The Philosophy Of An Explorer 16 Lifelessons

From Surviving The Extreme Erling Kagge download

https://ebookbell.com/product/the-philosophy-of-an-
explorer-16-lifelessons-from-surviving-the-extreme-erling-
kagge-49408392

Explore and download more ebooks at ebookbell.com

Here are some recommended products that we believe you will be
interested in. You can click the link to download.

The Philosophy Of Biology An Episodic History Marjorie Grene

https://ebookbell.com/product/the-philosophy-of-biology-an-episodic-
history-marjorie-grene-49860530

The Philosophy Of Education An Introduction Richard Bailey Editor

https://ebookbell.com/product/the-philosophy-of-education-an-
introduction-richard-bailey-editor-50675442

The Philosophy Of Pleasure An Introduction Katarzyna De Lazariradek

https://ebookbell.com/product/the-philosophy-of-pleasure-an-
introduction-katarzyna-de-lazariradek-58436600

The Philosophy Of Law An Exposition Of The Fundamental Principles Of

Jurisprudence As The Science Of Right Reprint Immanuel Kant

https://ebookbell.com/product/the-philosophy-of-law-an-exposition-of-
the-fundamental-principles-of-jurisprudence-as-the-science-of-right-
reprint-immanuel-kant-2127700
The Philosophy Of Happiness An Interdisciplinary Introduction 1st
Edition Lorraine L Besser

https://ebookbell.com/product/the-philosophy-of-happiness-an-
interdisciplinary-introduction-1st-edition-lorraine-l-besser-33613666

The Philosophy Of Economics An Anthology 3rd Edition Daniel M Hausman

https://ebookbell.com/product/the-philosophy-of-economics-an-
anthology-3rd-edition-daniel-m-hausman-5209048

The Philosophy Of Education An Introduction 1st Edition Richard Bailey

https://ebookbell.com/product/the-philosophy-of-education-an-
introduction-1st-edition-richard-bailey-5761460

The Philosophy Of Science An Encyclopedia Sahotra Sarkar Jessica

Pfeifer Eds

https://ebookbell.com/product/the-philosophy-of-science-an-
encyclopedia-sahotra-sarkar-jessica-pfeifer-eds-6745178

The Philosophy Of Movement An Introduction Thomas Nail

https://ebookbell.com/product/the-philosophy-of-movement-an-
introduction-thomas-nail-62057746
 Another Random Document on
Scribd Without Any Related Topics
The Project Gutenberg eBook of Under Lock
and Key: A Story. Volume 3 (of 3)
This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States
and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no
restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it
under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this
ebook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the
United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where
you are located before using this eBook.

Title: Under Lock and Key: A Story. Volume 3 (of 3)

Author: T. W. Speight

Release date: June 9, 2018 [eBook #57296]

Language: English

Credits: Produced by Charles Bowen from page scans provided by

the
Web Archive (Library of the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign)

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK UNDER LOCK

AND KEY: A STORY. VOLUME 3 (OF 3) ***
Transcriber's Notes:
1. Page scan source: The Internet Archive
https://archive.org/details/underlockkeystor03spei
(Library of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)

UNDER LOCK AND KEY.

VOL. III.

UNDER LOCK AND KEY.

 A Story.

BY

T. W. SPEIGHT,

AUTHOR OF "BROUGHT TO LIGHT," "FOOLISH MARGARET,"

ETC.

IN THREE VOLUMES.
VOL. III.

LONDON:
TINSLEY BROTHERS, 18, CATHERINE STREET, STRAND.
1869.

[All rights of Translation and Reproduction are reserved.]

 LONDON:
SAVILL, EDWARDS AND CO., PRINTERS, CHANDOS STREET,
COVENT GARDEN.

CONTENTS
OF
THE THIRD VOLUME.

CHAP.
I. THE THIRD REPORT CONTINUED.
II. GEORGE STRICKLAND'S QUEST.
III. AT THE "ROYAL GEORGE."
IV. A LITTLE DINNER FOR THREE.
V. CLEON REDIVIVUS.
VI. PASTILLE-BURNING.
VII. CHASING "LA BELLE ROSE."
VIII. THE CAVE OF ST. LAZARE.
IX. THE VERDICT OF MR. VERMUSEN.
 X. HAUNTED.
THE ARRIVAL OF THE DIAMOND AT
XI.
DUPLEY WALLS.
XII. DE MORTUIS NIL NISI BONUM.
THE DEPARTURE OF SIR JOHN
XIII.
POLLEXFEN.
XIV. THE TARN OF BEN DULAS.
XV. ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL.

UNDER LOCK AND KEY.

CHAPTER I.

THE THIRD REPORT CONTINUED.

"Five minutes later, Captain Ducie and your hopeful son slunk out of
Bon Repos like the br> we were, and treading the gravelled pathway
as carefully as two Indians on the war-trail might have done, we
came presently to the margin of the starlit lake. There was no lack
of boats at Bon Repos, and soon I was pulling over the quiet mere in
the direction of Bowness. We managed to find the little pier without
much difficulty. There we disembarked, and then chained up the
boat and left it. By this time the first faint streaks of day were
brightening in the east. There would be no train from Bowness for
three or four hours. Captain Ducie's impatience could not brook such
a delay. At his request I roused the people at one of the hotels. Even
then we had to stand kicking our heels for half an hour before a
conveyance and pair of horses could be got ready for us. But when
we were once fairly under way, no grass was suffered to grow under
our horses' feet. The captain's object was to catch one of the fast up
trains at Oxenholme Junction, some fourteen miles away. This we
succeeded in doing, with a quarter of an hour to spare. A portion of
that quarter of an hour was occupied by me in sending a certain
telegram to my respected _pater_. The day was still young when
Captain Ducie and I alighted at Euston-square.

"I did not know whether it was the captain's intention to give me my
congé as soon as we should reach town, but I certainly knew that it
was not my intention to part from him quite so readily. He had
insisted on my travelling up in the same carriage with himself, and I
had had the free run of his cognac and cigars. During the early part
of the journey he had been silent and thoughtful, but by no means
morose. As the morning advanced, however, his shoulder had begun
to pain him greatly, and by the time we reached London I could see,
although he uttered no complaint, that the agony was almost more
than he could bear. Consequently, I was not surprised as I helped
him to alight from the railway carriage, to hear him say:--

"'Jasmin, my good fellow, I find that it will not do for me to part

from you just yet. This confounded shoulder of mine seems as if it
were going to make a nuisance of itself. You must order a cab and
go with me. I will make your excuses to M. Platzoff.'

"'Right you are, sir,' said I. 'Where shall I tell cabby to drive to?'

"'To the Salisbury Hotel, Fleet-street.'

"Captain Ducie was such an undoubted West-end swell that I was
rather surprised to find him going east of Temple Bar. But my place
was to obey, and not to question his behests.

"'Get into the cab: I want to talk to you,' said he. 'On one or two
points it will be requisite that I should take you into my confidence,'
he began, as soon as we were out of the station. 'And I have less
hesitation in doing this because, from what I have seen of you, I
believe you to be a perfectly trustworthy and straightforward fellow.'

"It is very kind of you to say so, sir,' I answered respectfully.

"'Now, for certain reasons which I need not detail, I do not want my
presence in London to be known to any one. I am going to an hotel
where I have never been before, and where I am entirely unknown.
While stopping at this hotel I shall pass under the name of Mr.
Stonor, a country gentleman--let us say--of limited means, who is up
in town for the furtherance of some business of a legal character.
Can you remember Mr. Stonor from the country?'

"'I shall not forget it, sir--you may trust me for that.'

"'Yes, if I had not felt that I could trust you, I should not have
brought you so far, nor have taken you so deeply into my
confidence.'

"Father! for the first time these dozen years your son blushed.

"On reaching the hotel Mr. Stonor seemed to care little or nothing
about the size or comfort of the rooms that were shown him. He was
particular on one point only. That point was the fastening of his
bedroom door.

"After rejecting three or four rooms in succession he chose one that

had a stouter lock than ordinary, and that could be reached only
through another room. In this other room it was arranged that I
should sleep, so that no one could obtain access to Mr. Stonor
without first disturbing me.

"Is not this another proof that I acted judiciously in leaving Bon
Repos, and that Captain Ducie, above all men in the world, is the
man I ought to stick to?

"We had no sooner settled about the rooms than Captain Ducie was
obliged to go to bed. He would not allow me to help him off with any
other article of dress than his outer coat. Then he sent me for a
doctor, and when the doctor and I got back he was in bed. The
doctor pronounced the wound in his shoulder to be not a dangerous
one, but one that would necessitate much care and attention. The
captain was condemned to stay in bed for at least a week to come.

"There is no occasion to weary you with too many details. A week--

ten days, passed away and I still remained in attendance on Captain
Ducie. For the first four or five days he did not progress much
towards recovery. He was too fidgety, too anxious in his mind, to get
well. I knew the form which his anxiety had taken when I saw how
impatient he was each morning till he had got the newspaper in his
fingers, and could be left alone to wade through it. At the end of an
hour or so he would ring his bell, and would tell me with a weary
look, to take 'that cursed newspaper' away.

"I was just as impatient for the newspaper as he was, and did not
fail to submit its contents each morning to a most painstaking
search.

"After the sixth day there was a decided improvement in the

condition of Captain Ducie, and from that date he progressed rapidly
towards recovery. It was on the sixth day that my search through
the newspaper was rewarded by finding a paragraph that interested
me almost as much as it must have interested Captain Ducie. The
paragraph in question was in the shape of an extract from The
Westmoreland Gazette, and ran as under:--

"'The Dangers of Opium-smoking.--We have to record the sudden

death of M. Paul Platzoff, a Russian gentleman of fortune, who has
resided for several years on the banks of Windermere. M. Platzoff
was found dead in bed on the morning of Wednesday last. From the
evidence given at the inquest it would appear that the unfortunate
gentleman had been accustomed for years to a frequent indulgence
in the pernicious habit of opium-smoking, and the medical testimony
went to prove that he must have died while in one of those trances
which make up the opium-smoker's elysium. At the same time, it is
but just to observe that had not the post-mortem examination
revealed the fact of there having been heart-disease of long
standing, the mere fact of the deceased gentleman having been
addicted to opium-smoking would not of itself have been sufficient
to account for his sudden death.'

"There are one or two facts to be noted in connexion with the

foregoing account. In the first place, it is there stated that M.
Platzoff was found dead in bed. When I saw him soon after
midnight, he lay dead on the divan in the smoke-room. But it is
possible, that the use of the word 'bed' in the newspaper account
may be a mere verbal inaccuracy. In the second place, there is not a
word said respecting Cleon. Now, had the valet disappeared
precisely at the time of M. Platzoff's mysterious death, suspicion of
some sort would have been sure to attach to him, and an inquiry
would have been set on foot respecting his whereabouts. Such being
the case, the natural conclusions to be derived from the facts as
known to us would seem to be: First, that Cleon was not out of the
way when the body was found, and that the statements made at the
inquest as to the habits of the deceased were made by him, and by
him alone. Secondly, if any fracas took place between Cleon and
Captain Ducie on that fatal night, as there is every reason to
suspect, the mulatto has not seen fit to make any public mention of
it. Captain Ducie's name, in fact, does not seem to have been once
mentioned in connexion with the affair, and if Cleon either knows or
suspects that the captain has the Great Diamond in his possession,
he has doubtless had good reasons of his own for keeping the
knowledge to himself. That some curious underhand game has been
played between him and the captain there cannot, I think, be any
reasonable doubt.

"As soon as I had read the paragraph above quoted, I took the
newspaper up to Captain Ducie, and pointed out the lines to him as
if I had accidentally come across them. I wanted to hear what he
would have to say about the death of Platzoff.

"'Some strange news here, sir, about M. Platzoff,' I said. Here is an

account of----.'

"He interrupted me with a wave of his hand. 'I have seen it, Jasmin,
I have seen it, and terribly shocked I was to have such news of my
friend. So strangely sudden, too! I always suspected that he would
do himself an injury with that beastly drug which he would persist in
smoking, but I never dreamed of anything so terrible as this. I
suppose it will be requisite for you to go down to Bon Repos for a
time, Jasmin. There will be your wages, and your luggage and things
to look after. What articles of mine were left behind I make you a
present of. I hope to be sufficiently recovered in the course of three
or four days to be able to spare you, and I will of course pay your
fare back to Westmoreland, and remunerate you for the time you
have been in my service. For myself, I intend spending the next few
months somewhere on the Continent.'

"I replied that I was in no hurry to go down to Bon Repos; that,

indeed, there was no particular necessity for me to go at all that the
amount due to me for wages was very trifling, and that my clothes
and other things would no doubt be forwarded by Cleon to any
address I might choose to send him.

"But the captain would not hear of this. I must go down to Bon
Repos and look after my interests on the spot, he said; and he
would arrange to spare me in a few days. His motive for taking such
a special interest in my affairs was not difficult to discover. He
wanted thoroughly to break the link between himself and me. By
sending me down to Bon Repos he would secure two or three clear
days in which to complete whatever arrangements he might think
necessary, and would, besides, insure himself from being watched or
spied upon by me. Not that he doubted my fidelity in the least, but it
seemed to me that of late he had grown suspicious of everybody;
and, in any case, he was desirous of severing even the faintest tie
that connected him in any way with M. Platzoff and Bon Repos.
Such, at least, was the conclusion at which I arrived in my own
mind. But it may have been an erroneous one.

"Although Captain Ducie was desirous of getting rid of me, I did not
mean to lose sight of him quite so readily. Each day that passed over
my head confirmed me more fully in my belief that he had the Great
Mogul Diamond concealed somewhere about his person. I had no
one strong positive bit of evidence on which to base such a belief. It
was rather by the aggregation of a hundred minute points all
tending one way that I was enabled to build up my suspicions into a
certainty.

"If he had made himself master of the Diamond, he had done so

illegally. He had stolen the gem, and I should have felt no more
compunction in dispossessing him of it than I should have felt in
picking a sovereign out of the gutter. But the prospect of making the
gem my own seemed even more remote now, if that were possible,
than when I was at Bon Repos. Nothing went farther towards
confirming my belief that the captain had the Diamond by him than
the fact of his taking so many and such unusual precautions to
insure himself against a surprise from any one either by day or
night. As already stated, I slept in the room that opened
immediately out of his, so that no one could reach him except by
passing through my room. Then, he always slept with the door of his
bedroom double locked, and with his face turned to the window, the
blind pertaining to which was drawn to the top, leaving the view
clear and unobstructed. In addition, Captain Ducie always kept a
loaded revolver under his pillow, and I had heard too much of his
skill with that weapon to doubt that he would make an efficient use
of it should such a need ever arise. What chance, then, did there
seem for ce pauvre Jacques ever being able to coax the Diamond
out of the hands of this man, who had no more right to it than had
the Grand Turk? Still, I put a good face on the matter, and would not
allow myself to despair.

"After the sixth day Captain Ducie improved rapidly. On the tenth
day he said to me: 'This is the last day that I shall require your
services. You had better arrange to start by the nine forty-five train
to-morrow morning for Windermere.'

"The captain was not the sort of man to whom one could say that
one did not want to go to Windermere, that one had no intention of
going there. The slightest opposition from an inferior in position only
confirmed him the more obstinately in his own views. All, therefore,
that I said was: I am entirely at your service, sir, to go or stay as
may suit you best.' All the same, I had no intention of going.

"What I intended was to bid farewell to Captain Ducie, take a cab to

the station, go quietly in at one gate and out at another. But the
captain spoiled this little plan next morning by announcing his
intention of going with me to the station. He was evidently anxious
to see with his own eyes that I really left London, and this of course
only made me the not more determined to go. I had only a few
minutes in which to make my arrangements. It was necessary that I
should take some one at least partially into my confidence, and I
could think of no one who would suit my purpose better than
Dickson, the one-eyed night-porter at the hotel. He was fast asleep
in bed at that hour of the morning, but I went up to his room and
roused him. He was a quick-witted fellow enough where anything
crooked was concerned, while in the simple straightforward matters
of daily life he was often unaccountably stupid. His one eye gleamed
brightly when I put half a sovereign into his hand, and told him what
I wanted him to do for me. I left him fully satisfied that he would do
it.

"A cab was ordered, my modest portmanteau was tossed on to the

roof, Captain Ducie was shut up inside, and with myself on the box
beside the driver, away we rattled to Euston-square. The captain
went himself and took a ticket for me to Windermere. He had
already given me a handsome douceur in return for my services
from the date of our leaving Bon Repos. He now saw me safely into
the carriage, gave me my ticket, and nodded a kindly farewell. He
did not move from his post on the platform till he saw the train fairly
under way. So parted Captain Ducie and your unworthy son.

"At Wolverton, which was the first station at which the train stopped,
I got out and gave up my ticket, with a pretence to the railway
people that I had unfortunately left some important papers in town
and that I must go back by the first train. Back I went accordingly,
and reached Euston station in less than five hours after I had left it.

"My first object was to thoroughly disguise myself: no very difficult

task to a person of my profession. My first visit was to the peruquier
of the Royal Tabard. Here I was dispossessed of the charming little
imperial which I had been cultivating for the last month or two, and
from which I did not part without a pang of regret. Next, I had my
hair cut very close, and was fitted with a jet-black wig that could be
termed nothing less than a triumph of mind over matter. When my
eyebrows had been dyed to match, and when I had purchased and
put on a pair of cheap spectacles, and had arrayed myself in a suit
of ultra-respectable black, I felt that I could defy the keen eyes of
Captain Ducie with impunity. Having exchanged my portmanteau for
one of a different size and colour, I took a cab, and drove boldly to
the Salisbury Hotel. It was satisfactory to find that Dickson passed
me without recognising me, and I shall never forget the puzzled look
that came into the fellow's face when I took him on one side and
asked him for news of the captain.

"The captain had ordered his bill, Dickson told me when he had
sufficiently recovered from his surprise, and had himself packed his
own luggage, but without addressing it. A cab was to be in readiness
for him at half-past eight that evening. I ordered a second cab to be
in waiting for me at the corner of the street at the same hour.
Meanwhile I kept carefully out of the captain's way.

"At 8.35 p.m. my cab was following that of the captain down the
Strand, and in a little while we both drew up at the Waterloo
terminus. Ducie's luggage consisted of one large portmanteau only,
which the cabman handed over to one of the porters.

"'Where shall I label your luggage for, sir?' asked the man: it was too
large to be taken into the carriage.

"The captain hesitated for a moment, while the man waited with his
paste-can in his hand.

"'For Jersey,' he said at last.

"'Right you are, sir,' said the man. 'Bill, a Jersey label.'

"I went at once and secured a ticket for that charming little spot.

"I did not lose sight of the captain till I saw him fairly seated in his
carriage and locked up by the guard. I travelled down in the next
compartment but one.

"I need not detain you with any account of our journey by rail, nor
of our after-voyage from Southampton to St. Helier.
"The fact of my dating this communication from a Jersey hotel is a
sufficient proof of my safe arrival. We reached here yesterday
afternoon, the captain never suspecting for a moment that he had
James Jasmin, his ex-valet, for a fellow-passenger. We are lodged at
different hotels, but the one at which I am staying is so nearly
opposite that of the captain, and has so excellent a view into the
private sitting-room where he has taken up his quarters, that I see
almost as much of him, both indoors and out, as I did during the
time I acted as his valet. His reasons for coming here are best
known to himself; but be they what they may, I do not feel inclined
to alter my opinion one jot that he has brought the G. M. D. to this
place with him.

"Whether, after all this time and trouble, I am any nearer the object
for the attainment of which you first engaged me, remains for you to
judge. In any case, send me instructions; tell me what I am to do or
attempt next. Or do what would be infinitely better--come here in
person, and talk over the affair with

"Your affectionate son,

"James Madgin."

CHAPTER II.

GEORGE STRICKLAND'S QUEST.

The strange story told by Sister Agnes in her confession, when

combined with her hinted suspicion that the account of Mr. Fairfax's
death had no foundation in fact, opened up a series of questions
which, under any circumstances, Janet would have felt herself
incompetent to deal with alone. Major Strickland was the person of
all others to whom she would have gone for counsel and assistance,
even had no injunction been laid on her to that effect. That with him
should be associated Father Spiridion, could only be another source
of gratulation to Janet. She had learned to love and reverence the
kindly old man before, but now that she knew him to have been her
mother's constant friend and adviser through many years of trouble,
he seemed to have a thousand more claims on her affection. Into his
hands and those of Major Strickland she committed her cause
without reservation, feeling and knowing that they would do the
same by her as if she were a child of their own.

It was in her relations towards Lady Pollexfen that Janet felt most
the burden of the secret that had been laid upon her. To know that
she was the granddaughter of that imperious old woman, and yet to
be supposed not to be aware of the fact; to be able to walk down
the long, dim picture gallery at Dupley-Walls, and say with a proud
swelling of the heart, "These were my ancestors;" to look up from
the garden at the gray old pile, and then away across the wide-
stretching park, and hear the unbidden whisper at her heart, "This is
my rightful home:"--in all this there was for Janet a strange sort of
fascination which she could not overcome. But even had she not
been bound by her promise to Sister Agnes not to reveal to Lady
Pollexfen what had been told her, there was a sufficiency of stubborn
pride in her composition to keep her from ever acquainting the
mistress of Dupley Walls with her knowledge of a fact which that
lady had persistently ignored for so many years. As simple Janet
Holme she would go on till the end of the chapter, unless Lady
Pollexfen should herself break the seal of silence and acknowledge
her as the daughter of the woman she had so cruelly wronged.

One of Major Strickland's first acts in his capacity of adviser to Miss

Holme, was to ask permission to make a confidant of his nephew,
Captain George, in all that related to his young ward's affairs. The
request was granted as a matter of course. Had it been made in
behalf of any other than George Strickland, it would have been at
once acceded to, but with how much greater pleasure in his case,
Janet herself could alone have told. Between Janet and Captain
Strickland there had not been the remotest attempt at love-making
in the common acceptation of the phrase; and yet, by one of Love's
subtle intuitions, each read the other's heart, and knew of the sweet
secret that lay hidden there. Any intentions that Captain George
might have formed in his own mind as to the propriety, or necessity,
of making mention of his love to her whom it most concerned, were
put aside for the time being in consequence of the death of Sister
Agnes. He only laid them aside for a little while, because, as far as
he then knew, there was no relationship between Sister Agnes and
Janet. But when he came to learn from his uncle, as he was not long
in doing, that Miss Holme was the daughter of Sister Agnes and the
granddaughter of Lady Pollexfen, he was obliged to thrust his
intentions very far into the background, and it seemed doubtful to
him whether they would not have to remain there for ever. The
granddaughter of Lady Pollexfen was a very different person from
Miss Janet Holme, with no prospects to speak of, and not a penny,
beyond her quarter's salary, to call her own. To have wedded the
Miss Holme he had supposed Janet to be, would have made the
happiness of his life; but to propose to Miss Holme as he now knew
her was a very different affair. Captain Strickland was a poor man,
but his pride was equal to his poverty; and to marry Lady Pollexfen's
granddaughter without Lady Pollexfen's consent was more than that
pride would allow him to do. Happily, the future might reveal to him
some plan, by means of which his love and his pride might be
reconciled, and walk together hand in hand. Till that time should
come, if come it ever did, his love should remain hidden and dumb.

It was not till nearly a fortnight after the reading of Sister Agnes's
Confession that any decision was arrived at by Major Strickland and
Father Spiridion as to what steps, if any, should be taken with the
view of unravelling the mystery in which the antecedents and fate of
Mr. Fairfax were involved. The old soldier and the older priest, with
Captain George to strengthen their consultations, met again and
again, and discussed the question, as far as the data they had to go
upon would allow of it, from every possible point of view. They all
felt that underneath the veil which they longed and yet were half
afraid to lift, might be hidden some disgraceful story, some dark
mystery, which it were better that neither they nor any one should
become acquainted with. For Janet never to know who her father
really was, and to remain in doubt as to whether he were alive or
dead, might be painful to her feelings as a daughter, but for her to
learn the truth might be more painful still. From Janet no positive
expression of opinion could be elicited. She would be guided, she
said, entirely by the wishes of those to whom the affair had been
submitted. If they decided that no action whatever had better be
taken in the matter, she was quite content to let it rest where it did.
If, on the other hand, an investigation were decided upon, she
would not shrink from an exposition of the truth, however painful it
might be.

At length a definite course of action was resolved upon by the three

gentlemen, and Major Strickland wrote to Janet by post:--

"Meet me at the King's Oak to-morrow afternoon at three.

"Bring with you the certificate and the miniature."

Janet was there at the time appointed, and there she found the
major and Captain George.

"I have asked you to meet me here," said the major after the usual
greetings were over, "to inform you that Father Spiridion and myself
have decided that, with your permission, an investigation ought to
be made into the circumstances connected with your mother's
marriage, and the supposed death of your father. We think that it
would be in accordance with your mother's secret wishes that such
an investigation should be entered upon after her death, and we
think that, in justice to yourself, the mystery, if mystery there be,
should be cleared up and set at rest for ever."

"You have my full and entire sanction to whatever plan of

proceeding you may think most advisable," said Janet.

"In that case," resumed the major, "George here shall start for
Cumberland to-morrow morning, for it is there that our investigation
must begin. Father Spiridion and I are both old men. George is
young, active, and energetic, and imbued with a thorough zeal for
the furtherance of your interests. Have you sufficient confidence in
him to entrust your cause into his hands?"

"My cause could not be in safer keeping," said Janet with a blush
and a smile. "I already owe my life to Captain Strickland. To that
obligation he is now about to add another. How shall I ever be able
to repay him, and you, and dear Father Spiridion, the thousand
kindnesses I have received at your hands? Indeed, and indeed, I
never can repay you!"

Janet's eyes as she ceased speaking went up shyly to those of

Captain George. In the deep, earnest gaze of the young soldier she
read something that caused her to tremble and blush for the second
time, something that seemed to say, "There is one way, and one
only, by which you can repay me."

"Tut! tut! poverina mia," said the major, with a flourish of his
malacca, "we are all three your bounden slaves, and never so happy
as when we are fulfilling your behests. We will go back a part of the
way with you, only we must not let her ladyship's lynx eyes see us
together, or she will suspect that we are hatching some conspiracy.
Last time you were at my house I had some difficulty in gaining her
permission to allow you to come."
Captain George offered Janet his arm. The major walked beside
them, flourishing his cane, and talking on a score of different topics.
So they went slowly through the sunlit park, back towards gray old
Dupley Walls. George and Janet were mostly silent. What little they
did say was nearly all addressed to the major: they scarcely spoke a
word directly to each other. Still, strange to relate, they both
afterwards declared to themselves that they had never had a more
delightful walk in their lives.

Early next morning Captain Strickland started for Cumberland. There

was an unwonted feeling of sadness at his heart which he could not
overcome. He knew that if his quest were successful in the way his
uncle and Father Spiridion hoped it would be, he and Janet would in
all probability be farther divided than they were now. That is to say,
if Miss Holme's father should prove to have been a man of family, or
simply a very rich man, it was not improbable that his relatives
might wish to claim her, in which case she would be lost to him for
ever; and even the consolation of seeing her occasionally, on which
he could count so long as she remained at Dupley Walls, would be
his no longer. Such thoughts as these, however, would have no
deterrent effect on his actions. He was fully determined to do all that
lay in his power to bring the task that had been laid upon him to a
successful issue. It had been decided that should Captain
Strickland's investigation bring to light any facts in connexion with
her father, which it would be better for Janet's happiness and peace
of mind that she should never know, such facts should be carefully
withheld from her. Major Strickland and Father Spiridion reserved to
themselves a certain discretionary power as to what should be told
her, and what had better remain unsaid.

Before Captain Strickland had been two hours in Whitehaven he had

hunted out the little church where the marriage of Edmund Fairfax
and Helena Holme Pollexfen had been solemnized twenty years
before. He compared the certificate he had brought with him with
the original entry in the register, and he found them to tally in every
particular. He inquired here and there till he had ferreted out the
daughter of the woman who had been pew-opener at the church a
quarter of a century before, and had been one of the witnesses to
the marriage; but the woman herself had been dead a dozen years.

When he had got so far, Captain Strickland went back to his hotel
and ordered a bed for the night. Whitehaven could furnish him with
no further information. On the morrow he must go to Beckley. One
important point had been proved: that the certificate in his
possession was a bona fide copy of the register.

As soon as breakfast was over next morning he took a post-chaise

and was driven to Beckley. It was eleven miles away, but there was
no difficulty in finding the place. Since the date of Miss Pollexfen's
residence there, quite a little hamlet had sprung up close by in
connexion with some extensive iron-ore works which had now been
in operation for several years. Beckley Grange was now tenanted by
the manager of these works. Miss Bellenden, the aunt with whom
Miss Pollexfen had lived for so long a time, and from whose house
she had run away to get married, had been dead these eighteen
years. Captain Strickland was shown her tombstone in the village
church.

He had not expected to pick up much information that would be of

use to him at Beckley; it can hardly therefore be said that he was
disappointed at finding every trace, except the epitaph, of a past
state of things so entirely swept away. There was not even an old
servant to be found, with a memory that would stretch back for a
quarter of a century, from whom he might have gathered some
reminiscences of Miss Pollexfen's life at Beckley, such as would have
had a special interest for Janet, although they might have had no
bearing whatever on the case he, Captain George, had in hand.

Sister Agnes, in her Confession, had made no mention by name of

the particular village or place at which Mr. Fairfax was staying at the
time he made her acquaintance. Consequently for Captain Strickland
to have gone inquiring among all the villages in the district
respecting a certain Mr. Fairfax who might or who might not have
lived there for a few weeks some twenty years ago, would have
been an almost hopeless task, and one that need not be resorted to
till every other chance should have failed. The person called Captain
Laut in the Confession, and he alone, if he were still alive, could
clear up the mystery in a few words.

The first point was, where to find Captain Laut. The second,
whether, when found, he would tell all that he was wanted to tell.

Captain Strickland left Whitehaven next day by express train for

Loudon. The first thing he did after reaching town was to deposit his
portmanteau at the station hotel and then take a Hansom to his old
club, the Janus, where he was sure to meet several brothers in the
profession of arms to whom he was well known. After dining he
went to consult some files of Army Lists. In a List twenty years old
he found the name of a Captain Laut as belonging to the two-
hundred-and-fourth regiment, at that time in garrison at Portsmouth.

Captain Strickland belonged to a younger generation of military men

than that which had been in vogue at the Janus twenty years
previously. But the father of one of his most particular friends was
not only an old military man, but an old club man and bon vivant
into the bargain--a man who knew something good or bad--
generally the latter--about everybody of note for the last quarter of a
century. To this gentleman went Captain George. After explaining
that he wanted to find out whether Captain Laut, who, twenty years
previously, had belonged to the two-hundred-and-fourth Foot, were
still alive, and if so where he could be found--he asked the favour of
the old soldier's advice and assistance.

After turning the matter over in his mind for two or three minutes,
the old gentleman said: "Put down on a slip of paper the particulars
of what you want to know, and leave the case in my hands. You
shall hear from me, one way or another, in the course of a few
days."
Three days passed away without bringing any news, but on the
morning of the fourth Captain George found the following note at his
club:

"Major Gregson presents his compliments to Captain Strickland, and

begs to inform him that Captain (afterwards Colonel) Lant, formerly
of the two-hundred-and-fourth Foot, is still living. Colonel Lant's
present residence is Higham Lodge, near Richmond, Surrey."

Captain George suffered no grass to grow under his feet. That very
afternoon he set out in quest of Higham Lodge. It was about two
miles from Richmond, and he found it without difficulty. The footman
who answered his ring told him that Colonel Lant was at home, but
was only just recovering from a dangerous attack of gastric fever,
and would hardly see any stranger at present. All the same, he
would take Captain Strickland's card to his master.

Presently he returned. Colonel Lant would see Captain Strickland. So

George followed the footman across the hall and up the wide
shallow staircase, and was ushered into the sick man's room.

"Good morning, sir," said Colonel Lant--a white-haired sharp-

featured man, with a brick-dust complexion that was somewhat
toned down at present by illness--"a brother in arms is always
welcome. Had you belonged to any other profession I had not seen
you."

"I must apologize for my intrusion," said Captain Strickland. "Had I

been aware that you were ill I would have put off my visit till a
future date. My errand, in fact, is entirely of a private nature, and is
not so pressing but that it will stand over till another time. With your
permission, I will call upon you again this day week or fortnight."
"Not a bit of it, my boy, not a bit of it," said the colonel. "Now that
you are here, we may as well cook your goose and have done with
you. May I inquire as to the particular object which has brought you
so far from town?"

"My object was to ask you whether, once upon a time--say twenty
years ago--you were acquainted with a gentleman of the name of
Fairfax--Mr. Edmund Fairfax, to be precise?"

The sick man coughed uneasily, raised himself on one elbow, and
stared fixedly at his visitor. "And pray, sir, what may be your object in
asking such a question?" he said at length.

"That I will tell you presently," answered Captain George. "May I

assume that you were acquainted with Mr. Edmund Fairfax?"

"You may assume what the deuce you like, sir," answered the
peppery colonel. "It seems to me that there is a great deal too much
assumption about you. But go on. What are you driving at next?"

"The Mr. Edmund Fairfax to whom I allude, was married at

Whitehaven to a certain young lady, Miss Pollexfen by name. If I am
rightly informed, you were a witness to that marriage. Mr. Fairfax
and his wife went abroad. A year later, Mr. Fairfax was unfortunately
drowned in one of the Swiss lakes. You were the bearer of the news
of his death to his widow, who shortly after that event returned to
England. I hope, sir, that you follow me thus far?"

"Oh, I follow you easily enough, never fear!" replied the irascible old
soldier. "You tell your tale as glibly as if you had learnt it by heart
beforehand. But you have not done yet. When you have come to an
end, I may, perhaps, question the truth of your statements in toto."

"From the date of her arrival in England up to the time of her death,
which event happened a few weeks ago, Mrs. Fairfax lived in the
utmost seclusion--in fact, she lived under an assumed name. But, sir,
she had a daughter. That daughter is now grown up, and is
Welcome to our website – the perfect destination for book lovers and
knowledge seekers. We believe that every book holds a new world,
offering opportunities for learning, discovery, and personal growth.
That’s why we are dedicated to bringing you a diverse collection of
books, ranging from classic literature and specialized publications to
self-development guides and children's books.

More than just a book-buying platform, we strive to be a bridge

connecting you with timeless cultural and intellectual values. With an
elegant, user-friendly interface and a smart search system, you can
quickly find the books that best suit your interests. Additionally,
our special promotions and home delivery services help you save time
and fully enjoy the joy of reading.

Join us on a journey of knowledge exploration, passion nurturing, and

personal growth every day!

ebookbell.com