The Lone Inn

■taMYSTÉIlfcj TE.P IÖ94 6 TAC AUTHOR CHAPTER XIII. After all, it is true that the xmexpected ahvays happens. In my unraveling of the Fen iun inystery I never for a moment expected to fiud that Francis ■was alive. I was even ignorant that Felix had been to the inn on that night. He had ridden round the back way of the house, and as my room was over the front door I had not heard bis arrival. Under these circumstances it was easy for me to niake the mistake and thiuk the dead man was Francis, particularly as I was misled by the marvelous resemblance between the brothers, and, moreover, saw the pearl ring on the finger of the corpse. My mistake was a perfectly excusable one, and I had been conflrmed in such erreonous belief by the adroit fashiou in which Francis, for his own safety, kept np the deoeption, Now I knew the truth - that Francis was alive and Felix dead - yet as regards the name of the man who had committed the crime I was still quite in the dark. Rose Gernon knew, but it was cuestionable whether she would confesa, even to save her own skin. Either she or Strent was the guilty person, as none other was in the inu at that time. Strent had vanished, but no doubt she knew his whereabonts. The question was whether slie would teil. "Oh, she'll teil whcre he is, right. enough," said Merriok, to whom I put thisviewof the matter, "especially if she is guilty herself." "You don 't think she is the criminal, Merrick?" "There is no reason why she should not be, " he replied argumentatively. "She had every reason to hate Felix Briarfleld. He had promised to marry her and was engaged to Olivia. Quite enough reason there for a jealous woman such as she seems to be. ' ' "But she wanted Felix to kill his hrother, so that she might force him to marry her. ' ' "Yes, but that little arrangement did not como otï. My idea is that she saw Felix when he arrived at the iun and asked him straight out if he had arranged to marry Olivia. She would hear of the engagement while passing through Marshminster on her way to the lone inn. No doubt Felix lied about the matter, and she lost her temper. It may be that she did not intend to kill him, but having the poisoned arrowhead in her hand had forgot how dangerous it was and threw herself on him. He pnt out his hand to keep her off, and so was wounded. ïhen he died, and, terrified at what the consequences might be, she and Strent left the inn. "But what about her blackmailing Francis?" "She guessed what Francis had done and saw a chance of securing her aims by putting the murder on to him. He had so compromised himself by his f oolish actions that of course he was afraid to denounce her." "Still, why did she want to marry him? She loved Felix, not Francis. ' ' "It's my opinión she loved neither of them, ' ' said Merrick dryly, ' 'and simply ■wanted to marry for respectability. " "Do you think she will denormce Strent?" "She'll denounce any one to save herself." "Won 't you come and hear her confession, Merrick?" "Kot I. A rospectable practitioner like myself has no business to be mixed Tip in such criminality. Hitherto I have been the sleeping partner in this affair, and you have carried through my ideas excellently well. Continue to do so and then come and teil me all about it. " "Very pleasant for you," I grunibled, "but I have all the hard work. " Merrick laughed and pushed rne out of the door. He had a dozen patients waiting and could spare no more time. He said one last word before I left. "Oh, by the way, Denham," said he, lifting a warning foreflnger, "don't you trust that Rose Gernon in the least. I've been making inquiries about her, and she has a black record - about the worst in London, I should say. ' ' On my way to Jerinyn street I wondered how he had gained this information. A specialist of Merrick's standiug does not go round makiug iuquiries about loose characters. Yet I knew he spoke the truth. His faculty for learuing things was marvelous. Decidedly, Merrick should have been a detective. His opinión about Rose Gernon coincided with mine. One had ouly to look in her face to see what she was. At Jermyn street I found Francis eagerly waiting my arrival. "I've sent down to the Marshminster pólice," said he quickly, "andinstructed them to drag the pool near the Fen iun." "I am afraid you'll get into troubleover that, Briarfield. " "I don't care, " said Francis doggedW' "I have been a coward too long. Had I trusted you and told all there would not have been this trouble. If the polico arrest me, they can just do so, and 111 leave it to you to see me through." "I hope we'll lean) the truth from Rose today. ' ' "It's possible, but not probable. She'll e like the devil, whose daughter she is." "I'm not too sure of that, If she is gniltless, she'll be only too anxions too "ave her own neck. Why should she risk her liberty for the sake of this man btrent? Who it he?" "I haveu't the least idea." "Then we'll ruake Rose tell.today or have her arrested " "There is not sufflcieut evidence against her," objected Fruncís. "Yes there is. I'll take the risk of all that. Before Rose Gemoii leaves this room she has to confess the trutli. It's your only chance of safety. ' ' "But you don't believe I killed Felix?" "I dou't, but the pólice may. Yon forget how highly suspicious all your ootious have been. Rose knows you have been passing as your brother and will be sure to niako capital out of it. " "You'U seo me throiigh, Denham?" ho said, takis.s ïny hand "You can te sureof that," I answered, shaking it heartily. "I won 't rest till you are safe and the murderer of your brother is in jail. " "Who killed hfïn, do you think?" "I don 't know, but Rose does, and we'll make her teil." We discussed the matter extensively, but neither of us could come to any conclusión. Wheu the clock struck uobn, Rose Gernon, true to her appointmeut, walked into the room. Without waiting for an invitation she sat down in a chair and scowled at me. "That man of yours is outside, " she said savagely. "He's been following me about everywhere and watching niy house all night. Perhaps you'll ask him to go away. ' ' "That dependa on the result of this conversation. You 're not out of danger vet, Miss. Gernon." "I am not aware that I was ever in danger, Mr. Denham. Are you going to accuse me of killing Felix?" "I rnighi: oven do that unless you teil the truth. ! ' "Oh!" said she with a sneer, "is that your game, sir? Then suppose I do teil the truth and say you killed Felix?" "You're quite capable of doing so, but no one would believe so wild a tale. I had no reason to kill Felix Briarfield." "Theu what motive had I for so doing?" "That's best known to yourself, "I answered tartly, weary of all this fencing. "J.t is waste of time talking like this," interrupted Francis. "You must be aware, Miss Gernon, that you stand in a very dangerous position. ' ' "Not more so than you do yourself, " she replied, with superb insolence. "Pardon me, I think ótherwise. By your own confession you went down to the Feu inn to assist my brother in getting me out of the way. You said that last night before two witnesses - Miss Bellin and Mr. Denham." "I talked at random, " she muttered. "I did not intend that any crime should be conimitted. ' ' ' 'Perhaps ïiot. Nevertheless my brother is dead, and you know how he died. ' ' "I know the cause of his death, but I do not know who killed him. " "If you kuow one thing, you must know the other. ' ' "Ido not. When Felix arrived, he showed Strent and I au arrowhead which he said was poisoned." "Is this the arrowhead?" I asked, producing it out of a thick piece of paper. "Yes. Where did you get it?" "I found it in the ashes of the fireplace, where you threw it. ' ' "That is not true, " said Miss Gernon angrily. "I did not throw it into the fireplace. I never even had it in n.y hand. The idea that it was poisoned frightened me. ' ' "Pray go on with your story. Miss Gernon. " "I see you don't believe me," she flashed uut deflantly, "but I am telling exactly what took place. Felix said he was going to kül his brother with the poisoned arrowhead. I told him I would have none of that sort of thing; that I only conseuted to play the part of a waiting maid in order to deceive his brother iuto a meeting. I said Francis could marry Miss Bellin, and he was to marry in e. " "And af ter that?" "He jeered and said he intended to marry Miss Belliu. Then I grew angry and struck him. " She was in real earnest, for her mouth was set, and her hands were clinched, not a pretty sight by auy means. I remembered Merrick's idea andeonceived that it inight be possible the woman before me had killed the man who flouted her - not intentionally, but in a fit of blind rage. "You struck him with the arrowhead?" I hinted. "No, I didn't. He had laid that down on the table. I struck him with open palm and said if he killed his brother I would denounce him to the authorities as a murderer. Then he would go to the scaffold instead of the altar with Miss Bellin." "What did he say?" "Nothing at first. Then I saw a look pass between him and Strent, and they seemed to understaud oue ano tb - er. Felix said he would return to Marshminster and let his brother marry Miss Bellin. I did not then know he had been passing himself off as you, "she added, turuing to Francis. "If I had, I would have guessed that he was ying. As it was, I thought he spoke the truth and kissed him. Then I went to bed." "And afterward?" said Francis, u she i .: "Well, I i:cver saw Félix again till he wa (load. ' ' "In the rnorniug?" "No. An hour after I left bim. Streut knocked at iny bedroom door and asked me to come down. I guessed by his voice ho was afraid, so dressed hurriedly and c;me down stairs. Felix was lying dead by the table. I could not see Steent and went to look for Kim. He was out at the back door movmting Fraucis' horse. I asked him where he was going, and he said Folix was dead, and he did not want to stay in order to be accnsed of the crime. " "Did he say he had killed him?" "No, nor had I time to ask him. He went off at a gallop and left me alone with the body. I was horribly afraid, as I thought you or Francis wotild wake up and accuse me of the crime. Besidea I coukl not account formypresence in that Louse without suspicion, so I put on niy hat and cloak and fled to Marshminster. ' ' "How did you fly?" ' 'There wero a trap and horse in which Strent and I had brought provisions to the inn. I barnessed tlie horse and drove back to Marshminster. There I retnrned it to the owners and went back to London by the early train. ' ' "What became of Strent?" "I don 't know. I have never set eyes on him sint-e. ' ' "Do you think he killed Felix?" "Yes. I believe they bad a row, and he killed him. But lie did not admit it. ' Francis and I looked at one another. The whole iness was so queer as to be hardly beliovftMe. Nevertheless we saw Rose Gernon liad told the truth. "What made you come tome?" asked Francis. "I thought you had escapee! from the inn and wisheil to ask you what had come of your brother's body. Then I saw you wore the clothes of Felix aiifl guessed the whole game. ' ' "Particularly as you listened to my theory at the Feu inn, ' ' said I. "Yes," she answered quickly. "It was your conversation which put the idea into my head. I saw that Felix had passed himself off as Fraiicis, and afterward Francis acted the part of Felix. " "You wished to inarry me?" said Fraucis, whereat Rose laughed. "No. I tried that game on to get the whole truth out of yon. I wished you to admit you were Felix, for he had promised to inarry me. However, you did uot f all into the trap. Aud uow, ' ' she added, standing up, "I have told you all. May I go?" I consulted Francis with a look. He conseuted mutely. "Yes," I said, also rising, "you may go, but my detective will still watch you. ' ' "For how long?" "Till Strent is iouud." "You think I kuow, '■' she said, tossing her head. "You are wrong. Till I met Strent at Marshminster I never saw him before, nor do I kiiow where he now is. Take off your bloodhouud. " "When Strent is found, " I persisted, "uot till then." She looked wrathfully at me and rushed out of the room.