she would know more of Hench with - regard to his income, his position, his habits and tastes. Then she would - be able to say "Yes" or "No" in accordance with her - feelings. They were strong just now, but she did not intend to let them - run away with her. - </p> - <p> - Owain went with Gwen along the path leading out of the churchyard through - emerald-hued meadows towards Parley Wood. It was the very same path which - he had trodden on that eventful night, and he shivered slightly at the - recollection. Fortunately Gwen was too much taken up with her own thoughts - to notice this sign of discomfort, which was lucky, since it would have - necessitated an untrue explanation. And after that one uncontrollable - tremor, Hench braced himself to outward calmness, and trod with apparent - carelessness the bye-way which had previously conducted him towards such - dire trouble. He was quite glad when the girl branched off along another - path skirting the wood. This took them round the corner of the trees and - brought them into a narrow lane, where the trees met overhead to shut out - the sky. The pair moved through a quiet green twilight with a tall hedge - on one side and a mouldering red brick wall on the other. - </p> - <p> - "This runs round the park," said Gwen, tapping the mellow - bricks, "and by following it we come to the gates." - </p> - <p> - "Is it a large park?" asked Hench, curious to ascertain the - extent of his domain. - </p> - <p> - "Not very large, but very beautiful. So is the house." Gwen - heaved a sigh. "I was very, very sorry to leave the Grange, as you - may guess." - </p> - <p> - "Perhaps you will go back to it," suggested Owain, feeling - desperately anxious to then and there lay the same at her feet. - </p> - <p> - "No!" Gwen flushed angrily. "My cousin is sure to take - possession soon, and then I can never visit my old home." - </p> - <p> - "Why not?" Owain averted his face. "Your cousin may be a - good sort of chap." - </p> - <p> - "I don't see how he can be with such a father as he had," - retorted Gwen tartly. - </p> - <p> - Hench was nettled, as he thought that this was unfair. "After all, - your father was no angel," he said, also tartly. "Yet look - at--you." - </p> - <p> - "If you are going to pay silly compliments, I shall go back," - said the girl sharply. "We are here on business, remember." - </p> - <p> - "I didn't pay a compliment--at any rate to your father." - </p> - <p> - "My father was--my father, so there's no use saying anything more. As - to my cousin, I'll never set eyes on him, so why talk about him." - </p> - <p> - "If you stay with Mrs. Perage you are certain to see him." - </p> - <p> - "I shan't stay with Mrs. Perage. As soon as my cousin arrives I shall - go to live in London and enjoy myself. I have five hundred a year of my - own, so I can do as I like." - </p> - <p> - "Why have you remained here so far?" - </p> - <p> - "Because I wish to learn who murdered my father." - </p> - <p> - "But I thought you didn't get on with your father?" - </p> - <p> - "That is no reason why I should allow the beast who murdered him to - escape, Mr. Hench," said Gwen quickly. "I wish you wouldn't talk - of--but there"--she walked on abruptly--"you don't understand, - and I cannot give you plain enough explanations to make you understand. - There is our family history to be considered and it is not a pleasant one." - </p> - <p> - Of course, Owain knew the family history just as thoroughly as the girl by - his side, but for obvious reasons he could not tell her so. He could - recall nothing in the same creditable to the late Squire, and it was - impossible to guess why Gwen should so greatly desire to avenge his death. - Even though the dead man was her father, he had proved a particularly - unkind one, if Mrs. Perage was to be believed. But before they returned to - the village, Gwen was compelled, against her will as it were, to tell him - the true reason for the search. Then Owain was no longer astonished that - she should prosecute the same, and ask for his assistance. - </p> - <p> - The two passed through ornate iron gates swung between two mighty pillars - of stone, and walked leisurely up a long avenue, which swept round in a - curve to lead into a vast open space girdled by the trees of the park. - Here, the young man for the first time came face to face with the mansion - he had inherited, and silently expressed his admiration. It was a rambling - structure of mellow red brick, the patchwork of many generations, and - comprising many styles of architecture. And the very incongruity of the - same constituted its chief beauty, as the eye was always finding something - new and unexpected. Two storeys in height, it possessed a lofty slanting - roof of red tiles, weather-worn and picturesque, with many stacks of - twisted chimneys and many mullion windows. The whole was draped in dark - green ivy, and seemed to be so ancient that it only appeared to be held - together by the same. Windows and door were closed, but Gwen informed her - companion that Mrs. Capes, her father's old housekeeper, was in charge. To - summon her, she rang the bell as they stood in the porch. - </p> - <p> - "It's a lovely place, isn't it?" she said, watching Owain's eyes - roving round. "Very lovely," he assented warmly. "We could - be very happy here." - </p> - <p> - "We!"--Gwen flushed hotly--"what do you mean?" Then it - was Hench's turn to flush. "I beg your pardon. I spoke without - thinking, you see. What a lucky person your cousin is," he ended - artfully. - </p> - <p> - "I don't envy him his luck," she replied coldly, "and I'm - sorry for the place, let alone the people. He is sure to be disagreeable." - </p> - <p> - "But not knowing him, how can you judge?" protested Owain, much - vexed at this persistent hostility. - </p> - <p> - "I knew my father and I heard all about my Uncle Owain. No good can - come out of Nazareth, and no decent man from the Evans family." - </p> - <p> - Hench inwardly groaned and considered that she would have small mercy on - him when she came to realize that he was the wicked heir in question. - Madoc Evans must indeed have been a cruel parent to prejudice her so - greatly against the race whence she sprung. However, he had little time to - consider this question, as the door opened and a stiff, stately old dame - in a black silk dress and wearing a lace cap made her appearance. She was - a comely woman in spite of her age, and smiled all over her wrinkled face - when she beheld the girl. - </p> - <p> - "La, Miss, I am glad to see you. I thought you were never coming - again." - </p> - <p> - "I wish to show this gentleman the house and grounds," said - Gwen, stepping into a large hall, with busts of the Caesars on pedestals - ranged on either side. "I suppose my cousin has not yet come?" - </p> - <p> - "No, Miss," said Mrs. Capes respectfully, and looking at Owain - in a puzzled way as though she recognized his face. "The lawyers - wrote to tell me that he was coming some time before the end of the year, - but they couldn't be sure when." - </p> - <p> - "Curious," murmured Gwen to herself. "I wonder why he is so - slow in coming?" - </p> - <p> - "Perhaps he thinks you are here and does not wish to turn you out," - said Hench, overhearing. "Then I shall write to Mr. Gilberry and tell - him that I have left. In fact, I think he knows, as Mrs. Perage said - something about having written. Anyhow, I don't want my cousin to show any - consideration for me." - </p> - <p> - "Oh, fie, Miss," said Mrs. Capes reprovingly. "Mr. Evans - may be a very nice gentleman, for all we know." - </p> - <p> - "Ah," said Gwen bitterly, "you worship the rising sun, I - see." - </p> - <p> - Mrs. Capes looked offended. "I worship no one, Miss, but if Mr. Evans - turns out to be a nice gentleman, why shouldn't I like him?" She - stole a glance at Owain as she spoke, and again he saw something like - recognition in her eyes. - </p> - <p> - Gwen shrugged her shoulders. "Wait here, Mr. Hench, and I shall - return soon. I can show you over the house, and we will not need to - trouble Mrs. Capes." - </p> - <p> - She went away in a hurry, while Hench and the housekeeper remained in the - hall looking at one another. By this time Owain felt rather uncomfortable, - as it seemed that Mrs. Capes recognized him, and he wondered if she was - about to denounce him as the much-wanted tramp. Of course the idea was - ridiculous, as she had never seen him when he first came to Cookley to - keep the appointment of the advertisement. Nevertheless, Hench felt uneasy - and pointedly questioned the old woman, so as to set his own mind at rest. - "Why do you look at me so intently, Mrs. Capes?" he asked - quickly. - </p> - <p> - "I was thinking how greatly you resemble your father," she - answered. - </p> - <p> - Owain was taken aback. "My father!" he muttered nervously. - </p> - <p> - "My dear young gentleman, I have been with the family all my life, - and knew Mr. Owain Evans as boy and man. I was certain that you were his - son the moment I saw you. And when Miss Gwen called you 'Mr. Hench,' of - course I was positive. That was the name Mr. Owain took when he went away - from his father." - </p> - <p> - "I am Owain Evans," admitted the young man, seeing that he was - discovered; "but I don't wish my cousin to know. She seems to have a - prejudice against me." - </p> - <p> - Mrs. Capes nodded shrewdly. "Mr. Madoc was always speaking against - you and your father, sir. No, I won't say a word. Are you----?" She - looked searchingly at him. - </p> - <p> - Hench guessed what she meant. "Yes, I am," he admitted boldly, - "very much in love, but if she learns who I am she won't marry me." - </p> - <p> - "The temper of the family is obstinate," she sighed. "All - the same, sir, as you are young and good-looking, I wouldn't give up hope." - </p> - <p> - "As that means giving up Gwen, you may be certain that I won't. Hush, - here she is, Mrs. Capes. Not a word." - </p> - <p> - "You can trust me, sir," replied the housekeeper, and looked - quite pleased at being in the secret of the young Squire's identity. - "I'll go now," she added, raising her voice for the benefit of - Gwen. "You know your way about, Miss." - </p> - <p> - "Yes. Don't let us trouble you," replied Miss Evans more - graciously, and then the two young people were left alone. - </p> - <p> - Gwen conducted Hench all over the vast house, showing him into one room - after another filled with treasures. The place was very old and the rooms - were spacious, while the furniture and the draperies and the carpets, the - pictures, statues, carvings, and bric-a-brac were delightfully attractive. - After wandering in raw lands, Owain deeply appreciated this real home, - with which Destiny had provided him. He thought that if the goddess would - only add to her gift by giving him Gwen for his wife, that he would have - nothing else to wish for in the wide world. His appreciation and delighted - observations pleased Gwen, although she sighed when they emerged again - into the sunshine, intending to show him the garden. - </p> - <p> - "It's horrid to leave it," she said, casting a backward glance - at the ancient house. "I envy my cousin." - </p> - <p> - "I thought you didn't," remarked Owain calmly. - </p> - <p> - "After seeing my old home again, I do," answered Gwen, passing - quickly across the lawn. "Come down here and see the flowers." - </p> - <p> - The gardens were a paradise of flowers and beautifully laid out. There - were all kinds of nooks and arbours in odd corners, and many winding paths - which led to pleasant glades. The trees were magnificent, and everywhere - the place bloomed with blossoms. Hench was not quite sure if he did not - like the gardens even better than the charming house. And what with the - colour and scent of flowers, the heat of the day, the silence of the - place, and the fact that he was walking long-side the girl he loved, the - young man rather lost his head. In a rash moment he quoted Omar Khayyam's - verse relative to the wilderness, the wine-cup, the loaf of bread, and of - course "Thou!" Gwen blushed and flushed, and threw up her hand - to stop him. They were standing near a marble bench under an oak tree, and - on this she sat down. - </p> - <p> - "I wish you would not speak to me like that," she said in vexed - tones. - </p> - <p> - "Why not, when I love you?" - </p> - <p> - "You can't love in five minutes." - </p> - <p> - "Romeo and Juliet did." - </p> - <p> - "Ah, that is in a play. I am talking of real life. We have only known - each other a very short time." - </p> - <p> - "Undoubtedly. But then our introduction made for intimacy at once." - </p> - <p> - "How unfair," murmured Gwen, looking down. "You are taking - advantage of the fact that you saved my life." - </p> - <p> - "If that is any bar to my loving you, I wish I hadn't." - </p> - <p> - "Then you would have had no one to love," retorted the girl, who - could not help smiling at the speech. Hench saw that smile. - </p> - <p> - "Gwen, you don't dislike me?" he asked entreatingly. - </p> - <p> - "No, I certainly do not. I like you, and so does Mrs. Perage." - </p> - <p> - "Please leave Mrs. Perage out of the conversation. Does your saying - that you like me mean that you love me?" - </p> - <p> - "Liking doesn't mean love." - </p> - <p> - "It's a step in the right direction, anyhow," said Hench - cheerfully. "See here, Gwen, I have little to offer you, but with - that little I give my heart. Now if----" - </p> - <p> - "Don't say anything more just now," interrupted the girl, much - distressed. "I cannot answer you." - </p> - <p> - "You can say yes, or no." - </p> - <p> - "I don't wish to say no." - </p> - <p> - "Then that means yes!" cried Hench triumphantly, and his heart - beat rapidly. - </p> - <p> - "No"--Gwen pulled away the hand he had taken--"there is - something you must know about me. I did not intend to tell you, but since - you have spoken, I must be frank." She drew a long breath, while - Owain fixed his brown eyes keenly on her disturbed face. "Have you - heard anything against me in the village?" - </p> - <p> - "No, I have not. But then I don't go into the village much, nor do I - attend to gossip. All I know of you comes from Mrs. Bell, and she adores - you." - </p> - <p> - Gwen crossed her feet and folded her hands. "My father and I never - got on well together," she said rapidly and in a low voice, looking - down as she spoke. "He treated me very harshly, and we very often - quarrelled." - </p> - <p> - "That was not your fault, I swear," cried the lover impetuously. - </p> - <p> - "No. I can honestly say that it wasn't. But every one knew that we - did not get on well together, and when my father was murdered, some people - said"--she drew another long breath--"that I--I--murdered him." - </p> - <p> - She looked up with a frightened glance, as if she expected Hench to turn - and fly after hearing such a confession. Instead of doing so, the young - man laughed aloud and lifted her from the bench into his arms. "What - a silly thing to say," he murmured, pressing her to his breast. - </p> - <p> - "You--you--don't---believe it?" gasped Gwen, making no attempt - to get away. - </p> - <p> - "Darling, it is not worth my while to answer such a question. I love - you and I have done so from the first moment I set eyes on you. Can I - believe that the most perfect girl in the world is guilty of anything, - much less of such a dreadful crime?" - </p> - <p> - "But people say----" - </p> - <p> - "I won't hear another word. Thus I stop your mouth"--and before - Gwen was aware, Owain had kissed her full on the lips. - </p> - <p> - "Oh," she said, half frightened, half delighted, "how can - you!" Then suddenly she slipped from his arms. "No! No! Only - when you learn the truth about my father's death and end this scandal, - will I--will I----" - </p> - <p> - "Good!" said Owain, quite understanding. "I'll find out the - truth and then we will go hand in hand to the church." And a final - kiss sealed the compact. - </p> - <p> - <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> - </p> - <h4> - <a name="div1_13" href="#div1Ref_13" id="div1_13">CHAPTER XIII</a> - </h4> - <h5> - DANGER - </h5> - <p> - <br /> - </p> - <p> - Considering that he had gained his heart's desire, Hench should have - returned to his lodgings in the highest spirits. Instead of doing so, he - arrived in a rather disturbed frame of mind. It seemed to him, after due - reflection, that he was not treating Gwen straightforwardly, since as yet - she was quite unaware of the relationship between them. Nevertheless, as - he argued, he would never have been able to win her had she known at the - outset that he was the heir to the estate and her cousin. So far he had - acted honestly enough in masquerading as a disguised prince, but he should - not have compelled her to acknowledge her love before making himself - known. Aware of the truth, she could make her choice of marrying the man - she loved, or of dismissing the cousin whom her father had taught her to - detest. Hench felt decidedly uncomfortable. - </p> - <p> - This being the case, he was unable to stay in the poky little rooms, as he - felt too restless to sit down, and too excited to read. His foot was now - so much better that he could walk with considerable ease, although he had - some sort of twinge every now and then. But it was certainly not well - enough to permit his taking a long walk. Yet Owain, feeling hipped, did - so, and strolled a long way into the country. The result was that he felt - the old pain coming on again, and his ankle being yet somewhat weak, there - was danger that he might twist it. Luckily, a carrier's cart came along - the road when he was some miles from Cookley, and the offer of a shilling - procured Hench a drive back to the village. When he alighted at Mrs. - Bell's door he felt that his foot was again swollen and painful, and - cursed his folly, as he hobbled into his sitting-room. He would have to - rest that evening, as he fully recognized, and as the lover's desire was - to see Gwen, such enforced absence from her presence did not please him. - With a groan he wondered how he would get through the dull hours until - bed-time. - </p> - <p> - But Fate had already provided him with an interesting companion. While - Hench sat down and removed his boots and stroked his ankle, a tall figure - appeared at the door of the bedroom, which opened into the sitting-room. - After an astonished pause, Hench fell back on the sofa and gasped. - </p> - <p> - "Jim!" he cried. "Who would have thought of seeing you - here?" - </p> - <p> - "I thought I would surprise you," said Vane complacently, and - advancing into the parlour. "I arrived three hours ago and found that - you had gone out for a walk. Therefore, I looked up my aunt, as I intend - to put up with her for the night, and then came back to lie on your bed - and pass the time in sleep until you turned up. Humph! You don't look like - a joyful lover." - </p> - <p> - "What do you know about that?" asked Hench tartly. "Has - Gwen----" - </p> - <p> - "No, she hasn't," interrupted Vane promptly. "But Aunt Emma - hinted that she wished to bring about a marriage between you and your - cousin, so that the family quarrels should end. From your words rather - than your looks, it seems that you have settled the matter and - accomplished Aunt Emma's desire." - </p> - <p> - Hench groaned. "We can talk of that later. Meantime, I apologize for - lying on the sofa; but I foolishly went for a long walk and my ankle is - aching again." - </p> - <p> - "Oh, that's all right," replied the barrister, lighting a - cigarette. "Aunt Emma told me of your rescuing Miss Evans and that - your ankle was better. Why the deuce have you made it worse?" - </p> - <p> - "I couldn't sit down here after meeting Gwen this morning, and went - for a walk. This is the result," and Hench pointed to his ankle. As - he had removed his sock, Vane saw that it was much inflamed. - </p> - <p> - "Silly ass," said Jim, fumbling near the fireplace for the - bell-rope. "Better bathe it in cold water and lie up for the evening." - </p> - <p> - "I intend to, and I daresay it will be all right in the morning. Mrs. - Bell"--the delicate-looking landlady entered as he spoke her name--"just - bring me a basin of cold water and my sponge." - </p> - <p> - Mrs. Bell threw up her hands at the sight which met her eyes. "Won't - I send for the doctor, Mr. Hench?" - </p> - <p> - "No. Bathing will reduce the swelling and rest will put everything - else right, Mrs. Bell. Don't worry. Sorry I'm an invalid, Vane, and can't - entertain you." - </p> - <p> - "Oh, I shan't let you off inviting me to dinner, Owain," said - the barrister, as Mrs. Bell disappeared to fetch the basin of water. - "I've come down to see you especially. Later I go on to sleep at my - aunt's place." - </p> - <p> - "What do you wish to see me about?" asked Hench uneasily. - </p> - <p> - "That can wait until I have some food. Don't be inhospitable." - </p> - <p> - Owain laughed and began to bathe his ankle in the cold water which Mrs. - Bell had just brought in. He thought that Vane's news could not be - anything very unpleasant since he so calmly postponed telling it. So the - two men chatted on various frivolous subjects while the landlady laid the - cloth and made the dinner ready. By the time Hench finished doctoring his - foot and was feeling less pain, the meal was before them. Vane pushed the - table near to the sofa so that Owain could eat without sitting in a chair. - He partook of the viands in the dining attitude of an ancient Roman, - leaning on one elbow, and being hungry, managed to make an excellent meal. - Then Mrs. Bell brought in the coffee, and after clearing the table, left - the two men to their own devices. Vane sat near the window smoking, while - Owain remained comfortably on his sofa. The casement was open, and the - scent of the homely cottage flowers came into the room, which was filled - with the coming shadows of the night. Hench felt so tired that he did not - begin the conversation, and would have much preferred slumber. But Vane - gave him no chance. He began to chat immediately, and on a subject which - was already worrying his friend considerably. - </p> - <p> - "So you are in love with your cousin and she with you," he - remarked, after a puff or two. "I am going by what Aunt Emma said, - remember. It seems quick work to me--a kind of five minutes' wooing." - </p> - <p> - "Jim, I fell head over heels in love with Gwen the moment I saw her." - </p> - <p> - "The deuce! Yet the last time we met, you told me that you didn't - know what love meant." - </p> - <p> - "That was quite true. I didn't. My liking for Zara Alpenny was one of - simple admiration. But Gwen! Oh, Jim, you don't know how I adore her." - </p> - <p> - "I'll take it for granted that you do," said Vane dryly. "But - I can't say that your newly-born passion makes you very happy. You have - groaned two or three or four times since you arrived." - </p> - <p> - "It's my ankle giving me pain." - </p> - <p> - "Oh, shucks!" cried the barrister, after a purely American - fashion, "it's your heart, man. You aren't the chap to yowl over a - twisted sinew, as I know jolly well. Come along and unburden your mind to - your father-confessor." - </p> - <p> - "It will be a relief," admitted Hench, with a fifth groan. - "The fact is I am not quite sure if I have acted rightly in stealing - a march on Gwen." - </p> - <p> - "What do you mean by your stealing a march?" - </p> - <p> - "Well, you see she knows me as Hench, and hasn't the least idea that - I am her cousin who inherits the property." - </p> - <p> - "What of that? You came here with the idea of masquerading." - </p> - <p> - "So I did. But I didn't intend to go too far." - </p> - <p> - "And you have?" - </p> - <p> - "Yes!"--another groan. "We went to the Grange this morning, - and when I found myself alone in the garden with her I proposed to her." - </p> - <p> - "So she said to Aunt Emma." - </p> - <p> - "But, Jim, you told me that she had said nothing?" - </p> - <p> - "I did. It was a fib, I admit. But I wanted to hear your version of - the proposal, Owain," said Vane shamelessly. "You didn't intend - to go too far, nor did your cousin. But as you were swept off your feet by - passion, so was she, as she admitted to Aunt Emma, with tears. Miss Evans - intended to keep you at arm's length until she knew more about you. But - this passion took you both off your feet, so there's no doubt of its being - genuine on both sides." - </p> - <p> - "On my side, certainly. But on hers----?" - </p> - <p> - "The same. I hope you don't mind Aunt Emma telling me of what took - place; she has your interest very much at heart." - </p> - <p> - "I am glad that Mrs. Perage broke the ice," said Hench - dolefully. "It makes it easier for me to talk. You see, Gwen loves me - as a stranger----" - </p> - <p> - "Can a girl love a stranger?" - </p> - <p> - "I mean she thinks that I am only Owain Hench. When she learns that I - am Owain Evans she will throw me over." - </p> - <p> - "Why should she, seeing that she loves you?" - </p> - <p> - "Love may turn to hate, and her dislike for my father's son has been - carefully fostered by her father." - </p> - <p> - "Well," said Vane with an air of finality, "it seems to me - that she should be jolly glad to get back her old home by marriage with a - decent chap such as her cousin is." - </p> - <p> - "She doesn't believe that I am a decent chap," cried Hench - irritably. - </p> - <p> - "Then you must prove that you are by explaining matters," - insisted Jim coolly. "Bless you, Miss Evans will look upon your - masquerading as a romance." - </p> - <p> - "I've got my doubts about that. She may resent being deceived." - </p> - <p> - Vane remained silent for a few moments and lighted a fresh cigarette. - "As a bachelor I don't pretend to understand women," he said at - length, "and it is just on the cards that she may cut up rough. - Still, if she loves you really and truly, as Aunt Emma assured me she - does, she will forgive your innocent deception. After all, by concealing - the truth you only gave yourself a fair chance of being judged on your - merits." - </p> - <p> - Hench nodded wearily. "That of course was my idea of masquerading, - and it was a right idea, seeing how strongly her father has prejudiced her - against me. I am a kind of monster in her eyes in my capacity of heir"--Hench - turned restlessly--"I must tell her, I suppose." - </p> - <p> - "You must, and as soon as possible," advised his mentor firmly. - "If you don't, the information may come from a less pleasant quarter." - </p> - <p> - "Now, what do you mean by that?" asked Hench, startled. - </p> - <p> - "Madame Alpenny----?" - </p> - <p> - "You don't know her." - </p> - <p> - "Oh yes, I do. I am not aware if Aunt Emma told you, but I went down - to Bethnal Green for a day or so." - </p> - <p> - "She told me last night, when I dined at her house. I was wondering - why you went there?" - </p> - <p> - "Where are your wits?" asked Vane in a surprised tone. "Of - course, I went in your interest to that boarding-house and stopped for a - couple of nights." - </p> - <p> - "In my interest?" Hench raised himself on his elbow and stared - at Vane with an uneasy look in his eyes. - </p> - <p> - "Of course. You don't suppose that any business of my own took me - down there, do you? So far as regards this murder of your uncle, you are - not out of the wood yet, so I wanted to learn what I could to help you." - </p> - <p> - "You're a real good fellow, Jim," said Owain gratefully. - </p> - <p> - "Pfui! In the absence of briefs which don't come my way, it gives me - something to do. Besides, if there is a row over the business you can - engage me as your counsel, and then I'll make a big name straight away." - </p> - <p> - "Oh, hang it"--Hench moved uneasily--"don't speak of that - even in jest." - </p> - <p> - "I'm not in jest, but in dead earnest," insisted Vane seriously. - "I tell you Madame Alpenny is on the warpath." - </p> - <p> - "What?" - </p> - <p> - "There! there! Don't get excited, you silly ass. Let me begin at the - beginning and end at the end." Vane blew a ring or so of smoke and - went on talking. "I stayed at The Home of the Muses to see if Spruce - knew anything about that advertisement, as I dreaded him rather than the - old woman. Of course, he knew me as a pal of yours at the old school, and - was very curious to know where you had got to." - </p> - <p> - "You didn't tell him, I hope?" - </p> - <p> - Vane shook his head. "Is thy servant an ass that he should do so? Of - course I lay low like Brer Rabbit, and let Spruce babble on. He doesn't - know anything about your real name, or the advertisement, or your - accession to fortune, or anything else. He'd have let the information slip - had he known. So far as Spruce is concerned you can set your mind at rest. - I'm glad such is the case, Owain, for he's a dangerous monkey." - </p> - <p> - "Humph!" said Hench meditatively. "If he is ignorant why - does he wish to know where I am?" - </p> - <p> - "Because, having made London too hot for him over that card affair, - with which I charged him, by the way, he wants to seek fresh fields and - pastures new. He had an idea--I think you told him--that you were going - away into the lands at the back-of-beyond, so thought he'd like to come - with you." - </p> - <p> - "I wouldn't have him as a gift as a companion," said Hench with - disgust. - </p> - <p> - "So I told him, and he wasn't exactly pleased. At all events, since I - ostensibly didn't know where you were he shut up, and gave me the cold - shoulder on account of my nasty manner towards him with regard to the - cheating. I do think," finished Vane calmly, "that he's the most - abject Gadarene swine I have ever met." - </p> - <p> - Owain drew a long breath of relief when Vane finished, for he also - mistrusted the meddlesome little man. Had Spruce understood the situation - it was very certain that he would have attempted to make an income out of - the same by blackmail, particularly now that Hench had money in large - quantities. But as he was quite ignorant of everything there was nothing - to be feared. "Then it's not from that quarter the information about - my real name is to come to Gwen?" - </p> - <p> - "No! Set your mind at rest so far. Madame Alpenny is the lady likely - to queer your pitch." - </p> - <p> - "But she doesn't know where I am." - </p> - <p> - "Oh yes, she does. Mrs. Bell's cottage in Cookley, Essex, was the - address she gave me as one likely to find you." - </p> - <p> - Hench swore under his breath. "How did she find out?" - </p> - <p> - "Hurry no man's cattle, my son," said Vane sagely. "You - must be introduced to the subject gradually, so that you may admire my - diplomatic skill. I came to Mrs. Tesk's establishment to ask for you, as - that--according to my story--was the address you gave me. Mrs. Tesk didn't - know where you had gone to, so I paid civil attentions to Madame Alpenny - and confessed that I was your very good friend. Then she told me--when we - became better acquainted, mind you--that you were her very good friend, - and would shortly be her very good son-in-law." - </p> - <p> - "Nothing of the sort," cried Hench violently. "I proposed - to Zara, and she refused me as she loves Bracken." - </p> - <p> - "Zara said nothing about that proposal or her Bracken engagement to - Madame Alpenny, as she's a deuced sight too much afraid of the old hag. - Madame Alpenny told me that she had given you permission to marry Zara - whenever you got the cash. She mentioned that, as you were the nephew of - Squire Evans who had been murdered, you were now rich." - </p> - <p> - "How did she know that?" asked Hench, remembering the visit paid - by the Hungarian lady to his deceased uncle. - </p> - <p> - "Oh, she told me that your father, some twenty years ago, wished to - marry her, and gave a sketch of his family history." - </p> - <p> - "I know. It was the word 'Rhaiadr' he mentioned which revived her - recollection and led to the advertisement being inserted." - </p> - <p> - "The deuce!" said Vane curiously. "She told me nothing of - that." - </p> - <p> - "No, she wouldn't," growled Hench impatiently. "Go on. I - can speak later." - </p> - <p> - "Well, then," proceeded the barrister, "Madame Alpenny knew - that you inherited the estate; also your real name and all the rest of it." - </p> - <p> - "My father told her." - </p> - <p> - "Exactly, and she frankly confessed that she had refused him because - the estate was going to you and not to your father. She never bothered any - more about the matter until she met you at The Home of the Muses. Then the - name 'Rhaiadr' revived her memory, and she wished you to marry Zara when - you became rich. After seeing the death of your uncle in the newspapers - she was certain that you had entered into your kingdom, and is coming down - to see if you will keep your promise and marry Zara." - </p> - <p> - "Did she say that she could make it hot for me if I didn't?" - </p> - <p> - "No. She's a wary old bird. She was all smiles and amiability," - said Vane significantly. "There was no word of the murder or of the - advertisement, or anything which led me to understand that she had a card - up her sleeve. All she knows--according to her own showing--is that you - are Squire Evans' heir and are engaged to her daughter." - </p> - <p> - "It's a lie. I'm not. How did she learn where I was?" - </p> - <p> - "Oh, she confessed that as she had no reason--so she said--to conceal - it. A page called Bottles told her." - </p> - <p> - Hench slipped off the sofa and swore again. "I guessed as much. I saw - Bottles' brother, who is a page at your aunt's. He recognized me, as his - brother had written telling him all about me. I had half a mind to tell - him to hold his tongue as to my whereabouts but didn't like to." - </p> - <p> - "It would have been too late," said Vane quickly. "The page - must have written whenever he heard your name as that of a gentleman - staying in the village. At all events, Madame Alpenny knew all about you - being here the day before yesterday. Peter--I know the brat at my - aunt's--wrote to Simon, surnamed Bottles, and Bottles gave you away to - Madame Alpenny." - </p> - <p> - "Hang him! I did think that I could trust Bottles." - </p> - <p> - "You can't trust any one in this wicked world," commented the - barrister philosophically. "Madame Alpenny knew that the boy was a - hero-worshipper and adored you, so she made inquiries. I daresay a few - shillings made him talk." - </p> - <p> - "I don't believe it," said Hench doubtfully. "Peter hinted - that everything was right, so I believe Bottles has some card up his - sleeve which has to do with all this mystery." - </p> - <p> - "But I don't see----" - </p> - <p> - "No more do I," said Hench, cutting Vane short. "We're in - the dark, and until some light is thrown on the subject we will remain in - the dark. As to Madame Alpenny, she is at the bottom of the business, I am - sure." And then Owain went on to tell his friend about the visit paid - by the woman to the Squire. "She has engineered the whole plot, I'm - certain." - </p> - <p> - "Queer," admitted Vane, staring absently out into the shadowy - garden. "Do you think she murdered the Squire?" - </p> - <p> - "How do I know. She might have done so in order to place me in - possession of the money at once. There is certainly a motive. Perhaps,"--Hench's - face grew less gloomy,--"perhaps that is why she hasn't moved in the - matter so far." - </p> - <p> - "How did you expect her to move?" - </p> - <p> - "Well, she must have guessed that I would keep the appointment, and - when she saw that my uncle was murdered she naturally would accuse me. - Instead of doing this she has held her tongue." - </p> - <p> - "Only for a time, old son. Believe me, she may turn up here any day. - Naturally she wouldn't queer her pitch by telling the police of what she - knows. My impression is that she will try and make you marry Zara by - threatening to give you away unless you come up to the scratch." - </p> - <p> - "I shan't come up to the scratch, then," muttered Hench - sullenly. - </p> - <p> - "In that case Madame Alpenny will have the game in her own hands." - </p> - <p> - "She won't, Jim, if I can prove her guilty." - </p> - <p> - "That won't be an easy job," said Vane doubtfully. "The - woman is as cunning as a fox, and as dangerous as a tigress. Besides, we - can't be sure that she <i>did</i> get rid of your uncle. Anyhow,"--the - barrister rose to stretch himself,--"I advise you to make friends - with Mammon by telling Gwen who you are, and getting over the trouble - before Madame Alpenny turns up to put her fingers in the pie. She intends - to do that, you know." - </p> - <p> - "She'll burn her fingers, then." - </p> - <p> - "I said a pie, not a fire," retorted Jim dryly. "She - intends to eat your pudding, not to burn herself." - </p> - <p> - "Well, what is best to be done under the circumstances?" asked - Hench crossly. - </p> - <p> - "Tell Gwen who you are, and explain how you saw the body of her - father in Parley Wood," rejoined the barrister promptly. - </p> - <p> - "No! No! No! She would believe me to be guilty. You know how the - supposed tramp who went to the Bull Inn is suspected. If I confessed that - I was the man----" - </p> - <p> - "I see, I see," interrupted Vane, wrinkling his lean face. - "It's a bit difficult, isn't it, old man? But if Miss Evans loves you - she'll never believe a word against you. That's a woman all over." - </p> - <p> - "I tell you she is prejudiced against her cousin Owain," said - Hench sullenly. "And when she learns that I am that cousin she will - merge her love in hate." - </p> - <p> - Vane shook his head. "I doubt it. But if she does by any ill chance, - you have a friend in my aunt. She likes you no end, and will stand by you. - As you may guess, she has a strong influence over Miss Evans." - </p> - <p> - "Mrs. Perage is a very clever and sensible woman," mused Owain - thoughtfully. "And I really think it would be wise for me to tell her - everything." - </p> - <p> - "I agree!" cried Vane emphatically. "Bachelor as I am, I - always believe in asking a woman's advice. The sex has more intuition than - ours has. Let her be the person to deal with Madame Alpenny--one woman - against another. Then," added the barrister cynically, "you'll - see the fur fly." - </p> - <p> - "I won't tax Mrs. Perage's friendship so far, Jim. My ankle will be - all right to-morrow, so if you will ask Gwen to meet me near the old Saxon - Cross in the churchyard I can reveal who I am. When I settle matters with - her I shall see Mrs. Perage and relate the whole story." - </p> - <p> - "Relate it to Miss Evans also," advised Vane strongly. - </p> - <p> - "No. I shall only tell her who I am, and give her time to get over - that before I tell more. It's dangerous to give her too big a dose at - once. Also, when I tell your aunt about my adventure I wish to be guided - by her advice. She may suggest my keeping the same a secret from Gwen - until the truth becomes known." - </p> - <p> - "Well, do as you think best, Owain. But how is the truth to become - known?" - </p> - <p> - "I shall wait until I see Madame Alpenny before forming an opinion." - </p> - <p> - Vane wheeled round. "Do you mean to accuse her of the murder?" - </p> - <p> - "Not unless she accuses me. It's a case of pull devil, pull baker. - Now you'd better out along to your aunt's and make my excuses for not - turning up. Meanwhile I shall think over things, and a pleasant night I - shall have." - </p> - <p> - "The way of the transgressor is hard," laughed Vane cheerfully. - </p> - <p> - "Transgressor be hanged! I'm more sinned against than sinning." - </p> - <p> - Vane laid a friendly hand on his friend's shoulder. "All right, old - man, don't get your hair riz. I'll tell Aunt Emma that your ankle kept you - from paying your respects to her, and will request Miss Evans to meet you - to-morrow near the Cross. At what time, by the way?" - </p> - <p> - "Three o'clock in the afternoon. And don't come along in the morning, - Jim. I wish to think out matters alone. I shall see you in the afternoon." - </p> - <p> - Vane put on his hat and prepared a cigarette. "Don't overdo it," - he advised at the door. "And remember that two heads are better than - one." - </p> - <p> - "Quite so. That is why I intend to see Gwen. All the same, I'm - afraid." - </p> - <p> - "Nonsense! Use that very eloquent tongue of yours and show her that - the devil is not so black as he is painted. Miss Evans, being very much a - woman, may cut up rough at the outset, but when----" - </p> - <p> - "When what?" - </p> - <p> - "When she knows that you are in danger of arrest she will stand by - you through thick and thin." - </p> - <p> - "I have my doubts," said Hench dolefully. - </p> - <p> - "I haven't. Women are contrary animals. As her prosperous cousin she - may hate you. As an innocent man, in danger of being hanged, she will love - you." - </p> - <p> - "May you be a true prophet," said Hench fervently, and Vane went - away laughing. - </p> - <p> - <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> - </p> - <h4> - <a name="div1_14" href="#div1Ref_14" id="div1_14">CHAPTER XIV</a> - </h4> - <h5> - AT BAY - </h5> - <p> - <br /> - </p> - <p> - Vane faithfully delivered both messages, and Gwen was as pleased with the - churchyard appointment as Mrs. Perage was annoyed by Hench's folly. That - he should walk for miles on a weak ankle proved what a fool he was, and - she said as much to her nephew next morning at breakfast. - </p> - <p> - "You men are all babies, Jim, silly, obstinate and weak." - </p> - <p> - "Not me," retorted the barrister. "I haven't been fooling - with my ankle." - </p> - <p> - "You know quite well what I mean," fumed Mrs. Perage, who was in - her work-a-day attire, and who looked particularly fierce. "It's not - only his ankle, it's his masquerading." She rubbed her nose - irritably. "I tell you there will be the deuce to pay. Gwen is Welsh." - </p> - <p> - "Well, what does her nationality matter?" - </p> - <p> - "It matters everything. The Welsh are a particularly fiery nation, - and have the pride of Old Nick. As a poor man Gwen loves her cousin--he is - the fairy prince who has come into her life. But when she learns the - truth----" - </p> - <p> - "She'll forgive him if she loves him." - </p> - <p> - Mrs. Perage shook her head and scowled. "You don't know woman, Jim. - Her very love may make her resent his not having treated her quite - honestly." - </p> - <p> - "Aren't you taking the matter too seriously, Aunt Emma?" - expostulated Vane with a shrug. "After all, Miss Evans must see that - Owain could only give himself a fair chance by masquerading as he has - done. If he had turned up <i>in propria persona_, she would have disliked - him on the spot."</i> - </p> - <p> - "Hum!" boomed Mrs. Perage doubtfully. "Perhaps. But not if - he had saved her life. That act would have excused everything had it been - done as Owain Evans." - </p> - <p> - "What do you mean by excusing everything?" - </p> - <p> - "I mean as regards the reputation of Owain Evans. Of course Madoc was - always a liar, as I know, and Gwen didn't get on over-well with him. As a - <i>deus ex machina_, Gwen would have disbelieved her father's stories of - her cousin's wickedness."</i> - </p> - <p> - "But the poor chap isn't wicked at all. He's the whitest man I know." - </p> - <p> - "Madoc's lies would have smirched the whiteness of an angel," - retorted the old lady sharply. "But Gwen would have either forgiven - or would have disbelieved had Hench come as her cousin. As it is she may - throw him over if he tells her who he really is." - </p> - <p> - "Oh, he intends to tell her right enough, and this very day, - somewhere about three o'clock," said Vane coolly. "She may cut - up rough for the minute, but when Owain gets into trouble she'll find out - that she loves him all right." - </p> - <p> - "Trouble!" Mrs. Perage looked up suddenly. "What trouble?" - </p> - <p> - "I'm not at liberty to say, Aunt Emma. Owain intends to tell you - himself. But there's a big trouble coming along." - </p> - <p> - "Hum! Can't it be averted?" - </p> - <p> - "So far as I can see, it can't." - </p> - <p> - "Well, Jim,"--the old dame rose from the breakfast table and - brushed the crumbs from her apron,--"I'll wait to hear the young - man's explanation. But I am quite sure that he is honest and kind and a - well-bred gentleman. Nothing will ever make me change my opinion of him." - </p> - <p> - "Wait till you hear what the trouble is." - </p> - <p> - "Do you know all about it?" demanded Mrs. Perage imperatively. - </p> - <p> - "Yes, I do." - </p> - <p> - "And you still can call Hench your friend?" - </p> - <p> - "I can. He's a rattling good chap." - </p> - <p> - "Then why the dickens should I change my opinion when I learn the - truth?" said Mrs. Perage vigorously. "It can't be anything - dishonourable or you would not champion Hench. Do you think you are - talking to a fool, Jim Vane?" - </p> - <p> - "Oh Lord, Aunt Emma, don't get on to me. My nerves are weak." - </p> - <p> - "Your head is," retorted Aunt Emma smartly. "I wish you - hadn't hinted at this trouble, Jim. I'm horribly inquisitive, and will be - on tenterhooks until I know what it's all about." - </p> - <p> - "I don't expect you'll have to wait long," said Vane gloomily. - "There will be the devil to pay if----" - </p> - <p> - Mrs. Perage closed her ears and hurried to the door. "Not another - word. You are only making me more and more curious. But I tell you what, - Jim, I am going to stand Hench's friend in any case." - </p> - <p> - "You're a brick, Aunt Emma." - </p> - <p> - "I'm an old fool," snapped Mrs. Perage, who was more upset by - the implied mystery than she chose to admit. "My wisest plan would be - to wash my hands of the whole business, known and unknown. But instead of - doing so I am just going to strengthen Gwen's love for Owain, so that it - may not fail her when he makes his revelation." - </p> - <p> - Mrs. Perage held to this determination, and twice or thrice during the - morning she exchanged words with Miss Evans on the subject of Hench. The - girl for the time being had lost sight of her mission of clearing her name - by discovering the name of the assassin, and was wholly taken up with love - dreams. She was passionately devoted to the young man, as his attitude - tended to increase her belief in the nobility of his nature. He had saved - her life as it was, and now, in the face of the rumours which credited her - with the death of her father, he was willing to marry her. No man but the - noblest who ever breathed would act in so gloriously honourable a fashion. - She said this and much more to Mrs. Perage in the seclusion of her - bedroom, when she was putting on her prettiest frock and hat to keep the - appointment. And all the time Mrs. Perage was rubbing her beaky nose - irritably. - </p> - <p> - "Don't build the pedestal too high, Gwen," she advised dryly. - "Your idol may have feet of clay and come toppling over." - </p> - <p> - "No," said the girl firmly. "Nothing will ever make me - believe that Mr. Hench is not the best of men. What is his Christian name, - Mrs. Perage? It is strange that he did not tell me yesterday." - </p> - <p> - Mrs. Perage was much too wary to give the name, lest it should lead to - uncomfortable questions and forestall Owain's explanations. "How the - deuce should I know the man's name?" she asked crossly and evasively. - "I never met him until you introduced him to me as your hero." - </p> - <p> - "And he is a hero, isn't he?" - </p> - <p> - "Hum! I suppose so! The rescue was rather flamboyant--a kind of - playing to the gallery." - </p> - <p> - "How unjust," cried Gwen, flaming up, which was exactly what - Mrs. Perage wanted her to do. "As if he could help the way in which - my rescue took place. I am quite sure that he is the most modest of men." - </p> - <p> - "Pooh! No man is modest; they are all as conceited as pigs." - </p> - <p> - "I never knew that pigs were considered vain, Mrs. Perage," said - Gwen coldly. "And I don't see why you should compare Mr. Hench to - one." - </p> - <p> - "I spoke generally. Don't be silly." - </p> - <p> - "Ah, you call me silly because I'm in love." - </p> - <p> - "Are you really and truly in love?" asked the old lady - doubtfully. "Mind you, I don't mean that easy romantic passion which - seems everything and means nothing. But real love, true love, staunch - love, the sort which will hold to its object in the face of all - detraction." - </p> - <p> - "I wouldn't believe a word against Mr. Hench, if that is what you - mean. But I don't know why you should use the word detraction." - </p> - <p> - "I don't know myself," said Mrs. Perage grimly. "Unless it - is that I find most men are broken cisterns. There, there, child, go away - and meet your Prince. I don't wish to be your Jeremiah and prophesy woe." - </p> - <p> - "I wouldn't believe you if you did," said the girl very - decidedly. "All my woe was undergone with the death of my father and - the loss of my old home. I am sure that there is nothing but sunshine - ahead." - </p> - <p> - Mrs. Perage sniffed and thought anxiously about Vane's hints. But it was - not her business to give chapter and verse for her forebodings. And, at - all events, she had somewhat strengthened Gwen's love for the young man by - depreciating him in a hinting kind of way. When the girl, flushed with - love, and looking as pretty as a picture, set forth to keep the - appointment, Mrs. Perage stood at the window and breathed a prayer that - all would be well. It was a bright warm day, but clouds were drifting - across the sky. Even as the old dame prayed a cloud concealed the - brightness of the sun and Mrs. Perage shuddered. It was an omen of ill, - she thought; but when a few moments later the cloud passed and the glow of - the sunshine reasserted itself, she cheered up. It seemed to her that - trouble was coming, but would pass without being of any great duration. - She fervently hoped so, and went about her daily business calling herself - hard names for being so superstitious. - </p> - <p> - Meantime, Gwen, with a smiling face and a light heart, was walking swiftly - towards the place of meeting. Every moment spent away from Hench, now that - he had declared himself, seemed to be wasted, and she promised herself - three or four golden hours with her lover. They would talk in the - churchyard for a time, and then would take a long walk, in any direction, - for whatever path they chose would lead to the Elysian Fields. Then he - would tell her how much he loved her, and she would respond coyly to his - caresses, until earth and sea and sky would be transfigured, and they - would be blessed above all lovers who ever were or who ever would be. - Afterwards would come marriage, and they would enter into the kingdom of - heaven to remain there for ever and ever. Gwen rather blushed at the - extravagance of her thoughts when she entered the churchyard, and blushed - still more when she came suddenly upon the ancient Saxon Cross, against - which the man of men was leaning. She thought for a single nervous moment - that he looked rather pinched and worried, but had no cause to complain of - the warmth of his greeting. Once she was in his arms with only the - jackdaws for spectators, it seemed as though he would never let her go. - All the poetry of Romeo and Juliet was in his embrace. And those lovers - met in a vault at the last which was even more weird than meeting in a - churchyard. - </p> - <p> - "Though I'm not sure if I like it," murmured Gwen following the - course of her thoughts, as they sat down on a flat tombstone. - </p> - <p> - "Like what?" inquired Hench fatuously; "me?" - </p> - <p> - "I wasn't thinking of you at the moment." - </p> - <p> - "Oh, Gwen!" This was breathed with an air of reproach. - </p> - <p> - "I deserve that, I deserve that," she cried penitently. "But - really I was thinking that a churchyard is rather a dismal place to meet - in." - </p> - <p> - "Any place is Paradise where you are," Hench assured her. "But - we can go away for a walk in a few minutes." - </p> - <p> - "Into Parley Wood?" - </p> - <p> - Hench shivered. "No. I don't like Parley Wood--on your account," - he added in a hasty manner. "For there----" - </p> - <p> - "Yes, I know." Gwen stopped him and shivered also. "I - didn't think of what I was saying. But we can't stay here amongst the - tombs." - </p> - <p> - "Why not? Have you any sad recollections about these tombs? Your - father is not buried here, I know." - </p> - <p> - "He is buried at Rhaiadr, in Wales, where his ancestors lie," - said the girl in an altered tone. "But I wish you would not speak of - my father. He was so cruel to me that I wish to forget all about him for - the time being. We will have to talk of him later, when it is necessary to - learn who killed him. Meantime, let us have our golden hour. But no"--she - made a gesture of despair--"we have lost that as it is." - </p> - <p> - "Why so?" - </p> - <p> - "Because you have called up the spectre of my father," said Gwen - sadly. "You have reminded me that I am looked at askance by the - villagers." - </p> - <p> - "Dear, you are quite wrong about that. Mrs. Bell speaks of you in the - highest terms of respect. I think you are making a mistake." - </p> - <p> - "No, I am not," said Gwen decisively. "I don't say that any - one has openly declared that I have anything to do with the--the crime"--her - breath came and went quickly--"but people look and people talk - secretly." - </p> - <p> - "What does it matter so long as they don't talk openly?" said - Hench, soothing her gently. - </p> - <p> - "I wish they would," she cried vehemently. "For then I - could meet the rumours better. As it is I am fighting in the dark--and all - alone, too." - </p> - <p> - "No! No!" Hench gathered her into his strong arms. "You - have me to fight for you now. Be calm, dearest; everything will be put - right now." - </p> - <p> - "Eh, my faith, but that is most true," said a voice immediately - behind them, and the lovers jumped up in dismay to find that they were - observed. - </p> - <p> - The speaker had suddenly emerged from behind a tall tombstone near at - hand, and stood staring hard at them--a dumpy little woman with a swarthy - face and big black eyes now filled with anger. It did not require the - orange-spotted dress, the shabby bead-trimmed mantle and the picture hat - to inform either of the young people who the spy was. Hench recognized - Madame Alpenny at once, and Gwen beheld the unknown visitor who had called - at the Grange. To a woman the dress was sufficient to fix the identity. - </p> - <p> - "You are the woman who came to see my father," said Gwen, - turning white, for the sight of this visitor revived her recollections of - the painful days before Squire Evans was murdered. - </p> - <p> - "Yes, I am the woman. Very clever of you, Mademoiselle, to remember - me." - </p> - <p> - "I remember your dress. Who are you?" - </p> - <p> - Madame Alpenny nodded suavely towards the silent Hench. "Ask him." - </p> - <p> - Gwen turned round and looked hard at her lover's colourless face. "Who - is this woman?" she asked almost inaudibly. "Do you know her?" - </p> - <p> - "None better," snapped the Hungarian lady. "Come, Mr. - Hench, say who I am, and then I shall tell Mademoiselle who you are." - </p> - <p> - "Tell him who he is; tell me who he is," stuttered Gwen - incoherently. "What do you mean?" - </p> - <p> - "Ask him," said Madame Alpenny once more. "Mr. Hench----" - </p> - <p> - "Ah"--the Hungarian lady broke into a hard laugh--"then he - has not told you his Christian name." - </p> - <p> - "I will tell her now," said Hench, taking Gwen's cold hand, and - speaking with an effort. "This lady is Madame Alpenny, who lived in - the same boarding-house as I did in Bethnal Green." - </p> - <p> - "But what had she to do with my father, and what has she to do with - you?" - </p> - <p> - "I think your Christian name will explain all in one word," - remarked Madame Alpenny, looking up at the blue sky. - </p> - <p> - "I intended to tell you myself, Gwen, this very morning," cried - Hench, striving to preserve his calmness, which was sorely shaken. - </p> - <p> - "Tell me what?" said Gwen, who was very white and unstrung. - </p> - <p> - "That my Christian name is--Owain." - </p> - <p> - "Owain----?" - </p> - <p> - "Owain Evans," said Madame Alpenny sharply. "Let there be - an end to his deceit, Mademoiselle. He is your cousin, the same who has - robbed you of your heritage, the same who has----" - </p> - <p> - "Hold your tongue!" interrupted Hench fiercely. "It is for - Miss Evans to speak and not you." - </p> - <p> - "_Miss Evans," sneered the woman, with sparkling eyes. "Why - so, when you called her by her Christian name lately, as she can now call - you by yours? Oh, it is very well, very well indeed, this bal masque of - lies and wickedness." - </p> - <p> - By this time, Gwen, who had been staring silently at Hench, spoke in a low - tone, but in so absolutely unemotional a manner that he could not tell - what her feelings were. "Are you really my cousin?" - </p> - <p> - "Yes! I knew that you were prejudiced against me owing to the false - stories told to you by your father, therefore I wished to make your - acquaintance under the name my father took when he was sent away from - home. Until a few weeks ago I believed it was my true name. Don't blame me - over-much, Gwen," he implored. "After all, I wouldn't have had a - fair chance had I come as your cousin." - </p> - <p> - "Perhaps not," she said softly, and a touch of colour came into - her face. "And after all, you saved my life." - </p> - <p> - "No! No! Let us put all obligation out of the question!" cried - Hench resolutely. "I wish to be judged on my merits." - </p> - <p> - "That will be difficult, seeing what a hero you are," said - Madame Alpenny in a hatefully smooth voice. - </p> - <p> - "Hold your tongue!" cried Gwen, turning on her just as Hench had - done. "You came down here to make mischief this time, as you came - before to make mischief. How you succeeded before you best know yourself, - although I truly believe that your last visit had something to do with my - father's death." - </p> - <p> - "It is a lie!" said Madame Alpenny fiercely, and stepped - forward. - </p> - <p> - Gwen did the same, and the two were face to face, very close indeed to one - another. "I believe that it is the truth. But of that we can talk - later. As to making mischief this time, you shan't succeed. I quite - understand why my cousin wished to give himself a chance of being judged - fairly. And, after all, he came under the name his father used for many - years." - </p> - <p> - "Oh, Gwen"--Hench caught her hand--"do you forgive me?" - </p> - <p> - "You silly fellow, there is nothing to forgive," she replied - gently. "You were right, as I was greatly prejudiced against you by - my father. But now----" - </p> - <p> - "Now?" he asked, looking at her anxiously. - </p> - <p> - "I believe you to be honourable and honest, and----" - </p> - <p> - "Ah"--Madame Alpenny broke in with a snarl, since things were - not going as she desired--"honourable, honest. Oh, it is very fine; - most excellent, I call it. Do not be sure, Mademoiselle, that he is what - you call him." - </p> - <p> - "I <i>am</i> sure"--Gwen stamped--"and to prove the truth - of my belief, I am ready to marry him, as my cousin, Owain Evans. There!" - </p> - <p> - "Oh, Gwen! Oh, Gwen!" said Hench, scarcely believing his ears. - </p> - <p> - "Ah, it is so," taunted the marplot. "Do you marry him for - the heritage you have lost by his coming?" - </p> - <p> - "I marry him because I love him, as he loves me," said Gwen - quietly, and placing her hand in that of her lover, she faced Madame - Alpenny steadily. - </p> - <p> - "What a comparison"--the woman threw up her hands--"when he - loves you not in the least little bit." - </p> - <p> - "I love her with all my heart and soul!" cried the young man - furiously. - </p> - <p> - "Ah, and so did you speak to my daughter, Zara." - </p> - <p> - Gwen pulled her hand away from that of Owain, and looked from him to the - scoffing woman. "My daughter, Zara," she repeated. "And who - is she?" - </p> - <p> - "Do I not speak English?" questioned Madame Alpenny mockingly. - "Ah, then I do pray your forgiveness, as I am what you call--yes--an - alien." - </p> - <p> - "It is nonsense you are talking," said Hench angrily. "Your - daughter----" - </p> - <p> - Then she turned on him furiously, letting her temper flame out for the - first time during the interview. "Yes, my daughter. You dare to stand - there and declare that you do not love her. She is heart-broken, poor - girl, because you have deserted her. I came here bearing a message, and - when I visited where you are staying, your landlady told me you had gone - to this place. I followed quietly and hid myself there"--she flung - out an arm towards the tall tombstone--"to hear what?--you making - love with another girl. But it shall not be so, I tell you. Zara, my - daughter, you shall marry, and not this--this----" - </p> - <p> - "Stop!" cried Hench, finally managing to stay this torrent of - words. "If you begin to call names you will be sorry for it. I do not - love your daughter--I never loved your daughter. It is true that I admired - her, but she told me how she desired to marry Bracken." - </p> - <p> - "You false one!" raged Madame Alpenny. "Zara told me you - did ask her hand in marriage." - </p> - <p> - "That is true," acknowledged Hench boldly. "But I----" - he paused, for a low cry of pain broke on his ear. He turned impetuously - to reassure Gwen of his devotion, only to see her gliding up the path - towards the gate with surprising swiftness. Evidently his foolish - admission had given her to understand that Madame Alpenny's accusation was - true, and without waiting to hear any explanation, she had slipped away in - despair. "Gwen! Gwen!" cried the young man in hoarse tones, and - hastening after the girl. "Wait; wait; it is not what you think, my - dear; it is----" his voice broke, as Gwen, without turning her head, - reached the gate and ran along the road. - </p> - <p> - "Ah, but no. You shall not go after," hissed a bitter voice at - his elbow, and Madame Alpenny grasped his arm firmly. "Here you stay - to speak with me." - </p> - <p> - "You old fiend!" cried Hench, turning on her furiously, for he - saw that it was useless to follow Gwen and explain at the present moment. - </p> - <p> - "As you please," retorted the Hungarian lady, releasing him. - "Names do not do harm, my friend. I can afford to laugh, and I do." - </p> - <p> - While she was laughing, Hench suddenly became quite cool. He saw that he - was in both a dangerous and uncomfortable position, as the woman had - chosen her time excellently to complicate matters. Gwen had pardoned his - masquerade, but she was far too feminine, as he believed, to pardon his - proposing to another woman. In a moment Hench determined to settle Madame - Alpenny and then go at once to enlist Mrs. Perage on his side. "Well," - he said calmly to the marplot, "you have found me and you have done - your worst. What now?" - </p> - <p> - "Don't say that much, Monsieur," said Madame Alpenny shrilly. - "Done my worst, do you declare? Ah, but no. Not yet have I said what - I came to say." - </p> - <p> - "I know what you have come to say," retorted Hench, taking the - bull by the horns, which was the best thing to do. "You mean to - accuse me of murdering my uncle." - </p> - <p> - Madame Alpenny looked rather taken aback by this cool defiance, but - accepted the situation with a vicious pluck. "And is it not so?" - </p> - <p> - "It isn't worth my while to reply to so ridiculous a question," - said Hench, shrugging his square shoulders. "You accuse me. On what - grounds, pray?" - </p> - <p> - "Plenty of grounds, Monsieur; plenty of grounds. You obeyed that - advertisement and met your uncle to murder him and get the property." - </p> - <p> - "When I didn't know that he was my uncle, or that I would inherit any - property in the event of his death?" - </p> - <p> - "You did know that he was your uncle," said the woman furiously. - "Those papers at your lawyers'----" - </p> - <p> - "I did not see them until nine days later," interrupted the - young man. - </p> - <p> - "_You say so," she sneered, "How can you prove that?" - </p> - <p> - "My lawyers can prove it." - </p> - <p> - "Ah, what folly!" Madame Alpenny brushed away this defence with - a gesture. "It was Mr. Evans who told you in that wood how he was - your uncle----" - </p> - <p> - "He did not. I never met him while he was alive." - </p> - <p> - "_You say so----" began Madame, again, only to be cut short. - </p> - <p> - "Hold your tongue and listen," said Hench in a peremptory tone. - "You are very clever and cunning, Madame, and have trapped me by - means of that advertisement in the hopes that you can force me to marry - your daughter. I absolutely decline to do so." - </p> - <p> - "Then I tell the policemen that you are a murderer," she - retorted quickly. Hench laughed. "Oh no, you won't. You would have - done that long ago, but that you wished to blackmail me. But I refuse to - be blackmailed also. And you, Madame, will have to explain why you came - down here to request my uncle to insert that advertisement, instead of - writing to me openly. Stop"--Hench waved his hand, as she was about - to speak--"I have no time to enter into details now. On another - occasion we can speak." - </p> - <p> - Madame Alpenny looked at him sullenly, as she was unprepared for this - defiance and saw the need of gaining time. "I will wait for one week - and then come to you again," she said savagely. "But you marry - Zara, or you hang!" - </p> - <p> - "I shall do neither," said Hench calmly, and turned on his heel - with contempt. - </p> - <p> - "One week," called out the woman furiously; "in one week I - come again!" - </p> - <p> - <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> - </p> - <h4> - <a name="div1_15" href="#div1Ref_15" id="div1_15">CHAPTER XV</a> - </h4> - <h5> - A FRIEND IN NEED - </h5> - <p> - <br /> - </p> - <p> - Now that the long-expected blow had fallen, Hench was surprised to find - how lightly he had been struck. Madame Alpenny having come at an - inopportune moment for him, had made mischief, and for the time being it - looked as though she was triumphing. But Owain felt certain that she was - afraid; he had seen fear in her eyes when he met her so defiantly. If she - had been quite sure of her position, she would not have given him a week - to consider matters. It was not difficult to understand why she had done - so. For the murder of Evans the woman cared very little, save as a means - to force the man she accused to do what she wanted. Her aim was to secure - a wealthy son-in-law, and she could only do that by threatening to tell - the police about his fatal visit to Cookley. But if he refused to do her - bidding and she did tell the police, then, so far as she was concerned, - everything was at an end. She would certainly get him into trouble, but - she would not have him as her daughter's husband, nor would she get any - money. Unwilling to push things too far, Madame Alpenny had therefore - compromised by giving Hench seven days of grace. - </p> - <p> - Of course, at the end of that time, the young man knew that his answer to - her would be the same, and then she might revenge herself by acquainting - the authorities with her plausible story. But it was questionable if she - would do so even then, as the fear in her eyes hinted that she knew more - about the crime than she dared to admit. If anything was made public, - Hench had an idea that Madame Alpenny might be placed in the dock instead - of himself. He could not be sure of this, as even though she had called on - Evans to set the advertisement trap, there was nothing to show that she - had come to Cookley on the evening of the murder. In that case it would be - difficult for her to prove that he had really kept the appointment in - Parley Wood. But, as Hench recognized, the fact of the advertisement being - addressed to him, together with the undoubted fact that he benefited to - the extent of ten thousand a year by the death of his uncle, would - undoubtedly throw suspicion on him. The girl at the Bull Inn might - remember his voice as that of the tramp; and then the fact of his shaving - off his beard would suggest that he had some reason to escape the - accusation. On the whole, it was tolerably certain that if Madame Alpenny - <i>did</i> go to the police, there would be trouble out of which it would - not be easy to emerge scathless. But, owing to his belief that Madame - Alpenny knew more about the matter than she would admit, Hench felt sure - she would not seek the assistance of the authorities. And in any case he - was absolutely safe for one whole week. Much could be done in that time. - </p> - <p> - It was best, meanwhile, to explain things to Gwen, so that she might be - sure of his love. When she learned exactly how he had come to propose to - Zara, then she would understand that his desire to marry the dancer had - only been the longing of a lonely man for home and companionship. With - comprehension of this fact, as Hench devoutly hoped, the love of Gwen - would return, and she would stand by him in the coming trouble. He needed - all the friends he could gather round him to face things, and particularly - felt that having his cousin to defend him would brace him up to defend - himself. Without her love the young man felt that it would not be worth - while to fight. Ten thousand a year and a clearance of his name from - suspicion would not make up for the loss of the girl, who was now all in - all to him. Therefore the first thing to do was to win back Gwen's heart; - after that the deluge could come, so far as Hench was concerned. - </p> - <p> - He returned to his lodgings, and glancing through the window, saw Madame - Alpenny waddling along the street on her way to the station. She cast one - vengeful look on the cottage of Mrs. Bell, but did not attempt to enter, - which was another sign that she did not feel herself strong enough to go - into details. And, as a matter of fact, such was the case. Madame Alpenny - had hoped to dominate Hench immediately, and his defiance had taken her - entirely by surprise. Therefore, she had wisely retreated in order to - collect herself, and intended to descend on him at the end of seven days - with overwhelming proofs of his guilty deed. Hench was relieved when he - saw her pass by the cottage, as he did not wish her to enter and make - trouble. Also he was relieved because he saw in her passing a confession - of weakness. Therefore did he feel much more cheerful and hopeful than he - had done for many a long day. - </p> - <p> - Mrs. Bell explained that a lady had called to see her lodger and that she - had sent her on to the churchyard, whither Hench had intimated he was - going. She hoped that she had not done wrong. Owain told her that the - visitor had only come down to see him on business; that the business had - been easily dispatched; that the lady had returned to London, and that - Mrs. Bell had acted quite judiciously. - </p> - <p> - The little pale woman accepted the explanation in all good faith, and then - went to open the door for the entrance of another lady. Hench, busy with - his afternoon tea, was not surprised when Mrs. Perage entered, full of - wrath. He had rather expected she would come, as it occurred to him that - Gwen's unexpected return from the churchyard would lead to questions and - explanations. From the very first remark of Mrs. Perage, it was certain - that she knew all about the matter. - </p> - <p> - "Well," said the fierce old lady, who looked something like Meg - Merrilees in her half-masculine, half-feminine garb, "this is a nice - state of affairs, young man. Gwen goes to meet you with her heart full of - love, and returns with that same heart broken into little pieces. Your - work." - </p> - <p> - "Sit down, Mrs. Perage, and let us talk quietly," said Hench - entreatingly. - </p> - <p> - "Talk quietly!" echoed Mrs. Perage, sitting down nevertheless. - "Why, I'm seething with rage, and want to break things--you amongst - them." - </p> - <p> - "Then you doubt me?" - </p> - <p> - Mrs. Perage looked at him with a softer eye, and remembered how she had - been prepared to stand by him whatever was said. She had declared as much - to Jim Vane, and could do nothing else but fulfil her declaration. "Perhaps - you have some excuse, young man?" she said truculently. - </p> - <p> - "I have no excuse, but I have an explanation," said Hench dryly. - </p> - <p> - "Then you <i>did</i> propose to that other girl!" shrieked Mrs. - Perage furiously. - </p> - <p> - "Yes. I told you that I----" - </p> - <p> - "You didn't; you didn't." Mrs. Perage would not give him time to - finish his remark. "You told me that you admired another girl, but - that she loved some one else, so you went away. Pfui! Do you think that my - memory has gone with age?" - </p> - <p> - "What you say is quite true----" - </p> - <p> - "That my memory has gone with age?" demanded the old lady - acidly. - </p> - <p> - "No! No! No! But your recollection of what I said about my former----" - </p> - <p> - "Love-affairs!" interpolated Mrs. Perage, who declined to be - suppressed. - </p> - <p> - "No! No! No!" cried Hench again and earnestly. "I never was - in love until I met Gwen. I told you so. But I did say that I admired - another girl." - </p> - <p> - "You didn't say that you had proposed to her," said Mrs. Perage - grimly. - </p> - <p> - "No, I didn't, because----" - </p> - <p> - "Because you loved her." - </p> - <p> - "I didn't!" cried Owain, thoroughly exasperated by these - constant interruptions. "As I have already stated, I didn't know the - meaning of the word love until I met with Gwen." - </p> - <p> - "Then why did you propose to this Zara creature? One doesn't propose - unless love has something to do with the matter." - </p> - <p> - "Has your experience of life only taught you that much, Mrs. Perage? - A man proposes for the sake of money." - </p> - <p> - "Was this Zara creature rich?" - </p> - <p> - "No. She was very poor." - </p> - <p> - "Then you didn't propose to her on that account. Come"--Mrs. - Perage spoke in her roughest manner--"don't waste my time. <i>Why</i> - did you propose?" - </p> - <p> - "Because I was a lonely man and wanted a home and a comrade. I had - been wandering all over the world by myself, and found life dismal in the - extreme. I didn't love Zara Alpenny one little bit. But I admired her as a - thoroughly good woman----" - </p> - <p> - "Oh"--Mrs. Perage rubbed her nose--"she was a good woman, - was she?" - </p> - <p> - "A thoroughly good woman," repeated Hench, again emphasizing his - remark. "And when I asked her to be my wife, she told me that I - didn't love her, but only wanted a home, adding that she loved some one - else. I recognized the truth of her statement with regard to my own - feelings, and therefore I went away from Bethnal Green. I still respect - her, Mrs. Perage, and if I can forward her marriage with the man of her - choice in any way, I will do so. After all, Madame Alpenny wants a rich - son-in-law, and I am wealthy enough to smooth matters over in that way for - Ned Bracken." - </p> - <p> - "Who is he?" - </p> - <p> - "The man Zara loves. And that you may know the worst, let me tell you - that she is a dancer at a Bethnal Green music-hall." - </p> - <p> - "Hum!" said Mrs. Perage, smiling grimly. "And by mentioning - her profession and position you think that I will have a bad opinion of - her. Fudge! I have met with dancers much better as regards morals than - many a woman received at Court. Don't be a fool and think you are talking - to an inexperienced girl." - </p> - <p> - "Well, I did talk to an inexperienced girl," said Hench rather - bitterly, "and she has turned on me." - </p> - <p> - "Why not? You gave her no explanation." - </p> - <p> - "How could I, when she ran away while I was speaking? I couldn't - follow quickly enough, as my foot is yet weak." - </p> - <p> - "Your ankle, you mean--be careful in your speech." Mrs. Perage - rubbed her nose again and her eyes grew calmer. "I'll have a cup of - tea if you will have the decency to give me one." - </p> - <p> - Owain rang for a fresh cup and saucer. "I thought you wouldn't - condescend to eat and drink with a pariah." - </p> - <p> - "Fudge!" said Mrs. Perage again, and very sharply. "Who - said you were a pariah, you silly fellow? That's merely hurt vanity on - your part." - </p> - <p> - "How can I help being hurt, when I am so misjudged?" - </p> - <p> - "Look here." Mrs. Perage bent forward and shook his shoulder. - "Are you a man or a twopenny-halfpenny school-girl?" - </p> - <p> - "I'm an ass," confessed Owain, ashamed of his petty outbreak. - "But I have an attack of nerves, I think, owing to my dreadful - position." - </p> - <p> - "Hum!" Mrs. Perage rubbed her nose, received a cup and saucer - from Mrs. Bell, who had just entered the room, and sent that fragile - person out again. "Jim hinted at trouble. It seems he was right." - </p> - <p> - "Jim knows all about it." - </p> - <p> - "Well, then, I don't. Wait till I fill my cup and then you can tell - me." - </p> - <p> - "Tell you what?" - </p> - <p> - "Drat the man, you know. It's more than this trouble with Gwen you - have to tell me about." - </p> - <p> - "I think that I had better tell you about the trouble with Gwen - first." - </p> - <p> - "What's the use of beginning at the wrong end? Relate the story from - start to finish and then I'll understand more about this interview in the - churchyard with this ridiculous old woman." - </p> - <p> - "Madame Alpenny." - </p> - <p> - "Hum! The name fits her. Go on." - </p> - <p> - "I have already told you most of my life---" - </p> - <p> - "And have left out the most interesting part, apparently. See here, - Hench, or rather, I should say, Owain." Mrs. Perage drank some of her - tea and continued slowly. "I am an old woman with a romantic heart. I - love Gwen and I have taken a fancy to you. Both you and Gwen come of a bad - stock, as old Mynydd Evans was a miser, Owain Evans was a profligate, and - Madoc Evans was a scoundrel, fit for any deed of wickedness. You two - children are the best of the bunch, and I expect get your decent morals - from your mothers. I want to see you happy and married. Now, don't - disappoint me." - </p> - <p> - "I certainly won't, if Gwen won't," said Owain promptly. - </p> - <p> - "Hum! Gwen is a more difficult person to manage. However, if you - leave it to me, I think in some way things will be put right." - </p> - <p> - "Oh, I shall leave everything to you, with pleasure," said Hench - eagerly. "And I thank you for the trouble you are taking. Your - advice----" - </p> - <p> - "Cannot be given further until I am in possession of facts," - interrupted Mrs. Perage, and finishing his sentence in a different way. - "I know that you are Owain's son and inherit the property. I know - that you love Gwen, and that it is possible, in spite of existing - circumstances, that you will marry her. Also I am aware that Madoc was - murdered--by that tramp, I presume." - </p> - <p> - "No!" said Hench sharply, and ready to make a clean breast. - "I am the tramp." - </p> - <p> - "Ha!" exclaimed the old lady in a tone of surprise. "You - are the tramp? Well, I withdraw my accusation, as I am sure you are - innocent enough. But what I was coming to when you interrupted me was that - I wish to know more. Jim says you are in trouble." - </p> - <p> - "In very great trouble. And if you will help me---" - </p> - <p> - "Bless the man, what I came here for was to help. But I can't do that - on half-confidences. You must speak plainly. Now, no more talk. Begin." - Hench did as he was ordered, and in a very short time Mrs. Perage was in - possession of all facts connected with the advertisement; with the keeping - of the appointment and the discovery of the body; and with the schemes of - Madame Alpenny. Her strong old face did not betray much emotion, although - she was inwardly astonished at the revelations, but she kept her eyes on - Owain until he ceased speaking, and then rubbed her nose, as was her - custom when perplexed or annoyed. As she made no remark, Hench did so. - "What do you think?" - </p> - <p> - "Hum!" said Mrs. Perage, starting from the brown study in which - she was involved. "You've brought your pigs to a pretty market, young - man. Well, well, we must see what is best to be done." - </p> - <p> - "You don't believe me to be guilty?" - </p> - <p> - "Would I be still sitting here if I did? Don't be a fool. Not that I - blame the person who got Madoc out of the way very much. He was such a - disagreeable person, that I often thought I'd be hanged for killing him - myself." - </p> - <p> - "Mrs. Perage!" - </p> - <p> - "It sounds dreadful, doesn't it?" she said good-humouredly. - "But then you see I am a dreadful person in the eyes of many - milk-and-water people, because I have my own decided opinions and go my - own way. I suppose it's wrong to say a word against the dead, although I - don't see why we should talk of nothing but virtues they never possessed - while alive. Well, let the man rest; he did a lot of harm when he was - alive, and wherever he has gone to, he's making mischief. You didn't - murder him, anyhow?" - </p> - <p> - "I certainly did not," answered Hench, smiling. "But the - question is, who did?" - </p> - <p> - "Ah"--Mrs. Perage kilted up her dress and folded her hands on - her knees--"a very difficult question to answer. But Madame Alpenny - didn't, although you seem to have some idea that she is the guilty person." - </p> - <p> - "She knew my uncle and all about the disposal of the property through - the confidence made to her by my father twenty years ago." - </p> - <p> - "That doesn't prove that she murdered Madoc. She wanted you to marry - her daughter undoubtedly after she laid hold of the clue which led her to - learn that you were likely to inherit ten thousand a year. But why should - she put her neck in a noose?" - </p> - <p> - "She might have wished me to get possession of the property at once, - and have murdered my uncle in the hope that I would go to the spot and - then run the risk of being arrested. I believe myself that it was all a - plot to get me under her thumb. I <i>did</i> go to the rendezvous and I - _am implicated. Well?" - </p> - <p> - Mrs. Perage rubbed her nose again. "The devil's in it for trouble," - she muttered. "Perhaps I am premature in assuming that this woman is - innocent, but it seems incredible that she should run such a risk. I shall - have to see her first before I make up my mind. She's clever." - </p> - <p> - "In a foxy sort of way." - </p> - <p> - "Hum! The fox doesn't do things on a big scale in the way of killing." - </p> - <p> - Hench answered flippantly, as the conversation was getting on his nerves. - "What about hen-roost massacres?" - </p> - <p> - Mrs. Perage rose, and was about to rebuke him when she saw, as Gwen had - seen earlier, the white pinched look on his face. "You're - over-wrought, my friend. I want you to promise me two things." - </p> - <p> - "Yes. What are they?" asked the young man wearily. - </p> - <p> - "In the first place do not make any move in these matters until I - give you leave. I have a plan in my head." - </p> - <p> - "What is it?" - </p> - <p> - "I shan't tell it until it is carried out. In the second place do not - come to my house until to-morrow afternoon." - </p> - <p> - "But Gwen will believe more than ever that I am----" - </p> - <p> - "What she thinks you are in a moment of rage on her part," - finished Mrs. Perage. "That's just it. If you see her now you will - spoil all. Wait until I tell you that it is safe to come." - </p> - <p> - "Very well. But I can't let you take my burden on your shoulders and - stay here doing nothing. It's not cricket." - </p> - <p> - "You'll get all the cricket you require, I promise you," said - Mrs. Perage as she took her departure. "I don't mind telling you," - she added, glancing back, "that it interests me to have something - exciting of this sort to do. Life is rather dull hereabouts." - </p> - <p> - "I only hope it will not prove too exciting." - </p> - <p> - The old lady laughed and stepped briskly out of the cottage, while Owain - remained where he was kicking against the pricks. He wished to see Gwen, - but as he had promised to wait for instructions he could not do so. Like - the lady who had just left, he found life in Cookley intolerably dull at - the moment. But then, as Gwen was not beside him, he would have found it - equally dull had he been alone in Paris or London. It was Gwen who made up - his existence, and nothing else mattered particularly. To such lengths - does the passion of love lead ordinarily sensible human beings. - </p> - <p> - Meanwhile, Mrs. Perage walked home briskly, turning over certain plans in - her very capable mind. She did not seek out Gwen, who was weeping in the - retirement of her bedroom, since all explanations at the present moment - were futile. But Mrs. Perage decided that when the girl grew calmer a very - positive explanation, which could not be mistaken, should be made to her - by the right person. To bring about this necessary event she looked up her - nephew, whom she found dawdling in the garden with a cigarette and a - French novel. Vane lay on the grass under a shady tree clothed in white - flannels, and looked rather alarmed when his aunt appeared. The day was - hot, and Mrs. Perage was so uncommonly active that she was scarcely a - desirable companion for a lazy man. His anxiety was therefore natural. - </p> - <p> - "Sit up and listen," said Mrs. Perage, getting to work at once. - "I've seen our young friend, and I now know as much as you do." - </p> - <p> - Jim sat up cross-legged, resigned to the worst, and Mrs. Perage seated - herself on the rustic bench under the tree with the air of a judge trying - a particularly vicious criminal. "Need we discuss matters just now?" - he asked in a bored tone. "I'm so comfortable. Peter is bringing me - some tea, I have a book and a case of cigarettes, so on the whole----" - </p> - <p> - "Don't be an ass, Jim. You can be busy enough if you like." - </p> - <p> - "That's just it, Aunt Emma," remonstrated the barrister, - clutching his ankles. "I don't like. There's nothing to be done at - present. I'll see Owain this evening and hear how he settled with that old - woman." - </p> - <p> - "He has settled nothing. But he managed to get her to leave him alone - for seven days. In that time much can be done." - </p> - <p> - "Very probably. I'm sure I wish to do all I can. And Gwen?" - </p> - <p> - "She's crying in her bedroom. She will continue to cry until she is - assured that Owain really loves her and not this other girl. You know what - I mean?" - </p> - <p> - "Well, as you related what took place in the churchyard and as Gwen - repeated the story to me, I must admit that I do know. I say, Aunt Emma, - you don't think Miss Evans minds me calling her Gwen, as I----" - </p> - <p> - "Oh, don't talk rubbish," interrupted Mrs. Perage quickly. - "We have more important things to speak about. This evening you must - go to town by the seven train,"--she glanced at her watch. "That - will give you time to have dinner comfortably, as you needn't dress." - </p> - <p> - "But, I say,"--Vane looked rather disgusted,--"I don't want - to go to town." - </p> - <p> - "You must," said his aunt impressively. "Go to Bethnal - Green, and bring down with you to-morrow Mademoiselle Zara." - </p> - <p> - "What for?" - </p> - <p> - "Bless the man, can't you understand? Only this Zara creature can set - Gwen's mind at rest. She can explain that Hench never really loved her and - only offered himself to her to gain a home and a companion." - </p> - <p> - "Can't Owain tell Gwen that?" - </p> - <p> - "He might tell it to her fifty times and she would not believe him," - said Mrs. Perage shrewdly. "But when this girl speaks everything will - be put right straight away. Then we can consider what is best to be done - about the other and more serious business. But you must see, Jim, that it - is first necessary to adjust matters between Gwen and Hench." - </p> - <p> - "Well, Aunt Emma, you understand your own sex better than I do, so I - suppose it is best for me to bring Zara Alpenny down." - </p> - <p> - "I am quite positive it is." - </p> - <p> - "Good! I'll enjoy my dinner and then go to town by the train you - mention. I can bring Mademoiselle Zara to your house about two o'clock - to-morrow. Now that's all right." Vane yawned and rose. "Ah, - here comes Peter with the tea." - </p> - <p> - Mrs. Perage looked rather grimly on the freckled page who carried on a - tray the beverage which Mr. Vane desired. Hench had told her how Madame - Alpenny had learned his whereabouts through Simon, <i>alias_ Bottles, and - the same could have only acquired the knowledge through Peter.</i> - </p> - <p> - "Here!" she said sharply. "Do you write to your brother in - town and tell him all the gossip of the village?" - </p> - <p> - "Me, mum? No, mum," said Peter, rather alarmed by her peremptory - tone. - </p> - <p> - "Don't tell lies, boy," said his mistress sternly. "You - told your brother that Mr. Hench was staying at Mrs. Bell's cottage." - </p> - <p> - "I know I did, mum." Peter began to whimper. "But I hope I - didn't do no harm, mum. Simon, he thinks no end of Mr. Hench, so I thought - as I'd tell him. But it's all right, mum. Simon knows what he's about." - </p> - <p> - "What do you mean by that?" questioned Vane quickly, for the - page spoke in a very significant tone. Peter shuffled and wriggled - uncomfortably. "Simon will tell you, sir, when the time comes," - he replied evasively. - </p> - <p> - "Tell what?" - </p> - <p> - "What Simon knows, sir." - </p> - <p> - "And what does Simon know?" - </p> - <p> - "I can't tell you, sir. Simon's clever. He knows a thing or two." - </p> - <p> - "And so do I," said Mrs. Perage sternly. "And one is that - you are not to write gossiping letters from my house." - </p> - <p> - "No, mum, I won't!" And Peter went away as quickly as he could - lest he should be questioned further. "Now what does that mean?" - asked Mrs. Perage shrewdly. "Is this brat and his brother mixed up in - this dangerous business?" - </p> - <p> - "It seems like it," replied Jim, stirring his tea meditatively. - "But Peter may have written in all innocence, knowing how Bottles - adores Owain." - </p> - <p> - "Bottles, as you call him, didn't tell Madame Alpenny in all - innocence," she snapped. - </p> - <p> - "Hum!" said Vane, quite in his aunt's style, "we'll look - into the matter." And he did so on the morrow when he went to Bethnal - Green. - </p> - <p> - <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> - </p> - <h4> - <a name="div1_16" href="#div1Ref_16" id="div1_16">CHAPTER XVI</a> - </h4> - <h5> - EXPLANATIONS - </h5> - <p> - <br /> - </p> - <p> - Gwen was thoroughly miserable. On returning from the churchyard she had - shut herself up in her bedroom, after a sobbing description to Mrs. Perage - and Vane of what had taken place. In this seclusion she remained, speaking - little, eating less, and only sleeping occasionally when exhausted Nature - insisted upon having her own sensible way. The trouble Gwen was now - undergoing seemed ever so much worse than that which she had already - undergone. The death of her father had been dreadful, but he had been such - a tyrant that--to speak plainly--his loss had not broken her heart. But - now she felt certain that her heart was really and truly broken, as the - idea of losing Owain was like a nightmare. The girl by this time fully - recognized that she loved her cousin dearly, even though that love had - grown as rapidly and unexpectedly as Jonah's gourd. Perhaps, like the - same, it would perish as quickly. Gwen attempted to assure herself of - this, but could not self-hypnotise herself into such a belief. Her passion - was too genuine, too strong, too overwhelming, to be got rid of so easily. - </p> - <p> - Yet--she asked herself this question frequently--how could she believe - that Owain loved her, when she had heard from his own lips that he had - proposed to another girl? Gwen considered that she had been very generous - in forgiving his masquerading, although she admitted that under the - circumstances the assumption of a false name had been pardonable. But that - he should have loved some one else, and should have proposed to that some - one, seemed to her to be monstrous. It was impossible for her to forget or - forgive such a thing. She assured herself that self-respect demanded the - adoption of this merciless attitude, but the cause of it--which she would - not admit--was really jealousy. But whatever it was the feeling made her - wretched, and for long hours the poor child tossed and turned and shivered - and wept, as she wondered what her future was likely to be. She had youth, - she had beauty, she had money, but all these desirable things were as dust - and ashes, lacking the companionship of the man she loved. And as he had - condemned himself out of his own mouth she could not see how the position - of things was to be altered. - </p> - <p> - In her bluff way, Mrs. Perage was very sorry for the girl, as she saw how - truly genuine was her suffering. The old lady strongly sympathized with - that despairing feeling of youth which believes that the world has come to - an end because things do not turn out as expected. Not that she believed - Gwen's world had ended, but understood easily enough how the girl thought - so. To put matters right, Mrs. Perage set herself to work in the hope of - proving that the sun was merely obscured for the moment. For a day and a - night she left the sufferer alone, so that she might get over the first - stage of misery and anger. Then the old dame entered the bedroom and - proceeded to develop her scheme, which she hoped would put the crooked - straight. - </p> - <p> - "Well, my dear," she said in a brisk and heartless manner, as - she seated herself on the bed, "have you overcome your fit of - self-pity?" - </p> - <p> - "Oh, how unkind you are," wailed Gwen, who did not expect such a - speech. "My heart is broken." - </p> - <p> - "No, my dear, your vanity is hurt." - </p> - <p> - "Vanity? I have no vanity." - </p> - <p> - "Well, well, we will call it pride, self-respect, dignity, or any - other pretty name which appeals to you," said Mrs. Perage - complacently. "Anyhow, you can't lie here amongst the ruins of your - life. Have some breakfast and get up." - </p> - <p> - "I can't eat and I can't drink. How can you expect me to?" cried - Gwen, who was intensely exasperated by this matter-of-fact speech. "You - will make me angry, Mrs. Perage." - </p> - <p> - "I want to, since anger will make you see things in a more sensible - light. You can't live on air, you know, my dear, or on love either, - especially as this last is nonexistent." - </p> - <p> - The spirit of contradiction, begotten by anger, made the invalid resent - this last remark. "Love isn't nonexistent," she declared - crossly. "I love Owain still, although he doesn't deserve my - affection in the least. I call it a shame for him to come here and save my - life and make me love him, when all the time he is engaged to another - girl." - </p> - <p> - "Who told you that he was?" inquired Mrs. Perage dryly, and very - well satisfied with the result her conversation was producing. - </p> - <p> - "He told me so himself, and I told you how he was," said Gwen - incoherently. "He admitted that he had proposed to the nasty daughter - of that horrid woman." - </p> - <p> - "Well," said Mrs. Perage coolly, "a young man must gain - experience somehow." - </p> - <p> - "Owain shan't gain any at my expense," retorted Gwen viciously. - "After all, I don't think that he is worth troubling about." - </p> - <p> - "Of course he isn't," said Mrs. Perage, wishing to emphasize - this opinion. "So lie down and go to sleep and forget all about him. - You can't eat, you know." - </p> - <p> - "Yes, I can." Gwen rose in the bed angrily. "I shall have - my breakfast and get up and go about things just as if nothing had - happened." - </p> - <p> - Mrs. Perage shook her old head wisely. "You have not the strength." - </p> - <p> - "I have--I have. Ring the bell and order some tea and toast." - </p> - <p> - "Peter is bringing up some sort of a meal, my dear. Ah, there is his - knock. I will take the tray," and Mrs. Perage went to the door to do - so, chuckling at the way in which she was dealing with the situation. - "Give it to me, Peter; now you can go. By the way, Gwen, shall I send - him for the doctor?" - </p> - <p> - "No. I'm quite well," said the girl indignantly. So Peter was - dismissed and the tray was placed on the bed. "Leave me to eat, Mrs. - Perage, and you can come back after I have dressed." - </p> - <p> - "Foolish! Foolish!" said the old dame, leaving the room. "You - are attempting too much." And she departed, still chuckling to think - how easily this somewhat difficult young lady had fallen into the trap. - </p> - <p> - Gwen, quite ignorant that she was acting exactly as Mrs. Perage desired, - sipped the tea and nibbled at the toast. Pride speedily came to her aid, - and when the meal was finished she felt much better. Self-pity was now - merged in a sense of anger that Owain had dared to treat her so - shamefully, therefore she dressed herself in her prettiest frock with the - intention of proving to him that she felt his treachery less than he might - have expected. When she walked into the drawing-room, Mrs. Perage looked - up to see a smartly dressed young lady with sparkling eyes and a fine - colour, in place of the white-faced invalid she had left. So far the - result of the experiment was distinctly good. - </p> - <p> - "And of course," suggested the old lady artfully, "you have - quite decided to throw Owain overboard." - </p> - <p> - "What else would you have me do?" demanded Gwen revengefully. - </p> - <p> - "Hum!" said Mrs. Perage in a meditative manner. "I think I - should ask for an explanation." - </p> - <p> - "There can be no explanation likely to satisfy me." - </p> - <p> - "That entirely depends upon my common-sense way of looking at things," - said Mrs. Perage dryly. "Or on your common-sense, if you come to - that. By the way, that girl is coming down here this afternoon--she will - arrive in an hour." - </p> - <p> - "What girl?" - </p> - <p> - "Hum!" Mrs. Perage skirted round the subject and did not give an - entirely direct reply. "Your breakfast has been your luncheon, for it - is now two o'clock, so such a queer exchange of meals must have upset you. - Perhaps you had better not be present." - </p> - <p> - "What girl are you talking about?" asked Gwen, her colour coming - and going, although she knew perfectly well what was meant. "And I am - in quite enough good health to see any girl. How dare she come here?" - </p> - <p> - "Ah!"--Mrs. Perage chuckled,--"you guess what I mean, I - see. Well, my dear Jim was rather put out about your quarrel with Hench, - so he suggested at my desire that it would be as well for him to go to - town and bring Mademoiselle Zara with him down here to explain matters." - </p> - <p> - "I don't require any explanation," said Gwen, holding her head - very high. - </p> - <p> - "Bless the girl, did I say so? This Zara woman is coming to explain - to me. I may as well be plain, Gwen. It was I who told Jim to go to town - and fetch her, since it is necessary that I should learn what a rascal - Hench is." - </p> - <p> - "He's not a rascal; I'm sure he's not a rascal." Gwen stamped - her foot and grew very red. - </p> - <p> - "Oh yes, he is, my dear. To propose to one girl and to make love to - another is not right. I must inquire into his character, you know, so as - to see if he is a decent man to know. Now Mademoiselle Zara can tell us - the truth. But I don't want you to be present." - </p> - <p> - "But I shall!" cried Miss Evans, with another stamp. "It is - my right to be present. The explanation concerns me more than any one - else." - </p> - <p> - "Oh, well, if you insist upon being present, I have no more to say." - Mrs. Perage shrugged her shoulders, and making a wilful mistake. "Did - you say 'present' or 'pleasant'?" - </p> - <p> - "Pleasant. You must be pleasant to Mademoiselle Zara, as, after all, - you do not care anything for your cousin." - </p> - <p> - "I do. All the same I am angry with him. I shall be present and be - pleasant just as I please. And now I shall take a walk in the park so as - to calm my nerves. I'm sure Owain has upset them enough." And Gwen - hastily departed, while Mrs. Perage chuckled more than ever. - </p> - <p> - "Fiery little Welsh temper she has," murmured the old lady. - "I don't envy Hench when he makes her his wife. Hum! So that's - settled. Let us hope good will come of the interview." She rubbed her - nose. "Gwen's a handful to manage, but by contradiction I fancy that - I have secured my own way." - </p> - <p> - Of course this was quite true, although Miss Evans, walking in the park, - was perfectly sure that she was acting contrary to Mrs. Perage's wishes. - By this time the girl was in a fine temper, ready to quarrel with any one - about anything. In fact she felt very much inclined to fight for what she - considered were her rights, so far as concerned her cousin. In some queer - way, Gwen arrived at the conclusion that by saving her life Hench had - given her some sort of claim over him. Of course, she would never marry - him; nothing would ever induce her to marry such a faithless person. But - she intended to hint at her fantastic claim by ordering him to make Zara - his wife. Then, on further reflection, she did not like him to marry the - dancer, as she loved him herself. Still, as he was unworthy of her love, - perhaps it would be as well to allow him to carry out his proposal to - Madame Alpenny's daughter. He would certainly be miserable, which would - serve him right, as Zara was bound to be a minx and a cat and several - other disagreeable things. In this incoherent way Miss Evans thought, - while working off her anger as best she could by walking at top speed up - one path and down another. She did not know whether to laugh or to cry, to - rage or to fret; all she did know was that everything seemed to be wrong, - and that the bottom had fallen out of creation. - </p> - <p> - When Gwen again ventured into the house, she found the drawing-room - tenanted by Mrs. Perage, her nephew, and two visitors. One of these was a - handsome, untidily dressed young fellow, who wore his hair rather long - after the manner of musicians; the other was a tall girl, gaunt, - striking-looking, with something of the gipsy in her appearance. She wore - a red velvet hat and a long red velvet mantle, the violent hues of which - harmonized well with her somewhat sallow complexion and bold dark eyes. - When Gwen entered, this girl was laughing and showed a row of very white - teeth, which added to her handsome looks. - </p> - <p> - "Mademoiselle Zara, this is Miss Evans," said Mrs. Perage, - rising to make a rapid introduction. "Gwen, this is Madame Alpenny's - daughter, and Mr. Bracken, to whom she is engaged." - </p> - <p> - "Engaged?" Gwen started back and gasped. "But I don't - understand." - </p> - <p> - "Mademoiselle Zara will explain," said Mrs. Perage swiftly, and - collecting the two men with her eyes. "Mr. Bracken, I must show you - my garden, as I am sure you take an interest in flowers. Come with me. You - also, Jim, as you must go to Mrs. Bell's and bring Hench here." - </p> - <p> - "I don't wish to see him," called out Gwen hurriedly, but Mrs. - Perage took no notice of the speech, as she had already conducted the two - men out of the room, leaving the two girls alone. - </p> - <p> - Gwen eyed Zara and Zara eyed Gwen with great curiosity, and used their - intuitions with so much skill that in two minutes each girl knew all about - the nature of the other girl. Miss Evans could not deny but what the - dancer was handsome enough to attract any one, even the most fastidious, - while Zara thought that Gwen was one of the most charming young ladies she - had ever seen. - </p> - <p> - "I'm sure he will be very happy with you," she said abruptly. - </p> - <p> - "Who?" asked Gwen, sitting down and getting ready to fence. - </p> - <p> - Zara laughed meaningly. "My dear, there is only one 'he' in the world - for you." - </p> - <p> - "So I thought, until I found him out," retorted Miss Evans - sharply. - </p> - <p> - "Oh, I understand all about your finding him out. Mr. Vane gave me a - full description of my mother's meddling. But if you had waited to hear - what took place after your departure from the churchyard there would have - been no need for me to come down." - </p> - <p> - "I did not ask you to come down," said Gwen pointedly. - </p> - <p> - "You did not. Mrs. Perage did, however, as she was anxious for your - mistake to be corrected. I am anxious, also, else I would not have - troubled to take this long journey." - </p> - <p> - "Why did you undertake it, then?" - </p> - <p> - "Because I have the greatest respect for Mr. Hench." - </p> - <p> - "The greatest love, you mean." - </p> - <p> - "Indeed, I mean nothing of the sort," said Zara candidly. "I - have no more love for Mr. Hench than I have for that table. Didn't you - hear Mrs. Perage say that I was engaged to Mr. Bracken?" - </p> - <p> - "Yes! I suppose you are," admitted Gwen reluctantly. "But - there is always one who loves and one who is loved, you know." - </p> - <p> - "Heine, the German poet, said that, Miss Evans. I congratulate you on - the wide range of your reading. It shows that you are not narrow, and not - being narrow, I trust that you will do Mr. Hench justice." - </p> - <p> - "He proposed to you. I heard him say so myself." - </p> - <p> - "My dear," said the dancer, after the lenient fashion of an - elder sister, "Mr. Hench at that time would have proposed to any - woman of decent character and decent looks. Your Heine quotation implied - that although I did not love him, he loved me. There you are entirely - wrong. He admired me, certainly, but----" - </p> - <p> - "But he proposed to you," interrupted Miss Evans doggedly. - </p> - <p> - Zara's cheeks grew crimson and her voice became sharper. "We are two - women talking together," she said decisively. "Therefore, it is - useless for us to skirt about the bush as we would do with men. Mr. Hench - never loved me; he had no conception of love when he proposed, and I told - him so. Can't you understand how a lonely man must wish for a home and a - comrade, so that he may have some centre in life? I used those very words - to him. Mr. Bracken gives me that true love which is more than admiration, - which was all Mr. Hench had to offer. He could not give me his heart - because he did not know that he possessed one. Since coming here he has - made the discovery that he has a heart and he has given it to you." - </p> - <p> - "Have you seen him; did he tell you so?" - </p> - <p> - It took Zara a moment or so to quell her rising anger, and she felt - inclined to shake this silly little girl who was not to be convinced by - common-sense explanations. "I have not seen Mr. Hench, nor if you - wish it will I see him." - </p> - <p> - "Oh, it's nothing to me," said Gwen with an air of finality. - </p> - <p> - "Then it ought to be. Mr. Vane told me what Mr. Hench told him." - </p> - <p> - "What is that?" - </p> - <p> - "You know quite well," retorted Zara tartly. "It is that - Mr. Hench loves you better than you deserve." - </p> - <p> - "How can you tell what I deserve?" - </p> - <p> - "I am only going by what I see of you now," said the dancer - patiently. "You really love Mr. Hench, and you are fighting against - your feelings, because you believe that he loves me, which is not the - case. As you can see that I am speaking the truth, it is unworthy of you - to speak as you do. Therefore, I say that Mr. Hench loves you better than - you deserve. I don't know," cried Zara, becoming exasperated, "why - you force me to make so unnecessary an explanation, as you are quite aware - of what I mean." - </p> - <p> - Gwen was so impressed by the dancer's earnest speech that she became much - more reasonable. "I am a pig, I know," she murmured rather - inelegantly. "But it isn't pleasant to love a man and then to hear - from his own lips that he proposed to another woman." - </p> - <p> - "Pooh! You are making a mountain out of a molehill," said Zara - contemptuously. "If Mr. Hench had proposed to me after he met you, - then there might be some sense in your attitude. But I tell you he did not - know the meaning of love when he proposed to me, and would have proposed - to any other woman just as readily. His first acquaintance with love was - when he saved your life. He is heart and soul devoted to you. My dear"--Zara - rose, and bending over Gwen, took her hand--"don't be foolish and - throw away a love which will make you the happiest woman in the world." - </p> - <p> - "Can you swear that Owain loves me?" asked Gwen, more and more - impressed. - </p> - <p> - "Personally, I cannot. But from what Mr. Vane has told me I certainly - can declare that Mr. Hench adores you." - </p> - <p> - "Yes." Miss Evans stared hard at nothing. "I believe he - does." - </p> - <p> - "Then why are you making all this trouble?" - </p> - <p> - "You are a woman and ask me that?" - </p> - <p> - Zara laughed. "It is absurd, I know. But I am anxious to put things - right. My mother made trouble and I came down to make peace. Don't send me - away with my errand unaccomplished." - </p> - <p> - Gwen jumped up and kissed the dancer. "No, I won't. I am quite - satisfied with your explanation. I have been very silly and have made - myself quite ill in worrying over things. And if Owain comes----" - </p> - <p> - "Owain is coming," interrupted Zara quickly, as she glanced out - of the open French window of the room. "Yonder he is with Mr. Vane, - who was sent to bring him by Mrs. Perage. My dear"--she kissed Gwen's - cheek--"I will slip out to join Mrs. Perage and Ned in the garden. - You stay here and make it up with Mr. Hench. No half-measures, mind. Be - generous and loyal." And with a smiling nod the dancer flitted - through the window just as the footsteps of Owain were heard in the hall. - </p> - <p> - "Oh!" said Gwen, drawing a long breath, "how nearly I have - lost him." - </p> - <p> - Vane had sense enough not to enter along with his friend, as he thoroughly - understood the saying about two being company and three none. In a most - loyal fashion he obliterated himself, and Owain walked into the room by - himself. The young man looked worn and ill, so that Gwen's heart was - touched, and she felt ashamed of her conduct, which was responsible for - his wilted appearance. Almost without thought she flew into his arms. - </p> - <p> - "I'm a horrid creature," she murmured. "Do forgive me and - I'll be good." - </p> - <p> - "Oh!"--Owain's pale face flushed suddenly and his brown eyes - sparkled--"then you don't believe----" - </p> - <p> - "I believe that you love me. Mademoiselle Zara has explained - everything." - </p> - <p> - "Thank God for that. Where is she?" - </p> - <p> - "Do you wish to see her?" asked Miss Evans jealously. - </p> - <p> - "Only to thank her. But that can come later. Meantime"--he bent - and kissed her three or four times--"oh, Gwen, how could you think - that I loved any one in the world but you--you--you?" - </p> - <p> - "I was silly and wicked and--and----" - </p> - <p> - "No! No! There was some cause for your anger, as Madame Alpenny told - so skilful a lie. It wasn't all a lie, of course, as I did propose to - Zara." - </p> - <p> - "I know you did, and I know why you did. But you will be much happier - with me than with her," said the girl naïvely. - </p> - <p> - "Than with any one, Gwen," cried the young man fervently. "Oh, - my dear, to think how nearly I have lost you." - </p> - <p> - "I said that to myself about you, just before you entered," - whispered Gwen in a penitent tone. "Do forgive me." - </p> - <p> - "On condition that you forgive me," pleaded Owain fondly. - </p> - <p> - "Dear, there is nothing to forgive," said the girl, abasing - herself. "It is all my fault--all my fault. I'm a nasty little - jealous animal." - </p> - <p> - "Just the kind of animal I like." Owain pressed her hard in his - arms. "I'll never, never let you go again, and now that we are - together and you are on my side, I am prepared to face the worst." - </p> - <p> - "Face what?" - </p> - <p> - "Ah, I forgot; you don't understand. I have a long explanation to - give." Hench paused and looked nervous, as he drew Gwen to a chair - and sat down to take her on his knee. "You won't hate me, or doubt - me?" - </p> - <p> - "Never! Never!" Gwen positively. "I'll never doubt you - again. What is the matter?" - </p> - <p> - "Murder is the matter!" - </p> - <p> - "What?" She started back and stared at his perturbed face. - "The murder of----" - </p> - <p> - "Yes! The murder of your father. You know that tramp you suspect?" - </p> - <p> - "The one who asked the way to the Gipsy Stile? Yes." - </p> - <p> - "I am that tramp." - </p> - <p> - "It's impossible." - </p> - <p> - "It is quite true. I have explained matters to Vane and to Mrs. - Perage. Now I must explain them to you. Having admitted that I am the - tramp you suspect----" - </p> - <p> - Gwen stopped him by laying her hand over his mouth. "I don't suspect - the tramp, now that you are he," she said vehemently. "You are - innocent, I am sure." - </p> - <p> - "How can you be sure?" asked Hench sharply. "Because you - saved my life," replied Gwen in a truly feminine fashion. "No - one who saved a person's life would commit a murder." - </p> - <p> - "Well, I can scarcely admit the logic of that reasoning," said - Hench, unable to refrain from a smile, in spite of the desperate - situation. "But I am glad that you so far trust me." - </p> - <p> - "I trust you to the death." - </p> - <p> - "Darling!"--he kissed her--"that gives me the courage to - tell you all!" And he did tell her all then and there, from the time - of the conversation with Madame Alpenny down to the moment when she - accused him in the churchyard. "So you see, Gwen," he concluded - in a melancholy tone, "that although perfectly innocent, this woman - has the power to have me arrested." - </p> - <p> - "You shall not be arrested," said Gwen, with sparkling eyes and - red cheeks. - </p> - <p> - "Then you don't believe me to be guilty?" - </p> - <p> - "What a silly question to ask." This time it was Gwen who - kissed. "Is it likely that I would still be sitting on your knee if I - thought you killed my father? Of course, the whole thing is difficult and - mysterious, but I am on your side, Owain, and we will fight it out - together." - </p> - <p> - "Yes! Yes!" Hench rose and swung her off her feet right into his - arms. "I am not afraid now. Your love will give me strength to - conquer my enemies. But it will be an ordeal for you." - </p> - <p> - "An ordeal which will prove the depth of my love, dear. And I deserve - such an ordeal. I doubted you once; but I'll never, never, never, never - doubt you again. Owain, darling, everything will come right. There is Mr. - Vane and Mrs. Perage and myself and you. Against us is only that horrid - old woman." - </p> - <p> - "She holds a strong hand in the game, though," murmured the - young man doubtfully. "We hold a stronger. Right will always prevail - against might." - </p> - <p> - "Gwen! Gwen! You are a tower of strength. You put new life into me. - Yes, we will fight; we will fight, fight to the end." - </p> - <p> - "And win!" cried Gwen. "Oh, never doubt, Owain. We must - win!" - </p> - <p> - <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> - </p> - <h4> - <a name="div1_17" href="#div1Ref_17" id="div1_17">CHAPTER XVII</a> - </h4> - <h5> - BLACKMAIL - </h5> - <p> - <br /> - </p> - <p> - After the reconciliation between the lovers nothing remained but to go - into the garden and announce that Mademoiselle Zara's errand had been - wholly successful. Gwen was now quite amiably disposed towards her rival, - and was indeed very thankful to her for the peacemaking explanation. Along - with Hench she went into the hot sunshine, and as they walked across the - lawns towards the glade where they were likely to find the others, Owain - warned Gwen that Zara was wholly ignorant of her mother's schemes. "Only - you and I, Mrs. Perage and Jim Vane, know about her accusation," said - the young man seriously. "So don't hint a word of the business to - Zara." - </p> - <p> - "Of course I won't," agreed Gwen readily. "But what steps - are you going to take, Owain, in order to counterplot her?" - </p> - <p> - "Madame Alpenny? Well, I haven't any idea in my head just now, and, - at all events, she has given me a week to think over things. Let us leave - matters as they are until to-morrow, and then we can call a council of war - and see what is best to be done. There's no doubt that Madame Alpenny has - me in a tight place." - </p> - <p> - "She has," said Gwen cheerfully. "But we may be able to - turn the tables on her." - </p> - <p> - "In what way?" - </p> - <p> - "I don't know," mused the girl. "It seems to me that this - woman knows more about the death of my father than she will admit. She may - be guilty herself." - </p> - <p> - Hench shook his head. "I have some such idea myself, and yet it seems - impossible. What had she to gain?" - </p> - <p> - "A fortune through you," said Gwen promptly. "By means of - that advertisement which brought you to the Gipsy Stile, she implicated - you in the murder, which she may have executed before you arrived. Once - under her thumb, she hoped to compel you to marry Zara, and so would have - gained control of the money." - </p> - <p> - "I am not under her thumb yet," said Hench grimly. "And - what is more, I don't intend to be, strong as is her position. Whether she - is guilty or innocent I can't say, as I am ignorant of her doings on the - night of the first of July. But I should like to know, Gwen, why your - father put that advertisement into the papers, and why he appointed the - Gipsy Stile as the place of meeting?" - </p> - <p> - "I can't explain," she answered doubtfully. "My father - never said a word to me about the advertisement, or, indeed, about Madame - Alpenny's visit. I asked him who she was and he told me to mind my own - business." - </p> - <p> - "Well, Madame Alpenny can explain, as I believe she suggested the - advertisement dodge herself." Owain reflected for a moment. "There's - something queer behind all this, Gwen, and when we learn what that - something is, I daresay we will find out who murdered your father. And - then----" - </p> - <p> - "Hush," said Gwen suddenly, as they turned round the corner of a - green alley which ran between high box hedges. "Here they are." - </p> - <p> - As a matter of fact the lovers stumbled right into the centre of a group - consisting of Mrs. Perage and her guests. They all appeared to be smiling, - and the smiles grew very broad when the reconciled couple came towards - them. Mrs. Perage caught Gwen by the shoulders and looked into her - tell-tale blue eyes. - </p> - <p> - "Is it all right, you nuisance?" she demanded gruffly. - </p> - <p> - "All right!" assented Gwen, giving her a kiss. "Thanks - to----" - </p> - <p> - "To me," cried the dancer gaily. "I am the goddess of - Peace." - </p> - <p> - Hench took her hand and kissed it. "I can never thank you - sufficiently." - </p> - <p> - "I don't require thanks, Mr. Hench. But did I not tell you that when - you really fell in love you would understand how wholly different it was - to your feeling for me?" - </p> - <p> - "You did, and I have learned the difference. Admiration is moonlight, - and love is the most glowing of sunshine." - </p> - <p> - "How poetical," said Vane with a shrug. - </p> - <p> - "And how true. Jim, I have to thank you for bringing Mademoiselle - Zara with the olive branch. Bless you, as a friend in need." - </p> - <p> - "Bless Aunt Emma, rather, old son. She suggested the idea." - </p> - <p> - "It seemed the only way of convincing a stupid man," said Mrs. - Perage lightly. "However, all's well that ends well, so let us go in - and have some tea. Our visitors have to leave in an hour." - </p> - <p> - All this time Bracken, silent according to custom, was smiling amiably at - the man he had at one time considered his rival. Now he advanced and shook - him by the hand, much to the approval of Zara, for Bracken had given her - considerable trouble over Hench's attentions. Mrs. Perage, still holding - on tightly to Gwen, was walking in front, together with Vane, so Owain had - the pleasant task of escorting Zara and her lover to the house. He was - glad of this, as he wished to say something and repay the dancer for her - kindness. - </p> - <p> - "When are you two going to be married?" he asked abruptly. - </p> - <p> - Zara sighed. "I don't know," she confessed sadly. "Ned - expected to get some money from his mother, but she died without leaving - any. Neither I nor Ned make enough money to keep ourselves and my mother, - so we can't think of marrying for a long time." - </p> - <p> - "Madame Alpenny seems to be the stumbling block," mused Hench - thoughtfully. - </p> - <p> - "She is," declared Bracken in a gruff, rough way. "Zara and - I could manage by ourselves on what we earn, if it wasn't for that cattish - old woman." - </p> - <p> - "Ned! Ned! Don't call names. After all, my mother is my mother." - </p> - <p> - "She is very selfish, and makes you miserable to please herself," - said Bracken crossly. "I shall never make much money as I am not a - genius as you are, Zara. If you could only get the engagement you deserve - you would make sufficient to settle your mother, and then we could get - married." - </p> - <p> - "Allow me to see to that," said Owain quickly. "See here, - Bracken, and you, Zara, you may not know it but I am a rich man." - </p> - <p> - "I am very glad," said the dancer honestly. "You have made - money, then?" - </p> - <p> - "I have inherited money--a large income. I owe you much, as but for - you things would not have been squared." - </p> - <p> - "It was the least I could do, Mr. Hench." - </p> - <p> - "It was a very great deal to do, as the task was a delicate one. - However, what I mean is this, that as you have been my friend you must - allow me to be yours. Therefore"--Owain spoke slowly and - deliberately--"I wish you, with Bracken's approval, of course, to - accept one thousand pounds." - </p> - <p> - "Oh!" gasped Zara, flushing as red as her cloak. "I - couldn't think of it." - </p> - <p> - "Nor can I," said Bracken resentfully. "I can keep my own - wife." - </p> - <p> - "My dear people,"--Owain being between them took an arm of - each,--"if you like you can pay me back on some future occasion. - Zara, your mother will bother me to marry you until some barrier is raised - which will prevent your being my possible wife. At present, as you have - stated, you are not able to marry for want of money. Now if I give you - this thousand pounds, which I can very easily spare, I want you to get - married quietly. When your mother learns that you are Mrs. Bracken she - will leave me alone. Then you can give her a sum of money to live on in - the meantime and will be able to rest on your oars and look about for a - better engagement. You see?" - </p> - <p> - "Yes," said Zara gratefully. "I see, and I am very much - obliged. If I can give my mother half the money she will go to her people - in Buda Pesth and amuse herself with gambling. Then with five hundred - pounds Ned and and I can manage to get to the West End. Money always - brings money, and I am sure that I could get an engagement." - </p> - <p> - "Didn't your mother go in search of one for you?" asked Hench, - nodding. - </p> - <p> - Zara's lip curled and she looked more disdainful than ever. "My - mother said that she went, but she never did." - </p> - <p> - Hench started. "She was absent for a few days, I remember." - </p> - <p> - "Yes. On business, she told me. But what her business was I never - knew. It had nothing to do with an engagement, however, or I should have - known." - </p> - <p> - Of course Owain knew very well on what business Madame Alpenny had been - engaged, but he was wise enough to make no remark. Also at the moment his - attention was distracted by Bracken, who had been thinking in his heavy - way. - </p> - <p> - "If you will allow Zara and me to pay you back the money with - interest at five per cent," he observed, reflectively, "we don't - mind--eh, Zara?" - </p> - <p> - "No," she rejoined promptly. "I shall take the money with - pleasure then, as it will certainly help us to get married in spite of my - mother's opposition. I am very grateful for your kind help, Mr. Hench." - </p> - <p> - "I am only doing what I ought to do," said Owain frankly. "You - have done me a good turn, so it is only right that I should do you and - Bracken one. I shall see my lawyers next week and arrange for the money to - be paid to you by cheque, or in notes, or gold, whichever you prefer." - </p> - <p> - "Say a cheque, Hench," remarked Bracken, with a sigh of relief. - "I have a banking account. It's a very small one--still, it is a - banking account." - </p> - <p> - "Good. I will call at The Home of the Muses some day next week with - the cheque, and meantime you can see about getting married." - </p> - <p> - "Oh, Ned!" cried Zara. - </p> - <p> - "Oh, Zara!" cried Ned, and they embraced, even though they were - in sight of the drawing-room windows. - </p> - <p> - "Well," said Hench philosophically, "I have made two people - happy, anyhow." - </p> - <p> - "We will be happier if you are happy yourself, you generous man," - said Zara. - </p> - <p> - "Oh, that's all right," replied Hench hurriedly, for he did not - wish to be thanked or praised. "Come and have some tea. We'll keep - this little arrangement to ourselves." - </p> - <p> - The visitors were very pleased at the result of their visit, which they - had been far from expecting, and the tea was unusually gay. Gwen could not - show enough attention to Zara, and Mrs. Perage, who had taken a fancy to - the honest dullness of Ned, looked after him in her brusque way. Owain and - his beloved were silent from sheer happiness, in spite of the - thunder-clouds which still obscured the sun, so it was left to Jim Vane to - brighten the party with chatter and gaiety. He was entirely successful, - and the visitors left with a sense of great enjoyment. Zara looked - younger, less fatigued and unapproachable than usual, while Bracken's - stolid good-looking face was wreathed in smiles. And Hench saw them off at - the station with a sense of thankfulness that he had been able to help - them. He was so happy himself in having gained Gwen's love that he wished - every one else to be happy, and moreover was delighted that he had been - able to repay Zara for her good work. He returned to his lodgings to - dress, and then went to dine at Mrs. Perage's hospitable board. - </p> - <p> - Gwen wished to hold the council of war after dinner, but Hench refused. He - considered that the day had been quite sufficiently filled with events, - and did not wish to start a discussion which was likely to be prolonged - into the small hours. Gwen looked tired after all the excitement she had - undergone, and Hench himself felt rather weary. The true fact was that a - sense of anxiety lay beneath their surface gaiety, and they were feeling - the suspense more than they thought. Mrs. Perage and her nephew were also - rather silent; so in spite of the reconciliation of the lovers the evening - was rather a failure. With her usual prompt way of dealing with things, - Mrs. Perage sent Hench away at half-past nine o'clock. - </p> - <p> - "We are all worn out with bother," she said briskly. "So it - is best for all of us to have a good night's rest and then we can deal - with other and more serious matters to-morrow." - </p> - <p> - "One serious matter has been put right, thanks to you," said - Hench, looking fondly at Gwen. "It was just as well to take the bull - by the horns," said Mrs. Perage candidly. "And I am glad that - Zara proved to be so sensible a creature. And when you tell Gwen - what--what----" she hesitated, not knowing if it was wise to speak. - </p> - <p> - "What peril I am in," finished Hench. "Oh, I've done that - this afternoon." - </p> - <p> - "The deuce you have!" cried Vane, turning from his friend to - Gwen. "And what do you think of the matter, Miss Evans?" - </p> - <p> - "I don't know what to think," said Gwen promptly. "Save - that I believe Owain to be innocent, and I will stand by him to the end, - whatever it may be." - </p> - <p> - "Good. And the accusation of Madame----" - </p> - <p> - "Jim," commanded his aunt sharply, "do hold your tongue. - This is not the time to begin a discussion. To-morrow, when our wits are - clearer, we can talk. Owain, go home to bed. Jim and I will turn our backs - while you take leave of Gwen." - </p> - <p> - This was not necessary, as Gwen accompanied her lover to the door and - kisses were exchanged in the twilight of the summer night. But the two - were so long in parting that Mrs. Perage had to come on the scene and - fairly shut the door in the face of this lingering lover. Hench went away, - feeling that the sun had vanished from the sky, which was exactly what the - sun should do considering the time. He sauntered home leisurely, thinking - of Gwen and picturing his future life with her. By the time he reached - Mrs. Bell's cottage it was striking ten from the church tower, and he - entered the house yawning with the intention of going at once to bed. - There he could dream of Gwen. - </p> - <p> - But Owain did not get to his repose so speedily as he expected, for he - found a visitor sitting in his parlour--and not a visitor he was exactly - pleased to see. From an armchair rose the smartly dressed figure of Mr. - Cuthbert Spruce, who smiled amiably when he saw the astonished look on the - face of his host. Hench frowned, very ill-pleased. - </p> - <p> - "What the deuce are you doing here, Spruce?" he demanded - sharply. - </p> - <p> - "I have come to have a serious talk with you," said the Nut - coolly, and resumed his seat with the air of a man determined to stay - where he was. - </p> - <p> - "Then you can clear out and come to-morrow, my friend. I am much too - tired to talk just now." Hench glanced at his watch. "There is a - train at a quarter to eleven which you can catch." - </p> - <p> - "I am not going back to town this evening, Hench." - </p> - <p> - "Well, that's your business, not mine. Anyhow, I want you to go now." - </p> - <p> - "I am staying at the Bull Inn," went on Spruce significantly. - "It is necessary that we should speak now. Better be sensible, Hench, - and listen." - </p> - <p> - Owain looked at this meddlesome marplot searchingly. He was staying at the - Bull Inn, and that was a place which Hench had carefully avoided lest he - should come into contact with the girl who had seen him as a tramp. It - occurred to him from the significance of Spruce's tone that the Nut had - been making inquiries, and had come to make himself unpleasant. However, - Hench was not the man to be frightened into doing what he did not wish to - do, and he threw off his coat and hat, still frowning. - </p> - <p> - "I don't know why you have come here," he said coldly, "or - how you found out where I was living. But----" - </p> - <p> - "Madame Alpenny told me," said Spruce quickly, and brought out a - cigarette. - </p> - <p> - "Hang her impudence! Don't smoke. I don't want you to stay." - </p> - <p> - "Very good." The Nut rose and carefully lighted the little roll - of tobacco. "As you please. But don't say that I did not give you - your chance." - </p> - <p> - "What the devil do you mean?" - </p> - <p> - "If you send me away how can I explain?" asked Spruce, with a - supercilious smile. "I have been waiting for quite an hour, and it - was only after a great deal of persuasion that your landlady allowed me to - enter. I believe"--added the Nut, stretching his arms and yawning-- - "that she is waiting up, so as to be sure that I have not come after - the spoons." - </p> - <p> - Hench looked at him hard, then abruptly left the room to assure Mrs. Bell - that everything was all right. After he had sent her to bed, at rest in - her mind about the stranger, he returned to the parlour and closed the - door in an ostentatious manner. - </p> - <p> - Spruce laughed. - </p> - <p> - "You are going to let me stay, then," he remarked coolly and - sitting down again. - </p> - <p> - Hench sat opposite to him with a resolute air. "You don't leave this - room until you fully explain what the devil you mean by dogging my - footsteps in this way," he said sternly. - </p> - <p> - "Dogged is a good word, or was it dogging? Both are good words. You - will have to be dogged so far as your courage is concerned. And as to - dogging, it is better that I should do that than the police." - </p> - <p> - "Oh, hang your fantastical chatter!" snapped Hench with a - lowering brow. "Come to the point." - </p> - <p> - "Can't you see my point now that I have mentioned the police?" - </p> - <p> - "No," said Hench briefly and obstinately. - </p> - <p> - "Curious! You are not usually so dense." Spruce puffed lightly - at his cigarette and smiled blandly. "The fact is I am here on behalf - of Madame Alpenny." - </p> - <p> - "What has Madame Alpenny to do with me, may I ask?" - </p> - <p> - "Oh, you may ask, and I shall reply with great pleasure. Madame - Alpenny has done me the honour to make me her confidential friend, and I - am now in possession of all facts connected with your gaining of a large - fortune. Most people would be glad to get so much money, but few people - would be ready to gain it at so heavy a price." - </p> - <p> - Hench winced inwardly but not outwardly, as he did not intend to show fear - in the presence of this little reptile. He saw from the very audacity with - which the Nut spoke that he knew all about the matter connected with the - death of Madoc Evans, and knew also that the creature had come at this - untimely hour to profit by his knowledge. "You speak in riddles," - he said coldly. - </p> - <p> - "Oh, I think you can guess them," retorted the other man. - </p> - <p> - "Perhaps I can and perhaps I cannot. But as you hint at mysteries it - is for you to explain them. Be as brief as you can. I can't wait up all - night listening to your twaddle." - </p> - <p> - "Very bravely carried off, Hench," taunted Spruce, his eyes - looking angry. "But such bluff doesn't deceive me. I know too much - for you to pretend ignorance." - </p> - <p> - "What you know I am waiting to learn," said Hench, setting his - teeth. - </p> - <p> - "Why give me the trouble to explain?" - </p> - <p> - "Stop your fencing and come to the point. You want money?" - </p> - <p> - "A great deal of money. The price of my story is costly." - </p> - <p> - "Really!" said Hench sarcastically. "Well, you were writing - a story at Bethnal Green. At least that was the lie you told me to account - for your presence in the boarding-house." - </p> - <p> - Spruce laughed, in no wise offended, as his moral perceptions were very - much blunted. "I am writing a much better story than I anticipated. I - told you that I came to Bethnal Green to find material. Well, I have found - material of the best. I shall sell this story for a good price," he - concluded, looking meaningly at his listener. - </p> - <p> - "And the price?" - </p> - <p> - "Well, I think about two thousand a year." - </p> - <p> - "Moderate," said Owain shortly and not quailing. - </p> - <p> - "I think so myself, seeing that I shall have to pay Madame Alpenny at - least two hundred a year out of it." - </p> - <p> - "And keep one thousand eight hundred a year to yourself?" - </p> - <p> - "That is my intention," rejoined the Nut coolly. "Spruce, - you are--what you are, as it is impossible to find a name low enough to - suit you. And how am I to pay this two thousand a year?" - </p> - <p> - "Out of the ten thousand per annum your uncle left you." - </p> - <p> - "Humph! You seem to be well informed." - </p> - <p> - "Madame Alpenny informed me, so naturally I am in possession of many - facts which you would prefer to keep secret. Come, Hench, it is no use our - beating about the bush, as we understand one another, so----" - </p> - <p> - "Pardon me, we don't understand one another. What am I to get for - this two thousand a year blackmail?" - </p> - <p> - "Don't use nasty words. It won't help you to be nasty. I'm top-dog, - Hench, so you had better give in." - </p> - <p> - "Two words go to a bargain," said Hench calmly. "What am I - to gain in return for this two thousand a year?" - </p> - <p> - "My silence." - </p> - <p> - "About what?" Spruce started up, looking peevishly angry. "Don't - try me too far, Hench. You know quite well what I mean. A word from me to - the police and you will be arrested straight away for the murder of your - uncle." - </p> - <p> - "Oh, indeed. You seem to be very certain of my guilt." - </p> - <p> - "Whether I am certain or not doesn't matter," retorted the - other. "I hold you in the hollow of my hand." - </p> - <p> - "Explain how you do that." - </p> - <p> - "Oh, very well," said Spruce, sitting down again. "If you - will have chapter and verse I am willing to oblige you, although I think - you are wasting my time." - </p> - <p> - The Nut drew a long breath and then proceeded to inform his host of his - discoveries. These had to do with the insertion of the advertisement, with - the visit of Hench on the fatal night to Cookley, and with the inheritance - which the untoward death of Madoc Evans had brought the young man. "So - you see," concluded the Nut, "that I have only to go to the - police with this tale to ensure your arrest." - </p> - <p> - "I quite admit that, Spruce. In fact, I admit the truth of all your - story. I should like to know how you found out all about the business. You - could scarcely go to Madame Alpenny and force it out of her without some - previous knowledge." - </p> - <p> - "Well, it was my clever brain that gave me the tip," said Spruce - coolly. "That conversation in which the word 'Rhaiadr' was used gave - me the idea that the old woman knew something about you. I watched her and - followed her when she went away. She came down here and saw Evans at the - Grange. I waited until she got home later, and then told her that I had - followed her. She was so alarmed lest you should know of the visit--as - your doing so would have upset the apple-cart--that she told me about the - advertisement. When it appeared I saw it and made sure that you would obey - it. I followed you to that hotel near the British Museum, but you left - there and I lost sight of you. Therefore I lay low until I got evidence of - your visit to Cookley on the night of the first of July. I saw all about - the murder in the newspapers and believed that you were guilty. But I was - not sure until I went to-day to the Bull Inn and questioned that girl - about the supposed tramp. From what she said, vague as her description - was, I knew that you were the tramp in question, so came on here to let - you know. I believe that you asked the way to the Gipsy Stile and went - straight there to murder your uncle." - </p> - <p> - "Oh!" said Owain, unmoved. "Am I the sort of person to - murder an old man?" - </p> - <p> - "I don't say that you killed him in cold blood," replied Spruce - hastily. "You doubtless had a quarrel and stabbed him before you knew - what you were about." - </p> - <p> - "One moment, Spruce. I am not in the habit of carrying about - carving-knives to kill people. And I had no reason to kill my uncle, as at - the time I did not know that he was any relation." - </p> - <p> - "Oh, he told you that at the time you met him." - </p> - <p> - "I never met him. I found him dead." Spruce started up in a fury - and snatched at his hat. "What's the use of your dodging in this way. - I say that you murdered him, and if you don't promise to pay me two - thousand a year and secure the same to me by deed, I shall go to the - police and procure your arrest. You know I can do it." - </p> - <p> - "You can. I fully admit that just now you are top-dog," said - Hench in quite a bland way. "And you are willing to condone my felony - for the money?" - </p> - <p> - "Yes! You can kill the whole population of Cookley for all I care." - </p> - <p> - "Oh, I quite understand that. Well, to-night I shall say nothing. You - must give me one week to consider matters." - </p> - <p> - "I don't mind,"--Spruce made for the door with a shrug,--"but - don't you try and bolt or I shall put the police on to you." - </p> - <p> - "Naturally! You have made everything perfectly clear to me. - Good-night." - </p> - <p> - Spruce walked into the passage and opened the outside door. "Remember," - he said. - </p> - <p> - "Good-night," repeated Hench, and shut the door in the face of - the blackmailer. - </p> - <p> - <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> - </p> - <h4> - <a name="div1_18" href="#div1Ref_18" id="div1_18">CHAPTER XVIII</a> - </h4> - <h5> - HENCH'S DIPLOMACY - </h5> - <p> - <br /> - </p> - <p> - Contrary to his expectations, Owain passed a very good night. By this time - he was so accustomed to trouble that it did not seem sensible to worry - over anything until he could meet the same fairly and squarely. Dangerous - as Madame Alpenny and Spruce were, he had no reason to fear them for a - week, since they gave him that period in which to assent to their terms. - The woman wished him to marry her daughter; the man desired to obtain an - income of two thousand a year, secured by deed; and if he satisfied both, - they would hold their peace and trouble him no longer. But Hench by no - means intended to purchase immunity at this price, as to do so would imply - that he was guilty. As he was perfectly innocent such a course was not to - be thought of, and it was necessary to think of some other means of - settling the difficulty. And since Owain could not decide his course of - action on the spur of the moment, he put the matter out of his head for - the time being and retired to bed immediately. After a good night's rest, - he rose greatly refreshed, and sent Giles to bring Vane to breakfast. - </p> - <p> - Guessing from the unexpectedness of the invitation that something was in - the wind, Vane speedily arrived, and was waiting in the little parlour - when his friend made his appearance. Hench refused to give any information - until the meal was ended, saying that to mix up business with pleasure was - to spoil both, so the barrister had to possess his soul in patience until - they were enjoying their morning smoke. Then, as Hench still held his - peace, Vane asked him a down-right question with considerable impatience. - </p> - <p> - "Why did you ask me to come to breakfast, Owain?" - </p> - <p> - "To talk over a further complication of this trouble." - </p> - <p> - "The murder of your uncle?" - </p> - <p> - "Yes! When I came here last night, Spruce was waiting for me." - </p> - <p> - "Spruce!" echoed the other curiously. "That crawling little - cheat. How did he find you out, Owain?" - </p> - <p> - "Madame Alpenny told him where I was, and Bottles told her, and Peter - told his brother. That is how the screed runs." - </p> - <p> - "Why the deuce couldn't Peter keep his knowledge of your whereabouts - to himself," growled the barrister. "We don't want Spruce here." - </p> - <p> - "Oh, Peter didn't think he was doing wrong in telling Bottles, as he - knew how his brother was devoted to me. It is Bottles I blame in giving me - away. I don't think he is so devoted to me as I thought. And I certainly - don't want Spruce here, especially as he has come to blackmail me." - </p> - <p> - "What's that?" Vane sat up very straight. - </p> - <p> - "Listen!" and Hench related what had taken place in that very - room on the previous night, so that the barrister was soon placed in - possession of all facts connected with the accusation. Vane sat silent - when his friend ended, digesting the uncomfortable knowledge. - </p> - <p> - "Little beast!" he said at length. "I knew that he was - after no good in going to Bethnal Green." - </p> - <p> - "Oh, that was mere chance, Jim. But his cleverness led him to suspect - what Madame Alpenny knew, and he watched her day and night until he wormed - her secret out of her. Well, you have heard; what is your advice?" - </p> - <p> - "I should give Spruce rope enough to hang himself," said Vane - quickly. - </p> - <p> - "In what way?" - </p> - <p> - "By promising him the money. If he accepts he will be condoning a - felony and in that way will get himself into trouble." - </p> - <p> - "I will get into trouble also." - </p> - <p> - "I'm not so sure of that," said Vane, looking out of the window - in a musing manner. "Spruce says that you are guilty, to suit his own - ends. But I should not be surprised if he knew the name of the true - assassin." - </p> - <p> - "Madame Alpenny?" - </p> - <p> - "I think so. No one but you and that woman knew of the appointment at - the Gipsy Stile. You are innocent, so she must be guilty. And we have - agreed that she had a strong motive to place you in possession of the - property straight away. Yes, I truly think that she struck the blow, thus - giving you the money at once and getting you under her thumb. She killed - two birds with one stone." - </p> - <p> - "Don't be in such a hurry," said Owain dryly. "The - appointment was advertised in the newspaper shown to me by Madame Alpenny. - Other people may have gone there on the chance of getting something." - </p> - <p> - "Other people had nothing to gain by keeping the appointment, Owain, - much less by murdering the old man. No. Some one who knew what his death - meant to you is the assassin, and Madame Alpenny alone possessed that - information." - </p> - <p> - "True enough. Well, and what do you propose?" - </p> - <p> - "Send that man you sent to me for Spruce, and ask him to come here at - once." - </p> - <p> - "For what purpose?" - </p> - <p> - "We can make a bargain with him. Instead of giving him the money to - hold his tongue, offer it to him on condition that he reveals the truth." - </p> - <p> - "He won't. He's a born liar." - </p> - <p> - "Oh yes, he will. The chance of getting two thousand a year will - unlock his tongue. He'd sell Madame Alpenny or a dozen like her to line - his own nest." - </p> - <p> - "It's not a bad idea," said Owain, as he left the room to speak - to Giles. While he was absent Vane began to think of Peter, the page, who - was the brother of Simon, surnamed Bottles. It seemed to him that these - two boys knew of something in connection with the matter, as they appeared - to take a great interest in the doings of Hench. The barrister resolved to - speak to Owain on his return, and did so immediately he came back with the - information that Giles was now on his way to the Bull Inn. "You say - that Bottles was devoted to you, Owain," said Vane reflectively. - </p> - <p> - "I thought so, but since he has given me away to Madame Alpenny I - have my doubts of his honesty." - </p> - <p> - "Hm! I don't know. A hero-worshipper doesn't throw off his allegiance - so lightly. Bottles promised to hold his tongue?" - </p> - <p> - "Yes! Really, though, Jim, there was nothing for him to tell." - </p> - <p> - "Not when you left Bethnal Green, I admit. But there has been - something to tell since, and he has told it, to wit your whereabouts, - which you did not wish to be known to that old hag. Bottles must have some - reason for acting as he has done. If I were you I would go up to town and - see him." - </p> - <p> - Hench nodded. "I intend to, and to see Madame Alpenny at the same - time. Our conversation ended rather abruptly in the churchyard, and I want - to make it quite clear to her that I suspect her of being the guilty - person." - </p> - <p> - "Quite so. And if we succeed in frightening or bribing that little - animal Spruce, you will have more grounds to present to her as to the - truth of your accusation. We're travelling along a dark path, Owain, and - the deuce knows what we will find at the end of it." - </p> - <p> - "A gaol for Madame Alpenny and a church for me and Gwen to be married - in, Jim," said Hench promptly. "But it is a dark path as you - say, and I have got on to it in the most unexpected manner. I wish I had - called to see you before coming down here on that night. Had you been with - me all this trouble would have been avoided." - </p> - <p> - Vane quite agreed. "In dealing with people like Madame Alpenny and - Spruce it is always best to have a witness. That is why I think that the - wisdom of seeing Spruce in company is apparent. Hullo! here he is. Doesn't - he look like Solomon in all his glory, the slimy little reptile?" - </p> - <p> - It was indeed Spruce who had just clicked the gate and was sauntering up - the short garden path. As the day was very warm, he was appropriately - clothed in a suit of cream-coloured serge, with brown shoes and a straw - hat. His whole appearance was spic and span, and he looked more like a - cherub than ever with his pink and white face. No one would have thought - that this innocent blue-eyed youth was such a despicable little scoundrel. - His purple necktie, his purple scarf, his purple socks, and the purple - band round his hat, were all in keeping with his quality of a Nut. He even - wiped his heated face with a purple bordered pocket-handkerchief, and when - he came into the room the same wafted a delicate perfume abroad which made - Vane growl with disgust. - </p> - <p> - "What the dickens do you use scent for?" he asked irritably. - </p> - <p> - "Vane!" said the Nut, not very well pleased to come across one - who knew all about his card-table delinquencies. "You here?" - </p> - <p> - "A pleasant surprise, isn't it, Spruce?" sneered the barrister, - who ardently desired to kick the creature into a dusty heap on the road. - </p> - <p> - "Oh, I don't mind meeting old friends," said Spruce, recovering - his impudence. "I'm not your friend, neither is Hench." - </p> - <p> - "Well,"---Spruce shrugged his elegant shoulders, "let us - say old schoolfellows." - </p> - <p> - "You are a disgrace to Winchester!" raged Vane, scowling. "A - cheat and a sneak, a liar and a thief. That's what you are." - </p> - <p> - "Thanks. Any more names?" - </p> - <p> - "I may as well add blackmailer," observed Hench coldly. - </p> - <p> - "In that case I can call you a murderer, which is a worse name!" - snarled the Nut, looking very ugly. - </p> - <p> - "I am not. You are lying as usual." - </p> - <p> - "Don't insult me too much, Hench. You seem to forget that I am - top-dog." - </p> - <p> - "So far you certainly are. Top-puppy, I should say. Sit down and let - us get to business." - </p> - <p> - Spruce still stood by the door in what he considered was a haughty - attitude, and frowned impressively. "I don't see what Vane has to do - with any business between you and myself," he said sharply. - </p> - <p> - "Vane is my friend, and I have asked him here to deal with the matter - about which you spoke last night." - </p> - <p> - "You seem ready to take the whole world into your confidence," - said Spruce insolently, dusting a chair with his handkerchief before - taking a seat. "If you act in that way I can't protect you." - </p> - <p> - "Wait till you're asked," said Vane tartly. "Good Lord, the - idea of your protecting any one; unless," he added significantly, - "it is Madame Alpenny." - </p> - <p> - "What do you mean by that?" asked the Nut, visibly discomposed. - </p> - <p> - "Oh, I think you know quite well what I mean, Spruce. You accuse - Hench here of murdering his uncle?" - </p> - <p> - "Yes, I do. And I'll tell the police as much if he doesn't pay my - price. The police would give a good deal to find the tramp who asked the - way to the Gipsy Stile on the night of the first of July." - </p> - <p> - "How can you prove that Hench is the tramp?" - </p> - <p> - "By his own admission." - </p> - <p> - "And if he does not make that admission in open court?" - </p> - <p> - "Then I'll leave it to the barmaid at the Bull Inn. She cannot - describe our friend's appearance very well, as she is stupid and the - tap-room was badly lighted when she saw him. But she declares that she - would know his voice. Mr. Owain Hench would then have to prove what he was - doing on the night in question, and I don't think that would be easy." - </p> - <p> - "It certainly would not be easy," said Hench coolly. "I - have admitted that you can make out a very good case for the prosecution. - All the same you are perfectly aware that I am innocent." - </p> - <p> - "What makes you say that?" asked Spruce quickly and--as Vane - thought--in a somewhat anxious manner. - </p> - <p> - "Because I think you know who is the guilty person." - </p> - <p> - "Do I? That remains to be seen." - </p> - <p> - "Spruce," said Vane in a menacing manner, "you are playing - a very dangerous game, and let alone the fact that you are trying to - blackmail Hench, you run the risk of condoning a felony." - </p> - <p> - "Ah!" said the Nut quickly. "Then you suggest that our - friend is guilty?" - </p> - <p> - "Nothing of the sort. I suggest that you pretend to believe him - guilty to get this money. But you know perfectly well that he is not." - </p> - <p> - "Do you mean to insinuate that I know who murdered the Squire?" - asked Spruce, with a fine show of indignation. - </p> - <p> - "Certainly I do," retorted Vane smartly. "Don't put on - frills. In my opinion Madame Alpenny, who knew all about the advertisement - and the property, is the guilty person. But, as she isn't worth powder and - shot, you are trying to fasten the crime on to Hench's shoulders." - </p> - <p> - "And I can, Mr. James Vane, as you and he shall find." - </p> - <p> - "Oh!" said Hench cynically. "And you really expect me to - pay you two thousand a year to refrain from doing so? I won't." - </p> - <p> - "You won't?" Spruce was plainly taken aback. - </p> - <p> - "No. Rather than do so I shall go to the police and tell my story. - Better be in the hands of the authorities than in yours." - </p> - <p> - "You won't dare to do what you say." - </p> - <p> - "Oh yes, I dare. My conscience is clear, so I am willing to stand the - brunt." - </p> - <p> - Spruce was plainly embarrassed by this defiance and did not very well know - what to say or do. If Hench acted as he threatened to do, there would be - no money for the Nut, and perhaps an action against him as a blackmailer. - He was shrewd enough to see this, and therefore shuffled his cards so that - he might not drive his proposed victim to extremities. "What do you - wish me to do, then?" he asked sullenly. - </p> - <p> - Before Hench could reply Vane, who was looking out of the window, turned - round sharply. "There is Peter," he said, glancing at his - friend. "What the deuce is he hanging round your cottage for?" - </p> - <p> - The answer came from an unexpected quarter. "Peter is waiting to see - me," said Spruce with dignity. "He was at the Bull Inn when your - messenger came and I told him to wait until I returned. I expect he has - followed me here and expects me to come out soon." - </p> - <p> - "What are you seeing Peter about?" questioned Hench sharply. - </p> - <p> - "That is my business," snapped the Nut sulkily. - </p> - <p> - "Mine also. Peter is the brother of Bottles, who is employed by Mrs. - Tesk, and both the boys are meddling in matters which do not concern them. - What does it all mean?" - </p> - <p> - "You had better ask the boy in and question him," sneered Spruce - coolly. - </p> - <p> - "I shall do so after we have dispatched this affair," said Hench - sharply. "You ask me what I wish you to do. I reply, clear my - character." - </p> - <p> - "How can I do that?" - </p> - <p> - "In a way best known to yourself. But you are well aware that Madame - Alpenny is the guilty person." - </p> - <p> - "I am not." - </p> - <p> - "Don't tell lies. It is better worth my while to pay you two thousand - a year to prove her guilty and me innocent, than for me to give the income - to you merely for the sake of your holding your tongue. That's a thing you - never did and never will do." - </p> - <p> - Spruce considered. "If I prove Madame Alpenny to be guilty," he - said, with a greedy gleam in his eyes, "will you pay me the two - thousand a year?" - </p> - <p> - "I'll think about it." - </p> - <p> - "Then I do nothing. To be quite plain, I <i>can</i> clear your - character in the way you say----" - </p> - <p> - "Ah, I knew you were lying." - </p> - <p> - "----But I shan't do so unless you agree, in the presence of Vane, to - give me my price." - </p> - <p> - "It is too large a price," grumbled the barrister. "Large - or small, it is what I want." - </p> - <p> - "I'll give you one thousand a year if you----" - </p> - <p> - "Two thousand." - </p> - <p> - Hench looked at Vane and Vane at Hench, as both were uncertain how to act. - A very difficult question had to be threshed out. Owain was unwilling to - pay blackmail, yet if he did not there was bound to be trouble. If he did - he was quite certain that Spruce could clear his character. For an - honourable man the position was very trying, but there seemed to be only - one way out of it. - </p> - <p> - "Very good," said Hench with an effort. "You must have your - price, Shylock, as my life and liberty are more to me than money, and - there is no denying but what you have me in a cleft stick. I promise to - give you two thousand a year if you remove all danger from me of being - accused." - </p> - <p> - "I can do that." - </p> - <p> - "Then you know who murdered my uncle?" - </p> - <p> - "I do. Madame Alpenny is guilty, as you thought. But I alone can - prove her guilt. I have your promise in Vane's presence to give me the - income?" - </p> - <p> - "Yes," said Hench with another effort, for he hated giving way - thus ignobly to this scoundrel. "You have my promise." - </p> - <p> - "You hear, Vane? I shall call you as a witness in case of - non-payment." - </p> - <p> - "I hear," said the barrister, smoking phlegmatically. "I am - surety for Hench's good faith. You shall be paid, you rat. Now prove to us - that you can have the woman arrested." - </p> - <p> - Spruce drew a long breath of relief, as things were now going exactly as - he wished. Like the traitor he was, he gaily went to work and sold Madame - Alpenny's secret to gain the money. "She came down to see Evans after - she knew that Hench was his nephew." - </p> - <p> - "I know that," said Owain quickly. "Tell us something new." - </p> - <p> - "All in good time," said Spruce smoothly. "I made her - confess how she arranged with Evans about the advertisement and how to - draw your attention to it." - </p> - <p> - "Why was the appointment made in Parley Wood instead of in the house?" - asked Vane, whom the problem had frequently perplexed. - </p> - <p> - "I can't tell you. Madame Alpenny never explained that to me. All I - know is that she laid the trap for Hench to fall into, and he did." - </p> - <p> - "Only to find that my uncle was dead." - </p> - <p> - "Of course," said Spruce, turning towards Hench with raised - eyebrows; "that was the trap. She intended to accuse you, and thus - force you to marry Zara so that she could handle the money." - </p> - <p> - "That I also know, and she did accuse me. Well?" - </p> - <p> - "Well, she came down here by the same train as you did, and while you - were at the Bull Inn she went on to Parley Wood and murdered the Squire." - </p> - <p> - "How can you prove that?" - </p> - <p> - "Very easily." Spruce rose from his chair, and going to the - window beckoned in the page. "Come here, I want you!" he cried. - </p> - <p> - Peter started and seemed very much inclined to run away. But after a pause - he braced up his courage and entered the house. Shortly he was standing - before the three men, twisting his cap and looking very nervous. His - likeness to his town brother was more apparent than ever, and Hench winced - to think how Bottles had betrayed him. He had always believed that he - could trust the boy to the uttermost. - </p> - <p> - "Peter," said Spruce, sitting down again and enjoying his - position of dictator, "you must tell this gentleman what you told me." - </p> - <p> - "If Simon wishes me to," blurted out Peter. - </p> - <p> - "He does wish you. I brought you that letter from Simon telling you - to do whatever I asked you. Isn't that so?" - </p> - <p> - "Yes, sir." Peter flushed and quivered, and wriggled in a most - uneasy way. "Well, then, tell them what you told me about Madame - Alpenny coming to Cookley on the night when Squire Evans was murdered." - </p> - <p> - "Simon sent me a telegram telling me to watch for her," said - Peter, speaking to the three generally. "And as I knew how she was - dressed I easily did so, even though she wore a veil." - </p> - <p> - "How did you know her dress?" asked Hench sharply. - </p> - <p> - "Well, sir, when Simon came down here for his holiday he told me as - he'd follered Madame Alpenny, who was up to some game. I met him then at - the station, when he told me, and he follered her to the Grange. I - follered him and hid in Parley Wood outside because Simon told me to. He - watched at the gate. She saw the Squire and then came out, and after - passing Simon she went into the wood follering the path to the Gipsy - Stile." - </p> - <p> - "What did she go there for?" questioned Vane. - </p> - <p> - "To see the Squire." - </p> - <p> - "But she had seen him in the house." - </p> - <p> - "So she had, but he came to her at the Gipsy Stile afterwards. Both - Simon and I follered and hid to listen. The Squire said as he would put in - an advertisement asking 'Rhaiadr' to meet him at the Gipsy Stile, and said - as he brought her there to see the meeting-place. When Madame Alpenny - examined it and the Squire showed her how to get to it from the church she - went away, and the Squire he returned to his house. Simon and me saw - Madame Alpenny go to the station and catch the train to town. That was all - that happened at that time. So you see, sir, how I knew how she was - dressed." - </p> - <p> - "I understand, though it is difficult to know why your brother - suspected her." - </p> - <p> - "Oh, Simon is sharp, sir, and he saw she was up to some games. He'll - tell you all about it." - </p> - <p> - "I'll see to that," said Hench grimly. "I'll have no more - of this underhanded work. Well, go on. What about the second occasion when - you saw her?" - </p> - <p> - "Simon sent me a telegram saying as she was coming by a perticler - train and to watch her at the station. I went there and saw her in the - same dress, so I knew her in spite of the veil. Simon was there too, but - he couldn't wait to speak to me, but just follered her, waving me back. I - follered them as far as the church and waited there. Madame Alpenny, with - Simon after her, went into the wood, and after staying there for a long - time she came out and ran for the station." - </p> - <p> - "Was Simon following her then?" asked Vane, alertly. - </p> - <p> - "No, sir. He was still hiding in the wood, I think. I hid in the - churchyard behind a tomb, and Madame she ran past me. I waited in the - churchyard for Simon, and later I saw you, sir." - </p> - <p> - "Me!" said Hench, starting up. "Yes, sir. You went through - the churchyard and along the path. When you got into the wood Simon came - running out as white as death, and told me as Madame Alpenny had murdered - the Squire. He made me swear to hold my tongue, lest I and him should get - into trouble. Then he went off to catch the train to London and I went - home." - </p> - <p> - "Why didn't you tell the police all this?" asked Hench, - frowning. - </p> - <p> - "Oh, I couldn't, sir," replied Peter in a most ingenuous way. - "Simon made me promise not to in case we'd both get into trouble. But - as he wrote saying I could tell Mr. Spruce I have done so, and as Mr. - Spruce says I can tell you I have----" - </p> - <p> - "There! There!" Spruce waved the boy into silence. "That is - enough. You can go, and hold your tongue. Simon's orders, remember. Well,"--he - turned to the two men,--"do you see how I can prove your innocence - and Madame Alpenny's guilt?" - </p> - <p> - "Yes," said Hench thoughtfully. "As Peter here saw me when - I entered the wood, and Simon told him that the Squire was already dead, I - see how my character can be cleared. Well, Spruce, I shall go to town and - see the woman and the boy. When I settle with them I shall see you about - your reward." - </p> - <p> - "Don't you try and sell me," threatened Spruce, putting on his - hat. "If you do it will be the worse for you." - </p> - <p> - "Pah! Get out, you little swine," said Vane contemptuously, and - the Nut departed considerably pleased with himself in spite of the - scornful epithet. - </p> - <p> - Peter lingered behind. "See Simon, sir. He'll explain," he said - in a whisper. - </p> - <p> - "Oh, I'll see him. But he's a little Judas," said Hench angrily. - </p> - <p> - "No, sir. He ain't a Judas," said Peter, speaking - grandiloquently. "Simon's as true to you as a needle is to the North - Pole." And then he ran away hastily, evidently afraid of being - questioned further. Hench let him go. - </p> - <p> - <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> - </p> - <h4> - <a name="div1_19" href="#div1Ref_19" id="div1_19">CHAPTER XIX</a> - </h4> - <h5> - A DENIAL - </h5> - <p> - <br /> - </p> - <p> - On the day after the interview with Spruce it was necessary for Owain to - travel to London for the purpose of having an interview with Madame - Alpenny. Vane at first wished to go with him, but on second thoughts - decided that it would be best for him to remain in Cookley and keep a - close watch on the Nut. That traitor, having behaved treacherously, was as - pleased with himself as if he had acted in a most honourable manner. He - was now certain of an excellent income, and determined to go abroad for a - year or so to enjoy himself until such time as his West End friends forgot - his little mistake at cards. Meanwhile he remained at the Bull Inn waiting - for the arrest of the Hungarian lady, when everything would be put - ship-shape. Spruce was very pleased with every one and everything since - matters had turned out so well. That they had turned out badly for Madame - Alpenny did not worry him in the least. He was much too busy building - castles in the air to trouble about her. - </p> - <p> - Owain had given Mrs. Perage and Gwen a full account of the discovery of - the old woman's guilt. They were naturally shocked, but scarcely - surprised, as for a long time circumstances had tended to make them think - that Madame Alpenny had murdered the Squire. At the same time Gwen pleaded - with her lover to deal gently with the wretched creature as she was Zara's - mother, and they both owed a great deal to Zara. Hench admitted as much - and promised to be as lenient as he could. Nevertheless, he pointed out - that to save himself he would have to inform the police about the woman's - guilt. Unwilling as he was to act so drastically, there was no other - course to be taken. All the way to London the young man argued out the - matter in his own vexed mind, but was unable to see how he could shield - Madame Alpenny. It was a pity that Zara, who was innocent, should suffer - for the wickedness of her mother. All the same, it was impossible to spare - her the shock. Owain hated the idea of saving himself at the expense of a - woman, but in strict justice to himself, and considering that his liberty - and life were at stake, he could not see what else he could do. When he - was on his way to Bethnal Green he fully made up his mind to act as - justice dictated. - </p> - <p> - The Home of the Muses was much in the same state as Hench had left it, - although there were several new boarders. Mrs. Tesk received him joyfully, - and conducted him to her sanctum saying that she wished for a private - conversation with him. Madame Alpenny, it appeared, was in the - drawing-room along with Bracken and Zara. - </p> - <p> - "For a surprising thing has occurred," said Mrs. Tesk, who - looked more like a retired school-mistress than ever. "They are now - man and wife." - </p> - <p> - "Oh!" Hench expected something of this sort, but was astonished - to learn that the young couple had got married so promptly. "Man and - wife, are they?" - </p> - <p> - "Yes! They have entered into the bonds of matrimony, and are now - breaking the news to Madame Alpenny." - </p> - <p> - "She won't be pleased," observed Hench, with a shrug. "Oh, - I am sure she will be very annoyed indeed!" cried Mrs. Tesk, clasping - her hands with a look of distress. "She intended you to be her - son-in-law. She told me so several times." - </p> - <p> - "Ah! There is such a thing as counting your chickens before they are - hatched, Mrs. Tesk," was the young man's dry reply. - </p> - <p> - "But you loved Mademoiselle Zara--or rather I should now say Mrs. - Bracken." - </p> - <p> - "I admired her," corrected Owain. "I never loved her. She - quite understood my feeling. I wish her and Bracken all manner of luck." - </p> - <p> - "So do I, Mr. Hench. After all, if two people are tenderly attached, - why should they not wed?" - </p> - <p> - "Why, indeed? When were they married?" - </p> - <p> - "Yesterday, at a Registrar's office. I scarcely look upon such a - civil contract as a marriage myself, Mr. Hench, as such a ceremony should - surely be sanctified by the blessing of the Church. But married they are - according to the law of the land, and I expect they will leave me now." - </p> - <p> - "Why should they?" - </p> - <p> - "Because Madame Alpenny will never allow them to live under the same - roof as herself. She is a very determined woman, Mr. Hench. I shall be - sorry to lose the company of the bridal pair," said poor Mrs. Tesk, - wiping away a tear, "as I highly approve of their young affection. - It's so romantic. Ah!" she rose suddenly and opened the door. "They - have broken the news. Hark!" - </p> - <p> - Madame Alpenny certainly was not pleased. She stood at the head of the - stairs anathematizing the bridal pair as they descended arm in arm. Zara - was weeping and Bracken's stolid face wore an angry expression. Moved to - the depths of her being, Mrs. Tesk was about to rush out and console them - when her skirts were plucked by Hench. - </p> - <p> - "Don't say that I am here," he whispered, and the landlady - nodded comprehendingly as she disappeared. - </p> - <p> - While Mrs. Tesk was accompanying Bracken and his wife to the door Madame - Alpenny still stood at the top of the stairs raging wildly. She was fat - and homely in her appearance, and still wore her eternal orange-spotted - dress, bead mantle and picture hat. But furious anger made her look quite - picturesque as she poured out a torrent of words, shaking her fists and - with flashing eyes. "Never come near me again, you miserable girl!" - she shouted after her daughter. "Ah, but what a wicked child you are - to throw yourself away on a fool. As to that man Hench, who has bribed you - into deceiving me, he shall suffer for his evil doings. Take my curse with - you, Zara, and may you-----" Sheer wrath choked her further - utterance, and perhaps the fact that the happy pair had stepped out of the - front door. Even Atê cannot waste her fury on nothing, and Madame Alpenny - looked very like Atê indeed. - </p> - <p> - Luckily the boarders were all away and the servants were downstairs, so - there were no spectators of the scene but Hench and Mrs. Tesk. The - landlady parted with Zara and Bracken quite tenderly, for their romance - appealed to her ever-young heart. While she was dismissing them on the - doorstep, with a blessing which she hoped would neutralize the maternal - curse, Hench ran up the stairs and into the drawing-room as quickly as he - could. Madame Alpenny had staggered into the same a few moments earlier, - and was sobbing violently on the sofa when Owain entered and closed the - door. At the sound of the closing she looked up, and her face became - purple with rage when she saw who had disturbed her. - </p> - <p> - "You dare to come here, you--you--you?" she stormed, rising - promptly and shaking her fist. "You who have ruined my hopes for - Zara." - </p> - <p> - "As those hopes were connected with a possible marriage between - myself and your daughter," said Owain suavely, "I told you long - ago that they could never be realized." - </p> - <p> - "You told me. What do I care what you told me?" Madame Alpenny - was in such a rage that she could scarcely get the words out. "And - you smile, do you? Ah, yes, you can smile at my shame." - </p> - <p> - "Don't be a fool," said Hench brusquely. "Your daughter has - married an honourable man, whom you ought to be proud of as your - son-in-law." - </p> - <p> - "But I wanted you," sobbed Madame piteously, and suddenly - passing from anger to pleading sorrow. - </p> - <p> - "I know, and I pointed out to you that the thing was not possible. - Zara loves Bracken, and I have arranged for money to be given to them so - that they can make a fresh start in life." - </p> - <p> - "Money; my money," moaned the old woman. "Your money! What - do you mean by saying that?" Madame Alpenny dropped her handkerchief - from her eyes and stood up with as great a dignity as her stout ungainly - figure permitted. "Your money is mine, Monsieur. You owe it to me - that you inherited the money." - </p> - <p> - "Indeed!" Hench trapped her at once. "So you admit your - guilt." - </p> - <p> - "My guilt?" - </p> - <p> - "Yes. It was you who murdered my uncle." - </p> - <p> - "I?" Madame Alpenny stood stock still and stared hard. "It - is a lie." - </p> - <p> - "It is the truth. You learned from my father how matters stood twenty - years ago, and our conversation in this very room revived your memory when - I mentioned the place where my father had passed his youth. You went down - to see my Uncle Madoc and arranged with him that I should be brought to - meet him in Parley Wood by means of that advertisement which you showed - me. And----" - </p> - <p> - Madame Alpenny interrupted his flow of words by waving her fat hand for - silence. "I admit all this, although I don't know how you found it - out." - </p> - <p> - "Never mind how I found it out. You are guilty." - </p> - <p> - "What? You tell me a long story of what I have done and which I admit - to be true. But you have said nothing which can prove that I murdered the - man." - </p> - <p> - "I was coming to that when you interrupted me," said Hench - calmly. "You knew that I would go to the meeting, although I was then - ignorant of my relationship to Squire Evans. Therefore you travelled down - to Cookley on the first of July and----" - </p> - <p> - "I never did; I never did," interrupted Madame Alpenny - violently, but looking very anxious in spite of her denial. - </p> - <p> - "You did, and when you arrived at Cookley you went to the Gipsy Stile - before I did to stab my uncle." - </p> - <p> - "Oh!" Madame Alpenny waved her arms grotesquely. "La! la! - la! la! I murdered him, did I? And why should I murder him?" - </p> - <p> - "So as to place me in possession of the money," said Hench - solemnly. "So as to implicate me in the death, as you knew that I - would arrive to find the dead body of the man you had killed. In this way - you hoped to force me to marry your daughter and handle my fortune." - </p> - <p> - Madame Alpenny sat down with a cool ironical air. "A very clever tale - indeed, Monsieur. And who can prove its truth?" - </p> - <p> - "Two people at least. You were followed when you first went to - Cookley to join my uncle in laying the trap by means of the advertisement; - you were followed on the occasion of your second visit, when you killed - him." - </p> - <p> - "Who followed me? Who saw me?" - </p> - <p> - "Simon Jedd, who is a page here, and his brother Peter, who is in the - service of Mrs. Perage at Cookley." - </p> - <p> - "And how much have you paid them to tell this lie?" - </p> - <p> - "I have paid them nothing. They are voluntary witnesses. Come, - Madame, it is useless for you to deny the truth." - </p> - <p> - "But I do deny it, see you!" she cried excitedly. "I deny - it wholly and altogether. My first visit---ah, yes, I say that I did call - on your uncle, and he did tell me about the advertisement, but----" - </p> - <p> - "Why did he put in that advertisement?" interrupted Owain - sharply. - </p> - <p> - "He wished to see you before revealing himself as your uncle." - </p> - <p> - "He could have appointed the meeting to take place in his house. Why - was it arranged to come off in Parley Wood?" - </p> - <p> - "There," said Madame Alpenny with candour, "I cannot help - you. But that Monsieur Evans was strange--ah yes, he was dangerous. He - told me that he would meet you at the Gipsy Stile, and took me there to - show me the place. I went into the wood after I had left the big house." - </p> - <p> - "I am aware of that," said Hench, remembering what Peter had - said. "Go on." - </p> - <p> - "You seem to know much," she sneered. - </p> - <p> - "Enough to get you arrested and tried, condemned and hanged," - said Hench in a significant tone. "Go on, I tell you." - </p> - <p> - Madame Alpenny snarled, and her eyes glittered viciously. "Don't try - to ride the tall horse over me, beast that you are. I am not afraid; no, I - am not at all afraid. I do not know why your uncle arranged the meeting - for the wood. All I had to do was to draw your attention to the - advertisement, which I did. He wrote it out and put it in the journal. For - all I know," went on the woman, more or less to herself, "this - man wished to kill you, and chose a lonely place to do so." - </p> - <p> - "Why should he wish to kill me?" - </p> - <p> - "Because he hated your father and he hated you, Monsieur. He did not - wish you to get the money. I did, because then you could marry Zara and I - would be rich for the rest of my life." - </p> - <p> - "That means I would have been under your thumb." - </p> - <p> - "Ah, but no. Why should you be under my thumb? It was gratitude I - looked for because I knew what would give you a large fortune. Your uncle - would have given you enough to live on--perhaps two thousand a year." - </p> - <p> - "Why so, when he hated me?" - </p> - <p> - "Because I would have persuaded him. I told him about my daughter and - how you loved her." - </p> - <p> - "I did not," said Hench quickly and with a frown. "You did; - you did. And Monsieur Evans, he said that if he found you a good young man - and better than your wicked father, whom your uncle hated, that he would - allow you a good income as his heir. For that reason did I agree to him - putting in the advertisement and bringing you to meet him in that solitary - spot. But it was in my mind to tell you all when I came back." - </p> - <p> - "Why didn't you? It would have saved much trouble." - </p> - <p> - "Because if I had not consented your uncle would never have - acknowledged you as his heir or allowed you anything. Then you could not - have married Zara and have given me money as I desired. Monsieur Evans was - a healthy man, and I saw he would live for many years." - </p> - <p> - "Therefore to get the money into your clutches at once you killed - him." - </p> - <p> - "I did not. Who dares to say that I did?" - </p> - <p> - "Simon Jedd will dare for one, when I examine him, and Mr. Spruce has - already accused you, for another." - </p> - <p> - Madame Alpenny jumped up in a fury. "Mistare Spruce!" she - shouted, with a violent gesture. "That wicked beast! That evil one! - He accuse me?" - </p> - <p> - "Of murdering my uncle? Yes. It is due to his information that I am - here, as he can help me to prove your guilt." - </p> - <p> - "My guilt!" Madame Alpenny snapped her fingers, with a crimson - face. "Oh, that for my guilt! I am innocent." - </p> - <p> - "Naturally you say so. But can you prove your innocence?" - </p> - <p> - "I can." She said this with so much assurance that Hench was - staggered, and began to wonder if he had made a mistake. "See you, - that Mistare Spruce make me confess to him and then betrays me to you. - Beast!" - </p> - <p> - "You should not have trusted him," said Owain coldly. "Any - one can see that he is a bad lot. I wonder that a woman of your - penetration, Madame, behaved in so rash a manner." - </p> - <p> - "Rash! Ah, but I did not behave rash. He forced me to speak. He knew - so much that I had to tell him all." - </p> - <p> - "About the murder?" - </p> - <p> - "I am innocent of the murder," cried the woman, throwing back - her head in a fierce way. "Hear what I speak, and then you shall see. - Mistare Spruce was in this room when I told how I met your father. Is it - not so?" - </p> - <p> - "Yes," agreed Hench. "He heard the whole conversation." - </p> - <p> - "I said," went on Madame Alpenny, "that there was a mystery - about you, and now you know what the mystery was. Mistare Spruce, wanting - to make money out of you and thinking that I knew something--which I - did--watched me as a cat a mouse. I went to Cookley saying that I had to - go away to find an engagement for my daughter. Is it not so?" she - asked again. - </p> - <p> - "Yes. You were away for a few days and so was Spruce." - </p> - <p> - "He followed me down to Cookley." - </p> - <p> - "Are you sure?" asked Hench, wondering why the two sharp Jedd - boys had not also seen the Nut. - </p> - <p> - "He confessed to me. He saw me enter the Grange; he saw me come out - and go into the wood to meet Monsieur Evans at the Gipsy Stile. He stole - after me and listened. You understand? He listened and learned about the - property coming to you; about the advertisement; about my desire that you - should marry my daughter Zara." - </p> - <p> - "Well?" asked Owain, when she stopped for want of breath. - </p> - <p> - "Well,"--she made a dramatic gesture,--"and what follows. - He said nothing, but he knew the paper in which the advertisement - appeared--Monsieur Evans mentioned it at the stile--and learned about the - meeting. He still said nothing, but after the tale of the murder appears - in the paper he comes to me." - </p> - <p> - "Yes? To accuse you; to blackmail you?" - </p> - <p> - "Ah, but no. He said nothing of me being guilty. He declared that you - went down to Cookley to meet your uncle." - </p> - <p> - "How did he know?" - </p> - <p> - "I cannot say. It was, perhaps, what you call a pot-shot. But he says - you are the guilty person and that he will denounce you unless I confess - all. I tell him all, as I did not wish you to be arrested, and Mistare - Spruce said that he would wait until you married Zara before speaking. - Then he expected me to get you to give him two thousand a year for ever." - </p> - <p> - Hench nodded. "Quite so. That is the price he asked for betraying - you. And why did he alter his arrangements?" - </p> - <p> - "He grew weary, and then that Bracken--the pig who stole my - daughter--told him that he loved Zara and would marry her, as she loved - him. And, mark you, Mistare Spruce still says nothing to me. Oh, no. He - goes down to you and declares that I am guilty, as only in that way could - he get the money. Do you think, Monsieur, that I am blind? Ah, but no. I - see it all. You wish your name to be cleared, and you are helped by - Mistare Spruce to accuse me. But it is a lie--a lie--a lie!" She rose - to stamp furiously. "I am as innocent as you are guilty. You murdered - Monsieur Evans to get the money." - </p> - <p> - "Well," said Hench, with a shrug, "it's not much use my - denying that I did, as you can only save yourself by believing that I - struck the blow. You <i>had</i> a strong case against me," ended - Hench, with emphasis. "But now that Spruce has told his story, these - Jedd boys who watched you on the night of the murder can prove you to be - the assassin." - </p> - <p> - "Ah," sneered Madame Alpenny contemptuously, "it is that - silly, insolent, ugly page who accuses me?" - </p> - <p> - "He has not done so yet, but he will when I see him, if what Spruce - says is true; and true, Madame, I believe it to be." - </p> - <p> - "Pfui!" She snapped her fingers again. "I did not go to - Cookley on that night." - </p> - <p> - "Can you prove that?" - </p> - <p> - Madame Alpenny looked somewhat disconcerted; then a thought seemed to - strike her and she burst into a violent rage. "Ah, but you dare to - ask me that when you arranged, to save yourself, that I should go to - Hampstead on the night." - </p> - <p> - "Go to Hampstead? What are you talking about?" - </p> - <p> - "Your wickedness!" vociferated the woman, beside herself with - fury. "I received a letter on the morning of the first of July, - asking me to meet the writer at the Ponds in Hampstead, as I would then be - told how to get the money of your uncle at once. It was six o'clock I was - to meet this person, and----" - </p> - <p> - "Who was the person?" - </p> - <p> - "There was no name signed to the letter, as you well know who wrote - it," cried Madame Alpenny indignantly. "And it said also that if - the person who wrote was not there I was to wait if it was two or three - hours. I go"--she spoke dramatically, in the present tense--"I - find no one. I wait and wait and wait; hour and hour and hour I wait. - After ten o'clock--yes, and nearer eleven, if I remember--I come back - disappointed to this place. I hear no more of the letter or of the person. - But you see that I am innocent. Could I be in two places at once, I ask - you, Monsieur?" - </p> - <p> - "No. But have you any witness to prove that you were at Hampstead?" - </p> - <p> - "No," said Madame Alpenny, in her turn, and disconcerted again - as she was quite sharp enough to see the flaw in her story. "I cannot - bring any one to prove I was at Hampstead. But I was----I was----I was." - </p> - <p> - "Show me the letter." - </p> - <p> - "I have not got it. I tore it up and so made a mistake." - </p> - <p> - "You did," said Hench coolly, and not believing a word of her - tale. "All the worse for you, Madame. Well"--he rose and took up - his hat--"it only remains for me to go to the police and tell them - everything." - </p> - <p> - If Hench thought that this statement would frighten the woman, he was - never more mistaken in his life. She snapped her fingers right under his - nose. "Go! Go! Go!" she cried. "You have robbed me of my - daughter by giving money to that fool to marry her; now you would rob me - of my liberty. I defy you. I care not for the police, nor for you, nor for - anything." - </p> - <p> - "Very good." Hench walked towards the door. "If you had - behaved in a different spirit I would have tried to arrange matters - differently for your daughter's sake. As it is you must take the - consequence. To clear my own character, you can understand----" - </p> - <p> - "Oh, yes, I well understand, Monsieur. You murdered your uncle; you - wrote that letter asking me to leave this house, so that I could be unable - to explain where I was, and now you accuse me at the bidding of Mistare - Spruce. I see it all, and I defy you; I spit upon you; I----" Here - Hench, unable to stand any more of her savage anger, left the room, while - she still raged. - </p> - <p> - The young man descended the stairs with the determination to go as soon as - possible to the police-office and tell his tale. If he did not, the - chances were that Madame Alpenny would run away, although he admitted to - himself that her speech was not that of a frightened person. But when he - reached the bottom of the stairs and saw Mrs. Tesk at the door of her - sanctum, he remembered that Simon Jedd had still to be examined, and - walked up to the landlady. - </p> - <p> - "Where is Bottles?" he asked abruptly. - </p> - <p> - "Dismissed from my employment!" was the unexpected reply. - </p> - <p> - "Dismissed! His brother, who is a page at Mrs. Perage's, did not tell - me so." - </p> - <p> - "Simon did not wish his brother to know," said Mrs. Tesk - quietly, "as he was ashamed, very naturally." - </p> - <p> - "Ashamed of what?" - </p> - <p> - "Of being dismissed for theft." - </p> - <p> - "Come, come, Mrs. Tesk, I can't believe that Bottles is a thief." - </p> - <p> - "He is!" insisted the ex-school-mistress, colouring. "Sorry - as I am to say so, Mr. Hench. Several small articles have been missing - lately, and amongst them a valuable carving-knife with a horn handle, - which I inherited from my grandmother. So you see----" - </p> - <p> - "A horn-handled carving-knife!" echoed Hench with a start, and - remembered clearly that such a weapon had been used to stab Madoc Evans. - "Can you swear that the boy took it?" - </p> - <p> - "I accused him of stealing the knife and several other small - articles. He turned red, but he did not deny his guilt. Out of - consideration for his hard-working mother, I did not prosecute him, but - sent him away, lest he should contaminate Amelia and the other servants." - </p> - <p> - "Where is he now?" - </p> - <p> - "Staying with Mrs. Jedd, his mother. As you know, she is the wardrobe - mistress at the Bijou Music-hall." - </p> - <p> - "Thank you. I'll go and see Bottles. I can't believe that such an - honest lad is guilty." And Hench turned on his heel. - </p> - <p> - "Wait, sir. You do not blame me?" - </p> - <p> - "Oh, no. If he did not deny your accusation, you acted rightly. But - there must be some explanation of this. What it is I go to find out." - </p> - <p> - Mrs. Tesk would have detained him to ask questions concerning Madame - Alpenny's frame of mind, but Hench refused to stay. He was now beginning - to wonder if the Hungarian lady really was guilty. It seemed as if Bottles - was the culprit, that is if he had really stolen the carving-knife. With - such a weapon the crime had certainly been committed. - </p> - <p> - <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> - </p> - <h4> - <a name="div1_20" href="#div1Ref_20" id="div1_20">CHAPTER XX</a> - </h4> - <h5> - REAPING THE WHIRLWIND - </h5> - <p> - <br /> - </p> - <p> - The weather was uncommonly hot. For weeks the sun had been blazing in a - cloudless sky, as it did in the tropics, and the earth was parched for - want of rain. Everywhere it was seamed and cracked; everywhere the grass - was brown and the trees were wilted, while the air was like the - thrice-heated breath of a furnace. Animals and human beings went languidly - about their business and longed all day for the cool night hours. Not that - it was particularly cool even when the twilight came, but it was something - to escape the pitiless blue sky and the burning sun. And on this - particular evening a hot wind rose with unexpected suddenness to make - matters worse. It raised clouds of dust, it rattled the dry foliage in - Parley Wood, and brought no sense of relief to the worn and weary. As - people are never really prepared for an unusually hot season in England, - the Cookley villagers found this equatorial summer excessively trying and - disagreeable. - </p> - <p> - Spruce enjoyed the sultry weather personally, as he loved warmth with all - the affection of a cat, and the worst heat never caused him any - discomfort. After dining excellently at seven o'clock, he now sat by the - open window of his sitting-room at the Bull Inn, enjoying a cup of - fragrant coffee and as many cigarettes as he could get through. Of course, - he was in accurate evening dress, as he always loved to be clothed - appropriately according to the hour of the day. No one was more of a slave - to social observances than the Nut, for he had the petty soul of a Beau - Brummel. A small table stood before him, and he passed the time in trying - new card-tricks, which might be useful some day, should he again become - hard up. Not that Spruce always played false to make money, since he was a - cheat by instinct. To get the better of any one by trickery was pleasant, - as it involved danger, which was exciting, and gave him an agreeable - feeling of superiority because of his wonderful dexterity. So he shuffled - and cut and dealt; slipped cards up his sleeve and out again; diddled an - imaginary opponent by sleight of hand, and in every way trained himself to - cheating as though it were a fine art. Most card-lovers when alone play - Patience. Spruce preferred to prepare himself for future campaigns. - </p> - <p> - Every now and then he cast a disdainful look round the shabby old room, - which was by no means to his taste. Undoubtedly the apartment was ancient - and time-worn, containing too much furniture, and giving little - gratification to the eye. But Time had mellowed the whole into pleasing, - sober colours, and less fastidious people would have been delighted with - the reposeful look of things. The atmosphere was quite monastic. But - Spruce admired spacious chambers filled with gilded furniture and blazing - with lights. He had the tastes of Louis XIV., and Versailles was his idea - of a dwelling house. When he was in possession of the two thousand a year, - he intended to live in great luxury, but meanwhile contented himself with - this dingy habitation. The window at which he was seated looked out on to - a small garden surrounded by a low wall beyond which stretched fields - right up to the grey churchyard. The sill of the window was so low that - the Nut could easily have vaulted over it into the pleasant garden. But - not having any love for Nature, he preferred to stay where he was playing - cards, and dreaming of luxurious years, which were as he thought--truly - coming to him. - </p> - <p> - While Spruce was thus occupied, the landlady of the inn knocked at the - door to announce that Mr. Hench and Mr. Vane wished to see him. The Nut at - once ordered them to be admitted, never doubting but what they were coming - to conclude the matter of his blackmail. He rose to greet them pleasantly, - as if he was the most honest person in the world, and when the door was - closed signed that they should be seated. He resumed his post near the - window, and in that way obtained a good view of their faces, while his own - was in the shadow. As it was only half-past eight o'clock, the twilight - was yet luminous enough to see very plainly, and although Spruce offered - to ring for lights, Hench signified that it was not necessary. Then the - host offered cigarettes and drinks, both of which were curtly refused. - </p> - <p> - "You are uncommonly rude," said the Nut, much nettled. "When - you look up a man you might be civil." - </p> - <p> - "That depends very much on the man," said Vane coolly. "Neither - Hench nor myself were ever friends of yours, Spruce." - </p> - <p> - "Oh, I don't want your friendship. After all, you are a dull couple." - </p> - <p> - "But honest," said Hench with emphasis. - </p> - <p> - "Honesty implies dullness. It takes a clever man to sin." - </p> - <p> - "What a brilliant person you must be, then." - </p> - <p> - "That's sarcastic, I suppose." Spruce was not at all offended, - but accepted the observation as a tribute to his powers. "But I don't - mind. On the whole, I am clever enough to get two thousand a year." - </p> - <p> - "You haven't earned it yet," snapped Vane with a look of - dislike. - </p> - <p> - Spruce started. "Ah, play fair, whatever you do," he protested. - "Hench promised me two thousand a year if I told him about that old - woman. You heard him, Vane." - </p> - <p> - "I heard Hench promise to give you that income if the crime was - brought home to Madame Alpenny, and his character cleared," said Vane - dryly. "There is a difference between telling a thing and proving a - thing." - </p> - <p> - "I suppose that means Madame Alpenny denies her guilt?" said the - Nut, turning to the other man. "It is useless for her to do so, as - Simon can prove it." - </p> - <p> - "Oh, I have seen Simon and have brought him down with me," said - Hench quietly. "In fact, he is waiting outside to come in when - called." - </p> - <p> - "Then call him at once," said Spruce briskly. "I want to - get this business completed and see the last of you. I hate bores." - </p> - <p> - "Oh, you'll see the last of us sooner than you expect," said - Vane grimly. - </p> - <p> - "Good! You will confer a favour on me when you do cut." Spruce - looked round again at Owain. "So you saw Madame Alpenny?" - </p> - <p> - "Yesterday, at The Home of the Muses. I went up to town especially to - see her, as you know." - </p> - <p> - "And she----" - </p> - <p> - "She denies that she was in Cookley on the night when my uncle was - killed. I was given to understand by her that an anonymous letter summoned - her to the Hampstead Ponds to meet some one." - </p> - <p> - "For what purpose?" - </p> - <p> - "The letter said that the person who wrote it--there was no name, - remember--declared that information would be given to enable her to get - the money at once from my uncle." - </p> - <p> - "What money?" - </p> - <p> - "My property, I presume, for which she was scheming." - </p> - <p> - "Well, and did Madame Alpenny see this person?" - </p> - <p> - "No. She went to Hampstead about six and returned home after ten." - </p> - <p> - "Quite time enough for her to travel to Cookley and back in order to - commit the murder," said Spruce coolly. "Did you see the letter?" - </p> - <p> - "No. She had torn it up." - </p> - <p> - "Fudge!" cried the Nut inelegantly. "There never was such a - letter. She invented that yarn so as to account for her presence elsewhere - on the night of the crime. She did murder Squire Evans. You heard what - Peter said?" - </p> - <p> - "Oh, yes. And I have heard what Simon said. I am bound to say," - said Hench with emphasis, "that his story is much the same." - </p> - <p> - "Well then, with two witnesses, what more proof do you want of the - woman's guilt?" demanded Spruce indignantly. "I fancy I have - earned my money. What do you say, Vane?" - </p> - <p> - "I say we had better have Simon in and hear his story," retorted - the barrister dryly. "It is just as well to get everything made quite - plain." - </p> - <p> - "So I think," declared the Nut briskly. "Call him in, - Hench." - </p> - <p> - With great calmness the young man did so, not at all disturbed by the - imperious tone in which the order was given. This was Spruce's little hour - of triumph, so both the visitors allowed him to control the situation - while he was able. Bottles made his appearance quickly, and cap in hand - stood before the closed door, waiting to be interrogated. With his - freckled face and red hair he looked anything but prepossessing. At least - he did not in the Nut's eyes, who failed to observe the good-humoured - expression and intelligent gaze of the lad, which were worth much more - than mere animal comeliness. - </p> - <p> - Spruce, in the attitude of an examining judge, surveyed the boy - superciliously and immediately began to question him. "You are to - tell these gentlemen what you told me," he commanded. "Now, on - the first of July you followed Madame Alpenny to the Liverpool Street - Station?" - </p> - <p> - "Yes, sir. She caught the five o'clock train to this place." - </p> - <p> - "And you followed?" - </p> - <p> - "I did, sir. I wished to see what her game was." - </p> - <p> - "One moment," interpolated Hench at this remark. "I may - mention that I also came to Cookley on that night by that train. I had an - idea that Madame Alpenny was at my elbow. In fact, I fancied that I caught - a glimpse of her in the crowd at Liverpool Street Station. But I thought - that I was mistaken." - </p> - <p> - "You wasn't mistaken, sir," said Bottles calmly. - </p> - <p> - "She was in the crowd, sure enough, and went down by that train. So - did you, sir, for I saw you, and dodged." - </p> - <p> - "Good!" said Spruce, rubbing his hands. "This unsolicited - testimony of yours, Hench, emphasizes the fact of the woman's guilt. Go - on, Simon." - </p> - <p> - "The train got here at half-past six. I had already sent a telegram - to my brother saying that Madame was coming, and telling him to meet the - train and watch. He was on the Cookley platform, sure enough, but I hadn't - any time to speak to him, having to keep my eye on Madame Alpenny. She - didn't go through the village street, but across the fields to the - churchyard and then by the path to Parley Wood. I followed, hiding as - often as I could." - </p> - <p> - "She didn't see you, then?" inquired Vane idly. - </p> - <p> - "No, sir. I was much too fly. Peter, he came also at a distance, and - hid in the churchyard, while I follered Madame Alpenny into the wood. She - made for the Gipsy Stile." - </p> - <p> - "How did you know where that was?" inquired Hench. - </p> - <p> - "Why, sir," said the boy, greatly surprised, "of course I - was there before when she and the old cove talked together about the - advertisement." - </p> - <p> - "Yes! Yes! I understand." - </p> - <p> - "And, of course," said Spruce smoothly, "he was following - Madame, who also knew the appointed meeting place. Well, Simon?" - </p> - <p> - "She didn't stay at the stile, but hid in the wood. I hid near her - and kept my eyes on her, as there was plenty of light." - </p> - <p> - "Of course. It was not late and the Gipsy Stile is in a clearing," - explained the Nut, waving his hand. "Go on, boy." - </p> - <p> - "After a long time--I couldn't say how long, as I hadn't a watch--the - old cove came to the stile. Madame Alpenny came to meet him and talked to - him for a time, and----" - </p> - <p> - "Did she raise her veil?" asked Hench quickly. - </p> - <p> - "No, sir. She spoke for a few minutes, and I could see as she'd - something in her right hand. What it was I don't know. Then she suddenly - lifted her arm and stabbed the old gentleman, who fell without a cry. As - soon as she made sure he was dead, she cut. My brother saw her go through - the churchyard." - </p> - <p> - Vane nodded. "On her way to the station. I remember. Then you came - out of the wood, to meet your brother near the church, and made him swear - not to say a single word." - </p> - <p> - "What else could I do, sir?" protested Bottles, distressed. - "I might have got into a row with the police. That is why I said - nothing." - </p> - <p> - "Very wise of you," said Spruce approvingly, then turned to the - others. "Well, gentlemen, I think the case is clear. Madame Alpenny - murdered Squire Evans, and her guilt is proved by Simon here, who saw the - crime committed, and by Peter, who saw her in the vicinity, even though - she swears that she was at Hampstead. What more proof do you want?" - </p> - <p> - "None," said Hench calmly. "Undoubtedly my uncle was - murdered by--some one dressed as Madame Alpenny!" - </p> - <p> - Spruce gave a gasp and rose as if moved by springs. - </p> - <p> - "What do you mean by saying that, may I ask?" he demanded in a - choked voice. - </p> - <p> - "I mean that you murdered Madoc Evans and that Bottles here can prove - it." - </p> - <p> - "A lie! A wicked, false lie!" gasped the Nut, who became deadly - pale. - </p> - <p> - Vane chuckled; tense as the situation was, he chuckled. "You have - been weaving a rope for your own neck all this time, Spruce," he - remarked grimly. - </p> - <p> - "Such an accusation is ridiculous!" said the other, with an - attempt at dignity. "Is it likely that I would dress up as a woman - to----" - </p> - <p> - "You were always good in amateur theatricals," said Vane - remorselessly. "And you would do anything to get the two thousand a - year, which, by the way, you are not likely to enjoy." - </p> - <p> - "My enemy speaks," said Spruce dramatically. "It's one - thing to say a thing and another thing to prove a thing." - </p> - <p> - "You are quite epigrammatic!" sneered the barrister. - </p> - <p> - "Hush, Jim, and let the boy speak. He can prove that Spruce is - guilty." - </p> - <p> - "I just can," said Bottles promptly, and greatly enjoying his <i>rôle</i> - of detective. "For I've watched you, Mr. Spruce, for ever so long. I - watched Madame Alpenny first, thinking she meant harm to Mr. Hench." - </p> - <p> - "Why should she have meant harm?" asked Vane quickly, for he was - not so well acquainted with the story as his friend. - </p> - <p> - "Oh, she knew something about him, and said that he was a mystery. I - heard her talking to Miss Zara, and then I heard something of the talk in - the drawingroom, when she said as she knowed Mr. Hench's father. She asked - me for an A.B.C., too, she did, and left it open on the table. I looked - and saw on the page the timetable for Cookley. I didn't know she was going - there, as other time-tables were on the page, but I thought it was queer - seeing Cookley, considering that my brother was down here with Mrs. - Perage." - </p> - <p> - "It's all rubbish, of course," said Spruce, with a kind of - hysterical cackle. "But what did you do then?" - </p> - <p> - "I watched. When she went away I got my holiday and follered. She did - go to Cookley, and so did you, Mr. Spruce." - </p> - <p> - "It's a lie, you imp. I didn't!" - </p> - <p> - "You did!" insisted the lad. "And it was your follering - Madame Alpenny as made me watch you. I knowed as you wasn't up to any - good. Me and Simon follered you both, and when Madame Alpenny went into - the Grange you hung about in the midst of the trees waiting for her. Then - you follered her when she went into the wood to see the old cove at that - stile, and heard everything." - </p> - <p> - "Admitting all this," said Spruce, appealing to the two men, - "how does it connect me with the murder and this masquerade, which is - so ridiculous?" - </p> - <p> - "Oh, I'll connect you, right enough," said Bottles tartly. - "Don't you make any mistake, sir. I ain't read detective stories for - nothing. When you came back I watched you and I watched Madame. Then you - made friends with the manager of the Bijou Music-hall," - </p> - <p> - "I was friends with him long before!" declared Spruce angrily, - and hoping against hope that the boy would fail to substantiate his - accusation. "Ah, but you became better friends," said Bottles - persistently, "and got behind the scenes. Then you were agreeable to - mother and asked to look over the theatrical properties. I didn't know - what you was after until mother said as you'd asked her for a red wig to - play in some theatricals. Then I guessed as you wanted to imitate Madame, - who has hair as red as mine. I was sure when you brought mother some - orange-spotted black cloth to make a dress and borrowed a bead mantle and - a flopping hat off her." - </p> - <p> - "I did not. You are a brazen liar!" - </p> - <p> - "Liar yourself, sir! Mother can prove the truth of everything I say. - You paid her well for the things, I don't deny. But mother wouldn't have - taken a penny if she knowed what you was after. She never did know, as - there was no mention of Madame Alpenny's dress, or of Madame, in the - papers reporting the murder. Only when Mr. Hench come yesterday did I take - him to mother and tell her all. She was horrified, for mother is a good - sort, and told him what I am telling you. I knowed it all before." - </p> - <p> - "The woman is a liar, as the boy is," said Spruce, licking his - lips, which were very white and dry. - </p> - <p> - "Shut up, Bottles!" said Hench, as the boy was about to make an - angry response. "Let me say the rest. Bottles watched you leave the - house dressed as Madame Alpenny, Spruce----" - </p> - <p> - "It was Madame Alpenny!" insisted the Nut, fighting desperately. - </p> - <p> - "It wasn't!" cried Simon, who could not be suppressed. "She'd - gone to Hampstead later, after you went, and I let her out. No, I'm - talking wrong. I saw her leave the house after four, and she said as she'd - an appointment at Hampstead, and wouldn't be back till late. She come back - very late, and so did I, because I was follering you." - </p> - <p> - "The boy equivocates, you see," mumbled Spruce. - </p> - <p> - "First one thing, then another." - </p> - <p> - "I think his evidence is very clear, on the whole," declared - Vane calmly. - </p> - <p> - "So do I," said Hench. "And after Madame Alpenny went, you - came out, Spruce, dressed in the same way. Bottles, knowing how you got - the clothes from his mother, the wardrobe mistress at the Bijou, and - knowing that Madame Alpenny had already left the house, guessed it was you - in disguise. He snatched up his cap and followed, catching the five - o'clock train, as you did. The rest you know. You are the guilty man." - </p> - <p> - "He is!" said Bottles with relish. "And he gave back the - things to mother saying as the amateur theatricals had been quite a - success." - </p> - <p> - "As he hoped to make two thousand a year, I presume they were!" - said Vane in a cruel voice. "Well, Spruce, what have you to say - before being arrested?" - </p> - <p> - "Arrested!" Spruce gave a scream like a woman, and he dropped - limply into his chair, white-faced and aghast. "What for?" - </p> - <p> - "For the murder of Squire Evans." - </p> - <p> - "No! No!" He thrust out his hands as if warding off a blow. - "I did not kill him. You cannot bring the crime home to me." - </p> - <p> - "The evidence you have heard brings the crime home to you only too - positively," said Hench, with a certain pity in his voice, for the - sudden collapse of the man was dreadful. "Peter can prove that you - were mixed up in the matter, and Mrs. Jedd can prove that you borrowed the - clothes, having the orange-spotted dress made after the style of that worn - by Madame Alpenny. And Simon can prove the murder. He saw you kill the - man." - </p> - <p> - "No! No! No!" - </p> - <p> - "May I die if I didn't!" swore Bottles, who was looking nervous, - for the scene shook him considerably, since he was only a boy. - </p> - <p> - "It was a mean, sordid murder, committed for the sake of gain," - said Vane. - </p> - <p> - "Don't kick the man when he is down, Jim," said Hench, - pityingly. - </p> - <p> - "Why not? He was insolent enough while he was up. And to kill an old - man of whom he knew nothing! Owain, it was beastly. I hope I'm as decent a - chap as any, but my gorge rises at the sight of this creature." - </p> - <p> - What little pride remained in Spruce rose at these words. He sprang to his - feet and shook his fist wildly in the air. "I shall get off!" he - screamed. "I can prove my innocence!" - </p> - <p> - "Do so to the detective," said Hench, wishing to end the scene. - </p> - <p> - "A detective! a detective!" Spruce clutched his throat as if to - tear away the rope he was doomed to. "You won't--you won't----" - His voice failed. - </p> - <p> - "I saw the authorities and procured a warrant before leaving London. - Every moment I expect the detective in to execute it." - </p> - <p> - "No! No! No!" Spruce flung himself on his knees. "Dear - Hench, good Hench, you won't allow me to be hanged? I don't want the - money; I'll give it up. Let me get away; let me hide." - </p> - <p> - "Did you murder my uncle?" - </p> - <p> - "Yes! Yes!" Spruce's cheeks were streaming with tears and his - teeth were chattering. "It's all true. I acknowledge that I killed - him to get the money. But I am sorry--really and truly I am sorry. Don't - give me up--don't----" - </p> - <p> - "Get up," cried Vane in disgust, "and take your gruel like - a man." - </p> - <p> - "Bottles, see if the policeman is there," ordered Hench, and - Bottles, glad to escape from the scene, fled willingly. - </p> - <p> - "No!" Spruce rose from grovelling on the ground, and from a - tearful martyr was suddenly changed into a wild beast. His lips curled, - showing his teeth. He drew back towards the window, and his eyes flashed - fire. If he had had a weapon in his hand there is no doubt he would have - killed both the men. "You shan't catch me, hounds that you are. I - shall escape; I shall----" - </p> - <p> - "Look out, Owain, he's trying for the window!" - </p> - <p> - But Vane's warning came too late. With a surprising spring, the miserable - little creature flung himself through the window into the garden. Before - the two men could recover from their surprise he was over the low garden - wall and racing for the churchyard. Terror winged his feet, and he flew - onward like an arrow from the bow. Hench leaped after him immediately, and - followed close behind him, while Vane rushed out to see if the police had - arrived with the warrant. Two men were there in plain clothes, with a - village constable, and in a few hurried words the barrister related how - the man wanted had escaped. With the rapidity of lightning the news - spread, and in a wonderfully short space of time half the village, headed - by the police, Vane and Bottles, were making for the churchyard. Far ahead - they could see Hench running swiftly through the twilight, but of the - fugitive they could see no trace. - </p> - <p> - It was no wonder that the pursuers could not gain a glimpse of their - wretched quarry, for Spruce flew on with amazing speed. Behind him were - the dogs of justice, and he knew that once they pulled him down all that - remained for him to do was to face the death he had earned by his cowardly - crime. But he was not a man, only a creeping crawling thing saturated with - evil, a bird of prey, a snarling tiger--and he did not wish to receive the - reward of his wickedness. Instinctively he made for the wood wherein his - crime had been committed. Once in its dark recesses he hoped to remain - hidden until he could escape over seas. Behind him he caught sight of - Hench, and longed to have a knife or revolver to shoot or stab the man he - hated. Gasping, and streaming with perspiration, he plunged into the wood, - broke from the path which led to the Gipsy Stile, and struggled through - the dry, rustling undergrowth. They would never catch him, he swore, and - even as he did the miserable creature heard the beat of Owain's feet in - pursuit. - </p> - <p> - A thought struck him. The wood was dry, and would burn like tinder. Hench, - being in the wood and unprepared, would be probably burnt to death. - Without thinking of the danger to himself in his mad fury--only resolved - to make an end to Owain and to place a blazing screen between himself and - his pursuers---Spruce took out a silver box and struck a match. Then - another, and another, until all round him, in the grass and the moss and - the undergrowth, were stars of fire. The stars grew into blazing suns, as - the flames caught the tall, dry trees and roared upward. With - inconceivable rapidity the fire spread, and now it was time for Spruce to - fly from the death he had created. As he plunged onward he came suddenly - into the open, and fell, catching his foot in a fallen tree-trunk. He - tried to rise and could not, as his ankle was twisted. So he lay shrieking - on the verge of a fiery furnace, unable to move, and condemned by his own - evil act to a far more terrible death than that which he would have - suffered at the hands of the law. Shouting for help, and only anxious now - to escape the immediate doom, Spruce heard the cries of the villagers, - when they saw the tall columns of flame rising from the wood. Hench was - lunging here and there amidst the undergrowth seeking for Spruce, and - continued to do so until a barrier of flame cut him off from further - search. Before that terrible heat he was forced to retreat, and made for - the pathway so as to get back into the open. Vane's voice, high, clamorous - and clear, could be heard shouting for him, and in the roar of the flames - Hench heard the shrieking of the wretched creature who had lighted the - funeral pyre of himself. He made for the direction whence the cries came, - as they appeared to be near at hand. Fighting the flames, he stumbled into - the open space round the Gipsy Stile and saw Spruce writhing on the edge - of the clearing under a canopy of fire. It blazed overhead; it ran along - the moss and grass, licking up everything with greedy avidity; and all - round the wood was like a seven-times heated furnace. - </p> - <p> - "Save me; save me!" yelled Spruce, seeing his enemy. - </p> - <p> - Wicked as the creature was, Owain did his best. He ran towards the spot - where Spruce lay in agony, and tried to reach him. But the flames came out - with a gust of the hot dry wind, which now was blowing furiously, and the - young man fell back, shielding his face with his arms. When he removed - them he heard a wild cry of agony, and saw a tall bulky tree falling - slowly down. Spruce was beneath it, and saw its gradual descent. He cried - to Hench for help; he cried to God for pardon; but the tree dropped inch - by inch in the midst of that hell until it suddenly crashed down on the - doomed man. Then there was silence, save for the roar of the flames - rejoicing over their prey. - </p> - <p> - Hench turned and fled, skirting the flaming trees and getting round to - where the police and villagers were by slipping along the park wall. - Blackened and burnt, dizzy and faint, he staggered into the open space, - where all watched the great bonfire. Vane rushed forward and caught him in - his arms. - </p> - <p> - "Are you hurt--are you hurt?" - </p> - <p> - "No. I'm all right. But Spruce----!" He gasped at the memory of - the horror. - </p> - <p> - "My man," said the police officer. "What of him?" - </p> - <p> - "Dead!" breathed Hench faintly, and then fell unconscious to the - ground, while Parley Wood, with a noise like the roaring of many waters, - vanished for ever in flames and smoke. - </p> - <p> - <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> - </p> - <h4> - <a name="div1_21" href="#div1Ref_21" id="div1_21">CHAPTER XXI</a> - </h4> - <h5> - THE SUNSHINE OF LIFE - </h5> - <p> - <br /> - </p> - <p> - The discovery that Spruce was the murderer of Squire Evans, the burning of - Parley Wood, and the consequent death of the criminal, were wholly - unexpected events. They descended on the Cookley villagers like so many - bolts from the blue, and naturally caused a very great commotion. So far - as the woodland was concerned, nothing remained but a vast area of grey - ashes, wherein multitudinous smouldering stumps pricked up here and there. - Luckily the trees of the Grange park were untouched, as the fire had not - reached across the considerable space which, like a wide roadway, divided - Hench's property from the miniature forest. Also, the violent wind blowing - from the south had swept the flames northward, long-side the brick wall - girdling the demesne. But considerable damage had been wrought, as Parley - Wood was dear to many artists, and they, as well as the villagers, - lamented the blotting out of this beauty-spot. But, as some people said, - perhaps it was just as well, since the murder of Madoc Evans had given the - wood an evil reputation. These philosophical individuals, however, were in - the minority. - </p> - <p> - Under the huge tree-trunk which had crushed him to death the body of - Cuthbert Spruce was found, burnt and disfigured almost beyond recognition. - But there was not the least difficulty in identifying the remains of the - wretched man, and he was duly buried in Cookley churchyard. A large number - of morbid sight-seers were attracted to the ceremony, and there was much - talk about the extraordinary events which had led to his guilt being - proved. Hench, naturally enough, was anxious that the whole miserable - story should be kept from the public, but this was not possible. The - Inspector who had been charged with the arrest of Spruce advised the young - man--for the clearing of his own character--to allow all facts to become - known. Therefore the newspapers were filled with true accounts of all that - had happened in connection with the affair, from the time of his early - conversation with Madame Alpenny down to the moment when he staggered out - of Parley Wood to fall unconscious at Vane's feet. Owain was considerably - shaken by what he had undergone, both physically and mentally, so it was - natural that he should take some days to recover. He was burnt and - bruised; very much horrified by the appalling death of his old - schoolfellow; and greatly disturbed by the enforced publicity of the whole - dreadful business. It was fortunate that Mrs. Perage was at hand to look - after him, as she proved to be a very dragon to guard the broken man from - the curiosity of the public. Vane brought Hench to the old lady's house, - and there he remained in bed for quite a week to be nursed back to health - and strength by Gwen. Save the Inspector, who advised him to make the - facts of the case known to the world, he saw no one but the old lady and - the young one. Not even Jim Vane was permitted to interview him. - </p> - <p> - The result of this judicious treatment on the part of Mrs. Perage was - obvious, for while the excitement was going on Hench remained secluded in - his sick-room, and was not worried with questions. By the time he was able - to get up, healed of his hurts and much calmer in mind, the worst was - over. Spruce lay in the churchyard, the newspapers had said all they could - say about the matter, and the nine days' wonder of the whole awful - business had come to an end. It only remained for Owain to fulfil his - promise to the Brackens; to reward the Jedd boys for the clever way in - which they had saved him; to take formal possession of his property, and - to marry his cousin. Then he could begin a new life, and all the old - troubles would be forgotten. Of course it required decision and strength - to deal with such matters, but, thanks to Gwen's careful nursing, Owain - was quite able to attend to the business. With his descent into the - drawing-room, wholly cured at the end of nine days, the 'nine days' wonder - came to a termination. - </p> - <p> - "Now we must sweep up the fragments," said Hench, who was - rapidly recovering his strength, although he still looked somewhat pale. - </p> - <p> - "Quite so," agreed Mrs. Perage, who looked more grim and - masculine than ever. "I have asked the fragments to come here to-day - for the sweeping." - </p> - <p> - "What do you mean?" - </p> - <p> - "My meaning is plain enough, young man!" she replied vigorously. - "I want all this disagreeable business concluded, so that it will not - be necessary to re-open it again. Then, as soon as possible, you must - arrange about getting the property, marry Gwen, and go for a year's tour - in Europe, or in the States, if you like. I don't care where you go, so - long as you get away." - </p> - <p> - "I don't know if Owain is strong enough to travel yet," said - Gwen, who was sitting beside the sofa holding her lover's hand. - </p> - <p> - "Fudge!" retorted Mrs. Perage, standing on the hearthrug in - quite a manly attitude, with her hands behind her back. "Don't make a - mollycoddle of the fellow, you silly girl. While he remains here, - everything will remind him of the horrors which have taken place. Let him - travel to forget, and then he can return to take up his work as the Squire - of Cookley. You must go with him, as he is sure to be miserable without - you." - </p> - <p> - "That is very certain!" said Hench, smiling. - </p> - <p> - "Well, then," cried Mrs. Perage argumentatively, "so young - a girl can't go with you as a chaperon, can she? Marry her in a couple of - weeks and then no one can say a word, even if you take her to the North - Pole." - </p> - <p> - "But my father has not been dead very long," murmured Gwen - nervously. - </p> - <p> - "My dear, don't be a fool. God forbid that I should say a word - against your father, who has paid for his foolishness. But you owe him - nothing and you never got on with him. Then why sacrifice yourself to a - feeling which does not exist? Pfui!" Mrs. Perage rubbed her nose. - "Can't you understand that I am anxious to see the backs of you two - nuisances? I've had quite enough bother with you as it is." - </p> - <p> - Hench laughed outright, knowing that Mrs. Perage looked upon himself and - Gwen as her own children. "You wouldn't be happy without us," he - said gaily. "You would have no one to scold." - </p> - <p> - "Oh, there's always Jim Vane, at a pinch," said Mrs. Perage - good-humouredly. "But I daresay I shall miss you two brats. Babies, - that's what you are. As to scolding, there will be plenty of that when you - return. You are the Lord of the Manor, but I have much property in Cookley - also, so there will be ample for us to fight about. I want my own way and - so do you. Hum!" Mrs. Perage rubbed her hands. "There are lively - times ahead." - </p> - <p> - Both the young people looked at the tall, grim old Amazon with great - affection, as they recognized how much they owed her. Gwen particularly - loved her, as she had brought common-sense to bear on the estrangement - after the fatal interview in the churchyard with Madame Alpenny. But that - Mrs. Perage had acted so vigorously, Gwen saw plainly enough that she and - Owain might never have entirely understood one another. Now they did, - especially since the nine days' nursing had drawn them together more - rapidly. Never did a couple arrange to enter into the bonds of matrimony - with such an excellent knowledge of each other's character. Mrs. Perage - guessed what was passing in the girl's mind and nodded approvingly. - </p> - <p> - "Trouble brings people together very quickly," she said briskly. - "Time is nothing and opportunity is everything. Owain has saved your - life; carefully nursed him back to health, so you comprehend one another a - thousand times better than if you had dawdled through a ten years' - courtship. You are both decent, also, my dears; quite different to your - fathers. It's the mothers' blood that tells, I expect. What do you say, - Hench?" - </p> - <p> - "Oh, don't call him Hench," said Gwen, with a shudder. "Let - us leave that false name behind with all the other trouble." - </p> - <p> - "Very good. What do you say, Evans?" - </p> - <p> - "I agree with you, Mrs. Perage. Gwen and I will get on capitally." - </p> - <p> - "You had better!" she threatened. "If I catch you beating - her it's me you'll have to reckon with. Ha!" She glanced out of the - window. "Here's Jim, the first of the fragments come to be swept into - the dustbin of oblivion." - </p> - <p> - "I hope not," said Owain, laughing. "I wish Jim to remain - my very good friend and be my best man." - </p> - <p> - "Of course he will be. And I will be the bridesmaid if Gwen is - sensible enough to ask me." - </p> - <p> - "You shall do whatever you like at the wedding," said Gwen, also - laughing, for she felt uncommonly happy. - </p> - <p> - "And afterwards also, my dear. I am fond of my own way; it's a great - fault of mine. Jim,"--Vane entered as she spoke,--"here you are - at last. There! I'm not fond of kisses. Go and talk to Evans yonder, and - ask him if you can kiss Gwen." - </p> - <p> - "Oh!" said Gwen in alarm, whereat every one laughed. - </p> - <p> - "Don't be frightened, Miss Evans," said Vane, with a smile on - his lean face. "I am quite sure that Owain yonder is now strong - enough to punch my head if I take Aunt Emma's advice. Well, old chap, how - goes it? You look much better and are quite a different man." - </p> - <p> - "I am, Jim. Hench has vanished for ever. Only Owain Evans remains." - </p> - <p> - "Well, I hope he'll be as good a chap as Hench was." - </p> - <p> - "Much better!" said Gwen resentfully. "I've improved him. - He is no longer to be a wanderer, but intends to settle down with me as - the Squire of the parish." - </p> - <p> - "After a year's travelling!" said Mrs. Perage sharply, and - detailed her scheme to her nephew, who quite approved. - </p> - <p> - "Better be off with the old life, Owain, before you take on with the - new," he said judicially. "Travel will heal all the old - soreness, and will place a barrier between the disagreeable past and the - pleasant future. Aunt Emma is a sensible woman." - </p> - <p> - "I always am!" said Aunt Emma. "Now, Jim, say what you have - to say about this trouble, and let us bury the same for ever." - </p> - <p> - "There isn't much to say," said Vane carelessly. "The - newspapers have dropped the matter, and everybody is forgetting the - sensation. You won't be bothered with reporters or photographers when you - come abroad, Owain. All the same, it is just as well that you are going - away." - </p> - <p> - "What does the Inspector say about Bottles' share in the business?" - </p> - <p> - "He wasn't very pleased, and gave both Bottles and his brother a good - talking to for having held their tongues for so long." - </p> - <p> - "I wonder why they did," murmured Mrs. Perage, rubbing her nose. - </p> - <p> - "My dear aunt, it was a game to both of them. Bottles having read - detective tales was burning to be a Sexton Blake or a Sherlock Holmes. - Only when he saw that miserable creature brought to book did the boy - realize that his comedy had turned into real tragedy. I've brought him - with me as you desired." Vane went to the door and beckoned to the - lad, who entered bashfully, to look with adoring eyes on his hero. Hench - called to him to come forward and shook him heartily by the hand, thanking - him for his great services. - </p> - <p> - "Oh, it ain't nothing, sir," said Bottles, with a glowing face - as crimson as his hair. "I'd do anything for you, as you've always - been kind to me. And it's been a rattling good game, anyhow." - </p> - <p> - "A sadly serious game, Bottles, I fear." - </p> - <p> - "Yes, sir." The lad turned pale, shivered, and swallowed - something with an effort, as he recalled the scene at the Bull Inn. "I - didn't think it was so bad till I saw that little cove's face. It wasn't - me who got him burnt, was it, sir?" he asked entreatingly. - </p> - <p> - "No! No! my boy. How he came to set the wood on fire, I don't know. - Perhaps he struck a match to see his way in the darkness. But we will - never know exactly what happened. You are not in any way to blame. What - made you suspect him?" - </p> - <p> - "I didn't suspect him at first, sir. It was Madame I thought was the - wrong 'un, as I told you. But when I saw that little cove sneaking after - her down to Cookley I watched him as well as her. Then I found out he was - talking a lot to mother and learned about the dress and the wig. After - that, it wasn't hard to twig his game. But I never thought as he'd murder - the old cove," said Bottles, shivering. "I turned sick in the - wood when I saw that knife go in." - </p> - <p> - "Oh, by the way, Bottles, Mrs. Tesk told me that she dismissed you - for stealing the knife." - </p> - <p> - "Yes, she did, sir. She said as I'd taken other things. But it was - Amelia, I was engaged to, as stole the things, and I couldn't give her - away. But I ain't going to make her my wife, sir," said Bottles - seriously. "She ain't what she should be in the way of honesty." - </p> - <p> - "Did she steal the knife also?" - </p> - <p> - "No, I think Mr. Spruce stole that; took it off the table one day, - and slipped it up his sleeve. He killed the old cove with it, as you know, - and left it in the body. I knowed it was Mrs. Tesk's carving-knife all - along." - </p> - <p> - "Does Mrs. Tesk know all this now?" asked Owain quickly. "Yes, - sir. Mother went and told her, though I didn't wish to split on Amelia, - who's only a gel after all. Mrs. Tesk said as she was sorry and asked me - to go back, which I have done, sir." - </p> - <p> - "Well, then, Bottles, I am going to take you away from there and send - you to school. Also I intend to settle a small income on your mother so - that she need not work any more at the Bijou Music-hall. Finally, I will - arrange with my lawyers to invest a sum of money for you so that you may - be able to start life with something in hand. What do you wish to be?" - </p> - <p> - "I think if Bottles is wise he will be a detective," suggested - Vane. - </p> - <p> - Bottles turned a shining face towards the speaker. "That's just what - I want to be, sir. I can do it, I'm sure." - </p> - <p> - "I think so also," remarked Mrs. Perage gruffly. "But I - hope Peter doesn't want to be one also. I can't have a juvenile Vidocq in - my house." - </p> - <p> - "Oh, Peter ain't got no ambitions, mum," said Bottles - contemptuously. "He's just as pleased as Punch to stay on with you - and rise to be a butler and a footman." - </p> - <p> - "I'll look after Peter," said Mrs. Perage, nodding briskly. - "He has also had a share in this business which has cleared up the - mystery, and he deserves to be rewarded. But see here," she added - sharply, "why didn't you tell the police immediately about the - murder?" - </p> - <p> - "Because I wanted to see what that little cove would do, mum. I - guessed from his disguise that he intended to make out that Madame Alpenny - had murdered the old cove. But I didn't think he'd accuse Mr. Hench there." - </p> - <p> - "Mr. Evans, Simon," corrected Gwen quickly. "That is his - real name." - </p> - <p> - "I think I shall always be Hench to Bottles," said Owain, - laughing. "He can call me what he likes as he has done so much for - me. But you would have saved a lot of trouble, Bottles, if you had told - the police at once." - </p> - <p> - "So the Inspector said, sir," grinned the boy. "He gave me - what-for, he did. But I wanted to see the game out, sir." - </p> - <p> - Owain saw that Bottles would persist in regarding the whole dreadful - business as a game, in spite of its terrible termination, so he left the - subject alone. "But you might have guessed, my detective friend, that - Spruce would accuse me, as he wanted to get my money. He committed the - murder to trap me." - </p> - <p> - "I thought he'd do that through Madame Alpenny when you married Miss - Zara," was the boy's reply, promptly given. "As you'd never have - liked your mother-in-law to be hanged. You didn't mind my giving the - address I got from Peter to Madame Alpenny and the little cove, did you, - sir?" - </p> - <p> - "I did when I was in the dark. But now I see that you did so - deliberately." - </p> - <p> - "It was part of the game," persisted Bottles coolly. "And - as the little cove had gone so far, I knew he'd go further. If I hadn't - told him and Madame of your address they might have asked the police where - you were." - </p> - <p> - "That suggestion doesn't do credit to your detective acumen, Bottles. - Had either of the two brought the police into the matter, they would not - have been able to get the expected money. Spruce was playing the blackmail - game." - </p> - <p> - "I see, sir." Bottles rubbed his red head. "Well, I've got - something to learn yet, I expect, as a 'tec, and I ain't above learning. - But thank you for helping me, sir, and for helping mother. She's a good - one, is mother, and gave me such a talking for not having spoke out - before." - </p> - <p> - "Between the Inspector and your mother, I daresay you have had a bad - time, Bottles," said Vane idly. - </p> - <p> - "You bet I have, sir. But it don't matter. I've enjoyed myself, I - have, in pulling the strings." - </p> - <p> - "It's more than I have done," said Owain languidly. "Good-bye, - Bottles. Go home and tell your mother of my intentions. Next week I'll - fulfill my promise, as soon as I can see my solicitors and settle matters." - </p> - <p> - "And, Simon," said Mrs. Perage graciously, "you can go to - the kitchen and have your dinner. Here's a pound. Take Peter with you to - town and to see your mother." - </p> - <p> - "Thank you, mum; thank you, sir; thank everybody." And Bottles - disappeared with a happy grin, which made every one smile. - </p> - <p> - "Here comes Madame Alpenny and the Brackens," announced Vane, - who acted as a master of the ceremonies. - </p> - <p> - "I don't like that old woman to come under my roof," said Mrs. - Perage, with a frown. "She's a plotter and a schemer. But----" - </p> - <p> - "Oh, she's only one of the fragments which have to be swept up," - said Gwen in a lively tone. "I don't like her either; but I am so - much obliged to Zara that I am quite willing Owain should help the old - lady." - </p> - <p> - "Old lady, indeed," grumbled Mrs. Perage. "Old scamp, I - call her. You can deal with her yourselves. I'm going." And as the - newcomers entered the room, she went out swiftly through the conservatory. - </p> - <p> - Zara looked pale, her husband confused, and both advanced with rather a - shame-stricken air. Madame Alpenny, on the contrary, rushed forward and - took Owain's hand with effusion, beaming all over her harsh swart face. - Considering how she had behaved when they last met, the young man was - astonished by this friendly greeting. He scarcely knew what to say; but it - appeared there was no need for him to say anything. Madame Alpenny did all - the talking, so it was just as well that Mrs. Perage had left the room. - Had that Amazonian dame remained, there assuredly would have been trouble. - </p> - <p> - "Ah, but I am delighted to see you looking so magnificent after your - illness, dear Monsieur!" cried Madame, clasping Owain's hand fondly - within her own. "You terrified me greatly, as I thought you would - perish. Ah, but it is good of the Heavens to preserve you to us." - </p> - <p> - The young man withdrew his hand as soon as he recovered from his - astonishment, and spoke very coldly. "You have changed your mind - since our last meeting!" - </p> - <p> - Madame Alpenny threw up her fat hands. "Ah, but what would you, my - dear sir? I was angered at losing so beautiful a son-in-law. I said much - that I have wept for saying. And to you also, in the churchyard, - Mademoiselle," she added, turning to Gwen, who was frigid, "I - spoke most wickedly. Ach! my dear young lady, you must forgive me for my - open nature. We are all now friends here, I hope." - </p> - <p> - She beamed all round the room, but there were no answering smiles. Zara - laid her hand on her mother's arm and drew her back. "I must ask your - pardon, Mr. Hench, for all the trouble which has been brought to you," - she said seriously. - </p> - <p> - "It was not your fault, Mrs. Bracken, nor that of your husband," - said Owain very quickly. "I have nothing but friendship and - admiration for you both, seeing the way in which you made the crooked - straight between us," and he glanced at Gwen fondly. - </p> - <p> - "Ah, what a good heart!" murmured the Hungarian lady, with her - handkerchief to her eyes. "A heart of gold!" - </p> - <p> - "Shut up!" growled Bracken to his mother-in-law, and twitched - the old head mantle which she still wore over the famous orange-spotted - dress. - </p> - <p> - "I will not shut up, you rude man!" cried Madame Alpenny - volubly. "Ah, to think of what I have suffered at the hands of - Mistare Spruce, now happily deceased. He would have had me hanged!" - </p> - <p> - "Did he accuse you of committing the murder?" asked Vane - sharply. - </p> - <p> - "But no. He was all sweetness and smiles. Yet, if Monsieur Hench had - married Zara, then this Mistare Spruce would have accused me. He laid his - plans to make me guilty. It was he, I find, who wrote the letter asking me - to go to Hampstead. He wished me to be unable to prove where I was. If he - had lived I should have put him in gaol," ended Madame, with a frown. - </p> - <p> - "You nearly put Mr. Evans in gaol!" said Gwen icily. - </p> - <p> - "Mistare Evans. Ah, yes--the real name of Monsieur Hench. No, I would - not have put him in gaol, Mademoiselle. My talk was what you call--eh, - yes--bluff. I might have been his beloved mother had I accepted his - father's hand. Never would I have harmed him." - </p> - <p> - "Oh, I think you would when you had me in your power, Madame," - said Owain dryly. "Remember what you talked about in the churchyard." - </p> - <p> - "Bluff--all bluff, Monsieur." - </p> - <p> - "It would have been better had you acted fairly with me and told the - truth at our first conversation. Then I should have known that I was Madoc - Evans' heir and all this trouble would have been avoided. You also would - have been the richer for such honesty, Madame." - </p> - <p> - "Ah, but you will not turn from me now," said Madame in a - wheedling tone. "See, Monsieur Hench, it is through me you have money - and marry this sweet angel. I am poor; I am deserving. So give me----" - </p> - <p> - "Mr. Hench will give you nothing, mother," said Zara in a cold - tone of displeasure. "I came down here to say good-bye to him and to - take you out of his life. Mr. Hench,"--she faced round to Owain,--"my - husband and I are going to America, where I have obtained a good - engagement. My mother goes back to Hungary, and I will send her money to - support her. Therefore it will not be necessary for you to give me that - thousand pounds." - </p> - <p> - "I wish to give it to you as a mark of my esteem," insisted - Hench, and Gwen endorsed this speech. - </p> - <p> - "I do not wish my wife to take it," said Bracken, advancing to - hold out his hand. "Good-bye, Mr. Evans, we have been here long - enough. We shall always remember your kindness with gratitude." - </p> - <p> - Owain shook the extended hand. "But I wish you would take the money, - Bracken." - </p> - <p> - "Ah, but do!" cried Madame Alpenny, feverishly greedy. "I - can double it at cards. I am so lucky, I want to----" - </p> - <p> - "Come away, mother," interrupted Zara, dragging her towards the - door. "Mr. Hench will not give you a single penny!" - </p> - <p> - "Ingrate!" shouted Madame, turning at the door, out of which she - was going, held firmly by Zara and Bracken. "After all I have done. - Ach! the wickedness of the evil one. I gave him thousands, and he--he, the - beast--the-----" Here she was dragged into the hall by her - scandalized daughter, and those in the drawing-room heard her voice loudly - lamenting all the way down the avenue. In this manner was the Hungarian - lady rewarded for her scheming. She did not benefit in the least. - </p> - <p> - "I'm glad she's gone," said Gwen, drawing a deep breath. "I - don't like her." - </p> - <p> - "Nor do I," said Owain, pulling the girl down beside him. "She - nearly got me into the dock. But I am bound to say that she ran an equal - risk from poor Spruce." - </p> - <p> - "Poor Spruce, indeed!" cried Vane, turning from the window where - he was watching the protesting Madame Alpenny being dragged down the - avenue. "Why say good of a man who did nothing but evil?" - </p> - <p> - "Don't be hard on him, Jim. After all, he has paid the penalty of his - crime by suffering a terrible death." - </p> - <p> - "You're a good chap, Owain, so I won't say another word. But never - mention his name to me again if you I can help." - </p> - <p> - "We'll never mention anything about the past if we can help," - said Gwen, as Owain slipped his arm round her. "Now all these people - have gone let us try and forget them." - </p> - <p> - "Oh, you'll forget right enough," said Vane, smiling. "When - you marry Owain you will think of nothing but him." - </p> - <p> - "He saved my life!" cried the future Mrs. Evans defiantly. - </p> - <p> - "In return you have saved mine," murmured Owain. "Had you - not nursed me back to life and love, where should I have been now? But the - clouds have disappeared, my dear, and now the sunshine of life is ours. In - three weeks we will get married quietly and go abroad for a year. - Afterwards we can return to take up our position here." - </p> - <p> - "And you will go back to your old home, Miss Evans," said Vane, - laughing. "Not much change about that." - </p> - <p> - "A great deal of change!" cried Gwen hotly. "While I lived - there with my poor father, the Grange was a house of hate; now it will be - a mansion of love." - </p> - <p> - "Quite so; you will be so happy that you won't want to see any one." - </p> - <p> - "Always you, Jim," said Owain, holding out his hand, which the - barrister took. - </p> - <p> - "And me also, I hope," said Mrs. Perage, entering unexpectedly - from the conservatory. "Hum! A touching tableau. The sweetheart, the - angel of the sweetheart, and the true-hearted friend. Fudge!" - </p> - <p> - "You don't mean that word!" cried Gwen. - </p> - <p> - "Perhaps I don't." Mrs. Perage rubbed her nose. "For to - tell you the truth, I don't know what the word means. I got it out of 'The - Vicar of Wakefield,' and it seemed useful. I should like to have used it - to that old woman who is screaming viciously all the way down the avenue. - Really, young man, you have some very queer friends." - </p> - <p> - "Well, I lived in Queer Street for a long time, you know!" said - Owain, smiling. - </p> - <p> - "You'll never live there again," whispered Gwen. - </p> - <p> - "Lucky Owain!" mocked Vane. "No more hunger and thirst, - hard beds and unpaid bills. You will henceforth lie in the lap of luxury." - </p> - <p> - "Hum!" said Mrs. Perage gruffly. "There is a good luncheon: - a much better one than you ever tasted in Queer Street, I'll be bound. - There's the gong." - </p> - <p> - Owain rose quickly and took Gwen's arm. "And here begins the new - life!" he said. - </p> - <p> - <br /> <br /> <br /> - </p> - <h4> - THE END - </h4> - <p> - <br /> <br /> <br /> - </p> - <hr class="W90" /> - <h5> - Printed by W. Mate & Sons, Ltd., "Directory" Office, - Bournemouth - </h5> - <p> - <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> - </p> -<pre xml:space="preserve"> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of In Queer Street, by Fergus Hume - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK IN QUEER STREET *** - -***** This file should be named 56087-h.htm or 56087-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/6/0/8/56087/ - -Produced by Charles Bowen from page scans provided by the -Haithi Trust Org. --images digitized by Google (original -from University of Wisconsin) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions 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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