The Third Volume

by Fergus Hume

  CHAPTER XIX.

  TAIT BRINGS NEWS.

  AS quick as a fast hansom could take him, Claude drove to Earls Street,and found Tait impatiently waiting his arrival. The little man had alook of triumph in his eyes, which showed that his interview with Mrs.Bezel had been to some purpose. Dormer had placed wine and biscuits onthe table, and, made hungry by his long journey to Hampstead, Tait waspartaking of these modest refreshments when Claude entered the room.

  "I thought you were never coming," said he, glancing at his watch; "pastten o'clock. You must have had an interesting conversation withHilliston to stay so long."

  "I have had a very interesting conversation. And you?"

  "Oh, I got back thirty minutes ago, after being more than an hour withyour mother."

  "Was she disappointed at my non-appearance?"

  "Very much so, but I explained that you had to dine with Hilliston. Shedid not seem to like that either."

  "Absurd! She thinks no end of Hilliston, and advised me to see as muchof him as possible."

  "Nevertheless, the idea that you were dining with him did not pleaseher; I could only quiet her by telling all I know about Mrs. Hilliston."

  When Tait made this remark Claude was taking off his cloak, but hepaused in doing so to ask a question.

  "What possible interest can my mother have in Mrs. Hilliston?"

  "I don't know. But she asked me who she was, and where she came from.Insisted on a description of her looks, and altogether pumped me dry onthe subject. I suppose she wished to know something of Hilliston'sdomestic felicity, and, as he has not enlightened her on the subject,applied to me."

  This explanation, which was accepted implicitly by Claude, was by nomeans the truth. With his usual sharpness Tait had noted Mrs. Bezel wasprofoundly jealous of the lawyer's wife, and from this, and sundry otherhints, had drawn conclusions by no means flattering to the lady herself.Still, as she was Claude's mother, he had too much good breeding, andtoo much liking for his friend, to state his belief--which was that thebond between Mr. Hilliston and Mrs. Bezel was not of so harmless anature as they would have the world believe.

  With this idea in his head, Tait began to look at the case from thepoint of view adopted by John Parver. Might it not be true thatHilliston was the secret lover of the wife and the murderer of thehusband? Certainly the efforts he was making to stay Claude in solvingthe mystery gave color to the idea. If he were innocent of crime andillicit passion he would surely be anxious to hasten, instead ofretarding, the discovery. Tait's private opinion was that Hilliston hadthe crime of murder on his soul, but for obvious reasons, notunconnected with Mrs. Bezel, he did not care to speak openly to Larcher.On the contrary, while admitting a disbelief in the lawyer, he feigned adoubt of his complicity in the matter which he was far from feeling.

  Under these circumstances he had advised Claude to leave the matteralone, for he dreaded the effect on his friend's mind when he learnedthe truth.

  Whether Hilliston proved innocent or not, the unraveling of the mysterywould necessarily result in the disclosure of the relations existingbetween him and Mrs. Bezel. Tait shrank from pursuing investigationslikely to lead to such a result, but the determination of Claude toavenge his father's murder left him no option. Against his betterjudgment he was urged along the path of discovery; but trusted when thetime came to soften the blow of the inevitable result.

  In silence he heard the story related by Claude of the evening atHilliston's, and did not comment on the information thus given sospeedily as Larcher expected. He thought it wiser to delay any remarkstill he had told the young man of his interview with Mrs. Bezel.

  "I need not go into details, Claude," he said, anxious not to say toomuch, "but will tell you as shortly as I can. Mrs. Bezel--it is moreconvenient to speak of her so than to call her your mother--is notpleased that you should try and solve this mystery."

  "I know that. She thinks it is hopeless, and is unwilling that I shouldwaste my time to no purpose. But she should have thought of that beforeinducing Hilliston to show me the paper. Now it is too late, and for myown satisfaction, if not for hers, I must go on with the matter. Did yourelate our conversation with Linton?"

  "Yes. And she takes the same view of it as Hilliston. That Miss Payntongot the case from a bundle of old newspapers."

  "What do you think yourself?"

  "I still hold to my opinion," said Tait quietly. "The affair was relatedto Jenny by someone who lived in Horriston at the time the murder tookplace. Else she would never have given Linton that fact about thescarfpin, which, as we know, is not mentioned in the report of thetrial."

  "Hilliston says that the episode is fiction."

  "Mrs. Bezel says it is fact."

  "What! Was a scarfpin of garnets really found in the grounds of TheLaurels?"

  "It was. Mrs. Bezel described the jewel to me, and asserted that it wasdiscovered near the bank of the stream."

  "Does she know to whom it belonged?"

  "No! She had no recollection of having seen it before. Neither yourfather nor Jeringham wore a scarfpin of that pattern."

  "It is curious that Hilliston should insist that such a pin neverexisted."

  "It is very curious," assented Tait significantly, "especially as it wasshown to him by Denis Bantry. This one fact ought to convince you thatHilliston is playing us false."

  "My doubts were confirmed by his manner to-night," replied Claudegloomily. "I don't know what his reason may be, or how I can reconcilehis present behavior with his kindness to my mother, but he certainlyseems anxious to thwart us if he can."

  Tait guessed what the reason was very well, but was too wise to explainhimself. Granted that a bond existed between Mrs. Bezel and the lawyer,and the whole thing became clear, but Mrs. Bezel was Claude's mother, soTait held his peace.

  "Why wasn't the scarfpin produced at the trial?" asked Claude, seeinghis friend made no answer.

  "Only one man can answer that question--Denis Bantry."

  "Does my mother know where he is?"

  "No. She has not set eyes on him since she left Horriston."

  "It is strange that he should have suppressed so important a piece ofevidence," said Claude meditatively, "devoted as he was to my father. Ishould have thought he would have done his best to bring the murderer tojustice."

  "Perhaps he did not know who the murderer was. However, there is nodoubt that the scarfpin must have told him something about which hejudged it wise to hold his tongue. Perhaps Miss Paynton can enlighten uson the subject."

  "Then she must know Denis Bantry."

  "So I think," said Tait thoughtfully. "The episode of the scarfpin wasonly known to your mother, to Hilliston, and to Bantry. Jenny Payntondoes not know your mother, who denied all knowledge of her. She cannotbe acquainted with Hilliston, or he certainly would not have let hermake use of the affair for Linton's book, even if he had told her. Thereonly remains Denis Bantry. Now, I know that Jenny has lived all her lifeat Thorston, so if she saw this man anywhere it must have been there."

  "Is there anyone in the neighborhood you think is he?" asked Larcher,greatly excited.

  "None that I can call to mind. But then, I don't know the neighborhoodvery well. We must make a thorough exploration of it when we are downthere."

  "Certainly. But it seems to me that the only one who can put us in theright track is the girl."

  "True enough. I only hope she will be amenable to reason."

  Larcher poured himself out a glass of wine and drank it slowly. Then helighted his pipe and returned to his chair with a new idea in his head.

  "I wonder why Hilliston told that lie about the scarfpin, Tait?"

  "Ask me something easier. I cannot say. We'll learn nothing from him. Mydear fellow, it is no use asking further questions of your guardian orof your mother. We have found out all from them that we can. Nothing nowremains but to see Jenny Paynton."

  "Quite right. And we go to Thorston to-morr
ow?"

  "By the ordinary train. I have written for the dogcart to meet us. Bythis time next week we may know a great deal--we may know the truth."

  "That is, if Hilliston doesn't thwart us. He is going down toEastbourne, remember."

  "I know. But I intend to get what the Americans call the 'insiderunning,' by seeing Jenny to-morrow evening. The whole case turns on herexplanation of the scarfpin episode.

  "Well," said Claude, knocking the ashes out of his pipe, "we foundLinton through his book, we found Jenny through Linton. Through her wemay find Denis Bantry."

  "And through Denis Bantry we may find the man who killed your father,"finished Tait triumphantly.

  "Well, I know what the name of the man will be."

  "What will it be?"

  "Jeringham."

  Tait shrugged his shoulders. Knowing what he did he was by no meanscertain on that point.