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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..9777dcc --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #55831 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/55831) diff --git a/old/55831-8.txt b/old/55831-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index bf07679..0000000 --- a/old/55831-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,12155 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Spider, by Fergus Hume - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The Spider - -Author: Fergus Hume - -Release Date: October 27, 2017 [EBook #55831] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SPIDER *** - - - - -Produced by Charles Bowen from page scans provided by the -the Hathi Trust Org. (The Ohio State University) - - - - - - - - - - - -Transcriber's Note: Transcribed from page scans provided by the -the Hathi Trust Org. (The Ohio State University) - - - - - - -[Illustration: Front Cover] - - - - - - -[Illustration: Frontispiece] - - - - - - -THE SPIDER. - - -BY -FERGUS HUME, -AUTHOR OF "THE MYSTERY OF A HANSOM CAB," "THE SOLITARY FARM," ETC. - - - - -WARD, LOCK & CO., LIMITED, -LONDON, MELBOURNE AND TORONTO. -1910. - - - - - - -CONTENTS. - -CHAPTER -I. A POSSIBLE PARTNERSHIP -II. A CONFIDENTIAL COMMUNICATION -III. HOW THE TRAP WAS SET -IV. WHO WAS CAUGHT IN THE TRAP -V. AFTER THE TRAGEDY -VI. TWO CONVERSATIONS -VII. LADY CORSOON'S APPEAL -VIII. THE GRIEF OF IDA -IX. WITCHCRAFT -X. MYSTERY -XI. THE NEEDLE IN THE HAYSTACK -XII. A TEMPTING OFFER -XIII. THE BAZAAR -XIV. RUN TO EARTH -XV. FACE TO FACE -XVI. THE SEARCH -XVII. IN THE TRAIN -XVIII. AT BOWDERSTYKE -XIX. A BOLD OFFER -XX. GERBY HALL -XXI. JUSTICE -XXII. THE END OF IT ALL - - - - - - -THE SPIDER. - - - - -CHAPTER I. -A POSSIBLE PARTNERSHIP. - - -The exterior of The Athenian Club, Pall Mall, represents an ordinary -twentieth century mansion, which it is; but within, the name is -justified by a Græco-Roman architecture of vast spaces, marble floors, -painted ceilings, and pillared walls, adapted, more or less -successfully, to the chilly British climate. The various rooms are -called by Latin names, and the use of these is rigidly enforced. -Standing outside the mansion, you know that you are in London; enter, -and you behold Athens--say, the abode of Alcibiades; listen, and -scraps of speech suggest Imperial Rome. Thus, the tastes of all the -members, whether old and pedantic, or young and frivolous, are -consulted and gratified. Modern slang, as well as the stately tongue -of Virgil, is heard in The Athenian, for the club, like St. Paul, is -all things to all men. For that reason it is a commercial success. - -Strangers--they come eagerly with members to behold rumoured -glories--enter the club-house, through imitation bronze gates, into -the vestibulum, and pass through an inner door into the atrium. This -means that they leave the entrance room for the general conversation -apartment. To the right of this, looking from the doorway, is the -tablinum, which answers--perhaps not very correctly as regards the -name--the purposes of a library; to the left a lordly portal gives -admittance into the triclinium, that is, to the dining-room. At the -end of the atrium, which is the neutral ground of the club, where -members and strangers meet, swing-doors shut in the pinacotheca. -Properly this should be a picture-gallery, but, in deference to modern -requirements, it is used as a smoking-room. These three rooms, -spacious, ornate, and lofty, open under a colonnade, or peristyle, on -to a glass-roofed winter garden, which runs like a narrow passage -round the three sides of the building. The viridarium, as the members -call this cultivated strip of land, extends only twenty feet from the -marble pavement of the peristyle, and is bounded by the side-walls and -rear-walls of adjacent houses. It is filled with palms and tropical -plants, with foreign and native flowers, and, owing to a skilful -concealment of its limitations by the use of enormous mirrors, -festooned with creepers and ivy, it really resembles vast -pleasure-gardens extending to great distances. The outlook from -tablinum, pinacotheca, and triclinium is a triumph of perspective. - -Below the state apartments on the ground floor are the kitchens, the -domestic offices, and the servants' rooms; above them, the cubicles -are to be found, where members, both resident or non-resident, sleep -when disposed on beds more comfortable than classical. Finally, on the -top floor, and reached by a lift, are billiard-rooms, card-rooms, and -a small gymnasium for those who require exercise. The whole scheme is -modelled on a larger scale from the House of Glaucus, as described by -Bulwer Lytton in "The Last Days of Pompeii." A perusal of this famous -story suggested the novelty to an enterprising builder, and the -Athenian Club is the successful result. - -The members of such a club should have been classical scholars, but -these were in the minority. The greater portion of those who -patronised this latest London freak were extremely up-to-date, and -defended their insistent modernity amidst ancient artificial -environment by Acts xvii. 21: "For the Athenians and strangers which -were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to -hear some new thing!" And certainly they acted well up to the text, -for all the scandal and novelty of the metropolis seemed to flow from -this pseudo-classical source. Plays were discussed in manuscript, -novels on the eve of publication; inventors came here to suggest plans -for airships, or to explain how the earth could signal to Mars. Some -members had brand new ideas for the improvement of motor mechanism, -others desired to evolve colour from sound, detailing with many words -how music could be made visible. As to politics, the Athenians knew -everything which was going on behind the scenes, and could foretell -equally truthfully a war, a change of Government, the abdication of a -monarch, or the revolt of an oppressed people. If any traveller -arrived from the Land-at-the-Back-of-Beyond with an account of a -newly-discovered island, or an entirely new animal, he was sure to be -a member of the club. Thus, although the interior of the Pall Mall -mansion suggested Greece and Rome, Nero and Pericles, the appointments -for comfort, for the quick dispatch of business or pleasure, and the -ideas, conversation, and dress of the members, were, if anything, six -months ahead of the present year of grace. The Athenian Club was -really a mixture or blending of two far-apart epochs, the very ancient -and the very modern; but the dark ages were left out, as the members -had no use for mediæval ignorance. - -Over the mosaic dog with his warning lettering, "Cave Canem," -strolled, one warm evening in June, a young man of twenty-four, whose -physical appearance was more in keeping with the classical -surroundings than were his faultlessly fitting dress-clothes. His -oval, clean-shaven face was that of a pure-blooded Hellene, his curly -golden hair and large blue eyes like the sky of Italy at noon, -suggested the Sun-god, and his figure, limber, active, and slender, -resembled the Hermes of the Palestra. He was almost aggressively -handsome, and apparently knew that he was, for he swaggered in with a -haughty lord-of-the-world air, entirely confident of himself and of -his capabilities. His exuberant vitality was as pronounced as were his -good looks, and there was a finish about his toilette which hinted at -a determination to make the most of his appearance. He assuredly -succeeded in accentuating what Nature had done for him, since even the -attendant, who approached to remove the young man's light overcoat, -appeared to be struck by this splendid vision of perfect health, -perfect beauty, and perfect lordship of existence. All the fairies -must have come to the cradle of this fortunate young gentleman with -profuse gifts. He seemed to be the embodiment of joyous life. - -"Is Mr. Arthur Vernon here?" he asked, settling his waistcoat, -touching the flower in his button-hole, and pulling a handkerchief out -of his left sleeve. - -"In the pinacotheca, sir," was the reply, for all the attendants were -carefully instructed in correct pronunciation. "Shall I tell him you -are here, Mr. Maunders?" - -The gentleman thus named yawned lazily. "Thanks, I shall see him -myself;" and with a nod to the man, he walked lightly through the -atrium, looking like one of Flaxman's creations, only he was more -clothed. - -Throwing keen glances right and left to see who was present and who -was not, Mr. Maunders entered the pinacotheca. This was an oblong -apartment with marble walls on three sides and a lordly range of -pillars on the fourth, which was entirely open to the gardens. Beyond -could be seen the luxuriant vegetation of the undergrowth, whence -sprang tall palms, duplicated in the background of mirrors. The mosaic -pavement of the smoking-room was strewn with Persian praying-mats, -whose vivid colouring matched the pictured floor. There were deep -armchairs and softly-cushioned sofas, all upholstered in dark red -leather, which contrasted pleasantly with the snowy walls. Many -small tables of white metal and classical shapes were dotted here, -there, and everywhere. As it was mid-June and extremely close, the -fireplace--looking somewhat incongruous in such a place--was filled -with ferns and white flowers, in red pots of earthenware, thus -repeating the general scheme of colour. Red and white, snow and fire, -with a spread of green in the viridarium--nothing could have been more -artistic. - -Under the peristyle, and near a fountain whence water sprang from the -conch of a Triton to fall into a shallow marble basin with prismatic -hues, were several copper-topped tables. Near them, basket chairs -draped with brightly-hued rugs, were scattered in picturesque -disorder. One of them was occupied by a long, slim man of thirty. With -a cigarette between his lips and a cup of coffee at his elbow, he -stared straight in front of him, but looked up swiftly when he heard -Maunders' springy steps. - -"Here you are at last!" he remarked somewhat coolly, and glanced at -his watch. "Why didn't you turn up to dinner as arranged? It's close -on nine o'clock." - -"Couldn't get away from my aunt," replied Maunders, slipping leisurely -into an adjacent chair. "She seemed to have the blues about something, -and wouldn't let me go. Never was there so affectionate an aunt as -Mrs. Bedge, and never one so tryingly attentive." - -"Considering that she has brought you up in the past, supplies you -with money at present, and intends to make you her heir in the future, -you might talk more kindly of her." - -Maunders shrugged his shoulders. "Oh, the Eton-Oxford education was -all right; she did well by me there. But I don't get much money from -her now, and judging from that, I may be heir to very little." - -"You ought to be glad that you are an heir to anything," said Vernon -frowning, for his friend's light tones jarred. - -"Why?" asked the other. "My parents are dead long since. Aunt Emily is -my only relative, and has neither chick nor child. If she didn't -intend to leave me her money she should not have brought me up to -luxury and idleness." - -"It would certainly be better if she had made you work," assented the -host contemptuously; "but you were always lazy and extravagant." - -"I was born sitting down; I am a lily of the field and a rose of -Sharon." - -"Likewise an ass." - -"You think so?" said Maunders drily. "Well, I hope to change your -opinion on that point before we part." - -"It will take a deal of changing. But all this talk is beside the -purpose of our meeting. You made this appointment with me, and----" - -"Didn't keep it to the minute. I'm nearly two hours late. Well, what -does it matter?" - -"Everything to me. I am a busy man," snapped the other sharply. - -"So you say." Maunders looked very directly at his host. "Some fellows -don't think so. Your business----" - -Vernon interrupted. "I have no business; I am an independent man." - -"And yet a busy one," rejoined Maunders softly; "strange." - -There was that significance in his tone which made Vernon colour, -although he remained motionless. He certainly was about to make a -hasty observation, but his guest looked at him so straightly and -smilingly, that he bit his lip and refrained from immediate speech. -Maunders, still smiling, took a cigarette from a golden case and -lighted up. "You might offer me a cup of coffee." - -Vernon signalled to a passing attendant. "A cup of coffee for Mr. -Maunders." - -"With a vanilla bean," directed the other man. "I don't like coffee -otherwise. And hurry up, please!" Then, when the servant departed, he -turned suavely to his host. "I forget what we were talking about." - -"So do I," retorted Vernon coolly. - -Maunders, smoking delicately, rested his wrists on the copper edge of -the table and looked searchingly into his friend's strong face. And -Vernon's face was strong--much stronger than that of his companion. He -likewise had blue eyes, but of a deep-sea blue, less shallow and more -piercing than those of Maunders. His face was also oval, with finely -cut features, but more scored with thought-marks; and his hair was as -dark, smooth, and short-cropped as that of the other's was golden, -curly, and--odd adjective to use in connection with a man--fluffy. -Both were clean-shaven, but Vernon's mouth was firm, while the lips of -Maunders were less compressed and betrayed indecision. The former had -the more athletic figure, the latter a more graceful one, and although -both were well groomed and well dressed, Vernon was less of the dandy -in his attention to detail. Poetically speaking, one man was Night and -the other Day; but a keen observer would have read that the first used -strength of body and brain to achieve his ends, while the last relied -more on cunning. And from the looks of the twain, cunning and strength -were about to try conclusions. Yet they had been child-friends, -school-friends, and--so far as their paths ran parallel--were -life-friends, with certain reservations. - -"You were always as deep as a well, Arty," said Maunders, finally -removing his eyes from the other's face and turning to take his cup of -coffee. - -"Don't call me Arty!" snapped Vernon irritably. - -"You were Arty at Eton, when we were boys, tall and short." - -"We are not at Eton now. I always think that there is something weak -in a man being called by his Christian name outside his family--much -less being ticketed with a confounded diminutive." - -"You can call me Conny if you like, as you used to." - -"I shan't, or even Constantine. Maunders is good enough for me." - -"Oh is he?" The fair man glanced shrewdly over the coffee-cup he was -holding to his lips. "You hold to that." - -"I hold to the name, not to the individual," said Vernon curtly. - -"You don't trust me." - -"I don't. I see no reason to trust you." - -"Ah, you will when I explain why I asked you to meet me here," said -Maunders in his frivolous manner. - -"I daresay; go on." - -His friend sighed. "What a laconic beast you are, Arty." - -"My name is Vernon, if you please." - -"Always Vernon?" asked Maunders in silky tones. The other man sat up -alertly. "What do you mean?" - -"I mean that I want you to take me into partnership." - -"Partnership!" Vernon's face grew an angry red. "What the devil do you -know?" - -"Softly! softly! I know many things, although there is no need to -swear. It's bad form, Vernon, deuced bad form. The fact is," he went -on gracefully, "my aunt keeps me short of money, and I want all I can -get to enjoy life. I thought as I am pretty good in finding out things -about people that you might invite me to become a partner in your -detective business." - -Vernon cast a hasty glance around. Fortunately, there were no guests -under the peristyle, and only two men, out of earshot, in the -pinacotheca. "You are talking rubbish," he said roughly, yet -apprehensively. - -"I don't think so. Your father died three years ago and left you with -next to nothing. Having no profession you did not know what to do, -and, ashamed to beg, borrow, or steal, you turned your powers of -observation to account on the side of the law against the criminal." -Maunders took a card from his waistcoat pocket and passed it along. -"'Nemo, Private Enquiry Agent, 22, Fenella Street, Covent Garden,' is -inscribed on that card. Nemo means Nobody, I believe; yet Nemo, as I -know, means Arthur Vernon of The Athenian Club." - -The man addressed tore the card to pieces and threw them amongst the -flowers. "You talk rubbish," he said again, and still roughly. "How do -you connect me with this private enquiry agent?" - -"Ah, that's too long a story to tell you just now." Maunders glanced -at his watch. "I am due at a ball in an hour, and want the matter -settled before I leave here." - -"What matter?" - -"The partnership matter." There was a pause. "Well?" - -"I have nothing to say," said Vernon firmly. - -Maunders rose. "In that case I'll cut along and go earlier than I -expected to Lady Corsoon's ball." - -"Lady Corsoon!" Vernon changed colour and bit his lip. - -"Yes. She didn't ask you to her ball, did she? She wouldn't, of -course, seeing that you are in love with her daughter Lucy. That young -lady is to marry money, and you haven't any but what you make out of -your detective business. Perhaps if I tell her that you are doing well -as Nemo, she might----" - -By this time Vernon was on his feet. "Don't you dare, don't you dare!" -he panted hoarsely, and the perspiration beaded his brow. - -"Oh!" Maunders raised his eyebrows. "Then it is true, after all." - -"Sit down," commanded Vernon savagely, resuming his own seat. "We must -talk this matter out, if you please." - -"I came here for that purpose. Only don't keep me too late. I am -engaged to Lucy for the third waltz, and must not disappoint her." - -Vernon winced. "You have no right to call Miss Corsoon by her -Christian name." - -"Why not? She's not engaged to you. I love her, and, as yet--as yet, -mind you, Vernon--I have as good a right as you to cut in." - -"I understood that you were as good as engaged to Miss Dimsdale." - -"Oh!" Maunders lightly flipped away a cigarette ash. "The shoe's on -the other foot there. She loves me, but I don't love her. Still, -there's money in the business if Ida becomes Mrs. Maunders. Old -Dimsdale's got no end of cash, and Ida inherits everything as his only -child. But he wants her to marry Colonel Towton---you know, the chap -who did so well in some hill-tribe extermination in India. But Ida -loves me, and Towton's got no chance, unless I marry Lucy Corsoon and -give him a look in." - -"You're a cynical, conceited, feather-headed young ass," said Vernon -with cold, self-restrained fury, "and I forbid you to speak of Miss -Corsoon in that commercial way, much less call her by her Christian -name. She loves me and I love her, and we intend to marry, if----" - -"If Lady Corsoon permits the match," finished Maunders, stretching out -his long legs. "It's no go, my dear fellow. She doesn't think you rich -enough for the girl." - -"I never heard that Constantine Maunders was a millionaire," retorted -the other man bitterly. - -"My face is my fortune, old chap, and there are various ways of -getting Lady Corsoon's consent." - -"What ways?" asked Vernon suddenly and searchingly looking at his -friend. - -"Ah, you ask too much. I am not your partner yet." - -"That means you have some knowledge about Lady Corsoon which you can -use to force her to consent." - -"Perhaps. I know a great deal about most people. Every one has his or -her secrets as well as her or his price." - -"Are you a private enquiry agent also?" sneered Vernon, leaning back. - -"Ah!" Maunders seized upon the half admission. "Then you _are_ Nemo?" - -"Yes," assented the dark man reluctantly, "although I can't guess how -you came to know about my business. I wish the fact kept dark, as it -would be disastrous for me in Society." - -"Probably," admitted Maunders lazily. "One doesn't like to hob-nob -with an Asmodeus who goes in for unroofing houses." - -"Yet you propose to join Asmodeus," chafed Vernon uneasily. - -"Oh yes; I think it's a paying business, you see, and I want money. -How I learned about the matter is of no great consequence, and I don't -think any one else will connect you with this Nemo abstraction. And -when in partnership, I shall, of course, keep it dark for my own -sake." - -"I daresay," sneered Vernon, secretly furious at having to submit. -"And on what terms do you propose to join in the business you -despise?" - -"Half profits," said Maunders promptly. - -"Really. You seem to set some value on yourself." - -"No one else will if I don't," replied Maunders good-humouredly. "See -here, Arty--oh, then, Vernon if you will--your business as a private -enquiry agent is to find out things about people, and----" - -"I beg your pardon, but you talk through your hat," interrupted Vernon -acidly. "My business is to assist people to settle business which the -general public is not supposed to know. I don't find out people's -business. They come to me with difficult cases, and I settle them to -the best of my ability." - -"Yes, yes," said Maunders leniently, "you put the best complexion on -it, old man, but it's dirty work all the same." - -"It is nothing of the sort," almost shouted Vernon; then sank his -voice to a furious whisper; "my business is perfectly honest and -clean. The nature of it requires secrecy, but I take up nothing the -doing of which would reflect on my honour. I have precious little -money and also a logical way of looking at things. For that reason I -trade as Nemo." - -"Under the rose, of course," laughed Maunders. "You don't put your -goods in the shop window. However, I understand perfectly, and I am -willing to come in with you. Oh, make no mistake, my dear chap, I am -worth having as a partner, as I know heaps about Tom, Dick, and Harry, -which they would rather were kept out of the newspapers." - -"I don't run a blackmailing business," said Vernon passionately. - -"What a nasty word, and wholly unnecessary. I never suggested -blackmailing any one, that I know of. All I say is, that, having a -goodish acquaintance with the seamy side of Society life, I can earn -my half of the Nemo profits by assisting you." - -"And if I refuse?" - -"I shall hint--mind you I shan't say anything straight out--but I -shall hint that you are a professionally inquisitive person." - -"I don't know if you are aware of it," said Vernon slowly, "but you -are a scoundrel." - -"Oh, dear me, no; not at all," rejoined the other airily, "I am simply -a young man with the tastes of a duke and the income of a pauper. -Naturally I wish to supplement that income, and your secret business -seems to offer advantages in the way of earning immediate cash." - -"And if I don't consent you will do your best to ruin me socially?" - -"That's business," said Maunders promptly. "Get a man into a corner -and skin him at your leisure. Well, do you consent?" - -"I can't do anything else, that I can see," said the other bitterly. -"However, you must give me a week to come to a decision." - -"Take a month," answered the visitor generously. "I'm not in a hurry -to skin you, old man. You can't get out of the corner, you know. And -see here, if we make a fortune out of this business, I'll give you a -chance with Lucy, and take Ida Dimsdale with her ten thousand a year." - -"Will she have that much?" - -"Oh, certainly. I made inquiries," said Maunders coolly. "It's no use -jumping in the dark you know. Old Dimsdale--his Christian name's -Martin--was a Police Commissioner in Burmah some years ago, and shook -the pagoda-tree to some purpose. Now he's retired, and lives in a -gorgeously glorified bungalow, which he built at Hampstead. He's not a -bad chap, and Ida is uncommonly good-looking. I might do worse." - -"What about Colonel Towton?" - -"I'll cut him out. He's a very young colonel of forty-five, handsome -and smart, but with precious little brain about him. He's got an -ancient country house in Yorkshire, and--but here, I'll be talking all -the night." Maunders jumped up. "And Lucy is waiting for me. You can -take a month." - -"Thank you," said Vernon frigidly. "I shall give you my answer then." - -"It will be 'yes,' of course; you can't say anything else. I -say"---Maunders threw a laughing glance over his shoulder--"by this -time you must have changed your opinion as to my being an ass," and he -departed still laughing. - -Vernon ran after him and touched his shoulder. "Not an ass, but a -scoundrel," he breathed with suppressed passion, and Maunders' -laughter increased. - - - - -CHAPTER II. -A CONFIDENTIAL COMMUNICATION. - - -When Maunders passed into the atrium, Vernon returned slowly to his -seat under the peristyle. Here he ordered a fresh cup of strong coffee -to clear his brain, lighted another cigarette, and sat down to recall -the late conversation. As a preliminary to a thorough consideration of -the situation, he ran over in his mind what he knew of the man who -wished to become his partner. His memories showed Maunders to be an -exceedingly unscrupulous person, who was ready to do anything to -gratify his appetite for pleasure. - -Vernon's recollections carried him back to a Berkshire village of -which his father had been the squire. Mrs. Bedge, the widow of a -Levantine merchant, had taken a house in the neighbourhood, and there -had settled with her nephew, Constantine Maunders. It seemed that her -sister had married a naturalised Greek, hence the boy's Christian -name. As the parents were dead, Mrs. Bedge, being without offspring, -had adopted the orphan. From what Vernon remembered, Maunders had -always been a handsome and charming little boy, who usually got his -own way by sheer amiability and good looks. But he had inherited more -from his Greek father than a classical face and a Christian name which -smacked of old Constantinople, for he was crafty and clever, and -utterly without moral principle. He could conceal his feelings -admirably, he could scheme for his wants very dexterously, and he told -a lie or the truth with the utmost impartiality when either suited the -end to be gained. Posing as an innocent angel-child, he deceived -everyone, and although outwardly he appeared to be an unsophisticated -babe, he was in reality a little monster of egotism. Even when they -were children together, Vernon--from bitter experience--had always -mistrusted Constantine, and had judged his character more accurately -than grown-up people. Those were invariably taken in by the brat's -cherubic aspect. - -At Eton, Constantine fared less happily. He was ten years of age when -his aunt sent him there, and, as Vernon then was fifteen, she had asked -him to look after her darling. But all Vernon's chivalry could not save -Constantine from well-deserved kicks and thrashings. Schoolboys are not -to be taken in by angel-children, so Constantine did not have a happy -time. However, he was so diplomatic and unscrupulous that he managed to -scramble through school life fairly well. At Oxford--whither he went -some years after Vernon--he got on better, and became a general -favourite because of his general pliancy of disposition. By means of -that same pliancy he usually secured his selfish ends, under a guise of -consistent amiability. Being quick-brained and clever, if somewhat -shallow, he secured his degree, and left the University with an -excellent character. Since then he had been a man about town, supported -by his aunt's money. Mrs. Bedge had settled in London at Constantine's -request, and could refuse him nothing. Yet--as Vernon judged from what -the young man had said--even Mrs. Bedge's generosity could not supply -Maunders with sufficient money to gratify the selfish desire he had -always had for pleasure. Only the income of a Rothschild could have -entirely satisfied his cravings for the delights of existence. - -Vernon had been less lucky in life. His father had speculated rashly, -and three years prior to the meeting of the young men at the Athenian -Club had died a comparative pauper. Thrown on his own resources and -without a profession, Vernon had utilised his observant and logical -faculties to set up in private practice as a detective. For two years -he had carried on the trade with success and without having been found -out. But now that Constantine had come on the scene, Vernon felt that -there would be trouble. Of course, by taking him as a partner an -exposure could be avoided, but only temporarily. Maunders was so ready -to make mischief that Vernon felt he would take all he could get out -of the business, and when prosperous by marriage with Ida Dimsdale, -would not hesitate to tell the truth. The sole safeguard lay in the -fact that, being tarred with the same brush, Maunders for his own -social sake might hold his tongue. He was always clever enough to -avoid the publication of any facts to his disadvantage. It really -seemed, on these grounds, that it would be judicious to admit him as a -partner. But Vernon shivered at the prospect. At the best, such a -business as he was engaged in, was a delicate one and decidedly -unpopular. With Maunders' unscrupulous methods it might degenerate -into a series of shady transactions. - -"But I'll take the month and think it over," thought Vernon, when he -had finished his coffee and cigarette. "Much may happen in thirty days -which may enable me to get out of the difficulty." Then he took out -his watch and noted that it was ten o'clock. "Just time to see -Dimsdale," he yawned. - -When putting on his light overcoat in the vestibulum, Vernon -thought it was a strange coincidence that Maunders should have -mentioned--incidentally, of course--the name of the man with whom he -had an appointment at half-past ten o'clock. Earlier in the day Vernon -had received a pressing note asking him to meet the writer at Colonel -Towton's chambers, Ralph Street, St. James's, at that hour. So, as a -matter of fact, two names pertinent to the situation had been -mentioned, Dimsdale and Towton. Vernon wondered as he walked along -Pall Mall what the reason could be. He did not believe in coincidence, -and had sufficient experience of life to doubt the existence of -chance, so the mention of the names taken in conjunction with the -appointment must point to some problem being worked out. Vernon -believed--as every thoughtful man must believe--that everything was -worked out in the unseen world before it became a factor in the -visible plane, and he was quite prepared to find, on this assumption, -that the meeting with Dimsdale in Towton's chambers was more important -than it appeared to be on the surface. Subsequent events proved that -he was right in his conjecture. - -Meanwhile--as he was a one-thing-at-a-time man--he sauntered leisurely -along towards his destination, wondering what Dimsdale wished to see -him about. The ex-police-commissioner was one of the very few people -who knew of the business in Covent Garden. Dimsdale had been a -life-long friend of Vernon's father, and had welcomed the young man -with open arms to his home. It was odd that Vernon had not fallen in -love with Ida, as nothing would have pleased Dimsdale better than to -have given his daughter and her money to his old friend's son. But -Fortune in her freakish way had decided that Vernon should fall in -love with Lucy Corsoon, where every obstacle would be placed in the -way of a successful wooing, so Ida and Arthur had settled contentedly -down into a brother and sister relationship. - -Dimsdale was annoyed that his pet project of a marriage could not come -to pass, but there was no help for it, as he could not govern the -young man's affections. Also he was annoyed because Vernon, when the -death of his father occurred, would not let the elder man assist him. -However, he told him his plans about the private inquiry office, and -although the ex-police commissioner did not wholly approve, he judged -from his knowledge of the young man's detective powers, that it was -the best use he could put his talents to. More than this, he managed -to bring him clients, and to spread the fame of Nemo by dexterous -allusions. Vernon therefore was doing very well in the line he had -struck out for himself, and felt duly grateful to Dimsdale for his -assistance. He thought as he walked along Ralph Street that probably -the old gentleman had found him a fresh client. But it was odd that -Colonel Towton's chambers should have been chosen as the meeting -place, since Dimsdale belonged to several clubs. And the matter, -whatever it was, must be very important, else Dimsdale would have -waited until Vernon paid his weekly visit to the Hampstead bungalow. - -It was only a quarter-past ten o'clock when Vernon arrived, and he -thought that he would have to wait. But Towton's servant intimated -that Mr. Dimsdale was watching for his visitor in the Colonel's -particular sanctum, and ushered the young man into the room, after -relieving him of his coat and hat. The Colonel himself did not appear -to be present, but Martin Dimsdale was smoking in a deep arm-chair, -and jumped up in his boyish way to shake hands warmly. He always had a -great regard for Arthur Vernon. - -The room was an ordinary apartment, comfortably furnished, but in a -strictly bachelor fashion. The scheme of colour was deep green and -deep red, so that it appeared somewhat sombre. Trophies of Towton's -sporting instincts in the shape of skins and heads appeared on the -walls and on the floor. There were many military portraits and groups -about, reminiscent of the Colonel's army life. The two windows were -open and the curtains were pulled back, so that the room was fairly -cool, while on the table stood a syphon, some glasses and a decanter -of whisky, together with a box of cigars. These were at Mr. Dimsdale's -elbow. He had evidently been passing the time in smoking and drinking -pending his young friend's arrival. - -"I'm glad to see you, boy," said the ex-police commissioner, pointing -to a chair. "Sit down and make yourself at home. Towton gives me full -permission to play in this yard. Have a peg and a cigar." - -"Not too strong, please," warned Vernon, accepting a cigar and sinking -into the indicated chair. "I haven't so steady a head as yours." - -"It's a cleverer head," said Dimsdale, squirting in the potash. "Else -I should not have asked you to meet me here--Nemo." - -"Oh!" Vernon placed the glass beside him. "I thought it was a Case. -But why did you ask me to meet you in Towton's rooms, and where is -Towton?" - -"At my sister's ball along with Ida and Miss Hest." - -"Lady Corsoon's ball?" - -Dimsdale sat down and nodded. "Yes. It's a swell affair, as Sir Julius -wants to make an impression on some Australian people he desires to -rope into his schemes for making money. Something to do with mines, I -believe. I didn't feel inclined to go, although I daresay I'll have to -look in later to fetch Ida and Miss Hest home. I wished particularly -to see you." His manner assumed a portentous gravity. "So I asked -Towton if I could come here and make the appointment." - -"But at your club----" - -"What I have to say is sacred and secret," interrupted the old -gentleman. "A club has many eyes and many ears. Better be on the safe -side. Oh, that's all right," he added with a nod, on seeing Vernon's -eyes stray to the open window. "Those only look out over the roofs of -houses. No one can hear us. Whisky all right; cigar drawing well? Very -good. Now then!" He settled himself for an exhaustive talk. - -The old Indian officer had certainly not been dried up by the hot -climate where he had spent the greater part of his life. He was a -round, tubby, rosy-faced little man, all curves and gracious -contentment. His face was clean-shaven and his head was bald, while -his sharp grey eyes twinkled behind golden-rimmed pince-nez, balanced -on an unimportant nose. With his round head and round body--sphere -super imposed on sphere--and short legs, he looked like the figure of -a Chinese mandarin, and nodded his head like one when he wished to -emphasise a point. There was nothing military about him in any way, -and Vernon wondered how so natty and neat an old gentleman ever came -to have command of men appointed to hunt down Dacoits in the jungles -of Burmah. Yet Dimsdale's official career had been a stirring one, and -he had done good service in pacifying the country after the war. Now -he had beaten his sword into a plough-share, and, with a considerable -fortune, was spending his amiable old age under his own fig-tree. -When Vernon looked at the rotund little man with the round rosy -face, he saw before him a perfectly contented human being, and a very -kind-hearted one to boot. - -"Well, sir," he said, leaning back comfortably, "we're tiled in, as -masons say, so I shall be glad to hear what you have to tell me. Also, -I am obliged to you for seeking out this especial case for me." - -"Two special cases, my boy, two special cases," said Mr. Dimsdale, -wagging his head and looking more like a Chinese mandarin than ever. -"One has to do with me--I'll tell you about it later; the other has to -do with Mrs. Bedge and her adopted son." - -"Maunders!" cried Vernon, astonished to find that his premonition was -coming true. "You don't mean Constantine?" - -"Yes, I do, Arthur; of course I do. Young Maunders. I never did like -that boy somehow in spite of his good looks and polite manners. After -all, he's half a Greek, and I don't like the Greeks either. They're -nearly as tricky as the Armenians, and that's saying a lot. All the -same, I'm sorry for the sake of Emily. I'm an old friend of Emily. Ha, -ha! I was in love with her before she married Bedge. He was a -Levantine merchant, you know, dealt in currants and cherry jam and all -the rest of it. Not a bad chap, from what I remember of him, but far -too old a husband for Emily----" - -"Do you mean Mrs. Bedge?" asked Vernon, vainly endeavouring to stem -the flow of the old man's speech. - -"Of course I mean Mrs. Bedge. I call her Emily because--ha! ha!--I was -in love with her. She was a handsome girl in those years, and a good -one. Why, look how she adopted that rascal--I can't help thinking -young Maunders a rascal, though he does want to marry Ida, which is -not to be thought of. Yes, yes! Emily always was good. I don't believe -a word of it, not a word." And Mr. Dimsdale, bringing his fist down on -the table, glared at his companion through his pince-nez. - -"You don't believe a word of what?" asked Vernon soothingly. - -"I'm coming to that; I'm coming to that. Don't worry me and hurry me." -Mr. Dimsdale rubbed his nose in a vexed manner. "Young Maunders, now. -Eh, what? Have you seen young Maunders lately?" - -"It's odd you should ask that," said Vernon slowly, "because I have -just parted from him at the Athenian Club." - -"Don't have anything to do with him, Arthur; he's a bad lot, a very -bad lot indeed. Oh, it's nothing that he has done. I wouldn't say to -anyone else what I am saying to you. But I can read character, and I -have observed Master Constantine. He's so selfish that he would boil -Emily for his own gratification, if it pleased him. And she would let -herself be boiled, too; she's as silly over the scamp as he is selfish -towards her. Why do you cultivate his society? Eh, what? It's wrong -and stupid; yes, yes, stupid and wrong." - -"I haven't seen so very much of him since we left Oxford," objected -Arthur, "and certainly I don't cultivate him, as you put it, for I -admire his character as little as you do." - -"And on more tangible grounds, perhaps? Eh, what? Tell me." - -"No; I have not much to go on. At school and at college, and when we -were children together in Berkshire, I never wholly liked Constantine. -He's too selfish and too unscrupulous, although he always keeps on the -right side of the law. Still, if he could do anything for his own -benefit against the law without being found out and made to pay the -penalty, I believe he would have little hesitation in doing it." - -"I daresay; no doubt you speak the exact truth from intuition. He's a -snake that young man, a pretty, curly, insinuating snake; he's poison -in a well-shaped and well-coloured bottle. Poor Emily! poor Emily! -silly woman, but goodness itself. She's a Mrs. Lear with a thankless -adopted child, sharper than a serpent's tooth. Bless her, and damn him -for a rogue, though, bless me, I can't bring any actual charge against -the young beast. Ha, no! but when one sees smoke, one guesses fire." - -"Did you tell him that I was Nemo?" asked Vernon bluntly. - -Dimsdale grew furiously red and furiously angry, so angry indeed that -he rose to stamp about the room. "How the devil can you ask me such a -question, and how dare you, if it comes to that? Am I an ass, an -idiot, a babbler? I wouldn't tell Maunders that I had eaten my dinner, -much less inform him of a secret which it is to your advantage to -keep. Why do you ask? Hang you, for thinking me a traitor and a -gossip." - -"Forgive me," said Vernon with an apologetic air. "I am quite sure -that you have preserved the secret of how I earn my money. But I know -that Constantine haunts your house, and thought you might have let -drop a casual hint, which he is clever enough, as we both know, to -take advantage of. But the fact is he had found out about Nemo, and -threatens unless I take him into partnership--he has given me a month -to turn over the proposition--that he will make Society too hot to -hold me." - -"The young rascal, the young blackmailing scoundrel," cried Dimsdale, -stamping again. "It's just what he would do. He haunts my house to -make love to Ida, and I would rather see her dead than as his wife, -especially now that I know what I am about to tell you." - -"What is it?" - -"Later on I shall explain. Meanwhile, don't beat about the bush, but -tell me exactly what Maunders threatens." - -Vernon detailed the conversation, and Dimsdale returned to his seat to -hear the narrative. When it was ended he nodded with compressed lips. -"Very clever on the part of Master Snake. He has you in his power -right enough, since he is ready to betray you if you don't obey his -commands. Well, then, I am going--to a certain extent--to put him in -your power." - -"What? Have you found out----" - -"I have found out nothing," said Dimsdale testily. "Don't interrupt. -Do you know of a blackmailer called The Spider?" - -Vernon half rose and then sat down again with an effort at -self-control. "I have come across his work on several occasions, and -so has Scotland Yard. No one knows what he is or where he lives or -anything about him. He gets his name from the fact that he always -signs his blackmailing letters with the stamped representation of a -spider." - -"Go on," said Dimsdale, quite calmly for him, "tell me more." - -"There is little to tell, sir. The Spider learns people's secrets -somehow, and in a way which no one can discover. He then writes to -this or that person and threatens unless a certain sum of money is -paid to publish the secret by means of postcards sent to the private -address and sometimes to the club of his victim. Of course, there is -no combating this mode of procedure, so most people pay quietly, -although some have kicked." - -"Why isn't the reptile arrested when he comes for his money? Tell me -that, sir. Tell me that." - -"Sometimes the money is sent to a given address, and at other times -The Spider, masked and cloaked, meets his victim personally. He is not -arrested because he always tells his victim that if the police are -brought into the question, and he is jailed, the especial secret will -be published all the same to the world by a hidden accomplice by means -of postcards. So you can see, Mr. Dimsdale, that if any person wishes -his or her secret to be preserved they cannot risk an arrest. Still, I -have been employed by one or two victims to learn the truth, and I -have failed. I can't lay hands on The Spider, nor can any of the -official detectives." - -Mr. Dimsdale nodded. "He's a clever animal," said he grimly. "You have -described his mode of procedure extremely well, my boy. It's just the -way in which he is tormenting Emily." - -"Mrs. Bedge. Is he blackmailing her?" - -"Of course he is. Don't I tell you so?" said Dimsdale crossly. "She -asked me to come and see her yesterday, and showed me three letters, -with the figure of a spider at the foot of the writing. The reptile -wants five thousand pounds, else he will send cards to her private -address and to her friends stating that Constantine is her -illegitimate son." - -"What?" Vernon leaped from his chair aghast. - -"Of course, it's an infernal lie," said Dimsdale warmly. "Emily is a -good woman, even though she jilted me to marry a man old enough to be -her father. She was true to him; I swear she was true to him, and -simply adopted the son of his partner Maunders--his real name was -Constantine Mavrocordato--because the boy's father and mother were -dead." - -"There is no grounds for this assertion on the part of The Spider?" - -"Absolutely none. Confound it, sir, you know Emily," raged Dimsdale. -"Can you know her and doubt for a moment but that this viper has made -a most iniquitous accusation? She has the boy's certificate of birth, -and can prove the truth, and moreover can call evidence on the part of -friends who knew about the adoption when it took place. But you know -that mud sticks, Arthur, however innocent a person may be. Emily -simply can't stand up against this blackguard attempt. If she refuses -to send the five thousand pounds to the address given within a -fortnight, The Spider says he will send cards making his lying -assertion to all her friends. Even if she rebutted it--as she -can--there would always be shrugged shoulders and raised eyebrows and -cold looks, and no-smoke-without-fire remarks." - -"True!" Vernon looked thoughtfully at his cigar tip. "Plenty of -innocent people do not care to face publicity on that account. Human -nature is so prone to believe the worst, even in the face of the very -plainest evidence. What does Mrs. Bedge propose to do?" - -"She wanted to send the money, but I suggested that she should let me -place the matter in your hands." - -"Thank you. I'll do my best. But it's a difficult case, as The Spider -is so hard to find." - -"On this occasion I don't think he will be," said Dimsdale with grim -humour, "since I propose to work with you." - -"I don't understand----" - -"Don't I speak plainly?" asked Dimsdale tartly. "I said there were two -cases, didn't I? Answer me, sir; answer me?" - -"Yes, but----" - -"There is no but about the matter, Arthur. I shall make a full -explanation after I have asked a simple question." - -"And the question?" - -"You see, don't you, how this information places Maunders, young -beast, in your power?" - -"No, I don't," answered Vernon very plainly and somewhat aggressively; -"if you mean that I am to use my knowledge of his falsely being -accused of illegitimacy as a threat to keep him from worrying me into -a partnership." - -"I don't mean that in the least," cried Dimsdale warmly. "Confound -you, sir, would you make me out to be no better than this spider -reptile. What I mean is that you can say to Maunders that you will -receive him into partnership if he hunts down The Spider and clears -the character of his adopted mother. Not that Emily's character -requires clearing in my eyes, mind you. But we must consider the -limitations of human nature, my boy, and place Emily, like Cæsar's -wife, above suspicion. Now do you understand? Eh, what? Reply, sir." - -Arthur nodded. "I understand. And if Maunders hunts down The Spider he -will be worth engaging as a partner." - -"No, I don't mean that. But you are setting him to achieve an -impossibility, and unless he fulfils your wish he cannot hope to be a -partner. In the meantime, you and I hunt down The Spider. Then when we -have him jailed, Maunders, not having done what you asked of him, -can't expect to become a partner." - -"I think he will in any case?" said Vernon grimly. - -"I think not, sir," said Dimsdale very distinctly. "Of course, Emily -is all right, and this blackmailing accusation is a lie. All the same, -Maunders, who is anxious to secure a position in Society and marry -Ida--confound him, he never shall with my consent--will not wish the -slightest breath of his being a possible natural child to get about." - -"I should say nothing," said Vernon stiffly. - -"Quite so. I never expected you would. But the mere probability of the -business becoming known will make Maunders careful. He won't worry you -again, as, judging you by his own iniquitous self, he will think you -capable of betraying him. _Now_ can you see?" - -"Yes. But Constantine knows that I would never speak." - -"I daresay, because he thinks the bribe isn't enough. He believes as -Peel did--or Walpole was it?--that every man has his price. He won't -worry you, I tell you, if you give the merest hint to him of the -matter. Not that you need to, for he will know about this blackmailing -letter to-morrow." - -Vernon recalled how Maunders had said that his aunt had detained him, -and how he had suggested that she had something on her mind. "He -doesn't know it at present, anyhow." - -"No. Emily saw me before speaking to him. However, listen to the -scheme I have in my mind to catch this Spider wretch. He is trying to -blackmail me." - -"Oh!" Vernon sat up and laughed. "How ridiculous. You of all men -cannot be blackmailed, since your life is so open." - -"No man's life is open," said Dimsdale drily; "and mine has its dark -pages as everyone else's has. I have a secret; not a particularly bad -one, it is true. Still, one that I should prefer to keep to myself." - -"What is it?" - -"I shan't tell you or any man," snapped the ex-police commissioner. -"It is sufficient to say that it is not a very bad secret, and that -even if it were told to the world it would matter little. However, The -Spider--hang him, I think he must have some acquaintance with my life -in the East--has learned something I thought no one but myself knew -anything about. He asks one thousand pounds, which is moderate -compared with his demand on Emily. Shows that he knows my secret isn't -so very deadly, or it would be worth more." - -"Did he write to you?" asked Vernon alertly. "Of course he did, making -the usual threat of exposure by postcards to self and friends. Now I -am going to consent to his demands." - -"And pay the money?" - -"I didn't say that," corrected Dimsdale sharply, "but I am writing -asking him to meet me in my library, and receive the money; also for -him to hand over any documents to me which even hint at my secret. -When he comes, you can be concealed in the room and we'll take him in -charge." - -"But then your secret will become known," objected Vernon. "The Spider -always provides against arrest by leaving the evidence in the hands of -others to publish." - -"He can publish what he likes about me," said Mr. Dimsdale coolly; -"don't I tell you that the secret is of little value. The Spider in -his letter to me embroidered upon actual fact, and can make things -unpleasant; but I can prove the exact truth of what he states, and so -can save my bacon. There may be a few cold shoulders, but I shan't -care for that, especially when my own conscience is clear. Now, don't -ask me to tell you my secret, for I shan't. It has nothing to do with -you or anyone else. All you have to do is to come to-morrow or the -next day to my house at Hampstead, and I'll sketch out the plan of -campaign." - -"What about Mrs. Bedge?" - -"She has a fortnight to consider the payment. We shall catch the -scoundrel before then--you understand. Eh, what? Good! Now I must be -off to Julia's ball. Are you coming?--not asked! Of course; you love -Lucy, and that will never do for Julia, who wants her to make a titled -match. Good-night! Ha, ha! You have plenty to think about. Don't get -brain fever. Good night!" - -Then the oddly-assorted pair parted for the time being. - - - - -CHAPTER III. -HOW THE TRAP WAS SET. - - -As Martin Dimsdale had spent the greater part of his sixty years in -Burmah, he naturally retained an affectionate remembrance of that most -fantastic country. This he showed by calling his house "Rangoon;" and, -as a further concession to what might almost be termed his native -land, the house was built after the fashion, more or less accurate, of -a bungalow. On arriving some ten years previously in England, Mr. -Dimsdale had purchased an ancient Grange with its few remaining acres, -situated on the verge of Hampstead Heath. In spite of the fact that -the mansion was historic and famous, this Vandal pulled it down, -amidst the protests and to the grief of various antiquarians. On the -cleared ground he erected the rambling one-storey building which -reminded him of the Far East. It was not an entirely Indian house, nor -a wholly Burmese house, nor an absolutely English house, but a bastard -mixture of all three, as the chilly northern climate had to be taken -into consideration. But Dimsdale looked upon it as a genuine -reconstruction of the bungalows to which he had been accustomed, and -would hear no argument to the contrary. This was just as well for -those who differed from his views, as he was a peppery little man, -voluble in speech. - -From the wide road, which flanked this corner of the Heath, the -grounds were divided by a tall and thick-set laurel hedge, which must -have taken years to attain its present stately beauty. At right angles -to this, red-brick walls, old and mellow, ran back for a considerable -distance to terminate in another hedge of mingled holly and oak -saplings and sweetbriar and hawthorn. A gate in the centre of this -gave admittance to a well-cultivated kitchen-garden of two acres. -Beyond, and divided from the garden by a low stone wall, stretched the -meadows, encircled by aggressive barbed-wire fences. The whole, -consisting of eight acres, belonged to the man who had built the -bungalow, and was a very desirable freehold for a well-to-do -middle-class gentleman. - -In the first square between the hedges and brick walls stood the -house, looking quite dazzling in the sunshine by reason of its -white-tiled walls and the raw hue of its red-tiled roof. Round three -sides ran a deep verandah, and the fourth side--at the back--bordered -the cobble-stone yard, at the sides of which were the stables and -outhouses. Everything here was neat and trim and sweet-smelling, as -Mr. Dimsdale would tolerate no litter, and was fidgety about the -drainage. This was just as well, seeing that the stables were -over-near the dwelling. Some judicious person had earlier pointed out -to Mr. Dimsdale that it would be advisable to erect them beyond the -kitchen-gardens and in the meadows, but the little man, out of sheer -obstinacy, refused to entertain the idea, and built them cheek by jowl -with the house. - -On either side of the bungalow, trellis work covered with creepers -shut off the yard from the front garden. This last, consisting of -smooth lawns bordered by brilliantly coloured flowerbeds, stretched -to a rustic-looking, white-painted gate set in the laurel hedge. To -this, a broad walk, sanded to a deep yellow tint, ran from the shallow -steps leading up to the front verandah. Two noble elms--the sole -survivors of a once well-wooded park--sprang one on each side of the -path, from the trim lawns. - -The building itself looked most unsuitable to the chilly English -climate, with its spotless walls and French windows. These, of which -there were many, opened directly on to the verandah, which was paved -warmly with red bricks, rectangular and thin. Each window was provided -with green shutters, fastened back during the day and tightly closed -every night at dusk. On entering the front door Mr. Dimsdale's -visitors beheld a square hall, and the first object which struck the -eye was a large gong, held shoulder high by two fierce-looking Burmese -warriors carved in unpainted wood. Darkly blue Eastern draperies, -glittering with tiny round looking-glasses, veiled the left door, -which led into the library, and the right door, through which the -dining-room was entered. Passing between curtains of similar texture -and style, hanging straightly from the ceiling, the visitor came into -a spacious room with a slippery polished floor and a high glass roof, -which lighted the apartment, since, occupying the centre of the -bungalow, there could be no side windows. Folding valves of carved -sandalwood on either side gave entrance into two long narrow passages, -broken by many bedroom doors. The bedrooms themselves looked on to the -side verandahs through French windows, as has been described. - -At the end of the middle apartment--which, like the Athenian Club -antrium, was the general meeting place of those in the house, and -served the purpose of a drawing-room--was another draped portal, -admitting Mr. Dimsdale's male guests into a large billiard-room and a -comfortable smoking-room; also his lady guests into a boudoir and a -music-room. Beyond these, and shut off by another narrow passage at -right angles to those at the sides, were the kitchen, the servants' -quarters, and the domestic offices. As the stables, in the opinion of -many people, were too near the house, the kitchen was too far distant -from the dining-room. But Mr. Dimsdale, who was fond of delicate fare, -prevented the cooling of the food in transit by having it brought to -the table in hot-water dishes. He secretly acknowledged to himself -that he was wrong as regards both stables and kitchen, but would never -admit any oversight to his friends. As he had been his own architect, -he believed "Rangoon" to be almost perfect in construction, design, -beauty, and in its blending of Indian charm and English comfort. And -in the main he was not far wrong. - -The house was filled with quaint Eastern curios, and draperies and -contrivances and furniture, although of this last there was -comparatively little, since Mr. Dimsdale did not care to overcrowd his -rooms, as is the English fashion; perhaps it was this sparseness which -gave the house its foreign look. The library was furnished with tables -and couches and chairs and bookcases of black teak, elaborately -carved, while the central apartment contained nothing but bamboo -chairs and tiny bamboo tables, all of which were covered with -brightly-hued draperies. The dining-room was the most English-looking -part of the house, as it was decorated and furnished in the Jacobean -manner, and looked massively British. But the French windows--three in -the front and three at the side--uncurtained and pronouncedly bare, -admitted too great a glare into an apartment sacred to eating, which, -for some traditional reason, is always supposed to have rather a -twilight atmosphere. But Mr. Dimsdale loved plenty of light and fresh -air and all the sunshine he could get, hence the many windows of the -bungalow. It would have been easier to have removed the walls dividing -the rooms from the verandah, and to have given them the full publicity -of Eastern shops. And perhaps only the climate prevented Mr. Dimsdale -from going this length. He was a fanatic in many ways, and had the -full courage of his cranky convictions. - -As a police commissioner, Mr. Dimsdale had been secretly in -partnership with a Chinese merchant, who traded from Singapore to -Yokohama, and from Canton to Thursday Island; that is, he supplied the -capital and Quong Lee managed the investments. Thus the astute -Englishman was enabled to return to England with an ample income, and -proposed to spend the rest of his earthly life in enjoying it. The -bungalow was his hobby, and he never grew weary of improving its -beauties or of showing them to admiring friends. As he was a -widower--Mrs. Dimsdale occupied a lonely grave in the Shan States--he -had no one to coerce him into spending his money in any other way. It -is true that Ida, his only child, was handsome and marriageable and -light-hearted; but, having comparatively simple tastes, she did not -yearn over-much for a fashionable life. Certainly she knew many in the -great world, and sought society to some extent during the season, -created by man; but, for the most part, she preferred the home-life of -"Rangoon," which was assuredly lively enough and not wanting in -interest even to the insatiable appetite of the young for pleasure. -Her father, like many Anglo-Indians, had been accustomed, save when he -had been stationed in lonely places, to much society, and was also -gregarious by instinct. He invited Far East friends to sit at his -hospitable board in the Jacobean dining-room, and made many new ones, -who were ready enough to welcome an amusing, experienced old traveller -for the sake of his society if not of his money. Dimsdale knew many -people in the neighbourhood of Hampstead, and also a considerable -number in the West End. His sister, Lady Corsoon, and her husband, Sir -Julius, were his sponsors as regards this last locality. Besides, Mr. -Dimsdale belonged to several clubs, took an interest in politics and -the doings of the younger generation, which had matured during his -exile, spent his money freely, and was always an amusing, chatty -companion. With such qualifications it was no wonder that he possessed -a large circle of friends, and was everywhere welcome. It must be -admitted, however, that some frivolous people thought he was rather a -bore, especially when he held forth about Rangoon. - -Then there was Miss Hest--Frances Hest--who was so frequently staying -in the bungalow, and was so sisterly with Ida that she might almost be -regarded as another daughter of the jolly ex-police-commissioner. Her -brother, Francis Hest, of Gerby Hall, Bowderstyke, Yorkshire, was a -comparatively rich and superlatively far-descended north-country -squire, who was quite a rural king in his own parochial way. But as -his sister found the rustic life somewhat dull, she had come to -London, after quarrelling with her brother, who did not approve of her -leaving home. To force her to return he allowed her next to nothing to -live on, and, not having a private income, she had earlier been in -great straits. But being a clever girl of twenty-five, and gifted with -the dramatic instinct, she had turned her talents to account very -speedily. A retired actor with the odd name of Garrick Gail, who -termed himself a professor, had polished her elocutionary powers, and -she had obtained engagements to recite at various "At Homes." During -the three years she had been in London, she had improved her chances -so much that she made quite a good income. She was seen everywhere -and knew everyone, and being a handsome, well-dressed girl of -good family--no one could deny that--she made the most of her -opportunities. Of course, Francis Hest resented her behaviour; but, -always mindful that she was his sister, he extended a grudging -hospitality to her for six months of the year, if she chose to accept -it. Miss Hest did, but not in its entirety, and simply ran down to -Gerby Hall when she felt inclined. She also had a flat in Westminster, -but for the most part spent her days and nights at "Rangoon" in the -company of Ida Dimsdale. The two girls, who had met by chance at a -fashionable "At Home" two years previously, had struck up a sincere -friendship, and saw as much of each other as possible. - -Some few days after the conversation between Vernon and Dimsdale in -Colonel Towton's chambers, the two girls were together on the verandah -of the bungalow, busily engaged in sending out invitations for a ball. -In honour of her birthday--she was now twenty-three--Ida had prevailed -upon her father to allow her to give a masquerade in the central -apartment. That was to be cleared for dancing--not that it needed much -clearing, so sparsely was it furnished--and all those expected were -told to wear masks and dominoes. At midnight all the guests were to -unmask, and supper was to take place. Ida limited her guests to the -number of one hundred, and, with the assistance of Miss Hest, she was -weeding out undesirable people. With a bamboo table between them and a -screen to keep off the hot sunshine--it was now the end of June and -extremely sultry--the young ladies were too intent on their agreeable -work to notice that a stranger was advancing up the yellow-sanded -path. And yet, as the newcomer was Arthur Vernon, he could scarcely be -called a stranger, seeing that he was a friend of the house and a -weekly visitor. - -On this special occasion he had called to resume with Mr. Dimsdale -the conversation about The Spider, and, in his anxiety to -complete the business--which included the setting of a trap for the -blackmailer--would have passed by the girls in order to interview his -old friend. But Frances, who seemed to have eyes at the back of her -head--as Vernon had noticed on several occasions--drew Ida's attention -to him at once. "Here is Mr. Vernon, dear," she said, pushing back her -chair and straightening her tall, imperial form. "Let us ask him to -suggest someone." - -"Good-day, Miss Hest; good-day, Ida," said Vernon advancing easily, -and looking very smart in his Bond Street kit. "Someone for what?" - -Ida shook hands in her friendly, sisterly way and explained. "In a -week we are giving a masked ball in honour of my birthday, and just -now Frances and I are making out the invitations. Only a hundred -people, Arthur, as the house won't hold any more comfortably. Here is -the list--ninety-five names, as you see. So we thought----" - -"That you might suggest a few other people," finished Miss Hest, -leaning gracefully on the back of her chair. "We want gentlemen more -than ladies." - -"Isn't a week's notice rather a short one to give for an entertainment -of this sort?" asked Vernon, running his eyes over the submitted list. - -"Why should it be?" demanded Ida, opening her eyes. "There is no fancy -dress to get ready, and I don't expect that everyone will be engaged -on that particular night." - -"It's the mid-season, you know, Ida." - -Miss Hest nodded her approval. "I told Ida that. Everyone may be -engaged." - -"Well, I can't change the date of my birthday, dear, and I didn't -think of a masked ball until yesterday. If we send out invitations for -one hundred and fifty guests, that number will be sufficient. Everyone -can't have other engagements on that especial night." - -"I don't know so much about that," said Frances in her deep voice, -which was of the contralto species. "People work desperately hard -during the season." - -Vernon laughed and handed back the list. "Who was it said that life -would be endurable if it were not for its festivals?" he remarked, -smiling. "I never see the weary faces of pleasure-seekers during the -season but what I think of that saying." - -"Well, never mind." Ida tapped her white teeth with the pencil she was -using, and cast her eyes over the list of guests. "Can you suggest -four gentlemen, Arthur?" - -"There are two who would certainly come, and whose names you have -unaccountably omitted." - -Miss Hest raised her strongly marked eyebrows. "Why unaccountably?" - -"I am thinking of Colonel Towton and Mr. Maunders." - -"There," said Frances, turning gravely to her friend, "I told you -everyone would notice that you had left them out." - -"Am I supposed to be everyone?" asked Vernon, smiling again. "But why -have you left Maunders and Towton out, may I ask? I thought they were -such friends." - -Ida sat down and coloured through her fair skin. "I wished to ask -Conny Maunders, but my father won't hear of it. Why, I don't know." - -Vernon reflected that he knew very well, since Dimsdale objected to -Maunders paying undue attentions to his daughter. But he kept this -knowledge to himself, and inquired about Colonel Towton. "Your father -and he are such great friends." - -"Of course," said Ida petulantly, "and as they've both been in the -East and are both of an age, they should be friends." - -"There's a difference between forty-five and sixty odd, dear," said -Frances mildly. - -"And between twenty-three and forty-five," retorted Miss Dimsdale, -whose cheeks were growing even more scarlet. "And Colonel Towton is -such a nuisance. He's always--don't laugh, Arthur." - -"I beg your pardon, but I guessed what you were about to say," said -Vernon with mock gravity. "But why do you object to Colonel Towton, -who does not look more than thirty and who is a distinguished soldier, -to say nothing of his being well-off and handsome." - -"I don't know that he is so very well off," retorted Ida, defending -herself; "he has only that old place in Yorkshire." - -"I know," nodded Frances wisely, "it's a Grange at Bowderstyke, three -miles from my brother's place. Colonel Towton is of a very old family, -and I know for a fact that he has at least one thousand a year. You -might do worse, Ida." - -"I don't wish to marry money," said Ida in vexed tones; "and I don't -love Colonel Towton, who is old enough to be my father." - -"He is worth a dozen of Maunders," put in Vernon pointedly. - -Ida stamped. "You take the privilege of our friendship to be rude and -presuming," she said angrily. "My private affairs have nothing to do -with you." - -"Ida! Ida!" reproved Miss Hest, "don't----" - -"I will," said the young lady crossly; "and I shan't ask Colonel -Towton to the ball, when father won't let me ask Conny." - -"You call him that?" asked Arthur, with a shrug. Ida looked at him -indignantly, evidently with a conscience ill at ease. "I shall never -speak to you again," she said in an offended tone. - -"Not if I get your father to let Maunders come to the ball?" - -"Oh, can you; can you?" she asked, in a girlish, delighted tone on -this occasion. "I wish you would. Father likes you so much. And you -can tell him," she added handsomely, "that if he will let me ask Conny -I shall invite Colonel Towton. There--that's fair." - -"You are playing with fire," warned Frances gravely. "Better not -invite Mr. Maunders. You can never marry him." - -"It's indelicate to speak of my marriage in the presence of a -stranger," said Ida with some heat. - -"I am not a stranger, I hope," remarked Vernon quickly. - -"Yes, you are, when you are horrid," and with a rosy face of sheer -annoyance she flitted to the end of the verandah. Ida was rather like -Titania, being sylph-like, golden-haired, and blue-eyed, whereas Miss -Hest resembled Judith with her strongly-marked handsome face and black -eyebrows. - -"Who is horrid?" asked a voice at this juncture, and Mr. Dimsdale -appeared on the threshold of the French window, which was behind the -table. "Ah, Arthur, is that you? I have been expecting to see you. -Come into the library." - -Vernon obeyed at once, as Frances had hurried after the petulant girl -to pacify her. Miss Hest treated Ida as a wilful child, and by -scolding and coaxing and cajoling managed to get her to behave like a -reasonable being. It must be confessed that Dimsdale had spoiled his -golden-haired darling, and even the boarding-school she had attended -could not supply the place of the mother, who was dead. The old man -turned to Vernon when they entered the drawing-room through the French -window. "Who is horrid?" he asked again. - -Vernon laughed and slipped into a chair. "It's a storm in a tea-cup," -he explained easily, and accepting a cigar. "Miss Hest advised Ida to -give up Maunders, and I supported her. Then Ida----" - -"I know, I know," broke in Dimsdale sadly. "She is wilful and is quite -infatuated with the scamp. Arthur, Arthur, I should have married -again, so that Ida could be trained by a good woman. I can't manage -her." - -"I think Miss Hest can," said Vernon significantly; "and she has sense -enough for two. A most masculine young person. But do you think you -are wise forbidding Maunders to come to this masked ball?" - -"Yes, I do. Ida is crazy about him." - -"Opposition will only make her more crazy," warned Vernon, shaking his -sleek head. "It would be better to let them come together, and then -she would get sick of him. Maunders is so shallow that she would find -him out sooner or later, for Ida has plenty of common sense if it was -not obscured by this persistent frivolity, which, after all, is only a -youthful fault." - -"But if Maunders wants to marry her----" - -"He doesn't, Mr. Dimsdale. I can vouch for that. He wants to marry -your niece." - -"What!" Dimsdale, who was lighting a cigar, wheeled round with an -astonished air. "Why, I thought you loved Lucy?" - -"So I do," replied Vernon earnestly, "and she loves me. But Maunders -is a fascinating fellow and a dangerous, unscrupulous rival." - -"I quite believe it. Eh, what? The fellow's a scoundrel," grunted Mr. -Dimsdale crossly. "He should be tarred and feathered. Still, if things -are as you say, I don't mind Ida asking him to the ball. But she must -ask Towton also," he added with sudden determination. - -"She will do so, although she dreads his love-making. However, she may -grow sick of Maunders when she finds he is running after Lucy Corsoon, -and Towton may catch her heart in the recoil." - -"Hope so; hope so," muttered Dimsdale, turning his cigar in his lips. -"I want to see my little girl safely married to Towton, who is as good -a fellow as ever breathed." - -"But not a young fellow. However, it is wiser to let events take their -course for the present, Mr. Dimsdale. Opposition, as I say, will only -make Ida more wilful, since she is filled with romance natural at her -age." - -"Ouf," breathed the old man, wiping his brow with a bandanna -handkerchief. "What a handful women are! But there," he dismissed the -subject with a wave of his hand, "let us leave these trivialities and -talk business. Have you heard anything more about The Spider?" - -"Well, I made enquiries at Scotland Yard, and find that he is very -much wanted by the police." - -Mr. Dimsdale grunted. "Humph! The police are always wanting and never -getting." - -"The Spider is too clever for them," protested Vernon anxiously. "He -won't be too clever for me," said the elder man with sudden ferocity, -and slapping his hand on the table. "Eh, what? Am I to be blackmailed -by an infernal scoundrel who swears that he will tell a parcel of lies -if I don't pay him one thousand pounds. Hang him." - -"If it is merely lies, why pay?" asked Vernon drily. - -"There is a grain of truth in the lies," admitted Dimsdale crossly. -"The absolute truth I can face, but the lies make me out to be a very -queer person indeed. I shall tell you all when we secure this man." - -Vernon looked up astonished. "How do you propose to secure him? If you -arrest him, his accomplice will spread the lies you talk of, by -postcard amongst your acquaintances, as is usually the case in The -Spider's business." - -"I'll risk that, sir; I'll risk that," said Dimsdale with a defiant -air; "but I'm hanged if he'll get a penny out of me. I shall set the -trap, and you will be in this room behind a screen to rush out and -seize him when I give the signal. Understand? Eh, what? Understand? -Come, come! Speak up." - -"What sort of trap do you propose to lay?" asked Arthur cautiously. - -"Well," Dimsdale leaned back, twisting his half-smoked cigar between -his fingers. "It was the masked ball--this silly form of -entertainment, which Ida insists upon having for her birthday--which -gave me the idea. You see, with the chance of being masked and -mingling amongst my guests, The Spider will be the more ready to come, -and will suspect nothing. I am writing to him to-morrow, telling him -about this ball, and am suggesting that he should come wearing a mask -to enjoy it. Then, at eleven o'clock, say, he can secretly meet me in -this room to receive the money." - -"Cash?" echoed Vernon significantly. -"Of course. The fellow's too clever to risk cheques. They would put -the police on his track; would put the police on his track, my boy." - -"But do you intend to pay the money?" - -"No, no, no, no! How stupid you are, Arthur. Use your brains, use your -brains, boy. I shall offer to pay the money, and then you, concealed -behind the screen--that Japanese one up in the corner--can rush out -and----" - -"But I have no authority to arrest him," interrupted Vernon -impatiently. "Why not post a policeman, or a plain-clothes detective, -to catch the beast?" - -"I don't want any policeman in my house," retorted Dimsdale gruffly; -"and you are detective enough for me. If he blackmails me, you will be -the witness, and we will have every right to hold him. Then you can -take him away and hand him over to the Hampstead police." - -"He may show fight." - -"Then have a revolver with you," snapped the old man. "I don't want a -scandal and a row on Ida's birthday, and in my house." - -"It seems to me that you are going the best way to have one," said -Vernon deliberately; "much better let me inform the police and have -the thing done in an orderly fashion." - -"No, I tell you." Dimsdale again slapped the table. "I'll do it my own -way or not at all. If I catch the beast by laying this trap, both -myself and Mrs. Bedge and many other people will be safe. But if we -call in the police, however secretly, The Spider--who seems to have -ears and eyes all over him--will get wind of the ambush." - -Vernon nodded. "There's something in that," he assented. "Perhaps on -those grounds it will be better that we should engineer the job -together. Well," he stood up straight and slim, "I shall come here on -the night of the ball--by the way, when does it take place?" - -"Monday week. It's a short notice, but Ida only thought yesterday of -this way to celebrate her birthday." - -"Are you quite sure," asked Vernon, taking up his tall hat, "that it -is advisable to lay this trap on the night of the ball?" - -"Yes, I do; yes, I do," said Dimsdale in a fussy manner. "The mere -idea of masks, which will enable the scoundrel to hide his infernal -face without comment, will recommend itself to him. He will think that -he is exceptionally safe, not dreaming that I intend to fight." - -"You will fight, then?" - -"Am I not laying a trap into which he will walk?" inquired Dimsdale -with much exasperation. "Of course I fight, as my secret is not such a -very bad one. I can defend myself, and I am willing to risk that being -known which I had rather were kept silent, for the sake of saving -other people from being blackmailed by the beast. Eh, what? Am I not -right?" - -"Yes, I think you are. But I wish you would tell me your secret." - -"After we have captured this scamp I shall do so, and then I shall -tell you the absolute truth together with his embroideries. Don't look -so grave, boy. I haven't committed a murder or stolen from the till." - -"I never thought of such a thing," said Vernon hastily, "but----" - -Dimsdale good-humouredly pushed him towards the window. "I know your -doubts, my boy, but later I can satisfy them. Meanwhile let us settle -that I am a scoundrel, and look on this trap as one set by a thief to -catch a thief. By the way, does Maunders know of the threat made by -The Spider against his mother. She intended to tell him, you know." - -"I am not aware, sir. Maunders has not been near me since that night -at the Athenian Club--the same night when I met you at Towton's rooms. -Well, I shall come to the ball. Meantime, let me know----" - -"I'll advise you if I hear from The Spider. There, get out. Good-bye, -unless you'll have a cup of tea or a glass of wine." - -Vernon declined and departed. The girls were no longer on the verandah -or even in the garden. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. -WHO WAS CAUGHT IN THE TRAP. - - -Vernon had his doubts as to the success of Mr. Dimsdale's scheme. The -Spider, as the authorities very well knew, was a wary individual, and -in all dealings with his victims had been careful to provide for his -own safety. He certainly met them at duly-appointed places, disguised -as an old woman or a young man, as a navvy or as a foreigner; but none -of those he intimidated dared to call in the police. The reason was -that The Spider invariably advised them beforehand by letter that his -accomplice held the evidence of the secrets for which they were being -blackmailed, and that any proceedings being taken would result in the -publication of these by cards being sent to their friends and -relatives and acquaintances. It therefore can easily be guessed that -no one had the courage to lay the rogue by the heels. - -But, as it appeared, The Spider had, in Mr. Dimsdale, stumbled on a -man who was not averse to his secret being known. Vernon wondered what -the ex-police-commissioner had done that he should have one at all, -and looked forward eagerly to being told. Dimsdale was such a very -respectable old gentleman, and so very open in his speech and actions -and entire life, that it seemed incredible he should conceal anything. -However, as The Spider had learned in some extraordinary way, he did -possess some secret, and therefore was being threatened. It was lucky -for Dimsdale in particular and the public at large that he cared so -little for the revelation of whatever shady doings he had been -concerned in, since by trapping The Spider an end would be put to the -dangerous career of this social pest. Whatever Mr. Dimsdale's secret -might be, he well deserved to be forgiven for the service which he was -rendering to everyone. - -But it was questionable, in Vernon's opinion, if The Spider would meet -his victim in a house filled with company, where there was every -chance of a hue and cry being raised. Certainly the scamp, well -protected by mask and domino, would be able to mingle with the company -unobserved. Even if unmasked, he could not be discovered, other than -as an uninvited guest, since no one knew his actual appearance. And -then he might choose to come as a cabman or a chauffeur or as a waiter -at the supper. Of course, if he kept the appointment in the library -his identity would be proved beyond all doubt when he made his -blackmailing demand. This, The Spider, although confident, for the -usual reason, of the silence of Dimsdale, might not choose to risk, -since many people being in the bungalow, he might be overheard. Vernon -looked at the whole affair as a somewhat forlorn hope, until he, three -or four days later, received a letter from Mr. Dimsdale. - -The old gentleman wrote that The Spider had agreed to meet him in the -library at "Rangoon" at eleven o'clock in the evening, and requested -he, Vernon, to enter the room earlier, so that he could be concealed -behind the screen. "I have not," Mr. Dimsdale went on to say, "advised -the police, as it is unnecessary for us to talk until we have trapped -our bird. But once he is in your grip he will see the folly of -resistance, and will probably agree to walk quietly to the Hampstead -Police Station. Failing that, we can shout for assistance, of which, -it is obvious, there will be plenty to hand. But, you will understand -that I wish to effect the capture as quietly as possible, so as not to -alarm my guests." - -In the latter part of his letter Dimsdale stated that Maunders had -been calling at the bungalow during his--the writer's--last interview -with Vernon. He was, in fact, round the corner of the house, nearest -to the library when Vernon stepped out of the French window. Dimsdale -had found him there on the verandah in the company of the girls, and -had promptly told him that he was not wanted, in his usual peppery -way. There had been a row, as Maunders had been grossly insolent, but -Miss Hest--a very capable girl, as Mr. Dimsdale wrote--had induced him -to depart. Confirmation of this report was received by Vernon from -Maunders himself, when the two met by chance in Piccadilly. - -"The old man was most insolent," complained Maunders indignantly; -"There is no crime in loving Ida, so far as I can see." - -"Since you love Miss Corsoon, and only run after Ida for her money, I -think Mr. Dimsdale has every reason to forbid you the house," said -Vernon drily. - -"Oh, rot. I know what I'm about. As to forbidding me the house, I -received an invitation to the masked ball on Monday, and I'm going." - -"Ida only extorted permission from her father to ask you. If you're a -gentleman you will not go to be received on sufferance." - -Maunders chuckled coolly. "Ida won't receive me in that way," said he -with superb insolence, "as she really loves me, and the old gentleman -doesn't matter. I love Lucy, but she has no money, so I expect I shall -have to sacrifice myself by marrying Ida." - -"If Mr. Dimsdale will allow you," chafed Vernon. - -"Oh, he won't; but Ida can defy him." - -"If she does she will lose her fortune." - -"That remains to be seen," said Maunders airily. "Hang old Dimsdale, -what objection can he have to me?" - -"Your aunt might tell you," said Vernon significantly. The blood -rushed to Maunders' cheek, and he looked searchingly at his friend, -but not agreeably. "What do you mean?" - -"I mean that I can only consent to take you into partnership if you -succeed in capturing The Spider," said Vernon slowly and somewhat -evasively. - -"Who is The Spider?" - -"I think you know, if not from the newspapers, then from Mrs. Bedge." - -Maunders looked at the ground. "So old Dimsdale told you?" - -"Yes. He wished to enlist my services on behalf of your aunt to -capture this blackmailing beast." - -"Oh; and do you intend to?" - -"No. I intend to leave the capture to you." - -Maunders opened his eyes. "But, my dear chap, I know nothing about The -Spider, as you call this man, to say nothing of detective business." - -"Yet you wish to become Nemo's partner," said Vernon, very drily. "See -here, Maunders, it's no use beating about the bush. I shan't take you -as my partner unless you catch this man and so prove your capability." - -"And suppose I tell everyone who Nemo is?" asked Maunders with an ugly -look. - -"You can do so if you like," rejoined Vernon coolly, "for then there -will be no Nemo. I shall simply leave England and seek my fortune in -Africa. And, after all, I don't see why you should refuse this test. -It's to your own advantage that he should be caught, unless you want -your aunt to pay five thousand pounds." - -"Bosh! What The Spider says is a lie." - -"I daresay; but it won't be pleasant for Mrs. Bedge to know that her -friends receive cards stating you are her natural son." - -"It's an infernal lie," raged Maunders, the blood flushing his cheek -and making him look handsomer than ever. "I am not a bit like my aunt -in any way. It is true that her sister was my mother, but I take after -my father." - -"Constantine Mavrocordato!" - -"Dimsdale told you that; he seems to have imparted a lot of my private -affairs to you," observed Maunders acidly. - -"They are quite safe with me as Nemo. I don't use my private -discoveries to blackmail people." - -"Do you believe this lie of The Spider's?" - -"No, I don't, for one moment. Mrs. Bedge is a good, kind woman, far -too good for you, Maunders. She has brought you up and educated you, -and allows you money, and altogether has behaved like a trump. For her -sake, if not for the sake of becoming my partner in a paying business, -you ought to hunt out this brute who asperses her fair fame." - -The other man stared again at his neat boots. "I'm not such a rotter -as you think, Vernon," he said, in a voice filled with feeling; "and, -of course, I appreciate my aunt's kindness. We'll let the partnership -business stand over for the present. I give you my word that I shan't -tell a soul you are Nemo. Also, I'll go to work on my own, and see if -I can't catch The Spider. He's not going to get five thousand pounds -of my money if I can help it." - -"Your aunt's money," corrected Vernon gently. "It will be mine some -day," said Maunders with a shrug; "but you can see that I have some -conscience, badly though you think of me." - -"I don't think so very badly of you," replied Vernon hurriedly and -somewhat untruthfully, "you have your good points, Constantine, but -you are so given over to pleasure that you stop at nothing to gratify -it." - -"I stop on the right side of the law, however," retorted Maunders, -again becoming his callous self, after the momentary softening. "There -will be no chance of Nemo catching me. Well, good-day. I'll do what I -say, and perhaps when I meet you at the ball, I'll have something to -tell you." - -"You intend to go, then, in spite of Dimsdale's behaviour?" - -"Yes, I do," said Maunders doggedly; "and I intend to marry Ida with -her thousands a year. So now you know." And he walked off abruptly, -leaving Vernon to congratulate himself that he no longer had a -dangerous rival in the affections of Lucy Corsoon. - -"Though I don't believe old Dimsdale will consent to the marriage with -Ida," thought Vernon, as he resumed his interrupted walk. - -During the few days that still remained until the night of the masked -ball, Vernon saw nothing of Maunders or of Martin Dimsdale. But on the -Monday morning, when having luncheon in the triclinium of the Athenian -Club, Colonel Towton made his appearance. He glanced round the room, -and catching sight of Vernon, walked up to his table. - -"'Day," he said in his sharp, military way. "I'll join you here, if -you have no objections." - -"Delighted, Colonel," replied Vernon, and passed along the menu. He -wondered why Towton was making such a palpable advance towards -friendship, for, as a rule, he was somewhat stiff, with a reserved -manner, after the way of army men. - -The Colonel seemed to be in no hurry to explain, but fixed his eyeglass -to examine the card, and order his luncheon. He was a tall, slim, -dry-looking man, perfectly groomed and perfectly dressed and perfectly -master of himself. In spite of his forty-five years, his close-cropped -hair and smartly-twisted moustache were without a grey hair. Dark and -knightly-looking, with alert eyes of Irish blue, he looked as juvenile -as any of his subalterns. He was one of those men who ripen young, so -to speak, and who remain in that condition for the rest of their -lives. Towton was an admirable soldier, with several letters after his -name, and it was a pity---as everyone said--that he had retired so -early from the army. He should certainly have remained in order to -attain to the rank of a general. But it was generally known that -family reasons connected with the inheritance of a Yorkshire estate -had necessitated the Colonel sending in his papers. Outside his -profession he was not talented, but had a considerable fund of common -sense, which is a rarer commodity than people imagine. - -"I want to have a private talk with you, Vernon," said the Colonel, -after he had selected his dish. "Luckily there's no one within -earshot." He glanced round the room to note that he and his companion -were isolated in a secluded corner. "You don't mind my having a -private talk, do you?" he jerked, staring through his eyeglass and -twisting his moustache. - -"I am at your service," said Vernon, wondering what was coming. - -"I am going to be rather personal, both as regards your affairs and my -own," went on Towton very directly and honestly. "Rather odd in a man -who is a mere acquaintance, eh?" - -"Not at all," said Vernon politely; "I can only repeat that I am at -your service, Colonel." - -"Fact is, I wouldn't say a word, but that I know you're a good sort; -plenty of chaps say that. And again," Towton unfolded his napkin -rather nervously, for him, "you are a great friend of the Dimsdales." - -"Yes, I am," acknowledged Vernon, guessing somewhat of the business -which had brought the Colonel to his table. - -"And a friend of young Maunders." - -"We were at school together." - -"And a friend of the Corsoons," pursued Towton, distinctly ill at -ease, as if he felt that he was taking a liberty. - -"See here, Colonel," remarked his companion straightly; "I guess what -you are driving at from your coupling of those names. May I speak -out?" - -"Yes." Towton nodded away the waiter who had brought his soup. - -"You are in love with Miss Dimsdale, and Maunders is paying her -attentions." - -"Quite so. May I add, on my part, that you are in love with Miss -Corsoon, and that the same gentleman is your rival?" - -Vernon nodded and pushed away his empty plate. "I think we have -cleared the ground for action," he said significantly. - -"I am obliged to you for your candour," said Towton courteously; "and -I knew from your reputation that you would meet me half-way. It is not -easy for an elderly man, such as I am, to speak of his love for a -young girl. But as I am devoted to her, and you are devoted to Miss -Corsoon, it seemed to me that we might join forces against that -handsome young scamp, who is playing fast and loose with the -affections of both the girls. On this ground, I ventured to take the -liberty of speaking to you on so private a subject." - -"I am very glad that you did so, Colonel. Our united actions may be of -great service to the ladies in question. Maunders----" He hesitated -generously. - -"I know," interrupted Towton abruptly, "that young gentleman's -reputation is as bad as yours is good. Even if I did not love Miss -Dimsdale, I should feel justified in doing my best to save her from -that scamp. You can tell him that I said so, if you like." - -"What? Give our plans away to our common enemy," said Vernon jokingly. -"That would scarcely be wise. Maunders is as clever as the devil." - -"And as unscrupulous. But let us be frank. Which of these girls does -he love, in your opinion?" - -"What love he can spare from himself he gives to Miss Corsoon; but he -is after Miss Dimsdale's fortune." - -"I thought so. She is infatuated with him, worse luck. And Miss -Corsoon?" - -"She and I understand one another," said Vernon with some reserve. "I -am not afraid of Maunders in that quarter, although he has good looks -and a great charm of manner. We are talking of very delicate matters, -Colonel." - -"I know we are; I know we are." Towton flicked his napkin irritably. -"Ladies' names shouldn't be mentioned between gentlemen. I am rather a -Turk in that respect; but as this young gentleman will make both of -them miserable, and is a thorn in your flesh as in mine, we must -between ourselves put delicacy on one side. What do you propose to -do?" - -"I don't know," said Vernon, crumbling his bread dismally. "Lady -Corsoon certainly will not let her daughter marry a poor man such as I -am. What are your plans, Colonel?" - -"I don't know," repeated Towton, equally dismally. "Miss Dimsdale is -crazy about Maunders, and will not cast a glance at me. The father is -on my side, however, so I have some chance." - -"You may take it as certain," said Vernon with decision, "that -Dimsdale will never consent to his daughter becoming Mrs. Maunders." - -"She may defy him." - -"There is that possibility, certainly." - -"Hang him," muttered Towton, referring to Maunders. "Why can't he -marry Miss Hest and have done with it." - -"Miss Hest has neither the money nor the looks to attract such a gay -spark." - -"Oh, come now, she's a handsome girl." - -"Not in Maunders' way. He likes a weak woman, whom he can bully; and -Miss Hest is much too firm and managing a wife for him to risk. By the -way, are you going to the ball to-night?" - -"Yes." Towton's face lighted up with ridiculous pleasure. "It may give -me a chance to----" - -"No, don't propose, Colonel. You will only be refused. Take my advice, -and wait for a week or so. Maunders may be out of your way by that -time!" - -"What do you mean, exactly?" - -"I am not at liberty to say. But I advise you to wait." Towton played -with his bread and cheese. "All right," he said at length. "I place -myself in your hands, although I am hanged if I can see what you -mean." - -"Well," confessed Vernon, rising, "to tell you the truth, I am not -very sure myself what I do mean. But I have a kind of instinct that if -both of us play a waiting game, Maunders will get the cold shoulder." - -"From Ida--I mean from Miss Dimsdale?" - -"Yes, and from Miss Corsoon. Come into the pinacotheca and smoke." - -The two conspirators went there and discussed the matter further. As -Vernon had confessed, he had no clear idea in his mind as to why he -advised the Colonel to wait. But, in some vague way, he fancied that -this business of The Spider might occupy Maunders' time and prevent -his paying his usual attentions to Lucy and Ida. In that case both the -girls would probably feel offended. Then Vernon intended to bring them -together in some as yet unthought-of way, so that they might mutually -discover how Maunders was courting both of them indiscriminately. -Lucy, of course, in any case would have nothing to do with the young -man; but Ida's pride, taking fire, might induce her, on making this -discovery, to listen to the Colonel's wooing. Everything in Vernon's -brain was vague and undecided, but he faintly felt that if events -happened in some such way Maunders might be eliminated as a stumbling -block. All these possibilities, however, being still in the clouds, he -did not reveal them to Towton. The conversation in the pinacotheca -resolved itself into the two men consoling one another regarding their -doubtful love affairs. Arranging to meet at the masked ball, they -parted on more than friendly terms and with quite a feeling of -intimacy. This was natural, considering what they had been discussing. - -But the proposed meeting at "Rangoon" never came off. The unexpected -happened, as Vernon might have guessed it would. But, with all his -experience of life, he was never so much astonished as when a telegram -was handed in at his rooms with the name of Lucy Corsoon attached. -"Come to No. 34, Waller Street, West Kensington," ran the wire, "at -nine o'clock. Trouble with M.----L. Corsoon." - -"Now what the deuce does this mean?" Vernon asked himself. - -Undoubtedly the letter "M." referred to Maunders, since there was no -one else with that initial to cause trouble. But what the trouble -might be, or why carefully-guarded Lucy Corsoon should be in West -Kensington it was hard to say. Lady Corsoon rarely let her daughter -out of her sight, and on this night both were due at "Rangoon" to -enjoy the masked ball. But, as Vernon rapidly reflected, there could -be only one reply to so urgent a wire, and that was to stand on the -doorstep of No. 34, Waller Street, West Kensington, at the appointed -hour. He glanced at his watch. It was after eight, so he had only time -to drive from Bloomsbury to his destination. Vernon, for obvious -reasons connected with his income, lived in old-fashioned rooms in -that middle-class district, and was more comfortable than if he had -lived in Mayfair, both as regards space and rent. - -His domino and mask were lying on a chair, ready to be slipped into a -brown leather bag. He had intended to drive in a taxi to Hampstead, -because of the bag, as it was too much trouble to carry it by train, -since in that case his journey would be broken. As he was thinking -what was best to be done, the landlady's husband, who acted as his -valet, came with the information that the cab was at the door. Vernon -made up his mind at once to act the part of a knight-errant, in spite -of being due at the ball, and, without troubling about the domino and -mask, put on his overcoat. Unless something serious was wrong--and the -telegram gave little information--he could return, get the bag and -drive on to the ball. But if Lucy was in dire trouble he would not go -at all to "Rangoon." Mr. Dimsdale would have to manage with The Spider -as best he could. Always provided that that astute individual walked -into the trap, which was doubtful. - -All the way to West Kensington Vernon puzzled his brains as to what -could be the matter, and why Lucy Corsoon should be in a West -Kensington house. Ridiculous as it seemed, he entertained the idea -that she might have been kidnapped by Maunders, and had contrived to -send the wire to the lover upon whom she could rely. But then -Maunders--as he had said--always kept on the right side of the law, -and kidnapping was an indictable offence. But if he had acted thus -rashly, as Vernon reflected with a thrill, he was simply playing into -his rival's hands. "If I rescue Lucy, Lady Corsoon will certainly let -me marry her out of gratitude," thought the young man. - -However, the whole affair was so mysterious that until he saw Lucy -there was little chance of a reasonable explanation. He therefore -possessed his soul in patience until he arrived in Waller Street. Here -he sprang out, and telling the cabman to wait, ran up the steps of a -semi-detached house of the suburban villa residence style. The night -was brilliant with moonlight, so he easily saw the number on the glass -over the door, and also the long, dull street of similar houses. It -was some minutes before the appointed time, but that mattered very -little. There seemed to be no light in the house, and Vernon wondered -more than ever why Lucy should be in so unusual a locality. - -Shortly the sound of light footsteps was heard, and a light appeared, -against which the numerals on the glass above the door stood out black -and distinct. Then the door itself was opened cautiously, and the -white face of a woman looked out. "Is Miss Corsoon here?" asked Vernon -abruptly. - -"Are you Mr. Vernon?" questioned the woman in a frightened whisper. -"Yes. I received a wire from----" - -"Come in, come in," breathed the woman, and held the door open -sufficiently for Vernon to slip in. "I am so glad you've come," she -went on, still below her breath, and apparently much afraid. "It's as -much as my life's worth to admit you. But the poor young lady----" - -"Is she here?" - -"Yes. They've got her in the cellar below. Only because she cried so -much did I dare to send that telegram to you, and----" - -"What the devil does it all mean?" demanded Vernon fiercely and -gruffly. - -"Hush, hush! Don't raise your voice. Follow me on tip-toe. They will -hear." - -"Who are they?" asked Vernon softly, and obeying. - -But all the woman said was "Hush, hush!" So, wondering at this strange -adventure, which seemed genuine enough, the young man went after the -woman down some wooden stairs which led from the hall to the basement. -As he followed he saw by the light of the candle which his guide -carried that the hall was dusty and unfurnished. She led him along a -dark passage and opened an end door with an air of mystery. "The young -lady there," she said softly, and handing him the light. "Take the -candle, and for heaven's sake don't say that I betrayed them." - -"Them? Who?" asked Vernon imperatively. - -She clutched his arm. "They'll hear you," she whispered, pointing -upward, and pushed him towards the open door. "She's drugged--in -there." - -Vernon uttered a loud ejaculation, which made his guide shiver, and -stepped into the dark room, holding the candle above his head. The -next moment the door closed quickly behind him. He turned sharply, but -already the key had clicked crisply in the lock. He was a prisoner. -"And it's a plant; a plant," cried Vernon in a cold fury. "I'm -trapped." - -He certainly was, for there was no sign of the girl who had been -supposed to send the telegram. All the terror and whispering of the -woman had been a comedy to inveigle him into his prison. The place was -a small kitchen, dusty and forlorn and unfurnished. There were no -plates on the rack or on the shelves of the open cupboard, and no fire -in the rusty grate. The room had not been occupied for many a long -day, as the roof and corners were thick with dust and cobwebs. An -iron-barred window glimmered straight before Vernon, and there was a -small door near it. Through this he went, to find himself in a tiny -scullery also lighted dimly by an iron-barred window. The door through -which he had entered was fast locked, and he had no means of opening -it. There was no doubt that he was a prisoner, decoyed to this lonely, -unfurnished house by means of the false telegram. - -"What the deuce does it all mean?" Vernon asked himself, and sat down -on the dusty floor to think out his position. To save his dress -clothes he made a cushion of his light overcoat, and sat on it, -hugging his knees, with the candle beside him. The position was dismal -enough, and decidedly mysterious, as he confessed. "What does it -mean?" he repeated mentally. - -The next instant the obvious answer flashed into his mind. "The -Spider," cried Vernon, leaping to his feet and addressing the bare -walls. "Yes, this must be The Spider's trickery." - -And the more he thought of it the more certain he felt that he had, at -the first blow, hit the right nail on the head. In some way The Spider -had learned of the arranged trap, and had sent the wire purporting to -come from Lucy Corsoon as a decoy. It had proved only too successful, -and now here he was safely locked up in an underground room with no -chance of escape, while Mr. Dimsdale, at "Rangoon," was left to face -the ingenious scoundrel alone. "But that's all right," Vernon -soliloquised, as he sat down again. "If I am not on the spot other -people are, and when The Spider makes his demand, Mr. Dimsdale will -probably raise the alarm. The Spider is not so clever as I thought." - -This was poor comfort. The Spider, at all events, had been clever -enough to ensnare a private detective who prided himself on his -astuteness. One trap had been set by Mr. Dimsdale, and here was -another set by The Spider, out of which it was impossible to escape. -The bars of the windows were too strong to twist, the door was too -stout to break down, so there was nothing for it but to wait. It was -impossible that he could be kept in his dungeon for ever, and sooner -or later he would be released. Besides, someone would have to bring -him food, and if it was the white-faced woman who had so cleverly led -him into the trap, Vernon promised himself grimly that he would seize -her at the first opportunity and make her aid his escape. Finally, the -taxi was still at the door, and the driver might become sufficiently -alarmed if his fare did not reappear to speak to the nearest -policeman. It was ridiculous that a man should be captured in guarded -London in such a way. Vernon was angry with himself for having been -tricked. But until the abrupt closing of the door he had never -suspected that anything was wrong. - -Meanwhile, he guessed that The Spider, having got him out of the -way, was keeping his appointment with Dimsdale in the library. It was -not probable that the blackmailing would succeed, as Dimsdale was -quick-tempered, and as likely as not would simply seize the creature -when he demanded his money, shouting meanwhile for assistance. Vernon -wished that he was at his appointed post behind the screen; but he -comforted with the reflection that Dimsdale would be able to deal with -the matter unassisted. So far as he was concerned, being helpless, he -could do nothing but wait. - -For the next hour or so--he did not pay much attention to the -time--Vernon wondered how The Spider came to know of Dimsdale's trap, -and how he had so cleverly laid his own. The blackmailer seemed to -know everybody's business, as his profession required, so in some way -he had managed to learn of Vernon's love for Miss Corsoon. Only such a -message from such a girl would have lured the lover into such a -predicament, and The Spider had not only been clever enough to know -this, but had been clever enough to utilize his knowledge. For the -moment--it was a wild thought, and passed in a flash--Vernon wondered -if Constantine Maunders had anything to do with the matter. But the -idea was ridiculous, since The Spider was attempting to blackmail Mrs. -Bedge, which Maunders certainly would not countenance. But if not -Maunders, who could it be? Certainly Dimsdale might have talked to -someone else about the proposed trap, since he was extremely frank and -injudicious in his speech. Vernon resolved to question him on this -point when next they met, and hoped from his reply to learn who had -lured him to No. 34, Waller Street, West Kensington. Having arrived at -this conclusion, he rested his head on the overcoat and tried to -sleep, since it was foolish to waste his strength in beating his wings -against the prison bars. After a time, so tired was his brain with -hard thinking, that he actually fell asleep. - -How long the sleep lasted he did not know, but he woke from a troubled -dream with the idea that he heard soft retreating footsteps. The -candle was burnt to the socket and the room was extremely dark, so -Vernon sat up in a confused way, trying to recall his position. With -alert ears he hearkened for the presumed footsteps, but as there was -no sound save his own laboured breathing, he decided that he had been -dreaming. It was lucky that he had a box of lucifers in his pocket, -for the lighting of one enabled him to see the time. His watch -revealed that it was one o'clock in the morning, and as he had arrived -at nine he must have been imprisoned for four hours. His limbs felt -stiff as he rose to his feet, and with a yawn he stretched himself. - -"I can't stay here all night," he muttered desperately. "I'll try what -shouting will do;" and shout he did with all the power of his lungs, -only to receive no response. - -Feeling that he was losing both time and temper, Vernon groped his way -in the thick darkness towards the door. Gripping the handle he gave it -an angry, despairing twist. To his surprise the door proved to be -open. Apparently the footsteps he had thought dream-sounds were real, -and his prison door had been quietly unlocked at the moment of his -awakening. Picking up his overcoat, he felt his way along the passage -and up the stairs and into the front hall--slow work in the gloom of -an unknown locality. There was no noise to be heard, although he held -his breath to listen. So far as he could judge, the house was empty. -Finally, intent upon getting assistance, he tried the handle of the -front door, and found that there was no difficulty in getting clear. -In two minutes he was in the quiet street, looking up and down for a -policeman. - -The road being isolated and the hour late, there was neither vehicle -nor pedestrian to be seen, nor did any light gleam from the windows of -the silent houses. Vernon shivered in the cold breath of the night, -then walked swiftly up the street to seek assistance. Shortly he found -a burly constable at the corner, and breathlessly detailed all that -had happened to that somewhat sceptical officer. A shrill whistle -brought another policeman to the spot, and with the two Vernon -returned to No. 34, the door of which he had left ajar. This somewhat -convinced the officers, and they took his name and address, promising -to search the house, and also to watch it. Vernon himself, on fire to -reach Hampstead and to learn what had occurred, could not wait to see -what discoveries might be made. The policemen wished to detain him, -but finally he got away, and raced towards the more public part of -West Kensington to find a cab. - -As luck would have it, he picked up a belated taxi that had just taken -home a fare. The chauffeur demurred about driving out so far as -Hampstead, but a treble price promptly offered overcame his scruples, -and in a short time Vernon was spinning towards his much-wished-for -destination. All the way he was trying to conjecture how The Spider -had contrived to overhear the arranging of the trap, for he must have -done so, else there would have been no reason for the imprisonment. -But by this time Vernon's brain was weary, and he fell into a dose. -When he woke the taxi had pulled up with a jerk, and he found himself -on the Heath before the gate of "Rangoon." With a sudden spasm of fear -he noted that a policeman was standing at the entrance, apparently on -guard. - -Stumbling out of the cab, Vernon staggered towards the man. "I have -come to Mr. Dimsdale's ball," he said hurriedly. - -"It's over, sir," said the policeman, touching his helmet. - -"Over--so early!" - -"Early in the morning, sir, you mean. But the fact is, there's -trouble." - -"Trouble!" Again a cold chill struck Vernon. - -"Yes, sir, and the ball came to an end." - -"Mr. Dimsdale?" - -"Dead, sir. Murdered, as you might say." - -"Dead!" echoed Vernon, quite dazed. - -"Strangled," said the policeman bluntly. - - - - -CHAPTER V. -AFTER THE TRAGEDY. - - -The news was as horrible as it was unexpected. Vernon had anticipated -blackmail, he had even believed that in the absence of a third person -The Spider might show fight. But he had never dreamed that murder -would take place, as such a crime was entirely contrary to The -Spider's methods. With a gasp he pulled himself together. - -"Have they caught the man?" he demanded anxiously. - -"What man?" questioned the constable suspiciously. - -"The murderer." - -"No, sir; it's not known who killed Mr. Dimsdale. He was found -strangled in his library, some time after eleven o'clock. The alarm -was given, the police were called in, and the ball came to an end. -Now, sir," added the man in a friendly way, "I haven't any right to -tell you more, and as what I have told you will be in the papers -to-morrow, no harm's done. You go home now, sir, and you'll learn all -about your friend when the inquest takes place." - -Vernon thought for a second. "Is your Inspector in the house?" - -"Yes, sir, but you can't see him." - -"I must see him, and at once. I believe I know who killed Mr. -Dimsdale." - -"Oh, you do, do you?" said the policeman with a subtle change of -manner. "Then you come along with me." - -"Wait till I pay my cabman," muttered Vernon, and, the policeman -making no objection to this, he gave the chauffeur the promised fare. -When the vehicle had disappeared down the road, diminishing blackly in -the moonlight, he returned, to find that the constable was holding -open the gate. - -"What name am I to give?" asked the man gruffly, for it was evident -that he regarded Vernon with suspicion owing to what he had admitted. - -"My name doesn't matter; the Inspector does not know me," said Vernon -impatiently. "Hurry up, man! hurry up! Every moment is of value." - -Impressed by his imperious manner, the policeman knocked at the closed -front door, which was immediately thrown open by a second constable on -guard in the hall. By this individual Vernon was introduced into the -Jacobean dining-room, after a few hurried words of explanation. -Inspector Drench--the constable had informed Vernon of the name--was -seated at the table taking notes, and Miss Hest, looking pale and -anxious, stood at his elbow. She was the first to speak. - -"Mr. Vernon," she exclaimed hoarsely, "you have come at last. Poor Mr. -Dimsdale was asking for you all the night. And now----" she broke -down. - -"How did you get in, sir?" questioned Inspector Drench imperiously, -and nodding to the policeman that he should leave the room. "I gave -orders that nobody was to be admitted." - -"I insisted upon seeing you," said Vernon quickly. "This evening--or -rather yesterday evening--I had an appointment with Mr. Dimsdale in -his library, but I was decoyed to an empty house in West Kensington, -and have only managed to get away." - -Inspector Drench stared. "What do you mean by all this, sir?" - -"What I say," rejoined Vernon tartly, for his nerves worried him. "I -understand that Mr. Dimsdale is dead." - -"Mr. Dimsdale has been murdered," cried Miss Hest, clasping her hands -and speaking in a thick, emotional voice. "Murdered in his library. No -one knows who strangled him." - -"I know." - -"You!" Drench stood up alertly. "Take care, sir. Anything you say now -will be noted," and he shuffled his papers like a pack of cards. "Who -is guilty?" - -"The Spider." - -"The Spider!" echoed Miss Hest. "Who is The Spider, or what is The -Spider?" - -She looked puzzled, but the Inspector, better informed, looked -open-mouthed at the young man. "Do you mean to say that The Spider -perpetrated this crime, sir?" he asked, scarcely able to speak from -sheer amazement. - -Vernon, thoroughly worn out from what he had undergone, dropped into a -chair listlessly. "Yes." - -"But this Spider?" broke in Miss Hest volubly; "I don't know who he is -or what he is. Tell me if----" - -"Allow me," interrupted Drench sharply. He was a military-looking man, -something after the style of Colonel Towton, and spoke aggressively. -"Allow me, for I am in charge here, miss. The Spider is the name--if -you may call it so--of a well-known blackmailer, for whom the police -have been looking, and are still looking. Perhaps, Mr. Vernon--I think -you said that this gentleman's name is Vernon--will explain how he -comes to be possessed of such precise information." - -"There is no difficulty in explaining," retorted Vernon, annoyed by -the suspicious looks of the officer. "Listen!" and he rapidly detailed -all that he knew, all that had taken place from his interview with -Dimsdale in Towton's chambers to the moment when he leapt from the -taxicab to be met by the constable at the gate with the news of the -murder. As the recital proceeded Drench tried to conceal his -amazement, but scarcely managed to do so, while Frances Hest, for once -startled out of her self-control, uttered ejaculations. It may be -noted that Vernon suppressed for the moment the fact that The Spider -was blackmailing Mrs. Bedge, as he did not wish to spread scandal. But -Inspector Drench and the lady were put in possession of all other -facts. - -"What was Mr. Dimsdale's secret?" asked Frances curiously. - -"I can't tell you, as I don't know. After the capture of The Spider he -promised that I should be told. Now I shall never know." - -"This comes," said the Inspector bitterly, "this comes of amateur -detective business. If I had been informed of the appointment I should -have made arrangements to capture The Spider." - -"If you had been informed," retorted Vernon heatedly, "The Spider -would never have kept the appointment." - -"Why not? He was ignorant of my plans?" - -"He learned mine easily enough, and would have learned yours. You seem -to forget, Mr. Inspector, that we are dealing with a genius in the way -of criminality. The Spider, whomsoever he may be, seems to know -everything. I believe that he is the head of a gang and has his spies -all over London. No one person could be so well posted up in secret -arrangements otherwise." - -"How did he come to know of the secret arrangement between yourself -and Mr. Dimsdale?" asked Drench abruptly. - -"I can't say, unless Mr. Dimsdale, who had rather a loose tongue, -revealed his plan of the trap to someone else. I said nothing." - -"Mr. Dimsdale gave no information to anyone in this house," said -Frances decisively; "if he had, either I or Ida would have known. As -it is, he apparently met this dreadful person in the library at the -agreed time. And, now that I think of it," she mused, "I wonder that I -did not suspect something of the sort. Mr. Dimsdale told Ida and -myself that we could have all the rooms for the ball save the library, -as he wished that to himself." - -"There's nothing unusual in such a wish," remarked Drench easily. -"When a house is upset by a party a man naturally wishes one of his -rooms left undisturbed so that he can have peace." - -"What happened exactly?" asked Vernon with an air of fatigue. - -Inspector Drench signed that Miss Hest should explain, and glanced at -his notes as she spoke, to be certain that she was repeating what she -had already told him prior to Vernon's entrance. - -"It is hard to tell what took place to a minute," protested the lady. -"Our guests arrived just before ten o'clock, and everything was going -splendidly." - -"Everyone was masked, I suppose," said Vernon quietly. - -"Oh, yes. But Mr. Dimsdale stood in the Hall until nearly eleven, -receiving our guests, and made everyone unmask before they entered the -ballroom." - -"Why did he do that?" asked Drench suddenly. - -"Can't you guess?" put in Vernon impatiently. "Mr. Dimsdale expected -The Spider, and wished to see if he would come." - -"But he didn't know what The Spider was like. No one knows." - -"I daresay. But Mr. Dimsdale knew those whom his daughter had invited -to the ball. If an unknown person had unmasked he would have jumped to -the conclusion, and perhaps truly, that he was The Spider. Well, Miss -Hest?" - -"Everyone who unmasked were people we knew," she continued, "for I -stood with Ida near Mr. Dimsdale, receiving the guests. At a quarter -to eleven Mr. Dimsdale went to the library." - -"Alone?" - -"Certainly. No one, to my knowledge, entered the library during the -whole of that evening until Ida, in search of her father, insisted -upon going in, notwithstanding the prohibition, at a quarter to -twelve. Then she found Mr. Dimsdale seated in his chair, quite dead." - -"Were the windows open?" - -Inspector Drench arose. "Come and see the room, Mr. Vernon," he said, -moving towards the door. "Nothing has been disturbed, not even the -corpse. Everything remains as Miss Dimsdale found it at a quarter to -twelve." - -"And Ida fainted," whispered Frances in Vernon's ear as the trio -crossed the hall to enter the library. "Poor child! It was no wonder, -when the sight was so horrid. She's in bed now, crying her heart out. -Inspector," added Miss Hest, raising her voice, "you won't want me any -longer? Let me return to Miss Dimsdale, as she needs every attention." - -"Very good, miss. I shall continue your examination in the morning." - -"I have told you everything I know." - -"One moment," said Vernon, laying his hand on her sleeve as she moved -away. "I want to know if any guest arrived after Mr. Dimsdale went -into the library." - -"Two. But Ida and I made them unmask. We knew them quite well. Mr. and -Mrs. Horner from Finchley. And I may tell you, Mr. Vernon, that Mr. -Dimsdale came out of the library at five minutes to eleven for a -single moment to ask if you had arrived." - -"I wish I had arrived," said Vernon bitterly, "I might have prevented -this tragedy. Are you sure, Miss Hest, that no strangers were at the -ball?" - -"Well," she said thoughtfully, "it is difficult to say, since all were -masked. But no stranger was there to my knowledge, and when the crime -was discovered everyone unmasked. We knew all the guests, as we had -known them when they arrived; still, some stranger might have slipped -in. But I must go to Ida. I'll tell you anything else you wish to know -in the morning." - -Vernon nodded and released his grip of her sleeve. She flitted away -into the central room on her way to Ida's bedroom. Vernon mused for a -moment, then followed Drench into the library, where the Inspector, -indeed, had already preceded him. The first glance Vernon threw around -showed him that one of the French windows was open. - -"I thought so," he said pointing out this to the Inspector. "The -Spider did not come as a guest, but watched his opportunity and -slipped in at the window. At what time is Mr. Dimsdale supposed to -have been strangled?" - -"The doctor we called in says--so far as the state of the body -shows--that the crime was committed about a quarter past eleven. Miss -Dimsdale discovered it at a quarter to twelve, thirty minutes later." - -"The appointment was for eleven," said Vernon nodding, "so The Spider -was fifteen minutes late. But he came in there"--he pointed to the -French window--"and he escaped in the same way." - -"With the thousand pounds?" asked Drench drily. He did not like to be -shown his business by this young man. - -"I don't think so," replied Vernon musingly, and cautiously feeling -his way, as it were, to a decision. "You see, Dimsdale never intended -to pay the money, and therefore was not prepared with the specie from -the bank. The Spider, for once, went without his booty, and did worse -work for nothing than he ever did for reward." - -"Yes," said the Inspector carelessly; "I believe this is the first -time murder has been connected with his name--publicly, that is. Who -knows what assassinations he may not have to answer for privately? -However, here is the room and the corpse. What do you make of both?" - -The other man looked round slowly. The room blazed with the full power -of the many electric lights, which the Inspector had turned on; also, -as the apartment was square and sparsely furnished, there was no nook -or cranny that could not be seen at a glance. The three windows had -neither blinds nor curtains, in accordance with Mr. Dimsdale's craze -for fresh air; but round the desk, which was on the right side of the -room, near the fireplace, a high screen was drawn, the same which the -girls had used on that morning when they were selecting the guests for -the fatal ball. In a chair, turned sideways from the desk, drooped -the form of the dead man. He was arrayed in evening dress, but his -shirt-front was crumpled, and his face was swollen and discoloured. -There was no disorder round about the desk; the Persian mat had not -even been kicked out of the way. - -"Yes," said Drench in answer to a look from Vernon, "there could not -have been any struggle, since all is in order. In my opinion The -Spider--if it was that chap, as you seem to think--must have come -silently behind his victim, and strangled him with the handkerchief -before he had time to call out. He came to kill as well as to rob." - -"A handkerchief?" asked Vernon interested. "I thought he did it with -his hands, Mr. Inspector?" - -Drench shook his iron-grey head. "There are no marks of hands on the -throat, Mr. Vernon; only a cruel black line, which shows that a cord -or handkerchief must have been used--and used with great force. -Though, to be sure," added the Inspector reflectively, "Mr. Dimsdale -was so short and fat in the neck that a slight pressure must have -caused apoplexy." - -"Did he die of that?" - -"And strangulation; a mixture of both. But it's odd, Mr. Vernon, that -with those uncurtained windows he should have been murdered without -anyone seeing the performance. There must have been many guests in the -front garden, as people always do wander outside between the dances to -get fresh air." - -Vernon pointed to the screen. "That served the purposes of both -curtain and blind, Mr. Inspector. Behind that the crime could be -committed without anyone being the wiser, even if anyone had been on -the verandah." - -"Provided there was no noise," insisted Drench. - -"Exactly; so that makes me believe that your surmise is correct. The -Spider, for some reason, may have come to kill, as well as to -blackmail. Perhaps, as he learned about the trap--which he must have -done to arrange for my absence--he dreaded lest Dimsdale should prove -a dangerous person, and so got rid of him. If that mirror"--Vernon -pointed to a long, broad looking-glass which covered one side of the -fireplace, and which reflected desk and chair and screen and seated -figure--"could speak it would tell how the crime was committed. I can -guess myself," he ended. - -"Perhaps you will let me hear your guess," said Drench sceptically. - -"The Spider, I fancy, stole in quietly through the French window, -which was open, and came suddenly upon Dimsdale seated at his desk -waiting to keep the appointment. Before the old man could turn The -Spider had the handkerchief or cord round his neck and quietly choked -him. There would be no noise and no struggle. Then he looked for the -money"--Vernon pointed to the desk, several drawers of which were -pulled open--"but not finding any he stole out again through the -window." - -"The guests in the garden would have seen him leave the room." - -"What if they did? No one anticipated a crime, and no one but Miss -Hest and Miss Dimsdale knew that the library was forbidden territory. -Moreover, The Spider may have chosen his time to escape when another -dance was in progress, the chances being that everyone would return to -the ballroom. And you may be sure," added Vernon with emphasis, "that -The Spider made use both of mask and domino, so that he might be taken -for a guest, and might escape notice." - -"But Miss Hest said that everyone unmasked----" - -"Who entered the house as a guest," followed on Vernon quickly; "just -so, Mr. Inspector. But The Spider entered as a stranger by the window, -not wishing, perhaps, to take any chances. And, of course, we are -agreed that he is infernally clever, and well posted in necessary -details." - -"I'm with you there," murmured Drench mournfully, "but it's a pity you -and Mr. Dimsdale did not warn me of your trap. I should have caught -the man easier than you amateurs." - -"I am not an amateur," said Vernon unexpectedly; then, when the -Inspector looked at him interrogatively, he added, "I trade as Nemo, -of Covent Garden." - -"Ah, yes; I've heard of you," replied Drench in a less supercilious -tone. "So you are Nemo, are you, Mr. Vernon? I was told that you had -solved several mysteries. In fact, a friend of mine at the Yard said -you'd a head on your shoulders." - -"I'll need it," said Vernon with a shrug, "to unravel this mystery." - -"It's no mystery," said Drench quickly, "since you say that The Spider -murdered this poor chap." - -"The Spider himself is a mystery, and one which the police would give -much to solve. I intend to hunt him down--not alone on account of my -poor dead friend here, but because he so cleverly decoyed me out of -the way." - -"Ah, your pride is up in arms?" - -"Well, yes; I suppose you can put it that way. But I wish to ask you -two things, Mr. Inspector: first, that you will not reveal my trade as -Nemo to anyone in society." - -"Oh, I promise that easily, especially as I don't go into society, and -I can guess that you want it kept quiet. And the second thing?" - -"Will you permit me to place my services at your disposal?" - -The dexterous way in which Vernon put his request as a favour to be -granted pleased the Inspector, especially as he knew from what he had -heard of Nemo that such services would be of value. "I shall be very -pleased to let you work with me, Mr. Vernon," he said cordially. "What -do you propose to do first, may I ask?" - -"This house in West Kensington is an empty one, and must have been -taken by The Spider for my temporary prison. I must ascertain from the -landlord who took it, and thus we may learn something about the looks -of The Spider." - -"You think he took the house himself: applied to the landlord, that -is?" - -"Yes, and no; he may have done so, or one of his gang may have rented -the house. But if we can catch the person who _did_ see the landlord, -we may learn something about The Spider, if indeed the tenant was not -the man himself." - -"Well"--Drench scratched his head thoughtfully--"there is something in -that, Mr. Vernon. But The Spider is so clever that you may be sure he -has made himself safe. You think he heads a gang?" - -"I am certain, and the woman who played such a clever comedy to -inveigle me into the kitchen is one of the gang." - -"Perhaps The Spider himself, in disguise?" - -"You may be right, as, of course, since I was captured about nine -o'clock, there was plenty of time for him to change and get to -Hampstead by eleven." - -"Moreover, he was a quarter of an hour late," suggested Drench, "but -it puzzles me, sir, to think how your trap business came to his ears." - -Vernon looked regretfully at the dead man in the chair. "Perhaps Mr. -Dimsdale may have talked," he remarked. "I said nothing. But we shall -never know now----" - -"Until we lay hands on The Spider and force him to confess," ended -Drench, nodding. "By the way, I suppose some reward will be offered -for his apprehension by Miss Dimsdale? I understand she is rich." - -"It's very probable, as she inherits her father's money--about ten -thousand a year, it must be." - -The Inspector whistled. "That's a tidy fortune," he said meditatively. -"I expect the reward will be a large one." - -"I expect so also," rejoined Vernon, understanding clearly what was -meant, "and if we learn the truth about this crime and capture The -Spider you can have the reward all to yourself." - -"But you're a professional, Mr. Vernon, and have to make your money." - -"I don't want it in this case. The Spider made use of a certain lady's -name to inveigle me to West Kensington, and I mean to be even with -him." - -"Miss Corsoon. I think you mentioned Miss Corsoon." - -"Yes, only you needn't talk about it outside your office," said Vernon -hastily. "I don't want her to be mixed up in this business. Also, I am -not very proud of having been trapped in this way." - -"Only the police will know," Drench assured him, and led the way out -of the room, after turning out the lights. "You'd better go home now, -Mr. Vernon, as you have done quite enough to-night, and look worn -out." - -Vernon nodded. "When will the inquest take place?" - -"To-morrow; the sooner it's over the better. We can work on the clue -of The Spider which you have supplied. We'll catch him." - -Vernon shrugged his shoulders. He was less confident of success than -Drench, since for nearly two years The Spider had entirely baffled the -police. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. -TWO CONVERSATIONS. - - -The inquest duly took place, but no evidence was forthcoming likely to -lead to the capture of the assassin. That he was The Spider there, of -course, could be no doubt, since the declaration of Vernon went to -show that the late Mr. Dimsdale had made an appointment with the -blackmailer. Naturally, the whole story had to be told at the inquest, -and the public became aware, through the medium of the newspapers, -that the dead man had a secret. It could not have been a dishonourable -secret, was the general opinion, else Mr. Dimsdale would scarcely have -risked a revelation. Using it, whatever it might be, as a decoy to -lure The Spider into a trap, he had lost his life in the attempt to -capture the famous criminal. And if The Spider had been celebrated -before, he was still more celebrated now, and in a more sinister way. -Formerly the police had wanted him as an extortioner; now he was -inquired for as a murderer. - -The "Rangoon" crime--as it came to be called--made a mighty sensation, -as there was that about it which appealed to the somewhat jaded taste -of the public. That a man should be strangled in his own library, and -in the very house where nearly one hundred people were dancing, was -truly wonderful, when the sequel was that the assassin had escaped. -The windows of the library had neither blinds nor curtains; guests had -been talking and walking in the garden; on the other side of the tall -laurel hedge cabs and carriages with attendants had been waiting in -the road, yet The Spider had come and gone like a shadow. Behind the -frail concealment of the screen a terrible crime had taken place, and, -far from hurrying his departure, the criminal had actually lingered to -search for the money he hoped to get. It was proved at the inquest -that he did not get his plunder, for enquiries at Mr. Dimsdale's bank -showed that the thousand pounds had not been drawn. Undoubtedly, since -the dead man had intended to defy the blackmailer, the secret could -not have been one to be ashamed of. But what the secret was the public -never knew. - -Vernon, as he had stated to Inspector Drench, was not proud that he -had been so cleverly tricked into temporary imprisonment by The -Spider, and would fain have kept that episode to himself. But for the -rounding off of the case, it was necessary that it should be told, and -thus sensation was piled upon sensation. Vernon, however, contrived to -keep the name of Miss Corsoon to himself and Drench, and it was -vaguely stated in the papers that Vernon had been inveigled to West -Kensington on the plea of helping a woman. Inquiries proved that the -landlord had never been applied to as regards the letting of Number -34. The Spider had simply seen that the house was empty and had gained -access thereto by means of a skeleton key. For one single evening he -had utilised the house as a prison; and when the police searched the -same, which they did from cellar to attic, they found no trace of The -Spider or of the white-faced woman who had played so clever a comedy. -The daring evinced in connection with the West Kensington house was -amazing; the escape of the assassin from "Rangoon" scarcely less so; -and the whole formed a case unexampled in the annals of crime for cool -audacity. And the outcome of the affair was extremely unsatisfactory. - -Nothing could be discovered concerning the whereabouts of The Spider, -and whether he belonged to a gang or worked single-handed no one could -say. The man defied both detective and policeman, and laughed at the -attempts of the law to lay him by the heels. Letters were written to -the papers and leading articles appeared, clamouring that immediate -action should be taken against The Spider, who was a menace to -civilisation. The police did all that was possible, and hunted London -in the vain endeavour to lay hands on the rascal, but without success. -The Spider left no tracks behind him, and could not be followed to his -lair. A verdict of "Wilful Murder" was brought against him, and a -reward of one thousand pounds was offered at the instance of the -murdered man's daughter for his apprehension, but nothing further came -of the matter. The crime was a nine-days' wonder, but as the days grew -into weeks and weeks into months, public interest dwindled. It seemed -likely that the murder of Martin Dimsdale would have to be relegated -to the list of undiscovered crimes. Even Inspector Drench despaired of -success, and gloomily shook his head. Only Vernon remained firm in his -intention to solve the mysteries of the murder and The Spider, and he -said as much to Mrs. Bedge two months after Dimsdale had been laid in -his grave. - -Maunders' aunt was a thin, aristocratic, pale-faced old lady, prim in -her dress and manners. She occupied a quiet, unpretentious house at -Hampstead, not far from "Rangoon." A note from her had brought Vernon -to see her, and now the two were seated in a pointedly antiquated -drawing-room, talking earnestly. Everything about the house and its -owner was prim, and the whole atmosphere suggested early Victorian -days. It seemed strange that so dismal and old-fashioned a house -should be the home of an intensely modern young man like Constantine -Maunders. But, as Mrs. Bedge informed Vernon, her nephew gave her very -little of his society, as he had engaged rooms in town and lived in -them the greater part of the week. - -"He only comes from a Saturday to a Monday to stop here," sighed Mrs. -Bedge, folding her lean mittened hands on her drab-hued dress, "yet he -knows how fond I am of his company." - -"Constantine was always selfish," remarked Vernon bluntly. - -Mrs. Bedge protested with the foolish fondness of an old woman. "Oh, -indeed, you must not say that. Constantine is high-spirited, and I -daresay that he thinks this place somewhat dull. But when he is here I -invariably find him thoughtful and affectionate." - -This was very probable, since Mrs. Bedge had money, and Maunders -expected to be her heir. It was not likely that so astute a person -would risk the loss of a fortune. Something of this sort must have -revealed itself in Vernon's eyes, for Mrs. Bedge, with the swift -instinct of a woman, guessed what he was thinking about. - -"No," she said in her plaintive way, "it is not greed of money that -makes Constantine love me, but his own sweet nature which gives -affection, unasked. Constantine knows that I have spent a great deal -on his education and in fitting him out in life. Now I have very -little money left: this house, the furniture, and a few hundreds a -year. When I die he will receive very little, poor boy. I thought it -best that he should enjoy the money while he was young, and without -waiting for my death." - -"Constantine ought to work," said Vernon, wondering at the blindness -which could describe Maunders as unselfishly affectionate. - -"He intends to, when he can find something to his mind. And then, he -is so handsome that he may make a rich marriage. I thought Ida -Dimsdale would have taken him," sighed the old lady; "she has ten -thousand a year and is also a very charming girl. But there is no hope -for Constantine there." - -"You astonish me," said Vernon, and meant what he said. "I understood -from Mr. Dimsdale himself that his daughter was in love with -Constantine." - -"She was; she seemed to be quite crazy about him, but that was before -the terrible death of her father two months ago. Since then she has -shut herself up with Miss Hest at 'Rangoon,' and when Constantine has -seen her, she has been quite different. She loves him no longer, and -as good as told the poor boy so. It nearly broke his heart." - -"I don't think Constantine's heart is so easily broken," said Vernon -grimly, and relapsed into silence. It struck him as strange that Ida -should cease to love the handsome scamp, considering how infatuated -she had been with him for months. But, if things were as Mrs. Bedge -stated, there was a chance that Colonel Towton's warm devotion would -be appreciated; there was also the chance--and Vernon winced when he -thought of it--that, having no opportunity of marrying Ida, the -pleasure-loving Maunders would prosecute his wooing of Miss Corsoon -with renewed vigour; in which case, and in spite of Lucy's pronounced -liking for him, Vernon thought dismally that there would be little -likelihood of his own success. A more dangerous rival than Maunders, -when he really put his heart into love-making, can scarcely be -imagined. Mrs. Bedge broke in upon these meditations. - -"And what we have been speaking about brings me to the reason why I -asked you to come and see me," she said, smoothing her dress and -arranging the old-fashioned bracelets she wore. "You see, as I tell -you, I am not rich, and as I have informed you, Ida does not love -Constantine as she used to. Now, I want you to consider if it could -possibly be arranged that I could become Ida's companion." - -Vernon started with astonishment. He did not think that Mrs. Bedge -would prove a very cheerful companion to a young girl, and moreover it -seemed strange that, at her age, she should wish for such a position. -She must be poor indeed, and considering how Constantine had drained -her, this was scarcely to be wondered at. "Miss Hest acts more or less -as Miss Dimsdale's companion," remarked Vernon with some hesitation. - -"I think she is a most dangerous woman," said Mrs. Bedge, a warm -colour flushing her faded cheeks; "she is a public reciter. I may be -old-fashioned, but I do not think it is right that a young girl like -Ida should be so friendly with a woman who appears on the stage." - -Vernon laughed at this echo of early Victorian prudery. - -"Miss Hest only recites at concerts and 'At Homes,'" He explained; -"she can scarcely be called an actress." - -"I look upon her as such," said Mrs. Bedge primly. "I have known Ida -for years: when her father was in Burmah he sent her to school in -England, and she always spent her holidays with me. That is how -Constantine came to fall in love with her. It has been the dream of my -life to see them married, especially as Ida is rich and needs a man to -look after her money. I wish to become Ida's companion, not only -because I am one of her oldest friends and need to supplement my -income, but because I hope to influence her again in my boy's favour." - -"I understand." Vernon smiled quietly as he thought that if Maunders -looked after Ida's money there would be little of it left in a few -years. But he quite understood, as he had acknowledged, the -affectionate scheme of the fond old woman, who was a slave to her -adopted son. "I can scarcely advise you, Mrs. Bedge. Miss Hest is a -lady--there can be no doubt on that point--and her character is above -reproach; also, she is clever and strong-minded, the kind of companion -Miss Dimsdale wants. For I should not think," he added after a pause, -"that Miss Dimsdale was capable of managing her large fortune. I have -seen very little of her since the funeral. I suppose the will was -proved and she is in possession of her money?" - -"There was no will," said Mrs. Bedge unexpectedly. "Constantine -learned that from Ida herself. She merely inherited as next of -kin, which is the same thing. Why poor Martin--I call Mr. Dimsdale, -Martin, because I knew him for years and years," she explained in -parentheses--"why poor Martin never made a will I can't say, but he -did not." - -"Strange," reflected Vernon musingly; "so business-like a man would -certainly have made a will, I should have thought. However, as Miss -Dimsdale has inherited as next-of-kin it doesn't matter; failing her, -the money, I presume, would have gone to Lady Corsoon?" - -"Certainly; but Ida, as a daughter of poor Martin, takes precedence of -Julia as the sister. But think of all that money, Mr. Vernon, being at -the mercy of an adventuress like Miss Hest." - -"I don't think she is an adventuress, Mrs. Bedge, and I can't see how -the money is at her mercy." - -"I see it very plainly," said Mrs. Bedge with asperity. "Miss Hest has -a most extraordinary influence over Ida, and not a healthy one, since -she has permitted her to shut herself up for weeks." - -"The natural grief of Miss Dimsdale----" - -"There are bounds to grief," interrupted the old lady sharply, "and the -young recover from sorrow quicker than do the aged. Poor Martin was a -good father, and Ida does right to mourn him; but not to the -ridiculous extent of shutting herself up for two months with that -woman." - -"You don't seem to like Miss Hest." - -"No, I don't. Oh, I haven't a word to say against her character. I -daresay she is a lady and perfectly correct in her behaviour: but she -is not the companion for Ida. Besides, she comes and goes from -'Rangoon' at her will, and is not a regular companion, such as the -girl should have. Miss Hest, so Constantine tells me, lives at -Isleworth with a horrid old retired actor and his wife." - -"Professor Garrick Gail. Yes; she told me that herself." - -"So brazen," sniffed Mrs. Bedge, more prim than ever; "it's not right, -I tell you, Mr. Vernon. Someone should interfere." - -"No one can, Mrs. Bedge. Miss Dimsdale is her own mistress, being over -age, and has her own money. She has a right to live as she pleases." - -"Not in my opinion, Mr. Vernon; it's not respectable. Could you not -see her and suggest that she should sell or let, 'Rangoon' and come -here to live with me as her paid companion? Also, she could help to -keep up this house." - -Vernon almost laughed, so selfish was the proposition, and thought it -very unlikely that Ida would surrender the charming residence of -"Rangoon" and the intellectual society of Miss Hest, to shut herself -up with a buckram old dame in a stuffy, second-rate dwelling. "I am -not intimate enough with Miss Dimsdale to suggest such a thing." - -"But you are searching for the assassin of her father," persisted Mrs. -Bedge with the dogged obstinacy of age; "out of gratitude she should -adopt your suggestion. Besides, you would be glad to see your old -schoolfellow Constantine settled for life." - -It was on Vernon's lips to say that he would be sorry to see any -woman, let alone Ida Dimsdale, tied to a selfish creature like Mr. -Maunders, but out of pity for the infatuated old lady he refrained. -Besides, since she believed Constantine to be an angel, no one would -ever be able to argue her out of that fancy. "Other people are -searching for The Spider also," he said gently, "so Miss Dimsdale has -no particular reason to show me any gratitude, especially as she has -offered the reward of one thousand pounds." - -"I know. Constantine is trying to earn it." - -"The deuce he is?" sprang from Vernon's lips. - -Mrs. Bedge drew up her spare form and folded her hands. "I do not like -slang, Mr. Vernon." Then, when he apologised, she continued: -"Constantine wants to earn the money, and also, if he catches The -Spider, Ida will surely marry him out of sheer gratitude." - -"I think he has a stronger reason to catch The Spider," said Vernon -drily. - -Mrs. Bedge coloured and looked aside. "I guess what you mean, as I -asked poor Martin to speak to you on the subject of that attempted -blackmail. It was scandalous, was it not? However, I have heard no -more from the wicked creature, and I don't think I shall. After -committing this crime, it is not likely that The Spider will dare to -continue in his wickedness." - -"Well," said Vernon, standing up to take his leave. "I certainly have -not heard of anyone being blackmailed lately. Perhaps The Spider -thinks that he has gone too far, and is afraid. I suggested myself to -Constantine that he should capture The Spider if he wished to become -my partner in--that is," broke off Vernon in some confusion, "he -might----" - -"I understand," said Mrs. Bedge quietly; "I know that you are Nemo. -Poor Martin revealed your private business when he suggested that he -should consult you about The Spider's attempt to blackmail me. But you -can be perfectly satisfied. I shall not betray your secret, having," -she smiled faintly, "one of my own." - -He looked at her inquiringly. "I don't understand." - -"I refer to the accusation The Spider brought against me," went on -Mrs. Bedge, her eyes glittering feverishly and her breath coming and -going in gasps. "Oh, it was shameful that a man should dare to accuse -me of immorality--yes, there is no need for us to mince words, Mr. -Vernon--of immorality. Why, the only man I ever loved was Martin -himself. Then he went to India and I was worried by my family into -marrying Mr. Bedge; my sister married his partner, Constantine -Mavrocordato." - -"Maunders, I understood the name was." - -"That was the English name he took, and that is why his son--my -adopted boy, but really my nephew--comes to be called so. I never -liked Mavrocordato, and to think that this Spider should accuse -me--me----" She clenched her thin hand and all the primness fled. She -was no longer a precise old lady of a precise epoch, but an angry and -insulted woman. "If I could find this man, Mr. Vernon, I should strike -him across the lips. I urged Constantine to hunt him down, both to -gain the gratitude of Ida by punishing the murderer of her father and -because I wish The Spider to be punished for the insult he put upon -me. Should you find him, Mr. Vernon, don't spare him." - -"I can promise you that," said Vernon very grimly, for the decoying -still rankled in his breast. "Still, as yet we can find out nothing -about him. If he blackmails you again, let me know. Then we can -arrange a trap." - -"So that I may be murdered like poor Martin. No, thank you." - -"I'll see that such a thing doesn't occur a second time. But I fancy -you can set your mind at rest, Mrs. Bedge. The Spider is too much -wanted for him to continue his little games: the risk is too great. I -daresay he'll turn his attention to America or to the Colonies." - -Mrs. Bedge followed him to the door. "Then you think that he has left -England?" she inquired eagerly. - -"I don't think so; I think--well, I scarcely know what to think. Leave -things as they are, Mrs. Bedge, and sooner or later I hope to capture -the rascal. Now I must leave you." - -"Will you see Ida and suggest my scheme to be her companion?" - -"I don't know her well enough to suggest it bluntly. But I shall see -her some day and hint at your idea." - -"And please keep your eye on Constantine. I fear he is ruining his -health with society." - -"I see very little of Constantine, Mrs. Bedge, and I fear he would not -take any well-meant advice I might offer him." - -Finally he got away from the prim house, although Mrs. Bedge was -anxious to keep him in conversation. When on the Heath, breathing the -widely-blown air, he drew a long breath to refresh his lungs. He did -not wonder that Maunders remained as little as possible in that tomb, -for it was nothing else. To a pleasure-loving, lively young man, -accustomed to be petted by pretty women and welcomed by monied men, -the society of his aunt and the atmosphere of her stuffy house would -naturally be abhorrent. And Constantine was not the individual likely -to deny himself a merry life for the sake of attending on the woman to -whom he owed so much. He had absolutely no idea of the meaning of the -word "gratitude." Most people--and Maunders was one of them--do not -know that there is such a word in the dictionaries. - -Walking along musingly, Vernon remembered how Dimsdale had spoken of -Emily Bedge, and how he also had stated, as she had done, that they -were in love when young. Now Dimsdale was dead, and the girl he had so -admired was a faded old woman, cherishing a foolish affection for one -who would never return the same, and who had no intention of returning -it. Considering the lonely life and sad history and dismal present -position of Mrs. Bedge, the young man began to think that, after all, -it would be a charity to persuade Ida Dimsdale to take her as a -companion. In the society of the girl Mrs. Bedge might grow youthful -again. Of course, her presence might be dangerous, as she would -certainly do her best to persuade Ida into marrying Constantine, and -assuredly the infatuation of Ida might revive. Vernon wondered how it -had died away, and what causes had been at work to make Ida regard -with indifference the handsome face of the scamp. From the hint given -by Mrs. Bedge, he began to believe that this was the work of Miss -Hest. If so, it was no wonder that the old woman spoke ill of her. Of -course, Mrs. Bedge was biassed, for Vernon himself believed Frances -Hest to be a clever, capable woman, who was likely to prove a tower of -strength to Ida, since the girl's character, although sweet, was not -particularly firm. But then there was always the chance that Miss Hest -might become a tyrant. - -Thinking in this way, Vernon suddenly stumbled against a man coming -from the opposite direction, also deep in thought. They looked up with -a mutual apology and both burst out laughing. The newcomer was Colonel -Towton, and he explained himself as they shook hands. - -"I have just been to see Miss Dimsdale," said the Colonel crisply, -"and she gave me so much to think about that I was in a brown study." - -"And I have come from Mrs. Bedge, who also made me think," observed -Vernon with a smile, "hence I ran into you. Where are you going, -Colonel?" - -"Back to town," said the military man promptly, "but I am walking. I -always walk as much as possible in London for the sake of necessary -exercise. Perhaps you would rather drive?" - -"No. I prefer to walk. I am glad to have met you, Towton, as I wished -to speak with you privately." - -"Curious," said the Colonel, screwing his glass into his eye. "I had -you in my mind when I ran into you. Let us walk down the hill and -talk: there is more privacy in the open air than anywhere else. Well?" - -"Well," echoed Vernon, as they turned their faces towards London, -"what do you wish to say?" - -"I'll come to the point circuitously," retorted the Colonel smartly. -"So you have been to see Mrs. Bedge? Poor old Dimsdale told me about -her. My rival's aunt, I believe?" - -"Yes. A quaint old lady of the Albert period." - -Towton shuddered. "I know the style, Vernon. Stiff and prudish and -dowdy. H'm! rather a contrast to our young friend. He's devilish -handsome and infernally modern. I suppose the old lady gives him -plenty of money: he always seems to be in the forefront of things. Yet -I don't like him somehow: his voice doesn't ring true; but there, -perhaps I am prejudiced, since he courts Miss Dimsdale. I'm a man, and -not a saint, so I feel jealous." - -"You have no need to be, Colonel." - -"Eh! what?" The Colonel stopped abruptly and his eyes sparkled. "Do -you mean to say that he has ceased to court Miss Dimsdale? Well, -well," he went on, without waiting for a reply, "I shouldn't wonder. I -might have guessed as much, for three or four times I have been to the -Corsoons, and Maunders was always there, making furious love to that -pretty Lucy of theirs. You had better look after her, if you intend to -make her your wife, Vernon." - -"Lady Corsoon always receives me so coldly, that I scarcely dare -call," confessed the young man dismally. "I daresay Maunders has put a -spoke in my wheel in that quarter." - -"Yes; but, hang it, he can't mean to marry both girls?" - -"You forget what I hinted just now, Towton. Mrs. Bedge assured me, and -with great grief, as she wants the marriage to take place, that Miss -Dimsdale has ceased to care for her nephew." - -Only military self-control prevented the Colonel from throwing his -tall hat in the air. "I thought she was kinder to me to-day," he said -jubilantly, "and she never mentioned Maunders' name, now I think of -it. Do you believe that I have a chance, Vernon?" - -"A better one than ever you had," replied Vernon heartily, "and you -may be sure I shall endeavour to aid you in every way. But, by the -way, how is Miss Dimsdale? I have seen her only once since the burial -of her father, and, of course, then she was overcome with grief." - -Towton thought for a moment before replying. "To tell you the truth, -Vernon, I don't think that dark-browed young woman is a good companion -for her in any way." - -"Why not?" Vernon was rather struck that Mrs. Bedge and the Colonel -should unknowingly agree on this point. "She is clever?" - -"Oh, I daresay, and, if you ask me, a sight too clever," grumbled the -Colonel, shouldering his thin umbrella like a gun. "Ida--well, I can -call her Ida to you, since we have become so friendly--Ida is a -charming girl, but not strong-minded. I shouldn't seek her for my wife -if she were, as I hate masterful women. Miss Hest is of that sort, and -she seems to have too much control over Ida. In fact--I may be wrong, -and I wouldn't say this to anyone but yourself--but it's a kind of -hypnotism." - -"H'm. Do you remember what the Concini woman said about her supposed -magical influence over Marie de Medici: that she only used the -influence of a strong mind over a weak one?" - -"Oh, I don't think Ida is weak-minded," said the Colonel hastily; "she -is a sweet, loving, delightful girl, who would make any man happy. But -Miss Hest is what I call a cat: yes, an amiable cat, so long as things -go to her liking, but I'm sure she could show her claws if necessary." - -"Does she support Maunders?" - -"She supports no one but herself. It seems to me that she finds that -the reciting doesn't pay, and so hopes to become Ida's companion for -life. If Ida married she'd be nowhere. I fancy for that reason she -wishes to keep Ida single, and so doesn't countenance either Maunders -or myself." - -Vernon mused. He remembered how he had fancied that Miss Hest might -have been the person to undermine Maunders' chances. Now Towton was -saying the same thing. However, he said nothing, while the Colonel, -walking and talking vigorously, continued his speech. - -"Besides," said Towton, "there's a queer strain in the family. Gerby -Hall, where the brother lives, is three miles from my place. Brother -and sister are twins and exactly like one another, but they don't hit -it off together. Gerby Hall is supposed to be haunted, and people -think the Hests to be mad, or queer, or--the deuce knows what." - -"Frances Hest doesn't seem to be mad," said Vernon drily. - -"Well, I don't know. Her head seems to be screwed on all right, but -she believes in occultism and all that sort of thing. Her influence is -unhealthy, for she induced Ida to go to Diabella, who----" - -Vernon nodded. "I know. Diabella is a fortune-teller in Bond Street -and is supposed to be very clever. What did she tell Miss Dimsdale?" - -"Ah, that I couldn't find out. But it made her ill; gave her a -headache or something. Ida said very little; seemed averse to speaking -about her visit, and Miss Hest supplied all the information. She was -full of the wonderful things which Diabella had told Ida." - -"What wonderful things?" - -"I can't say. I told you that Ida refused to speak about the matter. -But I intend to find out something about this Diabella, and therefore -I am going to call on her. I have an appointment in three days." - -"She'll tell you nothing about Miss Dimsdale." - -"Of course not. But I shall be able to see what kind of a woman she -is. I don't want Ida to get under another bad influence. That of Miss -Hest is quite enough. I am clever enough to read this Diabella's -character, and if possible, I shall try and prevent Ida from seeing -her again." - -"It's just as well. Tell me what you hear from this fortune-teller." - -Towton shrugged his shoulders. "Oh, it will be the same old rubbish -about love and money and marriage. I don't believe in these mercenary -occult people myself, although I have every faith in the genuine sort -I have met with in India. Now, one of those, Vernon, would soon spot -this damned Spider." - -"Why not ask Diabella?" - -"I shall do so. Gad! it's an idea. But, then, I don't think occultists -who take money are the real truth-tellers. However, it can do no harm -asking her, so I shall do so. By the way, Vernon, have you heard if -the police have stumbled on the track of that rogue?" - -"Not yet. Drench tells me that nothing has been discovered. I am -trying to hunt him down myself." - -"You? Pooh! Pooh! Pooh!" said Towton good-humouredly. "Why, it needs a -trained man to do that. The Spider is as clever as the devil, hang -him. To think that I was at the ball, and in the next room, when our -poor old friend was being-strangled by that beast. I tell you what, -sir, the strangling put me in mind of the Thugs." - -"What do you mean?" asked Vernon quickly. - -"It's only an idea. But this Spider strangled the old man so cleverly -and so quietly that I wondered if he was some nigger who had known -Dimsdale in India or Burmah and so had learned his secret, whatever it -might be." - -"It's a queer way of looking at it," murmured Vernon thoughtfully, -"and Dimsdale's secret has to do with the East, I fancy. There may be -something in what you say. I'll think it over." - -"Do," said Towton cordially, "and I'll come to your rooms to report on -my proposed interview with this Bond Street Witch of Endor." - -On this understanding they parted, having had a most interesting -conversation on important subjects. - -"There may be something in Towton's idea," thought Vernon. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. -LADY CORSOON'S APPEAL. - - -Since the tragic death of Dimsdale, Vernon had seen very little of -Maunders. Certainly--since even London is parochial in bringing the -same people in the same set constantly together--he had met him -casually at the houses of mutual acquaintances, but beyond a few -careless words, nothing had passed between them. It seemed as though -Maunders, after deciding to leave the partnership with Nemo in -abeyance, had drifted knowingly apart from his old schoolfellow. -Vernon did not care much, as he mistrusted a man who was willing to -sacrifice everything and everyone to his greed for pleasure. - -Maunders reminded Vernon in many ways of Lucien de Rubempré in "Lost -Illusions." Egotism was the keynote of the real person as of the -fictitious; but where Balzac's hero drifted weakly with the tide, -Maunders struck out against it for a landing of his own choosing. As -Lucien was drawn, handsome, clever, and unscrupulous, so was Maunders -in actual life, and an insatiable love of pleasure was common to both. -Overindulgence might well wreck Mrs. Bedge's darling, as it had -wrecked the lover of Madame de Bargeton. - -It was the conversation with Colonel Towton which sent Vernon in quest -of the man whom he would otherwise have avoided like poison. He wished -to learn clearly the attitude of Maunders with regard to the two -ladies he was so audaciously wooing. Much as the man loved Lucy -Corsoon--and Maunders' love in this quarter really seemed to be the -most honest part of him--he loved himself more; and it seemed -incredible to Vernon that so egotistic a person would risk losing the -world of pleasure for a genuine passion. Sir Julius Corsoon was -wealthy and Lucy was an heiress, but if she married Maunders, who was -no favourite with the baronet, her father would probably cut her off -with the proverbial shilling. It really seemed wiser for Maunders to -stick to Ida and the ten thousand a year of which she was sole -mistress. But then, if Ida had truly overcome her infatuation, -Maunders had little chance of success in that quarter. A desire to -learn the true state of affairs brought Vernon to Maunders' chambers -in Planet Street, Piccadilly, at eleven o'clock in the morning, two or -three days after that enlightening conversation with Colonel Towton. - -Vernon naturally expected to find the sybarite housed like -Solomon-in-all-his-glory, and he was not disappointed. The rooms were -beautifully decorated and sumptuously furnished. No expense had been -spared to make them worthy of this fastidious young gentleman, who was -only content with the very best which civilisation could afford. He -received his friend in a delightful Pompadour apartment, airy and -bright, and gracefully frivolous. Recalling the sombre, shabby house -at Hampstead, and Mrs. Bedge's revelations regarding a diminishing -income which made her anxious to seek at her age the post of a paid -companion, Vernon could not think how Maunders managed to provide -himself with such gorgeous surroundings. He had no settled income, -and, like the lilies of the field, he neither toiled nor spun. But he -welcomed Vernon in a maroon-coloured velvet smoking-suit which must -have cost a considerable sum in Bond Street, and asked him to partake -of a delightfully tempting breakfast, set out with all the delicacies -of the season. - -"Though, I daresay," said the handsome scamp in his languid, insolent -manner, "that you breakfasted at cock-crow. You were always -aggressively virtuous." - -"I certainly have been up some hours," replied Vernon coldly. "While -you eat I can smoke, with your permission." He sat down and lighted a -cigarette carefully. "I have called to see you----" - -"An unexpected pleasure," murmured Maunders, pouring himself out a -second cup of coffee. "Yes?" - -"To ask you if you are engaged to Miss Dimsdale," finished Vernon -pointedly. - -"Perhaps I am." - -"In that case you will have given up all pursuit of Miss Corsoon?" - -"Perhaps I have." - -"Oh, hang your evasions. What do you mean?" - -"I don't recognise your right to ask me questions about my affairs." - -"They are mine also, confound you," snapped Vernon energetically. "I -love Miss Corsoon, and if you would leave her alone she would probably -accept me." - -"What good would that do?" asked Maunders lightly; "Her mother -wouldn't." - -"Would Lady Corsoon accept <I>you?</I> After all, you have nothing but your -good looks to offer the girl." - -"Ah, but the girl has a fortune to offer me." - -"You aren't worth it. And let me remind you that however much Miss -Corsoon may be taken up with your looks, her mother will certainly -disapprove of the match." - -Maunders shrugged his shoulders. "You can't be sure of that." - -"I am sure of one thing, that Sir Julius will cut his daughter off -with a shilling if she marries you." - -"Now that's very clever of you, my dear boy," said Maunders -gracefully, "for Sir Julius _is_ the stumbling-block. He's a purse -with a gaping mouth, which goes about on two legs, and has no sympathy -with romance." - -"Romance! Why, you don't know what it means," said Vernon scornfully. -"You want to marry money, and either Miss Corsoon or Miss Dimsdale -will serve your turn. The last is in possession of her money, whereas -the first may not inherit her expected fortune, which will certainly -be taken away from her if she marries you. Why not stick to Miss -Dimsdale?" Maunders rose and went to the window. "Because I really -love Miss Corsoon, much as you may doubt it," he said impetuously. "I -have a heart----" - -"Which is for sale to the highest bidder. See here, Conny----" - -"Conny?" Maunders lifted his eyebrows. "I thought you barred pet -names?" - -"I am appealing, not to the man-of-the-world, but to my old -schoolfellow, if you put it in that way. See here, I love Lucy -Corsoon, and, if you would only clear out of the gangway, she would -really love me. She does--I have seen it in many ways." - -"Bosh! If she really loved you she wouldn't listen to me." - -"I don't know. You have good looks and a kind of magnetic power which -influences women against their will: hard women of the world, too, -much less an innocent girl such as Lucy is. It's a great power to -have, and you make bad use of it." - -"Just because I happen to cross your track. Thanks." - -"Oh, hang your dodging. I came here to receive a plain answer to a -plain question. Are you going to marry Miss Corsoon or Miss Dimsdale?" - -"I haven't made up my mind." - -"You would if Miss Dimsdale would listen to you," snarled Vernon. "If -I asked her to be my wife she would accept at once," retorted -Maunders. - -"No, she wouldn't. Your aunt told me that she had lost all love for -you since the death of her father." - -Maunders' face grew black. "I wish the old lady would keep her ideas -to herself," he said angrily, "for it is an idea and nothing more. -Naturally, as her father came by his death in so terrible a manner, -Ida is grieved and can't think eternally of me. All the same, she -loves me." - -"I doubt that." - -"On what grounds?" - -"On what Mrs. Bedge said." - -"Pooh! Pooh! Pooh! What does my aunt know about it?" said Maunders -lightly and with superb insolence. "She's a dear old thing, but -several centuries behind the age. Ida is mine if I choose to have her, -and I would have her if my silly heart did not stand in the way." - -Vernon jumped up in a royal rage. "I forbid you to make false love to -Miss Corsoon. I love her and she loves me, and it is only your -infernally magnetic personality that draws her heart away from me. If -you meant well by her, and I thought she would be happy, I would -withdraw; but you only mean to marry her for her money, which she may -never get." - -"I love her, I tell you; I love her," said Maunders as violently as -Vernon had spoken, "and money or no money I shall marry her if I -choose. You have no chance. Lady Corsoon hates you." - -"I don't believe it. She shows signs of yielding, and has asked me to -go to tea at her house this afternoon. If she hated me she would not -ask me in so friendly a way." - -An almost imperceptible smile passed over the full lips of Maunders, -and he shrugged his shoulders. "Go to her house by all means and hear -what she has to say," he sneered. "I'll risk your visit." - -Vernon was baffled by all this fencing and evasion. The man would -neither say "yea" nor "nay," and it was impossible to tell what he -intended to do. "If you will leave the field clear for me with Miss -Corsoon I will take you into partnership," he said at last, -entreatingly. - -"I am not sure if I wish to be taken in," retorted Maunders -contemptuously; "it is not a respectable business." - -"You are a liar! My business is perfectly respectable, and I earn my -money honestly." Vernon caught up his hat and looked round the elegant -room. "I doubt if you can say the same." - -"What do you mean by that?" demanded Maunders furiously. - -"I mean that you haven't a sixpence, that your aunt can't allow you -much, and that you are living far beyond your means. Where do you get -the money?" - -"That's my business," said Maunders coolly, "and my aunt is wealthy." - -"So wealthy that she desires the post of a paid companion to Miss -Dimsdale," sneered Vernon, making for the door. "She told me so -herself, although I'm bound to say that she desires to further your -interests by inducing Miss Dimsdale to love you again." - -"I can manage all that for myself," said Maunders decisively; "my aunt -has no business to interfere with my affairs." - -"She brought you up, and----" - -"And I am to be her slave for the rest of my life. Nonsense! All that -filial feeling is out of date," said Maunders lightly. "However, I -shall tell my aunt what I think of her talking to you in this way. As -to the rest of it, you keep out of my way, Vernon, or it will be the -worse for you." - -"Ah!" Vernon faced round at the door. "Now you speak clearly. Is it to -be peace or war between us?" - -"War," snapped Maunders. "You can't hurt me and----" - -"War let it be," interrupted Vernon, opening the door. "Good-day," and -he walked out smartly, leaving his friend, or, rather, his enemy, now -that war had been declared, rather surprised by his abrupt departure. -But when the door closed Maunders' face grew black and his brow -wrinkled. - -"Perhaps I shouldn't have driven Arty to such a declaration," murmured -the young man thoughtfully. "He's a fool, but a clever fool. After -all, although I love Lucy it will be better for me to marry Ida since -she has the money. I wonder how Aunt Emily found out about Ida's -change towards me? It can't last, however, if I only take trouble to -see her often enough. It's Lucy who holds me back. I'm a fool, as I -know that Lucy doesn't care for me as she does for Arty. I wish I -hadn't fought him now; but he can't harm me, he can't." Maunders -glanced round the luxurious room. "He shan't. There's too much to -lose. Damn him, I'll fight him and beat him. There!" - -While Maunders was coming to this conclusion Vernon was walking -swiftly along Piccadilly, in the direction of Covent Garden, as he -intended to go to the office wherein he carried on business as Nemo. -Now that Maunders had openly declared himself as an enemy the -situation was somewhat adjusted, and Vernon felt that he could deal -with it. He made up his mind to tackle Lady Corsoon that very day and -ask if he might be permitted to pay attentions to Lucy. Then in an -interview with the girl herself he might manage to brush aside this -semi-hypnotic influence which Maunders' fascinating personality seemed -to exercise over her. If he could only get the mother on his side all -would be well. Lady Corsoon did not know that he was Nemo, which was -just as well; but she did not know also that he had expectations from -a bachelor uncle who could leave him a title and a fortune of three -thousand a year. If this were set before her she might be induced to -welcome him as a suitor, although both Sir Julius and Lady Corsoon -were said to desire nothing less than a duke for their only child. But -if this was the case, Vernon wondered why the lady tolerated Maunders, -who was poor and without position. However, when he called that -afternoon he might be able to learn the reason. At all events, his -expectations, against Maunders' mere good looks, would probably carry -the day. - -At the office a surprise awaited him. His clerk, a dry-as-dust, lean -old fellow, as silent and wise-looking as an owl, met him in the outer -room with a mysterious face and informed him that a lady had been -waiting an hour for the appearance of Nemo. She had refused to give -any name, and had declared her intention of remaining until she saw -the detective. Vernon, in his business capacity, was used to people -who came and went without giving names, as their business was -generally shady, so he did not pay much attention to the matter. -Hanging up his coat and hat and laying aside his gloves and cane, he -passed into the inner room. Then he received the surprise aforesaid. -His client was none other than Lady Corsoon herself. - -She arose, perfectly self-possessed, and did not appear to be -surprised to see the young man. "How are you, Mr. Vernon?" she asked, -holding out a gracious hand, "or perhaps I should call you Nemo -here--Mr. Nemo." - -Vernon, violently red and inwardly greatly upset by this recognition, -accepted the gloved hand timidly. "How did you find out that I----" - -"Oh, your enemy told me," finished Lady Corsoon, sitting down. - -"My enemy?" stammered the unfortunate man nervously. - -"Mr. Constantine Maunders, who----" - -Vernon interrupted her and struck a hard blow on the table. His eyes -flashed dangerously. "Then, in spite of his promise, he told you what -I so much desired to keep secret?" - -"Yes," said Lady Corsoon drily. "It was his desire to put me against -you, so that he could philander with my daughter. But his shot failed -to hit the mark. I was delighted to hear that you were Nemo; I have -heard something of Nemo's doings and cleverness, and so the -information brought me here, as you see." - -"To forbid me your house?" - -"I asked you to afternoon tea to-day, and that invitation was issued -after your enemy betrayed you. Sit down, Mr. Nemo, and become -business-like. We have much to talk about." - -Considerably surprised by this attitude, Vernon sank into his chair -before the desk and stared at Lady Corsoon in the dim light which -filtered through the dingy window of the room. She was well worth -looking at, in spite of her age, as her dress was perfect and her -looks still displayed the remains of considerable beauty. She was -somewhat stout, it is true, but her complexion--whether due to art or -nature--was that of a young girl, and her sparkling brown eyes -revealed an intellect of no mean order. A clever woman was Lady -Corsoon, within limitations, and she would have been even more a power -in the fashionable world than she was had she not been so dominated by -the powerful personality of her husband. Sir Julius was of long -descent, but in his youth of ruined fortunes, owing to a spendthrift -father. Being an inborn financier, however, he had built up an -Aladdin's palace of gold on the ruins, and was extremely wealthy. Yet -he had the heart of a miser, and allowed his wife and daughter only -sufficient to keep up their position with care and difficulty. This -mean behaviour explains the reason of Lady Corsoon's visit to Vernon -in his _avatar_ of Nemo, as he speedily understood. But as yet he had -not overcome his surprise at thus finding his mask torn off. - -"Come! Come!" said Lady Corsoon, tapping his arm with her sunshade. "I -have come to see a business man and not a dreamer. Wake up, Mr. Nemo." - -Vernon winced on hearing her pronounce his trade name. "I am at your -service," he said in a low voice. - -"And in my hands," rejoined Lady Corsoon briskly. "What would the -world say if it knew that Arthur Vernon was a private inquiry agent, -making his money out of people's secrets?" - -"You take me for The Spider, apparently," said Vernon with spirit, and -anxious, through pride, to repel the odious accusation. "I make money -by helping people to keep their secrets, not by betraying them. I am -on the side of the law, not of the criminal. Upon my word, I can't see -that a man who carries on an honest business to preserve secrets and -to save unfortunate people from blackmail is worse than--if indeed as -bad as--a City rogue who trades unscrupulously on people's weakness -for gambling." - -Lady Corsoon changed colour at the last words, and evidently was about -to make a remark thereon. However, she checked herself sharply and -replied with feigned carelessness, "Very well argued, Mr. Vernon. But -people are prejudiced against those who seek to know secrets." - -"Because everyone has a turned-down page in his or her Book of Life," -cried the young man. "I--in my business--prevent that page being read -by those who wish to be paid for the reading. I don't want my business -known, but I am not ashamed of it." - -"Why did you take it up? - -"Because my father lost all his money, and I had scarcely enough to -live upon," retorted the young man quickly and proudly. - -"You have expectations?" - -Vernon started. "How do you know that?" he demanded sharply. Lady -Corsoon tapped his arm again. "In my own way I have been doing a -little detective business. You were so persistent in following Lucy -from house to house, and so decidedly refused to receive my 'No' for -her answer, that I made inquiries to see why you could have the -courage to offer a young girl a ruined fortune. I learned, indeed, -that you were ruined by your father, but I learned also that Sir -Edward Vernon, of Slimthorp, in Worcestershire, is your uncle. He has -a good income and no wife and is eighty years of age. The chances are -that you will succeed him." - -"He cannot keep me out of the title," said Vernon bitterly, "but you -should have gained more information, Lady Corsoon. My uncle hated my -father because my father married the woman he loved, and he hates me -because I am the son of that woman. I do not hope to inherit the -money, and what is a title without money? I did not explain what you -have discovered, else I should have done so, since it seemed useless -to put forward all that as a plea for an engagement to your daughter." - -"My dear man, a title is better than nothing. You are too modest. -Besides, Lucy will have plenty of money." - -"I know, if she marries as you and her father wish. But I hear," -Vernon smiled bitterly, "that you want a duke." - -"I want an honest man, upon whom I can depend," said Lady Corsoon with -energy, "and for that reason I have come to see you." - -"In spite of the fact that I am Nemo?" - -"For the very reason that you are Nemo," she retorted with a lightning -glance. "My dear boy, Mr. Maunders thought to do you a bad turn by -telling me of your secret business, and thought that I would certainly -forbid you my house and finally end your dangling after my daughter. -As it is, he has done you a good turn, as you are the man I want." - -"For Lucy?" - -"And for myself. If you can carry out safely the business I have come -to see you about I shall encourage your addresses to Lucy, and, so far -as I can influence so iron-natured a man, I shall win Sir Julius to -your side. Come, is it a bargain?" - -"Oh," Vernon caught her hand joyfully, "of course it is; I never -dreamed of such happiness. But now I know why Maunders smiled when I -told him that I was due at your house this afternoon." - -"When did you see him?" - -"Immediately before I came here. I went to ask whether he wished to -marry Miss Corsoon or Miss Dimsdale, but he refused to say. But he -smiled--ah! he thought that, having told you I was Nemo, you intended -to dismiss me for ever from your house when I called this afternoon." - -"I daresay, but he will learn that instead of enemies we are friends, -and that instead of his marrying Lucy, you shall. It is just as well," -added Lady Corsoon quietly, "as she loves you, although she is more or -less fascinated by that--that--that gentleman, shall we say?" - -"But you are fascinated yourself, Lady Corsoon, else you would -scarcely have tolerated a penniless man dangling after your daughter." - -"I tolerated it, as you say, because Mr. Maunders knows my secret." - -"Your secret?" In a flash Vernon recalled the conversation with the -young man under the peristyle, in which Maunders had hinted that he -knew something which would enable him to manage Lady Corsoon. - -"What is your secret?" - -"I have come to tell you, so don't interrupt until I have finished," -said Lady Corsoon coolly. "I come to you because I know in a hundred -ways that you are, what Mr. Maunders is not, an honest gentleman, and -also the private detective that I need. I have one great vice, Mr. -Vernon, I am a gambler, and for the last two years I have lost a heap -of money at bridge. To pay my debts, since Sir Julius kept me always -very short of money, I pawned certain family jewels. If Sir Julius -finds that out he is capable of causing a scandal by forcing a -separation. For Lucy's sake, as well as for my own, I don't want such -a thing to take place." - -"But how can he find out?" - -Lady Corsoon fished in a green and gold bag which was slung on her arm -and produced an elegant sheet of writing paper. "Read that," she said -quietly. - -Vernon started, and suppressed a cry. At the foot of the writing he -saw a purple spider impressed clearly--the well-known sign manual of -the scoundrel who had murdered Mr. Dimsdale. Glancing his eyes over -the pages, he read that The Spider had learned about the pawning of -certain family jewels and, moreover, had managed, by forged tickets, -to get the same into his possession. He was willing to sell them back -for two thousand pounds, to be paid in gold on a certain date and at a -certain place, to be arranged when he received Lady Corsoon's reply. -The reply was to be put in the agony column of the _Daily Telegraph_, -when further arrangements would be made for the payment of the sum and -the handing over of the jewels. Failing consent, The Spider intended -to apply to Sir Julius and to reveal Lady Corsoon's gambling -propensities. The whole of this precious epistle, written very -elegantly, ended with the ideograph of the purple spider. - -"What do you think of it?" asked Lady Corsoon when Vernon finished -reading. - -"What can I think of it, but that the man is a blackguard. You want me -to deal with this?" - -"Yes. I can't pay the two thousand pounds, as I have not got it. My -husband keeps me very short. You see that I am candid; but then I -trust you, as I doubt Mr. Maunders." - -"Why do you doubt him?" asked Vernon suddenly. "Because he followed me -one day to a pawnshop and learned my secret. Not in so many words, but -by unmistakable hints he gave me to understand that my open house to -him and my encouraging of his love for Lucy was the price of his -silence. Things have gone from bad to worse, and I feel that I am -under his thumb, until the jewels are got back again and all proof of -my madness is destroyed. I am keeping a brave face, Mr. Vernon, but I -am truly in despair. Sir Julius is a hard man, and the revelation of -what I have done means disgrace. My husband will not spare me." - -"For his daughter's sake?" - -"No. He would remove Lucy from my care and cast me off with a small -income to live on. He can't get a divorce, but he will insist upon a -separation, as I feel certain. You alone can save me, and, if you can, -I agree to your marriage with my daughter. Oh," she cried, struck by a -strange look in Vernon's eyes, "don't think I am selling Lucy to you. -But she loves you, and now that I know you will some day have a title, -the money doesn't matter, as Sir Julius may be persuaded into -accepting you as his son-in-law. At all events, if you will be my -friend I shall be yours. Is it a bargain?" - -"Yes," said Vernon, gripping the hand she held out; "for more reasons -than this one do I wish to track this blackmailing beast to his lair. -Agree, by a line in the _Daily Telegraph_, to pay the money in a -month. That will give me time to turn round." - -Lady Corsoon drew a long breath of relief. "Thank God I came to you. -As for Mr. Maunders, I really believe----" She hesitated. - -"What?" asked Vernon looking up quickly. - -"That he is The Spider himself." - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. -THE GRIEF OF IDA. - - -Vernon was not the man to let the grass grow under his feet when there -was anything to gain by hurry. And in this case the happiness of his -whole life was at stake. The visit of Lady Corsoon to enlist him on -her side with the bribe of supporting his suit for her daughter was -one of those unexpected cards which Fate deals us to win in the game -of life. It was a veritable ace, with which Vernon hoped to trump -Maunders' trick. Hitherto the handsome scamp had had everything his -own way. Now he was to find serious obstacles in his path. With Lucy's -love and her mother's support, the course of true affection might run -smoother. The father might be gained over by playing on his -instinctive dislike to Maunders and by the news, which Vernon had -hitherto not thought worth imparting, namely, that he had a chance of -becoming a baronet. - -Moreover, since war had been declared between the two schoolfellows, -Maunders would undoubtedly make himself disagreeable in any case. -Already, acting treacherously, he had informed Lady Corsoon of the way -in which Vernon earned his money, and it was probable that now he -would inform others. Of course, the young man wished to prevent this, -for, in spite of his defence of his profession, he was aware that the -world does not look amiably on one who lives by learning the secrets -of weak humanity, even when the aim is to preserve those same secrets -from use by villains. But the difficulty was to seal Maunders' mouth, -as the moment he noticed--and he certainly would, speedily--that -Vernon was favoured by Lady Corsoon, he would spread the scandal with -a zeal born of the knowledge that his empire was slipping from him. -Also, he would strive to intimidate Lady Corsoon more openly, and it -could not be denied but what her position towards her aggressively -upright husband was a delicate one. Thus Maunders was the enemy both -of Lady Corsoon and of Vernon: to crush him they therefore formed a -secret partnership. In this unity lay their strength. - -The weapon Vernon proposed to use towards his dangerous foe was that -supplied by the chance remark of Lady Corsoon that Maunders might be -The Spider. When she departed with the assurance that there was -nothing to be afraid of for at least one month, Vernon sat silently in -his chair, thinking over what had been said. After all, it did not -seem impossible that Maunders should be this arch-scoundrel, for whom -the police were so eagerly seeking. To Vernon's own knowledge, the -young man did not receive large sums from Mrs. Bedge, and he had no -other source of income. Yet, as Vernon had seen, he contrived to live -like a prince on nothing a year. Perhaps, like the amiable and -talented Mrs. Rawdon Crawley, he managed to keep up his princely -appearance by spending other people's money--that is, by getting -deeply into debt. But Vernon knew that Maunders did not owe one penny. - -He came by the information by having, at the request of the late Mr. -Dimsdale, searched into Maunders' private life some months previously. -The old ex-police-commissioner, seeing that his daughter was -infatuated with the young man, hoped to learn something to his -discredit, and so asked Vernon--whom he knew already as Nemo--to make -an examination. Of course, Vernon did not guess at the time that Mr. -Dimsdale wished to find something to the discredit of an undesirable -suitor, and merely thought that the old man was anxious to learn if -Maunders was a fit husband for his daughter. In fact, Vernon believed -that he was doing his old schoolfellow a good turn in probing his -life. He certainly learned that Maunders owed nothing and always -settled his debts scrupulously--presumably on money allowed by Mrs. -Bedge; so he presented his report to Dimsdale with the remark that -Maunders, at all events, was an honest man. Now the case assumed a -different aspect with Mrs. Bedge's confession of poverty--a confession -which was supported as true by her anxiety to become Ida's paid -companion. Since Maunders paid his debts and lived like a millionaire -in embryo, how did he manage to fill his purse? Lady Corsoon had -provided a very reasonable reply to this serious question. He was The -Spider. - -"But, hang him, he's not clever enough," muttered Vernon, rising to -pace the narrow confines of his office at this point of his -meditations. "He's cunning and smart and observant and unscrupulous. -But The Spider is a genius and manages his affairs in a far-seeing -way, which does not suggest Maunders. Conny is shallow in many ways, -and for the present would sacrifice the future. No, The Spider never -does that. He waits and plans and arranges his operations in such a -way that he can never be captured. No, feasible though it seems, I -can't see Constantine as that master-criminal." - -But again Vernon reflected that when the trap had been arranged -between him and the dead man the window of the library had been open, -and, as Mr. Dimsdale had mentioned in his subsequent letter, with -wrath, Maunders had called at the moment. In fact, he had been round -the corner of the bungalow nearest to the library with the two ladies. -Now, it was not impossible that in passing the library, light-footed -as he was (and Maunders trod like a cat), he might have lingered at -the sound of voices. Thus he might have gained the necessary knowledge -of the trap, which he had afterwards utilized to inveigle Vernon to -the West Kensington house. That is, presuming he was The Spider; and -the name of Lucy Corsoon used in the wire was the very name which -Maunders, knowing Vernon's love for the girl, would employ. Finally, -Maunders had been at the ball, and it would have been easy for him, -masked and cloaked as he was, to steal into the library and commit the -crime, afterwards mingling with the guests in all apparent innocence. -On these grounds Vernon began to believe that Lady Corsoon might be -correct in her assumption. But always there came the doubt that -Maunders was too shallow to be the arch-rogue. He was clever, but -certainly not a genius, whereas The Spider was a Napoleon amongst the -criminal fraternity. - -"In one way I can prove something," said Vernon to himself. "If -Maunders did enter the library he must have been absent from the -ballroom for some time. I shall go to 'Rangoon' and ask questions -without letting it be seen why I ask them. Then I can learn for -certain about his movements on that night. Moreover, I can interview -Miss Dimsdale and learn how she is disposed towards the Colonel. -Finally, I'll see if he is right in thinking that Miss Hest's -influence is harmful to her in any way." - -Having come to this decision, he repaired the ensuing day to -Hampstead, fully determined to set his doubts at rest. A glance at the -agony column of the _Daily Telegraph_ had assured him that Lady -Corsoon had carried out his suggestion. Under the initial "X," she -asked for one month's time to consider the matter of "S." This -undoubtedly would be accorded to her, as it was The Spider's policy -never to hurry his victims. He robbed them in a most graceful and -easy-going fashion, and so dexterously, that his victims rather -congratulated themselves that they had so honest a criminal tradesman -to deal with. So Lady Corsoon's secret was safe for a month. Before -the expiration of that period Vernon hoped to lay hands on the rogue -who had baffled the police for so long. But in his heart he did not -expect to find Maunders in the grip of the law. - -At first Vernon was refused admittance by the butler, but on insisting -and on sending in his card he was shown into the central hall. Shortly -Miss Hest made her appearance with a smiling but somewhat serious -face. She looked extremely tall and handsome in a black-browed way as -she advanced towards the visitor. - -"How are you, Mr. Vernon," she said, shaking hands politely; "is your -business with Miss Dimsdale very important? She is not well to-day. I -have just been bathing her forehead with eau-de-cologne." - -"Oh, I have just come to make an afternoon call," replied Vernon -easily. "I am sorry to hear that Miss Dimsdale is ill." - -Frances sighed. "She has never been the same since her poor father's -terrible death. She loved him as dearly as he loved her, you know, Mr. -Vernon, so the shock was great." - -"I quite understand. Still, after two months' more or less of quiet -she surely must be recovering. At her age one does not remember for -ever." - -"No. At our age one has longer memories, Mr. Vernon. But it is kind of -you to call. Ida likes you very much, especially as you were such a -friend of poor Mr. Dimsdale's. I think you might come in for a quarter -of an hour." - -Vernon hesitated. "I don't wish to disturb Ida," he said doubtfully, -"if she wants to be quiet." - -"Oh, she left the decision to me when we got your card. I am acting as -a kind of nurse to the poor darling. Ida is just like my sister, you -know." - -"But your professional engagements?" - -"They don't matter. I have made a good deal of money in one way and -another, Mr. Vernon, you know. I can afford to take a rest. I want Ida -to come down to Bowderstyke with me and stop at the Hall." - -It flashed into Vernon's suspicious mind that perhaps Frances wished -Ida to fall in love with her brother. Ten thousand a year would be -very acceptable to Mr. Hest, if Colonel Towton's story was to be -believed. According to him the brother was not a millionaire, and what -money he had he spent lavishly in helping the parish. He remarked -about this to Frances as she led him through the door at the end of -the hall and into the boudoir, where Ida was lying. - -"I hear from Colonel Towton that your brother is quite a -philanthropist." - -Frances laughed. "Oh, the Colonel has been talking, has he? My brother -would be quite annoyed, as he never liked to be praised." - -"Then he's not human," said Vernon bluntly. - -"He's human enough to be annoyed with me because I chose to earn my -own living," said Frances bitterly. "However, let us see Ida, and then -I'll tell you all about my brother. In fact, I want to ask your -advice." - -"Why should you think I was capable of giving advice, Miss Hest?" - -"Oh, you are so grave," she replied with a smile and halting at the -door of the boudoir, "and Mr. Dimsdale, poor man, always said that you -were so clever in making suggestions. Besides, you don't know the -opinion Ida has of you. Ida, dear," she passed into the room, "here is -Mr. Vernon." - -"Arthur," said the girl, who was lying on a couch near the window, -"oh, I am so glad to see you. I'm glad Frances did not send you away. -She's such a tyrant as my nurse." - -"Perhaps you need a tyrant to manage you, Ida. You were always too -impulsive and reckless of your health." - -"I think I have changed since poor papa's death. I don't feel reckless -in any way now. I shall never get over it; never." - -Frances, who had taken some knitting to sit in a near chair, frowned -as the girl spoke. "That's the way she goes on, Mr. Vernon. Isn't it -foolish? I want her to go out and enjoy herself." - -"As if I could when poor papa is dead only two months," cried Ida -sighing. - -"Oh, I don't mean you to lead a gay life. But you shouldn't stay here -day after day without sunshine." - -"I think Miss Hest is right, Ida," said Vernon, gravely scrutinising -the pale face of the girl; "you are not looking well." - -"I don't feel at all well," she replied peevishly. - -"There's nothing organically wrong," put in Frances quickly. "The -doctor said that Ida was perfectly healthy, and only needed to go out -and lead a happy life to become quite strong." - -"I shall never be happy again," said Ida with determination. Visitor -and nurse--as Frances might be called--looked at one another. The girl -evidently had made up her mind to be miserable. - -This was not a sensible attitude to adopt, but then Ida was not a -particularly sensible girl. She assuredly was not brilliantly clever, -although she possessed a certain amount of brains. Pretty in a -doll-like way, with her golden hair and blue eyes and creamy-pink -complexion, she was an excellent type of a charming, modest, playful -English girl, who would make a good wife and a devoted mother. But -there was nothing original about her, and, being the spoilt darling of -an elderly father, she was subject to moods. She was sick or well, -merry or sad, just as the fit took her. At one time she would fatigue -herself with theatres and dances and tennis-tournaments, and again, -with a revulsion of feeling, would lie on the sofa all day, reading -novels. Poets would have called her an April lady, of sunshine and -rain, but an ordinary human being would have found her trying. It said -a great deal for Miss Hest's true affection that she put up with so -whimsical a being. A weathercock was nothing in comparison with Ida -Dimsdale. - -Why a sober, elderly, military man like Colonel Towton should desire -to make such a featherhead his wife was a problem which Vernon was -trying to solve as he stared at the girl on the sofa. Ida's mood since -the death of her father had been to play the invalid. Certainly she -had suffered a shock, as was natural; but time had softened the memory -of the tragic death, and Vernon approved of Miss Hest's desire to get -the girl away to Yorkshire. - -"You ought to go to Gerby Hall, Ida," he remarked after a momentary -silence; "a few weeks in the open air would do you all the good in -the world." - -"That's what I tell her," said Frances severely; "but she won't come -down to Yorkshire, as I suggest. I shall end in going away -altogether." - -Ida stretched out a pretty hand and caught that of Miss Hest. "Oh, no, -Frances, darling; you know that I cannot live without you. I must have -a companion." - -Vernon thought that this was a good opportunity to advance Mrs. -Bedge's request which he had promised to bear in mind. "There is a -charming old lady who offers to become your companion," he said -gently. Ida stared and shuddered. - -"I don't like old ladies. Who is she?" - -"Mrs. Bedge. She asked me to speak to you because she has lost a lot -of money, and is therefore willing to accept a salary as your -companion." - -Frances laid down her work and clasped her hands. - -"Why, Ida, it's the very thing for you, dear. Mrs. Bedge is so old and -so sedate. Then I can attend to my business, knowing you are all -right." - -"Frances," Ida sat up on the sofa and looked reproachfully at her -friend, "how can you talk so? I like Mrs. Bedge, who has always been -very kind to me, but there is no denying that she is extremely dull. -Besides, I have told you that you can have whatever salary you like to -ask to make up for losing all your engagements." - -"And I replied that I wished to be independent," said Miss Hest -stiffly; "I don't like living on anyone. That is why I left Gerby -Hall. But about Mrs. Bedge, dear; it is really a capital idea." - -"I shan't entertain it for one moment, and when Mrs. Bedge comes I -shall tell her so--with thanks, of course," added Ida as an -afterthought. "Why couldn't she speak to me direct?" - -"Well," Vernon laughed, "it is rather a delicate subject. However, if -you won't have her you won't, so there's no more to be said. And might -I suggest, Ida, as you really are looking better with the colour that -has come into your cheeks at the suggestion, that you should pull up -the blind and make the room look more cheerful." - -Ida jumped up lightly and did as he asked. Her mood had changed with -the advent of this tactful young man. "Is there anything more your -lordship requires?" she asked with a saucy curtsey. - -"I should like a cup of tea; you are not hospitable," replied Vernon, -delighted by the change in her manner. - -Ida touched the button of the bell. "You were always greedy, Arthur." -Then, when the footman appeared, she gave the necessary orders. "I -believe you called less to see me than to get your tea," she ended, -laughing quite in her old girlish fashion. - -"Ida, I don't believe you are ill at all," said Vernon, scrutinising -her. - -"Her imagination makes her ill," put in Frances, who was knitting -industriously. "She believes that she is sick, and therefore she _is_ -sick." - -"That is Christian Science," laughed Ida, sitting in a chair instead -of returning to lounge on the sofa. "Perhaps you are right, dear. Of -course, I have fretted a great deal over poor papa's death, but -fretting will not bring him back," she ended with a sigh, and her face -clouded over again. - -"What you want is bright society," Vernon assured her hurriedly. - -"And you suggest Mrs. Bedge," was Ida's ironical retort. - -"No. I never thought that she was the right companion for you, as she -is too staid and solemn; but I have discharged my conscience by -putting her request to you. I never for one moment thought that you -would entertain it." - -Ida looked at him inquiringly. "You think that I am right?" - -"Yes, I do. Miss Hest is a much better companion." Miss Hest bowed to -the compliment with a grave smile. - -"Oh, I mean what I say, my dear lady. Take Ida down to Gerby Hall and -play the tyrant as much as possible by forcing her to keep in the open -air all day. She will return quite cured." - -"I don't think I should mind going to Yorkshire," said Ida pensively, -as the tea was brought in; "and from what Frances says Gerby Hall must -be a delightful old place. But then, my sojourn would be disagreeable, -as Frances is not on good terms with her brother." - -"Say that he is not on good terms with me," said Miss Hest coolly. "I -have nothing against Francis, save that he objects to my being -independent. But he is very just, and does not wish me to remain -always absent from the Hall. I can go down, and can take any one down, -on conditions." - -"What are they?" asked Vernon, accepting a cup of tea. - -"That I, and anyone I bring, bother Francis as little as possible. In -fact, when I am at the Hall Francis usually goes to York while I -remain; and even when he returns he sees almost nothing of me, as I -keep out of his way. He isn't a bad fellow, and of course I should -speak well of my twin brother." - -"Are you very like one another, Frances, dear?" - -"Extremely, in face and form. We can mystify anyone when we are seen -together, but in disposition we are quite unlike one another. I am -more egotistic than Francis. He is a philanthropist and devotes all -his money to improving the parish. Six or seven villages owe -everything to him." - -"He keeps them all going, you mean?" suggested Vernon, idly leaning -back. - -"Not exactly. But two years ago there was a great dearth of water, -which has frequently occurred during the dry weather. Francis -determined that it should not occur again, so he obtained permission -and engaged a clever engineer to construct a reservoir at the top of -Bowderstyke Valley." - -"That was a big work to undertake, and must have cost heaps of money." - -"Francis can afford it," said Miss Hest indifferently. "Our -grandmother, from whom he inherits the estates, left a lot of ready -money, and Francis is a clever speculator. He works hard at stocks and -shares and is always in touch with his broker in London. But all the -money he makes he spends in improving the parishes around. He has -repaired several churches, and has built a poorhouse, and also a small -hall for entertainments. He and the vicar work hand in hand. Then, of -course, this reservoir is his crowning work, as it supplied water to -at least six villages." - -"Oh, what a good man he must be," said Ida thoughtfully. "Here am I, -with all my money, doing nothing." - -Bearing in mind that he fancied Miss Hest wished to marry Ida to her -brother, Vernon quite expected to hear her endorse this praise. Miss -Hest, however, received the tribute very coolly. "Francis is vain," -she remarked, "and desires public applause. Perhaps that is why he -spends all his money in public charity." - -"Does he never take any pleasure in other ways?" asked Vernon. - -"I think he finds his pleasure in his home and surroundings. Still, he -goes away to York and London and Paris for weeks at a time, and enjoys -himself in some dull way. I am sure it is dull, as Francis hasn't got -any spirit for a lively life. However, if Ida comes down she can judge -him for herself. But I don't think we'll see much of him, and for my -part I'm very glad. I always escape from Francis's society whenever I -can. We don't get on well together at all; rather odd, isn't it, -considering we are twins?" - -"Oh, I don't know, Miss Hest. Twins often are the opposite in -disposition as they are the replica of each other in looks." - -Frances looked up with an approving smile. "You have described my -brother and I to the life," she said nodding. - -"Colonel Towton has a place near Gerby Hall, I believe?" - -"Yes. The Grange, it is called, a quaint old mansion, three miles -distant from my brother's property. Higher up the valley, in fact, and -on a rise to the right of the reservoir. Colonel Towton wasn't pleased -with the construction of the dam, as it spoilt the view from his -house, and then he always declares that if the dam broke the valley -would be swept from end to end by the force of the water. But I don't -think any accident of that sort will happen," ended Frances -emphatically; "The dam is extremely solidly built and will last for -many a long day." - -"I think I should like to go to Bowderstyke, if only to see Colonel -Towton's house," said Ida unexpectedly; "He told me such a lot about -it." - -"I thought you didn't like Colonel Towton?" said Vernon smiling. - -"There!" exclaimed Frances, dropping her knitting, while Ida flushed. -"Didn't I say that Mr. Vernon would remark how fickle you are, Ida?" - -"Fickle?" echoed the young man, looking puzzled. - -"You know that Ida was in love with Mr. Maunders," went on Miss Hest, -while Ida still blushed and appeared embarrassed. "She never gave her -poor father any peace and always wanted to marry him. Well, since the -death she has taken a positive dislike to him and can only find good -in the Colonel." - -"Ah!" said Vernon meaningly, "that would have pleased poor Mr. -Dimsdale. He greatly desired to see Ida the Colonel's wife." - -"I begin to think papa was right," said Ida in a low tone and turning -away her face. "I did like Mr. Maunders very much. I suppose I really -was in love with him in a way. But since papa's death he has scarcely -been to see me and has not acted at all sympathetically. Now, the -Colonel has called constantly, and has been so kind and so sweet that -I--I----" - -"That you love him," ended Miss Hest coolly. - -"I'm not sure. He's awfully nice and is devoted to me. I daresay if I -saw much of him I might--I might----" - -"Well," Miss Hest interrupted again, "I hope you will, as I am sure -Colonel Towton would make you an excellent husband. He is handsome and -distinguished and sensible enough to guide you. My dear," Frances laid -her hand on Ida's knee, "I shall be glad when you become Mrs. Towton, -as then I shall be free to go back to my work. People are sure to say, -if I stay with you, that I am actuated by mercenary motives." - -"What nonsense," said Ida quickly; "why, you will not even let me give -you a present." - -"I can buy presents for myself," said Frances obstinately, "and, since -I left Gerby Hall to be independent, I certainly don't intend to play -the part of a bribed or paid companion." - -Ida's eyes filled with ready tears. "How cruel you are, Frances," she -wailed. - -"I am sensible and reasonable," said Frances firmly, knitting with an -obstinate mouth. "I really love you, dear, but I can't sacrifice my -independence to be a hanger-on. All the same, until you have a husband -I don't feel justified in leaving you, so feather-headed, to your own -devices." - -"I am not so weak-minded as you think," flushed Ida crossly. - -"Yes, you are, my dear. You can't say whether you love Colonel Towton -or Mr. Maunders. You don't know your own feelings." - -"Yes, I do. I really believe I love Colonel Towton. I know that I did -before Constantine appeared. Then I took a fancy to him. Now that -fancy has gone, and I again love the Colonel. Yes," Ida paused -meditatively, "I am sure that I love the Colonel." - -"Pooh! Pooh! Just what I said: you don't know your own mind." - -"I wish you would carry out your first impulse, Ida, and marry Colonel -Towton. He's a good man and Maunders isn't." This came from Vernon. - -"I feel that," muttered Ida, "but he fascinates me. And, after all, he -is trying to learn who killed my father." - -"So am I," said Vernon drily, "yet you don't love me. Not that I want -you to," he added hurriedly and colouring. "But about Maunders; has he -ever said anything to you likely to reveal the name of the assassin?" - -"No. Why do you ask?" inquired Ida, and even Frances stopped knitting -to look steadily at Vernon. - -"Do you suspect that Mr. Maunders knows more than he admits?" asked -Miss Hest. - -"No! No! No! Of course I don't," answered Vernon hastily and leading -cautiously up to the purpose of his visit; "but he was in the house -when the murder took place and might have seen some stranger present -who would be The Spider." - -"I don't think so, and I don't see how he could, seeing that everyone -was masked. If he had seen any suspicious character I certainly should -have known of it at once." - -"Why you, rather than anyone else?" asked Vernon quickly. - -"Well, you see, Ida was in one of her freakish moods on the night of -the ball and gave Mr. Maunders the cold shoulder, consoling herself -with the Colonel all the evening." - -"I did so because papa did not wish me to pass my time with -Constantine." - -"I daresay, Ida," responded Miss Hest rather acidly, "but you asked -him to the ball notwithstanding your father objected. At all events, -Mr. Vernon, as Mr. Maunders was cold-shouldered he came to me and I -had the burden of him from ten o'clock up to the time Ida discovered -the murder, at a quarter to midnight. Mr. Maunders never left me alone -all that time, so if he had seen anyone suspicious he would have told -me." - -"Quite so, quite so," murmured Vernon absently and thinking that here -was a very good _alibi_ for Maunders, and the stronger since it was -given unconsciously by one who did not know the reason for putting it -forward. "I daresay The Spider came in by the window," he remarked in -louder tones. - -Miss Hest made a significant gesture. "I don't know how he came or how -he went," she said, nodding towards Ida, who had grown pale, "and the -police seem to be able to discover nothing. But you might see Mr. -Maunders and learn if he had any suspicions that a stranger was -present." - -"That would be useless in the face of what you tell me. He would have -spoken to you had he been doubtful," said Vernon courteously, -"and----" - -"There, there! Don't say anything more. Don't you see that Ida is on -the verge of fainting?" - -Miss Hest caught Ida's hands. "Poor child, they are quite cold. You -had better go, Mr. Vernon." - -"Yes." He rose promptly. "I am sorry that I spoke of the murder. Don't -think anything more about it, Ida, but go to Yorkshire and recover -your health." Ida nodded faintly. "Yes; I shall go. It is best for me -to get away from this tragic house." And Vernon quite agreed with her. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. -WITCHCRAFT. - - -While Vernon was having his interview with Ida and her companion -Colonel Towton went on a little expedition of his own. Ever since the -discovery that Ida had been to Diabella, Towton had been anxious, in -his turn, to pay a visit to the famous Bond Street fortune-teller. -Ida, as the Colonel had told Vernon, apparently was suffering from the -effects of what she had been told by this fashionable Witch of Endor, -although what had been said Towton could not find out. Miss Hest and -the girl had both held their peace on the subject, notwithstanding -that the former had talked generally on the wonderful powers of the -woman. In fact, she had seriously advised Colonel Towton to interview -Diabella and search out the future for himself. The soldier had -laughed, as he was not given to dabble in occultism. Nevertheless, he -had made up his mind to seek out the seeress, if only to discover -indirectly what those methods of devilry were which had so strongly -impressed Miss Dimsdale. Towton, to put it plainly, went less -as a client than as a spy. - -Considering that Ida had no very strongly-marked personality, it was -wonderful that the Colonel should be so deeply in love with her. He -was clever in his own way, and not without brain-power inside and -outside his own particular military profession. His bravery was -undeniable, his tact considerable, and he had left the Army on account -of family affairs with the name of one who had cut short a brilliant -career unnecessarily. Towton assuredly would have risen to be a -general had he not retired when the family estates came into his -possession. But now that he had abandoned his profession his one aim -was to marry and lead a quiet domestic life. He did not wish for a -clever wife, or a wealthy wife, or a particularly lovely wife, as he -was too matter-of-fact to be romantic. His dream was of a peaceful -hearth and a house perfectly managed by a gentle wife. In Ida he -believed that he saw the helpmate he so greatly desired: one who would -make her husband's will her law, and who would be a cheerful -companion. Her moods he believed to be the result of lack of guidance, -and he flattered himself that when she became Mrs. Towton he would be -able to render her less freakish. Ida's nature was so impressionable -that he thought it could be easily moulded, and in this he no doubt -was right. Many of the girl's faults were due to the over-indulgence -of her father, and to the lack of a firm hand to lead her in the right -way. She would have welcomed a master, having one of those natures -responsive to suggestion. And, in an unconscious way, the Colonel -appealed to her as a strong, kind-hearted man, who could shelter her -from the storms of life better than any one else could. In point of -fact, the two were made for one another, and, but for the intrusion of -Maunders, their course of true love would have run smooth. - -However, Colonel Towton was extremely obstinate, and, having -decided that Ida was the very wife he desired to preside over his -dinner-table, he was determined not to let her be snatched from him by -any rival. He admitted with some dread that Maunders was a formidable -wooer, and moreover guessed, with the keen instinct of a man in love, -that Frances Hest had too much control over the girl. For one thing, -she had induced Ida to go to Diabella, a thing Towton would never have -permitted had he been able to help it. He knew from his Indian -experience only too well that there is truth in occultism, and that an -impressionable being--such as Ida truly was--could easily be obsessed -by strong suggestion. He had no reason to doubt Miss Hest, and did not -think for one moment that she was his enemy in any way: but, with the -assistance of suggestions from Diabella, she might lead Ida into -unhealthy ways. And all those dealings with the unseen with which -psychics have to do were unhealthy in the Colonel's very material -eyes. Already, as he had seen for himself, the visit to Diabella had -upset Ida; so, whatever the harm done might be, it was necessary to -undo it by proving the woman to be a fraud. Towton therefore ascended -the stairs to the consulting-room of Diabella with the intention of -learning if the fortune-teller was a humbug. Once assured of that, he -resolved to explain her methods to Miss Dimsdale and so prevent her -trusting as truth whatever the woman had said. Then Ida's indignation -at being duped, as the Colonel believed she had been, would probably -shake Miss Hest's position. Towton felt certain that Frances was more -friendly to Maunders than to himself, and at one sweep he hoped to get -rid of both. Afterwards Ida would be more willing to become his wife. - -Diabella's offices, as they might be called, consisted of two rooms: a -small outer one entered directly from the passage, and a spacious -inner one which overlooked the street. As Towton tapped at the door of -the prophetess his thoughts suddenly flew back to his many years of -sojourn in the Far East. For the moment he could not think what had -detached him so unexpectedly from England until, on stepping across -the threshold of the now open door, he became aware of a strong, -pungent scent, impossible to describe. At once he noted it as that -smell of the bazaars, which runs without a break from Port Said to -Hong Kong. Perfume is the strongest of aids to memory, therefore -Towton's thoughts had flashed back over many years to various Indian -experiences. His body was in England, but his soul was in the East: -nor did the sight which met his eyes dispel the illusion. The room he -entered and the attendant who welcomed him were both Egyptian in -looks. - -The small apartment resembled an ancient tomb, as the walls and -ceiling were painted vividly with hieroglyphics, glowing in crimson -and blue and yellow and emerald green. Through a stained-glass -skylight overhead a dim, coloured light streamed just sufficiently to -reveal the weird looks of the room. It was faked, of course, but very -cleverly faked, as the Colonel secretly admitted; even to the -attendant, who, apparently a true Eastern, was attired in a garb which -one of Pharaoh's fan-bearers might have worn appropriately. The floor -was covered with linoleum painted to resemble marble, and there was a -quaintly-shaped table of ebony, two or three antique and uncomfortable -chairs, copied from furniture of the XIX. Dynasty, and a weird-looking -teak sofa, covered with bright yellow cushions. What with the -grotesquely-painted walls, the sparsity of furniture, the dim light, -the scented atmosphere, and the strangely-dressed attendant, who -salaamed profusely, Colonel Towton felt as though he had stepped at -one stride across the Mediterranean to a resuscitated Memphis. - -The man was a slim, straight native, with handsome, haughty features -of the Brahmin type, and Towton wondered that he had broken caste to -cross the Black Water. He had keen, black eyes, which took in the -looks of the English sahib in a single flash, notwithstanding that he -stood with crossed arms and downcast eyes. Towton wondered if he spoke -English, and, for the sake of an experiment, addressed him in Tamil. -The dark-skinned man replied in very fair English, with an inquisitive -glance at this stranger who spoke the Indian dialect so glibly. - -"Is your mistress in?" enquired the Colonel, speaking Tamil. - -"Within, sahib, and she waits," was the reply in Anglo-Saxon. - -Immediately following these few words Towton was led into the inner -room, and the attendant closed the door after him, leaving the client -alone with Diabella. The room was decorated much in the same tomb-like -fashion as the other one, but there were mummies standing round the -wall at intervals in their richly adorned coffins, and the two windows -looking on to Bond Street were draped with rich Eastern stuffs to -entirely exclude the light of day. But several lamps, burning perfumed -oil, dangled from the ceiling, and the room was filled with a mellow -radiance, eminently suited to the object for which it was used. -Towton shrewdly surmised that the peculiar decorations, the -exclusion of daylight for the use of artificial illumination, and the -highly-scented atmosphere which prevailed even more strongly here than -it had done in the outer room, were all meant to daze the senses of -Diabella's clients so that they might more readily credit her -assertions. It was all cleverly conceived and carried out. - -The woman herself was seated at the end of the room under a kind of -canopy on an uncomfortable ebony-wood chair inlaid with ivory. Before -her was a tiny square table of the same sombre wood, with twisted -legs, and on this stood a large crystal the size of a small orange. -Diabella was seated in a hieratical attitude with her hands on her -knees, like some stone god, and wore a stiff straight robe of mingled -black and yellow, which made her resemble a viper. But her face struck -Towton most, as she apparently wore an entire mask modelled in wax -from some actual Egyptian mummy. This was surmounted by the well-known -head-dress of harsh black ringlets, combed straightly to the -shoulders. The mouth of the mask was partially open, so that the -fortune-teller could speak easily behind it. With her dead-looking -face and motionless attitude, Diabella looked exactly like the mummies -which flanked her right and left. And right and left also, in tall -iron tripods, flamed some spirits, which cast weird lights on her -uncanny appearance. Nothing better could have been designed to impress -the weak-minded; and in that Temple of Illusion and from the lips of -such a strange creature the boldest might be excused for believing the -impossible. Even Colonel Towton felt an unaccustomed shudder, as -though he were in the presence of the Unseen. - -"You wish to consult those who dwell in darkness about the future?" -asked the sorceress in a strange, metallic voice, as unhuman as were -her looks. - -Towton smiled scornfully and twisted his moustache. He had quite -recovered his momentary obsession by that perfumed atmosphere, and sat -down with a cool air. "You should speak Egyptian to be perfect," he -scoffed. - -Diabella disdained to notice the jeer. "Would you have me look in the -crystal, or spell the cards, or read the hand." - -"None of the three, thank you," said Towton drily. "Do you really -possess the power of reading things?" - -"I can read the past, the present, and the future;' I can tell all -that is permitted to be told by the Powers. You are an unbeliever." - -The Colonel chuckled. "Wrong, first shot. Having seen a good deal of -this sort of thing; although," he glanced round the room, "scarcely so -dressy a place, I believe that some gifted people have certain senses -at command, if not under control, with which they can foretell things. -I quite appreciate your remark about the Powers permitting and -forbidding, as I am aware that such is the case." - -"I did not say that you were an unbeliever generally," said Diabella, -trying to recover her lost ground, "but that you did not believe in -me." - -"You did not put it precisely in that fashion," retorted Towton. -"However, I may as well have my guinea's worth. Is there any reason -why I should believe in you?" he demanded contemptuously. - -The quiet voice replied indifferently. "Yes. I have not held your hand -nor have I contacted your atmosphere closely. Still, I am sufficiently -in touch with you to state that you bring a woman in your aura." - -"In my what?" asked the Colonel, wilfully dense. - -"The aura of your magnetism streams from you radiant as a rainbow. In -it is standing the thought-form of a girl. She is not very tall, she -has blue eyes and golden hair, and you love her. Am I right?" - -"I shan't say," replied the Colonel, secretly surprised to hear this -description of Ida and the statement of his feelings towards her. -"Humph!" He made a half unwilling admission, "you have some psychic -powers, after all. Tell me more." - -"Give me your ring," commanded Diabella imperiously. "It is -impregnated with your magnetism and will thus suggest your colour." - -"My colour?" repeated the Colonel interrogatively and removing his -signet ring to place it on the ebony table. - -Diabella picked it up and held it in the hollow of her right hand. -"Every human being in the unseen world around has a colour which is -the prevailing hue of the karmic body, tinted by desire. I can thus -recognise you as you appear on the astral plane, and so can read your -karma of the past, which appears in the astral records. Thence I can -deduce your future for good or evil, in a great measure correctly." - -"Then you can't be certain that what you tell me is true?" - -"No. Under certain circumstances, when the High Ones permit, the -future is revealed beyond all doubt, but those circumstances are -connected only with spiritual enlightenment. Otherwise those who have -the sight merely deduce what will happen by reading the karma of the -past, which can be discerned in the astral light." - -"Your claims are certainly more modest than I expected," said Towton -somewhat interested, "and if you can tell me my past life correctly I -shall credit more or less your prophecies. You know my name?" - -"Richard Towton." - -"Ah--you got that from my letter asking for an appointment. But I have -a middle name which I don't use. What is it?" - -"Richard Henry Towton is your full name." - -"Correct. Where was I educated?" - -"At Wimperly Public School, and then at Sandhurst." - -Towton nodded. "You might be certain of Sandhurst, as I am a soldier, -but Wimperly is good. Go on." - -"You joined your regiment twenty-five years ago, and shortly after -joining it was ordered to India. You were stationed at Bombay, -afterwards at Travancore. You fought in Burmah, where you met Martin -Dimsdale, and became intimate with him. You won a D.S.O. in the Vikram -Expedition, and----" - -"All that," interrupted the Colonel politely, "with the exception of -my meeting with Dimsdale, you might have read in the newspapers. Why -did I retire from the army?" - -"Your cousin died and left you The Grange at Bowderstyke, in -Yorkshire. You gave up your profession so as to get the estates in -order: they had been sadly neglected by your cousin, who was a -drunkard." - -"That is impolite, but true," said Towton with a grimace. "Go on." - -"You wish to marry." - -The Colonel shrugged his shoulders. "Every man wishes to marry." - -"You wish to marry a girl called Ida Dimsdale," went on the -passionless voice, and Diabella refrained from making any comment on -the remark. - -"Ah! Now you are becoming interesting. Why do I wish to marry Ida -Dimsdale?" The reply was unexpected. "You desire to get her money in -order to recover certain lands sold by your late cousin." - -"That is a lie." Towton grew a trifle red and spoke sharply. "I love -Miss Dimsdale, and would take her without a penny." - -"That is how you will have to take her," replied Diabella coldly and -without insisting upon the truth of her previous statement. - -"Nonsense! Miss Dimsdale has a large fortune." - -"You think she has ten thousand a year. She has nothing." - -Towton felt an astonishment which he could scarcely conceal, and -wondered if Diabella had spoken in this way to Ida. "What do you -mean?" - -"I mean that this girl is not the daughter of Martin Dimsdale." - -"What!" Towton rose in his surprise; "How dare you say that?" - -"I am only reading what I see," said Diabella wearily. "Your fortune -and this girl's is connected, therefore I know of her past." - -"Past! Past!" fumed the Colonel, sitting down again. "She has no past -in the sense you mean. She was born in Burmah, and her mother died -shortly afterwards. Dimsdale sent her home to relatives, and -afterwards she went to school at Hampstead. Five years ago he returned -to settle in England and she has been with him ever since." - -"Quite true; but you are foolish to tell me so much, as now you will -say that I merely echo what you have mentioned." - -"I have certainly not mentioned that she is not Dimsdale's daughter." - -"No. Yet it is true. Her name is Ida Menteith, and her father was a -major in a native regiment. Menteith was with his wife in Burmah at a -hill station called--called--wait until I get the name." Diabella -stopped for one moment, then spoke out triumphantly, "It was called -Goorkah Station, and was besieged by the Dacoits?" - -"Yes. I remember the station, but not a man called Menteith." - -"This happened before you went to India." - -"What happened?" asked Towton bluntly. "What I am about to tell you. -Dimsdale was then a police-commissioner. He loved Mrs. Menteith, who -returned his love, and hated the husband." - -"I don't believe that for one moment. Dimsdale was a good fellow, who -would never make love to another man's wife." - -"Many good fellows do that," said Diabella sarcastically; "and -Dimsdale did love Mrs. Menteith: so deeply that he did not save the -husband's life when he could have done so." - -"That's an absolute lie," insisted Towton angrily. "How dare you -malign a dead man who cannot defend himself!" - -"Martin Dimsdale's friend, George Venery, who is a merchant at -Singapore, can prove the truth of what I say." - -"Rubbish! How do you know?" - -"I read all I am telling you in the astral light," said Diabella. "If -it displeases you I need tell no more." - -"It does not so much displease me as make me wonder at your -imagination." - -Diabella still preserved her immobility. "Write to George Venery and -you will find that I have spoken the truth." - -"It seems incredible," muttered Towton doubtfully. "Of course, I know -that there is great truth in occult matters. But what you say is too -precise to be anything but what you must have learned--perhaps from -this man." - -"No," replied the fortune-teller. "I never heard the name of Venery -before, and I have never been to Singapore or even to Burmah. I only -read what I see. How else should I know?" - -The Colonel made a gesture of disbelief. Although he believed in the -unseen, from various Indian experiences, he could not credit the story -of this masked woman. "Go on, and tell me more," he said at length; -"later I can write to Mr. Venery and verify your statements." - -"Ida Dimsdale is Menteith's daughter," said Diabella quietly. "She was -born in Rangoon when her father was being besieged in Goorkah Station. -Dimsdale was in the neighbourhood with a force and hastened to relieve -his friend. But he purposely delayed his approach so that the station -might be taken and Menteith killed." - -"I don't believe that for one moment. Dimsdale would not act so -wickedly." - -"He did act in that way, as Venery can tell you. It was his behaviour -that caused a breach between them. Dimsdale hoped to get rid of -Menteith and so marry the wife. His plan of delay was successful, and -the station was taken by the Dacoits. Menteith was crucified and his -perfidious friend arrived when he was dying. Menteith was buried at -Goorkah Station and Dimsdale returned to Rangoon, hoping to marry Mrs. -Menteith now that the obstacle was removed. Mrs. Menteith, however, -weak after the birth of her child, died in a few days. Then Dimsdale -was stricken with remorse and brought up the child as his own. She has -passed for his daughter and, as his next-of-kin, inherits the money. -But she is no relation, since Dimsdale did not leave a will and----" - -"How do you know that Dimsdale left no will?" - -"I might have seen it in the papers," said Diabella coolly; "but I did -not, for to my sight the hidden things of Dimsdale's life are -revealed. But you can understand that if you marry Ida you will get no -money with her. The truth will be made known and Lady Corsoon will -inherit it, as it is but right she should do." - -Towton rose so hurriedly that he knocked over his chair. "I can't -stand any more of this," he declared impetuously; "all your occult -business is a sham, and you are making up lies. I insist upon your -removing that mask so that I may know who you are." - -Diabella rose, tall and straight and stiff, but did not seem -disturbed. "Beware, Colonel Towton. If you advance a step it will be -the worse for you." - -The military man laughed and stepped forward. "I must know who you -are, as I intend to make you pay for telling these falsehoods." - -"They are true." - -"They are lies. Now I know why Miss Dimsdale was agitated because of -her visit to you. You told her this story also." - -"What if I did? The truth----" she flung up a hand as the Colonel took -another step forward. "Stand back, I tell you." - -"Take your mask off," he insisted, and stretched out his hand. - -Diabella swerved to one side and avoided his grasp. Then she dropped -into her chair, pressing the arms of the same hard. Immediately from -the mummies set round the room came a most unearthly crying, which -confounded the Colonel, not expecting such a tumult. The weird room -rang with thin wailings and dismal cries. It was evident that some -mechanism connected with the chair produced these noises. The place -was filled with clever contrivances to intimidate nervous people. But -Colonel Towton was not nervous, and after his first startled pause he -sprang forward again to seize the seated figure. At all costs he was -determined to unmask the sorceress and learn who she was. Then he -might hope to find out how she had become possessed of these facts -concerning Dimsdale's past life, or whether those same facts were -simply lies designed to perplex and mystify. - -Diabella never moved as Towton came towards her, and the Colonel soon -knew why she was thus certain of her safety. Before he could reach the -hither side of the ebony table, rapidly as he moved, he was gripped -from behind by two gigantic hands and twisted round sharply to face a -tall and burly Hindoo arrayed in a white robe and wearing a white -turban. "Let me go, you dog!" muttered Towton in the Tamil dialect, -and set his teeth. - -Diabella clapped her hands and the two men closed in a fierce -struggle. As they swayed round the room the ebony table was upset and -the woman cried out a sentence in an unknown language in her metallic -voice. The next moment the native unloosened his grip on the -Englishman and stepped back. - -"Will you go now?" demanded Diabella quietly and addressing Towton. - -"No," he cried fiercely. "I want your mask removed." - -Whether Diabella gave a sign or not Towton was never able to say, but -she must have given a signal, for just as the words left his mouth the -native sprang forward with the leap of a tiger and the next moment -Towton found a silk handkerchief round his neck. It flashed across him -that in this way had Dimsdale been killed, and then, with the -tightening of the handkerchief, came almost insensibility, or, rather, -a dazed feeling, which bewildered his brain. - -He had a faint feeling of being led out of the room and of hearing a -door closed. When he recovered his senses he found himself seated on -the floor of the passage quite alone. His first thought was to tell -the police what had occurred, his second to conceal the adventure. - -"I shall consult with Vernon," he thought, and walked unsteadily down -the stairs, feeling his neck somewhat sore, but otherwise uninjured. - - - - -CHAPTER X. -MYSTERY. - -It was quite three days before Colonel Towton was enabled to have an -interview with Vernon. He certainly wrote to him at once, but on -receiving no reply he telephoned, only to learn that his friend had -been unexpectedly called from town on the same evening. Towton -therefore had to possess his soul in patience, and remained in his -rooms recovering from the assault. And this took some little time. - -The attempt at strangulation by the burly Hindoo--who was a different -person to the slim doorkeeper--had caused the Colonel's neck to swell, -as the flesh was bruised and chafed. His windpipe also felt painful -owing to the strong compression, and for twenty-four hours he had -found it difficult to swallow with ease. Towton recognised only too -uneasily that he had been within a short distance of actual death, and -perhaps would have been strangled outright had not Diabella, as he -verily believed, stopped her too zealous servant. Naturally, she did -not wish for a client's death lest the police should interfere and put -an end to her lucrative trade, which was assuredly a very paying one. - -Meanwhile the Colonel received a letter from Ida saying that on the -ensuing day she was going down to Yorkshire with Miss Hest. There, -breathing air like champagne, and enjoying perfect rest, undisturbed -by callers, she hoped to recover her spirits and health within a -month, the time of her proposed stay. But what pleased Towton most in -the letter, and what caused him to blush like a girl, was the hope Ida -expressed that he would come down to his country seat while she stayed -at the Hall. "You have often told me of your beautiful home," wrote -Ida amiably, "and one of my reasons for staying at Gerby Hall is to -see The Grange. If you should take a fancy to run down, perhaps you -will show it to me yourself, as I hear from Frances that the house is -full of historical interest." There were a few lines more to the same -effect, and it really seemed as though Ida wished to become acquainted -with her future home. At least, Towton looked at the matter in this -way and his spirits rose accordingly. Maunders apparently was out of -favour, and Ida had returned to her first love. Without being unduly -conceited Towton was very well satisfied that the girl had loved him -before the handsome scamp had come on the scene. Then the latter's -looks and charm of manner had infatuated her to an alarming extent. -Now, and the Colonel sincerely hoped that such was the case, her -momentary aberration, as it might be called, had passed away, and she -was holding out the olive branch of complete reconciliation. - -But that Towton still felt unwell after his rough and tumble encounter -with the Hindoo, and but that he wished to consult Vernon about the -matter, he would have gone down to Yorkshire at once so as to bask in -the sunshine of Ida's eyes. But he put a restraint on his feelings and -decided, not without a struggle, to remain where he was. In connection -with various ideas which had occurred to him since his visit to the -Bond Street fortune-teller, it was imperative that he should consult -with someone and ventilate various theories, which might, or might -not, elucidate various mysteries. Therefore Towton read and smoked and -played patience in his comfortable rooms, watching the passing of time -with open eagerness. - -On the third evening, and that was a Saturday, Vernon made his -appearance at eight o'clock. He entered with perfect coolness, and -found himself facing a very impatient man. - -"Did you wish to see me, Colonel?" he asked quietly. "I found a note -at my chambers requesting me to call at once." - -"Do I wish to see you?" echoed Towton jumping to his feet and wringing -Vernon's hand heartily. "Why, my dear fellow, I have been sitting here -on pins and needles for the last few days. What the deuce took you out -of town so unexpectedly? I beg your pardon, I should not enquire into -your private business. Sit down and have a cigar. The whisky and -potash is on the table at your elbow." - -"Oh, my business is not private," replied Vernon, taking a comfortable -chair and a very excellent cigar. "All the world will know in a week -or so." - -"Know what?" - -"That my uncle, Sir Edward Vernon, is dead, and that I am a titled, -well-to-do man, worth knowing." - -"I never knew you had an uncle," said Towton staring. - -"It's not unusual for men to have uncles," said Vernon drily. "I -didn't buck about the relationship, as we were not the best of -friends. A family quarrel between my father and Sir Edward, you -understand? However, when I returned from a visit to Miss Dimsdale I -found a letter from my uncle asking me to come to Slimthorp, near -Worcester, as he was very ill. I packed up and went by the evening -train, and there I have been for the last three days." - -"Humph! I suppose I ought to congratulate you?" - -"Well, you may. Sir Edward can't last more than a week, and he leaves -me heir to his title, his mansion, and a few thousands a year. He's -not a bad old fellow, either," went on Vernon meditatively, "and I am -sorry he is dying. I don't deny, however, that his death will make a -great change in my fortunes for the better, as is obvious." - -"It will enable you to marry Miss Corsoon," said the Colonel nodding. - -"Yes." Vernon thought of his interview with Lady Corsoon and replied -briefly. "Uncle Edward is eighty years of age," he added -apologetically, "so he can't be said to have been cut off when he was -green." - -"He's not cut off yet," answered Towton with a shrug. "I don't want to -throw cold water on your prospects, Vernon, but these old fellows have -wonderful recuperative power." - -"I shall be glad if he gets better," said Vernon emphatically; "and -now that we are friends I may be able to make his life more cheerful. -He has a dismal time all alone in that barrack of a house. But I don't -see why I should bore you with all this family history." - -"I do," said the Colonel unhesitatingly. "It's because you and I have -been drawn into closer friendship by our common acquaintance with -Maunders, who is playing fast and loose with the two girls we love. We -have had to make common cause against the enemy, and so are forced to -speak freely. Besides, you are a good chap, Vernon, and I don't wish -to work alongside a better man," and, leaning forward, the Colonel -gave his friend's hand a grip. - -"Would you do that, would you say that, if you knew that I was a -private detective, or, to soften the term, a private enquiry agent?" - -"What!" Towton nearly jumped out of his chair. "As I had no money when -my father died," explained the young man steadily, "and my uncle would -have nothing to do with me, I turned my powers of observation to -account by setting up as Nemo, of Covent Garden, to hunt down -criminals and to help people to keep their secrets when threatened by -blackmailers. Mine is a perfectly honourable profession, I assure you, -Colonel, but you may have your prejudices." - -"Well," said Towton after a pause, "I don't deny that I care little -for detectives, who are too much the bloodhounds of the law. But I am -quite sure that you were driven to take up the business, and I am also -quite sure," added Towton emphatically, "that the business as -conducted by you is all that can be desired in the way of honour. Why -did you tell me?" - -"If I hadn't, probably Maunders, when he found that we were working -together, would have told you. It struck me as a wise thing to take -the wind out of his sails." - -"There's something in that," admitted the Colonel, twisting his -moustache. "And I am glad that I heard of your profession from -yourself. But how did your friend Maunders find out what you kept -secret?" - -Vernon shrugged his shoulders. "Who knows? He seems to have a -wonderful nose for smelling out things to his advantage." - -"To his advantage? Come, now!" - -"I assure you, Colonel, it is so. He wished to become my partner. -Lately, however, he has changed his mind and he promised to hold his -tongue. To my cost," went on Vernon slowly, "I found that he has not -done so, as he told Lady Corsoon." - -"The devil he did! Then good-bye to your chances of the daughter." - -"Do you think so, when I shall soon be Sir Arthur Vernon, with an -eligible country seat and three thousand a year, more or less?" - -"No. That alters the case; it whitewashes you, as it were. Ho! ho!" -Towton laughed maliciously, "that will be one in the eye for Mr. -Constantine Maunders. And serve him right! Why the deuce does he play -the lover with two women at once? I congratulate you, Sir Arthur----" - -"Colonel, you are premature." - -"Never mind. It's just as well to take the bull by the horns and time -by the forelock. I congratulate you, Sir Arthur, for you will marry -Miss Corsoon and wipe our friend's eye. He won't have either girl." - -"Certainly not Lucy, if I can help it," said Vernon hotly; "but what -about Miss Dimsdale? I rather think, from what I saw at our interview -of three days ago, that she inclines to you, Colonel." - -"Ah! Miss Dimsdale." Towton nursed his chin in the cup of his hand. -"It is about Miss Dimsdale, amongst other things, that I wish to see -you." - -"What other things?" demanded Vernon bluntly. - -"Diabella for one." - -"The fortune-teller? Have you seen her?" - -Towton put his hand to his neck with a wry smile. "Yes, the jade. She -nearly had me strangled." - -Vernon dropped his cigar. "Strangled!" - -"Yes." The Colonel unloosened the white silk scarf he wore round his -throat and leaned forward to show a fading black mark round it. "You -see! I assure you I have scarcely been able to swallow since I saw you -last. That damned Hindoo nearly did for me." - -"Hindoo! Did a Hindoo attempt to kill you?" - -"Rather, and jolly nearly succeeded." - -"But why?" - -"Because I wished to tear off the false face worn by Diabella: a waxen -or papier-mache sort of face, which makes her look like an Egyptian, -so as to be in keeping with her room, I suppose." - -"Why did you wish to tear it off?" - -"Because she--well, she said certain things, and----" Towton stopped -as Vernon rose quickly and began to walk about the room. "What's up, -now?" - -"Colonel, do you remember how you gave it as your opinion that -Dimsdale had been strangled by a Thug?" - -"Ah!" said Towton drily, "the same idea strikes you also, I see. Well, -Diabella may have something to do with the matter. I asked you to see -me in order that we might thresh it out. Now that I know you are Nemo -I am all the better pleased, as your professional knowledge may link -this and that together." - -"This and that?" - -"Bond Street and Hampstead," said the Colonel impatiently; "that is, -you may see a connecting link between this beastly nigger attempting -to strangle me and the actual strangulation of poor Dimsdale in his -library." - -"I can't see the link," said Vernon thoughtfully. "Diabella knows -nothing about Dimsdale." - -"On the contrary, she knows a great deal. By the way, didn't you tell -me that Dimsdale was being blackmailed by that confounded Spider?" - -"Yes." Vernon stared and wondered why the question was asked. "He had -a secret, which The Spider learned, and intended to tell it to me -after the capture of the beast. But The Spider killed him, and so----" -Vernon shrugged. - -"I wonder if what Diabella told was the secret," muttered Towton, -stroking his chin. "Did Dimsdale ever give you to understand that his -secret, whatever it might have been, was a disgraceful one?" - -"On the contrary, he said that he didn't mind any one knowing what it -was," said Vernon promptly; "only he added that The Spider had -embroidered actual facts and so might make things hot for him were the -added facts to become known to the world at large." - -Towton nodded. "I thought so." - -"Thought what?" asked Vernon impatiently. - -"That Diabella and this mysterious Spider are in league." - -Vernon dropped into his chair, placed his hands on his knees and -stared very hard at the lean, brown face of the soldier. "What do you -mean?" - -"Listen, and I'll tell you. I am quite sure that you will come to the -same conclusion," and Towton in an incisive manner related what had -taken place in the fortune-teller's weird apartments. - -The effect on Vernon was to produce an extraordinary emotion of -mingled dread and relief: dread, because he saw deep and dangerous -villainy at work, and relief as now he espied a gleam of light in the -darkness surrounding the "Rangoon" crime. He made no remark either -during Towton's recital or after it, so that the Colonel grew -impatient. - -"Well, what do you make of it?" he asked sharply. - -"I agree with you that Diabella and The Spider are in league. -Perhaps," he rose, much agitated, "perhaps Diabella is The Spider all -by herself." - -"The Spider I always understood to be a man." - -"It is presumed so, but who knows. Diabella may be the real originator -of these crimes and may employ men to collect her fees. Then, of -course, as a popular fortune-teller, she has every opportunity of -learning people's secrets, for those who consult such creatures always -give themselves away. A few skilfully put questions and a few -dexterous prophecies would make people loosen their tongues. Then a -clever woman, putting two and two together, would soon make the four, -which means blackmail." - -"But how the deuce could she learn this secret of Dimsdale's?" - -"Well, the secret is connected with the Far East and you say that -Diabella employs two Indians in her fortune-telling business. She may -have learned it from them since the older man, the one who attempted -to strangle you, may have been a soldier in the Burmese War and so may -have been connected with Dimsdale. Then, again, Diabella may herself -have been in the East and may have learned about Ida not being -Dimsdale's daughter." - -"Do you think it is true?" - -"I fear so, as the secret of her birth and adoption by Dimsdale is not -one that any man would mind being made known. But the embroidery to -which our poor dead friend alluded consists of this assertion: that he -wilfully delayed coming to the assistance of Menteith and for the sake -of the man's wife acted in a David-and-Uriah-the-Hittite manner. That -embroidery is indeed worth blackmail. But it isn't true. I believe -Dimsdale's assertion rather than Diabella's story. She knew the facts, -and improved upon them in the way I have mentioned." - -Colonel Towton nodded. "Then Ida, not being Dimsdale's daughter, and -there being no will, cannot inherit her presumed father's money as -next of kin?" - -"I think not. It will go to Lady Corsoon, as Diabella asserted. She is -Dimsdale's sister and only relative. It will be a good thing for Lady -Corsoon," murmured Vernon, thinking of the gambling debts, "as it will -make her independent of her miserly husband." - -"There is another thing to be thought of," said the Colonel gravely, -"and that is the blackmailing of Ida." - -"Oh. Do you think that her health is suffering from that?" - -"Yes, I do. She went to the fortune-teller, and what she heard has -made her ill. She probably was told the same story as I heard and -knows that she is keeping the ten thousand a year wrongfully from Lady -Corsoon. This being the case, and Ida being a sensitive girl, it is no -wonder that she is disturbed and ill. Her conscience is fighting -between keeping the money and giving it up. Then Miss Hest may be -forcing her to keep silence; otherwise, as she is the sweetest girl in -the world, I feel sure she would speak out and give up the fortune." - -"She may not believe the story." - -"Certainly she may not; but it must have sown doubts in her breast, -and if left to herself she would perhaps come to me or to you, asking -us to resolve these doubts. But Miss Hest----" - -"Colonel! Colonel! I don't think you are altogether just to Miss Hest. -She is really a kind-hearted, decent woman, and is not after Ida's -money, as you imagine. She wants Mrs. Bedge to become Ida's companion, -or for Ida to marry you, so that she can go back to her reciting." - -"Does she want Ida to marry Maunders?" asked Towton shrewdly. - -"No. I think she fancies you will make Ida a better husband. No, -Colonel, Miss Hest's conduct is above reproach, and if she knows about -this wild story told by Diabella she will advise Ida for the best." - -"In what way?" - -"Well, it is no use Ida telling you, or I, or anyone else the tale, -unless she is sure of the truth. According to Diabella, this man -Venery, in Singapore, can substantiate the story, so, under the -guidance of Miss Hest, provided, mind you, she knows the story, Ida -may have written to Venery. If Venery says that Ida is not Dimsdale's -daughter I daresay the girl will see her supposed aunt and surrender -the fortune. Miss Hest, undoubtedly, as you say, exercises a certain -amount of control over Ida's weaker mind, but she is a good woman and -assuredly is not a fortune-hunter." - -"It may be as you say," assented the Colonel grudgingly. "However, it -is plain that Diabella knows something of The Spider and something of -the murder, since she is aware of Dimsdale's secret." - -"You don't think she read it in the astral light? I know you believe -in occult matters." - -"To a certain extent," said Towton drily, "but I don't believe that -the Unseen ever furnished so detailed a story. Communications from the -next world are apt to be scrappy. What's to be done?" - -Vernon quickly decided. "We'll divide the burden," he said promptly. -"You write to-night or to-morrow to George Venery, of Singapore, -asking how much of this yarn is true, and I shall call on Diabella." - -"Why not consult Inspector Drench and have her arrested." - -"It wouldn't be a bad idea," pondered Vernon, "and yet it is not wise -to act with too much haste. After all, we can't get a search warrant, -as you have no witness to your assault, and the woman can easily deny -the story of Dimsdale which seems to connect her with The Spider. I -shall go on my own and secure more evidence upon which to get a -warrant, if not for her arrest at all events for a search through -those rooms of hers. Some evidence regarding The Spider--if indeed she -is connected with him, as seems extremely probable--may be found -concealed there. I'll call to-morrow morning," ended Vernon rising, -"in the character of a superstitious client." - -"And I'll write the letter to Venery, of Singapore." - -In this way the matter was decided and the burden was divided. Vernon -went away with the conviction that by chance the Colonel had struck -upon the much-wished-for clue which would lead to the identification -of the famous Spider. Certainly, he might be jumping to a conclusion, -but, taking all that was known into account it looked extremely -probable. And if it was true it behoved him to act cautiously lest The -Spider at the eleventh hour should slip through the fingers of the -police. For this reason, and until he was positive, Vernon did not -think it wise to call in the assistance of the law. First it was -necessary to prove the collusion of Diabella and The Spider, so that -if she were not the scoundrel herself she would at least be able to -identify him beyond all doubt. Second, even if his identity were -proved it would be no easy task to arrest so slippery a criminal. Like -the celebrated fox in the fable, The Spider had a thousand tricks, -which he could use to better advantage than the animal. The fox in the -story of Æsop was caught, but it was probable, unless the very -greatest care were used, that The Spider would escape. Already the -police had experienced his subtlety, and regarded the arch-scoundrel -as a very wary and dangerous bird who was not to be caught by putting -salt on his tail. - -Colonel Towton, being less experienced in the trickery of the criminal -classes, was more hopeful of success, and next morning settled down to -write the letter to Venery, of Singapore, quite confident that all the -mysteries were on the eve of solution. He quite expected to hear from -his correspondent that Ida was not Dimsdale's daughter, but he was -quite sure that the embroidered facts of the pointed delay in the -rescue of Menteith were false. Assured of this, he was quite willing -to marry Ida, as the daughter of a poor soldier, and to hand over the -fortune to Lady Corsoon. Love was everything to the Colonel at this -moment, and nothing else mattered. - -But just as he reached the second page of his letter Vernon burst into -the room with a half-vexed and half-triumphant air. He told his news -without any delay. "I believe you are right about Diabella being -connected with The Spider, Colonel," he said; "she has shut up her -rooms and has cleared out bag and baggage." - - - - -CHAPTER XI. -THE NEEDLE IN THE HAYSTACK. - -It was big news, which meant more than at first sight appeared, since -the implication was of depths below depths and veils behind veils. To -be quite plain, the unexpected flight of the fortune-teller, for it -was nothing else, hinted at the truth of Towton's suspicions. Had -there been nothing but the mere assault Diabella could have faced that -and could have even counted upon the Colonel doing nothing, since an -unbiassed witness was lacking. The flight was not caused by the -incident which had taken place in the Bond Street rooms, but by the -fear that something dangerous might peep out from behind it. And what -could this something be--on the grounds of Diabella's story and the -Hindoo's attempted strangling--but a dread lest The Spider should be -traced? - -"I am perfectly certain that you are right, Towton," said Vernon, -sitting sideways on the table and swinging his legs. "Only the fear of -her connection with that blackmailing scoundrel being traced could -have scared her into disappearance." - -"She has really gone?" - -"Really and truly. Remember, she had three days to make herself -scarce, but so afraid was she lest you should take action that she -decamped on the morning of the second day." - -"How decamped?" questioned Towton, laying down his pen. - -"She sent the Hindoo to surrender the lease. Bahadur his name is." - -"The native who tried to choke me?" - -"No; the doorkeeper. I was precise to ask if he was lean or stout. -The lean one came to surrender the lease." - -"And his name is Bahadur. Well, that's something worth knowing. But -how did you get your informant to talk, and how did you find any -person in authority to explain matters?" - -"That was easy." Vernon slipped off the table and into a chair. "I -called on the plea of wanting my fortune told by Diabella. Instead of -Bahadur opening the door a neat little maid-servant made her -appearance and informed me that Diabella had retired from the -business, which had been taken over by a certain American prophetess. -I asked to see the lady, and I did." - -"You don't think she was Diabella unmasked?" - -"Not from your description. You told me Diabella was tall; this woman -was short, and the voice, instead of being metallic, as you described -it, was rather musical, although disfigured by a Yankee twang. This -new sorceress, from New York City, as she told me she was, could never -have spoken English without the twang." - -"It might have been assumed." - -"Not it. I can tell the true from the false," said Vernon -emphatically. "Mrs. Hiram G. Slowcomb is a genuine American, -sure enough. Besides, her ideas of surroundings and those of -Diabella differ. The last desired weird decoration and furniture, -a mask, an Egyptian dress, Oriental attendants, and so forth. -Mrs. Slowcomb's idea is that people should not be frightened, but -should have their future told in a motherly, old-fashioned way amidst -rural-fireside-granny-scenery. She intends, so she told me, to -transform the Egyptian rooms into the semblance of a rustic cottage -interior, with a cat and a humming tea-kettle, rafters with strings of -onions, and flower-pots on the ledges of Bond Street windows turned -into casements. It's rather a clever dodge," reflected Vernon, "as -people will be at their ease directly and so will talk freely and -listen comfortably." - -"And Mrs. Hiram G. Slowcomb herself?" - -"A motherly old thing in a mob cap and a stuff dress with a voluminous -apron and a woollen shawl over her shoulders. I daresay she has -dressed for the old cottage interior part, for she was seated in a -wooden chair which didn't fit in with the Memphis decorations, and -knitted a homely stocking." - -"What did she tell you about Diabella?" - -"Very little, because she knew very little." - -"Do you believe that?" asked the highly suspicious Colonel. - -Vernon shrugged his shoulders. "Everyone tells such lies nowadays that -I never believe anyone. But Mrs. Slowcomb seemed to be genuine enough. -However, I'll soon prove that, as I intend to have her watched by a -man upon whom I can depend. I shall learn in that way if she has -business relations with our masked friend." - -"What did she tell you?" asked Towton again. - -"Well, it seemed that she heard about Diabella wishing to retire from -business and went to see her. Diabella denied that the rumour was -true, but promised Mrs. Slowcomb the first refusal of the rooms and -goodwill, though how one can transfer fortune-telling clients beats -me. However, Mrs. Slowcomb retired and left her address--somewhere in -Pimlico, where she was wasting her talents on maid-servants and -suburban people. Diabella sent Bahadur to her there and the lease was -duly transferred for a sum of money. I believe Bahadur took Mrs. -Slowcomb to the City and interviewed the landlord's lawyer. However, -it was all done fair and square." - -"But Diabella must have signed the consent to the transfer?" - -"So she did, under the name of Isabella Hopkins, which may or may not -be her real name. At all events, she took the rooms as Miss Hopkins -and signed that name on the transfer. Mrs. Slowcomb never saw -her--at least, without the mask. She was as you saw her when Mrs. -Slowcomb called at the rooms, and didn't show in the lawyer's office." - -"But the lawyer must have seen her?" - -"Well, he did, and I went to see him. He's a stiff old buckram -creature, who declined to impart anything about Miss Isabella Hopkins -as he wanted to know why I wished to know; and, of course, on the face -of it, you can see, Towton, that I couldn't gratify his very natural -curiosity." - -"But why not, if we are to catch Diabella?" - -"We haven't got enough grounds to go upon," said Vernon, shaking his -head. "I think it is best to let her fancy we don't suspect anything -and then we may be able to capture her unawares. She's connected with -The Spider, if not that gentleman himself, I am sure, and your visit -and behaviour, which led to the strangling attempt, have given her a -fright. But if we keep silent her suspicions will be lulled and she -may reappear." - -"Surely not." - -"Oh, I think so. Fortune-telling is an invaluable way of learning -secrets, and Diabella must be very useful to The Spider, or to -herself, if she is him. She won't surrender her position without a -struggle. It's too paying all round, my dear fellow." - -"But she did surrender it." - -"Only because she lost her head for the moment and thought you might -bring the police on the scene for the assault. That would lead to -unpleasant questions being asked, which might result in heaven knows -what revelations. Fortune-tellers are not in good odour since the -campaign of a certain halfpenny paper against them." - -The Colonel leaned back in his chair, reflecting, while Vernon rose to -walk up and down the room for the purpose of stretching his long legs. -He lighted a cigar and went on talking lightly. - -"You never saw such a heap of clever dodges as this Diabella has to -impress the weak-minded. Those mummies--they are all faked, by the -way--have reeds inside them leading to their mouths, and Diabella, by -pressing on the arms of her state chair, could send a stream of wind -along to make them squall." - -"And they did squall," said Towton musingly. "I never heard such a -devilish row in my life. What else?" - -"Oh, some arrangement by which when the room was darkened the interior -of the painted walls were illuminated to reveal the Egyptian figures -as walking and sitting skeletons. Then there's an apparatus to make -thunder, and flashlights for lightning, to say nothing of ingeniously -arranged draughts calculated to make anyone's hair rise in the -necessary darkness when he or she felt a cold breath fanning him or -her. I wonder Diabella didn't send her clients stark, staring mad." - -"It sounds like a fraudulent spiritualistic medium, Vernon, and only -confirms my suspicions that Diabella was not a genuine occultist." - -"But do you really believe anyone has such powers?" asked Vernon -curiously. - -"I really do," said the Colonel promptly, "strange as it may appear. -In India I have seen too much of the Unseen to doubt. There are -certain gifted people who can see and who can control forces of which -the average person knows nothing. Oh, yes, I believe, and--but what's -the use of talking? I can never make you believe, and I don't want -to." - -Vernon shrugged his shoulders again and buttoned up his coat. "As you -say, it doesn't matter," he answered. "However, Diabella has vanished -with her two satellites, so there's nothing more to be done at -present." - -"You give up the hunt?" - -"I said, at present. No. I shall lie quiet until Diabella reappears." - -"She won't, if she's wise." - -"She will--if she's daring, and I shrewdly suspect that she is." - -"Do you believe her to be this Spider?" - -"I do, and I don't. I really can't say. But if not the rose, she is -near the rose. All I can assert with safety, Colonel, is that if we -can lay hands on this witch in grain we'll learn who murdered poor -Dimsdale." - -"God grant that." - -"Amen! to that pious prayer," was Vernon's reply as he left the room. -Towton duly finished his letter of inquiry to Venery, of Singapore, -and having posted it went cheerfully about his usual business of -pleasure--that is, as cheerfully as a man in love well could do. At -the Colonel's age love was rather a serious matter, since he had taken -the disease badly, as is invariably the case with middle aged men. -Some individuals constantly let their emotions trickle out to expend -themselves in trifling love affairs, amusing for the moment; others -dam up the passions for years until they burst through the barrier, to -sweep everything before them irresistibly. Colonel Towton was one of -the latter. But, not being entirely blinded by his late-born -infatuation, he did not deem Ida perfection, as a hot-headed youth -would have done, and he foresaw that, as Mrs. Towton, she would need -guidance and firm control. Hitherto, for want of both, she had run -wild; but the materials were there, out of which, as Towton put it to -himself, he could build a model wife. That she was frivolous, rather -than strong-minded, was a point in her favour, as the Colonel desired -to mould wax rather than to hammer iron. So if Ida only consented to -marry him he hoped for a calm and contented domestic existence, -undisturbed by aggressive romance. And with his home-loving, -self-controlled nature, Towton infinitely preferred the outlook from -an unemotional point of view. - -As to the money, he cared little for the possible loss of that, -although he could not deny but what Ida's yearly thousands would have -come at the right moment to effect improvements on the Bowderstyke -estate. Towton was too prosaic and level-headed to despise the power -of the purse, but on the other hand he was not at all grasping, and -was quite satisfied to marry a girl with no dowry but her beauty and -sweet nature. All the same, he intended to inform himself fully of the -truth by inquiring, as he had done, from the man Diabella had -mentioned as her authority. The Colonel had no notion of letting Ida's -money benefit Lady Corsoon if he could help it. Of course, if it was -proved to be legally hers he would be the first to see that she had -her rights. On the other hand, should Ida turn out to be Dimsdale's -daughter, Towton made up his mind that the ten thousand a year would -be joyfully used for the improvement of his family property. With -these thoughts to employ his mind he waited very patiently in -London, considering that he was a man of actions rather than a -dreamer of dreams. Later on, when Vernon had coaxed Diabella from her -hiding-place, Towton intended to travel to Bowderstyke-to see his -beloved. He had every belief that during his absence Vernon could -manage the affair which interested them both so greatly. - -For the next few days the Colonel saw nothing of Vernon, but, while in -the tablinum of the Athenian Club, he unexpectedly came face to face -with Mr. Maunders. The scamp looked singularly handsome, and was -dressed carefully, as usual; but the sight of a snake would have been -more pleasing to the worthy Colonel. He did not like Maunders, and, -moreover, resented him as a somewhat dishonourable rival, for no one -could respect a man who pointedly wooed two women at one and the same -time. Towton therefore nodded coolly and crossed to the central table -to pick up a Service Magazine. As he did so Maunders sauntered to his -side and slipped into a chair near to that one which the Colonel had -taken. - -"Have you had any news of Miss Dimsdale?" asked Maunders amiably. - -"No," retorted Towton, opening his magazine as a hint that he wished -to be left alone. - -"She is still in Yorkshire with Miss Hest," persisted Maunders. - -"So I understand," was the stiff reply. - -"I believe she will remain there for one month." - -"Possibly she will." - -Maunders was not discouraged. "Have you any message for her," he -asked. - -"Why do you ask?" demanded the Colonel, sitting up abruptly. - -"Because Francis Hest--you know, the brother of Miss Dimsdale's -friend--has asked me down to Gerby Hall. I am going there at the end -of the week for a few days. I thought you might have a message for -Miss Dimsdale." - -"There is such a thing as the post," said Towton, exasperated by the -young man's cool assurance. He took up the magazine again, then -hesitated and threw it on the table. Averse as the Colonel was to -discuss his private affairs with anyone, and least of all with -Maunders, whom he so frankly hated, he felt that he ought to take -advantage of this chance to learn exactly what was Maunders' attitude -towards Ida. "Am I to understand that you are engaged to Miss -Dimsdale?" he asked sharply. - -"Why should you think that?" asked Constantine negligently. - -"Why, indeed! Considering that one day you profess to be paying -attentions to Miss Corsoon and the next pay your addresses to Miss -Dimsdale. But as you are going down to Gerby Hall it looks as though -you inclined to marry the latter young lady." - -"No," said Maunders indolently and looking at Towton through -half-closed eyelids. "I am going to see Francis Hest, who is a friend -of mine. But I daresay Miss Hest and Miss Dimsdale find it dull, so I -may be able to amuse them a trifle." - -"I am quite sure of that," said Towton sarcastically; "your social -qualifications are well known. But I asked you if you were engaged to -Miss Dimsdale." - -"No, I am not, nor am I likely to be." - -This was good news, but Towton could not be sure if Maunders was -speaking honestly. "Then you intend to marry Miss Corsoon?" said the -Colonel. - -"I do. But I don't see why you should trouble yourself about my -private affairs," said Maunders, insolently cool. - -"It was not I who sought this interview. But as you chose to speak to -me I have every right to mention a subject which concerns us both." - -"And concerns Vernon also." - -"Precisely," said Towton with great emphasis. "It is useless to -disguise the fact, Mr. Maunders, that we are rivals, and----" - -"Pardon me, no," interrupted the young man quickly. "I have been -refused by Miss Dimsdale, so the field is open to you." - -"Ida refused you?" muttered the Colonel stupefied. "Strange, is it -not?" replied Maunders lightly, "but such is the case. I asked her to -marry me and she hinted at a previous attachment. I presume she -meant-----" - -Towton threw up his hand and coloured through his bronzed skin. "We -will not mention names, if you please." - -"I don't mind. But you know how the land lies--so far as I am -concerned, that is. But you will have to reckon with Francis Hest." - -"Miss Hest's brother?" - -"The same. Francis and Frances--twins, with twin names, you might say. -She is devoted to this more than brother, and wishes him to marry -money." - -"Do you mean to say that Miss Hest has taken Miss Dimsdale down to -Gerby Hall so that she may meet Mr. Hest?" - -"Yes. He's not a bad-looking fellow: exactly like his sister, who is -handsome in an imperial way, as you have seen. In fact, if you see -Frances you have seen Francis. The brother isn't very well off, as he -has spent all his available cash in philanthropic works, and -constructing some confounded dam to supply water to several villages -has nearly ruined him. Miss Dimsdale's money will therefore come in -very acceptably. But I fear Hest will waste it in helping the poor; -he's ridiculously crazy about doing what he calls good." - -"It's ridiculous," muttered the Colonel crossly. "Miss Dimsdale -doesn't know this man Hest." - -"Frances will see to that. Now that Miss Dimsdale is at the Hall she -will have every opportunity of seeing him. Miss Hest will throw them -together on every occasion. Upon my word," Maunders rose and stretched -himself, "were I you, Colonel, I should go down to Gerby Hall and look -after matters." - -"Thanks for your advice," said Towton picking up the magazine again, -"and good-day to you, Mr. Maunders." - -"This is what comes of my trying to help you," observed the young man -with a shrug. "I do what I can and you throw my philanthropy in my -face." - -"No! no!" Towton's conscience smote him, for really Maunders had done -him a distinct service, and also he had announced that Ida had refused -him, which was excellent news. "I thank you for what you have told me. -It is probable that I shall go down to Gerby Hall at the end of the -week." - -Maunders nodded. "I may meet you there," he yawned, and sauntered away -with a bored air, which was rather overdone. As a rule he was alert -and full of life, so it looked as though this languor was assumed for -some purpose, and not a good one, if the man's selfish nature was to -be taken into account. - -It wanted three days to the week-end, so Towton really intended to -take the northern journey. He had never trusted Miss Hest, and it was -quite probable that as she had discouraged the wooing of both himself -and Maunders her intention was to secure the heiress for her too -philanthropic brother. - -Of course, if Towton could prove to the twins that Ida had no money it -was possible that no further plans would be laid to entrap her. Money -was what Francis Hest required for his lord-of-the-manor schemes, and -money was what the sister desired to secure for him. But, considering -that Frances did not get on well with her brother and that they rarely -met, it was strange that she should be so anxious to serve him; -unless, indeed, the two had come to an agreement that if Francis -married the supposed heiress Frances should share the income. On the -whole Towton thought it would be just as well to go down to The Grange -for a week or so and pay a neighbourly visit to Gerby Hall. He would -at least learn how much of Maunders' tale was true, and perhaps might -induce Ida to accept him, since she had refused his handsome rival. - -"Gad! I'll go down on Saturday," decided the Colonel. - -And it happened that before Saturday he received a letter which made -him even more anxious to visit his family seat. It came from Ida, and -she pointedly asked him to come down and see her. Amongst other -things, she wrote that Francis Hest had gone away and that she had -only seen him twice at Gerby Hall. "Frances and her brother don't get -on well together," went on Ida in her letter, "and are rarely -together. When he is in she is out, and _vice versâ_, like the little -old man and woman in the weather cottage. I only saw Francis for a few -minutes each time and I don't like him much, although he greatly -resembles Frances. But he is more gloomy and is quite a misanthrope. -Nor do I like Frances so much as I did, as she seems inclined to take -the upper hand with me, and wants me to do exactly as she wishes. -Lately she has been urging me to marry Mr. Maunders, and told me that -he was coming down to stop for a time. Besides, there is a -housekeeper, Miss Jewin, who is a double-faced woman, I am sure, and -looks quite dangerous. She fell in ecstacies over a photograph of Mr. -Maunders, which he gave Frances, and told me, presumptuously, that she -thought we made a handsome couple. In fact, I don't like this place at -all, and I wish you would come down and stand by me." - -At this point the Colonel laid down the letter to think. Apparently -Maunders was lying when he stated that he did not wish to marry Miss -Dimsdale, and that Frances wished to secure the heiress for her -brother. He told one story, and Ida another; and of the two Towton -preferred to believe that of the girl. The letter went into general -details about the beauty of the country and the dismal gloom of the -Hall. Towton gathered indirectly that Miss Hest was keeping a close -watch on Ida, and that the girl was beginning to resent this -over-emphatic influence. In fact, throughout the letter there sounded -a note of alarm, as though Ida was both uncomfortable and uneasy. She -certainly pointedly asked Towton down to stand by her, and when he had -finished the epistle he was quite decided about travelling by the -Saturday train as he had arranged. But the contradictory stories told -by Ida and Maunders puzzled him greatly. More than ever he mistrusted -Miss Hest, who seemed to be playing a deep game for the winning of -Ida's fortune. But the Colonel chuckled to think of her disappointment -when she learned that Ida was not entitled to the money, always -provided that Diabella had spoken the truth. - -As two heads are better than one, and as Towton was working in consort -with Vernon, he promptly sought out his friend and laid the letter -before him. Also he detailed what had taken place in the tablinum of -the Athenian Club between himself and Maunders. Vernon heard the -Colonel's narrative with great attention, then gave his opinion after -some reflection. - -"There is some devilry under all this," he said, laying a finger on -the letter, "and Miss Hest seems to be working in conjunction with -Maunders. He says one thing and Ida another, so it is difficult to -know exactly how matters stand." - -"I believe Ida." - -"Well, on the whole, so do I. I think," Vernon paused, then added -abruptly, "I don't trust Maunders, you know." - -"Neither do I." - -"In that case, let us act exactly opposite to the way in which he -suggests." - -"How do you mean?" questioned the Colonel doubtfully. "Maunders wants -you to go to Yorkshire. As he is going himself he would naturally want -a clear field, if indeed Miss Hest is supporting him in this design on -Ida's fortune. Therefore he has some reason--and you may be sure that -it is a bad one--to get you down." - -"I can look after myself," said Towton sturdily. - -"Quite so; but we have to look after Ida. Don't go to Yorkshire." - -"But Ida wants me to go. See how urgent her letter is." - -"I understand. All the same, I think it wiser for you to remain." - -"Until when?" - -"Until I can corner Diabella," replied Vernon, and ended the -conversation. - - - - -CHAPTER XII -A TEMPTING OFFER. - - -Naturally, under the pressure of Ida's imploring letter, Colonel -Towton was not anxious to remain inactive in London. He wished to go -to Bowderstyke himself and learn the exact truth. Maunders said one -thing and Ida another, so if the two were confronted the absolute -facts of the case would certainly come to light. Towton assuredly -believed Ida rather than Maunders, but it seemed strange to him that -Miss Hest should champion Constantine, and strange also that Maunders -should wish him to come down to Gerby Hall, where, if Ida spoke -correctly, his presence would not be welcome either to Miss Hest or -her co-conspirator. And Maunders was far too clever a man to do -anything without having some object in view. What that object might be -Colonel Towton as yet could not fathom. - -For this last reason, and because his rival so pointedly advised him -to go to Gerby Hall, the Colonel remained in London. Whatever -Maunders' plans might be, they would assuredly be thwarted by the -absence of Towton, and, later, the Colonel determined to go, even -before Vernon lured Diabella from her hiding-place. Meanwhile, as -Maunders had stated that he was himself going to Gerby Hall on the -invitation of Miss Hest, the Colonel sought the young man's rooms on -Sunday afternoon in order to see if he had kept his promise, as he -fancied that the proposed visit might be some trick. On inquiry, -however, the Colonel learned that Constantine had departed on the -previous day and had left notice with the caretaker of his chambers -that he would not return until an entire week had elapsed. Evidently -he had meant what he said, namely, to accept Miss Hest's hospitality. - -This knowledge, however, only made Towton the more anxious to go also, -as the idea that Maunders was having it all his own way and was -subjecting Ida to persecution made him restless. He wished to ride -forth like a knight of old to rescue his lady-love, who certainly, if -her letter was to be believed, seemed to be in great peril. It said a -great deal for Towton's disciplinarian instincts that he obeyed -Vernon, as one more professionally clever at such cases, rather than -his own desires. In the meantime, having satisfied himself with regard -to Maunders' whereabouts, the Colonel took up his usual life for, at -all events, a week. He relieved his mind by writing to Ida saying that -he would come down to The Grange at the termination of that period. - -Vernon had not thought fit to impart to Towton how he proposed to -inveigle Diabella into the open for the very simple reason that he was -puzzled himself how to act. Several times he had been to the Bond -Street rooms, only to find that they were in the hands of decorators, -rapidly transforming the weird Egyptian hall into a cosy English -cottage. Mrs. Hiram G. Slowcomb was already advertising that "Granny!" -would foretell the future after the fashion of the renowned Mother -Shipton, and already had seen several of Diabella's old clients, -desirous of novelty. To these she told wonderful things in a strong -American accent, which did not suit the thrum cap or the tartan shawl -or the general looks of an ancient rustic dame. However, she was -succeeding very well, and there was no doubt that when her -_mise-en-scene_ was prepared that she would become the fashion for a -few months. She professed to know nothing of Diabella, and as she was -quite frank in answering questions Vernon saw no reason why he should -not believe a story which certainly appeared, on the face of it, to be -true. The lawyer of the landlord still refused to say anything about -Isabella Hopkins since Vernon declined to state why the knowledge was -required. And, of course, as he was suspicious rather than certain he -could say absolutely nothing. - -In this dilemma, and wondering how he was to come face to face with -the woman, Vernon decided, on the Sunday when Towton went to seek -Maunders, to pay an afternoon call. This errand took him into the -luxurious drawing-room of Lady Corsoon. By this time the month of -grace allowed by The Spider was nearing its end, and Vernon, having -accomplished nothing definite, considered it necessary to reassure the -millionaire's wife. Naturally, he expected to find her haggard and -hysterical, but was truly surprised to behold a perfectly composed -person, comely and content. Her brown eyes sparkled when the footman -announced the newcomer, and she swept forward--the word is necessary -to exactly describe Lady Corsoon's imposing gait--to welcome him with -ill-concealed eagerness. - -"How are you, Mr. Vernon?" she asked in her best society manner, and -then dropped her voice to a confidential whisper, "I should have -called at your office to-morrow had you not come." - -"I am quite well, thank you," replied Vernon, for the benefit of the -surrounding guests, and lowered his voice likewise: "Any news, good or -bad?" - -"Yes; both. Wait till everyone goes," she said softly, and again spoke -gracefully in her character of hostess. "You poor man, you really must -have a cup of tea. Go to Lucy and ask nicely." - -Vernon needed no second command, but thrust his way through a crowd of -well-dressed people to find a bamboo table covered with tea-things, -over which a pretty, fresh-coloured damsel presided. She received him -with a shy blush, which made her look like a dewy rose. Lucy Corsoon -could not be called lovely, nor would she have attracted attention in -any marked degree. A bright, sweet English girl was all she claimed to -be, and, having the bloom of youth, she really appeared more charming -than she really was. In a very plain white frock and without a single -ornament, she looked like a modest violet, almost hidden by its -leaves. The ardent gaze in her lover's dark eyes made her blush more -than ever as she handed him a cup of tea. - -"Without sugar," she said in a gentle voice; "I know your tastes." - -"Who else should?" inquired Vernon smiling, and sipped his Bohea. -"This tea is delightful and exactly what a thirsty man requires." - -"I hope you are hungry also. Mr. Hest, please pass the cakestand to -Mr. Vernon." - -The lover wheeled when the name was mentioned, to find himself facing -the counterpart of Ida's companion. He would have guessed the -relationship even if Lucy had held her peace. Mr. Hest smiled at the -amazed look of the young man, and swung forward the bamboo cakestand -with a soft laugh. - -"Don't say what you are going to say, Mr. Vernon," he remarked -pleasantly. "I know exactly how astonished you are to see that I am so -like my sister." - -"You are indeed," breathed Vernon, mechanically taking bread and -butter. "I should have taken you for Miss Hest in disguise but -for----" he hesitated. - -"But for this scar?" finished Hest, laying a finger on a cicatrice -which ran in a thin crimson line from the right temple to the corner -of the mouth. "I got that in Paris years ago; the knife of an Apache -scored me in this way. It is just as well, if only to distinguish me -from Frances. I rarely come to London, but when I do everyone stares -at me, as you did." Mr. Hest shrugged his shoulders. "It's rather a -nuisance being a twin." - -"You are not so tall as your sister," ventured Vernon, while Lucy -laughed at the idle jest of the Yorkshire squire. - -"There's very little difference. Frances looks taller because she -wears petticoats. If I dressed in her clothes and could hide this," he -laid his finger again on the scar, "you would not be able to tell the -difference." - -"Your voices are different," said Vernon after a pause. - -"I really begin to think you must be a detective, Mr. Vernon, since -you are so very observant. Yes, our voices are different and in the -wrong way." - -"The wrong way?" - -"Ah, you are not so observant as I thought. Yes; Frances has a deep -contralto voice, somewhat heavy for a woman, whereas my voice, as you -hear, is rather thin in quality. Nature mixed up the voices as we are -twins, maybe." - -It was as he said. Hest's voice had not the volume or the richness of -his sister's, but it certainly had a less serious note. Vernon, -recalling what Towton had told him of Ida's remark in her letter as to -Francis being dismal and misanthropic, wondered that she could have -been so mistaken. He was really more cheerful than Frances, and did -not seem to treat life in her aggressively sober manner. Besides, that -he was a philanthropist was in itself an argument against his being of -a gloomy disposition. Vernon judged that Mr. Hest was much more of an -optimist than was his sister, and that he lacked in some measure that -sterling common sense which, to put it plainly, made her company -rather dull. If Frances had been the man and Francis had been the -woman their temperaments would have suited the change of sex ever so -much better. But, perhaps, as Mr. Hest had just observed, since the -two were twins nature had got mixed. - -Vernon would rather have spoken to Lucy, but could not do so, and -every now and then fresh guests came to be served. He was therefore -left to the society of Hest, and took advantage of the opportunity to -learn if the man was in love with Ida. "Did you leave Miss Dimsdale in -good health?" he asked. - -"Oh, yes. She is ever so much brighter, Mr. Vernon. The air of our -Yorkshire moors has picked her up wonderfully and has brought colour -to her cheeks." - -"And your sister?" - -Hest shrugged his shoulders again. "Oh, Frances is always in robust -health, Mr. Vernon. I find her company too exhausting for my health. -She always wants me to be doing something or saying something, and is -never at rest." - -"You do a good deal yourself in the way of philanthropy?" - -"Well, I do," said Hest, his dark face lighting up, "but it is really -selfish on my part. There is nothing I love so well as to help the -unfortunate. I have quite changed the parish of Bowderstyke, and -instead of being a Rip Van Winkle sort of place it is now in lively -touch with the twentieth century. If you are ever down our way, Mr. -Vernon, come and stop at the Hall and you shall see my _opus -magnus_--the Bolly Reservoir. Miss Dimsdale was quite amazed when she -beheld the strength of the dam." - -"I have heard of that great work from your sister. She was quite -enthusiastic over the enterprise." - -"What! Frances enthusiastic over anything of that sort? You surprise -me, Mr. Vernon, you do, indeed. Frances cares nothing about such -things. Poetry and society and a general aimless life is her idea of -living, But then she is a woman, and we must not be hard on women." - -"It's strange," said Vernon, musingly, with his eyes on Hest. - -"What is, if I may ask?" - -"The life you mention would suit your nature rather than hers, I -should think, considering what I have seen of both of you. You are not -so serious as Miss Hest, so far as I can judge." - -Hest laughed. "Well, you see, Frances takes her pleasures seriously -and in a very ponderous manner. I take my work lightly and as a hobby. -That is all the difference, save that I am sure I get more amusement -out of life than she does. Wait till you hear us argue." - -"You are stopping in town long?" - -"Only for a few days. I may go to Paris or I may return to Gerby Hall. -It all depends upon Miss Dimsdale." - -Vernon looked surprised. "On Miss Dimsdale? In what way?" - -"Well," Hest hesitated, "it's rather a private matter to----" - -"Oh, I beg your pardon." - -"Not at all. You know Frances and Miss Dimsdale so very well that I -don't mind telling you. The fact is my sister thinks that I ought to -be married at my age--I shan't tell you how old I am because that -would give away Frances, who, like all women, doesn't want her age to -be known. But the long and short of it is that she wants me to marry -Miss Dimsdale. I saw very plainly that Miss Dimsdale didn't want to -marry me, so I ran away." - -This explanation appeared to be clear enough, and Vernon drew a long -breath of relief. Ida had been right; Frances had wished her brother -to marry the girl and secure the fortune. Now that Francis declined to -entertain the idea Miss Hest had invited Maunders down to try his -luck. But Vernon could not see what interest the former could have in -bringing about the marriage with the latter. He lifted his eyes from -the carpet to again address his companion, but found that Mr. Hest had -slipped away to talk to an old lady with an ear-trumpet. - -"You might speak to _me_," hinted a low voice at his ear, and he -turned to smile at Lucy's injured face. - -"You are so busy." - -"There is a lull now in the tea-drinking. Why haven't you been to see -me lately, Arthur?" - -"I have been very busy, also I have been out of town." - -"You should be with me--always," pouted Miss Corsoon. - -"What would your mother say to that?" he asked, smiling broadly. - -"She would be annoyed," returned Lucy promptly. - -Vernon started. "Surely you are mistaken," he said anxiously, stopping -to almost whisper in her ear. "Your mother gave her consent, and when -I was last here she said in your presence that she did not mind -my----" - -Lucy interrupted with a flush. "I think she has another opinion now. -For some time she appeared to be pleased that we should marry, but the -day before yesterday she hinted that there might be obstacles." - -"Ah, your father?" - -"No. Mother can manage father in any way not connected with money. -Mother has changed her mind on her own account." - -"But for what reason?" asked Vernon, much perplexed. - -"I wish you could find out," mourned Miss Corsoon. "She refuses to -tell me in any way. But I love you, and I won't give you up. I'd run -away with you if you were not so poor." - -"Shortly I'll be poor no longer," said Vernon quickly, "and then we -can run away whenever you like." - -"You will be poor no longer?" questioned Lucy doubtfully. - -"No, dear. My uncle, Sir Edward Vernon, of whom we spoke when I was -here last, has become reconciled to me and has made me his heir. I -shall have the title and something like three thousand a year." - -"Oh, how delightful. But perhaps it's wrong to say that since it means -your uncle's death." - -"I think Sir Edward will be glad to go," replied Vernon candidly. "He -has lived a long life, and the latter part of it is very weary and -dreary. He told me himself that he was looking forward to the great -release." - -"And then you will be rich?" - -"Yes; and you will be Lady Vernon." - -"It seems too good to be true." - -"I don't think so, dear. Even your father can scarcely object to our -marriage when I have an assured position." - -Lucy looked down at the tea-cups. "It's mother I'm thinking about." - -"I shall see Lady Corsoon before I leave," said Vernon compressing his -lips, and sending a glance in the direction of his hostess. She caught -his eye and smiled graciously: so graciously indeed that he bent again -down to Lucy. - -"You must be mistaken, darling," he whispered. "Your mother is quite -friendly, and I am sure will not object in any way." - -"She has changed her mind," answered Miss Corsoon obstinately, "at -least, she told me not to count on marrying you." - -"Strange. She gave no explanation?" - -"None, and was quite cross when I asked for one." - -This view of Lady Corsoon's attitude was supported by the fact that on -seeing Vernon conversing so earnestly with Lucy she called to the girl -to come to her. Ostensibly this was to present her daughter to a -fashionable countess who had lately arrived, but Vernon guessed that -she really wished to end the _tête-à-tête_. This was curious, -considering the conversation which he had held with his proposed -mother-in-law at the office of Nemo. It was evident that she had -changed her mind once more, and as Lady Corsoon was not a weathercock, -Vernon wondered what powerful cause could have brought about the -alteration. However, he gave up speculation as he wandered about the -room, speaking to his friends, and promised himself a full explanation -when the company departed. As Lady Corsoon had asked him to remain it -was evident that she intended to let him know what was the matter. And -Vernon determined not to leave the house until he _did_ know. Shortly -the young man was captured by a flippant lady, voluble and somewhat -silly, who gave him a surprising piece of information. "Oh, Mr. -Vernon, I am so glad to see you," she babbled gushingly, "you really -must come to the--the bazaar--the great bazaar." - -"Never heard of it, Mrs. Crimer." - -"You silly man; don't you read the papers? One of the Princesses is to -have a stall, and no end of actresses and society people. It's to be -held at The Georgian Hall in aid of Homeless Hindoos." - -"Really!" said Vernon idly, "why are they homeless?" - -"Oh, I don't exactly know," gushed Mrs. Crimer vaguely; "it's a flood, -or a fire, or a blizzard." - -"I don't think they have blizzards in India." - -"Perhaps they don't; how clever you are, Mr. Vernon. But all I do know -is that the poor things want money, and we hope to make heaps by this -bazaar. There will be lovely things sold, and games and flower stalls -and sweets and fortune-telling," babbled the flippant lady -incoherently. - -"Fortune-telling?" Vernon, paying little attention, only caught the -last word with any degree of clearness. "Of course. What would bazaars -be without fortune-telling? And this time it's really genuine. -Diabella----" - -"What!" Vernon spoke so loudly that several people jumped, and the -flippant Mrs. Crimer put her gloved hands to her ears with a pretty -gesture of pain. - -"You dreadful man, how you bellow! Yes; Diabella has a tent in the -grounds at the back of The Georgian Hall--we hope it will be a sunny -afternoon, you know--and intends to charge everyone ten shillings. You -know, she usually charges a guinea, but we think we'll get more by -asking less." - -"But I thought," Vernon carefully commanded his voice, "I thought, -that Diabella had retired from business?" - -"So she has. That delightful Granny has taken her business. I'm going -to see her and ask about my Affinity." - -"Your husband?" - -"Oh, no," said Mrs. Crimer airily; "he's only my husband, you know. -But I must have an Affinity: someone who is a spiritual lover. And -Granny----" - -Vernon ruthlessly cut her short. "How did you get Diabella?" - -"Really, I don't know," murmured Mrs. Crimer vaguely. "Someone asked -her, or she asked herself. I don't know which. But she is to be there -in her Egyptian dress and wearing an Egyptian mask and in an Egyptian -tent. Do go and have your fortune told." - -"I shall," said Vernon grimly, and inwardly rejoicing over the chance -that was placing Diabella in his power. "And do you----" - -"No." Mrs. Crimer spread out her hands with a shrug. "I really can't -talk to you any more. Everyone is going and I have heaps and heaps of -dear, delightful people to see. Good-bye! so glad you will come to the -bazaar. Quite angelic it will be--quite--quite." And the flippant lady -babbled her way to the hostess, who was now taking rapid leave of her -various guests. Lucy had disappeared, as Vernon soon learned by a -glance round the room, so he sat down and waited until Lady Corsoon -could give him her promised ten minutes' explanation. He would have -liked to have had a chat with Sir Julius, if only to enlist him in -favour of the marriage by dropping a hint regarding the expected -inheritance. But the financier rarely put in an appearance at his -wife's "At Homes," finding them far too frivolous for a man of his -capacity. So Vernon decided that if Lady Corsoon's explanation did not -prove satisfactory he would interview Sir Julius and formally ask for -the hand of Lucy. With the credentials of a soon-coming title, a -lordly mansion and three thousand a year, he hoped to have his -proposals well received. At a former interview the baronet had scoffed -at his pretensions; but now things were changed for the better, and -the chances were that all would go well. - -"Now, Mr. Vernon," said Lady Corsoon, when the last guest had shaken -hands and departed, "we are alone and can have a talk. What news of -your search?" - -"I have no news," replied Vernon placing a chair for the lady. "The -Spider cannot be found." - -"Only seven days remain and I must give my answer then, Mr. Vernon. -You know the terms: either I pay two thousand pounds or my husband," -she winced, "is informed that I sold those family jewels to pay my -Bridge debts." - -"I am sorry, Lady Corsoon, but as yet I have not caught the man." She -made a gesture of despair. "Oh, what is the good of being sorry? I -came to you as a practised detective," this time it was Vernon who -winced; "at least, Mr. Maunders assured me that you were," she -hastened to say. - -"Very kind of Mr. Maunders," said Vernon sarcastically. "Go on." - -"Well, I came to you for assistance, and you have done nothing." - -"I have done everything that I could do," said Vernon drily, "but The -Spider is too clever for me. As he has baffled the entire police force -it is no shame for me to confess as much." - -"What do you intend to do?" - -"I can't say," said Vernon, thinking of a possible meeting with -Diabella at The Homeless Hindoos' Bazaar. "In a few days I may have -news." - -Lady Corsoon shook her head. "I can't afford to wait, since the time -is so short. Of course, you know that your marriage with Lucy depends -upon your getting me out of this unpleasant position?" - -Vernon felt inclined to say that she had placed herself in the said -position, but he restrained himself, as it was useless to make an -enemy of her, and merely bowed. - -"Very good," went on the lady sharply, "if you don't catch this Spider -and close his mouth and regain those jewels which he got from the -pawnshop you don't marry Lucy. In any case you are not a good match." - -"I am now, Lady Corsoon. My uncle has been reconciled to me and has -made me his heir. Soon I shall be Sir Arthur Vernon, with a good -income." - -"Oh, my dear man," Lady Corsoon waved a jewelled hand impatiently, -"there are plenty of baronets and knights with moderate incomes who -would be glad to marry Lucy for herself, let alone her expectations -from her father. My conditions are that you should get me out of this -trouble. Can you?" - -"I shall try; I can say no more." - -"Then listen to me," said the lady firmly. "A few days ago I received -a letter from The Spider." - -"Ah!" Vernon nursed his chin and swung his leg. "So that is why you -have changed your mind with regard to my wooing of Lucy?" - -"Who told you that I had changed my mind, sir?" she asked abruptly. -"Lucy hinted something, and then I saw that you separated us in----" - -"There, there! I understand." Lady Corsoon waved her hand again. "You -are right. I have changed my mind, as The Spider has given me another -chance; but, of course, if you can catch him and make him hold his -peace and can recover the family jewels I pawned, I am willing to keep -to my agreement with you and support you in marrying my daughter." - -"The Spider has given you another chance," repeated Vernon sitting up. -"And what may that be? Have you the letter?" - -"It's locked away. As I did not expect you to-day I did not put it in -my pocket. But I can tell you what he says." - -"The Spider?" - -"Yes, of course," said Lady Corsoon quickly. "He tells me that if I -will pay him ten thousand pounds in twelve months he will place me in -receipt of that amount a year by proving that I am entitled to my late -brother's money. Strange, is it not, since my niece Ida is Martin's -daughter?" - -"Very strange," replied Vernon mechanically. This news proved to him -more conclusively than ever that Diabella was connected with The -Spider, and, if not the blackmailer herself, worked in concert with -him. But until he could lay hands on the woman he determined to say -nothing to Lady Corsoon about the matter. "How long does he give you -to answer this new demand?" - -"Two months," said Lady Corsoon, triumphantly; "so at least I have -gained time, and much may happen." - -"As you say, much may happen. How does he propose to place you in -possession of this income. Does he say?" - -"No." Lady Corsoon wrinkled her brows. "He simply makes the offer. -Certainly Ida inherits as next-of-kin, but it may be that this -Spider--who seems to know everything--has found a will giving the -income to me. Then," she hesitated, "there is another condition." - -"What is it?" - -"One you won't like. If I get this money I am to consent to the -marriage of Lucy with--with----" - -"With whom?" asked Vernon jumping up. "Don't keep me in suspense." - -"With Constantine Maunders," said Lady Corsoon coolly. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. -THE BAZAAR. - - -For the next few days Vernon vainly grappled with the new problem -which Lady Corsoon's information had supplied. That The Spider should -offer the millionaire's wife a fortune of ten thousand pounds per -annum on condition of receiving the income for the first year scarcely -surprised the young man, for he already suspected The Spider to be -connected with Diabella, if, indeed, the creature was not that famous -individual herself. But it seemed odd that the arch-criminal should -interest himself in Maunders' affairs, even to assisting to bring -about the marriage with Lucy. Could it be possible that Maunders was -one of the gang? - -Vernon recalled that after Mrs. Bedge's confession of poverty he had -suspected Maunders in this respect, since the young man apparently -contrived to live like a prince on nothing a year. He did not receive -much from his aunt and he did not earn an income, so it was possible -that in some shady way he managed to become possessed of sufficient -money to gratify his extravagant tastes. Maunders also being in the -vicinity of the library on the occasion of the conversation with the -late Mr. Dimsdale, must have heard the suggested arrangement of the -trap. But then, as Vernon recalled, Miss Hest had stated in quite an -innocent way how Maunders had been with her all the evening and could -not thus have had anything to do with the crime at "Rangoon." Vernon's -suspicions had been banished by Miss Hest's assertions, but they now -revived in full force after Lady Corsoon's communication. He had made -her show him the letter, and it proved to be similar to the earlier -epistle of The Spider, even to the ideograph at the end. Apparently it -was genuine enough, and, if genuine, Maunders must be connected in -some way with the blackmailer. No other explanation was feasible. - -Had Maunders been in London Vernon would have gone straight to tax him -with his possible complicity, but the young man was at Bowderstyke and -so, for the moment, could not be questioned. But, sooner or later, he -would return to London, and then Vernon intended to force him to -explain. Meanwhile it seemed best to seek out Diabella at the Bazaar -for the Homeless Hindoos and threaten her with arrest unless she -explained how she had come to let The Spider know Martin Dimsdale's -secret. Also, she might supply the connecting link between The Spider -and Maunders. Vernon was rather surprised at Diabella's daring in thus -making a public appearance, but he supposed that his ruse had been -successful, and that the fortune-teller, not having been openly -searched for, presumed that Colonel Towton had taken no steps. If she -had learned that Towton was to be at the fête she might have declined -to risk exercising her profession; but she had no reason to believe -that he would be present, and thus dared the danger. But, never -suspecting Vernon, he could enter the tent and tear off her mask, -which was what he intended to do at the first opportunity. - -The young man hesitated whether to tell Inspector Drench or to remain -silent until more satisfied as to the hidden connection between -Diabella and The Spider. After reflection, he decided to carry through -the matter himself. By removing the waxen mask he would at least learn -what Diabella was like, and perhaps, if brought to bay, she would -speak out to save her skin. Then, when he knew more, he might venture -to call in the aid of the police. It was a dangerous business, and -perhaps Vernon would have been better advised had he taken more -precautions against the woman's escape; but the evidence against her -was so vague, and there appeared to be so much to clear up, that he -doubted if Drench would be able to arrest her on the bare suspicion. -At all events, after turning the matter over in his mind Vernon -started by himself for the bazaar, resolved to act on his own -initiative. He told no one of the second letter from The Spider to -Lady Corsoon, not even Colonel Towton. So that military gentleman, -ignorant of what was taking place, lingered in his chambers or idled -at the Athenian Club, fretting over his inaction and longing for some -chance to display his generalship. A very natural feeling, considering -the Colonel's active mind. - -The Georgian Hall was a huge repository of Hanoverian relics in South -Kensington, and consisted of many moderately large apartments -encircling a spacious central room. This was used for concerts, balls, -meetings, fêtes, and such-like entertainments requiring ample scope -for their celebration. The minor halls were dedicated to the display -of objects connected with the rule of the House of Brunswick, and -dating from the reign of the first monarch of the dynasty. Memorials -of warfare on land and at sea were here, together with pictures of -famous events, and collections of old-world things dealing with social -life of the various epochs. One room was filled with figures -representing the male and female garbs of the different reigns; -another displayed china and silver and glass of the several periods; -and a third room held quaint furniture, recalling the tales of Jane -Austen. The political and social and military history of England was -contained in the museums, and from this fact the hall took its name, -since the objects dated only from The Act of Succession. It was an -interesting place and well worth the patronage which it received from -the idle public. - -On this occasion the central room was filled with gaily-decorated -stalls in divers colours, on which were displayed modern luxuries -likely to appeal to the purses of the self-indulgent. Society -beauties, charming actresses, and celebrated lady novelists presided -over the booths of this Vanity Fair, and did a large trade by their -fascinating personality alone. Vernon, accurately dressed, as became a -young man about town, managed to elude these sirens, who would have -cajoled every shilling out of his pocket, and walked into the grounds -at the back of the Hall, where, Mrs. Crimer had informed him, the tent -of Diabella was to be found. It was a sunny afternoon, as the flippant -lady had desired, and the spacious gardens looked extremely pretty with -flags and tents and flowers and general greenery. Games of all kinds -were going on, and the place resembled a fair with its crowd of -laughing people, who were enjoying themselves thoroughly. So far as -could be judged, the Homeless Hindoos would benefit largely by the -bazaar, as it apparently was a great success. No prettier function had -taken place during the season. - - -[Illustration: "'I must see who you are,' cried Vernon, and pulled her -hands away." Page 180.] - - -Vernon saw endless friends and acquaintances, as many fashionable folk -were present, but, taken up with his own anxious thoughts, he spoke to -no one. However, someone spoke to him as he threaded his way amongst -the throng, for a friendly touch on his shoulder wheeled him round, to -behold Francis Hest. He looked more like his sister than ever, and -decidedly handsome in his immaculate frock-coat, grey trousers, patent -leather boots, and silk hat. The only fault which Vernon--always -rather fastidious--could find in his general appearance was that he -wore his hair much too long, which gave him the look of a poet or of a -fashionable musician. And the full black locks added still more to his -resemblance to Frances. - -"I did not expect to find you here, Vernon," said Hest after a -handshake. "Why not? It's one of the entertainments of the season, and -everyone who is anyone is bound to patronise it." - -"I should have thought it was too frivolous for you." - -"Oh, I assure you I am a very frivolous person," said Vernon smoothly. - -"Is Colonel Towton?" asked the other smiling; "and is he here?" - -Vernon wondered why the question was asked. "Really, I can't say. -Towton is certainly not frivolous, but he enjoys society and is -usually to be found everywhere, enjoying himself. Do you know him?" - -"No. I am an innocent countryman, who knows no one in the fashionable -world except Lady Corsoon, who is a host in herself. I asked out of -curiosity, as, having heard Miss Dimsdale speak of the Colonel, I -should like to meet him." - -"Oh! She spoke of Colonel Towton, did she?" - -"Is that strange?" asked Hest, smiling again and showing his white -teeth. "I rather think Miss Dimsdale admires the Colonel." - -"He admires her and wants to marry her," said Vernon bluntly. - -"So I should imagine. Another reason why I did right in running away -from Gerby Hall and in declining my sister's help in marrying me to -the lady. I think, however," added Hest significantly, "that unless -the Colonel looks to his bride he will find she is likely to become -Mrs. Maunders." - -"I should be sorry to see that." - -"Why? Don't you like Maunders?" - -"Oh, yes. We were at school together. But I believe that Miss Dimsdale -is in love with the Colonel. You know, of course, that Maunders has -gone down to your place?" - -"Certainly. Frances wrote me that he arrived on Sunday morning. That -is why I advise Colonel Towton to look after Miss Dimsdale." - -"Why does your sister wish Miss Dimsdale to marry Maunders?" asked -Vernon in a pointedly blunt way. - -Hest raised his thick, dark eyebrows. "Ask me another," he said -lightly. "All I can say is that Frances is a great matchmaker. Failing -me, she suggests Maunders as a suitor. He is younger than the Colonel, -I believe." - -"And much handsomer. But he has not Towton's sterling character. By -the way, have you met Maunders?" - -"Twice. Once in town and once at my own place. I confess that he -doesn't attract me greatly. Handsome, yes; but there is something -dangerous about him." - -"Dangerous?" Vernon looked straightly at the speaker, wondering how he -had chanced to hit on the very defect which spoilt Maunders' charm. - -"It's the only word I can think of which describes him. But perhaps I -am wrong. Frances would think so." - -"I always thought that Miss Hest did not like Maunders. - -"It may be so," said Hest indifferently. "Still, he is handsome, and -Frances is a woman. It seems to me, however, that the word rests with -Miss Dimsdale. If she loves Colonel Towton she will marry him, if -Maunders, he will win her. A wilful woman will have her way." - -"I do not think that Miss Dimsdale is wilful," said Vernon stiffly, -then with an afterthought that Hest might help the Colonel to thwart -the plans which Frances certainly appeared to entertain, he added, -"Would you like to meet Towton?" - -"Oh, yes. I shall be in town for a week before going to Paris. I have -few friends here and like to be amused." - -"Where are you staying?" - -"At Professor Garrick Gail's, Isleworth." - -"Oh!" Vernon could scarcely conceal his surprise. "I thought that you -did not approve of your sister appearing as a reciter?" - -"Nor do I," rejoined the other man with a frown, "but Frances asked me -to deliver a message to Professor Gail, whom I met before and whom I -like. He asked me to accept his hospitality while in London, so I did -so, as I hope to induce him to get Frances to abandon this scheme of -earning money by her talents--which by the way I don't deny--so that -she may resume her proper place in society as my sister." - -Vernon shook his head. "Miss Hest is of too active a mind to bear -tamely the life of an ordinary country lady." - -"She is singularly obstinate, if that is what you mean," said Hest -with a curling lip. "However, that is my address, so if you can -arrange a dinner with Colonel Towton I shall be glad to meet him and -to give him the latest news of Miss Dimsdale." - -"Thank you!" Vernon booked the dinner. "Say next Wednesday?" - -"That will suit me capitally. The day after to-morrow? Well, and what -are you going to do now?" - -"Just wander round," replied Vernon evasively. He did not wish to -disclose his plans regarding Diabella to the Yorkshire squire. -"Good-day." - -"Good-day," said the other in a friendly tone, and the two were soon -separated by the ever-moving crowd. - -It was growing late by this time and the gardens were not nearly so -filled as they had been. Already there was a shade of twilight in the -calm sky and several lamps had been lighted. It was necessary to see -Diabella at once, for it might be that she would not be present in the -evening. Vernon therefore went to seek for the Egyptian tent and soon -found it standing in an isolated position at the far end of the -ground. With some skill the canvas had been erected into the square -form of a Memphis temple, and this, coloured like stone and adorned -with gaudy hieroglyphics, looked a striking object in the waning -light. Two imitation sphinxes guarded the doorway, and beside these on -either side stood two men like bronze statues with folded arms. One -was slender and the other burly, and both were natives of India in -spite of their ancient Egyptian array. Vernon, knowing what he did -know, had no difficulty in recognising Bahadur and the heavier man who -had attempted to strangle the Colonel, until prevented by his -mistress. - -"Can I see Diabella?" he asked, approaching slowly and addressing -Bahadur as the more amiable-looking of the two. - -"One, two, three," said the man, showing his teeth and throwing up -triple fingers. "Three to see mistress. Then you." - -Vernon nodded and, resting on his cane, stared at the merry scene in -an idle manner. But his thoughts were taken up with the probable scene -which would ensue when he tore the mask from the woman's face. He -wondered if she would make an outcry and would summon her attendants, -and if so, would the sullen-looking wrestler attempt to choke him? But -Vernon resolved at the moment he removed the mask to intimate that he -knew of the assault on Colonel Towton, and so hoped that the woman -would not risk unpleasant discoveries by making an outcry but would be -willing to talk calmly. If so, then he hoped to induce her to state -how she came to be possessed of Martin Dimsdale's secret. And here -again, as it always did, came the thought that Diabela might be a -disguise for The Spider, in which case she would surely decline to -incriminate herself. If she did and refused to be frank there would be -nothing for it but to see Drench and procure her arrest. For the -moment, and now that he was on the very eve of the enterprise, Vernon -regretted that he had not brought the Inspector with him so that he -might be legally supported by the arm of the law. But it was too late -for such regrets, and when he arrived at this point of his meditations -Bahadur lifted the curtain which formed the door of the canvas temple -to intimate that the stranger might enter. - -The interior of the tent was adorned as an Egyptian Hall, much in the -same way as the Bond Street rooms, save that the mummies were absent. -Diabella, in the weird dress described by Towton, sat stiffly in a -chair, with a small table at her elbow. The cards and the crystal and -various charts bearing astrological figures were on the table, -together with a boat-shaped lamp. This gave out a fairly strong light, -and Vernon could see plainly the expressionless waxen mask which -covered the face of the fortune-teller. She looked like a sphinx, -solemn, calm, and passionless. Yet below that non-committing mask -Vernon guessed was the face of the true woman, alive with passion and -intrigue. He saw two glittering eyes scanning him curiously from the -shadow of a black veil which the seeress wore draped over her Egyptian -head-dress, and shivered a trifle at the uncanny look. - -The sorceress saw the tremor. "Are you afraid?" she asked in her -metallic voice, which was as expressionless as her mask. - -"I am afraid of nothing," replied Vernon boldly and coldly; "but the -night air strikes chill." - -He thought that he heard a sarcastic laugh, but it was so soft that he -well might have been mistaken. However, thinking that the prophetess -was sneering at him he might have ventured on some angry remark, but -that he recollected his intention and drew back with a grim smile. The -laugh would be on his side when the mask was torn off. - -"You wish to have your fortune told?" asked Diabella coldly and -stretched out her hand. "Let me read your palm." - -This was just what Vernon desired, as the grip brought him within -snatching distance of the mask. There was a stool near at hand, upon -which Diabella motioned that he should be seated; so shortly he was -sitting, so to speak, at her feet, with his hand in hers. Shadows -filled the corners of the tent and enhanced the grotesque looks of the -figures painted on the canvas. The laughter and chatter of the -diminishing crowd without had died away into a faint and confused -murmur, and in the vivid circle of the lamplight sat the two figures. -Diabella, holding back her veil, bent over Vernon's hand in silence. - -"You are coming into good fortune," she said thinly. "Yes. Here is the -line which foretells money and position. One near to you, if not dear, -is on his death-bed and you benefit by his decease. Am I right?" - -She raised her glittering eyes again to peer into his face. "If -you are certain of your craft, there is no need for you to ask if -you are right," said Vernon composedly. He was well aware of how -fortune-tellers gain more knowledge than they impart by such -dexterously-put questions. - -Diabella gave a very modern shrug quite out of keeping with her dress -and mien. However, she made no reply and continued her reading. "There -is marriage here", she continued in a low voice; "but you have a -rival." - -"Will he be successful?" - -"If he chooses to be." - -"That is untrue," contradicted Vernon nettled; "The lady loves me." - -"It is questionable--questionable," muttered the woman hastily. "Your -rival is a formidable one and not easily turned from his purpose. Look -at the break in the line yourself." She handed him a magnifying glass. -"That means trouble before you achieve your heart's desire." - -"Can you tell me what my heart's desire is?" asked Vernon after a -glance through the glass. - -"A lovely, wealthy wife and a happy home." - -"Quite so; but I have a stronger desire." - -"To do what?" - -"Ah!" said Vernon sarcastically, "that is for you to say. But my -second desire, which is marriage, is contingent on my first being -realised." - -"I see, I see," said Diabella raising her voice, which whistled -shrilly like the wind through a crack. "You have to save someone from -disgrace before you can marry the girl you love?" - -"Is the someone a woman or a man?" - -"A woman, and closely connected with the girl you wish to marry." - -"Is there any chance of success?" - -"None! none!" - -"Then I shall not marry the----" - -"You may marry, for the line of Venus is strongly marked," interrupted -Diabella sharply. "The girl loves you, and may defy the person with -whom she is so closely connected." - -"And my rival also?" - -Diabella shook her head. "He is too strong for her. He can force her -to marry him when he chooses." - -"Perhaps he may be forced to defend himself," said Vernon -incautiously. - -Diabella looked up quickly. "What's that?" - -"Never mind. If you can read events you must guess what I mean." - -"I can only read what is in your hand, and all that a man plans and -thinks may not be written there. Still, you will be wise to leave -your rival alone, for he is too strong for you." - -"I don't think so, knowing what I know." - -"What do you know?" Diabella's metallic voice sounded somewhat -nervous, and she dropped Vernon's hand to clasp her own on her lap. - -"I know," said Vernon, bending closely towards her, "I know that my -rival will marry neither Ida Dimsdale nor Lucy Corsoon." - -Diabella shrank back and gripped the arms of her chair. "The names are -not familiar to me," she breathed in a low voice. - -"Think again. The first name is familiar, surely?" mocked Vernon. "Why -should it be?" - -"Colonel Towton might be able to answer that." - -Diabella rose suddenly, tall and straight, from her chair and threw -out her arms with a repellant gesture. "I do not know the name of -Colonel Towton." - -Vernon rose slowly and measured his distance carefully. "You seem to -forget a great deal, madame," he said softly, his fingers itching to -tear off the expressionless mask. - -"I never ask the names of my clients," she mumbled. - -"How do you know that Colonel Towton was a client of yours? I never -told you." - -"I guessed--that is---- Ah! Help!" - -She shrieked loudly and with good reason. Vernon's hand had shot out -while he kept her attention engaged, and in a moment he had ripped the -mask from her face. Head-dress and all came away in his grip, and -Diabella covered her face with her hands. At her shriek the fold of -the tent door was torn open and the burly Indian appeared. Vernon -flung aside the mask and veil and head-dress and seized Diabella's -wrists as the Indian ran forward to aid her. "I must see who you are," -cried Vernon and pulled her hands away. "Maunders!" - -He fell back a step and into the arms of the Hindoo. It was indeed -Maunders whom he beheld, shrinking back into the shadows with a -furious, shameful face, startled as a trapped animal. Vernon had no -time to see more, for the Hindoo made a clutch at his throat, silent -and venomous. Mindful of how Colonel Towton had been assaulted and -Dimsdale killed, the young man turned fiercely to grapple with his -assailant. As the two men closed in what promised to be a deadly -struggle Maunders recovered his presence of mind sufficiently to dash -over the lamp, and the tent became pitchy dark. - -In that Cimmerian gloom the combatants swayed and swung and fought -with silent earnestness. But the Hindoo was the stronger of the two, -and Vernon felt the lean, long fingers grip his throat with vicious -strength. He faintly heard Maunders, now at the door, hurriedly call -to the native in an unknown tongue, and, fearful lest the two villains -should escape, he tore himself away with a violent effort, crying as -loudly as he could for assistance. The next moment his opponent flung -himself forward and, picking him up as though he were a child, dashed -him with gigantic force to the ground. His head struck the turf with a -thud, and everything was swallowed up in blank insensibility. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. -RUN TO EARTH. - - -In half an hour, more or less, Vernon came to himself slowly, and -opened his eyes in a bewildered manner. He was in complete darkness, -and for the moment could not remember where he was or what had taken -place. Gradually memory returned to him and he sat up painfully to -recall details. His head throbbed with the violence of the fall, and -the short, sharp struggle had set his nerves jangling like ill-tuned -bells. Rising to his feet with an effort he wondered why the Indian -had not finished him off, then recollected the rapid words of Maunders -in an unknown tongue. Probably he had been speaking Tamil and had -ordered the man not to go to extremities. As in the case of Colonel -Towton, when the creature had been warned by Diabella, or, rather, by -Maunders, as in this instance, the native had stopped short of actual -murder. In Maunders' desperate enterprise it was necessary that he -should remain on the right side of the law. - -Striking a match, Vernon ascertained that he was still in the tent, -for its blue glimmer showed the figures and hieroglyphics weirdly -flickering on the canvas walls. Apparently the criminals, for they -were nothing else, had fled, leaving him insensible, and Vernon -wondered that he had not been discovered. But when he walked outside -he saw on the door a notice stating that the booth was closed for an -hour, and guessed that in this way Maunders had provided time for -flight. So warned, no one would enter the tent, and evidently both the -noise of the struggle and his cry for assistance had passed unheeded. -Vernon drew a long breath and stood where he was, watching the crowd -of people merry-making under hundreds of coloured lamps, quite -oblivious to the fact that a tragedy had nearly taken place under -their very noses. He wondered what was best to be done. - -It was useless to go to those in authority at The Georgian Hall as no -one would credit his wild tale, although the flight of Diabella and -her accomplices might lend colour to his narrative. Moreover, Vernon -decided that more than ever was it necessary to hunt down Maunders in -secrecy, as he wished for a full explanation from him before calling -in Drench to assist. Likewise, for the sake of Ida, of Mrs. Bedge, and -Lady Corsoon, Vernon wished if possible to avoid publicity, since any -scandal would certainly bring their names into unpleasant notoriety. -For these reasons the young man left The Georgian Hall without telling -anyone what had happened. But he chuckled as he went to think how the -public would be disappointed to find the tent of the sorceress empty. -Also, how amazed those managing the bazaar would be to discover that -Diabella had vanished with her takings for the day, which would be -considerable. Vernon felt quite sure that a man so unscrupulous as -Maunders would not hesitate to seize the till seeing that, having been -exposed, and doubtful if his old schoolfellow would hold his tongue, -he would want all the money he could get to assist his flight. - -The question was to learn whither he had fled and what track to follow -in order to hunt him down. It was close upon seven o'clock, and -outside The Georgian Hall Vernon hesitated as to his next step. He -wondered whether it would be better to go home and retire to bed, -since he felt shaken by the struggle, or to seek out Colonel Towton -and enlist him as a fellow-pursuer in the man-hunt. Finally he decided -to take a taxi to the Colonel's chambers and relate what had happened, -for he knew that unless he discussed the matter he would only worry -the whole night over the catastrophe. He therefore fortified himself -with a stiff brandy and soda at a near hotel and pulled himself -together for a serious conversation. And serious enough it would be -for Constantine Maunders, who could not be permitted to continue in -his nefarious career. - -As it happened, Towton, late in dressing for dinner, had not yet left -his rooms for the Athenian Club. Vernon arrived at a quarter to eight, -just as the Colonel opened the door. The two came face to face with -mutual joy at meeting. - -"My dear Vernon, I am glad to see you. I am simply dying to have a -talk, as I can do nothing but think of the entanglement in which we -find ourselves." - -"You can't be more pleased than I am at having found you, Colonel. I -have had an adventure with Diabella." - -"The deuce. Have you learned who she is?" - -"Who _he_ is, you mean. Yes. That mask concealed Constantine -Maunders." - -Towton sat down on one of the hall chairs and stared. "Do you mean to -say that the young scamp has been masquerading as a woman?" - -Vernon nodded and sat down wearily, for his bones ached. "I presume he -thought that there would be less danger of discovery if he changed his -sex. I expect he wore those long Egyptian robes over his ordinary -clothes. When discarding them he would reappear as Maunders, and could -easily escape without being noticed in the crowd. He's clever, is -Constantine, and yet not clever enough." - -"I don't know what you're talking about," said Towton gruffly and -rising to his feet. "Suppose you come with me to the Athenian and tell -me all about the matter." - -"I'm not in evening kit." - -"Oh, the deuce take that," said the Colonel cheerfully. - -"And I'm rather knocked up with my fight." - -"Fight? Did Maunders show fight?" - -"No. Your Hindoo did. He assaulted me as he did you and left his job -unfinished in the same way. It's a long story and I want your -assistance. Go and have your dinner, Colonel, and I'll lie down on the sofa -in your sitting-room until you return." - -"Pooh! pooh! I can't eat with such news as this exciting me." Towton -threw off his coat and hung his silk hat on a peg. "Come into the -sitting-room and I'll send my man to the nearest restaurant for a -meal. Meanwhile you'd better have a peg, for you look as white as a -winter's day." - -"No, thank you, Colonel. I had a brandy and soda just after leaving -The Georgian Hall," said Vernon as they entered the sitting-room. - -"Have you been there--at the bazaar?" - -"Yes. Diabella had set up her tent there and was telling fortunes. I -heard of this at Lady Corsoon's the other day, and so ventured to -beard the lioness in her den." - -"And the lioness turned out to be a lion," chuckled Towton throwing -himself into a chair after making the sofa comfortable with cushions -for his guest. "Well, we'll have the whole story after a makeshift -dinner, for, hang it, your disclosure has taken away a very excellent -appetite. Bendham!" The Colonel turned to the retired soldier who -acted as his valet and who had just entered the room, "go round to -the nearest restaurant and tell them to send in the best small dinner -they have, for two. Look sharp, now. You can lay the cloth in the -smoking-room; we'll make shift there." - -Bendham saluted military fashion and took a speedy departure, while -his master turned his head in the direction of Vernon. "Tell me all -that has happened to you now," he said easily; "it will be some time -before the dinner makes its appearance, and I'm on tenterhooks. The -deuce, to think that our blackguard friend--for he is that, I -swear--should be earning his money as a fortune-teller. It's worse -than----" Towton hesitated. - -"Than my profession of a detective, you would say, Colonel," finished -Vernon languidly. "I should rather think so. I assist the law, and -Maunders breaks it. But neither profession is tempting to a -gentleman." - -"Oh, hang your profession," said Towton impatiently. "You will soon -enter into your kingdom when Sir Edward gives up the ghost. And it's -just as well that you have some experience in thief-catching seeing -what scoundrels we have to deal with. Maunders, by jove! Now we'll be -able to find out how he came to know that Ida wasn't Dimsdale's -daughter. No wonder he decided to give her up, seeing that he was -after the money. What did he say?" - -"Nothing. He cleared out of the tent as soon as I discovered his -identity." - -"Where is he now?" demanded the Colonel sharply. - -"I don't know. That's what I wish to speak to you about. And, to make -things quite clear, as I want your opinion, you had better hear the -whole story." - -Towton intimated his desire to be informed of what had taken place, -and listened attentively while Vernon detailed all that had happened -since Mrs. Crimer had informed him of Diabella's proposed appearance -at the bazaar. He ended with a description of his recovering from -insensibility in the deserted tent and his subsequent decision to -consult the Colonel before-taking any steps. "And my reason for -wishing to move quietly is obvious," was the concluding remark of the -young man. - -"Yes! yes! I quite understand. We must keep Miss Corsoon's name and -that of Miss Dimsdale out of the papers. By the way, what did this -fellow mean by hinting in his confounded fortune-telling at disgrace -to someone closely connected with Miss Corsoon? Does he mean her -mother or her father?" - -Vernon felt a trifle confused. In his interest in the recital he had -unconsciously let slip more than he had been prepared to impart. Both -as a detective and as a gentleman he was bound to keep Lady Corsoon's -secret, and as the disclosure of it was not particularly pertinent to -the matter in hand he brushed aside Towton's question with a scornful -laugh. "Oh, I daresay that was all patter. Maunders knows that I love -Lucy and thought to intimidate me by a threat that he had power to -force the mother to support his preposterous claim to marry the girl. -But after this exposure he will scarcely dare to come forward." - -"The blackguard," cried the honest Colonel heatedly; "he blackens the -character of both man and woman in his endeavours to earn his dirty -money. But I thought he was supposed to be at Gerby Hall?" - -"Oh, he doubtless arranged that so as to provide himself with an -_alibi_." - -"Why the deuce should he provide himself with an <I>alibi?</I>" - -"Can't you see that Maunders must be The Spider?" said Vernon -impatiently. Towton leaped to his feet and began to walk to and fro -much perturbed. "Oh, impossible! I don't like Maunders; all the same, -it seems incredible that he should be a murderer." - -"I can't see that myself," said Vernon drily. "Maunders is half a -Greek and is as wily a bird as ever had salt put on its tail. Whether -he gets it from his Greek father or from his English mother I can't -say, but he certainly has that strong criminal taint, which induces -him to get money for his whims by illegal methods rather than by -honest toil. Besides, we can't say if he killed Dimsdale, even though, -as is apparent, he is The Spider. Miss Hest declared to me in all -innocence, and not with any intention of defending him, that Maunders -was with her nearly all the evening." - -"Then he can't be The Spider," insisted the Colonel, "for undoubtedly -The Spider killed poor old Dimsdale." - -"So we thought; so everyone thinks; and yet--well, of course, it's not -impossible that Maunders ordered this nameless native to get the -money, and the man may have executed the murder without instructions." - -"Or else," said Towton emphatically, "Maunders may have had his mask -torn off by Dimsdale when he came for the money and murdered the old -man to prevent discovery. It cuts both ways." - -"Pardon me, no, if Miss Hest is to be believed." - -"I don't trust that woman," said the Colonel abruptly. - -"She is scheming to get Ida to marry her brother." - -"I think she will fail there, as the brother is in London." - -"What?" - -"Yes. I met him both at Lady Corsoon's and at the Bazaar. He said that -his sister _did_ wish to bring about the match, but that, not being -desirous of marrying Ida, he ran away from the Hall." - -"Leaving the field clear for Maunders?" - -"You forget that Maunders is in town masquerading as Diabella." - -"He may have come up for that purpose." - -"Well, we can ascertain that from Mr. Hest. He declares that he left -him at Gerby Hall, or that Maunders was expected, I forget which. But -we'll see him to-morrow and ask." - -Towton shook his head wisely. "He won't know of Maunders' movements." - -"You never can tell. At all events, it will do no harm to ask him. Now -I come to think of it," said Vernon musingly and searching his memory, -"Hest told me to-day at the bazaar that he had received a letter from -his sister saying that Maunders had arrived on Sunday morning. That -was yesterday, so it is impossible to believe that Maunders went down -and came up in such a hurry. It's my opinion that he never went to -Gerby Hall at all." - -"And I say, by jove!" cried the Colonel greatly excited, "Hest told a -lie if he said that he received a letter saying that Maunders had -arrived. Even if posted in Bowderstyke last evening it could not reach -him before to-night, and you say he gave you the information this -afternoon?" - -"He may have received it at mid-day." - -"No," said Towton decidedly. "Our post at Bowderstyke is very -uncertain, as I know to my cost. This evening or to-morrow morning is -the very earliest that Hest could receive a letter posted on Sunday, -and as Maunders did not arrive until then Miss Hest could not have -written before." - -"I don't believe that he arrived at all, and I can't conceive why Miss -Hest should tell a falsehood." - -"I can. She is scheming for this money. However, I shall go with you -to-morrow and we'll have it out with Hest. Where is he to be found?" - -"He is staying with Professor Garrick Gail, at Isleworth." - -"The deuce! Ida told me that he did not approve of his sister's -reciting." - -"Nor does he. But she asked him to give some message, and the -Professor asked him to stop at Isleworth while he was in town. He did -so, as he explained to me, so that he could persuade the Professor to -induce Miss Hest to give up her career." - -"A very lame explanation," said the Colonel grimly. "Gentlemen don't -stay at such places for such weak purposes. I tell you, Vernon, that I -don't believe in those Hests. I never did, although you defended the -sister. They had a bad name at Bowderstyke as a wild family." - -"Oh, I thought that Francis Hest was looked upon as a benefactor?" - -"He is," admitted the Colonel reluctantly, "he's a crazy -philanthropist, with his parish school-houses and Bolly Reservoir. All -the same, there's a queer taint about them, and they live queer -lives." - -"I can't see that. Frances recites in London in a perfectly open and -honest way, and Francis acts in a noble manner as a philanthropist." - -"I daresay. All the same, I don't trust either brother or sister: they -quarrel like mad, too." - -"Most families do," retorted Vernon drily as he swung himself off the -sofa, "and Frances is certainly trying to further her brother's -interest by securing him an heiress. That doesn't look as though they -quarrelled." - -"Humph!" said Towton disbelievingly. "Probably the sister has learned -that Ida isn't an heiress and wants to do her brother a bad turn. -However, it's no use talking, as we get no further. Let us see Hest -to-morrow, and then learn, if we can, the whereabouts of Maunders. All -depends upon the confession of that scamp. But, I tell you what, -Vernon, if our young friend is this poisonous beast of a Spider he -will have left England by to-night's mail." - -"Perhaps. But I could not stop him without consulting Drench, and that -means the interference of the police, which we wish to avoid." - -"It's a damned tangle altogether," muttered Towton savagely, "and--but -here comes Bendham to announce dinner. Come and eat. To-morrow we can -talk further." - -Vernon was quite willing to drop the subject for the time being, as -his head and limbs still ached with the struggle, and he felt more -inclined to go to bed than to sit discussing criminal trickery, which -required a very clear brain. Even at the makeshift dinner, which after -all was dainty and tempting, he was unable to eat much, and excused -himself to his host as speedily as he could consistently with -politeness. After arranging to meet the Colonel next day at three -o'clock at Waterloo Station he went home. A warm bath took the pains -partially away, and he was so tired that almost as soon as his head -rested on the pillow he dropped into a profound sleep. Not a single -dream broke his rest, which was prolonged to ten o'clock the next -morning. - -While at breakfast, which he devoured with an excellent appetite, -Vernon recollected that he had not Professor Garrick Gail's exact -address. It was at Isleworth that he lived, but it was necessary to -find the street and the number of the house. This was quickly learned -from an _Era_, which he sent his servant to buy, and he ascertained -that the retired actor dwelt in Siddons Villa, Petterby Road. Vernon -rather regretted that he had not made the appointment with Colonel -Towton earlier, since Mr. Hest might have gone out for the day. -However, he comforted himself with the reflection that in any case -Hest and Towton would meet at dinner on Wednesday. Meanwhile, there -was always the chance that the Yorkshire squire might be at Isleworth, -and in any case Vernon felt curious to see where Miss Hest lived when -in town. Like the Colonel, he was beginning to mistrust that young -lady. - -Punctual to the moment Vernon arrived at Waterloo Station, but found -Towton before him. They greeted one another cordially, and Towton -congratulated his friend on his improved looks. And certainly a -night's rest had done wonders for the young man. He felt, as the -saying goes, as fit as a fiddle, and quite looked forward to the -visit. "And I sincerely trust that Mr. Hest is at home," he said -anxiously. - -"We can wait for him if he is not," said the Colonel, shouldering his -umbrella in soldier fashion. "I don't leave until I have seen him, -that's all. In one way or another I intend to have these infernal -mysteries cleared up. Upon my soul, sir," said the Colonel bluffly, "I -feel as though I were bathing in dirty water." - -"You are not used to the seamy side of life as I am," replied Vernon -as they passed the barrier and stepped into the train. - -"No, by jove, sir, I'm not. And once I am married to Ida I shall take -care to leave all this sort of thing alone. Not the thing for a -gentleman by any means. You chuck it also, Vernon." - -"I intend to when my uncle dies. Once let Sir Arthur Vernon come into -existence with a good income and Nemo vanishes for ever." - -The Colonel nodded his approbation, and the two chatted about their -errand on the way to Isleworth. But all they could do in the absence -of positive fact was to theorise, which was unsatisfactory. But they -hoped when they laid hands on Maunders--no very easy matter, since the -scamp had taken the alarm--to have everything cleared up. Vernon still -held that his former friend was The Spider, but Colonel Towton -disagreed. "No! No! No!" said he decisively, "Maunders may be bad, but -he isn't a murderer." - -"He's anything that suits his purpose, so long as he isn't found out," -was Vernon's retort. "He's clever----" - -"And cunning, but he isn't bold, and would be sure not to bring -himself within reach of the hands of justice by bloodshed." - -"He has brought himself quite close enough in other ways," replied -Vernon. - -In this way they talked, and in due time arrived at the charming -suburb of Isleworth, which looked quite countrified. The two descended -the steps and passed along a narrow path which led out of the station -into the road. An inquiry from a passing butcher-boy on a bicycle soon -advised them of the whereabouts of Petterby Road, and shortly they -found themselves facing a double-fronted house with a small and -neglected garden between it and the quiet side-road. - -"The sluggard's domain," said Towton with disgust, for, like most -military men, he was excessively tidy. "Might be made pretty if -attended to, by jove." - -"I don't think retired actors go in much for gardening," said Vernon -with a smile, as he reached for the knocker. - -A stout woman, with the remains of heavy good looks, opened the door -with the air of a tragedy queen, although her dress was scarcely -regal. Vernon asked if he could see Mr. Hest and received a reply in -the negative, as it seemed that Mr. Hest was absent. "But I anticipate -that he will return at a comparatively early hour," said the lady -grandiloquently. - -"Can we see Professor Gail?" asked Vernon, determined to enter the -house and wait for hours if necessary. - -"Professor Garrick Gail," said the lady, giving him the entire name -with the air of a Siddons, "is resting prior to going later to the -Curtain Theatre. But if your errand is pressing----" - -"Yes, it is. Please give the Professor my card." - -"I am Mrs. Garrick Gail, formerly Miss Hettie Montgomery," said the -lady in haughty tones, "and I do not convey messages. Maria!" she -beckoned to a small servant whose not very clean face peeped under her -substantial arm, "convey this intimation to your master. Gentlemen," -she flung open the door grandly, "enter, and repose yourselves in the -drawing-room." - -Vernon smiled at the tinsel majesty of the actress, but the Colonel, -without moving a muscle of his good-looking face, marched in stiffly. -Shortly they found themselves in a tawdry room of no great size, -crammed with theatrical photographs and furnished in a poor, -pretentious manner, which revealed poverty, while it aped the genteel. -Mrs. Garrick Gail, formerly Miss Hettie Montgomery, conducted them in -with the air of one accustomed to the centre of the stage and then -departed stating that her husband would shortly do himself the honour -of waiting on them. - -"What airs!" murmured Towton, recalling his Shakespeare indistinctly; -"an intolerable quantity of sack to a pennyworth of bread." - -"These actors and actresses are always in the glare of the -footlights," said Vernon, sitting down cautiously on a shaky chair. -"By the way, Colonel, if I do a little business with the Professor -don't look more surprised than you can help." - -"Business? What business?" - -"I intend to ask if Miss Frances Hest is open to an engagement. It is -necessary, since both you and I are beginning to mistrust that young -lady, to be diplomatic." - -"That means you mistrust this actor also and wish to throw him off the -scent?" - -Vernon nodded. "Exactly, and--hush----" He stopped and composed his -features as the door opened and Professor Gail stalked into the room, -like the Ghost of Hamlet's father. - -Anyone could see at a glance that the man was an actor. He was tall, -and lean, and solemn, yet with a twinkle in his deep-sunken eyes, -which showed that he could play comedy as well as tragedy. His bluish -jowl, from frequent close shaving, his long hair, his measured -gestures, and his lordly gait all revealed one who was used to the -world behind the curtain. His voice was deep and sonorous and his -enunciation almost too perfect; nor did he clip his words -colloquially, but gave them their full length and full meaning. -Finally, he had a certain dignity, habitual to one who had played many -a kingly part in his time, and who in ordinary life found it difficult -not to relapse into blank verse. - -"Colonel Towton--Arthur Vernon," he read from the pencilled card. -"These are your names, I take it? And your business, gentlemen?" - -"Well, we are killing two birds with one stone," said Vernon easily, -as the actor sat down in a regal manner as though the arm-chair were a -throne. "My friend here wishes to see Mr. Hest." - -"He is absent for the moment, sir, but will return anon. Will you wait -or will you leave a message." - -"I prefer to wait," said Towton stiffly, as he did not like the -atmosphere or the company. "When do you expect Mr. Hest back?" - -"Well, sir, he may return in twenty minutes or in sixty, which is to -say, on the hour. As my guest he has full freedom to go and return -when he desires. I am content that you should remain, and if any -refreshment----" - -"Thank you, no," interrupted the Colonel hastily but politely. - -"It is well. And you, sir?" The Professor turned to Vernon. "Nothing -for me, thank you. I have called both to see Mr. Hest and yourself, -sir, as I wish to engage Miss Hest to recite at the 'At Home' of a -friend of mine. Lady Brankworth. Perhaps you know her?" - -"Well. I know her well. I have superintended amateur plays in her -drawing-room on more than one occasion. Ah! so she desires the -services of my talented pupil? And on what date?" - -"Thursday week, I think. But I am not sure. I shall have to see her -again and then can let you know. Miss Hest is away, I fancy." - -"In her ancestral home in Yorkshire," said the actor rolling his words -out grandly, "but she returns shortly and will be delighted to accept -of the engagement provided the fees----" - -"Those will be all right, Professor. Lady Brankworth pays liberally." - -"And so she ought, to secure the services of Miss Hest. I assure you, -sir, that I have rarely come across a lady who recites so nobly. If -she would only pay attention to her art instead of indulging in social -frivolity with that unfortunate young lady who lost her father at -Hampstead, she would become one of our greatest actresses." - -"I fancy her brother does not wish her to go on the stage," said -Vernon. - -Professor Garrick Gail waved his hand and then thrust it into his coat -in Napoleonic fashion. "He is prejudiced, prejudiced. I would he were -on the stage himself, if only because he resembles his sister, my -talented pupil, so closely. As Viola and Sebastian in 'Twelfth Night,' -they would take the town by storm. Always provided," said the old -actor with another wave, "that Mr. Hest has the same talent in measure -as his sister has: a fact I am by no means sure of." - -"They are very like one another," broke in Towton coldly. - -"For that reason I wish both were on the stage to play in twin parts," -replied the Professor in his most stately manner. "They are as like as -two eggs, as you observe, sir. But Mr. Hest thinks little of our -glorious profession, and is staying here in the vain hope of inducing -me to persuade his sister, my talented pupil, to surrender the laurel -wreath of the stage. Needless to say, I decline to commit so great a -crime." - -How long the Professor would have gone on descanting on the histrionic -capabilities of Frances Hest it is hard to say, but his eloquence was -cut short by the entrance of Mrs. Gail, who swept an apologetic -curtsey to the gentlemen for her sudden appearance. She then whispered -to her husband, and Vernon caught a word or two about "a bill--man at -the back door--must have his money," etc. Gail looked perturbed and -rose quickly. - -"A small domestic concern, gentlemen," he said, stalking to the door -followed by his wife. "Excuse me while I adjust matters. I shall -return soon," and he made his exit with Mrs. Gail in a most approved -stage fashion. - -When they were alone the Colonel asked a question: "Can you get this -engagement for Miss Hest?" - -"Oh, yes. Lady Brankworth is a great friend of mine and is always -giving parties. There will be no difficulty in my making good my word. -The old man seems to be all right and his wife also. Whatever devilry -the Hests may be up to, that worthy couple know nothing about it." - -Scarcely were the words out of his mouth when the door opened quickly -and a man entered the room in great haste. Vernon sprang to his feet. - -"Maunders once more!" He cried; "The very man I wish to see." - -And Maunders it was, looking like a trapped tiger, furious and -despairing. - - - - -CHAPTER XV. -FACE To FACE. - - -Maunders recognised his peril in a moment and immediately turned to -retreat. But Vernon was too quick for him and leaped between him and -the door. When it was closed and Vernon had his back against it -Maunders glanced desperately at the one window of the room. Here -Colonel Towton, now on his feet, barred his way, so there was nothing -for it but to surrender to a strength he could not fight against. With -extraordinary self-control the scamp pulled himself together and -demanded in a surly tone what his captors meant by behaving towards -him in this way. - -"Sit down," said Vernon without deigning to reply directly; "you have -to explain matters before you leave this room." - -"I have nothing to explain," muttered Maunders doggedly, but -nevertheless judged it wise to obey. "You had better take care what -you are about." - -"I'll take care of myself and of you also," replied Vernon composedly. - -"I ask you, Colonel Towton, if this is the way for one gentleman to -treat another?" demanded the trapped rogue. - -"Two gentlemen," corrected the Colonel coldly, "who are dealing with a -confounded scoundrel." - -"I'll make you pay for those words," threatened Maunders, biting his -lips. - -"I don't recognise your right to demand satisfaction as I only deal with -gentlemen. Mr. Vernon and myself have run you to earth, and----" - -"How did you find out that I was here?" interrupted Maunders -curiously. - -"We did not expect to find you here," said Vernon, still with his back -to the door and keeping a watchful eye on his former friend. "We came -down on other business, connected with Mr. Hest." - -"With Hest?" Maunders appeared perturbed. - -"What do you know about him?" asked Towton sharply, and noticing the -change of expression. - -"I know nothing, save that he is stopping here." - -"And how do you come to be in this house?" - -"That's my business," retorted Maunders doggedly. "Your business is -our business," interposed Vernon quietly. - -"I fail to see that." - -"You fail to see a good many things; but don't be afraid, I shall make -everything clear to you in good time." - -"Are you here as my old school friend?" said Maunders, whining -sentimentally, "or as Nemo, the detective?" - -"You will soon learn. But of one thing you may be certain, that I am -no friend of yours. Can you wonder at it, seeing what I discovered -yesterday?" - -"I can explain everything." - -"Good! Colonel Towton and I await your explanation." - -Maunders again cast a look at door and window and again saw that there -was no hope of escape. "What do you wish to know?" was his sullen -request. - -"In the first place, how you come to be here." - -"That's easy. I started on Saturday to go down to Yorkshire, as I told -you how I intended to go. But news came that my aunt was ill and -wished to see me at once. I turned back at the station and went to -Hampstead. Then I met Hest at the bazaar yesterday----" - -"Does he know that you are Diabella?" interrupted Vernon quickly. - -"No, he doesn't. I met him before I went into the tent to do business. -He asked me why I had not gone to Yorkshire, and when I explained he -asked me down here. I came last night and remained the night. It's all -fair, square, and above-board with me." - -"That's a lie," said Vernon impulsively, "and Hest told me another one -at the bazaar. He could not have seen you between the time I parted -from him and came to you when you were masquerading as Diabella, yet -he told me that he had received a letter from his sister saying you -were in Yorkshire. And you didn't come down here, I take it, to talk -Shakespeare and musical glasses. There is something between you and -this man Hest, and between you and Professor Gail, no doubt." - -Maunders rose suddenly and spoke with great earnestness. "I assure you -that Gail knows nothing more than that Hest asked me to stay as his -guest. He will be here soon, and I beg of you to say nothing to him of -what you have discovered. I shall explain everything to your -satisfaction before you leave this house." - -"On that condition," said Vernon, making a sign that Towton should be -silent, "we will say nothing to the Professor. I believe I hear -footsteps, so no doubt he is coming." Vernon moved away from the door. -"If you try to escape, Maunders, I'll break your leg with a bullet," -and he pulled out a neat revolver which he kept concealed in his hip -pocket. - -"Rather melodramatic," sneered Maunders with a shrug; "However, you -need not be afraid. I'll sit here quietly enough." - -"You have more cause to be afraid than I have. Hush! Here is the -Professor coming," and as he spoke the door opened to admit the old -actor. "Mr. Maunders has just come in to keep us company while we wait -for Mr. Hest," said Vernon in an easy tone. - -"Yes," said Maunders, who by this time had recovered his composure. -"We are old friends and have much to talk about, so don't let us keep -you from your afternoon sleep, Professor." - -"If you will not think me lacking in courtesy," said Gail in his -stately manner, "I shall certainly retire. The brain," he tapped his -forehead, "needs rest, and I have invariably found that sleep, as -Shakespeare says, 'knits up the ravelled sleeve of care.' Wil you have -any refreshment, gentlemen?" - -"No, thank you," replied Vernon politely; "but it is growing dark, so -perhaps you will order lights." - -"Yonder lamp is ready for use," said the Professor, pointing to the -corner near the fireplace, "and certainly it is growing unusually -dark, although it is scarcely five o'clock. A fog is descending on the -verdant earth." He went to the window and looked out. "Yes, a dense -fog. Have you noted, Mr. Maunders, how rapidly these autumnal fogs -descend on London?" - -"Yes. But I should have thought that you were too far away to have -them here," replied Maunders in an easy conversational tone, which did -great credit to his powers of self-control. "No, sir; no. The -fuliginous haze does not spare even our rural suburb, if I may so term -it." He swept aside the curtain with a tragic gesture. "Mark how the -cloudy mists, darkened with smoke, swallow up house after house and -road after road; mark how a brown pall is drawn over the fair green -looks of earth and how the----" - -"One would have to be in a balloon to see all that," said Maunders -rudely. "I hope you won't mind, Professor, but I have private business -to discuss with my friends here. If Mr. Hest comes in, please tell him -I shall see him in his bedroom as soon as my friends go." - -"Do nothing of the sort, Professor," snapped the Colonel. "I have come -here to see Mr. Hest, and he must meet me in this room." - -But the speech of Maunders had offended the touchy old actor. "I have -nothing to do with these things," he said, stalking towards the door, -"and, in the good old English fashion, my guests are at liberty to act -as they please. Mr. Hest need be told nothing, and when he returns he -will certainly enter this room, as is his custom." - -"But----" began Maunders, only to be cut short by the indignant -Professor. - -"You are not my guest, sir, but the guest of Mr. Hest," he said in his -deepest tones, "and you have told me to leave my own room. These -manners are suited to the Hyperboreans of the Far North." - -"I wish to explain----" - -"Explain nothing, sir," cried Gail in the ponderous manner of Dr. -Samuel Johnson. "You may have a front like Mars to threaten and -command, but I am no menial to be so hectored." He swept an imaginary -mantle over his left shoulder and mouthed blank verse: - - "We must not stint -Our necessary actions in the fear -To cope malicious censurers." - -"Therefore," ended Mr. Gail, returning to prose, "I shall retire to my -couch, and so good-day to one and all." - -When he had made his exit, for it could scarcely be said that he took -his departure in a conventional manner, Maunders gave vent to a weak, -tittering laugh, doubtless to cloak the real nervousness he felt. "The -old fool," he observed with his characteristic shrug. - -"Let us hope you will not prove to be a young one by withholding from -us the truth of this shady business you have been engaged in," said -Colonel Towton in a caustic manner, for his sympathies were with the -retired actor. - -"Thank you, I don't wish to receive any compliments," sneered -Maunders, "and, for heaven's sake, let us get this business over at -once. I have more to do than to explain my private affairs to -interlopers." - -Vernon laughed as he saw that under his air of bravado Maunders was -intensely anxious about his position. "That cock won't fight," he said -coolly. "You must be aware that you are in a very dangerous position." - -"I am aware of nothing of the sort. I can justify myself----" - -"Do so, as regards your masquerading." - -"Is it a crime to earn an honest livelihood?" - -"Honest!" said Towton with scorn, "but let that pass." - -"Fortune-telling is as honest as your detective business," said -Maunders insolently to Vernon. "I am Diabella. Why should I deny it?" - -"You can't, or you would. But to dress up as a woman----" - -"I didn't," denied Maunders with a scowl. "I simply wore those -Egyptian robes over my ordinary clothes and the waxen mask to conceal -my face. Also, all that rotten paraphernalia seems to be necessary to -the business." - -"I daresay, to deceive people," said Vernon drily. "Why did you act in -this way, may I ask?" - -"Because I couldn't get my mother to allow me sufficient money to live -on." - -"I thought that Mrs. Bedge was your aunt?" put in the Colonel quickly. - -"So she is, but I am likewise her adopted son. She kept me short, and -I had to earn my money somehow. For three years I have masqueraded as -Diabella, and, although I don't want it known, I don't mind if you do -tell, as no one can say a word against me." - -"I can," said Towton grimly. "You employed your servant to strangle -me." - -Maunders shook his head violently. "I did nothing of the sort. -Hokar----" - -"Is that the native's name?" interposed Vernon suddenly. - -"Yes. I had two native servants. Hokar and Bahadur, and they are both -devoted to me. When you, Colonel, tried to pull off my mask naturally -Hokar intervened to prevent your doing so. In the same way, Vernon, he -punished you for using violence towards me. And I prevented the -faithful fellow from strangling you both, so you have your lives to -thank me for." - -"Why didn't you prevent him from strangling Dimsdale?" asked Towton. - -"I swear that Hokar had nothing to do with that murder, nor had I." - -"Of course, you would say that for your own safety," said Vernon -contemptuously; "but how was it that you became possessed of -Dimsdale's secret?" - -Maunders hesitated. "I am not bound to answer that," he said -defiantly. - -"If you don't answer me you will answer Drench," threatened Vernon -firmly. - -"Drench? You would not dare to bring him into this matter?" - -"Why not? Dimsdale was blackmailed on account of a certain secret, -and, because he would not pay, perished by violence. You know this -secret, so the inference is that you----" - -"That I ordered him to be strangled?" finished Maunders calmly. "How -can that be when Hokar was never near Dimsdale's bungalow in his life, -and certainly, as I was with Miss Hest nearly all the evening, I could -not have committed the murder myself." - -"That remains to be proved," rejoined Vernon, suppressing what Miss -Hest had told him of the young man's movements on the fatal night. -"And even presuming you are innocent of the actual crime, and that -Hokar was not near the house, The Spider, who came to blackmail, must -have learned from you the secret which he threatened to disclose." - -Maunders was silent for a moment. "You can't prove that I knew -about this secret," he said doggedly. - -"Colonel Towton can swear that he heard it from Diabella, and I can -prove that you are the fortune-teller. These facts only admit of one -interpretation, Maunders. Either you are an accomplice of The Spider -or you are The Spider himself." - -"It's a lie, it's an infernal lie," cried Maunders greatly agitated. - -"It's the truth, and you know it. Your face reveals the truth." - -"How can you tell that when we are nearly in darkness with this fog?" -asked Maunders between his teeth. - -"I can see well enough, and the darkness is easily remedied. Colonel, -will you please light the lamp while I keep an eye on our friend -here." - -Maunders cursed his former schoolfellow ardently, while Towton quietly -lighted the tall lamp which stood in the corner. The light soon glowed -through a rosy shade, adorned in a tawdry manner with artificial -flowers, and Vernon stepped up to Maunders. The scamp met his scrutiny -unflinchingly, and displayed a courage worthy of a better cause. He -was pale with apprehension, for he well knew, in spite of his bravado, -that he was in a tight place. But the crimson hue of the light -filtering through the shade threw a delicate glow on his finely-cut -face. Facing the two gentlemen, who knew him past all denial to -be a scoundrel, he looked as handsome a lad as ever stepped in -shoe-leather. It seemed a terrible pity that so fair an outside should -mask such internal evil. Something of this sort occurred to Vernon as -he stepped back with a sigh. - -"I wish you were as decent a fellow as you look," he said in a -regretful voice. "In heaven's name, Maunders, why can't you be an -honest man? You have a handsome face, a fine figure, you have had the -best education England can afford, and you hold a good position in the -social world. Finally, your aunt, Mrs. Bedge, who adopted you as her -son, loves you dearly, and if you have not sufficient self-respect to -keep straight for your own sake you might behave like an honest -gentleman for hers." - -Maunders might have been moved by this discourse, or he might not. At -all events, he showed little signs of feeling on his classic face. -"It's all very well your talking," he said sullenly and looking down, -a trifle ashamed, if indeed he could be said to display any emotion, -"but I have been brought up to live like a prince. I have the tastes -of a duke and the income of a pauper, so I must gratify my fancies -somehow. I am no more proud of having had to take to fortune-telling -for my bread and butter than you are in setting up as a private -detective. Neither business is respectable, but the law can say -nothing to you or me." - -"Nothing to me, certainly," Vernon assured him coldly, "since I am, and -always have been, on the side of justice. Your fortune-telling may be -innocent enough in the main, since you prefer wringing money from -silly people instead of taking up a good business. But it's your -connection with The Spider that is dangerous to you." - -"I am not The Spider, and I have no connection with the beast." - -"In that case how comes it that The Spider offers to place Lady -Corsoon in possession of her niece's fortune on condition that she -permits _you_ to marry Miss Corsoon?" - -The Colonel uttered an ejaculation of mingled wrath and horror, and -Maunders grew a shade paler. "Is that true?" Towton demanded with a -look of loathing at Maunders and then an inquiring glance at Vernon. - -"Perfectly true," was the response. "I did not intend to say anything -to you, Colonel, since the affair is a private one of Lady Corsoon's. -But it seems necessary to be frank even at the risk of exposing a -lady's secrets, much as I hate to do so. Lady Corsoon received an -offer from The Spider to return certain jewels which she pawned to pay -her bridge losses, and which he obtained possession of by means of -forged pawntickets, on condition that she should pay one thousand -pounds. Afterwards another letter was received saying that he -would take ten thousand pounds--a single year's income of Miss -Dimsdale's--and would place Lady Corsoon in possession of the fortune. -She was to pay the money and consent to the marriage of our friend -here with Miss Corsoon. How do you explain this interest which The -Spider takes in you, Maunders, if you don't know him?" - -The culprit moistened his dry lips and replied with insolent boldness: -"I wrote that letter to Lady Corsoon myself--that is, the second -letter. I know nothing about the first." - -"Then you are The Spider?" cried Towton fiercely. - -"No. Don't run your head against a wall," retorted Maunders coolly, -and fighting for every inch of the disputed ground. "Lady Corsoon told -me about the first letter and the threat. I advised her to consult -Vernon in his character of Nemo, and did him a good turn." - -"And yourself a better," said Vernon scornfully. "You hoped that Lady -Corsoon on learning my employment would forbid me to think of her -daughter." - -"Yes, I did. However, I sent her to you to do business. Then I thought -as she was committed so far with The Spider that there would be no -harm in my trying to get her on my side so that I might marry Lucy. I -knew that Ida was not entitled to the fortune, as there was no will -and she was not old Dimsdale's daughter. I knew also that Lady Corsoon -was kept short by her husband and would like to have her own money, if -only to pay The Spider and recover the jewels so as to hide her fault -from Sir Julius. For this reason I wrote the letter asking that Lady -Corsoon should aid me to marry her daughter." - -"And you asked for ten thousand pounds also," said Towton wrathfully. - -"Only one year's income of the Dimsdale investments," retorted -Maunders with great coolness; "a man must have some money for his -honeymoon." - -"And when Lady Corsoon died you guessed that your wife--which she -never will be, you can rest assured--would inherit the whole Dimsdale -fortune?" - -"Quite so. I thought of everything. I suppose Lady Corsoon showed you -the second letter as well as the first in your character of Nemo?" - -"You are correct," replied Vernon with great composure, "and I noted -that the second letter, like the first, was signed with the ideograph -of The Spider." - -"Naturally, it would be," said Maunders with a shrug. "I easily had an -india-rubber stamp made. The thing, if done, had to be well done." - -"You are a blackguard," said Colonel Towton, much disgusted. "And may -I ask," requested Vernon with irony, "how many other people you have -blackmailed by using this stamp?" - -"None; nor did I blackmail Lady Corsoon. I simply made a suggestion." - -"On the threat of telling her husband about her gambling and sale of -the family jewels." - -"The Spider used that argument first," said Maunders sullenly; "I -simply endorsed it." - -"I heartily believe that you are the scoundrel himself," snapped -Towton. - -"I swear I am not. Why, even my mother was blackmailed--my adopted -mother, that is--on the plea that she is my _real_ mother. Would I -have done such a thing as that? - -"You would do anything to gain your own ends," said Vernon coldly, -"always provided your villainy was not discovered." - -Maunders grew furiously scarlet. "At least I would have spared my -aunt. Mrs. Bedge would give me her last sixpence in my character as -her adopted son. There was no need for me to attempt blackmail." - -"Perhaps there was not. But all this does not explain how you came to -communicate the secret of Dimsdale to The Spider." - -"I didn't communicate it, and how he managed to learn it I can't say." - -"How did you become possessed of it?" asked Towton very directly. - -"I shan't tell you. And I'm not going to be ragged any longer. If I'd -guessed for one moment that you were in this house I would not have -put in an appearance." - -"I can well believe that," said Vernon coolly. - -"It's not that I'm afraid," Maunders hastily assured him. "As Diabella -I have done nothing to which the law can take exception. The assaults -on you and the Colonel were brought about by your own damned meddling -and by the fidelity of Hokar. But I have given up playing -Diabella----" - -"Because you feared lest we should have you arrested," said Towton -shrewdly. - -"No. Had I been afraid I should never have appeared at the bazaar." - -"Oh, yes, you would. You pretended to leave London so as to provide an -_alibi_ in case of danger," said Vernon quietly, "and you did not -think that Colonel Towton would be at the bazaar. Seeing me didn't -matter, as you did not know that Towton and myself were working -together. And when I think of the infernal rubbish you told me----" - -"It was your own fault," said Maunders sulkily, "and I've had enough -of this so, I'm off." - -He moved towards the door, but Towton sprang forward and caught his -arm. "If you leave this room you will be handed over to the police," -he declared. - -"He will be handed over in any case," said Vernon decisively. - -Maunders turned ghastly pale and his knees shook. He was beginning to -lose the courage which had carried him so far successfully. "Vernon, -you would not disgrace your old friend," he pleaded piteously. - -"You are no friend of mine," was the stern reply, "and your sole -chance of escape from arrest is to reveal how you learned this secret -of Dimsdale's." - -"If I tell it will you let me leave this house free?" - -"No, I shan't. I intend to keep an eye on you until this mystery of -The Spider is cleared up. You are his jackal." - -"I am not; I know nothing. I refuse to speak." - -"Colonel, go out and fetch a policeman." - -"No! No! No! No!" almost shrieked the wretched man, and flung himself -on his knees. "Arthur, don't, don't. I swear I am innocent. I know -nothing of Dimsdale's murder." - -"Stand up, you cur, and speak out," said Vernon, more enraged by this -exhibition of weakness than he had been by the man's insolence. "How -did you learn this secret of Dimsdale's? Is it true or a lie?" - -"It is true. It is true. I swear it is true. Oh, don't call in the -police." - -Maunders still grovelled and clung to the knees of Vernon with such -force that the young man could not get away. Outside, the fog had -rolled right up to the single window of the apartment, and the livid -look of the atmosphere suited the situation much better than did the -calm, rosy light of the lamp. Near the door knelt Maunders, weeping -piteously and begging that the police might not be called in. Vernon -stood silent, but Towton gave vent to an oath at the unmanly demeanour -of the detected scoundrel. - -"Who told you the secret?" he demanded fiercely. "I insist upon -knowing, and if you don't tell I'll call in the police myself. A cur -such as you are should be under lock and key." - -"Come, Maunders," said Vernon sternly, "who told you?" - -"Miss Jewin. She knew Dimsdale in India and Burmah," snuffled the -kneeling man, desperately afraid. - -"Who is Miss Jewin?" - -"Hest's housekeeper at Gerby----" - -"What!" Both men uttered the ejaculation simultaneously and looked at -one another. Then ensued a silence, while the fog closed in thicker -and darker, and only the weeping of Maunders could be heard. Suddenly -from the hall came the sound of the door opening, and then a firm -footstep. Maunders gave a wild cry and clung vehemently to Vernon's -legs. - -"It's Hest! It's Hest! He'll kill me for telling." - -"Then Hest is The----" - -"Yes! Yes! He's The Spider and----" - -The door was flung open as the footsteps paused, and Francis Hest, -wrapped in a heavy overcoat, stood on the threshold smiling. Maunders -beat the ground with his hands and crawled to the newcomer's feet. - -"I couldn't help it; I couldn't help it. I had to tell you were----" - -"The Spider," cried Vernon, whipping out his revolver. "I arrest you -in----" - -He got no further. At the words of Maunders the villain's face had -changed with the rapidity of lightning from smiles to desperate anger. -He cast a furious look on his accomplice then suddenly lowered his -head so as to get under the line of fire. The next moment Vernon felt -Hest charge him head downward in the stomach. The revolver shot -harmlessly to the roof, while the young man, taken by surprise, was -dashed against the Colonel. Both men fell in a confused heap. - -"Follow! Follow, you devil!" cried Hest kicking Maunders, still on his -knees, and then he rushed out of the door. Maunders leaped up to race -for his liberty and closed the door behind him. When the Colonel and -Vernon got on their feet again they rushed into the hall to find it -empty. The front door had crashed to with a noise like thunder, and -they heard it being locked on the outside, to the accompaniment of a -triumphal laugh. - -"We've lost them," cried Vernon, tugging vainly at the door. "They'll -get away easily in the fog." - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. -THE SEARCH. - - -While Vernon desperately tried to wrench open the front door Towton, -with the quick foresight of an old soldier, ran back into the -drawing-room and lifted the window sash. In less than two minutes he -was outside and hastened to release his companion. Luckily, in his -hurry Hest had been unable to extract the key from the lock, so a -swift turn of the wrist soon removed the barrier. Vernon and the -Colonel set off hot-footed in pursuit of the fugitives, and as they -plunged into the fog caught a glimpse of Gail and his wife hurrying -into the hall with scared faces, doubtless attracted by the ominous -sound of the pistol-shot. But there was no time to explain as every -moment was of value, and the two men put their hearts into the chase. - -The sudden autumnal fog which had so unexpectedly descended had turned -the atmosphere to thick wool, so that it was difficult to breathe, let -alone to see. On all sides the gloomy mists shut in the prospect, and -after racing vaguely for some minutes down the silent road, the -pursuers halted by mutual consent to listen for possible flying -footsteps. Not a sound struck on their ears; it might have been the -middle of the night, so dense was the darkness and so silent the whole -neighbourhood. They could not tell in which direction the two -scoundrels had fled, and on the face of it pursuit was absolutely -useless. - -"We might make for the railway station," suggested the Colonel; "They -may have gone there." - -Vernon shook his head. "I doubt it. Maunders is too cunning and Hest -too desperate to think of taking the train to Waterloo. But, in any -case, I'll send a wire to the stationmaster asking him to detain them. -Maunders can be recognised from having no hat." - -"There are many men who wear no hat nowadays," said Towton dismally, -"it is not a distinguishing mark worth much. But how the dickens are -we to find a telegraph office in this fog?" - -Vernon looked around and noted a weak flare of light illuminating the -darkness. Followed by his companion, he walked towards it and found -that it came from the windows of a grocer's shop at the corner of the -road. Entering quickly, he asked for the nearest telegraph office, and -learned to his great satisfaction that it was at the chemist's two or -three doors down. The worthy grocer looked somewhat alarmed at the -entrance of two gentlemen without hats, for, in their haste, Vernon -and his friend had forgotten to take them. But they gave the tradesmen -no time to ask questions, and by closely skirting the shops round the -corner managed to find that of the chemist. Here Vernon sent a wire to -the stationmaster at Waterloo instructing him to detain two men, one -dark and one fair, without a hat, who might possibly arrive by an -early train. He added a meagre description of their dress, so that the -telegram proved to be somewhat lengthy. - -"But I fear it is useless," said Vernon as they left the shop and had -handed the wire to the startled chemist. "They won't take the train, -I'm certain, and even if they do my description is not clear enough, -unless the Waterloo stationmaster happens to be singularly -intelligent." - -"We can but hope for the best, and we have done all we can," said -Towton in a decided tone. "What's to be done now?" - -"We must return to Siddons Villa, both to get our hats and to see -Gail." - -"How are we to retrace our steps in this fog?" - -"Petterby Road is just round the corner, and by keeping to the -railings of the gardens we are bound to find the house." - -It was as Vernon said. They had raced in a straight line down to the -grocer's shop at the corner and had not left Petterby Road until they -went to the telegraph office. On recovering the bearings of the first -shop they carefully felt their way up the road, reading on every gate -the designation of each house. In this way, and after some ten or -twelve minutes had elapsed, they managed to strike Siddons Villa and -again found themselves at the front door. It was closed, as also was -the window. - -"I hope Gail has not run away also," said Vernon ringing the bell. - -"Do you suspect he has anything to do with the business?" - -"Who knows? On the face of it he looks innocent, and Maunders -certainly swore that the old man was ignorant. But Maunders is a liar -and----" - -Here the door was cautiously opened, and the white face of Professor -Gail became visible. "Who is there?" he asked in a trembling voice. - -"Mr. Vernon and Colonel Towton," said the latter gentleman; "we have -returned to get our hats and to explain." - -"You won't fire any more pistols? My wife is almost fainting, and I -don't like this sort of business. What does it----" - -"Open the door, open the door!" cried the Colonel testily; "you shall -have a full explanation." - -Mr. Gail still seemed reluctant, as he apparently took them for -robbers and dangerous rogues, so Vernon, losing patience, forced -the door back and the old actor along with it. They faced the -Professor in the hall and saw that he was holding an old-fashioned -blunderbuss--probably a stage property used in "The Miller and His -Men" and other out-of-date plays. In the distance, and sheltering -herself behind her husband, was Mrs. Gail grasping a poker in her -trembling hand. The pair seemed to be thoroughly frightened, and, -considering the circumstances, it was small wonder that they were. - -"I have sent Maria for a policeman," quavered Mrs. Gail, "and both my -husband and myself are armed." - -"I hope Maria won't lose herself in the fog," said Vernon -good-humouredly, and in spite of his vexation at the escape of The -Spider and his jackal. - -"In heaven's name, what does it mean?" demanded the Professor somewhat -recovering his dignity. - -"Come into the drawing-room and we will explain," said Towton with -some impatience, for he had small leniency for cowardice; "There's -nothing to be afraid of. Mr. Vernon and I are honest men: you have got -rid of the villains." - -"The villains?" shrieked Mrs. Gail, trembling violently and dropping -the poker. - -"Maunders and Hest," said Vernon carelessly; "come in." - -He preceded his friend and the Gails into the drawing-room, quite -certain, from the way in which they had behaved, that they knew -nothing of the wicked doings of Hest and Maunders. When the door was -closed and everyone was seated Vernon proceeded to examine the actor -and actress. The situation, as Professor Gail said afterwards, was -highly dramatic. - -"You must answer my questions frankly," said Vernon addressing the -couple; "if you do not, the police may interfere." - -"The police?" shrieked Mrs. Gail, turning as white as chalk. - -The Professor silenced her with a gesture and spoke to Vernon with -great dignity. "Young man," he said, striving to keep his voice from -trembling, "I pay my rates and taxes, my bills to my tradesmen, and my -rent for our home. Under these circumstances I cannot see why you -should talk of the police." - -"I speak of them in connection with what has taken place." - -"And you may well do so, young man. To fire a pistol in a private -house----" - -"That was an accident," Vernon hastened to explain. "My revolver went -off when Mr. Hest assaulted me." - -"Why should Mr. Hest assault you?" demanded Mrs. Gail, much -astonished. - -"That's a long story. Tell me," Vernon turned towards the Professor -while Towton held his peace and nursed his hat, "what do you know of -Maunders?" - -"Know of him?" said the amazed Gail, looking thoroughly puzzled. "I -know no more than that he is a friend of Mr. Hest's who called last -night and who was requested, by Mr. Hest and not by me, to stay the -night. I have never set eyes on him before." - -"Did Miss Hest ever mention him?" - -"Yes, she did," broke in Mrs. Gail, who was listening intently. "She -told me that he was a friend of hers in love with Miss Dimsdale, and -mentioned that he was the only man she had ever seen handsome enough -to play Romeo as Romeo should be played." - -Professor Gail nodded his head graciously. "I agree with Miss Hest -there," he said gravely; "Mr. Maunders is indeed handsome. But she -never told us anything about him, Mr. Vernon, save what my wife has -related." - -"And Mr. Hest? What do you know of him?" - -"Nothing more than that he is the brother of my talented pupil. He -came with the message from his sister, who is at her ancestral halls -in Yorkshire, to the effect that she would return in a month, or -perchance earlier, to fulfil certain engagements which I have procured -her. I invited him to stay here during his stay in town." - -"Why did you?" asked the Colonel, speaking for the first time. Gail -looked embarrassed, but Mrs. Gail spoke for him. "Mr. Hest, we know, -is very rich," she said frankly, "and both my husband and myself wish -to have a theatre of our own. We thought that if we showed him some -hospitality he might finance us. I must say," she added, looking -puzzled, "that I wondered that such a rich man was content to accept -our humble lodgings instead of going to a swell hotel. But he seems to -be easily pleased." - -"It was not that, Hettie," said the Professor quickly. "Mr. Hest -simply remained here so that he could persuade me to induce my -talented pupil to give up reciting, as he dreaded lest she should go -on the stage. And she ought to be an actress, in my humble opinion, -for her capabilities are of a very high order. As Lady Macbeth, or in -any of Sardou's characters, such as La Tosca, Fedora, and the rest, -she would produce a sensation." - -The speech of both man and wife seemed frank enough, and they appeared -to be a couple of simple people devoted to their profession and quite -ignorant of evil. Vernon glanced at Towton and saw from the expression -of the Colonel's face that he thoroughly believed them. Still, so as -to be quite sure of his ground, he asked another question: "Miss Hest -as a reciter or an actress may be all that can be desired, but do -you and Mrs. Gail like her personally; do you think she is what we -call--well--er--straight?" - -"Yes," cried the woman forcibly; "Miss Hest is one in a thousand. She -is a kind-hearted lady who sympathises with those who struggle." - -"Hettie is quite right," said the Professor with dignity. "Many a time -has Miss Hest assisted us when tradespeople have worried. I am sure -that she would have persuaded her brother to enable us to enter into -management in the long run, as she has every confidence in my -capabilities." - -"And in mine," said Mrs. Gail jealously. "She said that my Emilia in -'Othello' was the best performance she had ever seen. But now, -gentlemen," the actress rose to give effect to her words, "may I -inquire why you ask these questions, and why you come here to fire -pistols in a peaceful home?" - -At the beginning it had been in Vernon's mind to tell the whole story -right out and to tax the couple with complicity. But they really -seemed to be entirely ignorant of Hest's true character, and evidently -had only lately met Maunders. He therefore did not think it wise to -reveal what he and the Colonel knew lest the Gails should gossip about -the matter. And until he had consulted Drench the young man did not -desire that this last unusual affair should become public. He therefore -shot a warning glance at the Colonel and answered cautiously: - -"It is only a private matter, Mrs. Gail, which is not worth explaining. The -pistol-shot was an accident." - -"But you said that Mr. Maunders and Mr. Hest were villains," she -persisted. "Ah, I spoke somewhat harshly, being a trifle excited. They -have treated me and my friend here very badly and we came for redress. -How their consciences smote them you can judge from the fact of their -flight. You will possibly never see them again. But if they do chance -to return you must wire to me at once to the Athenian Club, Pall -Mall." - -"I don't like these hints and suggestions of evil, sir," said Gail, -restlessly, "and certainly I should never think of telegraphing to you -unless Mr. Maunders and Mr. Hest give me leave. And why, sir, should -they not return?" - -"Don't seek to know any more, Mr. Gail, but do as you are told," said -Vernon in a peremptory tone, "and also it will be wise if you and your -wife hold your tongues over what has happened and stop the servant -from talking." - -"Suppose we don't?" demanded Mrs. Gail aggressively. - -"In that case you will get into trouble." - -"How dare you--how dare----" - -"See here!" Colonel Towton rose angrily. "We have reason to believe -that these men are connected with The Spider." - -Mrs. Gail shrieked and the Professor turned pale. Both knew that -terrible name which was so freely mentioned in the papers. "Do you -mean to say----" - -"We say nothing," said Vernon sharply, "and my friend here has perhaps -said too much. But it is as well that you should know the necessity of -keeping silent tongues in your heads." - -"We, knowing nothing of these matters, cannot be expected to----" - -"I am quite aware that you are innocent of complicity," interrupted -Towton, "but you both must promise to be silent until you have leave -to speak." - -"And if not?" - -"Already I have told you that the police will interfere," observed -Vernon coldly. "This business is concerned with The Spider, so, for -your own sakes, hold your confounded tongues." - -The Gails, however, were not so easily commanded. They wished to know -how Hest and Maunders were connected with The Spider, and if they were -in any way accused of being, as they termed it, "in the know." But the -arguments and commands of Towton, together with those of Vernon, -gradually induced the worthy couple to listen to reason. In fact, at -the end of half an hour both were thoroughly terrified into thinking -that their reputation might be ruined were it known that men connected -with The Spider had been under their roof. Neither Gail nor his wife -were averse to being mentioned in the papers or to securing an -advertisement so as to add to their theatrical fame, but the publicity -likely to be procured from the late episode was not the sort they -desired. They therefore finally agreed to keep silence about the -strange interview and the flight of their guests, and also declared -that they would make Maria hold her tongue. Nevertheless, their -curiosity remained unabated, and Vernon had to promise them that it -would some day be satisfied. - -"You shall know all when the time comes," he said when taking leave, -"but keep silence until the appointed hour lest you get into trouble." - -This speech, being somewhat stagey, sounded pleasantly in the ears of -the couple, and Towton left the house with his friend, quite satisfied -that Professor Gail and his wife and their servant would say nothing -of what had taken place. "And now," said the Colonel, "let us grope -our way to the station. After we reach town we can see Drench." - -Vernon agreed, and by following the line of houses they finally -managed, but with some difficulty, to get to the railway. Here they -had to wait for a considerable time for a train, as the ordinary -traffic was somewhat complicated by fog. It was eight o'clock before -they reached Waterloo, and they learned from the stationmaster that -nothing had been seen of the two men alluded to in the telegram, -although each train and the barrier of the platform it arrived at had -been watched by the police. Vernon was not surprised at this -intelligence. - -"I thought both Hest and Maunders were too clever to risk a wire to -Waterloo Station, as they knew I would send it." - -"What's to be done now?" - -"Let us go to your rooms and send a telegram to Drench at Hampstead -asking him to come down." - -"The fog is still thick," said Towton as they stepped into a taxi; -"perhaps he won't come. Hang it, every possible obstacle seems to be -placed in our way. The blackguards will escape." - -"Not out of England, at all events," said Vernon grimly. "When we -explain everything to Drench he will have all the stations and all the -ports watched. We'll catch them sooner or later." - -But the young man spoke with more confidence than he actually felt, as -he knew that Hest was extraordinarily clever in concealing himself. As -The Spider he had baffled the police for years, and, being an -arch-criminal, would be dexterous enough to escape even out of this -tight corner. He began to consider what was best to be done after -sending a wire to Inspector Drench, when his meditations were broken -in upon by the Colonel. - -"Do you really believe that Hest is The Spider?" - -"Of course. Didn't you see his face change when Maunders spoke, and -didn't he cut and run when he saw that the game was up?" - -"It certainly looks like guilt. And yet it seems incredible. The man -always has lived in Yorkshire, whereas The Spider is supposed to live -in town." - -"No one has ever known the whereabouts of The Spider," said Vernon -coolly, "and it is as easy to write blackmailing letters in Yorkshire -and post them in London as to live in town altogether for that -purpose. Besides, his sister told me herself that Hest frequently went -away for days and weeks at a time. Doubtless he was attending to his -nefarious business in London." - -"How do you reconcile this devilry with his philanthropy?" - -"It seems odd, doesn't it? But we know that the worst criminals have -their good points. There lives some soul of good in all things evil, -you know." - -"I rather think," said the Colonel grimly, "that Hest looks upon -himself as a kind of modern Robin Hood, who takes from the rich to -give to the poor. He blackmailed wealthy folk in order to build his -Bolly Reservoir and his confounded school-houses. Robbed Peter to pay -Paul, as you might put it." - -"Rob Dives to help Demos is the way he would put it," said Vernon with -a shrug. "However, we have made a great discovery and one which the -police will thank us for making. When Hest is captured many a rich man -will sleep the easier." - -"Yes, when he is captured; but that won't be easy." - -"I agree with you. The Spider is as clever as his father--the devil. -Humph!" added Vernon thoughtfully, "I wonder if his sister knows -anything about his infernal doings." - -"No," said the Colonel decidedly. "I don't like Miss Hest, as I think -she is too imperious and masterful and wants her own way too much. All -the same, I don't believe she would have countenanced her brother's -behaviour. Besides, she was always away from him, and he doubtless -carried on his pranks without her knowledge." - -"You defend her. I thought you didn't like her?" - -"I admitted only a moment ago that I did not," snapped the Colonel as -the taxi cautiously felt its way up Whitehall, "but I must be just to -her. The poor woman will suffer as it is when her brother's -criminality becomes known. It will ruin her reciting business." - -"That's true, and there is no chance of keeping the matter quiet. Hest -must be captured and imprisoned." - -"Hanged, you mean. Remember, he murdered Martin Dimsdale." - -Vernon shuddered. "I suppose he did," was his reluctant admission. "I -am sorry for Miss Hest, as, contrary to your opinion, I think highly -of her. She may be masterful, as you say, but Ida is so weak that it -is just as well that she should have someone to lead her in the right -way." - -"Oh, Miss Hest has led her in the right way, no doubt," retorted the -Colonel; "but I prefer to be the guide myself. See here, Vernon, come -down with me next week to my place at Bowderstyke." - -"What for? We have to hunt down Hest and Maunders." - -"We can safely leave that to Drench and his underlings. I want to get -Ida away from Gerby Hall. Sorry as I am for Miss Hest in having such a -brother, I don't want Ida to continue under her protection any longer, -especially as she wants to marry her to Maunders." - -"Maunders will have no chance now," said Vernon with a grim chuckle. -"But you are a bachelor, Towton, so Ida will scarcely be able to come -to The Grange." - -"I shall ask her aunt down as chaperon." - -"Lady Corsoon? Good! And ask Lucy also, for my sake." - -"With great pleasure. I think that the removal of Maunders from my -path and yours will result in the courses of our love running -smoother. Ah, here we are, and I'm glad, as I want drink and -victuals." - -After the long, cautious creeping through the fog the two gentlemen -arrived at the Colonel's rooms, and Bendham was sent out for food. -Having dined, they smoked and talked while waiting for Inspector -Drench. But he never came. A telegram arrived instead stating that the -fog prevented his keeping the appointment. And it also prevented -Vernon getting back to his own quarters, so the Colonel put him up for -the night. Next day the hunt for the criminals began in earnest. - -Before Drench arrived, which he did at eleven o'clock, Professor Gail -came to the Athenian Cub, where the gentlemen were waiting, and -produced a wire which had arrived for Hest on that morning. He had not -opened it, being afraid, but brought it intact to Vernon. That young -man had no compunction under the circumstances in reading it, and -found that it was from Frances Hest to her brother asking him to -return home as divers matters connected with the estate required his -attention. - -"Sent first thing this morning," said Vernon passing the wire to the -Colonel. "Poor woman! she doesn't know that her brother has been found -out." - -The wire was shown to Inspector Drench when he duly arrived, and he -was exhaustively informed of all that had taken place. He was -naturally both astonished and interested, but nevertheless expressed -himself annoyed that civilians should have proceeded so far without -invoking the police. Drench gave both the Colonel and Vernon to -understand that if he had been on the spot Hest and his accomplice -would not have escaped so easily, a view with which they privately -differed, although they did not think it wise to say so. But Towton -_did_ intimate to the Inspector that he was a military man and not a -civilian, whatever Vernon might be. Drench declined to take any notice -of this remark. - -The Inspector also questioned Gail closely, but could learn nothing -from him of any moment, since the old actor knew nothing and was -greatly agitated over the whole affair. Finally, bidding all three -hold their tongues, Drench sallied forth to search for the missing -pair. He saw the Scotland Yard authorities and wired to all the ports -and railway stations in the kingdom. As yet, and because he desired to -keep the affair out of the newspapers, Drench did not advertise in the -journals, or by handbills. Otherwise, in every way he strove to find -the fugitives. - -He might as well have attempted to find a shell at the bottom of the -Atlantic. Day after day went by and no news was heard of Hest or -Maunders, and from the moment they had been swallowed up by the fog at -Isleworth nothing had been seen of them. They had not, so far as could -be ascertained, passed out of the kingdom, and certainly they were not -to be found in the kingdom itself. Like Macbeth's witches, they had -made themselves thin air: like the children of Korah and Dathan, they -apparently had been swallowed up by the earth. But, thanks to Drench, -the discovery of the identity of The Spider and his subsequent escape -had not yet been made public, and the Press knew nothing of what was -taking place. But the time had now come when publicity was absolutely -necessary. - -"There's nothing else for it," said Drench, and Vernon in spite of his -wish to keep things quiet, agreed with him. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. -IN THE TRAIN. - - -Within a week of the episode at Isleworth Colonel Towton took Vernon -with him to Yorkshire. Inspector Drench was still searching for the -fugitives and was still unable to find them. True to his reputation, -The Spider had covered up his tracks in a most masterly manner, and -there was not the slightest clue to indicate his whereabouts. -Presumably Maunders was with him, as he had not returned to his rooms -in Planet Street, nor had he been seen in any of his usual haunts -about town. This was to be expected, as Maunders had, as the saying -goes, "gone under," and the society wherein he had glittered so gaily -would henceforth know him no more. It seemed a pity that a young man -with talents and good looks and social position should have ruined his -life at the very outset of a promising career. But there must have -been some criminal strain in Maunders, which came to the surface in -prosperity instead of being revealed by poverty. He was, as Coleridge -says about people with such natures, "a fool in a circumbendibus." - -However, it was useless for Vernon to mourn over his old school -friend's downfall. He had done his best to keep him in the straight -path and had failed to prevent his feet from straying. He therefore, -as there was nothing else to be done at this eleventh hour, washed his -hands of him and left him, together with Hest, to the tender mercies -of the law as represented by the Inspector. Now that Drench had all -the threads in his own hands he resented anyone else weaving them into -ropes for the necks of the criminals, as he apparently wished to -secure all the glory and honour of the capture to himself. Both Towton -and Vernon were rather glad that the Inspector took this view, as they -wished to have nothing more to do with the matter. And, before leaving -London for Bowderstyke, Vernon shut up his Covent Garden office and -formally renounced his pseudonym of Nemo. As by this time he was -officially recognised as his uncle's heir he could well afford to do -so. Sir Edward, however, still lingered between life and death, so it -was doubtful when Vernon would enter into his kingdom. - -While the train was flying through the autumnal landscape Towton and -his guest made themselves comfortable in a first-class compartment, -which they had secured to themselves, for the purpose of uninterrupted -conversation. They were still deeply interested in the case and looked -forward anxiously to the capture of The Spider. It was only right that -he should suffer for his dastardly crime in murdering an old and -inoffensive man. As to Maunders, he was evidently hand in glove with -the cleverer rascal, and would undoubtedly be given a long term of -imprisonment. Thus society would be rid of two dangerous people, and -those with secrets would sleep the easier, knowing that one Asmodeus -was dead and the other safely locked up. - -"But I don't know what poor Mrs. Bedge will do," said Vernon looking -dolefully out of the window. - -"Does she know anything?" asked the Colonel, throwing down the morning -paper which he had been reading and settling himself for a talk. - -Vernon nodded. "I saw her yesterday. She sent to ask me what had -become of Constantine. I was obliged to tell her." - -"Do you think that was kind or wise?" - -"I think so, decidedly. It was better that Mrs. Bedge should learn the -truth from a friend than see it crudely printed in the daily papers. -And there it is bound to appear sooner or later." - -"Drench will have to catch The Spider first," said the Colonel coolly. -"No easy task, as we know. What did she say?" - -"At first she declined to believe it, badly as Maunders has treated -her. She kept insisting that it was all a mistake and that Constantine -would appear to put matters right." - -"What wonderful faith these women have, Vernon." - -"Bless them, yes. They go by their hearts entirely." - -"In that case," remarked Towton drily, "Mrs. Bedge must have known -that Maunders is not the saint she tries to make him out to be." - -"I did not say that she went by her instinct," replied Vernon equally -drily; "there is a difference between that and heart-love. Because -Constantine is her sister's child and her adopted son Mrs. Bedge's -heart, which he has almost broken, cherishes him fondly; but her -instinct must have told her long ago that the fellow is a scamp of the -worst sort." - -"He's a thorough-paced scoundrel," said the Colonel vigorously. - -"Mrs. Bedge declined to take that view of him. She wailed that he had -a tender heart and was led away because he had a weak nature. In fact, -her defence was that of a man being his own worst enemy." - -"Maunders certainly was. He had all the gifts of the gods, yet----" - -"Yet fell because the greatest gift of honest purpose was not given," -finished Vernon. "Hang it all, Towton, scamp as the fellow is, I am -sorry for him." - -"I'm not," growled Towton savagely. - -"Ah, you did not play with him as a child, nor did you go to school -with him, my friend. Although I'm bound to say that Constantine was -always a selfish chap--what you would call a rotter." - -"I would call him nothing of the sort, Vernon. I detest slang." - -"That's a mistake. Slang frequently hits the nail on the head when the -King's English misses it altogether. Slang conveys much in little, -and----" - -"Oh, the deuce take your philology. Go on talking about Mrs. Bedge." - -"There's no more to say. Maunders has pretty well drained her, but she -has enough to live on, and the Hampstead house is her own. Towards the -end of our conversation, however, she let out that she was not -surprised at Conny's behaviour, as she rather expected it." - -"H'm! Somewhat contradictory. Why?" - -"Well, it seems that Maunders' father, the Greek, Mavrocordato, you -know, was rather a bad egg himself. He worried his wife--Mrs. Bedge's -sister, that is--into her grave, and swindled his partner before he -committed suicide." - -"I never heard that before." - -"No. Mrs. Bedge always kept it quiet for the boy's sake until she let -it out to me in her grief yesterday. Mavrocordato--he took the English -name of Maunders--bolted with a heap of his partner's money, and shot -himself at Corfu, whither he was traced by detectives. Mrs. Bedge -adopted the son, and did her best to train him up as an honest man. -She tried her hardest, I'm certain, but what's bred in the bone, you -know." - -Colonel Towton folded his arms and stared straightly before him. "Poor -devil. He was considerably handicapped by such a father. I wonder, -Vernon, for how many of our deeds we are responsible, when you take -heredity into consideration. Some sin because they like it, but many -because they can't help it." - -"Let us give Maunders the benefit of the doubt, and say that the sins -of his father were visited on him. And, of course, we must not forget -that Hest is an extremely clever and strong-minded man, who could, and -did, easily control Maunders' weaker nature." - -"There's something to be said there," assented the Colonel -thoughtfully. "I daresay Hest entangled the poor wretch in crime -before he well knew what he was about, and once committed he would be -compelled to remain in the mud. But Hest himself, Vernon. What do you -make of him?" - -"I don't know enough about him to give an opinion. Perhaps when we see -the sister she may tell us something." - -"Oh, by the way, I received a letter from her two days ago, about -which I intended to speak to you, Vernon. All this bother and worry -put it out of my head. I left it at home, unfortunately, but I can -tell you the gist of it." - -Vernon looked interested. "What did she write about, and why to you?" -"She wrote to me because she wants me to marry Ida." - -"I really don't see what she has to do with that," remarked Vernon -with a shrug; "for Ida is surely of an age to choose for herself." - -"I always told you, Vernon," said Towton, deliberately crossing one -leg over the other, "that Ida, being less masterful than Miss Hest, is -usually guided by her, and that I objected to the guidance. Ida liked -me more than anyone else before that handsome scamp came along. Then -she became infatuated with him, and Miss Hest did her best to induce -her to marry him. But the sad death of Dimsdale took Ida's thoughts -off Maunders, and--as I judge from the letter Ida wrote me from Gerby -Hall--Miss Hest tried to get her to love the man again. Failing that, -she attempted to get Ida to marry her brother, only he came up to -London, not feeling disposed to fall in with his sister's views. You -can therefore see that Miss Hest sways Ida a great deal, and for that -reason I have come to get her away from such dangerous company--doubly -dangerous now that we know Francis Hest is The Spider." - -Vernon shrugged his shoulders. "It's rather hard to blame the sister -for the brother's delinquencies," he said judicially. "And now that he -and Maunders are out of the running she will place her weight in your -scale. In fact, from your late observation, she has already done so. -You should be very pleased, Colonel, whereas you seem to me to be -ungrateful." - -"I don't want Ida to be induced to marry me by Miss Hest's -representations, Vernon," said Towton hotly. "It's a liberty on her -part to interfere with my wooing. Lady Corsoon comes down to-morrow -with her daughter, and I shall ask her to go to Gerby Hall and bring -Ida back with her. Then we will have finished with these shady people, -and Ida will marry me of her own free will." - -"Well, Colonel," replied Vernon pacifically, "I hope things will turn -out as you expect. But what did Miss Hest write about?" - -"About her brother. She asked me if I had seen him, and what was the -matter with him." Vernon looked puzzled. "I don't understand. Does she -suspect----" - -"She suspects nothing," broke in Towton impetuously. "But she stated -that she had received a letter from her brother four or five days ago -saying that he intended to leave England for ever, as he was tired of -civilisation. He enclosed a Deed of Gift, making over Gerby Hall and -its acres to her, as he intended--so he said--to earn his own living -when abroad. Naturally, Miss Hest could not understand this, and wrote -asking me what was the matter." - -"Did you explain?" - -"No. I wrote saying that I was coming down to my own place, and would -tell her all I knew when I arrived. But you can see, Vernon, that Hest -is still in London." - -"He was, six or seven days ago, but he may have gone away since," said -Vernon cautiously. "Who drew up the Deed of Gift?" - -"I can't say. Miss Hest did not explain that. Why?" - -"Because if it was some lawyer we might be able to question him -regarding Hest's latest movements. Humph! So Hest has bolted. Well, -I'm not surprised at that. But I am rather astonished he should -surrender his property." - -"Oh, well. I expect his business as The Spider has made him quite a -rich man. Remember, the blackguard has been blackmailing successfully -for three or four years. He knows that his sister has nothing save -what she makes by her reciting, so perhaps his conscience smote him, -and so he made his Deed of Gift. It's a lucky thing for her, as Gerby -Hall is a fine old place, although rather gloomy, and there is a -decent income of one thousand a year attached to it, farms, village -rents, and all that sort of thing, you know." - -"It's queer Hest should have behaved so well, when he is such a -scoundrel, Towton. You told me that he quarrelled with his sister, and -certainly from the remarks she made about him to me, she did not seem -over fond of him." - -"Blood is thicker than water," said the Colonel sententiously, "and -dog does not eat dog." - -"I agree with your first proverb, but not with the second, Towton. -Miss Hest is not of the same breed, morally speaking, as her brother, -and no doubt will be horrified when she learns of his wickedness." - -"Probably. You always defend her." - -"I am just," said Vernon coldly. "So far as I can see, she is a clever -woman of good principles, although, I admit, rather masterful. Her -brother has done a wise thing in handing her over the property, -whatever his reasons may be. She will be an admirable mistress." - -"Oh, as to that, Hest was a great benefactor to all the villages -around, and the people swear by them. If he has bolted with Maunders, -Drench will have to let the matter drop. But, if he is captured, no -one here will believe that he is a murderer and a blackmailer. They -know him only as a good landlord and a kind friend." - -"And we know him as a criminal. Strange that two such diverse natures -can exist side by side." - -"I daresay Hest hoped that his good deeds would pay for his bad ones," -said the Colonel carelessly. "I shall be glad if he escapes, richly as -he deserves to be hanged for murdering Dimsdale. It will be just as -well if the whole thing is buried in oblivion. Then I shall marry Ida, -you Miss Corsoon, and Miss Hest can play the lady of the manor here, -as she pleases." - -"What about the Dimsdale property?" - -"If it belongs to Lady Corsoon she must have it; if Maunders' story is -a lie, which it may be, I shall stick to it on behalf of my wife. -However, we may hear from Venery of Singapore in a few weeks. My -letter must have nearly reached him by this time." - -"You can learn the truth of the story nearer home," said Vernon after -a pause. "Miss Jewin, the housekeeper at Gerby Hall, told the story to -Maunders, according to his own account." - -"I shall question her, you may be sure," said the Colonel grimly; "but -I want to hear from Venery also. Oh, I'm sick of talking about these -things," he added with a yawn. "It's time for forty winks." And -forthwith he closed his eyes, after settling himself comfortably in -his seat. Vernon, not inclined to rest, lighted a fresh cigar and -buried himself in a book. - -It was five o'clock when the travellers reached Bradmoor, the nearest -station to Bowderstyke. It was ten miles to the valley, but the road -was excellent, and Towton's motor-car awaited them. In ten minutes the -baggage was packed away, and Vernon with his host was safely ensconced -in the back part of the machine, which was covered with a hood. Towton -asked Vernon if he would care to drive, but as the offer was refused -and the Colonel himself did not feel in a sporting humour, the conduct -of the journey was left to the smart chauffeur. He appeared to be well -acquainted with the country, and as the road was somewhat lonely, the -motor travelled towards Bowderstyke at a great rate of speed. The -motion was exhilarating, and the view on either side of the roadway -extremely picturesque, so Vernon enjoyed himself greatly in the fresh -air, after the close atmosphere and the monotony of the train. With -the wind blowing in his face and the smooth, easy gliding motion, he -felt like a flying bird, or at all events as though mounted on one. - -The country was wild and barren, consisting mainly of interminable -stretches of moorland, mounting up on either side of the road to -considerable heights. Occasionally there was a dip covered with green -grass and trees, already beginning to shed their leaves, but for the -most part the sombre moors, darkening in the failing light, spread -solemnly to right and left. It was rarely that a house or a village -was passed, and only every now and then could Vernon catch a glimpse -of cattle or human beings. - -"This country would get on my nerves," he said to his companion. "It -is like the weird landscape described by Browning in his Childe Roland -poem. Those telegraph poles are the sole signs of civilisation." - -"Oh, we'll come to a more cheery aspect shortly," said Towton smiling; -"for my part, I love the gloom and the loneliness of our moors. Many a -time in the garish Indian days, with a burning sun in the hateful blue -sky, have I longed for dear old Yorkshire." - -"Everyone to his taste," said Vernon with a shrug. "I prefer something -much more cheerful." - -"You are a cockney at heart, Vernon." - -"I daresay. London is good enough for me." - -Towards the end of the ten mile stretch from the station signs of -civilisation became more frequent. Here and there was a village with -cultivated fields around it. Cattle were pastured in enclosed -paddocks, and men and women with laughing children trudged along the -high road, looking after the motor with great curiosity, for the -machine was yet a novelty in that lonely district. Twice the road ran -directly through a village, and Vernon had an opportunity of seeing -the solid grey stone houses, which were suited to the Calvinistic -looks of the country. And the people themselves appeared to be what -the Scotch call "dour." - -And now the moors began to grow higher and to close in on the white -road with a gradual menace. Leaving the comparatively broad lands, the -motor glided into a valley, which grew even more narrow as they -proceeded. A babbling stream prattled down the centre of this, over a -stony bed, and beside it the road twisted along like a white serpent, -protected by a parapet of rough stones. Already the crimson light of -the sunset had died out of the western sky, but the moon was full, -and, soaring high in the dark blue dome of the firmament, poured -floods of light into the gully, to use a Colonial expression--for by -this time it was little else. And looking upward, Vernon could see -star after star peep out to attend on the majestic orb. - -"What do you call this place?" he asked abruptly. Towton glanced at -him in surprise. "Didn't I tell you? It's Bowderstyke." - -"Great Scott, Colonel, is your house situated in this isolated, damp -spot. I should think you never saw the sun from one year's end to the -other, save when it was directly overhead." - -"Oh, the valley broadens out further on. This is merely the entrance." - -"What the deuce do the inhabitants live on? It's like living in a -drain." - -"Oh, confound you, Vernon," said the Colonel half annoyed. "It's one -of the most beautiful places in the world. If you were a Yorkshire -tyke you would admit that. There is only the village of Bowderstyke a -mile away, and the inhabitants live by pasturing their cattle on the -moors on the heights above. Also there is a weaving and spinning -industry, the mills being driven by water power, of which there is no -lack." - -"This stream doesn't seem to have much water," said Vernon -disdainfully. - -"You should see it in winter when the snows melt on the moors," -advised the Colonel. "Besides, the water from the mills comes from -Hest's new reservoir, and there is a never-failing supply. This stream -used to be much broader, and its bed contained much more water, but -when the Bolly Dam was constructed, of course the supply dwindled. -Pipes run under this road to supply the several villages you saw just -before we entered the valley." - -"Where is the dam which our criminal friend built?" - -Towton pointed straight ahead. "Round the next corner you could see -it, but we do not go so far. There was a small lake there up on the -moors which fed this stream. Hest simply got engineers to dam the lake -and prevent too much water going to waste down the bed of this -torrent. The dam runs right across the valley a mile and a half beyond -my house." - -"But isn't that dangerous. If it burst this valley would be flooded -from end to end, and everybody would be drowned, to say nothing of the -way in which the village would be smashed up." - -"Well, yes." Towton pinched his nether lip uneasily. "I've thought of -that myself many a time. But I was abroad when the dam was -constructed. There certainly--as I have often said--should be an -outlet for the water other than the pipes which supply Bowderstyke and -the villages outside the valley, capacious as those same pipes -undoubtedly are. Assuredly, if the reservoir burst there would be -great loss of life and destruction of property. But the Bolly Dam is -very strongly built, so I have no fear of anything happening. You can -see it from my house, and we'll pay it a visit in a day or two. -Meantime, this is Bowderstyke village." - -By this time they were passing through quite a number of small houses, -from the windows of which lights gleamed cheerfully. The motor soon -left these behind, then swerved to the right--looking up from the -entrance to the valley--and shortly began to climb a winding road. At -this point, as the Colonel had foretold, the vale broadened abruptly, -and the high moors stood away so as to form a kind of deep cup. Up the -side of this, the road along which they were travelling sloped upward -for some distance, then turned on itself and sloped still higher. -Shortly the motor attained the highest level, and in the moonlight -Vernon could see the moors stretching for miles, lonely and romantic. -A straight road ran parallel with the upper portion of the valley for -close upon half a mile. Then appeared a miniature forest, encircled by -a high stone wall. This was undoubtedly artificial, as the moorlands -were treeless, and the unexpected woodland looked out of place amidst -its bleak surroundings. - -The motor soon arrived at two tall stone pillars crested with heraldic -monsters, and passing through these, spun up a short avenue to stop -before a large white house, brilliantly lighted up. Spacious lawns -opened up before the mansion, interspersed with flowerbeds, now -bloomless, and the whole was shut in by the fairy forest, as Vernon -called it in his own mind. - -"Here we are," said Colonel Towton jumping from the car. "Allow me to -welcome you to The Grange, my friend." - -"Thank heaven the journey's at an end," said Vernon. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. -AT BOWDERSTYKE. - -"I hope you slept well, Vernon," said the Colonel to his guest the -next morning when they were at breakfast. - -"Like a top," was the response. "That journey tired me out, and your -moorland air is so strong that I slept the moment my head was on the -pillow." - -"You will eat well also, Vernon," remarked Towton, regarding with -satisfaction the attention paid by his visitor to the appetising meal. -"Our air is famous as a tonic. You will return to town a giant -refreshed." - -"There is lots to be done before I leave here," said Vernon passing -his cup for a fresh supply of coffee. "What is your first step?" - -"We will call on Miss Hest this afternoon, and I can show you the -village at the same time. Lady Corsoon and her daughter will come -to-day, and will arrive to dinner. That is the programme." - -"I'm at your disposal. And to-morrow I suppose you will get Lady -Corsoon to take charge of Ida?" - -"If Miss Hest will let her go," said the Colonel cautiously. - -"She can't detain her, surely." - -"Not by outward force; but she may use her influence to keep her. Miss -Hest won't lose the chance of swaying the mind of a girl with ten -thousand a year. You may be sure of that." - -"H'm," said Vernon finishing the last of his coffee. "If Ida learned -the secret of Dimsdale from Maunders, disguised as Diabella, you may -be sure that she told Miss Hest. In that case, Ida is not worth -keeping." - -Colonel Towton nodded and pushed back his chair to rise. "There's -something in that, I'll admit. However, we can say nothing until we -interview Miss Hest. I have already sent her a note saying that we -have arrived and will see her to-day." - -Matters having been thus arranged, the two men lighted their pipes and -strolled out into the grounds. It was a bright autumnal morning with a -cloudless blue sky and a radiant sun; the moorland air was keen, and -Vernon drew long invigorating breaths into his lungs. Notwithstanding -the somewhat bleak surroundings, The Grange was a remarkably -comfortable house, and the original Towton who had built the same had -striven to render it as bright as possible, so as to contrast with the -sombre moors. The Grange, indeed, was more like an Italian villa than -a Yorkshire mansion, as it was constructed of white stone and every -window had green shutters, while the roof was formed of cheerful red -tiles. Both rooms and corridors were spacious and decorated in -brilliant tints, and the furniture was of the most modern description. - -"It isn't at all like an ancestral home, is it?" said Towton -cheerfully. "And all the better for that, since the word suggests oak -parlours, comfortable gloom, and cumbersome furniture." - -"Those would suit the situation better," said Vernon, glancing at the -pines and fir-trees, which formed a screen to keep away the too keen -moorland winds. "Your brilliant walls and red roofs look out of place -in these stern solitudes, where Nature seems to be acting the -anchorite." - -"I love the scenery and solitude and all that, Vernon, but I like to -be comfortably housed. My great-grand-father left the original family -seat, which is in the valley almost below the Bolly Dam, and built -this place after a long sojourn in Italy. My cousin, from whom I -inherit, cleared out all the old Victorian furniture and redecorated -the house as you see it. It's all very modern, and perhaps, in -contrast with the grandeur of the moors, somewhat frivolous. But, at -all events, it is cheerful and comfortable. I could scarcely ask Ida -to inherit a kind of Ogre's Castle like Gerby Hall." - -"Where is that?" - -"You will see shortly. It's a real old Yorkshire Manor House, dating, -I believe, from the Wars of the Roses. There was a lot of fighting -went on during those days in Yorkshire, and the original Hest procured -a grant of Bowderstyke Valley from Edward IV. But my ancestors came -along later and seized a portion of it and built the mansion near the -dam. I understand that the Hests and the Towtons fought like cat and -dog over the valley. However, the most of the property belongs to me, -and I live in this very up-to-date Grange, while they' still cling to -the remnants of their lands and to Gerby Hall." - -"From whom does our criminal friend inherit?" - -"His grandfather. Hest's father was an officer in the Indian army, and -had quarrelled with the old man. Then he died, together with his wife, -some spinster he had married at Simla. The twin children were sent -home to the grandfather, who brought them up and left the estates to -Francis. Now that he has been shown up, he has had the sense, as I -told you yesterday, to hand them over to his sister. Perhaps she'll -marry and carry on the family." - -"And Hest?" - -The Colonel shook his head. "Who knows. He may be caught; on the other -hand, he may bolt to South America and become one of those Dictators -we read so much about. As The Spider, we know that he has heaps of -brains, and a piratical life of that description would suit him -exactly." - -Talking thus, Towton showed Vernon over his small kingdom, and after -luncheon the two gentlemen strolled out of the grounds with the -intention of taking the winding road to Gerby Hall. On the verge of -the moorland they stood for some time looking down into the cup, and -Vernon thus procured a bird's-eye view of the valley in the full blaze -of the noonday sun. - -"It's like a bead on a string, Towton," he said after a pause. - -The description was an apt one, for the hollow into which they were -looking was the bead, and the narrow valley, running like an irregular -crack to right and left, might be easily compared to a string. From -the cup upward to Bolly Dam the valley stretched for a mile and a -half, and downward it ran for two miles in a somewhat crooked fashion, -to terminate on the verge of the undulating plain, which stretched the -further ten miles to the railway station. At the end of the valley--as -Towton informed his guest--was a village called, from its situation, -Gatehead, and there were four other hamlets beyond, all of which -belonged to him. The Hests were reduced to Bowderstyke village alone -and to a considerable portion of the moorland on the hither side. - -"It puts me in mind somewhat of Blackmore's description of Doon -Valley," was Vernon's remark when in possession of these facts. "I -daresay in the Middle Ages it was quite a robbers' stronghold." - -"With the Hests and the Towtons as robbers. Exactly. Their hand was -against every man, and likewise against each other for the mastery of -Bowderstyke. At the upper end the valley is blocked by a small lake, -now turned by the Bolly Dam into a very large reservoir, so they were -safe in that direction. Gatehead was where their vassals lived to -guard the outlet, so you can see in troublesome times everything was -extremely safe. From this valley the Hests and the Towtons went forth -raiding, and sometimes, when not quarrelling between themselves, -formed a kind of league. They struggled for centuries, but in the end -my ancestors got the upper hand, and most of the property. I believe -the feud and the raiding continued down to the termination of George -the Third's reign, for the King's writ did not run in these wilds." - -"Where is Gerby Hall?" - -Towton pointed directly downward. "Under that cliff, where the -moorland rises so abruptly. Like The Grange, there is a kind of -artificial forest round it, so that it is concealed. But, as you can -see, it is almost within the village itself." - -"Right in line of the flood, should the dam break." - -"I fear so; but I hope there is no chance of the dam breaking. You -see," added the Colonel pointing out the topography of the valley, -"the village is divided by the ancient bed of the torrent, now -comparatively dry since the construction of the Bolly Reservoir. A -stone bridge connects the two portions of the village, and on this -side nearest to ourselves the ground begins to rise gradually. The -other portion of the village and Gerby Hall lie in the hollow, and are -cut off from the sunlight. I often wondered," said Towton musingly, -"why the Hests, when lords of the entire valley, should have chosen to -build their manor house in such a situation; for, when the torrent was -in full force from the melting of the moorland snows, they must have -been exposed to many an inundation." - -"And now," said Vernon glancing northward to where the cyclopean wall -of the dam frowned in the sunlight, "if that great body of water were -let loose both the village and the Hall would be swept away." - -"They are certainly directly in the line of flood," replied Towton -unhesitatingly; "but both the Hall and the village houses are strongly -built of dark stone. It would take some force to smash them." - -"If that dam broke, Colonel, they would be swept away like straws on -the surface of a whirlpool. I can't understand what the engineers were -thinking about to risk such a catastrophe." - -Towton laughed. "Pooh, pooh! Nothing is likely to happen. But now that -I rule here I intend to see if some outlet cannot be arranged other -than down the valley, so that all risk may be done away with. I -objected to the dam from the first, although I admit that it is a work -which is of great public utility and supplies Bowderstyke, Gatehead, -and the other villages. But it spoils my view and also is dangerous, -as you observe. However, we have talked enough on this dull subject. -Let us descend and pay a visit to Gerby Hall. Miss Hest will be -expecting us." - -"And Ida," laughed Vernon with a side glance at the suddenly-flushed -cheek of the soldier. - -They descended by the winding road into the valley, and after pausing -to glance up the valley, where the massive wall of the dam cut short -the view, proceeded slowly towards the village. It was a collection of -small dark houses built of moss-clothed grey stones, and looked like a -colony of dwarf buildings. But the men and women who dwelt therein -were tall and burly enough, and the children seemed to be well-grown. -Besides the dwellings there were also two mills, the wheels of which -were driven by water in a very powerful fashion. The few shops were -dark and uninviting, and the chief street narrow and crooked. Secluded -as it was from the sun--which never warmed the village with its beams -save at noonday--it did not appear to be a desirable residence. But -the inhabitants seemed cheerful enough, and frequently greeted the -Colonel with gruff amiability, although he was not their landlord. -That position, as Towton had informed his guest, belonged to Hest, or -rather--since he had expatriated himself--to his sister. - -Crossing the curved stone bridge which arched the dwindling torrent, -the Colonel led his friend through several dismal streets until they -emerged into an open space, to see before them a high wall built of -irregular blocks of stone, covered with mosses and grasses and lichen. -The massive wooden gates, which afforded entrance into the domain, -stood wide open, indicating, like the doors of the Janus temple, that -the Hests were at peace with their neighbours. Passing through these -the visitors walked up a gloomy avenue, where the branches of the -trees met overhead, and came unexpectedly upon a square stone house, -the appearance of which was similar to that of the encircling wall. -There were absolutely no pretensions to architectural beauty, and the -mansion looked as though it had grown out of the damp, fecund ground, -where rank grasses grew in profusion. Above was the slightly sloping -bank of the moorland, which here was almost perpendicular, and it -threw a heavy shade over the frowning dwelling, which suited its grim -looks. It was two storey, with twelve windows in the front, six on -either side, and three in each storey. In the centre was the door, -without a porch and without steps. Only a broad flagstone formed the -threshold. The trees grew up nearly to this, and there was merely a -narrow gravelled path between the luxuriant grasses and the walls of -the house. So amazingly dismal a dwelling Vernon had never set eyes -on, and he uttered an exclamation when he beheld the desolation. - -"It's the very worst place Ida could have come to," he said in high -displeasure. "What could Miss Hest have been thinking of, to ask her -to live in this vault." - -"Ah, she will be better up on the heights in my Italian villa, -Vernon." - -"That is if she will come," remarked the other gloomily, for the -sombre situation and ascetic looks of the Hest mansion made his -spirits sink to zero. - -Their approach had been seen, for scarcely had they set foot on the -flagstone, and before they had time to raise a hand to the massive -iron knocker, which was covered with rust, than the door was opened by -a fat-faced, stupid girl dressed in brown but with a tolerably neat -cap and apron. - -Without inquiring their business and without speaking she signed that -the two gentlemen should enter, and conducted them to a room to the -left of the cheerless hall. Here she intimated that they were to wait -and that the mistress would soon come to them, after which she retired -sullenly and closed the door after her. What with her looks and the -gloom of the room and the closing of the door, the visitors felt as -though they had been bestowed in a dungeon. Anything more dismal can -scarcely be conceived. - -"Oh, Lord!" ejaculated Vernon with dismay, looking round at the -old-fashioned furniture and the grimly-red colouring of the -decorations, somewhat faded, it is true. "Within is worse than -without. I should commit suicide in such a place. No wonder Francis -Hest found blackmailing a more cheerful pursuit. He ought to have----" - -"Hush!" said Towton sharply, and arrested Vernon's speech as the door -opened to admit the mistress of the mansion. Miss Hest looked graver -than she had done at "Rangoon," and more handsome than ever in her -imperial, masterful way. Vernon marvelled to see how much she -resembled her brother, although the disfiguring cicatrice was absent. -In her plain black dress, slashed with deep orange, Miss Hest looked -like a Spanish beauty, and in the damp, secluded mansion she seemed to -flourish as healthily as though she dwelt in perpetual sunshine. With -a smile she came forward and greeted her visitors in a most cordial -manner. - -"I am very glad to see you both," said Frances, sitting down when -formal greetings had passed, "and especially you, Colonel Towton, as I -am anxiously waiting for your promised verbal answer to my letter." - -"I shall explain why I did not write you with pleasure," said the -Colonel gravely, "although my explanation is painful. You may even -refuse to believe me, Miss Hest." - -She looked alarmed and her lips twitched nervously. - -"Francis is all right, I hope?" she inquired apprehensively. "His -letter and the Deed of Gift alarmed me. I think he must be crazy." - -"I don't think so," rejoined Towton drily, "but before explaining, may -I ask how Miss Dimsdale is keeping?" - -Frances shook her head dejectedly. "The death of her father is still -preying on her mind, and nothing I can say or do will make her -cheerful." - -"Perhaps this house----" began Vernon. - -She cut him short quickly. "I quite agree with you, and I know what -you are about to say. It is too damp and too dismal for Ida. She is a -flower who ought always to live in the sunshine." - -"Lady Corsoon is coming down to stay with me to-day," ventured Towton -anxiously, "so Miss Dimsdale might come and stay at The Grange." - -"It's a capital idea. You can ask her for yourself, and as I know she -thinks a great deal of you, Colonel, I hope you will be able to -persuade her to pay the visit. She will be here shortly, but before -she comes do tell me the meaning of my brother's extraordinary -conduct." - -"What makes you think the Colonel can explain?" asked Vernon -unexpectedly. - -Frances looked at him in surprise. "Why, I wrote after I received the -Deed of Gift, asking if he had seen Francis. The Colonel replied that -he would explain verbally when he came down. I have no reason to think -that he knows anything of my brother's private business and I was -astonished to hear that he could tell me anything. I only wrote -because I wished the Colonel to see Ida, and as an afterthought asked -about my brother. I thought you," she addressed the Colonel, "might -have seen him in London." - -"I did," replied Towton gravely; "at Professor Gail's." - -"I know that; he went there to deliver a message from me. But why has -he made over his property to me without a line of explanation save -that he was going abroad? Did he tell you?" - -"No. But I am not surprised that he has done so." Frances looked from -one man to the other and, seeing their grave faces, she grew white and -anxious looking. "What do you mean?" - -"We saw Constantine Maunders," put in Vernon. - -"Well, well! What of that?" - -"He was masquerading as Diabella." - -Miss Hest started to her feet. "As the fortune-teller? Surely you must -be mistaken? It's impossible! Why should he do that?" - -"Why should he do many things," said Towton grimly. "But he has been -leading a double life." - -"Oh, that's impossible. Why, he was always as open as the day. I asked -him down here a week or so ago and he was coming. At the eleventh hour -he put me off, saying that Mrs. Bedge was ill. I fancied that -something might be wrong then, but--but--oh!" she burst out, clasping -her hands, "you really must be mistaken. He is such a nice young -fellow." - -"He's a nice scoundrel," said Vernon heatedly. "Spare your praises of -him, Miss Hest. You won't think him so nice when I tell you that he -accuses your brother of being The Spider." - -"The Spider? Who is The--ah!" She started to her feet as she suddenly -remembered all that the information conveyed. "You mean that wretch -who murdered poor Mr. Dimsdale?" Her brows grew black and she clenched -her hands in a cold fury. "What do you mean by connecting my brother -with----" - -"It is not Vernon or I who connect your brother with The Spider. -Maunders made the accusation and your brother endorsed it by his -flight." - -"Flight! flight! My brother," she drew herself up proudly, "has not -fled." - -"Why has he gone abroad, then?" asked Vernon hastily; "Why has he made -over his property to you? Believe me, Miss Hest, both the Colonel and -myself would be glad to spare you such a blow, but there is no doubt -that your brother is none other than this famous blackmailer for whom -the police are searching so ardently." - -The woman dropped back into her chair and clutched at her breast as -though she felt a cruel pain in her heart. Her face looked grey in the -dim light of the room, and she suddenly seemed to have aged. Even her -confident bearing fell away from her and she crouched as though -smitten to the earth. Never was there so rapid or so terrible a -transformation. "Oh, for God's sake," she moaned brokenly, -"for--for--my brother. Heaven knows we did not get on over well -together, but that he--he--that he should--It's a lie. I tell you, -it's a lie. Why, Francis has given up all his life to doing good. -Everyone round here blesses his name; he was generous to a fault. And -you dare to--dare to--oh!" She leaped to her feet again and strove to -recover her proud hearing. "I don't believe it. Liars! both of you." - -"Maunders is the liar and not us, then," said Vernon quietly. - -"I never trusted him, I never liked him," moaned Miss Hest; "he -is----" Then she unexpectedly fell back again into her chair, utterly -unstrung and broken down, an old, grey woman, miserable beyond belief. -"Francis--my brother--our good name--oh! oh! Say that it isn't true," -and she wept piteously. - -"I regret to say that it is," said the Colonel, extremely sorry to -dash her hopes to the ground, and he rapidly related all that had been -discovered. As he proceeded Miss Hest lifted her face, which grew more -composed. - -"And is this all the evidence you have to go upon?" she inquired with -scorn; "The word of a man whom you admit to be a scoundrel?" - -"You forget," said Vernon gravely, "that your brother endorsed the -accusation by flight and by taking his accomplice with him." - -"Such an accusation might well make a man fail to stand his ground," -said the woman resolutely, "and on the spur of the moment Francis may -have lost his wits. But he will return to repel this accusation." - -"From what you say of a Deed of Gift, Miss Hest, that does not seem -likely to happen. If your brother is innocent let him surrender -himself to the police and stand his trial." - -"I shall advise him to do that at once. Where is he to be found?" - -"No one knows, and the police would give much to learn. But you heard -last from him, since he sent the Deed of Gift and informed you of his -plans." - -"There was no address on the letter," said Frances, wringing her hands -helplessly, "and he did not even promise to write when he went abroad. -For all I know he may have vanished for ever." - -Vernon made an observation: "That looks like guilt." - -"Until Francis admits with his own lips that he is The Spider I -decline to believe it," said Miss Hest, making a violent effort to -recover her composure. "You forget that you indirectly accuse him of -murdering poor Mr. Dimsdale. How can I, his sister, bear to hear -that?" - -"Your feelings do you credit," said Towton sadly; "nevertheless----" - -"Stop!" she interrupted, holding up her finger. "Ida is coming. Not a -word to her, if you please." - -"Certainly not. Neither Vernon nor I shall say anything until----" - -"Say nothing until I see you again," said Frances rapidly. "I shall -call at The Grange and hear more. When in possession of the facts I -shall go to town and----Silence! silence! Here is Ida." - -Just as the name left her lips the door slowly opened and Miss -Dimsdale entered. Both the gentlemen uttered exclamations of -astonishment and pity at the sight of her altered appearance. From -being a bright and laughing girl, rather plump than otherwise, she had -become thin and careworn, and advanced with a shrinking air, quite at -variance with her known character. The black dress she wore enhanced -the melancholy of her appearance, and the Colonel, being very much the -lover, grew darkly red at the sight. - -"How is it that Miss Dimsdale looks so ill?" he asked Frances -furiously. - -"She is worried over something, and the air of this house doesn't suit -her at all," said Miss Hest, who was trying to subdue her emotion. -"Again and again I have wanted her to return with me to London, -but----" - -"But I won't go, I won't go," said Ida in her soft voice. "Don't look -so angry, Richard." It was the first time she had uttered his -Christian name, and Towton flushed with pleasure. "I am quite well." - -"You look extremely ill," he replied bluntly. Ida sat down with a -sigh. "It's not the fault of Frances. She has been like a sister to me -ever since the death of my dear father." - -"Ida, come and stay at The Grange. Lady Corsoon is coming down this -evening. I am sure you will be happier there." - -"I can't leave Frances." - -"Nonsense!" said Miss Hest with something of her old vigour; "you will -be much better with your own people, Ida. If you stay here they will -think that I am after your money." - -"Oh, Frances, when you know----" - -"It's all nonsense, dear. The Colonel here declares that Diabella -is, or rather was, Constantine Maunders, masquerading as a -fortune-teller." - -"Then what he said is----" - -"Are you talking of a secret of your father's, Ida?" asked Vernon -quickly. - -"Was Mr. Dimsdale my father?" she demanded facing round anxiously. -"Diabella--that is, Constantine, if what you say is true--told me -that I was not his daughter. If so, I have no right to the property, -and--and----" She put her hand to her forehead, "Oh, my poor head!" - -Towton crossed over and took her hand. "Ida, is it this which has -been so troubling you?" he asked tenderly. - -"Yes! Yes! I wondered if what Diabella said was true. I could not be -certain, although I _did_ want to see the lawyer and give up the -property. But Frances said----" - -"Frances advised delay until the truth was known beyond all doubt," -said Miss Hest, now quite composed. "For this did I send for you, -Colonel Towton. Ida is fonder of you than of anyone else, so you are -the person who ought to marry her. Then you can look into the matter." - -"But, Frances," cried Ida much astonished, "I thought that you wanted -me to marry Constantine or your brother." - -"Both of them are bad matches now if what Mr. Vernon says is true," -replied Miss Hest bitterly; "better take up with your old love." - -"What has been said?" questioned Ida anxiously looking into the -disturbed face of her friend. - -"Better not ask," muttered the woman, and cast a warning glance at the -two visitors; "least said, soonest mended. Ida, will you go to The -Grange and stay with your aunt?" - -Ida ran to Frances and, falling on her knees, threw her arms round her -neck fondly. "What! Would you have me leave you when I see you so sad? -Something is wrong? What is it? You have comforted me, so let me -comfort you." - -"Nothing can comfort me," said Miss Hest in melancholy tones; "it's -nothing, my dear, nothing at all. I wish--oh, I wish----" She rose -suddenly and ran towards the door. "I can't stand any more." - -Vernon was not surprised at Miss Hest's sudden departure. -Strong-minded as she was, the terrible news that her twin brother was -a robber and a murderer and was being hunted down by the police had -quite broken down her strength of character for the time being. He -pitied her extremely, as he had always liked her more than Towton had -done. So far as he could see, she was a kind-hearted woman: masterful, -it is true, but possessed of sterling qualities which that very trait -enabled her to make good use of. To one of her inflexible honesty the -discovery of her brother's sin must have been gall and wormwood. - -Meanwhile, the Colonel, holding Ida's hand within his own, was -pleading anxiously that she should visit The Grange and regain her -health in the cheerful society of her aunt and cousin. "And I can -explain all about the story told by Maunders, masquerading as -Diabella," coaxed Towton softly. - -But Ida was in no mood to listen to her lover or to yield to his -wiles. She pulled her hands away hurriedly and spoke with pettish -haste. "How can you bother me about such things when Frances is so -ill? I must go to her at once." And she glided rapidly towards the -door, evading Towton, who would have detained her. - -"Ida, Ida! do listen to me." - -"No! No! No! On another occasion, when I see you again--to-morrow, or -the next day. But Frances is ill: Frances wants me." She opened the -door quickly. "Coming, dear; coming!" and without a glance at the -visitors vanished from the room. Her heart seemed to be rather with -Miss Hest than with the lover who so ardently adored her. - -The gentlemen looked at one another in dismay; this did not seem a -propitious moment for Towton's wooing, as Ida appeared to be entirely -infatuated with her friend. There was nothing left for them to do but -to take a speedy departure and to return on a more fitting occasion. -Miss Hest, being naturally troubled in her mind, was not likely to -reappear, and Ida undoubtedly would decline to leave her friend's -side. Not unreasonably, the Colonel felt very cross. - -"Ida seems to be crazy about that infernal woman," he snapped -irritably. - -"She is very faithful to those she loves and therefore will make you -the better wife," said Vernon gravely. - -"I want her to be faithful to me and not to Miss Hest," retorted -Towton. "It is ridiculous that she should behave in this manner. -What's to be done now?" - -"We must wait until Lady Corsoon comes. She has plenty of good sense -and may be able to talk Ida into a reasonable frame of mind." - -"I can't see where Lady Corsoon's good sense comes in, seeing that she -is a gambler and has risked her husband's displeasure in pawning -family jewels, Vernon. However, only one woman can talk round another, -so your suggestion is a good one. Meanwhile, just ring the bell for -someone to show us out of this condemned vault." - -Vernon pulled the old-fashioned bell-rope and shortly--as though she -had been listening on the outside of the door--a tall, lean woman with -a white face and a prim, pinch-lipped smile, made her appearance. -Without waiting to be addressed she introduced herself to the -visitors. "Miss Jewin, gentlemen," she said with a stiff curtsey; -"What can I do for you?" - -At the sound of her voice Vernon started and looked at her closely, -but whatever he saw he said nothing at the moment, merely intimating -that he and his friend desired to depart. - -"And tell Miss Hest we will call to-morrow with Lady Corsoon," said -the Colonel aggressively, and stalked out preceded by Miss Jewin, -still primly smiling, and looking like a white cat. - -Not until they were in the village did Vernon explain why he had -started at the sound of the housekeeper's voice. "That woman," he said -quietly, "is the very one who admitted me into the empty house in West -Kensington and who locked me in the kitchen." - - - - -CHAPTER XIX. -A BOLD OFFER. - - -Lady Corsoon duly arrived and duly complained of the length of the -journey. The strain to which her nerves were subjected on account of -the suspense she suffered regarding The Spider's blackmailing, -rendered her somewhat irritable, and those around felt the effects of -her temper. But Lucy, having a singularly placid nature, invariably -contrived to soothe down her mother's ruffled plumes, while the two -men, knowing what Lady Corsoon felt, paid her every attention. The -next morning, therefore, she felt somewhat better and acknowledged -that The Grange was endurable. But she resolutely refused to call -straightway at Gerby Hall. - -"I shall go to-morrow," she said when Towton urged the visit. "My -nerves must have time to recover from the journey into these wilds. -Besides, Ida should call and see me, since I am the elder." - -"But I wish you to persuade Ida to take up her quarters here while you -remain," pleaded the Colonel. "She is infatuated with Miss Hest and -will, I am certain, not come here of her own accord." - -"I'm sure I never could understand what Ida saw in that woman," said -Lady Corsoon fretfully. "Miss Hest is nice enough and quite agreeable, -but nothing out of the ordinary. When my poor, dear brother died Ida -should have accepted my guardianship. I offered twice to look after -her, but she refused--because of this Hest woman, I presume." - -"You must remember, Lady Corsoon, that Ida is a spoilt child----" - -"Spoilt!" interrupted the lady; "I should think so. Many a time have I -implored Martin not to ruin her; but I might as well have spoken to a -block of stone. You will have no easy task to manage her when you make -her your wife, Colonel." - -"I am quite certain that when Ida is removed from the companionship of -Miss Hest I shall be able to manage her with the greatest ease," said -Towton emphatically; "but the question is how to get her away. I look -to you to use your influence, dear lady." - -"Mine? Why, I never had the least influence with that headstrong girl, -my dear Colonel. I'll go to-morrow and give her a talking to, and -perhaps I may be able to induce her to return with me to London. But -while she is the mistress of ten thousand a year she can defy me. Now, -if The Spider can give me that fortune, as he declares, I shall soon -bring Ida to see that she must behave like a sensible human being. I -suppose Mr. Vernon told you of the letter I received? He hinted as -much to me, though I think he should have held his tongue." - -"He did hold his tongue about your business, more or less, Lady -Corsoon. It was Mr. Maunders who let slip the secret." - -"And what business is it of Mr. Maunders', I should like to know?" -asked Lady Corsoon, putting up her lorgnette and looking haughtily at -Towton. - -"This much--that he wrote the letter." - -"What!" Lady Corsoon bounded from her seat. "Then he is The Spider?" - -"No," said the Colonel prudently, who did not intend to tell his -companion more than he could help, as he placed no reliance on her -tongue; "but, knowing from yourself about the first letter you -received from The Spider, and anxious to marry your daughter, he made -use of the blackmailer's scheme to secure his own ends." - -"What audacity! Can he--Mr. Maunders, I mean--really place me in -possession of Martin's money?" - -"I can't answer that for the moment," replied the Colonel carefully, -"but at any rate by promising to do so he hoped to marry Miss Lucy." - -"He shall never do that," cried Lady Corsoon energetically; "unless, -of course, he keeps his promise. Lucy must save me from----" She -hesitated. - -"Mr. Maunders told me about your losses at bridge, and----" - -"And that I pawned certain family jewels," finished the lady. "Well, I -never! To think he should discuss my affairs in this way. I have been -a fool: I don't deny that I have been a fool, but there was no need -for Mr. Maunders to let the whole world know." - -"The world is only represented by myself and Vernon," said the Colonel -drily, "and your secret is safe with us." - -"But Mr. Maunders----" - -"He has his hands full. You won't see him again." - -"But in that case his promise----" - -"My dear Lady Corsoon, I do not think he will be able to keep his -promise, for certain reasons which I need not tell you now. Better -give your consent to the marriage of Vernon and Miss Lucy. They love -one another and he will soon have a title and an income." - -"Did you invite me down with Lucy to forward that marriage?" asked -Lady Corsoon with sudden suspicion. - -"Partly," answered Towton coolly, "and partly because I wished to -enlist you on my side as regards Ida." - -"Oh, I am willing to help you, but as to Mr. Vernon--he is with Lucy -now?" - -"Yes. They have gone for a walk." - -Lady Corsoon frowned. "Lucy could make a much better match," she said -hesitating. - -"With Constantine Maunders, for instance." - -"At all events, he promises me ten thousand a year." - -"On what grounds?" - -"I don't know." - -"Then, believe me, he is only bluffing." - -"But he knows about my pawning of the jewels, and even if this horrid -Spider creature holds his tongue Mr. Maunders may tell Sir Julius. -Then heaven only knows what would happen; Julius is so impossible." - -"I shall engage that Maunders remains silent if you will give your -consent to the marriage. After all, Miss Lucy would be Lady Vernon." - -"She could be a countess if she played her cards well. I really don't -know what to say; I am in the dark, so to speak. Wait until I see Ida -and then I may form an opinion." - -"How can Ida help you to do so?" - -"She may be able to tell me if there was a will in my favour. I really -believe from that letter of The Spider's--well, of Mr. Maunders', -since you say he wrote it--that Martin left the money to me and that -Ida destroyed the will. I'm sure she's capable of it." - -"Permit me to remind you, Lady Corsoon," said the Colonel sternly, -"that Miss Dimsdale is to be my wife and that I shall not permit -anyone to cast a slur on her character. If the money is left to you -she will hand it over." - -"What, ten thousand a year?" said Lady Corsoon beaming. "Oh, she would -be a good girl if she did that. Well, I shall wait and see. In the -meantime I do not mind Mr. Vernon being with Lucy." - -Colonel Towton shrugged his square shoulders. He thought that the lady -was making a virtue of necessity, as the young couple had taken French -leave after breakfast and had vanished. And had Lady Corsoon been -gifted with supernatural sight she would scarcely have been pleased -had she seen the two sitting by Bolly Dam with their arms round one -another. Also Lucy, the meek, the amiable, the well-conducted, was -kissing Vernon in the boldest manner and swearing that she would marry -him and him only. - -"Mother wants me to marry Mr. Maunders," said Lucy, snuggling up close -to her lover, "and papa desires me to become the wife of Lord -Stratham. But I shall only marry you, darling, you. Arthur," she -pressed her cheek against his breast and looked up into his eyes, "run -away with me." - -"Would you elope if I asked you?" - -"I have just offered to elope without your asking me," she replied -nodding. "I can't speak plainer, can I? Oh, dear me," she sighed, -resting her head on her lover's shoulder, "how weary I am of -everything. Papa is always busy in the City and has hardly a word to -say to me; mamma has some secret worry about which she will not speak, -and I am left to find my own amusements. Do take me away, Arthur. -Isn't Gretna Green somewhere about these parts? Let us go there and -get married." - -"No, dear. I don't think there will be any need for a runaway match, -unless it is the romance of the thing that you desire. Colonel Towton -has promised to speak to your mother, and I have an idea that he will -gain her consent to our marriage." - -"She consented before," pouted Miss Corsoon, "and then changed her -mind. Why, I'm sure I don't know. It's much better to get married -quietly and then she would have to forgive us." - -"My dear," said Vernon firmly, "I prefer to act honourably and openly. -From a letter I received this morning it seems that my poor uncle -cannot live much longer. In a month at the latest I shall be in -possession of the property and the title; then I shall see your father -and demand your hand. He likes me, and when he learns of my new -circumstances I am sure he will consent. With him on our side your -mother will be quite willing to accept me as her son-in-law." - -"I'll do whatever you say, dearest," whispered Lucy fondly, "only I'll -never marry anyone but you. So there!" and she gave him a kiss which -her lover promptly returned. Then they sat hand in hand, looking at -the view, and too happy to speak further. Love's silence is more -eloquent than Love's speech. - -Before them the reservoir rippled under the breath of a gentle wind, -and spread like a vast blue lake toward the purple of the moorlands. -Immediately in front of the lovers the massive wall of the dam -stretched from side to side of the valley, which here was extremely -narrow. Looking at that vast body of water, Vernon could not help -doubting the strength of the protecting wall as the wavelets -almost lipped its top. There was a channel on the hither side with -flood-gates, but it seemed too small to carry off much superfluous -water. In summer time the dam was no doubt all that could be desired -in the way of strength, but when the winter snows melted on the -moorlands it appeared probable--at least, Vernon, knowing nothing of -engineering, thought so--that the water would overflow the dam. In -that case it might break down the wall, and then the young man -shuddered to think of what would happen. The whole contents of the -lake, narrowed by the gorge, would shoot down the three odd miles of -the valley with the force and condensation of a hose, and assuredly -would sweep it clean from end to end. - -"To make things safe," said Vernon aloud and giving speech to his -thoughts, "there should be two channels for waste water, each broader -than the single one over there. I'm sure there will be a catastrophe -some winter or spring." - -"Oh!" Lucy pouted again. "I speak of love and you bother yourself over -this silly old puddle." - -"It would prove to be anything but a puddle if the dam broke," said -Vernon doubtfully. "I hope Towton will take steps to make things -safer. Bowderstyke Village and Gerby Hall would be smashed to pieces -if this vast body of water discharged itself without leave." - -And he stared anxiously at the placid lake. - -Miss Corsoon, rather annoyed by this unlover-like conduct, rose -quickly and consulted a tiny jewelled watch pinned to her blouse. -"It's nearly luncheon-time," she said with an affectation of -indifference, "and I am so hungry." - -"Hungry?" Vernon caught her hands, "when we are together." - -"I can't live on love, and you keep talking of this stupid waterworks. -We really must go home, Arthur, as mamma will be wondering what has -become of us. You don't wish to get me scolded?" - -"I'll bear half of the scolding. Hullo! Who is this?" - -He shaded his eyes with his hand and looked across the reservoir to -where a tall figure appeared on the broad parapet of the dam. The -figure--it was that of a man--came swiftly across, but midway caught -sight of the lovers. For one minute the stranger stared as if -thunderstruck, and then retreated as quickly as he had appeared. Lucy -caught hold of her lover's coat to prevent his following. - -"Where are you going, Arthur? Who is it?" - -"Hokar," said Vernon, greatly excited but pausing for a moment. "It's -the Hindoo who tried to strangle me and the Colonel." - -"What?" Lucy's voice sounded so terrified that he turned at once to -apologise and excuse himself. "Nothing, dear; nothing. But this Hokar -is a dangerous native of India whom I wish to get hold of. He went -down into the valley on the other side, so I must----" - -"Don't leave me! don't leave me!" wailed Lucy, desperately detaining -him. "I wish you wouldn't frighten me, Arthur. Come home at once." - -"But I want to follow Hokar. It is necessary----" - -"It is necessary to see me home," insisted Miss Corsoon firmly. "I -won't be left alone with wild Indians and strangling people." - -Vernon was torn between his desire to stay with Lucy and a feeling -that it was his duty to follow Hokar. He wished to meet the Hindoo -face to face and force him to speak. As he was the servant of -Maunders--masquerading as Diabella--he probably knew something, if not -indeed a great deal, about Hest, and a few questions might intimate -the villain's whereabouts. But the man had already vanished and it -would be difficult to trace him, although Vernon had a shrewd -suspicion that he was to be found at Gerby Hall. For a moment the -young man hesitated between duty and pleasure, then, under the -reproachful gleam of Lucy's eyes, pleasure gained the victory. Vernon -escorted Miss Corsoon back to The Grange, comforting himself with the -reflection that it was necessary to consult Colonel Towton before -taking any steps to bring Hokar to book. All the way home Lucy chatted -in a lively manner, but, preoccupied with his own thoughts, Vernon was -somewhat absentminded, a cause of offence to the girl. But how could -any man give way to the ruling passion of love when one of the -villains concerned in a dangerous conspiracy against society was in -the neighbourhood? Vernon wondered how Hokar had come to these -solitudes and how Hest had succeeded in lulling his sister's -suspicions, so that she might receive the man. For, on the face of it, -Hokar must be staying at Gerby Hall. - -After a merry luncheon, during which Lady Corsoon, bearing in mind her -late conversation with her host, was very gracious to Vernon, the -ladies departed to their boudoir, the mother to rest and the daughter -to write letters. Lucy, indeed, wished to call and see Ida, but Lady -Corsoon refused to let her go alone, and again expressed her -determination not to pay a visit until the next day. Lucy, always -anxious to keep her parent in a good temper, was obliged to fall in -with this arrangement, and followed Lady Corsoon out of the room. - -It could be easily seen that the wily wife of the millionaire was -unwilling to leave her daughter in the too fascinating society of -Vernon, and evidently had made up her mind not to consent to the match -until she was certain that her late brother's fortune would _not_ come -into her hands. - -Left alone with the Colonel, the young man related how unexpectedly -Hokar had appeared and disappeared on the dam. Towton listened -frowningly and considered awhile before expressing his opinion. - -"There's something suspicious about all this," he said at length. -"Here is Miss Jewin, the very woman who tricked you into becoming a -prisoner at that West Kensington house, and here also is Hokar, the -Hindoo, so closely connected with Maunders, and, for all we know, with -Hest." - -"What do you make of it all?" - -"It's a gang of thieves," said Towton unhesitatingly. "Hokar, Bahadur, -Miss Jewin, Maunders, and Hest are all banded together under the -leadership of the last as The Spider. He has vanished, and so has -Maunders, so I expect he sent down the Hindoos here in order that they -might be out of the way." - -"And Miss Jewin?" - -"She has always been the housekeeper at Gerby Hall, Vernon. But I -daresay Hest got her to come to London to be used as a tool, knowing -that he could trust her. She is a very old and faithful woman, and I -believe was the nurse of both Hest and his sister. The people -hereabouts call her an old witch, and she is credited with all manner -of occult powers." - -"I can understand Miss Hest not being suspicious of Miss Jewin," said -Vernon thoughtfully, "as she may have gone to London ostensibly for a -trip and then would have returned in the ordinary course of things. -But Miss Hest must surely wonder at the presence of Hokar. I am bound -to say that I did not see Bahadur." - -"He may be here, or he may not," rejoined the Colonel; "We'll soon -find out. To-morrow I go with Lady Corsoon to see Ida, and then I can -warn Miss Hest of the character of the man. If, indeed, she doesn't -know it." - -"Towton, you surely don't suspect Miss Hest of knowing anything about -her brother's wickedness?" - -"No, I don't say that. And yet it is strange the Hindoo should be -there. And why should he be lurking about the Bolly Dam? I shall go -myself to-morrow, after I have seen Miss Hest, to make an -examination." - -"What do you mean?" - -"I mean that a crafty devil like Hokar doesn't take walks for the -benefit of his health, and that he may be tampering with the -dam--perhaps by order of Francis Hest." - -"In that case, why not have the dam examined to-day?" - -"There is no immediate hurry. Hokar will find it no easy task to break -down that gigantic wall, if that is his aim. Besides, the Vicar is -calling this afternoon to pay his respects to Lady Corsoon. I wish to -have a chat with him on the subject of Hest, and to learn what he -thinks of him." - -"What can he think, but that Hest is a genuine philanthropist?" - -"I daresay Hest is one person here and another in London. However, it -will do no harm to collect what information we can concerning him. -To-morrow you can come with Lady Corsoon and her daughter to see Ida, -and I shall go also. Afterwards you can inspect the dam." - -"Won't you come, too?" asked Vernon. - -"No. The fact is, I intend to ride to Gatehead to-morrow afternoon. I -shall leave you and the ladies at Gerby Hall. My steward wants to see -me about some property which requires looking after in one of the near -villages. It will be easy for me to ride there and look into the -matter myself. I can trust you to amuse my guests." - -Thus it was arranged, and Vernon put all questions concerning Hokar -and Bolly Dam out of his head. Lucy managed to evade the watchfulness -of her mother when that good lady fell asleep, and the lovers had a -stolen half hour all to themselves until the arrival of the vicar. -After that came tea and gossip, and a very pleasant afternoon ended -gleefully. But the most important event of the next twelve hours -happened after dinner, when the Colonel was called out of the -drawing-room to see a visitor. He left Vernon to amuse Lady -Corsoon and her daughter and took his way to the library, where the -visitor--who had not sent in any name--was waiting for him. To -Towton's surprise, the stranger proved to be Frances Hest. - -"My dear lady, why did you not join us in the drawing-room?" he asked -hospitably. "I'm sure the surprise would be a pleasant one." - -"Not to Lady Corsoon," said Frances quietly. "She is not over fond of -me. Besides, I have come to see you privately and on a most important -matter." - -"Ida," cried the Colonel anxiously. "Is she ill?" - -"No, no! Set your mind at rest about Ida. She has not changed since -you saw her yesterday. She doesn't know that I am here, nor does any -one else; not even your servant, as I gave no name when I was -admitted. Is the door closed?" and she cast a searching, nervous look -around. - -"This room is perfectly private," said Towton, noting that she looked -anxious and haggard. "Nothing mentioned here can be heard. I hope -nothing is wrong." - -Frances sat down and sighed heavily. "This much is wrong," she said -with a gloomy look, "that I have learned the truth about my brother." - -"The truth----" - -"What you told me yesterday is the truth," said Miss Hest bitterly. -"He is a scoundrel and--as it seems probable--a murderer. Yet I had no -suspicions of him, not even when he sent that Indian down here." - -"Hokar?" said Towton, secretly pleased that his doubts on this point -were about to be resolved. - -"Yes. Some time ago he came here with a letter from Francis, saying -that he was to remain here for a time. I gave him house-room and did -not pay much attention to the man, as I thought it was only another of -my brother's philanthropic schemes. But, from what you said yesterday, -this Hokar is connected with Mr. Maunders and my brother in their -wickedness. Oh," Frances struck the table with her clenched hands, "to -think that our name should be so disgraced by my brother!" - -"What have you discovered?" - -"That he is The Spider. Yes; there can be no doubt of that. See!" - -She took a long blue envelope from her pocket and opened it to -display a paper. "This is a mortgage on Gerby Hall and on all the -property," she explained. "The Deed of Gift to me is worth nothing. -Interest is due on the mortgage, and unless it is paid, the man to -whom the money is owing will foreclose. No wonder Francis presented me -with the estates. They are worth nothing and less than nothing. I am -actually a pauper." - -"Oh, I am extremely sorry to hear that, Miss Hest. But how does this -paper prove that your brother is The Spider?" - -"It proves that I am a pauper and nothing more. But I discovered -amongst my brother's papers the will of poor Mr. Dimsdale." - -Towton started to his feet. "What! is there a will?" - -"Yes. It is signed by Martin Dimsdale and witnessed by George Venery, -of Singapore, and Walter Smith, of Hong-Kong. After what you said -yesterday, I made up my mind that I would no longer be in the dark -regarding my brother's doings. I therefore broke open his desk, which -he always kept safely locked, and found a written statement regarding -Ida not being Mr. Dimsdale's daughter, but the child of a certain Mr. -Menteith." - -"Your brother must have learned that story from Miss Jewin," said the -Colonel. "For Maunders declared that she knew the history." - -"I quite believe it," replied Miss Hest. "For the statement was -signed by Sarah Jewin. I have not spoken to her yet, but I shall do so -to-morrow. She was in India with my father and mother and afterwards -in Burmah. I expect she heard the story there, and related it to -Francis. He added to it." - -"Oh!" Towton remembered about the embroidery to the tale. "Then Mr. -Dimsdale did not purposely delay the relief expedition which was to -rescue Menteith?" - -"No. He pressed on with all speed. But Francis invented that wicked -lie so as to get money from Mr. Dimsdale. How Francis got the will I -can't say. He certainly called at 'Rangoon' once or twice when he was -in London, but I scarcely think Mr. Dimsdale would have given him the -will." - -"Probably he stole it. I am sorry to hurt your feelings, Miss Hest," -added the Colonel hastily on seeing her wince. "But your brother is -extremely clever in a criminal way, and nothing he does surprises me. -I quite believe he was clever enough to get this will. Where is it?" - -"I have left it at home, and if you will call to-morrow I shall give -it to you. But I must make conditions." - -"Conditions?" The Colonel looked puzzled. - -"Ah, don't think badly of me," said Frances in an imploring manner. -"But consider my position. I am without a penny, for the property must -certainly be handed over to the man to whom it is mortgaged. Listen, -Colonel. This will states that Ida is not the testator's daughter, and -leaves everything to Ida Menteith, so there can be no doubt that she -inherits. Now, Ida loves you, and although I wished her to marry my -brother or Mr. Maunders, she always desired to be your wife. I am glad -now that she did not yield to my persuasions, since both Francis and -Constantine are criminals and exiles. So I want you to take her away -to-morrow and marry her and enter into possession of the Dimsdale -property." - -"You are very good, Miss Hest," said Towton, who could not but -acknowledge that she was acting most generously. "But your condition?" - -"It is scarcely that, Colonel; merely a suggestion. I shall give you -the will if you can arrange with Ida to give me eight or nine or ten -thousand pounds, so that I can have something to live on." - -Towton hesitated at this bold offer. "I can't say anything about that; -it is for Miss Dimsdale to decide." - -"Colonel, if I chose, Ida would remain with me altogether, as she -loves me." - -"Say rather," said Towton, somewhat unjustly, "that you have a great -influence over her, Miss Hest." - -"And if I have," cried Frances, rising to the height of her tall -figure, "has that influence been used for otherwise but good? Instead -of misusing it, as I could, to keep Ida beside me and retain command -of her money, I wish her to marry you and take her fortune entirely to -yourself. All I ask is for a sum to save me from begging my bread in -the street. Think of my position and do not be too hard on me, -Colonel." - -"I admit that you have some claim," said the Colonel politely; "and -doubtless Miss Dimsdale will consent to your demand. But I can say -nothing. It will be better to wait." - -"Until when?" - -"Until to-morrow. Then, with Ida, we can talk over the matter." Miss -Hest's lip curled. "You are a strange man, Colonel. I offer you a -pretty wife and a handsome fortune, yet you hesitate to do me -justice." - -"I see no justice in giving you ten thousand pounds," retorted Towton -sharply. - -"Well," said Frances, suppressing her rising anger, for she felt that -she was acting generously and the Colonel churlishly, "perhaps justice -is not quite the word which should be used. But you spoke now of my -influence over Ida as being great, and you spoke truly. She is very -fond of me, and I am perfectly well able to induce her to give up all -idea of becoming your wife, and to get her to remain with me. Then I -should handle the sum I ask for every year instead of only once, for -Ida knows nothing of business." - -"See here, Miss Hest," said Towton roundly, "I love Ida and I wish her -to be my wife. But she shall accept me of her own free will and -without being pressed in any way. Your influence can scarcely be so -great as you think, since Ida declined both to marry Maunders or your -brother, although--as you admit--you urged her to do so. I am coming -to-morrow with Lady Corsoon and her daughter to see Ida, and I hope -Miss Dimsdale will return with her aunt to this house----" - -"Not if I can prevent it," said Frances, her colour rising as she -hastily wrapped her cloak round her and moved towards the door. "Ida -remains with me as a hostage until I get this money, to which I am -entitled." - -"I fail to see that." - -"Because you have an ungenerous nature," she retorted. "Were I in -possession of an unencumbered estate I should ask nothing. But, as it -is, I must have money, and if you are wise you will buy this will and -your wife with a sincere promise--I do not even ask for it to be in -writing, so confident am I in your honour--to give me ten thousand -pounds on the wedding-day." - -But Towton was singularly obstinate. "Wait until to-morrow," he said -dourly. "What Ida says I hold by." - -"In that case I have the money," retorted Frances, and left the room -promptly with a dry smile and a light step, fully satisfied that she -had won. - - - - -CHAPTER XX. -GERBY HALL. - - -Contrary to his usual custom, Colonel Towton did not mention the -conversation or the visit of Miss Hest to his co-worker. And he -observed this reticence for two reasons. Firstly, he noted that Vernon -was too much engrossed in the society of Lucy to give undivided -attention to those anxious matters dealing with The Spider and his -machinations. Secondly, the offer of Frances particularly concerned -himself and Ida, therefore it was useless to ask advice which probably -would not be taken. As Vernon had always supported Miss Hest, he -undoubtedly would urge that she should be paid if she fulfilled the -conditions which she herself had laid down. Nine men out of ten would -have clinched the matter at the price, so that the Gordian knot might -be cut instead of unravelled. But Towton was no Alexander to adopt so -hasty a course, and did not see his way to surrender a large sum for -help which, in his opinion, should be freely rendered. - -Moreover, as he scrupulously regarded Ida's fortune as belonging -entirely to herself, Towton infinitely preferred to leave the decision -to her judgment. In spite of the triumphant smile with which Frances -had terminated her visit, the Colonel did not feel sure that she would -gain her ends, and suspected that her boasted influence over Miss -Dimsdale was less powerful than she pretended it to be. If she could -twist Ida round her finger--and she intimated as much--there was no -need for her to apply to Towton in any way, as all she had to do was -to give the will to Ida and receive in return a cheque for the ensuing -year's income. But this she had not done, and her very action in -seeking him made Towton suspect that she felt her influence with Ida -to be waning. The girl, therefore, would no doubt be glad to leave -Gerby Hall and come to The Grange; and it might be--but the Colonel -could not be certain on this point--that Frances was detaining her by -threats, although what such threats might be Towton could not -conjecture. And certainly, judging by the visit of the previous day, -Ida was fondly attached to Frances, and was remaining of her own free -will under the gloomy roof of her friend. Towton was perplexed how to -reconcile Ida's evident desire to remain at the Hall with the -unnecessary visit of Miss Hest. - -"I can come to no decision about the matter until I have seen Ida by -herself," thought the Colonel when he returned to the drawing-room. -"In the presence of this woman the poor girl may be intimidated, or -perhaps fascinated as is a bird by a snake. When we are alone she will -open her heart to me, as I know that she loves me, in spite of what -Miss Hest says. To-morrow, if she refuses to return with Lady Corsoon, -I shall remain behind when the others have taken their departure, and -perhaps may get a word or two alone with Ida. I wish I could remove -her from the society of that woman; I am sure it is harmful." - -When rejoining his guests, Towton merely intimated that his visitor -had come on business, and gave the company to understand that it was -of small consequence. Then he proceeded to make himself agreeable to -Lady Corsoon, so that Vernon and Lucy could have each other's company -without the uncomfortable presence of a third party. He taught his -elderly guest a new game of patience; but, as this proved to be -somewhat dull, the young couple were called in to form a bridge party. -They came unwillingly, and playing the game with but faint interest, -allowed Towton and Lady Corsoon to win. As the latter individual -retired to bed the winner of a moderate sum, she was in high good -humour, and refrained from scolding Lucy for her philandering with the -undesirable lover. And undesirable he was, so long as Lady Corsoon -hoped to obtain the fortune of her niece. If Maunders failed to fulfil -his promise, then the scheming wife of the financier was perfectly -willing to permit her daughter to marry Sir Arthur Vernon, it being of -course understood that he was to have the title before becoming Lucy's -bridegroom. Certainly she would have preferred her daughter to be Lady -Stratham, but as Lady Vernon, with her husband's rank and her father's -money, she would shine no inconsiderable planet amongst the stars of -London society, and Lady Corsoon could bask in the reflected glory. -Finally, as the ambitious mother fell asleep, she reflected that Lucy -being rather obstinate, it was just as well to humour her in this -instance, as she was quite capable of running away with the man of her -choice if permission were refused. Lady Corsoon would not have been -particularly astonished had she heard that Lucy had already made the -audacious proposal of flight. - -Next morning, however, to enhance the value of the prize, she kept her -daughter beside her, and remained in her own room on the plea of -looking after certain matters connected with feminine adornment. -Towton, on his part, had to attend to his correspondence; so Vernon -was left to his own devices. He thought that he could not occupy his -time better than by taking a walk to the Bolly Dam in the hope of -stumbling on Hokar. For this purpose he strolled leisurely along the -moorland path, enjoying the bright sunshine and the keen freshness of -the morning air. It was a perfect day, and had Lucy been prattling by -his side it would have been more perfect still. But his beloved was -absent, so Vernon could only feed his hungry heart by recalling -details of the delicious conversation which had taken place between -them on the previous day. - -He duly arrived at the dam, but could see no sign of the Hindoo. It -was still early, however, so Vernon sat down on the massive stonework -of the wall to wait for his possible arrival. While in this position -he became aware to his astonishment that he could hear sounds -extremely plainly from the mile-distant village. The clacking of the -mills, the subdued murmur of the torrent tumbling under the arched -bridge, the lowing of cattle, and even--but more faintly--the shrill -cries of children at play; all these struck on his ear with amazing -clearness, considering the distance. Certainly, a gentle wind was -blowing from the village, but even that did not wholly explain the -phenomenon, since the various noises were so markedly distinct. -Finally, Vernon concluded, and no doubt was correct in his conjecture, -that the narrow gorge acted as a kind of telephone, which, with the -aid of the steady wind blowing up its length, conducted the sounds -accurately. The discovery amused the young man, and he sat where he -was for a considerable time trying to distinguish between the several -noises. Later in the day he decided to get Lucy to sit on the dam and -then from the bottom of the gorge a mile away to call out and see if -she could understand what he was saying. The experiment would be both -scientific and interesting. - -For quite an hour Vernon waited, but no Hokar put in an appearance. He -then spent another hour in walking slowly round the reservoir, and -finally, without having seen a single person, he returned to luncheon. -At the meal Colonel Towton mentioned that he had written a note to -Miss Hest stating that the visit would be paid at three o'clock. "And -I have given orders for a room to be got ready for Ida next to yours, -Lady Corsoon," said the Colonel. - -"I doubt if Ida will come," sighed his guest. "She is singularly -obstinate in having her own way. What she can see in that woman is a -puzzle to me." - -"Miss Hest is very clever," remarked Lucy, "but there is something -about her that I do not like." - -"For instance?" queried Vernon bending forward. - -"I can hardly say," said the girl thoughtfully. "She is clever and -agreeable and quite well-bred. Yet she seems to be--be--dangerous." - -"I think that word applies more to Maunders than to Miss Hest," -observed Towton, "although I am bound to say that Miss Hest does not -satisfy me in many ways. She is too masterful. Dangerous, no. I should -not describe her as dangerous, Miss Corsoon." - -"I should, and I do, Colonel. I may be wrong, but the first time I met -Miss Hest at 'Rangoon' she gave me that impression." - -"One should never go against impressions," said Vernon gravely; "They -are the instincts of the soul." - -"Nonsense," contradicted Lady Corsoon vigorously. "I'm sure when I -first met my husband I could not bear him, and my mother had simply to -drive me to the altar. Yet I married him, and I'm sure we are a most -attached pair." - -The gentlemen were too well-bred to smile at this statement, yet it -secretly amused both. Everyone knew that the undeniable good feeling -which existed between Sir Julius and his wife was mainly due to their -diverse interests in life, which kept them more or less apart. Lady -Corsoon was always fluttering about as a society butterfly, while Sir -Julius remained constantly in the City, earning money for her to -spend. It was little credit to either that they were civil to one -another on the rare occasions when they met. Cain and Abel themselves -would not have quarrelled when only meeting--as the saying goes--once -in a blue moon But Lady Corsoon felt quite certain that she was a -model wife and a typical British matron (new style), and prattled on -about her domestic happiness until it was time to start for Gerby -Hall. - -"Vernon will escort you two ladies," said Towton, who was in riding -kit, and exhibited a more youthful air than usual. "I can follow." - -"You won't ride to Gatehead until you have called at the Hall," urged -Lady Corsoon; "for I may need you to insist upon Ida coming to The -Grange." - -"I shall assuredly be at Gerby Hall in half an hour, more or less," -replied the Colonel quietly. "But I should not think of insisting upon -Ida becoming my guest unless she honours me of her own free will with -a visit." - -"Oh, nonsense," said Lady Corsoon pettishly. "When you know how -infatuated she is with this woman Hest." And all the way down the -winding road she lamented that Ida was so impossible, and the owner of -Gerby Hall so second-rate. "For she is second-rate," finished Lady -Corsoon triumphantly. "I always said so, and would say so with my -dying breath." - -In due time the trio arrived at the gloomy Hall, and were shown by the -fat maid into the dingy drawing-room. It was less chill and dismal on -this occasion, as the windows were wide open and the warm breath of -the day stole in to ameliorate the damp atmosphere, as did the -sunshine to lighten the darkness. In the glare of day the furniture -looked quite faded, and the hangings extremely shabby; but there was -something dignified about the ancient room which impressed even Lady -Corsoon. - -"A very quaint old place," she said surveying it through her -lorgnette; "but damp. They ought to have a fire in the grate." - -"They couldn't very well have it anywhere else, mamma," giggled Lucy. - -"My dear, pray do not afflict me with your cheap wit. You perfectly -well understand my meaning. I shall take this chair, as the light -tries my eyes." - -So saying she selected a seat with its back to the windows, but less -to preserve her eyesight than to prevent Miss Hest from seeing too -plain evidence of her age. She throned herself in the spacious chair -with the air of a queen, and assumed a dignified mein as the door -opened to admit Ida and her hostess. Lady Corsoon's first remark was -scarcely polite. - -"You _do_ look ill, Ida," she said submitting her cheek to a kiss, -"and more than twice your age. Miss Hest, what have you been doing -with her?" - -"Trying to comfort her," replied Frances drily. "But you can scarcely -expect an affectionate girl like Ida to lose her father and not show -some signs of grief." - -"Signs of fiddlestick, if you will excuse the expression. It's want of -food and cheerful company, to say nothing of living in this vault." - -"Thank you, Lady Corsoon. I find the house of my ancestors very -comfortable." - -"I think not," replied the visitor rudely. "Quaint, as I have already -observed, old-world and interesting to an antiquarian, but I don't -think anyone could call this comfortable. However, this state of -things, so far as Ida is concerned, can be easily remedied. Ida, -child, I have come to take you to the Grange, which stands in a much -more healthy position." - -Ida, who had saluted her cousin and Vernon, turned even paler than she -already was and looked sideways at Frances. "I think that I prefer to -remain in this house," she said timidly. - -"Oh, you must not burden Miss Hest any longer," said her aunt coolly. -"Ida's company is no burden to me," snapped Miss Hest, who seemed to -be trying to keep her temper, "but if she chooses to leave me, she -can." - -"I should think so; as she is free to come and go as she wishes. Ida?" - -"I would rather stop with Frances," said Ida faintly, and again sought -the eye of her friend, as if seeking direction. "We are very happy -here." - -"Miss Hest, I appeal to you," cried Lady Corsoon, looking important. -"You can see for yourself that the dear child is like a plant, she -wants air and sunlight and every attention." - -"Ida is free to go and come as she chooses," repeated Frances with a -stealthy glance at the girl. "And perhaps it is just as well she -should go. I am returning to London in a week or so." - -"Frances!" Ida started to her feet, and a faint hue tinged her cheek. -"You never told me of this." - -"I never arrived at any decision until last night," replied Frances -coldly, removing the arm which the girl had thrown fondly round her -neck. "But a search amongst my brother's papers has shown me that my -position financially speaking is not so secure as I thought it was. As -it is necessary for me to earn my living I must go back to Professor -Gail's at Isleworth, and probably I shall agree to his proposal that I -should appear on the stage." - -"But, Frances, I have plenty of money. Share with me." - -"Ida," said Lady Corsoon sharply, "you must let older and wiser heads -guide you as regards the disposition of your fortune. Besides, it may -not be so secure as you think." - -"What?" Ida turned to face her aunt. "Then you already know that I am -not Mr. Dimsdale's daughter." - -"I know something about it," said Lady Corsoon, concealing her exact -knowledge and determined to appear surprised at nothing. "I received a -letter stating that on certain conditions I could get the money of my -brother. Whether you are my niece or not I can't say, but assuredly if -the money is mine I must enter into possession of it. Of course, you -may rely on my doing my best to help you." - -"I want nothing," said Ida, proudly lifting her head. "If the money is -yours you shall certainly have it. Am I not right, Frances?" - -"Perfectly right. But Lady Corsoon's fortune--to use her own words -with regard to you--may not be so secure as she thinks." - -"If Ida is not Martin's daughter, and there is no will, I should -certainly inherit," cried Lady Corsoon quite fiercely. "And I confess -that I am surprised to hear that my brother is not the father of the -girl I have always supposed to be my niece. I should like an -explanation." - -"You will have one to-morrow," said Miss Hest coolly. - -"I want one to-day," said the elder woman rapping her knuckles with -her lorgnette. "What have you to do with this matter, may I ask?" - -"More than you suppose. But, after I have seen Colonel Towton, you -shall be enlightened as to my exact position." - -"Frances, do you mean to say that the money is really mine?" demanded -Ida with a look of breathless interest. - -"If it was, what would you do?" asked Miss Hest doubtfully. - -"I should give you all the money you required." - -Frances hesitated, then came forward and kissed the girl quietly. "You -are a good child, Ida. I thought that I had lost your confidence." - -Miss Dimsdale did not contradict this statement. "I shall always -remember how kind you have been to me," she said, shrinking a trifle -from her friend's caress. "Nothing can make me forget the past." - -"Come, come," said Lady Corsoon, rising in a fussy manner. "This sort -of thing will not do at all. I must understand plainly what this -means. In the meantime, I request my niece to follow me to The -Grange." - -"I am not your niece, if all I have learned is true, and I decline to -be dictated to," said Ida quickly. "To-morrow I shall come to The -Grange." - -"Will you leave me, Ida?" asked Frances quickly and with a look of -pain. - -"For a time only," muttered the girl averting her head. "But I wish to -go to Colonel Towton's to-morrow." - -"Many things seem about to happen to-morrow," observed Lady Corsoon -walking towards the door in her most stately manner. "And as Ida -refuses to obey me, I wash my hands of her. Come, Lucy. Come, Mr. -Vernon. We must depart." - -"But the Colonel will be here shortly," protested Vernon, and Lucy -took Ida's hand kindly between her own. - -"The Colonel may do what he pleases," said Lady Corsoon loftily. "I am -not bound by his actions. Ida, I learn, is not my niece, and therefore -I shall instruct my lawyer--since there is no will--to demand a -surrender of Martin's property. Now that Miss Dimsdale--no, not -that--what is your name, may I ask?" And she hoisted the lorgnette -again. - -Ida shrank back before that severe look, and broken down in health as -she was with all she had gone through, burst into tears. Frances -stepped between her and Lady Corsoon. "You are a cruel woman," she -said indignantly, "and you shall leave my house at once." - -"Only too willingly, only too willingly," cried Lady Corsoon swelling -with pompous indignation. "But I call everyone to witness that I shall -have these matters examined into, and intend to claim my rights. Ida, -you are no niece of mine by your own showing, so I have finished with -you. Lucy! Mr. Vernon!" and she sailed out of the room and out of the -house in a high state of indignation. The fact is, the good lady was -greatly perplexed over the unexpected information that she had -received. She had believed that her brother had made a will in her -favour which Ida had destroyed; but she had never expected to hear -that the girl was not Dimsdale's daughter. In her hurry she left -Vernon and Lucy behind, while she simply rushed down the short avenue -and came face to face with Colonel Towton, who was riding in at the -gate. - -"What is the matter?" asked the Colonel surprised at seeing his guest -alone. - -"Matter!" Lady Corsoon halted, breathing hard with anger. "I really -don't know, save that the Hest woman has insulted me. Also I have -heard that Ida is not my niece, and therefore I am sure the property -belongs to me. I decline to stay longer in that house, and so I am -returning home. Perhaps, Colonel, you will demand an explanation. If I -don't receive a satisfactory one to-night, I write to my lawyer. So -there!" - -Towton tried to stem the torrent of this speech, but without any -result. Still talking of the way in which she had been treated, Lady -Corsoon babbled her way out of the gate and disappeared. The Colonel -rode up to the door, and, alighting from his horse, bound the bridle -to a ring in the wall. As he stepped inside, Vernon appeared in -attendance on Lucy. They had stayed behind to comfort Ida, who was -weeping over the harsh treatment she had received from her presumed -aunt. - -"What on earth is the matter?" asked Towton, putting the same question -to the couple as he had put to Lady Corsoon. "Miss Lucy, I have met -your mother rushing home in a high state of anger." - -"Miss Hest and mother have fallen out," said Lucy, hesitating how much -to say, for she knew how Towton loved Ida. - -"And Lady Corsoon has learned that Ida is not her niece," put in -Vernon. "Go in and comfort her, Colonel. I shall go after Lady Corsoon -with Lucy." - -"That is the best thing to be done," cried Frances, overbearing, and -putting her head out of the window. "Colonel Towton, I desire a -private conversation." - -"Do you wish me to remain?" Vernon asked his friend in a low voice. - -"No, no. I must see Miss Hest alone. I understand what she wants. Go -with Miss Lucy. She has already reached the gate." - -"But if you want me----" - -"I don't. When I return you shall know everything." - -"What do you mean?" demanded Vernon anxiously. - -"Colonel, Colonel," called out Miss Hest again. - -"I must go. Follow Miss Corsoon and pacify the old lady," said Towton -hurriedly, and hastened into the house, leaving Vernon much astonished -by his behaviour. Had the young man known of Miss Hest's visit on the -previous evening, he might not have been so perplexed. As it was, he -hastened after Lucy, who by this time was rapidly gaining on her -indignant mother, with a feeling that Towton knew more than he did -concerning the present state of affairs. Which as he afterwards -learned, was precisely the case. - -The Colonel entered the gloomy drawing-room to find Ida weeping on the -sofa and Frances comforting her. Before he could say a word, the -latter turned on him indignantly. "Why did you send that insulting -woman here?" - -"She came of her own accord," explained Towton frowning at the speech, -"and surely Lady Corsoon has not insulted Ida." - -"And me. She has insulted us both," cried Miss Hest angrily. "I should -have had her turned out of the house had she not gone." - -"It was my fault by telling her that I was not her niece," said Ida in -an agitated tone. "As if I could help that. But I won't trouble her in -any way; she has never been kind to me. I shall not set eyes on her -again." - -"But, Ida," said Towton, taking her hand and striving to speak -cheerfully, "I want you to come to the Grange." - -"Not while Lady Corsoon is there, Richard." - -Frances drew a long breath of relief, which annoyed the Colonel. "Are -you detaining Miss Dimsdale here?" he asked snappishly, for late -events had tried his temper greatly. - -"Oh, no," cried Ida before her friend could speak. "As if Frances -would do such a thing! But Lady Corsoon has been so rude." - -"You speak of her as Lady Corsoon?" - -"Naturally, since I am not her niece," said Ida simply. "When she -leaves The Grange I shall be delighted to come." - -Colonel Towton flushed through his tan. "I am a bachelor, Ida," he -said in stiff tones. "You can't come to my house without a lady is -staying there. That is unless you will marry me at once." - -Ida placed her two hands on his shoulders and looked at him kindly -through her tears. "If you will take a girl without a sixpence, I -shall marry you as soon as you please, Richard." - -"Don't put his chivalry to the test, Ida," remarked Frances in -somewhat acrid tones. "Colonel Towton knows that you have ten thousand -a year." - -"But if this story is true----" - -"It's quite true, only there is a will." - -"A will?" Ida stared and flushed with pleasure. "Then poor Mr. -Dimsdale did not entirely forget me." - -"He did not forget you at all. I found this will--well it doesn't -matter where, since I explained everything to our friend here last -night. But you inherit the Dimsdale property as Ida Menteith, so Lady -Corsoon will not be able to strip you of your worldly goods." - -"Oh!"--Ida grew even more scarlet--"then, Richard----" - -He caught her hands and pressed them to his breast. - -"My dear, I would take you without a single penny." - -"And that is the way in which you will have to take her," said Frances -drily, "unless you consent to my demands." - -"I leave that to Ida," said Towton, once more stiff and military. -"Leave what to me?" asked Ida, looking from one to the other. Frances -turned to her in a business-like way. "The property my brother has -made over to me is mortgaged and I am penniless. If you marry the -Colonel I lose your society and also the chance of being your -companion at a certain wage. To make amends I ask for ten thousand -pounds." - -"You shall have it, of course,' said Ida promptly. - -"Will you sign this document giving it to me?" asked Miss Hest pulling -a sheet of paper out of her pocket. - -"At once, if you will give me pen and ink." - -The two women went towards a table upon which stood what was required. -Apparently Frances had made all necessary preparations to get the -money. "You can give me a cheque also. Here is the book," she said -eagerly. - -"Ida, Ida! Are you wise in doing this?" warned the Colonel, following. - -"Yes," said the girl rapidly signing her name and without even reading -the document. "I want to marry you and be rid of Frances." - -Miss Hest sneered, while Towton started back, utterly astonished by -the change of tone. "I thought--I fancied--I believed," he stuttered, -"that you were deeply attached to Miss Hest." - -"I was, but--there are circumstances----" - -"Oh, let us have the truth," interposed Frances sharply. "You liked me -well enough and I liked you until you found that I was too clever for -you, so----" - -Ida caught at her lover's hand and made an effort to pull herself -together in the face of Miss Hest's contemptuous eyes. "You treated me -shamefully, Frances," she said in tones of reproach. "I loved you -dearly until you began to bully me and to make my life a burden. You -got me down here in order to gain possession of my money, and have -been trying to influence me into giving up not only my property but -Richard also. I saw what you were ever since we came to this house, -but, to deceive you, I played my part, and led you to believe that I -still loved----" - -"Oh, rubbish," said Miss Hest, whose eyes were as hard as jade. "You -played your part very badly. I saw through your weak tricks. You were -afraid of me, you know you were." - -"Yes, I was," said Ida, clinging to the amazed Colonel. "Because I -believe if you could have got me to sign away my property that you -would have killed me. I am willing to give you ten thousand pounds, as -I once had some affection for you; but now that you have got your -pound of flesh I shall leave this house with Richard." - -"To go to Lady Corsoon?" - -"Richard will protect me. And, heaven help me!" said Ida, putting her -hand to her head piteously. "I feel so dazed that I scarcely know what -I am saying." - -"You are not too dazed to sign a cheque." - -Ida without a word stepped to the table and began to write in the -cheque-book. Towton protested. "You shall not do this," he declared. -"While I fancied you loved Miss Hest, I was willing you should make -her a present of this large sum. But since she has treated you -badly----" - -"If Ida does not sign the cheque she does not get the will," said -Frances imperiously. "You can save your breath, Colonel." - -"You may hand over a false will?" - -"If I did that I should not get the ten thousand pounds," retorted -Frances. "Don't be a fool. I am acting straightforwardly enough." - -"Here is the money," said Ida tearing out the signed cheque and -passing it to her quondam friend. - -"And here is the will," replied Miss Hest, offering a paper, which Ida -took and gave to the Colonel. - -Towton glanced rapidly at the document. It certainly seemed to be a -genuine will signed by Martin Dimsdale and also by Venery and Smith. -He felt sure that there was no trickery about the paper, since Miss -Hest--now that Lady Corsoon knew the truth--would not be able to get -the money unless the testament of Martin Dimsdale was above reproach. -"It's all right," he remarked, slipping the precious paper into the -breast pocket of his coat. "But you, Miss Hest, are little else than a -blackmailer. You are the worthy sister of your confounded brother." - -The woman laughed after a critical glance at the cheque and signed -document to make sure that both were in order. "I am able to bear all -your hard names since I have secured the money. But that Ida refused -to obey me and kicked over the traces you would never have had the -will." - -"I thought that the money did not belong to me," protested Ida, -sheltering herself under the wing of her lover, "and wanted to return -it to Lady Corsoon." - -Frances nodded with a sneer. "Oh, I know how tender your conscience -is. You have whimpered enough about it. Only because of your silly -attitude did I make this arrangement, which is the best I can do for -myself. But I must say one thing, Ida, and you can take it as a -compliment. Clever as I am, you with your soft over-scrupulous nature -have been too many for me. Few people can say that. And now that all -is over between us, you can leave my house, as I hate the sight of -your insipid face." - -Ida shrank back into the Colonel's arms, and he addressed Miss Hest in -a voice rendered hoarse with indignation. "You are a thoroughly bad -woman. I never did approve of you, and now that I see you, as Ida -does, in your true colours, I tell you----" - -"My true colours," scoffed the other contemptuously. "No one knows -what they are. You least of all, you narrow-minded idiot." - -"What do you mean?" demanded Towton, taken aback by the malignant look -on her hard white face. - -"Don't ask her," implored Ida, striving to pull her lover to the door, -"she will only lie. Let us leave this wicked house, as I am certain -that there is something terrible concealed here." - -"Something terrible," echoed Towton looking startled. - -"Don't talk rubbish," muttered Frances, with a dangerous expression in -her eyes. "Colonel, you had better take away that fool, or it will be -the worse for her. I warn you." - -"I have heard strange noises," went on Ida feverishly. "People have -been coming and going in the dead of night. Then that Hindoo----" - -"Hokar!" cried the Colonel. "Miss Hest, how do you explain Hokar?" - -"I explain nothing," snapped Frances, marching to the door in an -imperious way and throwing it open. "Out you go, both of you," She -recoiled. "Ah! you dare to!"--with a gasp she tried to close the door -again, but Towton dashed forward and caught her arm. - -"I have seen; it is too late," he almost shouted. "Maunders. Come in!" - -It was indeed Maunders who stood on the threshold. He looked the ghost -of his former handsome, insolent, prosperous self. Thin and haggard -and worn, with his clothes hanging loosely on his figure, he presented -a woeful spectacle. "What have you been doing to yourself? How did you -come here?" asked Towton, stepping back much startled, with Ida on his -arm. - -"Ask that woman how I came here; ask her how she has treated me. But I -escaped from the room she locked me in by climbing out of the window. -Now I shall show her the mercy she has shown me. She is----" - -Frances darted forward and clapped her hand on his mouth. "I'll kill -you if you say the word. You cursed fool. Be silent or I give you up." -Maunders, with a strength which his frail looks scarcely suggested, -threw her off and staggered against the door. "I give _you_ up," he -shrieked, wild with anger, "you thief, you blackmailer, you -murderess!" - -"What?" cried Towton eagerly, and grasping vaguely at the terrible -truth. - -"Yes." Maunders pointed an accusing finger at Frances Hest. "There is -The Spider. A woman; a devil! Arrest her; imprison her; hang her on -the gallows," and he sank down on the floor, his back to the door, -with hatred written on his white and ghastly face. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI. -JUSTICE. - - -There was a long pause, a sinister lull in the tempest of passion -which was raging in that quiet, prosaic room. Gasping with impotent -passion, Maunders lay, resting his head against the door, an obstacle -which prevented the guilty woman from escaping. Not that she attempted -to escape. With a deadly white face, with steady, cold, malignant -eyes, like those of a snake, and with a contemptuous smile on her thin -lips. The Spider, visible at last in all her brazen wickedness, stood -defiantly at bay. Towton, with Ida clinging to his arm almost -terrified out of her senses, stared aghast at the evil being who had -been such a curse to many. The ominous silence was like the year-long -moment before the bursting of a bomb. - -Ida, with chattering teeth and trembling limbs, was the first to -recover the use of her tongue; but she could scarcely form the -words. "Oh, God! oh, God!" she whimpered, hiding her face on her -lover's breast; "it's too awful. I never thought--I never -thought--oh--oh--oh!" She broke down with a strange, hysterical, -choking cry, and would have fallen to the ground but that the Colonel -placed her gently in a near chair. - -Then he turned with military precision to face Miss Hest. "You are The -Spider?" he asked in dry, precise tones, and now entirely master of -himself. - -"Yes," she replied coolly, and her mouth closed with a triumphant -snap. - -"You infernal fiend----" - -"Gently! Gently! Hard names break no bones, Colonel. You should be -more of a man than to throw words at a woman." - -"Are you a woman?" - -"Yes," gasped Maunders, raising himself on his elbow and wiping the -froth from his pale lips; "she is Frances Hest right enough. Her -brother is a myth invented by herself to mask her devilries. But -Frances or Francis--she is The Spider!" - -"I did not mean that exactly," said Towton in his hard voice; "but I -asked if one capable of the enormities credited to The Spider can -possibly be a woman." - -"I am The Spider," said Miss Hest with a shrug. "There is your -answer." - -"You are a demon." - -"More names! Really, Colonel Towton, you are very childish. You sink -to the level of that fool," and she pointed scornfully to Ida, who was -weeping in the chair as though her heart would break. - -"To think that I should have been her friend," moaned Ida with a fresh -burst of tears and hiding her face. - -"You little fool," said Frances in a gentle, dangerous voice. "I have -been a better friend to you than you think. But that I pitied you as -being a poor, weak, silly worm, I would have murdered you long ago." - -"You murdered my father," shivered Ida, not daring to meet the cold -eyes which rested on her prostrate form. - -"Martin Dimsdale was not your father." - -"You--you--you murdered him." - -"Yes, I did." - -"What!" Towton could scarcely believe his ears. "You admit the crime?" - -Frances yawned ostentatiously. "If I admit that I am The Spider it -follows that I must have murdered Dimsdale." - -"Well, no," replied Towton, truthfully and justly. "You may have -employed Hokar to strangle him." - -"That is very good of you," said Frances satirically, "but I don't -place my own sins on the shoulders of others. Hokar taught me how to -strangle in the Thug fashion certainly, but he did not kill Dimsdale. -I did." - -"Still, I don't believe that the murder was premeditated," insisted -Towton. - -"Upon my word," said Miss Hest good-humouredly and as coolly as though -she were gossiping over a cup of tea, "one would think you were -counsel for the defence. No, you are right. I did not intend to murder -Dimsdale. Having got you out of the way----" - -"You mean that you got Vernon out of the way?" - -"Of course," assented Frances, sitting down and crossing her legs in a -gentlemanly fashion; "but you must excuse my bad memory, as I have so -much to think of. I got Vernon out of the way, as I overheard, and -Maunders there overheard, the arrangement for a trap. We were both on -the verandah." - -"And I was with you," wailed Ida, shivering again. "So you were," said -Miss Hest raising her eyebrows, "but you heard nothing. Maunders -caught a word or two through the open window of the library and warned -me. While you, my dear Ida, were talking to him I stole round the -corner and listened. Knowing all about the trap, I had Vernon decoyed -to the Kensington house, and at the appointed time I went into the -library, masked and cloaked, as were the other guests at the ball. -Dimsdale was waiting for me. I stole up behind him and slipped a -handkerchief round his neck." - -"Oh!" The Colonel was revolted. "And you say that the crime was not -premeditated?" - -"I say truly. I simply prepared to strangle him slightly should he -have made an outcry. Remember, I was in a dangerous position and could -not stand on ceremony. Had Dimsdale given me the money and permitted -me to leave by the window I would have spared his life. As it was, he -saw me in the mirror, which was directly in front of him." - -"But you were masked: he could not recognise you?" - -"I am coming to that. He waited for a moment, until I made my demand -for the money, then suddenly threw back his hand, and before I guessed -his intention he tore the mask from my face. When he recognised me I -was obliged, for my own safety, to strangle him. As the handkerchief -was in position I simply tightened it, and he was soon dead. Then I -searched for the money, but, not being able to find it, I resumed my -mask and returned to the ballroom. Maunders, of course, was with me -all the time, and awaited my return." - -"I did not know that you had committed a murder," said Maunders -gloomily. - -"No, I did not tell you at the time: it would have spoilt your -pleasure. But when Ida learned the truth by entering the library you -guessed what had taken place. I kept you with me for your own sake, to -provide an _alibi_ should you be suspected, as I feared Vernon might -be clever enough to guess that you had something to do with it. As a -matter of fact, he did hint at it when he called many days later, but -I was enabled to say that you were with me all the time, and so he was -put off the scent." - -"I remember," murmured the Colonel to himself, but not so low as not -to be overheard by Miss Hest's marvellously sharp ears. "Vernon was -quite satisfied when you provided the _alibi_ for Maunders. He never -suspected _you_." - -"No one ever suspected me," said Frances coolly. "There is no need for -me to speak of my own cleverness. Anyone who can baffle the police as -I have done has no need to boast." - -"But why, in heaven's name, with your abilities, did you embark on -such an evil course?" asked Towton amazed at her _sang-froid_. - -"Fate, Fortune, Destiny: what name you will," said Miss Hest -carelessly. "But you have tried to exonerate me, Colonel, and because -of that you shall hear the whole story," and, leaning forward, she -pulled the bell-rope. - -"Remember, I shall repeat all you say to the police," warned Towton. - -"I am not afraid of the police," retorted Frances with a shrug; "all -my plans are made--to escape. As that fool," she pointed to Maunders -lying sullenly on the floor, "has betrayed me twice I give him to you -as a sacrifice. But I shall never stand in the dock, you may be sure." - -"Will you kill yourself?" cried Ida, terrified at this strength of -mind. - -"No, my dear. I am too much in love with life. You shall know my plan -presently. Meantime, you shall hear how I came to be a blackmailer, as -you have already heard why I murdered Dimsdale, to my misfortune." - -"To your misfortune, indeed! sharply. - -"You may well say so, Colonel. I never intended to soil my hands with -blood, least of all with that of a man whom I liked and who was kind -to me. Don't sigh, Ida; after all, I did not shed his blood, as I -merely strangled him. But that death brought you and Vernon in chase -of me, Colonel, and so I am hunted down. Still, had Maunders been -true, I should have been safe. You knew Francis Hest as the criminal, -thanks to Maunders. I merged the brother in the sister and made -everything safe. Now," she shrugged her shoulders, "I must flit." - -"You shall go to prison with me," panted Maunders furiously. - -"I think not," rejoined Miss Hest contemptuously. "Don't you know me -well enough yet to be aware that I provide against all contingencies. -Come in!" she added, raising her voice, and, when the door opened, -looked at Towton. "I shall ask my old nurse, Miss Jewin, to relate the -beginning of my career; at a later time I can take up the tale, and -then our tumbled-down friend yonder can finish the story. Sarah, enter -and close the door." - -Miss Sarah Jewin was peaked-faced and white, with thin lips, scanty -grey hair and cold grey eyes. She was thin and bony and very tall, so -that in her plain black dress she looked like a line--length without -breadth. As she entered Maunders with a groan hoisted himself into a -chair. Miss Jewin had already pushed him aside when she entered the -room and, in place of replying to her mistress, stood looking at his -scowling, haggard face with a look of consternation. Maunders replied -to the look with petty triumph. - -"Yes, I got out," he said, rubbing the ragged beard which disfigured -his well-moulded chin. "I wrenched a bar out of the window and climbed -down by the ivy. Now the murder's out, and you and your hellish -mistress are about to be brought to book." - -"Don't mind him, Sarah," said Frances lazily and leaning back in her -chair to light a cigarette; "you are safe and so am I. Let the fool -talk. In the meantime, tell Colonel Towton here how I came to England -and how you knew that Ida was merely Dimsdale's adopted daughter." - -"I thought you wanted these things kept secret," said Miss Jewin in -dismay and turning pale with dread at the situation in which she found -herself. - -"The time for secrets is past, Sarah. Shortly, thanks to your having -allowed Maunders to escape and to Colonel Towton's sense of justice, -the hue and cry will be out against the whole of us. Is Hokar at his -post?" - -"Yes. He went away when you gave orders." - -"That's all right. I'll escape, sure enough, and so will you. We'll -leave Maunders behind to face justice: he can declare himself to be -The Spider instead of me if he chooses." - -"Oh!" Miss Jewin started back looking terrified. "Do they know----" - -"Maunders has told them, you dear old idiot. But there's no time to be -lost, Sarah; tell your story." - -"And be frank," broke in the Colonel, who was truly amazed at Miss -Hest's cool composure. "If you turn King's evidence you may receive a -short sentence for your complicity." - -Sarah Jewin folded her arms primly. "Begging your pardon, sir, but I -won't receive any sentence at all. I am quite sure that Miss Frances -will save me from going to prison." - -"I fail to see how she can save herself, let alone you," said Towton -coldly. "My horse is at the door. After placing Miss Dimsdale in -safety I shall ride to Gatehead and send for the police. You needn't -chuckle, Miss Hest, and think you will escape meantime. I shall raise -the village and you will be carefully watched." - -"You can act as you please," said Frances coolly. "I am not The Spider -for nothing, and I shall baffle you as I have baffled others. Meantime -since you were so just to me, I shall satisfy your curiosity, which I -am sure is very great. Sarah, tell your story." - -"One moment," said Towton, turning to the prim woman, "you lured -Vernon into the kitchen of that empty Kensington house?" - -She dropped an ironical curtsey. "Yes, sir. Miss Frances was pleased -that I managed so cleverly." - -Ida stared wide-eyed at the shameless looks and speech of the -housekeeper, and Towton frowned. That these creatures should so -audaciously confess their crimes when they knew he would shortly -summon the police puzzled him greatly. Also, remembering the wonderful -craft of The Spider, he felt uneasy as to what might happen, but he -could not conjecture in what way she could extricate herself and her -accomplice from the trap in which they were safely caught. However, he -made no comment on Miss Jewin's insolence, but merely ordered her to -proceed. - -"About thirty-five years ago," said Miss Jewin, plunging into her -story without any preliminary explanation, "I was in India and nurse -to Mrs. Hest, who was the wife of Captain Theodore Hest, stationed at -Bombay. The Captain's father, who lived here, was angry when his son -went into the Army, and cut him off with a shilling, but my master -believed that if a son were born to inherit the estates his father -would relent. When my mistress's baby proved to be a girl he was much -disappointed. However, as his father was old and might die before he -found out the trick, he sent home news that the baby was a boy, and -had her baptised Francis." - -"So you see," broke in Miss Hest who was smoking quietly, "that my -real name is Francis, and by law I am a man. As a woman I am Frances, -so there is merely the difference of one letter. Go on, Sarah." - -"She," said Miss Jewin, pointing to her mistress, "was dressed as a -boy and brought up as a boy, so that the estates might come to her. My -master's father relented when he heard that he had, as he supposed, a -grandson, and made a will in the boy's favour." - -"The boy, you understand, Colonel, being a girl--myself," said Frances -for the sake of clearness. - -"I quite understand," said the Colonel frowning. "Go on." - -"Then my master and mistress were carried off within a month of one -another by fever," continued Miss Jewin. "They died in Burmah, where -the Captain had gone with his regiment. I then took charge of Miss -Hest, who was always called Master Francis, and came to Gerby Hall. -Old Mr. Hest, the grandfather, just lived six months longer, but he -died under the impression that his grand-daughter was a grandson. Miss -Frances thus became possessed of the property." - -"Didn't the lawyer know that she was a girl?" asked Towton surprised. - -"No. As she had always been brought up as a boy the deception was -complete, sir," said Miss Jewin, using the word with shameless -deliberation. "The lawyer came here and saw Miss Frances in her boy's -clothes." - -"And in this way," explained Miss Hest, "it became current gossip in -the village that I had a twin brother." - -"A twin sister, you mean?" said the Colonel doubtfully. - -"Well, you might put it that way. At all events, everyone in -Bowderstyke believes to this day that there is a boy and a girl, or, -rather, a man and a woman Hest. I alternately wore male and female -clothes." - -"Why was there any need for you to wear female clothes at all?" - -"That was my fault," said Miss Jewin quickly. "When the succession to -the estates was settled I could not bear that Miss Frances should -masquerade any longer as a boy. I therefore dressed her in girl's -clothes, to which she was entitled, and invented the twin story. -Sometimes she was a boy, so that the lawyers should not learn the -truth, and sometimes a girl to please me. There's the whole story." - -"Now it's my turn," said Frances, throwing away her cigarette. "When I -grew up and learned how Sarah had muddled my sex in the eyes of the -world I decided to make use of it in order to earn money." - -"Why did you need money when you had the estates?" asked Towton -briefly. "Oh, those were mortgaged up to the hilt, my dear sir. I -wanted to be rich and to restore the Hest family to their old position -For this reason I posed as a philanthropist and spent the money I did. -What with the sums I have given in charity and the buildings I have -constructed, and the dam, which is my work, I think, Colonel, that the -Hests can hold their own with the Towtons. I hated to think that my -family was down while yours was up." - -"Oh," said the Colonel with contempt, "so it's a case of jealousy -merely. All your philanthropy was a fraud?" - -For the first time Frances coloured and rose out of her chair to reply -with more emphasis. "No; you must not say that. I really have a mixed -nature, and like to help people. My good qualities are the outcome of -my evil ones. I wanted to aggrandize the Hests, certainly, since they -were lords of Bowderstyke Valley, until your family robbed them of -their property. But also I really wished to do good and help people. I -think I succeeded." - -"At the cost of murder," said Ida resentfully. - -"That was a mistake," replied Frances glibly, "as I never intended to -murder Dimsdale. When I went to London in my woman's dress, with very -little money in my pocket, I simply intended to earn my fortune on the -stage, and by reciting to make Francis Hest--my other self, who was -supposed to live here--wealthy and popular. I found that the reciting -did not pay and cast about for some better means of making money. -Alternately I lived in London as Frances, and in Bowderstyke as -Francis. But I could not gain my ends by honest means, and so was -obliged to take to dishonest ways. If you wish to know the devil who -tempted me to eat of the Tree of Knowledge, he is before you," and she -pointed deliberately to Constantine. - -"It's a lie," cried Maunders, starting to his feet with a fine -appearance of indignation. "I met you three or four years ago in -London and you discovered that I earned my living by telling fortunes -as Diabella. That was all, except," he added, scowling, "that you -blackmailed me." - -"Quite so," said Miss Hest quietly. "I tried my 'prentice hand on you, -and the means of making money in this way was so easy that I took it -up as a trade and adopted you as a partner. Go on, Maunders, you tell -the rest of the story so that everything may be made clear." - -"There's nothing to tell," said Maunders doggedly, and casting down -his eyes as he met Ida's sorrowful look, for he was not so entirely -lost to all sense of shame as were the other two law-breakers. "You -made me find out all manner of secrets from my clients by hinting at -things and asking questions and by----" - -"I know," interrupted Towton waving his hand. "I am aware of how -fortune-tellers hint at a possibility and so find out the actual truth -from their too credulous clients. No wonder The Spider learned much -that people would fain have kept to themselves. Who told you about -Dimsdale?" - -"You know," said Maunders sullenly, "that woman there." - -"Yes," said Miss Jewin, still prim and shameless. "When in Burmah with -my master I heard about Mr. Dimsdale's love for Mrs. Menteith and how, -when her husband died, he adopted the child. But I never said that Mr. -Dimsdale delayed any expedition so as to get Mr. Menteith killed." - -"No. I invented that and made Maunders tell it to you, Ida, and to -you, Colonel, with the additions," put in Miss Hest, with great -coolness. "Also, on finding out that Ida was not Dimsdale's daughter, -I became alarmed as to the disposition of the property, therefore I -made myself a friend of the family and secured the free run of the -house." - -"You intended to get my money?" asked Ida reproachfully. - -"Certainly, my dear," replied Frances, raising her eyebrows. "Ten -thousand a year was far too much for a chit like you to handle. I -intended to get command of the whole lot. First I hunted in the dead -of night for the will, and found it in the library desk. Then I made -Maunders tell you that you were not Dimsdale's daughter, after the -murder, so that you might be dependent on me, since I knew a secret -which could rob you of the money. I had the secret told also to the -Colonel so that he might learn he would only have a penniless wife -should he marry you, my dear Ida." - -"Did you think so meanly of me as that?" demanded Towton, colouring -indignantly. - -Miss Hest raised her eyebrows. "My dear sir, my experience of human -nature has shown me that there is no mean trick which the majority of -men will not commit for money. You, however, were in the minority, and -so was Ida, as you both were honest. This upset my calculations, as I -could not provide against the unseen in human nature. You, Colonel, -still insisted upon marrying Ida, and she wished to hand over the -money to Lady Corsoon. For this reason I was forced to play my last -card and produce the will." - -"But you did not intend to be found out as The Spider?" - -"No, I did not," confessed Frances calmly. "When Maunders betrayed me -at Isleworth you thought that The Spider was a man, which was exactly -what I wanted and what I counted upon should such an event as -unexpected betrayal happen. In the fog I dragged Maunders away, and we -went to the house of a friend of mine whose name I don't intend you to -know. I wired in cypher to Miss Jewin here to send a telegram to -Francis Hest at Professor Gail's." - -"We got that," said the Colonel quickly, "and it threw us off the -scent." - -"I thought it would," said Miss Hest coolly. "So while you were -hunting for The Spider as a man in London I went down with -Maunders--he was disguised as an old gentleman and I resumed my -womanly dress. Then I wrote you on the plea of talking about Ida and -asked after my pretended brother to still further puzzle you." - -"You certainly succeeded," retorted Towton, trying to conceal his -wonder at all this clever trickery; "but Ida was here and must have -known that you were absent from the house as Francis." - -"Oh, no. I appeared before her twice in this room, which is, as you -see, not very well lighted, in my male disguise and with the painted -scar on my face. She was entirely taken in." - -"The very simplicity of your disguise took me in," said Ida angrily -and wincing at having been so blinded. "Had you worn a beard or a wig -I should have recognised you." - -"I think not," said Miss Hest quietly and with an amused smile. "As -the man I wore my hair somewhat long----" - -"I noted that," said the Colonel quickly. - -"How clever of you. Well, then, as a woman I merely knitted in false -hair. I couldn't wear false hair as a man since Ida would then have -been sharp enough to have recognised me. But plenty of women wear -false plaits, so I was safe on that score: she never suspected me. My -sole disguise was the cicatrice, skilfully painted, and the success of -the whole business lay--as Ida has submitted--in its boldness and in -the belief that I had a twin brother. I have always found," added Miss -Hest musingly, "that the bolder one is the safer it is: audacity -always scores. At all events, I so closely resembled my own true self -that no one thought I was anyone else but what I represented myself to -be. As Francis I told Ida that I was taking my sister away for a week, -and so slipped up to London to meet Vernon at Lady Corsoon's and to be -nearly trapped at Isleworth." - -"What about Hokar and Bahadur?" asked the Colonel abruptly. - -"Hokar," said Miss Jewin, making the explanation instead of Frances, -"was an old servant of Captain Hest's and came to England with me and -the child. Later he sent for his nephew, who was Bahadur." - -"Yes. And I gave them both to Maunders when I set him up in those -splendid Egyptian rooms in Bond Street," observed her mistress. "They -were not engaged to strangle people, as you may think, Colonel, but I -merely wished them to add to the fantastical look of the place when -fortunes were being told. That you were so nearly strangled, and -Vernon also, was your own fault and his own. You should mind your own -business, my friend." - -"I am going to mind it now," said Towton with a frown; "but first tell -me, since you are so frank, what about Lady Corsoon's jewels?" - -"They are in this house. I gave them into Miss Jewin's possession." - -"And Lady Corsoon can have them for one hundred pounds," said Miss -Jewin. - -"A very modest demand, Sarah," said Miss Hest approvingly, "but as the -game is up I don't think you will get more. I shall leave you to -arrange about getting the money and handing back the jewels. Lady -Corsoon will be safe, and at a small loss. But I am glad to think that -she will not get your money, Ida, dear." - -"Don't speak to me," cried Ida starting to her feet. "The more you say -the more I see how shamefully you have treated me." - -"I have spared you," said Miss Hest coolly. "I could have stripped you -entirely bare had I so chosen." - -"No. By your own showing I was too clever for you." - -"Why, that is true, and simply because you were honest. I always -wished to keep on the right side of the law, or I could have got you -to make a will in my favour, and then you would have been poisoned." - -"How dare you?" shouted Towton, while Ida gave a faint cry. - -"You have learned how much I dare," said Frances with an unpleasant -look. "So, now the story is told, perhaps you will leave my house." - -Colonel Towton walked towards the door with Ida on his arm and roughly -pushed Miss Jewin aside. "I shall place Miss Dimsdale----" - -"Miss Menteith," sneered Frances. - -"In safety," continued Towton without noticing the interruption, "and -then I shall ride for the police." - -"I shall come, too," cried Maunders starting to his feet. "She will -lock me up again and perhaps may kill me." - -"Stay where you are," commanded Frances sharply. "I intend to----" - -Maunders did not wait to hear the end of the sentence. Seeing that -Towton and Ida blocked the door he made a rush at the nearest window -and sprang out of it with a dexterity begotten of sheer fear. Whether -Frances intended to take him with her when she fled, or whether she -intended to murder him he could not say, but he preferred to trust in -the mercy of the law rather than in that of the woman who had been his -evil genius. Crazy with terror, he tumbled to the ground, and Towton, -along with Ida, ran to the front door, to see him speeding across the -grass. A moment later and Frances, with a revolver in her hand, leaped -from the window in pursuit. From the expression on her face she -evidently intended nothing less than murder. - -Towton hastily unbuckled the bridle from the ring and flung himself on -his horse. "Place your foot on my toe, Ida," he commanded; "up you -get. There," he added, gathering up the reins as she sat on his -saddle-bow and placed her arms round his neck; "now let us alarm the -village. That poor devil will be shot if this fiendish woman is not -arrested." And he rode forward at a moderately fast pace. - -"She'll catch him," chuckled Sarah Jewin, who had come to the door and -was looking out from under the palm of her hand. "Shoot, Miss Frances. -Shoot!" - -Maunders, finding that he was being chased, could not make directly -for the gate and dodged behind some shrubs. Frances sighted him and -fired a shot. It winged him, for he gave a yell of fear and ran -directly towards her in the open. She fired another shot, which struck -him in the breast, and he pitched forward at her feet. Just as she -fired a third shot into his prostrate body there came a noise like -thunder and a terrible cry from Miss Jewin. - -"The signal! The signal! The dam's burst!" and she bolted into the -house. - -In a flash Towton comprehended and set spurs to his horse. Frances -strove to fly, but Maunders with a last effort caught at her foot and -she fell heavily, fighting for freedom like a wild cat. The next -moment he had her by the throat. And in the distance a mighty roaring -struck the ears of all as the flood came down gigantically. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII. -THE END OF IT ALL. - - -Towton could not quite understand the situation, as there was no time -to consider matters. All he knew was that the Bolly Dam had burst, and -even had Miss Jewin not spoken, the appalling noise would have -informed him of the catastrophe. With Ida in his arms he spurred his -horse frantically out of the gate and across the village bridge. He -found the crooked street filled with people, called out by the -unexpected thunder. - -"The dam's burst: get on the high ground," shouted Towton, and with a -yell of fear men, women, and children began to run wildly in the -direction of the gorge and to disappear amongst the houses in the hope -of gaining some level beyond the height of the down-coming flood. But -there was scanty time for safety. The hollow booming sound of the -waters plunging through the narrows sounded ever nearer and nearer -with terrible distinctness: it seemed as though the waters were -bellowing for their prey. In a moment the Colonel comprehended that it -was too late to skirt the village and gain the winding road, where -they would be safe. Ida gave a cry of alarm as he wrenched round the -now startled horse and clattered through the village street on his way -down the valley. It seemed the only chance. - -"I'll save you yet, my darling," muttered Towton, setting his teeth. -"We must make for Gatehead," and he drove his spurs into the animal, -which now was becoming unmanageable with the roaring of the flood. -Ida, almost insensible with terror, clung to her lover's neck, and the -horse, making no more of the double burden than if it had been a -feather, tore at top speed along the road between the torrent and the -precipice. There was no safety on either side, as the precipice could -not be climbed, and the dry bed of the stream merely offered a deeper -grave. Fortunately, the road sloped gradually to the mouth of the -valley, some two miles away, therefore the downward trend offered -extra means to escape the pursuing greedy waters. A backward glance -showed Towton that a tremendous flood was shooting out of the -bottle-mouth of the upper gorge with terrific rapidity. The whole of -the huge lake, artificial as well as natural, was emptying itself in -one vast outpour, and owing to the narrowness of the valley the -concentrated force was gigantic. If the flood caught them they would -either be dashed to pieces against the rocks or would be borne -onward--horse and maid and man--to be expelled at Gatehead, as if -fired from the mouth of a cannon. - -"Oh, God, save us! Oh, God, save us!" was all that Ida could moan. - -"He will; He will," cried Towton, riding under spur and whip with a -mad joy in the adventure, perilous as it was. "He will save the -innocent and punish the guilty. Never fear, never fear, my darling." - -On roared the enormous body of water, curling like a mighty wave -crested with foam and glistening like a colossal jewel in the serene -sunshine. It passed with a hoarse triumphant screaming over the fated -village, and in a single moment Bowderstyke was not. Bearing _débris_ -and bodies of cattle and men, women and children on its breast, the -water rolled majestically on its destroying way. Like a wall of steel -it stood up, stretching from wall to wall of the valley, and before it -tore the terrified horse, warned by its instinct of rapidly -approaching danger. - -"We are lost! we are lost!" screamed Ida, hiding her face on Towton's -shoulder. "We can never escape. It's a mile further." - -"There's a crack--a path--a break in the precipice," panted the man, -almost despairing of saving what he loved best in the world. "If we -can gain that we can scramble up, and--and---- Great God! How it -travels!" - -From the sides of the valley trees were being wrenched up by their -roots, and even the stones lying in the bed of the torrent were being -lifted and swept onward like pieces of straw. Owing to the increasing -breadth of the valley the shouting and the level of the flood had -somewhat lessened, but the hoarse, steady murmur with which it -smoothly advanced seemed to be even more terrible than its triumphant -screaming. Nearer and nearer it rolled, towering, as it seems to the -desperate fugitives, right up to the high heavens. The horse raced -onward furiously, but there seemed to be no chance of escaping that -rapidly approaching death-wave, which swept along with relentless -speed. The man and woman were both silent, and both prayed inwardly, -as they faced the eleventh hour of death. - -And it was the eleventh hour, for there was still hope. Rounding a -corner swiftly Towton rose in his stirrups and sent forth a cry almost -as hoarse as that of the flood. A short distance ahead he saw a streak -of green grass marking the ruddy stone face of the precipice, and knew -that here was the crack to which he had referred. It was a mere chink -in the wall, of no great width, caused, no doubt, by the volcanic -action which had formed the valley in far distant ages. Many a time as -a lad had Towton climbed up that narrow natural staircase to the moors -above, but never had he expected to find it a means of preserving his -own life and the life he valued dearer than his own. Setting his -teeth, he glanced backward and then urged the horse to renewed -efforts. The wall of water was almost upon them, advancing with -terrible and steady persistence. The last moment seemed to be at hand. - -Suddenly the Colonel wrenched at the horse's bit and pulled the animal -up with a jerk. As it fell back on its haunches he slipped off with -the almost insensible girl in his arms and ran desperately towards the -sloping green bank, which showed itself like a port of safety between -the bare, bleak stones. As he gained it the horse, having recovered -itself, rushed past with a loose bridle and with the stirrups lashing -its sides. But Towton paid no heed. Almost in a dream he scrambled up -the bank, bearing Ida as though she were a feather-weight. With -straining eyes and bursting temples, and with his heart beating -furiously, he clambered desperately, dragging the girl rather than -carrying her, as he needed at least one hand free to grip the tough -grasses. Fortunately the slope was gradual, and had it not been there -would have been no hope of escape. As it was, when they were a -considerable way up the mighty wave surged majestically past, and its -waters shot up the crevice with gigantic force. This was rather a help -than a hindrance, as it assisted the almost broken man to mount -higher. But to the end of his days Colonel Towton never knew how he -saved his wife. All he could remember was straining upward, dragging -the now insensible woman with aching limbs and a blood-red mist before -his eyes. When his brain was somewhat clearer he found himself bending -over Ida in a turfy nook, while barely three feet below him the grey -water gurgled and sang and bubbled as if in a witch's cauldron. - -"Safe! Safe!" muttered Towton, and dropped insensible across the -inanimate body of the woman he had so miraculously saved from a -terrible death. - - -* * * * * * - -Nine months later, when the cuckoo had brought summer to the land, and -the earth was gay with flowers, two married men met unexpectedly in -the viridarium of the Athenian Club. They came face to face under the -peristyle, and after mutual glances of surprise and congratulation -burst out laughing. Then followed a warm handshake and merry speech. - -"Well, married man," said Vernon, as he sat opposite his friend at a -small table and ordered a half-pint of champagne to signalise the -happy meeting. "So you are back from your honeymoon?" - -"As you see," said the military benedict; "and you have returned with -Lady Vernon from the classic shores of Italy." - -"We came back last week, and are staying in town for a few days before -going to Slimthorp." - -"Welcome by the tenantry, triumphal arches, addresses, dinners and -speeches, and what not, I suppose?" observed the Colonel smiling. - -"Oh, yes. The tenants are delighted to have a master who will take an -interest in their doings and a mistress who can act the Lady -Bountiful. Lucy and I are about to enter into our kingdom, so we -intend to take full advantage of the satisfaction of our loving -subjects." - -"You are devilish lucky, Vernon. I have scarcely a loving subject -left, and Bowderstyke Valley has been swept clean from end to end." - -"As I saw," replied Sir Arthur with a shudder at the recollection. "By -jove! Colonel, you don't know what I suffered that afternoon when I -thought that you and Ida were smashed to pieces. Do you remember how -Lucy fainted when you appeared coming across the moorland with Ida -hanging half dead on your arm? It was a meeting of the living and the -dead." - -"Any woman less plucky than Ida would have died," said Towton, his -face lighting up with a fond smile. "When we got beyond the highest -level of the water she had fainted, and then I did. It was Ida who -recovered first, and, by Jupiter, sir, she brought me round! How we -climbed to the top of the moor I don't know, but she was as plucky as -a man, bless her!" - -"How is she now, Colonel?" - -"As happy as the day is long, although I don't deny that we both feel -sad when we look at our wrecked property. However, with her money we -intend to rebuild Bowderstyke Village and to reconstruct Gatehead, -which was also destroyed, if you remember. I daresay we'll be able to -inveigle people to live in the valley by offering land at low terms. -In a year or two we will have plenty of tenants to give you and Lady -Vernon a rousing welcome when you pay us a visit." - -"That won't be for some time, Colonel, as we have to look after our -own kingdom. I am glad to see that you are looking so well. When was -it that we last met?" - -Towton laughed and his eyes twinkled. "You must be happy to have lost -your memory so completely," he said with a jolly laugh. "Why, after -our mutual wedding breakfast at Lady Corsoon's; don't you recollect? -Weren't we married in great style on the same day, and didn't you go -to Italy and Greece for a honeymoon while Ida and I returned to The -Grange?" - -"It all seems like a dream," said Vernon absently, and a cloud passed -over his face, "and in my newly-found happiness I have tried to forget -these sad memories. We never had an exhaustive talk over things, -Colonel, and now that our wives are not here I should like to ask a -few questions." - -"Ask away. It's just as well we are alone. Ida doesn't care to talk of -that dreadful day or of her association with Miss Hest." - -"Nor does Lucy. That dreadful woman! What a dare-devil she was, and as -clever as they make them." - -"She was a sight too clever," replied Towton drily, "as she burnt her -fingers at the last. I suppose you know that Miss Jewin was caught?" - -"You wrote me something about it." - -"Didn't Lady Corsoon tell you anything?" - -"No. Why should she?" said Vernon with a look of surprise. - -"Well, as you knew the secret of her pawning those jewels, I thought -she would have told you of their recovery." - -"What! Were they recovered? Who had them?" - -"Miss Jewin. She escaped, but Drench caught her. She sent for me -before she committed suicide." - -Vernon looked horrified. "Did she kill herself, poor wretch?" - -"Yes. She hanged herself by her garters in her cell. I expect she knew -that she would get a long term of imprisonment, and so preferred to -get out of the world. But, as I said, she sent for me and told me -where the jewels were. She also threw a light on the catastrophe of -the Bolly Dam breaking." - -"We knew that Hokar exploded a charge of dynamite," said Vernon -looking inquiringly at his friend. "Don't you remember how he could -not get away in time, and confessed when dying that he had been -ordered by Miss Hest to blow up the dam when she gave the signal by -firing a revolver." - -"Oh, yes. I remember that as it all came out in the papers," said -Towton with a shrug; "and that's just the point. Listen, and---- Oh, -here's the wine." - -Vernon sent away the waiter after he filled their glasses, and the two -gentlemen drank to their dear wives and to a happy future for -themselves as married men. When this ceremony was ended, the Colonel -related what he had learned from unfortunate Miss Jewin before she -passed away. - -"I, dragged him down in disguise to Gerby Hall, and there locked him in -an upper room. Miss Jewin acted as gaoler, but in spite of her vigilance -the wretched man managed to break one of his prison bars and escape. He -then appeared in the drawing-room and denounced Miss Hest. Always -prepared for further treachery on the part of Maunders, and never being -in the habit of leaving anything to chance, Frances had arranged that -she should have the dam broken down in the event of the police coming -to arrest her, and so they would be destroyed." - -"But she would be destroyed with them," said Vernon at this point, -"and as a matter of fact she was. Don't you remember how her body and -that of Maunders clutching one another in a death-grip were found when -the flood subsided? She anticipated her death." - -"She did nothing of the sort, sir, as Miss Jewin told me. The betrayal -of her identity with Francis Hest and with The Spider came -unexpectedly because of Maunders' escape. But, always making things -sure, she had already posted Hokar at the dam, where he had placed a -charge of dynamite under the wall. Miss Hest didn't expect trouble, as -she thought she had thrown dust in my eyes by the clever way in which -she had acted." - -"I think she did, Colonel, and very successfully," remarked Vernon -smiling. - -"I admit it. She was a wonderfully clever woman and extremely -unscrupulous. However, on the chance that some danger might come along -she posted Hokar at Bolly Dam and told him to fire the charge when he -heard the report of a revolver." - -Vernon nodded. "I remember on that day how the wind was blowing up the -gorge and how clearly the sounds came up from the village. Hokar heard -the shots very easily." - -"He heard two or three, and might have guessed that his infernal -mistress was not giving the agreed signal. She was shooting Maunders, -if you remember. It was her intention after we left to have escaped by -a similar crack up the side of the precipice behind Gerby Hall to that -which saved Ida and myself. But she didn't intend to give the signal -until she was on the upward journey with Miss Jewin; Maunders was to -be left behind to drown in the house. But Miss Hest forgot for the -moment and let her temper get the better of her. By firing the shots -she gave the signal, and Hokar blew up the dam prematurely." - -"I see. But if Miss Jewin escaped why didn't Miss Hest?" - -"Ah, that's where her Nemesis came in. Maunders caught her by the leg -and toppled her over, then he gripped her throat, and they were both -drowned." - -"Serve her right, and him also," said Vernon coolly. - -"I agree with you. They were a dangerous couple, and it seems like -retributive justice that Maunders should bring all her carefully-laid -plans of escape to grief. Miss Jewin at the first alarm caught up the -box of Lady Corsoon's jewels and fled out of the back way and up the -crevice, as arranged. She concealed herself for a time, and was warned -by the exhaustive reports in the papers of what was going on." - -"That's the worst of those papers," said Vernon with disgust, "as I -found out when I was a detective. They warn the criminals of -everything. I suppose Miss Jewin saw how the whole story of The Spider -was set forth and appreciated the sensation it caused." - -"Of course she did. I was angry at the papers myself, for The Grange -was simply infested with reporters and journalists and photographers. -However, after the inquest the sensation died away. Everybody has, -more or less, forgotten the matter by this time. It's just as well, as -neither I nor you, Vernon, wished to be bothered with questions." - -"Quite so. That was why I remained abroad with my wife for such a -time." - -"And that was why I went back with Ida to Bowderstyke," said the -Colonel. "However, to continue. Drench caught Miss Jewin and she -hanged herself in her cell, as I have told you. I found the box of -jewels and returned them to your mother-in-law. Thus her husband has -never found out how she pawned them; so that's all right." - -"I hope it has been a lesson to her." - -"Not a bit of it. I dined with her a week ago, and so did Ida. -Afterwards we went to a bridge drive and Lady Corsoon played -furiously. She's a born gambler. But Sir Julius does not know, and -never will know, how she pawned his much-prized family jewels." - -"I wonder Miss Jewin didn't sell them?" - -"She had enough money to live on in a small way, and, of course, lived -plainly to avert suspicion. The jewels she kept as a peace-offering in -case she should be arrested. She hoped to make terms by threatening to -denounce Lady Corsoon. However, her heart failed her, and she handed -them over to me." - -"Poor woman. By the way, Colonel, what was your wife's real opinion of -Miss Hest? I could never quite understand." - -Towton was silent for a few minutes. "It is hard to say. Ida told me -that she really liked Miss Hest for a long time, and thought that she -was a genuine friend. But Miss Hest showed the cloven foot by trying -to get Ida married to Maunders, and----" - -"Why to Maunders?" - -"Because he was under Miss Hest's thumb, and if he obtained -possession of Ida's fortune by marriage Miss Hest undoubtedly would -have had the spending of it." - -"But this marriage to Francis. How could that be when Francis didn't -exist?" - -"Oh, I think that was a mere blind to make Ida fancy Francis was a -real person and not Miss Hest in disguise. I can never understand," -added the Colonel with a thoughtful look, "how it was that Ida didn't -detect the woman under the man. Women are so quick in these matters." - -"It was the very boldness of the disguise," said Vernon emphatically. -"I was taken in myself at that Georgian Hall Bazaar. A less clever -woman than Miss Hest would have made herself look utterly different to -her natural self. As it was, she scarcely changed her looks at all -save by wearing a man's dress and painting that cicatrice on her face. -Anyone would have said that the supposed brother was the sister -dressed up. Such actually was the case, and--well, you know that -everyone was taken in. A thousand pities, Colonel, that Miss Hest did -not apply her splendid faculties to better purpose. She was undeniably -very clever." - -"A criminal genius, as we have often said when we talked of The -Spider. I must say that Professor Gail, although he admired her -talents, was staggered when he found out from the papers that she was -the renowned Spider. I believe he had a fit. However, he has now made -up endless romantic stories about her, and actually got an engagement -with his wife on the strength of having known her. It's an ill wind -which blows no one any good." - -"If Frances Hest had lived and could have escaped hanging and -imprisonment, Colonel, she would have been engaged at a music-hall to -appear at a salary of hundreds a week. This age likes romantic -criminality." - -"I think Miss Hest's criminality was prosaic in the extreme," said the -Colonel very drily. "She couldn't earn money honestly and therefore -took the left-handed path. All her philanthropy was a sham, and I -really believe that she had the Bolly Dam built less to supply the -villages with water than to protect herself from arrest." - -"But the human lives----" - -"Pooh! She thought nothing of human life, and was a kind of female -Napoleon in that way. She wrung Dimsdale's neck as though he had been -a chicken the moment she found her personal safety was in danger. Had -he not torn off her mask and thus recognised her she would have spared -him. A marvellously clever woman: she quite took me in. I never -expected to find The Spider in her, and had not Maunders escaped to -betray her I would have believed that the non-existing Francis was the -blackguard. And more, she would have got ten thousand pounds from Ida, -and perhaps in America would have started on a new career of roguery. -However, I recovered the signed document and the cheque from the body, -so nothing was said about that matter in the papers. I was glad for my -wife's sake." - -"What became of Bahadur?" - -"He bolted from the country and has never been heard of. His uncle, -Hokar, as you know, died after the explosion." - -"And Mrs. Bedge?" - -"She buried all memory of Constantine with his bones, but I think she -regards him as a martyr who was led astray by Miss Hest. Yet from the -lips of The Spider herself I learned that it was Maunders who induced -that very clever lady to become a criminal." - -"Do you think Maunders himself blackmailed his aunt?" - -"He was quite capable of it. But I think Miss Hest did that to protect -Maunders from possible suspicion. For no one would think that the man -had anything to do with the matter of The Spider, who blackmailed his -adopted mother. Simply a smart trick of Miss Hest's, Vernon, that's -all." - -"Have some more champagne, Colonel?" - -"Thank you, no more. Come along and see my wife." - -"I have to meet Lucy at Swan & Edgar's," said Vernon glancing at his -watch. - -"I'll go with you there first and then we can have afternoon tea -together." - -"Right you are, Colonel, on condition that you dine with Lucy and -myself at our hotel and come to the theatre afterwards." - -Towton nodded. "Well, Ida and I are up in town for a frolic, so we'll -come." - -"When do you return to Bowderstyke?" - -"In two or three days. I'm seeing about the re-building of the Bolly -Dam." - -"Isn't that dangerous?" asked Vernon as they left the club. "No. I am -arranging for large channels to carry off the water. Besides, had not -the dam been blown up by that Indian beast the catastrophe would not -have taken place. Any more questions?" - -"No," said Sir Arthur after a pause. "I think you have enlightened me -on every point. We'll talk no more of the matter." - -"Not in the presence of our wives, at all events," said the Colonel -bluffly, and stepping out smartly along Pall Mall. "But when I think -of all the mystery and devilish cantrips we have had to do with, and -how narrowly Ida and I escaped a dreadful death, I can only thank God -that we are happily married. There's one small domestic animal, if it -can be called so, Vernon, on which I can never look without a -shudder." - -"What's that?" asked Sir Arthur, not following his friend's train of -thought. - -"What, sir! What, have you forgotten the past already?" - -"Oh!" Vernon laughed, but somewhat seriously. "You mean a spider." - -"Yes," snapped the Colonel sharply, "I mean a spider." - - - - -THE END. - - - ------------------------ -London: Ward, Lock & Co., Limited. - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Spider, by Fergus Hume - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SPIDER *** - -***** This file should be named 55831-8.txt or 55831-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/5/8/3/55831/ - -Produced by Charles Bowen from page scans provided by the -the Hathi Trust Org. (The Ohio State University) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The Spider - -Author: Fergus Hume - -Release Date: October 27, 2017 [EBook #55831] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SPIDER *** - - - - -Produced by Charles Bowen from page scans provided by the -the Hathi Trust Org. (The Ohio State University) - - - - - - -</pre> - - - -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<p class="hang1">Transcriber's Note: Transcribed from page scans provided by the -the Hathi Trust Org. (The Ohio State University)</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> - -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<p class="center"><img src="images/frontcover.png" alt="front cover"></p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<p class="center"><img border="0" src="images/frontispiece.png" alt="frontispiece"><br> -"'Mr. Dimsdale has been murdered,' cried Miss Hest, clasping her hands."</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h3>THE SPIDER.</h3> -<br> -<br> -<h5>BY</h5> -<h4>FERGUS HUME,</h4> -<h5>AUTHOR OF "THE MYSTERY OF A HANSOM CAB," "THE SOLITARY FARM," ETC.</h5> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<hr class="W20"> -<h4>WARD, LOCK & CO., LIMITED,<br> -<span style="font-size: smaller">LONDON, MELBOURNE AND TORONTO.<br> -<span style="font-size: smaller">1910.</span></span></h4> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<table cellpadding="10" style="width:90%; margin-left:5%; font-weight:bold"> -<colgroup><col style="width:20%; vertical-align:top; text-align:right"><col style="width:80%; vertical-align:top; text-align:left"></colgroup> -<tr> -<td colspan="2"><h3>CONTENTS</h3></td> -</tr><tr> -<td>CHAPTER</td> -<td> </td> -</tr><tr> - -<td><a name="div1Ref_01" href="#div1_01">I.</a></td> -<td>A POSSIBLE PARTNERSHIP</td> -</tr><tr> -<td><a name="div1Ref_02" href="#div1_02">II.</a></td> -<td>A CONFIDENTIAL COMMUNICATION</td> -</tr><tr> -<td><a name="div1Ref_03" href="#div1_03">III.</a></td> -<td>HOW THE TRAP WAS SET</td> -</tr><tr> -<td><a name="div1Ref_04" href="#div1_04">IV.</a></td> -<td>WHO WAS CAUGHT IN THE TRAP</td> -</tr><tr> -<td><a name="div1Ref_05" href="#div1_05">V.</a></td> -<td>AFTER THE TRAGEDY</td> -</tr><tr> -<td><a name="div1Ref_06" href="#div1_06">VI.</a></td> -<td>WHAT MR. IRELAND KNEW</td> -</tr><tr> -<td><a name="div1Ref_07" href="#div1_07">VII.</a></td> -<td>AFTER THE TRAGEDY</td> -</tr><tr> -<td><a name="div1Ref_08" href="#div1_08">VIII.</a></td> -<td>THE GRIEF OF IDA</td> -</tr><tr> -<td><a name="div1Ref_09" href="#div1_09">IX.</a></td> -<td>WITCHCRAFT</td> -</tr><tr> -<td><a name="div1Ref_10" href="#div1_10">X.</a></td> -<td>WITCHCRAFT</td> -</tr><tr> -<td><a name="div1Ref_11" href="#div1_11">XI.</a></td> -<td>THE NEEDLE IN THE HAYSTACK</td> -</tr><tr> -<td><a name="div1Ref_12" href="#div1_12">XII.</a></td> -<td>A TEMPTING OFFER</td> -</tr><tr> -<td><a name="div1Ref_13" href="#div1_13">XIII.</a></td> -<td>THE BAZAAR</td> -</tr><tr> -<td><a name="div1Ref_14" href="#div1_14">XIV.</a></td> -<td>RUN TO EARTH</td> -</tr><tr> -<td><a name="div1Ref_15" href="#div1_15">XV.</a></td> -<td>FACE TO FACE</td> -</tr><tr> -<td><a name="div1Ref_16" href="#div1_16">XVI.</a></td> -<td>THE SEARCH</td> -</tr><tr> -<td><a name="div1Ref_17" href="#div1_17">XVII.</a></td> -<td>IN THE TRAIN</td> -</tr><tr> -<td><a name="div1Ref_18" href="#div1_18">XVIII.</a></td> -<td>AT BOWDERSTYKE</td> -</tr><tr> -<td><a name="div1Ref_19" href="#div1_19">XIX.</a></td> -<td>A BOLD OFFER</td> -</tr><tr> -<td><a name="div1Ref_20" href="#div1_20">XX.</a></td> -<td>GERBY HALL</td> -</tr><tr> -<td><a name="div1Ref_21" href="#div1_21">XXI.</a></td> -<td>JUSTICE</td> -</tr><tr> -<td><a name="div1Ref_22" href="#div1_22">XXII.</a></td> -<td>THE END OF IT ALL</td> -</tr> -</table> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h3>THE SPIDER.</h3> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_01" href="#div1Ref_01">CHAPTER I.</a></h4> -<h5>A POSSIBLE PARTNERSHIP.</h5> -<br> - -<p>The exterior of The Athenian Club, Pall Mall, represents an ordinary -twentieth century mansion, which it is; but within, the name is -justified by a Græco-Roman architecture of vast spaces, marble floors, -painted ceilings, and pillared walls, adapted, more or less -successfully, to the chilly British climate. The various rooms are -called by Latin names, and the use of these is rigidly enforced. -Standing outside the mansion, you know that you are in London; enter, -and you behold Athens--say, the abode of Alcibiades; listen, and -scraps of speech suggest Imperial Rome. Thus, the tastes of all the -members, whether old and pedantic, or young and frivolous, are -consulted and gratified. Modern slang, as well as the stately tongue -of Virgil, is heard in The Athenian, for the club, like St. Paul, is -all things to all men. For that reason it is a commercial success.</p> - -<p>Strangers--they come eagerly with members to behold rumoured -glories--enter the club-house, through imitation bronze gates, into -the vestibulum, and pass through an inner door into the atrium. This -means that they leave the entrance room for the general conversation -apartment. To the right of this, looking from the doorway, is the -tablinum, which answers--perhaps not very correctly as regards the -name--the purposes of a library; to the left a lordly portal gives -admittance into the triclinium, that is, to the dining-room. At the -end of the atrium, which is the neutral ground of the club, where -members and strangers meet, swing-doors shut in the pinacotheca. -Properly this should be a picture-gallery, but, in deference to modern -requirements, it is used as a smoking-room. These three rooms, -spacious, ornate, and lofty, open under a colonnade, or peristyle, on -to a glass-roofed winter garden, which runs like a narrow passage -round the three sides of the building. The viridarium, as the members -call this cultivated strip of land, extends only twenty feet from the -marble pavement of the peristyle, and is bounded by the side-walls and -rear-walls of adjacent houses. It is filled with palms and tropical -plants, with foreign and native flowers, and, owing to a skilful -concealment of its limitations by the use of enormous mirrors, -festooned with creepers and ivy, it really resembles vast -pleasure-gardens extending to great distances. The outlook from -tablinum, pinacotheca, and triclinium is a triumph of perspective.</p> - -<p>Below the state apartments on the ground floor are the kitchens, the -domestic offices, and the servants' rooms; above them, the cubicles -are to be found, where members, both resident or non-resident, sleep -when disposed on beds more comfortable than classical. Finally, on the -top floor, and reached by a lift, are billiard-rooms, card-rooms, and -a small gymnasium for those who require exercise. The whole scheme is -modelled on a larger scale from the House of Glaucus, as described by -Bulwer Lytton in "The Last Days of Pompeii." A perusal of this famous -story suggested the novelty to an enterprising builder, and the -Athenian Club is the successful result.</p> - -<p>The members of such a club should have been classical scholars, but -these were in the minority. The greater portion of those who -patronised this latest London freak were extremely up-to-date, and -defended their insistent modernity amidst ancient artificial -environment by Acts xvii. 21: "For the Athenians and strangers which -were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to -hear some new thing!" And certainly they acted well up to the text, -for all the scandal and novelty of the metropolis seemed to flow from -this pseudo-classical source. Plays were discussed in manuscript, -novels on the eve of publication; inventors came here to suggest plans -for airships, or to explain how the earth could signal to Mars. Some -members had brand new ideas for the improvement of motor mechanism, -others desired to evolve colour from sound, detailing with many words -how music could be made visible. As to politics, the Athenians knew -everything which was going on behind the scenes, and could foretell -equally truthfully a war, a change of Government, the abdication of a -monarch, or the revolt of an oppressed people. If any traveller -arrived from the Land-at-the-Back-of-Beyond with an account of a -newly-discovered island, or an entirely new animal, he was sure to be -a member of the club. Thus, although the interior of the Pall Mall -mansion suggested Greece and Rome, Nero and Pericles, the appointments -for comfort, for the quick dispatch of business or pleasure, and the -ideas, conversation, and dress of the members, were, if anything, six -months ahead of the present year of grace. The Athenian Club was -really a mixture or blending of two far-apart epochs, the very ancient -and the very modern; but the dark ages were left out, as the members -had no use for mediæval ignorance.</p> - -<p>Over the mosaic dog with his warning lettering, "Cave Canem," -strolled, one warm evening in June, a young man of twenty-four, whose -physical appearance was more in keeping with the classical -surroundings than were his faultlessly fitting dress-clothes. His -oval, clean-shaven face was that of a pure-blooded Hellene, his curly -golden hair and large blue eyes like the sky of Italy at noon, -suggested the Sun-god, and his figure, limber, active, and slender, -resembled the Hermes of the Palestra. He was almost aggressively -handsome, and apparently knew that he was, for he swaggered in with a -haughty lord-of-the-world air, entirely confident of himself and of -his capabilities. His exuberant vitality was as pronounced as were his -good looks, and there was a finish about his toilette which hinted at -a determination to make the most of his appearance. He assuredly -succeeded in accentuating what Nature had done for him, since even the -attendant, who approached to remove the young man's light overcoat, -appeared to be struck by this splendid vision of perfect health, -perfect beauty, and perfect lordship of existence. All the fairies -must have come to the cradle of this fortunate young gentleman with -profuse gifts. He seemed to be the embodiment of joyous life.</p> - -<p>"Is Mr. Arthur Vernon here?" he asked, settling his waistcoat, -touching the flower in his button-hole, and pulling a handkerchief out -of his left sleeve.</p> - -<p>"In the pinacotheca, sir," was the reply, for all the attendants were -carefully instructed in correct pronunciation. "Shall I tell him you -are here, Mr. Maunders?"</p> - -<p>The gentleman thus named yawned lazily. "Thanks, I shall see him -myself;" and with a nod to the man, he walked lightly through the -atrium, looking like one of Flaxman's creations, only he was more -clothed.</p> - -<p>Throwing keen glances right and left to see who was present and who -was not, Mr. Maunders entered the pinacotheca. This was an oblong -apartment with marble walls on three sides and a lordly range of -pillars on the fourth, which was entirely open to the gardens. Beyond -could be seen the luxuriant vegetation of the undergrowth, whence -sprang tall palms, duplicated in the background of mirrors. The mosaic -pavement of the smoking-room was strewn with Persian praying-mats, -whose vivid colouring matched the pictured floor. There were deep -armchairs and softly-cushioned sofas, all upholstered in dark red -leather, which contrasted pleasantly with the snowy walls. Many -small tables of white metal and classical shapes were dotted here, -there, and everywhere. As it was mid-June and extremely close, the -fireplace--looking somewhat incongruous in such a place--was filled -with ferns and white flowers, in red pots of earthenware, thus -repeating the general scheme of colour. Red and white, snow and fire, -with a spread of green in the viridarium--nothing could have been more -artistic.</p> - -<p>Under the peristyle, and near a fountain whence water sprang from the -conch of a Triton to fall into a shallow marble basin with prismatic -hues, were several copper-topped tables. Near them, basket chairs -draped with brightly-hued rugs, were scattered in picturesque -disorder. One of them was occupied by a long, slim man of thirty. With -a cigarette between his lips and a cup of coffee at his elbow, he -stared straight in front of him, but looked up swiftly when he heard -Maunders' springy steps.</p> - -<p>"Here you are at last!" he remarked somewhat coolly, and glanced at -his watch. "Why didn't you turn up to dinner as arranged? It's close -on nine o'clock."</p> - -<p>"Couldn't get away from my aunt," replied Maunders, slipping leisurely -into an adjacent chair. "She seemed to have the blues about something, -and wouldn't let me go. Never was there so affectionate an aunt as -Mrs. Bedge, and never one so tryingly attentive."</p> - -<p>"Considering that she has brought you up in the past, supplies you -with money at present, and intends to make you her heir in the future, -you might talk more kindly of her."</p> - -<p>Maunders shrugged his shoulders. "Oh, the Eton-Oxford education was -all right; she did well by me there. But I don't get much money from -her now, and judging from that, I may be heir to very little."</p> - -<p>"You ought to be glad that you are an heir to anything," said Vernon -frowning, for his friend's light tones jarred.</p> - -<p>"Why?" asked the other. "My parents are dead long since. Aunt Emily is -my only relative, and has neither chick nor child. If she didn't -intend to leave me her money she should not have brought me up to -luxury and idleness."</p> - -<p>"It would certainly be better if she had made you work," assented the -host contemptuously; "but you were always lazy and extravagant."</p> - -<p>"I was born sitting down; I am a lily of the field and a rose of -Sharon."</p> - -<p>"Likewise an ass."</p> - -<p>"You think so?" said Maunders drily. "Well, I hope to change your -opinion on that point before we part."</p> - -<p>"It will take a deal of changing. But all this talk is beside the -purpose of our meeting. You made this appointment with me, and----"</p> - -<p>"Didn't keep it to the minute. I'm nearly two hours late. Well, what -does it matter?"</p> - -<p>"Everything to me. I am a busy man," snapped the other sharply.</p> - -<p>"So you say." Maunders looked very directly at his host. "Some fellows -don't think so. Your business----"</p> - -<p>Vernon interrupted. "I have no business; I am an independent man."</p> - -<p>"And yet a busy one," rejoined Maunders softly; "strange."</p> - -<p>There was that significance in his tone which made Vernon colour, -although he remained motionless. He certainly was about to make a -hasty observation, but his guest looked at him so straightly and -smilingly, that he bit his lip and refrained from immediate speech. -Maunders, still smiling, took a cigarette from a golden case and -lighted up. "You might offer me a cup of coffee."</p> - -<p>Vernon signalled to a passing attendant. "A cup of coffee for Mr. -Maunders."</p> - -<p>"With a vanilla bean," directed the other man. "I don't like coffee -otherwise. And hurry up, please!" Then, when the servant departed, he -turned suavely to his host. "I forget what we were talking about."</p> - -<p>"So do I," retorted Vernon coolly.</p> - -<p>Maunders, smoking delicately, rested his wrists on the copper edge of -the table and looked searchingly into his friend's strong face. And -Vernon's face was strong--much stronger than that of his companion. He -likewise had blue eyes, but of a deep-sea blue, less shallow and more -piercing than those of Maunders. His face was also oval, with finely -cut features, but more scored with thought-marks; and his hair was as -dark, smooth, and short-cropped as that of the other's was golden, -curly, and--odd adjective to use in connection with a man--fluffy. -Both were clean-shaven, but Vernon's mouth was firm, while the lips of -Maunders were less compressed and betrayed indecision. The former had -the more athletic figure, the latter a more graceful one, and although -both were well groomed and well dressed, Vernon was less of the dandy -in his attention to detail. Poetically speaking, one man was Night and -the other Day; but a keen observer would have read that the first used -strength of body and brain to achieve his ends, while the last relied -more on cunning. And from the looks of the twain, cunning and strength -were about to try conclusions. Yet they had been child-friends, -school-friends, and--so far as their paths ran parallel--were -life-friends, with certain reservations.</p> - -<p>"You were always as deep as a well, Arty," said Maunders, finally -removing his eyes from the other's face and turning to take his cup of -coffee.</p> - -<p>"Don't call me Arty!" snapped Vernon irritably.</p> - -<p>"You were Arty at Eton, when we were boys, tall and short."</p> - -<p>"We are not at Eton now. I always think that there is something weak -in a man being called by his Christian name outside his family--much -less being ticketed with a confounded diminutive."</p> - -<p>"You can call me Conny if you like, as you used to."</p> - -<p>"I shan't, or even Constantine. Maunders is good enough for me."</p> - -<p>"Oh is he?" The fair man glanced shrewdly over the coffee-cup he was -holding to his lips. "You hold to that."</p> - -<p>"I hold to the name, not to the individual," said Vernon curtly.</p> - -<p>"You don't trust me."</p> - -<p>"I don't. I see no reason to trust you."</p> - -<p>"Ah, you will when I explain why I asked you to meet me here," said -Maunders in his frivolous manner.</p> - -<p>"I daresay; go on."</p> - -<p>His friend sighed. "What a laconic beast you are, Arty."</p> - -<p>"My name is Vernon, if you please."</p> - -<p>"Always Vernon?" asked Maunders in silky tones. The other man sat up -alertly. "What do you mean?"</p> - -<p>"I mean that I want you to take me into partnership."</p> - -<p>"Partnership!" Vernon's face grew an angry red. "What the devil do you -know?"</p> - -<p>"Softly! softly! I know many things, although there is no need to -swear. It's bad form, Vernon, deuced bad form. The fact is," he went -on gracefully, "my aunt keeps me short of money, and I want all I can -get to enjoy life. I thought as I am pretty good in finding out things -about people that you might invite me to become a partner in your -detective business."</p> - -<p>Vernon cast a hasty glance around. Fortunately, there were no guests -under the peristyle, and only two men, out of earshot, in the -pinacotheca. "You are talking rubbish," he said roughly, yet -apprehensively.</p> - -<p>"I don't think so. Your father died three years ago and left you with -next to nothing. Having no profession you did not know what to do, -and, ashamed to beg, borrow, or steal, you turned your powers of -observation to account on the side of the law against the criminal." -Maunders took a card from his waistcoat pocket and passed it along. -"'Nemo, Private Enquiry Agent, 22, Fenella Street, Covent Garden,' is -inscribed on that card. Nemo means Nobody, I believe; yet Nemo, as I -know, means Arthur Vernon of The Athenian Club."</p> - -<p>The man addressed tore the card to pieces and threw them amongst the -flowers. "You talk rubbish," he said again, and still roughly. "How do -you connect me with this private enquiry agent?"</p> - -<p>"Ah, that's too long a story to tell you just now." Maunders glanced -at his watch. "I am due at a ball in an hour, and want the matter -settled before I leave here."</p> - -<p>"What matter?"</p> - -<p>"The partnership matter." There was a pause. "Well?"</p> - -<p>"I have nothing to say," said Vernon firmly.</p> - -<p>Maunders rose. "In that case I'll cut along and go earlier than I -expected to Lady Corsoon's ball."</p> - -<p>"Lady Corsoon!" Vernon changed colour and bit his lip.</p> - -<p>"Yes. She didn't ask you to her ball, did she? She wouldn't, of -course, seeing that you are in love with her daughter Lucy. That young -lady is to marry money, and you haven't any but what you make out of -your detective business. Perhaps if I tell her that you are doing well -as Nemo, she might----"</p> - -<p>By this time Vernon was on his feet. "Don't you dare, don't you dare!" -he panted hoarsely, and the perspiration beaded his brow.</p> - -<p>"Oh!" Maunders raised his eyebrows. "Then it is true, after all."</p> - -<p>"Sit down," commanded Vernon savagely, resuming his own seat. "We must -talk this matter out, if you please."</p> - -<p>"I came here for that purpose. Only don't keep me too late. I am -engaged to Lucy for the third waltz, and must not disappoint her."</p> - -<p>Vernon winced. "You have no right to call Miss Corsoon by her -Christian name."</p> - -<p>"Why not? She's not engaged to you. I love her, and, as yet--as yet, -mind you, Vernon--I have as good a right as you to cut in."</p> - -<p>"I understood that you were as good as engaged to Miss Dimsdale."</p> - -<p>"Oh!" Maunders lightly flipped away a cigarette ash. "The shoe's on -the other foot there. She loves me, but I don't love her. Still, -there's money in the business if Ida becomes Mrs. Maunders. Old -Dimsdale's got no end of cash, and Ida inherits everything as his only -child. But he wants her to marry Colonel Towton---you know, the chap -who did so well in some hill-tribe extermination in India. But Ida -loves me, and Towton's got no chance, unless I marry Lucy Corsoon and -give him a look in."</p> - -<p>"You're a cynical, conceited, feather-headed young ass," said Vernon -with cold, self-restrained fury, "and I forbid you to speak of Miss -Corsoon in that commercial way, much less call her by her Christian -name. She loves me and I love her, and we intend to marry, if----"</p> - -<p>"If Lady Corsoon permits the match," finished Maunders, stretching out -his long legs. "It's no go, my dear fellow. She doesn't think you rich -enough for the girl."</p> - -<p>"I never heard that Constantine Maunders was a millionaire," retorted -the other man bitterly.</p> - -<p>"My face is my fortune, old chap, and there are various ways of -getting Lady Corsoon's consent."</p> - -<p>"What ways?" asked Vernon suddenly and searchingly looking at his -friend.</p> - -<p>"Ah, you ask too much. I am not your partner yet."</p> - -<p>"That means you have some knowledge about Lady Corsoon which you can -use to force her to consent."</p> - -<p>"Perhaps. I know a great deal about most people. Every one has his or -her secrets as well as her or his price."</p> - -<p>"Are you a private enquiry agent also?" sneered Vernon, leaning back.</p> - -<p>"Ah!" Maunders seized upon the half admission. "Then you _are_ Nemo?"</p> - -<p>"Yes," assented the dark man reluctantly, "although I can't guess how -you came to know about my business. I wish the fact kept dark, as it -would be disastrous for me in Society."</p> - -<p>"Probably," admitted Maunders lazily. "One doesn't like to hob-nob -with an Asmodeus who goes in for unroofing houses."</p> - -<p>"Yet you propose to join Asmodeus," chafed Vernon uneasily.</p> - -<p>"Oh yes; I think it's a paying business, you see, and I want money. -How I learned about the matter is of no great consequence, and I don't -think any one else will connect you with this Nemo abstraction. And -when in partnership, I shall, of course, keep it dark for my own -sake."</p> - -<p>"I daresay," sneered Vernon, secretly furious at having to submit. -"And on what terms do you propose to join in the business you -despise?"</p> - -<p>"Half profits," said Maunders promptly.</p> - -<p>"Really. You seem to set some value on yourself."</p> - -<p>"No one else will if I don't," replied Maunders good-humouredly. "See -here, Arty--oh, then, Vernon if you will--your business as a private -enquiry agent is to find out things about people, and----"</p> - -<p>"I beg your pardon, but you talk through your hat," interrupted Vernon -acidly. "My business is to assist people to settle business which the -general public is not supposed to know. I don't find out people's -business. They come to me with difficult cases, and I settle them to -the best of my ability."</p> - -<p>"Yes, yes," said Maunders leniently, "you put the best complexion on -it, old man, but it's dirty work all the same."</p> - -<p>"It is nothing of the sort," almost shouted Vernon; then sank his -voice to a furious whisper; "my business is perfectly honest and -clean. The nature of it requires secrecy, but I take up nothing the -doing of which would reflect on my honour. I have precious little -money and also a logical way of looking at things. For that reason I -trade as Nemo."</p> - -<p>"Under the rose, of course," laughed Maunders. "You don't put your -goods in the shop window. However, I understand perfectly, and I am -willing to come in with you. Oh, make no mistake, my dear chap, I am -worth having as a partner, as I know heaps about Tom, Dick, and Harry, -which they would rather were kept out of the newspapers."</p> - -<p>"I don't run a blackmailing business," said Vernon passionately.</p> - -<p>"What a nasty word, and wholly unnecessary. I never suggested -blackmailing any one, that I know of. All I say is, that, having a -goodish acquaintance with the seamy side of Society life, I can earn -my half of the Nemo profits by assisting you."</p> - -<p>"And if I refuse?"</p> - -<p>"I shall hint--mind you I shan't say anything straight out--but I -shall hint that you are a professionally inquisitive person."</p> - -<p>"I don't know if you are aware of it," said Vernon slowly, "but you -are a scoundrel."</p> - -<p>"Oh, dear me, no; not at all," rejoined the other airily, "I am simply -a young man with the tastes of a duke and the income of a pauper. -Naturally I wish to supplement that income, and your secret business -seems to offer advantages in the way of earning immediate cash."</p> - -<p>"And if I don't consent you will do your best to ruin me socially?"</p> - -<p>"That's business," said Maunders promptly. "Get a man into a corner -and skin him at your leisure. Well, do you consent?"</p> - -<p>"I can't do anything else, that I can see," said the other bitterly. -"However, you must give me a week to come to a decision."</p> - -<p>"Take a month," answered the visitor generously. "I'm not in a hurry -to skin you, old man. You can't get out of the corner, you know. And -see here, if we make a fortune out of this business, I'll give you a -chance with Lucy, and take Ida Dimsdale with her ten thousand a year."</p> - -<p>"Will she have that much?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, certainly. I made inquiries," said Maunders coolly. "It's no use -jumping in the dark you know. Old Dimsdale--his Christian name's -Martin--was a Police Commissioner in Burmah some years ago, and shook -the pagoda-tree to some purpose. Now he's retired, and lives in a -gorgeously glorified bungalow, which he built at Hampstead. He's not a -bad chap, and Ida is uncommonly good-looking. I might do worse."</p> - -<p>"What about Colonel Towton?"</p> - -<p>"I'll cut him out. He's a very young colonel of forty-five, handsome -and smart, but with precious little brain about him. He's got an -ancient country house in Yorkshire, and--but here, I'll be talking all -the night." Maunders jumped up. "And Lucy is waiting for me. You can -take a month."</p> - -<p>"Thank you," said Vernon frigidly. "I shall give you my answer then."</p> - -<p>"It will be 'yes,' of course; you can't say anything else. I -say"---Maunders threw a laughing glance over his shoulder--"by this -time you must have changed your opinion as to my being an ass," and he -departed still laughing.</p> - -<p>Vernon ran after him and touched his shoulder. "Not an ass, but a -scoundrel," he breathed with suppressed passion, and Maunders' -laughter increased.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_02" href="#div1Ref_02">CHAPTER II.</a></h4> -<h5>A CONFIDENTIAL COMMUNICATION.</h5> -<br> - -<p>When Maunders passed into the atrium, Vernon returned slowly to his -seat under the peristyle. Here he ordered a fresh cup of strong coffee -to clear his brain, lighted another cigarette, and sat down to recall -the late conversation. As a preliminary to a thorough consideration of -the situation, he ran over in his mind what he knew of the man who -wished to become his partner. His memories showed Maunders to be an -exceedingly unscrupulous person, who was ready to do anything to -gratify his appetite for pleasure.</p> - -<p>Vernon's recollections carried him back to a Berkshire village of -which his father had been the squire. Mrs. Bedge, the widow of a -Levantine merchant, had taken a house in the neighbourhood, and there -had settled with her nephew, Constantine Maunders. It seemed that her -sister had married a naturalised Greek, hence the boy's Christian -name. As the parents were dead, Mrs. Bedge, being without offspring, -had adopted the orphan. From what Vernon remembered, Maunders had -always been a handsome and charming little boy, who usually got his -own way by sheer amiability and good looks. But he had inherited more -from his Greek father than a classical face and a Christian name which -smacked of old Constantinople, for he was crafty and clever, and -utterly without moral principle. He could conceal his feelings -admirably, he could scheme for his wants very dexterously, and he told -a lie or the truth with the utmost impartiality when either suited the -end to be gained. Posing as an innocent angel-child, he deceived -everyone, and although outwardly he appeared to be an unsophisticated -babe, he was in reality a little monster of egotism. Even when they -were children together, Vernon--from bitter experience--had always -mistrusted Constantine, and had judged his character more accurately -than grown-up people. Those were invariably taken in by the brat's -cherubic aspect.</p> - -<p>At Eton, Constantine fared less happily. He was ten years of age when -his aunt sent him there, and, as Vernon then was fifteen, she had asked -him to look after her darling. But all Vernon's chivalry could not save -Constantine from well-deserved kicks and thrashings. Schoolboys are not -to be taken in by angel-children, so Constantine did not have a happy -time. However, he was so diplomatic and unscrupulous that he managed to -scramble through school life fairly well. At Oxford--whither he went -some years after Vernon--he got on better, and became a general -favourite because of his general pliancy of disposition. By means of -that same pliancy he usually secured his selfish ends, under a guise of -consistent amiability. Being quick-brained and clever, if somewhat -shallow, he secured his degree, and left the University with an -excellent character. Since then he had been a man about town, supported -by his aunt's money. Mrs. Bedge had settled in London at Constantine's -request, and could refuse him nothing. Yet--as Vernon judged from what -the young man had said--even Mrs. Bedge's generosity could not supply -Maunders with sufficient money to gratify the selfish desire he had -always had for pleasure. Only the income of a Rothschild could have -entirely satisfied his cravings for the delights of existence.</p> - -<p>Vernon had been less lucky in life. His father had speculated rashly, -and three years prior to the meeting of the young men at the Athenian -Club had died a comparative pauper. Thrown on his own resources and -without a profession, Vernon had utilised his observant and logical -faculties to set up in private practice as a detective. For two years -he had carried on the trade with success and without having been found -out. But now that Constantine had come on the scene, Vernon felt that -there would be trouble. Of course, by taking him as a partner an -exposure could be avoided, but only temporarily. Maunders was so ready -to make mischief that Vernon felt he would take all he could get out -of the business, and when prosperous by marriage with Ida Dimsdale, -would not hesitate to tell the truth. The sole safeguard lay in the -fact that, being tarred with the same brush, Maunders for his own -social sake might hold his tongue. He was always clever enough to -avoid the publication of any facts to his disadvantage. It really -seemed, on these grounds, that it would be judicious to admit him as a -partner. But Vernon shivered at the prospect. At the best, such a -business as he was engaged in, was a delicate one and decidedly -unpopular. With Maunders' unscrupulous methods it might degenerate -into a series of shady transactions.</p> - -<p>"But I'll take the month and think it over," thought Vernon, when he -had finished his coffee and cigarette. "Much may happen in thirty days -which may enable me to get out of the difficulty." Then he took out -his watch and noted that it was ten o'clock. "Just time to see -Dimsdale," he yawned.</p> - -<p>When putting on his light overcoat in the vestibulum, Vernon -thought it was a strange coincidence that Maunders should have -mentioned--incidentally, of course--the name of the man with whom he -had an appointment at half-past ten o'clock. Earlier in the day Vernon -had received a pressing note asking him to meet the writer at Colonel -Towton's chambers, Ralph Street, St. James's, at that hour. So, as a -matter of fact, two names pertinent to the situation had been -mentioned, Dimsdale and Towton. Vernon wondered as he walked along -Pall Mall what the reason could be. He did not believe in coincidence, -and had sufficient experience of life to doubt the existence of -chance, so the mention of the names taken in conjunction with the -appointment must point to some problem being worked out. Vernon -believed--as every thoughtful man must believe--that everything was -worked out in the unseen world before it became a factor in the -visible plane, and he was quite prepared to find, on this assumption, -that the meeting with Dimsdale in Towton's chambers was more important -than it appeared to be on the surface. Subsequent events proved that -he was right in his conjecture.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile--as he was a one-thing-at-a-time man--he sauntered leisurely -along towards his destination, wondering what Dimsdale wished to see -him about. The ex-police-commissioner was one of the very few people -who knew of the business in Covent Garden. Dimsdale had been a -life-long friend of Vernon's father, and had welcomed the young man -with open arms to his home. It was odd that Vernon had not fallen in -love with Ida, as nothing would have pleased Dimsdale better than to -have given his daughter and her money to his old friend's son. But -Fortune in her freakish way had decided that Vernon should fall in -love with Lucy Corsoon, where every obstacle would be placed in the -way of a successful wooing, so Ida and Arthur had settled contentedly -down into a brother and sister relationship.</p> - -<p>Dimsdale was annoyed that his pet project of a marriage could not come -to pass, but there was no help for it, as he could not govern the -young man's affections. Also he was annoyed because Vernon, when the -death of his father occurred, would not let the elder man assist him. -However, he told him his plans about the private inquiry office, and -although the ex-police commissioner did not wholly approve, he judged -from his knowledge of the young man's detective powers, that it was -the best use he could put his talents to. More than this, he managed -to bring him clients, and to spread the fame of Nemo by dexterous -allusions. Vernon therefore was doing very well in the line he had -struck out for himself, and felt duly grateful to Dimsdale for his -assistance. He thought as he walked along Ralph Street that probably -the old gentleman had found him a fresh client. But it was odd that -Colonel Towton's chambers should have been chosen as the meeting -place, since Dimsdale belonged to several clubs. And the matter, -whatever it was, must be very important, else Dimsdale would have -waited until Vernon paid his weekly visit to the Hampstead bungalow.</p> - -<p>It was only a quarter-past ten o'clock when Vernon arrived, and he -thought that he would have to wait. But Towton's servant intimated -that Mr. Dimsdale was watching for his visitor in the Colonel's -particular sanctum, and ushered the young man into the room, after -relieving him of his coat and hat. The Colonel himself did not appear -to be present, but Martin Dimsdale was smoking in a deep arm-chair, -and jumped up in his boyish way to shake hands warmly. He always had a -great regard for Arthur Vernon.</p> - -<p>The room was an ordinary apartment, comfortably furnished, but in a -strictly bachelor fashion. The scheme of colour was deep green and -deep red, so that it appeared somewhat sombre. Trophies of Towton's -sporting instincts in the shape of skins and heads appeared on the -walls and on the floor. There were many military portraits and groups -about, reminiscent of the Colonel's army life. The two windows were -open and the curtains were pulled back, so that the room was fairly -cool, while on the table stood a syphon, some glasses and a decanter -of whisky, together with a box of cigars. These were at Mr. Dimsdale's -elbow. He had evidently been passing the time in smoking and drinking -pending his young friend's arrival.</p> - -<p>"I'm glad to see you, boy," said the ex-police commissioner, pointing -to a chair. "Sit down and make yourself at home. Towton gives me full -permission to play in this yard. Have a peg and a cigar."</p> - -<p>"Not too strong, please," warned Vernon, accepting a cigar and sinking -into the indicated chair. "I haven't so steady a head as yours."</p> - -<p>"It's a cleverer head," said Dimsdale, squirting in the potash. "Else -I should not have asked you to meet me here--Nemo."</p> - -<p>"Oh!" Vernon placed the glass beside him. "I thought it was a Case. -But why did you ask me to meet you in Towton's rooms, and where is -Towton?"</p> - -<p>"At my sister's ball along with Ida and Miss Hest."</p> - -<p>"Lady Corsoon's ball?"</p> - -<p>Dimsdale sat down and nodded. "Yes. It's a swell affair, as Sir Julius -wants to make an impression on some Australian people he desires to -rope into his schemes for making money. Something to do with mines, I -believe. I didn't feel inclined to go, although I daresay I'll have to -look in later to fetch Ida and Miss Hest home. I wished particularly -to see you." His manner assumed a portentous gravity. "So I asked -Towton if I could come here and make the appointment."</p> - -<p>"But at your club----"</p> - -<p>"What I have to say is sacred and secret," interrupted the old -gentleman. "A club has many eyes and many ears. Better be on the safe -side. Oh, that's all right," he added with a nod, on seeing Vernon's -eyes stray to the open window. "Those only look out over the roofs of -houses. No one can hear us. Whisky all right; cigar drawing well? Very -good. Now then!" He settled himself for an exhaustive talk.</p> - -<p>The old Indian officer had certainly not been dried up by the hot -climate where he had spent the greater part of his life. He was a -round, tubby, rosy-faced little man, all curves and gracious -contentment. His face was clean-shaven and his head was bald, while -his sharp grey eyes twinkled behind golden-rimmed pince-nez, balanced -on an unimportant nose. With his round head and round body--sphere -super imposed on sphere--and short legs, he looked like the figure of -a Chinese mandarin, and nodded his head like one when he wished to -emphasise a point. There was nothing military about him in any way, -and Vernon wondered how so natty and neat an old gentleman ever came -to have command of men appointed to hunt down Dacoits in the jungles -of Burmah. Yet Dimsdale's official career had been a stirring one, and -he had done good service in pacifying the country after the war. Now -he had beaten his sword into a plough-share, and, with a considerable -fortune, was spending his amiable old age under his own fig-tree. -When Vernon looked at the rotund little man with the round rosy -face, he saw before him a perfectly contented human being, and a very -kind-hearted one to boot.</p> - -<p>"Well, sir," he said, leaning back comfortably, "we're tiled in, as -masons say, so I shall be glad to hear what you have to tell me. Also, -I am obliged to you for seeking out this especial case for me."</p> - -<p>"Two special cases, my boy, two special cases," said Mr. Dimsdale, -wagging his head and looking more like a Chinese mandarin than ever. -"One has to do with me--I'll tell you about it later; the other has to -do with Mrs. Bedge and her adopted son."</p> - -<p>"Maunders!" cried Vernon, astonished to find that his premonition was -coming true. "You don't mean Constantine?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, I do, Arthur; of course I do. Young Maunders. I never did like -that boy somehow in spite of his good looks and polite manners. After -all, he's half a Greek, and I don't like the Greeks either. They're -nearly as tricky as the Armenians, and that's saying a lot. All the -same, I'm sorry for the sake of Emily. I'm an old friend of Emily. Ha, -ha! I was in love with her before she married Bedge. He was a -Levantine merchant, you know, dealt in currants and cherry jam and all -the rest of it. Not a bad chap, from what I remember of him, but far -too old a husband for Emily----"</p> - -<p>"Do you mean Mrs. Bedge?" asked Vernon, vainly endeavouring to stem -the flow of the old man's speech.</p> - -<p>"Of course I mean Mrs. Bedge. I call her Emily because--ha! ha!--I was -in love with her. She was a handsome girl in those years, and a good -one. Why, look how she adopted that rascal--I can't help thinking -young Maunders a rascal, though he does want to marry Ida, which is -not to be thought of. Yes, yes! Emily always was good. I don't believe -a word of it, not a word." And Mr. Dimsdale, bringing his fist down on -the table, glared at his companion through his pince-nez.</p> - -<p>"You don't believe a word of what?" asked Vernon soothingly.</p> - -<p>"I'm coming to that; I'm coming to that. Don't worry me and hurry me." -Mr. Dimsdale rubbed his nose in a vexed manner. "Young Maunders, now. -Eh, what? Have you seen young Maunders lately?"</p> - -<p>"It's odd you should ask that," said Vernon slowly, "because I have -just parted from him at the Athenian Club."</p> - -<p>"Don't have anything to do with him, Arthur; he's a bad lot, a very -bad lot indeed. Oh, it's nothing that he has done. I wouldn't say to -anyone else what I am saying to you. But I can read character, and I -have observed Master Constantine. He's so selfish that he would boil -Emily for his own gratification, if it pleased him. And she would let -herself be boiled, too; she's as silly over the scamp as he is selfish -towards her. Why do you cultivate his society? Eh, what? It's wrong -and stupid; yes, yes, stupid and wrong."</p> - -<p>"I haven't seen so very much of him since we left Oxford," objected -Arthur, "and certainly I don't cultivate him, as you put it, for I -admire his character as little as you do."</p> - -<p>"And on more tangible grounds, perhaps? Eh, what? Tell me."</p> - -<p>"No; I have not much to go on. At school and at college, and when we -were children together in Berkshire, I never wholly liked Constantine. -He's too selfish and too unscrupulous, although he always keeps on the -right side of the law. Still, if he could do anything for his own -benefit against the law without being found out and made to pay the -penalty, I believe he would have little hesitation in doing it."</p> - -<p>"I daresay; no doubt you speak the exact truth from intuition. He's a -snake that young man, a pretty, curly, insinuating snake; he's poison -in a well-shaped and well-coloured bottle. Poor Emily! poor Emily! -silly woman, but goodness itself. She's a Mrs. Lear with a thankless -adopted child, sharper than a serpent's tooth. Bless her, and damn him -for a rogue, though, bless me, I can't bring any actual charge against -the young beast. Ha, no! but when one sees smoke, one guesses fire."</p> - -<p>"Did you tell him that I was Nemo?" asked Vernon bluntly.</p> - -<p>Dimsdale grew furiously red and furiously angry, so angry indeed that -he rose to stamp about the room. "How the devil can you ask me such a -question, and how dare you, if it comes to that? Am I an ass, an -idiot, a babbler? I wouldn't tell Maunders that I had eaten my dinner, -much less inform him of a secret which it is to your advantage to -keep. Why do you ask? Hang you, for thinking me a traitor and a -gossip."</p> - -<p>"Forgive me," said Vernon with an apologetic air. "I am quite sure -that you have preserved the secret of how I earn my money. But I know -that Constantine haunts your house, and thought you might have let -drop a casual hint, which he is clever enough, as we both know, to -take advantage of. But the fact is he had found out about Nemo, and -threatens unless I take him into partnership--he has given me a month -to turn over the proposition--that he will make Society too hot to -hold me."</p> - -<p>"The young rascal, the young blackmailing scoundrel," cried Dimsdale, -stamping again. "It's just what he would do. He haunts my house to -make love to Ida, and I would rather see her dead than as his wife, -especially now that I know what I am about to tell you."</p> - -<p>"What is it?"</p> - -<p>"Later on I shall explain. Meanwhile, don't beat about the bush, but -tell me exactly what Maunders threatens."</p> - -<p>Vernon detailed the conversation, and Dimsdale returned to his seat to -hear the narrative. When it was ended he nodded with compressed lips. -"Very clever on the part of Master Snake. He has you in his power -right enough, since he is ready to betray you if you don't obey his -commands. Well, then, I am going--to a certain extent--to put him in -your power."</p> - -<p>"What? Have you found out----"</p> - -<p>"I have found out nothing," said Dimsdale testily. "Don't interrupt. -Do you know of a blackmailer called The Spider?"</p> - -<p>Vernon half rose and then sat down again with an effort at -self-control. "I have come across his work on several occasions, and -so has Scotland Yard. No one knows what he is or where he lives or -anything about him. He gets his name from the fact that he always -signs his blackmailing letters with the stamped representation of a -spider."</p> - -<p>"Go on," said Dimsdale, quite calmly for him, "tell me more."</p> - -<p>"There is little to tell, sir. The Spider learns people's secrets -somehow, and in a way which no one can discover. He then writes to -this or that person and threatens unless a certain sum of money is -paid to publish the secret by means of postcards sent to the private -address and sometimes to the club of his victim. Of course, there is -no combating this mode of procedure, so most people pay quietly, -although some have kicked."</p> - -<p>"Why isn't the reptile arrested when he comes for his money? Tell me -that, sir. Tell me that."</p> - -<p>"Sometimes the money is sent to a given address, and at other times -The Spider, masked and cloaked, meets his victim personally. He is not -arrested because he always tells his victim that if the police are -brought into the question, and he is jailed, the especial secret will -be published all the same to the world by a hidden accomplice by means -of postcards. So you can see, Mr. Dimsdale, that if any person wishes -his or her secret to be preserved they cannot risk an arrest. Still, I -have been employed by one or two victims to learn the truth, and I -have failed. I can't lay hands on The Spider, nor can any of the -official detectives."</p> - -<p>Mr. Dimsdale nodded. "He's a clever animal," said he grimly. "You have -described his mode of procedure extremely well, my boy. It's just the -way in which he is tormenting Emily."</p> - -<p>"Mrs. Bedge. Is he blackmailing her?"</p> - -<p>"Of course he is. Don't I tell you so?" said Dimsdale crossly. "She -asked me to come and see her yesterday, and showed me three letters, -with the figure of a spider at the foot of the writing. The reptile -wants five thousand pounds, else he will send cards to her private -address and to her friends stating that Constantine is her -illegitimate son."</p> - -<p>"What?" Vernon leaped from his chair aghast.</p> - -<p>"Of course, it's an infernal lie," said Dimsdale warmly. "Emily is a -good woman, even though she jilted me to marry a man old enough to be -her father. She was true to him; I swear she was true to him, and -simply adopted the son of his partner Maunders--his real name was -Constantine Mavrocordato--because the boy's father and mother were -dead."</p> - -<p>"There is no grounds for this assertion on the part of The Spider?"</p> - -<p>"Absolutely none. Confound it, sir, you know Emily," raged Dimsdale. -"Can you know her and doubt for a moment but that this viper has made -a most iniquitous accusation? She has the boy's certificate of birth, -and can prove the truth, and moreover can call evidence on the part of -friends who knew about the adoption when it took place. But you know -that mud sticks, Arthur, however innocent a person may be. Emily -simply can't stand up against this blackguard attempt. If she refuses -to send the five thousand pounds to the address given within a -fortnight, The Spider says he will send cards making his lying -assertion to all her friends. Even if she rebutted it--as she -can--there would always be shrugged shoulders and raised eyebrows and -cold looks, and no-smoke-without-fire remarks."</p> - -<p>"True!" Vernon looked thoughtfully at his cigar tip. "Plenty of -innocent people do not care to face publicity on that account. Human -nature is so prone to believe the worst, even in the face of the very -plainest evidence. What does Mrs. Bedge propose to do?"</p> - -<p>"She wanted to send the money, but I suggested that she should let me -place the matter in your hands."</p> - -<p>"Thank you. I'll do my best. But it's a difficult case, as The Spider -is so hard to find."</p> - -<p>"On this occasion I don't think he will be," said Dimsdale with grim -humour, "since I propose to work with you."</p> - -<p>"I don't understand----"</p> - -<p>"Don't I speak plainly?" asked Dimsdale tartly. "I said there were two -cases, didn't I? Answer me, sir; answer me?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, but----"</p> - -<p>"There is no but about the matter, Arthur. I shall make a full -explanation after I have asked a simple question."</p> - -<p>"And the question?"</p> - -<p>"You see, don't you, how this information places Maunders, young -beast, in your power?"</p> - -<p>"No, I don't," answered Vernon very plainly and somewhat aggressively; -"if you mean that I am to use my knowledge of his falsely being -accused of illegitimacy as a threat to keep him from worrying me into -a partnership."</p> - -<p>"I don't mean that in the least," cried Dimsdale warmly. "Confound -you, sir, would you make me out to be no better than this spider -reptile. What I mean is that you can say to Maunders that you will -receive him into partnership if he hunts down The Spider and clears -the character of his adopted mother. Not that Emily's character -requires clearing in my eyes, mind you. But we must consider the -limitations of human nature, my boy, and place Emily, like Cæsar's -wife, above suspicion. Now do you understand? Eh, what? Reply, sir."</p> - -<p>Arthur nodded. "I understand. And if Maunders hunts down The Spider he -will be worth engaging as a partner."</p> - -<p>"No, I don't mean that. But you are setting him to achieve an -impossibility, and unless he fulfils your wish he cannot hope to be a -partner. In the meantime, you and I hunt down The Spider. Then when we -have him jailed, Maunders, not having done what you asked of him, -can't expect to become a partner."</p> - -<p>"I think he will in any case?" said Vernon grimly.</p> - -<p>"I think not, sir," said Dimsdale very distinctly. "Of course, Emily -is all right, and this blackmailing accusation is a lie. All the same, -Maunders, who is anxious to secure a position in Society and marry -Ida--confound him, he never shall with my consent--will not wish the -slightest breath of his being a possible natural child to get about."</p> - -<p>"I should say nothing," said Vernon stiffly.</p> - -<p>"Quite so. I never expected you would. But the mere probability of the -business becoming known will make Maunders careful. He won't worry you -again, as, judging you by his own iniquitous self, he will think you -capable of betraying him. _Now_ can you see?"</p> - -<p>"Yes. But Constantine knows that I would never speak."</p> - -<p>"I daresay, because he thinks the bribe isn't enough. He believes as -Peel did--or Walpole was it?--that every man has his price. He won't -worry you, I tell you, if you give the merest hint to him of the -matter. Not that you need to, for he will know about this blackmailing -letter to-morrow."</p> - -<p>Vernon recalled how Maunders had said that his aunt had detained him, -and how he had suggested that she had something on her mind. "He -doesn't know it at present, anyhow."</p> - -<p>"No. Emily saw me before speaking to him. However, listen to the -scheme I have in my mind to catch this Spider wretch. He is trying to -blackmail me."</p> - -<p>"Oh!" Vernon sat up and laughed. "How ridiculous. You of all men -cannot be blackmailed, since your life is so open."</p> - -<p>"No man's life is open," said Dimsdale drily; "and mine has its dark -pages as everyone else's has. I have a secret; not a particularly bad -one, it is true. Still, one that I should prefer to keep to myself."</p> - -<p>"What is it?"</p> - -<p>"I shan't tell you or any man," snapped the ex-police commissioner. -"It is sufficient to say that it is not a very bad secret, and that -even if it were told to the world it would matter little. However, The -Spider--hang him, I think he must have some acquaintance with my life -in the East--has learned something I thought no one but myself knew -anything about. He asks one thousand pounds, which is moderate -compared with his demand on Emily. Shows that he knows my secret isn't -so very deadly, or it would be worth more."</p> - -<p>"Did he write to you?" asked Vernon alertly. "Of course he did, making -the usual threat of exposure by postcards to self and friends. Now I -am going to consent to his demands."</p> - -<p>"And pay the money?"</p> - -<p>"I didn't say that," corrected Dimsdale sharply, "but I am writing -asking him to meet me in my library, and receive the money; also for -him to hand over any documents to me which even hint at my secret. -When he comes, you can be concealed in the room and we'll take him in -charge."</p> - -<p>"But then your secret will become known," objected Vernon. "The Spider -always provides against arrest by leaving the evidence in the hands of -others to publish."</p> - -<p>"He can publish what he likes about me," said Mr. Dimsdale coolly; -"don't I tell you that the secret is of little value. The Spider in -his letter to me embroidered upon actual fact, and can make things -unpleasant; but I can prove the exact truth of what he states, and so -can save my bacon. There may be a few cold shoulders, but I shan't -care for that, especially when my own conscience is clear. Now, don't -ask me to tell you my secret, for I shan't. It has nothing to do with -you or anyone else. All you have to do is to come to-morrow or the -next day to my house at Hampstead, and I'll sketch out the plan of -campaign."</p> - -<p>"What about Mrs. Bedge?"</p> - -<p>"She has a fortnight to consider the payment. We shall catch the -scoundrel before then--you understand. Eh, what? Good! Now I must be -off to Julia's ball. Are you coming?--not asked! Of course; you love -Lucy, and that will never do for Julia, who wants her to make a titled -match. Good-night! Ha, ha! You have plenty to think about. Don't get -brain fever. Good night!"</p> - -<p>Then the oddly-assorted pair parted for the time being.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_03" href="#div1Ref_03">CHAPTER III.</a></h4> -<h5>HOW THE TRAP WAS SET.</h5> -<br> - -<p>As Martin Dimsdale had spent the greater part of his sixty years in -Burmah, he naturally retained an affectionate remembrance of that most -fantastic country. This he showed by calling his house "Rangoon;" and, -as a further concession to what might almost be termed his native -land, the house was built after the fashion, more or less accurate, of -a bungalow. On arriving some ten years previously in England, Mr. -Dimsdale had purchased an ancient Grange with its few remaining acres, -situated on the verge of Hampstead Heath. In spite of the fact that -the mansion was historic and famous, this Vandal pulled it down, -amidst the protests and to the grief of various antiquarians. On the -cleared ground he erected the rambling one-storey building which -reminded him of the Far East. It was not an entirely Indian house, nor -a wholly Burmese house, nor an absolutely English house, but a bastard -mixture of all three, as the chilly northern climate had to be taken -into consideration. But Dimsdale looked upon it as a genuine -reconstruction of the bungalows to which he had been accustomed, and -would hear no argument to the contrary. This was just as well for -those who differed from his views, as he was a peppery little man, -voluble in speech.</p> - -<p>From the wide road, which flanked this corner of the Heath, the -grounds were divided by a tall and thick-set laurel hedge, which must -have taken years to attain its present stately beauty. At right angles -to this, red-brick walls, old and mellow, ran back for a considerable -distance to terminate in another hedge of mingled holly and oak -saplings and sweetbriar and hawthorn. A gate in the centre of this -gave admittance to a well-cultivated kitchen-garden of two acres. -Beyond, and divided from the garden by a low stone wall, stretched the -meadows, encircled by aggressive barbed-wire fences. The whole, -consisting of eight acres, belonged to the man who had built the -bungalow, and was a very desirable freehold for a well-to-do -middle-class gentleman.</p> - -<p>In the first square between the hedges and brick walls stood the -house, looking quite dazzling in the sunshine by reason of its -white-tiled walls and the raw hue of its red-tiled roof. Round three -sides ran a deep verandah, and the fourth side--at the back--bordered -the cobble-stone yard, at the sides of which were the stables and -outhouses. Everything here was neat and trim and sweet-smelling, as -Mr. Dimsdale would tolerate no litter, and was fidgety about the -drainage. This was just as well, seeing that the stables were -over-near the dwelling. Some judicious person had earlier pointed out -to Mr. Dimsdale that it would be advisable to erect them beyond the -kitchen-gardens and in the meadows, but the little man, out of sheer -obstinacy, refused to entertain the idea, and built them cheek by jowl -with the house.</p> - -<p>On either side of the bungalow, trellis work covered with creepers -shut off the yard from the front garden. This last, consisting of -smooth lawns bordered by brilliantly coloured flowerbeds, stretched -to a rustic-looking, white-painted gate set in the laurel hedge. To -this, a broad walk, sanded to a deep yellow tint, ran from the shallow -steps leading up to the front verandah. Two noble elms--the sole -survivors of a once well-wooded park--sprang one on each side of the -path, from the trim lawns.</p> - -<p>The building itself looked most unsuitable to the chilly English -climate, with its spotless walls and French windows. These, of which -there were many, opened directly on to the verandah, which was paved -warmly with red bricks, rectangular and thin. Each window was provided -with green shutters, fastened back during the day and tightly closed -every night at dusk. On entering the front door Mr. Dimsdale's -visitors beheld a square hall, and the first object which struck the -eye was a large gong, held shoulder high by two fierce-looking Burmese -warriors carved in unpainted wood. Darkly blue Eastern draperies, -glittering with tiny round looking-glasses, veiled the left door, -which led into the library, and the right door, through which the -dining-room was entered. Passing between curtains of similar texture -and style, hanging straightly from the ceiling, the visitor came into -a spacious room with a slippery polished floor and a high glass roof, -which lighted the apartment, since, occupying the centre of the -bungalow, there could be no side windows. Folding valves of carved -sandalwood on either side gave entrance into two long narrow passages, -broken by many bedroom doors. The bedrooms themselves looked on to the -side verandahs through French windows, as has been described.</p> - -<p>At the end of the middle apartment--which, like the Athenian Club -antrium, was the general meeting place of those in the house, and -served the purpose of a drawing-room--was another draped portal, -admitting Mr. Dimsdale's male guests into a large billiard-room and a -comfortable smoking-room; also his lady guests into a boudoir and a -music-room. Beyond these, and shut off by another narrow passage at -right angles to those at the sides, were the kitchen, the servants' -quarters, and the domestic offices. As the stables, in the opinion of -many people, were too near the house, the kitchen was too far distant -from the dining-room. But Mr. Dimsdale, who was fond of delicate fare, -prevented the cooling of the food in transit by having it brought to -the table in hot-water dishes. He secretly acknowledged to himself -that he was wrong as regards both stables and kitchen, but would never -admit any oversight to his friends. As he had been his own architect, -he believed "Rangoon" to be almost perfect in construction, design, -beauty, and in its blending of Indian charm and English comfort. And -in the main he was not far wrong.</p> - -<p>The house was filled with quaint Eastern curios, and draperies and -contrivances and furniture, although of this last there was -comparatively little, since Mr. Dimsdale did not care to overcrowd his -rooms, as is the English fashion; perhaps it was this sparseness which -gave the house its foreign look. The library was furnished with tables -and couches and chairs and bookcases of black teak, elaborately -carved, while the central apartment contained nothing but bamboo -chairs and tiny bamboo tables, all of which were covered with -brightly-hued draperies. The dining-room was the most English-looking -part of the house, as it was decorated and furnished in the Jacobean -manner, and looked massively British. But the French windows--three in -the front and three at the side--uncurtained and pronouncedly bare, -admitted too great a glare into an apartment sacred to eating, which, -for some traditional reason, is always supposed to have rather a -twilight atmosphere. But Mr. Dimsdale loved plenty of light and fresh -air and all the sunshine he could get, hence the many windows of the -bungalow. It would have been easier to have removed the walls dividing -the rooms from the verandah, and to have given them the full publicity -of Eastern shops. And perhaps only the climate prevented Mr. Dimsdale -from going this length. He was a fanatic in many ways, and had the -full courage of his cranky convictions.</p> - -<p>As a police commissioner, Mr. Dimsdale had been secretly in -partnership with a Chinese merchant, who traded from Singapore to -Yokohama, and from Canton to Thursday Island; that is, he supplied the -capital and Quong Lee managed the investments. Thus the astute -Englishman was enabled to return to England with an ample income, and -proposed to spend the rest of his earthly life in enjoying it. The -bungalow was his hobby, and he never grew weary of improving its -beauties or of showing them to admiring friends. As he was a -widower--Mrs. Dimsdale occupied a lonely grave in the Shan States--he -had no one to coerce him into spending his money in any other way. It -is true that Ida, his only child, was handsome and marriageable and -light-hearted; but, having comparatively simple tastes, she did not -yearn over-much for a fashionable life. Certainly she knew many in the -great world, and sought society to some extent during the season, -created by man; but, for the most part, she preferred the home-life of -"Rangoon," which was assuredly lively enough and not wanting in -interest even to the insatiable appetite of the young for pleasure. -Her father, like many Anglo-Indians, had been accustomed, save when he -had been stationed in lonely places, to much society, and was also -gregarious by instinct. He invited Far East friends to sit at his -hospitable board in the Jacobean dining-room, and made many new ones, -who were ready enough to welcome an amusing, experienced old traveller -for the sake of his society if not of his money. Dimsdale knew many -people in the neighbourhood of Hampstead, and also a considerable -number in the West End. His sister, Lady Corsoon, and her husband, Sir -Julius, were his sponsors as regards this last locality. Besides, Mr. -Dimsdale belonged to several clubs, took an interest in politics and -the doings of the younger generation, which had matured during his -exile, spent his money freely, and was always an amusing, chatty -companion. With such qualifications it was no wonder that he possessed -a large circle of friends, and was everywhere welcome. It must be -admitted, however, that some frivolous people thought he was rather a -bore, especially when he held forth about Rangoon.</p> - -<p>Then there was Miss Hest--Frances Hest--who was so frequently staying -in the bungalow, and was so sisterly with Ida that she might almost be -regarded as another daughter of the jolly ex-police-commissioner. Her -brother, Francis Hest, of Gerby Hall, Bowderstyke, Yorkshire, was a -comparatively rich and superlatively far-descended north-country -squire, who was quite a rural king in his own parochial way. But as -his sister found the rustic life somewhat dull, she had come to -London, after quarrelling with her brother, who did not approve of her -leaving home. To force her to return he allowed her next to nothing to -live on, and, not having a private income, she had earlier been in -great straits. But being a clever girl of twenty-five, and gifted with -the dramatic instinct, she had turned her talents to account very -speedily. A retired actor with the odd name of Garrick Gail, who -termed himself a professor, had polished her elocutionary powers, and -she had obtained engagements to recite at various "At Homes." During -the three years she had been in London, she had improved her chances -so much that she made quite a good income. She was seen everywhere -and knew everyone, and being a handsome, well-dressed girl of -good family--no one could deny that--she made the most of her -opportunities. Of course, Francis Hest resented her behaviour; but, -always mindful that she was his sister, he extended a grudging -hospitality to her for six months of the year, if she chose to accept -it. Miss Hest did, but not in its entirety, and simply ran down to -Gerby Hall when she felt inclined. She also had a flat in Westminster, -but for the most part spent her days and nights at "Rangoon" in the -company of Ida Dimsdale. The two girls, who had met by chance at a -fashionable "At Home" two years previously, had struck up a sincere -friendship, and saw as much of each other as possible.</p> - -<p>Some few days after the conversation between Vernon and Dimsdale in -Colonel Towton's chambers, the two girls were together on the verandah -of the bungalow, busily engaged in sending out invitations for a ball. -In honour of her birthday--she was now twenty-three--Ida had prevailed -upon her father to allow her to give a masquerade in the central -apartment. That was to be cleared for dancing--not that it needed much -clearing, so sparsely was it furnished--and all those expected were -told to wear masks and dominoes. At midnight all the guests were to -unmask, and supper was to take place. Ida limited her guests to the -number of one hundred, and, with the assistance of Miss Hest, she was -weeding out undesirable people. With a bamboo table between them and a -screen to keep off the hot sunshine--it was now the end of June and -extremely sultry--the young ladies were too intent on their agreeable -work to notice that a stranger was advancing up the yellow-sanded -path. And yet, as the newcomer was Arthur Vernon, he could scarcely be -called a stranger, seeing that he was a friend of the house and a -weekly visitor.</p> - -<p>On this special occasion he had called to resume with Mr. Dimsdale -the conversation about The Spider, and, in his anxiety to -complete the business--which included the setting of a trap for the -blackmailer--would have passed by the girls in order to interview his -old friend. But Frances, who seemed to have eyes at the back of her -head--as Vernon had noticed on several occasions--drew Ida's attention -to him at once. "Here is Mr. Vernon, dear," she said, pushing back her -chair and straightening her tall, imperial form. "Let us ask him to -suggest someone."</p> - -<p>"Good-day, Miss Hest; good-day, Ida," said Vernon advancing easily, -and looking very smart in his Bond Street kit. "Someone for what?"</p> - -<p>Ida shook hands in her friendly, sisterly way and explained. "In a -week we are giving a masked ball in honour of my birthday, and just -now Frances and I are making out the invitations. Only a hundred -people, Arthur, as the house won't hold any more comfortably. Here is -the list--ninety-five names, as you see. So we thought----"</p> - -<p>"That you might suggest a few other people," finished Miss Hest, -leaning gracefully on the back of her chair. "We want gentlemen more -than ladies."</p> - -<p>"Isn't a week's notice rather a short one to give for an entertainment -of this sort?" asked Vernon, running his eyes over the submitted list.</p> - -<p>"Why should it be?" demanded Ida, opening her eyes. "There is no fancy -dress to get ready, and I don't expect that everyone will be engaged -on that particular night."</p> - -<p>"It's the mid-season, you know, Ida."</p> - -<p>Miss Hest nodded her approval. "I told Ida that. Everyone may be -engaged."</p> - -<p>"Well, I can't change the date of my birthday, dear, and I didn't -think of a masked ball until yesterday. If we send out invitations for -one hundred and fifty guests, that number will be sufficient. Everyone -can't have other engagements on that especial night."</p> - -<p>"I don't know so much about that," said Frances in her deep voice, -which was of the contralto species. "People work desperately hard -during the season."</p> - -<p>Vernon laughed and handed back the list. "Who was it said that life -would be endurable if it were not for its festivals?" he remarked, -smiling. "I never see the weary faces of pleasure-seekers during the -season but what I think of that saying."</p> - -<p>"Well, never mind." Ida tapped her white teeth with the pencil she was -using, and cast her eyes over the list of guests. "Can you suggest -four gentlemen, Arthur?"</p> - -<p>"There are two who would certainly come, and whose names you have -unaccountably omitted."</p> - -<p>Miss Hest raised her strongly marked eyebrows. "Why unaccountably?"</p> - -<p>"I am thinking of Colonel Towton and Mr. Maunders."</p> - -<p>"There," said Frances, turning gravely to her friend, "I told you -everyone would notice that you had left them out."</p> - -<p>"Am I supposed to be everyone?" asked Vernon, smiling again. "But why -have you left Maunders and Towton out, may I ask? I thought they were -such friends."</p> - -<p>Ida sat down and coloured through her fair skin. "I wished to ask -Conny Maunders, but my father won't hear of it. Why, I don't know."</p> - -<p>Vernon reflected that he knew very well, since Dimsdale objected to -Maunders paying undue attentions to his daughter. But he kept this -knowledge to himself, and inquired about Colonel Towton. "Your father -and he are such great friends."</p> - -<p>"Of course," said Ida petulantly, "and as they've both been in the -East and are both of an age, they should be friends."</p> - -<p>"There's a difference between forty-five and sixty odd, dear," said -Frances mildly.</p> - -<p>"And between twenty-three and forty-five," retorted Miss Dimsdale, -whose cheeks were growing even more scarlet. "And Colonel Towton is -such a nuisance. He's always--don't laugh, Arthur."</p> - -<p>"I beg your pardon, but I guessed what you were about to say," said -Vernon with mock gravity. "But why do you object to Colonel Towton, -who does not look more than thirty and who is a distinguished soldier, -to say nothing of his being well-off and handsome."</p> - -<p>"I don't know that he is so very well off," retorted Ida, defending -herself; "he has only that old place in Yorkshire."</p> - -<p>"I know," nodded Frances wisely, "it's a Grange at Bowderstyke, three -miles from my brother's place. Colonel Towton is of a very old family, -and I know for a fact that he has at least one thousand a year. You -might do worse, Ida."</p> - -<p>"I don't wish to marry money," said Ida in vexed tones; "and I don't -love Colonel Towton, who is old enough to be my father."</p> - -<p>"He is worth a dozen of Maunders," put in Vernon pointedly.</p> - -<p>Ida stamped. "You take the privilege of our friendship to be rude and -presuming," she said angrily. "My private affairs have nothing to do -with you."</p> - -<p>"Ida! Ida!" reproved Miss Hest, "don't----"</p> - -<p>"I will," said the young lady crossly; "and I shan't ask Colonel -Towton to the ball, when father won't let me ask Conny."</p> - -<p>"You call him that?" asked Arthur, with a shrug. Ida looked at him -indignantly, evidently with a conscience ill at ease. "I shall never -speak to you again," she said in an offended tone.</p> - -<p>"Not if I get your father to let Maunders come to the ball?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, can you; can you?" she asked, in a girlish, delighted tone on -this occasion. "I wish you would. Father likes you so much. And you -can tell him," she added handsomely, "that if he will let me ask Conny -I shall invite Colonel Towton. There--that's fair."</p> - -<p>"You are playing with fire," warned Frances gravely. "Better not -invite Mr. Maunders. You can never marry him."</p> - -<p>"It's indelicate to speak of my marriage in the presence of a -stranger," said Ida with some heat.</p> - -<p>"I am not a stranger, I hope," remarked Vernon quickly.</p> - -<p>"Yes, you are, when you are horrid," and with a rosy face of sheer -annoyance she flitted to the end of the verandah. Ida was rather like -Titania, being sylph-like, golden-haired, and blue-eyed, whereas Miss -Hest resembled Judith with her strongly-marked handsome face and black -eyebrows.</p> - -<p>"Who is horrid?" asked a voice at this juncture, and Mr. Dimsdale -appeared on the threshold of the French window, which was behind the -table. "Ah, Arthur, is that you? I have been expecting to see you. -Come into the library."</p> - -<p>Vernon obeyed at once, as Frances had hurried after the petulant girl -to pacify her. Miss Hest treated Ida as a wilful child, and by -scolding and coaxing and cajoling managed to get her to behave like a -reasonable being. It must be confessed that Dimsdale had spoiled his -golden-haired darling, and even the boarding-school she had attended -could not supply the place of the mother, who was dead. The old man -turned to Vernon when they entered the drawing-room through the French -window. "Who is horrid?" he asked again.</p> - -<p>Vernon laughed and slipped into a chair. "It's a storm in a tea-cup," -he explained easily, and accepting a cigar. "Miss Hest advised Ida to -give up Maunders, and I supported her. Then Ida----"</p> - -<p>"I know, I know," broke in Dimsdale sadly. "She is wilful and is quite -infatuated with the scamp. Arthur, Arthur, I should have married -again, so that Ida could be trained by a good woman. I can't manage -her."</p> - -<p>"I think Miss Hest can," said Vernon significantly; "and she has sense -enough for two. A most masculine young person. But do you think you -are wise forbidding Maunders to come to this masked ball?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, I do. Ida is crazy about him."</p> - -<p>"Opposition will only make her more crazy," warned Vernon, shaking his -sleek head. "It would be better to let them come together, and then -she would get sick of him. Maunders is so shallow that she would find -him out sooner or later, for Ida has plenty of common sense if it was -not obscured by this persistent frivolity, which, after all, is only a -youthful fault."</p> - -<p>"But if Maunders wants to marry her----"</p> - -<p>"He doesn't, Mr. Dimsdale. I can vouch for that. He wants to marry -your niece."</p> - -<p>"What!" Dimsdale, who was lighting a cigar, wheeled round with an -astonished air. "Why, I thought you loved Lucy?"</p> - -<p>"So I do," replied Vernon earnestly, "and she loves me. But Maunders -is a fascinating fellow and a dangerous, unscrupulous rival."</p> - -<p>"I quite believe it. Eh, what? The fellow's a scoundrel," grunted Mr. -Dimsdale crossly. "He should be tarred and feathered. Still, if things -are as you say, I don't mind Ida asking him to the ball. But she must -ask Towton also," he added with sudden determination.</p> - -<p>"She will do so, although she dreads his love-making. However, she may -grow sick of Maunders when she finds he is running after Lucy Corsoon, -and Towton may catch her heart in the recoil."</p> - -<p>"Hope so; hope so," muttered Dimsdale, turning his cigar in his lips. -"I want to see my little girl safely married to Towton, who is as good -a fellow as ever breathed."</p> - -<p>"But not a young fellow. However, it is wiser to let events take their -course for the present, Mr. Dimsdale. Opposition, as I say, will only -make Ida more wilful, since she is filled with romance natural at her -age."</p> - -<p>"Ouf," breathed the old man, wiping his brow with a bandanna -handkerchief. "What a handful women are! But there," he dismissed the -subject with a wave of his hand, "let us leave these trivialities and -talk business. Have you heard anything more about The Spider?"</p> - -<p>"Well, I made enquiries at Scotland Yard, and find that he is very -much wanted by the police."</p> - -<p>Mr. Dimsdale grunted. "Humph! The police are always wanting and never -getting."</p> - -<p>"The Spider is too clever for them," protested Vernon anxiously. "He -won't be too clever for me," said the elder man with sudden ferocity, -and slapping his hand on the table. "Eh, what? Am I to be blackmailed -by an infernal scoundrel who swears that he will tell a parcel of lies -if I don't pay him one thousand pounds. Hang him."</p> - -<p>"If it is merely lies, why pay?" asked Vernon drily.</p> - -<p>"There is a grain of truth in the lies," admitted Dimsdale crossly. -"The absolute truth I can face, but the lies make me out to be a very -queer person indeed. I shall tell you all when we secure this man."</p> - -<p>Vernon looked up astonished. "How do you propose to secure him? If you -arrest him, his accomplice will spread the lies you talk of, by -postcard amongst your acquaintances, as is usually the case in The -Spider's business."</p> - -<p>"I'll risk that, sir; I'll risk that," said Dimsdale with a defiant -air; "but I'm hanged if he'll get a penny out of me. I shall set the -trap, and you will be in this room behind a screen to rush out and -seize him when I give the signal. Understand? Eh, what? Understand? -Come, come! Speak up."</p> - -<p>"What sort of trap do you propose to lay?" asked Arthur cautiously.</p> - -<p>"Well," Dimsdale leaned back, twisting his half-smoked cigar between -his fingers. "It was the masked ball--this silly form of -entertainment, which Ida insists upon having for her birthday--which -gave me the idea. You see, with the chance of being masked and -mingling amongst my guests, The Spider will be the more ready to come, -and will suspect nothing. I am writing to him to-morrow, telling him -about this ball, and am suggesting that he should come wearing a mask -to enjoy it. Then, at eleven o'clock, say, he can secretly meet me in -this room to receive the money."</p> - -<p>"Cash?" echoed Vernon significantly. -"Of course. The fellow's too clever to risk cheques. They would put -the police on his track; would put the police on his track, my boy."</p> - -<p>"But do you intend to pay the money?"</p> - -<p>"No, no, no, no! How stupid you are, Arthur. Use your brains, use your -brains, boy. I shall offer to pay the money, and then you, concealed -behind the screen--that Japanese one up in the corner--can rush out -and----"</p> - -<p>"But I have no authority to arrest him," interrupted Vernon -impatiently. "Why not post a policeman, or a plain-clothes detective, -to catch the beast?"</p> - -<p>"I don't want any policeman in my house," retorted Dimsdale gruffly; -"and you are detective enough for me. If he blackmails me, you will be -the witness, and we will have every right to hold him. Then you can -take him away and hand him over to the Hampstead police."</p> - -<p>"He may show fight."</p> - -<p>"Then have a revolver with you," snapped the old man. "I don't want a -scandal and a row on Ida's birthday, and in my house."</p> - -<p>"It seems to me that you are going the best way to have one," said -Vernon deliberately; "much better let me inform the police and have -the thing done in an orderly fashion."</p> - -<p>"No, I tell you." Dimsdale again slapped the table. "I'll do it my own -way or not at all. If I catch the beast by laying this trap, both -myself and Mrs. Bedge and many other people will be safe. But if we -call in the police, however secretly, The Spider--who seems to have -ears and eyes all over him--will get wind of the ambush."</p> - -<p>Vernon nodded. "There's something in that," he assented. "Perhaps on -those grounds it will be better that we should engineer the job -together. Well," he stood up straight and slim, "I shall come here on -the night of the ball--by the way, when does it take place?"</p> - -<p>"Monday week. It's a short notice, but Ida only thought yesterday of -this way to celebrate her birthday."</p> - -<p>"Are you quite sure," asked Vernon, taking up his tall hat, "that it -is advisable to lay this trap on the night of the ball?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, I do; yes, I do," said Dimsdale in a fussy manner. "The mere -idea of masks, which will enable the scoundrel to hide his infernal -face without comment, will recommend itself to him. He will think that -he is exceptionally safe, not dreaming that I intend to fight."</p> - -<p>"You will fight, then?"</p> - -<p>"Am I not laying a trap into which he will walk?" inquired Dimsdale -with much exasperation. "Of course I fight, as my secret is not such a -very bad one. I can defend myself, and I am willing to risk that being -known which I had rather were kept silent, for the sake of saving -other people from being blackmailed by the beast. Eh, what? Am I not -right?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, I think you are. But I wish you would tell me your secret."</p> - -<p>"After we have captured this scamp I shall do so, and then I shall -tell you the absolute truth together with his embroideries. Don't look -so grave, boy. I haven't committed a murder or stolen from the till."</p> - -<p>"I never thought of such a thing," said Vernon hastily, "but----"</p> - -<p>Dimsdale good-humouredly pushed him towards the window. "I know your -doubts, my boy, but later I can satisfy them. Meanwhile let us settle -that I am a scoundrel, and look on this trap as one set by a thief to -catch a thief. By the way, does Maunders know of the threat made by -The Spider against his mother. She intended to tell him, you know."</p> - -<p>"I am not aware, sir. Maunders has not been near me since that night -at the Athenian Club--the same night when I met you at Towton's rooms. -Well, I shall come to the ball. Meantime, let me know----"</p> - -<p>"I'll advise you if I hear from The Spider. There, get out. Good-bye, -unless you'll have a cup of tea or a glass of wine."</p> - -<p>Vernon declined and departed. The girls were no longer on the verandah -or even in the garden.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_04" href="#div1Ref_04">CHAPTER IV.</a></h4> -<h5>WHO WAS CAUGHT IN THE TRAP.</h5> -<br> - -<p>Vernon had his doubts as to the success of Mr. Dimsdale's scheme. The -Spider, as the authorities very well knew, was a wary individual, and -in all dealings with his victims had been careful to provide for his -own safety. He certainly met them at duly-appointed places, disguised -as an old woman or a young man, as a navvy or as a foreigner; but none -of those he intimidated dared to call in the police. The reason was -that The Spider invariably advised them beforehand by letter that his -accomplice held the evidence of the secrets for which they were being -blackmailed, and that any proceedings being taken would result in the -publication of these by cards being sent to their friends and -relatives and acquaintances. It therefore can easily be guessed that -no one had the courage to lay the rogue by the heels.</p> - -<p>But, as it appeared, The Spider had, in Mr. Dimsdale, stumbled on a -man who was not averse to his secret being known. Vernon wondered what -the ex-police-commissioner had done that he should have one at all, -and looked forward eagerly to being told. Dimsdale was such a very -respectable old gentleman, and so very open in his speech and actions -and entire life, that it seemed incredible he should conceal anything. -However, as The Spider had learned in some extraordinary way, he did -possess some secret, and therefore was being threatened. It was lucky -for Dimsdale in particular and the public at large that he cared so -little for the revelation of whatever shady doings he had been -concerned in, since by trapping The Spider an end would be put to the -dangerous career of this social pest. Whatever Mr. Dimsdale's secret -might be, he well deserved to be forgiven for the service which he was -rendering to everyone.</p> - -<p>But it was questionable, in Vernon's opinion, if The Spider would meet -his victim in a house filled with company, where there was every -chance of a hue and cry being raised. Certainly the scamp, well -protected by mask and domino, would be able to mingle with the company -unobserved. Even if unmasked, he could not be discovered, other than -as an uninvited guest, since no one knew his actual appearance. And -then he might choose to come as a cabman or a chauffeur or as a waiter -at the supper. Of course, if he kept the appointment in the library -his identity would be proved beyond all doubt when he made his -blackmailing demand. This, The Spider, although confident, for the -usual reason, of the silence of Dimsdale, might not choose to risk, -since many people being in the bungalow, he might be overheard. Vernon -looked at the whole affair as a somewhat forlorn hope, until he, three -or four days later, received a letter from Mr. Dimsdale.</p> - -<p>The old gentleman wrote that The Spider had agreed to meet him in the -library at "Rangoon" at eleven o'clock in the evening, and requested -he, Vernon, to enter the room earlier, so that he could be concealed -behind the screen. "I have not," Mr. Dimsdale went on to say, "advised -the police, as it is unnecessary for us to talk until we have trapped -our bird. But once he is in your grip he will see the folly of -resistance, and will probably agree to walk quietly to the Hampstead -Police Station. Failing that, we can shout for assistance, of which, -it is obvious, there will be plenty to hand. But, you will understand -that I wish to effect the capture as quietly as possible, so as not to -alarm my guests."</p> - -<p>In the latter part of his letter Dimsdale stated that Maunders had -been calling at the bungalow during his--the writer's--last interview -with Vernon. He was, in fact, round the corner of the house, nearest -to the library when Vernon stepped out of the French window. Dimsdale -had found him there on the verandah in the company of the girls, and -had promptly told him that he was not wanted, in his usual peppery -way. There had been a row, as Maunders had been grossly insolent, but -Miss Hest--a very capable girl, as Mr. Dimsdale wrote--had induced him -to depart. Confirmation of this report was received by Vernon from -Maunders himself, when the two met by chance in Piccadilly.</p> - -<p>"The old man was most insolent," complained Maunders indignantly; -"There is no crime in loving Ida, so far as I can see."</p> - -<p>"Since you love Miss Corsoon, and only run after Ida for her money, I -think Mr. Dimsdale has every reason to forbid you the house," said -Vernon drily.</p> - -<p>"Oh, rot. I know what I'm about. As to forbidding me the house, I -received an invitation to the masked ball on Monday, and I'm going."</p> - -<p>"Ida only extorted permission from her father to ask you. If you're a -gentleman you will not go to be received on sufferance."</p> - -<p>Maunders chuckled coolly. "Ida won't receive me in that way," said he -with superb insolence, "as she really loves me, and the old gentleman -doesn't matter. I love Lucy, but she has no money, so I expect I shall -have to sacrifice myself by marrying Ida."</p> - -<p>"If Mr. Dimsdale will allow you," chafed Vernon.</p> - -<p>"Oh, he won't; but Ida can defy him."</p> - -<p>"If she does she will lose her fortune."</p> - -<p>"That remains to be seen," said Maunders airily. "Hang old Dimsdale, -what objection can he have to me?"</p> - -<p>"Your aunt might tell you," said Vernon significantly. The blood -rushed to Maunders' cheek, and he looked searchingly at his friend, -but not agreeably. "What do you mean?"</p> - -<p>"I mean that I can only consent to take you into partnership if you -succeed in capturing The Spider," said Vernon slowly and somewhat -evasively.</p> - -<p>"Who is The Spider?"</p> - -<p>"I think you know, if not from the newspapers, then from Mrs. Bedge."</p> - -<p>Maunders looked at the ground. "So old Dimsdale told you?"</p> - -<p>"Yes. He wished to enlist my services on behalf of your aunt to -capture this blackmailing beast."</p> - -<p>"Oh; and do you intend to?"</p> - -<p>"No. I intend to leave the capture to you."</p> - -<p>Maunders opened his eyes. "But, my dear chap, I know nothing about The -Spider, as you call this man, to say nothing of detective business."</p> - -<p>"Yet you wish to become Nemo's partner," said Vernon, very drily. "See -here, Maunders, it's no use beating about the bush. I shan't take you -as my partner unless you catch this man and so prove your capability."</p> - -<p>"And suppose I tell everyone who Nemo is?" asked Maunders with an ugly -look.</p> - -<p>"You can do so if you like," rejoined Vernon coolly, "for then there -will be no Nemo. I shall simply leave England and seek my fortune in -Africa. And, after all, I don't see why you should refuse this test. -It's to your own advantage that he should be caught, unless you want -your aunt to pay five thousand pounds."</p> - -<p>"Bosh! What The Spider says is a lie."</p> - -<p>"I daresay; but it won't be pleasant for Mrs. Bedge to know that her -friends receive cards stating you are her natural son."</p> - -<p>"It's an infernal lie," raged Maunders, the blood flushing his cheek -and making him look handsomer than ever. "I am not a bit like my aunt -in any way. It is true that her sister was my mother, but I take after -my father."</p> - -<p>"Constantine Mavrocordato!"</p> - -<p>"Dimsdale told you that; he seems to have imparted a lot of my private -affairs to you," observed Maunders acidly.</p> - -<p>"They are quite safe with me as Nemo. I don't use my private -discoveries to blackmail people."</p> - -<p>"Do you believe this lie of The Spider's?"</p> - -<p>"No, I don't, for one moment. Mrs. Bedge is a good, kind woman, far -too good for you, Maunders. She has brought you up and educated you, -and allows you money, and altogether has behaved like a trump. For her -sake, if not for the sake of becoming my partner in a paying business, -you ought to hunt out this brute who asperses her fair fame."</p> - -<p>The other man stared again at his neat boots. "I'm not such a rotter -as you think, Vernon," he said, in a voice filled with feeling; "and, -of course, I appreciate my aunt's kindness. We'll let the partnership -business stand over for the present. I give you my word that I shan't -tell a soul you are Nemo. Also, I'll go to work on my own, and see if -I can't catch The Spider. He's not going to get five thousand pounds -of my money if I can help it."</p> - -<p>"Your aunt's money," corrected Vernon gently. "It will be mine some -day," said Maunders with a shrug; "but you can see that I have some -conscience, badly though you think of me."</p> - -<p>"I don't think so very badly of you," replied Vernon hurriedly and -somewhat untruthfully, "you have your good points, Constantine, but -you are so given over to pleasure that you stop at nothing to gratify -it."</p> - -<p>"I stop on the right side of the law, however," retorted Maunders, -again becoming his callous self, after the momentary softening. "There -will be no chance of Nemo catching me. Well, good-day. I'll do what I -say, and perhaps when I meet you at the ball, I'll have something to -tell you."</p> - -<p>"You intend to go, then, in spite of Dimsdale's behaviour?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, I do," said Maunders doggedly; "and I intend to marry Ida with -her thousands a year. So now you know." And he walked off abruptly, -leaving Vernon to congratulate himself that he no longer had a -dangerous rival in the affections of Lucy Corsoon.</p> - -<p>"Though I don't believe old Dimsdale will consent to the marriage with -Ida," thought Vernon, as he resumed his interrupted walk.</p> - -<p>During the few days that still remained until the night of the masked -ball, Vernon saw nothing of Maunders or of Martin Dimsdale. But on the -Monday morning, when having luncheon in the triclinium of the Athenian -Club, Colonel Towton made his appearance. He glanced round the room, -and catching sight of Vernon, walked up to his table.</p> - -<p>"'Day," he said in his sharp, military way. "I'll join you here, if -you have no objections."</p> - -<p>"Delighted, Colonel," replied Vernon, and passed along the menu. He -wondered why Towton was making such a palpable advance towards -friendship, for, as a rule, he was somewhat stiff, with a reserved -manner, after the way of army men.</p> - -<p>The Colonel seemed to be in no hurry to explain, but fixed his eyeglass -to examine the card, and order his luncheon. He was a tall, slim, -dry-looking man, perfectly groomed and perfectly dressed and perfectly -master of himself. In spite of his forty-five years, his close-cropped -hair and smartly-twisted moustache were without a grey hair. Dark and -knightly-looking, with alert eyes of Irish blue, he looked as juvenile -as any of his subalterns. He was one of those men who ripen young, so -to speak, and who remain in that condition for the rest of their -lives. Towton was an admirable soldier, with several letters after his -name, and it was a pity---as everyone said--that he had retired so -early from the army. He should certainly have remained in order to -attain to the rank of a general. But it was generally known that -family reasons connected with the inheritance of a Yorkshire estate -had necessitated the Colonel sending in his papers. Outside his -profession he was not talented, but had a considerable fund of common -sense, which is a rarer commodity than people imagine.</p> - -<p>"I want to have a private talk with you, Vernon," said the Colonel, -after he had selected his dish. "Luckily there's no one within -earshot." He glanced round the room to note that he and his companion -were isolated in a secluded corner. "You don't mind my having a -private talk, do you?" he jerked, staring through his eyeglass and -twisting his moustache.</p> - -<p>"I am at your service," said Vernon, wondering what was coming.</p> - -<p>"I am going to be rather personal, both as regards your affairs and my -own," went on Towton very directly and honestly. "Rather odd in a man -who is a mere acquaintance, eh?"</p> - -<p>"Not at all," said Vernon politely; "I can only repeat that I am at -your service, Colonel."</p> - -<p>"Fact is, I wouldn't say a word, but that I know you're a good sort; -plenty of chaps say that. And again," Towton unfolded his napkin -rather nervously, for him, "you are a great friend of the Dimsdales."</p> - -<p>"Yes, I am," acknowledged Vernon, guessing somewhat of the business -which had brought the Colonel to his table.</p> - -<p>"And a friend of young Maunders."</p> - -<p>"We were at school together."</p> - -<p>"And a friend of the Corsoons," pursued Towton, distinctly ill at -ease, as if he felt that he was taking a liberty.</p> - -<p>"See here, Colonel," remarked his companion straightly; "I guess what -you are driving at from your coupling of those names. May I speak -out?"</p> - -<p>"Yes." Towton nodded away the waiter who had brought his soup.</p> - -<p>"You are in love with Miss Dimsdale, and Maunders is paying her -attentions."</p> - -<p>"Quite so. May I add, on my part, that you are in love with Miss -Corsoon, and that the same gentleman is your rival?"</p> - -<p>Vernon nodded and pushed away his empty plate. "I think we have -cleared the ground for action," he said significantly.</p> - -<p>"I am obliged to you for your candour," said Towton courteously; "and -I knew from your reputation that you would meet me half-way. It is not -easy for an elderly man, such as I am, to speak of his love for a -young girl. But as I am devoted to her, and you are devoted to Miss -Corsoon, it seemed to me that we might join forces against that -handsome young scamp, who is playing fast and loose with the -affections of both the girls. On this ground, I ventured to take the -liberty of speaking to you on so private a subject."</p> - -<p>"I am very glad that you did so, Colonel. Our united actions may be of -great service to the ladies in question. Maunders----" He hesitated -generously.</p> - -<p>"I know," interrupted Towton abruptly, "that young gentleman's -reputation is as bad as yours is good. Even if I did not love Miss -Dimsdale, I should feel justified in doing my best to save her from -that scamp. You can tell him that I said so, if you like."</p> - -<p>"What? Give our plans away to our common enemy," said Vernon jokingly. -"That would scarcely be wise. Maunders is as clever as the devil."</p> - -<p>"And as unscrupulous. But let us be frank. Which of these girls does -he love, in your opinion?"</p> - -<p>"What love he can spare from himself he gives to Miss Corsoon; but he -is after Miss Dimsdale's fortune."</p> - -<p>"I thought so. She is infatuated with him, worse luck. And Miss -Corsoon?"</p> - -<p>"She and I understand one another," said Vernon with some reserve. "I -am not afraid of Maunders in that quarter, although he has good looks -and a great charm of manner. We are talking of very delicate matters, -Colonel."</p> - -<p>"I know we are; I know we are." Towton flicked his napkin irritably. -"Ladies' names shouldn't be mentioned between gentlemen. I am rather a -Turk in that respect; but as this young gentleman will make both of -them miserable, and is a thorn in your flesh as in mine, we must -between ourselves put delicacy on one side. What do you propose to -do?"</p> - -<p>"I don't know," said Vernon, crumbling his bread dismally. "Lady -Corsoon certainly will not let her daughter marry a poor man such as I -am. What are your plans, Colonel?"</p> - -<p>"I don't know," repeated Towton, equally dismally. "Miss Dimsdale is -crazy about Maunders, and will not cast a glance at me. The father is -on my side, however, so I have some chance."</p> - -<p>"You may take it as certain," said Vernon with decision, "that -Dimsdale will never consent to his daughter becoming Mrs. Maunders."</p> - -<p>"She may defy him."</p> - -<p>"There is that possibility, certainly."</p> - -<p>"Hang him," muttered Towton, referring to Maunders. "Why can't he -marry Miss Hest and have done with it."</p> - -<p>"Miss Hest has neither the money nor the looks to attract such a gay -spark."</p> - -<p>"Oh, come now, she's a handsome girl."</p> - -<p>"Not in Maunders' way. He likes a weak woman, whom he can bully; and -Miss Hest is much too firm and managing a wife for him to risk. By the -way, are you going to the ball to-night?"</p> - -<p>"Yes." Towton's face lighted up with ridiculous pleasure. "It may give -me a chance to----"</p> - -<p>"No, don't propose, Colonel. You will only be refused. Take my advice, -and wait for a week or so. Maunders may be out of your way by that -time!"</p> - -<p>"What do you mean, exactly?"</p> - -<p>"I am not at liberty to say. But I advise you to wait." Towton played -with his bread and cheese. "All right," he said at length. "I place -myself in your hands, although I am hanged if I can see what you -mean."</p> - -<p>"Well," confessed Vernon, rising, "to tell you the truth, I am not -very sure myself what I do mean. But I have a kind of instinct that if -both of us play a waiting game, Maunders will get the cold shoulder."</p> - -<p>"From Ida--I mean from Miss Dimsdale?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, and from Miss Corsoon. Come into the pinacotheca and smoke."</p> - -<p>The two conspirators went there and discussed the matter further. As -Vernon had confessed, he had no clear idea in his mind as to why he -advised the Colonel to wait. But, in some vague way, he fancied that -this business of The Spider might occupy Maunders' time and prevent -his paying his usual attentions to Lucy and Ida. In that case both the -girls would probably feel offended. Then Vernon intended to bring them -together in some as yet unthought-of way, so that they might mutually -discover how Maunders was courting both of them indiscriminately. -Lucy, of course, in any case would have nothing to do with the young -man; but Ida's pride, taking fire, might induce her, on making this -discovery, to listen to the Colonel's wooing. Everything in Vernon's -brain was vague and undecided, but he faintly felt that if events -happened in some such way Maunders might be eliminated as a stumbling -block. All these possibilities, however, being still in the clouds, he -did not reveal them to Towton. The conversation in the pinacotheca -resolved itself into the two men consoling one another regarding their -doubtful love affairs. Arranging to meet at the masked ball, they -parted on more than friendly terms and with quite a feeling of -intimacy. This was natural, considering what they had been discussing.</p> - -<p>But the proposed meeting at "Rangoon" never came off. The unexpected -happened, as Vernon might have guessed it would. But, with all his -experience of life, he was never so much astonished as when a telegram -was handed in at his rooms with the name of Lucy Corsoon attached. -"Come to No. 34, Waller Street, West Kensington," ran the wire, "at -nine o'clock. Trouble with M.----L. Corsoon."</p> - -<p>"Now what the deuce does this mean?" Vernon asked himself.</p> - -<p>Undoubtedly the letter "M." referred to Maunders, since there was no -one else with that initial to cause trouble. But what the trouble -might be, or why carefully-guarded Lucy Corsoon should be in West -Kensington it was hard to say. Lady Corsoon rarely let her daughter -out of her sight, and on this night both were due at "Rangoon" to -enjoy the masked ball. But, as Vernon rapidly reflected, there could -be only one reply to so urgent a wire, and that was to stand on the -doorstep of No. 34, Waller Street, West Kensington, at the appointed -hour. He glanced at his watch. It was after eight, so he had only time -to drive from Bloomsbury to his destination. Vernon, for obvious -reasons connected with his income, lived in old-fashioned rooms in -that middle-class district, and was more comfortable than if he had -lived in Mayfair, both as regards space and rent.</p> - -<p>His domino and mask were lying on a chair, ready to be slipped into a -brown leather bag. He had intended to drive in a taxi to Hampstead, -because of the bag, as it was too much trouble to carry it by train, -since in that case his journey would be broken. As he was thinking -what was best to be done, the landlady's husband, who acted as his -valet, came with the information that the cab was at the door. Vernon -made up his mind at once to act the part of a knight-errant, in spite -of being due at the ball, and, without troubling about the domino and -mask, put on his overcoat. Unless something serious was wrong--and the -telegram gave little information--he could return, get the bag and -drive on to the ball. But if Lucy was in dire trouble he would not go -at all to "Rangoon." Mr. Dimsdale would have to manage with The Spider -as best he could. Always provided that that astute individual walked -into the trap, which was doubtful.</p> - -<p>All the way to West Kensington Vernon puzzled his brains as to what -could be the matter, and why Lucy Corsoon should be in a West -Kensington house. Ridiculous as it seemed, he entertained the idea -that she might have been kidnapped by Maunders, and had contrived to -send the wire to the lover upon whom she could rely. But then -Maunders--as he had said--always kept on the right side of the law, -and kidnapping was an indictable offence. But if he had acted thus -rashly, as Vernon reflected with a thrill, he was simply playing into -his rival's hands. "If I rescue Lucy, Lady Corsoon will certainly let -me marry her out of gratitude," thought the young man.</p> - -<p>However, the whole affair was so mysterious that until he saw Lucy -there was little chance of a reasonable explanation. He therefore -possessed his soul in patience until he arrived in Waller Street. Here -he sprang out, and telling the cabman to wait, ran up the steps of a -semi-detached house of the suburban villa residence style. The night -was brilliant with moonlight, so he easily saw the number on the glass -over the door, and also the long, dull street of similar houses. It -was some minutes before the appointed time, but that mattered very -little. There seemed to be no light in the house, and Vernon wondered -more than ever why Lucy should be in so unusual a locality.</p> - -<p>Shortly the sound of light footsteps was heard, and a light appeared, -against which the numerals on the glass above the door stood out black -and distinct. Then the door itself was opened cautiously, and the -white face of a woman looked out. "Is Miss Corsoon here?" asked Vernon -abruptly.</p> - -<p>"Are you Mr. Vernon?" questioned the woman in a frightened whisper. -"Yes. I received a wire from----"</p> - -<p>"Come in, come in," breathed the woman, and held the door open -sufficiently for Vernon to slip in. "I am so glad you've come," she -went on, still below her breath, and apparently much afraid. "It's as -much as my life's worth to admit you. But the poor young lady----"</p> - -<p>"Is she here?"</p> - -<p>"Yes. They've got her in the cellar below. Only because she cried so -much did I dare to send that telegram to you, and----"</p> - -<p>"What the devil does it all mean?" demanded Vernon fiercely and -gruffly.</p> - -<p>"Hush, hush! Don't raise your voice. Follow me on tip-toe. They will -hear."</p> - -<p>"Who are they?" asked Vernon softly, and obeying.</p> - -<p>But all the woman said was "Hush, hush!" So, wondering at this strange -adventure, which seemed genuine enough, the young man went after the -woman down some wooden stairs which led from the hall to the basement. -As he followed he saw by the light of the candle which his guide -carried that the hall was dusty and unfurnished. She led him along a -dark passage and opened an end door with an air of mystery. "The young -lady there," she said softly, and handing him the light. "Take the -candle, and for heaven's sake don't say that I betrayed them."</p> - -<p>"Them? Who?" asked Vernon imperatively.</p> - -<p>She clutched his arm. "They'll hear you," she whispered, pointing -upward, and pushed him towards the open door. "She's drugged--in -there."</p> - -<p>Vernon uttered a loud ejaculation, which made his guide shiver, and -stepped into the dark room, holding the candle above his head. The -next moment the door closed quickly behind him. He turned sharply, but -already the key had clicked crisply in the lock. He was a prisoner. -"And it's a plant; a plant," cried Vernon in a cold fury. "I'm -trapped."</p> - -<p>He certainly was, for there was no sign of the girl who had been -supposed to send the telegram. All the terror and whispering of the -woman had been a comedy to inveigle him into his prison. The place was -a small kitchen, dusty and forlorn and unfurnished. There were no -plates on the rack or on the shelves of the open cupboard, and no fire -in the rusty grate. The room had not been occupied for many a long -day, as the roof and corners were thick with dust and cobwebs. An -iron-barred window glimmered straight before Vernon, and there was a -small door near it. Through this he went, to find himself in a tiny -scullery also lighted dimly by an iron-barred window. The door through -which he had entered was fast locked, and he had no means of opening -it. There was no doubt that he was a prisoner, decoyed to this lonely, -unfurnished house by means of the false telegram.</p> - -<p>"What the deuce does it all mean?" Vernon asked himself, and sat down -on the dusty floor to think out his position. To save his dress -clothes he made a cushion of his light overcoat, and sat on it, -hugging his knees, with the candle beside him. The position was dismal -enough, and decidedly mysterious, as he confessed. "What does it -mean?" he repeated mentally.</p> - -<p>The next instant the obvious answer flashed into his mind. "The -Spider," cried Vernon, leaping to his feet and addressing the bare -walls. "Yes, this must be The Spider's trickery."</p> - -<p>And the more he thought of it the more certain he felt that he had, at -the first blow, hit the right nail on the head. In some way The Spider -had learned of the arranged trap, and had sent the wire purporting to -come from Lucy Corsoon as a decoy. It had proved only too successful, -and now here he was safely locked up in an underground room with no -chance of escape, while Mr. Dimsdale, at "Rangoon," was left to face -the ingenious scoundrel alone. "But that's all right," Vernon -soliloquised, as he sat down again. "If I am not on the spot other -people are, and when The Spider makes his demand, Mr. Dimsdale will -probably raise the alarm. The Spider is not so clever as I thought."</p> - -<p>This was poor comfort. The Spider, at all events, had been clever -enough to ensnare a private detective who prided himself on his -astuteness. One trap had been set by Mr. Dimsdale, and here was -another set by The Spider, out of which it was impossible to escape. -The bars of the windows were too strong to twist, the door was too -stout to break down, so there was nothing for it but to wait. It was -impossible that he could be kept in his dungeon for ever, and sooner -or later he would be released. Besides, someone would have to bring -him food, and if it was the white-faced woman who had so cleverly led -him into the trap, Vernon promised himself grimly that he would seize -her at the first opportunity and make her aid his escape. Finally, the -taxi was still at the door, and the driver might become sufficiently -alarmed if his fare did not reappear to speak to the nearest -policeman. It was ridiculous that a man should be captured in guarded -London in such a way. Vernon was angry with himself for having been -tricked. But until the abrupt closing of the door he had never -suspected that anything was wrong.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile, he guessed that The Spider, having got him out of the -way, was keeping his appointment with Dimsdale in the library. It was -not probable that the blackmailing would succeed, as Dimsdale was -quick-tempered, and as likely as not would simply seize the creature -when he demanded his money, shouting meanwhile for assistance. Vernon -wished that he was at his appointed post behind the screen; but he -comforted with the reflection that Dimsdale would be able to deal with -the matter unassisted. So far as he was concerned, being helpless, he -could do nothing but wait.</p> - -<p>For the next hour or so--he did not pay much attention to the -time--Vernon wondered how The Spider came to know of Dimsdale's trap, -and how he had so cleverly laid his own. The blackmailer seemed to -know everybody's business, as his profession required, so in some way -he had managed to learn of Vernon's love for Miss Corsoon. Only such a -message from such a girl would have lured the lover into such a -predicament, and The Spider had not only been clever enough to know -this, but had been clever enough to utilize his knowledge. For the -moment--it was a wild thought, and passed in a flash--Vernon wondered -if Constantine Maunders had anything to do with the matter. But the -idea was ridiculous, since The Spider was attempting to blackmail Mrs. -Bedge, which Maunders certainly would not countenance. But if not -Maunders, who could it be? Certainly Dimsdale might have talked to -someone else about the proposed trap, since he was extremely frank and -injudicious in his speech. Vernon resolved to question him on this -point when next they met, and hoped from his reply to learn who had -lured him to No. 34, Waller Street, West Kensington. Having arrived at -this conclusion, he rested his head on the overcoat and tried to -sleep, since it was foolish to waste his strength in beating his wings -against the prison bars. After a time, so tired was his brain with -hard thinking, that he actually fell asleep.</p> - -<p>How long the sleep lasted he did not know, but he woke from a troubled -dream with the idea that he heard soft retreating footsteps. The -candle was burnt to the socket and the room was extremely dark, so -Vernon sat up in a confused way, trying to recall his position. With -alert ears he hearkened for the presumed footsteps, but as there was -no sound save his own laboured breathing, he decided that he had been -dreaming. It was lucky that he had a box of lucifers in his pocket, -for the lighting of one enabled him to see the time. His watch -revealed that it was one o'clock in the morning, and as he had arrived -at nine he must have been imprisoned for four hours. His limbs felt -stiff as he rose to his feet, and with a yawn he stretched himself.</p> - -<p>"I can't stay here all night," he muttered desperately. "I'll try what -shouting will do;" and shout he did with all the power of his lungs, -only to receive no response.</p> - -<p>Feeling that he was losing both time and temper, Vernon groped his way -in the thick darkness towards the door. Gripping the handle he gave it -an angry, despairing twist. To his surprise the door proved to be -open. Apparently the footsteps he had thought dream-sounds were real, -and his prison door had been quietly unlocked at the moment of his -awakening. Picking up his overcoat, he felt his way along the passage -and up the stairs and into the front hall--slow work in the gloom of -an unknown locality. There was no noise to be heard, although he held -his breath to listen. So far as he could judge, the house was empty. -Finally, intent upon getting assistance, he tried the handle of the -front door, and found that there was no difficulty in getting clear. -In two minutes he was in the quiet street, looking up and down for a -policeman.</p> - -<p>The road being isolated and the hour late, there was neither vehicle -nor pedestrian to be seen, nor did any light gleam from the windows of -the silent houses. Vernon shivered in the cold breath of the night, -then walked swiftly up the street to seek assistance. Shortly he found -a burly constable at the corner, and breathlessly detailed all that -had happened to that somewhat sceptical officer. A shrill whistle -brought another policeman to the spot, and with the two Vernon -returned to No. 34, the door of which he had left ajar. This somewhat -convinced the officers, and they took his name and address, promising -to search the house, and also to watch it. Vernon himself, on fire to -reach Hampstead and to learn what had occurred, could not wait to see -what discoveries might be made. The policemen wished to detain him, -but finally he got away, and raced towards the more public part of -West Kensington to find a cab.</p> - -<p>As luck would have it, he picked up a belated taxi that had just taken -home a fare. The chauffeur demurred about driving out so far as -Hampstead, but a treble price promptly offered overcame his scruples, -and in a short time Vernon was spinning towards his much-wished-for -destination. All the way he was trying to conjecture how The Spider -had contrived to overhear the arranging of the trap, for he must have -done so, else there would have been no reason for the imprisonment. -But by this time Vernon's brain was weary, and he fell into a dose. -When he woke the taxi had pulled up with a jerk, and he found himself -on the Heath before the gate of "Rangoon." With a sudden spasm of fear -he noted that a policeman was standing at the entrance, apparently on -guard.</p> - -<p>Stumbling out of the cab, Vernon staggered towards the man. "I have -come to Mr. Dimsdale's ball," he said hurriedly.</p> - -<p>"It's over, sir," said the policeman, touching his helmet.</p> - -<p>"Over--so early!"</p> - -<p>"Early in the morning, sir, you mean. But the fact is, there's -trouble."</p> - -<p>"Trouble!" Again a cold chill struck Vernon.</p> - -<p>"Yes, sir, and the ball came to an end."</p> - -<p>"Mr. Dimsdale?"</p> - -<p>"Dead, sir. Murdered, as you might say."</p> - -<p>"Dead!" echoed Vernon, quite dazed.</p> - -<p>"Strangled," said the policeman bluntly.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_05" href="#div1Ref_05">CHAPTER V.</a></h4> -<h5>AFTER THE TRAGEDY.</h5> -<br> - -<p>The news was as horrible as it was unexpected. Vernon had anticipated -blackmail, he had even believed that in the absence of a third person -The Spider might show fight. But he had never dreamed that murder -would take place, as such a crime was entirely contrary to The -Spider's methods. With a gasp he pulled himself together.</p> - -<p>"Have they caught the man?" he demanded anxiously.</p> - -<p>"What man?" questioned the constable suspiciously.</p> - -<p>"The murderer."</p> - -<p>"No, sir; it's not known who killed Mr. Dimsdale. He was found -strangled in his library, some time after eleven o'clock. The alarm -was given, the police were called in, and the ball came to an end. -Now, sir," added the man in a friendly way, "I haven't any right to -tell you more, and as what I have told you will be in the papers -to-morrow, no harm's done. You go home now, sir, and you'll learn all -about your friend when the inquest takes place."</p> - -<p>Vernon thought for a second. "Is your Inspector in the house?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, sir, but you can't see him."</p> - -<p>"I must see him, and at once. I believe I know who killed Mr. -Dimsdale."</p> - -<p>"Oh, you do, do you?" said the policeman with a subtle change of -manner. "Then you come along with me."</p> - -<p>"Wait till I pay my cabman," muttered Vernon, and, the policeman -making no objection to this, he gave the chauffeur the promised fare. -When the vehicle had disappeared down the road, diminishing blackly in -the moonlight, he returned, to find that the constable was holding -open the gate.</p> - -<p>"What name am I to give?" asked the man gruffly, for it was evident -that he regarded Vernon with suspicion owing to what he had admitted.</p> - -<p>"My name doesn't matter; the Inspector does not know me," said Vernon -impatiently. "Hurry up, man! hurry up! Every moment is of value."</p> - -<p>Impressed by his imperious manner, the policeman knocked at the closed -front door, which was immediately thrown open by a second constable on -guard in the hall. By this individual Vernon was introduced into the -Jacobean dining-room, after a few hurried words of explanation. -Inspector Drench--the constable had informed Vernon of the name--was -seated at the table taking notes, and Miss Hest, looking pale and -anxious, stood at his elbow. She was the first to speak.</p> - -<p>"Mr. Vernon," she exclaimed hoarsely, "you have come at last. Poor Mr. -Dimsdale was asking for you all the night. And now----" she broke -down.</p> - -<p>"How did you get in, sir?" questioned Inspector Drench imperiously, -and nodding to the policeman that he should leave the room. "I gave -orders that nobody was to be admitted."</p> - -<p>"I insisted upon seeing you," said Vernon quickly. "This evening--or -rather yesterday evening--I had an appointment with Mr. Dimsdale in -his library, but I was decoyed to an empty house in West Kensington, -and have only managed to get away."</p> - -<p>Inspector Drench stared. "What do you mean by all this, sir?"</p> - -<p>"What I say," rejoined Vernon tartly, for his nerves worried him. "I -understand that Mr. Dimsdale is dead."</p> - -<p>"Mr. Dimsdale has been murdered," cried Miss Hest, clasping her hands -and speaking in a thick, emotional voice. "Murdered in his library. No -one knows who strangled him."</p> - -<p>"I know."</p> - -<p>"You!" Drench stood up alertly. "Take care, sir. Anything you say now -will be noted," and he shuffled his papers like a pack of cards. "Who -is guilty?"</p> - -<p>"The Spider."</p> - -<p>"The Spider!" echoed Miss Hest. "Who is The Spider, or what is The -Spider?"</p> - -<p>She looked puzzled, but the Inspector, better informed, looked -open-mouthed at the young man. "Do you mean to say that The Spider -perpetrated this crime, sir?" he asked, scarcely able to speak from -sheer amazement.</p> - -<p>Vernon, thoroughly worn out from what he had undergone, dropped into a -chair listlessly. "Yes."</p> - -<p>"But this Spider?" broke in Miss Hest volubly; "I don't know who he is -or what he is. Tell me if----"</p> - -<p>"Allow me," interrupted Drench sharply. He was a military-looking man, -something after the style of Colonel Towton, and spoke aggressively. -"Allow me, for I am in charge here, miss. The Spider is the name--if -you may call it so--of a well-known blackmailer, for whom the police -have been looking, and are still looking. Perhaps, Mr. Vernon--I think -you said that this gentleman's name is Vernon--will explain how he -comes to be possessed of such precise information."</p> - -<p>"There is no difficulty in explaining," retorted Vernon, annoyed by -the suspicious looks of the officer. "Listen!" and he rapidly detailed -all that he knew, all that had taken place from his interview with -Dimsdale in Towton's chambers to the moment when he leapt from the -taxicab to be met by the constable at the gate with the news of the -murder. As the recital proceeded Drench tried to conceal his -amazement, but scarcely managed to do so, while Frances Hest, for once -startled out of her self-control, uttered ejaculations. It may be -noted that Vernon suppressed for the moment the fact that The Spider -was blackmailing Mrs. Bedge, as he did not wish to spread scandal. But -Inspector Drench and the lady were put in possession of all other -facts.</p> - -<p>"What was Mr. Dimsdale's secret?" asked Frances curiously.</p> - -<p>"I can't tell you, as I don't know. After the capture of The Spider he -promised that I should be told. Now I shall never know."</p> - -<p>"This comes," said the Inspector bitterly, "this comes of amateur -detective business. If I had been informed of the appointment I should -have made arrangements to capture The Spider."</p> - -<p>"If you had been informed," retorted Vernon heatedly, "The Spider -would never have kept the appointment."</p> - -<p>"Why not? He was ignorant of my plans?"</p> - -<p>"He learned mine easily enough, and would have learned yours. You seem -to forget, Mr. Inspector, that we are dealing with a genius in the way -of criminality. The Spider, whomsoever he may be, seems to know -everything. I believe that he is the head of a gang and has his spies -all over London. No one person could be so well posted up in secret -arrangements otherwise."</p> - -<p>"How did he come to know of the secret arrangement between yourself -and Mr. Dimsdale?" asked Drench abruptly.</p> - -<p>"I can't say, unless Mr. Dimsdale, who had rather a loose tongue, -revealed his plan of the trap to someone else. I said nothing."</p> - -<p>"Mr. Dimsdale gave no information to anyone in this house," said -Frances decisively; "if he had, either I or Ida would have known. As -it is, he apparently met this dreadful person in the library at the -agreed time. And, now that I think of it," she mused, "I wonder that I -did not suspect something of the sort. Mr. Dimsdale told Ida and -myself that we could have all the rooms for the ball save the library, -as he wished that to himself."</p> - -<p>"There's nothing unusual in such a wish," remarked Drench easily. -"When a house is upset by a party a man naturally wishes one of his -rooms left undisturbed so that he can have peace."</p> - -<p>"What happened exactly?" asked Vernon with an air of fatigue.</p> - -<p>Inspector Drench signed that Miss Hest should explain, and glanced at -his notes as she spoke, to be certain that she was repeating what she -had already told him prior to Vernon's entrance.</p> - -<p>"It is hard to tell what took place to a minute," protested the lady. -"Our guests arrived just before ten o'clock, and everything was going -splendidly."</p> - -<p>"Everyone was masked, I suppose," said Vernon quietly.</p> - -<p>"Oh, yes. But Mr. Dimsdale stood in the Hall until nearly eleven, -receiving our guests, and made everyone unmask before they entered the -ballroom."</p> - -<p>"Why did he do that?" asked Drench suddenly.</p> - -<p>"Can't you guess?" put in Vernon impatiently. "Mr. Dimsdale expected -The Spider, and wished to see if he would come."</p> - -<p>"But he didn't know what The Spider was like. No one knows."</p> - -<p>"I daresay. But Mr. Dimsdale knew those whom his daughter had invited -to the ball. If an unknown person had unmasked he would have jumped to -the conclusion, and perhaps truly, that he was The Spider. Well, Miss -Hest?"</p> - -<p>"Everyone who unmasked were people we knew," she continued, "for I -stood with Ida near Mr. Dimsdale, receiving the guests. At a quarter -to eleven Mr. Dimsdale went to the library."</p> - -<p>"Alone?"</p> - -<p>"Certainly. No one, to my knowledge, entered the library during the -whole of that evening until Ida, in search of her father, insisted -upon going in, notwithstanding the prohibition, at a quarter to -twelve. Then she found Mr. Dimsdale seated in his chair, quite dead."</p> - -<p>"Were the windows open?"</p> - -<p>Inspector Drench arose. "Come and see the room, Mr. Vernon," he said, -moving towards the door. "Nothing has been disturbed, not even the -corpse. Everything remains as Miss Dimsdale found it at a quarter to -twelve."</p> - -<p>"And Ida fainted," whispered Frances in Vernon's ear as the trio -crossed the hall to enter the library. "Poor child! It was no wonder, -when the sight was so horrid. She's in bed now, crying her heart out. -Inspector," added Miss Hest, raising her voice, "you won't want me any -longer? Let me return to Miss Dimsdale, as she needs every attention."</p> - -<p>"Very good, miss. I shall continue your examination in the morning."</p> - -<p>"I have told you everything I know."</p> - -<p>"One moment," said Vernon, laying his hand on her sleeve as she moved -away. "I want to know if any guest arrived after Mr. Dimsdale went -into the library."</p> - -<p>"Two. But Ida and I made them unmask. We knew them quite well. Mr. and -Mrs. Horner from Finchley. And I may tell you, Mr. Vernon, that Mr. -Dimsdale came out of the library at five minutes to eleven for a -single moment to ask if you had arrived."</p> - -<p>"I wish I had arrived," said Vernon bitterly, "I might have prevented -this tragedy. Are you sure, Miss Hest, that no strangers were at the -ball?"</p> - -<p>"Well," she said thoughtfully, "it is difficult to say, since all were -masked. But no stranger was there to my knowledge, and when the crime -was discovered everyone unmasked. We knew all the guests, as we had -known them when they arrived; still, some stranger might have slipped -in. But I must go to Ida. I'll tell you anything else you wish to know -in the morning."</p> - -<p>Vernon nodded and released his grip of her sleeve. She flitted away -into the central room on her way to Ida's bedroom. Vernon mused for a -moment, then followed Drench into the library, where the Inspector, -indeed, had already preceded him. The first glance Vernon threw around -showed him that one of the French windows was open.</p> - -<p>"I thought so," he said pointing out this to the Inspector. "The -Spider did not come as a guest, but watched his opportunity and -slipped in at the window. At what time is Mr. Dimsdale supposed to -have been strangled?"</p> - -<p>"The doctor we called in says--so far as the state of the body -shows--that the crime was committed about a quarter past eleven. Miss -Dimsdale discovered it at a quarter to twelve, thirty minutes later."</p> - -<p>"The appointment was for eleven," said Vernon nodding, "so The Spider -was fifteen minutes late. But he came in there"--he pointed to the -French window--"and he escaped in the same way."</p> - -<p>"With the thousand pounds?" asked Drench drily. He did not like to be -shown his business by this young man.</p> - -<p>"I don't think so," replied Vernon musingly, and cautiously feeling -his way, as it were, to a decision. "You see, Dimsdale never intended -to pay the money, and therefore was not prepared with the specie from -the bank. The Spider, for once, went without his booty, and did worse -work for nothing than he ever did for reward."</p> - -<p>"Yes," said the Inspector carelessly; "I believe this is the first -time murder has been connected with his name--publicly, that is. Who -knows what assassinations he may not have to answer for privately? -However, here is the room and the corpse. What do you make of both?"</p> - -<p>The other man looked round slowly. The room blazed with the full power -of the many electric lights, which the Inspector had turned on; also, -as the apartment was square and sparsely furnished, there was no nook -or cranny that could not be seen at a glance. The three windows had -neither blinds nor curtains, in accordance with Mr. Dimsdale's craze -for fresh air; but round the desk, which was on the right side of the -room, near the fireplace, a high screen was drawn, the same which the -girls had used on that morning when they were selecting the guests for -the fatal ball. In a chair, turned sideways from the desk, drooped -the form of the dead man. He was arrayed in evening dress, but his -shirt-front was crumpled, and his face was swollen and discoloured. -There was no disorder round about the desk; the Persian mat had not -even been kicked out of the way.</p> - -<p>"Yes," said Drench in answer to a look from Vernon, "there could not -have been any struggle, since all is in order. In my opinion The -Spider--if it was that chap, as you seem to think--must have come -silently behind his victim, and strangled him with the handkerchief -before he had time to call out. He came to kill as well as to rob."</p> - -<p>"A handkerchief?" asked Vernon interested. "I thought he did it with -his hands, Mr. Inspector?"</p> - -<p>Drench shook his iron-grey head. "There are no marks of hands on the -throat, Mr. Vernon; only a cruel black line, which shows that a cord -or handkerchief must have been used--and used with great force. -Though, to be sure," added the Inspector reflectively, "Mr. Dimsdale -was so short and fat in the neck that a slight pressure must have -caused apoplexy."</p> - -<p>"Did he die of that?"</p> - -<p>"And strangulation; a mixture of both. But it's odd, Mr. Vernon, that -with those uncurtained windows he should have been murdered without -anyone seeing the performance. There must have been many guests in the -front garden, as people always do wander outside between the dances to -get fresh air."</p> - -<p>Vernon pointed to the screen. "That served the purposes of both -curtain and blind, Mr. Inspector. Behind that the crime could be -committed without anyone being the wiser, even if anyone had been on -the verandah."</p> - -<p>"Provided there was no noise," insisted Drench.</p> - -<p>"Exactly; so that makes me believe that your surmise is correct. The -Spider, for some reason, may have come to kill, as well as to -blackmail. Perhaps, as he learned about the trap--which he must have -done to arrange for my absence--he dreaded lest Dimsdale should prove -a dangerous person, and so got rid of him. If that mirror"--Vernon -pointed to a long, broad looking-glass which covered one side of the -fireplace, and which reflected desk and chair and screen and seated -figure--"could speak it would tell how the crime was committed. I can -guess myself," he ended.</p> - -<p>"Perhaps you will let me hear your guess," said Drench sceptically.</p> - -<p>"The Spider, I fancy, stole in quietly through the French window, -which was open, and came suddenly upon Dimsdale seated at his desk -waiting to keep the appointment. Before the old man could turn The -Spider had the handkerchief or cord round his neck and quietly choked -him. There would be no noise and no struggle. Then he looked for the -money"--Vernon pointed to the desk, several drawers of which were -pulled open--"but not finding any he stole out again through the -window."</p> - -<p>"The guests in the garden would have seen him leave the room."</p> - -<p>"What if they did? No one anticipated a crime, and no one but Miss -Hest and Miss Dimsdale knew that the library was forbidden territory. -Moreover, The Spider may have chosen his time to escape when another -dance was in progress, the chances being that everyone would return to -the ballroom. And you may be sure," added Vernon with emphasis, "that -The Spider made use both of mask and domino, so that he might be taken -for a guest, and might escape notice."</p> - -<p>"But Miss Hest said that everyone unmasked----"</p> - -<p>"Who entered the house as a guest," followed on Vernon quickly; "just -so, Mr. Inspector. But The Spider entered as a stranger by the window, -not wishing, perhaps, to take any chances. And, of course, we are -agreed that he is infernally clever, and well posted in necessary -details."</p> - -<p>"I'm with you there," murmured Drench mournfully, "but it's a pity you -and Mr. Dimsdale did not warn me of your trap. I should have caught -the man easier than you amateurs."</p> - -<p>"I am not an amateur," said Vernon unexpectedly; then, when the -Inspector looked at him interrogatively, he added, "I trade as Nemo, -of Covent Garden."</p> - -<p>"Ah, yes; I've heard of you," replied Drench in a less supercilious -tone. "So you are Nemo, are you, Mr. Vernon? I was told that you had -solved several mysteries. In fact, a friend of mine at the Yard said -you'd a head on your shoulders."</p> - -<p>"I'll need it," said Vernon with a shrug, "to unravel this mystery."</p> - -<p>"It's no mystery," said Drench quickly, "since you say that The Spider -murdered this poor chap."</p> - -<p>"The Spider himself is a mystery, and one which the police would give -much to solve. I intend to hunt him down--not alone on account of my -poor dead friend here, but because he so cleverly decoyed me out of -the way."</p> - -<p>"Ah, your pride is up in arms?"</p> - -<p>"Well, yes; I suppose you can put it that way. But I wish to ask you -two things, Mr. Inspector: first, that you will not reveal my trade as -Nemo to anyone in society."</p> - -<p>"Oh, I promise that easily, especially as I don't go into society, and -I can guess that you want it kept quiet. And the second thing?"</p> - -<p>"Will you permit me to place my services at your disposal?"</p> - -<p>The dexterous way in which Vernon put his request as a favour to be -granted pleased the Inspector, especially as he knew from what he had -heard of Nemo that such services would be of value. "I shall be very -pleased to let you work with me, Mr. Vernon," he said cordially. "What -do you propose to do first, may I ask?"</p> - -<p>"This house in West Kensington is an empty one, and must have been -taken by The Spider for my temporary prison. I must ascertain from the -landlord who took it, and thus we may learn something about the looks -of The Spider."</p> - -<p>"You think he took the house himself: applied to the landlord, that -is?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, and no; he may have done so, or one of his gang may have rented -the house. But if we can catch the person who _did_ see the landlord, -we may learn something about The Spider, if indeed the tenant was not -the man himself."</p> - -<p>"Well"--Drench scratched his head thoughtfully--"there is something in -that, Mr. Vernon. But The Spider is so clever that you may be sure he -has made himself safe. You think he heads a gang?"</p> - -<p>"I am certain, and the woman who played such a clever comedy to -inveigle me into the kitchen is one of the gang."</p> - -<p>"Perhaps The Spider himself, in disguise?"</p> - -<p>"You may be right, as, of course, since I was captured about nine -o'clock, there was plenty of time for him to change and get to -Hampstead by eleven."</p> - -<p>"Moreover, he was a quarter of an hour late," suggested Drench, "but -it puzzles me, sir, to think how your trap business came to his ears."</p> - -<p>Vernon looked regretfully at the dead man in the chair. "Perhaps Mr. -Dimsdale may have talked," he remarked. "I said nothing. But we shall -never know now----"</p> - -<p>"Until we lay hands on The Spider and force him to confess," ended -Drench, nodding. "By the way, I suppose some reward will be offered -for his apprehension by Miss Dimsdale? I understand she is rich."</p> - -<p>"It's very probable, as she inherits her father's money--about ten -thousand a year, it must be."</p> - -<p>The Inspector whistled. "That's a tidy fortune," he said meditatively. -"I expect the reward will be a large one."</p> - -<p>"I expect so also," rejoined Vernon, understanding clearly what was -meant, "and if we learn the truth about this crime and capture The -Spider you can have the reward all to yourself."</p> - -<p>"But you're a professional, Mr. Vernon, and have to make your money."</p> - -<p>"I don't want it in this case. The Spider made use of a certain lady's -name to inveigle me to West Kensington, and I mean to be even with -him."</p> - -<p>"Miss Corsoon. I think you mentioned Miss Corsoon."</p> - -<p>"Yes, only you needn't talk about it outside your office," said Vernon -hastily. "I don't want her to be mixed up in this business. Also, I am -not very proud of having been trapped in this way."</p> - -<p>"Only the police will know," Drench assured him, and led the way out -of the room, after turning out the lights. "You'd better go home now, -Mr. Vernon, as you have done quite enough to-night, and look worn -out."</p> - -<p>Vernon nodded. "When will the inquest take place?"</p> - -<p>"To-morrow; the sooner it's over the better. We can work on the clue -of The Spider which you have supplied. We'll catch him."</p> - -<p>Vernon shrugged his shoulders. He was less confident of success than -Drench, since for nearly two years The Spider had entirely baffled the -police.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_06" href="#div1Ref_06">CHAPTER VI.</a></h4> -<h5>TWO CONVERSATIONS.</h5> -<br> - -<p>The inquest duly took place, but no evidence was forthcoming likely to -lead to the capture of the assassin. That he was The Spider there, of -course, could be no doubt, since the declaration of Vernon went to -show that the late Mr. Dimsdale had made an appointment with the -blackmailer. Naturally, the whole story had to be told at the inquest, -and the public became aware, through the medium of the newspapers, -that the dead man had a secret. It could not have been a dishonourable -secret, was the general opinion, else Mr. Dimsdale would scarcely have -risked a revelation. Using it, whatever it might be, as a decoy to -lure The Spider into a trap, he had lost his life in the attempt to -capture the famous criminal. And if The Spider had been celebrated -before, he was still more celebrated now, and in a more sinister way. -Formerly the police had wanted him as an extortioner; now he was -inquired for as a murderer.</p> - -<p>The "Rangoon" crime--as it came to be called--made a mighty sensation, -as there was that about it which appealed to the somewhat jaded taste -of the public. That a man should be strangled in his own library, and -in the very house where nearly one hundred people were dancing, was -truly wonderful, when the sequel was that the assassin had escaped. -The windows of the library had neither blinds nor curtains; guests had -been talking and walking in the garden; on the other side of the tall -laurel hedge cabs and carriages with attendants had been waiting in -the road, yet The Spider had come and gone like a shadow. Behind the -frail concealment of the screen a terrible crime had taken place, and, -far from hurrying his departure, the criminal had actually lingered to -search for the money he hoped to get. It was proved at the inquest -that he did not get his plunder, for enquiries at Mr. Dimsdale's bank -showed that the thousand pounds had not been drawn. Undoubtedly, since -the dead man had intended to defy the blackmailer, the secret could -not have been one to be ashamed of. But what the secret was the public -never knew.</p> - -<p>Vernon, as he had stated to Inspector Drench, was not proud that he -had been so cleverly tricked into temporary imprisonment by The -Spider, and would fain have kept that episode to himself. But for the -rounding off of the case, it was necessary that it should be told, and -thus sensation was piled upon sensation. Vernon, however, contrived to -keep the name of Miss Corsoon to himself and Drench, and it was -vaguely stated in the papers that Vernon had been inveigled to West -Kensington on the plea of helping a woman. Inquiries proved that the -landlord had never been applied to as regards the letting of Number -34. The Spider had simply seen that the house was empty and had gained -access thereto by means of a skeleton key. For one single evening he -had utilised the house as a prison; and when the police searched the -same, which they did from cellar to attic, they found no trace of The -Spider or of the white-faced woman who had played so clever a comedy. -The daring evinced in connection with the West Kensington house was -amazing; the escape of the assassin from "Rangoon" scarcely less so; -and the whole formed a case unexampled in the annals of crime for cool -audacity. And the outcome of the affair was extremely unsatisfactory.</p> - -<p>Nothing could be discovered concerning the whereabouts of The Spider, -and whether he belonged to a gang or worked single-handed no one could -say. The man defied both detective and policeman, and laughed at the -attempts of the law to lay him by the heels. Letters were written to -the papers and leading articles appeared, clamouring that immediate -action should be taken against The Spider, who was a menace to -civilisation. The police did all that was possible, and hunted London -in the vain endeavour to lay hands on the rascal, but without success. -The Spider left no tracks behind him, and could not be followed to his -lair. A verdict of "Wilful Murder" was brought against him, and a -reward of one thousand pounds was offered at the instance of the -murdered man's daughter for his apprehension, but nothing further came -of the matter. The crime was a nine-days' wonder, but as the days grew -into weeks and weeks into months, public interest dwindled. It seemed -likely that the murder of Martin Dimsdale would have to be relegated -to the list of undiscovered crimes. Even Inspector Drench despaired of -success, and gloomily shook his head. Only Vernon remained firm in his -intention to solve the mysteries of the murder and The Spider, and he -said as much to Mrs. Bedge two months after Dimsdale had been laid in -his grave.</p> - -<p>Maunders' aunt was a thin, aristocratic, pale-faced old lady, prim in -her dress and manners. She occupied a quiet, unpretentious house at -Hampstead, not far from "Rangoon." A note from her had brought Vernon -to see her, and now the two were seated in a pointedly antiquated -drawing-room, talking earnestly. Everything about the house and its -owner was prim, and the whole atmosphere suggested early Victorian -days. It seemed strange that so dismal and old-fashioned a house -should be the home of an intensely modern young man like Constantine -Maunders. But, as Mrs. Bedge informed Vernon, her nephew gave her very -little of his society, as he had engaged rooms in town and lived in -them the greater part of the week.</p> - -<p>"He only comes from a Saturday to a Monday to stop here," sighed Mrs. -Bedge, folding her lean mittened hands on her drab-hued dress, "yet he -knows how fond I am of his company."</p> - -<p>"Constantine was always selfish," remarked Vernon bluntly.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Bedge protested with the foolish fondness of an old woman. "Oh, -indeed, you must not say that. Constantine is high-spirited, and I -daresay that he thinks this place somewhat dull. But when he is here I -invariably find him thoughtful and affectionate."</p> - -<p>This was very probable, since Mrs. Bedge had money, and Maunders -expected to be her heir. It was not likely that so astute a person -would risk the loss of a fortune. Something of this sort must have -revealed itself in Vernon's eyes, for Mrs. Bedge, with the swift -instinct of a woman, guessed what he was thinking about.</p> - -<p>"No," she said in her plaintive way, "it is not greed of money that -makes Constantine love me, but his own sweet nature which gives -affection, unasked. Constantine knows that I have spent a great deal -on his education and in fitting him out in life. Now I have very -little money left: this house, the furniture, and a few hundreds a -year. When I die he will receive very little, poor boy. I thought it -best that he should enjoy the money while he was young, and without -waiting for my death."</p> - -<p>"Constantine ought to work," said Vernon, wondering at the blindness -which could describe Maunders as unselfishly affectionate.</p> - -<p>"He intends to, when he can find something to his mind. And then, he -is so handsome that he may make a rich marriage. I thought Ida -Dimsdale would have taken him," sighed the old lady; "she has ten -thousand a year and is also a very charming girl. But there is no hope -for Constantine there."</p> - -<p>"You astonish me," said Vernon, and meant what he said. "I understood -from Mr. Dimsdale himself that his daughter was in love with -Constantine."</p> - -<p>"She was; she seemed to be quite crazy about him, but that was before -the terrible death of her father two months ago. Since then she has -shut herself up with Miss Hest at 'Rangoon,' and when Constantine has -seen her, she has been quite different. She loves him no longer, and -as good as told the poor boy so. It nearly broke his heart."</p> - -<p>"I don't think Constantine's heart is so easily broken," said Vernon -grimly, and relapsed into silence. It struck him as strange that Ida -should cease to love the handsome scamp, considering how infatuated -she had been with him for months. But, if things were as Mrs. Bedge -stated, there was a chance that Colonel Towton's warm devotion would -be appreciated; there was also the chance--and Vernon winced when he -thought of it--that, having no opportunity of marrying Ida, the -pleasure-loving Maunders would prosecute his wooing of Miss Corsoon -with renewed vigour; in which case, and in spite of Lucy's pronounced -liking for him, Vernon thought dismally that there would be little -likelihood of his own success. A more dangerous rival than Maunders, -when he really put his heart into love-making, can scarcely be -imagined. Mrs. Bedge broke in upon these meditations.</p> - -<p>"And what we have been speaking about brings me to the reason why I -asked you to come and see me," she said, smoothing her dress and -arranging the old-fashioned bracelets she wore. "You see, as I tell -you, I am not rich, and as I have informed you, Ida does not love -Constantine as she used to. Now, I want you to consider if it could -possibly be arranged that I could become Ida's companion."</p> - -<p>Vernon started with astonishment. He did not think that Mrs. Bedge -would prove a very cheerful companion to a young girl, and moreover it -seemed strange that, at her age, she should wish for such a position. -She must be poor indeed, and considering how Constantine had drained -her, this was scarcely to be wondered at. "Miss Hest acts more or less -as Miss Dimsdale's companion," remarked Vernon with some hesitation.</p> - -<p>"I think she is a most dangerous woman," said Mrs. Bedge, a warm -colour flushing her faded cheeks; "she is a public reciter. I may be -old-fashioned, but I do not think it is right that a young girl like -Ida should be so friendly with a woman who appears on the stage."</p> - -<p>Vernon laughed at this echo of early Victorian prudery.</p> - -<p>"Miss Hest only recites at concerts and 'At Homes,'" He explained; -"she can scarcely be called an actress."</p> - -<p>"I look upon her as such," said Mrs. Bedge primly. "I have known Ida -for years: when her father was in Burmah he sent her to school in -England, and she always spent her holidays with me. That is how -Constantine came to fall in love with her. It has been the dream of my -life to see them married, especially as Ida is rich and needs a man to -look after her money. I wish to become Ida's companion, not only -because I am one of her oldest friends and need to supplement my -income, but because I hope to influence her again in my boy's favour."</p> - -<p>"I understand." Vernon smiled quietly as he thought that if Maunders -looked after Ida's money there would be little of it left in a few -years. But he quite understood, as he had acknowledged, the -affectionate scheme of the fond old woman, who was a slave to her -adopted son. "I can scarcely advise you, Mrs. Bedge. Miss Hest is a -lady--there can be no doubt on that point--and her character is above -reproach; also, she is clever and strong-minded, the kind of companion -Miss Dimsdale wants. For I should not think," he added after a pause, -"that Miss Dimsdale was capable of managing her large fortune. I have -seen very little of her since the funeral. I suppose the will was -proved and she is in possession of her money?"</p> - -<p>"There was no will," said Mrs. Bedge unexpectedly. "Constantine -learned that from Ida herself. She merely inherited as next of -kin, which is the same thing. Why poor Martin--I call Mr. Dimsdale, -Martin, because I knew him for years and years," she explained in -parentheses--"why poor Martin never made a will I can't say, but he -did not."</p> - -<p>"Strange," reflected Vernon musingly; "so business-like a man would -certainly have made a will, I should have thought. However, as Miss -Dimsdale has inherited as next-of-kin it doesn't matter; failing her, -the money, I presume, would have gone to Lady Corsoon?"</p> - -<p>"Certainly; but Ida, as a daughter of poor Martin, takes precedence of -Julia as the sister. But think of all that money, Mr. Vernon, being at -the mercy of an adventuress like Miss Hest."</p> - -<p>"I don't think she is an adventuress, Mrs. Bedge, and I can't see how -the money is at her mercy."</p> - -<p>"I see it very plainly," said Mrs. Bedge with asperity. "Miss Hest has -a most extraordinary influence over Ida, and not a healthy one, since -she has permitted her to shut herself up for weeks."</p> - -<p>"The natural grief of Miss Dimsdale----"</p> - -<p>"There are bounds to grief," interrupted the old lady sharply, "and the -young recover from sorrow quicker than do the aged. Poor Martin was a -good father, and Ida does right to mourn him; but not to the -ridiculous extent of shutting herself up for two months with that -woman."</p> - -<p>"You don't seem to like Miss Hest."</p> - -<p>"No, I don't. Oh, I haven't a word to say against her character. I -daresay she is a lady and perfectly correct in her behaviour: but she -is not the companion for Ida. Besides, she comes and goes from -'Rangoon' at her will, and is not a regular companion, such as the -girl should have. Miss Hest, so Constantine tells me, lives at -Isleworth with a horrid old retired actor and his wife."</p> - -<p>"Professor Garrick Gail. Yes; she told me that herself."</p> - -<p>"So brazen," sniffed Mrs. Bedge, more prim than ever; "it's not right, -I tell you, Mr. Vernon. Someone should interfere."</p> - -<p>"No one can, Mrs. Bedge. Miss Dimsdale is her own mistress, being over -age, and has her own money. She has a right to live as she pleases."</p> - -<p>"Not in my opinion, Mr. Vernon; it's not respectable. Could you not -see her and suggest that she should sell or let, 'Rangoon' and come -here to live with me as her paid companion? Also, she could help to -keep up this house."</p> - -<p>Vernon almost laughed, so selfish was the proposition, and thought it -very unlikely that Ida would surrender the charming residence of -"Rangoon" and the intellectual society of Miss Hest, to shut herself -up with a buckram old dame in a stuffy, second-rate dwelling. "I am -not intimate enough with Miss Dimsdale to suggest such a thing."</p> - -<p>"But you are searching for the assassin of her father," persisted Mrs. -Bedge with the dogged obstinacy of age; "out of gratitude she should -adopt your suggestion. Besides, you would be glad to see your old -schoolfellow Constantine settled for life."</p> - -<p>It was on Vernon's lips to say that he would be sorry to see any -woman, let alone Ida Dimsdale, tied to a selfish creature like Mr. -Maunders, but out of pity for the infatuated old lady he refrained. -Besides, since she believed Constantine to be an angel, no one would -ever be able to argue her out of that fancy. "Other people are -searching for The Spider also," he said gently, "so Miss Dimsdale has -no particular reason to show me any gratitude, especially as she has -offered the reward of one thousand pounds."</p> - -<p>"I know. Constantine is trying to earn it."</p> - -<p>"The deuce he is?" sprang from Vernon's lips.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Bedge drew up her spare form and folded her hands. "I do not like -slang, Mr. Vernon." Then, when he apologised, she continued: -"Constantine wants to earn the money, and also, if he catches The -Spider, Ida will surely marry him out of sheer gratitude."</p> - -<p>"I think he has a stronger reason to catch The Spider," said Vernon -drily.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Bedge coloured and looked aside. "I guess what you mean, as I -asked poor Martin to speak to you on the subject of that attempted -blackmail. It was scandalous, was it not? However, I have heard no -more from the wicked creature, and I don't think I shall. After -committing this crime, it is not likely that The Spider will dare to -continue in his wickedness."</p> - -<p>"Well," said Vernon, standing up to take his leave. "I certainly have -not heard of anyone being blackmailed lately. Perhaps The Spider -thinks that he has gone too far, and is afraid. I suggested myself to -Constantine that he should capture The Spider if he wished to become -my partner in--that is," broke off Vernon in some confusion, "he -might----"</p> - -<p>"I understand," said Mrs. Bedge quietly; "I know that you are Nemo. -Poor Martin revealed your private business when he suggested that he -should consult you about The Spider's attempt to blackmail me. But you -can be perfectly satisfied. I shall not betray your secret, having," -she smiled faintly, "one of my own."</p> - -<p>He looked at her inquiringly. "I don't understand."</p> - -<p>"I refer to the accusation The Spider brought against me," went on -Mrs. Bedge, her eyes glittering feverishly and her breath coming and -going in gasps. "Oh, it was shameful that a man should dare to accuse -me of immorality--yes, there is no need for us to mince words, Mr. -Vernon--of immorality. Why, the only man I ever loved was Martin -himself. Then he went to India and I was worried by my family into -marrying Mr. Bedge; my sister married his partner, Constantine -Mavrocordato."</p> - -<p>"Maunders, I understood the name was."</p> - -<p>"That was the English name he took, and that is why his son--my -adopted boy, but really my nephew--comes to be called so. I never -liked Mavrocordato, and to think that this Spider should accuse -me--me----" She clenched her thin hand and all the primness fled. She -was no longer a precise old lady of a precise epoch, but an angry and -insulted woman. "If I could find this man, Mr. Vernon, I should strike -him across the lips. I urged Constantine to hunt him down, both to -gain the gratitude of Ida by punishing the murderer of her father and -because I wish The Spider to be punished for the insult he put upon -me. Should you find him, Mr. Vernon, don't spare him."</p> - -<p>"I can promise you that," said Vernon very grimly, for the decoying -still rankled in his breast. "Still, as yet we can find out nothing -about him. If he blackmails you again, let me know. Then we can -arrange a trap."</p> - -<p>"So that I may be murdered like poor Martin. No, thank you."</p> - -<p>"I'll see that such a thing doesn't occur a second time. But I fancy -you can set your mind at rest, Mrs. Bedge. The Spider is too much -wanted for him to continue his little games: the risk is too great. I -daresay he'll turn his attention to America or to the Colonies."</p> - -<p>Mrs. Bedge followed him to the door. "Then you think that he has left -England?" she inquired eagerly.</p> - -<p>"I don't think so; I think--well, I scarcely know what to think. Leave -things as they are, Mrs. Bedge, and sooner or later I hope to capture -the rascal. Now I must leave you."</p> - -<p>"Will you see Ida and suggest my scheme to be her companion?"</p> - -<p>"I don't know her well enough to suggest it bluntly. But I shall see -her some day and hint at your idea."</p> - -<p>"And please keep your eye on Constantine. I fear he is ruining his -health with society."</p> - -<p>"I see very little of Constantine, Mrs. Bedge, and I fear he would not -take any well-meant advice I might offer him."</p> - -<p>Finally he got away from the prim house, although Mrs. Bedge was -anxious to keep him in conversation. When on the Heath, breathing the -widely-blown air, he drew a long breath to refresh his lungs. He did -not wonder that Maunders remained as little as possible in that tomb, -for it was nothing else. To a pleasure-loving, lively young man, -accustomed to be petted by pretty women and welcomed by monied men, -the society of his aunt and the atmosphere of her stuffy house would -naturally be abhorrent. And Constantine was not the individual likely -to deny himself a merry life for the sake of attending on the woman to -whom he owed so much. He had absolutely no idea of the meaning of the -word "gratitude." Most people--and Maunders was one of them--do not -know that there is such a word in the dictionaries.</p> - -<p>Walking along musingly, Vernon remembered how Dimsdale had spoken of -Emily Bedge, and how he also had stated, as she had done, that they -were in love when young. Now Dimsdale was dead, and the girl he had so -admired was a faded old woman, cherishing a foolish affection for one -who would never return the same, and who had no intention of returning -it. Considering the lonely life and sad history and dismal present -position of Mrs. Bedge, the young man began to think that, after all, -it would be a charity to persuade Ida Dimsdale to take her as a -companion. In the society of the girl Mrs. Bedge might grow youthful -again. Of course, her presence might be dangerous, as she would -certainly do her best to persuade Ida into marrying Constantine, and -assuredly the infatuation of Ida might revive. Vernon wondered how it -had died away, and what causes had been at work to make Ida regard -with indifference the handsome face of the scamp. From the hint given -by Mrs. Bedge, he began to believe that this was the work of Miss -Hest. If so, it was no wonder that the old woman spoke ill of her. Of -course, Mrs. Bedge was biassed, for Vernon himself believed Frances -Hest to be a clever, capable woman, who was likely to prove a tower of -strength to Ida, since the girl's character, although sweet, was not -particularly firm. But then there was always the chance that Miss Hest -might become a tyrant.</p> - -<p>Thinking in this way, Vernon suddenly stumbled against a man coming -from the opposite direction, also deep in thought. They looked up with -a mutual apology and both burst out laughing. The newcomer was Colonel -Towton, and he explained himself as they shook hands.</p> - -<p>"I have just been to see Miss Dimsdale," said the Colonel crisply, -"and she gave me so much to think about that I was in a brown study."</p> - -<p>"And I have come from Mrs. Bedge, who also made me think," observed -Vernon with a smile, "hence I ran into you. Where are you going, -Colonel?"</p> - -<p>"Back to town," said the military man promptly, "but I am walking. I -always walk as much as possible in London for the sake of necessary -exercise. Perhaps you would rather drive?"</p> - -<p>"No. I prefer to walk. I am glad to have met you, Towton, as I wished -to speak with you privately."</p> - -<p>"Curious," said the Colonel, screwing his glass into his eye. "I had -you in my mind when I ran into you. Let us walk down the hill and -talk: there is more privacy in the open air than anywhere else. Well?"</p> - -<p>"Well," echoed Vernon, as they turned their faces towards London, -"what do you wish to say?"</p> - -<p>"I'll come to the point circuitously," retorted the Colonel smartly. -"So you have been to see Mrs. Bedge? Poor old Dimsdale told me about -her. My rival's aunt, I believe?"</p> - -<p>"Yes. A quaint old lady of the Albert period."</p> - -<p>Towton shuddered. "I know the style, Vernon. Stiff and prudish and -dowdy. H'm! rather a contrast to our young friend. He's devilish -handsome and infernally modern. I suppose the old lady gives him -plenty of money: he always seems to be in the forefront of things. Yet -I don't like him somehow: his voice doesn't ring true; but there, -perhaps I am prejudiced, since he courts Miss Dimsdale. I'm a man, and -not a saint, so I feel jealous."</p> - -<p>"You have no need to be, Colonel."</p> - -<p>"Eh! what?" The Colonel stopped abruptly and his eyes sparkled. "Do -you mean to say that he has ceased to court Miss Dimsdale? Well, -well," he went on, without waiting for a reply, "I shouldn't wonder. I -might have guessed as much, for three or four times I have been to the -Corsoons, and Maunders was always there, making furious love to that -pretty Lucy of theirs. You had better look after her, if you intend to -make her your wife, Vernon."</p> - -<p>"Lady Corsoon always receives me so coldly, that I scarcely dare -call," confessed the young man dismally. "I daresay Maunders has put a -spoke in my wheel in that quarter."</p> - -<p>"Yes; but, hang it, he can't mean to marry both girls?"</p> - -<p>"You forget what I hinted just now, Towton. Mrs. Bedge assured me, and -with great grief, as she wants the marriage to take place, that Miss -Dimsdale has ceased to care for her nephew."</p> - -<p>Only military self-control prevented the Colonel from throwing his -tall hat in the air. "I thought she was kinder to me to-day," he said -jubilantly, "and she never mentioned Maunders' name, now I think of -it. Do you believe that I have a chance, Vernon?"</p> - -<p>"A better one than ever you had," replied Vernon heartily, "and you -may be sure I shall endeavour to aid you in every way. But, by the -way, how is Miss Dimsdale? I have seen her only once since the burial -of her father, and, of course, then she was overcome with grief."</p> - -<p>Towton thought for a moment before replying. "To tell you the truth, -Vernon, I don't think that dark-browed young woman is a good companion -for her in any way."</p> - -<p>"Why not?" Vernon was rather struck that Mrs. Bedge and the Colonel -should unknowingly agree on this point. "She is clever?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, I daresay, and, if you ask me, a sight too clever," grumbled the -Colonel, shouldering his thin umbrella like a gun. "Ida--well, I can -call her Ida to you, since we have become so friendly--Ida is a -charming girl, but not strong-minded. I shouldn't seek her for my wife -if she were, as I hate masterful women. Miss Hest is of that sort, and -she seems to have too much control over Ida. In fact--I may be wrong, -and I wouldn't say this to anyone but yourself--but it's a kind of -hypnotism."</p> - -<p>"H'm. Do you remember what the Concini woman said about her supposed -magical influence over Marie de Medici: that she only used the -influence of a strong mind over a weak one?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, I don't think Ida is weak-minded," said the Colonel hastily; "she -is a sweet, loving, delightful girl, who would make any man happy. But -Miss Hest is what I call a cat: yes, an amiable cat, so long as things -go to her liking, but I'm sure she could show her claws if necessary."</p> - -<p>"Does she support Maunders?"</p> - -<p>"She supports no one but herself. It seems to me that she finds that -the reciting doesn't pay, and so hopes to become Ida's companion for -life. If Ida married she'd be nowhere. I fancy for that reason she -wishes to keep Ida single, and so doesn't countenance either Maunders -or myself."</p> - -<p>Vernon mused. He remembered how he had fancied that Miss Hest might -have been the person to undermine Maunders' chances. Now Towton was -saying the same thing. However, he said nothing, while the Colonel, -walking and talking vigorously, continued his speech.</p> - -<p>"Besides," said Towton, "there's a queer strain in the family. Gerby -Hall, where the brother lives, is three miles from my place. Brother -and sister are twins and exactly like one another, but they don't hit -it off together. Gerby Hall is supposed to be haunted, and people -think the Hests to be mad, or queer, or--the deuce knows what."</p> - -<p>"Frances Hest doesn't seem to be mad," said Vernon drily.</p> - -<p>"Well, I don't know. Her head seems to be screwed on all right, but -she believes in occultism and all that sort of thing. Her influence is -unhealthy, for she induced Ida to go to Diabella, who----"</p> - -<p>Vernon nodded. "I know. Diabella is a fortune-teller in Bond Street -and is supposed to be very clever. What did she tell Miss Dimsdale?"</p> - -<p>"Ah, that I couldn't find out. But it made her ill; gave her a -headache or something. Ida said very little; seemed averse to speaking -about her visit, and Miss Hest supplied all the information. She was -full of the wonderful things which Diabella had told Ida."</p> - -<p>"What wonderful things?"</p> - -<p>"I can't say. I told you that Ida refused to speak about the matter. -But I intend to find out something about this Diabella, and therefore -I am going to call on her. I have an appointment in three days."</p> - -<p>"She'll tell you nothing about Miss Dimsdale."</p> - -<p>"Of course not. But I shall be able to see what kind of a woman she -is. I don't want Ida to get under another bad influence. That of Miss -Hest is quite enough. I am clever enough to read this Diabella's -character, and if possible, I shall try and prevent Ida from seeing -her again."</p> - -<p>"It's just as well. Tell me what you hear from this fortune-teller."</p> - -<p>Towton shrugged his shoulders. "Oh, it will be the same old rubbish -about love and money and marriage. I don't believe in these mercenary -occult people myself, although I have every faith in the genuine sort -I have met with in India. Now, one of those, Vernon, would soon spot -this damned Spider."</p> - -<p>"Why not ask Diabella?"</p> - -<p>"I shall do so. Gad! it's an idea. But, then, I don't think occultists -who take money are the real truth-tellers. However, it can do no harm -asking her, so I shall do so. By the way, Vernon, have you heard if -the police have stumbled on the track of that rogue?"</p> - -<p>"Not yet. Drench tells me that nothing has been discovered. I am -trying to hunt him down myself."</p> - -<p>"You? Pooh! Pooh! Pooh!" said Towton good-humouredly. "Why, it needs a -trained man to do that. The Spider is as clever as the devil, hang -him. To think that I was at the ball, and in the next room, when our -poor old friend was being-strangled by that beast. I tell you what, -sir, the strangling put me in mind of the Thugs."</p> - -<p>"What do you mean?" asked Vernon quickly.</p> - -<p>"It's only an idea. But this Spider strangled the old man so cleverly -and so quietly that I wondered if he was some nigger who had known -Dimsdale in India or Burmah and so had learned his secret, whatever it -might be."</p> - -<p>"It's a queer way of looking at it," murmured Vernon thoughtfully, -"and Dimsdale's secret has to do with the East, I fancy. There may be -something in what you say. I'll think it over."</p> - -<p>"Do," said Towton cordially, "and I'll come to your rooms to report on -my proposed interview with this Bond Street Witch of Endor."</p> - -<p>On this understanding they parted, having had a most interesting -conversation on important subjects.</p> - -<p>"There may be something in Towton's idea," thought Vernon.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_07" href="#div1Ref_07">CHAPTER VII.</a></h4> -<h5>LADY CORSOON'S APPEAL.</h5> -<br> - -<p>Since the tragic death of Dimsdale, Vernon had seen very little of -Maunders. Certainly--since even London is parochial in bringing the -same people in the same set constantly together--he had met him -casually at the houses of mutual acquaintances, but beyond a few -careless words, nothing had passed between them. It seemed as though -Maunders, after deciding to leave the partnership with Nemo in -abeyance, had drifted knowingly apart from his old schoolfellow. -Vernon did not care much, as he mistrusted a man who was willing to -sacrifice everything and everyone to his greed for pleasure.</p> - -<p>Maunders reminded Vernon in many ways of Lucien de Rubempré in "Lost -Illusions." Egotism was the keynote of the real person as of the -fictitious; but where Balzac's hero drifted weakly with the tide, -Maunders struck out against it for a landing of his own choosing. As -Lucien was drawn, handsome, clever, and unscrupulous, so was Maunders -in actual life, and an insatiable love of pleasure was common to both. -Overindulgence might well wreck Mrs. Bedge's darling, as it had -wrecked the lover of Madame de Bargeton.</p> - -<p>It was the conversation with Colonel Towton which sent Vernon in quest -of the man whom he would otherwise have avoided like poison. He wished -to learn clearly the attitude of Maunders with regard to the two -ladies he was so audaciously wooing. Much as the man loved Lucy -Corsoon--and Maunders' love in this quarter really seemed to be the -most honest part of him--he loved himself more; and it seemed -incredible to Vernon that so egotistic a person would risk losing the -world of pleasure for a genuine passion. Sir Julius Corsoon was -wealthy and Lucy was an heiress, but if she married Maunders, who was -no favourite with the baronet, her father would probably cut her off -with the proverbial shilling. It really seemed wiser for Maunders to -stick to Ida and the ten thousand a year of which she was sole -mistress. But then, if Ida had truly overcome her infatuation, -Maunders had little chance of success in that quarter. A desire to -learn the true state of affairs brought Vernon to Maunders' chambers -in Planet Street, Piccadilly, at eleven o'clock in the morning, two or -three days after that enlightening conversation with Colonel Towton.</p> - -<p>Vernon naturally expected to find the sybarite housed like -Solomon-in-all-his-glory, and he was not disappointed. The rooms were -beautifully decorated and sumptuously furnished. No expense had been -spared to make them worthy of this fastidious young gentleman, who was -only content with the very best which civilisation could afford. He -received his friend in a delightful Pompadour apartment, airy and -bright, and gracefully frivolous. Recalling the sombre, shabby house -at Hampstead, and Mrs. Bedge's revelations regarding a diminishing -income which made her anxious to seek at her age the post of a paid -companion, Vernon could not think how Maunders managed to provide -himself with such gorgeous surroundings. He had no settled income, -and, like the lilies of the field, he neither toiled nor spun. But he -welcomed Vernon in a maroon-coloured velvet smoking-suit which must -have cost a considerable sum in Bond Street, and asked him to partake -of a delightfully tempting breakfast, set out with all the delicacies -of the season.</p> - -<p>"Though, I daresay," said the handsome scamp in his languid, insolent -manner, "that you breakfasted at cock-crow. You were always -aggressively virtuous."</p> - -<p>"I certainly have been up some hours," replied Vernon coldly. "While -you eat I can smoke, with your permission." He sat down and lighted a -cigarette carefully. "I have called to see you----"</p> - -<p>"An unexpected pleasure," murmured Maunders, pouring himself out a -second cup of coffee. "Yes?"</p> - -<p>"To ask you if you are engaged to Miss Dimsdale," finished Vernon -pointedly.</p> - -<p>"Perhaps I am."</p> - -<p>"In that case you will have given up all pursuit of Miss Corsoon?"</p> - -<p>"Perhaps I have."</p> - -<p>"Oh, hang your evasions. What do you mean?"</p> - -<p>"I don't recognise your right to ask me questions about my affairs."</p> - -<p>"They are mine also, confound you," snapped Vernon energetically. "I -love Miss Corsoon, and if you would leave her alone she would probably -accept me."</p> - -<p>"What good would that do?" asked Maunders lightly; "Her mother -wouldn't."</p> - -<p>"Would Lady Corsoon accept <I>you?</I> After all, you have nothing but your -good looks to offer the girl."</p> - -<p>"Ah, but the girl has a fortune to offer me."</p> - -<p>"You aren't worth it. And let me remind you that however much Miss -Corsoon may be taken up with your looks, her mother will certainly -disapprove of the match."</p> - -<p>Maunders shrugged his shoulders. "You can't be sure of that."</p> - -<p>"I am sure of one thing, that Sir Julius will cut his daughter off -with a shilling if she marries you."</p> - -<p>"Now that's very clever of you, my dear boy," said Maunders -gracefully, "for Sir Julius _is_ the stumbling-block. He's a purse -with a gaping mouth, which goes about on two legs, and has no sympathy -with romance."</p> - -<p>"Romance! Why, you don't know what it means," said Vernon scornfully. -"You want to marry money, and either Miss Corsoon or Miss Dimsdale -will serve your turn. The last is in possession of her money, whereas -the first may not inherit her expected fortune, which will certainly -be taken away from her if she marries you. Why not stick to Miss -Dimsdale?" Maunders rose and went to the window. "Because I really -love Miss Corsoon, much as you may doubt it," he said impetuously. "I -have a heart----"</p> - -<p>"Which is for sale to the highest bidder. See here, Conny----"</p> - -<p>"Conny?" Maunders lifted his eyebrows. "I thought you barred pet -names?"</p> - -<p>"I am appealing, not to the man-of-the-world, but to my old -schoolfellow, if you put it in that way. See here, I love Lucy -Corsoon, and, if you would only clear out of the gangway, she would -really love me. She does--I have seen it in many ways."</p> - -<p>"Bosh! If she really loved you she wouldn't listen to me."</p> - -<p>"I don't know. You have good looks and a kind of magnetic power which -influences women against their will: hard women of the world, too, -much less an innocent girl such as Lucy is. It's a great power to -have, and you make bad use of it."</p> - -<p>"Just because I happen to cross your track. Thanks."</p> - -<p>"Oh, hang your dodging. I came here to receive a plain answer to a -plain question. Are you going to marry Miss Corsoon or Miss Dimsdale?"</p> - -<p>"I haven't made up my mind."</p> - -<p>"You would if Miss Dimsdale would listen to you," snarled Vernon. "If -I asked her to be my wife she would accept at once," retorted -Maunders.</p> - -<p>"No, she wouldn't. Your aunt told me that she had lost all love for -you since the death of her father."</p> - -<p>Maunders' face grew black. "I wish the old lady would keep her ideas -to herself," he said angrily, "for it is an idea and nothing more. -Naturally, as her father came by his death in so terrible a manner, -Ida is grieved and can't think eternally of me. All the same, she -loves me."</p> - -<p>"I doubt that."</p> - -<p>"On what grounds?"</p> - -<p>"On what Mrs. Bedge said."</p> - -<p>"Pooh! Pooh! Pooh! What does my aunt know about it?" said Maunders -lightly and with superb insolence. "She's a dear old thing, but -several centuries behind the age. Ida is mine if I choose to have her, -and I would have her if my silly heart did not stand in the way."</p> - -<p>Vernon jumped up in a royal rage. "I forbid you to make false love to -Miss Corsoon. I love her and she loves me, and it is only your -infernally magnetic personality that draws her heart away from me. If -you meant well by her, and I thought she would be happy, I would -withdraw; but you only mean to marry her for her money, which she may -never get."</p> - -<p>"I love her, I tell you; I love her," said Maunders as violently as -Vernon had spoken, "and money or no money I shall marry her if I -choose. You have no chance. Lady Corsoon hates you."</p> - -<p>"I don't believe it. She shows signs of yielding, and has asked me to -go to tea at her house this afternoon. If she hated me she would not -ask me in so friendly a way."</p> - -<p>An almost imperceptible smile passed over the full lips of Maunders, -and he shrugged his shoulders. "Go to her house by all means and hear -what she has to say," he sneered. "I'll risk your visit."</p> - -<p>Vernon was baffled by all this fencing and evasion. The man would -neither say "yea" nor "nay," and it was impossible to tell what he -intended to do. "If you will leave the field clear for me with Miss -Corsoon I will take you into partnership," he said at last, -entreatingly.</p> - -<p>"I am not sure if I wish to be taken in," retorted Maunders -contemptuously; "it is not a respectable business."</p> - -<p>"You are a liar! My business is perfectly respectable, and I earn my -money honestly." Vernon caught up his hat and looked round the elegant -room. "I doubt if you can say the same."</p> - -<p>"What do you mean by that?" demanded Maunders furiously.</p> - -<p>"I mean that you haven't a sixpence, that your aunt can't allow you -much, and that you are living far beyond your means. Where do you get -the money?"</p> - -<p>"That's my business," said Maunders coolly, "and my aunt is wealthy."</p> - -<p>"So wealthy that she desires the post of a paid companion to Miss -Dimsdale," sneered Vernon, making for the door. "She told me so -herself, although I'm bound to say that she desires to further your -interests by inducing Miss Dimsdale to love you again."</p> - -<p>"I can manage all that for myself," said Maunders decisively; "my aunt -has no business to interfere with my affairs."</p> - -<p>"She brought you up, and----"</p> - -<p>"And I am to be her slave for the rest of my life. Nonsense! All that -filial feeling is out of date," said Maunders lightly. "However, I -shall tell my aunt what I think of her talking to you in this way. As -to the rest of it, you keep out of my way, Vernon, or it will be the -worse for you."</p> - -<p>"Ah!" Vernon faced round at the door. "Now you speak clearly. Is it to -be peace or war between us?"</p> - -<p>"War," snapped Maunders. "You can't hurt me and----"</p> - -<p>"War let it be," interrupted Vernon, opening the door. "Good-day," and -he walked out smartly, leaving his friend, or, rather, his enemy, now -that war had been declared, rather surprised by his abrupt departure. -But when the door closed Maunders' face grew black and his brow -wrinkled.</p> - -<p>"Perhaps I shouldn't have driven Arty to such a declaration," murmured -the young man thoughtfully. "He's a fool, but a clever fool. After -all, although I love Lucy it will be better for me to marry Ida since -she has the money. I wonder how Aunt Emily found out about Ida's -change towards me? It can't last, however, if I only take trouble to -see her often enough. It's Lucy who holds me back. I'm a fool, as I -know that Lucy doesn't care for me as she does for Arty. I wish I -hadn't fought him now; but he can't harm me, he can't." Maunders -glanced round the luxurious room. "He shan't. There's too much to -lose. Damn him, I'll fight him and beat him. There!"</p> - -<p>While Maunders was coming to this conclusion Vernon was walking -swiftly along Piccadilly, in the direction of Covent Garden, as he -intended to go to the office wherein he carried on business as Nemo. -Now that Maunders had openly declared himself as an enemy the -situation was somewhat adjusted, and Vernon felt that he could deal -with it. He made up his mind to tackle Lady Corsoon that very day and -ask if he might be permitted to pay attentions to Lucy. Then in an -interview with the girl herself he might manage to brush aside this -semi-hypnotic influence which Maunders' fascinating personality seemed -to exercise over her. If he could only get the mother on his side all -would be well. Lady Corsoon did not know that he was Nemo, which was -just as well; but she did not know also that he had expectations from -a bachelor uncle who could leave him a title and a fortune of three -thousand a year. If this were set before her she might be induced to -welcome him as a suitor, although both Sir Julius and Lady Corsoon -were said to desire nothing less than a duke for their only child. But -if this was the case, Vernon wondered why the lady tolerated Maunders, -who was poor and without position. However, when he called that -afternoon he might be able to learn the reason. At all events, his -expectations, against Maunders' mere good looks, would probably carry -the day.</p> - -<p>At the office a surprise awaited him. His clerk, a dry-as-dust, lean -old fellow, as silent and wise-looking as an owl, met him in the outer -room with a mysterious face and informed him that a lady had been -waiting an hour for the appearance of Nemo. She had refused to give -any name, and had declared her intention of remaining until she saw -the detective. Vernon, in his business capacity, was used to people -who came and went without giving names, as their business was -generally shady, so he did not pay much attention to the matter. -Hanging up his coat and hat and laying aside his gloves and cane, he -passed into the inner room. Then he received the surprise aforesaid. -His client was none other than Lady Corsoon herself.</p> - -<p>She arose, perfectly self-possessed, and did not appear to be -surprised to see the young man. "How are you, Mr. Vernon?" she asked, -holding out a gracious hand, "or perhaps I should call you Nemo -here--Mr. Nemo."</p> - -<p>Vernon, violently red and inwardly greatly upset by this recognition, -accepted the gloved hand timidly. "How did you find out that I----"</p> - -<p>"Oh, your enemy told me," finished Lady Corsoon, sitting down.</p> - -<p>"My enemy?" stammered the unfortunate man nervously.</p> - -<p>"Mr. Constantine Maunders, who----"</p> - -<p>Vernon interrupted her and struck a hard blow on the table. His eyes -flashed dangerously. "Then, in spite of his promise, he told you what -I so much desired to keep secret?"</p> - -<p>"Yes," said Lady Corsoon drily. "It was his desire to put me against -you, so that he could philander with my daughter. But his shot failed -to hit the mark. I was delighted to hear that you were Nemo; I have -heard something of Nemo's doings and cleverness, and so the -information brought me here, as you see."</p> - -<p>"To forbid me your house?"</p> - -<p>"I asked you to afternoon tea to-day, and that invitation was issued -after your enemy betrayed you. Sit down, Mr. Nemo, and become -business-like. We have much to talk about."</p> - -<p>Considerably surprised by this attitude, Vernon sank into his chair -before the desk and stared at Lady Corsoon in the dim light which -filtered through the dingy window of the room. She was well worth -looking at, in spite of her age, as her dress was perfect and her -looks still displayed the remains of considerable beauty. She was -somewhat stout, it is true, but her complexion--whether due to art or -nature--was that of a young girl, and her sparkling brown eyes -revealed an intellect of no mean order. A clever woman was Lady -Corsoon, within limitations, and she would have been even more a power -in the fashionable world than she was had she not been so dominated by -the powerful personality of her husband. Sir Julius was of long -descent, but in his youth of ruined fortunes, owing to a spendthrift -father. Being an inborn financier, however, he had built up an -Aladdin's palace of gold on the ruins, and was extremely wealthy. Yet -he had the heart of a miser, and allowed his wife and daughter only -sufficient to keep up their position with care and difficulty. This -mean behaviour explains the reason of Lady Corsoon's visit to Vernon -in his _avatar_ of Nemo, as he speedily understood. But as yet he had -not overcome his surprise at thus finding his mask torn off.</p> - -<p>"Come! Come!" said Lady Corsoon, tapping his arm with her sunshade. "I -have come to see a business man and not a dreamer. Wake up, Mr. Nemo."</p> - -<p>Vernon winced on hearing her pronounce his trade name. "I am at your -service," he said in a low voice.</p> - -<p>"And in my hands," rejoined Lady Corsoon briskly. "What would the -world say if it knew that Arthur Vernon was a private inquiry agent, -making his money out of people's secrets?"</p> - -<p>"You take me for The Spider, apparently," said Vernon with spirit, and -anxious, through pride, to repel the odious accusation. "I make money -by helping people to keep their secrets, not by betraying them. I am -on the side of the law, not of the criminal. Upon my word, I can't see -that a man who carries on an honest business to preserve secrets and -to save unfortunate people from blackmail is worse than--if indeed as -bad as--a City rogue who trades unscrupulously on people's weakness -for gambling."</p> - -<p>Lady Corsoon changed colour at the last words, and evidently was about -to make a remark thereon. However, she checked herself sharply and -replied with feigned carelessness, "Very well argued, Mr. Vernon. But -people are prejudiced against those who seek to know secrets."</p> - -<p>"Because everyone has a turned-down page in his or her Book of Life," -cried the young man. "I--in my business--prevent that page being read -by those who wish to be paid for the reading. I don't want my business -known, but I am not ashamed of it."</p> - -<p>"Why did you take it up?</p> - -<p>"Because my father lost all his money, and I had scarcely enough to -live upon," retorted the young man quickly and proudly.</p> - -<p>"You have expectations?"</p> - -<p>Vernon started. "How do you know that?" he demanded sharply. Lady -Corsoon tapped his arm again. "In my own way I have been doing a -little detective business. You were so persistent in following Lucy -from house to house, and so decidedly refused to receive my 'No' for -her answer, that I made inquiries to see why you could have the -courage to offer a young girl a ruined fortune. I learned, indeed, -that you were ruined by your father, but I learned also that Sir -Edward Vernon, of Slimthorp, in Worcestershire, is your uncle. He has -a good income and no wife and is eighty years of age. The chances are -that you will succeed him."</p> - -<p>"He cannot keep me out of the title," said Vernon bitterly, "but you -should have gained more information, Lady Corsoon. My uncle hated my -father because my father married the woman he loved, and he hates me -because I am the son of that woman. I do not hope to inherit the -money, and what is a title without money? I did not explain what you -have discovered, else I should have done so, since it seemed useless -to put forward all that as a plea for an engagement to your daughter."</p> - -<p>"My dear man, a title is better than nothing. You are too modest. -Besides, Lucy will have plenty of money."</p> - -<p>"I know, if she marries as you and her father wish. But I hear," -Vernon smiled bitterly, "that you want a duke."</p> - -<p>"I want an honest man, upon whom I can depend," said Lady Corsoon with -energy, "and for that reason I have come to see you."</p> - -<p>"In spite of the fact that I am Nemo?"</p> - -<p>"For the very reason that you are Nemo," she retorted with a lightning -glance. "My dear boy, Mr. Maunders thought to do you a bad turn by -telling me of your secret business, and thought that I would certainly -forbid you my house and finally end your dangling after my daughter. -As it is, he has done you a good turn, as you are the man I want."</p> - -<p>"For Lucy?"</p> - -<p>"And for myself. If you can carry out safely the business I have come -to see you about I shall encourage your addresses to Lucy, and, so far -as I can influence so iron-natured a man, I shall win Sir Julius to -your side. Come, is it a bargain?"</p> - -<p>"Oh," Vernon caught her hand joyfully, "of course it is; I never -dreamed of such happiness. But now I know why Maunders smiled when I -told him that I was due at your house this afternoon."</p> - -<p>"When did you see him?"</p> - -<p>"Immediately before I came here. I went to ask whether he wished to -marry Miss Corsoon or Miss Dimsdale, but he refused to say. But he -smiled--ah! he thought that, having told you I was Nemo, you intended -to dismiss me for ever from your house when I called this afternoon."</p> - -<p>"I daresay, but he will learn that instead of enemies we are friends, -and that instead of his marrying Lucy, you shall. It is just as well," -added Lady Corsoon quietly, "as she loves you, although she is more or -less fascinated by that--that--that gentleman, shall we say?"</p> - -<p>"But you are fascinated yourself, Lady Corsoon, else you would -scarcely have tolerated a penniless man dangling after your daughter."</p> - -<p>"I tolerated it, as you say, because Mr. Maunders knows my secret."</p> - -<p>"Your secret?" In a flash Vernon recalled the conversation with the -young man under the peristyle, in which Maunders had hinted that he -knew something which would enable him to manage Lady Corsoon.</p> - -<p>"What is your secret?"</p> - -<p>"I have come to tell you, so don't interrupt until I have finished," -said Lady Corsoon coolly. "I come to you because I know in a hundred -ways that you are, what Mr. Maunders is not, an honest gentleman, and -also the private detective that I need. I have one great vice, Mr. -Vernon, I am a gambler, and for the last two years I have lost a heap -of money at bridge. To pay my debts, since Sir Julius kept me always -very short of money, I pawned certain family jewels. If Sir Julius -finds that out he is capable of causing a scandal by forcing a -separation. For Lucy's sake, as well as for my own, I don't want such -a thing to take place."</p> - -<p>"But how can he find out?"</p> - -<p>Lady Corsoon fished in a green and gold bag which was slung on her arm -and produced an elegant sheet of writing paper. "Read that," she said -quietly.</p> - -<p>Vernon started, and suppressed a cry. At the foot of the writing he -saw a purple spider impressed clearly--the well-known sign manual of -the scoundrel who had murdered Mr. Dimsdale. Glancing his eyes over -the pages, he read that The Spider had learned about the pawning of -certain family jewels and, moreover, had managed, by forged tickets, -to get the same into his possession. He was willing to sell them back -for two thousand pounds, to be paid in gold on a certain date and at a -certain place, to be arranged when he received Lady Corsoon's reply. -The reply was to be put in the agony column of the _Daily Telegraph_, -when further arrangements would be made for the payment of the sum and -the handing over of the jewels. Failing consent, The Spider intended -to apply to Sir Julius and to reveal Lady Corsoon's gambling -propensities. The whole of this precious epistle, written very -elegantly, ended with the ideograph of the purple spider.</p> - -<p>"What do you think of it?" asked Lady Corsoon when Vernon finished -reading.</p> - -<p>"What can I think of it, but that the man is a blackguard. You want me -to deal with this?"</p> - -<p>"Yes. I can't pay the two thousand pounds, as I have not got it. My -husband keeps me very short. You see that I am candid; but then I -trust you, as I doubt Mr. Maunders."</p> - -<p>"Why do you doubt him?" asked Vernon suddenly. "Because he followed me -one day to a pawnshop and learned my secret. Not in so many words, but -by unmistakable hints he gave me to understand that my open house to -him and my encouraging of his love for Lucy was the price of his -silence. Things have gone from bad to worse, and I feel that I am -under his thumb, until the jewels are got back again and all proof of -my madness is destroyed. I am keeping a brave face, Mr. Vernon, but I -am truly in despair. Sir Julius is a hard man, and the revelation of -what I have done means disgrace. My husband will not spare me."</p> - -<p>"For his daughter's sake?"</p> - -<p>"No. He would remove Lucy from my care and cast me off with a small -income to live on. He can't get a divorce, but he will insist upon a -separation, as I feel certain. You alone can save me, and, if you can, -I agree to your marriage with my daughter. Oh," she cried, struck by a -strange look in Vernon's eyes, "don't think I am selling Lucy to you. -But she loves you, and now that I know you will some day have a title, -the money doesn't matter, as Sir Julius may be persuaded into -accepting you as his son-in-law. At all events, if you will be my -friend I shall be yours. Is it a bargain?"</p> - -<p>"Yes," said Vernon, gripping the hand she held out; "for more reasons -than this one do I wish to track this blackmailing beast to his lair. -Agree, by a line in the _Daily Telegraph_, to pay the money in a -month. That will give me time to turn round."</p> - -<p>Lady Corsoon drew a long breath of relief. "Thank God I came to you. -As for Mr. Maunders, I really believe----" She hesitated.</p> - -<p>"What?" asked Vernon looking up quickly.</p> - -<p>"That he is The Spider himself."</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br>. -<h4><a name="div1_08" href="#div1Ref_08">CHAPTER VIII.</a></h4> -<h5>THE GRIEF OF IDA.</h5> -<br> - -<p>Vernon was not the man to let the grass grow under his feet when there -was anything to gain by hurry. And in this case the happiness of his -whole life was at stake. The visit of Lady Corsoon to enlist him on -her side with the bribe of supporting his suit for her daughter was -one of those unexpected cards which Fate deals us to win in the game -of life. It was a veritable ace, with which Vernon hoped to trump -Maunders' trick. Hitherto the handsome scamp had had everything his -own way. Now he was to find serious obstacles in his path. With Lucy's -love and her mother's support, the course of true affection might run -smoother. The father might be gained over by playing on his -instinctive dislike to Maunders and by the news, which Vernon had -hitherto not thought worth imparting, namely, that he had a chance of -becoming a baronet.</p> - -<p>Moreover, since war had been declared between the two schoolfellows, -Maunders would undoubtedly make himself disagreeable in any case. -Already, acting treacherously, he had informed Lady Corsoon of the way -in which Vernon earned his money, and it was probable that now he -would inform others. Of course, the young man wished to prevent this, -for, in spite of his defence of his profession, he was aware that the -world does not look amiably on one who lives by learning the secrets -of weak humanity, even when the aim is to preserve those same secrets -from use by villains. But the difficulty was to seal Maunders' mouth, -as the moment he noticed--and he certainly would, speedily--that -Vernon was favoured by Lady Corsoon, he would spread the scandal with -a zeal born of the knowledge that his empire was slipping from him. -Also, he would strive to intimidate Lady Corsoon more openly, and it -could not be denied but what her position towards her aggressively -upright husband was a delicate one. Thus Maunders was the enemy both -of Lady Corsoon and of Vernon: to crush him they therefore formed a -secret partnership. In this unity lay their strength.</p> - -<p>The weapon Vernon proposed to use towards his dangerous foe was that -supplied by the chance remark of Lady Corsoon that Maunders might be -The Spider. When she departed with the assurance that there was -nothing to be afraid of for at least one month, Vernon sat silently in -his chair, thinking over what had been said. After all, it did not -seem impossible that Maunders should be this arch-scoundrel, for whom -the police were so eagerly seeking. To Vernon's own knowledge, the -young man did not receive large sums from Mrs. Bedge, and he had no -other source of income. Yet, as Vernon had seen, he contrived to live -like a prince on nothing a year. Perhaps, like the amiable and -talented Mrs. Rawdon Crawley, he managed to keep up his princely -appearance by spending other people's money--that is, by getting -deeply into debt. But Vernon knew that Maunders did not owe one penny.</p> - -<p>He came by the information by having, at the request of the late Mr. -Dimsdale, searched into Maunders' private life some months previously. -The old ex-police-commissioner, seeing that his daughter was -infatuated with the young man, hoped to learn something to his -discredit, and so asked Vernon--whom he knew already as Nemo--to make -an examination. Of course, Vernon did not guess at the time that Mr. -Dimsdale wished to find something to the discredit of an undesirable -suitor, and merely thought that the old man was anxious to learn if -Maunders was a fit husband for his daughter. In fact, Vernon believed -that he was doing his old schoolfellow a good turn in probing his -life. He certainly learned that Maunders owed nothing and always -settled his debts scrupulously--presumably on money allowed by Mrs. -Bedge; so he presented his report to Dimsdale with the remark that -Maunders, at all events, was an honest man. Now the case assumed a -different aspect with Mrs. Bedge's confession of poverty--a confession -which was supported as true by her anxiety to become Ida's paid -companion. Since Maunders paid his debts and lived like a millionaire -in embryo, how did he manage to fill his purse? Lady Corsoon had -provided a very reasonable reply to this serious question. He was The -Spider.</p> - -<p>"But, hang him, he's not clever enough," muttered Vernon, rising to -pace the narrow confines of his office at this point of his -meditations. "He's cunning and smart and observant and unscrupulous. -But The Spider is a genius and manages his affairs in a far-seeing -way, which does not suggest Maunders. Conny is shallow in many ways, -and for the present would sacrifice the future. No, The Spider never -does that. He waits and plans and arranges his operations in such a -way that he can never be captured. No, feasible though it seems, I -can't see Constantine as that master-criminal."</p> - -<p>But again Vernon reflected that when the trap had been arranged -between him and the dead man the window of the library had been open, -and, as Mr. Dimsdale had mentioned in his subsequent letter, with -wrath, Maunders had called at the moment. In fact, he had been round -the corner of the bungalow nearest to the library with the two ladies. -Now, it was not impossible that in passing the library, light-footed -as he was (and Maunders trod like a cat), he might have lingered at -the sound of voices. Thus he might have gained the necessary knowledge -of the trap, which he had afterwards utilized to inveigle Vernon to -the West Kensington house. That is, presuming he was The Spider; and -the name of Lucy Corsoon used in the wire was the very name which -Maunders, knowing Vernon's love for the girl, would employ. Finally, -Maunders had been at the ball, and it would have been easy for him, -masked and cloaked as he was, to steal into the library and commit the -crime, afterwards mingling with the guests in all apparent innocence. -On these grounds Vernon began to believe that Lady Corsoon might be -correct in her assumption. But always there came the doubt that -Maunders was too shallow to be the arch-rogue. He was clever, but -certainly not a genius, whereas The Spider was a Napoleon amongst the -criminal fraternity.</p> - -<p>"In one way I can prove something," said Vernon to himself. "If -Maunders did enter the library he must have been absent from the -ballroom for some time. I shall go to 'Rangoon' and ask questions -without letting it be seen why I ask them. Then I can learn for -certain about his movements on that night. Moreover, I can interview -Miss Dimsdale and learn how she is disposed towards the Colonel. -Finally, I'll see if he is right in thinking that Miss Hest's -influence is harmful to her in any way."</p> - -<p>Having come to this decision, he repaired the ensuing day to -Hampstead, fully determined to set his doubts at rest. A glance at the -agony column of the _Daily Telegraph_ had assured him that Lady -Corsoon had carried out his suggestion. Under the initial "X," she -asked for one month's time to consider the matter of "S." This -undoubtedly would be accorded to her, as it was The Spider's policy -never to hurry his victims. He robbed them in a most graceful and -easy-going fashion, and so dexterously, that his victims rather -congratulated themselves that they had so honest a criminal tradesman -to deal with. So Lady Corsoon's secret was safe for a month. Before -the expiration of that period Vernon hoped to lay hands on the rogue -who had baffled the police for so long. But in his heart he did not -expect to find Maunders in the grip of the law.</p> - -<p>At first Vernon was refused admittance by the butler, but on insisting -and on sending in his card he was shown into the central hall. Shortly -Miss Hest made her appearance with a smiling but somewhat serious -face. She looked extremely tall and handsome in a black-browed way as -she advanced towards the visitor.</p> - -<p>"How are you, Mr. Vernon," she said, shaking hands politely; "is your -business with Miss Dimsdale very important? She is not well to-day. I -have just been bathing her forehead with eau-de-cologne."</p> - -<p>"Oh, I have just come to make an afternoon call," replied Vernon -easily. "I am sorry to hear that Miss Dimsdale is ill."</p> - -<p>Frances sighed. "She has never been the same since her poor father's -terrible death. She loved him as dearly as he loved her, you know, Mr. -Vernon, so the shock was great."</p> - -<p>"I quite understand. Still, after two months' more or less of quiet -she surely must be recovering. At her age one does not remember for -ever."</p> - -<p>"No. At our age one has longer memories, Mr. Vernon. But it is kind of -you to call. Ida likes you very much, especially as you were such a -friend of poor Mr. Dimsdale's. I think you might come in for a quarter -of an hour."</p> - -<p>Vernon hesitated. "I don't wish to disturb Ida," he said doubtfully, -"if she wants to be quiet."</p> - -<p>"Oh, she left the decision to me when we got your card. I am acting as -a kind of nurse to the poor darling. Ida is just like my sister, you -know."</p> - -<p>"But your professional engagements?"</p> - -<p>"They don't matter. I have made a good deal of money in one way and -another, Mr. Vernon, you know. I can afford to take a rest. I want Ida -to come down to Bowderstyke with me and stop at the Hall."</p> - -<p>It flashed into Vernon's suspicious mind that perhaps Frances wished -Ida to fall in love with her brother. Ten thousand a year would be -very acceptable to Mr. Hest, if Colonel Towton's story was to be -believed. According to him the brother was not a millionaire, and what -money he had he spent lavishly in helping the parish. He remarked -about this to Frances as she led him through the door at the end of -the hall and into the boudoir, where Ida was lying.</p> - -<p>"I hear from Colonel Towton that your brother is quite a -philanthropist."</p> - -<p>Frances laughed. "Oh, the Colonel has been talking, has he? My brother -would be quite annoyed, as he never liked to be praised."</p> - -<p>"Then he's not human," said Vernon bluntly.</p> - -<p>"He's human enough to be annoyed with me because I chose to earn my -own living," said Frances bitterly. "However, let us see Ida, and then -I'll tell you all about my brother. In fact, I want to ask your -advice."</p> - -<p>"Why should you think I was capable of giving advice, Miss Hest?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, you are so grave," she replied with a smile and halting at the -door of the boudoir, "and Mr. Dimsdale, poor man, always said that you -were so clever in making suggestions. Besides, you don't know the -opinion Ida has of you. Ida, dear," she passed into the room, "here is -Mr. Vernon."</p> - -<p>"Arthur," said the girl, who was lying on a couch near the window, -"oh, I am so glad to see you. I'm glad Frances did not send you away. -She's such a tyrant as my nurse."</p> - -<p>"Perhaps you need a tyrant to manage you, Ida. You were always too -impulsive and reckless of your health."</p> - -<p>"I think I have changed since poor papa's death. I don't feel reckless -in any way now. I shall never get over it; never."</p> - -<p>Frances, who had taken some knitting to sit in a near chair, frowned -as the girl spoke. "That's the way she goes on, Mr. Vernon. Isn't it -foolish? I want her to go out and enjoy herself."</p> - -<p>"As if I could when poor papa is dead only two months," cried Ida -sighing.</p> - -<p>"Oh, I don't mean you to lead a gay life. But you shouldn't stay here -day after day without sunshine."</p> - -<p>"I think Miss Hest is right, Ida," said Vernon, gravely scrutinising -the pale face of the girl; "you are not looking well."</p> - -<p>"I don't feel at all well," she replied peevishly.</p> - -<p>"There's nothing organically wrong," put in Frances quickly. "The -doctor said that Ida was perfectly healthy, and only needed to go out -and lead a happy life to become quite strong."</p> - -<p>"I shall never be happy again," said Ida with determination. Visitor -and nurse--as Frances might be called--looked at one another. The girl -evidently had made up her mind to be miserable.</p> - -<p>This was not a sensible attitude to adopt, but then Ida was not a -particularly sensible girl. She assuredly was not brilliantly clever, -although she possessed a certain amount of brains. Pretty in a -doll-like way, with her golden hair and blue eyes and creamy-pink -complexion, she was an excellent type of a charming, modest, playful -English girl, who would make a good wife and a devoted mother. But -there was nothing original about her, and, being the spoilt darling of -an elderly father, she was subject to moods. She was sick or well, -merry or sad, just as the fit took her. At one time she would fatigue -herself with theatres and dances and tennis-tournaments, and again, -with a revulsion of feeling, would lie on the sofa all day, reading -novels. Poets would have called her an April lady, of sunshine and -rain, but an ordinary human being would have found her trying. It said -a great deal for Miss Hest's true affection that she put up with so -whimsical a being. A weathercock was nothing in comparison with Ida -Dimsdale.</p> - -<p>Why a sober, elderly, military man like Colonel Towton should desire -to make such a featherhead his wife was a problem which Vernon was -trying to solve as he stared at the girl on the sofa. Ida's mood since -the death of her father had been to play the invalid. Certainly she -had suffered a shock, as was natural; but time had softened the memory -of the tragic death, and Vernon approved of Miss Hest's desire to get -the girl away to Yorkshire.</p> - -<p>"You ought to go to Gerby Hall, Ida," he remarked after a momentary -silence; "a few weeks in the open air would do you all the good in -the world."</p> - -<p>"That's what I tell her," said Frances severely; "but she won't come -down to Yorkshire, as I suggest. I shall end in going away -altogether."</p> - -<p>Ida stretched out a pretty hand and caught that of Miss Hest. "Oh, no, -Frances, darling; you know that I cannot live without you. I must have -a companion."</p> - -<p>Vernon thought that this was a good opportunity to advance Mrs. -Bedge's request which he had promised to bear in mind. "There is a -charming old lady who offers to become your companion," he said -gently. Ida stared and shuddered.</p> - -<p>"I don't like old ladies. Who is she?"</p> - -<p>"Mrs. Bedge. She asked me to speak to you because she has lost a lot -of money, and is therefore willing to accept a salary as your -companion."</p> - -<p>Frances laid down her work and clasped her hands.</p> - -<p>"Why, Ida, it's the very thing for you, dear. Mrs. Bedge is so old and -so sedate. Then I can attend to my business, knowing you are all -right."</p> - -<p>"Frances," Ida sat up on the sofa and looked reproachfully at her -friend, "how can you talk so? I like Mrs. Bedge, who has always been -very kind to me, but there is no denying that she is extremely dull. -Besides, I have told you that you can have whatever salary you like to -ask to make up for losing all your engagements."</p> - -<p>"And I replied that I wished to be independent," said Miss Hest -stiffly; "I don't like living on anyone. That is why I left Gerby -Hall. But about Mrs. Bedge, dear; it is really a capital idea."</p> - -<p>"I shan't entertain it for one moment, and when Mrs. Bedge comes I -shall tell her so--with thanks, of course," added Ida as an -afterthought. "Why couldn't she speak to me direct?"</p> - -<p>"Well," Vernon laughed, "it is rather a delicate subject. However, if -you won't have her you won't, so there's no more to be said. And might -I suggest, Ida, as you really are looking better with the colour that -has come into your cheeks at the suggestion, that you should pull up -the blind and make the room look more cheerful."</p> - -<p>Ida jumped up lightly and did as he asked. Her mood had changed with -the advent of this tactful young man. "Is there anything more your -lordship requires?" she asked with a saucy curtsey.</p> - -<p>"I should like a cup of tea; you are not hospitable," replied Vernon, -delighted by the change in her manner.</p> - -<p>Ida touched the button of the bell. "You were always greedy, Arthur." -Then, when the footman appeared, she gave the necessary orders. "I -believe you called less to see me than to get your tea," she ended, -laughing quite in her old girlish fashion.</p> - -<p>"Ida, I don't believe you are ill at all," said Vernon, scrutinising -her.</p> - -<p>"Her imagination makes her ill," put in Frances, who was knitting -industriously. "She believes that she is sick, and therefore she _is_ -sick."</p> - -<p>"That is Christian Science," laughed Ida, sitting in a chair instead -of returning to lounge on the sofa. "Perhaps you are right, dear. Of -course, I have fretted a great deal over poor papa's death, but -fretting will not bring him back," she ended with a sigh, and her face -clouded over again.</p> - -<p>"What you want is bright society," Vernon assured her hurriedly.</p> - -<p>"And you suggest Mrs. Bedge," was Ida's ironical retort.</p> - -<p>"No. I never thought that she was the right companion for you, as she -is too staid and solemn; but I have discharged my conscience by -putting her request to you. I never for one moment thought that you -would entertain it."</p> - -<p>Ida looked at him inquiringly. "You think that I am right?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, I do. Miss Hest is a much better companion." Miss Hest bowed to -the compliment with a grave smile.</p> - -<p>"Oh, I mean what I say, my dear lady. Take Ida down to Gerby Hall and -play the tyrant as much as possible by forcing her to keep in the open -air all day. She will return quite cured."</p> - -<p>"I don't think I should mind going to Yorkshire," said Ida pensively, -as the tea was brought in; "and from what Frances says Gerby Hall must -be a delightful old place. But then, my sojourn would be disagreeable, -as Frances is not on good terms with her brother."</p> - -<p>"Say that he is not on good terms with me," said Miss Hest coolly. "I -have nothing against Francis, save that he objects to my being -independent. But he is very just, and does not wish me to remain -always absent from the Hall. I can go down, and can take any one down, -on conditions."</p> - -<p>"What are they?" asked Vernon, accepting a cup of tea.</p> - -<p>"That I, and anyone I bring, bother Francis as little as possible. In -fact, when I am at the Hall Francis usually goes to York while I -remain; and even when he returns he sees almost nothing of me, as I -keep out of his way. He isn't a bad fellow, and of course I should -speak well of my twin brother."</p> - -<p>"Are you very like one another, Frances, dear?"</p> - -<p>"Extremely, in face and form. We can mystify anyone when we are seen -together, but in disposition we are quite unlike one another. I am -more egotistic than Francis. He is a philanthropist and devotes all -his money to improving the parish. Six or seven villages owe -everything to him."</p> - -<p>"He keeps them all going, you mean?" suggested Vernon, idly leaning -back.</p> - -<p>"Not exactly. But two years ago there was a great dearth of water, -which has frequently occurred during the dry weather. Francis -determined that it should not occur again, so he obtained permission -and engaged a clever engineer to construct a reservoir at the top of -Bowderstyke Valley."</p> - -<p>"That was a big work to undertake, and must have cost heaps of money."</p> - -<p>"Francis can afford it," said Miss Hest indifferently. "Our -grandmother, from whom he inherits the estates, left a lot of ready -money, and Francis is a clever speculator. He works hard at stocks and -shares and is always in touch with his broker in London. But all the -money he makes he spends in improving the parishes around. He has -repaired several churches, and has built a poorhouse, and also a small -hall for entertainments. He and the vicar work hand in hand. Then, of -course, this reservoir is his crowning work, as it supplied water to -at least six villages."</p> - -<p>"Oh, what a good man he must be," said Ida thoughtfully. "Here am I, -with all my money, doing nothing."</p> - -<p>Bearing in mind that he fancied Miss Hest wished to marry Ida to her -brother, Vernon quite expected to hear her endorse this praise. Miss -Hest, however, received the tribute very coolly. "Francis is vain," -she remarked, "and desires public applause. Perhaps that is why he -spends all his money in public charity."</p> - -<p>"Does he never take any pleasure in other ways?" asked Vernon.</p> - -<p>"I think he finds his pleasure in his home and surroundings. Still, he -goes away to York and London and Paris for weeks at a time, and enjoys -himself in some dull way. I am sure it is dull, as Francis hasn't got -any spirit for a lively life. However, if Ida comes down she can judge -him for herself. But I don't think we'll see much of him, and for my -part I'm very glad. I always escape from Francis's society whenever I -can. We don't get on well together at all; rather odd, isn't it, -considering we are twins?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, I don't know, Miss Hest. Twins often are the opposite in -disposition as they are the replica of each other in looks."</p> - -<p>Frances looked up with an approving smile. "You have described my -brother and I to the life," she said nodding.</p> - -<p>"Colonel Towton has a place near Gerby Hall, I believe?"</p> - -<p>"Yes. The Grange, it is called, a quaint old mansion, three miles -distant from my brother's property. Higher up the valley, in fact, and -on a rise to the right of the reservoir. Colonel Towton wasn't pleased -with the construction of the dam, as it spoilt the view from his -house, and then he always declares that if the dam broke the valley -would be swept from end to end by the force of the water. But I don't -think any accident of that sort will happen," ended Frances -emphatically; "The dam is extremely solidly built and will last for -many a long day."</p> - -<p>"I think I should like to go to Bowderstyke, if only to see Colonel -Towton's house," said Ida unexpectedly; "He told me such a lot about -it."</p> - -<p>"I thought you didn't like Colonel Towton?" said Vernon smiling.</p> - -<p>"There!" exclaimed Frances, dropping her knitting, while Ida flushed. -"Didn't I say that Mr. Vernon would remark how fickle you are, Ida?"</p> - -<p>"Fickle?" echoed the young man, looking puzzled.</p> - -<p>"You know that Ida was in love with Mr. Maunders," went on Miss Hest, -while Ida still blushed and appeared embarrassed. "She never gave her -poor father any peace and always wanted to marry him. Well, since the -death she has taken a positive dislike to him and can only find good -in the Colonel."</p> - -<p>"Ah!" said Vernon meaningly, "that would have pleased poor Mr. -Dimsdale. He greatly desired to see Ida the Colonel's wife."</p> - -<p>"I begin to think papa was right," said Ida in a low tone and turning -away her face. "I did like Mr. Maunders very much. I suppose I really -was in love with him in a way. But since papa's death he has scarcely -been to see me and has not acted at all sympathetically. Now, the -Colonel has called constantly, and has been so kind and so sweet that -I--I----"</p> - -<p>"That you love him," ended Miss Hest coolly.</p> - -<p>"I'm not sure. He's awfully nice and is devoted to me. I daresay if I -saw much of him I might--I might----"</p> - -<p>"Well," Miss Hest interrupted again, "I hope you will, as I am sure -Colonel Towton would make you an excellent husband. He is handsome and -distinguished and sensible enough to guide you. My dear," Frances laid -her hand on Ida's knee, "I shall be glad when you become Mrs. Towton, -as then I shall be free to go back to my work. People are sure to say, -if I stay with you, that I am actuated by mercenary motives."</p> - -<p>"What nonsense," said Ida quickly; "why, you will not even let me give -you a present."</p> - -<p>"I can buy presents for myself," said Frances obstinately, "and, since -I left Gerby Hall to be independent, I certainly don't intend to play -the part of a bribed or paid companion."</p> - -<p>Ida's eyes filled with ready tears. "How cruel you are, Frances," she -wailed.</p> - -<p>"I am sensible and reasonable," said Frances firmly, knitting with an -obstinate mouth. "I really love you, dear, but I can't sacrifice my -independence to be a hanger-on. All the same, until you have a husband -I don't feel justified in leaving you, so feather-headed, to your own -devices."</p> - -<p>"I am not so weak-minded as you think," flushed Ida crossly.</p> - -<p>"Yes, you are, my dear. You can't say whether you love Colonel Towton -or Mr. Maunders. You don't know your own feelings."</p> - -<p>"Yes, I do. I really believe I love Colonel Towton. I know that I did -before Constantine appeared. Then I took a fancy to him. Now that -fancy has gone, and I again love the Colonel. Yes," Ida paused -meditatively, "I am sure that I love the Colonel."</p> - -<p>"Pooh! Pooh! Just what I said: you don't know your own mind."</p> - -<p>"I wish you would carry out your first impulse, Ida, and marry Colonel -Towton. He's a good man and Maunders isn't." This came from Vernon.</p> - -<p>"I feel that," muttered Ida, "but he fascinates me. And, after all, he -is trying to learn who killed my father."</p> - -<p>"So am I," said Vernon drily, "yet you don't love me. Not that I want -you to," he added hurriedly and colouring. "But about Maunders; has he -ever said anything to you likely to reveal the name of the assassin?"</p> - -<p>"No. Why do you ask?" inquired Ida, and even Frances stopped knitting -to look steadily at Vernon.</p> - -<p>"Do you suspect that Mr. Maunders knows more than he admits?" asked -Miss Hest.</p> - -<p>"No! No! No! Of course I don't," answered Vernon hastily and leading -cautiously up to the purpose of his visit; "but he was in the house -when the murder took place and might have seen some stranger present -who would be The Spider."</p> - -<p>"I don't think so, and I don't see how he could, seeing that everyone -was masked. If he had seen any suspicious character I certainly should -have known of it at once."</p> - -<p>"Why you, rather than anyone else?" asked Vernon quickly.</p> - -<p>"Well, you see, Ida was in one of her freakish moods on the night of -the ball and gave Mr. Maunders the cold shoulder, consoling herself -with the Colonel all the evening."</p> - -<p>"I did so because papa did not wish me to pass my time with -Constantine."</p> - -<p>"I daresay, Ida," responded Miss Hest rather acidly, "but you asked -him to the ball notwithstanding your father objected. At all events, -Mr. Vernon, as Mr. Maunders was cold-shouldered he came to me and I -had the burden of him from ten o'clock up to the time Ida discovered -the murder, at a quarter to midnight. Mr. Maunders never left me alone -all that time, so if he had seen anyone suspicious he would have told -me."</p> - -<p>"Quite so, quite so," murmured Vernon absently and thinking that here -was a very good _alibi_ for Maunders, and the stronger since it was -given unconsciously by one who did not know the reason for putting it -forward. "I daresay The Spider came in by the window," he remarked in -louder tones.</p> - -<p>Miss Hest made a significant gesture. "I don't know how he came or how -he went," she said, nodding towards Ida, who had grown pale, "and the -police seem to be able to discover nothing. But you might see Mr. -Maunders and learn if he had any suspicions that a stranger was -present."</p> - -<p>"That would be useless in the face of what you tell me. He would have -spoken to you had he been doubtful," said Vernon courteously, -"and----"</p> - -<p>"There, there! Don't say anything more. Don't you see that Ida is on -the verge of fainting?"</p> - -<p>Miss Hest caught Ida's hands. "Poor child, they are quite cold. You -had better go, Mr. Vernon."</p> - -<p>"Yes." He rose promptly. "I am sorry that I spoke of the murder. Don't -think anything more about it, Ida, but go to Yorkshire and recover -your health." Ida nodded faintly. "Yes; I shall go. It is best for me -to get away from this tragic house." And Vernon quite agreed with her.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_09" href="#div1Ref_09">CHAPTER IX.</a></h4> -<h5>WITCHCRAFT.</h5> -<br> - -<p>While Vernon was having his interview with Ida and her companion -Colonel Towton went on a little expedition of his own. Ever since the -discovery that Ida had been to Diabella, Towton had been anxious, in -his turn, to pay a visit to the famous Bond Street fortune-teller. -Ida, as the Colonel had told Vernon, apparently was suffering from the -effects of what she had been told by this fashionable Witch of Endor, -although what had been said Towton could not find out. Miss Hest and -the girl had both held their peace on the subject, notwithstanding -that the former had talked generally on the wonderful powers of the -woman. In fact, she had seriously advised Colonel Towton to interview -Diabella and search out the future for himself. The soldier had -laughed, as he was not given to dabble in occultism. Nevertheless, he -had made up his mind to seek out the seeress, if only to discover -indirectly what those methods of devilry were which had so strongly -impressed Miss Dimsdale. Towton, to put it plainly, went less -as a client than as a spy.</p> - -<p>Considering that Ida had no very strongly-marked personality, it was -wonderful that the Colonel should be so deeply in love with her. He -was clever in his own way, and not without brain-power inside and -outside his own particular military profession. His bravery was -undeniable, his tact considerable, and he had left the Army on account -of family affairs with the name of one who had cut short a brilliant -career unnecessarily. Towton assuredly would have risen to be a -general had he not retired when the family estates came into his -possession. But now that he had abandoned his profession his one aim -was to marry and lead a quiet domestic life. He did not wish for a -clever wife, or a wealthy wife, or a particularly lovely wife, as he -was too matter-of-fact to be romantic. His dream was of a peaceful -hearth and a house perfectly managed by a gentle wife. In Ida he -believed that he saw the helpmate he so greatly desired: one who would -make her husband's will her law, and who would be a cheerful -companion. Her moods he believed to be the result of lack of guidance, -and he flattered himself that when she became Mrs. Towton he would be -able to render her less freakish. Ida's nature was so impressionable -that he thought it could be easily moulded, and in this he no doubt -was right. Many of the girl's faults were due to the over-indulgence -of her father, and to the lack of a firm hand to lead her in the right -way. She would have welcomed a master, having one of those natures -responsive to suggestion. And, in an unconscious way, the Colonel -appealed to her as a strong, kind-hearted man, who could shelter her -from the storms of life better than any one else could. In point of -fact, the two were made for one another, and, but for the intrusion of -Maunders, their course of true love would have run smooth.</p> - -<p>However, Colonel Towton was extremely obstinate, and, having -decided that Ida was the very wife he desired to preside over his -dinner-table, he was determined not to let her be snatched from him by -any rival. He admitted with some dread that Maunders was a formidable -wooer, and moreover guessed, with the keen instinct of a man in love, -that Frances Hest had too much control over the girl. For one thing, -she had induced Ida to go to Diabella, a thing Towton would never have -permitted had he been able to help it. He knew from his Indian -experience only too well that there is truth in occultism, and that an -impressionable being--such as Ida truly was--could easily be obsessed -by strong suggestion. He had no reason to doubt Miss Hest, and did not -think for one moment that she was his enemy in any way: but, with the -assistance of suggestions from Diabella, she might lead Ida into -unhealthy ways. And all those dealings with the unseen with which -psychics have to do were unhealthy in the Colonel's very material -eyes. Already, as he had seen for himself, the visit to Diabella had -upset Ida; so, whatever the harm done might be, it was necessary to -undo it by proving the woman to be a fraud. Towton therefore ascended -the stairs to the consulting-room of Diabella with the intention of -learning if the fortune-teller was a humbug. Once assured of that, he -resolved to explain her methods to Miss Dimsdale and so prevent her -trusting as truth whatever the woman had said. Then Ida's indignation -at being duped, as the Colonel believed she had been, would probably -shake Miss Hest's position. Towton felt certain that Frances was more -friendly to Maunders than to himself, and at one sweep he hoped to get -rid of both. Afterwards Ida would be more willing to become his wife.</p> - -<p>Diabella's offices, as they might be called, consisted of two rooms: a -small outer one entered directly from the passage, and a spacious -inner one which overlooked the street. As Towton tapped at the door of -the prophetess his thoughts suddenly flew back to his many years of -sojourn in the Far East. For the moment he could not think what had -detached him so unexpectedly from England until, on stepping across -the threshold of the now open door, he became aware of a strong, -pungent scent, impossible to describe. At once he noted it as that -smell of the bazaars, which runs without a break from Port Said to -Hong Kong. Perfume is the strongest of aids to memory, therefore -Towton's thoughts had flashed back over many years to various Indian -experiences. His body was in England, but his soul was in the East: -nor did the sight which met his eyes dispel the illusion. The room he -entered and the attendant who welcomed him were both Egyptian in -looks.</p> - -<p>The small apartment resembled an ancient tomb, as the walls and -ceiling were painted vividly with hieroglyphics, glowing in crimson -and blue and yellow and emerald green. Through a stained-glass -skylight overhead a dim, coloured light streamed just sufficiently to -reveal the weird looks of the room. It was faked, of course, but very -cleverly faked, as the Colonel secretly admitted; even to the -attendant, who, apparently a true Eastern, was attired in a garb which -one of Pharaoh's fan-bearers might have worn appropriately. The floor -was covered with linoleum painted to resemble marble, and there was a -quaintly-shaped table of ebony, two or three antique and uncomfortable -chairs, copied from furniture of the XIX. Dynasty, and a weird-looking -teak sofa, covered with bright yellow cushions. What with the -grotesquely-painted walls, the sparsity of furniture, the dim light, -the scented atmosphere, and the strangely-dressed attendant, who -salaamed profusely, Colonel Towton felt as though he had stepped at -one stride across the Mediterranean to a resuscitated Memphis.</p> - -<p>The man was a slim, straight native, with handsome, haughty features -of the Brahmin type, and Towton wondered that he had broken caste to -cross the Black Water. He had keen, black eyes, which took in the -looks of the English sahib in a single flash, notwithstanding that he -stood with crossed arms and downcast eyes. Towton wondered if he spoke -English, and, for the sake of an experiment, addressed him in Tamil. -The dark-skinned man replied in very fair English, with an inquisitive -glance at this stranger who spoke the Indian dialect so glibly.</p> - -<p>"Is your mistress in?" enquired the Colonel, speaking Tamil.</p> - -<p>"Within, sahib, and she waits," was the reply in Anglo-Saxon.</p> - -<p>Immediately following these few words Towton was led into the inner -room, and the attendant closed the door after him, leaving the client -alone with Diabella. The room was decorated much in the same tomb-like -fashion as the other one, but there were mummies standing round the -wall at intervals in their richly adorned coffins, and the two windows -looking on to Bond Street were draped with rich Eastern stuffs to -entirely exclude the light of day. But several lamps, burning perfumed -oil, dangled from the ceiling, and the room was filled with a mellow -radiance, eminently suited to the object for which it was used. -Towton shrewdly surmised that the peculiar decorations, the -exclusion of daylight for the use of artificial illumination, and the -highly-scented atmosphere which prevailed even more strongly here than -it had done in the outer room, were all meant to daze the senses of -Diabella's clients so that they might more readily credit her -assertions. It was all cleverly conceived and carried out.</p> - -<p>The woman herself was seated at the end of the room under a kind of -canopy on an uncomfortable ebony-wood chair inlaid with ivory. Before -her was a tiny square table of the same sombre wood, with twisted -legs, and on this stood a large crystal the size of a small orange. -Diabella was seated in a hieratical attitude with her hands on her -knees, like some stone god, and wore a stiff straight robe of mingled -black and yellow, which made her resemble a viper. But her face struck -Towton most, as she apparently wore an entire mask modelled in wax -from some actual Egyptian mummy. This was surmounted by the well-known -head-dress of harsh black ringlets, combed straightly to the -shoulders. The mouth of the mask was partially open, so that the -fortune-teller could speak easily behind it. With her dead-looking -face and motionless attitude, Diabella looked exactly like the mummies -which flanked her right and left. And right and left also, in tall -iron tripods, flamed some spirits, which cast weird lights on her -uncanny appearance. Nothing better could have been designed to impress -the weak-minded; and in that Temple of Illusion and from the lips of -such a strange creature the boldest might be excused for believing the -impossible. Even Colonel Towton felt an unaccustomed shudder, as -though he were in the presence of the Unseen.</p> - -<p>"You wish to consult those who dwell in darkness about the future?" -asked the sorceress in a strange, metallic voice, as unhuman as were -her looks.</p> - -<p>Towton smiled scornfully and twisted his moustache. He had quite -recovered his momentary obsession by that perfumed atmosphere, and sat -down with a cool air. "You should speak Egyptian to be perfect," he -scoffed.</p> - -<p>Diabella disdained to notice the jeer. "Would you have me look in the -crystal, or spell the cards, or read the hand."</p> - -<p>"None of the three, thank you," said Towton drily. "Do you really -possess the power of reading things?"</p> - -<p>"I can read the past, the present, and the future;' I can tell all -that is permitted to be told by the Powers. You are an unbeliever."</p> - -<p>The Colonel chuckled. "Wrong, first shot. Having seen a good deal of -this sort of thing; although," he glanced round the room, "scarcely so -dressy a place, I believe that some gifted people have certain senses -at command, if not under control, with which they can foretell things. -I quite appreciate your remark about the Powers permitting and -forbidding, as I am aware that such is the case."</p> - -<p>"I did not say that you were an unbeliever generally," said Diabella, -trying to recover her lost ground, "but that you did not believe in -me."</p> - -<p>"You did not put it precisely in that fashion," retorted Towton. -"However, I may as well have my guinea's worth. Is there any reason -why I should believe in you?" he demanded contemptuously.</p> - -<p>The quiet voice replied indifferently. "Yes. I have not held your hand -nor have I contacted your atmosphere closely. Still, I am sufficiently -in touch with you to state that you bring a woman in your aura."</p> - -<p>"In my what?" asked the Colonel, wilfully dense.</p> - -<p>"The aura of your magnetism streams from you radiant as a rainbow. In -it is standing the thought-form of a girl. She is not very tall, she -has blue eyes and golden hair, and you love her. Am I right?"</p> - -<p>"I shan't say," replied the Colonel, secretly surprised to hear this -description of Ida and the statement of his feelings towards her. -"Humph!" He made a half unwilling admission, "you have some psychic -powers, after all. Tell me more."</p> - -<p>"Give me your ring," commanded Diabella imperiously. "It is -impregnated with your magnetism and will thus suggest your colour."</p> - -<p>"My colour?" repeated the Colonel interrogatively and removing his -signet ring to place it on the ebony table.</p> - -<p>Diabella picked it up and held it in the hollow of her right hand. -"Every human being in the unseen world around has a colour which is -the prevailing hue of the karmic body, tinted by desire. I can thus -recognise you as you appear on the astral plane, and so can read your -karma of the past, which appears in the astral records. Thence I can -deduce your future for good or evil, in a great measure correctly."</p> - -<p>"Then you can't be certain that what you tell me is true?"</p> - -<p>"No. Under certain circumstances, when the High Ones permit, the -future is revealed beyond all doubt, but those circumstances are -connected only with spiritual enlightenment. Otherwise those who have -the sight merely deduce what will happen by reading the karma of the -past, which can be discerned in the astral light."</p> - -<p>"Your claims are certainly more modest than I expected," said Towton -somewhat interested, "and if you can tell me my past life correctly I -shall credit more or less your prophecies. You know my name?"</p> - -<p>"Richard Towton."</p> - -<p>"Ah--you got that from my letter asking for an appointment. But I have -a middle name which I don't use. What is it?"</p> - -<p>"Richard Henry Towton is your full name."</p> - -<p>"Correct. Where was I educated?"</p> - -<p>"At Wimperly Public School, and then at Sandhurst."</p> - -<p>Towton nodded. "You might be certain of Sandhurst, as I am a soldier, -but Wimperly is good. Go on."</p> - -<p>"You joined your regiment twenty-five years ago, and shortly after -joining it was ordered to India. You were stationed at Bombay, -afterwards at Travancore. You fought in Burmah, where you met Martin -Dimsdale, and became intimate with him. You won a D.S.O. in the Vikram -Expedition, and----"</p> - -<p>"All that," interrupted the Colonel politely, "with the exception of -my meeting with Dimsdale, you might have read in the newspapers. Why -did I retire from the army?"</p> - -<p>"Your cousin died and left you The Grange at Bowderstyke, in -Yorkshire. You gave up your profession so as to get the estates in -order: they had been sadly neglected by your cousin, who was a -drunkard."</p> - -<p>"That is impolite, but true," said Towton with a grimace. "Go on."</p> - -<p>"You wish to marry."</p> - -<p>The Colonel shrugged his shoulders. "Every man wishes to marry."</p> - -<p>"You wish to marry a girl called Ida Dimsdale," went on the -passionless voice, and Diabella refrained from making any comment on -the remark.</p> - -<p>"Ah! Now you are becoming interesting. Why do I wish to marry Ida -Dimsdale?" The reply was unexpected. "You desire to get her money in -order to recover certain lands sold by your late cousin."</p> - -<p>"That is a lie." Towton grew a trifle red and spoke sharply. "I love -Miss Dimsdale, and would take her without a penny."</p> - -<p>"That is how you will have to take her," replied Diabella coldly and -without insisting upon the truth of her previous statement.</p> - -<p>"Nonsense! Miss Dimsdale has a large fortune."</p> - -<p>"You think she has ten thousand a year. She has nothing."</p> - -<p>Towton felt an astonishment which he could scarcely conceal, and -wondered if Diabella had spoken in this way to Ida. "What do you -mean?"</p> - -<p>"I mean that this girl is not the daughter of Martin Dimsdale."</p> - -<p>"What!" Towton rose in his surprise; "How dare you say that?"</p> - -<p>"I am only reading what I see," said Diabella wearily. "Your fortune -and this girl's is connected, therefore I know of her past."</p> - -<p>"Past! Past!" fumed the Colonel, sitting down again. "She has no past -in the sense you mean. She was born in Burmah, and her mother died -shortly afterwards. Dimsdale sent her home to relatives, and -afterwards she went to school at Hampstead. Five years ago he returned -to settle in England and she has been with him ever since."</p> - -<p>"Quite true; but you are foolish to tell me so much, as now you will -say that I merely echo what you have mentioned."</p> - -<p>"I have certainly not mentioned that she is not Dimsdale's daughter."</p> - -<p>"No. Yet it is true. Her name is Ida Menteith, and her father was a -major in a native regiment. Menteith was with his wife in Burmah at a -hill station called--called--wait until I get the name." Diabella -stopped for one moment, then spoke out triumphantly, "It was called -Goorkah Station, and was besieged by the Dacoits?"</p> - -<p>"Yes. I remember the station, but not a man called Menteith."</p> - -<p>"This happened before you went to India."</p> - -<p>"What happened?" asked Towton bluntly. "What I am about to tell you. -Dimsdale was then a police-commissioner. He loved Mrs. Menteith, who -returned his love, and hated the husband."</p> - -<p>"I don't believe that for one moment. Dimsdale was a good fellow, who -would never make love to another man's wife."</p> - -<p>"Many good fellows do that," said Diabella sarcastically; "and -Dimsdale did love Mrs. Menteith: so deeply that he did not save the -husband's life when he could have done so."</p> - -<p>"That's an absolute lie," insisted Towton angrily. "How dare you -malign a dead man who cannot defend himself!"</p> - -<p>"Martin Dimsdale's friend, George Venery, who is a merchant at -Singapore, can prove the truth of what I say."</p> - -<p>"Rubbish! How do you know?"</p> - -<p>"I read all I am telling you in the astral light," said Diabella. "If -it displeases you I need tell no more."</p> - -<p>"It does not so much displease me as make me wonder at your -imagination."</p> - -<p>Diabella still preserved her immobility. "Write to George Venery and -you will find that I have spoken the truth."</p> - -<p>"It seems incredible," muttered Towton doubtfully. "Of course, I know -that there is great truth in occult matters. But what you say is too -precise to be anything but what you must have learned--perhaps from -this man."</p> - -<p>"No," replied the fortune-teller. "I never heard the name of Venery -before, and I have never been to Singapore or even to Burmah. I only -read what I see. How else should I know?"</p> - -<p>The Colonel made a gesture of disbelief. Although he believed in the -unseen, from various Indian experiences, he could not credit the story -of this masked woman. "Go on, and tell me more," he said at length; -"later I can write to Mr. Venery and verify your statements."</p> - -<p>"Ida Dimsdale is Menteith's daughter," said Diabella quietly. "She was -born in Rangoon when her father was being besieged in Goorkah Station. -Dimsdale was in the neighbourhood with a force and hastened to relieve -his friend. But he purposely delayed his approach so that the station -might be taken and Menteith killed."</p> - -<p>"I don't believe that for one moment. Dimsdale would not act so -wickedly."</p> - -<p>"He did act in that way, as Venery can tell you. It was his behaviour -that caused a breach between them. Dimsdale hoped to get rid of -Menteith and so marry the wife. His plan of delay was successful, and -the station was taken by the Dacoits. Menteith was crucified and his -perfidious friend arrived when he was dying. Menteith was buried at -Goorkah Station and Dimsdale returned to Rangoon, hoping to marry Mrs. -Menteith now that the obstacle was removed. Mrs. Menteith, however, -weak after the birth of her child, died in a few days. Then Dimsdale -was stricken with remorse and brought up the child as his own. She has -passed for his daughter and, as his next-of-kin, inherits the money. -But she is no relation, since Dimsdale did not leave a will and----"</p> - -<p>"How do you know that Dimsdale left no will?"</p> - -<p>"I might have seen it in the papers," said Diabella coolly; "but I did -not, for to my sight the hidden things of Dimsdale's life are -revealed. But you can understand that if you marry Ida you will get no -money with her. The truth will be made known and Lady Corsoon will -inherit it, as it is but right she should do."</p> - -<p>Towton rose so hurriedly that he knocked over his chair. "I can't -stand any more of this," he declared impetuously; "all your occult -business is a sham, and you are making up lies. I insist upon your -removing that mask so that I may know who you are."</p> - -<p>Diabella rose, tall and straight and stiff, but did not seem -disturbed. "Beware, Colonel Towton. If you advance a step it will be -the worse for you."</p> - -<p>The military man laughed and stepped forward. "I must know who you -are, as I intend to make you pay for telling these falsehoods."</p> - -<p>"They are true."</p> - -<p>"They are lies. Now I know why Miss Dimsdale was agitated because of -her visit to you. You told her this story also."</p> - -<p>"What if I did? The truth----" she flung up a hand as the Colonel took -another step forward. "Stand back, I tell you."</p> - -<p>"Take your mask off," he insisted, and stretched out his hand.</p> - -<p>Diabella swerved to one side and avoided his grasp. Then she dropped -into her chair, pressing the arms of the same hard. Immediately from -the mummies set round the room came a most unearthly crying, which -confounded the Colonel, not expecting such a tumult. The weird room -rang with thin wailings and dismal cries. It was evident that some -mechanism connected with the chair produced these noises. The place -was filled with clever contrivances to intimidate nervous people. But -Colonel Towton was not nervous, and after his first startled pause he -sprang forward again to seize the seated figure. At all costs he was -determined to unmask the sorceress and learn who she was. Then he -might hope to find out how she had become possessed of these facts -concerning Dimsdale's past life, or whether those same facts were -simply lies designed to perplex and mystify.</p> - -<p>Diabella never moved as Towton came towards her, and the Colonel soon -knew why she was thus certain of her safety. Before he could reach the -hither side of the ebony table, rapidly as he moved, he was gripped -from behind by two gigantic hands and twisted round sharply to face a -tall and burly Hindoo arrayed in a white robe and wearing a white -turban. "Let me go, you dog!" muttered Towton in the Tamil dialect, -and set his teeth.</p> - -<p>Diabella clapped her hands and the two men closed in a fierce -struggle. As they swayed round the room the ebony table was upset and -the woman cried out a sentence in an unknown language in her metallic -voice. The next moment the native unloosened his grip on the -Englishman and stepped back.</p> - -<p>"Will you go now?" demanded Diabella quietly and addressing Towton.</p> - -<p>"No," he cried fiercely. "I want your mask removed."</p> - -<p>Whether Diabella gave a sign or not Towton was never able to say, but -she must have given a signal, for just as the words left his mouth the -native sprang forward with the leap of a tiger and the next moment -Towton found a silk handkerchief round his neck. It flashed across him -that in this way had Dimsdale been killed, and then, with the -tightening of the handkerchief, came almost insensibility, or, rather, -a dazed feeling, which bewildered his brain.</p> - -<p>He had a faint feeling of being led out of the room and of hearing a -door closed. When he recovered his senses he found himself seated on -the floor of the passage quite alone. His first thought was to tell -the police what had occurred, his second to conceal the adventure.</p> - -<p>"I shall consult with Vernon," he thought, and walked unsteadily down -the stairs, feeling his neck somewhat sore, but otherwise uninjured.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_10" href="#div1Ref_10">CHAPTER X.</a></h4> -<h5>MYSTERY.</h5> -<br> - -<p>It was quite three days before Colonel Towton was enabled to have an -interview with Vernon. He certainly wrote to him at once, but on -receiving no reply he telephoned, only to learn that his friend had -been unexpectedly called from town on the same evening. Towton -therefore had to possess his soul in patience, and remained in his -rooms recovering from the assault. And this took some little time.</p> - -<p>The attempt at strangulation by the burly Hindoo--who was a different -person to the slim doorkeeper--had caused the Colonel's neck to swell, -as the flesh was bruised and chafed. His windpipe also felt painful -owing to the strong compression, and for twenty-four hours he had -found it difficult to swallow with ease. Towton recognised only too -uneasily that he had been within a short distance of actual death, and -perhaps would have been strangled outright had not Diabella, as he -verily believed, stopped her too zealous servant. Naturally, she did -not wish for a client's death lest the police should interfere and put -an end to her lucrative trade, which was assuredly a very paying one.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile the Colonel received a letter from Ida saying that on the -ensuing day she was going down to Yorkshire with Miss Hest. There, -breathing air like champagne, and enjoying perfect rest, undisturbed -by callers, she hoped to recover her spirits and health within a -month, the time of her proposed stay. But what pleased Towton most in -the letter, and what caused him to blush like a girl, was the hope Ida -expressed that he would come down to his country seat while she stayed -at the Hall. "You have often told me of your beautiful home," wrote -Ida amiably, "and one of my reasons for staying at Gerby Hall is to -see The Grange. If you should take a fancy to run down, perhaps you -will show it to me yourself, as I hear from Frances that the house is -full of historical interest." There were a few lines more to the same -effect, and it really seemed as though Ida wished to become acquainted -with her future home. At least, Towton looked at the matter in this -way and his spirits rose accordingly. Maunders apparently was out of -favour, and Ida had returned to her first love. Without being unduly -conceited Towton was very well satisfied that the girl had loved him -before the handsome scamp had come on the scene. Then the latter's -looks and charm of manner had infatuated her to an alarming extent. -Now, and the Colonel sincerely hoped that such was the case, her -momentary aberration, as it might be called, had passed away, and she -was holding out the olive branch of complete reconciliation.</p> - -<p>But that Towton still felt unwell after his rough and tumble encounter -with the Hindoo, and but that he wished to consult Vernon about the -matter, he would have gone down to Yorkshire at once so as to bask in -the sunshine of Ida's eyes. But he put a restraint on his feelings and -decided, not without a struggle, to remain where he was. In connection -with various ideas which had occurred to him since his visit to the -Bond Street fortune-teller, it was imperative that he should consult -with someone and ventilate various theories, which might, or might -not, elucidate various mysteries. Therefore Towton read and smoked and -played patience in his comfortable rooms, watching the passing of time -with open eagerness.</p> - -<p>On the third evening, and that was a Saturday, Vernon made his -appearance at eight o'clock. He entered with perfect coolness, and -found himself facing a very impatient man.</p> - -<p>"Did you wish to see me, Colonel?" he asked quietly. "I found a note -at my chambers requesting me to call at once."</p> - -<p>"Do I wish to see you?" echoed Towton jumping to his feet and wringing -Vernon's hand heartily. "Why, my dear fellow, I have been sitting here -on pins and needles for the last few days. What the deuce took you out -of town so unexpectedly? I beg your pardon, I should not enquire into -your private business. Sit down and have a cigar. The whisky and -potash is on the table at your elbow."</p> - -<p>"Oh, my business is not private," replied Vernon, taking a comfortable -chair and a very excellent cigar. "All the world will know in a week -or so."</p> - -<p>"Know what?"</p> - -<p>"That my uncle, Sir Edward Vernon, is dead, and that I am a titled, -well-to-do man, worth knowing."</p> - -<p>"I never knew you had an uncle," said Towton staring.</p> - -<p>"It's not unusual for men to have uncles," said Vernon drily. "I -didn't buck about the relationship, as we were not the best of -friends. A family quarrel between my father and Sir Edward, you -understand? However, when I returned from a visit to Miss Dimsdale I -found a letter from my uncle asking me to come to Slimthorp, near -Worcester, as he was very ill. I packed up and went by the evening -train, and there I have been for the last three days."</p> - -<p>"Humph! I suppose I ought to congratulate you?"</p> - -<p>"Well, you may. Sir Edward can't last more than a week, and he leaves -me heir to his title, his mansion, and a few thousands a year. He's -not a bad old fellow, either," went on Vernon meditatively, "and I am -sorry he is dying. I don't deny, however, that his death will make a -great change in my fortunes for the better, as is obvious."</p> - -<p>"It will enable you to marry Miss Corsoon," said the Colonel nodding.</p> - -<p>"Yes." Vernon thought of his interview with Lady Corsoon and replied -briefly. "Uncle Edward is eighty years of age," he added -apologetically, "so he can't be said to have been cut off when he was -green."</p> - -<p>"He's not cut off yet," answered Towton with a shrug. "I don't want to -throw cold water on your prospects, Vernon, but these old fellows have -wonderful recuperative power."</p> - -<p>"I shall be glad if he gets better," said Vernon emphatically; "and -now that we are friends I may be able to make his life more cheerful. -He has a dismal time all alone in that barrack of a house. But I don't -see why I should bore you with all this family history."</p> - -<p>"I do," said the Colonel unhesitatingly. "It's because you and I have -been drawn into closer friendship by our common acquaintance with -Maunders, who is playing fast and loose with the two girls we love. We -have had to make common cause against the enemy, and so are forced to -speak freely. Besides, you are a good chap, Vernon, and I don't wish -to work alongside a better man," and, leaning forward, the Colonel -gave his friend's hand a grip.</p> - -<p>"Would you do that, would you say that, if you knew that I was a -private detective, or, to soften the term, a private enquiry agent?"</p> - -<p>"What!" Towton nearly jumped out of his chair. "As I had no money when -my father died," explained the young man steadily, "and my uncle would -have nothing to do with me, I turned my powers of observation to -account by setting up as Nemo, of Covent Garden, to hunt down -criminals and to help people to keep their secrets when threatened by -blackmailers. Mine is a perfectly honourable profession, I assure you, -Colonel, but you may have your prejudices."</p> - -<p>"Well," said Towton after a pause, "I don't deny that I care little -for detectives, who are too much the bloodhounds of the law. But I am -quite sure that you were driven to take up the business, and I am also -quite sure," added Towton emphatically, "that the business as -conducted by you is all that can be desired in the way of honour. Why -did you tell me?"</p> - -<p>"If I hadn't, probably Maunders, when he found that we were working -together, would have told you. It struck me as a wise thing to take -the wind out of his sails."</p> - -<p>"There's something in that," admitted the Colonel, twisting his -moustache. "And I am glad that I heard of your profession from -yourself. But how did your friend Maunders find out what you kept -secret?"</p> - -<p>Vernon shrugged his shoulders. "Who knows? He seems to have a -wonderful nose for smelling out things to his advantage."</p> - -<p>"To his advantage? Come, now!"</p> - -<p>"I assure you, Colonel, it is so. He wished to become my partner. -Lately, however, he has changed his mind and he promised to hold his -tongue. To my cost," went on Vernon slowly, "I found that he has not -done so, as he told Lady Corsoon."</p> - -<p>"The devil he did! Then good-bye to your chances of the daughter."</p> - -<p>"Do you think so, when I shall soon be Sir Arthur Vernon, with an -eligible country seat and three thousand a year, more or less?"</p> - -<p>"No. That alters the case; it whitewashes you, as it were. Ho! ho!" -Towton laughed maliciously, "that will be one in the eye for Mr. -Constantine Maunders. And serve him right! Why the deuce does he play -the lover with two women at once? I congratulate you, Sir Arthur----"</p> - -<p>"Colonel, you are premature."</p> - -<p>"Never mind. It's just as well to take the bull by the horns and time -by the forelock. I congratulate you, Sir Arthur, for you will marry -Miss Corsoon and wipe our friend's eye. He won't have either girl."</p> - -<p>"Certainly not Lucy, if I can help it," said Vernon hotly; "but what -about Miss Dimsdale? I rather think, from what I saw at our interview -of three days ago, that she inclines to you, Colonel."</p> - -<p>"Ah! Miss Dimsdale." Towton nursed his chin in the cup of his hand. -"It is about Miss Dimsdale, amongst other things, that I wish to see -you."</p> - -<p>"What other things?" demanded Vernon bluntly.</p> - -<p>"Diabella for one."</p> - -<p>"The fortune-teller? Have you seen her?"</p> - -<p>Towton put his hand to his neck with a wry smile. "Yes, the jade. She -nearly had me strangled."</p> - -<p>Vernon dropped his cigar. "Strangled!"</p> - -<p>"Yes." The Colonel unloosened the white silk scarf he wore round his -throat and leaned forward to show a fading black mark round it. "You -see! I assure you I have scarcely been able to swallow since I saw you -last. That damned Hindoo nearly did for me."</p> - -<p>"Hindoo! Did a Hindoo attempt to kill you?"</p> - -<p>"Rather, and jolly nearly succeeded."</p> - -<p>"But why?"</p> - -<p>"Because I wished to tear off the false face worn by Diabella: a waxen -or papier-mache sort of face, which makes her look like an Egyptian, -so as to be in keeping with her room, I suppose."</p> - -<p>"Why did you wish to tear it off?"</p> - -<p>"Because she--well, she said certain things, and----" Towton stopped -as Vernon rose quickly and began to walk about the room. "What's up, -now?"</p> - -<p>"Colonel, do you remember how you gave it as your opinion that -Dimsdale had been strangled by a Thug?"</p> - -<p>"Ah!" said Towton drily, "the same idea strikes you also, I see. Well, -Diabella may have something to do with the matter. I asked you to see -me in order that we might thresh it out. Now that I know you are Nemo -I am all the better pleased, as your professional knowledge may link -this and that together."</p> - -<p>"This and that?"</p> - -<p>"Bond Street and Hampstead," said the Colonel impatiently; "that is, -you may see a connecting link between this beastly nigger attempting -to strangle me and the actual strangulation of poor Dimsdale in his -library."</p> - -<p>"I can't see the link," said Vernon thoughtfully. "Diabella knows -nothing about Dimsdale."</p> - -<p>"On the contrary, she knows a great deal. By the way, didn't you tell -me that Dimsdale was being blackmailed by that confounded Spider?"</p> - -<p>"Yes." Vernon stared and wondered why the question was asked. "He had -a secret, which The Spider learned, and intended to tell it to me -after the capture of the beast. But The Spider killed him, and so----" -Vernon shrugged.</p> - -<p>"I wonder if what Diabella told was the secret," muttered Towton, -stroking his chin. "Did Dimsdale ever give you to understand that his -secret, whatever it might have been, was a disgraceful one?"</p> - -<p>"On the contrary, he said that he didn't mind any one knowing what it -was," said Vernon promptly; "only he added that The Spider had -embroidered actual facts and so might make things hot for him were the -added facts to become known to the world at large."</p> - -<p>Towton nodded. "I thought so."</p> - -<p>"Thought what?" asked Vernon impatiently.</p> - -<p>"That Diabella and this mysterious Spider are in league."</p> - -<p>Vernon dropped into his chair, placed his hands on his knees and -stared very hard at the lean, brown face of the soldier. "What do you -mean?"</p> - -<p>"Listen, and I'll tell you. I am quite sure that you will come to the -same conclusion," and Towton in an incisive manner related what had -taken place in the fortune-teller's weird apartments.</p> - -<p>The effect on Vernon was to produce an extraordinary emotion of -mingled dread and relief: dread, because he saw deep and dangerous -villainy at work, and relief as now he espied a gleam of light in the -darkness surrounding the "Rangoon" crime. He made no remark either -during Towton's recital or after it, so that the Colonel grew -impatient.</p> - -<p>"Well, what do you make of it?" he asked sharply.</p> - -<p>"I agree with you that Diabella and The Spider are in league. -Perhaps," he rose, much agitated, "perhaps Diabella is The Spider all -by herself."</p> - -<p>"The Spider I always understood to be a man."</p> - -<p>"It is presumed so, but who knows. Diabella may be the real originator -of these crimes and may employ men to collect her fees. Then, of -course, as a popular fortune-teller, she has every opportunity of -learning people's secrets, for those who consult such creatures always -give themselves away. A few skilfully put questions and a few -dexterous prophecies would make people loosen their tongues. Then a -clever woman, putting two and two together, would soon make the four, -which means blackmail."</p> - -<p>"But how the deuce could she learn this secret of Dimsdale's?"</p> - -<p>"Well, the secret is connected with the Far East and you say that -Diabella employs two Indians in her fortune-telling business. She may -have learned it from them since the older man, the one who attempted -to strangle you, may have been a soldier in the Burmese War and so may -have been connected with Dimsdale. Then, again, Diabella may herself -have been in the East and may have learned about Ida not being -Dimsdale's daughter."</p> - -<p>"Do you think it is true?"</p> - -<p>"I fear so, as the secret of her birth and adoption by Dimsdale is not -one that any man would mind being made known. But the embroidery to -which our poor dead friend alluded consists of this assertion: that he -wilfully delayed coming to the assistance of Menteith and for the sake -of the man's wife acted in a David-and-Uriah-the-Hittite manner. That -embroidery is indeed worth blackmail. But it isn't true. I believe -Dimsdale's assertion rather than Diabella's story. She knew the facts, -and improved upon them in the way I have mentioned."</p> - -<p>Colonel Towton nodded. "Then Ida, not being Dimsdale's daughter, and -there being no will, cannot inherit her presumed father's money as -next of kin?"</p> - -<p>"I think not. It will go to Lady Corsoon, as Diabella asserted. She is -Dimsdale's sister and only relative. It will be a good thing for Lady -Corsoon," murmured Vernon, thinking of the gambling debts, "as it will -make her independent of her miserly husband."</p> - -<p>"There is another thing to be thought of," said the Colonel gravely, -"and that is the blackmailing of Ida."</p> - -<p>"Oh. Do you think that her health is suffering from that?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, I do. She went to the fortune-teller, and what she heard has -made her ill. She probably was told the same story as I heard and -knows that she is keeping the ten thousand a year wrongfully from Lady -Corsoon. This being the case, and Ida being a sensitive girl, it is no -wonder that she is disturbed and ill. Her conscience is fighting -between keeping the money and giving it up. Then Miss Hest may be -forcing her to keep silence; otherwise, as she is the sweetest girl in -the world, I feel sure she would speak out and give up the fortune."</p> - -<p>"She may not believe the story."</p> - -<p>"Certainly she may not; but it must have sown doubts in her breast, -and if left to herself she would perhaps come to me or to you, asking -us to resolve these doubts. But Miss Hest----"</p> - -<p>"Colonel! Colonel! I don't think you are altogether just to Miss Hest. -She is really a kind-hearted, decent woman, and is not after Ida's -money, as you imagine. She wants Mrs. Bedge to become Ida's companion, -or for Ida to marry you, so that she can go back to her reciting."</p> - -<p>"Does she want Ida to marry Maunders?" asked Towton shrewdly.</p> - -<p>"No. I think she fancies you will make Ida a better husband. No, -Colonel, Miss Hest's conduct is above reproach, and if she knows about -this wild story told by Diabella she will advise Ida for the best."</p> - -<p>"In what way?"</p> - -<p>"Well, it is no use Ida telling you, or I, or anyone else the tale, -unless she is sure of the truth. According to Diabella, this man -Venery, in Singapore, can substantiate the story, so, under the -guidance of Miss Hest, provided, mind you, she knows the story, Ida -may have written to Venery. If Venery says that Ida is not Dimsdale's -daughter I daresay the girl will see her supposed aunt and surrender -the fortune. Miss Hest, undoubtedly, as you say, exercises a certain -amount of control over Ida's weaker mind, but she is a good woman and -assuredly is not a fortune-hunter."</p> - -<p>"It may be as you say," assented the Colonel grudgingly. "However, it -is plain that Diabella knows something of The Spider and something of -the murder, since she is aware of Dimsdale's secret."</p> - -<p>"You don't think she read it in the astral light? I know you believe -in occult matters."</p> - -<p>"To a certain extent," said Towton drily, "but I don't believe that -the Unseen ever furnished so detailed a story. Communications from the -next world are apt to be scrappy. What's to be done?"</p> - -<p>Vernon quickly decided. "We'll divide the burden," he said promptly. -"You write to-night or to-morrow to George Venery, of Singapore, -asking how much of this yarn is true, and I shall call on Diabella."</p> - -<p>"Why not consult Inspector Drench and have her arrested."</p> - -<p>"It wouldn't be a bad idea," pondered Vernon, "and yet it is not wise -to act with too much haste. After all, we can't get a search warrant, -as you have no witness to your assault, and the woman can easily deny -the story of Dimsdale which seems to connect her with The Spider. I -shall go on my own and secure more evidence upon which to get a -warrant, if not for her arrest at all events for a search through -those rooms of hers. Some evidence regarding The Spider--if indeed she -is connected with him, as seems extremely probable--may be found -concealed there. I'll call to-morrow morning," ended Vernon rising, -"in the character of a superstitious client."</p> - -<p>"And I'll write the letter to Venery, of Singapore."</p> - -<p>In this way the matter was decided and the burden was divided. Vernon -went away with the conviction that by chance the Colonel had struck -upon the much-wished-for clue which would lead to the identification -of the famous Spider. Certainly, he might be jumping to a conclusion, -but, taking all that was known into account it looked extremely -probable. And if it was true it behoved him to act cautiously lest The -Spider at the eleventh hour should slip through the fingers of the -police. For this reason, and until he was positive, Vernon did not -think it wise to call in the assistance of the law. First it was -necessary to prove the collusion of Diabella and The Spider, so that -if she were not the scoundrel herself she would at least be able to -identify him beyond all doubt. Second, even if his identity were -proved it would be no easy task to arrest so slippery a criminal. Like -the celebrated fox in the fable, The Spider had a thousand tricks, -which he could use to better advantage than the animal. The fox in the -story of Æsop was caught, but it was probable, unless the very -greatest care were used, that The Spider would escape. Already the -police had experienced his subtlety, and regarded the arch-scoundrel -as a very wary and dangerous bird who was not to be caught by putting -salt on his tail.</p> - -<p>Colonel Towton, being less experienced in the trickery of the criminal -classes, was more hopeful of success, and next morning settled down to -write the letter to Venery, of Singapore, quite confident that all the -mysteries were on the eve of solution. He quite expected to hear from -his correspondent that Ida was not Dimsdale's daughter, but he was -quite sure that the embroidered facts of the pointed delay in the -rescue of Menteith were false. Assured of this, he was quite willing -to marry Ida, as the daughter of a poor soldier, and to hand over the -fortune to Lady Corsoon. Love was everything to the Colonel at this -moment, and nothing else mattered.</p> - -<p>But just as he reached the second page of his letter Vernon burst into -the room with a half-vexed and half-triumphant air. He told his news -without any delay. "I believe you are right about Diabella being -connected with The Spider, Colonel," he said; "she has shut up her -rooms and has cleared out bag and baggage."</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_11" href="#div1Ref_11">CHAPTER XI.</a></h4> -<h5>THE NEEDLE IN THE HAYSTACK.</h5> - -<p>It was big news, which meant more than at first sight appeared, since -the implication was of depths below depths and veils behind veils. To -be quite plain, the unexpected flight of the fortune-teller, for it -was nothing else, hinted at the truth of Towton's suspicions. Had -there been nothing but the mere assault Diabella could have faced that -and could have even counted upon the Colonel doing nothing, since an -unbiassed witness was lacking. The flight was not caused by the -incident which had taken place in the Bond Street rooms, but by the -fear that something dangerous might peep out from behind it. And what -could this something be--on the grounds of Diabella's story and the -Hindoo's attempted strangling--but a dread lest The Spider should be -traced?</p> - -<p>"I am perfectly certain that you are right, Towton," said Vernon, -sitting sideways on the table and swinging his legs. "Only the fear of -her connection with that blackmailing scoundrel being traced could -have scared her into disappearance."</p> - -<p>"She has really gone?"</p> - -<p>"Really and truly. Remember, she had three days to make herself -scarce, but so afraid was she lest you should take action that she -decamped on the morning of the second day."</p> - -<p>"How decamped?" questioned Towton, laying down his pen.</p> - -<p>"She sent the Hindoo to surrender the lease. Bahadur his name is."</p> - -<p>"The native who tried to choke me?"</p> - -<p>"No; the doorkeeper. I was precise to ask if he was lean or stout. -The lean one came to surrender the lease."</p> - -<p>"And his name is Bahadur. Well, that's something worth knowing. But -how did you get your informant to talk, and how did you find any -person in authority to explain matters?"</p> - -<p>"That was easy." Vernon slipped off the table and into a chair. "I -called on the plea of wanting my fortune told by Diabella. Instead of -Bahadur opening the door a neat little maid-servant made her -appearance and informed me that Diabella had retired from the -business, which had been taken over by a certain American prophetess. -I asked to see the lady, and I did."</p> - -<p>"You don't think she was Diabella unmasked?"</p> - -<p>"Not from your description. You told me Diabella was tall; this woman -was short, and the voice, instead of being metallic, as you described -it, was rather musical, although disfigured by a Yankee twang. This -new sorceress, from New York City, as she told me she was, could never -have spoken English without the twang."</p> - -<p>"It might have been assumed."</p> - -<p>"Not it. I can tell the true from the false," said Vernon -emphatically. "Mrs. Hiram G. Slowcomb is a genuine American, -sure enough. Besides, her ideas of surroundings and those of -Diabella differ. The last desired weird decoration and furniture, -a mask, an Egyptian dress, Oriental attendants, and so forth. -Mrs. Slowcomb's idea is that people should not be frightened, but -should have their future told in a motherly, old-fashioned way amidst -rural-fireside-granny-scenery. She intends, so she told me, to -transform the Egyptian rooms into the semblance of a rustic cottage -interior, with a cat and a humming tea-kettle, rafters with strings of -onions, and flower-pots on the ledges of Bond Street windows turned -into casements. It's rather a clever dodge," reflected Vernon, "as -people will be at their ease directly and so will talk freely and -listen comfortably."</p> - -<p>"And Mrs. Hiram G. Slowcomb herself?"</p> - -<p>"A motherly old thing in a mob cap and a stuff dress with a voluminous -apron and a woollen shawl over her shoulders. I daresay she has -dressed for the old cottage interior part, for she was seated in a -wooden chair which didn't fit in with the Memphis decorations, and -knitted a homely stocking."</p> - -<p>"What did she tell you about Diabella?"</p> - -<p>"Very little, because she knew very little."</p> - -<p>"Do you believe that?" asked the highly suspicious Colonel.</p> - -<p>Vernon shrugged his shoulders. "Everyone tells such lies nowadays that -I never believe anyone. But Mrs. Slowcomb seemed to be genuine enough. -However, I'll soon prove that, as I intend to have her watched by a -man upon whom I can depend. I shall learn in that way if she has -business relations with our masked friend."</p> - -<p>"What did she tell you?" asked Towton again.</p> - -<p>"Well, it seemed that she heard about Diabella wishing to retire from -business and went to see her. Diabella denied that the rumour was -true, but promised Mrs. Slowcomb the first refusal of the rooms and -goodwill, though how one can transfer fortune-telling clients beats -me. However, Mrs. Slowcomb retired and left her address--somewhere in -Pimlico, where she was wasting her talents on maid-servants and -suburban people. Diabella sent Bahadur to her there and the lease was -duly transferred for a sum of money. I believe Bahadur took Mrs. -Slowcomb to the City and interviewed the landlord's lawyer. However, -it was all done fair and square."</p> - -<p>"But Diabella must have signed the consent to the transfer?"</p> - -<p>"So she did, under the name of Isabella Hopkins, which may or may not -be her real name. At all events, she took the rooms as Miss Hopkins -and signed that name on the transfer. Mrs. Slowcomb never saw -her--at least, without the mask. She was as you saw her when Mrs. -Slowcomb called at the rooms, and didn't show in the lawyer's office."</p> - -<p>"But the lawyer must have seen her?"</p> - -<p>"Well, he did, and I went to see him. He's a stiff old buckram -creature, who declined to impart anything about Miss Isabella Hopkins -as he wanted to know why I wished to know; and, of course, on the face -of it, you can see, Towton, that I couldn't gratify his very natural -curiosity."</p> - -<p>"But why not, if we are to catch Diabella?"</p> - -<p>"We haven't got enough grounds to go upon," said Vernon, shaking his -head. "I think it is best to let her fancy we don't suspect anything -and then we may be able to capture her unawares. She's connected with -The Spider, if not that gentleman himself, I am sure, and your visit -and behaviour, which led to the strangling attempt, have given her a -fright. But if we keep silent her suspicions will be lulled and she -may reappear."</p> - -<p>"Surely not."</p> - -<p>"Oh, I think so. Fortune-telling is an invaluable way of learning -secrets, and Diabella must be very useful to The Spider, or to -herself, if she is him. She won't surrender her position without a -struggle. It's too paying all round, my dear fellow."</p> - -<p>"But she did surrender it."</p> - -<p>"Only because she lost her head for the moment and thought you might -bring the police on the scene for the assault. That would lead to -unpleasant questions being asked, which might result in heaven knows -what revelations. Fortune-tellers are not in good odour since the -campaign of a certain halfpenny paper against them."</p> - -<p>The Colonel leaned back in his chair, reflecting, while Vernon rose to -walk up and down the room for the purpose of stretching his long legs. -He lighted a cigar and went on talking lightly.</p> - -<p>"You never saw such a heap of clever dodges as this Diabella has to -impress the weak-minded. Those mummies--they are all faked, by the -way--have reeds inside them leading to their mouths, and Diabella, by -pressing on the arms of her state chair, could send a stream of wind -along to make them squall."</p> - -<p>"And they did squall," said Towton musingly. "I never heard such a -devilish row in my life. What else?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, some arrangement by which when the room was darkened the interior -of the painted walls were illuminated to reveal the Egyptian figures -as walking and sitting skeletons. Then there's an apparatus to make -thunder, and flashlights for lightning, to say nothing of ingeniously -arranged draughts calculated to make anyone's hair rise in the -necessary darkness when he or she felt a cold breath fanning him or -her. I wonder Diabella didn't send her clients stark, staring mad."</p> - -<p>"It sounds like a fraudulent spiritualistic medium, Vernon, and only -confirms my suspicions that Diabella was not a genuine occultist."</p> - -<p>"But do you really believe anyone has such powers?" asked Vernon -curiously.</p> - -<p>"I really do," said the Colonel promptly, "strange as it may appear. -In India I have seen too much of the Unseen to doubt. There are -certain gifted people who can see and who can control forces of which -the average person knows nothing. Oh, yes, I believe, and--but what's -the use of talking? I can never make you believe, and I don't want -to."</p> - -<p>Vernon shrugged his shoulders again and buttoned up his coat. "As you -say, it doesn't matter," he answered. "However, Diabella has vanished -with her two satellites, so there's nothing more to be done at -present."</p> - -<p>"You give up the hunt?"</p> - -<p>"I said, at present. No. I shall lie quiet until Diabella reappears."</p> - -<p>"She won't, if she's wise."</p> - -<p>"She will--if she's daring, and I shrewdly suspect that she is."</p> - -<p>"Do you believe her to be this Spider?"</p> - -<p>"I do, and I don't. I really can't say. But if not the rose, she is -near the rose. All I can assert with safety, Colonel, is that if we -can lay hands on this witch in grain we'll learn who murdered poor -Dimsdale."</p> - -<p>"God grant that."</p> - -<p>"Amen! to that pious prayer," was Vernon's reply as he left the room. -Towton duly finished his letter of inquiry to Venery, of Singapore, -and having posted it went cheerfully about his usual business of -pleasure--that is, as cheerfully as a man in love well could do. At -the Colonel's age love was rather a serious matter, since he had taken -the disease badly, as is invariably the case with middle aged men. -Some individuals constantly let their emotions trickle out to expend -themselves in trifling love affairs, amusing for the moment; others -dam up the passions for years until they burst through the barrier, to -sweep everything before them irresistibly. Colonel Towton was one of -the latter. But, not being entirely blinded by his late-born -infatuation, he did not deem Ida perfection, as a hot-headed youth -would have done, and he foresaw that, as Mrs. Towton, she would need -guidance and firm control. Hitherto, for want of both, she had run -wild; but the materials were there, out of which, as Towton put it to -himself, he could build a model wife. That she was frivolous, rather -than strong-minded, was a point in her favour, as the Colonel desired -to mould wax rather than to hammer iron. So if Ida only consented to -marry him he hoped for a calm and contented domestic existence, -undisturbed by aggressive romance. And with his home-loving, -self-controlled nature, Towton infinitely preferred the outlook from -an unemotional point of view.</p> - -<p>As to the money, he cared little for the possible loss of that, -although he could not deny but what Ida's yearly thousands would have -come at the right moment to effect improvements on the Bowderstyke -estate. Towton was too prosaic and level-headed to despise the power -of the purse, but on the other hand he was not at all grasping, and -was quite satisfied to marry a girl with no dowry but her beauty and -sweet nature. All the same, he intended to inform himself fully of the -truth by inquiring, as he had done, from the man Diabella had -mentioned as her authority. The Colonel had no notion of letting Ida's -money benefit Lady Corsoon if he could help it. Of course, if it was -proved to be legally hers he would be the first to see that she had -her rights. On the other hand, should Ida turn out to be Dimsdale's -daughter, Towton made up his mind that the ten thousand a year would -be joyfully used for the improvement of his family property. With -these thoughts to employ his mind he waited very patiently in -London, considering that he was a man of actions rather than a -dreamer of dreams. Later on, when Vernon had coaxed Diabella from her -hiding-place, Towton intended to travel to Bowderstyke-to see his -beloved. He had every belief that during his absence Vernon could -manage the affair which interested them both so greatly.</p> - -<p>For the next few days the Colonel saw nothing of Vernon, but, while in -the tablinum of the Athenian Club, he unexpectedly came face to face -with Mr. Maunders. The scamp looked singularly handsome, and was -dressed carefully, as usual; but the sight of a snake would have been -more pleasing to the worthy Colonel. He did not like Maunders, and, -moreover, resented him as a somewhat dishonourable rival, for no one -could respect a man who pointedly wooed two women at one and the same -time. Towton therefore nodded coolly and crossed to the central table -to pick up a Service Magazine. As he did so Maunders sauntered to his -side and slipped into a chair near to that one which the Colonel had -taken.</p> - -<p>"Have you had any news of Miss Dimsdale?" asked Maunders amiably.</p> - -<p>"No," retorted Towton, opening his magazine as a hint that he wished -to be left alone.</p> - -<p>"She is still in Yorkshire with Miss Hest," persisted Maunders.</p> - -<p>"So I understand," was the stiff reply.</p> - -<p>"I believe she will remain there for one month."</p> - -<p>"Possibly she will."</p> - -<p>Maunders was not discouraged. "Have you any message for her," he -asked.</p> - -<p>"Why do you ask?" demanded the Colonel, sitting up abruptly.</p> - -<p>"Because Francis Hest--you know, the brother of Miss Dimsdale's -friend--has asked me down to Gerby Hall. I am going there at the end -of the week for a few days. I thought you might have a message for -Miss Dimsdale."</p> - -<p>"There is such a thing as the post," said Towton, exasperated by the -young man's cool assurance. He took up the magazine again, then -hesitated and threw it on the table. Averse as the Colonel was to -discuss his private affairs with anyone, and least of all with -Maunders, whom he so frankly hated, he felt that he ought to take -advantage of this chance to learn exactly what was Maunders' attitude -towards Ida. "Am I to understand that you are engaged to Miss -Dimsdale?" he asked sharply.</p> - -<p>"Why should you think that?" asked Constantine negligently.</p> - -<p>"Why, indeed! Considering that one day you profess to be paying -attentions to Miss Corsoon and the next pay your addresses to Miss -Dimsdale. But as you are going down to Gerby Hall it looks as though -you inclined to marry the latter young lady."</p> - -<p>"No," said Maunders indolently and looking at Towton through -half-closed eyelids. "I am going to see Francis Hest, who is a friend -of mine. But I daresay Miss Hest and Miss Dimsdale find it dull, so I -may be able to amuse them a trifle."</p> - -<p>"I am quite sure of that," said Towton sarcastically; "your social -qualifications are well known. But I asked you if you were engaged to -Miss Dimsdale."</p> - -<p>"No, I am not, nor am I likely to be."</p> - -<p>This was good news, but Towton could not be sure if Maunders was -speaking honestly. "Then you intend to marry Miss Corsoon?" said the -Colonel.</p> - -<p>"I do. But I don't see why you should trouble yourself about my -private affairs," said Maunders, insolently cool.</p> - -<p>"It was not I who sought this interview. But as you chose to speak to -me I have every right to mention a subject which concerns us both."</p> - -<p>"And concerns Vernon also."</p> - -<p>"Precisely," said Towton with great emphasis. "It is useless to -disguise the fact, Mr. Maunders, that we are rivals, and----"</p> - -<p>"Pardon me, no," interrupted the young man quickly. "I have been -refused by Miss Dimsdale, so the field is open to you."</p> - -<p>"Ida refused you?" muttered the Colonel stupefied. "Strange, is it -not?" replied Maunders lightly, "but such is the case. I asked her to -marry me and she hinted at a previous attachment. I presume she -meant-----"</p> - -<p>Towton threw up his hand and coloured through his bronzed skin. "We -will not mention names, if you please."</p> - -<p>"I don't mind. But you know how the land lies--so far as I am -concerned, that is. But you will have to reckon with Francis Hest."</p> - -<p>"Miss Hest's brother?"</p> - -<p>"The same. Francis and Frances--twins, with twin names, you might say. -She is devoted to this more than brother, and wishes him to marry -money."</p> - -<p>"Do you mean to say that Miss Hest has taken Miss Dimsdale down to -Gerby Hall so that she may meet Mr. Hest?"</p> - -<p>"Yes. He's not a bad-looking fellow: exactly like his sister, who is -handsome in an imperial way, as you have seen. In fact, if you see -Frances you have seen Francis. The brother isn't very well off, as he -has spent all his available cash in philanthropic works, and -constructing some confounded dam to supply water to several villages -has nearly ruined him. Miss Dimsdale's money will therefore come in -very acceptably. But I fear Hest will waste it in helping the poor; -he's ridiculously crazy about doing what he calls good."</p> - -<p>"It's ridiculous," muttered the Colonel crossly. "Miss Dimsdale -doesn't know this man Hest."</p> - -<p>"Frances will see to that. Now that Miss Dimsdale is at the Hall she -will have every opportunity of seeing him. Miss Hest will throw them -together on every occasion. Upon my word," Maunders rose and stretched -himself, "were I you, Colonel, I should go down to Gerby Hall and look -after matters."</p> - -<p>"Thanks for your advice," said Towton picking up the magazine again, -"and good-day to you, Mr. Maunders."</p> - -<p>"This is what comes of my trying to help you," observed the young man -with a shrug. "I do what I can and you throw my philanthropy in my -face."</p> - -<p>"No! no!" Towton's conscience smote him, for really Maunders had done -him a distinct service, and also he had announced that Ida had refused -him, which was excellent news. "I thank you for what you have told me. -It is probable that I shall go down to Gerby Hall at the end of the -week."</p> - -<p>Maunders nodded. "I may meet you there," he yawned, and sauntered away -with a bored air, which was rather overdone. As a rule he was alert -and full of life, so it looked as though this languor was assumed for -some purpose, and not a good one, if the man's selfish nature was to -be taken into account.</p> - -<p>It wanted three days to the week-end, so Towton really intended to -take the northern journey. He had never trusted Miss Hest, and it was -quite probable that as she had discouraged the wooing of both himself -and Maunders her intention was to secure the heiress for her too -philanthropic brother.</p> - -<p>Of course, if Towton could prove to the twins that Ida had no money it -was possible that no further plans would be laid to entrap her. Money -was what Francis Hest required for his lord-of-the-manor schemes, and -money was what the sister desired to secure for him. But, considering -that Frances did not get on well with her brother and that they rarely -met, it was strange that she should be so anxious to serve him; -unless, indeed, the two had come to an agreement that if Francis -married the supposed heiress Frances should share the income. On the -whole Towton thought it would be just as well to go down to The Grange -for a week or so and pay a neighbourly visit to Gerby Hall. He would -at least learn how much of Maunders' tale was true, and perhaps might -induce Ida to accept him, since she had refused his handsome rival.</p> - -<p>"Gad! I'll go down on Saturday," decided the Colonel.</p> - -<p>And it happened that before Saturday he received a letter which made -him even more anxious to visit his family seat. It came from Ida, and -she pointedly asked him to come down and see her. Amongst other -things, she wrote that Francis Hest had gone away and that she had -only seen him twice at Gerby Hall. "Frances and her brother don't get -on well together," went on Ida in her letter, "and are rarely -together. When he is in she is out, and _vice versâ_, like the little -old man and woman in the weather cottage. I only saw Francis for a few -minutes each time and I don't like him much, although he greatly -resembles Frances. But he is more gloomy and is quite a misanthrope. -Nor do I like Frances so much as I did, as she seems inclined to take -the upper hand with me, and wants me to do exactly as she wishes. -Lately she has been urging me to marry Mr. Maunders, and told me that -he was coming down to stop for a time. Besides, there is a -housekeeper, Miss Jewin, who is a double-faced woman, I am sure, and -looks quite dangerous. She fell in ecstacies over a photograph of Mr. -Maunders, which he gave Frances, and told me, presumptuously, that she -thought we made a handsome couple. In fact, I don't like this place at -all, and I wish you would come down and stand by me."</p> - -<p>At this point the Colonel laid down the letter to think. Apparently -Maunders was lying when he stated that he did not wish to marry Miss -Dimsdale, and that Frances wished to secure the heiress for her -brother. He told one story, and Ida another; and of the two Towton -preferred to believe that of the girl. The letter went into general -details about the beauty of the country and the dismal gloom of the -Hall. Towton gathered indirectly that Miss Hest was keeping a close -watch on Ida, and that the girl was beginning to resent this -over-emphatic influence. In fact, throughout the letter there sounded -a note of alarm, as though Ida was both uncomfortable and uneasy. She -certainly pointedly asked Towton down to stand by her, and when he had -finished the epistle he was quite decided about travelling by the -Saturday train as he had arranged. But the contradictory stories told -by Ida and Maunders puzzled him greatly. More than ever he mistrusted -Miss Hest, who seemed to be playing a deep game for the winning of -Ida's fortune. But the Colonel chuckled to think of her disappointment -when she learned that Ida was not entitled to the money, always -provided that Diabella had spoken the truth.</p> - -<p>As two heads are better than one, and as Towton was working in consort -with Vernon, he promptly sought out his friend and laid the letter -before him. Also he detailed what had taken place in the tablinum of -the Athenian Club between himself and Maunders. Vernon heard the -Colonel's narrative with great attention, then gave his opinion after -some reflection.</p> - -<p>"There is some devilry under all this," he said, laying a finger on -the letter, "and Miss Hest seems to be working in conjunction with -Maunders. He says one thing and Ida another, so it is difficult to -know exactly how matters stand."</p> - -<p>"I believe Ida."</p> - -<p>"Well, on the whole, so do I. I think," Vernon paused, then added -abruptly, "I don't trust Maunders, you know."</p> - -<p>"Neither do I."</p> - -<p>"In that case, let us act exactly opposite to the way in which he -suggests."</p> - -<p>"How do you mean?" questioned the Colonel doubtfully. "Maunders wants -you to go to Yorkshire. As he is going himself he would naturally want -a clear field, if indeed Miss Hest is supporting him in this design on -Ida's fortune. Therefore he has some reason--and you may be sure that -it is a bad one--to get you down."</p> - -<p>"I can look after myself," said Towton sturdily.</p> - -<p>"Quite so; but we have to look after Ida. Don't go to Yorkshire."</p> - -<p>"But Ida wants me to go. See how urgent her letter is."</p> - -<p>"I understand. All the same, I think it wiser for you to remain."</p> - -<p>"Until when?"</p> - -<p>"Until I can corner Diabella," replied Vernon, and ended the -conversation.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_12" href="#div1Ref_12">CHAPTER XII</a></h4> -<h5>A TEMPTING OFFER.</h5> -<br> - -<p>Naturally, under the pressure of Ida's imploring letter, Colonel -Towton was not anxious to remain inactive in London. He wished to go -to Bowderstyke himself and learn the exact truth. Maunders said one -thing and Ida another, so if the two were confronted the absolute -facts of the case would certainly come to light. Towton assuredly -believed Ida rather than Maunders, but it seemed strange to him that -Miss Hest should champion Constantine, and strange also that Maunders -should wish him to come down to Gerby Hall, where, if Ida spoke -correctly, his presence would not be welcome either to Miss Hest or -her co-conspirator. And Maunders was far too clever a man to do -anything without having some object in view. What that object might be -Colonel Towton as yet could not fathom.</p> - -<p>For this last reason, and because his rival so pointedly advised him -to go to Gerby Hall, the Colonel remained in London. Whatever -Maunders' plans might be, they would assuredly be thwarted by the -absence of Towton, and, later, the Colonel determined to go, even -before Vernon lured Diabella from her hiding-place. Meanwhile, as -Maunders had stated that he was himself going to Gerby Hall on the -invitation of Miss Hest, the Colonel sought the young man's rooms on -Sunday afternoon in order to see if he had kept his promise, as he -fancied that the proposed visit might be some trick. On inquiry, -however, the Colonel learned that Constantine had departed on the -previous day and had left notice with the caretaker of his chambers -that he would not return until an entire week had elapsed. Evidently -he had meant what he said, namely, to accept Miss Hest's hospitality.</p> - -<p>This knowledge, however, only made Towton the more anxious to go also, -as the idea that Maunders was having it all his own way and was -subjecting Ida to persecution made him restless. He wished to ride -forth like a knight of old to rescue his lady-love, who certainly, if -her letter was to be believed, seemed to be in great peril. It said a -great deal for Towton's disciplinarian instincts that he obeyed -Vernon, as one more professionally clever at such cases, rather than -his own desires. In the meantime, having satisfied himself with regard -to Maunders' whereabouts, the Colonel took up his usual life for, at -all events, a week. He relieved his mind by writing to Ida saying that -he would come down to The Grange at the termination of that period.</p> - -<p>Vernon had not thought fit to impart to Towton how he proposed to -inveigle Diabella into the open for the very simple reason that he was -puzzled himself how to act. Several times he had been to the Bond -Street rooms, only to find that they were in the hands of decorators, -rapidly transforming the weird Egyptian hall into a cosy English -cottage. Mrs. Hiram G. Slowcomb was already advertising that "Granny!" -would foretell the future after the fashion of the renowned Mother -Shipton, and already had seen several of Diabella's old clients, -desirous of novelty. To these she told wonderful things in a strong -American accent, which did not suit the thrum cap or the tartan shawl -or the general looks of an ancient rustic dame. However, she was -succeeding very well, and there was no doubt that when her -_mise-en-scene_ was prepared that she would become the fashion for a -few months. She professed to know nothing of Diabella, and as she was -quite frank in answering questions Vernon saw no reason why he should -not believe a story which certainly appeared, on the face of it, to be -true. The lawyer of the landlord still refused to say anything about -Isabella Hopkins since Vernon declined to state why the knowledge was -required. And, of course, as he was suspicious rather than certain he -could say absolutely nothing.</p> - -<p>In this dilemma, and wondering how he was to come face to face with -the woman, Vernon decided, on the Sunday when Towton went to seek -Maunders, to pay an afternoon call. This errand took him into the -luxurious drawing-room of Lady Corsoon. By this time the month of -grace allowed by The Spider was nearing its end, and Vernon, having -accomplished nothing definite, considered it necessary to reassure the -millionaire's wife. Naturally, he expected to find her haggard and -hysterical, but was truly surprised to behold a perfectly composed -person, comely and content. Her brown eyes sparkled when the footman -announced the newcomer, and she swept forward--the word is necessary -to exactly describe Lady Corsoon's imposing gait--to welcome him with -ill-concealed eagerness.</p> - -<p>"How are you, Mr. Vernon?" she asked in her best society manner, and -then dropped her voice to a confidential whisper, "I should have -called at your office to-morrow had you not come."</p> - -<p>"I am quite well, thank you," replied Vernon, for the benefit of the -surrounding guests, and lowered his voice likewise: "Any news, good or -bad?"</p> - -<p>"Yes; both. Wait till everyone goes," she said softly, and again spoke -gracefully in her character of hostess. "You poor man, you really must -have a cup of tea. Go to Lucy and ask nicely."</p> - -<p>Vernon needed no second command, but thrust his way through a crowd of -well-dressed people to find a bamboo table covered with tea-things, -over which a pretty, fresh-coloured damsel presided. She received him -with a shy blush, which made her look like a dewy rose. Lucy Corsoon -could not be called lovely, nor would she have attracted attention in -any marked degree. A bright, sweet English girl was all she claimed to -be, and, having the bloom of youth, she really appeared more charming -than she really was. In a very plain white frock and without a single -ornament, she looked like a modest violet, almost hidden by its -leaves. The ardent gaze in her lover's dark eyes made her blush more -than ever as she handed him a cup of tea.</p> - -<p>"Without sugar," she said in a gentle voice; "I know your tastes."</p> - -<p>"Who else should?" inquired Vernon smiling, and sipped his Bohea. -"This tea is delightful and exactly what a thirsty man requires."</p> - -<p>"I hope you are hungry also. Mr. Hest, please pass the cakestand to -Mr. Vernon."</p> - -<p>The lover wheeled when the name was mentioned, to find himself facing -the counterpart of Ida's companion. He would have guessed the -relationship even if Lucy had held her peace. Mr. Hest smiled at the -amazed look of the young man, and swung forward the bamboo cakestand -with a soft laugh.</p> - -<p>"Don't say what you are going to say, Mr. Vernon," he remarked -pleasantly. "I know exactly how astonished you are to see that I am so -like my sister."</p> - -<p>"You are indeed," breathed Vernon, mechanically taking bread and -butter. "I should have taken you for Miss Hest in disguise but -for----" he hesitated.</p> - -<p>"But for this scar?" finished Hest, laying a finger on a cicatrice -which ran in a thin crimson line from the right temple to the corner -of the mouth. "I got that in Paris years ago; the knife of an Apache -scored me in this way. It is just as well, if only to distinguish me -from Frances. I rarely come to London, but when I do everyone stares -at me, as you did." Mr. Hest shrugged his shoulders. "It's rather a -nuisance being a twin."</p> - -<p>"You are not so tall as your sister," ventured Vernon, while Lucy -laughed at the idle jest of the Yorkshire squire.</p> - -<p>"There's very little difference. Frances looks taller because she -wears petticoats. If I dressed in her clothes and could hide this," he -laid his finger again on the scar, "you would not be able to tell the -difference."</p> - -<p>"Your voices are different," said Vernon after a pause.</p> - -<p>"I really begin to think you must be a detective, Mr. Vernon, since -you are so very observant. Yes, our voices are different and in the -wrong way."</p> - -<p>"The wrong way?"</p> - -<p>"Ah, you are not so observant as I thought. Yes; Frances has a deep -contralto voice, somewhat heavy for a woman, whereas my voice, as you -hear, is rather thin in quality. Nature mixed up the voices as we are -twins, maybe."</p> - -<p>It was as he said. Hest's voice had not the volume or the richness of -his sister's, but it certainly had a less serious note. Vernon, -recalling what Towton had told him of Ida's remark in her letter as to -Francis being dismal and misanthropic, wondered that she could have -been so mistaken. He was really more cheerful than Frances, and did -not seem to treat life in her aggressively sober manner. Besides, that -he was a philanthropist was in itself an argument against his being of -a gloomy disposition. Vernon judged that Mr. Hest was much more of an -optimist than was his sister, and that he lacked in some measure that -sterling common sense which, to put it plainly, made her company -rather dull. If Frances had been the man and Francis had been the -woman their temperaments would have suited the change of sex ever so -much better. But, perhaps, as Mr. Hest had just observed, since the -two were twins nature had got mixed.</p> - -<p>Vernon would rather have spoken to Lucy, but could not do so, and -every now and then fresh guests came to be served. He was therefore -left to the society of Hest, and took advantage of the opportunity to -learn if the man was in love with Ida. "Did you leave Miss Dimsdale in -good health?" he asked.</p> - -<p>"Oh, yes. She is ever so much brighter, Mr. Vernon. The air of our -Yorkshire moors has picked her up wonderfully and has brought colour -to her cheeks."</p> - -<p>"And your sister?"</p> - -<p>Hest shrugged his shoulders again. "Oh, Frances is always in robust -health, Mr. Vernon. I find her company too exhausting for my health. -She always wants me to be doing something or saying something, and is -never at rest."</p> - -<p>"You do a good deal yourself in the way of philanthropy?"</p> - -<p>"Well, I do," said Hest, his dark face lighting up, "but it is really -selfish on my part. There is nothing I love so well as to help the -unfortunate. I have quite changed the parish of Bowderstyke, and -instead of being a Rip Van Winkle sort of place it is now in lively -touch with the twentieth century. If you are ever down our way, Mr. -Vernon, come and stop at the Hall and you shall see my _opus -magnus_--the Bolly Reservoir. Miss Dimsdale was quite amazed when she -beheld the strength of the dam."</p> - -<p>"I have heard of that great work from your sister. She was quite -enthusiastic over the enterprise."</p> - -<p>"What! Frances enthusiastic over anything of that sort? You surprise -me, Mr. Vernon, you do, indeed. Frances cares nothing about such -things. Poetry and society and a general aimless life is her idea of -living, But then she is a woman, and we must not be hard on women."</p> - -<p>"It's strange," said Vernon, musingly, with his eyes on Hest.</p> - -<p>"What is, if I may ask?"</p> - -<p>"The life you mention would suit your nature rather than hers, I -should think, considering what I have seen of both of you. You are not -so serious as Miss Hest, so far as I can judge."</p> - -<p>Hest laughed. "Well, you see, Frances takes her pleasures seriously -and in a very ponderous manner. I take my work lightly and as a hobby. -That is all the difference, save that I am sure I get more amusement -out of life than she does. Wait till you hear us argue."</p> - -<p>"You are stopping in town long?"</p> - -<p>"Only for a few days. I may go to Paris or I may return to Gerby Hall. -It all depends upon Miss Dimsdale."</p> - -<p>Vernon looked surprised. "On Miss Dimsdale? In what way?"</p> - -<p>"Well," Hest hesitated, "it's rather a private matter to----"</p> - -<p>"Oh, I beg your pardon."</p> - -<p>"Not at all. You know Frances and Miss Dimsdale so very well that I -don't mind telling you. The fact is my sister thinks that I ought to -be married at my age--I shan't tell you how old I am because that -would give away Frances, who, like all women, doesn't want her age to -be known. But the long and short of it is that she wants me to marry -Miss Dimsdale. I saw very plainly that Miss Dimsdale didn't want to -marry me, so I ran away."</p> - -<p>This explanation appeared to be clear enough, and Vernon drew a long -breath of relief. Ida had been right; Frances had wished her brother -to marry the girl and secure the fortune. Now that Francis declined to -entertain the idea Miss Hest had invited Maunders down to try his -luck. But Vernon could not see what interest the former could have in -bringing about the marriage with the latter. He lifted his eyes from -the carpet to again address his companion, but found that Mr. Hest had -slipped away to talk to an old lady with an ear-trumpet.</p> - -<p>"You might speak to _me_," hinted a low voice at his ear, and he -turned to smile at Lucy's injured face.</p> - -<p>"You are so busy."</p> - -<p>"There is a lull now in the tea-drinking. Why haven't you been to see -me lately, Arthur?"</p> - -<p>"I have been very busy, also I have been out of town."</p> - -<p>"You should be with me--always," pouted Miss Corsoon.</p> - -<p>"What would your mother say to that?" he asked, smiling broadly.</p> - -<p>"She would be annoyed," returned Lucy promptly.</p> - -<p>Vernon started. "Surely you are mistaken," he said anxiously, stopping -to almost whisper in her ear. "Your mother gave her consent, and when -I was last here she said in your presence that she did not mind -my----"</p> - -<p>Lucy interrupted with a flush. "I think she has another opinion now. -For some time she appeared to be pleased that we should marry, but the -day before yesterday she hinted that there might be obstacles."</p> - -<p>"Ah, your father?"</p> - -<p>"No. Mother can manage father in any way not connected with money. -Mother has changed her mind on her own account."</p> - -<p>"But for what reason?" asked Vernon, much perplexed.</p> - -<p>"I wish you could find out," mourned Miss Corsoon. "She refuses to -tell me in any way. But I love you, and I won't give you up. I'd run -away with you if you were not so poor."</p> - -<p>"Shortly I'll be poor no longer," said Vernon quickly, "and then we -can run away whenever you like."</p> - -<p>"You will be poor no longer?" questioned Lucy doubtfully.</p> - -<p>"No, dear. My uncle, Sir Edward Vernon, of whom we spoke when I was -here last, has become reconciled to me and has made me his heir. I -shall have the title and something like three thousand a year."</p> - -<p>"Oh, how delightful. But perhaps it's wrong to say that since it means -your uncle's death."</p> - -<p>"I think Sir Edward will be glad to go," replied Vernon candidly. "He -has lived a long life, and the latter part of it is very weary and -dreary. He told me himself that he was looking forward to the great -release."</p> - -<p>"And then you will be rich?"</p> - -<p>"Yes; and you will be Lady Vernon."</p> - -<p>"It seems too good to be true."</p> - -<p>"I don't think so, dear. Even your father can scarcely object to our -marriage when I have an assured position."</p> - -<p>Lucy looked down at the tea-cups. "It's mother I'm thinking about."</p> - -<p>"I shall see Lady Corsoon before I leave," said Vernon compressing his -lips, and sending a glance in the direction of his hostess. She caught -his eye and smiled graciously: so graciously indeed that he bent again -down to Lucy.</p> - -<p>"You must be mistaken, darling," he whispered. "Your mother is quite -friendly, and I am sure will not object in any way."</p> - -<p>"She has changed her mind," answered Miss Corsoon obstinately, "at -least, she told me not to count on marrying you."</p> - -<p>"Strange. She gave no explanation?"</p> - -<p>"None, and was quite cross when I asked for one."</p> - -<p>This view of Lady Corsoon's attitude was supported by the fact that on -seeing Vernon conversing so earnestly with Lucy she called to the girl -to come to her. Ostensibly this was to present her daughter to a -fashionable countess who had lately arrived, but Vernon guessed that -she really wished to end the _tête-à-tête_. This was curious, -considering the conversation which he had held with his proposed -mother-in-law at the office of Nemo. It was evident that she had -changed her mind once more, and as Lady Corsoon was not a weathercock, -Vernon wondered what powerful cause could have brought about the -alteration. However, he gave up speculation as he wandered about the -room, speaking to his friends, and promised himself a full explanation -when the company departed. As Lady Corsoon had asked him to remain it -was evident that she intended to let him know what was the matter. And -Vernon determined not to leave the house until he _did_ know. Shortly -the young man was captured by a flippant lady, voluble and somewhat -silly, who gave him a surprising piece of information. "Oh, Mr. -Vernon, I am so glad to see you," she babbled gushingly, "you really -must come to the--the bazaar--the great bazaar."</p> - -<p>"Never heard of it, Mrs. Crimer."</p> - -<p>"You silly man; don't you read the papers? One of the Princesses is to -have a stall, and no end of actresses and society people. It's to be -held at The Georgian Hall in aid of Homeless Hindoos."</p> - -<p>"Really!" said Vernon idly, "why are they homeless?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, I don't exactly know," gushed Mrs. Crimer vaguely; "it's a flood, -or a fire, or a blizzard."</p> - -<p>"I don't think they have blizzards in India."</p> - -<p>"Perhaps they don't; how clever you are, Mr. Vernon. But all I do know -is that the poor things want money, and we hope to make heaps by this -bazaar. There will be lovely things sold, and games and flower stalls -and sweets and fortune-telling," babbled the flippant lady -incoherently.</p> - -<p>"Fortune-telling?" Vernon, paying little attention, only caught the -last word with any degree of clearness. "Of course. What would bazaars -be without fortune-telling? And this time it's really genuine. -Diabella----"</p> - -<p>"What!" Vernon spoke so loudly that several people jumped, and the -flippant Mrs. Crimer put her gloved hands to her ears with a pretty -gesture of pain.</p> - -<p>"You dreadful man, how you bellow! Yes; Diabella has a tent in the -grounds at the back of The Georgian Hall--we hope it will be a sunny -afternoon, you know--and intends to charge everyone ten shillings. You -know, she usually charges a guinea, but we think we'll get more by -asking less."</p> - -<p>"But I thought," Vernon carefully commanded his voice, "I thought, -that Diabella had retired from business?"</p> - -<p>"So she has. That delightful Granny has taken her business. I'm going -to see her and ask about my Affinity."</p> - -<p>"Your husband?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, no," said Mrs. Crimer airily; "he's only my husband, you know. -But I must have an Affinity: someone who is a spiritual lover. And -Granny----"</p> - -<p>Vernon ruthlessly cut her short. "How did you get Diabella?"</p> - -<p>"Really, I don't know," murmured Mrs. Crimer vaguely. "Someone asked -her, or she asked herself. I don't know which. But she is to be there -in her Egyptian dress and wearing an Egyptian mask and in an Egyptian -tent. Do go and have your fortune told."</p> - -<p>"I shall," said Vernon grimly, and inwardly rejoicing over the chance -that was placing Diabella in his power. "And do you----"</p> - -<p>"No." Mrs. Crimer spread out her hands with a shrug. "I really can't -talk to you any more. Everyone is going and I have heaps and heaps of -dear, delightful people to see. Good-bye! so glad you will come to the -bazaar. Quite angelic it will be--quite--quite." And the flippant lady -babbled her way to the hostess, who was now taking rapid leave of her -various guests. Lucy had disappeared, as Vernon soon learned by a -glance round the room, so he sat down and waited until Lady Corsoon -could give him her promised ten minutes' explanation. He would have -liked to have had a chat with Sir Julius, if only to enlist him in -favour of the marriage by dropping a hint regarding the expected -inheritance. But the financier rarely put in an appearance at his -wife's "At Homes," finding them far too frivolous for a man of his -capacity. So Vernon decided that if Lady Corsoon's explanation did not -prove satisfactory he would interview Sir Julius and formally ask for -the hand of Lucy. With the credentials of a soon-coming title, a -lordly mansion and three thousand a year, he hoped to have his -proposals well received. At a former interview the baronet had scoffed -at his pretensions; but now things were changed for the better, and -the chances were that all would go well.</p> - -<p>"Now, Mr. Vernon," said Lady Corsoon, when the last guest had shaken -hands and departed, "we are alone and can have a talk. What news of -your search?"</p> - -<p>"I have no news," replied Vernon placing a chair for the lady. "The -Spider cannot be found."</p> - -<p>"Only seven days remain and I must give my answer then, Mr. Vernon. -You know the terms: either I pay two thousand pounds or my husband," -she winced, "is informed that I sold those family jewels to pay my -Bridge debts."</p> - -<p>"I am sorry, Lady Corsoon, but as yet I have not caught the man." She -made a gesture of despair. "Oh, what is the good of being sorry? I -came to you as a practised detective," this time it was Vernon who -winced; "at least, Mr. Maunders assured me that you were," she -hastened to say.</p> - -<p>"Very kind of Mr. Maunders," said Vernon sarcastically. "Go on."</p> - -<p>"Well, I came to you for assistance, and you have done nothing."</p> - -<p>"I have done everything that I could do," said Vernon drily, "but The -Spider is too clever for me. As he has baffled the entire police force -it is no shame for me to confess as much."</p> - -<p>"What do you intend to do?"</p> - -<p>"I can't say," said Vernon, thinking of a possible meeting with -Diabella at The Homeless Hindoos' Bazaar. "In a few days I may have -news."</p> - -<p>Lady Corsoon shook her head. "I can't afford to wait, since the time -is so short. Of course, you know that your marriage with Lucy depends -upon your getting me out of this unpleasant position?"</p> - -<p>Vernon felt inclined to say that she had placed herself in the said -position, but he restrained himself, as it was useless to make an -enemy of her, and merely bowed.</p> - -<p>"Very good," went on the lady sharply, "if you don't catch this Spider -and close his mouth and regain those jewels which he got from the -pawnshop you don't marry Lucy. In any case you are not a good match."</p> - -<p>"I am now, Lady Corsoon. My uncle has been reconciled to me and has -made me his heir. Soon I shall be Sir Arthur Vernon, with a good -income."</p> - -<p>"Oh, my dear man," Lady Corsoon waved a jewelled hand impatiently, -"there are plenty of baronets and knights with moderate incomes who -would be glad to marry Lucy for herself, let alone her expectations -from her father. My conditions are that you should get me out of this -trouble. Can you?"</p> - -<p>"I shall try; I can say no more."</p> - -<p>"Then listen to me," said the lady firmly. "A few days ago I received -a letter from The Spider."</p> - -<p>"Ah!" Vernon nursed his chin and swung his leg. "So that is why you -have changed your mind with regard to my wooing of Lucy?"</p> - -<p>"Who told you that I had changed my mind, sir?" she asked abruptly. -"Lucy hinted something, and then I saw that you separated us in----"</p> - -<p>"There, there! I understand." Lady Corsoon waved her hand again. "You -are right. I have changed my mind, as The Spider has given me another -chance; but, of course, if you can catch him and make him hold his -peace and can recover the family jewels I pawned, I am willing to keep -to my agreement with you and support you in marrying my daughter."</p> - -<p>"The Spider has given you another chance," repeated Vernon sitting up. -"And what may that be? Have you the letter?"</p> - -<p>"It's locked away. As I did not expect you to-day I did not put it in -my pocket. But I can tell you what he says."</p> - -<p>"The Spider?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, of course," said Lady Corsoon quickly. "He tells me that if I -will pay him ten thousand pounds in twelve months he will place me in -receipt of that amount a year by proving that I am entitled to my late -brother's money. Strange, is it not, since my niece Ida is Martin's -daughter?"</p> - -<p>"Very strange," replied Vernon mechanically. This news proved to him -more conclusively than ever that Diabella was connected with The -Spider, and, if not the blackmailer herself, worked in concert with -him. But until he could lay hands on the woman he determined to say -nothing to Lady Corsoon about the matter. "How long does he give you -to answer this new demand?"</p> - -<p>"Two months," said Lady Corsoon, triumphantly; "so at least I have -gained time, and much may happen."</p> - -<p>"As you say, much may happen. How does he propose to place you in -possession of this income. Does he say?"</p> - -<p>"No." Lady Corsoon wrinkled her brows. "He simply makes the offer. -Certainly Ida inherits as next-of-kin, but it may be that this -Spider--who seems to know everything--has found a will giving the -income to me. Then," she hesitated, "there is another condition."</p> - -<p>"What is it?"</p> - -<p>"One you won't like. If I get this money I am to consent to the -marriage of Lucy with--with----"</p> - -<p>"With whom?" asked Vernon jumping up. "Don't keep me in suspense."</p> - -<p>"With Constantine Maunders," said Lady Corsoon coolly.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_13" href="#div1Ref_13">CHAPTER XIII.</a></h4> -<h5>THE BAZAAR.</h5> -<br> - -<p>For the next few days Vernon vainly grappled with the new problem -which Lady Corsoon's information had supplied. That The Spider should -offer the millionaire's wife a fortune of ten thousand pounds per -annum on condition of receiving the income for the first year scarcely -surprised the young man, for he already suspected The Spider to be -connected with Diabella, if, indeed, the creature was not that famous -individual herself. But it seemed odd that the arch-criminal should -interest himself in Maunders' affairs, even to assisting to bring -about the marriage with Lucy. Could it be possible that Maunders was -one of the gang?</p> - -<p>Vernon recalled that after Mrs. Bedge's confession of poverty he had -suspected Maunders in this respect, since the young man apparently -contrived to live like a prince on nothing a year. He did not receive -much from his aunt and he did not earn an income, so it was possible -that in some shady way he managed to become possessed of sufficient -money to gratify his extravagant tastes. Maunders also being in the -vicinity of the library on the occasion of the conversation with the -late Mr. Dimsdale, must have heard the suggested arrangement of the -trap. But then, as Vernon recalled, Miss Hest had stated in quite an -innocent way how Maunders had been with her all the evening and could -not thus have had anything to do with the crime at "Rangoon." Vernon's -suspicions had been banished by Miss Hest's assertions, but they now -revived in full force after Lady Corsoon's communication. He had made -her show him the letter, and it proved to be similar to the earlier -epistle of The Spider, even to the ideograph at the end. Apparently it -was genuine enough, and, if genuine, Maunders must be connected in -some way with the blackmailer. No other explanation was feasible.</p> - -<p>Had Maunders been in London Vernon would have gone straight to tax him -with his possible complicity, but the young man was at Bowderstyke and -so, for the moment, could not be questioned. But, sooner or later, he -would return to London, and then Vernon intended to force him to -explain. Meanwhile it seemed best to seek out Diabella at the Bazaar -for the Homeless Hindoos and threaten her with arrest unless she -explained how she had come to let The Spider know Martin Dimsdale's -secret. Also, she might supply the connecting link between The Spider -and Maunders. Vernon was rather surprised at Diabella's daring in thus -making a public appearance, but he supposed that his ruse had been -successful, and that the fortune-teller, not having been openly -searched for, presumed that Colonel Towton had taken no steps. If she -had learned that Towton was to be at the fête she might have declined -to risk exercising her profession; but she had no reason to believe -that he would be present, and thus dared the danger. But, never -suspecting Vernon, he could enter the tent and tear off her mask, -which was what he intended to do at the first opportunity.</p> - -<p>The young man hesitated whether to tell Inspector Drench or to remain -silent until more satisfied as to the hidden connection between -Diabella and The Spider. After reflection, he decided to carry through -the matter himself. By removing the waxen mask he would at least learn -what Diabella was like, and perhaps, if brought to bay, she would -speak out to save her skin. Then, when he knew more, he might venture -to call in the aid of the police. It was a dangerous business, and -perhaps Vernon would have been better advised had he taken more -precautions against the woman's escape; but the evidence against her -was so vague, and there appeared to be so much to clear up, that he -doubted if Drench would be able to arrest her on the bare suspicion. -At all events, after turning the matter over in his mind Vernon -started by himself for the bazaar, resolved to act on his own -initiative. He told no one of the second letter from The Spider to -Lady Corsoon, not even Colonel Towton. So that military gentleman, -ignorant of what was taking place, lingered in his chambers or idled -at the Athenian Club, fretting over his inaction and longing for some -chance to display his generalship. A very natural feeling, considering -the Colonel's active mind.</p> - -<p>The Georgian Hall was a huge repository of Hanoverian relics in South -Kensington, and consisted of many moderately large apartments -encircling a spacious central room. This was used for concerts, balls, -meetings, fêtes, and such-like entertainments requiring ample scope -for their celebration. The minor halls were dedicated to the display -of objects connected with the rule of the House of Brunswick, and -dating from the reign of the first monarch of the dynasty. Memorials -of warfare on land and at sea were here, together with pictures of -famous events, and collections of old-world things dealing with social -life of the various epochs. One room was filled with figures -representing the male and female garbs of the different reigns; -another displayed china and silver and glass of the several periods; -and a third room held quaint furniture, recalling the tales of Jane -Austen. The political and social and military history of England was -contained in the museums, and from this fact the hall took its name, -since the objects dated only from The Act of Succession. It was an -interesting place and well worth the patronage which it received from -the idle public.</p> - -<p>On this occasion the central room was filled with gaily-decorated -stalls in divers colours, on which were displayed modern luxuries -likely to appeal to the purses of the self-indulgent. Society -beauties, charming actresses, and celebrated lady novelists presided -over the booths of this Vanity Fair, and did a large trade by their -fascinating personality alone. Vernon, accurately dressed, as became a -young man about town, managed to elude these sirens, who would have -cajoled every shilling out of his pocket, and walked into the grounds -at the back of the Hall, where, Mrs. Crimer had informed him, the tent -of Diabella was to be found. It was a sunny afternoon, as the flippant -lady had desired, and the spacious gardens looked extremely pretty with -flags and tents and flowers and general greenery. Games of all kinds -were going on, and the place resembled a fair with its crowd of -laughing people, who were enjoying themselves thoroughly. So far as -could be judged, the Homeless Hindoos would benefit largely by the -bazaar, as it apparently was a great success. No prettier function had -taken place during the season.</p> -<br> - -<p class="center"><img src="images/p180.png" alt="p180"><br> -"'I must see who you are,' cried Vernon, and pulled her<br> -hands away." Page 180.</p> - -<br> -<p>Vernon saw endless friends and acquaintances, as many fashionable folk -were present, but, taken up with his own anxious thoughts, he spoke to -no one. However, someone spoke to him as he threaded his way amongst -the throng, for a friendly touch on his shoulder wheeled him round, to -behold Francis Hest. He looked more like his sister than ever, and -decidedly handsome in his immaculate frock-coat, grey trousers, patent -leather boots, and silk hat. The only fault which Vernon--always -rather fastidious--could find in his general appearance was that he -wore his hair much too long, which gave him the look of a poet or of a -fashionable musician. And the full black locks added still more to his -resemblance to Frances.</p> - -<p>"I did not expect to find you here, Vernon," said Hest after a -handshake. "Why not? It's one of the entertainments of the season, and -everyone who is anyone is bound to patronise it."</p> - -<p>"I should have thought it was too frivolous for you."</p> - -<p>"Oh, I assure you I am a very frivolous person," said Vernon smoothly.</p> - -<p>"Is Colonel Towton?" asked the other smiling; "and is he here?"</p> - -<p>Vernon wondered why the question was asked. "Really, I can't say. -Towton is certainly not frivolous, but he enjoys society and is -usually to be found everywhere, enjoying himself. Do you know him?"</p> - -<p>"No. I am an innocent countryman, who knows no one in the fashionable -world except Lady Corsoon, who is a host in herself. I asked out of -curiosity, as, having heard Miss Dimsdale speak of the Colonel, I -should like to meet him."</p> - -<p>"Oh! She spoke of Colonel Towton, did she?"</p> - -<p>"Is that strange?" asked Hest, smiling again and showing his white -teeth. "I rather think Miss Dimsdale admires the Colonel."</p> - -<p>"He admires her and wants to marry her," said Vernon bluntly.</p> - -<p>"So I should imagine. Another reason why I did right in running away -from Gerby Hall and in declining my sister's help in marrying me to -the lady. I think, however," added Hest significantly, "that unless -the Colonel looks to his bride he will find she is likely to become -Mrs. Maunders."</p> - -<p>"I should be sorry to see that."</p> - -<p>"Why? Don't you like Maunders?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, yes. We were at school together. But I believe that Miss Dimsdale -is in love with the Colonel. You know, of course, that Maunders has -gone down to your place?"</p> - -<p>"Certainly. Frances wrote me that he arrived on Sunday morning. That -is why I advise Colonel Towton to look after Miss Dimsdale."</p> - -<p>"Why does your sister wish Miss Dimsdale to marry Maunders?" asked -Vernon in a pointedly blunt way.</p> - -<p>Hest raised his thick, dark eyebrows. "Ask me another," he said -lightly. "All I can say is that Frances is a great matchmaker. Failing -me, she suggests Maunders as a suitor. He is younger than the Colonel, -I believe."</p> - -<p>"And much handsomer. But he has not Towton's sterling character. By -the way, have you met Maunders?"</p> - -<p>"Twice. Once in town and once at my own place. I confess that he -doesn't attract me greatly. Handsome, yes; but there is something -dangerous about him."</p> - -<p>"Dangerous?" Vernon looked straightly at the speaker, wondering how he -had chanced to hit on the very defect which spoilt Maunders' charm.</p> - -<p>"It's the only word I can think of which describes him. But perhaps I -am wrong. Frances would think so."</p> - -<p>"I always thought that Miss Hest did not like Maunders.</p> - -<p>"It may be so," said Hest indifferently. "Still, he is handsome, and -Frances is a woman. It seems to me, however, that the word rests with -Miss Dimsdale. If she loves Colonel Towton she will marry him, if -Maunders, he will win her. A wilful woman will have her way."</p> - -<p>"I do not think that Miss Dimsdale is wilful," said Vernon stiffly, -then with an afterthought that Hest might help the Colonel to thwart -the plans which Frances certainly appeared to entertain, he added, -"Would you like to meet Towton?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, yes. I shall be in town for a week before going to Paris. I have -few friends here and like to be amused."</p> - -<p>"Where are you staying?"</p> - -<p>"At Professor Garrick Gail's, Isleworth."</p> - -<p>"Oh!" Vernon could scarcely conceal his surprise. "I thought that you -did not approve of your sister appearing as a reciter?"</p> - -<p>"Nor do I," rejoined the other man with a frown, "but Frances asked me -to deliver a message to Professor Gail, whom I met before and whom I -like. He asked me to accept his hospitality while in London, so I did -so, as I hope to induce him to get Frances to abandon this scheme of -earning money by her talents--which by the way I don't deny--so that -she may resume her proper place in society as my sister."</p> - -<p>Vernon shook his head. "Miss Hest is of too active a mind to bear -tamely the life of an ordinary country lady."</p> - -<p>"She is singularly obstinate, if that is what you mean," said Hest -with a curling lip. "However, that is my address, so if you can -arrange a dinner with Colonel Towton I shall be glad to meet him and -to give him the latest news of Miss Dimsdale."</p> - -<p>"Thank you!" Vernon booked the dinner. "Say next Wednesday?"</p> - -<p>"That will suit me capitally. The day after to-morrow? Well, and what -are you going to do now?"</p> - -<p>"Just wander round," replied Vernon evasively. He did not wish to -disclose his plans regarding Diabella to the Yorkshire squire. -"Good-day."</p> - -<p>"Good-day," said the other in a friendly tone, and the two were soon -separated by the ever-moving crowd.</p> - -<p>It was growing late by this time and the gardens were not nearly so -filled as they had been. Already there was a shade of twilight in the -calm sky and several lamps had been lighted. It was necessary to see -Diabella at once, for it might be that she would not be present in the -evening. Vernon therefore went to seek for the Egyptian tent and soon -found it standing in an isolated position at the far end of the -ground. With some skill the canvas had been erected into the square -form of a Memphis temple, and this, coloured like stone and adorned -with gaudy hieroglyphics, looked a striking object in the waning -light. Two imitation sphinxes guarded the doorway, and beside these on -either side stood two men like bronze statues with folded arms. One -was slender and the other burly, and both were natives of India in -spite of their ancient Egyptian array. Vernon, knowing what he did -know, had no difficulty in recognising Bahadur and the heavier man who -had attempted to strangle the Colonel, until prevented by his -mistress.</p> - -<p>"Can I see Diabella?" he asked, approaching slowly and addressing -Bahadur as the more amiable-looking of the two.</p> - -<p>"One, two, three," said the man, showing his teeth and throwing up -triple fingers. "Three to see mistress. Then you."</p> - -<p>Vernon nodded and, resting on his cane, stared at the merry scene in -an idle manner. But his thoughts were taken up with the probable scene -which would ensue when he tore the mask from the woman's face. He -wondered if she would make an outcry and would summon her attendants, -and if so, would the sullen-looking wrestler attempt to choke him? But -Vernon resolved at the moment he removed the mask to intimate that he -knew of the assault on Colonel Towton, and so hoped that the woman -would not risk unpleasant discoveries by making an outcry but would be -willing to talk calmly. If so, then he hoped to induce her to state -how she came to be possessed of Martin Dimsdale's secret. And here -again, as it always did, came the thought that Diabela might be a -disguise for The Spider, in which case she would surely decline to -incriminate herself. If she did and refused to be frank there would be -nothing for it but to see Drench and procure her arrest. For the -moment, and now that he was on the very eve of the enterprise, Vernon -regretted that he had not brought the Inspector with him so that he -might be legally supported by the arm of the law. But it was too late -for such regrets, and when he arrived at this point of his meditations -Bahadur lifted the curtain which formed the door of the canvas temple -to intimate that the stranger might enter.</p> - -<p>The interior of the tent was adorned as an Egyptian Hall, much in the -same way as the Bond Street rooms, save that the mummies were absent. -Diabella, in the weird dress described by Towton, sat stiffly in a -chair, with a small table at her elbow. The cards and the crystal and -various charts bearing astrological figures were on the table, -together with a boat-shaped lamp. This gave out a fairly strong light, -and Vernon could see plainly the expressionless waxen mask which -covered the face of the fortune-teller. She looked like a sphinx, -solemn, calm, and passionless. Yet below that non-committing mask -Vernon guessed was the face of the true woman, alive with passion and -intrigue. He saw two glittering eyes scanning him curiously from the -shadow of a black veil which the seeress wore draped over her Egyptian -head-dress, and shivered a trifle at the uncanny look.</p> - -<p>The sorceress saw the tremor. "Are you afraid?" she asked in her -metallic voice, which was as expressionless as her mask.</p> - -<p>"I am afraid of nothing," replied Vernon boldly and coldly; "but the -night air strikes chill."</p> - -<p>He thought that he heard a sarcastic laugh, but it was so soft that he -well might have been mistaken. However, thinking that the prophetess -was sneering at him he might have ventured on some angry remark, but -that he recollected his intention and drew back with a grim smile. The -laugh would be on his side when the mask was torn off.</p> - -<p>"You wish to have your fortune told?" asked Diabella coldly and -stretched out her hand. "Let me read your palm."</p> - -<p>This was just what Vernon desired, as the grip brought him within -snatching distance of the mask. There was a stool near at hand, upon -which Diabella motioned that he should be seated; so shortly he was -sitting, so to speak, at her feet, with his hand in hers. Shadows -filled the corners of the tent and enhanced the grotesque looks of the -figures painted on the canvas. The laughter and chatter of the -diminishing crowd without had died away into a faint and confused -murmur, and in the vivid circle of the lamplight sat the two figures. -Diabella, holding back her veil, bent over Vernon's hand in silence.</p> - -<p>"You are coming into good fortune," she said thinly. "Yes. Here is the -line which foretells money and position. One near to you, if not dear, -is on his death-bed and you benefit by his decease. Am I right?"</p> - -<p>She raised her glittering eyes again to peer into his face. "If -you are certain of your craft, there is no need for you to ask if -you are right," said Vernon composedly. He was well aware of how -fortune-tellers gain more knowledge than they impart by such -dexterously-put questions.</p> - -<p>Diabella gave a very modern shrug quite out of keeping with her dress -and mien. However, she made no reply and continued her reading. "There -is marriage here", she continued in a low voice; "but you have a -rival."</p> - -<p>"Will he be successful?"</p> - -<p>"If he chooses to be."</p> - -<p>"That is untrue," contradicted Vernon nettled; "The lady loves me."</p> - -<p>"It is questionable--questionable," muttered the woman hastily. "Your -rival is a formidable one and not easily turned from his purpose. Look -at the break in the line yourself." She handed him a magnifying glass. -"That means trouble before you achieve your heart's desire."</p> - -<p>"Can you tell me what my heart's desire is?" asked Vernon after a -glance through the glass.</p> - -<p>"A lovely, wealthy wife and a happy home."</p> - -<p>"Quite so; but I have a stronger desire."</p> - -<p>"To do what?"</p> - -<p>"Ah!" said Vernon sarcastically, "that is for you to say. But my -second desire, which is marriage, is contingent on my first being -realised."</p> - -<p>"I see, I see," said Diabella raising her voice, which whistled -shrilly like the wind through a crack. "You have to save someone from -disgrace before you can marry the girl you love?"</p> - -<p>"Is the someone a woman or a man?"</p> - -<p>"A woman, and closely connected with the girl you wish to marry."</p> - -<p>"Is there any chance of success?"</p> - -<p>"None! none!"</p> - -<p>"Then I shall not marry the----"</p> - -<p>"You may marry, for the line of Venus is strongly marked," interrupted -Diabella sharply. "The girl loves you, and may defy the person with -whom she is so closely connected."</p> - -<p>"And my rival also?"</p> - -<p>Diabella shook her head. "He is too strong for her. He can force her -to marry him when he chooses."</p> - -<p>"Perhaps he may be forced to defend himself," said Vernon -incautiously.</p> - -<p>Diabella looked up quickly. "What's that?"</p> - -<p>"Never mind. If you can read events you must guess what I mean."</p> - -<p>"I can only read what is in your hand, and all that a man plans and -thinks may not be written there. Still, you will be wise to leave -your rival alone, for he is too strong for you."</p> - -<p>"I don't think so, knowing what I know."</p> - -<p>"What do you know?" Diabella's metallic voice sounded somewhat -nervous, and she dropped Vernon's hand to clasp her own on her lap.</p> - -<p>"I know," said Vernon, bending closely towards her, "I know that my -rival will marry neither Ida Dimsdale nor Lucy Corsoon."</p> - -<p>Diabella shrank back and gripped the arms of her chair. "The names are -not familiar to me," she breathed in a low voice.</p> - -<p>"Think again. The first name is familiar, surely?" mocked Vernon. "Why -should it be?"</p> - -<p>"Colonel Towton might be able to answer that."</p> - -<p>Diabella rose suddenly, tall and straight, from her chair and threw -out her arms with a repellant gesture. "I do not know the name of -Colonel Towton."</p> - -<p>Vernon rose slowly and measured his distance carefully. "You seem to -forget a great deal, madame," he said softly, his fingers itching to -tear off the expressionless mask.</p> - -<p>"I never ask the names of my clients," she mumbled.</p> - -<p>"How do you know that Colonel Towton was a client of yours? I never -told you."</p> - -<p>"I guessed--that is---- Ah! Help!"</p> - -<p>She shrieked loudly and with good reason. Vernon's hand had shot out -while he kept her attention engaged, and in a moment he had ripped the -mask from her face. Head-dress and all came away in his grip, and -Diabella covered her face with her hands. At her shriek the fold of -the tent door was torn open and the burly Indian appeared. Vernon -flung aside the mask and veil and head-dress and seized Diabella's -wrists as the Indian ran forward to aid her. "I must see who you are," -cried Vernon and pulled her hands away. "Maunders!"</p> - -<p>He fell back a step and into the arms of the Hindoo. It was indeed -Maunders whom he beheld, shrinking back into the shadows with a -furious, shameful face, startled as a trapped animal. Vernon had no -time to see more, for the Hindoo made a clutch at his throat, silent -and venomous. Mindful of how Colonel Towton had been assaulted and -Dimsdale killed, the young man turned fiercely to grapple with his -assailant. As the two men closed in what promised to be a deadly -struggle Maunders recovered his presence of mind sufficiently to dash -over the lamp, and the tent became pitchy dark.</p> - -<p>In that Cimmerian gloom the combatants swayed and swung and fought -with silent earnestness. But the Hindoo was the stronger of the two, -and Vernon felt the lean, long fingers grip his throat with vicious -strength. He faintly heard Maunders, now at the door, hurriedly call -to the native in an unknown tongue, and, fearful lest the two villains -should escape, he tore himself away with a violent effort, crying as -loudly as he could for assistance. The next moment his opponent flung -himself forward and, picking him up as though he were a child, dashed -him with gigantic force to the ground. His head struck the turf with a -thud, and everything was swallowed up in blank insensibility.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_14" href="#div1Ref_14">CHAPTER XIV.</a></h4> -<h5>RUN TO EARTH.</h5> -<br> - -<p>In half an hour, more or less, Vernon came to himself slowly, and -opened his eyes in a bewildered manner. He was in complete darkness, -and for the moment could not remember where he was or what had taken -place. Gradually memory returned to him and he sat up painfully to -recall details. His head throbbed with the violence of the fall, and -the short, sharp struggle had set his nerves jangling like ill-tuned -bells. Rising to his feet with an effort he wondered why the Indian -had not finished him off, then recollected the rapid words of Maunders -in an unknown tongue. Probably he had been speaking Tamil and had -ordered the man not to go to extremities. As in the case of Colonel -Towton, when the creature had been warned by Diabella, or, rather, by -Maunders, as in this instance, the native had stopped short of actual -murder. In Maunders' desperate enterprise it was necessary that he -should remain on the right side of the law.</p> - -<p>Striking a match, Vernon ascertained that he was still in the tent, -for its blue glimmer showed the figures and hieroglyphics weirdly -flickering on the canvas walls. Apparently the criminals, for they -were nothing else, had fled, leaving him insensible, and Vernon -wondered that he had not been discovered. But when he walked outside -he saw on the door a notice stating that the booth was closed for an -hour, and guessed that in this way Maunders had provided time for -flight. So warned, no one would enter the tent, and evidently both the -noise of the struggle and his cry for assistance had passed unheeded. -Vernon drew a long breath and stood where he was, watching the crowd -of people merry-making under hundreds of coloured lamps, quite -oblivious to the fact that a tragedy had nearly taken place under -their very noses. He wondered what was best to be done.</p> - -<p>It was useless to go to those in authority at The Georgian Hall as no -one would credit his wild tale, although the flight of Diabella and -her accomplices might lend colour to his narrative. Moreover, Vernon -decided that more than ever was it necessary to hunt down Maunders in -secrecy, as he wished for a full explanation from him before calling -in Drench to assist. Likewise, for the sake of Ida, of Mrs. Bedge, and -Lady Corsoon, Vernon wished if possible to avoid publicity, since any -scandal would certainly bring their names into unpleasant notoriety. -For these reasons the young man left The Georgian Hall without telling -anyone what had happened. But he chuckled as he went to think how the -public would be disappointed to find the tent of the sorceress empty. -Also, how amazed those managing the bazaar would be to discover that -Diabella had vanished with her takings for the day, which would be -considerable. Vernon felt quite sure that a man so unscrupulous as -Maunders would not hesitate to seize the till seeing that, having been -exposed, and doubtful if his old schoolfellow would hold his tongue, -he would want all the money he could get to assist his flight.</p> - -<p>The question was to learn whither he had fled and what track to follow -in order to hunt him down. It was close upon seven o'clock, and -outside The Georgian Hall Vernon hesitated as to his next step. He -wondered whether it would be better to go home and retire to bed, -since he felt shaken by the struggle, or to seek out Colonel Towton -and enlist him as a fellow-pursuer in the man-hunt. Finally he decided -to take a taxi to the Colonel's chambers and relate what had happened, -for he knew that unless he discussed the matter he would only worry -the whole night over the catastrophe. He therefore fortified himself -with a stiff brandy and soda at a near hotel and pulled himself -together for a serious conversation. And serious enough it would be -for Constantine Maunders, who could not be permitted to continue in -his nefarious career.</p> - -<p>As it happened, Towton, late in dressing for dinner, had not yet left -his rooms for the Athenian Club. Vernon arrived at a quarter to eight, -just as the Colonel opened the door. The two came face to face with -mutual joy at meeting.</p> - -<p>"My dear Vernon, I am glad to see you. I am simply dying to have a -talk, as I can do nothing but think of the entanglement in which we -find ourselves."</p> - -<p>"You can't be more pleased than I am at having found you, Colonel. I -have had an adventure with Diabella."</p> - -<p>"The deuce. Have you learned who she is?"</p> - -<p>"Who _he_ is, you mean. Yes. That mask concealed Constantine -Maunders."</p> - -<p>Towton sat down on one of the hall chairs and stared. "Do you mean to -say that the young scamp has been masquerading as a woman?"</p> - -<p>Vernon nodded and sat down wearily, for his bones ached. "I presume he -thought that there would be less danger of discovery if he changed his -sex. I expect he wore those long Egyptian robes over his ordinary -clothes. When discarding them he would reappear as Maunders, and could -easily escape without being noticed in the crowd. He's clever, is -Constantine, and yet not clever enough."</p> - -<p>"I don't know what you're talking about," said Towton gruffly and -rising to his feet. "Suppose you come with me to the Athenian and tell -me all about the matter."</p> - -<p>"I'm not in evening kit."</p> - -<p>"Oh, the deuce take that," said the Colonel cheerfully.</p> - -<p>"And I'm rather knocked up with my fight."</p> - -<p>"Fight? Did Maunders show fight?"</p> - -<p>"No. Your Hindoo did. He assaulted me as he did you and left his job -unfinished in the same way. It's a long story and I want your -assistance. Go and have your dinner, Colonel, and I'll lie down on the sofa -in your sitting-room until you return."</p> - -<p>"Pooh! pooh! I can't eat with such news as this exciting me." Towton -threw off his coat and hung his silk hat on a peg. "Come into the -sitting-room and I'll send my man to the nearest restaurant for a -meal. Meanwhile you'd better have a peg, for you look as white as a -winter's day."</p> - -<p>"No, thank you, Colonel. I had a brandy and soda just after leaving -The Georgian Hall," said Vernon as they entered the sitting-room.</p> - -<p>"Have you been there--at the bazaar?"</p> - -<p>"Yes. Diabella had set up her tent there and was telling fortunes. I -heard of this at Lady Corsoon's the other day, and so ventured to -beard the lioness in her den."</p> - -<p>"And the lioness turned out to be a lion," chuckled Towton throwing -himself into a chair after making the sofa comfortable with cushions -for his guest. "Well, we'll have the whole story after a makeshift -dinner, for, hang it, your disclosure has taken away a very excellent -appetite. Bendham!" The Colonel turned to the retired soldier who -acted as his valet and who had just entered the room, "go round to -the nearest restaurant and tell them to send in the best small dinner -they have, for two. Look sharp, now. You can lay the cloth in the -smoking-room; we'll make shift there."</p> - -<p>Bendham saluted military fashion and took a speedy departure, while -his master turned his head in the direction of Vernon. "Tell me all -that has happened to you now," he said easily; "it will be some time -before the dinner makes its appearance, and I'm on tenterhooks. The -deuce, to think that our blackguard friend--for he is that, I -swear--should be earning his money as a fortune-teller. It's worse -than----" Towton hesitated.</p> - -<p>"Than my profession of a detective, you would say, Colonel," finished -Vernon languidly. "I should rather think so. I assist the law, and -Maunders breaks it. But neither profession is tempting to a -gentleman."</p> - -<p>"Oh, hang your profession," said Towton impatiently. "You will soon -enter into your kingdom when Sir Edward gives up the ghost. And it's -just as well that you have some experience in thief-catching seeing -what scoundrels we have to deal with. Maunders, by jove! Now we'll be -able to find out how he came to know that Ida wasn't Dimsdale's -daughter. No wonder he decided to give her up, seeing that he was -after the money. What did he say?"</p> - -<p>"Nothing. He cleared out of the tent as soon as I discovered his -identity."</p> - -<p>"Where is he now?" demanded the Colonel sharply.</p> - -<p>"I don't know. That's what I wish to speak to you about. And, to make -things quite clear, as I want your opinion, you had better hear the -whole story."</p> - -<p>Towton intimated his desire to be informed of what had taken place, -and listened attentively while Vernon detailed all that had happened -since Mrs. Crimer had informed him of Diabella's proposed appearance -at the bazaar. He ended with a description of his recovering from -insensibility in the deserted tent and his subsequent decision to -consult the Colonel before-taking any steps. "And my reason for -wishing to move quietly is obvious," was the concluding remark of the -young man.</p> - -<p>"Yes! yes! I quite understand. We must keep Miss Corsoon's name and -that of Miss Dimsdale out of the papers. By the way, what did this -fellow mean by hinting in his confounded fortune-telling at disgrace -to someone closely connected with Miss Corsoon? Does he mean her -mother or her father?"</p> - -<p>Vernon felt a trifle confused. In his interest in the recital he had -unconsciously let slip more than he had been prepared to impart. Both -as a detective and as a gentleman he was bound to keep Lady Corsoon's -secret, and as the disclosure of it was not particularly pertinent to -the matter in hand he brushed aside Towton's question with a scornful -laugh. "Oh, I daresay that was all patter. Maunders knows that I love -Lucy and thought to intimidate me by a threat that he had power to -force the mother to support his preposterous claim to marry the girl. -But after this exposure he will scarcely dare to come forward."</p> - -<p>"The blackguard," cried the honest Colonel heatedly; "he blackens the -character of both man and woman in his endeavours to earn his dirty -money. But I thought he was supposed to be at Gerby Hall?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, he doubtless arranged that so as to provide himself with an -_alibi_."</p> - -<p>"Why the deuce should he provide himself with an <I>alibi?</I>"</p> - -<p>"Can't you see that Maunders must be The Spider?" said Vernon -impatiently. Towton leaped to his feet and began to walk to and fro -much perturbed. "Oh, impossible! I don't like Maunders; all the same, -it seems incredible that he should be a murderer."</p> - -<p>"I can't see that myself," said Vernon drily. "Maunders is half a -Greek and is as wily a bird as ever had salt put on its tail. Whether -he gets it from his Greek father or from his English mother I can't -say, but he certainly has that strong criminal taint, which induces -him to get money for his whims by illegal methods rather than by -honest toil. Besides, we can't say if he killed Dimsdale, even though, -as is apparent, he is The Spider. Miss Hest declared to me in all -innocence, and not with any intention of defending him, that Maunders -was with her nearly all the evening."</p> - -<p>"Then he can't be The Spider," insisted the Colonel, "for undoubtedly -The Spider killed poor old Dimsdale."</p> - -<p>"So we thought; so everyone thinks; and yet--well, of course, it's not -impossible that Maunders ordered this nameless native to get the -money, and the man may have executed the murder without instructions."</p> - -<p>"Or else," said Towton emphatically, "Maunders may have had his mask -torn off by Dimsdale when he came for the money and murdered the old -man to prevent discovery. It cuts both ways."</p> - -<p>"Pardon me, no, if Miss Hest is to be believed."</p> - -<p>"I don't trust that woman," said the Colonel abruptly.</p> - -<p>"She is scheming to get Ida to marry her brother."</p> - -<p>"I think she will fail there, as the brother is in London."</p> - -<p>"What?"</p> - -<p>"Yes. I met him both at Lady Corsoon's and at the Bazaar. He said that -his sister _did_ wish to bring about the match, but that, not being -desirous of marrying Ida, he ran away from the Hall."</p> - -<p>"Leaving the field clear for Maunders?"</p> - -<p>"You forget that Maunders is in town masquerading as Diabella."</p> - -<p>"He may have come up for that purpose."</p> - -<p>"Well, we can ascertain that from Mr. Hest. He declares that he left -him at Gerby Hall, or that Maunders was expected, I forget which. But -we'll see him to-morrow and ask."</p> - -<p>Towton shook his head wisely. "He won't know of Maunders' movements."</p> - -<p>"You never can tell. At all events, it will do no harm to ask him. Now -I come to think of it," said Vernon musingly and searching his memory, -"Hest told me to-day at the bazaar that he had received a letter from -his sister saying that Maunders had arrived on Sunday morning. That -was yesterday, so it is impossible to believe that Maunders went down -and came up in such a hurry. It's my opinion that he never went to -Gerby Hall at all."</p> - -<p>"And I say, by jove!" cried the Colonel greatly excited, "Hest told a -lie if he said that he received a letter saying that Maunders had -arrived. Even if posted in Bowderstyke last evening it could not reach -him before to-night, and you say he gave you the information this -afternoon?"</p> - -<p>"He may have received it at mid-day."</p> - -<p>"No," said Towton decidedly. "Our post at Bowderstyke is very -uncertain, as I know to my cost. This evening or to-morrow morning is -the very earliest that Hest could receive a letter posted on Sunday, -and as Maunders did not arrive until then Miss Hest could not have -written before."</p> - -<p>"I don't believe that he arrived at all, and I can't conceive why Miss -Hest should tell a falsehood."</p> - -<p>"I can. She is scheming for this money. However, I shall go with you -to-morrow and we'll have it out with Hest. Where is he to be found?"</p> - -<p>"He is staying with Professor Garrick Gail, at Isleworth."</p> - -<p>"The deuce! Ida told me that he did not approve of his sister's -reciting."</p> - -<p>"Nor does he. But she asked him to give some message, and the -Professor asked him to stop at Isleworth while he was in town. He did -so, as he explained to me, so that he could persuade the Professor to -induce Miss Hest to give up her career."</p> - -<p>"A very lame explanation," said the Colonel grimly. "Gentlemen don't -stay at such places for such weak purposes. I tell you, Vernon, that I -don't believe in those Hests. I never did, although you defended the -sister. They had a bad name at Bowderstyke as a wild family."</p> - -<p>"Oh, I thought that Francis Hest was looked upon as a benefactor?"</p> - -<p>"He is," admitted the Colonel reluctantly, "he's a crazy -philanthropist, with his parish school-houses and Bolly Reservoir. All -the same, there's a queer taint about them, and they live queer -lives."</p> - -<p>"I can't see that. Frances recites in London in a perfectly open and -honest way, and Francis acts in a noble manner as a philanthropist."</p> - -<p>"I daresay. All the same, I don't trust either brother or sister: they -quarrel like mad, too."</p> - -<p>"Most families do," retorted Vernon drily as he swung himself off the -sofa, "and Frances is certainly trying to further her brother's -interest by securing him an heiress. That doesn't look as though they -quarrelled."</p> - -<p>"Humph!" said Towton disbelievingly. "Probably the sister has learned -that Ida isn't an heiress and wants to do her brother a bad turn. -However, it's no use talking, as we get no further. Let us see Hest -to-morrow, and then learn, if we can, the whereabouts of Maunders. All -depends upon the confession of that scamp. But, I tell you what, -Vernon, if our young friend is this poisonous beast of a Spider he -will have left England by to-night's mail."</p> - -<p>"Perhaps. But I could not stop him without consulting Drench, and that -means the interference of the police, which we wish to avoid."</p> - -<p>"It's a damned tangle altogether," muttered Towton savagely, "and--but -here comes Bendham to announce dinner. Come and eat. To-morrow we can -talk further."</p> - -<p>Vernon was quite willing to drop the subject for the time being, as -his head and limbs still ached with the struggle, and he felt more -inclined to go to bed than to sit discussing criminal trickery, which -required a very clear brain. Even at the makeshift dinner, which after -all was dainty and tempting, he was unable to eat much, and excused -himself to his host as speedily as he could consistently with -politeness. After arranging to meet the Colonel next day at three -o'clock at Waterloo Station he went home. A warm bath took the pains -partially away, and he was so tired that almost as soon as his head -rested on the pillow he dropped into a profound sleep. Not a single -dream broke his rest, which was prolonged to ten o'clock the next -morning.</p> - -<p>While at breakfast, which he devoured with an excellent appetite, -Vernon recollected that he had not Professor Garrick Gail's exact -address. It was at Isleworth that he lived, but it was necessary to -find the street and the number of the house. This was quickly learned -from an _Era_, which he sent his servant to buy, and he ascertained -that the retired actor dwelt in Siddons Villa, Petterby Road. Vernon -rather regretted that he had not made the appointment with Colonel -Towton earlier, since Mr. Hest might have gone out for the day. -However, he comforted himself with the reflection that in any case -Hest and Towton would meet at dinner on Wednesday. Meanwhile, there -was always the chance that the Yorkshire squire might be at Isleworth, -and in any case Vernon felt curious to see where Miss Hest lived when -in town. Like the Colonel, he was beginning to mistrust that young -lady.</p> - -<p>Punctual to the moment Vernon arrived at Waterloo Station, but found -Towton before him. They greeted one another cordially, and Towton -congratulated his friend on his improved looks. And certainly a -night's rest had done wonders for the young man. He felt, as the -saying goes, as fit as a fiddle, and quite looked forward to the -visit. "And I sincerely trust that Mr. Hest is at home," he said -anxiously.</p> - -<p>"We can wait for him if he is not," said the Colonel, shouldering his -umbrella in soldier fashion. "I don't leave until I have seen him, -that's all. In one way or another I intend to have these infernal -mysteries cleared up. Upon my soul, sir," said the Colonel bluffly, "I -feel as though I were bathing in dirty water."</p> - -<p>"You are not used to the seamy side of life as I am," replied Vernon -as they passed the barrier and stepped into the train.</p> - -<p>"No, by jove, sir, I'm not. And once I am married to Ida I shall take -care to leave all this sort of thing alone. Not the thing for a -gentleman by any means. You chuck it also, Vernon."</p> - -<p>"I intend to when my uncle dies. Once let Sir Arthur Vernon come into -existence with a good income and Nemo vanishes for ever."</p> - -<p>The Colonel nodded his approbation, and the two chatted about their -errand on the way to Isleworth. But all they could do in the absence -of positive fact was to theorise, which was unsatisfactory. But they -hoped when they laid hands on Maunders--no very easy matter, since the -scamp had taken the alarm--to have everything cleared up. Vernon still -held that his former friend was The Spider, but Colonel Towton -disagreed. "No! No! No!" said he decisively, "Maunders may be bad, but -he isn't a murderer."</p> - -<p>"He's anything that suits his purpose, so long as he isn't found out," -was Vernon's retort. "He's clever----"</p> - -<p>"And cunning, but he isn't bold, and would be sure not to bring -himself within reach of the hands of justice by bloodshed."</p> - -<p>"He has brought himself quite close enough in other ways," replied -Vernon.</p> - -<p>In this way they talked, and in due time arrived at the charming -suburb of Isleworth, which looked quite countrified. The two descended -the steps and passed along a narrow path which led out of the station -into the road. An inquiry from a passing butcher-boy on a bicycle soon -advised them of the whereabouts of Petterby Road, and shortly they -found themselves facing a double-fronted house with a small and -neglected garden between it and the quiet side-road.</p> - -<p>"The sluggard's domain," said Towton with disgust, for, like most -military men, he was excessively tidy. "Might be made pretty if -attended to, by jove."</p> - -<p>"I don't think retired actors go in much for gardening," said Vernon -with a smile, as he reached for the knocker.</p> - -<p>A stout woman, with the remains of heavy good looks, opened the door -with the air of a tragedy queen, although her dress was scarcely -regal. Vernon asked if he could see Mr. Hest and received a reply in -the negative, as it seemed that Mr. Hest was absent. "But I anticipate -that he will return at a comparatively early hour," said the lady -grandiloquently.</p> - -<p>"Can we see Professor Gail?" asked Vernon, determined to enter the -house and wait for hours if necessary.</p> - -<p>"Professor Garrick Gail," said the lady, giving him the entire name -with the air of a Siddons, "is resting prior to going later to the -Curtain Theatre. But if your errand is pressing----"</p> - -<p>"Yes, it is. Please give the Professor my card."</p> - -<p>"I am Mrs. Garrick Gail, formerly Miss Hettie Montgomery," said the -lady in haughty tones, "and I do not convey messages. Maria!" she -beckoned to a small servant whose not very clean face peeped under her -substantial arm, "convey this intimation to your master. Gentlemen," -she flung open the door grandly, "enter, and repose yourselves in the -drawing-room."</p> - -<p>Vernon smiled at the tinsel majesty of the actress, but the Colonel, -without moving a muscle of his good-looking face, marched in stiffly. -Shortly they found themselves in a tawdry room of no great size, -crammed with theatrical photographs and furnished in a poor, -pretentious manner, which revealed poverty, while it aped the genteel. -Mrs. Garrick Gail, formerly Miss Hettie Montgomery, conducted them in -with the air of one accustomed to the centre of the stage and then -departed stating that her husband would shortly do himself the honour -of waiting on them.</p> - -<p>"What airs!" murmured Towton, recalling his Shakespeare indistinctly; -"an intolerable quantity of sack to a pennyworth of bread."</p> - -<p>"These actors and actresses are always in the glare of the -footlights," said Vernon, sitting down cautiously on a shaky chair. -"By the way, Colonel, if I do a little business with the Professor -don't look more surprised than you can help."</p> - -<p>"Business? What business?"</p> - -<p>"I intend to ask if Miss Frances Hest is open to an engagement. It is -necessary, since both you and I are beginning to mistrust that young -lady, to be diplomatic."</p> - -<p>"That means you mistrust this actor also and wish to throw him off the -scent?"</p> - -<p>Vernon nodded. "Exactly, and--hush----" He stopped and composed his -features as the door opened and Professor Gail stalked into the room, -like the Ghost of Hamlet's father.</p> - -<p>Anyone could see at a glance that the man was an actor. He was tall, -and lean, and solemn, yet with a twinkle in his deep-sunken eyes, -which showed that he could play comedy as well as tragedy. His bluish -jowl, from frequent close shaving, his long hair, his measured -gestures, and his lordly gait all revealed one who was used to the -world behind the curtain. His voice was deep and sonorous and his -enunciation almost too perfect; nor did he clip his words -colloquially, but gave them their full length and full meaning. -Finally, he had a certain dignity, habitual to one who had played many -a kingly part in his time, and who in ordinary life found it difficult -not to relapse into blank verse.</p> - -<p>"Colonel Towton--Arthur Vernon," he read from the pencilled card. -"These are your names, I take it? And your business, gentlemen?"</p> - -<p>"Well, we are killing two birds with one stone," said Vernon easily, -as the actor sat down in a regal manner as though the arm-chair were a -throne. "My friend here wishes to see Mr. Hest."</p> - -<p>"He is absent for the moment, sir, but will return anon. Will you wait -or will you leave a message."</p> - -<p>"I prefer to wait," said Towton stiffly, as he did not like the -atmosphere or the company. "When do you expect Mr. Hest back?"</p> - -<p>"Well, sir, he may return in twenty minutes or in sixty, which is to -say, on the hour. As my guest he has full freedom to go and return -when he desires. I am content that you should remain, and if any -refreshment----"</p> - -<p>"Thank you, no," interrupted the Colonel hastily but politely.</p> - -<p>"It is well. And you, sir?" The Professor turned to Vernon. "Nothing -for me, thank you. I have called both to see Mr. Hest and yourself, -sir, as I wish to engage Miss Hest to recite at the 'At Home' of a -friend of mine. Lady Brankworth. Perhaps you know her?"</p> - -<p>"Well. I know her well. I have superintended amateur plays in her -drawing-room on more than one occasion. Ah! so she desires the -services of my talented pupil? And on what date?"</p> - -<p>"Thursday week, I think. But I am not sure. I shall have to see her -again and then can let you know. Miss Hest is away, I fancy."</p> - -<p>"In her ancestral home in Yorkshire," said the actor rolling his words -out grandly, "but she returns shortly and will be delighted to accept -of the engagement provided the fees----"</p> - -<p>"Those will be all right, Professor. Lady Brankworth pays liberally."</p> - -<p>"And so she ought, to secure the services of Miss Hest. I assure you, -sir, that I have rarely come across a lady who recites so nobly. If -she would only pay attention to her art instead of indulging in social -frivolity with that unfortunate young lady who lost her father at -Hampstead, she would become one of our greatest actresses."</p> - -<p>"I fancy her brother does not wish her to go on the stage," said -Vernon.</p> - -<p>Professor Garrick Gail waved his hand and then thrust it into his coat -in Napoleonic fashion. "He is prejudiced, prejudiced. I would he were -on the stage himself, if only because he resembles his sister, my -talented pupil, so closely. As Viola and Sebastian in 'Twelfth Night,' -they would take the town by storm. Always provided," said the old -actor with another wave, "that Mr. Hest has the same talent in measure -as his sister has: a fact I am by no means sure of."</p> - -<p>"They are very like one another," broke in Towton coldly.</p> - -<p>"For that reason I wish both were on the stage to play in twin parts," -replied the Professor in his most stately manner. "They are as like as -two eggs, as you observe, sir. But Mr. Hest thinks little of our -glorious profession, and is staying here in the vain hope of inducing -me to persuade his sister, my talented pupil, to surrender the laurel -wreath of the stage. Needless to say, I decline to commit so great a -crime."</p> - -<p>How long the Professor would have gone on descanting on the histrionic -capabilities of Frances Hest it is hard to say, but his eloquence was -cut short by the entrance of Mrs. Gail, who swept an apologetic -curtsey to the gentlemen for her sudden appearance. She then whispered -to her husband, and Vernon caught a word or two about "a bill--man at -the back door--must have his money," etc. Gail looked perturbed and -rose quickly.</p> - -<p>"A small domestic concern, gentlemen," he said, stalking to the door -followed by his wife. "Excuse me while I adjust matters. I shall -return soon," and he made his exit with Mrs. Gail in a most approved -stage fashion.</p> - -<p>When they were alone the Colonel asked a question: "Can you get this -engagement for Miss Hest?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, yes. Lady Brankworth is a great friend of mine and is always -giving parties. There will be no difficulty in my making good my word. -The old man seems to be all right and his wife also. Whatever devilry -the Hests may be up to, that worthy couple know nothing about it."</p> - -<p>Scarcely were the words out of his mouth when the door opened quickly -and a man entered the room in great haste. Vernon sprang to his feet.</p> - -<p>"Maunders once more!" He cried; "The very man I wish to see."</p> - -<p>And Maunders it was, looking like a trapped tiger, furious and -despairing.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_15" href="#div1Ref_15">CHAPTER XV.</a></h4> -<h5>FACE To FACE.</h5> -<br> - -<p>Maunders recognised his peril in a moment and immediately turned to -retreat. But Vernon was too quick for him and leaped between him and -the door. When it was closed and Vernon had his back against it -Maunders glanced desperately at the one window of the room. Here -Colonel Towton, now on his feet, barred his way, so there was nothing -for it but to surrender to a strength he could not fight against. With -extraordinary self-control the scamp pulled himself together and -demanded in a surly tone what his captors meant by behaving towards -him in this way.</p> - -<p>"Sit down," said Vernon without deigning to reply directly; "you have -to explain matters before you leave this room."</p> - -<p>"I have nothing to explain," muttered Maunders doggedly, but -nevertheless judged it wise to obey. "You had better take care what -you are about."</p> - -<p>"I'll take care of myself and of you also," replied Vernon composedly.</p> - -<p>"I ask you, Colonel Towton, if this is the way for one gentleman to -treat another?" demanded the trapped rogue.</p> - -<p>"Two gentlemen," corrected the Colonel coldly, "who are dealing with a -confounded scoundrel."</p> - -<p>"I'll make you pay for those words," threatened Maunders, biting his -lips.</p> - -<p>"I don't recognise your right to demand satisfaction as I only deal with -gentlemen. Mr. Vernon and myself have run you to earth, and----"</p> - -<p>"How did you find out that I was here?" interrupted Maunders -curiously.</p> - -<p>"We did not expect to find you here," said Vernon, still with his back -to the door and keeping a watchful eye on his former friend. "We came -down on other business, connected with Mr. Hest."</p> - -<p>"With Hest?" Maunders appeared perturbed.</p> - -<p>"What do you know about him?" asked Towton sharply, and noticing the -change of expression.</p> - -<p>"I know nothing, save that he is stopping here."</p> - -<p>"And how do you come to be in this house?"</p> - -<p>"That's my business," retorted Maunders doggedly. "Your business is -our business," interposed Vernon quietly.</p> - -<p>"I fail to see that."</p> - -<p>"You fail to see a good many things; but don't be afraid, I shall make -everything clear to you in good time."</p> - -<p>"Are you here as my old school friend?" said Maunders, whining -sentimentally, "or as Nemo, the detective?"</p> - -<p>"You will soon learn. But of one thing you may be certain, that I am -no friend of yours. Can you wonder at it, seeing what I discovered -yesterday?"</p> - -<p>"I can explain everything."</p> - -<p>"Good! Colonel Towton and I await your explanation."</p> - -<p>Maunders again cast a look at door and window and again saw that there -was no hope of escape. "What do you wish to know?" was his sullen -request.</p> - -<p>"In the first place, how you come to be here."</p> - -<p>"That's easy. I started on Saturday to go down to Yorkshire, as I told -you how I intended to go. But news came that my aunt was ill and -wished to see me at once. I turned back at the station and went to -Hampstead. Then I met Hest at the bazaar yesterday----"</p> - -<p>"Does he know that you are Diabella?" interrupted Vernon quickly.</p> - -<p>"No, he doesn't. I met him before I went into the tent to do business. -He asked me why I had not gone to Yorkshire, and when I explained he -asked me down here. I came last night and remained the night. It's all -fair, square, and above-board with me."</p> - -<p>"That's a lie," said Vernon impulsively, "and Hest told me another one -at the bazaar. He could not have seen you between the time I parted -from him and came to you when you were masquerading as Diabella, yet -he told me that he had received a letter from his sister saying you -were in Yorkshire. And you didn't come down here, I take it, to talk -Shakespeare and musical glasses. There is something between you and -this man Hest, and between you and Professor Gail, no doubt."</p> - -<p>Maunders rose suddenly and spoke with great earnestness. "I assure you -that Gail knows nothing more than that Hest asked me to stay as his -guest. He will be here soon, and I beg of you to say nothing to him of -what you have discovered. I shall explain everything to your -satisfaction before you leave this house."</p> - -<p>"On that condition," said Vernon, making a sign that Towton should be -silent, "we will say nothing to the Professor. I believe I hear -footsteps, so no doubt he is coming." Vernon moved away from the door. -"If you try to escape, Maunders, I'll break your leg with a bullet," -and he pulled out a neat revolver which he kept concealed in his hip -pocket.</p> - -<p>"Rather melodramatic," sneered Maunders with a shrug; "However, you -need not be afraid. I'll sit here quietly enough."</p> - -<p>"You have more cause to be afraid than I have. Hush! Here is the -Professor coming," and as he spoke the door opened to admit the old -actor. "Mr. Maunders has just come in to keep us company while we wait -for Mr. Hest," said Vernon in an easy tone.</p> - -<p>"Yes," said Maunders, who by this time had recovered his composure. -"We are old friends and have much to talk about, so don't let us keep -you from your afternoon sleep, Professor."</p> - -<p>"If you will not think me lacking in courtesy," said Gail in his -stately manner, "I shall certainly retire. The brain," he tapped his -forehead, "needs rest, and I have invariably found that sleep, as -Shakespeare says, 'knits up the ravelled sleeve of care.' Wil you have -any refreshment, gentlemen?"</p> - -<p>"No, thank you," replied Vernon politely; "but it is growing dark, so -perhaps you will order lights."</p> - -<p>"Yonder lamp is ready for use," said the Professor, pointing to the -corner near the fireplace, "and certainly it is growing unusually -dark, although it is scarcely five o'clock. A fog is descending on the -verdant earth." He went to the window and looked out. "Yes, a dense -fog. Have you noted, Mr. Maunders, how rapidly these autumnal fogs -descend on London?"</p> - -<p>"Yes. But I should have thought that you were too far away to have -them here," replied Maunders in an easy conversational tone, which did -great credit to his powers of self-control. "No, sir; no. The -fuliginous haze does not spare even our rural suburb, if I may so term -it." He swept aside the curtain with a tragic gesture. "Mark how the -cloudy mists, darkened with smoke, swallow up house after house and -road after road; mark how a brown pall is drawn over the fair green -looks of earth and how the----"</p> - -<p>"One would have to be in a balloon to see all that," said Maunders -rudely. "I hope you won't mind, Professor, but I have private business -to discuss with my friends here. If Mr. Hest comes in, please tell him -I shall see him in his bedroom as soon as my friends go."</p> - -<p>"Do nothing of the sort, Professor," snapped the Colonel. "I have come -here to see Mr. Hest, and he must meet me in this room."</p> - -<p>But the speech of Maunders had offended the touchy old actor. "I have -nothing to do with these things," he said, stalking towards the door, -"and, in the good old English fashion, my guests are at liberty to act -as they please. Mr. Hest need be told nothing, and when he returns he -will certainly enter this room, as is his custom."</p> - -<p>"But----" began Maunders, only to be cut short by the indignant -Professor.</p> - -<p>"You are not my guest, sir, but the guest of Mr. Hest," he said in his -deepest tones, "and you have told me to leave my own room. These -manners are suited to the Hyperboreans of the Far North."</p> - -<p>"I wish to explain----"</p> - -<p>"Explain nothing, sir," cried Gail in the ponderous manner of Dr. -Samuel Johnson. "You may have a front like Mars to threaten and -command, but I am no menial to be so hectored." He swept an imaginary -mantle over his left shoulder and mouthed blank verse:</p> -<br> -<p style="margin-left:10%; text-indent:30%">"We must not stint<br> -Our necessary actions in the fear<br> -To cope malicious censurers."</p> - -<p class="continue">"Therefore," ended Mr. Gail, returning to prose, "I shall retire to my -couch, and so good-day to one and all."</p> - -<p>When he had made his exit, for it could scarcely be said that he took -his departure in a conventional manner, Maunders gave vent to a weak, -tittering laugh, doubtless to cloak the real nervousness he felt. "The -old fool," he observed with his characteristic shrug.</p> - -<p>"Let us hope you will not prove to be a young one by withholding from -us the truth of this shady business you have been engaged in," said -Colonel Towton in a caustic manner, for his sympathies were with the -retired actor.</p> - -<p>"Thank you, I don't wish to receive any compliments," sneered -Maunders, "and, for heaven's sake, let us get this business over at -once. I have more to do than to explain my private affairs to -interlopers."</p> - -<p>Vernon laughed as he saw that under his air of bravado Maunders was -intensely anxious about his position. "That cock won't fight," he said -coolly. "You must be aware that you are in a very dangerous position."</p> - -<p>"I am aware of nothing of the sort. I can justify myself----"</p> - -<p>"Do so, as regards your masquerading."</p> - -<p>"Is it a crime to earn an honest livelihood?"</p> - -<p>"Honest!" said Towton with scorn, "but let that pass."</p> - -<p>"Fortune-telling is as honest as your detective business," said -Maunders insolently to Vernon. "I am Diabella. Why should I deny it?"</p> - -<p>"You can't, or you would. But to dress up as a woman----"</p> - -<p>"I didn't," denied Maunders with a scowl. "I simply wore those -Egyptian robes over my ordinary clothes and the waxen mask to conceal -my face. Also, all that rotten paraphernalia seems to be necessary to -the business."</p> - -<p>"I daresay, to deceive people," said Vernon drily. "Why did you act in -this way, may I ask?"</p> - -<p>"Because I couldn't get my mother to allow me sufficient money to live -on."</p> - -<p>"I thought that Mrs. Bedge was your aunt?" put in the Colonel quickly.</p> - -<p>"So she is, but I am likewise her adopted son. She kept me short, and -I had to earn my money somehow. For three years I have masqueraded as -Diabella, and, although I don't want it known, I don't mind if you do -tell, as no one can say a word against me."</p> - -<p>"I can," said Towton grimly. "You employed your servant to strangle -me."</p> - -<p>Maunders shook his head violently. "I did nothing of the sort. -Hokar----"</p> - -<p>"Is that the native's name?" interposed Vernon suddenly.</p> - -<p>"Yes. I had two native servants. Hokar and Bahadur, and they are both -devoted to me. When you, Colonel, tried to pull off my mask naturally -Hokar intervened to prevent your doing so. In the same way, Vernon, he -punished you for using violence towards me. And I prevented the -faithful fellow from strangling you both, so you have your lives to -thank me for."</p> - -<p>"Why didn't you prevent him from strangling Dimsdale?" asked Towton.</p> - -<p>"I swear that Hokar had nothing to do with that murder, nor had I."</p> - -<p>"Of course, you would say that for your own safety," said Vernon -contemptuously; "but how was it that you became possessed of -Dimsdale's secret?"</p> - -<p>Maunders hesitated. "I am not bound to answer that," he said -defiantly.</p> - -<p>"If you don't answer me you will answer Drench," threatened Vernon -firmly.</p> - -<p>"Drench? You would not dare to bring him into this matter?"</p> - -<p>"Why not? Dimsdale was blackmailed on account of a certain secret, -and, because he would not pay, perished by violence. You know this -secret, so the inference is that you----"</p> - -<p>"That I ordered him to be strangled?" finished Maunders calmly. "How -can that be when Hokar was never near Dimsdale's bungalow in his life, -and certainly, as I was with Miss Hest nearly all the evening, I could -not have committed the murder myself."</p> - -<p>"That remains to be proved," rejoined Vernon, suppressing what Miss -Hest had told him of the young man's movements on the fatal night. -"And even presuming you are innocent of the actual crime, and that -Hokar was not near the house, The Spider, who came to blackmail, must -have learned from you the secret which he threatened to disclose."</p> - -<p>Maunders was silent for a moment. "You can't prove that I knew -about this secret," he said doggedly.</p> - -<p>"Colonel Towton can swear that he heard it from Diabella, and I can -prove that you are the fortune-teller. These facts only admit of one -interpretation, Maunders. Either you are an accomplice of The Spider -or you are The Spider himself."</p> - -<p>"It's a lie, it's an infernal lie," cried Maunders greatly agitated.</p> - -<p>"It's the truth, and you know it. Your face reveals the truth."</p> - -<p>"How can you tell that when we are nearly in darkness with this fog?" -asked Maunders between his teeth.</p> - -<p>"I can see well enough, and the darkness is easily remedied. Colonel, -will you please light the lamp while I keep an eye on our friend -here."</p> - -<p>Maunders cursed his former schoolfellow ardently, while Towton quietly -lighted the tall lamp which stood in the corner. The light soon glowed -through a rosy shade, adorned in a tawdry manner with artificial -flowers, and Vernon stepped up to Maunders. The scamp met his scrutiny -unflinchingly, and displayed a courage worthy of a better cause. He -was pale with apprehension, for he well knew, in spite of his bravado, -that he was in a tight place. But the crimson hue of the light -filtering through the shade threw a delicate glow on his finely-cut -face. Facing the two gentlemen, who knew him past all denial to -be a scoundrel, he looked as handsome a lad as ever stepped in -shoe-leather. It seemed a terrible pity that so fair an outside should -mask such internal evil. Something of this sort occurred to Vernon as -he stepped back with a sigh.</p> - -<p>"I wish you were as decent a fellow as you look," he said in a -regretful voice. "In heaven's name, Maunders, why can't you be an -honest man? You have a handsome face, a fine figure, you have had the -best education England can afford, and you hold a good position in the -social world. Finally, your aunt, Mrs. Bedge, who adopted you as her -son, loves you dearly, and if you have not sufficient self-respect to -keep straight for your own sake you might behave like an honest -gentleman for hers."</p> - -<p>Maunders might have been moved by this discourse, or he might not. At -all events, he showed little signs of feeling on his classic face. -"It's all very well your talking," he said sullenly and looking down, -a trifle ashamed, if indeed he could be said to display any emotion, -"but I have been brought up to live like a prince. I have the tastes -of a duke and the income of a pauper, so I must gratify my fancies -somehow. I am no more proud of having had to take to fortune-telling -for my bread and butter than you are in setting up as a private -detective. Neither business is respectable, but the law can say -nothing to you or me."</p> - -<p>"Nothing to me, certainly," Vernon assured him coldly, "since I am, and -always have been, on the side of justice. Your fortune-telling may be -innocent enough in the main, since you prefer wringing money from -silly people instead of taking up a good business. But it's your -connection with The Spider that is dangerous to you."</p> - -<p>"I am not The Spider, and I have no connection with the beast."</p> - -<p>"In that case how comes it that The Spider offers to place Lady -Corsoon in possession of her niece's fortune on condition that she -permits _you_ to marry Miss Corsoon?"</p> - -<p>The Colonel uttered an ejaculation of mingled wrath and horror, and -Maunders grew a shade paler. "Is that true?" Towton demanded with a -look of loathing at Maunders and then an inquiring glance at Vernon.</p> - -<p>"Perfectly true," was the response. "I did not intend to say anything -to you, Colonel, since the affair is a private one of Lady Corsoon's. -But it seems necessary to be frank even at the risk of exposing a -lady's secrets, much as I hate to do so. Lady Corsoon received an -offer from The Spider to return certain jewels which she pawned to pay -her bridge losses, and which he obtained possession of by means of -forged pawntickets, on condition that she should pay one thousand -pounds. Afterwards another letter was received saying that he -would take ten thousand pounds--a single year's income of Miss -Dimsdale's--and would place Lady Corsoon in possession of the fortune. -She was to pay the money and consent to the marriage of our friend -here with Miss Corsoon. How do you explain this interest which The -Spider takes in you, Maunders, if you don't know him?"</p> - -<p>The culprit moistened his dry lips and replied with insolent boldness: -"I wrote that letter to Lady Corsoon myself--that is, the second -letter. I know nothing about the first."</p> - -<p>"Then you are The Spider?" cried Towton fiercely.</p> - -<p>"No. Don't run your head against a wall," retorted Maunders coolly, -and fighting for every inch of the disputed ground. "Lady Corsoon told -me about the first letter and the threat. I advised her to consult -Vernon in his character of Nemo, and did him a good turn."</p> - -<p>"And yourself a better," said Vernon scornfully. "You hoped that Lady -Corsoon on learning my employment would forbid me to think of her -daughter."</p> - -<p>"Yes, I did. However, I sent her to you to do business. Then I thought -as she was committed so far with The Spider that there would be no -harm in my trying to get her on my side so that I might marry Lucy. I -knew that Ida was not entitled to the fortune, as there was no will -and she was not old Dimsdale's daughter. I knew also that Lady Corsoon -was kept short by her husband and would like to have her own money, if -only to pay The Spider and recover the jewels so as to hide her fault -from Sir Julius. For this reason I wrote the letter asking that Lady -Corsoon should aid me to marry her daughter."</p> - -<p>"And you asked for ten thousand pounds also," said Towton wrathfully.</p> - -<p>"Only one year's income of the Dimsdale investments," retorted -Maunders with great coolness; "a man must have some money for his -honeymoon."</p> - -<p>"And when Lady Corsoon died you guessed that your wife--which she -never will be, you can rest assured--would inherit the whole Dimsdale -fortune?"</p> - -<p>"Quite so. I thought of everything. I suppose Lady Corsoon showed you -the second letter as well as the first in your character of Nemo?"</p> - -<p>"You are correct," replied Vernon with great composure, "and I noted -that the second letter, like the first, was signed with the ideograph -of The Spider."</p> - -<p>"Naturally, it would be," said Maunders with a shrug. "I easily had an -india-rubber stamp made. The thing, if done, had to be well done."</p> - -<p>"You are a blackguard," said Colonel Towton, much disgusted. "And may -I ask," requested Vernon with irony, "how many other people you have -blackmailed by using this stamp?"</p> - -<p>"None; nor did I blackmail Lady Corsoon. I simply made a suggestion."</p> - -<p>"On the threat of telling her husband about her gambling and sale of -the family jewels."</p> - -<p>"The Spider used that argument first," said Maunders sullenly; "I -simply endorsed it."</p> - -<p>"I heartily believe that you are the scoundrel himself," snapped -Towton.</p> - -<p>"I swear I am not. Why, even my mother was blackmailed--my adopted -mother, that is--on the plea that she is my _real_ mother. Would I -have done such a thing as that?</p> - -<p>"You would do anything to gain your own ends," said Vernon coldly, -"always provided your villainy was not discovered."</p> - -<p>Maunders grew furiously scarlet. "At least I would have spared my -aunt. Mrs. Bedge would give me her last sixpence in my character as -her adopted son. There was no need for me to attempt blackmail."</p> - -<p>"Perhaps there was not. But all this does not explain how you came to -communicate the secret of Dimsdale to The Spider."</p> - -<p>"I didn't communicate it, and how he managed to learn it I can't say."</p> - -<p>"How did you become possessed of it?" asked Towton very directly.</p> - -<p>"I shan't tell you. And I'm not going to be ragged any longer. If I'd -guessed for one moment that you were in this house I would not have -put in an appearance."</p> - -<p>"I can well believe that," said Vernon coolly.</p> - -<p>"It's not that I'm afraid," Maunders hastily assured him. "As Diabella -I have done nothing to which the law can take exception. The assaults -on you and the Colonel were brought about by your own damned meddling -and by the fidelity of Hokar. But I have given up playing -Diabella----"</p> - -<p>"Because you feared lest we should have you arrested," said Towton -shrewdly.</p> - -<p>"No. Had I been afraid I should never have appeared at the bazaar."</p> - -<p>"Oh, yes, you would. You pretended to leave London so as to provide an -_alibi_ in case of danger," said Vernon quietly, "and you did not -think that Colonel Towton would be at the bazaar. Seeing me didn't -matter, as you did not know that Towton and myself were working -together. And when I think of the infernal rubbish you told me----"</p> - -<p>"It was your own fault," said Maunders sulkily, "and I've had enough -of this so, I'm off."</p> - -<p>He moved towards the door, but Towton sprang forward and caught his -arm. "If you leave this room you will be handed over to the police," -he declared.</p> - -<p>"He will be handed over in any case," said Vernon decisively.</p> - -<p>Maunders turned ghastly pale and his knees shook. He was beginning to -lose the courage which had carried him so far successfully. "Vernon, -you would not disgrace your old friend," he pleaded piteously.</p> - -<p>"You are no friend of mine," was the stern reply, "and your sole -chance of escape from arrest is to reveal how you learned this secret -of Dimsdale's."</p> - -<p>"If I tell it will you let me leave this house free?"</p> - -<p>"No, I shan't. I intend to keep an eye on you until this mystery of -The Spider is cleared up. You are his jackal."</p> - -<p>"I am not; I know nothing. I refuse to speak."</p> - -<p>"Colonel, go out and fetch a policeman."</p> - -<p>"No! No! No! No!" almost shrieked the wretched man, and flung himself -on his knees. "Arthur, don't, don't. I swear I am innocent. I know -nothing of Dimsdale's murder."</p> - -<p>"Stand up, you cur, and speak out," said Vernon, more enraged by this -exhibition of weakness than he had been by the man's insolence. "How -did you learn this secret of Dimsdale's? Is it true or a lie?"</p> - -<p>"It is true. It is true. I swear it is true. Oh, don't call in the -police."</p> - -<p>Maunders still grovelled and clung to the knees of Vernon with such -force that the young man could not get away. Outside, the fog had -rolled right up to the single window of the apartment, and the livid -look of the atmosphere suited the situation much better than did the -calm, rosy light of the lamp. Near the door knelt Maunders, weeping -piteously and begging that the police might not be called in. Vernon -stood silent, but Towton gave vent to an oath at the unmanly demeanour -of the detected scoundrel.</p> - -<p>"Who told you the secret?" he demanded fiercely. "I insist upon -knowing, and if you don't tell I'll call in the police myself. A cur -such as you are should be under lock and key."</p> - -<p>"Come, Maunders," said Vernon sternly, "who told you?"</p> - -<p>"Miss Jewin. She knew Dimsdale in India and Burmah," snuffled the -kneeling man, desperately afraid.</p> - -<p>"Who is Miss Jewin?"</p> - -<p>"Hest's housekeeper at Gerby----"</p> - -<p>"What!" Both men uttered the ejaculation simultaneously and looked at -one another. Then ensued a silence, while the fog closed in thicker -and darker, and only the weeping of Maunders could be heard. Suddenly -from the hall came the sound of the door opening, and then a firm -footstep. Maunders gave a wild cry and clung vehemently to Vernon's -legs.</p> - -<p>"It's Hest! It's Hest! He'll kill me for telling."</p> - -<p>"Then Hest is The----"</p> - -<p>"Yes! Yes! He's The Spider and----"</p> - -<p>The door was flung open as the footsteps paused, and Francis Hest, -wrapped in a heavy overcoat, stood on the threshold smiling. Maunders -beat the ground with his hands and crawled to the newcomer's feet.</p> - -<p>"I couldn't help it; I couldn't help it. I had to tell you were----"</p> - -<p>"The Spider," cried Vernon, whipping out his revolver. "I arrest you -in----"</p> - -<p>He got no further. At the words of Maunders the villain's face had -changed with the rapidity of lightning from smiles to desperate anger. -He cast a furious look on his accomplice then suddenly lowered his -head so as to get under the line of fire. The next moment Vernon felt -Hest charge him head downward in the stomach. The revolver shot -harmlessly to the roof, while the young man, taken by surprise, was -dashed against the Colonel. Both men fell in a confused heap.</p> - -<p>"Follow! Follow, you devil!" cried Hest kicking Maunders, still on his -knees, and then he rushed out of the door. Maunders leaped up to race -for his liberty and closed the door behind him. When the Colonel and -Vernon got on their feet again they rushed into the hall to find it -empty. The front door had crashed to with a noise like thunder, and -they heard it being locked on the outside, to the accompaniment of a -triumphal laugh.</p> - -<p>"We've lost them," cried Vernon, tugging vainly at the door. "They'll -get away easily in the fog."</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_16" href="#div1Ref_16">CHAPTER XVI.</a></h4> -<h5>THE SEARCH.</h5> -<br> - -<p>While Vernon desperately tried to wrench open the front door Towton, -with the quick foresight of an old soldier, ran back into the -drawing-room and lifted the window sash. In less than two minutes he -was outside and hastened to release his companion. Luckily, in his -hurry Hest had been unable to extract the key from the lock, so a -swift turn of the wrist soon removed the barrier. Vernon and the -Colonel set off hot-footed in pursuit of the fugitives, and as they -plunged into the fog caught a glimpse of Gail and his wife hurrying -into the hall with scared faces, doubtless attracted by the ominous -sound of the pistol-shot. But there was no time to explain as every -moment was of value, and the two men put their hearts into the chase.</p> - -<p>The sudden autumnal fog which had so unexpectedly descended had turned -the atmosphere to thick wool, so that it was difficult to breathe, let -alone to see. On all sides the gloomy mists shut in the prospect, and -after racing vaguely for some minutes down the silent road, the -pursuers halted by mutual consent to listen for possible flying -footsteps. Not a sound struck on their ears; it might have been the -middle of the night, so dense was the darkness and so silent the whole -neighbourhood. They could not tell in which direction the two -scoundrels had fled, and on the face of it pursuit was absolutely -useless.</p> - -<p>"We might make for the railway station," suggested the Colonel; "They -may have gone there."</p> - -<p>Vernon shook his head. "I doubt it. Maunders is too cunning and Hest -too desperate to think of taking the train to Waterloo. But, in any -case, I'll send a wire to the stationmaster asking him to detain them. -Maunders can be recognised from having no hat."</p> - -<p>"There are many men who wear no hat nowadays," said Towton dismally, -"it is not a distinguishing mark worth much. But how the dickens are -we to find a telegraph office in this fog?"</p> - -<p>Vernon looked around and noted a weak flare of light illuminating the -darkness. Followed by his companion, he walked towards it and found -that it came from the windows of a grocer's shop at the corner of the -road. Entering quickly, he asked for the nearest telegraph office, and -learned to his great satisfaction that it was at the chemist's two or -three doors down. The worthy grocer looked somewhat alarmed at the -entrance of two gentlemen without hats, for, in their haste, Vernon -and his friend had forgotten to take them. But they gave the tradesmen -no time to ask questions, and by closely skirting the shops round the -corner managed to find that of the chemist. Here Vernon sent a wire to -the stationmaster at Waterloo instructing him to detain two men, one -dark and one fair, without a hat, who might possibly arrive by an -early train. He added a meagre description of their dress, so that the -telegram proved to be somewhat lengthy.</p> - -<p>"But I fear it is useless," said Vernon as they left the shop and had -handed the wire to the startled chemist. "They won't take the train, -I'm certain, and even if they do my description is not clear enough, -unless the Waterloo stationmaster happens to be singularly -intelligent."</p> - -<p>"We can but hope for the best, and we have done all we can," said -Towton in a decided tone. "What's to be done now?"</p> - -<p>"We must return to Siddons Villa, both to get our hats and to see -Gail."</p> - -<p>"How are we to retrace our steps in this fog?"</p> - -<p>"Petterby Road is just round the corner, and by keeping to the -railings of the gardens we are bound to find the house."</p> - -<p>It was as Vernon said. They had raced in a straight line down to the -grocer's shop at the corner and had not left Petterby Road until they -went to the telegraph office. On recovering the bearings of the first -shop they carefully felt their way up the road, reading on every gate -the designation of each house. In this way, and after some ten or -twelve minutes had elapsed, they managed to strike Siddons Villa and -again found themselves at the front door. It was closed, as also was -the window.</p> - -<p>"I hope Gail has not run away also," said Vernon ringing the bell.</p> - -<p>"Do you suspect he has anything to do with the business?"</p> - -<p>"Who knows? On the face of it he looks innocent, and Maunders -certainly swore that the old man was ignorant. But Maunders is a liar -and----"</p> - -<p>Here the door was cautiously opened, and the white face of Professor -Gail became visible. "Who is there?" he asked in a trembling voice.</p> - -<p>"Mr. Vernon and Colonel Towton," said the latter gentleman; "we have -returned to get our hats and to explain."</p> - -<p>"You won't fire any more pistols? My wife is almost fainting, and I -don't like this sort of business. What does it----"</p> - -<p>"Open the door, open the door!" cried the Colonel testily; "you shall -have a full explanation."</p> - -<p>Mr. Gail still seemed reluctant, as he apparently took them for -robbers and dangerous rogues, so Vernon, losing patience, forced -the door back and the old actor along with it. They faced the -Professor in the hall and saw that he was holding an old-fashioned -blunderbuss--probably a stage property used in "The Miller and His -Men" and other out-of-date plays. In the distance, and sheltering -herself behind her husband, was Mrs. Gail grasping a poker in her -trembling hand. The pair seemed to be thoroughly frightened, and, -considering the circumstances, it was small wonder that they were.</p> - -<p>"I have sent Maria for a policeman," quavered Mrs. Gail, "and both my -husband and myself are armed."</p> - -<p>"I hope Maria won't lose herself in the fog," said Vernon -good-humouredly, and in spite of his vexation at the escape of The -Spider and his jackal.</p> - -<p>"In heaven's name, what does it mean?" demanded the Professor somewhat -recovering his dignity.</p> - -<p>"Come into the drawing-room and we will explain," said Towton with -some impatience, for he had small leniency for cowardice; "There's -nothing to be afraid of. Mr. Vernon and I are honest men: you have got -rid of the villains."</p> - -<p>"The villains?" shrieked Mrs. Gail, trembling violently and dropping -the poker.</p> - -<p>"Maunders and Hest," said Vernon carelessly; "come in."</p> - -<p>He preceded his friend and the Gails into the drawing-room, quite -certain, from the way in which they had behaved, that they knew -nothing of the wicked doings of Hest and Maunders. When the door was -closed and everyone was seated Vernon proceeded to examine the actor -and actress. The situation, as Professor Gail said afterwards, was -highly dramatic.</p> - -<p>"You must answer my questions frankly," said Vernon addressing the -couple; "if you do not, the police may interfere."</p> - -<p>"The police?" shrieked Mrs. Gail, turning as white as chalk.</p> - -<p>The Professor silenced her with a gesture and spoke to Vernon with -great dignity. "Young man," he said, striving to keep his voice from -trembling, "I pay my rates and taxes, my bills to my tradesmen, and my -rent for our home. Under these circumstances I cannot see why you -should talk of the police."</p> - -<p>"I speak of them in connection with what has taken place."</p> - -<p>"And you may well do so, young man. To fire a pistol in a private -house----"</p> - -<p>"That was an accident," Vernon hastened to explain. "My revolver went -off when Mr. Hest assaulted me."</p> - -<p>"Why should Mr. Hest assault you?" demanded Mrs. Gail, much -astonished.</p> - -<p>"That's a long story. Tell me," Vernon turned towards the Professor -while Towton held his peace and nursed his hat, "what do you know of -Maunders?"</p> - -<p>"Know of him?" said the amazed Gail, looking thoroughly puzzled. "I -know no more than that he is a friend of Mr. Hest's who called last -night and who was requested, by Mr. Hest and not by me, to stay the -night. I have never set eyes on him before."</p> - -<p>"Did Miss Hest ever mention him?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, she did," broke in Mrs. Gail, who was listening intently. "She -told me that he was a friend of hers in love with Miss Dimsdale, and -mentioned that he was the only man she had ever seen handsome enough -to play Romeo as Romeo should be played."</p> - -<p>Professor Gail nodded his head graciously. "I agree with Miss Hest -there," he said gravely; "Mr. Maunders is indeed handsome. But she -never told us anything about him, Mr. Vernon, save what my wife has -related."</p> - -<p>"And Mr. Hest? What do you know of him?"</p> - -<p>"Nothing more than that he is the brother of my talented pupil. He -came with the message from his sister, who is at her ancestral halls -in Yorkshire, to the effect that she would return in a month, or -perchance earlier, to fulfil certain engagements which I have procured -her. I invited him to stay here during his stay in town."</p> - -<p>"Why did you?" asked the Colonel, speaking for the first time. Gail -looked embarrassed, but Mrs. Gail spoke for him. "Mr. Hest, we know, -is very rich," she said frankly, "and both my husband and myself wish -to have a theatre of our own. We thought that if we showed him some -hospitality he might finance us. I must say," she added, looking -puzzled, "that I wondered that such a rich man was content to accept -our humble lodgings instead of going to a swell hotel. But he seems to -be easily pleased."</p> - -<p>"It was not that, Hettie," said the Professor quickly. "Mr. Hest -simply remained here so that he could persuade me to induce my -talented pupil to give up reciting, as he dreaded lest she should go -on the stage. And she ought to be an actress, in my humble opinion, -for her capabilities are of a very high order. As Lady Macbeth, or in -any of Sardou's characters, such as La Tosca, Fedora, and the rest, -she would produce a sensation."</p> - -<p>The speech of both man and wife seemed frank enough, and they appeared -to be a couple of simple people devoted to their profession and quite -ignorant of evil. Vernon glanced at Towton and saw from the expression -of the Colonel's face that he thoroughly believed them. Still, so as -to be quite sure of his ground, he asked another question: "Miss Hest -as a reciter or an actress may be all that can be desired, but do -you and Mrs. Gail like her personally; do you think she is what we -call--well--er--straight?"</p> - -<p>"Yes," cried the woman forcibly; "Miss Hest is one in a thousand. She -is a kind-hearted lady who sympathises with those who struggle."</p> - -<p>"Hettie is quite right," said the Professor with dignity. "Many a time -has Miss Hest assisted us when tradespeople have worried. I am sure -that she would have persuaded her brother to enable us to enter into -management in the long run, as she has every confidence in my -capabilities."</p> - -<p>"And in mine," said Mrs. Gail jealously. "She said that my Emilia in -'Othello' was the best performance she had ever seen. But now, -gentlemen," the actress rose to give effect to her words, "may I -inquire why you ask these questions, and why you come here to fire -pistols in a peaceful home?"</p> - -<p>At the beginning it had been in Vernon's mind to tell the whole story -right out and to tax the couple with complicity. But they really -seemed to be entirely ignorant of Hest's true character, and evidently -had only lately met Maunders. He therefore did not think it wise to -reveal what he and the Colonel knew lest the Gails should gossip about -the matter. And until he had consulted Drench the young man did not -desire that this last unusual affair should become public. He therefore -shot a warning glance at the Colonel and answered cautiously:</p> - -<p>"It is only a private matter, Mrs. Gail, which is not worth explaining. The -pistol-shot was an accident."</p> - -<p>"But you said that Mr. Maunders and Mr. Hest were villains," she -persisted. "Ah, I spoke somewhat harshly, being a trifle excited. They -have treated me and my friend here very badly and we came for redress. -How their consciences smote them you can judge from the fact of their -flight. You will possibly never see them again. But if they do chance -to return you must wire to me at once to the Athenian Club, Pall -Mall."</p> - -<p>"I don't like these hints and suggestions of evil, sir," said Gail, -restlessly, "and certainly I should never think of telegraphing to you -unless Mr. Maunders and Mr. Hest give me leave. And why, sir, should -they not return?"</p> - -<p>"Don't seek to know any more, Mr. Gail, but do as you are told," said -Vernon in a peremptory tone, "and also it will be wise if you and your -wife hold your tongues over what has happened and stop the servant -from talking."</p> - -<p>"Suppose we don't?" demanded Mrs. Gail aggressively.</p> - -<p>"In that case you will get into trouble."</p> - -<p>"How dare you--how dare----"</p> - -<p>"See here!" Colonel Towton rose angrily. "We have reason to believe -that these men are connected with The Spider."</p> - -<p>Mrs. Gail shrieked and the Professor turned pale. Both knew that -terrible name which was so freely mentioned in the papers. "Do you -mean to say----"</p> - -<p>"We say nothing," said Vernon sharply, "and my friend here has perhaps -said too much. But it is as well that you should know the necessity of -keeping silent tongues in your heads."</p> - -<p>"We, knowing nothing of these matters, cannot be expected to----"</p> - -<p>"I am quite aware that you are innocent of complicity," interrupted -Towton, "but you both must promise to be silent until you have leave -to speak."</p> - -<p>"And if not?"</p> - -<p>"Already I have told you that the police will interfere," observed -Vernon coldly. "This business is concerned with The Spider, so, for -your own sakes, hold your confounded tongues."</p> - -<p>The Gails, however, were not so easily commanded. They wished to know -how Hest and Maunders were connected with The Spider, and if they were -in any way accused of being, as they termed it, "in the know." But the -arguments and commands of Towton, together with those of Vernon, -gradually induced the worthy couple to listen to reason. In fact, at -the end of half an hour both were thoroughly terrified into thinking -that their reputation might be ruined were it known that men connected -with The Spider had been under their roof. Neither Gail nor his wife -were averse to being mentioned in the papers or to securing an -advertisement so as to add to their theatrical fame, but the publicity -likely to be procured from the late episode was not the sort they -desired. They therefore finally agreed to keep silence about the -strange interview and the flight of their guests, and also declared -that they would make Maria hold her tongue. Nevertheless, their -curiosity remained unabated, and Vernon had to promise them that it -would some day be satisfied.</p> - -<p>"You shall know all when the time comes," he said when taking leave, -"but keep silence until the appointed hour lest you get into trouble."</p> - -<p>This speech, being somewhat stagey, sounded pleasantly in the ears of -the couple, and Towton left the house with his friend, quite satisfied -that Professor Gail and his wife and their servant would say nothing -of what had taken place. "And now," said the Colonel, "let us grope -our way to the station. After we reach town we can see Drench."</p> - -<p>Vernon agreed, and by following the line of houses they finally -managed, but with some difficulty, to get to the railway. Here they -had to wait for a considerable time for a train, as the ordinary -traffic was somewhat complicated by fog. It was eight o'clock before -they reached Waterloo, and they learned from the stationmaster that -nothing had been seen of the two men alluded to in the telegram, -although each train and the barrier of the platform it arrived at had -been watched by the police. Vernon was not surprised at this -intelligence.</p> - -<p>"I thought both Hest and Maunders were too clever to risk a wire to -Waterloo Station, as they knew I would send it."</p> - -<p>"What's to be done now?"</p> - -<p>"Let us go to your rooms and send a telegram to Drench at Hampstead -asking him to come down."</p> - -<p>"The fog is still thick," said Towton as they stepped into a taxi; -"perhaps he won't come. Hang it, every possible obstacle seems to be -placed in our way. The blackguards will escape."</p> - -<p>"Not out of England, at all events," said Vernon grimly. "When we -explain everything to Drench he will have all the stations and all the -ports watched. We'll catch them sooner or later."</p> - -<p>But the young man spoke with more confidence than he actually felt, as -he knew that Hest was extraordinarily clever in concealing himself. As -The Spider he had baffled the police for years, and, being an -arch-criminal, would be dexterous enough to escape even out of this -tight corner. He began to consider what was best to be done after -sending a wire to Inspector Drench, when his meditations were broken -in upon by the Colonel.</p> - -<p>"Do you really believe that Hest is The Spider?"</p> - -<p>"Of course. Didn't you see his face change when Maunders spoke, and -didn't he cut and run when he saw that the game was up?"</p> - -<p>"It certainly looks like guilt. And yet it seems incredible. The man -always has lived in Yorkshire, whereas The Spider is supposed to live -in town."</p> - -<p>"No one has ever known the whereabouts of The Spider," said Vernon -coolly, "and it is as easy to write blackmailing letters in Yorkshire -and post them in London as to live in town altogether for that -purpose. Besides, his sister told me herself that Hest frequently went -away for days and weeks at a time. Doubtless he was attending to his -nefarious business in London."</p> - -<p>"How do you reconcile this devilry with his philanthropy?"</p> - -<p>"It seems odd, doesn't it? But we know that the worst criminals have -their good points. There lives some soul of good in all things evil, -you know."</p> - -<p>"I rather think," said the Colonel grimly, "that Hest looks upon -himself as a kind of modern Robin Hood, who takes from the rich to -give to the poor. He blackmailed wealthy folk in order to build his -Bolly Reservoir and his confounded school-houses. Robbed Peter to pay -Paul, as you might put it."</p> - -<p>"Rob Dives to help Demos is the way he would put it," said Vernon with -a shrug. "However, we have made a great discovery and one which the -police will thank us for making. When Hest is captured many a rich man -will sleep the easier."</p> - -<p>"Yes, when he is captured; but that won't be easy."</p> - -<p>"I agree with you. The Spider is as clever as his father--the devil. -Humph!" added Vernon thoughtfully, "I wonder if his sister knows -anything about his infernal doings."</p> - -<p>"No," said the Colonel decidedly. "I don't like Miss Hest, as I think -she is too imperious and masterful and wants her own way too much. All -the same, I don't believe she would have countenanced her brother's -behaviour. Besides, she was always away from him, and he doubtless -carried on his pranks without her knowledge."</p> - -<p>"You defend her. I thought you didn't like her?"</p> - -<p>"I admitted only a moment ago that I did not," snapped the Colonel as -the taxi cautiously felt its way up Whitehall, "but I must be just to -her. The poor woman will suffer as it is when her brother's -criminality becomes known. It will ruin her reciting business."</p> - -<p>"That's true, and there is no chance of keeping the matter quiet. Hest -must be captured and imprisoned."</p> - -<p>"Hanged, you mean. Remember, he murdered Martin Dimsdale."</p> - -<p>Vernon shuddered. "I suppose he did," was his reluctant admission. "I -am sorry for Miss Hest, as, contrary to your opinion, I think highly -of her. She may be masterful, as you say, but Ida is so weak that it -is just as well that she should have someone to lead her in the right -way."</p> - -<p>"Oh, Miss Hest has led her in the right way, no doubt," retorted the -Colonel; "but I prefer to be the guide myself. See here, Vernon, come -down with me next week to my place at Bowderstyke."</p> - -<p>"What for? We have to hunt down Hest and Maunders."</p> - -<p>"We can safely leave that to Drench and his underlings. I want to get -Ida away from Gerby Hall. Sorry as I am for Miss Hest in having such a -brother, I don't want Ida to continue under her protection any longer, -especially as she wants to marry her to Maunders."</p> - -<p>"Maunders will have no chance now," said Vernon with a grim chuckle. -"But you are a bachelor, Towton, so Ida will scarcely be able to come -to The Grange."</p> - -<p>"I shall ask her aunt down as chaperon."</p> - -<p>"Lady Corsoon? Good! And ask Lucy also, for my sake."</p> - -<p>"With great pleasure. I think that the removal of Maunders from my -path and yours will result in the courses of our love running -smoother. Ah, here we are, and I'm glad, as I want drink and -victuals."</p> - -<p>After the long, cautious creeping through the fog the two gentlemen -arrived at the Colonel's rooms, and Bendham was sent out for food. -Having dined, they smoked and talked while waiting for Inspector -Drench. But he never came. A telegram arrived instead stating that the -fog prevented his keeping the appointment. And it also prevented -Vernon getting back to his own quarters, so the Colonel put him up for -the night. Next day the hunt for the criminals began in earnest.</p> - -<p>Before Drench arrived, which he did at eleven o'clock, Professor Gail -came to the Athenian Cub, where the gentlemen were waiting, and -produced a wire which had arrived for Hest on that morning. He had not -opened it, being afraid, but brought it intact to Vernon. That young -man had no compunction under the circumstances in reading it, and -found that it was from Frances Hest to her brother asking him to -return home as divers matters connected with the estate required his -attention.</p> - -<p>"Sent first thing this morning," said Vernon passing the wire to the -Colonel. "Poor woman! she doesn't know that her brother has been found -out."</p> - -<p>The wire was shown to Inspector Drench when he duly arrived, and he -was exhaustively informed of all that had taken place. He was -naturally both astonished and interested, but nevertheless expressed -himself annoyed that civilians should have proceeded so far without -invoking the police. Drench gave both the Colonel and Vernon to -understand that if he had been on the spot Hest and his accomplice -would not have escaped so easily, a view with which they privately -differed, although they did not think it wise to say so. But Towton -_did_ intimate to the Inspector that he was a military man and not a -civilian, whatever Vernon might be. Drench declined to take any notice -of this remark.</p> - -<p>The Inspector also questioned Gail closely, but could learn nothing -from him of any moment, since the old actor knew nothing and was -greatly agitated over the whole affair. Finally, bidding all three -hold their tongues, Drench sallied forth to search for the missing -pair. He saw the Scotland Yard authorities and wired to all the ports -and railway stations in the kingdom. As yet, and because he desired to -keep the affair out of the newspapers, Drench did not advertise in the -journals, or by handbills. Otherwise, in every way he strove to find -the fugitives.</p> - -<p>He might as well have attempted to find a shell at the bottom of the -Atlantic. Day after day went by and no news was heard of Hest or -Maunders, and from the moment they had been swallowed up by the fog at -Isleworth nothing had been seen of them. They had not, so far as could -be ascertained, passed out of the kingdom, and certainly they were not -to be found in the kingdom itself. Like Macbeth's witches, they had -made themselves thin air: like the children of Korah and Dathan, they -apparently had been swallowed up by the earth. But, thanks to Drench, -the discovery of the identity of The Spider and his subsequent escape -had not yet been made public, and the Press knew nothing of what was -taking place. But the time had now come when publicity was absolutely -necessary.</p> - -<p>"There's nothing else for it," said Drench, and Vernon in spite of his -wish to keep things quiet, agreed with him.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_17" href="#div1Ref_17">CHAPTER XVII.</a></h4> -<h5>IN THE TRAIN.</h5> -<br> - -<p>Within a week of the episode at Isleworth Colonel Towton took Vernon -with him to Yorkshire. Inspector Drench was still searching for the -fugitives and was still unable to find them. True to his reputation, -The Spider had covered up his tracks in a most masterly manner, and -there was not the slightest clue to indicate his whereabouts. -Presumably Maunders was with him, as he had not returned to his rooms -in Planet Street, nor had he been seen in any of his usual haunts -about town. This was to be expected, as Maunders had, as the saying -goes, "gone under," and the society wherein he had glittered so gaily -would henceforth know him no more. It seemed a pity that a young man -with talents and good looks and social position should have ruined his -life at the very outset of a promising career. But there must have -been some criminal strain in Maunders, which came to the surface in -prosperity instead of being revealed by poverty. He was, as Coleridge -says about people with such natures, "a fool in a circumbendibus."</p> - -<p>However, it was useless for Vernon to mourn over his old school -friend's downfall. He had done his best to keep him in the straight -path and had failed to prevent his feet from straying. He therefore, -as there was nothing else to be done at this eleventh hour, washed his -hands of him and left him, together with Hest, to the tender mercies -of the law as represented by the Inspector. Now that Drench had all -the threads in his own hands he resented anyone else weaving them into -ropes for the necks of the criminals, as he apparently wished to -secure all the glory and honour of the capture to himself. Both Towton -and Vernon were rather glad that the Inspector took this view, as they -wished to have nothing more to do with the matter. And, before leaving -London for Bowderstyke, Vernon shut up his Covent Garden office and -formally renounced his pseudonym of Nemo. As by this time he was -officially recognised as his uncle's heir he could well afford to do -so. Sir Edward, however, still lingered between life and death, so it -was doubtful when Vernon would enter into his kingdom.</p> - -<p>While the train was flying through the autumnal landscape Towton and -his guest made themselves comfortable in a first-class compartment, -which they had secured to themselves, for the purpose of uninterrupted -conversation. They were still deeply interested in the case and looked -forward anxiously to the capture of The Spider. It was only right that -he should suffer for his dastardly crime in murdering an old and -inoffensive man. As to Maunders, he was evidently hand in glove with -the cleverer rascal, and would undoubtedly be given a long term of -imprisonment. Thus society would be rid of two dangerous people, and -those with secrets would sleep the easier, knowing that one Asmodeus -was dead and the other safely locked up.</p> - -<p>"But I don't know what poor Mrs. Bedge will do," said Vernon looking -dolefully out of the window.</p> - -<p>"Does she know anything?" asked the Colonel, throwing down the morning -paper which he had been reading and settling himself for a talk.</p> - -<p>Vernon nodded. "I saw her yesterday. She sent to ask me what had -become of Constantine. I was obliged to tell her."</p> - -<p>"Do you think that was kind or wise?"</p> - -<p>"I think so, decidedly. It was better that Mrs. Bedge should learn the -truth from a friend than see it crudely printed in the daily papers. -And there it is bound to appear sooner or later."</p> - -<p>"Drench will have to catch The Spider first," said the Colonel coolly. -"No easy task, as we know. What did she say?"</p> - -<p>"At first she declined to believe it, badly as Maunders has treated -her. She kept insisting that it was all a mistake and that Constantine -would appear to put matters right."</p> - -<p>"What wonderful faith these women have, Vernon."</p> - -<p>"Bless them, yes. They go by their hearts entirely."</p> - -<p>"In that case," remarked Towton drily, "Mrs. Bedge must have known -that Maunders is not the saint she tries to make him out to be."</p> - -<p>"I did not say that she went by her instinct," replied Vernon equally -drily; "there is a difference between that and heart-love. Because -Constantine is her sister's child and her adopted son Mrs. Bedge's -heart, which he has almost broken, cherishes him fondly; but her -instinct must have told her long ago that the fellow is a scamp of the -worst sort."</p> - -<p>"He's a thorough-paced scoundrel," said the Colonel vigorously.</p> - -<p>"Mrs. Bedge declined to take that view of him. She wailed that he had -a tender heart and was led away because he had a weak nature. In fact, -her defence was that of a man being his own worst enemy."</p> - -<p>"Maunders certainly was. He had all the gifts of the gods, yet----"</p> - -<p>"Yet fell because the greatest gift of honest purpose was not given," -finished Vernon. "Hang it all, Towton, scamp as the fellow is, I am -sorry for him."</p> - -<p>"I'm not," growled Towton savagely.</p> - -<p>"Ah, you did not play with him as a child, nor did you go to school -with him, my friend. Although I'm bound to say that Constantine was -always a selfish chap--what you would call a rotter."</p> - -<p>"I would call him nothing of the sort, Vernon. I detest slang."</p> - -<p>"That's a mistake. Slang frequently hits the nail on the head when the -King's English misses it altogether. Slang conveys much in little, -and----"</p> - -<p>"Oh, the deuce take your philology. Go on talking about Mrs. Bedge."</p> - -<p>"There's no more to say. Maunders has pretty well drained her, but she -has enough to live on, and the Hampstead house is her own. Towards the -end of our conversation, however, she let out that she was not -surprised at Conny's behaviour, as she rather expected it."</p> - -<p>"H'm! Somewhat contradictory. Why?"</p> - -<p>"Well, it seems that Maunders' father, the Greek, Mavrocordato, you -know, was rather a bad egg himself. He worried his wife--Mrs. Bedge's -sister, that is--into her grave, and swindled his partner before he -committed suicide."</p> - -<p>"I never heard that before."</p> - -<p>"No. Mrs. Bedge always kept it quiet for the boy's sake until she let -it out to me in her grief yesterday. Mavrocordato--he took the English -name of Maunders--bolted with a heap of his partner's money, and shot -himself at Corfu, whither he was traced by detectives. Mrs. Bedge -adopted the son, and did her best to train him up as an honest man. -She tried her hardest, I'm certain, but what's bred in the bone, you -know."</p> - -<p>Colonel Towton folded his arms and stared straightly before him. "Poor -devil. He was considerably handicapped by such a father. I wonder, -Vernon, for how many of our deeds we are responsible, when you take -heredity into consideration. Some sin because they like it, but many -because they can't help it."</p> - -<p>"Let us give Maunders the benefit of the doubt, and say that the sins -of his father were visited on him. And, of course, we must not forget -that Hest is an extremely clever and strong-minded man, who could, and -did, easily control Maunders' weaker nature."</p> - -<p>"There's something to be said there," assented the Colonel -thoughtfully. "I daresay Hest entangled the poor wretch in crime -before he well knew what he was about, and once committed he would be -compelled to remain in the mud. But Hest himself, Vernon. What do you -make of him?"</p> - -<p>"I don't know enough about him to give an opinion. Perhaps when we see -the sister she may tell us something."</p> - -<p>"Oh, by the way, I received a letter from her two days ago, about -which I intended to speak to you, Vernon. All this bother and worry -put it out of my head. I left it at home, unfortunately, but I can -tell you the gist of it."</p> - -<p>Vernon looked interested. "What did she write about, and why to you?" -"She wrote to me because she wants me to marry Ida."</p> - -<p>"I really don't see what she has to do with that," remarked Vernon -with a shrug; "for Ida is surely of an age to choose for herself."</p> - -<p>"I always told you, Vernon," said Towton, deliberately crossing one -leg over the other, "that Ida, being less masterful than Miss Hest, is -usually guided by her, and that I objected to the guidance. Ida liked -me more than anyone else before that handsome scamp came along. Then -she became infatuated with him, and Miss Hest did her best to induce -her to marry him. But the sad death of Dimsdale took Ida's thoughts -off Maunders, and--as I judge from the letter Ida wrote me from Gerby -Hall--Miss Hest tried to get her to love the man again. Failing that, -she attempted to get Ida to marry her brother, only he came up to -London, not feeling disposed to fall in with his sister's views. You -can therefore see that Miss Hest sways Ida a great deal, and for that -reason I have come to get her away from such dangerous company--doubly -dangerous now that we know Francis Hest is The Spider."</p> - -<p>Vernon shrugged his shoulders. "It's rather hard to blame the sister -for the brother's delinquencies," he said judicially. "And now that he -and Maunders are out of the running she will place her weight in your -scale. In fact, from your late observation, she has already done so. -You should be very pleased, Colonel, whereas you seem to me to be -ungrateful."</p> - -<p>"I don't want Ida to be induced to marry me by Miss Hest's -representations, Vernon," said Towton hotly. "It's a liberty on her -part to interfere with my wooing. Lady Corsoon comes down to-morrow -with her daughter, and I shall ask her to go to Gerby Hall and bring -Ida back with her. Then we will have finished with these shady people, -and Ida will marry me of her own free will."</p> - -<p>"Well, Colonel," replied Vernon pacifically, "I hope things will turn -out as you expect. But what did Miss Hest write about?"</p> - -<p>"About her brother. She asked me if I had seen him, and what was the -matter with him." Vernon looked puzzled. "I don't understand. Does she -suspect----"</p> - -<p>"She suspects nothing," broke in Towton impetuously. "But she stated -that she had received a letter from her brother four or five days ago -saying that he intended to leave England for ever, as he was tired of -civilisation. He enclosed a Deed of Gift, making over Gerby Hall and -its acres to her, as he intended--so he said--to earn his own living -when abroad. Naturally, Miss Hest could not understand this, and wrote -asking me what was the matter."</p> - -<p>"Did you explain?"</p> - -<p>"No. I wrote saying that I was coming down to my own place, and would -tell her all I knew when I arrived. But you can see, Vernon, that Hest -is still in London."</p> - -<p>"He was, six or seven days ago, but he may have gone away since," said -Vernon cautiously. "Who drew up the Deed of Gift?"</p> - -<p>"I can't say. Miss Hest did not explain that. Why?"</p> - -<p>"Because if it was some lawyer we might be able to question him -regarding Hest's latest movements. Humph! So Hest has bolted. Well, -I'm not surprised at that. But I am rather astonished he should -surrender his property."</p> - -<p>"Oh, well. I expect his business as The Spider has made him quite a -rich man. Remember, the blackguard has been blackmailing successfully -for three or four years. He knows that his sister has nothing save -what she makes by her reciting, so perhaps his conscience smote him, -and so he made his Deed of Gift. It's a lucky thing for her, as Gerby -Hall is a fine old place, although rather gloomy, and there is a -decent income of one thousand a year attached to it, farms, village -rents, and all that sort of thing, you know."</p> - -<p>"It's queer Hest should have behaved so well, when he is such a -scoundrel, Towton. You told me that he quarrelled with his sister, and -certainly from the remarks she made about him to me, she did not seem -over fond of him."</p> - -<p>"Blood is thicker than water," said the Colonel sententiously, "and -dog does not eat dog."</p> - -<p>"I agree with your first proverb, but not with the second, Towton. -Miss Hest is not of the same breed, morally speaking, as her brother, -and no doubt will be horrified when she learns of his wickedness."</p> - -<p>"Probably. You always defend her."</p> - -<p>"I am just," said Vernon coldly. "So far as I can see, she is a clever -woman of good principles, although, I admit, rather masterful. Her -brother has done a wise thing in handing her over the property, -whatever his reasons may be. She will be an admirable mistress."</p> - -<p>"Oh, as to that, Hest was a great benefactor to all the villages -around, and the people swear by them. If he has bolted with Maunders, -Drench will have to let the matter drop. But, if he is captured, no -one here will believe that he is a murderer and a blackmailer. They -know him only as a good landlord and a kind friend."</p> - -<p>"And we know him as a criminal. Strange that two such diverse natures -can exist side by side."</p> - -<p>"I daresay Hest hoped that his good deeds would pay for his bad ones," -said the Colonel carelessly. "I shall be glad if he escapes, richly as -he deserves to be hanged for murdering Dimsdale. It will be just as -well if the whole thing is buried in oblivion. Then I shall marry Ida, -you Miss Corsoon, and Miss Hest can play the lady of the manor here, -as she pleases."</p> - -<p>"What about the Dimsdale property?"</p> - -<p>"If it belongs to Lady Corsoon she must have it; if Maunders' story is -a lie, which it may be, I shall stick to it on behalf of my wife. -However, we may hear from Venery of Singapore in a few weeks. My -letter must have nearly reached him by this time."</p> - -<p>"You can learn the truth of the story nearer home," said Vernon after -a pause. "Miss Jewin, the housekeeper at Gerby Hall, told the story to -Maunders, according to his own account."</p> - -<p>"I shall question her, you may be sure," said the Colonel grimly; "but -I want to hear from Venery also. Oh, I'm sick of talking about these -things," he added with a yawn. "It's time for forty winks." And -forthwith he closed his eyes, after settling himself comfortably in -his seat. Vernon, not inclined to rest, lighted a fresh cigar and -buried himself in a book.</p> - -<p>It was five o'clock when the travellers reached Bradmoor, the nearest -station to Bowderstyke. It was ten miles to the valley, but the road -was excellent, and Towton's motor-car awaited them. In ten minutes the -baggage was packed away, and Vernon with his host was safely ensconced -in the back part of the machine, which was covered with a hood. Towton -asked Vernon if he would care to drive, but as the offer was refused -and the Colonel himself did not feel in a sporting humour, the conduct -of the journey was left to the smart chauffeur. He appeared to be well -acquainted with the country, and as the road was somewhat lonely, the -motor travelled towards Bowderstyke at a great rate of speed. The -motion was exhilarating, and the view on either side of the roadway -extremely picturesque, so Vernon enjoyed himself greatly in the fresh -air, after the close atmosphere and the monotony of the train. With -the wind blowing in his face and the smooth, easy gliding motion, he -felt like a flying bird, or at all events as though mounted on one.</p> - -<p>The country was wild and barren, consisting mainly of interminable -stretches of moorland, mounting up on either side of the road to -considerable heights. Occasionally there was a dip covered with green -grass and trees, already beginning to shed their leaves, but for the -most part the sombre moors, darkening in the failing light, spread -solemnly to right and left. It was rarely that a house or a village -was passed, and only every now and then could Vernon catch a glimpse -of cattle or human beings.</p> - -<p>"This country would get on my nerves," he said to his companion. "It -is like the weird landscape described by Browning in his Childe Roland -poem. Those telegraph poles are the sole signs of civilisation."</p> - -<p>"Oh, we'll come to a more cheery aspect shortly," said Towton smiling; -"for my part, I love the gloom and the loneliness of our moors. Many a -time in the garish Indian days, with a burning sun in the hateful blue -sky, have I longed for dear old Yorkshire."</p> - -<p>"Everyone to his taste," said Vernon with a shrug. "I prefer something -much more cheerful."</p> - -<p>"You are a cockney at heart, Vernon."</p> - -<p>"I daresay. London is good enough for me."</p> - -<p>Towards the end of the ten mile stretch from the station signs of -civilisation became more frequent. Here and there was a village with -cultivated fields around it. Cattle were pastured in enclosed -paddocks, and men and women with laughing children trudged along the -high road, looking after the motor with great curiosity, for the -machine was yet a novelty in that lonely district. Twice the road ran -directly through a village, and Vernon had an opportunity of seeing -the solid grey stone houses, which were suited to the Calvinistic -looks of the country. And the people themselves appeared to be what -the Scotch call "dour."</p> - -<p>And now the moors began to grow higher and to close in on the white -road with a gradual menace. Leaving the comparatively broad lands, the -motor glided into a valley, which grew even more narrow as they -proceeded. A babbling stream prattled down the centre of this, over a -stony bed, and beside it the road twisted along like a white serpent, -protected by a parapet of rough stones. Already the crimson light of -the sunset had died out of the western sky, but the moon was full, -and, soaring high in the dark blue dome of the firmament, poured -floods of light into the gully, to use a Colonial expression--for by -this time it was little else. And looking upward, Vernon could see -star after star peep out to attend on the majestic orb.</p> - -<p>"What do you call this place?" he asked abruptly. Towton glanced at -him in surprise. "Didn't I tell you? It's Bowderstyke."</p> - -<p>"Great Scott, Colonel, is your house situated in this isolated, damp -spot. I should think you never saw the sun from one year's end to the -other, save when it was directly overhead."</p> - -<p>"Oh, the valley broadens out further on. This is merely the entrance."</p> - -<p>"What the deuce do the inhabitants live on? It's like living in a -drain."</p> - -<p>"Oh, confound you, Vernon," said the Colonel half annoyed. "It's one -of the most beautiful places in the world. If you were a Yorkshire -tyke you would admit that. There is only the village of Bowderstyke a -mile away, and the inhabitants live by pasturing their cattle on the -moors on the heights above. Also there is a weaving and spinning -industry, the mills being driven by water power, of which there is no -lack."</p> - -<p>"This stream doesn't seem to have much water," said Vernon -disdainfully.</p> - -<p>"You should see it in winter when the snows melt on the moors," -advised the Colonel. "Besides, the water from the mills comes from -Hest's new reservoir, and there is a never-failing supply. This stream -used to be much broader, and its bed contained much more water, but -when the Bolly Dam was constructed, of course the supply dwindled. -Pipes run under this road to supply the several villages you saw just -before we entered the valley."</p> - -<p>"Where is the dam which our criminal friend built?"</p> - -<p>Towton pointed straight ahead. "Round the next corner you could see -it, but we do not go so far. There was a small lake there up on the -moors which fed this stream. Hest simply got engineers to dam the lake -and prevent too much water going to waste down the bed of this -torrent. The dam runs right across the valley a mile and a half beyond -my house."</p> - -<p>"But isn't that dangerous. If it burst this valley would be flooded -from end to end, and everybody would be drowned, to say nothing of the -way in which the village would be smashed up."</p> - -<p>"Well, yes." Towton pinched his nether lip uneasily. "I've thought of -that myself many a time. But I was abroad when the dam was -constructed. There certainly--as I have often said--should be an -outlet for the water other than the pipes which supply Bowderstyke and -the villages outside the valley, capacious as those same pipes -undoubtedly are. Assuredly, if the reservoir burst there would be -great loss of life and destruction of property. But the Bolly Dam is -very strongly built, so I have no fear of anything happening. You can -see it from my house, and we'll pay it a visit in a day or two. -Meantime, this is Bowderstyke village."</p> - -<p>By this time they were passing through quite a number of small houses, -from the windows of which lights gleamed cheerfully. The motor soon -left these behind, then swerved to the right--looking up from the -entrance to the valley--and shortly began to climb a winding road. At -this point, as the Colonel had foretold, the vale broadened abruptly, -and the high moors stood away so as to form a kind of deep cup. Up the -side of this, the road along which they were travelling sloped upward -for some distance, then turned on itself and sloped still higher. -Shortly the motor attained the highest level, and in the moonlight -Vernon could see the moors stretching for miles, lonely and romantic. -A straight road ran parallel with the upper portion of the valley for -close upon half a mile. Then appeared a miniature forest, encircled by -a high stone wall. This was undoubtedly artificial, as the moorlands -were treeless, and the unexpected woodland looked out of place amidst -its bleak surroundings.</p> - -<p>The motor soon arrived at two tall stone pillars crested with heraldic -monsters, and passing through these, spun up a short avenue to stop -before a large white house, brilliantly lighted up. Spacious lawns -opened up before the mansion, interspersed with flowerbeds, now -bloomless, and the whole was shut in by the fairy forest, as Vernon -called it in his own mind.</p> - -<p>"Here we are," said Colonel Towton jumping from the car. "Allow me to -welcome you to The Grange, my friend."</p> - -<p>"Thank heaven the journey's at an end," said Vernon.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_18" href="#div1Ref_18">CHAPTER XVIII.</a></h4> -<h5>AT BOWDERSTYKE.</h5> - -<p>"I hope you slept well, Vernon," said the Colonel to his guest the -next morning when they were at breakfast.</p> - -<p>"Like a top," was the response. "That journey tired me out, and your -moorland air is so strong that I slept the moment my head was on the -pillow."</p> - -<p>"You will eat well also, Vernon," remarked Towton, regarding with -satisfaction the attention paid by his visitor to the appetising meal. -"Our air is famous as a tonic. You will return to town a giant -refreshed."</p> - -<p>"There is lots to be done before I leave here," said Vernon passing -his cup for a fresh supply of coffee. "What is your first step?"</p> - -<p>"We will call on Miss Hest this afternoon, and I can show you the -village at the same time. Lady Corsoon and her daughter will come -to-day, and will arrive to dinner. That is the programme."</p> - -<p>"I'm at your disposal. And to-morrow I suppose you will get Lady -Corsoon to take charge of Ida?"</p> - -<p>"If Miss Hest will let her go," said the Colonel cautiously.</p> - -<p>"She can't detain her, surely."</p> - -<p>"Not by outward force; but she may use her influence to keep her. Miss -Hest won't lose the chance of swaying the mind of a girl with ten -thousand a year. You may be sure of that."</p> - -<p>"H'm," said Vernon finishing the last of his coffee. "If Ida learned -the secret of Dimsdale from Maunders, disguised as Diabella, you may -be sure that she told Miss Hest. In that case, Ida is not worth -keeping."</p> - -<p>Colonel Towton nodded and pushed back his chair to rise. "There's -something in that, I'll admit. However, we can say nothing until we -interview Miss Hest. I have already sent her a note saying that we -have arrived and will see her to-day."</p> - -<p>Matters having been thus arranged, the two men lighted their pipes and -strolled out into the grounds. It was a bright autumnal morning with a -cloudless blue sky and a radiant sun; the moorland air was keen, and -Vernon drew long invigorating breaths into his lungs. Notwithstanding -the somewhat bleak surroundings, The Grange was a remarkably -comfortable house, and the original Towton who had built the same had -striven to render it as bright as possible, so as to contrast with the -sombre moors. The Grange, indeed, was more like an Italian villa than -a Yorkshire mansion, as it was constructed of white stone and every -window had green shutters, while the roof was formed of cheerful red -tiles. Both rooms and corridors were spacious and decorated in -brilliant tints, and the furniture was of the most modern description.</p> - -<p>"It isn't at all like an ancestral home, is it?" said Towton -cheerfully. "And all the better for that, since the word suggests oak -parlours, comfortable gloom, and cumbersome furniture."</p> - -<p>"Those would suit the situation better," said Vernon, glancing at the -pines and fir-trees, which formed a screen to keep away the too keen -moorland winds. "Your brilliant walls and red roofs look out of place -in these stern solitudes, where Nature seems to be acting the -anchorite."</p> - -<p>"I love the scenery and solitude and all that, Vernon, but I like to -be comfortably housed. My great-grand-father left the original family -seat, which is in the valley almost below the Bolly Dam, and built -this place after a long sojourn in Italy. My cousin, from whom I -inherit, cleared out all the old Victorian furniture and redecorated -the house as you see it. It's all very modern, and perhaps, in -contrast with the grandeur of the moors, somewhat frivolous. But, at -all events, it is cheerful and comfortable. I could scarcely ask Ida -to inherit a kind of Ogre's Castle like Gerby Hall."</p> - -<p>"Where is that?"</p> - -<p>"You will see shortly. It's a real old Yorkshire Manor House, dating, -I believe, from the Wars of the Roses. There was a lot of fighting -went on during those days in Yorkshire, and the original Hest procured -a grant of Bowderstyke Valley from Edward IV. But my ancestors came -along later and seized a portion of it and built the mansion near the -dam. I understand that the Hests and the Towtons fought like cat and -dog over the valley. However, the most of the property belongs to me, -and I live in this very up-to-date Grange, while they' still cling to -the remnants of their lands and to Gerby Hall."</p> - -<p>"From whom does our criminal friend inherit?"</p> - -<p>"His grandfather. Hest's father was an officer in the Indian army, and -had quarrelled with the old man. Then he died, together with his wife, -some spinster he had married at Simla. The twin children were sent -home to the grandfather, who brought them up and left the estates to -Francis. Now that he has been shown up, he has had the sense, as I -told you yesterday, to hand them over to his sister. Perhaps she'll -marry and carry on the family."</p> - -<p>"And Hest?"</p> - -<p>The Colonel shook his head. "Who knows. He may be caught; on the other -hand, he may bolt to South America and become one of those Dictators -we read so much about. As The Spider, we know that he has heaps of -brains, and a piratical life of that description would suit him -exactly."</p> - -<p>Talking thus, Towton showed Vernon over his small kingdom, and after -luncheon the two gentlemen strolled out of the grounds with the -intention of taking the winding road to Gerby Hall. On the verge of -the moorland they stood for some time looking down into the cup, and -Vernon thus procured a bird's-eye view of the valley in the full blaze -of the noonday sun.</p> - -<p>"It's like a bead on a string, Towton," he said after a pause.</p> - -<p>The description was an apt one, for the hollow into which they were -looking was the bead, and the narrow valley, running like an irregular -crack to right and left, might be easily compared to a string. From -the cup upward to Bolly Dam the valley stretched for a mile and a -half, and downward it ran for two miles in a somewhat crooked fashion, -to terminate on the verge of the undulating plain, which stretched the -further ten miles to the railway station. At the end of the valley--as -Towton informed his guest--was a village called, from its situation, -Gatehead, and there were four other hamlets beyond, all of which -belonged to him. The Hests were reduced to Bowderstyke village alone -and to a considerable portion of the moorland on the hither side.</p> - -<p>"It puts me in mind somewhat of Blackmore's description of Doon -Valley," was Vernon's remark when in possession of these facts. "I -daresay in the Middle Ages it was quite a robbers' stronghold."</p> - -<p>"With the Hests and the Towtons as robbers. Exactly. Their hand was -against every man, and likewise against each other for the mastery of -Bowderstyke. At the upper end the valley is blocked by a small lake, -now turned by the Bolly Dam into a very large reservoir, so they were -safe in that direction. Gatehead was where their vassals lived to -guard the outlet, so you can see in troublesome times everything was -extremely safe. From this valley the Hests and the Towtons went forth -raiding, and sometimes, when not quarrelling between themselves, -formed a kind of league. They struggled for centuries, but in the end -my ancestors got the upper hand, and most of the property. I believe -the feud and the raiding continued down to the termination of George -the Third's reign, for the King's writ did not run in these wilds."</p> - -<p>"Where is Gerby Hall?"</p> - -<p>Towton pointed directly downward. "Under that cliff, where the -moorland rises so abruptly. Like The Grange, there is a kind of -artificial forest round it, so that it is concealed. But, as you can -see, it is almost within the village itself."</p> - -<p>"Right in line of the flood, should the dam break."</p> - -<p>"I fear so; but I hope there is no chance of the dam breaking. You -see," added the Colonel pointing out the topography of the valley, -"the village is divided by the ancient bed of the torrent, now -comparatively dry since the construction of the Bolly Reservoir. A -stone bridge connects the two portions of the village, and on this -side nearest to ourselves the ground begins to rise gradually. The -other portion of the village and Gerby Hall lie in the hollow, and are -cut off from the sunlight. I often wondered," said Towton musingly, -"why the Hests, when lords of the entire valley, should have chosen to -build their manor house in such a situation; for, when the torrent was -in full force from the melting of the moorland snows, they must have -been exposed to many an inundation."</p> - -<p>"And now," said Vernon glancing northward to where the cyclopean wall -of the dam frowned in the sunlight, "if that great body of water were -let loose both the village and the Hall would be swept away."</p> - -<p>"They are certainly directly in the line of flood," replied Towton -unhesitatingly; "but both the Hall and the village houses are strongly -built of dark stone. It would take some force to smash them."</p> - -<p>"If that dam broke, Colonel, they would be swept away like straws on -the surface of a whirlpool. I can't understand what the engineers were -thinking about to risk such a catastrophe."</p> - -<p>Towton laughed. "Pooh, pooh! Nothing is likely to happen. But now that -I rule here I intend to see if some outlet cannot be arranged other -than down the valley, so that all risk may be done away with. I -objected to the dam from the first, although I admit that it is a work -which is of great public utility and supplies Bowderstyke, Gatehead, -and the other villages. But it spoils my view and also is dangerous, -as you observe. However, we have talked enough on this dull subject. -Let us descend and pay a visit to Gerby Hall. Miss Hest will be -expecting us."</p> - -<p>"And Ida," laughed Vernon with a side glance at the suddenly-flushed -cheek of the soldier.</p> - -<p>They descended by the winding road into the valley, and after pausing -to glance up the valley, where the massive wall of the dam cut short -the view, proceeded slowly towards the village. It was a collection of -small dark houses built of moss-clothed grey stones, and looked like a -colony of dwarf buildings. But the men and women who dwelt therein -were tall and burly enough, and the children seemed to be well-grown. -Besides the dwellings there were also two mills, the wheels of which -were driven by water in a very powerful fashion. The few shops were -dark and uninviting, and the chief street narrow and crooked. Secluded -as it was from the sun--which never warmed the village with its beams -save at noonday--it did not appear to be a desirable residence. But -the inhabitants seemed cheerful enough, and frequently greeted the -Colonel with gruff amiability, although he was not their landlord. -That position, as Towton had informed his guest, belonged to Hest, or -rather--since he had expatriated himself--to his sister.</p> - -<p>Crossing the curved stone bridge which arched the dwindling torrent, -the Colonel led his friend through several dismal streets until they -emerged into an open space, to see before them a high wall built of -irregular blocks of stone, covered with mosses and grasses and lichen. -The massive wooden gates, which afforded entrance into the domain, -stood wide open, indicating, like the doors of the Janus temple, that -the Hests were at peace with their neighbours. Passing through these -the visitors walked up a gloomy avenue, where the branches of the -trees met overhead, and came unexpectedly upon a square stone house, -the appearance of which was similar to that of the encircling wall. -There were absolutely no pretensions to architectural beauty, and the -mansion looked as though it had grown out of the damp, fecund ground, -where rank grasses grew in profusion. Above was the slightly sloping -bank of the moorland, which here was almost perpendicular, and it -threw a heavy shade over the frowning dwelling, which suited its grim -looks. It was two storey, with twelve windows in the front, six on -either side, and three in each storey. In the centre was the door, -without a porch and without steps. Only a broad flagstone formed the -threshold. The trees grew up nearly to this, and there was merely a -narrow gravelled path between the luxuriant grasses and the walls of -the house. So amazingly dismal a dwelling Vernon had never set eyes -on, and he uttered an exclamation when he beheld the desolation.</p> - -<p>"It's the very worst place Ida could have come to," he said in high -displeasure. "What could Miss Hest have been thinking of, to ask her -to live in this vault."</p> - -<p>"Ah, she will be better up on the heights in my Italian villa, -Vernon."</p> - -<p>"That is if she will come," remarked the other gloomily, for the -sombre situation and ascetic looks of the Hest mansion made his -spirits sink to zero.</p> - -<p>Their approach had been seen, for scarcely had they set foot on the -flagstone, and before they had time to raise a hand to the massive -iron knocker, which was covered with rust, than the door was opened by -a fat-faced, stupid girl dressed in brown but with a tolerably neat -cap and apron.</p> - -<p>Without inquiring their business and without speaking she signed that -the two gentlemen should enter, and conducted them to a room to the -left of the cheerless hall. Here she intimated that they were to wait -and that the mistress would soon come to them, after which she retired -sullenly and closed the door after her. What with her looks and the -gloom of the room and the closing of the door, the visitors felt as -though they had been bestowed in a dungeon. Anything more dismal can -scarcely be conceived.</p> - -<p>"Oh, Lord!" ejaculated Vernon with dismay, looking round at the -old-fashioned furniture and the grimly-red colouring of the -decorations, somewhat faded, it is true. "Within is worse than -without. I should commit suicide in such a place. No wonder Francis -Hest found blackmailing a more cheerful pursuit. He ought to have----"</p> - -<p>"Hush!" said Towton sharply, and arrested Vernon's speech as the door -opened to admit the mistress of the mansion. Miss Hest looked graver -than she had done at "Rangoon," and more handsome than ever in her -imperial, masterful way. Vernon marvelled to see how much she -resembled her brother, although the disfiguring cicatrice was absent. -In her plain black dress, slashed with deep orange, Miss Hest looked -like a Spanish beauty, and in the damp, secluded mansion she seemed to -flourish as healthily as though she dwelt in perpetual sunshine. With -a smile she came forward and greeted her visitors in a most cordial -manner.</p> - -<p>"I am very glad to see you both," said Frances, sitting down when -formal greetings had passed, "and especially you, Colonel Towton, as I -am anxiously waiting for your promised verbal answer to my letter."</p> - -<p>"I shall explain why I did not write you with pleasure," said the -Colonel gravely, "although my explanation is painful. You may even -refuse to believe me, Miss Hest."</p> - -<p>She looked alarmed and her lips twitched nervously.</p> - -<p>"Francis is all right, I hope?" she inquired apprehensively. "His -letter and the Deed of Gift alarmed me. I think he must be crazy."</p> - -<p>"I don't think so," rejoined Towton drily, "but before explaining, may -I ask how Miss Dimsdale is keeping?"</p> - -<p>Frances shook her head dejectedly. "The death of her father is still -preying on her mind, and nothing I can say or do will make her -cheerful."</p> - -<p>"Perhaps this house----" began Vernon.</p> - -<p>She cut him short quickly. "I quite agree with you, and I know what -you are about to say. It is too damp and too dismal for Ida. She is a -flower who ought always to live in the sunshine."</p> - -<p>"Lady Corsoon is coming down to stay with me to-day," ventured Towton -anxiously, "so Miss Dimsdale might come and stay at The Grange."</p> - -<p>"It's a capital idea. You can ask her for yourself, and as I know she -thinks a great deal of you, Colonel, I hope you will be able to -persuade her to pay the visit. She will be here shortly, but before -she comes do tell me the meaning of my brother's extraordinary -conduct."</p> - -<p>"What makes you think the Colonel can explain?" asked Vernon -unexpectedly.</p> - -<p>Frances looked at him in surprise. "Why, I wrote after I received the -Deed of Gift, asking if he had seen Francis. The Colonel replied that -he would explain verbally when he came down. I have no reason to think -that he knows anything of my brother's private business and I was -astonished to hear that he could tell me anything. I only wrote -because I wished the Colonel to see Ida, and as an afterthought asked -about my brother. I thought you," she addressed the Colonel, "might -have seen him in London."</p> - -<p>"I did," replied Towton gravely; "at Professor Gail's."</p> - -<p>"I know that; he went there to deliver a message from me. But why has -he made over his property to me without a line of explanation save -that he was going abroad? Did he tell you?"</p> - -<p>"No. But I am not surprised that he has done so." Frances looked from -one man to the other and, seeing their grave faces, she grew white and -anxious looking. "What do you mean?"</p> - -<p>"We saw Constantine Maunders," put in Vernon.</p> - -<p>"Well, well! What of that?"</p> - -<p>"He was masquerading as Diabella."</p> - -<p>Miss Hest started to her feet. "As the fortune-teller? Surely you must -be mistaken? It's impossible! Why should he do that?"</p> - -<p>"Why should he do many things," said Towton grimly. "But he has been -leading a double life."</p> - -<p>"Oh, that's impossible. Why, he was always as open as the day. I asked -him down here a week or so ago and he was coming. At the eleventh hour -he put me off, saying that Mrs. Bedge was ill. I fancied that -something might be wrong then, but--but--oh!" she burst out, clasping -her hands, "you really must be mistaken. He is such a nice young -fellow."</p> - -<p>"He's a nice scoundrel," said Vernon heatedly. "Spare your praises of -him, Miss Hest. You won't think him so nice when I tell you that he -accuses your brother of being The Spider."</p> - -<p>"The Spider? Who is The--ah!" She started to her feet as she suddenly -remembered all that the information conveyed. "You mean that wretch -who murdered poor Mr. Dimsdale?" Her brows grew black and she clenched -her hands in a cold fury. "What do you mean by connecting my brother -with----"</p> - -<p>"It is not Vernon or I who connect your brother with The Spider. -Maunders made the accusation and your brother endorsed it by his -flight."</p> - -<p>"Flight! flight! My brother," she drew herself up proudly, "has not -fled."</p> - -<p>"Why has he gone abroad, then?" asked Vernon hastily; "Why has he made -over his property to you? Believe me, Miss Hest, both the Colonel and -myself would be glad to spare you such a blow, but there is no doubt -that your brother is none other than this famous blackmailer for whom -the police are searching so ardently."</p> - -<p>The woman dropped back into her chair and clutched at her breast as -though she felt a cruel pain in her heart. Her face looked grey in the -dim light of the room, and she suddenly seemed to have aged. Even her -confident bearing fell away from her and she crouched as though -smitten to the earth. Never was there so rapid or so terrible a -transformation. "Oh, for God's sake," she moaned brokenly, -"for--for--my brother. Heaven knows we did not get on over well -together, but that he--he--that he should--It's a lie. I tell you, -it's a lie. Why, Francis has given up all his life to doing good. -Everyone round here blesses his name; he was generous to a fault. And -you dare to--dare to--oh!" She leaped to her feet again and strove to -recover her proud hearing. "I don't believe it. Liars! both of you."</p> - -<p>"Maunders is the liar and not us, then," said Vernon quietly.</p> - -<p>"I never trusted him, I never liked him," moaned Miss Hest; "he -is----" Then she unexpectedly fell back again into her chair, utterly -unstrung and broken down, an old, grey woman, miserable beyond belief. -"Francis--my brother--our good name--oh! oh! Say that it isn't true," -and she wept piteously.</p> - -<p>"I regret to say that it is," said the Colonel, extremely sorry to -dash her hopes to the ground, and he rapidly related all that had been -discovered. As he proceeded Miss Hest lifted her face, which grew more -composed.</p> - -<p>"And is this all the evidence you have to go upon?" she inquired with -scorn; "The word of a man whom you admit to be a scoundrel?"</p> - -<p>"You forget," said Vernon gravely, "that your brother endorsed the -accusation by flight and by taking his accomplice with him."</p> - -<p>"Such an accusation might well make a man fail to stand his ground," -said the woman resolutely, "and on the spur of the moment Francis may -have lost his wits. But he will return to repel this accusation."</p> - -<p>"From what you say of a Deed of Gift, Miss Hest, that does not seem -likely to happen. If your brother is innocent let him surrender -himself to the police and stand his trial."</p> - -<p>"I shall advise him to do that at once. Where is he to be found?"</p> - -<p>"No one knows, and the police would give much to learn. But you heard -last from him, since he sent the Deed of Gift and informed you of his -plans."</p> - -<p>"There was no address on the letter," said Frances, wringing her hands -helplessly, "and he did not even promise to write when he went abroad. -For all I know he may have vanished for ever."</p> - -<p>Vernon made an observation: "That looks like guilt."</p> - -<p>"Until Francis admits with his own lips that he is The Spider I -decline to believe it," said Miss Hest, making a violent effort to -recover her composure. "You forget that you indirectly accuse him of -murdering poor Mr. Dimsdale. How can I, his sister, bear to hear -that?"</p> - -<p>"Your feelings do you credit," said Towton sadly; "nevertheless----"</p> - -<p>"Stop!" she interrupted, holding up her finger. "Ida is coming. Not a -word to her, if you please."</p> - -<p>"Certainly not. Neither Vernon nor I shall say anything until----"</p> - -<p>"Say nothing until I see you again," said Frances rapidly. "I shall -call at The Grange and hear more. When in possession of the facts I -shall go to town and----Silence! silence! Here is Ida."</p> - -<p>Just as the name left her lips the door slowly opened and Miss -Dimsdale entered. Both the gentlemen uttered exclamations of -astonishment and pity at the sight of her altered appearance. From -being a bright and laughing girl, rather plump than otherwise, she had -become thin and careworn, and advanced with a shrinking air, quite at -variance with her known character. The black dress she wore enhanced -the melancholy of her appearance, and the Colonel, being very much the -lover, grew darkly red at the sight.</p> - -<p>"How is it that Miss Dimsdale looks so ill?" he asked Frances -furiously.</p> - -<p>"She is worried over something, and the air of this house doesn't suit -her at all," said Miss Hest, who was trying to subdue her emotion. -"Again and again I have wanted her to return with me to London, -but----"</p> - -<p>"But I won't go, I won't go," said Ida in her soft voice. "Don't look -so angry, Richard." It was the first time she had uttered his -Christian name, and Towton flushed with pleasure. "I am quite well."</p> - -<p>"You look extremely ill," he replied bluntly. Ida sat down with a -sigh. "It's not the fault of Frances. She has been like a sister to me -ever since the death of my dear father."</p> - -<p>"Ida, come and stay at The Grange. Lady Corsoon is coming down this -evening. I am sure you will be happier there."</p> - -<p>"I can't leave Frances."</p> - -<p>"Nonsense!" said Miss Hest with something of her old vigour; "you will -be much better with your own people, Ida. If you stay here they will -think that I am after your money."</p> - -<p>"Oh, Frances, when you know----"</p> - -<p>"It's all nonsense, dear. The Colonel here declares that Diabella -is, or rather was, Constantine Maunders, masquerading as a -fortune-teller."</p> - -<p>"Then what he said is----"</p> - -<p>"Are you talking of a secret of your father's, Ida?" asked Vernon -quickly.</p> - -<p>"Was Mr. Dimsdale my father?" she demanded facing round anxiously. -"Diabella--that is, Constantine, if what you say is true--told me -that I was not his daughter. If so, I have no right to the property, -and--and----" She put her hand to her forehead, "Oh, my poor head!"</p> - -<p>Towton crossed over and took her hand. "Ida, is it this which has -been so troubling you?" he asked tenderly.</p> - -<p>"Yes! Yes! I wondered if what Diabella said was true. I could not be -certain, although I _did_ want to see the lawyer and give up the -property. But Frances said----"</p> - -<p>"Frances advised delay until the truth was known beyond all doubt," -said Miss Hest, now quite composed. "For this did I send for you, -Colonel Towton. Ida is fonder of you than of anyone else, so you are -the person who ought to marry her. Then you can look into the matter."</p> - -<p>"But, Frances," cried Ida much astonished, "I thought that you wanted -me to marry Constantine or your brother."</p> - -<p>"Both of them are bad matches now if what Mr. Vernon says is true," -replied Miss Hest bitterly; "better take up with your old love."</p> - -<p>"What has been said?" questioned Ida anxiously looking into the -disturbed face of her friend.</p> - -<p>"Better not ask," muttered the woman, and cast a warning glance at the -two visitors; "least said, soonest mended. Ida, will you go to The -Grange and stay with your aunt?"</p> - -<p>Ida ran to Frances and, falling on her knees, threw her arms round her -neck fondly. "What! Would you have me leave you when I see you so sad? -Something is wrong? What is it? You have comforted me, so let me -comfort you."</p> - -<p>"Nothing can comfort me," said Miss Hest in melancholy tones; "it's -nothing, my dear, nothing at all. I wish--oh, I wish----" She rose -suddenly and ran towards the door. "I can't stand any more."</p> - -<p>Vernon was not surprised at Miss Hest's sudden departure. -Strong-minded as she was, the terrible news that her twin brother was -a robber and a murderer and was being hunted down by the police had -quite broken down her strength of character for the time being. He -pitied her extremely, as he had always liked her more than Towton had -done. So far as he could see, she was a kind-hearted woman: masterful, -it is true, but possessed of sterling qualities which that very trait -enabled her to make good use of. To one of her inflexible honesty the -discovery of her brother's sin must have been gall and wormwood.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile, the Colonel, holding Ida's hand within his own, was -pleading anxiously that she should visit The Grange and regain her -health in the cheerful society of her aunt and cousin. "And I can -explain all about the story told by Maunders, masquerading as -Diabella," coaxed Towton softly.</p> - -<p>But Ida was in no mood to listen to her lover or to yield to his -wiles. She pulled her hands away hurriedly and spoke with pettish -haste. "How can you bother me about such things when Frances is so -ill? I must go to her at once." And she glided rapidly towards the -door, evading Towton, who would have detained her.</p> - -<p>"Ida, Ida! do listen to me."</p> - -<p>"No! No! No! On another occasion, when I see you again--to-morrow, or -the next day. But Frances is ill: Frances wants me." She opened the -door quickly. "Coming, dear; coming!" and without a glance at the -visitors vanished from the room. Her heart seemed to be rather with -Miss Hest than with the lover who so ardently adored her.</p> - -<p>The gentlemen looked at one another in dismay; this did not seem a -propitious moment for Towton's wooing, as Ida appeared to be entirely -infatuated with her friend. There was nothing left for them to do but -to take a speedy departure and to return on a more fitting occasion. -Miss Hest, being naturally troubled in her mind, was not likely to -reappear, and Ida undoubtedly would decline to leave her friend's -side. Not unreasonably, the Colonel felt very cross.</p> - -<p>"Ida seems to be crazy about that infernal woman," he snapped -irritably.</p> - -<p>"She is very faithful to those she loves and therefore will make you -the better wife," said Vernon gravely.</p> - -<p>"I want her to be faithful to me and not to Miss Hest," retorted -Towton. "It is ridiculous that she should behave in this manner. -What's to be done now?"</p> - -<p>"We must wait until Lady Corsoon comes. She has plenty of good sense -and may be able to talk Ida into a reasonable frame of mind."</p> - -<p>"I can't see where Lady Corsoon's good sense comes in, seeing that she -is a gambler and has risked her husband's displeasure in pawning -family jewels, Vernon. However, only one woman can talk round another, -so your suggestion is a good one. Meanwhile, just ring the bell for -someone to show us out of this condemned vault."</p> - -<p>Vernon pulled the old-fashioned bell-rope and shortly--as though she -had been listening on the outside of the door--a tall, lean woman with -a white face and a prim, pinch-lipped smile, made her appearance. -Without waiting to be addressed she introduced herself to the -visitors. "Miss Jewin, gentlemen," she said with a stiff curtsey; -"What can I do for you?"</p> - -<p>At the sound of her voice Vernon started and looked at her closely, -but whatever he saw he said nothing at the moment, merely intimating -that he and his friend desired to depart.</p> - -<p>"And tell Miss Hest we will call to-morrow with Lady Corsoon," said -the Colonel aggressively, and stalked out preceded by Miss Jewin, -still primly smiling, and looking like a white cat.</p> - -<p>Not until they were in the village did Vernon explain why he had -started at the sound of the housekeeper's voice. "That woman," he said -quietly, "is the very one who admitted me into the empty house in West -Kensington and who locked me in the kitchen."</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_19" href="#div1Ref_19">CHAPTER XIX.</a></h4> -<h5>A BOLD OFFER.</h5> -<br> - -<p>Lady Corsoon duly arrived and duly complained of the length of the -journey. The strain to which her nerves were subjected on account of -the suspense she suffered regarding The Spider's blackmailing, -rendered her somewhat irritable, and those around felt the effects of -her temper. But Lucy, having a singularly placid nature, invariably -contrived to soothe down her mother's ruffled plumes, while the two -men, knowing what Lady Corsoon felt, paid her every attention. The -next morning, therefore, she felt somewhat better and acknowledged -that The Grange was endurable. But she resolutely refused to call -straightway at Gerby Hall.</p> - -<p>"I shall go to-morrow," she said when Towton urged the visit. "My -nerves must have time to recover from the journey into these wilds. -Besides, Ida should call and see me, since I am the elder."</p> - -<p>"But I wish you to persuade Ida to take up her quarters here while you -remain," pleaded the Colonel. "She is infatuated with Miss Hest and -will, I am certain, not come here of her own accord."</p> - -<p>"I'm sure I never could understand what Ida saw in that woman," said -Lady Corsoon fretfully. "Miss Hest is nice enough and quite agreeable, -but nothing out of the ordinary. When my poor, dear brother died Ida -should have accepted my guardianship. I offered twice to look after -her, but she refused--because of this Hest woman, I presume."</p> - -<p>"You must remember, Lady Corsoon, that Ida is a spoilt child----"</p> - -<p>"Spoilt!" interrupted the lady; "I should think so. Many a time have I -implored Martin not to ruin her; but I might as well have spoken to a -block of stone. You will have no easy task to manage her when you make -her your wife, Colonel."</p> - -<p>"I am quite certain that when Ida is removed from the companionship of -Miss Hest I shall be able to manage her with the greatest ease," said -Towton emphatically; "but the question is how to get her away. I look -to you to use your influence, dear lady."</p> - -<p>"Mine? Why, I never had the least influence with that headstrong girl, -my dear Colonel. I'll go to-morrow and give her a talking to, and -perhaps I may be able to induce her to return with me to London. But -while she is the mistress of ten thousand a year she can defy me. Now, -if The Spider can give me that fortune, as he declares, I shall soon -bring Ida to see that she must behave like a sensible human being. I -suppose Mr. Vernon told you of the letter I received? He hinted as -much to me, though I think he should have held his tongue."</p> - -<p>"He did hold his tongue about your business, more or less, Lady -Corsoon. It was Mr. Maunders who let slip the secret."</p> - -<p>"And what business is it of Mr. Maunders', I should like to know?" -asked Lady Corsoon, putting up her lorgnette and looking haughtily at -Towton.</p> - -<p>"This much--that he wrote the letter."</p> - -<p>"What!" Lady Corsoon bounded from her seat. "Then he is The Spider?"</p> - -<p>"No," said the Colonel prudently, who did not intend to tell his -companion more than he could help, as he placed no reliance on her -tongue; "but, knowing from yourself about the first letter you -received from The Spider, and anxious to marry your daughter, he made -use of the blackmailer's scheme to secure his own ends."</p> - -<p>"What audacity! Can he--Mr. Maunders, I mean--really place me in -possession of Martin's money?"</p> - -<p>"I can't answer that for the moment," replied the Colonel carefully, -"but at any rate by promising to do so he hoped to marry Miss Lucy."</p> - -<p>"He shall never do that," cried Lady Corsoon energetically; "unless, -of course, he keeps his promise. Lucy must save me from----" She -hesitated.</p> - -<p>"Mr. Maunders told me about your losses at bridge, and----"</p> - -<p>"And that I pawned certain family jewels," finished the lady. "Well, I -never! To think he should discuss my affairs in this way. I have been -a fool: I don't deny that I have been a fool, but there was no need -for Mr. Maunders to let the whole world know."</p> - -<p>"The world is only represented by myself and Vernon," said the Colonel -drily, "and your secret is safe with us."</p> - -<p>"But Mr. Maunders----"</p> - -<p>"He has his hands full. You won't see him again."</p> - -<p>"But in that case his promise----"</p> - -<p>"My dear Lady Corsoon, I do not think he will be able to keep his -promise, for certain reasons which I need not tell you now. Better -give your consent to the marriage of Vernon and Miss Lucy. They love -one another and he will soon have a title and an income."</p> - -<p>"Did you invite me down with Lucy to forward that marriage?" asked -Lady Corsoon with sudden suspicion.</p> - -<p>"Partly," answered Towton coolly, "and partly because I wished to -enlist you on my side as regards Ida."</p> - -<p>"Oh, I am willing to help you, but as to Mr. Vernon--he is with Lucy -now?"</p> - -<p>"Yes. They have gone for a walk."</p> - -<p>Lady Corsoon frowned. "Lucy could make a much better match," she said -hesitating.</p> - -<p>"With Constantine Maunders, for instance."</p> - -<p>"At all events, he promises me ten thousand a year."</p> - -<p>"On what grounds?"</p> - -<p>"I don't know."</p> - -<p>"Then, believe me, he is only bluffing."</p> - -<p>"But he knows about my pawning of the jewels, and even if this horrid -Spider creature holds his tongue Mr. Maunders may tell Sir Julius. -Then heaven only knows what would happen; Julius is so impossible."</p> - -<p>"I shall engage that Maunders remains silent if you will give your -consent to the marriage. After all, Miss Lucy would be Lady Vernon."</p> - -<p>"She could be a countess if she played her cards well. I really don't -know what to say; I am in the dark, so to speak. Wait until I see Ida -and then I may form an opinion."</p> - -<p>"How can Ida help you to do so?"</p> - -<p>"She may be able to tell me if there was a will in my favour. I really -believe from that letter of The Spider's--well, of Mr. Maunders', -since you say he wrote it--that Martin left the money to me and that -Ida destroyed the will. I'm sure she's capable of it."</p> - -<p>"Permit me to remind you, Lady Corsoon," said the Colonel sternly, -"that Miss Dimsdale is to be my wife and that I shall not permit -anyone to cast a slur on her character. If the money is left to you -she will hand it over."</p> - -<p>"What, ten thousand a year?" said Lady Corsoon beaming. "Oh, she would -be a good girl if she did that. Well, I shall wait and see. In the -meantime I do not mind Mr. Vernon being with Lucy."</p> - -<p>Colonel Towton shrugged his square shoulders. He thought that the lady -was making a virtue of necessity, as the young couple had taken French -leave after breakfast and had vanished. And had Lady Corsoon been -gifted with supernatural sight she would scarcely have been pleased -had she seen the two sitting by Bolly Dam with their arms round one -another. Also Lucy, the meek, the amiable, the well-conducted, was -kissing Vernon in the boldest manner and swearing that she would marry -him and him only.</p> - -<p>"Mother wants me to marry Mr. Maunders," said Lucy, snuggling up close -to her lover, "and papa desires me to become the wife of Lord -Stratham. But I shall only marry you, darling, you. Arthur," she -pressed her cheek against his breast and looked up into his eyes, "run -away with me."</p> - -<p>"Would you elope if I asked you?"</p> - -<p>"I have just offered to elope without your asking me," she replied -nodding. "I can't speak plainer, can I? Oh, dear me," she sighed, -resting her head on her lover's shoulder, "how weary I am of -everything. Papa is always busy in the City and has hardly a word to -say to me; mamma has some secret worry about which she will not speak, -and I am left to find my own amusements. Do take me away, Arthur. -Isn't Gretna Green somewhere about these parts? Let us go there and -get married."</p> - -<p>"No, dear. I don't think there will be any need for a runaway match, -unless it is the romance of the thing that you desire. Colonel Towton -has promised to speak to your mother, and I have an idea that he will -gain her consent to our marriage."</p> - -<p>"She consented before," pouted Miss Corsoon, "and then changed her -mind. Why, I'm sure I don't know. It's much better to get married -quietly and then she would have to forgive us."</p> - -<p>"My dear," said Vernon firmly, "I prefer to act honourably and openly. -From a letter I received this morning it seems that my poor uncle -cannot live much longer. In a month at the latest I shall be in -possession of the property and the title; then I shall see your father -and demand your hand. He likes me, and when he learns of my new -circumstances I am sure he will consent. With him on our side your -mother will be quite willing to accept me as her son-in-law."</p> - -<p>"I'll do whatever you say, dearest," whispered Lucy fondly, "only I'll -never marry anyone but you. So there!" and she gave him a kiss which -her lover promptly returned. Then they sat hand in hand, looking at -the view, and too happy to speak further. Love's silence is more -eloquent than Love's speech.</p> - -<p>Before them the reservoir rippled under the breath of a gentle wind, -and spread like a vast blue lake toward the purple of the moorlands. -Immediately in front of the lovers the massive wall of the dam -stretched from side to side of the valley, which here was extremely -narrow. Looking at that vast body of water, Vernon could not help -doubting the strength of the protecting wall as the wavelets -almost lipped its top. There was a channel on the hither side with -flood-gates, but it seemed too small to carry off much superfluous -water. In summer time the dam was no doubt all that could be desired -in the way of strength, but when the winter snows melted on the -moorlands it appeared probable--at least, Vernon, knowing nothing of -engineering, thought so--that the water would overflow the dam. In -that case it might break down the wall, and then the young man -shuddered to think of what would happen. The whole contents of the -lake, narrowed by the gorge, would shoot down the three odd miles of -the valley with the force and condensation of a hose, and assuredly -would sweep it clean from end to end.</p> - -<p>"To make things safe," said Vernon aloud and giving speech to his -thoughts, "there should be two channels for waste water, each broader -than the single one over there. I'm sure there will be a catastrophe -some winter or spring."</p> - -<p>"Oh!" Lucy pouted again. "I speak of love and you bother yourself over -this silly old puddle."</p> - -<p>"It would prove to be anything but a puddle if the dam broke," said -Vernon doubtfully. "I hope Towton will take steps to make things -safer. Bowderstyke Village and Gerby Hall would be smashed to pieces -if this vast body of water discharged itself without leave."</p> - -<p>And he stared anxiously at the placid lake.</p> - -<p>Miss Corsoon, rather annoyed by this unlover-like conduct, rose -quickly and consulted a tiny jewelled watch pinned to her blouse. -"It's nearly luncheon-time," she said with an affectation of -indifference, "and I am so hungry."</p> - -<p>"Hungry?" Vernon caught her hands, "when we are together."</p> - -<p>"I can't live on love, and you keep talking of this stupid waterworks. -We really must go home, Arthur, as mamma will be wondering what has -become of us. You don't wish to get me scolded?"</p> - -<p>"I'll bear half of the scolding. Hullo! Who is this?"</p> - -<p>He shaded his eyes with his hand and looked across the reservoir to -where a tall figure appeared on the broad parapet of the dam. The -figure--it was that of a man--came swiftly across, but midway caught -sight of the lovers. For one minute the stranger stared as if -thunderstruck, and then retreated as quickly as he had appeared. Lucy -caught hold of her lover's coat to prevent his following.</p> - -<p>"Where are you going, Arthur? Who is it?"</p> - -<p>"Hokar," said Vernon, greatly excited but pausing for a moment. "It's -the Hindoo who tried to strangle me and the Colonel."</p> - -<p>"What?" Lucy's voice sounded so terrified that he turned at once to -apologise and excuse himself. "Nothing, dear; nothing. But this Hokar -is a dangerous native of India whom I wish to get hold of. He went -down into the valley on the other side, so I must----"</p> - -<p>"Don't leave me! don't leave me!" wailed Lucy, desperately detaining -him. "I wish you wouldn't frighten me, Arthur. Come home at once."</p> - -<p>"But I want to follow Hokar. It is necessary----"</p> - -<p>"It is necessary to see me home," insisted Miss Corsoon firmly. "I -won't be left alone with wild Indians and strangling people."</p> - -<p>Vernon was torn between his desire to stay with Lucy and a feeling -that it was his duty to follow Hokar. He wished to meet the Hindoo -face to face and force him to speak. As he was the servant of -Maunders--masquerading as Diabella--he probably knew something, if not -indeed a great deal, about Hest, and a few questions might intimate -the villain's whereabouts. But the man had already vanished and it -would be difficult to trace him, although Vernon had a shrewd -suspicion that he was to be found at Gerby Hall. For a moment the -young man hesitated between duty and pleasure, then, under the -reproachful gleam of Lucy's eyes, pleasure gained the victory. Vernon -escorted Miss Corsoon back to The Grange, comforting himself with the -reflection that it was necessary to consult Colonel Towton before -taking any steps to bring Hokar to book. All the way home Lucy chatted -in a lively manner, but, preoccupied with his own thoughts, Vernon was -somewhat absentminded, a cause of offence to the girl. But how could -any man give way to the ruling passion of love when one of the -villains concerned in a dangerous conspiracy against society was in -the neighbourhood? Vernon wondered how Hokar had come to these -solitudes and how Hest had succeeded in lulling his sister's -suspicions, so that she might receive the man. For, on the face of it, -Hokar must be staying at Gerby Hall.</p> - -<p>After a merry luncheon, during which Lady Corsoon, bearing in mind her -late conversation with her host, was very gracious to Vernon, the -ladies departed to their boudoir, the mother to rest and the daughter -to write letters. Lucy, indeed, wished to call and see Ida, but Lady -Corsoon refused to let her go alone, and again expressed her -determination not to pay a visit until the next day. Lucy, always -anxious to keep her parent in a good temper, was obliged to fall in -with this arrangement, and followed Lady Corsoon out of the room.</p> - -<p>It could be easily seen that the wily wife of the millionaire was -unwilling to leave her daughter in the too fascinating society of -Vernon, and evidently had made up her mind not to consent to the match -until she was certain that her late brother's fortune would _not_ come -into her hands.</p> - -<p>Left alone with the Colonel, the young man related how unexpectedly -Hokar had appeared and disappeared on the dam. Towton listened -frowningly and considered awhile before expressing his opinion.</p> - -<p>"There's something suspicious about all this," he said at length. -"Here is Miss Jewin, the very woman who tricked you into becoming a -prisoner at that West Kensington house, and here also is Hokar, the -Hindoo, so closely connected with Maunders, and, for all we know, with -Hest."</p> - -<p>"What do you make of it all?"</p> - -<p>"It's a gang of thieves," said Towton unhesitatingly. "Hokar, Bahadur, -Miss Jewin, Maunders, and Hest are all banded together under the -leadership of the last as The Spider. He has vanished, and so has -Maunders, so I expect he sent down the Hindoos here in order that they -might be out of the way."</p> - -<p>"And Miss Jewin?"</p> - -<p>"She has always been the housekeeper at Gerby Hall, Vernon. But I -daresay Hest got her to come to London to be used as a tool, knowing -that he could trust her. She is a very old and faithful woman, and I -believe was the nurse of both Hest and his sister. The people -hereabouts call her an old witch, and she is credited with all manner -of occult powers."</p> - -<p>"I can understand Miss Hest not being suspicious of Miss Jewin," said -Vernon thoughtfully, "as she may have gone to London ostensibly for a -trip and then would have returned in the ordinary course of things. -But Miss Hest must surely wonder at the presence of Hokar. I am bound -to say that I did not see Bahadur."</p> - -<p>"He may be here, or he may not," rejoined the Colonel; "We'll soon -find out. To-morrow I go with Lady Corsoon to see Ida, and then I can -warn Miss Hest of the character of the man. If, indeed, she doesn't -know it."</p> - -<p>"Towton, you surely don't suspect Miss Hest of knowing anything about -her brother's wickedness?"</p> - -<p>"No, I don't say that. And yet it is strange the Hindoo should be -there. And why should he be lurking about the Bolly Dam? I shall go -myself to-morrow, after I have seen Miss Hest, to make an -examination."</p> - -<p>"What do you mean?"</p> - -<p>"I mean that a crafty devil like Hokar doesn't take walks for the -benefit of his health, and that he may be tampering with the -dam--perhaps by order of Francis Hest."</p> - -<p>"In that case, why not have the dam examined to-day?"</p> - -<p>"There is no immediate hurry. Hokar will find it no easy task to break -down that gigantic wall, if that is his aim. Besides, the Vicar is -calling this afternoon to pay his respects to Lady Corsoon. I wish to -have a chat with him on the subject of Hest, and to learn what he -thinks of him."</p> - -<p>"What can he think, but that Hest is a genuine philanthropist?"</p> - -<p>"I daresay Hest is one person here and another in London. However, it -will do no harm to collect what information we can concerning him. -To-morrow you can come with Lady Corsoon and her daughter to see Ida, -and I shall go also. Afterwards you can inspect the dam."</p> - -<p>"Won't you come, too?" asked Vernon.</p> - -<p>"No. The fact is, I intend to ride to Gatehead to-morrow afternoon. I -shall leave you and the ladies at Gerby Hall. My steward wants to see -me about some property which requires looking after in one of the near -villages. It will be easy for me to ride there and look into the -matter myself. I can trust you to amuse my guests."</p> - -<p>Thus it was arranged, and Vernon put all questions concerning Hokar -and Bolly Dam out of his head. Lucy managed to evade the watchfulness -of her mother when that good lady fell asleep, and the lovers had a -stolen half hour all to themselves until the arrival of the vicar. -After that came tea and gossip, and a very pleasant afternoon ended -gleefully. But the most important event of the next twelve hours -happened after dinner, when the Colonel was called out of the -drawing-room to see a visitor. He left Vernon to amuse Lady -Corsoon and her daughter and took his way to the library, where the -visitor--who had not sent in any name--was waiting for him. To -Towton's surprise, the stranger proved to be Frances Hest.</p> - -<p>"My dear lady, why did you not join us in the drawing-room?" he asked -hospitably. "I'm sure the surprise would be a pleasant one."</p> - -<p>"Not to Lady Corsoon," said Frances quietly. "She is not over fond of -me. Besides, I have come to see you privately and on a most important -matter."</p> - -<p>"Ida," cried the Colonel anxiously. "Is she ill?"</p> - -<p>"No, no! Set your mind at rest about Ida. She has not changed since -you saw her yesterday. She doesn't know that I am here, nor does any -one else; not even your servant, as I gave no name when I was -admitted. Is the door closed?" and she cast a searching, nervous look -around.</p> - -<p>"This room is perfectly private," said Towton, noting that she looked -anxious and haggard. "Nothing mentioned here can be heard. I hope -nothing is wrong."</p> - -<p>Frances sat down and sighed heavily. "This much is wrong," she said -with a gloomy look, "that I have learned the truth about my brother."</p> - -<p>"The truth----"</p> - -<p>"What you told me yesterday is the truth," said Miss Hest bitterly. -"He is a scoundrel and--as it seems probable--a murderer. Yet I had no -suspicions of him, not even when he sent that Indian down here."</p> - -<p>"Hokar?" said Towton, secretly pleased that his doubts on this point -were about to be resolved.</p> - -<p>"Yes. Some time ago he came here with a letter from Francis, saying -that he was to remain here for a time. I gave him house-room and did -not pay much attention to the man, as I thought it was only another of -my brother's philanthropic schemes. But, from what you said yesterday, -this Hokar is connected with Mr. Maunders and my brother in their -wickedness. Oh," Frances struck the table with her clenched hands, "to -think that our name should be so disgraced by my brother!"</p> - -<p>"What have you discovered?"</p> - -<p>"That he is The Spider. Yes; there can be no doubt of that. See!"</p> - -<p>She took a long blue envelope from her pocket and opened it to -display a paper. "This is a mortgage on Gerby Hall and on all the -property," she explained. "The Deed of Gift to me is worth nothing. -Interest is due on the mortgage, and unless it is paid, the man to -whom the money is owing will foreclose. No wonder Francis presented me -with the estates. They are worth nothing and less than nothing. I am -actually a pauper."</p> - -<p>"Oh, I am extremely sorry to hear that, Miss Hest. But how does this -paper prove that your brother is The Spider?"</p> - -<p>"It proves that I am a pauper and nothing more. But I discovered -amongst my brother's papers the will of poor Mr. Dimsdale."</p> - -<p>Towton started to his feet. "What! is there a will?"</p> - -<p>"Yes. It is signed by Martin Dimsdale and witnessed by George Venery, -of Singapore, and Walter Smith, of Hong-Kong. After what you said -yesterday, I made up my mind that I would no longer be in the dark -regarding my brother's doings. I therefore broke open his desk, which -he always kept safely locked, and found a written statement regarding -Ida not being Mr. Dimsdale's daughter, but the child of a certain Mr. -Menteith."</p> - -<p>"Your brother must have learned that story from Miss Jewin," said the -Colonel. "For Maunders declared that she knew the history."</p> - -<p>"I quite believe it," replied Miss Hest. "For the statement was -signed by Sarah Jewin. I have not spoken to her yet, but I shall do so -to-morrow. She was in India with my father and mother and afterwards -in Burmah. I expect she heard the story there, and related it to -Francis. He added to it."</p> - -<p>"Oh!" Towton remembered about the embroidery to the tale. "Then Mr. -Dimsdale did not purposely delay the relief expedition which was to -rescue Menteith?"</p> - -<p>"No. He pressed on with all speed. But Francis invented that wicked -lie so as to get money from Mr. Dimsdale. How Francis got the will I -can't say. He certainly called at 'Rangoon' once or twice when he was -in London, but I scarcely think Mr. Dimsdale would have given him the -will."</p> - -<p>"Probably he stole it. I am sorry to hurt your feelings, Miss Hest," -added the Colonel hastily on seeing her wince. "But your brother is -extremely clever in a criminal way, and nothing he does surprises me. -I quite believe he was clever enough to get this will. Where is it?"</p> - -<p>"I have left it at home, and if you will call to-morrow I shall give -it to you. But I must make conditions."</p> - -<p>"Conditions?" The Colonel looked puzzled.</p> - -<p>"Ah, don't think badly of me," said Frances in an imploring manner. -"But consider my position. I am without a penny, for the property must -certainly be handed over to the man to whom it is mortgaged. Listen, -Colonel. This will states that Ida is not the testator's daughter, and -leaves everything to Ida Menteith, so there can be no doubt that she -inherits. Now, Ida loves you, and although I wished her to marry my -brother or Mr. Maunders, she always desired to be your wife. I am glad -now that she did not yield to my persuasions, since both Francis and -Constantine are criminals and exiles. So I want you to take her away -to-morrow and marry her and enter into possession of the Dimsdale -property."</p> - -<p>"You are very good, Miss Hest," said Towton, who could not but -acknowledge that she was acting most generously. "But your condition?"</p> - -<p>"It is scarcely that, Colonel; merely a suggestion. I shall give you -the will if you can arrange with Ida to give me eight or nine or ten -thousand pounds, so that I can have something to live on."</p> - -<p>Towton hesitated at this bold offer. "I can't say anything about that; -it is for Miss Dimsdale to decide."</p> - -<p>"Colonel, if I chose, Ida would remain with me altogether, as she -loves me."</p> - -<p>"Say rather," said Towton, somewhat unjustly, "that you have a great -influence over her, Miss Hest."</p> - -<p>"And if I have," cried Frances, rising to the height of her tall -figure, "has that influence been used for otherwise but good? Instead -of misusing it, as I could, to keep Ida beside me and retain command -of her money, I wish her to marry you and take her fortune entirely to -yourself. All I ask is for a sum to save me from begging my bread in -the street. Think of my position and do not be too hard on me, -Colonel."</p> - -<p>"I admit that you have some claim," said the Colonel politely; "and -doubtless Miss Dimsdale will consent to your demand. But I can say -nothing. It will be better to wait."</p> - -<p>"Until when?"</p> - -<p>"Until to-morrow. Then, with Ida, we can talk over the matter." Miss -Hest's lip curled. "You are a strange man, Colonel. I offer you a -pretty wife and a handsome fortune, yet you hesitate to do me -justice."</p> - -<p>"I see no justice in giving you ten thousand pounds," retorted Towton -sharply.</p> - -<p>"Well," said Frances, suppressing her rising anger, for she felt that -she was acting generously and the Colonel churlishly, "perhaps justice -is not quite the word which should be used. But you spoke now of my -influence over Ida as being great, and you spoke truly. She is very -fond of me, and I am perfectly well able to induce her to give up all -idea of becoming your wife, and to get her to remain with me. Then I -should handle the sum I ask for every year instead of only once, for -Ida knows nothing of business."</p> - -<p>"See here, Miss Hest," said Towton roundly, "I love Ida and I wish her -to be my wife. But she shall accept me of her own free will and -without being pressed in any way. Your influence can scarcely be so -great as you think, since Ida declined both to marry Maunders or your -brother, although--as you admit--you urged her to do so. I am coming -to-morrow with Lady Corsoon and her daughter to see Ida, and I hope -Miss Dimsdale will return with her aunt to this house----"</p> - -<p>"Not if I can prevent it," said Frances, her colour rising as she -hastily wrapped her cloak round her and moved towards the door. "Ida -remains with me as a hostage until I get this money, to which I am -entitled."</p> - -<p>"I fail to see that."</p> - -<p>"Because you have an ungenerous nature," she retorted. "Were I in -possession of an unencumbered estate I should ask nothing. But, as it -is, I must have money, and if you are wise you will buy this will and -your wife with a sincere promise--I do not even ask for it to be in -writing, so confident am I in your honour--to give me ten thousand -pounds on the wedding-day."</p> - -<p>But Towton was singularly obstinate. "Wait until to-morrow," he said -dourly. "What Ida says I hold by."</p> - -<p>"In that case I have the money," retorted Frances, and left the room -promptly with a dry smile and a light step, fully satisfied that she -had won.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_20" href="#div1Ref_20">CHAPTER XX.</a></h4> -<h5>GERBY HALL.</h5> -<br> - -<p>Contrary to his usual custom, Colonel Towton did not mention the -conversation or the visit of Miss Hest to his co-worker. And he -observed this reticence for two reasons. Firstly, he noted that Vernon -was too much engrossed in the society of Lucy to give undivided -attention to those anxious matters dealing with The Spider and his -machinations. Secondly, the offer of Frances particularly concerned -himself and Ida, therefore it was useless to ask advice which probably -would not be taken. As Vernon had always supported Miss Hest, he -undoubtedly would urge that she should be paid if she fulfilled the -conditions which she herself had laid down. Nine men out of ten would -have clinched the matter at the price, so that the Gordian knot might -be cut instead of unravelled. But Towton was no Alexander to adopt so -hasty a course, and did not see his way to surrender a large sum for -help which, in his opinion, should be freely rendered.</p> - -<p>Moreover, as he scrupulously regarded Ida's fortune as belonging -entirely to herself, Towton infinitely preferred to leave the decision -to her judgment. In spite of the triumphant smile with which Frances -had terminated her visit, the Colonel did not feel sure that she would -gain her ends, and suspected that her boasted influence over Miss -Dimsdale was less powerful than she pretended it to be. If she could -twist Ida round her finger--and she intimated as much--there was no -need for her to apply to Towton in any way, as all she had to do was -to give the will to Ida and receive in return a cheque for the ensuing -year's income. But this she had not done, and her very action in -seeking him made Towton suspect that she felt her influence with Ida -to be waning. The girl, therefore, would no doubt be glad to leave -Gerby Hall and come to The Grange; and it might be--but the Colonel -could not be certain on this point--that Frances was detaining her by -threats, although what such threats might be Towton could not -conjecture. And certainly, judging by the visit of the previous day, -Ida was fondly attached to Frances, and was remaining of her own free -will under the gloomy roof of her friend. Towton was perplexed how to -reconcile Ida's evident desire to remain at the Hall with the -unnecessary visit of Miss Hest.</p> - -<p>"I can come to no decision about the matter until I have seen Ida by -herself," thought the Colonel when he returned to the drawing-room. -"In the presence of this woman the poor girl may be intimidated, or -perhaps fascinated as is a bird by a snake. When we are alone she will -open her heart to me, as I know that she loves me, in spite of what -Miss Hest says. To-morrow, if she refuses to return with Lady Corsoon, -I shall remain behind when the others have taken their departure, and -perhaps may get a word or two alone with Ida. I wish I could remove -her from the society of that woman; I am sure it is harmful."</p> - -<p>When rejoining his guests, Towton merely intimated that his visitor -had come on business, and gave the company to understand that it was -of small consequence. Then he proceeded to make himself agreeable to -Lady Corsoon, so that Vernon and Lucy could have each other's company -without the uncomfortable presence of a third party. He taught his -elderly guest a new game of patience; but, as this proved to be -somewhat dull, the young couple were called in to form a bridge party. -They came unwillingly, and playing the game with but faint interest, -allowed Towton and Lady Corsoon to win. As the latter individual -retired to bed the winner of a moderate sum, she was in high good -humour, and refrained from scolding Lucy for her philandering with the -undesirable lover. And undesirable he was, so long as Lady Corsoon -hoped to obtain the fortune of her niece. If Maunders failed to fulfil -his promise, then the scheming wife of the financier was perfectly -willing to permit her daughter to marry Sir Arthur Vernon, it being of -course understood that he was to have the title before becoming Lucy's -bridegroom. Certainly she would have preferred her daughter to be Lady -Stratham, but as Lady Vernon, with her husband's rank and her father's -money, she would shine no inconsiderable planet amongst the stars of -London society, and Lady Corsoon could bask in the reflected glory. -Finally, as the ambitious mother fell asleep, she reflected that Lucy -being rather obstinate, it was just as well to humour her in this -instance, as she was quite capable of running away with the man of her -choice if permission were refused. Lady Corsoon would not have been -particularly astonished had she heard that Lucy had already made the -audacious proposal of flight.</p> - -<p>Next morning, however, to enhance the value of the prize, she kept her -daughter beside her, and remained in her own room on the plea of -looking after certain matters connected with feminine adornment. -Towton, on his part, had to attend to his correspondence; so Vernon -was left to his own devices. He thought that he could not occupy his -time better than by taking a walk to the Bolly Dam in the hope of -stumbling on Hokar. For this purpose he strolled leisurely along the -moorland path, enjoying the bright sunshine and the keen freshness of -the morning air. It was a perfect day, and had Lucy been prattling by -his side it would have been more perfect still. But his beloved was -absent, so Vernon could only feed his hungry heart by recalling -details of the delicious conversation which had taken place between -them on the previous day.</p> - -<p>He duly arrived at the dam, but could see no sign of the Hindoo. It -was still early, however, so Vernon sat down on the massive stonework -of the wall to wait for his possible arrival. While in this position -he became aware to his astonishment that he could hear sounds -extremely plainly from the mile-distant village. The clacking of the -mills, the subdued murmur of the torrent tumbling under the arched -bridge, the lowing of cattle, and even--but more faintly--the shrill -cries of children at play; all these struck on his ear with amazing -clearness, considering the distance. Certainly, a gentle wind was -blowing from the village, but even that did not wholly explain the -phenomenon, since the various noises were so markedly distinct. -Finally, Vernon concluded, and no doubt was correct in his conjecture, -that the narrow gorge acted as a kind of telephone, which, with the -aid of the steady wind blowing up its length, conducted the sounds -accurately. The discovery amused the young man, and he sat where he -was for a considerable time trying to distinguish between the several -noises. Later in the day he decided to get Lucy to sit on the dam and -then from the bottom of the gorge a mile away to call out and see if -she could understand what he was saying. The experiment would be both -scientific and interesting.</p> - -<p>For quite an hour Vernon waited, but no Hokar put in an appearance. He -then spent another hour in walking slowly round the reservoir, and -finally, without having seen a single person, he returned to luncheon. -At the meal Colonel Towton mentioned that he had written a note to -Miss Hest stating that the visit would be paid at three o'clock. "And -I have given orders for a room to be got ready for Ida next to yours, -Lady Corsoon," said the Colonel.</p> - -<p>"I doubt if Ida will come," sighed his guest. "She is singularly -obstinate in having her own way. What she can see in that woman is a -puzzle to me."</p> - -<p>"Miss Hest is very clever," remarked Lucy, "but there is something -about her that I do not like."</p> - -<p>"For instance?" queried Vernon bending forward.</p> - -<p>"I can hardly say," said the girl thoughtfully. "She is clever and -agreeable and quite well-bred. Yet she seems to be--be--dangerous."</p> - -<p>"I think that word applies more to Maunders than to Miss Hest," -observed Towton, "although I am bound to say that Miss Hest does not -satisfy me in many ways. She is too masterful. Dangerous, no. I should -not describe her as dangerous, Miss Corsoon."</p> - -<p>"I should, and I do, Colonel. I may be wrong, but the first time I met -Miss Hest at 'Rangoon' she gave me that impression."</p> - -<p>"One should never go against impressions," said Vernon gravely; "They -are the instincts of the soul."</p> - -<p>"Nonsense," contradicted Lady Corsoon vigorously. "I'm sure when I -first met my husband I could not bear him, and my mother had simply to -drive me to the altar. Yet I married him, and I'm sure we are a most -attached pair."</p> - -<p>The gentlemen were too well-bred to smile at this statement, yet it -secretly amused both. Everyone knew that the undeniable good feeling -which existed between Sir Julius and his wife was mainly due to their -diverse interests in life, which kept them more or less apart. Lady -Corsoon was always fluttering about as a society butterfly, while Sir -Julius remained constantly in the City, earning money for her to -spend. It was little credit to either that they were civil to one -another on the rare occasions when they met. Cain and Abel themselves -would not have quarrelled when only meeting--as the saying goes--once -in a blue moon But Lady Corsoon felt quite certain that she was a -model wife and a typical British matron (new style), and prattled on -about her domestic happiness until it was time to start for Gerby -Hall.</p> - -<p>"Vernon will escort you two ladies," said Towton, who was in riding -kit, and exhibited a more youthful air than usual. "I can follow."</p> - -<p>"You won't ride to Gatehead until you have called at the Hall," urged -Lady Corsoon; "for I may need you to insist upon Ida coming to The -Grange."</p> - -<p>"I shall assuredly be at Gerby Hall in half an hour, more or less," -replied the Colonel quietly. "But I should not think of insisting upon -Ida becoming my guest unless she honours me of her own free will with -a visit."</p> - -<p>"Oh, nonsense," said Lady Corsoon pettishly. "When you know how -infatuated she is with this woman Hest." And all the way down the -winding road she lamented that Ida was so impossible, and the owner of -Gerby Hall so second-rate. "For she is second-rate," finished Lady -Corsoon triumphantly. "I always said so, and would say so with my -dying breath."</p> - -<p>In due time the trio arrived at the gloomy Hall, and were shown by the -fat maid into the dingy drawing-room. It was less chill and dismal on -this occasion, as the windows were wide open and the warm breath of -the day stole in to ameliorate the damp atmosphere, as did the -sunshine to lighten the darkness. In the glare of day the furniture -looked quite faded, and the hangings extremely shabby; but there was -something dignified about the ancient room which impressed even Lady -Corsoon.</p> - -<p>"A very quaint old place," she said surveying it through her -lorgnette; "but damp. They ought to have a fire in the grate."</p> - -<p>"They couldn't very well have it anywhere else, mamma," giggled Lucy.</p> - -<p>"My dear, pray do not afflict me with your cheap wit. You perfectly -well understand my meaning. I shall take this chair, as the light -tries my eyes."</p> - -<p>So saying she selected a seat with its back to the windows, but less -to preserve her eyesight than to prevent Miss Hest from seeing too -plain evidence of her age. She throned herself in the spacious chair -with the air of a queen, and assumed a dignified mein as the door -opened to admit Ida and her hostess. Lady Corsoon's first remark was -scarcely polite.</p> - -<p>"You _do_ look ill, Ida," she said submitting her cheek to a kiss, -"and more than twice your age. Miss Hest, what have you been doing -with her?"</p> - -<p>"Trying to comfort her," replied Frances drily. "But you can scarcely -expect an affectionate girl like Ida to lose her father and not show -some signs of grief."</p> - -<p>"Signs of fiddlestick, if you will excuse the expression. It's want of -food and cheerful company, to say nothing of living in this vault."</p> - -<p>"Thank you, Lady Corsoon. I find the house of my ancestors very -comfortable."</p> - -<p>"I think not," replied the visitor rudely. "Quaint, as I have already -observed, old-world and interesting to an antiquarian, but I don't -think anyone could call this comfortable. However, this state of -things, so far as Ida is concerned, can be easily remedied. Ida, -child, I have come to take you to the Grange, which stands in a much -more healthy position."</p> - -<p>Ida, who had saluted her cousin and Vernon, turned even paler than she -already was and looked sideways at Frances. "I think that I prefer to -remain in this house," she said timidly.</p> - -<p>"Oh, you must not burden Miss Hest any longer," said her aunt coolly. -"Ida's company is no burden to me," snapped Miss Hest, who seemed to -be trying to keep her temper, "but if she chooses to leave me, she -can."</p> - -<p>"I should think so; as she is free to come and go as she wishes. Ida?"</p> - -<p>"I would rather stop with Frances," said Ida faintly, and again sought -the eye of her friend, as if seeking direction. "We are very happy -here."</p> - -<p>"Miss Hest, I appeal to you," cried Lady Corsoon, looking important. -"You can see for yourself that the dear child is like a plant, she -wants air and sunlight and every attention."</p> - -<p>"Ida is free to go and come as she chooses," repeated Frances with a -stealthy glance at the girl. "And perhaps it is just as well she -should go. I am returning to London in a week or so."</p> - -<p>"Frances!" Ida started to her feet, and a faint hue tinged her cheek. -"You never told me of this."</p> - -<p>"I never arrived at any decision until last night," replied Frances -coldly, removing the arm which the girl had thrown fondly round her -neck. "But a search amongst my brother's papers has shown me that my -position financially speaking is not so secure as I thought it was. As -it is necessary for me to earn my living I must go back to Professor -Gail's at Isleworth, and probably I shall agree to his proposal that I -should appear on the stage."</p> - -<p>"But, Frances, I have plenty of money. Share with me."</p> - -<p>"Ida," said Lady Corsoon sharply, "you must let older and wiser heads -guide you as regards the disposition of your fortune. Besides, it may -not be so secure as you think."</p> - -<p>"What?" Ida turned to face her aunt. "Then you already know that I am -not Mr. Dimsdale's daughter."</p> - -<p>"I know something about it," said Lady Corsoon, concealing her exact -knowledge and determined to appear surprised at nothing. "I received a -letter stating that on certain conditions I could get the money of my -brother. Whether you are my niece or not I can't say, but assuredly if -the money is mine I must enter into possession of it. Of course, you -may rely on my doing my best to help you."</p> - -<p>"I want nothing," said Ida, proudly lifting her head. "If the money is -yours you shall certainly have it. Am I not right, Frances?"</p> - -<p>"Perfectly right. But Lady Corsoon's fortune--to use her own words -with regard to you--may not be so secure as she thinks."</p> - -<p>"If Ida is not Martin's daughter, and there is no will, I should -certainly inherit," cried Lady Corsoon quite fiercely. "And I confess -that I am surprised to hear that my brother is not the father of the -girl I have always supposed to be my niece. I should like an -explanation."</p> - -<p>"You will have one to-morrow," said Miss Hest coolly.</p> - -<p>"I want one to-day," said the elder woman rapping her knuckles with -her lorgnette. "What have you to do with this matter, may I ask?"</p> - -<p>"More than you suppose. But, after I have seen Colonel Towton, you -shall be enlightened as to my exact position."</p> - -<p>"Frances, do you mean to say that the money is really mine?" demanded -Ida with a look of breathless interest.</p> - -<p>"If it was, what would you do?" asked Miss Hest doubtfully.</p> - -<p>"I should give you all the money you required."</p> - -<p>Frances hesitated, then came forward and kissed the girl quietly. "You -are a good child, Ida. I thought that I had lost your confidence."</p> - -<p>Miss Dimsdale did not contradict this statement. "I shall always -remember how kind you have been to me," she said, shrinking a trifle -from her friend's caress. "Nothing can make me forget the past."</p> - -<p>"Come, come," said Lady Corsoon, rising in a fussy manner. "This sort -of thing will not do at all. I must understand plainly what this -means. In the meantime, I request my niece to follow me to The -Grange."</p> - -<p>"I am not your niece, if all I have learned is true, and I decline to -be dictated to," said Ida quickly. "To-morrow I shall come to The -Grange."</p> - -<p>"Will you leave me, Ida?" asked Frances quickly and with a look of -pain.</p> - -<p>"For a time only," muttered the girl averting her head. "But I wish to -go to Colonel Towton's to-morrow."</p> - -<p>"Many things seem about to happen to-morrow," observed Lady Corsoon -walking towards the door in her most stately manner. "And as Ida -refuses to obey me, I wash my hands of her. Come, Lucy. Come, Mr. -Vernon. We must depart."</p> - -<p>"But the Colonel will be here shortly," protested Vernon, and Lucy -took Ida's hand kindly between her own.</p> - -<p>"The Colonel may do what he pleases," said Lady Corsoon loftily. "I am -not bound by his actions. Ida, I learn, is not my niece, and therefore -I shall instruct my lawyer--since there is no will--to demand a -surrender of Martin's property. Now that Miss Dimsdale--no, not -that--what is your name, may I ask?" And she hoisted the lorgnette -again.</p> - -<p>Ida shrank back before that severe look, and broken down in health as -she was with all she had gone through, burst into tears. Frances -stepped between her and Lady Corsoon. "You are a cruel woman," she -said indignantly, "and you shall leave my house at once."</p> - -<p>"Only too willingly, only too willingly," cried Lady Corsoon swelling -with pompous indignation. "But I call everyone to witness that I shall -have these matters examined into, and intend to claim my rights. Ida, -you are no niece of mine by your own showing, so I have finished with -you. Lucy! Mr. Vernon!" and she sailed out of the room and out of the -house in a high state of indignation. The fact is, the good lady was -greatly perplexed over the unexpected information that she had -received. She had believed that her brother had made a will in her -favour which Ida had destroyed; but she had never expected to hear -that the girl was not Dimsdale's daughter. In her hurry she left -Vernon and Lucy behind, while she simply rushed down the short avenue -and came face to face with Colonel Towton, who was riding in at the -gate.</p> - -<p>"What is the matter?" asked the Colonel surprised at seeing his guest -alone.</p> - -<p>"Matter!" Lady Corsoon halted, breathing hard with anger. "I really -don't know, save that the Hest woman has insulted me. Also I have -heard that Ida is not my niece, and therefore I am sure the property -belongs to me. I decline to stay longer in that house, and so I am -returning home. Perhaps, Colonel, you will demand an explanation. If I -don't receive a satisfactory one to-night, I write to my lawyer. So -there!"</p> - -<p>Towton tried to stem the torrent of this speech, but without any -result. Still talking of the way in which she had been treated, Lady -Corsoon babbled her way out of the gate and disappeared. The Colonel -rode up to the door, and, alighting from his horse, bound the bridle -to a ring in the wall. As he stepped inside, Vernon appeared in -attendance on Lucy. They had stayed behind to comfort Ida, who was -weeping over the harsh treatment she had received from her presumed -aunt.</p> - -<p>"What on earth is the matter?" asked Towton, putting the same question -to the couple as he had put to Lady Corsoon. "Miss Lucy, I have met -your mother rushing home in a high state of anger."</p> - -<p>"Miss Hest and mother have fallen out," said Lucy, hesitating how much -to say, for she knew how Towton loved Ida.</p> - -<p>"And Lady Corsoon has learned that Ida is not her niece," put in -Vernon. "Go in and comfort her, Colonel. I shall go after Lady Corsoon -with Lucy."</p> - -<p>"That is the best thing to be done," cried Frances, overbearing, and -putting her head out of the window. "Colonel Towton, I desire a -private conversation."</p> - -<p>"Do you wish me to remain?" Vernon asked his friend in a low voice.</p> - -<p>"No, no. I must see Miss Hest alone. I understand what she wants. Go -with Miss Lucy. She has already reached the gate."</p> - -<p>"But if you want me----"</p> - -<p>"I don't. When I return you shall know everything."</p> - -<p>"What do you mean?" demanded Vernon anxiously.</p> - -<p>"Colonel, Colonel," called out Miss Hest again.</p> - -<p>"I must go. Follow Miss Corsoon and pacify the old lady," said Towton -hurriedly, and hastened into the house, leaving Vernon much astonished -by his behaviour. Had the young man known of Miss Hest's visit on the -previous evening, he might not have been so perplexed. As it was, he -hastened after Lucy, who by this time was rapidly gaining on her -indignant mother, with a feeling that Towton knew more than he did -concerning the present state of affairs. Which as he afterwards -learned, was precisely the case.</p> - -<p>The Colonel entered the gloomy drawing-room to find Ida weeping on the -sofa and Frances comforting her. Before he could say a word, the -latter turned on him indignantly. "Why did you send that insulting -woman here?"</p> - -<p>"She came of her own accord," explained Towton frowning at the speech, -"and surely Lady Corsoon has not insulted Ida."</p> - -<p>"And me. She has insulted us both," cried Miss Hest angrily. "I should -have had her turned out of the house had she not gone."</p> - -<p>"It was my fault by telling her that I was not her niece," said Ida in -an agitated tone. "As if I could help that. But I won't trouble her in -any way; she has never been kind to me. I shall not set eyes on her -again."</p> - -<p>"But, Ida," said Towton, taking her hand and striving to speak -cheerfully, "I want you to come to the Grange."</p> - -<p>"Not while Lady Corsoon is there, Richard."</p> - -<p>Frances drew a long breath of relief, which annoyed the Colonel. "Are -you detaining Miss Dimsdale here?" he asked snappishly, for late -events had tried his temper greatly.</p> - -<p>"Oh, no," cried Ida before her friend could speak. "As if Frances -would do such a thing! But Lady Corsoon has been so rude."</p> - -<p>"You speak of her as Lady Corsoon?"</p> - -<p>"Naturally, since I am not her niece," said Ida simply. "When she -leaves The Grange I shall be delighted to come."</p> - -<p>Colonel Towton flushed through his tan. "I am a bachelor, Ida," he -said in stiff tones. "You can't come to my house without a lady is -staying there. That is unless you will marry me at once."</p> - -<p>Ida placed her two hands on his shoulders and looked at him kindly -through her tears. "If you will take a girl without a sixpence, I -shall marry you as soon as you please, Richard."</p> - -<p>"Don't put his chivalry to the test, Ida," remarked Frances in -somewhat acrid tones. "Colonel Towton knows that you have ten thousand -a year."</p> - -<p>"But if this story is true----"</p> - -<p>"It's quite true, only there is a will."</p> - -<p>"A will?" Ida stared and flushed with pleasure. "Then poor Mr. -Dimsdale did not entirely forget me."</p> - -<p>"He did not forget you at all. I found this will--well it doesn't -matter where, since I explained everything to our friend here last -night. But you inherit the Dimsdale property as Ida Menteith, so Lady -Corsoon will not be able to strip you of your worldly goods."</p> - -<p>"Oh!"--Ida grew even more scarlet--"then, Richard----"</p> - -<p>He caught her hands and pressed them to his breast.</p> - -<p>"My dear, I would take you without a single penny."</p> - -<p>"And that is the way in which you will have to take her," said Frances -drily, "unless you consent to my demands."</p> - -<p>"I leave that to Ida," said Towton, once more stiff and military. -"Leave what to me?" asked Ida, looking from one to the other. Frances -turned to her in a business-like way. "The property my brother has -made over to me is mortgaged and I am penniless. If you marry the -Colonel I lose your society and also the chance of being your -companion at a certain wage. To make amends I ask for ten thousand -pounds."</p> - -<p>"You shall have it, of course,' said Ida promptly.</p> - -<p>"Will you sign this document giving it to me?" asked Miss Hest pulling -a sheet of paper out of her pocket.</p> - -<p>"At once, if you will give me pen and ink."</p> - -<p>The two women went towards a table upon which stood what was required. -Apparently Frances had made all necessary preparations to get the -money. "You can give me a cheque also. Here is the book," she said -eagerly.</p> - -<p>"Ida, Ida! Are you wise in doing this?" warned the Colonel, following.</p> - -<p>"Yes," said the girl rapidly signing her name and without even reading -the document. "I want to marry you and be rid of Frances."</p> - -<p>Miss Hest sneered, while Towton started back, utterly astonished by -the change of tone. "I thought--I fancied--I believed," he stuttered, -"that you were deeply attached to Miss Hest."</p> - -<p>"I was, but--there are circumstances----"</p> - -<p>"Oh, let us have the truth," interposed Frances sharply. "You liked me -well enough and I liked you until you found that I was too clever for -you, so----"</p> - -<p>Ida caught at her lover's hand and made an effort to pull herself -together in the face of Miss Hest's contemptuous eyes. "You treated me -shamefully, Frances," she said in tones of reproach. "I loved you -dearly until you began to bully me and to make my life a burden. You -got me down here in order to gain possession of my money, and have -been trying to influence me into giving up not only my property but -Richard also. I saw what you were ever since we came to this house, -but, to deceive you, I played my part, and led you to believe that I -still loved----"</p> - -<p>"Oh, rubbish," said Miss Hest, whose eyes were as hard as jade. "You -played your part very badly. I saw through your weak tricks. You were -afraid of me, you know you were."</p> - -<p>"Yes, I was," said Ida, clinging to the amazed Colonel. "Because I -believe if you could have got me to sign away my property that you -would have killed me. I am willing to give you ten thousand pounds, as -I once had some affection for you; but now that you have got your -pound of flesh I shall leave this house with Richard."</p> - -<p>"To go to Lady Corsoon?"</p> - -<p>"Richard will protect me. And, heaven help me!" said Ida, putting her -hand to her head piteously. "I feel so dazed that I scarcely know what -I am saying."</p> - -<p>"You are not too dazed to sign a cheque."</p> - -<p>Ida without a word stepped to the table and began to write in the -cheque-book. Towton protested. "You shall not do this," he declared. -"While I fancied you loved Miss Hest, I was willing you should make -her a present of this large sum. But since she has treated you -badly----"</p> - -<p>"If Ida does not sign the cheque she does not get the will," said -Frances imperiously. "You can save your breath, Colonel."</p> - -<p>"You may hand over a false will?"</p> - -<p>"If I did that I should not get the ten thousand pounds," retorted -Frances. "Don't be a fool. I am acting straightforwardly enough."</p> - -<p>"Here is the money," said Ida tearing out the signed cheque and -passing it to her quondam friend.</p> - -<p>"And here is the will," replied Miss Hest, offering a paper, which Ida -took and gave to the Colonel.</p> - -<p>Towton glanced rapidly at the document. It certainly seemed to be a -genuine will signed by Martin Dimsdale and also by Venery and Smith. -He felt sure that there was no trickery about the paper, since Miss -Hest--now that Lady Corsoon knew the truth--would not be able to get -the money unless the testament of Martin Dimsdale was above reproach. -"It's all right," he remarked, slipping the precious paper into the -breast pocket of his coat. "But you, Miss Hest, are little else than a -blackmailer. You are the worthy sister of your confounded brother."</p> - -<p>The woman laughed after a critical glance at the cheque and signed -document to make sure that both were in order. "I am able to bear all -your hard names since I have secured the money. But that Ida refused -to obey me and kicked over the traces you would never have had the -will."</p> - -<p>"I thought that the money did not belong to me," protested Ida, -sheltering herself under the wing of her lover, "and wanted to return -it to Lady Corsoon."</p> - -<p>Frances nodded with a sneer. "Oh, I know how tender your conscience -is. You have whimpered enough about it. Only because of your silly -attitude did I make this arrangement, which is the best I can do for -myself. But I must say one thing, Ida, and you can take it as a -compliment. Clever as I am, you with your soft over-scrupulous nature -have been too many for me. Few people can say that. And now that all -is over between us, you can leave my house, as I hate the sight of -your insipid face."</p> - -<p>Ida shrank back into the Colonel's arms, and he addressed Miss Hest in -a voice rendered hoarse with indignation. "You are a thoroughly bad -woman. I never did approve of you, and now that I see you, as Ida -does, in your true colours, I tell you----"</p> - -<p>"My true colours," scoffed the other contemptuously. "No one knows -what they are. You least of all, you narrow-minded idiot."</p> - -<p>"What do you mean?" demanded Towton, taken aback by the malignant look -on her hard white face.</p> - -<p>"Don't ask her," implored Ida, striving to pull her lover to the door, -"she will only lie. Let us leave this wicked house, as I am certain -that there is something terrible concealed here."</p> - -<p>"Something terrible," echoed Towton looking startled.</p> - -<p>"Don't talk rubbish," muttered Frances, with a dangerous expression in -her eyes. "Colonel, you had better take away that fool, or it will be -the worse for her. I warn you."</p> - -<p>"I have heard strange noises," went on Ida feverishly. "People have -been coming and going in the dead of night. Then that Hindoo----"</p> - -<p>"Hokar!" cried the Colonel. "Miss Hest, how do you explain Hokar?"</p> - -<p>"I explain nothing," snapped Frances, marching to the door in an -imperious way and throwing it open. "Out you go, both of you," She -recoiled. "Ah! you dare to!"--with a gasp she tried to close the door -again, but Towton dashed forward and caught her arm.</p> - -<p>"I have seen; it is too late," he almost shouted. "Maunders. Come in!"</p> - -<p>It was indeed Maunders who stood on the threshold. He looked the ghost -of his former handsome, insolent, prosperous self. Thin and haggard -and worn, with his clothes hanging loosely on his figure, he presented -a woeful spectacle. "What have you been doing to yourself? How did you -come here?" asked Towton, stepping back much startled, with Ida on his -arm.</p> - -<p>"Ask that woman how I came here; ask her how she has treated me. But I -escaped from the room she locked me in by climbing out of the window. -Now I shall show her the mercy she has shown me. She is----"</p> - -<p>Frances darted forward and clapped her hand on his mouth. "I'll kill -you if you say the word. You cursed fool. Be silent or I give you up." -Maunders, with a strength which his frail looks scarcely suggested, -threw her off and staggered against the door. "I give _you_ up," he -shrieked, wild with anger, "you thief, you blackmailer, you -murderess!"</p> - -<p>"What?" cried Towton eagerly, and grasping vaguely at the terrible -truth.</p> - -<p>"Yes." Maunders pointed an accusing finger at Frances Hest. "There is -The Spider. A woman; a devil! Arrest her; imprison her; hang her on -the gallows," and he sank down on the floor, his back to the door, -with hatred written on his white and ghastly face.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_21" href="#div1Ref_21">CHAPTER XXI.</a></h4> -<h5>JUSTICE.</h5> -<br> - -<p>There was a long pause, a sinister lull in the tempest of passion -which was raging in that quiet, prosaic room. Gasping with impotent -passion, Maunders lay, resting his head against the door, an obstacle -which prevented the guilty woman from escaping. Not that she attempted -to escape. With a deadly white face, with steady, cold, malignant -eyes, like those of a snake, and with a contemptuous smile on her thin -lips. The Spider, visible at last in all her brazen wickedness, stood -defiantly at bay. Towton, with Ida clinging to his arm almost -terrified out of her senses, stared aghast at the evil being who had -been such a curse to many. The ominous silence was like the year-long -moment before the bursting of a bomb.</p> - -<p>Ida, with chattering teeth and trembling limbs, was the first to -recover the use of her tongue; but she could scarcely form the -words. "Oh, God! oh, God!" she whimpered, hiding her face on her -lover's breast; "it's too awful. I never thought--I never -thought--oh--oh--oh!" She broke down with a strange, hysterical, -choking cry, and would have fallen to the ground but that the Colonel -placed her gently in a near chair.</p> - -<p>Then he turned with military precision to face Miss Hest. "You are The -Spider?" he asked in dry, precise tones, and now entirely master of -himself.</p> - -<p>"Yes," she replied coolly, and her mouth closed with a triumphant -snap.</p> - -<p>"You infernal fiend----"</p> - -<p>"Gently! Gently! Hard names break no bones, Colonel. You should be -more of a man than to throw words at a woman."</p> - -<p>"Are you a woman?"</p> - -<p>"Yes," gasped Maunders, raising himself on his elbow and wiping the -froth from his pale lips; "she is Frances Hest right enough. Her -brother is a myth invented by herself to mask her devilries. But -Frances or Francis--she is The Spider!"</p> - -<p>"I did not mean that exactly," said Towton in his hard voice; "but I -asked if one capable of the enormities credited to The Spider can -possibly be a woman."</p> - -<p>"I am The Spider," said Miss Hest with a shrug. "There is your -answer."</p> - -<p>"You are a demon."</p> - -<p>"More names! Really, Colonel Towton, you are very childish. You sink -to the level of that fool," and she pointed scornfully to Ida, who was -weeping in the chair as though her heart would break.</p> - -<p>"To think that I should have been her friend," moaned Ida with a fresh -burst of tears and hiding her face.</p> - -<p>"You little fool," said Frances in a gentle, dangerous voice. "I have -been a better friend to you than you think. But that I pitied you as -being a poor, weak, silly worm, I would have murdered you long ago."</p> - -<p>"You murdered my father," shivered Ida, not daring to meet the cold -eyes which rested on her prostrate form.</p> - -<p>"Martin Dimsdale was not your father."</p> - -<p>"You--you--you murdered him."</p> - -<p>"Yes, I did."</p> - -<p>"What!" Towton could scarcely believe his ears. "You admit the crime?"</p> - -<p>Frances yawned ostentatiously. "If I admit that I am The Spider it -follows that I must have murdered Dimsdale."</p> - -<p>"Well, no," replied Towton, truthfully and justly. "You may have -employed Hokar to strangle him."</p> - -<p>"That is very good of you," said Frances satirically, "but I don't -place my own sins on the shoulders of others. Hokar taught me how to -strangle in the Thug fashion certainly, but he did not kill Dimsdale. -I did."</p> - -<p>"Still, I don't believe that the murder was premeditated," insisted -Towton.</p> - -<p>"Upon my word," said Miss Hest good-humouredly and as coolly as though -she were gossiping over a cup of tea, "one would think you were -counsel for the defence. No, you are right. I did not intend to murder -Dimsdale. Having got you out of the way----"</p> - -<p>"You mean that you got Vernon out of the way?"</p> - -<p>"Of course," assented Frances, sitting down and crossing her legs in a -gentlemanly fashion; "but you must excuse my bad memory, as I have so -much to think of. I got Vernon out of the way, as I overheard, and -Maunders there overheard, the arrangement for a trap. We were both on -the verandah."</p> - -<p>"And I was with you," wailed Ida, shivering again. "So you were," said -Miss Hest raising her eyebrows, "but you heard nothing. Maunders -caught a word or two through the open window of the library and warned -me. While you, my dear Ida, were talking to him I stole round the -corner and listened. Knowing all about the trap, I had Vernon decoyed -to the Kensington house, and at the appointed time I went into the -library, masked and cloaked, as were the other guests at the ball. -Dimsdale was waiting for me. I stole up behind him and slipped a -handkerchief round his neck."</p> - -<p>"Oh!" The Colonel was revolted. "And you say that the crime was not -premeditated?"</p> - -<p>"I say truly. I simply prepared to strangle him slightly should he -have made an outcry. Remember, I was in a dangerous position and could -not stand on ceremony. Had Dimsdale given me the money and permitted -me to leave by the window I would have spared his life. As it was, he -saw me in the mirror, which was directly in front of him."</p> - -<p>"But you were masked: he could not recognise you?"</p> - -<p>"I am coming to that. He waited for a moment, until I made my demand -for the money, then suddenly threw back his hand, and before I guessed -his intention he tore the mask from my face. When he recognised me I -was obliged, for my own safety, to strangle him. As the handkerchief -was in position I simply tightened it, and he was soon dead. Then I -searched for the money, but, not being able to find it, I resumed my -mask and returned to the ballroom. Maunders, of course, was with me -all the time, and awaited my return."</p> - -<p>"I did not know that you had committed a murder," said Maunders -gloomily.</p> - -<p>"No, I did not tell you at the time: it would have spoilt your -pleasure. But when Ida learned the truth by entering the library you -guessed what had taken place. I kept you with me for your own sake, to -provide an _alibi_ should you be suspected, as I feared Vernon might -be clever enough to guess that you had something to do with it. As a -matter of fact, he did hint at it when he called many days later, but -I was enabled to say that you were with me all the time, and so he was -put off the scent."</p> - -<p>"I remember," murmured the Colonel to himself, but not so low as not -to be overheard by Miss Hest's marvellously sharp ears. "Vernon was -quite satisfied when you provided the _alibi_ for Maunders. He never -suspected _you_."</p> - -<p>"No one ever suspected me," said Frances coolly. "There is no need for -me to speak of my own cleverness. Anyone who can baffle the police as -I have done has no need to boast."</p> - -<p>"But why, in heaven's name, with your abilities, did you embark on -such an evil course?" asked Towton amazed at her _sang-froid_.</p> - -<p>"Fate, Fortune, Destiny: what name you will," said Miss Hest -carelessly. "But you have tried to exonerate me, Colonel, and because -of that you shall hear the whole story," and, leaning forward, she -pulled the bell-rope.</p> - -<p>"Remember, I shall repeat all you say to the police," warned Towton.</p> - -<p>"I am not afraid of the police," retorted Frances with a shrug; "all -my plans are made--to escape. As that fool," she pointed to Maunders -lying sullenly on the floor, "has betrayed me twice I give him to you -as a sacrifice. But I shall never stand in the dock, you may be sure."</p> - -<p>"Will you kill yourself?" cried Ida, terrified at this strength of -mind.</p> - -<p>"No, my dear. I am too much in love with life. You shall know my plan -presently. Meantime, you shall hear how I came to be a blackmailer, as -you have already heard why I murdered Dimsdale, to my misfortune."</p> - -<p>"To your misfortune, indeed! sharply.</p> - -<p>"You may well say so, Colonel. I never intended to soil my hands with -blood, least of all with that of a man whom I liked and who was kind -to me. Don't sigh, Ida; after all, I did not shed his blood, as I -merely strangled him. But that death brought you and Vernon in chase -of me, Colonel, and so I am hunted down. Still, had Maunders been -true, I should have been safe. You knew Francis Hest as the criminal, -thanks to Maunders. I merged the brother in the sister and made -everything safe. Now," she shrugged her shoulders, "I must flit."</p> - -<p>"You shall go to prison with me," panted Maunders furiously.</p> - -<p>"I think not," rejoined Miss Hest contemptuously. "Don't you know me -well enough yet to be aware that I provide against all contingencies. -Come in!" she added, raising her voice, and, when the door opened, -looked at Towton. "I shall ask my old nurse, Miss Jewin, to relate the -beginning of my career; at a later time I can take up the tale, and -then our tumbled-down friend yonder can finish the story. Sarah, enter -and close the door."</p> - -<p>Miss Sarah Jewin was peaked-faced and white, with thin lips, scanty -grey hair and cold grey eyes. She was thin and bony and very tall, so -that in her plain black dress she looked like a line--length without -breadth. As she entered Maunders with a groan hoisted himself into a -chair. Miss Jewin had already pushed him aside when she entered the -room and, in place of replying to her mistress, stood looking at his -scowling, haggard face with a look of consternation. Maunders replied -to the look with petty triumph.</p> - -<p>"Yes, I got out," he said, rubbing the ragged beard which disfigured -his well-moulded chin. "I wrenched a bar out of the window and climbed -down by the ivy. Now the murder's out, and you and your hellish -mistress are about to be brought to book."</p> - -<p>"Don't mind him, Sarah," said Frances lazily and leaning back in her -chair to light a cigarette; "you are safe and so am I. Let the fool -talk. In the meantime, tell Colonel Towton here how I came to England -and how you knew that Ida was merely Dimsdale's adopted daughter."</p> - -<p>"I thought you wanted these things kept secret," said Miss Jewin in -dismay and turning pale with dread at the situation in which she found -herself.</p> - -<p>"The time for secrets is past, Sarah. Shortly, thanks to your having -allowed Maunders to escape and to Colonel Towton's sense of justice, -the hue and cry will be out against the whole of us. Is Hokar at his -post?"</p> - -<p>"Yes. He went away when you gave orders."</p> - -<p>"That's all right. I'll escape, sure enough, and so will you. We'll -leave Maunders behind to face justice: he can declare himself to be -The Spider instead of me if he chooses."</p> - -<p>"Oh!" Miss Jewin started back looking terrified. "Do they know----"</p> - -<p>"Maunders has told them, you dear old idiot. But there's no time to be -lost, Sarah; tell your story."</p> - -<p>"And be frank," broke in the Colonel, who was truly amazed at Miss -Hest's cool composure. "If you turn King's evidence you may receive a -short sentence for your complicity."</p> - -<p>Sarah Jewin folded her arms primly. "Begging your pardon, sir, but I -won't receive any sentence at all. I am quite sure that Miss Frances -will save me from going to prison."</p> - -<p>"I fail to see how she can save herself, let alone you," said Towton -coldly. "My horse is at the door. After placing Miss Dimsdale in -safety I shall ride to Gatehead and send for the police. You needn't -chuckle, Miss Hest, and think you will escape meantime. I shall raise -the village and you will be carefully watched."</p> - -<p>"You can act as you please," said Frances coolly. "I am not The Spider -for nothing, and I shall baffle you as I have baffled others. Meantime -since you were so just to me, I shall satisfy your curiosity, which I -am sure is very great. Sarah, tell your story."</p> - -<p>"One moment," said Towton, turning to the prim woman, "you lured -Vernon into the kitchen of that empty Kensington house?"</p> - -<p>She dropped an ironical curtsey. "Yes, sir. Miss Frances was pleased -that I managed so cleverly."</p> - -<p>Ida stared wide-eyed at the shameless looks and speech of the -housekeeper, and Towton frowned. That these creatures should so -audaciously confess their crimes when they knew he would shortly -summon the police puzzled him greatly. Also, remembering the wonderful -craft of The Spider, he felt uneasy as to what might happen, but he -could not conjecture in what way she could extricate herself and her -accomplice from the trap in which they were safely caught. However, he -made no comment on Miss Jewin's insolence, but merely ordered her to -proceed.</p> - -<p>"About thirty-five years ago," said Miss Jewin, plunging into her -story without any preliminary explanation, "I was in India and nurse -to Mrs. Hest, who was the wife of Captain Theodore Hest, stationed at -Bombay. The Captain's father, who lived here, was angry when his son -went into the Army, and cut him off with a shilling, but my master -believed that if a son were born to inherit the estates his father -would relent. When my mistress's baby proved to be a girl he was much -disappointed. However, as his father was old and might die before he -found out the trick, he sent home news that the baby was a boy, and -had her baptised Francis."</p> - -<p>"So you see," broke in Miss Hest who was smoking quietly, "that my -real name is Francis, and by law I am a man. As a woman I am Frances, -so there is merely the difference of one letter. Go on, Sarah."</p> - -<p>"She," said Miss Jewin, pointing to her mistress, "was dressed as a -boy and brought up as a boy, so that the estates might come to her. My -master's father relented when he heard that he had, as he supposed, a -grandson, and made a will in the boy's favour."</p> - -<p>"The boy, you understand, Colonel, being a girl--myself," said Frances -for the sake of clearness.</p> - -<p>"I quite understand," said the Colonel frowning. "Go on."</p> - -<p>"Then my master and mistress were carried off within a month of one -another by fever," continued Miss Jewin. "They died in Burmah, where -the Captain had gone with his regiment. I then took charge of Miss -Hest, who was always called Master Francis, and came to Gerby Hall. -Old Mr. Hest, the grandfather, just lived six months longer, but he -died under the impression that his grand-daughter was a grandson. Miss -Frances thus became possessed of the property."</p> - -<p>"Didn't the lawyer know that she was a girl?" asked Towton surprised.</p> - -<p>"No. As she had always been brought up as a boy the deception was -complete, sir," said Miss Jewin, using the word with shameless -deliberation. "The lawyer came here and saw Miss Frances in her boy's -clothes."</p> - -<p>"And in this way," explained Miss Hest, "it became current gossip in -the village that I had a twin brother."</p> - -<p>"A twin sister, you mean?" said the Colonel doubtfully.</p> - -<p>"Well, you might put it that way. At all events, everyone in -Bowderstyke believes to this day that there is a boy and a girl, or, -rather, a man and a woman Hest. I alternately wore male and female -clothes."</p> - -<p>"Why was there any need for you to wear female clothes at all?"</p> - -<p>"That was my fault," said Miss Jewin quickly. "When the succession to -the estates was settled I could not bear that Miss Frances should -masquerade any longer as a boy. I therefore dressed her in girl's -clothes, to which she was entitled, and invented the twin story. -Sometimes she was a boy, so that the lawyers should not learn the -truth, and sometimes a girl to please me. There's the whole story."</p> - -<p>"Now it's my turn," said Frances, throwing away her cigarette. "When I -grew up and learned how Sarah had muddled my sex in the eyes of the -world I decided to make use of it in order to earn money."</p> - -<p>"Why did you need money when you had the estates?" asked Towton -briefly. "Oh, those were mortgaged up to the hilt, my dear sir. I -wanted to be rich and to restore the Hest family to their old position -For this reason I posed as a philanthropist and spent the money I did. -What with the sums I have given in charity and the buildings I have -constructed, and the dam, which is my work, I think, Colonel, that the -Hests can hold their own with the Towtons. I hated to think that my -family was down while yours was up."</p> - -<p>"Oh," said the Colonel with contempt, "so it's a case of jealousy -merely. All your philanthropy was a fraud?"</p> - -<p>For the first time Frances coloured and rose out of her chair to reply -with more emphasis. "No; you must not say that. I really have a mixed -nature, and like to help people. My good qualities are the outcome of -my evil ones. I wanted to aggrandize the Hests, certainly, since they -were lords of Bowderstyke Valley, until your family robbed them of -their property. But also I really wished to do good and help people. I -think I succeeded."</p> - -<p>"At the cost of murder," said Ida resentfully.</p> - -<p>"That was a mistake," replied Frances glibly, "as I never intended to -murder Dimsdale. When I went to London in my woman's dress, with very -little money in my pocket, I simply intended to earn my fortune on the -stage, and by reciting to make Francis Hest--my other self, who was -supposed to live here--wealthy and popular. I found that the reciting -did not pay and cast about for some better means of making money. -Alternately I lived in London as Frances, and in Bowderstyke as -Francis. But I could not gain my ends by honest means, and so was -obliged to take to dishonest ways. If you wish to know the devil who -tempted me to eat of the Tree of Knowledge, he is before you," and she -pointed deliberately to Constantine.</p> - -<p>"It's a lie," cried Maunders, starting to his feet with a fine -appearance of indignation. "I met you three or four years ago in -London and you discovered that I earned my living by telling fortunes -as Diabella. That was all, except," he added, scowling, "that you -blackmailed me."</p> - -<p>"Quite so," said Miss Hest quietly. "I tried my 'prentice hand on you, -and the means of making money in this way was so easy that I took it -up as a trade and adopted you as a partner. Go on, Maunders, you tell -the rest of the story so that everything may be made clear."</p> - -<p>"There's nothing to tell," said Maunders doggedly, and casting down -his eyes as he met Ida's sorrowful look, for he was not so entirely -lost to all sense of shame as were the other two law-breakers. "You -made me find out all manner of secrets from my clients by hinting at -things and asking questions and by----"</p> - -<p>"I know," interrupted Towton waving his hand. "I am aware of how -fortune-tellers hint at a possibility and so find out the actual truth -from their too credulous clients. No wonder The Spider learned much -that people would fain have kept to themselves. Who told you about -Dimsdale?"</p> - -<p>"You know," said Maunders sullenly, "that woman there."</p> - -<p>"Yes," said Miss Jewin, still prim and shameless. "When in Burmah with -my master I heard about Mr. Dimsdale's love for Mrs. Menteith and how, -when her husband died, he adopted the child. But I never said that Mr. -Dimsdale delayed any expedition so as to get Mr. Menteith killed."</p> - -<p>"No. I invented that and made Maunders tell it to you, Ida, and to -you, Colonel, with the additions," put in Miss Hest, with great -coolness. "Also, on finding out that Ida was not Dimsdale's daughter, -I became alarmed as to the disposition of the property, therefore I -made myself a friend of the family and secured the free run of the -house."</p> - -<p>"You intended to get my money?" asked Ida reproachfully.</p> - -<p>"Certainly, my dear," replied Frances, raising her eyebrows. "Ten -thousand a year was far too much for a chit like you to handle. I -intended to get command of the whole lot. First I hunted in the dead -of night for the will, and found it in the library desk. Then I made -Maunders tell you that you were not Dimsdale's daughter, after the -murder, so that you might be dependent on me, since I knew a secret -which could rob you of the money. I had the secret told also to the -Colonel so that he might learn he would only have a penniless wife -should he marry you, my dear Ida."</p> - -<p>"Did you think so meanly of me as that?" demanded Towton, colouring -indignantly.</p> - -<p>Miss Hest raised her eyebrows. "My dear sir, my experience of human -nature has shown me that there is no mean trick which the majority of -men will not commit for money. You, however, were in the minority, and -so was Ida, as you both were honest. This upset my calculations, as I -could not provide against the unseen in human nature. You, Colonel, -still insisted upon marrying Ida, and she wished to hand over the -money to Lady Corsoon. For this reason I was forced to play my last -card and produce the will."</p> - -<p>"But you did not intend to be found out as The Spider?"</p> - -<p>"No, I did not," confessed Frances calmly. "When Maunders betrayed me -at Isleworth you thought that The Spider was a man, which was exactly -what I wanted and what I counted upon should such an event as -unexpected betrayal happen. In the fog I dragged Maunders away, and we -went to the house of a friend of mine whose name I don't intend you to -know. I wired in cypher to Miss Jewin here to send a telegram to -Francis Hest at Professor Gail's."</p> - -<p>"We got that," said the Colonel quickly, "and it threw us off the -scent."</p> - -<p>"I thought it would," said Miss Hest coolly. "So while you were -hunting for The Spider as a man in London I went down with -Maunders--he was disguised as an old gentleman and I resumed my -womanly dress. Then I wrote you on the plea of talking about Ida and -asked after my pretended brother to still further puzzle you."</p> - -<p>"You certainly succeeded," retorted Towton, trying to conceal his -wonder at all this clever trickery; "but Ida was here and must have -known that you were absent from the house as Francis."</p> - -<p>"Oh, no. I appeared before her twice in this room, which is, as you -see, not very well lighted, in my male disguise and with the painted -scar on my face. She was entirely taken in."</p> - -<p>"The very simplicity of your disguise took me in," said Ida angrily -and wincing at having been so blinded. "Had you worn a beard or a wig -I should have recognised you."</p> - -<p>"I think not," said Miss Hest quietly and with an amused smile. "As -the man I wore my hair somewhat long----"</p> - -<p>"I noted that," said the Colonel quickly.</p> - -<p>"How clever of you. Well, then, as a woman I merely knitted in false -hair. I couldn't wear false hair as a man since Ida would then have -been sharp enough to have recognised me. But plenty of women wear -false plaits, so I was safe on that score: she never suspected me. My -sole disguise was the cicatrice, skilfully painted, and the success of -the whole business lay--as Ida has submitted--in its boldness and in -the belief that I had a twin brother. I have always found," added Miss -Hest musingly, "that the bolder one is the safer it is: audacity -always scores. At all events, I so closely resembled my own true self -that no one thought I was anyone else but what I represented myself to -be. As Francis I told Ida that I was taking my sister away for a week, -and so slipped up to London to meet Vernon at Lady Corsoon's and to be -nearly trapped at Isleworth."</p> - -<p>"What about Hokar and Bahadur?" asked the Colonel abruptly.</p> - -<p>"Hokar," said Miss Jewin, making the explanation instead of Frances, -"was an old servant of Captain Hest's and came to England with me and -the child. Later he sent for his nephew, who was Bahadur."</p> - -<p>"Yes. And I gave them both to Maunders when I set him up in those -splendid Egyptian rooms in Bond Street," observed her mistress. "They -were not engaged to strangle people, as you may think, Colonel, but I -merely wished them to add to the fantastical look of the place when -fortunes were being told. That you were so nearly strangled, and -Vernon also, was your own fault and his own. You should mind your own -business, my friend."</p> - -<p>"I am going to mind it now," said Towton with a frown; "but first tell -me, since you are so frank, what about Lady Corsoon's jewels?"</p> - -<p>"They are in this house. I gave them into Miss Jewin's possession."</p> - -<p>"And Lady Corsoon can have them for one hundred pounds," said Miss -Jewin.</p> - -<p>"A very modest demand, Sarah," said Miss Hest approvingly, "but as the -game is up I don't think you will get more. I shall leave you to -arrange about getting the money and handing back the jewels. Lady -Corsoon will be safe, and at a small loss. But I am glad to think that -she will not get your money, Ida, dear."</p> - -<p>"Don't speak to me," cried Ida starting to her feet. "The more you say -the more I see how shamefully you have treated me."</p> - -<p>"I have spared you," said Miss Hest coolly. "I could have stripped you -entirely bare had I so chosen."</p> - -<p>"No. By your own showing I was too clever for you."</p> - -<p>"Why, that is true, and simply because you were honest. I always -wished to keep on the right side of the law, or I could have got you -to make a will in my favour, and then you would have been poisoned."</p> - -<p>"How dare you?" shouted Towton, while Ida gave a faint cry.</p> - -<p>"You have learned how much I dare," said Frances with an unpleasant -look. "So, now the story is told, perhaps you will leave my house."</p> - -<p>Colonel Towton walked towards the door with Ida on his arm and roughly -pushed Miss Jewin aside. "I shall place Miss Dimsdale----"</p> - -<p>"Miss Menteith," sneered Frances.</p> - -<p>"In safety," continued Towton without noticing the interruption, "and -then I shall ride for the police."</p> - -<p>"I shall come, too," cried Maunders starting to his feet. "She will -lock me up again and perhaps may kill me."</p> - -<p>"Stay where you are," commanded Frances sharply. "I intend to----"</p> - -<p>Maunders did not wait to hear the end of the sentence. Seeing that -Towton and Ida blocked the door he made a rush at the nearest window -and sprang out of it with a dexterity begotten of sheer fear. Whether -Frances intended to take him with her when she fled, or whether she -intended to murder him he could not say, but he preferred to trust in -the mercy of the law rather than in that of the woman who had been his -evil genius. Crazy with terror, he tumbled to the ground, and Towton, -along with Ida, ran to the front door, to see him speeding across the -grass. A moment later and Frances, with a revolver in her hand, leaped -from the window in pursuit. From the expression on her face she -evidently intended nothing less than murder.</p> - -<p>Towton hastily unbuckled the bridle from the ring and flung himself on -his horse. "Place your foot on my toe, Ida," he commanded; "up you -get. There," he added, gathering up the reins as she sat on his -saddle-bow and placed her arms round his neck; "now let us alarm the -village. That poor devil will be shot if this fiendish woman is not -arrested." And he rode forward at a moderately fast pace.</p> - -<p>"She'll catch him," chuckled Sarah Jewin, who had come to the door and -was looking out from under the palm of her hand. "Shoot, Miss Frances. -Shoot!"</p> - -<p>Maunders, finding that he was being chased, could not make directly -for the gate and dodged behind some shrubs. Frances sighted him and -fired a shot. It winged him, for he gave a yell of fear and ran -directly towards her in the open. She fired another shot, which struck -him in the breast, and he pitched forward at her feet. Just as she -fired a third shot into his prostrate body there came a noise like -thunder and a terrible cry from Miss Jewin.</p> - -<p>"The signal! The signal! The dam's burst!" and she bolted into the -house.</p> - -<p>In a flash Towton comprehended and set spurs to his horse. Frances -strove to fly, but Maunders with a last effort caught at her foot and -she fell heavily, fighting for freedom like a wild cat. The next -moment he had her by the throat. And in the distance a mighty roaring -struck the ears of all as the flood came down gigantically.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_22" href="#div1Ref_22">CHAPTER XXII.</a></h4> -<h5>THE END OF IT ALL.</h5> -<br> - -<p>Towton could not quite understand the situation, as there was no time -to consider matters. All he knew was that the Bolly Dam had burst, and -even had Miss Jewin not spoken, the appalling noise would have -informed him of the catastrophe. With Ida in his arms he spurred his -horse frantically out of the gate and across the village bridge. He -found the crooked street filled with people, called out by the -unexpected thunder.</p> - -<p>"The dam's burst: get on the high ground," shouted Towton, and with a -yell of fear men, women, and children began to run wildly in the -direction of the gorge and to disappear amongst the houses in the hope -of gaining some level beyond the height of the down-coming flood. But -there was scanty time for safety. The hollow booming sound of the -waters plunging through the narrows sounded ever nearer and nearer -with terrible distinctness: it seemed as though the waters were -bellowing for their prey. In a moment the Colonel comprehended that it -was too late to skirt the village and gain the winding road, where -they would be safe. Ida gave a cry of alarm as he wrenched round the -now startled horse and clattered through the village street on his way -down the valley. It seemed the only chance.</p> - -<p>"I'll save you yet, my darling," muttered Towton, setting his teeth. -"We must make for Gatehead," and he drove his spurs into the animal, -which now was becoming unmanageable with the roaring of the flood. -Ida, almost insensible with terror, clung to her lover's neck, and the -horse, making no more of the double burden than if it had been a -feather, tore at top speed along the road between the torrent and the -precipice. There was no safety on either side, as the precipice could -not be climbed, and the dry bed of the stream merely offered a deeper -grave. Fortunately, the road sloped gradually to the mouth of the -valley, some two miles away, therefore the downward trend offered -extra means to escape the pursuing greedy waters. A backward glance -showed Towton that a tremendous flood was shooting out of the -bottle-mouth of the upper gorge with terrific rapidity. The whole of -the huge lake, artificial as well as natural, was emptying itself in -one vast outpour, and owing to the narrowness of the valley the -concentrated force was gigantic. If the flood caught them they would -either be dashed to pieces against the rocks or would be borne -onward--horse and maid and man--to be expelled at Gatehead, as if -fired from the mouth of a cannon.</p> - -<p>"Oh, God, save us! Oh, God, save us!" was all that Ida could moan.</p> - -<p>"He will; He will," cried Towton, riding under spur and whip with a -mad joy in the adventure, perilous as it was. "He will save the -innocent and punish the guilty. Never fear, never fear, my darling."</p> - -<p>On roared the enormous body of water, curling like a mighty wave -crested with foam and glistening like a colossal jewel in the serene -sunshine. It passed with a hoarse triumphant screaming over the fated -village, and in a single moment Bowderstyke was not. Bearing _débris_ -and bodies of cattle and men, women and children on its breast, the -water rolled majestically on its destroying way. Like a wall of steel -it stood up, stretching from wall to wall of the valley, and before it -tore the terrified horse, warned by its instinct of rapidly -approaching danger.</p> - -<p>"We are lost! we are lost!" screamed Ida, hiding her face on Towton's -shoulder. "We can never escape. It's a mile further."</p> - -<p>"There's a crack--a path--a break in the precipice," panted the man, -almost despairing of saving what he loved best in the world. "If we -can gain that we can scramble up, and--and---- Great God! How it -travels!"</p> - -<p>From the sides of the valley trees were being wrenched up by their -roots, and even the stones lying in the bed of the torrent were being -lifted and swept onward like pieces of straw. Owing to the increasing -breadth of the valley the shouting and the level of the flood had -somewhat lessened, but the hoarse, steady murmur with which it -smoothly advanced seemed to be even more terrible than its triumphant -screaming. Nearer and nearer it rolled, towering, as it seems to the -desperate fugitives, right up to the high heavens. The horse raced -onward furiously, but there seemed to be no chance of escaping that -rapidly approaching death-wave, which swept along with relentless -speed. The man and woman were both silent, and both prayed inwardly, -as they faced the eleventh hour of death.</p> - -<p>And it was the eleventh hour, for there was still hope. Rounding a -corner swiftly Towton rose in his stirrups and sent forth a cry almost -as hoarse as that of the flood. A short distance ahead he saw a streak -of green grass marking the ruddy stone face of the precipice, and knew -that here was the crack to which he had referred. It was a mere chink -in the wall, of no great width, caused, no doubt, by the volcanic -action which had formed the valley in far distant ages. Many a time as -a lad had Towton climbed up that narrow natural staircase to the moors -above, but never had he expected to find it a means of preserving his -own life and the life he valued dearer than his own. Setting his -teeth, he glanced backward and then urged the horse to renewed -efforts. The wall of water was almost upon them, advancing with -terrible and steady persistence. The last moment seemed to be at hand.</p> - -<p>Suddenly the Colonel wrenched at the horse's bit and pulled the animal -up with a jerk. As it fell back on its haunches he slipped off with -the almost insensible girl in his arms and ran desperately towards the -sloping green bank, which showed itself like a port of safety between -the bare, bleak stones. As he gained it the horse, having recovered -itself, rushed past with a loose bridle and with the stirrups lashing -its sides. But Towton paid no heed. Almost in a dream he scrambled up -the bank, bearing Ida as though she were a feather-weight. With -straining eyes and bursting temples, and with his heart beating -furiously, he clambered desperately, dragging the girl rather than -carrying her, as he needed at least one hand free to grip the tough -grasses. Fortunately the slope was gradual, and had it not been there -would have been no hope of escape. As it was, when they were a -considerable way up the mighty wave surged majestically past, and its -waters shot up the crevice with gigantic force. This was rather a help -than a hindrance, as it assisted the almost broken man to mount -higher. But to the end of his days Colonel Towton never knew how he -saved his wife. All he could remember was straining upward, dragging -the now insensible woman with aching limbs and a blood-red mist before -his eyes. When his brain was somewhat clearer he found himself bending -over Ida in a turfy nook, while barely three feet below him the grey -water gurgled and sang and bubbled as if in a witch's cauldron.</p> - -<p>"Safe! Safe!" muttered Towton, and dropped insensible across the -inanimate body of the woman he had so miraculously saved from a -terrible death.</p> -<br> - -<p class="center" style="letter-spacing:1em">* * * * * *</p> -<br> -<p>Nine months later, when the cuckoo had brought summer to the land, and -the earth was gay with flowers, two married men met unexpectedly in -the viridarium of the Athenian Club. They came face to face under the -peristyle, and after mutual glances of surprise and congratulation -burst out laughing. Then followed a warm handshake and merry speech.</p> - -<p>"Well, married man," said Vernon, as he sat opposite his friend at a -small table and ordered a half-pint of champagne to signalise the -happy meeting. "So you are back from your honeymoon?"</p> - -<p>"As you see," said the military benedict; "and you have returned with -Lady Vernon from the classic shores of Italy."</p> - -<p>"We came back last week, and are staying in town for a few days before -going to Slimthorp."</p> - -<p>"Welcome by the tenantry, triumphal arches, addresses, dinners and -speeches, and what not, I suppose?" observed the Colonel smiling.</p> - -<p>"Oh, yes. The tenants are delighted to have a master who will take an -interest in their doings and a mistress who can act the Lady -Bountiful. Lucy and I are about to enter into our kingdom, so we -intend to take full advantage of the satisfaction of our loving -subjects."</p> - -<p>"You are devilish lucky, Vernon. I have scarcely a loving subject -left, and Bowderstyke Valley has been swept clean from end to end."</p> - -<p>"As I saw," replied Sir Arthur with a shudder at the recollection. "By -jove! Colonel, you don't know what I suffered that afternoon when I -thought that you and Ida were smashed to pieces. Do you remember how -Lucy fainted when you appeared coming across the moorland with Ida -hanging half dead on your arm? It was a meeting of the living and the -dead."</p> - -<p>"Any woman less plucky than Ida would have died," said Towton, his -face lighting up with a fond smile. "When we got beyond the highest -level of the water she had fainted, and then I did. It was Ida who -recovered first, and, by Jupiter, sir, she brought me round! How we -climbed to the top of the moor I don't know, but she was as plucky as -a man, bless her!"</p> - -<p>"How is she now, Colonel?"</p> - -<p>"As happy as the day is long, although I don't deny that we both feel -sad when we look at our wrecked property. However, with her money we -intend to rebuild Bowderstyke Village and to reconstruct Gatehead, -which was also destroyed, if you remember. I daresay we'll be able to -inveigle people to live in the valley by offering land at low terms. -In a year or two we will have plenty of tenants to give you and Lady -Vernon a rousing welcome when you pay us a visit."</p> - -<p>"That won't be for some time, Colonel, as we have to look after our -own kingdom. I am glad to see that you are looking so well. When was -it that we last met?"</p> - -<p>Towton laughed and his eyes twinkled. "You must be happy to have lost -your memory so completely," he said with a jolly laugh. "Why, after -our mutual wedding breakfast at Lady Corsoon's; don't you recollect? -Weren't we married in great style on the same day, and didn't you go -to Italy and Greece for a honeymoon while Ida and I returned to The -Grange?"</p> - -<p>"It all seems like a dream," said Vernon absently, and a cloud passed -over his face, "and in my newly-found happiness I have tried to forget -these sad memories. We never had an exhaustive talk over things, -Colonel, and now that our wives are not here I should like to ask a -few questions."</p> - -<p>"Ask away. It's just as well we are alone. Ida doesn't care to talk of -that dreadful day or of her association with Miss Hest."</p> - -<p>"Nor does Lucy. That dreadful woman! What a dare-devil she was, and as -clever as they make them."</p> - -<p>"She was a sight too clever," replied Towton drily, "as she burnt her -fingers at the last. I suppose you know that Miss Jewin was caught?"</p> - -<p>"You wrote me something about it."</p> - -<p>"Didn't Lady Corsoon tell you anything?"</p> - -<p>"No. Why should she?" said Vernon with a look of surprise.</p> - -<p>"Well, as you knew the secret of her pawning those jewels, I thought -she would have told you of their recovery."</p> - -<p>"What! Were they recovered? Who had them?"</p> - -<p>"Miss Jewin. She escaped, but Drench caught her. She sent for me -before she committed suicide."</p> - -<p>Vernon looked horrified. "Did she kill herself, poor wretch?"</p> - -<p>"Yes. She hanged herself by her garters in her cell. I expect she knew -that she would get a long term of imprisonment, and so preferred to -get out of the world. But, as I said, she sent for me and told me -where the jewels were. She also threw a light on the catastrophe of -the Bolly Dam breaking."</p> - -<p>"We knew that Hokar exploded a charge of dynamite," said Vernon -looking inquiringly at his friend. "Don't you remember how he could -not get away in time, and confessed when dying that he had been -ordered by Miss Hest to blow up the dam when she gave the signal by -firing a revolver."</p> - -<p>"Oh, yes. I remember that as it all came out in the papers," said -Towton with a shrug; "and that's just the point. Listen, and---- Oh, -here's the wine."</p> - -<p>Vernon sent away the waiter after he filled their glasses, and the two -gentlemen drank to their dear wives and to a happy future for -themselves as married men. When this ceremony was ended, the Colonel -related what he had learned from unfortunate Miss Jewin before she -passed away.</p> - -<p>"I, dragged him down in disguise to Gerby Hall, and there locked him in -an upper room. Miss Jewin acted as gaoler, but in spite of her vigilance -the wretched man managed to break one of his prison bars and escape. He -then appeared in the drawing-room and denounced Miss Hest. Always -prepared for further treachery on the part of Maunders, and never being -in the habit of leaving anything to chance, Frances had arranged that -she should have the dam broken down in the event of the police coming -to arrest her, and so they would be destroyed."</p> - -<p>"But she would be destroyed with them," said Vernon at this point, -"and as a matter of fact she was. Don't you remember how her body and -that of Maunders clutching one another in a death-grip were found when -the flood subsided? She anticipated her death."</p> - -<p>"She did nothing of the sort, sir, as Miss Jewin told me. The betrayal -of her identity with Francis Hest and with The Spider came -unexpectedly because of Maunders' escape. But, always making things -sure, she had already posted Hokar at the dam, where he had placed a -charge of dynamite under the wall. Miss Hest didn't expect trouble, as -she thought she had thrown dust in my eyes by the clever way in which -she had acted."</p> - -<p>"I think she did, Colonel, and very successfully," remarked Vernon -smiling.</p> - -<p>"I admit it. She was a wonderfully clever woman and extremely -unscrupulous. However, on the chance that some danger might come along -she posted Hokar at Bolly Dam and told him to fire the charge when he -heard the report of a revolver."</p> - -<p>Vernon nodded. "I remember on that day how the wind was blowing up the -gorge and how clearly the sounds came up from the village. Hokar heard -the shots very easily."</p> - -<p>"He heard two or three, and might have guessed that his infernal -mistress was not giving the agreed signal. She was shooting Maunders, -if you remember. It was her intention after we left to have escaped by -a similar crack up the side of the precipice behind Gerby Hall to that -which saved Ida and myself. But she didn't intend to give the signal -until she was on the upward journey with Miss Jewin; Maunders was to -be left behind to drown in the house. But Miss Hest forgot for the -moment and let her temper get the better of her. By firing the shots -she gave the signal, and Hokar blew up the dam prematurely."</p> - -<p>"I see. But if Miss Jewin escaped why didn't Miss Hest?"</p> - -<p>"Ah, that's where her Nemesis came in. Maunders caught her by the leg -and toppled her over, then he gripped her throat, and they were both -drowned."</p> - -<p>"Serve her right, and him also," said Vernon coolly.</p> - -<p>"I agree with you. They were a dangerous couple, and it seems like -retributive justice that Maunders should bring all her carefully-laid -plans of escape to grief. Miss Jewin at the first alarm caught up the -box of Lady Corsoon's jewels and fled out of the back way and up the -crevice, as arranged. She concealed herself for a time, and was warned -by the exhaustive reports in the papers of what was going on."</p> - -<p>"That's the worst of those papers," said Vernon with disgust, "as I -found out when I was a detective. They warn the criminals of -everything. I suppose Miss Jewin saw how the whole story of The Spider -was set forth and appreciated the sensation it caused."</p> - -<p>"Of course she did. I was angry at the papers myself, for The Grange -was simply infested with reporters and journalists and photographers. -However, after the inquest the sensation died away. Everybody has, -more or less, forgotten the matter by this time. It's just as well, as -neither I nor you, Vernon, wished to be bothered with questions."</p> - -<p>"Quite so. That was why I remained abroad with my wife for such a -time."</p> - -<p>"And that was why I went back with Ida to Bowderstyke," said the -Colonel. "However, to continue. Drench caught Miss Jewin and she -hanged herself in her cell, as I have told you. I found the box of -jewels and returned them to your mother-in-law. Thus her husband has -never found out how she pawned them; so that's all right."</p> - -<p>"I hope it has been a lesson to her."</p> - -<p>"Not a bit of it. I dined with her a week ago, and so did Ida. -Afterwards we went to a bridge drive and Lady Corsoon played -furiously. She's a born gambler. But Sir Julius does not know, and -never will know, how she pawned his much-prized family jewels."</p> - -<p>"I wonder Miss Jewin didn't sell them?"</p> - -<p>"She had enough money to live on in a small way, and, of course, lived -plainly to avert suspicion. The jewels she kept as a peace-offering in -case she should be arrested. She hoped to make terms by threatening to -denounce Lady Corsoon. However, her heart failed her, and she handed -them over to me."</p> - -<p>"Poor woman. By the way, Colonel, what was your wife's real opinion of -Miss Hest? I could never quite understand."</p> - -<p>Towton was silent for a few minutes. "It is hard to say. Ida told me -that she really liked Miss Hest for a long time, and thought that she -was a genuine friend. But Miss Hest showed the cloven foot by trying -to get Ida married to Maunders, and----"</p> - -<p>"Why to Maunders?"</p> - -<p>"Because he was under Miss Hest's thumb, and if he obtained -possession of Ida's fortune by marriage Miss Hest undoubtedly would -have had the spending of it."</p> - -<p>"But this marriage to Francis. How could that be when Francis didn't -exist?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, I think that was a mere blind to make Ida fancy Francis was a -real person and not Miss Hest in disguise. I can never understand," -added the Colonel with a thoughtful look, "how it was that Ida didn't -detect the woman under the man. Women are so quick in these matters."</p> - -<p>"It was the very boldness of the disguise," said Vernon emphatically. -"I was taken in myself at that Georgian Hall Bazaar. A less clever -woman than Miss Hest would have made herself look utterly different to -her natural self. As it was, she scarcely changed her looks at all -save by wearing a man's dress and painting that cicatrice on her face. -Anyone would have said that the supposed brother was the sister -dressed up. Such actually was the case, and--well, you know that -everyone was taken in. A thousand pities, Colonel, that Miss Hest did -not apply her splendid faculties to better purpose. She was undeniably -very clever."</p> - -<p>"A criminal genius, as we have often said when we talked of The -Spider. I must say that Professor Gail, although he admired her -talents, was staggered when he found out from the papers that she was -the renowned Spider. I believe he had a fit. However, he has now made -up endless romantic stories about her, and actually got an engagement -with his wife on the strength of having known her. It's an ill wind -which blows no one any good."</p> - -<p>"If Frances Hest had lived and could have escaped hanging and -imprisonment, Colonel, she would have been engaged at a music-hall to -appear at a salary of hundreds a week. This age likes romantic -criminality."</p> - -<p>"I think Miss Hest's criminality was prosaic in the extreme," said the -Colonel very drily. "She couldn't earn money honestly and therefore -took the left-handed path. All her philanthropy was a sham, and I -really believe that she had the Bolly Dam built less to supply the -villages with water than to protect herself from arrest."</p> - -<p>"But the human lives----"</p> - -<p>"Pooh! She thought nothing of human life, and was a kind of female -Napoleon in that way. She wrung Dimsdale's neck as though he had been -a chicken the moment she found her personal safety was in danger. Had -he not torn off her mask and thus recognised her she would have spared -him. A marvellously clever woman: she quite took me in. I never -expected to find The Spider in her, and had not Maunders escaped to -betray her I would have believed that the non-existing Francis was the -blackguard. And more, she would have got ten thousand pounds from Ida, -and perhaps in America would have started on a new career of roguery. -However, I recovered the signed document and the cheque from the body, -so nothing was said about that matter in the papers. I was glad for my -wife's sake."</p> - -<p>"What became of Bahadur?"</p> - -<p>"He bolted from the country and has never been heard of. His uncle, -Hokar, as you know, died after the explosion."</p> - -<p>"And Mrs. Bedge?"</p> - -<p>"She buried all memory of Constantine with his bones, but I think she -regards him as a martyr who was led astray by Miss Hest. Yet from the -lips of The Spider herself I learned that it was Maunders who induced -that very clever lady to become a criminal."</p> - -<p>"Do you think Maunders himself blackmailed his aunt?"</p> - -<p>"He was quite capable of it. But I think Miss Hest did that to protect -Maunders from possible suspicion. For no one would think that the man -had anything to do with the matter of The Spider, who blackmailed his -adopted mother. Simply a smart trick of Miss Hest's, Vernon, that's -all."</p> - -<p>"Have some more champagne, Colonel?"</p> - -<p>"Thank you, no more. Come along and see my wife."</p> - -<p>"I have to meet Lucy at Swan & Edgar's," said Vernon glancing at his -watch.</p> - -<p>"I'll go with you there first and then we can have afternoon tea -together."</p> - -<p>"Right you are, Colonel, on condition that you dine with Lucy and -myself at our hotel and come to the theatre afterwards."</p> - -<p>Towton nodded. "Well, Ida and I are up in town for a frolic, so we'll -come."</p> - -<p>"When do you return to Bowderstyke?"</p> - -<p>"In two or three days. I'm seeing about the re-building of the Bolly -Dam."</p> - -<p>"Isn't that dangerous?" asked Vernon as they left the club. "No. I am -arranging for large channels to carry off the water. Besides, had not -the dam been blown up by that Indian beast the catastrophe would not -have taken place. Any more questions?"</p> - -<p>"No," said Sir Arthur after a pause. "I think you have enlightened me -on every point. We'll talk no more of the matter."</p> - -<p>"Not in the presence of our wives, at all events," said the Colonel -bluffly, and stepping out smartly along Pall Mall. "But when I think -of all the mystery and devilish cantrips we have had to do with, and -how narrowly Ida and I escaped a dreadful death, I can only thank God -that we are happily married. There's one small domestic animal, if it -can be called so, Vernon, on which I can never look without a -shudder."</p> - -<p>"What's that?" asked Sir Arthur, not following his friend's train of -thought.</p> - -<p>"What, sir! What, have you forgotten the past already?"</p> - -<p>"Oh!" Vernon laughed, but somewhat seriously. "You mean a spider."</p> - -<p>"Yes," snapped the Colonel sharply, "I mean a spider."</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4>THE END.</h4> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<hr class="W50"> -<h5>London: Ward, Lock & Co., Limited.</h5> -<br> -<br> - - - - - - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Spider, by Fergus Hume - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SPIDER *** - -***** This file should be named 55831-h.htm or 55831-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/5/8/3/55831/ - -Produced by Charles Bowen from page scans provided by the -the Hathi Trust Org. 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