THE STOWMARKET MYSTERY

Or A Legacy of Hate

By LOUIS TRACY

AUTHOR OF

"Wings of the Morning, ""The Final War, ""An American Emperor, ""Disappearance of Lady Delia, " etc. , etc. 

1904

CONTENTS

 I. "THE STOWMARKET MYSTERY" II. DAVID HUME'S STORY III. THE DREAM IV. THROUGH THE LIBRARY WINDOW V. FROM BEHIND THE HEDGE VI. AN OLD ACQUAINTANCE VII. HUSBAND AND WIFE VIII. REVELATIONS IX. THE KO-KATANA X. THE BLACK MUSEUM XI. MR. "OKASAKI" XII. WHAT THE STATIONMASTER SAW XIII. TWO WOMEN XIV. MARGARET SPEAKS OUT XV. AN UNEXPECTED VISITOR XVI. THE COUSINS XVII. "CHERCHEZ LA FEMME" XVIII. FURTHER COMPLICATIONS XIX. THE THIRD MAN APPEARS XX. THE TRAIL XXI. CONCERNING CHICKENS, AND MOTIVES XXII. THE SECOND ATTACK XXIII. MARGARET'S SECRET XXIV. THE MEETING XXV. WHERE DID MARGARET GO? XXVI. MR. OOMA XXVII. HOLDEN'S STORY XXVIII. MR. AND MRS. JIRO XXIX. MARGARET'S SECRET XXX. HUSBAND AND WIFE XXXI. TO BEECHCROFT XXXII. THE FIGHT XXXIII. THE LAST NOTE IN BRETT'S DIARY

A LEGACY OF HATE

CHAPTER I

"THE STOWMARKET MYSTERY"

"Mr. David Hume. "

Reginald Brett, barrister-detective, twisted round in his easy-chair topermit the light to fall clearly on the card handed to him by hisman-servant. 

"What does Mr. David Hume look like, Smith?" he asked. 

"A gentleman, sir. "

Well-trained servants never make a mistake when they give such adescription of a visitor. Brett was satisfied. 

"Produce him. "

Then he examined the card. 

"It is odd, " he thought. "Mr. David Hume gives no address, and writes hisown cards. I like his signature, too. Now, I wonder--"

The door was thrown open. A tall, well-proportioned young man entered. Hewas soberly attired in blue serge. His face and hands bore the impress oftravel and exposure. His expression was pleasing and attractive. In reposehis features were regular, and marked with lines of thought. A short, well-trimmed beard, of the type affected by some naval men, gave him asomewhat unusual appearance. Otherwise he carried himself like a Britishcavalry officer in mufti. 

He advanced into the room and bowed easily. Brett, who had risen, instantly felt that his visitor was one of those people who erectinvisible barriers between themselves and strangers. 

"My errand will occupy some time, perhaps half an hour, to permit of fullexplanation, " said Mr. Hume. "May I ask--"

"I am completely at your service. Take that chair. You will find itcomfortable. Do you smoke? Yes. Well, try those cigarettes. They arebetter than they look. "

Mr. Hume seemed to be gratified by this cordial reception. He seatedhimself as requested, in the best light obtainable in a north-sideVictoria Street flat, and picked up the box of cigarettes. 

"Turkish, " he announced. 

"Yes. "

"Grown on a slope near Salonica. "

"Indeed? You interest me. "

"Oh, I know them well. I was there two months ago. I suppose you got theseas a present from Yildiz Kiosk?"

"Mr. Hume, you asked for half an hour, Make it an hour. You have touchedupon a subject dear to my heart. "

"They are the best cigarettes in the world. No one can buy them. They aremade for the exclusive use of the Sultan's household. To attempt to exportthem means the bastinado and banishment, at the least. I do not credit youwith employing agents on such terms, so I assume an Imperial gift. "

The barrister had been looking intently at the other man during this shortcolloquy. Suddenly his eyes sparkled. He struck a match and held it to hisvisitor, with the words:

"You are quite right, Mr. David Hume-Frazer. "

The person thus addressed neither started, nor sprang to his feet, norgasped in amazement He took the match, lit a cigarette, and said:

"So you know me?"

"Yes. "

"It is strange. I have never previously met you to my knowledge. Am Istill a celebrity?"

"To me--yes. "

"A sort of distinguished criminal, eh?"

"No man could be such a judge of tobacco and remain commonplace. "

"'Pon my honour, Mr. Brett, I think you deserve your reputation. For thefirst time during eighteen months I feel hopeful. Do you know, I passeddozens of acquaintances in the streets yesterday and none of them knew me. Yet you pick me out at the first glance, so to speak. "

"They might do the same if you spoke to them, Mr. --"

"Hume, if you please. "

"Certainly. Why have you dropped part of your surname?"

"It is a long story. My lawyers, Flint & Sharp, of Gray's Inn, heard ofyour achievements in the cases of Lady Lyle and the Imperial Diamonds. They persuaded me to come to you. "

"Though, personally, you have little faith in me?"

"Heaven knows, Mr. Brett, I have had good cause to lose faith. My casedefies analysis. It savours of the supernatural. "

The barrister shoved his chair sideways until he was able to reach abookcase, from which he took a bulky interleaved volume. 

"Supernatural, " he repeated. "That is new to me. As I remember the affair, it was highly sensational, perplexing--a blend of romance and Japaneseknives--but I do not remember any abnormal element save one, utter absenceof motive. "

"Do you mean to say that you possess a record of the facts?" inquiredHume, exhibiting some tokens of excitement in face and voice as he watchedBrett turning over the leaves of the scrap-book, in which newspapercuttings were neatly pasted, some being freely annotated. 

"Yes. The daily press supplies my demands in the way of fiction--a word, by the way, often misapplied. Where do you find stranger tales than in therecords of every-day life? Ah, here we are!"

He searched through a large number of printed extracts. There werecomments, long reports, and not a few notes, all under the heading: "TheStowmarket Mystery. "

Hume was now deeply agitated; he evidently restrained his feelings bysheer force of will. 

"Mr. Brett, " he said, and his voice trembled a little, "surely you couldnot have expected my presence here this morning?"

"I no more expected you than the man in the moon, " was the reply; "but Irecognised you at once. I watched your face for many hours whilst youstood in the dock. Professional business took me to the Assizes duringyour second trial. At one time I thought of offering my services. "

"To me?"

"No, not to you. "

"To whom, then?"

"To the police. Winter, the Scotland Yard man who had charge of thebusiness, is an old friend of mine. "

"What restrained you?"

"Pity, and perhaps doubt. I could see no reason why you should kill yourcousin. "

"But you believed me guilty?"

The barrister looked his questioner straight in the eyes. He saw there theglistening terror of a tortured soul. Somehow he expected to find adifferent expression. He was puzzled. 

"Why have you come here, Mr. Hume?" he abruptly demanded. 

"To implore your assistance. They tell me you are the one man in the worldable to clear my name from the stain of crime. Will you do it?"

Again their eyes met. Hume was fighting now, fighting for all that a manholds dear. He did not plead. He only demanded his rights. Born a fewcenturies earlier, he would have enforced them with cold steel. 

"Come, Mr. Brett, " he almost shouted. "If you are as good a judge of menas you say I am of tobacco, you will not think that the cowardly murdererwho struck down my cousin would come to you, of all others, and reopen thestory of a crime closed unwillingly by the law. "

Brett could, on occasion, exhibit an obstinate determination not to bedrawn into expressing an opinion. His visitor's masterful manner annoyedhim. Hume, metaphorically speaking, took him by the throat and compelledhis services. He rebelled against this species of compulsion, but merepoliteness required some display of courteous tolerance. 

"It seems to me, " he said, "that we are beginning at the end. I may not beable to help you. What are the facts?"

The stranger was so agitated that he could not reply. Self-restrained menare not ready with language. Their thoughts may be fiery as bottledvitriol, but they keep the cork in. The barrister allowed for thisdrawback. His sympathies were aroused, and they overcame his slightresentment. 

"Try another cigarette, " he said, "I have here a summary of the evidence. I will read it to you. Do not interrupt. Follow the details closely, andcorrect anything that is wrong when I have ended. "

Hume was still volcanic, but he took the proffered box. 

"Ah, " cried Brett, "though you are angry, your judgment is sound. Nowlisten!"

Then he read the following statement, prepared by himself in an idlemoment:--

"The Stowmarket Mystery is a strange mixture of the real and the unreal. Sir Alan Hume-Frazer, fourth baronet, met his death on the hunting-field. His horse blundered at a brook and the rider was impaled on a hiddenstake, placed in the stream by his own orders to prevent poachers fromnetting trout. His wife, née Somers, a Bristol family, had pre-deceasedhim. 

"There were two children, a daughter, Margaret, aged twenty-five, and ason, Alan, aged twenty-three. By his will, Sir Alan left all his real andpersonal estate to his son, with a life charge of £1, 000 per annum for thedaughter. As he was a very wealthy man, almost a millionaire, theprovision for his daughter was niggardly, which might be accounted for bythe fact that the girl, several years before her father's death, quarrelled with him and left home, residing in London and in Florence. Both children, by the way, were born in Italy, where Sir Alan met andmarried Miss Somers. 

"The old gentleman, it appeared, allowed Miss Hume-Frazer £5, 000 per annumduring his life. His son voluntarily continued this allowance, but thebrother and sister continued to live apart, he devoted to travel andsport, she to music and art, with a leaning towards the occult--a womandivorced from conventionality and filled with a hatred of restraint. 

"Beechcroft, the family residence, is situated four miles from Stowmarket, close to the small village of Sleagill. After his father's death, theyoung Sir Alan went for a protracted tour round the world. Meanwhile hisfirst cousin, Mr. David Hume-Frazer, lived at Beechcroft during theshooting season, and incidentally fell in love with Miss Helen Layton, daughter of the rector of Sleagill, the Rev. Wilberforce Layton. "

Hume stirred uneasily in his chair, and the barrister paused, expectinghim to say something. But the other only gasped brokenly: "Go on; go on!"

"Love lasts longer than death or crime, " mused Brett. 

He continued:

"In eighteen months Sir Alan the fifth--all heirs had same name--returnedto Beechcroft, about Christmas. His cousin had been called away on familybusiness, but returned for a New Year's Eve ball, given by Mrs. Eastham, alady of some local importance. Sir Alan and Helen Layton had followed thehounds together three times during Christmas week. They were, of course, old friends. 

"David sent from Scotland--his father's estate was situated close toInverness--some presents to his future wife, his cousin, and others. Thegift to Sir Alan was noteworthy and fatalistic--a handsomely inlaidJapanese sword, with a small dagger inserted in a sheath near the top ofthe scabbard. David reached Beechcroft on the day of the ball. Relationsbetween the cousins seemed to the servants to be cool, though the coolnesslay rather with the baronet, and David, a year older, it may be herestated, was evidently taken by surprise by Sir Alan's attitude. 

"The three young people went to the ball, and shortly after midnight therewas something in the nature of a scene. Sir Alan had been dancing withMiss Layton. They were in the conservatory when the young lady burst intotears, hurried to find David, and asked him to take her at once to hercarriage. Mrs. Eastham was acting as chaperon to the girl, and some heatedwords passed between her and the two young men. 

"Evidence showed that Sir Alan had bitterly upbraided Miss Layton onaccount of her engagement, and hinted that David had taken an unfairadvantage of his (Alan's) absence to win her affections. This wasabsolutely untrue. It was denied by the two most concerned, and by Mrs. Eastham, who, as a privileged friend, knew all the facts. The young menwere in a state of white heat, but David sensibly withdrew, and walked tothe Hall. 

"Mrs. Eastham's house was close to the lodge gates, and from the lodge astraight yew-shaded drive led to the library windows, the main entrancebeing at the side of the house. 

"In the library a footman, on duty in the room, maintained a good fire, and the French windows were left unfastened, as the young gentlemen wouldprobably enter the house that way. David did, in fact, do so. The footmanquitted the room, and a few minutes later the butler appeared. He was anold favourite of David's. He asked if he should send some whisky and soda. 

"The young man agreed, adding:

"'Sir Alan and I have commenced the year badly, Ferguson. We quarrelledover a silly mistake. I have made up my mind not to sleep on it, so I willawait his arrival. Let me know if he comes in the other way. '

"The butler hoped that the matter was not a serious one. 

"'Under other circumstances it might be, ' was the answer, 'but as thingsare, it is simply a wretched mistake, which a little reasonable discussionwill put right. '

"The footman brought the whisky and soda. 

"Twenty minutes later he re-entered the room to attend to the fire. Mr. David Hume-Frazer was curled up in an arm-chair asleep, or rather dozing, for he stirred a little when the man put some coal in the grate. This wasat 1 a. M. Exactly. 

"At 1. 10 a. M. The butler thought he heard his master's voice coming fromthe front of the house, and angrily protesting something. Unfortunately hecould not catch a single word. He imagined that the 'quarrel' spoken of byDavid had been renewed. 

"He waited two minutes, not more, but hearing no further sounds, he walkedround to the library windows, thinking that perhaps he would see Sir Alanin the room. 

"To his dismay he found his young master stretched on the turf at the sideof the drive, thirty feet from the house. He rushed into the library, where David was still asleep and moving uneasily--muttering, the manthought:

"'Come quickly, sir, ' he cried, 'I fear something has happened to SirAlan. He is lying on the ground outside the house, and I cannot arousehim. '

"Then David Hume-Frazer sprang to his feet and shouted:

"'My God! It was not a dream. He is murdered!'

"Unquestionably--"

But the barrister's cold-blooded synopsis of a thrilling crime proved tobe too much for his hearer's nerves. Hume stood up. The man was a bornfighter. He could take, his punishment, but only on his feet. 

Again he cried in anguish:

"No! It was no dream, but a foul murder. And they blame me!"

CHAPTER II

DAVID HUME'S STORY

Brett closed the book with a snap. 

"What good purpose can it serve at this time to reopen the miserablestory?" he asked. 

Curiously enough, Hume paid no heed to the question. His lips quivered, his nostrils twitched, and his eyes shot strange gleams. He caught theback of his chair with both hands in a grasp that tried to squeeze thetough oak. 

"What else have you written there?" he said, and Brett could not help butadmire his forced composure. 

"Nothing of any material importance. You were arrested, after an intervalof some days, as the result of a coroner's warrant. You explained that youhad a vivid dream, in which you saw your cousin stabbed by a stranger whomyou did not know, whose face even you never saw. Sir Alan was undoubtedlymurdered. The dagger-like attachment to your Japanese sword had beendriven into his breast up to the hilt, actually splitting his heart. Todeliver such a blow, with such a weapon, required uncommon strength andskill. I think I describe it here as 'un-English. '"

Brett referred to his scrap-book. In spite of himself, he felt all his oldinterest reawakening in this remarkable crime. 

"Yes?" queried Hume. 

The barrister, his lips pursed up and critical, surveyed his concludingnotes. 

"You were tried at the ensuing Assizes, and the jury disagreed. Yoursecond trial resulted in an acquittal, though the public attitude towardsyou was dubious. The judge, in summing up, said that the evidence againstyou 'might be deemed insufficient. ' In these words he conveyed the popularopinion. I see I have noted here that Miss Margaret Hume-Frazer was at aCovent Garden Fancy Dress Ball on the night of the murder. But the tragicdeaths of her father and brother had a marked influence on the young lady. She, of course, succeeded to the estates, and decided at once to live atBeechcroft. Does she still live there?"

"Yes. I am told she is distinguished for her charity and good works. Sheis married. "

"Ah! To whom?"

"To an Italian, named Giovanni Capella. "

"His stage name?"

"No; he is really an Italian. "

Brett's pleasantry was successful in its object. David Hume regained hisequanimity and sat down again. After a pause he went on:

"May I ask, Mr. Brett, before I tell you my part of the story, if youformed any theories as to the occurrence at the time?"

The barrister consulted his memoranda. Something that met his eyes causedhim to smile. 

"I see, " he said, "that Mr. Winter, of Scotland Yard, was convinced ofyour guilt. That is greatly in your favour. "

"Why?"

Hume disdained the police, but Brett's remark evoked curiosity. 

"Because Mr. Winter is a most excellent officer, whose intellect isshackled by handcuffs. 'De l'audace!' says the Frenchman, as a specificfor human conduct. 'Lock 'em up, ' says Mr. Winter, when he is inquiringinto a crime. Of course, he is right nine times out of ten; but if, in thetenth case, intellect conflicts with handcuffs, the handcuffs win, beingstronger in his instance. "

Hume was in no mood to appreciate the humours of Scotland Yard, so theother continued:

"The most telling point against you was the fact that not only the butler, footman, and two housemaids, but you yourself, at the coroner's inquest, swore that the small Japanese knife was in its sheath during theafternoon; indeed, the footman said it was there, to the best of hisbelief, at midnight. Then, again, a small drawer in Sir Alan'swriting-table had been wrenched open whilst you were alone in the room. Onthis point the footman was positive. Near the drawer rested the sword fromwhich its viperish companion had been abstracted. Had not the butler foundSir Alan's body, still palpitating, and testified beyond any manner ofdoubt that you were apparently sleeping in the library, you would havebeen hanged, Mr. Hume. "

"Probably. "

"The air of probability attending your execution would have been mostconvincing. "

"Is my case, then, so desperate?"

"You cannot be tried again, you know. "

"I do not mean that. I want to establish my innocence; to compel societyto reinstate me as a man profoundly wronged; above all, to marry the womanI love. "

Brett amused himself by rapidly projecting several rings of smoke througha large one. 

"So you really are innocent?" he said, after a pause. 

David Hume rose from his chair, and reached for his hat, gloves, andstick. 

"You have crushed my remaining hope of emancipation, " he exclaimedbitterly. "You have the repute of being able to pluck the heart out of amystery, Mr. Brett, so when you assume that I am guilty--"

"I have assumed nothing of the kind. You seem to possess the faculty ofself-control. Kindly exercise it, and answer my questions, Did you killyour cousin?"

"No. "

"Who did kill him?"

"I do not know. "

"Do you suspect anybody ?"

"Not in the remotest degree. "

"Did he kill himself?"

"That theory was discussed privately, but not brought forward at thetrial. Three doctors said it was not worthy of a moment's consideration. "

"Well, you need not shout your replies, and I would prefer to see youcomfortably seated, unless, of course, you feel more at ease near thedoor. "

A trifle shamefacedly, Hume returned to his former position near thefireplace--that shrine to which all the household gods do reverence, evenin the height of summer. It is impossible to conceive the occupants of aroom deliberately grouping themselves without reference to the grate. 

Brett placed the open scrap-book on his knees, and ran an index fingeralong underlined passages in the manner of counsel consulting a brief. 

"Why did you give your cousin this sword?"

"Because he told me he was making a collection of Japanese arms, and Iremarked that my grandfather on my mother's side, Admiral Cunningham, hadbrought this weapon, with others, from the Far East. It lay for fiftyyears in our gun-room at Glen Tochan. "

"So you met Sir Alan soon after his return home?"

"Yes, in London, the day he arrived. Came to town on purpose, in fact. Afterwards I travelled North, and he went to Beechcroft. "

"How long afterwards? Be particular as to dates. "

"It is quite a simple matter, owing to the season. Alan reached CharingCross from Brindisi on December 20. We remained together--that is, livedat the same hotel, paid calls in company, visited the same restaurants, went to the same theatres--until the night of the 23rd, when we parted. Itis a tradition of my family that the members of it should spend Christmastogether. "

"A somewhat unusual tradition in Scotland, is it not?"

"Yes, but it was my mother's wish, so my father and I keep the custom up. "

"Your father is still living?"

"Yes, thank goodness!"

"He is now the sixth baronet?"

"He is not. Neither he nor I will assume the title while the successionbears the taint of crime. "

"Did you quarrel with your cousin in London?"

"Not by word or thought. He seemed to be surprised when I told him of myengagement to Helen, but he warmly congratulated me. One afternoon he wasa trifle short-tempered, but not with me. "

"Tell me about this. "

"His sister is, or was then, a rather rapid young lady. She discoveredthat certain money-lenders would honour her drafts on her brother, and shehad been going the pace somewhat heavily. Alan went to see her, told herto stop this practice, and sent formal notice to the same effect throughhis solicitors to the bill discounters. It annoyed him, not on account ofthe money, but that his sister should act in such a way, "

"Ah, this is important! It was not mentioned at the trial. "

"Why should it be?"

"Who can say? I wish to goodness I had helped your butler to raise SirAlan's lifeless body. But about this family dispute. Was there ascene--tears, recriminations?"

"Not a bit. You don't know Rita. We used to call her Rita because, asboys, we teased her by saying her name was Margharita, and not Margaret"

"Why?"

"She has such a foreign manner and style. " "How did she acquire them?"

"She was a big girl, six years old, and tall for her age, when her parentssettled down in England. She first spoke Italian, and picked up Italianways from her nurse, an old party who was devotedly attached to her. EvenAlan was a good Italian linguist, and given to foreign manners when alittle chap. But Harrow soon knocked them out of him. Rita retained them. "

"I see. A curious household. I should have expected this young lady toupbraid her brother after the style of the prima donna in grand opera. "

"No. He told me she laughed at him, and invited him to witness the tryingon of a fancy dress costume, the 'Queen of Night, ' which she wore at a_bal masqué_ the night he was murdered. "

"When did she get married?"

"Last January, at Naples, very suddenly, and without the knowledge of anyof her relatives. "

"She had been living at Beechcroft nearly a year, then?"

"Yes, she went South in the winter. The reason she gave was that the Hallwould be depressing on the anniversary of her brother's death. She hadbecome most popular in the district. Helen is very fond of her, and wasquite shocked to hear of her marriage. The local people do not like SignorCapella. "

"Why?"

"It is difficult to give a reason. Miss Layton does not indulge indetails, but that is the impression I gather from her letters. "

Hume paused, and Brett shot a quick glance at him. 

"Finish what you were going to say, " he said. 

"Only this--Helen and I have mutually released each other from ourengagement, and in the same breath have refused to be released. That is, if you understand--"

The barrister nodded. 

"The result is that we are both thoroughly miserable. Our respectivefathers do not like the idea of our marriage under the circumstances. Weare simply drifting in the feeble hope that some day a kindly Providencewill dissipate the cloud that hangs over me. Ah, Mr. Brett, I am a richman. Command the limits of my fortune, but clear me. Prove to Helen thather faith in my innocence is justified. "

"For goodness' sake light another cigarette, " snapped the barrister. "Youhave interfered with my line of thought. It is all wriggly. "

Quite a minute elapsed before he began again. 

"What caused the trouble at Mrs. Eastham's ball?"

"I think I can explain that. It seems that Alan's father told him to getmarried--"

"Told him!"

"Well, left instructions. "

"How?"

"I do not know. I only gathered as much from my cousin's remarks. Well, itwas not until his final home-coming that he realised what a beautifulwoman the jolly little girl he knew as a boy had developed into. She wasjust the kind of wife he wanted, and I fancy he imagined I had stolen amarch on him. But he was a thoroughly straightforward, manly fellow, andsomething very much out of the common must have upset him before he ventedhis anger on me and Helen. "

"Have you any notion--"

"Not the least. Pardon me. I suppose you were going to ask if I guessedthe cause?"

"Yes. "

"It is quite unfathomable. We parted the best of friends in London, although he knew all about the engagement. We met again at 6 p. M. On NewYear's Eve, and he was very short with me. I can only vaguely assume thatsome feeling of resentment had meanwhile been working up in him, and itfound expression during his chat with Helen in the conservatory. "

"Did you use threats to him during the subsequent wrangle?"

"Threats! Good gracious, no. I was angry with him for spoiling MissLayton's enjoyment. I called him an ass, and said that he had better haveremained away another year than come back and make mischief. That is all. Mrs. Eastham was far more outspoken. "

"Indeed. What did she say?"

"She hinted that his temper was a reminiscence of his Southern birth, always a sore point with him, and contrasted me with him, to hisdisadvantage. All very unfair, of course, but, you see, she was thehostess, and Alan had upset her party very much. "

"So you walked home, and resolved to hold out the olive branch?"

"Most decidedly. I was older, perhaps a trifle more sedate. I knew thatHelen loved me. There were no difficulties in the way of our marriage, which was arranged for the following spring. Indeed, my second trial tookplace on the very date we had selected. It was my duty to use poor Alangently. Even his foolish and unreasonable jealousy was a compliment. "

Brett threw the scrap-book on to the table. He clasped his hands in frontof his knees, tucking his heels on the edge of his chair. 

"Mr. Hume, " he said slowly, gazing fixedly at the other, "I believe you. You did not kill your cousin. "

CHAPTER III

THE DREAM

"Thank you, " was the quiet answer. 

"You hinted at some supernatural influence in relation to this crime. Whatdid you mean?"

"Ah, that is the unpublished part of the affair. We are a Scots family, asour name implies. The first Sir Alan Frazer became a baronet owing to hisservices to King George during the '45 Rebellion. There was some troubleabout a sequestered estate--now our place in Scotland--which belonged tohis wife's brother, a Hume and a rebel. Anyhow, in 1763, he fought a duelwith Hume's son, his own nephew by marriage, and was killed. "

"Really, " broke in Brett, "this ancient history--"

"Is quite to the point. Sir Alan the first fought and died in front of thelibrary at Beechcroft. "

The barrister commenced to study the moulding in the centre of theceiling. 

"He was succeeded by his grandson, a little lad of eight. In 1807, after aheavy drinking bout, the second Sir Alan Hume-Frazer cut his throat, andchose the scene of his ancestor's duel for the operation. "

"A remarkable coincidence!"

"In 1842, during a bread riot, the third baronet was stabbed with apitchfork whilst facing a mob in the same place. Then a long intervaloccurred. Again a small child became the heir. Three years ago the fourthbaronet expired whilst the library windows were being opened to admit thelitter on which he was carried from the hunting-field. The fate of thefifth you know. "

Brett's chair emitted a series of squeaks as he urged it closer to thewall. At the proper distance he stretched out his leg and pressed anelectric bell with his toe. 

"Decanters and syphons, Smith, " he cried, when the door opened. 

"Which do you take, whisky or brandy, Mr. Hume?" he inquired. 

"Whisky. But I assure you I am quite serious. These things--"

"Serious! If my name were Hume-Frazer, nothing less than a runawaysteam-engine would take me to Beechcroft. I have never previously heardsuch a marvellous recital. "

"We are a stiff-necked race. My uncle and cousin knew how strangely Fatehad pursued every heir to the title, yet each hoped that in his person thetragic sequence would be broken. Oddly enough, my father holds that thefamily curse, or whatever it is, has now exhausted itself. "

"What grounds has he for the belief?"

"None, save a Highlander's readiness to accept signs and portents. Look atthis seal. "

He unfastened from his waistcoat his watch and chain, with a small bunchof pendants attached, and handed them to Brett. The latter examined theseal with deep interest. It was cut into a bloodstone, and showed a stag'shead, surmounted by five pointed rays, like a crown of daggers. 

"I cannot decipher the motto, " he said; "what is it?"

"Fortis et audax. "

"Hum! 'Strong and bold. ' A stiff-necked legend, too. "

He reached to his bookcase for Burke's "General Armoury. " After a briefsearch, he asked:

"Do you know anything about heraldry?"

"Nothing whatever. "

"Then listen to this. The crest of your, house is: 'A stag's head, erasedargent, charged with a star of five rays gules. ' It is peculiar. "

"Yes, so my father says; but why does it appeal to you in that way?"

"Because 'erased' means, in this instance, a stag's head torn forciblyfrom the body, the severed part being jagged like the teeth of a saw. And'gules' means 'red. ' Now, such heraldic rays are usually azure or blue. "

"By Jove, you have hit upon the old man's idea. He contends that thosefive blood-coloured points signify the founder of the baronetcy and hisfour lineal descendants. Moreover, the race is now extinct in the directsuccession. The title goes to a collateral branch. "

Brett stroked his chin thoughtfully. 

"It is certainly very strange, " he murmured, "that the dry-as-dustknowledge of some member of the College of Heralds should evolve thesearmorial bearings with their weird significance. Does this account foryour allusion to the supernatural?"

"Partly. Do not forget my dream. "

"Tell it to me. "

"During the trials, my counsel, a very able man, by the way--you know him, of course, Mr. Dobbie, K. C. --only referred to the fact that I dreamed mycousin was in some mortal danger, and that my exclamation 'He ismurdered!' was really a startled comment on my part induced by thebutler's words. That is not correct. I never told Mr. Dobbie the detailsof my dream, or vision. "

"Oh, didn't you? Men have been hanged before to-day because they thoughtthey could construct a better line of defence than their counsel. "

"I had nothing to defend. I was innocent. Moreover, I knew I should not beconvicted. "

The barrister well remembered the view of the case taken by the Bar mess. Even the redoubtable Dobbie was afraid of the jury. His face must haveconveyed dubiety with respect to Hume's last remark, for the othercontinued eagerly:

"It is quite true. Wait until I have concluded. After the footman broughtthe whisky and soda to the library that night I took a small quantity, andpulled an easy-chair in front of the fire. I was tired, having travelledall the preceding night and part of the day. Hence the warmth and comfortsoon sent me to sleep. I have a hazy recollection of the man coming in toput some coal on the fire. In a sub-conscious fashion I knew that it wasnot my cousin, but a servant. I settled down a trifle more comfortably, and everything became a blank. Then I thought I awoke. I looked outthrough the windows, and, to my astonishment, it was broad daylight. Thetrees, too, were covered with leaves, the sun was shining, and there wasevery evidence of a fine day in early summer. In some indefinite way Irealised that the library was no longer the room which I knew. Thefurniture and carpets were different. The books were old-fashioned. A veryhandsome spinning-wheel stood near the open window. There was no litter ofnewspapers or magazines. 

"Before I could begin to piece together these curious discrepancies in thenormal condition of things, I saw two men riding up the avenue, where theyew trees, by the way, were loftier and finer in every way than thosereally existing. The horsemen were dressed in such strange fashion that, unfortunately, I paid little heed to their faces. They wore frilledwaistcoats, redingotes with huge lapels and turned-back cuffs, three-cornered hats, and gigantic boots. They dismounted when close to thehouse. One man held both horses; the other advanced. I was just going tolook him straight in the face when another figure appeared, coming fromthat side of the hall where the entrance is situated. This was a gentlemanin very elegant garments, hatless, with powdered queue, pink satin coatembroidered with lace, pink satin small-clothes, white silk stockings, andlow shoes. As he walked, a smart cane swung from his left wrist by a silktassel, and he took a pinch of snuff from an ivory box. 

"The two men met and seemed to have a heated argument, bitter andpassionate on one side, studiously scornful on the other. This was all indumb show. Not a word did I hear. My amazed wits were fully taken up withnoting their clothes, their postures, the trappings of the horses, theeighteenth century aspect of the library. Strange, is it not, I did notlook at their faces?"

Hume paused to gulp down the contents of his tumbler. Brett said not aword, but sat intent, absorbed, wondering, with eyes fixed on the speaker. 

"All at once the dispute became vehement. The more stylishly attired mandisappeared, but returned instantly with a drawn sword in his hand. Thestranger, as we may call him, whipped out a claymore, and the two foughtfiercely. By Jove, it was no stage combat or French duel. They went foreach other as if they meant it. There was no stopping to take breath, nordrawing apart after a foiled attack. Each man tried to kill the other asspeedily as possible. Three times they circled round in furioussword-play. Then the stranger got his point home. The other, in mortalagony, dropped his weapon, and tried with both hands to tear hisadversary's blade from his breast. He failed, and staggered back, thevictor still shoving the claymore through his opponent's body. Then, andnot until then, I saw the face of the man who was wounded, probablykilled. It was my cousin, Alan Hume-Fraser. "

David Hume stopped again. His bronzed face was pale now. With his lefthand he swept huge drops of perspiration from his brow. But his classdemands coolness in the most desperate moments. He actually struck a matchand relighted his cigarette. 

"I suppose you occasionally have a nightmare after an indigestible supper, Mr. Brett, " he went on, "and have experienced a peculiar sensation of dumbpalsy in the presence of some unknown but terrifying danger? Well, suchwas my exact state at that moment. Alan fell, apparently lifeless. Thestranger kissed his blood-stained sword, which required a strong tugbefore he could disengage it, rattled it back into the scabbard, rejoinedhis companion, and the two rode off, without once looking back. I can seethem now, square-shouldered, with hair tied in a knot beneath their quainthats, their hips absurdly swollen by the huge pockets of their coats, their boots hanging over their knees. They wore big brass spurs withtremendous rowels, and the cantles of their saddles were high andbrass-bound. 

"Alan lay motionless. I could neither speak nor move. Whether I wassitting or standing I cannot tell you, nor do I know how I was supposed tobe attired, A darkness came over my eyes. Then a voice--Helen'svoice--whispered to me, 'Fear not, dearest; the wrong is avenged. ' Iawoke, to find the trembling butler shouting in my ear that his master waslying dead outside the house. Now, Mr. Brett, I ask you, would you havesubmitted that fairy tale to a jury? I was quite assured of a verdict inmy favour, though the first disagreement almost shook my faith in Helen'spromise, but I did not want to end my days in a criminal lunatic asylum. "

He did not appear to expect an answer. He was quite calm again, and evenhis eyes had lost their intensity. The mere telling of his uncannyexperience had a soothing effect. He nonchalantly readjusted his watch andchain, and noted the time. 

"I have gone far beyond my stipulated half hour, " he said, forcing adeprecatory smile. 

"Yes; far beyond, indeed. You carried me back to 1763, but Heaven aloneknows when you will end. "

"Will you take up my case?"

"Can you doubt it? Do you think I would throw aside the most remarkablecriminal puzzle I have ever tackled?"

"Mr. Brett, I cannot find words to thank you. If you succeed--and youinspire me with confidence--Helen and I will strive to merit your lifelongfriendship. "

"Miss Layton knows the whole of your story, of course?"

"Yes; she and my father only. I must inform you that I had never heard thefull reason of the duel between the first Sir Alan and his nephew. But myfather knew it fairly well, and the details fitted in exactly with myvision. I can hardly call it a dream. "

"What was the nephew's name?"

"David Hume!"

Brett jumped up, and paced about the room. 

"These coincidences defy analysis, " he exclaimed. "Your Christian name isDavid. Your surname joins both families. Why, the thing is a romance ofthe wildest sort. "

"Unhappily, it has a tragic side for me. "

"Yes; the story cannot end here. You and your _fiancée_ have suffered. Miss Layton must be a very estimable young lady--one worth winning. Shewill be a true and loyal wife. "

"Do you think you will be able to solve the riddle? Someone murdered mycousin. "

"That is our only solid fact at present. The family tradition is passingstrange, but it will not serve in a court of law. I may fail, for thefirst time, but I will try hard. When can you accompany me to Stowmarket?"

The question disconcerted his eager auditor. The young man's countenanceclouded. 

"Is it necessary that I should go there?" he asked. 

"Certainly. You must throw aside all delicacy of feeling, sacrifice evenyour own sentiments. That is the one locality where you don't wish to beseen, of course?"

"It is indeed. "

"I cannot help that. I must have the assistance of your local and familyknowledge to decide the knotty points sure to arise when I begin theinquiry. Can you start this afternoon?"

"Yes. "

"Very well. Come and lunch with me at my club. Then we will separate, tomeet again at Liverpool Street. Smith! Pack my traps for a week. "

Brett was in the hall now, but he suddenly stopped his companion. 

"By the way, Hume, you may like to wire to Miss Layton. My man will sendthe telegram for you. "

David Hume's barrier of proud reserve vanished from that instant. Thekindly familiarity of the barrister's words to one who, during many wearydays, suspected all men of loathing him as a murderer at large, wasdirected by infinite tact. 

Hume held out his hand, "You _are_ a good chap, " he said. 

CHAPTER IV

THROUGH THE LIBRARY WINDOW

Hume did not send a telegram to the Sleagill Rectory. He explained that, owing to the attitude adopted by the Rev. Wilberforce Layton, Helenavoided friction with her father by receiving his (Hume's) letters undercover to Mrs. Eastham. 

The younger man was quick to note that Brett did not like thisarrangement. He smilingly protested that there was no deception In thematter. 

"Helen would never consent to anything that savoured of subterfuge, " heexplained. "Her father knows well that she hears from me constantly. He isa studious, reserved old gentleman. He was very much shocked by thetragedy, and his daughter's innocent association with it. He told me quiteplainly that, under the circumstances, I ought to consider the engagementat an end. Possibly I resented an imputation not intended by him. I madesome unfair retort about his hyper-sensitiveness, and promptly sent Helena formal release. She tore it up, and at the same time accepted it so faras I was concerned. We met at Mrs. Eastham's house--that good lady hasremained my firm friend throughout--and I don't mind telling you, Brett, that I broke down utterly. Well, we began by sending messages to eachother through Mrs. Eastham. Then I forwarded to Helen, in the same way, acopy of a rough diary of my travels. She wrote to me direct; I replied. The position now is that she will not marry me without her father'sconsent, and she will marry no one else. He is aware of ourcorrespondence. She always tells him of my movements. The poor old rectoris worried to know how to act for the best. His daughter's happiness is atstake, and so my unhappy affairs have drifted aimlessly for more than ayear. "

"The drifting must cease, " said Brett decisively. "Beechcroft Hall willprobably provide scope for activity. "

They reached Stowmarket by a late train. Next morning they drove toSleagill--a pretty village, with a Norman church tower standing squarelyin the midst of lofty trees, and white-washed cottages and red-tiledvilla-residences nestling in gardens. 

"A bower of orchards and green lanes, " murmured the barrister as theirdog-cart sped rapidly over the smooth highway. 

Hume was driving. He pointed out the rectory. His eyes were eagerlysearching the lawn and the well-trimmed garden, but he was denied a sightof his divinity. The few people they encountered gazed at them curiously. Hume was seemingly unrecognised. 

"Here is Mrs. Eastham's house, " he said, checking the horse's pace as theyapproached a roomy, comfortable-looking mansion, occupying an angle wherethe village street sharply bifurcated. "And there is Beechcroft!"

The lodge faced the road along which they were advancing. Beyond the gatesthe yew-lined drive, with its selvages of deep green turf, led straight tothe Elizabethan house a quarter of a mile distant. The ground in the rearrose gently through a mile or more of the home park. 

Immediately behind the Hall was a dense plantation of spruce and larch. The man who planned the estate evidently possessed both taste and spirit. It presented a beautiful and pleasing picture. A sense of homeliness wasgiven by a number of Alderney cattle and young hunters grazing in the parkon both sides of the avenue. Beechcroft had a reputation in metropolitansale-rings. Its two-year-olds were always in demand. 

"We will leave the conveyance here, " announced Brett "I prefer to walk tothe house. "

The hotel groom went to the horse's head. He did not hear the barrister'squestion:

"I suppose both you and your cousin quitted Mrs. Eastham's house by thatside-door and entered the park through the wicket?"

"Yes, " assented Hume, "though I fail to see why you should hit upon theside-door rather than the main entrance. "

"Because the ball-room is built out at the back. It was originally agranary. The conservatory opens into the garden on the other side. Asthere was a large number of guests, Mrs. Eastham required all her frontrooms for supper and extra servants, so she asked people to halt theircarriages at the side-door. I would not be surprised if the gentlemen'scloak-room was provided by the saddle-room there, whilst the yard wascarpeted and covered with an awning. "

Brett rattled on in this way, heedless of his companion's blank amazement, perhaps secretly enjoying it. 

Hume was so taken aback that he stood poised on the step of the vehicleand forgot to slip the reins into the catch on the splashboard. 

"I told you none of these things, " he cried. 

"Of course not. They are obvious. But tell this good lady that we aregoing to the Hall. "

Both the main gate and wicket were fastened, and the lodge-keeper's wifewas gazing at them through the bars. 

"Hello, Mrs. Crowe, don't you know me?" cried Hume. 

"My gracious, It's Mr. David!" gasped the woman. 

"Why are the gates locked?"

"Mrs. Capella is not receiving visitors, sir. "

"Is she ill?"

"No, sir. Indisposed, I think Mr. Capella said. "

"Well, she will receive me, at any rate. "

"No doubt, sir, it will be all right. "

She hesitatingly unbarred the wicket, and the two men entered. They walkedslowly up the drive. Hume was restless. Twice he looked behind him. 

He stopped. 

"It was here, " he said, "that the two men dismounted. "

Then a few yards farther on:

"Alan came round from the door there, and they fought here. Alan forcedthe stranger on to the turf. When he was stabbed he fell here. "

He pointed to a spot where the road commenced to turn to the left to clearthe house. Brett watched him narrowly. The young man was describing hisdream, not the actual murder. The vision was far more real to him. 

"It was just such a day as this, " he continued. "It might have been almostthis hour. The library windows--"

He ceased and looked fixedly towards the house. Brett, too, gazed insilence. They saw a small, pale-faced, exceedingly handsome Italian--ayoung man, with coal-black eyes and a mass of shining black hair--scowlingat them from within the library. 

A black velvet coat and a brilliant tie were the only bizarre features ofhis costume. They served sufficiently to enhance his foreign appearance. Such a man would be correctly placed in the marble frame of a Neapolitanvilla; here he was unusual, _outré_, "un-English, " as Brett put it. 

But he was evidently master. He flung open the window, and said, with somedegree of hauteur:

"Whom do you wish to see? Can I be of any assistance?"

His accent was strongly marked, but his words were well chosen and civilenough, had his tone accorded with their sense. As it was, he might bedeemed rude. 

Brett advanced. 

"Are you Signor Capella?" he inquired. 

"Mr. Capella. Yes. "

"Then you can, indeed, be of much assistance. This gentleman is Mrs. Capella's cousin, Mr. David Hume-Frazer. "

"Corpo di Baccho!"

The Italian was completely taken by surprise. His eyebrows suddenly stoodout in a ridge. His sallow skin could not become more pallid; to showemotion he flushed a swarthy red. Beyond the involuntary exclamation inhis own language, he could not find words. 

"Yes, " explained the smiling Brett, "he is a near relative of yours bymarriage. We were told by the lodge-keeper that Mrs. Capella wasindisposed, but under the circumstances we felt assured that she wouldreceive her cousin--unless, that is, she is seriously ill. "

"It is an unexpected pleasure, this visit. "

Capella replied to the barrister, but looked at Hume. He had an unpleasanthabit of parting his lips closely to his teeth, like the silent snarl of adog. 

"Undoubtedly. We both apologise for not having prepared you. "

Brett's smooth, even voice seemed to exasperate the other, who continuedto block the library window in uncompromising manner. 

"And you, sir. May I ask who you are?"

"My name is Brett, Reginald Brett, a friend of Mr. Hume's--who, I maymention, does not use his full surname at present. "

The Italian was compelled to turn his glittering eyes upon the man whoaddressed him so glibly. 

"I am sorry, " he said slowly, "but Mrs. Capella is too unwell to meeteither of you to-day. "

"Ah! We share your regrets. Nevertheless, as a preliminary to our purpose, you will serve our needs equally well. May we not come in?"

Capella was faced with difficult alternatives. He must either bediscourteous to two gentlemanly strangers, one of them his wife'srelative, or admit them with some show of politeness. An Italian may berude, he can never be _gauche_. Having decided, Capella ushered them intothe library with quick transition to dignified ease. 

He asked if he might ring for any refreshments. Hume, who glared at hishost with uncompromising hostility, and had not taken any part in theconversation, shook his head. 

Brett surprised both, for different reasons, by readily falling in withCapella's suggestion. 

"A whisky and soda would be most grateful, " he said. 

The Italian moved towards the bell. 

"Permit me!" cried Brett. 

He rose in awkward haste, and upset his chair with a loud crash on theparquet floor. 

"How stupid of me!" he exclaimed, whilst Hume wondered what had happenedto flurry the barrister, and Capella smothered a curse. 

A distant bell jangled. By tacit consent, there was no further talk untila servant appeared. The man was a stranger to Hume. 

Oddly enough, Brett took but a very small allowance of the spirit. Inreality, he hated alcohol in any form during the earlier hours. He waswont to declare that it not only disturbed his digestion but destroyed histaste for tobacco. Hume did not yet know what a concession to excitingcircumstances his new-found friend had made the previous day in orderingspirits before luncheon. 

When the servant vanished, Capella settled himself in his chair with theair of a man awaiting explanations. Yet he was restless and disturbed. Hewas afraid of these two. Why? Brett determined to try the effect ofgeneralities. 

"You probably guess the object of our visit?" he began. 

"I? No. How should I guess?"

"As the husband of a lady so closely connected with Mr. Hume--"

But the Italian seemed to be firmly resolved to end the suspense. 

"Caramba!" he broke in. "What is it?"

"It is this. Mr. Hume has asked me to help him in the investigation ofcertain--"

The library door swung open, and a lady entered. She was tall, graceful, distinguished-looking. Her cousinship to Hume was unmistakable. In boththere was the air of aristocratic birth. Their eyes, the contour of theirfaces, were alike. But the fresh Anglo-Saxon complexion of the man wasreplaced in the woman by a peach-like skin, whilst her hair and eyebrowswere darker. 

She was strikingly beautiful. A plain black dress set off a figure thatwould have caused a sculptor to dream of chiselled marble. 

"A passionate, voluptuous woman, " thought Brett. "A woman easily swayed, but never to be compelled, the ready-made heroine of a tragedy. "

Her first expression was one of polite inquiry, but her glance fell uponHume. Her face, prone to betray each fleeting emotion, exhibited surprise, almost consternation. 

"You, Davie!" she gasped. 

Hume went to meet her. 

"Yes, Rita, " he said. "I hope you are glad to see me. "

Mrs. Capella was profoundly agitated, but she held out her hand andsummoned the quick smile of an actress. 

"Of course I am, " she cried. "I did not know you were in England. Why didyou not let me know, and why are you here?"

"I only returned home three days ago. My journey to Beechcroft was a hastyresolve. This is my friend, Mr. Reginald Brett. He was just about toexplain to Mr. Capella the object of our visit when you came in. "

Neither husband nor wife looked at the other. Mrs. Capella was flustered, indulging in desperate surmises, but she laughed readily enough. 

"I heard a noise in this room, and then the bell rang. I thought somethinghad happened. You know--I mean, I thought there was no one here. "

"I fear that I am the culprit, Mrs. Capella. Your husband was good enoughto invite us to enter by the window, and I promptly disturbed thehousehold. "

Brett's pleasant tones came as a relief. Capella glared at him now withundisguised hostility, for the barrister's adroit ruse had outwitted himby bringing the lady from the drawing-room, which gave on to the gardenand lawn at the back of the house. 

"Please do not take the blame of my intrusion, Mr. Brett, " said Margaret, with forced composure. "You will stay for luncheon, will you not? And you, Davie? Are you at Mrs. Eastham's?"

Her concluding question was eager, almost wistful. Her cousin answered itfirst. 

"No, " he said. "We have driven over from Stowmarket. "

"And, unfortunately, " put in the barrister, "we are pledged to visit Mrs. Eastham within an hour. "

The announcement seemed to please Mrs. Capella, for some reason at presenthidden from Brett. Hume, of course, was mystified by the course taken byhis friend, but held his peace. 

Capella brusquely interfered:

"Perhaps, Rita, these gentlemen would now like to make the explanationwhich you prevented. "

He moved towards the door. So that his wife could rest under no doubt asto his wishes, he held it open for her. 

"No, no!" exclaimed Brett. "This matter concerns Mrs. Capella personally. You probably forget that we asked to be allowed to see her in the firstinstance, but you told us that she was too unwell to receive us. "

For an instant Margaret gazed at the Italian with imperious scorn. Thenshe deliberately turned her back on him, and seated herself close to hercousin. 

Capella closed the door and walked to the library window. 

Hume openly showed his pained astonishment at this little scene. Bretttreated the incident as a domestic commonplace. 

"The fact is, " he explained, "that your cousin, Mrs. Capella, has soughtmy assistance in order to clear his name of the odium attached to it bythe manner of Sir Alan Hume-Frazer's death. At my request he brought mehere. In this house, in this very room, such an inquiry should have itsorigin, wherever it may lead ultimately. "

The lady's cheeks became ashen. Her large eyes dilated. 

"Is not that terrible business ended yet?" she cried. "I little dreamedthat such could be the object of your visit, Davie. What has happened--"

The Italian swung round viciously. 

"If you come here as a detective, Mr. Brett, " he snapped, "I refer you tothe police. Mr. Hume-Frazer is known to them. "

CHAPTER V

FROM BEHIND THE HEDGE

The man's swarthy rage added force to the taunt. David Hume leaped up, butBrett anticipated him, gripping his arm firmly, and without ostentation. 

Margaret, too, had risen. She appeared to be battling with some powerfulemotion, choking back a fierce impulse. For an instant the situation waselectrical. Then the woman's clear tones rang through the room. 

"I am mistress here, " she cried, "Giovanni, remain silent or leave us. Howdare you, of all men, speak thus to my cousin?"

Certainly the effect of the barrister's straightforward statement wasunlooked-for. But Brett felt that a family quarrel would not further hisobject at that moment. It was necessary to stop the imminent outburst, forDavid Hume and Giovanni Capella were silently challenging each other tomortal combat. What a place of ill-omen to the descendants of the Georgianbaronet was this sun-lit library with its spacious French windows!

"Of course, " said the barrister, speaking as quietly as if he werediscussing the weather, "such a topic is an unpleasant one. It is, however, unavoidable. My young friend here is determined, at all costs, todiscover the secret of Sir Alan's murder. It is imperative that he shoulddo so. The happiness of his whole life depends upon his success. Untilthat mystery is solved he cannot marry the woman he loves. "

"Do you mean Helen Layton?" Margaret's syllables might have been so manymortal daggers. 

"Yes. "

"Is David still in love with her?"

"Yes. "

"And she with him?"

David Hume broke in:

"Yes, Rita. She has been faithful to the end. "

A very forcible Italian oath came from Capella as he passed through thewindow and strode rapidly out of sight, passing to the left of the house, where one of the lines of yew trees ended in a group of conservatories. 

Margaret was now deadly white. She pressed her hand to her bosom. 

"Forgive me, " she sobbed. "I do not feel well. You will both be alwayswelcome here. Let no one interfere with you. But I must leave you. Thisafternoon--"

She staggered to the door. Her cousin caught her. 

"Thank you, Davie, " she whispered. "Leave me now. I will be all rightsoon. My heart troubles me. No. Do not ring. Let us keep our miseries fromthe servants. "

She passed out, leaving Hume and the barrister uncertain how best to actThe situation had developed with a vengeance. Brett was more bewilderedthan ever before in his life. 

"That scoundrel killed Alan, and now he wants to kill his own wife!"growled Hume, when they were alone. 

Brett looked through him rather than at him. He was thinking intently. Fora long time--minutes it seemed to his fuming companion--he remainedmotionless, with glazed, immovable eyes. Then he awoke to action. 

"Quick!" he cried. "Tell me if this room has changed much since you werelast here. Is the furniture the same? Is that the writing-table? Whatchair did you sit in? Where was it placed? Quick, man! You have wastedeighteen months. Give me no opinions, but facts. "

Thus admonished, scared somewhat by the barrister's volcanic energy, Humeobeyed him. 

"There is no material change in the room, " he said. "The secretaire is thesame. You see, here is the drawer which was broken open. It bears themarks of the implement used to force the lock. I think I sat in thischair, or one like it. It was placed here. My face was turned towards thefire, yet in my dream I was looking through the centre window. TheJapanese sword rested here. I showed you where Alan's body was found. "

The young man darted about the room to illustrate each sentence. Brettfollowed his words and actions without comment. He grabbed his hat andstick. 

"We will return later in the day, " he said. "Let us go at once and call onMrs. Eastham. "

"Mrs. Eastham! Why?"

"Because I want to see Miss Helen Layton. The old lady can send for her. "

Hume needed no urging. He could not walk fast enough. They had gone ahundred yards from the house when Brett suddenly stopped and checked hiscompanion. 

Behind the yew trees on the left, and rendered invisible by a stout hedge, a man was running--running at top speed, with the labouring breath of oneunaccustomed to the exercise. The barrister sprang over the strip of turf, passed among the trees, and plunged into the hedge regardless of thorns. He came back instantly. 

"There is a footpath across the park, leading towards the lodge gates. Where does it come out?" he asked, speaking rapidly in a low tone. 

"It enters, the road near the avenue, close to the gates. It leads from afarmhouse. "

"A lady is walking through the park towards the lodge. Capella is runningto intercept her. Come! We may hear something. "

Brett set off at a rapid pace along the turf. Hume followed, and soon theywere near the lodge. Mrs. Crowe saw them, and came out. 

"Stop her!" gasped Brett. 

Hume signalled the woman not to open the gate. She watched them withopen-mouthed curiosity. The barrister slowed down and quietly made his wayto the leafy angle where the avenue hedge joined that which shut off thepark from the road. 

He held up a warning hand. Hume stepped warily behind him, and both menlooked through a portion of the hedge where briars were supplanted byhazel bushes. 

Capella was standing panting near a stile. A girl, dressed in muslin, andwearing a large straw hat, was approaching. 

"Great Heavens! It is Helen!" exclaimed Hume. 

Brett grasped his shoulder. 

"Restrain yourself, " he whispered earnestly. "Luckily, Capella has notheard you. I regret the necessity which makes us eavesdroppers, but it isa fortunate accident, all the same. Not a word! Remember what is atstake. "

They could not see the Italian's face. His back was heaving from theviolence of his exertion. Miss Layton was walking rapidly towards thestile. Obviously she had perceived the waiting man, and she was notpleased. 

Her pretty face, flushed and sunburnt, wore the strained aspect of a womanannoyed, but trying to be civil. 

It was she who took the initiative. 

"Good day, Mr. Capella, " she said pleasantly. "Why on earth did you run sofast?"

"Because I wished to be here before you, Miss Layton, " replied the man, his voice tremulous with excitement. 

"Then I wish I had known, because I could have beaten you easily if youmeant to race me. "

"That was not my object. "

"Well, now you have attained it, whatever it may have been, please allowme to get over the stile. I will be late for luncheon. My father wished meto ascertain how Farmer Burton is progressing after his spill. He wasthrown from his dog-cart whilst coming from the Bury St. Edmund's fair. "

It was easy for the listeners behind the hedge to gather that the girl'saffable manner was affected. She was really somewhat alarmed. Her eyeswandered to the high road to see if anyone was approaching, and she keptat some distance from the Italian. 

"Do not play with me, Nellie, " said Capella, in agonised accents. "I amconsumed with love of you. Can you not, at least, give me your pity?"

"Mr. Capella, " she cried, and none but one blind to all save his ownpassionate desires could fail to note her lofty disdain, "how can you beso base as to use such language to me?"

"Base! To love you!"

"Again I say it--base and unmanly. What have I done that you shouldventure to so insult your charming wife, not to speak of the insult tomyself? When you so far forgot yourself a fortnight ago as to hint at youroutrageous ideas regarding me, I forced myself to remember that you werenot an Englishman, that perhaps in your country there may be a social codewhich permits a man to dishonour his home and to annoy a defencelesswoman. I cannot forgive you a second time. Let me pass! Let me pass, Itell you, or I will strike you!"

Brett, in his admiration for the spirited girl who, notwithstanding herprotestations, seemed to be anything but "defenceless, " momentarily forgothis companion. 

A convulsive tightening of Hume's muscles, preparatory to a leap throughthe hedge, warned him in time. 

"Idiot!" he whispered, as he clutched him again. 

Were not the others so taken up with the throbbing influences of themoment they must have heard the rustling of the leaves. But they paidlittle heed to external affairs. The Italian was speaking. 

"Nellie, " he said, "you will drive me mad. But listen, carissima. If I maynot love you, I can at least defend you. David Hume-Frazer, the man whomurdered my wife's brother, has returned, and openly boasts that you arewaiting to marry him. "

"Boasts! To whom, pray?"

"To me. I heard him say this not fifteen minutes since. "

"Where? You do not know him. He could not be here without my knowledge. "

"Then it is true. You do intend to marry this unconvicted felon?"

"Mr. Capella, I really think you are what English people call 'cracked. '"

"But you believe me--that this man has come to Beechcroft?"

"It may be so. He has good reasons, doubtless, for keeping his presencehere a secret. Whatever they may be, I shall soon know them. "

"Helen, he is not worthy of you. He cannot give you a love fierce as mine. Nay, I will not be repelled. Hear me. My wife is dying. I will be free ina few months. Bid me to hope. I will not trouble you. I will go away, butI swear, if you marry Frazer, neither he nor you will long enjoy yourhappiness!"

The girl made no reply, but sprang towards the stile in sheer desperation. Capella strove to take her in his arms, not indeed with intent to offerher any violence; but she met his lover-like ardour with such a vigorousbuffet that he lost his temper. 

He caught her. She had almost surmounted the stile, but her dress hamperedher movements. The Italian, vowing his passion in an ardent flow of words, endeavoured to kiss her. 

Then, with a sigh, for he would have preferred to avoid an open rupture, Brett let go his hold on Hume. Indeed, if he had not done so, there musthave been a fight on both sides of the hedge. 

He turned away at once to light a cigarette. What followed immediately hadno professional interest for him. 

But he could not help hearing Helen's shriek of delighted surprise, andcertain other sounds which denoted that Giovanni was being used as afootball by his near relative by marriage. 

Mrs. Crowe came out of her cottage. 

"What's a-goin' on in the park, sir?" she inquired anxiously. 

"A great event, " he said. "Faust is kicking Mephistopheles. "

"Drat them colts!" she cried, adding, after taking thought; "but wehaven't any horses of them names, sir. "

"No! You surprise me. They are of the best Italian pedigree. "

Meanwhile, he was achieving his object, which was to drive Mrs. Crowe backtowards the wicket. 

Helen's voice came to them shrilly:

"That will do, Davie! Do you hear me?"

"Why, bless my 'eart, there's Miss Layton, " said Mrs. Crowe. 

"What a fine little boy this is!" exclaimed Brett, stooping over acurly-haired urchin. "Is he the oldest?"

"Good gracious, sir, no. He's the youngest. "

"Dear me, I would not have thought so. You must have been married veryearly. Here, my little man, see what you can buy for half-a-crown. "

"What a nice gentleman he is, to be sure, " thought the lodge-keeper'swife, when Brett passed through the smaller gate, assured that thestruggle in the park had ended. 

"Just fancy 'im a-thinkin' Jimmy was the eldest, when I will be agrandmother come August if all goes well wi' Kate. "

The barrister signed to the groom to wait, and joined the young couple, who now appeared in the roadway. A haggard, dishevelled, and furious manburst through the avenue hedge and ran across the drive. 

"Mrs. Crowe, " he almost screamed, "do you see those two men there?"

"Yes, sir. "

The good woman was startled by her master's sudden appearance and hisexcited state. 

"They are never to be admitted to the grounds again. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir. "

Capella turned to rush away up the avenue, but he was compelled to limp. Mrs. Crowe watched him wonderingly, and tried to piece together in hermind the queer sounds and occurrences of the last two minutes. 

She had not long been in the cottage when the butler arrived. 

"You let two gentlemen in a while ago ?" he said. 

"I did. "

"One was Mr. David and the other a Mr. Brett?"

"Oh, was that the tall gentleman's name?"

"I expect so. Well, here's the missus's written order that whenever theywant to come to the 'ouse or go anywheres in the park it's O. K. "

Mrs. Crowe was wise enough to keep her own counsel, but when the butlerretired, she said:

"Then I'll obey the missus, an' master can settle it with her. I don'thold by Eye-talians, anyhow. "

CHAPTER VI

AN OLD ACQUAINTANCE

Helen was very much upset by the painful scene which had just beenenacted. Its vulgarity appalled her. In a little old-world hamlet likeSleagill, a riotous cow or frightened horse supplied sensation for a week. What would happen when it became known that the rector's daughter had beenattacked by the Squire of Beechcroft in the park meadow, and saved fromhis embraces only after a vigorous struggle, in which her defender wasDavid Hume-Frazer, concerning whom the villagers still spoke with batedbreath?

Of course, the girl imagined that many people must have witnessed theoccurrence. The appearance of Brett, of the waiting groom, and of a chancelabourer who now strode up the village street, led her to think so. 

She did not realise that the whole affair had barely lasted a minute, thatBrett was Hume's friend, the man-servant a stranger who had seen nothingand heard little, whilst the villager only wondered, when he touched hiscap, "why Miss Layton was so flustered like. "

Brett attributed her agitation to its right cause. He knew that thishealthy, high-minded, and athletic young woman went under no fear ofCapella and his ravings. 

"What happened when you jumped the hedge?" he said to Hume. 

"I handled that scoundrel somewhat roughly, " was the answer. "It wasNellie here who begged for mercy on his account. "

"Ah, well, the incident ended very pleasantly. No one saw what happenedsave the principals, a fortunate thing in itself. We want to prevent anine days' wonder just now. "

"Are you quite sure?" asked Miss Layton, overjoyed at this expression ofopinion, and secretly surprised at the interest taken by the barrister inthe affair, for Hume had not as yet found time to tell her his friend'sname. 

"Quite sure, Miss Layton, " he said, with the smile which made him such aprompt favourite with women. "I had nothing to do but observe the_mise-en-scéne_. The stage was quite clear for the chief actors. And now, may I make a suggestion? The longer we remain here the more likely are weto attract observation. Mr. Hume and I are going to call on Mrs. Eastham. May we expect you in an hour's time?"

"Can't you come in with us now?" exclaimed David eagerly. 

She laughed excitedly, being yet flurried The sudden appearance of herlover tried her nerves more than the Italian's passionate avowal. 

"No, indeed, " she cried. "I must go home. My father will forget all abouthis lunch otherwise, and I am afraid--I--w--ant to cry!"

Without another word she hurried off towards the rectory. 

"My dear fellow, " murmured Brett to the disconsolate Hume, "don't youunderstand? She cannot bear the constraint imposed by my presence at thismoment, nor could she meet Mrs. Eastham with any degree of composure. Now, this afternoon she will return a mere iceberg. Mrs. Eastham, I am sure, has tact. I am going to the Hall. You two will be left alone for hours. "

He turned aside to arrange with the groom concerning the care of thehorse, as they would be detained some time in the village. Then the twomen approached Mrs. Eastham's residence. 

That good person, a motherly old lady of over sixty, was not onlysurprised but delighted by the advent of David Hume. 

"My dear boy, " she cried, advancing to meet him with outstretched handswhen he entered the morning-room. "What fortunate wind has blown youhere?"

"I can hardly tell you, auntie, " he said--both Helen and he adopted thepleasing fiction of a relationship that did not exist--"you must ask Mr. Brett. "

Thus appealed to, the barrister set forth, in a few explicit words, theobject of their visit. 

"I hope and believe you will succeed, " said Mrs. Eastham impulsively. "Providence has guided your steps here at this hour. You cannot imaginehow miserable that man Capella makes me. "

"Why?" cried Hume, darting a look of surprise at Brett. 

"Because he is simply pestering Nellie with his attentions. There! I mustspeak plainly. He has gone to extremes that can no longer bemisinterpreted. In our small community, Mr. Brett, " she explained, "thoughwe dearly love a little gossip, we are slow to believe that a man marriedto such a charming if somewhat unconventional woman as MargaretHume-Frazer--I cannot train my tongue to call her Mrs. Capella--woulddeliberately neglect his wife and dare to demonstrate his unlawfulaffection for another woman, especially such a girl as Helen Layton. "

"How long has this been going on?" inquired Brett, for Hume was toofurious to speak. 

"For some months, but it is only a fortnight ago since Helen firstcomplained of it to me I promptly told Mr. Capella that I could notreceive him again at my house. He discovered that Nellie came here a gooddeal, and managed to call about the same time as she did. Then he foundthat she was interested in Japanese art, and as he is really clever inthat respect--"

"Clever, " interrupted the barrister. "Do you mean that he understandslacquer work, Satsuma ware, painting or inlaying? Is he a connoisseur or astudent?"

"It is all Greek to me!" exclaimed the old lady, "but unquestionably thebits of china and queer carvings he often brought here were verybeautiful. Nellie did not like him personally, but she could not deny hisknowledge and enthusiasm. Margaret, too, used to invite her to the Hall, for Miss Layton has great taste as an amateur gardener, Mr. Brett. Butthis friendship suddenly ceased. Mr. Capella became very strange andgloomy in his manner. At last Nellie told me that the wretched man haddared to utter words of love to her, hinting that his wife could not livelong, and that he would come in for her fortune. Now, as my poor girl hasbeen the most faithful soul that ever lived, never for an instant doubtingthat some day the cloud would lift from Davie, you may imagine what ashock this was to her. "

"Mrs. Eastham, " said Brett, suddenly switching the conversation away fromthe Italian's fantasy, "you are well acquainted with all the circumstancesconnected with Sir Alan's murder. Have you formed any theory about thecrime, its motive, or its possible author?"

"God forgive me if I do any man an injury, but in these last few days Ihave had my suspicions, " she exclaimed. 

"Tell me your reasons. "

"It arose out of a chance remark by Nellie. She was discussing with me herinexplicable antipathy to Mr. Capella, even during the time when they wereoutwardly good friends. She said that once he showed her a Japanese sword, a most wonderful piece of workmanship, with veins of silver and gold letinto the handle and part of the blade. To the upper part of the scabbardwas attached a knife--a small dagger--similar--"

"Yes, I understand. An implement like that used to kill Sir AlanHume-Frazer. "

"Exactly. Nellie at first hardly realised its significance. Then shehastily told Capella to take it away, but not before she noticed that heseemed to understand the dreadful thing. It is fastened in its sheath by ahidden spring, and he knew exactly how to open it. Any person notaccustomed to such weapons would endeavour to pull it out by main force. "

Brett did not press Mrs. Eastham to pursue her theory. It was plain thatshe regarded the Italian as a man who might conceivably be the murderer ofhis wife's brother. This was enough for feminine logic. 

Hume, too, shared the same belief, and had not scrupled to express itopenly. 

There were, it was true, reasons in plenty, why Capella should havecommitted this terrible deed. He was, presumably, affianced to Margaret atthe time. Apparently her father's will had contemplated the cutting downof her annual allowance. The young heir had, on the other hand, made upthe deficit. But why did these artificial restrictions exist? Why wereprecautions taken by the father to diminish his daughter's income? She hadbeen extravagant. Both father and brother quarrelled with her on thispoint. Indeed, there was a slight family disturbance with reference to itduring Sir Alan's last visit to London. Was Capella mixed up with it?

At last there was a glimmering perception of motive for an otherwisefiendishly irrational act. Did it tend to incriminate the Italian?

A summons to luncheon dispelled the momentary gloom of their thoughts. Before the meal ended Miss Layton joined them. 

Brett looked at his watch. "Fifty minutes!" he said. 

Then they all laughed, except Mrs. Eastham, who marvelled at the coolnessof the meeting between the girl and David. But the old lady wasquick-witted. 

"Have you met before?" she cried. 

"Dearest, " said the girl, kissing her; "do you mean to say they have nottold you what happened in the park?"

"That will require a special sitting, " said Brett gaily. "Meanwhile, I amgoing to the Hall. I suppose you do not care to accompany me, Hume?"

"I do not. "

The reply was so emphatic that it created further merriment. 

"Well, tell me quickly what this new secret is, " exclaimed Mrs. Eastham, "because in five minutes I must have a long talk with my cook. She has toprepare pies and pastry sufficient to feed nearly a hundred schoolchildren next Monday, and it is a matter of much calculation. "

Brett took his leave. 

"I knew that good old soul would be tactful, " he said to himself. "Now Iwonder how Winter made such a colossal mistake as to imagine that Humemurdered his cousin. He was sure of the affections of a delightful girl;he could not succeed to the property; he has declined to take up thetitle. What reason could he have for committing such a crime?"

Then a man walked up the road--a man dressed like a farmer or grazier, rotund, strongly-built, cheerful-looking. He halted opposite Mrs. Eastham's house, where the barrister still stood drawing on his gloves onthe doorstep. 

"Yes, " said Brett aloud, "you _are_ an egregious ass, Winter. "

"Why, Mr. Brett?" asked the unabashed detective. "Isn't the make-up good?"

"It is the make-up that always leads you astray. You never theorise abovethe level of the _Police Gazette_. "

Mr. Winter yielded to not unnatural annoyance. With habitual caution, heglanced around to assure himself that no other person was within earshot;then he said vehemently:

"I tell you, Mr. Brett, that swine killed Sir Alan Hume-Frazer. "

"You use strong language. "

"Not stronger than he deserves. "

"What are you doing here?"

"I heard he was in London, and watched him. I saw him go to your chambersand guessed what was up, so I came down here to see you and tell you whatI know. "

"Out of pure good-nature?"

"You can believe it or not, Mr. Brett. It is the truth. "

"He has been tried and acquitted. He cannot be tried again. Does ScotlandYard--"

"I'm on my holidays. "

Brett laughed heartily. 

"I see!" he cried. "A 'bus-driver's holiday! For how long?"

"Fourteen days. "

"You are nothing if not professional. I suppose it was not your firstoffence, or they might have let you off with a fine. "

The detective enjoyed this departmental joke. He grinned broadly. 

"Anyhow, Mr. Brett, " he said, "you and I have been engaged on too manysmart bits of work for me to stand quietly by and let you be made a foolof. "

The barrister came nearer, and said, in a low tone:

"Winter, you have never been more mistaken in your life. Now, attend to mywords. If you help me you will, in the first place, be well paid for yourservices. Secondly, you will be able to place your hand on the truemurderer of Sir Alan Hume-Frazer, or I will score my first failure. Thirdly, Scotland Yard will give you another holiday, and I can secure yousome shooting in Scotland. What say you?"

The detective looked thoughtful. Long experience had taught him not toargue with Brett when the latter was in earnest. 

"I will do anything in my power, " he said, "but there is more in thisbusiness than perhaps you are aware of--more than ever transpired at theAssizes. "

"Quite so, and a good deal that has transpired since. Now. Winter, don'targue, there's a good fellow. Go and engage the landlord of the local innin a discussion on crops. I am off to Beechcroft Hall. Mr. Hume and I willcall for you on our way back to Stowmarket. In our private sitting-room atthe hotel there I will explain everything. "

They parted. Brett was promptly admitted by Mrs. Crowe, and walked rapidlyup the avenue. 

Winter watched his retreating figure. 

"He's smart, I know he's smart, " mused the detective. "But he doesn't knoweverything about this affair. He doesn't know, I'll be bound, that DavidHume-Frazer waited for his cousin that night outside the library. I didn'tknow it--worse luck!--until after he was acquitted. And he doesn't knowthat Miss Nellie Layton didn't reach home until 1. 30 a. M. , though she leftthe ball at 12. 15, and her house is, so to speak, a minute's walk distant. And she was in a carriage. Oh, there's more in this case than meets theeye! I can't say which would please me most, to find out the realmurderer, if Hume didn't do it, or prove Mr. Brett to be in the wrong!"

CHAPTER VII

HUSBAND AND WIFE

Brett did not hurry on his way to the Hall. Already things were in awhirl, and the confusion was so great that he was momentarily unable tomap out a definite line of action. 

The relations between Capella and his wife were evidently strained almostto breaking point, and it was this very fact which caused him the greatestperplexity. 

They had been married little more than six months. They were anextraordinarily handsome couple, apparently well suited to each other bytemperament and mutual sympathies, whilst their means were ample enough topermit them to live under any conditions they might choose, and gratifypersonal hobbies to the fullest extent. 

What, then, could have happened to divide them so completely?

Surely not Capella's new-born passion for Helen Layton. Not even ahot-blooded Southerner could be guilty of such deliberate rascality, suchineffable folly, during the first few months after his marriage to abeautiful and wealthy wife. 

No, this hypothesis must be rejected. Margaret Capella had drifted apartfrom her husband almost as soon as they reached England on their return asman and wife. Capella, miserable and disillusioned, buried alive in acountry place--for such must existence in Beechcroft mean to a man of hisinclinations--had discovered a startling contrast between his passionateand moody spouse, and the bright, pleasant-mannered girl whose ill-fortuneit was to create discord between the inmates of the Hall. 

This theory did not wholly exonerate the Italian, but it explained a gooddeal. The barrister saw no cause as yet to suspect Capella of the youngbaronet's murder. Were he guilty of that ghastly crime, his motive musthave been to secure for himself the position he was now deliberatelyimperilling--all for a girl's pretty face. 

The explanation would not suffice. Brett had seen much that is hidden frompublic ken in the vagaries of criminals, but he had never yet met a manwholly bad, and at the same time in full possession of his senses. 

To adopt the hasty judgment arrived at by Hume and Mrs. Eastham, Capellamust be deemed capable of murdering his wife's brother, of bringing aboutthe death of his wife after securing the reversion of her vast property tohimself, and of falling in love with Helen--all in the same breath. Thisspecies of criminality was only met with in lunatics, and Capellaimpressed the barrister as an emotional personage, capable of supreme goodas of supreme evil, but quite sane. 

The question to be solved was this: Why did Capella and his wife quarrelin the first instance? Perhaps, that way, light might come. 

He asked a footman if Mrs. Capella would receive him. The man glanced athis card. 

"Yes, sir, " he said at once. "Madam gave instructions that if either youor Mr. David called you were to be taken to her boudoir, where she awaitsyou. "

The room was evidently on the first floor, for the servant led him up themagnificent oak staircase that climbed two sides of the reception hall. 

But this was fated to be a day of interruptions. The barrister, when hereached the landing, was confronted by the Italian. 

"A word with you, Mr. Brett, " was the stiff greeting given to him. 

"Certainly. But I am going to Mrs. Capella's room. "

"She can wait. She does not know you are here. James, remain outside untilMr. Brett returns. Then conduct him to your mistress. "

Capella's tone admitted of no argument, nor was it necessary to protest. Brett always liked people to talk in the way they deemed best suited totheir own interests. Without any expostulation, therefore, he followed hislimping host into a luxuriously furnished dressing-room. 

Capella closed the door, and placed himself gently on a couch. 

"Does your friend fight?" he said, fixing his dark eyes, blazing withanger, intently on the other. 

"That is a matter on which your opinion would probably be more valuablethan mine. "

"Spare me your wit. You know well what I mean. Will he meet me on theContinent and settle our quarrel like a gentleman, not like a hiredbravo?"

"What quarrel?"

"Mr. Brett, you are not so stupid. David Hume, notwithstanding his past, may still be deemed a man of honour in some respects. He treated megrossly this morning. Will he fight me, or must I treat him as a cur?"

Brett, without invitation, seated himself. He produced a cigarette and litit, adding greatly to Capella's irritation by his provoking calmness. 

"Really, " he said at last, "you amuse me. "

"Silence!" he cried imperatively, when the Italian would have broken outinto a torrent of expostulations. "Listen to me, you vain fool!"

This method of address had the rare merit of achieving its object. Capellawas reduced to a condition of speechless rage. 

"You consider yourself the aggrieved person, I suppose, " went on theEnglishman, subsiding into a state of contemptuous placidity. "You neglectyour wife, make love to an honourable and pure-minded girl, stoop to theuse of unworthy taunts and even criminal innuendos, lose such control ofyour passion as to lay sacrilegious hands upon Helen Layton, and yet youresent the well-merited punishment administered to you by her affiancedhusband. Were I a surgeon, Mr. Capella, I might take an anatomicalinterest in your brain. As it is, I regard you as a psychological study inlatter-day blackguardism. Do you understand me?"

"Perfectly. You have not yet answered my question. Will Hume fight?"

"I should say that nothing would give him greater pleasure. "

"Then you will arrange this matter? I can send a friend to you?"

"And if you do I will send the police to you, thus possibly anticipatingmatters somewhat. "

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that my sole purpose in life just now is to lay hands on the manwho killed Sir Alan Hume-Frazer. Until that end is achieved, I will takegood care that your crude ideas of honour are dealt with, as they wereto-day, by the toe of a boot. "

Capella was certainly a singular person. He listened unmoved to Brett'sthreats and insults. He gave that snarling smile of his, and toyedimpatiently with his moustache. 

"Your object in life does not concern me. Your courts tried their best tohang the man who was responsible for his cousin's death, and failed. Itake it you decline this proffered duel?"

"Yes. "

"Then I will fight David Hume in my own way. You have rejected the fairalternative on his behalf. Caramba! We shall see now who wins. He willnever marry Helen. "

"What did you mean just now when you said that he was 'responsible for hiscousin's death'? Is that an Italian way of describing a cold-bloodedmurder?"

Capella leaned back and snarled silently again. It was a pity he hadcultivated that trick. It spoilt an otherwise classically regular set offeatures. 

"James!" he shouted. 

The footman entered. 

"Take this gentleman to your mistress. I have done with him. "

"For the present, James, " said Brett. 

The astonished servant led him along a corridor and knocked at a doorhidden by a silk curtain. Mrs. Capella rose to receive her visitor. Shewas very pale now, but quite calm and dignified in manner. 

"Davie did not come with you?" she said when Brett was seated near to herin an alcove formed by an oriel window. 

"No. He is with Miss Layton. "

"Ah, I am not sorry, I prefer to talk with you alone. "

"It is perhaps better. Your cousin is impulsive in some respects, thoughself-contained enough in others. "

"It may be so. I like him, although we have not seen much of each othersince we were children. I knew him this morning principally on account ofhis likeness to Alan. But you are his friend, Mr. Brett, and I can discusswith you matters I would not care to broach with him. He is with HelenLayton now, you say?"

"Yes, and let me add an explanation. Those two young people are devoted toeach other. No power on earth could separate them. "

"Why do you tell me that?"

"Because I think you wished to be assured of it?"

"You are clever, Mr. Brett. If you can interpret a criminal's designs aswell as you can read a woman's heart you must be a terror to evil-doers. "

A slight colour came into her cheeks. The barrister leaned forward, hishands clasped and arms resting on his knees. 

"I have just seen your husband, " he said. 

She exhibited no marked sign of emotion but he thought he detected afrightened look in her eyes. 

"Again I ask, " she exclaimed, "why do you tell me?"

"The reason is obvious. You ought to know all that goes on. There was aquarrel this morning between him and David Hume. Your husband wished me toarrange a duel. I promised him a visit from the police if I heard any moreof such nonsense. "

"A duel! More bloodshed!" she almost whispered. 

"Do not have any alarm for either of them. They are quite safe. I willguarantee so much, at any rate. But your husband is a somewhat curiousperson. He is prone to strong and sudden hatreds--and attachments. "

Margaret pressed her hands to her face. She could no longer bear thetorture of make-believe quiescence. 

"Oh, what shall I do!" she wailed. "I am the most miserable woman inEngland to-day, and I might have been the happiest. "

"Why are you miserable, Mrs. Capella?" asked Brett gently. 

"I cannot tell you. Perhaps it is owing to my own folly. Are you sure thatDavid and Helen intend to get married?"

"Yes. "

"Then, for Heaven's sake, let the wedding take place. Let them leaveBeechcroft and its associations for ever. "

"That cannot be until Hume's character is cleared from the odium attachedto it. "

"You mean my brother's death. But that has been settled by the courts. David was declared 'Not guilty. ' Surely that will suffice! No good purposecan be gained by reopening an inquiry closed by the law. "

"I think you are a little unjust to your cousin in this matter, Mrs. Capella. He and his future wife feel very grievously the slur cast uponhis name. You know perfectly well that if half the people in this countywere asked, 'Who killed Sir Alan Hume-Frazer?' they would say 'DavidHume. ' The other half would shake their heads in dubiety, and prefer notto be on visiting terms with David Hume and his wife. No; your brother waskilled in a particularly foul way. He died needlessly, so far as we canlearn. His death should be avenged, and this can only be done by trackinghis murderer and ruthlessly bringing the wretch to justice. Are not theseyour own sentiments when divested of all conflicting desires?"

Brett's concluding sentence seemed to petrify his hearer. 

"In what way can I help you?" she murmured, and the words appeared to comefrom a heart of stone. 

"There are many items I want cleared up, but I do not wish to distress youunduly. Can you not refer me to your solicitors, for instance? I imaginethey will be able to answer all my queries. "

"No. I prefer to deal with the affair myself. "

"Very well. I will commence with you personally. Why did you quarrel withyour brother in London a few days before his death?"

"Because I was living extravagantly. Not only that, but he disapproved ofmy manner of life. In those days I was headstrong and wilful. I loved aBohemian existence combined with absurd luxury, or rather, a wildlyuseless expenditure of money. No one who knows me now could picture methen. Yet now I am good and unhappy. Then I was wicked, in some people'seyes, and happy. Strange, is it not?"

"Not altogether so unusual as you may think. Was any other personinterested in what I may term the result of the dispute between yourbrother and yourself?"

"That is a difficult question to answer. I was very careless in moneymatters, but it is clear that the curtailment of my rate of living from£15, 000 to £5, 000 per annum must make considerable difference to allconnected with me. "

"Had you been living at the former rate?"

"Yes, since my father's death. What annoyed Alan was the fact that I hadborrowed from money-lenders. "

"Who else knew of your disagreement with him besides these money-lendersand his solicitors?"

"All my friends. I used to laugh at his serious ways, when I, older andmuch more experienced in some respects, treated life as a tiresome joke. But none of my friends were commissioned to murder my brother so that Imight obtain the estate, Mr. Brett. "

"Not by you, " he said thoughtfully. 

He knew well that to endeavour to get Margaret to implicate her husbandwould merely render her an active opponent. She loved this Italian scamp. She was profoundly thankful that David Hume had come back to claim thehand of Helen Layton, the woman who had been the unwilling object ofCapella's wayward affections. She would be only too glad to give half herproperty to the young couple if they would settle in New Zealand orPeru--far from Beechcroft. 

Yet it was impossible to believe that she could love a man whom shesuspected of murdering her brother. Why, then, had husband and wifedrifted apart? Assuredly the pieces of the puzzle were inextricably mixed. 

"Where did you marry Mr. Capella?" asked Brett suddenly. 

"At Naples--a civil ceremony, before the Mayor, and registered by theBritish Consul. "

"Had you been long acquainted"

"I met him, oddly enough, in Covent Garden Theatre, the night my brotherwas killed"

It was now Brett's turn to be startled. 

"Are you quite certain of this ?" he asked, his surprise at the turn takenby the conversation almost throwing him off his guard. 

"Positive. Were you led to believe that Giovanni was the murderer?"

Her voice was cold, impassive, marvellously under control. It warned him, threw him back into the safe rôle of Hume's adviser and friend. 

"I am led to believe nothing at present, " he said slowly. "This inquiryis, as yet, only twenty-four hours old so far as I am concerned. I amseeking information. When I am gorged with facts I proceed to digestthem. "

"Well, what I tell you is true. There are no less than ten people, allliving, I have no doubt, who can testify to its correctness. I had a boxat the Fancy Dress Ball that New Year's Eve. I invited nine guests. One ofthem, an attaché at the Italian Embassy, brought Giovanni and introducedhim to me. We were together from midnight until 4. 30 a. M. Whilst poor Alanwas lying here dead, I was revelling at a _bal masqué_. Do you think I amlikely to forget the circumstances?"

The icy tones thrilled with pitiful remembrance. But the barrister's taskrequired the unsparing use of the probe. He determined, once and for all, to end an unpleasant scene. 

"Will you tell me why you and your husband have, shall we say, disagreedso soon after your marriage? You were formed by Providence and nature tobe mated. What has driven you apart?"

The woman flushed scarlet under this direct inquiry. 

"I cannot tell you, " she said brokenly, "but the cause--in noway--concerns--either my brother's death--or David's innocence. It ispersonal--between Giovanni and myself. In God's good time, it may be putright. "

Brett, singularly enough, was a man of quick impulse. He was moved now bya profound pity for the woman who thus bared her heart to him. 

"Thank you for your candour, Mrs. Capella, " he exclaimed, with a fervourthat evidently touched her. "May I ask one more question, and I have donewith a most unpleasant ordeal. Do you suspect any person of being yourbrother's assassin?"

"No, " she said. "Indeed I do not. "

CHAPTER VIII

REVELATIONS

Hume and Winter did not meet on terms that might be strictly described ascordial. 

Brett, on quitting the Hall, had surrendered himself to a spell of vacantbewilderment. He haled the unwilling Hume from Helen's society, and pickedup the detective at the Wheat Sheaf Inn. Then the barrister, from sheerneed of mental relief, determined to have some fun with them. 

"You two ought to know each other, " he said good-humouredly. "At one timeyou took keen interest in matters of mutual concern. Allow me to introduceyou. Hume--this is Mr. Winter, of Scotland Yard. "

David was quite unprepared for the meeting. 

"What?" he exclaimed, his upper lip stiffening, "the man who concocted allsorts of imaginary evidence against me!"

"'Concocted' is not the right word, nor imaginary' either, " growledWinter. 

"Quite right, " said Brett. "Really, Hume, you should be more careful inyour choice of language. Had Winter been as careless in his statements atthe Assizes, he would certainly have hanged you. "

Hume was too happy, after a prolonged _tête-à-tête_ with his beloved, toharbour malice against any person. 

"What are we supposed to do--shake hands?" he inquired blandly. 

"It might be a good preliminary to a better understanding of one another. You think Winter is an unscrupulous ruffian. He described you to me as aswine not two hours ago. Now, you are both wrong. Winter is the bestliving police detective, and a most fair-minded one. He will be a valuableally. Before many days are over you will be deeply in his debt in everysense of the word. On the other hand, you, Hume, are a much-wronged man, whom Winter must help to regain his rightful position. This is one of theoccasions when Justice is compelled to take the bandage off her eyes. Shemay be impartial, but she is often blind. Now be friends, and let us startfrom that basis. "

Silently the two men exchanged a hearty grip. 

"Excellent!" cried the barrister. "Hume, take Winter with you in front. Iwill seat myself beside the groom, and please oblige me, both of you, bynot addressing a word to me between here and Stowmarket. "

Hume and the detective got along comfortably once the ice was broken. Naturally, they steered clear of all reference to the tragedy in thepresence of the servant. Their talk dealt chiefly with sporting matters. 

Brett, carried swiftly along the level road, kept his eyes fixed onBeechcroft and its contiguous hamlet until they vanished in the middledistance. 

"This is the most curious inquiry I was ever engaged in, " he communed. "Winter, of course, will fasten on to Capella like a horse leech when heknows the facts. Yet Capella is neither a coward nor an ordinary villain. For some ridiculous reason, I have a sneaking sympathy with him. Had hestormed and blustered when I pitched into him to-day I would have thoughtless of him. And his wife! What mysterious workings of Fate brought thosetwo together and then disunited them? They become fascinated one with theother whilst the brother's corpse is still palpitating beneath thatterrible stroke. They get married, with not unreasonable haste, but nosooner do they reach Beechcroft, a house of evil import if ever bricks andmortar had such a character, than they are driven asunder by some maligninfluence. 

"And now, after eighteen months, I am asked to take up the tangled clues, if such may be said to exist. It is a difficult, perhaps an impossible, undertaking. Yet if I have done so much in a day, what may not happen in afortnight!"

Long afterwards, recalling that soliloquy, he wondered whether or not, were he suddenly endowed with the gift of prophecy, he would, nevertheless, have pursued his quest. He never could tell. 

Once securely entrenched in a private sitting-room of the StowmarketHotel, the three men began to discuss crime and tobacco. 

Mr. Winter commenced by being confidential and professional. 

"Now, Mr. Hume, " he said, "as misunderstandings have been cleared, to someextent, by Mr. Brett's remarks, I will, with your permission, ask you afew questions. "

"Fire away. "

"In the first place, your counsel tried to prove--did prove, in fact--thatyou walked straight from the ball-room to the Hall, sat down in thelibrary, and did not move from your chair until Fergusson, the butler, told you how he had found Sir Alan's body on the lawn. "

"Exactly. "

"So if a man comes forward now and swears that he watched you for nearlyten minutes standing in the shadow of the yews on the left of the house, he will not be telling the truth?"

"That is putting it mildly. "

"Yet there is such a witness in existence, and I am certain he is not aliar in this matter. "

"What!"

Brett and Hume ejaculated the word simultaneously; the one surprised, because he knew how careful Winter was in matters of fact, the otherIndignant at the seeming disbelief in his statement. 

"Please, gentlemen, " appealed the detective, secretly gratified by thesensation he caused, "wait until I have finished. If I did not fullyaccept Mr. Brett's views on this remarkable case, I would not be sittinghere this minute. My conscience would not permit it"

"Be virtuous, Winter, but not too virtuous, " broke in Brett drily. 

"There you go again, sir, questioning my motives. But I am of a forgivingdisposition. Now, there cannot be the slightest doubt that a poacher namedJohn Wise, better known as 'Rabbit Jack, ' who resides in this town, chosethat New Year's Eve as an excellent time to net the meadows behind theHall. He had heard about Mrs. Eastham's dance, and knew that on such anight the estate keepers would have more liking for fun with the coachmenand maids than for game-watching. He entered the park soon after midnight, and saw a gentleman walk up the avenue towards the house. He waited a fewminutes, and crept quietly along the side of the hedge--in the park, ofcourse. Being winter time, the trees and bushes were bare, and he wasstartled to see the same gentleman, with his coat buttoned up, standing inthe shade of the yews close to the Hall. 'Rabbit Jack' naturally thoughthe had been spotted. He gripped his lurcher's collar and stood still fornearly ten minutes. Then it occurred to him that he was mistaken. He hadnot been seen, so he stole off towards the plantation and startedoperations. He is a first-rate poacher, and always works alone. Aboutthree o'clock he was alarmed by a policeman's lantern--the search of thegrounds after the murder, you see--and made off. He entered Stowmarket onthe far side of the town, and ran into a policeman's arms. They fought fortwenty minutes. The P. C. Won, and 'Rabbit Jack' got six months' hardlabour for being in unlawful possession of game and assaulting the police. Consequently, he never heard a syllable about the 'Stowmarket Mystery, ' asthis affair was called by the Press, until long after Mr. Hume's secondtrial and acquittal. Yet the first thing 'Rabbit Jack' did after hisrelease was to go straight to the police and tell them what he had seen. Ithink, Mr. Hume, that even you will admit a good deal depended on theresult of the fight between the poacher and the bobby, for 'Rabbit Jack'described a man of your exact appearance and dressed as you were thatnight. "

There was silence for a moment when Winter ended his recital. 

"It is evident, " said Brett, otherwise engaged in making smoke-rings, "that 'Rabbit Jack' saw the real murderer. "

"A man like me--in evening dress! Who on earth could he be?" was Hume'snatural exclamation. 

"We must test this chap's story, " said Brett. 

"How?"

"Easily enough. There is a garden outside. Can you bring this human bunnyhere to-night?"

"I think so. "

"Very well. Stage him about nine o'clock. Anything else?"

Mr. Winter pondered a little while; then he addressed Hume hesitatingly:

"Does Mr. Brett know everything that happened after the murder?"

"I think so. Yes. "

"Everything! Say three-quarters of an hour afterwards?"

The effect of this remark on Hume was very pronounced. His habitual air ofreserve gave place to a state of decided confusion. 

"What are you hinting at?" he cried, striving hard to govern his voice. 

"Well, it must out, sooner or later. Why did you go to meet Miss HelenLayton in the avenue about 1. 30 a. M. --soon after Sir Alan's body had beenexamined by the doctor?'

"Oh, damn it, man, how did you ascertain that?" groaned Hume. 

"I knew it all along, but I did not see that it was very material to thecase, and I wanted to keep the poor young lady's name out of the affair asfar as possible. I did not want to suggest that she was an accessory afterthe crime. "

Hume was blushing like a schoolboy. He glanced miserably at Brett, but thebarrister was still puffing artistic designs in big and little rings. 

"Very well. My reason for concealment disappears now, " he blurted out, forthe young man was both vexed and ashamed. "That wretched night, after shereturned home, Helen thought she had behaved foolishly in creating ascene. She put on a cloak, changed her shoes, and slipped back again toMrs. Eastham's, where she met Alan just coming away. She implored him tomake up the quarrel with me. He apologised for his conduct, and promisedto do the same to me when we met. He explained that other matters hadupset his temper that day, and he had momentarily yielded to an irritatedbelief that everything was against him. Helen watched him enter the park;she pretended that she was going in to Mrs. Eastham's. She could see thelighted windows of the library, and she wondered why he did not go inside, but imagined that at the distance she might easily be mistaken. At lastshe ran off to the rectory. Again she lingered in the garden, devoutlywishing that all might be well between Alan and me. Then she becameconscious that something unusual had taken place, owing to the lights andcommotion. For a long time she was at a loss to conjecture what could havehappened. At last, yielding to curiosity, she came back to the lodge. Thegates were wide open. Mrs. Eastham's dance was still in progress. She isnot a timid girl, so she walked boldly up the avenue until she metFergusson, the butler, who was then going to tell Mrs. Eastham. When sheheard his story she was too shocked to credit it, and asked him to bringme. I came. By that time I was beginning to realise that I might beimplicated in the affair, and I begged her to return home at once, alone. She did so. Subsequently she asked me not to refer to the escapade, forobvious reasons. It was a woman's little secret, Brett, and I wascompelled to keep it. "

"Anything else, Winter?" demanded the barrister, wrapped in a cloud of hisown creation. 

"That is all, sir, except the way in which I heard of Miss Layton'smeeting with Mr. Hume. "

"Not through Fergusson, eh?"

"Not a bit. The old chap is as close as wax. He seems to think that aHume-Frazer must die a violent death outside that library window, and ifthe cause of the trouble is another Hume-Frazer, it is their own bloomingbusiness, and no other person's. Most extraordinary old chap. Have you methim?"

"No. Indeed, I am only just beginning to hear the correct details of thestory. "

Hume winced, but passed no remark. 

"Well, my information came through an anonymous letter. "

"You don't say so! How interesting! Have you got it?"

"I brought it with me, for a reason other than that which actuates me now, I must confess. "

He produced a small envelope, frayed at the edges, and closely compressed. It bore the type-written address, "Police Office, Scotland Yard, " and thepostal stamp was "West Strand, January 18, 9 p. M. "

Within, a small slip of paper, also typed, gave this message:--

 "About Stowmarket. David Hume Frazer killed cousin. Cousin talked girl in road. Girl waited wood. David Hume Frazer met girl in wood after 1 a. M. "

Brett jumped up in instant excitement. Ha placed the two documents on atable near the window, where the afternoon sun fell directly on them. 

"Written by the murderer!" he cried "The result of perusing the eveningpapers containing a report of the first proceedings before themagistrates! The production of an illiterate man, who knew neither the useof a hyphen nor the correct word to describe the avenue! Not wholly exacteither, if your story be true, Hume. "

"My story is true. Helen herself will tell it you, word for word. "

"This is most important. Look at that broken small 'c, ' and the bentcapital 'D. ' The letter 'a, ' too, is out of gear, and does not registeraccurately. Do you note the irregular spacing in 'market, ' 'Frazer, ''talked'? You got that letter, Winter, and yet you did not test everyRemington type-writer in London. "

"Oh, of course it's my fault!"

Mr. Winter's _coup_ has fallen on himself, and he knew it. 

"Oh, Winter, Winter! Come to me twice a week from six to seven, Tuesdaysand Fridays, and I will give you a night-school training. Now, I wonder ifthat type-writer has been repaired?"

The detective had seldom seen Brett so thoroughly roused. His eyes werebrilliant, his nose dilated as if he could smell the very scent of theanonymous scribe. 

"An illiterate man, " he repeated, "in evening dress; the same height andappearance as Hume; in a village like Sleagill on a New Year's Eve; fourmiles from everywhere. Was ever clue so simple provided by a carelessscoundrel! And eighteen months have elapsed. This is positivelymaddening!"

"Look here, old chap, " said Hume, still smarting under the recollectionsof Brett's caustic utterance, "say you forgive me for keeping that thingback. There is nothing else, believe me. It was for Helen's sake. "

"Rubbish!" cried the barrister. "The only wonder is that you are not longsince assimilated in quicklime in a prison grave. You are all cracked, Ithink--living spooks, human March hares. As for you, Winter, I weep foryou. "

He strode rapidly to and fro along the length of the room, smokingprodigiously, with frowning brows and concentrated eyes. The others didnot speak, but Winter treated Hume to an informing wink, as one might say. 

"Now you will hear something. "

CHAPTER IX

THE KO-KATANA

Thinking aloud, rather than addressing his companions, Brett beganagain:--

"The man must have had some place in which to change his clothes, for hewould not court attention by walking about in evening dress by broaddaylight He met and spoke with Alan Hume-Frazer that afternoon. The resultwas unsatisfactory. The stranger resolved to visit him again at night--thenight of the ball. In a country village on such an occasion, aswallow-tailed coat was a _passe-partout_, as many gentry had come in fromthe surrounding district. "

"Yes, that is so, " broke in Hume. 

Brett momentarily looked through him, and the detective shook his head todeprecate any further interruption. 

"He could not enter Mrs. Eastham's house, for there everybody kneweverybody else. He could not enter the library of the Hall, because thefootman was on duty for several hours. Is not that so?"

He seemed to bite both men with the question. 

"Yes, " they answered. 

"Then he was compelled to hang about the avenue, watching hisopportunity--his opportunity for what? Not to commit a murder! He wasunarmed, or, at any rate, his implement was a haphazard choice, selectedon the spur of the moment. He saw David Hume leave the dance, and watchedhis brief talk with the butler. He correctly interpreted Hume'spreparations to await his cousin's arrival. Did Hume's sleepiness suggestthe crime, and its probable explanation? Perhaps. I cannot determine thatpoint now. Assuredly it gave the opportunity to commit a theft. Somethingwas stolen from the secretaire. A bold rascal, to force a drawer whilstanother man was in the room! Did he fear the consequences if he werecaught? I think not. He succeeded in his object, and went off, but beforehe reached the gates he saw Miss Layton, whom he did not know, talking tothe baronet. He secreted himself until the baronet entered the park alone. For some reason, he made his presence known, and walked with Sir Alan tothe lawn outside the window, still retaining in his hand the small knifeused to prise open the lock. There was a short and vehement dispute. Possibly the baronet guessed the object of this unexpected appearance. There may have been a struggle. Then the knife was sent home, with suchsingular skill that the victim fell without a word, a groan, to arouseattention. The murderer made off down the avenue, but he was far toocold-blooded to run away and encounter unforeseen dangers. No; he waitedamong the trees to ascertain what would happen when his victim wasdiscovered, and frame his plans accordingly. It was then that he saw HelenLayton and David Hume. As soon as the news of the murder spread abroad thedance broke up. Amidst the wondering crowd, slowly dispersing in theircarriages, he could easily slip away unseen, for the police, of course, were sure that David Hume killed his cousin. Don't you see, Winter?"

The inspector did not see. 

"You are making up a fine tale, Mr. Brett, " he said doggedly, "but I'mblessed if I can follow your reasoning. "

"No, of course not. Eighteen months of settled conviction are not to bedispelled in an instant. But accept my theory. This man, the guilty man, must have resided in Stowmarket for some hours, if not days. Many peoplesaw him. He could not live in Sleagill, where even the village dogs wouldsuspect him. But the addle-headed police, ready to handcuff David Hume, never thought of inquiring about strangers who came and went at Stowmarketin those days. Stowmarket is a metropolis, a wilderness of changefulbeings, to a country policeman. It has a market-day, an occasional drunkenman--life is a whirl in Stowmarket. Fortunately, people have memories. Atthat time you did not wear a beard, Hume. "

"No, " was the reply, "though I never told you that. "

"Of course you told me, many times. Did not your acquaintances fail torecognise you? Had not Mrs. Capella to look twice at you before she knewyou? Now, Winter, start out. Ascertain, in each hotel in the town, if theyhad any strange guests about the period of the murder. There is a remotechance that you may learn something. Describe Mr. Hume without a beard, and hint at a reward if information is forthcoming. Money quickens theagricultural intellect. "

The detective, doubting much, obeyed. Hume, asking if there was any reasonwhy he should not drive back to Sleagill for an hour before dinner, wassarcastically advised to go a good deal farther. Indeed, the sight of thattiny type-written slip had stirred Brett to volcanic activity. 

He tramped backwards and forwards, enveloped in smoke. Once he halted andtore at the bell. 

A waiter came. 

"Go to my room, No. 11, and bring me a leather dressing-case, marked'R. B. ' Run! I give you twenty seconds. After that you lose sixpence asecond out of your tip. "

He pulled out his watch. The man dashed along the corridor, much to theamazement of a passing chamber-maid. He returned, bearing the bag intriumph. 

"Seventeen seconds! By the law of equity you are entitled toeighteenpence. "

Brett produced the money and led the gaping waiter out of the room, promptly shutting the door on him. 

"He's a rum gentleman that, " said the waiter to the girl. 

"He must be, to make you hurry in such fashion. Why, you wouldn't havegone faster for a free pint. "

"I consider that an impertinent observation. " With tilted nose the manturned and cannoned against Hume. 

"Here!" cried the latter. "Run to the stables and get me a horse and trap. If they are ready in two minutes I'll give you two shillings. "

"Talk about makin' money!" gasped the waiter, as he flew downstairs, "thisis coinin'. But, by gum, they _are_ in a hurry. "

Brett unlocked his bag and took from it the book of newspaper cuttings. 

"Ah!" he said, after a rapid glance at his concluding notes. "I thoughtso. Here is what I wrote when the affair was fresh in my mind:--

"'Why were no inquiries made at Stowmarket to learn what, if any, strangers were in the town on New Year's Eve?

"'Most minute investigations should be pursued with reference to MargaretHume-Frazer's friends and associates. 

"'Has Fergusson ever been asked if his master received any visitors on theday of the murder or during the preceding week? If so, who were they?

"What is the precise purpose of the knife attached to the Japanese sword?It appears to be too small to be used as a dagger. In any case, the swordscabbard would be an unsuitable place to carry an auxiliary weapon, toEuropean ideas. '

"Now, I wonder if Fergusson is still at the Hall? The other matters mustwait. "

Winter returned about the same time as Hume. Brett and the latter dressedfor dinner, and the adroit detective, not to be beaten, borrowed adress-suit from the landlord, after telegraphing to London for his ownclothes. 

During the progress of the meal the little party scrupulously refrainedfrom discussing business, an excellent habit always insisted on by Brett. 

They had reached the stage of coffee and cigars when a waiter entered andwhispered something to the police officer. 

"'Rabbit Jack' is here, " exclaimed Winter. 

"Capital! Tell him to wait. "

When the servant had left, Brett detailed his proposed test. He and Humewould go into the hotel garden, after donning overcoats and deer-stalkerhats, for Hume told him that both his cousin and he himself had worn thatstyle of headgear. 

They would stand, with their faces hidden, beneath the trees, and Winterwas to bring the poacher towards them, after asking him to pick out theman who most resembled the person he had seen standing in the avenue atBeechcroft. 

The test was most successful. "Rabbit Jack" instantly selected Hume. 

"It's either the chap hisself or his dead spit, " was the poacher's dictum. 

Then he was cautioned to keep his own counsel as to the incident, and hewent away to get gloriously drunk on half-a-sovereign. 

In the seclusion of the sitting-room, Winter related the outcome of hisinquiries. They were negative. 

Landlords and barmaids remembered a few commercial travellers by referringto old lodgers, but they one and all united in the opinion that New Year'sEve was a most unlikely time for the hotels to contain casual visitors. 

"I was afraid it would be a wild-goose chase from the start, " opinedWinter. 

"Obviously, " replied Brett; "yet ten minutes ago you produced a man whoactually watched the murderer for a considerable time that night. "

Whilst Winter was searching his wits for a suitable argument, thebarrister continued:

"Where is Fergusson now?"

"I can answer that, " exclaimed Hume. "He is my father's butler. WhenCapella came to Beechcroft, the old man wrote and said he could not takeorders from an Italian. It was like receiving instructions from a Frenchcook. So my father brought him to Glen Tochan. "

"Then your father must send him to London. He may be very useful. Iunderstand he was very many years at Beechcroft?"

"Forty-six, man and boy, as he puts it. "

"Write to-morrow and bring him to town. He can stay at your hotel. I willnot keep him long; just one conversation--no more. Can you or your fathertell me anything else about that sword?"

"I fear not. Admiral Cunningham--"

"I guess I'm the authority there, " broke in Winter. "I got to know allabout it from Mr. Okasaki. "

"And who, pray, is Mr. Okasaki?"

"A Japanese gentleman, who came to Ipswich to hear the first trial. He wasinterested in the case, owing to the curious fact that a murder in alittle English village should be committed with such a weapon, so he camedown to listen to the evidence. And, by the way, he took a barmaid backwith him. There was rather a sensation. "

"The Japs are very enterprising. What did he tell you about the sword?"

The detective produced a note-book. 

"It is all here, " he said, turning over the leaves. "A Japanese Samurai, or gentleman, in former days carried two swords, one long blade for useagainst his enemies, and a shorter one for committing suicide if he wasbeaten or disgraced. The sword Mr. Hume gave his cousin was a short one, and the knife which accompanied it is called the Ko-Katana, or littlesword. As well as I could understand Mr. Okasaki, a Jap uses this as apen-knife, and also as a queer sort of visiting-card. If he slays an enemyhe sticks the Ko-Katana between the other fellow's ribs, or into his ear, and leaves it there. "

"A P. P. C. Card, in fact!"

"You always have some joke against the P. C. 's, " growled the detective. "Inever--"

"You have just made a most excellent one yourself. Please continue, Winter. Your researches are valuable. "

"That is all. Would you like to see the Ko-Katana that killed Sir Alan?"

"Yes. Where is it?"

"In the Black Museum at Scotland Yard. I will take you there. "

"Thank you. By the way, concerning this man, Okasaki. Supposing we shouldwant any further information from him on this curious topic, can you findhim? You say he indulged in some liaison with an Ipswich girl, so I assumehe has not gone back to Japan. "

"The last I heard of him was at that time. Some one told me that he was anindependent gentleman, noted for his art tastes. The disappearance of thegirl created a rare old row in Ipswich. "

"Make a note of him. We may need his skilled assistance. Was there anyspecial design on the Ko-Katana?"

"It was ornamented in some way, but I forget the pattern. "

"I can help you in that matter, " said Hume. "I remember perfectly that thehandle, of polished gun-metal, bore a beautiful embossed design in goldand silver of a setting sun surmounted by clouds and two birds. "

"Correct, Mr. Hume, I recall it now, " said the detective. "The same thingappears on the handle of the sword. "

Brett ruminated silently on this fresh information. Like the other piecesin the puzzle, it seemed to have no sort of connection with the cause ofthe crime. 

"Why do you say 'setting sun'? How does one distinguish it from the risingsun in embossed or inlaid work?" he asked Hume. 

"I do not know. I only repeat Alan's remark. I gave the beastly thing tohim because he became interested in Japanese arms during his Eastern tour, you will recollect. "

"Ah, well. That is a nice point for Mr. Okasaki to settle if we chance tocome across him. Don't forget, Winter, I want to see that Ko-Katana, Whomdid you meet at Sleagill, Hume?"

The young man laughed. "Helen, of course. "

"Any other person?"

"No. I told her I might chance to drive out in that direction about fiveo'clock, so--"

"Dear me! You were not at all certain. "

"By no means. I am at your orders. "

"Excellent! Then my orders are that you shall meet the young lady on everypossible occasion. You took her for a drive?"

"Well--er--yes, I did. You do not leave me much to tell. "

"Did she say anything of importance--bearing upon our inquiry, I mean?"

"Nothing. She had not quitted the rectory since we came away. I asked herto pick up any village gossip about the people at the Hall, and let usknow at the earliest moment if she regarded it as valuable in any way. "

"That was thoughtful of you. A great deal may happen there at any moment. "

A waiter knocked and entered. He handed a letter to Hume. 

"From Nellie, " said David hastily. 

He opened the envelope and perused a short note, which he gave to Brett. It ran:--

 "DEAREST, --I have just heard from Jane, our under-housemaid, that Mr. Capella is leaving the Hall for London by an early train to-morrow. Jane 'walks out' with Mr. Capella's valet, and is in tears. Tell Mr. Brett. I am going to help Mrs. Eastham to select prize books for the school treat to-morrow at eleven. 

 "--With love, yours, "NELLIE. "

"Who brought this note?" inquired Hume from the waiter as he picked up penand paper. 

"A man from Sleagill, sir. Any reply?"

"Certainly. Tell him to wait in the tap-room at my expense. " He commencedto write. 

"Any message?" he asked Brett. 

"Yes. Give Miss Layton my compliments, and say I regret to hear that Janeis in tears. Ask her--Miss Layton--to get Jane to find out from the valetwhat train his master will travel by. "

"Why?"

"Because I will go by an earlier one, if possible. "

"But what about me! Confound it, I promised--"

"To meet Miss Layton at eleven. Do so, my dear fellow. But come to townto-morrow evening. Winter and I may want you. "

So the detective sent another telegram to detain that dress suit, and Humeseemed to have quickly conquered his disinclination to visit Stowmarket. 

CHAPTER X

THE BLACK MUSEUM

Winter, who had never seen Capella, was so well posted by Brett as to hispersonal appearance that he experienced no difficulty in picking out theItalian when he alighted from the train at Liverpool Street Station nextmorning. 

Capella did not conduct himself like a furtive villain. He jumped into ahansom. His valet followed in a four-wheeler with the luggage. In eachinstance the address given to the driver was that of a well-known West Endhotel. 

The detective's cab kept pace with Capella's through Old Broad Street, Queen Victoria Street, and along the Embankment. At the Mansion House, andagain at Blackfriars, they halted side by side, and Winter noticed thathis quarry was looking into space with sullen, vindictive eyes. 

"He means mischief to somebody, " was Winter's summing up. "I wonder if heintends to knife Hume?" for Brett had given his professional _confrère_ asynopsis of all that happened before they met, and of his subsequentconversation with the "happy couple" in Beechcroft Hall. 

He repeated this remark to the barrister when he reached Brett's chambers. 

"Capella will do nothing so crude, " was the comment. "He is no fool. I donot credit him with the murder of Sir Alan, but if I am mistaken in thisrespect, it is impossible to suppose that he can dream of clearing hispath again by the same drastic method. Of course he means mischief, but hewill stab reputations, not individuals. "

"When will you come to the Black Museum?"

"At once, if you like. But before we set out I want to discuss Mr. Okasakiwith you. What sort of person is he?"

"A genuine Jap, small, lively, and oval-faced. His eyes are like tinyslits in a water melon, and when he laughs his grin goes back to hisears. "

"Really, Winter, I did not credit you with such a fund of picturesqueimagery. Would you know him again?"

"I can't be certain. All Japs are very much alike, to my thinking, but ifI heard him talk I would be almost sure. Why do you ask?"

"Because I have been looking up a little information with reference to theKo-Katana and its uses. Now, Okasaki is the name of a Japanese town. Family names almost invariably have a topographical foundation, referringto some village, river, street, or mountain, and there may be thousands ofOkasakis. Then, again, it was the custom some years ago for a man to becalled one name at birth, another when he came of age, a third when heobtained some official position, and so on. For instance, you would becalled Spring when you were born, Summer when you were twenty-one, Autumnwhen you became a policeman, and Winter when you reached your presentrank. "

"Oh, Christopher!" cried the detective. "And if I were made ChiefInspector?"

"Then your title would be 'Top Dog' or something of the sort. "

Mr. Winter assimilated the foregoing information with a profoundthankfulness that we in England do these things differently. 

"Why are you so interested in Mr. Okasaki?" he inquired. 

"I will answer your question by another. Why was he so interested in theKo-Katana?"

"That is hardly what I told you, Mr. Brett. He professed to be interestedin the crime itself. But now I come to think of it, he did ask me to lethim see the thing. "

"And did you?"

"Yes; I wanted all the information I could get. "

"My position exactly. Let us go to Scotland Yard. "

The famous Black Museum has so often been the subject of articles in thepublic press that no detailed description is needed here. It contains, inglass cases, or hanging on the walls, a weird collection of articlesfamous in the annals of crime. It is not open to the public, and Brett, who had not seen the place before, examined its relics with muchcuriosity. 

The detective exhibited a pardonable pride in some of them, but hiscompanion damped his enthusiasm by saying:

"This is a depressing sight. "

"In what way?"

"British rogues are evidently of low intelligence in the average. Abludgeon and a halter make up their history. "

"There's more than that in a good many cases. "

"Ah, I forgot the handcuffs. "

"Well, here is the Ko-Katana, " said Winter shortly. 

The barrister took the fateful weapon, not more deadly than a paper-knifein appearance, and scrutinised it closely. 

"It has not been cleaned, " he said. 

"No, it was left untouched after the doctor withdrew it from the pooryoung fellow's breast. "

Brett produced a magnifying glass. Beneath the rust on the blade hethought he could distinguish some Japanese characters in the quaintpictorial script adapted by that singular people from the Chinese systemof writing. 

He brought the knife nearer to the window and carefully focussed it. Thenhe produced a note-book and made a pencil drawing of the followinginscription:

[Illustration]

Winter watched him with quiet agony. He had never noticed the signsbefore. 

"Mr. Okasaki did not tell you what these scratches meant?" inquired thebarrister. 

"No. He did not see them. "

"Sure?"

"Quite positive. Of course, it is very smart on your part to hit upon themso quickly, but what possible purpose can it serve to find out the meaningof something carved in Japan more than fifty years ago, at the veryleast?"

"I do not know. It is very stupid of me, I admit, but I have not thefaintest notion. "

"Does it make the finding of Okasaki more important?"

"To a certain extent. We want to have everything explained. At present wehave so little of what I regard as really definite evidence. "

"May I ask what that little is?"

"Sir Alan Hume-Frazer was murdered with a knife produced by a man likeDavid Hume, whom 'Rabbit Jack' saw standing beneath the yews. Not much, eh?"

Winter shook his head dubiously. 

"If Sir Alan were shot instead of stabbed, " went on the barrister, "thefirst thing you would endeavour to determine would be the calibre andnature of the bullet. Why not be equally particular about the knife?"

"But this weapon has been for fifty years in Glen Tochan. Its history isthoroughly established. "

"Is it? Who made it? Whose crest does it bear? What does this mottosignify? If you wanted to kill a man would you use this toy? Why was notthe sword itself employed?"

"That string of questions leaves me out, Mr. Brett. "

"I am equally uninformed. I can only answer the last one. The sword isintended for suicidal purposes, the Ko-Katana for an enemy. This is a caseof murder, not suicide. "

The detective wheeled sharply on his heels, thereby upsetting CharlesPeace's telescopic ladder. 

"You suspect Okasaki!" he cried. 

"My dear fellow! Okasaki is, say, five feet nothing. The murderer is fivefeet ten inches in height. Japanese are clever people, but they arenot--telescopes, " and he picked up the ladder. 

Winter grinned. "You always make capital out of my blunders, " he said. 

"Pooh! My banking account is limited. Let us go. The moral atmosphere inthis room is vile. "

Outside the Central Police Office they separated, Brett to pay somelong-neglected calls, Winter to hunt up Capella's movements and initiateinquiries about Okasaki. 

The detective came to Brett's chambers at five o'clock, in a great stateof excitement. 

"Thank goodness you are at home, sir. " he cried, when Smith admitted himto the barrister's sanctum. "Capella is off to Naples. "

Naples, the scene of his marriage! What did this journey portend? Naughtbut the gravest considerations would take him so far away from home whenhe knew that David and Helen were reunited. 

"How did you discover this fact?" asked Brett, awaking out of a brownstudy. 

"Easily enough, as it happened. Ninety-nine per cent. Of gentlemen'svalets are keen sports. Barbers and hotel-porters run them close. I do abit that way myself--"

The barrister groaned. 

"Not often, sir, but this is holiday time, you see. Anyhow, I gave thehall-porter, whom I know, the wink to come to a neighbouring bar duringhis time off for tea. He actually brought Capella's man--William his nameis--with him. I told them I had backed the first winner to-day, an eightto one chance, and that started them. I offered to put them on a certaintynext week, and William's face fell. 'It's a beastly nuisance, ' he said, 'I'm off to Naples with my boss to-morrow. ' 'Well, ' said I, 'if you're notgoing before the night train, perhaps I may be able--' But that made himworse, because they leave by the 11 A. M. , Victoria. "

Brett began to pace the room. He could not make up his mind to visitNaples in person. For one thing, he did not speak Italian. But Capellamust be followed. At last he decided upon a course of action. 

"Winter, " he said, "do you know a man we can trust, an Italian, or betterstill, an Italian-speaking Englishman, who can undertake this commissionfor us?"

"Would you mind ringing for Smith, sir?" replied the detective, who seemedto be mightily pleased with himself. 

Smith appeared. 

"At the foot of the stairs you will find a gentleman named Holden, " saidWinter. "Ask him to come up, please. "

Holden appeared, a sallow personage, long-nosed and shrewd-looking. Thedetective explained that Mr. Holden was an ex-police sergeant, retainedfor many years at headquarters on account of his fluency in the languageof Tasso. Winter did not mention Tasso. This is figurative. 

An arrangement was quickly made. He was to start that evening and meetCapella on arrival at Naples; Winter would telegraph the fact of theItalian's departure according to programme. Holden was not to spareexpense in employing local assistance if necessary. He was to reporteverything he could learn about Capella's movements. 

Brett wanted to hand him £50, but found that all the money he had in hispossession at the moment only totalled up to £35. 

Winter produced a small bag. 

"It was quite true what I said, " he smirked. "I did back the first winner, and, what's more, I drew it--sixteen of the best. "

"I had no idea the police force was so corrupt, " sighed Brett, as hecompleted the financial transaction, and Mr. Holden took his departure. The detective also went off to search for Okasaki. 

About nine o'clock Hume arrived. 

"You will be glad to hear, " he said, "that the rector invited me to lunch. He approves of my project, and will pray for my success. It has been amost pleasant day for me, I can assure you. "

"The rector retired to his study immediately after lunch, I presume?"

"Yes, " said David innocently. "Has anything important occurred in town?"

Brett gave him a resumé of events. A chance allusion to Sir Alan causedthe young man to exclaim:

"By the way, you have never seen his photograph. He and I were very muchalike, you know, and I have brought from my rooms a few pictures which mayinterest you. "

He handed to Brett photographs of himself and his two cousins, and of theolder Sir Alan and Lady Hume-Frazer, taken singly and in groups. 

The barrister examined them minutely. 

"Alan and I, " pointed out his client, "were photographed during our lastvisit to London. Poor chap! He never saw this picture. The proofs were notsent until after his death. "

Something seemed to puzzle Brett very considerably. He compared thepictures one with the other, and paid heed to every detail. 

"Let me understand, " Brett said at last. "I think I have it in my notesthat at the time of the murder you were twenty-seven, Sir Alantwenty-four, and Mrs. Capella twenty-six?"

"That is so, approximately. We were born respectively in January, October, and December. My twenty-seventh birthday fell on the 11th. "

"Stated exactly, you were two years and nine months older than he?"

"Yes. "

"You don't look it. "

"I never did. We were always about the same size as boys, but he maturedat an earlier age than I. "

"It is odd. How old were you when this group was taken?"

The photograph depicted a family gathering on the lawn at Beechcroft. There were eight persons in it, three being elderly men. 

David reflected. 

"That was before I left Harrow, and Christmas time. Seventeen almost, within a couple of weeks. "

"So your cousin Margaret was sixteen?"

"Yes. "

"She was remarkably tall, well-developed for her age. "

"That was a notable characteristic from an early age. We boys used to callher 'Mama, ' when we wanted to vex her. "

"The three old gentlemen are very much alike. This is the baronet. Who arethe others?"

"My father and uncle. "

"What! Do you mean to tell me there to another branch of the family?"

"Well, yes, in a sense. My uncle is dead. His son, my age or a littleolder, for the youngest of the three brothers was married first, was lastheard of in Argentina. "

Brett threw the photograph down with clatter. 

"Good Heavens!" he vociferated, "when shall I begin to comprehend thisbusiness in its entirety? How many more uncles, and aunts, and cousinshave you?"

Amazed by this outburst, Hume endeavoured to put matters right. 

"I never thought--" he commenced. 

"You come to me to do the thinking, Hume. For goodness' sake switch yourmemory for five minutes from Miss Layton, and tell me all you know of yourfamily history. Have you any other relations?"

"None whatever. "

"And this newly-arrived cousin, what of him?"

"He was in the navy, and being of a quarrelsome disposition, wascourt-martialled for some small outbreak. He would not submit todiscipline, and resigned the service. Then his father died, and Bob wentoff to South America. I have never heard of him since. I know very littleabout my younger uncle's household. Indeed, the occasion recorded by thephotograph was the last time the old men met in friendship. There was adispute about money matters. My Uncle Charles was in the city, the twoestates being left by my grandfather to the two oldest sons. CharlesHume-Frazer died a poor man, having lost his fortune by speculation. "

"Have you seen your cousin Robert? Did he resemble Alan and you?"

"We were all as like as peas. People say that our house is remarkable forthe unchanging type of its male line. That is readily demonstrated by thefamily portraits. You have not been in the dining-room or picture-galleryat Beechcroft, or you must have noticed this instantly. "

Brett flung himself into a chair. 

"The Argentine!" he muttered. "A nice school for a 'quarrelsome'Hume-Frazer. "

He had calmed sufficiently to reach for his cigarette-case when Smithentered with a note, delivered by a boy messenger. 

It was from Winter:

"Have found Okasaki. His name is now Numagawa Jiro, so you were right, asusual. He and Mrs. Jiro live at 17 St. John's Mansions, Kensington. "

CHAPTER XI

MR. "OKASAKI"

In fifteen minutes Brett was bowling along Knightsbridge in a hansom, having left Hume with a strict injunction to rack his brains for anyfurther undiscovered facts bearing upon the inquiry, and turn up promptlyat ten o'clock next morning. 

Although the hour was late for calling upon a complete stranger, thebarrister could not rest until he had inspected the Jiro ménage. No. 17was a long way from the ground level. Indeed, the cats of Kensington, ifsufficiently enterprising, inhabitated the floor above. 

He rang, and was surveyed with astonishment by a very small maid-servant. 

"Is Mr. Numagawa Jiro at home?" he inquired. 

"No, sir, but Mrs. Jiro is. "

An infantine wail from one of the apartments showed that there was also ayoung Jiro. 

The maid neither advanced nor retreated. She simply stood stock still, petrified by the sight of a well-dressed visitor. 

Brett suggested that she should inform her mistress of his presence. 

"Please, sir, " whispered the girl, "are you from Ipswich?"

"No; from Victoria Street. "

"I only asked, sir, because master is particular about people fromIpswich. They upset missus so. "

She vanished into the interior, and came back to usher him into thedrawing-room. The flat was expensively furnished, but very untidy. He atonce perceived, however, that the "former" Mr. Okasaki was not romancingwhen he boasted of his artistic tastes. The Japanese articles in the roomwere gems of faience and lacquer work. 

The entrance of Mrs. Jiro drew the barrister's eyes from surroundingobjects. He was momentarily stunned. The woman was almost a giantess, andamazingly stout. In a tiny flat, waited on by a diminutive servant, andmarried to a Japanese, she was grotesque. 

Originally a very tall and fairly good-looking girl, she had evidentlyblossomed out like one of the gorgeous chrysanthemums of her husband'sfavoured land. 

Assuredly she had acquired no Japanese traits either in manner orappearance. At first she seemed to be in a genuinely British bad temper, but Brett excelled in the art of smoothing the ruffled plumes offemininity. 

"What is it?" she demanded, surveying him suspiciously. 

"I wish to see Mr. Jiro, " he said, "but permit me to apologise for makingsuch an untimely call. As he is not at home, I must not trouble you beyondinquiring a likely hour to see him to-morrow. "

He smiled so pleasantly that the lady became more complaisant. 

"He may not be very long--" she commenced, but the youthful Jiro's voicewas again heard in fretful complaint. 

"My baby is not well to-night, " she explained. 

"Poor little darling!" said Brett. 

He was tempted to add: "What is its name?" but refrained. 

"Won't you sit down?" said Mrs. Jiro. "As I was saying, my husband may notbe very long--"

She was fated not to complete that doubly accurate sentence, for at thatmoment a key rattled in the outer door. 

"Here he is, " she announced; and Mr. Jiro entered. 

It was fortunate that the gravity of his errand, no less than his power ofself-control, kept Brett from laughing. As it was, he smiled very broadlywhen he greeted the master of the flat, for the little man was small evenfor a Japanese. 

The contrast between him and his helpmate was ludicrous. He could notpossibly kiss her unless she stooped, nor would his arms encircle hershoulders. 

"And how is my pretty _karasu_?" he asked, regarding his wife fondly. 

"Don't call me that, Nummie!" she cried. 

Turning to Brett she explained: "He calls me a crow, and says it is acompliment, but I don't like it. "

"In Japan the clow speaks with the voice of love, " grinned Jiro. 

"Well, it sounds funny in London, so just attend to this gentleman. He hascome to see you on business. "

Mrs. Jiro forthwith seated herself to listen to the conclave. Brett, though warned by the maid's remark, could not help himself, so he wentstraight to the point. 

"Over a year ago, " he said, "you were in Ipswich. "

Instantly a severe chill fell upon his hearers. The man shrank, the womanexpanded, but before either could utter a word, the barrister continued:

"Personally, I know no one in Ipswich. I have only visited the town twice, during an Assize week. It has come to my knowledge that you gave thepolice some information with reference to a Japanese weapon which figuredin a noted crime, and I have ventured to come here to ask you foradditional details. "

Mrs. Jiro heaved a great sigh of relief. 

"My gracious!" she cried, "you did startle me. I can't bear to hear thename of Ipswich nowadays. I was married from there. "

"Indeed!" said Brett, with polite interest. 

"Yes; and my people are always hunting me up and making a row because Imarried Mr. Jiro. Sometimes they make me that ill that I feel halfinclined to go with him to Japan. He is always worrying me to leaveLondon, but the more I hear about Japan the less I fancy it. "

"Ah, my own little _gan_--" broke in her husband. 

"There you go again, " she snapped. "Calling me a _gan_--a goose, indeed!Now, Mr. Brett, how would you like to be called a wild goose?"

"I have often deserved it, " he said. 

"You do not understand, " chirped Jiro. "In Japan the goose is beautiful, elegant. It flies fast like a white spilit. "

His English was almost perfect, but in words containing a rolled "r" heoften substituted an "l. "

"I understand enough to keep away from Japan, a place where they have anearthquake every five minutes, and people live in paper houses. Besides, look at the size of your women-folk. Just imagine me, Mr. Brett, walkingabout among those little dolls, like a turkey among tom-tits. "

"We give fat people much admilation, " said Jiro. 

"Nummie, I do hate that word fat. I can't help being tall and welldeveloped; but it is only short women who become 'fat'. "

She hissed the word venomously, as if she possessed the scorpion's fabledpower to sting herself. Evidently Mrs. Jiro dreaded corpulence more thanearthquakes. 

Brett had never previously met such a strangely assorted couple. He wouldwillingly have prolonged his visit for mere amusement, but he wascompelled to return to the cause of his presence. Unless he asked directquestions he would make no progress. He took from his pocket-book thedrawing made in the Black Museum, and handed it to the Japanese, saying:

"Would you mind telling me the meaning of that?"

Jiro screwed his queer little eyes upon the scrawling characters. Themethods of writing in the Far East, being pictorial and inexact, requirescrutiny of the context before a given sentence can be correctlyinterpreted. 

The little man made no trouble about it, however. 

"They are old chalacters, " he said. "In Japan we joke a lot. Evely signhas sevelal meanings. This can be lead two ways. It is a plovelb, andsays, 'A new field gives a small clop, ' or 'Human life is but fiftyyears. ' Where did you see it?"

"On the blade of the Ko-Katana that killed Sir Alan Hume-Frazer, " answeredBrett. 

And now he experienced a fresh difficulty. The Japanese face isexceedingly expressive. When a native of the Island Empire smiles orscowls, exhibits surprise or fear, he apparently does these things withhis whole soul. Such facial plasticity provides far more effectiveconcealment of real emotions than the phlegmatic indifference of theBriton, who, in the words of Emerson, requires "pitchforks or the cry of'fire!'" to arouse him. 

It is possible to throw an Englishman off his guard by a shrewd thrust;but Mr. Numagawa Jiro was one of those persons whose lineaments wouldreveal the same amount of pain over a cut finger as a broken leg. 

Nevertheless, Brett's reply did unquestionably make him jump, and evenMrs. Jiro's bulging features became anxious. 

"Is that possible?" said the Japanese. "It is velly stlange the policegentleman did not tell me about it. "

"He did not know of it until to-day, " explained Brett, "and that is why Iam here now. It is the motto of some important Japanese family, is itnot?"

"It is a plovelb, " repeated Jiro, who evidently intended to take thought. 

"So I understand, but used in this way it represents a family, a clan?"

"I do not know. "

"What! A man so interested in his country's art as to go to anout-of-the-way English provincial town merely to see a small knife, mustsurely be able to decide such a trivial matter as the use of mottoes onsword blades!"

Mr. Jiro's excellent knowledge of English seemed to fail him, but his wifetook up the defence. 

"My husband had more to think about in Ipswich than a small knife, Mr. Brett. "

"Very much more, but it was the knife which brought him to the place. Hecarried the major attraction away with him. "

Mrs. Jiro thought this sounded nice. She turned to her husband:

"Why don't you tell the gentleman all you know about it, Nummie?"

The little man looked at her curiously before he spoke to the barrister. 

"I have nothing to tell, " he said. "I told the police all that they askedme. That was a velly old Ko-Katana, a hundred yeals old. It was made by afamous altist. I have told you the meaning of the liting. That is all Iknow. "

"Why did you give your name at Ipswich as Okasaki?" demanded Brett. 

"Oh, that is vely easy. Okosaki is my family name. You English people sayit quicker than Numaguwa Jiro, so I give it. But when I got mallied I usedmy light name. Japanese law does not pelmit the change of names now. Myploper name is Numagawa Jiro"--which he pronounced "Jilo. "

"You told the detective at Ipswich that the device on the handlerepresented the setting sun. How did you know the sun was setting, and notrising?"

It was a haphazard shot. The description was Hume's, not Winter's. 

Again the Japanese paused before answering. 

"It was shown by the way in which the gold was used. Japanese altists havesymbols for ideas. That is one. "

"Thank you. I imagined you recognised the device, and could speak off-handin the matter. By the way, do you use a type-writer?"

"Yes, " said Mrs. Jiro. "My husband is clever at all that sort of thing, and when he found the people could not read his writing he bought amachine. "

"I have sold it again, " interfered Jiro, after a hasty glance round theroom, "and I am going to buy another. "

Mrs. Jiro rose to stir the fire unnecessarily. 

"They are most useful, " said Brett. "Which make do you prefer?"

"They are all vely much alike, " answered the Japanese, "but I am going tobuy a Yost or a Hammond. "

"I am very much obliged to you for receiving me at this late hour, " saidthe barrister, rising, "but before I go allow me to compliment you on yourremarkable knowledge of English. I am sure you are indebted to your goodlady for your idiomatic command of the language. "

"I studied it for yeals in Japan--" began Jiro, but in vain, for his verymuch better half resented the word "idiomatic. "

"I don't know about that, " she snorted. "He talked a lot of nonsense whenwe were married, but I've made him drop it, and he is teaching meJapanese. "

"His task is a pleasant one. It is the tongue of poetry and love. "

Again there was a pause. A minute later Brett was standing in the streettrying to determine how best to act. 

He was fully persuaded that Jiro had, in the first place, identified thecrest as belonging to one of the many Samurai clans. But the motto was newto him, and its discovery had revealed the particular family which claimedits use. 

Why did he refuse to impart his knowledge? There must be plenty ofJapanese in London who would give this information readily. 

Again, why did he lie about the type-writer, and endeavour to mislead himas to the make of the machine he used?

To-morrow, for a certainty, Jiro would dispose of the Remington which henow possessed. Well, he should meet with a ready purchaser, if a letterfrom Brett to every agency in London would expedite matters. 

He did not credit Jiro with the death of Sir Alan Hume-Frazer, nor evenwith complicity in the crime. The Japanese had acted as the unwitting toolof a stronger personality, and the little man's brain was even at thismoment considering fresh aspects of the affair not previously within hisken. 

Moreover, how maddening the whole thing was! Beginning with Hume'sfantastic dream, he reviewed the hitherto unknown elements in thecase--Capella's fierce passion and queer behaviour, culminating in asudden journey to Italy, Margaret's silent agony, the existence of anArgentine cousin, the evidence of "Rabbit Jack, " the punning motto on theKo-Katana, Jiro's perturbation and desire to prevent his wife'sunconscious disclosures. 

With the final item came the ludicrous remembrance of that ill-assortedcouple. Laughing, Brett hailed a hansom. 

CHAPTER XII

WHAT THE STATIONMASTER SAW

The number of type-writer exchanges in London is not large. Impressing theservices of Smith and his wife as amanuenses, Brett despatched therequisite letters before he retired for the night. 

He was up betimes and out before breakfast, surprising the domestics ofhis club by an early visit to the library. The Etona contained a greatmany service members, and made a feature of its complete editions of Armyand Navy lists. 

In one of the latter, eight years old, Brett found, among the officers ofthe _Northumberland_, at that time in commission, "Robert Hume-Fraser, sub-lieutenant. " A later volume recorded his retirement from the service. 

Hume and Winter reached Brett's flat together. 

"Any luck with the Jap, sir?" asked the detective cheerily. 

Brett told them what had happened, and Winter sighed. Here, indeed, was apromising subject for an arrest. Why not lock him up, and seize thetype-writer? But he knew the barrister by this time, and uttered no word. 

"And now, " said Brett, after a malicious pause to enable Winter to declarehimself, "I am going back to Stowmarket. No, Hume, you are not coming withme. When does Fergusson arrive here?"

The question drove from David's face the disappointed look with which hereceived his friend's announcement. 

"To-morrow evening, " he replied. "My father thinks the old man should notrisk an all-night journey. He has also sent me every detail he can gettogether, either from documents or recollection, bearing upon our familyhistory. "

He produced a formidable roll of manuscript. The old gentleman hadevidently devoted many hours and some literary skill to the compilation. 

"I will read that in the train, " said Brett. "You must start at once forPortsmouth. I have here a list of all the officers serving with yourcousin Robert on the _Northumberland_ immediately prior to his quittingthe Navy. Portsmouth, Devonport, Southsea, and the neighbourhood willalmost certainly contain some of them. If not, people there will knowwhere they are to be found. You must make yourself known to them, andendeavour to gain any sort of news concerning the ex-lieutenant. Naval menroam all over the world. Some of them may have met him in the Argentine, or in any of the South American ports where British warships areconstantly calling. He was a sailor. He left the Navy under no cloud. Hence, the presence of a British man-o'-war would draw him like a magnet. Do not come back here until you bring news of him. "

"Why is it so important? You cannot imagine--"

"No; I endeavour to restrain my imagination. I want facts. You are thebest person to obtain them. One relative inquiring for another is anatural proceeding. It will not arouse suspicions that you are adebt-collector. "

"Suppose I obtain news of his whereabouts?"

"Telegraph to me and I will give you fresh instructions. "

Hume walked to the door. 

"Give my kind regards to Miss Layton, " he said grimly. 

"I will be delighted. Work hard. You will see her all the sooner. "

"There goes a man in love, " continued Brett, addressing the back ofWinter's skull, though looking him straight in the face. "His career, hisreputation, everything he values most in this world is at stake. He is asensible, level-headed fellow, who has become embittered by unjustsuspicion; yet he would unwillingly let a material item like his cousin'sproceedings sink into oblivion just for the sake of telling a girl thatshe looks more charming to-day than she did yesterday, or some equallyoriginal remark peculiar to love-making. How do you account for it, Winter?"

"I give it up, " sighed the detective. "We are all fools where women areconcerned. "

"You surprise me, " said the barrister sternly. "Such a personal confessionof weakness is unexpected--I may say distressing. "

Winter shook his head. 

"You're not married, Mr. Brett, or you wouldn't talk like that. "

"Well, let it pass. I want you to make the acquaintance of that lovingcouple, Mr. And Mrs. Numagawa Jiro. You must disguise yourself. Jiro is tobe shadowed constantly. Get any help you require, but do it. Be off, Winter, on the wings of the wind. Fasten on to Jiro. Batten on him. Becomehis invisible vampire. Above all else, discover his associates. Run now tothe bank and cash this cheque. It repays the sum you advanced last night, and provides money for expenses. "

"I must first see Capella off, " gasped the detective. 

"All the more reason that you should fly. "

Left to himself, the barrister compiled memoranda for an hour or more. Heread through what he had written. 

"The web is spreading quickly, " he murmured. "I wonder what sort of fly weshall catch! Is he buzzing about under our very noses, or will he be anunknown variety? As they say in the Argentine--_Quien sabe?_"

During the journey to Stowmarket he mastered the contents of the bulkydocument sent from Glen Tochan. It contained a great many irrelevantdetails, but he made the following notes:--

 After the duel in 1763, David Hume, the man who avenged with his sword the supposed injury inflicted upon his father by the first Sir Alan Hume-Frazer, escaped to the Netherlands, and was never heard of again. 

 There was a local tradition on the Scotch estate that five Hume-Frazers would meet with violent deaths in England. The reason for this singular belief was found in the recorded utterances of an old nurse, popularly credited with the gift of second sight, who prophesied, after the outlawry of the Humes in 1745, that there would be five long-lived generations of both families, and that five Frazers would die in their boots. 

 "Curiously enough, " commented the old gentleman who supplied this information, "Aunt Elspeth's prediction is capable of two interpretations, owing to the fact that the first Sir Alan Frazer assumed the additional surname of Hume, I have absolutely no knowledge of any distinct branch of the Hume family. David Hume's sister was married to my ancestor at the time of the duel. "

 Admiral Cunningham, the hardy old salt who brought from Japan the sword used by a Samurai to commit _hari-kara_, or suicide by disembowelling, commanded the British vessels of the combined squadron which sailed up the Bay of Yedo on July 6, 1853, to intimidate the Mikado. 

 He narrowly escaped assassination at the hands of a two-sword man, who was knocked down by a sailor and soundly kicked, after being disarmed. 

 The Admiral brought home the two weapons taken from his assailant, and the larger sword was still to be seen in the armoury at Glen Tochan. 

 The three brothers, of whom the writer alone survived, quarrelled over money matters about eight years before the murder of the fifth baronet. The youngest, Charles, had entangled himself in a disastrous speculation in the city, and bitterly reproached Alan and David (the narrator) because they would not come to his assistance. 

The old gentleman laboured through many pages to explain the reasons whichactuated this decision, but Brett skipped all of them. 

Finally, he suspected no one of committing the crime itself, which wasutterly inexplicable. 

At Stowmarket the barrister sought a few minutes' conversation with thestationmaster. 

"Have you been long in charge of this station?" he asked, when theofficial ushered him into a private office. 

"Nearly five years, sir, " was the surprised answer. 

"Ah, then you know nearly all the members of the Hume-Frazer family?"

"Yes, sir. I think so. "

"Do you remember the New Year's Eve when the young baronet was killed?"

"Yes, generally speaking, I do remember it. "

The stationmaster was evidently doubtful of the motives which actuatedthis cross-examination, and resolved not to commit himself to positivestatements. 

"You recollect, of course, that Mr. David Hume-Frazer was arrested andtried for the murder of his cousin?"

"Yes. "

"Very well. Now I want you to search your memory well and tell me if yousaw anyone belonging to the family in the station on that New Year's Eve. The terrible occurrence at Beechcroft the same night must have fixed thefacts in your mind. "

The stationmaster, a cautious man of kindly disposition, seemed to betroubled by the interrogatory. 

"Do you mind if I ask you, sir, why you are seeking this information?" heinquired, after a thoughtful pause. 

"A very proper question. Mr. David Hume-Frazer is a friend of mine, and hehas sought my help to clear away the mystery attached to his cousin'sdeath. "

"But why do you come to me?"

"Because you are a very likely person to have some knowledge on the pointI raised. You see every person who enters or leaves Stowmarket by train. "

"That is true. We railway men see far more than people think, " said theofficial, with a smile. "But it is very odd that you should be the firstgentleman to think of talking to me in connection with the affair, thoughI can assure you certain things puzzled me a good deal at the time. "

"And what were they?"

"You are the gentleman who came here three days ago with Mr. David, whom, by the way, I hardly recognised at first?"

"Exactly. "

"Well, I suppose it is all right. I did not interfere because I could notsee my way clear to voluntarily give evidence. Of course, were I summonedby the police, it would be a different matter. The incidents of that NewYear's Eve fairly bewildered me. "

"Indeed!"

"It was stated at the trial, sir, that Mr. David came from Scotland thatmorning, left Liverpool Street at 3. 20 p. M. , and reached Stowmarket at5. 22 p. M. "

"Yes. "

"Further, he was admittedly the second person to see his cousin's deadbody, and remained at the Hall until arrested by the police on a warrant. "

Brett nodded. The stationmaster's statement promised to be intenselyinteresting. 

"Well, sir, " continued the man excitedly, "I was mystified enough on NewYear's Eve, but after the murder came out I thought I was fairlybewitched. That season is always a busy one for us, what between parcels, passengers, and bad weather. On the morning of December 31, I fancied Isaw Mr. David leave the London train due here at 12. 15 midday. I onlycaught a glimpse of him, because there was a crowd of people, and he wasall muffled up. I didn't give the matter a second thought until I saw himagain step out of a first-class carriage at 2. 20 p. M. I looked at himrather sharp that time. He was differently dressed, and hurried offwithout any luggage. He left the station quickly, so I imagined I had beenmistaken a couple of hours earlier. You could have knocked me down with afeather when he appeared by the 5. 22 p. M. This time he had several leathertrunks, and a footman from the Hall was waiting for him on the platform. Excuse me, sir, but it was a fair licker!"

"It must have been. I wonder you did not speak to him!"

"I wish I had done so. Mr. David is usually a very affable younggentleman, but, what between my surprise and the bustle of getting thetrain away, I lost the opportunity. However, the queerest part of my storyis coming. I'm blest if he didn't leave here again by the last train at5. 58 p. M. I missed his entrance to the station, but had a good look at himas the train went out. He showed the ticket-examiner at Ipswich a returnhalf to London, because I asked by wire. Now what did it all mean?"

"If I could tell you, it would save me much trouble, " said Brett gravely. "But why did you not mention these incidents subsequently?"

"Perhaps I was wrong, sir. I did not know what to do for the best. Everyone at the Hall, including Mr. David himself, would have proved that I wasa liar with respect to his two earlier arrivals and his departure by the5. 58. I did not see what I would accomplish except to arouse a strongsuspicion that I had been drinking. "

"Which would be unjustifiable?"

The stationmaster regained his dignity. 

"I have been a teetotaler, sir, for more than twenty years. "

"You are sure you are making no mistake?"

"Nothing of the kind, sir. I must have been very much mistaken, but I didnot think so at the time, and it bothered me more than enough. If myevidence promised to be of any service to Mr. David, no considerationwould have kept me back. As it was--"

"You thought it would damage him?"

"I'm afraid that was my idea. "

"I agree with you. It is far better that it never came to the knowledge ofthe police. I am greatly obliged to you. "

"May I ask, sir, if what I have told you will be useful in your inquiry?"

"Most decidedly. Some day soon Mr. David Hume-Frazer will thank you inperson. I suppose you have no objection to placing your observations inwritten form for my private use, and sending the statement to me at theCounty Hotel?"

"Not the least, sir; good-day. "

The barrister walked to the hotel, having despatched his bag by a porter. 

"I suppose, " he said to himself, "that when Winter came here he rushedstraight to the police-station. How his round eyes will bulge out of theirsockets when I tell him what I have just learnt. "

CHAPTER XIII

TWO WOMEN

The surprising information given by the stationmaster impressed thebarrister as so much unexpected trover which would assert its value in theprogress of events. He certainly did not anticipate the discovery of threeDavid Humes, though he had hoped to find traces of two. 

Before he reached his hotel he experienced a spasm of doubt. Was hisclient telling the truth about his movements on that memorable ChristmasEve? David's story was fully corroborated by the railway official and theservants at the Hall, whose sworn evidence was in Brett's possession. Buthow about Hume's counterfeit presentments arriving by the earliertrains--coming from where and bound on what errands?

He resolutely closed down the trap-door opened by his imagination. 

"The pit does not yawn for me, " he communed, "but for the man who killedSir Alan. Assuredly he will fall into it before many days. Nothing onearth can stop the meeting of two or more of the hidden channels now beingopened up, and when they do meet there must be a dramatic outcome. "

His chief purpose in revisiting Stowmarket was to seek further confidencesfrom Mrs. Capella. He argued that the sudden journey of her husband toNaples would cause her much uneasiness, and she might now be inclined toreveal circumstances yet hidden. 

He refused to take her at a disadvantage. From the hotel he sent a cyclistmessenger with a note asking for an interview, and within an hour hereceived a cordial request to come at once. 

Nevertheless, he was not a little astonished to find Helen Layton awaitinghim in Margaret's boudoir. 

The girl showed signs of recent agitation, but she explained her presencequietly enough. 

"Mrs. Capella sent for me when your note reached her, Mr. Brett. She isgreatly upset by recent events, and was actually on the point oftelegraphing to Davie to ask him to bring you here at once when yourmessage was handed to her. She will be here presently. Please do not pressher too closely to reveal anything she wishes to withhold. She is soemotional and excited, poor thing, that I fear her health may beendangered. "

Miss Layton's words were not well chosen. She was conscious of the fact, and blushed furiously when Brett received her request with a friendly nodof comprehension. 

"I do not know what to say for the best, " she went on desperately. "I amso sorry for Margaret, and it seems to me to be a terrible thing that myproposed marriage with her cousin should be the innocent cause of all thistrouble. "

"Is it the cause?" he asked. 

"What else can it be? Certainly not Mr. Capella's foolish actions. IfDavie and I were married, and far away from this neighbourhood, we wouldprobably never see him again. I assure you I attach no serioussignificance to his mad fancy for me. The real reason for the presentbother is Davie's desire to reopen the story of the murder. Of that I amconvinced. "

"Then what do you wish me to do?"

Helen's eyes became suspiciously moist. 

"How am I to decide?" she said tremulously. "Naturally, I want the name ofmy future husband to be cleared of the odium attached to it, but it ishard that this cannot be done without driving a dear woman like Margaretto despair, perhaps to the grave. "

"I do not see why the one course should involve the other. "

"Nor do I; but the fact remains. Mr. Capella's decision to go to Naples issomehow bound up with it. Oh, dear! During the last two years a dozen ormore girls have been happily married in this village without any one beingkilled, or running away, or dying of grief. Why should those thingsdescend upon my poor little head?"

"Perhaps you are mistaken. Events have conspired to point to you as theunconscious source of a good deal that has happened. Personally, MissLayton, I incline to the belief that you are no more responsible thanDavid Hume-Frazer. If the mystery of Sir Alan's death is ever solved, Ifeel assured that its genesis will be found in circumstances not onlybeyond your control, but wholly independent, and likely to operate in thesame way if both you and your _fiancé_ had never either seen or heard ofBeechcroft Hall. "

"Oh, Mr. Brett, " she cried impulsively, "I wish I could be certain ofthat!"

"Try and adopt my opinion, " he answered, with a smile, for the girl'sdubiety was not very flattering. 

"I know I am saying the wrong thing. I cannot help it. Margaret's distresstried me sorely. Be gentle with her--that is all I ask. "

The door opened, and Mrs. Capella entered. Helen's observations hadprepared Brett to some extent, yet he was shocked to see the havoc wroughtin Margaret's appearance by days of suffering and nights of sleeplessagony. 

Her face was drawn and ivory-white, her eyes unnaturally brilliant, herlips bloodless and pinched. She was again garbed in black, and the sombreeffect of her dress supplied a startling contrast to the deathly pallor ofher features. 

She recognised Brett's presence by a silent bow, and sank on to a couch. She was not acting, but really ill, overwrought, inert, physically weakfrom want of food and sleep. 

Helen ran to her side, and took her in a loving clasp. 

"You poor darling!" she cried. "Why are you suffering so?"

Now there was nothing on earth Brett detested so thoroughly as a displayof feminine sentiment, no matter how spontaneous or well-timed. At hearthe was conscious of kindred emotions. A child's cry, a woman's sob, thegroan of a despairing man, had power to move him so strangely that he hadmore than once allowed a long-sought opportunity to slip from his grasprather than sear his own soul by displaying callous indifference to thesufferings of others. 

The tears of these, two, however, set his teeth on edge. What were theywhining about--the affections of a doll of a man whose antics had beenrightly treated by David when he proved to Capella that there is nothinglike leather. 

For the barrister laboured under no delusions respecting either woman. Margaret, who secretly feared her husband, was only pining for hisrekindled admiration, whilst Helen, though true as steel to David Hume, could not be expected to regard the Italian's misplaced passion as utterlyoutrageous. No woman can absolutely hate and despise a man for loving her, no matter how absurd or impossible his passion may be. She may proclaim, even feel, a vast amount of indignation, but in the secret recesses of hersoul, hidden perhaps from her own scrutiny, she can find excuses for him. 

Brett regarded Capella as an impressionable scamp, endowed with a toovivid imagination, and he determined forthwith to stir his hearers intorevolt, defiance--anything but languishing regret and condolence. 

Margaret soon gave him an opportunity. Recovering her self-possession withan effort, she said:

"I am glad you are here, Mr. Brett. Helen has probably told you that weneed your presence--not that I have much to say to you, but I must havethe advice of a wiser and clearer head than my own in the present positionof affairs. "

"Exactly so, " replied the barrister cheerily. "As a preliminary to apleasant chat, may I suggest a cup of tea for each of us?"

The ladies were manifestly astonished. Tea! When broken hearts werescattered around! The suggestion was pure bathos. 

Margaret, with a touch of severity, permitted Brett to ring, and coldlyagreed with Helen's declaration that she could not think of touching anyspecies of refreshment at such a moment. 

"Then, " said Brett, advancing and holding out his hand, "I will save yourservants from needless trouble, Mrs. Capella. I am equally emphatic in myinsistence on food and drink as primary necessities. For instance, a cupof good tea just now is much more important in my eyes than your husband'svagaries. "

"Surely you will not desert me?" appealed Margaret. 

"Mr. Brett, how can you be so heartless?" cried Helen. 

"Your words cut me to the bone, " he answered, with an easy smile, "but inthis matter I must be adamant. My dear ladies, pray consider. What a worldwe should live in if people went without their meals because they wereworried. Three days of such treatment would end the South African War, give Ireland Home Rule, bring even the American Senate to reason. A weekof it would extinguish the human race. If the system has suchpotentialities, is it unreasonable to ask whether or not any singleindividual--even Mr. Capella--is worth the loss of a cup of tea because hechooses to go to Naples?"

A servant entered. 

"Is it to be for three, or none?" inquired Brett, compelling Margaret tomeet his gaze. 

"James, bring tea at once, " said Mrs. Capella. 

The barrister accepted this partial surrender. He looked out over thepark. 

"What lovely weather!" Brett exclaimed. "How delightful it must be at thesea-side just now! Really, I am greatly tempted to run up to Whitby for afew days. Have you ever been there, Mrs. Capella? Or you, Miss Layton? No!Well, let me recommend the north-east coast of Yorkshire as a cure for allills. Do you know that, within the next fortnight, you can, if energeticenough, see from the cliffs at Whitby the sun rise and set in the sea? Itis the one place in England where such a sight is possible. And the breezethere! When it blows from the north, it comes straight from the Polar Sea. There is no land intervening. Naples--evil-smelling, dirty Naples! Pah!Who but a lunatic would prefer Naples to Whitby in July!"

Margaret was now incensed, Helen surprised, and even slightly amused. 

Brett rattled on, demanding and receiving occasional curt replies. The teacame. 

Whatever the failings of Beechcroft might be, they had not reached thekitchen. Delightful little rolls of thin bread and butter, sandwiches ofcucumber and _paté de foie gras_, tempting morsels of pastry, home-madejam, and crisp biscuits showed that the housekeeper had unconsciouslyadopted Brett's view of her mistress's needs. 

Margaret, hardly knowing what she did, toyed at first with thesedelicacies, until she yielded to the demands of her stimulated appetite. Helen and Brett were unfeignedly hungry, and when Brett rose to ring formore cucumber sandwiches, they all laughed. 

"The first time I met you, " said Margaret, whose cheeks began to exhibit afaint trace of colour, "I told you that you could read a woman's heart. Idid not know you were also qualified to act as her physician. "

"If the first part of my treatment is deemed successful, then I hope youwill adopt the second. I am quite in earnest concerning Whitby, or Cromer, if you do not care to go far north. "

"But, Mr. Brett, how can I possibly leave Beechcroft now?"

"Did Mr. Capella consult you when he went to Naples? Are you not mistresshere? Take my advice. Give the majority of your servants a holiday. Closeyour house, or, better still, have every room dismantled on the pretenceof a thorough renovation. Leave it to paperhangers, plasterers, andcaretakers. The rector may be persuaded to allow Miss Layton to come withyou to London, where you should visit your dressmaker, for you can nowdispense with mourning. When your husband returns from Naples, let himrage to the top of his bent. By that time I may be able to spare Mr. Humeto look after both of you for a week or so. Permit your husband to joinyou when he humbly seeks permission--not before. Believe me, Mrs. Capella, if you have strength of will to adopt my programme in its entirety, thetrip to Naples may have results wholly unexpected by the runaway. "

"Really, Margaret, Mr. Brett's advice seems to me to be very sensible. Ithappens, too, that my father needs a change of air, and I think we couldboth persuade him to come with us to the coast. "

Helen, like all well regulated young Englishwomen, quickly took areasonable view of the problem. Already Capella's heroics and his wife'slamentations began to appear ridiculous. 

Margaret looked wistfully at both of them. 

"You do not understand why my husband has gone to Naples, " she saidslowly, seemingly revolving something in her mind. 

"I think I can guess his motive, " said the barrister. 

"Tell me your explanation of the riddle, " she answered lightly, though ashadow of fear crossed her eyes. 

"Soon after your marriage he imagined that he discovered certain factsconnected with your family--possibly relative to your brother'sdeath--which served to estrange him from you. Whatever they may be, whether existent or fanciful, you are in no way responsible. He has goneto Naples to obtain proofs of his suspicions, or knowledge. He will comeback to terrorise you, perhaps to seek revenge for imaginary wrongs. Therefore, I say, do not meet him half-way by sitting here, blanched andfearful, until it pleases him to return. Compel him to seek you. Let himfind you at least outwardly happy and contented, careless of his neglect, and more pleased than otherwise by his absence. Tell him to try Algiers inAugust and Calcutta in September. "

Margaret's eyes were widely distended. Her mobile features expressed bothastonishment and anxiety. She covered her face with her hands, in anattitude of deep perplexity. 

They knew she was wrestling with the impulse to take them wholly intoconfidence. 

At last she spoke:

"I cannot tell you, " she said, "how comforting your words are. If you, astranger, can estimate the truth so nearly, why should I torture myselfbecause my husband is outrageously unjust? I will follow your counsel, Mr. Brett. If possible, Nellie and I will leave here to-morrow. Perhaps Mrs. Eastham may be able to come with us to town. Will you order my carriage? Adrive will do me good. Come with Nellie and me, and stay here to dinner. For to-day we may dispense with ceremony. "

She left the room, walking with a firm and confident step. 

Brett turned to Miss Layton. 

"Capella is in for trouble, " he said, with a laugh. "He will be forced tomake love to his wife a second time. "

CHAPTER XIV

MARGARET SPEAKS OUT

During the drive the presence of servants rendered conversation impossibleon the one topic that engrossed their thoughts. 

The barrister, therefore, had an opportunity to display the other side ofhis engaging personality, his singular knowledge of the world, hisacquaintance with the latest developments in literature and the arts, andso much of London's _vie intime_ as was suited to the ears of politesociety. 

Once he amused the ladies greatly by a trivial instance of his faculty fordeducing a definite fact from seemingly inadequate signs. 

He was sitting with his back to the horses. They passed a field in whichsome people were working. Neither of the women paid attention to thescene. Brett, from mere force of habit, took in all details. 

A little farther on he said: "Are we approaching a village?"

"Yes, " answered Miss Layton, "a small place named Needham. "

"Then it will not surprise me if, during the next two minutes, we meet ahorse and cart with a load of potatoes. The driver is a young man in hisshirt sleeves. Sitting by his side is a brown-eyed maid in a poke bonnet. Probably his left arm follows the line of her apron string. "

His hearers could not help being surprised by this prediction. Helenleaned over the side and looked ahead. 

"You are wrong this time, Mr. Brett, " she laughed merrily. "The onlyvehicle between us and a turn in the road is a dog-cart coming this way. "

"That merely shows the necessity of carefully choosing one's words. Ishould have said 'overtake, ' not 'meet. '"

The carriage sped swiftly along. Helen craned her head to catch the firstglimpse of the yet hidden stretch of road beyond the turning. 

"Good gracious!" she cried suddenly. 

Even Margaret was stimulated to curiosity. She bent over the oppositeside. 

"What an extraordinary thing!" she exclaimed. 

Brett sat unmoved, anything in front being, of course, quite invisible tohim. On the box the coachman nudged the footman, as if to say:

"Did you ever! Well, s'elp me!"

For, in the next few strides, the horses had to be pulled to one side toavoid a cart laden with potatoes, driven by a coatless youth who had onearm thrown gracefully around the waist of a girl in a huge bonnet. 

Nellie turned and stared at them in most unladylike manner, much to theirdiscomfiture. 

"I do declare, " she cried, "the girl has brown eyes! Mr. Brett, do tell ushow you did it. "

"I will, " he replied gaily. "Those labourers in a field half a mile awaywere digging potatoes. Among the women sorters was a girl who was gazinganxiously in this direction, and who resumed work in a very bad temperwhen another woman spoke to her in a chaffing way. The gate was left open, and there were fresh wheel-tracks in this direction. The men were allcoatless, so I argued a young man driving and a girl by his side, hencethe annoyance of the watcher in the field, owing particularly to theposition of his arm. The presence on the road of several potatoes, withthe earth still damp on them, added certainty to my convictions. It isvery easy, you see. "

"Yes, but how about the colour of the girl's eyes?"

"That was hazardous, to an extent. But five out of every six women in thiscounty have brown eyes. "

"Well, you may think it easy; to me it is marvellous. "

"It is positively startling, " said Margaret seriously; and if thebarrister indulged in a fresh series of deductions he remained silent onthe topic. 

He tried to lead the conversation to Naples, but was foiled by Mrs. Capella's positive disinclination to discuss Italy on any pretext, andMiss Layton's natural desire not to embarrass her friend. 

Indeed, so little headway did he make, so fully was Margaret's mind takenup with the new departure he had suggested, that when the carriage stoppedat the rectory to drop Helen--who wished to tell her father about thedinner and to change her costume--he was strongly tempted to wriggle outof the engagement. 

Inclination pulled him to his quiet sitting-room in the County Hotel;impulse bade him remain and make the most of the meagre opportunitiesoffered by the drift of conversation. 

"I hope, " said Helen, at parting, "that I may persuade you to come hereand dine with my father some evening when Mrs. Capella and I are in town. If you take any interest in old coins he will entertain you for hours. "

"Then I depend on you to bring an invitation to the Hall this evening. Iexpect to be in Stowmarket next week. "

"Are you leaving to-morrow?" inquired Mrs. Capella. 

"I think so. "

"Would you care to walk to the house with me now?"

"I will be delighted. "

So the carriage was sent off, and the two followed on foot. Brett thoughtthat impulse had led him aright. 

Once past the lodge gates, Margaret looked at him suddenly, with a quick, searching glance. Hume was not in error when he spoke of her "Continentaltricks of manner. "

"You wonder, " she said, "why I do not trust you fully? You know that I amkeeping something back from you? You imagine that you can guess a gooddeal of what I am endeavouring to hide?"

"To all those questions, I may generally answer 'Yes. '"

"Of course. You observe the small things of life. The larger events arebuilt from them. Well, I can be candid with you. My husband believes thatI not only deceived him in regard to my marriage, but he is, or was, veryjealous of me. "

She paused, apparently unable to frame her words satisfactorily. 

"Having said so much, " put in the barrister gently, "you might be morespecific. "

His cool, even voice reassured her. 

"I hardly know how best to express myself, " she cried. "Question me. Iwill reply so far as I am able. "

"Thank you. You have told me that you first met Mr. Capella on New Year'sEve two years ago, at Covent Garden?"

"That is so. "

"Had you ever heard of him before?"

"Never. He was brought to my party by an Italian friend. "

"Did the acquaintance ripen rapidly?"

"Yes. We found that our tastes were identical in many respects. I did notknow of my brother's death until the 2nd of January. No one in Beechcrofthad my address, and my solicitor's office was closed on the holiday. Mr. Capella called on me, by request, the day after the ball, and already Ibecame aware of his admiration. Italians are quick to fall in love. "

"And afterwards?"

"When poor Alan's murder appeared in the press, Giovanni was among thefirst to write me a sympathetic letter. Later on we met several times inLondon. I did not come to reside in the Hall until all legal formalitieswere settled. A year passed. I went to Naples. He came from his estate inCalabria, and we renewed our friendship. You do not know, perhaps, that heis a count in his own country, but we decided not to use the title here. "

"Then Mr. Capella is not a poor man?"

"By no means. He is far from rich as we understand the word. He is worth, I believe, £1, 500 a-year. Why do you ask? Had you the impression that hemarried me for my money?"

"There might well be other reasons, " thought Brett, glancing at thebeautiful and stately woman by his side. But it was no moment for idlecompliments. 

"Such things have been done, " he said drily. 

"Then disabuse your mind of the idea. He is a very proud man. His estatesare involved, and in our first few days of happiness we did indeed discussthe means of freeing them, whilst our marriage contract stipulates that inthe event of either of us predeceasing the other, and there being nochildren, the survivor inherits. But all at once a cloud came between us, and Giovanni has curtly declined any assistance by me in discharging hisfamily debt. "

Brett could not help remembering Capella's passionate declaration toHelen, but Margaret's words read a new meaning into it. Possibly theItalian was only making a forlorn hope attack on a country maiden'snatural desire to shine amidst her friends. Well, time would tell. 

Meanwhile, Mrs. Capella's outburst of confidence was valuable. 

"A cloud!" he said. "What sort of a cloud?"

"Giovanni suddenly discovered that his father and mine were deadlyenemies. It was a cruel whim of Fate that brought us together. Poorfellow! He was very fond of his father, and it seems that a legacy ofrevenge was bequeathed to him against an Englishman named Beechcroft. Iremembered, too late, that he once asked me how our house came to be sonamed, and I explained its English meaning to him. I joked about it, andsaid the place should rightly be called Yewcroft. During our honeymoon atNaples he learnt that my father, for some reason, had travelled over alarge part of Italy in an assumed name--"

"How did he learn this?" broke in Brett. 

"I cannot tell you. The affair happened like a flash of lightning. We hadbeen to Capri one afternoon, and I was tired. I went to my room to restfor a couple of hours, fell asleep, and awoke to find Giovanni staring atme in the most terrifying manner. There was a fierce scene. We are bothhot-tempered, and when he accused me of a ridiculous endeavour to hoodwinkhim in some indefinable way I became very indignant. We patched up a sortof truce, but I may honestly say that we have not had a moment's happinesssince. "

"But you spoke of jealousy also?"

"That is really too absurd. My cousin Robert--"

"What, the gentleman from the Argentine?"

"Yes; I suppose David told you about him?"

"He did, " said the barrister grimly. 

"Robert is poor, you may know. He is also very good-looking. "

"A family trait, " Brett could not avoid saying. 

"It has not been an advantage to us, " she replied mournfully. 

They were standing now opposite the library, almost on the spot where herbrother fell. They turned and strolled back towards the lodge. 

"Robert came to see me, " she resumed. "He paid a visit in unconventionalmanner--waylaid me, in fact, in this very avenue, and asked me to helphim. He declined to meet my husband, and was very bitter about my marriageto a foreigner. However, I forgave him, for my own heart was sore in me, and he also had been unfortunate in a different way. We had a long talk, and I kissed him at parting. I afterwards found that Giovanni had seen usfrom his bedroom. He thought Robert was David. I do not think he believedme, even when I showed him the counterfoil of my cheque-book, and theamount of a remittance I sent to Robert next day. "

"How much was the sum?"

"Five hundred pounds. "

"And where did you send it?"

"To the Hotel Victoria. "

"In his own name?"

"Certainly. "

"Have you ever met him since?"

"Yes, unfortunately. I was in London, driving through Regent Street in ahansom, when I saw him on the pavement. I stopped the cab, and asked himto come to luncheon. We have no town house, so I was staying at theCarlton alone. Yet how stupidly compromising circumstances canoccasionally become! I returned to Beechcroft. I did not mention mymeeting with Robert because, indeed, Giovanni and I were hardly onspeaking terms. One day, in the library, I was sorting a number ofaccounts, when I was summoned elsewhere for a few minutes. On top of thepile was my receipted hotel bill. My husband came in, glanced at thepaper, and saw a charge for a guest. When I returned he asked me whom Ihad been entertaining. I told him, and could not help blushing, the affairbeing so flagrantly absurd. "

"Is that all?"

"I declare to you, Mr. Brett, that you are now as well informed as I ammyself concerning our estrangement. "

"There is, I take it, no objection on your part to the inquiry I haveundertaken--the fixing of responsibility for your brother's death, Imean?"

Margaret was silent for a few seconds before she said, in a low and steadyvoice:

"We are a strange race, we Hume-Frazers. Somehow I felt, when I first sawyou and Davie together, that you would be bound up with a crisis in mylife. I dread crises. They have ever been unfortunate for me. I cannotexplain myself further. I know I am approaching an eventful epoch. Well, Iam prepared. Go on with your work, in God's name. I cannot become moreunhappy than I am. "

CHAPTER XV

AN UNEXPECTED VISITOR

A clock in the church tower chimed the half-hour. 

"We dine at seven, " said Mrs. Capella. "Let us return to the house. I toldthe housekeeper to prepare a room for you. Would you care to remain forthe night? One of the grooms can bring from Stowmarket any articles youmay need. "

Brett declined the invitation, pleading a certain amount of work to bedone before he retired to rest, and his expectation of finding letters ortelegrams at the hotel. 

They walked more rapidly up the avenue, and the barrister noted thegraceful ease of Margaret's movements. 

"Is it a fact" he asked, "that you suffer from heart disease?"

She laughed, and said, with a certain charming hesitation:

"You are both doctor and lawyer, Mr. Brett. My heart is quite sound. Ihave been foolish enough to seek relief from my troubles in morphia. Donot be alarmed. I am not a morphinée. I promised Nellie yesterday to stopit, and I am quite certain to succeed. "

The dinner passed uneventfully. 

As Brett was unable to change his clothes, neither of the ladies, ofcourse, appeared in elaborate costumes. 

Helen wore a simple white muslin dress, with pale blue ribbons. Margaret, mindful of the barrister's hint concerning her attire, now appeared inpale grey crêpe de chine, trimmed with cerise panne velvet. 

When she entered the drawing-room she almost startled the others, sostrong was the contrast between her present effective garments and theblack raiment she had affected constantly since her return to Beechcroftafter her marriage. 

"The reform has commenced, " she cried gaily, seeing how they looked ather. "My maid is in ecstasies about the proposed visit to my dressmaker's. She insisted on showing me a study for an Ascot frock in the _Queen_. "

"Ah, she is a Frenchwoman?" said Brett. 

"Yes; and pray what mystery have you elucidated now?"

"Not a mystery, but a sober fact. A Frenchwoman must be in the mode. Anybody else would have told you to copy yourself. Fashions are a sealedbook to me, but I do claim a certain taste in colour effect, and you havegratified it. "

"And have you nothing nice to say to me, Mr. Brett?" pouted Helen. 

"So much that I must remain dumb. I have a vivid recollection of Mr. Hume's tragic air when he asked me to give you 'his kind regards. '"

"The dear boy! You have not yet told us why you left him in London. "

In view of Mrs. Capella's outspokenness concerning her cousin, this was aposer. Brett fenced with the query, and the announcement of dinner stoppedall personal references. The barrister's eyes wandered round thedining-room. The shaded candles on the table did not permit much light tofall on the walls, but such portraits as were visible showed that Davidwas right when he said the "Hume-Frazers were all alike. " They were ahandsome, determined-looking race, strong, dour, inflexible. 

The night was beautifully fine. The day seemed loth to die, and thetwilight lingering on the pleasant landscape tempted them outside, afterthe butler had handed Brett a box of excellent cigars. 

They went through the conservatory into the park, and sauntered over thespringy pastureland, whilst Brett amused the ladies by a carefully editedaccount of his visit to the Jiro family. 

An hour passed in pleasant chat. Then Miss Layton thought it was time shewent home, and Brett proposed to escort her to the Rectory, subsequentlypicking up his conveyance at the inn. 

They walked obliquely across the park towards the house, regaining itthrough a clump of laurels and the conservatory. 

It chanced that for a moment they were silent. Margaret led the way. Helenfollowed. Brett came close behind. 

When the mistress of Beechcroft Hall stepped on to the turf in front ofthe library, a man who was standing under the yews a little way down theavenue moved forward to accost her. 

She uttered a little cry of alarm and retreated quickly. 

"Why, Davie, " cried Helen, "surely it cannot be you!"

The stranger made no reply, but paused irresolutely. Even in the dim lightBrett needed no second glance to reveal to him the astounding coincidencethat this mysterious prowler was Robert Hume-Frazer. 

"Good evening, " he said politely. "Do you wish to see your cousin?"

"And who the devil may you be?" was the uncompromising answer. 

"A friend of Mrs. Capella's. "

"H'm! I'm glad to hear it. I thought you could not be that beastlyItalian. "

"You are candour itself; but you have not answered me?"

"About seeing my cousin? No. I will call when she is less engaged. "

He turned to go, but Brett caught him by the shoulder. 

"Will you come quietly, " he said, "or by the scruff of the neck?"

The other man wheeled round again. That he feared no personal violence wasevident. Indeed, it was possible Brett had over-estimated his own strengthin suggesting the alternative. 

The Argentine cousin laughed boisterously. 

"By the Lord Harry, " he cried, "I like your style! I will come in, if onlyto have a good look at you. "

They approached the two frightened women. Margaret had recognised hisvoice, and now advanced with outstretched hand. 

"I am glad to see you, Robert, " she said in tones that vibrated somewhat. "Why did you not let me know you were coming?"

"Because I did not know myself until an hour before I left London. Moreover, you might have wired and told me to stop away, so I sailedwithout orders. "

The position was awkward. The new-comer had evidently walked fromStowmarket. He had the appearance of a gentleman, soiled and a trifletruculent, perhaps, but a man of birth and good breeding. 

Helen was gazing at him in sheer wonderment He was so extremely like Davidthat, at a distance, it was easy to confuse the one with the other. 

Brett, too, examined him curiously. He recalled "Rabbit Jack's"pronouncement--"either the chap hisself or his dead spit. "

But it behoved him to rescue the ladies from an _impasse_. 

"When you reached Stowmarket did the stationmaster exhibit any markedinterest in you?" he inquired. 

"Well, now, that beats the band, " cried Robert. "He looked at me as thoughI had seven heads and horns to match. But how did you know that?"

"Merely on account of your marked resemblance to David Hume-Frazer. Itpuzzled the stationmaster some time ago. By the way, you appear to likethe shade of the yew trees outside. Do you always approach Beechcroft Hallin the same way?"

The ex-sailor's bold eyes did not fall before the barrister's penetratingglance. 

"What the deuce has it got to do with you?" he replied fiercely. "Who hasappointed you grand inquisitor to the family, I should like to know?Margaret, I beg your pardon, but this chap--"

"Is my friend, Mr. Reginald Brett. He is engaged in unravelling the mannerand cause of poor Alan's death. He has my full sanction, Robert, and wasbrought here, in the first instance, by David. I hope, therefore, you willtreat him more civilly. "

"I will treat him as he treats me. I owe him nothing, at any rate. "

They were talking in the ill-fated library, having entered the housethrough the centre window. The unbidden guest faced the others, andalthough the cloud of suspicion hung heavily upon him, the barrister wasfar too shrewd an observer of human nature to attribute his presentdefiant attitude to other than its true origin--a feeling of humiliatedpride. 

Brett understood that to question him further was to risk a scene--a thingto be avoided at all costs. 

"No doubt, " he said, "you wish to speak privately to Mrs. Capella. I wason the point of escorting Miss Layton to her house. Shall I return anddrive you back to Stowmarket? I will be here in fifteen minutes. "

"It would be better than walking, " replied Robert wearily, settling into achair with the air of a man physically tired and mentally perturbed. 

Again there was a dramatic pause. Helen, more alarmed than she wished toadmit, gave Margaret a questioning look, and received a trained butreassuring smile. 

"Then I will go now--" she began, but instantly stopped. Like the others, she heard the quick trot of a horse, and the sound of rapid wheelsapproaching from the lodge. 

"Who on earth can this be?" cried Margaret, blanching visibly, The vehicle, a dog-cart, drew nearer. They all went to the window. Eventhe indifferent Robert rose and joined them. 

Helen startled them by running out to the side of the drive. 

"This time I am not mistaken, " she cried hysterically. "It is Davie!"

The proceedings of the gentleman who jumped from the dog-cart left nodoubt on the point. He brazenly kissed her, and in her excitement sheseemed to like it. 

She evidently whispered something to him, for his first words to Brettwere:

"How did you find out--"

But the barrister was not anxious to let the cousin from Argentina intothe secret of the search for him. 

"I have found out nothing, " he interrupted. "I have been at Beechcroft allthe afternoon and evening. Meanwhile, you must be surprised to meet Mr. Robert Hume-Frazer here so unexpectedly. "

David luckily grasped his friend's intention. Such information as hepossessed must wait until they were alone. "How d'ye do, Bob?" he said, frankly holding out his hand. "Why have you left us alone all those years, to turn up at last in this queer way?"

The young man's kind greeting, his manly attitude, had an unlooked-foreffect. 

Robert ignored the proffered hand. He reached for his hat. 

"I feel like a beastly interloper, " he growled huskily. "Accept myapologies, Margaret, and you, Miss Layton. I will call in the morning. Mr. Brett, if you still hold to your offer, I will await you at the lodge, orany other place you care to name. "

With blazing eyes, and mouth firmly set, he endeavoured to reach the openwindow. Brett barred his way. 

"Sit down, man, " he said sternly. "Why are you such a fool as to resistthe kindness offered to you? I tried to make matters easy for you. Now Imust speak plainly. You are weak with hunger. "

He had seen what the others had missed. The colour in Robert's face wasdue to exposure, but he was otherwise drawn and haggard. His clothes wereshabby. He had walked from Stowmarket because he could not afford to hireany means of conveyance. 

The abject confession compelled by Brett's words was too much for him. Heagain collapsed into a chair and covered his face with his hands. 

CHAPTER XVI

THE COUSINS

Brett was the only person present who kept his senses. Margaret was tooshocked, the lovers too amazed, to speak coherently. 

"Mr. Hume-Frazer has allowed himself to become run down, " said thebarrister, with the nonchalance of one who discussed the prospects ofto-morrow's weather. "What he needs at the moment is some soup and a fewbiscuits. You, Mrs. Capella, might procure these without bringing theservants here, especially if Miss Layton were to help you. "

Without a word, the two ladies quitted the room. 

Robert looked up. 

"You ring like good metal, " he said to the barrister. "Is there any liquorin the dining-room? I feel a trifle hollow about the belt. A drink woulddo me good. "

"Not until you have eaten something first, " was the firm answer. "Are youso hard up that you could not buy food?"

"Well, the fact is, I have been on my beam ends during the past week. To-day I pawned a silver watch, but unfortunately returned to my lodgings, where my landlady made such a fiendish row about the bill that I gave herevery penny. Then I pawned my overcoat, raising the exact fare toStowmarket. I could not even pay for a 'bus from Gower Street to LiverpoolStreet. All I have eaten to-day was a humble breakfast at 8. 30 a. M. , and Isuppose the sun and the journey wore me out. Still, you must be jollysharp to see what was the matter. I thought I kept my end up pretty well. "

David sat down by his side. 

"Forgive me, old chap, " continued Robert. "It broke me up to see that youwere happy after all your troubles. You are engaged to a nice girl; Alanis dead; I am the only unlucky member of the family. "

The man was talking quite sincerely. He even envied his murdered cousin. Nothing in his words, his suspicious mode of announcing his presence, thevague doubts that shadowed his past career, puzzled Brett so greatly asthat chance phrase. 

The ladies came back, laden with good things from the kitchen, which theyinsisted on carrying themselves, much to the astonishment of the servants. 

All women are born actresses. Their behaviour before the domestics leftthe impression that some huge joke was toward in the library. 

The tactful barrister drew Hume and Helen outside to discuss immediatearrangements. David promised faithfully to return from the rectory infifteen minutes, and Brett re-entered the library. 

Robert Hume-Frazer gave evidence of his semi-starvation. He tried todisguise his eagerness, but in vain. Biscuits, sandwiches, and soupvanished rapidly, until Margaret suggested a further supply. 

"No, Rita, " said her cousin; "I have fasted too often on the Pampas not toknow the folly of eating too heartily. I will be all right now, especiallywhen Mr. Brett produces the whisky he spoke about. "

The barrister brought a decanter from the dining-room. The stranger wasstill an enigma. He placed bottle and glass on the table, wondering towhat extent the man would help himself. 

The quantity was small and well diluted. So this member of the family wasnot a drunkard. 

"How did you come to be in such a state?" asked Margaret nervously. "It ishardly six months since I sent you £500; not a very large sum, I admit, but all you asked me for, and more than enough to live on for a muchlonger period. "

Robert laughed pleasantly. It was the first token of returning confidence. He reached for a cigar, and sought Margaret's permission to smoke. 

"My dear girl, " he answered, "I am really a very unfortunate person. I owna hundred thousand acres of the best land in South America, and I havebeen in England nearly two years trying to raise capital to develop it. IfI owned a salted reef or an American brewery I could have got the moneyfor the asking. Because my stock-raising proposition is a sound payingconcern, requiring a delay of at least three years before a penny ofprofit can be realised, I have worn my boots out in climbing up and downoffice stairs to no purpose. Out of your £500, nearly £400 went out atonce to pay arrears of Government taxation to save my property. Of theremaining hundred I spent fifty in a fortnight on dinners and suppersgiven to a gang of top-hatted scoundrels, who, I found subsequently, werenot worth a red cent. They hoped to fleece me in some way, and their veryassociation discredited me in the eyes of one or two honest men. Oh, Ihave had a bad time of it, I can assure you!"

"Why did you not write to me again?"

He looked at her steadily before he explained:

"Because you are a woman. "

"What has that got to do with it? I am your relative, and rich. How muchdo you want? If your scheme is really sound, I imagine my solicitors mightsanction my co-operation. "

Again he hesitated. 

"Thank you, Rita. You are a good sort. But I am not here on a matter ofhigh finance. I want you to lend me, say, £250. I will return to theArgentine, and take twenty years to accomplish what I could do in fivewith the necessary capital. "

"Come and see me in the morning. The sum you name is absurdly small, inany case. Perhaps Mr. Brett will accompany you. His advice will be usefulto both of us. Come early. I leave here to-morrow. "

"Going away! Where to?"

"To Whitby, in Yorkshire. "

"Well, that is curious, " said Robert, who clearly did not like to questionher about her husband. 

"Mr. Capella is in Naples, " she added. "I cannot say when he will return. "

Her cousin's look was eloquent of his thoughts. He did not like theItalian, for some inexplicable reason, for to Margaret's knowledge theyhad never met. 

The barrister naturally did not interfere in this family conclave. Helistened intently, and had already drawn several inferences from the man'swords. For the life of him he could not classify Robert Hume-Frazer. Theman was either a consummate scoundrel, the cold-blooded murderer ofMargaret's brother, or a maligned and ill-used man. 

Within a few minutes he would be called upon to treat him in one categoryor the other. A few questions might elucidate matters considerably. 

The hiatus in the conversation created by the mention of Capella gave himan opportunity. 

"Did you endeavour to raise the requisite capital for your estate inLondon only?" he inquired. 

"No; I tried elsewhere, " was the quick rejoinder. 

"Here, for instance, on the New Year's Eve before last?"

"Now, how the blazes did you learn that?" came the fierce demand, thespeaker's excitement rendering him careless of the words he used. 

"It is true, then?"

"Yes, but--"

"Robert!--" Margaret's voice was choking, and her face was woefully whiteonce more--"were you--here--when Alan--was killed?"

"No, not exactly. This thing bewilders me. Let me explain. I saw him thatafternoon. We had a furious quarrel. I never told you about it, Rita. Itwas a family matter. I do not hold you responsible. I--"

"Hold me responsible! What do you mean? Did you kill my brother?"

She rose to her feet. Her eyes seemed to peer into his soul. He, too, roseand faced her. 

"By God, " he cried, "this is too much! Why didn't you ask your husbandthat question?"

"Because my husband, with all his faults, is innocent of that crime. Hewas with me in London the night that Alan met his death. "

"And I, too, was in London. I left Stowmarket at six o'clock. "

"Having reached the place at 2. 20?" interposed Brett. 

The other turned to him with eager pleading. 

"In Heaven's name, Mr. Brett, if you know all about my movements that day, disabuse Margaret's mind of the terrible idea that prompted her question. "

"Why did you come here on that occasion?"

"The truth must out now. My two uncles swindled my father--that is, Margaret, your father led my Uncle David with him in a most unjustproceeding. My father took up some risky business in City finance, on theverbal understanding with his brothers that they would share profits orbear losses equally. The speculation failed, and your father baselywithdrew from the compact, persuading the other brother to follow hislead. Perhaps there may have been some justification for his action, butmy poor old dad was very bitter about it. The affair killed him. I made myown way in the world, and came here to ask Alan to undo the wrong doneyears ago, and help me to get on my feet. He was not in the best oftempers, and we fell out badly, using silly recriminations. I went back toLondon, and next day travelled to Monte Carlo, where I lost more moneythan I could afford. Believe me, I never even knew of Alan's death until Isaw the reports of Davie's trial. "

"Why did you not come forward then?"

"Why? No man could have better reasons. First, it seemed to me that Daviehad killed him. Then, when the second trial ended, I came to theconclusion--Lord help my wits--that there was some underhanded work aboutthe succession to the property, and my doubts appeared to receiveconfirmation by the news of Margaret's marriage. In any case, if I turnedup to give evidence, I could only have helped to hang one of my ownrelatives. "

"It never occurred to you that you might be suspected?"

"Never, on my honour! The suggestion is preposterous. You seem to knoweverything. Tell Margaret that I did leave Stowmarket by the train Inamed, that I stayed in the Hotel Victoria the same night, and left forthe Riviera at 11 a. M. Next day. Margaret, don't you believe me? You and Iwere sweethearts as children. Can you think I murdered your brother? Why, dear girl, I refrained from seeing your husband lest I should wound you byrevealing my thoughts. "

He placed his hands on her shoulders, and looked at her with such genuineemotion that she lifted her swimming eyes to his, and faltered:

"Forgive me, Robert, though I can never forgive myself. Your words shockedme. I am sorry. I am not mistaken now. You are innocent as I am. "

"You have also convinced me, Mr. Frazer, " said Brett quietly. 

Robert gazed quickly from one to the other. Then he laughed constrainedly. 

"I have been accused of several offences in my time, " he said, "but thisnotion that got into your heads licks creation. "

"What is the matter now?" said David Hume, entering through the window. 

CHAPTER XVII

"CHERCHEZ LA FEMME"

The three men drove to Stowmarket in the same vehicle, the groomsreturning in the second dog-cart. 

On the way Robert Frazer--who may be designated by his second surname todistinguish him from his cousin--was anxious to learn what had caused thepresent recrudescence of inquiry into Alan's death. This was easilyexplained by David, and Brett took care to confine the conversation togeneral details. 

Frazer was naturally keen to discover how the barrister came to be so wellposted in his movements, and David listened eagerly whilst Brett relatedenough of the stationmaster's story to clear up that point. 

Hume broke in with a laugh:

"That shows why he was so unusually attentive when I arrived this evening. He spotted me getting out of the train, and would not leave me until I wasclear of the station. He was evidently determined to ascertain my exactidentity without any mistake, for he began by asking if I were not Mr. David Hume-Frazer, laying stress on my Christian name. It surprised me alittle, because I thought the old chap knew me well. "

"Are you both absolutely certain that there are no other members of yourfamily in existence?" asked Brett. 

"It depends on how many of our precious collection you are acquaintedwith, " said Robert. 

"The only person Mr. Brett is not acquainted with is my father, " exclaimedDavid stiffly. 

"I was not alluding to him, of course. Indeed, I had no individualspecially in my mind. "

"Surely you had some motive for your remark?" questioned David. "The onlyremaining relative is Mrs. Capella. "

"There again--how do you define the word 'relative. ' I suppose, Mr. Brett, you are fairly well posted in the history of our house?"

"Yes. "

"Well, has it never struck you that there was something queer about themanner of my Uncle Alan's marriage--Margaret's father, I mean?"

"Perhaps. What do you know about it?"

"Nothing definite. When I was a mid-shipman on board the _Northumberland_I have a lively recollection of a fiendish row between a man named Somersand another officer who passed some chaffing remark about my respecteduncle's goings on in Italy. The officer in question had forgotten, ornever knew, that Sir Alan married Somers's sister--they were Bristolpeople, I think--but he stuck to it that Sir Alan had an Italian wife. Hehad seen her. "

Brett was driving, Frazer sitting by his side, and David leaning over therail from the back seat. Had a bombshell dropped in their midst the twoothers could not have been more startled than by Robert's chanceobservation. 

"Good Heavens!" cried Hume, "why has Capella gone to Italy?"

"That question may soon be answered, " said Brett. 

"Was that one of the other reasons you hinted at in the library whentelling us why you did not volunteer evidence at the trial?" he askedRobert. 

"It was. The cat is out of the bag now. I did not know where the affairmight end, so I held my tongue. It also accounts for my unwillingness tomeet Capella. I am very fond of Margaret. She is straight as a die, and Iwould not do anything to cause her suffering. In a word, I let sleepingdogs lie. If you can manage your matrimonial affairs without all thisfuss, Davie, I should advise you to do the same. "

"What are you hinting at? What new mystery is this?" cried Hume. 

"Let us keep to solid fact for the present, " interposed the barrister. "Iwish I had met you sooner, Mr. Frazer. I would be nearing Naples now, instead of entering Stowmarket Have you any further information?"

"None whatever. Even what I have told you is the recollection of a boy whodid not understand what the row was about. Where does it lead us, anyhow?What is known about Capella?"

"Very little. Unless I am much mistaken, he will soon tell us a good dealhimself. I am beginning to credit him with the possession of more brainsand powers of malice than I was at first inclined to admit. He is adangerous customer. "

"Look here, " exclaimed Robert angrily. "If that wretched little Italianannoys Margaret in any way I will crack his doll's head. "

They reached the hotel, where a room was obtained for Frazer, and Davidundertook to equip him out of his portmanteau. Brett left the cousins toarrange matters, and hurried to his sitting-room, where a number oftelegrams awaited him. 

Those from Hume he barely glanced at. David could tell his own story. 

There were three from Winter. The first, despatched at 1. 10 p. M. , read:

 "Capella and valet left by club train. Nothing doing Japanese. "

The second was timed 4. 30 p. M. :

 "Jap, accompanied by tall, fat man, left home 2. 45. They separated Piccadilly Circus. Followed Jap--("Oh, Winter!" groaned Brett)--and saw him enter British Museum. Four o'clock he met fat man again outside Tottenham Court Road Tube Station. They drove west in hansom. Heard address given. Am wiring before going same place. "

This telegram had been handed in at an Oxford Street office. 

The third, 7. 30. , p. M. :

 "Nothing important. All quiet. Wiring before your local office closes. "

The facetious Winter had signed these messages "Snow. "

Brett promptly wrote a telegram to the detective's private address:

 "Your signature should have been 'Frost. ' If that fat man turns up again follow him. Call on Jap and endeavour to see his wife. You may be sadder but wiser. Meet me Victoria Street, 5 p. M. To-day. "

He called a waiter and gave instructions that this message should be sentoff early next morning. Then he lit a cigar to soothe his disappointment. 

"I cannot emulate the House of Commons bird, " he mused, "or at this momentI would be close to Jiro's flat in Kensington, and at the same timecrossing Lombardy in an express. What an ass Winter is, to be sure, whenever a subtle stroke requires an ingenious guard. Jiro dresses hiswife in male attire and sends her on an errand he dare not performhimself. The fact that they depart together from their residence isdiplomatic in itself. If they are followed, the watcher is sure to shadowJiro and leave his unknown friend. Just imagine Winter dodging Jiro aroundthe Rosetta Stone or the Phoebus Apollo, whilst the woman is visiting someone or some place of infinite value to our search. It is positivelymaddening. "

Perhaps, in his heart, Brett felt that Winter was not so greatly to blame. The sudden appearance on the scene of a portly and respectable strangerwas disconcerting, but could hardly serve as an excuse for leaving Jiro'strail at the point of bifurcation. 

Moreover, it is difficult to suspect stout people of criminal tendencies. Winter had the best of negative evidence that they are not adapted for"treasons, spoils, and stratagems. " Even a convicted rogue, if corpulent, demands sympathy. 

But Brett was very sore. He stamped about the room and kicked unoffendingchairs out of the way. His unfailing instinct told him that a rareopportunity had been lost. It was well for Winter that he was beyond reachof the barrister's tongue. A valid defence would have availed him naught. 

David entered. 

"I just seized an opportunity--" he commenced eagerly, but Brett levelledhis cigar at him as if it were a revolver. 

"You want to tell me, " he cried, "that before you were two hours inPortsmouth you ascertained Frazer's address from an old friend. You caughtthe next train for London, went to his lodgings, encountered a nagginglandlady, and found that your cousin had taken his overcoat to thepawnbroker's to raise money for his fair to Stowmarket You drovefrantically to Liverpool Street, interviewed a smart platform inspector, and he told you--"

"That all I had to do was to ask Brett, and he would not only give me adetailed history of my own actions, but produce the very man he sent me insearch of, " interrupted David, laughing. Nothing the barrister said or didcould astonish him now. 

"What has upset you?" he went on. "I hope I made no mistakes. "

"None. Your conduct has been irreproachable. But you erred greatly in thechoice of your parents. There are far too many Hume-Frazers in existence. "

"Please tell me what is the matter?"

"Read those. " Brett tossed the detective's telegrams across the table. 

Hume puzzled over them. 

"I think we ought to know who that fat man was, " he said. 

"We do know. She is a fat woman, the ex-barmaid from Ipswich. Next time, they will send out the youthful Jiro in a perambulator. "

"But why are you so furious about it?" demanded Hume. "Was it so importantto ascertain what she did during that hour and a quarter?"

"Important! It is the only real clue given us since 'Rabbit Jack' saw aman like you standing motionless in the avenue. "

CHAPTER XVIII

FURTHER COMPLICATIONS

Brett devoted half an hour to Frazer's business affairs next morning. David was present, and the result of the conclave is shown by thefollowing excerpt from a letter the barrister sent by them to Mrs. Capella, incidentally excusing his personal attendance at the Hall:

 "In my opinion, your cousin David and you should guarantee the payment of the land-tax on Mr. Frazer's estate--£650 per annum--for five years. You should give him a reasonable sum to rehabilitate his wardrobe and pay the few small debts he has contracted, besides allowing him a weekly stipend to enable him to live properly for another year. I will place him in touch with sound financial people, who will exploit his estate if they think the prospects are good, and you can co-operate in the scheme, if you are so advised by your solicitors, with whom the financiers I recommend will carry weight. Failing support in England, Mr. Frazer says he can make his own way in the Argentine if helped in the manner I suggest. "

He explained to the two young men that his movements that day would beuncertain. If the ladies still adhered to their resolve to proceed toLondon forthwith, the whole party would stay at the same hotel. In thatevent they should send a telegram to his Victoria Street chambers, and hewould dine with them. Otherwise they must advise him of their whereabouts. 

Left to himself, he curled up In an arm-chair, knotting legs and arms inthe most uncomfortable manner, and rendering it necessary to crane hisneck before he could remove a cigar from his lips. 

In such posture, alternated with rapid walking about the room, he couldthink best. 

The waiter, not knowing that the barrister had remained in the hotel, camein to see what trifles might be strewed about table or mantelpiece in theshape of loose "smokes" or broken hundreds of cigarettes. 

Like most people, his eyes could only observe the expected, the normal. Noone was standing or sitting in the usual way--therefore the room wasempty. 

A box of Brett's Turkish cigarettes was lying temptingly open. Headvanced. 

"Touch those, and I slay you, " snapped Brett. "Your miserable life is notworth one of them. "

The man jumped as if he had been fired at. The barrister, coiled up like aboa-constrictor, glared at him in mock fury. 

"I beg pardon, sir, " he blurted out, "I didn't know you was in. "

"Evidently. A more expert scoundrel would have stolen them under my verynose. You are a bungler. "

"I really wasn't goin' to take any, sir--just put them away, that is all. "

"In that packet, " said Brett, "there are eighty-seven cigarettes. I countthem, because each one is an epoch. I don't count the cigars in thesideboard. "

"I prefer cigars, " grinned the waiter. 

"So I see. You have two of the landlord's best 'sixpences' in the leftpocket of your waistcoat at this moment. "

"Well, if you ain't a fair scorcher, " the man gasped. 

"What, you rascal, would you call me names?"

Brett writhed convulsively, and the waiter backed towards the door. 

"No, sir, I was callin' no names. We don't get too many perks--we waitersdon't, sir. I was out of bed until one o'clock and up again at six. That'swot I call hard work, sir. "

"It is outrageous. Take five cigars. "

"Thank you kindly, sir. "

"What kept you up till one o'clock?"

"Gossip, sir--just silly gossip. All about Mrs. Capella, an' Beechcroft, an' I don't know wot"

"Indeed, and who was so interested in these topics as to spoil your beautysleep?"

"The new gentleman, who is so like Mr. David. "

"How very interesting, " said the barrister, who certainly did not expectthis revelation. 

"It seemed to be interesting to 'im, sir. You see, the 'ouse is prettyfull, and when you brought 'im 'ere last night, sir, the bookkeeper gev''im the room next to mine. Last thing, I fetched the gentleman a Scotchan' soda an' a cigar. 'E said 'e couldn't sleep, and 'e was lookin' at afotygraf. I caught a squint at it, an' I sez, 'Beg parding, sir, but ain'tthat Mrs. Capella--Miss Margaret as used to be?' That started 'im. "

"You surprise me. "

"And the gentleman surprised me, " confided the waiter, whose greatestconversational effects were produced by quickly adapting remarks made tohim. "P'r'aps you are not aware, sir, that the lady's Eye-talian 'usbin'ain't no good?"

"I have heard something of the sort. "

"Then you've heard something right, sir. They do say as 'ow 'e beats her. "

"The scoundrel!"

"Scoundrel! You should 'ave seen No. 18 last night when I tole 'im that. My conscience! 'E went on awful, 'e did. 'E seemed to be mad about Mrs. Capella. "

"He is her cousin. "

"Cousin! That won't wash, sir, beggin' your pardon. You an' me knowsbetter than that"

"I tell you again he is her cousin. "

The waiter absent-mindedly dusted the back of a chair. 

"Well, sir, it isn't for the likes of me to be contradictious, but I'vegot two sisters an' 'arf-a-dozen cousins, an' I don't go kissin' theirpictures an' swearin' to 'ave it out with their 'usbin's. "

"Oh, come now. You are romancing. "

"Not a bit, sir. When I went to my room I--er--'eard 'im. "

"Is there a wooden partition between No. 18 and your room?"

"Yes, sir. "

"And cracks--large ones?"

"Yes, sir. But why you should--oh, I see! Excuse me, sir; I thought I'eard a bell. "

The waiter hurried off, and Brett unwound himself. 

"So Robert is in love with Margaret, " he said, laughing unmirthfully. "Wasthere ever such a tangle! If I indulge in a violent flirtation with MissLayton, and I persuade Winter to ogle Mrs. Jiro, the affair should beartistically complete. "

The conceit brought Ipswich to his mind. He was convinced that the mainline of inquiry lay in the direction of Mr. Numagawa Jiro and the curiousmasquerading of his colossal spouse. 

He had vaguely intended to visit the local police. Now he made up his mindto go to Ipswich and thence to London. Further delay at Stowmarket wasuseless. 

Before his train quitted the station he made matters right with thestationmaster by explaining to him the identity of the two men who hadattracted his attention the previous evening. Somehow, the barristerimagined that the third visitant of that fateful New Year's Eve two yearsago would not trouble the neighbourhood again. Herein he was mistaken. 

At the county town he experienced little difficulty in learning theantecedents of Mrs. Numagawa Jiro. 

In the first hotel he entered he found a young lady behind the bar who wasnot only well acquainted with Mrs. Jiro, but remembered the circumstancesof the courtship. 

"The fact is, " she explained, "there are a lot of silly girls about whothink every man with a dark skin is a prince in his own country if only hewears a silk hat and patent leather boots. "

"Is that all?" said Brett. 

"All what?" cried the girl. "Oh, don't be stupid! I mean when they arewell dressed. Princess, indeed! Catch me marrying a nigger. "

"But Japanese are not niggers. "

"Well, they're not my sort, anyhow. And fancy a great gawk like FlossieBird taking on with a little man who doesn't reach up to her elbow. It wassimply ridiculous. What did you say her name is now?"

He gave the required information, and went on:

"Had Mr. Jiro any other friends in Ipswich to your knowledge?"

"He didn't know a soul. He was here for the Assizes, about some case, Ithink. Oh, I remember--the 'Stowmarket Mystery'--and he stayed at thehotel where Flossie was engaged. How she ever came to take notice of him, I can't imagine. She was a queer sort of girl--used to wear bloomers, andget off her bike to clout the small boys who chi-iked at her. "

"Do her people live here?"

"Yes, and a rare old row they made about her marriage--for she is married, I will say that for her. But why are you so interested in her?"

The fair Hebe glanced in a mirror to confirm her personal opinion thatthere were much nicer girls than Flossie Bird left in Ipswich. 

"Not in her, " said Brett; "in the example she set. "

"What do you mean?"

"If a little Japanese can come to this town and carry off a lady of hersize and appearance, what may not a six-foot Englishman hope toaccomplish?"

"Oh, go on!"

He took her advice, and went on to the hotel patronised by Mr. Jiro duringhis visit to Ipswich. The landlord readily showed him the register for theAssize week. Most of the guests were barristers and solicitors, many ofthem known personally to Brett. None of the other names struck him asimportant, though he noted a few who arrived on the same day as theJapanese, "Mr. Okasaki. "

He took the next train to London, and reached Victoria Street, to find Mr. Winter awaiting him, and carefully nursing a brown paper parcel. 

"I got your wire, Mr. Brett, " he explained, "and this morning after Mr. Jiro went out alone--"

"Where did he go to?"

"The British Museum. "

"What on earth was he doing there?"

"Examining manuscripts, my assistant told me. He was particularlyinterested in--let me see--it is written on a bit of paper. Here it is, the 'Nihon Guai Shi, ' the 'External History of Japan, ' compiled by RaiSanyo, between 1806 and 1827, containing a history of each of the militaryfamilies. That is all Greek to me, but my man got the librarian to jot itdown for him. "

"Your man has brains. What were you going to say when I interrupted you?"

"Only this. No fat companion appeared to day, so I called at No. 17 St. John's Mansions in my favourite character as an old clo' man. "

The barrister expressed extravagant admiration in dumb show, but this didnot deceive the detective, who, for some reason, was downcast. 

"I saw Mrs. Jiro, and knew in an instant that she was the stout gentlemanwho left her husband at Piccadilly Circus yesterday. I was that annoyed Icould hardly do a deal. However, here they are. "

He began to unfasten the string which fastened the brown paper parcel. 

"Here are what?" cried Brett. 

"Mrs. Jiro's coat, and trousers, and waistcoat, " replied Winterdesperately. "She doesn't want 'em any more; sold 'em for a song--glad tobe rid of 'em, in fact. "

He unfolded a suit of huge dimensions, surveying each garment ruefully, asthough reproaching it personally for the manner in which it had deceivedhim. 

Then Brett sat down and enjoyed a burst of Homeric laughter. 

CHAPTER XIX

THE THIRD MAN APPEARS

The Rev. Wilberforce Layton raised no objection to his daughter'sexcursion to London with Mrs. Capella. Indeed, he promised to meet them inWhitby a week later, and remain there during August. Mrs. Eastham pleadedage and the school treat. 

It was, therefore, a comparatively youthful party which Brett joined atdinner in one of the great hotels in Northumberland Avenue. 

Someone had exercised rare discretion in ordering a special meal; thewines were good, and two at least of the company merry as emancipatedschool children. 

The barrister soon received ample confirmation of the discovery made bythe Stowmarket waiter. 

Robert Hume-Frazer was undoubtedly in love with his cousin, or, to speakcorrectly, for the ex-sailor was a gentleman, he had been in love with heras a boy, and now secretly grieved over a hopeless passion. 

Whether Margaret was conscious of this devotion or not Brett was unable todecide. By neither word nor look was Robert indiscreet. When she waspresent he was lively and talkative, entertaining the others with snatchesof strange memories drawn from an adventurous career. 

It was only when she quitted their little circle that Brett detected themask of angry despair that settled for a moment on the young man's face, and rendered him indifferent to other influences until he resolutelyaroused himself. 

Yet, on the whole, a great improvement was visible in Frazer. Attired inone of David's evening dress suits, carefully groomed and trimmed, he nosooner donned the garments which gave him the outward semblance of anaristocrat than he dropped the curt, somewhat coarse, mannerisms whichhitherto distinguished him from his cousin. 

Beyond a more cosmopolitan style of speech, he was singularly like Davidin person and deportment. They resembled twins rather than first cousins. They were both remarkably fine-looking men, tall, wiry, and in splendidcondition. It was only the slightly more attenuated features of Robertthat made it possible, even for Brett, to distinguish one from the otherat a little distance. 

Helen was pleased to be facetious on the point. 

"Really, Davie, " she said, "now that your cousin has come amongst us, youmust remove your beard at once. "

"Why?" he asked. 

"Because you are so alike that some evening, in these dark corridors, Ishall mistake Mr. Frazer for you. "

"That won't be half bad, " laughed Robert. 

Nellie blushed, and endeavoured to evade the consequences of her ownremark. 

"I meant, " she exclaimed, "that you would be sure to laugh at me if Itreated you as Davie. "

"Not at all. I would consider it a cousinly duty to make you believe I wasDavid, and not myself. "

"Then, " she cried, "I will guard against any possibility of error bytreating both of you as Mr. Robert Hume-Frazer until I am quite sure. "

"Waiter!" said David, "where is the barber's shop?"

Helen became redder than ever, but they enjoyed the joke at her expense. The waiter politely informed his questioner that the barber would not beon duty until the morning at 8 a. M. 

"Then book the first chair for me!" said David. 

"And the second for me!" joined in Robert. 

"Mr. Brett, " said Margaret, "don't you consider this competition perfectlydisgraceful?"

"I am overjoyed, " he replied. "It appears to me that the result must bepersonally most satisfactory. "

"In what way?"

"It is obvious that you have no resource but to accept my willing slavery, Miss Layton having monopolised the attentions of your two cousins. "

"Hello!" cried Frazer. "This is an unexpected attack. Miss Layton, Iresign. Have no fear. In the darkest corridor I will warn you that my nameis 'Robert. '"

Though the words were carelessly good-humoured, they were just a trifleemphatic. The incident passed, but they recalled it subsequently undervery different circumstances. 

Brett went home about ten o'clock. Next day at noon he was arranging forthe immediate delivery of a type-writer machine, sold by Mr. Numagawa Jiroto a West End exchange, when a telegram reached him:

 "Come at once. Urgent. --HUME. "

He drove to the hotel, where David and Helen were sitting in the foyerawaiting his arrival. 

Hume had kept his promise anent the barber. He no longer desired to alterhis appearance in any way, and had only grown a beard on account of hissensitiveness regarding his two trials at the Assizes. 

But the fun of the affair had quite gone. 

Helen was pale, David greatly perturbed. 

"A terrible thing has happened, " he said, in a low voice, when he graspedthe barrister's hand. "Someone tried to kill Bob an hour ago. "

The blank amazement on Brett's face caused him to add hurriedly:

"It is quite true. He had the narrowest escape. He is in bed now. Thedoctor is examining him. We have secured the next room to his, andMargaret is there with a nurse. "

The barrister made no reply, but accompanied them to Frazer's apartment. In the adjoining room they found Margaret, terribly scared, but listeningeagerly to the doctor's cheery optimism. 

"It is nothing, " he was saying, "a severe squeeze, some slight abrasions, and a great nervous shock, quite serious in its nature, although yourfriend makes light of it, and wishes to get up at once. I think, however--"

A nurse entered. 

"The patient insists upon my leaving the room, " she cried angrily. "He isdressing. "

They heard Robert's voice:

"Confound it, I have been rolled on three times in one day by a buckingbroncho, and thought nothing of it. I absolutely refuse to stop in bed!"

The doctor resigned professional responsibility; and the nature ofMargaret's cheque caused him to admit that, to a man accustomed to SouthAmerican ponies, unbroken, the nervous shock might not amount to much. 

Indeed, Robert appeared almost immediately, and in a bad temper. 

"I lost my wind, " he explained, "when that horse fell on me, and everyonepromptly imagined I was killed. I hope, Margaret, the needless excitementof my appearance on a stretcher did not alarm you. They were going to whipme off to the hospital when I managed to gurgle out the name of thehotel. "

"What happened?" said Brett. 

"The most extraordinary thing. Have you told him, Davie?"

"No, I attributed your first words to me as being due to delirium. I hadno idea you were in earnest. "

"Well, Mr. Brett, " said Frazer, sitting down, for notwithstanding hisprotests, he was somewhat shaky, "it began to rain after breakfast. "

"Excellent!" cried the barrister, "An Englishman, in his sound mind, always starts with the state of the weather. "

"I am sound enough, thank goodness, but I had a very close shave. Don'tlaugh, Davie. My ribs are sore. As the ladies decided not to go out untilthe weather took up, Davie said he would keep them company whilst I seizedthe opportunity to visit a tailor. I left the hotel and walked quickly tothe corner of Whitehall. It was hardly worth while taking a cab to BondStreet, and I intended to cross in front of King Charles's statue. It isan awkward place, and a lot of 'buses, cabs, and vans were bowling alongdownhill from the Strand and St. Martin's Church. I waited a moment on thekerbstone, watching for a favourable opportunity, when suddenly I waspitched head foremost in front of a passing 'bus. My escape from instantdeath was solely due to the splendid way in which the driver handled hishorses and applied his brake. The near horse was swung round so sharp thathe fell and landed almost, not quite, on the top of me. I could feel hishot, reeking body against my face, and although the greater part of hisimpact was borne by the road, I got enough to knock the breath out of me. You will see by the state of my clothes in the other room how I wasflattened in the mud. By the way, Davie, it is your suit. "

Helen choked back something she was going to say, and Frazer continued:

"A policeman pulled me from under the horse, and I kept my sensessufficiently to note how the near front wheel had gouged a channel in themud within an inch or so of my head. It went over my hat. Where is it?"

Hume ran into the bedroom, and returned with a bowler hat torn to shreds. 

"There you are, " said Robert coolly, "Fancy my head in that condition. "

"You used the word 'pitched. ' Do you mean that someone cannoned againstyou?"

"Not a bit of it. It was no accident of a hurrying man blindly followingan umbrella. I have been a sailor, Mr. Brett, and am accustomed tomaintaining my balance in a sudden lurch. I do it intuitively. It is asmuch a part of my second self as using my eyes or ears with unconsciousaccuracy. Some man--a big, powerful man--designedly threw me down, and didso very scientifically, first pressing his knee against the tendons of myleft leg, and then using his elbow. Not one in a thousand Londoners wouldknow the trick. "

"You are a first-rate witness. Pray go on, " said Brett. 

"Being a sailor, however, I did manage to twist round slightly as I fell, and I'm blessed if I didn't think it was Davie here who did it. "

The barrister's keen face lighted curiously. The others, closely watchinghim, afterwards agreed that he reminded them of a greyhound strainingafter a luckless hare. 

"That seems to interest you, Mr. Brett, " said Frazer. "I assure you themomentary impression was very distinct. My assailant was dressed likeDavie, too, in dark blue serge, and wore a beard. For the moment I forgotthat Davie had visited the barber this morning, and I blurted outsomething when he met me being carried in through the hall. "

"Yes, " exclaimed Hume. "You said: 'Davie, why did you try to murder me?' Iwas sure you were delirious, as I had not left Nellie and Margaret for aninstant since you went out. "

"That is so, " cried Helen. 

Margaret uttered no word. She sat, with hands clasped, and pale, set face, watching her cousin as if his story had a mesmeric effect. 

"I'm awfully sorry, " said Frazer penitently. "I knew at once I was a fool, but you see, old chap, I remembered you best as I had seen you during theprevious twenty-four hours, and not as you looked at breakfast thismorning. Do forgive me. "

But Brett broke in impatiently:

"My dear fellow, your natural mistake is the most important thing that hashappened since your cousin Alan met his death. The man who attacked youmistook you, in turn, for David. He will try again. I wonder if youraccident will be reported in the papers?"

"Yes, " said Hume. "A youngster came to me, inquired all about Robert, andseemed to be quite sorry he was not mangled. "

"Then it will be your affair next time. Keep a close look-out whenever youare alone. If anyone resembling yourself lays a hand on you, try anddetain him at all costs. "

"Mr. Brett!" shrieked Helen, "you surely cannot mean it. "

His enthusiasm had caused him to ignore her presence. For the next fiveminutes he was earnestly engaged in explaining away his uncanny request. 

CHAPTER XX

THE TRAIL

Standing on the steps of the hotel, Brett cast a searching glance alongthe line of waiting hansoms. He wanted a strong, sure-footed horse, one ofthose marvellous animals, found only in the streets of London, which trotslike a dog, slides down Savoy Street on its hind legs, slips in and outamong the traffic like an eel, and covers a steady eight miles an hour fora seemingly indefinite period. 

"Shall I whistle for a cab, sir?" said the hall-porter. 

"No. You whistle without discrimination, " replied the barrister. 

He found the stamp of gee-gee he needed fourth on the rank. 

"How long has your horse been out of the stable?" he asked the driver. 

"I've just driven him here, sir. "

"Is he up to a hard day's work?"

"The best tit in London, sir. "

"Pull him up to the pavement. "

The man obeyed. Instantly his three predecessors on the rank began achorus:

"'Ere! Wot th'--"

"All right, Jimmy. Wait till--"

"Well, I'm--"

"What is the matter?" inquired Brett, "You fellows always squeal beforeyou are hurt. Here is a fare each for you, " and he solemnly gave them ashilling a-piece. 

Even then they were not satisfied. They all objurgated Jimmy for his luckas he drove off. 

It was an easy matter to find the constable who had been on point duty atthe crossing when the "accident" happened. This man produced his note-bookcontaining the number of the Road Car Company's Camden Town and Victoria'bus, the driver of which had so cleverly avoided a catastrophe. Thepoliceman knew nothing of events prior to the falling of the horse. Therewas the usual crowd of hurrying people; the scream of a startled woman; arush of sightseers; and the rescue of Frazer from beneath the prostrateanimal. 

"Did you chance to notice the destination of the omnibus immediatelypreceding the Road Car vehicle?" said Brett. 

"Yes, sir. It was an Atlas. "

"Have you noted the exact time the accident occurred?"

"Here it is, sir--10. 45 a. M. "

At Victoria he was lucky in hitting upon the Camden Town 'bus itself, drawn up outside the District Railway Station, waiting its turn to enterthe enclosure. 

The driver was a sharp fellow, and disinclined to answer questions. Brettmight be an emissary of the enemy. But a handsome tip and the assurancethat a very substantial present would be forwarded to his address by thefriends of the gentleman whose life he saved unloosed his tongue. 

"I never did see anything like it, sir, " he confided. "The road was quiteclear, an' I was bowlin' along to get the inside berth from a General justbehind, when this yer gent was chucked under the 'osses' 'eds. Bli-me, Iwould ha' thort 'e was a suicide if I 'adn't seed a bloke shove 'im orfthe kerb. "

"Oh, you saw that, did you?"

"Couldn't 'elp it, sir. I was lookin' aht for fares. Jack, my mate, sawrit too. "

The conductor thus appealed to confirmed the statement. They bothdescribed the assailant as very like his would-be victim in size, appearance, and garments. 

Jack said he could do nothing, because the sudden swerving of the 'bus, the fall of the horse, and the instant gathering of a crowd, prevented himfrom making the attempt to grab the other man, who vanished, he believed, down Whitehall. 

"You did not tell the police about the assault?" inquired Brett. 

"Not me, guv'nor, " said the driver. "The poor chap in the road was notmuch 'urt. I knew that, though the mob thort 'e was a dead 'un. An' wotdoes it mean? A day lost in the polis-court, an' a day lost on mypay-sheet, too. "

"Well, " said Brett, "the twist you gave to the reins this morning meantseveral days added to your pay-sheet. Would either of you know the managain if you saw him?"

This needed reflection. 

"I wouldn't swear to 'im, " was the driver's dictum, "but I would swear toany man bein' like 'im. "

"Same 'ere, " said the conductor. 

The barrister understood their meaning, which had not the generalapplication implied by the words. He obtained the addresses of both menand left them. 

His next visit was to an Atlas terminus. Here he had to wait a full hourbefore the 'bus arrived that had passed Trafalgar Square on a southjourney at 10. 45. 

The conductor remembered the sudden stoppage of the Road Car vehicle. 

"Ran over a man, sir, didn't it?" he inquired. 

"Nearly, not quite. Now, I want you to fix your thoughts on the passengerswho entered your 'bus at that point. Can you describe them?"

The man smiled. 

"It's rather a large order, sir, " he said. "I've been past there twicesince. If it's anybody you know particular, and you tell me what he waslike, I may be able to help you. "

Brett would have preferred the conductor's own unaided statement, butseeing no help for it, he gave the man a detailed description of DavidHume, plus the beard. 

"Has he got black, snaky eyes and high cheek-bones?" the conductorinquired thoughtfully. 

The barrister had described a fair man, with brown hair; and the questionin no way indicated the colour of the Hume-Frazer eyes. Yet the oddcombination caught his attention. 

"Yes, " he said, "that may be the man. "

"Well, sir, I didn't pick him up there, but I dropped him there at nineo'clock. I picked him up at the Elephant, and noticed him particularbecause he didn't pay the fare for the whole journey, but tookpenn'orths. "

"I am greatly obliged to you. Would you know him again?"

"Among a thousand! He had a funny look, and never spoke. Just shoved apenny out whenever I came on top. Twice I had to refuse it. "

"Was he a foreigner?"

"Not to my idea. He looked like a Scotchman. Don't you know him, sir?"

"Not yet. I hope to make his acquaintance. Can you remember the 'bus whichwas in front of you at Whitehall at 10. 45?"

"Yes; I can tell you that. It was a Monster, Pimlico. The conductor is afriend of mine, named Tomkins. That is the only time I have seen himto-day. "

At the Monster, Pimlico, after another delay, Tomkins was produced. AgainBrett described David Hume, adorned now with "black, snaky eyes and highcheek-bones. "

"Of course, " said Tomkins. "I've spotted 'im. 'E came aboard wiv a runjust arter a hoss fell in front of the statoo. Gimme a penny, 'e did, an'jumped orf at the 'Orse Guards without a ticket afore we 'ad gone a'undred yards. I thort 'e was frightened or dotty, I did. Know 'im agin?Ra--ther. Eyes like gimlets, 'e 'ad. "

The barrister regained the seclusion of the hansom. 

"St John's Mansions, Kensington, " he said to the driver, and then hecurled up on the seat in the most uncomfortable attitude permitted by theconstruction of the vehicle. 

On nearing his destination he stopped the cab at a convenient corner. 

"I want you to wait here for my return, " he told the driver. 

"How long will you be, sir?"

"Not more than fifteen minutes. "

"I only asked, sir, because I wanted to know if I had time to give thehorse a feed. "

Cabby was evidently quite convinced that his eccentric fare was not abilker. 

Brett glanced around. In the neighbouring street was a public-house, whichpossessed what the agents call "a good pull-up trade. " He pointed to it. 

"I think, " he said, "if you wait there it will be more comfortable for youand equally good for the horse. "

The cabby pocketed an interim tip with a grin. 

"I've struck it rich to-day, " he murmured, as he disappeared through aswing door bearing the legend, "Tap, " in huge letters. 

Meanwhile, Brett sauntered past St. John's Mansions. Across the road a manwas leaning against the railings of a large garden, being deeply immersedin the columns of a sporting paper. 

The barrister caught his eye and walked on. A minute later Mr. Winterovertook him. 

"Not a move here all day, " he said in disgust, "except Mrs. Jiro'sappearance with the perambulator. She led me all round Kensington Gardens, and her only business was to air the baby and cram it with sponge-cakes. "

"Where is her husband?"

"In the house. He hasn't stirred out since yesterday's visit to theMuseum. "

"Who is looking after the place in your absence?"

"One of my men has taken a room over the paper shop opposite. He hasspecial charge of the Jap. My second assistant is scraping and varnishingthe door of No. 16 flat. He sees every one who enters and leaves the placeduring the day. If Mrs. Jiro comes out he has to follow her until he seesthat I am on the job. "

"Good! I want to talk matters over with you. I have a cab waiting in aside street. "

"Why, sir, has anything special happened?"

A newsboy came running along shouting the late edition of the _EveningNews_. The barrister bought a paper and rapidly glanced through itscontents. 

"Here you are, " he said. "Someone in that office has a good memory. "

The item which Brett pointed out to the detective read as follows:--

 "ACCIDENT IN WHITEHALL. 

 "Mr. Robert Hume-Frazer, residing in one of the great hotels in Northumberland Avenue, was knocked down and nearly run over by an omnibus in Whitehall this morning. The skill of the driver averted a very serious accident. It is supposed that Mr. Hume-Frazer slipped whilst attempting to cross before the policeman on duty at that point stopped the traffic. 

 "The injured gentleman was carried to his hotel, where he is staying with his cousin, Mr. David Hume-Frazer, whose name will be recalled in connection with the famous 'Stowmarket Mystery' of last year. "

"What does it all mean?" inquired Winter. 

"It means that you must listen carefully to what I am going to tell you. Here is my cab. Jump in. Driver, I am surprised that a man of yourintelligence should waste your money on a public-house cigar. Throw itaway. Here is a better one. And now, Victoria Street, sharp. "

Winter's ears were pricked to receive Brett's intelligence. Beyond a sighof professional admiration at the result of Brett's pertinacity withregard to the omnibuses passing through Whitehall at 10. 45, he did notinterrupt until the barrister had ended. 

Even then he was silent, so Brett looked at him in surprise, "Well, Winter, what do you think of it?" he said. 

"Think! I wish I had half your luck, Mr. Brett, " he answered sadly. 

"How now, you green-eyed monster?"

"No. I'm not jealous. You beat me at my own game; I admit it. I wouldnever have thought of going for the 'buses. I suppose you would haveinterviewed the driver and conductor of every vehicle on that route beforeyou gave in. You didn't trouble about the hansoms. Hailing a cab was aslow business, and risked subsequent identification. To jump on to amoving 'bus was just the thing. Yes, there is no denying that you are d--dsmart. "

"Winter, your unreasonable jealousy is making you vulgar. "

"Wouldn't any man swear, sir? Why did I let such a handful as Mrs. Jiroslip through my fingers the other day? Clue! Why, it was a perfect bale ofcotton. If I had only followed her instead of that little rat, herhusband, we would now know where the third man lives, and have themurderer of Sir Alan under our thumb. It is all my fault, though sometimesI feel inclined to blame the police system--a system that won't even giveus telephones between one station and another. Never mind. Wait till Itackle the next job for the Yard. I'll show 'em a trick or two. "

CHAPTER XXI

CONCERNING CHICKENS, AND MOTIVES

The detective cooled off by the time they reached Brett's flat. On thedining-room tables they found two telegrams and a Remington type-writer. 

The messages were from Holden, Naples. 

The first: "Johnson arrived here this morning. "

The second: "Johnson's proceedings refer to poorhouse and churchregisters. "

"Johnson is Capella, " explained Winter. "I forgot to tell you we hadarranged that. "

Brett surveyed the second telegram so intently that the detectiveinquired:

"How do you read that, sir?"

"Capella is securing copies of certificates--marriages, births, or deaths;perhaps all three. He is also getting hold of living witnesses. "

"Of what?"

"He will tell us himself. He is preparing a bombshell of sorts. It willexplode here. Goodness only knows who will be blown up by it. "

He took the cover off the type-writer, seized a sheet of paper, and beganto manipulate the keyboard with the methodical carefulness of oneunaccustomed to its use. 

He wrote:

 "About Stowmarket. David Hume Frazer killed cousin. Cousin talked girl in road. Girl waited wood. David Hume Frazer met girl in wood after 1 a. M. "

"Do you mean to say, " cried the detective, "that you can remember theanonymous letter word for word? You have only seen it once, and that wasseveral days ago. "

"Not only word for word, but the spacing, the number of words in a line, the lines between which creases appear. Look, Winter. Here is the smallbroken 'c, ' the bent capital 'D, ' the letter 'a' out of register. Where isthe original?"

"Here, in my pocket-book. "

They silently compared the two typed sheets. It needed no expert to notethat they had been written by the same machine. 

"It would take a clever counsel to upset that piece of evidence, " saidWinter. "I wish I had hold of the writer. "

"You have spoken to him several times. "

"Surely you cannot mean Jiro!"

"Who else? Jiro is but the tool of a superior scoundrel. He is justbeginning to suspect the fact, and trying to use it for his own benefit. Iwish I was in Naples with your friend Holden. "

"But, Mr. Brett, the murderer is in London! What about this morning'sattempt--"

"My dear fellow, you are already constructing the gallows. Leave that tothe gaol officials. What we do not yet know is the motive. The key to themystery is in Naples, probably in Capella's hands at this moment. If Iwere there it would be in mine, too. Do not question me, Winter. I am notinspired. I can only indulge in vague imaginings. Capella will bring thereality to London. "

"Then what are we to do meanwhile?"

"Await events patiently. Watch Jiro with the calm persistence of a catwatching a hole into which a mouse has disappeared. At this moment, eatsomething. "

He rang for Smith, and told him to attend to the wants of the waitingcabman, whilst Mrs. Smith made the speediest arrangements for an immediatedinner. 

The two men sat down, and Winter could not help asking another question. 

"Why are you keeping the cab, Mr. Brett?"

"Because I am superstitious. "

The detective opened wide his eyes at this unlooked-for statement. 

"I mean it, " said the barrister. "Look at all I have learnt to-day whilstdarting about London in that particular hansom, which, mind you, Icarefully selected from a rank of twenty. Abandon it until I am dropped atmy starting-point! Never!"

Winter sighed. 

"I never feel that way about anything on wheels, " he said. "Do you reallythink you will be able to clear up this affair, sir? It seems to me to bea bigger muddle now than when I left it after the second trial. Don'tlaugh at me. That is awkwardly put, I know. But then we had astraightforward crime to deal with. Now, goodness knows where we havelanded. "

Smith entered, and commenced laying the table. Brett did not reply to thedetective's spoken reverie. Both men idly watched the deft servant'spreparations. 

"Smith, " suddenly cried the master of the household, "what sort of chickenhave we for dinner?"

"Cold chicken, sir. "

"Thank you. As you seem to demand Miltonic precision in phrase, I amend mywords. What breed of chicken have we for dinner?"

"A dorking, sir. "

"And how do you know it is a dorking?"

"Oh, there's lots of ways of knowin' that, sir. You can tell by the size, by its head and feet, and by the tuft of feathers left on its neck. "

"Q. E. D. "

"Beg pardon, sir!"

"I was only saying, 'Right you are!'"

Smith went out, and Brett turned to his companion:

"Did you note Smith's philosophy in the matter of dorkings?" he inquired. 

"Yes. "

"Does it convey no moral to you? I fear not. Now mark me, Winter. Just asthe breed of the chicken is indelibly stamped on it in the eyes of a manskilled in chickens, so is the murder we are investigating marked bycharacteristics so plain that a child of ten, properly trained to use hiseyes, might discern them. What you and I suffer from are defects implantedby idle nursemaids and doting mothers. Let us, for the moment, adopt thepolicy of the theosophists and sit in consultation apart from our astralbodies. Who killed Sir Alan Hume-Frazer? I answer, a relative. Whatrelative? Someone we do not know, whom he did not know, or who committedmurder because he was known. What sort of person is the murderer? A manphysically like either David or Robert, so like that 'Rabbit Jack' wouldswear to the identity of either of them as readily as to the person of thereal murderer. Why did he use such a weird instrument as the Ko-Katana?Because he found it under his hand and recognised its sinister purpose, tobe left implanted in the breast or brain of an enemy's lifeless body. Where is the man now? In London, perhaps outside this building, perhapswatching the Northumberland Avenue Hotel, waiting quietly for anotherchance to take the life of the person who caused us to reopen thisinquiry. To sum up, Winter, let us find such an individual, a Hume-Frazerwith black, deadly eyes, with a cold, calculating, remorseless brain, witha knowledge of trick and fence not generally an attribute of theAnglo-Saxon race--let us lay hands on him, I say, and you can book him forkingdom come, _viâ_ the Old Bailey. "

"Yes, sir!" broke in Winter excitedly. "But the motive!"

"Et tu, Brute! Would the disciple rend his master? Have I not told youthat Capella will bring that knowledge with him from Naples? I have hopeseven of your long-nosed friend, Holden, giving us all the details weneed. "

"What did the murderer steal from Sir Alan's writing-desk, from the drawerbroken open before the blow was struck?"

Smith entered, bearing a chicken. 

"The motive, Winter! The motive!" laughed Brett, and in pursuance of hisinvariable practice, he refused to say another word about the crime or itsperpetrator during the meal. 

CHAPTER XXII

THE SECOND ATTACK

Mrs. Smith was accustomed to her master's occasional freaks in the matterof dinner. Her husband, aided by long experience, knew whether Brett's"immediately" meant one minute, or five, or even fifteen. 

This time he gave his wife the longest limit, so, in addition to thechicken, a bird whose unhappy attribute is a facility for being devouredwith the utmost speed, a mixed grill of cutlets, bacon, and Frenchsausages appeared on the table. 

The diners were hungry and the good things were appreciated. It was wellthat they wasted no time on mere words. They were still intent on thefeast when a boy messenger brought a note. It was from Helen, written inpencil:

 "David was coming to see you when he was attacked. Can you come to us at once?

 "H. L. 

 "P. S. --David is all right--only shaken and covered with mud. It occurred five minutes ago. "

"Dear me!" said Brett. "Dear me!"

There was such a hiss of concentrated fury in his voice that Winter waspuzzled to account for the harmless expression the barrister had twiceused. The detective knew that his distinguished friend never, by anychance, indulged in strong language, yet something had annoyed him sogreatly that a more powerful expletive would have had a very naturalsound. 

Brett glared at him. 

"It is evident, " he said, "that you do not know the meaning of 'Dear me. 'It is simply the English form of the Italian 'O Dio mio!' and a literaltranslation would shock you. "

"It doesn't appear that much damage has been done to your client, " gaspedWinter, for Brett had unceremoniously dragged him from his chair with theintention of rushing downstairs forthwith. 

They hurried out together, and dashed into the waiting hansom. 

"Think of it, Winter, " groaned the barrister. "Whilst we were seduced by adorking and a French sausage--an unholy alliance--the very man we wantedwas waiting in Northumberland Avenue. You are avenged! All my jibes andsneers at Scotland Yard recoil on my own head. I might have known thatsuch a desperate scoundrel would soon make another attempt, and next timeupon the right person. You followed Mrs. Jiro. I am led astray by a cookedfowl. Oh, Winter, Winter, who could suspect such depravity in a roastedchicken!"

"I'm dashed if I can guess what you're driving at, " growled the detective. 

"No; I understand. The blood has left your brain and gone to your stomach. You will not be able to think for hours. "

Raving thus, in disjointed sentences that Winter could not make head ortail of, Brett refused to be explicit until they reached the hotel, whenhe discharged the cabman with a payment that caused the gentleman on theperch to spit on the palm of his hand in great glee, whilst he promptlywheeled the horse in the direction of his livery stables. 

They were met by David himself, seated in the foyer by the side of Helen, who looked white and frightened. 

"This chap is a terror, " began Hume, once they were safe in the privacy oftheir sitting-room. "I would never have believed such things were possiblein London if they had not actually happened to Robert and me to-day. Wehad dinner rather early, and dined in private, as Robert is feeling stiffnow after this morning's adventure. Margaret suggested--"

"Where is Mrs. Capella?" interrupted the barrister. 

Miss Layton answered:

"She is with Mr. Frazer. They have found a quiet corner of the ladies'smoking-room--I mean the smoking-room where ladies go--and we have nottold them yet what has happened to Davie. "

"Well, " resumed Hume, "Margaret's idea is that we should all leave herefor the North to-morrow. She wanted you to approve of the arrangement, soI got into a hansom and started for your chambers. It was raining alittle, and the street was full of traffic. The driver asked if I wouldlike the window closed, but I would sooner face a tiger than drive throughLondon in a boxed-up hansom, so I refused. The middle of the road, youknow, has a long line of waiting cabs, broken by occasionalcrossing-places. The horse was just getting into a trot when a man, wrapped in a mackintosh, ran alongside, caught the off rein in the crookof his stick, swung the poor beast right round through one of the gaps inthe rank, and down we went--horse, cab, driver, and myself--in front of abrewer's dray. Luckily for me and the driver, we were flung right over thesmash into the gutter, for the big, heavy van ran into the fallen hansom, crushed it like a matchbox, and killed the horse. Had the window beenclosed--well, it wasn't, so there is no need for romancing. "

Poor Nellie clung to her lover as if to assure herself that he was reallyuninjured. 

"Did you see your assailant clearly?"

"Unfortunately, no. The side windows were blurred with rain, and I wastrying to strike a match. The first thing I was conscious of was a violentswerve. I looked up, saw a tall, cloaked figure wrenching at the reinswith a crooked stick, and over we went. I fell into a bed of mud. Itabsolutely blinded me. I jumped up, and fancying that the blackguard ranup Northumberland Street I dashed after him. I cannoned against somepasser-by and we both fell. A news-runner, who witnessed the affair, didgo after the cause of it, and received such a knock-out blow on the jawthat he was hardly able to speak when found by a policeman. "

"Where is this man now?"

"With the cabman in a small hotel across the road. I had not the nerve tobring them here. If we have any more adventures, the management will turnus out. I fancy they think our behaviour is hardly respectable. Theinstant Robert or I endeavour to leave the door we are used to clean up aportion of the roadway. "

"Miss Layton, would you mind joining the others for a few minutes. Mr. Hume is going out with Mr. Winter and myself. "

The barrister's request took Helen by surprise. 

"Is there any need for further risk?" she faltered. "Moreover, Margaretwill see at once that something has gone wrong. I am a poor hand atdeception where--where Davie is concerned. "

"Have no fear. Tell them everything. Mr. Hume will be very seriouslyinjured--in to-morrow morning's papers. This expert in street accidentsmust be led to believe he has succeeded. In any case, aided by a miserablefowl, he is far enough from here at this moment. We will return in twentyminutes. "

The girl was so agitated that she hardly noticed Brett's words. But theirpurport reassured her, and she left them. 

The three men passed out into the drizzling rain. Owing to the Strandbeing "up, " a continuous stream of traffic flowed through the Avenue. Humepointed out the gap through which the horse was forced, and then theydarted across the roadway. 

"I fell here, " he said, indicating a muddy flood of road scrapings, inwhich were embedded many splinters from the wreckage of the hansom. 

Brett, careless of the amazement he caused to hurrying pedestrians, wadedthrough the bed of mud, kicking up any objects encountered by his feet. 

He uttered an exclamation of triumph when he produced a stick from thedepths. 

"I thought I should find it, " he said. "When the horse fell it was ahundred to one against the stick being extricated from the reins, and itsowner could not wait an instant. You and the stick, my dear Hume, layclose together. "

A small crowd was gathering. The barrister laughed. 

"Gentleman, " he said, "why are you so surprised? Which of you would notdirty his boots to recover such a valuable article as this?"

Some people grinned sympathetically. They all moved away. 

In an upper room of the neighbouring public-house were a suffering"runner" and a disconsolate "cabby. " The "runner" could tell them nothingtangible concerning the man he pursued. 

"I sawr 'im bring the hoss dahn like a bullick, " he whispered, for thepoor fellow had received a terrible blow. "I went arter 'im, dodged rahndthe fust corner, an', bli-me, 'e gev me a punch that would 'ave 'artedCorbett. "

"What with--his fist?" inquired Brett. 

"Nah, guv'nor--'is 'eel, blawst 'im. I could 'ave dodged a square blow. Ican use my dukes a bit myself. "

"What was the value of the punch?"

The youth tried to smile, though the effort tortured him. "It was worth'arf a thick 'un at least, guv'nor. "

Hume gave him two sovereigns, and the runner could not have been moretaken aback had the donor "landed him" on the sound jaw. 

"And now, you, " said Brett to the cabman. "What did you see?"

"Me!" with a snort of indignation. "Little over an hour ago I sawr a smawtkeb an' a tidy little nag wot I gev thirty quid fer at Ward's in theEdgware Road a fortnight larst Toosday. And wot do I see now? MaryleboneWork'us fer me an' the missis an' the kids. My keb gone, my best hosskilled, an' a pore old crock left, worth abart enough to pay the week'sstablin'. I see a lot, I do. "

The man was telling the truth. He was blear-eyed with misery. Brett lookedat Hume, and the latter rang a bell. He asked the waiter for a pen andink. 

"How much did your cab cost?" he said to the driver, who was so downcastthat he actually failed to correctly interpret David's action. Thequestion had to be repeated before an answer came. 

"It wasn't a new 'un, mister. I was just makin' a stawt. I gev fifty-fivepound fer it, an' three pun ten to 'ave it done up. But there! What's theuse of talkin'? I'm orf 'ome, I am, to fice the missis. "

"Wait just a little while, " said David kindly. "You hardly understand thisbusiness. The madman who attacked us meant to injure me, not you. Here isa cheque for £100, which will not only replace your horse and cab, butleave you a little over for the loss of your time. "

Winter caught the dazed cabman by the shoulder. 

"Billy, " he said, "you know me. Are you going home, or going to getdrunk?"

Billy hesitated. 

"Goin' 'ome, " he vociferated. "S'elp me--"

"One moment, " said Brett. "Surely you have some idea of the appearance ofthe rascal who pulled your horse over?"

The man was alternately surveying the cheque and looking into the face ofhis benefactor. 

"I dunno, " he cried, after a pause. "I feel a bit mixed. This gentleman'ere 'as acted as square as ever man did. 'E comes of a good stock, 'edoes, an' yet--I 'umbly ax yer pawdon, sir--but the feller who tried tokill you an' me might ha' bin yer own brother. "

CHAPTER XXIII

MARGARET'S SECRET

The waiter managed to remove the most obvious traces of Brett's escapadein the gutter, and incidentally cleaned the stick. 

It was a light, tough ashplant, with a silver band around the handle. Thebarrister held it under a gas jet and examined it closely. Nothing escapedhim. After scrutinising the band for some time, he looked at the ferrule, and roughly estimated that the owner had used it two or three years. Finally, when quite satisfied, he handed it to Winter. 

"Do you recognise those scratches?" he said, with a smile, pointing out arough design bitten into the silver by the application of aqua regia andbeeswax. 

The detective at once uttered an exclamation of supreme astonishment. 

"The very thing!" he cried. "The same Japanese motto as that on theKo-Katana!"

Hume now drew near. 

"So, " he growled savagely, "the hand that struck down Alan was the samethat sought my life an hour ago!"

"And your cousin's this morning, " said Brett

"The cowardly brute! If he has a grudge against my family, why doesn't hecome out into the open? He need not have feared detection, even a weekago. I could be found easily enough. Why didn't he meet me face to face? Ihave never yet run away from trouble or danger. "

"You are slightly in error regarding him, " observed Brett. "This man maybe a fiend incarnate, but he Is no coward. He means to kill, to work someterrible purpose, and he takes the best means towards that end. To hismind the idea of giving a victim fair play is sheer nonsense. It nevereven occurs to him. But a coward! no. Think of the nerve required tocommit robbery and murder under the conditions that obtained at Beechcrofton New Year's Eve. Think of the skill, the ready resource, which made sopromptly available the conditions of the two assaults to-day. Our quarryis a genius, a Poe among criminals. Look to it, Winter, that yourhandcuffs are well fixed when you arrest him, or he will slip from yourgrasp at the very gates of Scotland Yard. "

"If I had my fingers round his windpipe--" began David. 

"You would be a dead man a few seconds later, " said the barrister. "If wethree, unarmed, had him in this room now, equally defenceless, I shouldregard the issue as doubtful. "

"There would be a terrible dust-up, " smirked Winter. 

"Possibly; but it would be a fight for life or death. No half measures. Amatter of decanters, fire-irons, chairs. Let us return to the hotel. "

Whilst Hume went to summon the others, Brett seated himself at a table andwrote:

 "A curious chapter of accidents happened in Northumberland Avenue yesterday. Early in the morning, Mr. Robert Hume-Frazer quitted his hotel for a stroll in the West End, and narrowly escaped being run over in Whitehall. About 8 p. M. His cousin, Mr. David Hume-Frazer, was driving through the Avenue in a hansom, when the vehicle upset, and the young gentleman was thrown out. He was picked up in a terrible condition, and is reported to be in danger of his life. "

The barrister read the paragraph aloud. 

"It is casuistic, " he commented, "but that defect is pardonable. Afterall, it is not absolutely mendacious, like a War Office telegram. Winter, go and bring joy to the heart of some penny-a-liner by giving him thatitem. The 'coincidence' will ensure its acceptance by every morning paperin London, and you can safely leave the reporter himself to add detailsabout Mr. Hume's connection with the Stowmarket affair. "

The detective rose. 

"Will you be here when I come back, sir?" he asked. 

"I expect so. In any case, you must follow on to my chambers. To-night wewill concert our plan of campaign. "

Margaret entered, with Helen and the two men. Robert limped somewhat. 

"How d'ye do, Brett?" he cried cheerily. "That beggar hurt me more than Iimagined at the time. He struck a tendon in my left leg so hard that it isquite painful now. "

Brett gave an answering smile, but his thoughts did not find utterance. How strange it was that two men, so widely dissimilar as Robert and thevendor of newspapers, should insist on the skill, the unerring certainty, of their opponent. 

"Mrs. Capella, " he said, wheeling round upon the lady, "when you lived inLondon or on the Continent did you ever include any Japanese in the circleof your acquaintances?"

"Yes, " was the reply. 

Margaret was white, her lips tense, the brilliancy of her large eyesalmost unnatural. 

"Tell me about them. "

"What can I tell you? They were bright, lively little men. They amused myfriends by their quaint ideas, and interested us at times by recountingincidents of life in the East. "

"Were they all 'little'? Was one of them a man of unusual stature?"

"No, " said Margaret

The barrister knew that she was profoundly distressed. 

"If she would be candid with me, " he mused, "I would tear the heart fromthis mystery to-night. "

One other among those present caught the hidden drift of this smallcolloquy. Robert Frazer looked sadly at his cousin. Natures that areclosely allied have an electric sympathy. He could not even darkly discernthe truth, but he connected Brett's words in some remote way with Capella. How he loathed the despicable Italian who left his wife to bear alone thetrouble that oppressed her--who only went away in order to concoct somevillainy against her. 

Margaret could not face the barrister's thoughtful, searching gaze. Shestood up--like the others of her race when danger threatened. She evenlaughed harshly. 

"I have decided, " she said, "to leave here to-morrow morning. Helen saysshe does not object Our united wardrobes will serve all needs of theseaside. Robert's tailor visited him to-day, and assured him that theresult would be satisfactory without any preliminary 'trying on. ' Do youapprove, Mr. Brett?"

"Most heartily. I can hardly believe that our hidden foe will make afurther attack until he learns that he has been foiled again. Yet you willall be happier, and unquestionably safer, away from London. Does anyonehere know where you are going?"

"No one. I have not told my maid or footman. It was not necessary, as weintended to remain here a week. "

"Admirable! When you leave the hotel in the morning give Yarmouth as yourdestination. Not until you reach King's Cross need you inform yourservants that you are really going to Whitby. Would you object to--ah, well that is perhaps, difficult. I was about to suggest an assumed name, but Miss Layton's father would object, no doubt. "

"If he did not, I would, " said Robert impetuously. "Who has Margaret tofear, and what do David and I care for all the anonymous scoundrels increation?"

"Is there really so much danger that such a proceeding is advisable?"inquired the trembling Nellie. 

"To-day's circumstances speak for themselves, Miss Layton, " replied Brett. "Neither you nor Mrs. Capella run the least risk. I will not be answerablefor the others. Grave difficulties must be surmounted before the power forfurther injury is taken from the man we seek. In my professional capacity, I say act openly, advertise your destination, make it known that Mr. Humeescaped from the wreck of the hansom unhurt. Should the would-be murdererfollow you to Whitby he cannot escape me. Here in London he is one amongfive millions. But speaking as a friend, I advise the utmost vigilanceunless another Hume-Frazer is to die in his boots. "

It was not Helen but Margaret who wailed in agony:

"Do you really mean what you say? Have matters reached that stage?"

"Yes, they have. "

His voice was cold, almost stern. 

"Kindly telegraph your Whitby address to me, " he said to Hume. Then hewalked to the door, leaving them brusquely. 

For once in his career he was deeply annoyed. 

"Confound all women!" he muttered in anger. "They nurse some petty littlesecret, some childish love affair, and deem its preservation moreimportant than their own happiness, or the lives of their best friends. They are all alike--duchess or scullery-maid. Their fluttering hearts areall the world to them, and everything else chaos. If that woman onlychose--"

"Mr. Brett!" came a clear voice along the corridor. 

It was Margaret. She came to him hastily

"Why do you suspect me?" she exclaimed brokenly. "I am the most miserablewoman on earth. Suffering and death environ me, and overwhelm thosenearest and dearest. Yet what have I done that you should think me capableof concealing from you material facts which would be of use to you?"

The barrister was tempted to retort that what she believed to be"material" might indeed be of very slight service to him, but the contraryproposition held good, too. 

Then he saw the anguish in her face, and it moved him to say gently:

"Go back to your friends, Mrs. Capella. I am not the keeper of yourconscience. I am almost sure you are worrying yourself about trifles. Whatever they may be, you are not responsible. Rest assured of this, in afew days much that is now dim and troublous will be cleared up. I ask younothing further. I would prefer not to hear anything you wish to say tome. It might fetter my hands Good-bye!"

CHAPTER XXIV

THE MEETING

"There!" he said to himself, as he passed downstairs, "I am just as big afool as she is. She followed me to make a clean breast of everything, andI send her back with a request to keep her lips sealed. Yet I am angrywith her for the risk she is taking!"

He reached the hall and was about to cross the foyer when he caught thewords, "Gentleman thrown out of a cab, " uttered by a handsome girl, cheaply but gaudily attired, who was making some inquiry at the bureau. 

He stopped and searched for a match. Then he became interested in thelatest news, pinned in strips on the baize-covered board of a "ticker. "

The girl explained to an official that she had witnessed an accident thatevening. She was told that a gentleman who lived in the hotel was hurt. Was he seriously injured?

The hotel man, from long practice, was enabled to sum up such inquirersrapidly. 

"Do you know the gentleman?" he inquired. 

"No--that is, slightly. "

"Well, madam, if you give me your card I will send it to his friends. Theywill give you all necessary information. "

She became confused. She was not accustomed to the quiet elegance of agreat hotel. The men in evening dress, the gorgeously attired ladiespassing to elevator or drawing-room, seemed to be listening to her. Whydid the bureau keeper speak so loudly? Then the assurance of the Cockneycame to her aid. 

"I don't see why there should be such a fuss about nothing, " she said. "Idon't know his people. I saw the gentleman pitched out of a cab and wassorry for him, so I just called to ask how he was. "

She angrily tossed her head, and stared insolently at an old lady who cameto inquire if there were any letters for the Countess of Skerry and Ness. 

"No letters, your ladyship, " said the man. "And you, miss, must eithersend a personal message or see the manager. "

The young woman bounced out in a fury, and Brett followed her, silentlythanking the favouring planets which had sent him down the stairs at thevery moment when the girl was proffering her request to the clerk. 

Fortunately, the weather was better now. There was a clear sky overhead, and the streets looked quite cheerful after the steady downpour, London'smyriad lamps being reflected in glistening zigzags across the wetpavement. 

The girl did not head towards the busy Strand, but walked direct toCharing Cross station on the District Railway. 

The barrister thought she intended to go somewhere by train. He quickenedhis pace in order to be able to rapidly obtain a ticket and thus keep upwith her. Herein he was lucky. To his surprise, she passed out of thestation on the embankment side. 

He followed, and nowhere could he see her. Then he remembered the stepsleading to the footpath along the Hungerford Bridge. Running up thesesteps he soon caught sight of the young woman, who was walking rapidlytowards Waterloo. 

A man of the artisan class stared at her as she passed, and said somethingto her. She turned fiercely. 

"Do you want a swipe on the jaw?" she demanded. 

No, he did not. What had he done, he would like to know. 

"You mind your own business, " she said. "Where am I goin', indeed. What'sit got to do with you?"

The episode was valuable to the listening barrister. It classified theanxious inquirer after Hume's health. 

Her abashed admirer hung back, and the girl resumed her onward progress. The man was conscious that the gentleman behind him must have heard whatpassed. He endeavoured to justify himself. 

"She's pretty O. T. , she is, " he grinned. 

"Do you know her?" said Brett. 

"I know her by sight. Seen her in the York now an' then. "

"She can evidently take care of herself. "

"Ra--ther. Don't you so much as look at her, mister, or off goes yourtopper into the river. She's in a bad temper to-night. "

Brett laughed and walked ahead. On reaching the Surrey side the girl madefor the Waterloo Road. There she mounted on top of a 'bus. The barristerwent inside. He thought of the "man with black, snaky eyes, " who "tookpenn'orths" all the way from the Elephant to Whitehall. 

And now he, Brett, took a penn'orth to the Elephant. The 'bus reached thatfamous centre of humanity, passing thence through Newington Butts to theKennington Park Road. 

In the latter thoroughfare the girl skipped down from the roof, anddisdaining the conductor's offer to stop, swung herself lightly to theground. The barrister followed, and soon found himself tracking her alonga curved street of dingy houses. 

Into one of these she vanished. It chanced to be opposite a gas-lamp, andas he walked past he made out the number--37. 

Externally it was exactly like its neighbours, dull, soiled, pinched, oldcurtains, worn blinds, blistered paint. He knew that if he walked insidehe would tread on a strip of oilcloth, once gay in red and yellow squares, but now worn to a dirty grey uniformity. In the "hall" he would encountera rickety hat-stand faced by an ancient print entitled "Idle Hours, " anddepicting two ladies, reclining on rocks, attired in tremendous skirts, tight jackets, and diminutive straw hats perched between their foreheadand chignons--in the middle distance a fat urchin, all hat and frills, staring stupidly at the ocean. 

In the front sitting-room he would encounter horse-hair chairs, frayedcarpet, and more early Victorian prints; in the back sitting-room morefrayed carpet, more prints, and possibly a bed. 

Nothing very mysterious or awe-inspiring about 37 Middle Street, yet thebarrister was loth to leave the place. The scent of the chase was in hisnostrils. He had "found. "

He was tempted to boldly approach and frame some excuse--a hunt forlodgings, an inquiry for a missing friend, anything to gain admittance andlearn something, however meagre in result, of the occupants. 

He reviewed the facts calmly. To attempt, at such an hour, to gleaninformation from the sharp-tongued young person who had just admittedherself with a latchkey, was to court failure and suspicion. He must bidehis time. Winter was an adept in ferreting out facts concerning theselocalities and their denizens. To Winter the inquiry must be left. 

He stopped at the further end of the street, lit a cigar, and walked back. 

He had again passed No. 37, giving a casual glance to the second floorfront window, in which a light illumined the blind, when he became awarethat a man was approaching from the Kennington Park Road. Otherwise thestreet was empty. 

The lamp opposite No. 37 did not throw its beams far into the gloom, butthe advancing figure instantly enlisted Brett's attention. 

The man was tall and strongly built. He moved with the ease of an athlete. He walked with a long, swinging stride, yet carried himself erect He wasattired in a navy blue serge suit and a bowler hat. 

The two were rapidly nearing each other. 

At ten yards' distance Brett knew that the other man was he whom hesought, the murderer of Sir Alan Hume-Frazer, the human ogre whose missionon earth seemed to be the extinction of all who bore that fated name. 

It is idle to deny that Brett was startled by this unexpected rencontre. Not until he made the discovery did he remember that he was carrying thestick rescued from the mud of Northumberland Avenue. 

The knowledge gave him an additional thrill. Though he could be coolenough in exciting circumstances, though his quiet courage had more thanonce saved his life in moments of extreme peril, though physically he wasmore than able to hold his own with, say, the average professional boxer, he fully understood that the individual now about to pass within a stridecould kill him with ridiculous ease. 

Would this dangerous personage recognise his own stick?--that was thequestion. 

If he did, Brett could already see himself describing a parabola in theair, could hear his skull crashing against the pavement. He even went sofar as to sit with the coroner's jury and bring in a verdict of"Accidental Death. "

In no sense did Brett exaggerate the risk he encountered. The individualwho could stab Sir Alan to death with a knife like a toy, hurl a stalwartsailor into the middle of a street without perceptible effort, and bringdown a horse and cab at the precise instant and in the exact spotdetermined upon after a second's thought, was no ordinary opponent. 

Their eyes met. 

Truly a fiendish-looking Hume-Frazer, a Satanic impersonation of a finehuman type. For the first and only time in his life Brett regretted thathe did not carry a revolver when engaged in his semi-professional affairs. 

The barrister, be it stated, wore the conventional frock-coat and tall hatof society. His was a face once seen not easily forgotten, the outlinesclassic and finely chiselled, the habitual expression thoughtful, preoccupied, the prevalent idea conveyed being tenacious strength. Quitean unusual person in Middle Street, Kennington. 

They passed. 

Brett swung the stick carelessly in his left hand, but not so carelesslythat on the least sign of a hostile movement he would be unable to dash itviciously at his possible adversary's eyes. 

He remembered the advice of an old cavalry officer: "Always give 'em thepoint between the eyes. They come head first, and you reach 'em at theearliest moment. "

Nevertheless, he experienced a quick quiver down his spine when the otherman deliberately stopped and looked after him. He did not turn his head, but he could "feel" that vicious glance travelling over him, could hearthe unspoken question: "Now, I wonder who _you_ are, and what you wanthere?"

He staggered slightly, recovered his balance, and went on. It was amasterpiece of suggestiveness, not overdone, a mere wink of intoxication, as it were. 

It sufficed. Such an explanation accounts for many things in London. 

The watcher resumed his interrupted progress. Brett crossed the street anddeliberately knocked at the door of a house in which the ground floor wasilluminated. 

Someone peeped through a blind, the door opened as far as a rattling chainwould permit. 

"Good evening, " said Brett. 

"What do you want?" demanded a suspicious woman. 

"Mr. Smith--Mr. Horatio Smith. "

"He doesn't live here. "

"Dear me! Isn't this 76 Middle Street?"

"Yes; all the same, there's no Smiths here. "

The door slammed; but the barrister had attained his object. The other manhad entered No. 37. 

CHAPTER XXV

WHERE DID MARGARET GO?

In the Kennington Park Road he hailed hansom and drove home. Winterawaited him, for Smith now admitted the detective without demur should hismaster be absent. 

The barrister walked to a sideboard, produced a decanter of brandy, andhelped himself to a stiff dose. 

"Ah, " he said pleasantly, "our American cousins call it a 'corpsereviver, ' but a corpse could not do that, could he, Winter?"

"I know a few corpses that would like to try. But what is up, sir? I havenot often seen you in need of stimulants. "

"I am most unfeignedly glad to give you the opportunity. Winter, suppose, some time to-morrow, you were told that the body of Reginald Brett, Esq. , barrister-at-law, and a well-known amateur investigator of crime, had beenpicked up shortly after midnight in the Kennington district, whilst themedical evidence showed that death was caused by a fractured skull, theresult of a fall, there being no other marks of violence on the person, what would you have thought?"

"It all depends upon the additional facts that came to light. "

"I will tell them to you. You were aware that I had quitted the hotel, because you called there?"

"Yes. "

"Whom did you see?"

"Mr. David. He said that you were angry with Mrs. Capella, for no earthlyreason that he could make out. He further informed me that she hadfollowed you when you left the room, and had not returned, beingpresumably in her own apartment. "

"Anything further?"

"Mr. Hume asked Miss Layton to go and see if Mrs. Capella had retired forthe night. Miss Layton came back, looking rather scared, with theinformation that Mrs. Capella had dressed and gone out. After a littlefurther talk we came to the conclusion that you were both together. Wasthat so?"

Brett had commenced his cross-examination with the intention of humorouslyproving to Winter that he (the detective) would suspect the wrong personof committing the imagined murder. Now he straightened himself, andcontinued in deadly earnest:

"When did you leave the hotel?"

"About 10. 15. "

"Had not Mrs. Capella returned?"

"Not a sign of her. Miss Layton was alarmed, both the men furious, Mr. Robert particularly so. I did not see any use in remaining there; thought, in fact, I ought to obey orders and await you here, so here I am. "

The barrister scribbled on a card: "Is Mrs. C. At home?" He rang forSmith, and said:

"Take a cab to Mr. Hume's hotel. Give him that card, and bring me theanswer. If you and the cabman must have a drink together, kindly defer thefunction until after your return. "

Smith took such jibes in good part. He knew full well that to attempt toargue with his master would produce a list of previous convictions. 

Then Brett proceeded to amaze Winter in his turn, giving him a full, true, and complete history of events since his parting from Mrs. Capella in thecorridor. 

He had barely finished the recital when Smith returned with a note:

 "Yes; she came in at 10. 45, and has since retired for the night. She says that her head ached, that she wanted to be alone, and went for a long walk. Seemed rather to resent our anxiety. Helen and I will be glad when we are all safely away from London. D. H. "

The barrister pondered over this communication for a long time. 

"I fear, " he said at last, "that I came away from Middle Street a fewminutes too soon. To tell the truth, I was in an abject state of fear. Next time I meet Mr. Frazer the Third I will be ready for him. "

"Is he really so like the others that he might be mistaken for one ofthem?"

"In a sense, yes. He has the same figure, general conformation, andfeatures. But in other respects he is utterly different. Have you everseen a great actor in the role of Mephistopheles?"

"I don't remember. My favourite villain was Barry Sullivan as RichardIII. "

Brett laughed hysterically. 

"Let me speak more plainly. You have, no doubt, a vague picture in yourmind of a certain gentleman of the highest descent who is popularlycredited with the possession of horns, hoofs, and a barbed tail?"

"I've heard of him. "

"Very well. You will see someone very like him, minus the adornmentsaforesaid, when you set eyes on the principal occupant of 37 MiddleStreet. "

Winter slowly assimilated this description. Then he inquired:

"Why did you say just now that you came away from Middle Street a fewminutes too soon?"

"Where did Mrs. Capella go when she left the hotel?"

"If she went to visit the man you met, then she is acting in collisionwith her brother's murderer, and she knows it. "

"That is a hard thing to say, Winter. "

"It is a harder thing to credit, sir; but one cannot reject all evidence, merely because It happens to be straightforward and not hypothetical. "

"Winter, you are sneering at me. "

"No; I am only trying to make you admit the tendency of facts discoveredby yourself. There is a period in all criminal investigation whendeductive reasoning becomes inductive. "

"Now I have got you, " cried Brett "I thought I recognised the source ofyour new-born philosophy in the first postulate. The second convinces me. You have been reading 'The Murders in the Rue Morgue. '"

"The book is in my pocket, " admitted Winter. 

"I recommend you to transfer it to your head. It should be issueddepartmentally as a supplement to the Police Code. But let us waste nomore time. To-morrow we have much to accomplish. "

"I am all attention. "

"In the first place, Mrs. Capella is leaving London for the North. Shemust not be regarded in our operations. The woman is weighted with asecret. I am sorry for her. I prefer to allow events as supplied by othersto unravel the skein. Secondly, Jiro and his wife, and all who visit them, or whom they visit, must be watched incessantly. Get all the forcerequired for this operation in its fullest sense. You, with one trustedassociate, must keep a close eye on No. 37 Middle Street. On no accountobtrude yourself personally into affairs there. Rather miss twentyopportunities than scare that man by one false move. Do you understand methoroughly?"

"I am to see and not be seen. If I cannot do the one without the other, Imust do neither. "

"Exactly. What a holiday you are having! You will return to the Yard withan expanded brain. When you buy a new hat you will be astounded andgratified. But beware of the fate of the frog in the fable. He inflatedhimself until he emulated the size of the bull. "

"And then?"

"Oh, then he burst. "

The detective changed the conversation abruptly. 

"What do you propose doing, Mr. Brett?"

"I purpose reading a chapter in 'The Stowmarket Mystery, ' written by yourfriend, Mr. Holden. "

They heard a loud rat-tat on the outer door. 

"Probably, " continued Brett, "this is its title. "

Smith entered with a telegram. It was in the typed capitals usuallyassociated with Continental messages. It read:

 "Johnson leaves Naples to-night with others, I travel same train. --HOLDEN. "

The barrister surveyed the simple words with an intensity that indicatedhis desire to wrest from their context its hidden significance. 

Winter, more subject to the influences of the hour, puffed his cigarfuriously. 

"You arrange your words to suit the next act for all the world like anAdelphi play, " he growled. 

"I see that Holden has the same gift. What does he mean by 'others'? Whois Capella bringing with him?"

"Witnesses, " volunteered Winter. 

"Just so; but witnesses in what cause?"

"How the--how can I tell?"

"By applying your borrowed logic. Try the deductive reasoning you flung atme a while ago. "

"I don't quite know what 'deductive' means, " was the sulky admission. 

"That is the first step towards wisdom. You admit ignorance. Deduction, inthis sense, is the process of deriving consequences from admitted facts. Now, mark you. Capella wishes to be rid of his wife, by death or legalseparation. He thinks he wants to marry Miss Layton. He is convinced thatsomething within his power, if done effectively, will bring about bothevents. He can shunt Mrs. Capella, and so disgust Miss Layton with theHume-Frazers that she will turn to the next ardent and sympathetic wooerthat presents himself. He knew the points of his case, and went to Naplesto procure proofs. He has obtained them. They are chiefly living persons. He is bringing them to England, and their testimony will convict Mrs. Capella of some wrong-doing, either voluntary or involuntary. Holden knowswhat Capella has accomplished, and thinks it is unnecessary to remainlonger in Naples. He is right. I tell you, Winter, I like Holden. "

"And I tell you, Mr. Brett, that If I swallowed the whole of Mr. Poe'sstories, I couldn't make out Holden's telegram in that fashion. So I muststick to my own methods, and I've put away a few wrong 'uns in my time. When shall I see you next?"

Brett took out his watch. 

"At seven p. M. , the day after to-morrow, " he said coolly. "Until then myaddress is 'Hotel Metropole, Brighton. '"

CHAPTER XXVI

MR. OOMA

He kept his word. Early next morning, after despatching a message to DavidHume, and receiving an answer--an acknowledgment of his address in case ofneed--he took train to London-by-the-Sea, and for thirty-six hours flungmysteries and intrigues to the winds. 

He came back prepared for the approaching climax. In such matters he was ahuman barometer. The affairs of the family in whose interests he hadbecome so suddenly involved were rapidly reaching an acute stage. Something must happen soon, and that something would probably havetremendous and far-reaching consequences. 

Capella and his companions, known and unknown, would reach London at 7. 30p. M. It pleased Brett to time his homeward journey so that he would speedin the same direction, but arrive before them. 

In these trivial matters he owned to a boyish enthusiasm. It stimulatedhim to "beat the other man, " even if he only called upon the London, Brighton, and South Coast line to conquer a weak opponent like theSouth-Eastern. 

At his flat were several letters and telegrams. Mrs. Capella wrote:

 "I have seriously considered your last words to me. It is hard for a woman, the victim of circumstances, and deprived of her husband's support at a most trying and critical period, to know how to act for the best. You said you wished your hands to be left unfettered. Well, be it so. You will encounter no hindrance from me. I pray for your success, and can only hope that in bringing happiness to others you will secure peace for me. "

"Poor woman!" he murmured. "She still trusts to chance to save her. Whomdoes she dread? Not her husband. Each day that passes she must despise himthe more. Does she know that Robert loves her? Is she afraid that he willdespise her? Really, a collision in which Capella was the only victimwould be a perfect godsend. "

David telegraphed the safe arrival of the party at a Whitby hotel. "Wehave seen nothing more of our Northumberland Avenue acquaintance, " headded. 

Holden, too, cabled from Paris, announcing progress. The remainder of thecorrespondence referred to other matters and social engagements, all whichlatter fixtures the barrister had summarily broken. 

Winter was announced. His face heralded important tidings. 

"Well, how goes the ratiocinative process?' was Brett's greeting. 

"I don't know him, " said the detective. "But I do happen to know most ofthe private inquiry agents in London, and one of 'em is going strong inMiddle Street. He's watching Mr. Ooma for all he's worth. "

"Mr. Whom-a?"

"I'm not joking, Mr. Brett. That is the name of the mysterious gent in No. 37--Ooma, no initials. Anyhow, that is the name he gives to the landlady, and her daughter--the girl you followed from the hotel--tells all herfriends that when he gets his rights he will marry her and make her aprincess. "

"Ooma--a princess, " repeated Brett. 

"Such is the yarn in Kennington circles. I obeyed orders absolutely. I andmy mate took turn about in the lodgings we hired, where we are supposed tobe inventors. My pal has a mechanical twist. He puts together a smallelectric machine during his spell, and I take it to pieces in mine. Yesterday my landlady was in the room, and Ooma looked out of the oppositewindow. Then she told me the whole story. "

"Go on--do!"

"Mr. Ooma is evidently puzzled to learn what has become of theHume-Frazers and Mrs. Capella. "

"Why do you bring in her name?"

"Because it leads to the second part of my story. Someone--Capella or hissolicitors, I expect--instructed Messrs. Matchem and Smith, privatedetectives, to keep a close eye on the lady. Their man is an ex-policeconstable, a former subordinate of mine who was fined for taking a drinkwhen he ought not to. Of course, I knew him and he knew me, so I hadn'tmuch trouble in getting it out of him. "

The speaker paused with due dramatic effect. 

"Got what out of him?" cried Brett impatiently. "And don't puff yourcheeks in that way. Remember the terrible fate of the frog who would be abull. "

"There's neither frogs nor bulls in this business, " retorted Winter, calmin the consciousness of his coming revelation. "Mrs. Capella did go toMiddle Street that night. She drove there in a hansom, had a long talkwith Ooma, and nearly drove Miss Dew crazy with jealousy. "

"We guessed that already. Miss Dew is the prospective princess, Ipresume?"

"Yes. She has been twice to the hotel since, trying to find out where theparty went to. "

"Next?"

"Ooma has plenty of money, and now for my prize packet--he is a Jap!"

"Impossible!"

"This time you are wrong, Mr. Brett. You have only seen him once. You werefull of his remarkable likeness to the Hume-Frazers. It is startling, Iadmit, and at night-time no man living could avoid the mistake. But I tellyou he is a Jap. He met Jiro yesterday, and they walked in KensingtonPalace Gardens. They talked Japanese all the time. My mate heard them. Hedistinctly caught the word 'Okasaki' more than once. He managed to shadowthem very neatly by hiring a bath-chair and telling the attendant to comenear to the pair every time there was a chance. More than that, when youknow it, you can see the Japanese eyes, skin, and mouth. It is thegrafting of the Jap on the European model that gives him the likenessto--well, to the party you mentioned the other day. "

"The devil!" exclaimed Brett. 

"That's him!"

It was useless to explain that the exclamation was one of amazement. 

The barrister began to roam about the apartment, frowning with theintensity of his thoughts. Once he confronted Winter. 

"Are you sure of this?" he demanded. 

"So sure that were it not for your positive instructions, Mr. Ooma wouldnow be in Holloway, awaiting his trial on a charge of murder. Look at thefacts. 'Rabbit Jack' can identify him. He knew how to use the Ko-Katana. He knew the Japanese tricks of wrestling, which enabled him to make thosetwo clever attacks on the two cousins. He has some power over Mrs. Capella, which brings her to him at eleven at night in a distant quarterof London. He made Jiro write the typed letter in my possession. He sentJiro to Ipswich to attend Mr. David's second trial when the first missedfire. I can string Mr. Ooma on that little lot. "

"Winter, " said Brett sternly, "you make me tired. Have all these stunningitems of intelligence invaded your intellect only since you went to MiddleStreet?"

"No, not exactly, Mr. Brett. I must admit that each one of them is yourdiscovery, except the fact that he is a Jap--always excepting that--butyesterday I strung them together, so to speak. "

"Ending your task by stringing Ooma, in imagination. I allow you fullcredit for your sensational development--always excepting this, that Isent you to Middle Street. Why did he kill Sir Alan? How does his Japanesenationality elucidate an utterly useless and purposeless murder?"

"I don't know, Mr. Brett. "

"Unless I am much mistaken, you will learn to-night. Holden is nearlydue. "

The barrister resumed his stalk round the room. In another minute hestopped to glance at his watch. 

"Half-past seven, " he murmured. "Just time to get a message through toWhitby, and perhaps a reply. "

He wrote a telegram to Hume: "Where is Fergusson? I want to see him. "

"What has Fergusson got to do with the business?" asked the detective. 

"Probably nothing. But he is the oldest available repository of the familysecrets. His master has told him to be explicit with me. By questioninghim, I may solve the riddle presented by Mr. Ooma. Does the name suggestnothing to you, Winter?"

"It has a Japanese ring about it. "

"Nothing Scotch? Isn't it like Hume, for instance?"

"By Jove! I never thought of that. Well, there, I give in. Ooma! Dash mybuttons, that beats cock-fighting!"

The barrister paid no heed to Winter's fall from self-importance. Hepondered deeply on the queer twist given to events by the detective'sstatement. At last he took a volume from his book-case. 

"Do you remember what I told you about Japanese names?" he said. "Idescribed to you, for instance, what strange mutations your surname wouldundergo were you born in the Far East. "

"Yes; I would be called Spring, Summer, etc, according to my growth. "

"Then listen to this, " and he read the following extract from thatexcellent work, "The Mikado's Empire, " by W. E. Griffis:

"It has, until recently, in Japan been the custom for every Samurai to benamed differ-ently In babyhood, boyhood, manhood, or promotion, change oflife, or residence, In commemoration of certain events, or on account of avow, or from mere whim. "

"What a place for aliases!" interpolated the professional. 

"At the birth of a famous warrior, " went on Brett, "his mother, havingdreamed that she conceived by the sun, called him Hiyoshi Maro (good sun). Others dubbed him Ko Chiku (small boy), and afterward Saru Watsu(monkey-pine). "

He closed the volume. 

"This gentleman has twenty other names, " he added; "but the foregoing listwill suffice. Doesn't it strike you as odd that the man who struck downthe fifth Hume-Frazer baronet on the spot so fatal to his fourpredecessors, should bring from a country given to such name-changes acognomen that irresistibly recalls the original enemy of the family, DavidHum«?"

"It Is odd, " asserted Winter. 

Someone rang, and was admitted. 

"Mr. Holden, " announced Smith. 

CHAPTER XXVII

HOLDEN'S STORY

The long-nosed ex-sergeant entered. His sallow face was browned after hislong journeys and exposure to the Italian sun in midsummer. He was soiledand travel-stained. 

"Excuse my appearance, " he said. "I have had no time for even a wash sincethis morning. On board the boat I thought it best to keep a constant watchon Capella and his companions. "

"Who are they?" demanded Brett. 

Mr. Holden looked at the barrister with an injured air. 

"I am a man of few words, sir, " he said, "and if you do not mind, I willtell my story in my own way. "

Winter was secretly delighted to hear the "Old 'Un, " as they called him inthe Yard, take a rise out of Brett in this manner. 

"Perhaps, " exclaimed the barrister, "your few words will come more easilyif you wet your whistle. "

"Well, I must admit that Italian wine--"

"Is not equal to Scotch; or is it Irish?"

"Irish, sir, if you please. "

Mr. Holden's utterance having been cleared of cinders, he made a freshstart. 

"As I was saying, gentlemen, I kept an observant eye on Capella and hiscompanions, and at the same time occupied myself in the fashioning ofcertain little models with which to illustrate my subsequent remarks. "

He produced a map of Naples, which he carefully smoothed out on the table, pressing the creases with his fingers until Brett itched to tweak his longnose. 

The man was evidently a Belfast Irishman, and the barrister forced himselfto find amusement in speculating how such an individual came to speakItalian fluently. Speculation on this abstruse problem, however, yieldedto keen interest in Mr. Holden's proceedings. 

On the face of the map he located a number of small wooden carvings, whichwere really very ingenious. They represented churches, an hotel, amansion, three ordinary houses, a rambling building like a publicinstitution, and a nondescript structure difficult to classify. 

"I find, " said Mr. Holden, when the _mise-en-scène_ was quite to hisliking, "that a good map, and a few realistic models of the principalbuildings dealt with in my discourse, give a lucidity and a coherenceotherwise foreign to the narrative. "

Even Winter became restive under this style of address. Brett caught hiseye, and moved by common impulse, they lessened the whisky-mark in adecanter of Antiquary. 

"Allow me to remark, " interpolated Brett, "that your telegrams wereadmirably terse and to the point. "

"Thank you, sir. Many eminent judges have complimented me on my manner ofgiving evidence. And now to business. I arrived at the railway stationhere" (touching the non-descript building), "and took a room in the VillaNuova here" (he laid a finger on the mansion), "which, as you see, isquite close to the Hotel de Londres here" (a flourish over the hotel), "atwhich, as I expected, Mr. Capella took up his abode. According to yourinstructions I obtained a competent assistant, a native of Naples, and weboth awaited Mr. Capella's arrival. He reached Naples at 10. 30 a. M. Theday following my advent at night, and after breakfast drove straight tothe Reclusorio, or Asylum for the Poor, situated here" (he indicated theinstitution), "close to the Botanical Gardens. Mr. Capella arranged withthe authorities to withdraw from the poorhouse an elderly woman namedMaria Bresciano. It subsequently transpired that she was a nurse employedby a certain English gentleman named Fraser Beechcroft, who becameentangled with a beautiful Italian girl named Margarita di Orvieto sometwenty-eight years ago. "

Mr. Holden paid not the remotest attention to the looks of amazementexchanged between Brett and Winter. He merely paused to take breath andpeer benignantly at the map, following lines thereon with the index fingerof his right hand. 

"It appears further, " he resumed, "that the Englishman and the Signorinadi Orvieto could not marry, on account of some foolish religious scruplesheld by the young lady, but they entertained a very violent passion foreach other, met clandestinely, and a female child was born, whose baptismis registered, under the name of Margarita di Orvieto, in the church ofthe village of La Scutillo here. " (He tapped a tiny spired edifice on theedge of the map. )

"The two were living there in great secrecy, as they were in fear of theirlives, not alone from the young lady's relatives, but from her discardedlover, the Marchese di Capella, father of the present Mr. GiovanniCapella, who has dropped his title in England. The old woman, MariaBresciano, attended the signorina and her child, but unfortunately themother died, and her death is registered both by the civil authorities inthe Minadoi section here" (lifting a small house bodily off the map), "andby the ecclesiastical here" (he touched another spire). 

"The affair created some stir in the Naples of that day, but Beechcroft'ssuffering, the calm daring with which, after the girl's death, he defiedthose who had vowed vengeance on him, and the generally passionate natureof the attachment between the two, created much public sympathy for him. Among others who were attracted to him were a Mr. And Mrs. Somers, andtheir daughter, then resident in Naples. Oddly enough, Beechcroft did notcontent himself with securing efficient care for his child, but broughtthe infant to the Hotel de Londres--you note the coincidence--where it wasnurtured under his personal supervision. "

Brett drew a long breath. So this was Margaret's secret and Capella'svengeance! He was aroused, as from a dream, by Mr. Holden's steady voice. 

"Mr. Beechcroft always held that the Signorina di Orvieto was his truewife in the eyes of Heaven, for their marriage was only prevented by amost uncalled-for and unnatural threat of incurring her father's dyingcurse it she dared to wed a Protestant. Eighteen months after her death hemarried Miss Somers at the British Consulate, and revealed his real nameand rank--Sir Alan Hume-Frazer, baronet, of Beechcroft, near Stowmarket, England. His lady adopted the infant girl as her own, and local gossip hadit that this was a part of the marriage contract, whilst the ceremony tookplace at an early date to give colour to the kindly pretence. The pairlived in a distant suburb, at Donzelle here" (another church fixed thespot), "and in twelve months a boy was born, birth registered locally andin the British Consulate. After four more years' residence in Naples, SirAlan and Lady Hume-Frazer left Italy with their two children. Mr. Capellafound two of their old servants, Giuseppe Conti and Lola Rintesano, livingin these small houses here and here" (the remaining houses were liftedinto prominence). 

"Mr. Capella married Miss Margaret Hume-Frazer in Naples last January, themarriage being properly registered. His estates are situated in the Southof Italy, and his father retired thither permanently during the scandalthat took place twenty-eight years ago. Mr. Capella has brought with himthe persons named as the nurse and servants, together with certifiedcopies of all the documents cited. I also have certified copies of thosedocuments, I now produce them, together with a detailed statement of myexpenses. Mr. Capella is residing in a neighbouring hotel. "

The methodical police-sergeant laid some neatly docketed folios on thetable near the map, and sat down for the first time since entering theroom. 

As a matter of fact, he had not uttered an unnecessary word. Other men, describing similar complexities, would have given particulars of theiradventures, how this thing had been done, and that person wheedled intoconfidences. 

Mr. Holden rose superior to these considerations. His mission wasall-important, and he had certainly fulfilled it to the letter. 

"If ever a grateful country makes me a judge, Mr. Holden, " said Brett, "Iwill add another to the encomiums you have received from the Bench. Indeed, before this affair ends, that pleasant task may be performed by anexisting judge, for I do not see now how we are going to keep out of thelaw-courts. Do you, Winter?"

"Looks like a murder case plus a divorce, " commented the detective. 

"You are leaving out of count the biggest sensation, namely, the title tothe Beechcroft estates. Under her father's will, if it is very cleverlydrawn, Mrs. Capella may receive £1, 000 per annum. She has not the remotestclaim to Beechcroft and its revenues or to her brother's intestateestate. "

Winter whistled. 

"My eye!" he exclaimed. "What is Capella going to get out of it?"

"Revenge! His is a legacy of hate, like most other benefactions in theHume-Frazer family. The next move rests with him. I wonder what it willbe!"

CHAPTER XXVIII

MR. AND MRS. JIRO

Chance, at times, tangles the threads on which human lives depend, andcreates such a net of knots and meshes that intelligent foresight isrendered powerless, and plans that ought to succeed are doomed to utterfailure. 

It was so during the three days succeeding Capella's return from Italy. Reviewing events in the lights of accomplished facts, Brett subsequentlysaw many opportunities where his intervention would have altered thefortunes of the men and women in whom he had become so interested. 

Although he endeavoured to keep control of circumstances, it wasimpossible to predict with certainty the manner in which the fifth act ofthis tragedy in real life would unfold itself. 

Would he have ordered things differently had he possessed the power? Henever knew. It was a question he refused to discuss with Winter long aftereverybody was comfortably married or buried, as the case might be. 

To divide labour and responsibility, he apportioned Ooma and hissurroundings to Winter, Capella to Holden. The strict supervisionmaintained over the Jiro family was relaxed. Brett proposed dealing withthem summarily and in person. 

Holden had barely concluded his remarkable narrative when Hume's replycame from Whitby, giving the address of the hotel where Fergusson resided. 

Brett went there at once, and found the old butler on the point ofretiring for the night. 

Fergusson was at first disinclined to commit himself to definitestatements. With characteristic Scottish caution, he would neither say"yes" nor "no" until the barrister reminded him that he was not acting inhis young master's interests by being so reticent. 

"Weel, sir, I'm an auld man, and mebbe a bit haverin' in my judgment. Justask me what ye wull, an' I'll dae my best to answer ye, " was the butler'sultimate concession. 

"You remember the day of the murder?"

"Shall I ever forget it?"

"Before Mr. David Hume-Fraser arrived at Beechcroft from London, had anyother visitors seen Sir Alan?"

This was a poser. No form of ambiguity known to Fergusson would serve toextricate him from a direct reply. 

"Ay, Mr. Brett, " came his reply at last. "One I can swear to. "

"That was Mr. Robert Hume-Fraser, who met him in the park, and walked withhim there about three to four o'clock in the afternoon. Were there otherswhom you cannot swear to?"

The butler darted a quick glance at the other. 

"Ye ken, sir, " he said, "that the Hume-Frazers are mixed up wi' an auldScoatch hoose?"

"Yes. "

"Weel, sir, there's things that happen in this world which no man canexplain. Five are dead, and five had to die by violent means. Who arrangedthat?"

"Neither you nor I can tell. "

"That's right, sir. I know that Mr. David or Mr. Robert never lifted ahand against their cousin, yet, unless the Lord blinded my auld een, I sawane or ither in the avenue when I tried to lift Sir Alan frae the groond. "

"You said nothing of this at the time?"

"Would ye hae me speak o' wraiths to a Suffolk jury, Mr. Brett? I saw nomortal man. 'Twas a ghaist for sure, an' if I had gone into the box totalk of such things they wad hae discredited my evidence about Mr. David. I might hae hanged him instead o' savin' him. "

"Suppose I tell you that the man you saw was no ghost, but real flesh andblood, a Japanese descendant of the David Hume who fought and killed thefirst Sir Alan in 1763, what would you say?"

"I would say, sir, that it had to be, were it ever so strange. "

"Have you ever, in gossip about family records, heard anything of the fateof the David Hume I have just mentioned. "

"Only this, sir. My people have lived on the Highland estate longer thanany Hume-Frazer of them a'. My father remembered his grandfather sayin'that a man who was in India wi' Clive met Mr. Hume in Calcutta. There wasfightin' agin' the French, an' Mr. Hume would neither strike a blow forKing George nor draw a sword for the French, so he sailed away to the Eastin a Dutch ship, and he was never heard of afterwards. "

This was a most important confirmation of the theory evolved by thebarrister. For the rest, Fergusson's reminiscences were useless. 

Next morning Brett went to Somerset House to consult the will in whichMargaret's father left her £1, 000 a year. Her brother died intestate. 

As he expected, the document was phrased adroitly. It read: "I give andbequeath to Margaret Hume-Frazer, who has elected to desert the homeprovided for her, the sum of--" etc. , etc. 

The fact that she was, in the eyes of the law, an illegitimate child couldnot invalidate this bequest. For the rest, he imagined that when herbrother died so unexpectedly, no one ever dreamed of inquiring into thewell-intentioned fraud perpetrated by Lady Hume-Frazer and her husband. Margaret was unquestionably accepted as the heiress to her brother'sproperty, the estate being unentailed. 

Then he drove to 17 St. John's Mansions, Kensington, where Mr. And Mrs. Jiro were "at home. " They received him in the tiny drawing-room, and thelady's manner betokened some degree of nervousness, which she vainlyendeavoured to conceal by a pretence of bland curiosity as to the objectof the barrister's visit. 

Not so Numagawa, whose sharp ferret eyes snapped with anxiety. 

Brett left them under no doubt from the commencement. He addressed hisremarks wholly to the Japanese. 

"You have an acquaintance--perhaps I should say a confederate--residing atNo. 37 Middle Street, Kennington--" he began. 

"I do not understand, " broke in Jiro, whose sallow face crinkled like awithered apple in the effort to display non-comprehension. 

"Oh yes, you do. The man's name is Ooma. He is a tall, strongly-builtnative of Japan. He sent you to Ipswich to watch the trial of Mr. DavidHume-Frazer for the murder of his cousin. He got you to write thepost-card to Scotland Yard on the type-writer which you disposed of theday after my visit here. You recognised the motto of his house in thedesign which I showed you, and which was borne on the blade of theKo-Katana. For some reason which I cannot fathom, unless you are hisaccomplice, you made your wife dress in male attire and go to warn himthat some person was on his track. You see I know everything. "

As each sentence of this indictment proceeded it was pitiable to watch thefaces of the couple. Jiro became a grotesque, fit to adorn the ugliest ofSatsuma plaques. Mrs. Jiro visibly swelled with agitation. Brett felt thatshe was too full, and would overflow with tears in an instant. 

"This is vely bad!" gasped Jiro. 

"Oh, Nummie dear, have we been doing wrong?" moaned his spouse. 

The barrister determined to frighten them thoroughly. 

"It is a grave question with the authorities whether they should notarrest you instantly, " he said. 

"On what charge?" cried Jiro. 

"On a charge of complicity after the act in relation to the murder of SirAlan Hume-Frazer. Your accomplice, Ooma, is the murderer. "

"What!" shrieked Mrs. Jiro, flouncing on to her knees and breaking forthinto piteous sobs. "Oh, my precious infant! Oh, my darling Nummie! Willthey part us from our babe?"

The door opened, and a frowsy head appeared. 

"Did you call, mum?" inquired the small maid-servant. 

"Get out!" shouted Brett; and the door slammed. 

"Mr. Blett, " whimpered the Japanese, "I did not do this thing. I aminnocent. I knew nothing about it until--until--"

"You verified the motto on the blade by consulting the 'Nihon Suai Shi' inthe British Museum. "

This shot floored Jiro metaphorically, and his wife literally, for shesank into a heap. 

"He knows everything, Nummie, " she cried. 

"Evelything!" repeated her husband. 

"Then tell him the rest!". (Yet she was born in Suffolk. )

Brett scowled terribly as a subterfuge for laughter. 

"Tell me, " he said, "why you helped this amazing scoundrel?"

"I did not help, " squeaked Jiro, his voice becoming shrill with excitementand fear. "He was my fliend. He is a Samurai of Japan. We met in Okasaki, and again in London. I came to England long after the clime you talk of. He told me these Flazel people were bad people, who had lobbed his fatherin the old days. He wanted them to be all hanged, then he would get money. He said they might watch him and get him sent back to Japan, where hebelongs to a political palty who are always beheaded when they are caught. So when you come, I think, 'Hello, he wants to find Ooma!' I lite Ooma aletter, and he lite me to send Mrs. Jilo, dlessed in man's clothes, totell him evelything. I did that to save my fliend. "

"Have you Ooma's letter?"

"Yes; hele it is. "

He took a document from a drawer, and Brett saw at a glance that Jiro'sstatement was correct. 

"You appear to have acted as his tool throughout, " was his scornfulcomment. 

"But, Mr. Brett, " sobbed the stout lady, "I ought to say that when I--whenI--put on those things--and met Mr. Ooma, I disobeyed my husband in onematter. I--liked you--and was afraid of Mr. Ooma, so instead of describingyou to him I described Mr. Hume-Frazer from what my husband told me of hisappearance in the dock. He was the first man I could think of, and itseemed to be best, as the quarrel was between them. Only--I gave him--abeard and moustache, so as to puzzle him more. Didn't I, Nummie? I toldyou when I came home. "

So Mrs. Jiro's unconscious device had undoubtedly saved Brett from amurderous attack, and Ooma had probably seen him leave the NorthumberlandAvenue Hotel more than once whilst waiting to waylay David Hume. Hence, too, the partial recognition by Ooma when they met by night in MiddleStreet. 

The barrister could not help being milder in tone as he said:

"I believe you are both telling the truth. But this is a very seriousmatter. You must never again communicate with Ooma in any way. Avoid himas you would shun the plague, for within three or four days he will be ingaol, and you will be called upon to give evidence against him. "

CHAPTER XXIX

MARGARET'S SECRET

At his chambers Brett found Holden awaiting him, with the tidings thatCapella had gone to Whitby. The Italian's agents, Messrs. Matchem & Smith, had evidently ferreted out Margaret's whereabouts. Her husband, full ofvengeful thoughts and base schemings, hastened after her, rejoicing in theknowledge that her cousins and Miss Layton would also be present. 

"As I knew exactly where he was going, and assumed his object to be adomestic quarrel, I did not think it necessary to accompany him until Ihad first consulted you, sir, " said the imperturbable Holden. 

"You acted quite rightly. Wait until the little beast returns to London!"exclaimed the barrister, with some degree of warmth. 

Capella's conduct reminded him of a spiteful child which deserved a soundspanking. He telegraphed to Hume to inform him of the fiery visitor whomight be expected at the hotel that evening. 

Oddly enough, Helen, David, and the Rev. Mr. Layton, tempted by a marineexcursion to Scarborough and back, left Whitby Harbour on a local steamerat 11 a. M. , and were timed to return about 9 p. M. Margaret was not a goodsailor, so Robert Hume-Frazer remained with her, the two going for aprotracted stroll along the cliffs. 

During their walk, the golden influences of the hour unlocked Margaret'sheart. She was overwhelmed with the consciousness of the wretched mistakesof her life. She could not help contrasting the manly, gallant, out-spokensailor by her side with the miserable foreigner whom she had espousedunder the influence of a genuine but too violent passion. The knowledgethat Robert might, under happier conditions, have been her husband wascrushing and terrible. 

There came to her some half-defined resolve to show her cousin howunworthy she was of his affections. Stopping defiantly at a moment when hecasually called her attention to a lovely glimpse of rock-bound sea framedin a deep gorge, she said to him:

"Robert, I have something to tell you. I was on the point of telling Mr. Brett the last time I saw him in London, but he would not permit it. Youare my cousin, and ought to know. "

"My dear girl, " he cried, "why this solemnity? You give me shivers whenyou speak in that way!"

"Pray listen to me, Robert. This is no matter for jesting. I am yourcousin, but only in a sense. In the eyes of the law I am a namelessoutcast. My mother was not Alan's mother. I was born before my fathermarried the lady who treated me as her daughter until her death. My motherwas an Italian, who died at my birth, and whom my father never married. "

Frazer looked at the beautiful woman who addressed these astonishing wordsto him, and amazement, incredulity, a spasm almost of fear, held him dumb. 

"It is too true, Robert. I did not know these things until a few shortmonths ago. Some one, I believe, told my husband the truth soon after ourmarriage, and it was this discovery that so changed his feelings towardsme. At first I was utterly unable to explain the awful alteration in hisattitude. Not until I returned to England and settled down at Beechcroftdid I become aware of the facts. "

"Surely, Rita, you are romancing?"

"No, there can be no doubt about it. I have seen the proofs. "

"Proofs! How can you be certain? Who made these statements to you?"

"I have been blackmailed, bled systematically for large sums of money. Atfirst I was beguiled into a correspondence. My curiosity was aroused byreferences to my husband and to my father's will. Finally, I receivedcopies of documents which made matters clear even to my bewildered brain. More than that, I was sent a memorandum, written by my father, in which hegave Alan all the particulars, corroborated by extracts from registers, and explaining the reasons which actuated him in framing his will socuriously. We were never closely knit together, as you know. I think nowthat he regarded me as the living evidence of the folly of his earlieryears, and perhaps my sensitive nature was quick to detect this hiddenfeeling. "

"May I ask who blackmailed you?"

Robert's face grew hard and stern. The woman experienced a tumultuous joyas she saw it. She had at least one defender. 

"That is the hard part of my story, " she murmured, in a voice broken withemotion. "The correspondence took place with a man named Ooma, a person Inever even met at that time, and--can you believe it, Robert--within thepast few days I have good reason to know that he is the murderer of mybrother, the man who endeavoured to kill both you and David. "

Frazer caught her by the shoulder. 

"Rita, " he said, "what has come to you? Are you hysterical, or dreaming?"

"Oh, for pity's sake, believe me!" she moaned. "Mr. Brett knows it istrue. What is worse, he knows that I know it. I cannot bear this terriblesecret any longer. I went to this man's house in London the other night, and boldly charged him with the crime. He denied it, but I could see thelie and the fear in his eyes. To avoid a terrible family scandal I camehere with you all. But I can bear it no longer. God help me and pity me!"

"He will, Margaret. You have done no wrong that deserves so muchsuffering. "

For a little while there was silence. Frazer was only able to whispergentle and kindly words of consolation. He would have given ten years ofhis life to have the right to take her in his arms and tell her that, letthe world view her conduct as it would, in his eyes she was blameless andlovable. 

But this was denied him. She was the wife of another, of one who, insteadof shielding and supporting her, was even then engaged in plotting herruin. 

"I nearly went mad, " she continued at last, "when I first becameacquainted with the truth concerning my parentage. With calmer momentscame the reflection that, after all, I was my father's child, the sisterof Alan, and entitled morally, if not legally, to succeed to the property. My wealth has not benefited me, Robert, but at least I have tried to dogood to others. "

"You have, indeed, " he said tenderly. "But tell me about this fiend, Ooma. You say you saw him. Then you were in possession of his address?"

"Yes, during the past five months. When Mr. Brett first appeared on thescene, I feared lest he should discover my secret. How could I connect itwith the death of my brother? The explanation given to me was that thedocuments were purloined by a servant years ago. It was not until theattacks on you and Davie, and the chance mention he made of some curiousmarks in a type-written communication received by Mr. Winter, that ahorrible suspicion awoke in my mind. I had received several type-writtenletters" (Mr. Jiro, it would appear, had not told "evelything" to Brett), "and I compared some of those in London with the description given byDavie. They corresponded exactly! Then I resolved to make sure, no matterwhat the risk to myself, so I went to a place in Kennington the last nightwe were in town, and there I saw Ooma. Oh, Robert, he is so like you andDavie that at first it seems to be a romance! Only you two look honest andbrave, whereas he has the appearance of a demon. "

Frazer looked at his watch. 

"Brett ought to know all these things at once, " he said. "Let us walk backto the hotel and wire him. Perhaps it will be necessary for David and meto return to London immediately. "

"Why? You are safe here? Why should you incur further risk?"

He could not help looking at her. A slight colour suffused her face. Thenhe laughed savagely. 

"There will be no risk, Rita. Once let me meet Mr. Ooma as man to man andI will teach him a trick or two, if only for your sake. The law will dealwith him for Alan's affair. He has an odd name! It has a Japanese ring, yet you say he resembles our family?"

Margaret, of course, could only describe him in general terms. As theyreturned to the hotel she explained her strange story in greater detail, largely on the lines already known to Brett. 

In the office they found a telegram addressed to David, but his cousinopened it, believing it might be from Brett. It was, and read asfollows:--

 "Capella arrives Whitby five o'clock. I know everything he has to tell you. If he becomes offensive, boot him. "

Robert did not show the message to his cousin. He gave her its generalpurport, and added:

"Prepare yourself for an ordeal, but be brave. Perhaps your husband is inthe hotel now, as he must have reached here half an hour ago. "

He had barely uttered the words when Mrs. Capella's maid approached. 

"Mr. Capella is here, madam, " she said "and awaits you in yoursitting-room. "

Margaret became, if possible, a shade whiter. 

"What about you, Robert?" she whispered. 

"Me! I am going with you. Brett's telegram is my authority. "

CHAPTER XXX

HUSBAND AND WIFE

The Italian was glaring out of a window when they entered the room. 

He turned instantly, with a waspish ferocity. 

"So, madam. " he cried, "not content with deceiving me from the firstmoment we met, you have left your home in company with your lover!"

Margaret looked at Robert beseechingly. The sailor's face was likegranite. Only his eyes flashed a warning that Capella might have notedwere he less blinded by passion. 

"Do not attempt to shield yourself by the presence of others!" screamedCapella. "I know that Miss Layton and her father are here. That is part ofthe game you play. As for you, Mr. David Hume, or whatever you callyourself, your own record is not so clean that you should endeavour tocloak the misdeeds of others. "

The Italian had never before seen Robert to his knowledge. He only metDavid for a few moments during an angry scene at Beechcroft, when Brettdid most of the talking. The mistake he now made was a natural one. 

"It does not occur to you, " said Robert, in a voice remarkable for itscalmness, "that not content with grossly insulting your wife, you areattacking the reputation of a man whom you do not know. "

"Pooh!" Capella, in his excitement, snapped his fingers. "You Hume-Frazersare very fond of defending your reputations. A fig for them! You are notworthy to consort with honourable people. I feel assured that when Mr. Layton and his daughter know the truth about you they will decline toassociate with you. "

Whatever else might be urged against the Italian, he was no coward. Suchlanguage might well have led to a fierce attack on him by a man so greatlyhis superior in physical strength. But Robert sat down, near the door. 

"You have some object in coming here to-day, " he said. "What is it?"

Margaret remained standing near the fire-place. Capella produced a bundleof papers. 

"I am here, " he said, "to unmask the woman who unfortunately bears myname, and at the same time to prevent you from getting Miss Layton tomarry you under false pretences. "

"A worthy programme!" observed Frazer suavely. "You may attain the secondpart of your scheme, I admit, but the first seems to be difficult. "

"Is it? We shall see!"

Capella flourished his papers and began a passionate avowal of the"treachery" practised on him in the matter of Margaret's parentage, endingby saying:

"That woman's mother was the affianced bride of my father. She deceivedhim basely. On his death-bed he made me vow my lifelong hatred of herbetrayer and all his descendants. To you, a cold-blooded Englishman, thatperhaps means nothing. To me it is sacred, imperishable, dearer than life. And to think that I have been tricked into a marriage with the daughter ofthe man who was my father's enemy. How mad I was not to make inquiries!What a poor, short-sighted fool! But I will have my revenge! I will exposeyour accursed race in the courts! I will not rest content until I am freefrom this snare!"

Margaret would have spoken, but her cousin quickly forestalled her. 

"You bring two charges against your wife, " Robert said. "The first is thatshe deceived you before marriage; the second that she is deceiving younow. You contemplate taking divorce proceedings against her?"

"I do. "

"But you are lying on both counts. There is no purer or more honourablewoman alive to-day than she who stands here at this moment. You are a meanand despicable hound to endeavour to take advantage of circumstancesattending her birth of which she was in profound ignorance. "

"She can tell that to a judge, " sneered the Italian. "I know better. "

Robert rose, his face white with anger. 

"Margaret, " he said, "you have heard your precious husband's views withregard to you. What do you say?"

She looked from one to the other--no one knows what tumultuous thoughtscoursed through her brain in that trying moment--and she answered:

"I am his true and faithful wife, Robert. I have never been otherwise inword or deed. "

Capella started, as well he might, when he heard the Christian name of theman who was treating him with such quiet scorn. 

"So, " he laughed maliciously, "I have again been fooled. You are notDavid, but--"

Frazer strode towards him, and the words died away on his lips. 

"Listen, you blackguard!" he hissed. "Were it not for the presence of yourwife I would choke the miserable life out of you. Go! We have done withyou! You have unmasked your real character, and I cannot believe that aspark of affection can remain in your wife's heart for you after yourignoble conduct. Go, I tell you! Do your worst. Spit your venom elsewherethan in this hotel. But first let me warn you. If you dare to approachMiss Layton, I cannot promise that my cousin David will treat you astenderly as I propose to do. He will probably thrash you until you areunconscious. I simply place you outside this room. "

He grabbed the Italian by the breast with his right hand, lifted him highin the air, gathered the papers from the table in his left hand, andcarried his kicking, cursing, but helpless adversary to the door. 

Then he set him down again, opened the door, and remembering Brett'sadvice, assisted him outside, flinging the documents after him and closingthe door. 

With impotent rage in his heart, Capella rushed from the hotel and caughtthe last train to the south. He had not been in Whitby two hours, but hewas now embarked upon his vengeful mission, and bitterly resolved to pushit to the uttermost extremity. 

Margaret had not uttered a sound during the final scene. She stood as oneturned to stone. Robert did not dare to speak to her. How could he offerconsolation to a woman whose tenderest feelings had been so wantonlyoutraged?

"Robert, " she said at last, "he spoke of getting a divorce. I believe hecan do this by Italian law. Here it should be impossible. "

"In that case, " he said calmly, "you and I will go and live in Italy. "

She placed her hands before her face, and burst into a tempest of tears. 

"Now, my dear girl, " he murmured, "try and forget that pitiful rascal andhis threats. You are well rid of him. I will leave you now for a littlewhile. In half an hour we will go and listen to the band until dinner. Really, we have had a most enjoyable afternoon. "

He went out, placid and smiling, and Margaret sobbed plentifully--until itbecame necessary to go to her room and remove the traces of her grief. Soit may be assumed that her tears were not all occasioned by grief for thecontemplated loss of her ill-chosen mate. 

When the others returned from their excursion, Frazer explained to themall that was needful with reference to Capella's visit. Helen was veryoutspoken in her indignation, and even the rector condemned the Italian'sconduct in plain terms. 

He warmly approved of the resolution arrived at by Robert and David toreturn to London next day, and not leave Brett until a definite stage hadbeen reached in the strangely intricate inquiry they were embarked on. 

They sat late into the night, discussing the pros and cons of thesituation; yet among these five people, fully cognisant as they were ofnearly every fact known to the able barrister who had taken charge oftheir affairs, not one even remotely guessed the pending sequel. 

Whilst they were talking and hoping for some favourable outcome, the nightexpress from York was hurrying Capella to a weird conclusion of hisefforts to discredit his wife. Had he but known what lay before him hewould have left the train at the first station and hastened to Margaret, to grovel at her feet and beg her forgiveness for the foul aspersions castupon her. 

It was too late. 

CHAPTER XXXI

TO BEECHCROFT

Thenceforth, as the French say, events marched. Robert Frazer faithfullyrecounted Margaret's statement to the barrister and the detective. The"documents, " copies of which Ooma sent to the ill-fated woman whose suddenaccession to wealth had proved so unlucky for her, were evidently thosestolen from the drawer in the writing-desk at Beechcroft. 

Here, at last, was the motive of the murder laid bare. 

The Japanese, by some inscrutable means, became aware that the youngbaronet possessed these papers, and held them _in terrorem_ over hisreputed sister. In the hands of a third person, an outsider, they wereendowed with double powers for mischief. He could threaten the woman withexposure, the man with the revelation of a discreditable family secret. 

He visited the library in order to commit the theft, probably acting withgreater daring because he mistook the sleeping David for his cousin. Having successfully wrenched open the drawer and secured the papers, stillholding in his hand the instrument used for slipping back the tiny lock, he turned to leave the room by the open window, and was suddenlyconfronted by the real Sir Alan, who recognised him and guessed his objectin being present at that hour. 

Brett had gone thus far in his spoken commentary on the affair as it nowpresented itself to his mind when Winter asked:

"Why do you say 'recognised' him, Mr. Brett? We have no evidence that SirAlan had ever seen Ooma?"

"What, none? Search through your memory. Did not the stationmaster see athird David Hume leave the station that day when the movements of only twoare known to us. What became of this third personage during the afternoon?Where did he change into evening dress? Why did Sir Alan leave documentsof such grave importance in so insecure a hiding-place?"

"There is no use in asking me questions I can't answer, " snapped thedetective. 

"Perhaps not. I think you said that you amused yourself in your MiddleStreet lodgings by taking to pieces a small electrical machine fittedtogether by your companion?"

"Yes, sir; but what of that?"

"Let us suppose that, instead of a complex machine he built a small archof toy bricks, and you were well acquainted with the model whilst eachbrick was numbered in rotation, don't you think you could manage toreconstruct the arch after repeated efforts?"

"I expect so. "

"Well, my dear Winter, we have now got together every material stone inour edifice. Mrs. Capella's yielding to blackmail is the keystone of thearch. Every loose block fits at once into its proper place. The Japanese, Ooma, must have met Sir Alan and discussed this very question with him. The baronet must have unwittingly revealed the family secret, and the Japwas clever enough to perceive its value. Further, the murder wasunpremeditated, the inspiration of a desperate moment, and the weaponselected shows a sort of fiendish mandate suggested by family feud. Oomais undoubtedly--"

But Smith entered, apologetic, doubtful. 

"Mr. Holden is here, sir, and says he wishes to see you immediately. "

Holden's news was important. Capella had left Liverpool Street half anhour ago for Beechcroft, and in the same train travelled Ooma. 

"Are you sure of this?" demanded Brett, excitedly springing from hischair. 

"Quite certain, sir. Mr. Winter's mate followed him to the station, andtold me who the Japanese was. Besides, no one could mistake him who hadever seen either of these two gentlemen. "

He indicated Robert and David. 

"Quick, " shouted the barrister. "We must all catch the next train toStowmarket. Winter, have you your handcuffs? This time they may be needed. Smith, run and call two hansoms. "

He rushed to a bureau and produced a couple of revolvers. He handed one toHolden. 

"I can trust you, " he said, "not to fire without reason. Do not shoot tokill. If this man threatens the life of any person, maim him if possible, but try to avoid hitting him in the head or body. "

To the Frazers he handed the heaviest sticks he possessed. He himselfpocketed the second revolver, and picked up the peculiar walking-stickwhich Ooma dropped in Northumberland Avenue. 

"Now, " he said, "let us be off. We have no time to lose, and we must getto Beechcroft with the utmost speed. "

Winter and he entered the same hansom. 

"Why are you so anxious to prevent Capella and Ooma meeting, sir?" askedthe detective, as their vehicle sped along Victoria Street. 

"I do not care whether they meet or not, " was the emphatic reply. "It isnow imperatively necessary that the Japanese should be placed where he cando no further harm. The man is a human tiger. He must be caged. If allgoes well, Winter, this case will pass out of my hands into yours withinthe next three hours. "

The detective smiled broadly. At last he saw his way clearly, or thoughthe saw it, which is often not quite the same thing. In the presentinstance he little dreamed the nature of the path he would follow. But hewas so gratified that he could not long maintain silence, though Brett wasobviously disinclined to talk. 

"By Jove, " he gurgled, "this will be the case of the year. "

The barrister replied not. 

"I suppose, Mr. Brett, " continued Winter, with well-affected concern, "youwill follow your usual policy, and decide to keep your connection with theaffair hidden?"

"Exactly, and you will follow your usual policy of claiming all the creditunder the magic of the words 'from information received. '"

Winter could afford to be generous. 

"Mr. Brett, " he cried, "there is no man would be so pleased as I to seeyou come out of your shell, and tell the Court all you have done. Youdeserve it. It would be the proudest moment of your life. "

Then the barrister laughed. 

"You have known me for years, Winter, " he said, "yet you believe that. Goto! You are incorrigible!"

The detective did not trouble to extract the exact meaning from thisremark. He understood that Brett would never think of entering thewitness-box. That was all he wanted to know. 

"Are you quite certain, " he asked, with a last tinge of anxiety in hisvoice, "that Ooma will be arrested to-day?"

"Quite certain, if we can accomplish that highly desirable task. "

Winter pounded the door of the hansom with his clenched fist

"Then it is done!" he cried. "I'll truss him up like a fowl. If he triesany tricks I'll borrow the leg-chains from Stowmarket police station. "

At Liverpool Street they all made a hasty meal. They caught the last trainfrom London and passed two weary hours until Stowmarket was reached. 

There on the platform stood the station-master. He approached Brett andwhispered:

"A man who came here by the preceding train told me that you and someother gentlemen might possibly follow on. He intended to telegraph to you, but he asked me, in case you turned up, to tell you that the Japanese hasgone on foot to Beechcroft, and that Mr. Capella has not arrived. "

"Not arrived!" cried Brett. He turned to Holden. "Can you have beenmistaken?"

Holden shook his head. "I saw him with my own eyes, " he asseverated, "andto make sure of his destination I asked the ticket examiner where thegentleman in the first smoker was going to. It was Stowmarket, rightenough. "

"There can be no error, sir, " put in the stationmaster. "Mr. Capella'svalet came by the train, and assured me that he left London with hismaster. Besides, the carriage is here from the Hall. It was ordered bytelegraph. There is the valet himself. He imagines that Mr. Capellaquitted the train on the way, and will arrive by this one. But there is nosign of him. "

The mention of the carriage brought a look of decision into thebarrister's face. 

"One more question, " he said to the official. "Did you see the persondescribed as the Japanese?"

"Yes, sir, I did. As a matter of fact, I thought it was somebody else. Itwas not until the stranger who arrived by the train used that name todistinguish him that I understood I was mistaken. "

The stationmaster looked into Brett's eyes that which he did not like tosay in the presence of the Frazers. Of course, he had fallen into the sameerror as most people who only obtained a casual glimpse of Ooma. 

Brett hurried his companions outside the station. There they found theBeechcroft carriage, and a puzzled valet holding parley with the coachmanand footman. David Hume's authority was sufficient to secure the use ofthe vehicle, and Brett made the position easier for the men by sayingthat, in all probability, they would find fresh instructions awaiting themat the Hall. 

Before the party drove off Winter noticed a local sergeant of policestanding near. 

"Shall I ask him to come with us, sir?" he said to Brett. 

The barrister considered the point for an instant before replying:

"Perhaps it would be better, as we have not got a warrant. "

Winter grinned broadly again. 

"Oh yes, we have, " he cried. "Mr. Ooma's warrant has been in mybreast-pocket for three days. "

"What a thoughtful fellow you are, " murmured Brett. "In that case we candispense with local assistance. We five can surely tackle any man living. "

"What can have become of Capella?" said David Hume, when they were allseated and bowling along the road to Beechcroft. 

"It is impossible to say what such a mad ass would be up to, " commentedhis cousin. "He has probably gone back to London from some waysidestation, and failed to find his servant to tell him before the train movedon. "

"What do you think, Mr. Brett?" inquired Winter. 

"I can form no opinion. I only wish Ooma was in gaol. For once, Winter, Iappreciate the strength of your handcuffing policy. "

CHAPTER XXXII

THE FIGHT

It was almost dark by the time they reached the lodge gates. Brett, movedby impulse, stopped the carriage in the main road. The others alightedafter him. Mrs. Crowe, the lodge-keeper's wife, opened the gates, andevidently wondered why the carriage did not enter. 

"Good evening, Mrs. Crowe, " said Brett, advancing. "Have you seen atelegraph messenger recently?"

"Lawk, sir, " she cried, "I didn't recognise you in the gloom! No, sir, there's been no messenger, only--"

Then she uttered a startled exclamation. 

"Why, there's Mr. David an' Mr. Robert! I could ha' sworn one of yougentlemen walked up to the house five minutes ago, an' I wunnered younever took no notice of me. Well, of all the strange things!"

"It was a natural mistake, " said the barrister quietly. 

Then he told the coachman to wait where he was until a message reached himfrom the house. 

He did not want to disturb the visitor who had caused Mrs. Crowe to"wunner, " nor was there any use in sending the carriage back toStowmarket. Somehow, he felt that Capella would not come to Beechcroftthat night. 

The five men went rapidly and silently up the avenue. As they approachedthe lighted library, they could see a servant parleying with the Japanese. 

A motion of Brett's hand brought the party into the shade of the sombreyews. 

"You and Holden, " he said to Hume, "go round to the main entrance, proceedat once to the library door, enter the room, and lock the door behind you. Be ready with your stick, and do not hesitate to lunge hard if Oomaattacks you. You, Holden, keep the revolver handy. It must only be used tosave life. The moment you appear at the door we will rush to the window, which is open. Ooma must have entered that way. You both understand?"

They nodded and walked off, clinging to the line of the trees. The othersclosed up. Timing their approach with perfect judgment, they crept overthe gravelled road at the bend, and gained the turf in front of thewindow. 

Ooma's back was towards them. They could hear his voice--a queer, high-pitched, yet strident voice--whilst he questioned a somewhat scaredfootman as to the whereabouts of his mistress. 

The man had evidently perceived the remarkable resemblance borne by thisuncanny stranger to the Frazer family. His replies were respectful, butstuttering. He was alarmed by those fierce eyes, more especially becausehis inability to give satisfactory information seemed to anger thenew-comer. 

"You are not a child, " they heard Ooma say, with menace in his tone. "Youmust have heard, from her maid or some other source, where Mrs. Capellahas gone to?"

"N--no, sir, " stammered the man. "I really 'aven't I t--t--thought Mrs. C--Capella was in London. The b--butler says we are all to 'ave a 'olidaynext week. "

"Is there no way in which I can find out where your mistress is at thismoment? I must see her. My business is important. It cannot wait. It is ofthe utmost importance to her. "

Brett, straining without like a hound in the leash, could note a slightaccentuation in the perfect English spoken by Ooma. There was just asuspicion of the liquid "r" so strongly marked in Jiro's utterance. Whatan uncanny thing is heredity! It even alters the shape of the roof of themouth. The Japanese of English descent could necessarily pronounce Englishbetter than the pure-born native. 

The servant within seemed to rack his brains for a favourable reply. 

"You might ask Mr. Capella, sir, " he said at length, with some degree ofreturning confidence. "He was expected here by the last train, but missedit in London, I expect. He is sure to come to-night, and he will tell you, if you care to wait. "

"Mr. Capella! Coming by the last train! What is he like?"

"Do you mean in appearance, sir? He is a small, dark-complexionedgentleman, with wavy black hair and a very pale face. He--"

But Ooma turned away from the man, and looked through the window, with thelambent glare of a wild animal in his eyes. He instantly saw the threemotionless figures, Brett, Winter, and Robert Hume-Frazer. 

They sprang forward. Robert was quickest, and reached the open windowfirst. The Japanese jumped back and made for the door, but it opened inhis face, and David entered the room. Behind him was Holden, who made nosecret of the fact that he carried a revolver. 

Ooma caught the astounded man-servant by the waist, lifted him as thoughhe were a truss of straw, and threw him bodily at Robert Frazer andWinter, bringing both to the ground by this singular weapon. 

It was a fatal mistake to attack the readiest means of exit. Had he usedhis human battering ram against Holden and David he might have escaped. But now he looked into the muzzle of another revolver, and heard Brett'sstern demand:

"Hands up, Ooma! If you move you are a dead man?"

Nevertheless, he did move. He seemed to have the agility as well as thesemblance of a carnivorous animal. He bounded sideways towards the wall ofthe library, picked up the writing-desk, and barricaded himself behind it. In the same second he produced a small, shining article from his waistcoatpocket, and shouted, in a voice now cracked with rage:

"Stand back, all of you. You may shoot me! I will not be arrested!"

Winter, swearing, scrambled from the floor. Robert, too, threw off theyelling servant, and rose to his feet. Alarmed not only by the curiousentry made by David Hume and Holden, but also by the racket in thelibrary, other servants were now clamouring at the locked door, for Holdenhad slipped his left hand behind him and turned the key. Brett similarlyclosed the window. They were five to one, but the one seemed to defy them. 

"That be blowed for a tale!" roared the infuriated detective, whose bloodwas fired by the manner in which he had been floored. "I arrest you in theKing's name for the murder of Sir Alan Hume-Frazer, and I warn you--"

Robert Hume-Frazer waited for no preliminary explanation of an officialcharacter. He wanted to feel that man's bones crack under his grasp. Hehad the strong man's ambition to close with an opponent worthy of histhews and sinews. Without any warning, he made for the Japanese, whoseemed to await his oncoming with singular equanimity, though otherwisequivering with baulked hate. 

But Brett had seen something that aroused a lightning-like suspicion. Twice had the Japanese looked at a small, shining thing in his hand, asthough to make sure it was there. So the barrister was just in time tograsp Robert's shoulder and hold him back. 

"No, " he cried, "you must not touch him. I command it. He cannot escape. "

"Then let me have a go at him first, " growled Frazer, whose face was palewith passion. 

"No, no. Leave him to me. Winter, do you hear me? Stand back, I say. "

Brett's imperative tone brooked no disobedience. Thus, in a segment of acircle, the five enclosed the one against the wall--Ooma barricaded by thetable, the others ready to defeat any stratagem he might endeavour to putin force. 

"Now listen to me, Ooma, " said the barrister sternly. "You must drop thatthing you have in your right hand. You must hold both your hands highabove your head. If you move either of them again I will shoot you. If youdo not obey me before I count five I will shoot you. One! Two! Three!--"

The Japanese, gasping a horrible sort of sob, three times plunged theinstrument he held into his left arm. Then he flung it straight at Robert. One would have thought his vengeance would be directed against Brett, whomhe must have credited by this time with his capture. 

No; he singled out a Hume-Frazer for his last attack. The instrumentstruck a button on Robert's coat and fell to the floor, where it laytwisted out of shape by the force of the impact. 

It was a hypodermic syringe. 

Again Ooma uttered that weird cry. 

"This is the end, " he said. "You have not beaten me. It is Fate. "

He folded his arms and looked at them. A change came over his face. He wasno longer a tiger at bay, but a human being, calm, dignified, almostimpressive. 

"I arrest you--" began Winter. 

"You fool!" laughed the Japanese, with a quiet contempt in his tone; "Ishall be dead in twenty minutes. That syringe contained snake poison, theundiluted venom of the karait. Put away your pistols. They are notwanted. "

Quite nonchalantly he leaned back against the bookcase that lined thewall. He turned his eyes to Robert. 

"You have the luck of your race, " he said "If that point had reached yourskin no human skill could have saved you. As it is, you are spared, and Imust go. The same blood flows in our veins, yet you are my enemy. I wish Icould once get my fingers round your throat before my strength fails. "

"Come from behind that table and try, " was the quick rejoinder. 

Ooma made to accept the challenge, but Brett intervened. 

"If you are telling the truth, " he said, "you can spend your briefremaining span of life to better purpose than in a mad combat with one whohas done you no harm. Where is Capella?"

"I killed him, " was the cool reply. 

The footman, who had slowly regained his senses, uttered a groan ofhorror. By this time several men, not alone house servants, but gardeners, grooms, and others, had gathered on the lawn. 

"Send away that slave, " cried Ooma impatiently, "and tell those others togo to their kennels. This is no place for such. "

Brett knew that the Japanese was in truth about to die. Afterwards Winterand Holden confessed that they thought the pretence of injecting snakepoison was a mere ruse to gain time. Robert and David intuitively agreedwith the barrister. It was in their breed to know when eternity yawned forone of them. The very calmness of the criminal, his magnificent apathy, his dislike of vulgar witnesses, foreboded a tragedy. 

Brett motioned to Holden to open the door, and the footman gladly made hisescape. In response to a wave of the barrister's arm the other servantsdisappeared from view, though they probably only retreated to a greaterdistance, and could see well enough all that happened. 

"Yes, " continued Ooma, "I killed Capella. It was a mistake. Everything isa mistake. It was foolish on my part to kill Alan Hume-Frazer, even thoughhe was my enemy. I should have let him live, and tortured him by fear. YouEnglish dread these scandals worse than death. We Japanese fear neither. For I am a Japanese, and I am proud of it, although my ancestor was DavidHume of Glen Tochan, who fought and killed the man who robbed his father. "

"But how and why did you kill Capella?" asked Brett. 

"I saw him in the station at London. He followed me. I puzzled him, Isuppose. He perceived the likeness between me and my dear cousins. We arelike one another, are we not, we Hume-Frazers?"

He laughed mirthlessly, and stared at David and Robert alternately. Winterbroke in with a hasty question:

"If he is speaking the truth about the snake poison, shouldn't we send fora doctor?"

No one had thought of this previously. Brett reproached himself for hisforgetfulness. So strange are our civilised notions that we strive to savea man's life in order to hang him by due process at law. 

It was Ooma who answered. 

"Doctor!" he cried. "Bring him! Bring the whole College of Surgeons. Theycan watch me die, and tell you learnedly why the blood curdles and theheart refuses to act, but not all their science can beat the venom of thelittle karait. It is an Indian snake, more deadly than the cobra, withmightier tooth than the tiger. I meant to use that syringe on the wholecursed brood of Frazers in this country. No one would have known whathappened to them. But look you, Fate is too powerful. The karait storedhis poison for me only. I killed only one of the race, and him I stabbedwith a Ko-Katana of my own house. "

Holden left the room to send a messenger post-haste for the villagedoctor. 

"About Capella?" persisted Brett. 

"Ah, Capella. He sought his own death. He looked at me so oddly that Ithought him a spy. I was alone in a carriage when, half-way here, he ranalong the platform at a small station and joined me. He began to questionme. I looked out of the window and saw that we were coming to a viaductover a stream between deep cliffs, so I took the little man and crackedhis neck. Then I flung him over the bridge. It was a mistake. He shouldhave left me alone. "

He described this cold-blooded murder of the unfortunate Italian with theweary air of one who recites a tedious episode. The lids drooped heavilyover his eyes. 

"I am tired, " he said. "That was a good little snake. He knew hisbusiness. He could make the best of poison. "

"Surely, " said the barrister solemnly, "you are not so utterly inhumanthat at the very point of death you still maintain the attitude of adisappointed avenger. What wrong had all these people done you to demandyour murderous hate?"

Ooma seemed for a moment to rouse himself from lethargy. Once again theblack eyes sparkled with their menacing gleam. 

"It is you, " he cried, "you, the thinker, who question me. I never gave athought to you, or I would not now be slowly sinking into death. I mighthave guessed that a higher intelligence was at work than that which sawthe Ko-Katana with its motto, and yet failed to read its story. You ask mymotives. Can a man explain heredity? Here"--and he threw a packet ofpapers on the writing-desk--"are the proofs of my identity. It is not longago, only one hundred and fifty years, since David Hume was robbed of hisbirthright, and what is such a period to the old families of England andJapan? There are men living in Japan to-day who saw his son in the flesh. I am his lawful descendant. I came to England and resolved to be anEnglishman. But I needed money. Do you remember our motto, 'A new fieldgives a small crop'? The first Japanese Hume did not prosper. He was agood fighter, but he saved no yen. So I applied to my family. I came hereon the New Year's Eve, and Sir Alan Hume-Frazer saw me walking up theavenue. He stepped out through that window to meet me. He was surprised atmy appearance, and thought I was his cousin Robert, whom he had not seenfor years. "

At this remarkable statement the four listeners chiefly concerned lookedwonderingly at each other. The main incidents of the family feud wererepeating themselves in a ghostly manner. 

Ooma paid no heed to their amazement. He staggered unsteadily to a chairand sank into it limply. It was the chair which David Hume occupied whenhe slept, and dreamed. Not even Winter saw cause for suspicion in the act. Ooma was dying. His yellow skin was now green. His lips were white. Hiswhole frame was sinking. At this phase he became a Japanese, and lost alllikeness to the Frazers. 

He continued, with an odd cackle:

"I kept up the error. I demanded money as my right, and from his words Igathered that the Frazers had been at their old tricks and defraudedanother relative. "

Robert started. 

"Do you hear?" he murmured to Brett. "That accounts for Alan's strangereception of me the same day. "

Brett held up a warning hand. Ooma was still talking. 

"I taunted him with thriving on the plunder of his own people. That madehim furious. He raved about the world being in league against him. Theonly relative he loved, one who was more than brother, had stolen thewoman he wished to marry; his sister was a living lie; his cousin ablackmailer. I laughed. 'Do you disown your sister, then?' I asked. Hetook from his breast-pocket some papers--you will find them there, on thetable--and told me, in great anger, that he possessed proof that she wasnot his sister. I was cooler than he, and saw the value of this admissionI pretended to go away, but hid among the trees and saw him walk about thelibrary for nearly an hour. I meant to enter the house if an opportunitypresented itself, and, trusting to my appearance, go to his bedroom, if hechanged his clothes and went out. But he helped me by placing the papersin the drawer which I afterwards broke open. I saw him meet you"--hefeebly pointed to Robert. "I saw you arrive in the carriage, " and heindicated David. "Then I determined to wait until the night I went back toStowmarket, where I left a portmanteau at a small hotel"--Brett knew thatWinter stole a look at him, but he ignored the fact--"and changed myclothes. In England, at night, a man in evening dress can enter almost anyhouse. When I returned I carried my bag with me, as I did not know how Imight wish to get away subsequently. I saw the preparations for the ball. They helped me. David Hume's unexpected appearance at midnight upset myplans. Waiting near the gate, I witnessed Alan's meeting with a girl in awhite dress. Whilst they were talking, I ran up to the house and foundDavid asleep in the library. I resolved to act boldly. Even he would notknow what to do if he suddenly discovered another Frazer in the room. Toforce open the drawer I picked up the Japanese sword, and knew it asbelonging to my house by the device on the handle of the Ko-Katana. Thething inspired me. I obtained the papers, and was going out when I metAlan. He had seen what I was doing. He called me a cur, and the memory ofmy ancestor's vengeance rushed on me, so I struck him with the knife, andleft it resting in his heart as he fell. Afterwards it was easy. No oneknew me. Those who had seen me thought that I was either David or RobertHume-Frazer. I depended on the police and the servants to complete themystery. They did. I saw David meet the same girl in a white dress nearthe lodge, so I sent the post-card which I made Jiro write for me. Hewrote it badly, which was all the better for my purpose. I meant David tobe hanged by the law; then I would marry Margaret. That is all. Give mesome brandy. I am dreaming now. I can see curling shapes. Ah!"

He gulped down half a tumblerful of raw spirits hastily procured by Brett. Again he attempted to shake off the torpid state that was slowly masteringhim. He lifted his eyes feebly to Brett's face, and his face contorted ina ghastly smile. 

"You!" he croaked. "I should have killed you! You carried my stick thatnight in Middle Street. Why was I not warned? Did you follow the girl fromthe hotel? I was a fool. I tried to stop the inquiry by getting rid ofDavid Hume-Frazer. As if he had brains enough to get on my track! Aboutthat girl! She believes in me. She does not know anything of my past. Donot tell her. Try to help her. She is coarse, one of the people, as yousay here, but she has courage and is faithful. Help her!"

His head drooped. The action of the brandy, whilst momentarily stimulatingthe heart, helped the stupefaction of the brain. It was a question of aminute, perhaps two. 

"Why did you come here to-day?" asked Brett quickly. 

"To see Margaret She would give me money. I was going away. That man--Ithrew from the train--was her husband? He was not--a proper mate--for aFrazer--or a Hume. We are--an old race--of soldiers. We know--how to die. Four of us--fell fighting--in Japan. I am dying! What a pity!"

His head sank lower. His breath grew faint His voice died away inunintelligible words. After a brief silence he spoke again. 

The words he used were Japanese. In his weakened consciousness all hecould recollect was the language he learnt from his Japanese mother--themother he despised when he became a man and knew his history. 

Winter and Brett were now holding him. The others drew apart. Theyafterwards confessed that the death of this murderer, this tiger-cub oftheir race, affected them greatly. He was fearless to the end. The way inwhich he quitted life became him more than the manner in which he lived. 

There was a bustle without, and the local doctor entered. He looked wise, profound, even ventured on a sceptical remark when the barrister explainedthat Ooma had injected snake-poison into his arm. But he lifted theeyelids of the figure in the chair and glanced at the pupils. 

"Whatever the cause of death may be, he is undoubtedly dead!" was hisverdict. 

CHAPTER XXXIII

THE LAST NOTE IN BRETT'S DIARY

Winter and Holden were invaluable during the trying hours that followed. Acting in conjunction with the local police, they caused a search to bemade for Capella's body. It was found easily enough. Only once did theline cross such a place as that described by Ooma, and a bruised andbattered corpse was taken out of the boulder-strewn stream beneath theviaduct. 

Meanwhile Winter, writing from Brett's dictation, drew up a completestatement of all the facts retailed by the Japanese in relation to themurders of Sir Alan Hume-Frazer and the unfortunate Italian. 

This they signed, and went to obtain the signatures of the two cousins, Holden, and the man-servant, for whom a special short statement had beenprepared. 

"This is for use at the coroner's inquest, I suppose?" inquired David. 

"Yes, " said Brett. "We must seize that opportunity to publish all theevidence needed to thoroughly acquit you of suspicion in relation to yourcousin's death. By prior consultation with the coroner we can, if youthink fit, keep out of the inquiry all allusions to Mrs. Capella. "

"It would certainly be the best thing to do, " agreed David, "especially inview of the fact that Robert and I have burnt those beastly papers. "

He pointed to some shivering ashes in the grate of the drawing-room, forOoma occupied the library in the last solemn stateliness of his finalappearance on earth. 

"What!" cried Brett. "Do you mean to say that you have destroyed thedocuments deposited by the Japanese on the writing-desk?"

"Not exactly all, " was the cool reply. "We picked out those referring toMargaret, and made an end of them. We hope to be able to do the same withregard to papers discovered on Capella's body or among his belongings. Those bearing on Ooma himself are here"--and he pointed to a small packet, neatly tied up, reposing on the mantelpiece. 

"You have done a somewhat serious thing. "

"We don't care a cent about that. Robert and I have both agreed that whatMargaret has she keeps. There may, in course of time, be very good reasonfor this action. Anyhow, I have acted to please myself, and my fatherwill, I am sure, approve of what I have done. "

Brett shook his head. No lawyer could approve of these rough-and-readysettlements of important family affairs. 

"Has anyone telegraphed to Mrs. Capella?" he inquired. 

"Yes, " said Robert, "I did. I just said 'Ooma dead; Capella reportedseriously ill. Remain in Whitby. I will join you to-morrow evening. ' That, I thought, was enough for a start. "

It certainly was. 

Soon there came excited messages from both Margaret and Helen demandingmore details, whereupon Brett, who knew that suspense was more unbearablethan full knowledge, sent a fairly complete account of occurrences. 

During the next few days there was the usual commotion in the Press thatfollows the opening up of the secret records of a great and mysteriouscrime. 

It came as a tremendous surprise to David Hume-Frazer to learn how manypeople were convinced of his innocence "all the time. " Being the centralfigure in the affair, he was compelled to remain at Beechcroft untilCapella and Ooma were interred, and the coroner's jury, at a deferredinquest, had recorded their verdict that the wretched Japanese descendantof the Scottish Jacobite was not only doubly a murderer, but guilty of theheinous crime of _felo de se_. 

Brett, in the interim, saw to the despatch of the Italian witnesses backto Naples. These good people did not know why they had been brought toEngland, but they returned to their sunny land fully persuaded that theEnglish were both very rich and very foolish. 

Winter, in accordance with Brett's promise, secured a fresh holidaytowards the close of August, and had the supreme joy of shooting over awell-stocked Scotch moor. 

At last, one day in September, Brett was summoned to Whitby to assist at afamily conclave. 

He found that Margaret was firm in her resolve never again to live atBeechcroft. She and Robert intended to get married early in the New Yearand sail forthwith for the Argentine, where, with the help of his wife'smoney, Robert Hume-Frazer could develop his magnificent estate. 

Beechroft would pass into the possession of David, and Helen and he, whowere to be married in October, would settle down in the house after theirhoneymoon. 

But on one point they were all very emphatic. That ill-fated librarywindow should pass into the limbo of things that have been. Alreadybuilders were converting the library into an entrance hall, and the maindoor would occupy its natural place in the front of the house. 

Let us hope that the return of the young couple after their marriagemarked a new era for an abode hitherto singled out for tragedy. Theirstart was auspicious enough, for true love, in their case, neither ransmoothly nor yielded to the pressure of terrible events. 

Mr. And Mrs. Jiro went to Japan. With them they took the girl, Rose Dew, and the last heard of them was that the trio were running a boarding-housein Yeddo, where Mrs. Jiro advertised the excellence of the food shesupplied, and Miss Dew sternly repressed any attempt on the part of thelodgers to obtain credit. 

The last entry in Brett's note-book, under the heading of the "StowmarketMystery, " is dated six months after the departure of Mr. And Mrs. RobertHume-Frazer for the Argentine. It reads:

 "To-day is the anniversary of David Hume's first visit to my chambers. This morning I discovered in a corner, dusty and forlorn, Ooma's walking-stick. It reminded me of a snake that was hibernating, so I gave it to Smith, and told him to light the kitchen fire with it. Then I telegraphed to old Sir David Hume-Frazer, saying that I gladly accepted his invitation for the 12th. His son, it seems, cannot go North, as he does not wish to leave his wife during the next couple of months. I suppose I shall be a godfather at an early date. "

THE END