CHAPTER XLVII.
CONCLUSION.
By this time the other inmates of the house, including Mrs. Macdonald,had assembled in the doorway in various stages of attire, in a state ofconsternation and alarm. I had no inkling of what the affair meant; myfirst thought was to revive Flora. I placed her in a big chair, and thefactor hurried off for brandy. Meanwhile Captain Rudstone had waved offthe detaining hold of the law clerk. He stood with folded arms, pale tothe lips, regarding me with an expression of half-veiled scorn.
Macdonald returned with the liquor, and a small portion of it, forcedbetween Flora's teeth, quickly brought her round. She insisted onrising, and clung to me for support.
"Has he escaped?" she asked eagerly. "No, there he is!" she pointed toCaptain Rudstone. "Liar, thief, impostor!" she said, half-hysterically."You are unmasked at last--and by a woman! Denzil, the papers!"
"See, I have them!" I replied.
"Then read them--quick!"
"But what does it mean? Explain, Flora!"
"The papers--they will tell all!"
"Wait!" interrupted Captain Rudstone. "Permit me, gentlemen, to end thislittle comedy with a word. It is very simple. I have played my game, andI have lost--a woman was too sharp for me. I yield to necessity, andthrow up my cards. Mr. Carew, I congratulate you. My lord, you are therightful Earl of Heathermere!"
What foolish words were these? I could only stare, dazed andspeechless, at those around me--at the mocking face of Captain Rudstone.And he had called me Earl of Heathermere!
"It is true!" cried Flora, breaking the spell of silence. "I knew it."
"It is madness!" shouted Christopher Burley, whose countenance hadturned the color of Parchmont.
"Look at the papers, Carew," suggested Macdonald.
I examined them with shaking fingers, having first let go of Flora. Onewas the certificate of marriage of Bertram Carew with the daughter ofthe factor of Fort Beaver; another was the proof of a birth--my birth. Iglanced at the third and largest, and I caught my breath as I saw thefirst few words. I read on--read to the very end--like a man in a dream.Then I handed the document to the factor.
"I can hardly realize it," I said, "but it is all there--writtenplainly. Read it aloud!"
Macdonald did so, and those in the room, Captain Rudstone not excepted,listened with rapt attention. I need not give the contents of the paperword for word, but it meant that my father, Bertram Carew, had beenOsmund Maiden--that I was Osmund Maiden's son and heir. It was allrevealed in the letter, which was addressed to me, and was written by myfather. In it he told of the family quarrel in England years before, ofhis voyage to the Canadas in quest of adventure and fortune, of hismeeting and subsequent friendship with a young man named Myles Rudstone,of the dispute in the Montreal gambling den, and the shooting of theFrenchman Henri Salvat.
Then followed an account of the flight and journeying of the two--OsmundMaiden and Myles Rudstone--how they traveled in haste from Montreal toFort Garry, from the fort to the northern wilderness, where they wereattacked by a party of treacherous Indians. My father was struck downand left for dead, and was found by the factor of Fort Beaver, whonursed him until he was recovered. Of Myles Rudstone no trace wasdiscovered, and he was believed to have been carried off a prisoner bythe Indians. The conclusion of the narrative dealt with my father'ssubsequent life up to shortly before his death. From the time he met thefactor he took the name of Bertrand Carew, and carefully preserved thesecret of his identity. He did this, of course, through fear of theconsequences of the Montreal brawl, the result of which he could neverhave learned. There was also in the letter a reference to the cryptogramat Fort Beaver, and to the receipt for the trunk left at Fort Garry. Iomit some personal instructions that would be of less interest to thereader.
Macdonald, having finished reading the paper aloud, returned it to me.
"Bless me, I don't know what to make of it all!" he exclaimed. "It isbewildering; it beats anything that one reads in fiction!"
"The proofs, Mr. Carew, if you please," said Christopher Burley.
He spoke in a quick, anxious voice.
I handed the three papers to him and a very brief scrutiny of themseemed to satisfy him.
"They are indisputable," he declared. "They leave no room for doubt."
He made me a low bow.
"My lord, pray accept my sincere congratulations," he added. "I amconvinced that you are the real Earl of Heathermere." I tried to thankhim, but the words faltered on my lips. I was beginning to comprehendthe amazing, wonderful truth.
"As for this man," went on the law clerk, pointing to Captain Rudstone,"this detected impostor--"
"I am that no longer, sir," interrupted the captain. "You will please toremember that I have renounced my claim."
"But why did you conceive such a daring scheme in the first place?"asked Macdonald. "It will be better for you to make a full confession."
"I am quite willing to do that," replied Captain Rudstone. "I will nottry your patience long--it is a short story. My first meeting withOsmund Maiden was in Quebec, a few days after his arrival from England.There was a certain resemblance between us, and we took a fancy to eachother; we decided to cast our fortunes together. Unluckily, however, wehad that row in Montreal--it was I who shot Henri Salvat--and thisstarted us off to the wilderness in a hurry. But you are already awareof these facts, of our brief stop at Fort Garry, and of our adventurewith the Indians. I was a prisoner among them for months, and finally Iescaped to the south, believing that Osmund Maiden was dead. After thatI lived, as I have told you, in the States, England and on theContinent.
"And now," he continued, "I will take up the thread of my narrative inQuebec a few months ago, where I made the acquaintance of Denzil Carewand Christopher Burley. I was struck at once by the remarkable likenessthe former bore to Osmund Maiden as I remembered him. As for the lawclerk, I suspected what his errand was, and from that time I began toconsider the chances of passing myself off for Osmund Maiden. We hadbeen of the same age, not unlike each other, and he had told me everyincident of his early life. The thing seemed impossible at first, butwhen I learned from a paper at Fort York that the Earl of Heathermereand his two elder sons were dead, I was more than ever set on gainingthe rich prize.
"And a strange fate played the game into my hands later, as you shallsee. You remember the cryptogram at old Fort Beaver, Carew. Well, thatgave me something to think about--I had an inkling of the truth then.And soon afterward I found the key to it. How? you will ask. I will tellyou. It was in the locket worn by the Indian you shot--the Indian whohad killed your father years before. I managed to take it out andconceal it----"
"You stole it!" I cried bitterly.
"Call it that, if you like," he answered, with a shrug of the shoulders."I tore up the key, but here is a translation of the cryptogram."
He handed me a slip of paper, and I read aloud the following:
"To my son, Denzil Carew: To discover secret of my birth, search for papers in North Tower, behind third stone above door. Your father. "BERTRAND CAREW."
"That same night," resumed Captain Rudstone, "when I was on guard at thecamp, I slipped away into the storm. I reached Port Beaver the next day,read the cryptogram, and found the papers; with them were the receiptfor the trunk at Fort Garry and the key. I was now in possession ofproofs which I believed would secure for me the title and estates of theEarl of Heathermere. But I need say no more--you know the rest. I havefailed in the hour of triumph, and I accept my defeat with thephilosophy that has ever been a part of my nature. If I felt anyscruples, Carew, they were on your account. You are a good fellow, and Iam glad you have come into your own. As for me I suppose I must pay thepenalty of my misdeeds."
With that the captain finished his story and stood regarding us with animpassive, cynical look on his handsome face. I confess that I pitiedhim from my heart, as I thought of
hia wasted talents, of the months ofcomradeship we had spent together. Indeed, I had never liked him morethan I did at that moment, and yet he would have robbed me withoutcompunction of my birthright.
"This is a serious matter, Captain Rudstone," Macdonald said sternly."You have confessed to a great crime. I will decide to-morrow what is tobe done with you. For the present I must keep you in safe custody."
"Quite right, sir," the captain assented, and a moment later he left theroom, walking erect between the factor and Lieutenant Boyd.
"Now for your story," I said, turning to Flora. "I have not the leastidea how--"
"Let me see that ring, Denzil," she interrupted--"the one you showed meonce before."
I took it from my pocket--the seal ring that had belonged to myfather--and the moment he saw it Christopher Burley cried out:
"The Heathermere crest!"
"Yes, the same that was on the letters Captain Rudstone took from thetrunk!" exclaimed Flora. "It was this discovery, made at the time, thatroused my suspicions. Instead of saying anything about the matter, Idetermined to watch Captain Rudstone. I crept last night to an emptyroom adjoining his and observed him through a hole in the wall. He hadthe papers out, and was talking to himself; but he could not make up hismind to destroy them. To-night, when I heard him pass my door, I slippedto the room again. I was just in time, for he had made a fire in thestove. I knew he was going to burn the papers. I dashed into his room,snatched them from him, and held him at bay with a pistol. I think Ifired at him in my excitement, but I fortunately missed. And then--thenyou came to my assistance."
"My darling, can you ever forgive me?" I said to her, in a low voice."You have given me riches and a title, and how basely I repaid yourefforts in my behalf! To think that I could have suspected you for asingle moment!"
"Hush! it is all forgotten and forgiven," she replied. "But we hadbetter give each other up, Denzil. You don't want me for your wife--you,a peer of England, with a long line of noble ancestors!"
My answer satisfied her scruples--the others had meanwhile left theroom, and as she lay trembling in my arms, I felt how unworthy I was ofall the gifts Heaven had bestowed upon me.
It is time to write Finis. A few more words and the curtain will drop onthe story of my life. That night, to my secret delight and to thefactor's great relief, Captain Rudstone effected his escape. He droppedfrom the window of the room in which he was confined, scaled thestockade and vanished in the wilderness. No search was made for him, andI have heard nothing of him from that day to this. I often think of him,and I would give much to see him once again. He is probably dead, for ifhe were living now he would be more than eighty years of age.
But to return to Fort Garry. Within a week Flora and I were married, anda fortnight later we started for Quebec, accompanied by ChristopherBurley. We reached England toward the close of the summer, and my casewas so clear that in a comparatively short time
I was in full possessionof my father's birthright--the title and estates of the Earl ofHeathermere. The years rolled on, rich in happiness for my wife andmyself, until now three decades separate us from the early life of theCanadas--of that life which we recall so well and love dearly to talkof.
In conclusion, I may say a word or two about the rival companies. InJune of 1816 a sharp conflict was fought at Fort Douglas, near FortGarry, Governor Semple, of the Hudson Bay Company, and twenty-two of hismen were killed by the Northwest Company's force, who themselvessuffered little loss. The next year Lord Selkirk came to Canada, raiseda force, and arrested most of the leading officials of the NorthwestCompany, sending them to Quebec for trial. And how the Hudson BayCompany held its own against rivalry and intrigue, how it protected itsrights, the reader will find set down in the records of history.
THE END.
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Transcriber's Notes:
1. This text appeared in several publications: "The Cryptogram. A Story of Northwest Canada." - Army and Navy Weekly No. 27-35 (1897-98) - Half Holiday No. 1-9 (5 Feb-2 Apr. 1898) - New York: Street and Smith (Medal Library No. 26), 1899. - Philadelphia: David McKay, 1899.2. This text is from the 1899 Street and Smith edition.3. Punctuation has been normalized to contemporary standards.4. Printer's errors corrected in text: - the great beast came down with a c[r]ash. (crash) - Capta[i]n Rudstone, who was standing (Captain) - For Miss Hatherston's sake we must not be taken. (Hatherton's) - Baptiste and I ventu[r]ed to lift our heads. (ventured) - A short dis[t]ance below (distance) - here st[r]etched the (stretched) - still ke[e]ping his finger on the trigger (keeping) - "Ay, Pantherfo[o]t," I replied. (Pantherfoot) - "I will speak of these mat[t]ers later," (matters) - offi[c]ers of the company (officers) - man[n]erism I had observed (mannerism) - nothing mattered the next ins[t]ant (instant) - we were join[e]d by half a dozen men (joined) - branches lopped off s[h]ort (short) - surpr[i]se, and knelt on the opposite side (surprise) - pour a hund[r]ed braves into the fort (hundred) - and there can be do doubt (no doubt) - but soun-dheaded," said the factor. (sound-headed) - upperhand of him this time (upper hand) - important dsipatches secretly intrusted (dispatches) - Parchment & Tolliver (Parchmont & Tolliver) - into the the wilderness (repeated word) - speaking of Mackzenie (Mackenzie) - Rallying what strength a could (I could) - but her merely shrugged (he merely shrugged) - Lavinge cried out (Lavigne) - Lavinge's wounded arm (Lavigne's) - doubtless Lavinge's body (Lavigne's) - bceause of the Indian you shot (because) - across the inclossure (inclosure) - will carry everytihng before it (everything) - Northwest people fore for a small trading post (people for a) - fire was blazily cheerily (blazing cheerily) - and, morever, I felt (moreover)------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Cryptogram: A Story of Northwest Canada Page 47