"You see," Logan went on, "Lady Stanchester feared the revelation which
the young valet could make concerning her, therefore, knowing that Lady
Lolita was in the habit of writing to him in cipher and that they had
arranged to meet that night in the park, she saw that if she killed him
suspicion must be thrown upon her husband's sister. Besides, she was
believed to be still at Aix, the only person having knowledge of her
secret presence in London being Marie, with whom she had an interview
that very day. Judge her dismay, therefore, when at the moment of the
committal of the crime she came face to face with Marie herself, her
bitterest enemy! Only a gasp of surprise escaped the mouths of both
women. They glared into each other's faces, and while the Countess knew
that her terrible secret was not her own, Marie Lejeune saw gloatingly
that her power over the wealthy woman was now that of life or death. It
was not to the Frenchwoman's interest to tell the truth to the police
while Lady Stanchester submitted to blackmail, therefore in this second
case, as in the first, the facts against Lady Lolita were sufficiently
circumstantial to secure her conviction, and more especially that she
held the knife in her hand when I had encountered her at the scene of
the crime."
"But surely you told Lady Lolita that you were satisfied that the charge
against her was a false one?" I asked.
"Certainly I did--after Marie Lejeune had told me the truth. I did not,
however, tell her who was the actual assassin, as Marie would not allow
me. Nevertheless in neither case could her actual innocence be proved
unless Marie Lejeune spoke the truth--and this she refused to do, first
because she must by so doing implicate herself; and secondly that she
would then lose the power for blackmail which she had established with
such devilish ingenuity. It was true, as Lady Lolita declared to me,
she was their victim--and to drive her to self-destruction was equally
their object--in order to save themselves."
The Earl stood listening to the terrible allegations against his wife,
scarcely moving a muscle of his features.
"From the moment of Wingfield's death Lady Stanchester, against whom the
French police held a warrant for her implication in certain frauds of
the gang, was entirely in the Frenchwoman's unscrupulous hands," Logan
continued, "but knowing Lady Lolita's peril, and sympathising with her--
the unconscious victim of the evil deeds of both these women--I took her
side against them and joined myself in secret with Mr Keene, although
at the time I was still allied with them.
"Keene also joined us, but with a view to freeing Lady Lolita from the
false charges against her. He knew the truth regarding Lady
Stanchester, and with us sought concealment in a farm in the vicinity,
our object being to keep observation upon the movements of the Countess.
We should have remained longer, had it not been for the jealousy of
Belotto, who one night attacked Marie Lejeune and we were compelled to
call in a doctor. Moreover we were compelled, owing to that, to escape
abroad again. After a short time, however, the Countess--still
compelled to submit to blackmail heavily and even to give some of her
jewellery in lieu of money, and living in daily terror that the
Frenchwoman should give secret information to the police regarding the
assassination of Wingfield--wrote to me in Lucerne expressing a desire
to meet Marie again, and come to some amicable arrangement with her. I
arranged the meeting, came to London, and escorted Lady Stanchester to
Milan. By some means Mr Woodhouse obtained knowledge of her intention
and follow us. Perhaps he will tell you what occurred."
"Certainly," I said. And then I related the result of my vigilance, and
the adventure which subsequently happened to me.
"You were struck down by a man whom Marie had on watch outside the house
and carried into the place afterwards," explained Logan, when I had
concluded my narrative.
"Why Marie received us in the apartment that was not her own," he
continued, "was in order that the Countess should not afterwards be able
to inform the police of her whereabouts. She invited Lady Stanchester
and ourselves to supper, when a fresh and very ingenious scheme of fraud
upon jewellers in Paris, in which she intended to compel her ladyship to
take part, was discussed. Presently the two women quarrelled, mutual
recriminations followed, whereupon Marie openly accused her visitor of
Wingfield's murder and threatened that if she refused her assistance in
this new scheme she intended to denounce her. Scarcely, however, had
the Frenchwoman uttered these words when Lady Stanchester rose suddenly,
drew a knife, and stabbed her to the heart while she sat at table. For
a moment we all sat dumbfounded and horrified. Then the question arose
how best to dispose of the body. The man who had driven us there was
one of our accomplices, therefore it was resolved to drive out about two
miles, and place it in the canal.
"While they carried it out I was to remain behind, to remove all trace
of the crime. The murderess sat motionless in the corner of the room,
appalled by her own deed. Judge my surprise, however, when, a few
minutes later, the body of Marie was brought back again, and then Mr
Woodhouse, whom we all believed to be here, at Sibberton, was carried
in! He was placed in such a position that whoever discovered the
tragedy would believe that he was the murderer. The guilty woman
screamed aloud when her eyes fell upon her husband's secretary, saying,
`Strike him again! Make certain he's dead, or he will tell the truth--
he will expose me!' But we dragged her away, and two hours afterwards I
sat with her in the Bale express, travelling towards London.
"To-night I came down here to see her in secret, in order to plead with
her to release Lady Lolita from the terrible thraldom of suspicion--yet
it seems that in order to save herself she had actually uttered the
false charges to her husband. Had I not met Lady Lolita in the
pleasure-grounds to-night, she would, ere this, have been driven to the
last extremity."
"Ah!" I cried, standing aghast at the extraordinary story, "it is,
indeed, the hand of Providence that has directed your presence here
to-night, Mr Logan. You have, if nothing else, made atonement for the
part you yourself played in the affair, by coming forward and exposing a
guilty woman and saving from death one who is pure, innocent and
long-suffering--the woman I love."
Lady Lolita grasped my hand tightly, but no word passed her quivering
lips.