FACE TO FACE.

The conversation between Tait and Captain Larcher was not finished that evening, as the old gentleman, worn out by the excitement of the day, early retired to bed. However, he declared that he would be shortly ready to journey to London; and Claude left the Cottage with Tait on the understanding that his father was to be called for next day. Before they parted for the night Claude made a remark about Hilliston.

"I hope he won't get wind of this," he said dubiously; "or he may get Mrs. Bezel—I can't call her mother—out of the way."

"Have no fear," replied Tait calmly. "Hilliston's hands are too full at present."

"What do you mean?"

"Why," said Tait, lighting his candle; "your father showed me a letter from Hilliston, apologizing for not coming over, as his wife was lying dangerously ill at the Connaught Hotel, at Eastbourne."

"He said something of that in his note to me. What is the matter with Mrs. Hilliston?"

"She has the smallpox."

"The smallpox!" echoed Claude, in a tone of horror. "Poor creature, she is a dead woman!"

"I don't know so much about that. She may recover."

"She may recover from the disease," said the young man gloomily; "but not from the blow to her vanity. Many a time has she told me that if she lost her looks she would kill herself. You mark my words, Tait, within the week we will hear of her death."

And with these prophetic words Claude retired to his room.

Tait had no time to think of this conversation, being occupied with anticipation regarding the meeting of Captain Larcher and his wife; but it so happened that Claude's prognostications occurred to him when the truth of the Horriston tragedy was discovered, and that was not long afterward. Perhaps, like the young men, Fate herself grew weary of an affair which had dragged on for twenty-five years. At all events she brought matters to a conclusion with almost inconceivable rapidity.

The first step toward the end was the meeting of husband and wife, which took place at Clarence Cottage, Hampstead, during the afternoon of the next day. In company with his son and Tait, the old gentleman drove to the railway station, some three miles distant, and took the up express. When established comfortably in a first-class smoking carriage—for Captain Larcher was fond of a pipe—he resumed the conversation with Tait which had been broken off on the previous night. This time the subject was Hilliston and his doings.

"I have been thinking over your suspicions regarding Hilliston," he said, addressing himself more directly to Tait, "and I confess that it is difficult to reconcile some of his actions with your view that he is guilty. Claude, as you know, was ignorant of the Horriston tragedy until enlightened by Hilliston."

"I know that, my dear sir," said Tait quietly, "Hilliston certainly placed the papers containing the account of the matter in Claude's hands, but he was forced to do so by the action of Mrs. Bezel—I beg pardon, Mrs. Larcher."

"Continue to call her Mrs. Bezel, if you please. I prefer it so. How did she force Hilliston to confide in Claude."

"Because she read the book 'A Whim of Fate,' and seeing the tragedy therein described, she wrote asking Claude to see her with the intention of telling him all. As you may guess, her story differs materially from that of Hilliston's, so of two evils, choosing the least, he determined to forestall her and inform Claude of the matter."

"And he did so by means of the press," said Claude eagerly. "In place of telling me the story himself he allowed me to gather what information I could from the scanty report of the Canterbury Observer. My dear father, the Genesis of the whole matter springs from the finding of those papers by Jenny. Had she not read them and told Linton the story he would not have written the book; had he not done so Mrs. Bezel would not have determined to tell me her version; and but for her threat to do so Hilliston would not have produced the papers."

"Humph! The action was compulsory on the part of Hilliston?"

"I think so, sir," said Tait complacently; "therefore it is quite in keeping with his usual character. The rat did not fight till it was driven into a corner."

"It is not in the corner," remarked Captain Larcher significantly, "but we'll drive it there and see if it will face our accusation. But what about Hilliston's introduction of Claude to me? Would it not have been to his interest to keep us apart?"

"Oh!" said Tait, with some contempt for Hilliston's diplomacy, "that was another case of necessity. He knew that Claude and I were bent on discovering the truth, so, fearing that we should do so by further investigation, he thought to stop the whole matter by bringing you face to face with your son."

"I don't see how that would accomplish his aim."

"Hilliston hoped it would do so in two ways," explained Tait glibly. "First, he hoped that you would give your consent to Claude marrying Jenny, and so lead his mind away from the case, and second, he trusted that when Claude found you alive he would no longer desire to pursue the investigation."

"He was right so far," said Claude seriously.

"If that was Hilliston's calculation, he made one great mistake," said Captain Larcher scornfully. "He did not think that I should wish to see my wife."

"He must have been satisfied that Claude would tell you she was alive."

"That, of course. But he thought I would stay at Thorston as Ferdinand Paynton, and be afraid to admit my identity even to my wife. I might have done so but for Claude. But I owe it to him to clear myself, and this meeting with my wife will be the first step toward doing so. Between us we must solve the mystery."

"It is none, so far as I am concerned," said Tait grimly. "I am sure as I am sitting here that Hilliston murdered Jeringham. The gardener was just too late to see him do the deed."

"But his motive?" asked Claude curiously.

His father and Tait stole a glance at one another. They neither of them wished to make any remarks about Mrs. Larcher and Hilliston's passion, preferring that Claude should be ignorant of that episode. Still when he asked so direct a question it was difficult to avoid a direct answer, but Larcher gave him one which was sufficiently evasive to stop further inquiries.

"We must try and find out his motive," he said quietly. "Depend upon it, Claude, there is a good deal of underhand work in this of which we know nothing."

"Do you think Mona committed the crime?"

"No, I do not. In no way could she have gained possession of the dagger with which it was committed."

"My mother says she had a dagger in the sitting room."

"That is a mistake," said Captain Larcher, using as delicate a word as he could think of. "She threatened me with the sheath of the dagger, and no doubt, being agitated at the time, she thought it was the weapon itself. But I noticed when she entered the room that the sheath was empty. Her story to the police at the time of the trial is more likely. She lost it in the ballroom. The question is, who picked it up? Judging from the knowledge I now have of his character I believe it was Hilliston who did so."

"Or Jeringham," said Tait suddenly.

"Impossible! How could Jeringham have found it?"

"He was with Mrs. Larcher all the evening, and may have seen the dagger fall. Or again, he may have taken it out of the sheath to examine it and have forgotten to return it. It is not improbable that in such a case he might have recollected it when he was in the garden, and offered it to Mona to return to her mistress."

"Oh!" said Claude with contempt. "And on that slight ground you suppose that Mona killed him?"

"It is not beyond the bounds of probability."

"Nonsense!" said Captain Larcher angrily. "I don't believe it. Mona was a good girl, foully deceived by Jeringham. She fled from the house to hide her disgrace, thinking my wife would tell her brother. Hilliston afterward met her in London, where she died in giving birth to Jenny."

"Then it was Hilliston who brought Jenny to you?"

"Yes. Because her Uncle Denis was in my service. I adopted Jenny, but told her that she was the child of a Mr. Kennedy and Mona Bantry. She believed her father and mother were married, so do not disturb that view of the case."

"Certainly not," said Tait emphatically. "It would be cruel to do so. But here we are at Victoria. After seeing Mrs. Bezel at Hampstead we can resume our conversation."

"If we do it will be from a different standpoint, I fancy," said Larcher significantly, as the train stopped.

Tait's brougham was waiting for them at the station, and in this they drove up to Hampstead. Leaving it in Fitzjohn's Avenue they walked down Hunt Lane to Clarence Cottage. Mrs. Bezel occupied her usual seat in the window, and caught sight of Claude as he preceded his father and Tait up the path. A terrified expression crossed her face, but she made no motion to forbid their entrance. Yet a sense of coming evil struck at her heart, and it needed all her self-control to prevent herself from fainting when they were shown into the room.

"My dear mother," said Claude, kissing her, "you must be prepared for unexpected news. I beg of you to control yourself for——"

He stopped short in astonishment. Mrs. Bezel was looking at Captain Larcher with a bewildered air, and he gazed at her face with an expression of amazement. She shrank back as he crossed the room with rapidity, and bent over her.

"Mona Bantry!" he cried, "is it possible that you still live?"