That Mainwaring Affair

by A. Maynard Barbour

  CHAPTER XVIII

  AN UNFORESEEN FOE

  Though nearly six weeks had elapsed since the death of the masterof Fair Oaks, and as yet no light had been shed on that mysteriousevent, the interest of the public mind in the affair had in no wiseabated during this brief interim. On the contrary, its curiosityhad been so whetted by the partial revelations of the inquest, thatit had eagerly followed each step of the legal proceedings leadingtowards the inevitable contest over the property, ready to hailwith delight the appearance of the Mainwaring skeleton when itshould step forth from its long hiding to disclose the secrets ofthe past.

  As early as possible, a petition, setting forth the terms andconditions of the last will and testament of Hugh Mainwaring, andpraying for letters of administration in accordance therewith to beissued to William H. Whitney, the executor named in said will, hadbeen filed in the district court. A few days thereafter, thepetition of Eleanor Houghton Mainwaring, for letters to be issuedto Richard Hobson, was also filed. The hearing in the applicationfor letters of administration occupied several days; very littleevidence was adduced, however, which had not already been given atthe inquest, and in due time an order was issued by the court,appointing Mr. Whitney administrator of the estate, with instructionsthat the same be adjusted according to the terms of the lost will.From this order, Eleanor Houghton Mainwaring, through her attorney,Hobson, had appealed, and the contest had at last begun.

  For greater convenience during the legal proceedings, RalphMainwaring had closed the suburban residence, dismissing whatservants were no longer needed, though still retaining the newcoachman, and had removed to Hugh Mainwaring's city residence,where he and his son made themselves perfectly at home, diningwith Mr. Whitney at his club. Mrs. LaGrange, having beencompelled to resign her position at Fair Oaks, had also removedto the city and taken apartments in a convenient hotel until thetermination of her suit.

  The afternoon of the second day since the opening of the case wasdrawing to a close; the testimony on the appellant's side had beentaken, and it was expected that the respondent would be heard on thefollowing day, when an event transpired which completely overthrewall proceedings had thus far, and which promised the waiting publicdevelopments as startling as could be desired.

  This event was none other than the filing in the district court ofa document purporting to be the last will and testament of the fatherof the deceased Hugh Mainwaring, by the terms of which the Mainwaringestate, as it then existed, together with the bulk of his otherproperty, passed to Harold Scott Mainwaring, an elder son who hadbeen previously disinherited, but was by this will restored to hisfull rights. With this document, worn and yellow with age, was fileda petition, setting forth the claims of one Harold Scott Mainwaring,the lawful, living, and only son of the said Harold Scott Mainwaringnamed in the will, but since deceased, and sole heir of theMainwaring estate, and praying for letters of administration to beissued to George D. Sutherland, attorney for the said lawful heir.

  The court adjourned amid intense excitement, just as the newsboyswere crying the headlines of the evening papers,--

  "A New Heir to the Mainwaring Property! Discovery of Will secretedmore than Twenty-five Years! Millions wrongfully withheld from theRightful Owner!"

  Strangely enough, the two most interested in this unexpected turnof affairs were among the latest to learn the surprising news.Ralph Mainwaring, having felt slightly indisposed, and knowing thathis side would not come up for hearing until the following day, hadmade himself as comfortable as possible in the elegant apartmentswhich he had appropriated to his own use, while his son had leftthe court-room at an early hour to devote the remainder of theafternoon to letter-writing.

  The latter glanced up from his writing and nodded pleasantly, asMr. Whitney, pale with excitement, was ushered by the butler intothe library.

  "Mr. Mainwaring, is your father in?" the attorney inquired, hastily.

  "I believe so," replied the young man, smiling broadly; "the last Iknew, the governor was luxuriating in his rooms up-stairs; I thinkyou will find him there now. How's the case coming on, sir?" headded, as the attorney turned quickly towards the hall. "Anythingnew developed?"

  "Yes; decidedly new!" Mr. Whitney answered, rather brusquely; "youhad better join us up-stairs!" and he disappeared.

  The young man's face grew suddenly serious, and, springing from hischair, he swiftly followed the retreating figure of the attorney,arriving just in time to hear the latter exclaim, in reply to somequestion from his father,--

  "Well, sir, the storm has burst!"

  Ralph Mainwaring was, as his son had said, "luxuriating" in a superbreclining chair, his eyes half closed, enjoying a fine Havana, butthe attorney's words seemed to produce the effect of an electricshock.

  "The deuce, sir! what do you mean?" he demanded, instantly assumingan upright position.

  "I simply mean that what I have expected and dreaded all along hasat last come to pass."

  "Then, since it was not unexpected, it is to be presumed that youwere at least prepared for it! That shyster and his designingclient must, at the last moment, have exerted their inventivefaculties to a remarkable degree!"

  "On the contrary," said the attorney, quietly ignoring the other'ssarcasm, and handing copies of the evening papers to father andson, "I am satisfied that neither Hobson nor his client has any partin the developments of this afternoon."

  A brief silence followed, during which the attorney watched the twomen before him, noting the strange contrast between them, neveruntil that moment so apparent. Young Mainwaring's boyish face grewpale as he read, and he occasionally glanced at Mr. Whitney, asthough seeking in his face either confirmation or contradiction ofthe report, but he remained calm and self-possessed, preserving hisgentlemanly bearing to the close of the interview. The face of theelder man, however, rapidly assumed an almost apoplectic hue, theveins standing out from his temples like whip-cords, and when hespoke his voice trembled with rage. He was the first to break thesilence, as, with an oath, he flung the papers upon the floor,exclaiming,--

  "It is a lie from beginning to end! The most preposterousfabrication of falsehood that could be devised! The 'will,' as itis called, is nothing but a rank forgery, and the man who daresassert any claim to the estate is a damned impostor, and I'll tellhim so to his face!"

  "I examined the document very carefully, Mr. Mainwaring," said theattorney, "and I shall have to admit that it certainly had everyappearance of genuineness; if it is a forgery, it is an exceedinglyclever one."

  "Do you mean to tell me that you believe, for one moment, in thisbalderdash?" demanded Ralph Mainwaring, at the same time rising andstriding about the room in his wrath. "The utter absurdity of thething, that such a will ever existed, in the first place, and thenthat it would be secreted all these years only to be 'discovered'just at this critical moment! It is the most transparent inventionI ever heard of, and it is a disgrace to your American courts thatthe thing was not quashed at once!"

  "That could not very well be done," said Mr. Whitney, with a quietsmile; "and as the matter now stands, the only course left open forus is to prepare ourselves for a thorough investigation of the case."

  "Investigation be damned!" interrupted the other, but, before hecould proceed further, he was in turn interrupted by youngMainwaring.

  "I say, governor, you'd best cool down a bit and listen to what Mr.Whitney has to say; if this thing is a forgery, we surely can proveit so; and if it isn't, why, all the bluster in the world won't helpit, you know."

  His father faced him with a look of withering contempt. "'If' itis a forgery! I tell you there are no 'ifs' about it. I suppose,though, you are just fool enough that, if any man made a pretenceof a claim to the estate, you would simply hand it over to him,and thank him for taking it off your hands!"

  "That's just where you are wrong, governor. I would fight him, fairand square, and he would have to prove a better claim than minebefore he could win. But the point is this, don't
you know, you canfight better with your head cool and your plans well laid beforehand."

  "The young man is right," said Mr. Whitney, quickly; "there is everyindication that our opponent, whoever or whatever he may be, is wellprepared for contesting the case. I understand he has plenty ofevidence on his side and the best of legal counsel."

  "Evidence, I suppose," interposed Ralph Mainwaring, with a sneer,"in support of a document that never existed, and a man that neverlived on the face of the earth; for Harold Mainwaring never had aliving son. Have you seen this remarkable individual?"

  "I believe no one in this country has seen him as yet, sir. He isexpected to arrive on the 'Umbria,' which I understand is due theearly part of next week."

  The face of the other showed slight surprise at this statement, but,before he could speak, the young man inquired,--

  "I say, Mr. Whitney, what sort of a man is this attorney, Sutherland?Is he another Hobson?"

  Mr. Whitney shook his head significantly. "Mr. Sutherland is one ofthe ablest men in his profession. I consider him a fine jurist, aneloquent pleader, and a perfect gentleman. I had some conversationwith him after court adjourned, and while he, of course, stated nodetails, he gave me to understand that his client had a strong case.He also informed me that Barton & Barton, of London, had beenretained in the case, and that his client would be accompanied tothis country by the junior member of the firm, Alfred Barton."

  "By Jove, that looks bad for us!" ejaculated young Mainwaring,while his father exclaimed, impatiently,--

  "Barton & Barton? Impossible! that is mere bombast! Why, man,the Bartons, father and sons, have been the family solicitors ofthe Mainwarings for the past fifty years. The old firm of Barton& Sons had charge of the settlement of the estate when it passedinto Hugh Mainwaring's possession at the death of his father."

  "So I had understood," said the attorney; "I have heard Mr.Mainwaring himself speak of them."

  "And," continued the other, "only a few days before sailing forAmerica, I called at their chambers in London and told them ofHugh's intentions regarding my son and received theircongratulations. Now, sir, do you mean to tell me, in the faceof all this, that Barton & Barton are retained by this mushroomclaimant, whoever he is? Pooh! preposterous!"

  Mr. Whitney shook his head slowly. "Mr. Sutherland is not the manto make any misstatements or allow himself to be misinformed. AllI have to say is, if those attorneys are retained in the case, itcertainly looks as though our opponent must have some tenableground in support of his claim. I am inclined to think they willmake us a hard fight, but I am confident that we will win in theend. The main point is this: we must be prepared to meet them onwhatever ground they may take, and, after hearing their side andthe proof they set up, we can easily determine our line of defence."

  "To the deuce with your line of defence! I tell you, Whitney, thereis just one point to be maintained, and, by my soul, it shall bemaintained at any cost!" and the speaker emphasized his words bybringing his clinched hand down upon a table beside him withterrific force "that point is this: Harold Scott Mainwaring neverhad a living, lawful son; no such person exists, or ever hasexisted on the face of the earth, and I can prove what I say."

  "Have you absolute proof of that?" Mr. Whitney inquired, quickly.

  "I have," replied Ralph Mainwaring, triumphantly, while his cold,calculating gray eyes glittered like burnished steel. "If any manthinks I have been asleep for the past twenty-one years, he isdeucedly mistaken. Mr. Whitney, since the day of that boy's birth,"pointing to his son, "I have had but one fixed resolve, which hasbeen paramount to everything else, to which everything else hashad to subserve,--the Mainwaring estate with its millions shouldone day be his. Not a day has passed in which this was notuppermost in my mind; not a day in which I have not scanned thehorizon in every direction to detect the least shadow likely tointervene between me and the attainment of the dearest object ofmy life. When the news of Harold Mainwaring's death reachedEngland, in order to guard against the possibility of a claim everbeing asserted in that direction, I set myself at once to the taskof finding for a certainty whether or not he had left any issue.I never rested day or night until, after infinite labor and pains,I had secured the certificate of the attendant physician to theeffect that the only child of Harold Mainwaring died within anhour from its birth."

  "Have you that certificate now?" inquired the attorney.

  "Not here; it is among my private papers at home."

  "Cable for it at once; with the death of Harold Mainwaring's childfully established, the will would cut no figure, one way or another."

  "That will," said Ralph Mainwaring, fiercely, turning upon Mr.Whitney with an expression which the latter had never seen, "let metell you, will cut no figure one way or another in any event. Thatwill, remember, is a forgery; and, if necessary, I will prove it so,if it takes my last shilling and the last drop of my heart's bloodto do it; do you understand?"

  The attorney understood, and was more than ever convinced in his ow mind that the old will filed that day was genuine.

  Meanwhile, in another part of the city, Mrs. LaGrange sat alone inher apartments, awaiting the coming of Richard Hobson. It wasconsiderably past the hour which he had set and daylight was slowlymerging into dusk, yet enough light still remained to show thechanges which the last few weeks had wrought in her face. Herfeatures looked pinched and drawn, and a strange pallor had replacedthe rich coloring of the olive skin, while her dark eyes, cold andbrilliant as ever, had the look of some wild creature suddenlybrought to bay. She shuddered now, as, from her window, she saw thecringing form of Hobson approaching the building.

  "To think," she exclaimed to herself, passionately, "that thatcreature is the only one to whom I can go for counsel or advice! Iloathe the very sight of him; fool that I was ever to place myselfwithin his power! I thought I could use him as a tool like therest; but it is like playing with edged tools; yet I dare not lethim go."

  A moment later, she heard a stealthy, cat-like tread in the corridoroutside, followed by a low, peculiar tap at the door, and Hobsonentered.

  She crossed the room slowly, keeping her face in the shadow, and,motioning him to a chair, seated herself opposite, watching himnarrowly.

  "You are late," she said, coldly, in response to his greeting.

  "Admitted, my lady," he replied, in his usual unctuous tones, "butI naturally wished to ascertain all the facts possible regardingthis new deal, and, seeing Whitney nosing about on the trail, Idecided to remain within ear-shot and pick up what information Icould second-hand."

  "What did you learn?"

  "Nothing very definite, and yet enough, perhaps, to give us ourcue until further developments. My dear lady, what do you think ofthis new turn of affairs?"

  "The whole thing is simply preposterous; a piece of the mostconsummate audacity I ever dreamed of!"

  "Ha! I thought it would strike you as particularly nervy. It isthe most daring bit of invention I have seen for some time; and itmust be a pretty cleverly concocted scheme and pretty well backedwith the ducats also, for I learned to-night that the 'heir,'"laying special emphasis on the word, "has secured the services ofBarton & Barton, and those birds are too old to be caught withchaff; besides, you know as well as I the part that firm has takenin the Mainwaring affairs."

  "Barton & Barton? Incredible! The case is hopeless then for RalphMainwaring: he is a fool if he expects to win."

  "Just what I was leading up to. Whitney is no match even for thisman, Sutherland, and he will be a mere child in the hands of theBartons. Now, the question is, where do we come in? As you say,Ralph Mainwaring's case is hopeless, unless--" and he lookedsignificantly at his client.

  "I do not think I quite catch the drift of your meaning," she answered,slowly.

  "Has it not occurred to you that there are not two people in existencewho can so quickly tear to shreds the scheme of this impostor asyou and I? There is not a human being living outside of myself whoknows the
real facts concerning that will; and who could give sucheffective and convincing testimony regarding Harold Mainwaring'sson as yourself?"

  "Admitting all this, what do you propose?"

  "When Ralph Mainwaring has staked his highest card and finds thatthe game is irrevocably lost, what will he not give at the lastcritical moment for assistance such as we can then furnish him?"

  "And which course would you pursue in that event?" she asked, atinge of irony in her tone. "Would you deny that such a will everexisted in face of whatever evidence may be brought forward in itssupport? or would you admit being a party to the destruction ofthe will?"

  "My dear madam, I am perfectly capable of conducting this affairto our mutual satisfaction and without running my head into any trap,as you so pleasantly suggest. And right here allow me to say thatit would be just as well for you not to make those insinuationswhich you are so fond of throwing out at random. As I said before,no living person outside of myself, including even yourself, knowsthe facts regarding that will. You have your own surmises, but theyare only surmises, and you had best keep them to yourself as youknow enough of me by this time to know it will be to your interestto accept my suggestions and fall in line with my plans."

  Her face was in the shadow, and he did not see the scornful curl ofher lip or her peculiar expression, as she remarked coldly,--

  "You are only wasting words and time in your efforts to intimidateme. You have not yet made any suggestions or outlined any plans.I have asked you what you propose to do."

  "I have not time to go into details, but, briefly stated, I propose,when the right opportunity presents itself, to prove, first, thatthis document filed to-day is a forgery. If I can show conclusivelythat the original will was accidentally lost, or intentionallydestroyed, or if I happen to have the original in my possession,--underany of these conditions I gain my first point. Then, throughyour testimony, I shall demonstrate unequivocally a still moreimportant point, that this so-called heir is a gross impostor, thatno such individual exists."

  "And for this, you expect--what?"

  "For this I shall demand a handsome remuneration, to be divided, ofcourse, between yourself and myself, and Ralph Mainwaring will onlytoo gladly give the half of his kingdom for such services."

  "And your testimony would have so much weight with Ralph Mainwaringand the Bartons, and with every one else who has any knowledge ofyour London history!"

  Hobson winced visibly, but before he could reply she continued:

  "You are talking the most arrant foolishness. You know that thosemen would not allow your testimony in court; they would very quicklyprocure evidence to show that your word, even under oath, isworthless; that you are a liar, a perjurer and a--"

  "Not so fast, not so fast, my lady. If past histories are to beraked up, I know of one which embraces a much wider area than Londonalone; Melbourne, for instance, and Paris and Vienna, to say nothingof more recent events!"

  "Do your worst, and I will do mine!" she replied, defiantly. "Thatis nothing to the point, however. What I have to say is this: Youare a fool if you think that you or I can ever extort money fromRalph Mainwaring. He would give no credence whatever to anythingthat you might say, and if once my identity were revealed to him,he would go through fire and blood rather than that one shilling ofhis should ever become mine."

  "And what do you propose to do?" he asked, sullenly. "Do youintend to give up the game?"

  "Give up? Never! I would give my life first! I will yet have myrevenge on the Mainwarings, one and all; and I will repay themdouble for all the insult and ignominy they have heaped upon me."

  "That is to the point; but how will you accomplish it?" said Hobson,in a more conciliatory tone, for each feared the other, and hethoroughly understood the spirit of his client. "Let us bereasonable about this; you and I have too much at stake and toomany interests in common for us to quarrel like children."

  "If I were differently situated, I can assure you we would then havevery few interests in common," she replied, bitterly.

  "Well, supposing you were, what would you do in this case?" heinquired, softly, apparently taking no notice of her remark, butin reality making a mental note of it for future reckoning.

  "Defeat Ralph Mainwaring, by all means; if necessary, producetestimony to show that this will is genuine. If he spends his lastshilling to fight the case, so much the better. Then, when thecase is settled and this so-called heir is master of the situation,or supposes himself so, bring suit to show that he is an impostor,and assert my own claim as the nearest living heir."

  Hobson whistled softly. "A plan worthy of your ambition, my lady,but hardly feasible. It is one thing to assert a claim, andanother to be able to establish it. Through your over-ambitionyou would lose in the end, for, should you succeed in dispossessingthis stranger, Ralph Mainwaring would surely come forward with hisclaim, and you would be beaten."

  "When I lay down arms to a Mainwaring, I will lay down my life also,"she answered, proudly.

  "You think so, perhaps; but let me tell you the best course for youto pursue is to make terms, either with Ralph Mainwaring, as Ifirst suggested, or else with this new-comer--should he provevictorious--by threatening to expose his whole scheme."

  Mrs. LaGrange made no reply, and Hobson, rising to take leave, sawher face for the first time and paused, surprised at its strangeexpression.

  "Well?" he said, with a look of inquiry.

  "My thoughts were wandering just then," she said, with a faintsmile, and her tone was so changed the voice scarcely seemed herown. "I was wishing, just for the moment, that this stranger,whoever he may be, was in reality the one he claims to be. Iwould need no attorney to make terms with him then!"

  "You forget; he would be a Mainwaring!"

  "Yes; but he would be the only Mainwaring and the only human beingI could ever have loved, and I would have loved him better thanmy own life."

  "Love!" repeated Hobson, with a sneer. "Who would ever havethought to hear that word from your lips! But how about your son,Walter; do you not love him?"

  "Him!" she exclaimed, passionately; "the price I paid hoping towin Hugh Mainwaring! I am proud of him as my own flesh and blood,but love him? Never!"

  "But you have not yet told me what you think of my last suggestion,"he said, tentatively, watching her closely. Her manner changedinstantly; rising with all her accustomed hauteur and turning fromhim with a gesture of dismissal, she replied,--

  "Come to me later, when I shall have measured lances with our newopponent, and you shall have your answer."

  He would have spoken, but her dismissal was final, and withdarkening face he left the room.