CHAPTER XXII
SECESSION IN THE RANKS
When Ralph Mainwaring and Mr. Whitney arrived at the club they foundyoung Mainwaring already awaiting them at their private table, butit was far from a social group which sat down to dinner that evening.The elder Mainwaring still preserved an ominous silence, and in hisdark, glowering face few would have recognized the urbane guest whomHugh Mainwaring had introduced to his small coterie of friends lessthan three months before. The younger man, though holding adesultory conversation with the attorney, yet looked decidedlybored, while from time to time he regarded his father with a cynicalexpression entirely new to his hitherto ingenuous face. Mr. Whitney,always keenly alert to his surroundings, became quickly consciousof a sudden lack of harmony between father and son, and feelinghimself in rather a delicate position, carefully refrained in hisremarks from touching upon any but the most neutral ground.
A couple of hours later, as the three with a box of cigars weregathered around an open fire in Ralph Mainwaring's apartments, itwas noticeable that young Mainwaring was unusually silent. In afew moments, however, his father's long pent-up wrath burst forth.
Addressing the attorney in no very pleasant tone, he demanded, "Well,sir, what do you now propose to do about this matter?"
"It is to be a fight, then, is it?" Mr. Whitney asked with a smile,knocking the ashes from his cigar.
"Yes, by my soul, and a fight to the finish. Understand, I willhave no time lost. This farce has got to be quashed at once, andthe sooner the better, so you may enter protest and file anapplication for hearing, or whatever your mode of procedure is inthis country, at the earliest possible moment. Meanwhile, I'llsecure the best legal talent that money can get to help you. I'vea longer purse than that old Australian sheep-herder thinks, andwhen the time for contest comes, I'll meet him on his own ground."
"If you are going to employ additional counsel," interposed Mr.Whitney, "allow me to suggest the name of P. B. Hunnewell, of thiscity; he is one of the ablest attorneys in the United States,particularly in matters of this kind. His fees are somewhatexorbitant, but money is no object with you in this case."
"None whatever," the other interrupted, impatiently; "we will retainthis Hunnewell upon your recommendation, but in the morning I shall cable for Upham & Blackwell, of London. They rank right in thesame line with Barton & Barton; they have conducted considerablebusiness for me, and I am satisfied," he added, with peculiaremphasis, "they could not be tampered with or bought at any price.I shall also cable for Graham, the expert on chirography and on allkinds of forgeries, and we will have his decision upon that will.I am going, first of all, understand, to have that document provena forgery. That done, the whole fabrication of this cunning impostorfalls to the ground, and then, when I have him completely flooredin that direction, he will find that I have only just begun with him."
"How is that?" questioned the attorney. "You surely do not intendto dispute his identity after the unmistakable proofs submitted?"
"I care nothing about his identity," Mainwaring retorted, with asneer. "Whether he is the son of Harold Mainwaring or of FrederickScott, matters little; both were renegades and outcasts from theirhomes. No, sir," and there was a ring of exultation in his tone,while his steel-gray eyes glittered, "I have a surprise in storefor the young man; when he gets through with this contest, he willfind himself under arrest as the murderer of Hugh Mainwaring."
Young Mainwaring rose suddenly and began pacing the room, whileMr. Whitney exclaimed,--
"Mr. Mainwaring, you astonish me! I certainly fail to see how youcan connect the young man with that terrible affair."
"What else could be expected of a man who acknowledges that foryears he has been dogging the steps of Hugh Mainwaring and actingthe part of a spy, not only in his private offices, but even inhis own home, stooping to any means, no matter how contemptible,to further his nefarious designs? Would such a man, when hisschemes were finally matured, have any scruples about taking thelife of the one who stood in the way of their fulfilment?"
"But, sir," protested the attorney, "such a deed would be whollyunnecessary. Admitting all that you have said regarding the meansemployed by him, would it not be much more reasonable to supposethat he would attempt to bring his man to terms either through apersonal interview or by bringing suit against him, rather thanby resorting to brutal crime?"
"And supposing he did have a personal interview for the purpose ofsetting forth his claims, do you think that Hugh Mainwaring wouldbe bamboozled by any of his cheap trickery? No, sir, not for onemoment. He would simply pronounce the whole thing a sham. Well,sir, if you will recall some of the testimony at the inquest, youwill see that is precisely what occurred. Hugh Mainwaring, withintwenty or thirty minutes preceding his death, was heard to denouncesome one as a 'liar' and an 'impostor.' An 'impostor,' mark you!Very applicable to the case we are now supposing. And in thealtercation which followed, the other party called him a 'thief,'and made some allusion--I do not recall the exact words--to hisbeing 'transported to the wilds of Australia.' Now, sir, there isno doubt in the mind of any sane man that those words were spokenby the murderer of Hugh Mainwaring, and I think now we have apretty good clue to his identity."
"But the young man stated emphatically this morning that he madeno mention of the will to Hugh Mainwaring."
"To the devil with his statements! There is evidence enough againsthim that he will be ruined when I get through with him. He hasdared to try to thwart me in the plans of a lifetime, and I'll makeit the worst piece of business he ever undertook. Understand, Iwant you to institute proceedings against him at once!"
"Governor," said young Mainwaring, quietly, before Mr. Whitney couldrespond to this tirade, "in whose name will these proceedings beinstituted, yours or mine?"
"Well," replied his father, with a sneer, "I don't know that itmakes any particular difference to you in whose name it is done,so long as it is for your benefit."
"Begging your pardon, sir, I believe it does make considerabledifference. And I will say right here that I will have noproceedings entered, either in my name or for my benefit, for tworeasons: first, Harold Scott Mainwaring is no impostor; we hadabundant proof to-day that, under the terms of that will, he is thesole claimant to the property; and second, you know, sir, as wellas I, that years ago, your own servant, John Wilson, told you thatsuch a will had existed, and there is every ground for believingthat this document is genuine. I just begin to understand yourlittle game, governor, and, by Jove! I will not be a party to it."
Up to this point, astonishment at his son's audacity seemed to havebereft Ralph Mainwaring of the power of speech, but now he demandedin thunderous tones, while his face grew purple with rage, "What doyou mean, sir, by daring to address such language to me? Youimpudent upstart! let me tell you that you had best attend to yourown business!"
"This is the second time you have told me that today," said theyoung man, calmly, though the hot blood was fast rising; "allow meto inform you, governor, with all due respect, that henceforth Iwill attend to my own business, and will not trouble you to attendto it for me. If you had any just or tenable grounds for theproceedings you are about to institute, I would have nothing to say;but, begging your pardon, you have none whatever; it is simply apiece of dirty work with which I will have nothing to do."
"You ungrateful dog! This is your return for my care andforethought for you, is it? Do you retract every word which youhave said, or I'll cut you off without a penny," and with a fearfuloath he swung himself around in his chair with such violence as tooverturn the small onyx table upon which the cigars were standing,shattering it to fragments.
The young man paused directly in front of his father. "I retractnothing," he said, quietly but firmly. "You are at liberty tofollow the example of old Ralph Maxwell Mainwaring if you wish, butyou may regret it later, as he did."
"And do you think Edith Thornton will marry a penniless beggar, apauper? Or do you propose to live upo
n her fortune?"
"No; I will not touch a penny of her fortune," he replied, his cheekflushing; "and I am not quite a pauper, for I have the money leftme by Uncle Tom years ago; and if Edith is the girl to be turnedfrom me under the circumstances, why, the sooner I find it out thebetter."
"A paltry twenty thousand pounds! a fine fortune!" sneered hisfather, ignoring his last remark.
"Many a fortune has been made from a much smaller start; but it isuseless to waste words further. You understand my position, and thatis enough. Mr. Whitney," he continued, addressing the attorney,"according to the terms of Hugh Mainwaring's will, I, and not myfather, am heir to the property, and therefore the one to contestthe claim of Harold Mainwaring if it is contested at all. I wish tostate to you here and now, distinctly, that I will not contest thecase, nor will I authorize any one to do so for me; and now,gentlemen, I bid you both good-evening!" and he quietly left theroom.
"Zounds!" exclaimed the elder man, as the door closed upon his son,"I didn't suppose the boy had so much spirit! I've often wished heand Isabel could change places, because she was so much more likemyself and what I would like a son to be."
"He has the Mainwaring blood all right," replied the attorney, withmore inward admiration for the young man than he dared to express.
"Not if he will throw away a fortune in this manner; it is probablysome boyish whim, however and the young fool will look at it in adifferent light to-morrow."
"I think not, Mr. Mainwaring," said the attorney, quietly; "he isenough like Hugh Mainwaring, and like yourself, that when he decidesupon a certain line of action, he will not be easily turned aside.You may rest assured that he will have nothing whatever to do withthis contest, and that if you wish to carry on the fight, you willhave to do so under your own colors."
"I'll do it, too," he replied, fiercely; "I'll enter proceedings inmy own name, as the nearest heir after Hugh Mainwaring."
"In that case, your brother must be notified, as he will be entitledto share the estate with you; that may cause us some little delay,but--"
"Curse it all!" the other interrupted, angrily; "I had not thoughtof that; he will have to come in for a share; confound that boy'sfoolishness! I'll get hold of him tomorrow morning and see if Icannot talk some reason into him," and Ralph Mainwaring relapsedinto sullen silence. It was a new experience for him to meet withopposition in his own family, least of all from his son, and he feltthe first step must be to quell it, though decidedly at loss justhow to proceed.
A little later, Mr. Whitney, finding his client disinclined tofurther conversation, after making an appointment for the nextmorning, excused himself and took his departure for his ownapartments at the club.
As he passed down the stairway into the spacious hall, what was hissurprise to see Mr. Merrick comfortably ensconced in a large leatherchair, reading the evening papers.
The two men shook hands warmly, and together passed out into thecool, starlit night.
"When did you arrive, Merrick? and from what point of the compass?"inquired the attorney.
"Got in on the 9.30 train," the detective replied, seeming not tohave heard the second question; "learned you were at Mainwaring's,so I stopped in, but told the butler not to disturb you, as I wasin no hurry."
"I noticed you were looking over the evening papers, did you readthe account of this morning's proceedings in court?"
"I did."
"What do you think of them?"
"I am not in the least surprised."
"Not surprised!" echoed the attorney. "Do you mean to say that thereappearance of the missing secretary as the heir to the Mainwaringestate is no surprise to you?"
"None whatever," Merrick replied, with the most exasperatingcoolness, adding, as he noted the other's incredulous smile, "youmay recall a hint given you at Fair Oaks, one evening, of thepossible existence of claimants, perhaps not far distant, whoserights superseded those of Hugh Mainwaring himself."
Mr. Whitney started involuntarily as the detective's words of a fewweeks before were thus recalled, then looking his companion squarelyin the face, he exclaimed, half playfully, half indignantly, "Idon't suppose you will go so far as to claim any familiarity withthat old will which has just been resurrected."
"Well," said Merrick, deliberately stopping to relight his cigar, "Iwas aware that there was such a will in existence, or at least thatit had existed up to the time of Hugh Mainwaring's death, and Isupposed all along that it was in the possession of Harold ScottMainwaring, otherwise known as Harry Scott, secretary."
"By George! when and how did you get hold of all this?" questionedthe attorney, in a tone of bewilderment.
"I was pretty well conversant with the facts in the case a few daysbefore the young man took passage for England, in the 'Campania.'"
"The 'Campania!' Heavens and earth, man! Do you mean to say thathe went over on the same boat with Miss--with the ladies fromFair Oaks?"
"Certainly; and I don't think," Merrick continued, watching theattorney shrewdly, "that Miss--the ladies from Fair Oaks--objectedto him as a fellow-traveller, either."
Mr. Whitney changed the subject. "Then you know that will to begenuine, do you?"
"H'm! am I on the witness stand?"
"No; but I think I ought to subpoena you to keep the other sidefrom getting your testimony; you might make a troublesome witnessagainst us."
"My testimony might be worth much or little; I am not giving it toeither side at present."
"Well, I would not have it go out, of course; but for my part, I aminclined, to believe not only that the will is genuine, but alsothat Ralph Mainwaring knows that it is."
"He will fight it all the same."
"Yes, but on rather different grounds from what he first anticipated,"and Mr. Whitney gave Merrick an account of young Mainwaring'sdefection. "In my private opinion," concluded the attorney, "RalphMainwaring is a fool, for he has got a pretty hard combination to goagainst; they've evidently got a strong case, splendid legal talent,and plenty of money to back it all. However, I'm making a goodthing out of it."
"Yes," said Merrick, enigmatically, "Barton & Barton are undoubtedlymen of great ability in their professions but that 'clerk' of theirswho has come over with the party," with peculiar emphasis, "is thesmartest man in the whole crowd!"
"The clerk! why I thought he seemed rather an insignificant sortof a fellow; what do you know about him?"
For reply the detective only gave a short, unpleasant laugh, and,touching his cap, turned abruptly down another street.
"Hold on!" cried the attorney; "you haven't told me anything aboutyourself yet. What have you been doing? and how long are you goingto be in town?"
"A day or two, perhaps, possibly a week; I cannot say."
"How are you getting on?"
But the detective was lost in thought and apparently did not hearthe question. "I suppose you read of the arrest of Brown, thecoachman?" he remarked, abstractedly, after a moment's silence.
"The coachman? No! you don't say that he was really concerned inthat affair?" the attorney exclaimed, excitedly.
"What affair, the Mainwaring murder? I don't know that I havesaid that he was concerned in that," Merrick answered, suddenlycoming to himself and evidently enjoying the attorney's expressionof blank perplexity; "he was mixed up in a shooting affair, however,which occurred about that time, and by holding him in custody wehope to get on to the principals. Oh," he added, carelessly,anticipating another inquiry from Mr. Whitney, "I'm getting thereall right, if that is what you want to know; but I won't havesomebody else dogging my tracks and then claiming the game by and by."
"Man alive! what in the dickens are you driving at? You are in oneof your moods to-night."
"Perhaps so," Merrick replied, indifferently, then added quickly,"There is a sensation of some sort in there; see the crowd ofreporters!"
They were standing on a street corner, near a large hotel, andglancing through the windows in the direction indicated by thede
tective, Mr. Whitney saw, as he had said, a crowd of reporters inthe office and lobbies, some writing, some talking excitedly, andothers coming and going. Just then one who was leaving the buildingpassed them, and Merrick stopped him.
"What is going on? What's the excitement?"
"Suicide!" the young man replied, hastily. "That woman who wasmixed up in the Mainwaring case has suicided by poison."
The attorney and the detective exchanged startled glances, thenboth entered the hotel.
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