FIRM FAITH IS NOT IDLE.
Harley Riddell was duly charged before a magistrate with having
feloniously abstracted gems to the value of four thousand pounds from
the premises of Messrs. Stavanger, Stavanger, and Co., diamond
merchants. After hearing all the evidence obtainable, the legal luminary
thought it his duty to commit the prisoner to the Assizes, and during
that time Harley was condemned to undergo the miseries of confinement
and mental torture, without being able to do anything to help himself
out of the abyss of disgrace into which he had been plunged.
But though he was powerless himself, others were working bravely for
him. At first they also worked hopefully, until it became evident that
whoever had concocted the plot of which he was the victim, had neglected
no precaution against the failure of their plans. Mr. David Stavanger,
the senior partner of the firm, deposed that, influenced by the
invariable steadiness, industry, and ability of the prisoner, he had
been induced to place more trust in him than he had ever placed in any
of the subordinates of the firm. He had been eight years in the
employment of Messrs. Stavanger, Stavanger, and Co., and had never given
the firm any cause to complain of his conduct until now. “In fact,”
continued Mr. David, “he has so wormed himself into our confidence that
it has been a very easy matter for him to steal those jewels, and there
is no knowing----”
Considerably to Mr. David’s chagrin, however, he was not permitted to
continue his remarks, and his evident determination to take accused’s
guilt for granted was sharply reprimanded. Fellow employees gave similar
evidence to that of Mr. David, but were all so evidently convinced of
Harley’s innocence, that counsel for the prosecution no longer felt
quite sure of winning the case, until Mr. Gay produced the most damning
evidence that could be forthcoming against a man accused of theft. He
had, duly armed with a warrant, searched the belongings of Harley
Riddell at his own home, and, inside the lining of the light topcoat
that he had worn the day before the occurrence of the robbery, the
detective had found three of the missing jewels set as rings, which were
identified by Mr. Hugh Stavanger, who had seen them in their cases on
the 17th of May.
Asked how, if Harley Riddell was the manager, and consequently of
considerable importance in the business, it came to pass that the full
extent of the robbery was discovered before the arrival of the latter on
the scene, Mr. Hugh Stavanger stated that it was usual for Riddell to
see to the safety of everything at the shop and to deliver the keys to
the senior partner. At nine in the morning these were fetched by the
leading shopman, whose duty it was to see that all was in readiness to
receive customers at ten o’clock. As Mr. David Stavanger wished to
present his eldest daughter with a birthday gift, Mr. Hugh had
volunteered to fetch several articles of jewellery for her to choose
from, and had, therefore, contrary to his usual custom, gone to the shop
at nine o’clock. He had himself unlocked the safes, and on comparing the
contents with the inventory which was with them, had at once seen that a
great number of valuable stones were missing, and had telegraphed to the
members of the firm to come at once. The detective, who was immediately
sent for, could find no evidence that any part of the premises had been
feloniously entered, or that the safes had been tampered with.
There was much other evidence, some of it of not too relevant a nature,
but all of it conducive to the annihilation of any hope of acquittal for
the prisoner. His defence was considered feeble, his guilt indisputable,
and he was sentenced to five years’ penal servitude.
Five years’ penal servitude! Is any pen powerful enough to picture all
that it means to a man like Harley Riddell? One day on the summit of
bliss, and the next in the abyss of degradation and despair! One day
revelling in love and happiness; the next loaded with misery,
desperation, and isolation from all his beloved ones! It is terrible for
those who are guilty of crime. But for those who are innocent--God help
them!
There was a farewell scene between Harley and his mother, who was
passionately indignant at the monstrous injustice of which one of her
twin sons was the victim. The poor soul, mindful in her misery of
Harley’s solicitude on her behalf, bravely hid her agonising grief under
a show of mingled anger and hopefulness, while for the first time in all
her long years of widowhood she felt resigned to the fact that the
father of her boys no longer lived to witness the disgrace that had
fallen upon his name. What though the disgrace was unmerited! It was
none the less bitter, and Harley, who knew his mother’s indomitable
nature, felt cheered and hopeful in his turn when he heard her vow to
use every means, whether they were evidently possible or apparently
impossible, to vindicate his character, and bring the guilt of the
robbery home to the real perpetrators. Hilton Riddell, his twin brother,
cheered him much, too, by his faith in the chances of a speedy
unravelment of the plot of which he was evidently the victim.
There was also another with whom a parting interview was permitted,
although Harley would almost have preferred to be spared the anguish of
mind which it cost him. For the presence of winsome Annie Cory, who was
to have been his bride ere long, only brought the more vividly to his
mind the picture of all that cruel fate had bereft him of.
She, like the true girl she was, vowed to wait for his release, and to
wed none but him. He, being sensitive and refined, vowed just as
positively that nothing but the most incontrovertible proofs of his
innocence would ever permit him to take advantage of her love.
Mr. Cory was very magnanimous, and he had cordially approved of the
engagement of his only child to a man whose combined resources only
amounted to £400 a year. For was not he himself wealthy enough to
provide very handsomely for his daughter, and were not the various
qualities of Harley Riddell far beyond riches alone?
Still, although he liked the young fellow, and would, under happier
conditions, have gladly welcomed him as a son-in-law, he fully endorsed
Harley’s protestations to the effect that only as a man who could stand
before the world unshamed would he ever permit a woman to share his
life. For he would not like his daughter to marry an ex-convict, whom
folks would look askance at, even though the ex-convict’s friends were
all convinced of his innocence and of the injustice of his punishment.
But he deemed it wise to offer no violent opposition to Annie’s
determination to be true to the man she loved. He trusted to time to
weaken her love, and show her the folly of allying herself to poverty
and disgrace. Meanwhile, as he really liked Harley, and fully believed
in his innocence, he meant to do all in his power to promote a certain
plan which Hilton had confided to him, whereby it was hoped to divert
the weight of punishment on to the shoulders that deserved it.
The interview had proved trying to Annie as well as to Harley, and Mr.
Cory was very thankful when he arrived at his own house with his
daughter, who certainly looked as if she had borne as much as she could.
“Margaret,” he said to his sister, who had been his housekeeper ever
since his wife died, eight years before the opening of our story, “I
believe the child is dead beat, and I don’t feel too clever myself. Have
you anything in the way of a pick-me-up ready?”
“You shall have some hot milk, with a touch of brandy in it, in a few
minutes. That will do you both good, and serve to put you off until
dinner is ready, which will be another half hour yet. How did the child
bear it?”
“Very bravely. Vowed eternal fidelity, and all that sort of thing. But
Riddell is too much of a man to take her at her word, and swears to be
nobody’s husband until he is proved innocent. And quite right, too. In
fact, I hope Annie will get over her infatuation in any case, for I have
no fancy for being pointed at as the father-in-law of a man who has been
in gaol. You see, although we never for a moment believe that the poor
lad had anything to do with the robbery, and are sure that he is the
victim of a vile plot, it will be difficult to get the world to think as
we do, and, to tell the truth, it’s a deucedly nasty business all
round.”
While Mr. Cory had been speaking, Annie had gone up to her own room, and
Miss Cory had rung her bell in order to give some directions to a
servant before she followed her niece upstairs.
“Williamson,” she said, “bring two glasses of hot milk here as quickly
as possible.”
She delivered herself of this order very quietly. But no sooner was the
servant’s back turned than she emptied the vials of her wrath on to her
brother’s devoted head.
“John Cory,” she said, drawing her really majestic figure up to its
full height, and speaking with a solemn deliberation which she only
affected on serious occasions. “I’m ashamed of you! I never expected to
see the day when my father’s son would deliberately contemplate the
desertion and permanent abandonment of a man whose sole sin is his
betrayal by some villain who has cunningly contrived to divert suspicion
from himself to an innocent man. John Cory, if I could believe that you
would do this vile thing, I would leave your roof for ever.”
“But, my dear girl----”
“Don’t ‘my dear girl’ me! You never do it except when you want to talk
me over, and at fifty-six I’m too old to swallow gross flattery. Just
tell me this--Do you mean to turn your back on young Riddell now that he
is powerless to help himself, or do you mean to act like a man?”
“Of course, I mean to do all I can for him.”
“I knew you did. All the same, the bare thought that you could dream of
revoking what you promised just before the poor lad’s calamity overtook
him, made me feel as if I could shake you. Oh, here’s your milk. Just
put your brandy in yourself and drink it, while I go upstairs to Annie.
Williamson, see that we have dinner punctually.”
Williamson, having acknowledged her mistress’s order with due deference,
hurried away to expedite matters in the lower regions, and Miss Margaret
Cory lost no more time in visiting her niece, whom she found sobbing as
though her heart was breaking. At this sight, even Miss Margaret, stolid
though she usually was, found herself considerably upset. She made a
faint attempt to dissuade Annie from crying, but was convinced that her
efforts were woefully inadequate, and eventually administered the truest
consolation by breaking down herself and mingling her tears with those
of the girl whom she loved more than any other being on earth.
“There, auntie, I won’t be so foolish again,” said Annie at last. “But
I could not help myself when I thought of all the horrors poor Harley is
doomed to endure.”
“And no wonder, my dear. But, please God, we’ll put an end to his misery
by freeing him before long.”
“But how can that be? Have you forgotten that he is sentenced to five
years’ imprisonment?”
“No, I have not forgotten. Neither have I forgotten a speech that his
brother Hilton uttered last night. He said:--‘Heaven helping me, I will
leave no stone unturned to run the author of all this misery to earth.
He may be very cunning, but I defy him to elude my watchfulness, when
once I have set eyes upon him. The mystery is not so great as it perhaps
seems to some. The onus of criminality rests between very few people,
and I have good reasons for believing that my suspicions are centring
themselves round the right man. It is but a question of time, for, if
there is a God in Heaven, the guilty coward who really stole those
diamonds shall be brought to justice!’ Annie, when I heard the fervour
with which those words were uttered, and marked the deliberate
determination of Hilton Riddell’s mien, I shared his confidence in the
future, and resolved to afford him every facility for achieving his
purpose. He will need money, for without money very little can be done.
For your sake, my darling, I will give all I can to prove your lover’s
innocence.”
“How good you are, auntie!” cried the girl, kissing her relative
affectionately. “You always make me feel better. This time, besides
comforting me, you have made me a little bit ashamed of myself.
Henceforth I will work, instead of giving way to useless repining. If
there is any part I can take in the unravelment of this mystery, I will
show myself a ready and capable helper.”
“That’s right, dear girl. The police started with the conviction that
Harley Riddell was guilty, and hunted up no end of facts to prove
themselves in the right. We will start with equally positive convictions
in the other direction, and it will be odds if our labour of love does
not bear the fruit we desire.”
“Oh, auntie! I am all anxiety to begin! Do let me run down and tell the
dad all about it.”
“Not so fast, my dear. If Mrs. Riddell, who has been terribly prostrated
by this blow, is able to bear being left an hour or two this evening,
her son will call here, by appointment with me, to consult as to what
will be the best plans for us to adopt.”
“You dear old thing! You have been actually working already!”
“Certainly. The sooner we begin operating, the better chance we have of
being successful, and the sooner we may hope to see Harley justified and
at liberty. In fact, you need not be surprised if Hilton Riddell has
already made considerable progress. And now, dear, you must make
yourself a little presentable, and I expect you to partake of a
substantial meal, even as I mean to do, for we must make ourselves
strong if we mean to do anything useful.”
The result of Miss Margaret’s tact and management was that Annie was not
nearly so downcast that evening as her father had feared she would be,
and when Hilton Riddell made his appearance at eight o’clock, he found
every member of the Cory family ready and willing to second all his
endeavours on Harley’s behalf.
“And how did you leave your mother?” asked Miss Margaret.
“Stronger and better than I could have believed possible,” was the
reply. “She is brave and hopeful, and firmly believes that I shall
succeed in tracing the real delinquent. One thing troubles me a good
deal about my mother. It may be necessary for me to travel, or some
other contingency may arise which will render it impossible to be with
her much, and I fear that, if left to herself, she may succumb to her
troubles.”
“She shall not be left to herself,” cried Miss Margaret, emphasising her
remarks by a vigorous shake of the handsome lace lappets which adorned
her cap. “She must come and live here while you are away. That is just
what you would have proposed yourself, isn’t it, John?”
“Certainly, just the very thing,” echoed John, warmly. “Sorry you got
the suggestion out before I did, though. And now, Mr. Riddell, about
your means and employment. Don’t think me impertinent or intrusive,
but----”
“Pray don’t apologise,” said Hilton, hastily. “I will, as you so kindly
take such an interest in us, explain exactly how we stand. My mother,
who is an officer’s widow, has a life pension, which the vicissitudes in
the career of Harley or myself cannot touch. My employers, Messrs.
Treadonem and Co., have magnanimously given me my liberty, and have not
been afraid to mention their true reason for discarding the services of
the brother of a convict. My time, therefore, is my own, to use as I
please. Needless to say, it will be used in my brother’s service.
Fortunately, I have a couple of hundred pounds saved, and Harley, during
the last six years, has saved a few hundreds also. He has some inkling
of my intended course of procedure, and has arranged for me to draw his
money, if I require it. But I hope to run my quarry to earth without
encroaching upon Harley’s savings, for it will go hard with him at
first, especially if he has no money to fall back upon.”
“His money shall not be touched,” put in Mr. Cory in a very decided
tone. “I have a nice sum available for unexpected contingencies like the
present.”
“And so have I,” answered Miss Margaret.
“You are very kind; I hardly know how to thank you,” said Hilton, very
much moved.
“And how can I help?” inquired Annie, piteously. “I have no money of my
own, but I am anxious to do some real work, and I am sure you would find
me clever and capable.”
“I should only be too glad of your help,” said Hilton, with animation in
his mien and entreaty in his voice, “but the only way in which you can
help seems too preposterous to suggest to you.”
“Out with it, man,” cried Mr. Cory; “if it is something that cannot be
undertaken, no harm will be done.”
“Then here you are, sir. It is necessary that I should gain a little
insight into the doings of the family of Mr. David Stavanger, for I am
convinced that either he or his son knows where the still missing
diamonds could be found. There is an advertisement in to-day’s paper for
a holiday governess to the youngest Miss Stavanger, a girl of twelve.
To-morrow morning I intended going to the office of Messrs. Bell and
White, private inquiry agents, to ask them to send their principal lady
detective, Miss Dora Bell, to try for the appointment, as a governess
has many means of gaining information concerning what is going on in a
household. Now, if you----”
“Not another word, I will turn detective, and beard these lions in their
own den,” was Annie’s exclamation.
“But how about references? Besides, they would know your name, perhaps,”
objected Mr. Cory.
“You dear innocent,” remarked Miss Margaret, with the calmness born of
superior wisdom; “when one takes up detective work, one has not to be
too squeamish about ways and means, and you may trust us to devise some
scheme to circumvent these villains. If Annie can’t get the post, I’ll
try to make myself look more youthful, and make a bid for the
appointment.”
Somehow, any lurking objections which Mr. Cory might have had were all
overcome, and when Hilton went home that night, many arrangements for
the future had been made. Subject to Mrs. Riddell’s own consent, it had
been decided that it would be best for her to live with Miss Margaret
for a while. Mr. Cory, very much to his own surprise, found himself
enrolled as an amateur detective, liable to be called upon for active
service at any time. Annie, instead of moping at home and giving way to
melancholy, was bent upon yielding efficient help as a lady detective,
and Hilton meant to be guided by the exigencies of the moment.
The avowed end and aim of all these good people was to bring the man who
was responsible for Harley Riddell’s imprisonment to justice.
The progress of our story will show how they went about their new
employment, and what were the results of their endeavours as amateur
detectives.