MONA CALLS ON MRS. MONTAGUE.
Mr. Palmer's unexpected announcement fairly stunned Ray for a moment. His
heart gave a startled bound, and then sank like a lump of lead in his
bosom, while a deadly faintness oppressed him.
Indeed the blow was so sharp and sudden that it seemed to benumb him to
such an extent that he made no outward sign--he appeared to be incapable
of either speech or motion. His face was turned away from his father, and
partially concealed by his newspaper, so that Mr. Palmer, fortunately,
did not observe the ghastly pallor that overspread it, and not knowing
that Ruth Richards was Mona Montague, he was wholly ignorant of the awful
import of his communication.
"Ruth Richards?" Ray finally repeated, in a hollow tone, which, however,
sounded to his father as if he did not remember who the girl was.
"Yes, that pretty girl that Mrs. Montague had with her at Hazeldean--the
one to whom you showed some attention the night of the ball--surely you
cannot have forgotten her. It seems," the gentleman went on, "that young
Hamblin has been smitten with her ever since she entered his aunt's
service, but she has opposed his preference from the first. He followed
them South, and met them at New Orleans, and it seems that the elopement
was arranged there. They were very clever about it, planning to leave on
the Havana steamer on the very day set for their return to New York. Mrs.
Montague learned of it at almost the last moment, and that they had
registered as Mr. and Mrs. Hamblin, although she did not ascertain that
there had been any marriage beforehand, and, overcome by this unexpected
calamity, she took the first express coming North."
It was well for Ray that his father made his explanation somewhat
lengthy, for it gave him time to recover a little from the almost
paralyzing shock which the dreadful announcement had caused.
He was as white as a ghost, and his face was covered with cold
perspiration.
"This terrible thing cannot be true," he said to himself, with a sense of
despair at his heart. "Mona false! the runaway wife of another! Never!"
Yet in spite of his instinctive faith in the girl he loved, he knew there
must be some foundation for what had been told to his father. Mrs.
Montague had come home alone. Louis and Mona had been left behind!
What could it mean?
His heart felt as if it had been suddenly cleft in twain. He could not
believe the dreadful story--he would not have it so--he would not submit
to having his life and all his bright hopes ruined at one fell blow. And
that, too, just as he had learned such good news for his darling--when he
had been planning to give her, upon her return, the one thing which she
had most desired above all others--the indisputable proof of her mother's
honorable marriage; when it would also be proved that she was the heir to
the property which Homer Forester had left, and could claim, if she
chose, the greater portion of the fortune left by her father.
Ray had been very exultant over the finding of that certificate in Mrs.
Montague's boudoir, and had anticipated much pleasure in beholding Mona's
joy when he should tell her the glorious news.
But now--great heavens! what was he to think?
Then the suspicion came to him, with another great shock, and like a
revelation, that it was all a plot; that Mrs. Montague had perhaps
discovered Mona's identity and possibly the loss of the certificate,
which, she might think, had fallen into the young girl's hands. He had
felt sure, from the quizzing to which Louis Hamblin had subjected him at
Hazeldean, that that young man's suspicions had been aroused, and
possibly this sudden flitting to the South had been but a plot, from
beginning to end, to entrap Mona into a marriage with the young man in
order to secure the wealth they feared to lose.
"When did Mrs. Montague leave New Orleans?" he inquired, when his father
had concluded, while he struggled to speak in his natural tone.
"On Tuesday evening."
"And you say that the Havana steamer sailed that same day?"
"Yes."
"What was the name of the steamer?"
"I do not know. I did not ask," Mr. Palmer replied. He was thinking more
about his own affairs than of the alleged elopement of the young people,
or he must have wondered somewhat at his son's eager questions. "And,
Ray," he added, as the young man suddenly laid down his paper and arose,
"there is one other thing I wanted to mention--Mrs. Montague has
consented to become Mrs. Palmer on the thirtieth of next month. I--I
hope, my dear boy, that you will be prepared to receive her cordially."
"You know, father, that I would never willfully wound you in any way, and
when Mrs. Montague comes as your wife, I shall certainly accord her all
due respect."
Ray had worded his reply very cautiously, but he could not prevent
himself from laying a slight emphasis upon the adverb, for he had
resolved that if Mrs. Montague had been concerned in any way in a plot
against Mona's honor or happiness, he would not spare her, nor any effort
to prove it to his father, and thus prevent him, if possible, from
ruining his own life by a union with such a false and unscrupulous woman.
"Thank you, Ray," Mr. Palmer replied, but not in a remarkably hopeful
tone, and then remarking that he had a little matter of business to
attend to, Ray went out.
Late as it was, he hastened to a cable office, hoping to be able to send
a night dispatch to Havana, but he found the place closed, therefore he
was obliged to retrace his steps, and wait until morning.
There was not much sleep or rest for him that night. His faith in Mona's
truth and constancy had all returned, but he was terribly anxious about
her, for the more he thought over what he had heard, the more he was
convinced that she was the victim of some cunning plot that might make
her very wretched, even if it failed to accomplish its object. He knew
that she was very spirited, and would not be likely to submit to the
wrong that had been perpetrated against her, and this of itself might
serve to make her situation all the more perilous.
He was at the cable office by the time it was opened the next morning,
and dispatched the following message to the American Consul in Havana:
"Couple, registered as Mr. and Mrs. Louis Hamblin, sailed from New
Orleans for Havana, April 28th. Search for them in Havana hotels. Succor
young lady, who is not Mrs. Hamblin. Answer."
Ray felt that this was the very best thing that he could do.
He would gladly have gone himself to Havana, and longed to do so, but he
was sure that if she should escape from her abductor--for so he regarded
Louis Hamblin--Mona would be likely to return immediately to New York and
to him. Thus he concluded it would be best to send the above message and
await an answer from the consul, then if he could learn nothing about
the couple he would go himself to search for Mona.
The day seemed interminable, and he was nearly distracted when night
came, and he received no answer to his dispatch. He had not been able to
apply himself to business all day, but wandered in and out of the store,
looking wan and anxious, and almost ill.
This led his father to imagine that he was unhappy over his contemplated
marriage--a conclusion which did not serve to make the groom-elect feel
very comfortable.
On the next morning, however, Ray received the following cablegram:
"Young lady all right; sailed for New York yesterday, May 1st."
The relief which these few words afforded Ray's anxious heart can better
be imagined than described.
Mona was true to herself and him, and he knew well enough that she never
would have returned to New York if she had been guilty of any wrong. She
would soon be with him, and then he would know all.
He ascertained what steamer left Havana on the first, and when it would
be likely to arrive in New York, and as the hour drew near, he haunted
the pier, that he might welcome his darling, and give her his care and
protection the moment she arrived.
Meantime Mona, her mind relieved of all anxiety, was having a very
pleasant passage home with Justin Cutler and his sister.
The weather was delightful, the sea was calm, and none of them was sick,
so they spent most of their time together upon deck, and Mona was so
attracted toward her new friends that she confided to them much more of
her history than she had at first done that evening in the Havana hotel.
In so doing she had mentioned the Palmer robbery and what she had
discovered in connection with it while she was in St. Louis.
This led Mr. Cutler to relate his own experience with the crescents, and
also the similar deception practiced upon Mrs. Vanderheck, and he
mentioned that it was the opinion of the detective whom he had employed
to work up the case, and whom Mona had met in St. Louis, that the same
parties were concerned in all three operations.
"They are a very dexterous set of thieves, whoever they are," he
remarked, while they were discussing the affair, "but though I never
expect to see those crescents again, for I imagine that the stones have
been unset and sold, it would afford me a great deal of satisfaction
to see that woman brought to justice."
"I have the bogus crescents in my possession," Miss Cutler smilingly
remarked to Mona. "Justin has given them to me to keep for him. Would you
like to see them, dear?"
"Yes, indeed," Mona replied, "and I, too, hope that woman may yet be
found. The affair is so like a romance, I am deeply interested in it."
Mr. Cutler colored slightly as she spoke of the romance of the
experience, for he was still quite sensitive over the cruel deception
that had been practiced upon him, although he had never confessed to any
one how deeply and tenderly interested he had become in the captivating
widow who had so successfully duped him.
When the steamer arrived in New York, almost the first person Mona saw
was Ray, who stood upon the pier searching with anxious eyes among the
passengers for the face of his dear one.
A cry of glad surprise broke from her, and, snatching her handkerchief
from her pocket, she shook it vigorously to attract his attention, her
lovely face all aglow with joy at his unexpected appearance.
He caught sight of the fluttering signal almost immediately, and his
heart leaped within him as he looked into her beaming countenance. Truth
and love and purity were stamped on every expressive feature.
He sprang across the gang-plank, and in less time than it takes to tell
it he was beside her, while oblivious, in his great thankfulness for her
safety, to the fact that others were observing them, he caught her close
to him in a quick embrace.
"My darling!" he whispered. "Oh, you can never know how thankful I am to
have you safe in my arms once more! What an escape you have had!"
"Why, Ray! how did you know?--who told you?" Mona exclaimed, astonished,
as, with a blushing face, she gently freed herself from his embrace,
although she still clung almost convulsively to his hand.
"I will tell you all about it later," he returned, in a low tone, and now
recalled to the proprieties of life. "I can only say that I learned of
the plot against you, and have been nearly distracted about you."
"Ah, Mrs. Montague told you that I had eloped with her nephew," the young
girl said, and now losing some of her bright color, "but," lifting her
clear, questioning eyes to her lover's face, "you did not believe it;
you had faith in me?"
"All faith," he returned, his fingers closing more firmly over the small
hand he held.
She thanked him with a radiant smile.
"But how did you know I would come home on this steamer?" she persisted,
eager to know how he happened to be there to meet her.
"I cabled the American Consul to search for you, and render you
assistance. He replied, telling me that you had already sailed for
New York," Ray explained.
"That was thoughtful of you, dear," Mona said, giving him a grateful
look, "but I found friends to help me. Come and let me introduce you
to them."
She led him to Mr. Cutler and his sister, who had quietly withdrawn to a
little distance--for, of course, they took in the situation at once--and
performed the ceremony, when, to her surprise, Mr. Cutler cordially
shook her lover by the hand, remarking, with his genial smile:
"Mr. Palmer and I have met before, but my sister has not had that
pleasure, I believe."
Ray greeted them both with his habitual courtesy, and then in a frank,
manly way, but with slightly heightened color, remarked:
"My appearance here perhaps needs some explanation, but it will be
sufficient for me to explain that Miss Montague is my promised wife."
"I surmised as much, not long after making the young lady's
acquaintance," Mr. Cutler remarked, with a roguish glance at Mona's pink
cheeks and downcast eyes. "But," he added, with some curiosity, "it is a
puzzle to me how you should know that she would arrive in New York on
this steamer to-day."
Ray explained the matter to him, and then they all left the vessel
together.
Mr. and Miss Cutler were to go to the Hoffman House, and invited Mona to
be their guest during their stay in the city, but thanking them for their
kindness, she said she thought it would be best for her to go directly
to Mr. Graves, as she had business which she wished him to attend to
immediately.
She also expressed again her gratitude to them for their exceeding
kindness to her, and promised to call upon them very soon, then bidding
them an affectionate good-by she left the wharf with her lover.
They went for a drive in Central Park before going to Mr. Graves, for Ray
was anxious to learn all the story of the plot against her and to talk
over their own plans for the future.
He found it very difficult to restrain his anger as she told him of her
interview with Louis Hamblin in New Orleans, and how she had been decoyed
upon the steamer for Havana, with the other circumstances of the voyage,
and her arrival there.
"The villain will need to be careful how he comes in my way after this,"
he said, with sternly compressed lips and a face that was white with
anger. "I will not spare him--I will not spare either of those two
plotters; but you shall never meet them again, my darling," he concluded,
with tender compassion in his tones, as he realized how much she must
have suffered with them.
"I shall have to go to West Forty-ninth street once more, for I have a
good many things there, and shall have to attend to their removal
myself," Mona returned, but looking as if she did not anticipate much
pleasure from the meeting with Mrs. Montague.
"Well, then, if you must go there, I will accompany you," Ray said,
resolutely. "I will never trust you alone with that woman again. And now
I have some good news to relate to you."
He told her then of his discovery of the marriage certificate, and what
he had done with it, after which she gave him a graphic account of the
discoveries which she had made in the secret drawer of the royal mirror.
"How very strange, my darling," he exclaimed, when she concluded; "how
nicely your discovery fits in with mine, and now every difficulty will be
smoothed out of your way, only," with an arch glance, "I am almost afraid
that I shall be accused of being a fortune-hunter when it becomes known
what a wealthy heiress I have won."
Mona smiled at his remark, but she was very glad that she was not to go
to him empty-handed.
"And, dear," Ray continued, more gravely, "I am going to claim my wife
immediately, for, in spite of the great wealth which will soon be yours,
you are a homeless little body, and I feel that you ought to be under my
protection."
"Ah, Ray, it will be very nice to have a home of our own," Mona breathed,
as she slipped her hand confidingly into his, and then they began to plan
for it as they drove down town.
Arriving at the house of Mr. Graves, they were fortunate in finding both
that gentleman and his wife at home, and Mona received a most cordial
welcome, while the kind-hearted lawyer became almost jubilant upon
learning all the facts regarding her parentage and how comparatively easy
it would now be to prove it.
It was arranged that Mona and Mr. Graves should meet Ray and Mr. Corbin
at the office of the latter on the next morning, when they would all
thoroughly discuss these matters and decide upon what course to pursue
in relation to them.
This plan was carried out; the certificate and contents of the royal
mirror were carefully examined, and then the two lawyers proceeded to lay
out their course of action, which was to be swift and sure.
The third day after Mona's arrival in New York, Ray went with her to Mrs.
Montague's house to take away the remainder of her wardrobe and some
keepsakes which had been saved from her old home.
Mary opened the door in answer to their ring, and her face lighted with
pleasure the instant she caught sight of Mona, although it was evident
from her greeting that Mrs. Montague had not told her servants the
story of the elopement.
"Is Mrs. Montague in?" Mona asked, after she had returned the girl's
greeting.
"No, miss, she went out as soon as she had her breakfast, and said she
wouldn't be home until after lunch," was the reply.
Mona looked thoughtful. She did not exactly like to enter the house and
remove her things during her absence, and yet it would be a relief not to
be obliged to meet her.
Ray saw her hesitation, and understood it, but he had no scruples
regarding the matter.
"It is perhaps better so," he said, in a low tone; "you will escape an
unpleasant interview, and since she is not here to annoy or ill-use you,
I will take the carriage and go to attend to a little matter, while you
are packing. I will return for you in the course of an hour if that will
give you time."
"Yes, that will be ample time, and I will be ready when you call," Mona
responded.
Ray immediately drove away, while she, after chatting a few moments with
Mary, went up stairs to gather up her clothing and what few treasures she
had that had once helped to make her old home so dear.
She worked rapidly, and soon had everything ready. But suddenly she
remembered that she had left a very nice pair of button-hole scissors
in Mrs. Montague's boudoir on the day they left for the South.
She ran lightly down to get them, and just as she reached the second hall
some one rang the bell a vigorous peal.
"That must be Ray," she said to herself, and stopped to listen for his
voice.
But as Mary opened the door, she heard a gentleman's tones inquiring for
Mrs. Montague.
"No," the girl said, "my mistress is not in."
"Then I will wait, for my errand is urgent," was the reply, and the
person stepped within the hall.
Mona did not see who it was, but she heard Mary usher him into the
parlor, after which she went to obey a summons from the cook, leaving
the caller alone.
Mona went on into Mrs. Montague's room to get her scissors, but she
could not find them readily. She was sure that she had left them on the
center-table, but thought that the woman had probably moved them since
her return.
Just then she thought she heard some one moving about in Mrs. Montague's
chamber adjoining, but the door was closed, and thinking it might be
Mary, she continued her search, but still without success.
She was just on the point of going into the other room to ask Mary if she
had seen them, when a slight sound attracted her attention, and looking
up, she caught the gleam of a pair of vindictive eyes peering in at her
from the hall, and the next moment the door was violently shut and the
key turned in the lock.