by Fergus Hume
CHAPTER XVIII.
AN AMAZING ACCUSATION.
"Beng in tutes bukko!" swore Chaldea in good Romany, meaning that shewished the devil was in some one's body. And she heartily meant what shesaid, and cared little which of the two men's interior was occupied bythe enemy of mankind, since she hated both. The girl was disappointed tothink that Lambert should escape from her snare, and enraged thatGarvington's production of one revolver and his confession that Silverhad the other tended to this end. "May the pair of you burn in hell,"she cried, taking to English, so that they could understand the insult."Ashes may you be in the Crooked One's furnace."
Lambert shrugged his shoulders, as he quite understood her feelings, anddid not intend to lower himself by correcting her. He addressed himselfto his cousin and turned his back on the gypsy. "Silver shot HubertPine," he repeated, with his eyes on Garvington's craven face.
"It's impossible--impossible!" returned the other hurriedly. "Silver wasshut up in the house with the rest. I saw to the windows and doorsmyself, along with the butler and footmen. At the inquest--"
"Never mind about the inquest. I know what you said there, and I am nowbeginning to see why you said it."
"What the devil do you mean?"
"I mean," stated the other, staring hard at him, "that you knew Silverwas guilty when the inquest took place, and screened him for somereason."
"I didn't know; I swear I didn't know!" stuttered Garvington, wiping hisheated face, and with his lower lip trembling.
"You must have done so," replied Lambert relentlessly. "This bullet willfit both the revolvers I gave you, and as you passed on one to Silver--"
"Rubbish! Bosh! Nonsense!" babbled the little man incoherently. "Untilyou brought the bullet I never knew that it would fit the revolver."
This was true, as Lambert admitted. However, he saw that Garvington wasafraid for some reason, and pressed his advantage. "Now that you see howit fits, you must be aware that it could only have been fired from therevolver which you gave Silver."
"I don't see that," protested Garvington. "That bullet may fit manyrevolvers."
Lambert shook his head. "I don't think so. I had that brace of revolversespecially manufactured, and the make is peculiar. I am quite preparedto swear that the bullet would fit no other weapon. And--and"--hehesitated, then faced the girl, who lingered, sullen and disappointed."You can go, Chaldea," said Lambert, pointing to the French window ofthe library, which was wide open.
The gypsy sauntered toward it, clutching her shawl and gritting herwhite teeth together. "Oh, I go my ways, my rye, but I have not donewith you yet, may the big devil rack my bones if I have. You winto-day--I win to-morrow, and so good day to you, and curses on you fora bad one. The devil is a nice character--and that's you!" she screamed,beside herself with rage. "The puro beng is a fino mush, if you willhave the kalo jib!" and with a wild cry worthy of a banshee shedisappeared and was seen running unsteadily across the lawn. Lambertshrugged his shoulders again and turned to his miserable cousin, who hadsat down with a dogged look on his fat face. "I have got rid of herbecause I wish to save the family name from disgrace," said Lambertquietly.
"There is no disgrace on my part. Remember to whom you are speaking."
"I do. I speak to the head of the family, worse luck! You have done yourbest to trail our name in the mud. You altered a check which Pine gaveyou so as to get more money; you forged his name to a mortgage--"
"Lies, lies, the lies of Agnes!" screamed Garvington, jumping up andshaking his fist in puny anger. "The wicked--"
"Speak properly of my wife, or I'll wring your neck," said Lambertsharply. "As to what she told me being lies, it is only too true, as youknow. I read the letter you wrote confessing that you had lured Pinehere to be shot by telling falsehoods about Agnes and me."
"I only lured him to get his arm broken so that I might nurse him whenhe was ill and get some money," growled Garvington, sitting down again.
"I am well aware of what you did and how you did it. But you gave thatforged letter to Silver so that it might be passed on to Pine."
"I didn't! I didn't! I didn't! I didn't!"
"You did. And because Silver knew too much you gave him the Abbot's WoodCottage at a cheap rent, or at no rent at all, for all I know. To bequite plain, Garvington, you conspired with Silver to have Pine killed."
"Winged--only winged, I tell you. I never shot him."
"Your accomplice did."
"He's not my accomplice. He was in the house--everything was locked up."
"By you," said Lambert quickly. "So it was easy for you to leave awindow unfastened, so that Silver might get outside to hide in theshrubbery."
"Oh!" Garvington jumped up again, looking both pale and wicked. "Youwant to put a rope round my neck, curse you."
"That's a melodramatic speech which is not true," replied the othercoldly. "For I want to save you, or, rather, our name, from disgrace.I won't call in the police"--Garvington winced at this word--"becauseI wish to hush the matter up. But since Chaldea and Silver accuse meand accuse Agnes of getting rid of Pine so that we might marry, it isnecessary that I should learn the exact truth."
"I don't know it. I know nothing more than I have confessed."
"You are such a liar that I can't believe you. However, I shall go atonce to Silver and you shall come with me."
"I shan't!" Garvington, who was overfed and flabby and unable to holdhis own against a determined man, settled himself in his chair andlooked as obstinate as a battery mule.
"Oh, yes, you will, you little swine," said Lambert freezingly cold.
"How dare you call me names?"
"Names! If I called you those you deserved I should have to annex thevocabulary of a Texan muledriver. How such a beast as you ever got intoour family I can't conceive."
"I am the head of the family and I order you to leave the room."
"Oh, you do, do you? Very good. Then I go straight to Wanbury and shalltell what I have discovered to Inspector Darby."
"No! No! No! No!" Garvington, cornered at last, sprang from his chairand made for his cousin with unsteady legs. "It might be unpleasant."
"I daresay--to you. Well, will you come with me to Abbot's Wood?"
"Yes," whimpered Garvington. "Wait till I get my cap and stick, curseyou, for an interfering beast. You don't know what you're doing."
"Ah! then you do know something likely to reveal the truth."
"I don't--I swear I don't! I only--"
"Oh, damn you, get your cap, and let us be off," broke in Lambertangrily, "for I can't be here all day listening to your lies."
Garvington scowled and ambled out of the room, closely followed by hiscousin, who did not think it wise to lose sight of so shifty a person.In a few minutes they were out of the house and took the path leadingfrom the blue door to the postern gate in the brick wall surrounding thepark. It was a frosty, sunny day, with a hard blue sky, overarching awintry landscape. A slight fall of snow had powdered the ground with afilm of white, and the men's feet drummed loudly on the iron earth,which was in the grip of the frost. Garvington complained of the cold,although he had on a fur overcoat which made him look like a baby bear.
"You'll give me my death of cold, dragging me out like this," he moaned,as he trotted beside his cousin. "I believe you want me to takepneumonia so that I may die and leave you the title."
"I should at least respect it more than you do," said Lambert withscorn. "Why can't you be a man instead of a thing on two legs? If youdid die no one would miss you but cooks and provision dealers."
Garvington gave him a vicious glance from his little pig's eyes, andlonged to be tall, and strong, and daring, so that he might knock himdown. But he knew that Lambert was muscular and dexterous, and wouldprobably break his neck if it came to a tussle. Therefore, as the stoutlittle lord had a great regard for his neck, he judged it best to yieldto superior force, and trotted along obediently enough. Also he becameaware within himself that it would be necessary to explai
n to Silver howhe had come to betray him, and that would not be easy. Silver would becertain to make himself extremely disagreeable. Altogether the walk wasnot a pleasant one for the sybarite.
The Abbot's Wood looked bare and lean with the leaves stripped from itsmany trees. Occasionally there was a fir, clothed in dark green foliage,but for the most part the branches of the trees were naked, and quiveredconstantly in the chilly breeze. Even on the outskirts of the wood onecould see right into the centre where the black monoliths--they lookedblack against the snow--reared themselves grimly. To the right there wasa glimpse of gypsy fires and tents and caravans, and the sound of theRomany tongue was borne toward them through the clear atmosphere. Onsuch a day it was easy both to see and hear for long distances, and forthis reason Chaldea became aware that the two men were walking towardthe cottage.
The girl, desperately angry that she had been unable to bring Lambert tobook, had sauntered back to the camp, but had just reached it when shecaught sight of the tall figure and the short one. In a moment she knewthat Lambert and his cousin were making for Silver's abode, which wasjust what she had expected them to do. At once she determined to againadopt her former tactics, which had been successful in enabling her tooverhear the conversation between Lambert and Lady Agnes, and, followingat a respectful distance, she waited for her chance. It came when thepair entered the cottage, for then Chaldea ran swiftly in a circletoward the monoliths, and crouched down behind one. While peering frombehind this shelter, she saw Silver pass the window of the studio, andfelt certain that the interview, would take place in that room. Like aserpent, as she was, the girl crawled and wriggled through the frozenvegetation and finally managed to get under the window without beingobserved. The window was closed, but by pressing her ear close to thewoodwork she was enabled to hear a great deal, if not all. Candidlyspeaking, Chaldea had truly believed that Lambert had shot Pine, butnow that he had disproved the charge so easily, she became desperatelyanxious to learn the truth. Lambert had escaped her, but she thoughtthat it might be possible to implicate his wife in the crime, whichwould serve her purpose of injuring him just as well.
Silver was not surprised to see his landlord, as it seemed thatGarvington paid him frequent visits. But he certainly showed an uneasyamazement when Lambert stalked in behind the fat little man. Silver wasalso small, and also cowardly, and also not quite at rest in hisconscience, so he shivered when he met the very direct gaze of hisunwelcome visitor.
"You have come to look at your old house, Mr. Lambert," he remarked,when the two made themselves comfortable by the studio fire.
"Not at all. I have come to see you," was the grim response.
"That is an unexpected honor," said Silver uneasily, and his eyes soughtthose of Lord Garvington, who was spreading out his hands to the blaze,looking blue with cold. He caught Silver's inquiring look.
"I couldn't help it," said Garvington crossly. "I must look aftermyself."
Silver's smooth, foxy face became livid, and he could scarcely speak.When he did, it was with a sickly smile. "Whatever are you talkingabout, my lord?"
"Oh, you know, d---- you! I did give you that revolver, you know."
"The revolver?" Silver stared. "Yes, why should I deny it? I suppose youhave come to get it back?"
"I have come to get it, Mr. Silver," put in Lambert politely. "Hand itover to me, if you please."
"If you like. It certainly has your name on the handle," said thesecretary so quietly that the other man was puzzled. Silver did not seemto be so uncomfortable as he might have been.
"The revolver was one of a pair which I had especially made when I wentto Africa some years ago," explained Lambert elaborately, and determinedto make his listener understand the situation thoroughly. "On my returnI made them a present to my cousin. I understand, Mr. Silver, that LordGarvington lent you one--"
"And kept the other," interrupted the man sharply. "That is true. I wasafraid of burglars, since Lord Garvington was always talking about them,so I asked him to lend me a weapon to defend myself with."
"And you used it to shoot Pine," snapped Garvington, anxious to end hissuspense and get the interview over as speedily as possible.
Silver rose from his seat in an automatic manner, and turned delicatelypale. "Are you mad?" he gasped, looking from one man to the other.
"It's all very well you talking," whimpered Garvington with a shiver;"but Pine was shot with that revolver I lent you."
"It's a lie!"
"Oh, I knew you'd say that," complained Garvington, shivering again."But I warned you that there might be trouble, since you carried thatletter for me, so that it might fall by chance into Pine's hands."
"Augh!" groaned Silver, sinking back into his chair and passing histongue over a pair of dry, gray lips. "Hold your tongue, my lord."
"What's the use? He knows," and Garvington jerked his head in thedirection of his cousin. "The game's up, Silver--the game's up!"
"Oh!" Silver's eyes flashed, and he looked like a rat at bay. "So youintend to save yourself at my expense. But it won't do, my lord. Youwrote that letter, if I carried it to the camp."
"I have admitted to my sister and to Lambert, here, that I wrote theletter, Silver. I had to, or get into trouble with the police, sinceneither of them will listen to reason. But you suggested the plan to getPine winged so that he might be ill in my house, and then we could bothget money out of him. You invented the plot, and I only wrote theletter."
"Augh! Augh!" gulped Silver, unable to speak plainly.
"Do you confess the truth of Lord Garvington's statement?" inquiredLambert suavely, and fixing a merciless eye on the trapped fox.
"No--that is--yes. He swings on the same hook as I do."
"Indeed. Then Lord Garvington was aware that you shot Pine?"
"I was not! I was not!" screamed the head of the Lambert family, jumpingup and clenching his hands. "I swear I never knew the truth until youbrought the bullet to the library to fit the revolver."
"The--the--bullet!" stammered Silver, whose smooth red hair was almoststanding on end from sheer fright.
"Yes," said Lambert, addressing him sharply. "Kara, under the directionof Chaldea, found the bullet in the trunk of the elm tree which was inthe line of fire. She came with me to The Manor this morning, and wefound that it fitted the barrel of Lord Garvington's revolver. At theinquest, and on unimpeachable evidence, it was proved that he fired onlythe first shot, which disabled Pine without killing him. The secondshot, which pierced the man's heart, could only have come from thesecond revolver, which was, and is, in your possession, Mr. Silver. Thebullet found in the tree trunk will fit no other barrel of no otherweapon. I'm prepared to swear to this."
Silver covered his face with his hands and looked so deadly white thatLambert believed he would faint. However, he pulled himself together,and addressed Garvington anxiously. "You know, my lord, that you lockedup the house on that night, and that I was indoors."
"Yes," admitted the other hesitating. "So far as I knew you certainlywere inside. It is true, Noel," he added, catching his cousin's eye."Even to save myself I must admit that."
"Oh, you'd admit anything to save yourself," retorted his cousincontemptuously, and noting the mistake in the wording of the sentence."But admitting that Silver was within doors doesn't save you, so far asI can see."
"There is no need for Lord Garvington to excuse himself," spoke upSilver, attempting to enlist the little man on his side by defendinghim. "It was proved at the inquest, as you have admitted, Mr. Lambert,that he only fired the first shot."
"And you fired the second."
"I never did. I was inside and in bed. I only came down with the rest ofthe guests when I heard the firing. Is that not so, my lord?"
"Yes," admitted Garvington grudgingly. "So far as I know you had nothingto do with the second shot."
Silver turned a relieved face toward Lambert. "I shall confess thismuch, sir," he said, trying to speak calmly and judicially. "Pinetreated me badly by taking m
y toy inventions and by giving me verylittle money. When I was staying at The Manor I learned that LordGarvington had also been treated badly by Pine. He said if we could getmoney that we should go shares. I knew that Pine was jealous of hiswife, and that you were at the cottage here, so I suggested that, asLord Garvington could imitate handwriting, he should forge a letterpurporting to come from Lady Agnes to you, saying that she intended toelope on a certain night. Also I told Lord Garvington to talk a greatdeal about shooting burglars, so as to give color to his shooting Pine."
"It was arranged to shoot him, then?"
"No, it wasn't," cried Garvington, glaring at Silver. "All we wanted todo was to break Pine's arm or leg so that he might be laid up in TheManor."
"Yes, that is so," said Silver feverishly, and nodding. "I fancied--andfor this reason I suggested the plot--that when Pine was ill, both LordGarvington and myself could deal with him in an easier manner.Also--since the business would be left in my hands--I hoped to take outsome money from various investments, and share it with Lord Garvington.We never meant that Pine should be killed, but only reduced to weaknessso that we might force him to give us both money."
"A very ingenious plot," said Lambert grimly and wondering how much ofthe story was true. "And then?"
"Then Lord Garvington wrote the letter, and when seeing Pine, I gave itto him saying that while keeping watch on his wife--as he asked me to,"said Silver with an emphasis which made Lambert wince, "I hadintercepted the letter. Pine was furious, as I knew he would be, andsaid that he would come to the blue door at the appointed time toprevent the supposed elopement. I told Lord Garvington, who was ready,and--"
"And I went down, pretending that Pine was a burglar," said LordGarvington, continuing the story in a most shameless manner. "I openedthe door quite expecting to find him there. He rushed me, believing inhis blind haste that I was Agnes coming to elope with you. I shot him inthe arm, and he staggered away, while I shut the door again. Whether, onfinding his mistake, and knowing that he had met me instead of Agnes, heintended to go away, I can't say, as I was on the wrong side of thedoor. But Agnes, attracted to the window by the shot, declared--and youheard her declare it at the inquest, Noel--that Pine walked rapidly awayand was shot just as he came abreast of the shrubbery. That's all."
"And quite enough, too," said Lambert savagely. "You tricky pair ofbeasts; I suppose you hoped to implicate me in the crime?"
"It wasn't a crime," protested Silver; "but only a way to get money. Bygoing up to London you certainly delayed what we intended to do, sincewe could not carry out our plan until you returned. You did for onenight, as Chaldea, who was on the watch for you, told us, and then weacted."
"Did Chaldea know of the trap?"
"No! She knew nothing save that I"--it was Silver who spoke--"wanted toknow about your return. She found the letter in Pine's tent, and reallybelieved that Lady Agnes had written it, and that you had shot Pine. Itwas to force you by threats to marry her that she gave the letter tome."
"And she instructed you to show it to the police," said Lambert betweenhis teeth, "whereas you tried to blackmail Lady Agnes."
"I had to make my money somehow," said Silver insolently. "Pine was deadand Lady Agnes had the coin."
"You were to share in the twenty-five thousand pounds, I suppose?"Lambert asked his cousin indignantly.
"No; Silver blackmailed on his own. I hoped to get money from Agnes inanother way--as her hard-up brother that is. And if--"
"Oh, shut up! You make me sick," interrupted Lambert, suppressing astrong desire to choke his cousin. "You are as bad as Silver."
"And Silver is as innocent as Lord Garvington," struck in thatgentleman, whose face was recovering its natural color.
Lambert turned on him sharply. "I don't agree with that. You shot Pine!"
Silver sprang up with a hysterical cry. He had judged like Agag that thebitterness of death was past, but found that he was not yet safe. "I didnot shoot Pine," he declared, wringing his hands. "Oh, why can't youbelieve me."
"Because Garvington gave you the second revolver and with that--on theevidence of the bullet--Pine was murdered."
"That might be so, but--but--" Silver hesitated, and shivered and lookedround with a hunted expression in his eyes.
"But what? You may as well explain to me."
"I shan't--I refuse to. I am innocent! You can't hurt me!"
Lambert brushed aside this puny rage. "Inspector Darby can. I shall goto Wanbury this evening and tell him all."
"No; don't do that!" cried Garvington, greatly agitated. "Think ofme--think of the family!"
"I think of Justice! You two beasts aren't fit to be at large. I'm off,"and he made for the door.
In a moment Silver was clutching his coat. "No, don't!" he screamed. "Iam innocent! Lord Garvington, say that I am innocent!"
"Oh, ---- you, get out of the hole as best you can! I'm in as big a messas you are, unless Lambert acts decently."
"Decently, you wicked little devil," said Lambert scornfully. "I onlypropose to do what any decent man would do. You trapped Pine by meansof the letter, and Silver shot him."
"I didn't! I didn't!"
"You had the revolver!"
"I hadn't. I gave it away! I lent it!" panted Silver, crying withterror.
"You lent it--you gave it--you liar! Who to?"
Silver looked round again for some way of escape, but could see none."To Miss Greeby. She--she--she--she shot Pine. I swear she did."