Mrs. George Corbett

“ It is but a question of time, for, if there is a God in Heaven, the guilty coward who really stole those diamonds shall be brought to justice!’ Annie, when I heard the fervour with which those words were uttered, and marked the deliberate determination of Hilton Riddell’s mien, I shared his confidence in the future, and resolved to afford him every facility for achieving his purpose. He will need money, for without money very little can be done. For your sake, my darling, I will give all I can to prove your lover’s innocence. ”

“ The Court was crowded in every part. For the trial of Hugh Stavanger and Captain Cochrane upon various indictments had aroused immense public interest, and countless rumours were afloat respecting the wonderful acumen, devotion, and heroism of Miss Annie Cory. She was inundated with applications for interviews, and greatly as she disliked much of the questioning to which she was subjected, she submitted to it with the best grace she could muster, for Harley’s sake. Soon she found herself a popular idol. ”

“ He was convicted of the robbery by overwhelming evidence, which it is now to his interest to negative by every means in his power. It is, therefore, natural that he should try to remove the onus of guilt from his own shoulders to that of another, by swearing to property traced to that other’s possession. Pray, don’t be angry! I am not stating a private conviction that Mr. Riddell would swear falsely, but that a chuckle-headed judge or jury would be likely to think so. When a man is once down, the world likes to keep him down. ”

“ Contrary to his usual custom, Gregory Staines was also present at breakfast, and Miss Stratton’s eyes gleamed so triumphantly when she observed his amazed admiration of herself that she deemed it advisable to veil their brightness by looking down at Briny, who, as was his usual custom when permitted to do so, was sitting beside his mistress in his dual capacity of guardian and beloved protégé. She had had considerable fear lest Gregory Staines should see something about her appearance that would lead him to couple her with either Miss Annie Cory or the pseudo governess. ”

“ He is the steward.”
“So I thought, until last night, when I witnessed a performance not intended for my eyes. That fellow, who has shipped with us as steward, and calls himself William Trace, is a detective, and he is after you.”
“Good God! how do you know that?”
“He has got a very good outfit in the way of disguise. That bushy beard of his is false. So is his wig. And I happen to know that he saw you bring the diamonds out of your berth into mine. And that reminds me. I want to have a look into that same berth of yours.” ”

“ Riddell’s spectacles were dimmed with tears, as she held up a neatly finished piece of work, and sighed wistfully, “I wonder if poor Harley will live to wear it again.”
“Live to wear it!” was the optimistic rejoinder. “Of course he will. He’s not particularly ill, though he’s naturally low-spirited. But he will soon be all right, when we are able to infuse a little more hope into his mind than is advisable at present.”
“Do you know, I was sorely tempted to tell him yesterday of all that is being done for him. It seems so cruel to leave the poor fellow in misery.” ”

“ Cory and Miss Margaret looked at each other in blank dismay.
“I think I must follow Annie upstairs,” said the latter at last.
“By no means, my dear,” objected Mr. Cory. “A cry will do the child good. Our presence would only impose restraint upon her. Depend upon it, she will come down soon, all the better for giving way for once. God knows she must have had nerves of iron lately, and it was high time that her work was done. She has borne up splendidly, but to have continued the strain under which she has lived since Harley was committed would have killed her.” ”

“ One day an elderly gentleman sought an interview with Mr. Cory. Briny was in the hall when he arrived, and welcomed him with the wildest demonstrations of affection. It transpired that Briny’s original name had been Neptune; that his master’s name was Woodstock; that the latter had been ordered by his doctors to do a little sea-voyaging; and that after going out to America, he had engaged a return passage for himself and his dog on board a timber-laden vessel bound for England, and not likely to make such a rapid passage as a steamer, his object being to spend a few weeks over the voyage. ”

“ By heaven, I wish I had really the chance I fancied I had of winning this superb creature. Fancy having a gambling-house, with a wife like that at the head of affairs! Why, there would be no end of a fortune to be made. But it is useless to think of it, if she is really Annie Cory. If! Why, there is a doubt yet, in spite of appearances. I can’t see what her motive in making love to me can be, after all. What could she gain by it, so long as I stayed in Spain? It strikes me that I had better not be too rash. I will watch and wait. If my suspicions are unfounded, so much the better. ”

“ If he does come home it might almost be safe to arrest him on the chance of finding the things on him. But I dread ruining all by premature action, so implore you to be cautious. Let father watch here with a detective if he likes, but let Hilton go at once to Millwall Dock and keep a sharp look out there. He might perhaps discover the name of the ship Captain Cochrane is commanding, and get a passage in her. If he cannot go as a passenger, he can try, after changing his disguise, to go as cook or steward. ”

“ Stopping near the spot indicated by the latter, he gave a sharp cry, tossed his arms as if struggling in the water, made a pantomimic rescue, and then began to rub himself vigorously, and to pump his arms up and down to show that artificial respiration had been resorted to. Hilton squeezed his hands gratefully, and murmured words of thanks, of which Pereiro had no difficulty in grasping the import, although they were uttered in a tongue of which he knew nothing but that it was English. ”

“ He had read all about Annie’s adventures, and had at once dubbed her in his own mind an unwomanly schemer. He didn’t like unwomanly women. They set a bad example to others. Therefore an example must be made of them, and they must be shown that the dictum of one of her Majesty’s judges cannot be lightly upset. Poor man! He was but human, and he could hardly be expected to view with favour an attempt to upset the judgment he had himself given when Harley Riddell was tried for the diamond robbery. ”

“ Those scoundrels will be brought to book, and Harley will be proved innocent. Then we shall all be happy again.”
“Meanwhile, though, Harley is suffering untold misery; Mrs. Riddell seems to be fretting herself into her grave; Hilton has met with a violent end; and Providence seems to be doing its best to help the cause of villainy.”
“Yes, it is difficult to understand. But the cause of the wicked cannot always prosper, and the tangled skein of our destiny will unravel itself in time.” ”

“ Dollman’s door. It was half-past nine when at last his vigil was rewarded by the sight he hoped for. Mr. Gregory Staines was bent upon either business or amusement, and was hurrying ahead of Mr. Bootle, perfectly unsuspicious of the fact that he was being followed. Lina is not a very large place, and it did not take long for either individual to reach the goal aimed at.
Mr. Bootle, otherwise Annie Cory, felt a slight accession of nervousness on entering the hotel to which Mr. Staines hurried as if he were afraid of missing some of the fun going on inside. ”

“ Leave Harley to his fate, without another effort to save him?”
“By no means. I am as anxious as ever that he should be helped. But I think you will work more efficiently if you take things quietly for a while, and resume operations after your inactivity has lulled all suspicion.”
135 “You mean well, auntie; but I should die if I didn’t work in some way or other for Harley’s benefit. So far all my efforts have failed, but I don’t mean to give up hope, for Fate cannot always set her signals dead against us.” ”

“ Twiley rejoined her sister, and “Mr. Bootle” prepared to sally forth on her evening’s adventures, of which she by no means underestimated the possible peril. But the courage engendered by devotion to others transcends all other courage in its nobility and strength, and not the faintest twinge of fear assailed our heroine, as, feeling added security in her capital disguise, she told Briny to remain on guard, and stepped out of the window into the garden, whence she presently emerged into the lane, and thence into the open street. ”

“ We must all have perished hours ago, but for the courage of Mr. Calderon, my assistant, who made frequent dives into the car, and brought up the ballast, one bag at a time, an expedient which only raised the balloon by occasional fits and starts. We next threw away the greater part of our clothing, which was sodden and heavy with rain and sea-water. Even our money and the only bottle of spirits we had went overboard, for life itself depended on our being lightened to the utmost. In this connection I cannot refrain from animadverting on the conduct of Mr. Torrens, one of our passengers. ”

“ Gregory Staines watched her narrowly, but could not detect any embarrassment in her intercourse with him, or any covert collusion between her and Miss Stratton.
“She knows nothing about me,” he thought, “and she does not seem to get on very well with the girl who is masquerading here as an artist. But that sort of thing is only natural with women. They are always jealous of anyone prettier than themselves. ”

“ So the great steamer forged ahead, leaving the stranger in its wake, and it was already well astern, when suddenly a long, mournful howl was heard, thrilling every soul on board with a feeling of horror. Once more eyes and glasses were brought into requisition, and then it was seen that a large dog, or, rather, the emaciated skeleton of one, was tottering to and fro on the poop of the dismasted wreck, and howling forth a pitiful appeal for succour to the possible saviours whom, in the semi-obliviousness of exhaustion and starvation, he had failed to see when nearer. ”

“ His own glance betrayed some nervousness, for he never lost sight of the possibility of being tracked by the friends of Harley Riddell. But he was speedily reassured on that score, and looked upon this young stranger as a new arrival, who might, possibly, prove profitable to him.
“Enemies?” he inquired, in the same low tone used by the stranger. “What reason have you for supposing that I have enemies, either here or elsewhere?”
“Success always provokes enmity. You have been extraordinarily successful to-night. ”

“ Altogether, breakfast passed over pretty quietly, and Hilton Riddell, alias William Trace, began to feel more comfortable in his mind. Further espionage he did not think necessary to go in for, as he had already learned enough to prove his case. If only the ship could be made to accelerate her speed, and arrive quicker at Malta. He could then disburthen himself of the immense responsibility which weighed upon him. Meanwhile, the best thing he could do was to endeavour to give satisfaction as steward, in order to lead as peaceful a life as possible while on board. ”

“ Neither have I forgotten a speech that his brother Hilton uttered last night. He said:—‘Heaven helping me, I will leave no stone unturned to run the author of all this misery to earth. He may be very cunning, but I defy him to elude my watchfulness, when once I have set eyes upon him. The mystery is not so great as it perhaps seems to some. The onus of criminality rests between very few people, and I have good reasons for believing that my suspicions are centring themselves round the right man. ”

“ At present my great anxiety is about my daughter.”
“Why, is she ill?”
“No, she is in that house. The woman who had just died an awful death knew a secret likely to cost young Stavanger his liberty and to liberate young Riddell, and the Stavangers were aware that she had them in her power. My daughter is there. She also knows their secret. Her life is no safer than Wear’s was. She shall stay no longer, lest she also be poisoned.”
“You are saying terrible things, Mr. Cory,” said the doctor, “but your excitement must prove your excuse. The unfortunate woman certainly died from poison. ”

“ I never expected to see the day when my father’s son would deliberately contemplate the desertion and permanent abandonment of a man whose sole sin is his betrayal by some villain who has cunningly contrived to divert suspicion from himself to an innocent man. John Cory, if I could believe that you would do this vile thing, I would leave your roof for ever. ”