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+*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 56356 ***
+
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+Transcriber's Notes:
+  1. Page scan source: https://books.google.com/books?id=XdGhh1J46g4C
+   (University of Wisconsin--Madison)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+THE SCARLET BAT
+A Detective Story
+
+
+By
+FERGUS HUME
+AUTHOR OF "THE MYSTERY OF A HANSOM CAB," "THE GOLDEN IDOL,"
+"THE WHEELING LIGHT," "MADAM MIDAS," "THE INDIAN BANGLE," ETC.
+
+
+
+LONDON
+F. V. WHITE & CO. LTD.
+14 BEDFORD STREET, STRAND, W.C.
+1905
+
+
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+CHAP.
+I.       Sowing The Wind
+II.      Reaping The Whirlwind
+III.     A Friend In Need
+IV.      Two Hundred Pounds Reward
+V.       The Inquest
+VI.      A Scrap Of Paper
+VII.     Cupid's Bargain
+VIII.    A Pleasant Surprise
+IX.      The Old Romance
+X.       A Queer Mark
+XI.      Frank's Story
+XII.     The Unexpected Happens
+XIII.    A Quaker Lady
+XIV.     A Public Clue
+XV.      A Strange Disappearance
+XVI.     What Mildred Knew
+XVII.    The Sealed Letter
+XVIII.   A Queer Visitor
+XIX.     A Story Of The Past
+XX.      A Strange Will
+XXI.     An Unexpected Meeting
+XXII.    Miss Cork Explains
+XXIII.   Balkis
+XXIV.    Tamaroo Speaks
+XXV.     Nemesis
+XXVI.    A Wedding Present
+
+
+
+
+
+
+THE SCARLET BAT
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+SOWING THE WIND
+
+
+"I say you're a bad lot!"
+
+"And I reply that you're a liar!"
+
+"Take that!"
+
+"Here's the repayment!"
+
+The man who had spoken first went down like a log. He was a red-headed
+creature, with a rasping voice and an aggressive manner, evidently one
+of those who bullied his way through the world, for want of a bold
+spirit to stand up to him. In this instance he found his match, for
+the handsome face of the young fellow he insulted was sternly set and
+considerably flushed. After the war of words came the blow from the
+bully. His fist passed harmlessly by the head of this antagonist, and
+a well-delivered return blow caught him fairly on the jaw. Then
+red-head lay down to consider the lesson he had been taught.
+
+"You confounded scoundrel!" said the other, standing over him. "You
+may be thankful that I don't wring your neck. You're no good in the
+world that I can see, and would be better out of it."
+
+"Guess you'd like to send him on the journey into Kingdom Come?"
+suggested a weather-beaten little man near at hand, who looked like a
+sailor.
+
+"I just would," said the young man, panting. "What does the ruffian
+mean by making me a target for his brutal wit? He'd leave the world
+fast enough if I had my way. Lie still!"
+
+This to red-head, who was rising. But the prostrate man did not obey
+the injunction, having some fight left in him yet. He scrambled to his
+feet, and rushed with a lowered head at his enemy like a bull. But the
+other was ready. He skipped aside, and the red-head met the wood of
+the counter with a sickening thud. This time he dropped insensible.
+The sailor man knelt beside the defeated. "I guess you'd better skip,
+Lancaster," said he. "You've done it this time. An' the police are
+coming."
+
+It was not the police, but the attendants, who forced their way
+through the crowd in the bar. Seeing this, Lancaster's friend, by name
+Dicky Baird, and by profession an idler of the West End, seized his
+chum's arm and dragged him out of the bar by main force.
+
+"No use waiting for a summons," said Dicky, when the two were in the
+vestibule. "I think you'd better get home, Frank."
+
+The other stared at a poster which announced that a new musical comedy
+would be produced that night at the Piccadilly Theatre, with Miss
+Fanny Tait in the chief part.
+
+"I'm not going till I see her," he said, pointing to this name.
+
+"What, Fairy Fan? Why, all the row was about her."
+
+"Because he abused the woman. She's a good sort, and I like her very
+much. You know I do, but there's no love."
+
+"Not on your part, perhaps, but Starth loves her, and you knocked him
+down."
+
+"I wish I'd killed him," said Lancaster, between his teeth.
+
+"Don't talk rashly, Frank," said the other, with uneasiness. "If
+anything goes wrong with Starth you'll get into trouble."
+
+"Malice aforethought," said Lancaster, carelessly. "Pshaw The man
+isn't hurt. He'll be up and swearing before the play begins."
+
+It seemed that he was right, for a tall, bulky dark man approached
+with a smile. "Starth's all right," said he, with a nod. "You've
+swelled his eye a bit, Frank, but that's all. Berry's going to put him
+into a hansom. And now we'd better get to our seats."
+
+The others assented, and the trio moved into the theatre. As they
+passed down the steps leading to the stalls, they caught a glimpse of
+Captain Berry conducting a swaying figure to the door.
+
+"How did the row begin?" asked Dicky, when they were seated.
+
+"Starth said I didn't know who my father was," said Frank.
+
+"Well, you don't, do you?"
+
+"That's neither here nor there. Starth has nothing to do with my
+domestic business."
+
+"H'm!" said Baird to himself, thoughtfully.
+
+Frank Lancaster was a dark horse, and although Dicky had known him for
+some years, he was not aware of his private history. Lancaster kept
+that to himself, and seemed unnecessarily annoyed by the question of
+Baird. Dicky could see nothing in Starth's remark which should lead to
+a free fight, though to be sure Fairy Fan's name had likewise been
+mentioned. However, Frank seemed indisposed to speak, and like a wise
+man Baird held his usually too-free tongue.
+
+Miss Tait, commonly known as Fairy Fan, was a popular music-hall star,
+who danced gracefully and sang sweetly. For a salary largely in excess
+of her merits, she had deserted the halls for the theatre, and
+to-night was her first appearance in "The Seaside Girl." Hence the
+large audience and the subdued excitement. At the present moment she
+was dancing like a fay and singing like a lark, but the three men
+nevertheless talked all the time.
+
+"Jolly little thing, ain't she?" said Dicky. "She comes from the
+Californian Slopes."
+
+"Did she pick up those diamonds there?" asked the dark man, who was a
+Rhodesian called Darrel, and acquainted with stones of price.
+
+"No. Banjo Berry, who is her uncle, gave them to her. He's a rich man,
+and lavishes his money on his niece."
+
+"Why does he let her appear on the boards, then?" asked Darrel,
+heavily.
+
+"Ask Frank, here. He's a friend of Berry's."
+
+"I'm not," growled Lancaster, still ruffled by his late encounter. "I
+can't bear the creature. His niece is worth a dozen of him."
+
+"Is she his niece?" questioned the Rhodesian millionaire.
+
+"Yes. There's no doubt about that. I respect Miss Berry immensely."
+
+"I thought her name was Tait."
+
+"On the bills. In private she's Miss Fanny Berry. Her uncle is rich,
+but, in spite of that, she's so vain that she likes to appear on the
+stage. I like her, and--"
+
+"You're in love with her," contradicted Baird.
+
+"A trifle. Anyone would love such a pretty woman. But I wouldn't ask
+her to marry me."
+
+"No, Starth will do that."
+
+"She won't have him," said Frank, snappishly. "He's a bad lot."
+
+"A very sore lot at present," put in Baird, smiling.
+
+"It's his own fault," replied Lancaster. "Why can't he leave me alone.
+It's not the first time he's quarrelled with me."
+
+"Because he knows you are a rival in the affections of Fairy Fan."
+
+"Rubbish, Dicky! Don't get that bee in your bonnet. Starth can marry
+her for all I care. I merely admire her, and only came into contact
+with her when Berry wrote asking if I could write her a couple of
+songs. I came and saw, and--"
+
+"And she conquered," said Darrel. "Who is Berry? I fancy I've met him
+before. If he's the same man, he hasn't any morals."
+
+"We'll say principles," remarked Baird. "Berry's a fiery-tempered Tom
+Thumb, who talks 'American' slang through his nose concerning an
+interesting past of a superlatively shady description. 'Been a South
+Sea blackbirding skipper from the looks of him, and I expect he made
+his money in that way. Ever met him?"
+
+"Los Angeles, now I come to think of it," said Darrel.
+
+Frank looked up uneasily. "Who is he, anyhow?"
+
+"Don't know," responded the millionaire, imperturbably. "He was
+running an apple orchard when I dropped across him. Clean shot, too."
+
+Baird laughed. "Sounds like a retired pirate of sorts. But he's on the
+square now. He and Miss Berry have rooms in Bloomsbury, and go to
+church and have the entry of some decent houses. Frank knows all about
+them."
+
+"Only that she's a nice woman and a good woman, and that Berry is a
+ruffian. He won't let Starth marry her."
+
+"I hope not," said Darrel, darkly. "I've known Starth a long time, and
+he's a bounder. But he's got an uncommonly pretty sister, as beautiful
+and sweet-tempered as he is the reverse. Hush! Let's stick to the
+play; we're talking too much."
+
+Frank certainly couldn't be accused of chattering, as he was rather
+silent. Even the rattling chorus and the jokes of the low comedian
+could not banish the frown from his brow. And he became aware that a
+man was looking at him--a fair-faced, effeminate little man, with
+light eyes and a deprecating manner. Lancaster, in no very good
+temper, scowled at the man, who immediately turned away his head. As
+he did so the first act ended amidst loud applause.
+
+"An eighteen months' run if the other act is as silly," pronounced
+Baird; "but the management won't keep Fan all that time. She's as
+freakish as a cat, and her uncle is rich enough to allow her to snap
+her fingers at the Treasury."
+
+"She _is_ a cat from the looks of her," said Darrel, grimly. "Come
+out, boys, I'll put up the drinks."
+
+Dicky assented affably, as the night was warm. But Frank remained
+behind. "I don't want to run the risk of meeting Starth again. He
+might come back."
+
+"To fetch his sister," said the big Rhodesian. "Yonder she is in a box
+with an old lady."
+
+"What a pretty girl," said the frivolous Dicky, and departed.
+
+Lancaster raised his glasses, rather curious to see what Miss Starth
+was like. He beheld a slender, dark girl, as unlike her brother as
+possible. Plainly dressed in some gauzy stuff, with a string of seed
+pearls round her neck, she looked about twenty years of age, but might
+have been even younger. Apparently she had all the unappeasable
+curiosity of youth, for her dark eyes roved round the theatre with
+great eagerness. Finally they rested on Frank, and she flushed when
+she found he was looking directly at her. First she looked away after
+the manner of girls, then she stole a stealthy glance at the rude
+young man, and finally became engrossed in conversation with the
+elderly lady who was her companion. Frank still looked. He was
+most polite to the sex, but this face interested him so much that
+he stared almost rudely. Twice their eyes met, in spite of Miss
+Starth's ostentatious indifference. She coloured, and he--to his
+astonishment--likewise blushed. There was something about her which
+took his heart by storm. To be sure he was susceptible where a woman
+was concerned, but it seemed absurd to be fascinated by a girl after a
+few league-long glances. Still, she was distinctly agreeable to him.
+Fairy Fan he admired after the manner of youth, but she was a
+pink-and-white doll beside this glorious creature who looked like a
+queen. Where could his eyes have been to admire the fragile charms of
+Miss Berry, when true beauty was to be found alone in a stately
+brunette with coils of shining hair, and eyes like fathomless lakes in
+the starshine? Fan had been Frank's Rosaline; this vision of
+loveliness was his Juliet, which means in plain English that he had
+fallen in love at first sight. But, as he assured himself calmly, such
+a passion was at once ridiculous and impossible. All the same he
+continued to "behold vanity," until his divinity grew really angry,
+and concealed herself behind an envious curtain, which shielded her
+beauty. At once Lancaster became aware of his bad manners.
+
+"Hang it! I should like to apologise," he thought as his friends
+returned, and then considered dismally that he had quarrelled past all
+reconciliation with the brother of his angel, and that there was no
+chance of a meeting.
+
+Starth hated Frank virulently, because Miss Berry openly approved of
+the young man's good looks and genuine talents. But even before Fairy
+Fan appeared to enchant a London public, Starth and Lancaster had
+never been able to meet without snarling at one another like dogs.
+Frank was not to blame, being good-natured and much too indolent to
+fight. But Starth snapped at everyone. That he should have so charming
+a sister was extraordinary. Even Dicky, the most critical of men,
+thought so. "Ripping girl, Miss Starth," said he.
+
+"I didn't notice," grunted Lancaster, not wishing to have Baird know
+too much on account of that gentleman's long, long tongue. He might
+repeat things to Starth, who could find offence everywhere.
+
+The second act requires no description. It was like the first, but
+slightly more incoherent. Fairy Fan had it all her own way, as the low
+comedian had not yet had time to invent his part. When the curtain
+fell on a pronounced success, with Fan standing in the midst of
+flowers, Baird bustled out to the bar again with Darrel and his chum.
+It was to discuss the prospects of the play that they went.
+
+Frank did not notice that the neat man with the light eyes was
+following them. He was taken up with the weather-beaten Berry, who
+rejoiced over the triumph of his niece. He was a small man, and had a
+hard face that might have been hewn out of iron-wood. His lips were
+tightly closed, his eyes were grey and close-set, and he carried
+himself in a bouncing, aggressive way, which must have cost him
+many a fight in the Naked Lands where bounce is not approved of.
+Berry--Captain by courtesy--looked quite out of place amidst civilised
+surroundings. A pea-jacket, a tarpaulin hat, a streaming bridge and a
+rocking, plunging tramp ship would have been more in keeping with his
+piratical appearance. Why such a Captain Kidd should accompany his
+niece to London and play the part of a sober citizen puzzled a great
+many people, Baird amongst the number. But Banjo Berry--such was his
+odd name--always explained profusely, having no call to do so. Whereby
+the more astute assumed, and not unreasonably, that he had something
+to hide.
+
+"Well," said this mariner, gaily, "I guess the play's a go."
+
+"A great success," said Frank, so indifferently that the little man
+looked at him sharply. Lancaster was wont to be more enthusiastic
+where Fairy Fan was concerned.
+
+"She sang your chanty well," he remarked, following them to the bar.
+
+"First rate," assented Lancaster. "How's Starth?"
+
+"Sent him home in a cab of sorts," replied Berry, still puzzled. "I
+guess he'll wake up and apologise to-morrow morning."
+
+"Not to me," said Frank, aggressive at once, in spite of the charming
+sister. "I don't want to have anything to do with him."
+
+"Ah, pistols and coffee for two is your idea of a meeting," was the
+Captain's reply. "You'd like to see him buzz into the everlasting
+darkness, I guess?"
+
+Before Frank could reply, his arm was plucked. In the crowd he did not
+see who it was for the moment. There was a rush of thirsty souls to
+the bar, and Berry disappeared in the mob. Still the unknown kept his
+hand on Lancaster's arm, and drew him towards the door with a gentle
+pressure. Rather surprised, Frank allowed himself to be so drawn,
+thinking it was one of his friends. But when the crowd grew thin he
+found himself face to face with the small, neat man.
+
+"Well?" said Frank, interrogatively.
+
+"I'm glad you didn't answer," said the man with the light eyes. "It is
+dangerous to answer that man."
+
+"Captain Berry. Why?"
+
+The stranger opened the swing door and stepped into the street. He did
+not even wait for Frank, but walked along the pavement, dexterously
+avoiding the people as he walked. Taken by surprise by this odd
+demeanour, Lancaster followed, and managed to catch up with the man as
+he was turning into a side street which was deserted. "What do you
+mean?" asked Lancaster, catching the man by his coat. "Who are you?"
+
+The other stopped under a lamp-post, and laughed in an elfish way. "No
+matter who I am," he said in a precise voice, "but what I am is
+another and more important matter."
+
+"Well, what are you?" asked Lancaster, more and more puzzled.
+
+"A man who can read faces and hands and tell the secrets of the
+future," said the other, gravely.
+
+"Bah!" was Frank's disgusted exclamation. "A charlatan."
+
+"Just so. A charlatan. Yet I am sufficiently interested in you to warn
+you against coming danger."
+
+"Do you know me?"
+
+"No. I don't know your name or your face, nor anything about you. I
+happened to be in the bar when you hit that red-headed man, and I saw
+that the little fellow--"
+
+"Captain Berry?"
+
+"Is that his name? Well, he was trying to foment the quarrel. He is
+your enemy."
+
+"Nonsense! He has no cause to be my enemy."
+
+"That is the worst kind of enemy to have--one who pretends friendship
+and strikes in the dark. I read your face, sir, and the face of the
+red-headed man. If you two meet again--" He hesitated.
+
+"Well?" asked Frank, sharply. "If we meet?"
+
+"One of you will die."
+
+In spite of his scepticism Lancaster felt a chill run through his
+veins at this speech. "Rubbish!" he said, roughly. "Which one?"
+
+"I sha'n't tell you that," replied the unknown. "You may consider my
+reply rubbish also. But there is that in your face, sir, which hints
+at coming trouble. Your fate and the fate of the red-headed man are
+bound up together. Also, there is a woman."
+
+"How do you know that?" asked Frank, thinking of Fan.
+
+"She is a relative of the red-headed man," said the unknown, "and it
+is probably--" Here he broke off abruptly. "I sha'n't tell you any
+more. I may be wrong, I may be right, but the signs are there."
+
+"What signs?"
+
+"Good-night, sir," said the man, and passed swiftly away before Frank
+could retain him. Lancaster walked to his rooms without returning to
+the theatre. He laughed at the warning, so vague and absurd did it
+seem. All the same it haunted him, and he had cause to remember the
+man afterwards. He never saw the seer again, but, as after events
+proved, undoubtedly the man was no charlatan.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+REAPING THE WHIRLWIND
+
+
+Lancaster was by way of being a journalist, and managed to struggle
+along on an inadequate income. He had no influence, and sweated freely
+for his money. A few far-seeing editors assured him of a brilliant
+future, but did not seem anxious to assist him to realise their
+prophecies. No one knew who Lancaster was, or where he came from, as
+he never spoke of his past. For five years he had been in town, and,
+unable to do anything else, had drifted into journalism. But in his
+heart he cherished the notion of startling London with an up-to-date
+novel. Pending the joy of waking up to find himself famous, he acted
+as theatrical critic for the _Daily Budget_, a paper which paid the
+lowest prices for the best procurable talent, and eked out his income
+with stray articles. Occasionally he wrote verses, and in this way had
+made the acquaintance of Fairy Fan, who had read some of his attempts
+in the papers and thought that he might compose words fit for her rosy
+mouth to sing.
+
+She took a fancy to him, for he was handsome and well-bred. But even
+Miss Berry, pretty and astute woman as she was, could not learn
+anything of Lancaster's past, cleverly as she tried to find out. Her
+uncle, using coarser methods, tried also, but failed likewise. Only to
+one man had Frank unbosomed himself, and that was to Eustace Jarman,
+who had first extended to the lonely young man a helping hand. A
+memory of Starth's words made Lancaster wonder if Jarman had revealed
+anything, and he would have sought out his friend to ask him directly
+had not Jarman dwelt in Essex. However, Frank concluded that Starth
+had merely made the remarks about his parents in a casual way, and
+without any real knowledge, so he dismissed that matter easily from
+his mind.
+
+But he could not so easily dismiss the memory of the quarrel,
+especially as the charming face of Miss Starth floated persistently
+before his mental vision. Jarman had introduced Frank to Starth three
+years before, and the two men had never got on well together. By
+mutual consent they avoided one another, until Miss Berry brought them
+together to quarrel over her beauty. Starth thereafter became more and
+more insulting, until his behaviour resulted in the row of the
+previous night. Had Frank not seen the beautiful sister he would not
+have cared much, having small regard for the brother. As it was, he
+felt depressed the next morning, seeing in that final quarrel an
+insurmountable barrier to making acquaintance with his divinity.
+
+Being in this frame of mind he was both surprised and pleased to
+receive a note from Starth asking him to call that afternoon between
+four and five. It seemed that Starth wished to apologise as he had
+gone rather far--so he stated in his note--on the previous night.
+Lancaster was astonished that Starth should behave thus reasonably.
+The action was unlike him. But as the olive branch was held forth, and
+as there was a chance of meeting the sister, Lancaster decided to
+accept. No answer was required, so Starth evidently expected him to
+come. Frank finished his work for the day, and went to his rooms to
+dress himself more smartly. If Miss Starth were to be present he
+wanted to appear at his best, but if she were not--
+
+It was at this point that Lancaster sat down to consider. How did he
+know that the note might not be a trap? He thought it strange that
+Starth should come forward in this way, and at a second meeting the
+man might try to revenge himself for his punishment. A black eye is
+not forgiven easily by any man, and Starth was the last person to let
+bygones be bygones. Then, again, if there was to be trouble Miss
+Starth would not be there, and the careful dressing would be wasted.
+Lancaster was no coward, but he did not wish to accentuate his bad
+relations with Starth. He had half a mind to send round stating that
+he could not come, but the hope that, after all, his divinity might be
+present, decided him to go. Having made up his mind he completed his
+toilet, and ended by stowing away a pistol in his hip pocket. It was a
+loaded Derringer, which Frank sometimes took with him when he went
+round the slums on dangerous business connected with his journalistic
+work. On the present occasion it was taken merely to intimidate Starth
+should he have arranged a trap.
+
+"The man's a coward," thought Frank, as he issued forth into the July
+sunshine, "so if he threatens in any way I can show him the pistol if
+necessary. I'd rather use my fists as I did last night, but for all I
+know he may have a revolver handy. It's as well to be on the safe
+side."
+
+All the same he rather despised himself for this precaution, and twice
+was on the point of returning to his room to discard the weapon.
+Still, Starth was a dangerous man, and might use something lethal only
+to be met with by a revolver; and if nothing happened no one would
+ever know that he--Lancaster was thinking of himself--carried a
+pistol. In spite of his experience of life, Frank was callow in many
+ways, else he would not have armed himself in so unnecessary a manner.
+
+Starth lived in a South Kensington side street, a blind alley where
+the houses were small, and each was fronted by a weedy garden.
+Lancaster found himself after a brisk walk--he never took a cab unless
+forced to, and disliked a 'bus ride--facing a blank, dismal house of
+two storeys with green shutters. It had not been painted for years,
+and the front was blistered, weather-stained, discoloured, and
+generally dilapidated. Some attempt had been made to cultivate the
+patch of ground in front, but, beyond rearing a few marigolds and
+pansies, the attempt had not been successful. Up a path bordered by
+oyster shells, Frank advanced to a rustic porch of green latticework,
+entwined with dusty creepers, and rang a jingling little bell whose
+shrill summons he could hear. While waiting he casually noticed that
+the right-hand window was slightly open, although the blind was pulled
+down. Before he could observe further, the door opened so suddenly
+that it almost seemed as though the person behind had been waiting in
+the passage.
+
+The person was a small sluttish servant, with gooseberry eyes and a
+pasty white face. She was attired in her best blue dress, and wore a
+large picture-hat trimmed with more flowers than adorned the garden.
+Also she had on gloves, and carried a yellow umbrella. As soon as she
+saw Frank she burst into voluble speech.
+
+"Yer the gent as wishes to see Mr. Starth, and I am glad to see you,
+sir, for he said as you was goin' to be 'ere at four, it now bein'
+half-past, and I'm goin' out, my young man waiting for me. This way,
+sir, and please be quick, as I am in a hurry. Missus 'ave gone out
+too, but the tea's all ready and the kettle on the fire."
+
+Almost before she finished this incoherent address, she conducted the
+astonished Frank up a stuffy staircase, and into a front room. Hastily
+shoving him into this, she banged the door, and hurried away,
+presumably to meet her young man. Lancaster, puzzled by this
+reception, and by the mean look of the room in which he found himself,
+halted at the door, waiting for his host to speak. Starth was sitting
+in an armchair by the window, with a book. He threw this down, and
+advanced to his visitor with outstretched hands.
+
+"I'm glad you've come, Lancaster," he said, eagerly. "I am so ashamed
+of myself that I hardly know what to say."
+
+"Say nothing more," said Frank, laying aside his hat and cane. "I am
+only too glad to come to an understanding. I can't comprehend why you
+quarrel with me."
+
+"Jealousy," said Starth, quickly, and sat down.
+
+"Of me and Miss Berry? Well, you needn't be. I don't love her."
+
+Starth pulled down the blind so as to prevent his discoloured eye
+showing up too badly. "I thought you were to marry her?" he remarked.
+
+"Certainly not. Such an idea never entered my head. Who said so?"
+
+"Captain Berry."
+
+Frank looked puzzled, then laughed. "I should have thought Berry more
+ambitious for his niece. I haven't any money."
+
+"That's just it," said Starth, slowly. "If you are poor, how did you
+come to give her those diamonds?"
+
+"I never did. I heard you gave them to her."
+
+Starth laughed, and glanced round the stuffy room. "Would I live in
+this dog's kennel if I could afford such stones?" he said. "My dear
+Lancaster, I'm desperately hard up. Between my sister and myself there
+is enough to live on, no more."
+
+"I saw your sister last night," said Frank.
+
+"Yes. She lives in Essex, but happened to be in town, so I got her a
+box. She went back this morning with Mrs. Perth."
+
+"Is that the lady who was with her?"
+
+Starth nodded. "She and my sister live together in a small cottage at
+Wargrove. But I needn't bore you with my family history. I want you to
+accept my apology."
+
+"I do, Starth. But why did you mention my parents?"
+
+"It was the only thing I could think of."
+
+"To make me angry, I suppose? H'm! You know nothing about me."
+
+"No. Is there anything interesting to know?"
+
+"I fear not," said Lancaster. "My story is a dull one. Still, I
+thought that Jarman might have said something."
+
+"He said nothing. I never asked about you," responded the other,
+quickly. "Fact is, Lancaster, I don't think you and I ever got on well
+together. My fault, I'm afraid, as I have such a bad temper. I am
+jealous, too, as I love Miss Berry and want to marry her."
+
+"You can, for all I care," said Lancaster, quietly. "I did admire her
+greatly, but I never had any intention of marrying her. As to the
+diamonds, who told you that I gave them to her?"
+
+"No one directly. But Berry hinted--"
+
+"Why should he hint?" said Frank, thoughtfully. "He knows I'm as poor
+as the proverbial church mouse. Do you think he wants me, or expects
+me, to marry his niece?"
+
+"Yes, I do," said Starth, promptly; "and that was why I grew jealous."
+
+"Then I can't see his reason. I have no money, no position, and no
+influence. Miss Berry doesn't love me--"
+
+"The Captain says she does," said Starth, quickly.
+
+"Oh, that's rubbish! She likes me because I write her songs, and we
+get on well together. As for love--" Frank shrugged his shoulders.
+
+"Have you never been in love, Lancaster?"
+
+Frank grew red and shook his head, looking down meanwhile. Starth's
+jealous eyes followed his every movement, and he eagerly waited for an
+answer. But none came. Frank could not bring himself to say that he
+had fallen in love with a girl he had seen but once, and to say it to
+her brother. In place of gratifying Starth's curiosity he changed the
+subject. "What a queer servant that was who admitted me," he said.
+"She was quite angered because I had delayed her appointment with her
+young man. Had I known, I'd have been punctual."
+
+"It's Tilly," said Starth, carelessly. "A queer creature, as you
+say--a London slavey of the regular type. I believe Mrs. Betts--that's
+my landlady--gets her cheap from a workhouse. I let her go to see her
+young man because Mrs. Betts, who keeps her well in hand, is away at
+the wedding of some cousin or another. I've got all the house to
+myself till nine o'clock. But, I say, let's have tea."
+
+Frank made no objection, as he was thirsty, and Starth went down to
+get the hot water. Pending his return Lancaster strolled about the
+room, and looked at the photographs. There was one of the beautiful
+girl he had seen on the previous night, and he nearly stole it. Also
+he was taken with a gorgeous portrait of a tall, thick-lipped negress,
+which had an Arabic inscription written at the foot. "Who is this,
+Starth?" asked Frank, when his host returned with the tea-tray and a
+kettle of hot water.
+
+Starth glanced at the photograph. "A girl called Balkis. I believe she
+comes from Zanzibar. I met her at the Docks when I was exploring an
+opium den."
+
+"H'm! She looks as though she had a temper."
+
+"She has. Took a fancy to me, and gave me her picture, with that
+writing. It's something about Allah and good luck, I believe. I saw
+her a good many times at that opium shop. She runs it, I believe."
+
+Lancaster sat down while Starth made ready the tea. It struck him,
+from these remarks, and from a certain strange odour in the room, that
+Starth smoked opium. Perhaps the drug was accountable for his queer
+tempers and utter disregard of decency. Frank began to be rather sorry
+he had quarrelled with the man, since, if he smoked opium, he was to a
+certain extent not accountable for his actions. Starth, with his
+swollen face and discoloured eye, looked queer and grim, and had a
+haggard look about him which hinted at excess of some sort.
+
+"Here you are," said Starth, passing along a cup. "Do you take sugar
+Or perhaps," he added, as he handed over the basin, "you would like a
+drink of whisky?"
+
+"Tea's good enough for me," said Frank, sipping. "Well, Starth, I'm
+glad we've come to some sort of understanding. I hate rows."
+
+"So do I, but jealousy always makes my blood boil."
+
+"But, you see, you've no cause to be jealous."
+
+"I can see that now. But Berry kept hinting that it was an arranged
+thing between you and Fan."
+
+"H'm! I'll have a talk with him. He's no right to make false
+statements of that kind. I wonder what his game is. I'm certainly not
+a desirable match for his niece, putting aside the fact that she
+doesn't care two pins for anyone but herself."
+
+"Are you sure of that, Lancaster?" said Starth, with rather an anxious
+look. "I'm mad about her, and want to marry her."
+
+"I shouldn't like Banjo Berry for a connection myself," said
+Lancaster, setting down his cup. "What a strange taste that tea has."
+
+"They never clean the kettles here," said Starth, hastily. "It's smoke
+or fur inside the kettle, or something. My tea tastes bad also."
+
+Frank refused another cup, and smoked a cigarette while Starth related
+his feelings for Fairy Fan in detail. Also he mentioned that he hoped
+to see much of Lancaster, and that he should like to introduce him to
+his sister. This last remark made Frank's heart leap with joy, but
+somehow he could not find words to thank his host. Starth seemed to
+recede a long way, and his voice sounded like that of a phonograph.
+Lancaster tried to rise, but sank back in his chair drowsily. He felt
+sure that there was foul play, as he saw faintly the man lean forward
+to scrutinise him. But his brain was clouded, his speech was thick,
+and wave after wave of something deeper than sleep poured over him.
+His last thought was something about opium being in the tea, but he
+could not put this into words. After that last effort of the mind to
+overcome the lethargy his head fell back, and he became unconscious.
+
+In after days Frank never could be got to tell his dreams. The mere
+memory of them would make him shudder. Far away in the land of sleep
+he wrestled with unknown foes, and passed a time of sheer agony not to
+be paralleled by any experience of the waking hours. He seemed to have
+slept for centuries when he came to himself on the sofa, with a furred
+tongue and an aching head. There was a faint light in the room as the
+blinds were up, and for a few minutes the young man, still half
+stupefied with the drug, could not grasp the idea of his whereabouts.
+Then after an effort or two at thought, his self-consciousness came
+back with a rush. He rose slowly and staggered into the centre of the
+room, only to stumble over a body.
+
+It _was_ a body, for he fell on top of it. His memory became clearer
+with the horror of the discovery. He remembered his visit, the empty
+house, the drugged tea, and, recalling his dread of foul play on the
+part of Starth, he slipped his hand round to his hip-pocket. The
+Derringer was gone. When he made that discovery, Frank leaped to his
+feet with a strangled cry. By this time he had his wits about him; but
+still remained a vague fear of the thing on the floor.
+
+His frock coat had been removed and cast on the carpet beside the
+sofa. He found it by the feel, and obtained a match out of the
+ticket-pocket. Striking this he bent over the dead. It _was_ Starth.
+"Great Heavens!" said Frank, under his breath. "Starth--dead--shot!"
+
+Assuredly shot, for there was a small hole under the left eye. The
+bullet must have passed into the brain, killing the poor wretch
+instantaneously. As the match flickered out, Frank was left alone in
+the half-gloom beside this dead thing, trying to think how the poor
+wretch had come by his death. Then it dawned anew on him that his
+pistol was gone, that the man had been shot. Who had slain him? What
+revolver had been used? The first question he could not answer, but
+the second answered itself. Since his weapon was gone, it assuredly
+had been used to commit the murder.
+
+But was it murder? What about suicide? Frank tried to argue the case.
+As he did so, the clock on the mantelpiece struck nine. The sudden
+tingle of the bell set his blood leaping. He recalled how Starth had
+expected Mrs. Betts and Tilly back at that hour, and making a dash for
+his coat, he hastily struggled into it. He must not be found here with
+the dead man. The row on the previous night, his foolish words, his
+weapon, his being alone in the house with a man with whom he was well
+known to be on bad terms--all these things would weave a rope to hang
+him. Realising his danger with a gasp, Frank lighted another match,
+and found cane and hat. But he had no more matches, although he
+desired to search for the Derringer. All he wanted now was to get
+away, and he hastened down the stairs in a state of agony, the
+perspiration standing on his brow, and his heart in his mouth.
+
+There was no difficulty in opening the door. He closed it again, and
+went down the path, through the gate, and on to the road. Here a
+street-lamp threw a strong light. Under it stood a girl and a young
+man. "My, sir!" said Tilly, catching sight of his face, "you have been
+a time with Mr. Starth. I 'ope he ain't angered. He--"
+
+Lancaster waited to hear no more, but walked rapidly down the lane, he
+knew not whither. All he wanted was to get away from the gallows, from
+the dead.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+A FRIEND IN NEED
+
+
+Popular prejudice regards Essex as a damp, marshy flat, inhabited by
+mosquitoes, rheumatic yokels, and children of the sea-mist. But
+Eustace Jarman dwelt on a far-extending plateau, whence from his study
+window he surveyed Tilbury, Gravesend, the mouth of Thames river, and
+vast tracts of meadow-lands divided into irregular squares by erratic
+hedges. His home was three miles from the nearest railway station as
+the crow flies, and, being cut off from civilisation, by acres of
+furze-grown common, was as isolated as his misanthropic soul could
+desire.
+
+Jarman had the reputation of being a solitary man, and those who knew
+him in literary circles hinted at the destroying influences of the
+inevitable woman. But Eustace never explained. After a journalistic
+career in town he disappeared into the Essex wilds, and devoted
+himself to writing music-hall sketches, short tales, and articles on
+countries he had visited. As he had been round the world twice or
+thrice, and knew the manners and customs of various peoples, he was
+well paid for his contributions. The cost of living at Wargrove was
+nil, and Jarman was supposed to be saving money. At times he would
+vanish into the Far East, or seek South America when there was a
+chance of trouble between tin-pot republics, but he always returned to
+his Essex plateau, to live a hermit's life. Miss Cork waited on him,
+and looked after his simple needs, and Miss Cork mentioned frequently
+that he was the queerest gent she ever set eyes on.
+
+"The Shanty," as he called his place, was an old farmhouse, buried
+amongst elm and oak trees, and surrounded by an orchard and a flower
+garden, all more or less in ruins. Jarman would not allow the place to
+be tidied up, as Miss Cork suggested, loving better the eccentric
+untrimmed look of his property. The hedges grew sprawling at their own
+sweet will, long grass flourished up to the very door, and poppies,
+sun-flowers, and straggling rose-trees showed above this miniature
+jungle. Eustace possessed three rooms, two of which were occupied by
+beds for himself and any chance friend, and a third apartment, large
+and airy, which served as a study, a dining-room, a smoking-room, and
+a parlour. In this last were collected trophies of Jarman's travels,
+ranging from Japanese curiosities to South Sea oddities. Books
+also--but these were everywhere, and overflowed from the study into
+the passages, into the hall, up the stairs, and in some degree into
+the bedrooms. Everywhere there was a scent of tobacco smoke, and
+Eustace loafed about in flannel bags with an old shooting jacket and a
+worn cricketing cap on the back of his head.
+
+The house was not very large, and Jarman was over six feet. But he
+moved with a dexterity remarkable in so huge a man, and was as handy
+as a woman in looking after his housekeeping. Miss Cork lived at the
+back, and merely acted as lieutenant in carrying out her master's
+orders. When she wished to introduce feminine innovations Eustace
+protested. He loved his savage bachelor life and his hermit-crab shell
+too much to desire new-fangled customs. Extra civilisation, especially
+of the womanly kind, meant extra work, and Eustace was a lazy man.
+
+It was a wet July night when Lancaster sought this refuge. All day it
+had been raining hard, and Jarman was just thinking of putting on his
+waders for his usual walk, when Miss Cork entered to announce a
+visitor. On her heels followed Frank, and Eustace stared when he saw
+him. The stare was excusable, for Lancaster appeared in a silk hat, a
+frock-coat, and patent-leather boots. He was mired with clay from the
+roads, torn by the furze of the common, and dripped like an insane
+river-god. Also, without invitation, he collapsed into the nearest
+chair, while Jarman's jaw fell still lower at the sight of his white
+face, his clenched mouth, and his glassy eyes. Miss Cork, half blind,
+saw few of these things, but she withdrew to the kitchen to
+soliloquise on the costume of the visitor, inappropriate alike to the
+weather and the country. Meanwhile Jarman, behind closed doors,
+continued to stare.
+
+"What is the matter?" he asked at last.
+
+"I caught the last train from Liverpool Street," explained Frank, in
+faint tones, "and walked across the Common. I'm dead beat. Give me a
+whisky and soda."
+
+Jarman supplied this refreshment speedily, and again demanded
+explanations. "But you'd better get into a dry kit before you make
+'em," said he, bustling about. "What a crazy rig to negotiate the
+country in. Been drinkin'?"
+
+"Do I ever drink, you ass?"
+
+"Not your style, I know, but that's the sort that generally goes a
+mucker in the end. Cut into my bedroom and I'll hand you out a few
+things. Hang it, man, hold up!"
+
+Lancaster, who had lurched against the big man's shoulder, pulled
+himself straight, and tried to smile. Jarman could see that the poor
+young fellow was on the verge of hysterics, being overwrought, and
+quite broken down. Therefore he spoke roughly to brace the slack
+nerves. With a few choice expletives he chased Frank into the bedroom,
+made him strip to the skin, and after a thorough towelling, saw him
+inducted into a pair of flannel trousers and a faded blazer, together
+with a woollen shirt and a pair of old slippers. Then he demanded if
+Frank was hungry, and led him back to the parlour.
+
+"No, I'm not hungry," said Frank, dropping into a chair near the fire,
+for Eustace approved of a fire when the rain fell; "but another
+whisky--"
+
+"Not a bit of it. You'll get squiffy. You must eat!"
+
+"But I want to tell you--"
+
+"Later! Later! Meantime, bread and meat."
+
+Jarman looted the kitchen, and, having sent Miss Cork to bed, boiled
+the kettle and returned with a tray. This he placed before his guest,
+and stood over him while Frank forced ham and bread down a most
+unwilling throat. Then he gave the young man a pipe, mixed him a
+second glass of whisky of the weakest description, and demanded
+explanations.
+
+"I can give them in one word," said Frank, now more composed.
+"Murder!"
+
+Jarman stared again, and whistled. Then he went to see that the door
+was closed, and returned to his seat. "Who have you been killing?"
+
+"No one. But I'm in danger of being accused. I am innocent--I swear I
+am innocent, Eustace?"
+
+"All right, old man," replied Jarman, patting his junior on the back.
+"I know you wouldn't come to me if you were guilty."
+
+"If I were, would you shelter me?"
+
+"H'm! Depends upon the kind of murder. I don't mind a fair fight sort
+o' killing. 'Fact, I've shot a man or two myself in the Great Waste
+Lands."
+
+"But I didn't shoot Starth. I really didn't."
+
+"Starth! What, is he--"
+
+"Dead! Dead! Shot dead. But not by me--not by me."
+
+Eustace chewed his pipe, and stared into the fire, pulling hard. He
+appeared to be worried.
+
+"Poor girl!" said he at length.
+
+Frank understood on the instant. "Does she love her brother?"
+
+"Do you know her?" asked Eustace, without looking up.
+
+Lancaster shook his head. "I saw her last night at the theatre. Her
+brother insulted me, and asked me to see him to-day, as he wanted to
+apologise--"
+
+"Wait!" Jarman threw up his hand. "The whole truth, if you please."
+
+"I'm telling the truth, if you will only listen."
+
+"Apologising doesn't sound like Starth," objected Eustace.
+
+"I thought so when I got his note, and I am convinced now that his
+invitation was a trap."
+
+"To have you shot?"
+
+"How do I know?" He was shot himself.
+
+"By whom?"
+
+"I can't say. I was lying in a stupor when it happened."
+
+"Drugged--with opium?" hinted Jarman.
+
+"Yes. Did you know that Starth--"
+
+"All along." Jarman placed the tips of his fingers together. "See
+here, Frank, I know Miss Starth very well. She lives here with an old
+lady called Mrs. Perth. Their cottage is only a stone's throw away
+from my diggings. I met the brother there in the long ago, and--"
+
+"And introduced him to me. I wish you hadn't."
+
+"It's too late now, seeing that the man's dead, to raise objections. I
+never approved of Walter Starth. A bad lot--a very bad lot. He never
+liked you. I don't know why. But I didn't think it would come to
+this."
+
+"Jarman"--Frank started from his seat--"you don't suppose--"
+
+"Sit down, you ass." Jarman pushed Lancaster back into his chair. "I
+wouldn't take things so quietly if you had killed him. Barring that,
+I'm glad the man's out of the world. He was no use in it."
+
+"My own words--my own words!"
+
+"When and where?"
+
+"At the Piccadilly Theatre last night. I shouted them in the bar after
+I knocked him down."
+
+"H'm! Shouldn't talk like that, Frank, it's foolish."
+
+"I know it is. I'm in a fix, that's why I come to you."
+
+"Well," said Eustace, refilling his briar, "the best thing you can do
+is to tell me everything from the start.
+
+"Where am I to start from. You know about Fairy Fan?"
+
+"Yes; and about Starth's love for her. He looked upon you as a rival,
+and the knowledge didn't increase his liking for you. Well?"
+
+Frank straightened himself, and forthwith delivered a succinct account
+of all that had taken place, from the encounter on the previous night
+to his leaving the house in Sand Lane, South Kensington.
+
+"I took the Underground to Liverpool Street and caught the down train
+by the skin of my teeth. I didn't even return to my diggings, as I was
+afraid of being arrested. I'm a marked man now, Eustace. The police
+will hunt me down. And I am innocent."
+
+"Why didn't you give the alarm when you found Starth dead?"
+
+"Man alive, that would have delivered me into the power of the law."
+
+"I know that. Just asked the question to see what you'd say. H'm! It's
+a nasty case for you. The circumstantial evidence--"
+
+"I know--I know. Who knows better than I?" Frank rose to pace the room
+anxiously. "I spoke foolishly about Starth being better out of the
+world, at the theatre. I took my pistol with me--I was alone in the
+house with him!--that servant saw me leave, and I daresay noticed my
+agitation. Jarman, it's awful. I don't see how I'm going to get out of
+the danger. They'll hang me."
+
+"Steady, old man. They won't hang you. I won't let them."
+
+"Then you'll help me to get out of the country?"
+
+"No. If you cut, you'll surely be caught. By to-morrow every seaport
+in the kingdom will be watched. You must stay here."
+
+"But I'll be traced."
+
+"I don't think so. Plenty of men go up and down on this line in
+frock-coats and tall hats. I don't suppose anyone took particular
+notice of you."
+
+"The train was crowded."
+
+"All the better. There's safety in a crowd. No, Frank, don't leave
+England. Stop here, and I'll fix you up some sort of disguise. The
+very daring of the thing may be your salvation. The police will never
+think that you will remain so near town. I'll make things safe with
+Miss Cork, and she's the only person who has seen you. When we get
+time to turn round we can sift matters out."
+
+"What a good chap you are, Jarman!"
+
+"Nothing of the sort. If you were guilty I shouldn't chance the risk
+of being an accessory after the fact. As it is, I'll see you through
+the business. It's a nasty affair, there's no denying that. I expect
+the sister will come over to-morrow to ask for my assistance."
+
+"Oh!" Frank jumped up nervously. "Do you think she'll recognise me?"
+
+"Of course not. She only saw you once, and that at a distance,
+Besides, I don't suppose she inquired your name. Finally, as I intend
+to disguise you, she won't guess that anything is wrong. You work the
+typer?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Good! Then you'll stop here as my secretary. I'll dictate, and you'll
+work the machine. With your moustache cut off, dyed black hair, a
+stained face, and a pair of goggles for weak eyes, no one will
+recognise you."
+
+"But no one hereabouts knows me, except Miss Starth, and she only saw
+me in the glare of the electrics for a few minutes."
+
+"Frank, you're an ass! The _Police Gazette_ will have a full
+description of you. Everyone will be on the look-out. Thank Heaven,
+you're of the commonplace type. Pink and white, fair hair, blue eyes,
+well-groomed, military figure, and all the rest of it."
+
+"How will my blue eyes match black hair?"
+
+"We'll say you're Irish, and you can fix up a brogue. Trust me. I've
+been in several holes myself, and know how to get out of the deepest."
+
+"But, Jarman, who do you think killed the man?"
+
+"I can't say that until I know more. The reason is to be found in
+Walter Starth's past. He has sown the wind pretty freely, and I can
+hardly wonder at his reaping this whirlwind."
+
+"Do you think he intended to trap me?" asked Lancaster.
+
+"Yes. He's not the man to apologise. And the house being empty on that
+evening shows that Starth was up to some trickery. Maybe he intended
+to kill you. However, he never intended to die himself."
+
+"How do you know? He may have committed suicide."
+
+"Bosh! Starth was the last man in the world to have such an idea. He
+wasn't cowardly enough. I will say that. Besides, if he wished to
+commit suicide he would scarcely invite you to see him do it."
+
+"I don't know. He might have left a letter saying I shot him, and then
+got out of the world to hang me."
+
+Jarman shrugged his huge shoulders. "That's an extreme measure of
+revenge. If he wanted to get you into trouble, he would certainly like
+to be present to see how you took your gruel. Another thing, from what
+you say, your pistol was used."
+
+"I think so. At all events, it was taken from my pocket."
+
+"H'm! He searched you. Anything else missing?"
+
+"The note in which he asked me to call."
+
+"That proves Starth set a trap. I think--no I don't; I can't deliver
+an opinion until I know more. Go to bed and sleep."
+
+"I can't sleep," said Frank, passionately. "I'm ruined."
+
+But for all that he dropped into a deep slumber almost as soon as his
+head touched the pillow.
+
+"Worn out, poor wretch!" said Eustace.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+TWO HUNDRED POUNDS REWARD
+
+
+"What do you think of my new secretary, Miss Cork?" asked Jarman next
+morning, when his housekeeper was laying the table. He put the
+question purposely to arrange matters for the disguise.
+
+"I didn't see quite rightly, Mr. Jarman, my eyes being weak. Young?"
+
+"And dark and Irish. His eyes are weak to the extent of blue glasses."
+
+"I didn't see them, sir."
+
+"No, poor chap. He broke them crossing the Common, left his baggage in
+London, and got lost in our country."
+
+"Oh, he'll know it soon, Mr. Jarman. I'm an Essex woman
+myself--Billericay way--and the country is easy. What's the
+gentleman's name, Sir?"
+
+"Desmond," said Eustace, lying with an unmoved face. "Desmond O'Neil."
+
+"I'll remember, sir."
+
+"And, oh, Miss Cork, I shouldn't mention about his late arrival and
+loss of baggage if I were you. The Irish are sensitive."
+
+"As well I know from politics, Mr. Jarman. No, sir, I'll say nothing."
+
+Miss Cork was a tall, lean woman with watery grey eyes and grey hair
+screwed into a cast-iron knob behind. Her lips were thin, and her nose
+red by reason of tight-lacing. Miss Cork had a good figure and
+improved it, in her own opinion, by making her waist smaller. She
+usually wore a grey dress with cloth slippers, and moved like a
+shadow. For many years she had been with Eustace, who had produced her
+from a London police-court where she was being charged with vagrancy.
+But he never told anyone this, and Miss Cork bore a high character.
+But she was not popular, as she never gossiped. And a woman who does
+not gossip in a village is not fit companion for those who want to
+know their neighbours' affairs. Eustace knew that she would hold her
+tongue. Nevertheless, he was glad that her limited vision had not been
+able to take in Frank Lancaster as he had been.
+
+As it was, Mr. Desmond O'Neil appeared late at the breakfast, and Miss
+Cork, bringing in the bacon and eggs, silently avowed the truth of her
+master's description. The new secretary was brown-skinned, with dark
+hair, and a clean-shaven face, shaded about the eyes with blue
+spectacles. Miss Cork was rather doubtful about the clean-shaving.
+From the glimpse she got of him on the previous night she fancied he
+had worn a moustache, and this she mentioned to Jarman. "It was a
+smear of clay," explained Eustace. "The poor chap was tumbling in the
+mud all the time. Were you mired, O'Neil?" he asked, aloud.
+
+"I was that!" responded the Irish gentleman, wondering why his host
+kicked him under the table.
+
+"The mud do splash high in Essex," said Miss Cork. "I'm a Billericay
+woman myself, Mr. O'Neil." Then she left the room, and Jarman
+explained. But Frank continued uneasy.
+
+"I don't like the looks of that woman," he said. "Is she honest?"
+
+"Oh, quite, except what she says about Billericay. She's invented the
+idea of being a native of those parts, as the villagers here don't
+like strangers. But she's been with me for three years. I picked her
+up in London."
+
+"Where?"
+
+"Well, it isn't fair to give her away. She's had a past, although I
+don't know the rights or wrongs of it. But she'll hold her tongue."
+
+"Suppose a reward is offered, will she?"
+
+"Sure. She owes me too much to play me false," said Jarman, pouring
+out the coffee. "And where's the reward to come from?"
+
+"The Government--"
+
+"Pooh! Government won't offer much, even if it offers any, which isn't
+likely. No one else will plank down the money. Miss Starth hasn't
+much, and there are no relatives. Make your mind easy about the
+reward. There won't be a cent offered for your apprehension."
+
+"What's Miss Starth's name?" asked Frank, who made a fair breakfast.
+
+"Mildred," responded Jarman, with a flush. "She's the sweetest girl
+you ever met."
+
+"I saw that from the glimpse I caught of her," said Lancaster, and
+wondered why Jarman coloured through his tan. He scented a rival, but
+could not be sure, and, of course, was unable to ask questions.
+Besides, in spite of his newly-born passion, his position was so
+dangerous, that he had but one thought, namely, how to escape being
+hanged on circumstantial evidence.
+
+Frank wished to talk of the matter the moment breakfast was over, but
+this Eustace would not allow. "You'll have enough of it before you win
+free," he said. "We must wait until we hear what the newspapers have
+to say. I daresay there's nothing in the morning lot; but this
+afternoon we may read something. Then, again, I expect to see
+Mildred--I mean Miss Starth. She's sure to be wired for."
+
+Frank noticed the slip, and became convinced that Eustace admired the
+girl more than a little. However, his brain was too filled with his
+own danger to think of anything else, and he accompanied Jarman on an
+exploring tour round the village. The idea was that his arrival and
+appearance and position as secretary should be made as public as
+possible, so that he might become an accepted fact. After the first
+few days the villagers would accept him as part of the Shanty
+household, and cease to discuss him. The subsequent indifference would
+be another element of safety.
+
+So round the village that afternoon the two went, arm-in-arm.
+Jarman took his new secretary into several shops, and then to the
+post-office, which was conducted by a fat woman, who read all the
+letters and made all the mischief she could. Early as it was, she had
+a piece of news.
+
+"Oh! Mr. Jarman," said she, puffing, for the day was hot and muggy
+after the rain, "whatever's come to Miss Starth? I saw her driving
+like a mad thing to catch the two train. And she only keeps a donkey
+too--leastways, it's Mrs. Perth who does."
+
+"I suppose she was going to town, Mrs. Baker."
+
+"Then I hope it isn't to a funeral, Mr. Jarman, for her face was as
+white as a winding sheet. Ah, well, it ain't none of our business."
+
+"No!" said Eustace, emphatically; "it certainly is not."
+
+"That's what I say," replied Mrs. Baker, not seeing the intended
+rebuke. "As I always says to Baker, if people managed their own
+affairs without being talked about, people wouldn't be so bothered.
+And how do you like the country, sir?" This last was to Frank.
+
+"It is extremely pretty," replied Lancaster, cautiously.
+
+"Ah, when you're here long enough, you'll say so, sir. But I suppose
+you've just come?"
+
+"He came last night, Mrs. Baker, from Ireland?"
+
+"Dear me! I get butter from there. And will you be staying long, sir?"
+
+"I hope so," answered Lancaster, seeing why Jarman had brought him
+into the company of this inquiring lady. "I am Mr. Jarman's
+secretary."
+
+"Well, I'm glad you've a companion at last, Mr. Jarman, though a wife
+would be more to a single gentleman's mind. And I always thought--"
+
+"Good-morning!" interposed Eustace, hastily, and left the shop,
+tucking a bundle of newspapers and letters under his arm. When they
+got some distance along the road he laughed.
+
+"What do you think of Mrs. Baker?" he asked.
+
+"She seems to be a kind of gazette. I suppose you took me in so that
+she could talk of my personal appearance, and my engagement as a
+secretary, and all the rest of it."
+
+"Precisely. The wider you are known the safer you will be. Mrs. Baker
+will describe your appearance, and detail how you came from Ireland
+where she gets her butter. We'll send a few letters through her hands,
+addressed to Desmond O'Neil, and then she'll drop talking. So even if
+you are traced by any chance, Frank, there will be no danger of a
+detective connecting you with the man who is wanted."
+
+Lancaster shuddered. "It's like a nightmare," he said. "Yesterday I
+was a free man, with a career before me; now I'm an outlaw, with a
+price set on my head."
+
+"It's unpleasant. But wait--wait. Time works wonders. The real
+criminal may be discovered. Let us hear what news has come to Rose
+Cottage."
+
+"Is that where Miss Starth lives?"
+
+"Yes. She and Mrs. Perth share the place. Their united incomes are
+just enough to keep them in comfort."
+
+"Is Miss Starth engaged?" asked Lancaster, with a side glance.
+
+"No," said the other, with unnecessary fierceness. "Why do you ask?"
+
+"Well, she's so pretty that I thought--"
+
+"Oh, bother your thinking!" broke in Eustace, testily. "Mildred isn't
+the girl to get engaged in a hurry."
+
+"You seem to know her well, calling her by her name."
+
+"I've known her for some years, and as she is something of a poetess I
+help her to get her poems into print. She looks on me as a kind of--of
+father," added Jarman, colouring.
+
+Frank nodded. He guessed the truth, but was too languid to argue it.
+But he couldn't help asking what Mrs. Baker had been about to observe
+when Eustace left the shop. "Was she speaking of Miss Starth?"
+
+"I don't know. Mrs. Baker is by way of being a matchmaker, and always
+couples names. There was a rumour that I was engaged to Mildred."
+
+"It wasn't true?"
+
+"No. I've had enough of women. Seven years ago in 'Frisco--" Jarman
+checked himself impatiently. "What's the use of raking up old tales.
+You seem very interested in Miss Starth?"
+
+"Naturally," said Lancaster, sadly, "seeing what I am supposed to have
+done. If she knew, she would denounce me."
+
+"Not on the evidence you have placed before me," said Jarman. "She's a
+sensible girl. And the death of her brother will add to her income."
+
+"What an unpleasant speech!" said Frank, in vexed tones.
+
+"We live in a world of facts, my boy. Besides, that beauty is no
+loss."
+
+By this time they had arrived at the Common. Here Jarman turned down a
+shady lane, and passed through an arcade of chestnut trees. At the end
+of this was an open space surrounded by trees, and amidst these a
+thatched cottage that might have come out of a fairy-tale from the
+quaint look of it. The walls were whitewashed, the windows of lattice
+work, and in front of it flourished a garden filled with old-fashioned
+flowers, evidently the delight of those who had planted them. A white
+paling fence separated it from the lane, and over the gate of this
+leant an elderly lady. Frank recognised Mrs. Perth.
+
+She was a delicate old dame, with an ivory-hued face, smooth white
+hair, and dressed severely in black from head to foot, even to a black
+straw hat. She beckoned to Eustace. He knew well enough why she was in
+mourning, but for obvious reasons asked questions.
+
+"Why are you in black, Mrs. Perth? No bad news, I hope?"
+
+"I don't know if you call it bad or good," she replied, with some
+asperity. "Walter has been murdered."
+
+Frank, in the background, winced, and dug his cane into the turf. But
+Eustace took the intelligence with well-feigned surprise. "Murdered!
+Mrs. Perth! How terrible. Who murdered him?"
+
+"Ah! that's what has to be discovered. Mildred received a letter this
+morning, telling her that Walter had been found last night shot
+through the head in his rooms in Sand Lane. Also he was stabbed in the
+breast--right through the heart."
+
+"Stabbed also," began Frank, incautiously, when Jarman interposed.
+
+"My new secretary, Mrs. Perth--Mr. Desmond O'Neil. He comes from
+Ireland."
+
+"I am happy to meet you, Mr. O'Neil," said the old lady in a most
+stately manner. "What was it you said?"
+
+"I was--was--only expressing--my--my surprise," stammered Frank.
+
+"That the man should be stabbed as well as shot," put in Jarman, ever
+watchful. "I don't wonder at it. Wasn't one mode of death enough?"
+
+"Apparently not. The shot must have killed him, too, as it was under
+the right eye!"
+
+"The _right_ eye," objected Frank, and it was on the tip of his tongue
+to correct the speech, but he swallowed his words. "How horrible!"
+
+"You may well say that. We don't know all the details yet," said Mrs.
+Perth, addressing Eustace, "and Mildred has gone up to town to hear
+what she can. The police are in possession of the house. Let us hope
+the assassin will be found."
+
+"Let us hope so," muttered Frank, and then aimlessly strolled away to
+a little distance to overcome a qualmish feeling.
+
+"He's rather a nervous chap," explained Jarman to Mrs. Perth; "bad
+health and weak eyes."
+
+"He does indeed look pale, Mr. Jarman. I fear I'm not looking well
+myself this morning."
+
+"No wonder," said Eustace. "The shock--"
+
+"Well, it was a shock to us both," interrupted Mrs. Perth, speaking
+low. "But to tell you the truth, Mr. Jarman, Mildred is more grieved
+than I am. I never liked Walter. Heaven forgive me for speaking ill of
+the dead, but--well, Mr. Jarman, you know what a bad man he was."
+
+"We'll bury his reputation with him, poor wretch."
+
+But this Mrs. Perth did not seem inclined to do. "He led Mildred a
+truly awful life," she continued. "But for my influence she would have
+parted with her income to him. Moreover, he wished her to marry one of
+his disreputable friends."
+
+"I never knew that!" cried Eustace, and looked displeased now that he
+had acquired the knowledge. "Who is it?"
+
+"Mr. Denham. You met him here when Walter brought him down."
+
+"Ugh!" Jarman looked disgusted. "An effeminate little dandy. But I
+don't think there was any harm in him, Mrs. Perth. He was an ass, pure
+and simple."
+
+"And disreputable," insisted Mrs. Perth. "He came from the United
+States, and neither his manners nor his principles are English. I
+believe he had money, and for that reason Walter desired to bring
+about the marriage."
+
+Eustace fidgeted. "I oughtn't to ask, of course," said he, "but did
+this--did Denham propose?"
+
+"Certainly not," said the old lady, promptly, "I saw to that. No, Mr.
+Jarman, say what you will, Walter is better out of the world than in
+it. Had he lived he would certainly have ended in gaol. Think what
+such a disgrace would have meant to Mildred!"
+
+"Oh, I think Starth would always have kept on the safe side," said
+Jarman. "He had a great notion of looking after his own skin, had
+Starth. Have you--has his sister any idea as to who killed him?"
+
+"No. Walter's life was distinctly apart from ours. I never allowed him
+to come to Rose Cottage more often than was necessary, as he worried
+Mildred, and, indeed, myself. He knew a bad lot of people, and most
+probably met his death at the hands of one of them. But I must say,"
+added Mrs. Perth, frankly, "that it was kind of this Mr. Berry to
+inform us of the tragedy."
+
+"Berry?" cried Lancaster, who had again strolled within earshot.
+
+"Yes! Mr. Banjo Berry--a most peculiar name. Do you know him?"
+
+Jarman answered for obvious reasons. "I was speaking about him this
+morning," said he, hastily. "I suppose the mention of the name in
+connection with this case recalled it to your mind, O'Neil?"
+
+"Yes," said Frank, taking his cue. "Banjo Berry is not an ordinary
+name. Did you ever meet him, Mrs. Perth?"
+
+"No. Mr. Starth's friends were not mine," replied the old dame,
+stiffly; "but this Mr. Berry must have been most intimate with Walter,
+as he says in his letter to Mildred" (she was again addressing Jarman)
+"that he intends to offer a reward of two hundred pounds for the
+detection of the assassin."
+
+Lancaster dropped his stick in sheer amazement and to prevent any
+betrayal, Eustace took his arm with a significant pressure. "Well,
+Mrs. Perth, anything I can do shall be done," he said cheerily. "You
+will let me know when Miss Starth returns?"
+
+"Certainly. We shall both be thankful for your aid."
+
+Mrs. Perth retired into the cottage, and the two friends went on their
+way, Frank in a state of bewilderment. "What does Berry mean by
+offering a reward?" he gasped.
+
+"He means to hang you," said Jarman, promptly.
+
+"But he's my friend."
+
+"H'm! He--as you told me--has said that so often that I begin to think
+he is your enemy."
+
+"Why? I have given him no cause to hate me."
+
+"H'm! Who knows? He was a friend of Starth's."
+
+"That didn't matter," said Lancaster. "Starth himself hinted that
+Berry wished me to marry his niece. If I was undesirable as her
+husband before, I am still more undesirable as an outlaw."
+
+Jarman thought, then asked questions. "How did you meet Berry?"
+
+"He called to ask me to write some songs for Fairy Fan, having seen my
+poetry in the magazines."
+
+"I see. Observe, Frank. Berry sought your acquaintance--you did not
+seek his. He brought you and Starth together again?"
+
+"Well, he did. I dropped Starth's acquaintance, as you know, because
+we didn't get on well. He came to know Fairy Fan somehow, and I was
+constantly meeting him there."
+
+"And this woman made running with you both?"
+
+"Well, she was capricious. Some days she would snub me and flirt with
+Starth; on other days she would give him the go-by and stick to me."
+
+"Quite so. She divided her favours to arouse jealousy between you."
+
+Frank coloured and looked uneasy. "If you put it that way, she did."
+
+"What was Berry's attitude"
+
+"I can hardly say, save that whenever he was present Starth and I
+always had a row."
+
+"H'm! A kind of male Ate," said Jarman, musingly. "Berry was speaking
+to Starth last night, before Starth insulted you?"
+
+"Yes. But what has that got to do with it."
+
+"Everything! Frank, I tell you this man Berry is at the bottom of the
+whole mystery. He got you into the trouble, now he means to hang you!"
+
+Lancaster stared. "But his reason?" he asked.
+
+Jarman made an extraordinary reply. "Because of the Scarlet Bat."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+THE INQUEST
+
+
+There was considerable excitement over the murder in Sand Lane,
+especially in theatrical and journalistic circles. The deceased was a
+well-known figure in Bohemia, as for years he had consorted with
+actors, with reporters, and with sundry idle men, who, doing nothing
+themselves, sought the company of those gifted with creative and
+mimetic powers. Walter Starth, being cursed with enough to live on,
+had developed into a thorough loafer, and chose Bohemia to dwell in,
+because its gaslight attractions were congenial to his mind.
+Occasionally he wrote an article or short story himself, and sometimes
+walked on in a melodrama as a guest; but he never did any real work,
+preferring idle talk and constant drinking. He was not a favourite
+with the Slaves of the Lamp, but his burly figure and red head were
+excessively familiar. Consequently there was immense curiosity
+manifested regarding his untimely and terrible death.
+
+Who had killed him? That was the first question which everyone asked.
+But before the inquest took place it was known that Frank Lancaster
+was the assassin. How the rumour had started no one knew, but somehow,
+within twenty-four hours after the discovery of the body, Lancaster's
+name was on every lip. Now, Frank, moving in the same Bohemia, was as
+great a favourite as Starth was the reverse, and at the outset
+everyone declined to believe that he had slain Starth in so brutal a
+manner. But afterwards the open enmity between the two men was
+recalled, their attentions to Fairy Fan were mentioned, and an
+exaggerated version was given of the quarrel in the Piccadilly
+Theatre. When the inquest was held it was quite believed that
+Lancaster was the guilty man. His flight proved his guilt.
+
+Frank, concealed under the dyed hair and brown face of Desmond O'Neil,
+wished Eustace to be present at the inquest, but Jarman did not think
+it wise to put in an appearance.
+
+"Captain Berry will be there," said he, "and, as I stated before, I am
+pretty sure that for some unexplained reason he is your enemy. It is
+probable that he has made himself acquainted with as much of your
+sayings and doings as he can gather, and he doubtless knows that I am
+your friend. I'll keep out of it, Frank, lest Captain Berry should be
+induced to run down here and ask questions. If so, he might spot you
+in spite of your disguise. Besides, we'll see all that there is to be
+seen in the papers, and what isn't reported Mildred will explain when
+she returns."
+
+"Is she stopping in town for the inquest?"
+
+"Yes. Mrs. Perth has gone up also, as the poor girl is much cut up. A
+brother is a brother, however bad he may be."
+
+Frank reflected for a few moments. "Eustace," said he at last, "do you
+remember what I told you about Starth taunting me with not knowing my
+father. That's true, you know."
+
+"Yes. But afterwards he confessed that he said that only to get you
+dandered."
+
+"How did he know that he would rile me in that way? Why should he hit
+the bull's-eye with a pot-shot? I fancied at the time that you might
+have told him something."
+
+"No!" denied Jarman. "I keep my pores open and my mouth shut. It's
+probable that Starth learnt something about your family history from
+the egregious Berry."
+
+"But how does Berry come to know anything?"
+
+"That's one of the things we must find out, one of the elements
+connected with his attitude towards you."
+
+"Do you think he knows what the Scarlet Bat means?"
+
+"Yes. He knows more than you do, and, on the face of it, he purposely
+made your acquaintance to get you into trouble. Witness the way in
+which he brought you and Starth together, and secured Fairy Fan's aid
+to make bad blood between you. He wanted Starth dead and you hanged.
+At least, I think so; but, of course, I'm groping in the dark."
+
+"But what's hanging to it?" asked Frank, much puzzled.
+
+"I don't know. Money, I should say."
+
+"So far as I know, there's no money worth all this trouble on Berry's
+part coming my way."
+
+"Observe, my son," said Jarman, paternally, "so far as you know. That
+is the crux of the whole thing. You are as puzzled as myself over the
+meaning of the Scarlet Bat. As it's the only mystery about you, save
+the reason of Berry's enmity, I take leave to jam the two mysteries
+together. When they make one, we may perhaps be able to get at the
+truth."
+
+"I don't see how we're to start," said Lancaster, knitting his brows.
+
+"Nor I. Wait till the inquest is over. Then we'll have something to go
+upon. Berry will be a witness as to your quarrelling with the dead
+man. Berry will collect evidence to make the case blacker. And when
+Berry has done his worst, we'll know his cards. See! Then you and I
+will play our game with a hidden hand. And now, my son, start in with
+the typing. I have to get this story sent in to-morrow, and you must
+do something to keep up the fiction of being my secretary."
+
+While Jarman and his friend were engaged in literary pursuits in
+Essex, the inquest was being held in London on the body of Walter
+Starth. After the jury had surveyed the corpse, and had particularly
+examined the bullet hole and the knife wound, either one of which was
+sufficient to cause death, the police inspector in charge of the case
+detailed facts. He had been called in by Mrs. Betts, the landlady of
+the deceased, and found Walter Starth dead in his sitting-room. The
+body was on the floor, with a wound in the heart and a bullet hole
+under the left eye. No knife had been found, but a pistol--to be more
+accurate, a Derringer revolver--was discovered in the fireless grate.
+There was no sign of a struggle. Everything was in its place. The man,
+apparently taken by surprise, must have died instantly. It was
+impossible to say whether he was knifed first or shot afterwards--but
+that was part of the doctor's evidence. A card had been found torn in
+two and lying on the floor. It bore the name of Frank Lancaster, and
+an address. On the silver plate of the Derringer were the initials
+"F. L.," so the inspector, presuming that Lancaster, owner of the
+pistol, was the assassin, had called at that address given on the card
+to arrest him.
+
+At this point the coroner said that witness was assuming too much.
+
+Inspector Herny submitted that the revolver used was the property of
+Lancaster, that the torn card bore his name, and that the servant
+Matilda Samuels stated that a man answering to the description of
+Lancaster had called to see the deceased. Also Lancaster and Starth
+had quarrelled at the Piccadilly Theatre on the night before the
+committal of the crime, and Lancaster had been heard to threaten the
+deceased. Finally, Captain Berry, whom the inspector had come into
+contact with at Lancaster's chambers--where he was paying a
+visit--stated that the two men were bitter rivals for the hand of his
+niece, Miss Berry, known on the stage as Fairy Fan.
+
+"Why was not Lancaster arrested?" asked the coroner.
+
+"He fled, sir," replied Herny. "After the committal of the crime, he
+did not return to his rooms. The last seen of him was when he passed
+Matilda Samuels a few minutes after nine o'clock."
+
+The doctor who had examined the body deposed that either wound was
+sufficient to cause death. From the condition of the body he thought
+that the man was killed between six and eight o'clock. It was the
+doctor's opinion that Starth had been shot first and stabbed
+afterwards. He could give no absolute reason, save that if the
+suspected person using a knife had thus secured his end, he would
+hardly fire a shot into a dead body, especially into the head. "The
+noise would have attracted the neighbours," said the doctor, "and as
+the man was dead, there would be no sense in acting so foolishly. But
+in a vindictive spirit the assassin might certainly have mutilated the
+body with the knife. I am convinced that he killed Starth with the
+revolver."
+
+The coroner interposed. Twice the witness had referred to the assassin
+as "he." How did he know that the criminal was a man?
+
+The doctor answered that he did _not_ know, but the presumption
+favoured a male criminal. It was improbable that a woman would be such
+a straight shot (the doctor had been in South America and talked so),
+and, moreover, the knife had been driven so deeply into the heart that
+he doubted whether a woman would have strength to make such a wound.
+Besides, after firing the shot and securing her purpose, a woman would
+never have had the nerve to stop in the room for over an hour.
+
+"There is no evidence that any woman stopped in the room for an hour."
+
+The witness explained that he was thinking of Inspector Herny's remark
+of Lancaster having been seen by the servant leaving at nine. If
+Lancaster were guilty, he must have stopped in the room with his
+victim's body for over an hour. The murder took place between six and
+eight, and Lancaster did not leave till after nine.
+
+"Most irregular, these remarks," said the coroner, discontentedly.
+"You have no right to assume so much. Which wound killed the man?"
+
+"Either wound would cause death," said the doctor, sticking to his
+opinion, "but it is my belief the shot was the cause. The mutilation
+was an after-thought."
+
+When this witness stepped down, Mrs. Betts the landlady was called.
+She knew nothing at all. On that day she had gone to a wedding--one of
+her cousins--and had been absent from midday till half-past nine. She
+returned to find Tilly (the servant) in hysterics, and her lodger
+dead. She then called in the police. Mrs. Betts never knew that her
+lodger expected anyone. He had said nothing to her. She had never
+given Tilly permission to go out during her absence, and had severely
+reprimanded her for leaving the house. It was Tilly's duty to have
+remained in until Mrs. Betts returned. The landlady declared that she
+never heard of any quarrel, that she never saw Lancaster, and that she
+knew of no one likely to have killed her lodger. Mr. Starth was a
+quiet gentleman in the house, whatever he may have been outside. He
+rarely had a visitor. Captain Berry was one of the few who called.
+Sometimes Mr. Starth would go away for a week, and always returned
+looking ill.
+
+All this and much more of little account was extracted from the
+garrulous landlady, but she could throw no light on the darkness of
+the crime. She was succeeded as a witness by Tilly, whose evidence was
+delivered amidst floods of tears. The poor little wretch had been
+severely frightened when she entered the house after leaving her young
+man.
+
+"I went to take Mr. Starth's lamp," she said, sobbing, "as he allays
+liked oil an' not gas. He was lying a deaden, so I 'owled and dropped,
+till missus shook me up. There wasn't anyone in the house. But that
+gentleman what called come out just as I wos talking to Alf. He looked
+white an' queer like. I spoke of the long time he'd bin, but he said
+nothin', and jus' cut."
+
+"Were the two men on good terms?" asked the coroner.
+
+"Well, sir," said Tilly, hesitating, "I can't 'ardly say for certing.
+I wos left in the 'ouse when missus went to the weddin', and Mr.
+Starth, he called me up, arskin' if I wos in the humour to see Alf,
+which is my young man, a bricklayer. I sed, 'Right oh!' and he tells
+me I could cut when a gentleman called to see him. 'There might be a
+row,' ses he, 'cos this gent 'ates me awful, an' I don't want you to
+'ear bad language,' ses he. So I gets ready for Alf, and when the gent
+comes after four, and very late he wos, I shoves him into the room and
+cuts."
+
+"Did you hear the greeting given by Starth to Lancaster?"
+
+"No! I jus' shoves him in, and cuts."
+
+"It was Lancaster who called?"
+
+"Yuss. Mr. Starth ses as the gent he expected wos Lancaster by name,
+an' a fair, yeller-'aired cove. He seemed to 'ate 'im, tho' he ses as
+it wos Lancaster who 'ated 'im," finished Tilly, confusedly.
+
+"Do you think Mr. Starth got you out of the house so as to quarrel
+freely with his visitor?"
+
+"Yuss. He said as there would be a row."
+
+"Could anyone have got into the lower part of the house during your
+absence?"
+
+Tilly stole a look at hard-faced Mrs. Betts. "Why, bless y'no, sir. I
+wos perticler about lockin' an' barrin' the winders. But Mr. Starth
+could 'ave let anyone in. I left him with Mr. Lancaster, that's all I
+knows. W'en I come back after leaving Alf, I sawr 'im dead, w'en I
+brought the lamp. I nearly dropped with 'orror, an' after puttin' the
+lamp down I ran to woller on the kitchen floor with fear till missus
+come an' shook me up. I wos too feared to holler fur the perlice."
+
+When Tilly was dismissed with a streaming face to the companionship of
+Alf, who lurked at the back of the court, Captain Berry was called.
+The little skipper looked harder than ever, and delivered his evidence
+in a dry fashion, with unwinking eyes and without saying more than was
+needful. His language smacked of the Great Waste Lands.
+
+"Yes, sir, I guess I knew the corpse, and Lancaster. They fair hated
+one another, and there was always a shine between them when they met.
+My niece sent 'em fair crazy. They both wanted to marry her, but she
+shied when they asked her. She didn't want to run in double harness
+with either. Not much. I tried to make them two boys friends, but they
+wouldn't cotton to one another nohow. Starth _did_ liquidate
+considerable, and at the Piccadilly Theatre made trouble. Oh! he came
+right along, callin' Lancaster high-and-mighty names. I wanted to put
+the stopper on Starth's jaw, but Lancaster sailed in and levelled him
+straight. A pretty hitter is Lancaster; but I don't call it square of
+a man to wish another out of the world."
+
+"Did Lancaster say that?" asked the coroner.
+
+Berry spat and nodded. "Several times, you bet. He said he'd like to
+wring Starth's neck, that he'd be better out of the world than in it,
+and that he'd like to kick him out of the world. Oh, there was an holy
+show. I took Starth home, but he never let on that he was goin' to
+make it up with Lancaster next day. They made no appointment as I
+heard on. Oh! I guess Lancaster had a row with Starth in his own
+shanty, and let out at him with the Derringer. A clean shot, sir."
+Berry spat again. "The knife? Don't know anythin' of th' knife. But I
+heard as Lancaster was in 'Frisco once, so he might have imported a
+bowie. Yes, sir, that wound was made by a bowie."
+
+Berry said much more to the same effect, and appeared to be quite sure
+that Lancaster was guilty. He was followed by Baird, who had been
+imported into the case by the skipper on a word to Inspector Herny.
+Baird admitted reluctantly that Lancaster had threatened to kick
+Starth out of the world, and that the two men were on the worst of
+terms.
+
+Afterwards followed the cause of the trouble. Fairy Fan, exquisitely
+dressed, and quite overcome with emotion, deposed that the two men
+both asked her to marry them. She refused both, as she wished to stay
+with her dear uncle. Starth and Lancaster hated one another, but she
+never thought it would come to this. Starth usually started the
+quarrel, but it was always Lancaster who threatened. He frequently
+expressed a wish that Starth was dead. Lancaster told her that when
+slumming for his newspaper he sometimes carried a revolver. The weapon
+produced in court was his. She had seen it once. It had belonged to
+his father, Lancaster said. The elder Lancaster's name was Frank also,
+hence the initials on the silver plate. The death of Starth and the
+wickedness of Lancaster had inflicted two several shocks on her, so
+that she had been out of the bill at the Piccadilly Theatre. She never
+thought Lancaster was so bloodthirsty. He always seemed to be such a
+quiet young man. Starth's language was certainly most insulting.
+
+Mildred Starth was then called. She deposed that she was a sister of
+the deceased. She lived in Essex, and saw very little of her brother.
+They got on pretty well, but she was fond of a quiet life, and her
+brother was never happy unless he was leading a fast one. On the night
+previous to the murder she was in town. Her brother was in the box at
+the Piccadilly Theatre; that was the last she saw of him. He seemed
+excited and a little overcome with drink. She had heard him express
+hatred of Lancaster, but he was careful in her presence not to explain
+the reason. She had never heard him threaten Lancaster, but twice she
+had heard him express fears lest Lancaster should kill him. He
+described Lancaster as a ruffian from San Francisco. Witness had never
+seen the accused man.
+
+This formed the gist of evidence collected by the police, and it was
+quite enough to permit the coroner making a speech strongly condemning
+Lancaster. He said that no doubt Lancaster had intimated his intention
+of calling on Starth, as there was no reason to believe that Starth,
+who was manifestly afraid of his opponent, had invited him to come.
+Lancaster had undoubtedly brought the revolver with him, and it would
+seem that he had called on deceased with the intention of committing
+the murder. Perhaps Starth--as seemed probable--had torn Lancaster's
+card in two (the pieces having been found), and the insult had fired
+Lancaster's rage. Hence the murder. It seems that no one heard the
+shot; at all events no one could be found who could give such
+evidence. The jury must therefore take the doctor's opinion that
+Starth had been shot between six and eight. It was impossible to say
+why Lancaster had remained behind with his victim's body until nine.
+But he apparently did, as he was seen leaving the house by the
+servant, Matilda Samuels. The jury had inspected the body, they had
+heard the evidence and the cause of death, and on the facts before
+them would give their verdict.
+
+This was easily given. Without the least hesitation the jury brought
+in a verdict of wilful murder against Frank Lancaster. After that the
+crowd went out, and the neighbourhood buzzed with excitement. The one
+question asked was whether the police knew the whereabouts of the
+guilty man.
+
+The police did not, and to a reporter Inspector Herny confessed that
+he had absolutely no clue. Lancaster had vanished like a water bubble.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+A SCRAP OF PAPER
+
+
+When the big dailies arrived at the Shanty containing accounts of the
+inquest, Lancaster was perfectly convinced that Jarman was right.
+Captain Berry was his enemy sure enough, though for the life of him
+Frank could not conjecture the cause of such hostility. Also it seemed
+as though Fairy Fan was likewise against him, since--according to
+Frank--she lied freely during her five minutes' evidence.
+
+"Starth might have asked her to marry him," he explained to his
+friend, when they were strictly alone, "but I certainly never did."
+
+"Had you any idea of doing so?"
+
+Lancaster hesitated, not being willing to reveal his deepest and most
+sacred feelings even unto this staunch friend. "I don't know to what
+lengths my infatuation might have carried me."
+
+"Oh then you did love her?" said Jarman, alertly.
+
+"That depends on what you call love. I certainly had a fancy for her.
+I thought her pretty and fascinating, and she was always on her best
+behaviour with me. I think she liked me more than a little."
+
+Eustace laid one big finger on the _Daily Telegraph_ significantly.
+"It looks like it," said he.
+
+"Berry's put her against me," replied Frank in disturbed tones. "I'll
+swear that she would never lie like that, unless she was put up to it
+in some way. She _did_ like me, although she was always too selfish to
+love anyone but herself. Jewels and laces, carriage and pair,
+admiration and cutting a dash--that was what Fairy Fan desired. I
+could not offer her these things, so she was careful not to compromise
+herself with me in any way. I never got so far as asking her to marry
+me, though I don't know but what I mightn't have been such an ass had
+I not changed my mind."
+
+"And what caused you to change your mind, my son?"
+
+Frank looked oddly at the big man, and then fixed his eyes studiously
+on his pipe, while making an evasive reply. "I saw someone I liked
+better," he explained, "and then my admiration for Fairy Fan seemed to
+vanish like a cloud of smoke. After I saw that other face I thought no
+more of Fan, and was able to tell Starth with a clear mind that I
+didn't care about her. I'd have danced at his wedding with pleasure."
+
+"H'm! And who is the--no, I have no right to ask that. But to continue
+with the lady's evidence. We know the the first. And the second?"
+
+"I never expressed any wish to her that Starth should die. I told her,
+certainly, that I sometimes carried a revolver when slumming. But I
+never mentioned that it belonged to my father, nor did I show it to
+her. Lastly, I never said to Fan that my father's name was the same as
+my own."
+
+"Was it?"
+
+"Well, yes. Francis, same as mine."
+
+"And did the revolver belong to him?"
+
+"It did. I got it from my aunt. There was a silver plate on it with my
+father's initials, and my own, of course."
+
+"She might have seen the revolver produced in court," said Jarman,
+thoughtfully; "but why should she state that it was your father's?"
+
+"Chance shot!" suggested Frank.
+
+"No. She knew the initials on it were your father's and not yours.
+H'm! She's in this conspiracy along with Berry."
+
+Lancaster rose to pace the room in an exasperated manner. "Why should
+there be a conspiracy?" he demanded.
+
+"You've asked me that before," said Jarman, calmly, "and I have
+replied that I think money is at the bottom of it. Evidently Berry
+forced his acquaintance on you; and Fairy Fan made the running to
+create jealousy and bring about this catastrophe. Money, my boy!"
+
+Frank sat down in despair. "I don't see it," he said, pushing his
+hands into his pockets. "Supposing there is money (though for the life
+of me I can't think where it's to come from), why is it needful for me
+to be hanged before Berry and Fairy Fan get it?"
+
+"That's what puzzles me," said Eustace, nodding. "If they wanted you
+out of the way, they could have polished you off at Sand Lane as
+easily as they did Starth."
+
+"Do you think they killed him?"
+
+"I do, or else they employed someone else to do it. But you were lured
+there to be inculpated in the crime, and, begad! they've managed
+finely to put the rope round your throat. The money--well, I can't
+make it out, considering the means they've taken to get you into
+trouble, but there's money in the matter some way. And a mighty big
+sum too, seeing they've gone as far as murder."
+
+"But it's all so vague; and all supposition on your part."
+
+"I admit it. All the same I can theorise in no other way, unless--"
+
+"Well, what is it?"
+
+"I was going to say that perhaps it's blackmail. They may find out
+where you are and come forward, offering to save your neck from being
+wrung if you pay them well."
+
+"That inculpates themselves. Besides, if I am entitled to money of
+which I knew nothing, it was easy enough for Fan to marry me. Then all
+would have been square for Berry and her without having had to slay
+Starth and outlaw me."
+
+"Sure enough," groaned Jarman, who was getting more and more puzzled.
+"What it all means I can't say. You have been outlawed in due form,
+and the police are after you. All you have to do is to remain quiet
+and not give yourself away, as you nearly did to Mrs. Perth the other
+day."
+
+"I hadn't my feelings under control," said Frank. "Her talk of that
+stab in the breast startled me. I can't understand why I didn't see it
+at the time."
+
+"Did you feel the man's heart?"
+
+"No. The sight of the bullet wound under the left eye was enough for
+me. All I wanted to do was to get away and hide."
+
+"Well, then, as you had only a match, and didn't feel the poor man's
+heart, it's easy to see how you missed the knife wound." Jarman took
+up the paper again. "The doctor says that Starth was shot first and
+mutilated afterwards."
+
+"But why should the poor wretch have been mutilated at all?"
+
+"I can't say. It looks like a piece of savagery to me. Though, to be
+sure, I think mutilation's a wrong word to be used for a clean stab.
+If his ears had been cut off now, or--"
+
+"Don't!" said Frank, with a shudder. "It's horrible! The man was shot
+dead, and then stabbed to make sure. That's how I read it."
+
+"Well, the person who sent him into the other world must have been
+anxious to make certain." This time it was Eustace who paced the room.
+"I only heard of one corpse being treated like that before."
+
+"Where was that?" asked Lancaster.
+
+"In San Francisco some years ago!"
+
+"Who was it, and why was he slain twice--for that's what it amounts
+to?"
+
+Jarman did not answer immediately. It was close on eight o'clock, and
+he stood looking out of his study window into the luminous night. He
+and the secretary had been haymaking throughout the afternoon, and the
+shaven expanse of a particularly rough lawn was dotted with haycocks
+picturesquely disposed. Beyond was the untrimmed hedge which Jarman
+could never allow to be cut, and under this grew straggling white
+rose-bushes, the flowers of which showed starlike in the glimmering
+light. Over the hedge through a vista of leafy elms could be seen the
+far-extending country, and the lights of Tilbury in a long line like
+flying illuminated railway carriages. A clear, starry sky and a yellow
+harvest moon completed the beauty of the scene, and the nightingales
+were singing wildly in the copse at the bottom of the meadow. Jarman
+heaved a sigh of delight.
+
+"It's a peaceful scene," said he, with a look of pure pleasure. "Why
+do I go into gaslight and noisy crowds when I can dwell always in this
+Arcadia?"
+
+"Well, you don't," said Frank, not seeing where this speech would lead
+to. "You haven't been in a London theatre or drawing-room for ages."
+
+"True enough. I keep out of those things. But I was saying that San
+Francisco was noisy."
+
+"Were you? I didn't hear you," said Frank. Then, as Jarman again made
+no reply, he spoke up rather pettishly. His position didn't soothe his
+nerves in any way, poor fellow. "You can trust me, Eustace."
+
+"How do you know I was becoming confidential?"
+
+"Because you talked sentiment about the scene before you."
+
+Eustace returned to his seat and laughed rather sadly. "You're an
+observer, my son," said he. "Yes. You have told me about your past--we
+must have a repetition of that story some day, for reasons you will
+easily understand--now I'll tell you my romance."
+
+"About a woman?"
+
+"Yes. Did you ever know a romance that didn't include a woman? And
+this one of mine included a corpse, too."
+
+"Shot and stabbed?"
+
+"Both--in the streets of 'Frisco six or seven years ago. The man's
+name was Anchor."
+
+"Are you talking of the corpse?" asked Lancaster, settling himself.
+
+"Of what else. He was a lucky miner, and, having made no end of money,
+he built a new raw palace near 'Frisco, where he settled with his
+wife."
+
+"Ah!" said Frank, intelligently, "she's the woman."
+
+"Quite so, and I loved her for all I was worth, till I found her out."
+
+"Eustace," remarked Lancaster, finding these details scrappy, "if you
+will start in an' sail plainly, I won't interrupt."
+
+Jarman took a pull at his pipe. "I'll give the gist of it in a few
+words," said he, slowly. "I was doing some journalistic work in
+'Frisco, and ran across Anchor. He was a big, burly, rough chap, but a
+whacking good sort. We chummed up, and he invited me to see him. I was
+introduced to Mrs. Anchor, and fell in love with her."
+
+"What was she like?"
+
+"You promised not to interrupt. Never mind what she was like. My taste
+then is not my taste now."
+
+"Mildred!" thought Frank, but said nothing.
+
+"I think she liked me more than a little. But after I visited at her
+house for a time, I found that Anchor was turning nasty."
+
+"Jealous, I suppose?"
+
+Eustace nodded. "But upon my soul he had no cause to be. I was as
+straight as a die. It's not my fashion to loot other men's wives. I
+think Mrs. Anchor did her best to make him jealous. After a time I
+became sure, and then found out--it matters not how--that she wished
+to get rid of her husband. I was to be the man to remove him."
+
+"Confound! Did she want you to murder the man?"
+
+"Well, that was her idea. But all this I didn't find out for a long
+time. Anchor grew nasty, and I rarely went to his house. But Mrs.
+Anchor used to come and see me in the city sometimes."
+
+"Was that quite straight?"
+
+"No, it wasn't, in one way. But, you see, she came to tell me that she
+was afraid that her husband would kill her. I wasn't up to her game
+then. A third man came in. His name was Sakers--a nasty, dry,
+bad-tempered chap. He and Mrs. Anchor became thick as thieves. Then
+she gave me the go-by."
+
+"Oh! I suppose she hoped Sakers would kill her husband?"
+
+"Yes. It seemed that Anchor was ruined. His wife spent all his money,
+and the raw new palace was sold. The pair came to live at 'Frisco, and
+Sakers loafed on the Front with Mrs. Anchor."
+
+"Were you still in love with her?"
+
+"I was. I tell you, Frank, I really did love that woman. She was the
+most fascinating woman I ever met, and I've flirted with them in all
+countries. Well, after a time, she chucked Sakers and came to me. I
+gathered that she knew of some money which could be got if her husband
+was out of the way."
+
+"How?"
+
+"Well, I didn't inquire. She proposed so plainly that I should shoot
+Anchor--seeing that even her pranks couldn't make him jealous enough
+to get up a duel--that I grew angry. That was an eye-opener. But even
+then if she'd dropped the business I might have gone on loving her,
+but she up and slanged me properly. Then I saw what a bad mind she
+had, and showed her the door. What her scheme was I don't know. After
+that, a week later, Anchor came to see me."
+
+"To make trouble?"
+
+"No, poor chap. He came to make it up. Said that he had been mistaken
+in me, and that he didn't believe all the lies that were told about my
+being in love with Mrs. Anchor. Then he cried, and said that she had
+bolted with Sakers."
+
+"Why wasn't he man enough to follow, and shoot?"
+
+"He was off that night to Chicago, where the two had gone. But he came
+to see me to explain. It seemed that there was some money--about a
+million--that he had something to do with. He promised to see me again
+before he left for Chicago, and to give me some papers about the
+matter. It was by the midnight train he was going, and he was to call
+back at eight. I went to the door of my house with him--it was in a
+quiet side street, and we stood chatting at the door."
+
+"But why didn't he bring the papers with him?" asked Frank.
+
+"He didn't know if I'd take them, and, moreover, was afraid of being
+robbed and killed by--well, I can't say who by, but Sakers was mixed
+up in the business."
+
+"I see. Mrs. Anchor had told Sakers what she told you, and he, less
+scrupulous, intended to kill Anchor to get these papers."
+
+"That's about the size of it. But the whole thing was so vague that I
+couldn't get at the pith of it. Anchor would tell me nothing until he
+came back with the papers at eight. All he said when we shook hands at
+the door was 'Tamaroo--'"
+
+"Well, go on. Tamaroo what?"
+
+"He didn't get any further," said Jarman, "for at that moment he was
+shot."
+
+"Shot! In the open street?"
+
+"It was a quiet side street, and, being about meal-time, there was no
+one about. Also it was almost dark. The man who shot Anchor must have
+been concealed in a corner close at hand. I turned, and saw him
+cutting along the street. I followed, calling for the police. But he
+bunked into a crowded street, and I lost him. I went up to a policeman
+and made him come back with me. I had been away for fifteen minutes on
+the chase. Anchor was still lying before my door, but in addition to
+the shot wound there was a knife in his heart. In this instance Frank,
+the knife was left in the wound. It was a brand-new bowie, and nothing
+could be made of it in the way of evidence."
+
+"What happened then?"
+
+"Well, at first I was thought to be guilty, but I soon cleared my
+character. Anchor was buried, and I never saw nor heard of Mrs.
+Anchor, nor Sakers again."
+
+"What about the papers?"
+
+"I never heard anything of them either. But it appeared that when
+Anchor was seeing me a negro came to his lodgings to wait for him. As
+he didn't turn up the negro skipped. I fancied he might have been an
+emissary of Mrs. Anchor's to steal those papers. But none were found."
+
+"And who killed Anchor?"
+
+"Well, I fancy Sakers fired the shot. But who knifed him I can't say."
+
+Frank rose, and walking to the window stretched himself. "It's a
+gruesome story," said he; "and what did Tamaroo mean?"
+
+"I can't tell you. That was the one word the poor fellow said before
+he was stretched a corpse. Well, Frank, after that I got sick of the
+West and came home. A strange romance?"
+
+"Very. But I can't make top nor tail of the business. It is strange
+that Anchor should have been both shot and stabbed as Starth was."
+
+"For that reason I tell the story. Keep it to yourself, Frank. I do
+not care about wearing my heart on my sleeve."
+
+"I'll say nothing," assented Lancaster, "and you know quite enough to
+round on me if I do. I say"--he peered through the window into the
+moonlight--"who is the lady?"
+
+Jarman rose, and looked over Frank's shoulder. There was a white
+figure crossing the lawn. "It's Mildred--Miss Starth."
+
+Frank made for the door. "I'll go to my bedroom," he said. "I am not
+able to meet her yet, as I might give myself away. Besides, she may
+wish to talk to you about the case."
+
+"H'm! Yes, it's just as well. Clear out. I'll let you know all that is
+needful."
+
+So Frank disappeared, and Jarman opened the front door to his visitor.
+Mildred looked very weary. She wore a white dress with black bows, and
+saw him looking sideways at it when she entered the study.
+
+"I haven't had time to get proper mourning," she said, sinking into a
+chair. "Mrs. Perth is furbishing up an old dress for to-morrow."
+
+"I wasn't thinking of that," said Jarman, mendaciously. "Have some
+wine, Miss Starth? You look so tired."
+
+"I'm worn out. That awful inquest, and poor Walter's death." She hid
+her face in her hands. "It's all so sudden, so terrible! I have been
+in bed ever since I returned."
+
+"So Mrs. Perth told me. I know the verdict."
+
+"Do you think it is a true one?" asked Mildred, suddenly.
+
+Jarman was taken aback. "How should I know?"
+
+"The jury say that Mr. Lancaster killed Walter. But as I was leaving
+the room someone--I don't know who--slipped a paper into my hand. I
+have brought it to you, as I can't understand."
+
+She handed Jarman half a sheet of notepaper. On it was written in an
+unformed, childish hand three words--"Frank. Innocent. Tamaroo!"
+
+"Tamaroo!" Jarman leaped up. "Tamaroo! What does it mean?"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+CUPID'S BARGAIN
+
+
+While Jarman was receiving Miss Starth at the door, Miss Cork had
+brought in the lamp and pulled down the blinds. In the yellow light
+Mildred could see that his face was pearly white. As Eustace was not
+usually emotional, she guessed that the paper she had given him must
+be interesting enough to surprise him out of his ordinary self.
+
+"What is it?" she asked nervously. "Oh! what is it?" Her nerves were
+slack, poor girl, from the anxieties of the last week.
+
+Jarman did not answer directly. That he should have stumbled on the
+word "Tamaroo" in this unexpected manner, immediately after telling
+his story to Frank, surprised him not a little. The coincidence was
+extraordinary, and, he suspected, providential. He could not see what
+connection there could be between the murder of Anchor in San
+Francisco and that of Walter Starth in Sand Lane, but the mysterious
+word "Tamaroo" seemed to link the two. Perhaps it might prove the clue
+to the mystery of the last crime. Jarman sat down to hurriedly arrange
+his thoughts, but he was unable to answer Mildred for a time. After
+her exclamation she remained quiet, clasping and unclasping her hands,
+shaken to the core of her soul by the disturbed looks of this
+ordinarily phlegmatic man.
+
+"I don't know what it means," confessed Jarman finally, and looked
+again at the paper. "This is written by an uneducated person, and by
+one who knows Lancaster well enough to address him by his Christian
+name. Who slipped it into your hand?"
+
+"I don't know," said Mildred again. "I was passing out with the crowd
+after the verdict had been given, and I felt this being pushed into my
+hand. My fingers closed on it mechanically. For the moment I never
+thought to look round for the person. When I examined it outside it
+was, of course, too late."
+
+"H'm! That's a pity. If we could only find who wrote it there might be
+some chance of clearing up the mystery."
+
+"Then you think there _is_ a mystery, Mr. Jarman?"
+
+"About your brother's death? Certainly I do. I know Lancaster very
+well. Indeed, it was I who introduced him to your brother, and I am
+absolutely certain that he is not the man to commit so brutal a
+crime."
+
+"But his threats on the previous night?" objected Mildred.
+
+"Mere foolish speaking. And, far from proving his guilt, they, to my
+mind, hint at his innocence. Had he intended to kill your brother he
+would have been more circumspect in his language."
+
+"But if Mr. Lancaster is innocent, why did he run away?"
+
+Jarman shrugged his shoulders. "You can't expect a man to have all his
+wits about him at such a moment. He was"--here Jarman was about to
+explain the drugging, but on second thoughts he did not think it wise
+to appear to know too much--"he was in the house alone with your
+brother, whom he had threatened," he continued, "and when the murder
+took place saw that there was every chance of his being accused. To
+avoid being arrested on circumstantial evidence, he fled."
+
+"Have you any idea where he is?" asked Miss Starth, quickly.
+
+"No," replied Jarman, deliberately. "I have not seen Frank Lancaster
+for some months. He was always in town, and, as you know, I rarely go
+up. You believe him to be guilty?"
+
+"Everything seems to point to his guilt."
+
+"I admit that. But I am convinced from what I know of him that he is
+perfectly innocent."
+
+"If so," said Mildred, shrewdly, "he must at least know who killed my
+brother, seeing that he left the house _after_ the death."
+
+"I don't profess to explain," said Eustace, who was unwilling to lie
+more than was necessary to shield Lancaster. "Did your brother ask
+Lancaster to call on him?"
+
+"No!" replied Mildred, decisively. "Walter was rather afraid of Mr.
+Lancaster. They were bad friends for some reason, and Mr. Lancaster
+threatened to give Walter a thrashing."
+
+"Did he threaten to kill him?"
+
+Mildred hesitated. "Well, Walter said that Mr. Lancaster would shoot
+him if he got the chance, as he always carried a revolver."
+
+"Lancaster only carried a revolver when he went slumming."
+
+"He wasn't slumming when he visited at Sand Lane."
+
+"No! I can't explain that. All I can say is that, from what I know of
+Lancaster, he might have thrashed your brother, but he certainly would
+not murder him."
+
+"But Mr. Darrel tells me that Mr. Lancaster was very bitter against my
+brother."
+
+"When did he tell you that?" said Jarman, who knew Darrel, and,
+regarding him as a possible rival, did not approve of him overmuch.
+
+"To-day, when I got up. Mr. Darrel is staying at the Rectory for a few
+days. You know, he is a friend of the rector's."
+
+"Yes, I know," replied Eustace, thinking he must put Frank on his
+guard, since Darrel might recognise him. "Why did Darrel come down?"
+
+"On a visit to the rector. But he also said that he came to see if he
+could help me in any way."
+
+"I can do all the help that is necessary," said Jarman, jealously.
+
+"I told him so, and, then, Captain Berry is anxious to assist."
+
+"H'm!" said Eustace, pulling his big moustache. "Mrs. Perth told me
+that he had offered a reward. Very good of him."
+
+"Captain Berry was a great friend of Walter's. He wrote me the sad
+news almost immediately."
+
+"Almost too immediately," replied Jarman. "What time did you get his
+letter?"
+
+"By the eleven post."
+
+"Then it must have been posted in London before midnight, and the fact
+of the murder was not known to the general public till next morning.
+How came Captain Berry to have such early information?"
+
+"I don't know," said Miss Starth, blankly. "Do you think--"
+
+"I think nothing," interposed the big man, quickly. "I have never met
+Berry, and I know nothing about him. But Mrs. Perth doesn't seem to
+entertain a good opinion of him."
+
+Mildred, in spite of her grief and sadness, could not help smiling.
+"You know that Mrs. Perth never approved of Walter's friends. She was
+my governess, you remember, and still thinks it's her duty to look
+after me."
+
+"And after that Denham man."
+
+"Oh! he is only a boy--" said Mildred, with contempt, "and a very
+silly boy. Walter brought him down twice, but I don't suppose he'll
+come here again."
+
+"Where did Starth meet him?"
+
+"At Captain Berry's. Mr. Denham came from San Francisco with Captain
+Berry. They are great friends."
+
+"And thereby hangs a tale," muttered Jarman, who was intensely
+suspicious of the skipper and his associates. "Well, and what are you
+going to do now, Miss Starth?"
+
+"I can do nothing," she said, with a helpless gesture. "I have seen
+our lawyer about Walter's affairs, and Walter's income comes to me. I
+don't know what to do about his death except wait."
+
+"For the capture of Lancaster?"
+
+Miss Starth moved uneasily. "I am not revengeful," she said, "and my
+brother was not such a good man as he should have been. But if Mr.
+Lancaster is guilty he ought to be punished."
+
+"Yes. _If_ he is guilty. But presuming his innocence--"
+
+"He will have an opportunity of proving that when he is tried."
+
+"Ah!" said Jarman, pulling again at his moustache, "then you
+anticipate that he will be captured?"
+
+"Captain Berry says he will never rest until he is captured. We had a
+long talk about the matter."
+
+"Has Berry any clue?"
+
+"No. Neither has Inspector Herny. Since that servant saw Mr. Lancaster
+leave the house, nothing more has been heard of him. I don't want him
+to be captured. His being hanged wont bring poor Walter to life, and
+that paper makes me doubt if he is guilty."
+
+"Did you show this to Berry?" asked Jarman, who still held the paper.
+
+"No. I showed it to no one, not even to Mrs. Perth. I wished to
+consult you about it."
+
+"I am glad you said nothing, Miss Starth," said Jarman. "May I keep
+this paper? I may be able to find out something, you know."
+
+"Certainly. I shall be glad if you will help me."
+
+"I wish to help you in every way. You know that."
+
+Jarman's voice shook a little, and the woman in Mildred took the
+alarm. She rose to go, whereupon Jarman insisted on seeing her to Rose
+Cottage. "But there is no need," protested Mildred, "the moon is
+shining, and I am quite safe. Don't trouble."
+
+"It's a pleasure," insisted Eustace, putting on his cap, and being
+thus obstinate Mildred let him have his own way. She was even secretly
+pleased, as she liked Eustace extremely.
+
+They stepped out into the moonlight, and took their careful way
+between the haycocks. The night was very still. Occasionally there
+would float towards them an outburst of song from the copse-hidden
+nightingales, diversified by the hoot of an owl, or the whirr of a
+distant train steaming towards London. Mildred had simply thrown a
+lace shawl over her head to run across to the Shanty, and her face
+looked wonderfully pure and white in the ivory radiance of the moon.
+Eustace felt his pulses throb with suppressed excitement, and the
+blood tingled pleasantly in his veins. He was in love with Mildred, he
+was jealous of Darrel, and these passions lifted him somewhat out of
+his usual self. The romance of San Francisco appeared the veriest
+prose beside this lyrical night. Yet he felt that he could not break
+in upon the grief of the girl with his tale of love, and so walked
+sedately by her side, holding himself well in hand.
+
+As they passed into the lane, and under the chequered shadows of the
+elms, Mildred felt the influence of her companion. She was not in love
+with Jarman, or with anyone, but she liked and admired him immensely,
+and, granted that the fairy prince did not come along, was not
+unprepared to listen should he speak. Still, the feeling of sorrow for
+the death of her brother lay heavily upon her, and she sighed as the
+cool night wind ruffled her dark hair. After a time, to break the
+silence, she asked Jarman about the new secretary.
+
+"Mrs. Perth told me that he was very handsome," she said.
+
+"Oh, he's good-lookin' enough," replied Eustace, "but his spectacles
+rather spoil him. Weak eyes, you know."
+
+"I was not aware that you intended to engage a secretary."
+
+"I have so much work to do."
+
+"You might have engaged me," said Miss Starth, reproachfully. "I can
+type quite as quickly as you can dictate, and you know I am always
+glad to assist you."
+
+"I know that," said Jarman, suppressing a strong inclination to take
+her in his arms. "We have done some work together."
+
+"_You_ have. I don't know what I should have done without you to
+correct my verses and help me to get them printed. I was only sixteen
+when I showed you my first poem."
+
+"Yes. And very shy you were over it. Natural in a schoolgirl."
+
+"I am not a schoolgirl now, Mr. Jarman."
+
+Who knew that better than Eustace? "I wish you were," he muttered.
+
+"Why? You should be glad to see me grow up, Mr.--"
+
+"Why so formal, Miss Starth--Mildred. Call me Eustace."
+
+"I should like to--Eustace," said the girl, frankly--too frankly,
+alas! for any feeling of love to lurk in the words. "You know how fond
+I am of you," and she squeezed his arm playfully.
+
+"Mildred!" He could stand it no longer, although he felt that this was
+not the time to speak of love. But the influence of the hour, of her
+words, and the feeling of jealousy inculcated by Darrel's arrival made
+him confess his secret. "Mildred?"
+
+"Yes." She detected the change in his voice, and grew nervous.
+
+"I--I--love you!"
+
+"Mr. Jarman--I mean Eustace!"
+
+"I didn't mean to speak," went on the man, rapidly. "I know you have
+heavy troubles to face. But I wish to help you. If you would accept me
+as your husband, if you would lean upon me through life, I would do
+all that I could to save you from being worried."
+
+Under the shadow of the trees, a stone's-throw from the white gate of
+Rose Cottage, Mildred stood still, her hands clasped before her. A
+shaft of light piercing the leafage shed its radiance on her beautiful
+face, and Eustace put a constraint on himself. Under his breath he
+quoted the Arabic proverb: "Blessed be Allah who made beautiful
+woman."
+
+"Eustace, I never thought of this!"
+
+"And you are angry?"
+
+"No--no. I'm not exactly angry. But--"
+
+"You love me, then--you love me!" She could feel his breath on her
+cheek, and shrank away from the passion expressed in his deep voice.
+
+"I am not angry, but I don't love you. Wait!" She flung up her hand as
+she heard his sigh. "I like you--oh, yes, I like you more than anyone
+I ever met."
+
+"More than Darrel?"
+
+"Mr. Darrel; I don't care a bit for him. I wish you wouldn't talk so."
+She stamped her foot. "You know how troubled I am about poor Walter's
+death, and we were getting on so nicely."
+
+"You and Walter?"
+
+"No, poor fellow. You and I. We were such companions, and I always
+told you everything--and now talking like this!" Miss Starth's eyes
+filled with tears. "It's a shame."
+
+"I can't help loving you."
+
+"Well, I love you--in a way. No, don't come any nearer. I--I--looked
+on you as a--a--father," sobbed Mildred.
+
+"Oh, Heavens! There's no more to be said after that. Let me remain in
+that relationship."
+
+"No. That is"--Mildred dried her tears, and became alarmed because
+she thought she was inflicting pain--"that is--you know, I don't
+mind--well, if you can't guess."
+
+"Does that mean you will marry me?" asked Jarman, catching his breath.
+
+Mildred rolled her handkerchief up into a ball, and became more of a
+woman and less of a schoolgirl. "I will marry you on one condition."
+
+"What is that?" he asked, eagerly.
+
+"That you find out and punish the person who killed Walter."
+
+Jarman's heart leaped. "Do you mean Lancaster?" he asked, alarmed.
+
+"No--if what that paper says is true. I mean the real person. You say
+that Mr. Lancaster is innocent, and I know you too well to doubt your
+word. Find the real person, and--" she bent forward as though to seal
+the bargain with a kiss. But before her face could touch his own she
+drew back, and flittered towards the gate.
+
+"Mildred!" he cried. "Mildred!"
+
+"Good-night!" floated back faintly, and he heard the closing of the
+door. Alone with the night and with his great happiness, he tried to
+realise his good fortune. "She doesn't love me yet," he thought, as he
+walked back to the Shanty on tip-toe excitement, "but she will--she
+will. Heaven bless her How could I have loved Mrs. Anchor? This is the
+real thing, and Mildred--oh! what a boy I am yet." He wiped his face.
+"Of course I'll find out who killed her brother, both to win her and
+to save Frank. Dear Frank--poor fellow!" Jarman felt immensely sorry
+for Lancaster being, as it were, out in the cold. "I must tell him."
+
+And tell him he did, blurting out the news almost before he filled his
+pipe. "I say, Frank, I'm going to start in and find out who killed
+Starth!" he declared.
+
+"Miss Starth has asked you to do so?" said Frank, trying to suppress
+his jealousy.
+
+"Yes. And she is going to reward me, if I am successful, with her
+hand."
+
+Lancaster stared. "I--I--hope you'll be happy," he gulped. "She'll get
+a good husband."
+
+"And I an angel for a wife."
+
+"An archangel--a Madonna--a saint," said Frank, incoherently. But his
+heart ached.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+A PLEASANT SURPRISE
+
+
+The Rectory was like a bee-hive. Mr. Arrow was the happy father of ten
+healthy children, and his wife was pretty well worn out looking after
+them. One of the boys was at Sandhurst, a couple were at school, but
+the majority of the children remained to make the old house lively.
+Why Darrel, who loved his comforts, should come to such a noisy
+establishment, Arrow could not conjecture, although he was glad to
+welcome him. Darrel himself declared that he came to see his old
+tutor, and Arrow accepted the flattering compliment. But when he found
+that his guest paid three visits to Rose Cottage in as many days, the
+rector began to mistrust the excuse. However, he said nothing to
+Darrel, as the Rhodesian was rich, and might be trusted to do
+something towards launching the young Arrows into the bleak world.
+
+Darrel was a big man, as huge as Jarman, but black and sulky in his
+looks. His manners were soft, and he resembled a large tom-cat more
+than anything else, particularly when speaking, as he positively
+purred. With the children he was a favourite, as he always presented
+them with gifts; but it was understood that on condition of this
+largess, they were to leave him alone. Consequently, he had all his
+time to himself, and spent it dodging about Rose Cottage, or filling
+the little parlour with his gigantic person.
+
+Mrs. Perth rather liked him, as he was always deferential to her, and
+she was not averse to his courtship of Mildred, for that was what his
+continual, and not always welcome, presence amounted to. But the girl
+herself thought Darrel possessed a violent temper, and always declared
+that she would not marry him if he were as rich as Vanderbilt.
+However, as the Rhodesian came ostentatiously to condole with her on
+account of her trouble, she could not very well express herself as she
+wished. Moreover, in a measure, she was now engaged to Jarman, but she
+told no one of the agreement she had made with him, not even Mrs.
+Perth. It was now over a fortnight since the death of Starth, and as
+he was buried, Mildred was recovering her spirits. She had never cared
+particularly for her brother, who was something of a bully, and had
+seen so little of him that his death made scarcely any difference in
+her life. Consequently, beyond that she was in mourning, she showed
+little sign of the catastrophe. And Walter had only himself to thank
+for the calmness with which she accepted his decease.
+
+One afternoon Mrs. Perth was out, and Darrel sat with Mildred drinking
+tea in the parlour. It was a small room filled with chintz-covered
+furniture, and looked extremely cool. The window was open, and Darrel,
+who felt the heat, sat near it cup in hand. He was dressed in spotless
+flannels, and looked better-looking and less black than usual.
+Mildred, in her sombre dress, was fanning herself vigorously.
+
+"I wish I could feel as cool as you do," she said, enviously.
+
+"It's more looks than anything else," replied Darrel in his heavy way.
+"I'm warm enough--quite. How I'll stand town I don't know."
+
+"When are you returning?" asked Miss Starth, indifferently.
+
+"To-morrow--if you don't want me to stay."
+
+"I have no control over your movements, Mr. Darrel."
+
+But the coldness of the tone had no effect. "I mean, that there may be
+something I can do for you. Now that your brother is dead--"
+
+"Mr. Jarman is looking after things for me, thank you," said Mildred,
+stiffly. "The only thing you can do is to find out who killed Walter."
+
+Darrel raised his bushy eyebrows. "There's no difficulty about that,
+Miss Starth. The verdict of the jury--"
+
+"Was wrong. I can't believe that this Mr. Lancaster committed so
+horrible and apparently purposeless a crime."
+
+"Have you any reason to believe him innocent?"
+
+Mildred, for obvious reasons, did not answer this question directly.
+"I can't see his motive," she said, looking down pensively.
+
+"The evidence of that lady at the inquest--"
+
+"I know nothing about any lady," retorted the girl, flushing. Then, to
+change the conversation and mark her sense of Darrel's bad manners,
+she asked a question. "Did you know Mr. Lancaster?"
+
+Darrel nodded. "I thought I told you," he said. "He was sitting next
+to me on that night I saw you in the theatre."
+
+"The night before the tragedy," said Mildred, shuddering. "What is he
+like to look at?"
+
+"Fair chap, blue eyes, and--"
+
+"Wait!" Miss Starth recollected the man who had stared at her. "Do you
+mean to say that he was the gentleman who sat next to you?"
+
+"Yes. I said so. Fair hair, and--"
+
+"I know," she broke in hurriedly. "He was looking at me; our eyes met,
+and he--oh he didn't look like a man who would commit murder."
+
+"I shouldn't have thought it of him myself," said Darrel; "but if he
+didn't, who did? That's the point."
+
+"I wish you to find that out if you will."
+
+"Certainly. I'll do my best, on conditions."
+
+"Conditions!" Mildred stared, and looked annoyed.
+
+"Yes," said the Rhodesian, stolidly; "promise to be my wife, and I'll
+hunt down Lancaster."
+
+Mildred gasped. This was the same bargain as she had made with
+Eustace, so the situation was duplicated. But she more than liked
+Jarman, and cared very little for Darrel. Moreover, now that she knew
+the suspected man was the one who had stared at her, and to whose face
+she had taken a fancy, she was inclined to agree with Eustace that he
+was innocent. So refined a man could not possibly have committed so
+brutal a crime. And, finally, she was displeased that Darrel should
+again broach a subject about which she had asked him to be silent.
+
+"I told you before, and I tell you again, Mr. Darrel, that I cannot
+become your wife," she said, with some heat.
+
+"Why not?" asked the man, stolidly.
+
+Mildred grew exasperated. "Because I don't love you."
+
+"Love may come after marriage."
+
+"I prefer it to come before," she declared. "I won't marry you."
+
+"Yes, you will," said Darrel, closing his obstinate mouth; "your
+brother was in favour of the match."
+
+"At one time, but not lately."
+
+"I know, and I can't understand why he changed."
+
+"Whether he changed or not doesn't matter," said Miss Starth, sharply;
+"the thing is out of the question."
+
+"No, it isn't. I've made up my mind to marry you, and marry you I
+shall."
+
+She rose and turned on him indignantly. "Do you threaten me?"
+
+Darrel rose also, but did not reply directly. "I never made up my mind
+yet to get a thing that I didn't succeed," he said. "I wanted to be
+rich, and I am rich. I want you to be my wife, and I intend to make
+you my wife."
+
+"No! No! No!" She stamped her foot three times.
+
+"Oh, yes," said Darrel, calmly. "Think it over. I go to town
+to-morrow, but will come back in a month. I'll expect my answer then."
+
+"Take it now," she cried, indignant at his impertinence. "No!"
+
+"That's not the answer I require," he said, collecting his cane and
+hat. "You must say yes."
+
+"I won't!"
+
+Darrel took not the slightest notice, but held out his hand. Mildred
+declined to take it, and repeated her refusal. The big man turned to
+the door. "I'll come in a month for my answer," said he, and went out.
+
+Mildred was very angry at his persistence, but she had quite as strong
+a will as Darrel, and determined that nothing would induce her to
+become his wife. But she dreaded his return, as she knew he was not
+easily shaken off. For the moment she was minded to tell Eustace, but
+a reflection that such a confidence might lead to a quarrel, made her
+change her mind. "But I'll never marry that Darrel," she declared.
+"Never--never--never! I wonder, indeed, if I'll marry Eustace. I like
+him, but I don't love him. And one should love when--" here she
+blushed and sat down. Her thoughts wandered to the pleasant face of
+the young man in the theatre, and she recalled his persistent gaze. He
+had evidently been attracted by her, and she-- "No," said Mildred to
+herself, "I'll never believe that he murdered Walter!" after which
+remark she began regretting that she had made a bargain with Eustace.
+Decidedly her conduct was flighty, but late events had unsettled her
+mind. She was not usually so vacillating, but at the present moment
+she was too bewildered and upset to know her own mind, save that she
+would never marry Darrel. "And perhaps not Eustace," she concluded.
+
+Meantime, Eustace was in the seventh heaven. For the last few days he
+had gone about singing, and Lancaster was rather exasperated. It
+seemed unfair that Jarman should have all the happiness, and he should
+have nothing but trouble. Then he blamed himself for being selfish.
+Jarman had been, and was, a good friend to him, and Jarman had known
+Mildred for many years. He, Frank, had not even spoken to her, so it
+was ridiculous and ungrateful of him to be jealous of his best friend
+on such slight grounds. He did all he knew to preserve a cheerful
+face, but at times grew gloomy. Eustace put his fit of the dismals
+down to a too vivid realisation of his danger. He would not allow
+Frank to speak more than was necessary about the murder, as he did not
+wish him to brood over it. But he was not idle, and one morning
+announced that he was going to to town.
+
+"I'll be away for the day," he said, "so you can make yourself
+comfortable, Frank. Look out that Darrel doesn't see you."
+
+"Darrel has gone back to town," said Lancaster, "so one of the young
+Arrows told me. He returns in a month."
+
+"Mildred will be glad he has gone. He was always hanging round her."
+
+"Why didn't you put a stop to that?"
+
+"I have not the right as yet. You see, I am not formally engaged to
+Mildred, and will not be, until I have discovered the assassin."
+
+"Why not denounce me, and bring about the engagement at once?" said
+Frank, with some bitterness.
+
+Jarman stared. "Because in the first place you are innocent, and in
+the second I should not like to build up my life's happiness on your
+ruin. I thought you knew me better than that, my friend."
+
+"Forgive me. I am a beast," said Lancaster, penitently. "But the fact
+is, I--I--"--he gulped down the truth--"I am not myself."
+
+"Don't wonder at it, considering the fix you are in. Cheer up. I may
+learn something to-day likely to give me a clue to the truth."
+
+"From whom?"
+
+"From your friend, Fairy Fan."
+
+Lancaster jumped up from the breakfast-table. "What?"
+
+"You look surprised, but it is so. I am going to see her to-day--by
+appointment!" and he displayed a perfumed note.
+
+Frank glanced over it, and discovered that Miss Berry would be pleased
+to see Mr. Leonard Grant at her rooms in Bloomsbury at one o'clock on
+that day.
+
+"Why did you write to her?" asked Frank, handing this back.
+
+"The use of my _nom de plume_ should tell you that," replied Jarman.
+"I want to have a quiet chat with that lady, so I wrote as Leonard
+Grant--under which name I produce my sketches--and asked her if I
+could do one for her. As I have a certain reputation, she seems
+inclined to entertain the idea."
+
+"Why didn't you write under your own name?"
+
+"What an ass you are, Frank! Firstly, the _nom de plume_ is required
+to intimate who will write the sketch, since Eustace Jarman is unknown
+as a dramatist. Secondly, did I write in my own name I might give
+myself into the hand of Berry. He must have learnt from Starth that I
+am your friend, and thus might seek to know too much."
+
+"You could baffle his inquiries."
+
+"Oh, yes. But if he chose to come down and see me, I could not baffle
+his spotting you. It's best to be on the safe side, and even in that
+disguise the man is clever enough to recognise you."
+
+"That doesn't say much for my disguise," said Frank, grimly.
+
+"Pooh! The make-up is good enough to baffle a casual observer, but
+Captain Berry is exceptionally clever. He might not recognise you,
+certainly; on the other hand, he might. No, Frank, as Leonard Grant
+I'll see Miss Berry and learn all I can."
+
+"She won't discuss the matter with you."
+
+"Perhaps not, but I'll try and get her on the subject. I may even meet
+with Berry, and then we'll see if I can't pump him. So you make
+yourself comfortable here, Frank, while I go to town. I think you
+might take the newspaper to Mrs. Perth, and meet Mildred."
+
+"I don't know her," said Frank, flushing.
+
+"Mrs. Perth will introduce you," said Jarman, "and I am sure you will
+get on well with her."
+
+"Too well," thought Frank. But he said nothing, not even if he would
+go over to Rose Cottage.
+
+Jarman bustled about, and finally set off across the heath, which was
+the nearest way to the railway station. His plan of action was to seek
+Berry and his niece as a complete stranger, and to learn, if he could,
+what they were about to do. He had a clever pair to deal with, but
+Jarman was smart himself, and not for nothing had rubbed shoulders
+with the astute citizens of the great republic. Moreover, apart from
+his wish to please Mildred and to save Frank, there was a certain
+element of exhilaration about this chase after an unknown criminal
+that appealed to his love of adventure.
+
+"I've got detective fever," he thought, as he swung into a third-class
+smoking, "and the disease won't be cured till I run the true assassin
+to earth."
+
+On arriving at Liverpool Street, shortly after twelve, he walked to
+the tube railway at the Mansion House Station, and thereby gained
+Oxford Street. From Tottenham Court Road he strolled to Bloomsbury
+Crescent, where Miss Berry dwelt with her uncle, and reached the door
+of the house a few minutes before one o'clock. A neatly-dressed
+maidservant admitted him into a cool drawing-room. While the maid
+informed her mistress of Jarman's arrival, or rather that Mr. Leonard
+Grant was at hand, Eustace looked curiously round the room. From its
+contents he hoped to learn something of the character of Fairy Fan.
+
+But there was no need to read her character in this way. Almost before
+he commenced his examination she appeared at the door, and came
+forward with a smile. Suddenly she stopped, and the colour ebbed from
+her face. Jarman gasped and stared, as well he might.
+
+"Mrs. Anchor!" he said, under his breath. "Mrs. Anchor I might have
+guessed."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+THE OLD ROMANCE
+
+
+Mrs. Anchor, _alias_ Miss Fanny Berry, was a pretty little creature
+even when the searching morning sunlight was full on her face. She had
+no absolute need of paint and powder to make her attractive. In a tea
+gown of delicate blue, with a head of fluffy golden hair, and a
+piquant face, she looked--as the saying is--as pretty as a picture.
+
+Jarman eyed her sternly, and wondered how he could ever have loved a
+woman possessed of such obviously meretricious charms. Her mouth was
+hard, and there was an unpleasant glitter in her blue eyes which did
+not bode well for Eustace. After her failure in San Francisco the lady
+was intensely suspicious of Jarman, deeming him too scrupulous.
+Eustace saw the inquiring light in her eyes, and, having his own game
+to play, he pretended to forget the past, and to be overjoyed at the
+meeting. Now that he knew who Fairy Fan was, he felt quite certain
+that Captain Berry would answer readily to the name of Sakers, and
+hoped to see him before the termination of the interview. Meanwhile,
+to abate the suspicions of the little lady, he made himself agreeable.
+And Eustace could be extremely pleasant when it suited his book.
+
+"Mrs. Anchor," he said, advancing with outstretched hands, "this _is_
+a surprise."
+
+"An agreeable one, I hope?" replied the lady with an artificial laugh,
+but searching his face keenly.
+
+"Very agreeable. I have often thought of you, Mrs. Anchor."
+
+Womanlike her thoughts reverted to his love, and she strove to see if
+she yet had him in her toils. But Eustace did not flush, and the calm
+expression of his face baffled the reading of his thoughts. A puzzled
+look which meant, "I-wonder-why-you-called!" crept into her expressive
+eyes, but beyond this she governed her feelings excellently. But
+Eustace had interpreted the look, and to rearrange their friendship
+hastened to explain.
+
+"I have never seen you at the theatre," he said, easily, taking a
+chair, "so it never struck me that Fairy Fan, who was delighting the
+British public, was the same as Mrs. Anchor of San Francisco."
+
+"Nor is she," replied the little woman, seating herself on the sofa.
+"After the sad death of my husband, I took my maiden name again."
+
+"Miss Berry?" inquired Eustace.
+
+"Fanny Berry," she replied, nodding. "I am over here with my uncle."
+She glanced uneasily at the door, thinking he might come in. "His name
+is Banjo Berry. He is a merchant captain, but in 'Frisco you knew him
+as Edward Sakers."
+
+"Oh I thought--"
+
+"I know you did," she interrupted petulantly, "and so did everyone
+else. But he is my relative, and nothing more. Owing to some trouble
+connected with the casting away of a fruit schooner on a South Sea
+reef, he was obliged to call himself Sakers. As I told you, my
+husband's behaviour became so impossible that I had to leave."
+
+"You never told me that," said Jarman, serenely; "but at our last
+interview you hinted that I might fight Anchor with revolvers."
+
+"I don't deny it. The man treated me shamefully. I was a good wife to
+him." Miss Berry--as it is best to call her--squeezed out a tear. "But
+he--he--well, what's the use of going over the old ground. You know
+how jealous he was."
+
+"And I know how he loved you," said Eustace, pointedly.
+
+"What about yourself?" she responded flippantly.
+
+"I never lost the right of calling myself your husband's friend."
+
+"No," she taunted, "you hadn't the pluck to do that. You pretended to
+love me, yet when I would have given you myself and a fortune you drew
+back."
+
+"The price was too high. And you got someone else to put him out of
+the way."
+
+Fairy Fan rose indignantly. "I never did!" she declared vehemently. "I
+was in Chicago at the time. When Anchor's conduct became unbearable I
+went with my uncle to that city. It was there that we heard of his
+death."
+
+"Shot and stabbed, wasn't he?"
+
+"Yes. But not by me--not by my uncle, although he was angry at the way
+in which I had been treated. I left Anchor and intended to get a
+divorce--but circumstances made me his widow."
+
+"Did it make you a rich woman also?" asked Eustace, remembering the
+last interview he had with her.
+
+"No," she said quietly. "You never gave me time to tell you about the
+money. Anchor speculated, and lost his fortune. However, he knew,
+through some Indian, of a treasure--a Spanish treasure which was
+buried in a certain place. I wanted him to tell me the secret, but he
+would not. When he died he took the secret along with him. I am as
+poor now as I was then, and I shouldn't be acting at the Piccadilly
+Theatre if I wasn't."
+
+"Why was the death of your husband necessary to your learning the
+secret?" demanded Jarman, quickly.
+
+Fairy Fan arranged herself on the sofa and took out a case, which she
+opened, "It wasn't," she said, blandly, selecting a cigarette. "But I
+feared I wouldn't get a divorce, and so I wished him out of the way.
+You were too scrupulous, although all you had to do was to pick a
+quarrel with him. You were a better shot than he was."
+
+"I don't commit murder even for love, Mrs. Anchor."
+
+"Berry, if you please. Love!" she repeated, lighting the cigarette.
+"You don't know the meaning of the word. Had you really and truly
+loved me you would have rid me of the man who struck me."
+
+"Did he strike you?"
+
+"I was beaten black and blue. I told you so," she retorted. "Would any
+woman put up with that treatment? I hated the man!" She clenched her
+small fist, and her face grew angry. "I would have killed him myself
+had I been able."
+
+"Perhaps, as you didn't, you got someone else to--"
+
+"How dare you say that, Eustace!" Jarman winced as she called him by
+the old name. "I tell you I knew nothing of the matter. If you have
+come here to denounce me for the murder of my husband, you have wasted
+your time. There is no evidence which can connect me with that crime,
+or my uncle either. We are quite at our ease--quite!"
+
+"I never thought of doing such a thing," said Jarman, drily. "My
+coming here is a pure accident. I live in Essex, and rarely come to
+town. I had not the slightest idea of your identity. It was simply and
+solely to write you a sketch and make money that I came."
+
+"Why did you write under a false name?"
+
+"Bah! You understand well enough. I am known as Leonard Grant in this
+line, as I'm not proud of the occupation of writing these drivelling
+things. You--so far as I knew--were a stranger to me. I wrote you
+under the name I was best known by, to do the sketch. Fan--"
+
+"Don't call me Fan!" she said petulantly.
+
+"Well, I treated you so badly that I don't deserve much at your hands,
+my dear," he said, with feigned penitence, "but for the sake of old
+times let me call you by the old name."
+
+"My uncle will not like it. He will be here soon, and should he hear
+you call me by so intimate a name he will be angry. He is very, very
+particular."
+
+Jarman privately thought that an ex-skipper, who had cast away a
+schooner and had to change his name for that reason, had no need to be
+so scrupulous. But he did not believe in the relationship, and
+suspected that Fairy Fan was telling glib lies. However, it suited him
+to accept the story she set forth, and he swallowed the scrupulous
+Captain Banjo Berry along with the other fiction.
+
+"I'll call you Miss Berry when he comes, but till then--" He looked
+imploringly.
+
+She gave him a coquettish smile. "Very well, till then, Eustace!"
+
+Jarman knew perfectly well that she was calculating to make use of
+him, and wished her to think so. Should she accept him as a colleague
+in the swindle which she and her so-called uncle were perpetrating, he
+might more easily penetrate the secret of Starth's murder.
+
+"Then tell me, Fan, was it ever discovered who killed Anchor?"
+
+"How you harp on that, Eustace! Yes. An old partner of his, whom he
+cheated in connection with a mining claim, shot him."
+
+"And who thrust the knife into his heart?"
+
+"A Chinaman. He found the body, or rather, he found Anchor dying, and
+intended to rob him. When Anchor opened his eyes and tried to sing out
+for the police Lo Keong knifed him. The Chinaman has been hanged, but
+the man who fired the shot got away. And now don't let's talk any more
+about the matter; it gives me the horrors. I'm doing very well here,
+and I hope to make a lot of money. Then I shall retire."
+
+"And marry again?"
+
+Fairy Fan shot a second provocative glance. "Perhaps," she said.
+
+"H'm!" Jarman resolved to startle her. "So Walter Starth was not to
+your taste?"
+
+He woefully failed to bring about the desired result. Fan was too old
+a hand to be startled. "You've been reading the papers?" she said.
+
+Jarman nodded. "I saw that both Starth and the man who is supposed to
+have killed him loved you."
+
+"They did, and I refused both of them. Nice boys, but a couple of
+paupers. If I marry again, I marry money. But why do you use the word
+'supposed.' Frank Lancaster murdered Starth, sure enough."
+
+"So the jury say, but--"
+
+"And so I say. I know exactly how it happened. Starth thought that I
+was going to marry Lancaster, and they had a row. Then Frank, who
+always carried a revolver, shot him."
+
+"And knifed him afterwards like your friend, Lo Keong, did Anchor."
+
+"That _was_ strange," admitted Fan, thoughtfully. "I don't think such
+a nice boy as Frank would act so brutally; and it's odd that my
+husband should have been treated in the same way."
+
+"A coincidence, I suppose," said Eustace, indifferently, knowing that
+Fan was watching him closely. "What's become of Lancaster?"
+
+"I don't know. I wish I did. He should hang."
+
+"I thought you liked him, as a nice boy."
+
+"So I did," she replied, "but I liked Starth better."
+
+"Oh!" Jarman found it difficult to believe this. She eyed him
+suspiciously, and he would have explained himself further, but that
+Banjo Berry, followed by a young man, entered the room.
+
+"Uncle," said Fan, rising and anticipating Eustace, "who do you think
+Leonard Grant, who wants to do the sketch, is?"
+
+"Well, this is very curious," said Berry, shaking Eustace by the hand
+in the warmest and most friendly way. "Jarman, of 'Frisco."
+
+"That's me," responded Eustace. "How are you, Sakers?"
+
+Berry winked. "Don't need that name now," said he. "There's no chance
+of my getting run in for piling up that old schooner at Samoa. I'm
+Banjo Berry now. M'own name, and it's a hummer in the South Seas."
+
+"I've been explaining all that to him," said Fan, impatiently. "I say,
+Mr. Jarman"--Eustace observed the punctiliousness--"do you know this
+boy, Natty Denham?"
+
+The boy, so-called, was a callow young gentleman of twenty-five,
+dark-haired and brown-complexioned. He had a pleasant smile but rather
+a vacant expression, and in Jarman's mind was sized up, not exactly as
+a fool, but as a youth of rather weak will. He thrust forward a slim
+hand, and gave Eustace a nerveless handshake.
+
+"How do you do?" he said, talking very fast. "I never met you in
+'Frisco, but I saw you often. I'm Chicago m'self, and came to this old
+country along with the Captain and Miss Berry."
+
+"You never met in 'Frisco?" asked Fan, addressing Jarman.
+
+"No. I heard you talk of Mr. Denham, though."
+
+It seemed to Eustace that both Fan and her uncle were rather relieved
+by this admission, and he wondered what connection this fool could
+have with the game the two were playing. He fancied that Denham was
+the pigeon, and Berry & Co. the hawks. It also struck him that if he
+could get Natty to himself he might find out something, always
+supposing that the young fellow knew anything. Later on, after a
+desultory and friendly conversation, Natty gave him an opening.
+
+"I say," said he, "you live down in Essex?"
+
+"Yes. At Wargrove."
+
+Natty nodded to Fan and the Captain. "I knew," he said. "Can't
+understand how it slipped my memory."
+
+"What slipped your memory, Bub?" asked Berry, sharply.
+
+"Why, that he"--he nodded towards Eustace--"was in Essex. When Starth
+took me down to see that pretty sister of his, he said something about
+Jarman. I remember now."
+
+"Why didn't you tell me, Natty," said Fan, in so cooing a voice that
+Eustace guessed she was thoroughly angry.
+
+"I forgot. Can't remember anything," rattled on the youth. "I
+say"--suddenly turning to Eustace--"awful about poor Starth. Eh?"
+
+"Oh, give it a rest," cried Berry, savagely. "You've done nothing but
+jaw of that since it happened. Jarman, wasn't it you who introduced
+him to Lancaster? Quite so. H'm! guess Lancaster's an almighty friend
+of yours. Eh?"
+
+"Well, he was," drawled Jarman, seeing that his reply was awaited with
+much interest, "but now--" Eustace shrugged his shoulders. "I don't
+much care to consort with criminals."
+
+"Right, sir. You don't happen to know where he's skipped to?"
+
+"Certainly not. He legged it sharp to escape the police."
+
+"He won't escape me," said Berry, grimly. "I'm goin' to get that young
+man lynched, you bet. I loved Starth just like a son."
+
+Jarman laughed. "Yet Starth wasn't a lovable man," he said.
+
+"Oh, there was no end of good in him when you got at it," replied the
+little skipper, solemnly. "Besides, we had a scheme on to make money."
+
+"What sort of a scheme?"
+
+"Never mind," said Berry. "He's dead now, and the scheme's up a tree."
+
+"I suppose Miss Starth's cut up?" said Denham to Eustace.
+
+"Naturally. Her only brother."
+
+"I guess she needs a heap of consolation," went on the young man
+artlessly. "It's just in my mind to go down and see her."
+
+Jarman was not at all pleased at this proposition, and was inclined to
+reply in the negative. But a bright thought struck him--a very daring
+thought of the nature of bluff. Denham was a fool, and not at all
+observant. It might be that if he came down and saw Mr. Desmond O'Neil
+he might be able to dispel any suspicions which might afterwards take
+shape in the minds of Fan and her uncle. With this idea he gave Natty
+an invitation.
+
+"Come and stop with me," he said cordially. "There is no one with me
+but my secretary, an Irish chap called O'Neil. You'd get on well with
+him."
+
+Natty seemed inclined to accept, but looked at Berry for instruction.
+
+The skipper nodded. "Go by all means, and have a good time."
+
+"You never ask me," said Fan, reproachfully, to her old lover.
+
+"I'm afraid a bachelor establishment is not quite a paradise to
+ladies," said Eustace, laughing; "but if you will spend the day I'll
+be very pleased. When will you come down?" he asked Denham.
+
+Berry answered. "He can come on Saturday," said he, "as I'm going
+to-morrow to see an old friend for a couple of days. I'll be back in
+the morning--Saturday morning, that is. I don't want Fan to be left."
+
+"Is it Balkis you're going to see?" asked Denham.
+
+Jarman nearly uttered an exclamation of surprise, for Balkis was the
+name of the negress in the portrait which Lancaster had seen in
+Starth's rooms. Berry didn't seem pleased at Natty's speech, and Fan
+frowned. But they both laughed indulgently.
+
+"It isn't Balkis," said Berry, "but a marine officer I'm seeing in
+connection with Lancaster. He's left the country, and I think I know
+the ship he's skipped by."
+
+"That's clever of you," said Jarman, rising to take his leave. "If you
+catch him, Captain, you'll do more than the police."
+
+"Huh!" scoffed Berry. "Your police are fools. Most people in this old
+country are. I can squash the lot of them. Lancaster too, you bet!"
+
+Eustace laughed when on his way home. He was pretty certain that,
+having already made a false start about Lancaster, Berry would _not_
+squash him. Jarman hoped to gather a great deal from Natty's prattle.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+A QUEER MARK
+
+
+Frank was not at all pleased when he heard that Denham was coming down
+to the Shanty. The experiment was too risky, as there was every chance
+that the young man would recognise him, in which case he would at once
+put the revengeful Berry on the scent. But Jarman did not look at the
+matter in this light, and explained himself after sundry questions.
+
+"Have you met Denham often?" he asked.
+
+"Yes. He was always dodging round the Berry establishment."
+
+"I thought he lived with them."
+
+"No, he had diggings some way off. Berry, so he told me, is a kind of
+guardian to him."
+
+"Does a man require a guardian at the age of twenty-three?"
+
+"Denham's twenty-five. He's almost the same age as I am, although I
+look older," said Lancaster; "and I should think, seeing what a fool
+he is, that he will require a guardian all his life."
+
+"Then you think he's more fool than knave?" asked Eustace, ruminating.
+
+Frank nodded emphatically. "I don't think he's a rascal at all,
+whatever the Captain may be. Denham's just a silly, good-natured ass,
+who would give his head away. He has a weak will, and is quite under
+the thumb of Berry."
+
+"Did you fraternise with Denham?"
+
+"No. His cackle got on my nerves. But he knows me well enough to spot
+me should I betray myself."
+
+"Then you must not betray yourself," said Eustace, decidedly. "So far
+as looks go, he won't know you. I would defy even a detective to
+penetrate your disguise."
+
+"Denham may twig me by my voice."
+
+"I don't think from what I saw of him that he is so observant.
+Besides, I shall give you something to roughen your voice. You can say
+you have a cold."
+
+Frank stared at his friend. "You seem to be up to all the tricks."
+
+Jarman nodded. "I thought of being a detective myself once, and I
+practised for a time. I have all the materials for disguise here. I
+told you so when I made you up as Desmond O'Neil. I can get into the
+skin of a character with ease, and that's what you have to do. You are
+not Frank Lancaster, remember, but Desmond O'Neil from County Kerry."
+
+"But, I say, Eustace, why do you want Denham down here?"
+
+"Well, I wish him to report to the Berry lot that there is no
+concealment about me. They may suspect that I know something of your
+whereabouts, and I don't want either one to drop down upon me. Denham
+is a fool, and what he sees he will report to them in his artless
+fashion. Consequently, Berry and Fan will trust me. I want to get in
+with them and learn what they are up to."
+
+"Do you think Denham can tell you?"
+
+"No," said Eustace, promptly, "I don't. Whatever the game is, that boy
+is in the dark. He has much too loose a tongue for Berry to trust him
+with his secrets."
+
+"But what's Berry bothering about him for?"
+
+"That's what I want to find out. Denham may know something. For
+instance, he mentioned the name of Balkis, as I told you."
+
+"What's the use of that?" asked Frank, gloomily.
+
+"This much. Starth had her portrait, and Berry is in touch with her. I
+want to learn why Berry calls at an opium shop at the docks. He's
+going there, I'm sure, to see Balkis."
+
+The two were standing by the window chatting in this way. As Eustace
+repeated the name of Balkis there sounded a low moan, which made the
+speakers turn. Miss Cork, with the tablecloth over her arm, stood at
+the open door, her thin face as white as the linen she bore.
+Apparently she had entered silently, as was her wont, to lay the table
+for luncheon, and had overheard the name. Like a statue she stood, her
+vacant eyes fixed on Jarman.
+
+"What's the matter?" he asked.
+
+Miss Cork's lips moved. "Balkis!" she said in a whisper.
+
+"What about Balkis. Do you know the name?"
+
+"Balkis!" said Miss Cork again. Then she threw down the cloth and ran
+back to the kitchen. Eustace followed and found her moaning in a
+chair. Rather brutally he shook her.
+
+"What's all this?" he asked.
+
+Miss Cork went on moaning. "I had a child--" she began; then shut up,
+and not another word could he get out of her.
+
+After many fruitless inquiries Eustace returned to the sitting-room to
+explain. "I told you I didn't trust her," said Frank, whose fears took
+shape at once. "She is a silent, secretive woman. I am sure she will
+get me into trouble. Why should she know that name?"
+
+"I can't say. And now she talks of some child--her own, she says. But
+you needn't be afraid, Frank, she's as true as steel."
+
+"I don't trust her," said Frank, doggedly. "Where did you pick her
+up?"
+
+Jarman, driven into a corner, replied reluctantly: "In a London
+court."
+
+"A police-court?" inquired Lancaster; then, when he received a nod,
+went on: "Then she's dangerous. What do you know of her past?"
+
+"Nothing. She never speaks of it. The poor wretch was taken up for
+vagrancy, and afterwards was handed over to the missionary. I knew the
+chap, and he told me what a capital cook the woman was, and how she
+needed a good home to put her right. She came to me as Miss Cork, and
+I have had no reason to regret having played the part of a good
+Samaritan. But it's strange that the name of Balkis should upset her."
+
+"Won't she explain?"
+
+"No. She is a very obstinate woman when the fit takes her."
+
+But the fit apparently did not seal Miss Cork's mouth on this
+occasion. A soft knock at the door told of her return, and she
+presented herself quietly. Picking up the cloth she proceeded to lay
+the table, and without looking at the men proceeded to exculpate
+herself.
+
+"I ask your pardon," she said, in her whispering voice. "I ask your
+pardon, Mr. Jarman, and yours, sir, but the name Balkis--" Here she
+stopped, and laid her hand on her heart. "I had a child of that name."
+
+"Ah!" said Jarman, sympathetically, while Frank still looked
+suspicious. "And the name brings sad memories to you?"
+
+Miss Cork nodded. "I'm a married woman," she said softly, "but my
+husband left me to starve--with the child, and--and--"
+
+"And the child died?"
+
+"No?" she burst out fiercely. "The child was stolen!"
+
+"By whom?"
+
+Miss Cork stopped, and her fingers worked convulsively, as though they
+were clutching at a throat. "I wish I knew--I wish I knew!" she said,
+savagely, and the expression of her lean face surprised Jarman, who
+had always considered her an apathetic woman. Perhaps his looks warned
+her that she was betraying too much of her unknown past, for she
+pulled herself up with a faint titter.
+
+"I'm a Billericay woman myself," she began, when Jarman cut her short.
+
+"That's nonsense!" he said sternly. "You know you are not."
+
+"I've said all I have to say," said Miss Cork, quite irrelevantly,
+"and if you aren't pleased, Mr. Jarman, I'll go."
+
+"I don't want you to go, and I ask you nothing," he replied.
+
+"My child was called Balkis," went on Miss Cork, "and she was stolen
+five years ago. I've been looking for her ever since. She will be
+seventeen years old by now, and I lost her five years ago--yes, five
+years ago," she kept on repeating. "I've been looking for her ever
+since."
+
+"A strange name Balkis?" said Jarman, watching her.
+
+"My husband was in the East. It came from the East, that name. I'm a
+Billericay woman myself, and--" She giggled, then shook her head and
+withdrew swiftly.
+
+The two men looked at one another.
+
+"She's quite mad, and harmless," said Eustace.
+
+"Quite mad, and dangerous," replied Frank. "I don't trust her."
+
+Confirmed in this opinion by the strange demeanour of Miss Cork, he
+watched her closely. She muttered to herself frequently, and kept
+counting on her fingers. Sometimes she would utter the name of Balkis
+and laugh. Her laughter was not pleasant. It did not seem to Frank
+that she retained any pleasant memories of the name--yet if it was
+that of her child she should have done so. Jarman did not trouble
+about Miss Cork's eccentricities. The meals were well cooked and well
+served, and there was no fault to be found with the woman's
+housekeeping. She was odd in her manner, and appeared to be labouring
+under suppressed excitement. Twice Frank caught her listening, but not
+in sufficiently open a way to admit of rebuke. As his position was a
+delicate one he became alarmed; but trusting in Jarman's influence
+over the woman, and his claim to her gratitude, he tried to dismiss
+his fears.
+
+Denham duly arrived, and speedily made himself at home. Thanks to some
+herbal decoction given to him by Eustace, Lancaster welcomed the
+visitor in a hoarse voice--a regular nestling's note. Natty did not
+recognise in Mr. O'Neil, the dark secretary, the fair-haired Frank
+Lancaster, whom he had seen frequently in Bloomsbury. He was
+completely deceived, and Frank felt more at his ease, being now
+certain that his disguise was all that could be desired. And, luckily,
+Natty did not give him much of his frivolous company, as he was mostly
+with Jarman or hanging round Rose Cottage.
+
+By this time Frank, introduced by Mrs. Perth, had made the
+acquaintance of his divinity. She likewise never suspected any
+disguise, and was quite at her ease with the new secretary. Frank's
+heart beat hard when she offered him her hand, and he could hardly see
+her face for a mist before his eyes. Now that he heard her voice, and
+saw her gracious manner, he fell more in love with her than ever. It
+was a strange feeling, and one that he had not experienced in his
+wooing of Fairy Fan. But, from the misery he suffered, there was no
+doubt that it was genuine passion.
+
+Mildred was very amiable with him, and they were together a great
+deal. Mrs. Perth had taken a fancy to Frank, whose manners she
+pronounced perfect, and talked much to him. She even discussed the
+death of Walter Starth, and the probability of Lancaster being the
+assassin. But by this time Frank had schooled himself into hearing the
+case talked of without moving so much as an eyelid. In a couple of
+weeks he became quite an accepted fact in the life of Rose Cottage,
+and, indeed, of the village. Even Mrs. Baker had ceased to ask him
+questions. Several letters addressed to Desmond O'Neil, with the
+Dublin post-mark, had arrived, so Mrs. Baker was quite satisfied that
+he came from the country whence she procured her butter. From being a
+nine days' wonder in that quiet Essex hamlet Frank became a
+comparative nonentity, which was exactly the state of things Jarman
+wished to bring about. Thus, when Denham arrived on his three days'
+visit, there was nothing likely to connect the secretary with the
+bedraggled man who had arrived so late at night. And Miss Cork, in
+spite of her odd ways and Lancaster's suspicions, kept her own counsel
+most faithfully.
+
+One afternoon Frank, now quite at his ease in his disguise, strolled
+over to the cottage to ask for afternoon tea. He brought a book of
+poems in his pocket, for Mildred was fond of hearing him read. Frank
+could read admirably, which is a rare accomplishment, and often he
+would declaim poems to Mrs. Perth and Mildred. But on this occasion
+there was no chance of enjoying Browning, for Jenny Arrow from the
+Rectory was present. She was a kittenish damsel of eighteen, with a
+freckled face, a turn-up nose, and a gay, vivacious manner. Also she
+had a vein of romance, and cherished an unrequited affection for the
+dark secretary. She confided this to Mildred.
+
+"Doesn't he look a romance, dear?" said Jenny, when gazing from the
+drawing-room window she saw Frank approach. "Don't you love him,
+Milly?"
+
+Mildred laughed, "I have had quite enough of love," she said. "That
+Denham boy worries my life out. Then there's your brother Billy."
+
+"Oh, Billy's an ass!" said Jenny, contemptuously. "He falls in love
+with everyone he sees. I suppose you will marry Mr. Darrel?"
+
+"Certainly not," said Mildred, quickly. "What put such an idea into
+your head, Jenny?"
+
+The young lady nodded sagaciously. "Oh, I know," said she; "it's not
+to see poor pa that Mr. Darrel comes down here. Ma saw that. Ma says
+he's in love with you, and, being rich, you're sure to marry him."
+
+"I would never marry for money, Jenny," said Mildred, thinking of
+Eustace. "Mr. Darrel will never make me his wife."
+
+"Oh, but he's so very rich."
+
+"Then marry him yourself."
+
+"I would rather marry Mr. O'Neil."
+
+Mildred laughed again, but all the same, for some reason inexplicable
+to herself, felt annoyed. "Here _is_ Mr. O'Neil; you'd better
+propose."
+
+"Mildred, if you reveal my love--oh! how I shall hate you."
+
+But Mildred, watching the approaching figure of the man she knew
+merely as O'Neil, did not reply. She was wondering why she was so
+attracted towards him. He was not particularly good-looking, nor had
+he shown any marked preference for her society. Indeed, she had
+laughed with Mrs. Perth over the attentions which O'Neil paid the old
+lady. But there was something about the secretary which made Mildred's
+pulses beat as they never beat in the presence of Jarman. Perhaps,
+although she never knew, it was a case of telepathy, for Frank was
+always moved beyond his usual self when in her presence. But he never
+revealed it by his manner. Mildred, however, was not sufficiently a
+psychologist to analyse her feeling, so did not search too closely
+into the reason of her sensations. Still, she could not help wondering
+why she felt annoyed by Jenny's silly remark.
+
+"I think you had better take that Denham boy," said Mildred to Jenny.
+"He bothers me greatly, and he's the kind of donkey who would fall in
+love with anyone."
+
+"I don't regard myself as anyone," said Jenny, with dignity. "Besides,
+he's not half so nice as Mr. O'Neil."
+
+Mildred acknowledged this with a sigh, and welcomed O'Neil with a
+blush, which he marked and wondered at. "Where is Mr. Jarman?" she
+asked.
+
+"He has gone bathing with Billy and Denham," said Frank, standing
+outside and looking in at the window. "I have done my work, and came
+to be rewarded."
+
+"With what--cakes and ale?" asked Jenny, languishing.
+
+"Their modern equivalent in the shape of afternoon tea."
+
+"Let's have it outside on the lawn. Oh, Mildred, do!"
+
+Miss Starth assented. "Mrs. Perth is lying down," she said, "and as
+the room is rather hot, we may as well have a picnic on the lawn."
+
+Forthwith she ordered the tea, which was brought out by the one
+servant of the establishment. But Jenny had to lay the cloth, and
+Frank was told to place the tables under the noble elm. In a few
+minutes they were all seated, Mildred and Frank in chairs, and Jenny
+lying gracefully on the lawn. Every now and then she looked up
+adoringly at the secretary, who took no notice. But Mildred did, and
+so strong became that absurd feeling of irritation that she could
+willingly have slapped Jenny.
+
+After a desultory conversation, Jenny asked when Denham was returning
+to town. "Billy will be sorry when he goes. He's awfully fond of Mr.
+Denham. The adventures that man's had in America are extraordinary."
+
+"He comes from America, doesn't he?" asked Mildred, idly.
+
+Jenny nodded. "And Billy says he's been a sailor, he thinks."
+
+"He doesn't look much like a sailor," said Frank, contemptuously. "He
+has been wrapped up in cotton-wool all his life."
+
+"Oh, no, he hasn't indeed," said Miss Arrow, eagerly. "He has lived in
+Mexico, and among the Indians--not the Red Indians, you know, but
+amongst those Cortez found."
+
+"The Aztecs," said Mildred. "My dear girl, there are none left."
+
+"Oh, yes, there are, Mr. Denham says so. Billy calls him Natty,
+because that's his name, and he and Billy are going to explore for
+hidden treasure. There's lots of it in Mexico."
+
+"Denham's been reading romances," said Frank, disbelievingly.
+
+"No," insisted Jenny, "he's had all sorts of adventures. Why, when he
+was just a baby, he was carried off by these Indians."
+
+"How do you know?"
+
+"He says so, and they tattooed him on the left arm, Billy says."
+
+Frank sat up suddenly. "On the left arm?" he asked. "With what?"
+
+"With a Scarlet Bat--the queerest thing, Billy says-- Oh! what's the
+matter?" Frank, profoundly moved, had fallen back in his chair.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+FRANK'S STORY
+
+
+Seeing Frank's disturbed face, Mildred also became alarmed, but he
+managed to pacify both her and Jenny in a few words. It was impossible
+to tell the truth, therefore he was obliged to romance. "I think the
+heat is too much for me," he said, smiling, "and your mention of
+tattooing, Miss Arrow, recalled a disagreeable story."
+
+"Tell it to us," said Jenny, eagerly. "I love ghastly tales."
+
+"I wouldn't shock you by repeating this one," said Lancaster, finding
+it difficult to improvise. "It's about a leper."
+
+Mildred uttered an exclamation of disgust. "Ugh! how dreadful. I don't
+want to hear it."
+
+"I do," cried Miss Arrow, with the avidity of a ghoul. "You must tell
+it to me on some other occasion, Mr. O'Neil."
+
+"I will, if you will tell me more of Mr. Denham's tattooing."
+
+Jenny shook her head. "I don't know any more. You must ask Billy. He
+has this Scarlet Bat on his left arm, that's all I know."
+
+"Did he ever tell Billy how it came to be there?"
+
+"I told you. The Indians marked him. I can't say the reason."
+
+Frank was silent. He was particularly anxious to know why Denham was
+marked in this peculiar way, and resolved to find out before the young
+man returned to town. As it was, the tattooing was another link in the
+chain which, to his mind, connected Berry with the crime. However, he
+kept his ideas to himself, and would have taken his departure to think
+them out at leisure but that he had a purpose to achieve connected
+with the photograph of Balkis. He knew that Walter's effects had
+passed into the hands of Mildred, and wished to obtain the portrait,
+for reasons which he afterwards explained to Jarman. Mildred herself
+gave him a chance of introducing the subject without awakening
+suspicion.
+
+"You have been working too hard," she said, in reference to
+Lancaster's late emotion, "and it is so very hot."
+
+"Perhaps I have," he assented, glad of the excuse; "but Jarman is
+anxious to get a new story finished quickly. It's an Eastern tale."
+
+"Tell it to us," said the bold Jenny, sitting up and hugging her
+knees.
+
+"Jenny, how can you!" corrected Mildred. "Mr. O'Neil must keep all
+those sort of things quiet."
+
+"I can tell you this much, Miss Arrow, that Jarman wants a few words
+of Arabic, and we can't find them."
+
+"I never knew him to be at a loss before," said Mildred.
+
+"Well, he is this time, so you can crow over him, Miss Starth. He is
+anxious to get some Arabic letters. You haven't such a thing, I
+suppose," he added, half jokingly.
+
+"Good gracious! where could I-- Wait," she said, rising, "there's a
+portrait which belonged to poor Walter. There are some Arabic letters
+on it. Mrs. Perth told me they were Arabic. But she may be wrong."
+
+"As a governess she ought not to be," put in Jenny. "Get it, Mildred."
+
+While Miss Starth hastened into the house, Jenny stared up into
+Frank's face in quite an embarrassing way. "Are you going to stay long
+at the Shanty?" she asked.
+
+"That depends upon Mr. Jarman."
+
+"Oh, then you'll stay as long as you like. He's very fond of you."
+
+"He is a very good friend to me," said Frank, quietly.
+
+Jenny nodded. "He is to everyone, I think. Mildred's fond of him. He
+has helped her a lot with her poetry. I like him better than Mr.
+Darrel. Do you know Mr. Darrel?"
+
+"I have heard of him," replied Frank, cautiously.
+
+"I don't like him at all," said Jenny, shaking her head vigorously.
+"He's a great friend to pa and ma, and very rich. But he doesn't come
+down to see them," she tittered. "No, Mildred's the attraction."
+
+"Does Miss Starth like him?" asked Frank, quickly.
+
+"She says she doesn't; but, of course, he's so rich. But I would
+rather she married Mr. Jarman, wouldn't you?"
+
+Frank was spared the pain of replying to this embarrassing query by
+the return of Mildred with the portrait, which she placed in his
+hands. "It's the picture of a negress," she said, "and the letters at
+the foot--"
+
+"They are Arabic sure enough. Who is the woman!"
+
+"I don't know. It is a fancy portrait, I suppose."
+
+"Probably. Can I take this away with me for a few days to copy the
+letters, Miss Starth? I'll return it safe."
+
+"Oh, take it by all means. Look, Jenny, there's beauty."
+
+Jenny sat up, and looked at the face earnestly. "It's something like
+Mr. Darrel," she said at length.
+
+"Nonsense!" said Mildred, looking in her turn at the picture. "But,
+really, I don't know. What do you think, Mr. O'Neil?"
+
+There was a resemblance to Darrel. The same sulky expression, and
+thick lips, and arrogant air. "Perhaps she's a relative of his,"
+giggled Jenny. "He was born in the West Indies, you know."
+
+"This portrait was taken at some place in Rotherhithe," said Mildred,
+pointing out the photographer's name. "But it is like Mr. Darrel."
+
+"Quite as ugly," said Jenny; "though it's mean of me saying that," she
+added, "for Mr. Darrel gave me a lovely brooch last time he was down.
+He's coming again in a month. Do you know, Mildred?"
+
+"Yes, I know," replied Miss Starth, in no very pleased tone.
+
+Frank slipped the portrait into his pocket, as Billy Arrow came on to
+the lawn followed by Jarman and Natty. Billy was nearly twenty-one,
+and a Sandhurst cadet, but a great deal of the schoolboy remained in
+him. "We've had a rippin' time," said the young gentleman, throwing
+himself on the lawn.
+
+"Would you like some tea?" asked Mildred.
+
+"Rather. Tea would be saucy. Let me get it," and Billy swept into the
+house like a whirlwind.
+
+Frank saw that Jarman looked rather disturbed, and wondered what could
+be the reason. He guessed that he had learnt something relative to the
+Berrys from Natty, and was anxious to know what it was. But he could
+not question Eustace at the moment, therefore curbed his curiosity
+until a more seasonable time. Meantime Natty was paying compliments to
+Mildred.
+
+"You do look well, Miss Starth," he babbled in his inconsequent
+way--"and what a slapping day! We had an A1 dip. You should have come
+along, Mr. O'Neil."
+
+Frank suppressed a smile, thinking how soon his disguise would have
+vanished had he accepted this offer. "I have been more pleasantly
+engaged," he said; "here comes Billy and the tea."
+
+Billy was a first-rate hand at getting what he wanted. He brought a
+tray laden with strawberry jam, a large bowl of Devonshire cream, some
+hot cakes, and a fresh pot of tea. "You'll starve us out of house and
+home, Billy," said Mildred, when these were arranged before her. "What
+will Mrs. Perth say?"
+
+"She'd say eat well, and not too quickly," said Billy, selecting a
+cake, while Jarman looked on amused.
+
+"You're still a boy, Billy."
+
+"So am I," said Natty, taking a slice of bread and cream, "in spite of
+being nearly twenty-five. I'm not that till the twenty-fifth of
+September, you know."
+
+Frank looked up quickly, and glanced sideways at Jarman. That was
+the date of his own birthday, and then he, like Natty, would be
+twenty-five. This coincidence, taken in conjunction with the
+tattooing, puzzled him not a little. Jarman also looked perplexed, and
+asked a question. "Where were you born, Denham?" he demanded.
+
+"At Zacatecas in Mexico," prattled Natty. "No end of a place. But I
+went to school in New Orleans. Yes, sir--to a slap-up school. My dad
+said I'd have to have the best education possible, so that I could
+look after the money when it came."
+
+"Are you coming into a fortune?" asked Frank.
+
+"Rather--to no end of a fortune. But it's a long yarn. I'll tell it to
+you some night, Jarman. It's good for your books."
+
+"I shall be delighted to hear it."
+
+"I get the money after my twenty-fifth birthday," said Natty, "and
+then I'll buy you all presents. Billy shall have a horse."
+
+"And what will you give me?" asked Jenny.
+
+"A husband," replied Natty. "And you, Miss Starth?"
+
+"I'll have a husband also," said Mildred, frivolously, and then was
+sorry when she said it, recalling Natty's attentions. Jarman also was
+annoyed, and addressed himself to the young man.
+
+"You must first catch your hare," he said gravely. "And I suppose your
+guardian, Captain Berry, will have to be consulted."
+
+"No, I guess not. His control ceases when I get the dollars."
+
+"On your twenty-fifth birthday?"
+
+"_After_ my twenty-fifth birthday. I can't say how long!"
+
+Jarman said no more, being afraid to press his inquiries. Natty was a
+babbling fool; still, it was not wise to arouse his suspicions. He
+might mention them to Captain Berry and Fan, when there would probably
+be trouble. And Jarman wished that estimable couple to look upon him
+as one wholly unconcerned in their shady doings. By assuring them of
+his lack of interest he hoped to throw them off their guard.
+
+The conversation became more or less frivolous, as was natural amongst
+such young people. Jarman was the eldest present, and he felt his
+forty years painfully. He even began to ask himself if it were fair
+that he should make Mildred his wife. She was young, he was elderly,
+and he remembered the proverb of May and December. He was not exactly
+December yet, but he was getting rapidly into the sear and yellow
+leaf. The reflection made him sad. When he went home with Frank--Natty
+remaining behind to play a game of tennis with Billy--he talked very
+little. Frank likewise was silent for a time, but ultimately he spoke
+first.
+
+"I was rather startled to-day?" he said, as they neared the Shanty.
+
+"Eh, what was that? Nothing wrong?"
+
+"No. But Jenny Arrow told me that Denham, according to Billy, had a
+Scarlet Bat tattooed on his left arm."
+
+"I know," said Jarman, quietly. "I saw it to-day when he was bathing.
+I intended to surprise you with the news. Strange that you should have
+made the discovery on the same day as I did. The long arm of
+coincidence again, I suppose."
+
+Frank paid little attention to this, being taken up with his own
+thoughts. "You know I have a Scarlet Bat tattooed on my right arm?"
+
+Jarman nodded. "I remember, and I suggested that as it was the sole
+mystery in your life, it might have to do with Berry's desiring to
+have you hanged. Now that we know Denham is marked in a similar way,
+it puts the matter beyond a doubt."
+
+"I can't see how," said Frank, frowning.
+
+"Wait till we get inside," said Jarman, "then we can talk at our
+ease."
+
+Not another word was spoken until they entered Jarman's den, and sat
+down in the coolness. The blinds were down and there was a pleasant
+darkness. Jarman closed the door, then took a seat opposite to that
+into which Lancaster had thrown himself.
+
+"Tell me again of your past," he said. "I want to refresh my memory."
+
+"There's so little to tell that I wonder you don't know every word by
+heart," said the other, drearily.
+
+"You only told me once, and my memory is a bad one. Go on."
+
+While Jarman lighted his pipe, Frank told how he had been sent home
+from San Francisco by his father when he was two years of age, and
+placed under the care of a Quaker aunt called Miss Dorothy Drake. "She
+lived in Devonshire, at a place called Kingsbridge," went on
+Lancaster, "and there I was brought up till it was time for me to go
+to college. I studied at the Elizabethan Grammar School in that town.
+My father was always coming home, but never appeared. Then, when I was
+ten, he stopped writing altogether. But my aunt had the money for my
+education sent to her regularly. I went to Oxford, as you know, and
+then came, five years ago, to make my mark in London. And a pretty
+mark I have made!" said Frank, bitterly.
+
+"You never spoke of this past to anyone?"
+
+"No. My aunt particularly told me not to do so. I can't see, myself,
+why I should have kept silence though," he added, frowning. "There's
+nothing wrong about my past that I can see."
+
+"No. It would seem as though your father was anxious you should live
+as quietly as possible, so as not to attract the attentions of
+adventurers of the Berry type."
+
+"I don't understand."
+
+"Well, that tattooing on your right arm! You never knew what it
+meant?"
+
+"No. I asked my aunt and she could not tell me. It was on my arm--the
+Scarlet Bat I mean--when I came from America. Denham, I understand,
+says that his tattooing was done by Indians."
+
+"H'm! He might believe that," said Jarman, sceptically, "and I daresay
+he's as ignorant of what the symbol means as you are. But Berry
+knows."
+
+"What makes you think that?"
+
+"Because he is hounding you down, and you are marked in a similar way
+to that boy whom he has in his clutches."
+
+"Do you think Denham is in his clutches?"
+
+"I am sure of it. The boy believes in him thoroughly, and is quite
+under Berry's thumb--poor wretch. He knows nothing about the
+significance of the Scarlet Bat, or Berry would not trust his babbling
+tongue within reach of my ears. But you told me that there was a
+chance of your learning something about yourself?"
+
+"Yes. Aunt Dorothy said that when I was twenty-five, she had been told
+by my father to give me a sealed envelope. What it contained she did
+not know. In fact, Jarman, my aunt knew nothing, save that my father
+was a great traveller, that he married in America, and that when my
+mother died he sent me home. She thinks he is dead, because she has
+not received a letter from him for so long. I don't agree with her, as
+all this time the money has been forwarded for my education and keep."
+
+"Are you still receiving money?"
+
+"Yes. Twenty pounds a month. But I don't touch it. Aunt Dorothy is
+poor, so I give it to her and work for my own bread and butter."
+
+"H'm! You're a good fellow. Who pays you the money?"
+
+"White & Saon, lawyers in the City."
+
+"Can't they tell you anything?"
+
+"Maybe they might be able to do so, but they refuse. All they say is
+that the money comes from their San Francisco agents, and that they
+are empowered to pay it to me."
+
+"Have they any papers?"
+
+"No. I asked them. They said they had none. I must wait for that
+sealed envelope."
+
+"On your twenty-fifth birthday," mused Jarman. "Observe, my son,
+Denham states that he is to come into money _after_ his birthday. He
+is the same age as you are."
+
+"And his birthday is on the same day, which makes it stranger. There
+is money knocking round, as you guessed. But I can't see how it is to
+come my way."
+
+"You may learn when you open that envelope."
+
+"I'll know soon then. Next month I'm twenty-five. Poor Aunt Dorothy. I
+wonder what she thinks of my scandal."
+
+"Didn't you write her?"
+
+"No. How could I. I feared lest the police might see her and make
+inquiries? She is a truthful old lady, and, although she would not
+betray me, she would give herself away by being confused. No, Eustace,
+it's best that my aunt should know nothing of my whereabouts."
+
+"Well, she will know soon, as I intend to call on her next week."
+
+"What for?" asked Frank, surprised.
+
+"To get that envelope, and to learn all I can from her about your
+father's life in America. There's money I tell you, Frank, and it
+comes either to you or Denham."
+
+"How do you make that out?"
+
+"Because you are both marked with the Scarlet Bat. And Berry," said
+Eustace, with emphasis, "is doing his best to get that money."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+THE UNEXPECTED HAPPENS
+
+
+Denham took his leave with profuse thanks to Jarman for a pleasant
+visit. He departed without the least suspicion that Frank was other
+than he was represented to be. Eustace drew a breath of relief when he
+dismissed him at the railway station.
+
+"That's all right," he thought, as he took his way homeward. "Denham
+will represent me as a kind friend, and will do away with any
+suspicion in the Berry mind as to my having a card up my sleeve. Now I
+can make another move."
+
+The next move was to see Miss Dorothy Drake and learn all particulars
+about the sealed envelope. Also Frank wished to know what had become
+of his effects, which had been left behind in his London rooms. As his
+nearest relative, it was probable that Miss Drake would lay claim to
+them until such time as he should reappear. Eustace therefore decided
+to go a few days after Denham's visit, and called on Mildred to
+explain his absence. For obvious reasons he did not explain himself
+too fully. Not until Frank was proved innocent did Jarman wish her to
+know that he was identical with Mr. O'Neil.
+
+"I shall only be away a week, Mildred," said Eustace, taking her hand;
+"you won't forget me in that time?"
+
+"I am not likely to forget you at all," replied the girl, wearily.
+
+"Mildred, you are not looking well."
+
+"The weather is so trying," she said hesitatingly, "and Walter's death
+has damped my spirits."
+
+"I wish you would not dwell on that, my dear. He was not worth it."
+
+"Still, he was my brother when all is said and done. If he had only
+died a natural death, I would not mind so much. But it is terrible to
+think of his tragic end. Are you making any attempt to discover the
+truth?"
+
+"Yes. My journey is connected with the attempt."
+
+"Where are you going?"
+
+"No," said Jarman, smiling, "don't ask me that. Not until I am
+successful shall I reveal my methods. And at present I am groping in
+the dark."
+
+"Have you no clue?"
+
+Eustace hesitated. "I can hardly say that I have. There are certain
+suspicions in my mind, which may or may not prove correct. But when I
+return I may be able to tell you something."
+
+"Do your suspicions still point to the innocence of Mr. Lancaster?"
+
+"Yes," said Jarman, firmly. "I am more convinced every day that he is
+the victim of a conspiracy. But his innocence will be hard to prove.
+Mildred"--he again took her hand--"when I'm away I want you to be kind
+to O'Neil. He has no relatives, poor fellow, and is in sad trouble.
+Don't let him feel lonely."
+
+Mildred nodded, but could not trust herself to speak. Had she
+consulted her own inclinations she would have seen nothing of the
+secretary during the absence of his employer. Daily she grew more and
+more interested in the so-called O'Neil. She learnt to watch for his
+coming, to hang on his words. He had said nothing to her likely to be
+construed into admiration, and was always cold and guarded in his
+utterance. But this very coldness increased her liking for him. She
+assured herself that it was merely "liking," but in her heart she knew
+that love had awakened. The thought of this, coupled with the
+remembrance of her half-engagement to Eustace, made her nervous and
+confused. She could not meet her lover's eye, and he returned to his
+home wondering at the inexplicable change. However, he finally put it
+down to grief for the loss of her unworthy brother, and to prevent her
+from brooding he asked Frank to see her as frequently as he could
+during his absence.
+
+"Certainly," said Frank, with an effort to be cheerful; "if you do not
+think she will find me out."
+
+"How can she She has never set eyes on you at close quarters, as you
+were."
+
+"No," muttered Lancaster, guiltily, recalling the night in the theatre
+and the genesis of his futile passion. "I suppose not." Then, to
+change the subject, he asked Eustace to be sure to let him know all
+that transpired between himself and Miss Drake. "And give her my
+love."
+
+"And tell her you are innocent?"
+
+"Oh, she won't need to be told that," said Frank. "Aunt Dorothy will
+never believe that I did such a wicked thing. Heaven bless her! By the
+way, you don't think there is any chance of Berry coming down?"
+
+"Not the slightest. Any suspicions he may have entertained about my
+knowing your whereabouts will be dissipated by the babble of Natty. I
+took the greatest care to load him up with a story likely to satisfy
+even the suspicions of Captain Banjo. I shouldn't be surprised," added
+Jarman, reflectively, "if Berry approached me with an offer to join
+forces."
+
+"What good would that do him?"
+
+"Well, I know about the murder of Anchor, and, moreover, as I was your
+friend I might--in his opinion--know something likely to help him in
+acquiring this fortune."
+
+"Then you really think there is a fortune?"
+
+"After the talk of Natty about his birthday, I am perfectly sure that
+there is a great deal of money knocking about. It ought to come to
+you; but Berry's machinations, unless thwarted, will put it into the
+pocket of Denham."
+
+"If so, he won't benefit."
+
+"Oh, yes, he will," rejoined Eustace, grimly. "When Denham is in
+possession of the fortune, he will die as Starth did. He will follow
+poor Anchor to the other world in the same way. Then Fan and Berry
+will retire to live happy ever afterwards."
+
+"It's all theory," grumbled Frank.
+
+"Quite so. But that's my reading of the mystery. However, your aunt
+may throw some light on the subject. She will probably tell me more of
+your father's life than she told you."
+
+But Lancaster was not to be convinced. "I don't think she knows
+anything," he said. "Better see those lawyers, White & Saon."
+
+"I'll look them up when I return to town."
+
+Jarman, having settled his plans, went off, and Frank found himself in
+sole possession of the house. Miss Cork waited on him assiduously, and
+he noticed that she was not so eccentric as usual. As yet he had not
+tried the experiment of letting her see the photograph of Balkis,
+which was his true reason for obtaining it from Mildred. Frank did not
+believe Miss Cork's story of the lost child, and was certain that her
+emotion at the mention of the name was due to some other and less
+respectable cause. It might be that she knew Balkis herself, and as
+Balkis knew Berry--according to Natty's slip of the tongue--Miss Cork
+might be able to throw some light on the mystery of the black woman's
+connection with Starth. Frank determined to place the photograph where
+Miss Cork could see it, and then when she was moved to terror or
+surprise by the sight of the face, to insist on an explanation. What
+she said might not lead to the detection of the true assassin, but it
+might reveal something about Berry likely to show why he was
+conspiring against the life and liberty of an innocent man. But this
+again was all theory, as was Jarman's belief that the tattoo mark of
+the Scarlet Bat was at the bottom of Berry's rascalities. Still, if
+Frank wished to win clear of his difficulties, it behoved him to try
+in all directions, on the chance of finding a clue to the mystery.
+
+Frank therefore displayed the photograph of the big negress in a
+prominent position, for the startling of Miss Cork, and then took his
+way to Rose Cottage. He knew, that, seeing he loved Mildred, he ought
+not to go, in spite of the unsuspicious Jarman's direct wish. But
+Lancaster, loyal as he wished to act towards his friend, could not
+help drinking in the sweet poison. By this time he was convinced that
+Mildred liked him more than a little, and he gave himself a kind of
+delicious pain in watching this fruit which he could never hope to
+pluck. He thought that when she knew his real name her liking would
+vanish, to be replaced with loathing for the assassin of her brother,
+as she must surely think Lancaster to be. Then she could marry Jarman,
+and be happy. Frank argued in this way. All the same, he knew that he
+was giving way to weakness in trusting himself in her sweet presence.
+This feeling was so strong on him, when he approached the cottage,
+that he was minded to retreat, and make some excuse for not calling
+again. What made him change his mind was the sight of Darrel in the
+garden. But that Frank was in love and knew that Darrel was a suitor
+for Mildred's hand, a timely thought of his danger would have made him
+retreat. As it was, he went boldly forward, trusting in the perfection
+of his disguise. It had not been pierced by Denham, so it was unlikely
+he would be unmasked by so slow-thinking a man as Darrel. And it made
+the young man furiously jealous to think that Darrel should persecute
+Mildred with his attentions. He tried to think that in coming between
+he was actuated by friendship for Jarman, but, in his own passionate
+heart, he knew well that it was a personal resentment. Mrs. Perth had
+brought her everlasting knitting into the garden, and was seated in a
+cane chair under the elm. Near her was Mildred, looking in Frank's
+helpless eyes more beautiful than ever. And to make him the more
+jealous, Mildred was winding a ball of red wool for Mrs. Perth from a
+skein held by Darrel. The Rhodesian was, as usual, big and sullen, and
+appeared much too gigantic for the little garden. It was a modern
+picture of Hercules and Omphale; and Frank, realising his own
+helplessness, raged inwardly, as he was smilingly welcomed by Mrs.
+Perth. Mildred, after a nod, cast down her eyes with a flush on her
+face, and attended assiduously to her work. Hercules scowled.
+
+"I'm so glad to see you," said Mrs. Perth in her precise voice. "Do
+you know Mr. Darrel?"
+
+Naturally Frank said that he had not the pleasure, and was introduced
+at once. Darrel lifted his heavy eyes with a grunt, and paid no
+further attention to the secretary. But he was quite as jealous as
+Frank; and Mildred, the cause of this feeling in both breasts, became
+aware that the weather was thundery. However, she chatted brightly,
+and divided her attentions equally, being helped by Mrs. Perth. That
+good lady never suspected what was going on under her nose.
+
+"Your cold is better," said Mrs. Perth, when Frank was seated.
+
+As a matter of fact it was, as Eustace had left off giving Frank the
+means to hoarsen his voice after the departure of Denham. "It is
+better," said Frank, almost in his usual tones. "Jarman has been
+doctoring me. I'll soon be well."
+
+Darrel pricked up his ears and looked at the dark young man. "Have I
+ever met you before?" he asked.
+
+Frank kept his countenance, although he felt that he was in an awkward
+position. "I think not," he said coldly.
+
+While Darrel's lazy eyes strayed over him slowly, Mrs. Perth put in a
+brisk word. "Mr. O'Neil comes from Ireland," she said. "Have you ever
+been in Ireland, Mr. Darrel?"
+
+"No," he responded, still eyeing Lancaster, who sustained his scrutiny
+unmoved. "I should never have taken Mr. O'Neil for an Irishman."
+
+"That means you have no brogue," said Mildred to Frank, smiling. "But
+he had one when he came, Mr. Darrel."
+
+"You have been here a long time to get rid of it, then?" said Darrel.
+
+"Just a few weeks," replied Frank, calmly.
+
+Mrs. Perth, with the best intentions, brought Lancaster under the guns
+of the enemy. "You came just when we were in deep grief over that
+horrid murder," she said, clicking her needles.
+
+"Yes. I remember you saying something about that," said Frank.
+
+"I have been in Scotland," said Darrel, suddenly, and taking
+side-looks at Lancaster's unmoved face, "so I don't know what has
+happened. Have they caught the man who did it?"
+
+"Mr. Lancaster?" said the old lady. "No, they have not."
+
+"And I hope they never will," said Mildred, flushing. "From what Mr.
+Jarman says, I believe Mr. Lancaster is innocent."
+
+"Oh!" said Darrel, turning away his eyes from Frank, "so Jarman takes
+up the cudgels on behalf of this murderer. I remember he was a friend
+of Lancaster's."
+
+"And is," said Frank, incautiously.
+
+"You should know," said Darrel, quietly, and with a keen glance,
+"being his secretary."
+
+"I have heard Jarman speak of this matter," replied Frank. He knew
+that Darrel's suspicions were aroused, and tried to keep the colour
+from his cheeks. He looked directly at Darrel, and the eyes of the two
+men met. It was Darrel who first withdrew his gaze.
+
+"No," he said at length, "you're not a bit like Lancaster, although
+you have the same tone of voice."
+
+"Has he indeed?" said Mildred, with interest.
+
+"Lancaster was fair-haired and white-skinned," went on Darrel.
+
+"Whereas I am a dark Celt," said Frank, drawing a long breath, as he
+deemed the danger was at an end.
+
+"Well, don't talk any more about the matter," put in Mrs. Perth,
+sharply. "You'll upset Mildred, and the affair is too horrible to
+discuss."
+
+Upon this hint Darrel turned the conversation into other channels, and
+devoted himself to Mrs. Perth. Frank thus had an opportunity of
+chatting with Mildred. They talked on the most indifferent subjects,
+but all the time each one knew what the other wanted to say. Such
+sudden love seems incredible to those who have never loved; but anyone
+who has fallen a victim to the great passion knows how suddenly the
+devouring flame blazes into a conflagration. The two had seen little
+of one another, all things considering, and they had never become
+confidential. Yet they loved one another, and it needed only an
+unguarded moment of emotion for the truth to be openly acknowledged
+between them.
+
+Darrel, with his side-glances, saw their embarrassment, their flushed
+cheeks, their efforts to appear easy, and took note of all. But with
+great self-control he continued his conversation with Mrs. Perth. For
+quite an hour he talked, and then rose to take his leave, at the same
+moment as Frank announced his intention of departing.
+
+"I am stopping at the Rectory," said Darrel, when they passed through
+the gate. "You come my way, I think?"
+
+"For some little distance," replied Frank, always on his guard, but
+suspecting no evil on the part of his companion.
+
+For a time they strolled on in silence, down the lane, and out on to
+the dusty white road. Then Darrel commenced to converse on indifferent
+matters, and told stories about Africa. Also he stated his experiences
+in America. "I was at Los Angeles," he said.
+
+Frank remembered how at the theatre he had said that he met Berry at
+Los Angeles, but made no comment on the remark. Darrel still continued
+to talk, till they halted in a quiet side road, whence Frank branched
+off to the Shanty. There Darrel stopped. "Miss Starth is in love with
+you," he said abruptly, his jealous eyes on the young man's face.
+
+"What do you mean?" demanded the secretary, indignantly.
+
+"And you are in love with her," went on the Rhodesian.
+
+"I don't know what right you have to say these things."
+
+"This much right," said Darrel, calmly. "I love Miss Starth, and I
+intend to make her my wife. If you clear out and leave her alone, I'll
+say nothing; if you don't, I'll have you arrested. You understand me,
+Lancaster."
+
+Frank's heart almost stood still. "I am not--"
+
+"Bah!" said Darrel, cutting him short, and pointing to his left hand.
+"When you disguise yourself, you should remove your ring. I fancied it
+was your voice when you spoke, and I saw that habit you have of
+slipping that ring up and down your finger. Also the ring itself, I
+remember it quite well."
+
+Frank cursed his folly. The ring was a noticeable one, set with two
+black pearls. More of a lady's ring than a man's it was, but he wore
+it because it had belonged to his mother. There was no chance of
+keeping up his assumed character in the face of such evidence. "But I
+assure you, Darrel, I am innocent," he protested.
+
+"I don't care two cents if you are innocent or guilty," said Darrel,
+coolly. "Starth was never a friend of mine, and objected to my
+marrying his sister. I've set my heart on making her my wife, because
+I love her with all my soul. She loves you."
+
+"No, she doesn't!"
+
+"She loves you," persisted Darrel. "Do you think I can't tell. I'm too
+deeply in love with her myself to make any mistake. I'm not going to
+have you queering my pitch. If you leave her alone and clear out, I'll
+hold my tongue."
+
+"And if I don't?"
+
+"I'll write to the London police. Inspector Herny will be glad to get
+you into his clutches. Now you know," and without further words Darrel
+turned on his heel and lumbered down the road like a heavy, clumsy
+steer.
+
+For a few moments Frank stood alone in the shadow, feeling as though
+the brightness had died out of his life. He felt that he did not much
+care if he were arrested, so wearing was the _rôle_ he was playing,
+but the thought that Mildred would be told, that she would look upon
+him with loathing, made him shudder. He tried to stifle his thoughts,
+and hurried into the house to think what was best to be done. At that
+moment he sorely missed the wise head and staunch friendship of
+Jarman.
+
+The door of the Shanty was wide open. Wondering at this, for Miss Cork
+was of that suspicious nature which always kept windows barred and
+doors closed, Frank stepped into the drawing-room. He glanced towards
+the mantelpiece where he had placed the photograph of Balkis. It was
+gone. A sudden suspicion seized him. He went to the kitchen. It was
+empty. Miss Cork had, vanished, and had taken the portrait with her!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+A QUAKER LADY
+
+
+Kingsbridge is the quaintest of towns, and was of great importance
+before the era of steam. Then fruit schooners ran as far as the
+Azores, and smuggling was a fine art; but now the glory and excitement
+has departed, and Kingsbridge is a quiet, clean, country town set in
+the heart of the Devonshire hills. At the top of the steep High Street
+dwelt Miss Dorothy Drake, and from her window she could behold the
+silver waters of the estuary and a panorama of undulating lands. The
+window was Miss Drake's favourite seat, and there she sat knitting for
+many a long hour, watching the landscape changing under the wonderful
+colours of the sky.
+
+She was a quiet, homely little person, usually clothed in a grey stuff
+gown, and wearing the white, close-fitting cap of the sect she
+belonged to. Her serious face was the hue of old ivory, and she had
+mild blue eyes, the pensive expression of which, added to the calm
+look, soothed all to whom she spoke. When anyone was in trouble, he or
+she--it was usually a she--came for advice and comfort to Miss Drake,
+and both were freely given. She kept only one servant, a stout wench
+called Kezia, who adored her mistress, and who made it the study of
+her life that Miss Drake should be comfortable. The old lady had a
+little money of her own, and with this and the twenty pounds a month
+which came from America she lived in what she regarded as a luxurious
+way. But Miss Drake's luxury would have been the penury of other and
+more modern people.
+
+The room in which she sat was as quaint as herself, and almost as
+small. The furniture was old, and polished brightly by Kezia. The
+curtains and hangings were faded, but the room was brightened by
+numerous antimacassars worked by its owner. There was a china cupboard
+containing hoarded cups and saucers, strange seashells on the
+mantelpiece, and portraits in oil of Miss Drake's ancestors on the
+walls. She did not claim descent from the famous Sir Francis, but
+admitted that she derived her blood from a distant branch of the
+family. At all events, the love of travel and seafaring was in the
+Drake blood, for two of Miss Drake's brothers had been merchant
+captains, and her only sister had travelled in quest of a situation to
+America. They were all dead now, and Miss Drake remained awaiting her
+summons in the small room in the small house at the top of Kingsbridge
+High Street. Miss Drake missed her nephew. She was much attached to
+him, and had done her best to bring him up since the time when he was
+entrusted to her charge at the tender age of two years. But Frank's
+ambitions had led him to London, and Miss Drake, knowing that it
+behoved him to fight the battle of life, had let him depart with a
+sigh. Sometimes he came to see her, and these occasions were always
+festivals. When the news of Frank's trouble came, Miss Drake sturdily
+refused to believe it, and prayed earnestly that Frank's innocence
+would be made evident in God's good time. She firmly believed that it
+would.
+
+All the same, in spite of her undoubted faith, Miss Drake was much
+agitated over the matter. As the weeks went by and nothing was heard
+of Frank, she fretted over his disappearance until the good Kezia grew
+quite alarmed. But after a time, so long as no mention was made of the
+matter, she became calmer, and waited patiently for the result of her
+prayers. When Eustace called she was at once alarmed, divining that
+the arrival of this stranger had something to do with the trouble of
+her poor lost boy. She saw her visitor at once, and gave him tea out
+of wonderful egg-shell china. Eustace liked the old lady at sight, and
+strove to set her at her ease. In this he succeeded, for by the time
+they arrived at the most serious portion of their conversation Miss
+Drake was quite alert. She had been greatly cheered by Jarman's
+insistence on Frank's innocence.
+
+"Though I never believed he was guilty," she said, in her quiet voice.
+"Friend Jarman, thou hast been a brother to him. Thy reward will
+come."
+
+"I don't ask for any reward, Miss Drake. I am not the man to see a
+fellow like Frank--such a good fellow, too--go under without doing my
+best to help him. Well, I have told you that he is with me in
+disguise, and you know all the circumstances of the crime."
+
+"So much, Friend Jarman, as the police could tell me."
+
+"The police? Oh! has Inspector Herny been here?"
+
+Miss Drake nodded, and looked at her knitting with her head on one
+side like a bright-eyed robin. "This Mr. Herny took possession of
+Frank's goods in the name of law and order. He found a letter
+addressed to me, and learnt that I was aunt to my poor boy. He came to
+learn if Frank had fled to me."
+
+"I thought he would," said Jarman, drawing a long breath.
+
+"I was not able to tell him anything," resumed Miss Drake, "but I
+insisted that Frank was innocent. Beyond a few papers, all Frank's
+goods have been sent here. I have paid up the rent of his rooms, and
+they are now let to another tenant. So when Frank comes to me, Friend
+Jarman, he will find that his worldly affairs are as settled as I, in
+my poor weak way, could arrange them."
+
+"You have done splendidly, Miss Drake. And now that we know how we
+stand, I will come to the object of my visit. I want you to help me to
+prove Frank's innocence."
+
+Miss Drake's hands trembled, and she stopped knitting. "Gladly would I
+do so, but thou art mistaken. I can do nothing."
+
+"That depends upon what you know of Frank's father."
+
+"I know very little, Friend Jarman. My sister Ruth met him in San
+Francisco, and married him. I never saw him myself. Why do you ask?"
+
+"Well, it's this way, Miss Drake. I believe that Frank is the victim
+of a conspiracy, which involves a lot of money. You know that he had a
+Scarlet Bat tattooed on his right arm?"
+
+"Truly I know that. Many a time have I seen it when he was a child.
+But I do not know what it means?"
+
+"Did you never inquire?"
+
+"From whom could I inquire, Friend Jarman? Frank knew nothing, and his
+father would not tell me. I never asked, as I did not think it was
+worth while. But had I inquired, Friend Lancaster would not have
+replied. According to Ruth, he was a silent and secretive man."
+
+"Is Mrs. Lancaster alive now?"
+
+"Alas! no. She died when giving birth to the boy. Friend Lancaster
+kept the baby with him for two years. Then, as he was going on some
+expedition, he sent the child to me, with a stipend of twenty pounds a
+month. I brought up the lad as I best knew how. He had a good
+education at the school here, and then departed to college.
+Afterwards, he dwelt in London as you know. That is his story. All I
+know."
+
+"But the twenty pounds is paid regularly?"
+
+Miss Drake nodded. "Through White & Saon, of Kirk Lane, London. I
+wished Frank to take it to himself, but he always refused. I use a
+part of it, but much I put aside. So," said the old lady, looking over
+her spectacles, "if he should be tried, or if he is in need of money
+now, Friend Jarman, I have a hundred or so waiting for him."
+
+"It will come in handy," said Jarman, idly. He was disappointed at the
+scanty information afforded by the old lady. "Have you any letters
+from Mr. Lancaster?" he asked.
+
+Miss Drake rose, and produced from a cabinet a bundle of envelopes
+with the American postmark. These she placed in Jarman's hands, and,
+having obtained permission, he examined them carefully. While he did
+so the old lady examined him stealthily and anxiously. Twice she
+frowned, as if trying to solve some problem.
+
+"There's nothing here likely to throw any light on the subject," said
+Eustace, tying up the bundle again in the faded blue ribbon.
+
+"What didst thou expect to find, Friend Jarman?"
+
+Eustace pinched his nether lip in perplexity. "I thought to find some
+mention of Banjo Berry," he said, frowning, "for it seems to me that
+he is at the bottom of all this business. For some reason he wants
+Frank hanged."
+
+"An evil man--an evil man!" said Miss Drake, shaking her head.
+
+"Oh, he's one of the worst," continued Eustace; "but in these
+letters"--he laid his hand on the bundle--"there is no mention of him.
+These only ask after the boy and announce the remittance of money. But
+I notice," said Eustace, looking at his hostess sharply, "that there
+are no late letters."
+
+Miss Drake nodded. "Quite so, Friend Jarman. For many years there have
+been none. Friend Lancaster stopped writing to me when his son was
+aged ten. That is nearly fifteen years ago."
+
+"So I understand," said Eustace, pondering. "Frank is twenty-five in
+September. His birthday is in a few weeks."
+
+The old lady took off her spectacles and rubbed them with a vexed air.
+She appeared about to say something, but closing her mouth firmly she
+went on knitting. Jarman was annoyed as he saw that she was not quite
+open with him. However, he made no direct comment, but resumed the
+conversation as though he had noticed nothing. "Do you think old Mr.
+Lancaster is dead?" he asked.
+
+"I cannot say, I think he is," said Miss Drake, with a worried look,
+"but Frank thinks otherwise, Friend Jarman. He would have gone to San
+Francisco to learn, but that I asked him to wait till his twenty-fifth
+birthday."
+
+Jarman recalled Natty's remark that he was entitled to money after his
+birthday in September. Frank was the same age, and was born on the
+same day, so it would seem from Miss Drake's remark that to his
+birthday also there was something attached. "Is Frank entitled to any
+money?" he asked. "Is there a will, or--"
+
+"There is no money as far as I know, Friend Jarman," said Miss Drake,
+rising; she paused, then went on. "But my heart misgives me."
+
+"Why should it?"
+
+"There is some mystery about the boy," continued Miss Drake, still
+agitated. "That mark on his arm is strange--and then the sealed
+letter."
+
+It was for the mention of the sealed letter that Jarman had been
+waiting. Now that Miss Drake had mentioned it of her own free will, he
+no longer disguised the object of his visit. "It was to get that
+letter that I came down."
+
+"Why?" asked Miss Drake, suspiciously.
+
+"Because I think it may solve the mystery of Berry's enmity. Miss
+Drake," he went on, earnestly, "this man Berry has in his clutches a
+fellow called Denham, who seems to be an ass as far as I can judge.
+Denham is of the same age as your nephew, and was born on the same
+day. He also has a Scarlet Bat tattooed; but he is marked on the left
+arm. I believe that there is a sum of money--a fortune--perhaps the
+one to which Denham alludes. Berry is trying to get Frank out of the
+way, so that Denham may obtain the money, in which case he will have
+the handling of it. Of course this is all supposition, but I can
+account for the extraordinary circumstances in no other way."
+
+Miss Drake heard him quietly, her bright eyes fixed on his earnest
+face. "I believe thou art a good man, Friend Eustace," she said, "and,
+for the sake of my poor boy, I will trust thee. Sixteen years ago,
+just before Friend Lancaster stopped writing, he sent me an envelope
+which he asked me to give Frank on his twenty-fifth birthday. I
+intended to do so with my own hands, but as this trouble prevents me
+from doing so, I will give the letter to thee--" She stopped and
+folded her hands as though in prayer. "I trust I am doing right," she
+murmured to herself, "but the man seems good and kindly."
+
+"I swear you can trust me, Miss Drake. I have Frank's interests at
+heart. I shall take the letter back, and ask Frank to open it."
+
+"But it was not to be opened until his twenty-fifth birthday."
+
+"Under the circumstances I think it should be opened at once," pleaded
+Jarman, earnestly; "there is no good to be gained by waiting. And,
+remember, Frank is in great danger. Should Berry succeed in tracing
+him, he will denounce him at once to the police. If Frank is tried, I
+don't see what defence he can put forward."
+
+"But he is innocent, poor lamb."
+
+"I am sure of that. But the circumstantial evidence is too strong."
+
+Miss Drake thought for a few moments. "Friend Jarman," she said at
+length, "by his unhappy position Frank is tied hand and foot, and thou
+must act for him. If thou dost think that the letter is vital to the
+proving of his innocence, why not open it now?"
+
+Eustace shook his head. "I can't say if the letter will prove his
+innocence," he said doubtfully, "but it may be a clue to the mystery.
+I prefer that Frank should open the letter."
+
+"I will get it for thee," said Miss Drake, rising. "One moment," said
+Jarman as she walked to the door. "Have you ever heard the name of
+Tamaroo?"
+
+"No. A strange name. But I know it not."
+
+"It's not mentioned in the letters either," said Eustace to himself as
+the old lady left the room, "yet it has something to do with the
+Scarlet Bat, and _that_ I am certain has to do with the mystery. A
+queer affair." He thrust his hands into his pockets and looked out of
+the window. "I can't see what it all means."
+
+Miss Drake returned and placed in his hands a common-looking envelope
+which, from the fold, had evidently come inside another letter. It was
+addressed to "My son Francis!" and was sealed with red wax. Jarman
+drew near the window and looked at the seal. Then he muttered an
+ejaculation--"The Scarlet Bat again!"
+
+"Yes," said Miss Drake, divining his astonishment, "the seal is the
+same as the mark on the poor lad's arm."
+
+"I am more convinced than ever that this has to do with the solution
+of the mystery," said Jarman, placing the letter in his pocket-book.
+"Wherever we look we meet with the Scarlet Bat. I shall take this to
+Frank, and on my way to Wargrove I will call on White & Saon. They may
+know something. By the way, have you a photograph of Mr. Lancaster?"
+
+"Yes. Ruth sent me a photograph taken with her husband when they were
+married," and Miss Drake, taking a picture in a silver frame from a
+distant corner of the room, showed it to Jarman.
+
+Mrs. Lancaster was a sweet-looking, mild woman, not unlike Miss Drake,
+her sister. But Lancaster was a picturesque, resolute man, with a firm
+mouth and a pair of rather fierce eyes. Frank resembled both his
+parents, but favoured his mother most. Jarman examined the photograph
+carefully, then rose to go. "I shall tell you what this contains when
+Frank opens it," he said, "and if possible I shall get Frank to come
+down and see you."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+A PUBLIC CLUE
+
+
+Jarman did not let the grass grow under his feet. With the sealed
+letter in his pocket-book he returned that same evening to London. He
+put up at a small hotel for a few hours, and, leaving his bag there,
+went to see White & Saon towards midday. Had he consulted his own
+inclinations he would have gone immediately to Wargrove, as he had a
+great curiosity to see Frank open the sealed envelope. But he thought
+it best to follow on the warpath as long as possible, on the chance of
+something new turning up. It didn't do to waste time with so active an
+enemy as Berry.
+
+Near the Mansion House he met Dickey Baird, who was always prowling
+about the City in connection with mysterious stocks and shares. His
+friends declared that Dickey lost more money than he made--but Dickey
+always talked with the air of a Rothschild. He knew Jarman very well,
+and saluted him gaily. Eustace was not averse to talking with Baird,
+thinking Dickey the ubiquitous might have something to say of the
+Captain and his niece. After the exchange of a few words, Jarman
+introduced the subject of the murder as speedily as he dared without
+attracting attention.
+
+"I say, Dickey, have you heard anything of Lancaster?"
+
+"No, poor chap. He's cleared out. I daresay he's in America. In fact,
+I know a fellow who thought he saw him in Liverpool."
+
+"No doubt," replied Eustace, thinking it was best to encourage this
+idea and put Berry on a wrong trail. "The most sensible thing he could
+do was to cut."
+
+"But I say, Jarman, you don't believe that he's guilty?"
+
+"Don't you?" asked Eustace, alertly.
+
+"No. Or if I do," added Dickey, rather inconsequently, "it was an
+accident. I'll never believe that a good chap like Lancaster killed
+another in so brutal a way."
+
+"What do you mean by an accident?"
+
+"Well, you see, Frank rather admired Starth's sister--"
+
+"Ha!" said Eustace with a start. "I remember, she was in a box."
+
+"Rather looking the beauty of the world. Ripping girl, just the sort
+of Diana of the Chase I'd like to marry."
+
+"Go on--go on!"
+
+"Well, Frank thought she was a ripper, and wished to know her. Of
+course, Starth's rowdy manners prevented a proper introduction. Frank
+never intended to quarrel with Starth on that night. He was all for
+making it up and getting to know the beauty. But Starth was so
+insulting that Frank had to stand up for himself. He lost his temper
+did Frank, and made a lot of silly speeches which were used afterwards
+in evidence against him. Hang it!" added Dickey, in an injured tone,
+"that beastly Berry hauled me into the thing, and I had to tell the
+rot that Frank had been talking. I said he was a silly ass at the
+time. But he never meant any of it. It was all sheer rage at that pig
+Starth, and you know he was a pig, Jarman. I wonder you made a friend
+of him."
+
+"He wasn't much of a friend."
+
+"You introduced Frank to him, anyhow."
+
+"Only in a casual way. Go on. Let's hear your theory."
+
+"Well, the last thing Lancaster said to me on that night was that he
+was sorry he had such a row, and that he wished he could make it up. I
+guess he went to see Starth next day for that purpose. There was
+another row, and Frank shot him. He would carry that revolver of his,
+though I was always telling him what a fool he was. So if he did shoot
+Jarman he shot in a rage, same as when he called the names. I hope
+he'll save his neck."
+
+"Do you think there's any chance he won't?"
+
+"Not so far as the police are concerned. But the skipper swears he'll
+hunt him down. You know he offered a reward of two hundred?"
+
+"Yes. Has anyone got it?"
+
+Dickey shook his head. "No. And Berry's offering five hundred now. I
+can't think why he's so keen on catching Frank. He pretended to be a
+friend of his, and wasn't fond of Starth from all I saw, although they
+were as thick as thieves."
+
+"Do you think Berry really means business?" asked Eustace after a
+time. "All this offering a reward might be an advertisement for Fan."
+
+"It might. But if jaw goes for anything he's bent on collaring Frank.
+He swears he'll hunt him down, if it costs him a thousand. I say," he
+added, looking wise, "I believe Berry and Starth were in business as
+partners over something and the business has gone bang. That's what
+made Berry mad."
+
+"What sort of business?"
+
+"I can't say. But when Starth was drunk he used to jaw about a million
+pounds he hoped to make some day. Berry shut him up once pretty sharp
+when he burbled like that, so I think Berry was in it."
+
+"If it's anything shady, you may be sure Berry has something to do
+with it," said Eustace. "Good-bye, Dickey, I must be off."
+
+When on his way to Kirk Lane Jarman mused over the information. He was
+sure now that the invitation of Starth had been a trap into which the
+man himself had somehow fallen. The amount at stake was a million,
+which was large enough a sum in Berry's eyes to justify even the
+murder of one man and the hanging of another. No wonder Berry offered
+a reward for the apprehension of Frank, if in the capture lay his
+chance of securing so large a fortune. But what puzzled Eustace, and
+what had puzzled him all along, was why it should be necessary to hang
+Frank. Had Lancaster been entitled to the money it would have been
+sufficient to have killed him, and while lying drugged on the sofa he
+could easily have been despatched. Indeed, the drug itself might have
+been administered in a sufficient quantity to polish him off. "It's an
+infernal mystery," said Jarman, flogging his brains to arrive at some
+conclusion. "I can't see the pivot on which the thing turns. Perhaps
+these lawyers may supply a clue."
+
+Messrs. White & Saon were most respectable solicitors. They occupied a
+dingy, dark office at the top of Kirk Lane at the end furthest from
+Cheapside. The senior partner was engaged, but Jarman was told that he
+could see Saon. He had with him a letter of introduction from Miss
+Dorothy Drake, and sent this in with the clerk. After some delay he
+was conducted into a kind of dust-hole with a grimy skylight, packed
+with books and boxes and law papers. In the centre of this sat a
+spick-and-span gentleman of over fifty, with a heavy face and a
+smiling, easy-going mouth. He held the open letter of Miss Drake,
+and welcomed Jarman politely. "We are very glad to see any friend of
+our esteemed client," said Mr. Saon. "And what can I do for you
+Mr.--Mr.--"--he consulted the letter--"Mr. Jarman?"
+
+"I want to know something about Mr. Lancaster?" said Eustace.
+
+The smiling face grew serious. "I don't quite understand," said Mr.
+Saon, stiffly. "We have no knowledge of the whereabouts of that
+unfortunate young gentleman. Had he placed himself in our hands we
+should have done our best at his trial, As it is, we are in darkness."
+
+"I see you are unwilling to speak openly," said Jarman.
+
+Mr. Saon placed the tips of his fat fingers together. "Why," said he,
+"it's a delicate position--a very delicate position. You come to us
+armed with a letter from an esteemed client who asks us to tell you
+all you may ask. But the client in question, Mr. Jarman, happens to be
+a lady, and ladies--if you will pardon me--rarely have any idea of
+business."
+
+"I have, however," replied Jarman, drily--although he could not blame
+the lawyer for his caution--"and when I tell you that I am the most
+intimate friend Mr. Lancaster has, perhaps you will not object to tell
+me something about his father."
+
+Mr. Saon sprang from his seat in sheer surprise. "His father!" he
+repeated. "Dear me? Mr. Jarman, I understood you to inquire about the
+son--our unfortunate client."
+
+"Oh!"--Eustace passed over the point of the remark--"then you admit
+that Frank Lancaster is your client?"
+
+"You allude to the son, I presume?"
+
+"Of course. I said Frank."
+
+"The father's name is also Frank," replied Saon. "If you don't mind,
+we will talk of father and son, as more explicit. May I ask why you
+make these inquiries?"
+
+"I wish to prove the innocence of the son."
+
+"Oh! then you believe him to be innocent?"
+
+"Certainly I do. What do you say?"
+
+Mr. Saon coughed delicately. "I say nothing. The facts are not before
+me. I sincerely hope that the son is innocent. But if he had been well
+advised he would have placed his case in our hands."
+
+"And then would have been hanged for his pains!" said Eustace,
+roughly, for he saw that this dignified gentleman was bent solely on
+making money; and whether Frank had been proved innocent or guilty,
+would have been equally pleased, provided the bill of costs was
+discharged. "As a matter of fact, I advised the son to lie low!"
+
+"Ah! then I understand that you have seen him since his misfortune?"
+
+"I have. I was the first person he came to."
+
+Saon's face showed great interest. "Are you aware that there is a
+reward offered for his apprehension by a friend of the deceased?"
+
+Eustace nodded grimly. "I know the amount of the reward and the friend
+also. Do you wish me to earn it?"
+
+"No, no; certainly not! You shock me--you inexpressibly shock me, Mr.
+Jarman. But if you really know the whereabouts of our unfortunate
+client, tell him to come to us, and--"
+
+"I'll do nothing of the sort," interrupted Jarman, "the evidence is
+too strong against him."
+
+"But if he is innocent?"
+
+"Innocent men have been hanged before now, Mr. Saon. No, sir, you let
+me manage the matter in my own way. When I have in my hands sufficient
+evidence to save Lancaster--the son, of course--from being hanged out
+of hand, you will step in."
+
+"Well"--Saon scratched his chin--"I am not prepared to say but what
+that may not be the wiser course. And you wish to get some information
+from us to bring about this state of things?"
+
+"I do. You receive a sum of money monthly from 'Frisco."
+
+"From San Francisco," corrected the heavy man. "We do."
+
+"Does Mr. Lancaster the father send it?"
+
+"That I can't tell you. Our agents there are very respectable, as you
+may guess, and for many years they have sent us this sum monthly. We
+pay it to Miss Drake--our esteemed client--at the request of that
+unfortunate young gentleman. But it is understood that the money
+really goes to him."
+
+"Is Mr. Lancaster the father alive?"
+
+"We cannot say."
+
+"Have you ever asked your respectable San Francisco firm?"
+
+"No, certainly not. There is no need to. We receive the money and we
+pay it over. That is all that concerns us."
+
+"Do you know anything about the father?"
+
+"Nothing, absolutely nothing. Twenty-three years ago he sent home the
+son to Miss Drake--our esteemed client--and arranged with our San
+Francisco agents to pay a monthly sum of twenty pounds for the child's
+keep. The child is now the unfortunate young man in question, but the
+money is still paid. I know nothing more."
+
+"Would you mind making inquiries of your agents?"
+
+Saon shook his stupid head. "I don't think it would do, Mr. Jarman;
+no, I really don't think it would do. So long as the money arrives, we
+have no right to pry into private business."
+
+"But to save Frank Lancaster?"
+
+"Not even for that. We have our own high position to think of." Jarman
+could have thrown a book at the head of this dignified ass, who would
+have let a man die to preserve what he called his position. But it was
+no use getting angry, lest the man should refuse to say more,
+therefore Jarman swallowed his temper and continued his questions.
+
+"Do you think the father is still alive?"
+
+Saon did not reply for a moment. Then he looked up. "I said just now
+that I did not know," he said in a more reasonable tone; "but the fact
+is I do. Do you think that such information would really be of service
+to the son?"
+
+"I am sure of it."
+
+"Then I can tell you that Mr. Lancaster, senior, is dead."
+
+"Dead! And when did he die?"
+
+"That I can't say. It was a negro who told us."
+
+"A negro!" Jarman looked astonished, and wondered what was coming.
+
+"You may well look surprised, Mr. Jarman. But a negro came to see
+us--a grey-haired negro, possessed of great muscular strength although
+he was but small. He inquired about Mr. Lancaster the son, as he had
+information to impart to him about the death of Mr. Lancaster the
+father. He refused to tell us anything beyond what I have said."
+
+"Why didn't you send him to the son?" asked Jarman, testily.
+
+"Because we did not know where the son was to be found."
+
+"Oh! the negro came after the murder of Starth?"
+
+"Yes; a week later. We told him that our unfortunate client had been
+accused of the crime and had escaped justice. The negro then departed,
+although we offered to do all we could towards proving the will."
+
+Jarman pricked up his ears. "Is there a will?"
+
+"I suspect there is, Mr. Jarman, and I suspect that the negro is the
+bearer of it. Had Mr. Lancaster the father made his will in San
+Francisco he would have executed it in the office of our esteemed
+agents. As it is, we have not heard from them. But, strange to say,"
+added Saon, "the twenty pounds has been paid this month as usual. I
+really don't know what to make of it."
+
+"Nor I. I suppose there must be a will?"
+
+"I think so, since the late Mr. Lancaster is dead and was a man of
+means. If you can find this negro--"
+
+"What is his name?" interrupted Eustace.
+
+"We cannot tell you that. He refused to inform us. In fact," added Mr.
+Saon, drawing himself up, "for an African he was impertinent."
+
+"Why didn't you kick him?" said Eustace, rising. "H'm! Is this all you
+can tell me?"
+
+"All. And if you will let us know where Mr. Lancaster the son is to be
+found, we shall have much pleasure in proving the will."
+
+"The will has to be found first, and the negro," said Eustace, coolly;
+"and also Frank Lancaster has to get his neck out of the noose before
+he can let himself be arrested."
+
+"Quite so. I admire your caution, Mr. Jarman. Still, if Mr. Lancaster
+the son will only place himself in our hands--"
+
+Jarman's patience with this old ass was exhausted. "He would be hanged
+within the month. Good-day." And he hurried away, leaving Saon a
+frozen statue of indignation.
+
+But he was not so indignant as Eustace returning to his hotel. "Silly
+fools!" he said, wrathfully, to himself. "They'd juggle with a man's
+life just to get their costs. Frank sha'n't show up, to be slaughtered
+by them, if I can help it. That negro! H'm! And Balkis is a negress. I
+wonder if the man was a spy of Berry's trying to find out the
+whereabouts of Frank? I must think this over. Upon my word!" lamented
+Eustace, hailing a hansom, "the more I go into this case the more
+mysterious it seems. Well, there's one comfort, the sealed letter may
+give us a clue to the mystery. I'll go down by the six train, and may
+know all about it before retiring to rest."
+
+At his hotel he alighted and went in. Then he suddenly recollected
+that he had not sent a wire to Frank. To be on the safe side, although
+he was sending it to O'Neil, he went to the telegraph-office himself.
+On his way hither he, knowing the neighbourhood well, took a short cut
+through some by-streets. As he was turning a corner he heard a fresh
+young voice singing some song, the burden of which was "Tamaroo!
+Tamaroo!" Hardly believing his ears, Eustace dashed round the corner
+to hear who was repeating the last word which poor murdered Anchor had
+uttered. He came nearly on top of a ragged urchin, a true guttersnipe,
+who was dancing gaily in the gutter to the music of his own
+minstrelsy:
+
+
+     "Oh, he gits a 'eavy screw,
+         Tamaroo! Tamaroo!
+      An' 'is father is a Jew,
+         Tamaroo! Tamaroo!"
+
+
+"Where did you hear that song?" interrupted Eustace, seizing the boy.
+
+"Garn away with y'. It's m'own words an' music. 'Ow Tamaroo!'"
+
+"Where did you hear the word?"
+
+"That's my business. Tie it up, cocky," said the brat.
+
+"See here, my lad, you tell me where you got the word Tamaroo and I'll
+give you a shilling."
+
+"Wot! a whole bob? Right y'are, gov'ner. 'Twas 'Melia told it me.
+'Melia kin read an' she got it orf a wall a hour ago. It 'ull be all
+over Londing soon. 'Ow Tamaroo! Tamaroo!' Ain't it a prime word?"
+
+"Show me where Amelia got it?" Eustace saw that the melody of the word
+had caught the boy's ear, but he could not understand what he meant.
+
+The boy conducted him down one street and up another, till he brought
+him up against a huge hoarding before some houses in the course of
+erection. There appeared the huge placard of a Scarlet Bat with
+outspread wings, as on Frank's arm. Beneath, was printed in gigantic
+red letters the mysterious word "Tamaroo!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+A STRANGE DISAPPEARANCE
+
+
+Jarman returned fuming to Wargrove. He was a clear-headed man, who
+liked to foresee what was coming, so that he might arrange his plans.
+But at the present moment he could not see an inch before his nose,
+and rather lost his temper in consequence. The unexpected appearance
+of the Scarlet Bat, and of the mysterious word "Tamaroo" on London
+hoardings perplexed him extremely. At first he thought that this might
+be a new move on the part of the astute Berry, but on consideration
+dismissed this idea.
+
+"Berry is not anxious for publicity," argued Eustace, when in the
+train, "as it would attract attention to his underhand schemes to get
+this money. Again, I don't believe Denham knows anything, not even the
+meaning of the tattooing on his left arm. He would want to be told why
+the Bat appeared on posters, if it was Berry's work, and the Captain
+might not be disposed to furnish an explanation. No, there is some
+other person taking a hand in this game, and with that person I must
+come into contact. If the person is an enemy of Berry's we may work
+together to thwart him. On the other hand, the person who has
+plastered London with these posters may want the fortune himself, in
+which case he will be equally an enemy to Frank. He may want him
+hanged also. But it may be a woman," conjectured. Jarman. "That Balkis
+seems to be mixed up in the matter, not to mention the negro who
+called on the lawyers. H'm! I wonder what the barbaric element is
+doing in this galley?"
+
+He turned and twisted and argued the matter in every way, but by the
+time he arrived at Wargrove he was as much in the dark as ever. His
+only chance of making any discovery likely to elucidate the mystery
+lay in the contents of the sealed letter. Anxious to see Frank and to
+tell him all his adventures, Jarman walked rapidly to the Shanty. When
+he reached it, he was surprised to find that it was shut up. Windows
+and doors were barred, and, not having a key, Eustace could not obtain
+entrance into his own home. There was no sign of Miss Cork or of his
+friend.
+
+"What does this mean?" Jarman asked himself. "Can Frank have been
+arrested? But in that case Miss Cork would still be here."
+
+The situation was puzzling, so Jarman set to work to learn details and
+make discoveries. He sought out an old gardener who lived in a cottage
+adjacent to his own house. This ancient, Bowles by name, was a bent,
+wheezy old creature, very garrulous. Jarman could not have hit upon a
+better man for information, as Jacob Bowles had the key of the Shanty.
+
+"That dark gentleman, he guv it to me," said Bowles, surrendering the
+key to its owner. "T'other day he guv it to me--you might call it the
+day afore yesterday--yes, you might, Muster Jarman. The dark gent, he
+guv it me sayin' as you'd be back, Muster Jarman, and would be wishful
+to get into your house like."
+
+"Did he leave any message?" asked Eustace, still perplexed. Bowles
+scratched his head. "I can't say rightly as he did, Muster Jarman."
+
+"Do you know what has become of Miss Cork?"
+
+"No, Muster Jarman, I can't rightly say as I do. But my missus, she
+did say as Mrs. Baker saw Miss Cork gitting to the station three days
+back. Aye, Muster Jarman, you might say three days."
+
+Eustace remembered that this was the day of his departure, and
+questioned the female Bowles. But she simply repeated the information
+given by her husband, adding that Miss Cork had been seen by the
+ubiquitous Mrs. Baker walking rapidly towards Mardon railway station.
+"Across the Common, as you might say," said Mrs. Bowles, cautiously.
+
+Considerably perplexed Eustace returned to his deserted house. It was
+plausible to think that Frank might have taken fright and have fled.
+But the disappearance of Miss Cork was remarkable. So far as Jarman
+knew, she had always expressed herself pleased with the situation, and
+certainly never stated that she was going. He hurried into the house,
+hoping to find some message from Frank. In this he was not
+disappointed, for on the writing-table lay a letter addressed to
+Jarman. The big man wrinkled his brows, and opening it read it at once
+in the waning light.
+
+
+"DEAR EUSTACE," wrote the missing man,--"I have to go. Darrel, who is
+stopping at the Rectory, recognised me, and for reasons which need not
+here be set forth it is probable he may denounce me. I think it best
+to go away, but will let you know as soon as I can what I am doing. I
+left a photograph of Balkis lying about, and after seeing it Miss Cork
+ran away. I believe she knows something about the negress, and is in
+league with the gang we know of."
+
+
+Having digested this letter, Jarman sat down to think over the matter.
+He had always been afraid lest Darrel should recognise Frank, and
+wondered that his friend had not the sense to keep out of the way of
+so dangerous an acquaintance. But he could not conjecture any reason
+for Darrel's denunciation of the unhappy man. However, as Darrel was
+staying at the Rectory, Jarman decided to go over on the morrow and
+hear what he had to say. But as regards Miss Cork?
+
+"H'm!" thought Jarman, while getting a scratch meal together. "I
+wonder if there is any truth in Frank's belief? She certainly seemed
+startled when she heard the name of Balkis, and pitched that yarn
+about her child being called so. I don't believe she has a child of
+that name--or, indeed, a child at all. However, she seems to have
+taken fright on seeing the photograph. I wonder where Frank got it?
+Ah! I remember. Starth had a photograph, and probably it was passed on
+to Mildred. Frank could get it from her. But why should Miss Cork run
+away, and where has she gone?"
+
+He could not answer this question without further information, and
+only Frank could give details. But Frank was gone also, and Jarman
+wondered whither the poor persecuted young fellow had fled. He did not
+dare to make inquiries, lest he should attract the attention of the
+police. The only thing to be done was to remain passive until such
+time as Frank chose to write from his new place of concealment. Then
+he might see him and learn details about the inexplicable flight of
+his housekeeper. Meantime, it would be just as well to see Mildred and
+learn if his surmise about the photograph was true. After a hurried
+meal, Jarman walked to Rose Cottage.
+
+The maid who answered the door was a fat, red-faced creature, and was
+the only domestic employed by the two ladies. She stated that Miss
+Starth was lying down with a bad headache--had retired early to bed,
+in fact--but that Mrs. Perth was still in the parlour. Jarman would
+have walked in, but Mrs. Perth herself appeared, and seemed indisposed
+to admit him. Jarman put down this unwillingness to her prim manners,
+as nine o'clock at night was certainly not the time to pay a visit to
+two single ladies. But on seeing her face in the moonlight, he noticed
+that she looked disturbed. However, she appeared friendly enough--why
+should she not be?--although declining to let him in. When the maid
+retired he had a few minutes' conversation with her on the doorstep.
+
+"No," said Mrs. Perth in her decisive tones, "I have not seen Mr.
+O'Neil lately. He called once after your departure, Mr. Jarman, but
+since then has not favoured us with a visit."
+
+"Do you know that he has gone away?" asked Eustace.
+
+"Gone away?" replied Mrs. Perth. "What do you mean?"
+
+"What I say," said Jarman, rather chafed. "He has gone away, and I
+thought that you might know where he is?"
+
+Mrs. Perth drew herself up in a prim manner.
+
+"Why should I know, Mr. Jarman?" she said stiffly. "Your friend's
+movements have no interest for me. It seems to me that you should know
+best where he is. I presume he gave you notice, being your secretary?"
+
+"He left a letter saying he was going. I never expected him to leave
+so suddenly."
+
+"There appears to be a mystery about him."
+
+"Oh, not at all," rejoined the big man, quickly, "but he is an odd
+fellow, and doubtless left in a freakish way. I only came to ask, as I
+thought he might have called before going."
+
+"He called only the once, when Mr. Darrel was here. He and Mr. Darrel
+went away together."
+
+"Have you seen Mr. Darrel since?"
+
+"Oh dear me, yes. He is stopping with Mr. Arrow."
+
+"Does he know that my friend has left?"
+
+"I really do not know," replied Mrs. Perth, with a fatigued air. "He
+made no remark."
+
+"Ah! thank you. I shall not keep you any longer. I suppose," added
+Eustace, with some hesitation. "I suppose it is impossible for me to
+see Miss Starth?"
+
+"Certainly it is impossible. She has retired to bed. You can call
+to-morrow. Good evening."
+
+Thus dismissed, there was nothing for it but for Eustace to return to
+his house. In spite of Mrs. Perth's calmness he saw that she was
+worried, and had something on her mind. He wondered if she really knew
+anything of Frank. But that was impossible, unless Darrel had told
+Mildred that Lancaster, _alias_ O'Neil, was the murderer of her
+brother. That would account for Mrs. Perth's stiffness, as she would
+not be too well disposed towards Jarman for having introduced a
+criminal--and such a criminal!--to her and Mildred. However, nothing
+could be learnt until he saw Darrel on the morrow. "And if he _has_
+told," said Eustace, over a final pipe, "why, Mildred will be angry
+with me."
+
+That night Jarman got little sleep. It annoyed him that Frank should
+be absent at so critical a moment. He wanted the young man to open the
+sealed letter, and had half a mind to open it himself. But on
+consideration he did not think he was justified in taking such a
+course. If Darrel had told Mildred, Eustace determined to explain the
+whole of his connection with the matter, and to assure her again of
+his firm belief in Frank's innocence. As soon as Lancaster revealed
+his new hiding-place he would take him the sealed letter, and from its
+contents might be gathered some clue to all these mysteries. They
+seemed to increase every day, and to grow darker the more he
+endeavoured to throw light on them.
+
+The next morning Eustace, having had a bad night, slept well into the
+middle of the day. Then he had a cold bath, and having cooked his own
+breakfast sat down to it, somewhere about twelve o'clock. He was still
+worried but ate well, as he knew he had a hard day before him. But
+just as he was pouring out his second cup of coffee, he became aware
+that someone was looking at him through the window. To his surprise he
+saw the arch and piquant face of Fairy Fan. With a sudden start he
+rose and went to the door. There she was in the most dainty of
+costumes, looking amused at his astonishment.
+
+"You asked me to come, so I have come," she said, stepping into the
+house without being asked. "I hope you don't mind my taking you by
+surprise in this way?"
+
+"Oh, not at all," said Eustace, mechanically, and led the way to his
+sitting-room, wondering what ill wind had blown her hither. "But I
+wish you had given me notice of your coming."
+
+Miss Berry--as she chose to be called--plumped into a seat, and cast
+an eye over the untidy table. "You didn't want to be found at
+breakfast so late," she said smiling. "I thought you were an early
+riser."
+
+"I had a bad night," said Eustace, shortly.
+
+Fan selected a cigarette from a box near at hand, and lighted it. "I
+don't wonder at that," she said through a cloud of blue smoke. "If you
+will shelter criminals, what can you expect?"
+
+Jarman started uneasily. "What do you mean?" he demanded frowning.
+
+"Why," said she, waving a daintily gloved hand, "it seems that Frank
+Lancaster's been with you. What a cunning fellow you are, Eustace. I
+guess you gave Uncle Banjo and me the outside running."
+
+"I don't know why you want the inside."
+
+"No. And nobody else does," she replied, smartly.
+
+"Not even Balkis?" hinted Jarman, and could have bitten out his tongue
+for making a remark so calculated to place her on her guard.
+
+As it was, she coloured and looked keenly at him. "I guess you know
+more about the matter than you'll give away."
+
+"Perhaps I do," he replied, determined not to let her know the extent
+of his knowledge. "But if you came here to see Lancaster, he's gone."
+
+"That's a lie," said Miss Berry, coolly.
+
+"Search the house then," retorted Eustace, serenely, meeting her with
+her own weapons. "I give you full permission."
+
+She looked at him again. "No," she said, after a close scrutiny. "I
+guess I believe you."
+
+"I am flattered."
+
+"Not a bit. You feel angry. Where is Frank?"
+
+"I don't know."
+
+"Oh, yes, you do," she rejoined persuasively; "and see here, there's
+five hundred pounds to be earned."
+
+"So I believe," said Eustace, coolly, "and your uncle is playing the
+part of a philanthropist."
+
+"You can put it that way if you like, Eustace. Come, tell me where the
+boy is. I wish him well."
+
+"I doubt it, seeing that your relative offers this reward for his
+capture. However, I can reply with an honest heart that I don't know
+where he is."
+
+Fairy Fan threw away her cigarette with an important air. "I wish you
+did," said she, "I want to save him from being lynched."
+
+"Why do you wish to save him after bringing him into this state."
+
+"I didn't," she said fiercely. "Yes, you did. For some reason best
+known to yourself you induced Starth and Lancaster to quarrel. Having
+been successful up to the point of putting a rope round Frank's neck,
+you come to me to ask if I will help you to adjust it."
+
+The woman clasped and unclasped her hands nervously, and rose to pace
+the room. "Believe me, I come to save him," she said earnestly. "He's
+in great danger, and I alone can help him."
+
+"Ah! then you know who killed Starth."
+
+"I don't--I don't! I swear I don't!" she cried vehemently. "So far as
+I know it was Frank. My uncle believes in his guilt also."
+
+"I know. It is to his interest to believe," snapped Jarman. "How much
+money is involved in this business, Miss Berry?"
+
+She turned pale, and looked down. "There is no money," she said.
+
+"Oh, yes. We'll say about a million. Your uncle doesn't offer this
+reward for nothing. It's a small sprat to catch a large mackerel."
+
+Fan threw herself down and burst into tears. "I wish I were dead!"
+
+"Or you wish Frank were dead. Which?" asked Jarman, mercilessly.
+
+"No, I don't. Oh! do tell me where he is. I can save him."
+
+"From being hanged?"
+
+"I--I--think so. Where is he?" She stamped her foot imperiously.
+
+Eustace smiled as he saw she was trying all her arts to make him
+reveal what he was determined to conceal. "I tell you I don't know,"
+he said quietly. "Now that you have learnt that I sheltered the man, I
+don't mind admitting that he was here. But he has gone away, and has
+left no address."
+
+"What frightened him away from this hiding-place?"
+
+"You had better ask Darrel, who told you where to find him."
+
+"Darrel?" Fan seemed genuinely surprised. "He never told me."
+
+"Then who did?" asked Eustace, bluntly. Fan thought for a moment, then
+looked up with a winning smile. "I'll tell you that if you'll answer
+me a question."
+
+"What is the question?"
+
+"Why have you placarded London from end to end with those posters?"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+WHAT MILDRED KNEW
+
+
+Eustace looked at her much surprised. "If you don't know of those
+things, I don't," he said.
+
+"Do you mean to say you didn't get them out?"
+
+"Certainly. I saw one, and was very much surprised."
+
+"Do you know what the Scarlet Bat means?" she asked.
+
+"Perhaps I do," he said, enigmatically.
+
+"And the name Tamaroo?"
+
+"Oh, it's a name, is it!" said Jarman. "Thank you for the information,
+Mrs. Anchor."
+
+"Don't call me by that name," said Fan, frowning.
+
+"Why not? You were married to the man, and the name Tamaroo was the
+last word he said to me."
+
+The woman changed colour. "What did he mean?" she asked softly.
+
+"You can explain that best," answered Eustace. "See here, Mrs. Anchor,
+or Miss Berry, or whatever you choose to call yourself, I want to know
+what your game is."
+
+"There is no game," she insisted.
+
+"Yes there is, else you would not have put Starth and Lancaster
+against one another, nor would you come down to see me and ask
+questions. There's some scheme in your mind, and in the mind of your
+so-called uncle--"
+
+"He _is_ my uncle!" she flashed out, tapping her foot.
+
+"Bah! Do you think I believe that? Accomplice, if you like."
+
+Fan started to her feet like a small fury. "You dare to insult me, do
+you?" she said. "Better take care, you low-down cad!"
+
+"Ah!" said Eustace, calmly, "now the mask is being dropped."
+
+With an effort she controlled herself, seeing she had gone too far.
+
+"It's enough to make a woman angry," she said panting, "to be talked
+to in that way. I am perfectly honest."
+
+"I never called your honesty into question."
+
+"Yes, you did, and I'll never forgive you for having done so. I know
+you are my enemy now. I thought you were a fool."
+
+"So I was in San Francisco, but I have learnt sense since. And I am
+your enemy, Mrs. Anchor, and the enemy of that man Berry."
+
+"You'd better not threaten him."
+
+"Indeed! Do you think I am afraid of him?" sneered Eustace. "I also
+have been in the Wild West, and I can handle my weapon as neatly as
+Berry did--when he shot Starth."
+
+"It's a lie--it's a lie! He did not."
+
+"Don't lose your temper; you'll gain nothing by it. I am on the side
+of Frank Lancaster, and I intend to prove his innocence."
+
+"You can't," said Mrs. Anchor, with a pale face. "He is guilty."
+
+"It's your scheme to make him appear so," retorted Jarman; "but I know
+better, and so do you. Who told you he was here?"
+
+"That's my business," she said doggedly.
+
+"And a very shady business it is. Do you wish to murder Frank as you
+murdered your husband?"
+
+With a spasm of fury Fan snatched up a knife and flung it at him. It
+flew over his head. "Don't do that again," said he, "or I'll forget
+that you are a woman."
+
+"The woman you loved," she said again, weeping.
+
+Eustace grew tired of thus running in a circle.
+
+"Don't you think you'd better try something new, Mrs. Anchor? We have
+had cajoling, tears, violence, temper--I'm growing weary!"
+
+"I also," said Fan, drying her tears, and speaking in a much more
+business-like manner. "It's not worth while losing one's temper."
+
+"Not with me, I assure you."
+
+"You're a brute!" she said violently.
+
+"Possibly. Did you come to tell me that?"
+
+"I came to see Frank, not you. But as he is not here--and I don't
+think you are clever enough to deceive me--please send him my
+message."
+
+"I don't know where he is, Mrs. Anchor." Jarman used the name because
+he could see that it annoyed her. "But the message?"
+
+"Tell him that if he will promise to marry me I will save his neck.
+But I must have the promise in writing."
+
+"I'll convey the message if I can," said Eustace, without making any
+comment, "on one condition."
+
+"What is that?" asked Mrs. Anchor, turning from the mirror, before
+which she was adjusting her veil.
+
+"You must write a letter to Miss Starth, deploring the death of her
+brother, and stating that you loved him so much that you wished to
+marry him."
+
+Fan grew crimson, and her eyes sparkled. "I shall not write such a
+tissue of lies," she said with a stamp.
+
+Jarman laughed, but not pleasantly. "You have become wonderfully
+scrupulous all of a sudden," he sneered. "But you intended to marry
+either Starth or Denham."
+
+"Denham!" she said contemptuously. "I wouldn't marry him if he asked
+me. Why do you want me to write such a letter?"
+
+"For your own sake," responded the big man, coolly. "Miss Starth
+believes that you are concerned in the death of her brother. Such a
+letter will convince her that you were well disposed towards him."
+
+"Bah! She won't believe it."
+
+"She may, or she may not. However, I want it written."
+
+Mrs. Anchor sat down, and leaning her cheek on her hand stared
+musingly at the floor. After a few minutes she looked up. "You're on
+some game or another," she said calmly, "and for some reason you wish
+me to join in. Well, I don't mind. The letter shall be sent."
+
+"Oh and don't you want to know what the game is?"
+
+"Not at all. Whatever you are doing can't concern me. This letter will
+do no harm, and as I wish the message taken to Frank I am willing to
+buy it on those terms."
+
+Jarman looked at her distrustfully. He wondered why she yielded so
+suddenly, and knowing her tricky ways, he felt sure that she had some
+card to play. However, for reasons of his own, he wanted the letter,
+and, so long as he got it, was not particular how it came into his
+possession. It was useless to act honourably towards a pair of
+sharpers like Fan and her so-called uncle. Having thus arranged
+matters, the little woman held out her hand.
+
+"I have a carriage waiting to take me to Mardon," she said. "We
+understand one another, I hope?"
+
+"I think we do. But I am in the dark regarding your schemes."
+
+"I can say the same thing about this letter. I don't know why you want
+it written."
+
+"Tell me who told you of Lancaster's whereabouts, and I'll explain."
+
+"No, thanks," she rejoined, with a shrug. "Writing such a letter won't
+hurt me in any way, and telling you too much, might."
+
+"As you please. Let me see you to the carriage."
+
+She accepted his offer, and together they walked across the fields to
+where a fly from Mardon was waiting. Mrs. Anchor hopped into this as
+lightly as a bird, and again held out her hand. "Goodbye," she smiled.
+"You won't forget to deliver my message?"
+
+"I will if I can, on condition--"
+
+"Yes, I know the condition. The letter shall be sent to Miss Starth."
+
+When the fly drove away, Eustace stood in a brown study for a few
+minutes. He wondered why Mrs. Anchor had so readily accepted his
+assurance that Frank was not in the house. Certainly he was not, but
+Jarman fancied that so suspicious a woman would have made sure. Yet
+she did not even avail herself of his offer to let her inspect the
+house. "I wonder what stake those two are playing for?" mused Jarman,
+walking down the road. "It's that million, I suppose."
+
+But he could not be sure until he gained more explicit information.
+Jarman had conceived a plot, with which the letter to Mildred was
+concerned. By it he hoped to learn the secrets of Berry, who certainly
+appeared to be the head of the whole business. As to the Scarlet Bat,
+the opening of the sealed letter might reveal what that meant. But the
+letter could only be opened by Frank, and Frank was nowhere to be
+found. Jarman decided to tell Mildred the whole story, and then to
+consult her about opening the letter in Frank's absence. It seemed
+foolish to wait, and to leave the man in such peril. And he was in the
+greatest peril, now that Fan knew he had been hiding at Wargrove.
+Eustace felt thankful that for obvious reasons she could not take the
+police into her councils, else he might have got into trouble for
+compounding a felony.
+
+While thus thinking a man had approached him softly, and Jarman was
+startled by a touch on his shoulder. He wheeled round sharply to
+behold Darrel. The man looked sulky as usual, and purred like a cat
+when he addressed Jarman.
+
+"So your friend Lancaster has gone away?" he said quietly.
+
+"Yes," replied Eustace, thinking it best to save time by admitting so
+obvious a fact; "you frightened him away."
+
+"Ah! then he left a letter behind him?"
+
+"He did, Mr. Darrel, in which he stated that you knew him, and that
+you threatened to denounce him."
+
+"Only if he interfered between me and Mildred," said Darrel.
+
+Jarman flushed, and his face grew angry. "What do you mean by speaking
+of Miss Starth in so familiar a fashion?"
+
+"I speak as I like, and being in love with Miss Starth--since you want
+me to be punctilious--I call her by the name I like best."
+
+Jarman could have struck him to the earth, as he stood there like the
+Man-mountain of Gulliver. There was something insolent about Darrel
+which inspired the meekest of men to kick him, and Eustace was by no
+means a Moses. For the moment Eustace was inclined to take him up on
+the question of loving Mildred, but remembering that he was not
+officially engaged to the girl, and that should he not discover the
+assassin of her brother he might never be her husband, he thought it
+best to pass over the matter. However, he remarked on the conjunction
+of the girl's name with Frank's. "Lancaster was not likely to
+interfere between you," he said.
+
+"Oh, yes, he was," said Darrel, in his slow, heavy voice. "Lancaster
+is in love with her."
+
+Jarman felt a jealous pang. "Impossible!"
+
+"Not a bit of it. Lancaster saw her that night in the theatre, and
+even then admired her more than I liked. Down here I saw them
+together, and he loves her. I'm in love myself, and I know. And I'm
+not certain," added Darrel, viciously, "that she doesn't love him."
+
+"I tell you she can't," cried Jarman, agitated.
+
+"Oh! then she knows Lancaster killed her brother?"
+
+"She knows nothing. I only speak from my knowledge of her character.
+She would not love a man she knew so little of as Lancaster."
+
+"According to you, she did not know him by that name. But she is just
+the kind of romantic girl to fall in love with that Irish secretary of
+yours. He made up well for the part," sneered Darrel.
+
+Jarman straightened his shoulders. "I don't think it is good taste to
+discuss Miss Starth," he said, "but I can safely assure you that she
+does not love the man."
+
+"You seem very sure." Darrel scanned Eustace in his usual insolent
+way. "I believe you are in love yourself," he said with a short laugh.
+"Well, I give you the same warning as I gave Lancaster."
+
+"I'm not disposed to take any warning," rejoined Jarman, hotly, "and
+if you denounce Lancaster as having been here I shall deny it."
+
+"Oh, now that he has cut, there's no necessity for me to say a word.
+But don't you interfere."
+
+"See here, Darrel," said Jarman, controlling his temper with an
+effort, "no man shall speak to me like this. I forbid you to mention
+Miss Starth's name to me again. She will choose for herself."
+
+"I know she will. She will choose me," said Darrel, complacently.
+
+"There's always two to a bargain," said Eustace, drily. "However, as
+Lancaster has gone, there was no need for you to tell Miss Berry."
+
+Darrel looked up in genuine surprise. "I did not tell Miss Berry."
+
+"She was down here an hour ago, and stated--"
+
+"That I had told her? She's a liar!"
+
+"She did not say that you had told her. But she knew that Lancaster
+had been here. And you were the only person who spotted him."
+
+"What fools the others must be," said the genial Darrel. "However,
+that's neither here nor there. I assure you, on my honour, that I kept
+Lancaster's secret. He may, or he may not, have killed Starth, but so
+long as he leaves Miss Starth alone he is in no danger from me. I hope
+you will understand that."
+
+"I understand," said Jarman, coldly. "And now we will part."
+
+"On an understanding, however," said Darrel, striding after
+Eustace--"that you don't interfere with my affairs. If you do,
+I'll--" He stopped, and looking at Eustace with an evil face walked
+on. "You are warned!" he said over his shoulder.
+
+For a moment Eustace was inclined to follow, and dash his insolent
+words down his throat. But such an act might have jeopardised the
+safety of Frank. Jarman, therefore, was compelled to swallow his
+anger, and greatly he disliked doing so, but under the circumstances
+he could do nothing else.
+
+All that day he wondered what amount of truth there was in the
+assertion of Darrel that Frank was in love with Mildred. Eustace could
+not bring himself to believe that Frank would act basely towards him,
+and make love during his absence. "He knows that I adore Mildred,"
+soliloquised Eustace as he paced his rough lawn, "and to try to get
+her to himself would be a base thing to do. I have helped him. He
+certainly would not betray me. I swear by Frank."
+
+Nevertheless, in spite of these brave words, he caught himself
+frowning at the thought, and finally made up his mind to see
+Mildred and learn the worst. He was aware that she liked him, but
+that into their bargain no love had entered. If she really loved
+Frank, and the young man had acted honourably, why then-- "But it's
+impossible--impossible!" groaned Jarman, clenching his hand. "He would
+not treat me in such a way."
+
+Troubled in this fashion he presented himself at Rose Cottage, looking
+unlike his usual self. Mildred was in the garden watching the sunset,
+and was walking towards the summer-house when she heard him call her
+name. Turning with a cry of alarm, she came swiftly towards him,
+holding out both hands.
+
+"Eustace, I'm so glad you have come! I was sorry that I could not see
+you last night. Why did you not come earlier?"
+
+"I was busy," he said, evasively, and looked into her eyes. "Mildred,
+why were you alarmed when I called you?"
+
+She faltered. "I thought it might be Darrel," she said faintly. "But
+he would not call you by your Christian name?"
+
+Mildred blazed up. "I'd like to see him dare!" she said. "But he has
+insolence enough for anything. He persecutes me!"
+
+"Oh, does he!" cried Jarman, angrily. "Then I'll made short work of
+him. You see if I don't. I'll--"
+
+"Do nothing--do nothing!" she panted, catching his hands. "He is a
+dangerous man. He knows too much."
+
+"About what I don't understand." She turned red, and her hands
+dropped. "Mr. O'Neil," she said, in a low voice, then covered her
+face.
+
+"He has gone away. I don't know where he is," said Jarman, "but--"
+
+"No, no! Say nothing." She dried her tears and drew him into a
+sheltered part of the lawn. "He is here," she whispered. "I have
+concealed him, and he has told me his story."
+
+Jarman looked at her, astonished. "You know then that he is
+Lancaster?"
+
+She nodded with a smile.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII
+THE SEALED LETTER
+
+
+Jarman was so astonished at Mildred's communication that he dropped
+into a garden-seat which was fortunately close at hand. It was
+wonderful enough to hear that Lancaster was concealed in Rose Cottage,
+but still more wonderful to hear that she knew who he was. Eustace
+would have thought it unlikely that she would have anything to do with
+the man suspected of being her brother's murderer. Yet she admitted
+the fact boldly, and actually smiled. He recalled the remarks of
+Darrel, and wondered if there was an understanding between her and
+Lancaster.
+
+"How long have you known his real name?" he asked sternly.
+
+"Since you went away," replied Mildred, sitting beside him. "Don't be
+angry, Eustace. I agree with you that he is innocent, and when he came
+to me for shelter, what could I do? Even if he were guilty I could not
+give him up." And she shuddered.
+
+"Does Mrs. Perth know?"
+
+"Yes. I had to tell her. But we have kept it secret from Jane."
+
+Eustace nodded. "It's just as well. The girl might babble. How was it
+Lancaster dared to come here?"
+
+"He did not know what to do, or how to escape. You see, Mr. Darrel--"
+
+Jarman interrupted. "I know Darrel recognised him. He told me so
+to-day. And he said other things, for which I felt inclined to knock
+him down. And I should have done so, but that, as you say, he is too
+well aware of the existing state of things."
+
+"What did he say?" asked Mildred, an angry light in her eyes.
+
+"There is no need to repeat his insolence."
+
+"There certainly is not, for I know quite well what he said. He is
+determined to make me his wife, and--"
+
+"And he coupled your name with that of Lancaster."
+
+"Oh, he is jealous of everyone," said Mildred, tossing her head. "You
+don't believe that, I hope?"
+
+"Believe what?" asked Eustace, wishing for details.
+
+But like a woman, having brought the matter to a point, she changed
+the subject hurriedly.
+
+"Nothing, nothing!" she declared, hurriedly. "I am engaged to you,
+Eustace, if you find out who killed Walter."
+
+"So I understand," he replied sadly. "But there is no love on your
+side, my dear."
+
+"I told you plainly what I thought."
+
+"You did, and I should not have taken advantage of your position. I
+think we had better--"
+
+"Stop!" she interrupted, and in the moonlight he could see her bosom
+heave. "You had better not say too much. Let us leave the subject
+alone until we get out of these troubles."
+
+Eustace was quite willing to do this. He could scarcely tax her with
+being in love with Frank on the evidence of Darrel. But he was
+resolved to question Lancaster at the first opportunity. Meantime,
+seeing that Mildred was disposed to grow angry, he thought it best to
+leave the matter alone.
+
+"Where is he?" was his question.
+
+Mildred looked round as though she thought the birds of the air might
+overhear.
+
+"He is in the summer-house," she said. "There is a small room at the
+back, which I fitted up as a kind of studio for painting."
+
+"But is that safe, Mildred?"
+
+"Quite safe. No one ever goes there but me. The summer-house, as you
+can see, is quite buried amongst the trees, and I have hung some
+Eastern stuffs round the walls to conceal the door into the studio.
+Besides," she added, with a little hesitation, "no one would ever
+think of looking for him in my house."
+
+"No. That is all right," assented Jarman; "but why did he come?"
+
+"For the very reason I have stated. He was afraid lest Mr. Darrel
+should send a message to the police, so he gave the key of your house
+to old Bowles, and came in the afternoon--"
+
+"As Desmond O'Neil?"
+
+"Certainly. Then he told me his story. At first I was horrified, but,
+remembering how you believed in his innocence, I decided to help him.
+As the secretary, he then went for a long walk, and came back at
+night. I had the studio ready for him, and he has been in it ever
+since."
+
+"Let me see him," said Jarman, rising.
+
+"One moment," said Mildred, catching his hand; "you will find him
+different to what you expect. His disguise has been taken off."
+
+"Were you surprised at the change?"
+
+"No." She blushed. "The fact is, Eustace, I saw him in the theatre on
+that night, so I knew him again when he became himself."
+
+Jarman felt a jealous pang. He began to think that Mildred loved the
+boy, seeing how she blushed when she spoke of him. Also her voice
+faltered, and she seemed embarrassed. At first Eustace almost felt
+inclined to speak out, and demand if she loved Lancaster; but
+remembering the position of the young man, and being afraid of the
+wrath of Mildred, he held his tongue. In silence they moved across the
+lawn and entered the summer-house. It was luminous with moonlight, and
+Eustace saw a faint sparkle of gold, the threads of the Eastern stuffs
+which draped the walls. Mildred gave a little cough, and repeated it
+twice. "The signal!" she whispered with her finger on her lips; and in
+spite of the gravity of the position she seemed quite to enjoy its
+mystery. In many ways Mildred Starth was still a schoolgirl.
+
+From the other side of the wall came a cough, and this also was
+repeated twice. Mildred drew aside the drapery and revealed a door.
+
+"I'll leave you now," she murmured. "You can talk to him alone. Come
+in and see me afterwards," and before Eustace could say a word she was
+gone. He saw her flit across the lawn in the moonlight, then knocked
+softly at the door. A key was turned, the door opened, and Frank
+looked out.
+
+"Who is it?" he whispered.
+
+"Your friend Jarman," said that gentleman, and stepped inside.
+
+It was perfectly dark, save where a slender moonbeam stole in through
+the high window. Frank gave a gasp of relief, and gripped Eustace's
+hand in the gloom. They exchanged a hearty handshake, and then Frank
+pushed forward a chair. As he had been long in the darkness, he was
+better able to see than Jarman.
+
+"I'm so glad you have come," said Frank, drawing another chair close
+to that of his friend, so that he could converse in a whisper. "I have
+been longing for you. You got my letter?"
+
+"Yes. And I am much astonished to find you here."
+
+"I thought it was the best thing I could do," said Lancaster. "After
+you left, Darrel--"
+
+"I know all about it. But why did he threaten you?"
+
+"Oh!--" Frank hesitated. He could not tell Jarman the reason, and
+hardly knew what to say. But Jarman brought things to a point.
+
+"Lancaster," he said, seizing the young man's hand, "I have been a
+good friend to you. Have you--are you--I mean, do you treat me as a
+man of honour should treat another?"
+
+"Yes. I swear I have said nothing."
+
+"Ah! you know what I speak of?"
+
+"I do. I can hardly make a mistake when you speak to me in such a
+tone. Eustace, don't think so basely of me."
+
+"Do you love Mildred?" asked Jarman, sternly.
+
+There was a moment's silence. "Heaven help me, I do!"
+
+"And you have--"
+
+"No, no!" Frank's voice broke out quickly and earnestly. "I have not
+said a word to her. I have not even shown that I take any interest in
+her. I knew she was engaged to you, and that sealed my lips. I would
+not have come here, but that I was driven into a corner. Darrel knew
+me under my disguise. I fancied he might put the police on my track.
+If I had gone to London, or anywhere in the country as O'Neil, the
+police would have caught me from the description Darrel could give.
+And if I took off my disguise, the description in the papers would
+enable them to recognise me. Eustace, I swear that if a poor hunted
+wretch like myself had had any corner to hide in I should not have
+come here. But you trust me--say you trust me?"
+
+"Yes, I do trust you," said Jarman, a little sadly. "I know you have
+been driven to take up this position. But we will talk no more of the
+matter. When you are free from trouble then we can talk. But tell me,
+how did Mildred receive you?"
+
+"She was horrified at first, but afterwards, when I confessed all, she
+believed me to be innocent. She told Mrs. Perth, who also thinks I am
+guiltless. I am safe here. Even Darrel can't find me in this place.
+But if you like, Eustace, I can disguise myself in another way and go
+abroad. I don't want to remain here longer than I can help."
+
+"You must remain here," said Jarman, decisively. "If you try to escape
+you may be captured. Fan knows of your disguise."
+
+"And Berry?" asked Frank, in alarm.
+
+"I can't say that. Fan was down to-day, but she did not tell me if she
+had revealed anything to Berry."
+
+"Who told her? But I needn't ask. It was Darrel."
+
+"You are wrong. Both Darrel and Fairy Fan deny that."
+
+"Then who could have told?"
+
+"I can't say. But Fan came down to see you."
+
+"To have me arrested, I suppose?" said Frank, bitterly.
+
+"On the contrary, she wished to make you a proposal of marriage."
+Frank sat still for a moment, then, in spite of his troubles, laughed
+softly.
+
+"You or she must be crazy, Eustace."
+
+"Then it is she. Her message, which I promised to deliver on
+conditions, was that if you would marry her she would save you."
+
+"Then if you see her again you can refuse her offer. I should not
+think of marrying her. I have got over my infatuation there."
+
+"And have placed your heart elsewhere?" said Jarman, quietly.
+
+"We agreed not to speak of that," said Lancaster, stiffly. "I am an
+honourable man, and in my position--oh! it's ridiculous. Don't hit a
+man when he is down, Eustace."
+
+"I'm not so ungenerous, I hope."
+
+"You are the best of good fellows," said Frank, impetuously, "but my
+nerves are worn rather thin with all this worry. What are the
+conditions on which you delivered the message?"
+
+"I'll tell you later. I have a scheme in my head to counterplot Fan
+and the man she calls her uncle."
+
+"Don't you believe that he is her uncle?" asked Frank.
+
+"No," replied Eustace, decidedly, "I don't. She met him in San
+Francisco, and he became her accomplice to get Anchor out of the way.
+I am sure that Berry--or, as he was then--Sakers, fired the shot that
+killed the man. But in some way the two were done out of this fortune
+connected with Denham and with you. They brought the boy to England to
+plot against you, and then intended when you were put out of the way
+to get the money from Natty. That poor lad doesn't know it, but I
+believe his life is not safe."
+
+"You don't think they would murder him?"
+
+"They murdered Starth. Oh, yes, I am certain on that point. If Berry
+didn't fire the shot himself, he got someone else to do it. But the
+object was to throw the blame on you, so that you might be hanged. I
+can't think why it should be necessary. However, we may find out from
+the sealed letter."
+
+"Ah!" Frank started, and spoke in a rather agitated tone. "I forgot
+that in my troubles. Have you got it?"
+
+"Yes, it's in my pocket. I'll show it to you immediately. Have you a
+candle here?"
+
+"Yes. But I am afraid to use it. The light might be seen from the
+road."
+
+"And if Mrs. Baker saw it she would certainly make inquiries. We'll
+wait for a bit. I'll show you the letter before I go, and then I must
+talk to Mildred and Mrs. Perth. But about Berry. I wonder if anyone
+knows details of his past life?"
+
+"Darrel does," said Lancaster, promptly. "He saw him in Los Angeles."
+
+"H'm! I wonder if he would tell me anything? He was most insolent to
+me to-day, but in your interests I don't mind putting up with that if
+there's anything to be learnt."
+
+Jarman paused for a moment, and then went on: "Frank, do you think
+there is negro blood in Darrel?"
+
+"It's curious you should say that, Jarman. Jenny Arrow saw that
+portrait of Balkis, and she thought it resembled Darrel."
+
+"I haven't seen that portrait. Miss Cork took it away, you said."
+
+"Yes." And Frank described how he had obtained the photograph from
+Mildred, and for what purpose. "I'm sure Miss Cork knows Balkis."
+
+"She might--she might," mused Jarman "Well, I'll soon know her also,
+for I am going to look her up at the Docks."
+
+"For what purpose?"
+
+"Can't you guess? That woman is mixed up in this thing. Her photograph
+was in Starth's possession, and Berry visits her. Now you tell me that
+there is a resemblance between her and Darrel. I shouldn't be at all
+surprised to find that this negress is some relative."
+
+"Oh, but that's absurd, Eustace. Darrel comes from Africa." Jarman
+laughed. "He went out there in the first instance. He talked of being
+in Los Angeles. That is in Mexico, and Mexico is in the same latitude
+as the West Indies."
+
+"Then you think he may come from the Islands?"
+
+"It's not improbable. Where does Balkis come from?"
+
+"Zanzibar, according to Starth."
+
+"Who was a born liar," said Eustace, cynically. "I shouldn't be
+surprised to find she came from the West Indies also. And remember,
+Frank, that Denham was born in Zacatecas--that's in Mexico. Your
+father travelled in those parts."
+
+"Yes. But what's all this to do with me?"
+
+"A great deal, I fancy. I am sure the money is connected with Mexico,
+with Balkis, with Darrel, and with Denham. Fan and Berry know about
+it. And the Scarlet Bat. I shouldn't be surprised to learn that it was
+a kind of sign connected with the affair. I can't say in what way. But
+we'll know soon. What I can't make out," said Jarman, nursing his
+chin, "is why London should be plastered with posters of the Scarlet
+Bat and Tamaroo."
+
+"You don't mean to say--?"
+
+"Yes, I do." And Eustace told Frank of the poster, and how Fan had
+denied having anything to do with it. "And I'm sure she spoke the
+truth," he said decisively, "for she asked me if I had posted the Bat.
+Of course, she must guess that you have it tattooed on your arm, and
+thought that I made use of it."
+
+"But for what purpose? You and I are not supposed to know anything
+about the fortune--if there is one."
+
+"Oh, there is one, sure enough, and the Berry lot think I know much
+more about it than I do. And there's another negro mixed up in the
+matter besides Balkis. The lawyers I called on told me that one came
+to ask after you." And Jarman gave details.
+
+"Well," said Frank, more and more puzzled, "there's only one thing to
+be done. We must open the sealed letter."
+
+"All right. Here you are," and in the darkness Jarman passed it along.
+Frank opened it, but it was impossible to see. Therefore Eustace
+lighted a match, which was not likely to be seen from the road, and
+held it while Frank read the letter. The paper had a Scarlet Bat drawn
+in one corner with red ink, and the writing consisted of only a few
+words. "My son," ran the writing, "when you are twenty-five send your
+address to 'Tamaroo, The General Post-Office, London. To be called
+for.' Then wait events."
+
+"And Tamaroo is the name on the bills!" said Eustace under his breath.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII
+A QUEER VISITOR
+
+
+"Well, I guess this is a surprise," said Natty.
+
+"And a very pleasant one," rejoined Miss Arrow.
+
+The two were standing on number nine platform of Liverpool Street
+Station waiting for the Wargrove train, and the meeting was
+accidental. Natty did not look so well as usual, as his face was
+somewhat haggard. Jenny noticed this, and thought he had been sitting
+up all night. With considerable coolness she made the remark, which
+Natty contradicted.
+
+"It isn't that," said Mr. Denham, gloomily. "I've been square enough,
+but I've been having trouble."
+
+"Oh dear me!" cried Miss Arrow, sympathetically. "Not bad, I hope?"
+
+"Sufficiently bad to make me leave for the States next week."
+
+Jenny looked rather dismayed. She fancied herself in love with Mr.
+Denham, as by this time she had quite got over her romantic affection
+for the Irish secretary.
+
+"I'm sorry," she said pensively. "And you will regret
+leaving--Mildred!" She looked at him sharply.
+
+"I'll regret leaving all my friends. Those at Wargrove are the best
+I've struck in the old country. I don't know that Miss Starth's any
+great sorrow to me, though. She don't care a red cent for me."
+
+"Her affections are otherwhere," said Jenny, sentimentally.
+
+"That's so, and I don't see much good my hovering round. I should like
+to marry a real sweet English girl."
+
+Jenny blushed, but she was not vain enough to take the compliment to
+herself. Yet she could have done so, for Denham was thinking of her
+when he paid it. Jenny was not pretty, but she had the freshness of
+youth, and a sweet, frank face of her own which appealed to the man.
+
+Denham had been so accustomed to women of the world like Miss Berry
+that he longed for something fresh and unsophisticated. He had been
+thinking a great deal about Jenny lately, and now that he saw Mildred
+was a star far above his reach, thought he might do worse than take
+the rector's daughter. The transfer of affections from Miss Starth to
+Jenny was a considerable effort of mental gymnastics, but Natty had
+achieved it.
+
+By the time the train started he had laid in a large quantity of
+magazines and newspapers for the girl, and took his seat in a
+first-class carriage along with her. There was an old gentleman in the
+compartment, but they did not pay much attention to him. Nor did they
+read the magazines. In each other's conversation they found quite
+enough pleasure. After discussing Billy and the Arrow family and the
+departure of Natty for the States, Natty announced that he was going
+down to Wargrove to see Jarman.
+
+"I want to say good-bye," said he, "and there are other things I have
+to do. Deliver a letter, for one thing."
+
+"To Mr. Jarman?"
+
+"To Miss Starth. And it's from Miss Berry. You've heard me speak of my
+friends, I guess?"
+
+"Oh, yes--your most intimate friends."
+
+"Well," drawled Natty, flushing, "they were, but they ain't now. I've
+had a row. Berry hasn't been acting square by me, and I don't cotton
+to his goings-on nohow. I'll give them a wide berth for the future."
+
+Jenny observed a discreet silence, as she did not want to ask
+questions about business which did not concern her. Natty was
+offended.
+
+"Guess you don't care much for me?" said he, with a shrug.
+
+"Oh, but I--" Jenny was about to say that she did, and only changed
+the sentence in time. "But I like you, really."
+
+"I'm going to stop for a few days, and we can talk of that," said
+Natty, looking peculiarly at her. "I suppose Jarman will put me up?"
+
+"Oh, I'm sure he will," said Jenny. "Mr. Jarman likes you. He's rather
+troubled now on account of Mr. O'Neil leaving him."
+
+"What's he gone for?"
+
+"I don't know. I think he left without giving notice," said Jenny.
+
+"I don't know that he ain't wise, that young man," said Natty, in a
+dry tone. "The billet didn't suit him."
+
+"He seemed very comfortable!"
+
+"What folk seem, ain't often what they feel," rejoined the American,
+and again fixed Jenny with his eyes. "Now, you'd never think that in
+your company I feel different to what I say."
+
+"Really?" Jenny did not know where to look, and was thankful that the
+old gentleman was in the carriage. She felt that Natty was in
+measurable distance of a proposal, and the timidity of maidenhood
+seized upon her. Consequently she became voluble, and drew Denham's
+attention to the scenery, to the pictures in the magazines, and to the
+news of the day. Natty, not accustomed to this innocence, was
+delighted, and thought Jenny just charming. He made up his mind to
+propose within the week, being used to carry through business smartly.
+
+When the train arrived at Mardon Jenny bundled herself into a
+governess-cart drawn by a fat and elderly pony, and driven by one of
+her brothers. She offered Natty a seat, but he refused, as he caught
+sight of Eustace coming out of the station. "But I'll call in and
+see you tomorrow or this evening," said Natty. Whereat Jenny, afraid
+of this barefaced wooing--it was really quite improper said her
+heart--ordered the young Arrow to drive on. Natty watched the elderly
+pony toiling up the hill, then turned to greet Jarman.
+
+"Here you are!" said Natty, shaking hands. "I've just come down to put
+up with you for a day or two. Can you fix me?"
+
+Jarman was not quite prepared to extend this hospitality. He had a
+better opinion of Natty than of his friends. All the same, the young
+man was in touch with the Captain, and, being weak, was under his
+influence. Consequently, Berry might be employing Natty as a spy; as
+the report of Fairy Fan--if she made any--could not be entirely
+satisfactory to the little skipper. Had he been on the spot he would
+have made an exhaustive examination as to the whereabouts of the man
+he desired to hang.
+
+Nevertheless, Jarman fancied that he could control the weak nature of
+Denham quite as easily as Berry had done, and since the young man had
+come down he saw no reason why he should not make use of him. He could
+trust to Mildred's cleverness to keep him away from the summerhouse.
+Therefore, if Natty came and went at his own sweet will, Berry would
+be quite convinced that Lancaster had left the neighbourhood. It was a
+bold game, but the situation was so desperate that only boldness would
+allay suspicion.
+
+"Of course, I can put you up," said Jarman. "Shall we drive?"
+
+"No, I guess not. Let us send on the baggage and walk across. I have
+something important to say."
+
+"Wondering what this could be, Jarman saw that Natty's trunk was put
+on a fly, and, after directing the man to take it to the Shanty,
+walked on with his unexpected guest. Eustace had long since posted a
+letter written by Frank, according to the instruction of the sealed
+epistle, and it had been sent to Tamaroo at the General Post-Office.
+The man (for Tamaroo was a man according to Fan's half-confession) was
+directed to call at the Shanty and see Mr. Lancaster. But, needless to
+say, it was Jarman's intention to interview the visitor in place of
+Frank. Thus, if it was a plot in any way--but that was unlikely,
+seeing that the sealed letter came from Frank's father--the young
+fellow would not run the risk of being arrested.
+
+"I suppose you know that my secretary has left me?" said Eustace,
+seeing that Natty did not seem inclined to begin the conversation.
+
+"How should I know that?" asked Denham, sharply, and looking oddly at
+Jarman.
+
+"You came down with Miss Arrow, and she knows. Consequently--"
+
+"Well, she did tell me that Mr. O'Neil had made tracks," interrupted
+Natty, calmly, "but she did not mention that he was Lancaster."
+Eustace stopped and looked hard at his companion. "You recognised him,
+then, Denham?"
+
+"No. I was sold--completely sold, though I knew Lancaster's looks well
+enough to spot him. His disguise was very clever, so I got sent up.
+Miss Berry told me."
+
+"I thought as much," replied Eustace, with a shrug. "She said she
+would say nothing about the matter, and of course she did."
+
+"She told Berry, and I was in the room. And then--" Denham clenched
+his fist and looked angry. "They wanted me to play the spy," he burst
+out; "but don't you think I'm down here for that purpose. I've given
+those two the chuck."
+
+"Why did they wish you to play the spy?" asked Eustace, quietly.
+
+"Well, you see, I come into money when I'm twenty-five. Not from my
+father. He was rich, but spent nearly all he had. He left me with
+enough to get along on without working, anyhow. But I was told by
+Berry, who is my guardian, as you know, that I might inherit a
+million. He would not give me particulars, saying he would engineer
+the job. That's what brought me over here. Now, it seems that to get
+this money, Lancaster has to be found, that he may give evidence. He
+has some papers which prove that I am entitled to the fortune. And
+Berry, hang, him! asked me to hunt him down."
+
+This statement was a very ingenious one on the part of the Captain, as
+it simply set forth that Frank was wanted for a reasonable purpose.
+Jarman could not conjecture why Natty should be angered.
+
+"I can't see that in searching for Lancaster you are playing the spy."
+
+Denham looked surprised. "Why, you know that Lancaster was with you.
+Miss Berry came down, having discovered it somehow."
+
+"Did she tell you in what way?" asked Eustace, quickly.
+
+"No. I guess she never says more than is needful. But she saw you, and
+heard that Frank Lancaster had skipped. Then Berry said that he was
+certain you knew the whereabouts of the fellow, and asked me to come
+down and try to get the truth from you. That's what I call acting a
+spy. Well, I am here, and I came to tell you this."
+
+"I am much obliged to you, Denham. I suppose it is in order to prove
+your right to this fortune that Berry offered the reward?"
+
+"He said as much," replied the young man, "but I pointed out that if
+Lancaster were to come forward he might be hanged, and that no fellow
+could be expected to be such a fool. Upon my word!" said Denham,
+walking and talking very fast, "I believe for some reason that Berry
+wants the poor chap lynched."
+
+"I think so too," admitted Jarman, much to Natty's surprise.
+
+"Then you don't like Berry?"
+
+"No, and I don't like Miss Berry. I know too much about both. It's a
+pity, Denham--since we are now confidential--that you are with these
+people."
+
+"Well, I guess Banjo Berry was a friend of my father's, and I was
+handed over to him as a ward. I never liked him particularly, nor his
+niece either."
+
+"Is she his niece?"
+
+"I believe so. My father lived at Los Angeles and the Berrys were
+often at our house. My father seemed thick with Berry, and, to tell
+you the truth, rather afraid of him. He died a year or so ago, and by
+his will I was handed over to Berry on account of this fortune. I was
+shunted here to look after it, but if the getting of it includes the
+chance of a man being lynched--I pass. I don't need to hang on to this
+gang, as I've enough to marry on. Berry can go to blazes for me. I
+sha'n't recognise his guardianship any longer."
+
+"I don't see that you ever needed him as a guardian," said Eustace.
+"You appear to be well able to look after yourself."
+
+"So I am. Berry thinks I'm weak. So I am. And good-natured. So I am.
+But there's a line I don't pass, and he's skipped across it. I don't
+have anything more to do with him, and so I said."
+
+"Has he any control over the money you possess?"
+
+"I reckon not. It's all my own, and I don't let him, or anyone else,
+interfere. I'll just cut back to the States, I guess."
+
+Eustace thought for a moment. "Tell me, Mr. Denham, did Berry or your
+father say anything about that Scarlet Bat on your arm?"
+
+"No!" Natty stopped short and stared. "You saw that when I was
+bathing, I expect. I was stolen by Indians, so my father told me, and
+they tattooed the mark. I was a kid then, and don't remember anything
+about it. And the queer thing is," added Denham, "that all London is
+placarded with the Bat."
+
+"And with the word Tamaroo. Do you know what that means?"
+
+"I guess not. But you do. See here, Jarman, you're up to some game?"
+
+Eustace nodded. "On behalf of Lancaster," he said. "And on your behalf
+also. You are in danger!"
+
+Natty stared. "Danger! What do you mean?"
+
+"I'll tell you that later. We must have a talk when we get in."
+
+"All right," agreed the American, with a keen glance. "I'm glad I
+dropped across you, as I don't trust the Berrys a cent now. I always
+thought there was something queer about the fortune business. But
+before I enter your house I have to deliver a letter to Miss Starth!"
+
+"Ah!" said Eustace, quickly, "from Miss Berry?"
+
+"Yes. How the deuce did you know?"
+
+"I know a great deal," replied Eustace, drily, "and I hope to know
+more. I'm glad you have been frank with me, Denham. I may be able to
+help you a lot. No, don't ask questions now. Deliver your letter, and
+when you come to me we can have a talk. There's the road up to the
+cottage. _Au revoir_ for an hour."
+
+Denham went away directly, but he looked puzzled as he flung a parting
+glance at Jarman. That gentleman walked on, wondering at the lucky
+chance which had caused Denham to change towards Berry and his fair
+niece. He might learn much by dexterous questions. And Denham really
+seemed to have good principles, when he had revolted so completely
+against his tyrant. Altogether, things were shaping well, and Eustace
+chuckled.
+
+At the door of his house he saw a figure, and as he drew near he
+beheld a negro. The man was small but wiry, and of considerable age,
+judging from his grey wool. He was quietly dressed in a garb as black
+as his face, and he grinned as Eustace appeared.
+
+"You write dis?" he asked, holding out Frank's letter, and when Jarman
+nodded, grinned again. "I am Tamaroo," said the black man.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX
+A STORY OF THE PAST
+
+
+"Tamaroo!" repeated the negro, showing a good set of teeth for so old
+a man. "I come about the letter."
+
+Eustace looked at him, and remembered a certain negro who had been
+waiting for Anchor at the time the miner was shot. Evidently Anchor
+had been about to explain that the man was waiting, when the bullet
+struck him. "Tamaroo!" murmured Eustace. "I might have guessed that so
+queer a name would be connected with something barbaric. Come in!"
+
+In a few minutes they were seated in the study. Jarman, since the
+departure of Miss Cork, had not sought out another housekeeper, so he
+had no fear of eavesdroppers. Denham was likely to be engaged with
+Mildred for at least an hour, so the interview between himself and
+Tamaroo would not be interrupted. He observed that the negro was much
+above the ordinary class. He had a certain dignity about him, wore
+none of the barbaric colours in which his race delight, and, moreover,
+spoke surprisingly good English. Occasionally he lisped in the true
+nigger fashion, but on the whole his speech would not have disgraced a
+moderately educated white man. As soon as he sat down, Tamaroo gravely
+mounted a pair of spectacles, and took out a bundle of papers tied up
+with red tape.
+
+"One moment!" said Eustace, loading his pipe, as he thought he could
+talk better while smoking. "Was it you who pasted the town with the
+Scarlet Bat?"
+
+"Yes. It was me, sir." Tamaroo did not say "sah" as an ordinary negro
+would have done. "I wanted to know where you were, and as you were
+hiding I could do nothing else to make you know that I wanted to see
+you."
+
+"Hold on!" said Jarman, seeing the mistake. "How do you know I am
+Frank Lancaster?"
+
+"You could not have written this letter if you were not, sir," said
+Tamaroo, decisively. "My old master gave a direction to the lady aunt
+who looked after you, and it was to be given to you on--"
+
+"On the twenty-fifth of September. It's not the date yet."
+
+"No, sir. But I thought you might get the letter before. The mark on
+your arm, sir, would draw your attention to the Scarlet Bat on the
+walls, and you would ask for the letter."
+
+"But I say, Tamaroo, why do you come along before the time?"
+
+"There is danger, sir--great danger--and I want to save you."
+
+"Not me. You wish to save Frank Lancaster."
+
+Tamaroo looked up quickly, and replaced the bundle of letters in his
+breast-pocket. "And you, sir?"
+
+"I am the friend of Mr. Lancaster. You can show me the--"
+
+Tamaroo was on his feet before Eustace finished, and in his right hand
+he held a revolver.
+
+"Keep back!" he cried shrilly. "You have trapped me, but I fight--yes,
+I fight."
+
+Jarman maintained his seat and smoked coolly. "There's no need for you
+to fight, man," he said soothingly. "Should I know about the Scarlet
+Bat and that letter if I were not Mr. Lancaster's friend?"
+
+"Others know, and they are not friends," said the negro, doubtfully,
+but lowering the revolver.
+
+"Captain Banjo Berry and his niece?"
+
+"Huh!" Tamaroo grunted in true nigger fashion. "You know them?"
+
+"Rather," replied Jarman, flinging himself back. "And I know much more
+about them than they like. They got poor Lancaster into this trouble."
+
+Tamaroo groaned. "I know it," he said, "and if I had only come to
+England sooner it would not have happened. I arrived just after the
+trouble, and heard that my young master was accused."
+
+"You do not believe him guilty, then, Tamaroo?"
+
+"No, sir. Certainly I do not. Captain Berry came to England to try and
+get my young master hanged."
+
+"For what reason?" asked Eustace, wondering to find his suspicions
+verified. "I always thought he did; but why?"
+
+Tamaroo touched his breast-pocket. "That is told here," he said, "but
+I cannot speak save to my master."
+
+"But I am his friend. I may as well tell you that after he got into
+trouble he came to me. He stopped for a time, then, being in danger of
+discovery, he fled."
+
+"You do not know where he is?" asked the negro, disappointed.
+
+Eustace looked at him keenly. "Well I do," he admitted, "but he is in
+such danger that I dare not tell. Can't I see the papers?"
+
+Tamaroo moved towards the door. "No, sir," he said sternly; "my old
+master told me to read them and to give them to Mr. Lancaster alone.
+Oh! tell me where he is, I beg you, sir?"
+
+Eustace looked perplexed. He had no reason on the face of it to doubt
+the good faith of the man, and the sealed letter being answered in
+this way was a guarantee that Tamaroo was the emissary of the elder
+Lancaster. But it behoved him to be cautious, as he was surrounded on
+all sides by snares and pitfalls. Captain Berry was not the man to
+stop short of any crime to gain his end--witness the death of Starth
+and his pursuit of Frank.
+
+"Do you know why Berry is pursuing Lancaster?" he asked, forgetting
+that the negro might see fit to keep his own counsel for the same
+reasons.
+
+"To get him hanged to said Tamaroo, quietly.
+
+"You said that before. But the reason?"
+
+In his turn Tamaroo replied: "You said that before, sir. It is in the
+papers which I carry."
+
+"And they will explain the whole business?"
+
+"They will. They contain the whole story of the Scarlet Bat and of the
+Indian treasure--"
+
+"Ah!" interpolated Eustace with grim satisfaction. "I knew there was a
+treasure. How much, Tamaroo? A million?"
+
+"Nearly that. But you can see from the will."
+
+"The will! Have you the will of Mr. Lancaster?"
+
+Tamaroo nodded. "I have the will."
+
+"And is Mr. Lancaster the elder dead?"
+
+"Yes, sir," said the negro with emotion. "He died a year ago. And I
+could not see him die, alas!" he added, much moved.
+
+"Why not, were you away?"
+
+Tamaroo again shook his head and looked mournful. Then, sinking his
+voice to a whisper, he said: "My master was a leper."
+
+Eustace jumped up with an ejaculation of disgust and pity. "For how
+long was he a leper?" he asked, thinking of the money.
+
+"From the time he sent my young master to the lady aunt. It was for
+that reason he parted with him. I remained, but my master would not
+let me attend to him, lest I also should take the disease--and I had
+this to do." He again touched his breast-pocket.
+
+"So it was you who sent the money from 'Frisco?"
+
+"It was I, sir. My master told me to send it, till I could give up the
+fortune to my young master."
+
+"And you have come to do that?"
+
+"Yes, sir. But only to him will I tell the story and give the papers."
+
+Jarman reflected. The old man was evidently most trustworthy, seeing
+he wished to fulfill his mission with the utmost exactitude. He could
+safely be told of Frank's hiding-place.
+
+"To-night I shall lead you to Mr. Lancaster," said Jarman, quietly.
+
+"Thank Heaven--oh, thank Heaven!" cried Tamaroo, and the tears rolled
+down his black face. "It has been a care to me this trust. I wish to
+give it to my young master and be at rest."
+
+"Oh, that's all right," replied Eustace, patting the old man on the
+back. "And we'll be able to baffle this conspiracy?"
+
+"Yes," cried Tamaroo, wiping his eyes, "we will save my master."
+
+"By the way," asked Jarman, suddenly, "do you know a young fellow
+called Natty Denham?"
+
+Tamaroo nodded. "I do, sir. He is the son of my master's partner."
+
+"What!" Jarman looked puzzled. "Partner in what?"
+
+Again the negro became obstinate. "It is in the papers," he said.
+
+"That means I'll learn nothing until Frank does," said Jarman,
+good-humouredly. "You are a faithful messenger, Tamaroo. Has young
+Denham seen you?"
+
+"No, sir. I do not think he knows of my name, unless Captain Berry--"
+
+"Oh, he's told him as little as he could. But, I say, does Berry know
+of the contents of those papers?"
+
+"Yes, sir, He learnt them from--" Here the negro hesitated.
+
+Eustace laughed and nodded. "You needn't worry," he said, "I know of
+that. Mrs. Anchor, who is now called Miss Berry, learnt about the
+fortune from her husband."
+
+Tamaroo smiled grimly, and then with an ejaculation smote his hands
+together, looking in a startled way at Eustace. "I know you now, sir.
+You were said to have killed Mr. Anchor in San Francisco."
+
+"Yes. But I suspect that Berry killed him. And you were the negro who
+was waiting at his house for him."
+
+"I did not wait at the house," said Tamaroo, quietly. "Mr. Anchor was
+a friend of my master, and had some of the papers connected with the
+fortune of the Scarlet Bat. When he was going after his wife he told
+me to come and get them. Then he thought he would give them to you,
+and I waited while he visited you. But I grew weary, and followed. I
+saw you speaking to Mr. Anchor, and heard the shot!"
+
+"Who fired it?"
+
+"Captain Berry. He was then called--"
+
+"Sakers. I know. But the knife wound?" Tamaroo looked oddly at
+Eustace. "I know nothing of that, sir," he said. "But we can talk
+again of this. I will tell you all I know in the presence of Mr.
+Frank. And now--"
+
+There was a sound of laughing outside. Mildred suddenly appeared at
+the window and tapped on the glass to be let in. She usually did this
+when impatient. Tamaroo saw her face and started. Jarman went to the
+door and admitted her. She was with Denham.
+
+"I have come to ask you a question," said Mildred, entering the room.
+"Oh!" She started back. "Who is this?"
+
+"This," said Eustace, waving his hand, "is Tamaroo."
+
+"What!" cried Denham, "the name on the bills?"
+
+"Yes," put in Tamaroo, quietly; "and this"--he bowed to Mildred--"is
+Miss Starth."
+
+"How do you know me?" asked Mildred, puzzled by the recognition. "It
+was I who gave you the paper at the inquest," said the negro. She
+uttered an exclamation. "Then you know that Frank is innocent?"
+
+"Yes," said Tamaroo, with a hanging head. "But I cannot prove it."
+
+"Don't you think Lancaster killed Starth?" asked Natty, eagerly.
+
+"No sir," he replied, looking strangely at the young man; "but who
+killed him I cannot say."
+
+"Captain Berry," suggested Eustace.
+
+Tamaroo shook his head. "It was not Captain Berry."
+
+After this he refused to say any more, and sat down, seemingly quite
+worn out. Jarman, who wished him to be prepared for the interview with
+Frank, insisted that he should lie down. So the negro went to the
+bedroom formerly occupied by the Irish secretary. He locked the door
+when he entered, apparently fearful for the safety of his papers.
+Eustace smiled approvingly. Every action of Tamaroo's showed how
+devoted he was to Frank Lancaster. He returned to the room where
+Mildred still waited with the American.
+
+"What is your question?" he asked.
+
+"It doesn't matter just now," she replied, with a glance at Denham.
+"Later I can talk of it. This arrival of Tamaroo has driven all else
+out of my head."
+
+"But do you know anything of the man?"
+
+"I know all that Frank could tell me," she replied. "My dear Eustace,
+Frank has told me all of your doings since he came to you. You don't
+mind my calling him Frank, do you?" she said, pleadingly, as she saw
+him frown. "He is in such difficulties, and I am so sorry."
+
+Jarman looked at her a little sadly, seeing that she was slipping away
+from him. "No," he replied, quietly, "I don't mind. Have you told Mr.
+Denham anything?"
+
+Mildred uttered an exclamation. She had quite forgotten the presence
+of the American, and dreaded lest she had betrayed Frank. But Natty
+came forward with a smile.
+
+"You need not be afraid, I guess," he said, nodding. "I'm square, and
+on your side."
+
+"I thought you were friendly to--"
+
+"To the Berrys? Not much. I've chucked them. They have been making use
+of me, and have been trying to get Lancaster hanged--"
+
+"And are trying," interrupted Eustace, quickly. "It's all right,
+Mildred. So sure am I of Denham that I intend to trust him."
+
+"You need have no fear," said Denham, colouring with pleasure. "I'm
+straight all through. Don't you trust me, Miss Starth?"
+
+Mildred looked at him with her innocent eyes, and he met her gaze
+without dropping his own.
+
+"Yes, I trust you," she said, "thoroughly."
+
+"In that case," said Eustace, rubbing his hands, "Mr. Denham can be
+present when Tamaroo explains to Frank."
+
+"Explains what?"
+
+"The whole business of the conspiracy. It concerns Frank, and also
+you, Denham. Tamaroo says that your father was the partner of the late
+Mr. Lancaster."
+
+"I've heard him mention Lancaster's name," said Natty, slowly; "but
+Tamaroo never came along."
+
+"He lay low, as your countrymen say. But it will all be explained
+to-night--in this room."
+
+Mildred uttered an exclamation. "Do you think that is wise?"
+
+"Yes. No one is likely to come here."
+
+"What about Captain Berry?" asked the girl, doubtfully.
+
+"He least of all," said Denham. "He doesn't know where I am, and if by
+chance he does turn up, I'll keep him going till we can smuggle back
+Lancaster to his hole."
+
+So it was agreed, although Mildred was still anxious. It seemed risky
+to her to take Frank from his safe hiding-place, and expose him to a
+chance of capture. However, she implicitly trusted in Jarman, and went
+back to tell Frank of the arrival of the negro.
+
+"How is it you speak English so well?" Eustace asked Tamaroo.
+
+"I was educated at a negro university," replied the man. "I am better
+educated than many a man of your colour, sir. But later on I will tell
+you my story. To-night I must relate what I know of his father to Mr.
+Lancaster."
+
+And so it came about. Leaving Natty and Tamaroo together, Eustace
+repaired to the summer-house about nine o'clock, and found Frank
+waiting for him in a state of subdued excitement. Mildred had told him
+everything, and he needed no explanation. The night was particularly
+dark, so the two men left the garden arm in arm. Mildred was walking
+on the lawn and watched them go, and Mrs. Perth in the house kept Jane
+employed lest she might learn too much.
+
+In a few minutes Frank was in the Shanty and shaking hands with
+Tamaroo. The old man was much affected at the sight of his master's
+son.
+
+"You are not at all like your father, sir," he said, "but like your
+dear mother, Heaven bless her!"
+
+"You knew my mother?"
+
+"She died in my arms," said Tamaroo, quietly, and then took out his
+bundle of papers.
+
+Denham, Frank, and Eustace waited anxiously to hear how the old
+negro would begin. Tamaroo untied the bundle and selected a long,
+official-looking paper. "The will," he said. "By this, Mr. Frank, you
+inherit close on a million if you are not hanged!"
+
+"Hanged?" uttered all three in sheer astonishment.
+
+"Hanged," repeated Tamaroo, "before the age of twenty-five."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX
+A STRANGE WILL
+
+
+Tamaroo smiled at the amazement expressed on the faces of his
+audience, although they had every excuse to look astonished.
+
+"Do you mean to say that such a condition is in the will?" asked
+Frank.
+
+Tamaroo nodded impressively. "It is set forth here," he said. "This is
+a copy of the will. The original is in the office of Hiram & Co.,
+lawyers, in San Francisco."
+
+"Are those the agents of White & Saon?" asked Eustace.
+
+"Yes, sir. I paid the monthly money through them. I was afraid to
+bring the original will with me, as I thought Captain Berry might kill
+me to get possession of it. But he has only a copy."
+
+"And how did he get the copy?" asked Natty, quickly.
+
+"That is part of the story," said the negro, adjusting his spectacles.
+"It is all written out here. But it will be best for me to tell it in
+my own way, and then, Mr. Frank, you can read the papers afterwards
+when you have time."
+
+Frank looked grim. "I have plenty of time," he said; "the whole
+twenty-four hours of the day. But tell the story in your own way."
+
+The negro nodded, and seemed pleased that he was allowed to do what he
+liked. The four men were seated at the end of the room furthest from
+the window. Outside it was a particularly dark night, and rain was
+falling. At times the wind shook the house, which was old. The blinds
+of the big, square window at the end, where Jarman's desk stood, were
+pulled down, but the curtains had not been drawn. Occasionally a flare
+of bluish lightning would show against the blinds, and more clearly
+where they did not quite cover the window. What with the drench of the
+rain, the howling of the wind, and the rolling of distant thunder, the
+noise at times drowned the negro's voice. Therefore the three who
+listened were obliged to bend their heads in order to hear clearly.
+The lamp was drawn close to Tamaroo's elbow so that he could refer at
+his ease to the papers. But this he rarely did, as he seemed to know
+what they contained by heart. He began his narrative by asking
+questions.
+
+"Do you remember your father, Mr. Denham?" he asked.
+
+"Oh, I guess I do," replied Natty, nodding. "He didn't die so very
+long ago. We hung out in Los Angeles, and Berry was an old friend of
+the governor's."
+
+"Quite so," nodded Tamaroo; "and he was the ruin of your father. He
+induced him to drink more than was good."
+
+Natty, who had not quite got over the contempt of the American for the
+black race, would have replied in rather a fiery manner, but that
+Tamaroo gave him no time.
+
+"Don't be angry, sir," he said. "All that I say is means to an end."
+
+"Well, I believe Berry did make my father drink," admitted Denham,
+reluctantly. "He was always hovering round. But so was Anchor, for the
+matter of that. He drank also."
+
+"And was Fairy Fan anywhere in the galley?" asked Eustace.
+
+"Yes," said Tamaroo, who seemed to know the lady by that name. "She is
+the niece of Berry."
+
+"Oh!" said Frank, "then she really is the niece?"
+
+"Oh, certainly. The daughter of his sister, and a very wicked woman."
+
+"You don't need to add that last," put in Eustace. "I know how she
+treated poor Anchor. But go on with the story."
+
+"I must begin at the beginning, then," said Tamaroo, and cleared his
+throat. "I need not be very particular as to time," he said, "as the
+dates are all in the papers here. I'll just tell you the story as
+shortly as possible, and then you can read it at leisure for
+yourselves."
+
+"That's all right," said Frank. "Go on. I am impatient."
+
+"I am a very old man," continued Tamaroo. "You mightn't believe it,
+but I am over eighty. In my youth I was a slave on a plantation near
+New Orleans. I was wickedly treated by a brutal master, and Mr.
+Lancaster, seeing me being flogged one day, bought me out of pity. I
+was not very young then, but I was strong, and Mr. Lancaster found
+that I could work for him. I did. Heaven bless him!" said Tamaroo,
+with emotion. "He was a good friend to me. He set me free, and he sent
+me to school, where I learnt to talk as I do. Afterwards, when old, I
+went to a negro college and learnt still more. But when Mr. Lancaster
+bought me I was very ignorant. He was a handsome young man then, and
+fond of roving. He took me with him to the Californian diggings, and
+we had a wild time. It was there that we first met Captain Berry."
+
+"What is his real name?" asked Eustace.
+
+"I don't know; he had so many. But he was originally a sailor. I think
+his true name was Berry, as he used that oftener than the others, and
+always when he was well off. When in difficulties he called himself by
+other names."
+
+"Such as Sakers, at San Francisco," murmured Eustace. "Ah! that was
+because he took to the sea again and lost a schooner in the South
+Seas. But when my master met him he was called Banjo Berry, because he
+played so well on that instrument. The name took his fancy, and he
+kept it."
+
+"And anything else he could lay his hands on," said Denham. "I've
+heard him twang the banjo, and he can scrape a bit."
+
+"Berry and my master got on very well, and were always together. I did
+not like him myself, and warned Mr. Lancaster against him, but my
+master would always have his own way. Then Mr. Denham came."
+
+"My father?" said Natty, looking interested.
+
+"Yes, sir. He was a gay young man then also, and he took a liking
+to my master. Berry was friendly with both. The three set to work to
+make money at the diggings, but ill-luck pursued them. At last my
+master grew disgusted, and thought of returning to England. But
+before he went he fancied he would like to travel about Mexico for
+a time. He took me with him, but left Berry and Mr. Denham behind at
+the diggings. We went into the wilds of Mexico, and had many
+adventures--oh very many--and were in much danger. But we came through
+all, and I saved my master's life twice."
+
+"Heaven bless you!" said Frank, shaking the negro's hand.
+
+The old man nodded with a proud look. "I loved my master. He had saved
+me from slavery, and what else could I do but save him? For two years
+we travelled in the wilds. Then we met with an Indian. He had been
+deserted by his tribe and was dying. My master, always kind, nursed
+him for a long time; but he grew weak, and at last he died."
+
+"What sort of Indian was he?" asked Natty--"a red-skin?"
+
+"No. We were not so far north as that. He said he was an Aztec."
+
+"Aha!" murmured Eustace, "now we are coming to the treasure."
+
+Tamaroo nodded. "You are clever, Mr. Jarman. Yes, this Indian told my
+master, when dying, that he knew of a treasure hidden under the sign
+of the Scarlet Bat."
+
+"Kind of totem," said Jarman.
+
+Tamaroo looked puzzled. "I do not know what that is," he said simply,
+"but the Scarlet Bat was a sign set by the great King Montezuma on a
+rock, under which he concealed part of his treasure. The Indian--he
+was a cacique--enraged by the desertion of those who should have saved
+his life, told the secret to my master."
+
+"And how did the cacique know?"
+
+"The secret had been handed down from his fathers."
+
+Denham nodded. "I've heard of that sort of thing before," he said.
+"Some Indians know where the treasures of Montezuma are hidden; but
+the greater part of the hoard remains undiscovered. They will not
+reveal its whereabouts to a white man."
+
+"True," assented Tamaroo. "They hate white men. But my master was so
+kind that he won the gratitude of the cacique. When the man was dying
+he told, and gave a chart. Then we buried him."
+
+"And went to look for the treasure?" asked Frank.
+
+"No, sir. It was a wild country where there were many Indians. We
+should have been killed had we gone alone. My master returned to the
+diggings and offered to share the treasure with Berry and with Mr.
+Denham, if they would come with him to find it."
+
+"Did they agree?" asked Natty, eagerly.
+
+"Of course they did, or all this trouble wouldn't have come about,"
+put in Eustace, decisively.
+
+"You are not altogether right, Mr. Jarman," said the negro, quietly.
+"Only Mr. Denham would go. Berry was making money at the diggings, and
+preferred the bird in the hand to the two in the bush. But he came
+with us for a little way. Mr. Lancaster, knowing he was a good shot
+and a fearless man, wanted him greatly to come, and promised him a
+share. But he refused and turned back. We went on without him."
+
+"And you found the treasure?"
+
+"Yes. We had hard work, though. It was quite a year before we came
+across the rock marked with the Scarlet Bat. Also we had to fight our
+way through a hostile country, and several of our men died. At last we
+reached the rock and found the treasure. With the greatest difficulty
+we transported it to civilisation. I need not tell you all the
+hardships we underwent, or how we got the treasure safely landed. But
+we did. I had a share, and then Mr. Denham and Mr. Lancaster divided
+the rest between them."
+
+"So that's how my father made his money," muttered Natty. "He spent it
+on a large scale."
+
+"He did, sir," said the negro, gravely. "He spent all he had, with the
+exception of that portion he saved for you."
+
+"He didn't save much. Why didn't he leave me more?"
+
+Tamaroo nodded impressively. "He was afraid of Berry."
+
+Natty stared and looked angry. "My father was afraid of nothing."
+
+"He was afraid of Berry," insisted Tamaroo. "And Mr. Lancaster was
+also afraid."
+
+This time Frank protested. "I can't believe that."
+
+"It is true enough. You see, gentlemen, both Mr. Denham and Mr.
+Lancaster married when they got the money. You two gentlemen"--he
+looked at Frank and Natty--"were born on the same day."
+
+"That is strange," said Natty, and Frank laughed.
+
+"It pleased both my master and Mr. Denham, for they were such good
+friends. So that you should both be certain of inheriting the
+treasure, they had you both tattooed with the Scarlet Bat."
+
+"Oh! was that it," said Natty, thinking of his story of the Indians.
+"Mine is on the left arm. And yours, Lancaster?"
+
+"On the right. Go on, Tamaroo."
+
+"The reason of the tattooing," continued the negro, "was that my
+master and Mr. Denham thought that Berry would kidnap you both."
+
+"But what was Berry's game?" asked Natty.
+
+"To get the money. He had bad luck at the diggings, and when he
+returned to San Francisco he found that the treasure had been
+discovered. He claimed a share, which claim was refused."
+
+"I should jolly well think so," said Jarman, emphatically,
+"considering Berry did nothing towards getting it. What cheek!"
+
+"So my master and Mr. Denham thought," said the negro, with a smile.
+"They refused the claim, and then Berry threatened to kidnap you two
+gentlemen. He thought he would then be able to force those who
+possessed the treasure to part with some of it. The tattooing was done
+so that if the kidnapping took place both of you would be recognised.
+But Berry never made the attempt."
+
+"He waited for a better opportunity."
+
+"Yes." Tamaroo nodded. "Mr. Denham went to live at Los Angeles, and
+spent a lot of money. His wife died after a time, and he looked after
+you, sir"--this to Natty--"so that you might not be kidnapped. At
+length Berry turned up after some years, and made friends."
+
+"Didn't my father mistrust him?"
+
+"At first he did, but afterwards, being shaken by drink, I think he
+grew afraid of Berry. He shared a portion of the money with him. That
+is, he gave him free house-room, and occasional sums. Berry was not
+satisfied, but when he found that Mr. Denham was spending the money he
+never attempted to kill him, knowing that what remained would not pay
+him to commit such a crime. He then thought of my master, who had
+saved his share."
+
+"Did my father live in San Francisco?"
+
+"Yes, Mr. Lancaster. After the death of your mother he lived like a
+recluse, and invested all his money. It is well invested," said
+Tamaroo, proudly. "I helped him. You will receive about forty thousand
+a year now."
+
+"If I'm ever in a position to enjoy it," muttered Frank, startled by
+this good fortune. "Well, did Berry see my father?"
+
+"He did. Mr. Lancaster was then beginning to suffer from leprosy, but
+the disease had not made much progress. When it began he sent you to
+the lady aunt, Mr. Frank."
+
+"I was then two years of age, I remember. Go on."
+
+"Berry came to your father, and threatened to follow you to England
+and kill you. Mr. Lancaster grew afraid, and made this will."
+
+"Ah!" put in Eustace, "now we come to the interesting part. Why did he
+make such an extraordinary will, and place Frank in such danger?"
+
+"It was the best he could do to save him from Berry's machinations,
+Mr. Jarman," said the negro, quietly. "Being a leper, he could not do
+much, as his disease was gaining on him, and he thought he would be
+sent away to some settlement by the authorities. That afterwards
+happened, but at the time I speak of he was still in 'Frisco."
+
+"My poor father!" murmured Frank. "And what about Anchor?"
+
+"Mr. Lancaster met him afterwards. But about the will. My master knew
+that Berry was a fascinating man with a strong influence. He thought
+that if he left the money to you, Berry might gain an influence over
+you, since you were so young, and get you to leave the money to him.
+Then he would murder you to become possessed of it."
+
+"Berry would never have fascinated me," declared Frank. "I am not so
+weak-minded as that."
+
+"You were young then, Mr. Frank, and Berry could have done much with
+you as a boy. He influenced Mr. Denham here."
+
+"He certainly did," assented Natty, "and I'm no slouch either. But
+Berry, in spite of his looks and rascality, is fascinating. I was
+quite taken in by him. But I see through him now. Well--the will?"
+
+"As I said," went on Tamaroo, "Mr. Lancaster did not know how to make
+the money safe from Berry. Therefore, he made his will leaving the
+money to you, Mr. Frank, and afterwards to Denham's son."
+
+"That's to me," said Natty. "I see now, this money is the fortune I
+was to inherit."
+
+"Yes. My master did not know that Berry had such an influence over
+your father, nor did I, or a different will would have been made. But
+the money was to go to you, provided that Mr. Frank was hanged before
+he reached the age of twenty-five. If Mr. Frank died a natural death,
+or was murdered, the money was to go to a charity. Anchor was made the
+trustee of this will."
+
+"But I don't see where the sense of the hanging comes in."
+
+"Well, Mr. Jarman," said the negro, turning to Eustace, who had
+spoken, "it's this way. My master thought that unless he put in that
+clause, Berry might get rid of Mr. Frank by violence."
+
+"But if he murdered him the money would have gone to the charity."
+
+"Quite so," assented Tamaroo, quietly. "And even if Mr. Frank died a
+natural death that would have happened. Mr. Lancaster knew that Berry
+was mixed up with people of our race who knew something of poisons."
+
+"Aha!" said Jarman, "Balkis!"
+
+"Yes. Balkis, sir; though I don't know how you came to hear of her."
+
+"I'll tell you later. Go on."
+
+Tamaroo paused to collect his thoughts, and continued: "So you see
+that the only way in which Berry could prevent the money going to the
+charity--in which case it would be lost to him altogether--was by
+getting Mr. Frank hanged. My master fancied that even if Berry did not
+murder Mr. Frank openly he might get some drug from Balkis which would
+kill Mr. Frank, without revealing that poison had been used. And that
+could have been done," said Tamaroo, impressively.
+
+"Ah! I see now," cried Eustace. "Berry by means of this poison could
+have made Frank's death appear natural."
+
+"Yes, sir. In which case the money would have gone to the charity. Mr.
+Lancaster knew that, being brought up by the lady aunt, his son would
+not commit a crime, so it was not likely that Berry would succeed in
+getting him hanged before the age of twenty-five."
+
+"I see," said Frank, grimly; "but he has made a good shot at it. I was
+to be hanged for the murder of Starth, and then Natty here was to get
+the money."
+
+"Yes," said Tamaroo. "And afterwards Mr. Denham was to be put out of
+the way, and Berry and his niece were to benefit."
+
+"Very clever," muttered Natty. "But I'm not quite such a fool. And Mr.
+Lancaster is dead?"
+
+"He is, sir. His disease got worse after he made his will, and he went
+to a leper settlement, where he died some time ago. As soon as I heard
+of his death I brought home these papers, only to learn that Mr. Frank
+was in danger of being hanged. To find him I plastered London with
+those posters. Then I--"
+
+There was a smash of glass, and the blind of the middle window bulged
+out. Berry sprang into the room with a revolver. "I arrest you!" he
+called out to Frank, "for the murder of Starth. I arrest you!"
+
+Jarman purposely overturned the lamp, and in the ensuing darkness
+confusion ensued. When it was re-lighted Tamaroo and Frank had
+disappeared.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI
+AN UNEXPECTED MEETING
+
+
+The next morning Darrel, who was still at the Rectory, paid a visit to
+Mildred. Had she been within doors she would have refused to see him,
+as she was much distressed in her mind. Frank had not returned from
+the Shanty, nor had Eustace appeared to explain the reason. Mildred
+was haunted by visions of the young man being captured, and, since she
+firmly believed in his innocence, felt very anxious. After a sleepless
+night she came out before breakfast to take the air in the garden, and
+so found herself face to face with Darrel in the most unexpected way.
+He entered the grounds with an air of possession which was intensely
+irritating to Mildred in her then state of mind, and she was not
+prepared to receive him warmly.
+
+"You come at an awkward hour, Mr. Darrel," she said coldly, "and I am
+not able to see you."
+
+"I thought you might refuse," he replied, sulkily; "but I cannot deny
+myself the pleasure of being the first to bring you the good news. You
+will be glad to hear that the murderer of your brother Walter has been
+caught."
+
+Mildred nearly fainted, but saved herself by a strong effort. "Are you
+speaking of Mr. Lancaster?" she asked.
+
+"Of who else?" replied Darrel, with a triumphant smile. "He is the
+guilty person. Last night Berry, of whom you have heard, came down and
+found him in Jarman's house. I believe there was a fight, but in the
+end the man was caught. You must be pleased."
+
+"I am not pleased. Mr. Lancaster is innocent."
+
+"Of course he would tell you that in his character of O'Neil," said
+the man, scornfully. "But it's a lie. I believe he is guilty."
+
+"Perhaps you denounced him to Captain Berry?"
+
+"No. I told him that if he left you alone I would hold my tongue."
+
+The girl turned on him angrily. "And what right have you to say such a
+thing about me?" she demanded vehemently. "I am not engaged to you. I
+never shall be!"
+
+"Oh, yes, you will," he replied, coming closer and looking into her
+white face with angry eyes. "You will be my wife, now that this
+villain is out of the way."
+
+"Never! And Mr. Lancaster is not a villain."
+
+"He is. He killed your brother. You cannot love the murderer of your
+brother."
+
+"Who told you that I loved Mr. Lancaster?"
+
+"My own heart. Bah! Do you think I can be deceived? Did I not see the
+looks which passed between you?"
+
+Mildred looked on him with ineffable contempt. "You mean, low, pitiful
+coward!" she said, while he winced at the ringing scorn in her voice.
+"You come here to insult me, because I will not marry you. Now, hear
+me. I _do_ love Frank."
+
+"Ah!"--a low cry of rage escaped him--"you call him Frank."
+
+"I do, for I love him. He has said nothing to me, and I do not even
+know if he returns my feeling."
+
+"Yes, you do," said Darrel, striking his stick passionately on the
+ground, and glaring on her fiercely. "You two understand one another
+very well. I believe that you knew where he was concealed after he
+left Jarman. Ah!"--he read her face--"you _did_ know."
+
+"That's my business. Leave this place at once."
+
+Darrel stood his ground doggedly. "I refuse to go. I refuse to give
+you up," he declared, with a growl like a wild beast disturbed at
+meal-time. "Your lover has been arrested. He will hang, and you will
+be my wife. I'll bring your pride down then."
+
+"Never! never! never! Frank can prove his innocence, and I will die
+sooner than be your wife. You betrayed him, you pitiful coward!"
+
+"I did not. Miss Berry learnt that he was here."
+
+"Through you," she flashed out.
+
+"No. On my soul!" he protested. "I said nothing. I don't know how she
+learnt it. But she did make the discovery, and told Berry. He came
+down here last night, and watched Jarman's cottage. He saw Lancaster
+enter, and waited outside the window. After a time he smashed the
+glass with his gloved hands, and sprang into the room with a revolver.
+Jarman overturned the lamp, and then--"
+
+"And then," said a new voice--that of Jarman who had stolen upon the
+two unobserved--"then Frank escaped in the darkness with Tamaroo."
+
+Darrel turned on the newcomer fiercely, but Mildred gave a cry of joy.
+
+"Frank has not been taken then?" she cried, clapping her hands. "This
+man"--she looked scornfully at Darrel--"says he was captured."
+
+"What do you mean by that?" demanded Eustace, who looked pale and ill,
+and was evidently in a sullen mood.
+
+"Because I'm sure he has been taken by this time. I saw Berry last
+night--"
+
+"Ah!" cried Mildred. "You came to help."
+
+"Yes, I did. I wanted Lancaster removed from my path. Berry came to
+the Rectory to ask for my assistance. But he knew already where to
+find the man. I went with him to the cottage--"
+
+"And you lurked outside, not being man enough to enter," said Jarman,
+with a sneer. "I turned Berry out pretty sharp. Being an American, he
+has yet to learn that an Englishman's house is his castle."
+
+"And you have to learn, Mr. Jarman, that you have been compounding a
+felony in sheltering this criminal."
+
+"Frank is not a criminal!" cried Mildred, with a stamp.
+
+"Ah you defend your brother's murderer," sneered Darrel, savagely.
+
+"Don't talk rubbish, Darrel," interposed Jarman. "You know well enough
+that Lancaster is innocent."
+
+"He is not. He certainly escaped last night, but Berry is on his
+track. Lancaster may disguise himself, but Tamaroo will be spotted in
+a mighty short time. They can't escape."
+
+"Why did you tell me that Frank was arrested?" asked Mildred.
+
+"I thought you would be pleased," he said sulkily.
+
+"No. You thought it would wound my heart, you coward! Go away!" She
+stamped her foot. "I hate the sight of you."
+
+"Mildred," said Eustace, quietly, though he felt a pang at seeing how
+she defended Frank, "let me attend to this gentleman."
+
+"I sha'n't move till he goes," said she, obstinately.
+
+"You had better go," said Eustace, suggestively, to the Rhodesian.
+
+"And leave the field to you," he answered, with a taunting laugh. "How
+many more lovers have you, Miss Starth?"
+
+Mildred gave a cry of shame, and her face crimsoned. With a shout
+Eustace dashed forward, and before Darrel knew what he was about he
+swung him up in his mighty arms, and pitched him clean over the gate
+into the roadway, where he sprawled like a huge toad. Mildred caught
+Jarman by the hand, panting.
+
+"Oh, you are a man--a man!" she said.
+
+Darrel picked himself up, but did not show fight. His face was
+more like that of a negro than ever, and Eustace believed he was a
+half-caste, seeing how the racial type came out.
+
+"You bully!" growled the man, fiercely, but keeping well in the
+roadway. "I'll be even with you. I can guess where Lancaster is hiding
+now, and I'll hunt him down--I'll hunt him down! He shall hang, and
+you, Jarman, shall go to prison for having assisted him. As for
+you"--he turned fiercely on the girl, who stood beside Eustace,
+shaking and white--"you shall be my wife. I'll break your spirit.
+I'll--I'll--" He could speak no more for sheer rage, and his hands
+trembled with excitement. Finally he gave a roar like a wounded lion,
+and dashed away. Mildred wrung her hands in dismay.
+
+"He will hunt down Frank--he will hunt down Frank!"
+
+"Nonsense!" said Eustace, roughly, helping her to a seat. "It's all
+bluff on his part. He can't know where Frank has fled to. So long as
+the boy is with Tamaroo, I am sure he will be safe."
+
+"Did they say where they were going?" asked Mildred.
+
+"No. There was no time. Berry, in a most wonderful way, smashed in the
+window. I expect he used his coat to avoid being cut by the glass.
+Before we knew where we were he was in the middle of the room, and
+covering Frank with his Derringer. The only thing that occurred to me
+was to overturn the lamp, which I did. Then I made for Berry, but
+found him already struggling with Natty. I managed to light a candle,
+and discovered that Tamaroo had disappeared with Frank."
+
+"What did Berry do?"
+
+"He accused me of sheltering a criminal. I would not let him leave the
+room, so that the two fugitives could get a start. Then I turned him
+out. I expect he joined Darrel, although I never knew that Darrel was
+outside, and they went away."
+
+"But if Mr. Darrel was outside he must have seen the direction in
+which Frank went."
+
+"I doubt it, the night was so dark and stormy. But, even if he did, he
+could do nothing. Berry, afraid of the law, as I thought he would be,
+did not bring a policeman with him, nor did he have a warrant. Frank
+can escape by half-a-dozen stations round about. They are all within
+walking distance. Depend upon it Tamaroo will take him to some safe
+place, and then we shall hear. I trust the negro."
+
+"But about the will--the--"
+
+"There is no time to talk about that now," said Eustace, brusquely.
+"There is much to be done if Berry is to be thwarted. He'll hunt Frank
+down with all his heart and soul, and now Darrel, out of sheer hatred,
+will join in. I want to save Frank--" He paused, and looked directly
+at Mildred. "I wish to save him for--"
+
+She put out her hands. "No. Say nothing now. Afterwards we will
+talk--we can--oh! believe me--I--I--shall keep my bargain."
+
+"Your bargain was not that I should save Frank, but discover the
+assassin of your brother," said Eustace, gloomily. "But to do the one
+I must do the other. Frank shall be saved, and the man who killed
+Walter shall be caught. And then"--he paused again with a shiver--"and
+then--we will talk, as you say."
+
+"But I want to say--"
+
+"Say nothing, Mildred. Child," he said, as she rose, "all I wish
+is to see you happy. I have made one mistake. Do not let me make
+another. No, don't speak. I'm only a man after all, and I am not equal
+to--to--" He passed his hand across his forehead, then started
+briskly. "But this is not business," he broke off, and held out his
+hand. "Give me the letter."
+
+Amazed by his sudden transition from sentiment to business, Mildred
+did not quite comprehend. "The letter?" she stammered.
+
+"Yes, the letter written by Miss Berry to you, saying that she loved
+your brother, and wished to marry him. Denham gave it to you."
+
+"Yes, yes. But how did you--"
+
+"I got her to write it," said Jarman, quickly. "She wanted me to
+deliver a message to Frank for her, and I agreed to do it on
+conditions. They were that she should write such a letter."
+
+"I wondered that she should," said Mildred, searching in the pocket of
+her dress. "I came to talk to you about it last night."
+
+"That was the question you wished to ask?"
+
+"Yes. But the arrival of Tamaroo put it out of my head. Did she love
+my brother?"
+
+"No. Nor did she intend to marry him."
+
+"Then why did she write a lie?"
+
+"Because she would write anything to secure her own ends," said
+Jarman, taking the letter. "This will not hurt her in any way, and as
+I asked her to write it she did. I am only beating her with her own
+weapons."
+
+"What do you intend to do with the letter?" asked the girl.
+
+Eustace put it away, and smiled faintly. "I am going to show it to a
+black lady called Balkis."
+
+"I heard something about her from Frank. But why--"
+
+"Don't ask me questions, my dear," said Eustace, impatiently, for he
+felt that he could not talk about the negress without exposing the
+opium smoking of the dead brother; "there is no time. I go to London
+in an hour. First I look in at that house in Sand Lane--"
+
+"Where Walter lived?"
+
+"Yes. Frank told me that when he called to see your brother on the day
+of the murder one of the windows was open. Tilly, the servant, in her
+evidence said that the windows were all bolted and barred. I am going
+to ask why she told the lie. I suspect that she knows that someone got
+into the house, else she would not have given false evidence. And that
+someone is the murderer."
+
+"Oh, I hope you will be successful!" cried Mildred, clasping her
+hands. "And afterwards?"
+
+"I go to the Docks to see Balkis. I'll tell you all about it when I
+return. Keep up your spirits, Mildred," said Jarman, holding out his
+hand. "I'll save Frank yet."
+
+She bent down, and, before he could stop her, kissed his hand. "Oh,
+how noble you are--how noble!" Then she ran into the house to prevent
+further betrayal of emotion.
+
+Jarman turned away sadly. "No hope for me," he thought. "She loves the
+boy, and he her. The two young things have been loyal to me, and have
+not come to an understanding. Shall I be less noble? Well, well,
+well!" He passed his hand across his face with a sigh. "We shall see."
+
+At the Mardon railway station Jarman saw Darrel getting into the
+train. He gave a scowl as his eyes fell on his enemy, but made no
+remark. Thinking that the Rhodesian was losing no time, and wondering
+if he really knew where the hunted man was to be found, Eustace
+slipped into a third-class smoker. He dismissed the big man from his
+thoughts, as the only chance of saving Frank lay in getting evidence
+to prove his innocence. And Jarman hoped to get a portion of such
+evidence from the servant, Tilly Samuels.
+
+On arriving at Liverpool Street he took the underground train to South
+Kensington, and soon found himself in Sand Lane. At the door of the
+house formerly occupied by Starth he saw two women. One was Tilly, who
+was weeping, and the other--Miss Cork.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII
+MISS CORK EXPLAINS
+
+
+The housekeeper looked lean and shadowy as usual. She was still
+dressed in grey, and wore her hair screwed into the same door-knob
+that Jarman knew so well. But her face wore a smile, and she was
+staring at Tilly with passionate affection. When she heard Jarman's
+foot on the pavement, she turned round with the look of a tigress
+ready to defend her cubs. But at the sight of her old master she
+changed colour, and made as if to run away. But Eustace caught her by
+the elbow, and prevented her departure. Tilly, who wore the blue dress
+and the picture-hat, looked amazed and indignant.
+
+"'Ere, sir," she said shrilly, "jes leave my mother be, d'ye see!"
+
+"Your mother?" said Eustace, recalling Miss Cork's mention of a stolen
+child.
+
+"Jus' so," snapped Tilly, making warlike demonstration with the yellow
+umbrella. "I'll call the policeman round the corner, an' he's a friend
+o' mine. It's bad enough for that old Betts to keep m' box, without m'
+mother being hit," and she again began to weep.
+
+"Hush, child," said Miss Cork, sharply, and removing her arm from the
+grasp of Eustace. "I must speak with this gentleman. I had hoped never
+to see you again, Mr. Jarman"--with a curtsey--"as I have behaved
+ungrateful. But if you will put temptation in poor folks' way, you
+must take the consequence."
+
+"But what temptation are you speaking of?"
+
+"That's a long story," said Miss Cork. "We can't talk here, and Mrs.
+Betts, who employed my child, has turned her out of the house."
+
+"Without m' box," snivelled Tilly, wiping her eyes with a pair of
+cotton lavender gloves. "Alt's presents is in it, too."
+
+At that moment, looking very small and very fierce, and very like that
+celebrated Mrs. Raddle who persecuted Bob Sawyer, the mistress of the
+discharged servant appeared at the door. "Don't stop the road up
+before my house," she cried, shaking a mittened fist. "Not a box or a
+character will you get till you give up your wages for giving me only
+three days' notice."
+
+"That's the way she goes on, sir," sobbed Tilly, "as if m' mother
+didn't want to take me away and make a real lady of me."
+
+"Wait a moment," said Jarman, who knew the landlady, having once or
+twice visited Starth at these rooms. "I can arrange this. Now, Mrs.
+Betts," he said, striding to the door, "what is the matter?"
+
+"Oh Mr. Jarman, I'm that ashamed, really, so unpleasant, what must you
+think?" simpered Mrs. Betts, becoming suave.
+
+"I think that I want to have a talk with this young lady and her
+mother," said Eustace, grimly. "And I'll be glad if you'll let us have
+a room for half-an-hour."
+
+"Lady! Mother!" gurgled Mrs. Betts. "Well, I'm sure, and what's the
+world coming to I'd like to know, when gentlemen--"
+
+"Oh, allow me to know my own business best," interrupted Jarman,
+impatiently. "Tilly's mother was my housekeeper."
+
+"That alters the case," said Mrs. Betts, blandly. "A room is at your
+service, sir, but I don't give box or character until--"
+
+"I'll pay you Tilly's wages, and you can give both."
+
+Tilly set up a shrill cry of triumph over Mrs. Betts, and would have
+darted into the house, but that she was withheld by Miss Cork. "We
+must speak to Mr. Jarman first," said the ex-housekeeper.
+
+"And I must have the money--fifteen shillings--before the box--"
+
+Eustace nodded. "I am in a hurry, Mrs. Betts," he said, walking into
+the passage. "Let me have a room and half-an-hour with these two."
+
+Quite satisfied, though rather perplexed, the landlady showed her
+visitor into a small room on the ground floor. It was badly furnished
+and worse lighted. But at least it was a place where Eustace felt he
+could talk privately to Miss Cork. Tilly and her mother entered, and
+Jarman closed the door.
+
+"I shouldn't tork loud," said the small servant, pointing to the
+key-hole; "her ear's allays there."
+
+A shrill voice through the key-hole replied that this was untrue, and
+bestowed several unflattering epithets on Tilly. Afterwards the
+retreating footsteps of Mrs. Betts were heard, and Tilly giggled over
+her success in detecting the old lady. But Eustace was too worried to
+take any interest in this comedy. He stationed Tilly near the door
+that she might give notice if Mrs. Betts returned, and then addressed
+himself to his old housekeeper.
+
+"Well, Miss Cork, and what have you to say?"
+
+"I beg your pardon, I am not Miss Cork. As I have found my child, I
+can take my real name, which is Selina Burl--Mrs. Burl. I now go out
+charing, and never will I be parted from my child again!"
+
+"You need not be, so far as I am concerned. But now explain. Why did
+you leave me without notice?"
+
+"I saw a picture of the black woman who stole my child."
+
+"You mean Balkis?"
+
+"Yes. I mean the woman who keeps an opium shop at the Docks."
+
+"Did she steal your child?" asked Eustace, wondering.
+
+"Years ago," sighed Mrs. Burl, while Tilly looked on intelligently.
+
+"Why should she steal your child?"
+
+"Ah, that's a long story. I'll tell it to you if you like, sir."
+
+"I'm ready to hear it," answered Eustace, wondering at the coincidence
+which had brought his former housekeeper into contact with Balkis.
+
+"Burl drank," began the lady, abruptly. "He was a house-painter, and
+earned wages of the highest when not at the bottle. He turned me out
+into the street one night with Tilly." Mrs. Burl pointed to her
+newly-found offspring, who giggled. "We lived near the Docks, by
+reason of the cheap rents. I had nowhere to go, and was found by that
+black woman, who called herself Balkis."
+
+"How long ago did this happen?"
+
+"Never you mind," replied Mrs. Burl, drawing her shawl closely
+round her. "I'll tell what I can, and that which I don't tell don't
+matter. Balkis (as she called herself) said she wanted a servant, and
+took me in. She gave no wages, but a comfortable home. We--Tilly and
+me--stopped with her for some time. Then I left."
+
+"Why did you leave a comfortable place?" asked Jarman.
+
+Mrs. Burl pursed up her lips, and shook her head. "It weren't
+respectable," she said, nodding. "No; though in one way it were. I
+haven't a word to say against Balkis, who always kept herself like a
+lady, though she was the colour of the tea-kettle. But you see, Mr.
+Jarman, she kept an opium shop, and a gambling den."
+
+"Ah! did she. What did the police say?"
+
+"Now you come to the reason of my leaving, sir. The police knew
+nothing about the gambling. I don't think they minded the opium
+smoking. Such people came there!" Mrs. Burl shuddered. "Chinamen
+and Lascars, and low sailors, and sometimes gentlemen who were fond of
+the pipe. But all that was almost public, as you might say. The
+gambling"--here Mrs. Burl lowered her voice--"it took place in the
+secret rooms."
+
+"What do you mean by the secret rooms?"
+
+"What I do say, Mr. Jarman," replied Mrs. Burl, with several nods, and
+an air of mystery. "The opium shop was near the river, and respectable
+to look at outside, being painted and kept clean. But the rooms--which
+I cleaned--were almost under the river, and furnished like Buckingham
+Palace. Balkis used to boast that if the police ever found out her
+rooms they would never leave them alive."
+
+"Did she mean to murder them?"
+
+"Ah, that's just what I don't know. She's a terrible woman, and has
+all kinds of ideas--very wicked ideas, though I must say that she is
+respectable for the most part. All she wanted was to make money, and
+she made it quicker out of the gambling rooms than in any other way.
+The piles of gold and notes I've seen there, sir, you wouldn't
+believe. And the Chinamen played an evil game called Fan-tan--"
+
+"I know it," said Eustace, who had been in Canton.
+
+"Then you know a wicked thing, Mr. Jarman, begging your pardon. But I
+had a quarrel with Balkis, as she would not give me money to dress
+Tilly, and I threatened to leave. Balkis said that I could go, and
+then like a fool, knowing the terrible woman she was, I said I'd tell
+the police about the secret rooms, and the gambling."
+
+"That was indeed foolish, Mrs. Burl."
+
+"Ah, it was, sir, and soon I found it. Balkis, when I was asleep, took
+Tilly--who was then a child--from my side, and hid her away."
+
+"In effect, she kidnapped her?"
+
+"Yes, Mr. Jarman, she did; and when I woke fair distracted, she said I
+would never see my child again until she made her money out of the
+gambling. When she shut them up and returned to America--"
+
+"Ah!" said Eustace, "she came from America."
+
+"She did, Mr. Jarman, from a West Indian island. But when she went I
+was to have Tilly again. I implored her to give me my child, but she
+only laughed. She declared if I said a word about the gambling rooms
+that I would never see Tilly again. Then she turned me out, and I went
+searching for Tilly, for many a long month, till I was taken up for
+vagrancy, and you found me."
+
+"Why didn't you tell me this before?" asked Eustace. "I could have
+told the police and have recovered your child."
+
+"That's just why I held my tongue," said Mrs. Burl, quickly. "If the
+police had been informed, I would never have got Tilly again. When I
+was with you I several times went to ask Balkis about Tilly, and she
+assured me that she was well."
+
+"I was brought up in a wurk-hus," put in Tilly, "and then Mrs. Betts
+took me, so I've bin 'ere since, though the situation ain't worth
+much."
+
+"I see," said Eustace. "Well, Mrs. Burl, and how did you recover
+Tilly?"
+
+Mrs. Burl moved uneasily. "Now I'm coming to my ingratitude, sir. I
+was afraid when I saw the picture of Balkis which Mr. Lancaster left."
+
+"Hullao!" cried Eustace, with sudden suspicion. "How did you know my
+secretary was Lancaster? And what do you know of him?"
+
+"I know all that I read in the papers," said Mrs. Burl, with hanging
+head, "and when I went sometimes to see Balkis I heard Captain Berry
+talk of how he wished to get Mr. Lancaster."
+
+"Captain Berry? You know the whole gang?"
+
+"Ah, that I do, sir, and will give you any information I can, now that
+I have my Tilly safe. Balkis wanted to catch Mr. Lancaster also,
+because he had killed Mr. Starth, of whom she thought much."
+
+"She was in love with him?"
+
+"Well, sir, you might go so far as that. She loved him, and thought
+Mr. Lancaster guilty. So when I found out that you were hiding Mr.--"
+
+"Wait," said Eustace. "How did you learn that?"
+
+"I listened and then I knew," murmured Mrs. Burl.
+
+"I see," said Eustace, sternly, "and you betrayed the poor wretch."
+
+Mrs. Burl began to weep. "I am ashamed of myself--"
+
+"You may well be," said Jarman, bitterly. "I can guess what you did.
+Having told Balkis that you could inform her and Berry where the man
+they wanted was to be found, you promised to denounce him if Balkis
+gave you Tilly."
+
+"Yes," faltered Mrs. Burl. "I told her, and she said that Tilly was
+with Mrs. Betts. So I came here, and Tilly gave notice, and now we are
+going away. But I am ashamed."
+
+"I don't want any apologies," said Jarman, coldly. "It is worse than
+useless to hear them from so ungrateful a woman as you are. Come to
+the facts. Balkis told Berry."
+
+"Yes, sir," whimpered the woman. "And she told Miss Berry, who also
+came to the opium shop--but not to smoke. I will say--"
+
+"That's enough," said Jarman, cutting her short in disgust. "I know
+now how Berry and his niece came to find Lancaster. You have got your
+child as the price of your treachery, so there is no more to be said.
+But the least you can do is to give me the address of Balkis."
+
+"Oh, I'll do that," said Mrs. Burl, sobbing. "I ain't afraid of her
+now I have my Tilly. But don't go into them secret rooms, sir, for
+you'll never leave them alive. I should be sorry to see any trouble
+come upon you, Mr. Jarman."
+
+"That comes well from you!" retorted Eustace, ironically. "However,
+here is a piece of paper and a pencil. Write down the address of
+Balkis while I talk to your daughter."
+
+Mrs. Burl obeyed with sighs and sobs, but seemed glad to be let off so
+easily. Tilly looked up alertly.
+
+"Wotever 'ave you to say to me?" she asked, with wonder expressed on
+her wizened face.
+
+"This," said Eustace, sharply. "At the inquest you said that all the
+windows and doors were bolted. You know that one of the front windows
+was open."
+
+Tilly began to whimper in her turn. "I was afraid of Mrs. Betts," she
+cried. "She's such a 'ard woman, and would 'ave given me beans, if
+she'd found as I'd gone out leaving the winder ajar."
+
+"Then the window was open?"
+
+"Yes, sir. The right-'and winder, but the blind was down."
+
+"That wouldn't keep out anyone. Have you any idea who got in and
+murdered Mr. Starth?"
+
+"Why, sir"--Tilly's eyes opened widely--"didn't that yeller-'aired--"
+
+"No, he didn't, and you know he didn't."
+
+"S'elp me, sir, I never--"
+
+"You know more than you said at the inquest," said Eustace. "Tilly,"
+interpolated her mother in severe tones, having written the address,
+"tell all. It's the least we can do to this kind gentleman after the
+way we've treated him."
+
+"You needn't blame Tilly," said Eustace, drily. "You are in fault, not
+she. Come now"--to Tilly--"do you suspect anyone?"
+
+"No," said Tilly, defiantly. "I don't!"
+
+Eustace thought for a moment. Then he took out a sovereign, and tossed
+it to Mrs. Burl, "Go and get the box," he said, "and call a cab. I'll
+speak with Tilly alone."
+
+Mrs. Burl, accustomed to obey Eustace, went out at once, with a final
+recommendation to Tilly to tell all.
+
+"Now then," said Jarman, when alone with the small servant. "Did you
+pick up anything?"
+
+"Yes," said Tilly, in a frightened voice, and fished in the pocket of
+her blue dress. "This and this. One was in the kitchen, the ribbon,
+and t'other was on the sitting-room floor."
+
+The object found on the sitting-room floor was the invitation sent by
+Starth to Lancaster asking him to call. Probably Starth, for the
+furtherance of the plot, had taken it out of Frank's pocket when he
+lay insensible, intending to destroy it, but had forgotten to do so.
+It must have lain unnoticed on the floor till picked up by Tilly. "And
+you found this before the police came?"
+
+"Yes, sir. I should have told 'em, but I was that scared as I didn't."
+
+"You did very wrong," said Eustace, severely. "The coroner insisted
+that the deceased did not ask Lancaster to see him, and this is the
+proof that he did. What about the ribbon?"
+
+"I found it in the kitchen," said Tilly, in a subdued voice. "It is a
+tarting ribbon, and I thought it pretty."
+
+"Have you worn it?"
+
+"No, sir, and I ain't told anyone of it."
+
+"I'll take charge of these," said Eustace, putting the articles into
+his pocket. "Say nothing about them. Now, did you find the window as
+you left it when you returned?"
+
+"No," whimpered Tilly. "When I went in to lock it for the night it wos
+close shut and locked."
+
+"Did Mrs. Betts do that?"
+
+"No. She weren't in the room."
+
+"Observe," said Eustace, "how foolish you have been not to state this.
+The person who killed Starth must have entered by the window, and have
+locked it when within. He afterwards left by the door."
+
+"She couldn't have got in through the winder."
+
+"What do you mean?"
+
+"Well, sir," said Tilly, with hesitation, "that tarting ribbon wos
+worn by a woman, as it ain't a necktie."
+
+Eustace was also of this opinion after some reflection, and wondered
+if Starth could have been killed by a woman. He asked Tilly several
+other questions, but could learn nothing new from her. Then, having
+taken possession of the address--that written by his former
+housekeeper--he left the house. The last he saw of Mrs. Burl, she and
+Tilly were struggling with Mrs. Betts for the possession of a very
+small green trunk, and the waiting cabman was applauding the fight.
+Evidently some new trouble in connection with the three days' notice
+was taking place.
+
+However, Eustace had more serious things to think of, and washed his
+hands completely of Mrs. Burl, after her ungrateful behaviour. He lost
+no time in taking the Underground to the City, and thence departed for
+the Docks. After a dull journey he repaired to the address mentioned
+in the paper. It was a certain number in a narrow lane which led down
+to the water's edge. On the right-hand side of this Eustace found a
+respectable-looking house, painted a spotless white, and with green
+shutters. It would not have disgraced a new suburb. The doorstep was
+also white, and the brass knocker polished to a painful brilliancy.
+Amidst all the other frowsy houses that of Balkis looked fresh and
+clean and genteel.
+
+The door was opened by a lean Chinaman dressed in blue. He made no
+remark, but conducted Eustace into a room furnished in the Chinese
+manner. Jarman was left alone for a few minutes, then a huge negress
+entered the room, and he recognised her as Balkis from the picture. It
+was not her looks that made him start but her garb. She was dressed in
+a brilliant tartan gown, and the ribbon picked up in the Sand Lane
+house by Tilly was of the same pattern.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII
+BALKIS
+
+
+For a moment or two Eustace and the negress eyed one another. He was
+admiring her shapely form and stately bearing. Although black, she was
+comely, and in spite of the character given to her by Miss Cork,
+_alias_ Mrs. Burl, looked a good-natured creature in the main,
+although Jarman granted that she could be furious when aroused. On the
+evidence of the tartan ribbon, he wondered if she had been lurking in
+Mrs. Betts's kitchen on that fatal day, and whether she had killed the
+man she professed to love.
+
+On her side Balkis was--as the Americans put it--sizing up her
+visitor. Her customers were for the most part Lascars, Malays,
+Chinamen, and sailors. But occasionally a gentleman from the West End
+would come to her respectable house to smoke a sly pipe of opium. Some
+even came to gamble, and Balkis was wondering if this well-looking man
+was a smoker or a gambler. She waited for him to speak, being shrewd
+and not caring to venture an opinion until she knew precisely what his
+business was.
+
+"Do you know an old man called Tamaroo?" asked Eustace, suddenly.
+
+Balkis looked at him serenely. "I never heard of him," she said.
+
+Jarman noticed that she spoke almost as well as Tamaroo himself, and
+wondered that, within so short a space of time, he should come into
+contact with two educated members of the African race.
+
+Evidently she was on her guard, so Eustace tried another shot.
+
+"I was directed to this house by Mrs. Burl," he said.
+
+This time Balkis showed emotion, and, to speak truly, became rather
+ferocious.
+
+"She's a bad woman. An ungrateful woman! I saved her and her child
+from starving, and she--"
+
+"She threatened to betray you," finished Jarman, serenely.
+
+Balkis stared, and looked still more unpleasant. "There is nothing
+wrong that she could say. If you belong to the police you've wasted
+your time. I am quite respectable."
+
+"Even to keeping those secret gambling-rooms?"
+
+"What!" She glared at him like a tigress. "Burl told you that, did
+she, and after my telling her where to find Tilly?"
+
+"After taking away Tilly from her for years," said Jarman, calmly.
+
+"You know a great deal of what does not concern you," said Balkis,
+placing her hands on her hips, "and if you've come to threaten, I am
+quite able to defend myself. There's no gambling here, and no secret
+rooms. If you want a clean mat and a pipe you can have it. I have
+never been in trouble with the law yet."
+
+Eustace produced the piece of ribbon. "Do you know where I found
+this?" he asked, dangling it between finger and thumb.
+
+"You bought it, I suppose," she said quietly.
+
+Eustace shook his head. "Observe, it is of the same pattern as your
+dress--as the ribbon you wear round your neck."
+
+"What's that to do with me?"
+
+"Simply this. It belongs to you, and was lost in a house in Sand Lane,
+Kensington, where a--"
+
+Balkis made a step towards him, and her big eyes rolled savagely. "Why
+are you talking like this?" she asked hoarsely.
+
+"If you know Tamaroo he will tell you."
+
+"Tell me yourself, mister."
+
+"There's no reason why I should not. I have come here for certain
+information, and I don't go away till I get it."
+
+"Information about what?" she demanded unpleasantly.
+
+"About certain people whom you know. Captain Berry, his niece,
+Tamaroo, and Lancaster."
+
+"Lancaster--the wretch who murdered my Walter!" cried Balkis, with a
+tragic air. "See here, mister, I have men below--foreign men, who
+carry knives. At a word from me they'd cut your tongue out."
+
+"At the risk of having a hole drilled through them," said Eustace.
+
+Balkis seemed disconcerted, as she apparently did not expect that he
+would be armed. "Who are you--your name?"
+
+"Eustace Jarman."
+
+To his surprise Balkis made a clutch at his hand, and shook it warmly.
+"Why didn't you say so before? Where do you live?"
+
+"In Essex--at Wargrove."
+
+"Who had you for housekeeper?"
+
+"Miss Cork, who now is Mrs. Burl."
+
+Balkis clapped her huge hands. "You're the right man. I expected you
+would come and see me."
+
+"You expected me?"
+
+"Yes. Tamaroo told me you would come, sooner or later. And then I
+heard of you in 'Frisco. Mrs. Anchor! Eh?" said Balkis, archly.
+
+"Oh, so you don't come from Zanzibar?"
+
+"Who said I did?"
+
+"Walter Starth told Lancaster."
+
+The face of the negress grew sad. "Yes, I told Walter that, for--for
+reasons with which you have nothing to do. Well, what do you come to
+me for, Mr. Jarman?"
+
+"To see if you are the friend or the enemy of Berry?"
+
+"I am neither the one nor the other," she said frankly. "I knew him in
+San Francisco, and in Jamaica. He is a sailor, and found me out
+through following my Walter."
+
+"Why did he follow him?"
+
+"I can't tell you that yet," she said suspiciously. "Walter came here
+to smoke. He was fond of a pipe. He met Captain Berry up West, and
+Berry followed him here. Then we recognised one another, and good old
+Banjo often came here to smoke a pipe. But why do you ask these
+questions?"
+
+Eustace reflected. She appeared to be frank, and certainly did not
+side with Berry to any great extent. He thought it best to trust her,
+for even if she made use of the information he gave her it would not
+benefit her in any way.
+
+"You loved Walter Starth?" asked Eustace.
+
+The big negress, who had been standing, dropped into a chair.
+
+"With all my soul!" she said vehemently. "Ah, you think because I am
+black that I have no feelings. But I did love him. He was going to
+marry me--yes. I am rich, and I could have bought him."
+
+"You certainly gave him your photograph," said Jarman; "but if you
+come from America, how did you write those Arabic words?"
+
+"I did not. It was a Malay who wrote them for me. I wanted Walter to
+think that I came from Zanzibar. I did not want him to know anything
+about San Francisco."
+
+"Why not?"
+
+"I sha'n't tell you. I have my own secrets. Again I ask why you
+question me in this way?"
+
+"Because I am a friend of Lancaster's, and I want to prove his
+innocence."
+
+"He is not innocent!" cried Balkis, with a lowering brow. "He killed
+my Walter. Tamaroo says he did not, and I have not made up my mind to
+harm him yet."
+
+"Harm who--Tamaroo?"
+
+"No; the man Lancaster. I can get rid of him in my own way."
+
+"I see. You have something to do with Obi."
+
+Balkis shuddered, and her face turned grey. "Hush! Say not that dread
+name," she said, looking round fearfully. "Why do you, a white man,
+talk of Obi? You are not of us--you know nothing of the fetish."
+
+"No; but I have travelled in the West Indies. You know how to prepare
+the poisons that are used in connection with Obi"--again the negress
+shuddered--"so you propose to get rid of Lancaster by giving him
+poison. Well, that is better than being hanged. But how are you going
+to get Lancaster here? He has disappeared."
+
+"I know how to get him when I want," said Balkis, sulkily. "Tamaroo is
+his friend, and Tamaroo also loves the fetish."
+
+"Not to such an extent as to make Lancaster over to you for you to
+practise your devilish arts on him," said Eustace, indignantly. "Or do
+you intend to put him into your secret rooms, and get rid of him as
+you would rid yourself of the police did they raid the place?"
+
+"Burl again!" said the woman, with a snarl, and showing a magnificent
+set of white teeth. "She told you a lot. If I get her here again she
+will have the chance of seeing how I can rid myself of those I do not
+like." She paused, then said abruptly: "There are no rooms."
+
+"That means you don't trust me yet," said Jarman, feeling in his
+pocket. He determined as a last resource to make use of the letter
+written by Fairy Fan. For this moment had he procured it. "Did Starth
+love you?" he asked, looking at her.
+
+"Yes. He was going to marry me. But he was killed, and I shall avenge
+his death. If Lancaster killed him Lancaster shall die."
+
+Jarman spoke plainly. "Do you know Miss Berry? Well, she also loved
+Starth, and he promised to marry her."
+
+Balkis gave a yell like that of an enraged lioness. "It is not
+true--not true," she said, in guttural tones. "A lie! A lie! A lie!"
+She danced and stamped as she reiterated the word. "He loved me, and
+me only! He said so! He was to marry me."
+
+"He was to marry Miss Berry. Here is the proof," and Eustace handed
+her the letter, which she snatched from him eagerly.
+
+To arouse the jealousy of Balkis had he got this letter written, and
+had put it to a use which Fairy Fan never expected, or she certainly
+would not have written it. Eustace guessed that a semi-civilised
+creature like Balkis would be insanely jealous, and that if she found
+the man she loved adored another woman would make short work of that
+woman. Had Balkis been on the side of the Berrys, Jarman hoped to
+detach her from their interests by means of this letter. But Balkis
+apparently cared neither one way nor the other. Still, to make her
+talk more freely, it was worth while trying the experiment. The ruse
+was successful, for the great black creature after reading the letter
+went fairly mad.
+
+"She shall die--she shall die!" was her cry, and again she stamped,
+crushing up the letter in her strong fingers. If Fairy Fan now came
+within reach of those fingers Eustace thought she would have short
+shrift. But he was not sorry. The crimes of Mrs. Anchor needed some
+such punishment.
+
+Suddenly Balkis thrust the letter into her pocket, and seizing
+Jarman's hand kissed it savagely. "You are my friend. I swear by you!
+I will do what you want," she said hoarsely.
+
+"Then tell me who killed Starth."
+
+"I cannot--unless it was Lancaster. Tamaroo says no; but, then, he is
+the friend of Lancaster."
+
+"How did you meet Tamaroo?"
+
+"I knew him in San Francisco. He also is Obi-worshipper. He knew I was
+here in London, and when he came he visited me. I told him all I knew
+about Captain Berry."
+
+"Did Tamaroo come after Starth died?"
+
+"No. A week before he died."
+
+Eustace thought. Tamaroo said that he arrived after the death, and in
+that way explained his inability to find Frank. But it seemed that he
+was really in town beforehand. "Did Tamaroo know Starth?"
+
+"No," said Balkis. She paused and looked questioningly. "You heard of
+the Scarlet Bat?" she asked.
+
+"Yes. Tamaroo told me all about it."
+
+"Ah!" Balkis drew a long breath. "Me also he told, and how Berry
+wished for the money. He learnt that Berry came here, and asked
+questions. I told him all. When he heard that Berry knew my Walter he
+said he would go to Walter to hear more of him. I told him the house,
+and sent that ribbon with Tamaroo so that Walter might know he came
+from me."
+
+"Oh, then Tamaroo was in the house when the murder was committed?"
+
+Balkis looked queerly at him. "Tamaroo did not kill my Walter," she
+said. "If he had, I should have killed him." And, although Jarman
+urged her to say more, she declined to do so.
+
+Then he thought of the likeness remarked upon by Jenny between Mr.
+Darrel and Balkis. "Do you know a man called Darrel?"
+
+"I do. He comes from Jamaica. Why should I tell you a lie. He is a
+cousin of mine."
+
+"I thought so," said Jarman, drawing a deep breath.
+
+"Yes. He has our blood in him. He comes here at times, but he never
+calls me cousin. He thinks himself white, but he has our blood."
+
+"Well, Balkis, you know now how Miss Berry has treated you."
+
+"I shall kill her!" said Balkis, gnashing her splendid teeth; "and I
+know how to kill her painfully."
+
+Jarman shuddered, so ferociously did she make this speech. He thought
+he would not like to offend this creature. "And you will help me to
+save Lancaster," he said eagerly--"to save him and baffle the Berrys?"
+
+"I do not know," she said sullenly, and heaved herself up from the
+chair. "If he is innocent he shall not die. If not, he shall die.
+Come!"
+
+"Where will you take me?" asked Eustace, following her to the door,
+but feeling in his hip pocket that his revolver was loose.
+
+"To my secret rooms," said Balkis, looking back with a grin.
+
+"Ah, then Mrs. Burl is right. You have secret rooms."
+
+Balkis nodded, and led him down a long passage.
+
+"And I can kill in them," she said in a matter-of-fact tone. "But not
+you. You are my friend." She grinned again. "I shall let you see that
+woman die if you like."
+
+Jarman shuddered again at the venomous tone, and in spite of his
+courage felt a trifle nervous. However, he had his revolver, and, if
+it came to the worst, resolved to fight. Now that he had launched
+himself into the adventure he was resolved to carry it through. He had
+promised Mildred to save Frank, and this was the only way to do it.
+Balkis could tell the truth, and he wished her to do so.
+
+The negress led him to a trap door, and they descended to find
+themselves in a long stone passage. At the end of it was an iron door,
+which she opened. Eustace was conscious of a blaze of light, and in
+the glare saw--of all people--Tamaroo and Frank Lancaster!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV
+TAMAROO SPEAKS
+
+
+"You did not expect to find me here?" said Frank, after he had shaken
+hands warmly with his friend.
+
+"The very last place in which I should have looked for you. How did
+you come?" He glanced inquiringly at Tamaroo.
+
+"I brought him," replied the old negro. "When you overturned the lamp
+I drew Mr. Frank away in the darkness. We went to the nearest railway
+station and came to town. Then did we seek this shelter. The Captain
+will never think to find us here. What of him?"
+
+"He is furious, and quite at a loss to find you. But--" Eustace
+glanced at Balkis, where she stood with folded arms staring at Frank
+with no very pleasant expression.
+
+"There is nothing to fear," she said, guessing Jarman's meaning. "As
+yet I am not sure if this man killed my Walter."
+
+"I did not," interposed Frank. "I told you so before."
+
+"And I also assured you of his innocence," said Tamaroo, uneasily.
+
+Balkis still continued to glare. "As I say, I am not sure," she
+declared obstinately. "If you did not kill my Walter you will come to
+no harm. Here you can stay until I send you out of the place to
+foreign parts. But if you killed him"--she looked savage--"there will
+be no escape for you. Now you know!" And with this not very reassuring
+speech she passed through the door again, shutting it with a clang.
+
+Eustace heard a key turn in the lock and recalled the warning of Mrs.
+Burl.
+
+"Are we safe here?" he asked Tamaroo, who appeared quite easy in his
+mind. "I was told that these rooms were dangerous."
+
+"Dangerous?" echoed the negro, looking round. "Why should they be
+dangerous?"
+
+Jarman repeated the warning of Mrs. Burl and the boast of Balkis. But
+Tamaroo merely laughed. "There is no danger," he said decisively. "I
+am quite sure that. Balkis will do nothing to harm us."
+
+"She does not seem to be very well disposed towards Frank."
+
+"Because she will insist that I killed Starth," said Frank. "No doubt
+Berry has been poisoning her mind. However, Berry will not look for me
+here."
+
+"Darrel might," hinted Eustace, uneasily.
+
+"Nonsense! How can he find this place?"
+
+"Oh, he knows it! My belief that he had the negro blood in his veins
+is true. He is a relative of Balkis, and sometimes comes here; but he
+is not proud of the relationship."
+
+"But even if he does know this place he'll never think that I am
+here."
+
+Eustace looked doubtful. "I had to pitch him out of the garden of Rose
+Cottage," he said. "He was impertinent to Mildred."
+
+"To Mildred?" repeated Frank, with an angry flush.
+
+"Yes," responded Jarman, keeping his eyes away from Frank's face. "He
+said--well, never mind what he said. I punished him for his insolence,
+and he went away, vowing that he would hunt you down."
+
+Tamaroo laughed. "He will never come here," he said. "He must know
+that Balkis is on the side of the Berrys, and will believe that this
+is the last place I would bring my master to. The very danger of the
+refuge makes its safety."
+
+"I am not sure that Balkis _is_ on the side of Captain Berry now," was
+the reply of Eustace. "She certainly will not help him, if only
+because she hates Fairy Fan," and Eustace related how he had made use
+of the letter Miss Berry had written.
+
+Tamaroo nodded approvingly. "That is a good plan," he said. "If she
+thinks the white woman loved Starth, she will not help her plots.
+Balkis was madly in love with Mr. Starth."
+
+"She says he would have married her," said Jarman.
+
+Frank laughed. "I don't believe that. Starth was nice in his ideas of
+female beauty, and would not marry a black woman. Moreover, he was
+desperately in love with Fan."
+
+"Balkis knows that, and hates Fan accordingly," said Eustace, grimly.
+"But Starth might have married Balkis for her money."
+
+"She is certainly rich," put in Tamaroo, meditatively. "Already she
+has made up her mind to return to America. She goes next week."
+
+"And what will you do with Frank then?"
+
+"Take him abroad. I have arranged it all with Balkis. She knows many
+sailors, and can get some captain to give Mr. Frank and myself a
+passage--say to Spain. There we will wait till there is a chance of
+learning who killed Starth."
+
+Jarman looked attentively at the negro. "You do not know who is the
+guilty person?" he asked meaningly.
+
+"No." Tamaroo looked surprised. "Why should I?"
+
+"Well," said Eustace, quietly, "I went to Sand Lane to examine Tilly,
+the servant. She said that the right-hand window of the house was
+open--"
+
+"I remember that. I told you so," said Frank.
+
+"Yes, and on your report I questioned Tilly. She admitted that she
+told a lie at the inquest. The window was open when she left the
+house. On her return"--here Eustace looked again at Tamaroo--"it was
+locked, which proves that the assassin entered by the window, and,
+after committing the murder, locked it so that no one should get into
+the house, and discover the crime. Then he left by the door."
+
+"Why do you look at Tamaroo when you say that?" asked Frank.
+
+"Because Tilly found a scrap of tartan ribbon on the kitchen floor
+similar to that worn by Balkis. I brought it with me, and Balkis
+acknowledged that it was a piece she gave to Tamaroo, when he decided
+to see Starth."
+
+Frank wheeled round and looked anxiously at the negro. "Did you see
+Starth?" he demanded. "I thought you did not arrive in London till
+after the murder, and for that reason you could not find me."
+
+Tamaroo considered for a few minutes. "I did say that," he admitted;
+"because I thought it wise for the moment to conceal that I had been
+in Starth's house. I thought you might mistrust me."
+
+"I should never do that," replied Lancaster, patting the old man on
+the back. "But why did you visit Starth?"
+
+"I should like to know that also," said Eustace, who was not so easily
+convinced of the negro's innocence.
+
+The man gave him a reproachful glance. "I acted for the best, Mr.
+Jarman. You can trust me."
+
+"I think I can," answered Eustace, cautiously. "And yet--why did you
+visit Starth?"
+
+"To explain that, I must remind you of the murder of Anchor in San
+Francisco. It was Sakers who shot him. I was glad of it."
+
+Eustace looked as surprised as Frank. "I thought Anchor was the
+executor of my father?" said the latter.
+
+"He was, and he intended to betray his trust. He was so madly in love
+with his wife that he could not give her up. She threatened to leave
+him and go with her uncle if he did not let her share in the money of
+Mr. Lancaster. Anchor had the papers--some of them. But I had others
+which he wanted, so that he could dispose of the money. He intended to
+join his wife in Chicago, and, with Sakers, to arrange for the
+robbery. I do not know how he intended to manage it. But I do know,"
+added Tamaroo, emphatically, "that it was his intention to return to
+his house, where I was waiting for him, to get the papers from me, and
+to leave me dead behind him."
+
+Eustace could scarcely believe this, "If you heard how the man spoke
+to me--"
+
+"I know. It was to throw dust in your eyes. You would report that
+Anchor was at enmity with Sakers and Mrs. Anchor, and thus no one
+would suspect him of the robbery. When he spoke to you, Mr. Jarman, he
+had the papers on him. Sakers--or rather Berry--knew this. He intended
+to kill Anchor, and to rob the body of the papers. However, he chose
+the wrong moment, as you were talking to the man. You chased Sakers,
+and he could not search the body. I did so."
+
+"Ah! you were on the spot. You said something about it."
+
+"I learnt--in a way that it is not necessary to explain--that the man
+intended to betray his trust. Mrs. Anchor gave the information."
+
+"Was she at the house?"
+
+"Yes, and I was waiting there for the return of Anchor. I left the
+house and went to your rooms, Mr. Jarman, where Mrs. Anchor said her
+husband had gone. I saw the shot fired, and saw also that Sakers fled,
+pursued by you. When the street was quiet I came to see the body, and
+got the papers from the breast-pocket."
+
+"But what about the Chinaman, Lo Keong, who stabbed him?"
+
+"It was not a Chinaman," said Tamaroo, quietly. "I stabbed him."
+
+"You?" Jarman was beginning to see the connection between the San
+Francisco crime and the Sand Lane murder.
+
+"Yes, I," said Tamaroo, perfectly calm and collected, while Frank
+shivered. "Anchor was a traitor. He was betraying a sacred trust. When
+I took the papers he opened his eyes. I saw that he was still alive,
+so I stabbed him."
+
+Jarman jumped up, and even Frank recoiled from the negro. "You had no
+right to kill the man," said Eustace, hoarsely.
+
+"I did not. The shot was a fatal one. I simply stabbed him to make
+sure. You need not rebuke me, Mr. Jarman. I did it then and I would do
+it again."
+
+"Did you do it again?" asked Frank, remembering the death of Starth.
+
+"You are thinking of Sand Lane. Yes, sir, it was I who stabbed
+Starth."
+
+Eustace shuddered. "Was he alive?"
+
+"No. He was quite dead. But I stabbed him in order to frighten Mr.
+Berry. When he saw that the man had died from wounds similar to those
+Anchor had died from, I fancied he would be afraid, and abandon his
+scheme to get the money."
+
+"Did Berry know that you stabbed Anchor?"
+
+"No. Nor does he know that I stabbed Starth. But, seeing that there
+was a shot wound and a knife wound in the two cases, he must have
+gathered that someone else was mixed up in the matter. Such a
+knowledge would make him careful."
+
+"It didn't, however," said Frank.
+
+The young man did not like the way in which Tamaroo had behaved, for,
+although he had not murdered either Anchor or Starth, still he had
+mutilated them. But then, in spite of his veneer of education, Tamaroo
+was a negro pure and simple, with the savage instincts of the African
+race. To rebuke him would be as futile as punishing a dog for barking.
+Tamaroo had only obeyed his nature. And Eustace, on his side, shrewdly
+suspected that Balkis--also an African--would act in the like
+barbaric fashion did she think it necessary. The race instinct held
+good, in spite of the fact that both these black people were educated.
+
+"Tell me exactly what occurred in the house," said Eustace, "and also
+explain why you went to see Starth?"
+
+"When I came to England I stopped here for a time," said Tamaroo, "as
+I knew Balkis in San Francisco, and knew that she would not betray me
+to Berry."
+
+"Why not, considering--"
+
+"That is a secret of Obi," said the old man, with a savage look. "I
+was here in these rooms, which are not generally known to the outside
+world. Starth and Berry came here, and I knew them, but when they were
+here I always kept out of their way. From listening I became aware
+that there was a plot against you, Mr. Frank, to have you hanged.
+Starth and Berry were the movers, also Miss Berry. Starth was to
+receive his share on condition that he inveigled you to his house, and
+there you were to be saddled with the guilt of murder."
+
+"But Starth did not expect to be killed himself?"
+
+"Oh no! But Berry intended that he should be the victim. That was why
+Miss Berry made trouble and created rows between Starth and you, Mr.
+Frank. Berry, at the theatre on the previous night, brought about that
+quarrel so that you might be accused. Then the next day Starth wrote
+the letter asking you to visit him. How Starth fancied that the crime
+was to be brought about I don't know. He drugged you, and then waited
+for the arrival of Berry to carry on the rest of the plot."
+
+"How did you come to know all this?"
+
+"I gathered it at various times, and thought out the rest," said
+Tamaroo, nodding. "Of course, some of it is my own fancy."
+
+"Theory," grunted Eustace, admitting, however, that the negro had
+pieced things together very cleverly. "Well, you went to Sand Lane?"
+
+"Yes. As I thought that this trouble was coming, I pretended to Balkis
+that I wished to see Starth, and she gave me the tartan ribbon she
+wore as a sign that I could be trusted."
+
+"In what way?" asked Frank.
+
+Tamaroo shook his head. "I can't tell you that. There was something in
+Starth's life which Balkis knew, and which gave her a hold over him.
+He was always afraid of people of my colour. Unless I had taken the
+tartan ribbon he would not have spoken."
+
+"Did he speak?"
+
+"I never saw him," replied the negro, simply. "I did not get to the
+house till nearly seven. The window was open, and as I saw no one
+about, and could get no answer when I rang, I climbed in. I then
+locked the window, so that no one should enter in that way to
+interrupt between Starth and myself."
+
+"There was no chance of that."
+
+"I don't know, Mr. Jarman. I had entered that way, and, seeing what a
+plot was in progress, others might have come in. I then went down the
+stairs to see the servant, as Balkis had mentioned her."
+
+"Balkis knew Tilly," murmured Eustace. "And then?"
+
+"There was no one there. I went up the stairs, and found Starth dead.
+He lay in the middle of the room, and you, Mr. Frank, were unconscious
+on the sofa--drugged as I saw."
+
+"Why did you not give the alarm?" asked Lancaster, angrily. "I could
+not, sir. I was a stranger and a man of colour. Also I had entered by
+the window. Had I given the alarm I should have been arrested and
+perhaps hanged. You can see my difficulty."
+
+"Yes," admitted Frank. "I see it was an awkward position."
+
+"I thought it best to go away and say nothing. I knew that Starth had
+been shot so as to inculpate you, and that you would be arrested. Had
+that happened I should have come forward. As you escaped I waited,
+hoping to trap Berry in the dark. I wished to find you, and to tell
+you what I knew. That was why I posted the Scarlet Bat over London. I
+knew that it was tattooed on your arm, and that if you became aware of
+the posters you would, out of curiosity, inquire for the sealed
+letter."
+
+"That's exactly what happened," said Eustace. "But you say that Starth
+was waiting for Berry after he drugged Frank. Perhaps Berry came and
+shot Starth with Frank's pistol, and then departed."
+
+"No," said Tamaroo, decisively, "I can't think that. Berry wanted to
+enjoy the money, and wouldn't have risked the murder."
+
+"Then I can't say who shot the man if not Berry," said Jarman.
+"However, on what you say, we'll try and bluff Berry. And before you
+Berry," said Jarman. "However, on what you say, we'll try and bluff
+Berry. And before you left, you stabbed the body?"
+
+"Yes, I did," rejoined Tamaroo, defiantly. "The man was dead and I
+thought to frighten Berry. There was much at stake. I then left the
+house, but I don't think anyone saw me going, as it was growing dark.
+That is all I know. What else is to be found out must be discovered by
+you, Mr. Jarman."
+
+"I'll do my best," said Eustace. "But who am I to follow?"
+
+Providence answered that question. There was the sound of the door
+opening. Balkis entered, and after her came Captain Berry, his niece,
+and Darrel. The Rhodesian, fulfilling his threat, had hunted Frank
+down, and was face to face with his prey.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXV
+NEMESIS
+
+
+Fairy Fan cast a scornful glance round the room. It did not deserve
+such disdain, as it was magnificently furnished, although the display
+of colour was rather barbaric. The walls were lined with tall narrow
+mirrors framed in gold, and with painted panels let in between. The
+hangings were of crimson plush embroidered with gold, and the blue
+carpet was profusely sprinkled with yellow flowers. There were red
+velvet divans against the walls, many gilt chairs with spindle-legs,
+and numerous card-tables with green-cloth tops. At the further end of
+the room a door--likewise sheathed in iron--led into an inner and
+smaller apartment, similarly furnished. And everywhere glittered
+electric lights in opaque globes. Apparently Balkis had spared no cost
+to make her subterranean gambling-rooms as gorgeous as possible. When
+she saw Miss Berry sneer at the--in her opinion--matchless
+magnificence of the place, her black eyes sparkled with fury.
+
+But the men had more important things to think about than the
+furnishing of the room, with which they were well acquainted. Berry
+surveyed Frank with glee, and rubbed his hands. He looked harder and
+more evil than ever, and openly gloated over his victim.
+
+"I guess you're fixed this trip, young man," said he, cheerfully.
+
+Frank turned a disdainful back on the little scoundrel, and addressed
+himself to Darrel, who glared at him with sulky triumph.
+
+"You betrayed me, I suppose?" he said, with contempt.
+
+"I knew that Tamaroo would bring you here," replied Darrel, coolly,
+"and I have brought Berry to have you arrested."
+
+"That is out of the question," put in Jarman, decidedly.
+
+"Why so?" demanded Berry, with a snarl.
+
+"Because I know too much about you and your niece here. If this case
+comes into court, I'll have Captain Banjo Berry, _alias_ Sakers,
+arrested for the murder of Anchor in San Francisco."
+
+"I did not murder him."
+
+"I can testify to that," said Fan, who was listening eagerly. "He was
+with me in Chicago at the time."
+
+"You were not in Chicago," cried Tamaroo. "You came back to your own
+house, and told me that your husband had gone to see Mr. Jarman. I
+followed him, and I saw Captain Berry kill Anchor."
+
+The little skipper clenched his hands. "It's a lie! Who'll believe the
+words of a black man?"
+
+"I am not black," said Eustace, coolly, "and I can swear that you
+fired the shot. Your niece made out that her husband was killed by an
+old miner whom he had cheated. That is untrue. You shot him, as you
+hoped to get the papers dealing with the Scarlet Bat treasure from
+him."
+
+"He intended to give them in any case," said Mrs. Anchor.
+
+"I know that," said Tamaroo; "and he asked me to come to the house, so
+that he might get the rest of the documents from me. But I guessed his
+trick, and I followed him. I took the papers from his body and I
+knifed him."
+
+"You?" cried Fan and Berry together.
+
+"Yes. He was a traitor, and he died. You killed him, Berry, but I put
+the finishing stroke. And I also stabbed Starth."
+
+"Ah!" cried Berry in triumph. "You murdered him."
+
+Frank darted forward and placed himself before the little man. "If
+that is so," he said, "I must be innocent."
+
+"You are not," snarled Berry. "You shot Starth, and this black nigger
+finished him off."
+
+"Starth was dead when I put the knife into his heart," said Tamaroo.
+"You were afraid when you found that he was killed as Anchor had been
+killed in San Francisco."
+
+"You gave me a bad quarter of an hour, I admit," said Berry; "but I
+guess Lancaster will swing, and you'll get gaol, Tamaroo."
+
+"Nothing of the sort," said Jarman, coolly. "You can't do what you
+like, Berry. I'll see to that."
+
+"See to yourself," said Berry, wrathfully. "See to your own life. If I
+give the word, neither you nor Lancaster will leave this place alive.
+I can depend upon Balkis."
+
+"Yes," said Balkis, "you can depend upon me."
+
+Her eyes were fixed on Fairy Fan with a vindictive expression, and her
+words bore a different meaning to what Berry gave them. He quite
+believed that Balkis was on his side, and went on in triumph.
+
+"There are men in the pay of Balkis who would knife you as soon as I
+chose. Take care, Jarman, I am not to be trifled with. I mean to get
+that money."
+
+"Forty thousand a-year," put Tamaroo; and Fan's eyes sparkled.
+
+"So much as that?" she said, clasping her hands.
+
+"Yes," said Frank. "I don't suppose I'll spend half of it."
+
+"You!" cried the Captain, with a howl of derision. "You won't spend
+it. You hang and the money goes to Denham."
+
+"Supposing it does," said Eustace, suddenly--"suppose your clever plot
+comes to a successful conclusion, how are you going to get the money
+from Denham?"
+
+"He'll do anything I wish him to do."
+
+"Oh no, he won't. You disgusted him by asking that he should play the
+spy on Lancaster. He came down to me, and, in conjunction with
+Tamaroo, I have opened his eyes to your rascality. Denham is on the
+side of Lancaster, and your plot to coerce him has failed."
+
+Fan laughed derisively. "I can twist him round my finger."
+
+"Oh no. He is in love with Miss Arrow, the daughter of the rector of
+Wargrove. He will have nothing further to do with you, Mrs. Anchor."
+
+Berry's face was changing colour. He recognised that he had made a
+mistake in letting Natty get beyond his influence, and did not know
+what to do for the moment. If he had Lancaster hanged, Natty would get
+the money--that was always intended--but now Natty was on the side of
+the enemy, he and Fan would never enjoy the forty thousand a-year.
+Perhaps it would be better to make some bargain with Lancaster. Darrel
+guessed that the little skipper thought of hedging, and hastily
+interposed.
+
+"Let's get this over," he said. "Here is Lancaster, whom we know is
+guilty of murder. Balkis had better conduct us to the upper part of
+the house, since she does not wish the police to come here. Then
+Lancaster can be arrested."
+
+"If the police came here," said Balkis, before anyone could speak,
+"not one of them would leave again. These rooms are known to none but
+those who have gambled here, and when I go to America next week no
+trace of them will remain."
+
+"How do you intend to destroy them?" asked Berry, derisively.
+
+The black woman looked at Fan with an evil eye, and smiled slowly.
+"You may learn that before we part," she said.
+
+Frank was growing weary of all this hesitation and of these vague
+threats. He resolved upon a bold stroke in order to bring Berry to his
+knees.
+
+"I'm sick of this hole-and-corner business," he cried. "Let us do what
+Darrel suggests. I shall submit to arrest."
+
+"Frank!" said Jarman, hurriedly; and Tamaroo also protested.
+
+"I intend to give myself up," said Lancaster, determinedly. "Had I not
+been a moral coward I should have done so in the first instance. I am
+perfectly innocent of this crime, and I shall stand my trial."
+
+But this proposition, as Frank anticipated, was not at all to the
+taste of Berry. He was about to object when his niece stopped him.
+With an engaging smile she came forward and took Frank's hand. "Listen
+to me, my dear," she said sweetly. "You were always my favourite, and
+I have loved you always. Promise to marry me, and you shall go free to
+enjoy the money."
+
+"Along with you, I suppose?"
+
+"Along with me," she answered, still smiling. "It is not hard."
+
+"No, but it's impossible, I guess," said Berry, grimly. "I ain't going
+to let you and Fan skip with the dollars after all my trouble."
+
+"And I'm not going to let Lancaster escape," chimed in Darrel. "I want
+to see him hanged."
+
+"He shall never be hanged!" said Tamaroo, much agitated.
+
+Eustace, who had his eye on the savage face of Balkis, suddenly
+addressed Miss Berry. "You say you love Lancaster?"
+
+"I do. I have always loved him."
+
+"That is untrue. You only want to marry him because you can't get the
+money in any other way. There is a chance, I see, of you three thieves
+falling out." He looked scornfully on Berry, Fan, and Darrel. "In that
+case an honest man, such as Lancaster is, may come by his own."
+
+"You talk nonsense," said Fan, doggedly. "I love Frank--"
+
+"Pardon me, you loved Starth."
+
+Fan objected loudly, while the eyes of Balkis flashed. "I never did,
+Eustace, I hated him."
+
+"You loved Starth," repeated Jarman, mercilessly. "I have it in your
+own handwriting."
+
+Without a word Balkis darted forward, and held out the letter. The
+other woman laughed. "That is a trick of Mr. Jarman's," she said.
+
+"It is not a trick," hissed the negress. "Look you, I loved Walter
+with all my heart and soul. He would have married me. Yes, you may
+laugh"--she glared like a brave lioness on Berry and Darrel--"but he
+would have married me. I loved him, and this white woman stole his
+love."
+
+Fairy Fan changed colour at the sight of this rage on the part of
+Balkis, and even the Captain looked uneasy. He was well aware that
+Balkis had it in her power to make things unpleasant for him, and was
+quite willing to save his own skin by deserting his niece. Fan still
+kept her courage, and denied the letter.
+
+"I wrote that with a purpose. It is not true. I swear it!"
+
+"Though you swore a hundred oaths I should not believe you," said
+Balkis, stamping. "You loved my Walter, you took him from me. I will
+punish you. I will--I will!" She shook her fist in a paroxysm of rage
+and dashed into the inner room.
+
+Fan stared at Eustace. "This is your work," she said, looking pale.
+
+Jarman nodded. "I got the letter for this purpose. You will not pacify
+that savage jealousy easily."
+
+Miss Berry slipped her arm within that of her uncle. "I am quite
+safe," she said coolly. "No harm can come to me."
+
+"Wait a moment," said Berry, removing his arm. "You left me in the
+lurch, Fan, when you married Anchor. I'm going to make my own bed this
+time, and lie on it.
+
+"What do you mean?" she asked quickly.
+
+"This," said the little scoundrel, coolly. "Natty's given us the
+go-by, so there ain't much chance of getting the money through him."
+
+"There's less chance of getting it through me," said Frank, quickly,
+"if that's your meaning, Berry. I intend to give myself up."
+
+"Don't be a fool," said Darrel, quickly, and looking uneasy.
+
+"I've been a fool long enough. I'll give myself up."
+
+Eustace nodded. "That's the best thing to do," he declared, for he had
+been observant of the Berry face. "Stand your trial, Frank. I have got
+evidence that will stand you in good stead."
+
+"But see here," cried Berry, looking more and more dismayed. "If you
+can be proved innocent--"
+
+"Ah! You admit that I am innocent," said Frank, quickly.
+
+"To all here. But it depends upon yourself if I prove it in open
+court. What will you give me?"
+
+"Wait a moment, Frank," interposed Jarman, preventing the young man
+from replying. "Do you mean to say, Berry, that you can prove the
+innocence of Lancaster?"
+
+"No, he can't," said Darrel. "It's impossible."
+
+"Not if I get five thousand a-year for life," said Berry, coolly.
+
+"Then I must have half of it," put in Fairy Fan.
+
+At this moment Balkis called them into the inner room in an imperious
+voice. At first they were unwilling to go; then they decided to obey,
+seeing that the negress might prove dangerous. She was seated at the
+head of a table under a kind of canopy.
+
+"You say that Lancaster is innocent?" she asked Berry.
+
+"I do," he replied, "if I get five thousand a-year; and a mighty small
+sum that is, considering the cards I hold."
+
+"But what about me?" said Fan, looking disagreeable.
+
+"Oh, you shall be rewarded," said Balkis, blandly. "I don't believe
+you loved Walter after all."
+
+"No. I love Frank here, but since he will not marry me, let him give
+me the same sum as he gives my uncle."
+
+"That means I have to pay ten thousand a-year," said Frank.
+
+"Out of forty thousand. It's cheap at the price."
+
+"I refuse to allow this," said Darrel, loudly. "Balkis, you are my
+relation. Stand by me."
+
+"Ah! you remember I am of your blood when you want me," said the
+negress, bitterly. "Well, I shall do what you wish."
+
+"Then I wish this," said Darrel, strong in this support. "Do not let
+any of these people leave this place alive till I get what I want.
+Lancaster must be hanged, I must marry Mildred Starth, and I must have
+twenty thousand a-year given to me."
+
+"Very modest you are! murmured Jarman; while Tamaroo, glancing at
+Balkis, smiled slightly.
+
+"What about us?" asked Berry and Fan.
+
+"I will see that you have money also," said Darrel. "I am master of
+the situation now."
+
+"And you intend to hang me?" cried Frank, his blood up. "Then not one
+of you will get a penny. Denham shall have the money if I die."
+
+"Or the charity," put in Eustace. "Frank has only to commit suicide,
+which is better than being hanged, and the money goes to the charity.
+I think you'd better make terms, Berry."
+
+"I intend to. Leave me alone, Darrel. Lancaster, will you give me and
+Fan ten thousand a-year between us if I prove your innocence?"
+
+"Yes, I will do that. I'll make an agreement if you like."
+
+"Oh, I can trust you. You can do nothing till you have the proof. I
+have the confession of the person who killed Starth. It is locked up
+in my strong-box at my rooms. The key is on my watch-chain. When we
+leave here you will come to my lawyers, and we can arrange with
+Tamaroo here about getting a document drawn up. When all is tight and
+right, you will get the paper that proves your innocence."
+
+"And whose guilt?" asked Frank.
+
+"I can tell you," said Eustace, quickly. "I have suspected the man for
+some time. Darrel, _you_ shot Starth."
+
+"I did not," said the big man, hoarsely.
+
+"Yes, you did," said Berry, relentlessly. "I can chuck you now, since
+I am right myself. I found you in the room with the dead body. I let
+myself in with my latch-key. I could have denounced you, but having my
+own game to play I let you off on your signing a confession. You did
+so in the room at Sand Lane."
+
+"It's a lie--it's a lie!" said Darrel, turning grey.
+
+"It is true, I believe," said Eustace, quickly. "Tamaroo says that
+Berry was coming to the house."
+
+"I was," said Berry. "You may as well know all. I wanted Lancaster
+hanged to let Natty have the money--"
+
+"We know all that," said Frank. "Go on. Tell us something new."
+
+"I will tell you--" began the Captain, when Darrel, dashing forward,
+caught him by the throat. The two rolled over on the floor, while Fan
+shrieked, and jumped on a divan to be out of the way.
+
+Balkis rose to her feet and waved the other three men out of the room.
+"Go! Go!"
+
+Jarman and Frank, however, did not move, but Tamaroo, who seemed to
+understand Balkis, caught their hands, and dragged them out. The
+negress came after them rapidly, and slammed the door to. As she did
+so there was a shriek from Miss Berry. Tamaroo still dragged the men
+towards the outer door. "Come up! Come up!" he cried. "There is
+danger--danger!"
+
+Eustace was brave enough, but he felt a qualm at this mysterious
+danger, of which he knew nothing. "Come, Frank, let us get the police
+quick!" and he darted along the passage and up through the trap-door.
+Tamaroo followed, and Lancaster. And still they could hear the men
+fighting within and the shrieks of Fairy Fan.
+
+Balkis, at the door of the inner room, taunted the three. "You white
+woman loved my Walter and took his love. You shall die! You, my
+cousin, killed my Walter. You shall die! You Captain Berry, brought
+about the death of my Walter. You shall die!"
+
+From within rose a wail, and then came the curses of Darrel and Berry,
+who felt that they had been trapped. Balkis heard them beating at the
+door, and, laughing loudly, mocked them. Then she pulled a lever which
+was hidden behind the hangings. There was a roar, a long wail, and
+then came sobbing, With a delighted smile the negress listened, then
+she glided from the apartment.
+
+When the police arrived they found the respectable house empty. The
+negress had vanished. The trap-door was open, and down here Jarman led
+them, hoping to save the wretched three. But it was too late. As the
+police and Frank and Eustace darted towards the inner door to open it
+Tamaroo rushed between and spread out his hands.
+
+"It is too late!" he said, pointing to the lever. "She has let in the
+water. The river fills that room, and those three are drowned!"
+
+It was so terrible to think of this doom befalling the wicked trio
+that Frank sat down and fairly sobbed.
+
+"Nemesis!" said Jarman.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVI
+A WEDDING PRESENT
+
+
+In the summer-house where Frank Lancaster, when an outlaw, had sought
+refuge, sat Mildred and Eustace. Frank had stood his trial, but the
+proceedings were merely formal, as the confession of Darrel, which
+Captain Berry had obtained, proved his innocence beyond doubt. The
+girl should have looked much more delighted than she did, now that the
+man she loved was cleared of suspicion. But she seemed nervous and
+apprehensive, and her face was pale. Eustace had come down from London
+to tell her that Frank was free, and to intimate that he would be down
+in the afternoon after an interview with White & Saon relative to the
+will.
+
+"Are you not pleased, Mildred?" asked Eustace, looking at her gravely.
+
+"Very pleased," she replied, with an effort. "It is the best of news
+to think that Frank is free, and will be recompensed for all he has
+undergone."
+
+"He has youth, health, strength, and forty thousand a-year," said
+Jarman, looking away, "so he ought to be happy."
+
+"I hope so--I hope so," said Mildred, casting down her eyes. "And it
+is owing to you that he has been cleared of this terrible charge."
+
+"I am glad to have been the agent. I always believed in his innocence.
+But circumstances had more to do with the affair than I. I simply took
+advantage of my luck."
+
+Mildred shook her head. "You have had more to do with the matter than
+you will admit, Eustace. But tell me exactly what has taken place. You
+have been too busy to explain clearly."
+
+"There was so much to do in connection with the trial," said Jarman;
+"and I think you know the greater part of the facts."
+
+"Never mind. I wish to hear them again."
+
+Eustace nodded gravely, and began without preamble. "As you know,
+Berry and his niece came to England, knowing the will of the late Mr.
+Lancaster, which they procured through Anchor. He intended to play
+traitor, and in some way arranged to get the money by ridding himself
+of Tamaroo. But Berry wanted Anchor out of the way, so that he might
+get the papers and fortune to himself. He shot Anchor, as I told you.
+Then I chased him, and it was Tamaroo who got the papers."
+
+"And who stabbed the man," said Mildred, shuddering--"you told me."
+
+"That was a savage thing to do," admitted Eustace. "But, in spite of
+his education, Tamaroo is a savage at heart. And in any case, Anchor
+could not have lived after Berry's shot. Well, when Natty's father
+died, Berry contrived to be appointed his guardian. He exercised a
+great influence over him, and it was his intention to give Natty the
+fortune by having Frank hanged."
+
+"And was Natty to marry Miss Berry?"
+
+"Mrs. Anchor, you mean. I don't know. Perhaps; but I don't think she
+cared for the lad. He, when in possession of his fortune, would no
+doubt have been induced to sign a will in favour of Fan and her uncle,
+and then he would have been got rid of. It was with some such plan
+that the two came to England. They made the acquaintance of Frank by
+Fan writing and asking him to compose her some songs."
+
+"Was it a trap?" asked Mildred.
+
+"A decided trap. I don't know how they intended at first to bring
+about his being accused of a crime, but chance threw Starth in Berry's
+way, and then they saw what to do. Your brother hated Lancaster, and
+was always quarrelling with him. It was not Frank's fault. Berry made
+as much trouble as he could, and Fan by flirting with your brother and
+then with Frank made matters worse. The affair culminated in the
+quarrel in the Piccadilly Theatre, in which Frank used rash words.
+Then the next day Walter wrote, asking Frank to call."
+
+Mildred clasped her hands, and looked up nervously. "Was that a trap
+also, do you think?"
+
+"Yes," said Eustace, decidedly. "Your brother was in the scheme to get
+the money. He knew that Lancaster would have to be hanged, so that it
+might come into Denham's possession and then into Berry's. I expect
+they promised him a share."
+
+"But did they intend to give it to him?"
+
+"No, they did not. Your brother was their dupe. Berry arranged that
+Starth should get Frank down to his place and drug him. Then when he
+was insensible a crime was to be committed and Frank was to bear the
+blame."
+
+"Horrible! Horrible!" said Mildred, hiding her face. "And to think
+Walter should behave so. But who was to be killed?"
+
+"Your brother," said Eustace. "Walter did not know who the victim was
+to be, and, after drugging Frank, waited for Berry. The rest of the
+scheme was to be carried on, as I believe, by Berry killing your
+brother, and then by Frank being accused. But Walter never thought
+that he would be the victim."
+
+"Walter really drugged Frank?"
+
+"Certainly. He put opium in his tea. When Frank was insensible he
+searched him for the letter asking him to call, as he wanted that
+evidence out of the way."
+
+"But for what reason?"
+
+"Why, to make it clear that Frank had called on him voluntarily. Had
+the letter been shown, it might have pointed to the trap. Well, in
+searching for the letter--which was thrown on the floor, and found by
+Tilly--Walter discovered Frank's revolver, which he placed on the
+table. It was the merest chance that Frank carried it, and, of course,
+it was a card quite in the hands of the plotters. Walter waited for
+Berry, but Berry was late. Now I will tell you of Darrel's
+confession."
+
+"Where was it found?"
+
+"In Berry's strong-box. The police took the key from his dead body,
+and searched his lodgings. They found the confession, which exonerated
+Frank entirely."
+
+"Tell me the exact words."
+
+"I can't give them very exact. But the meaning was something like
+this. Darrel loved you, and wanted to marry you. Walter at first
+approved of the match, but afterwards he intended to marry you to
+Natty, and so brought him down."
+
+"I should never have married him," said Mildred, in a low voice.
+
+"Walter, no doubt, thought he could force you. But Darrel got wind of
+this through Balkis, who was his cousin. He came to remonstrate with
+Walter. Darrel was half a savage also, with his African blood, and
+your brother and he came to high words. Then Darrel confessed that
+Walter insulted him so that he snatched up Frank's revolver from the
+table and shot Walter through the head. He says in his confession that
+he didn't intend to kill him."
+
+"Do you think that is true?" asked Mildred.
+
+"I can't say. Darrel was a most violent man, and his love for you
+amounted to a frenzy. However, he shot Walter, but before he could get
+out of the house Berry entered."
+
+"How could he enter if the door was closed?"
+
+"He had a latch-key, which he had procured from Walter. I daresay he
+intended to kill Walter--either shoot him or stab him--and then go
+away, leaving Frank to bear the blame. He went to Frank's chambers to
+prove an _alibi_. But when he found Darrel in the room he saw that the
+deed was done. To make himself safe he made Darrel sign a confession,
+and kept it in his strong-box. Then the two agreed that Frank should
+bear the blame. Now you can see, Mildred, why Darrel was unwilling to
+denounce Frank when he recognised him here. He feared to be implicated
+in the case. But his rage got the better of him, and he took Berry and
+Fan to the secret rooms of Balkis."
+
+"What has become of Balkis?"
+
+"She has disappeared; no one knows where. I expect she had made all
+arrangements and has departed for the States. It's just as well, as
+she is wanted for the murder of those three."
+
+"Why did she murder them? I thought she was friendly with them."
+
+"She was in a way. But she was madly in love with your brother, and
+was under the impression that he would marry her. He might have done
+so, for Balkis is rich. However, if he got Lancaster's money he
+intended to marry Fairy Fan. When, by means of that letter, I proved
+that Fan had been making love to Starth, Balkis was furious. Then,
+when she found that Darrel had killed her lover, she determined on his
+death."
+
+"Had Frank killed Walter, would Balkis have--"
+
+"I am sure she would," interrupted Eustace, quickly. "She was a most
+furious woman, and would have stuck at nothing. And she didn't. She
+resolved also on the death of Berry, because he had caused all the
+trouble, and had really brought about the death of your brother by his
+machinations. So she closed them in the room and let the river in. The
+three poor wretches were drowned like rats in a trap before I could
+get back with the police."
+
+Mildred shuddered with horror. "Had she designed all this?"
+
+"No. To do her justice I don't think she did. The trap was arranged
+for the police should they have made a raid on the gambling-rooms. It
+seems that the inner room was only divided from the river by a thick
+wall. There was a tunnel through this, closed at the lower end by an
+iron slide, which was worked by a lever from the outer room. Balkis
+shut the three in, and Darrel was fighting with the Captain. Then when
+she got rid of us--I went to fetch the police, remember, as I
+suspected foul play--she must have worked the lever and admitted the
+water. Great Heavens!" said Eustace, covering his face. "I can imagine
+the feelings of those poor wretches when they saw the water pouring
+into the room. Bad as they were their punishment has been terrible."
+
+"Were they all three dead?"
+
+"Yes. The police shut the slide again by means of the lever and the
+water was drained. The bodies were found, and by this time they have
+been buried."
+
+"Balkis disappeared?"
+
+"Yes. She must have made preparations for flight. In any case she
+intended to leave for America a week after the crime was committed.
+Her money was all invested abroad, and she no doubt got on board some
+boat that sailed immediately for Spain or the Continent. She had many
+friends amongst the sailors who patronised her opium shop and
+gambling-rooms, and had no difficulty in getting away."
+
+"Then Frank was arrested?"
+
+"I wrote to you. He gave himself up by my advice. I related everything
+to Inspector Herny. He searched for the key of the strong-box and
+found it on Berry's watch-chain. Then we found the box in the
+Bloomsbury lodgings, and obtained the confession. Frank made his
+statement in court, and then the confession was read. He has been
+discharged without a stain on his character. And now he is with
+Tamaroo seeing White & Saon about the will."
+
+"I don't like Tamaroo after his stabbing my brother and that poor
+Anchor," said Mildred, looking pale.
+
+Eustace shrugged his shoulders. "Tamaroo is half a savage. But you
+will not see much of him. Frank has arranged to pay him an income, and
+he is going back to America next week. He has discharged his mission,
+and nothing more remains to be done."
+
+"And Frank?" said Mildred, in a low tone. "What of him?"
+
+Eustace looked at her from under his eyes, and winced. He knew well
+what was in her mind. "Frank," he said, in a hard tone, "is going down
+to see Miss Drake at Kingsbridge. There he will make arrangements for
+her comfort, now that he is in possession of the money. After that I
+can't say. But, Mildred"--he took her hands--"I have done what you
+asked. Your brother's murderer has been discovered, Frank is free.
+What of my reward?"
+
+"I will marry you," said Mildred, faintly. "I promised to do so, and I
+shall keep my word."
+
+Eustace smiled, but there was a look of pain in his eyes. "What of
+Frank Lancaster?" he asked.
+
+"Say nothing about him," she answered, pressing her hand on her heart.
+"If you have any love for me--"
+
+"Ah, my dear, I have so much love that--well we will see. I am going
+to town again to-day. Frank is coming down. I want him to see you, as
+he will give you a message from me."
+
+"Can't you tell me what it is? I don't want to see Frank."
+
+"I can only write the message," said Eustace, rising. "You will know
+what I mean by five this evening." He looked at his watch. "I have
+just time to catch the train. And now, as we have arranged to marry,
+will you not kiss me?"
+
+Mildred put her arms round his neck and kissed him. "God bless you for
+all you have done," she murmured.
+
+"Oh, He will. Does He not give you to me? Good-bye, and"--he kissed
+her twice--"don't forget me."
+
+Mildred sank into a chair as Eustace hurried away. At the gate he
+looked back and waved his hand, but she never looked up. With a sigh,
+Jarman went to his own house. There he packed a few things and
+departed, leaving old Bowles in charge of the Shanty.
+
+Mildred buried her face in her hands and wept. She loved Frank. Never
+till this moment did she realise how much she loved him. And she knew
+that he loved her as devotedly. But she must keep her promise to
+Eustace. He had borne the heat and burden of the day. He had worked
+nobly. and she could not break his heart by refusing to give him his
+reward. But she knew not how she would be able to bear being his wife
+when she so dearly loved Frank.
+
+"I should have spoken out," she moaned. "I should have told the truth.
+He would not have insisted on my fulfilling a rash promise. Yet--he
+is so good, so noble. No. I must keep my word. Frank himself would
+insist on that. And Frank, I shall see him again to say farewell. Oh,
+Frank---Frank--my darling!" and she wept afresh.
+
+From these sad thoughts she was aroused by the coming of Mrs. Perth
+full of news. "My dear," said the old lady, "I have just come from the
+Rectory. Would you believe it? Mr. Denham is to marry Jenny Arrow.
+It's all settled. They marry in a month, and go to the States."
+
+"I am very glad," said Mildred, drying her eyes.
+
+"Well, I am too--but such indecent haste. However, it's none of our
+business. My dear"--the old lady sat down and patted Mildred's
+hand--"why are you crying? Are you not glad that this poor young man
+has been proved innocent?"
+
+"I am more than glad, because I love him."
+
+"Ah!" said Mrs. Perth, again patting the hand, "I thought so. And I
+must tell you one thing, my dear. He loves you. He told me so."
+
+"Don't--oh don't!" cried the girl, tortured beyond endurance. "I am to
+be married to Eustace Jarman!"
+
+"Mildred--no!"
+
+"I promised to marry him if he--oh, don't talk of it," and Mildred ran
+into the house.
+
+Mrs. Perth shook her head sadly, and slowly followed. She thought
+Mildred was wrong. "It will not be a happy marriage," said Mrs. Perth.
+
+That afternoon Frank arrived at the Shanty. He looked sad, and not at
+all like a man whose character had been cleared, and who had come into
+a fortune of forty thousand a-year. He was alone, as he intended only
+to stop the night and to return the next day to London on his way to
+Kingsbridge. Only at Jarman's urgent request had he come down to see
+Mildred, as he felt that he could not trust himself in her presence.
+At first he thought he would send the letter with which he had been
+entrusted by Eustace. Then he decided not to be a coward, but to
+deliver it himself. He therefore braced his nerves for a final
+interview, and walked over to Rose Cottage.
+
+Mildred was in the drawing-room and saw him at once. The lovers looked
+at one another, and each strove to be calm. There was no need of
+explanation, as they understood. Without a word Frank gave Mildred the
+letter. She laid it aside. "Will you not read it?" asked Frank.
+
+"After you are gone," said Mildred, in as steady a tone as she could
+command.
+
+"No. You must read it now. Eustace wants a reply, he told me."
+
+"Why is he so cruel?" muttered Mildred, opening the letter languidly.
+
+Frank watched her as she read, and sighed to think that she would be
+the wife of another. However, he wished to be true to the friend who
+had done so much for him, and in his heart resolved to give Jarman
+half his money when the wedding took place.
+
+Mildred flushed as she read the letter, and her eyes sparkled. On
+finishing she handed it to Frank without a word, striving to repress
+her agitation. Rather astonished at this emotion, Frank read it also.
+Then he too flushed, and well he might.
+
+The letter was from Eustace, and stated that he saw how Mildred and
+Frank loved one another. He wished them both to be happy, and released
+Mildred from her promise.
+
+
+"Marry Frank, my dear," he wrote, "for I see I was wrong to ask for
+such a promise. I am old and you are young. Marry Frank. I send him to
+you as a wedding present, and I am sure you will not want a better.
+Bless you both. I am going to America for a time, but when I return
+perhaps there will be a corner near the fire for your sincere friend
+EUSTACE."
+
+
+The letter read, Frank and Mildred looked at one another. They could
+find no words to speak of this wonderful self-sacrifice on the part of
+Eustace. Mildred burst out crying, but the next moment she was in the
+arms of Frank, and he kissed away her tears.
+
+"He gave me liberty, he gave me life, he gave me fortune, and now,"
+said Frank, softly, "he gives me you."
+
+"God bless him!" sobbed Mildred.
+
+"Amen to that," echoed Frank, and they kissed again.
+
+
+
+
+THE END
+
+
+
+
+EDINBURGH
+COLSTON AND COMPANY, LIMITED
+PRINTERS
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Scarlet Bat, by Fergus Hume
+
+*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 56356 ***