A QUEEN'S ERROR

by

CAPTAIN HENRY CURTIES

Author of

 "The Blood Bond" "The Idol of the King" "Tears of Angels" "The Queen's Gate Mystery" "Out of the Shadows" Etc. Etc. 

LondonF. V. White & Co. Ltd. 17 Buckingham Street, Strand, W. C. 1911

CONTENTS

CHAP. 

 I. A STRANGE VISIT II. THE MAN WITH THE GLASS EYE III. THE SECOND VISIT AND ITS RESULT IV. I AM DETAINED V. ARRESTED VI. PUT TO THE TORTURE VII. CRUFT'S FOLLY VIII. SANDRINGHAM IX. THE DUKE OF RITTERSHEIM X. THE PLOT THAT FAILED XI. THE _OCEANA_ XII. HELD UP XIII. DON JUAN D'ALTA XIV. THE CASKET XV. THE ABBOT OF SAN JUAN XVI. THE CONFESSION OF BROOKS XVII. THE STEEL SAFE XVIII. THE OLD GRAVEYARD XIX. THE STRUGGLE IN THE TUNNEL XX. THE DEPARTURE OF THE DUKE XXI. MADAME LA COMTESSE XXII. THE QUEEN'S ERROR XXIII. THE QUEEN'S ATONEMENT

TO

SWEET KATHLEEN

OF

BATH

A QUEEN'S ERROR

CHAPTER I

A STRANGE VISIT

I turned the corner abruptly and found myself in a long, dreary street;looking in the semi-fog and drizzle more desolate than those dismalold-world streets of Bath I had passed through already in my aimlesswandering; I turned sharply and came almost face to face with her. 

She was standing on the upper step, and the door stood open; the houseitself looked neglected and with the general appearance of having beenshut up for years. The windows were grimed with dirt, and there wasthat little accumulation of dust, pieces of straw, and little scraps ofpaper, under the two steps which tells of long disuse. 

She stood on the step, a figure slightly over the middle height, leaning one hand on a walking stick, and her face fascinated me. 

It was the face of an old lady of perhaps seventy, hale and healthful, with fresh colour on the cheeks, and bands of perfectly white hairfalling over the ears. But it was the expression which attracted me;it was peculiarly sweet and winning. 

My halt could only have been momentary. I recollected myself and waspassing on, when she spoke to me. 

"Would you be so kind as to do me a favour, sir?" she asked. 

The voice was as sweet and winning as her expression; though she spokeperfect English, yet there was the very slightest _soupçon_ of aforeign accent. Of what country, I could not tell. 

I stopped again as she spoke, and having perhaps among my friends alittle reputation for politeness to the weaker sex, especially theolder members of it--for I am not by way of being a Lothario, be itsaid--I answered her as politely as I could. 

"In what way may I be of service to you?"

She brought her walking stick round in front of her and leant upon itwith both hands as she made her request. She then appeared, in thefuller light of the yellow-flamed old-fashioned gas lamp opposite, tobe much older than I first thought. 

"I want you, if you will, " she said, "to come into this house for a fewminutes. I wish to ask a further favour of you which I shall then havean opportunity of explaining, but, on the other hand, the service Ishall ask will not go unrewarded. "

Prepossessing though her appearance and address were, yet I hesitated. 

I took another long look at her open face, white hair, and very correctold lady's black hat secured by a veil tied under her chin. It wasjust such a hat as my own dear mother used to wear. 

"You seem to hesitate, " she remarked, noting, I suppose, my delay inanswering her; "but I assure you you have nothing to fear. "

I took a sudden resolve, despite the many tragedies I had read of inconnection with empty houses; I would trust her. 

There was something about her face which conveyed confidence. 

"Very well, " I replied, "if I can be of any use to you, I _will_ comein. "

"Thank you, " she said, "then kindly follow me. "

She turned and held the door for me to pass in; when I was inside sheclosed it, and we stood almost in complete darkness, except for theglimmering reflected light of the yellow street lamp opposite, whichstruggled in through the dirty pane of glass over the door. 

"Now, " she added, "I will get a light. "

She passed me and went to the hall table on which stood one of thosecandlesticks in which the candle is protected by a glass chimney. Shestruck a match and lighted a candle. "Now if you please, " she added, going on before me down the dark passage. I saw now from her totteringwalk that she was much older and much more feeble than I had imagined. I followed her and saw signs of dust and neglect on every side; thehouse, I should say, had stood empty for many years. But as I followedthe old lady one thing struck me, and that was, that instead of thecommon candle which I would have expected her to use under thecircumstances, the one she carried in its glass protector was evidentlyof fine wax. She took me down a long passage, and we came to a flightof stairs leading to the kitchens, I imagined. 

"We must go down here, " she announced. "I am sorry to have to take youto the basement, but it cannot be helped. " Again I had some slightmisgivings, but I braced myself. I had made up my mind and I would goforward. 

I followed her as she went laboriously step by step down the flight. At the bottom was the usual long basement passage, such as I expectedto see, but with this difference, it was swept and evidently well kept. 

The old lady led on to the extreme end of this passage towards the backof the house, then opened a door on the left hand and walked in. Ather invitation I followed her and found her busily lighting more waxcandles fixed in old-fashioned sconces on the walls. As each candleburned up I was astonished to find the sort of room it revealed to me. 

It was a lady's boudoir beautifully furnished and filled with works ofart; china, choice pictures, and old silver abounded on every side; onthe hearth burned a bright fire; on the mantelpiece was a very handsomelooking-glass framed in oak. My companion, having lit six candles, went to the windows to draw down the blinds. I interposed and savedher this exertion by doing it myself. 

I then became aware that the house, like so many others in Bath, wasbuilt on the side of a hill, the front door being on a level with thestreet, whilst the lower back windows even commanded lovely views overthe beautiful valley, the town, and the distant hills beyond. 

Below me innumerable lights twinkled out in the streets through themisty air, while here and there brightly lit tram cars wound throughthe town or mounted the hills. Thick though the air was the sight wasexceedingly pretty. 

I could now understand how even a room situated as this was in thebasement of a house could become habitable and pleasant. The voice ofthe old lady recalled me to myself as I pulled down the last blind. 

"I am sorry to have to bring you down here, " she said. "It is hardlythe sort of room in which a lady usually receives visitors, but youwill perhaps understand my liking for it when I tell you that I havelived here many years. "

The information surprised me. 

"Whatever induced you to do that?" I asked without thinking, thenrecollected that I had no right to ask the question. "You must excusemy question, " I added, "but I fear you find it very lonely unless youhave some one living with you?"

"I live here, " she replied, "absolutely alone, and yet I am neverlonely. "

"You have some occupation?" I suggested. 

"Yes, " she replied, "I write for the newspapers. "

This piece of information astounded me more than ever. I imagined itto be the last place from which "copy" would emanate for the presentgo-ahead public prints, and the old lady to be the last person whocould supply it. 

She saw my puzzled look, and came to my aid with further information. 

"Not the newspapers of this country, " she added, "the newspapers of--offoreign countries. "

I was more satisfied with this answer; the requirements of most foreignjournals had not appeared to me to be excessive. 

"I too am a brother of the pen, " I answered, "I write books of sorts. "

The old lady broke into a very sweet smile which lighted up hercharming old face. 

"Permit me to shake hands, " she suggested, "with a fellow-sufferer inthe cause of Literature. "

I took her hand and noted its soft elegance, old though she was. 

She crossed to a carved cupboard which was fixed in the wall, and tookfrom it a tiny Venetian decanter, two little glasses, and a silvercigarette case. 

"We must celebrate this meeting, " she suggested with another smile, "asdisciples of the pen. "

She filled the two little glasses with what afterwards proved to beyellow Chartreuse, and held one glass towards me. 

"Pray take this, " she suggested, "it will be good for you after beingout in the damp air. "

I took the tiny glass of yellow liqueur in which the candlelightsparkled, and sipped it; it was superb. 

"Now, " she continued, indicating an armchair on the farther side of thefireplace, "sit and let us talk. "

I took the chair, and she opened the silver box of cigarettes andpushed them towards me. 

"I presume you smoke?" she suggested. "I smoke myself habitually; Ifind it a great resource and comfort. I lived for a long time in acountry where all the ladies smoked. "

I took a cigarette, lit a match, and handed her a light; she lit hercigarette with a grace born of long habit. 

"Now, " she said, as I puffed contentedly, "I can tell you what I haveto say in comfort. "

I certainly thought I had made a good exchange from the raw air of thestreet to this comfortable fireside. 

"It will not interest you now, " she continued, "to hear the reasonswhich have moved me to live here so long as I have done; that is astory which would take too long to tell you. All the preamble I wishto make to my remark is this; that the favour I shall ask of you is onethat you can fulfil without the slightest injury to your honour. Onthe contrary it will be an act of kindness and humanity which no one inthe world could object to. "

"I feel sure of that, " I interposed with a bow, "you need not sayanother word on that point. "

I was really quite falling in love with the old lady, and her old-worldcourtesy of manner. 

"I will then come straight to the point, " she proceeded, taking acurious key from her pocket; it was a key with a finely-wrought handlein which was the letter C. 

"I want you to open a secret drawer in this room, which, since itshiding-place was contrived, has been known only to me and to one other, the workman who made it, a Belgian long since dead. Please take thiskey. "

I took it. 

"Now, " she continued, "cast your eyes round this room, and see if youcan detect where the secret safe is hidden. "

I looked round the room as she wished, and could see nothing which gaveme the slightest clue to it. 

"No, " I said, "I can see nothing which has any resemblance to a safe. "

She laughed, and, rising from her seat, turned to the fireplace andtouched a carved rose in the frame of the handsome over-mantel;immediately the looking-glass moved up by itself in its frame, disclosing, apparently, the bare wall. 

"Please watch me, " proceeded the old lady. 

She placed her finger on a certain part of the pattern of the wallpaper beneath, and the whole of that part of the pattern swung forward;behind was a safe, apparently of steel, evidently a piece of foreignworkmanship. 

"Please place the key in the lock, and turn it, " she asked, "but do notopen the safe. "

I regarded her proceedings with much interest, and rose from my chairand did as she asked. 

"Thank you, " she said, when she heard the lock click and the boltsshoot back, "now will you lock it again?"

I did so. 

"Now please put the key in your pocket, and take care of it for me. Igive you full authority to open that safe again in case of necessity. "

"What necessity?" I asked. 

"You will discover that in due course, " she answered. 

This was about the last thing I should have expected her to ask, butnevertheless I did as she told me and put the key in my pocket. 

"Please notice how I close it again, " was her next request. 

She pushed back the displaced square of the wall paper pattern, whichwas simply the door of a cupboard. It closed with a snap and fitted soexactly into the pattern of the paper that it was impossible to detectit. 

Then with a glance towards me to see that I was paying attention, shetouched a carved rose on the frame of the over-mantel on the oppositeside to that which had caused the looking-glass to move, and at oncethe latter slowly slid down again into its place. 

I stood gazing at her as this was accomplished, and she noted the lookof inquiry on my face. 

"There is only one thing now I have to ask you, " she said, "and then Iwill detain you no longer. Will you oblige me by coming to see me hereat five o'clock to-morrow?"

I considered for a moment or two, and then recollected that there wasnothing in my engagements for the next day to prevent my complying withthe old lady's request. My life for the last week had been occupied intaking the baths and the waters at regular intervals, with the dailydiversion of the Pump Room concert at three. 

"Yes, " I answered, "I shall be very pleased to come and see you againat five to-morrow. "

Although up to now I looked upon her proceedings as simply the whims ofan eccentric old lady, yet I felt some considerable interest in them. 

"Then let me fill your glass again with liqueur?" she suggested. Alluring as the offer was I declined it. 

I buttoned up my overcoat and prepared to depart, accepting, however, the offer of another cigarette. 

The old lady insisted upon accompanying me to the door, and went on infront with a candle, despite my remonstrances, to show me the wayupstairs. 

She had one foot on the stair when she stopped. 

"Do you mind telling me your name?" she asked. 

I handed her my card, and she put up her glasses. 

"'William Anstruther, '" she read. "That is a coincidence. " "I hadnearly forgotten one thing, " she continued. "I must give you aduplicate latch-key to let yourself in with. I have a habit of fallingasleep in the afternoon, and you might ring the bell for half an hourand I should not hear you. "

She went back into the room we had left and returned in a few momentswith the latch-key, which she gave me. 

Despite my endeavours to persuade her, she went with me to the frontdoor, and I felt a deep pity for her when I left, thinking that she wasto spend the night alone in that dismal old house. 

"_Au revoir_ until five to-morrow, " I said cheerfully, as I bowed andleft her. 

She smiled benignantly upon me. 

"_Au revoir_, " she answered. 

When the door had closed and it was too late to call her back, Irecollected one piece of forgetfulness on my part; I had never thoughtto ask her name!

CHAPTER II

THE MAN WITH THE GLASS EYE

I took a note of the number of the house--it was 190 MonmouthStreet--and gazed a little while at its neglected exterior before Iwalked away into the mist towards my hotel. 

Over the whole of the front windows faded Venetian blinds were drawndown; it was one of those houses, sometimes met with, shut up for noapparent reason, and without any intention on the part of the owner, apparently, to dispose of it, for there was no board up. It was notuntil later that I learned that the house belonged to the old ladyherself. 

I returned to my hotel, that luxurious resort of the wealthy andrheumatic, its well furnished interior looking particularly comfortablein the ruddy glow of two immense fires in the hall. I had left itearly in the afternoon, before the lamps were lit, tired of beingindoors; the change was most agreeable from the damp, misty atmospherewithout. 

I betook myself to the smoking-room, and, being a lover of thebeverage, ordered tea, with the addition of buttered toast. Delightedwith the big glowing fire in the room, and believing myself to bealone, I threw myself back luxuriously into a big, saddle-bag chair. 

As it ran back with the impetus of my descent into it, it jammed intoone behind, and from this immediately arose a very indignant face whichlooked into mine as I turned round. It was a dark, foreign-lookingface, the red face of a man who wore a black moustache and a littleimperial, and whose bloodshot brown eyes simply _glared_ through a pairof gold-rimmed pince-nez. There was something very strange about theseeyes. 

"I really beg your pardon, " I said. "I didn't know you were there!"

The fierce expression of the bloodshot eyes changed to one of somewhatforced amiability. 

"Pray don't apologise, " he answered, with just the merest touch of aforeign accent in his voice, that sort of undetectable accent whichsome men of cosmopolitan habits possess, though they are rarely metwith. 

"I think I must have been asleep, " he added, "and the little shockawoke me from a disagreeable dream. There is really so little to do inthis place besides bathing and sleeping. "

"And water drinking, " I suggested, with a smile. 

"I do as little of that, " he answered hastily, with a grimace, "as Ipossibly can. By the bye though, " he continued, wheeling round hischair sociably beside mine, "do you know that the Bath water taken_hot_ with a good dash of whisky in it and two lumps of sugar is nothalf bad?"

I took a good look at his face as he sat leering at me through hisglasses. From the congested look of it, I could quite believe that hehad sampled this mixture, or others of a similar alcoholic nature, sufficiently to give an opinion on the point; his bloodshot eyes alsotestified to the fact. 

But concerning these latter features, the reason of the curious lookabout them was solved by the firelight; one of them was of glass! Isaw that it remained stationary whilst the other leered round thecorner of the gold-rimmed pince-nez at me. It was a very goodimitation, and was made _bloodshot_ to match the other. 

My tea and buttered toast arrived now, and I made a vigorous attackupon the latter. 

"The idea of mixing whisky with Bath water, " I replied, laughing, "never struck me. It appears novel. "

"I can assure you, " continued my new acquaintance, "that many of theold men who are ordered here to Bath do it, and I should not besurprised to hear that it is a practice among the old ladies too. Lookat their faces as they come waddling down to table d'hôte!"

This appeared to me rather a disrespectful remark with regard to theopposite sex, and I answered him somewhat stiffly, "I hope you aredeceived. "

He was not a tactful person by any means: he made an observation thenconcerning my tea and buttered toast. 

"I really wonder, " he said, "how you can drink that stuff, " with a nodtowards my cup. "It would make me sick; put it away and have a whiskyand soda with me?"

I naturally considered this a very rude remark from a perfect stranger. 

"I am much obliged, " I snapped, "but I prefer tea. "

At that moment I put my hand in my pocket for my cigarette case. Ithought I would give this man one to stop his tiresome talking; as Ipulled it out the key of the safe which the old lady had given me fellout with it. Before I could stoop and pick it up myself the man withthe glass eye had got it. He put it up close to his good eye andexamined it critically. "What an extraordinary key!" he observed. "Where did you get it?"

Then he saw the letter C which was worked among the elaborate traceryof the handle, and he became greatly agitated. 

"Where did you get this from?" he repeated abruptly. 

I did not answer; I got up from my seat and took the key out of hishand; he was by no means willing to part with it. 

"Excuse me, " I said. 

Then with the key safe in my pocket and my hand over it, I walked outof the smoking-room, leaving behind me two pieces of buttered toast andperhaps a cup and a half of excellent tea all wasted. 

I am a delicately constituted individual, and I preferred smoking mycigarette all alone in a corner of the big hall, to consuming my usualallowance of tea and buttered toast in the society of the glass-eyedperson in the smoking-room. I considered that I was doing a littleintellectual fast all by myself. 

I saw nothing more of my friend of the false brown optic that evening, except that I observed his bloodshot eye of the flesh fixed scathinglyupon me from a remote corner of the great dining-room, where heappeared to be dining mostly off a large bottle of champagne. 

I sauntered away my evening as I had done the others of my first week's"cure" in Bath, making a fair division of it between the dining-room, the smoking-room and the reading-room. I did not go near thedrawing-room; its occupants consisted solely of a few obese ladies ofthe type referred to by the gentleman with the glass eye, wearing suchpalpable wigs that my artistic susceptibilities were sorely wounded atthe mere sight of them, and my sense of decency outraged. 

I went to bed in my great room over-looking the river and the weir, andI lay awake listening to its rushing waters, for the night was warm andalmost summer-like, as it happens sometimes in a fine November, and mywindows were open. 

I suppose I fell asleep, for when I was again conscious, the Abbeyclock struck four; at the same moment I became aware that some one wasin my room. I could discern the figure of a man in the shadow of thewardrobe near the chair on which I had placed my clothes when I tookthem off. I leant over the side of the bed and switched on theelectric light; the figure turned. It was the dark man with the glasseye!

"What the devil are you doing in my room?" I asked in none too polite atone. 

He was not at all disconcerted, but stood looking at me, replacing hispince-nez. 

"Well, really, " he replied, "wonders will never cease. I thought I wasin my own room!"

I knew he was lying. 

"I fail to perceive, " I said, sitting up in bed, "in what manner youcould have mistaken this room for your own. In the first place thedoor is locked. "

"Just so, " remarked my visitor, "that's exactly where it is; I came inat the window. "

"The window?" I repeated. 

"Yes, the window. I couldn't sleep, so took a stroll up and down thebalconies, and when I returned to my room, as I thought, I came in hereby mistake. "

The excuse was plausible, but I didn't believe a word of it. I was ina dilemma, and sat scratching my head. I could not prove that the manwas lying, and therefore had to take his word. 

"Very well, then, " I said in a compromising tone, "having made themistake, and it being now nearly five, perhaps you will be able to findyour way back to your room and go to sleep. "

I thought I was putting the request in as polite a manner as possible, and I expected him to move off at once. 

He did nothing of the kind. With a quick movement of his hand to hiship, he produced a revolver and covered me with it. 

"Where's that key?" he asked. 

He took my breath away for a few moments and I couldn't answer him, then I regained my presence of mind. 

"What key?" I asked, though I had a pretty shrewd idea as to the key hewanted. 

"The key which dropped out of your pocket this afternoon. "

"I don't keep it in bed with me, " I replied. "I'll get out and fetchit for you, you are quite welcome to it. "

I temporised with him, but I was perfectly determined in my own mindthat he should never have it while I lived. 

I slipped out of bed and he still held the pistol pointed towards mebut in a careless way. I think he was thrown off his guard by myapparent acquiescence. 

The clock of the Abbey struck five and he involuntarily turned his headat the first stroke; in that moment I made a sweeping blow with my leftarm and knocked the revolver out of his hand; it fell with a crash onthe floor. Then I seized him by the throat and tried to hold him. Hewas, however, like an eel; he wriggled himself free and struck me aheavy blow on the chest which sent me backwards, then he turned anddarted towards the window, but as he did so I heard something fall onthe floor. For one second his hand went down on the floor groping forit, then, with a curse, he snatched up the revolver, which lay near, and darted out of the window on to the balcony. It all occurred in afew moments, and I followed him as quickly as I could, but when Ireached the window I saw him flying along the balcony; he had alreadycleared several of the little divisions railing off one apartment fromanother, and I could see it would be useless to follow him. 

As I turned and re-entered the bedroom something lying on the floorcaught my glance and I stooped and picked it up. 

It was the man's glass eye, it had dropped out!

"Now, " I said to myself, surveying the bloodshot counterfeit orb as Iheld it under the electric light. "_Now_ I shall be able to trace himby means of his missing eye and hand him over to justice. "

I was fated to be disappointed. 

Late the next morning when, having passed the remainder of the nightsleeplessly, I came down the main staircase into the hall, almost thefirst person I met was my friend of the glass eye coming in at thefront door. He had apparently just left a cab from which the hotelporters were removing some luggage. He came straight to me, and, looking me in the face, had the impudence to bid me "Good morning. "

"Went over to Bristol last night, " he explained, "for a ball, and haveonly just got back. Had awful fun!"

I returned his look for some time without speaking; he had anotherglass eye stuck in which was the counterpart of the other. I saw nowclearly that he had two or more glass eyes for emergencies. 

"Bristol!" I repeated. "Did you not come into my room last nightand----?"

"And what?" he asked innocently. 

"And threaten me?" I added. 

He seemed highly amused. 

"Do you mean before I went?" he asked. 

"No, about four o'clock this morning. "

This time he burst out laughing. 

"My dear fellow, " he said with impertinent familiarity, "at fouro'clock this morning I was dancing like mad with some of the prettiestgirls in Bristol!"

Liar! It was on the tip of my tongue to ask him whether his glass eyehad fallen out during his terpsichorean efforts! It was, however, perfectly evident to me that he intended to deny that he had been inthe hotel during the night, and probably had had time to establish somesort of an _alibi_. I therefore decided to move cautiously in thematter. 

I turned on my heel and went into the dining-room to breakfast withoutanother word. 

But I made it my business during the morning to inquire of the hallporter, who I found had been on duty up to eleven o'clock on theprevious night, whether Mr. Saumarez--for that I discovered was thename he had entered in the hotel visitors' book--had left the hotel onthe previous evening. 

The porter unhesitatingly informed me that he had to go to a ball atBristol!

Really, when I left this man I began to wonder whether I had beendreaming, until I recollected the glass eye which was securely lockedup in my dressing-case, such things not being produced in dreams andfound under the pillow in the morning wrapped in an old telegram asthis had been. 

I went next to the chambermaid who presided over the corridor in whichMr. Saumarez' room was. 

Being a good-looking girl I gave her half-a-crown and chucked her underthe chin. 

"Look here, Maria, " I said, "just tell me whether 340, Mr. Saumarez, was in or not last night. I'm rather curious to know and have got abet on about it with a friend. "

She looked at me knowingly and giggled. 

"Why, _out_, sir, of course, " she replied; "he came in at half-past tenthis morning with his boots unblacked. We all know that _that_ means. "

This evidence to me appeared conclusive. I gave the chambermaid aparting chuck under the chin--no one being about--and dismissed her. 

Then, it being a fine morning, I went out for a walk. 

I went right over the hills by Sham Castle and across the Golf Links, being heartily sworn at--in the distance--by sundry retired officersfor not getting out of the way. But I was trying to have a good thinkover Mr. Saumarez, his duplicate glass eyes, and the reason why hewanted the key of the old lady's safe. 

I so tired myself out with walking and thinking, with no result, thatwhen I got back and had lunched late all by myself in the bigdining-room, I went into the smoking-room, which this time was quiteempty, and fell asleep in front of the great fire. 

My sleep was curiously broken and unrestful, and full of that undefinedcold apprehension which sometimes attacks one without any apparentreason during an afternoon nap. 

I awoke at last to hear the old Abbey clock striking five, and then Inearly jumped out of my seat, for I recollected my promise to theunknown old lady in Monmouth Street to visit her again that day at thatvery hour. 

I hurried through the hall to the coat room, and, seizing my hat, rushed out and just caught a tram which was gliding past in thedirection of the upper town where Monmouth Street stretched its lengthalong the slope of the hill. 

It was only three minutes past five when the gaily lighted tramdeposited me at the end of my old lady's street, and I set off forNumber 190, which was at the other extremity of the long, badly lightedthoroughfare, looking, with its interminable rows of oblong windows, like an odd corner of the eighteenth century which had been left behindin the march of time. 

I found the house practically as I had left it; there was no fog thatevening, and I had a better opportunity of observing its generalappearance in the yellow flare of the old-fashioned gas lamp opposite. 

The house on one side of it was to be let, with a large staring boardannouncing that fact fixed to the railings; the house on the other sidewas a dingy looking place with lace curtains shrouding the dining-roomwindows and a notice outside concerning "Apartments. "

I drew out the latch-key, blew in it to cleanse it from any dust, then, with very little difficulty, opened the door and entered Number 190. 

CHAPTER III

THE SECOND VISIT AND ITS RESULT

The first thing which caught my attention was the wax candle with itsglass shade standing on the raised flap which did duty for a hall table. 

I at once lit the candle from the box of matches by it, and then, whenit had burned up a little, proceeded at once to the kitchen staircase. The old lady had given me the latch-key with such a free hand that Ifelt myself fully justified in walking in; in fact, I rather wanted totake her by surprise if possible. 

Nevertheless I made a little noise going downstairs to give herknowledge of my approach, and it was then that I thought I heard awindow open somewhere at the back of the house. 

I walked towards the end of the passage, and there I saw the glow ofthe fire reflected through the open door of the handsome sitting-roomin which I had sat with the old lady on the previous day. It playedupon the opposite wall as I advanced with a great air of comfort. 

"Ten to one, " I said to myself, "that I find the old lady asleep overthe fire. "

The room I found in darkness except for the firelight. I could seelittle within it. I paused on the threshold and made a polite inquiry. 

"May I come in?" I asked in a tone intended to be loud enough to wakethe old lady. 

No answer. 

I advanced into the room with my candle and set it on the table, then Istruck a match and lit two more of the candles in the sconces. 

The room was empty!

This placed me rather in a dilemma. I had no further means ofannouncing my presence; I could only wait. 

I sat down by the fire and began to look around. 

Comfortable, even luxurious as the room was with its abundance ofvaluable knick-knacks and pictures, it had an eerie look about it. Theeyes of the figures in the pictures seemed following me about. 

I got up and lit two more of the candles in the sconces on the walls. Then I returned to my seat, made up the fire, and waited the course ofevents. 

I waited thus quite a quarter of an hour, during which nothingoccurred, and then I heard sounds which almost made me jump from mychair. 

The first was a long, gasping breath, followed after an interval by agroan, a long wailing groan as of one in the deepest suffering. 

I immediately rose from my chair, and caught a glimpse of my white faceas I did so in the looking-glass over the mantelpiece. 

I stood for some seconds on the hearthrug, and then the groan wasrepeated; it came from the direction of a heavy curtain which hung inone corner of the room, and which I had taken, on the previous day, tobe the covering of a cabinet or a recess in the wall perhaps for someof the old lady's out-door clothing. 

I tore it on one side now and found that it concealed a door. The knobturned in my hand and I entered the room beyond; it was in totaldarkness, and I at once returned to the sitting-room for candles. 

I took two in my hands and advanced once again, with an effort, intothe dark room. 

The sight that met my gaze there almost caused me to drop them. It wasa handsomely furnished bedroom, and in the farther corner was the bed. On it lay the old lady wrapped in a white quilted silk dressing-robe. 

The whole of the breast of this garment was saturated with blood!

With the candles trembling in my hands I advanced to the side of thebed, and the poor soul's eyes looked up at me while she acknowledged mycoming with a groan. 

Looking down at her there could not be a doubt but that her throat hadbeen cut!

I drew back from her horrified, and then I saw her lips moving; she wastrying to speak. 

I put my ear down close to her mouth and then I heard faintly but verydistinctly two words--

"Safe--open. "

I answered her at once. 

"I will go for a doctor first, then I will return and open the safe. "

At once she moved her head, causing a fresh flow of blood from a greatgaping wound at the right side of her neck. She was eager to speakagain, and I bent my ear over her mouth. 

Two words came again very faintly--"Open--first. "

I nodded to show her that I understood what she meant, then giving oneglance at her I prepared to do what she asked. There was a look ofsatisfaction in her eyes as I turned away. I went quickly back intothe sitting-room and turned the carved rose on the left side of theframe of the looking-glass in the over-mantel. Then when the glass hadslid up I felt for the spring in the wall, touched it, and the doorflew open. Without any hesitation I fixed the key in the lock of thesteel safe, and, with a slight effort, turned it and pulled the dooropen. 

The first thing I saw was a slip of white paper with some writing on itlying on two packets. This I took up and read at once; the wordsscribbled on it were in a lady's hand. 

"If anything has happened to me take these two packets, hide them inyour pockets, and close the safe, cupboard, and looking-glass, andleave it all as it was at first. "

I did not delay a moment. I took the two packets, which were wrappedin white paper like chemists' parcels, and sealed with red wax. I sawthis before I crammed them into my trousers pockets. 

I hastily closed the safe, locked it, fastened the panel, and, byturning the rose on the right-hand side of the over-mantel, caused theglass to resume its place. 

Then I turned to leave the room, and--found myself standing face toface with Saumarez, the man with the glass eye, who held a revolverlevelled at me. 

He did not stay to speak, but fired immediately; I dodged my head toone side just in time and heard the bullet go crashing into thelooking-glass behind me. 

Before he could fire again I hit him with all my might under the ear, and he fell in the corner of the room like a log. Stopping only topossess myself of his revolver, which had dropped by his side, I rushedup the stairs and out into the street; there I inquired of the firstperson I met, a working man going home, for the nearest doctor, and hedirected me to a Dr. Redfern only about ten doors away. 

Within a few seconds I was pausing at this door, and endeavouring tomake an astonished parlour-maid understand that I wanted to see hermaster on a matter of life and death. 

A placid-looking gentleman made his appearance from a room at the endof the entrance hall while I was speaking to her, with an evening paperin his hand. 

"What's the matter?" he asked casually. 

"Murder is the matter, " I answered between gasps of excitement, "murderat Number 190, and I want you to come at once. "

I gave him a brief account of the old lady with her throat cut. Hestood looking at me a moment or two, as if in doubt whether I was saneor not, then made up his mind. 

"All right, " he said, "just wait a moment and I'll come with you. "

He reappeared in about a couple of minutes, wearing an overcoat and atall hat. 

"Now, " he said, "just lead the way. "

We went together straight back to Number 190, and I think he had somemisgivings about entering the house with me alone, but I reassured himby reminding him that an old lady was dying within; as it was he mademe go first. 

"I had no idea any one lived here at all, " he remarked, as I lightedhim along the passage to the stairs by means of wax vestas, of which Ifortunately had a supply, for there was no candle in the hall. "Ialways thought this house was shut up. But still I have only been herejust over twelve months. "

"I think you will find, " I said, as we got firmly on the basementfloor, and saw the reflection of my candle which I had left on thetable in the sitting-room, "that there are a good many surprises inthis house. "

"Now, " I continued as we entered the room, "the old lady is lying inthere. I will take this candle and show you the way. " I led the wayinto the room, and held the candle aloft, with a shudder at what Iexpected to see there. 

_The bed was empty. _

I rubbed my eyes and looked again. 

No, there was nothing there; the bed looked rather rumpled, but therewas no sign whatever of the old lady. 

"Well, " remarked the doctor sharply--he had followed closely at myheels--"where is your murdered old lady?"

I looked round the bedroom helplessly. 

"I would take the most solemn oath, " I said steadfastly, "that I leftthe old lady lying on that bed with her throat cut, and her clothes andthe bed appeared soaked in blood. "

The doctor walked to the bed and examined it closely, turning back thebedclothes. 

"There is not a spot of blood on it, " he remarked savagely, "you aredreaming. "

But my eyes were sharper than his. 

"Look here, " I said, and pointed to a small red mark on the wall on thefarther side of the bed, "what do you call that?" He leaned over thebed and looked at the little stain through his glasses as I held thelight. 

"Yes, " he said after a close scrutiny, "that _might_ be blood, and, strange to say, it seems wet. "

He looked at his finger which had just touched it, and it had a slightsmear of blood on it. 

I had told him on the staircase that I had been attacked by a man whohad fired at me, and indeed the smell of powder even on the landingabove was very apparent. 

"Now come back into the next room, " I said, "and see the body of theman who assailed me and whom I knocked down. "

He followed me into the boudoir, and I went straight to the cornerwhere I had last seen Saumarez lying. 

_There was nothing there!_

I gave a great gasp of astonishment. 

"I left the man lying there!" I exclaimed, pointing to the floor. 

The doctor took the candle lamp from my hands and held it close to myface, scrutinising me earnestly meanwhile through his glasses; then heleant forward and sniffed suspiciously. 

"Do you drink?" he asked abruptly. 

Then, noticing my look of growing indignation, he altered his toneslightly. 

"Excuse my asking the question, " he explained. "But it is the only wayin which I can account for your symptoms. Do you see things?"

"Things be d----, " I replied hotly. "I would answer with my life thatI left that poor old lady lying on her bed grievously wounded not halfan hour ago, and the villain who assaulted me insensible in thiscorner!"

The doctor went to the corner and held the candle in such a way as toshed its light upon the floor. 

Then he stooped and picked up something. 

"What's this?" he exclaimed, holding it close to the candle. "A glasseye, " he continued in astonishment, "a glass eye, as I live!"

"There!" I said triumphantly, "the man who fired at me had a glass eye. Is it not a brown one, shot with blood?"

"Right!" he answered after another glance at it, "a bloodshot brown eyeit undoubtedly is. "

He handed it to me, and I put it in my pocket. 

"You had better take care of it, " he said. "But I really don't knowwhat to say about your story. "

"Perhaps you will deny the evidence of your eyes?" I asked; "look atthis. "

I pointed to where the bullet from the revolver had struck thelooking-glass over the mantelpiece and starred it. 

"No, " he answered, "that certainly looks as if it had been smashed by abullet. There is the little round hole where the bullet entered. Andthere is another point too, " he continued, "you say you left the oldlady lying on the bed bleeding, not half an hour ago?"

"Certainly. "

"Then the bed ought to be warm; let us come and see. "

We walked back into the bedroom and examined the bed again. 

It was very evident to me that a fresh coverlet had been put on the bedand fresh sheets. How it could have been done in so short a time was amarvel to me. 

The doctor put his hand on the coverlet. 

"That is quite cold, " he reported, "there can be no question of a doubtabout that. "

"Let me try inside the bed, " I suggested; "that may tell a differenttale. "

I turned down the bedclothes, and put my hand into the bed. It wasdistinctly warm!

"Now, " I said, turning to the doctor, "do you believe me or not?"

He put his hand into the bed. 

"Yes, " he answered, "it is certainly warm. I don't know what to makeof it. "

I thrust my hand once more deep beneath the clothes, and this time itencountered something and closed on it. I glanced at it as I drew itout. 

It was a lady's handkerchief. 

I don't know what moved me to do it, but an impulse made me put it inmy pocket, without showing it to the doctor. 

"I don't know what to make of it at all, " repeated Dr. Redfern, stroking his chin, "but one thing is certain, we must acquaint thepolice. "

"Certainly, " I answered. "I think we ought to have done that long ago. "

"Well, will you promise me to remain here, Mr. --Mr. --?" he queried. 

"Anstruther, " I suggested. People in the middle class of life alwaysassume that you are a "Mr. " I might have been a Duke!

"Will you promise me to remain here, Mr. Anstruther, " he asked, "whileI go and telephone the police?"

"Of course, " I answered; "what should I want to run away for?"

"Very well, then, " he said with a nod and a smile. "I will take itthat you won't. I will be back inside a quarter of an hour. "

We lit more of the candles on the walls, and then I took the candlelamp to light him upstairs to the front door. 

I was standing there watching him going up Monmouth Street towards hishouse, when a sudden resolve took possession of me concerning the twopackets I had in my trousers pockets! I did not know what turn affairswere going to take, and I thought I should like to put those two littleparcels in a place of safety. 

I had noticed a small dismal post office at the end of the street notfifty yards off. I would go and post them, registered to my lawyers, in whom I had the greatest confidence. 

To the taking of this resolve and the carrying of it out, instead ofreturning to the downstairs room, I always attribute, in the light ofsubsequent events, the saving of my life. I left the door "on the jar"and ran quickly to the post office. There I demanded their largestsized registered envelope, and they fortunately had a big one. 

Into this I crammed the two packets--which I noticed were both directedto me in a very neat lady's hand--and then, as an afterthought, thehandkerchief which I had found in the bed. Finally I put the key ofthe safe in too. With my back to the ever curious clerk, I directed itto myself--

 c/o Messrs. BLACKETT & SNOWDON, Solicitors, Lincoln's Inn, London. 

Then, slapping it down before the astonished official, I demanded areceipt for it. 

This obtained, I hastened back to 190; the door was still as I had leftit, but in a few moments the doctor returned, and at his heels apoliceman. 

"The inspector will be here directly, " announced Dr. Redfern. "We hadbetter wait outside until he arrives. "

We walked up and down for nearly a quarter of an hour while the doctorsmoked a cigarette, and meanwhile the policeman, a person of giganticstature and a bucolic expression of countenance, eyed me suspiciously. 

Presently the inspector arrived, and the doctor and I returned with himto the sitting-room downstairs. There the police official insistedupon my giving a full account of the whole matter, while he stoodcritically by with a notebook in his hand. I told him the whole truthfrom the time of my seeing the old lady at the door, to the time of mycalling in the doctor, but I suppressed all mention of the two packetsand the secret safe. These being confidential matters between me andthe old lady, I did not feel at liberty to disclose them. 

I saw very plainly from the looks the inspector gave me that he did notbelieve me; he even had doubts, it was very evident, whether I wasstaying at the Hotel Magnifique at all, as I had informed him at thecommencement of my statement. 

Having entered all the notes to his satisfaction, he thoroughlyinspected both rooms and made more notes. Then he went outside andbawled up the stairs--

"Wilkins!"

"Sir, " came the answer from the bucolic constable on duty above. 

"Just step round to the 'Compasses, '" instructed his superior from thefoot of the stairs, "and tell my brother I should be glad if he'd comeround here for a few minutes. We've got a rather curious case. "

"Very good, sir, " came the reply, followed by the heavy tread of theman's boots as he went to carry out the orders. 

"My brother's down 'ere on a bit of a 'oliday, sir, " explained theinspector to the doctor, entirely ignoring me, "and being one of thetip-top detectives up in London, I thought we'd take the benefit of hisopinion. "

The "Compasses, " as it turned out, being only a couple of streets off, we had not long to wait for the coming of the detective luminary fromLondon. His heavy footsteps were soon heard on the stairs; preceded bythe constable, he descended the flight with evident forethought andconsideration. Emerging from the darkness into the light of the waxcandles, he presented the appearance of a prosperous butcher, tall, broad-shouldered, red-necked, and with moustache and whiskers of asandy hue. His face was very red, and the skin shining as if distendedwith good living. 

"This is my brother, Inspector Bull of the Z Metropolitan Division, "explained our inspector to the doctor, once more ignoring me, "down'ere on a little 'oliday. "

As I learned afterwards, this gentleman was one of the Guardian Angelswho watched over the safety of the inhabitants of the Mile End Road. 

The doctor having shaken hands with him, his brother put anotherquestion to him. 

"'Ow's Alf?" he inquired. 

The newcomer gently soothed the back of his red neck with a hand like asmall leg of mutton, and displayed a set of massive front teeth in agratified smile. 

"'E's all right, " he answered, "we wos having fifty up when you sentfor me. "

"You see, " explained our inspector, "my brother's got so many friendsin the licensed victuallers' line down here, through being a Mason, that it takes him 'arf his 'oliday to go round and see 'em all. "

The doctor smiled indulgently but made no answer; then our inspectorbriefly informed his brother of the state of the case before him, stating the facts as I related them, in such a different light, andwith so many evident aspersions on my veracity, that I hardly knew themagain. 

The two brothers made a further close inspection of the rooms, and thenheld a consultation on the hearthrug in whispers. 

Though the words were unintelligible, the fact that the officer of theZ Division had been partaking liberally of whisky soon became apparentfrom the all-pervading odour of that stimulant diffused throughout theapartment. 

They finished at last, and I heard the London man's final word ofadvice--

"I should put me 'and on 'im at any rate. "

CHAPTER IV

I AM DETAINED

I was the "'im" referred to evidently. 

Our inspector buttoned up his blue overcoat. 

"Perhaps you'll be kind enough to walk down with us to the station, Mr.. . . Er--Anstruther, " he said; "we can have a little talk down thereand straighten things out a bit. "

His subterfuge did not in the least deceive me. 

"Do I understand, " I asked, "that you propose to detain me?"

The inspector raised his shoulders perplexedly, and his brother smileda fat smile over his shoulder. 

"That'll depend how you explain matters to our chief, " he saiddeprecatingly; "at any rate we'd better get along. "

This was a hint I could not disregard. He led the way up thestaircase, and his stout brother, through force of habit, closed inbehind, far too close to be pleasant, owing to the diffused aroma of amixture of various brands of inferior whisky, arising from his hardbreathing as he ascended the stairs. We walked two and two downMonmouth Street, I with the inspector, the doctor and the Londondetective improving their acquaintance in the rear. 

Two streets off we dropped the officer of the Z Division, who betookhimself once more to the "Compasses" to continue his "fifty up" withhis friend the landlord, and the doctor joined us. I had the pleasureof listening to his conversation with the inspector, conducted acrossme, without having the pleasure of being included in it. 

We walked all three down into the town, and then straight into thePolice Station, only a few doors off my hotel. 

The inspector and the doctor went into a private room to confer withsome superior official while I was left to sit by the fire in the outeroffice. 

Presently the inspector came out. 

"We've decided to detain you, Mr. Anstruther, " he said, "until we canfind out a little more about this affair. Just come over here. "

"Look here, Mr. Inspector, " I said, "if you intend to detain me withoutsufficient reason, you'll find it an awkward matter. " The inspectorlooked a trifle uncomfortable. 

"We shall have to take our chance of that, " he said, rather sullenly, "we've only got our duty to do, Mr. Anstruther. You can have bail, Ishould think. "

"Bail!" I repeated, "how am I to get bail? I don't know a soul in thetown. "

The inspector shrugged his shoulders and motioned me into a railedspace in the centre of the office. 

There was no help for it, so I went and placed myself as he desired inthe little dock, and a constable standing there obligingly clamped downa rail behind me to keep me there. Then the doctor, who, it turnedout, was some official in the town, gave a garbled version of the wholeaffair, which I found it useless to try and contradict, as I was toldto hold my tongue. The inspector's version of the affair was even moreinsulting than the doctor's. He did not hesitate to express hisopinion that I was a very suspicious person, probably a lunatic atlarge. When asked if I had anything to say, my remark summed up thesituation, tersely, in a few words. 

"This is a parcel of d--d rot!" I said. 

Then they searched me. 

The inspector simply gloated over Saumarez' revolver when I turned itout of my pocket, and this feeling rose to an absolute thrill oftriumph when he discovered that one of the chambers had been discharged. 

In my heart, I was thankful that I had sent those two packets and thekey to my lawyers. 

While the inspector was hanging fondly over Saumarez' glass eye, whichone energetic young constable had furraged out of the corner of mywaistcoat pocket, an idea struck me which ought to have occurred to mebefore. 

I had come to Bath with a letter of introduction to a certain doctor, aDr. Mainwaring; I would send for him. 

"Look here, Mr. Inspector, " I said, "when you've quite finishedrattling me about, I have two suggestions to make. One is to send someof your men to try if they can find the old lady whose throat has beencut, and the other is to send for Dr. Mainwaring, who knows me. I warnyou that if you lock me up you will get into trouble. "

At the mention of Dr. Mainwaring, Dr. Redfern, who was still there, pricked up his ears. 

"Dr. Mainwaring!" he repeated. "Do you know him?"

"I came here about ten days ago, " I answered, "with a letter ofintroduction to him from Sir Belgrave Walpole. I've no doubt that hewill be able to tell you something about me. "

He turned to the inspector. 

"Don't you think you had better send a man up to Royal Crescent, " hesaid, "to ask Dr. Mainwaring? There _may_ be a mistake, you know. Itwould be safer. "

I could see that the inspector was very unwilling to admit thepossibility of a mistake; he was, however, overruled by the man who waswriting in the book, and who appeared to be a person in authority. 

"Shapland, " he said to a waiting constable, "go up to Dr. Mainwaring'sand ask if he knows a person of the name of Anstruther. "

"You'd better take one of my cards there with you, " I suggested, "thenhe'll know who you mean. "

The inspector gave me a scathing look, but gave the man one of thecards out of my case. 

I think they were undecided then as to whether they would lock me up ornot, but eventually made up their minds on the side of prudence. 

I was allowed to sit by the fire. 

Within half an hour a motor came puffing up to the police station, andDr. Mainwaring entered. 

"My dear Mr. Anstruther, " he inquired breathlessly, "whatever is thematter?"

In a few brief sentences I unloaded the burden of my wrongs. 

"Why, there must be some mistake!" cried Mainwaring. "I'll just go offand see the chief constable, he's a particular friend of mine. "

When he had gone, the faces of my guardians grew visibly longer; one ofthem fetched me an armchair out of the office. 

The chief constable soon put matters right. 

"This gentleman is staying at the Magnifique, " he announced, "he iswell known to Dr. Mainwaring, and, in fact, the doctor will answer forhis appearance; what more do you want, Mr. Inspector?"

The inspector wanted nothing more. 

Within five minutes I was sitting by a glorious fire in a private roomat the Magnifique, discussing the whole matter with the chief constableand Dr. Mainwaring. 

But before I left the station, I put a query to Inspector Bull, junior. 

"What have you done about the old lady?" I asked. 

The officer assumed some shreds of dignity, even in his discomfiture. 

"You may have thought us a bit forgetful, sir, " he observed, "but Iassure you, both the railway stations have been under carefulobservation from the time of my being able to touch a telephone. "

"Thank you, " I said; but it appeared to me that under the circumstancesthey might just as profitably have watched the Pump Room or the Baths. 

CHAPTER V

ARRESTED

Being left to myself after thoroughly thrashing out the whole case withDr. Mainwaring and the chief constable, who both agreed with me thatthe circumstances were the most extraordinary they had ever heard of, Isat down to consider matters by myself. 

Here was I, a country gentleman of moderate estate, trying to eke out asmallish income by literature, plumped down into the centre of as finea tangle of mystery as ever came out of the _Arabian NightsEntertainments_. 

I got up and looked at myself in the glass, and saw there aclean-shaven tall man of thirty whose black hair was already turningwhite at the temples; about my grey eyes, alas, there were alreadycrows' feet, the price I had paid, I suppose, for taking honours atOxford. 

I sat down again and thought deeply. 

"Bill Anstruther, " I said to myself, "you're in for it. You'veconsented to receive the confidences of that old lady, who, poor soul, was in the direst need of help and friendship without doubt when shecalled you in the night before last. You're bound in honour to gothrough with it, and try to help her, or at any rate carry out herwishes, be she dead or alive. "

Thus I reasoned, and in this, it seemed to me, my duty lay. Obviouslythe first thing to do was to obtain possession of the packets again andascertain their contents. I knew, of course, that they were directedto me and possibly contained some request of the old lady. I marvelledvery much what the connection between her and the man with the glasseye could possibly be, but could form no guess even in the matter. Itwas very evident that he was a bloodthirsty scoundrel, and I had littledoubt in my own mind that it was he who had wounded her, perhaps untodeath. 

While I thought of it, I decided to go down to the office and makeinquiries concerning Saumarez. 

I found he had left during the morning. 

"Mr. Saumarez went up to town, sir, " explained the clerk, "by thetwelve-twenty. "

"Thank you, " I said, and walked away to the smoking-room to have a goodthink again. Eating for the present was out of the question. 

After three cigarettes I arrived at the following conclusions. I wouldgo up to town in the morning, secure the packets, and read them in mylawyers' office. 

I would not trust myself to carry them about with me while that manSaumarez was at large. It was very evident that the safe and itscontents possessed a great attraction for him; probably with very goodreason. 

I caught the morning train to London, and arrived in Lincoln's Innabout two o'clock, after lunching early at my club. There Messrs. Blackett & Snowdon's managing clerk handed me the registered packetwhich I had sent off the evening before from the post office inMonmouth Street, Bath. 

With this in my hand I retired to the private office of Mr. Snowdon, who was away from town, his room being placed at my disposal by themanaging clerk when I told him I had some important papers to examine. 

I sat down at the desk, cleared it of the few papers lying there, thenprepared to open my precious parcel. 

First I tore off the registered envelope. 

Yes, there were the two packets which I had thought so much of in thehours I lay awake during the night. There was the key; there was thehandkerchief. 

I took this latter up and examined it carefully by the light. It wasof the finest cambric, and bore in the corner the letter C. 

Then there remained the two packets to examine. 

They were both addressed to me in a small, old-fashioned handwritingwhich I took to be that of the old lady, poor soul! One was heavy, felt hard, and contained evidently a box of some sort, the other wassoft and I took it to be composed of papers. I broke the seals--aC--and opened it. My surmise was correct, it contained several sheetsof thick correspondence paper, covered with writing. It was dated theday I first met her. When I spread it out this is what I found it tocontain--

"DEAR MR. ANSTRUTHER, --I have little doubt but you consider me merely acrazy old woman. 

"Perhaps I am, Heaven knows I have had enough trouble in my life tomake me so, and the trouble and anxiety I am enduring now is by nomeans the lightest I have had to bear. That is why I had the resolveto trust you, taking a sudden fancy, as I have done before withoutregretting it, to a resolute open face. 

"I believe that you will carry out what I ask of you to the letter; Ibelieve you will do it honestly and truly, for the reason that you loveto be honest and true. 

"So much for my trust in you. Now for the object of my appealing toyou. 

"I am threatened with a great peril, a peril which may cost me my life, I expect it, I do not fear it. I have held my life in my hands foryears past. 

"But there is something in my case which I value more than my life;this I would preserve at all costs. It is contained in the small boxin the second packet which I have prepared for you. 

"I think I have thought of every contingency and may reasonably countupon being left in peace until I see you at five to-morrow. I do notdoubt for one moment but that you will keep your appointment. ShouldI, however, have to send you to the safe, instead of handing you thesepackets, I have prepared even for that. 

"The request I am about to make you is, I know, an unreasonable one, yet I believe you will carry it out. 

"Upon opening the other packet, which I shall leave you with this, youwill find a small carved casket which is locked; with it you will findsufficient money for your journey--of which presently. 

"Mr. Anstruther, I want you to take the casket to Aquazilia and todeliver it to the person to whom it is addressed. "

"Aquazilia!" I exclaimed, putting down the letter, "why, that is thebig Republic the other side of Brazil which once upon a time used to bea Monarchy! That's rather a tall order!" I took the letter up againand went on:--

"I know the journey is a long one, but it will repay you. When youtold me you were a writer, I knew at once that such a journey would beone from which you would draw profit both in experience and otherwise. In doing it you will earn my undying gratitude. Go, I beseech you! Toyou I confide that which is dearer to me than my life. Go, I imploreof you. I ask it in the name of Truth and Honour. Go, and earn theeternal thanks of

"CARLOTTA D'ALTENBERG. "

"D'Altenberg, d'Altenberg, " I muttered as I finished. "It seems afamiliar name!"

I now turned my attention to the second packet, and opened that. Itcontained a small wooden box with the lid tied down with string. Upontaking this off, I found within a very beautifully carved oblongcasket, made of ebony, inlaid with gold. It was a most finished pieceof workmanship, and measured, I should think, about six inches byperhaps two and a half. In raised letters on the lid was carved theletter C as on the seals. On a small parchment label firmly secured toit by silk was:--

"To His Excellency the Senor JUAN D'ALTA, Valoro, Aquazilia. "

It was fastened by no less than three locks, all of different sizes, and by its excessive weight, even for ebony, I should say was linedwith some metal. 

When I had lifted this casket out of the box I found beneath it twoordinary long envelopes both addressed to me and open. On the first Itook up was:--

"To William Anstruther, Esq. For the expenses of the journey to Valoro. "

I opened it and found it to contain four fifty pound notes. On theother was my name, and beneath it:--

"A slight honorarium by way of compensation for time lost on thejourney. "

It contained a Bank of England note for one thousand pounds. I satwith the note in my hand for some time; it was the first for thatamount which I had ever come across. 

However, not without some considerable satisfaction, I admit, I put upthe note into its envelope again and packed it with the other into thebox. I very carefully replaced the ebony casket after a glance ofadmiration at its beautifully inlaid workmanship. 

I closed the box up as before, and, making free with Mr. Snowdon'sstationery, put it in a fresh linen lined envelope and sealed it upagain. This time with my own seal. I treated the letter in the sameway, packing it up with the hankerchief and the key, then directed thetwo to myself, care of my lawyers. I intended to leave both in theircare as before. I had ample confidence in their strong room. I hadbarely completed this task and thrown the old wrappers into the fire, when there came a knock at the door; the managing clerk entered withrather a scared look on his face. 

"There are two men waiting to see you downstairs, Mr. Anstruther, " heannounced, "and I rather think they are police officers. "

Instinctively as he spoke I thrust the two packets before me intopigeon holes of the writing table I was sitting at, and he saw me do it. 

Before I could make any reply, the door was pushed open behind him, andtwo men entered; the foremost of them walked up to the table. 

"Are you Mr. William Anstruther?" he asked. 

He was a tall, dark, fresh-coloured man with sharp grey eyes, hiscompanion had the appearance of an ordinary constable in plain clothes. 

"Yes, " I answered, rising, "I am William Anstruther. "

"Then I arrest you, William Anstruther, " he said, "on suspicion ofcausing the death of an old lady, name unknown, whose body wasdiscovered at daybreak this morning on Lansdown, near Bath, with herthroat cut. You'll have to come with us down to Bath to be charged. "

Here was a terrible development!

My first thoughts were of pity for the poor old lady. How I wished Ihad been able to save her life. 

"Very well, " I answered as coolly as I could. "I suppose there is nohelp for it, and I had better go with you. Perhaps, Mr. Watson, " Isaid, turning to the managing clerk, who was standing by as white as asheet, "perhaps you will see that this man has proper authority fortaking me. "

"Certainly, Mr. Anstruther, " he answered, then turning to the detectivehe asked for his papers. 

"Show me your warrant, please, " he said. "I shall not allow Mr. Anstruther, our client, to leave with you unless you do. "

The fresh-coloured officer smiled, and produced from his pocket a bluepaper, together with some other documents. These seemed to satisfyWatson. 

"There seems no help for it, Mr. Anstruther, " he said, with them in hishands. "I am afraid you will have to go with him. This is a properwarrant signed by a magistrate on sworn information. "

"Who are the informants?" I asked. 

He referred to the warrant and read out the names. 

"Inspector James Bull, Frederick Redfern, surgeon, and AnthonySaumarez, gentleman. "

"Saumarez!" I exclaimed, "the scoundrel and would-be murderer!"

"You had better be careful what you say, " remarked the police officer, "as I may have to take it down, and it will be used against you. "

"Yes, " confirmed Watson, "you'd better say as little as possible. Nodoubt the whole matter is a mistake. "

I took up my overcoat and the managing clerk helped me on with it;meanwhile, the police officer walked to the desk I had been sitting atand laid his hands on some papers. I looked upon the packets as lost. 

Watson, however, stopped him at once. 

"You mustn't touch those papers, " he said hastily. "They are theproperty of Mr. Snowdon, a member of our firm. "

"Then what is _he_ doing here?" asked the man, with a jerk of his headtowards me. 

"Mr. Anstruther, " replied Watson, "was attending to some businesscorrespondence at Mr. Snowdon's desk, that gentleman being away. "

"Where's the correspondence?" asked the detective, with a quick glanceat my two packets sticking out of the pigeon holes. I looked the manstraight in the face. 

"My correspondence is finished, " I answered, "and in the hands of thisfirm. "

A little smile about Watson's mouth and a hasty glance at the packets, convinced me that he understood my remark. 

"Very well, then, " said the police officer, "we'd better come along. Provided you come quietly, " he observed to me as I followed him out, "it won't be necessary for me to handcuff you. "

That was a comfort I thought, as I went downstairs and through theoffice, full of astounded clerks, who had all known me well for years. 

We got into a cab and were driven to Paddington Station, reaching itabout dusk, much to my satisfaction, as I should not at all haveappreciated making my appearance in such a place with the two policeofficers. 

We got into a third class compartment all to ourselves right at the endof the train, near the engine, and there I sat between the two men, whohardly exchanged a word the whole way, but who sat trying to readnewspapers by the bad light. They would hold no conversation with me. 

When we got to Bath they hurried me quickly down the stairs into a fly, and then we drove straight through the town. 

As we passed the police station and my hotel--towards which I castlonging glances, for it was not far off dinner time--I asked a questionof the tall, fresh-coloured man. 

"I understood that you were going to take me to the police station?" Isaid. 

The man shook his head. 

"We are taking you to the prison, " he said, "for the night. You willbe brought before the magistrates in the morning. "

I sank back in the corner of the fly thoroughly dejected, and thevehicle drove out by what I knew to be the Warminster Road. We nowleft the lights of the town behind, and then the journey was entirelybetween two hedgerows, which bordered the road, with an occasionalfield gate by way of variety--all else beyond was blank night, forthere was no moon. 

My two guardians began to show signs of fatigue, not unmixed with acertain disgust, at the length of the journey. 

They began yawning and stretching their arms, with very little regardfor my comfort. 

When at last the fly pulled up with a jerk, after a good deal ofbumping over a rough road, the two men were very unceremonious inordering me to quit the vehicle. 

"Now then, Ugly, " remarked the fresh-coloured man with a push of hisfoot, which was remarkably like a kick, "out you get!"

He stepped out himself and I followed, knowing full well it was uselessto resist, but I made a mental resolve that I would report him. 

Once outside the fly, I found myself apparently at the foot of a tower, a door stood open in front of me, and on the doorstep a man holding alantern. 

I was, however, given very little time to contemplate this scene; thebig man seized my right arm, and his companion my left; between them, they rushed me up a flight of steps immediately inside the tower. 

These steps constituted a spiral staircase which wound round theinterior of the tower; ever and anon as we passed a small window I sawthe lights of Bath twinkling in the distance. 

Beyond a few walks during the ten days I had spent there--my firstvisit--I knew very little of Bath or its neighbourhood, therefore I hadno opportunity of taking my bearings. 

I was urged up this staircase in a manner which I should have thoughtunusual had I not remembered the men's complaints of the longjourney--which they had made twice--in the fly. 

Finally we reached a door, and they simply pushed me through it into alarge room. It was evidently the top storey of the tower and hadwindows looking all ways. It was perfectly circular in shape, wasfairly clean, and had a fire burning in a grate with a wire screenbefore it; in one corner was a bed. 

The two men released their hold as I looked around, and the dark onewent to a corner and picked up a chain. 

"Come here!" he shouted to me roughly. 

His colleague assisted me by giving me a shove in his direction. Then, in a twinkling, he fixed a steel ring to my left ankle, snapped itthere and locked a small padlock on it. 

I was chained up like a dog!

Having thoroughly searched me, they prepared to leave; the taller manaddressed me. 

"I suppose you know, " he remarked, as the two moved towards the door, "that if you make any attempt to escape, you'll be shot?"

With this parting caution he closed the door, and I heard a key turn inthe lock. 

I took one turn round the room, the chain being long enough, with manya yearning look at the distant lights of Bath; then, horrified at theclanking of my fetters, which were fixed to a staple in the wall, Ithrew myself as I was on the bed in the corner, and there, being tiredout, almost immediately fell asleep. 

CHAPTER VI

PUT TO THE TORTURE

I awoke with a feeling of intense cold, the fire was out, and I waslying outside the bed without covering. 

The day had fully broken, and there was even an attempt on the part ofthe sun to pierce the heavy mists of a November morning. I lookedaround out of the windows, and saw the hills topped with cloud in everydirection. 

Drawing the rough blankets over me, I lay and thought. My firstyearning was for something to eat; I had tasted nothing since lunch theprevious day; I was fearfully hungry. 

I had lain thus perhaps half an hour between sleeping and waking, whena key was put in the door and it opened, admitting a big, dark man witha long, black beard; he bore in his hands a small table which he placedin the middle of the room. 

"Now, " I said to myself, "this means breakfast. "

I was mistaken. 

He brought in next a square box, not unlike the case of a sewingmachine, and placed it on the table. 

"What can this be?" I muttered as I watched him closely. 

In a few minutes footsteps were heard on the stairs, and another manjoined him. A great strong fellow with a fair moustache. The two ofthem wheeled a large chair with glass arms to it, which I had notnoticed before, from one corner of the room, and placed it on one sideof the table. 

The preparations now had all the appearance of the commencement of someperformance; it only needed the principal actor to appear. 

He was not long in coming. 

Meanwhile, I wondered why the chair had glass arms to it. 

I noticed that the two men, who now stood idly looking out of thewindows, did not wear uniforms. They were dressed in ordinaryrough-looking clothes of foreign cut; it struck me as very strange. Iasked them who they were. 

"Are you the warders of the prison?" I said. 

"Hein!" the dark one inquired. 

"Are you the warders of the prison?" I repeated. 

"Find out, _verdammt Englander_, " the man replied. 

Then I felt certain I was in no English prison. Where was I?

The question was soon answered, the door once more opened and_Saumarez_ entered. I sat up on the bed and fairly gasped; the wholematter was perfectly unintelligible to me. After the first thrill ofastonishment my glance went to his eyes. 

They were complete; he had another glass one in the socket, and itexactly matched the real one. 

He came towards me with a little bow, and a smile on his redcountenance. 

"Good morning, Mr. Anstruther, " he began, "we seem to be alwaysmeeting. "

I could not restrain my feelings. 

"That is my misfortune, " I answered. 

He smiled and shrugged his shoulders. 

"Perhaps so, " he answered casually, "that remains to be seen. "

He said some words in German to the two men, which I imperfectlyunderstood, but it seemed to be an order to lift me off the bed, forthey immediately did it. 

Then one of them unlocked my chain, and the two of them carried me tothe chair, and sat me in it. 

I now realised that I was in a desperate condition. 

"I insist on knowing, " I cried to Saumarez, "why I was brought here. It is very evident that I have been tricked. "

Saumarez laughed--a low laugh of enjoyment. 

"You certainly came here under a false impression, " he sniggered; "asfor the reason of your coming, you will soon know it. Now, to beginwith, where is the key of the safe at 190 Monmouth Street. You havebeen thoroughly searched and we cannot find it. 

"You are not likely to, " I answered. "It is in a place where youcannot get at it. "

"Indeed!" replied Saumarez. "What place is that?"

"I shall not tell you. "

"We shall see, " he remarked laconically. 

As he spoke, he motioned to the two men to do something with the box onthe table. 

As they moved towards it, I heard the double report of a sporting gunnot far off. Evidently some one was out shooting. 

The men went to the table, and, taking off the square lid of the box, disclosed a large galvanic battery!

My blood began to run cold as an awful idea formed itself in my mind. 

"Secure him in the chair!" Saumarez said sharply in German. 

Before the men could reach me, I darted out of the chair towards thedoor, but they were too quick for me and caught me before I reached it. They carried me back struggling to the chair, and one held me down init while the other passed thick straps round me, holding me fast in it, hand and foot. I found, when they had done with me, that my two handswere strapped firmly to the glass arms of the chair. 

Lying back in the chair I noticed high up in the roof an old cobwebbedwindow, the top of which was standing open for purposes of ventilation. It looked as if it had not been interfered with for years. 

In the position I was in, I could not very well see what was going onin the room, but the next thing I experienced was feeling my wristsbeing encircled apparently with wire. I gave one convulsive struggleto get free, but it was useless I knew well now what they were goingto do. 

They were going to torture me by giving me galvanic shocks, and passingstrong currents through my body. 

I had heard of the torture being applied in Russia to politicalprisoners. 

I had, when a boy, patronised those machines which professed to tryone's "nerve. " I had held the two handles and watched the proprietordraw out the rod from the coil to increase the strength of the current. I knew how unbearable _that_ feeling could become even with a _weak_battery. What would it be with this _strong_ one?

Saumarez' voice broke in upon me. 

"Where is the key of the safe?"

I was enraged at the sound of his voice. 

"You shall never know, you vile devil!" I cried. 

"Give it to him, " he exclaimed sharply to the two men in German. As hespoke I heard the sharp report of two sporting guns, one charged withblack powder, one, from its quick sharp crack, with smokeless, _quitenear_. There were two sportsmen. 

Then--oh my God!--began that awful torture of a strong current ofelectricity passing up my arms. 

I threw back my head and cried with all my strength, directing my voiceto the open window far above me in the roof of the tower--

"Help! Murder! Help!"

And immediately, to my great joy, I heard an answering shout!

"_Donner und blitzen_!" cried Saumarez, "he has attracted theirattention! Stop his mouth!"

Immediately I felt a handkerchief being rammed into my mouth, but fromfar below came the sound of hard knocking on the door of the tower, andmen's voices shouting. 

Saumarez rapped out a fearful oath, and gave an order to the men. 

"You must carry him down below and drop him through the trap door intothe vaults, " he cried. "You will have plenty of time to do it if youare quick. Unbind him, sharp now!"

The two men commenced to do as he told them and very soon had thestraps off me, then they carried me between them towards the door afterfirmly securing the gag in my mouth. 

They had got about half-way down the spiral staircase with me, Saumarezfollowing behind, and I was in an agony of mind that they would succeedin reaching the vaults with me, when I heard the door burst in below, and a cheer from several voices, followed by rapid footsteps on thesteps. 

"It's no good, " cried Saumarez with another oath, "drop him and followme up to the roof. "

They did drop me very roughly on the stone stairs, but before they wentI heard one of the men cry out--

"Don't kill him in cold blood!"

Then there came the click of a pistol lock followed by a deafeningreport, and a bullet struck the step I was lying on about an inch frommy temple. There was a scuffling of feet on the stairs above, mingledwith words of remonstrance in German; the two men were hurryingSaumarez away. 

The report and the impact of the bullet had half stunned me, but I satup, and my hands being free, tore the gag out of my mouth. At the sametime, rapid footsteps came up the stairs, and, in a few moments, Ifound a very familiar face, with an absolutely astounded expression onit looking down into mine. 

"In Heaven's name!" a well-known voice cried, "what are you doing here, Bill?"

It was my cousin, Lord St. Nivel, a subaltern in the Coldstream Guards!

CHAPTER VII

CRUFT'S FOLLY

Looking over my cousin's shoulders were two other faces, one coveredwith rough hair, and evidently belonging to a game-keeper, the otherthe beautiful face of my cousin, Lady Ethel Vanborough, St. Nivel'ssister. 

"Poor fellow!" she remarked sympathetically. "What have they beendoing to you?"

I could hardly believe my eyes, and passed my hand wearily across myforehead. 

St. Nivel turned to the keeper. 

"Give me the brandy flask, " he said. 

The man produced it, and my cousin poured some out in the little silvercup attached to it. 

"It's a lucky thing for you, Bill, " he observed, while I greedily drankthe brandy down, "that I thought of bringing this flask with me thismorning. Ethel was against it; she's a total abstainer. "

"Except when alcohol is needed medicinally, " she interposed in anexplanatory tone, "then it is another matter. "

I now took a good look at her; she was wearing a short, tweed, tailor-made shooting costume, and carried in her hand a light sixteenbore shot gun. 

"You look just about done, " continued her brother. "Whatever hashappened to you?"

"You would look bad, " I answered, "if you had had nothing to eat sincelunch yesterday. "

St. Nivel was a soldier and man of action. 

"Botley, " he said to the keeper, "the sandwiches. "

"Now, " said the guardsman invitingly, when I had ravenously disposed ofmy second sandwich, "tell us something about it. "

I had just opened my lips to speak, when there came a great cry fromthe roof of the tower above, and a black body shot past the littlewindow near which I was sitting. 

We all ran to the window but could see nothing. 

Then St. Nivel made a suggestion. 

"Let us mount up to the roof, " he said, "and see what is to be seen. You, Botley, had better go down to the foot of the tower. "

The keeper touched his forelock and commenced his descent of the spiralstaircase. Meanwhile, Lady Ethel, her brother and I mounted up to thetop. 

We passed the room in which I had been imprisoned, and went up a verymuch narrower flight of steps to the roof, coming out at a little doorwhich was standing open. The roof was flat and covered with lead. 

"Take care how you tread, " cried St. Nivel. "I expect it is all prettyrotten. In fact, Ethel, I think you had better go inside. "

Ethel, however, was not of that way of thinking; she was a thoroughsportswoman and wanted to see all the fun. 

"All right, Jack, " she rejoined cheerily. "You go on, I'll look aftermyself without troubling you. "

It was very evident at the first glance that there had been anaccident, a piece of the low stone wall which surrounded the roof wasgone. It looked as if it had recently tumbled over. St. Nivel wasevidently right when he said the place was rotten. Rotten it certainlywas. 

Stepping very gingerly we all approached the embattled wall, and, selecting the firmest part, looked over, one at a time. I had thesecond peep and was just in time to see two men, one limping verymuch--this I am sure was Saumarez--disappear into a neighbouring wood. A countrified-looking boy was running up from the opposite direction. 

At the foot of the tower, however, was another matter; huddled up in aheap was the body of a man, with a coil of rope and some shatteredmasonry lying all around it. 

By the body stood Botley, the game-keeper, scratching his head. 

It was now very evident what had occurred. 

The three miscreants who had tried to torture me had endeavoured toescape by letting themselves down by a rope from the top of the tower. Two had succeeded and one had been killed. The reason of this wasobvious, the rope had been fixed round one of the battlements and ithad not been sufficiently strong to maintain the weight of the threemen. The two lowest had probably got off with a shaking, the man whohad got on the rope last had lost his life. All this was perfectlyevident. 

"Who is it?" shouted Lord St. Nivel to the keeper below. 

"Doan't know, me lord, " came back the answer, "he's a stranger to me. "

The keeper had now been joined by the countrified boy, and the twoturned the body over on to its face. I could see that it was thefairer of the two men who had acted under Saumarez' orders. 

"I think we had better go down, " suggested my cousin, the Guardsman;"we may be of some service there. "

On the way down the winding staircase, a thought struck me. 

"What has become of that body, " I asked, "that was found on Lansdownyesterday morning?"

"What body?" replied my two cousins together. 

"The body of an old lady. "

"We have heard nothing of it, " replied St. Nivel, "and we ought to havedone so. But you have not told us what happened to _you_. "

Going down the old stone staircase, I gave them a brief account of myarrest in London and journey down there, with my imprisonment duringthe night in the tower. 

"Well, " remarked St. Nivel, while his sister murmured a few words ofsympathy, "I haven't quite got the hang of the thing yet, but you musttell us more at lunch. "

We found that the man lying at the foot of the tower was certainlydead; his neck was broken. 

We could therefore do nothing hut leave the gamekeeper in charge of thebody while we despatched the boy to warn the police and fetch a doctor. 

With a shilling in his pocket to get his dinner, the young yokel setoff on his journey, and we strolled away. 

"I don't think we'll shoot any more this morning, Jack, " Ethel said, "this affair has made me feel a bit shaky. "

"Then you had better come up to the house with us, Bill, " said herbrother, slapping me on the back, "and have some lunch. Then you cantell us all your adventures. "

I readily agreed, and we had walked some little distance when I heardfootsteps running behind us; we stopped and turned. It was the countryboy we had sent to the police. 

"I forgot to show you this yere sir, " he said, opening his hand, inwhich he held something carefully clasped. 

"What is it?" I asked as he addressed me. 

"It's this yere _heye_, sir, " he answered. "It don't belong to thedead 'un; he's got two. "

I glanced into his open palm and beheld two halves of a brownartificial eye, made of glass, and much shot with imitation blood!

 * * * * *

"No, " observed my friend, Inspector Bull, "there's been no body foundon Lansdown, and I should have heard of it if there had been without adoubt. "

The inspector finished a liberal tumbler of Lord St. Nivel's Scotchwhisky and soda, and set the tumbler carefully down on the table as ifit were a piece of very rare china. 

My cousin, who was standing on the hearthrug, laughed heartily. 

"That was only another piece of the rogue's plot, " he said. "They musthave had a clever head to direct them. "

"Yes, " I put in, "a clever head with only one eye in it, if I'm notmuch mistaken. "

The inspector gave me a doubtful look; then his eye reverted to thewhisky decanter upon which it had been fondly fixed. St. Nivelobserved it and pushed the whisky towards him. 

"Thank you, my lord, " said the police officer, helping himself with alook of intense satisfaction; he did not often get such whisky. "It'sa curious thing, however, that this man with one eye should ha' beendoing all these pranks right under my nose as it were, and I never evenheard of him before. "

Being aware of his methods, I was not at all surprised. 

Even now, knowing that I was respectably connected, he even suspectedme, and regarded me as an impostor with rich relatives. 

This story of the finding of the body on Lansdown only confirmed hisviews of my powers of invention. 

"As a matter of fact, " observed Lord St. Nivel, "I am only a strangerin these parts, having borrowed a friend's house for a week's shooting;but no doubt you can tell me what this tower is, where my cousin waskept a prisoner, and which my sister and I came across by the merestchance. "

"Cruft's Folly, " replied the beaming inspector, with his whisky glassin his hand. "Cruft's Folly has stood where it does nearly a hundredyears. It was built by some gentleman, I believe, a long while ago, toimprove the landscape, just like Sham Castle over yonder. "

"But does nobody live in it?"

"No, I've always understood it was quite empty and nearly a ruin. "

"Then I have little doubt, " said my cousin with a chuckle, "that yourfriends, Bill, simply appropriated it for their own uses. "

"I suppose you'll have the place thoroughly searched, Mr. Bull, won'tyou?" I asked. "There may be something hidden there which will giveyou a clue to my assailants. "

"You may rely upon that, Mr. Anstruther, " replied the inspector, risingand slapping his chest, "but we shall have to communicate with theowner first. "

Thus through the red-tapism of the law the chance was lost. Had theold tower of Cruft's Folly been searched at that moment the remainderof this history most certainly would never have been written. 

CHAPTER VIII

SANDRINGHAM

When I got back to the comfort of the Magnifique, though my "cure" wasbut half completed, yet I determined to bring my visit to Bath to aclose; it had been too exciting. I would come back and finish thecourse of water drinking and baths some other time. 

At any rate the little twinge of rheumatism in my shoulder which hadbrought me there was all gone. I think possibly the shocks ofelectricity combined with my agitation of mind had cured it. 

St. Nivel and Lady Ethel, being tired of the "rough" shooting for thetime being, and perhaps having a sneaking liking for their cousin, decided to come in to Bath and take up their quarters with me at thebig hotel in the town. However, at the end of three days, beingthoroughly rested, and nothing whatever having been heard of Saumarez, I decided, finally, on account of the sensation I was creating in thehotel, which was becoming an annoyance, to accept St. Nivel'sinvitation to put in a fortnight's shooting with him at his place inNorfolk. I had the very pleasantest recollections of it, though I hadnot been there for two shooting seasons. 

"If you behave yourself and are very good, " explained Ethel, "perhapswe may take you to one of the big shoots at Sandringham. Jack is goingto one, and they are always glad to have an extra gun if he happens tobe such a good shot as you are. "

I bowed my acknowledgments to my pretty cousin with much mock humility, but in my heart I felt very proud of the prospective honour. I hadnever yet occupied one of those much-coveted places in a royal shootingparty. Besides, I knew that the Sandringham preserves were simply_chock-full_ of pheasants and were, in fact, simply a sportsman'selysium. 

"You'll be able to put in five days' shooting a week with us, Bill, ifyou like, " St. Nivel said, "before we go over to Sandringham. Myinvitation is for next Thursday week, so you'll be able to get yourhand in. "

This gave a much-needed change to my ideas, but before I packed up toleave Bath I went down and had another look at 190 Monmouth Street. 

I rang the bell and a woman opened the door with a baby in her arms. 

"I'm the sergeant's wife, please sir, " she said in reply to my inquiry. "We was put in here by Inspector Bull. "

"Then nothing has been heard of the old lady?" I asked. 

"No, sir, " she replied, "nothing. The neighbours hardly knew she washere, she showed herself so seldom; but the woman that used to come inand do odd jobs for her says she's been living here ten year. "

"Ten years!" I repeated in astonishment. "How on earth did she passher time?"

"The woman says, sir, she was always writing, writing all day. "

"How was she fed?" I asked anxiously. "I suppose no tradesmen called?"

"No, sir, " the sergeant's wife replied, "the woman I am speaking of, who lives in the country, used to come three times a week and clean upfor her, and each time she would bring her a supply of simple food, eggs and milk and such-like, to last her till she came again. "

I put my hand in my pocket and gave her half a crown. 

"I suppose you don't mind my looking round the house, " I suggested. "Ishould like to see it once more before I leave Bath. "

"Well, " she said hesitatingly, "I'm afraid it's against orders, but----"

The woman who hesitates is lost; she let me in. 

I went with her straight down to the sitting-room. It was locked, butshe had the key for cleaning purposes, and let me in. 

"It looks very dreary now, don't it, sir, " she queried, "in spite ofall the china and finery and that?"

Yes, she was right, the room by daylight looked very dismal; the brokenlooking-glass over the mantelpiece did not improve its appearance. 

I would have given a good deal to have been able to open the safe againif I had had the key with me and to see if it contained any furthersecrets, but this, for the present, was out of the question. 

I had, however, the satisfaction of knowing that the place was wellguarded, and was not likely to be interfered with perhaps for years. Iwent into the other rooms--the sergeant and his wife were occupying thekitchens--and found nothing there but dust. One or two were locked up, but it was perfectly impossible to see what was in them. An inspectionof the keyholes revealed only darkness. I came down from the topstorey with a sigh at its desolation. 

I left the old place and walked rather sadly down the long street backto my hotel. 

I wondered as I went what had become of the poor wounded old lady;whether she had died and her body was thrust away somewhere in hidingwithout Christian burial, or did she by some miracle still live? Butthis latter suggestion seemed an utter impossibility from the state inwhich I had left her. So I packed up, and on the next morning, with mytwo cousins, left the tower of Bath Abbey behind and started _en route_for Bannington Hall, the Mid Norfolk mansion of Lord St. Nivel. 

The Vanboroughs were relatives of my mother's; she was one of thatnoble family, and the present peer's aunt. Dear soul, she had longsince gone to her rest, following my father, the Chancery Judge, inabout a year after his own demise. 

The Vanboroughs were celebrated for their beauty, and my mother hadbeen no exception to the rule. My rather stern, sad features had, Isuppose, come from my father, but still I think I had my mother's eyes, and a look of her about the mouth when I smiled. 

At least my cousin, Ethel Vanborough, said I had. 

There was always something like home about dear old Bannington to me, with a sniff of the sea when you first stepped out of the carriage atthe door. 

The big comfortable old landau with its pair of strong horses had now, however, given place to a smart motor car, upholstered like a littledrawing-room. 

My cousin, Lord St. Nivel, was certainly fully up to date, and hissister, Lady Ethel, was, if possible, a little more so. They weretwins. Left orphans as children, the two had grown up greatly attachedto one another naturally, and being the sole survivors of a very richfamily and inheriting all its savings and residues, they had anextremely good time of it together without any great desire to exchangetheir happy brother and sisterhood for the bonds of matrimony. Stillthey were very young, being only four-and-twenty. 

I spent a very happy ten days with them in the glorious old mansionfull of recollections and relics of bygone ages. Its very red brickpeacefulness had a soothing effect upon me, and I will defy any one toexperience greater comfort than we did coming in tired out after aday's tramp after the partridges--for St. Nivel was an advocate of"rough" shooting--and sitting round the great blazing fire of logs inthe hall while Ethel poured out our tea. 

I will admit that Ethel and I indulged in a mild flirtation; we alwaysdid when we met, especially when we had not seen one another for sometime, which was the case in the present instance. 

Still it was only a _cousinly_ flirtation and never went beyond apressure of the hand, or on very rare occasions a kiss, when we met bychance perhaps, in the gloaming of the evening, in one of the long, oldworld corridors, when no one was about. 

Shooting almost every day, I soon got back into my old form again. 

"Yes, you'll do, " remarked my cousin, when I brought down my seventh"rocketter, " in succession the day before the royal shoot. "If youshoot like that to-morrow, Bill, you'll be asked to Sandringham again!"

A few words from my cousin to the courteous old secretary had gained methe invitation I so desired; I was determined to do my very best tokeep up my reputation as a good sporting shot. We motored over thenext morning; Ethel with us. It was always understood that St. Nivel'sinvitations included her, in fact, she was a decided favourite in theroyal circle, and being an expert photographer, handy with hersnapshotter, always had something interesting to talk about when shecame across the Greatest Lady. 

We found the members of the shooting party lounging about the terrace, for the most part smoking and waiting for their host. Several motorcars were in readiness to carry them off to the various plantations. 

Presently our host arrived, and we were complete; I heard him remark toone of the guests as he got into his car--

"There are three more of those lazy fellows to arrive, " he said, laughing, "but they must come on by themselves in another car. "

Our first shot was on the Wolverton Road about half-way down towardsthe station, and here the birds were as plentiful as blackberries. Inever before had seen such a head of game. The beaters entered theplantations in a row, standing close together, and moved _one step_ ata time, each step sending out perhaps a dozen pheasants, who were, as arule, quickly disposed of by the guns around. 

Of course there were exceptions: there were those who missed theirbirds both barrels time after time, or still worse sent them awaysorely wounded with their poor shattered legs hanging helplessly down. 

These were the sort of shots who were not required at Sandringham, and, as a rule, were not asked again. I, however, was fortunate; being ingood practice and cool, I brought down my birds one after the other, asSt. Nivel remarked afterwards, "like a bit of clockwork, " and I hadthe satisfaction of hearing our host inquire who I was. We hadfinished one plantation very satisfactorily, as the heaps of deadpheasants testified, and were moving off to the next when I got a shock. 

A motor car came rushing on to the road, and stopped quite near towhere I was strolling along in conversation with one of the equerries. 

"Ah! you lazy fellows!" exclaimed our host, "you are losing all thebest of the sport. "

A well-known foreign nobleman, a tall, dark, handsome fellow, got outfirst and advanced full of apologies, hat in hand. 

My glance was fixed upon his very prepossessing face and I did not atthe moment notice the gentleman who followed him. When I did I startedviolently and the equerry walking with me asked what was the matter. 

"Nothing is the matter particularly, " I answered, passing my handbefore my eyes, "but can you tell me the name of that gentleman who hasjust got out of the car?"

"You mean the red-faced man with the black imperial?" he suggested. 

"Yes, " I answered. 

"Oh! That is some Bavarian duke, " he answered, "not royal, but aSerene Somebody. I forget his name myself, but I will ask some one, and tell you. "

A friend in the Household was passing at the time and he caught his armand whispered him a question. 

"Yes, of course, " he said, turning again to me; "he is the DukeRittersheim, one of those small German principalities swept away longago, and of which only the title and the family estates remain. "

I turned and took another look at His Serene Highness. Yes, Duke ofRittersheim or not, the red-faced, dark-haired foreigner, who wasadvancing half cringingly, hat in hand and full of apologies, was noneother than Saumarez, the man who had tried to torture me in the towerof Cruft's Folly!

CHAPTER IX

THE DUKE OF RITTERSHEIM

That little _rencontre_ took my nerve away, and I shot very badly atthe next plantation, so badly--I missed two birds--that I was almostinclined to give up and go home; but then lunch came--in a marquee--andits luxury and the delightful wine restored me. I shot well again allthe afternoon. 

Yes, it was a glorious day, and I enjoyed it immensely when I gotSaumarez--or His Serene Highness--out of my mind. He was a superbshot, I will say that of him; he fired from the left shoulder as manymen do, but in his case I knew it was on account of his glass eye. 

Walking to the last plantation with one of the Household and casuallydiscussing all manner of ordinary subjects, I ventured a chance remarkconcerning the Duke of Rittersheim. 

"His Serene Highness is a fine shot, " I said, "an old sportsman, it iseasy to see. "

"Yes, " answered my companion, "he is supposed to be one of the finestshots in Germany. "

"And yet he has a glass eye?" I ventured. 

The man I was walking with turned round and stared at me. 

"Now, how in the name of goodness did you know that?" he inquired. "Itis supposed to be a secret, and the artificial eye looks so naturalunder his pince-nez that very few know of its existence. "

"But you are quite right, " he continued; "he lost it in a shootingaccident when he was a boy. "

This made the matter quite certain in my mind, and I determined toconfront His Serene Highness at the first opportunity and see whateffect it would have upon him; but I might have saved myself thetrouble of this resolution; subsequent event proved pretty conclusivelythat he had recognised me from the first. 

We were all arranged for the final shoot of the day, when to myastonishment I found myself next to the Duke of Rittersheim. He was onmy right hand, and therefore had me well under his sound left eye. 

I must admit that I felt uneasy when I saw him there; nevertheless, Iwent on shooting coolly and had the pleasure once or twice of "wipinghis eye. " I even heard a distinct "Bravo" come from him at one of myshots. 

I was, however, far from comfortable in having him for such a closeneighbour under the circumstances, and wished him a hundred miles away. We shot on until the light got very bad, but there were only a few moreyards to be driven, so we went on. We had nearly finished when Inoticed the Duke of Rittersheim send his loader away to pick upsomething he had dropped. 

I noted the man run off to fulfil the request, and at the same momentmy eyes were attracted by the last rays of the red sun, already set, reddening far away the waters of Lynn Deeps. 

It was a lovely sight, and my gaze rested on it some moments; then Isuddenly realised that I was practically alone with the Bavarian Duke, as my loader had walked on a few yards with his back to me. 

The Duke was standing quite alone, and in that moment I saw his gun goup to his shoulder at a bird, then in a flash it turned towards me!

I realised my danger in a moment and threw myself flat on my face. AsI lay there I heard the report of his gun, the swish of the charge, anda cry from my loader. He had shot him!

I sprang to my feet, and ran to the man, who was standing holding hisarm; but quick as I was the Duke was there before me. 

"Are you hurt, my man?" he asked in his sharp tone which I knew sowell. "Where are you hit?"

"It's in the arm, sir, " the Norfolk man answered; "it be set fast. "

"Look here, " said the Duke, quickly taking out a note case. "I can seeyou are not badly hurt. Take these bank-notes; here are twenty pounds. Go quietly away and say nothing about it and I'll give you anothertwenty. Do you understand?"

"Yes, me lord, " answered the man, who probably had never had so muchmoney before in his life. "I'll keep mum. "

"Can you walk all right?" asked the Duke. 

"Yes, Your Royal Highness, " answered the poor fellow, who was gettingmixed, feeling, no doubt, very faint. 

"Then off with you at once, " cried the Duke, "and send some one up inthe morning to the Duke of Rittersheim for the other twenty pounds. Tell the people, " he added, as the man went slowly off, "that you havehad a bad fall. "

"Yes, Your Majesty, " answered the bewildered, wounded man as hedisappeared in the dusk. 

I stood watching the Duke as he went coolly back without a word to meto his place; this, then, was the cool, resourceful scoundrel I had todeal with!

 * * * * *

Sitting by the big fire in the smoking-room at Bannington Hall thatnight after dinner, I told St. Nivel the whole of the incident of theshooting of the beater by the Duke of Rittersheim. 

"Well, that's the limit, " commented Jack, taking the cigar out of hismouth; "he _must_ be a cool-headed scoundrel. I never heard of suchnerve!"

"It's a nice thing to have a brute like that on one's track, isn't it?"I remarked dejectedly; "it makes life hardly worth living. "

Jack sat and smoked placidly for some moments looking into the fire. He was thinking. 

Presently he turned to me. 

"Look here, Bill, " he remarked, "Ethel and I had a talk this eveningbefore dinner about matters generally and she has started what I call avery good idea. "

"What's that?" I asked. 

"Of course, she knows all about your promise to the old lady; you toldher, you know. "

"Certainly, " I answered, "I told you both. I know you never keepsecrets from one another. "

"Well, she knows, " he proceeded, "therefore, that you have made up yourmind to go to Valoro with that packet the old lady gave you. "

"Well?"

Jack brought his hand down with a smack on my knee. 

"Let us come too, old chap, " he cried--"both of us--Ethel and I. "

The idea to me was both pleasant and astonishing. I had never thoughtof it. 

"But won't Ethel find it rather a fatiguing journey?" I suggested. 

He was quite amused at the idea. 

"I can assure you, " he said, "that she can stand pretty nearly as muchas I can. She's a regular little amazon. That's what Ethel is. "

"Very well, then, " I replied, "nothing will suit me better than to haveyours and Ethel's charming society. As a matter of fact I am beginningto look forward to the expedition keenly. "

The next few days were given up to wild speculations on our comingjourney and its results. 

"I hear the country is lovely, " exclaimed Ethel, poring over a map; "atany rate the voyage will be splendid!"

It was settled that we should start from Liverpool to Monte Video, thence make our way by rail across country to our destination, Valoro, a beautiful city in the mountains of Aquazilia, in the neighbourhood ofwhich we were told we should get splendid sport. 

Therefore we made a flying trip to town, especially to visit Purdey'sand supply ourselves with the very latest things in sporting guns andrifles. 

Out of the very liberal provision the old lady had made for myexpenses, I felt justified in being extravagant, and provided myselfwith a beautiful gun--the right barrel having a shallow rifling for abullet should we meet with very big game--and a perfect gem of anexpress rifle; these two were the latest models in sporting firearms. 

Ethel and St. Nivel, having an unlimited command of money, orderedpretty nearly everything they were advised to take, with the resultthat we required a small pantechnicon van to take our combined luggage. 

There was, however, one thing I was very particular about, and uponwhich I took the advice of an old friend who had travelled much. 

I bought a first-rate _Target_ revolver--a Colt--with which I knew Icould make _accurate_ shooting. I would not trust my life to one ofthose unscientific productions which are just as likely to shoot afriend as an enemy, and are more in the nature of pop-guns thandefensive weapons. I had reason to congratulate myself later on that Ihad taken such a precaution. 

"There's one thing you really must see to at once, Bill, " exclaimed St. Nivel, one day when we were all busy making out lists of ourrequirements in the great library and posting them off to the stores. "You _must_ get a servant. "

Now I had been, for the last three months, doing for myself; my oldservant had left me some months before and I had not filled his placewith another. Times, too, had not been very prosperous with me and Iseriously thought of curtailing that luxury and brushing my own clothes. 

The liberal allowance for my travelling expenses, however, plus thethousand pound note, put quite a different complexion on matters. Ifelt now thoroughly justified in providing myself with a first-rateman, and for that purpose I took my cousin's advice and put anadvertisement in the _Morning Post_. 

"A gentleman requires a good valet, used to travelling. Excellentreference required. " I gave my name and St. Nivel's address to ensuregetting a good one. 

That was the wording of it, and I arranged to run up to town for a dayto make my selection from them. From the numerous applicants Iselected six, and told them to meet me at Long's Hotel. 

St. Nivel accompanied me to give me the benefit of his advice, whichwas perhaps not likely to be of much service to me. He employed arefined person himself who asked and got £150 a year. 

The man who took my fancy was an old cavalry soldier named Brooks whohad been out of work for a time, but who yet bore the stamp of a manwho knew his work and would do it. I closed with him for a modest £70a year, and he was glad to get it. 

"When will you be ready to come, Brooks?" I asked when we had settledpreliminaries. "We shall be off by the next boat to La Plata, and Ishall want you to get on with the packing as soon as you can. "

"For the matter of that, sir, " he answered, "I could come now. I've nochick nor child to hold me. I'm a widower without encumbrances. "

I told the "widower without encumbrances" to come the next day, and St. Nivel and I jumped into a hansom to catch the five o'clock express, glad to get out of the thick atmosphere of London into the bright crispair of Norfolk. 

"I think you've done right, " remarked St. Nivel in the train, "ingetting an old cavalry man. He'll understand hunting things. "

As I could not afford to hunt I missed the point of the signification. 

Ah, those were happy days, those last few before we started!

All our serious preparations were finished and we had only to give alittle general supervision to the packing of our respective servants. Ethel's experienced maid was going with her, of course. 

This done, we used to stroll about together--the three of us--and enjoythe last few hours of the dear old place as much as we could in thebeautiful bright weather. 

I think Ethel and I even used to get a little bit romantic in thelovely moonlight nights, when the old oak-panelled corridors andstaircases were bathed in the soft light. But we were very far frombeing in love with one another all the same. 

I shall never forget that time of peace, which came in a period ofstorm and trial; the old red mansion with the river running not ahundred yards from it, and the graceful swans sailing to and fro, theglorious old trees of the avenue, the fine broad terrace with itssplendid views over the low, undulating country, with a glimpse of LynnDeeps on one hand and the white towers of St. Margaret's, the greatchurch in the ancient town, on the other. 

The dreamy, old-world air of the place, the smell even of thefresh-turned earth in the great gardens, the cawing of the circlingrooks--it all comes back to me as if I had but walked out of it all anhour ago. 

However, the morning soon came when we were to bid adieu to it all, andin the hurry and scurry of it and the race down to the station in themotor--for we were late, Ethel's maid having forgotten an importanthat--perhaps we forgot all our peaceful happiness in our feverishspeculations on our voyage across the Atlantic to that distant SouthAmerican Republic, Aquazilia, and its mountain capital, Valoro. 

CHAPTER X

THE PLOT THAT FAILED

Settling on the Hotel Victoria as our headquarters, we prepared to makethe two days before our sailing as amusing as possible, but I alwayshad before me the nightmare of the little carved casket which I was tocarry with me. 

I decided I would take no risks with it. I would go and fetch it frommy solicitors on the afternoon of our departure, on the way to thestation. It was very evident to me that this casket containedsomething of the greatest possible interest to several people, including in particular His Serene Highness, the Duke of Rittersheim. 

When, then, Ethel, St. Nivel and I had crowded all the visits totheatres and matinees we could into the intervening two days, we sattaking our last luncheon in England, probably, for some time to come. 

"I am so glad we are going by this boat instead of the next, " remarkedSt. Nivel, taking a glass of Chartreuse from the attentive waiter whowas on the look out for a parting tip; "a fortnight makes all thedifference in that part of the world; we shall just get there for thetail end of the summer, which they say is glorious. A bit of a change, I am thinking, " he added, with a glance out of the window, "to thiskind of diluted pea-soup weather we get here in November. "

"Let us see, " said Ethel, with a calculating air, "this is the lastweek in November. We arrive there the second week in December, and therainy season does not begin until the middle of January. We shall havea clear month to enjoy ourselves in!"

"Very delightful, " I replied; "a delightful voyage under delightfulcircumstances. "

I bowed to my cousin Ethel as I raised my liqueur glass to my lips. 

She blew away the smoke of the cigarette she took from hers--we were ina private room--and smiled at me. 

"You flattering old courtier!" she answered; "you get those airsthrough writing romances. What is more to the purpose, have yousecured those three state cabins on the C deck of the _Oceana_?"

"Well, " I answered laconically, "I've paid the money for them at anyrate. Sixty-six pounds the three, over and above first-class fare!"

"And very cheap, too, " replied Ethel; "the comfort of sleeping in areal brass bedstead instead of those intolerable bunks is worth threetimes as much!"

I looked at my cigar and said nothing; but for the generosity of theold lady of Monmouth Street, Bath, a bunk would have been my lot, without doubt, in the ordinary way. Though she had laid a heavy burdenupon me, she certainly had a kind consideration for my comfort. 

Further conversation was put an end to by the entry of my new man, Brooks, with my travelling coat. 

"The motor's at the door, sir, " he announced. 

I had engaged a special motor-brougham to take me from the hotel to mylawyers in Lincoln's Inn, and from there to the station with theprecious casket in my possession; I had already banked the notes. Iwished to make the journey as rapidly as possible, and Brooks was toaccompany me, my luggage going on under the care of St. Nivel's man. 

"Then _au revoir_ until we meet at Euston, " I said to my cousins; "mindyou are in good time for the train. "

"We shall be all right, " answered Ethel. "I wish we were coming withyou. I feel rather anxious about you. "

"Don't you worry, Ethel, " St. Nivel replied, "he'll be all right. He'snot a child. "

I went off and got into the motor, Brooks taking his seat on the box. 

We rattled away through the crowded streets in the dim half-fog thatwas enveloping the town, and duly arrived at the dreary-looking officesof the lawyers. 

There I did not lose a minute; they had been duly apprised of my comingand I found Watson the managing clerk already waiting for me. 

"Here are the two packets, Mr. Anstruther, " he said, handing them tome; "they are just as you left them, you see, and the seals are intact. "

I examined them and found them quite correct. 

"What a fortunate thing, " added Watson, as I buttoned my overcoat overthe pocket in which I had stowed the little parcels, "that I saw youpush those two packets into the pigeon-holes, and stopped thatscoundrel from laying his hands on them!"

"Yes, it was a very lucky thing, " I replied, "and I am very muchobliged to you for your promptness in gathering my meaning. "

"Yes, it was a fortunate escape for you, sir, " he added; "when I sawyou go away with those two men, I never felt more miserable in my life. But, of course, we read all about the truth of it next afternoon in theevening paper. One can hardly believe such things possible in thesetimes with our efficient police. "

"Ye-es, "--I hesitated, with my mind on the thick necks andwhisky-drinking proclivities of some of the "'tecs" I had known, --"Isuppose we can never rely upon _absolute_ safety in this world. "

Then as I spoke a thought struck me; I noticed that the packets wererather bulging out in the pocket in which I had placed them. I had anidea I would change their position. I quickly took them out and placedone in each of my trousers pockets; there was then nothing in myappearance to denote where they were. In the result, it was a verylucky thing I had taken this precaution. 

To preserve the secret of their whereabouts, I kept my hand in thebreast of my travelling coat as if I were guarding the precious parcelsthere, and in this way I left the lawyers' office and made for themotor-brougham, the door of which was being held open by my man Brooks. 

Just as I was half-way across the pavement, a man selling eveningpapers came rushing by and shouting--

"'Orrible murder! Suicide of the assassin! 'Orrible murder!"

He was running very fast and apparently not looking where he was going, for he knocked roughly against me as he passed, dislodging my hand frommy breast; but Brooks he ran right into, full tilt, with the resultthat my man lost his balance and sprawled on the pavement. 

It was then that a very fussy little over-dressed man came bustling upout of the fog, accompanied by a very attractive lady. 

"A more disgraceful thing, sir, " he said, addressing me, "I have neverseen before. I trust you are not hurt, sir?"

"No, thank you, I'm all right, " I answered, half inclined to laugh atBrooks scrambling up from the pavement and brushing himself, for it wasa wet, slimy day and the pavements muddy. The newspaper man haddisappeared. 

"Why, I declare, " exclaimed the little man, "the scamp has covered youwith mud!"

I looked down; there certainly was a splash of mud on the front of mycoat. I wondered how it had got there. Despite my assertions, thetwo--both the lady and the gentleman--insisted on brushing me, until invery desperation I had to get into the brougham out of their way. Thenthey suddenly made me very polite bows and disappeared. 

Brooks mounted the box, and we rattled away to Euston. There was onething which attracted my attention, however, on that short journey. Brooks' ungloved hand was hanging down as he sat on the box, and Inoticed that he kept snapping his fingers as he sat. 

"That's a very highly nervous man, " I said to myself, "and even thatlittle incident has upset him. "

Brooks' nervousness passed out of my mind altogether when we reachedEuston, and I sought in the bustle for my two cousins. I found them atlast standing in front of the reserved coupé which I had taken care tohave secured for us by my man. 

When they saw me, a look of surprise and amusement came over theirfaces, and they both laughed heartily. 

"What on earth have you been doing, Will?" Ethel cried. "Have you beento a suffragists' meeting on the way?"

Ethel affected to laugh at the suffragists, but in her heart I believeshe would have liked to join them, and perhaps would have done so butfor her brother. 

"No, " I answered; "what's the matter with me?"

"Look at your coat, " replied St. Nivel, pointing to the breast of thatgarment. 

I did look, and found that both my travelling coat and the coatunderneath it had been cut completely through the left breast, where mypocket was, with a knife whose edge must have been as keen as that of arazor. 

At the first shock I cried, half aloud--

"Good God! The packets have been stolen. "

Then I recollected my forethought in placing them in my trouserspockets, and I dived my hands into them instinctively. Yes, thank God, they were all right; my two hands closed on their crisp sealed surfaces. 

But how had it occurred?

I thought of the man tearing along with the evening papers, theupsetting of Brooks, and the fussy lady and gentleman who had insistedon brushing me down. I saw it all now--a carefully prepared plan!

Then I roared with laughter, much to the astonishment of Ethel and St. Nivel. 

"They've had all their trouble for nothing, " I gasped, simply stampingwith delight; "the silly fools have got nothing!" But I was wrong;they had got my brand new cigar case given me by Ethel with my initialson it and full of St. Nivel's best Havannahs, placed there by her ownfair hands for the railway journey. 

CHAPTER XI

THE OCEANA

Very thankful were my two cousins and I when we got clear of the fogsof the Mersey and were fairly out at sea. Not that we were badsailors. We did not proclaim that we were, at any rate, though I willadmit that for the first two days I found my comfortable brass bedsteada resting-place much more to my liking than a seat at the dinner-table, although I duly turned up there for the sake of appearances. Duringthis period of seclusion I thought deeply of the latest attempt of myenemies to secure the casket, and it caused me great uneasiness. Icould not imagine how they knew that I should go to my lawyers for it. 

Ethel made a brave show, but it was quite the third day out fromLiverpool before I saw her smile as I wished to see her smile--withouta mental reservation, in fact. 

St. Nivel was really the only perfectly unconcerned member of ourparty, and it was through his persevering attendances on the promenadedeck, that I became acquainted with a young lady who will figurelargely in these pages, although she in reality was by no means ofcommanding stature, but one of those charming petite persons whosemission in life appears to be to exemplify what extraordinarily choicepieces of human goods can be made up in small parcels. 

It was on the fourth day out that I became acquainted with Doloresd'Alta. While I had been lying disconsolately on my cot, St. Nivel hadbeen improving the shining hour by looking after Miss Dolores, who hadtaken up her position, during the first few days of her trial, in asheltered position on the promenade deck, in preference to her "stuffycabin, " as she called her state room. 

It had been the pleasure, and had become the duty--a self-imposedone--of St. Nivel to see that she was properly wrapped up. 

She did not object to smoke either, having, as she stated, been broughtup in an atmosphere of smoke at home. Therefore Jack smoked his cigar. 

Had I not known that St. Nivel's inclinations were apparently fixed inthe direction of bachelorhood, I should have thought he had fallen inlove; but I discovered later that he had, to use an expression of hisown, "simply taken on another pal. " He found her a congenial person inwhose society to smoke cigars. But if he had fallen in love, certainlyhe would have had a most excellent excuse for doing so. 

A daintier little specimen of Southern beauty it would have beendifficult to imagine than this little Aquazilian aristocrat. Todescribe her in a few words, she was a beautiful woman in miniature;she was the most perfectly symmetrical little piece of womanhood that Ihad ever set eyes upon. 

A perfectly clear, creamy complexion, yet not without colour of a rosetint; dimples in the cheeks, which were ravishing when she smiled, --andshe was very fond of smiling, ay, and laughing too, and showing themost perfect set of white teeth, --black hair, and very dark blue eyes;and there you have her. United to this beauty of person was a mostfascinating natural manner; not the manner of a flirt, but that of alight-hearted, pure-minded girl, as gay as a lark released fromcaptivity, and not unlike it in its new freedom, for she had notescaped from a first-rate finishing school in Paris more than sixmonths. 

She had spent the intervening period under the care of a sister of herfather who had married an Englishman and who lived in good society. 

She had had a season in London and had spent the autumn in a round ofcountry visits which accounted for her wonderful _savoir faire_; shewas only eighteen. Now she was going home to her dear father, awidower, under the care of her aunt. Hearing her always referred to inconversation as "Dolores, " her surname was a revelation when I heard itproperly pronounced. St. Nivel's idea of foreign names was exceedinglyhazy and misleading. As soon as she told me she was going home toAquazilia, I became very alert and began to ask her questions. 

"Yes, " she replied to my query concerning her parent's name, "my fatheris the Senor Don Juan d'Alta; in the old time of our monarchy he wasfor many years the Prime Minister. He is a very old man is my father, "she further explained; "he is nearly seventy!"

Looking at her I could understand the old man simply making an idol ofthis his only child. It appeared to me very marvellous that I shouldhave met her. 

Some of the other passengers told me that he was a member of one of theoldest and most aristocratic families in the country. 

It was very lovely as we steamed farther and farther away from our owncold fogs and got into the warmth of the south; very fascinating towalk on deck with Dolores and talk, under the brilliant stars, ofAquazilia and the extraordinary chance which had made us meet on boardboth with the same destination in view--the house of her father. 

"I don't think, though, it is so strange, " she confided to me onelovely moonlight night when we were walking the promenade deck side byside; "it is not an unreasonable thing that we should have taken thesame boat, considering that they only run once a fortnight. "

"It is certainly not unreasonable, " I answered, with a look into hereyes. "It is the most reasonable chance that I have ever come acrossin the whole of my life!"

"Why?" she answered, with a look of mischief in her dark blue eyes. 

"Because, " I answered fervently, with a little tremor in my voice, "ithas given me the chance of spending three weeks near you!

"Let us go and look at the flying fish, " she answered hastily, tochange the conversation. "I do so love to see them. "

Yes, I was daily becoming more and more attached to her; for the firsttime in my long career of flirtation I was beginning to find out whatlove _really_ meant. 

I was falling in love with a little divinity twelve years my junior, and from the depths of my knowledge I expected she would very justlymake a fool of me--not intentionally, perhaps, but in effect thesame--and laugh at me for my pains. 

It seemed very bitter to think of as I saw her walking--and laughingand talking too--with St. Nivel who was six years my junior. It seemedto me, in my growing jealousy, an ideal match for her. 

I forgot that young ladies never fall in love with the persons they areexpected to, but invariably go off on an unknown tangent of their own, in obedience to the same law of Nature, perhaps, which causes anunusually tall girl to lose her heart to a very diminutive--thoughgenerally very consequential--little man. 

In the contemplation of the varied charms of Dolores d'Alta, I almostforgot my precious casket, confided in fear and trembling to the careof the captain, and locked up by him in the ship's strong room in mypresence and in the presence of St. Nivel. 

In due course we came to Coruña, or Corunna as we more commonly callit, and there I had the delight of strolling about the oldfortifications all alone with Dolores and showing her the tomb of SirJohn Moore, while St. Nivel obligingly took charge of her aunt, andsolicitously kept her out of earshot. The old lady had lived longenough in England to appreciate the attentions of a lord, and he a richone, without designs on her niece's fortune. 

Yes, that fortune was my stumbling-block; I learned of it from old SirRupert Frampton, our minister to Aquazilia, who was travelling back tohis post on the _Oceana_. 

"I really don't suppose, " he said, one evening in the smoking-room, nodding his head sententiously, "that old Don Juan d'Alta knows what heis worth; neither do I suppose that he cares much, for he is a man ofthe simplest tastes, living on the plainest food, and having but onehobby and object, in fact, in life. "

"His daughter?" I suggested at once, Dolores, of course, being theuppermost thought in my mind. 

"No, " replied the old gentleman crisply, with the smartness of the_diplomat_; "reptiles!"

"Reptiles!" I exclaimed in disgust; "what reptiles?"

"Principally snakes, " replied the old man, shifting his cigar in hismouth; "he has a regular Zoological Gardens full of them--all kinds, from boa-constrictors to adders. He makes pets of them. "

"Not about the _house_?" I suggested. 

"No, not exactly, " Sir Rupert replied, "unless they stray in bythemselves. He's very eccentric and I don't think has been quitehimself since the queen abdicated. They say he was in love with her, notwithstanding the fact that she was a confirmed old maid. "

"Indeed, " I replied, curious to keep the old man talking, for I wasdesirous of hearing as much as I possibly could about Aquazilia and itscapital, Valoro, "it sounds quite romantic. "

"Well, it _was_ romantic in a way, " he proceeded, glad to have alistener, as old men are; "there's always a certain amount of romanceabout the court of a reigning queen. Of course you know that the Saliclaw did not prevail in the kingdom of Aquazilia when it _was_ akingdom. Yes, it was a splendid court was that of Valoro when HerMajesty Inez the Second reigned over it. I just remember itthirty-five years ago when I went out to it as a young attaché on oneof my first appointments and took such a fancy to the lovely country. "

"Then it _is_ lovely, " I ventured; "the reports of it are notexaggerations?"

Old Sir Rupert replied almost with emotion--

"It is superb. It is the loveliest country in the world!"

"In those days I am speaking of, " he proceeded, "Valoro was a placeworth living in. In many respects it outshone some of the courts ofEurope, with which, by the bye, it was in close contact. Queen Inez, as you no doubt know, was a Princess of Istria; the royal line ofAquazilia was simply a collateral branch of the great Imperial House ofDolphberg. And there were those that said that Queen Inez despite allher resistance of the many endeavours to induce her to enter themarried state--and her offers had been abundant--was not only a queenand a rich one, but she was also a very beautiful woman. "

"Your account of Queen Inez, Sir Rupert, is absolutely fascinating, " Isaid. "I am almost inclined to fall in love with her. Where is shenow?"

The old man paused and a sad look came over his face. 

"She is dead, poor woman, " he answered sadly; "they say she died of abroken heart. "

"At losing the throne?" I queried. 

"I don't know, I'm sure, " he said slowly, throwing away the end of hiscigar. "Some say she was glad to get rid of the responsibilities ofit, and quite content to retire to a castle she had in Switzerland notfar from the Lake of Lucerne. She was a woman of very simple tastes. "

"It seems a pity she did not marry, " I suggested, "as far as one canjudge. "

"Well, it is highly probable, " he answered, "that she would not havelost her throne if she had had a husband to stand up for her. She wasno match for Razzaro. "

"Who was Razzaro?" I asked. 

"Well, he was the sort of adventurer, " the old diplomat answered, "thatSouth America seems especially to breed. He was a man of great talentsand abandoned to unscrupulousness. I believe he would have sold hisown mother, if he could have got a good bid, and would have haggledwith the purchaser whether the price was to include the clothes shestood in. "

"A thoroughly honourable, straightforward gentleman, " I suggestedironically. "I can imagine a lady such as you describe Queen Inez tohave been being peculiarly unfitted to deal with such a man!"

"Yes, " agreed Sir Rupert; "and her Prime Minister, or Chancellor asthey called him, Don Juan d'Alta, was not much better. He had themisfortune to possess the nature of a modern Bayard, and believed ineverybody, until he found out too late that he had been deceived. Thatis how Queen Inez lost her throne. Razzaro was slowly but surelysapping the Royal power for years, right under d'Alta's nose, and henever really found it out until the whole country burst intorevolution. "

"What happened then?" I asked. 

"Nothing happened, " replied Sir Rupert. "When the Queen discoveredthat the voice of the people was in favour of a Republic she simplyabdicated. She would not allow a drop of blood to be shed in herbehalf. An Istrian warship which had been waiting for her at the coasttook her to Europe with her devoted lady-in-waiting, the Baronessd'Altenberg. "

"D'Altenberg, " I muttered; "where have heard that name?"

"It was a bloodless revolution. "

"And Razzaro triumphed?" I added aloud. 

"Yes; Razzaro triumphed, " he replied; "and, as a matter of fact, thoroughly got hold of the popular favour. His son is President of theRepublic at the present moment. Old Razzaro made a sort of familyliving of the Presidency. "

"And Don Juan d'Alta retired into private life?" I ventured. 

"Into private life and the society of his reptiles, " added the olddiplomatist, rising. "I think the latter have consoled him for manydisappointments. "

"Whom did he marry?" I asked. 

"A very beautiful French lady, " he replied, "whose husband, a Frenchnobleman, had come to Aquazilia to try and make his fortune, and haddied in the effort. "

"Poor man!" I commented. "And Don Juan married his widow?"

"Exactly; and this pretty little lady, Señorita Dolores, who isreturning to Valoro with us, is the result of the union. They say sheis the very image of her mother, who died when she was five. "

"Then the mother must have been very beautiful, " was my comment. 

The old minister stopped and looked at me for some moments withoutsaying anything. Then, with a peculiar smile about the corners of hisgood-natured mouth, shook his head and went slowly out of thesmoking-room. 

CHAPTER XII

HELD UP

Rio with its heat, its tramways, and its great sea wall; its BotanicalGardens in which once more I had the delight of losing myself withDolores, to the evident anxiety of her aunt and duenna, Mrs. Darbyshire; it seemed so strange to find such a foreign little personwith such a distinctly English name. She, however, refused to bebeguiled away by St. Nivel to look at the giraffes. I think she beganto smell more than a rat when we reached the monkey house, and to doubtwhether his attentions to her were as disinterested as they appeared, especially when she heard that I was his cousin. 

To marry his poor relation--me--to a rich heiress--her nieceDolores--no doubt struck her as an end worth taking some trouble about. Probably she would have done the same herself. 

Therefore as we approached our port of debarkation, after leaving Rio, I began to find my little interviews with Dolores becoming restrictedmore often by the presence of her aunt. Still the recollection of ourrambles at Rio, and the rides alone on the tops of the electrictrams--which are quite orthodox--remained with us; and if Mrs. Darbyshire became more severe, were there not those little stoleninterviews in the dark part of the promenade deck, where the electriclight did not reach, worth a lifetime; and did I not day by day havethat growing feeling round my heart, which thrilled me through andthrough and told me that my little darling was beginning to care for me?

Did she not absolutely shed tears the night we stole away from theconcert and sat hand in hand under one of the boats, when I whisperedjust one little sentence; that I loved her? Ah me! shall I ever forgetthose beautiful Southern nights, with the stars shining like greatdiamonds above us--nights made for love?

My cousin Ethel at first did not by any means appreciate the turn myaffections had recently taken; she made several pointed and rathersarcastic remarks about it, having in her mind, I presume, therecollection of our little meetings in the long corridors of dear oldBannington. 

"You seem very much taken up with that Miss d'Alta, " she remarked oneday. "I thought you did not like foreign girls. I don't suppose shecan ride or shoot a bit. "

"I don't want her to, Ethel, " I replied tersely; "there are nofacilities for either amusement on board ship. "

She smiled, then bit her lips to check it; she wanted to be dignifiedand couldn't. She descended to mere abuse. 

"You were always a fool about girls, Bill, " she continued. "Any girlcould twist you round her finger. Do you remember Mary Greenway?"

Now the recollection of that young lady was peculiarly galling to me atthe moment. After expressing deep love for me--I was eighteen--fornearly six months, she eloped with one of her father's grooms!

"Please don't mention that young lady, " I implored; "it makes me feelill. I believe at the present moment she teaches young ladies in herhusband's riding-school. "

Ethel laughed heartily. 

"She might do worse, " she replied. "I think she is rather a pluckygirl. "

"What, to run away with a groom?" I suggested. 

"No, " she snapped; "to work for her living. "

We came to our port of debarkation, Monte Video, at last. It seemedlike the end of a holiday to go ashore, and take to the dusty train, luxurious though it was, but _now_ I had the precious casket in mycare, and the anxiety was almost too much for me. 

"Look here, " said St. Nivel, when we had been in the train about anhour, "you are looking pretty sick over that precious packet, why don'tyou let me take care of it for you?"

I tapped nervously at the trousers pocket in which I was carrying it. 

"I hardly like to let it go out of my own charge, " I answeredanxiously; "though I know, of course, that it would be safe with you. "

We were, at the time of this conversation, running through a mostbeautiful valley, glorious with tropical vegetation. The train wasgradually rising on an easy gradient to the higher lands, where wehoped to get fresher air, for the heat in the valley was mostoppressive after three weeks passed practically in the open on the deckof the _Oceana_. 

Without in any way forcing myself on Mrs. Darbyshire's society, Icontrived to see a good deal of Dolores on this little railway journey, which was only to occupy a day and a half. 

Once on the beautiful tableland with its gorgeous views of hill anddale, ocean and distant mountain, the train sped onwards at a ratealmost alarming to us used to the slower methods of Europe. 

It was well on in the evening; we had dined excellently in thewell-provided restaurant car, and were lounging about in the moonlightthinking of turning in--for there were several sleeping-cars attachedto the train--when the incident occurred which very nearly rendered myjourney fruitless. It was just as we had entered Aquazilian territory, and passed the customs. We were, as I have said, lounging aboutsmoking, when the train which was running through a deep cuttingsuddenly slowed down, and presently the breaks [Transcriber's note:brakes?] were put on so hard that we who were standing near were nearlythrown off our feet. 

"Whatever is the matter?" cried Ethel, who was sitting in a compartmentof the smoking-car with us. "I hope there is no accident. "

St. Nivel, who was sitting opposite to me, suddenly leaned forward andwhispered--

"If you have that packet of yours handy, give it to me. I think therewill be trouble. "

He had travelled in America before, and I placed a good deal ofreliance on his experience. 

From the front of the train there arose a great hubbub, a chorus ofexclamations in Spanish. 

"I thought so, " remarked St. Nivel; "you'd better look sharp, Bill, ifyou want to make that packet safe. "

As he spoke, he held out towards me an open cigar-box which he hadtaken out of the rack. 

Then I saw what he was aiming at; he wished me for some reason to hidemy packet among the cigars in the box. 

I did not hesitate a moment, but put my hand in my trousers pocket, andpulling out the precious packet, placed it among the cigars. 

He immediately covered it with more cigars, and then put the box backin the rack. 

There was a sudden stillness in the front of the train, and I sawthrough the windows of the smoking-car quite a cloud of horsemen rideup the permanent way and dismount; apparently the forepart of the trainhad been already occupied, for we heard the sound of a by no meansunpleasant voice making in English the following request:--

"Hands up, gentlemen. "

I was unused to this sort of thing, but St. Nivel apparently knew allabout it, for he sat back in his seat with a curse between his teeth. 

"What does it mean?" asked Ethel and I, almost in a breath. 

"It means, " answered St. Nivel, "that we are going to be robbed. "

"Oh, my God!" cried poor Ethel, "I hope they won't murder us!"

By the white look on St. Nivel's face, as he sat with his teeth set, Isaw that there was something in his mind which he feared for his sistermore than death. 

I knew afterwards what some of these South American half-bredfreebooters were like. 

The men who had ridden up by the side of the train were a queer-lookinglot. 

For the most part they wore very loose garments and high-crowned hats, somewhat of the kind worn by Guy Fawkes. Slung at the saddle of eachman was a coil of rope--a lasso. Nearly every one of them carried arifle. 

"I shall get my revolver, " I exclaimed. "I've left it in mydressing-bag. "

"Do nothing of the sort, " cried St. Nivel, in alarm; "they would shootyou instantly. "

"We're being 'held up' then?" I queried. 

"Yes; that's it, " he answered shortly. 

At once all thought of my packet went out of my mind; I thought only ofDolores. I rose from my seat and, despite St. Nivel's remonstrance, passed rapidly to the rear of the brilliantly lighted train. I had mether as she came out of the dining-car, and she had told me she intendedsitting with her aunt until it was time to retire for the night at teno'clock. She intended to slip out, dear girl, for a few minutes beforeshe went to bed to say good-night to me. 

Now I found both her and her aunt in a great state of alarm. 

"It's nothing serious, is it, Mr. Anstruther?" asked the elder lady, seizing my arm. "Some one here says that we are attacked by robbers. "

Before I could answer, a man wearing a cowboy's high-crowned hat and amask across the upper part of his face, appeared at the door of the carand gave the command--

"Hands up!"

He carried a revolver pointed upwards over his shoulder in such aposition that he could have brought it down at once. At first Irefused to elevate my hands as a fat Brazilian was doing near me, andthis evoked another word of command--

"Hands up! Sharp!"

"_Do_ put your hands up, dear, " came the soft trembling voice ofDolores; "_do_, to please _me_. "

My two hands shot up most willingly, immediately. 

"Ladies, " the man proceeded, in far from a disagreeable voice, "youhave no need to fear. Our chief has fined each first-class passenger ahundred dollars; second-class passengers fifty dollars. If thoseamounts are placed on the seats, our collector will be round in aminute or two to take them up, then you will be at liberty to proceed. "

At that moment another man, similarly attired, armed, and masked, joined the other at the door. 

"He's in here, " he announced. "That's him, no doubt. "

He added a sentence in Spanish which I could not understand, thenturned to me. 

"Mr. William Anstruther?" he asked. 

Involuntarily I answered him--

"Yes; my name is Anstruther. "

"Follow me, " he said sharply; "you're wanted. "

I gave one look at Dolores, and she answered my look. 

"You had better go with them, William, " she said, calling me by my namefor the first time. "I will come too. "

She looked deadly white, and I feared every moment would faint. 

The man who had entered first spoke again, addressing Dolores. 

"You need not be afraid, " he said. "We shall not harm Mr. Anstruther;and you had better remain where you are, because we shall probably haveto _strip_ him. "

The two men laughed heartily at their coarse joke, and I felt as if Icould have killed them both. 

Then the thought came unpleasantly home to me. 

"_Why_ would they want to strip me?"

I followed the first man down the corridor, and looking round saw theother standing at the door of the compartment in which I had left theladies. He had a revolver in his hand, and was watching me intently. Had I made the slightest effort to escape, I have little doubt he wouldhave shot me at once. My conductor took me back into the smoking-car, and then politely asked Lady Ethel, who was still there, to retire. 

When she had gone, with wide-open eyes full of fear, fixed on me to thelast glance, the masked man, who had me in charge, turned to me andmade the following request:--

"Mr. Anstruther, " he said, speaking in very good English, although onecould tell it was not his native tongue, "we have reason to believethat you have concealed either on your person, or in your luggage, acertain packet which you are carrying to Valoro. Our chief requiresthat you shall give that packet up to him. That done, and your fine ofa hundred dollars paid, you will be permitted to go on your way. "

"And if I refuse to comply with your request?" I asked. 

The man shrugged his shoulders. 

"The chief will be here directly, " he answered, with a peculiar smile;"he will tell you himself. "

I threw myself in a corner of the carriage, and with the bitterestthoughts at my heart, tried to think of some means of escape, while Iawaited the coming of the principal brigand. St. Nivel sat opposite tome, and I saw by his set jaw and knitted brows that he considered thesituation very serious. We had not long to wait for the chief. Aheavy footstep came along the corridor and presently an immense bulkentered the doorway with a great masked head above it. 

The man was a half-breed and a giant, possessing immense strength; thereason of his chieftainship was very evident. 

"Which is Anstruther?" he asked abruptly, as he came in, with a strongforeign accent. 

His subordinate pointed to me. 

"_Carajo!_ Mr. Anstruther, " the giant began, "I hope you are not goingto give us any trouble. You don't look very amiable!"

I simply looked at him and did not answer. 

"My lieutenant here, " the chief proceeded, "has no doubt acquainted youwith my wishes. We want that little packet of yours, which you arecarrying to Valoro. "

"What little packet?" I asked superciliously. 

"The little packet which you fetched from your lawyer's office justbefore you left London, " he replied, with a smile; adding at my look ofastonishment, "you see we know your movements pretty well. "

I gave an impatient toss of my head, and felt inclined to drive my fistinto the man's great fat face, the only part of which I could see was agreat thick-lipped mouth with fine white teeth grinning through a blackbeard. 

"Supposing, " I said, "that I refuse to comply with your demand?"

"Then, " he said abruptly, "we shall look for it. " "Come now, Mr. Anstruther, " he added, "we have very little time to lose; give me thatpacket. "

"I haven't got it, " I answered truthfully, for it was in St. Nivel'scigar-box. 

The big man turned to his lieutenant. 

"Send in a couple of the others; strip and search him, " he said sharply. 

In obedience to a call from the other, two more of the gang, big strongfellows, came in, and I prepared for a strong resistance. 

Before, however, the men touched me, Sir Rupert Frampton's faceappeared in the doorway; he had evidently just got out of bed, and worea dressing-gown. 

"It is no use whatever making any resistance to these men, Mr. Anstruther, " he said, speaking in French; "you will probably lose yourlife if you do. Submit to what they demand, and we will make a claimagainst the Government at Valoro for whatever you lose. During thewhole of my long connection with Aquazilia, " he added, "I have onlyknown such a robbery as this occur twice, and knowing the presentpeaceful and law-abiding state of the country, I cannot understand it. "

"Very well then, Sir Rupert, " I said, after a pause, "I will submit tothese men, but I call upon you to witness my protest at the outrage!"

He nodded his head at my words, and in obedience to a further requestfrom the giant, I proceeded to undress. 

When this was done, they were not satisfied to search my clothes only, but took them away with them for further examination. 

After returning me my light silk under-vest and drawers, they broughtme a loose cowboy's dress, such as they wore themselves, and intimatedthat I must put it on. 

It was no use demurring, so with a plaintive look at Sir Rupert, who, hardly able to repress his laughter, was still standing by, I did as Iwas bid. 

"Now, " proceeded the chief, "we have not found what we want about yourperson, Mr. Anstruther; we must look for it among your luggage. "

He dangled my bunch of keys in his hand as he spoke. "Follow me, please. "

The others closed round me and we went together to the luggage-car;here my luggage, which was fully marked with my name, was already setaside. They proceeded at once to thoroughly search each trunk, butreplacing every article as they did so; loot was evidently not theirobject. 

They came at last to the end of it; and the chief turned to me savagely. 

"_Carajo!_ Mr. Anstruther, " he said, "you are playing with us. Do yourefuse to tell us where this packet is?"

"Supposing I don't know?" I replied prevaricatingly, "supposing it isout of my power to tell you?"

"Then, " he answered, with a savage oath, "we shall take you with us, and perhaps another besides, and hold you both as hostages until thepacket is given up to us by _somebody_. "

After a pause I shrugged my shoulders. 

"You must do as you like, " I said. 

"Carlo, " cried the chief at once, "see the fines are collected, and wewill be off and take him with us. "

"Who shall the other hostage be?" asked the lieutenant. 

The big man stooped down and whispered in his ear. 

The other man nodded and smiled in response to the other's laugh, butit appeared to me that he by no means relished the information conveyedto him in the whisper. 

"Now, Mr. Anstruther, " remarked the big half-breed, "we must troubleyou to come with us, and don't take longer than you can help to saygood-bye to the ladies. "

This was intended by way of a joke; one which I did not appreciate. 

"As soon as my cashier has been round collecting the dues, " proceededthe big man, "we must be off. Don't you think you will change yourmind, Mr. Anstruther, and give me that packet? If I had my way I wouldsearch the whole train for it, but we haven't got time, so we must takeyou instead. "

St. Nivel looked up from his corner where he had sat, his hat drawnover his eyes. 

"Have a cigar, Señor Capitano, " he remarked to the chief, "while yourman collects the cash. I've paid already. "

He handed the man the box of cigars in which the packet was hidden. Ithought it an act of madness. 

"Thank you, Señor, " replied the man, taking two; "a fine brand ofcigars. "

"Yes, " replied my cousin, "they are very decent. "

The Capitano took the box in his hands and smelt them. 

"Yes, very nice, " he remarked. "As good as anything you will get inAquazilia. "

Then St. Nivel did something which appeared to me to be an additionalsign that he had taken leave of his senses. 

"Won't you take the box, Capitano?" he asked. 

The man smiled and shook his great head. 

"Thank you, " he said, "they are too mild for me. "

St. Nivel shut the box up with what I thought was impatience, and threwit in the rack. 

The thieves' cashier made his appearance with a bag full of dollars;then they all made a move for the door, taking me with them. 

As we reached the platform of the smoking-car, and I was perforce aboutto jump down on to the permanent way, I saw the face of my servantBrooks looking up at me from the line. 

"Let me give you a hand, sir, " he said, with an expressive look in hiseyes; "the ground's a bit rough here. "

As he assisted me down in the darkness I felt him slip something underthe loose cowboy's frock I wore and nudge me to take it; as I put myhand down, to my joy I felt it was my Colt's revolver!

I hastily thrust it into the belt under my smock-frock, where it wasquite hidden. 

Then the horses were brought round and we prepared to mount; but beforewe departed there was still a little ceremony to be gone through. 

There were some left with drawn revolvers at the end of each carriage, almost to the last moment, but as the bulk of the band left the trainthey brought with them a half-breed dressed in the ordinary frock-coatand tall hat of civilisation, in a state of abject terror. 

"Who is this man?" I asked the lieutenant, who happened to be near me. 

He laughed as he twisted up a cigarette and answered me. 

"He used to belong to our little society once, " he said; "but he ranaway and gave evidence against another member, who was shot. "

"What are you going to do with him?" I asked. 

He made a motion with his hand in his loose neckerchief of a man beinghanged. 

"No, surely not!" I cried, in horror. 

"You'll see, " he replied, as he began to smoke. 

They dragged forward the shivering wretch, who had a prosperous lookabout him; and as they pulled him out of the train his tall hat felloff and rattled on the iron rails. No one stopped to pick it up; itwas not worth while. 

The man immediately following him carried his lasso in his hand. Theylost very little time; there was a tree with a convenient branch, justnear the line, and in a trice they threw the rope over this and knottedthe end into a noose. 

Then there was a call for a priest, and there happening to be a Padréin the train, the wretched man was accorded five minutes with him as hestood. 

Within three minutes more the body of the half-breed was swinging andstruggling in the air; but the struggles were not for long. 

The desperadoes all around me whipped out their revolvers and commenceda rattling fusillade, the mark being the body of the man swinging onthe tree. 

 * * * * *

My blood ran cold as I listened to the pinging of the bullets and theresounding shrieks of the ladies in the train. 

Not till then did the last of the men leave the train, and one of themI saw, to my astonishment, bore in his arms apparently a woman in acloak. 

In a brilliant gleam of electric light, shot from the train in thedarkness, I thought I saw the face of my Dolores, with a white gagacross the mouth, but the idea seemed so preposterous that I did notgive it another thought, thinking it to be some phantom of anoverwrought brain, and the woman some light-o'-love of the desperado. 

The man went straight to a horse, placed the burden he was carryingacross the saddle-bow, sprang on to the horse, and with a number ofothers round him, including the chief, rode away. 

They brought a horse for me and I mounted too, and rode along veryunwillingly towards the end of the train. As we passed the engine, Isaw that the fire-box had been raked out and water poured on it. Therewas a dense steam arising from it. I conjectured, and conjecturedcorrectly, that they had done this to prevent the train steaming awayand giving the alarm, for there was a considerable town not five milesoff, the inhabitants of which were no doubt anxiously expecting theexpress. 

When we arrived at the other side of the train, and the leading filesof the robbers were passing off the railway line, the identity of thefigure carried away across the saddle was put beyond all doubt, and therevelation nearly sent me mad. 

Mrs. Darbyshire came shrieking out into the forepart of the car inwhich I had left her with Dolores. 

"They have taken her, " she shrieked, "they have taken her away from meas a hostage. It cannot be. Bring her back, bring her back, I imploreyou!" she cried in Spanish to the men who were passing the train, andwho in return only laughed and jeered her. 

"Mr. Anstruther, " she cried, "save her!"

I made her no answer, for I knew it was useless, but I gripped therevolver I carried beneath my loose smock. 

A great calmness came upon me then, though the blood surged through myhead. Life was as nothing to me, compared with saving her; without herit would be worthless. I determined to use every art I was capable of, every ingenuity to outwit these ruffians and murderers, for her sake. 

I began to laugh and talk with the men around me, at the same timenoting every feature of the country as we left the railway behind andtook a rough road. 

As we emerged upon this, the moon rose and I could see that the roadwound away in front of us, down into a valley where there was a thickwood and up the other side to great hills which were probably ourdestination. About two hundred yards in front of us rode the party whohad carried off Dolores. To my great joy my party commenced to trot, and within ten minutes had caught up the party in front. 

There was a good deal of talking in Spanish, which I did notunderstand. My eyes were fixed on the figure wrapped in the blackcloak and lying across the saddle-bow of one of the ruffians. 

As far as I could see, she was perfectly inanimate, but one thing Inoticed, and that was the man who held her, a great, swarthy, black-bearded wretch, masked like the others, rode some six paces inrear of the rest. 

This was sufficient for me; my plan was formed at once. 

As we rode forward again, I felt that I had a good horse under me, andthis was a satisfaction for the task I had in view. As we reached thewood at the foot of the hill, there were, I found to my greatsatisfaction, but two of the gang riding behind me and one by my side;the rest were in front. I had made myself agreeable, and rode soeasily with them that the men around me had taken no specialprecautions to secure me; believing me to be unarmed, they evidentlythought that I was powerless under the muzzles of their numerousrevolvers. 

They were mistaken. 

As we plunged into the blackness of the road through the wood, I waiteduntil we were well into it, then drew my revolver and shot the manriding on my right. 

In the very act of firing, I dug the heels of my boots into my horseand caused him to swerve round. 

Before they could draw, I shot both the men behind me, and as I torepast them, grasped the mask from the face of one as he fell. The wholething was done in under ten seconds. I flew off like an arrow backtowards the party we had just left, followed by a spattering fire fromthe men. I had left when they fully realised what had happened in thedarkness. 

I hastily fixed the black crape mask across my face as I cleared thewood, and made full gallop for Dolores. 

As I came in sight of the party, they were evidently in alarm at theshooting, but I waved my arm to them assuringly and slowed down to acanter as I came near. They plainly regarded me from my mask as one ofthe gang. 

I noticed to my satisfaction as I approached that the man in charge ofDolores was still some distance in the rear. 

The road being narrow, and the men riding two abreast in it, I left thetrack and rode out into the rough ground as if I wished to reach thechief, crying out "Capitano!" as I passed the leading men, that beingabout all the Spanish I knew. 

The great burly chief rode out as I approached, with a querulous lookon his face as I saw it in the moonlight, as if he were annoyed, butthe expression changed immediately, for I shot him through the bodyfrom my revolver as I held it concealed beneath the smock I wore; thenI dashed for Dolores. I had still two chambers undischarged, and oneof these I intended for the man bearing Dolores, but he was too quickfor me; he turned his horse and bolted back along the road we had comeand I after him. He was apparently in a panic. I roared out to himwith all my might that if he would give up the lady I would spare hislife, or otherwise he would be a dead man. 

This hint seemed sufficient for him, for he slid off his horse androlled away somewhere into the rough ground at the side of the road, leaving Dolores on the horse. 

Then I saw that she had been secured to the high pommel of the Spanishsaddle by a turn or two of a lasso. 

We had gone fully three hundred yards more before I caught the horsewhich galloped away at full speed. Perhaps it was as well thingshappened thus, as the robbers were thundering behind, and had I takenthe two burdens on one horse, we should I think, without doubt, havebeen recaptured. As it was, I lashed both horses to their fullestspeed when I saw Dolores was secure, though evidently in greatdiscomfort, yet it was a matter of life or death or worse. 

Presently we came in view of the train getting up steam, though it wassome distance off, and then a sight burst upon my view in additionwhich filled me with both joy and astonishment. About ten bicyclesridden by men were coming along the road, the slender spokes of theirwheels glinting in the moonlight. They no sooner saw us than theyraised a great shout, and waved their arms; it was then to my greatthankfulness I saw the leading cyclist was my cousin, St. Nivel. Ifelt as if a ton weight of care had been lifted off my shoulders. 

They made way for us as we came, and St. Nivel shouted to me as wepassed through--

"Make straight for the train!"

I did as he bid me, and within five minutes had the pleasure of tearingthe handkerchief with which she was gagged from my darling's mouth; andbefore all the assembled passengers kissing her upon the lips as I gaveher insensible into the arms of her aunt. 

I think I had earned those kisses!

CHAPTER XIII

DON JUAN D'ALTA

No sooner had we passed through the cyclists than they formed acrossthe road and, dismounting, took up positions behind any cover whichthey discovered in the rough ground. 

To my astonishment they unstrapped rifles from their machines, and assoon as the robbers appeared in pursuit greeted them with a rapid fireevidently from magazines. I saw several saddles emptied as they turnedand rode off. 

A few minutes after St. Nivel and his friends rejoined us. 

"That was a lucky thought of mine, " he said, laughing, when he hadgripped my hand and congratulated me on our escape. 

I remembered seeing the bicycles being put into the train at MonteVideo, and the magazine rifles of course were in the guard's van, andought to have been used when the robbers attacked us, but they came toosuddenly and there was no time to get them. 

From that time forward things went easily enough; steam was soon up, and we were away again to Valoro within half an hour. At the nextstation a special restaurant car was attached; we were treated likeheroes, sitting amid the popping of champagne corks relating ouradventures, and this went on long after the morning had broken. 

But I, tired out, soon sought my bed in the sleeping-car, but notbefore I had been assured at the door of the ladies' car, by Mrs. Darbyshire, now all tears and smiles, that Dolores had regainedconsciousness, and was unhurt, save for bruises and, of course, asevere shock. 

I slept until within an hour of our running into Valoro station late inthe afternoon, and just had time to have a delicious bath and emergefresh and hungry into the restaurant car in which St. Nivel, LadyEthel, and Dolores looking very pale and ill, were just finishinglunch. My darling sat beside me while I lunched and held my hand--whenit was disengaged--unheeded by Mrs. Darbyshire. This lady, I think, considered that the case had got beyond her and had better be relegatedto a higher court--Don Juan d'Alta--for judgment. 

Dolores even lighted my cigarette for me, but soon after her aunt tookher away to prepare to leave the train. 

"What on earth made you hand that poor devil of a brigand chief thatbox of cigars, Jack?" I asked St. Nivel, when we were alone with Ethel, and he had restored my precious casket to me; "he might have taken itand got the whole shoot. "

"At that moment, " replied St. Nivel, glancing through the rings of hiscigar smoke quite affectionately at me, "I wished he _would_ take it. Things looked very ugly for you, and we were powerless to help you. Ithought if he took the cigar case the casket would at least be with youand you would know it and could use your own discretion about givingthem the tip if your life were threatened as I imagined it would be. "

"Very clever of you, Jack, " I answered, "and I'm very much obliged toyou for thinking of it, but I am glad that the poor devil didn't takeit after all. I believe it to be my duty to take it to Don Juand'Alta, even at the risk of my life. "

St. Nivel sat thinking a moment or two; then he spoke. 

"Why do you use the term 'poor devil'?" he asked, "when you speak ofthe robber chief?"

I told him why. I told him how I had shot him. 

"Well, really, Bill, " he said very seriously, "I wish the thing _had_gone. It has already cost several lives, and seems to carry ill-luckwith it. Who knows how many more lives may be sacrificed? Of course, there cannot be a doubt but that the train was held up solely to obtainit; the taking of the hundred dollars a head was simply a ruse to coverthe other. Old Frampton says such a raid on a train is a thing unheardof now in Aquazilia. "

"Yes, " I answered, "but it came to a good round sum all the same. Well, at any rate, " I continued, as the train ran into Valoro station, "we've brought the thing to its destination, and we're all safe andsound, so there's _something_ to be thankful for!"

At Valoro, things were "all right" as my man Brooks put it; news of theattack on the train, in which was the British Minister, had reached thecapital, and a troop of cavalry awaited to escort him to his Legation. 

"As I understand you have something of importance to deliver inValoro, " said Sir Rupert Frampton to me as we left the train, "I thinkyou had better come in my carriage. I am taking Mrs. Darbyshire andthe Señorita with me too. They both want reassuring, and the morale ofthe escort will do that. I shall take them right home. "

"Thank you very much, " I answered, "that will suit me down to theground. My mission is to deliver a packet to Don Juan d'Alta himself. "

"Then come along, " added Sir Rupert, "for, of course, the ladies aregoing there too. "

In a few minutes we were driving out of the station yard in a finecarriage, surrounded by soldiers. 

It was the first time I had ever ridden with an escort, and I liked it. 

We left the immense terminus, which would not have disgraced the finestcity in Europe, and turned up a great boulevard leading to the higherpart of the city where amid trees we could see many fine white houses. 

"That is our house!" cried Dolores, as we left the houses behind andcame out into the country. "Look, aunt! look, William!"

I did look and saw on the crest of the hill we were approaching, faraway to the left, a long range of white buildings, relieved withtowers, which looked like a small castle. 

It filled me with apprehension, for it was a sign of the great wealthof her father--the wealth which I feared would be a bar to our union. 

I think she was surprised at the glum look on my face for the rest ofthe little journey. 

"Are you sorry to go and see my father?" she asked plaintively, with asweet look in her blue eyes. "I am sure he will be very glad to see_you_ and to thank you for saving me. He is a very kind man is myfather, " she added solemnly, "very kind to me, and very kind to hisreptiles. "

Before them all--Mrs. Darbyshire was now quite resigned--I took herhand and pressed it. 

"It is a very easy thing to be kind to _you_, Dolores, " I said. "Ishould find the difficulty in being kind to the reptiles. "

"But you will humour my father, won't you?" she asked, and then droppedher voice, "for both our sakes?"

The amount of interest dear old Sir Rupert Frampton took in distantscenery during this drive, and the many objects of interest he pointedout to Mrs. Darbyshire to divert her attention from us, made me hiswilling slave for life. For, indeed, I was agitated at the prospect ofthe interview which was to come in a few minutes with old Don Juand'Alta, not only for our sake, but for the sake of the dear old lady atBath, who I doubted not was now dead, and the packet she had confidedto my care. 

It was a comfort to sit with Dolores' little hand in mine. My otherclasped the precious packet in my trousers pocket. 

At last we drove into a great avenue filled with the most luxurianttropical vegetation, very carefully tended, for there were men at workeverywhere. 

The escort wheeled away into line as we swept under a greatglass-roofed portiere, and came to a halt at a fine flight of marblesteps, where Sir Rupert left us and drove away with the soldiersclattering around him. 

Yes, the home of my Dolores was like a modern palace. 

Overcome with seeing it again, I think she forgot even me for themoment. She ran gaily up the steps, trilling with laughter. 

"Where is father?" she cried. 

That gentleman answered her question in person. 

At the head of the steps appeared an old man dressed in black with anabundance of perfectly white hair which surrounded a verygood-humoured, wrinkled face, almost as brown as a berry. It was theface of an aristocrat, but of an aristocrat who lived in the open air, and a good deal under the burning sun of an Aquazilian summer. 

He came forward with a very loving smile on his old face and took hislittle daughter in his arms. 

Their greeting was in Spanish and therefore most of it was lost to me, but I took it to be a very affectionate one. This over, theconversation turned in my direction and broke into English. 

"This is the gentleman who saved me from the robbers, father, "exclaimed Dolores; "this is Mr. William Anstruther. "

The old man turned towards me with extended hands, his face beaming. 

"Mr. Anstruther, " he said, speaking in very fair English, which I foundmost of the gentry spoke there, "let me take your hands and thank youfrom my heart for your heroic conduct to my daughter. The news of theoutrage and your gallant escape reached us together by telegraph thefirst thing this morning. Indeed, I think they had the news at theclub last night. "

When he had at last let my hand go, I got in a word of my own. 

"Naturally, " I began, "you will like to spend some time with yourdaughter, but when you are at liberty I have an important message todeliver to you. "

"Indeed!" he said, looking rather surprised. "From whom?"

"From an old lady who formerly lived at Bath, in England, " I replied, "but who now, I fear, is dead--murdered!"

"Good heavens!" he cried; "who can it be?"

"It was a lady known by the name of Carlotta Altenberg, " I answered. 

"Good God!" he cried, throwing up his hands excitedly; "poor oldd'Altenberg murdered!"

I was rather disappointed at his tone. It was very certain that theold lady was a person of little importance, or he would never havespoken of her like that. 

In a moment or two he turned to me again. 

"I have taken the liberty, " he said, "of having your luggage and thatof your friends with whom you are travelling--and whom Dolores tells meare your cousins--brought up here. I could not think of allowing youto stay anywhere else in Valoro than under my roof, and I am vainenough to think that we can keep you amused during your stay. "

I made suitable acknowledgments for his kindness, and was wondering allthe while, in my heart, under what lucky star I had been born to belocated beneath the very roof with my Dolores, and that, too, at herfather's invitation. But he broke in upon my thanks. 

"Not another word, Mr. Anstruther, " he said; "it is you who confer thebenefit upon me. 

"Now, you say you have a message from the poor old Baroness d'Altenbergfor me. Good! I will show you to my study, and there we will go intothe matter at our leisure. "

He led me down a long corridor to a beautiful room overlooking thevalley, communicating with a long range of what looked likeconservatories. Hardly necessary, I thought, in such a climate!

"Now, " said my host, placing a box of cigars before me, "amuse yourselfwith these, and my servant shall bring us some champagne to celebrateyour arrival. I will just go and see my sister and little Doloressettled in their apartments, then I will come back to you and we canhave our talk. You shall tell me all about the poor Baroness. "

The kind old man pressed me down into a comfortable lounge chair, thenwith a smile departed. 

I took a good look round the room, and took stock of its contents. Itwas furnished very luxuriously in the European fashion and containedsome beautiful pictures, but its principal ornaments were cases ofstuffed reptiles of every sort, from a tiny lizard to a greatboa-constrictor with red jaws agape. 

There were four French windows opening to the ground, shaded by outsidestriped blinds similar to those used in England, but not low enough tohide a most splendid view of hill and dale and far-away mountains, which seemed to surround the city of Valoro, itself seeming to rest ona plateau. 

I was standing looking at a case of particularly objectionable yellowsnakes when I heard one of the French windows move behind me; turning, I came face to face with the polite lieutenant of the band of robberswho had attacked our train. He had discarded the cowboys' dress andwore the clothes of a gentleman. He at once raised a revolver to thelevel of my head as I started back, and addressed me in perfectlypolite tones. 

"Come, come, Mr. Anstruther, " he said, "it's no good. I want thatpacket. If you don't give it to me I shall simply shoot you throughthe head and take it. "

It appeared to me that my journey after all had been in vain; there wasthe muzzle of the pistol within six inches of my head, and I had tomake up my mind about it. 

St. Nivel's words came back to me concerning the ill-luck of it, and Icould almost hear him saying--

"Let the thing go; it isn't worth risking your life for. "

Then I thought of Dolores, and on this thought broke the voice of therobber, cold and hard. 

"You must make up your mind, Mr. Anstruther, " he said, "while I countten, otherwise I must fire. "

He commenced counting slowly. 

"One. "

The thought of Dolores grew stronger. 

"Two. "

I could almost _hear_ St. Nivel's voice urging me to give it up. 

"Three. "

Then there was my promise to the old lady, murdered, I believed, bythese infamous ruffians. I hesitated. 

"Four. "

"Five. "

"Six. "

Then came another thought: would the old lady, who had been spoken ofas the Baroness d'Altenberg, hold me to my word under the circumstances?

"Seven. "

"Eight. "

I doubted it. 

"Nine. "

I had made up my mind to save my life for Dolores. 

"Hold, " I said; "I will give it to you!"

He smiled. 

"I think you are very sensible, " he said; "anybody else but anEnglishman would have given it up long ago, and then a great deal oftrouble and several lives would have been saved. "

I put my hand in my pocket despising myself the while for giving way, but still convinced that I should have been a fool to throw my lifeaway under the circumstances. 

"Perhaps you will tell me, " I asked, as I drew the packet from mypocket, "how it is that you know I am here and that I have the packetwith me?"

He laughed. 

"I may as well tell you, " he said, "that you have never been leftunwatched since you left Bath. "

"You seem to know my movements pretty well yourself, " I said, in anastonished tone. 

"Pretty well, " he answered, with another smile. 

I had no sooner drawn the packet from my pocket than he snatched itunceremoniously from my hands and walked with it towards the window. 

"Don't move, " he cried to me, "until I tell you _or_ I shall fire. Imust verify the contents before I leave you. "

He still held the pistol in my direction and I have no doubt would havefired had I made the slightest move towards him, which I could not havedone without making some noise, for about six paces divided us. 

I stood still and regarded him as he tore off the covering with histeeth. 

He was so thoroughly engrossed with the task that he did not hear aslight rustling sound which caused me to turn my head towards the doorwhich led to the long range of what appeared to be glass houses, andwhich was just open a little. What I saw there made me turn cold fromhead to foot. 

Gliding through the slightly open door, and pushing it farther open asit came with its immense bulk, was a huge black and yellow snake!

It was moving in the direction of the robber, who, entirely engrossedwith the packet from which he had torn the wrapper, was totallyoblivious of his position. The snake had possibly been attracted bythe tearing noise which he had made as he rent the linen envelope withhis teeth. 

I had almost cried aloud to warn him, when, I checked myself. The manhad come to murder me; he must take his chance. He had turned to me, satisfied with his scrutiny of the casket which he now held in hishand, the box which contained it having been thrown on the floor, whenI saw the snake draw itself into a great coil and raise its head; then, just as his lips were opening to speak to me, the great reptile made aspring, and in an instant coiled itself tight round him, the tailwhipping close like a steel wire. He gave a great cry and dropped thecasket and the revolver immediately. Within a second or two I had themin my hands, and at the same moment the door opened and Don Juan d'Altaentered. 

He rapped out a great Spanish oath, and a good many more words in thesame language; then he turned to me. 

"Who is this man?" he asked. 

"That is one of the men, " I answered at once, "who attacked the train. He entered this room a few minutes after you left me with the intentionof robbing or murdering me. "

"Then he seems to have got his deserts, " replied my host, laughing. Hecame quite close to me and whispered in my ear, "The snake is quiteharmless, but it will give him a fright and maybe break a rib or two ifit squeezes hard. "

The old man appeared to regard it as a huge joke, but kept a solemnface. 

It appeared to be going beyond a joke to break his ribs, and I said soin a whisper. 

"He deserves it, " was the reply. 

Meanwhile, the robber was becoming absolutely livid with fear, andbegan to supplicate Don Juan in Spanish. 

Finding this of no avail, he turned to me. 

"Have mercy, Señor, " he cried piteously, "and help me to free myselffrom this reptile. It is crushing me to death. "

The horrible thing with wide-open jaws was breathing in his face, andits fetid breath seemed turning him sick. 

Don Juan laughed aloud, rather heartlessly it seemed to me, but theSpanish nature is a cruel one to its enemies. 

"I know the man, " he said, "and I cannot understand what has broughthim into this _galère_. Let us question him?"

 * * * * *

I could not quite see that a man enveloped in the embrace of aboa-constrictor, even though the reptile might be tame and harmless, would be a person likely to give either correct or coherent answers toquestions, but I acquiesced in Don Juan d'Alta's suggestion that weshould try and get some information out of him. 

He commenced at once; speaking in English for my benefit. 

"What induced you and your band to attack the train yesterday?" was hisfirst question. 

"I don't know, " was the answer. 

"That is a lie, " responded Don Juan, speaking quite coolly. "If youwish to get out of the coils of that snake, you must speak the truth. 

"Now come, I know of course who you are, I know everybody in Valoro, and especially the members of the Carlotta Society, which is avowedlyRoyalist and opposed to the present Government like myself. You are amember of that Society; you are one of its leaders. I suggest to youthat the so-called band of robbers who attacked the train last nightwere simply members of the Carlotta Society?"

"I admit, " gasped the man, trying with all his force to keep theboa-constrictor's head away from his face, "that I am a leader of theCarlotta Society, but I cannot disclose its secrets even to you. "

"You must speak, Lopes, " Don Juan said, "or you will not get free. Remember that I am a member of the Carlotta Society myself, though anhonorary one on account of my age. You will never get back to yourdesk in the bank of Valoro if you don't speak. "

"It is inhuman!" cried the man desperately, "it is vile torture!"

"It is also inhuman, " added Don Juan sententiously, "to raid trains, and to threaten murder as you have done in this room. Your band toowas none too scrupulous in hanging Jimenez the half-breed, though hewas an informer. Tell me now, why did you hold up the train? why didyou try to rob this English gentleman?"

"It was done, " answered the man stertorously, for he was becoming weak, "it was done on urgent orders from Europe from our head. "

Don Juan started, and going close whispered a name in his ear. 

"Yes, " replied Lopes faintly, but I heard the words, "from the Dukehimself. "

As Don Juan turned from him with a perplexed look, his eye caught thecasket which I still held in my hand; he lost colour and became veryagitated as he saw it. 

"Where did you get that from?" he asked abruptly, seizing my hand. 

I opened my hand and placed the casket in his. 

"From the Baroness d'Altenberg, " I replied. "I made the journey fromEurope to give it to you. My task is accomplished. "

The casket had reached its destination. 

CHAPTER XIV

THE CASKET

"Now there are two favours I wish to ask you, Don Juan, " I said, as hestood with the precious casket in his hands, "the first is to put thatcasket in a place of safety; the second to release this poor wretchfrom the snake. "

He awoke from a fit of deep meditation with a start. 

"I will grant your two favours immediately, " he answered quickly as heput the casket in his breast pocket and buttoned his frock-coat overit; "see one is already done, now I will accomplish the other. "

He went to the end of the apartment, and lifting a curtain hanging overthe base of a bookcase, took from a shelf there a silver bowl, filledapparently with bread and milk. 

With this he went out on to the terrace, through the French windows, and commenced to make a peculiar sibilant noise between his teeth, halfwhistle half hiss. 

It had a most peculiar effect upon the boa-constrictor, who, from thefirst production of the silver bowl, had shown a lively interest in itby moving its great head up and down excitedly. The noise made by DonJuan, however, decided it; it began to uncoil itself from the would-beassassin and finally dropped on the floor with a "slump" and wriggledout of the window on to the terrace. As the man was released, Icovered him with the revolver as I was taking no risks, but it wasquite unnecessary, as he fell fainting on a couch to which he hadstaggered almost immediately he was free. 

Don Juan returned from the terrace with a pleased smile. 

"My pets are a great source of comfort to me, " he remarked as he sankinto a chair, after courteously making me take another. "To see thatpoor dumb thing take its food so healthily compensates me almost forthe shock which this villainous fellow has given us. "

"Snakes, " he continued, "are greatly affected by sound, as no doubt younoticed just now. There is little question that the snake wasattracted to Lopes by some sound. "

"But still, " he continued, placing his hand in his breast, "the sightof the casket which you have brought to me is a greater shock than thedesperado's pistol presented at your head was to you. "

He passed his hand over his forehead as if the idea bewildered him. 

"And you say you got it from the Baroness d'Altenberg?" he asked. 

"Yes, " I answered, "I took it from the safe at her direction. "

"Whatever can it contain?" he muttered to himself; then the figure ofLopes lying on the sofa caught his eye. 

"We must have this fellow removed, " he said. "What shall we do withhim?"

I looked at the recumbent figure for some time, and it only inspired mewith pity. 

"I think he ought to be sent somewhere, " I proposed, "where he would betaken care of and prevented from doing further mischief. Have you ahospital in Valoro?"

The old gentleman looked at me in some surprise. 

"I assure you, " he answered, "that we have two, as fine as any inEurope. "

"Then, " I said, "if I may make the suggestion, I would have Lopes sentoff to one. "

Don Juan rang the bell immediately, and when a servant answered it, heindicated the man on the couch and gave some order in Spanish to him. 

"They will take him away, " he explained, "and send him down to thehospital in one of my carriages. There we can have him arrested laterif it is worth while. "

In a very short time two men appeared and carried Lopes out of the room. 

Then we sat down facing one another, and Don Juan produced the casketfrom his pocket and stood contemplating it upon his knee. 

"Whatever could have prompted the old Baroness d'Altenberg to send methis, " he cogitated half to himself, "after so many years; and what canit contain?"

I made a suggestion. 

"Supposing you open it, " I said, "while I walk in the garden. "

"My dear Mr. Anstruther, " he said, quite frightened at giving me somuch trouble, "that is not at all necessary. I can go into my littlecabinet here. "

He indicated a small room, the door of which stood partly open, andrevealed a little study with a writing table and a reading lamp. 

"If you will excuse me for five minutes, " he added, "I will retire intothat little room and open the casket!"

"But have you the keys?" I asked. 

He nodded with a smile. 

"Oh yes, " he answered, "those three little locks and the secret ofopening them are very familiar to me, but I have not seen it for agreat many years. "

I did not in the least understand what he was alluding to, but I, ofcourse, urged him to retire into his little room and examine thecontents of the casket in peace, while I amused myself in the studyitself. 

"You will find some marvellous stuffed specimens of the green lizard inthose lower cases, " he remarked, as he disappeared into his sanctum. "I should advise you to study them closely. "

He had no sooner disappeared into the little room, the door of which heleft slightly open, when I mentally consigned the green lizards and, infact, the whole lacertilian family to a place warmer than the plains ofAquazilia in summer even, and sat idly wondering how long it would bebefore I saw Dolores again. 

I distinctly heard the click of a lock as the old gentleman opened theebony casket, there was a pause and a long silence broken only by thecrackling of paper. Then I heard him give a cry of astonishment, and aSpanish exclamation it was--"Madre de Dios!"

An invocation only used on occasions of great excitement. 

Then I heard a low muttering as he repeated certain passages, possiblyof the letter, to himself, but it was in a foreign language, probablySpanish, and entirely unintelligible to me. 

Another pause followed, then the door opened again and Don Juanre-entered the room, but his appearance had entirely changed. 

His healthy sunburnt complexion had lost all its colour and was of aleaden hue, his eyes were starting from beneath his bushy eyebrows, andhis right hand, as he laid it on the back of a chair, trembled like aleaf in the wind. 

"Mr. Anstruther, " he said with difficulty, "it will be necessary for meto leave for Europe as soon as possible, for England, for Bath!"

If he had said that he had just made up his mind to go to the moon Icould not have been more astonished!

"To England!" I repeated. 

"Yes, to England, and that as soon as possible. "

The whole thing seemed to me extremely curious. 

"Forgive my asking the question, " I said, "but do you mind telling mewhy you want to visit Bath?"

He considered for some moments, passing his hand across his forehead, which was clammy with perspiration. 

"Before I answer that question, " he said at last, "I should like to askyou another. 

"I understand that you have met the lady who entrusted you with thecasket which you have given me, at a certain house in a street calledMonmouth Street in the town of Bath?"

"Yes, that is so, " I answered. 

"Are you aware that there was a safe in that house. A steel safe ofpeculiar workmanship?"

"Yes, " I replied, "I have seen it and opened it. I told you so. "

"Ah! then you can tell me, " he cried excitedly, "what was in the safe?"

"I'm afraid I cannot; I opened the safe at the request of the old lady, who, at that time, was lying sorely wounded on her bed. I opened ithastily, took out what I was directed to take by a note within, thenclosed the safe again. "

"But the safe was not empty?"

"No, I think I can go so far as to say that there appeared, as well asI recollect from the hasty glance I had, to be other documents andparcels behind those which I took away. "

"Very good, " Don Juan replied; "now tell me something more. In whosecharge is that house in the street of Monmouth. Do you happen to know?"

"When I left Bath, " I replied, "the house was in charge of a sergeantof police and his wife; they were caretakers. "

"Very good, very good indeed, " answered the old man, apparently muchrelieved; "now tell me one thing more. When does the ship by which youcame return to England?"

"The _Oceana_ returns in about a fortnight's time. "

"Do you think now, if I used my best endeavours to make that fortnightvery agreeable to you, and to show you during that time more, perhaps, than you would see of Aquazilia in a month in the ordinary way, that Icould induce you to return to England with me by that ship?"

At first I thought that by agreeing with his request I should beleaving Dolores behind, then I remembered that I could induce himperhaps to take her with him. 

I hesitated for a time and he pressed me. 

"Come, now, Mr. Anstruther, " he said, "give me your answer. "

"I am perfectly certain, " I said hesitatingly, for I was not going togive myself away, "that you will make our stay delightful, but I think, before I answer, I had better let you into a little secret. 

"I happen to know that my cousin, Lord St. Nivel, and his sister, LadyEthel Vanborough, intend asking you and Donna Dolores to spend sometime with them in England. Could you not make this visit answer bothpurposes?"

"That would necessitate my taking my daughter with me, " he said ratherdubiously; then a light seemed to break in upon him, and a smilehovered about his lips to which the colour was just returning. 

"Should my daughter have no objection, " he replied guardedly, "I see noreason why she should not accompany us. "

I know my face lighted up with pleasure. I could not control it. 

"We shall spend Christmas with you, " I said cheerfully at last, "at anyrate, and Christmas in Valoro will be a great novelty both to mycousins and myself, I have no doubt. "

"Christmas and the New Year are the gayest times with us of the wholetwelve months, " he answered, "and you will be able to be present atthem both. "

"The prospect, " I cried, "is delightful, and I will return with you, Don Juan, with pleasure. I should be most ungrateful to refuse yourkind offer. I think I can answer for my cousins too, as they havereally only taken this trip to please me. "

"Very well, then, " he said rising, "that's settled; now we will go andfind the ladies. I have no doubt your cousins have arrived by thistime. I sent an automobile for them. "

As I followed him, I flattered myself that I could persuade Dolores totake that return journey with us to Europe, if any persuasion wereindeed necessary, by which it will be seen that I was acquiring acertain amount of confidence in my powers over that young lady. 

CHAPTER XV

THE ABBOT OF SAN JUAN

The two weeks which followed constituted, I have no hesitation insaying, the gala fortnight of my existence. 

I never could have imagined it possible that so much pleasure couldhave been crowded into such a short time. But can it not be easilybelieved that everything then was to me gilded with that supreme finegold, the glamour of a young love? Yes, I think even the old Donhimself saw it, and at any rate did not forbid it. 

I went about with Dolores everywhere, even to church, at which she wasa regular attendant, and I flatter myself behaved very creditablythere, for though I was not a Roman Catholic like herself, yet I hadattended the Sunday evening ministrations of the monks of Bath, andknew a good deal about it through the said monks' discourses. 

I hope I don't make a mistake in calling them monks--if I do, I asktheir pardon. I certainly understood them to _say_ they were monks. 

Be that as it may. I did not disgrace Dolores when I went with her tothe great cathedral in Valoro. 

But our time there was by no means entirely spent in going to church. Day after day the old Don engaged special trains in which we flew aboutthe Republic faring sumptuously everywhere, and on our return therewould generally be a dinner-party, followed by the theatre or theopera--a magnificent house and performance--and as likely as not a ballafter that. Much more of it would have killed us all. 

But the gay life mercifully drew towards a close, and Dolores and Ibegan to contemplate a pleasurable voyage back on that very ship onwhich we had first met and loved. 

Yes, loved; we were plighted lovers now; there was no secret, no hidinganything from one another. 

By Dolores' wish I only waited to reach England to tell her father ofmy love for her and ask him for her. 

"And do you think he will give you to me, darling?" I asked onebeautiful night, when we were sitting out a waltz at a ball at thehouse of a grandee at Valoro. "Do you think he will give you to anEnglishman?"

"Considering that he gave his sister away to an Englishman I don't seehow he can refuse me to you, dearest, " she answered. "At any rate Ithink I can persuade him. "

Yes, I believed she could, she looked capable of persuading the angelsthemselves, in her dress of white silk, cut rather low, with a stringof pearls round her neck worth about the value of the winner of theDerby. 

Towards the last few days of our stay in Aquazilia, when we were all, even Lady Ethel, surfeited with dancing, and St. Nivel and I began tolook askance at banquets, Don Juan came to me one day and took me asideinto his garden. 

I purposely led him away from the direction of the reptile houses ofwhich I had a holy horror, and we sauntered down a shady avenue ofpalms. 

"There is one place of interest near Valoro, Mr. Anstruther, " he said, "which I should much like to show you and Lord St. Nivel if he cares tocome, and that is the great Trappist Monastery at San Juan del Monte, about ten miles from here. "

"By Jove!" I answered, "that is the very place I should like to see!I'm your man at any time. "

"If you can be up by seven to-morrow morning, " continued the old man, "we can motor over in the cool of the day. I know it is asking a gooddeal of you, because we have this evening to attend the reception ofyour minister, and then go on to the ball at Donna Elvira dellaGranja's. At the earliest we shall not be in bed till two, I fear. "

"Never mind, " I answered, "a cold tub usually puts me straight after alate night, and I am particularly anxious to see some real live monksin real cells. "

"You will see both there in dozens, " replied d'Alta; "there are nearlythree hundred monks there. "

Despite the dissipation of the night, six o'clock the next morning sawme out of bed, and 7. 45 found me dressed for the road and as fresh frommy cold bath as if His Britannic Majesty's Minister at Valoro had notgiven a reception at all, and Donna Elvira della Granja's ball hadnever taken place, though I certainly put in an appearance at theformer, sitting in a corner with Dolores and listening to herdescription of all the political notabilities present, and at thelatter I certainly did my duty as an Englishman, as many a black-eyeddonna could testify, albeit I had all the best waltzes with Dolores, and of course took her in to supper. 

I think every one in Valoro by this time put us down as an engagedcouple; especially as old Don Juan seemed a consenting party ordiscreetly blind to our proceedings. 

St. Nivel told me afterwards of a conversation he overheard between twoAmerican attachés at Donna Elvira's. 

"I guess, " remarked the "Military" to the "Naval, " "that Englishman'sgoin' to walk off with old d'Alta's girl. "

"You bet, " confirmed the Naval, "he's fairly on the job. What is he?"

"Well, he's the cousin of that young Lord St. Nivel, " responded theMilitary, "and that counts a lot, of course. But his _real_ trade I'mtold is book writing. "

"Jeehosophat!" commented the Naval. "I guess he'll chuck that whenhe's Don Juan's son-in-law; the old snake-charmer will never tolerate amere _bookman_ in his drawing-room. His blue Spanish blood would allturn green, I reckon. "

Thus was the humble calling of a novelist despised, even in Valoro!

When, however, I descended from my bedroom at 7. 45, after partaking ofa delicious _petit déjeuner_ of coffee, milk, bread, and fruit in myapartment, I found Don Juan d'Alta ready for the road, and the motor atthe door. In five minutes St. Nivel joined us. 

"I didn't like to be left behind, old sportsman, " he exclaimed. "Staying in bed on a huntin' mornin' is not exactly my form, even whenthe quarry is merely a harmless Trappist!"

"Your early habits do you credit, but your language, St. Nivel, " I saidreprovingly, "is verging on the profane. "

"I'm sure I'm very sorry, " he answered. "I'd walk ten miles ratherthan offend any one's feelings. I hope Don Juan didn't hear me. "

"Don Juan is a man of the world, " I answered, "and it wouldn't matterif he did, but other people might hear you and not like it. "

"Righto, Bill, " replied my sporting cousin. "I'll keep my eye on youand try and not put my foot in it. "

In a few minutes we were rattling through some magnificent mountainscenery, with luxuriant vegetation and lovely wild flowers on everyside. On the tops of the trees were parrots of varied colours which, disturbed by the noise of the motor, fluttered in all directions beforeus. 

"Now I particularly want you to notice the abbot, " said Don Juan as weapproached the monastery, a very ancient-looking pile of buildingssituated in a most lonely spot on the side of a mountain, yetsurrounded by scenery which would have rivalled any in the world; "heis a most remarkable man, and possesses, as you will see, a mostremarkable presence. "

Presently we drew up at a very plain front door, and were immediatelyreconnoitred through a small wicket hole. 

"The janitor, " observed St. Nivel, "is evidently taking stock of us, and for that reason, Bill, I feel thankful that you have put on thatnew Norfolk suit; it gives the whole party a classy appearance. "

The survey seemed satisfactory. Some bolts were shot back and the dooropened, disclosing a monk in a brown habit. 

He made some evidently most respectful remarks to Don Juan in Spanish, and then we all entered the monastery and were shown into a guest-room. 

Here in a few minutes another lay brother brought a liqueur stand withglasses. 

"Veritable Chartreuse, " remarked Don Juan, as he laid his hand on thelittle decanters of green and yellow liquid, "the true stream drunk atthe source!"

He filled the little glasses and handed them round as the lay brotherstood looking on admiringly. 

"You must take some, " he said, "or they will be offended. "

St. Nivel sipped his glass appreciatively. 

"The monk who invented this, " he remarked sententiously, "_deserved_ togo to heaven. "

"Our abbot will give himself the honour of waiting upon yourlordships, " were the lay brother's parting words as translated to us byDon Juan. 

We possessed our spirits in contentment, and awaited his coming, whilstd'Alta expatiated on the rigours of the Trappists' life, theirisolation, their silence, their exactness in the keeping of the Officeof the Church. 

I fear this discourse, earnest though it was on the part of our host, was lost upon St. Nivel, whom I detected catching flies--and liberatingthem immediately--in the most solemn part. To him the severest form ofpenance was represented by a life from which all descriptions of"huntin'" and "shootin'" were excluded. He had been burning to killsomething big in the game line ever since he had set foot on shore, andI was quite prepared to hear him ask the abbot when he arrived whetherhe was "a huntin' man. " He had asked that question of almost everybodywe had met up to then in Aquazilia. 

The abbot, however, came at last, just as Don Juan was concluding anaccount of St. Bruno, the Founder of the Order, and Jack was sittingwith his eyes stolidly fixed upon the liqueur decanter. 

Yes, the abbot was all d'Alta had said; he was a man of fifty, tall, spare, straight as a dart, but unlike most of the other monks we saw, fair and fresh coloured. 

I stood looking at him for some time, gazing into his fair open face, after he had taken my hand and released it. I wondered who it was hereminded me of, whose face he brought so vividly to my recollection. Yet striking as the likeness was to _some one_, I could not recall whothat some one was. 

"You must be hungry after your drive, gentlemen, " he said, speakingvery fair English, as indeed most educated people did in Aquazilia. "Ihave ordered _déjeuner_ at once for you. While it is preparing wouldyou like to see the monastery?"

St. Nivel and I at once expressed our pleasure at the prospect, and theabbot preceded us, walking with Don Juan, but stopping occasionally toturn and speak to us and point out some object of interest. 

In this way we passed through the wonderful institution and saw theTrappists each in his little abode, a sort of cottage to himself inwhich he ate and slept, and worked _alone_. At stated hours allthrough the day and night, the hundreds of monks met in the church torecite the office. 

Don Juan told us as we stood on the steps of the great corridor that hehad spent a week there in retreat before his marriage, and kept the"Hours" with the community. 

Pointing down the corridor which stretched before us, he said the sightwhich struck him most was to stand as we did, on a night in winter andhear the great bell ring for Matins. 

"Then, " said he, "all those doors of the little houses open, and fromeach comes out a monk with a lantern. They look like hundreds offireflies all going towards the great Abbey church. "

I think the abbot saw with that intuitive knowledge which belongs to arefined nature that St. Nivel was _bored_; he steered us back to theguest-room, where a most excellent lunch was awaiting us--soup, fish, adish of cutlets and a sweet omelette, all excellent, and served withred and white wine-like nectar and coffee from the Trappists' estate onthe hills. 

The abbot did not eat with us, but sat and charmed us with hisconversation, for charming it was. 

He talked with that fascinating fluency which one would have expectedto find in a travelled man of the world rather that in a cloisteredmonk. He held us during all that meal, giving zest to each dish thatcame, with anecdotes of every country, and yet he spoke with a refinedsimplicity and perfect innocence of thought. His clear-cut and healthyface, his bright blue eyes and white teeth, the exceeding sweetness ofhis face and expression are with me now as I write. 

When it was over and we had parted from him and were flying back toValoro and modernism, I turned to Don Juan and spoke my thoughts. 

"And where, " I asked, "can the Order of Trappists have gained such awonderful recruit from?"

The old man's face, which had been smiling, turned very grave; he shookhis head and sighed. 

"Ah! I wish I could tell you!"

That was his answer. 

CHAPTER XVI

THE CONFESSION OF BROOKS

We left Valoro a few days after the great festival of the New Year, which came as a fitting finale to all our gaiety. 

Christmas had been a quiet, sedate feast in the nature of a Sunday. Weleft just as the premonitory signs of the rainy season were makingthemselves apparent. 

St. Nivel's friends, the American attachés, told him that we were wellout of it, as the rains were torrential. 

Dolores and I commenced the journey with much satisfaction; up to thelast we had feared that Don Juan might have altered his mind and lefthis daughter at home, but I think the old gentleman began tounderstand, if he thought about it at all, that if he left Doloresbehind, he would also have to leave me too. 

Our departure was on the morrow of a great banquet, given by Don Juanto many of the notabilities of Valoro in our honour. 

It was one of the grandest dinners I was ever present at, and thedisplay of ladies' dresses and jewels would have done credit to a courtfunction at home. But I think the sweet simple beauty of Dolores andmy cousin Ethel took the palm. On this occasion I took in to dinner agrave and important donna with a distinct beard and moustache. I wastold that she was a model of piety and that _all_--or nearly all--piousold ladies in Aquazilia had beards and moustaches!

Dolores sat opposite me on this occasion, and the way in which a youngmilitary attaché of Brazil paid her attention under my very nose, stamped him at once in my estimation, with his curled-up moustache, asa mere puppy!

I am sure Dolores thought so too, although she _did_ listen to histrashy conversation, because when we were saying "good-night"--hastilyunder one of the big palms on the terrace--oh! if he could have seenus--she told me with her two dear arms round my neck that she onlyloved me, and I was not to look so _jealous_ another time at adinner-party, but talk to my partner whether she had a beard andmoustache or not. Just as if I _could_ look jealous and of _such_ aman!

And so we left Aquazilia behind with its sunshine and lavishhospitality, and took ship again--the dear old _Oceana_--for our ownfoggy island, which I did not much relish returning to in February. 

But Dolores was with me and she made sunshine everywhere. 

We had been a fortnight on our return voyage, when an incident occurredwhich filled me with surprise and concern. 

It was one of those grey days at sea when the prospect of the mingledocean and sky is not very attractive. 

St. Nivel was in the smoking-room; Dolores and Ethel were in thestate-room of the latter, holding one of those long important feminineconferences--most delightful, I understood, to themselves--in whichdress was the _pièce de résistance_, with perhaps a little gossip aboutEthel's conquests in Aquazilia; they were legion! Mrs. Darbyshire wasasleep in her state-room, and as for the dear old man, Don Juan, whom Ilooked upon now as my future father-in-law, he was studying assiduouslya book he had picked up in the ship's library, _Reptiles of England, Scotland, and Wales_. 

Simple soul! He might just as well have studied the snakes of Irelandfor all he would see of them in England at that time of the year, unless he went to the Zoo, and then I understand he would not see much. 

Our party being thus disposed of, I was sitting alone in a shelteredpart of the promenade deck--for there was a bit of a wind--ratherdepressed at the dreary grey prospect I was contemplating. I wasabsolutely alone. 

Perhaps I had been sitting thus half an hour, wrapped up in a Burberry, when I heard a soft footstep approaching, and my man Brooks stoodbefore me. I noticed that he too looked depressed, and I put hisexpression down too to the effect of the weather. He stood there for amoment in silence, then preferred a request. 

"May I speak to you for a few minutes, sir?" he asked. 

I straightened myself up in my deck chair, and took a good look at him;he certainly appeared very solemn, as if he had got something on hismind. 

"Certainly, Brooks, " I answered, "what's the matter?"

The man had been a most excellent servant, and indeed I considered Iowed my life to him, and perhaps Dolores' as well, for had he nothanded me my Colt's revolver on that memorable night when the train wasattacked, and I was being carried off by the supposed robbers? Heavailed himself of his permission to speak very slowly; he appeared tobe turning something over in his mind, and whatever it was, wasapparently not very agreeable. He stood at "attention, " the habit ofan old soldier, with his forehead puckered; at last his lips opened, and he commenced what he had to say. 

"When you engaged me, sir, " he began, "you were under the impressionthat I was a straightforward English servant. Sir, " he added, "I wasnothing of the sort. "

I looked at his bronzed, clean-shaven face, fair hair and soldier'sblue eyes, in wonderment. 

"What are you talking about, Brooks?" I asked. The man's tonedisturbed me. I had grown quite fond of him, and feared he was goingto give notice. He was a most perfect valet, the best by far that Ihad ever come across. 

"You thought I was straight, sir, " he continued, "and I wasn't. It waslike this, sir: when I left the army I was taken as valet by the Dookof Birmingham; his brother had been an officer in my old regiment, andI had been his servant. 

"I lived with the Dook over two year, and then when we were staying ina big house near Sandringham there was some jewellery of the Dook'smissed, and His Grace told me that, although he made no charge againstme, he should get another valet. 

"I give you my word, sir, as I stand here, that I knew nothing of themissing jewellery. I was as innocent of stealing it as a babe unborn. 

"But I knew perfectly well that the thing would stand against me, andthat I should be a marked man; indeed, there was a good deal of talkabout it in the housekeeper's room among the other upper servants. About this time the valet of a great foreign duke, who happened to bealso staying in the neighbourhood, and himself a foreigner, came to meone day when I was very downhearted, and asked me to come over to thegreat house where he was staying and drink a bottle of Rhine wine withhim. I went, and he showed me your advertisement, and told me hethought it would be a good thing for me. 

"I thought so too, but I did not believe that you would be likely totake me if you were told why I was leaving the Dook, as I have no doubtyou would have been. 

"I mentioned this to the foreign valet, and he said he thought he knewa gentleman who would help me, and perhaps I had better go and see himfirst. By his direction, sir, I went to see a gentleman at the LanghamHotel in London, a Mr. Saumarez. "

"Saumarez?" I exclaimed. "What was he like?"

"He was a dark gentleman, sir, and he had got something the matter withone of his eyes. "

"Thank you, " I said, "go on. I think I know who the gentleman was. "

"He asked me to confide in him, sir, and I told him everything, and thedifficulty I feared I should have in finding another situation. 

"After some conversation he said he thought I certainly ought to tryfor your situation, and that if I succeeded to come and let him know, and he would see about the character without troubling the Dook. 

"As you know, sir, you were good enough to entertain my application, and I then went straight away to Mr. Saumarez to ask him what I was todo. 

"He said that on certain conditions a friend of his would give me acharacter. "

"That was Captain FitzJames, I suppose?" I interrupted. 

"Exactly, sir, " Brooks replied, "the gentleman who you supposed I hadbeen living with. "

"This is pretty bad, Brooks, " I said gravely, looking away at the greyhorizon. In my heart I was thoroughly sorry for the man. And he wassuch a good valet, too! No wonder, for he had lived with one of therichest dukes in England. 

"Yes, it is pretty bad, sir, " he continued, "but not as bad as what'sto come. I asked Mr. Saumarez what conditions he required of me, andhe told me. First, I was to keep him informed daily of every movementof yours; secondly, I was to be ready to act under his orders incertain 'simple matters. ' He explained that these simple matters wouldconsist in 'little acts which would harm no one. '

"At first I was inclined to walk out of the room and leave him, and Ithink he saw my intention, for he held up his hand and went on further. 

"He told me plainly that I was entirely in his power, and that he couldprevent me getting a situation at all if he chose. I had told him Ihad a wife and two children depending on me--although I deceived you, sir, in that matter under his advice. He asked me now whether I wishedthem to starve. He pointed out that if I accepted his terms he woulddouble my wages, so that I could leave my little family in comfort. Icouldn't bear to think they would be in want, sir. I felt certain Ihad fallen among a bad lot, and believed myself to be powerless. Inthe end, sir, like a fool, I gave in and agreed to his terms. 

"Now just listen, sir, how I betrayed you. 

"I wrote every day to Mr. Saumarez and told him of every movement ofyours, especially the going to the solicitors; he wanted to know allabout that. 

"You will remember the last time you went there, just before we went toEuston on our way to Liverpool? Well, that newspaper man running alongand knocking me down, and the lady and gentleman coming up and brushingyou down, was all a put-up job. I was told to fall down and keep outof the way to give the others time to act. Of course, it was they whocut your coat open. 

"I wonder you can listen to me, sir. "

"Go on, " I said. 

"I knew they hadn't got what they wanted, because there was a longtelegram waiting for me at Liverpool on board, and I was told to keepup communication with Saumarez by Marconograms. So, I did; I did allthey wished until the train was held up, and then, sir, when I saw youstripped by those greasers, and about being carried off, I could standit no longer. I made my mind up to throw Saumarez over and protectyou; it was then that I went and fetched your revolver and put it inyour hand. Since then I have kept on giving them information, but itis all false. 

"I couldn't bear the worry of it any longer. I laid awake all lastnight, and this morning I made up my mind to come and tell youeverything. 

"I know you will discharge me, sir, and I deserve it. 

"I only have to humbly ask your pardon for betraying you, andforgetting I was once an English soldier. "

He finished, standing before me, white, and with quivering lips. As heceased speaking, I could not help remembering that, at any rate, he hadsaved my life in all probability, and that which was far dearer to methan life, the honour of Dolores. 

I turned to him. 

"For the present, " I said, as kindly as I could under thecircumstances, "continue to do your duties, and I will consider what Imust do. "

"If I could only think you would give me another chance, sir----" hesaid, eagerly taking a step forward. 

"I cannot promise, " I said. "I must consider. "

CHAPTER XVII

THE STEEL SAFE

Don Juan's conduct upon our arrival in London was both a revelation anda surprise to me. 

First, following a custom, now long established for diplomatists, heput up at Claridge's. 

From that famous hotel I had the pleasure of accompanying him at hisrequest on a series of visits. 

The first was an appointment at the Foreign Office, and there he wascloseted with the Secretary of State for a solid two hours, while I waskicking my heels in a waiting-room. His last words to me had beenexceedingly disappointing. 

"You must forgive me for not taking you with me, Anstruther, " he said, "but the matter I am engaged upon is of such an exceedinglyconfidential nature that I dare not disclose it to any one, except theMinisters themselves. "

I simply bowed my acquiescence and said nothing. 

But being left alone in the waiting-room, which was liberally suppliedwith writing materials, I industriously filled up my time by writingletters. 

First, of course, to Dolores, whom I had left but an hour before atClaridge's, and to whom I yet felt constrained to pour forth my soul onpaper. 

The feeling, I have no doubt, was a mutual one, as when I returned tomy hotel to dress, there was handed to me as usual a letter fromDolores, giving me an account of her morning's proceedings. 

Having disposed of my letter to her on this particular morning, I wroteto my cousin St. Nivel. 

"As for solving the mystery of the old lady at Bath and her casket, " Iwrote, "whether she is alive or dead, and why she sent me to Valoro, _all_, my dear Jack, are to me at the present moment as great a mysteryas the reason why His Serene Highness the Duke of Rittersheim shouldwant to shoot me at a _battue_ down in Norfolk!

"I go about with Don Juan d'Alta, and I might just as well be walkingabout with one of the lions in Trafalgar Square for all the informationI get out of him. His is the silence of the old diplomatist. "

To Ethel I sent my love; she was pretty well informed of our movements, as she and Dolores had become fast friends, and corresponded twice orthrice a week. 

From the Foreign Office Don Juan walked me over to the Home Office, andthere he had a lengthy interview with the Home Secretary of fully anhour's duration. Finally, we went to Scotland Yard, and there Ithought we should never get away at all; I, of course, being "inwaiting" all the time. 

But there was one consolation which Dolores and I had had ever since weset foot on board the _Oceana_ on our return, and that was, we did notcare how soon Don Juan knew of our betrothal; we only waited for theold gentleman to be rid of his mysterious business to declare ourselves. 

For myself, I had but little anxiety as to the result. I had caughthim looking at us on board the steamer, when we were together, openlylovemaking, and his expression then had been wistful, but not unkindnor unfavourable. Therefore, I had great hope. 

"If he will not give his consent, darling, " my little sweetheart hadwhispered often in my ear, "I shall tell him that I will go and be anun. "

"But you _won't_, will you, little one?" I always asked anxiously, "youwon't go and leave me?"

And then she would generally make the naïve confession--

"I would rather marry _you_, dear, than be a nun. "

After ringing the changes between the Foreign Office, the Home Office, and Scotland Yard for a week, Don Juan suddenly expressed hisdetermination to go down to Bath. I was asked to secure rooms for themat the "Magnifique"; it was to be a fairly long stay, and Dolores wasgoing too. 

The proceedings at Bath mystified me more than ever. The first thingthat happened, when we were installed at the "Magnifique, " was, thatInspector Bull accompanied the head of the police on a visit ofceremony and absolutely raised his hat to _me_ on discovering that Iwas _à la suite_ of Don Juan d'Alta! I was never more thunderstruck inmy life, and was hardly able to return such an unexpected act ofcourtesy, through astonishment. 

The next thing was a ceremonious visit to Cruft's Folly in a motor car. There we found the inspector keeping guard over a curious array ofarticles assembled on a table on the ground floor of the tower; theywere a most extraordinary collection. First, there was a lady'shandkerchief, and I identified it at once as a fellow one to that whichI had found in the still warm bed of the old lady in Monmouth Street. 

"Are you quite certain, " inquired Don Juan, when I had told him aboutit in answer to his question. "Are you certain the handkerchief youfound was like this?"

"As certain as I stand here, " I answered; "if there is any doubt aboutit I can get the other, for it is only at the hotel. "

"Very well, " replied the old gentleman with an air of satisfaction, making a note in a book, "that settles that matter. Now for the next. Have you ever seen that silver cigarette box before?"

I took up the article he referred to, which was standing by thehandkerchief on the table, and examined it; it might, or might not, have been that case from which I took a cigarette in the old lady'sroom on the occasion of my first visit. I told them so. 

"You cannot swear to it?" asked the old Don. 

"No, " I answered, "I cannot swear to it; it may be the case, and it maynot. "

"Now, Inspector, " he said, turning to the police officer, "kindly showMr. Anstruther _that_. "

He pointed to a bundle lying on the table, the last of the articles, and the inspector took it up, and slowly unfolded it. _It was a lady'squilted white silk dressing-gown, and the whole of the bosom of it wasdeeply stained with what was evidently dried blood. _

I turned in triumph to the police officer. 

"_That_ is the dressing-gown worn by the old lady the last time I sawher lying bleeding on her bed in the basement of 190 Monmouth Street. I told you of it at the time, and you would not believe it. "

Don Juan appeared exceedingly interested at this exhibit, and leantover it with his gold pince-nez held to his eyes. 

"Ah!" he remarked at last, removing his glasses with a sigh, "then Isuppose that is all you have to show Mr. Anstruther, Inspector?"

The inspector gathered up the articles ceremoniously before he answered. 

"That is all we 'ave to exhibit to Mr. Anstruther _at present_, " hesaid. 

Mr. Bull was not going to commit himself. 

From Cruft's Folly we went straight to 190 Monmouth Street, and therewe found the sergeant's wife in her Sunday clothes to do honour to theoccasion; the baby as usual dangled easily from her arm. 

Descending to the basement, I was astonished to find a well-knowngentleman waiting us in the room with so many sad remembrances for me. 

This gentleman was a Mr. Fowler, and I knew him to be one of the Crownsolicitors. His presence there, however, was accounted for when DonJuan asked me for the key of the steel safe, which I still had in mypossession. 

Under the circumstances I felt fully justified in giving it to him. 

"Now, Anstruther, " he said cheerfully, "I will get you to show me andMr. Fowler the secret of the panel. "

The broken glass had been already cleared from the frame over themantelpiece; therefore, as soon as I touched the carved rose on theleft-hand side, the framework moved up. I touched the spring beneathand the door in the wall flew open; there within was the steel safe, exactly as I had seen it last, Don Juan turned to me with a look ofsolicitude. 

"Don't feel offended, Anstruther, " he began, "at what I was going tosay, but it is essential that I should open this safe in the presenceof Mr. Fowler alone. "

As he took the key from my hands and inserted it in the lock, I bowedand left them. 

For half an hour I paced the passage without or wandered through theback door into the neglected garden, which I found abutted on a disusedgraveyard--a very common object, met with often in startlingly unlikelyplaces in one's walks in Bath. 

It was on my return from one of these little rambles that I found thedoor of the old lady's sitting-room open, and Don Juan and Mr. Fowlersuperintending the removal of the safe by two porters; a thirdgentleman had now joined the party. 

"This is Mr. Symonds of the Bank of England, " said the old Donceremoniously. "He has very kindly undertaken the removal of this safeto London. "

I was getting now so used to the Don's mysterious movements that eventhis did not surprise me. I noticed, however, that the safe had beenvery carefully _sealed_ in addition to being locked. The safe wascarried up to the street and placed on the front seat of a large motorcar which was waiting. 

In this the representative of the Bank of England quickly entered, andtwo very unmistakable detectives who had been standing by mounted onthe front seat, then the motor puffed away. 

"They won't stop now, " remarked Mr. Fowler, "until they reachThreadneedle Street. "

Within a quarter of an hour Don Juan and I were back in his privateroom at the hotel. 

"Thank God!" he exclaimed as we entered, "my mind is now cleared fromthat terrible anxiety, and I can rest in peace. "

I looked very hard at the old gentleman as he sank into an arm-chair, but I did not agree with him. 

"Excuse me, Don Juan, " I said, "I have another very serious matter totrouble you with. "

CHAPTER XVIII

THE OLD GRAVEYARD

"What do you mean?" asked Don Juan. 

The old man glanced at me quickly, an anxious look in his eyes. 

I looked him straight in the face in return. 

"Don Juan, " I replied, "Dolores and I love one another. "

The anxious look faded into one of softness, and he commenced walkingbackwards and forwards in the room, without answering me. 

Presently he stopped and faced me again, and in his old eyes, whichwere blue like his daughter's, there were tears. 

"I will not conceal from you, Anstruther, " he began, "the fact thatyour affection for Dolores has been apparent to me for some time past, and has given me cause for much thought. Not that I have distrustedyou, remember, " he added with a kind glance. 

"I am not often deceived in a man, and I think I could trust my childto you. " I gave a great gasp of pleasure, but he added immediately, "under certain circumstances. "

"And those circumstances?" I asked anxiously. 

"First, " he began as he sank into an arm-chair, "you are of differentreligions; you are not a Catholic, I understand. "

I answered him smiling. 

"I don't think we shall disagree over that, " I replied, "Dolores andher children shall worship the Almighty as she wishes. My religion isthat of a man of the world, I worship with all. "

The old man nodded his grey head and smiled. 

"I did not expect you to be very bigoted, " he answered quietly. 

"Now, there is another point, Don Juan, " I continued, "upon which Imust satisfy you, and that is my ability to keep a wife. "

I told him of my little estate in Hampshire with its small manor houseon the shores of the Solent, and how I had let it to a yachting man whohad taken a fancy to it; it being too large for my modest bachelorwants. I told him proudly of my balance at the bank, swelled by thethousand of the old lady of Monmouth Street, of which he already knew. I told him what my income was from every source, and finally what Isucceeded in wringing annually from the publishing body. This lastitem seemed to amuse him mightily, despite his polite effort to listento me with becoming solemnity. 

"Very good, very good, Anstruther, " he said at last encouragingly, "Isee you are quite capable of maintaining a wife in a modest way. It isvery creditable to you, too, that you have taken to making money byyour pen. With regard to Dolores, however, should she become yourwife, she is not likely to be a burden to you financially. She will, in the first place, become entitled on her marriage to an income offifty thousand dollars, which arises from property which I settled uponher mother. 

"Then, she is my only child as you know, and I shall make a furthersettlement upon her. My income has been accumulating for years, I wantbut little; when I die she and her children will have _all_. "

The amount he mentioned certainly took my breath away, but I raised myhand and asked him to stop. 

"Believe me, Don Juan, " I said, "I should be a happier man if I couldsupply her wants by the work of my hands. "

"I _do_ believe you, " he answered, "and those would be my ownsentiments exactly under similar circumstances. You will, however, notfind a good income a bar to marital happiness if used judiciously. Butenough of financial matters; I wish to come to another more importantpoint. I believe it that Dolores loves you; from my own observations Ibelieve she does, but I must hear it from her own lips. 

"Should it prove to be the case, which I do not doubt, then I will givemy consent to your marriage. "

I rushed forward joyfully to thank him, for I knew what Dolores' answerwould be, but he held up his finger to check me. 

"I will give my consent under those circumstances, " he continued, "on_one_ condition. "

"And that?" I asked eagerly. 

He did not answer me at once; he sat in his chair, with his hand to hisforehead, thinking. 

Then he lifted his head. 

"Sit down and listen to me, Anstruther, " he said; "I want you to followexactly what I say. 

"When you arrived in Valoro six weeks ago, and gave me that casket, youreopened an episode in my life closed many many years ago. "

He spoke with great emotion and his lip trembled. I even saw a tearcoursing down his sunburnt cheek. 

"Since then, " he continued, "you have very kindly followed me in thefulfilment of certain duties which devolved upon me upon opening thatpacket. You have followed me without question, as became a gentleman, taking an old man's word that all was well. In keeping that silence ofdelicacy, Anstruther, you have unwittingly done me a great service; youhave left me unhampered to fulfil that which I had to do. "

He paused and placed his fingers together in deep thought. 

"I place myself mentally, " he continued, "in your position, and I tryto think as you think--try to realise your feelings: the appeal youreceived from the old lady as she stood at the door of the house inMonmouth Street, your acceding to her request, your second visit, thediscovery of the tragedy, the undeserved misfortunes that fell upon youin consequence, your fidelity to your promise to the lady who was atbest a mere chance acquaintance, the impenetrable mystery whichsurrounds it all. 

"I have thought of it, and I feel that you must be consumed with agreat and reasonable curiosity. 

"That you have not indulged that reasonable curiosity, that you havemaintained a discreet silence under very trying circumstances hascaused a very good first impression of you to grow into one of respectand strong regard. "

He rose and took my hand in both his, the tears running down his cheeks. 

"Anstruther, " he continued, mastering his emotion with an effort, "I amgoing to ask a further sacrifice from you as a condition of my consentto your marriage with Dolores--a very necessary condition, or I wouldnot make it. 

"Anstruther, I ask you to keep eternal silence on what has occurred toyou since you entered the door of the house in Monmouth Street, thatdull evening in November. I ask you never to refer to it again fromthis moment, in any shape or form. 

"Tell me, can you make this promise?"

I stood with my hand in his, my eyes fixed on his kind old face workingwith emotion. 

"And this is the final condition you ask, " I replied, "to my union withDolores? You are satisfied in every other way?"

"I am satisfied, " he replied; "I ask no more. "

"Then I give you my promise, " I replied, gripping his hand hard; "thesubject to me shall be dead. God help me to keep my word!"

 * * * * *

My future father-in-law and I sat chatting an hour longer over thebright fire in the sitting-room while the gloaming of a February daywas deepening without, and he had talked to me with the familiarityaccorded to one already admitted to his family circle. 

Dolores had gone to a concert at the Assembly Rooms and we did notexpect her back until between five and six. 

It was when we had both paused in our conversation and sat with oureyes fixed on the leaping flames--the only illumination of theroom--that a knock came at the door and a waiter entered. 

"A gentleman to see you, sir, " he said, addressing Don Juan. 

"Who is it?" d'Alta asked. 

"I think it is one of the police officers, sir, " replied the man; "hegave the name of Bull. "

"Ah! it's the inspector, evidently, " commented the Don. "Show him up. I wonder whatever Inspector Bull can want, " he continued, turning tome; "we only left him an hour or two ago. "

The inspector came to answer for himself. The waiter threw open thedoor and he entered. 

I saw at once that he had something of importance to communicate. Hisdemeanour was that of the Duke of Wellington on the morning of Waterloo. 

"Certain information of importance, " he commenced, after we had greetedhim, "having come to 'and this afternoon, sir, I thought it well tocome round and see you immediate. "

The inspector's eyes wandered round the apartment. There was asideboard certainly; previous experience on former visits had, however, taught him to expect nothing from it. The foreign Don was evidently anadvocate of temperance, like so many other foreigners who could notdrink good, honest English beer--well seasoned with noxious chemicals. 

"Indeed, " commented Don Juan, who had received several of thesemysterious visits before, and did not on that account expect much fromthis one. "What have you discovered?"

"It 'pears, " continued the police officer, "that just after dinnerto-day some children was playing in the little disused graveyard in therear of 190 Monmouth Street. "

From being a listless listener I became an earnest one immediately; anidea concerning that graveyard had crossed my mind that very morningwhile I contemplated its dismal gravestones, almost hidden in old rankgrass, through the open ironwork forming the upper part of the gatewhich shut it off from the little strip of sloping garden in rear of190 Monmouth Street. In my walk backwards and forwards, while I waitedfor Don Juan and the lawyer, Mr. Fowler, during their examination ofthe safe, I had come back to that iron grating again and again. It hadsomehow fascinated me. 

"These 'ere children, " proceeded the inspector, "was playing round thegravestones, and jumpin' over 'em to keep warm. It was while they werejumpin' and shovin' each other about over the graves that they noticedthat the top stone of a great flat old grave was loose, and, of course, they started to make it looser by see-sawing it, until one fat boyjumped it a bit too 'eavy, and it tilted and let him in. "

"In where?" I asked quickly. 

"Into a new-made grave, sir, " he answered solemnly--"a grave what hadbeen dug recently under the old stone. "

"Whatever for?" asked Don Juan. 

"That's just where it is, " replied the officer; "that's just what wewant to find out. The grave is about half filled in with loose earth. We want to know what's under that loose earth, and that's why I'm here. "

"What have we got to do with it?" asked the Don. 

"The theory is, sir, " replied Bull, "that _something_ is buried underthat loose earth. It may be stolen property. It may be a _body_. "

I think both Don Juan and I whitened at the prospect disclosed by theinspector, but the Don soon recovered himself. He did not seem soaffected by it as I imagined he would be. 

"What do you propose to do?" he asked. 

"We propose, " answered the inspector, "to at once have the loose earthcleared out and see what's underneath. "

"Do you mean now?" I asked. "Why, it is quite dark. "

"We mean to put two workmen on to dig out that earth at once, sir, andI want you and this gentleman, sir, " he added, with a bow to the Don, "to come and be present. _There might be something to identify_. "

"Identify!" I exclaimed, rather horrified at the prospect; "what couldwe identify in the dark?"

"There'll be plenty of light, sir, " answered Bull. "We shall bringhalf a dozen lanterns; besides, the moon will be up in half an hour'stime. "

I looked at Don Juan. 

"Do you intend to go?" I asked. 

The old man sprang to his feet. 

"Though I believe the search may be a fruitless one, " he answered, "Iwill miss no opportunity. I will certainly accompany the inspector. "

The latter at once rose to his feet with a look of satisfaction on hislarge face. 

"I thought you would, sir, " he answered, with a broad smile; "but Ishould advise you, sir, if I might be so bold, to _wrop_ up well, asthe job may be a longish one, and them graveyards is very damp. "

Don Juan rang the bell for his valet to fetch him a fur-lined overcoat, and I told the waiter to tell my man Brooks to bring mine. 

At my suggestion, the Don ordered some liquid refreshment for theinspector. Scotch, cold, proved to be his selection, and he stoodimbibing it, while we waited, commenting upon its excellent qualitiesfor "keeping out the cold, " a theory which I have since learned istotally erroneous. 

Presently the coats came, and we followed the inspector down to thedoor of the hotel, where a closed fly was already awaiting us. Wedrove away through the brilliantly lighted city to the neighbourhood oflong, dismal Monmouth Street on the hillside, but this time we did notdrive down the street itself but took a turning which ran below it. 

"The gate of the old burial ground, " explained the police officer, "isin this street. It will be far more convenient to enter it this waythan by going round by Monmouth Street. "

At the old-fashioned, sunken iron gateway of the dreary looking, neglected graveyard a policeman was standing, apparently keeping guard. 

He might have saved himself the trouble, for, with the exception of twopoor-looking little children--one standing with his mouth open and aforgotten hoop and stick in his hand--the place was deserted. 

We received the constable's salute and, passing through the rusty irongate which he held open for us, came at once among the long wet grassand sunken, often lopsided, tombs. On the farther side of the groundanother constable stood with a lighted lantern, and near him twolabouring men, with spades and picks leaning against an old stone bythem. These latter hastily put out their pipes as we approached. 

I was curious to see what sort of tomb this was which had beenapparently so desecrated, and followed the inspector towards it at hisinvitation. 

"This is the grave I told you about, gentlemen, " he said, indicating itwith his finger; "you will see they have lifted the top stone off. "

It was a very large tomb of the description called "altar tombs, " butthe flat stone which covered it lay by its side, and the rotten stateof the low brickwork which had supported it accounted for its givingway, even with the boy's weight. 

The inspector took a lantern and held it inside the broken brickwork;yes, there could be no doubt the grave had been disturbed, and thatrecently. 

Freshly turned earth lay between the walls of brickwork, which werespacious enough to allow of an ordinary-sized grave being dug withinthem. 

"Is the grave just as it was found?" I asked. 

"Exactly, Mr. Anstruther, " he answered. "The earth has not beendisturbed at all. But I think we'll make a start now. Here comes Dr. Burbridge, the officer of health. We thought it better to have himpresent. "

The figure of a man wearing a tall hat now appeared crossing thegraveyard, preceded by a constable bearing a lantern. 

After briefly introducing the newcomer, the inspector gave the word tothe two labourers, and they scrambled inside the broken brickwork andcommenced digging. 

I looked round the weird spot as the noise of their spades becamemonotonous, relieved only by the throwing aside of the great lumps ofmoist earth; a mist was rising from the river flowing near, of which inthe first stillness of our coming I could just catch the ripple of thewater. It seemed to me that those who were long buried there had inlife perhaps had some association with the river--even an affection forit--and had wished to be laid there near its soft murmur while theyslept. 

The men dug on and the pile of earth they threw up grew and grew; itwas very clear that the old ground had been recently broken, and a newgrave carefully shaped out of it. The sides were compact and firm andhad not been disturbed, perhaps, for a whole century. 

I glanced at the stone which had been removed, thinking, perhaps, thatit might give me a clue to the date of the grave, but, alas, time andthe weather had rotted the soft stone and it had come off in layers. The face of the stone was a blank, and the names of those who laybeneath lost for ever. 

The moon had risen and the men had dug down perhaps four feet, butnothing had come to light. Then, as they were proceeding after a briefhalt, one of them gave a cry. 

"There's something here, marster!" he cried excitedly. 

At the sound of his voice all the lanterns were brought to the edge ofthe grave, and we looked down into the hole, which the bright moonbeamsdid not reach. It was illuminated solely by the dull yellow light ofone candle-lantern by which the men worked. The two diggers hadwithdrawn themselves, half scared, to the sides of the hole, and werelooking down fearsomely at _something_ at their feet. It appeared thatthey were afraid of treading upon this something; at first I could nottell what they were looking at, but presently my eyes became accustomedto the gloom. It was a dark patch protruding from the ground. 

"What is it?" I asked the men, as we all hung over the edge of thebrickwork. 

The nearest man turned a white face up to mine and answered me. 

"It's a human 'ead, sir, " he said. 

I think we all drew back again as he said this, and the doctor steppedforward with a flask in his hand. 

"If you will take my advice, gentlemen, " he said, addressing Don Juanand me, "you will have a nip of this old brandy before we go anyfurther in this matter. Then I think you had better let me give theinstructions to these workmen, Mr. Inspector, or they may do somedamage unintentionally. "

Don Juan touched me on the arm. His hand trembled fearfully. 

"Let us come away and walk a little, " he said; "the strain of thisaffair is too much for me. "

I took his arm and walked away with him towards the gate, where nowquite a little crowd had assembled, attracted by the lanterns round thegrave. 

Knowing the Don's fondness for smoking and its soothing effect uponhim, I handed him my cigar case, and he took a cigar and lit it. Thereseemed to be something in the aroma of the fine Havannahs as I lit one, too, that dispelled the lurking mouldiness of the old burial ground. 

"But for those children playing around that tomb this afternoon, "remarked d'Alta, "this body might have lain there undiscovered foryears. It was a cunning mind which thought of using an old grave as areceptacle for a fresh body. "

We strolled backwards and forwards on the grass-grown pathway, and Ikept the old gentleman as far as I could from the open grave. Thevoice of the doctor giving directions and the muffled answers of themen working in the excavation came to us occasionally. 

Presently, as we turned in one of our walks, I saw the labourers hadcome out of the grave and were hauling at something, assisted by thetwo policemen. 

As I checked the Don in our walk, and looked on, a white mass wasraised from the opening and laid by the doctor's direction on anadjacent flat tomb. 

I shuddered as I saw the whiteness of it in the moonlight, and mythoughts reverted to the blood-stained figure of the old lady which Ihad last seen lying on her bed in the house in Monmouth Street. 

The workmen went down into the grave again, and Inspector Bull cametowards us. 

"Will you kindly step over this way for a few moments, Mr. Anstruther?"he asked. "I want to see if you can recognise the body which has beenbrought to the surface. "

I let go the arm of Don Juan which I had been holding, and with asickening feeling at my heart followed Inspector Bull. He led metowards the object lying on the old moss-grown tomb, and I could notsummon the words to ask him who it was. There was a strongpresentiment in my mind that I should look upon the dead face of theold lady at whose wish I had crossed the Atlantic. 

We came to the body, over which a piece of sacking had been thrown, andthis the inspector drew back, while one of the policemen held a lantern. 

In its yellow light mingled with the clear moonbeams, I looked upon theface, and my heart gave a great leap of thankfulness. The face wasperfectly fresh and recognisable. It was not the face of the old ladywhich I had feared to see, but that of a man with a coal-black beard, which seemed very familiar to me. 

I had scarcely looked upon it when a cry came from the grave where themen were working, and they threw up a white bundle, evidently a bundleof linen. 

This the inspector quickly opened, and displayed a heap of bedclothingand a pillow all stained with blood. 

"Is that all?" asked the inspector, as the men jumped out of the hole. 

"Yes, marster, " the man replied, knocking the clay off his boots, "there's naught there now but the coffin of the old 'un, well-nighmoulderin' away, and the plate says he was one o' the old Mayors o'Bath. "

I turned again to the exhumed body, and the recognition of it came tome in a flash. 

_It was the dark German who had helped to strap me in the chair inCruft's Folly, when Saumarez was going to torture me_. 

CHAPTER XIX

THE STRUGGLE IN THE TUNNEL

I was delayed two days in Bath by the inquest on the body of theGerman, the discovery of which in the old graveyard formed a nine days'wonder in the old western city and then died out altogether. 

It was a very barren inquiry, for it discovered nothing. The man was astranger, no evidence was produced to show who he was, and as anunknown stranger he was buried again, not in the old graveyard, but inthe new cemetery away among the hills. 

There was only one piece of evidence which carried any interest withit, and that was the testimony of the doctor. 

He stated that the man had been shot through the head and immediatelykilled; he produced the . 450 revolver bullet which he had found in thehead. 

Furthermore, he added that the body had been buried at once, and bythat means preserved from decay. It was practically incorrupt. Itmight have been buried there a month. 

That was all, and all the coroner's acumen, and all the researches ofthe police, could produce no more. Public opinion had to be satisfiedwith a very vague verdict. 

There was only one point of interest left for me in the matter, andthat was the bundle of bed-linen which was found buried in the grave. 

That was proved beyond doubt to be the bed-linen of my old lady ofMonmouth Street; it was plainly marked with the letter C, surmounted onthe case of the pillow by a small coronet. 

"Things is coming round in a most extraordinary way to corroborate yourstatement about the old lady, Mr. Anstruther, " remarked Inspector Bullpatronisingly. "I could 'ardly believe it. I don't know when I comeacross another case like it. "

I don't suppose he did. It was an enigma which puzzled many wiserheads than his in the long run; but I think the part which astonishedhim most was to be discovering, bit by bit, that the story of my visitto the house in Monmouth Street, as related to him and his brother, the"tip-top London detective, " was actually founded at any rate on _some_fact!

The Don and I joyfully directed our respective servants to pack up forLondon at the conclusion of the inquest. Dolores had been sent back toClaridge's by her father, and placed under the care of Mrs. Darbyshirethe morning after the discovery in the old graveyard. He had verywisely decided to keep her away from the gruesomeness of the inquest, which pervaded the whole town. 

Under the circumstances that little interview which I was so anxiousthat he should have with her to discover the state of her affectionstowards me, was postponed, and things remained just as they were. 

Nevertheless, I think both Dolores and I were perfectly satisfied towait for the formal declaration of her father's sanction, being happyin the consciousness of each other's love and steadfastness. 

So the inquest being disposed of, we very gladly went off to thestation beneath the great cliff to catch the afternoon express to town. 

We were in ample time, and strolled up and down the platform, taking alast look at the town which had proved so fateful to us both. 

Presently the great engine, the embodiment of modern steam power, sweptinto the station, and the Don's man at once secured a first-classsmoking compartment for us, with the aid of the guard, while Brookslooked after the luggage, the other man being a foreigner. 

"I'm afraid I shall not be able to keep the whole compartment for you, gentlemen, " said the guard civilly, as we took our seats; "but I'll putas few in as I can. "

The old Don was the embodiment of politeness; he was the last person inthe world to inconvenience any one on the railway or anywhere else, though he liked to have a carriage to himself when he could. 

He told the guard so. 

"I'll do my best, sir, " replied the guard, with great _impressement_, as he pocketed Don Juan's five shillings. "You shall be inconveniencedas little as possible. "

He locked the door and walked away, and I thought we should be left toourselves. 

The guard, however, had overestimated his powers. 

The train was within a minute of starting when two passengers, evidently in a great hurry, made their appearance at the window. Onewas an old gentleman with a white beard, wearing blue spectacles, andapparently half blind; the other a young sturdy man, evidently his son, for the elder leant on his arm, and was addressed by him as "father. "

The son led the old man straight to our carriage, and called aloud forthe guard on finding it locked. 

"Now, guard!" he cried with authority, when the official made hisappearance, "open the door; all the other carriages are full. "

"If you wouldn't mind coming down a few carriages farther, sir, "suggested our guard, "I can find you two good corner seats at once. "

"Open this door at once, " cried the gentleman furiously; "there is onlyhalf a minute to spare, and don't you see my father is an invalid?"

Don Juan emerged from his corner with a look of genuine concern uponhis face. 

"Let the gentlemen in at once, guard, " he ordered. "I would not be thecause of inconvenience to them on any account. Come in, gentlemen, Ibeg. "

The guard opened the door, and the two passengers entered just as thestationmaster called out a remonstrance not to delay the train. Theold gentleman sank back in his seat with a sigh of relief. 

"I'm so glad we caught the train, " he said breathlessly. 

Brooks ran up at the last moment and handed our tickets to thecollector, who had been waiting for them, as the train did not stopagain until it reached Paddington. 

As Brooks turned and touched his hat to us, it appeared to me that hestarted as he looked into the carriage, but the train was just off andthe ticket collector almost pushed him into the next compartment toours--a second, of course. 

We puffed out of Bath, and I saw the last of its hills and stone housesfor many a day; indeed, I don't think I have seen it since, exceptperhaps in the same way from a flying train. We were soon swallowed upby a great tunnel, and the Don and I subsided into thoughtfulness andthe quiet enjoyment of our cigars. 

Our fellow-travellers in the opposite corners maintained an absolutesilence; they might have been two statues. 

But in a few minutes we burst out again into the almost blindingdaylight, and then it seemed to me that the appearance of the two menwe were shut up with had undergone a change. It was, if not my fancy, a total change in the expression of their faces. 

The idea seemed to fascinate me, and I kept my eyes fixed upon themboth. 

Presently, after a quick glance at his companion, the old man put hishand into the pocket of the thick travelling coat he wore and quicklypulled out a revolver; then in a voice which I knew again full well headdressed us both, at the same time covering Don Juan with his pistol. 

"If you make the slightest movement, or speak without my permission, Ishall fire. "

I saw as I sat looking at them that the younger man had also produced arevolver, and was covering me. 

Then the two moved nearer us into the two central seats of thecompartment, for the convenience, as it proved, of talking to us. 

Don Juan and I sat petrified with astonishment, whilst the elder manspoke again. I knew him from the first moment he had opened his lips, despite his disguise, to be the Duke of Rittersheim, or "Saumarez, " ashe had called himself. 

"Don Juan d'Alta, " he began, "I know you very well, and I don't supposeyou have forgotten me. "

"I know your voice, _Your Serene Highness_, " responded the old Don, with a distinct accentuation of the title. 

"Very well, " replied the Duke. "Then that knowledge will enlighten youto the extent that you will be aware that I want something of you. "

Don Juan made no reply. 

"I want, " proceeded the Duke, "the key of the steel safe which youremoved from 190 Monmouth Street, Bath, and sent to the Bank ofEngland. I want also an order from you to the directors of the Bank ofEngland, authorising them to give me access to the safe. My friendhere has writing materials. "

My glance turned to Don Juan, who was contemplating the Duke with astony stare of contempt. 

"You will get neither the key nor the order, sir, " he replied. 

The Duke shrugged up his shoulders. 

"You will compel me, then, to take a certain course, " he answered. "Ibelieve you have the key with you?"

He was right, the Don had it, but neither of us answered him. 

"You will not answer, " he proceeded. "Very well; silence givesconsent. I believe you have it. 

"That being so, I give you five minutes by this watch to make up yourmind, Señor. At the conclusion of that period, we shall shoot you bothas I shot the German they have been making such a fuss about in Bath, and take the key if you don't give it up. I have no doubt whatever Ican get some clever fellow to copy your writing and manufacture me anorder. 

"At any rate, neither of you will be in a position to prevent me. "

I confess that my blood ran cold at his words, as he took his watch outwith his left hand and laid it on the seat. All my visions ofhappiness with Dolores seemed melting into shadows of grim death. 

Don Juan, however, kept perfectly calm; there was scarcely a twitch onhis face as he answered, although the colour had fled from it. 

"That is all very well, sir, " he replied coolly; "but what are yougoing to do with our bodies? You will be discovered, tried, andexecuted. "

The Duke laughed aloud. 

"They don't execute Serene Highnesses, " he replied; "but, at any rate, as you are curious about my safety, I will tell you. In a few minutesthe train will run into a tunnel. There we shall shoot you. 

"In half an hour's time, during which we shall have the discomfort ofregarding your two dead bodies, the train will once more enter atunnel, the last before we reach London, and invariably the driverslows down in it to negotiate a very sharp curve. There we shall castyour bodies out on to the line as soon as we are in the tunnel, andavailing ourselves of the slowing down which will occur a few minuteslater, we shall leave the train. "

As he spoke, the train entered the tunnel he mentioned, and almost atthe same moment I saw a face appear at the window on the farther sidebehind the Duke and his accomplice. 

It was the face of Brooks--my servant!

At first he expressed great astonishment at the situation as he lookedthrough the window, then he very clearly frowned to me to keep silence. 

Covered by the rattling of the train in the tunnel he began verycarefully to open the door. 

"The minutes are passing, gentlemen, " remarked the Duke, in a mockingtone. "I must beg of you to make up your minds. "

He clicked his revolver lock as a gentle reminder; but as he glanced atus in triumph, Brooks crept into the carriage behind him, and in aflash, with a great spring, his two strong hands held down those of ourassailants which held their pistols. It was a splendid act of judgment. 

In a moment I sprang forward too, to aid him, and then began a fearfulstruggle, in which Don Juan could take but little part. The greatendeavour of Brooks and myself was to prevent the men using theirrevolvers; with all our strength we held down their hands and renderedthem powerless. 

When it appeared to me we were getting the mastery of them, I heard theDuke gasp out some guttural remarks in German to his companion. 

Then suddenly the latter released his hold of the pistol, leaving it inour hands, but his freed hand went to his breast and reappeared with along knife in it. 

I did not actually see the blow, but I heard Brooks cry out, and I knewthat the man had struck him. 

But meanwhile Don Juan had picked up the revolver and pointed ittowards the two villains. 

"Fly, Duke, " he cried, "for the honour of your house, or I will killyou. "

With a curse the Duke let go his revolver and cried out in German tohis companion. Then in a moment the two slipped out of the open doorof the carriage on to the footboard and disappeared. We saw them nomore. 

Don Juan and I turned at once to Brooks, who had sunk back with a groanon the cushions. 

"Are you hurt, my poor man, " asked the Don; "have they stabbed you?"

"Yes, sir, " he answered faintly, with his hand to his side. "They'veabout done for me, but I'm glad I die fighting like a British soldiershould. I'm glad I've wiped the old score out by saving my master andyou, sir. "

When a quarter of an hour later the train ran into Paddington poorBrooks lay back in a corner with set white face. He had had his wish;he had died like a British soldier. 

CHAPTER XX

THE DEPARTURE OF THE DUKE

As Dolores and I had both anticipated, the result of her interview withher father on the subject of her affections was entirely satisfactoryto us both. The Don expressed himself satisfied, too, with theconsultation, and gave us his blessing in the good old-fashioned waystill in vogue in Aquazilia, or at any rate among the adherents of theold monarchy. We knelt at his feet to receive it. The result was aparagraph in the _Morning Post_, as follows:--

"A marriage has been arranged, and will shortly take place, betweenWilliam Frederick, only son of the late Sir Henry and Lady MaryAnstruther, and Dolores, only daughter of Don Juan d'Alta, for someyears Prime Minister of the late Queen Inez of Aquazilia. "

This announcement brought us a shower of congratulations and inquiriesas to the date of the wedding. 

That query I naturally left to Dolores to answer, and at my earnestsolicitation she very considerately decided, having in view my intenseimpatience in the matter, that the paternal assent--withblessing---having been given in the month of February, we should bemarried in April. 

Yes, absolutely _married_! The idea took me greatly by surprise atfirst. I used to wake in the morning, and the thought would in amanner sweetly confront me. It was as if a little mischievous Cupidsat on the end rail of my bed and revelled in his work. 

"William Frederick, " he seemed to say, "you're going to be married. You're going to marry Dolores. What do you think of it?"

I _did_ think a great deal of it, and the thought to me was ecstasy. 

I often used to wonder, as I contemplated in my mind's eye this littlewicked Cupid sitting on my bed, whether he went and sat in like manneron Dolores', and if he did, what the little imp of mischief said to her. 

But time flew, long as the interval seemed at first between Februaryand April. 

I did not see half as much of my Dolores as I could have wished; Mrs. Darbyshire and a host of other ladies absorbed her. 

After a week or two my cousin Ethel joined her sage counsels to therest in the matter of the bridesmaids' dresses. She herself was to bethe chief of that important band, to which sundry male recruits in theshape of small boys were to be added by way of pages. 

I never could quite gather how Ethel took my engagement. Hercongratulation assumed the form of a short note. 

"Dear Bill, " it ran, "so you've done it!

"Well, dear old fellow, I saw it was a dead certainty at Valoro, and Icongratulate you both and wish you every happiness with all my heart. 

"Dear little Dolores is a right good sort, and if I were a man I thinkI should fall in love with her myself. I am sure she will make youhappy; mind you take care of her!

"There is one thing I am sure you will be glad to hear. 

"Give her a season or two over an easy country to begin with, and Iassure you she will ride to hounds as well as any girl born and bred inthe Shires. Believe me, dear Bill, I am speaking seriously, and youknow me too well to think I would deceive you on such a matter. 

"I leave you to teach her to shoot; I think every girl should be ableto handle a gun; it gives her something to talk about to other girls'brothers. "

This was the gist of the letter, and I put it aside with a sigh, wondering whether dear old Ethel would ever marry herself. In thatmood, I regretted that I had ever lingered in those dear old corridorsat Bannington when the moonbeams slanted through the mullions of thenarrow old Tudor windows, and Ethel came down the broad oaken staircasewith a look of well simulated surprise in her eyes at finding me there, dressed early for dinner and waiting for her to surrender those redlips of hers in a cousinly kiss. 

_Cousinly?_

Well, regrets were unavailing; I could not call the kisses back again, and how was I to know I was going to meet Dolores and of course fallstraightway in love with her?

That is the way a man argues himself into a comfortable state of mindwhen his half forgotten peccadilloes of meanness spring up and prickhim!

St. Nivel came round daily with his sister, and, to use his ownexpression, "took me in hand. " This taking in hand meant principallymarching me off to the tailors and hosiers to order new clothes. 

"A man when he is going to be married, " he said sententiously, "mustmake a clean sweep of all his old clothes and start afresh. It's aduty he owes to his future wife--and his tailor!"

He of course elected himself my best man, and only regretted that I wasnot in the "Brigade" that a dash of colour might be added to theceremony by lining the church with his dear "Coldstreamers. "

He was, however, getting tired of the Army. He confided to me hisintention to "chuck it" at an early date, and devote himself to acountry life entirely. 

"In fact, " he added, summing up the whole situation, "I mean to buypigs and live pretty, " whatever that expression might mean. His ideasof matrimony were, however, almost entirely of a pessimistic order, ashe was for ever slapping me on the back and urging me to buck up, mistaking those delicious love musings which, I suppose, everybridegroom indulges in for fits of depression. 

"My dear children, " said the old Don to us one day, when we were alltogether, he, Dolores, and I; "my dear children, I want you to make mea promise. "

"Of course we will, Padré, " we both answered. "What is it?"

The "Padré" and the "dear children" were now well established forms ofaddress, and I think the old man delighted in them. 

"I want you to promise me, " he replied, "that you will spend _some_part of the year with me in Valoro. "

"Of course we will, " we chorused. 

Dolores whispered a few words in my ear to which I readily noddedassent. 

"Padré, " she continued aloud, "we will come and spend Christmas and theNew Year with you, and we will bring Lord St. Nivel and Ethel with us. I am sure they will come. Then, " she added, turning to me, "we willhave all our courtship over again. "

In such happy thoughts the time sped away. Don Juan, as an act ofgratitude for what he called "a dutiful acquiescence" to his wishes, purchased a town house for us in Grosvenor Square. 

"During the season, " he added meditatively, "perhaps you will find alittle room for me"--most of the best bedrooms measured about 25 by40--"that is all I need. After consideration, I have decided that itwould be too much to ask you to have any of my dear snakes. If I bringany with me, I shall board them out at the Zoo. "

The tenant of my manor house by the Solent, when he heard I was goingto be married, called upon me at my club. 

"My dear fellow, " he said, "I'm a sportsman; I couldn't think ofkeepin' on your house when I know you'll want it to settle down in. I've seen another across the water that'll suit me just as well, andyou shall have your own again before the weddin'. "

He was a kind-hearted man and sent me a wedding present--a silverbootjack to take off my hunting boots with. He said it might be usefulto both of us, which was a distinct libel on Dolores' dear little feet. 

At last the eve of our wedding came and Claridge's Hotel was filledfrom basement to roof, principally with the relatives of both families. For a bevy of Dons with their wives and daughters, all kindred of mylittle Dolores, had crossed the Atlantic, glad of the excuse to visitLondon, and a contingent from France of the old _noblesse_, hermother's relatives, had arrived to do honour to the nuptials of thelittle heiress. And because she was already a large possessor of thegoods of this world they brought more to swell it; gold, silver, andprecious stones in such quantities that it took two big rooms atClaridge's to contain them, and four detectives to watch them, two byday and two by night. 

But among these presents were two which puzzled me greatly--they cameanonymously--a _rivière_ of splendid diamonds for Dolores, a splendidmotor car for me. 

Had she been but a poor relation I fear her display of wedding giftswould have been but a meagre one. As it was, perhaps St. Nivel's tersecomment on the "show, " as he called it, was nearest to the truth. 

"Bill, " he said confidentially, "all this splendour is simply_barbaric_. "

But nobody grudged little Dolores her grand wedding, nor themagnificent gifts, for every one loved her. 

I was sitting calmly at breakfast on the morning of the day precedingour wedding, with my mind filled to overflowing with the happinessbefore me, when St. Nivel burst in upon me. 

"Look here, Bill, " he cried, flourishing a newspaper before my eyes. "Look here, _some one_ has got his deserts at last!"

I took the paper from him and read the paragraph he pointed to; it washeaded--

"Tragic Death of the Duke of Rittersheim. "

I paused, put down the newspaper, and looked at St. Nivel. 

"Yes, " he said, interpreting my look; "you will be troubled with him nomore in this world; he's dead. Read it and see. "

I took up the paper and read on--

"MUNICH, _Tuesday_. 

"Considerable consternation was caused this morning in the Castle ofRittersheim and its neighbourhood upon the fact becoming known that HisSerene Highness the Duke had passed away during the night. It appearsthat the Duke has been in bad health ever since his return from Englandtwo months ago, where he had the misfortune to break his arm; hesuffered also the loss of a very dear friend, in Mr. Summers, anAmerican gentleman who, for some time, had been acting as hissecretary, and whose body, it will be remembered, was found under verymysterious circumstances, at the time the Duke left England, in atunnel on the Great Western Railway, just after the Bath express hadpassed through, in which train it is known Mr. Summers had beentravelling with an elderly gentleman. A rumour concerning theconnection of Mr. Summers with a murder which had taken place in theBath train seems to have preyed on the Duke's mind, and he has beenunable to sleep for some weeks past. 

"It is presumed that for this reason he had commenced the habit ofinjecting morphia, as a large hypodermic syringe, with an empty morphiabottle, were found beside his dead body. The general opinion is, thathe succumbed to an overdose. "

"Well, what do _you_ think, " asked St. Nivel, as I laid down the paper, "accident or suicide?"

"It is impossible to say, " I replied. "Nobody can tell, and I shouldthink that will be one of the problems which will go down to posterityunsolved. "

"As unsolved, I suppose, " he answered, "as the mystery of your old ladyof Bath?"

That was a subject I had barred since my pledge to Don Juan. "Who cantell?" I answered with a shrug of the shoulders, "I have given it up. I never think of it. "

"_I_ do, though, " replied my cousin, "and I also recollect, very oftenwith mingled feelings, the way in which the finding of that manSummers' body in the tunnel was hushed up, and no further efforts madeto connect him with the murder of poor Brooks. "

"I don't see that any good purpose would have been served, " I answered, "if they _had_ connected him with it. He could not have been tried andhanged. "

"No, certainly not, but there would have been the satisfaction in_knowing_. But I believe your deceased friend the Duke of Rittersheimworked that. In my opinion he threw a cloak of some sort over the Bathcase too, and I don't suppose you will ever discover the truth of it. "

"No, " I answered solemnly, "I don't suppose I ever shall. "

And I don't suppose I ever should but for one of those little chanceswhich occur in a man's life, trifles in themselves, but leading on togreat discoveries. 

The next day after that little talk, amid the pomp of a great wedding, almost regal in its magnificence, I took Dolores to be my little wife, to have and to hold from that day forth in sickness and in health, forricher, for poorer, until death we two doth part. 

And from that time I walked as on air, and forgot the murky cloudswhich had darkened my horizon in the days before I found my happiness. 

CHAPTER XXI

MADAME LA COMTESSE

It was five years after my marriage, or to be correct, in May of theyear nineteen hundred and seven, that Dolores and I, leaving our threedear little children in the manor house on the shores of the Solentwhilst we took a flying trip to Switzerland, found ourselves oneheavenly spring morning standing on the balcony of the great hotel atLucerne which is built on the very edge of the blue lake. 

"Well, where shall we go to-day, darling?" I asked my little wife as Islipped one hand round her waist and took the cigar from between mylips with the other; "shall we ascend grim Pilatus, or cog-wheel it upthe Rigi and have lunch at the little hotel at the top, or shall weidle away the day in a boat on the lake? What say you, little one?"

An old German passing below with his hand behind his back, feeling hisway gingerly along on gouty feet with the aid of a stick, looked up, smiled, and shook his head at us. He took us for a newly marriedcouple!

When the laughter provoked by this little interlude had subsided, Ionce more put the question to Dolores. 

"Where shall we go to-day?"

"Darling, " she answered, "I'm entirely for the lazy day on the lake. Iwant to be idle. "

So the lazy day on the lake it was. 

A small hamper containing a cold chicken, some ham, a salad, with otheraccessaries for lunch, and the added luxury of a gipsy tea-set, havingbeen duly put into a boat, we followed it, and taking our seats, weremet with the following query of the boatman, who sat looking at us, histwo oars poised ready for work--

"Where will you go?"

We exchanged a significant glance, then gave voice simultaneously tothe thought which was in both our minds. 

"Anywhere. "

The boatman nodded sagaciously; here again he even--theexperienced--was deceived into believing that he had charge of a pairwho had recently sworn to keep each other warm for life. 

Had he been asked for his opinion concerning us, his reply expressed inhis native tongue would have been briefly--

"Honey mooners!"

As I had reason to believe, after finding that we were perfectlyindifferent as to where we went, he decided to have a little trip tosuit his own convenience. He would go and see his sister at theConvent of The Nativity up the lake. 

He continued sagely nodding his head as he rowed us away, and in replyto a question of mine as to what direction he had decided on, winkedconfidentially. 

"Monsieur et madame, " he replied, "leave it to me. You will have agreat surprise. "

We did, but not in the way he intended. 

On the dark face of the boatman as he worked steadily up the lake I sawboth perplexity and concern; first, although I held Dolores' hand, as Iusually did on such occasions when we were alone--or nearly so, for theSwiss oarsman counted for little--yet the man saw no yearning desire onmy part to _kiss_ her, as was the case with most husbands in the earlydays of the _lune de miel_. 

Several times I noticed that he gave me opportunity by turning roundand straining his neck to see imaginary obstacles in the way for thefulfilment of this custom, which, to his surprise, I did not availmyself of. There were no blushes, no abrupt separations, and noassumed looks of unconcern when he turned round again. 

The situation was a puzzling one. But there was a pale cast of thoughtover his features in addition, which I only knew the reason for lateron. He was puzzling his brains to find an excuse for taking us to thevery plain looking convent up the lake which, although beautifullysituated, yet presented no extraordinary attractions beyond a wellordered and ancient garden, laid out in terraces on the side of one ofthe lower slopes of the mountains, and, of course, the beautiful view. Therefore when, at that curve in the lake when the Rigi comes intofullest view, a smile of satisfaction overspread the boatman's face, Iknew, after, that he had solved the difficulty and found the excuse fortaking us to such a very ordinary resort. 

"I will show these simple English people, " he had reasoned, "thelong-haired goats. I will make a _spécialité_ of these animals for thedelectation of this cold-blooded bride and bridegroom, who do not kisswhen I turn round to observe the prospect. "

In the course of an hour and a half we arrived off a white terrace-likelanding place with a flight of steps leading down to the lake. 

All questions as to our destination had been answered by the boatmanwith mysterious nods and winks, giving promise of a stupendous surprisein store. His object was to get us safely on shore before he openedthe subject of the hairy goats, lest we should, insular like, changeour minds and not give him the opportunity of visiting his sister. Theboat shot alongside the steps, the man sprang out and assisted us toland; a nun who had been working in the garden came down and met us. 

"_Ma soeur_, " explained our boatman, "this English milor and his ladyhave a great desire to see your most splendid goats!"

The good sister looked surprised, an expression which Dolores and Ishared with her, mingled with amusement. We had, however, noparticular objection to inspecting her goats, notwithstanding. 

"Our Mother, " she replied amiably, "I am sure, will be pleased to showmonsieur and madame the goats if it will give them any gratification. "

She preceded us through the beautifully kept kitchen garden, and up aflight of steps to another above, each foot of the productive soilbeing used to advantage, as we saw by the abundance of the crops rearedon the sunny slope. 

We mounted up from garden to garden until we came to a large terracefull of flowers, which surrounded the conventual buildings andcommanded a magnificent view of the lake. 

Here the sister left us. 

"Will monsieur and madame divert themselves here, " she asked, "while Igo fetch our Mother?"

Delighted with the beautiful surroundings and the glorious stretch ofblue water below us, Dolores and I were quite content to enjoy thelovely scene by ourselves; our boatman had long since slunk off down aside alley to find his relative the lay sister. 

We had walked half the length of the broad terrace absorbed in theview, when, turning from it, we became aware that we were not alone. At the farther end of the terrace was an old lady sitting in aninvalid's chair, also enjoying the beautiful prospect. By her side sata nun on a garden chair, holding a large white sunshade over her; thesun was very hot. Not wishing to disturb her privacy, we turned backand met the Reverend Mother approaching with our conductress. 

She was amiability itself. Certainly she would show monsieur andmadame the goats. She was unaware that they had become so celebrated. Perhaps monsieur and madame kept goats in England?

"No; you have come only by the recommendation of the boatman, FritzKillner?" she asked. "No doubt he wished to give you the diversion ofthe long passage in the boat. "

I saw a look of amused intelligence pass over the Reverend Mother'sface; she had divined the object of the boatman's visit. In fact, shefrankly told us later--when we had seen the goats--that he had a sisterin the community, and thus let the cat out of the bag. 

We were not by any means petrified with astonishment at the goats; theyseemed very ordinary animals, but with very long white coats. I hadseen better in a goat chaise at Ramsgate. 

But we had, at the Reverend Mother's solicitation, to make the tour ofthe convent. 

We inspected the cows, the pigs, the orchard and a very respectablerange of glass houses. 

Then we went to the chapel, and finally to the refectory; here thehospitality of the white-clad order burst forth; we must have_déjeuner_. 

The good Superior waved aside the mention of our cold fowl, andinsisted on cutlets and an omelette. Meanwhile, we were to walk withher upon the terrace to improve our appetite--we were simply ravenousalready. 

"I have brought you to the terrace, monsieur and madam, " proceeded thenun, "not only to admire the fine view and increase your appetites, butalso to present you to Madame la Comtesse. "

"Madame la Comtesse?" I repeated inquiringly. 

She indicated the old white-haired lady sitting at the farther end ofthe terrace. 

"That is Madame la Comtesse, the founder of this religious house, " sheexplained. "She delights to see English visitors. She adores yournation. Come, let us go to her, but I ask you to approach quite nearher, or she will not see you clearly. She is shortsighted. "

Walking one on either hand of the Reverend Mother, we approached Madamela Comtesse. 

The attendant nun had fixed the large white sunshade in a socket in theinvalid chair; she was writing at the old lady's dictation. We camequite near before the Comtesse heard us approaching. Then she turnedher head and looked at us, her kind old features breaking into a verysweet smile; her glance wandered from the Mother Superior to Dolores, then to me; there it stopped. 

A little more frail, a little paler, yet with a bright colour in hercheeks, her still clear eyes gazing up to mine with an alarmed look inthem; I knew her. 

From the very first moment that she moved in her chair and turned tous; from the instant that that movement of her head disarranged thesilk scarf which was wrapped round her throat, and laying it bare, showed a broad red scar upon it, _I knew her_; knew her for my dear oldlady of Monmouth Street, Bath, at whose bidding I had crossed theAtlantic and endured many perils. I knew her, and as I gazed upon herher lips moved and formed two words--

"Mr. Anstruther!"

CHAPTER XXII

THE QUEEN'S ERROR

The Reverend Mother looked from Madame la Comtesse to me, and from meback again to the Comtesse. 

"Madame, " she said, addressing her, "without doubt you are old friends;here is a re-union of the most pleasant!"

We heard her words, both of us, I have no doubt, but we did not answerher; my thoughts were back again in that basement room at MonmouthStreet. I saw "Madame la Comtesse, " this healthy, bright looking oldlady, lying on the disordered bed, her clothes soaked in blood, a greatwound in her throat. 

How did she come here?

How did she escape?

Those were the two questions which, for the moment, absorbed my wholefaculties. 

Her face, as I gazed upon it, expressed first blank amazement andalarm; then pleasure; finally the formation in a strong mind of a greatresolve; she was the first to recover her entire self-possession, which, perhaps, she had really never lost. 

"Mr. Anstruther, " she said in English, extending her frail, delicatelooking hand, "I am delighted to meet you again. "

She took my hand in both of hers, and still holding it looked up intomy face. 

"You are well, " she said, "I can see that, and happy. So you should bewith such a charming wife. Please present me to her. "

Dolores wanted no presentation; I think she loved the dear old lady atthe very first sight. She went to her and gave her both her hands, andthe Comtesse drew her face down to hers and kissed her. 

"Your good husband did me a great service once, my dear, " she said, "perhaps the greatest service a man can do a woman. "

Dolores looked down at her wonderingly, and then at me. 

"I wish I could tell you what it was, my dear, " she continued, "but itis a secret. Still, perhaps your husband will tell you, _when I havetold him_. I do not think that he realised the great benefit he did meat the time, for the good reason that he did not know its extent. "

Dolores nodded her head and smiled, but I am sure she did notunderstand. How should she? I did not understand myself. 

Our hostess, the nun, stood looking from one to the other of us with asmile on her face of that fixity which denoted that she did notunderstand a single word of what we were talking about. 

Madame la Comtesse noted her isolation at once. 

"Pray forgive me, _chère mère_, " she said, breaking into French, whichshe pronounced with a very charming accent. "Mr. Anstruther and I areold friends. I meet madame, his wife, for the first time today. "

In voluble language the Reverend Mother expressed her gratification atso happy a re-union, and in the midst of her compliments a nun arrivedto say that _déjeuner_ was served. 

"Go to your lunch, my dears, " the Comtesse said, "you must be famishedafter your long row on the lake. " We had told her of our morningexcursion. "Come back to me here afterwards, " she continued, "if youwill, and perhaps I will tell you that which you had a right to knowlong ago. Go now, and come back to me. I shall be under those treesyonder in the little arbour, which is cool in the heat of theafternoon. "

Dolores and I went off to our _déjeuner_, but though it was excellent, we ate but little; we were thinking of the Comtesse. 

"What a dear old lady she is, " commented my warm-hearted little wife. "I don't think I have ever seen any one with such a sweet expression asshe has!"

Neither had I, save, of course, Dolores. 

"But whatever can she have to say to you, Will?" she continued, "andwhat is this great service you have done her?"

Alas, I could not tell her! I remembered my promise of eternalsilence, made to her father before our marriage. 

A cold muteness fell upon us both when I shook my head and did notanswer her; it was the first time that the barrier of secrecy hadarisen between us. The air of the room seemed cold as we sat there, though the sun shone brilliantly without. The fruits the nuns hadplaced before us at the end of our meal remained untouched. 

"Coffee will be served to you on the terrace, monsieur and madame, "announced our attendant nun, "it is the wish of Madame la Comtesse. "

We arose silently, and went forth on to the sunlit terrace again, withits wealth of flowers and perfumed air. We walked without a wordpassing between us, and we came to the arbour in the shade overlookinga grand stretch of blue lake; here was the Comtesse, a table before herwith coffee and liqueurs, amongst them a sparkling cut-glass decanterof yellow Chartreuse. A nun stood ready to pour out the coffee, thesame that had written at the old lady's dictation and held her sunshadein the morning. She served us with our coffee, then with a low bowdisappeared. 

"Sister Thérèse, " remarked the Comtesse, "is a great comfort to me; shewrites all my letters and waits on me as if I were her mother. "

At the word "mother" the old lady paused, and I saw her blue eyes fixedon a distant sail on the lake, with a sad, almost yearning look in them. 

But in a moment it was gone. She turned to us, smiling. 

"You must take a glass of Chartreuse, " she said, filling the tinyglasses, "it is so good for you. It is a perfect elixir!"

We drank the liqueur more to please her than anything else; thenDolores rose. I have never seen such a look of pain on her sweet faceas was there then. God send I never see such again!

"No doubt, Madame la Comtesse, " she began, "you wish to speak to myhusband alone?"

The old lady glanced up at her for a few moments without speaking, there was a slightly puzzled look in her kind blue eyes; then, in asecond, this look was gone, and one of deep solicitude and affectiontook its place. 

It was as if some expression or passing glance on my dear wife's facehad touched a chord somewhere in her nature, perhaps long forgotten. 

She put out her slender white hand and drew Dolores down beside her onto the bench on which she sat; then she put her arm round her andpressed her to her, as one fondles a child. 

"My dear, " she said, "between a husband and his wife there should be nosecret. No secret of mine shall divide you two. What I tell to one, Itell to both. What does it matter? For myself, I shall soon be gone;for the others, what harm can it bring them?"

We sat in silence, she with her arm round Dolores, her eyes fixed onthe blue lake, a tear trembling in each, and she spoke to us as onewhose thoughts were far away among the people and the scenes shedescribed. I sat enthralled by every word she uttered. 

"My eyes first saw the light, " she began, "in a castle among themountains around Valoro, one of the seats of my father, the king!"

Though I started at her words, they did not amaze me; I was preparedfor them. 

"My mother died when I was ten, " she continued. "How I remember herwith her fair curls and blue eyes, they seemed so strange among thedark-skinned Aquazilians! Young though I was, the shock of her deathwas the most awful, I think, that I ever had, perhaps--save one. Itwas all the greater because I had no brother or sister to share mygrief with me. Yet I loved my father very dearly; he was a good andgreat man, and much reverenced by his people. There was no talk ofrevolutions nor republics in those days; the people were content undera mild rule. 

"The years went on, and I became a woman, nurtured in the magnificenceof a rich palace, yet imbued with the fear of God, for my father was agood man, and had me well taught my faith. I grew up, I think, withthe brightness of my dead mother's spirit pervading me, for I avoidedmany of the pitfalls of youth. 

"My royal father, often taking my face between his hands, would lookinto my eyes, and thank God that I had not in me the wickedness of theDolphbergs, the race from which we sprang. It was when I wasthree-and-twenty that a sudden chill, caught by my father when outhunting, produced a fever which robbed me of him, and I was left anorphan; an orphan queen to reign over a nation. 

"I was my father's only child; there was no Salic law to bar me. Butas the orphan is ever succoured by heaven, so was I in my lonely royalstate upheld by the counsels of a good and great man. 

"Your grandfather, my child, " she continued turning to Dolores, "theold Don Silvio d'Alta. 

"He had been my father's stay in all his troubles; the d'Altas were arace of diplomatists, and when death claimed him your father, Don Juan, took his place. "

A soft look came into her eyes as she sat with Dolores' hand in hers, afar-away look; her thoughts were in the times she spoke of. 

"Those were happy days, Dolores, " she continued, "those first yearswhen your father and I ruled the people of Aquazilia. I had had areign of ten years when your grandfather died and young Don Juan tookthe reins of government as my adviser; no one ever thought ofcontesting his right to it. Was he not a d'Alta?

"He was but twenty-five and I barely nine years older when he became mychancellor, and those ten years of ruling should have taught meprudence as a queen had I but listened to Don Juan's counsels too. ForI know he loved me, loved me far too well perhaps and above my deserts. 

"Had I had the prudence of an honest milkmaid who guards her honour asby instinct, I might have reigned this day at Valoro, instead of beingthe victim of a villain who, creeping into my heart like the serpentinto Eden, destroyed it with the fire of burning love, and left me onlyashes. "

 * * * * *

"It was in the very first year of Don Juan's chancellorship that therecame to Valoro the son of a Grand Duke of one of the German States;what brought him there I shall never know. He told me it was the sightof my face in a picture, and the 'glamour of my virgin court, ' but Ithink rather it was the spirit of the adventurer, or the gamester, which seeks for gain and counts not the cost to others. The Prince ofRittersheim----"

"Rittersheim!" I exclaimed, interrupting her. 

"Yes, " she continued, "Adalbert, the eldest son of the Grand Duke ofRittersheim, he who succeeded his father two years later. 

"The Prince was, I think, the handsomest man I have ever seen, and Ithink the wickedest. His tall fine presence, set off by a magnificentuniform, was seen at every Court I held. At every Court ball heclaimed my hand for the first dance; as far as my lonely state allowedhe sought me at every opportunity, and I, like a fool, was flattered byhis attentions. 

"Yes, to my sorrow, I began to love him. 

"I had travelled but little; travelling was harder in those days; onetour in Europe with my father, that was all. 

"I had fondly imagined that my suitor was a free, unmarried man. Thefirst shock of his perfidy came when I learned he was not; but it cametoo late--I loved him. 

"Don Juan told me, as he was bound in duty and honour to tell me fromhis position, that the Prince of Rittersheim was already married, butwas separated from his wife. 

"At the very next opportunity I had of speaking to the Prince--it wasin a secluded part of the palace gardens, and the meetings wereconnived at by one of my ladies, the Baroness of Altenstein--I askedhim plainly if he were married. 

"This was apparently the opportunity he had been waiting for; he threwhimself at my feet, and in passionate terms declared his love for me. 

"He had loved me from the first moment that he had seen my portrait, hehad loved me ten times more since he had seen the original. 

"I stayed the torrent of his words and reminded him that he was married. 

"Yes, he admitted he was married in name, but his marriage was nomarriage; he had separated from his wife by the direction of the GrandDuke, his father--in this he spoke the truth, but the reason was fardifferent--his so-called marriage was soon to be set aside as null andvoid, he told me. 

"'Then come back to me when you are free, ' I answered, 'and I willlisten to you if the Church permits, ' for I knew he was not of myFaith, and the German States treated marriage lightly. My answer onlycaused him to redouble his entreaties; he begged me not to drive himfrom me, he could not live away from my presence, and I, poor fool, looking down at his handsome face and graceful person, and loving himwith my whole heart, believed him. 

"I know not how it came about, but I found myself sitting on a seat inthat secluded corner of my garden with the Prince beside me with hisarms around me, whilst my lady-in-waiting, the Baroness d'Altenstein, had discreetly wandered off out of earshot, but still with a keen eyethat no one should disturb us. 

"I never can account for it, I never can understand how it was Ilistened to him. I suppose it was the hot bad blood of the Dolphbergswhich lurked in my veins and urged me, for I loved with all the passionof my race then; loved as a woman over thirty loves who has never lovedbefore. 

"Sitting on that rustic seat with him, whilst the cool evening windplayed about us, I listened to a scheme he unfolded to me. He said heloved me to such distraction that he could not leave me, it would killhim; he could not wait until his marriage was set aside. He swore thathe believed himself conscience free to marry, and swore a great oaththat nothing should ever part him from me. 

"In soft, loving whispers, he proposed that we should be marriedsecretly; he had a priest all ready willing to perform the ceremony. 

"Then he would be sure of me and could live content. 

"In a few months his former alliance would be set aside; before all theworld we could be married again. A grand state ceremony if I wouldhave it so. 

"I listened to him, and my heart beat high as he spoke, yet I doubtedin my saner moments whether I should ever be permitted to marry him bymy ministers and my people were he free that very day. 

"Poor fool that I was, he bent me to his will within a week, and he hadno greater advocate for his cause than the Baroness d'Altenstein, mylady, though, poor soul, she only meant me well. But she was romantic, and had not long been married to a man she loved, a courtier from thecountry of the Dolphbergs; she had spent her honeymoon in theircapital, and was an advocate for love at any price. 

"Knowing I loved the Prince of Rittersheim, she worked only to make mehappy by a marriage with him. 

"With her knowledge only, I slipped away from Court for a week and wentthrough a ceremony of marriage with the Prince at a little villagechurch hidden away in the mountains a hundred miles from Valoro. 

"I married him in the dress and under the name of a simple peasantwoman, not knowing--as he did--that such a ceremony was utterly nulland void. 

"Was I happy? I think he loved me then--a little. " A soft, sad lookoverspread the sweet old face; she gazed away across the lake insilence for a few moments. It seemed that, even after all these years, that time of love and falseness held some tender recollection still. 

She came, as it were, to herself almost directly, and heaving a greatsigh, went on--

"Long before the week was ended, the Prince had told me I must returnto the Court, and take my place there as before. 

"Of course I protested, and begged him to even then make our marriagepublic; that I would give up the throne. Had I not a great fortuneleft me by my father?

"Yes, that was the point that touched him, the great fortune. Thetreasures of my late father were immense. Besides an enormous fortunein money, mostly invested prudently in Europe, he possessed some of themost valuable diamonds in the world. It had been his diversion tocollect them; he believed that they were always a most valuablesecurity, likely to increase in value, and therefore he did not grudgethe money sunk in them. The most valuable, reckoned to be worth amillion English pounds, were stored in a safe of special constructionmade of steel. They were apart from the Crown Jewels, and were neverworn. Indeed most of them were unset. My father's theory was thatthey were of immense value and could be carried in a small compass incase of necessity. 

"The Prince, of course, knew from me full well of these treasures, andI firmly believe hungered for their possession from the very moment helearned from my foolish lips of their existence. He forced me at theend of the few days' honeymoon to return to the Court, and then fromthat time forth I saw him only surreptitiously with the aid ofd'Altenstein, who was the aider and abettor of it all, yet loving me, and working only, as she thought, poor soul, for my happiness. 

"I was soon undeceived in my Prince. I soon learned that he was insore straits for money, and that he intended to get it from me. 

"I gave him all I could, but he was insatiable. Finally he would cometo me drunk and strike me when I could not meet his demands forthousands upon thousands. 

"It was then that in my desperation, when I knew I was to be a mothersoon, I confided all to Don Juan d'Alta, and by so doing perhaps savedmy life and my child's. "

CHAPTER XXIII

THE QUEEN'S ATONEMENT

"Yes, but for the intervention of Don Juan d'Alta, my Chancellor atthat time, " continued the old lady, "my life might have ended indespair. 

"From the very first, although he did not tell me so then, he saw thatI had been simply _exploited_ by this heartless and unprincipledscoundrel, Prince Adalbert of Rittersheim. But your father, " sheproceeded, turning to Dolores and placing her hand on hers, "yourfather, my dear, by his self-sacrifice and the pure affection which hebore me, saved me. 

"He realised that he had to do with a villain whose object was plunder, and who at that time dominated the situation. He foresaw that aliberal outlay of money was the only thing that would rid me of thisfiend. He went to Prince Adalbert and simply asked him his price. 

"He named at first an exorbitant sum, _and the diamonds of my latefather contained in the steel safe_. 

"This was refused. Don Juan at last brought him to his knees bydefying him and telling him to do his worst. 

"Then he agreed to a yearly pension of one hundred thousand dollars, which would be paid to him on condition that he left me unmolested. 

"He made a fight for the custody of the child which was coming, as Idoubt not he thought that he could have a greater hold over me if hehad it, but this request was flatly refused, and he sailed away fromAquazilia the richer by a great income, but bought at the price of aloving woman's happiness. "

The old queen stopped and wiped the tears from her eyes. 

"Do not go on, your Majesty, " urged Dolores, half dazed at thedisclosures; "you distress yourself. "

The old lady brightened at once and pressed her hand, putting away herhandkerchief. 

"No, " she answered; "I prefer to tell you _all_ and _now_. 

"By the aid of Don Juan and the Baroness d'Altenstein, who was brokendown with grief at the course affairs had taken, my condition wasconcealed, and arrangements were made for my accouchement undercircumstances of the greatest secrecy. Don Juan had abandoned all hopefrom the outset of legitimatising the child; his one object was toconceal my shame. This he succeeded in doing. I gave birth to a boy, and my love for him has been the great solace of my life. "

"And he is living, madame?" I ventured to ask. 

"Yes, living, " she answered, the sweet smile playing about her lipsagain--"living, and the greatest comfort God has given me in my trials. 

"From his babyhood he was the one thought I had; his training, hiseducation, the fostering of good in his receptive mind that he mightgrow up a good man. And he has repaid me a thousandfold. 

"But in those years great troubles came upon me. Prince Adalbert, known as one of the greatest roués and spendthrifts in Europe, hadsucceeded his father two years after he left me, and was now GrandDuke. His first wife had been taken back again--or he never could havefaced his people--and had borne him a son. This son was fated to bethe scourge of my life hereafter. 

"Meanwhile, in the throes of a continental war, the Grand Duchy ofRittersheim was absorbed into the neighbouring great state, and theGrand Duke Adalbert, deposed and impoverished, became simply apensioner, and a most importunate blackmailer of myself. 

"His one great object in life--and later he confided this secret, withthe story of our marriage, to his son--was to obtain possession of thegreat fortune in diamonds, still locked in the steel safe bequeathed meby my father, and which I had steadfastly refused to part with, nay, even to withdraw a single stone from. 

"But the value had, in the drink-distorted mind of the Grand DukeAdalbert, become immensely exaggerated. The safe was believed by hisson Waldemar to contain diamonds to the value of five millions ofEnglish pounds!"

Hence his intense rapacity in later years; for when my boy wastwenty-five his father, the Grand Duke Adalbert, died, and wassucceeded in the title only, for the power was gone, by his sonWaldemar, but two years younger than my own. 

"This Waldemar appears to have been evilly disposed from boyhood, andembittered against mankind in general, first by the loss of his Duchy, and in addition by the destruction of an eye which he suffered in somelow fracas, for his delight was to mingle and drink with the lowest ofmankind. On his father's death he came to Valoro and demanded that thepension paid to the late Duke by me should be continued to him!

"This was refused. 

"Then he had the impudence to try and bargain with me, offering to keepsilence for a certain sum. Finally he laid claim to the diamonds inthe steel safe, which he stated were his father's property. My answerto his requests and fraudulent claims was to have him placed on board asteamer bound for Europe. 

"Then he threatened me with his life-long vengeance. Leagued with aprofessional agitator named Razzaro, he commenced to undermine myauthority with great subtilty, till in the end my simple people whoonce had loved me and my family grew to hate me, and to look uponWaldemar, even the Royalists, as a much-wronged person. 

"You know the rest; it is written in the history of the world. Mypeople rose in rebellion. I was dethroned, and with one singlefaithful companion, the Baroness d'Altenstein, fled to Europe in thewarship of a friendly nation. 

"But before the storm burst I had sent to Europe the steel safe and itsprecious contents, the diamonds. 

"For some reasons, I have many times since wished that it had sunk tothe bottom of the Atlantic. 

"For years I lived in one of the fairest cities of Europe with myfaithful d'Altenstein, and for those years the Duke Waldemar left mein peace, being, I suppose, occupied in some other villainy. 

"But suddenly he commenced his importunities again, and made onedastardly attempt, through others, to steal the safe from the bankers'vaults in which it lay, but this was frustrated. 

"Harried to death by his persecution, I consulted a learned Englishjudge whom I met in Society in Paris, Sir Henry Anstruther, yourfather, " she added, turning to me, "and it has always seemed to me aprovidential coincidence that in my need I should also have turned toyou. 

"I asked this good English judge, without disclosing my secret, what heconsidered the most effectual mode for a woman to adopt to hide herselfentirely from the world and her friends. I said I was very curious toknow what his long experience had taught him in that respect. 

"He seemed amused at my question, and thought for some time beforereplying, little guessing what was running in my mind. He answered meat last, and said that he thought that a person could be best hiddenand lost to the world by living just a fairly ordinary life in a quietway in one of the larger towns in England. That was his experienceduring his long life as a lawyer. 

"I treasured his opinion, and formed a scheme in my mind upon it. 

"Just then poor Carlotta d'Altenstein, a widow without friends, my dearcompanion, was seized with her mortal illness, and then I saw my schemecomplete before me. 

"By the lavish use of money, of which I had more than I needed by far, for my father's private fortune invested in Europe was very great, Icontrived that I should change places with the Baroness d'Altenstein. 

"To the public it was _I_ who was ill; to the world at large, even toDon Juan, it was _I_ who died. It was then that, passing as theBaroness d'Altenstein--in England as plain Mrs. Carlotta Altenstein--Iwent to the city of Bath, which had been recommended, and also offeredcertain devotional advantages to me, for I intended to give theremainder of my life to religion and the poor. 

"There in Monmouth Street, where you saw me, Mr. Anstruther, amusingmyself with philanthropic literature, I succeeded for ten years inhiding myself from the Duke Waldemar of Rittersheim, who had in amanner reformed himself and become a philanthropist too, _in public_;in secret his life was worse than ever. In that little room in whichyou found me, I was foolish enough to keep the steel safe, hidden awayin a receptacle cut in the stone wall of the house. But the safe nolonger contained all the diamonds. I had been gradually selling themand devoting the proceeds to the poor of the world. This convent, arefuge for aged men and women, and orphaned children, was founded withpart of the money. 

"But to my horror, at the end of the ten years, I met the DukeWaldemar, face to face, coming out of the Pump Room at Bath, wherequietly and unobtrusively I had gone to take the waters. That was onthe morning of the day I spoke to you, for I knew then that my refugewas a refuge no longer. 

"I intended on the morrow to have asked you to help me remove whatremained of the diamonds to a place of security and leave the safebehind. Perhaps I might have even encroached on your kindness to haveasked you to escort me here, but it was arranged otherwise. 

"During the night and early morning, I became aware that something wastaking place in the next house, which up to then had stood empty. Iconnected it in my mind with some plot of the Duke, who I doubted nothad had me followed home. The sequel proved I was right. 

"This fear so worked upon me that, towards morning, I rose andcommenced to write the letters to you and Don Juan, and to make them upin packets. 

"The letter to the latter, in which I told him I should come here if Ilived, of course I placed in the ebony casket with something else thatwas worth more to me than all the diamonds in the world; it was thecertificate of my marriage to Prince Adalbert of Rittersheim at thelittle church of the remote mountain village in Aquazilia. 

"I was far more fearful of losing that than all my fortune. It was thecertificate of my honour and my son's birthright. I knew that if theDuke Waldemar once got it into his possession he could demand any pricefrom me for its return. 

"It was late in the morning, a dull foggy November morning, when I hadfinished sealing the packets and locked them away in the steel safewith my own key. The one I had given you was the only duplicate inexistence; they both bore my father's initial C, he was Carlo the Thirdof Aquazilia. 

"Having left directions on a paper which you could see within the safewhen you opened it, I carefully locked it and hid my own key under aspecial place in the carpet. 

"I intended then to write to you at once and tell you to come and openthe safe, whatever might happen to me, for I believed that itshiding-place would not easily be discovered, but I never had thischance. 

"Exhausted with want of sleep, I went back to my room and threw myselfon my bed, half dressed as I was, with my white silk dressing-robe onin which I had sat writing half the night. 

"I at once fell asleep and must have slept for hours, for it was darkagain when I awoke, and then I was called back to consciousness byhaving my arm roughly shaken. I found the Duke Waldemar and two othermen in my room. 

"He at once demanded to know the whereabouts of the steel safe with thediamonds, and held a naked knife to my throat to force me to tell him. 

"Life was of very little value to me in comparison with the needs ofthe poor for whom I was determined to preserve the riches. 

"Each time I refused to tell him he pressed the knife closer to mythroat, until it cut into the flesh, and I felt the warm bloodtrickling down on to my white dressing-robe. 

"When he and his companions had been there it seemed to me a long, longtime, and it was useless for me to shriek for help, I gave myself upfor lost, turning my thoughts as well as I could to the next world. 

"It was then that the Duke and his men were startled by hearing youopen the front door of the house and stumble through the dark passage. 

"With horrible curses they fled through the window. 

"Then you came, and I had just the strength left to whisper to you toopen the safe when I fainted away. 

"I have no recollection of what occurred after. Many hours must haveelapsed before I regained consciousness, and then I came to myself inan underground room of what I knew after to be a lonely tower on thehills near Bath. "

"What, not Cruft's Folly?" I suggested. 

"Yes, " she replied thoughtfully; "I believe that was the name Iafterwards learned was given to the place. 

"I was waited on by a German woman, the wife of one of the Duke'sfollowers, a big dark man with a black beard. 

"My dress, my bed, and general surroundings were those of a poorcountry woman. 

"But this black-bearded German and his wife were the means of saving me. 

"There had been an accident, a man had fallen off the tower and beenkilled. 

"The big dark man and his wife were terribly frightened, and in thisstate could not withstand the temptation of the big bribe I promisedthem if they would obtain my release. 

"They brought a country cart to the tower, full of straw, as soon as itwas dusk on the day of the accident, and in this I was driven toDevizes. From there I telegraphed to my bankers and they sent aspecial messenger to me with an abundance of money and a newcheque-book; from that time forth I was my own mistress again. 

"The wound in my neck, which was only skin deep, had been carefullybandaged by the German woman; under the hands of a skilled doctor andnurse, it soon healed. 

"I have very little doubt but that the Duke intended to keep me aprisoner in the tower until I disclosed the whereabouts of the diamonds. 

"The big German who had arranged my escape--and to whom I gave fivehundred pounds--told me that a grave had already been dug to receive mybody in the old graveyard behind the house in Monmouth Street. 

"Had the Duke discovered the diamonds, I should have been murdered tosave further trouble from me; he knew, of course, I was already dead tothe world. As it was, they only buried my bloodstained bed-linen inthe grave when they carried me off from the house, after you had leftthe Duke stunned. "

I could have told the old Queen that the big German did not long enjoyher five hundred pounds, but that he himself filled the grave intendedfor her, and which, probably, he had helped to dig. I did not tell herthis, she had had trouble enough; but I had little doubt that the Dukehad discovered that the man had played him false, and had shot him anddisposed of his body in that way. 

Queen Inez paused, and passed her frail white hand across her eyes. 

"I have told you all now, I think, " she said slowly, for she wasfatigued. "When I was well enough I came here and found a telegramfrom Don Juan. I knew you had delivered the casket. Here I haveremained; here I shall, if it be God's will, remain to the end. "

Seeing that the long relation had tired her, I leant forward and filledone of the little liqueur glasses with the golden Chartreuse and handedit to her. She took it from me with a smile, and insisted that weshould take some too. We sat sipping the delicious liqueur in silence, our gaze fixed on the blue lake and the white sails slowly moving inthe stillness of the afternoon heat. 

As I saw the colour returning to the Queen's face, I ventured to askher another question. 

"There is one person, madame, " I said, "who's history you have not yetthought fit to tell us. Forgive me if I am presumptuous in asking thequestion. It is your son I speak of. "

A very sweet smile came over her face as I ceased speaking. Sheglanced, it appeared involuntarily, at the sparkling liqueur in herlittle glass. 

"My dear son's history is soon told, " she said, still smiling. "He hasbeen a Carthusian monk, a Trappist, since his youth. He never had theleast inclination for the life of the world. He is the abbot of themonastery of San Juan del Monte, near Valoro. "

_Then_ I recollected his fair face, and blue eyes, and remembered thathe had reminded me of _some one_; now I knew who that some one was--hismother. It was plain to me why Don Juan had taken us there. 

"Every year, " continued Queen Inez, "by the special permission of thehead of his order, he comes to me and stays ten days. Those are, tome, ten days stolen from heaven. Thank God, he comes next month, andeach time he comes, " she added, with a smile, raising her little glass, "he brings me a present from his monastery of the veritable Chartreuse. "

We lingered with the dear old Queen until the sun was declining overthe lake, whose waters were turning a darker blue; the sister came withwraps and a warning glance to take her to her rooms in the convent. 

At her request, during our short stay at Lucerne, we visited her againand again, until the day of parting came, and we bade her farewell onthe terrace where we had first met her, above the blue waters of thelake. 

There were tears in her eyes and ours when we left her, and the tearscame back again to ours as we looked wistfully up at the terrace asFritz rowed us away, and we saw her waving to us no longer. 

That was the last we saw of her, or shall ever see in this world, forsix months after we received a letter from the Reverend Mother tellingus that "Madame la Comtesse" was dead, and Dolores and I, rememberingher sufferings, her patience, and her great love, are presumptuousenough to think that heaven has gained another saint. 

 * * * * *

No, neither Ethel nor St. Nivel are married yet, but I would not saythat they never will be. I have heard rumours of a Guardsman on theone hand, and a sweet Irish girl on the other. 

At any rate, during those happy autumn weeks which Dolores and Iinvariably spend at dear old Bannington in the shooting season, if, byany chance, Ethel and I meet in the gloaming in the long, oak-panelledcorridors, we indulge in no more cousinly kisses; she _won't_.