Suddenly a serving-man entered with a card in his hand.
"A gentleman to see you, sir," he said.
Captain Ernscliffe took the bit of pasteboard in his hand and looked at
it.
He started with surprise as he did so.
"C. M. Kidder," was the name he read.
It was the famous London detective whom he had employed to hunt down
Sydney's dastardly murderer.
"What is he doing here in America--in this city?" thought Captain
Ernscliffe, in surprise.
"Show the gentleman into this room," he said to the man.
Mr. Kidder came briskly in a moment after.
He was a shrewd-looking little man, well-dressed and gentlemanly.
"You are surprised to see me here," he said, after they had exchanged
the usual greetings.
"Yes," admitted the host. "Do you bring news?"
The little man's black eyes sparkled.
"The best of news," he answered, blithely. "I have run the game down."
"That is indeed the best of news," said his employer, his face lighting
up. "But I don't quite understand why you are here, in the United
States."
"You don't?" said Mr. Kidder, with a good-natured laugh. "Well, I am
here because my man is here. I have followed him across the seas."
"Is it possible?" exclaimed the listener, with a start.
"Yes, it is true. I have had a weary hunt for him, but I have unearthed
him at last, thanks to Elsie Gray."
"Elsie Gray! Ah, yes, I remember, she was my wife's maid who
disappeared so strangely the night of the murder. You say she helped
you. Where is she now?"
"She crossed the ocean with me. She is here in this city, and will be
the chief witness in the prosecution. She witnessed the murder, and
recognized the criminal at that moment as a former lover of your present
wife. She pursued him, and was on his track when I found her."
"It has been almost a year since that dreadful night," said Captain
Ernscliffe. "He must have been very clever to evade justice so long."
"He was a cunning, accomplished villain," said Mr. Kidder. "I followed
him for weary months, but he managed to elude me every time when I began
to think I had run him to earth. I lost him altogether for awhile, and
then I discovered that he had left the country and sailed for the United
States. I at once secured my witness, Elsie Gray, and followed him."
"But he may elude you here as he did in Europe," said Captain
Ernscliffe, looking disappointed.
"It is not at all likely," said Mr. Kidder, laughing, "for I have
already had him arrested and lodged in prison. No, do not thank me," he
added, as his employer poured out a torrent of praises and thanks.
"Rather thank Elsie Gray. But for her indefatigable exertions, and the
valuable information she gave me, I might never have succeeded in my
undertaking."
"She shall have my thanks, and something more substantial beside. The
reward shall be doubled, and she shall share it equally."
"She has already promised to go shares with me," said the detective, so
significantly and demurely that Captain Ernscliffe could not fail to
understand his meaning.
"So she will marry you?" he said, smiling, and then, gazing curiously at
the happy, little man, who was not more than thirty years old, he added:
"Pardon me, but you are quite young, and Mrs. Ernscliffe's maid was
quite middle-aged, was she not?"
"Oh, no, she was quite young and pretty," said the detective, laughing
his happy, good-humored laugh.
"But surely----" began the listener.
"Mrs. Ernscliffe's maid was in disguise, both as to name and
appearance," said Mr. Kidder, interrupting him. "Perhaps a bit of her
history might interest you, sir, seeing that she has served you a good
turn."
"I should like to hear it," said Captain Ernscliffe. "But wait a moment,
Kidder, until I ring for lights. It is growing dark."
When the gas was lighted, and the curtains dropped over the windows, he
turned back to his visitor and said:
"Go on, Kidder, let me hear Elsie Gray's history."
"Well, sir, Elsie Gray's true name is Jennie Thorn, and she is not more
than twenty years old.
"She was a poor farmer's daughter when this man whom she has tracked to
his doom deceived and ruined her under a pretense of marriage.
"The poor girl went home to her parents, but her honest father drove
her away with curses when he discovered her condition and learned her
sad story.
"Her mother secretly befriended her, and found her a place to stay in
hiding until her child was born.
"Fortunately for the poor girl it was born dead, and then she set out
upon a mission which she had sworn to accomplish--her revenge upon the
man who had betrayed her.
"In the meanwhile her enraged father had shot the deceiver, and thinking
him dead had fled the country.
"But the wicked deceiver was proof against his enemy's bullet. He was
born to be hung, you see, sir, and he was proof against anything else.
"So he got well, and was clear out of the country before poor Jennie was
on her feet again. She was sorely disappointed, but she bided her time."
Captain Ernscliffe began to look as if he took an interest in the
history of the farmer's pretty daughter.
"She sought for him everywhere as far as her money would carry her,"
went on the detective, "but she never saw or heard of her enemy.
"At length her mother came to the city with her, and together they
continued their unrelenting quest, for they both had sworn to take a
terrible revenge upon the destroyer of innocence."
He paused a moment, and Captain Ernscliffe, half forgetful of his own
troubles in this sorrowful story, exclaimed:
"Go on, Kidder. I am very much interested in Jennie Thorn's sad story."
"One night they went to the theater," continued the detective, "and
there they saw upon the stage the beautiful lady that is now your wife."
"Ah!" exclaimed Captain Ernscliffe, with a start.
"Yes, sir; you begin to get an inkling of things now," said Kidder.
"Well, to go on, Jennie Thorn recognized the lady. She had seen her
before, and knew that the man who had wronged her was an enemy of Madame
De Lisle. She knew that they hated each other, and that he had sworn to
take a terrible revenge upon her. Well, sir, in that minute Jennie Thorn
began to see what would be her own best chance to find her betrayer
again."
Captain Ernscliffe was growing too excited to keep his seat. He rose and
paced up and down the room, his arms folded over his broad breast, his
burning gaze fixed on the detective's shrewd, intelligent face.
"She knew that the man would follow Madame De Lisle like her evil
genius, and she determined to keep near the beautiful actress. The next
day she disguised herself as an elderly woman, changed her name, and
went into your wife's service as her maid."
Captain Ernscliffe gazed at him silently. He began to comprehend now.
"There's little more to tell, sir. Jennie left her mother in the United
States and followed Madame De Lisle across the ocean.
"At first the actress had an old couple of actors with her--the same
that adopted her and taught her their profession--but they both died.
"The old man sickened first and died, and his wife soon followed him to
the grave.
"Then the actress grew attached to Jennie, and would not have parted
with her for anything.
"Her middle-aged appearance was a protection to the young lady who was
so beautiful and so lonely, and she never suspected that her elderly
maid was other than what she seemed.
"Jennie was contented to remain with her; but though she followed her
like a shadow she never saw her base betrayer until the night of the
murder.
"That night a small boy came to the dressing-room with that fatal
letter.
"It was so unusual an occurrence that Jennie stealthily followed him out
and saw where he had gone.
"Hidden behind the curtains of a window, she watched the man outside the
western door.
"Almost at the moment that she recognized him she saw him spring to the
door.
"She parted the curtains and saw the steel flashing in his hand, to be
buried the next moment in the heart of the woman coming up to him."
He paused a moment at Captain Ernscliffe's hollow groan; then continued:
"Jennie told me that the wild scream of anguish that rose the next
moment nearly broke her heart.
"She thought it was her dear, kind mistress whom he had killed, and she
was filled with the fury of the tigress.
"She sprang over the fallen body, and followed the murderer, who was
hurrying away.
"She caught him by the arm, and fastened her teeth in his arm.
"He shook her off and ran away. She sprang after him.
"She followed him to a house, but he escaped from it, or eluded her
somehow, and she took quarters in the vicinity, and was watching the
place when I found her.
"With the information she gave me I succeeded in tracing him further,
and finally we tracked him down.
"He is at this moment in prison, and if he gets his dues he will swing
from the gallows right speedily. A blacker-hearted villain never walked
upon the earth."
There was silence for a time, and then the detective added:
"When I landed herein this city, with Jennie in my charge, we found that
her mother was dead.
"The poor girl has not a friend on earth, and she has promised to marry
me to-day, and after the trial is over she will return to England with
me.
"She is a good, sweet, true girl, and I don't bear any grudge against
her because she has suffered from the arts of a villain through her too
confiding innocence."
"You have my congratulations, my fine fellow," said Captain Ernscliffe,
heartily. "But do you know that you have forgotten to tell me the name
of the man who murdered my poor Sydney?"
"Why, really, have I neglected to mention his name? You must excuse me,
Captain Ernscliffe, for it is one of the traits of my profession to be
chary of mentioning names. The man belongs right here in this city, and
is a notorious gambler and rogue. He is as handsome as a prince, as
wicked as the devil, and his name is Leon Vinton."