Lord Barminster conducted Mr. Harker to the Octagon Room, so named from
its peculiar shape.
"If you will wait here," he said courteously, "I will have some
refreshment sent up to you and the ladies, when they arrive."
"Thank you, my lord," returned Mr. Harker gratefully.
Seating himself, he waited patiently for the arrival of Miss Lester and
Jessica, secretly congratulating himself on the success of his
interview. The time passed quickly; and, while waiting, Lord Barminster
and Mortimer Shelton held a hurried consultation with him as to the best
method of exposing Vermont. Long before they had finished, Miss Lester
and her niece had arrived, the former flushed with excitement and
triumph at the prospect of at last, as she expressed it, "getting her
own back" with Jasper.
Lord Barminster and Shelton descended to the terrace, where they found
Lady Constance; and almost immediately after came Adrien, with his
inevitable companion, Jasper Vermont.
Lord Barminster had already arranged for his three visitors to be in the
morning-room, which opened on to the terrace, as they would there be
within call, and also within earshot.
"A word with you, Mr. Vermont," began Shelton sternly.
Jasper smiled, as usual, and turned towards him.
"As many as you like, Mr. Shelton," he said smoothly.
Mortimer looked at him steadily; then he said in a voice which was hard
as steel:
"Mr. Vermont, Lord Barminster has kindly allowed me to speak first. We
have every reason to believe that you have had some connection with this
affair of Harker's notwithstanding your profession of friendship for
Adrien."
Mr. Vermont drew himself up proudly.
"I?" he said indignantly. "What should I have to do with moneylending?"
"Be careful," said Shelton sternly, "there are not people wanting who
will fight for Leroy's honour even as it were their own."
Vermont smiled cynically.
"Indeed, Shelton," he said, "it is hardly for you to speak. After all,
it was you who nearly ruined Adrien by your denial of the bill, not I."
Lord Barminster strode forward.
"You cowardly rascal," he exclaimed furiously; but Mortimer placed
himself between them.
"My lord," he said, "leave him to me. If force is necessary, I will
punish him."
Jasper smiled.
"You wrong me, Shelton," he said gently; "and not only me, but Adrien,
whom you pretend to care for. I have stood his true friend, as he knows,
and have done my best to keep trouble from him, when, indeed, none other
could have done so. But I suppose this is all the gratitude I can expect
from you for the discharge of friendship's duties. Adrien will no longer
be of the fashionable world, you think, after yesterday's case; and it
is high time to get rid of his humble friend, Jasper Vermont."
Adrien, who had been talking to Lady Constance, now glanced appealingly
towards Mortimer; but with a gesture, as if to silence him, Shelton
turned to Vermont again.
"Friend!" he exclaimed bitterly. "A pretty friend! But no more of this.
I advise you to leave the Castle while you are safe, for we have
sufficient proof here to send you to penal servitude."
"Yes," Lord Barminster repeated, "leave the house at once. If I find you
within my grounds an hour hence, I will thrash you within an inch of
your life, old man as I am."
Jasper Vermont's face grew livid with anger, and something approaching
fear as well; he clenched his hands so tightly that the carefully
manicured nails dug deep into his flesh. But with characteristic
insolence he tried to brazen it out.
"Your grounds?" he exclaimed, in virulent scorn. "Your grounds, my lord!
First tell me where I shall find them. You have no grounds. Barminster
Castle is in the hands of a moneylender; these lands, as far as the eye
can reach, are the property of Mr. Harker, the City capitalist, by right
of countless bills and deeds which your precious son has made over to
him."
With an exclamation of pain and astonishment, Adrien gazed on the man
whom he had so loved and trusted. There was no mistaking the bitter
hatred that was in Vermont's tones. At last, his eyes were being opened
to the man's true character.
Lord Barminster regarded him steadily.
"You're mad!" he said quietly.
"Oh, no, no!" laughed Vermont. "It is not I who am mad, but you, who
foolishly handed over your wealth to your son before it was his by
right. You should have let him wait till death had removed you, before
you gave him full power over Barminster. Such lavish expenditure as his
would empty the coffers of a nation. His folly has melted every stone of
your precious Castle in the cup of pleasure, and has poured out the
costly draught at the feet of his friends and parasites. Friends? He has
never had any--leeches, perhaps, who have sucked him dry of all his
possessions, and then deserted him."
"Speak for yourself, you cur." cried Shelton, "since it is you, and your
dishonest management of his estates, that have brought him to this
pass."
Jasper smiled sardonically.
"Say rather that it is I who have constantly warned him against every
fresh extravagance, knowing full well what must happen. Ask him
yourself, if you doubt my word; ask him whether I have not implored him,
time and time again, to relinquish at least some of his many ruinous
pleasures and follies; to deny himself at least one expenditure."
Adrien turned his dark eyes to his father's stern face.
"Sir," he said gently, "I really do not see why this scene should
continue. If any explanations are necessary, Mr. Vermont shall give them
to me."
Vermont turned away with a scornful laugh, but Shelton grasped his arm.
"One minute," he said, "before you sneak away."
"Keep your hands off me, you moneyed fool," cried Vermont, wrenching
himself free from the other's grasp. "I know nothing about this City
business, you must apply to Harker himself. It is your name that is
forged, not mine--though I suppose you want to screen the real criminal
and fix on me as a scapegoat."
Shelton was about to retort, but Adrien intervened.
"Tell me one thing," he said quietly. "What has been your motive for all
this? I cannot believe that gain was your sole object. What harm have I
ever wrought you, Jasper? Something else must have inspired your
conduct. I ask you to give me the reason."
There was a dead silence as the gentle words were spoken. Jasper raised
his eyes to the pale face of the man he had so basely betrayed, and bit
his bloodless lips in dogged silence.
At this moment a commotion was heard at the lower end of the terrace.
Some of the servants were trying to prevent the approach of a man, who
was striving to get nearer to the little group. But he was too strong
for them; with a bound he had freed himself from their restraining arms,
and sprang forward, as if about to strike at Adrien. But Shelton thrust
himself forward and bore him back.
"Who is this? Are we to have all the scum of the earth in here? Do you
know this man, Leroy?" he asked hotly.
"Yes, I do," answered his friend in the low, restraining tones so
habitual to him.
"Yes, I should just think you do!" exclaimed the man, struggling to push
past Mortimer's outstretched arm. It isn't likely as you'll forget
Johann Wilfer, Adrien Leroy, nor me you either."
"This is too much!" cried Shelton, now thoroughly enraged at this fresh
interruption, and again he made as if to thrust the man away.
"Stop," said Adrien, glancing almost sadly at Constance, who smiled
lovingly back. "Let him speak, since he is here. Come, sir, why have you
forced your way in like this? What do you want of me?"
"What I asked a month ago," replied Wilfer. "I want my niece, Jessica. I
want her, an' I'm agoin' to have her, so you'd better own up where she
is."
Adrien turned to the others, who were standing silent in their
astonishment.
"This man," said Leroy, "has a fancied grievance against me; I know
nothing of where this girl is, or what has become of her."
"That's false!" retorted Wilfer. "He does know where the girl is; he
took her from her home, and she hasn't been seen since."
Lord Barminster glanced at him coldly.
"My good man," he said, "you heard what my son said just. You had better
make inquiries of the police. Mr. Leroy has not seen your niece."
"That is not quite true," put in Adrien gently, "I have seen her."
Lady Constance raised her pale face, and looked at him with startled but
trusting eyes.
"P'raps you'll say you didn't take her to your rooms next," said Wilfer.
"I don't deny it," replied Adrien calmly. "I found her on a doorstep,
starving with hunger, fleeing from a drunken uncle, as she said. There
was nowhere else to take her, being late at night; so I took her to my
chambers and fed her, then gave her into the charge of Norgate and the
housekeeper until morning, when I learned that she had disappeared. That
is all I can tell you about her; for I have not seen her since."
"But I have," came a voice--a woman's voice--behind them, "and I have
brought her here."
The little company turned round, and Adrien started as his eyes fell
upon the three new-comers.
"Ada," he cried. "What is the meaning of this intrusion?"
"No intrusion this time, Mr. Leroy," she said firmly. "I am here by your
father's own invitation."
Jasper, who during Wilfer's outburst had made no effort to go away, now,
at the sight of Miss Lester--who looked around her triumphantly, for
this was just the kind of scene she enjoyed--made an effort to slip
past; but he was held prisoner by Shelton.
"Quite right, Miss Lester," said Lord Barminster, courteously. "Perhaps
you will tell us what you know of the young lady." He glanced kindly at
the shrinking figure of Jessica, who stood with adoring eyes fixed on
Adrien.
"Well, I ought to know something of her," was that lady's retort. "I'm
her aunt. I paid that man"--pointing at Wilfer--"to look after her, and
a nice way he's done it, turning her out to starve, while he got drunk
on my money. You get off," she turned on the astounded Johann, "and
don't you let me hear any of your complaints, or I'll have something to
tell the police."
At the sound of the hated word "police," Wilfer turned, and mumbling
some incoherent words, slunk away. His game was up, and seeing him
vanquished, Miss Lester now took the centre of the stage, as it were,
and turned her attention on the scowling Jasper.
"You waste your breath with that skunk," she exclaimed, pointing a
bejewelled finger at him. "He's too tough a fox for you gentlemen. I'm
one of his own sort, and I'll show you what he's made of. Jasper, my
fine friend, you sold me as well as Mr. Leroy there, and I'm going to
cut up a bit rougher than what he has." She turned to Adrien, who had
been standing bewildered by this fresh interruption. "You want to know
what his little game is? Well, I'll tell you. He wanted your money
first; then, having ruined you and put you out of the running, he meant
to have a try for your sweetheart."
Adrien turned on her almost fiercely, and glanced at Constance, who
motioned him to be silent.
"That surprises you, does it?" continued Ada. "Some of you ladies and
gentlemen are as blind as bats. I could see his little game months ago.
That was his object; and he didn't care what he did to gain it. But he
went a bit too far when he tried to do me!"
She turned to Jessica, and, laying her hand on the girl's shoulder, drew
her forward.
"You want to know who this is? Well, it's just as I said before. She's
my niece. I don't think anybody, looking at the two of us, will deny the
relationship, either. She takes after her mother. And now you want to
know who her father is?"
Again she paused to heighten the effect of her words; but before an
answer could be given, a girl's cry of horror rang out, and Jessica
suddenly flung herself in front of Adrien. Jasper Vermont, for the first
time catching sight of Harker, and realising at last that the game was
up, indeed, had made a sudden movement, once more wrenching himself free
from Shelton. Something glittered in his hand; then came a flash, a
report, and with that one scream of agony, the lifeless form of Jessica
fell into Adrien's arms.
In an instant, all was in confusion. Jasper Vermont, with a mocking
laugh, had sprung over the stone balustrade, and was running across the
turf in the direction of the stream which, lower down, spanned the
race-course, and, even at this time of the year, was almost a foaming
torrent. Attracted by the sound of the shot, the servants had
approached, and now set off in hot pursuit.
But Jasper Vermont was fleet of foot, and when he had gained the top of
the rising ground he turned for one second to laugh again. But the laugh
died on his lips, as a voice--audible even above all the hubbub and
confusion--the shrill voice of Ada Lester, screamed:
"You villain. You have murdered your own child!"
Those who were in pursuit saw him suddenly stagger, as he realised that
the girl, whose identity he had that day learnt for the first time, had
received the bullet he had intended for Adrien Leroy.
With a short, sharp cry, like that of a wounded animal, he missed his
footing, fell backwards into the stream, which at this point was both
wide and deep, and was carried away; drowning before the very eyes of
the man who had so loved and trusted him, and whom he had so bitterly
wronged.