I went home decidedly disheartened. As usual, the Inspector's
positiveness and incontrovertible reasoning depressed my spirits,
because I felt convinced, although against my will, that he might be
right.
But when I entered our apartment, and found Laura and Janet waiting for
me, I forgot my troubles in the happiness of seeing Janet in my home.
The girl must have been of an adaptable temperament, for surely our
household was totally unlike the one she had been accustomed to, and yet
she seemed perfectly at home and at ease with us.
She wore black, but her robes of soft trailing silk, with a sort of
transparent net by way of a yoke, did not seem so unsightly as heavy
crape-trimmed dresses had always appeared to me.
Indeed the soft dull black was very becoming to Janet, and threw out her
creamy white skin in beautiful relief. Her large dark eyes and dusky
hair completed the harmony of black and white, and her scarlet lips were
the only touch of color in the picture.
The evening was a trifle chill, and Laura had a wood fire blazing in
the grate, for even in the short time we had lived in the Hammersleigh,
my energetic sister had succeeded in substituting open fires for the
ornate but unsatisfactory gas logs.
And so it was a cosy picture of home life that met my eyes, as I entered
after my expedition down to Washington Square.
Of course, I couldn't mention my afternoon's experiences just then, for
it was almost dinner time and I knew Laura's aversion to unpleasant
subjects of conversation at the dinner table.
And so I did my part toward making the meal a cheery and pleasant
occasion; and it was less difficult than might have been expected to
avoid all reference to the tragedy.
Both women were quite willing to follow my lead, and our talk was of all
sorts of pleasant matters, and now and then even verged toward
lightness. I realized, as I was sure Laura did too, that Janet was a
delightful conversationalist. She was both receptive and responsive. She
caught a point easily and was quick at repartee. Moreover, she was
gentle and refined, and it is needless to say that my love for her grew
apace with my discovery of her merits.
After dinner we returned to the drawing-room, and with her usual tact,
Laura contrived a household errand of some nature that took her away
for a time, and left me alone with my client.
I was all unwilling to break the charm of the pleasant atmosphere we had
created, but I knew it must be done if I were to free Janet from
suspicion.
Determined to learn from her some facts which would help me, I told her
at once that I desired a straightforward talk with her.
Immediately her manner changed. She became once more reserved, haughty
and rebellious. But I had no choice save to go on.
"I am so sorry," I said, "that you resent my questioning you about these
things. For surely, Miss Pembroke, you must understand, and it is my
duty to make you understand that your position is serious. Now whether
you want to or not, won't you please be honest with me, and confide more
fully in me what knowledge you may have bearing on the case?"
"I can't be honest," she replied, with a sigh that seemed to come from
her very soul; "I truly can't. Whatever you learn must be without my
assistance."
"Why can you not be honest? Are you afraid to be?"
"I cannot answer that question, either. I tell you, Mr. Landon, that I
have no information of any sort to give you."
"Then I must ask you a few definite questions, and you must answer them.
Why did you not mention the letter that came to your uncle from Jonathan
Scudder?"
"Who told you about that?"
The girl started up as if I had accused her of something serious, and
indeed perhaps it was.
"The Inspector found the letter in your room," I replied; "as you were
not willing to be frank in these matters, the law took its rights and
searched the whole place for any possible light on the subject."
"And you consider that that letter throws light on the subject?"
"Only to the extent of proving that you purposely suppressed that
letter; and I ask you why?"
"And I refuse to tell you why."
"Miss Pembroke, don't do that. Truly, you injure your own cause by
refusing to tell these things. You have taken me for your lawyer; now if
you want me to help you, indeed I may almost say to rescue you, from the
danger you are in, you must help me in any way that you can."
My earnestness seemed to have an effect. The girl's face softened and
her voice trembled a little as she said, "Perhaps it would be better
for me to tell you all,--but,--no, I can't, I can't!" She hid her face
in her hands, and her whole slender form shook with emotion. But she did
not cry, as I had feared she would. Instead, she raised her head with a
sudden determined gesture. "There was no reason," she said, with an air
of indifference which I knew was assumed; "I simply forgot it, that's
all."
"You forgot it!" I said, looking her straight in the eyes, so earnestly,
that her own eyes fell before mine.
I knew she could not persist in a falsehood long, and sure enough in a
moment she said, "Well, at least I didn't exactly forget it, but I
thought it was of no consequence."
"You thought it was of no consequence! when only last evening we were
discussing J. S. with your cousin, and wondering who he could be. At
that time you had read the letter from Jonathan Scudder, saying that he
would not come here Wednesday evening as he had telegraphed that he
would do. Why did you not tell us of it?"
"Perhaps it wasn't the same J. S.!" Janet smiled at me as she said this,
and I felt sure the smile was to distract me from my serious purpose,
and win me to a lighter mood. And she nearly succeeded, too, for again
I saw gentleness in her smile, and when to Janet Pembroke's beautiful
face was added the charm of gentleness, it was irresistible indeed.
But by a mighty effort I refrained from being cajoled, and I said
sternly, "You knew it was the same J. S., because the letter referred to
the telegram."
"That's so," she said, musingly; "I never thought of that. I fear I'm
not very clever at deception."
"I fear you are not," I answered, gravely, "and I thank Heaven for it.
Now, if you will just put all these matters into my hands, and tell me
what I ask, you will have no further cause for deception, and, I hope,
no more trouble."
"What do you ask?" she said, and never before had she looked so lovely.
She spoke in a low tone and had she been the most finished coquette she
could not have appeared more alluring. I was tempted almost beyond my
strength to clasp her in my arms and say, "I ask only for you," but I
knew were I to precipitate matters in that way I might antagonize her,
and so lose what slight chance I had of helping her.
"I ask," I said, in low even tones, "that you will tell me frankly why
you made no mention of the letter from Jonathan Scudder?"
"Because I wished suspicion to rest upon J. S.!" The words were quick
and incisive, and fairly cut into the air as she enunciated them clearly
and emphatically.
"Do you know Jonathan Scudder?"
"I do not. I never heard the name until I read that letter. But I know
J. S. to be an enemy of my uncle, and why may it not be that he came and
killed Uncle Robert, even after he sent that letter? Perhaps he sent it
for a blind."
"Miss Pembroke, you do not believe J. S. came at all on Wednesday night.
You know he did not, and you are making this up simply that suspicion
may be turned in his direction. Is not this true?"
"Yes," faintly murmured the girl, "you asked me to be frank, and I have
been."
She was making an awful admission, and she was perfectly well aware of
it. Fear clutched at my heart. If she herself had killed her uncle, how
natural to endeavor to throw suspicion on an unknown man. Again, if
Leroy were implicated, or if they had been companions in wrong-doing how
equally plausible a ruse!
Her face was white now to the very lips. Her hands trembled, and her
eyes darted frightened glances, as if she knew not which way to turn
next.
"Miss Pembroke," I said, very gently, "I'm more sorry than I can tell
you, that you persist in secrecy. But since you do I will speak for you.
You want to throw suspicion on J. S., in order to divert it either from
yourself or from someone else whom you wish to shield."
"How do you know that?" cried Janet, looking up with startled eyes.
"It is not difficult to guess," I said, bitterly. "Nor is it difficult
to guess the identity of the one you might wish to shield."
"Don't!" breathed Janet, clasping her hands; "don't breathe his name
aloud!"
"I will!" I said, thoroughly angered now; "it is Graham Leroy, and you
do love him, in spite of your pretended dislike of him!"
I paused suddenly, for a new thought had struck me. If Leroy were the
murderer, and if Janet had admitted him to the house, and willingly or
unwillingly been cognizant of his deed, then she would act exactly the
way she had acted! She would try to shield him, try to avert suspicion
from him, but of course she could not have him for her lawyer, and
though she still loved him, she could not but scorn him.
The suddenness of these thoughts so overwhelmed me that for a moment I
did not look at her. When I did, I was amazed at the change in her
face. From a white pallor it had turned to an angry red, and my heart
fell as I realized that she was angry at me for discovering her secret.
"Don't look like that," I pleaded; "only tell me the truth, and I will
help you,--I will help you both. At any rate, I know that _you_ were
guiltless, even if you have a guilty knowledge of Leroy's deed."
"You needn't assume me guiltless," Janet said, and her low voice
destitute of inflection, sounded as if she were forcing herself to
recite, parrot-like, a lesson already learned. "I had motive, and Mr.
Leroy had none."
"He may have had a dozen motives, for all I know," I said, rather
harshly, for I was beginning to realize that if she cared enough for
Leroy to proclaim herself guilty, my hopes were small indeed. "He may
have wanted that money himself, and come back to get it!" This was a
mean speech on my part, and utterly unfounded, but I was so angry at
Janet for shielding Leroy's name, that I cared little what I said.
"Oh, Mr. Leroy never wanted money; he's a very rich man."
"Who did want the money then? Did you?" I was fast forgetting my
manners, and my determination to win Janet's confidence by kindliness,
but I had not expected to have Leroy thus flung in my face.
"Yes, I wanted money," said Janet, "you learned that from Charlotte's
evidence."
"You are the strangest girl!" I said, staring at her, "you won't tell me
the simple things I ask, and then you fire a statement like that at me!
What do you mean? That you really wanted a large sum of money?"
"Yes; ten thousand dollars." The girl whispered this, and it seemed to
my bewildered fancy as if she said it without even her own volition. It
seemed forced from her by some subconscious process, and I was both
amazed and frightened. But I tried not to show my feelings, for if I
would learn the truth of this surprising revelation, I must move
carefully.
"Did you want that much?" I said, in a casual way, as if it were a mere
nominal sum. "What did you want it for?"
"As if I should tell you that!" and this astounding piece of humanity
tossed her head, and smiled almost roguishly at me.
"Never mind what you wanted it for," I said, "but you did want it,
didn't you? And you asked your uncle for it, and he refused you."
"He said that if,--if I would,--would--oh, what am I saying!" She broke
off with a little gasp, as if she had almost betrayed a secret. But I
knew.
"He said he would give it to you, and more too, if you would marry Mr.
Leroy, didn't he?"
"Yes," Janet replied, and this time she spoke in a simple, natural voice
and looked at me frankly.
"But, as you wanted the money to give to Mr. Leroy, and didn't want to
marry him, your uncle's proposition didn't please you?"
Janet looked at me in a bewildered way. "Yes," she stammered,
"yes,--that was it."
But I was learning my girl at last. For some reason she was telling a
string of falsehoods! My faith in her made me believe that she was doing
this for some definite and, to her, justifiable purpose. And yet, though
my suggestion about Leroy seemed to me to be in line with her plans, and
though she had said yes to it,--yet I knew it was not the truth. My
rapidly increasing love for her gave me an insight into her nature, and
though I might not be able to persuade her to tell me the truth, yet I
could discern when she spoke truly and when falsely.
"I give it up," I said to her, suddenly adopting a lighter tone; "I can
do nothing with you tonight in our relations of client and lawyer. Let
us drop the whole dreadful subject for the rest of this evening, and let
us pretend that we are just good friends, with no troublesome questions
between us.
"Yes," agreed Janet, with a smile of delight, "let us do that; but
anyway, I don't see why the troublesome questions that come between us
as lawyer and client, should interfere with our friendship."
"Nor do I, bless you!" I exclaimed, and with a lightened heart I put
aside my burden of doubt and fear for the present. And soon Laura came
back, and we all chatted pleasantly, without reference to anything
gruesome or dreadful.
Laura had not heard our foregoing conversation, and had not, as I feared
I had, additional reasons to wonder at Janet Pembroke.
But, we were both charmed with the girl's vivacity and entertaining
powers. She did or said nothing which savored too much of gayety to
harmonize with her black gown, and yet her little whimsical speeches and
her gentle wistful smiles won our hearts anew, and made both Laura and
myself feel bound to her without regard to the cloud that hung above her
head.