The Silver Bullet - Fergus Hume

Скачать книгу

teach him how to use his riches and be happy."

      "You have most influence over him" said Herrick still hesitating.

      "I have had too much and not for the best" was her gloomy reply, "no; you are the teacher he wants. Besides who knows what may happen to me?"

      Herrick looked at her uneasily. Again she had hinted at something of danger to herself. "I wish you would be plain with me," he said.

      "What do you mean?" asked Mrs. Marsh with a frown.

      "I think you can guess," retorted the doctor. "You hint at your dying; so far as I know there is not the least likelihood of your doing so unless you take an overdose of that chloral which I am always advising you to leave off. Have you some enemy who is likely to----"

      "No!" replied Mrs. Marsh with unnecessary violence, "I have no enemy. But I feel--I have a presentiment--that I am not long for this world. As an Italian you know I am bound to be superstitious."

      "I should think the English part of your blood would revolt against such morbid nonsense. Again I say you are not plain with me."

      "I am. How dare you talk to me so!" cried Mrs. Marsh furiously. "You are the one man I have met in this world of fools, other than that dead devil Carr. If I made a confidant of anyone it would be of you. But so far as I personally am concerned there is nothing to say. But Stephen--" she hesitated and fell to plucking restlessly at the coverlet.

      "Well! You wish me to be his bear-leader? If he is willing, I am willing. A thousand a year is not to be despised. Moreover my conscience is perfectly clear as regards Miss Endicotte."

      "I understand. If she loves you, marry her by all means! If Stephen is her choice, you must promise----"

      "I promise nothing," said Herrick impatiently walking to and fro, "there is no necessity to promise. I am a man of honour. If Stephen and Miss Endicotte love one another I am the last man in the world to step between them. You know that."

      "If I didn't I should not ask you to stop and look after him," said Mrs. Marsh cynically. "However, you complained of my want of confidence. I am going to amend that. Do you know why I want you to stay with Stephen."

      "To make a man of him--so you said."

      "That certainly, but it is something of an excuse. I also want you--and this is the main reason--to guard him."

      "Against whom? What are you hinting at?" asked Herrick sharply.

      "At Frisco," was the unexpected reply. "Oh, you may look astonished, but if you remember the will?--well?"

      "The will," repeated Dr. Jim, "I see what you mean. The money goes to Frisco if Stephen should neglect to visit the vault monthly for a year. What of that?"

      "This much. Frisco killed Colonel Carr. Oh, I am sure of it! If not, why did he fly? Besides there is no one else I can think of who had an interest in Carr's death. I do not know what secrets he had, but what there were Frisco knew. That was why Carr left the money to him failing Stephen."

      "Nonsense. If Frisco possessed Colonel Carr's secrets he could have blackmailed him without the necessity of murder."

      "Ah, you don't know," said Mrs. Marsh mysteriously. "I have heard Frisco and Carr quarrel. It is my belief--if you remember Napper's evidence that they quarrelled on the night of the murder. They must have fought a duel, which is just what two devils like them would do. Frisco killed his master before he could fire a shot. That is why all the chambers of the revolver were found loaded. Well, Frisco has had to fly; but he will not give up his chance of getting the money. No! He will," here Mrs. Marsh bent forward to whisper, "he will try and maim or kill Stephen so that he may not fulfil the conditions of the will--and visit the vault. Then Frisco will claim the money. I have thought this all out while lying here."

      "It is ingenious," replied Herrick, "but you forget that if Frisco shows himself, he will be arrested. That stops his attempting to harm Stephen."

      Mrs. Marsh shook her head. "You do not know Frisco; I do," she said: and not another word could Herrick extract from her.

       CHAPTER VI

      "THE CHANGELING"

      While the tower at "The Pines" was being pulled down, Stephen paid frequent visits to Saxham. Sometimes Dr. Herrick went with him, and together they would go through that wonderful house. Marsh had never before been inside it, and he was amazed at the luxury. His life had been so simple, so deprived of all beauty, that his artistic temperament had been starved from lack of nutriment. Highly gifted with the imaginative faculty, possessed of a keen perception of loveliness, Stephen revelled in the beautiful things which filled every corner of the house.

      "You will have to get a wife to share it all," said Herrick one day after his conversation with Mrs. Marsh. He looked keenly at the young man as he spoke.

      Stephen however betrayed no emotion. "I suppose I shall have to marry some day," he said coolly. "If I were to die without children my cousin would get the property."

      "I did not know you had a cousin?" said Herrick, rather astonished.

      "I believe so. A distant cousin, although I have never seen him. My mother can tell you all about him. It seems that Colonel Carr's father had a younger brother who was turned out by his father. He went to America and married there. Then he died leaving a widow and a daughter. The widow died and the daughter married some one in the States. I do not know the name but my mother may. I believe there is a son, but whether he is in America or in England I cannot say."

      "Humph!" said Jim, "very interesting. I must ask your mother about this. If you secure the property by complying with the conditions of the will, it will be yours entirely. Even if you do not marry, you will be able to leave it to whomsoever you please."

      "I should leave it to my cousin, whatever his name is," said Stephen in a careless tone. "It seems to me that he has the right to enjoy it after me, since he is of the Carr blood."

      "Always provided you do not marry and have children!"

      "Of course. But there is time enough to think of marriage. I want my mother to be sole mistress of this beautiful place for a time. She has had such a dose of poverty that I should like her to taste luxury."

      "You are not in love then?" asked Herrick in a jocular tone.

      "I don't know!" this time Stephen flushed. "I'll tell you when I am. Meantime let me enjoy the present. I'll soon have this tower down and the house put to rights. Then my mother can come. I hope you will stay also Herrick," he added rather anxiously. "I don't want to lose my friend you know."

      "It all depends," replied Jim with a flush. He was thinking of Ida. "I will remain until your mother is quite well. You may be sure of that."

      Nothing more was said at the time. Herrick could not be certain that Stephen was in love with Ida or that the girl had set her heart on Marsh. They were excellent friends, but in spite of Herrick's lynx eye he could not learn if they understood one another. As a matter of fact they did; but neither of them wished to hurry matters. Both felt that Mrs. Marsh would have to be consulted before anything was settled, and therefore waited until she recovered her health and was established at "The Pines."

      Mrs. Marsh slowly regained her strength, and almost dispensed with Herrick's attendance. She never recurred to the subject of Ida or of Frisco after that one interview, although Herrick several times tried to make her speak. Evidently she knew something about the man--perhaps had heard the Colonel speak of him. But whatever it was she kept her own counsel. There was no need that she should do otherwise. Perhaps if Frisco had made his appearance she might have been induced to speak out, but the ex-sailor (as Herrick learned he was) had vanished completely. He was traced to Paddington station, and after that all sign of the trail was lost. Like a rain drop he had disappeared into the mighty sea of London life, and in spite of all offers of reward not a hint could be gained of his whereabouts.

      It was

Скачать книгу