TAIT BRINGS NEWS.
AS quick as a fast hansom could take him, Claude drove to Earls Street,
and found Tait impatiently waiting his arrival. The little man had a
look of triumph in his eyes, which showed that his interview with Mrs.
Bezel had been to some purpose. Dormer had placed wine and biscuits on
the table, and, made hungry by his long journey to Hampstead, Tait was
partaking of these modest refreshments when Claude entered the room.
"I thought you were never coming," said he, glancing at his watch; "past
ten o'clock. You must have had an interesting conversation with
Hilliston to stay so long."
"I have had a very interesting conversation. And you?"
"Oh, I got back thirty minutes ago, after being more than an hour with
your mother."
"Was she disappointed at my non-appearance?"
"Very much so, but I explained that you had to dine with Hilliston. She
did not seem to like that either."
"Absurd! She thinks no end of Hilliston, and advised me to see as much
of him as possible."
"Nevertheless, the idea that you were dining with him did not please
her; I could only quiet her by telling all I know about Mrs. Hilliston."
When Tait made this remark Claude was taking off his cloak, but he
paused in doing so to ask a question.
"What possible interest can my mother have in Mrs. Hilliston?"
"I don't know. But she asked me who she was, and where she came from.
Insisted on a description of her looks, and altogether pumped me dry on
the subject. I suppose she wished to know something of Hilliston's
domestic felicity, and, as he has not enlightened her on the subject,
applied to me."
This explanation, which was accepted implicitly by Claude, was by no
means the truth. With his usual sharpness Tait had noted Mrs. Bezel was
profoundly jealous of the lawyer's wife, and from this, and sundry other
hints, had drawn conclusions by no means flattering to the lady herself.
Still, as she was Claude's mother, he had too much good breeding, and
too much liking for his friend, to state his belief--which was that the
bond between Mr. Hilliston and Mrs. Bezel was not of so harmless a
nature as they would have the world believe.
With this idea in his head, Tait began to look at the case from the
point of view adopted by John Parver. Might it not be true that
Hilliston was the secret lover of the wife and the murderer of the
husband? Certainly the efforts he was making to stay Claude in solving
the mystery gave color to the idea. If he were innocent of crime and
illicit passion he would surely be anxious to hasten, instead of
retarding, the discovery. Tait's private opinion was that Hilliston had
the crime of murder on his soul, but for obvious reasons, not
unconnected with Mrs. Bezel, he did not care to speak openly to Larcher.
On the contrary, while admitting a disbelief in the lawyer, he feigned a
doubt of his complicity in the matter which he was far from feeling.
Under these circumstances he had advised Claude to leave the matter
alone, for he dreaded the effect on his friend's mind when he learned
the truth.
Whether Hilliston proved innocent or not, the unraveling of the mystery
would necessarily result in the disclosure of the relations existing
between him and Mrs. Bezel. Tait shrank from pursuing investigations
likely to lead to such a result, but the determination of Claude to
avenge his father's murder left him no option. Against his better
judgment he was urged along the path of discovery; but trusted when the
time came to soften the blow of the inevitable result.
In silence he heard the story related by Claude of the evening at
Hilliston's, and did not comment on the information thus given so
speedily as Larcher expected. He thought it wiser to delay any remarks
till he had told the young man of his interview with Mrs. Bezel.
"I need not go into details, Claude," he said, anxious not to say too
much, "but will tell you as shortly as I can. Mrs. Bezel--it is more
convenient to speak of her so than to call her your mother--is not
pleased that you should try and solve this mystery."
"I know that. She thinks it is hopeless, and is unwilling that I should
waste my time to no purpose. But she should have thought of that before
inducing Hilliston to show me the paper. Now it is too late, and for my
own satisfaction, if not for hers, I must go on with the matter. Did you
relate our conversation with Linton?"
"Yes. And she takes the same view of it as Hilliston. That Miss Paynton
got the case from a bundle of old newspapers."
"What do you think yourself?"
"I still hold to my opinion," said Tait quietly. "The affair was related
to Jenny by someone who lived in Horriston at the time the murder took
place. Else she would never have given Linton that fact about the
scarfpin, which, as we know, is not mentioned in the report of the
trial."
"Hilliston says that the episode is fiction."
"Mrs. Bezel says it is fact."
"What! Was a scarfpin of garnets really found in the grounds of The
Laurels?"
"It was. Mrs. Bezel described the jewel to me, and asserted that it was
discovered near the bank of the stream."
"Does she know to whom it belonged?"
"No! She had no recollection of having seen it before. Neither your
father nor Jeringham wore a scarfpin of that pattern."
"It is curious that Hilliston should insist that such a pin never
existed."
"It is very curious," assented Tait significantly, "especially as it was
shown to him by Denis Bantry. This one fact ought to convince you that
Hilliston is playing us false."
"My doubts were confirmed by his manner to-night," replied Claude
gloomily. "I don't know what his reason may be, or how I can reconcile
his present behavior with his kindness to my mother, but he certainly
seems anxious to thwart us if he can."
Tait guessed what the reason was very well, but was too wise to explain
himself. Granted that a bond existed between Mrs. Bezel and the lawyer,
and the whole thing became clear, but Mrs. Bezel was Claude's mother, so
Tait held his peace.
"Why wasn't the scarfpin produced at the trial?" asked Claude, seeing
his friend made no answer.
"Only one man can answer that question--Denis Bantry."
"Does my mother know where he is?"
"No. She has not set eyes on him since she left Horriston."
"It is strange that he should have suppressed so important a piece of
evidence," said Claude meditatively, "devoted as he was to my father. I
should have thought he would have done his best to bring the murderer to
justice."
"Perhaps he did not know who the murderer was. However, there is no
doubt that the scarfpin must have told him something about which he
judged it wise to hold his tongue. Perhaps Miss Paynton can enlighten us
on the subject."
"Then she must know Denis Bantry."
"So I think," said Tait thoughtfully. "The episode of the scarfpin was
only known to your mother, to Hilliston, and to Bantry. Jenny Paynton
does not know your mother, who denied all knowledge of her. She cannot
be acquainted with Hilliston, or he certainly would not have let her
make use of the affair for Linton's book, even if he had told her. There
only remains Denis Bantry. Now, I know that Jenny has lived all her life
at Thorston, so if she saw this man anywhere it must have been there."
"Is there anyone in the neighborhood you think is he?" asked Larcher,
greatly excited.
"None that I can call to mind. But then, I don't know the neighborhood
very well. We must make a thorough exploration of it when we are down
there."
"Certainly. But it seems to me that the only one who can put us in the
right track is the girl."
"True enough. I only hope she will be amenable to reason."
Larcher poured himself out a glass of wine and drank it slowly. Then he
lighted his pipe and returned to his chair with a new idea in his head.
"I wonder why Hilliston told that lie about the scarfpin, Tait?"
"Ask me something easier. I cannot say. We'll learn nothing from him. My
dear fellow, it is no use asking further questions of your guardian or
of your mother. We have found out all from them that we can. Nothing now
remains but to see Jenny Paynton."
"Quite right. And we go to Thorston to-morrow?"
"By the ordinary train. I have written for the dogcart to meet us. By
this time next week we may know a great deal--we may know the truth."
"That is, if Hilliston doesn't thwart us. He is going down to
Eastbourne, remember."
"I know. But I intend to get what the Americans call the 'inside
running,' by seeing Jenny to-morrow evening. The whole case turns on her
explanation of the scarfpin episode.
"Well," said Claude, knocking the ashes out of his pipe, "we found
Linton through his book, we found Jenny through Linton. Through her we
may find Denis Bantry."
"And through Denis Bantry we may find the man who killed your father,"
finished Tait triumphantly.
"Well, I know what the name of the man will be."
"What will it be?"
"Jeringham."
Tait shrugged his shoulders. Knowing what he did he was by no means
certain on that point.