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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Colonel Thorndyke's Secret, by G. A. Henty
+
+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
+
+
+Title: Colonel Thorndyke's Secret
+
+Author: G. A. Henty
+
+Release Date: May, 2005 [EBook #8155]
+Posting Date: July 23, 2009
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK COLONEL THORNDYKE'S SECRET ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Martin Robb
+
+
+
+
+
+COLONEL THORNDYKE'S SECRET
+
+
+By G. A. Henty.
+
+
+
+
+PUBLISHER'S INTRODUCTION.
+
+
+"Colonel Thorndyke's Secret" is a story so far out of the ordinary that
+it will not be inappropriate to speak a few words regarding the tale and
+its unusually successful author, Mr. George Alfred Henty.
+
+The plot of the story hinges upon the possession of a valuable bracelet,
+of diamonds, stolen from a Hindoo idol by a British soldier in India.
+This bracelet falls into the possession of Colonel Thorndyke, who,
+shortly afterward, is sent home to England because of his wounds. The
+secret concerning the bracelet is told to the Colonel's brother, a
+country squire, and the treasure is left to younger members of the
+Thorndyke family.
+
+As is well known today, the theft of anything from a Hindoo temple is
+considered an extraordinary crime in India, and when this occurs it
+becomes a religious duty for one or more persons to hunt down the thief
+and bring back the property taken from the heathen god.
+
+The members of the Thorndyke family soon learn that they are being
+watched. But this is at a time when highwaymen are numerous in this part
+of England, and they cannot determine whether the work is that of the
+"knights of the roads" or that of the Lascars after the famous bracelet.
+A mysterious death follows, and the younger members of the family are
+almost stunned, not knowing what will happen next. They would give the
+bracelet up, but do not know where it is hidden, the secret having been
+in the sole possession of the member now dead. In this quandary the
+young hero of the tale rises to the occasion and determines to join the
+London police force and become a detective, with the hope of ultimately
+clearing up the mystery. Thrilling adventures of a most unusual kind
+follow, and at last something of the mystery is explained. The bracelet
+and other jewelry are unearthed, and it is decided to take the bracelet
+to Amsterdam and offer it to the diamond cutters at that place. But
+the carrying of the bracelet is both difficult and dangerous. How the
+mission is brought to a conclusion, and what part the Lascars played in
+the final adventure, will be found in the pages that follow.
+
+It can truthfully be said that Mr. Henty is easily the most popular of
+all English story tellers, his books for boys enjoying a circulation of
+from a hundred and fifty thousand to two hundred and fifty thousand per
+year. His tales are all clean, and although some are full of exciting
+situations and thrilling to the last degree, they are of a high moral
+tone, while the English employed is of the best.
+
+The present story is of peculiar value as giving a good insight into
+country and town life in England over a hundred years ago, when railways
+and telegraph lines were unknown and when the "knights of the road" were
+apt to hold up any stagecoach that happened to come along. It also gives
+a truthful picture of the dark and underhanded work accomplished at
+times by those of East Indian blood, especially when on what they
+consider a religious mission.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+
+Squire Thorndyke, of the Manor House of Crawley, was, on the 1st of
+September; 1782, walking up and down the little terrace in front of the
+quaint old house in an unusually disturbed mood. He was a man of forty
+three or four, stoutly and strongly built, and inclined to be portly.
+Save the loss of his wife four years before, there had been but little
+to ruffle the easy tenor of his life. A younger son, he had, at his
+mother's death, when he was three and twenty, come in for the small
+estate at Crawley, which had been her jointure.
+
+For ten years he had led a life resembling that of most of his
+neighbors; he had hunted and shot, been a regular attendant at any
+main of cocks that was fought within fifteen miles of Crawley, had
+occasionally been up to London for a week or two to see the gay doings
+there. Of an evening he had generally gone down to the inn, where he
+talked over, with two or three of his own condition and a few of the
+better class of farmers, the news of the day, the war with the French,
+the troubles in Scotland, the alarming march of the Young Pretender, and
+his defeat at Culloden--with no very keen interest in the result, for
+the Southern gentry and yeomen, unlike those in the North, had no strong
+leanings either way. They had a dull dislike for Hanoverian George, but
+no great love for the exiled Stuarts, whose patron, the King of France,
+was an enemy of England.
+
+More often, however, their thoughts turned upon local topics--the
+holding up of the coach of Sir James Harris or Squire Hamilton by
+highwaymen; the affray between the French smugglers and the Revenue men
+near Selsea Bill or Shoreham; the delinquencies of the poaching gangs;
+the heaviness of the taxes, and the price of corn.
+
+At the age of thirty-three Squire Thorndyke married the daughter of
+a neighboring landowner; a son was born and three years later Mrs.
+Thorndyke died. Since then the Squire had led a more retired life; he
+still went down to smoke his pipe at the inn parlor, but he gave up his
+visits to town; and cock fights, and even bull baiting, were no longer
+attractions to him. He was known as a good landlord to the three or four
+farmers who held land under him; was respected and liked in the village,
+where he was always ready to assist in cases of real distress; was of an
+easygoing disposition and on good terms with all his neighbors.
+
+But today he was unusually disturbed in his mind. A messenger had ridden
+up two hours before with a letter from London. It was as follows:
+
+"MY DEAR BROTHER JOHN:
+
+"You will be surprised indeed at this letter from me, who, doubtless,
+you suppose to be fighting in India. I have done with fighting, and
+am nearly done with life. I was shot in the battle of Buxar, eighteen
+months ago. For a time the surgeons thought that it was going to be
+fatal; then I rallied, and for some months it seemed that, in spite of
+the ball that they were never able to find, I was going to get over it,
+and should be fit for service again. Then I got worse; first it was
+a cough, then the blood used to come up, and they said that the only
+chance for me was to come home. I did not believe it would be of any
+use, but I thought that I would rather die at home than in India, so
+home I came, and have now been a week in London.
+
+"I thought at first of going down to my place at Reigate, and having
+you and your boy there with me; but as I have certainly not many weeks,
+perhaps not many days, to live, I thought I would come down to you; so
+the day after you receive this letter I shall be with you. I shall not
+bring my little girl down; I have left her in good hands, and I shall
+only bring with me my Hindoo servant. He will give you no trouble--a mat
+to sleep on, and a little rice to eat, will satisfy his wants; and he
+will take the trouble of me a good deal off your hands. He was a Sepoy
+in my regiment, and has always evinced the greatest devotion for me.
+More than once in battle he has saved my life, and has, for the last
+three years, been my servant, and has nursed me since I have been ill
+as tenderly as a woman could have done. As I shall have time to tell you
+everything when I arrive, I will say no more now."
+
+The news had much affected John Thorndyke. His brother George was five
+years his senior, and had gone out as a cadet in the company's service
+when John was but thirteen, and this was his first home coming. Had it
+not been for a portrait that had been taken of him in his uniform just
+before he sailed, John would have had but little remembrance of him. In
+that he was represented as a thin, spare youth, with an expression of
+quiet determination in his face. From his father John had, of course,
+heard much about him.
+
+"Nothing would satisfy him but to go out to India, John. There was, of
+course, no occasion for it, as he would have this place after me--a
+fine estate and a good position: what could he want more? But he was a
+curious fellow. Once he formed an opinion there was no persuading him to
+change it. He was always getting ideas such as no one else would think
+of; he did not care for anything that other people cared for; never
+hunted nor shot. He used to puzzle me altogether with his ways, and,
+'pon my word, I was not sorry when he said he would go to India, for
+there was no saying how he might have turned out if he had stopped here.
+He never could do anything like anybody else: nothing that he could have
+done would have surprised me.
+
+"If he had told me that he intended to be a play actor, or a Jockey, or
+a private, or a book writer, I should not have been surprised. Upon my
+word, it was rather a relief to me when he said, 'I have made up my mind
+to go into the East India Service, father. I suppose you can get me
+a cadetship?' At least that was an honorable profession; and I knew,
+anyhow, that when he once said 'I have made up my mind, father,' no
+arguments would move him, and that if I did not get him a cadetship he
+was perfectly capable of running away, going up to London, and enlisting
+in one of their white regiments."
+
+John Thorndyke's own remembrances were that his brother had always
+been good natured to him, that he had often told him long stories about
+Indian adventures, and that a short time before he went away, having
+heard that he had been unmercifully beaten by the schoolmaster at
+Reigate for some trifling fault, he had gone down to the town, and had
+so battered the man that the school had to be closed for a fortnight.
+They had always kept up a correspondence. When he received the news of
+his father's death George had written to him, begging him to go down to
+Reigate, and to manage the estate for him.
+
+"Of course," he said, "you will draw its income as long as you are
+there. I mayn't be back for another twenty years; one gets rich out here
+fast, what with plunder and presents and one thing and another, and it
+is no use to have money accumulating at home, so just live on the place
+as if it were your own, until I come home to turn you out."
+
+John had declined the offer.
+
+"I am very well where I am," he wrote, "and the care of the estate would
+be a horrible worry to me; besides, I have just married, and if I ever
+have any children they would be brought up beyond their station. I
+have done what I can for you. I have seen the family lawyers, who have
+engaged a man who has been steward to Sir John Hieover, and looked after
+the estate during his son's minority. But the young blade, on coming of
+age, set to work to make ducks and drakes of the property, and Newman
+could not bear to see the estate going to the Jews, so, as luck would
+have it, he resigned a month ago, and has been appointed steward at
+Reigate. Of course, if you don't like the arrangement you must write and
+say so. It will be a year before I get your answer, and he has only been
+engaged for certain for that time; it must lie with you as to permanent
+arrangement."
+
+So Newman had taken charge of the Reigate estate, and had continued
+to manage it ever since, although George had written home in great
+displeasure at his offer being refused.
+
+Inside the Manor the bustle of preparations was going on; the spare
+room, which had not been used for many years, was being turned out, and
+a great fire lighted to air it. John Thorndyke had sent a letter by the
+returning messenger to a friend in town, begging him to go at once to
+Leadenhall Street and send down a supply of Indian condiments for his
+brother's use, and had then betaken himself to the garden to think the
+matter over. The next day a post chaise arrived, bringing the invalid
+and his colored servant, whose complexion and Indian garb struck the
+maids with an awe not unmingled with alarm. John Thorndyke could hardly
+believe that the bent and emaciated figure was that of his brother, but
+he remembered the voice when the latter said, holding out his hand to
+him:
+
+"Well, brother John, here I am, what is left of me. Gracious, man,
+who would have thought that you were going to grow up such a fine tall
+fellow? You are more fitted to be a soldier than I am. No, don't try
+to help me out; Ramoo will do that--he is accustomed to my ways, and I
+would as soon trust myself to a rogue elephant as to you."
+
+"I am sorry to see you looking so bad, brother George."
+
+"What must be must. I have had my fling; and after thirty years of
+marching and fighting, I have no right to grumble if I am laid upon my
+back at last."
+
+Leaning on Ramoo's arm, Colonel Thorndyke made his way into the house,
+and when the Hindoo had arranged the cushions of the sofa, took his
+place there in a half reclining position.
+
+"I am not always as bad as this, John," he said; "the jolting of your
+confounded roads has been too much for me. If I were the King I would
+hang every fellow who had anything to do with them--contractors, boards
+of county magistrates, and the whole lot. If I had known what it was
+going to be like I would have hired a sedan chair, and had myself
+carried down. That is what I have been doing in London; but I would
+rather have had an Indian palkee, that one could have lain down
+comfortably in."
+
+"What shall I get you first, George? I have got some lemons."
+
+"I want something better than lemons, John. Have you any Burgundy
+handy?"
+
+"Yes, plenty."
+
+"If you give a bottle to Ramoo he will know how much water I want."
+
+Here the servants entered with a tray with a chicken and a dish of
+kidneys.
+
+"I sent up yesterday for some of the Indian things that you are
+accustomed to, George, but they have not come down yet."
+
+"I brought a store down with me. This will do capitally for the present.
+Ramoo will do the cooking for me in future. He need not go into the
+kitchen to scare the maids. I could see they looked at him as if he had
+been his infernal majesty, as he came in. He can do it anywhere; all he
+wants is an iron pot with some holes in it, and some charcoal. He can
+squat out there on the veranda, or, if it is bad weather, any shed will
+do for him.
+
+"Well, it is nice to be home again, John," he went on, after he had
+eaten a few mouthfuls of chicken and drunk a tumbler of Burgundy and
+water. "I am glad to be back, now I am here, though I dare say I should
+not have come home for another ten years if it had not been for this
+rascally bullet. Where is your boy?"
+
+"He is away at school."
+
+"Well, I think I will go up to bed at once, if you don't mind, John. I
+shall be fitter to talk in the morning."
+
+The next day, indeed, Colonel Thorndyke was materially better. His voice
+was stronger and more cheery, and when he came down after breakfast he
+took his seat in an easy chair instead of on the sofa.
+
+"Now, brother," he said, "we will have a cozy chat. There are several
+things I want done, but the chief of these is that when I am gone you
+should go down to Reigate, as I wanted you to do ten years ago. I want
+you to seem to be its master, as well as be its master, until Millicent
+comes of age, if not longer. Her name is Millicent Conyers Thorndyke. I
+wish her to be called Millicent Conyers, and to appear as your ward, and
+not as your niece and heiress of the property. If there is one thing in
+the world I have a greater horror of than another, it is of a girl being
+married for her money. I don't suppose that anyone knows that I have a
+daughter--at any rate, none beyond a few Indian chums. She was sent home
+with an ayah under the charge of the widow of a comrade of mine. I had
+been away for months, and only went back to Calcutta in time to see her
+mother die. So that is all right."
+
+"I could not do such a thing as that, George. I should be living under
+false colors. It is not that I mind so much leaving here and looking
+after the child's interest at Reigate, but I could not possibly take
+possession of the place as its owner when I should not be so. Besides,
+there are other objections. Mark would grow up supposing himself to be
+the heir."
+
+"Mark will be all right. I have, since I have been in London, signed a
+will, leaving the rest of my fortune between them. I had it drawn up by
+our father's solicitors, relying upon your consent to do what I asked
+you. I have explained the matter to them, and given them the assignment,
+or whatever they call it, of the Reigate estate to you, until my
+daughter comes of age, appointing them her guardians should you die
+before that. Thus, you will be placed in a proper position; and should
+it be known by any means that the child is my daughter, that deed will
+still be a proof that you are carrying out my wishes, and are absolute
+master of the estate until she comes of age."
+
+"I must think it all over, George. It is a singular proposal, and I own
+I would rather things went on in their regular course."
+
+"Yes, yes, I understand that, John; but you see I have altogether set
+my mind on this matter. I want to know that my girl is not going to be
+married for her money; and, at any rate, that deed makes you master of
+the Reigate estates for the next thirteen years; so the only thing that
+I really want of you is to let the girl be called your ward instead of
+your niece, and that she and everyone else shall be in ignorance that
+she is an heiress. So far from doing the girl a wrong, you will be doing
+her a benefit; and as I have explained the whole matter to our lawyers,
+no one can possibly think that the thing has been done from any motive
+whatever except that of affording me satisfaction."
+
+"I will think the matter over," John repeated. "Of course, brother, it
+has been in your mind for some time, but it comes altogether fresh to
+me, and I must look at it in every light. For myself, I have no wish at
+all to become master of our father's estate. I have been going in one
+groove for the last twenty years, and don't care about changing it. You
+wished me to do so ten years ago, and I declined then, and the ten years
+have not made me more desirous of change than I was before."
+
+"All right; think it over. Please send Ramoo in to me; I have tired
+myself in talking."
+
+John Thorndyke smoked many churchwarden pipes in the little arbor in his
+garden that day. In the afternoon his brother was so weak and tired that
+the subject of the conversation was not reverted to. At eight o'clock
+the Colonel went off to bed. The next morning, after breakfast, he was
+brighter again.
+
+"Well, John, what has come of your thinking?" he asked.
+
+"I don't like it, George."
+
+"You mayn't like it, John, but you will do it. I am not going to have my
+girl run after by ruined spendthrifts who want her money to repair their
+fortunes; and I tell you frankly, if you refuse I shall go up to town
+tomorrow, and I shall make a new will, leaving all my property to your
+son, subject to a life annuity of 200 pounds a year to the child, and
+ordering that, in the event of his dying before he comes of age, or of
+refusing to accept the provisions of the will, or handing any of the
+property or money over to my daughter, the whole estate, money, jewels,
+and all, shall go to the London hospitals, subject, as before, to the
+annuity.
+
+"Don't be an ass, brother John. Do you think that I don't know what I
+am doing? I have seen enough of the evils of marrying for money out in
+India. Every ship that comes out brings so many girls sent out to some
+relation to be put on the marriage market, and marrying men old enough
+to be pretty nearly their grandfathers, with the natural consequence
+that there is the devil to pay before they have been married a year or
+two. Come, you know you will do it; why not give in at once, and have
+done with it? It is not a bad thing for you, it will be a good thing for
+your boy, it will save my girl from fortune hunters, and enable me to
+die quietly and comfortably."
+
+"All right, George, I will do it. Mind, I don't do it willingly, but I
+do it for your sake."
+
+"That is right," Colonel Thorndyke said, holding out his thin bronzed
+hand to his brother; "that is off my mind. Now, there is only one other
+thing--those confounded jewels. But I won't talk about them now."
+
+It was not indeed till three or four days later that the Colonel again
+spoke to his brother on any than ordinary matters. He had indeed been
+very weak and ailing. After breakfast, when, as usual, he was a little
+stronger and brighter than later in the day, he said to his brother
+suddenly:--
+
+"I suppose there are no hiding places in this room?"
+
+"Hiding places! What do you mean, George?"
+
+"Places where a fellow could hide up and hear what we are talking
+about."
+
+"No, I don't think so," the Squire replied, looking round vaguely. "Such
+an idea never occurred to me. Why do you ask?"
+
+"Because, John, if there is such a thing as a hiding place, someone will
+be sure to be hiding there. Where does that door lead to?"
+
+"It doesn't lead anywhere; it used to lead into the next room, but it
+was closed up before my time, and turned into a cupboard, and this door
+is permanently closed."
+
+"Do you mind stepping round into the next room and seeing if anyone is
+in the cupboard?"
+
+Thinking that his brother was a little light headed, John Thorndyke went
+into the next room, and returned, saying gravely that no one was there.
+
+"Will you look behind the curtains, John, and under this sofa, and
+everywhere else where even a cat could be hidden? That seems all right,"
+the Colonel went on, as his brother continued the search. "You know
+there is a saying that walls have ears, and I am not sure that it is
+not so. I have been haunted with the feeling that everything I did was
+watched, and that everything I said was listened to for years; and I can
+tell you it is a devilishly unpleasant thought. Draw your chair quite
+close to me. It is about my jewels, John. I always had a fancy for
+jewels--not to wear them, but to own them. In my time I have had good
+opportunities in that way, both in the Madras Presidency and in the
+Carnatic. In the first place, I have never cared for taking presents in
+money, but I have never refused jewels; and what with Rajahs and Nabobs
+and Ministers that one had helped or done a good turn to somehow, a good
+deal came to me that way.
+
+"Then I always made a point of carrying money with me, and after a
+defeat of the enemy or a successful siege, there was always lots of
+loot, and the soldiers were glad enough to sell anything in the way of
+jewels for a tithe of their value in gold. I should say if I put the
+value of the jewels at 50,000 pounds I am not much wide of the mark.
+That is all right, there is no bother about them; the trouble came
+from a diamond bracelet that I got from a soldier. We were in camp near
+Tanjore. I was officer of the day. I had made my rounds, and was coming
+back to my quarters, when I saw a soldier coming out of a tent thirty
+or forty yards away. It was a moonlight night, and the tent was one
+belonging to a white Madras regiment. Suddenly, I saw another figure,
+that had been lying down outside the tent, rise. I saw the flash of the
+moonlight on steel; then there was a blow, and the soldier fell. I drew
+my sword and rushed forward.
+
+"The native--for I could see that it was a native--was bending over the
+man he had stabbed. His back was towards me, and on the sandy soil he
+did not hear my footsteps until I was close to him; then he sprang up
+with a cry of fury, and leaped on me like a tiger. I was so taken by
+surprise that before I could use my sword the fellow had given me a
+nasty stab on the shoulder; but before he could strike again I had
+run him through. By this time several other, men ran out of the tent,
+uttering exclamations of rage at seeing their fallen comrade.
+
+"'What is it, sir?' they asked me.
+
+"'This scoundrel, here, has stabbed your comrade,' I said. 'He did not
+see me coming, and I ran up just as he was, I think, rifling him for
+booty. He came at me like a wild cat, and has given me a nasty stab.
+However, I have put an end to his game. Is your comrade dead?'
+
+"'No, sir, he is breathing still; but I fancy there is little chance for
+him.'
+
+"'You had better carry him to the hospital tent at once; I will send a
+surgeon there.'
+
+"I called the regimental surgeon up, and went with him to the hospital
+tent, telling him what had happened. He shook his head after examining
+the man's wound, which was fairly between the shoulders.
+
+"'He may live a few hours, but there is no chance of his getting
+better.'
+
+"'Now,' I said, 'you may as well have a look at my wound, for the
+villain stabbed me too.'
+
+"'You have had a pretty narrow escape of it,' he said, as he examined
+it. 'If he had struck an inch or two nearer the shoulder the knife would
+have gone right into you; but you see I expect he was springing as he
+struck, and the blow fell nearly perpendicularly, and it glanced down
+over your ribs, and made a gash six inches long. There is no danger. I
+will bandage it now, and tomorrow morning I will sew the edges together,
+and make a proper job of it.'
+
+"In the morning one of the hospital attendants came to me and said the
+soldier who had been wounded wanted to speak to me. The doctor said he
+would not live long. I went across to him. He was on a bed some little
+distance from any of the others, for it was the healthy season, and
+there were only three or four others in the tent.
+
+"'I hear, Major Thorndyke,' he said in a low voice, 'that you killed
+that fellow who gave me this wound, and that you yourself were stabbed.'
+
+"'Mine is not a serious business, my man,' I said. 'I wish you had got
+off as easily.'
+
+"'I have been expecting it, sir,' he said; 'and how I came to be fool
+enough to go outside the tent by myself I cannot think. I was uneasy,
+and could not sleep; I felt hot and feverish, and came out for a breath
+of fresh air. I will tell you what caused it, sir. About two years ago
+a cousin of mine, in one of the King's regiments, who was dying, they
+said, of fever (but I know the doctors thought he had been poisoned),
+said to me, "Here are some things that will make your fortune if ever
+you get to England; but I tell you beforehand, they are dangerous things
+to keep about you. I fancy that they have something to do with my being
+like this now. A year ago I went with some others into one of their
+great temples on a feast day. Well, the god had got on all his trinkets,
+and among them was a bracelet with the biggest diamonds I ever saw. I
+did not think so much of it at the time, but I kept on thinking of them
+afterwards, and it happened that some months after our visit we took the
+place by storm. I made straight for the temple, and I got the jewels. It
+don't matter how I got them--I got them. Well, since that I have never
+had any peace; pretty near every night one or other of our tents was
+turned topsy turvy, all the kits turned out, and even the ground dug
+up with knives. You know how silently Indian thieves can work. However,
+nothing was ever stolen, and as for the diamonds, at the end of every
+day's march I always went out as soon as it was quite dark, and buried
+the bracelet between the tent pegs; it did not take a minute to do. When
+we moved, of course, I took it up again. At last I gave that up, for
+however early I turned out in the morning there was sure to be a native
+about. I took then to dropping it down the barrel of my gun; that way I
+beat them. Still, I have always somehow felt myself watched, and my tent
+has been disturbed a great deal oftener than any of the others. I have
+had half a mind to throw the things away many a time, but I could not
+bring myself to do it."
+
+"'Well, sir, I have carried the bracelet ever since. I have done as he
+did, and always had it in my musket barrel--When we had fighting to do I
+would drop it out into my hand and slip it into my ammunition pouch;
+but I know that I have always been followed, just as Bill was. I suppose
+they found out that I went to see him before he died. Anyhow, my tent
+has been rummaged again and again. I have no doubt that fellow whom you
+killed last night had been watching me all the time, and thought that I
+had come out to hide the things. However, there they are, sir. One of my
+mates brought my musket here a quarter of an hour ago, and emptied the
+barrel out for me. Now, sir, you did your best to save my life last
+night, and you killed that fellow who did for me, and you pretty nearly
+got killed yourself. I have got no one else I could give the things to,
+and if I were to give them to one of my mates in the regiment they would
+probably cost him his life, as they have cost me mine. But you will know
+what to do with the things; they are worth a lot of money if you can get
+them home. Mind, sir, you have got to be careful. I have heard tales of
+how those priests will follow up a temple jewel that has been lost for
+years, and never give it up until they get it back again.'
+
+"'I ought to give it up,' I said.
+
+"'You don't know where it came from, sir,' he replied. 'I was one of a
+party of convalescents who were sent up just before that fight, and my
+own regiment was not there: it might have been here, and it might have
+been in the Carnatic. Bill never told me, and I have no more idea than a
+babe unborn.'
+
+"The gems were certainly magnificent; and though I knew well enough that
+these untiring Brahmins would not be long in guessing that the things
+had come into my possession, I took the bracelet. I thought, anyhow,
+that I might have a few hours' start; the fellow I had killed might, of
+course, have one or two others with him, but I had to risk that. I got
+leave an hour later, and went down to Madras, and got them put into
+a place of safety. That I was watched all the time I was in India
+afterwards I have no doubt, but no attempts were made to assassinate
+me. They would have known that I went straight away, but whether I had
+buried them somewhere on the road, or had given them to someone's care
+at Madras they could not know, and there was, therefore, nothing for
+them to do but to wait till I made a move.
+
+"I have no doubt whatever that they came over in the same ship with me.
+Two or three times during the week I was in London I saw colored men in
+the street outside the hotel. Once it was a Lascar seaman, another time
+a dark looking sailor in European clothes: he might pass for a Spaniard.
+Several times as I was going about in a sedan chair I looked out
+suddenly, and each time there was a dark face somewhere in the street
+behind. I had a letter this morning from the lawyer, and he mentioned
+that two days ago his offices had been broken into, and every strong box
+and drawer forced open, but that, curiously enough, they could not find
+that anything had been stolen, though in the cashier's box there were 30
+pounds in gold. Of course it was my friends. I have no doubt that one or
+two of them have followed me down here; and for anything I know they may
+be lurking somewhere in your garden at the present moment--that is, if
+they are not standing beside us in this room."
+
+John Thorndyke looked round with an uncomfortable feeling.
+
+"How do you mean, George?"
+
+"I mean some of those Indian fellows can do all sorts of wonderful
+conjuring tricks. I have seen them go up into the air on a rope and
+never come down again, and for aught I know they may be able to render
+themselves invisible. Seriously, I think that it is likely as not."
+
+"Well, and where are the things to be found now, George?"
+
+"That I won't tell you, John. Before I go I will whisper it in your ear,
+and give you the means of finding them, but not till then. No, I will
+write it down on a piece of paper, and slip it into your hand. As soon
+as you get out of the room you glance at it, and then put the piece of
+paper into your mouth, chew it up and swallow it. I tell you I dare not
+even whisper it; but whatever you do, take no steps in the matter until
+your son comes of age."
+
+"There can surely be no danger in another twelve years, George; they
+will have given up the search long before that."
+
+
+"Not they," the Colonel said emphatically. "If they die others will take
+their places: it is a sacred business with them. My advice to you is,
+either sell them directly you get them into your hands, or go straight
+to Amsterdam and sell them there to one of the diamond cutters, who will
+turn them out so that they will be altered beyond all recognition. Don't
+sell more than two stones at most to any one man; then they will never
+come out as a bracelet again, and the hunt will be over."
+
+
+"I would almost rather leave them alone altogether, George."
+
+"Well, they are worth 50,000 pounds if they are worth a penny, and a
+great deal more I should say; but you cannot leave them alone without
+leaving everything alone, for all my gems are with them, and 52,000
+pounds in gold. Of course, if you like you can, when you get the box,
+pick those diamonds out and chuck them away, but if you do you must do
+it openly, so that anyone watching you may see you do it, otherwise the
+search will go on."
+
+Two days later, as Ramoo was helping the Colonel to the sofa, the latter
+was seized with a violent fit of coughing, then a rush of blood poured
+from his lips. His brother and Ramoo laid him on the sofa almost
+insensible.
+
+"Run and get some water, Ramoo," John Thorndyke said.
+
+As Ramoo left the room the Colonel feebly placed his snuffbox in his
+brother's hand with a significant glance; then he made several desperate
+efforts to speak, and tried to struggle up into a sitting position;
+another gush of blood poured from him, and as it ceased he fell back
+dead.
+
+John Thorndyke was bitterly grieved at the death of his brother, and it
+was not until he went up to his room that night that he thought of the
+snuffbox that he had dropped into his pocket as his brother handed it
+to him. He had no doubt that it contained the instructions as to the
+treasure. It was of Indian manufacture. He emptied the snuff from it,
+but it contained nothing else. He was convinced that the secret must be
+hidden there, and after in vain endeavoring to find a spring, he took
+a poker and hammered it, and as it bent a spring gave way, and showed a
+very shallow false bottom.
+
+In this was a thin gold coin, evidently of considerable antiquity, and a
+small piece of paper, on which was written the word "Masulipatam." John
+Thorndyke looked at it in bewilderment; that it was connected with the
+secret he felt certain, but alone it was absolutely useless. Doubtless
+his brother had intended to give him the key of the riddle, when he had
+so desperately striven to speak. After in vain thinking the matter over
+he said:
+
+"Well, thank goodness; there is nothing to be done about the matter for
+another thirteen or fourteen years; it is of no use worrying about it
+now." He went to an old fashioned cabinet, and placed the coin and piece
+of paper in a very cunningly devised secret drawer. The next morning
+he went out into the garden and dropped the battered snuffbox into the
+well, and then dismissed the subject from his mind.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+
+Standing some two miles out of Reigate is the village of Crowswood, a
+quiet place and fairly well to do, thanks in no small degree to Squire
+Thorndyke, who owned the whole of the parish, and by whom and his
+tenants the greater portion of the village were employed. Greatly had
+the closing of the Manor House, after the death of old Squire Thorndyke,
+been felt. There were no more jellies, soups, and other comforts to
+be looked for in time of sickness, no abatement of rent when the
+breadwinner was sick or disabled, no check to the drunkards, whom the
+knowledge that they would be turned out of their cottage at a week's
+notice kept in some sort of order. When, therefore, after ten years
+of absence of all government, John Thorndyke, after the death of his
+brother, the Colonel, came down and took possession, he found the place
+sadly changed from what it had been when he had left it twenty years
+before. His first act was to dismiss Newman; who, completely unchecked,
+had, he found, been sadly mismanaging affairs. It was not long, however,
+before his hand made itself felt. Two out of the three public houses
+were shut up in six months, a score of their habitual frequenters had,
+weeks before, been turned out of their houses, an order had been issued
+that unless a cottage was kept in good order and the garden bright and
+blooming with flowers in the summer a fresh tenant would be found for
+it. Every child must be sent to the village school; the Squire was
+ready to do what there was to be done in the way of thatching and
+whitewashing, repairing palings and painting doors and windows, but,
+as he told the people, the village had to be kept clean and decent,
+and anyone who would not conform to the rules was at liberty to leave
+without a day's notice.
+
+Many of the villagers grumbled under their breath, but public opinion
+was, on the whole, favorable. There was someone to look after them now,
+someone who would see that the greater portion of the wages was not
+spent at the alehouse, who would take an interest in the people, and
+would lend a helping hand in bad times. There was a feeling of regret
+that the Squire was a widower, but the post of visitor and almoner was
+well supplied by the lady who acted as companion and governess to the
+Squire's little ward and regulated the affairs of his household.
+
+John Thorndyke had never had much occasion for the display of energy
+before, but he had an abundance of it, although hitherto latent. He
+had come into this business against his will, but he took it up with
+a determination to do well in it. The income was legally his until his
+niece came of age, but he was determined he would take nothing out of
+the estate beyond the necessary expenses of the position, and that all
+surplus should be expended in improving it in every way possible,
+so that he could hand it over to her in the most perfect condition.
+Therefore, when he came into possession he made a close inspection of
+the farms, with their houses, barns, and other tenements. Where he saw
+that the men were doing their best, that the hedges and fields were in
+good order, he did everything that was necessary without a word; but
+where there were slovenly farming and signs of neglect and carelessness,
+he spoke out his mind sharply.
+
+"This has all got to be amended," he said. "What must be done I will
+do, but unless I see things well kept up, the fences in good order, the
+hedges cut, the cattle in good condition, and everything going on as
+it ought to be, out you go next Christmas. The estate at present is a
+disgrace to the county, but it shall not be so any longer if I can help
+it. I shall do my share, and anyone who is not prepared to do the same
+had better look out for another holding at once."
+
+No one rejoiced more at the coming home of the Squire than Mr. Bastow,
+the Rector. He had had a pleasant time of it during the life of the old
+Squire. He was always a welcome guest at the house; Mr. Thorndyke had
+been ever ready to put his hand into his pocket for any repairs needed
+for the church, and bore on his shoulders almost the entire expense of
+the village school. In the latter respect there had been no falling off,
+he having given explicit instructions to his solicitors to pay his usual
+annual subscriptions to the school until his son's return from India.
+But with the death of the Squire the Rector had gradually lost all
+authority in the village.
+
+For a time force of habit had had its effect, but as this wore out and
+the people recognized that he had no real authority things went from bad
+to worse. Drunken men would shout jeeringly as they passed the Rectory
+on their way home from the alehouse; women no longer feared reproof for
+the untidiness of their houses and children; the school was half emptied
+and the church almost wholly so.
+
+For seven or eight years Mr. Bastow had a hard time of it. It was, then,
+both with pleasure as an old friend, and with renewed hopefulness for
+the village, that he visited John Thorndyke on his return. The change
+in the state of affairs was almost instantaneous. As soon as it became
+known that the Rector was backed, heart and soul, by the Squire's
+authority, and that a complaint from him was followed the next day by a
+notice to quit at the end of a week, his own authority was established
+as firmly as it had been in the old Squire's time, and in a couple of
+years Crowswood became quite a model village. Every garden blossomed
+with flowers; roses and eglantine clustered over the cottages, neatness
+and order prevailed everywhere.
+
+The children were tidily dressed and respectful in manner, the women
+bright and cheerful, and the solitary alehouse remaining had but few
+customers, and those few were never allowed to transgress the bounds of
+moderation. The Squire had a talk with the landlord a fortnight after
+his arrival.
+
+"I am not going to turn you out, Peters," he said. "I hear that you make
+some efforts to keep your house decently; the other two I shall send
+packing directly their terms are up. Whether you remain permanently must
+depend upon yourself. I will do up your house for you, and build a bar
+parlor alongside, where quiet men can sit and smoke their pipes and talk
+and take their beer in comfort, and have liberty to enjoy themselves as
+long as their enjoyment does not cause annoyance to other people or keep
+their wives and children in rags. I will do anything for you if I
+find the place well conducted; but I warn you that I will have no
+drunkenness. A man who, to my knowledge, gets drunk twice, will not get
+drunk a third time in this parish, and if you let men get drunk here it
+is your fault as much as theirs. Now we understand each other."
+
+Things once placed on a satisfactory footing, the Squire had but little
+more trouble, and it soon came to be understood that he was not to be
+trifled with, and that Crowswood was no longer a place for the idle or
+shiftless. Two or three of the farmers left at the termination of their
+year, but better men took their places, and John Thorndyke, having
+settled matters to his satisfaction, now began to attend more to other
+affairs. He had been, when he first came back, welcomed with great
+heartiness by all the gentry of the neighborhood; his father had been a
+popular man, and young Thorndyke had been regarded as a pleasant young
+fellow, and would in any case have been welcomed, if only because
+Crowswood had become a nuisance to the whole district. It was, indeed,
+a sort of rendezvous for poachers and bad characters, it was more than
+suspected that gangs of thieves and burglars made it their headquarters,
+and that even highwaymen found it a convenient and quiet resort.
+
+Thus, then, the transformation effected within a few months of Mr.
+Thorndyke's return caused general and lively satisfaction, and a year
+later he was put on the Commission of the Peace, and became one of the
+most regular attendants at the Bench of Magistrates. Reluctantly as
+he had taken up his present position, he found it, as time went on, a
+pleasant one. He had not been conscious before that time hung somewhat
+heavily on his hands, but here he had duties to perform and ample
+employment. His nature was naturally somewhat a masterful one, and
+both as a magistrate and a landlord he had scope and power of action.
+Occasionally he went up to London, always driving his gig, with a pair
+of fast trotting horses, and was known to the frequenters of the
+coffee houses chiefly patronized by country gentlemen. Altogether, John
+Thorndyke became quite a notable person in the district, and men were
+inclined to congratulate themselves upon the fact that he, and not the
+Indian officer, his brother, had come into the estate.
+
+The idea of an old Indian officer in those days was that he was almost
+of necessity an invalid, and an irritable one, with a liver hopelessly
+deranged, a yellow complexion, and a hatred of the English climate. The
+fact that, instead of leaving the army and coming home at his father's
+death, George Thorndyke had chosen to remain abroad and leave the estate
+to the management of agents, had specially prejudiced him in the eyes of
+the people of that part, and had heightened the warmth with which they
+had received his brother. John Thorndyke had upon the occasion, of his
+first visit to the family solicitors spoken his mind with much freedom
+as to the manner in which Newman had been allowed a free hand.
+
+"Another ten years," he said, "and there would not have been a cottage
+habitable on the estate, nor a farm worth cultivating. He did absolutely
+nothing beyond collecting the rents. He let the whole place go to rack
+and ruin. The first day I arrived I sent him out of the house, with a
+talking to that he won't forget as long as he lives."
+
+"We never heard any complaints about him, Mr. Thorndyke, except that I
+think we did once hear from the Rector of the place that his conduct was
+not satisfactory. I remember that we wrote to him about it, and he
+said that the Rector was a malignant fellow, on bad terms with all his
+parishioners."
+
+"If I had the scoundrel here," John Thorndyke said with indignation, "I
+would let him have a taste of the lash of my dog whip. You should not
+have taken the fellow's word; you should have sent down someone to find
+out the true state of things. Why, the place has been an eyesore to the
+whole neighborhood, the resort of poaching, thieving rascals; by gad,
+if my brother George had gone down there I don't know what would
+have happened! It will cost a couple of years' rent to get things put
+straight."
+
+When the Squire was at home there was scarce an evening when the Rector
+did not come up to smoke a pipe and take his glass of old Jamaica or
+Hollands with him.
+
+"Look here, Bastow," the latter said, some three years after his return,
+"what are you going to do with that boy of yours? I hear bad reports of
+him from everyone; he gets into broils at the alehouse, and I hear
+that he consorts with a bad lot of fellows down at Reigate. One of my
+tenants--I won't mention names--complained to me that he had persecuted
+his daughter with his attentions. They say, he was recognized among that
+poaching gang that had an affray with Sir James Hartrop's keepers. The
+thing is becoming a gross scandal."
+
+"I don't know what to do about him, Squire; the boy has always been a
+trouble to me. You see, before you came home, he got into bad hands in
+the village here. Of course they have all gone, but several of them only
+moved as far as Reigate, and he kept up their acquaintance. I thrashed
+him again and again, but he has got beyond that now, you see; he is
+nearly eighteen, and openly scoffs at my authority. Upon my word, I
+don't know what to do in the matter."
+
+"He is growing up a thorough young ruffian," the Squire said
+indignantly, "and one of these mornings I expect to see him brought up
+before us charged with some serious offense. We had to fine him last
+week for being drunk and making a disturbance down at Reigate. Why do
+you let him have money? You may have no authority over him; but at least
+you should refuse to open your purse to him. Don't you see that this
+sort of thing is not only a disgrace to him, but very prejudicial to
+the village? What authority can you have for speaking against vice and
+drunkenness, when your son is constantly intoxicated?"
+
+"I see that, Squire--none better; and I have thought of resigning my
+cure."
+
+"Stuff and nonsense, Parson! If the young fellow persists in his present
+course he must leave the village, that is clear enough; but that is no
+reason why you should. The question is what is to be done with him? The
+best thing he could do would be to enlist. He might be of some service
+to his country, in India or the American Colonies, but so far as I can
+see he is only qualifying himself for a jail here."
+
+"I have told him as much, Squire," Mr. Bastow said, in a depressed
+voice, "and he has simply laughed in my face, and said that he was very
+comfortable where he was, and had no idea whatever of moving."
+
+"What time does he go out in the morning?" John Thorndyke asked
+abruptly.
+
+"He never gets up till twelve o'clock, and has his breakfast when I take
+my dinner."
+
+"Well, I will come in tomorrow morning and have a talk with him myself."
+
+The next day the Squire rode up to the door of the Rectory soon after
+one o'clock. Mr. Bastow had just finished his meal; his son, a young
+fellow of between seventeen and eighteen, was lolling in an easy chair.
+
+"I have come in principally to speak to you, young sir," John Thorndyke
+said quietly. "I have been asking your father what you intend to do with
+yourself. He says he does not know."
+
+The young fellow looked up with an air of insolent effrontery.
+
+"I don't know that it is any business of yours, Mr. Thorndyke, what I do
+with myself."
+
+"Oh, yes, it is," the Squire replied. "This village and the people in it
+are mine. You are disturbing the village with your blackguard conduct;
+you are annoying some of the girls on the estate, and altogether you are
+making yourself a nuisance. I stopped at the alehouse as I came here,
+and have ordered the landlord to draw no more liquor for you, and unless
+you amend your conduct, and that quickly, I will have you out of the
+village altogether."
+
+"I fancy, Mr. Thorndyke, that, even as a justice of the peace, you have
+not the power to dictate to my father who shall be the occupant of this
+house."
+
+"What you say is perfectly true; but as you make your father's life a
+burden to him, and he is desirous of your absence, I can and will
+order the village constable to remove you from his house by force, if
+necessary."
+
+The young fellow cast an evil glance at his father. "He has not been
+complaining, has he?" he said, with a sneer.
+
+"He has not, sir," John Thorndyke said indignantly. "It is I who have
+been complaining to him, and he admits that you are altogether beyond
+his authority. I have pointed out to him that he is in no way obliged
+to support you at your age in idleness and dissipation, and that it were
+best for him and all concerned that he should close his doors to you. I
+don't want to have to send the son of my old friend to prison, but I can
+see well enough that that is what it will come to if you don't give up
+your evil courses. I should think you know by this time that I am a man
+of my word. I have taken some pains to purge this village of all bad
+characters, and I do not intend to have an exception made of the son of
+the clergyman, who, in his family as well as in his own person, is bound
+to set an example."
+
+"Well, Mr. Thorndyke, I utterly decline to obey your orders or to be
+guided by your advice."
+
+"Very well, sir," the magistrate said sternly. "Mr. Bastow, do I
+understand that you desire that your son shall no longer remain an
+inmate of your house?"
+
+"I do," the clergyman said firmly; "and if he does so I have no other
+course before me but to resign my living; my position here has become
+absolutely unbearable."
+
+"Very well, sir, then you will please lock your doors tonight, and if he
+attempts to enter, I, as a magistrate, should know how to deal with
+him. Now, young sir, you understand your position; you may not take my
+advice, nevertheless, I shall give it you. The best thing you can do
+is to take your place for town on the outside of the coach that comes
+through Reigate this afternoon, and tomorrow morning proceed either to
+the recruiting officer for His Majesty's service, or to that for the
+East India Company's. You have health and strength, you will get rid at
+once of your bad associates, and will start afresh in a life in which
+you may redeem your past and be useful to your king and country."
+
+Young Bastow smiled.
+
+"Thanks," he said sarcastically. "I have my own plans, and shall follow
+them."
+
+"I would think, Mr. Bastow," the Squire said quietly, "it would just
+be as well for you to come home with me. I don't think that the leave
+taking is likely to be an affectionate one."
+
+The Rector rose at once.
+
+"I will come with you, Squire. I may tell you now, what I have not told
+you before, that my son has more than once raised his hand against me,
+and that I do not care to be left alone with him."
+
+"I judged him capable even of that, Mr. Bastow."
+
+"Goodby, Arthur," his father said. "My heart is ready to break that it
+has come to this; but for both our sakes it is better so. Goodby, my
+son, and may Heaven lead you to better ways! If ever you come to me and
+say, 'Father, I have turned over a new leaf, and heartily repent the
+trouble I have caused you,' you will receive a hearty welcome from me,
+and no words of reproach for the past."
+
+The young man paid no attention to the offered hand, but laughed
+scornfully.
+
+"You have not got rid of me yet," he said. "As for you, Squire
+Thorndyke, I shall not forget your meddlesome interference, and some
+day, maybe, you will be sorry for it."
+
+"I think not," John Thorndyke said gravely. "I am doing my duty to the
+village, and still more I am doing my duty to an old friend, and I am
+not likely ever to feel any regret that I have so acted. Now, Parson,
+let's be off."
+
+After leaving the house with the clergyman, the Squire stopped at the
+house of Knapp, the village constable; and said a few words to him,
+then, leading his horse, walked home with Mr. Bastow.
+
+"Don't be cast down, old friend," he said. "It is a terrible trial to
+you; but it is one sharp wrench, and then it will be over. Anything is
+better than what you must have been suffering for some time."
+
+"I quite feel that, Squire; my life has indeed been intolerable of late.
+I had a painful time before, but always looked forward with hope to your
+brother coming home. Since you returned, and matters in the parish have
+been put straight, this trouble has come in to take the place of the
+other, and I have felt that I would rather resign and beg for charity
+than see my son going from bad to worse, a scandal to the parish, and a
+hindrance to all good work."
+
+"It is a bad business, Bastow, and it seems to me that two or three
+years in prison would be the best thing for him, as he will not take up
+the only trade open to him. At any rate, it would separate him from his
+evil associates, and give you peace while he is behind the bars. Where
+does he get his money?"
+
+"That I know not, Squire. He takes some from me--it used to be done
+secretly, now it is done with threats, and, as I told you, with
+violence--but that would not account for his always having money. He
+must get it somewhere else, for when I have paid my bills, as I always
+do the hour that I receive money, there is but little over for him
+to take. He is often away all night, sometimes for two or three days
+together, and I dare not think what he does with himself; but certainly
+he gets money somehow, and I am afraid that I cannot hope it is honestly
+obtained."
+
+"I do not well see how it can be," the Squire agreed.
+
+"If I had before known as much as you tell me now, I would have taken
+some steps to have him watched, and to nip the matter before it went too
+far. Do you think that he will take your notice, and come no more to the
+house?"
+
+Mr. Bastow shook his head.
+
+"I fear that the only effect will be to make him worse, even when he was
+quite a small boy punishment only had that effect with him. He will come
+back tonight probably half drunk, and certainly furious at my having
+ventured to lay the case before you."
+
+"You must lock the doors and bar the windows."
+
+"I did that when he first took to being out at night, but he always
+managed to get in somehow."
+
+"Well, it must be all put a stop to, Bastow; and I will come back with
+you this evening, and if this young rascal breaks into the house I will
+have him down at Reigate tomorrow on the charge of house breaking; or,
+at any rate, I will threaten to do so if he does not give a promise that
+he will in future keep away from you altogether."
+
+"I shall be glad, at any rate, if you will come down, Squire, for, to
+say the truth, I feel uneasy as to the steps he may take in his fury at
+our conversation just now."
+
+John Thorndyke took down from a wall a heavy hunting whip, as he went
+out with the parson at nine o'clock. He had in vain endeavored to cheer
+his old friend as they sat over their steaming glasses of Jamaica. The
+parson had never been a strong man; he was of a kindly disposition, and
+an unwearied worker when there was an opportunity for work, but he had
+always shrunk from unpleasantness, and was ready to yield rather than
+bring about trouble. He had for a long time suffered in silence, and
+had not the Squire himself approached the subject of his son's
+delinquencies, he would have never opened his mouth about it. Now,
+however, that he had done so, and the Squire had taken the matter in
+hand, and had laid down what was to be done, though he trembled at the
+prospect, he did not even think of opposing his plan, and indeed could
+think of no alternative for it.
+
+"I have told John Knapp to be here," the Squire said, as they reached
+the house. "It is just as well that he should be present if your son
+comes back again. He is a quiet, trustworthy fellow, and will keep his
+mouth shut if I tell him."
+
+Mr. Bastow made no reply. It was terrible to him that there should be
+another witness to his son's conduct, but he saw that the Squire was
+right. An old woman opened the door.
+
+"Are all the shutters closed and barred?" John Thorndyke asked her.
+
+"Yes, sir; I always sees to that as soon as it gets dark."
+
+"Very well; you can go to bed now, Elisa," her master said. "Is John
+Knapp here?"
+
+"Yes, he came an hour ago, and is sitting in the kitchen."
+
+"I will call him in myself when I want to speak to him."
+
+As soon as the old servant had gone upstairs the Squire went into the
+kitchen, Mr. Bastow having gone to the cellar to fetch up a bottle of
+old brandy that was part of a two dozen case given to him by the old
+Squire fifteen years before.
+
+"Do you go round the house, John, and see that everything is properly
+fastened up. I see that you have got a jug of beer there. You had better
+get a couple of hours' sleep on that settle. I shall keep watch, till I
+am sleepy, and then I will call you. Let me know if you find any of the
+doors or windows unbarred."
+
+Five minutes later the constable knocked at the door of the parlor. "The
+door opening into the stable yard was unbarred, Squire."
+
+"I thought it likely that it would be so, Knapp. You have made it fast
+now, I suppose? That is right. Now lie down and get an hour or two of
+sleep; it is scarce likely that he will be back until late.
+
+"That was the old woman, of course," he went on to his companion, when
+the door closed behind the constable. "I thought it likely enough that
+he might tell her to leave a way for him to come in. You told me that
+she had been with you a good many years. I dare say she has left that
+door unbarred for him many a time. I should advise you to get a man to
+sleep in the house regularly; there are plenty of fellows who will be
+glad to do it for a shilling or two a week, and I do not think that it
+is safe for you to be here alone."
+
+An hour later he said to the Rector: "Now, Bastow, you had best go
+to bed. I have taken the matter into my own hands, and will carry
+it through. However, I won't have him taken away without your being
+present, and will call you when we want you. Of course, if he will give
+a solemn promise not to molest you, and, even if he won't enlist, to
+leave this part of the country altogether, I shall let him off."
+
+"There is one thing, Mr. Thorndyke, that I have not told you," the
+Rector said hesitatingly. "Sometimes, when he comes home late, he brings
+someone with him; I have heard voices downstairs. I have never seen who
+it was--for what could I have done if I went down?--but I have heard
+horses brought round to the stable yard, and heard them ride away:"
+
+"It is just as well you told me," the Squire said dryly. "If you had
+told me this evening at the house, I would have dropped a brace of
+pistols into my pocket. However, this hunting crop is a good weapon;
+but I don't suppose they will show fight, even if anyone is with him.
+Besides, Knapp has a stout oaken cudgel with him--I noticed it standing
+against his chair as I went in--and as he is a strong active fellow, and
+we shall have the advantage of a surprise, I fancy we should be a match
+even for three or four of them."
+
+At one o'clock the Squire roused John Knapp. "It is one o'clock, John;
+now take off your boots. I don't want him to know that there is anyone
+in the house till we get hold of him. I am going to lie down on the sofa
+in the parlor. The moment you hear footsteps you come and wake me."
+
+The clock in the kitchen had just struck two when the constable shook
+John Thorndyke. "There are two horses just coming into the yard."
+
+"All right. I opened a window in the room looking down into the yard
+before I lay down. I will go up and see what they are going to do. If
+they try to break in anywhere down here, do you come at once quietly up
+to me."
+
+The Squire had taken off his boots before he lay down, and, holding his
+heavy hunting crop in his hand, he went quietly upstairs. As he went to
+the window he heard Arthur Bastow say angrily:
+
+"Confound the old woman! she has locked the door; she has never played
+me that trick before. There is a ladder in the stable, and I will get in
+at that window up there and open it for you. Or you may as well come up
+that way, too, and then you can stow the things away in my room at once,
+and have done with it."
+
+The Squire went hastily down.
+
+"Come upstairs, Knapp," he whispered to the constable. "There are three
+of them, and I fancy the two mounted men are highwaymen. Let them all
+get in, keeping yourself well back from the window. The moon is round on
+the other side of the house, but it will be light enough for us to see
+them as they get in. I will take the last fellow, and I will warrant
+that he will give no trouble; then I will fall upon the second, and do
+you spring on young Bastow. The two highwaymen are sure to have pistols,
+and he may have some also. Give him a clip with that cudgel of yours
+first, then spring on him, and hold his arms tightly by his side. If I
+call you give him a back heel and throw him smartly, and then come to
+my aid. I don't think I shall want it, but it is as well to prepare for
+everything."
+
+They went upstairs and took their places, one on each side of the
+window, standing three or four feet back. Just as they took up their
+positions the top of the stable ladder appeared above the sill of the
+window. Half a minute later young Bastow's head appeared, and he threw
+up the sash still higher, and stepped into the room; then he turned and
+helped two men in, one after the other.
+
+"Follow me," he said, "then you won't tumble over the furniture."
+
+As they turned, the heavy handle of John's Thorndyke's whip fell with
+tremendous force on the head of the last man.
+
+"What the devil is that?" the other exclaimed, snatching out a pistol
+and turning round, as the falling body struck him, but he got no
+further. Again the heavy whip descended, this time on his right arm;
+it dropped useless by his side, and the pistol fell from his hand. Then
+John Thorndyke fell upon him and bore him to the ground, snatched the
+other pistol from his belt, and held it to his head.
+
+"Now, my man," he said quietly, "if you don't surrender I will blow out
+your brains."
+
+"I surrender," the man moaned. "I believe that you have broken my arm.
+Curse you, whoever you are."
+
+The struggle between John Knapp and young Bastow was soon over.
+The young fellow was lithe and sinewy, but he was no match for the
+constable, who, indeed, had almost overpowered him before he was aware
+what had happened.
+
+"Has he got pistols, Knapp?" the Squire asked.
+
+"Yes, sir, a brace of them; I have got them both safely in my pocket.
+There," he went on, as a sharp click was heard, "I have got the darbys
+on him. Now shall I help you, sir?"
+
+"You had better run downstairs first and light a couple of candles at
+the kitchen fire: you will find a pair standing on the parlor table.
+Don't be long about it; the first fellow I hit was stunned, and he may
+come round any moment."
+
+"I will make sure of him before I go, Squire. I have got another pair of
+darbys in my pocket."
+
+As soon as he had fastened these upon the wrists of the insensible man
+he ran downstairs, and in a minute returned with the candles.
+
+"I am glad that you are back," the Squire said. "I was afraid that young
+rascal would try to escape."
+
+"I took good care of that, Squire; you see I put one of his arms round
+the bedpost before I slipped the darbys on, and he cannot get away
+unless he takes the whole bed with him; and as I don't think he would
+get it out either by the window or the door, he is as safe here as he
+would be in Newgate. What is the next thing to do, Squire?"
+
+"You had better tie this fellow's legs. I will leave you a candle here,
+and you can keep guard over them while I go and wake Mr. Bastow."
+
+The Rector needed no waking; he was walking up and down his room in
+great distress. He had not undressed, but had thrown himself upon his
+bed.
+
+"What has happened, Thorndyke?" he asked as the Squire entered. "I heard
+two heavy falls, and I felt that something terrible had taken place."
+
+"Well, it has been a serious matter--very serious. That unfortunate
+son of yours is not hurt, but I don't know but that the best thing that
+could have happened would have been for him to have got a bullet through
+his head. He brought home with him two men who are, I have little doubt,
+highwaymen; anyhow, they each had a brace of pistols in their belt, and
+from what he said I think they have been stopping a coach. At any rate,
+they have something with them that they were going to hide here, and
+I fancy it is not the first time that it has been done. I don't expect
+your son had anything to do with the robbery, though he was carrying a
+brace of pistols, too; however, we have got them all three.
+
+"Now, you see, Bastow, this takes the affair altogether out of our
+hands. I had hoped that when we caught your son in the act of breaking
+into your house after you had ordered him from it, we should be able to
+frighten him into enlisting, or, at any rate, into promising to disturb
+you no more, for even if we had taken him before the bench, nothing
+could have been done to him, for under such circumstances his
+re-entering the house could not be looked upon as an act of burglary. As
+it is, the affair is altogether changed. Even if I wished to do so, as a
+magistrate I could not release those two highwaymen; they must appear as
+prisoners in court. I shall hear down in the town tomorrow morning what
+coach has been stopped, and I have no doubt that they have on them the
+proceeds of the robbery. Your son was consorting with and aiding them,
+and acting as a receiver of stolen goods, and as you have heard horses
+here before it is probable that when his room is thoroughly searched we
+shall come upon a number of articles of the same sort. I am sorry that
+I ever meddled in the matter; but it is too late for that now. You had
+better come downstairs with me, and we will take a turn in the garden,
+and try to see what had best be done."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+
+John Thorndyke opened the shutters of the parlor window, and stepped out
+into the garden alone, for the Rector was too unnerved and shattered to
+go out with him, but threw himself on the sofa, completely prostrated.
+Half an hour later the Squire re-entered the room. The morning was just
+beginning to break. Mr. Bastow raised his head and looked sadly at him.
+
+"I can see no way out of it, old friend. Were it not that he is in
+charge of the constable, I should have said that your only course was
+to aid your son to escape; but Knapp is a shrewd fellow as well as
+an honest one. You cannot possibly get your son away without his
+assistance, for he is handcuffed to the bed, and Knapp, in so serious a
+matter as this, would not, I am sure, lend himself to an escape. I have
+no doubt that with my influence with the other magistrates, and, indeed,
+on the circumstances of the case, they will commit him on a minor charge
+only, as the passengers of the coach will, I hope, give evidence that it
+was stopped by mounted men alone. I think, therefore, that he would
+only be charged with consorting with and aiding the highwaymen after the
+event, and of aiding them to conceal stolen goods--that is, if any are
+found in his room.
+
+"That much stolen property has been hidden there, there is little reason
+to doubt, but it may have been removed shortly afterwards. It was, of
+course, very convenient for them to have some place where they could
+take things at once, and then ride on quietly to London the next day,
+for, if arrested; nothing would be found upon them, and it would be
+impossible to connect them with the robbery. Later on they might come
+back again and get them from him. Of course, if nothing is found in his
+room, we get rid of the charge of receiving altogether, and there would
+be nothing but harboring, aiding, and abetting--a much less serious
+business. Look here, old friend, I will strain a point. I will go out
+into the garden again and walk about for an hour, and while I am out, if
+you should take advantage of my absence to creep up to your son's room
+and to search it thoroughly, examining every board of the floor to see
+if it is loose, and should you find anything concealed, to take it and
+hide it, of course I cannot help it. The things, if there are any, might
+secretly be packed up by you in a box and sent up to Bow Street, with a
+line inside, saying that they are proceeds of robbery, and that you hope
+the owners will be traced and their property restored to them. Not, of
+course, in your own hand, and without a signature. There might be some
+little trouble in managing it, but it could, no doubt, be done."
+
+John Thorndyke went out into the garden without another word. The hour
+was nearly up when Mr. Bastow came out; he looked ten years older than
+he had done on the previous day. He wrung his friend's hand.
+
+"Thank God I have been up there," he said. "I do not think they will
+find anything."
+
+"Say nothing about it, Bastow; I don't want to know whether you found
+anything. Now I am going to fetch two or three of the men from the
+village, to get them to aid the constable in keeping guard, and another
+to go up to the house at once and order a groom to saddle one of my
+horses and bring it here."
+
+As it was now past five o'clock, and the Squire found most of the men
+getting up, he sent one off to the house with the message, and returned
+with two others to the Rectory. He told them briefly that two highwaymen
+had been arrested during the night, and that as young Mr. Bastow was in
+their company at the time, it had been necessary as a matter of form to
+arrest him also. He went upstairs with them.
+
+"I have brought up two men to sit with you, Knapp, until the Reigate
+constables come up. You can take those handcuffs off Mr. Bastow, but
+see that he does not leave the room, and do you yourself sit in a chair
+against the door, and place one of these men at the window. How about
+others?"
+
+"The man you hit first, Squire, did not move until a quarter of an hour
+ago; he has been muttering to himself since, but I don't think he is
+sensible. The other one has been quiet enough, but there is no doubt
+that his arm is broken."
+
+"I am going to ride down to Reigate at once, and will bring back a
+surgeon with me."
+
+"You will repent this night's business, Thorndyke!" Arthur Bastow said
+threateningly.
+
+"I fancy that you will repent it more than I shall, Bastow; it is likely
+that you will have plenty of time to do so."
+
+It was not long before the groom with the horse arrived. John Thorndyke
+rode at a gallop down to Reigate, and first called on the head
+constable.
+
+"Dawney," he said, as the man came down, partially dressed, at his
+summons, "has anything taken place during the night?"
+
+"Yes, Squire, the up coach was stopped a mile before it got here, and
+the passengers robbed. It was due here at one, and did not come in till
+half an hour later. Of course I was sent for. The guard was shot. There
+were two of the fellows. He let fly with his blunderbuss, but he does
+not seem to have hit either of them, and one rode up and shot him dead;
+then they robbed all the passengers. They got six gold watches, some
+rings, and, adding up the amounts taken from all the passengers, about a
+hundred and fifty pounds in money."
+
+"Well, I fancy I have got your two highwaymen safe, _Dawney_."
+
+"You have, sir?" the constable said in astonishment.
+
+"Yes. I happened to be at the Rectory. Mr. Bastow had had a quarrel with
+his son, and had forbidden him the house."
+
+The constable shook his head. "I am afraid he is a very bad one, that
+young chap."
+
+"I am afraid he is, Dawney. However, his father was afraid that he might
+come in during the night and make a scene, so I said I would stop with
+him, and I took our village constable with me. At two o'clock this
+morning the young fellow came with two mounted men, who, I have no
+doubt, were highwaymen. We had locked up down below. Bastow took a
+ladder, and the three got in at a bedroom window on the first floor.
+Knapp and I were waiting for them there, and, taking them by surprise,
+succeeded in capturing them before the highwaymen could use their
+pistols. The constable and two men are looking after them, but as one
+has not got over a knock I gave him on the head, and the other has a
+broken arm, there is little fear of their making their escape. You had
+better go up with two of your men, and take a light cart with you with
+some straw in the bottom, and bring them all down here. I will ride
+round myself to Mr. Chetwynde, Sir Charles Harris, and Mr. Merchison,
+and we will sit at twelve o'clock. You can send round a constable with
+the usual letters to the others, but those three will be quite enough
+for the preliminary examination."
+
+"Well, Squire, that is good news indeed. We have had the coach held up
+so often within five miles of this place during the past three months,
+that we have been getting quite a bad name. And to think that young
+Bastow was in it! I have heard some queer stories about him, and fancied
+before long I should have to put my hand upon his shoulder; but I didn't
+expect this."
+
+"There is not a shadow of proof that he had anything to do with the
+robbery, Dawney, but he will have difficulty in proving that he did not
+afterwards abet them. It is serious enough as it is, and I am terribly
+grieved for his father's sake."
+
+"Yes, sir; I have always heard him spoken of as a kind gentleman, and
+one who took a lot of trouble whenever anyone was sick. Well, sir, I
+will be off in twenty minutes. I will run round at once and send Dr.
+Hewett up to the Rectory, and a man shall start on horseback at seven
+o'clock with the summons to the other magistrates."
+
+John Thorndyke rode round to his three fellow magistrates, who, living
+nearest to the town, were most regular in their attendance at the
+meetings. They all listened in surprise to his narrative, and expressed
+great pleasure at hearing that the men who had been such a pest to
+the neighborhood, and had caused them all personally a great deal of
+trouble, had been captured. All had heard tales, too, to Arthur Bastow's
+disadvantage, and expressed great commiseration for his father. They
+agreed to meet at the court half an hour before business began, to talk
+the matter over together.
+
+"It is out of the question that we can release him on bail," the
+gentleman who was chairman of the bench said. "Quite so," John Thorndyke
+agreed. "In the first place, the matter is too serious; and in the
+next, he certainly would not be able to find bail; and lastly, for his
+father's sake, it is unadvisable that he should be let out. At the same
+time, it appears to me that there is a broad distinction between his
+case and the others. I fear that there can be no question that he had
+prior acquaintance with these men, and that he was cognizant of the
+whole business; something I heard him say, and which, to my regret, I
+shall have to repeat in court, almost proves that he was so. Still, let
+us hope none of the stolen property will be found upon him; whether they
+had intended to pass it over to his care or not is immaterial. If they
+had not done so, I doubt whether he could be charged with receiving
+stolen goods, and we might make the charge simply one of aiding these
+two criminals, and of being so far an accessory after the crime.
+
+"If we could soften it down still further I should, for his father's
+sake, be glad; but as far as he himself is concerned, I would do nothing
+to lighten his punishment. He is about as bad a specimen of human nature
+as I ever came across. His father is in bodily fear of him. I saw the
+young fellow yesterday, and urged him to enlist, in order to break
+himself loose from the bad companionship he had fallen into. His reply
+was insolent and defiant in the highest degree, and it was then that in
+his father's name I forbade him the house, and as his father was present
+he confirmed what I said, and told him that he would not have anything
+more to do with him. This affair may do him good, and save his neck from
+a noose. A few years at the hulks or a passage to Botany Bay will do him
+no harm; and, at any rate, his father will have rest and peace, which he
+never would have if he remained here."
+
+A somewhat similar conversation took place at each house. John Thorndyke
+breakfasted at Sir Charles Harris', the last of the three upon whom he
+called, and then mounting rode back to Reigate.
+
+"We have found the plunder on them," the head constable said, coming
+out of the lockup as he drew rein before it, "and, fortunately for young
+Bastow, nothing was found upon him."
+
+"How are the two men?"
+
+"The fellow you hit first is conscious now, sir, but very weak. The
+doctor says that if he hadn't had a thick hat on, your blow would have
+killed him to a certainty. The other man's arm is set and bandaged, and
+he is all right otherwise. We shall be able to have them both in court
+at twelve o'clock."
+
+The Squire rode up to his house. He was met at the door by his son, in a
+state of great excitement.
+
+"Is it all true, father? The news has come from the village that you
+have killed two men, and that they and Arthur Bastow have all been taken
+away in a cart, guarded by constables."
+
+"As usual, Mark, rumor has exaggerated matters. There are no dead men;
+one certainly got a crack on the head that rendered him insensible for
+some time, and another's arm is broken."
+
+"And are they highwaymen, father? They say that two horses were fastened
+behind the cart."
+
+"That is what we are going to try, Mark. Until their guilt is proved, no
+one knows whether they are highwaymen or not."
+
+"And why is Arthur Bastow taken, father?"
+
+"Simply because he was in company with the others. Now, you need not ask
+any more questions, but if you like to get your pony saddled and ride
+down with me to Reigate at eleven o'clock, I will get you into the
+courthouse, and then you will hear all about it."
+
+At greater length the Squire went into the matter with Mrs. Cunningham,
+his lady housekeeper, and his ward's governess.
+
+"It is a bad business, Mr. Thorndyke," she said, "and must be terrible
+for poor Mr. Bastow."
+
+"Yes, it is a bad business altogether, except that it will rid him of
+this young rascal. If I were in his place I should be ready to suffer a
+good deal to obtain such a riddance."
+
+"I suppose that you won't sit upon the bench today?"
+
+"No; at least I shall take no part in the deliberations. I shall, of
+course, give evidence. The affair is not likely to last very long; my
+story will take the longest to tell. Knapp's will be confirmatory of
+mine, and the Reigate constable will depose to finding the watches,
+rings, and money upon them; then, of course, the case will be adjourned
+for the attendance of the coachman and some of the passengers. I don't
+suppose they will be able to swear to their identity, for no doubt
+they were masked. But that is immaterial; the discovery of the stolen
+property upon them will be sufficient to hang them. No doubt we shall
+have some Bow Streets runners down from town tomorrow or next day, and
+they will most likely be able to say who the fellows are."
+
+"Will Mr. Bastow have to give evidence against his son?"
+
+"Not before us, I think; but I imagine he will have to appear at the
+trial."
+
+"It will be terrible for him."
+
+"Yes, terrible. I sincerely hope that they will not summon him, but I am
+afraid that there is very little doubt about it; they are sure to want
+to know about his son's general conduct, though possibly the testimony
+on that point of the constable at Reigate will be sufficient. My own
+hope is that he will get a long sentence; at any rate, one long enough
+to insure his not coming back during his father's lifetime. If you had
+seen his manner when we were talking to him yesterday, you would believe
+that he is capable of anything. I have had a good many bad characters
+before me during the year and a half that I have sat upon the bench, but
+I am bound to say that I never saw one who was to my eyes so thoroughly
+evil as this young fellow. I don't think," he added with a smile, "that
+I should feel quite comfortable myself if he were acquitted; it will
+be a long time before I shall forget the expression of his face when
+he said to me this morning, 'You will repent this night's work,
+Thorndyke.'"
+
+"You don't mean that you think he would do you any harm, Mr. Thorndyke?"
+
+"Well, I should not care to meet him in a lonely place if he was armed
+and I was not. But you need not be nervous, Mrs. Cunningham, there is
+not the smallest chance of his being out for years; and by that time his
+blood will have had time to cool down, and he will have learnt, at any
+rate, that crimes cannot be committed in this country with impunity."
+
+"It is all very shocking," the lady said. "What will poor Mr. Bastow do?
+I should think that he would not like to remain as clergyman here, where
+everyone knows about it."
+
+"That must be for him to decide," the Squire said; "but if he wishes to
+resign I certainly shall not press him to continue to hold the living.
+He is a very old friend of mine. My father presented the living to him
+when I was nine or ten years old, and I may say I saw him daily up to
+the time when I went down into Sussex. If he resigns I should urge him
+to take up his residence here and to act as Mark's tutor; and he might
+also relieve you of some of Millicent's lessons. You have plenty to do
+in looking after the management of things in general. However, that is
+for the future."
+
+At eleven o'clock the Squire drove down to Reigate, taking Mark with
+him, as it would save all trouble about putting up the horse and pony.
+On arriving he handed Mark over to the head constable, and asked him to
+pass him into a seat in the courthouse, before the public were let in.
+
+Reigate was in a state of unusual excitement. That the coach should have
+been stopped and robbed was too common an event to excite much interest,
+but that two highwaymen should have been captured, and, as was rumored,
+a young gentleman brought in on a charge of being in connection with
+them, caused a thrill of excitement. Quite a small crowd was assembled
+before the courthouse, and the name of Squire Thorndyke passed from
+mouth to mouth.
+
+"There is some talk of his being mixed up with it in some way or other,"
+one said. "I saw him myself ride in here, about half past five, and
+I wondered he was about so early. Some do say as he caught the two
+highwaymen single handed; but that don't stand to reason. Besides,
+what could he have been doing out at such an hour as that? He is a good
+landlord, and they say that Crowswood has been quite a different place
+since he came to be master. He is a tight hand as a magistrate, and
+cleared out half the village the first two or three months he was there;
+but he spent a mint of money on the place, and the people there say that
+they could not have a better master. Ah, here is Squire Chetwynd. He was
+sure to be here. There is Sir Charles' gig turning the corner. I expect
+most of them will be on the bench; they don't get such a case as this
+every day."
+
+"It may be there will be nothing for us to hear when the court opens,"
+another said. "I hear both the fellows have been shot or knocked about
+so bad that they cannot be brought up. Of course the court cannot sit if
+they aint before it."
+
+"That is not so, Master Jones. I spoke to one of the constables half an
+hour ago--he lives next door to me--and he said that they would be well
+enough to appear. Neither of them have been shot, though they have been
+hurt pretty bad."
+
+All this added to the desire of those around to get into the court, and
+there was quite a rush when the doors were opened two minutes before
+twelve, and it was at once crammed, the constable having some difficulty
+in getting the doors shut, and in persuading those who could not get in
+that there was not standing room for another person. There was a buzz of
+talk in court until the door opened and six magistrates came in. It was
+observed that John Thorndyke did not seat himself with the others, but
+moved his chair a little apart from them, thus confirming the report
+that he was in some way connected with the matter, and did not intend to
+take any part in the decision. Then another door opened, and the three
+prisoners were brought in. The two first were pale and evidently weak;
+one had his head wrapped in bandages, the other had the right sleeve of
+his coat cut off, and his arm bandaged and supported by a sling. Both
+made a resolute effort to preserve a careless demeanor. The third, who
+was some years younger than the others, looked round with a smile on his
+lips, bowed to the magistrates with an air of insolent bravado when
+he was placed in the dock, and then leaned easily in the corner, as
+if indifferent to the whole business. A chair was placed between his
+comrades for the use of the man whose head was bandaged. Many among
+those present knew Arthur Bastow by sight, and his name passed from
+mouth to mouth; but the usher called loudly for silence, and then the
+magistrates' clerk rose.
+
+"William Smith and John Brown--at least, these are the names given--are
+charged with stopping the South Coast coach last night, killing the
+guard, and robbing the passengers; and Arthur Bastow is charged with
+aiding and abetting the other two prisoners, and with guilty knowledge
+of their crime."
+
+It was noticed by those who could see the prisoners' faces that, in
+spite of Bastow's air of indifference, there was an expression of
+anxiety on his face as the charge was read, and he undoubtedly felt
+relief as that against himself was mentioned. The first witness was John
+Knapp, and the constable stepped into the witness box.
+
+"What do you know of this business, Knapp?" the chairman asked. "Just
+tell it your own way."
+
+"I am constable of Crowswood, your honor, and yesterday Squire Thorndyke
+said to me--"
+
+"No, you must not tell it like that, Knapp; you must not repeat what
+another person said to you. You can say that from information received
+you did so and so."
+
+"Yes, your honor. From information received I went to the Rev. Mr.
+Bastow's house, at a quarter to nine last night. At nine o'clock Squire
+Thorndyke and the Parson came in together. They sent the servant up to
+bed, and then the Squire sent me round to examine the fastenings of the
+doors. I found that one back door had been left unfastened, and locked
+and bolted it. The Squire told me to lie down until one o'clock, and he
+would watch, and Mr. Bastow went up to bed."
+
+"Do you know of your own knowledge why these precautions were taken?"
+
+"Only from what I was told, your honor. At one o'clock the Squire woke
+me, and he lay down in the parlor, telling me to call him if I heard
+any movement outside. About two o'clock I heard two horses come into the
+Parson's yard. I called Squire Thorndyke, who went upstairs to an open
+window; presently someone came and tried the back door. I heard voices
+outside, but could not hear what was said. The Squire came down and
+called me upstairs. I went up and took my place at one side of the
+window, and the Squire took his on the other. I had this cudgel in my
+hand, and the Squire his riding whip. A ladder was put up against the
+window, and then someone came up, lifted the sash up high and got in.
+There was light enough for me to see it was young Mr. Bastow. Then the
+two other prisoners came up. When the third had got into the room Mr.
+Bastow said, 'Follow me, and then you won't tumble over the furniture.'"
+
+"How was it that they did not see you and Mr. Thorndyke?" the chairman
+asked.
+
+"We were standing well back, your honor. The moon was on the other side
+of the house. There was light enough for us to see them as they got in
+at the window, but where we were standing it was quite dark, especially
+to chaps who had just come in from the moonlight. As they moved, the
+Squire hit the last of them a clout on the head with his hunting crop,
+and down he went, as if shot. The man next to him turned, but I did not
+see what took place, for, as the Squire had ordered me, I made a rush at
+Mr. Bastow and got my arms round him pretty tight, so as to prevent him
+using his pistols, if he had any. He struggled hard, but without saying
+a word, till I got my heel behind his and threw him on his back. I came
+down on the top of him; then I got the pistols out of his belt and threw
+them on the bed, slipped the handcuffs onto one wrist, lifted him up a
+bit, and then shoved him up against the bedpost, and got the handcuff
+onto his other wrist, so that he could not shift away, having the post
+in between his arms.
+
+"Then I went to see if the Squire wanted any help, but he didn't. I
+first handcuffed the man whose head he had broken, and tied the legs
+of the other, and then kept guard over them till morning. When the
+constables came up from town we searched the prisoners, and on two
+of them found the watches, money, and rings. We found nothing on Mr.
+Bastow. I went with the head constable to Mr. Bastow's room and searched
+it thoroughly, but found nothing whatever there."
+
+The evidence created a great sensation in court. John Thorndyke had
+first intended to ask Knapp not to make any mention of the fact that
+Arthur Bastow was carrying pistols unless the question was directly put
+to him. But the more he had thought over the matter, the more convinced
+was he that the heavier the sentence the better it would be for the
+Rector; and when he had heard from the latter that there was nothing
+left in his son's room that could be brought against him, and that he
+could not be charged with the capital crime of being a receiver, he
+thought it best to let matters take their course.
+
+The head constable was the next witness. He deposed to the finding of
+the articles produced upon the two elder prisoners and the unsuccessful
+search of the younger prisoner's room.
+
+"You did not search the house further?" the chairman inquired.
+
+"No, sir; I wanted to get the prisoners down here as fast as I could,
+seeing that two of them were seriously hurt."
+
+The chairman nodded.
+
+"You will, of course, make a careful search of the whole house,
+constable."
+
+"Yes, sir; I left one of my men up there with instructions to allow no
+one to go upstairs until I returned."
+
+"Quite right."
+
+John Thorndyke was the next witness, and his evidence cleared up what
+had hitherto been a mystery to the general body of the public, as to
+how he and the constable happened to be in the house on watch when the
+highwaymen arrived. The most important part of his evidence was the
+repetition of the words young Bastow had used as he mounted the ladder,
+as they showed that it was arranged between the prisoners that the
+stolen goods should be hidden in the house. The Squire was only asked
+one or two questions.
+
+"I suppose, Mr. Thorndyke, that you had no idea whatever that the
+younger prisoner would be accompanied by anyone else when he returned
+home?"
+
+"Not the slightest," the Squire replied. "I was there simply to prevent
+this unfortunate lad from entering the house, when perhaps he might have
+used violence towards his father. My intention was to seize him if he
+did so, and to give him the choice of enlisting, as I had urged him to
+do, or of being brought before this bench for breaking into his father's
+house. I felt that anything was better than his continuing in the evil
+courses on which he seemed bent."
+
+"Thank you, Mr. Thorndyke. I must compliment you in the name of my
+brother magistrates, and I may say of the public, for the manner in
+which you, at considerable risk to yourself, have effected the capture
+of the two elder prisoners."
+
+After consulting with the others the head constable was recalled.
+
+"Do you know anything about the character of the youngest prisoner?"
+
+"Yes, sir. We have had our eye upon him for some time. He was brought
+before your honors a week ago charged with being drunk and disorderly in
+this town, and was fined 5 pounds. He is constantly drinking with some
+of the worst characters in the place, and is strongly suspected of
+having been concerned in the fray between the poachers and Sir Charles
+Harris' gamekeepers. Two of the latter said that they recognized him
+amongst the poachers, but as they both declined to swear to him we did
+not arrest him."
+
+John Knapp was then recalled, and testified to Bastow's drinking habits,
+and that the landlord of the alehouse at Crowswood had been ordered by
+the Squire not to draw any liquor for him in future on pain of having
+the renewal of his license refused.
+
+"Have you any more witnesses to call?" the chairman asked the head
+constable.
+
+"Not at present, your honor. We have sent up to town, and on the next
+occasion the coachman will be called to testify to the shooting of the
+guard, and we hope to have some of the passengers there to identify the
+articles stolen from them."
+
+"It will be necessary that the Rev. Mr. Bastow should be here. He need
+not be called to give evidence unless we think it to be of importance,
+but he had better be in attendance. The prisoners are remanded until
+this day week."
+
+An hour later the three prisoners, handcuffed, were driven under an
+escort of three armed constables to Croydon Jail. When again brought up
+in court the passengers on the coach identified the articles taken from
+them; the coachman gave evidence of the stopping of the coach, and of
+the shooting of the guard. The head constable testified that he had
+searched the Rectory from top to bottom, and found nothing whatever of
+a suspicious nature. None of the passengers were able to testify to the
+two elder prisoners as the men who had robbed them, as these had been
+masked, but the height and dress corresponded to those of the prisoners;
+and the two Bow Street runners then came forward, and gave evidence
+that the two elder prisoners were well known to them. They had long been
+suspected of being highwaymen, and had several times been arrested when
+riding towards London on occasions when a coach had been stopped the
+night before, but no stolen goods had ever been found upon them, and in
+no case had the passengers been able to swear to their identity. One was
+known among his associates as "Galloping Bill," the other as the
+"Downy One." At the conclusion of the evidence the three prisoners
+were formally committed for trial, the magistrates having retired in
+consultation for some time upon the question of whether the charge of
+receiving stolen goods ought to be made against Arthur Bastow.
+
+"I think, gentlemen," the chairman said, after a good deal had been
+urged on both sides of the question, "in this case we can afford to take
+a merciful view. In the first place, no stolen goods were discovered
+upon him or in the house. There is strong presumptive evidence of his
+intention, but intention is not a crime, and even were the evidence
+stronger than it is, I should be inclined to take a merciful view. There
+can be no doubt that the young fellow is thoroughly bad, and the bravado
+he has exhibited throughout the hearing is at once unbecoming and
+disgraceful; but we must remember that he is not yet eighteen, and that,
+in the second place, he is the son of a much respected clergyman, who is
+our neighbor. The matter is serious enough for him as it stands, and he
+is certain to have a very heavy sentence.
+
+"Mr. Thorndyke, who takes no part in our deliberations, is most anxious
+that the prisoner's father should be spared the agony of his son being
+placed on trial on a capital charge, though I do not think that there
+would be the smallest chance of his being executed, for the judges would
+be certain to take his youth into consideration. Had there been prima
+facie evidence of concealment, we must have done our duty and sent him
+to trial on that charge; but as there is no such evidence, I think that
+it will be in all respects better to send him on a charge on which the
+evidence is as clear as noonday. Moreover, I think that Mr. Thorndyke's
+wishes should have some weight with us, seeing that it is entirely due
+to him that the important capture of these highwaymen, who have long
+been a scourge to this neighborhood, has been effected."
+
+Mr. Bastow had not been called as a witness. John Thorndyke had brought
+him down to Reigate in a closed carriage, and he had waited in the
+justices' room while the examination went on; but the magistrates agreed
+that the evidence given was amply sufficient for them to commit upon
+without given him the pain of appearing. John Thorndyke had taken him to
+another room while the magistrates were consulting together, and when he
+heard the result drove him back again.
+
+"I have fully made up my mind to resign my living, Thorndyke. I could
+not stand up and preach to the villagers of their duties when I myself
+have failed so signally in training my own son; nor visit their houses
+and presume to lecture them on their shortcomings when my son is a
+convicted criminal."
+
+"I quite see that, old friend," the Squire said. "And I had no doubt but
+that you would decide on this course. I will try not to persuade you to
+change your decision, for I feel that your power of usefulness is at an
+end as far as the village is concerned. May I ask what you propose to
+do? I can hardly suppose that your savings have been large."
+
+"Two years ago I had some hundreds laid by, but they have dwindled away
+to nothing; you can understand how. For a time it was given freely, then
+reluctantly; then I declared I would give no more, but he took it all
+the same--he knew well enough that I could never prosecute him for
+forgery."
+
+"As bad as that, eh?" Thorndyke said sternly. "Well, we won't talk
+further of him now; what I propose is that you should take up your abode
+at the Hall. I am not satisfied with the school where Mark has been for
+the last two years, and I have been hesitating whether to get a private
+tutor for him or to send him to one of the public schools. I know that
+that would be best, but I could not bring myself to do so. I have some
+troubles of my own that but two or three people know of, and now, that
+everything is going on smoothly on the estate and in the village, I
+often feel dull, and the boy's companionship does me much good; and as
+he knows many lads of his own age in the neighborhood now, I think that
+he would do just as well at home.
+
+"He will be taking to shooting and hunting before long, and if he is
+to have a tutor, there is no one I should like to have better than
+yourself. You know all the people, and we could talk comfortably
+together of an evening when the house is quiet. Altogether, it will be
+an excellent arrangement for me. You would have your own room, and if I
+have company you need not join us unless you like. The house would not
+seem like itself without you, for you have been associated with it as
+long as I can remember. As to your going out into the world at the age
+of sixty, it would be little short of madness. There--you need not give
+me an answer now," he went on, seeing that the Rector was too broken
+down to speak; "but I am sure that when you think it over you will come
+to the same conclusion as I do, that it will be the best plan possible
+for us both."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+
+The trial of the two highwaymen and Arthur Bastow came off in due
+course. The evidence given was similar to that offered at Reigate, the
+only addition being that Mr. Bastow was himself put into the box. The
+counsel for the prosecution said: "I am sorry to have to call you, Mr.
+Bastow. We all feel most deeply for you, and I will ask you only two or
+three questions. Was your son frequently out at night?"
+
+"He was."
+
+"Did you often hear him return?"
+
+"Yes; I seldom went to sleep until he came back."
+
+"Had you any reason to suppose that others returned with him?"
+
+"I never saw any others."
+
+"But you might have heard them without seeing them. Please tell us if
+you ever heard voices."
+
+"Yes, I have heard men's voices," the clergyman said reluctantly, in a
+low voice.
+
+"One more question, and I have done. Have you on some occasions heard
+the sound of horses' hoofs in your yard at about the time that your son
+came in?"
+
+Mr. Bastow said in a low voice: "I have."
+
+"Had you any suspicion whatever of the character of your son's
+visitors?"
+
+"None whatever. I supposed that those with him were companions with whom
+he had been spending the evening."
+
+Mr. Bastow had to be assisted from the witness box, so overcome was
+he with the ordeal. He had not glanced at his son while giving his
+evidence. The latter and his two fellow prisoners maintained throughout
+the trial their expression of indifference. The two highwaymen nodded
+to acquaintances they saw in the body of the court, smiled at various
+points in the evidence, and so conducted themselves that there were
+murmured exclamations of approval of their gameness on the part of the
+lower class of the public. The jury, without a moment's hesitation,
+found them all guilty of the offenses with which they were charged.
+Bastow was first sentenced.
+
+"Young man," the judge said, "young as you are, there can be no doubt
+whatever in the minds of anyone who has heard the evidence that you have
+been an associate with these men who have been found guilty of highway
+robbery accompanied by murder. I consider that a merciful view was taken
+of your case by the magistrates who committed you for trial, for the
+evidence of your heartbroken father, on whose gray hairs your conduct
+has brought trouble and disgrace, leaves no doubt that you have for some
+time been in league with highwaymen, although not actually participating
+in their crime. The words overheard by Mr. Thorndyke show that you were
+prepared to hide their booty for them, and it is well for you that
+you were captured before this was done, and that no proceeds of other
+robberies were found in the house. The evidence of the Bow Street
+officers show that it had for some time been suspected that these men
+had an accomplice somewhere in the neighborhood of Reigate, for although
+arrested several times under circumstances forming a strong assumption
+of their guilt, nothing was ever found upon them. There can now be
+little, doubt who their accomplice was. Had you been an older man
+I should have sentenced you to transportation for life, but in
+consideration of your youth, I shall take the milder course of
+sentencing you to fifteen years' transportation."
+
+The capital sentence was then passed in much fewer words upon the two
+highwaymen. As they were leaving the dock Bastow turned, and in a clear
+voice said to John Thorndyke, who had been accommodated with a seat in
+the well of the court:
+
+"I have to thank you, Thorndyke, for this. I will pay off my debt some
+day, you make take your oath."
+
+"A sad case, Mr. Thorndyke--a sad case," the judge, who had greatly
+complimented the Squire on his conduct, said to him as he was disrobing
+afterwards. "I don't know that in all my experience I ever saw such a
+hardened young villain. With highwaymen it is a point of honor to assume
+a gayety of demeanor on such occasions; but to see a boy of eighteen,
+never before convicted, exhibiting such coolness and effrontery is quite
+beyond my experience. I suppose his record is altogether bad?"
+
+"Altogether," the Squire said. "His father has, during the last two
+years, been quite broken by it; he owned to me that he was in bodily
+fear of the lad, who had on several occasions assaulted him, had robbed
+him of his savings by means of forgery, and was so hopelessly bad that
+he himself thought with me that the only possible hope for him was
+to get him to enlist. I myself recommended the East India Company's
+service, thinking that he would have less opportunity for crime out
+there, and that there would be a strong chance that either fever or a
+bullet would carry him off, for I own that I have not the slightest hope
+of reformation in such a character."
+
+"I would have given him transportation for life if I had known all
+this," the judge said. "However, it is not likely that he will ever
+come back again--very few of them do; the hulks are not the most healthy
+places in the world, and they have a pretty rough way with men who give
+them trouble, as this young fellow is likely to do."
+
+Mr. Bastow, as soon as he had given his evidence, had taken a hackney
+coach to the inn where he and the Squire had put up on their arrival in
+town the evening before, and here, on his return, John Thorndyke found
+him. He was lying on his bed in a state of prostration.
+
+"Cheer up, Bastow," he said, putting his hand upon the Rector's
+shoulder. "The sentence is fifteen years, which was the very amount I
+hoped that he would get. The more one sees of him the more hopeless
+it is to expect that any change will ever take place in him; and it is
+infinitely better that he should be across the sea where his conduct,
+when his term is over, can affect no one. The disgrace, such as it is,
+to his friends, is no greater in a long term than in a short one. Had
+he got off with four or five years' imprisonment, he would have been a
+perpetual trouble and a source of uneasiness, not to say alarm; and even
+had he left you alone we should always have been in a state of dread as
+to his next offense. Better that he should be out in the colonies than
+be hung at Tyburn."
+
+"How did he take the sentence?"
+
+"With the same bravado he had shown all through, and as he went out of
+the dock addressed a threat to me, that, under the circumstances, I can
+very well afford to despise. Now, if you will take my advice, you will
+drink a couple of glasses of good port, and then go to bed. I will see
+to your being awakened at seven o'clock, which will give us time to
+breakfast comfortably, and to make a start at nine."
+
+"I would rather not have the wine," the Rector said feebly.
+
+"Yes, but you must take what is good for you. I have ordered up a bottle
+of the landlord's best, and must insist upon your drinking a couple of
+glasses with me. I want it almost as much as you do, for the atmosphere
+of that court was enough to poison a dog. I have got the taste of it in
+my mouth still."
+
+With much reluctance the Rector accompanied him to the private sitting
+room that the Squire had engaged. He sat down almost mechanically in an
+easy chair. The Squire poured out the wine, and handed him a glass. Mr.
+Bastow at first put it to his lips without glancing at it, but he was a
+connoisseur in wine, and the bouquet of the port appealing to his latent
+senses, he took a sip, and then another, appreciatingly.
+
+"The landlord said it was first rate, and he is not far wrong," John
+Thorndyke remarked, as he set down his own glass.
+
+"Yes, it is a fine vintage, and in perfect condition," Mr. Bastow
+agreed. "I have drunk nothing better for years, though you have some
+fine bins."
+
+"I would take a biscuit, if I were you, before I took another glass,"
+the Squire said, helping himself from a plate on the table. "You have
+had nothing to eat today, and you want something badly. I have a dish of
+kidneys coming up in half an hour; they cook them well here."
+
+The Rector ate a biscuit, mechanically sipped another glass of wine,
+and was even able to eat a kidney when they were brought up. Although
+September was not yet out, the Squire had a fire lighted in the room,
+and after the meal was over, and two steaming tumblers of punch were
+placed upon the table, he took a long pipe from the mantel, filled and
+lighted it, then filled another, and handed it to the Rector, at the
+same time holding out a light to him.
+
+"Life has its consolations," he said. "You have had a lot of troubles
+one way and another, Bastow, but we may hope that they are all over now,
+and that life will go more smoothly and easily with you. We had better
+leave the past alone for the present. I call this snug: a good fire, a
+clean pipe, a comfortable chair, and a steaming bowl at one's elbow."
+
+The Rector smiled faintly.
+
+"It seems unnatural--" he began.
+
+"Not at all, not at all," the Squire broke in. "You have had a
+tremendous load on your mind, and now it is lifted off; the thundercloud
+has burst, and though damage has been done, one is thankful that it is
+no worse. Now I can talk to you of a matter that has been on my mind for
+the last three weeks. What steps do you think that I ought to take to
+find a successor for you? It is most important to have a man who will
+be a real help in the parish, as you have been, would pull with one
+comfortably, and be a pleasant associate. I don't want too young a
+fellow, and I don't want too old a one. I have no more idea how to set
+about it than a child. Of course, I could ask the Bishop to appoint, but
+I don't know that he would appoint at all the sort of man I want. The
+living is only worth 200 pounds a year and the house--no very great
+catch; but there is many a man that would be glad to have it."
+
+"I have been thinking it over, too, Thorndyke, when I could bring my
+mind to consider anything but my own affairs. How would Greg do? He has
+been taking duty for me since I could not do it myself. I know that he
+is a hard working fellow, and he has a wife and a couple of children;
+his curacy is only 70 pounds a year, and it would be a perfect godsend,
+for he has no interest in the Church, and he might be years without
+preferment."
+
+"I should think he would do very well, Bastow. Yes, he reads well, which
+I own I care for that a good deal more than for the preaching; not
+that I have anything to say against that. He gives sound and practical
+sermons, and they have the advantage of being short, which is a great
+thing. In the first place, it is good in itself, and in the second,
+specially important in a village congregation, where you know very well
+every woman present is fidgeting to get home to see that the pot is not
+boiling over, and the meat in the oven is not burnt. Yes, I will go down
+tomorrow afternoon and ask him if he would like the living. You were
+talking of selling the furniture; how much do you suppose it is worth?"
+
+"I don't suppose it will fetch above seventy or eighty pounds; it is
+solid and good, but as I have had it in use nearly forty years, it would
+not go for much."
+
+"Well, let us say a hundred pounds," the Squire said. "I will give you a
+check for it. I dare say Greg will find it difficult to furnish, and he
+might have to borrow the money, and the debt would be a millstone round
+his neck, perhaps, for years, so I will hand it over with the Rectory to
+him."
+
+So they talked for an hour or two on village matters, and the Squire was
+well pleased, when his old friend went up to bed, that he had succeeded
+in diverting his thoughts for a time from the painful subject that had
+engrossed them for weeks.
+
+"You have slept well," he said, when they met at breakfast, "I can see
+by your face."
+
+"Yes, I have not slept so soundly for months. I went to sleep as soon
+as my head touched the pillow, and did not awake until the chambermaid
+knocked at the door."
+
+"That second glass of punch did it, Bastow. It is a fine morning; we
+shall have a brisk drive back. I am very glad that I changed my mind and
+brought the gig instead of the close carriage."
+
+In the afternoon the Squire drove into Reigate. He found the curate at
+home, and astonished and delighted him by asking him if he would like
+the living of Crowswood. It came altogether as a surprise to him, for
+the Rector's intentions to resign had not been made public, and it was
+supposed in the village that he was only staying at the Squire's until
+this sad affair should be over. Greg was a man of seven or eight and
+twenty, had graduated with distinction at Cambridge, but, having
+no influence, had no prospects of promotion, and the offer almost
+bewildered him.
+
+"I should be grateful indeed, Mr. Thorndyke," he said. "It would be a
+boon to us. Will you excuse me for a moment?"
+
+And opening a door, he called for his wife, who was trying to keep the
+two children quiet there, having retired with them hastily when Mr.
+Thorndyke was announced.
+
+"What do you think, Emma?" her husband said excitedly, as she came into
+the room. "Mr. Thorndyke has been good enough to offer me the living of
+Crowswood."
+
+Then he recovered himself. "I beg your pardon, sir, for my
+unmannerliness in not first introducing my wife to you."
+
+"It was natural that you should think of telling her the news first of
+all," the Squire said courteously. "Madam, I am your obedient servant,
+and I hope that soon we shall get to know each other well. I consider
+it of great importance that the Squire of a parish and the Rector should
+work well together, and see a great deal of each other. I don't know
+whether you are aware, Mr. Greg, that the living is worth 200 pounds
+a year, besides which there is a paddock of about ten acres, which is
+sufficient for the keep of a horse and cow. The Rectory is a comfortable
+one, and I have arranged with Mr. Bastow that he shall leave his
+furniture for the benefit of his successor. It will include linen, so
+that you will be put to no expense whatever in moving in. I have known
+these first expenses to seriously cripple the usefulness of a clergyman
+when appointed to a living."
+
+"That is good of you indeed, Mr. Thorndyke," the curate said. "We have
+been living in these lodgings since we first came here, and it will
+indeed make matters easy to have the question of furniture so kindly
+settled for us."
+
+"Will your Rector be able to release you shortly?"
+
+"I have no doubt that he will do that at once. His son has just left
+Oxford and taken deacon's orders; and the Rector told me the other day
+that he should be glad if I would look out for another curacy, as he
+wanted to have his son here with him. He spoke very kindly, and said
+that he should make no change until I could hear of a place to suit
+me. His son has been assisting him for the last month, since I took the
+services at Crowswood, and I am sure he would release me at once."
+
+"Then I should be glad if you will move up as soon as possible to the
+Rectory. I know nothing about the necessary forms, but I suppose that
+Mr. Bastow will send in his resignation to the Bishop, and I shall
+write and tell him that I have appointed you, and you can continue to
+officiate as you have done lately until you can be formally inducted
+as the Rector. Perhaps you would not mind going round to your Rector
+at once and telling him of the offer you have had. I have one or two
+matters to do in the town, and will call again in three quarters of
+an hour. I shall be glad to tell Mr. Bastow that you will come into
+residence at once."
+
+On returning at the appointed time he found that the curate had
+returned.
+
+"Mr. Pilkington was very kind, and evidently very pleased; he
+congratulated me most warmly, and I can come up at once. We don't know
+how to thank you enough, Mr. Thorndyke."
+
+"I don't want any thanks, I can assure you, Mr. Greg. Tomorrow I will
+send a couple of women in from the village to get the place in order,
+and no doubt Mr. Bastow will want to take away a few things. He is going
+to remain with me as tutor to my son. I am sure you and I will get on
+very well together, and I only hope that your sermons will be no longer
+when you are Rector than they have been while you have been assisting
+us. Long sermons may do for a town congregation, but in my opinion they
+are a very serious mistake in the case of a village one. By the way, I
+think it would be as well for you to get a servant here, and that before
+you go up. Mr. Bastow's servant was an old woman, and in a case like
+this I always think it is better not to take one's predecessor's
+servant. She generally resents any change, and is always quoting how
+her last master had things. I mention this before you go, because she
+is sure to ask to stay on, and it is much easier to say that you are
+bringing a servant with you than to have to tell her she is too old or
+too fat. Don't you think so, Mrs. Greg?"
+
+"Yes, I think it will be much better, Mr. Thorndyke. Even if I cannot
+hear of one likely to suit us permanently, I will take someone as a stop
+gap. One can easily change afterwards."
+
+"The old woman will do very well," the Squire said. "She has two married
+daughters in the village, and with a shilling or two from the parish she
+will manage comfortably. At any rate we shall look after her, and I have
+no doubt Mr. Bastow will make her an allowance."
+
+Never were a pair more delighted than Parson Greg and his wife when two
+days later they took possession of their new home. Half a dozen women
+had been at work the day before, and everything was in perfect order. To
+Mrs. Greg's relief she found that the old servant had already gone, the
+Squire having himself informed her that Mrs. Greg would bring her own
+maid with her. Mr. Bastow said that he would allow her half a crown a
+week as long as she lived, and the Squire added as much more, and as the
+woman had saved a good deal during her twenty years' service with the
+Rector, she was perfectly satisfied.
+
+"It is a good thing that she should be content," the Squire said to Mr.
+Bastow. "She has a lot of connections in the village, and if she had
+gone away with a sense of grievance she might have created a good deal
+of ill feeling against your successor, and I am very anxious that he
+should begin well. I like the young fellow, and I like his wife."
+
+"We are fortunate, indeed, Ernest," Mrs. Greg said the following
+morning, as with the children, two and three years old, they went out
+into the garden; where the trees were laden with apples, pears, and
+plums. "What a change from our little rooms in Reigate. I should think
+that anyone ought to be happy indeed here."
+
+"They ought to be, Emma, but you see Mr. Bastow had trouble enough; and
+it should be a lesson to us, dear, to look very closely after the boys
+now they are young, and see that they don't make bad acquaintances."
+
+"From what we hear of the village, there is little fear of that; the
+mischief must have begun before Mr. Thorndyke came down, when by all
+accounts things had altogether gone to the bad here, and of course young
+Bastow must have had an exceptionally evil disposition, Ernest."
+
+"Yes, no doubt; but his father could not have looked after him properly.
+I believe, from what I hear, that Bastow was so dispirited at his
+powerlessness to put a stop to the state of things here, that, except to
+perform service, he seldom left the house, and the boy no doubt grew up
+altogether wild. You know that I was in court on the second day of the
+examination, and the young fellow's insolence and bearing astonished
+and shocked me. Happily, we have the Squire here now to back us up, the
+village has been completely cleared of all bad characters, and is by all
+accounts quite a model place, and we must do our best to keep it so."
+
+The news of the change at the Rectory naturally occasioned a great deal
+of talk. At first there was a general feeling of regret that Mr. Bastow
+had gone, and yet it was felt that he could not have been expected to
+stay; the month's experience that they had had of the new parson had
+cleared the way for him. He and his wife soon made themselves familiar
+with the villagers, and being bright young people, speedily made
+themselves liked. The Squire and Mrs. Cunningham called the first
+afternoon after their arrival.
+
+"You must always send up if anything is wanted, Mr. Greg; whenever
+there is any illness in the village we always keep a stock of soups and
+jellies, and Mrs. Cunningham is almoner in general. Is there anything
+that we can do for you? If so, let me know without hesitation."
+
+"Indeed, there is nothing, Mr. Thorndyke. It is marvelous to us coming
+in here and finding everything that we can possibly want."
+
+"You will want a boy for your garden; and you cannot do better than take
+young Bill Summers. He was with me for a bit last year, when the boy I
+have now was laid up with mumps or something of that sort, and he was
+very favorably reported on as being handy in the garden, able to milk
+a cow, and so on. By the way, Mrs. Greg, I have taken the liberty of
+sending down a cow in milk. I expect she is in your meadow now. I have
+seven or eight of them, and if you will send her back when her milk
+fails I will send down another."
+
+"You are too kind altogether, Mr. Thorndyke!" Mrs. Greg exclaimed.
+
+"Not at all. I want to see things comfortable here, and you will find it
+difficult to get on without a cow. I keep two or three for the special
+use of the village. I make them pay for it, halfpenny a pint; it is
+better to do that than to give it. It is invaluable for the children;
+and I don't think in all England you see rosier and healthier youngsters
+than those in our schools. You will sometimes find milk useful for
+puddings and that sort of thing for the sick; and they will appreciate
+it all the more than if they had to look solely to us for their supply."
+
+"How is Mr. Bastow, sir?"
+
+"He is better than could be expected. He himself proposed this morning
+that my boy Mark should begin his studies at once; and, indeed, now
+that the worst is over and he has got rid of the load of care on his
+shoulders, I hope that we shall have him bright and cheerful again
+before long."
+
+Such was indeed the case. For some little time Mr. Bastow avoided the
+village, but John Thorndyke got him to go down with him to call upon
+Mr. Greg, and afterwards to walk through it with him. At first he went
+timidly and shrinkingly, but the kindly greetings of the women he met,
+and the children stopping to pull a forelock or bob a courtesy as of
+old, gradually cheered him up, and he soon got accustomed to the change,
+and would of an afternoon go down to the village and chat with the
+women, after he had ascertained that his successor had no objection
+whatever, and was, indeed, pleased that he still took an interest in his
+former parishioners. Mark was at first disappointed at the arrangement,
+for he had looked forward to going to a public school. His father,
+however, had no great trouble in reconciling him to it.
+
+"Of course, Mark," he said, "there are advantages in a public school.
+I was never at one myself, but I believe that, though the discipline is
+pretty strict, there is a great deal of fun and sport, and you may make
+desirable acquaintances. Upon the other hand, there are drawbacks. In
+the first place, the majority of the boys are sons of richer men than
+I am. I don't know that that would matter much, but it would give you
+expensive habits, and perhaps make you fonder of London life than I
+should care about. In the next place, you see, you would be at school
+when the shooting begins, and you are looking forward to carrying a gun
+next year. The same with hunting. You know I promised that this year you
+should go to the meets on your pony, and see as much of them as you can,
+and of course when you were at school you would only be able to indulge
+in these matters during your holidays; and if a hard frost set in, as
+is the case three times out of four, just as you came home, you would be
+out of it altogether.
+
+"I must say I should like you to have a real love of field sports and to
+be a good shot and a good rider. A man, however wide his acres may be,
+is thought but little of in the country if he is not a good sportsman;
+and, moreover, there is nothing better for developing health and muscles
+than riding, and tramping over the fields with a gun on your shoulder;
+and, lastly, you must not forget, Mark, that one of my objects in making
+this arrangement is to keep Mr. Bastow with us. I am sure that unless
+he thought that he was making himself useful he would not be content
+to remain here; and at his age, you know, it would be hard for him to
+obtain clerical employment."
+
+"All right, father. I see that the present plan is the best, and that I
+should have but little sport if I went away to school. Besides, I like
+Mr. Bastow very much, and I am quite sure that I shan't get so many
+whackings from him as I used to do from old Holbrook."
+
+"I fancy not, Mark," his father said with a smile. "I am not against
+wholesome discipline, but I think it can be carried too far; at any
+rate, I hope you will be just as obedient to Mr. Bastow as if he always
+had a cane on the table beside him."
+
+Mark, therefore, went to work in a cheerful spirit, and soon found that
+he made more progress in a week under Mr. Bastow's gentle tuition than
+he had done in a month under the vigorous discipline of his former
+master. Mr. and Mrs. Greg dined regularly at the Squire's once a week.
+
+"Have you had that Indian servant of yours long, Mr. Thorndyke?" Mrs.
+Greg asked one day. "He is a strange looking creature. Of course, in
+the daytime, when one sees him about in ordinary clothes, one does not
+notice him so much; but of an evening, in that Eastern costume of his,
+he looks very strange."
+
+"He was the servant of the Colonel, my brother," the Squire replied. "He
+brought him over from India with him. The man had been some years in his
+service, and was very attached to him, and had saved his life more than
+once, he told me. On one occasion he caught a cobra by the neck as it
+was about to strike my brother's hand as he sat at table; he carried it
+out into the compound, as George called it, but which means, he told me,
+garden, and there let it escape. Another time he caught a Thug, which
+means a sort of robber who kills his victims by strangling before
+robbing them. They are a sort of sect who regard strangling as a
+religious action, greatly favored by the bloodthirsty goddess they
+worship. He was in the act of fastening the twisted handkerchief, used
+for the purpose, round my brother's neck, when Ramoo cut him down. The
+closest shave, though, was when George, coming down the country, was
+pounced upon by a tiger and carried off. Ramoo seized a couple of
+muskets from the men, and rushed into the jungle after him, and coming
+up with the brute killed him at the first shot. George escaped with a
+broken arm and his back laid open by a scratch of the tiger's claws as
+it first seized him.
+
+"So at George's death I took Ramoo on, and have found him a most useful
+fellow. Of course, I was some little time before I became accustomed
+to his noiseless way of going about, and it used to make me jump when
+I happened to look round, and saw him standing quietly behind me when
+I thought I was quite alone. However, as soon as I became accustomed to
+him, I got over all that, and now I would not lose him for anything; he
+seems to know instinctively what I want. He is excellent as a waiter and
+valet; I should feel almost lost without him now; and the clumping about
+of an English man servant would annoy me as much as his noiseless way of
+going about did at first. He has come to speak English very fairly. Of
+course, my brother always talked to him in his own tongue; still, he had
+picked up enough English for me to get on with; now he speaks it quite
+fluently. When I have nothing whatever for him to do he devotes himself
+to my little ward. She is very fond of him, and it is quite pretty to
+see them together in the garden. Altogether, I would not part with him
+for anything."
+
+For some years life passed uneventfully at Crowswood. It was seldom
+indeed that the Squire's authority was needed to set matters right in
+the village. The substitution of good farmers for shiftless ones in
+some of the farms, and the better cultivation generally, had given
+more employment; and as John Thorndyke preferred keeping two or three
+cottages shut up rather than have them occupied by men for whom no work
+could be found, it was rare indeed that there were any complaints
+of scarcity of work, except, indeed, on the part of the Rector, who
+declared that, what with the healthiness of the village and the absence
+of want, his occupation, save for the Sunday duty, was a sinecure. Mr.
+Bastow was more happy and much brighter than he had been for many years.
+The occupation of teaching suited him, and he was able to make the work
+pleasant to his pupil as well as to himself; indeed, it occupied but a
+small portion of the day, the amount of learning considered necessary
+at the time not being extensive. A knowledge of Greek was thought
+quite superfluous for a country gentleman. Science was in its infancy,
+mathematics a subject only to be taken up by those who wanted to obtain
+a college fellowship. Latin, however, was considered an essential, and a
+knack of apt quotation from the Latin poets an accomplishment that
+every man who was a member of society or aspired to enter Parliament
+was expected to possess. Thus Mark Thorndyke's lessons lasted but two or
+three hours a day, and the school term was a movable period, according
+to the season of the year and the engagements of the Squire and Mark. In
+winter the evening was the time, so that the boy shot with his father,
+or rode to the hounds, or, as he got older, joined in shooting parties
+at the houses of neighbors.
+
+In summer the work was done in the morning, but was not unfrequently
+broken. Mark went off at a very early hour to drive perhaps some twenty
+miles with his great chum, Dick Chetwynd, for a long day's fishing, or
+to see a main of cocks fought or a fight between the champions of two
+neighboring villages, or perhaps some more important battle.
+
+When Millicent Conyers was ten years old she came regularly into the
+study, sitting curled up in a deep chair, getting up her lessons while
+Mark did his, and then changing seats with him while he learned his
+Horace or Ovid by heart. At this time she looked up greatly to him, and
+was his companion whenever he would allow her to be, fetched and carried
+for him, and stood almost on a level with his dogs in his estimation.
+Five years later, when Mark was eighteen, these relations changed
+somewhat. He now liked to have her with him, not only when about the
+house and garden, but when he took short rides she cantered along on her
+pony by his side. She was a bright faced girl, full of life and fun, and
+rejoicing in a far greater amount of freedom than most girls of her age
+and time.
+
+"It is really time that she should learn to comport herself more
+staidly, instead of running about like a wild thing," Mrs. Cunningham
+said, one day, as she and the Squire stood after breakfast looking out
+of the open window at Mark and Millicent.
+
+"Time enough, my dear lady, time enough. Let her enjoy life while she
+can. I am not in favor of making a young kitten behave like an old
+tabby; every creature in nature is joyful and frolicsome while it is
+young. She is as tall and as straight as any of her friends of the same
+age, and looks more healthy; she will tame down in time, and I dare say
+walk and look as prim and demure as they do. I was watching them the
+other day when there was a party of them up here, and I thought the
+difference was all to her advantage. She looked a natural, healthy girl;
+they looked like a set of overdressed dolls, afraid to move or to talk
+loud, or to stretch their mouths when they smile; very ladylike and
+nice, no doubt, but you will see Millicent will throw them into the
+shade when she is once past the tomboy age. Leave her alone, Mrs.
+Cunningham; a girl is not like a fruit tree, that wants pruning and
+training from its first year; it will be quite time to get her into
+shape when she has done growing."
+
+John Thorndyke had occasionally made inquiries of Mr. Bastow as to
+the whereabouts of his son. At the time the sentence was passed
+transportation to the American colonies was being discontinued, and
+until other arrangements could be made hulks were established as places
+of confinement and punishment; but a few months later Arthur Bastow
+was one of the first batch of convicts sent out to the penal settlement
+formed on the east coast of Australia. This was intended to be fixed
+at Botany Bay, but it having been found that this bay was open and
+unsheltered, it was established at Sydney, although for many years the
+settlement retained in England the name of the original site. As the
+condition of the prisoners kept in the hulks was deplorable, the Squire
+had, through the influence of Sir Charles Harris, obtained the inclusion
+of Bastow's name among the first batch of those who were to sail for
+Australia. Mr. Bastow obtained permission to see his son before sailing,
+but returned home much depressed, for he had been assailed with such
+revolting and blasphemous language by him that he had been forced to
+retire in horror at the end of a few minutes.
+
+"We have done well in getting him sent off," the Squire said, when he
+heard the result of the interview. "In the first place, the demoralizing
+effect of these hulks is quite evident, and it may be hoped that in a
+new country, where there can be no occasion for the convicts to be pent
+up together, things may be better; for although escapes from the hulks
+are not frequent, they occasionally take place, and had he gained
+his liberty we should have had an anxious time of it until he was
+re-arrested, whereas out there there is nowhere to go to, no possibility
+of committing a crime. It is not there as it was in the American colony.
+Settlements may grow up in time, but at present there are no white
+men whatever settled in the district; and the natives are, they say,
+hostile, and were a convict to escape he would almost certainly be
+killed, and possibly eaten. No doubt by the time your son has served
+his sentence colonies will be established out there, and he may then be
+disposed to settle there, either on a piece of land of which he could no
+doubt take up or in the service of one of the colonists."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+
+The scene in the convict yard at Sydney, five years after its foundation
+as a penal settlement, was not a pleasant one to the lover of humanity.
+Warders armed to the teeth were arranging gangs that were to go out to
+labor on the roads. Many of the convicts had leg irons, but so fastened
+as to be but slight hindrance to their working powers, but the majority
+were unironed. These were the better behaved convicts; not that this
+would be judged from their faces, for the brutalizing nature of the
+system and the close association of criminals had placed its mark on
+all, and it would have been difficult for the most discriminating to
+have made any choice between the most hardened criminals and those who
+had been sent out for what would now be considered comparatively trivial
+offenses. The voyage on board ship had done much to efface distinctions,
+the convict life had done more, and the chief difference between the
+chained and unchained prisoners was that the latter were men of more
+timid disposition than many of their companions, and therefore less
+disposed to give trouble that would entail heavy punishment. But it
+was only the comparatively well conducted men who were placed upon road
+work; the rest were retained for work inside the jail, or were caged in
+solitary confinement. Each morning a number, varying from half a dozen
+to a dozen, were fastened up and flogged, in some cases with merciless
+severity, but it was seldom that a cry was uttered by these, the most
+brutal ruffians of the convict herd. This spectacle was just over: it
+was conducted in public for the edification of the rest, but, judging
+from the low laughs and brutal jests, uttered below the breath, it
+signally failed in producing the desired impression. Two of those who
+had suffered the severest punishment were now putting on their
+coarse woolen garments over their bloodstained shoulders; both were
+comparatively young men.
+
+"I shall not stand this much longer," one muttered. "I will brain a
+warder, and get hung for it. One can but die once, while one can get
+flogged once a week."
+
+"So would I," the other said bitterly; "but I have some scores to settle
+in England, and I am not going to put my head in a noose until I have
+wiped them out. The sooner we make arrangements to get back there the
+better."
+
+"Yes, we have talked of this before," the other said, "and I quite
+agreed with you that if we all had the pluck of men we ought to be able
+to overpower the warders, in spite of their firearms. Of course some
+of us would get killed, but no one would mind that if there was but the
+remotest chance of getting away. The question is what we should do with
+ourselves when we were once outside the prison. Of course I know that
+there are two or three hundred settlers, but there would not be much
+to be got out of them, and life among those black fellows, even if they
+were civil to us, which I don't suppose they would be, would not be
+worth having."
+
+"We might not have to stay there long; ships with stores or settlers
+arrive occasionally, and if a lot of us got away we might seize one by
+force, turn pirates for a bit, and when we are tired of that sail to
+some South American port, sell our capture, and make our way home to
+England. If we were not strong enough to take her, we could hide up on
+board her; we should be sure to find some fellow who for a pound or two
+would be willing to help us. The thing can be done if we make up our
+minds to do it, and I for one have made up my mind to try. I haven't
+chalked out a plan yet, but I am convinced that it is to be done."
+
+"I am with you, whatever it is," the other said; "and I think there are
+twenty or thirty we could rely on. I don't say there are more than that,
+because there are a lot of white livered cusses among them who would
+inform against us at once, so as to get their own freedom as a reward
+for doing so. Well, we will both think it over, mate, and the sooner the
+better."
+
+The two men who were thus talking together were both by birth above the
+common herd of convicts, and had gained a considerable ascendency over
+the others because of their reckless indifference to punishment and
+their defiance of authority. Few of the men knew each other's real
+names; by the officials they were simply known by numbers, while among
+themselves each had a slang name generally gained on board ship.
+
+Separation there had, of course, been impossible, and when fastened down
+below each had told his story with such embellishments as he chose to
+give it, and being but little interfered with by their guards, save
+to insure the impossibility of a mutiny, there had been fights of a
+desperate kind. Four or five dead bodies had been found and thrown
+overboard, but as none would testify as to who had been the assailants
+none were punished for it; and so the strongest and most desperate had
+enforced their authority over the others, as wild beasts might do, and
+by the time they had reached their destination all were steeped much
+deeper in wickedness and brutalism than when they set sail.
+
+The two men who were speaking together had speedily become chums, and,
+though much younger than the majority of the prisoners, had by their
+recklessness and ferocity established an ascendency among the others.
+This ascendency had been maintained after their arrival by their
+constant acts of insubordination, and by their apparent indifference to
+the punishment awarded them. At night the convicts were lodged in wooden
+buildings, where, so long as they were not riotous, they were allowed to
+talk and converse freely, as indeed was the case when their work for the
+day was done.
+
+As to any attempt at escape, the authorities had but small anxiety, for
+until the arrival of the first settlers, three years after that of
+the convicts, there was nowhere a fugitive could go to, no food to be
+obtained, no shelter save among the blacks, who were always ready for
+a reward of tobacco and spirits to hand them over at once to the
+authorities. The case had but slightly changed since the settlement
+began to grow. It was true that by stealing sheep or driving off a few
+head of cattle a fugitive might maintain himself for a time, but even if
+not shot down by the settlers or patrols, he would be sure before long
+to be brought in by the blacks.
+
+The experiment had already been tried of farming our better conducted
+convicts to the settlers, and indeed it was the prospect of obtaining
+such cheap labor that had been the main inducement to many of the
+colonists to establish themselves so far from home, instead of going to
+America. As a whole the system worked satisfactorily; the men were
+as much prisoners as were the inmates of the jail, for they knew well
+enough that were they to leave the farmers and take to the bush they
+would remain free but a short time, being either killed or handed over
+by the blacks, and in the latter case they would be severely punished
+and set to prison work in irons, with labor very much more severe than
+that they were called upon to do on the farms.
+
+Some little time after the conversation between the two convicts the
+prison authorities were congratulating themselves upon the fact that a
+distinct change had taken or was taking place in the demeanor of many of
+the men who had hitherto been the most troublesome, and they put it down
+to the unusually severe floggings that had been inflicted on the two
+most refractory prisoners in the establishment. When in the prison
+yard or at work they were more silent than before, and did their tasks
+doggedly and sullenly; there was no open defiance to the authorities,
+and, above all, a marked cessation of drunkenness from the spirits
+smuggled into the place.
+
+Only the two originators were aware of the extent of the plot; for they
+had agreed that only by keeping every man in ignorance as to who had
+joined it could they hope to escape treachery. In the first place,
+they had taken into their confidence a dozen men on whom they could
+absolutely rely. Beyond this they had approached the others singly,
+beginning by hinting that there was a plot for escape, and that a good
+many were concerned, and telling them that these had bound themselves
+together by a solemn oath to kill any traitor, even if hanged for it.
+
+"No one is to know who is in it and who is not," the leaders said to
+each recruit. "Every new man will be closely watched by the rest, and if
+he has any communication privately with a warder or any other official
+he will be found strangled the next morning; no one will know who did
+it. Even if he succeeded in eluding the vigilance of his comrades at the
+time, it would soon be known; for if indulgence of any kind was shown
+towards one man, or he was relieved from his ordinary work, or even
+freed altogether and suddenly, he would be a dead man in twenty-four
+hours, for we have friends outside among the ticket of leave men who
+have bound themselves to kill at once any man set free."
+
+To the question, "What do you intend to do when we get off?" the answer
+was, "We shall go straight to the bush, so as to avoid a fight with the
+soldiers, in the first place; then we shall join that night, and drive
+off all the cattle and sheep from the settlements, take possession of
+every firearm found in the houses, then move off a couple of hundred
+miles or so into the bush, and establish a settlement of our own.
+
+"Of course, we shall take horses and clothes and any spirits and food
+we may find. If the soldiers pursue us, we will fight them; but as there
+are only three or four companies of them, and we shall be eight hundred
+strong, we shall very soon show them that they had better leave us
+alone.
+
+"Oh, yes, no doubt they will send more soldiers out from England, but
+it will be over a year before they can get here; and we propose after we
+have done with the fellows here to break up into parties of twenty and
+thirty, dividing the sheep and cattle among us, and each party going
+where it will. The place is of tremendous size, as big as a dozen
+Englands, they say, and each party will fix a place it fancies, where
+there is good water and a river with fish and so on, and we may live all
+our lives comfortably, with just enough work to raise potatoes and corn,
+and to watch our stock increasing. Anyhow, we might calculate on having
+some years of peace and freedom, and even if in the end they searched
+us all out, which would be very unlikely, they could but bring us back,
+hang a few, and set the rest to work again; but we think that they would
+most likely leave us alone altogether, quite satisfied with having got
+rid of us."
+
+"Those who liked it could, no doubt, take wives among the blacks. The
+convict women who are out on service with the settlers would, you may
+be sure, join us at once, and an enterprising chap who preferred a white
+woman to a black could always make his way down here and persuade one to
+go off with him to his farm. That is the general plan; if many get tired
+of the life they have only to come down to Sydney, hide up near the
+place on some dark night, and go down to the port, seize a ship, and
+make off in her, compelling the officers and sailors to take them and
+land them at any port they fancy, either in Chili, Peru, or Mexico, or,
+if they like, sail west and make for Rio or Buenos Ayres or one of the
+West Indian islands. As to when it is going to be done, or how it is
+going to be done, no one will be told till it is ready to be carried
+out. We have not settled that ourselves, and thus one who was fool
+enough to risk certain death could tell the Governor no more than that
+there was a plot on hand, and that the man who had sworn him in was
+concerned in it."
+
+So one by one every man in the prison was sworn by a terrible oath to
+secrecy, to watch his companions, and to report anything that looked
+suspicious. Many joined willingly, the prospect of relief, even should
+it only be temporary, being too fascinating to be resisted. Some joined
+against their will, fearing that a refusal to do so would be punished
+by death; and the fact that two or three men were found strangled in bed
+had a very great effect in inducing others to join in the plot.
+
+These deaths caused some uneasiness to the authorities. Their utmost
+endeavors failed to discover who were the perpetrators of these
+murders; and even when everyone in the same hut was flogged to obtain
+information, not one opened his lips.
+
+One night the word was passed round that the time had come. One only in
+each hut was familiar with the details, and he gave instructions to each
+man individually as to what he was to do. The date had been determined
+by the fact that the time which they had been sentenced to wear irons
+had terminated the day before, and their unusually subdued and quiet
+demeanor having carried them through the interval without, as usual,
+fresh punishments being awarded them before the termination of the
+former one.
+
+In the morning the whole of the convicts were drawn up to witness the
+flogging of the inmates of one of the huts, where a man had been found
+strangled the morning before. The first prisoner was taken to the
+triangle, stripped to the waist, and tied up. There was a dead silence
+in the ranks of the convicts, but as the first blow fell upon his
+shoulders there was a loud yell, and simultaneously the whole ranks
+broke up, and a number of men sprang upon each of the warders, wrested
+their muskets from them, and threw them to the ground. Then there was a
+rush towards the Governor and officers, who were assembled in front
+of the stone house that faced the open end of the square. Firing their
+pistols, these at once took refuge in the house, three or four falling
+under the scattered fire that was opened as soon as the muskets of the
+warders fell into the hands of the convicts.
+
+Directly the doors were closed the officers appeared at the windows, and
+opened a rifle fire upon the convicts, as did the guards near the gate.
+As comparatively few of the convicts had muskets, they began to waver at
+once. But, headed by the two ringleaders, the armed party rushed at the
+guard, shot them down, and threw open the gate.
+
+Then an unexpected thing occurred. The soldiers from the barracks
+happened to be marching down to do target practice on the shore, and
+were passing the convict prison when the firing broke out. They were
+at once halted, and ordered to load, and as the convicts, with exultant
+shouts, poured through the gate they saw a long line of soldiers, with
+leveled muskets, facing them.
+
+"At them!" one of the leaders shouted. "It is too late to draw back now.
+We have got to break through them."
+
+Many of the convicts ran back into the yard; but those armed with
+muskets, the more desperate of the party, followed their leaders. A
+moment later a heavy volley rang out, and numbers of the convicts fell.
+Their two leaders, however, and some twenty of their followers, keeping
+in a close body, rushed at the line of soldiers with clubbed muskets,
+and with the suddenness and fury of the rush burst their way through
+the line, and then scattering, fled across the country, pursued by a
+dropping fire of musketry.
+
+The officers in command, seeing that but a fraction had escaped, ordered
+one company to pursue, and marched the rest into the prison yard. It was
+already deserted; the convicts had scattered to their huts, those who
+had arms throwing them away. Dotted here and there over the square were
+the bodies of eight or ten convicts and as many warders, whose skulls
+had been smashed in by their infuriated assailants as soon as they had
+obtained possession of their muskets. Close to the gate lay the six
+soldiers who had furnished the guard; these were all dead or mortally
+wounded.
+
+The Governor and the officials issued from the house as soon as the
+soldiers entered the yard. The first step to do was to turn all the
+convicts out of the huts and to iron them. No resistance was attempted,
+the sight of the soldiers completely cowing the mutineers. When the
+bodies of the convicts that had fallen were counted and the roll of the
+prisoners called over, it was found that eighteen were missing, and of
+these six were during the course of the next hour or two brought in by
+the soldiers who had gone in pursuit of them. The rest had escaped.
+
+The convicts were all questioned separately, and the tales they told
+agreed so closely that the Governor could not doubt that they were
+speaking the truth. All had been sworn in by one of two men, and knew
+nothing whatever of what was intended to be done that day, until after
+they were locked up on the evening previous. Each of those in the huts
+had received his instructions the night before from the one man.
+
+There were eighteen huts, each containing fifteen convicts. Of the men
+who had given instructions six had fallen outside the gate, together
+with sixteen others; five had been overtaken and brought in; altogether,
+twelve were still at large. Among these were the two leaders. The next
+day six of the prisoners were tried and executed. The rest were punished
+only by a reduction in their rations; sentence of death was at the same
+time passed upon the twelve still at large, so as to save the trouble of
+a succession of trials as they were caught and brought in.
+
+The two leaders had kept together after they had broken through the line
+of soldiers.
+
+"Things have gone off well," one said as they ran through. "Those
+soldiers nearly spoilt it all."
+
+"Yes, that was unlucky," the other agreed; "but so far as we are
+concerned, which is all we care about, I think things have turned out
+for the best."
+
+Nothing more was said until they had far outstripped their pursuers,
+hampered as these were by their uniforms and belts.
+
+"You mean that it is not such a bad thing that they have not all got
+away?"
+
+"Yes, that is what I mean. It is all very well to tell them about
+driving off the sheep and cattle and horses, and going to start a colony
+on our own account, but the soldiers would have been up to us before we
+had gone a day's journey. Most of the fellows would have bolted directly
+they saw them. As it is, I fancy only about a dozen have got away,
+perhaps not as many as that, and they are all men that one can rely
+upon. One can feed a dozen without difficulty--a sheep a day would do
+it--and by giving a turn to each of the settlers, the animals won't be
+missed. Besides, we shall want money if we are ever to get out of this
+cursed country. It would not be difficult to get enough for you and me,
+but when it comes to a large number the sack of the whole settlement
+would not go very far.
+
+"My own idea is that we had best join the others tonight, kill a few
+sheep, and go two or three days' march into the bush, until the heat of
+the pursuit is over. We are all armed, the blacks would not venture to
+attack us, and the soldiers would not be likely to pursue us very far.
+In a week or so, when we can assume that matters have cooled down a bit,
+we can come down again. We know all the shepherds, and even if they were
+not disposed to help us they would not dare to betray us, or report a
+sheep or two being missing. Of course, we shall have to be very careful
+to shift our quarters frequently. Those black trackers are sure to be
+sent out pretty often."
+
+"As long as we are hanging about the settlements there won't be much
+fear of our being bothered by the blacks. Of course, we shall have to
+decide later on whether it will be best for us to try and seize a ship,
+all of us acting together, or for us to get quietly on board one and
+keep under hatches until she is well away. That is the plan I fancy
+most."
+
+"So do I. In the first place the chances are that in the next two or
+three months at least half the fellows will be picked up. To begin with,
+several of them are sure to get hold of liquor and make attacks upon the
+settlers, in which case some of them, anyhow, are sure to get killed. In
+the next place, most of them were brought up as thieves in the slums of
+London, and will have no more idea of roughing it in a country like this
+than of behaving themselves if they were transported to a London drawing
+room. Therefore, I am pretty sure that at the end of three months we
+shall not be able to reckon on half of them. Well, six men are not
+enough to capture a ship, or, if they do capture it, to keep the crew
+under. One must sleep sometimes, and with only three or four men on deck
+we could not hope to keep a whole ship's crew at bay."
+
+"Then there is another reason. You and I, when we have got a decent rig
+out, could pass anywhere without exciting observation; while if we had
+half a dozen of the others, whatever their good qualities, they would be
+noticed at once by their villainous faces, and if questions were to be
+asked we should be likely to find ourselves in limbo again in a very
+short time. So I am all for working on our own account, even if the
+whole of the others were ready to back us; but, of course, we must keep
+on good terms with them all, and breathe no word that we think that each
+man had better shift for himself. Some of those fellows, if they thought
+we had any idea of leaving them, would go straight into Sydney and
+denounce us, although they would know that they themselves would be
+likely to swing at the same time."
+
+As none of the convicts were acquainted with the bush, they had been
+obliged to select as their rendezvous a hut two miles out of the town,
+where the convict gangs that worked on the road were in the habit of
+leaving their tools. On the way there the two men killed a couple of
+sheep from a flock whose position they had noticed before it became
+dark. These they skinned, cut off the heads, and left them behind,
+carrying the sheep on their shoulders to the meeting.
+
+"Is that you, Captain Wild?" a voice said as they approached.
+
+"Yes; Gentleman Dick is with me."
+
+"That is a good job. We had begun to think that the soldiers had caught
+you."
+
+"They would not have caught us alive, you may take your oath. How many
+are there of us here?"
+
+"Ten of us, Captain. I think that that is all there are."
+
+"That is enough for our purpose. Has anyone got anything to eat?"
+
+There was a deep growl in the negative.
+
+"Well, we have brought a couple of sheep with us, and as we have carried
+them something like a mile, you had better handle them by turns. We will
+strike off into the bush and put another three or four miles between us
+and the jail, and then light a fire and have a meal."
+
+Two of the men came forward and took the sheep. Then they turned off
+from the road, and taking their direction from a star, followed it for
+an hour.
+
+"I think we have got far enough now," the man called Captain Wild said.
+"You had better cut down the bushes, and we will make a fire."
+
+"But how are we to light it?" one of them exclaimed in a tone of
+consternation. "I don't suppose we have got flint and steel or tinder
+box among us."
+
+"Oh, we can manage that!" the Captain said. "Get a heap of dried leaves
+here first, then some wood, and we will soon have a blaze."
+
+His orders were obeyed. Some of the men had carried off the warders'
+swords as well as their muskets, and now used them for chopping wood.
+As soon as a small pile of dried leaves was gathered the Captain broke
+a cartridge and sprinkled half its contents among them, and then dropped
+the remainder into his musket. He flashed this off among the leaves, and
+a bright flame at once shot up, and in five minutes a fire was burning.
+
+One of the sheep was soon cut up, the meat hacked in slices from the
+bones, a ramrod was thrust through the pieces, and, supported by four
+sticks, was laid across the fire. Three other similarly laden spits
+were soon placed beside it, and in a short time the meat was ready for
+eating. Until a hearty meal had been made there was but little talking.
+
+"That is first rate," one of the men said, as he wiped his mouth with
+the back of his hand. "Now one only wants a pipe and bacca and a glass
+of grog, to feel comfortable."
+
+"Well, Captain, are you satisfied with the day's work?"
+
+"It would have been a grand day had it not been for the soldiers passing
+just at the time. As it is, Gentleman Dick and I have been agreeing that
+as far as we are all concerned it has not turned out so badly. There
+would have been a lot of difficulty in finding food if we had all got
+away, and some of those mealy mouthed fellows would have been sure to go
+back and peach on us at the first opportunity. A dozen is better than a
+hundred for the sort of life we are likely to lead for some time. We are
+strong enough to beat off any attack from the black fellows, and also to
+break into any of these settlers' houses.
+
+"We can, when we have a mind to, take a stray sheep now and then, or
+even a bullock would scarcely be missed, especially if our pals in the
+settlement will lend us a helping hand, which you may be sure they will
+do; in fact, they would know better than to refuse. Then a large party
+could be traced by those black trackers at a run, while a small one
+would not; especially if, as we certainly will do, we break up into twos
+and threes for a time. First of all, though, we must go well into the
+bush; at daybreak tomorrow morning we will drive off twenty sheep, and
+go right away a hundred miles, and wait there till matters have settled
+down. They will never take the troops out that distance after us. Then
+we can come back again, and hang about the settlement and take what we
+want. The wild blacks don't come near there, and we shall be safer in
+pairs than we should be if we kept together; and of course we could meet
+once a week or so to talk over our plans. We must borrow some whisky,
+flour, tea, tobacco, and a few other items from the settlers, but we had
+better do without them for this trip. I don't want to turn the settlers
+against us, for they have all got horses, and might combine with the
+troops to give chase, so it would be best to leave them alone, at any
+rate till we get back again. Another reason for treating them gently is
+that even if they did not join the troops they might get into a funk,
+and drive their sheep and horses down into Sydney, and then we should
+mighty soon get short of food. It will be quite time enough to draw upon
+them heavily when we make up our minds to get hold of a ship and sail
+away. Money would be of no use to us here, but we shall want it when we
+get to a port, wherever that port may be."
+
+"That sounds right enough, Captain," one of the convicts said, "and just
+at present nothing would suit me better than to get so far away from
+this place that I can lay on my back and take it easy for a spell."
+
+There was a general chorus of assent, and there being neither tobacco
+nor spirits, the party very soon stretched themselves off to sleep round
+the fire.
+
+In the morning they were up before daylight, and half an hour later
+arrived at one of the farms farthest from Sydney. Here they found a
+flock of a hundred sheep. The shepherd came to the door of his hut on
+hearing a noise.
+
+"You had best lie down and go to sleep for the next hour," the leader of
+the convicts said sharply. "We don't want to do an old pal any harm, and
+when you wake up in the morning and find the flock some twenty short, of
+course you won't have any idea what has come of them."
+
+The man nodded and went back into the hut and shut the door, and the
+convicts started for the interior, driving twenty sheep before them.
+
+During the first day's journey they went fast, keeping the sheep at a
+trot before them, and continuing their journey through the heat of the
+day.
+
+"I tell you what, Captain," one of the men said when they halted at
+sunset, "if we don't get to a water hole we shall have to give up this
+idea of going and camping in the bush. My mouth has been like an oven
+all day, and it is no use getting away from jail to die of thirst out
+here."
+
+There had been similar remarks during the day, and the two leaders
+agreed together that it would be madness to push further, and that,
+whatever the risk, they would have to return to the settlements unless
+they could strike water. As they were sitting moodily round the fire
+they were startled by a dozen natives coming forward into the circle
+of light. These held out their hands to say that their intentions were
+peaceful.
+
+"Don't touch your muskets!" Captain Wild exclaimed sharply, as some
+of the men were on the point of jumping to their feet. "The men are
+friendly, and we may be able to get them to guide us to water."
+
+The natives, as they came up, grinned and rubbed their stomachs, to show
+that they were hungry.
+
+"I understand," the Captain said; "you want a sheep, we want water;" and
+he held up his hand to his mouth and lifted his elbow as if in the act
+of drinking.
+
+In two or three minutes the natives understood what he wanted, and
+beckoned to the men to follow. The tired sheep were got onto their legs
+again, and half a mile away the party arrived at a pool in what in wet
+weather was the bed of a river. A sheep was at once handed over to the
+natives, and when the men had satisfied their thirst another sheep was
+killed for their own use.
+
+After a great deal of trouble the natives were made to understand that
+the white men wanted one of their party to go with them as a guide, and
+to take them always to water holes, and a boy of fifteen was handed over
+to them in exchange for two more sheep, and at daybreak the next morning
+they started again for the interior, feeling much exhilarated by the
+piece of luck that had befallen them. They traveled for four days more,
+and then, considering that the soldiers had ceased their pursuit long
+ago, they encamped for ten days, enjoying to the utmost their recovered
+freedom and their immunity from work of any kind. Then they returned
+to the neighborhood of the settlements, and broke up, as their leader
+proposed, into pairs.
+
+They had been there but a short time before the depredations committed
+roused the settlers to band themselves together. Every horse that could
+be spared was lent to the military, who formed a mounted patrol of
+forty men, while parties of infantry, guided by native trackers, were
+constantly on the scent for the convicts.
+
+"This is just what I expected," Captain Wild said to his lieutenant. "It
+was the choice of two evils, and I am not sure that the plan we chose
+was not the worst. We might have been quite sure that these fellows
+would not be able, even for a time, to give up their old ways. If they
+had confined themselves, as we have done, to taking a sheep when they
+wanted it, and behaving civilly when they went to one of the houses and
+begged for a few pounds of flour or tea, the settlers would have made no
+great complaint of us; they know what a hard time we have had, and you
+can see that some of the women were really sorry for us, and gave us
+more than we actually asked for. But it has not been so with the others.
+They had been breaking into houses, stealing every thing they could lay
+their hands upon, and in three or four cases shooting down men on the
+slightest provocation.
+
+"The money and watches were no good to them, but the brutes could not
+help stealing them; so here we are, and the settlement is like a swarm
+of angry bees, and this plan of handing over most of their horses to the
+military will end in all of us being hunted down if we stay here. Two
+were shot yesterday, and in another week we shall all either be killed
+or caught. There is nothing for it but to clear out. I am against
+violence, not on principle, but because in this case it sets people's
+backs up; but it cannot be helped now. We must get a couple of horses
+to ride, and a spare one to carry our swag. We must have half a sack of
+flour and a sheep--it is no use taking more than one, because the meat
+won't keep--and a good stock of tea and sugar. We must get a good supply
+of powder, if we can, some bullets and shot. We shall have to get our
+meat by shooting.
+
+"There is no time to be lost, and tonight we had better go to that
+settler's place nearest the town. He has got two of the best horses out
+here--at least so Redgrave, that shepherd I was talking to today, told
+me--and a well filled store of provisions. If he will let us have them
+without rumpus, all well and good; if not, it will be the worse for
+him. My idea is that we should ride two or three hundred miles along the
+coast until we get to a river, follow it up till we find a tidy place
+for a camp, and stop there for three or four months, then come back
+again and keep ourselves quiet until we find out that a ship is going to
+sail; then we will do a night among the farmhouses, and clean them out
+of their watches and money, manage to get on board, and hide till we
+are well out to sea. We must get a fresh fit out before we go on board;
+these clothes are neither handsome nor becoming. We must put on our best
+manners, and tell them that we are men who have served our full time,
+and want to get back, and that we were obliged to hide because we had
+not enough to pay our full passage money, but that we have enough to pay
+the cost of our grub, and are ready to pull at a rope and make ourselves
+useful in any way. If we are lucky we ought to get enough before we
+start to buy horses and set ourselves up well in business at home."
+
+"I think that is a very good plan," the other agreed, "and I am quite
+sure the sooner we make ourselves scarce here the better."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+
+While arranging for young Bastow being sent out with the first batch of
+convicts John Thorndyke had been introduced to several of the officials
+of the Department, and called upon them at intervals to obtain news of
+the penal colony. Three years after its establishment a Crown colony had
+been opened for settlement in its vicinity. As the climate was said to
+be very fine and the country fertile, and land could be taken up without
+payment, the number who went out was considerable, there being the
+additional attraction that convicts of good character would be allotted
+to settlers as servants and farm hands.
+
+Six years after Arthur Bastow sailed the Squire learned that there
+had been a revolt among the convicts; several had been killed, and the
+mutiny suppressed, but about a dozen had succeeded in getting away.
+These had committed several robberies and some murders among the
+settlers, and a military force and a party of warders from the prison
+were scouring the country for them.
+
+"Of course, Mr. Thorndyke," the official said, "the Governor in his
+report does not gives us the names of any of those concerned in the
+matter; he simply says that although the mutiny was general, it was
+wholly the work of a small number of the worse class of prisoners. By
+worse class he means the most troublesome and refractory out there.
+The prisoners are not classified according to their original crimes.
+A poacher who has killed a game keeper, or a smuggler who has killed
+a revenue officer, may in other respects be a quiet and well conducted
+man, while men sentenced for comparatively minor offenses may give an
+immense deal of trouble. I will, however, get a letter written to the
+Governor, asking him if Arthur Bastow was among those who took part in
+the revolt, and if so what has become of him."
+
+It was more than a year before the reply came, and then the Governor
+reported that Arthur Bastow, who was believed to have been the leading
+spirit of the mutiny, was among those who had escaped, and had not yet
+been recaptured. It was generally believed that he had been killed by
+the blacks, but of this there was no actual proof.
+
+Mr. Bastow was much disturbed when he heard the news. "Suppose he comes
+back here, Mr. Thorndyke."
+
+"I won't suppose anything of the sort," the Squire replied. "I don't say
+that it would be altogether impossible, because now that vessels go from
+time to time to Sydney, he might, of course, be able to hide up in one
+of them, and not come on deck until she was well on her way, when, in
+all probability, he would be allowed to work his passage, and might be
+put ashore without any information being given to the authorities.
+I have no doubt that among the sailors there would be a good deal of
+sympathy felt for the convicts. No doubt they have a hard time of it,
+and we know that the gangs working on the roads are always ironed.
+Still, this is very unlikely, and the chances are all in favor of his
+being in hiding in the bush.
+
+"The shepherds and other hands on the farms are chiefly convicts, and
+would probably give him aid if he required it, and there would be no
+difficulty in getting a sheep, now and then, for, as all reports say,
+one of the chief troubles out there are the wild dogs, or dingoes, as
+they are called; any loss in that way would readily be put down to them.
+As to money, he would have no occasion for it; if he wanted it he would
+get it by robbing the settlers, he would know that if he came back here
+he would run the risk of being seized at once on landing or of being
+speedily hunted down as an escaped convict. I don't think that there is
+the slightest occasion for us to trouble ourselves about him."
+
+But though the Squire spoke so confidently, he felt by no means sure
+that Arthur Bastow would not turn up again, for his reckless audacity
+had made a great impression upon him. The proceeds of the robberies in
+the colony, in which he had no doubt played a part, would have furnished
+him with money with which he could bribe a sailor to hide him away
+and, if necessary, pay his passage money to England, when discovered
+on board, and perhaps maintain him when he got home until he could
+replenish his purse by some unlawful means. Lastly, the Squire argued
+that the fellow's vindictive nature and longing for revenge would act as
+an incentive to bring him back to London. He talked the matter over with
+Mark, who was now a powerful young fellow of twenty, who, of course,
+remembered the incidents attending Bastow's capture and trial.
+
+"I cannot help fancying that the fellow will come back, Mark."
+
+"Well, if he does, father, we must make it our business to lay him by
+the heels again. You managed it last time, and if he should turn up you
+may be sure I will help you to do it again."
+
+"Yes, but we may not hear of his having returned until he strikes a
+blow. At any rate, see that your pistols are loaded and close at hand at
+night."
+
+"They always are, father. There is no saying when a house like this,
+standing alone, and containing a good deal of plate and valuables, may
+be broken into."
+
+"Well, you might as well carry them always when you go out after dark.
+I shall speak to Knapp, and request him to let me know if he hears of a
+suspicious looking character--any stranger, in fact--being noticed in
+or about the village, and I shall have a talk with Simeox, the head
+constable at Reigate, and ask him to do the same. He is not the same
+man who was head at the time Bastow was up before us, but he was in
+the force then, and, as one of the constables who came up to take the
+prisoners down to Reigate, he will have all the facts in his mind. He is
+a sharp fellow, and though Bastow has no doubt changed a good deal since
+then, he would hardly fail to recognize him if his eye fell upon him. Of
+course we may be alarming ourselves unnecessarily, but there are several
+reasons why I should object strongly to be shot just at the present
+time."
+
+"Or at any other time, I should say, father," the young man said with a
+laugh.
+
+"I shall know him, Squire, safe enough," the head constable replied when
+John Thorndyke went down to see him on the following day; "but I should
+think that if he does come back to England he will hardly be fool enough
+to come down here. He was pretty well known in town before that affair,
+and everyone who was in the courthouse would be sure to have his face
+strongly impressed upon their minds. You may forget a man you have seen
+casually, but you don't forget one you have watched closely when he is
+in the dock with two others charged with murder. Five out of my six men
+were constables at that time, and would know him again the minute they
+saw him; but anyhow, I will tell them to keep a sharp lookout in the
+tramps' quarters, and especially over the two or three men still here
+that Bastow used to consort with. I should say that Reigate is the last
+place in the world where he would show his face."
+
+"I hope so," the Squire said. "He has caused trouble enough down here as
+it is; his father is getting an old man now, and is by no means strong,
+and fresh troubles of that kind would undoubtedly kill him."
+
+A month later the Reigate coach was stopped when a short distance out
+of the town by two highwaymen, and a considerable prize obtained by the
+robbers. Soon afterwards came news of private carriages being stopped on
+various commons in the South of London, and of several burglaries taking
+place among the houses round Clapham, Wandsworth, and Putney. Such
+events were by no means uncommon, but following each other in such quick
+succession they created a strong feeling of alarm among the inhabitants
+of the neighborhood. John Thorndyke, going up to town shortly
+afterwards, went to the headquarters of the Bow Street runners, and had
+a talk with their chief in reference especially to the stoppage of the
+Reigate coach. Mr. Chetwynd had lately died, and John Thorndyke had been
+unanimously elected by his fellow magistrates as chairman of the bench.
+
+"No, Mr. Thorndyke, we have no clew whatever. Our men have been keeping
+the sharpest watch over the fellows suspected of having a hand in such
+matters, but they all seem keeping pretty quiet at present, and none of
+them seem to be particularly flush with money. It is the same with these
+burglaries in the South of London. We are at our wits' end about them.
+We are flooded with letters of complaint from residents; but though the
+patrols on the common have been doubled and every effort made, we are as
+far off as ever. As far as the burglaries are concerned, we have every
+reason to think that they are the work of two or three new hands. The
+jobs are not neatly done, and certainly not with tools usually used by
+burglars. They seem to rely upon daring rather than skill. Anyhow, we
+don't know where to look for them, and are altogether at sea.
+
+"Of course it is as annoying to us as it is to anyone else; more so,
+because the Justices of the Peace are sending complaints to the Home
+Secretary, and he in turn drops on us and wants to know what we are
+doing. I have a sort of fancy myself the fellows who are stopping the
+coaches are the same as those concerned in the burglaries. I could not
+give you my reasons for saying so, except that on no occasion has a
+coach been stopped and a house broken into on the same night. I fancy
+that at present we shan't hear much more of them. They have created such
+alarm that the coaches carry with them two men armed with blunderbusses,
+in addition to the guards, and I should fancy that every householder
+sleeps with pistols within reach, and has got arms for his servants. At
+many of the large houses I know a watchman has been engaged to sit in
+the hall all night, to ring the alarm bell and wake the inmates directly
+he hears any suspicious sounds. Perhaps the fellows may be quiet for a
+time, for they must, during the last month, have got a wonderful amount
+of spoil. Maybe they will go west--the Bath road is always a favorite
+one with these fellows--maybe they will work the northern side of the
+town. I hope we shall lay hands upon them one day, but so far I may say
+frankly we have not the slightest clew."
+
+"But they must put their horses up somewhere?"
+
+"Yes, but unfortunately there are so many small wayside inns, that it
+is next to impossible to trace them. A number of these fellows are in
+alliance with the highwaymen. Some of them, too, have small farms in
+addition to their public house businesses, and the horses may be snugly
+put up there, while we are searching the inn stables in vain. Again,
+there are rogues even among the farmers themselves; little men, perhaps,
+who do not farm more than thirty or forty acres, either working them
+themselves, or by the aid of a hired man who lives perhaps at a village
+a mile away. To a man of this kind, the offer of a couple of guineas a
+week to keep two horses in an empty cowshed, and to ask no questions, is
+a heavy temptation.
+
+"We have got two clever fellows going about the country inquiring at
+all the villages whether two mounted men have lately been heard going
+through there late at night, or early in the morning, so as to narrow
+down the area to be searched, but nothing has come of it, although I am
+pretty sure that they must have three or four places they use in various
+directions. My men have picked up stories of horsemen being heard
+occasionally, but they come from various directions, and nowhere have
+they been noticed with any regularity. Besides, there are other knights
+of the road about, so we are no nearer than we were on that line of
+inquiry."
+
+A month later John Thorndyke had occasion to go up again to town. This
+time Mark accompanied him. Both carried pistols, as did the groom,
+sitting behind them. The Squire himself was but a poor shot, but Mark
+had practiced a great deal.
+
+"'Tis a good thing to be able to shoot straight, Mark," his father had
+said to him three years before. "I abhor dueling, but there is so much
+of it at present that any gentlemen might find himself in a position
+when he must either go out or submit to be considered a coward. Then,
+too, the roads are infested by highwaymen. For that reason alone it
+would be well that a man should be able to shoot straight. You should
+also practice sometimes at night, setting up some object at a distance
+so that you can just make out its outline, and taking a dozen shots at
+it. I know it is very difficult when you cannot see your own pistol, but
+you can soon learn to trust to your arm to come up to the right height
+and in the right direction. Of course you must wait until morning to
+find out where your bullet has gone."
+
+Two days after they had reached town the Squire received a letter from
+Mrs. Cunningham.
+
+"DEAR MR. THORNDYKE:
+
+"Knapp has been up this morning to tell me that a stranger dismounted
+yesterday at the alehouse, and while his horse was being fed he asked a
+few questions. Among others, he wished to be told if you were at home,
+saying that he had known you some fifteen years ago, when you lived near
+Hastings, and should like to have a talk with you again. In fact, he had
+turned off from the main road for the purpose. He seemed disappointed
+when he heard that you had gone up to town, and hearing that you might
+not be back for three or four days, said he should be coming back
+through Reigate in a week or ten days, and he dared say he should be
+able to find time to call again. Knapp did not hear about it until this
+morning; he asked the landlord about the man, and the landlord said he
+was about thirty, dark, and sparely built. He did not notice his horse
+particularly, seeing that it was such as a small squire or farmer might
+ride. He carried a brace of pistols in his holsters. The landlord was
+not prepossessed with his appearance, and it was that that made him
+speak to Knapp about him. I have told the men to unfasten the dogs every
+night, and I have asked Knapp to send up two trustworthy men to keep
+watch."
+
+"It may mean something, and it may not," the Squire said, as he handed
+the letter to Mark. "It is a suspicious looking circumstance; if
+the fellow had been honest he would surely have said something about
+himself. There is no doubt these housebreakers generally find out what
+chance there is of resistance, and, hearing that we were both away,
+may have decided on making an attempt. I have pretty well finished our
+business and ordered nearly all the provisions that Mrs. Cunningham
+requires. But I have to call at my lawyer's, and that is generally a
+longish business. It is half past two o'clock now; if we start from
+here at five we shall be down soon after eight, which will be quite soon
+enough. We shall have a couple of hours' drive in the dark, but that
+won't matter, we have got the lamps."
+
+"I am quite ready to start, father. I am engaged to sup with Reginald
+Ascot, but I will go over this afternoon and make my excuses."
+
+At five o'clock they started. "You have got your pistols in order,
+Mark?" the Squire asked, as they drove over London Bridge.
+
+"I have them handy, father, one in each pocket."
+
+"James, are your pistols charged?"
+
+"Yes, sir."
+
+At six o'clock it was beginning to get dusk, and they stopped while the
+groom got down and lit the lamps; then they resumed their journey. They
+were within five miles of Reigate when suddenly two horsemen rode out
+from a side road with a shout of "Stand and deliver!"
+
+The Squire lashed the horses, and a moment later a pistol was fired, and
+the ball went through his hat. By the light of the lamps Mark saw
+the other man raise his hand, and, leveling his pistol, fired on the
+instant; then, as there was no reply to his shot, he discharged the
+second barrel at the first who had fired, and who had at once drawn
+another pistol. The two reports rang out almost at the same moment, but
+Mark's was a little the first. There was a sharp exclamation of pain
+from the highwayman, who wrenched round his horse and galloped down the
+lane from which he had issued, the groom sending two bullets after him.
+
+"Where is the other man?" Mark exclaimed, as his father reined in the
+horses.
+
+"Somewhere on the ground there, Mark; I saw him fall from his saddle as
+we passed him."
+
+"Is it any use pursuing the other, father? I am pretty sure I hit him."
+
+"I am quite sure you did, but it is no good our following; the side
+roads are so cut up by ruts that we should break a spring before we had
+gone a hundred yards. No, we will stop and look at this fellow who is
+unhorsed, Mark."
+
+The groom got down, and, taking one of the carriage lamps, proceeded to
+a spot where the highwayman's horse was standing. The man was already
+dead, the bullet having hit him a few inches above the heart.
+
+"He is dead, father."
+
+"I think you had better lift him up on the foot board behind; James can
+ride his horse. We will hand the body over to the constable at Reigate.
+He may know who he is, or find something upon him that may afford a clew
+that will lead to the capture of his companion."
+
+"No, I don't know him, Squire," the constable said as they stopped
+before his house and told him what had happened. "However, he certainly
+is dead, and I will get one of the men to help me carry him into the
+shed behind the courthouse. So you say that you think that the other is
+wounded?"
+
+"I am pretty sure he is. I heard him give an exclamation as my son
+fired."
+
+"That is good shooting, Mr. Mark," the constable said. "If every
+passenger could use his arms as you do there would soon be an end to
+stopping coaches. I will see what he has got about him, and will come up
+and let you know, Squire, the first thing in the morning."
+
+"I will send Knapp down," John Thorndyke said, as they drove homewards.
+"I am rather curious to know if this fellow is the same Mrs. Cunningham
+wrote about. I will tell him to take Peters along with him."
+
+"I hardly see that there can be any connection between the two.
+Highwaymen don't go in for house breaking. I think they consider that to
+be a lower branch of the profession."
+
+"Generally they do, no doubt, Mark; but you know I told you that the
+chief at Bow Street said that he had a suspicion that the highway
+robbers and the house breakers who have been creating so much alarm are
+the same men."
+
+"It is curious that they should have happened to light on us, father, if
+they were intending to break into our house."
+
+John Thorndyke made no reply, and in a few minutes drove up to the
+house. Their return, a couple of days before they were expected,
+caused great satisfaction to Mrs. Cunningham and Millicent. The former,
+however, had wisely kept from the girl the matter on which she had
+written to the Squire, and the suspicion she had herself entertained.
+
+"It is very dull without you both," Millicent said. "I was telling Mrs.
+Cunningham that I thought it would be a good thing, when you got back,
+for us two to take a run up to town for a week, just to let you see
+how dull the place is when two of us are away. You are looking quite
+serious, uncle. Is anything the matter?"
+
+"Happily nothing is the matter with us, dear, but we have had an
+adventure, and not a very pleasant one."
+
+"What was it?" the girl asked.
+
+"If you examine my hat closely, Millicent, it will tell you."
+
+The girl took up the hat from a chair on which he had put it, and
+brought it to the light. "There are two holes in it," she said. "Oh,
+Guardy, have you been shot at?"
+
+"It looks like it, dear. Two gentlemen highwaymen--at least, that is
+what I believe they call themselves--asked us pressingly to stop, and
+as we would not comply with their request, one fired at me, and, as you
+see, it was an uncommonly good shot. The other was about to fire when
+Mark's pistol put a stop to him, and his second barrel stopped the
+fellow who had fired first; he was hit, for we heard him give an
+exclamation of pain, but before any more shooting could be done he
+turned and rode off down a narrow lane where we could not follow."
+
+"And what became of the first?" Millicent asked with open eyes.
+
+"He was dead before we could get down to examine him; he will not
+disturb the King's peace again. It happened about four miles from home,
+so we brought him in and gave him and his horse into the charge of the
+constable at Reigate."
+
+"And you have really killed a man?" Millicent said, looking up with an
+awestruck expression to Mark.
+
+"Well, as the man would have killed us if I hadn't, I cannot say,
+Millicent, that his death weighs in any way heavily on my mind. If he
+were as good a shot as the other, my father's life would not have been
+worth much, for as we were driving fast, he was not above half as far
+away as the other had been when he fired. Just the same, I suppose, as
+it would be in a battle; a man is going to shoot you, and you shoot him
+first, and I don't suppose it ever troubles you afterwards."
+
+"Of course I don't mean that I blame you, Mark; but it does seem
+shocking."
+
+"I don't suppose you would think that, Millicent, if a burglar, who had
+taken one shot at you and was about to finish you with another, was cut
+short in the operation by a shot from my pistol. I believe that your
+relief and thankfulness would be so great that the idea that it was a
+shocking thing for me to do would not as much as enter your head."
+
+"I wish you had shot the other man as well as the one you did, Mark,"
+the Squire said, as he walked with his son down to Reigate to attend the
+inquest the next morning on the man he had brought in. Mark looked at
+his father in surprise.
+
+"There is no doubt I hit him, father," he said; "but I should not think
+that he will be likely to trouble us again."
+
+"I wish I felt quite sure of that. Do you know that I have a strong
+suspicion that it was Arthur Bastow?"
+
+Mark had, of course, heard of Bastow's escape, but had attached no great
+importance to it. The crime had taken place nearly eight years before,
+and although greatly impressed at the time by the ill doings of the man,
+the idea that he would ever return and endeavor to avenge himself on
+his father for the part he had taken had not occurred to him. Beyond
+mentioning his escape, the Squire had never talked to him on the
+subject.
+
+"It was he who bade us stand and deliver, and the moment he spoke the
+voice seemed familiar to me, and, thinking it over, I have an impression
+that it was his. I may be mistaken, for I have had him in my mind ever
+since I heard that he had escaped, and may therefore have connected the
+voice with him erroneously, and yet I cannot but think that I was right.
+You see, there are two or three suspicious circumstances. In the first
+place, there was this man down here making inquiries. Knapp went down
+early this morning with the innkeeper, and told me before breakfast that
+Peters at once recognized the fellow you shot as the man who had made
+the inquiries. Now, the natural result of making inquiries would have
+been that the two men would the next evening have broken into the house,
+thinking that during our absence they would meet with no resistance.
+Instead of doing this they waylaid us on the road, which looks as if it
+was me they intended to attack, and not the house."
+
+"But how could they have known that it was us, father? It is certainly
+singular that one of the two men should have been the fellow who was up
+at the inn, but it may be only a matter of coincidence."
+
+"I don't know, Mark; I don't say that singular coincidences don't occur,
+but I have not much faith in them. Still, if they were journeying down
+to attack the house last night they would hardly have stopped travelers
+by the way when there was a rich booty awaiting them, as they evidently
+believed there was, or that man would not have come down specially to
+make inquiries. My own impression is that when they heard that we should
+return in two or three days one of them watched us in London, and as
+soon as they learned that we were to start for home at five o'clock they
+came down here to stop us. They would hardly have done that merely to
+get our watches and what money we had in our pockets."
+
+"No, I should think not, father; but they might be friends of men who
+have got into trouble at Reigate, and, as you are chairman of the bench,
+may have had a special grudge against you for their conviction."
+
+"That is, of course, possible, and I hope that it is so."
+
+"But even if Arthur Bastow had escaped, father, why should he come back
+to England, where he would know that he might be arrested again, instead
+of staying quietly out in Australia?"
+
+"There are two reasons. In the first place the life out there would not
+be a quiet one; there would be nothing for him but to attack and rob the
+settlers, and this, as they are sure to be armed, is a pretty dangerous
+business. Then there are perils from the blacks, and lastly, such a
+life would be absolutely devoid of comfort, and be that of a hunted dog;
+living always in the bush, scarcely venturing to sleep lest he should
+be pounced upon either by the armed constables of the colony or by the
+blacks. It is not as if the country were extensively populated; there
+are not a very large number of settlers there yet, and therefore very
+small scope for robbers. These people would keep very little money
+with them, and the amount of plunder to be got would be small indeed.
+Therefore, I take it that the main object of any escaped convict would
+be to get away from the place.
+
+"That is one of the reasons why the fellow might come back to England
+in spite of the risks. The other is that I believe him to be so
+diabolically vindictive that he would run almost any peril in order to
+obtain revenge upon me or his father. Twice he has threatened me, the
+first time when we captured him, the second time as he left the court
+after he had received his sentence. I am not a coward, so far as I know,
+Mark, but I am as certain as I stand here that he meant what he said,
+and that, during these years of imprisonment and toil out there, he has
+been cherishing the thought of coming home some day and getting even
+with me. You see, he is said to have been the leader of this convict
+revolt. There is no doubting his daring, and to my mind the attack upon
+us last night, when they knew that they could have managed a successful
+robbery here, points to the fact that it was the result of personal
+animosity, and strengthens my belief that it was Arthur Bastow who
+called upon us to stand and deliver."
+
+"It is a very unpleasant idea, father."
+
+"Very unpleasant, and it seems to me that we should at any rate spare no
+pains in hunting the man you wounded down."
+
+"I will undertake that if you like. I have nothing particular to do, and
+it would be an excitement. You have a lot to keep you here."
+
+"I don't fancy that you will find it an excitement, Mark, for of course
+the detectives will do the hunting, but I should certainly be glad if
+you would take a letter for me to the head of the Detective Department,
+and tell him what I think, and my reasons for thinking so, and say that
+I offer a reward of a hundred pounds for the capture of the man who
+tried to stop us, and who was, we are certain, wounded by you. Unless
+he has some marvelously out of the way hiding place, it ought not to
+be difficult. A wounded man could scarcely lie hidden in the slums of
+London without it being known to a good many people, to some of whom
+a reward of the sum of a hundred pounds would be an irresistible
+temptation."
+
+By this time they had reached Reigate. The inquest did not last
+many minutes, and the jury without hesitation returned a verdict of
+justifiable homicide.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+
+The next morning Mark went up to London.
+
+"Of course, Mr. Thorndyke," the chief at Bow Street said, "your father's
+suspicions as to the man's identity may or may not be justified; that,
+however, makes no difference to us. Here is a highwayman who has been
+wounded, and would certainly be a valuable capture: I will set my men to
+work at once; if he is in London they will get news of him before many
+days. My men in any case would do their duty, but your father's offer
+will certainly stimulate their energy. Where are you stopping?"
+
+"At the Bull, in Holborn."
+
+"Very well; I will be sure to let you know as soon as we get any clew to
+the man's identity."
+
+Mark remained in London a week, and at the end of that time he received
+a note from Bow Street saying that the superintendent wished to see him.
+
+"I am sorry that I have no news for you, Mr. Thorndyke," the officer
+said, when he called upon him. "Every place where such a man would be
+likely to be in hiding has been searched, and no clew whatever has been
+obtained. We shall now circulate notices of the reward throughout the
+country. If the man was at all severely hit, we may assume that he must
+be somewhere in the neighborhood of London, whereas, if the wound was
+a slight one, he might be able to go a long distance, and may be now
+in York, for aught we know. However, now that the search in London has
+terminated, I can really see no use in your staying here any longer; we
+will let you know directly we have any news."
+
+Three months later John Thorndyke received a letter from the Detective
+Office asking him to call the next time he came up to town, as although
+no news had been obtained that would lead to the man's immediate
+arrest, news had at any rate been obtained showing that he was alive. It
+happened that Mark was intending to go up on the following day, and his
+father asked him to call for him at Bow Street.
+
+"Well, Mr. Thorndyke, we have heard about your man, and that after we
+had quite abandoned the search. I had come to the conclusion that the
+wound you gave him had been a fatal one, and that he had been quietly
+buried by some of the people with whom he was connected. The discovery
+was, as half these discoveries generally are, the result of accident.
+Last week a gentleman entered the Bank and asked for change in gold for
+a fifty pound note. The cashier, looking at the number, found that it
+was one of those that had been stolen from a passenger by one of the
+south coaches several months ago. The gentleman was at once taken into
+a private office, and questioned as to how he had obtained the note.
+The account that he gave was that he was a surgeon in practice at
+Southampton. A gentleman had arrived there on a date which we found to
+be the day after that on which you were stopped; he was well dressed,
+and had the air of a gentleman; he had come down by coach, and was
+evidently very ill. He told the surgeon that he had been engaged in a
+duel, that the pistols had been discharged simultaneously, and that he
+had killed his man, but had himself been severely wounded. He said that
+the person whom he had killed had influential connections, and that it
+would be necessary for him to remain in seclusion for a time, and he
+asked him to take charge of his case, as he had ample means of paying
+him handsomely. The surgeon examined the wound, and found it to be
+indeed a serious one, and, as he thought, probably fatal. However,
+having no doubt as to the truth of the story, he had taken the gentleman
+in, and he remained under his charge until a week before he came up to
+town.
+
+"For the first month he had been dangerously ill, but he completely
+recovered. The surgeon had no reason whatever for doubting his patient
+being a gentleman; he was fashionably dressed, and had evidently changed
+his clothes after the duel, as there were no bloodstains upon them. He
+was, however, glad when he left, as his conversation did not please him
+from its cynical tone. The Bank sent to us directly the man presented
+the note, which he stated had been given to him in part payment for his
+medical services and the board and lodging of the patient; the total
+amount had been 75 pounds, and the balance was paid in gold. As he
+was able to give several good references, and was identified by three
+gentlemen, he was, of course, released. I have no doubt whatever that
+the fellow he attended was your man. The surgeon said, whoever he was,
+he must have been a man of iron resolution to have made such a journey
+in the state he was.
+
+"No doubt he must have ridden straight to the place he used as his
+headquarters, where he had his wound roughly bandaged, changed his
+clothes, and had ridden in the morning to some point that the coach
+passed on its way to Southampton. Of course we obtained a minute
+description from the surgeon of the man's appearance. We found that
+the people at the coach office had no remembrance of there being anyone
+answering to that description among the persons who traveled by the
+coach, but of course that would not go for much, for over three months
+have elapsed.
+
+"When the coachman who had driven the down coach that day came up to
+town, we saw him, and he remembered perfectly that on or about that day
+he had picked up a passenger at Kingston--a gentleman who was in very
+weak health. There were only three inside passengers besides himself,
+and he had to be assisted into the coach. The way bill, on being turned
+up, showed that an inside passenger had been taken up at Kingston. I
+have already sent down men to make inquiries at every village in the
+district between Reigate and Kingston, and I trust that we shall lay
+hands on him, especially now we have got an accurate description of him,
+while before we were working in the dark in that respect."
+
+"What is the description, sir? My father is much interested on that
+point, for, as I believe I told you, he has a strong suspicion that
+the fellow is the man who was transported more than eight years ago to
+Australia, and who made his escape from the prison there."
+
+"Yes, I know. At first it appeared to me very improbable, but I am bound
+to say the description tallies very closely with that given of him. The
+surgeon took him to be nearly thirty; but after what he has gone through
+he may well look three or four years older than he is. He had light
+hair, rather small gray eyes, and a face that would have been good
+looking had it not been for its supercilious and sneering expression."
+
+"I can remember him," Mark said; "and that answers very closely to him.
+I should say that it is certainly Bastow, and my father made no mistake
+when he asserted that he recognized his voice."
+
+The officer added a note to the description in his register: "Strongly
+suspected of being Arthur Bastow, transported for connivance with
+highwaymen; was leader of a mutiny in convict jail of Sydney two years
+and a half ago. Made his escape."
+
+"There is no doubt," he went on, "that he is a desperate character. No
+doubt he is the man who has been concerned in most of these robberies in
+the southern suburbs. We must get hold of him if we can, and once we
+do so there will be an end of his travels, for the mutiny in prison and
+escape is a hanging business, putting aside the affairs since he
+got back. Well, sir, I hope he will give you and your father no more
+trouble."
+
+"I am sure I hope so," Mark said. "I suppose that the fellow who was
+shot was one of the men who escaped with him from the convict prison."
+
+"That is likely enough. Two would get home as easily as one, and the
+fact that they were both strangers here would account for the difficulty
+our men have had in their search for him. You see, we have had nothing
+whatever to go on. You must not be too sanguine about our catching the
+man in a short time: he is evidently a clever fellow, and I think it
+likely that once he got back he lost no time in getting away from this
+part of the country, and we are more likely to find him in the west or
+north than we are of laying hands on him here. We will send descriptions
+all over the country, and as soon as I hear of a series of crimes
+anywhere, I will send off two of my best men to help the local
+constables."
+
+On his return home Mark told his father what he had done.
+
+"I thought that I could not have been mistaken, Mark; we have got that
+rascal on our hands again. I hope now that they have got a description
+of him to go by, they will not be long before they catch him; but
+the way he escaped after being badly wounded shows that he is full of
+resources, and he may give them some trouble yet, if I am not mistaken.
+At any rate, I will have a talk with the Reigate constable, and tell him
+that there is very little doubt that the man who attacked us was Arthur
+Bastow, who has, as we have heard, escaped from Botany Bay, and that he
+had best tell his men to keep a sharp lookout for him, for that, owing
+to his animosity against us for his former capture and conviction, it
+is likely enough that sooner or later he will be in this neighborhood
+again. After his determined attempt at my life when pretending to rob
+us, I shall certainly not feel comfortable until I know that he is under
+lock and key."
+
+"I wish, Guardy, you would give up this magistrate's business,"
+Millicent said at dinner. "I am sure that it is worrying you, and I
+can't see why you should go on with it."
+
+"It does not worry me, as a rule, Millicent; indeed, I like the duty.
+Besides, every landowner of standing ought to take his share in public
+work. There are only two of the magistrates younger than I am, and
+whatever you may think of me, I feel myself capable of doing what work
+there is to do. When Mark gets a few years older I shall resign, and let
+him take my place on the bench. I own, though, that I should be glad if
+these highway robberies could be suppressed. Poaching and the ordinary
+offenses of drunkenness and assaults are disposed of without any
+trouble; but this stopping of the coaches, accompanied occasionally by
+the shooting of the coachman or guard, gives a great deal of trouble,
+and the worst of it is that we are practically powerless to put such
+crimes down. Nothing short of patrolling the roads in parties of three
+or four between sunset and sunrise would put a stop to them, and the
+funds at our disposal would not support such an expenditure."
+
+"It is a pity that you cannot get up a corps like the yeomanry, and call
+it the Mounted Constabulary," said Mark. "There are at least a dozen
+fellows I know who would, like myself, be glad to join it, and I dare
+say we could get a score of young farmers or farmers' sons."
+
+"It is not a bad idea, Mark, and I dare say that for a time the duty
+would be zealously performed, but before very long you would tire of it.
+A few wet nights or winter's cold, and you would cease to see the fun of
+it, especially as you may be sure that the news that the roads are well
+patrolled would soon come to the ears of these scoundrels, and they
+would cease to work in the district."
+
+"Perhaps you are right, sir; but I think that a few of us would stick to
+it."
+
+"Perhaps so, Mark, but I should be sorry to wager that the work would
+be thoroughly done. The first county or hunt ball, or even dinner party,
+more than half of them would be away. I don't say that you personally
+might not for some considerable time persist in patrolling the roads,
+for you have a sort of personal interest in the matter; but I would
+wager that before two months have passed you would find you were the
+only one who attended at the rendezvous regularly."
+
+A fortnight later the party were seated round the fire in the dusk.
+Mr. Bastow was sitting next to the Squire, and was in unusually good
+spirits. He had heard no word of what the Squire had discovered, nor
+dreamed that his son was again in England, still less that he was
+suspected of being one of the men who had endeavored to stop the Squire
+and his son on their drive from London. Suddenly there was the crack of
+a pistol outside, and a ball passed between him and the Squire. Without
+a word, Mark Thorndyke rushed to the door, seized a pistol from his
+riding coat, and, snatching up a heavy whip, dashed out into the garden.
+
+He was just in time to see a figure running at full speed, and he set
+off in pursuit. Good runner as he was, he gained but slightly at first,
+but after a time he drew nearer to the fugitive. The latter was but
+some sixty yards away when he leaped a hedge into a narrow lane. Mark
+followed without hesitation, but as he leaped into the road he heard a
+jeering laugh and the sharp sound of a horse's hoofs, and knew that the
+man he was pursuing had gained his horse and made off. Disgusted at his
+failure, he went slowly back to the house. The shutters had been put up.
+
+"I have lost him, father. He ran well to begin with, but I was gaining
+fast on him when he leaped into a narrow lane where he had left his
+horse, and rode off before I could get up to him. I need hardly say that
+there was no use attempting to follow on foot. He missed you all, did he
+not?"
+
+"Yes, Mark. It is not so easy to take an accurate aim when it is nearly
+dark. The bullet passed between myself and Mr. Bastow, and has buried
+itself in the mantelpiece."
+
+"Something ought to be done, Guardy," Millicent Conyers said
+indignantly. "It is shameful that people cannot sit in their own room
+without the risk of being shot at. What can it mean? Surely no one can
+have any enmity against you."
+
+"I hope not, my dear," John Thorndyke said lightly. "Some of the fellows
+we have sentenced may think that we were rather hard on them, but I
+do not think that any of them would feel it sufficiently to attempt to
+murder one; besides, Mark says that the fellow had a horse waiting
+for him, and none of our poachers would be likely to be the owner of a
+horse. It may be that the highwayman Mark shot at and wounded has come
+down to give us a fright. It is no use worrying about it now; in future
+we will have the shutters closed at sunset. It is hardly likely that
+the thing will be attempted again, and Mark's chase must have shown the
+fellow that the game is hardly worth the risk."
+
+"He might have shot you, Mark; you had no right to risk your life in
+that sort of way," the girl said to him, later, as they were seated
+together in front of the fire, while the Squire was reading the Gazette
+at the table, Mrs. Cunningham was working, and Mr. Bastow, who had been
+greatly shaken by the event, had retired to bed.
+
+"Do you think that he really meant to kill your father?"
+
+"I should imagine he did; a man would hardly run the risk of being hung
+merely for the pleasure of shooting. I would give a good deal if I had
+caught him, or better still, if I had shot him," said Mark. "However, I
+will make it my business to hunt the fellow down. After this evening's
+affair, we shall never feel comfortable until he is caught. I have
+no doubt that he is the fellow we have been hunting for the last four
+months. The people at Bow Street seem no good whatever; I will try if I
+cannot succeed better."
+
+"Don't do anything rash, Mark," said Millicent, in a low voice; "you
+have no right to put yourself in danger."
+
+"But our lives are in danger now, Millicent--in much greater danger
+than mine would be when looking out for him. But there seems no guarding
+against attacks like this; I mean to hunt him down, if it takes me
+a year. I have nothing special to do, and cannot employ my time more
+usefully."
+
+When the ladies went up to bed the Squire said:
+
+"Come into the library, Mark, and we will smoke a pipe, and have a talk
+over this business." He touched the bell. "Have you got a good fire in
+the library, Ramoo?"
+
+"Yes, sahib, very good."
+
+"Then take a bottle of number one bin of port there--and a couple of
+glasses."
+
+When they were quietly seated, glasses filled, and the long pipes
+alight, the Squire said: "I want to have a serious talk with you, Mark.
+What I am going to say will surprise you a good deal. I had not intended
+to tell you for another four years--that is to say, not until Millicent
+came of age--but after that affair tonight, I feel that my life is
+so uncertain that I ought not to delay letting you know the truth.
+I suppose you agree with me that it was Bastow who shot at me this
+evening?"
+
+"I have not the least doubt about that, father."
+
+"I will not say that he shot at me," the Squire said, "for he may have
+shot at his father; the villain is quite capable of that. It was his
+father who brought me upon him, and though I effected his capture eight
+years ago I don't suppose he cares which of us he killed. However, the
+point is not what he aimed at, but whether it was he, and that I take
+there is no doubt about. He missed me this time, but his next shot may
+be more successful, At any rate, I think that it is high time that I
+told you the story."
+
+And, beginning with the arrival of Colonel Thorndyke at his place, he
+repeated the conversation that he had had with him. Several times in
+the early portion of his narrative he was interrupted by exclamations of
+surprise from his son.
+
+"Then Millicent is really my uncle's heiress!" exclaimed Mark, when he
+heard the request the Colonel had made of the Squire.
+
+"That is so, Mark. She does not know it herself, and it was my brother's
+urgent wish that she should not know it until she came of age or until
+she married. I fought against it to the utmost, but it was his dying
+prayer, and I could not refuse it. My solicitor knows the facts of the
+matter, and so does Mrs. Cunningham, who brought Millicent over from
+India when she was only about a year old. I may say that I especially
+urged that it would not be fair to you to be brought up to consider
+yourself to be heir to the property, but he said:
+
+"'Putting aside the estate, I have a considerable fortune. In the first
+place, there are the accumulations of rent from the Reigate place. I
+have never touched them, and they have been going on for twelve years.
+In. the next place, the shaking of the pagoda tree has gone on merrily,
+and we all made a comfortable pile. Then I always made a point of
+carrying about with me two or three hundred pounds, and after the
+sacking of some of the palaces I could pick up jewels and things from
+the troops for a trifle, being able to pay money down. Even without
+the rents here, I have some 50,000 pounds in money. I should think the
+jewels would be worth at least as much more, irrespective of a diamond
+bracelet which is, I fancy, worth more than the rest put together. It
+was stolen from the arm of some idol.' He then explained how he got it,
+and the manner in which he had placed it and the rest of his wealth in a
+secure position.
+
+"'Things stolen from a god are frightfully dangerous,' he said, 'for the
+Brahmins or priests connected with the temples have been known to follow
+them up for years, and in nine cases out of ten they get possession of
+them again. Murder in such a case is meritorious, and I would not have
+them in the house here, were they ten times the value they are. I know
+that my clothes, my drawers, and everything belonging to me have been
+gone through at night a score of times. Nothing has been stolen, but,
+being a methodical man, I could generally see some displacement in the
+things that told me they had been disturbed. They gave it up for a time,
+but I haven't a shadow of a doubt that they have been watching me ever
+since, and they may be watching me now, for anything I know. Now, half
+of that fortune I have left by my will to your son; half to the girl. I
+will tell you where the things are the last thing before I die.
+
+"'Now, mind, you must be careful when you get them. When I am dead you
+are almost certain to be watched. You don't know what these fellows are.
+The things must remain where they are until your boy comes of age. Don't
+let him keep those diamonds an hour in his possession; let him pass them
+away privately to some man in whom he has implicit confidence, for
+him to take them to a jeweler's; let him double and turn and disguise
+himself so as to throw everyone that may be spying on him off his
+track. If you can manage it, the best way would be to carry them over to
+Amsterdam, and sell them there.'
+
+"I confess it seemed absurd, but it is a matter about which he would
+know a great deal more than I do, and he was convinced that not only
+was he watched, but that he owed his life simply to the fact that the
+fellows did not know where the diamonds were hidden, and that by killing
+him they would have lost every chance of regaining them.
+
+"So convinced was he of all this, that he would not tell me where he had
+stowed them away; he seemed to think that the very walls would hear us,
+and that these fellows might be hidden under the sofa, in a cupboard, or
+up the chimney, for aught I know. He told me that he would tell me the
+secret before he died; but death came so suddenly that he never had an
+opportunity of doing so. He made a tremendous effort in his last moment,
+but failed, and I shall never forget the anguish his face expressed when
+he found himself powerless to speak; however, he pressed his snuffbox
+into my hand with such a significant look that, being certain it
+contained some clew to the mystery, and being unable to find a hidden
+spring or a receptacle, I broke it open that night.
+
+"It contained a false bottom, and here are what I found in it. I stowed
+them away in a secret drawer in that old cabinet that stands by my
+bedside. It is in the bottom pigeonhole on the right hand side. I bought
+the cabinet at a sale, and found the spring of the secret drawer quite
+accidentally. I shall put the things back tonight, and you will know
+where to look for them. You press against the bottom and up against the
+top simultaneously, and the back then falls forward. The opening behind
+is very shallow, and will hold but two or three letters. But, however,
+it sufficed for this;" and he handed Mark the coin and slip of paper.
+
+"But what are these, father?"
+
+"These are the clews by which we are to obtain the treasure."
+
+As Mark examined them carefully the Squire stood up with his back to the
+fire, and looking round walked to the door and said: "I thought there
+was a draught somewhere; either Ramoo did not shut the door when he went
+out or it has come open again. It has done that once or twice before.
+When I go into town tomorrow I will tell Tucker to send a man up to take
+the lock off. Well, what do you make out of that?"
+
+"I can make out nothing," Mark replied. "No doubt the coin is something
+to be given to whoever is in charge of the treasure, and Masulipatam may
+be the place where it is hidden."
+
+"Yes, or it may be a password. It reminds one of the forty thieves
+business. You go and knock at the door of a cave, a figure armed to the
+teeth presents itself, you whisper in his ear 'Masulipatam,' he replies
+'Madras,' or 'Calcutta,' or something of that sort, you take out the
+coin and show it to him, he takes out from some hidden repository a
+similar one, compares the two, and then leads you to an inner cave piled
+up with jewels."
+
+Mark laughed.
+
+"Well, it is no laughing matter, Mark," the Squire went on seriously.
+"The little comedy may not be played just as I have sketched it, but I
+expect that it is something of the kind. That coin has to be shown, and
+the word 'Masulipatam' spoken to the guardian, whoever he may be, of
+your uncle's treasure. But who that guardian may be or how he is to be
+found is a mystery. I myself have never tried to solve it. There was
+nothing whatever to go upon. The things may be in England or, it may be,
+anywhere in India. To me it looked an absolutely hopeless business to
+set about. I did not see how even a first step was to be taken, and as I
+had this estate and you and Millicent to look after, and was no longer
+a young man, I put the matter aside altogether. You are young, you have
+plenty of energy, and you have your life before you, and it is a matter
+of the greatest interest to you.
+
+"Possibly--very improbably, mind, still possibly--when Millicent comes
+of age and learns who she is, Mrs. Cunningham may be able to help you.
+I have no idea whether it is so. I have never spoken to her about this
+treasure of George's, but it is just possible that while he was in
+town before he came down to me he may have given her some instructions
+concerning it. Of course he intended to give me full particulars, but he
+could hardly have avoided seeing that, in the event of my death, perhaps
+suddenly before the time came for seeking the treasure, the secret
+would be lost altogether. Whether he has told her or his lawyer or not
+I cannot say, but I have all along clung to the hope that he took some
+such natural precaution. Unless that treasure is discovered, the only
+thing that will come to you is the half of the accumulated rents of
+this estate during the ten years between my father's death and George's;
+these rents were paid to our solicitors, and by them invested.
+
+"The rentals amount to about 2500 pounds a year, and of course there is
+interest to be added, so that I suppose there is now some 25,000 pounds,
+for I had out 2000 pounds when I came here, to set matters straight. I
+had a great fight with the lawyers over it, but as I pointed out they
+had failed altogether to see that the agent did his duty, and that
+at least a couple of hundred a year ought to be expended in necessary
+repairs, I had a right to at least that sum to carry out the work that
+ought to be done from year to year. In addition to that sum I laid out
+about 1000 pounds a year for the first three years I was here; so that
+practically 5000 pounds was expended in rebuilding the village and
+doing repairs on the homesteads; that, however, is not the point now.
+Altogether, then, there is some 25,000 pounds to be divided between you
+and Millicent when she becomes mistress of this property.
+
+"According to the terms of my brother's will, I am still to remain here
+until she marries; when she does so I shall, of course, go back to my
+own little place; the income of that has been accumulating while I
+have been here, my only expenses having been for clothes. I have taken
+nothing out of this estate since I came here, and each year have paid
+to the solicitors all balances remaining after discharging the household
+expenses, these balances averaging 700 or 800 pounds a year. Of
+course the income was absolutely left to me during the time I remained
+ostensible owner, but I had no wish to make money out of a trust that
+I assumed greatly against my will. That money is Millicent's; of course
+the house had to be kept up in proper style whether I were here or not.
+Had she at once come into possession, there must have been horses, and
+carriages, and so on. I don't say that I have not had all the expenses
+of our living saved; that I had no objection to; but I was determined at
+least not to take a penny put of the estate beyond those expenses. You
+see, Mark, you will have your 12,500 pounds anyhow, as soon as Millicent
+comes of age--not a bad little sum--so that even if you never hear
+anything more of this mysterious treasure you will not be penniless, or
+in anyway dependent upon me. At my death, of course, you will come into
+the Sussex place, with what savings there may be."
+
+"I am sure I have no reason to grumble, father," Mark said heartily.
+"Of course it came upon me at first as a surprise that Millicent was
+the heiress here, and it flashed through my mind for the moment that the
+best thing would be to take a commission in the army, or to follow my
+uncle's example, and get a cadetship in the Company's service. I have
+no doubt that I should have enjoyed life either way quite as much or
+possibly more than if I had gone on a good many years as heir to these
+estates, and afterwards as Squire. Of course, now I shall make it my
+business to see if it is possible to obtain some sort of clew to this
+treasure, and then follow it up; but the first thing to which I shall
+give my mind will be to hunt down Bastow. We shall never feel safe here
+as long as that fellow is alive, and that will be the first thing I
+shall devote myself to. After that I shall see about the treasure."
+
+"As to that, Mark, I cannot impress upon you too strongly what your
+uncle said. It may, of course, be a pure delusion on his part; but if
+he is right, and some of these Hindoo fellows are still on the watch to
+obtain that bracelet, you must use extraordinary precautions when you
+get it into your hands; he advised me to take it across to Amsterdam,
+and either get the stones recut or to sell them separately to different
+diamond merchants there. He said that my life would not be worth an
+hour's purchase as long as the stones were in my hands."
+
+"That rather looks, father, as if the things were somewhere in England;
+had they been in India, you would have had them some months in your
+hands before you could get them to Amsterdam."
+
+"I did not think of that before, Mark, and it is possible that you
+are right; but I don't know; he might have thought that it would be
+impossible for me to dispose of them at Madras or Calcutta, and may have
+assumed that I should at once deposit them in a bank to be forwarded
+with other treasure to England, or that I should get them packed away
+in the treasure safe in the ship I came back by, and that I should not
+really have them on my person till I landed in England, or until I
+took them from the Bank. Still, I see that your supposition is the most
+likely, and that they may all this time have been lying somewhere in
+London until I should present myself with a gold coin and the word
+'Masulipatam.'"
+
+Suddenly Mark sprang to his feet, and pulled back the curtains across
+a window, threw it up, and leaped into the garden, and there stood
+listening for two or three minutes, with his pistol cocked in his hand.
+He stepped for a moment into the room again.
+
+"You had better put that light out, father or we may have another shot."
+
+"Did you hear anything, Mark?"
+
+"I thought I did, father. I may have been mistaken, but I certainly
+thought I heard a noise, and when I pulled the curtains aside the window
+was not shut by three or four inches. I will have a look through the
+shrubbery. That fellow may have come back again. Pull the curtains to
+after me."
+
+"I will go with you, Mark."
+
+"I would rather you didn't, father; it would only make me nervous. I
+shan't go into the shrubbery and give them a chance of getting first
+shot. I shall hide up somewhere and listen. It is a still night, and if
+there is anyone moving I am pretty sure to hear him."
+
+The Squire turned down the lamp, drew the curtains, and seated himself
+by the fire. It was three quarters of an hour before Mark returned. He
+shut the window, and fastened it carefully.
+
+"I fancy you must have been mistaken, Mark."
+
+"I suppose that shot through the window has made me nervous. I certainly
+did fancy I heard a noise there; it may have been a dead bough snapping,
+or something of that sort; and of course, the window being partly open,
+even though only three or four inches, any little noise would come in
+more plainly than it otherwise would do. However, everything has been
+perfectly quiet since I went out, and it is hardly likely indeed that
+the fellow would have returned so soon after the hot chase I gave him."
+
+"It is very stupid--the window being left open," the Squire said. "I
+shall question Martha about it in the morning; it was her duty to see
+that it was shut and fastened before drawing the curtains. Just at
+present one can scarcely be too careful. I don't mean to deny that
+whether there was a window open or not a burglar who wanted to get into
+the house could do so, still there is no use in making their work more
+easy for them. I know, as a rule, we are careless about such things;
+there has not been a burglary in this part for years, and until lately
+the front door has never been locked at night, and anyone could have
+walked in who wanted to. Of course the servants don't know that there is
+any reason for being more careful at present than usual.
+
+"I was thinking the other day of having shutters put to all these
+downstair rooms. Some of them have got them, and some have not; still,
+even with shutters, burglars can always get in if they want to do so.
+They have only to cut round the lock of a door or to make a hole in a
+panel to give them room to put an arm through and draw back a bolt, and
+the thing is done. I know that all the silver is locked up every night
+in the safe, for Ramoo sees to that, and I have never known him neglect
+anything under his charge. Well, Mark, I don't know that it is any use
+sitting up longer, we have plenty of time to talk the matter over; it is
+four years yet before Millicent comes of age, though, of course, there
+is nothing to prevent your setting out in quest of the treasure as soon
+as you like. Still, there is no hurry about it."
+
+"None whatever, father; but I don't mean to lose a day before I try to
+get on the track of that villain Bastow."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+
+Mark was some hours before he went to sleep. The news that he had heard
+that evening was strange and startling. Full of health and strength, the
+fact that he was not, as he had always supposed, the heir to the estate
+troubled him not at all. The fact that in four years he would come in
+for some twelve thousand pounds was sufficient to prevent his feeling
+any uneasiness as to his future; and indeed in some respects it was not
+an unpleasant idea that, instead of being tied down to the estate, he
+should be able to wander at will, visit foreign countries, and make his
+own life.
+
+In one respect he was sorry. His father had in the last year hinted more
+than once that it would be a very nice arrangement if he were to make
+up a match with his ward; he had laughed, and said that there would be
+plenty of time for that yet. But the idea had been an agreeable one. He
+was very fond of Millicent--fond, perhaps; in a cousinly way at present;
+but at any rate he liked her far better than any of the sisters of his
+friends. Of course she was only seventeen yet, and there was plenty of
+time to think of marriage in another three years. Still, the thought
+occurred to him several times that she was budding out into a young
+woman, and every month added to her attractions. It was but the day
+before he had said to himself that there was no reason to wait as long
+as three years, especially as his father seemed anxious, and would
+evidently be glad were the match to take place. Now, of course, he said
+to himself, that was at an end. He had never given her any reason to
+suppose that he cared for her, and now that she was the heiress and
+he comparatively poor, she would naturally think that it was for the
+estate, and not for herself, that she was wooed. Then there was the
+question of this curiously lost treasure, with the mysterious clew that
+led to nothing. How on earth was he to set about the quest? He puzzled
+for a long time over this, till at last he fell asleep. He was roused by
+Ramoo entering the room.
+
+"What is it, Ramoo?"
+
+"Me not know, sahib. Massa Thorndyke's door shut. Me no able to make him
+hear."
+
+"That is curious, Ramoo," Mark said, jumping hastily out of bed. "I will
+be with you in a minute."
+
+He slipped on his trousers, coat, and slippers, and then accompanied
+Ramoo to his father's door. He knocked again and again, and each time
+more loudly, his face growing paler as he did so. Then he threw himself
+against the door, but it was solid and heavy.
+
+"Fetch me an ax, Ramoo," he said. "There is something wrong here."
+
+Ramoo returned in a short time with two men servants and with the ax in
+his hands. Mark took it, and with a few mighty blows split the woodwork,
+and then hurling himself against the door, it yielded. As he entered
+the room a cry broke from his lips. Within a pace or two of the bed the
+Squire lay on the ground, on his face, and a deep stain on the carpet
+at once showed that his death had been a violent one. Mark knelt by his
+side now, and touched him. The body was stiff and cold. The Squire must
+have been dead for some hours.
+
+"Murdered!" he said in a low voice; "my father has been murdered."
+
+He remained in horror struck silence for a minute or two; then he slowly
+rose to his feet.
+
+"Let us lay him on the bed," he said, and with the assistance of the
+three men he lifted and laid him there.
+
+"He has been stabbed," he murmured, pointing to a small cut in the
+middle of the deep stain, just over the heart.
+
+Ramoo, after helping to lift the Squire onto the bed, had slid down to
+the floor, and crouched there, sobbing convulsively. The two servants
+stood helpless and aghast. Mark looked round the room: the window was
+open. He walked to it. A garden ladder stood outside, showing how the
+assassin had obtained entrance. Mark stood rigid and silent, his hands
+tightly clenched, his breath coming slowly and heavily. At last he
+roused himself.
+
+"Leave things just as they are," he said to the men in a tone of
+unnatural calmness, "and fasten the door up again, and turn a table or
+something of that sort against it on the outside so that no one can come
+in. John, do you tell one of the grooms to saddle a horse and ride down
+into the town. Let him tell the head constable to come up at once, and
+also Dr. Holloway. Then he is to go on to Sir Charles Harris, tell him
+what has happened, and beg him to ride over at once.
+
+"Come, Ramoo," he said in a softer voice, "you can do no good here, poor
+fellow, and the room must be closed. It is a heavy loss to you too."
+
+The Hindoo rose slowly, the tears streaming down his face.
+
+"He was a good master," he said, "and I loved him just as I loved the
+Colonel, sahib. Ramoo would have given his life for him."
+
+With his hand upon Ramoo's shoulder, Mark left the room; he passed a
+group of women huddled together with blanched faces, at a short distance
+down the passage, the news that the Squire's door could not be opened
+and the sounds made by its being broken in having called them together.
+Mark could not speak. He silently shook his head and passed on. As
+he reached his room he heard shrieks and cries behind him, as the men
+informed them of what had taken place. On reaching his door, the one
+opposite opened, and Mrs. Cunningham in a dressing gown came out.
+
+"What is the matter, Mark, and what are these cries about?"
+
+"A dreadful thing has happened, Mrs. Cunningham; my father has been
+murdered in the night. Please tell Millicent."
+
+Then he closed the door behind him, threw himself on his bed, and burst
+into a passion of tears. The Squire had been a good father to him, and
+had made him his friend and companion--a treatment rare indeed at a time
+when few sons would think of sitting down in their father's presence
+until told to do so. Since he had left school, eight years before, they
+had been very much together. For the last two or three years Mark had
+been a good deal out, but in this his father had encouraged him.
+
+"I like to see you make your own friends, Mark, and go your own way," he
+used to say; "it is as bad for a lad to be tied to his father's coattail
+as at his mother's apron string. Get fresh ideas and form your own
+opinions. It will do for you what a public school would have done; make
+you self reliant, and independent."
+
+Still, of course, a great portion of his time had been with his father,
+and they often would ride round the estate together and talk to the
+tenants, or walk in the gardens and forcing houses. Generally Mark would
+be driven by his father to the meet if it took place within reasonable
+distance, his horse being sent on beforehand by a groom, while of an
+evening they would sit in the library, smoke their long pipes, and talk
+over politics or the American and French wars.
+
+All this was over. There was but one thing now that he could do for his
+father, and that was to revenge his death, and at the thought he rose
+from his bed impatiently and paced up and down the room. He must wait
+for a week, wait till the funeral was over, and then he would be on
+Bastow's track. If all other plans failed he would spend his time in
+coaches until at last the villain should try to stop one; but there must
+be other ways. Could he find no other he would apply for employment as
+a Bow Street runner, serve for a year to find out their methods, and
+acquaint himself with the places where criminals were harbored. It would
+be the one object of his life, until he succeeded in laying his hand on
+Bastow's shoulder. He would not shoot him if he could help it. He should
+prefer to see him in the dock, to hear the sentence passed on him, and
+to see it carried out. As to the treasure, it was not worth a thought
+till his first duty was discharged.
+
+Presently a servant brought him a cup of tea. He drank it mechanically,
+and then proceeded to dress himself. Sir Charles Harris would be here
+soon and the others; indeed, he had scarcely finished when he was told
+that the doctor from Reigate had just arrived, and that the constable
+had come up half an hour before. He at once went down to the library,
+into which the doctor had been shown.
+
+"You have heard what has happened," he said, as he shook hands silently.
+"I expect Sir Charles Harris here in half an hour. I suppose you will
+not go up till then?"
+
+"No, I think it will be best that no one should go in until he comes. I
+have been speaking to Simeox; he was going in, but I told him I thought
+it was better to wait. I may as well take the opportunity of going
+upstairs to see Mr. Bastow. I hear that he fainted when he heard the
+news, and that he is completely prostrate."
+
+"Two such shocks might well prove fatal to him," Mark said; "he has been
+weak and ailing for some time."
+
+"Two shocks?" the doctor repeated interrogatively.
+
+"Ah, I forgot you had not heard about the affair yesterday evening: a
+man fired at us through the window when we were sitting round the fire,
+before the candles were lit. The ball passed between my father's head
+and Mr. Bastow's; both had a narrow escape; the bullet is imbedded in
+the mantelpiece. I will have it cut out; it may be a useful item of
+evidence some day."
+
+"But what could have been the man's motive? Your father was universally
+popular."
+
+"Except with ill doers," Mark said. "I ran out and chased the fellow
+for half a mile, and should have caught him if he had not had a horse
+waiting for him in a lane, and he got off by the skin of his teeth. I
+hope that next time I meet him he will not be so lucky. Mr. Bastow was
+very much shaken, and went to bed soon afterwards. I am not surprised
+that this second shock should be too much for him. Will you go up and
+see him? I will speak to Simeox."
+
+The constable was out in the garden.
+
+"This is a terrible business, Mr. Thorndyke. I suppose, after what you
+told me, you have your suspicions?"
+
+"They are not suspicions at all--they are certainties. Did you hear that
+he tried to shoot my father yesterday evening?"
+
+"No, sir, I have heard nothing about it."
+
+Mark repeated the story of the attempt and pursuit.
+
+"Could you swear to him,' Mr. Thorndyke?"
+
+"No, there was not much light left; besides, as I have not seen him for
+the last eight years, I should certainly not be able to recognize him
+unless I had time to have a good look at him. Had it only been last
+night's affair it might have been anyone; but the shooting through the
+window was not the act of a thief, but of an assassin, who could only
+have been influenced by private enmity. I quite see that at present I
+have no legal evidence against Bastow; I am not even in a position to
+prove that he is in the country, for it cannot be said that my father's
+belief that he recognized the voice of the man who said 'Stand and
+deliver!' is proof. I doubt if anyone could swear that, when he only
+heard three words, he was absolutely sure that it was the voice of a man
+he had not seen for some years. However, fortunately, that will make no
+difference; the man is, as I told you, wanted for his heading the mutiny
+in the convict prison at Sydney, which will be quite sufficient to hang
+him without this business. But I own that I should prefer that he were
+hung for my father's murder if we could secure sufficient evidence.
+Moreover, there is the attack upon us three or four months ago, and with
+the evidence of the surgeon who attended him as to his wound, that would
+be enough to hang him. But we have first got to catch him, and that I
+mean to make my business, however long the search may take me."
+
+"Was anything taken last night, sir?"
+
+"I don't know; I did not look. We shall see to that when we go upstairs.
+We may as well go indoors now; Sir Charles may be here in a few minutes,
+and I want to hear Dr. Holloway's report as to Mr. Bastow."
+
+"He does not suspect, I hope, sir?"
+
+"No, thank God; my father never mentioned to him anything he heard about
+his son, or his suspicions, therefore he has no reason to believe that
+the fellow is not still in the convict prison at Sydney. We shall keep
+it from him now, whatever happens; but it would, for his sake, be best
+that this shock should prove too much for him. He has had a very hard
+time of it altogether."
+
+"He is terribly prostrate," the doctor reported when Mark joined him. "I
+don't think that he will get over it. He is scarcely conscious now. You
+see, he is an old man, and has no reserve of strength to fall back upon.
+Your father has been such a good friend to him that it is not surprising
+the news should have been too much for him. I examined him at the
+Squire's request some months ago as to his heart's action, which was so
+weak that I told the Squire then that he might go off at any time, and I
+rather wonder that he recovered even temporarily from the shock."
+
+In a few minutes Sir Charles Harris drove up.
+
+"This is terrible news, my dear Mark," he said, as he leaped from his
+gig and wrung Mark's hand--"terrible. I don't know when I have had
+such a shock; he was a noble fellow in all respects, a warm friend, an
+excellent magistrate, a kind landlord, good all round. I can scarcely
+believe it yet. A burglar, of course. I suppose he entered the house for
+the purpose of robbery, when your father awoke and jumped out of bed,
+there was a tussle, and the scoundrel killed him; at least, that is what
+I gather from the story that the groom told me."
+
+"That is near it, Sir Charles, but I firmly believe that robbery was not
+the object, but murder; for murder was attempted yesterday evening," and
+he informed the magistrate of the shot fired through the window.
+
+"Bless me, you don't say so!" the magistrate exclaimed. "That alters
+the case altogether, and certainly would seem to make the act one of
+premeditated murder; and yet, surely, the Squire could not have had an
+enemy. Some of the men whom we have sentenced may have felt a grudge
+against him, but surely not sufficient to lead them to a crime like
+this."
+
+"I will talk of it with you afterwards, Sir Charles. I have the very
+strongest suspicions, although no absolute proofs. Now, will you first
+come upstairs? Doctor Holloway is here and Simeox, but no one has
+entered the room since I left it; I thought it better that it should be
+left undisturbed until you came."
+
+"Quite so; we will go up at once."
+
+An examination of the room showed nothing whatever that would afford the
+slightest clew. The Squire's watch was still in the watch pocket at the
+head of the bed, his purse was on a small table beside him; apparently
+nothing had been touched in the room.
+
+"If robbery was the object," Sir Charles said gravely, "it has evidently
+not been carried out, and it is probable that Mr. Thorndyke was partly
+woke by the opening of the window, and that he was not thoroughly
+aroused until the man was close to his bed; then he leapt out and seized
+him. Probably the stab was, as Dr. Holloway assures us, instantly fatal,
+and he may have fallen so heavily that the man, fearing that the house
+would be alarmed at the sound, at once fled, without even waiting to
+snatch up the purse. The whole thing is so clear that it is scarcely
+necessary to ask any further questions. Of course, there must be an
+inquest tomorrow. I should like when I go down to ask the gardener
+where he left the ladder yesterday. Have you examined the ground for
+footmarks?"
+
+"Yes, Sir Charles, but you see it was a pretty hard frost last night,
+and I cannot find any marks at all. The ground must have been like iron
+about the time when the ladder was placed there."
+
+The gardener, on being called in, said that the ladder was always hung
+up outside the shed at the back of the house; there was a chain round
+it, and he had found that morning that one of the links had been filed
+through.
+
+"The Squire was most particular about its being locked, as Mr. Mark
+knows, so that it could not be used by any ill disposed chaps who might
+come along at night. The key of the padlock was always hung on a nail
+round the other side of the shed. The Squire knew of it, and so did Mr.
+Mark and me; so that while it was out of the way of the eyes of a thief,
+any of us could run and get it and undo the padlock in a minute in case
+of fire or anything of that sort. I have not used the ladder, maybe,
+for a fortnight, but I know that it was hanging in its place yesterday
+afternoon."
+
+"I expect the fellow was prowling about here for some time," Mark said.
+"I was chatting with my father in the library when I thought I heard a
+noise, and I threw open the window, which had by some carelessness been
+left a little open, and went out, and listened for nearly an hour, but I
+could hear nothing, and put it down to the fact that I was nervous owing
+to what had happened early in the evening, and that the noise was simply
+fancy, or that the frost had caused a dry branch of one of the shrubs to
+crack."
+
+"How was it you did not notice the window was open as you went in?"
+
+"The curtains were drawn, sir. I glanced at that when I went into the
+room with my father. After being shot at once from outside, it was
+possible that we might be again; though I own that I did not for a
+moment think that the fellow would return after the hot chase that
+I gave him. I suppose after I went in he looked about and found the
+ladder; it is likely enough that he would have had a file with him in
+case he had any bars to cut through to get into the house, but to my
+mind it is more likely that he knew where to find the ladder without any
+looking for it; it has hung there as long as I can remember."
+
+"Yes, sir," the gardener said, "I have worked for the Squire ever since
+he came here, and the ladder was bought a week or two after he took me
+on, and the Squire settled where it should be hung, so that it might be
+handy either in case of fire or if wanted for a painting job. This aint
+the first ladder; we got a new one four years ago."
+
+"It is singular that the man should have known which was the window of
+your father's room."
+
+"Very singular," Mark said.
+
+Shortly after the doctor left, and Mark had a long talk with the
+magistrate in the library, and told him his reasons for suspecting that
+the murderer was Arthur Bastow.
+
+"It certainly looks like it," the magistrate said thoughtfully, after
+he had heard Mark's story, "though of course it is only a case of strong
+suspicion, and not of legal proof. Your father's recognition of the
+voice could have scarcely been accepted as final when he heard but three
+words, still the whole thing hangs together. The fellow was, I should
+say, capable of anything. I don't know that I ever had a prisoner before
+me whose demeanor was so offensive and insolent, and if it can be proved
+that Bastow is in England I should certainly accept your view of the
+case. He would probably have known both where the ladder was to be found
+and which was the window of your father's bedroom."
+
+"I should certainly think that he would know it, sir. The bedroom was
+the same that my grandfather used to sleep in, and probably during the
+years before we came here young Bastow would have often been over the
+house. The first year or two after we came he was often up here with
+his father, but I know that my father took such an objection to him, his
+manner and language were so offensive, that he would not have me, boy as
+I was--I was only about eleven when he came here--associate with him in
+the smallest degree. But during those two years he may very well have
+noticed where the ladder was."
+
+"Do you intend to say anything about all this tomorrow at the inquest,
+Mark?"
+
+"I don't think I shall do so," Mark said moodily. "I am certain of it
+myself, but I don't think any man would convict him without stronger
+evidence than I could give. However, that business in Australia will be
+sufficient to hang him."
+
+"I think you are right, Mark. Of course, if you do light upon any
+evidence, we can bring this matter up in another court; if not, there
+will be no occasion for you to appear in it at all, but leave it
+altogether for the authorities to prove the Sydney case against him;
+it will only be necessary for the constables who got up the other case
+against him to prove his sentence, and for the reports of the Governor
+of the jail to be read. There will be no getting over that, and he
+will be hung as a matter of course. It will be a terrible thing for his
+unhappy father."
+
+"I do not think that he is likely to come to know it, sir; the shock of
+the affair yesterday and that of this morning have completely prostrated
+him, and Dr. Holloway, who was up with him before you arrived, thinks
+that there is very little chance of his recovery."
+
+When the magistrate had left, Mark sent a request to Mrs. Cunningham
+that she would come down for a few minutes. She joined him in the
+drawing room.
+
+"Thank you for coming down," he said quietly. "I wanted to ask how you
+were, and how Millicent is."
+
+"She is terribly upset. You see, the Squire was the only father she had
+ever known; and had he been really so he could not have been kinder. It
+is a grievous loss to me also, after ten years of happiness here; but
+I have had but little time to think of my own loss yet, I have been too
+occupied in soothing the poor girl. How are you feeling yourself, Mark?"
+
+"I don't understand myself," he said. "I don't think that anyone could
+have loved his father better than I have done; but since I broke down
+when I first went to my room I seem to have no inclination to give way
+to sorrow. I feel frozen up; my voice does not sound to me as if it were
+my own; I am able to discuss matters as calmly as if I were speaking of
+a stranger. The one thing that I feel passionately anxious about is to
+set out on the track of the assassin."
+
+"There is nothing unusual in your state of feeling, Mark. Such a thing
+as this is like a wound in battle; the shock is so great that for a time
+it numbs all pain. I have heard my husband say that a soldier who has
+had his arm carried off by a cannon ball will fall from the shock, and
+when he recovers consciousness will be ignorant where he has been hit.
+It is so with you; probably the sense of pain and loss will increase
+every day as you take it in more and more. As for what you say about the
+murderer, it will undoubtedly be a good thing for you to have something
+to employ your thoughts and engage all your faculties as soon as this is
+all over. Is there anything that I can do?"
+
+"No, thank you; the inquest will be held tomorrow. I have sent down to
+Chatterton to come up this afternoon to make the necessary preparations
+for the funeral. Let me see, today is Wednesday, is it not? I seem to
+have lost all account of the time."
+
+"Yes, Wednesday."
+
+"Then I suppose the funeral will be on Monday or Tuesday. If there is
+any message that you want sent down to the town, one of the grooms will
+carry it whenever you wish."
+
+"Thank you; 'tis not worth sending particularly, any time will do, but
+I shall want to send a note to Mrs. Wilson presently, asking her to come
+up the first thing tomorrow morning."
+
+"He can take it whenever, you like, Mrs. Cunningham. I have nothing
+to send down for, as far as I know. I suppose you have heard that the
+doctor thinks very badly of Mr. Bastow?"
+
+"Yes. Ramoo is sitting with him now."
+
+"Then I think, if you will write your note at once, Mrs. Cunningham, I
+will send one down to Dr. Holloway, asking him to send an experienced
+nurse. He said he should call again this afternoon, but the sooner a
+nurse comes the better."
+
+That afternoon Mark wrote a letter to the family solicitors, telling
+them of what had taken place, and stating that the funeral would be on
+the following Tuesday, and asking them to send down a clerk with his
+father's will, or if one of the partners could manage to come down,
+he should greatly prefer it, in view of the explanations that would be
+necessary. He had already sent off a letter to the head of the Detective
+Department, asking him to send down one of his best men as soon as
+possible. Then he went out into the garden, and walked backwards and
+forwards for about two hours, and then returned to what he thought
+would be a solitary meal. Mrs. Cunningham, however, came down. She had
+thoughtfully had the large dining table pushed on one side, and a small
+one placed near the fire.
+
+"I thought it would be more comfortable," she said, "as there are only
+our two selves, just to sit here."
+
+He thanked her with a look. It was a nice little dinner, and Mark, to
+his surprise, ate it with an appetite. Except the cup of tea that he
+had taken in the morning, and a glass of wine at midday, he had touched
+nothing. Mrs. Cunningham was a woman of great tact, and by making him
+talk of the steps that he intended to take to hunt down the assassin,
+kept him from thinking.
+
+"Thank you very much, Mrs. Cunningham," he said, when the dinner was
+over. "I feel very much better."
+
+"I have brought down my work," she said, "and will sit here while you
+drink your wine and smoke a pipe. Millicent has gone to bed, completely
+worn out, and it will be pleasanter for us both to sit here than to be
+alone."
+
+Mark gladly agreed to the proposal. She turned the conversation now to
+India, and talked of her life there.
+
+"I was not out there very long," she said. "I was engaged to my husband
+when he first went out, and six years afterwards joined him there, and
+we were married. Your uncle, who was a major of his regiment, gave me
+away. My husband got his company six months afterwards, and was killed
+three years later. My pension as his widow was not a large one, and
+when your uncle offered me the charge of his daughter I was very glad to
+accept it. He gave some idea of his plans for her. I thought they were
+very foolish, but when I saw that his mind was thoroughly made up I did
+not attempt to dissuade him. He said that when he came home to England
+(and he had no idea when that would be) he should have me here, as head
+of his establishment, and it would be given out that the child was his
+ward. I hoped that he would alter his mind later on, but, as you know,
+he never did."
+
+"Well, of course, she will have to be told now," Mark said.
+
+"Do you think so? It seems to me that it were better that she would go
+as she is, at any rate, until she is twenty-one."
+
+"That would be quite impossible," Mark said decidedly. "How could I
+assume the position of master here? And even if I could, it would be a
+strange thing indeed for me to be here with a girl the age of my cousin,
+even with you as chaperon. You must see yourself that it would be quite
+impossible."
+
+"But how could she live here by herself?"
+
+"I don't think she could live here by herself," Mark said, "especially
+after what has happened. Of course, it has all got to be talked over,
+but my idea is that the place had better be shut up, and that you should
+take, in your own name, a house in London. I suppose she will want
+masters for the harp, and so on. For a time, at any rate, that would be
+the best plan, unless you would prefer some other place to London. We
+have done our best to carry out my uncle's wishes, but circumstances
+have been too strong for us, and it cannot be kept up any longer; but
+there is no reason, if you and she prefer it, why she should not be
+known, until you return here, by her present name. Of course the affair
+will create a great deal of talk down here, but in London no one will
+know that Millicent is an heiress, though it is hardly likely that you
+will make many acquaintances for a time."
+
+"Have you known it long, Mark? I thought that you were kept in ignorance
+of it."
+
+"I only heard it yesterday evening, Mrs. Cunningham; after that shot
+through the window my father thought I ought to know all about it, for
+the attempt might be repeated more successfully. He told me all about
+her, and about the treasure."
+
+"What treasure?" Mrs. Cunningham said. "I don't know what you mean."
+
+He then told her of the story his uncle had related, and how he had been
+prevented from giving full instructions for its discovery, the only clew
+being a gold coin and the word Masulipatam, and that this treasure had
+been left equally divided between him and Millicent by his will.
+
+"He told me that he should provide for you," Mrs. Cunningham remarked,
+"when I said that it would be unfair that you should be brought up
+believing yourself the heir. I never heard any more about it, but I am
+glad that it is so."
+
+"I fancy the chance of its coming to either of us is very small," Mark
+said; "a coin and a word are not much to go upon. I have not the most
+remote idea what they mean, and whether the treasure is in England or in
+India, Heaven only knows."
+
+"Possibly, when he made the will, he may have told the solicitors
+where it was, and instructed them to keep it secret until the time that
+Millicent came into possession of the estate."
+
+"It is just possible he did so, Mrs. Cunningham, but the efforts he made
+to speak at the last moment would almost seem to show that he had
+not told them, for, if he had, the matter would have been of no vital
+importance one way or the other. Will Millicent be well enough to come
+down in the morning?"
+
+"I hope so."
+
+"I hope so, too; but, at any rate, keep her up in her room till the
+afternoon. The inquest will be at eleven o'clock, and it is better that
+she should not come down until everyone has gone away."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+
+Directly after breakfast was over the next morning the Rector came in.
+
+"I would not come in yesterday, Mark," he said. "I knew that you would
+be best alone; and, indeed, I was myself so terribly upset by the news
+that I did not feel equal to it. I need not say how deeply I and my wife
+sympathize with you. Never did a kinder heart beat than your father's;
+never have I seen people so universally grieved as they are in the
+village. I doubt whether a man went to work yesterday, and as for
+the women, had it been a father they had lost they could not be more
+affected."
+
+"Yes, he will be greatly missed," Mark said unsteadily; "and, between
+ourselves--but this must go no further--I have a suspicion, amounting
+almost to a certainty, that the hand that dealt this blow is the same
+that caused the vacancy that brought you here."
+
+"Do you mean Arthur Bastow?" Mr. Greg said in amazement. "Why, I thought
+that he was transported for fifteen years."
+
+Then Mark told the Rector the inner history of the past six months,
+and of the report they had had from the officer at Bow Street of the
+personal appearance of the wounded man.
+
+"Other things are in favor of it," he went on. "My father's watch and
+purse were untouched, and a stranger on a dark night would be hardly
+likely to have discovered the ladder, or to have had a file in his
+pocket with which to cut through a link, though this might have been
+part of the apparatus of any burglar. Then, again, an ordinary man would
+hardly have known which was my father's bedroom, except, indeed, that he
+saw the light there after those in the ladies' rooms were extinguished;
+but, at any rate, he could not have told which was my father's and which
+was mine. But all this is, as I said, Mr. Greg, quite between ourselves.
+I had a long talk yesterday with Sir Charles Harris, and, as he said,
+there is no legal proof whatever, strong as the suspicion is; so I am
+going to say nothing on the subject at the inquest. The scoundrel's poor
+father is dying, happily in ignorance of all this. Dr. Holloway was up
+with him all night, and told me this morning before he drove off that it
+is very unlikely that he will get through the day."
+
+"It is all very terrible, Mark; but I cannot deny that everything points
+to the man. Surely no one else could have cut short so useful a life,
+for certainly no ordinary degree of hatred would drive a man, however
+brutal his nature, to commit such a crime, and to run the risk of
+hanging for it. Let us take a brisk walk in the garden for an hour--that
+will be the best thing for you. I will stop with you until the inquest
+is over, and then you had better come over and have lunch with us."
+
+"Thank you; I cannot do so," Mark said, "though I should like to. In the
+first place, Millicent will come downstairs this afternoon, and I should
+like to be in to meet her. Had it not been for that I might have come,
+as I can walk across the fields to the Rectory without passing through
+the village. There is another reason. I sent up yesterday by the coach
+a letter to be delivered at once by hand, and I expect a detective down
+here by one o'clock. I don't know that he will do any good; but at
+the same time it will give me something to do, and at present there is
+nothing I dread so much as sitting alone. Fortunately, yesterday evening
+Millicent went to bed at five o'clock, and Mrs. Cunningham sat with me
+all the evening, and her talk did me a great deal of good."
+
+The inquest occupied a very short time, the only point on which many
+questions were asked being as to the firing through the window. Mark
+stated that it was already so dark that although he was within fifty
+yards of the man when he mounted and rode off, he could not give any
+very distinct description of his figure. It struck him as being that of
+a man of medium height.
+
+"You have made out that the bullet was intended for your father?"
+
+"I cannot say that, sir, it went between his head and that of Mr.
+Bastow, but it might have been meant for either."
+
+"Was your father impressed with the idea that it was an attempt to
+murder him?"
+
+"He naturally thought so. Mr. Bastow can assuredly have no enemies,
+while my father, as a magistrate, may have made some. He certainly
+thought it was an attempt to murder him, and was so impressed by the
+fact that when we went to the library later on he went into certain
+family matters with me that he had never communicated before, and which,
+had it not been for this, he would not have entered into for some years
+to come."
+
+"He had his opinion, then, as to who was his assailant?"
+
+"He had, sir, but as it was but an opinion, although there were
+several facts that seemed to justify the conviction, there was no proof
+whatever, and therefore I do not think myself justified in saying what
+that opinion was."
+
+"Do you entertain the same opinion yourself?"
+
+"I do," Mark said emphatically; "but until I can obtain some evidence in
+support of what is really but a matter of opinion, and because, were I
+to give the name, it would lessen my chance of obtaining such evidence,
+I decline to mention the name."
+
+"You have no doubt that the author of the second attempt is the same as
+that of the first?"
+
+"Personally, I have no doubt whatever; it stands to reason that it is
+barely possible that two men could have, unknown to each other, made up
+their minds to murder my father on the same evening."
+
+The constable's evidence added nothing to that given by Mark. He had
+been down to the lane where the man pursued had mounted. The reins of
+the horse had apparently been thrown over a gatepost, and he thought it
+had been standing there for some little time, for there were marks where
+it had scraped the ground repeatedly. He had followed the marks of its
+hoofs for some distance; it had gone at a gallop for about half a mile,
+and then the pace had slackened into a trot. It continued until the
+lane fell into the main road, but beyond this he had been unable to
+distinguish it from the marks of the traffic in general.
+
+"You found no footprints whatever near the foot of the ladder, or
+anywhere else round the house?"
+
+"None whatever, sir."
+
+"There were no signs of any other window or door save that of Mr.
+Thorndyke's room being attempted?"
+
+"None at all, sir."
+
+There was but a short consultation between the jurors, who at once
+returned a verdict of "Willful murder by some person or persons
+unknown."
+
+Dr. Holloway had, after giving evidence, returned at once to Mr.
+Bastow's room. The only point of importance in his evidence was the
+statement that the wound must have been fatal at once, the heart itself
+having been penetrated. It had been inflicted by a dagger or a narrow
+bladed knife.
+
+"Do you mean that it was an unusually small dagger, Dr. Holloway?"
+
+"I should say it was a very fine dagger; not the sort of weapon that you
+would expect to find a highwayman carry, if he carried one at all, but
+rather a weapon of Spanish or Italian manufacture."
+
+"Not the sort of wound that a rapier would make?"
+
+"Yes, the wound itself might have been very well made by a light rapier,
+but there was a slight bruise on the flesh on each side of the wound,
+such a mark as might be made by the handle or guard of a dagger, and
+sufficiently plain to leave no doubt in my mind that it was so made."
+
+"Had the wound a downward course, or was it a straight thrust?"
+
+"A straight thrust," the doctor replied. "My idea is that the two men
+were grappling together, and that as Mr. Thorndyke was a very powerful
+man, his assailant, who probably was approaching the bed with the
+dagger in his hand, plunged it into him; had he struck at him I should
+certainly have expected the course of the wound to be downward, as I
+fancy a man very seldom thrusts straight with a dagger, as he would do
+with a rapier."
+
+When the inquest was over, Mark, going out into the hall, found the
+doctor waiting there for him.
+
+"Mr. Bastow breathed his last some ten minutes ago. I saw when I went up
+to him just before I gave my evidence that it was likely that he would
+die before I returned to the room."
+
+"I am very sorry," Mark said, "although I expected nothing else from
+what you told me: He was a very kind hearted man; no one could have
+had a kinder or more patient tutor than he was to me, while my father
+regarded him as a very dear and valued friend. I am expecting the
+undertaker here in a few minutes, and they can both be buried at the
+same time."
+
+It was late in the afternoon before Millicent came down with Mrs.
+Cunningham. The news of Mr. Bastow's death had set her tears flowing
+afresh; she had been very fond of him, and that he and the Squire should
+have been taken at once seemed almost beyond belief. She had, however,
+nerved herself to some degree of composure before she went down to meet
+Mark; but although she returned the pressure of his hand, she was unable
+for some time to speak. Mrs. Cunningham thought it best to speak first
+on the minor grief.
+
+"So Mr. Bastow has gone, Mark?"
+
+"Yes, Dr. Holloway thought very badly of him yesterday, and said that he
+had but very faint hope of his rallying. I cannot help thinking that it
+was best so. Of course, he was not a very old man, but he has for some
+years been a very feeble one, and now that Millicent and I have both
+given up our studies with him, I think that he would have felt that his
+work was done, and would have gone downhill very fast."
+
+"I think so, too," Mrs. Cunningham agreed. "I am sure that even had the
+Squire's death come quietly, in the course of nature, it would have
+been a terrible blow to him. He was fond of you and Millicent, but his
+affection for your father was a passion; his face always lit up when he
+spoke to him. I used to think sometimes that it was like an old dog with
+his master. It was quite touching to see them together. I think, Mark,
+with you, that it is best that it should be as it is."
+
+Gradually the conversation turned to other matters. Millicent was,
+however, unable to take any part in it, and half an hour later she held
+out her hand silently to Mark and left the room hurriedly. The next day
+she was better, and was able to walk for a time with Mark in the garden
+and talk more calmly about their mutual loss, for to her, no less than
+to Mark, the Squire had been a father.
+
+"'Tis strange to think that you are the Squire now, Mark," she said as
+they sat together in the dining room on the evening before the funeral.
+
+"You will think it stranger still, Millicent," he said, "when I tell you
+that I am not the Squire, and never shall be."
+
+She looked up in his face with wonder.
+
+"What do you mean, Mark?"
+
+"Well, dear, you will know tomorrow, as Mr. Prendergast, one of the
+family solicitors, is coming down; but I think it is as well to tell you
+beforehand. It has been a curious position all along. I never knew it
+myself till my father told me when we went into the library after
+the shot was fired. The news did not affect me one way or the other,
+although it surprised me a great deal. Like yourself, I have always
+supposed that you were my father's ward, the daughter of an old comrade
+of his brother's. Well, it is a curious story, Millicent. But there is
+no occasion for you to look frightened. The fact is you are my uncle's
+daughter and my cousin."
+
+"Oh, that is not very dreadful!" she exclaimed in a tone of relief.
+
+"Not dreadful at all," Mark said. "But you see it involves the fact that
+you are mistress of this estate, and not I."
+
+Millicent stood up suddenly with a little cry. "No, no, Mark, it cannot
+be! It would be dreadful, and I won't have it. Nothing could make me
+have it. What, to take the estate away from you when you have all along
+supposed it to be yours! How could I?"
+
+"But you see it never has been mine, my dear. Father might have lived
+another five-and-twenty years, and God knows I have never looked forward
+to succeeding him. Sit down and let me tell you the story. It was not my
+father's fault that he reigned here so long as master, it was the result
+of a whim of your father's. And although my father fought against it, he
+could not resist the dying prayer of my uncle."
+
+He then related the whole circumstances under which the girl had been
+brought up as Millicent Conyers, instead of Millicent Conyers Thorndyke,
+and how the estate had been left by Colonel Thorndyke's will to his
+brother until such time as Millicent should come of age, or marry,
+and how he had ordered that when that event took place the rest of his
+property in money and jewels was to be divided equally between Mark and
+herself.
+
+"It must not be, Mark," she said firmly. "You must take the estate, and
+we can divide the rest between us. What is the rest?"
+
+"To begin with," Mark said cheerfully, "there are 25,000 pounds,
+the accumulations of the rents of the estate after the death of my
+grandfather up to the time when the Colonel returned from India; and
+there are, besides, a few thousands, though I don't exactly know how
+many, that my father paid over to the solicitors as the surplus of the
+rents of the estates after paying all expenses of keeping up this house.
+He very properly considered that although he had accepted the situation
+at your father's earnest wish, he ought not to make money by doing so.
+If we put it down at 30,000 pounds altogether, you see there is 15,000
+pounds for each of us. A very nice sum for a young man to start life
+with, especially as I shall have my father's estate near Hastings,
+which brings in 500 pounds a year; and as the rents of this have been
+accumulating for the last ten years, my share will be raised from 15,000
+pounds to 20,000 pounds. Besides this, there is the main bulk of the
+Colonel's fortune made in India. That seems to be worth about 100,000
+pounds but I must own that the chance of getting it seems very small."
+
+"How is that, Mark?"
+
+Mark told her the whole story.
+
+"I mean to make it my business to follow the matter up," he said. "I
+think that the chance of ever finding it is very small. Still, it will
+give me an object to begin life with."
+
+"Oh, I hope that you will never find it!" she exclaimed. "From what you
+say it will be a terrible danger if you do get it."
+
+Mark smiled.
+
+"I hardly think so, Millicent. I cannot believe that people would be
+following up this thing for over fifteen years, for it was many years
+before the Colonel came home that he got possession of these diamonds.
+Even Hindoos would, I think, have got sick of such a hopeless affair
+long before this; but as they may ever since your father's death have
+been watching us, although it hardly seems possible, I shall follow out
+the Colonel's instructions, and get rid of those particular diamonds
+at once. I shall only keep them about me long enough to take them to
+Amsterdam and sell them there. The Colonel said they were the finest
+diamonds that he ever saw, and that he really had no idea of what they
+were worth. However, that is for the future."
+
+"Mrs. Cunningham has known this all along, Mark?"
+
+"Not about the money affairs, but of course she knew that you were my
+cousin. She brought you from India, you see, and has known all
+along that the Colonel was your father. She knows it, and the family
+solicitors know it, but I believe no one else, except, perhaps, Ramoo. I
+am not sure whether he was in uncle's service when you were sent over in
+Mrs. Cunningham's charge. He may know it or he may not, but certainly
+no one else does, except, as I say, the solicitors and myself. Possibly
+some other of the Colonel's old comrades knew that there was a child
+born; but if they were in England and happened to hear that my father
+had succeeded to the estate, they would, of course, suppose that the
+child had died."
+
+"Then," Millicent said, in a tone of relief, "there can be no reason why
+anyone else should know anything about it. I will see Mr. Prendergast
+when he comes down tomorrow, and beg him to say nothing about it;
+15,000 pounds is quite enough for any girl; and besides, you say that my
+father's greatest wish was that I was not to be married for money, and
+after all the pains that have been taken, his wish will not be carried
+out if I am to be made owner of the estate."
+
+"You won't be able to persuade Mr. Prendergast to do that," Mark said,
+smiling. "It is his duty simply to carry out the provisions of your
+father's will, and to place you in possession of the estate; and if he
+would keep silence, which he certainly won't, you don't suppose that I
+would."
+
+"Then I shall hate you, Mark."
+
+"I don't think you will, Millicent, and I would rather that you did that
+than that you should despise me. At the present moment you may think
+that this estate would be only a burden to you, but some day when you
+marry you might see the matter in a different light."
+
+The girl looked at him reproachfully.
+
+"I should never think so!" she burst out. "What would you have me do?
+Live here in this great house, with only Mrs. Cunningham, while you are
+going about the world seeking for this treasure? Never!"
+
+"No, I don't think that it would be nice for you to do that, Millicent,"
+Mark said. "Mrs. Cunningham and I have been talking it over. We thought
+that the best plan would be for her to take a house in London, and go
+there with you; you would have the advantages of good masters.
+
+"Then you were saying only a short time since that you would like to
+learn the harp and take lessons in painting. There would be time enough
+to think about what you would do with respect to this house afterward."
+
+"It is all horrible," Millicent said, bursting into tears, "and I shall
+always feel that I have robbed you."
+
+"But I don't feel so in the least," Mark urged. "I was not in the
+smallest degree put out when my father told me about it. I have always
+had a fancy for wandering about the world, as my uncle did, and doing
+something to distinguish myself, instead of settling down for life to be
+a country magistrate and a squire. Of course it came as a surprise, but
+I can assure you that it was not an altogether unpleasant one. What
+can a man want more than a nice little estate of 500 pounds a year and
+20,000 pounds in money?"
+
+"It is all very well to say that, but as you said to me just now, you
+may see it in a different light some day."
+
+Then she sat thinking for some time. "At any rate," she went on at last,
+"I don't see why anyone should know about it now. If the house is to be
+shut up and you are going away, why need anyone know anything about it?
+My father's wish was that I should not have people making love to me
+just because I was an heiress; after all that has been done, it would be
+wicked to go against his wishes. I suppose the interest of this 15,000
+pounds would be enough for Mrs. Cunningham and I to live comfortably on
+in London?"
+
+"Yes," Mark said; "it will, at 5 per cent, bring in 750 pounds a year."
+
+"Then I shall remain Millicent Conyers to the world. There is nothing to
+prevent that, is there?" she said almost defiantly.
+
+"No," he replied thoughtfully. "The rents of this estate might
+accumulate. I suppose the solicitors would see after that; and as I
+shall be away it will, of course, make no difference to me. Were I to
+stay in the neighborhood I could not consent to live as my father did,
+in a false position; but even then I might give out that the property
+had only been left to my father during his lifetime, and that it had now
+gone elsewhere, without saying whom it had gone to. However, as I shall
+be away there will be no occasion even for that. When the will is read
+there will be no one present but ourselves, and I don't see why its
+contents should not be kept a secret for a time; at any rate, we can ask
+Mr. Prendergast's opinion upon that subject."
+
+At this moment, Mrs. Cunningham coming into the room, Millicent ran to
+her and threw her arms round her neck.
+
+"He has made me most miserable," she said. "I thought I could not have
+been more miserable than I was before he told me all about it."
+
+"I knew that he was going to do so, and I was quite sure that you would
+not be pleased at the news. I have all along thought that it was a
+mistake on the part of your father; but as it was his decision, and not
+mine, I only had to carry out his wishes."
+
+"It is cruel," Millicent sobbed. "I don't mean it is cruel of my father;
+of course he could not have known, and he thought he was doing the best
+thing for my happiness, but it has all turned out wrong."
+
+"For the present you may think so, dear; but you must remember that up
+to the present time it has turned out well. I know that your uncle did
+not like it at first, but I think that he passed ten happy years here.
+It gave him a great power for doing good, and he worthily availed
+himself of it. We have all spent a happy time; he was universally liked
+and respected. I think all of us have benefited by it. It would not have
+been half as pleasant if it had been known that you, my child, were the
+real owner of the estate, and he was acting merely as your guardian.
+Let us hope that everything will turn out as well in future. Colonel
+Thorndyke told me that he had left a considerable sum in addition to the
+estates, and that this was to be divided between you and Mark; so you
+see your cousin will not go out into the world a beggar."
+
+"It is most of it lost," Millicent said with an hysterical laugh. "It
+is all hidden away, and no one can find it; everything has gone wrong
+together."
+
+"Well, I think, dear, that you had better go up to bed. I will go
+with you. At the present time this, of course, has come upon you as an
+additional shock. I would gladly have shielded you from it for a time if
+I could have done so, but you must have learned it tomorrow, and I quite
+agree with Mark that is was better that he should tell you this evening.
+I sent down to the town today to the doctor's and asked him to send me
+up a soothing draught, thinking that you might be upset by the news. I
+hope by the morning you will be able to look at matters more calmly."
+
+Some time later Mrs. Cunningham came down again.
+
+"She has cried herself to sleep," she said. "She is much grieved about
+this money being lost."
+
+"It is annoying; still I cannot help thinking that the Colonel must have
+taken some such precaution to prevent the treasure from being lost."
+
+"One would certainly think so," Mrs. Cunningham agreed; "the Colonel
+seemed to me a methodical man. I know that he had the reputation of
+being one of the most particular men in the service as to all petty
+details. His instructions to me before I left him were all very minute,
+and he gave me a sealed packet which he told me contained instructions
+and a copy of the register of his marriage and of Millicent's birth, and
+he said that in case of his death I was to take it to your father. He
+said that there was a letter inclosed in it to him, and also a copy
+of his will. The letter was directed to your father, and not to me.
+I handed it over to him when he asked me to come here. He told me
+afterwards that the letter contained the request that his brother lived
+to make personally to him--that the child should be brought up as his
+ward; and that he had handed the certificates to a lawyer, who had,
+however, received copies of them from the Colonel himself before he went
+down to see your father. So, as he took these precautions to insure
+his wishes being carried out in the event of his sudden death, I should
+think that he must have done something of the sort with regard to this
+treasure."
+
+"I should think that extremely likely, Mrs. Cunningham. I certainly had
+not thought of that before, and I hope that for Millicent's sake and my
+own it may turn out to be so. I can get on extremely well without
+it, but at the same time I don't pretend that 50,000 pounds are to be
+despised."
+
+The next morning Mr. Prendergast, who had arrived at Reigate late the
+evening before, and had put up at an inn, came up to the house an hour
+before the time named for the funeral. He learned from Mark that he had
+already acquainted Millicent with her change of circumstances. A few
+minutes after he arrived, a servant told him that Miss Conyers would be
+glad if he would see her alone for a few minutes in the drawing room.
+Mark had already prepared him for her request.
+
+"Mark has told you that he told me about this hateful thing last night,
+I suppose, Mr. Prendergast?"
+
+"He has," the old lawyer said kindly; "and he tells me also that you are
+not at all pleased at the news."
+
+"Pleased! I should think not, Mr. Prendergast," she said indignantly. "I
+am not going to rob my cousin of what he has always been taught to think
+as his inheritance. It is abominable, I call it, and most unnatural."
+
+"But, my dear young lady, it is yours, and not his. I do not wish to
+discuss whether the arrangement was altogether a wise one, but I think
+that so far it has turned out well for all parties. Your estate has
+profited greatly by the management of your uncle, the tenants and all
+connected with it have benefited greatly, he himself has had active
+employment afforded him, of which he was fond. Your cousin has,
+I believe, enjoyed the advantages of the position, and has become
+acquainted with the best people in this part of the country, and will
+now obtain the benefit of something like 15,000 pounds--a comfortable
+little sum, especially as he inherits, I believe, his father's property
+in Sussex. You yourself will have obtained what I cannot but consider
+the advantage of having been brought up without knowing that you were an
+heiress, and therefore without being spoiled, which is, in my opinion,
+the case with many young ladies in such a condition; therefore I cannot
+but think that, if unwise in its conception, the matter has so far
+worked out well. I am bound to say that Mr. Mark Thorndyke has been
+speaking to me very handsomely on the subject, and that he appears in no
+way disappointed at finding that you are the heiress of the estate, and
+is really concerned only at your unwillingness to accept the situation."
+
+"I wanted to know, Mr. Prendergast," she said, but in a tone that showed
+she was convinced by his manner that her request would be refused, "if
+you could arrange so that things would not be disturbed, and he should
+come into possession as his father's heir in the natural way."
+
+"But you see he is not his father's heir, Miss Thorndyke. His father
+only had the use, as we call it, of the property until you came of age,
+or marriage; it was not necessary for it to come to you on your coming
+of age, but only, as your father explained to me, in the event of your
+marriage; that is to say, it was not to become public that you were
+entitled to the estate until your marriage. If you married before you
+were twenty-one the property was then to come to you. If you did not
+you were to be informed of the circumstances or not, as Mr. Thorndyke
+might decide was best, but you were not to come into the property until
+you married. Your cousin was also to be informed when you came to the
+age of twenty-one, and as at that time he was to take his half share of
+the remainder of the property, he would then be able to arrange his life
+as he liked. If your uncle died, as unfortunately he has done, before
+you reached the age of twenty-one, you would then be placed in your
+proper position; but your father desired us to say to you that it was
+his wish, that if it could be arranged, your having succeeded to the
+ownership should not be publicly known until you divulged it to your
+husband after marriage. The other portions of the will must be carried
+out. This being only a request, you are at liberty to follow it or not
+as you may choose."
+
+"Certainly I should choose," the girl said. "After all this trouble to
+prevent my being run after as an heiress, it would be wicked to upset
+it all and to fly in the face of his wishes by setting up as mistress of
+this estate. Still you understand, Mr. Prendergast, that I don't mean to
+take it."
+
+The lawyer smiled indulgently. "There is one way in which it might be
+managed," he said. "Perhaps you can guess what it is?"
+
+A flush of color rose over the girl's face. "Don't say it, I beg of you,
+Mr. Prendergast. Mrs. Cunningham hinted at it this morning, and I told
+her that my own wish entirely agreed with that of my father, and that
+I was determined not to be married for money; and I am quite sure that
+Mark would be as unwilling as I am that the estate should change hands
+in that way. No, Mr. Prendergast, you must find some other way of doing
+it than that. Surely an estate cannot be forced upon anyone who is
+determined not to take it."
+
+"Well, we must think it over," Mr. Prendergast said quietly. "And now I
+think that it is time for me to join the others."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+
+The funeral of Squire Thorndyke and Mr. Bastow was over, and all
+agreed they had never seen a more affecting spectacle than that at the
+churchyard when the two coffins were brought in. The distance was short,
+and the tenants had requested leave to carry the Squire's bier, while
+that of Mr. Bastow was borne by the villagers who had known and loved
+him. Behind followed all the magistrates and a great number of the
+gentry for miles round; the churchyard was crowded by every man, woman,
+and child in the village, and the women, as well as many of the men,
+wept unrestrainedly as the coffins passed by. Besides these, a large
+number of people from Reigate and the surrounding villages were present,
+attracted rather by the crime that had caused the death than by the
+loss of the Squire himself. The church was crowded, and it was with
+difficulty that Mr. Greg read the service. The Squire was laid by
+the side of his father, Mr. Bastow in the spot where many of his
+predecessors had slept before him.
+
+Mark had been greatly affected, not only by his own loss, but by the
+sight of the general grief among those for whom the Squire had done so
+much. Even Mr. Prendergast, who had taken part in many such functions
+over departed clients, was much moved by the scene.
+
+"I have been at many funerals," he said to Mark as they walked back to
+the Hall, "but I never have been at one that so affected me. No monument
+ever raised, sir, did such credit to him who was laid beneath it as the
+tears of those simple villagers."
+
+Mark did not reply; his heart was altogether too full to speak. As they
+entered the house he said, "The ladies will have their lunch upstairs,
+Mr. Prendergast; we may as well have ours at once, and then you can call
+them down if there is any business to be done."
+
+"That will not take long," the lawyer said. "I have brought down the
+wills of both your uncle the Colonel, and your father, and I think that
+it would be as well for me to read them both. That of your father is
+a very short and simple document, extending, indeed, only over a few
+lines. Your uncle's is longer and more complicated, but as you are well
+aware of the gist of it, it will take us but a short time to get through
+it."
+
+Mark took his meal in a perfunctory manner. For himself he would have
+eaten nothing, but he made an effort to do so in order to keep his guest
+company. When it was over he said:
+
+"We may as well go into the library at once, and I will send up for the
+ladies. It is as well to lose no time, for I know that you want to catch
+the afternoon coach up to town."
+
+Mrs. Cunningham and Millicent joined them in a minute or two, the girl
+looking very pale in her deep mourning.
+
+"I am about," Mr. Prendergast said quietly, "to read the wills of
+Colonel Thorndyke and Mr. John Thorndyke, and I will ask you, if there
+is any phrase that you do not understand, to stop me, and I will explain
+to you its purport."
+
+The three persons present were acquainted with the main provisions of
+the Colonel's will. It began by stating that, being determined that his
+daughter, Millicent Conyers Thorndyke, should not be married for her
+money, he hereby bequeathed to his brother, John Thorndyke, his estate
+in the parish of Crowswood, to be held by him until his daughter
+Millicent came to the age of twenty-one, or was married; if that
+marriage did not take place until she was over the age of twenty-one, so
+long was it to continue in John Thorndyke's possession, save and except
+that she was, on attaining the age of twenty-one, to receive from it an
+income of 250 pounds a year for her private use and disposal.
+
+"To Jane Cunningham, the widow of the late Captain Charles Cunningham,
+of the 10th Madras Native Infantry, should she remain with my daughter
+until the marriage of the latter, I bequeath an annuity of 150 pounds
+per annum, chargeable on the estate, and to commence at my daughter's
+marriage. All my other property in moneys, investments, jewels, and
+chattels of all sorts, is to be divided in equal portions between my
+daughter, Millicent Conyers Thorndyke, and my nephew, Mark Thorndyke.
+Should, however, my daughter die before marriage, I bequeath the said
+estate in the parish of Crowswood to my brother, John Thorndyke, for his
+life, and after him to his son Mark, and to the latter the whole of
+my other property of all kinds, this to take effect on the death of my
+daughter. Should my brother predecease the marriage or coming of age of
+my daughter, she is at once to come into possession of the said estate
+of Crowswood. In which case my nephew Mark and Mr. James Prendergast,
+of the firm of Hopwood & Prendergast, my solicitors, are to act as her
+trustees, and Mrs. Jane Cunningham and the said James Prendergast as her
+guardians."
+
+All this was, of course, expressed in the usual legal language, but the
+purport was clear to those previously acquainted with its bearing, the
+only item that was new to them being the legacy to Mrs. Cunningham. John
+Thorndyke's testament was a short one. He left all his property to his
+son Mark, with the exception of a hundred pounds to his niece to buy a
+mourning ring or brooch or other ornament in memory of him, and fifty
+pounds to Mrs. Cunningham for a similar purpose, as a token of his
+great esteem for her character, and 200 pounds to Ramoo for his faithful
+services to his brother and himself. When the lawyer had folded up the
+wills Millicent said:
+
+"On my part, I have to say that I absolutely renounce the legacy of the
+estate in favor of my cousin Mark, who has always believed that it would
+be his."
+
+"And I as absolutely refuse to accept the sacrifice," Mark said.
+
+"My dear young lady," Mr. Prendergast said quietly, "at present, at any
+rate, you have no power whatever to take any action in the matter; you
+are, in the eye of the law, an infant, and until you come of age you
+have no power to execute any legal document whatever. Therefore you
+must perforce remain mistress of the estate until you attain the age of
+twenty-one. Many things may happen before that time; for example, you
+might marry, and in that case your husband would have a voice in the
+matter; you might die, in which case Mr. Mark Thorndyke would, without
+any effort on your part, come into possession of the estate. But, at any
+rate, until you reach the age of twenty-one your trustees will collect
+the rents of the estate on your behalf, and will hold the monies in
+trust for you, making, of course, such payments for your support and
+maintenance as are fit and proper for your condition."
+
+The tears came into Millicent's eyes as she resumed the seat from which
+she had risen, and she did not utter another word until Mr. Prendergast
+rose to leave.
+
+"I shall doubtless learn your wishes as to the future, Miss Thorndyke,
+from your cousin," he said. "I hope that you will not cherish any
+malice against me, and that when you think it over you will come to the
+conclusion that second thoughts are sometimes the wisest, and also that
+you should have some consideration for your father's wishes in a matter
+of this kind. He worked hard and risked his life to build up the fortune
+that he has left. He evidently thought greatly of your welfare, and was,
+above all things, anxious to insure your happiness. I am sure that on
+thinking it over you will see that you should not thwart his wishes."
+
+"My dear boy," he said to Mark, as they stood on the doorstep waiting
+for the carriage to come round, "the best plan by far in this business
+would be for the interests of your cousin and yourself to be identical.
+She is a very charming young lady, a little headstrong in this matter,
+perhaps, but I do not think that that is altogether unnatural."
+
+"That might have come about if it had not been for the property, Mr.
+Prendergast," Mark said, "but it cannot be now. If she and I had been
+engaged before all this happened the case would have been different; but
+you see yourself that now my lips are sealed, for it would seem as if I
+had not cared for her until she turned out to be an heiress."
+
+"You are a silly young couple," the lawyer said. "I can only hope that
+as you grow older you will grow wiser. Well, you had better come up and
+have a talk with me about the assets your uncle mentions in his will."
+
+"Then you don't know anything about them, sir?"
+
+"Nothing at all, except as to the accumulations in his absence. He
+mentioned vaguely that he was a wealthy man. I thought that, as a matter
+of course, he had told his brother all about it."
+
+"It is a curious business, sir, and I doubt if there will ever be
+anything besides the accumulations you speak of."
+
+"Bless me, you don't say so! Well, well, I always thought that it was
+the most foolish business that I ever heard of. However, you shall tell
+me all about it when you come up. I shall miss my coach unless I start."
+
+So saying, he shook Mark's hand, took his place in the gig, and was
+driven away. Millicent did not come downstairs again that day.
+
+"She is thoroughly upset," Mrs. Cunningham said, "and it would be best
+to let her have her own way for a time. I think the sooner I can get
+her away from here the better. The house is full of sad memories, and I
+myself feel shaken and in need of a change."
+
+"I can quite understand her feeling and yours, Mrs. Cunningham. I do
+hope you will be able to disabuse her mind of the idea that I have any
+shadow of feeling of regret that she instead of I has the estate, and
+please try to work upon her on the ground of her father's wishes. I
+could see that her face changed when Mr. Prendergast put the matter
+in that light, which I do not think had occurred to her before. I am
+thinking of going up to town in a couple of days; I was thinking of
+doing so tomorrow, but a day or so will make no difference. I propose
+that you both go with me, and that I then help you look for a house.
+Even if you don't get one at once, a week in London will be a change,
+and you can then, if you like, go somewhere for a time. Of course Bath
+would be too gay at present; but you might go to Tunbridge Wells, or, if
+she would like a seaside place, as she has never been near the sea since
+she was a baby, that would be the greatest change for her. You might go
+down for a month or two to Dover or Hastings. There is no occasion for
+you to settle down in London for a time. There is Weymouth, too, if you
+would like it better. I believe that that is a cheerful place without
+being too fashionable."
+
+"I think that will be an excellent plan," Mrs. Cunningham said.
+
+"If you like I will drive you up to town, and the luggage can go by the
+carrier; it is more pleasant than being shut up in a coach."
+
+"Much more cheerful, of course."
+
+"You will, of course, leave many of your things here, and the packing
+them up will give her something to do, and prevent her from brooding."
+
+"I think that is an excellent idea, Mark."
+
+Late in the afternoon Ramoo came in in his usual silent manner. The man
+had said but little during the past few days, but it was evident that he
+was grieving deeply, and he looked years older than he had done before
+that fatal night.
+
+"Of course, Ramoo, you will stay with me for the present. I hardly know
+what I shall be doing for a time, but I am sure that until I settle
+down, Miss Conyers will be very glad to have you with her."
+
+"No, sahib, Ramoo will return home to India. Ramoo is getting old; he
+was thirty when he entered the service of the Colonel, sahib; he is
+fifty now; he will go home to end his days; he has saved enough to live
+in comfort, and with what the lawyer sahib told him your father has left
+him he will be a rich man among his own people."
+
+"But you will find things changed, Ramoo, since you left; while here,
+you know, we all regard you as a friend rather than as a servant."
+
+"You are all very kind and good, sahib. Ramoo knows that he will meet no
+friends like those he has here, but he longs for the bright sun and blue
+sky of India, and though it will well nigh break his heart to leave the
+young missie and you, he feels that he must go."
+
+"All right, Ramoo. We shall all be very sorry to lose you, but I
+understand your longing to go home, and I know that you always feel our
+cold winters very trying; therefore I will not oppose your wishes. I
+shall be going up to town in two or three days, and will arrange to pay
+your legacy at once, and will inquire what vessels are sailing."
+
+Millicent was unfeignedly sorry when she heard of Ramoo's determination;
+she was very fond of him, for when as a child she first arrived at
+Crowswood he had been her companion whenever the Squire did not require
+his services, and would accompany her about the garden and grounds,
+listening to her prattle, carrying her on his shoulder, and obeying
+her behests. No doubt he knew that she was the daughter of his former
+master, and had to a certain extent transferred his allegiance from the
+sahib, whose life he had several times saved, to his little daughter.
+Still, she agreed with Mark that it was perhaps best that he should go.
+She and Mrs. Cunningham would find but little occasion for his services
+when established in London, and his swarthy complexion and semi-Eastern
+costume would attract attention, and perhaps trouble, when he went
+abroad--the population being less accustomed to Orientals then than at
+present--but still less would they know what to do with him were they
+for a time to wander about. Mark said at once that so long as he himself
+was engaged in the task that he had set himself, he could not take Ramoo
+with him, and as for his staying alone in the house when it was only in
+charge of a caretaker, it was not to be thought of.
+
+Although not inclined at the present time to agree with Mark in
+anything, Millicent could not but acknowledge that it were best that
+Ramoo should not be urged further to reconsider his determination, and
+she also fell in with his proposal that they should go up to London for
+a week, and then go down to Weymouth for a time, after which they would
+be guided by circumstances. Accordingly, two days later, Mark drove
+Millicent and Mrs. Cunningham up to London. A groom accompanied them on
+Mark's favorite horse. This was to be left in town for his use, and
+the groom was to drive the carriage back again. Comfortable rooms were
+obtained in a quiet inn for the ladies, while Mark put up at the Bull,
+saying that he would come every day to take them out.
+
+"Why did not Mark stay here, Mrs. Cunningham?" Millicent asked
+pettishly.
+
+"I suppose he thought it better that he should not do so; and I own that
+I think he was right."
+
+"When we were, as we supposed, no relation to each other," Millicent
+said, "we could be like brother and sister. Now that we find that we are
+cousins we are going to be stiff and ceremonious."
+
+"Not necessarily because you are cousins, Millicent. Before, you were
+his father's ward, and under his father's care; now you are a young lady
+on your own account. You must see that the position is changed greatly,
+and that what was quite right and proper before would not be at all
+right and proper now."
+
+Millicent shrugged her shoulders.
+
+"Oh, if Mark wishes to be distant and stiff he can certainly do so if he
+likes it. It makes no matter to me."
+
+"That is not at all fair, Millicent, and very unlike yourself. Had not
+Mark suggested his going to another inn, I should have suggested it
+myself."
+
+"Oh, yes; no doubt it is better," Millicent said carelessly. "He has
+several friends in town, and of course we cannot expect him to be
+devoting himself to us."
+
+Mrs. Cunningham raised her eyebrows slightly, but made no answer.
+Millicent was seldom wayward, but at present things had gone very hardly
+with her, and her friend felt that it would be better to leave her
+entirely to herself until her humor changed. In the morning, when Mark
+came round, Millicent announced that she felt tired with the drive of
+the previous day, and would prefer staying indoors. Mark looked a little
+surprised, more at the tone than at the substance of the words, for the
+manner in which she spoke showed that the excuse she had given was not
+her only reason for not going out.
+
+"Of course, I shall stay at home too," Mrs. Cunningham said quietly, as
+he glanced toward her inquiringly. "Millicent is unnerved and shaken,
+and perhaps it is just as well for her to have a day's complete rest."
+
+"Very well, Mrs. Cunningham; then I will, as I cannot be of any use to
+you, set about my own business for the day. I have already been round
+to the lawyer's, and have got a check for Ramoo's legacy. He will be up
+this afternoon, and I will go round to Leadenhall Street and find out
+what ships are sailing and when they start. I will come in this evening
+for a chat."
+
+Millicent sat without speaking for some minutes after he had left the
+room. Mrs. Cunningham, whose hands were always busy, took some work out
+of a bag and set to work at it industriously. Presently the girl said:
+
+"What business is this that Mark is going to occupy himself in?"
+
+"I do not know much about it," she replied. "But from a few words which
+he let drop I believe that he intends to devote himself to discovering
+and hunting down your uncle's murderer."
+
+The listless expression faded out at once of Millicent's face.
+
+"But surely, Mrs. Cunningham, that will be very dangerous work."
+
+"No doubt it will be dangerous work, but I don't think that that is
+likely to hinder Mark. The man, whoever he may be, is of course a
+desperate character, and not likely to be captured without making a
+fierce struggle for it."
+
+"Then he ought to put the matter in the hands of the proper
+authorities," Millicent said decidedly. "Of course such men are
+dangerous. Very likely, this man may have accomplices, and it is not
+against one only that Mark will have to fight. He has no right to risk
+his life in so desperate an adventure."
+
+Mrs. Cunningham smiled quietly over her work. The Squire had often
+confided to her how glad he would be if these two should some day come
+together. In that case the disclosure after marriage of the real facts
+of the case would cause no disturbance or difficulty. The estate
+would be theirs, and it would not matter which had brought it into the
+partnership; she had thoroughly agreed with him, but so far nothing had
+occurred to give any ground for the belief that their hopes would be
+fulfilled.
+
+Till within the last year Millicent had been little more than a child;
+she had looked up to Mark as she might have done to a big brother, as
+something most admirable, as one whose dictum was law. During the last
+year there had been some slight change, but more, perhaps, on Mark's
+part than on hers. He had consulted her wishes more, had asked instead
+of ordered, and had begun to treat her as if conscious that she was fast
+growing up into womanhood.
+
+Millicent herself scarcely seemed to have noticed this change. She was
+little more inclined to assert herself than before, but was ready to
+accompany him whenever he wished her to do so, or to see him go away
+without complaint, when it so pleased him; but the last week had made a
+rapid change in their position. Millicent had sprung almost at a bound
+into a young woman. She had come to think and resolve for herself; she
+was becoming wayward and fanciful; she no longer deferred to Mark's
+opinion, but held her own, and was capable of being vexed at his
+decisions. At any rate, her relations with Mark had changed rapidly, and
+Mrs. Cunningham considered this little outburst of pettishness to be a
+good omen for her hopes, and very much better than if they had continued
+on their old footing of affectionate cousins.
+
+Mark went back again to the lawyer's, and had a long talk with Mr.
+Prendergast over the lost treasure. The old lawyer scoffed at the idea
+that there could be any danger associated with the bracelet.
+
+"Men in India, I suppose, get fanciful," he said, "and imbibe some of
+the native superstitions. The soldier who got them from the man who
+stole them was stabbed. He might have been stabbed for a thousand
+reasons, but he had the bracelet on his mind. He was forever hiding it
+and digging it up, and fancying that someone was on his track, and he
+put down the attack as being made by someone connected with it. His
+manner impressed your uncle. He concealed the diamonds or sent them off
+somewhere, instantly. He never had any further trouble about them, but
+like many men who have a craze, fancied that he was being perpetually
+watched and followed. The unfortunate result of all this is that these
+jewels and the money that he accumulated during his service in India
+seem to be lost. A more stupid affair I never heard of.
+
+"Now, as to the clew, any reasonable man would have given full
+instructions as to how the treasure was to be found; or if he did not
+do that, would, at least, instead of carrying about an absurd coin and
+a scrap of paper with a name upon it, have written his instructions and
+put them in that ridiculous hiding place, or, more wisely still, would
+have instructed his solicitor fully on the subject. The amount of
+trouble given by men, otherwise perfectly sane, by cranks and fancies
+is astonishing. Here is something like 100,000 pounds lost owing to a
+superstitious whim. As to your chance of finding the treasure, I regard
+it as small indeed. The things are hidden in India, in some old tomb, or
+other rubbishing place. Your uncle may have committed them to the charge
+of a native; he may have sent them to a banker at one of the great
+towns; he may have shipped them to England. He may have sent them to
+the North Pole for anything I know. How can one begin to search the
+universe?"
+
+"I thought, sir, that perhaps he might have sent them to some London
+Bank or agent, with instructions to hold them until claimed by him, and
+that perhaps an inquiry among such houses would lead to the discovery
+that they hold certain property forwarded by him."
+
+"Well; there is some sense in that suggestion," Prendergast grumbled,
+"and I suppose the first thing to be done will be to carry that out. If
+you wish, we will do it for you. They would be more likely to give the
+information, if they possess it, to a well known firm of solicitors like
+ourselves than to any private individual. Besides, if you were to go
+yourself, they would in each case want you to be identified before they
+would answer any question, whereas I should write a note to them in the
+firm's name, with our compliments, saying that we should be glad to know
+if the late Colonel Thorndyke, of whose will we are the executors, had
+any account at their firm or has deposited any property in their hands.
+There are not above five or six banks doing business with India, and
+as many agents in a large way of business; and if he did such a
+foolish thing, he would be certain to do it with some houses of good
+standing--if, indeed, anything can be taken as certain in the case of a
+gentleman with such extraordinary fancies and plans as his."
+
+"Thank you, Mr. Prendergast," Mark said, with a slight smile at the
+lawyer's irritability; "that will be clearing the ground to a certain
+extent. If that does not succeed, I think I shall go to India
+myself, and shall there make similar inquiries at all the principal
+establishments at Calcutta and Madras. Should I fail there, it seems to
+me that the only remaining plan will be to find out from the military
+authorities the place where my uncle's regiment was encamped on the
+day--we have the date on which the jewels were given to him--and to
+institute a minute search of all the old ruins within such a distance as
+he might have reached within a day's ride."
+
+"But you have no certainty that it was a ruin. He might have dug a hole
+under his tent and have buried the things there; he might have taken a
+shovel and buried them in a clump of bushes a quarter of a mile away.
+The thing is more and more ridiculous the more you look at it."
+
+"I see it is very difficult, sir, but one might narrow it down somewhat
+if one discovered the spot. Probably there are still native officers in
+the regiment who were there at the time. If so, they might possibly know
+who was my uncle's servant at the time. The man may be a pensioner,
+and in that case I might discover his address through the military
+authorities, and I could find out from him whether my uncle often rode
+out at night, what were his habits, and possibly where the tent stood,
+and so on."
+
+"Well," Mr. Prendergast said, "if you like to undertake a wild goose
+chase of this sort it is your business, and not mine; but I consider
+the idea is the most Utopian that I ever heard of. As to where the tent
+stood, is it likely that a man would remember to within a hundred yards
+where a tent stood fourteen years ago? Why, you might dig up acres and
+acres of ground and not be sure then that you had hit upon the right
+place."
+
+"There is one other circumstance, Mr. Prendergast," Mark said quietly,
+"that has to be taken into consideration, and which renders it
+improbable that these diamonds were hidden anywhere by my uncle
+himself at that time. He certainly spoke of the whole of this treasure
+collectively. It is morally certain that he would not carry all these
+jewels that he had been collecting about with him, and certainly not his
+treasure in money. He must, therefore, have sent these diamonds to the
+person, whoever he may be, who had the keeping of his other jewels and
+of his money. This certainly points to a bank."
+
+"There is a sensible conjecture. Yes, there is something in that. He
+certainly could not have carried about him 50,000 pounds in gold and
+as much in jewelry; it would have been the act of a madman, and Colonel
+Thorndyke, although eccentric and cranky, was not mad. But, on the
+other hand, he may have carried about a banker's passbook, or what is
+equivalent to it, for the amount that had been deposited with a native
+banker or agent, together with a receipt for the box containing the
+jewels, and this he might have hidden with the diamonds."
+
+"I don't think that he would have done that; there could have been no
+object for his putting the power of demanding his money and valuables
+out of his possession."
+
+"Well, well," the lawyer said testily, "it is of no use arguing now what
+he might or might not have done. A man who would have taken the trouble
+that he did to prevent his daughter knowing that she was an heiress, and
+fancied that he was followed about by black fellows, might do anything,
+reasonable or unreasonable, under the sun. At any rate, Mr. Thorndyke,
+I will carry out your instructions as to inquiries in London, and will
+duly inform you of the result; beyond that I must really decline to give
+any advice or opinion upon the matter, which is altogether beyond me."
+
+On leaving the lawyer's, Mark went to Bow Street, and related to the
+chief the circumstances attending his father's murder.
+
+"I have heard them from the man I sent down at your request, Mr.
+Thorndyke, and taking the attempt early in the evening and the
+subsequent murder, there can be no doubt that the affair was one of
+revenge, and not of robbery. Had the second attempt stood alone, robbery
+might have been the object; the mere fact that nothing was stolen in
+no way alters the case. Men are often seized with a certain panic after
+committing a murder, and fly at once without attempting to carry out
+their original purpose. Your father, no doubt, fell heavily, and the man
+might well have feared that the fall would be heard; but the previous
+attempt precludes the supposition that robbery was at the bottom of it.
+It points to a case of revenge, and certainly goes a very long way to
+support the theory that we talked over when I last saw you, that the
+highwayman who endeavored to stop you on the road, whom you wounded,
+and who afterwards went down to Southampton, was the escaped convict,
+Bastow. Since that time I have had a man making inquiries along the
+roads between Reigate and Kingston, but altogether without success. I
+should be glad to follow up any other line that you might suggest, and
+that might offer any reasonable possibility of success, but I must own
+that at present we are entirely off the scent."
+
+"I am thinking of devoting myself entirely to the quest. I have no
+occupation at present. I have an income amply sufficient for my wants,
+and for all expenses that I may incur, and I intend to devote, if
+necessary, some years of my life to hunting this man down. As your men
+have searched without success in the country, I think for the present my
+best plan will be to devote myself to learning something of the ways
+and haunts of the criminal classes of London, and it is with that object
+that I have come to you now. I should like, for some time, at any rate,
+to enter the detective force as an enrolled member. I should, of course,
+require no pay, but should be prepared to obey all orders and to do any
+work required, as any other member of the corps would do. I am strong,
+active, and have, I hope, a fair share of intelligence. I should not
+mind risking my life in carrying out any duty that you might assign to
+me. I presume that I need not always be on duty, and could, when not
+required, employ my time as I liked, and keep up my acquaintances in
+town. Should it be otherwise, however, I am perfectly ready to submit
+myself in all respects to your rule. I have a first rate horse and
+should be available for country duty, wherever you might think fit to
+send me. I should not desire any distinction to be made between me and
+the paid officers."
+
+"Your proposal is an altogether novel one, Mr. Thorndyke, but it is
+worthy of consideration. I have no doubt that you would make a very
+useful officer; the work is certainly interesting, though not without
+serious hazards. However, I will think the matter over, and if you will
+call in tomorrow you shall have my answer. We are always glad to have a
+new hand in the force, for the faces of our men are so well known among
+the criminal class that they are liable to be detected even under the
+cleverest disguises. There is work, too, upon which it is absolutely
+necessary that a gentleman should be employed, and in the event of your
+joining us, I should wish you to keep the matter strictly from all your
+acquaintances; and it would certainly be advantageous that you should,
+when disengaged, continue to mix with your friends and to mingle in
+society of all kinds as freely as possible. There is crime among the
+upper classes as well as among the lower, though of a different
+type; and as Mr. Thorndyke of Crowswood you would have far better
+opportunities of investigating some of these cases than any of my men
+would have. You would not object to take up such cases?"
+
+"Not at all, sir; that is, if it could be arranged that I should not
+do the actual work of making an arrest, or have to appear in court as a
+witness."
+
+"That could be managed," the chief said "When you have got to a certain
+point the matter of the final arrest could always be handed over to
+someone else, but as a rule we keep our officers in the background as
+much as possible, because at every trial the court is half full of men
+of the criminal class, and the faces of our men would soon be known to
+every one of them. Well, if you will call about ten o'clock tomorrow you
+shall have my answer; but I should advise you to think the matter
+well over before you see me again. The responsibilities as well as the
+dangers are great, and indeed in some of the work you would literally
+have to carry your life in your hand; and I can assure you that the task
+you would undertake is by no means a light one."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+
+Mark called that evening, as he had promised, upon Mrs. Cunningham.
+
+"I hope that you feel all the better for your day's rest, Millicent," he
+said.
+
+The girl looked quickly at him to see if there was any sarcasm in the
+question, but it was evident that the inquiry was made in earnest.
+
+"Yes, I feel better now," she said. "I have dozed a good deal today.
+I did not feel up to anything. Mrs. Cunningham's work has progressed
+wonderfully. I should say that she has done more today than she
+ordinarily finds time to do in a week. What have you been doing with
+yourself?"
+
+"I have been having a long talk with Mr. Prendergast about the lost
+treasure."
+
+"And of course he said that you would never find it, Mark?"
+
+"Well, yes, he distinctly expressed that opinion."
+
+"And afterwards?"
+
+"Afterwards I went to Bow Street and had a long talk also with the chief
+officer there."
+
+"I don't like the idea of your searching for this man, Mark. In the
+first place, I don't see why you should hope to succeed when the men
+whose business it is to do such work have failed. In the next place, I
+think that you may get into serious danger."
+
+"That I must risk, Millicent. I have already proved a better shot than
+he is, and I am quite ready to take my chance if I can but come upon
+him; that is the difficult part of the matter. I know that I shall need
+patience, but I have plenty of time before me, and have great hopes that
+I shall run him to earth at last."
+
+"But you would not know him if you saw him?"
+
+"I think I should," Mark said quietly; "at least, if he is the man that
+I suspect."
+
+"Then you do suspect someone?" Mrs. Cunningham said, laying down her
+work.
+
+"Yes, I know of no reason why you should not know it now. I
+suspect--indeed, I feel morally certain--that the man who murdered my
+father was Arthur Bastow."
+
+An exclamation of surprise broke from both his hearers, and they
+listened with horror while he detailed the various grounds that he had
+for his suspicions. They were silent for some time after he had brought
+his narrative to a conclusion, then Mrs. Cunningham said:
+
+"What a merciful release for Mr. Bastow that he should have died before
+this terrible thing came out! For after what you have told us I can
+hardly doubt that you are right, and that it is this wicked man who is
+guilty."
+
+"Yes, it was indeed providential," Mark said, "though I think that,
+feeble as he has been for some months, it might have been kept from him.
+Still, a word from a chance visitor, who did not associate Bastow the
+murderer with our dear old friend, might have enlightened him, and the
+blow would have been a terrible one indeed. It is true that, as it was,
+he died from the shock, but he did not know the hand that struck the
+blow."
+
+"Now that you have told me this," Millicent said, "I cannot blame you,
+Mark, for determining to hunt the man down. It seems even worse than it
+did before; it is awful to think that anyone could cherish revenge like
+that. Now tell me how you are going to set about it."
+
+"I have promised the chief officer that I will tell absolutely no
+one," he said. "I have a plan, and I believe that in time it must be
+successful. I know well enough that I could tell you both of it without
+any fear of its going further, but he asked me to promise, and I did so
+without reservation; moreover, I think that for some reasons it is as
+well that even you should not know it. As it is, you are aware that I am
+going to try, and that is all. If I were to tell you how, you might be
+picturing all sorts of imaginary dangers and worrying yourself over
+it, so I think that it will be much the best that you should remain in
+ignorance, at any rate for a time. I can say this, that I shall for the
+present remain principally in London, and I think that I am more likely
+to come upon a clew here than elsewhere."
+
+Millicent pouted, but Mrs. Cunningham said: "I think, perhaps, that you
+are right, Mark, and it is better that we should know nothing about it;
+we shall know that you are looking for a clew, but of course no danger
+can arise until you obtain it and attempt to arrest him. I feel sure
+that you will do nothing rash, especially as if any harm befell you he
+might escape unpunished, and therefore that when the time comes to
+seize him you will obtain such help as may be necessary, and will, if
+possible, arrest him at a moment when resistance is impossible."
+
+"Thank you, Mrs. Cunningham; I shall certainly spare no efforts in
+taking him that way, and would far rather he met his fate on a gibbet
+than by a bullet from my pistol."
+
+"I agree with you, Mark," Millicent said; "even hanging is too good for
+such a wicked man. When are you going to set about it?"
+
+"I hope to be able to begin tomorrow," he said. "I am impatient to be at
+work, even though I know perfectly well that it may be months before I
+can get on his track. I hope to get a good deal of information as to
+the habits of men of his kind from the Bow Street runners, and I have an
+appointment tomorrow morning to see their chief, who will give me every
+assistance in his power."
+
+"Then you will not be able to take us out?" Millicent said.
+
+"I trust to do so later on, but I cannot say how long I shall be
+engaged. However, I hope to get away so as to go out with you after
+lunch, and may possibly be able to postpone my getting regularly to work
+until after you have gone, so as to be able to devote myself to your
+service."
+
+"But what sort of work? I cannot make out how you are going to begin."
+
+"I can tell you this much, that to begin with I shall go in company with
+a constable to various places where such a man is likely to be found.
+It will take some time to acquaint myself with all these localities; the
+next step will be to find out, if possible, if anyone at all answering
+to his description is in the habit of coming there occasionally, and
+whom he visits; another thing will be to find out the places where
+receivers of stolen goods do their business, and to watch those with
+whom highwaymen are suspected of having dealings. All this, you see,
+will entail a lot of work, and require a very large amount of patience.
+Of course, if nothing whatever comes of such inquiries, I shall have
+to try quiet places in the suburbs; you must remember that this fellow
+during his time as a convict must have had opportunities of getting
+a vast amount of information likely to be useful to him, such as the
+addresses of men holding positions of apparent respectability, and yet
+in alliance with thieves. You may be sure that when he returned he took
+every imaginable pains to obtain a safe place of concealment before
+he began his work; my own opinion is that I am more likely to find him
+living quietly in a suburban cottage than in a London slum."
+
+Millicent was now thoroughly interested in the search. "It seems a great
+business, Mark, but going into it as thoroughly as you are doing I feel
+sure that you will succeed. I only wish that I could help you; but I
+could not do that, could I?" she asked wistfully.
+
+He saw that she was in earnest, and suppressed all semblance of a smile.
+
+"I am afraid, dear, that you would be a much greater source of
+embarrassment than of assistance to me," he said gravely. "This is
+essentially not a woman's work. I believe that women are sometimes
+employed in the detection of what we may call domestic crimes, but this
+is a different matter altogether."
+
+"I suppose so," she sighed; "but it will be very hard to be taking our
+ease down at Weymouth while we know that you are, day after day, wearing
+yourself out in tramping about making inquiries."
+
+"It will be no more fatiguing than tramping through the stubble round
+Crowswood after partridges, which I should probably be doing now if I
+were down there. By the way, before you go we shall have to talk over
+the question of shutting up the house. We had too much to think of to
+go into that before we came away, and I suppose I shall have to run down
+and arrange it all, if you have quite made up your mind that you don't
+mean to return for a year or two."
+
+"Decidedly our present idea is to have a few weeks at Weymouth, and then
+when we feel braced up to come back here and look for a house. Where are
+you likely to be, Mark?" Mrs. Cunningham asked.
+
+"I shall consult with Dick Chetwynd; he knows the town thoroughly, and
+is more up here than he is down in the country; he will recommend me to
+some lodging in a street that, without being the height of fashion, is
+at least passable. I have not the least wish to become a regular man
+about town, but I should like to go into good society. One cannot be at
+work incessantly."
+
+The next morning the chief of the detective department told Mark that he
+had decided to accept his offer.
+
+"As you will receive no pay," he said, "I shall regard you as a sort of
+volunteer. For the first two or three months you will spend your time in
+going about with one or other of my men on his work. They will be able
+to put you up to disguises. When you have once learned to know all the
+thieves' quarters and the most notorious receivers of stolen goods,
+you will be able to go about your work on your own account. All that
+I require is that you shall report yourself here twice a day. Should I
+have on hand any business for which you may appear to me particularly
+well suited, I shall request you to at once undertake it, and from time
+to time, when there is a good deal of business on hand, I may get you to
+aid one of my men who may require an assistant in the job on which he is
+engaged."
+
+"I am sure I am very much obliged to you, sir," Mark said, "and will,
+I can assure you, do my best in every way to assist your men in any
+business in which they may be engaged."
+
+"When will you begin?"
+
+"It is Saturday today, sir. I think I will postpone setting to until
+Monday week. My cousin and the lady in whose charge she is came up with
+me on Thursday, and will be leaving town the end of next week, and
+I should wish to escort them about while here. I will come on Monday
+morning ready for work. How had I better be dressed?"
+
+"I should say as a countryman. A convenient character for you to begin
+with will be that of a man who, having got into a poaching fray, and
+hurt a gamekeeper, has made for London as the best hiding place. You
+are quite uncertain about your future movements, but you are thinking of
+enlisting."
+
+"Very well, sir, I will get the constable at Reigate, who knows me well,
+to send me a suit. I might find it difficult to get all the things I
+want here."
+
+Accordingly, for the next week Mark devoted himself to the ladies.
+Millicent, in her interest in the work that he was about to undertake,
+had now quite got over her fit of ill temper, and the old cordial
+relations were renewed. On the Friday he saw them into the Weymouth
+coach, then sauntered off to his friend Chetwynd's lodgings.
+
+Ramoo had already sailed. On his arrival in town he had said that he
+should, if possible, arrange to go out as a steward.
+
+"Many men of my color who have come over here with their masters go back
+in that way," he said, in answer to Mark's remonstrances. "It is much
+more comfortable that way than as a passenger. If you go third class,
+rough fellows laugh and mock; if you go second class, men look as much
+as to say, 'What is that colored fellow doing here? This is no place for
+him.' Much better go as steward; not very hard work; very comfortable;
+plenty to eat; no one laugh or make fun."
+
+"Well, perhaps it would be best, when one comes to think of it, Ramoo;
+but I would gladly pay your passage in any class you like."
+
+"Ramoo go his own way, sahib," he said. "No pay passage money; me go to
+docks where boats are sailing, go on board and see head steward. Head
+steward glad enough to take good servant who is willing to work his
+way out, and ask for no wages. Head steward draw wages for him, and put
+wages in his own pocket. He very well satisfied."
+
+On Wednesday he came and told Mark that he had arranged to sail in the
+Nabob, and was to go on board early the next morning. He seemed a great
+deal affected, and Mark and Millicent were equally sorry to part with
+the faithful fellow.
+
+"Well, old man," Dick Chetwynd said, when Mark entered the room, where
+he was still at breakfast, "I was beginning to wonder whether you had
+gone to Reigate. Why, when I saw you last Friday you told me that you
+would look me up in a day or two."
+
+"I have been busy showing London to Mrs. Cunningham and Miss Conyers,"
+he replied--for Millicent had insisted on keeping her former name, at
+any rate for the present--and Mark was somewhat glad that there had been
+no necessity for entering into any explanations. It was agreed that
+when he went down to discharge some of the servants and called upon his
+friends he should say nothing of the change in his position, but should
+assign as a motive that he intended to travel about for a long time, and
+that he felt he could not settle down in the lonely house, at any
+rate for two or three years; and therefore intended to diminish the
+establishment.
+
+"You will have some breakfast, Mark?"
+
+"No, thank you. I breakfasted two hours ago."
+
+"Then you still keep to your intention to stay in London for a while?"
+
+"Yes. I don't feel that I could bear the house alone," Mark replied. "You
+see, Mrs. Cunningham and my uncle's ward could not very well remain in a
+bachelor's home, and naturally, after what has happened, they would not
+like to do so, even if they could. They have gone down to Weymouth for
+a few weeks for a complete change; and Mrs. Cunningham talks of taking
+a house in town for a time. I am going to look for lodgings, and I want
+your advice as to the quarter likely to suit me."
+
+"Why not take up your abode here for a time? There is a vacant room, and
+I should be very glad to have you with me."
+
+"Thank you very much, Dick, but I should prefer being alone. You will
+have friends dropping in to see you, and at present I should be poor
+company. It will be some little time before I shall feel equal to
+society."
+
+"Of course, Mark. I always speak first and think afterwards, as you know
+pretty well by this time. Well, what sort of lodgings do you want?"
+
+"I want them to be in a good but not in a thoroughly fashionable street.
+In time, no doubt, I shall like a little society, and shall get you to
+introduce me to some of the quieter of your friends, and so gradually
+feel my way."
+
+"I will do all that sort of thing for you, Mark. As you know, I am not
+one of those who see much fun in gambling or drinking, though one must
+play a little to be in the fashion. Still, I never go heavily into it.
+I risk a few guineas and then leave it. My own inclinations lie rather
+towards sport, and in this I can indulge without being out of the
+fashion. All the tip top people now patronize the ring, and I do so
+in my small way too. I am on good terms with all the principal prize
+fighters, and put on the gloves with one or other of them pretty nearly
+every day. I have taken courses of lessons regularly from four or five
+of them, and I can tell you that I can hold my own with most of the
+Corinthians. It is a grand sport, and I don't know how I should get
+on without it; after the hard exercise I was accustomed to down in the
+country, it keeps one's muscles in splendid order, and I can tell you
+that if one happens to get into a fight in the streets, it is no light
+thing to be able to polish off an antagonist in a round or two without
+getting a mark on your face that would keep you a prisoner in your room
+for a week or more."
+
+"Yes, I should like very much to take lessons too, Dick; it is one of
+the things that I have always wished to do. I suppose one can do it of
+an evening, or any time you like?"
+
+"Yes, any hour suits those fellows. You ought to get either a heavy
+middleweight or a light heavyweight; you will be a heavyweight yourself
+by the time you have filled out. Let me think; what is your height--six
+feet one, if I remember rightly?"
+
+"Yes, that is about it."
+
+"Well, with your shoulders and long reach and activity, you ought to be
+something out of the way if you take pains, Mark. You see, I am barely
+five feet ten, and am something like two stone lighter than you are. I
+suppose you are not much under twelve stone and a half."
+
+"That is just about my weight; I weighed at the miller's only a
+fortnight ago."
+
+"Good. I will make some inquiries, and see who would be the best man to
+take you in hand to begin with. And now about lodgings. Well, I should
+say Essex Street, or any of those streets running down from the Strand,
+would suit you. The rooms in Essex Street are bigger than those in
+Buckingham Street, and you will find anything between the two in some of
+the others. I may as well saunter round there with you. Of course money
+is no object to you?"
+
+"No," Mark agreed, "but I don't want big rooms. I think a small one,
+when you are sitting by yourself, is more cozy and comfortable."
+
+Finally two rooms were taken in Villiers Street; they were of moderate
+size and handsomely furnished: the last tenant had fitted them out for
+himself, but had lived to enjoy them only three months, having at the
+end of that time been killed in a duel over a quarrel at cards.
+
+"Well, I think you are in luck, Mark; you might look through a good many
+streets before you would find rooms so fashionably furnished as these. I
+see he went in for driving; that is evident from these engravings on the
+walls."
+
+"They are common, gaudy looking things," Mark said, "and quite out of
+character with the furniture."
+
+"Not at all, as times go, Mark; it is quite the thing for a man to have
+prints showing his tastes, riding or driving, shooting or coaching, or
+the ring. If you don't like them you can take them down, or, what will
+be better, take them out of their frames and put some of the champions
+past and present up there instead."
+
+"I will see about it," Mark said with a laugh. "I may turn out a
+complete failure."
+
+"There is no fear of that, Mark; and as the ring is all the fashion now,
+I can assure you it would be considered in good taste, though I own that
+in point of art most of these things leave a good deal to be desired.
+Now that that important thing is settled, suppose you come and lunch
+with me in Covent Garden? I don't belong to a club yet, though I have
+got my name down at a couple of them, but as far as I can see they are
+slow sort of places unless you know a lot of people. The coffee houses
+are much more amusing; you see people of all sorts there--fellows like
+myself, who have no clubs to go to; country gentlemen up for a week;
+a few writers, who, by the way, are not the best customers of these
+places; men whom nobody knows, and men whom everybody knows. Of course,
+the best time to see them is of an evening."
+
+"Yes, I have generally been in of an evening when I have been up in
+towns Dick, and I have always been amused. However, I am quite ready to
+lunch there now, for I breakfasted early."
+
+"I have to make some calls this afternoon, Mark. At seven this evening
+I will look in at your lodgings, and you shall go along with me to
+Ingleston's in St. Giles'. It is one of the headquarters of the fancy,
+and Jack Needham, who taught me, is safe to be there, and he will tell
+me who he thinks is best for you to begin with."
+
+Accordingly, after taking luncheon, they separated, and Mark went to his
+inn.
+
+Ingleston's was at that time regarded as the headquarters of the fancy.
+At the back of the house was a large room, with benches rising behind
+each other to accommodate the spectators. Here, on the evenings when it
+was known that leading men would put on the gloves, peers of the realm
+would sit side by side with sporting butchers, and men of fashion back
+their opinion on a coming prize fight with ex-pugilists and publicans. A
+number of men were assembled in the bar; among these was Jack Needham.
+
+"Good evening, Mr. Chetwynd," the man said as they came up to him. "It's
+going to be a good night. Tring and Bob Pratt are going to have a round
+or two together, and Gibbons will put on the gloves with anyone who
+likes to take him on."
+
+"This gentleman is Mr. Thorndyke, a squire, Jack, whose place is near
+mine at Reigate. He has come up to town for a few months, and wants to
+learn how to use his mauleys. I told him that you would advise him as to
+who would be the best man for him to go to."
+
+"I can tell you better when I have seen him strip, sir. There is no one
+in the big room at present. It won't be open for half an hour. Ingleston
+keeps it shut as long as he can so as to give everyone a fair chance of
+a good place. If the gentleman will come in there with me I will have a
+look at him."
+
+Mark expressed his willingness to be looked at, and the man having gone
+and got the key of the room from Ingleston, went in with them and locked
+the door behind.
+
+"Now, sir, if you will strip to the waist I shall be better able to say
+who you should have as your teacher than I can now."
+
+Mark stripped, and the man walked round and round him, examining him
+critically.
+
+"He's a big 'un," he said to Dick when he had completed his examination.
+"He has got plenty of muscle and frame, and ought to be a tremendous
+hitter; he is about the figure of Gibbons, and if he goes in for it
+really, ought to make well nigh as good a man, if not quite. I don't
+think Bill would care about taking him up till he knows a bit about it.
+I tell you what, sir; you will be too big altogether for me by the time
+you get to be quick on your legs, and to use your strength, but if you
+like I will take you on for a month or so--say, two months; by that time
+I think you will be good enough to go to Gibbons. I will just call him
+in if you don't mind; he came in just before you."
+
+In a couple of minutes he came in with a man of similar height and
+somewhat similar figure to Mark.
+
+"This is Gibbons, sir, ex-champion, and like enough he might be champion
+now if he chose; as fine a boxer as ever stripped, but he is ring maker
+now to the P. C. and it suits him better to do that and to teach, than
+to have a chance of getting a battle once a year or so."
+
+"Have you a great many pupils, Gibbons?"
+
+The man shook his head.
+
+"I am too big, sir; gentlemen like to learn from someone about their
+own weight, or perhaps a bit lighter, and there are not many of them
+who would care to stand up against a man who has been champion, and so I
+have plenty of time on my hands. I am a hard hitter, too, even with the
+gloves; that is one reason why Jack had best take you on until you get
+a little handy with your fists. I do more in the dog fancier line than
+I do with boxing, but there is nothing I like better than getting the
+gloves on with an amateur who is likely to be a credit to me. That is my
+card, sir; you will find me in pretty nearly any time of the day, and
+I have got a place behind the house where I do teaching when I get
+a chance. It is handy in one way, because you can drop in and take a
+lesson any time you like."
+
+"That would suit me exceedingly well," Mark said; "and when I have had a
+couple of months with Needham I will come to you."
+
+Mark now put on his clothes again, and they went out together, and
+re-entered a few minutes later, when the door was open. The benches were
+soon crowded. Mark had been to several prize fights with Dick Chetwynd,
+had often boxed with him and other lads, and had had lessons from an
+ex-prize fighter at Reigate, and was therefore able to appreciate the
+science shown by the various men who confronted each other. The event of
+the evening was the contest between Tring and Bob Pratt; both were very
+powerful men, who were about to go into strict training for matches that
+had been made for them against two west countrymen, who were thought
+very highly of by their friends, and who were regarded as possible
+candidates for the championship.
+
+Bob Pratt was a stone heavier than his opponent, but far less active,
+and owed his position more to his ability to take punishment, and to
+hard hitting powers, than to his science. In the two rounds that were
+fought, Tring had the advantage, but the general opinion was that in the
+long run the other would wear him down. Both fought with good temper,
+and were warmly applauded as they shook hands at the finish.
+
+"I think I should back Tring in a fight," Mark said, as the meeting
+broke up, "but it is difficult to say, for he is in better condition
+than the other, and it may be that when both are thoroughly fit the
+heavy man might show more improvement than he would do."
+
+The hat was passed round at the conclusion: Every man dropped in his
+guinea, some more, it being understood that the collection was divided
+between the two men to pay the expenses of their training.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+
+The next morning Mark commenced work in earnest, and for two months
+visited all the worst slums of London in company with one of the Bow
+Street men. Both were generally in disguise, but Mark's companion
+sometimes went openly to some of the houses inhabited by men well known
+as criminals. On such occasions Mark remained within call, ready to go
+in if assistance should be required; but there was small fear of this,
+the men who were visited were all personally known to the officer, and
+generally greeted him with "You aint wanting me, are you?"
+
+"Not at all; what I am wanting is a little information for which I shall
+be quite willing to pay the first man who enables us to lay hands on the
+gentleman I want to find." Then he would describe Bastow's appearance.
+
+"He has taken to the road, I fancy, and has given us a good deal of
+trouble; if it is the man I think it is, he has been away from London
+for some years, and came back eight or ten months ago."
+
+The reply was always to the same effect:
+
+"I don't know of such a man, and never heard of him. For my part,
+I would not split on a pal, not for anything; but I should not mind
+earning five guineas to put you on a cove who is not one of us. Besides,
+it aint only the money; you know, you might do me a good turn some day."
+
+"Quite so; well, I can tell you it is a good deal more than five guineas
+that would be earned if you could put me in the way of laying my hand on
+his shoulder. I don't think that he is living in town. I expect he is
+in some quiet neighborhood; still, if he is on the road, he must have a
+horse somewhere. You might ask among the stables, and find out whether
+anyone keeps a horse there who is in the habit of going out in the
+afternoon and not coming back until the next day. You have plenty of
+time upon your hands, and it would pay you well if you could bring me
+the information I want."
+
+The officer said to Mark at the end of two months: "These knights of the
+road don't often mix themselves up with the London housebreakers. The
+most likely men to be able to tell you about the doings of such a
+fellow would be receivers of stolen goods, but it would be dangerous to
+question any of them--they would be sure to put him on his guard. I will
+give you a list of some of them, and I should say that your best way
+would be to watch their places of an evening, from the time it gets dark
+till ten or eleven. Of course, it is just a chance. You may watch one
+place for a month and he may happen to go there the very day you have
+gone off to watch another crib. Still, there is just the chance, and I
+don't see that there is one any other way."
+
+During this time Mark had been taking a lesson every evening with
+Needham, and had surprised his teacher with the rapidity of his
+progress; he had said, the very evening before, when Mark had countered
+him with a blow that knocked him for two or three minutes senseless:
+
+"We have had enough of this, governor; you have got beyond me
+altogether, and I don't want another blow like that. You had better take
+on Gibbons now. You are too big altogether for me, and yet you don't
+fight like a heavyweight, for you are as quick on your pins as I am."
+
+Well pleased at having the day to himself and of having got clear of his
+work in the thieves' rookeries, Mark went the next morning to Gibbons'
+shop. His entry was hailed by a chorus of barking from dogs of all sorts
+and sizes, from the bulldog down to the ratting terrier.
+
+"Glad to see you, Mr. Thorndyke," Gibbons said, when he had silenced the
+barking. "I saw Jack last week, and he told me that he should hand you
+over to me pretty soon, for that you were getting beyond him altogether,
+and he thought that if you stuck to it you would give me all my work to
+do in another six months."
+
+"I finished with him last night, Gibbons, and I shall be ready to come
+for a lesson to you every morning, somewhere about this hour. I have
+brought my bag with my togs."
+
+"All right, sir, I am ready at once; the place is clear now behind. I
+have just been making it tidy, for we had a little ratting last night,
+one of my dogs against Sir James Collette's, fifty rats each; my dog
+beat him by three quarters of a minute."
+
+"You will never see me here at one of those businesses. I have no
+objection to stand up to a man my own size and give and take until we
+have had enough, but to see rats slaughtered when they have not a chance
+of making a fight of it is altogether out of my line."
+
+"Well, sir, I do not care about it myself; there are lots who do like
+it, and are ready to wager their money on it, and as it helps to sell my
+dogs, besides what I can win out of the event--it was a wager of twenty
+guineas last night--it aint for me to set myself up against it."
+
+Calling a boy to look after the shop, Gibbons went away into a wooden
+building in the back yard; it was about twenty-five feet square, and
+there were holes in the floor for the stakes, when a regular ring was
+made. The floor was strewn with clean sawdust; a number of boxing gloves
+hung by the wall.
+
+"There is the dressing room," Gibbons said, pointing to a door at the
+other end. When both were ready he looked Mark over. "Your muscles have
+thickened out a good bit, sir, since I saw you strip. Before another
+four years, if you keep on at it, you will be as big a man as I am. I
+am about eight years too old, and you are four years too young. You will
+improve every day, and I shan't. Now, sir, let us see what you can do.
+Jack tells me that you are wonderfully quick on your feet; there is the
+advantage you have of me. I am as strong as ever I was, I think, but I
+find that I cannot get about as I used to."
+
+He stood somewhat carelessly at first, but as they sparred for an
+opening he became more careful, and presently hit out sharply. Mark
+leaped back, and then, springing forward, struck out with his left;
+Gibbons only just stopped it and then countered, but Mark was out of
+reach again.
+
+"That is good enough," Gibbons said; "I can see Jack has taught you
+pretty nearly all there is to know. We will just take those hits again.
+You were right to get away from the first, but the second time you
+should have guarded with your left, and hit at my chin with your right.
+That jumping back game is first rate for avoiding punishment, but you
+have got to come in again to hit. You took me by surprise that time, and
+nearly got home, but you would not do it twice," and so the lesson went
+on for three quarters of an hour.
+
+"That will do for today, sir; I am getting blown, if you are not. Well,
+I can tell you I have never had a more promising pupil, and I have
+brought forward two or three of the best men in the ring; no wonder that
+Jack cannot do much with you. Give me six months, every day, and you
+should have a turn occasionally with other men, and I would back you for
+a hundred pounds against any man now in the ring."
+
+Three or four days later Mark received a message that the chief wanted
+to speak with him that afternoon, and he accordingly went down.
+
+"I've got a job for you, Mr. Thorndyke; it is just the sort of thing
+that will suit you. There is a house in Buckingham Street that we have
+had our eye on for some time; it is a gambling house, but with that we
+have nothing to do unless complaints are made, but we have had several
+complaints of late. It is a well got up place, and there are a good many
+men of title frequent it, but men of title are not always more honest
+than other people; anyhow, there are some rooks there, and several
+young fellows of means have been pigeoned and ruined. They are mighty
+particular who they let in, and there would be very little chance of
+getting my regular men in there. Now, you are a stranger in London, but
+you have friends here, and no doubt you could get introduced. We want
+to know if the play is fair; if it isn't, we would break the place up
+altogether. We know enough to do it now; but none of the poor beggars
+who have been ruined will come forward, and, indeed, haven't any idea,
+I think, that they have lost their money in anything but a run of bad
+luck.
+
+"One young fellow blew his brains out last week, and his father came
+here with a list of what are called debts of honor, which he found in
+his room. There they are, and the names of the men they are owed to; of
+course some of them have been fairly won, but I have a strong suspicion
+that those I have marked with a cross have not been. For instance, there
+is Sir James Flash, a fellow who was turned out of White's two years
+ago for sharp practice with cards; there is John Emerson, he is a man of
+good family, but all his friends have given him up long ago, and he has
+been living by his wits for the last five years. The others marked
+are all of the same sort. Now, what I want you to do is to become a
+frequenter of the place; of course you will have to play a little, and
+as you are a stranger I expect that they will let you win for a bit;
+but if not the old gentleman has placed 200 pounds in my hands for the
+expenses."
+
+"I could play with my own money," Mark said rather warmly.
+
+"You forget, Mr. Thorndyke," the chief said firmly, "that at the present
+moment you are a member of my force, and that you go to this place in
+that capacity, and not as Squire of Crowswood; therefore you must, if
+you please, do as I instruct you. The gentleman will be ready to pay
+that sum. As you see, the amounts entered here total up to nearly 10,000
+pounds. He said that it will ruin him to pay that sum, but that he
+must do so rather than his son should be branded as a defaulter. I have
+advised him to write to all these people saying that it will take him
+some time to raise the money, but that he will see that nobody shall be
+a loser by his son's debts. I have told him in the meantime that I will
+endeavor to get proof that the play was not fair, and in that case he
+would, of course, refuse to pay any of the claims on that ground; and
+you may be sure that if unfair play was proved none of those concerned
+would dare to press their claims."
+
+"Then my function would be simply to watch?"
+
+"Yes, to watch, and to bring me word of anything you may observe. You
+see, without making a public scandal, if it could be found that a man
+was discovered cheating, and the way in which he was doing it, one would
+be able to put so strong a pressure on him, that not only might he be
+forced to abstain from going to any club, but would be frightened into
+giving up any IOUs he might hold."
+
+"I shall be glad to do the best I can, sir; but frankly I know next
+to nothing of cards, and should have but little chance of detecting
+anything that might be going on, when it must be done so cleverly that
+experienced gamblers, watching a man closely, fail to see anything
+wrong."
+
+"I quite understand that; but one of my men has made a study of the
+various methods employed by gamblers to cheat, and although it would
+take you years to learn how to do it yourself, a few hours' instruction
+from him would at least put you up to some of their methods, and enable
+you to know where to look for cheating. The man is now waiting in the
+next room, and if you will take two or three hours daily with him, say
+for a week, you ought to be able to detect the doings of these fellows
+when to others everything seems right and above board. You may have no
+inclination for cards, but knowledge of that sort is useful to anyone
+in society, here or anywhere else, and may enable him either to save his
+own pocket or to do a service to a friend."
+
+Mark was greatly interested in the tricks the man showed him. At first
+it seemed to him almost magical, after he himself had shuffled the cards
+and cut them the dealer invariably turned up a king. Even admitting he
+might have various places of concealment, pockets in the lining of the
+sleeve, in the inside of the coat, and in various other parts of
+the dress, in which cards could be concealed and drawn out by silken
+threads, it did not seem possible that this could be done with such
+quickness as to be unobserved. It was only when his teacher showed him,
+at first in the slowest manner, and then gradually increasing his speed,
+that he perceived that what seemed impossible was easy enough when the
+necessary practice and skill had been attained. The man was indeed an
+adept at a great variety of tricks by which the unsuspecting could be
+taken in.
+
+"I ought to know," he said. "I was for three years in a gambling house
+in Paris, where every other man was a sharper. I have been in places of
+the same sort in Belgium, Holland, Germany, and Italy. At first I was
+only a boy waiter, and as until evening there was nothing doing at these
+places, men would sometimes amuse themselves by teaching me tricks, easy
+ones to begin with, and when they saw I was sharp and quick handed they
+went on. After a time I began to work as a confederate, and at last on
+my own account; but I got disgusted with it at last. A young fellow shot
+himself at the table of the gambling house at Rome, and at another place
+I was nearly killed by a man who had lost heavily--do you see, it has
+left a broad scar right across my forehead?--so I gave it up.
+
+"I was in the French police for a time, and used to watch some of the
+lower hells. I was nearly killed there once or twice, and at last I
+came back here. My French chief gave me a letter to the chief, and I was
+taken on at once, for, talking as I do half a dozen languages, and being
+acquainted with most of the swell mobsmen of Paris, I was just the man
+who happened to be wanted here at the time. Since I came over I have
+done a good deal in the way of breaking up hells where sailors and
+others are plundered. But, you see, I cannot be used for the higher
+class of work; my nose has been broken, and I have half a dozen scars on
+my face. I hate the sight of cards now. I have seen so much of the ruin
+they do, and have, I am sorry to say, taken a hand so often in doing it,
+that save showing someone who would use the knowledge in the right way
+how the tricks are done, nothing would persuade me to touch them again.
+However, as a protection, the knowledge is as useful as it is dangerous
+when used the other way. It would take you ten years to learn to do
+these tricks yourself so well as to defy detection; but in a very short
+time, by learning where to keep your eyes, you would get to detect
+almost any of them.
+
+"You see, there are three methods of cheating: the first by hidden
+cards, the second by marked cards, the third simply by sleight of hand,
+this being generally used in connection with marked cards. These tricks
+require great skill and extreme delicacy of touch, for the marks,
+which are generally at the edge of the cards, are so slight as to be
+altogether imperceptible save to a trained hand. There are also marks on
+the back of the cards; these are done in the printing, and are so slight
+that, unless attention were attracted to them, no one would dream of
+their existence."
+
+In the course of a week's practice Mark learned where to look for
+cheating; he could not indeed follow the fingers of his instructor, for
+even when he knew what was going to be done, the movements were so rapid
+that his eye could not follow them, and in nine cases out of ten he
+was unable to say whether the coup had been accomplished or not; but
+he could see that there was a slight movement of the fingers that could
+only mean that something was being done.
+
+"It would be a good thing," he said one day, "if every young fellow
+before going out into the world were to have a course of such
+instruction as you are giving me; he would learn, at least, the absolute
+folly of sitting down to play cards with strangers. He would see that
+he could be robbed in fifty different ways, and would be at the absolute
+mercy of any sharper. I never had any inclination for gambling, but if
+I had been inclined that way you would have cured me of the passion for
+life."
+
+The week's instruction was lengthened to a fortnight, and at the end of
+that time Mark went to Dick Chetwynd.
+
+"Do you know, Dick," he said, "a gambling place in Buckingham Street?"
+
+"I know that there is a hell there, Mark, but I have never been in it.
+Why do you ask?"
+
+"I have rather a fancy to go there," he replied. "I hear that, although
+a good many men of fashion haunt the place, the crowd is rather a mixed
+one."
+
+"It has a bad name, Mark; I have heard some queer reports about it."
+
+"Yes, so have I. I should think that it is a very likely place for a man
+like Bastow to go to if he has any liking for play. Of course he would
+get up as a gentleman. At any rate, I have been making what inquiries
+I can in some of the thieves' quarters, and have come to the conclusion
+that he is not likely to have taken up his abode there, and I don't
+think I can do better than make a round of some of these doubtful
+houses. I should like to begin with this, and then work downwards."
+
+"Well, I dare say I could manage it, Mark; I know half a dozen men who
+play there; they say there is more fun and excitement to be got than
+at White's or Crockford's, or any of those places. Some men, of course,
+play high, but a good many who go there only risk a few guineas; some go
+because it is the proper thing at present for a man about town either to
+play or to bet on horses or cock fights, or to patronize the ring; and,
+after all, it is easier to stroll for an hour or two of an evening into
+comfortable rooms, where you meet a lively set and there is champagne
+always going, than it is to attend races or prize fights."
+
+Very few days passed that Mark did not go in for half an hour's chat
+with his friend, and two days after this conversation Dick said:
+
+"By the way, Mark, I have arranged for us to go to that hell tonight;
+young Boldero, who is a member of my club, told me some time ago that he
+played there sometimes. I met him yesterday evening, and said that I had
+a fancy to go and have a look at it, and that a friend of mine from the
+country also wanted to go; he said at once that he would take us there.
+
+"'I should advise you not to play much, Chetwynd,' he said; 'sometimes
+they play uncommonly high, and there are some fellows who have wonderful
+luck. Of course, on ordinary occasions, when the play is low, you could
+stake a few guineas there as well as elsewhere, but when really high
+play is on we small fish always stand out. All I can say is that I have
+never seen anything that savors of foul play in the smallest degree; but
+you understand how it is, if one man happens to have a big run of luck,
+there are always fellows who go about hinting that there is something
+wrong in it. However, it is a jolly place to drop into, and, of course
+there is no occasion to play always, and if one loses one is likely to
+win on the next race or on the next fight.'"
+
+Accordingly that evening Mark met Boldero, whom he had once or twice
+before seen in Dick's company, and the three went together to the house
+in Buckingham Street. Boldero nodded to the doorkeeper as he went in,
+and they then proceeded upstairs and entered a handsome room, with
+comfortable sofas and chairs, on which a dozen men were seated, for the
+most part smoking. Several champagne bottles stood on the tables, and
+all who liked helped themselves. Boldero was known to several of those
+present, while two or three were also known to Dick. Boldero introduced
+them both to his friends. One of these was the Hon. John Emerson, a man
+of some five and thirty, with a languid air and a slight drawl.
+
+"Glad to make your acquaintance, sir," he said to Mark. "Have you been
+long in town?"
+
+"Two or three months only," Mark replied.
+
+"Is this your first visit here?"
+
+"Yes, this is my first visit to any place of the sort, but I thought
+that I should like to go the rounds before I went home again."
+
+"Quite so. Going to punt a few guineas, I suppose?"
+
+"Yes, I suppose that is the right thing to do."
+
+"Well, everyone who comes is expected to do a little that way; there is
+no occasion to play high."
+
+"Oh, I should not like to do that," Mark said innocently; "indeed, I
+know very little about cards."
+
+"Oh, that is quite immaterial so long as you only play games of chance;
+in fact, you don't want to know anything about them. You see others
+staking their money, some on one side of the table, and some on the
+other; you place your money whichever side you like, and take your
+chance. There is no skill in it. Some people play on what they call a
+system, but there is nothing in it; you have just as much chance if you
+put your money down blindfolded. If luck is with you, you win; if luck
+is against you, you lose."
+
+After chatting for a few minutes Mark went with his two companions
+upstairs. The room they now entered was furnished as a drawing room,
+except that in the middle was a table, round which some fifteen people
+were seated, while as many more looked on; round the room were several
+small tables, on which were packs of cards. These were for those who
+preferred to play piquet or ecarte, two or three couples being so
+engaged. Mark knew enough of cards to know that hazard was being played
+at the large table. There was an inner room, and Mark strolled across
+and looked in. It was at present untenanted; it contained a center table
+capable of holding four, and two or three small ones, with two chairs
+set in readiness to each.
+
+"That is where the heavy play goes on," Boldero said. "None of your four
+or five guineas wagers there, fifties and hundreds are nearer the mark,
+and I have seen a thousand wagered many a time. It is exciting work even
+looking on, I can tell you; what it must be for the players I cannot
+say, but I should think it must be frightful."
+
+Mark took up his stand at the hazard table, and after looking on for
+some little time began to play. Beginning with guineas, he gradually, as
+luck favored him, played five guineas, and after half an hour's play won
+fifty. Then luck turned, and in a few minutes he had lost all he won.
+
+"You ought to have stopped, Mark," Dick said reproachfully, as he
+stepped back from his place, which was at once filled by one who had
+been standing behind him.
+
+The play in the inner room had now begun, and Mark went in and joined
+those who were looking on. In half an hour one of the players had had
+enough, and a young man said to Emerson, who was standing on the other
+side of the table:
+
+"Now, Mr. Emerson, will you give me my revenge?"
+
+"I would really rather not, Mr. Cotter. The luck has been so one sided
+lately that I would rather leave it alone."
+
+"But it may turn tonight," the other said. "At any rate, I will try it,
+if you have no objection."
+
+There was a certain eagerness in the young man's voice that caused Mark
+to watch him closely. He was a good looking young fellow, but his face
+was not a strong one; and although he evidently tried to assume an
+appearance of indifference as he sat down, there was a nervous movement
+of his fingers. Mark took his place behind him as play began. The game
+was ecarte, and for a time Emerson lost.
+
+"I think the luck has changed, Mr. Cotter, but as we generally raise the
+stakes after playing for a bit, I am ready to do so. Shall we make it
+fifty pounds again?"
+
+"With pleasure," the young man said.
+
+He won the next two games, then for some time they won alternately.
+
+"Shall we say a hundred again?" he said.
+
+"As you like," Emerson replied. "We don't seem to get much forwarder
+either way at present."
+
+A considerable number of lookers on had now gathered round. So far Mark,
+although watching the fingers of the opposite player intently, had seen
+no sign whatever of unfair play. He now redoubled his attention. Cotter
+won the first game, his adversary the three next. Mark noticed now that
+after looking at his hand Emerson looked abstractedly, as if meditating
+before taking the next step; there was no expression in his face, but
+Mark fancied that his eyes rested for a moment on the man standing next
+to himself. He looked at his watch and then, as if finding the hour
+later than he had expected, moved away from his place, and presently
+joined Dick, who was standing with Boldero on the other side of the
+table.
+
+"Who is that man playing with Emerson?" he asked in a whisper.
+
+"He is the son of Cotter, the head of Cotter's Bank, in Lombard Street."
+
+As the men were standing two or three deep round the table, Mark could
+not see the table itself, but this mattered little, for his attention
+was entirely directed towards the man standing behind Cotter's chair. He
+saw that after glancing down at the young man's hand he looked across as
+if seeing what Emerson was going to do; sometimes his eyes dropped
+for an instant, at other times there was no such movement, and after
+noticing this four or five times, and noticing the course Emerson took,
+he had no doubt whatever in his own mind that the movement of the man's
+eyes was an intimation to Emerson of the nature of Cotter's hand. The
+young man had lost four games in succession; he had grown very pale, but
+showed no other signs of agitation. Presently he said:
+
+"You have your usual luck again; I will only play one more game tonight,
+but we may as well make it worth playing. Shall we say five hundred?"
+
+"At your service," Emerson replied.
+
+This time the face of the man standing behind Cotter's chair was
+immovable, and Mark, placing himself behind a short man and straining
+his head forward, saw that Cotter scored four. The next time there was
+still no sign. Emerson showed a king and scored it, and then won every
+trick and the game.
+
+"That makes nine hundred pounds," the young man said quietly, writing
+an IOU for that amount and handing it to Emerson. There was a general
+movement of the spectators, and two fresh players took the seats vacated
+by the late antagonists.
+
+"Who was the man standing behind Cotter's chair?" Mark asked Boldero.
+
+"That is Sir James Flash. He is just going to play, you see; it is sure
+to be another hot game, and an interesting one."
+
+"Well, I think I will go," Mark said; "the heat of the room has given me
+a bit of a headache. I will see you tomorrow, Dick."
+
+"Good night, old man," Chetwynd said; and, shaking hands with Boldero,
+Mark went downstairs immediately after Cotter. The latter went into the
+room below, drank off a tumbler of champagne, and then went down, took
+his hat, and went out. Mark followed him for a short distance, and
+joined him as soon as he got up into the Strand.
+
+"Mr. Cotter," he said, "I have not the pleasure of knowing you
+personally, and I must introduce myself. My name is Mark Thorndyke,
+and I am the owner of an estate close to Reigate. Would you mind my
+exchanging a few words with you?"
+
+Cotter looked up, and was about to give a flat refusal, but the
+expression of Mark's face was so friendly and pleasant that he changed
+his mind and said in a hard voice:
+
+"I really do not know what you can have to say to me, Mr. Thorndyke, but
+of course I can hardly refuse to hear you."
+
+They walked across the road and turned up a quiet street.
+
+"For certain reasons it is not necessary for me to explain," Mark said,
+"I went to that place for the first time tonight, and I watched the play
+between you and Mr. Emerson."
+
+"It does not matter, sir; I lost, and I am not going there again."
+
+"I hope, on the contrary, that you will go there again, Mr. Cotter. If I
+mistake not, from what I heard, you have lost considerable sums to that
+man."
+
+"I imagine, sir, that that is no business of a stranger."
+
+"In no way personally," Mark replied, not heeding the angry ring in
+the voice, "but as an honest man it does concern me. I am absolutely
+convinced, sir, that that money has not been won from you fairly."
+
+The young man gave a start.
+
+"Impossible!" he said shortly. "Mr. Emerson is a man of good family and
+a gentleman."
+
+"He is a man of good family, I admit, but certainly not a gentleman; his
+antecedents are notorious."
+
+"I have never heard a word against him; he is intimate with Sir James
+Flash and other gentlemen of position."
+
+"I am not surprised, that you have not heard of it; it was probably
+to the interest of several persons that you should not do so. Nor do
+I suppose that you are aware that Sir James Flash was himself expelled
+from White's for cheating at cards."
+
+"Impossible!" Mr. Cotter replied.
+
+"I can assure you of the fact," Mark said quietly. "Probably you have
+among your acquaintances some members of White's. I am sure if you ask
+them they will confirm the fact. Now, sir, I can assure you that I
+have no interest in this matter, save to prevent a gentleman from being
+ruined by blacklegs. May I ask how much you owe to Mr. Emerson and Sir
+James Flash?"
+
+The young man hesitated. "I believe you, sir," he said at last. "They
+hold my IOUs for 29,000 pounds. I need hardly say it is absolute ruin.
+My intention is to make a clean breast to my father about it tomorrow
+morning. My father will give me the money, in the first place because he
+loves me and would save my name from disgrace, and in the second because
+were I posted as a defaulter it would strike a severe blow at the credit
+of the bank. So he will give me the money, but he will bid me leave his
+house forever. That will matter little, for I shall pay the money, and
+tomorrow night I shall blow out my brains."
+
+"Well, sir, if you will follow my advice you will neither pay the
+money nor blow out your brains. I saw enough tonight to feel absolutely
+certain that you have been cheated. Sir James Flash stood behind you,
+and was, I am sure, signaling your hand to Emerson. I believe that
+Emerson played fair otherwise, until the last game, but I am convinced
+that he then cheated. You had good hands, but he had better; and
+although I did not see him cheat--for I was on the other side of the
+table--I am convinced that he did so. Now, sir, I advise you to go in
+as usual tomorrow evening, and to play, raising your stakes as you did
+tonight. When the times comes I will expose him. Should I not be able to
+detect him we must try another night. I am so much convinced that this
+is the case, and that I shall succeed, that whether you play one night
+or three I will guarantee that you shall be no loser, but will, on the
+honor of a gentleman, place in your hands the amount of your losses; so
+that you will not have to ask your father for a check larger than you
+would do if you confessed to him tomorrow morning. I only ask in return
+that you, on your part, will give me your word of honor that you will
+never touch a card again after you rise from the table."
+
+"I cannot accept so generous an offer from a stranger," Cotter said in a
+low tone.
+
+"I do not think that it is generous," Mark replied quietly, "because I
+am perfectly convinced that I shall not have to pay at all. Have you any
+other IOUs out?"
+
+"I have given them for about 5000 pounds, but that is not in addition
+to the 29,000 pounds. Emerson told me that as he knew that I should have
+difficulty in paying them at the present moment, he had taken them up,
+and held them with his own."
+
+"Will you give me the names of the persons to whom you gave them in the
+first place?"
+
+"Certainly;" and he mentioned three names, all of which stood with a
+black cross against them on Mark's list.
+
+"Thank you. Then you will go tomorrow night again?"
+
+"Yes; and I swear to you that I will never touch a card afterwards."
+
+"I don't think that you need fear," Mark said. "I have not been long in
+London, but I happen to have been shown a good many of the tricks that
+these blacklegs play on greenhorns, which will account for my having
+noticed what has never been observed by the honest portion of the men
+who frequent the place. Now I will say good night, sir. I shall be
+behind your chair or his tomorrow night."
+
+"I don't know what to say," Cotter said hesitatingly.
+
+"There is no occasion to say anything; it is the duty of every honest
+man to interfere if he sees another honest man being robbed, and that is
+my sole object in this matter. Good night;" and turning round, he walked
+rapidly away.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII.
+
+
+The next morning, before going round to Gibbons', Mark saw his chief and
+told him of what had taken place on the previous evening.
+
+"I certainly did not think that you would succeed so soon; you believe
+that you will be able fairly to expose these fellows?"
+
+"I have no doubt whatever that I shall be able to expose one of them;
+and I have equally no doubt that if the others are arrested, either
+false cards or pockets for cards will be found upon them. What do you
+wish me to do, sir? I can, of course, expose any fellow I catch at it,
+but can do nothing about the others."
+
+"I must have more than one captured," the chief said. "At even the most
+irreproachable club there may be one blackleg, but if it is clear that
+this place is the haunt of blacklegs we can break it. There are half a
+dozen Acts that apply; there is the 11th Act of Henry VIII, statute 33,
+cap. 9, which prohibits the keeping of any common house for dice, cards,
+or any unlawful game. That has never been repealed, except that gaming
+houses were licensed in 1620. What is more to the point is that
+five Acts of George II, the 9th, 12th, 13th, 18th, and 30th, impose
+penalties upon the keepers of public houses for permitting gambling, and
+lay heavy penalties upon hazard, roulette, and other gambling games, on
+the keepers of gambling houses and those who play there. Having received
+complaints of several young men being rooked in the place, we can, if
+we prove that some of its frequenters are blacklegs, shut the place up
+altogether. We should do it quietly, and without fuss, if possible;
+but if we shut it up several others of the same sort will be certain to
+close their doors. But mind, there will probably be a desperate row, and
+you had better take pistols with you. I will have four men close at
+hand from ten o'clock till the time the place closes, and if they hear a
+scrimmage, or you fire a pistol out of the window, they will rush in and
+seize all engaged in the row, and march them to the lock up. Of course
+you will have to be included."
+
+Mark then went to Chetwynd.
+
+"Well, what did you think of it last night?"
+
+"Well, I own that it went against my grain to see that young fellow
+being victimized by a sharper."
+
+"My dear Mark, you must not use such language as that. I fancy from
+what I have heard that the Honorable John is not altogether an estimable
+character, but to call him a sharper is going too far altogether."
+
+"I don't think that it is, for from what I saw last night I am pretty
+well convinced that he did not play fair. I mean to go again tonight."
+
+"But why on earth should you mix yourself up in such an affair, Mark? It
+is no business of yours; you are not an habitue of the place. Above
+all, it is extremely unlikely that you are right. There were some
+shady people there, no doubt, but there were also a good many gentlemen
+present, and as you know nothing of cards, as far as I know, it is the
+most unlikely thing in the world that you should find out that Emerson
+cheated when no one else noticed it."
+
+"It is my business; it is the duty of every honest man to see that a
+poor lad like that should not be eaten up by a shark like Emerson. I
+don't care if there is a shindy over it. I shall not interfere unless I
+can prove that the man is cheating, in which case no man of honor would
+go out with him. I shall be glad if you and Boldero would go with me
+again this evening. I am not known there, and you are to a good many
+men, and Boldero to many more. I only want that, if I get into a row,
+you should testify to the fact that I am a gentleman, and ordinarily
+sane. If there is a row you will have an opportunity of seeing how much
+I have benefited by my lessons."
+
+"Yes, I heard you were making tremendous progress. Jack Needham told
+me a month ago that you had knocked him out of time, and I went into
+Gibbons' yesterday morning with a man who wanted to buy a dog, and he
+told me that he considered that it was a great misfortune that you were
+an amateur, for that you only required another six months' practice, and
+he would then be ready to back you for a hundred pounds against any man
+in the ring. But about this affair, Mark. Are you really in earnest?"
+
+"I am, Dick, thoroughly in earnest; so would you be if you had spoken
+to Cotter last night, as I did. I tell you that if I had not given him a
+little hope that the thing might come out right, he would have blown out
+his brains today."
+
+"Well, Mark, if you have set your mind on it, of course I will stick to
+you, though I have some doubts whether Cotter has any brains to speak
+of to blow out, else he would not be mad enough to back himself against
+Emerson and other men whom Boldero tells me he has been playing with."
+
+"He has made an ass of himself, no doubt, Dick; but I fancy a good
+many fellows do that at one time or other of their lives, though not, I
+grant, always in the same way."
+
+"Well, I will go, Mark. I need not ask Boldero, for he told me that he
+should look in again at ten o'clock this evening, for he thought that
+another night's play would probably bring Cotter to the end of his
+tether."
+
+Accordingly a little before ten they walked into the gambling house
+together.
+
+"Now, Dick, I want you, as soon as you sit down, to take your place in
+the front line within a yard or two of Emerson. I don't want you to be
+just behind him, but a short distance away; and I want you to keep your
+eye upon Sir James Flash, who, if I am not mistaken, will take up the
+same position that he did last night, near enough to Cotter to see
+his hand. You will remark, I have no doubt, as I did last night, that
+whenever Cotter has a bad hand, Flash will either close his eyes, or put
+his hand up to his mouth and stroke his mustache, or make some sign of
+that sort. When Cotter has a good hand he will stand perfectly still or
+look about the room. At any rate, he will make no sign--that, of course,
+is a guide to Emerson whether to propose or to refuse to allow Cotter
+to do so. I need not point out to you what a tremendous advantage
+the knowledge whether an opponent's hand is good or not gives him. Of
+course, while watching an hour's play I can only know that Flash was
+making signs, and that when he did so Cotter's hand was a bad one. It is
+possible that the manner in which the sign was made, either by closing
+his eye or twisting his mustache, or so on, may have been an intimation
+as to the suit in which Cotter was strongest or weakest."
+
+"By Jove, this is a serious thing, Mark."
+
+"It is a serious thing. I don't want you to get into a row with the
+fellow. I should like you to give me a nod when you have satisfied
+yourself that I was not mistaken. I will take upon myself to denounce
+the fellow, and to say what I noticed yesterday and you can back me up
+by saying that you saw the same thing. I have no doubt that I shall be
+able to convince every decent man there that my charge is well founded.
+I am going to watch Emerson. With the help he gets from Flash, he won't
+risk anything by cheating until it comes to a big stake like the last
+game yesterday, in which case, if Cotter's hand happens to be a strong
+one, he is likely to do so, and I fancy if he does I shall be able to
+catch him at it. You had better keep Boldero near you. You can whisper
+to him what you are watching Flash for, and get him to do so too; as,
+if I catch Emerson cheating, there is likely to be a row; he can lend
+a hand if necessary, and, at any rate, his joining in with you will
+suffice to show his friends that the thing is genuine."
+
+"All right, Mark. I am interested in the matter now, and am ready for
+anything."
+
+Soon after ten Cotter and Emerson again sat down, and, as usual, a lot
+of spectators gathered round the table. The game resembled the one on
+the previous evening. Mark placed himself' by the side of Cotter, a
+stranger stood immediately behind his chair, another member of the club
+was on the other side, and Sir James Flash stood partly behind him, so
+that although somewhat in the background he could obtain a view between
+their heads of Cotter's cards. Mark saw to his satisfaction that Dick
+and Boldero had secured the exact position that he wished them to take.
+For the first few games the play was even, and Dick began to think that
+Mark had been mistaken, for Flash appeared to take little interest in
+the game, and made no sign how Emerson should proceed.
+
+As soon as the stake rose to a hundred again he distinctly saw Flash
+close his eyes and play with his mustache; he called Boldero's attention
+to the fact, and found the latter, who had also been watching, had
+noticed it. By the time a few games had been played he verified Mark's
+assertion that these signs were signals that Cotter's hand was a bad
+one, and in each case Emerson played without giving his opponent the
+opportunity of discarding and taking in fresh cards. He and Dick nodded
+quietly to Mark, who had satisfied himself that so far Emerson had not
+cheated in any other way. As on the previous evening, Cotter, after
+losing five or six hundred pounds, proposed a final game of five
+hundred. Mark bent down his head, so that the intentness of his gaze
+should not be noticed, but from under his eyebrows he watched Emerson's
+every movement; suddenly he placed a foot on the edge of the chair of
+the man sitting in front of him, and with a sudden spring leaped upon
+the table, seized Emerson's hand, and held it up to the full length of
+his arm.
+
+"Gentlemen," he shouted, "this fellow is cheating; there is a card in
+his hand which he has just brought from under the table."
+
+In a moment there was a dead silence of surprise; then Mark forced the
+hand open and took Emerson's card, which he held up.
+
+"There, you see, gentleman; it is a king."
+
+Then a Babel of sounds arose, a dozen hands were laid upon Emerson, who
+was pulled back from his chair and thrown down on a sofa, while hands
+were run over his coat, waistcoat, and breeches.
+
+"Here they are!" a man shouted, and held a dozen cards over his head.
+
+The place of concealment had been cleverly chosen; the breeches
+apparently buttoned closely at the knee, but in reality they were loose
+enough to enable a finger and thumb to be passed between them and the
+stocking, and in the lining of the breeches was a pocket in which the
+cards had been placed, being held there by two pieces of whalebone, that
+closed the pocket. The searchers, among whom were Dick and Boldero, did
+not have it all their own way; four or five men rushed upon them, and
+endeavored to pull them off Emerson. The din of voices was prodigious,
+but Mark, still standing on the table, stilled it for a moment by
+shouting:
+
+"The scoundrel has an accomplice, who this evening and yesterday has
+been signaling the strength of the cards in Mr. Cotter's hands."
+
+"Who is he?" was shouted over the room.
+
+"It is Sir James Flash," Mark said. "I denounce him as a cheat and a
+sharper."
+
+As pale as death, Flash rushed to the table.
+
+"I don't know who you are, sir," he said, in a tone of concentrated
+rage, "but you are a liar, and you shall answer for this in the
+morning."
+
+"I will answer to any gentleman that calls me to account," Mark said,
+in a ringing voice, "but I don't meet a man who has been expelled from
+White's for cheating, and who I have no doubt is well stocked with cards
+at the present moment, in readiness for the victim that he is next going
+to meet after the plucking of Mr. Cotter has been done. Now, gentlemen,
+search him and see if I am wrong; if I am I will apologize for that part
+of my accusation."
+
+Flash drew a pistol from his pocket, but in an instant his arm was
+seized by those standing round him, and it exploded harmlessly. Among
+those who seized Flash was the man who had played with him the previous
+evening. In spite of his struggles and curses, and the efforts of his
+friends to rescue him, he too was thrown down and eight court cards were
+found concealed in his sleeve. The uproar while this was going on had
+been tremendous, but it was suddenly stilled as four men in dark clothes
+entered the room. Each held in his hand the well known symbol of his
+office, the little ebony staff surmounted by a silver crown.
+
+"I arrest all present in the name of the king," one said, "for breaking
+the laws against gambling, and for brawling and the use of firearms.
+Now, gentlemen, resistance is useless; I must request that you each give
+me your card, and your word of honor that you will appear at Bow Street
+tomorrow morning."
+
+"What is all this about, sir?" he asked Mark, who was still standing on
+the table.
+
+"Two fellows here have been caught cheating."
+
+"What is your name and address, sir?"
+
+"My name is Mark Thorndyke, and I am a landed gentleman at Reigate; my
+friends Mr. Chetwynd and Mr. Boldero will bear this out."
+
+"Who are the two men?" the constable asked.
+
+"The two fellows with torn clothes," Mark said. "They are Mr. Emerson
+and Sir James Flash."
+
+"You are certain of the charge that you are making?"
+
+"Quite certain; the cards have been found hidden upon them."
+
+"Yes, yes!" a score of voices shouted; "they have been caught in the act
+of cheating."
+
+"Take those two men into custody," the constable said to two of his
+companions.
+
+"Who fired that pistol?" he went on.
+
+A number of voices shouted:
+
+"Sir James Flash; he attempted to murder Mr. Thorndyke."
+
+The constable nodded to the man who had laid his hands on Sir James
+Flash, and in a moment a pair of handcuffs closed on his wrists.
+
+"You shall repent this!" Flash exclaimed furiously.
+
+"Calm yourself, Sir James," the constable said calmly. "We know our
+duty, and do it whether a man is a peer or a peasant; you are accused of
+card sharping and an attempted murder."
+
+"What is your address in town, Mr. Thorndyke?" he asked.
+
+"18 Villiers Street."
+
+"Is there any charge against anyone else here? A good many of you seem
+to have your clothes torn and disarranged."
+
+"Some fellows attempted to rescue Emerson and Flash while we were
+searching them; for what reason we can all pretty well imagine."
+
+"I shall require the names in the morning of your assailants," the
+constable said; "it looks very much as if they were confederates of the
+two prisoners. Now, gentlemen, you can all leave. This house is
+closed, and will not be opened again until this affair is thoroughly
+investigated."
+
+In five minutes the house was deserted.
+
+"How can I thank you, Mr. Thorndyke?" Cotter, who was one of those who
+had seized Flash's arm, diverted his aim and searched him, said, when
+they got outside the house. "You have saved my life. It did not seem
+possible to me that you could succeed in showing that I was being
+cheated, and I had firmly resolved that, instead of allowing you to
+suffer loss, I would tomorrow morning make a clean breast of the whole
+affair to my father, as I had intended to have done this morning."
+
+"If I might advise you, Mr. Cotter, I should say, carry out your
+intention as far as making a clean breast of it is concerned. Happily,
+you are free from debt, as those IOUs are worthless, for they were
+obtained from you by cheating, therefore you have no demand to make upon
+his purse. The police will, I have no doubt, endeavor to keep this thing
+quiet, but your name may come out, and it would be far better that
+your father should hear this story from you than elsewhere; and your
+assurance that you will never touch a card again, and the heavy lesson
+that you have had, will doubtless induce him to look at the matter
+leniently. It will, no doubt, be a painful story to tell, but it will be
+far better told by you."
+
+"I will do it, sir; as you say, the lesson has been a heavy one, and
+henceforth my father shall have no reason to complain of me. May I call
+and see you tomorrow evening?"
+
+"Certainly. I shall be at home from seven to eight, after which hour I
+have an engagement. Good night."
+
+Cotter walked on, and Mark fell back, and joined Dick and Boldero, who
+had fallen behind when they saw him speaking to Cotter.
+
+"Well, Mark, I congratulate you," Dick Chetwynd said. "You did it
+wonderfully, though how on earth you knew that fellow had a card in his
+hand is more than I can guess."
+
+"I felt sure he was going to cheat," Mark said quietly; "I saw that
+Cotter's hand was a very strong one, and knew that Emerson would be
+aware that it was so, because he would receive no signal from Flash,
+therefore this was the time, if any, that he would cheat. He had been
+playing with both hands upon the table. I saw him withdraw one, there
+was a little pause, and then it came up again, and I had not a doubt
+in the world that there was a card in it, and that it had been
+hidden somewhere in his breeches, which is one of the best places of
+concealment, for his hand being under the table while getting at the
+card, no one present who was not behind the scenes, as I was, could
+detect him doing it."
+
+"The wonder to me is," Boldero said, "that while there were a number
+of men looking on closely, for Emerson has long been suspected of not
+playing fair, you, just fresh from the country, if I may say so, should
+have spotted him."
+
+"That is easily explained," Mark said. "Not wishing to fall a victim, I
+have of late been put up to a great many of these sharpers' tricks by a
+man who at one time had been in the trade himself."
+
+"That was a capital idea, Mark," Dick said. "I wish you would introduce
+me to him."
+
+"I won't do that, Dick, but I shall be very glad to teach you all I know
+myself about it; but I fancy that after this you will be in no great
+hurry to enter a gambling hell again."
+
+"That is so, Mark. I have never had any great inclination for play;
+but after this you may be quite sure that I will light shy of cards
+altogether. Still, I shall be glad if you will put me up to some of
+these tricks, for I may be able to some day save a victim of card
+sharpers, as you have done this evening."
+
+The next morning, when those who had been present at the scene of the
+previous evening arrived at the office of the detectives in Bow Street,
+they were shown into some private rooms, and asked to wait. Cotter,
+Mark, and his two friends first had an interview with the chief.
+
+"You will understand," the latter said, "that this is an altogether
+informal affair. I propose you first tell me your story as briefly as
+possible."
+
+This was done.
+
+"Now, Mr. Cotter. I take it that you do not wish to prosecute?"
+
+"Certainly not. I would, in fact, give anything rather than appear in
+it."
+
+"You have said that, in addition to the IOUs that you have given to the
+two men caught cheating, they hold others to the amount of some five
+or six thousand pounds, given by you to three other frequenters of the
+club. In fact, these papers have been found in Emerson's pocketbook; he
+told you, I believe, that he had taken them up, so that you should not
+be inconvenienced by them. I understand, then, that you will be quite
+content if you get these IOUs back again; those given to Emerson and
+Flash are, of course, worthless. After what has happened, they could not
+be presented, but probably you might have trouble about the others,
+for, though I have no doubt that the whole of the men were in league
+together, we have no means of absolutely proving it."
+
+"I shall be more than content, sir; I have no wish to prosecute."
+
+"We are glad," the chief said, "to be able to close a dangerous place;
+and as the exposure will put a stop to the career of these two men, and
+no doubt alarm a good many others, we don't care about taking the matter
+into court. Such gross scandals as this are best kept quiet, when there
+is no object in ventilating them. Therefore, gentlemen, as Mr. Cotter
+is willing to do so, we shall let the matter drop. I shall be obliged if
+you will step into the next room, however, until I have seen these three
+men."
+
+When they had left, the three were brought in.
+
+"You have been concerned, sirs," the chief said sternly, "in winning
+large sums of money from the Hon. William Denton, from Mr. James Carew,
+from Mr. William Hobson, and others; in all of these cases the two men
+caught cheating last night were also concerned. You all hold notes of
+hand of Mr. Hobson. I shall advise that gentleman's father to refuse to
+pay those notes, and promise him that if any further request for payment
+is made I will furnish him with such particulars for publication as
+will more than justify him in the eyes of the world in refusing to honor
+them. You, as well as Mr. Emerson and Sir James Flash, have won large
+sums from Mr. Cotter, and the fact that the IOUs he gave you were found
+on Mr. Emerson points very strongly to their being in confederacy with
+you in the matter; at any rate, they point so strongly that, whether a
+jury would convict or not on the evidence that we shall be able to lay
+before them, there can be no question whatever as to what the opinion of
+men of honor will be. These IOUs are in our hands. Mr. Cotter does not
+desire to pursue the case; he will, however, refuse absolutely to pay
+those IOUs, and in doing so he will have the approval of all honorable
+men. That being so, the IOUs are absolutely useless to you, and if you
+will agree to my tearing them up now, he has most kindly consented to
+let the matter drop in your cases."
+
+The three men, who had all turned very white when he was speaking, now
+protested angrily against imputations being made on their honor.
+
+"Well, sirs," the officer said, "in that case the matter can, of course,
+go on. You know best what the feeling will be as to these IOUs. They
+will form an important item of evidence against you, you will see. As
+the matter stands, either you gave them to Emerson to collect for you,
+without any money passing between you--a very strange procedure, which
+you will find it difficult to explain--or else he gave you the coin for
+them, and you passed them over to him, and have, therefore, parted with
+all claim on Mr. Cotter on your own account. Of course I impound them
+with the other IOUs as proof of a conspiracy between you. Now, sirs, am
+I to tear them up or not?"
+
+The three men looked at each other, and then one of them said:
+
+"We protest altogether against the assertion, sir, but at the same
+time, as there can be little doubt that Emerson and Sir James Flash have
+played unfairly, and we do not wish any association of our names
+with theirs, we are perfectly willing that the IOUs, which, under the
+circumstances, we should never have dreamt of presenting, should be
+destroyed."
+
+"I think that you have chosen wisely," the chief said dryly. "It is a
+pity that you did not do so at first. These are the IOUs he gave to one
+or other of you. Perhaps it would be pleasanter for you to destroy them
+yourselves."
+
+The three men took the papers with their names on them and tore them up.
+
+"Thank you," he went on sarcastically. "That will place you in a
+better position. You will be able to tell your friends that you felt so
+indignant at the manner in which Mr. Cotter had been swindled by Emerson
+and Flash that you at once destroyed his IOUs for the sums that you had
+won of him. But, gentlemen,"--he spoke sternly now,--"remember that we
+have a long list against you, and that the next victim, or let us say
+his father, might be more disposed to push matters to their full length
+than is Mr. Cotter. Remember, also, that we keep ourselves acquainted
+with what is going on, and that should trouble arise we shall produce
+all the complaints that have been made against you, and shall also
+mention your connection with this affair, in which, as I understand, you
+all did your best to prevent those two fellows from being searched."
+
+Without saying another word the three men went out of the room,
+too crestfallen to make even an attempt at keeping up their air of
+indignation. The others were then called in.
+
+"I am sorry, gentlemen," he said, "that you have had the trouble of
+coming here, for the gentleman swindled has declined to prosecute the
+swindlers, and you will understand that he is somewhat anxious that his
+name should not appear in the matter. Fortunately, as instead of paying
+in cash he gave IOUs for his losses, he will not be a loser to any large
+amount by these transactions. I may say that the proprietor of the hell
+has been there this morning, and to avoid trouble he has consented to
+close his place for good. I have only to remark that I should advise
+you, gentlemen, in future, only to indulge in gambling in places where
+you may be fairly assured of the character of the men you play with. I
+think, in conclusion, that you may all feel grateful to Mr. Cotter for
+refusing to prosecute. It has saved you from having to appear in court
+as witnesses in so utterly disreputable an affair."
+
+There was a general murmur of assent, and in a minute or two the room
+was clear. Flash and Emerson were then brought in, with a constable on
+each side of them.
+
+"Mr. Cotter has, I regret to say, declined to prosecute, and Mr.
+Thorndyke has done the same with regard to Sir James Flash's use of his
+pistol. You have, therefore, escaped the punishment due to swindlers
+at cards. It is the less matter, as you are not likely to have an
+opportunity of making fresh victims, for the story will be known by
+this afternoon in every club in London. These IOUs will be of no use to
+you--they are not worth the paper on which they are written. However,
+I shall take it upon myself to hand them back to Mr. Cotter, to prevent
+the possibility of their getting into other hands and giving him
+trouble.
+
+"You can unlock those handcuffs, constable; these men are at liberty to
+go, and if they will take my advice they will lose no time in crossing
+the water and establishing themselves somewhere where their talents are
+likely to be better appreciated than they are here. They can go; one
+of you can call a hackney coach for them if they wish it. They will
+scarcely care to walk with their garments in their present condition."
+
+Then the chief went into the next room.
+
+"There is an end of that affair, Mr. Cotter. Here are the IOUs you gave
+to those two swindlers. Those you gave to the other three men, who were
+no doubt their confederates, have been torn up by them in my presence.
+They declare that after seeing how shamefully you had been victimized
+they had not the slightest idea of ever presenting them."
+
+"I am sure that I am extremely grateful to you," Cotter said. "I know
+that I have behaved like a madman, and that I don't deserve to have got
+off as I have done. It will be a lesson to me for life, I can assure
+you."
+
+On leaving, Dick Chetwynd walked for some distance with Mark--as far as
+Gibbons' place in St. Giles.
+
+"There is one thing which I cannot understand," he said, "and that is
+how it was that the constables happened to be so close at hand, just at
+the time they were wanted."
+
+"Well, you see, Dick, my relations with Bow Street are just at present
+of a somewhat close nature, for they are aiding me in the search that I
+told you that I was making for my father's murderer. The consequence was
+that I had only to mention to the chief that I fancied I had detected
+cheating at that place, and that there was a likelihood of a row there
+last night, and he at once said he would send four men, to come in if
+they heard a rumpus; and he was, indeed, rather glad of an opportunity
+for breaking up the place, concerning which he had had several
+complaints of young men being plucked to the last feather. Well, it was
+lucky they came. I don't say that it would have made any difference,
+because I think our side was a great deal stronger than they were, still
+it would have led to a nasty row, and perhaps to half a dozen duels
+afterwards. Well, I will say goodby now. I am very glad that the affair
+has been dropped; it would not have mattered so much to me, as I am
+single and my own master, but there were a good many men there who would
+have been ready to have paid up handsomely rather than that their names
+should appear in connection with a row at a gambling house."
+
+At seven o'clock in the evening Philip Cotter called at Mark's lodgings,
+accompanied by his father, who, as he came in with him, advanced at once
+to Mark and shook him warmly by the hand.
+
+"My son has told me everything, Mr. Thorndyke," he said, "and I cannot
+thank you sufficiently for the noble part you took in rescuing him from
+the terrible effects of his folly. I have been down here twice this
+afternoon, for I felt that I could not rest until I had shaken you by
+the hand. It is not the question of money so much, though that would
+have been a serious loss to me, but it is the saving of my son's life,
+and the saving of the honor of our name."
+
+"I am glad indeed to have been of service, Mr. Cotter, and I trust that
+you have consented to forgive the folly that he has committed, and which
+I feel sure will never be repeated."
+
+"Yes. It was a heavy blow to me, Mr. Thorndyke, when Philip told me; but
+as he has sworn most solemnly never to touch a card again, and as I feel
+sure that the lesson cannot but be a useful one to him all his life, I
+have agreed to say no more about it, and let the matter drop altogether.
+He has been fortunate to have escaped so easily. He has told me of the
+noble offer you made to pay his losses if you should not be able to
+prove that he was being cheated."
+
+"I was not committing myself heavily," Mark said with a smile. "I had
+seen enough to be absolutely certain, and was sure that I should be able
+to bring it home to them."
+
+"But it was at a considerable risk to yourself, Mr. Thorndyke. As it
+was, you had a narrow escape of being shot."
+
+"Not a very narrow escape," Mark replied. "With so many men standing
+round him and their attention called to him, it was certain that he
+would be seized before he could take aim at me. I had pistols in my
+pocket, and was prepared to fire in an instant, but I saw at once that
+there was no occasion for that."
+
+"But I cannot imagine how you should have detected the cheating," the
+banker said. "You are younger than my son, and he said that you told
+him that you had only recently come up to London. It is astonishing that
+while experienced players should never have noticed that anything was
+wrong you should have discovered it."
+
+"The explanation is simple, Mr. Cotter. I have no inclination for play
+myself, but I happened a short time since to fall in with a man who was
+well acquainted with all the various methods of card sharping. I thought
+that a knowledge of that might some day be useful, and I got him to
+put me up to a number of the tricks of card sharpers both at home and
+abroad. Having these fresh in my mind, and seeing that your son was
+playing with a man whose reputation I knew to be bad, I naturally
+concentrated my attention upon him, and was not long in discovering that
+he had a confederate standing behind your son's chair. Being a stranger
+in the place, I could not denounce him, but the next night I set two
+friends to watch that method of cheating, while I kept my eyes fixed on
+Emerson's hands. As I anticipated, there was nothing suspicious about
+his movements so long as play was comparatively low, for the advantage
+that he gained from his confederate enabled him to be sure of winning in
+the long run; it was only in the last game, which was a high one, that,
+as he knew that your son had a strong hand, he was tempted to stock
+his hand with false cards; and watching closely, I had no difficulty in
+detecting his method."
+
+"Well, sir, you have, at any rate, laid us both under the deepest
+obligation. Is there any possible way in which we can show our
+gratitude?"
+
+Mark thought for a moment.
+
+"In one way you might do me a favor, Mr. Cotter. A ward of my father's,
+who will inherit some property when she comes of age, is at present
+finishing her education in town, and is living with a lady who has
+been her friend and companion since childhood. I have a good many
+acquaintances, but they are all bachelors; and having been living down
+at my father's place, near Reigate, for so many years, the ladies have
+no acquaintances in London. They live at Islington, and their life is
+a very dull one. I am anxious, for several reasons, that the young lady
+should have the advantage of going somewhat into society. Hitherto I
+have had no means of introducing her. If it is not too much to ask, Mr.
+Cotter, I should be extremely glad and obliged if Mrs. Cotter would call
+on them and give them an introduction into society. The lady with my
+father's ward is the widow of a captain in the Indian Army, and is in
+all ways a very charming person, and has been at the head of my father's
+establishment for the last twelve years."
+
+"With the greatest pleasure in the world, Mr. Thorndyke. I am only sorry
+that it is so slight a thing that you ask of me. I have thought it
+but right to tell my wife what has passed, and I had difficulty in
+persuading her not to come with me this evening to also express her
+gratitude to you. She will be pleased indeed to call upon your friends
+at once, and I am sure she will do so tomorrow. I was going to ask you
+to dine with us, and I hope that you will do so. We shall have no one
+else, and I hope that you will be able to arrange to meet your friends
+at our house a few days later."
+
+The next morning Mark called on Mrs. Cunningham.
+
+"I think you will have a visitor today," he said. "It has happened that
+I have been able to do a service to the son of Mr. Cotter, a wealthy
+banker. I am going to dine there this evening. He asked me about my
+friends in London, and I mentioned that my only lady friends were you
+and Millicent. He asked a few questions as to where you were living, and
+so on, and said that his wife would have much pleasure in calling and
+introducing Millicent into society. As your life is very dull here, and
+it is clearly very desirable that Millicent should go into society, I
+gladly accepted the offer, and I believe that she will call today."
+
+"That will be very nice indeed, Mark. Millicent is not complaining, but
+she must have felt it very dull. I have even felt it so myself after the
+cheerful society we had at home."
+
+"I don't know that I shall like it," Millicent said doubtfully.
+
+"Oh, yes, you will, Millicent; and besides, it will be good for you. It
+is not natural for a girl of your age to be here without friends, and I
+shall be very glad to know that you are going to mix a little with other
+people."
+
+Mrs. Cotter called that afternoon, and three days later Mark met Mrs.
+Cunningham and Millicent at a dinner party at the banker's, and Mrs.
+Cotter introduced them very warmly to several of her friends, with the
+result that in a very short time they were frequently invited out, while
+they became very intimate with the banker and his wife, and often spent
+the day there.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV.
+
+
+Some little time after this Mark was intrusted by his chief with the
+work of discovering a man who had committed a very atrocious murder, and
+was, it was tolerably certain, hiding in the slums of Westminster. It
+was the first business of the kind that had been confided to him, and he
+was exceedingly anxious to carry it out successfully. He dressed himself
+as a street hawker, and took a small lodging in one of the lanes, being
+away the greater portion of the day ostensibly on his business, and
+of an evening dropped into some of the worst public houses in the
+neighborhood. He was at first viewed with some suspicion, but it was not
+long before he became popular. He let it be understood that he had got
+into trouble down in the country, and that he was quite ready to take
+part in any job that promised to be profitable. But he principally
+owed his popularity to the fact that the bully of the locality picked
+a quarrel with him, and, to the astonishment of those present, Mark
+invited him to go outside.
+
+"You had better make it up with him, mate," a man sitting by his side
+whispered. "He was in the prize ring at one time, and thrashed big Mike
+Hartley at Kennington. He had to give it up owing to having fought a
+cross. He would kill you in five minutes."
+
+"I will chance that," Mark said quietly, as he moved towards the door.
+"I don't think that he is stronger than I am, and I can use my fists a
+bit, too."
+
+By the time they had taken off their upper garments a crowd had
+assembled. The news that a hawker was going to stand up against
+Black Jim circulated rapidly, and caused intense excitement. To the
+astonishment of the spectators, the bully from the first had not a
+shadow of a chance, and at the end of the third round was carried away
+senseless, while the hawker had not received a scratch. A few days later
+Mark, who, on the strength of his prowess, had had two or three hints
+that he could be put up to a good thing if he was inclined to join, was
+going down to Westminster when two men stopped and looked after him.
+
+"I tell you, Emerson, that is the fellow. I could swear to him anywhere.
+What he is got up like that for I cannot tell you, but I should not be
+surprised if he is one of that Bow Street gang. He called himself Mark
+Thorndyke, and Chetwynd said that he was a gentleman of property; but
+that might have been part of the plant to catch us. I have never been
+able to understand how a raw countryman could have caught you palming
+that card. I believe that fellow is a Bow Street runner; if so, it is
+rum if we cannot manage to get even with him before we go. It seemed
+to me that luck had deserted us altogether; but this looks as if it was
+going to turn again. Let's go after him."
+
+Keeping some fifty yards behind him, they watched Mark to his lodgings,
+waited until he came out again, and followed him to a public house.
+
+"He is acting as a detective, sure enough," Emerson said. "The question
+is, what are we to do next?"
+
+In half an hour Mark came out again. Several people nodded to him as he
+passed them, but they saw a big man, who happened to be standing under
+a lamp, turn his back suddenly as Mark approached him, and, after he had
+passed, stand scowling after him, and muttering deep curses. Flash
+at once went up to him. "Do you know who that fellow is, my man?" The
+fellow turned savagely upon him.
+
+"I don't know who he is; but what is that to you?"
+
+"He is not a friend of ours," Flash said quietly; "quite the contrary.
+We have known him when he was not got up like this, and we are rather
+curious to know what he is doing here."
+
+"Do you mean that?"
+
+"I do; I owe the fellow a grudge."
+
+"So do I," the man growled. "Just step up this next turning; there won't
+be anyone about there. Now, then, what do yer want to know?"
+
+"I want to know who he is."
+
+"Well, he calls himself a hawker; but my idea of him is he is one of the
+fancy, perhaps a west countryman, who is keeping dark here till he can
+get a match on. I have been a prize fighter myself, but he knocked me
+out in three rounds the other day."
+
+"Well, the last time I saw him," Flash said, "he was dressed as a swell.
+My idea of him is, he is a Bow Street runner, and he is got up like this
+to lay his hands on some of the fellows down here."
+
+"You don't mean it!" the man said with a deep oath. "Then I can tell you
+he has come to the wrong shop. I have only got to whisper it about, and
+his life would not be worth an hour's purchase. I had meant to stick
+a knife in him on the first opportunity, but this will save me the
+trouble."
+
+"Well, you can have your revenge and five guineas besides," Flash said.
+"But we must be there at the time. I should like him to know that I was
+at the bottom of his being caught."
+
+They stood talking together for a few minutes, and then separated, Flash
+and his companion going back to a quiet lodging they had taken until
+they could finish their arrangements for disposing of their furniture
+and belongings before going abroad, while at the same time they finished
+plucking a country greenhorn they had met at a coffee house. Two days
+later, wrapped up in great coats, and with rough caps pulled down over
+their eyes, they entered the thieves' resort half an hour before Mark's
+usual time of getting there. A larger number of men than usual were
+assembled, and among them was Black Jim. The men were all talking
+excitedly, and were evidently furious at the news that the pugilist had
+just told them.
+
+"Those are the gents that have given me the office," he said, as Flash
+and his companion entered. "They can tell yer he is one of that cursed
+Bow Street lot."
+
+"That is right enough, my men," Flash said. "He and four of his mates
+broke into a place where we were having a bit of play, three weeks
+since, marched us all away to Bow Street, and shut the place up. I don't
+know what he is down here for, but you may be sure that it's for no good
+to some of you. We owe him a heavy one ourselves. He came spying on us
+dressed up as a swell and spoilt our game, and got the darbies put on
+us, and we have sworn to get even with him."
+
+"You will get even, don't you fear," one of the men growled, "and more
+than even, strike me blind if you don't."
+
+"Look here, lads," Flash said. "There is one thing I say--don't use your
+knives on him; remember he is a runner, and no doubt his chief knows all
+that he is doing, and no doubt ordered him to come here. There will be
+a big search, you may be sure, when he don't turn up to make his report.
+So don't let's have any bloodshed. Let the thing be done quietly."
+
+"We can chuck his body into the river," one said.
+
+"Yes, but if it is picked up with half a dozen holes in it, you may be
+sure that they will be down here, and like enough every man who has used
+this place will be arrested; you know that when there are twenty men in
+a job the chances are that one will slip his neck out of the halter by
+turning King's evidence."
+
+An angry growl went round the room.
+
+"Well, you know well enough it is so, it is always the case; besides, we
+ought to give him a little time to prepare himself. My idea is that the
+best plan will be to bind and gag him first, then we can hold a little
+court over him, and let him know what is coming. An hour later, when the
+place gets a bit quiet, we can carry him down to the river--it is not
+above fifty yards away--tie a heavy weight round his neck, cut his cords
+the last thing, and chuck him over; if his body is found, it will be
+thought it is that of some chap tired of life who took pains to drown
+himself pretty quickly, and there won't be any fuss over him, and there
+will be nothing to come upon any of you fellows for."
+
+There was a general murmur of assent. Several of those present had
+already committed themselves to some extent with the supposed hawker,
+and were as eager as Flash himself that he should be killed; still,
+all felt that it was as well that it should be managed with the least
+possible risk of discovery, for while an ordinary man could be put
+out of the way without any trouble arising, the fact that he was a Bow
+Street runner added enormously to the risk of the discovery of his fate.
+
+There was a little talk, and then two of the men went out and brought
+back a couple of strong ropes. A few minutes after their return Mark
+Thorndyke came in. He paused as he entered the room, in surprise at the
+silence that reigned, for he was accustomed to be greeted with friendly
+exclamations. However, as he walked in the door closed, and then
+suddenly, with shouts of "Down with the spy!" the men sprang from their
+seats and made a sudden rush at him. For a minute the struggle was
+tremendous; man after man went down under Mark's blows, others clung
+onto him from behind, a rope was passed round his legs and pulled, and
+he fell down with a crash, bringing down five or six of his assailants;
+a minute later he was gagged and bound.
+
+While the struggle was going on no one noticed that a Lascar's face was
+pressed against the window; it disappeared as soon as Mark fell, and
+ten minutes later a dark faced sailor ran into Gibbons'; it was a quiet
+evening at Ingleston's, and Gibbons, after smoking a pipe with half a
+dozen of the pugilists, had just returned.
+
+"Hallo," he said, as he opened the door, "what the deuce do you want?"
+
+The man was for a moment too breathless to answer.
+
+"You know Mr. Thorndyke," he said at last, in very fair English.
+
+"Yes, I know him. Well, what of him?"
+
+"He has been attacked by a number of thieves in a public house near the
+river, at Westminster, and he will be murdered unless you go with others
+to help him."
+
+"What the deuce was he doing there?" Gibbons muttered, and then, seizing
+his cap, said to the Lascar,
+
+"Come along with me; it aint likely that we shall be in time, but we
+will try, anyhow."
+
+He ran to Ingleston's.
+
+"Come along, Ingleston," he exclaimed, "and all of you. You all know
+Mr. Thorndyke. This man says he has been attacked by a gang down at
+Westminster, and will be murdered. I am afraid we shan't be in time, but
+it is worth trying."
+
+The prize fighters all leaped to their feet. Mark had sparred with
+several of them, and, being open handed and friendly, was generally
+liked. In a moment, headed by Ingleston and Gibbons, they started at the
+top of their speed, and in less than a quarter of an hour were at bank
+side.
+
+"That is the house," the sailor said, pointing to the public, where a
+red blind had been lowered at the window, and two men lounged outside
+the door to tell any chance customer that might come along he was not
+wanted there at present.
+
+Inside a mock trial had been going on, and Mark had been sentenced to
+death as a spy, not a voice being raised in his defense. As soon as he
+had been lifted up and seated so that he could see the faces of those
+present, he recognized the two gamblers, and saw at once that his fate
+was sealed; even had they not been there the chance of escape would have
+been small. The fact that one of the detectives had been caught under
+circumstances when there was but slight chance of its ever being known
+how he came to his end, was in itself sufficient to doom him. Several
+of the men present had taken him into their confidence, and he had
+encouraged them to do so, not that he wanted to entrap them, or that he
+intended to do so, but in order to obtain a clew through them as to the
+hiding place of the man he was in search of.
+
+The savage exultation on the faces of the two gamblers, however, was
+sufficient to extinguish any ray of hope. He felt sure at once that they
+had been the authors of his seizure, and that no thought of mercy would
+enter the minds of these two scoundrels whose plans he had frustrated,
+whose position he had demolished, and to whom he had caused the loss of
+a large sum of money. Neither Flash nor Emerson would have taken share
+in a crime known to so many had they not been on the point of leaving
+England. Their names were known to no one there, and even should some of
+these afterwards peach they would at least be safe. Mark had been asked
+whether he could deny that he was a member of the detective force, and
+had shaken his head. Even if he had told a lie, which he would not do,
+the lie would have been a useless one. No one would have believed it,
+for the two gamblers would have been witnesses that he was so.
+
+He had been placed in one corner of the room, so that what light there
+was would not fall on his face, and had anyone entered they would not
+have noticed that he was gagged. One, indeed, had suggested that it
+would be better to lay him under one of the benches, but Black Jim said,
+with a brutal laugh:
+
+"No, no; it is better that we should keep sight of him, and if anyone
+asks a question of course we can say that the gentleman has the
+toothache."
+
+Presently Flash spoke to the ruffian in a low voice.
+
+"Yes, I think you are right," he replied. "Look here," he went on,
+raising his voice. "There is no occasion to have such a lot in this
+business; Jake Watson, Bill the Tinker, and me are quite enough to carry
+him to his bed. I reckon the rest had better make themselves scarce when
+the times comes, go home, and keep their mouths shut. I need not say
+that anyone who lets his tongue wag about it is likely to come to a
+worse end than this bloodhound. We will have another glass of grog
+before you turn out; the streets won't be quiet for another hour
+yet, and there is another guinea of this worthy hawker's to be spent.
+Summers, make another big bowl of punch. Don't put so much water in it
+as you did in the last."
+
+The landlord, a notorious ruffian, was just coming into the room with a
+huge bowl when there was the sound of a scuffle outside.
+
+"You had better see what is up," Black Jim said, and two of the men
+nearest the door unbarred and opened it. As they did so there was a
+rush, and eight powerful men ran in, knocking to the floor those who had
+opened the door. The rest sprang to their feet; Gibbons looked round,
+and as his eye fell upon Mark, who had, the moment the men inside rose,
+got into a standing position, Gibbons launched himself towards him,
+striking four of the ruffians who endeavored to stop him to the ground
+with his crushing blows.
+
+"This way," he shouted to his friends. "Ingleston and Tring, do you keep
+the door."
+
+The moment the six men had closed round Mark, one of them, taking
+out his knife, cut the cords, removed the bandage from his mouth, and
+extricated the gag. The name of the two prize fighters had created
+something like a panic among the crowd, which had increased when one of
+them shouted, "It is Charley Gibbons."
+
+Flash and Emerson sprang to their feet with the rest, and the latter
+shouted, "Go at them, men; there are only eight of them, and we are
+twenty. Knife them, or you will all hang for this job."
+
+The knowledge of their danger was evident to all the men, and, nerved by
+desperation, they rushed at the prize fighters; but the eight were now
+nine, and each of them in a fray of this kind was equal to half a dozen
+ordinary men. Scarce a word was spoken, but the sound of crushing blows
+and scuffling, and an occasional, oath, made a confused din in the half
+lighted room. Mark burst his way through his assailants to the spot
+where Flash and Emerson were standing, somewhat in the rear of the
+crowd, for they had been sitting at the other end of the room. Flash had
+a pistol in his hand, but the man who was standing in front of him was
+struck with such violence that he fell backwards, knocking Emerson
+to the ground and almost upsetting Flash, and before the latter could
+steady himself Mark struck him with all his force under the chin. A
+moment later the landlord blew out the two candles, and in the darkness
+the ruffians made a dash for the door, carried Tring and Ingleston off
+their feet, and rushed out into the lane.
+
+"If the man who blew those candles out don't light them again at once,"
+Gibbons shouted, "I, Charley Gibbons, tell him that I will smash him and
+burn this place over his head; he had best be quick about it."
+
+The landlord, cowed with the threat, soon returned with a candle from
+the kitchen, and lit those that he had extinguished.
+
+"Well, Mr. Thorndyke, we just arrived in time, I fancy," Gibbons said.
+
+"You have saved my life, Gibbons--you and the others. How you got to
+know that I was here I cannot imagine. I would have been a dead man
+in another half hour if you had not arrived. I thank you all from the
+bottom of my heart."
+
+"That is all right, sir," Gibbons said. "It is a pleasure to give such
+scoundrels as these a lesson. Is anyone hurt? I fancy I have got a
+scratch or two."
+
+Several of the men had been cut with knives, but the blows had been
+given so hurriedly that no one was seriously injured. Twelve men lay on
+the ground.
+
+"Now sir, what shall we do with these fellows?"
+
+"I should say we had better leave them alone, Gibbons. I don't want any
+row over the affair. It is the work of these two fellows here. I think I
+pretty well settled one of them."
+
+Gibbons stooped over Flash.
+
+"You have broken his jaw, sir; but he will come round in time. I believe
+this other fellow is only shamming. I don't see any of our handiwork
+upon his face. The others have all got as much as they want, I think,"
+and taking a candle he looked at their faces. "There is not one of them
+who will want to show up for a week or so," he said, "and there are two
+or three who will carry the marks to their graves. Well, sir, if you
+don't want anything done to them, the sooner we are off the better.
+Those fellows who got away may bring a lot of others down upon us. As
+long as it is only fists, we could march through Westminster; but as
+they would have knives, it is just as well to get out of it before there
+is any trouble. You are got up in a rum way, Mr. Thorndyke."
+
+"Yes; I will tell you about it afterwards. I agree with you that we had
+best be moving at once."
+
+But the men who had fled were too glad to have made their escape to
+think of anything but to make for their dens as quick as possible,
+and the party passed through the lanes into the open space in front of
+Parliament House without interruption.
+
+"We will go up to your place, Ingleston, and talk it over there," Mark
+said. "You can get those cuts bound up, and I shall be very glad to
+get a drink. That thing they shoved into my mouth hurt my tongue a good
+deal, and I have not gone through a pleasant half hour, I can tell you."
+
+He walked up past Whitehall with Gibbons and Ingleston, the others
+going in pairs, so as not to attract attention. As soon as they reached
+Ingleston's place, the latter told the man in the bar to put the
+shutters up, led the way into the bar parlor, and mixed a large bowl of
+punch.
+
+"Now, Gibbons, in the first place," Mark said, after quenching his
+thirst, "how did you know of my being in danger?"
+
+"Well, sir, a black sailor chap ran into my place suddenly and told me."
+
+"Do you mean a colored man, Gibbons?"
+
+"Yes, sir, one of those Lascar chaps you see about the docks. I did not
+ask any questions, but ran as hard as I could. I had only left here five
+minutes before, and knew that Tring and some of the others would still
+be here. They did not lose a moment, and off we went. The sailor chap he
+kept ahead. I tried to come up to him two or three times to get to know
+something about it, but he always seemed to quicken his pace when I was
+coming up, and I soon got too blown to want to do much talking. He led
+us to the door, and after that I saw nothing more of him. What became
+of him I don't know. I expect he was better at running than he was at
+fighting."
+
+"It is curious," Mark said thoughtfully. "He might have been in the
+place when I went in, and slipped out while I was making a fight for it.
+I have seen a Lascar several times while I have been down there. I dare
+say it was the same man, though why he should take such trouble for the
+sake of a stranger I don't know. There seems to be a good many of them
+about, for now I think of it, I have run against them several times
+wherever I have been in town."
+
+"Now, sir, what did they want to kill you for?"
+
+"Well, Gibbons, it happened in this way. My father, you know, was
+murdered by a man who had a grudge against him, and who is both a
+highwayman and a house breaker."
+
+"They don't often go together," Ingleston said. "The highwaymen
+generally look down upon the burglars and keep themselves to
+themselves."
+
+"I hew they do, Ingleston; but this fellow has been a convict, and is
+not particular what he turns his hand to. The detectives have been
+after him for a long time, but have failed, and I determined to take the
+matter up myself, and ever since I have been up here I have been hunting
+about in the worst quarters of the town. The people of Bow Street have
+aided me in every way they could, and I suppose some of these men have
+seen me go in or out of the place. Of course, when I am going into these
+bad quarters, I put on a disguise and manage to get in with some of
+these thieves, and so to try to get news of him through them. Three
+weeks ago I decided to try Westminster. I was getting on uncommonly well
+there, principally because I gave a tremendous thrashing to a fellow
+they call Black Jim. He has been a prize fighter."
+
+"I know him," Tring said; "it was the fellow that was kicked out for
+selling a fight. He was not a bad man with his fists, either; but I
+expect you astonished him, Mr. Thorndyke."
+
+"Yes, I knocked him out of time in three rounds. Well, he has been a
+bully down there, and everyone was very glad he was taken down. After
+that I got to know several of the worst lot down there. They fancied
+that I was one of themselves, and several of them made proposals to me
+to join them, and, of course, I encouraged the idea in hopes of coming
+upon the man that I was after. Then some fellow in the street recognized
+me, I suppose, and denounced me to the rest as being one of the runners.
+I suppose he told them this evening, before I went in.
+
+"The place was a regular thieves' den, which, of course, was why I
+went there. Naturally they were furious, especially those who had been
+proposing to me to join them. Anyhow, they had evidently settled among
+themselves that I was to be put out of the way, and directly I went in I
+was attacked. I knocked down a few of them, but they jumped on my back,
+and one of them managed to get a rope round my legs, and down I went
+with three or four of them, and before I could get up again they had
+tied and gagged me. Then they held a sort of court. Man after man got up
+and said that I had been drawing them on to find out what they were up
+to, and had agreed to join them, of course with the intention of getting
+them caught in the act, and two got up and said that they knew me as one
+of the runners. They all agreed that I must be put out of the way.
+
+"I suppose, as the landlord did not want blood spilt in his house, they
+did not knife me at once; however, they told me that they had decided
+that as soon as the coast was clear I should be carried down to the
+river, and chucked in, with an old anchor tied to my neck. I had just
+a gleam of hope a short time before you came in, for then it had been
+settled that it was just as well no more should be engaged in the affair
+than was necessary, and that Black Jim, with two others, whom I had
+been talking to, and the two men who had told them that I was a runner,
+should manage it, and the rest were to go off to their homes.
+
+"I had been all the time trying to loosen my ropes, and had got one of
+my hands nearly free, and I thought that if they waited another half
+hour I might have got them both free, and been able to make a bit of a
+fight of it, though I had very little hope of getting my legs free.
+
+"However, I had my eye on the knife of the man who was sitting next to
+me, and who was one of those who was to stay. I thought that if I had my
+hands free, I could snatch his knife, settle him, and then cut the ropes
+from my legs; that done, I could, I think, have managed Black Jim and
+the others. As for the men who denounced me, they were small men, and I
+had no fear of them in a fight, unless; as I thought likely enough, they
+might have pistols. One of them is the fellow whose jaw I broke; I hit
+him hard, for he had a pistol in his hand."
+
+"There is no doubt you hit him hard," Gibbons said dryly. "He looked a
+better sort than the rest."
+
+"Yes, the fellow was a card sharper whom I once detected at cheating;
+and so was the one who was lying next to him, the man whom you said you
+thought was shamming."
+
+By this time the men's wounds were all bandaged up. Mark told them that
+he would be round there again in the morning, and hoped that they would
+all be there.
+
+"I shall go home at once, and turn in," he said. "Straining at those
+cords has taken the skin off my wrists, and I feel stiff all over; it
+will be a day or two, Gibbons, before I am able to put the gloves on
+again. I wish I could find that Lascar; I owe him a heavy debt."
+
+As Mark made his way home he thought a good deal about the colored
+sailor. If the man had been in the den the ruffians would hardly have
+ventured to have attacked him in the presence of a stranger. Of course,
+he might have been passing, and have seen the fray through the window,
+but in that case he would run to the nearest constable. How could he
+know anything about his habits, and why should he have gone to Gibbons
+for assistance? That, and the fact that he had so often observed
+Lascars in the places he had gone to, certainly looked as if he had been
+watched, and if so, it could only be connected with those diamonds. It
+was a curious thing altogether.
+
+The next morning he went early to Bow Street. As soon as the chief came
+he related the events of the previous evening, and told him that it was
+Flash and Emerson who had denounced him.
+
+"I know the place," the officer said. "It is one of the worst thieves'
+dens in London. However, it is just as well you decided not to take any
+steps. Of course, all the fellows would have sworn that they did not
+intend to do any harm, but that Flash had put them up to frightening
+you, and I doubt whether any jury would have convicted. As to the other
+men, we know that they are all thieves, and some of them worse; but the
+mere fact that they proposed to you to join in their crimes won't do,
+as no actual crime was committed. However, I shall have the gang closely
+watched, and, at any rate, you had better leave Westminster alone;
+someone else must take up the work of looking for that man you were
+on the watch for. Anyhow, you had best take a week's rest; there is
+no doubt you have had a very narrow escape. It is strange about that
+Lascar; he might not have cared for going in to take part in the fray,
+but you would have thought that he would have waited outside to get a
+reward for bringing those men to your rescue."
+
+As Mark did not care to tell about the diamonds till the time came for
+getting them, he made no reply, beyond expressing an agreement with the
+chief's surprise at the man not having remained to the end of the fray.
+On leaving Bow Street he went up to Ingleston's. The men who had rescued
+him the night before were gathered there; and he presented each of them
+with a check for twenty-five guineas.
+
+"I know very well," he said, "that you had no thought of reward when you
+hurried down to save me, but that is no reason why I should not show my
+gratitude to you for the service you have rendered me; some of you might
+very well have been seriously hurt, if not killed, by their knives. At
+any rate, I insist upon you taking it; money is always useful, you know,
+and it is not often so well earned as this."
+
+The men were greatly pleased, and Tring said:
+
+"Well, sir, if you get into another scrape you may be sure that you can
+count upon us."
+
+"I shall try and not get into any more," Mark laughed. "This has been
+a good deal more serious than I had bargained for, and I shall be very
+careful in the future."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV.
+
+
+"The burglary season seems to have recommenced in earnest," Mark's chief
+said some nine months after he had been at work. "For a time there had
+been a lull, as you know, but I have had three reports this week, and it
+strikes me that they are by the same hand as before; of course I may be
+mistaken, but they are done in a similar way, the only difference being
+that there is ground for believing that only one man is engaged in them.
+I fancy the fellow that you are after has either been away from London
+for some time, or has been keeping very quiet. At any rate, we have
+every ground for believing that he keeps himself aloof from London
+thieves, which is what I should expect from such a man. If one has nerve
+enough to do it, there is nothing like working singly; when two or
+three men are engaged, there is always the risk of one being caught
+and turning Queen's evidence, or of there being a quarrel, and of his
+peaching from revenge.
+
+"If your man has been away from town, he has certainly not been working
+any one district; of course, one gets the usual number of reports from
+different quarters; but although burglaries are frequent enough, there
+has been no complaint of a sudden increase of such crimes as there would
+have been judging from the numerous daring attempts here, had Bastow
+been concerned; therefore I feel sure that he has been living quietly.
+He would have his mate's share--that man you shot, you know--of the
+plunder they made together; he would know that after that affair at your
+place there would be a vigilant hunt for him, and it is likely enough
+that he has retired altogether from business for a time.
+
+"However, men of that sort can never stand a quiet life long, and are
+sure sooner or later to take to their trade again, if only for the sake
+of its excitement. Now that the burglaries have begun again, I shall
+be glad if you will devote yourself entirely to this business. You have
+served a good apprenticeship, and for our sake as well as yours I should
+be glad for you to have it in hand."
+
+"I shall be very pleased to do so, sir. Although we do not know where he
+is to be found, I think I can say that it is not in the slums of
+London; it seems to me that he may be quietly settled as an eminently
+respectable man almost under our noses; he may show himself occasionally
+at fashionable resorts, and may be a regular attendant at horse races.
+
+"He would not run any appreciable risk in doing so, for his face is
+quite unknown to anyone except the constables who were present at his
+trial, and even these would scarcely be likely to recognize him, for he
+was then but eighteen, while he is now six or seven and twenty, and no
+doubt the life he has led must have changed him greatly."
+
+"I quite agree with you," the chief said. "After the first hunt for him
+was over, he might do almost anything without running much risk. Well,
+I put the matter in your hands, and leave it to you to work out in your
+own way; you have given ample proof of your shrewdness and pluck, and
+in this case especially I know that you will do everything that is
+possible. Of course you will be relieved of all other duties, and if it
+takes you months before you can lay hands upon him, we shall consider it
+time well spent, if you succeed at last. From time to time change your
+quarters, but let me know your address, so that, should I learn anything
+that may be useful, I can communicate with you at once. You had better
+take another name than that by which you are known in the force. I shall
+be glad if, after thinking the matter over, you will write me a few
+lines stating what you propose to do in the first place."
+
+Mark went back to his lodgings, and sat there for some time, thinking
+matters over. His first thought was to attend the races for a time, but
+seeing the number of people there, and his own ignorance of Bastow's
+appearance, he abandoned the idea, and determined to try a slower but
+more methodical plan. After coming to that conclusion he put on his hat
+and made his way to Mrs. Cunningham's.
+
+"Well, Mr. Constable," Millicent said saucily, as he entered, "any fresh
+captures?"
+
+"No, I think that I have for the present done with that sort of thing; I
+have served my apprenticeship, and am now setting up on my own account."
+
+"How is that, Mark?"
+
+"There is reason to believe that Bastow has begun his work again near
+London. As I have told you, it is absolutely certain that he is not
+hiding in any of the places frequented by criminals here, and there
+is every reason for supposing that he has been leading a quiet life
+somewhere, or that he has been away in the country. As long as that was
+the case, there was nothing to be done; but now that he seems to have
+set to work again, it is time for me to be on the move. I have seen the
+chief this morning, and he has released me from all other' duty, and
+given me carte blanche to work in my own way."
+
+"Then why don't you leave the force altogether, Mark? You know that I
+have always thought it hateful that you should be working under orders,
+like any other constable."
+
+"Of course, women don't like to be under orders, Millicent; but men are
+not so independent, and are quite content to obey those who are well
+qualified to give orders. I have had a very interesting time of it."
+
+"Very interesting!" she said scornfully. "You have nearly been killed
+or shot half a dozen times; you have been obliged to wear all sorts of
+dirty clothes, to sleep in places where one would not put a dog, and
+generally to do all sorts of things altogether unbecoming in your
+position."
+
+"My dear, I have no particular position," he laughed, and then went on
+more seriously: "My one position at present is that of avenger of
+my father's murder, and nothing that can assist me in the task is
+unbecoming to me; but, as I said, it has been interesting, I may almost
+say fascinating, work. I used to be fond of hunting, but I can tell you
+that it is infinitely more exciting to hunt a man than it is to hunt a
+fox. You are your own hound, you have to pick up the scent, to follow
+it up, however much the quarry may wind and double, and when at last you
+lay your hand upon his shoulder and say, 'In the King's name,' there is
+an infinitely keener pleasure than there is when the hounds run down
+the fox. One sport is perhaps as dangerous as the other: in the one case
+your horse may fail at a leap and you may break your neck, in the other
+you may get a bullet in your head; so in that respect there is not much
+to choose between man and fox hunting. There is the advantage, though,
+that in the one you have to depend upon your horse's strength, and in
+the other on your own courage."
+
+"I know that you are an enthusiast over it, Mark, and I can fancy that
+if I were a big strong man, as you are, I might do the same; but if you
+are going now to try by yourself, why should you not leave the force
+altogether?"
+
+"Because, in the first place, I shall get all the information they
+obtain, and can send for any assistance that I may require. In the next
+place, by showing this little staff with its silver crown, I show that
+I am a Bow Street runner, and can obtain information at once from all
+sorts of people which I could not get without its aid."
+
+"Well, I won't say anything more against it, Mark. How are you going to
+begin?"
+
+"I mean to go the round of all the places near London--say, within ten
+miles. I shall stay from a week to a fortnight in each, take a quiet
+lodging, give out that I am on the lookout for a small house with a
+garden, and get to talk with people of all kinds."
+
+"But I cannot see what you have to inquire for."
+
+"I imagine that Bastow will have taken just the sort of house that I am
+inquiring for, and in the course of my questions I may hear of someone
+living in just that sort of way--a retired life, not making many
+friends, going up to London sometimes, and keeping, perhaps, a deaf old
+woman as a servant, or perhaps a deaf old man--someone, you see, who
+would not be likely to hear him if he came home in the middle of the
+night, or in the early morning. Once I hear of such a man, I should
+ascertain his age, and whether generally he agreed in appearance with
+what Bastow is likely to be by this time, then get down one of the
+constables who was at the trial, and take his opinion on the subject,
+after which we should only have to watch the house at night and pounce
+upon him as he came back from one of his excursions. That is the broad
+outline of my plan. I cannot help thinking that in the long run I shall
+be able to trace him, and of course it will make it all the easier if he
+takes to stopping coaches or committing murderous burglaries."
+
+"Then I suppose we are not going to see you often, Mark?"
+
+"Well, not so often as you have done, Millicent, for some time, at any
+rate. I shall not be more than five or six miles away, and I shall often
+ride into town for the evening, and return late with some sort of hope
+that I may be stopped on the road again; it would save me a world of
+trouble, you see, if he would come to me instead of my having to find
+him."
+
+"Which side of London are you going to try first?"
+
+"The south side, certainly; there are a score of places that would be
+convenient to him--Dulwich, Clapham, Tooting, Wimbledon, Stockwell; the
+list is a long one. I should say Wimbledon was about the most distant,
+and I should think that he would not go so far as that; if he only acted
+as a highwayman he might be as far off as Epsom; but if he is really the
+man concerned in these burglaries he must be but a short distance away.
+He would hardly risk having to ride very far with the chance of coming
+upon the patrols. I think that I shall begin at Peckham; that is a
+central sort of position, and from there I shall work gradually west;
+before I do so perhaps I shall try Lewisham. He is likely, in any case,
+to be quite on the outskirts of any village he may have settled in, in
+order that he may ride in and out at any hour without his coming and
+going being noticed."
+
+"You certainly seem to have thought it over in all ways, Mark; you
+almost infect me with your ardor, and make me wish that I was a man and
+could help you."
+
+"You are much nicer as you are, Millicent."
+
+The girl tossed her head in disdain at the compliment.
+
+"It is all very well, Mark," she went on, ignoring his speech, "but it
+seems to me that in finding out things a woman would be able to do
+just as much as a man; she can gossip with her neighbors and ask about
+everyone in a place quite as well, if not better, than a man."
+
+"Yes I don't doubt that," Mark laughed, "and if I want your aid I shall
+have no hesitation in asking for it. Until then I hope you will go on
+with your painting and harping steadily, like a good little girl."
+
+"I am nearly eighteen, sir, and I object to be called a good little
+girl."
+
+"Well, if I were to say a good young woman you would not like it."
+
+"No, I don't think I should. I don't know why, but when anyone says a
+girl is a good young woman or a nice young woman, there always seems
+something derogatory about it; it is almost as bad as saying she is a
+very respectable young person, which is odious."
+
+"Then, you see," he went on, "you are quite getting on in society; since
+Mr. Cotter's introduction to Mrs. Cunningham and his mother's subsequent
+call you have got to know a good many people and go about a good deal."
+
+"Yes, it has been more lively of late," she admitted. "At first it was
+certainly monstrously dull here, and I began to think that we should
+have to change our plans and go down again to Weymouth, and settle there
+for a time. Now I am getting contented; but I admit, even at the risk of
+making you conceited, that we shall certainly miss you very much, as
+you have been very good, considering how busy you have been, to come in
+three or four evenings every week for a chat."
+
+"There has been nothing very good about it, Millicent; it has been very
+pleasant to me; it is like a bit of old times again when I am here with
+you two, and seem to leave all the excitement of one's work behind as I
+come in at the door."
+
+"I wonder whether the old time will ever come back again, Mark?" she
+said sadly.
+
+"It never can be quite the old time again, but when you are back at the
+old place it may be very near it."
+
+She looked at him reproachfully.
+
+"You think that I shall change my mind, Mark, but at heart you know
+better. The day I am one and twenty I hope to carry out my intentions."
+
+"Well, as I have told you before, Millicent, I cannot control your
+actions, but I am at least master of my own. You can give away Crowswood
+to whom you like, but at least you cannot compel me to take it. Make it
+over to one of the hospitals if you like--that is within your power; but
+it is not in your power to force me into the mean action of enriching
+myself because you have romantic notions in your mind. I should scorn
+myself were I capable of doing such an action. I wonder you think so
+meanly of me as to suppose for a moment that I would do so."
+
+"It is a great pity my father did not leave the property outright to
+your father, then all this bother would have been avoided," she said
+quietly. "I should still have had plenty to live upon without there
+being any fear of being loved merely for my money."
+
+"It would have been the same thing if he had," Mark said stubbornly.
+"My father would not have taken it, and I am sure that I should not have
+taken it after him; you are his proper heiress. I don't say if he had
+left a son, and that son had been a second Bastow, that one would have
+hesitated, for he would probably have gambled it away in a year, the
+tenants might have been ruined, and the village gone to the dogs.
+Every man has a right to disinherit an unworthy son, but that is a very
+different thing from disinheriting a daughter simply from a whim. Well,
+don't let us talk about it any more, Millicent. It is the only thing
+that we don't agree about, and therefore it is best left alone."
+
+The next day Mark established himself at an inn in Peckham, and for six
+weeks made diligent inquiries, but without success. There were at least
+a dozen men who lived quietly and rode or drove to their business in
+town. Many of them were put aside as needing no investigation, having
+been residents there for years. Some of the others he saw start or
+return, but none of them corresponded in any way with the probable
+appearance of the man for whom he was in search. During this time he
+heard of several private coaches being held up on the road between Epsom
+and London, and three burglaries took place at Streatham.
+
+He then moved to Stockwell. Before proceeding there he had his horse
+up again from Crowswood, and rode into Stockwell from the west. He was
+dressed now as a small country squire, and had a valise strapped behind
+his saddle. The inn there was a busy one.
+
+"I want a room," he said, as he alighted. "I shall probably stay here a
+few days."
+
+Presently he had a talk with the landlord.
+
+"I am on the lookout," he said, "for a little place near town. I have
+come in for a small estate in the country, but I have no taste for
+farming, and want to be within easy reach of town, and at the same
+time to have a place with a paddock where I can keep my horse and live
+quietly. I don't much care whether it is here or anywhere else within
+a few miles of town, and I intend to ride about and see if I can find a
+place that will suit me. I do not want to be nearer the town than this,
+for I have not money enough to go the pace; still, I should like to be
+near enough to ride or walk in whenever I have a fancy for it."
+
+"I understand, sir. Of course there are plenty of places round here,
+at Clapham and Tooting, and I may say Streatham, but most of them are
+a deal too large for a bachelor, still I have no doubt you would find a
+place to suit you without much difficulty. These sort of places are most
+in request by London tradesmen who have given up business and want to
+get a little way out of town and keep a gig. I should say there must be
+a score of such people living round here. I am often asked about such
+places, but I don't know of one to let just at the present moment.
+
+"Still, there ought to be, for of late people have not cared so much
+to come out here; there has been such a scare owing to highwaymen and
+burglars, that men with wives and families don't fancy settling out of
+town, though there aint much work about it, for to every one house that
+is broken into there are thousands that are not, and besides, the houses
+that these fellows try are large places, where there is plenty of silver
+plate and a few gold watches, and perhaps some money to be had."
+
+Mark soon made the acquaintance of the stablemen, and a few pints of
+beer put them on good terms with him. Every day he took rides round the
+neighborhood, going out early, stabling his horse, and after having a
+chat with the ostlers, strolling round the place. Clapham, Ewell, and
+Streatham were also visited.
+
+"I know of a place that would just suit you," the ostler at the
+Greyhound at Streatham said to him, on the occasion of his third visit
+there; "but it is let; my old mother is the gentleman's housekeeper.
+He took the place through me, for he rode up just as you have done, one
+afternoon, nigh a year ago. He was from town, he was; he told me that
+he had been going the pace too hard, and had to pull in, and wanted a
+little place where he could keep his horse and live quiet for a time. I
+told him of a place that I thought would suit him just outside the town,
+and he called in the next day and told me he had taken it. 'Now,' he
+said, 'I want a woman as house keeper; an old woman, you know. I cannot
+be bothered with a young one. If you speak a civil word to a wench she
+soon fancies you are in love with her. I want one who can cook a chop or
+a steak, fry me a bit of bacon, and boil an egg and keep the place tidy.
+I intend to look after my horse myself.'
+
+"'Well, sir,' I said, 'there is my old mother. She is a widow, and it
+is as much as she can do to keep off the parish. She is reckoned a tidy
+cook and a good cleaner, and she could keep herself well enough if it
+wasn't that she is so hard of hearing that many people don't care to
+employ her.'
+
+"'I don't care a rap about that,' he said. 'I shall not need to talk to
+her except to tell her what I will have for dinner, and if she is deaf
+she won't want to be away gossiping. Does she live near here?'
+
+"'She lives in the town,' I said. 'I can fetch her down in half an
+hour.'
+
+"'That will do,' says he. 'I am going to have lunch. When I have, done I
+will come out and speak with her.'
+
+"Well, sir, he engaged her right off, and he tipped me a guinea for
+finding the place for him, and there he has been ever since. It was a
+lucky job for mother, for she says there never was a gentleman that gave
+less trouble. He is a wonderful quiet man, and in general stops at home
+all the day smoking and reading. He has a boy comes in two or three
+times a week to work in the garden. Sometimes of an evening he rides up
+to town. I expect he cannot keep away from the cards altogether."
+
+"Is he an elderly man?" Mark asked.
+
+"Lor', no, sir; under thirty, I should say. He is a free handed sort of
+chap, and though he aint particular about his eating, he likes a bottle
+of good wine, the old woman says, even if it is only with a chop. He
+never rides past here and I happen to be outside without tossing me a
+shilling to drink his health."
+
+Mark went into the house and ordered lunch. It would not have done to
+have asked any more questions or to have shown any special interest in
+the matter, but he felt so excited that he could not have avoided doing
+so had he waited longer with the ostler. After he had finished his meal
+he strolled out again into the stable yard.
+
+"Well," he said to the ostler, "can't you put me up to another good
+thing, just as you told that gentleman you were speaking to me about?"
+
+"There are two or three places that I know of that might suit you, sir.
+There is a house on the hill. I know that it has got a paddock, but I
+don't know how big it is; it is in general known as Hawleys--that is the
+name of the last people who lived there. Anyone will tell you which is
+the house. Then there is another place. You turn to the right the third
+turning on the hill; it stands by itself two or three hundred yards
+down; it has got a goodish bit of ground. There is only one house beyond
+it; that is the one where my mother lives. That was an old farm once,
+but this was built later. I believe the ground belonged to the farm. You
+will know it by a big tree in front of it; it stands back forty feet or
+so from the road."
+
+"Where does the road lead to?"
+
+"Well, sir, it aint much of a road beyond the next house; it is only
+a lane, but you can get through that way into the main road, through
+Tooting down into Balham, and on to Wimbledon."
+
+"'I think I will go and have a look at both those places," Mark said.
+
+"Will you take your horse, sir?"
+
+"No; I suppose it is not much above half a mile?"
+
+"About that, sir."
+
+"Then I will walk; I shall not be likely to find anyone to hold my horse
+there."
+
+Mark had no difficulty in finding the house. It looked as if it had been
+untenanted for some time, and in the window was a notice that for keys
+and information applications were to be made at a shop in the High
+Street. Well pleased to find that there was no one in the house, Mark
+entered the gate and passed round into what at one time had been a
+kitchen garden behind it; at the bottom of this was a field of three or
+four acres.
+
+The ground was separated by a hedge from that of the house beyond. This
+was fully a hundred yards away. A well bred horse was grazing in the
+field, a man smoking a pipe was watching a boy doing gardening work
+behind the house. Mark remained for nearly an hour concealed behind
+the hedge in hopes that he would come nearer. At the end of that time,
+however, he went into the house, and after waiting another ten minutes
+Mark also left, resisting the temptation to walk along the road and take
+a closer look at it, for he felt that such a step would be dangerous,
+for should the man notice anyone looking at the place his suspicions
+might be aroused.
+
+It was evident that the lane was very little used; in many cases the
+grass grew across it. There were marks of horses' feet, but none of
+wheels, and he concluded that when going up to town the man came that
+way and rode quietly through Streatham, for the hoof prints all pointed
+in that direction, and that on his return at night he came up the lane
+from the other road.
+
+"Well, master, what do you think of the houses?" the ostler asked on his
+return to the inn.
+
+"I have only been to the one in the lane that you spoke of, for I want
+to get back to town. I had a good look at it, but it is rather a dreary
+looking place, and evidently wants a lot of repairs before it can
+be made comfortable. The next time that I am down I will look at the
+other."
+
+Mounting his horse, he rode at a rapid pace into London, and dismounted
+at Bow Street.
+
+"You have news, I see, Mr. Thorndyke," the chief said when he entered.
+
+"I have, sir; I believe that I have marked the man down; at any rate, if
+it is not he, it is a criminal of some sort--of that I have no doubt."
+
+"That is good news indeed," the chief said. "Now tell me all about it."
+
+Mark repeated the story the ostler had told him, and the result of his
+own observations.
+
+"You see," he said, "the man, whether Bastow or not, has clearly taken
+the place for the purpose of concealment, for he can approach it by
+the lane, which is a very unfrequented one, on his return from his
+expeditions. He has taken on a deaf old woman who will not hear him ride
+in at night, and will have no idea at what hours he comes home. Riding
+out through the main street in the afternoon he would excite no notice,
+and the story to the ostler would very well account for his taking the
+house and for his habit of coming up here of an afternoon and returning
+late. I thought it best to come back and tell you, and I will adopt any
+plan that you suggest for his capture."
+
+"You say that he has been there for nearly a year?"
+
+"About a year, the ostler said."
+
+"Then one of my men, at least, must have been very careless not to
+have found him out long ago. Let me see;" and he took down a volume of
+reports. "Streatham. Tomlinson has been here a fortnight making every
+inquiry. 'No man of suspicious appearance or of unknown antecedents
+here.'
+
+"Humph! That is not the first time that Tomlinson has failed altogether
+in his duty. However, that does not matter for the moment. What is your
+own idea, Mr. Thorndyke?"
+
+"My idea is that a couple of good men should go down with me to
+Streatham, and that we should be always on the watch in High Street
+until we see him ride past. Directly it is dark we will go to his house,
+fasten the old woman up, and search it thoroughly. If we find stolen
+property so much the better; but in any case we shall wait inside the
+house until he returns, and as he comes in throw ourselves upon him
+before he has time to draw a pistol. I should say it would be as well
+the men should go down in a trap. There is an empty house next door, and
+when we go to search the place we can leave the horse and trap inside
+the gate. Directly we have him secure we can fetch up the trap, put him
+in, and one of the men and myself can drive him back here, leaving the
+other in charge of the house, which can then be searched again next
+day."
+
+"I think that will be a very good plan, and will avoid all unnecessary
+fuss. I will send Malcolm and Chester down with you tomorrow. Where will
+you meet them?"
+
+"I should say that they had better put up at the Greyhound. I don't
+suppose he will go out until six or seven o'clock, but they had better
+be there earlier. One should station himself in the main street, the
+other concealing himself somewhere beyond the fellow's house, for it is
+likely enough that sometimes he may take the other way. I will go down
+to the Greyhound at six, and will wait there until one of them brings me
+news that he has left."
+
+"I think you had better come in in the morning, and give your
+instructions to the men; there will be less fear of any mistake being
+made. I should say you had better put your horse up and come here on
+foot; one can never be too careful when one is dealing with so crafty
+a rogue as this; he certainly does not work with an accomplice, but for
+all that he may have two or three sharp boys in his pay, and they may
+watch this place by turns and carry him news of any stir about the
+office."
+
+"I will walk in," Mark replied. "It is no distance from Stockwell."
+
+Mark slept but little that night. He had believed all along that he
+should be finally successful, but the discovery had come so suddenly
+that it had taken him completely by surprise. It might not be the man,
+and he tried hard to persuade himself that the chances were against his
+being so, so that he should not feel disappointed should it turn out
+that it was some other criminal, for that the man was a criminal he had
+not a shadow of doubt.
+
+The next morning he was at the office early. The chief arrived half an
+hour later, and the two officers were at once called in.
+
+"You will go with Mr. Thorndyke," the chief said, "and he will give you
+instructions. The capture is a very important one, and there must be no
+mistake made. We believe the man to be Bastow. I think you were present
+at his trial, Chester; he escaped from Sydney Convict Prison some
+three years ago, and is, I believe, the author of many of the highway
+robberies and burglaries that have puzzled us so. Of course, you will
+take firearms, but if he is alone you will certainly have no occasion
+to use them, especially as you will take him completely by surprise.
+You will order a gig from Morden, and leave here about three o'clock. I
+should say you had better get up as two countrymen who have been up
+to market. However, Mr. Thorndyke will explain the whole matter to you
+fully."
+
+Mark then went off with the two officers to a private room, and went
+into the whole matter with them.
+
+"I think, Chester," he said, "that you had better watch in the High
+Street, because you know the man. At least, you have seen him, and may
+recognize him again."
+
+"I think I should know him, however much he has changed. I took
+particular notice of him at the trial, and thought what a hardened
+looking young scamp he was. It is very seldom I forget a face when once
+I have a thorough look at it, and I don't think I am likely to forget
+his."
+
+"Malcolm, I think you cannot do better than take your place in the
+garden of the house next to his; it is a place that has stood empty for
+many months, and there is no chance of anyone seeing you. His paddock
+comes up to the garden, and you can, by placing yourself in the corner,
+see him as he comes out into the lane. As soon as you see that he has
+gone, come back to the Greyhound with the news. I shall be there, and
+you will pick up Chester in the High Street as you come along; of course
+you won't pretend to know me, but the mere fact of your coming back will
+be enough to tell me that he has gone. As soon as it gets dark we will
+pay our reckoning, and drive off in the gig, leaving it in the drive in
+front of the house this side of his. I shall have strolled off before,
+and shall be waiting for you there. If he does not come out by ten
+o'clock we can give it up for tonight. You had better say that you have
+changed your mind, and will take beds at the Greyhound; and the next
+morning drive off in your gig and put up again at the inn at the other
+end of the town, the White Horse. I will come over again at two o'clock
+in the afternoon. You will bring handcuffs, and you had better also
+bring a stout rope to tie him with."
+
+When every detail had been arranged, Mark strolled to Dick Chetwynd's
+lodgings.
+
+"Well, Mark what has become of you? I have not seen you for the last two
+months, and I hear that you have not been near Ingleston's crib since I
+saw you."
+
+"No, I have been away on business. You know I told you that I was
+spending much of my time in endeavoring to hunt down my father's
+murderer. I can tell you now that I have been working all the time with
+the Bow Street people, and I think I know every thieves' slum in London
+as well as any constable in the town."
+
+"You don't say so, Mark! Well, I should not like such work as that. The
+prize fighters are a pretty rough lot, but to go to such dens as those
+is enough to make one shudder. But that does not explain where you have
+been now."
+
+"No. Well, having persuaded myself at last that his headquarters were
+not in town, I have been trying the villages round, and I believe that I
+have laid my hands on him at last."
+
+"You don't say so, Mark! Well, I congratulate you heartily, both on your
+having caught the fellow and for having got rid of such horrid work.
+Where is he? Have you got him lodged in jail?"
+
+"No, we are going to capture him tonight; or if not tonight, tomorrow
+night. Two of the Bow Street officers are going down with me, and we
+shall have him as he comes home from one of his expeditions either on
+the highway or as a house breaker. If he does not go this evening we
+shall wait until tomorrow, but at any rate, the first time that he goes
+out we shall have him."
+
+"I have got a special engagement for this evening, Mark, or I would
+offer to go with you and lend you a hand, if necessary."
+
+"There is no occasion for that, Dick. We shall take the fellow by
+surprise as he goes into his own house, and have him handcuffed before
+he can draw a pistol. Then, when we have got him fairly tied up, we
+shall put him into a light cart that we shall have handy, and bring him
+straight to Bow Street. To tell you the truth, I am so excited over the
+thought that I do not know how I should have got through the day if I
+had not come in to have a chat with you."
+
+"I can quite understand that, old fellow. Well, the best thing we can do
+is to take a stroll out and look at the fashions. It is early yet, but
+just at present it is all the rage to turn out early. It will do me
+good too, for I was at Ingleston's last night, and the smoke and row has
+given me a headache. I shall really have to give up going there, except
+when there is an important fight on. It is too much to stand, and the
+tobacco is so bad that I am obliged to keep a suit of clothes for the
+purpose. Let us be off at once."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI.
+
+
+At four o'clock Mark put up his horse at the Greyhound, and chatted for
+a quarter of an hour with the ostler, who had been making inquiries,
+and had heard of one or two other houses in the neighborhood which were
+untenanted. Mark then strolled up the town, exchanging a passing
+glance with Chester, who, in a velveteen coat, low hat and gaiters, was
+chatting with a wagoner going with a load of hay for the next morning's
+market in London. He turned into an inn, called for a pint of the best
+port, and sat down in the parlor at a table close to the window, so that
+he could see all who went up or down. He entered into conversation with
+two or three people who came in, and so passed the time till seven, when
+he felt too restless to sit still longer, and went out into the street.
+
+When he was halfway to the Greyhound he heard the sound of a horse's
+hoofs behind him, and saw a quietly dressed man coming along at an easy
+trot. Had it not been that he recognized the horse, he could not have
+felt sure that its rider was the man whose coming he had been waiting
+for, there being nothing in his appearance that would excite the
+slightest suspicion that he was other than a gentleman of moderate means
+and quiet taste, either returning from a ride or passing through on his
+way to town. He had a well built and active figure, carried himself with
+the ease of a thorough horseman, and nodded to one or two persons of his
+acquaintance, and checking his horse at the principal butcher's, ordered
+some meat to be sent in that evening.
+
+Mark could trace no resemblance in the face to that of the young fellow
+he remembered. It was a quiet and resolute one. If this were Bastow,
+he had lost the sneering and insolent expression that was so strongly
+impressed on his memory. It might be the man, but if so, he was greatly
+changed. Mark's first impression was that it could not be Bastow; but
+when he thought over the years of toil and confinement in the convict
+prison, the life he had led in the bush, and the two years he had passed
+since he returned home, he imagined that the insolence of youth might
+well have disappeared, and been succeeded by the resolute daring and
+dogged determination that seemed to be impressed on this fellow's face.
+
+Mark paused fifty yards before he reached the inn. In a few minutes he
+saw Chester coming along. There was no one else in sight.
+
+"Is it Bastow?" he asked, as the officer came up.
+
+"It's Bastow sure enough, sir. But he is so changed that if I had not
+had him in my mind I should not have recognized him. I calculate that a
+man who has gone through what he has would have lost the expression he
+had as a boy. He must have learnt a lot in the convict prison, and
+the fact that he headed the mutiny and escaped from the searchers and
+managed to get home showed that he must have become a resolute and
+desperate man. All those burglaries, and the way in which he has several
+times stopped coaches single handed, show his nerve and coolness. I had
+all that in my mind as he came along, and his face was pretty much as I
+expected to see it. He is a cool hand, and I can understand how he has
+given us the slip so long. There is none of the shifty look about his
+eyes that one generally sees in criminals, no glancing from side to
+side; he rode with the air of a man who had a right to be where he was,
+and feared no one. He will be an awkward customer to tackle if we do not
+take him by surprise."
+
+"Yes, I agree with you there. However, he won't have much chance of
+using either his pistols or his strength. Here is Malcolm coming, so I
+will walk away for a few minutes, and let you go in first. You can tell
+the ostler now that you will have your horse put in at nine o'clock. I
+have been thinking, by the way, that we had better take the trap round
+behind the house instead of leaving it in the drive. The man may come
+back this way, and if so, he might hear the horse stamp or make some
+movement, and that would at once put him on his guard."
+
+As the officers entered the inn Mark went into the yard and told the
+ostler that he had met some friends, and should let his horse remain
+there for the night.
+
+"It is possible that they may drive me into the town in the morning," he
+said; "and I shall very likely send a man down for the horse."
+
+At a quarter to nine he went out again, and walked to the house he had
+before visited; in ten minutes he heard the sound of wheels, threw open
+the gate, and the men, jumping down, led the horse in.
+
+"You may as well take him out of the trap," he said. "We cannot very
+well get that round the house, but there is no difficulty about taking
+the horse."
+
+The officers had brought a halter and a nosebag full of corn. The horse
+was fastened to a tree with soft ground round it, the nosebag put on,
+and a horse cloth thrown over its back; then Mark and his two companions
+went out into the lane, and in a couple of minutes entered the next
+gate, treading lightly, and going round to the back of the house.
+
+A light burned in the kitchen, and an old woman could be seen knitting.
+They lifted the latch and walked in. Dropping her knitting, she rose
+with an exclamation of terror.
+
+Mark advanced alone.
+
+"Do not be frightened," he said; "we are not going to do you any harm."
+He took out his little ebony staff. "We are constables," he went on,
+"and have orders to search this house. We must secure you, but you will
+be released in the morning. Now, which is your room?"
+
+In spite of Mark's assurance, the old woman was almost paralyzed with
+terror. However, the two constables assisted her up to her room, and
+there secured her with a rope, taking care that it was not so tightly
+bound as to hurt her. Then they placed a gag in her mouth, and left her.
+
+"Now let us search his room in the first place," Mark said, when they
+came downstairs again. "I hardly expect we shall find anything. You may
+be sure that he will have taken great pains to hide away any booty that
+he may have here, and that it will need daylight and a closer search
+than we can give the place now, before we find anything."
+
+The search of the house was indeed fruitless. They cut open the bed,
+prized up every loose board in the bedroom and the parlor, lifted the
+hearth stone, tapped the walls, and searched every drawer; then, taking
+a lantern, went out into the stable. The officers were both accustomed
+to look for hiding places, and ran their hands along on the top of the
+walls, examining the stone flooring and manger.
+
+"That is a very large corn bin," Mark said, as he looked round, when
+they desisted from the search.
+
+"You are right, sir. We will empty it."
+
+There were two or three empty sacks on the ground near it, and they
+emptied the corn into these, so that there should be no litter about.
+Chester gave an exclamation of disappointment as they reached the
+bottom. Mark put his hand on the bin and gave it a pull.
+
+"It is just as I thought," he said. "It is fastened down. I saw an ax in
+the woodshed, Malcolm; just fetch it here."
+
+While the man was away Mark took the lantern and examined the bottom
+closely. "We shan't want the ax," he said, as he pointed out to Chester
+a piece of string that was apparently jammed in the form of a loop
+between the bottom and side. "Just get in and clear those few handfuls
+of corn out. I think you will see that it will pull up then."
+
+There was, however, no movement in the bottom when Mark pulled at the
+loop.
+
+"Look closely round outside," he said, handing Malcolm, who had
+now returned, the lantern. "I have no doubt that there is a catch
+somewhere."
+
+In a minute or two the constable found a small ring between two of the
+cobblestones close to the foot of the wall. He pulled at it, and as
+he did so Mark felt the resistance to his pull cease suddenly, and the
+bottom of the bin came up like a trapdoor.
+
+"That is a clever hiding place," he said. "If I had not happened to
+notice that the bin was fixed we might have had a long search before we
+found it here."
+
+Below was a square hole, the size of the bin; a ladder led down into it.
+Mark, with a lantern, descended. Four or five sacks piled on each other
+lay at the bottom, leaving just room enough for a man to stand beside
+them.
+
+"The top one is silver by the feel," he said, "not yet broken up; these
+smaller sacks are solid. I suppose it is silver that has been melted
+down. This--" and he lifted a bag some eighteen inches deep, opened it,
+and looked in "--contains watches and jewels. Now I think we will leave
+things here for the present, and put everything straight. He may be back
+before long."
+
+Mark ascended, the bottom of the trap was shut down again, the corn
+poured in, and the bags thrown down on the spot from which they had been
+taken. They returned to the house, shut the door, and extinguished the
+light.
+
+"That has been a grand find," he said; "even if this is not Bastow, it
+will be a valuable capture."
+
+"That it will, Mr. Thorndyke. I have no doubt that this fellow is
+the man we have been in search of for the last eighteen months; that
+accounts for our difficulty in laying hold of him. He has been too
+crafty to try to sell any of his plunder, so that none of the fences
+have known anything about him. No doubt he has taken sufficient cash to
+enable him to live here quietly. He intended some time or other to melt
+down all the rest of the plate and to sell the silver, which he could do
+easily enough. As for the watches and jewels, he could get rid of them
+abroad."
+
+"No doubt that is what he intended," Mark agreed. "It is not often these
+fellows are as prudent as he has been; if they were, your work would be
+a good deal more difficult than it is."
+
+"You are right, sir; I don't know that I ever heard of such a case
+before. The fellow almost deserves to get away."
+
+"That would be rewarding him too highly for his caution," Mark laughed.
+"He is a desperate villain, and all the more dangerous for being a
+prudent one. Now, I think one of us had better keep watch at the gate by
+turns. We shall hear him coming in plenty of time to get back here and
+be in readiness for him. We must each understand our part thoroughly.
+I will stand facing the door. It is possible that he may light that
+lantern we saw hanging in the stable, but I don't think it likely he
+will do so; he will take off the saddle, and either take the horse in
+there--there is plenty of food in the manger--or else turn it out into
+the paddock. As he comes in I will throw my arms round him and you will
+at once close in, one on each side, each catch an arm tightly, handcuff
+him, and take the pistols from his belt. Don't leave go of his arms
+until I have lit the candle; he may have another pistol inside his coat,
+and might draw it."
+
+It was now one o'clock, and half an hour later Malcolm, who was at the
+gate, came in quietly and said he could hear a horse coming along the
+lane.
+
+"Which way, Malcolm?"
+
+"Tooting way."
+
+"That is all right. I have been a little nervous lest if he came
+the other way our horse might make some slight noise and attract his
+attention; that was our only weak point."
+
+They had already ascertained that the front door was locked and bolted,
+and that he must therefore enter through the kitchen. They heard the
+horse stop in front, a moment later the gate was opened, and through
+the window they could just make out the figure of a man leading a horse;
+then the stable door opened, and they heard a movement, and knew that
+the horse was being unsaddled; they heard it walk into the stable, the
+door was shut behind it, and a step approached the back door. It was
+opened, and a voice said with an oath, "The old fool has forgotten to
+leave a candle burning;" then he stepped into the kitchen.
+
+In an instant there was a sound of a violent struggle, deep oaths and
+curses, two sharp clicks, then all was quiet except heavy breathing and
+the striking of flint on a tinderbox; there was the blue glare of the
+sulphur match, and a candle was lighted. Mark then turned to the man who
+was standing still grasped in the hands of his two captors.
+
+"Arthur Bastow," he said, producing his staff, "I arrest you in the
+King's name, as an escaped convict, as a notorious highwayman and house
+breaker."
+
+As his name was spoken the man started, then he said quietly:
+
+"You have made a mistake this time, my men; my name is William Johnson;
+I am well known here, and have been a quiet resident in this house for
+upwards of a year."
+
+"A resident, but not a quiet resident, Bastow. I don't think we are
+mistaken; but even if you can prove that you are not Bastow, but William
+Johnson, a man of means and family, we have evidence enough upon the
+other charges. We have been in search of you for a long time, and have
+got you at last. You don't remember me, though it is but eighteen months
+since we met; but I fancy that I then left a mark upon you that still
+remains on your shoulder. I am Mark Thorndyke, and you will understand
+now why I have hunted you down."
+
+"The game is not finished yet," the man said recklessly. "The hunting
+down will be the other way next time, Mark Thorndyke."
+
+"I don't think so. Now, Chester, you may as well tie his feet together,
+and then search him. When that is done I will look after him while you
+fetch the trap round."
+
+In his pockets were found two gold watches, forty-eight pounds in gold,
+and a hundred pounds in bank notes.
+
+"We shall hear where this comes from tomorrow," Malcolm said, as he laid
+them on the table; "it will save us the trouble of getting evidence from
+Australia."
+
+The prisoner was placed in a chair, and then the two officers went out
+to fetch the trap round.
+
+"So you have turned thief catcher, have you?" he said in a sneering
+tone, that recalled him to Mark's memory far more than his face had
+done, "and you carry a Bow Street staff about with you, and pretend to
+belong to the force: that is a punishable offense, you know."
+
+"Yes, it would be if I had no right to use it," Mark said quietly; "but
+it happens that I have a right, having been for a year and a half in the
+force. I joined it solely to hunt you down, and now that I have done so
+my resignation will be sent in tomorrow."
+
+"And how is the worthy squire?"
+
+Mark started to his feet, and seized one of the pistols lying before
+him.
+
+"You villain!" he exclaimed, "I wonder you dare mention his name--you,
+his murderer."
+
+"It was but tit for tat," the man said coolly; "he murdered me, body and
+soul, when he sent me to the hulks. I told him I would be even with him.
+I did not think I had hit him at the time, for I thought that if I had
+you would have stopped with him, and would not have chased me across the
+fields."
+
+"You scoundrel!" Mark said. "You know well enough that you came back,
+stole into his room, and stabbed him."
+
+Bastow looked at him with a puzzled expression.
+
+"I don't know what you are talking about," he said. "I fired at him
+through the window--I don't mind saying so to you, because there are no
+witnesses--and saw him jump up, but I fancied I had missed him. I
+saw you bolt out of the room, and thought it better to be off at once
+instead of taking another shot. You gave me a hard chase. It was lucky
+for you that you did not come up with me, for if you had done so I
+should have shot you; I owed you one for having killed as good a comrade
+as man ever had, and for that bullet you put in my shoulder before. If
+I had not been so out of breath that I could not feel sure of my aim I
+should have stopped for you, but I rode straight to town."
+
+"A likely story," Mark said shortly. "What, you will pretend that there
+were two murderers hanging round the house that night?--a likely tale
+indeed."
+
+"I tell you that if your father was killed by a knife or dagger, I had
+nothing to do with it," the man said. "I am obliged to the man, whoever
+he was. I had intended to go down again to Reigate to finish the job
+myself; I should scarcely have missed a second time. So it is for that
+you hunted me down? Well, I don't blame you; I never forgive an injury,
+and I see your sentiments are mine. Whether I killed your father or not
+makes no difference; he was killed, that is the principal point; if I
+was going to be put on my trial for that I could prove that at eight
+o'clock I was in a coffee house in Covent Garden. I purposely kicked
+up a row there, and was turned out, so that if I were charged with that
+shooting affair I could prove that I was in London that evening."
+
+"I can't quite believe that," Mark said; "a fast horse would have
+brought you up to town in an hour and a half, and another fast horse
+would have taken you back again as quickly; so you might have been in
+London at eight and back again at Crowswood by half past twelve or one,
+even if you stopped a couple of hours at a coffee house. However, you
+won't be tried for that. Those things on the table and the contents of
+that corn bin are enough to hang you a dozen times."
+
+"Curse you! have you found that out?" Bastow exclaimed furiously.
+
+"We have," Mark replied. "It would have been wiser if you had got rid
+of your things sooner. It was a clever hiding place, but it is always
+dangerous to keep such things by you, Bastow."
+
+The man said no more, but sat quietly in his chair until they heard
+the vehicle stop outside the gate. Then the two constables came in,
+and lifting Bastow, carried him out and placed him in the bottom of the
+cart.
+
+"You can loose the old woman now, Malcolm," Mark said as he took his
+seat and gathered the reins in his hand. "By eleven o'clock, no doubt,
+one of the others will be down with the gig again, and you can empty
+out the contents of that hole, and bring them up with you. I don't think
+that it will be of any use searching further. You might have a good look
+all round before you come away. There may be some notes stowed away,
+though it is likely enough that they have been sent away by post to some
+receiver abroad."
+
+For some time after starting they could hear the prisoner moving about
+uneasily in the straw.
+
+"I suppose there is no fear of his slipping out of those handcuffs,
+Chester?"
+
+"Not a bit; they are full tight for him. I expect that that is what is
+making him uncomfortable."
+
+Presently the movement ceased.
+
+"He is still enough now, Mr. Thorndyke. I should not be at all surprised
+if he has dropped off to sleep. He is hardened enough to sleep while the
+gibbet was waiting for him."
+
+It was four o'clock in the morning when they drove up at Bow Street. Two
+constables on duty came out to the cart.
+
+"We have got a prisoner, Inspector," Chester said. "He is the man we
+have been looking for so long. I fancy we have got all the swag that has
+been stolen for the last eighteen months--bags of jewels and watches,
+and sacks of silver. He is handcuffed, and his legs are tied, so we must
+carry him in."
+
+The officer fetched out a lantern. The other constable helped him to let
+down the backboard of the cart.
+
+"Now, Bastow, wake up," Chester said. "Here we are."
+
+But there was no movement!
+
+"He is mighty sound asleep," the constable said.
+
+"Well, haul him out;" and, taking the man by the shoulders, they pulled
+him out from the cart.
+
+"There is something rum about him," the constable said; and as they
+lowered his feet to the pavement his head fell forward, and he would
+have sunk down if they had not supported him.
+
+The Inspector raised the lantern to his face.
+
+"Why, the man is dead," he said.
+
+"Dead!" Chester repeated incredulously.
+
+"Aye, that he is. Look here;" and he pointed to a slim steel handle some
+three inches long, projecting over the region of the heart. "You must
+have searched him very carelessly, Chester. Well, bring him in now."
+
+They carried him into the room, where two candles were burning. Mark
+followed them. The inspector pulled out the dagger. It was but four
+inches long, with a very thin blade. The handle was little thicker than
+the blade itself. Mark took it and examined it.
+
+"I have not a shadow of doubt that this is the dagger with which he
+murdered my father. The wound was very narrow, about this width, and the
+doctor said that the weapon that had been used was certainly a foreign
+dagger."
+
+"I don't think this is a foreign dagger," the Inspector said on
+examining it, "although it may be the one that was used, as you say,
+Mr. Thorndyke. It has evidently been made to carry about without being
+observed."
+
+He threw back the dead man's coat.
+
+"Ah, here is where it was kept. You see, the lining has been sewn to the
+cloth, so as to make a sheath down by the seam under the arm. I expect
+that, knowing what would happen if he were caught, he had made up his
+mind to do it all along. Well, I don't know that you are to be so much
+blamed, Chester, for, passing your hand over his clothes, you might very
+well miss this, which is no thicker than a piece of whalebone. Well,
+well, he has saved us a good deal of trouble. You say you have got most
+of the booty he has collected?"
+
+"I don't know that we have got all of it, sir, but we have made a very
+big haul, anyhow; it was a cunningly contrived place. There was a big
+corn bin in the stable, and when we had emptied out the corn it seemed
+empty. However, Mr. Thorndyke discovered that the bin was fixed. Then we
+found that the bottom was really a trap door, and under it was a sort of
+well in which were sacks and bags. One of the sacks was full of unbroken
+silver, two others contained silver ingots, things that he had melted
+down, and there was a large bag full of watches and jewels. In his
+pocket we found a hundred pounds in bank notes, about fifty guineas, and
+a couple of gold watches."
+
+"That he must have got tonight from the Portsmouth coach; we heard half
+an hour ago that it had been stopped near Kingston, the coachman shot,
+and the passengers robbed. It will be good news to some of them that
+we have got hold of their valuables. Well, Mr. Thorndyke, I have to
+congratulate you most heartily on the skill with which you have ferreted
+out a man who had baffled us for so long, and had become a perfect
+terror to the south of London. No doubt we shall be able to trace
+a great portion of the property in that sack. The capture has been
+splendidly effected."
+
+"You will understand," Mark said, "that I do not wish my name to appear
+in the matter at all. I have, as you know, been actuated by private
+reasons only in my search, and I see no occasion why my name should
+be mentioned; the evidence of Chester and Malcolm will be ample. From
+information received, they went down to this place, searched it in
+his absence, discovered the stolen goods, and captured them. Having
+handcuffed and bound him, one drove him up to town, the other remaining
+to guard the treasure. On his way he got at this hidden dagger and
+stabbed himself. My evidence would not strengthen the case at all."
+
+"No, I don't see that it will be necessary to call you, Mr. Thorndyke.
+The discovery of this hidden booty and the proceeds of the coach robbery
+would be quite sufficient. Beyond the coroner's inquest there will be no
+inquiry. Had it been otherwise it might probably have been necessary to
+call you at the trial. However, as it is, it will save a lot of trouble;
+now we shall only need to find the owners of these bank notes. I will
+send off a cart for the things as early as I can get one, and will send
+a couple of constables round to the houses where burglaries have
+been committed to request the owners to come over and see if they can
+identify any of their property; and those who do so can attend the
+inquest tomorrow, though I don't suppose they will be called. The chief
+will be mightily pleased when he hears what has taken place, for he has
+been sadly worried by these constant complaints, and I fancy that
+the authorities have been rather down upon him on the subject. The
+announcement that the career of this famous robber has been brought to
+an end will cause quite a sensation, and people round the commons on the
+south side will sleep more quietly than they have done lately. I expect
+that if he had not put an end to himself we should have had to send him
+across to Newington today, for of course it is a Surrey business, though
+we have had the luck to take him. I suppose we shall not see much of you
+in the future, Mr. Thorndyke?"
+
+"No indeed," Mark said. "My business is done, and I shall send in my
+resignation this morning. I don't regret the time that I have spent over
+it; I have learned a great deal, and have seen a lot of the shady side
+of life, and have picked up experience in a good many ways."
+
+Mark, after requesting the Inspector to find a man to go over to
+Streatham and bring back his horse, and writing an order to the ostler
+to deliver it, walked across to his lodgings. Upon the whole, he was
+not sorry that Bastow had taken the matter into his own hands; he had,
+certainly, while engaged in the search, looked forward to seeing him in
+the dock and witnessing his execution, but he now felt that enough had
+been done for vengeance, and that it was as well that the matter had
+ended as it had. He was wearied out with the excitement of the last
+forty-eight hours. It was one o'clock when he awoke, and after dressing
+and going into Covent Garden to lunch at one of the coffee houses, he
+made his way up to Islington.
+
+"Taking a day's holiday?" Millicent asked as he came in.
+
+"Well, not exactly, Millicent; I have left school altogether."
+
+"Left school, Mark? Do you mean that you have decided that it is of no
+use going on any longer?"
+
+"I have given it up because I have finished it. Arthur Bastow was
+captured last night, and committed suicide as he was being taken to the
+station."
+
+An exclamation of surprise broke from Mrs. Cunningham and Millicent.
+
+"It seems horrid to be glad that anyone has taken his own life," the
+latter said; "but I cannot help feeling so, for as long as he lived I
+should never have considered that you were safe, and besides, I suppose
+there is no doubt that if he had not killed himself he would have been
+hung."
+
+"There is not a shadow of doubt about that," Mark replied. "We found
+the proceeds of a vast number of robberies at his place, and also in
+his pockets the money he had taken from the passengers of the Portsmouth
+coach an hour before we captured him. So that putting aside that
+Australian business altogether, his doom was sealed."
+
+"Now, please, tell us all about it," Mrs. Cunningham said. "But first
+let us congratulate you most warmly not only on the success of your
+search, but that the work is at an end."
+
+"Yes, I am glad it is over. At first I was very much interested; in
+fact, I was intensely interested all along, and should have been for
+however long it had continued. But, at the same time, I could do nothing
+else, and one does not want to spend one's whole life as a detective.
+At last it came about almost by chance, and the only thing I have to
+congratulate myself upon is that my idea of the sort of place he would
+have taken was exactly borne out by fact."
+
+And Mark then gave them a full account of the manner in which the
+discovery had been made and the capture effected.
+
+"You see, Millicent, I followed your injunction, and was very careful.
+Taking him by surprise as I did, I might have managed it single handed,
+but with the aid of two good men it made a certainty of it, and the
+whole thing was comfortably arranged."
+
+"I think you have done splendidly, Mark," Mrs. Cunningham said. "It was
+certainly wonderful that you should have found him doing exactly what
+you had guessed, even down to the deaf servant. Well, now that is done
+and over, what do you think of doing next?"
+
+"I have hardly thought about that," he replied; "but, at any rate, I
+shall take a few weeks' holiday, and I suppose after that I shall settle
+down to the search for my uncle's treasure. I am afraid that will be
+a much longer and a vastly more difficult business than this has been.
+Here there were all sorts of clews to work upon. Bastow ought to have
+been captured months ago, but in this other affair, so far, there is
+next to nothing to follow up. We don't even know whether the things are
+in India or in England. I believe they will be found, but that it will
+be by an accident. Besides, I fancy that we shall hear about them when
+you come of age, Millicent. There was to have been no change till that
+time, and I cannot help thinking that Uncle George must have made some
+provisions by which we should get to know about them in the event of
+his death without his having an opportunity of telling anyone where they
+are.
+
+"He might have been killed in battle; he might have been drowned on his
+way home. He had thought the whole matter over so thoroughly, I do think
+the possibilities of this could not have escaped him. As I told you,
+Mr. Prendergast made inquiries of all the principal bankers and Indian
+agents here, and altogether without success. After he had done that, I
+got a list of all the leading firms in Calcutta and Madras, and wrote to
+them, and all the replies were in the negative. It is true that does
+not prove anything absolutely. Eighteen years is a long time, and the
+chances are that during those years almost every head of a firm would
+have retired and come home. Such a matter would only be likely to be
+known to the heads; and if, as we thought likely, the box or chest was
+merely forwarded by a firm there to England, the transaction would
+not have attracted any special attention. If, upon the other hand, it
+remained out there it might have been put down in a cellar or store, and
+have been lying there ever since, altogether forgotten."
+
+"I don't see myself why you should bother any more about it; perhaps,
+as you say, it will turn up of itself when I come of age. At any rate, I
+should say it is certainly as well to wait till then and see if it does,
+especially as you acknowledge that you have no clew whatever to work
+on. It is only three more years, for I am eighteen next week, and it
+certainly seems to me that it will be very foolish to spend the next
+three years in searching about for a thing that may come to you without
+any searching at all."
+
+"Well, I will think it over."
+
+"You see, you really don't want the money, Mark," she went on.
+
+"No, I don't want it particularly, Millicent; but when one knows that
+there is something like 50,000 pounds waiting for one somewhere, one
+would like to get it. Your father worked for twenty years of his life
+accumulating it for us, and it seems to me a sort of sacred duty to see
+that his labor has not all been thrown away."
+
+Millicent was silent.
+
+"It is very tiresome," she said presently. "Of course my father
+intended, as you say, that his savings should come to us, but I am sure
+he never meant that they should be a bother and a trouble to us."
+
+"I don't see why they should ever be that, Millicent. As it is we have
+both sufficient for anything any man or woman could reasonably want, and
+neither of us need fret over it if the treasure is never found. Still,
+he wished us to have it, and it is properly ours, and I don't want it to
+go to enrich someone who has not a shadow of a right to it."
+
+On the following morning Mark went to attend the inquest on Bastow. He
+did not go into the court, however, but remained close at hand in the
+event of the coroner insisting upon his being called. However, the two
+men only spoke casually in their evidence of their comrade Roberts, who
+had been also engaged in the capture. One of the jurymen suggested that
+he should also be called, but the coroner said:
+
+"I really cannot see any occasion for it; we are here to consider how
+the deceased came by his death, and I think it must be perfectly clear
+that he came by it by his own act. You have heard how he was captured,
+that the spoils of the coach that he had just rifled were found upon
+him, and that the booty he had been acquiring from his deeds for months
+past also was seized; therefore, as the man was desperate, and knew
+well enough that his life was forfeited, there was ample motive for
+his putting an end to his wretched existence. I really do not think,
+gentlemen, that it is worth while to waste your time and mine by going
+into further evidence."
+
+Finally, a verdict of felo de se was returned, with a strong expression
+of the jury's admiration of the conduct of constables Malcolm, Chester,
+and Roberts, who had so cleverly effected the capture of the man who had
+so long set the law at defiance.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII.
+
+
+Four days later Mark, on his return from dinner, found Philip Cotter
+sitting in his room waiting for him. They had met on the previous
+evening, and Cotter had expressed his intention of calling upon him the
+next day.
+
+"I am here on a matter of business, Thorndyke," the latter said as they
+shook hands.
+
+"Of business!" Mark repeated.
+
+"Yes. You might guess for a year, and I don't suppose that you would hit
+it. It is rather a curious thing. Nearly twenty years ago--"
+
+"I can guess it before you go any further," Mark exclaimed, leaping up
+from the seat that he had just taken. "Your people received a box from
+India."
+
+"That is so Mark; although how you guessed it I don't know."
+
+"We have been searching for it for years," Mark replied. "Our lawyer,
+Prendergast, wrote to you about that box; at least, he wrote to you
+asking if you had any property belonging to Colonel Thorndyke, and your
+people wrote to say they hadn't."
+
+"Yes, I remember I wrote to him myself. Of course that was before you
+did me that great service, and I did not know your name, and we had not
+the name on our books. What is in the box?"
+
+"Jewels worth something like fifty thousand pounds."
+
+"By Jove, I congratulate you, old fellow; that is to say, if you have
+the handling of it. Well, this is what happened. The box was sent to
+us by a firm in Calcutta, together with bills for 50,000 pounds. The
+instructions were that the money was to be invested in stock, and that
+we were to manage it and to take 100 pounds a year for so doing. The
+rest of the interest of the money was to be invested. The box was a very
+massive one, and was marked with the letters XYZ. It was very carefully
+sealed. Our instructions were that the owner of the box and the money
+might present himself at any time."
+
+"And that the proof of his ownership was to be that he was to use the
+word 'Masulipatam,'" Mark broke in, "and produce a gold coin that would,
+probably--though of this I am not certain--correspond with the seals."
+
+He got up and went to the cabinet which he had brought up with him from
+Crowswood, unlocked it, and produced the piece of paper and the coin.
+
+"Yes, that looks like the seal, Thorndyke. At any rate, it is the same
+sort of thing. Why on earth didn't you come with it before, and take the
+things away?"
+
+"Simply because I did not know where to go to. My uncle was dying
+when he came home, and told my father about the treasure, but he died
+suddenly, and my father did not know whether it was sent to England or
+committed to someone's charge in India, or buried there. We did the only
+thing we could, namely, inquired at all the banks and agents here and
+at all the principal firms in Madras and Calcutta to ask if they had in
+their possession any property belonging to the late Colonel Thorndyke."
+
+"You see, we did not know," Cotter went on, "any more than Adam, to whom
+the box belonged. Fortunately, the agent sent in his communication a
+sealed letter, on the outside of which was written, 'This is to remain
+unopened, but if no one before that date presents himself with the token
+and password, it is to be read on the 18th of August, 1789.' That was
+yesterday, you know."
+
+"Yes, that was my cousin's eighteenth birthday. We thought if my uncle
+had left the box in anyone's charge he would probably have given him
+some such instructions, for at that time there was hard fighting in
+India, and he might have been killed any day, and would therefore
+naturally have made some provisions for preventing the secret dying with
+him."
+
+"We did not think of it until this morning early, though we have been
+rather curious over it ourselves. When we opened it, inside was another
+letter addressed 'To be delivered to John Thorndyke, Esquire, at
+Crawley, near Hastings, or at Crowswood, Reigate, or in the event of his
+death to his executors.'"
+
+"I am one of his executors," Mark said; "Mr. Prendergast, the lawyer,
+is the other. I think I had better go round to him tomorrow and open the
+letter there."
+
+"Oh, I should think you might open it at once, Thorndyke. It will
+probably only contain instructions, and, at any rate, as you have the
+coin and the word, you could come round tomorrow morning and get the
+chest out if you want it."
+
+"I won't do that," Mark said; "the coffer contains gems worth over
+50,000 pounds, and I would very much rather it remained in your keeping
+until I decide what to do with it. How large is it?"
+
+"It is a square box, about a foot each way; and it is pretty heavy,
+probably from the setting of the jewels. Well, anyhow, I am heartily
+glad, Thorndyke. I know, of course, that you are well off, still 100,000
+pounds--for the money has doubled itself since we had it--to say nothing
+of the jewels, is a nice plum to drop into anyone's mouth."
+
+"Very nice indeed, although only half of it comes to me under my uncle's
+will. To tell you the truth, I am more glad that the mystery has been
+solved than at getting the money; the affair was a great worry to my
+father, and has been so to me. I felt that I ought to search for the
+treasure, and yet the probability of finding it seemed so small that I
+felt the thing was hopeless, and that really the only chance was that my
+uncle would have taken just the course he did, and have fixed some date
+when the treasure should be handed over, if not asked for. I rather
+fancied that it would not have been for another three years, for that is
+when my cousin comes of age."
+
+"What cousin do you mean?" Philip Cotter asked. "I did not know you had
+one."
+
+"Well, that is at present a secret, Cotter--one of the mysteries
+connected with my uncle's will. For myself, I would tell it in the
+market place tomorrow, but she wishes it to be preserved at present; you
+shall certainly know as soon as anyone. By the way, I have not seen
+you at Mrs. Cunningham's for the last week, and you used to be a pretty
+regular visitor."
+
+"No," the young man said gloomily; "I don't mind telling you that Miss
+Conyers refused me a fortnight ago. I never thought that I had much
+chance, but I had just a shadow of hope, and that is at an end now."
+
+"Perhaps in the future--" Mark suggested for the sake of saying
+something.
+
+"No; I said as much as that to her, and she replied that it would
+always be the same, and I gathered from her manner, although she did not
+exactly say so, that there was someone else in the case, and yet I have
+never met anyone often there."
+
+"Perhaps you are mistaken," Mark said.
+
+"Well, whether or not, there is clearly no hope for me. I am very sorry,
+but it is no use moping over it. My father and mother like her so much,
+and they are anxious for me to marry and settle down; altogether, it
+would have been just the thing. I do not know whether she has any money,
+and did not care, for of course I shall have plenty. I shall be a junior
+partner in another six months; my father told me so the other day. He
+said that at one time he was afraid that I should never come into the
+house, for that it would not have been fair to the others to take such
+a reckless fellow in, but that I seemed to have reformed so thoroughly
+since that affair that if I continued so for another six months they
+should have no hesitation in giving me a share."
+
+It was too late to go up to Islington that evening. In the morning Mark
+went with the still unopened letter to the solicitor's. The old lawyer
+congratulated him most heartily when he told him of the discovery that
+he had made.
+
+"I am glad indeed, Mark; not so much for the sake of the money, but
+because I was afraid that that confounded treasure was going to unsettle
+your life. When a man once begins treasure hunting it becomes a sort of
+craze, and he can no more give it up than an opium smoker can the use
+of the drug. Thank goodness, that is over; so the capital amount is
+doubled, and you are accordingly worth 70,000 pounds more than you were
+this time yesterday--a fine windfall! Now let us see what your uncle
+says."
+
+He broke the seal. The letter was a short one, and began:
+
+"My DEAR JOHN:
+
+"If you have not, before you receive this, got my treasure, you will get
+it on the 18th or 19th of August, 17??89. I have made a will which will
+give you full instructions what to do with it. I may say, though, that I
+have left it between a little daughter who was born six months ago, and
+your son Mark. My own intentions are to stop out here until I get the
+rank of general, and I have taken the measures that I have done in case
+a bullet or a sharp attack of fever carries me off suddenly. I hope that
+you will have carried out the provisions of my will, and I hope also
+that I shall have come home and talked the whole matter over with you
+before I go under.
+
+"Your affectionate brother."
+
+"A singular man," Mr. Prendergast said, as he laid the letter down on
+the table beside him. "What trouble these crotchety people do give!
+I suppose you have altogether put aside that folly of his about the
+jewels?"
+
+"Well, no, I can't say that I have, Mr. Prendergast. Do you know that
+I have a fancy--it may only be a fancy, but if so, I cannot shake it
+off--that I am watched by Lascars. There was one standing at the corner
+of the street as I came up this morning, and again and again I have
+run across one. It is not always the same man, nor have I any absolute
+reasons for believing that they are watching me; still, somehow or
+other, I do come across them more frequently than seems natural."
+
+"Pooh, nonsense, Mark! I should have thought that you were too sensible
+a fellow to have such ridiculous fancies in your head."
+
+"Of course, I should never have thought of such a thing, Mr.
+Prendergast, if it had not been for what my father told me, that my
+uncle was desperately in earnest about it, and had an intense conviction
+that someone watched his every movement."
+
+"Don't let us talk of such folly any longer," the lawyer said irritably.
+"Now that you have got the money, the best thing you can do is to go at
+once and carry out what was the wish both of your father and your uncle,
+and ask your cousin to marry you; that will put an end to the whole
+business, and I can tell you that I am positively convinced that the
+day she gets twenty-one she will renounce the property, and that if you
+refuse to take it she will pass it over to some hospital or other. You
+cannot do better than prevent her from carrying out such an act of folly
+as that, and the only way that I can see is by your marrying her. I
+gathered from what you said when I gave you the same advice at Reigate
+that you liked her and should have done it had it not been for her
+coming into the estate instead of you. Well, you are now in a position
+to ask her to marry you without the possibility of its being supposed
+that you are a fortune hunter."
+
+"I will think about it, Mr. Prendergast. Of course this money does make
+a considerable difference in my position; however, I shall do nothing
+until I have got the jewels off my hands."
+
+"Well, a couple of days will manage that," the lawyer said; "you have
+only got to take the box to a first class jeweler, and get him to value
+the things and make you an offer for the whole of them."
+
+Mark did not care to press the subject, and on leaving went to Cotter's
+Bank. He was at once shown into his friend's room, and the latter took
+him to his father.
+
+"It is curious, Mr. Thorndyke," the latter said heartily, "that we
+should have been keeping your money all this time without having the
+slightest idea that it belonged to you. We are ready at once to pay it
+over to your order, for if you pronounce the word you know of, and I
+find that the coin you have corresponds with the seal on the box, the
+necessary proof will be given us that you have authority to take it
+away. I have had the box brought up this morning, so that we can compare
+the seal."
+
+The box was taken out of the strong safe, and it was at once seen that
+the coin corresponded with the seals.
+
+"I will leave it with you for the present, Mr. Cotter; it contains a
+large amount of jewels, and until I have decided what to do with them I
+would rather leave them; it would be madness to have 50,000 pounds worth
+of gems in a London lodging, even for a single night. As to the money,
+that also had better remain as it is at present invested. As I told your
+son--that and the jewels are the joint property of myself and another. I
+dare say that in a few days half of the money will be transferred to
+the name of the other legatee; that can be easily done. I shall get
+my lawyer, Mr. Prendergast, to call upon you, Mr. Cotter. I suppose it
+would be better that some legal proof that we are entitled to the money
+should be given."
+
+"I shall be glad to see him and to take his instructions," the banker
+said; "but in point of fact I regard the property as yours; I have
+nothing to do with wills or other arrangements. I simply received
+the box and the cash with an order that they should be delivered to
+whomsoever should come with the word 'Masulipatam' and a coin to match
+the seals. That you have done, and with subsequent dispositions I have
+no concern. I shall be happy to keep this box for you as long as you
+should think proper; and I have also written out an acknowledgement
+that I hold securities of the value, at the closing prices yesterday, of
+103,000 pounds 16 shillings," and he handed the paper to Mark.
+
+As the latter left the bank he looked up and down the street, and
+muttered an angry exclamation as he caught sight of a rough looking
+fellow just turning a corner into a side street. The glance was so
+momentary a one that he could not say whether the man was a colored
+seaman; but he certainly thought that he was a Lascar.
+
+"I am going to have trouble about that bracelet," he said to himself,
+as he hailed a hackney coach and told him to drive to Islington. "I am
+convinced that the Colonel was right, and that there are some men over
+in this country with the fixed purpose of seeing what is done with those
+jewels, and obtaining them if possible. How they could tell that they
+were deposited at Cotter's beats me altogether. It may be indeed that
+they really knew nothing about it, and have simply been watching me.
+They can hardly have been watching me for the last nine months, and yet,
+curiously enough, though I have never given the matter a thought since,
+Charley Gibbons said that it was a dark colored man who brought the news
+that took them to my rescue and saved my life. I have often run against
+Lascars, and if they have taken this trouble all along, now that they
+have seen me come out of the bank, I shall be watched night and day.
+
+"It is a creepy sort of idea. I should not be afraid of any number of
+them if they attacked me openly; but there is no saying what they might
+do. I wish Ramoo had been here. I would have consulted him about it; but
+as I got a letter from him only last week saying that he had, on the day
+of writing it, arrived in Calcutta, it is of no use wishing that. At any
+rate, I cannot do better than stick to the plan that my uncle sketched
+out, and take them across to Amsterdam. It would be very unfair to take
+them to any jeweler here. He might have them in his possession for a
+week or ten days before he made me any definite offer for them, and
+during that time I would not give a fig for his life. If I distribute
+the stones at Amsterdam they would hardly set about attacking twelve
+diamond merchants one after another. Well, at any rate, I must say
+nothing about the affair to Millicent and Mrs. Cunningham. It was bad
+enough my running risks in the pursuit of Bastow; but this would be ten
+times worse, and I know Millicent would be for letting the things remain
+for good at the banker's. But I have no idea of allowing myself to be
+frightened by two or three black scoundrels into throwing away 50,000
+pounds."
+
+Mrs. Cunningham and Millicent were sitting in their bonnets in the
+parlor.
+
+"Here you are at last, sir," the girl said. "Another five minutes, and
+we should have gone out. You told us that you would come early, and
+now it is twelve o'clock; and you are generally so punctual in your
+appointments. What have you got to say for yourself?"
+
+"A good many things have happened since then, Millicent. Last night your
+friend Mr. Cotter called upon me."
+
+"Why do you say my friend? He was your friend, and it was entirely
+through you that we knew him at all."
+
+"Well, we will say 'our friend,' Millicent; and he made a communication
+to me that this morning I had to go to Mr. Prendergast and make a
+communication to him."
+
+"What do you mean by your communications?" Millicent asked, laughing.
+"You are quite mysterious, Mark."
+
+"And then I had to go," he went on, without heeding her interruption,
+"to Cotter's Bank, where I saw both our friend and his father, and there
+is the result of these communications and that interview;" and he threw
+the paper to her.
+
+"What does it mean?" she asked in astonishment, after glancing through
+it.
+
+"It means, dear, that your father took exactly the precautions I thought
+he would take, and after sending his money and jewels home, he sent a
+sealed letter to the firm with whom he deposited them, which happened to
+be Cotter's, with instructions that should no one present himself with
+the word and coin by the 18th of August, 1789--that is to say, on your
+eighteenth birthday--the envelope should be opened; it was so opened,
+and it contained a letter that was to be sent to my father, or, in the
+case of his death before that date, to his executors."
+
+"How wonderful!" the girl said. "I had quite given up all idea of it.
+But how is it that it came to be so much? Have they sold the jewels?"
+
+"No, you see it is the compound interest going on for seventeen years,
+and perhaps some rise in the value of the securities, that has doubled
+the original sum invested. As for the jewels, I have left them at the
+bank; I should not care about having 50,000 pounds worth of such things
+in my rooms and I should not think that you would like to have them
+here, either."
+
+"Certainly not," Mrs. Cunningham said emphatically; "you did quite
+right, Mark. I don't think I could sleep, even if you had half a dozen
+of your detective friends posted round the house."
+
+"Still I suppose we shall have a chance of seeing them?" Millicent said.
+
+"Certainly. I can make an appointment with Philip Cotter for you to see
+them at the bank; or if I take them to a jeweler to value, you could
+see them there. But I should think that the bank would be the best. I am
+sure that Cotter would put his room at your disposal, and, of course,
+if you would like to have some of them for yourself you could select
+any you liked, but I expect that they won't look much in their present
+settings; the Indian jewelers have not the knack of setting off gems.
+However, there is no hurry about them one way or another. The money,
+I have told Cotter's father, shall, for the present, remain as it
+is invested; it is all in the Funds, Cotter said, for although the
+instructions were that it was to be put into good securities, he did
+not feel justified under the peculiar circumstances in going outside
+Government stock. Mr. Prendergast is quite of opinion that it would be
+better to make no change until you come of age. I did not know whether
+you would wait till then, for some purpose or other you might want to
+use some of it."
+
+Millicent shrugged her shoulders.
+
+"I think I would much rather have had just the money I had before, Mark;
+all this will be a great nuisance, I am sure. I think there ought to be
+a law against women having more than 20,000 pounds, whether in money or
+in land."
+
+Mark laughed.
+
+"It would be a bad thing for spendthrift young noblemen, Millicent. How
+are they to pay off their debts and mortgages if there were no heiresses
+ready to do so in exchange for a title?"
+
+"It would be a good thing for them, I consider," the girl said
+indignantly. "In the first place, they would not impoverish themselves
+if they knew that there was no way of building up their fortune again,
+and in the next place, if they did ruin themselves they would have to
+either set to work to earn an honest living or blow out their brains,
+if they have any to blow out. I can assure you that I don't feel at all
+exultant at getting all this money, and I think that my father was quite
+right in wishing that I should know nothing about it until I married;
+but, on the other hand, I am heartily glad, more glad than I can say,
+Mark, that you have come into your share."
+
+"I am glad for one reason, Millicent; that is, that this must put an end
+to the ridiculous idea you have of giving up Crowswood. Your father has
+made me rich beyond anything I could possibly have expected from him.
+I suddenly find myself a wealthy man, and I can buy another estate for
+myself worth more than Crowswood if inclined to settle down as a squire;
+therefore your theory that I have been disappointed in not inheriting
+what I thought was my father's estate falls to the ground altogether. In
+no case would I ever have accepted your sacrifice. If you had liked to
+hand it over to St. Bartholomew's or Guy's Hospital, or to give it away
+to any other charity, I would not have prevented you, but I would never
+have accepted it for myself. Now, thank goodness, the question cannot
+arise; for you must see that, even looking at the matter from a purely
+business point of view, I have benefited to an enormous and altogether
+unexpected extent by your father's will, and if any contest between us
+could arise it should be on the ground that he has acted unfairly to you
+by giving me so large a proportion of the money that, in the course of
+nature, you should have inherited. It was not even as if he had known
+and liked me, for I was but four years old at the time he wrote the
+letter saying that I was to share the money and jewels with you."
+
+"You are very obstinate and very disagreeable, Mark," she said, with
+tears in her eyes.
+
+"I think the obstinacy has been principally on your side, Millicent;
+though certainly I should not think of saying that you have been
+disagreeable. It has been an excess of kindheartedness on your part,
+and you have resolutely closed your eyes to the fact that, had I been
+willing to take advantage of your generosity, I should have lacked the
+courage to do so, for I should have been pointed at wherever I went,
+as a mean fellow who took advantage of his little cousin's romantic
+generosity. Pray, dear, let us say no more about it. We are two rich
+young people; we have both an estate; yours, I grant, is the larger,
+but if I choose I can increase mine, until it is quite as large as
+Crowswood. We can be better friends than we have been for the last year,
+because this point of dispute has always stood between us and made us
+uncomfortable. Now you will have to think over what you would like done,
+and whether you wish any change made in your manner of living."
+
+"Did you tell Mr. Cotter," Millicent laughed, after a pause, "that I had
+a half share in the money?"
+
+"No, that was a matter for you to decide, not for me. I told him that
+I was only a half shareholder, but there was no necessity to say who
+it was who had the other half. When I was talking to Philip Cotter, the
+words 'my cousin' slipped out, but he did not associate it in any way
+with you. It might have been the son of another brother or of a sister
+of my father's."
+
+"In that case, then, we will certainly make no change, will we, Mrs.
+Cunningham?"
+
+"I think, Millicent, that Mr. Prendergast and Mark will probably be of
+opinion that you ought now to be introduced regularly into society. The
+fact that you are a rich heiress might, as your father so much wished,
+remain a secret. But it is one thing having this blazoned about and
+quite another for you to be living quietly here, where, with the
+exception of Mr. Cotter and a few other friends, you have no society
+whatever. Certainly it was not the wish of your father that you should
+remain unmarried. You are quite pretty and nice enough to be sought for
+yourself alone, and I must say that I think, now that you have finished
+with your various masters, it would be well that you should go out a
+good deal more, and that as a first step we should go down to Bath this
+year instead of paying another visit to Weymouth, as we had arranged."
+
+"I don't want any change at all, Mrs. Cunningham. If I am to get married
+I shall be married; if I am not I shall not fret about it."
+
+"But for all that, Millicent," Mark said, "Mrs. Cunningham is right.
+We quite agree that there is no occasion whatever for you to go about
+labeled 'A good estate and over 70,000 pounds in cash,' but I do think
+that it is right that you should go into society. With the exception of
+Philip Cotter, Dick Chetwynd, and two or three other of my friends, you
+really know very few people. You have now gone out of mourning, and I
+think that Mrs. Cunningham's proposal that you should go down to Bath
+is a very good one. I shall not be sorry for a change myself, for I have
+been engrossed in my work for a long time now. I can go down a day or
+two before you, and get you comfortable lodgings, and will myself
+stay at a hotel. Although I have no intimate friends beyond those from
+Reigate, I know a large number of men of fashion from meeting them at
+the boxing schools and other places, and could introduce you both, and
+get you into society."
+
+"I am altogether opposed to the idea," Millicent said decidedly. "You
+want to trot me out like a horse for sale."
+
+"No, Millicent," Mark said calmly. "I only want you to have the same
+advantages that other girls have, neither more nor less, and for you
+to enjoy yourself as others do. There is nothing undignified or
+objectionable about that, especially as we are agreed that nothing shall
+be said about your fortune. Well, we will think it over. Mr. Prendergast
+and I certainly do not wish to act as tyrants, and there is no occasion
+to come to a decision in a hurry. We have only discovered our good
+fortune today, and can scarcely appreciate the difference that it will
+make to us. We can think over what will be for the best at our leisure,
+and see if we cannot hit upon some plan that will be agreeable to you."
+
+"Thank you, Mark," she said gratefully. "I am afraid that you must think
+me very disagreeable and cross; but though you, as a man, have not the
+same sort of feelings, I can assure you that I feel all this money and
+so on to be a heavy burden; and were it not for your sake I could wish
+heartily that this treasure had never been discovered at all."
+
+"I can quite understand that," he said quietly. "At the present moment,
+even, I do not see that it will be of much advantage to me; but it may
+be that some day I shall see it in a different light. It has come upon
+me almost as suddenly as it has upon you. I thought that after I had
+finished with the Bastow affair I should set to work to find out this
+treasure, and that it would probably take me out to India, occupy me
+there for some time, and that afterwards I might travel through other
+places, and be away from England three or four years. Now the matter
+is altogether altered, and I shall be some time before I form any fresh
+plans. In fact, these must depend upon circumstances."
+
+Mrs. Cunningham had left the room two or three minutes before, thinking
+that Mark might be able to talk her charge into a more reasonable state
+of mind were he alone with her, and he added:
+
+"Of one circumstance in particular."
+
+She looked up inquiringly.
+
+"Well, Millicent, it depends a great deal upon you. I know you think
+that all that has happened during the past year has been a little hard
+upon you, and I thoroughly agree with you; you were fond of Crowswood,
+and were very happy there, and the change to this somewhat dull house,
+just at a time when you are of an age to enjoy pleasure, has been a
+trial. Then, too, there has been this question of the estate upon your
+mind. But you must remember it has been somewhat of a trial to me also.
+I grant that I have had plenty of occupation which has been in every way
+beneficial to me, and have not at all lamented leaving the country, but
+in one respect it has been a trial. I don't know whether it ever entered
+your mind, before that sad time at home, that I was getting to care for
+you in a very different way to that in which I had done before.
+
+"My father, I think, observed it, for he threw out a very plain hint
+once that he would very gladly see us coming together. However, I never
+spoke of it to you. I was young and you were young. It seemed to me that
+there was plenty of time, and that, moreover, it would not be fair for
+me to speak to you until you had had the opportunity of going out and of
+seeing other men. Then came the evening before his death, when my father
+told me how matters really stood, and he again said that there was a way
+by which all trouble could be obviated. But I saw that it was not so,
+and that the hope I had entertained must be put aside. I had never told
+you I loved you when I seemed to be the heir of the property and you
+only the daughter of an old comrade of his, and I saw that were I to
+speak now, when you were the heiress, it could not but appear to you
+that it was the estate and not you that I wanted, and I felt my lips
+were sealed forever. Mr. Prendergast said that day when he came down to
+the funeral, and you told him that you would not take the property, that
+it might be managed in another way, and you said that you did not want
+to be married for your money; so you see you saw it in exactly the same
+light as I did.
+
+"My first thought this morning, when Mr. Cotter told me that the money
+had mounted up to over 100,000 pounds, was that it would unseal my
+lips. You were still better off than I was, but the difference was now
+immaterial. I was a rich man, and had not the smallest occasion to marry
+for money. Whether I married a girl without a penny, or an heiress,
+could make but little difference to me, as I have certainly no ambition
+to become a great landowner. I still think that it would have been more
+fair to you to give you the opportunity of seeing more of the society of
+the world before speaking to you, but you see you are opposed to that,
+and therefore it would be the same did I wait patiently another year,
+which I don't think I should be able to do. I love you, Millicent. It
+is only during the past eighteen months, when I have thought that I
+had lost you, that I have known how much I love you, and how much my
+happiness depends upon you. I can truly say that were you penniless, it
+would make no shadow of difference to me. It is no longer a question of
+arranging matters comfortably: it is a question of love. The estate is
+nothing to me. It never has been anything, and it does not count at all
+in the scale. I hope that you will put it altogether out of your mind in
+giving me an answer; and that if you cannot say as truly and wholly as I
+do, 'I love you,' that you will say as frankly as you have always spoken
+to me, 'I love you very much as a cousin, Mark, but not in that way.'"
+
+The girl had sat perfectly quiet while he was speaking.
+
+He was standing before her now, and he took one of her hands.
+
+"I love you, dear; I love you with all my heart. Do you love me?"
+
+Then she looked up and rose to her feet, and placed both hands upon his
+shoulders.
+
+"As you love me, so I love you, Mark."
+
+After that, conversation languished till Mrs. Cunningham came into the
+room, five minutes later.
+
+"We have come to the conclusion, Mrs. Cunningham," he said, "that there
+will be no necessity for the visit to Bath. Millicent is otherwise
+provided for; she has promised to be my wife."
+
+"I am glad, Mark, glad indeed!" and she took Millicent in her arms and
+kissed her tenderly. "I have all along hoped for it, but I began to
+be afraid that you were both such obstinate young people that it would
+never come about. I know that your father wished it, Mark, and he told
+me that his brother had said that it would be a good arrangement if
+some day you should come to like each other. I have guessed for the last
+year, and, indeed, before then, that Millicent would not say 'No' if you
+ever asked her; but this stupid estate seemed to stand in the way. Of
+late, I have even come to hope that the obstinate girl would keep to her
+intention, and that if, as I knew would be the case, you refused to take
+the estate, she would give it away to some charity. In that case, there
+could be nothing to prevent your speaking; and even then you would have
+been between you very fairly equipped with this world's goods. However,
+the present is a far better solution, and the discovery of the treasure
+has saved you from three years' waiting before things were straightened
+out. I feel as if I were her mother, Mark, having had her in my charge
+since she was a baby; and as she grew up it became my fondest hope to
+see you united some day, and I think that I am almost as pleased that my
+hope has been fulfilled as you are yourselves."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII.
+
+
+After thinking over the best way in which to set about the work of
+carrying the diamonds to Amsterdam, Mark decided upon asking the advice
+of his late chief. The latter said, as Mark entered his room:
+
+"I did not expect to see you here again, Mr. Thorndyke."
+
+"Well, sir, I have come to ask your' advice about another matter
+altogether."
+
+"What is it now?"
+
+"I have to convey a diamond bracelet of very great value across to
+Amsterdam. I have reasons to believe that there is a plot to seize it
+on the way, and that the men engaged will hesitate at nothing to achieve
+their object. Under these circumstances I should be very much obliged
+if you will tell me what would be the best course to pursue. I must say
+that the bracelet is, with many other jewels, in a strong teak box of
+about a foot square, at present in the possession of our bankers; they
+were brought from India by my uncle. I imagine that the rest of the
+jewels are of comparatively little importance in the eyes of these men,
+though doubtless they would take them also if they lay their hands on
+them. The bracelet, however, is of special interest to them, not so
+much for its intrinsic value, as because it was stolen from one of their
+sacred idols.
+
+"This was about twenty years ago; but I have reason to believe that the
+search for it on the part of some Hindoos connected with the temple has
+never ceased. The soldier who took it was murdered; his comrade, into
+whose hands they next passed, was also murdered. They next came to my
+uncle, who forwarded it at once to England. His bungalows were searched
+again and again, until probably the fellows came to the conclusion that
+he must have either buried it or sent it away. Nevertheless, to the day
+of his death he was firmly convinced that he was closely followed, and
+every movement watched. He warned my father solemnly that he too would
+be watched, but as far as we know it was not so; at any rate, we had no
+reason to suppose that the house was ever entered. On the other hand, I
+am convinced I have been watched more or less closely ever since I came
+up to town, and as I came out from the bank yesterday I saw a man--a
+colored fellow, I believe--on the watch.
+
+"My uncle said that my life would not be worth an hour's purchase so
+long as I had the bracelet in my possession, and advised that it should
+be taken straight over to Amsterdam, broken up, and the diamonds sold
+singly to the merchants there."
+
+"It is a curious story, Mr. Thorndyke. I own to ignorance of these
+Indian thieves and their ways, but it certainly seems extraordinary that
+so hopeless a quest should be kept up for so long a time. You are sure
+that it is not fancy on your part that you have been watched? I know you
+are not the sort of man to take fancies in your head, but as you have
+had the matter so strongly impressed upon you, you might naturally have
+been inclined to think this would be the case when it was not so."
+
+"No, I don't think there is any chance of my being mistaken. It is only
+of late that I have thought about it, but when I did so and thought over
+what had passed since I came to London, I recalled the fact that I had
+very often come across foreign seamen; sometimes they were Lascars, at
+others they might have been Italian or Spanish seamen; and you see,
+sir, it was, as I told you at the time, some foreign sailor who came
+and informed Gibbons that I had fallen into the hands of a gang of
+criminals, and that I should certainly be killed if I was not rescued
+immediately. Gibbons at once got together half a dozen fighting men,
+and, as you know, rescued me just in time. It was extraordinary that the
+man never came forward to obtain any reward."
+
+"That was a friendly act, Mr. Thorndyke."
+
+"Yes, I have no reason to suppose that these men would be hostile to me
+personally. I was not the thief, I was simply the person who happened to
+be in possession, or rather, might come into possession of the bracelet.
+From the close watch they had kept, they were, I imagine, well aware
+that I had not got it, but may have thought, and doubtless did think,
+that I had some clew to its hiding place, and should sooner or later
+get it. With my death the clew might be finally lost, and my life was
+consequently of extreme importance to them, and therefore they took
+steps to have me rescued, and the fact that they learned this and knew
+how friendly I was with Gibbons shows how close was the watch kept over
+me. No doubt, had Gibbons refused to help them, they would have come
+here at once."
+
+"Certainly, after what you say it would seem that your conjecture is
+right, and in this case, if I were you, I should take the bracelet out
+of the case and conceal it about me. I would not fetch it myself from
+the bank."
+
+"I don't think I should be much safer so," Mark said thoughtfully.
+"In the first place, I must go to the bank to get them, and I might be
+murdered merely on the supposition that I had brought the bracelet away.
+In the next place, even if I got to Amsterdam safely and got rid of the
+bracelet and returned unnoticed by them, a fresh danger would arise when
+I got the other gems into my possession, for they could not be certain
+whether the diamonds were still among them or not."
+
+"I should hardly think that would be the case if they watch you as
+strictly as you believe. Even if none of them accompanied you, they
+would soon find out what diamond merchants you went to, and the leader
+might call upon these men, stating that he was commissioned to purchase
+some diamonds of exceptional value for an Eastern Prince, in which case
+he would be sure to obtain sight of them.
+
+"If I had your business to perform, I would not go near the bank again,
+but would send some friend I could trust to go and open the box, and
+take out the bracelet, and make it into a small parcel. He should hand
+it to you privately, as you are on your way to embark for Amsterdam.
+Then I would take with me one or two of my men, and, say, a couple of
+your prize fighters, and with such a guard you ought to be fairly safe."
+
+"I think that is a capital plan," Mark said, "and if I don't go to the
+bank there will be nothing to lead them to suppose that I have taken
+them out, or that I am just going across to Holland."
+
+Mark then went straight to Dick Chetwynd's lodgings.
+
+"I want you to do me a service, Dick," he said.
+
+"With pleasure, Mark. What sort of service is it? If it is anything in
+my power, you know that you can absolutely rely upon me. You are not
+going to fight a duel, are you, and want a second?"
+
+"No; quite another sort of business. I will tell you shortly what it is.
+I have to convey an extremely valuable diamond bracelet to Amsterdam,
+and I have reason to believe that there will be an attempt to murder me,
+and to carry off the jewels before I can dispose of them. It happened in
+this way;" and he then related the history of the diamonds, the reason
+he was followed, and the suggestions that the Chief of the Bow Street
+detectives had given him.
+
+"That is all right," Dick said, when he concluded. "It is a rum
+business, but certainly I will do what you ask me; and, what is more, I
+will go over with you to Amsterdam, and see the thing through. It is an
+interesting business, if it is a queer one."
+
+"You know Philip Cotter?"
+
+"Of course, Mark; why, I have met him with you several times."
+
+"I will give you a note to ask him to allow you to open the case, and
+to take from it the bracelet; I don't know whether it is a regular
+gold mounted bracelet, or simply some diamonds that have been fastened
+together as a necklace; however, I suppose you are sure to recognize
+them; they are altogether exceptional stones, and will certainly be done
+up in a packet by themselves, whatever the others may be. Say that you
+will call in and take them away some other time, of which I will give
+him notice by letter. I will write the note now, and if you can spare
+time to go there today, all the better, for I shall be glad to get the
+business over; then I will come again tomorrow morning, and we will
+arrange the details of the plan. I will look in the shipping list, and
+see what vessels are sailing for Amsterdam. When we have fixed on one,
+it will be best for you to take our passages under any names you like,
+so that they are not our own. The detectives will take their passages
+separately, and so will Gibbons and whoever else goes with us."
+
+"I will go at once, Mark."
+
+"Don't go straight there, Dick; if these fellows are dogging my
+footsteps everywhere, and saw me coming here, they might take it into
+their heads to follow you."
+
+"Oh, they can never be doing all that sort of thing; that's too much to
+believe. However, to please you, I will go into my club for a quarter of
+an hour. Shall I come round to your rooms this evening, or will you come
+here?"
+
+"I think I will put off our meeting altogether until tomorrow morning. I
+have an engagement this evening that I cannot very well get out of."
+
+"All right, Mark, just as you please. What time will you come round in
+the morning?"
+
+"About the time you have finished breakfast. I will go now, and have a
+look at the shipping list."
+
+They parted at the door, and Mark went to the coffee house where
+shipping matters were specially attended to, and where master mariners
+might often be met, conversing together, or with ship owners or
+merchants. On going through the list, he found that the fast sailing
+brig, Essex, of 204 tons, and mounting eight guns, would sail for
+Amsterdam in three days' time, and would take in goods for that place,
+and, should sufficient freight be obtained, for any other Dutch port.
+It was also announced that she had good accommodation for passengers.
+Information as to cargo could be obtained from her owners, on Tower
+Hill, or from the captain on board, between the hours of ten and twelve.
+Then, in small type, it was stated that the Essex was at present lying
+in the outside tier nearly opposite Anderson's wharf.
+
+Mark made a note of all these particulars in his pocketbook, and then
+went to Ingleston's public house.
+
+"Morning, Mr. Thorndyke," the man said; "haven't seen yer for the last
+month or so."
+
+"No; I have been out of town. Do you expect Gibbons in here this
+morning?"
+
+"It is about his time, sir, when he has nothing in particular to see
+about. Like a turn with the mauleys this morning?"
+
+"Not this morning, Ingleston. I have got some engagements for the next
+day or two where I could not very well show myself with a black eye or a
+swelled nose; you have given me a good many of both."
+
+"Well, Mr. Thorndyke, when one stands up against a man who is as strong
+as one's self, and a mighty quick and hard hitter, you have got to hit
+sharp and quick too. You know my opinion, that there aint half a dozen
+men in the country could lick you if you had a proper training."
+
+"I suppose you couldn't get away for a week, or maybe two?" he said.
+
+"Lor' bless you, no, sir. Who would there be to keep order here at
+night? When I first came here I had not given up the ring, and I fought
+once or twice afterwards. But, Lor' bless you, I soon found that I had
+got either to give up the pub or the ring, and as I was doing a tidy
+business here, I thought it best to retire; since then business has
+grown. You see, boxing is more fashionable than it used to be, and
+there are very few nights when one don't have a dozen Corinthians in
+here--sometimes there are twice as many--either to see some of the new
+hands put on the mauleys, and judge for themselves how they are going to
+turn out, or maybe to arrange for a bout between some novice they fancy
+and one of the west countrymen. No, sir, I could not do it anyhow; I
+should not like to be away even for one night, though I know Gibbons
+would look after things for me; as for being away for a week, I could
+not do it for any money. No, sir, my fight with Jackson last year was
+the last time I shall ever go into the ring. I was a fool to go in for
+that, but I got taunted into it. I never thought that I should lick him,
+though, as you know, sir, I have licked a good many good men in my time,
+but Jackson is an out and out man, and he has got a lot more science
+than I ever had; my only chance was that I could knock him out of time
+or wear him down; but he was too quick on his pins for me to do the
+former. Ah, Gibbons, here is Mr. Thorndyke. He wants to see you; you had
+best go into my room behind the bar."
+
+"Want to get hold of a fresh hand, Mr. Thorndyke?" Gibbons asked when
+they had sat down by the fire.
+
+"No, Gibbons, it is another business altogether. Have you got anything
+particular to keep you in town for the next fortnight? It may not be
+over a week, but it may be over a fortnight."
+
+"No, sir," the man said, after taking three or four draws at his long
+pipe. "No, sir; they won't want the ropes and stakes for another three
+weeks, so I am your man if you want me. What, is it for, sir?"
+
+"Well, it is rather a curious affair, Gibbons. I have to take a very
+valuable bracelet over to Amsterdam, to sell there, and I have very
+strong reasons for believing that if some fellows get an inkling of it
+they will try to put me out of the way, and get hold of the diamonds. I
+want a couple of good men to go with me."
+
+"Well sir, I should say you and me could lick a dozen ordinary chaps,
+without thinking anything of it."
+
+"I dare say we could, Gibbons, in a stand up fight without weapons, but
+I fancy these fellows will not try that. They are foreigners, and the
+first thing they would try would be to put a dagger between my shoulders
+as I walked up and down on deck at night, or, more likely still, creep
+into my cabin and stab me while I was asleep. If the voyage were only to
+last one night I might sit up, pistol in hand, but if the wind is foul
+we might be a week. We are a pretty strong party. Mr. Chetwynd--you know
+him--is going with me; there will also be two runners from Bow Street,
+and I want you to take another good man with you. Of course, on board
+we shall separate. The Bow Street men will watch the passengers, and you
+and your mate will smoke your pipes and keep yourselves ready to join
+in if you see there is going to be a row. But I rather think that the
+passage will be a quiet one. At Amsterdam, until I have got rid of the
+diamonds I certainly should not care about going out into the street
+after nightfall without having you close behind me."
+
+"All right, sir. I should say Tom Tring would be as good a man as one
+could get at the job. What is the money to be, Mr. Thorndyke?"
+
+"Well, what do you think yourself, Gibbons?"
+
+"I take it you pay all expenses, sir?"
+
+"Yes, everything."
+
+"Would five and twenty guineas a head be too much?"
+
+"No; I will do better than that. I will give you five and twenty guineas
+each when we get to Amsterdam, and I will give you another twenty-five
+each if I come back here safe and sound."
+
+"Well, I call that handsome. One could not want more, and you can rely
+on it that Tring will jump at the offer. He has not been able to get a
+fight on lately, and he is rather in low water."
+
+"Well, you will both get up as quiet traders. I don't know what other
+passengers there may be, but I don't want them to know that you belong
+to the fancy."
+
+"I twig, sir. We will get up quiet like."
+
+"Then I want you tomorrow morning, Gibbons, to go down to Holmes
+& Moore, No. 67 Tower Street, and take two first class tickets to
+Amsterdam on board the Essex, which sails on Saturday. I don't know what
+the passage money will be, but this is sure to be enough; and we can
+settle accounts afterwards. You will find out what time of day she will
+start."
+
+"All right, governor. I suppose you will be here again before that?"
+
+"No, I don't suppose I shall, unless there is some change in the
+arrangements. If for any reasons Tring cannot go with you, you will
+get somebody else instead. You are sure that you quite understand
+your instructions? Here is the name and address of the people in Tower
+Street."
+
+"All right, sir. You may make sure that when you go down to the ship you
+will see the two of us on board."
+
+It needed but a few minutes at Bow Street to inform the chief of the
+arrangements that had been made.
+
+"I have told off Chester and Malcolm; one of them shall go down and
+take their tickets. Of course, they will take their passages in the fore
+cabin, as the danger, if there is danger, may come from there, and you
+will have your other two men with you aft. I fancy myself that there is
+hardly any chance of your being in any way troubled while on board.
+It will be considered that there will be a vastly greater chance of
+carrying out any plan they may have formed at Amsterdam than there would
+be on board a ship; you see, if there were any struggle whatever on
+board there would be no escape for them.
+
+"For myself, of course I cannot give any opinion worth having in a
+matter so different from anything we have to do with here, and I should
+have unhesitatingly scoffed at the idea of anyone watching the movements
+of people for a long number of years in order to obtain the possession
+of jewels, however valuable. However, your uncle was well acquainted
+with the habits of Hindoos, and was not a man to be lightly alarmed;
+you yourself, after your year with us, should not be deceived in such
+a matter as being yourself followed; under these circumstances you
+are quite right to take every precaution, and as you pay well for
+the services of our two men, even if I had no belief whatever in the
+existence of danger to you, I should not feel justified in refusing to
+let you have them."
+
+Having arranged these matters, Mark spent the rest of his time that day
+and the next at Islington.
+
+"I am going across to Amsterdam on Saturday with a diamond bracelet to
+sell there."
+
+Millicent looked at him in reproachful surprise.
+
+"Why, surely, Mark, there can be no hurry about that. I think you might
+have stayed a little longer before running away."
+
+"I should do so, you may be quite sure, Millicent, if I consulted my own
+inclinations, but I am bearing out your father's wishes. This bracelet
+is the most valuable of all the things he had, and I believe that it has
+some sort of history attached to it. He told my father that he had
+sent all the gems home principally to get these diamonds out of his
+possession; he said that as soon as my father got hold of the things, he
+was to take the diamonds straight over to Amsterdam and sell them there,
+for he considered that they were much too valuable to be kept in the
+house, and that it was possible that some of the Hindoos might endeavor
+to get possession of them. At the time he spoke he believed that my
+father would, at his death, go to the bank and get the jewels, as of
+course he would have done if he had known where to find them. My
+father promised him that they should be taken to Amsterdam at once; and
+although so many years have passed since his death, I think I am bound
+to carry out that promise."
+
+"I have never been able to understand, Mark, how it was that my father,
+when he gave all these instructions about me and these jewels and so on,
+did not at the same time tell uncle where to find them."
+
+"It was a fancy of his; he was in very bad health, and he thought so
+much over these diamonds that it had become almost a sort of mania with
+him that not only was there danger in their possession, but that he
+was watched night and day wherever he went. He thought, even, if he
+whispered where the hiding place was to be discovered it might be heard;
+therefore he deferred telling it until too late. Of course all this
+was but a fancy on his part, although it is probable enough that the
+possession of the diamonds was a source of danger in India, and might
+have been a source of danger here had any thieves known that such
+valuable gems were kept in a private house or carried about. At any
+rate, I shall be glad to be free of the responsibility; and although,
+naturally, I don't like leaving you at the present time, I think it best
+to carry out your father's instructions at once, and to get them off
+my mind altogether. Dick Chetwynd is going with me, so it will be a
+pleasant little trip."
+
+"Well, I am glad he is going with you, Mark; for although I know well
+enough that they could never be watching for those diamonds to turn
+up all these years, I feel sure I should fidget and worry if you were
+alone. You are not going to take the others with you?"
+
+"No, only this particular bracelet. None of the others are exceptionally
+valuable, so far as I know. At any rate, your father did not specially
+allude to them. I have no doubt that there are some really valuable
+jewels among them, for my uncle prided himself on being a judge of
+precious stones, and as he invested a large amount of money in them,
+they are, no doubt, worth a great deal. Still, I don't suppose there
+will be any difficulty in selling them here, and, at any rate, I don't
+want to be delayed at Amsterdam by having to sell perhaps fifty or a
+hundred pieces of jewelry; any time will do for that. I fancy that I
+ought to be able to dispose of the bracelet in three or four days at the
+outside. I have got from Bow Street a list of all the principal diamond
+merchants in Amsterdam. That is a matter of great interest to the force,
+as almost all precious stones stolen in this country are sent across
+there, and if there is any special jewel robbery we send over a list of
+all the articles taken to the merchants there. As a rule, that would
+not prevent their dealing in them, but there are some who will not touch
+things that have been dishonestly come by, and we occasionally get hints
+that enable us to lay hands upon thieves over there."
+
+"I hate to hear you say 'the force,' Mark, just as if you were still a
+detective; it is bad enough that you should have belonged to it, even
+for the purpose you did; but you have done with it now."
+
+"Yes; but, you see, it is rather difficult to get out of the habit when
+one has been for over a year constantly at work at a thing. This will be
+my last absence on business, Millicent; henceforward I shall be able to
+be always with you."
+
+"Well, now that I know what you have been doing all this time, Mark, I
+must admit that you have been very good to have been with us as much as
+you have. I often used to wonder how you passed your time. Of course I
+knew that you were trying to find that man out, but it did not seem to
+me that you could be always at that, and I never dreamt that you had
+become a regular detective. I am very glad I did not know it till a
+short time before you gave it up. In the first place, I should have
+been horrified, and, in the second place, I should have been constantly
+uneasy about you. However, as this is to be the last time, I will let
+you go without grumbling."
+
+"By the way, Millicent, what do you wish me to say about our engagement?
+I don't see that there is the slightest occasion for us to keep up the
+farce of your being Miss Conyers any longer. You cannot be married under
+a false name, you know, and now that you have escaped what your father
+was so afraid of, and are going to be married for love and not for
+money, I don't see why there should be any more mystery about it."
+
+"But how would you account for my having been called Conyers all this
+time?"
+
+"I should simply tell the truth; that your father, having a great fear
+that you might be married for money, left the estate to my father, to
+be held by him until you came of age, and that it was at his particular
+request that you were brought up simply as his ward, and dropped the
+family name and passed by your two Christian names. I should say that
+we have all been aware for a long time of the facts of the case, and
+I should also say that your father had left a very large fortune in
+addition to the estate between us, and had expressed a hope that we
+should, when the time came, marry each other."
+
+"Then people will think that we have only married to keep the fortune
+together, Mark."
+
+"Well, my dear, I don't suppose there are a great many people who will
+be interested in the matter, and those who get to know you will see at
+once that as far as I am concerned, there was no great difficulty in
+falling in with your father's ideas, while, on the other hand, they may
+consider that you made a noble sacrifice of yourself in agreeing to the
+plan."
+
+"Nonsense, sir. I am not going to flatter you, as no doubt you expect;
+but, at any rate, I am perfectly content with my share of the bargain."
+
+"Well, there is one thing, Millicent; all who knew us down at Reigate
+will say that it is a very sensible arrangement, and will be glad to
+know that I shall retain the estate they have hitherto considered to be
+mine. Well, then, you agree to my mentioning to my intimate friends that
+you are my cousin, and that we are engaged?"
+
+"Yes, I suppose it is the best thing, Mark, and, as you say, I must
+marry under my proper name, and it is just as well to get the talk
+over down at Reigate now, as for it all to come as a wonder when we are
+married."
+
+"When is that going to be, Millicent?"
+
+"Oh, I don't know; of course it will be a long time before we even think
+of that."
+
+"I beg your pardon, I am thinking of it now, and I can see no reason
+whatever why it should be delayed. We know each other well enough, I
+should think, and there is no probability of our changing our minds on
+discovering all sorts of faults, that we never dreamt, in each other.
+I may be away for a fortnight, and I would suggest that you had better
+make your preparations at once, so that we can be married a fortnight
+after I come back."
+
+"You say that there is no fear of our discovering faults in each other.
+I can assure you that I have just discovered a very serious fault,
+namely, that you are altogether too masterful, too bent upon having your
+own way. I know you always were so when you were a boy, but I hoped
+you had grown out of it; now I see that I was altogether mistaken.
+Seriously, Mark, your proposal is absurd."
+
+"Where does the absurdity come in, Millicent?"
+
+"Well, everywhere," she said gravely.
+
+"Which in the present case means nowhere," he said. "Do you mean to tell
+me, Millicent, that in this town there are not a hundred dressmakers,
+each of whom could turn you out a wedding dress and as many other
+garments as you can possibly require in the course of a month, or even
+if that effort were too stupendous, that you could not divide the work
+among a dozen of them?"
+
+"Well, I don't say that could not be done," Millicent admitted
+reluctantly.
+
+"Well, what other objection is there?"
+
+"Well, you see, one does not, like to be bustled in such a matter as
+this, Mark. One likes to think it all over and to realize it to one's
+self."
+
+"Well, dear, you will have a fortnight while I am away to think and to
+realize as much as you like. I can see no advantage myself in waiting
+a single day longer than there is a necessity for; I have been for the
+last year coming here merely as a visitor, and I want to take possession
+of you and have you all to myself. I suppose Mrs. Cunningham will be
+coming in presently, and I will put the matter to her. If she says you
+cannot be ready in a month I must give you another week, but I don't
+think that she will say so. By the way, how about her?"
+
+"I was thinking of that last night, Mark. It would be very lonely for
+her to live by herself now, and you see she has always been as a mother
+to me."
+
+"Quite so, dear; and I am sure that I should have no objection to her
+coming back to Crowswood, and living there as a friend, and helping you
+in the housekeeping."
+
+"Thank you very much, Mark; I should like that in every way. You see, I
+know nothing whatever about housekeeping; and besides, when you are
+out, it would be a great thing to have her with me, for it would be very
+lonely by myself in that big house."
+
+"Well, we will have her there, by all means, dear, if she likes to come;
+you had better talk it over with her. Ah! here she is.
+
+"We were just talking over the time it will take Millicent to get
+ready," he said, "and I shall be glad of your opinion. I have been
+telling her that I am going away for a fortnight, and have proposed that
+the marriage should come off a fortnight later. I cannot see any use in
+delay, and she does not either; at least, I suppose not, for the only
+objection she has advanced is that there will be but a short time in
+which to get her things ready. That strikes me as being all nonsense.
+I could get things ready for ten weddings in that time. What do you
+think?"
+
+"I see no reason for delay," Mrs. Cunningham said; "and assuredly a
+month ought to be sufficient to get everything made."
+
+"Thank you, Mrs. Cunningham; then we can consider that settled,
+Millicent!"
+
+"I call this tyranny, Mrs. Cunningham," Millicent protested. "He says
+he proposes that we shall be married in a month; it is not a proposal at
+all, it is an order. If he had wanted me in such a hurry he might have
+said so a year ago, and now that he has made up his mind at last, he
+wants everything done in a hurry."
+
+"It is the nature of men, my dear; they are all alike in that respect.
+I think you had better make up your mind to it, especially as I have no
+doubt in this case the order is not a very unpleasant one."
+
+"You are too bad, Mrs. Cunningham," Millicent said. "I made sure that I
+should find you on my side, and it seems you have gone over altogether
+to the enemy."
+
+"Where are you going to?" asked Mrs. Cunningham of Mark.
+
+"I am going across to Amsterdam to sell that bracelet. My uncle
+expressed a particular wish to my father that he should do so
+immediately it came into his possession. Dick Chetwynd is going over
+with me, and if the weather is fair it will be a pleasant trip."
+
+"Where are you thinking of going after the marriage?"
+
+"We have not talked it over yet. My own idea is that, as neither of
+us has been abroad, we might as well take this opportunity for seeing
+something of the Continent. Of course we cannot go to France, things are
+in too disturbed a state there; but we might go to Brussels, and then
+into Germany, and perhaps as far as Vienna, and then down into Italy;
+but of course, if Millicent prefers it, we will simply take a tour
+through England and Scotland."
+
+"Oh, I am glad that I am to have some voice in the matter," Millicent
+said. "However, I should like the tour you propose very much, Mark. I
+have often thought that I should like to see Italy above all places."
+
+"Well, then, we will consider that settled. And now, what are you going
+to do for today?"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX.
+
+
+The Essex was to sail at eleven o'clock. Half an hour before that
+time Mark's hackney coach drew up at the wharf. Ten minutes later Dick
+Chetwynd, who had, like Mark, driven by a circuitous route, and had made
+several stoppages, joined him, and as they shook hands slipped a parcel
+into his hand, and this Mark at once pocketed, and buttoned his coat up
+tightly; then hailing a boat, they went on board together; they had sent
+their luggage on the previous evening. On getting on board Mark saw the
+two prize fighters walking up and down the deck aft. They were quietly
+dressed, and save for their size would have attracted no attention,
+and would have been taken for two countrymen on their way to Holland on
+business.
+
+The two detectives were seated forward, their appearance being that of
+two quiet business men, commercial travelers or small traders. The two
+friends first went below, and saw to the cabin which they were to share,
+and found their luggage was all there. Then they returned on deck. Four
+or five other passengers were standing watching the last bales of goods
+coming on board. The tide was just on the turn, and a quarter of an hour
+later the warps were thrown off, and some of the sails hoisted, and the
+Essex began to move through the water.
+
+"Look there, Dick!" Mark exclaimed. "Do you see that boat lying on its
+oars in the middle of the stream? That man sitting in the stern is a
+foreigner, either from Southern Europe or from India."
+
+"He is certainly a dark man, Mark. Still, that may be only a
+coincidence."
+
+"It is rather a curious one," Mark said. "We are too far off to see
+his features, but he is apparently watching us off. There, the oars are
+dipping into the water, now he sees that we are fairly under way."
+
+"Well, Mark, I shall begin to think that you are right. I am bound to
+say that hitherto I thought that it was ridiculous to suppose that
+you could have been watched as you thought, and that you had got these
+diamonds on your brain till you had really become fanciful. However, it
+certainly looks as if you were right; but even if you were, how on earth
+could they have found out that we were going by this ship?"
+
+"That is more than I can tell; if they have been watching me they must
+have known that I was intimate with you; they have seen me come out of
+Cotter's Bank, and afterwards enter your lodgings; they would feel sure
+that I had heard that there would be danger connected with the diamonds,
+and might suppose that I should get some friend to take them from the
+bank, and may have followed your movements as well as mine. In that case
+they would have found out that you also went to Cotter's Bank; may have
+followed you to Tower Street, and found out that you had taken a passage
+for two to Amsterdam. They may again have seen you go to the bank this
+morning and have guessed that you had the diamonds about you, and then
+seeing us together on the wharf would feel pretty certain that it was
+so. One of them may have hired that boat and watched the Essex to see
+that neither of us went on shore again."
+
+"Now they see that we are off they will know that their game is up,"
+Chetwynd said.
+
+"I am not so sure of that, Dick; there are craft going every day to
+Antwerp and Flushing, and for anything we know some of them may be on
+board a craft already dropping down like ourselves by this tide. But
+even if we had twelve hours' start, by landing, say at Flushing, they
+would have time to cross by land to Amsterdam and get there before us."
+
+"Yes, I suppose they would; anyhow, it is pretty certain that we shall
+not be troubled on the voyage."
+
+"Yes, I never thought there was much danger of that, because even if
+they were on board they would see that you and I, being always together,
+could not be got rid of without an alarm being given."
+
+Not until they were passing Greenwich did either of the detectives come
+near Mark, then as he and Dick were standing by the bulwarks, looking
+at the hospital, Chester strolled across the deck and, pointing to the
+building as if asking him some question about it, said:
+
+"There is a colored man forward, dressed as a sailor."
+
+"Is that so?" Mark said. "I see no one aft here who looks suspicious,
+and I don't think they will try anything till we get to Amsterdam. There
+was a colored man in a boat watching us as we set sail."
+
+"I saw him, sir. Can he get to Amsterdam before us?"
+
+"Yes, I have no doubt he can; if he lands at Flushing or Antwerp, and
+takes a post chaise or a diligence, I should say he could get there
+twenty-four hours before us. Certainly he could do so if he landed at
+The Hague, as we have to go a long way round to get into the Zuyder Zee.
+That is where the real danger will be; still you had better keep a sharp
+lookout on the man forward."
+
+No more was said. Mark was not long in getting into conversation with
+the other passengers aft, and later on strolled forward with Dick,
+asking the sailors some questions as to what sort of passage they were
+likely to have, and how the wind suited. The men agreed that unless the
+wind shifted they would not be likely to make a quick passage.
+
+"The wind is northeasterly," one of them said. "We can only just lay
+our course now, and it will be dead against us in some of the reaches.
+Still, I think we shall manage to make down to sea with only a tack or
+two, but when we are once fairly out of the river it will be a long leg
+and a short one, and going up round the Texel it will be dead against
+us. Except that it would be a bit worse if it had a little more east
+in it, it is about as foul a wind as we could have, and I don't see any
+sign of a change, worse luck."
+
+Presently, moving about among them, he got next to Gibbons.
+
+"I don't think we shall have any trouble on board," he said; "if there
+is any, it will be after we have landed. But you can keep an eye on that
+foreign sailor standing alone there up in the bows."
+
+"All right, sir; if you like, I can manage to get into a quarrel with
+him, and can warrant that he won't get out of his berth before it is
+time to go ashore."
+
+"No, I would leave him alone, Gibbons; as long as he is forward he can
+do no harm; but if you see him working his way aft, after it gets dark,
+it will do him no harm if you manage to stumble against him and give him
+a clout on the head."
+
+"All right, sir; if I hit him once he won't want another. The fellow
+seems quiet enough, and as far as strength goes he don't look stronger
+than a girl."
+
+After chatting for some time longer Mark and Dick Chetwynd went aft
+again. The Essex did not put into any intermediate port, and it was only
+on the sixth day after sailing that she approached Amsterdam. The voyage
+had passed off without any incident except that at nine o'clock one
+evening there had been a slight noise on deck and the sound of a fall.
+The friends went up at once. Several of the sailors had run aft, and
+Gibbons was explaining matters to them.
+
+"I was walking up and down the deck," he said, "when I saw this chap
+staring down through the skylight, and I said to him, 'I don't call it
+good manners to be prying down into your betters' cabin.' He did not
+answer or move, so I gave him a push, when he turned upon me like a wild
+cat, and drew his knife from his girdle. There it is, on the other side
+of the deck. As I did not want daylight put into me, I just knocked him
+down."
+
+"Served him right," one of the sailors said. "He had no right to come
+aft at all, and if he drew his knife on you, you were quite right in
+laying him out. But you must have hit him mighty hard, for you have
+knocked the life pretty near out of him. Well, we may as well carry him
+forward and throw a bucket of water over him. That is the worst of these
+foreign chaps; they are always so ready with their knives. However, I
+don't think he will be likely to try his hand on an Englishman again."
+
+Mark and his friend went below again. In the morning Mark asked one of
+the sailors if the foreigner was much hurt.
+
+"Well, he is a good bit hurt, sir. That big chap looks as strong as a
+bullock, and his blow has flattened the foreign chap's nose. He cannot
+see out of his eyes this morning, and is keeping his bunk. They cannot
+stand a blow, those foreign chaps; but I don't suppose that any of us
+would have stood such a blow as that, without feeling it pretty heavy.
+The man who hit him is quite sorry this morning that he hit him quite so
+hot, but, as he says, when a fellow draws a knife on you, you have not
+got much time for thinking it over, and you have got to hit quick and
+hard. I told him he needn't be sorry about it. I consider when a fellow
+draws a knife that hanging aint too bad for him, whether he gets it into
+a man or not."
+
+There was a growl of assent from two or three sailors standing round,
+for in those days the use of the knife was almost unknown in England,
+and was abhorrent to Englishmen, both as being cowardly and unfair, and
+as being a purely foreign crime.
+
+"It will be dark before we get alongside," Mark said to the two
+detectives. "Do you two walk first; we will keep just behind you, and
+the others shall follow as close as they can keep to us. If anyone is
+looking out for us they will see that we are a strong party, and that it
+would be no good to attack us, for even if they were to stab me it would
+not be possible to search me for the diamonds when I am with a party
+like this."
+
+It was indeed quite dark when the brig brought up outside a tier of
+vessels lying by the wharf. A few oil lamps burning by the quay showed
+that there were a good many people still sauntering about. The party
+waited until the rest of the passengers had landed. They learned from
+one of those who knew the place that the hotel to which they were going
+was but three or four hundred yards away, and obtained directions how to
+find it.
+
+"Now we will go," Mark said. "Gibbons, you had better keep a sharp
+lookout on your own account. That fellow you knocked down may try to put
+a knife into you."
+
+"I will keep a sharp lookout, sir, never you fear."
+
+"I think, Tring, you had better watch Gibbons; he is more in danger than
+I am. Have you seen the man go on shore?"
+
+"Yes, he was the very first to cross onto the next vessel," Tring said.
+
+The loungers on the quay had gathered together to watch the passengers
+as they left the ship, and by the dim light from one of the oil lamps it
+could be seen that the majority of them were of the roughest class.
+As they were passing through them a man with a cry of rage sprang at
+Gibbons with an uplifted knife. Tring's fist struck him under the ear as
+he was in the act of striking, and he fell like a log. There was a cry
+of "Down with them!" and a rush of a score of men, most of whom were
+armed with heavy bludgeons.
+
+The party was at once broken up, heavy blows were exchanged, the two
+pugilists rolling their assailants over like ninepins, but receiving
+several heavy blows from their assailants' clubs. A rush of five or
+six men separated Mark from the others. Those in front of him he struck
+down, but a moment later received a tremendous blow on the back of the
+head which struck him to the ground unconscious. His companions were all
+too busy defending themselves against their assailants to notice what
+had been done, and as the attack had taken place in the center of the
+roadway behind the quay, there was no lamp, and the fight was taking
+place in almost total darkness.
+
+By this time many people had run up at the sound of the fray. A minute
+later there was a cry that the watch were coming, and four or five men
+with lanterns emerged from one of the streets leading down to the quays,
+and hurried towards the spot. The fight at once ceased, the men who had
+attacked mingled with the crowd, and when the watch came up they found
+the five Englishmen clustered together and ten or twelve men lying on
+the ground.
+
+The instant that the fight had ceased Dick Chetwynd asked, "Where is Mr.
+Thorndyke?"
+
+No answer was given. The other four men simultaneously uttered
+exclamations of alarm. The crowd was thinning fast as the watch came up.
+
+"What is all this about?" one of them asked in Dutch.
+
+"Do any of you speak English?" Dick asked.
+
+"I do," one of them said.
+
+"We landed five minutes ago from that craft," continued Dick, "and as we
+came across we were attacked by a band of ruffians. An Englishman, one
+of our party, is missing."
+
+"Whose bodies are these?" the watchman asked, raising his lantern and
+pointing to them.
+
+"Perhaps Mr. Thorndyke is among them," Dick Chetwynd said.
+
+The fallen figures were examined by the light of the lanterns. Mark was
+not among them. The watchmen uttered an exclamation of astonishment as
+they looked at the men's faces.
+
+"What did you strike them with?" the one who spoke first asked.
+
+"Struck them with our fists, of course," Gibbons replied. "They will do
+well enough; you need not bother about them, they will come round again
+presently. The question is, Where is Mr. Thorndyke?"
+
+The whole of the lookers on had dispersed, each fearing that he might be
+charged with taking part in the outrage.
+
+"This is a very serious matter," Chetwynd said. "We have every reason
+to believe that the attack was premeditated, for the gentleman who is
+missing was known to have some valuables on him; all these fellows ought
+to be taken and locked up and made to give an account of themselves. We
+are going to the Hotel d'Hollande where you can find us at any time. I
+dare say some of these scoundrels are known to you, and that may give
+you a clew as to where Mr. Thorndyke is.
+
+"I have but little hope that he will be found alive; no doubt he has
+been stabbed and his body carried off so that they can search his
+clothes at their leisure. We came in a strong party to prevent the risk
+of an attack upon Mr. Thorndyke. Here is my card. It is of no use our
+attempting to search by ourselves, but if you will get these fellows
+taken to the watch house, and will call at the hotel, we will join your
+party and help you to search the places you think he has most likely
+been taken to."
+
+"I think, sir, you had better come with me to the watch house, and see
+the Lieutenant, and tell him what has happened."
+
+"I will just take my friends to the hotel, and shall be back from there
+before you have got men to take these fellows away. If you go to one of
+those ships and borrow a bucket, empty it over each of them; you will
+find that will bring them to!"
+
+As soon as they arrived at the hotel Dick ordered a private sitting room
+and five bedrooms.
+
+"We have made a terrible mess of this, lads," he said gloomily. "I don't
+say that it is any of our faults, but it is a horrible affair. I have
+not the least doubt that Mr. Thorndyke has been killed, and it is no
+satisfaction to us that we have pretty nearly done for a dozen of those
+scoundrels."
+
+"I would not have had it happen for a hundred pounds, nor a thousand,
+sir. If there had been daylight we could have licked a score of them in
+spite of their bludgeons, but they came with such a rush at us that we
+got separated before we knew where we were. I don't think that it was
+our fault. I feel as much ashamed as if I had thrown up the sponge in
+the ring at the end of the first round. To think that we came over here,
+four of us, and yourself, sir, on purpose to take care of Mr. Thorndyke,
+all well save a few knocks with those sticks, and Mr. Thorndyke killed
+and carried off before we have been on shore five minutes. A better
+young fellow I never put on the gloves with;" and Gibbons passed the
+back of his hand across his eyes.
+
+"Well, I must be off now," Chetwynd said. "I feel heartbroken over it.
+I have known him since we were boys together; and what makes it worse
+is that only three days ago he became engaged to be married. How we are
+going to take the news back God only knows!"
+
+As he hurried down the street towards the wharf he saw a number of
+lanterns coming towards him, and ten or twelve watchmen came along
+escorting the prisoners, many of whose faces were covered with blood;
+then came four other watchmen carrying a body on a stretcher.
+
+"One of them is dead," the watchman who had before spoken said to Dick.
+"A foreign seaman, a Lascar I should say, from his color; we found an
+open knife by his side."
+
+"That is the man who began the fray," Chetwynd said. "He was on the
+point of stabbing one of my companions when another hit him under the
+ear."
+
+"What!" the watchman said. "He must have been hit like the kick of a
+horse. All these prisoners seem to have been struck but once; two of
+them cannot speak. I think their jaws are broken; four of them have
+broken noses, and another has had all his front teeth knocked out, while
+the others are nearly as bad."
+
+"I see you have brought with you some of their bludgeons," Dick said,
+pointing to one of the watchmen carrying a great bundle of sticks over
+his shoulder.
+
+"Yes, sir, twenty-three of them; it certainly seems to show that it
+was a planned thing. Most of these fellows' faces are so bruised that
+I cannot say who they are at present, but two or three are known as the
+worst ruffians in the city, and I have no doubt we shall find that they
+all belong to the same gang."
+
+By this time they had arrived at the watch house, a building of
+considerable size; the prisoners were first lodged in a strong room with
+barred windows and very heavy doors, and then the watchman went with
+Chetwynd to the Lieutenant's room. The officer had just returned, having
+hurried down with a reinforcement to the wharf as soon as he had heard
+of the fray, and tried to obtain some information from the people who
+had gathered round, attracted by the lanterns of the watch. He had
+already learned from the watchmen all they knew about the affair. As he
+spoke English well, he at once addressed Dick:
+
+"This is a serious affair, sir."
+
+"A very serious affair, for, indeed, I am afraid that my dearest friend
+has been murdered."
+
+"Will you kindly give me the particulars?" the officer said, sitting
+down to the table with a pen in his hand.
+
+Dick Chetwynd told him the story of how Mr. Thorndyke, having some very
+valuable jewels that he wished to dispose of, and believing that he
+would be attacked by a band of robbers, had asked him to accompany him,
+and had brought four detective officers and pugilists to protect him
+against any sudden attack.
+
+"Ah, that accounts for the terrible blows that these fellows received,"
+the officer said. "And your friend; was he a strong man?"
+
+"He was a man exceptionally strong, and a match for either of the
+pugilists that he brought over. I have no doubt that he was stabbed,
+though of course he might have been brought down by a blow from one of
+the bludgeons. He must have been completely insensible when carried off.
+
+"The watchman here tells me that three or four of these ruffians are
+known, and perhaps if you will give orders for the blood to be washed
+off the others' faces some more may be recognized and prove an aid in
+enabling you to form an idea where Mr. Thorndyke has been carried. I
+trust that you will send out a party to search for him. I and the four
+men with me will gladly join them, and may be of use if any resistance
+is offered."
+
+The Lieutenant at once gave orders to the watchman to go down and see
+that the prisoners all washed their faces. As soon as he returned with
+the report that this was done the officer went down with Dick Chetwynd
+to examine them. Three or four of the men with lanterns also went in.
+Eight out of eleven men were recognized; the other three, whose features
+were so swollen that they could not see out of their eyes, could not be
+made out, but their companions, on being questioned, gave their names.
+
+"They all belong to a gang of wharf thieves and plunderers. They live
+in a slum near the water. I will have men posted in the lanes leading
+to it, and will myself go with you to see that a search is made of every
+house; but first I will try to find out from these fellows where he was
+to be taken.
+
+"Now, my men," he said, "anyone of you who will tell me where one of the
+party you attacked was to be taken to will find things made easy for him
+at his trial."
+
+None of the men spoke for a minute, and then one said:
+
+"We know nothing about it; how should we, when we were all knocked
+stupid?"
+
+"No, but you might know where he was to be taken."
+
+"I know nothing about that. We all got word to mind we were on the wharf
+when a brig, that was seen coming up, came alongside, and that we were
+to have a hundred francs each for attacking some passengers as they
+landed. Six of them came along together, and one said, 'These are the
+men.' A black sailor came up first and spoke to two or three men in some
+foreign language. I don't know who the men were; it was too dark to see
+their faces. It was one of them who gave the order. It seemed an easy
+job enough when there were twenty-five of us with heavy sticks, but it
+didn't turn out so. I only know that I hit one big fellow a blow that
+ought to have knocked him down, and the next moment there was a crash,
+and I don't know anything more about it until a lot of water was thrown
+over me and one of the watch helped me to my feet. I don't know whether
+the others know more than I do, but I don't think they do."
+
+All the others protested at once that they were equally ignorant. They
+had gone to earn a hundred francs. They had been told that the money was
+all right, but who found it or who were the men to be attacked they had
+not the least idea.
+
+"How was it that you all had these bludgeons--there were no knives found
+on any of you?"
+
+The man who spoke before said:
+
+"The order was 'No knives,' and before we went down to the wharf each
+of us was searched and a stick given to us. I suppose from that, that
+whoever paid for the job didn't want blood to be shed; it suited us well
+enough, for it was a job there was sure to be a row over, and I don't
+suppose any of us wanted to put his head in a noose. I know that we all
+said to each other as we went out that it did not want such sticks as we
+had to give a man a thrashing, but the man who hired us, whoever he was,
+knew his customers better than we did."
+
+The officer translated the man's words as they were spoken to Dick, and
+on hearing the last speech, the latter said:
+
+"Then there is still hope that Thorndyke may only have been stunned;
+that is a greater reason for our losing no time in looking for him, for
+I am afraid that they won't hesitate to kill him when they have got him
+hidden away."
+
+"I expect," the Lieutenant said, "they thought that if any of the watch
+came upon them as they were carrying him off, they might be at once
+arrested if it was found that they were carrying a dead man, whilst if
+he were only stunned they would say that it was a drunken comrade who
+had fallen and knocked his head against something. I agree with you,
+sir; we had better start on our search at once."
+
+"Will you pass the Hotel d'Hollande? If not, I will run and bring my
+men."
+
+"Yes, I will go that way; it will be no further."
+
+Dick walked on fast.
+
+"We have no news of him," he said, as he entered the room where the four
+men were anxiously awaiting him, "but we and the watch are now going to
+search the slums where the men who were taken prisoners all live; come
+down now, and I will tell you what I have learned, before the others
+come up.
+
+"There is reason for believing that he was not stabbed," he went on, as
+they reached the street, "for the men all say that they were armed only
+with clubs, and that the strictest orders were given that none were to
+carry knives, therefore there is little doubt that he was at the time
+only stunned. But I am bound to say that this gives me very small ground
+for hoping that we may find him alive. I fear they only stunned him, so
+that they might carry him safely to their haunts, for if stopped
+they could say that it was a drunken comrade, who had fallen and hurt
+himself. I fear that when they get him into one of their dens they will
+make short work of him, therefore it is clear that there is not a moment
+to be lost. Ah, here comes the watch."
+
+There were eight men with the Lieutenant.
+
+"I have already sent off ten others," he said as he joined Chetwynd, "to
+watch the lanes, and let no one go in or out. I thought it best not to
+lose a moment about that, for when the men see that we have learned
+from the others where the gang came from, and have closed the avenues
+of escape, they will hesitate about murdering their prisoner if he was
+still alive when my men got there."
+
+In a quarter of an hour they arrived at the end of a narrow lane, where
+two watchmen were standing with lanterns.
+
+"You have seen nor heard nothing?" the Lieutenant asked him.
+
+"No, sir, we have not seen a man moving in the lane."
+
+"There is just one hope that we might be in time," the Lieutenant said,
+as he went on down the lane, "and that is, that the fellows when they
+gather will be so dismayed at finding that nearly half their number are
+missing, and knowing that some of them are pretty sure to make a clean
+breast of it, they will hesitate to complete their crime. It is one
+thing to rob a man in the streets, quite another to murder him in cold
+blood. There is likely to be a good deal of difference of opinion among
+them, some of the more desperate being in favor of carrying the thing
+through, but others are sure to be against it, and nothing may have been
+done. You may be sure that the sight of my men at the end of the lanes
+will still further alarm them. I have no doubt the news that we have
+surrounded the district has already been circulated, and that if alive
+now he is safe, for they will think it is better to suffer a year or
+two's imprisonment than to be tried for murder. We are sure to make some
+captures, for it is probable that several of the others will bear marks
+of the fight. Each man we take we will question separately; one or other
+of them is pretty safe to be ready to say where your friend was taken to
+if I promise him that he shan't be prosecuted."
+
+Every house in the district was searched from top to bottom. Six
+men; with cut and bruised faces, were found shamming sleep, and were
+separately questioned closely; all declared that they knew nothing
+whatever of anyone being carried there.
+
+"It is of no use your denying your share in the affair," the Lieutenant
+said. "Your comrades have confessed that there were twenty-five of you
+hired to carry out this, and that you received a hundred francs each.
+Now, if this gentleman is not found, it will be a hanging matter for
+some of you, and you had better tell all you know. If you will tell us
+where he is, I will promise that you shan't be included in the list of
+those who will be prosecuted."
+
+The reply, although put in different words, was identical with that of
+the prisoners.
+
+"We had nothing to do with carrying him off; we were hired only to
+knock the men down who were pointed out to us; not a word was said about
+carrying them off. He may have been carried off, that we cannot say, but
+he has certainly not been brought here, and none of us had anything to
+do with it."
+
+Morning was breaking before the search was concluded. The detectives,
+accustomed as they were to visit the worst slums of London, were
+horrified at the crowding, the squalor, and the misery of the places
+they entered.
+
+"My opinion. Mr. Chetwynd," Gibbons growled, "is that the best thing to
+do would be to put a score of soldiers at the end of all these lanes,
+and then to burn the whole place down, and make a clean sweep of it. I
+never saw such a villainous looking crew in all my life. I have been
+in hopes all along that some of them would resist; it would have been a
+real pleasure to have let fly at them."
+
+"They are a villainous set of wretches, Gibbons, but they may not be all
+criminals."
+
+"Well; I don't know, sir; but I know that if I were on a jury, and any
+of the lot were in the dock, I should not want to hear any evidence
+against them; their faces are enough to hang them."
+
+At last the search was over, and they were glad indeed when they emerged
+from the lanes and breathed the pure air outside, for all the Englishmen
+felt sick at the poisonous air of the dens they had entered. The
+prisoners, as they were taken, had been sent off to the watch house.
+
+"I begin to think that the story these fellows tell is a true one, Mr.
+Chetwynd," the Lieutenant said, "and that they had nothing to do with
+carrying your friend off. In the first place, they all tell the same
+story: that in itself would not be much, as that might have been settled
+beforehand; but it is hardly likely that one of the lot would not have
+been ready to purchase his life by turning on the others. There is very
+little honor among thieves; and as they know that we have taken their
+mates--for no doubt we were watched as we marched them up the town--they
+would make sure that someone would turn traitor, and would think they
+might as well be beforehand. I fancy that the men, whoever they are,
+who hired this gang to attack you, carried out that part of the business
+themselves."
+
+"I am afraid that is so," Dick agreed; "and I fear in that case that he
+is in even worse hands than if these ruffians here had taken him."
+
+"Well, sir, can you furnish us with any clew?"
+
+"The only clew is that they were most probably dark men. That man who
+was killed was undoubtedly one of them. I should say that they would
+probably be got up as foreign sailors."
+
+"Well, that is something to go upon, at any rate. I will send round men
+at once to all the places by the quays where sailors board, and if three
+or four of them have been together at any place we are sure to hear of
+it, and the moment I have news I will send to your hotel."
+
+"Thank you; I don't see that we can be of any use at present, but you
+will find us ready to turn out again the moment we hear that you have
+news."
+
+When the party returned to the hotel they sat talking the matter over
+for upwards of an hour. All were greatly discouraged, for they had
+little hope indeed of ever learning what had become of Mark. As they had
+started out Dick had told the night porter that he could not say what
+time they might return, but that before the house closed he must have a
+couple of bottles of spirits and some tumblers sent up to their sitting
+room, together with some bread and cold meat, for that they might not
+return until morning, and would need something before they went to bed,
+as they had had nothing since their dinner, at one o'clock.
+
+"It wants something to take the taste of that place out of one's mouth,"
+Tring said to Dick, as, directly they entered, he poured some spirits
+into the glasses. "I feel as queer as if I had been hocussed."
+
+All, indeed, were feeling the same, and it was not until they had eaten
+their supper and considerably lowered the spirits in the two bottles
+that they began to talk. The two detectives were the principal speakers,
+and both of these were of opinion that the only shadow of hope remaining
+rested upon Mark himself.
+
+"Unless they finished him before he came round," Malcolm said, "they
+would find him an awkward customer to deal with. Mr. Thorndyke has got
+his head screwed on right, and if, as you say, they are Indians, Mr.
+Chetwynd, I should think that if he once comes fairly round, unless he
+is tied up, he will be a match for them, even with their knives. That is
+the only chance I see. Even if the watch do find out that three or four
+foreign sailors have been at one of the boarding houses and did not turn
+up last night, I don't think we shall be much nearer. They will probably
+only have carried him some distance along the wharf, got to some quiet
+place where there is a big pile of wood, or something of that sort, then
+put a knife into him, searched for the diamonds, which you may be sure
+they would find easily enough wherever he had hidden them, and then make
+off, most likely for Rotterdam or The Hague; they could be at either of
+these places by this time, and will mostly likely divide the diamonds
+and get on board different craft, bound for London or Hull, or indeed
+any other port, and then ship for India. From what Mr. Thorndyke said
+they did not want the diamonds to sell, but only to carry back to some
+temple from which they were stolen twenty years ago."
+
+Chester was of precisely the same opinion.
+
+"I am afraid, Mr. Chetwynd," he added, as they rose to go to their rooms
+for two or three hours' sleep, "the only news that we shall get in the
+morning is that Mr. Thorndyke's body has been found."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX.
+
+
+At ten o'clock a constable came with a message from the Lieutenant to
+Mr. Chetwynd that he would be glad if he would come down to the watch
+house. Dick did not wake the others, but freshening himself up by
+pouring a jug of water over his head, went at once with the constable.
+
+"Have you news?" he asked eagerly as he entered.
+
+"Yes, the men returned an hour ago. At four of the houses they went to
+a foreign sailor had been lodging there for the last day or so, but
+yesterday afternoon all had paid their reckoning and left. Then the idea
+struck me that it would be as well to ask if they had been seen on the
+quays, and I sent off a fresh batch of men to make inquiries. A quarter
+of an hour ago one of them came back with the news that he had learned
+from a sailor that he had noticed a dark colored foreigner, whom he took
+to be a Lascar sailor, talking to a boatman, and that they had rowed off
+together to a barge anchored a short way out; he did not notice anything
+more about him.
+
+"Now, I should not be at all surprised if the fellow went off to arrange
+with the bargeman for a passage for himself and four or five comrades to
+some port or other, it might be anywhere. It would make no difference to
+them where the barge was bound for. No doubt he saw the man again after
+the brig was sighted, and told him that they should come on board soon
+after it got dark, and told him to have the boat at the stairs. You
+see, in that case they might not have carried Mr. Thorndyke above fifty
+yards. They would probably get him on board as one of their party who
+had been drunk. The barge, no doubt, got under way about nine o'clock,
+which is the hour when the tide was high last night, and during the
+night the Indians could easily drop your friend overboard--and may
+even have done so before they got under way, which would have been the
+easiest thing to do. There would have been no one at the helm, and they
+could have chosen a moment when the crew, probably only three, were
+below. I am afraid that this is not a cheering lookout, but I have
+little doubt that it is the correct one.
+
+"I have told my men to find out what barge was lying at the spot the
+sailor pointed out, and if we discover her name, which we are likely to
+be able to do, there will be no difficulty in finding out to whom she
+belongs and where she was bound for. Then we can follow it up; though
+there is little likelihood of our finding the murderers still on board."
+
+"Thank you very much for the pains that you are taking, sir," Dick said.
+"I am afraid that there is no shadow of hope of finding my poor friend
+alive. I have no doubt that the thing has happened exactly as you
+suggest; the whole course of the affair shows how carefully it was
+planned, and I have no hope that any scruple about taking life would be
+felt by them for a moment. I will go back to the hotel, and I shall be
+obliged if you will let me know as soon as you obtain any clew as to the
+barge."
+
+An hour and a half later the officer himself came round to the room
+where Dick Chetwynd and the two pugilists were sitting. The detectives
+had started out to make inquiries on their own account, taking with them
+a hanger on at the hotel who spoke English.
+
+"The barge's name was the Julie," he said; "she has a cargo on board for
+Rotterdam."
+
+"I think the best thing would be to take a carriage, and drive there at
+once," Dick said.
+
+"You can do that, sir, but I don't think you will be there before the
+barge; they have something like eighteen hours' start for you, and the
+wind has been all the time in the east. I should say that they would be
+there by eight o'clock this morning."
+
+"No, I don't know that it would be of any use, but at least it would be
+doing something. I suppose we could be there in four hours?"
+
+"From that to five; but even if the barge were delayed, and you got
+there first, which is very unlikely, I do not think that there would be
+the remotest chance of finding those villains on board. I reckon they
+would, as we agreed, launch the body overboard even before they got
+under way here, and they may either have landed again before the craft
+got under way, pretending that they had changed their minds, and then
+walked across to The Hague or to Haarlem, or have gone on with the barge
+for two hours, or even until daybreak. If by that time they were near
+Rotterdam, they may have stayed on board till they got there; if not,
+they may have landed, and finished the journey on foot, but they would
+certainly not have stopped on board after six or seven o'clock this
+morning. They would calculate that possibly we might get on their track
+at an early hour this morning, and set out in pursuit at once.
+
+"However, it will doubtless be a satisfaction to you to be moving,
+and at least you will be able to overhaul the barge when you get to
+Rotterdam, and to hear what the boatmen say. The chances are they will
+not even have noticed that one of the men who came on board was missing.
+The men may very well have made up a long bundle, carried it on shore
+with them, or three of them may have carried a fourth ashore; and in the
+dark the bargemen were unlikely to have noticed that the number was less
+than when they came on board. However, it will be something for you to
+find out when and where the fellows landed."
+
+"Yes; I should certainly like to lay hands on them, though I am afraid
+we should find it very hard to prove that they had anything to do with
+this affair."
+
+"I think that also, Mr. Chetwynd. Morally, we may feel absolutely
+certain; but, unless the boatmen noticed that one of their number was
+missing when they landed, we have at present no evidence to connect them
+with it."
+
+"We will set out as soon as my other two men return. I told them to be
+back soon after twelve. I will write to you this evening from Rotterdam.
+Ah! here are the men."
+
+The door opened, and, to the stupefaction of the party, Mark Thorndyke
+entered the room.
+
+"Good Heavens, Mark!" Dick exclaimed, springing forward and seizing
+his hand, "is it really you alive in the flesh? We had given you up for
+dead. We have been searching the town for you all night, and were just
+going to set out for Rotterdam in search of a barge on which we believed
+you were carried. Why, it seems almost a miracle!"
+
+The two prize fighters also came forward, and shook hands with a
+pressure that would have made most men shrink.
+
+"I am as glad, Mr. Thorndyke," Gibbons said, "as if anyone had given me
+a thousand pounds. I have never quite given up hope, for, as I said to
+Mr. Chetwynd, if you got but a shadow of a chance, you would polish off
+those nigger fellows in no time; but I was afraid that they never would
+give you a chance. Well, I am glad, sir."
+
+"Mark, this is the Lieutenant of the watch here," Dick said. "He has
+been most kind, and has himself headed the search that has been made for
+you all night. Now tell us all about it."
+
+"First of all give me something to drink, for, except some water, I have
+had nothing since dinner yesterday. You are right, Dick; it is almost a
+miracle, even to me, that I am here. I would not have given a penny for
+my chance of life, and I can no more account for the fact that I am here
+than you can."
+
+Mark drank off a tumbler of weak spirits and water that Gibbons poured
+out for him. Chetwynd rang the bell, and ordered lunch to be brought
+up at once. Just at this moment the two detectives came in, and were
+astonished and delighted at finding Mark there.
+
+"Now," he said, "I will tell you as much as I know, which is little
+enough. When I came to my senses I found myself lying on the deck of a
+craft of some sort; it was a long time before I could at all understand
+how I got there. I think it was the pain from the back of my head that
+brought it to my mind that I must have been knocked down and stunned in
+that fight; for some time I was very vague in my brain as to that, but
+it all came back suddenly, and I recalled that we had all got separated.
+I was hitting out, and then there was a crash. Yes, I must have been
+knocked down and stunned, and I could only suppose that in the darkness
+and confusion I had been carried off and taken on board without any of
+you missing me; my hands and feet were tied, and there was something
+shoved into my mouth that prevented me from speaking.
+
+"I should think that it must have been an hour before I quite recovered
+my senses, and got the thing fairly into my mind. Then a man with a
+knife leant over me, and made signs that if I spoke he would stab me,
+and another took the gag out of my mouth and poured some water down my
+throat, and then put it in again. I saw that he was a dark colored man,
+and I then understood it all; it was those Hindoos who had got up the
+attack upon us and had carried me off. I had no doubt they had got the
+diamonds I had sewn up in the waistband of my trousers.
+
+"I wondered why they were keeping me, but was sure they would stab
+me presently and throw me overboard. I knew that they had killed two
+soldiers for the sake of the diamonds, and if it hadn't been that they
+had given me the water, I should not have had a shadow of doubt about my
+fate."
+
+"I puzzled over why they should have done so, and came to the conclusion
+that they dared not do it on board, because of the crew, and that they
+intended to take me on shore somewhere, and there dispose of me. I made
+many attempts to loosen my ropes, but they would not give the slightest.
+At last I think I dozed off for a time. After I had had the water they
+drew a blanket or something of that sort over me. It had been there
+before, but it had only been pulled up as high as my nose, and I felt
+sure that it was only done to prevent the Dutchmen on the boat seeing
+that I was bound and gagged; this time they pulled it right over my
+face. When they took it off again I could see it was nearly morning, for
+there was a faint light in the sky. They were moving about on the deck,
+and presently I saw one of the sailors get into the boat and pull it
+along, hand over hand, by the rail, until he was close to me. Then four
+Lascar sort of chaps--I could scarcely make out their features--lifted
+me and lowered me into the boat and got in themselves.
+
+"I did not attempt to struggle. No doubt they had made up some tale
+that I was mad or something of that sort, and I thought that I had best
+pretend to be quiet and peaceable till I could see some sort of chance
+of making a fight for it. It was but a few yards from the shore. The man
+lifted me out onto the bank, and the sailor then started to row back
+to the barge; they carried me a few yards away, and then laid me face
+downwards on some grass. Now, I thought to myself, it is all over; they
+are going to stab me and make off. To my surprise I felt they were
+doing something--I could not make out what--to the ropes; then there
+was quiet. I lay there I should think for half an hour, wondering why
+on earth they did not finish me. At last I made up my mind to move,
+and turned round onto my back. As I lay there I could see no one, and,
+raising my head, looked round. To my amazement I found that I was alone.
+It was now almost light, and as I craned my head in all directions I
+assured myself that they had gone; then I began to try again at the
+ropes.
+
+"To my surprise I found that they were much looser than they were
+before, although still tight enough to give me nearly an hour's work
+before I got my hands free. Then it took me almost as long to get
+the ropes off my legs, for they had knotted them in such a fearfully
+intricate way that it was a long time before I could even discover where
+the ends were. At last I finished the job, stood up, and looked round. A
+quarter of a mile off there was a good sized town, but not a soul could
+I see.
+
+"Till now I had hardly thought of the diamonds; I put my hands to my
+waistband and found, as I expected, that they were gone. I think I felt
+nothing but pleasure: the confounded things had given trouble enough,
+and I was well rid of them. Why they should have spared my life I could
+not imagine. If they had finished me, which they could have done without
+any risk to themselves when they got me ashore, they could have gone off
+with the diamonds without the slightest fear of pursuit, while now there
+was, of course, a chance that I might follow and recognize them."
+
+"Would you know them again?" the Lieutenant interrupted.
+
+"Not in the slightest; it was light enough to see that they were dark,
+but from the time the boat came along the blanket was over my head,
+and except when they gave me the water I had no chance of seeing any
+of their features. Still, if I had gone straight to the town I saw and
+reported the matter to the authorities and sent mounted men to all the
+ports to warn them not to let any colored men embark, I might have given
+them a lot of trouble, but I don't suppose any of them would ever have
+been caught. After the craft they had shown in the whole matter, it is
+certain that they would have laid their plans for escape so well
+that the law would never have laid hands upon them. I put my hand
+mechanically to my watch to see the time, and to my astonishment
+discovered that I still had it in my pocket, and was equally surprised
+to find that the money in my trousers' pockets was also untouched. The
+watch had, of course, stopped. I first of all went down to the water and
+had a good wash; then I proceeded to the town, and, going to a hotel,
+ordered breakfast."
+
+"Why, I thought you said that you had had nothing to eat, Mark."
+
+"Yes? Well, I had forgotten all about that breakfast. The people looked
+a good deal surprised at an Englishman walking in in that way. While
+I was eating my breakfast two men--who were, I suppose, authorities of
+some kind--who spoke English, came and questioned me. As I had made up
+my mind to say nothing more about the affair, I merely told them that I
+had come for a sail from Amsterdam, and that I wanted a carriage to take
+me back. They were evidently astonished at my choosing a dark night for
+such a trip, but I said that I had some curiosity to see how the boatmen
+navigated their vessel when there were no lighthouses or anything to
+steer by. They asked a few more questions, and then went away, evidently
+thinking that I was a little mad. However, they must have spoken to the
+landlord, who in a short time made signs that the carriage was at the
+door.
+
+"I had avoided asking the men either the name of the place or how far
+it was from any big town, because that would have made the whole affair
+more singular. It was a quarter past eight when I started, and beyond
+the fact that I know by the sun we came pretty nearly due east, I have
+not the slightest idea of the road. The coachman could not speak a word
+of English. I should say we came about seven miles an hour and stopped
+once to bait the horses, so I suppose that it must have been between
+four and five miles from Rotterdam when I landed."
+
+Lunch had by this time been laid on the table, and at Dick's invitation
+the Lieutenant joined them.
+
+"It is an extraordinary story!" he said. "That your life should have
+been spared is altogether beyond my comprehension, still more so why
+they should have left you your money and watch."
+
+"The whole story is extraordinary," Dick Chetwynd said; "for we have
+every reason to believe that those fellows, or at least one or two of
+them, have been patiently watching for a chance of carrying off those
+diamonds for twenty years. When my friend told me of it ten days ago I
+did not believe that it could be possible; but he has certainly shown
+that he was correct in his opinion."
+
+Mark then related the history of the jewels, surprising the pugilists
+and detectives as much as the Lieutenant.
+
+"It is extraordinary indeed," the latter said. "I should not have
+believed it possible that men would devote so many years to such a
+purpose, nor that they could have succeeded in tracing the diamonds in
+spite of the precaution taken by your uncle, and afterwards by yourself.
+It would seem that from the time he landed in England he, and after him
+your father and yourself, must have been watched almost night and day.
+I can understand now why they did not take your watch and money.
+They evidently acted from a sort of religious enthusiasm, and were no
+ordinary thieves, but as evidently they did not hesitate to kill, I
+cannot understand why they should have added to their risks by sparing
+you."
+
+"No, that is what puzzles me," Mark agreed. "I was thinking it over
+while we were driving here. Now let me hear about the fight, Dick. How
+did you all come out of it?"
+
+"As well as could be expected. Gibbons and Tring both got some heavy
+blows with the cudgels, as indeed we all did more or less, but they did
+great execution. Eleven fellows were left senseless on the ground, and
+one of them, that black fellow who came over with us, was killed. The
+other ten are all in prison. All of us did our best, and managed to
+leave our mark on eight others, who were in consequence picked out, and
+are also in jail."
+
+Dick went on to relate the particulars of the search.
+
+"You see, our friend here had traced you to the barge and found out her
+destination, and if you had come ten minutes later you would have found
+that we had all just started for Rotterdam. I was only waiting for
+Chester and Malcolm to return to set out. I am sorry, Mark, that you
+have lost your diamonds; not so much because they are gone, for I can
+well understand you to be thoroughly glad to be rid of such dangerous
+articles, but because they have carried them off in our teeth, after we
+have been specially retained to protect you. I certainly thought that
+with such a bodyguard you were absolutely safe from any number of
+Hindoos."
+
+"Yes, we made a regular mess of it, Mr. Thorndyke," Gibbons said. "I
+never felt so certain of winning a battle as I did that you would not
+be touched as long as we were looking after you. Tring and I, if we had
+been asked, would have said that we could each have taken on a dozen
+foreigners easily. Mr. Chetwynd is handy with his fists too, though he
+hasn't your weight and reach, and your two other friends are both pretty
+well accustomed to deal with rough customers. As for Tring and me, it
+makes one feel small to know that we have been bested by a handful of
+niggers, or Hindoos, or whatever the chaps are, whom a good sized boy of
+twelve ought to be able to polish off."
+
+"Now, Mark, what is to be done next?" Dick Chetwynd asked.
+
+"The next thing will be to get back as soon as we can, Dick. I, for one,
+have had enough of Holland to last me for a lifetime."
+
+"I am afraid, gentlemen," the Lieutenant said, "you will have to wait
+a day or two before you can leave. I have nineteen men in prison, and
+there will be a meeting of magistrates this afternoon. Now you have come
+back, Mr. Thorndyke, the charge against them won't be as serious as
+it would have been before, but they are guilty of a desperate and
+premeditated assault upon six passengers on their arrival here; they
+have already admitted that they were paid for their work; and as among
+them are some of the worst characters in the city, you may be sure that
+now we have got them fairly in our hands we shall not let them go. It is
+so simple an affair that the investigation ought not to take long, but
+we shall want to find out, if we can, who acted as the intermediary
+between the Hindoos and the prisoners. I should think that two meetings
+ought to be sufficient for the present, but I am afraid that there may
+then be a long remand, and that you will either have to remain here or
+to come over again."
+
+"It would be a horrible nuisance," Dick said; "still it would be better
+to come back again than to wait here indefinitely, and anyhow I don't
+suppose it would be necessary for all of us to come back again."
+
+"I should not mind if it could be arranged for me to be here again in a
+month's time," Mark agreed, "for, to tell you the truth, I am going to
+be married in less than three weeks, and as I had intended to come to
+Brussels, and afterwards to travel for a while, I could make a visit
+here without greatly putting myself out."
+
+"I will try and arrange that, Mr. Thorndyke."
+
+"I shall be glad," Mark said, "if you can manage to get the men
+sentenced without going into the question of the diamonds at all, and
+treat the matter as a mere attempt at robbery. It surely would not be
+necessary to bring the question of my being carried away into the matter
+at all; I can give evidence that I was knocked down and stunned, and
+that I was robbed of some jewels that I had about me, which were the
+object of the attack."
+
+"I think we should have to admit that," the Lieutenant said; "it must
+come out that the attack was an organized one."
+
+"Well, if it must, it must," Mark said reluctantly; "but then, you see,
+no end of questions would be asked, and the thing might be delayed while
+a search is being made for the men who stole the bracelet."
+
+"Well, we will keep it out of the inquiry if we can," the Lieutenant
+said. "The meeting will be at three o'clock. I will send a man to take
+you to the Town Hall."
+
+At the appointed hour the party proceeded to the court, and the eighteen
+prisoners, under a strong guard, having been brought in, six magistrates
+took their places on the bench; the rest of the court was crowded, the
+fray on the wharf and the number of captures having created quite a
+stir in the city. They had arranged that Tring should first give
+his evidence, which he did, the Lieutenant of the watch acting as
+interpreter, though most of the magistrates understood English. The
+appearance of the prisoners created quite a sensation in the court, for
+the injuries that they had received were now even more conspicuous than
+they had been when they were first captured; some of them had to be led
+into court, their eyes being completely closed, others had their heads
+bandaged, and all showed signs of tremendous punishment. Tring related
+that he, with five others, had come ashore together; one of his
+companions had a row on board a ship they had crossed in, with a
+Lascar sailor, who was a passenger, and they kept together as they were
+crossing the wharf, thinking that possibly the man might attempt to stab
+his companion.
+
+"I was walking behind him," Tring went on, "when the Lascar jumped
+suddenly out from among the men standing about, and was about to stab my
+companion, when I hit him just in time, and he went down; then there was
+a rush, and we all got separated, and did as well as we could until the
+watch came up; that is all that I know about it."
+
+"Is the Lascar among the prisoners?" one of the magistrates asked the
+Lieutenant of the watch.
+
+"No, sir, when picked up by one of my men he was found to be dead; the
+blow had apparently killed him instantly."
+
+The other five then gave their evidence; it was similar to that of
+Tring, save that being in front of him they knew nothing of the attack
+by the Lascar. All they knew about it was that there was a sudden
+rush upon them by a number of men armed with bludgeons, that they were
+separated, and that each defended himself until the guard came up.
+
+Some of the watch then gave evidence, and told how on arriving at
+the spot eleven of the prisoners were found lying senseless; how, on
+recovering, they were all taken to the watch house, where several of
+them were recognized as notoriously bad characters; they had admitted
+that they were paid to make the attack, which was apparently the result
+of the private enmity of some person or persons unknown to one or more
+of those attacked.
+
+The Lieutenant then related the steps that he had taken to capture
+others connected with the attack, and that he found eight men bearing
+marks of the fray, and that all these were also notorious characters,
+and associates of the prisoners first taken. The first witnesses were
+again questioned; five of them said that, so far as they knew, they had
+no personal enemies. Mark, who was the last to get into the witness box,
+said that he himself had no enemies, but that an uncle of his, who was
+in the British Indian service, had a sort of feud with some members of
+a sect there on account of some jewels that he had purchased, and which
+had, they declared, been stolen from a temple. Two soldiers through
+whose hands these things had passed, had been successively killed by
+them, and his uncle had to the day of his death believed that their
+vengeance would one day fall upon him.
+
+"I can only suppose," continued Mark, "that I have inherited the enmity
+they bore him, as I inherited the jewels, and that the attack was really
+designed solely against me, and the consequences might have been
+fatal to me had it not been for the strength and courage of my fellow
+passengers."
+
+"Did they come with you for your protection, Mr. Thorndyke?"
+
+"To some extent, yes. The fact is, that I have for some time been
+convinced that I was followed about by natives of India, and remembering
+what my uncle had said on the subject, I became to some degree
+apprehensive, and thought it as well to leave London for a short time.
+That this attack was really instigated by the men I have no doubt
+whatever, since, as you have heard, it was begun by a Lascar, who tried
+to stab one of my companions and who received a knockdown blow that
+caused his death from one of the others. It is a well known fact that
+these people will cherish for many years a determination to avenge any
+injury. However, I hope that after the failure of this attempt upon my
+life I shall hear no more of them."
+
+"Were any knives found on the prisoners?" the magistrates asked the
+Lieutenant of the watch.
+
+"No, sir; all carried clubs. And they told me that they had been
+especially ordered not to take knives, and had indeed been searched
+before they came out."
+
+"What impression do you gather from that, Mr. Thorndyke?"
+
+"My impression is, sir, that they desired to overpower those with me and
+to beat them down, in order to carry out their revenge upon me."
+
+After some consultation the magistrate who had before spoken said:
+
+"The prisoners will be remanded. It is necessary that we should find out
+who was the chief culprit who bribed this gang."
+
+As soon as the prisoners were taken out of court Mark slipped across to
+the magistrates, accompanied by the Lieutenant as interpreter.
+
+"I hope, gentlemen, that our presence here will not be necessary, for it
+would be a matter of extreme inconvenience. I may say that my marriage
+is fixed for today three weeks, hence you can well imagine that I want
+to return as soon as possible. Two of the men are, as you have heard,
+Bow Street officers, whose presence could not well be spared."
+
+The magistrates again consulted together.
+
+"Your evidence has all been taken down by the clerk of the court.
+Certainly we should not require your presence at the remand; but whether
+we should do so at the trial would, of course, depend upon whether these
+men all own their guilt, which, having been taken red handed, it is
+likely enough they will do. We will consent, therefore, to your leaving,
+if you will give us an undertaking to return for the trial if your
+presence is necessary, and that you will bring with you the man who
+struck down the Lascar who commenced the fray, and one of the others."
+
+"That I will do willingly," Mark replied. "We are much obliged to
+you for your consideration. I shall be traveling for a time after my
+marriage; but I will as I pass through Belgium after my marriage give
+you the route I intend to take and the address at which letters will
+find me, and if you send me a sufficiently long notice I will at once
+return for the trial."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI.
+
+
+"You managed that very well, Mark," Dick said. "You kept well within the
+limits of truth without bringing the real facts of the attack upon us
+into the case."
+
+"Well, you see, Dick, after working as a detective, one gets into the
+way of telling stories with the smallest amount of deviation possible
+from the truth. What will these fellows get done to them, Lieutenant?"
+
+"I should say that they will get two or three years imprisonment; the
+only charge now is rioting and assault. It is lucky for them that they
+had clubs instead of knives, for that would have brought the matter
+under the head of attempted murder. The matter of the gems was not
+important in the case, but there is sure to be a great fuss and search
+for the missing Indians. I suppose you will soon be off home now?"
+
+"Yes, I shall find out tonight what vessel leaves for England tomorrow,
+and take a berth in the first that sails for London. It is too late to
+think of starting this evening, and indeed I feel that I want a long
+night's rest, for I did not sleep much last night, and have not quite
+recovered from that crack on my head."
+
+On his return to the hotel Mark sent out a man to inquire at the
+shipping offices, and finding that a bark would sail at nine o'clock
+the next morning, they went down and took berths, and sailed in her next
+day. The voyage home was a rapid one, for the wind blew steadily from
+the east, and the vessel made the passage to the mouth of the river in
+two days, and the next took them up to London.
+
+"I will call round tomorrow or next day, Gibbons, with the checks for
+you both," Mark said as he prepared to go ashore.
+
+"No, sir. We are both of one mind that we could not take them. We went
+over to prevent you being robbed of those sparklers, and to see that you
+came to no harm. Well, the things are lost, and you got knocked down
+and carried away. It is no thanks to us that you are alive now. It is a
+mortifying job, that with two detectives to watch over things and with
+us to fight we should have been fairly beat by a few black niggers."
+
+"If there had been any bungling on your part, Gibbons, there might be
+something in what you say, but no one could have foreseen that before we
+had been on shore two minutes we should have been attacked in that way.
+You both did all that men could do, as was shown by the condition of
+the fellows who were taken. I was just as much separated from you as you
+were from me, and the fact that we were surprised as we were is really
+due to my not determining to stay on board until the morning, which I
+could no doubt have done with the captain's permission. It never struck
+me for a moment that we should be attacked in force. I thought it
+probable that an attempt at assassination would be made, but it
+certainly did not seem probable that it would be attempted while you
+were all with me. You are not in the slightest degree to blame, for
+your part of the agreement was carried out to my satisfaction. I shall
+certainly carry out mine, as I have arrived home safe and sound."
+
+"Well, governor, it is very good of you; but I tell you it will go
+against the grain for us to take your money."
+
+On landing, Mark parted with Dick Chetwynd, who had arranged to drop
+Mark's bag at his lodgings on his way home, and at once took a hackney
+coach to Islington. Millicent gave a cry of delight as he entered the
+room.
+
+"You are back earlier than I expected, Mark. You told me before you
+started that the wind was in the east, and that you might be a long time
+getting to Amsterdam unless it changed. I have been watching the vane on
+the church, and it has been pointing east ever since.
+
+"Well, you have sold the diamonds, I hope?" she said, after the first
+greeting was over.
+
+"No; I have bad news for you, Millicent; the jewels have been stolen."
+
+"Well it does not make much difference, Mark. We have much more than
+enough without them, so don't bother yourself in the least. How did it
+happen?"
+
+"Well, it is rather a long story. I will tell it you when Mrs.
+Cunningham is here, so as not to have to go over it twice. How are the
+dresses getting on?"
+
+"I suppose they are getting on all right," she said. "I have done
+nothing for the last two days but try them on. You see, we put them
+out to three milliners, and they all three seem to reach the same point
+together, and I start after breakfast, and it takes about two hours at
+each place. You don't know what trouble you have given me by hurrying
+things on so unreasonably."
+
+"Well, it is better to have it all done and over," he said, "than to
+have the thing hanging over you for a couple of months."
+
+"That is what Mrs. Cunningham says. Now I want to hear about your
+adventures, and I will call her down."
+
+
+"Only think, Mrs. Cunningham," Millicent said presently, with a laugh,
+after she had returned with her, "this silly boy has actually let the
+diamonds be stolen from him."
+
+
+"No, really, Millicent!"
+
+"Yes, indeed. Fancy his not being fit to be trusted to look after them!
+However, I tell him it is of no consequence. I don't know how they went.
+He would not tell me the story until you came down."
+
+"I am sorry to say it is true, Mrs. Cunningham, although I can assure
+you that I really cannot blame myself for either carelessness or
+stupidity. I knew when I started that there was a very great risk, and
+took what seemed to me every possible precaution, for in addition to
+Dick Chetwynd going with me, I took two detectives from Bow Street and
+two prize fighters."
+
+Exclamations of surprise broke from both ladies.
+
+"And yet, in spite of all that, these things were stolen," Millicent
+said. "How on earth did they do it? I should have sewn them up in my
+pockets inside my dress."
+
+"I sewed them up in the waistband of my trousers, Millicent, and yet
+they managed, in spite of us, to steal them. And now I must begin by
+telling you the whole history of those diamonds, and you will understand
+why I thought it necessary to take a strong party with me."
+
+He then told them, repeating the history the Colonel had given his
+father of the diamonds, and the conviction that he had, that he had been
+followed by Hindoos, and the instructions he had given for the disposal
+of the bracelet.
+
+"As you know," he said, "nothing happened to confirm my uncle's belief
+that there were men over here in search of the diamonds during my
+father's life, but since then I have come to the same conclusion that he
+had, and felt positive that I was being constantly followed wherever I
+went. As soon as I heard where the treasure was I began to take every
+precaution in my power. I avoided going to the bank after my first visit
+there, and, as you know, would not bring the things for you to look
+at. I got Dick Chetwynd to go there, open the case, and take out these
+diamonds. He did not bring them away with him, but fetched them from
+there the morning we started. He went down and took the passage for us
+both at the shipping office, and the pugilists and the detectives each
+took passages for themselves, so that I hoped, however closely I was
+followed, they would not learn that I was taking them to Amsterdam."
+
+"It was very wrong, Mark; very wrong indeed," Millicent broke in. "You
+had no right to run such a terrible risk; it would have been better for
+you to have taken the diamonds and thrown them into the Thames."
+
+"That would not have improved matters," he said; "the Indians would not
+have known that I had got rid of them, and would have continued their
+efforts to find them, and I should always have been in danger instead
+of getting it over once for all. However, I did not think that there was
+any danger, going over as I did, with two of the best prize fighters
+in England, to say nothing of the detectives, who were the men who
+were with me when I caught Bastow. The only danger was that I might be
+stabbed; but, as they would know, it was no use their stabbing me unless
+they could search me quietly, and that they could not do unless I was
+alone and in some lonely neighborhood, and I had made up my mind not to
+stir out unless the whole party were with me. I found out, when we got
+on board that in spite of all the precautions I had taken, they had
+discovered that I was going to sail for Amsterdam, which they could only
+have done by following Dick as well as myself. There was a dark faced
+foreign sailor, who, I had no doubt, was a Hindoo, already on board, and
+I saw another in a boat watching us start; this was unpleasant, but as
+I felt sure that they could not have known that I had with me detectives
+and pugilists, I still felt that they would be able to do nothing when I
+got to Amsterdam."
+
+Then he told them the whole story of the attack, of his being carried
+away, and of his unexpected release; of the search that had been made
+for him and the arrest of eighteen of his assailants. Millicent grew
+pale as he continued, and burst into tears when she heard of his being a
+prisoner in the hands of the Hindoos.
+
+"I shall never let you go out of my sight again, Mark!" she exclaimed
+when he had finished. "It was bad enough before when you were searching
+for that man here, and I used to be terribly anxious; but that was
+nothing to this."
+
+"Well, there is an end of it now, Millicent; the men have got the
+diamonds, and will soon be on their way to India, if they have not
+started already."
+
+"Nasty things!" she said; "I shall never like diamonds again: they will
+always remind me of the terrible danger that you have run. Isn't it
+extraordinary that for twenty years four or five men should be spending
+their lives waiting for a chance of getting them back!"
+
+"I do not expect there were so many as that; probably there was only
+one. He would have no difficulty in learning that my father had not
+received any extraordinary gems from my uncle, and probably supposed
+that they would not be taken out from wherever they might be until you
+came of age. After the death of my father he might suppose that I should
+take them out, or that, at any rate, I should go to whoever had them,
+and see that they were all right, and he then, perhaps, engaged half a
+dozen Lascars--there are plenty of them at the docks--and had me watched
+wherever I went; and, do you know, that I believe I once owed my life to
+them."
+
+"How was that, Mark?"
+
+"Well, I was captured by some fellows who suspected me to be a Bow
+Street runner, and I think that it would have gone very hard with me
+if a party of five or six prize fighters had not broken into the house,
+pretty nearly killed the men in whose hands I was, and rescued me. They
+said that they had heard of my danger from a foreign sailor who called
+at Gibbons', with whom I was in the habit of boxing, and told him about
+it. You see, until they learned where the jewels were, my life was
+valuable to them, for possibly I was the only person who knew where they
+were hidden; so really I don't think I have any reason for bearing a
+grudge against them. They saved my life in the first place, and spared
+it at what was a distinct risk to themselves. On the other hand, they
+were content with regaining the bracelet, not even, as I told you,
+taking my watch or purse. You see, with them it was a matter of
+religion. They had no animosity against me personally, but I have no
+doubt they would have stabbed me without the slightest compunction had
+there been no other way of getting the things. Still, I think that I owe
+a debt of gratitude to them rather than the reverse, and, after all, the
+loss of the bracelet is not a serious one to us."
+
+"I am glad it is gone," Millicent said. "You say it had already caused
+the death of two men, and if you had succeeded in selling it I can't
+help thinking that the money would have brought ill fortune to us. I am
+heartily glad that the diamonds are gone, Mark. I suppose they were very
+handsome?"
+
+"They were magnificent," he said. "Dick and Cotter both agreed that they
+had never seen their equal, and I fancy that they must have been worth a
+great deal more than your father valued them at."
+
+"Well, it does not matter at all. There is no history attached to the
+others, I hope, Mark?"
+
+"Not in any way, dear. They were bought, as the Colonel told my father,
+in the ordinary course of things, and some, no doubt, were obtained at
+the capture of some of the native princes' treasuries; but it was solely
+on account of this bracelet that he had any anxiety. You can wear all
+the others, if you have a fancy for keeping them, without a shadow of
+risk."
+
+"No, Mark, we will sell them every one. I don't think that I shall ever
+care to wear any jewels again; and if I am ever presented at court and
+have to do so, I would rather that you should buy some new ones fresh
+from a jeweler's shop than wear anything that has come from India."
+
+"To-morrow you shall both go to the bank with me to see them, and then I
+will take them to some first-class jeweler's and get him to value them."
+
+The visit was paid next day. Both Millicent and Mrs. Cunningham were
+somewhat disappointed at the jewels.
+
+"It is hardly fair to see them like this," Philip Cotter said. "They
+would look very different if reset. No Indian jewels I have ever seen
+show to advantage in their native settings; but many of the stones are
+very large, and without knowing anything about them I should say that
+they are worth the 50,000 pounds at which you say Colonel Thorndyke
+valued them. He was not likely to be mistaken. He was evidently a judge
+of these matters, and would hardly be likely to be far wrong."
+
+"We will go with you to the jeweler's, Mark," Millicent said. "In the
+first place, I shall not feel quite comfortable until I know that they
+are out of your hands, and in the next place I should like to hear what
+he thinks of them."
+
+"I have a number of Indian jewels that I wish you to value for me," Mark
+said, as, carrying the case, he entered the jeweler's shop. "They were
+collected by Colonel Thorndyke, an uncle of mine, during service in
+India."
+
+The jeweler took them with him into a room behind the shop. The case was
+opened, and the man took out sixty-eight small parcels it contained, and
+opened them one after the other.
+
+"I shall need a very careful examination of these before I can form any
+estimate of their value," he said, after inspecting some of the more
+important pieces of jewelry carefully. "They are a most magnificent
+collection, and had they been properly cut in the first place they would
+have been worth a very large sum. Unfortunately, the Indian princes
+think more of size than of lustre, and have their stones cut very much
+too flat to show off their full brilliancy. Some of these large ones I
+should certainly advise to be recut, for what they will lose in weight
+they will gain in beauty and value. However, sir, I will go through them
+and give you an estimate of the selling value of each piece. I need not
+say that they ought all to be reset in the prevailing fashion; but
+the gold, which is in some cases unnecessarily massive, will go some
+distance towards defraying the expense."
+
+"When shall I call again?" Mark asked.
+
+"I should be glad if you can give me a week," the jeweler said. "Some
+of the things, for instance that great pearl necklace, I could appraise
+without much difficulty, but all the gems must be taken out of their
+settings before I could form a fair idea of their value."
+
+"Then I will call in a week's time," Mark said. "I am in no particular
+hurry about them, but I would rather that they were in your care than
+mine."
+
+"Yes, if the cracksmen got word that there was such a collection as this
+in any private house it would need a couple of men with pistols to keep
+guard over them."
+
+A week later Mark again called.
+
+"I have the list ready for you, sir; you will see that they are not
+marked according to their setting, but according to their size and
+value. Thus, you see, the largest stones are priced separately; the
+smaller ones are in groups according to their weight. The total comes
+to 42,000 pounds. I do not know whether that at all equals your
+expectations. I may say that I have shown the stones to two or three of
+our principal diamond merchants, and that the prices I have put down are
+those at which they would be willing to buy them; possibly some would be
+worth more. I had the merchants here together, and they spent some hours
+going through them, and the sums put down are those at which one or
+other were willing to purchase."
+
+"It quite answers my expectations," Mark said. "My uncle's estimate,
+indeed, was somewhat higher, but doubtless he judged them at the price
+which they would fetch in India. Well, sir, I authorize you to close
+with the offers, and to dispose of them for me. I will give you a
+written authority to do so. In the meantime, I wish to buy a suite of
+jewels as a wedding present, a tiara, necklace, and bracelets; but I do
+not want any diamonds to be among them."
+
+"I am afraid I have nothing in stock without diamonds; of course, I have
+both necklaces and bracelets of almost any stones that you might select,
+but I have no complete set without diamonds; the effect would be somber,
+and few ladies would like them."
+
+"We have some unpleasant associations with diamonds," Mark said, "and
+on that point I am quite determined; but if you used pearls instead of
+diamonds the effect might be as good. I don't care whether the stones
+are emeralds or rubies; at any rate, I should like to see some, and then
+perhaps you might be able to make me a set on the same model."
+
+Several superb sets were brought in; Mark selected one of emeralds and
+diamonds.
+
+"What would be the price of this set?" he asked.
+
+"That set is 6000 pounds, sir; the stones are exceptionally fine ones;
+but if you substituted pearls of equal size for the diamonds, it would
+cost considerably less; I could not give you the exact price until it is
+made, but I should say that it would be about 4500 pounds."
+
+"Very well, then, I will take that. How long will it be making?"
+
+"I should not like to say less than three months at the earliest; it
+will require some time to collect as fine a set of emeralds as these.
+Indeed, I think that most probably I shall use these emeralds, or the
+greater part of them, and collect others to take their places at my
+leisure. I do not know whether the best plan would not be to take the
+diamonds out and substitute pearls; there would be no difficulty in
+getting them, and in that case I might have it ready for you in a
+month."
+
+"I think that will be the best plan; but you need not be in any
+particular hurry about them. My marriage will take place in less than
+a fortnight, and after that I shall probably be three or four months
+before I return to London. I will get you to keep the things until I
+come back."
+
+"I have sold the jewels, Millicent," he said, when he returned to
+Islington; "the jeweler has found purchasers for them all, and the total
+comes to 42,000 pounds."
+
+"Whatever shall we do with all our money, Mark?"
+
+"I rather wonder myself, dear. However, there is one thing, there are
+always plenty of people who will be glad to relieve us of anything that
+we don't want. I can tell you that in the course of my search for Bastow
+I have seen an amount of poverty and misery such as I never dreamt of,
+and I certainly should like to do something to relieve it. The best
+thing that I know of would be to give a handsome sum to three or four
+of the great hospitals. I don't know of any better means of helping the
+very poor."
+
+"Suppose, Mark," the girl said, putting her hand on his arm, "we give
+this 42,000 pounds as a thank offering. We never expected to get it,
+and my father's jewels have nearly cost you your life. We have such an
+abundance without that, I should like, above all things, to give this
+money away."
+
+"I think that is an excellent plan, Millicent, and a very happy thought
+on your part. We cannot do it now, as we have not yet got the money, but
+as soon as we do we will send off checks for 10,000 guineas each to St.
+Bartholomew's, Guy's, and St. Thomas'--those are the three principal
+ones; the others we can settle afterwards. But I should say that the
+Foundling would be as good as any, and I believe that they are rather
+short of funds at present; then there is the London Mendicity Society,
+and many other good charities. Perhaps it would be better to divide the
+whole among eight of them instead of four; but we need not settle that
+until we return."
+
+"Do you think we shall have to go to this horrid Amsterdam, Mark?"
+
+"I hope not, dear; but I shall no doubt hear from the Lieutenant of the
+watch during the next week or ten days."
+
+When the letter came it was satisfactory. The prisoners, seeing the
+hopelessness of any defense, had all admitted their guilt, and the name
+of the man who had dealt with them had also been given up. Except in his
+case there would be no trial. The others would have sentences passed
+on them at once, and three, who had been promised comparatively slight
+punishment, would go into the box to give evidence against the man
+who had engaged them. Before starting for Holland Mark had consulted
+Millicent as to whether she would prefer being married in London or at
+Crowswood. She had replied:
+
+"I should greatly prefer Crowswood, Mark. Here we know no one, there we
+should be among all our friends; certainly if we don't go we must get
+Mr. Greg to come up and marry us here. I am sure he would feel very
+disappointed if anyone else were asked. At the same time I should not
+like to go home. When we come back from our trip it will be different;
+but it would be a great trial now, and however happy we might be, I
+should feel there was a gloom over the house."
+
+"I quite agree with you, Millicent. When we come back we can see about
+entirely refurnishing it, and, perhaps, adding some rooms to it, and we
+need not go down until a complete change has been made. We shall be able
+to manage it somehow or other, and I quite agree with you that anything
+will be better than going back to the house for a day or two before the
+wedding."
+
+On the voyage back from Holland Mark had talked the matter over with
+Dick Chetwynd, and said that he thought of taking rooms for Mrs.
+Cunningham and Millicent at Reigate, and stopping at the hotel himself,
+and having the wedding breakfast there.
+
+"Of course, Dick, you will be my best man."
+
+"I should think so," Dick laughed. "Why, if you had asked anyone else
+I should have made a personal matter of it with him, and have given
+him the option of resigning the position or going out with me. But your
+other plans are foolish, and I shall take the matter into my own hands;
+I shall insist upon the two ladies coming down to the Park, and I will
+get my aunt to come and preside generally over things. I shall fill up
+the house with bridesmaids, and shall have a dance the evening before.
+You can put up at the hotel if you like, but you know very well that
+there are a dozen houses where they will be delighted to have you; there
+is no doubt that when they know what is coming off you will get a dozen
+invitations, and then after church all those invited will drive off to
+the Park to the wedding breakfast. After that is over you can start in a
+post chaise to Canterbury or Dover, wherever you may decide to make your
+first halt."
+
+"But, my dear Dick, I could not put you to all this trouble!"
+
+"Nonsense, man. I should enjoy it immensely; besides, I shall be really
+glad of a good reason to try and open the doors of the Park again. I
+have been there very little since my father's death, and I think I shall
+make it my headquarters in future. I am getting rather tired of bachelor
+life in London, and must look out for a wife; so nothing could be more
+appropriate than this idea. Don't bother yourself any further about
+it. I shall ride down and establish myself there tomorrow, and spend
+a couple of days in driving round to our friends and in sending out
+invitations. I shall still have nearly a fortnight for making
+all preparations. Why, it will cause quite an excitement in the
+neighborhood! I shall be hailed as a benefactor, and I shall let
+everyone know that your father's ward was really your cousin, but that
+by the will of her father she was to drop her surname until she came of
+age; and that until that time your father was to have the entire control
+of the property. I shall add that although the estate, of course, is
+hers, your uncle has left you a very big fortune, and that nothing could
+be more suitable in all respects than the marriage."
+
+"That will do excellently, Dick; that will be quite enough, without
+going into details at all. You can mention that we intend to have the
+house entirely refurnished, and on the return from our wedding trip
+abroad to settle there. I am sure I am extremely obliged to you for your
+offer, which will certainly clear away all sorts of small difficulties."
+
+A day or two after his return Mark wrote to Mr. Greg telling him the
+relations in which Millicent and he stood to each other, and of the near
+approach of their marriage. He said that Millicent would be married from
+Dick Chetwynd's, but that it would be at Crowswood church. In return he
+received a warm letter of congratulation from the Rector, telling him
+that the news was in every respect delightful, and that his wife and
+the children were in a state of the highest excitement, not only at the
+marriage, but at their coming down to reside again at Crowswood.
+
+"The village," he said, "will be scarcely less pleased than I am, for
+though everything goes on as you ordered, and the people get their milk,
+broths, and jellies as before, they don't look at it as the same thing
+as it was in the old days. I cannot say that the news of your engagement
+to Miss Conyers--I ought to say Miss Thorndyke--is surprising, for I had
+thought that it would be quite the natural thing for you to fall in love
+with each other, and, indeed, my wife declares that she saw it coming
+on distinctly during the last few months before you left here. Your
+postscript saying that Bastow had been captured and had committed
+suicide gave me a distinct feeling of relief, for no one could tell
+whether the deadly enmity that he felt for your father might not extend
+to you. I have cut this note rather short, but I have just heard the
+door shut, and I am quite sure that my wife has gone down to tell the
+good news in the village, and I really cannot deny myself the pleasure
+of telling some of the people myself, and seeing their faces brighten up
+at the news."
+
+As Dick had foretold would be the case, Mark received a very warm
+letter from Sir Charles Harris, congratulating him upon his approaching
+marriage, and insisting upon his taking up his quarters with him.
+
+"I am sending a man down with this to hand it to the guard as the up
+coach goes through the town. Chetwynd told me that his call on me was
+the first he had paid, so I feel fairly confident that I shall forestall
+the rest of your friends, and that you will give me the pleasure of your
+company."
+
+Mark wrote back accepting the invitation at once, which enabled him to
+decline half a dozen others without the necessity of making a choice.
+Everything turned out as arranged. Millicent and Mrs. Cunningham went
+down in a post chaise, two days before the wedding, and Mark drove down
+in his gig with them. Dick Chetwynd met them on horseback just outside
+Reigate, and escorted the ladies to his house, Mark driving on to that
+of Sir Charles Harris. Millicent found the house full of her special
+friends, whom she had asked to be her bridesmaids. She was almost
+bewildered by the warmth of their welcome, and overpowered by the
+questions poured upon her.
+
+"The news quite took all our breath away, Millicent," one of them said.
+"It seems extraordinary that you should have been Miss Thorndyke all the
+time, though I don't think that any of us were at all surprised that you
+should take the name now; you must have been surprised when you heard
+that you were the heiress of Crowswood."
+
+"I was a great deal more disgusted than surprised," she said rather
+indignantly. "I did not think that it was fair at all that I should step
+into Mark's shoes."
+
+"Well, it has all come right now, Millicent, and I dare say you thought
+that it would, even then."
+
+"I can assure you that I did not; quite the contrary, I thought that it
+never would come right. I was very unhappy about it for a time."
+
+"Now, young ladies," Dick Chetwynd laughed, "will you please take Mrs.
+Cunningham and Miss Thorndyke up to their rooms? I don't suppose I shall
+see any more of you before dinner time; there are those trunks to be
+opened and examined, talked over, and admired. Mind, I have fifteen
+more, for the most part men, coming to dinner, so those of you who
+aspire to follow Miss Thorndyke's example had best prepare yourselves
+for conquest."
+
+The ball on the following evening was a great success. Dick had
+determined that it should be a memorable one, and there was a consensus
+of opinion that it was the most brilliant that had taken place in that
+part of the country for many years.
+
+Crowswood church and village presented a most festive appearance on
+the following day; there was not a cottage that had not great posies of
+flowers in its windows, and that had not made some sort of attempt
+at decoration with flags or flowers. A huge arch of evergreens, with
+sheaves of wheat and flowers, had been erected on the top of the hill,
+and every man, woman, and child turned out in their best, and cheered
+lustily, first, when Mark drove up in his gig, and equally lustily when
+the Chetwynd carriage, drawn by four gray horses, dashed up, preceded
+by a large number of others with the bridesmaids and friends. The church
+was already crowded, and Mr. Greg was visibly moved at seeing the son
+and niece of the man to whom he owed his living made man and wife.
+When the wedding breakfast, at which more than fifty sat down, and
+the necessary toasts were over, Mr. and Mrs. Thorndyke started for
+Canterbury.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII.
+
+
+It was not until Easter that Mark Thorndyke and his wife returned to
+England. They had spent the greater portion of that time in Italy,
+lingering for a month at Venice, and had then journeyed quietly
+homewards through Bavaria and Saxony; They were in no hurry, as before
+starting on their honeymoon Mark had consulted an architect, had told
+him exactly what he wanted, and had left the matter in his hands. Mrs.
+Cunningham had from time to time kept them informed how things were
+going on. The part of the house in which the Squire's room had been
+situated was entirely pulled down, and a new wing built in its stead.
+Millicent had been specially wishful that this should be done.
+
+"I don't know that I am superstitious, Mark," she had said, "but I do
+think that when a murder has taken place in a house it is better to make
+a complete change. The servants always think they see or hear something.
+That part of the house is avoided, and it is difficult to get anyone to
+stay there. I think it is very much more important to do that than it
+is to get the house refurnished; we can do anything in that way you
+like when we get back, but I should certainly like very much to have the
+great alteration made before we return."
+
+The architect was a clever one, and the house, which was some two
+hundred years old, was greatly improved in appearance by the new wing,
+which was made to harmonize well with the rest, but was specially
+designed to give as much variety as possible to the general outline.
+Millicent uttered an exclamation of pleasure when they first caught a
+glimpse of the house. As they rode through the village they were again
+welcomed as heartily as they were on their wedding day. Mrs. Cunningham
+received them; she had been established there for a month, and had
+placed the house entirely on its old footing. They first examined the
+new portion of the house, and Millicent was greatly pleased with the
+rooms that had been prepared for them, Mark having requested Mrs.
+Cunningham to put the furnishing into the hands of the best known firm
+of the day.
+
+"I have asked," Mrs. Cunningham said, "the Rector and his wife and
+Mr. Chetwynd to dine with us this evening; they can scarcely be termed
+company, and I thought that you might find it pleasant to have these old
+friends here the first evening. There is a letter for you on the library
+table, Mark; it may almost be called a packet; it has been here nearly a
+month."
+
+In our days a newly married couple would find on their return from
+foreign travel basketfuls of letters, circulars, and catalogues from
+tradesmen of all kinds; happily, our forefathers were saved from these
+inflictions, and Mark at once went to the library with almost a feeling
+of surprise as to who could have written to him. He saw at once that
+it was a ship's letter, for on the top was written, "Favored by the
+Surinam."
+
+"Why, it is Ramoo's writing. I suppose he gave it to someone he knew,
+and that instead of its being put in the mail bag in India, he brought
+it on with him. What a tremendously long epistle!" he exclaimed,
+glancing his eye down the first page, and then a puzzled expression came
+across his face; he sat down and began to read from the first slowly and
+carefully.
+
+"HONORED SAHIB:
+
+"I do not know why I should write to tell you the true history of all
+these matters. I have thought it over many times, but I feel that it
+is right that you should know clearly what has happened, and how it has
+come about, and more especially that you should know that you need never
+fear any troubles such as those that have taken place. I am beginning
+to write this while we are yet sailing, and shall send it to you by
+ship from the Cape, or if it chances that we meet any ship on her way to
+England, our letters may be put on board her."
+
+"Why, this letter must be more than a year old," Mark said to himself.
+There was no date to the letter, but, turning to the last sheet, he saw
+as a postscript after the signature the words, "January 26th.--A ship,
+the Surinam, is lying a short distance from us, and will take our
+letters to England."
+
+"Yes, it must be a year old; but what he means by the way he begins is
+more than I can imagine;" and he turned back to the point at which he
+had broken off.
+
+"I would tell it you in order as it happened. I, Ramoo, am a Brahmin.
+Twenty years ago I was the head priest of a great temple. I shall not
+say where the temple was; it matters not in any way. There was fighting,
+as there is always fighting in India. There were Company's Sepoys and
+white troops, and one night the most sacred bracelet of the great god of
+our temple was stolen."
+
+"Good Heavens!" Mark exclaimed, laying down the letter. "Then it has
+been Ramoo who has all this time been in pursuit of the diamonds; and to
+think that my uncle never even suspected him!"
+
+Then suddenly he continued, "now I understand why it was my life was
+spared by those fellows. By Jove, this is astounding!" Then he took up
+the letter again.
+
+"Two of the Brahmins under me had observed, at a festival the day before
+the bracelet was lost, a white soldier staring at it with covetous eyes.
+One of them was in charge of the temple on the night when it was stolen,
+and on the day following he came to me, and said, 'I desire to devote my
+life to the recovery of the jewels of the god. Bondah will go with me;
+we will return no more until we bring them back.' 'It is good,' I said;
+'the god must be appeased, or terrible misfortunes may happen.' Then we
+held a solemn service in the temple. The two men removed the caste marks
+from their foreheads, prostrated themselves before the god, and went
+out from amongst us as outcasts until the day of their death. Two months
+later a messenger came from the one who had spoken to me, saying that
+they had found the man, but had for a long time had no opportunity of
+finding the bracelet. Then Bondah had met him in a lonely place, and
+had attacked him. Bondah had lost his life, but the soldier was, though
+sorely wounded, able to get back to his regiment. He had died, but he
+had, the writer was convinced, passed the jewels on to a comrade, whom
+he would watch. Then I saw that one man was not sufficient for such a
+task. Then I, too, the Chief Brahmin of the temple, saw that it was my
+duty to go forth also.
+
+"I laid the matter before the others, and they said, 'You are right; it
+is you who, as the chief in the service of the god, should bring back
+his jewels.' So again there was a service, and I went forth as an
+outcast and a wanderer, knowing that I must do many things that were
+forbidden to my caste; that I must touch unclean things, must eat
+forbidden food, and must take life if needs be. You, sahib, cannot
+understand how terrible was the degradation to me, who was of the purest
+blood of the Brahmins. I had taken the most solemn vows to devote my
+life to this. I knew that, whether successful or not, although I might
+be forgiven my offense by the god, yet that never again could I recover
+my caste, even though the heaviest penances were performed. Henceforth,
+I must stand alone in the world, without kindred, without friends,
+without help, save such as the god might give me in the search.
+
+"I was rich. The greater part of my goods I gave to the temple, and yet
+retained a considerable sum, for I should need money to carry out my
+quest, and after I had accomplished it I should hand over what remained
+for the benefit of the poor. I should myself become a fakir. I want you
+to understand, sahib, that henceforth I had but one object in life, a
+supreme one, to accomplish, in which nothing must stand in my way, and
+that what would be in others a crime was but a sacrifice on my part,
+most acceptable to the god. I journeyed down to the place where my
+comrade was, dressed as one of the lowest class, even as a sweeper, and
+he and I strove by all the means in our power to discover what this man
+had done with the jewels. Night after night we crawled into his tent. We
+searched his bed and his clothes. With sharp rods we tried every inch of
+the soil, believing that he had hidden the diamonds underground, but we
+failed.
+
+"There my comrade said, 'I must give my life to find out where he hides
+these things. I will watch night after night by the door of his tent,
+and if he comes out I will stab him; it shall be a mortal wound, but
+I will not kill him outright. Before he dies he will doubtless, as the
+other did, pass the jewels on to some comrade, and then it will be for
+you to follow him up.' 'It is good,' I said. 'This man may have hidden
+them away somewhere during the time they have marched through the
+country. In spite of the watch you have kept he may have said to
+himself, "I will return, though it be years hence." Your plan is good,'
+I said. 'I envy you. 'Tis better to die thus than to live in sin as we
+are doing.'
+
+"That evening the man was stabbed, but an officer running up killed my
+comrade. The soldier was taken to the hospital, and I lay down beside
+the tent with my eye to a slit that I had cut, and watched till morning.
+
+"Then I took my broom and swept the ground. I had not been hired as one
+of the camp sweepers, and so could move about and sweep where I chose.
+No one ever asked me any questions. The soldiers heeded me no more than
+if I had been a dog, and, of course, supposed that I was acting by the
+order of the head of the sweepers. Presently I saw one of the servants
+of the hospital go across to the tent of the officer who had killed my
+comrade. He came over and went into the hospital tent. I felt sure that
+it was the wounded man who had sent for him. He was in there some time.
+Presently a soldier came out and went to the tent of the wounded man,
+and returned bringing a musket. Then I said to myself, 'The god has
+blinded us. He wills that we shall go through many more toils before we
+regain the bracelet.' Doubtless the man had carried the bracelet in his
+musket all the time, and we, blind that we were, had never thought of
+it.
+
+"Presently the officer came out again. I noticed that as he did so he
+looked round on all sides as if to see if he were watched. Then I knew
+that it was as I had thought: the soldier had given the bracelet to him.
+At this I was pleased; it would be far more easy to search the tent of
+an officer than of a soldier, who sleeps surrounded by his comrades. I
+thought that there was no hurry now; it would need but patience, and
+I should be sure to find them. I had not calculated that he would
+have better opportunities than the soldier for going about, and that,
+doubtless, the soldier had warned him of his danger. Two hours later the
+officer mounted his horse and rode towards the camp of another regiment,
+a mile and a quarter away. There was nothing in that; but I watched for
+his return all that day and all that night, and when he did not come
+back, I felt that he was doing something to get rid of the diamonds.
+
+"He was away three days, and when he returned I was almost sure that he
+had not the diamonds about him. As he had ridden off he had looked about
+just as he had when he left the hospital: he was uneasy, just as if he
+was watched; now he was uneasy no longer. Then I knew that my search
+would be a long one, and might fail altogether. I went away, and for
+three months I prayed and fasted; then I returned. I bought different
+clothes, I painted my forehead with another caste mark, then I bought
+from the servant of an officer in another regiment his papers of
+service: recommendations from former masters. Then I went to the
+officer--you will guess, sahib, that it was the Major, your uncle--and I
+paid his servant to leave his service, and to present me as a brother
+of his who had been accustomed to serve white sahibs, and was, like
+himself, a good servant; so I took his place.
+
+"He was a good master, and I came to love him, though I knew that I
+might yet have to kill him. You have heard that I saved his life three
+times; I did so partly because I loved him, but chiefly because his life
+was most precious to me, for if he had died I should have lost all clew
+to the bracelet. I had, of course, made sure that he had not got
+them with him; over and over again I searched every article in his
+possession. I ripped open his saddle lest they might be sewn up in its
+stuffing. All that could be done I did, until I was quite sure that he
+had not got them. He, on his part, came to like me. He thought that I
+was the most faithful of servants, and after the last time I saved his
+life he took me with him everywhere. He went down to Madras, and was
+married there. I watched his every movement. After that he went down
+frequently. Then a child was born, and six months afterwards his wife
+died.
+
+"The regiment was stationed at the fort. At that time he was at many
+places--the governor's, the other officer sahibs', the merchants', and
+others'. I could not follow him, but I was sure by his manner that he
+had not taken back the bracelet from whoever he had sent it to. I knew
+him so well by this time that I should have noticed any change in his
+manner in a moment. At last the child went away in the charge of
+Mrs. Cunningham. I bribed the child's ayah, and she searched Mrs.
+Cunningham's boxes and every garment she had, and found no small sealed
+parcel or box amongst them. Three years more passed. By this time the
+Colonel treated me more as a friend than as a servant. He said one day,
+laughing, 'It is a long time since my things have been turned topsy
+turvy, Ramoo. I think the thieves have come to the conclusion that I
+have not got what they are looking for.' 'What is that, sahib?' I asked.
+'Some special jewels,' he said. 'They are extremely valuable. But I have
+got them and a lot of other things so safely stowed that no one will
+ever find them unless I give them the clew.' 'But suppose you are
+killed, sahib,' I said; 'your little daughter will never get the
+things.' 'I have provided for that,' he answered. 'If I am killed I have
+arranged that she shall know all about it either when she comes to the
+age of eighteen or twenty-one.'
+
+"A few weeks after that he was wounded very badly. I nursed him night
+and day for weeks, and when he came to England he brought me with him.
+As you know, sahib, he died. When he was in London he went to see Mrs.
+Cunningham and the child, and several times to the office of the lawyer
+who attended your father's funeral. Then he came down to your father,
+and I know he had long and earnest conversations with him. I did all I
+could to listen, but the Colonel always had the windows and doors shut
+before he began to speak. I could see that your father was troubled.
+Then the Colonel died. After his death I could never find his snuff box;
+he had carried it about with him for some years; once or twice I had
+examined it, but it was too small for the diamonds to be hidden in. I
+suppose that he had given it to the sahib, your father, but as I could
+never find it I guessed that there was some mystery attached to it,
+though what I could not tell.
+
+"Then your father took me down to Crowswood with him, and Mrs.
+Cunningham and the little girl came down. I was surprised to find that
+your father seemed to be master of the estate, and that no one thought
+anything of the child, whose name had been changed. I spoke one day to
+Mrs. Cunningham about it; your father seemed to me a just and good man,
+and I could not believe that he was robbing his brother's daughter. Mrs.
+Cunningham told me that the Colonel did not wish her to be known as an
+heiress, and that he had left the estate to his brother until she came
+of age. Your father was as good a master as the Colonel had been.
+I watched and watched, and once or twice I overheard him talking to
+himself in the library, and discovered that your father himself was
+altogether ignorant of the hiding place of the property that the Colonel
+had mentioned in his will. I knew then that I should have to wait until
+the child was either eighteen or twenty-one.
+
+"It was a long time, but I had learnt to be patient. I was not unhappy;
+I loved your father, I loved the Colonel's little daughter; and I was
+very fond of you. All these things were small to me in comparison to my
+vow and the finding the jewels of the god, but they shortened the years
+of waiting. Then a year before the young mistress was eighteen came the
+shot through the window. I did not know who had fired it, but I saw that
+your father's life was in danger, and I said to myself, 'He will tell
+the young sahib what he knows about the bracelet.' After you had gone
+into the library I opened the door quietly, and listened. I could hear
+much that was said, but not all. I heard him say something about a snuff
+box, and some means of finding the lost things being hidden in it, and
+that he had kept them all these years in a secret hiding place, which he
+described. You were to search for the diamonds, and I guessed from that
+that he did not know what he was to be told when the young memsahib came
+of age, or perhaps when she was eighteen. It was not until I had thought
+over what I heard that I came to the conclusion that if I could find the
+things he spoke of I might be able to find the jewels. By that time your
+father had gone to bed. I was foolish not to have been patient, but
+my blood boiled after waiting for eighteen or nineteen years. The god
+seemed to have sent me the chance, and it seemed to me that I should
+take it at once. I knew that he generally slept with his window open,
+and it seemed to me that it would be easy to slip in there and to get
+those things from the cabinet. I knew where the ladder was kept. I took
+a file from the tool chest and cut the chain."
+
+Here Mark dropped the letter in horror.
+
+"Good Heavens!" he exclaimed. "Then Bastow spoke truly, and he was not
+my father's murderer! Never did a single suspicion of Ramoo enter my
+head. This is appalling; but I cannot read any more now. It is time for
+me to go and dress for dinner."
+
+"Is anything the matter with you, Mark?" Millicent asked anxiously, as
+she met him in the drawing room; "you look as white as a sheet."
+
+"I have been reading Ramoo's letter, and he has told me some things that
+have surprised and shocked me. I will tell you about them after dinner,
+dear. It is a long story, but you won't have to wait until Dick and the
+Gregs are gone. They are interested in all that interests us, and shall
+hear the letter read. No; I think I will ask them and Dick to come in
+the morning. I should not like anything to sadden the first evening of
+our coming home."
+
+"Then it is something sad."
+
+"Yes, but it does not affect us, though it does affect Ramoo. Now clear
+your brow, dear, and dismiss the subject from your mind, else our guests
+will fancy that our marriage has not been altogether so satisfactory as
+they had hoped."
+
+"As if they could think such a thing as that, Mark," she said
+indignantly. "But there is the sound of wheels; it is Mr. Chetwynd's
+gig."
+
+The three visitors all came in together, having met at the door. Mark,
+with a great effort, put aside the letter from his mind, and a cheerful
+evening was spent. They had much to tell of their travels, many
+questions to ask about the parish and their mutual friends and the
+neighborhood generally, and when they rose to go Mark said:
+
+"Would you mind riding over again tomorrow morning, Dick? I have a
+letter to read to you that will interest you greatly."
+
+"Certainly. What time shall I be here?"
+
+"Say at eleven o'clock. It is a long epistle, and will take us an hour
+to get through; after that we can stroll round, and, of course, you will
+stop to lunch.
+
+"I should be glad if you and Mrs. Greg can come over too," he added,
+turning to the Rector; "you will be much interested also in the matter."
+
+
+The next day the party met in the library at the hour named. "I may tell
+you, Mr. Greg, that I specially asked you and your wife here because
+this letter throws some light on Arthur Bastow's connection with my
+father's murder; you were friends with his father, and I think you ought
+to know. As to you, Dick, the letter will interest you from beginning to
+end, and will surprise as much as it will interest you."
+
+"Even I don't know what it is, Mrs. Greg," Millicent said. "I know it
+quite upset Mark yesterday, but he said he would sooner I did not know
+anything about it until today, as he did not want me to be saddened on
+the first evening of our return home. Now, please go on, Mark; you have
+said quite enough to excite us all."
+
+Mark had read but a short distance when Dick Chetwynd exclaimed:
+
+"Then Ramoo was at the bottom of that Indian business, after all. I
+almost wonder you never suspected it, Mark."
+
+"Well, I hardly could do so," Mark said, "when my uncle was so fond of
+him, and he had served him so faithfully."
+
+As he approached the point at which he had laid down the letter on the
+previous evening, Millicent's color faded.
+
+Suddenly an exclamation of horror broke from her when he read the last
+line.
+
+"Oh, Mark," she said, with quivering lips, "don't say it was Ramoo. He
+always seemed so kind and good."
+
+"It was here I stopped last night," he said, "but I fear there can be no
+doubt about it. I must say that it is evident from this letter, that
+no thought of doing my father harm was in his mind when he placed that
+ladder against the window. Now I will go on."
+
+The letter continued as follows:
+
+"Having placed the ladder, I clambered to the window and quietly entered
+the room. It was quite dark, but I knew the place of every piece of
+furniture so well that I was able to go without hesitation to the
+cabinet. Your father was speaking very slowly and distinctly when he
+told you how it was to be opened, and I was able to do it easily, but
+I did not know that the back opened with a sharp click, and the noise
+startled me and woke your father. In an instant he was out of bed and
+seized me by the throat. Now, he was a much stronger man than I was. I
+struggled in vain. I felt that in a moment I should become insensible;
+my vow and my duty to the god flashed across me, and scarce knowing what
+I did, I drew a little dagger I always carried, and struck blindly.
+He fell, and I fell beside him. For a time I was insensible. When I
+recovered I was seized with the bitterest remorse that I had killed one
+I loved, but I seemed to hear the voice of the god saying, 'You have
+done well, Ramoo. I am your great master, and you are bound to my
+service.'
+
+"I got up almost blindly, felt in the cabinet, and found a coin and a
+piece of paper, and a feeling of exultation came over me that, after
+nearly twenty years, I should succeed in carrying out my vow and taking
+his bracelet back to the god. I descended the ladder, crept in the back
+door by which I had come out, went up to my room, where I had kept a
+light burning, and examined my treasures. Then I saw that all had been
+in vain. They were doubtless a key to the mystery, but until a clew was
+given they were absolutely useless. I sat for hours staring at them. I
+would have gone back and replaced them in the cabinet and left all as
+it had been before, but I dared not enter the room again. The next day I
+heard you say that you suspected that the talk with your father had been
+overheard, and that the man who had earlier in the evening before shot
+at him had returned, and while listening had heard something said about
+the hiding place, and thought that he would find some sort of treasure
+there. I thought that in the talk your father might have told you how
+to use these things, though I had not caught it, and it was therefore
+important that you should have them back again, so I went into the room
+after the inquest was over, and placed the things in their hiding place
+again.
+
+"Then, thinking it over, I determined to leave your service. You would
+be trying to find the treasure, and I must watch you, and this I could
+not do as long as I was a house servant; so I came up to London, and you
+thought I had sailed for India, but I did not go. I hired four Lascars,
+men of my own religion, and paid them to watch every movement that you
+made, to see where you visited and where you went. I paid them well,
+and they served me well; it was so that I was able to bring those men
+to your help when but for that you would have lost your life. It was for
+this to some extent that I had you followed; for I soon found out that
+you were on the search for the man who had fired through the window, and
+who you believed had killed your father, rather than for the jewels. I
+knew that you might run into danger, and partly because I loved you, and
+partly because it was possible that it would be essential for that coin
+and piece of paper to be produced in order that the treasure might be
+obtained, I kept guard over you.
+
+"When the 18th of August approached we were all on the watch. I felt
+sure that you would take every possible precaution while you had the
+bracelet in your possession. We knew who were your principal friends,
+the banker's son and Mr. Chetwynd. On the 18th of August everything went
+on as usual. On the following day the banker's son came to you, and as
+soon as he left you, you went to the lawyer's, and afterwards to the
+banker's. I felt sure now that it was at that bank that the jewels had
+been placed, and that you had been waiting till the young memsahib's
+birthday for the news that they might be taken out; then you went to Mr.
+Chetwynd's, and he went to the bank. I had no doubt that he was to take
+them out for you, and after that one of the men never took his eyes off
+him when he was outside of his house. Afterwards you went to the place
+where the men used to fight, and the man who was watching you went in,
+and had beer, and saw you talking with the big man you used to fight
+with, in the parlor behind the bar. The watcher went out to follow you,
+but left another to watch this man. We found that both Mr. Chetwynd and
+he went to a shipping office in Tower Street, and we then guessed that
+you intended to take the bracelet at once across the sea.
+
+"I went myself and found out that a vessel was sailing in two days to
+Amsterdam. I took a passage for a man in the cheap cabin, and asked to
+look at the list of passengers, as I believed that some friend would
+be sailing by her; there were two men's names down together in one
+handwriting among the first class passengers, and I guessed that these
+were you and Mr. Chetwynd. I also saw the name of the big man, which I
+had heard long before, down in the list of passengers, and another
+name next to his in the same handwriting. I did not know his name, but
+guessed that it was another of the fighting men, and that they were
+going to look after you until you had got rid of the diamonds. On the
+morning that she was to sail one of the Lascars was on board; I thought
+it possible that in order to throw anyone who might be following you off
+your scent you might at the last moment go ashore, and that Mr. Chetwynd
+might take the diamonds over, so I watched, and saw you on the deck with
+your friend.
+
+"I and the other three Lascars then took passage that evening in a craft
+for Rotterdam, and got to Amsterdam two days before your ship arrived;
+we went to different houses, and going separately into the worst parts
+of the town, soon found a man who kept a gambling den, and who was a
+man who could be trusted. I offered him a thousand francs to collect
+twenty-five men, who were to be paid a hundred francs each, and to be
+ready, if your ship arrived after dark, to attack two passengers I would
+point out to them. I did not want you to be hurt, so bargained that all
+knives were to be left behind, and that he was to supply the men only
+with clubs. If the ship came in in daylight you were to be attacked the
+first time you went out after dark. You know how that was carried out.
+You had two more men with you than I had expected; but I thought that
+with a sudden rush you might all be separated. You know the rest. The
+moment you were knocked down I and three others carried you to a boat.
+It had been lying near the stairs, and we took you off to the barge in
+which I had arranged you should be taken to Rotterdam.
+
+"We told them that you were a drunken man who had been stunned in a
+fight in a public house. As soon as we were off, I searched you and
+found the diamonds. Then, as you know, we put you ashore. We all
+crossed to England that night. Two days later I sailed in this ship, the
+Brahmapootra. I am not afraid of telling you this, because I know that
+the diamonds will not shine on the god's arm until all fear of search
+and inquiry are over. My task will be done when I hand them over to the
+man who holds the office I once held; then I shall bear the penances
+imposed on me for having broken my caste in every way, and for having
+taken life, and for the rest of my days I shall wander as a fakir
+through India. I shall be supported by the knowledge that I have done my
+duty to my god, and have sacrificed all in his service, but it will ever
+be a grief to me that in so doing it was necessary to sacrifice the life
+of one who had ever shown me kindness. You may wonder why I have written
+this, but I felt that I must own the truth to you, and that you should
+know that if in the course of my duty to the god it was my misfortune
+to slay your father, I have twice saved your life, just as three times I
+saved that of the Colonel Sahib, your uncle."
+
+There was silence for some little time after Mark had finished reading.
+
+"It is a strange story indeed," Mr. Greg said, "but it is not for us
+to judge the man. He has acted according to his lights, and none can do
+more. He sacrificed himself and his life solely to the service of his
+god, well knowing that even were he successful, his reward would be
+penance and suffering, and a life of what cannot but be misery to a
+man brought up, as he has been, to consider himself of the highest and
+holiest rank of the people. I think, Mark, we need neither say nor think
+anything harshly of him."
+
+"Certainly not," Mark agreed. "I can understand that according to his
+view of the matter anything that stood between him and his goal was but
+an obstacle to be swept aside; assuredly there was no premeditation in
+the killing of my father. I have no doubt that the man was attached to
+him, and that he killed him not to save his own life, but in order that
+his mission might be carried out."
+
+"Quite so, Mark; it was done in the same spirit, if I may say so, that
+Abraham would have sacrificed his son at the order of his God. What
+years of devotion that man has passed through! Accustomed, as you see,
+to a lofty position, to the respect and veneration of those around him,
+he became a servant, and performed duties that were in his opinion not
+only humiliating, but polluting and destructive to his caste, and which
+rendered him an outcast even among the lowest of his people. Do you not
+think so, Mrs. Thorndyke?"
+
+Millicent, who was crying quietly, looked up.
+
+"I can only think of him as the man who twice saved Mark's life," she
+said.
+
+"I understand why you have wished to tell me this story," the Rector
+went on to Mark. "You wish me to know that Arthur Bastow did not add
+this to his other crimes; that he was spared from being the murderer of
+your father, but from no want of will on his part; and, as we know, he
+killed many others, the last but an hour or two before he put an end to
+his own life; still I am glad that this terrible crime is not his. It
+seemed to be so revolting and unnatural. It was the Squire's father who
+had given the living to his father, and the Squire himself had been his
+friend in the greatest of his trials, and had given him a shelter and a
+home in his old age. I am glad, at least, that the man, evil as he was,
+was spared this last crime of the grossest ingratitude."
+
+"Well, Mark," Dick Chetwynd said cheerfully, in order to turn the
+subject, "I am heartily glad that we have got to the bottom of this
+jewel mystery. I have been puzzling over it all the time that you have
+been away, and I have never been able to understand how, in spite of
+the precautions that we took, they should have found out that the jewels
+were at Cotter's, and that you had them on board with you, and, above
+all, why they spared your life when they could so easily and safely
+have put you out of the way. It is certainly strange that while you were
+thinking over everything connected with the jewels, the idea that Ramoo
+was the leading spirit in the whole business should never once have
+occurred to you."
+
+A month later, when Mark went up to town, he called at Leadenhall
+Street.
+
+"Of course, you have not heard of the arrival of the Brahmapootra at
+Madras yet. May I ask when she left the Cape?"
+
+"She never left the Cape, sir," the clerk replied, "and there are very
+grave fears for her safety. She spoke the Surinam and gave her mails
+for England when the latter was eight days out from the Cape, and the
+Surinam reported that a day later she encountered a terrible gale, lost
+several spars, and narrowly escaped being blown onto the African coast.
+Since then we have had no news of the Brahmapootra. A number of Indiamen
+have arrived since; the latest came in only yesterday, and up to the
+time when she left no news had been received of the ship. Three small
+craft had been sent up the coast weeks before to make inquiries for her,
+but had returned without being able to obtain any intelligence, and had
+seen no wreckage on the coast, although they had gone several hundred
+miles beyond where she had spoken the Surinam, therefore there can be
+little doubt that she foundered with all hands during the gale. You had
+no near relatives on board, I hope, sir?"
+
+"No near relatives, but there was one on board in whom I was greatly
+interested. Here is my card; I should feel greatly obliged if you would
+write me a line should you hear anything of her."
+
+"I will do so, sir. We have had innumerable inquiries from friends and
+relatives of those on board, and although of late we have been obliged
+to say that there can no longer be any hope that she will ever be heard
+of, not a day passes but many persons still come in to inquire."
+
+No letter ever came to Mark; no news was ever heard of the Brahmapootra.
+Ramoo's sacrifice was in vain, and never again did the diamond bracelet
+glisten on the arm of the idol in the unknown temple.
+
+
+
+THE END.
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's Colonel Thorndyke's Secret, by G. A. Henty
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