Fergus Hume

“ After dinner they all went to the Frivolity, and arrived just as the curtain was rising on the new burlesque.
The theatre was crowded, as the Frivolity invariably was, and Ronald saw, with some amusement, that the celebrated masher brigade, of whom he had heard so much, was in full force in the stalls. They looked like rows of waxworks with their immovable faces and phlegmatic manners.
"They look as if they ought to be wound up like clockwork," remarked Pat, gaily.
"Oh, they only keep going on tick, if that's what you mean," said Foster, laughing. ”

“ You cannot see an inch before your nose," retorted Vassalla, taking out his pocket-book: "read this, and then see what your truth-telling tongue has done."
He handed her Mrs. Verschoyle's letter, which she read eagerly, and, having finished, gave it back to the Marchese, with a cold smile.
"I see, she also denies being on board," she said, quietly; "so you are both telling deliberate falsehoods; will you kindly explain this riddle to me?"
"That will be easy enough, my cousin," answered the Marchese, with a sneer; "I presume Monteith told you all about the death of Leopold Verschoyle?" ”

“ I wonder Carmela puts up with the insolence of her sister. No wonder Mr. Verschoyle divorced her; no one could live with such a bad-tempered woman. She says she divorced him, but, of course, I know the truth, though she doesn't think so. She puts me in mind of that horrid Major Penton's wife at Simla--the same bold way about her. I asked Carmela where Mr. Verschoyle was, and she said she did not know. Of course she did not, but I do; he's in Australia. Signora Briffa told me that Carmela was in love with Mr. Verschoyle herself, but he preferred her sister. No wonder they quarrel. ”

“ I have lost all my illusions, and have discovered the gold of fancy to be only the tinsel of reality. You stand on the threshold of a happy career; I can only look back on a ruined life."
Ronald looked at him curiously as he spoke. A handsome face certainly, but with innumerable wrinkles and hollow cheeks; dark, piercing, restless eyes; black, smooth hair touched with white at the temples; and a thin-lipped mouth, with a heavy, dark mustache. Yes, Lionel Ventin was handsome, but one whom a woman would rather fear than admire. ”

“ Vassalla rose to his feet with a bound, and looked fiercely at Ronald.
"This is an insult, sir," he hissed out between his teeth. "Do you dare to accuse my cousin of the murder?"
"I accuse no one," retorted Ronald, coolly. "I merely asked you if his wife would have been sorry at his death."
Vassalla threw himself back in his chair, with a short, angry laugh. ”

“ Taunton. "Oh! you don't know what cold weather is in London. Wait till you see a fog, a nice, thick, yellow fog, with the sun like a ball of red fire glaring thro' it, then you'll say its chilly."
"Ugh," said the Australian, with a shudder, "your description is suggestive of the charnel-house."
"Monteith longs for the blue skies of Australia," said Foster, with a laugh, as he received his cup of tea from his hostess.
"So would you," retorted Ronald, "if you had once been there. Life in Australia is like the prairie fever, one is always longing to be back again." ”

“ Mrs. Verschoyle will lose her head, and they will quarrel, and when thieves fall out, honest men get their due."
"But I don't see----" began Ronald.
"Of course, you don't," said Gerald, with a dry laugh; "but if that interview has taken place, I'll bet you what you like one of us three will hear from Mrs. Verschoyle, for if her temper is what you say, she'll move heaven and earth to stop the marriage."
"I hope so," said Carmela, sadly.
"Of course, she will," replied Foster, cheerfully; "she will throw away honour, fortune, life itself, to obtain her ends, if she's so madly in love. ”

“ She was too proud, however, to complain, and went about as usual with Sir Mark and his daughter--frequented balls, theatres, garden parties, picture galleries, and all the sights of London, never once showing how deeply she felt Ronald's desertion.
Cold, stately, and self-possessed as of old, a keen eye might yet have noticed the dark circles under her eyes, and the increasing pallor of her face. Bell noticed it, and told her father, who, becoming alarmed, wanted to take Carmela down to Marlow at once. ”

“ Such a scene of confusion, getting out the luncheon--everyone seated round in attitudes graceful and otherwise, with the clatter of dishes, the popping of champagne corks, and a perfect Babel of voices.
"This is jolly," said Pat, with his mouth full. "I'm fond of Arcadian simplicity."
"Especially when it's accompanied by champagne," cried Bubbles, raising his glass to his lips.
"Begad, you're not slow in finding out what I mean," said Ryan, laughing, and filling his glass.
"Imitation's the sincerest flattery," observed Miss Lester, gaily, trying to cut up a rather wiry chicken. ”

“ Carmela said nothing, but looked much, for in her secret heart, that is just what she had been wishing. At this moment they heard a wild whoop from the river, and saw a boat coming quickly up the stream, rowed by a single man.
"Gad," cried Bubbles, who had the sharpest eyes of anyone; "it's Monteith himself. Speak of the Devil----"
"Hold your tongue," said Pat, "don't be personal."
It was Ronald, looking happy and jolly in his flannels, quite a different being from the gloomy youth of the previous week. ”

“ She turned away, and Ronald followed mortified and humbled at his failure, but half way down the hill began to pick up his spirits.
"I can't expect her to fall like ripe fruit into my mouth," he thought, hopefully; "and it's impossible she can love me in so short a time."
He was wrong there, for Carmela liked him very much--in fact, more than she cared to acknowledge to herself; but she would not allow him to speak because--well, because she was a riddle. Woman is an eternal riddle that man has been trying to solve since the beginning of the world, but every attempt has failed. ”

“ Ronald and Foster had a glass of whisky and soda each while their dog-cart was being brought round, and then went off, Ronald promising to call next day.
"And you won't forget what I told you," said Carmela, as he went.
"No," replied Ronald, pressing her hand; "and mind you let me know when Vassalla comes down."
They drove off in the moonlight, in silence for a time, and then Foster said--
"What a charming girl is Miss Trevor."
"Oh, ho!" from Monteith: "so you've lost your heart?"
"And why not?" retorted Foster; "you are not the only person privileged to lose your heart." ”

“ Ronald stood silent, looking at all this beauty, when a remark of Pat's made him laugh.
"I say," said Pat, mindful of Colombo and Aden, to Chester, who was quite inflated with patriotic pride, "will the people here come off, and dive for pennies?"
Chester glared at him viciously, and then stalked away too indignant to speak, while all around roared at the queerness of the remark.
"Well I thought they might," explained Pat to his grinning auditors; "the natives did it at all the other places."
"There are no natives here confound you!" said Chester, who had returned. ”

“ There was an awkward pause, luckily broken by Pat, who came rushing along with his usual impetuosity.
"Ah Miss Cotoner, an' is that you?" said Pat, dolefully; "the best of friends must part, and we may niver meet again."
"We might," answered Carmela, with a laugh; "the world is small."
"Begad, I wish me heart was," said Ryan, sadly; "it's large enough to hold all the girls on board--you included." ”

“ So Ronald gave them each a shilling, and walked away with his friend.
"I daresay they are much happier than we are," he said, sighing.
"Better to be a butterfly, and enjoy life for a day, than a tortoise, and sleep out a hundred years," said Foster, sapiently; "depend upon it, life is made up of quality, not quantity."
They strolled down to Marlow Church, and then to that tumble-down heap of cottages immortalized by Fred. Walker, the picturesque aspect of which struck Ronald very strongly. ”

“ A gentleman comes on board at Melbourne, and conducts himself in a rational and sane manner, which puts the idea of suicide quite out of the question--just before we arrive at Malta he is restless and uneasy, and tells you the story of his life, which affords strong grounds for suspicion that his wife wanted to kill him--he goes on shore, spies his wife, and returns at once on board--he goes to bed before the ship sails, and the deck is crowded with all sorts and conditions of people, such a crowd that there's absolutely no chance of knowing any of them. ”

“ Poor Ronald was very much cast down by the news of Carmela's engagement to the Marchese, though Foster tried to console him to the best of his ability.
"She is acting under compulsion, my dear boy," said Gerald. "Vassalla has been telling her that Mrs. Verschoyle is the assassin of her husband, and has demanded her hand as the price of his silence."
"How does he know that Mrs. Verschoyle is guilty?" asked Ronald, fiercely. "We have proved nothing! She may be as innocent as you or I, for all we know!" ”

“ Bell was standing by Carmela, who looked pale and white as she listened to Mr. Chester's chatter, giving that brilliant youth the mistaken idea that he had made an impression. Sir Mark was moving about, from one to the other, with his grave smile, and two young ladies, arrayed in white serge dresses, with jaunty straw hats, were flirting desperately with a young Oxonian called Wellthirp, but familiarly known as Bubbles, from his effervescent flow of spirits.
"We'd better start, I'm thinking," observed Mr. Ryan to the company; "it's a mighty bad thing wasting all this beautiful morning." ”

“ All the ladies, tired with their experiences of Valletta, had gone to bed, and the smoking-room was filled with gentlemen whose tastings of the wines of the country had made them more exhilarated than usual. Being convivially disposed they ordered more liquor, and prepared to make a night of it.
"Where's Ventin?" asked Pat.
"Gone to bed," replied Monteith, knocking the ashes from his pipe.
"The deuce he has," said Ryan with surprise; "that's unusual for him."
"Tired I suppose," was the answer.
"It's a pity," observed Ryan, regretfully; "he is a deuced good fellow for a song." ”

“ Verschoyle, who was laughing to herself in a satisfied manner.
"Why don't you thank me?" she said, savagely, to Ronald; "I have prevented Carmela from marrying another man, and secured your happiness."
"I don't care for happiness that is founded on the ruin of another man," said Monteith, coldly.
"Bah! you are a fool; he is guilty."
"That," said Foster, quietly, "has yet to be proved."
She flashed a look of anger at him, then went out of the hotel door, and stepped into a hansom.
"I will see you to-morrow," she called out, "and then I can prove that what I say is true." ”

“ Ventin irritably; "I'm sick of the perpetual jangle of that d--d piano, of Miss Lester's flirtations, and of Mother Pellypop's virtues--I'm sick of the whole thing and I wish the voyage were over."
"I don't," replied Ronald taking a seat on one of the deck chairs; "it's very jolly I think."
"Yes, I daresay," said Ventin gloomily; "you are young and rich, with all the world before you. I, on the contrary, am old." ”

“ I'm a little tired."
"Begad, he's the seven sleepers rolled into one," said Pat to Miss Lester as they stepped out into the sunshine. "Come, Miss Lester, I'll race ye for a pair of gloves."
"Against what?" asked Kate, as he helped her through the gate.
"A kiss," said Pat, whereupon Kate blushed, and vowed she wouldn't run, so Pat set off, like a deer, by himself along the narrow path which led through the cornfield to the village of Hurley.
"How sad you are looking, Carmela," said Sir Mark, as he walked soberly along beside Miss Cotoner.
"She wants Mr. Monteith," said Bell, mischievously. ”

“ I ask you, as a logical man, whether a jealous woman like Mrs. Verschoyle, knowing her husband was on board the 'Neptune,' could resist the temptation of seeing him? Nonsense! I tell you she was on board, and if Vassalla says she was not, he has a reason."
"What reason can he have?"
"He wants to shield her from the consequences of her crime. He is her cousin, and blood is thicker than water."
"This is all very well," said Ronald, quietly; "but all your views are quite theoretical, and we cannot obtain a single particle of evidence to prove that she came on board at all." ”

“ Her father had been a soldier who died of consumption contracted in the trenches of Sebastopol, during the Crimean War. Fair and slender, with quiet, blue eyes and hair like yellow corn--I loved her devotedly--yes, too well to wrong her innocence, and would have gone away in silence, but she, with a woman's keen instinct, saw there was something wrong, and begged me to tell her all. I did so, and she--oh, Monteith, what do you think she did?--left her home and her friends--defied the sneers of the world and the scornful looks of her own sex and became my mistress. ”

“ She looked at him in surprise.
"Certainly I do; there can be no cause without an effect."
"In some cases yes," he replied, gravely; "in this case I believe the woman had no motive in committing the crime."
"Then why did she do it?" asked Carmela, looking at him.
"That is what I have to find out," he answered, and so the conversation ended.
It was one o'clock when the steamer got into St. Katherine's Docks, and on the shore crowds of people were waiting to meet their friends. No one, however, came to meet Pat and Ronald, so their mutual sense of loneliness drew them yet closer together. ”

“ On this charming night a dance was in progress on the hurricane deck, and the immense area had been draped with brilliantly coloured flags, thus turning it into an admirable ball-room. Miss Kate Lester, the belle of the ship,--a position she knew she occupied, and, by the way took full advantage of all benefits to be derived therefrom,--was the pianist, and was playing the "Venetia Valse," to which a number of young people were dancing. ”

“ What cursed fools women are," he cried: "write, telegraph, anything, only say she must not come."
"Why not?"
"Because there is danger."
"Danger!"
"Yes; that meddling young fool of a Monteith is trying to find out about Verschoyle's death; if he is successful your sister is lost."
"Is she guilty?"
"For the second time, I say--I did not say so."
"Is she guilty?"
"Yes."
Carmela gave a cry and turned away; this answer parted her from Ronald for ever. In an instant Vassalla was at her side--she felt his hot breath on her cheek. ”