Was He the Man?
OUR SERIAL.
BY F. L. DACRE, it Author of "A Phantom of the Past," "Tronholme's Trust," "The Doctor's Secret," "A Loveless Marriage," 'iS.r John's Heiress," etc.
C H APTEII XVT.—-Continued
For scv-cial minutes .1 stood by the uimiow from which T had watched the ,. ;> b ; M\- down tho street, dazed and lov.ddcivd by what had taken place in L'lo I'OOMI. T was mused l>y a knock on the door a::d the maid entered with a message from Mrs Mayhew, begging mo to excuse her at present, but asking me to. call at eleven the following morning to ay good-bye before- she and Kathleen left for the Continent. I returned a suitable, if rather incoherent reply, and left the house, well pteased that she had taken Burton's advice, and that Kathleen soon would he beyond the reach of the danger that threatened her—the discovery of the existence of the man who was the living counterpart of her lost lover, and tho unspeakable perplexity and suffering the discovery would undoubtedly bring her. 1 If Mrs Mayhew could only keep the papers from, her until the hideous drama had bee:i played out to its ghastly finish, all would bo well. If not,, then God help her, for she would lo in a position such as no woman had over stood in before, a position as unpaid of as indescribable. ' When I left tho house I drove to the '■ Temple, in tho hope of finding Fenton there. On reaching his chambers, J. found this note awaiting me: •'Dear Grey: Have heard the news of tho double's arrest. Rather highhanded I fear. Also that Robson has given Move! the slip again. Unfortunate, this. Shall be at Old Bailey till four. Will call at your rooms at five-thirty. Yours, F." Fenton styled Morel's proceedings "rather high-handed." To me they occasioned somo surprise, for only a few hours before .we had decided for the present to do no more than to keep a close watch upon Fitzgerald, in the hope of thereby strengthening our caso with further evidence. I concluded that Morel's action in arresting him had been prompted either by information ho had received unknown to me, or by tho desiro to spare annoyance to Mrs Mayhew and her niece; and also to prevent their being influenced by Fitzgerald into identifying him as Denver.
He took the card, then read it, and said: "I beg your pardon, sir. J did uoi. know yon were Mr' Grey. The accused has heen asking whether you had come, and his lawyer told me to take you in at once when you arrived. This way, sir!" "Wondering hew Denver could have expected me to visit him after my conduct to him a few hours before, I followed the officer along the gaslit passage ,until he slopped in front of the cell. My heart stood still when the door swung back, and the formal tones of the officer announced me. Theresat Denver, and in the gentleman standing beside him I recognised Mr Morton. On catching sight of me, Denver arose, extended both hands toward me, and said, in the old, long familiar voice: "Ah, Grey, I thought you would come soon, although you doubted my identity this morning so vehemently. Come in, though the reception room is not inviting; for they won't let me out to you just yet." I stood on the threshold as one would stand in one of those strange dreams in which one retains the consciousness of dreaming. I knew what I was doing, and yet I knew a.so that I was speaking without the exercise of any volition on my own part. I seemed to have totally lost control of myself, and I must have stood there for fully two minutes before I raised my eyes to Denver's. iAs our glances met, my hesitation vanished, and I strode forward, with firm, decided steps) and clasped his outstretched hands in mine.
It was half-past one. Evidently nothing could be done until I saw Fenton, so i drove to my club, and lunched as well as my state of mind would let me. Then I returned to my rooms, and shut myself in to smoke and to think.
With that handclasp all doubt, all reluctance left me, and I would have staked my life on the identity of the • man before me with the friend of my I youth and manhood. j ( Our greetings over, we returned to r the ibusiness of preparation for exv animation to take place on the morrow. I found that the lawyer, although amazed at the extraordinary complications of the case, was perfectly convinced that the accused ,111311 was Major Denver, and not the scoundrel Fitzgerald; and he seem--led to have no fear as to the result of the examination. He said that Major Denver possessed proofs of his identity that Avould satisfy all 'the lawyers in England, and the account of his actions was perfect from St. Mayo to Bow Street.
Lighting my pipe, I threw myself into an easy chair, and strove to bring my mind to bear upon the events of tho last forty-eight hours, and their possible and probable consequences. It was in vain. My thoughts wandered helplessly to the most trivial subjects, utterly disconnected with that to which I sought to direct them. At last my mind became clearer, but it seemed io be acting .quite independently of my will. I strove hard to regain command of it, but vainly. Suddenly I sprang from my chair ,and began to pace the room with hurried, unequal steps,, and then, as though I had been divided into two distinct personalities, I heard myself say in a rapid, agitated voice: <'What a, fool 1 must be! Of a certainty that was Denver. No two men could be so much alike! The dead man was the impostor. He must have been. He took me at a disadvantage. I knew nothing of this story about the double when I saw him, and my feelings did the rest. Now that I come to think of it, there was a great difference, but my emotions clouded my judgment, and I put it down to his illness. What an utter villain I have been. Yes, I dill want Kathleen for myself, and I did want the fortune, that I might share it with he]-. Sneak that I am, and traitor to my oldest,and best friend! All this time he is alone at Bow Street. I wonder whether they'll let me see him ? Of course they will. He has not been committed. I'll go at once."
I In answer to Denver's anxious in- ■ quiries, regarding Mrs Mayhew and Kathleen, I told him unreservedly all j I knew of them—of Kathleen's long illness and consequent loss of memory, and of her belief as to his death, which 1 could see affected him deeply. When I mentioned that she and her aunt were leaving England the next 'day, Mr Morton at once suggested the great value of their evidence as to Denver's identity. ■ j "JS T ot for anything!" exclaimed i Denver. "Sooner than tear that terrible wound open again in a public court,. I would go to the guillotine without giving her a sign of my fate. No, I can vindicate myself without that; and when i am once more proved to be myself, I will enlighten her more pleasantly." To my astonishment I heard this speech without a pang of jealousy, and promised to do all I could to hasten the departure of the two ladies. Denver lias instructed Mr Morton to apply for a postponement of the examination until the day after to-morrow, to allow of Kathleen being away from London before it took place.
Withifi five minutes, acting under an impulse that certainly was not my own volition, I had seized my hat and' run downstairs, hailed a cab, and was rolling toward Bow Street. Arrived at the police station I was told that Denver had his lawyer with him, and that I must wait until the interview was over. The impulse that was upon me was so strong that the thought of waiting seemed hateful to me. I begged the official to take my card to the lawyer, and ask him for a few minutes' conversation.
Soon after 1 took a hearty leave of the accused man ,and returned to my rooms. When I got-there I found Fenton waiting for me. While we shook hands he looked curiously at me, and said: "What is the matter with you, Grey ? You Jook awfully strange, and not half awake. Where have you been, and what have you been doing to yourself ?" 'I have been to see Denver in a cell at Bow Street," I rplied, in slow, mechanical tones. "It's an infernal shame to shut the poor fellow up like that, just because a scoundrel happens to be very much like him." "You have," exclaimed Fenton. "what in the name of all that's wonderful has happened? Do you believe that he is Denver?" "Yes. How can I help it ? He has quite 'satisfied me on that point. I can't think how I could have been so deceived." , (To be ContinuedV
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Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10218, 20 April 1911, Page 2
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1,538Was He the Man? Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10218, 20 April 1911, Page 2
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