"LET SLEEPING DOGS LIE."
ON the journey of life we sometimes come to a dead stop. Obstacles arise
which bar our further progress, and circumstances, impossible to do away
with, confront us on all sides. We cannot go back, for in life there is
no retrogression; we cannot proceed, owing to blocked paths, and so
stand hopeless and powerless, waiting for the word or action of Fate.
She, unseen but almighty deity, alone can remove the hindrance which
prevents our progress, and until she speaks or acts, we can do nothing
but wait. It is on such occasions that we feel how truly we are the
puppets of some unknown power.
Francis Hilliston had arrived at some such stoppage. Hitherto his keen
brain, his strong will, his capability for decisive action, had carried
him onward from past to present, through present to future. When
obstacles had arisen they had been easily swept away, and with his own
life in his hands, he was perfectly satisfied of his power to mold it to
his liking. Possibly Fate, who is a somewhat jealous deity, felt angered
at the egotistic self-reliance of the man; for without warning she
brought him to a dead stop, then grimly waited to see how his boasted
cunning would outwit her. As she probably foresaw, the man did nothing
but await her decision. It was the only thing he could do.
For five-and-twenty years the Horriston tragedy had been unmentioned,
unthought of; Hilliston deemed that it was relegated to the category of
unknown crimes, and having in mind his friendship for the parents, and
his love for the son, was not unwilling that it should be so. He did not
wish Claude to know of the matter, he was not desirous that he should
come in contact with Mrs. Bezel; and hitherto had managed so well that
neither contingency had eventuated. Congratulating himself on his
dexterity, he remained lulled in fancied security, when Fate, observant
of his complacency, sent a bolt from the blue, and brought him up short.
Now, Hilliston, forced by circumstances to tell the truth to Larcher,
did not know what to do. He could only wait for the fiat of the higher
power.
Grimly satisfied that she had brought home his fault, and had shown him
his moral weakness, Fate made the next move, and sent Larcher and his
friend to Lincoln's Inn Fields to again set Hilliston on his former
journey. The paralysis of will which had seized the elder man did not
extend to the younger; for Claude arrived full of anxiety to begin the
search for the undiscovered criminal. The first result of his compact
with Tait was this visit to the lawyer.
"Claude Larcher; Spenser Tait," muttered Hilliston, glancing at the
cards brought in by his clerk. "I thought as much; the matter is out of
my hands now. Show the gentlemen in," he added sharply.
The clerk departed, and Hilliston walked quickly to the window, where he
stood biting his nails. All geniality had vanished from his face; he
looked older than his years, and an unaccustomed frown wrinkled his
expansive forehead. A crisis had come which he knew not how to meet; so,
after the fashion of men when they feel thus helpless, he left the
decision in the hands of Fate. Which was precisely what Fate wanted.
"Good-morning, Claude! Good-morning, Mr. Tait!" said Hilliston,
welcoming the young men with artificial enthusiasm. "I expected to see
you today."
"Surely you did not expect to see me?" said Tait, in a silky tone, as he
placed his hat on the table.
"Indeed, I did! Where Damon is Phintias is sure to be. That Claude's
perusal of those papers would result in your accompanying him to this
office, I felt sure. I was right. Here you are!"
Mr. Hilliston affected a cheerfulness he was far from feeling. With
increasing age a distaste had come for violent excitements, and with one
of Claude's temperament he knew that the chances were that the ensuing
quarter of an hour would be somewhat stirring. Contrary to his
expectations, however, Larcher was eager, but calm, and Hilliston,
assuring himself that the calmness was genuine, began to hope that the
interview would pass off better than he expected. Still, none of us like
to reopen a disagreeable chapter of the book of life, and this Mr.
Hilliston, against his will and inclination, was about to do.
"Well, sir," said Claude, when they were all seated, and the hush of
expectancy was in the air, "I have read those papers."
"Yes," said Mr. Hilliston interrogatively; "and what do you think of the
matter?"
"I think it is a very black case."
"You are quite right, Claude. It is a very black case indeed. I did all
in my power to bring the criminal to justice, but without success."
"Who is the criminal?" asked Larcher, with a keen glance at his
guardian.
Hilliston shuffled his feet uneasily, by no means relishing the
directness of the question.
"That is a difficult question to answer," he said slowly; "in fact an
impossible one. My suspicions point to Jeringham."
From this point Tait made a third in the conversation.
"That is because Jeringham disappeared on the night of the murder," he
said leisurely.
"Yes. I think that circumstance alone is very suspicious."
"He was never found again?"
"Never. We advertised in all the papers; we employed detectives,
inquired privately, but all to no result. The last person who saw
Jeringham was Mrs. Larcher. He parted from her at the door of The
Laurels, and vanished into the night. It still hides him."
"What do you conclude from that, sir?" asked Claude, after a pause.
"I can only conclude one thing," replied Hilliston, with great
deliberation, "that your father, suspicious of Jeringham, returned on
that night from London, and saw the parting. The result is not difficult
to foresee. It is my own opinion that there were words between the men,
possibly a struggle, and that the matter ended in the murder of your
father by Jeringham. Hence the discovery of the body thrown into the
river, hence the flight of the murderer."
"Was this the generally received opinion at the time?"
"Yes. I can safely say that it was believed Jeringham was guilty, and
had fled to escape the consequences of his crime."
"In that case, how was it that Mrs. Larcher was arrested?" asked Tait
skeptically.
"You cannot have read the case carefully, to ask me that," replied
Hilliston sharply. "She was arrested on the evidence of the dagger.
Without doubt the crime was committed with the dagger, and as she had
worn it, the inference was drawn that she was the guilty person. But she
was acquitted, and left the court--as the saying is--without a stain on
her character."
"Nevertheless she died, Mr. Hilliston."
"Shame killed her," said the lawyer sadly. "She was a foolish woman in
many ways,--your pardon, Claude, for so speaking,--but she was not the
woman to commit so foul a crime. Indeed, I believe she was fondly
attached to her husband till Jeringham came between them."
"Ah!" interposed Tait composedly, "that is John Parver's view."
"John Parver?" repeated Hilliston, with well-bred surprise. "I do not
know that name in connection with the case."
"Nor do we know the name of Mrs. Bezel," said Claude quickly.
Hilliston started, and looked at Claude as though he would read his very
soul. The inscrutability of the young man's countenance baffled him, and
he turned off the remark with a dry laugh.
"With Mrs. Bezel we will deal hereafter," he said shortly; "but who is
this John Parver!"
"He is the author of a book called 'A Whim of Fate.'"
"A novel?"
"Yes. A novel which embodies the whole of this case."
"That is strange," said Hilliston quietly, "but no doubt the author has
come across the details in some old provincial journal, and made use of
them. The Larcher affair caused a great deal of talk at the time, but it
is certainly remarkable that a novelist should have made use of it for
fictional purposes after the lapse of so many years. I must read the
book. Just note the name of it here, Mr. Tait, if you please."
Tait did so, and Hilliston continued:
"Is my character in the book?"
"I think so. Under the name of Michael Dene!"
"I trust the author has been flattering to me. By the way, who does he
say committed the crime?"
"Michael Dene."
Hilliston went gray on the instant, as though a sudden blow had been
struck at his heart. Two pairs of keen eyes were fixed on his face with
some surprise, and uneasy at the scrutiny, he strove to recover his
composure.
"Upon my word," he said, with quivering lips, "I am infinitely obliged
to John Parver for describing me as a murderer. And what motive does he
ascribe to me, or rather to Michael Dene, for the committal of the
crime?"
"Love for the wife," said Tait, smiling.
"Eh! That is rather the rôle of Jeringham, I should say," replied
Hilliston, the color coming back to lips and cheek. "I must read this
novel, and if possible discover the identity of the author."
"Oh, we will do that!"
"Claude!" cried the lawyer, in astonishment.
"I and Tait. We intend to follow out this case to the end."
"It is useless! Five-and-twenty years have elapsed."
"Nevertheless, I am determined to hunt down the murderer of my father,"
said Claude decisively. "Besides, we have two eye-witnesses to the
tragedy. Yourself and Mrs. Bezel."
"Ah! Mrs. Bezel! I forgot her. Certainly, I will do all in my power to
help you, Claude. Your father was my dearest friend, and I shall only be
too glad to avenge his fate. But if I could not do it at the moment, how
can I hope to do so now--after so long a period has elapsed?"
"Leave that to us, sir. Tait and I will attend to the active part of the
business. All we ask you to do is to give us such information as lies in
your power."
"I will do that with pleasure," said Hilliston, who by this time was
thoroughly master of himself. "What is it you wish to know."
"We wish to know all about Mrs. Bezel. Who is she? What has she to do
with the case? Why is not her name mentioned in these pages?"
"For answers to these questions you had better apply to the lady
herself. You have her address. Why not call on her?"
"I intend to do so to-morrow."
The old man rose from his seat, and took a turn up and down the room.
Then he paused beside Claude, and laid a trembling hand on the young
man's shoulder.
"I have been a good friend to you, Claude."
"You have been my second father--my real father," said Larcher gently.
"I shall never forget your kindness. I would return it if I could."
"Then do so, by letting sleeping dogs lie."
"What do you mean by that, Mr. Hilliston?" asked the other, with a
subtle change in his tone.
"Abandon this case. Do not call on Mrs. Bezel. You can do no good by
reopening the affair. It was a mystery years ago, it is a mystery still;
it will remain a mystery till the end of time."
"Not if I can help it. I am sorry to disoblige you, sir, but my mind is
made up. I am determined to find out the truth."
Hilliston sighed, passed his hand across his forehead, and returned to
his seat, hopeless and baffled. He was sufficiently acquainted with
Claude's character to know that he was not easily turned from his
purpose, and that his resolution to solve the mystery would be
resolutely carried out. Yet he made one more attempt to bend the young
man to his will.
"If you are wise you will not call on Mrs. Bezel."
"Why not, sir?"
"It will give you great pain."
"All my pain is past," replied Claude quickly. "I can suffer no more
than I did when reading these papers. I must call on Mrs. Bezel; I must
know the truth, and," added he significantly, "I have your promise to
assist me."
"I will do all in my power," answered Hilliston wearily, "but you do not
know what are you doing. I am older and more experienced than you, and I
give you my best advice. Do not see Mrs. Bezel, and leave the Larcher
affair alone."
The result of this well-meant advice was that Claude called the next
morning on Mrs. Bezel.