fearing to bediscovered there. But the young Englishman was already lifeless,therefore I left the spot hurriedly. Next morning, when the town was ina state of great excitement over the murdered Englishman, Nelly calledat my rooms and begged me to say nothing to the police, because she feltcertain the Captain would be arrested and convicted as an accessory.Therefore, in obedience to her wish, I have kept my knowledge secretuntil such time as I should choose to make the truth known."
"Is that the actual truth?" Brooker asked, agape in wonderment.
"It is the entire truth of what I saw with my own eyes--of what I amprepared to swear in any court of justice."
"So confused were the memories of that terrible incident that I have allalong believed that I myself was the actual murderer," said the Captain."That night I had drunk more wine than usual, and remember very littleof the occurrence save that I held the knife in my hand, and that on thefollowing morning when I awoke I found my hands stained with blood,while in my pocket were some of the stolen notes. Zertho told me, whenwe met next day, that, in a frenzy of madness at having lost almostevery sou I possessed, I had attacked Holroyde suddenly, murdered him,and filched his winnings from his pocket. He said, however, he wouldpreserve my secret, and did so until a few weeks ago, when Liane refusedto become his wife. Then he declared that if I did not compel her tomarry him he would denounce me. I begged him to at least spare Liane,but he was inexorable. Therefore I was compelled to make confession toher, and she, rather than I should pay the terrible penalty, sacrificedall her love and happiness for my sake."
His voice was broken with emotion, and although his lips moved, he couldutter no further words.
George, standing beside his well-beloved, grasped her tiny hand andpressed it tenderly. At last he knew the secret of her acceptance ofZertho's offer, and recognised all the tortures she must have sufferedin order to save her father from degradation and shame.
"He lies!" Zertho cried, his sallow face bloodless. He saw howingeniously he had been entrapped. "It was he himself who killedHolroyde."
"If so," exclaimed Max Richards, "why have you paid me so well for mysilence?"
He did not reply.
"You are silent," he went on. "Then I will tell you. You were shrewdenough to see that while I held my tongue you would still hold CaptainBrooker in your power, and through the pressure you could place uponhim, secure Liane as your wife. I knew this all along, although youbelieved me to be entirely ignorant of it. Still I allowed you to payme, and I can assure you that the money you gave me with such bad graceoften came in very useful," he laughed. "I am not a Prince, andalthough I may be an adventurer, I thank Heaven I'm not an assassin."
"I paid you all you demanded, every penny, yet now you turn upon me. Itis the way of all blackmailers," Zertho cried, still livid with anger.
"I speak the truth in order to save from your merciless clutches onewoman whose fair name has never been besmirched. I speak for Liane'ssake."
Zertho turned from him with a fierce imprecation on his lips, declaringthat the whole story was a tissue of falsehoods, and denouncing hiscompanion Brooker as the actual assassin.
"You forget," said Richards, "that in addition to myself there was asecond witness, Nelly Bridson, the girl with whom your victim hadcarried on a mild and harmless flirtation prior to meeting Mariette.You forget that she was with me, and actually saw you commit the deed."
This truth rendered him voiceless.
"May I, in future, enjoy an absolutely clear conscience that I had nohand in the actual crime?" the Captain asked earnestly, turning toRichards.
"Certainly," he answered, quickly. "Both Nelly and myself saw everymovement clearly, for the moon was shining bright as day. We heard youshout in horror and dismay to the assassin; we saw the blow struck; wesaw the theft committed, and watched you pick up the knife, which youthrew down again instantly at the moment when I rushed forward."
"I was, alas, only half-conscious of my actions," he answered. "But theenormity of the crime must have sobered me instantly, for I remember aman approaching--who it was I was not aware until this moment--andknowing that we had been discovered and were in peril, flew for my lifeback to the Promenade, reaching home by a circuitous route aboutmidnight."
"You need have no further fear of this man," Richards assured him. "Hisplan was ingenious, to shift the crime from his own shoulders to yours,and at the same time to marry Liane, but fortunately his own actionsconvict him. Liane has shown bravery and self-denial, which shouldfurther endear her to the heart of the man who loves her, and if thetruth I have told brings back her happiness and peace of mind I shallnot have spoken in vain."
"I have much to thank you for," Liane faltered, her face bright with anew-born happiness. "You have indeed revived within me hope, life andlove. I knew this man was crafty and cruel, but I never dreamed that hehimself had committed the crime with which he charged my father. I sawthat he was inexorable and relentless, and was compelled to wrenchmyself from George, whom I loved, and promise to become the wife of--ofthis assassin."
"Assassin!" cried Zertho. "No, the prospect of becoming Princessd'Auzac proved too attractive for you! It was because both you and yourfather wanted money and position, that you were ready to become mywife."
"We desired nothing from you," she answered proudly. "Both of usdetested you when you found us in England, and thrust yourself upon us.Upon the gold of the guilty there always lies a curse."
But shrugging his shoulders contemptuously, he said nothing. Hefidgetted, anxious to escape, for although he preserved a calm,insolent, almost indifferent manner, he nevertheless knew thatconcealment of the truth was now no longer possible. At the veryinstant when he had felt his position the most secure, his perfidy, hiscunning, and his crime had been laid bare before them all.
He clenched his hands, muttering an oath behind his set teeth, while hisdark eyes, with a glance of hatred in them, flashed with an unnaturalbrilliance.
For a few moments no one spoke. The silence was complete save for theroar of the waves on the rocks outside and the sobs that now and thenescaped Liane. She clung to George, burying her beautiful head upon hisshoulder.
At last Mariette spoke, saying,--
"There is yet another fact which is, in itself, sufficient proof of thisman's unscrupulousness. One witness of his crime still lives; theother, Nelly Bridson, is dead. Nelly was once my friend. Unknown toCaptain Brooker I knew her intimately as a bright girl months beforeCharles Holroyde met and admired her. Indeed, it was by her that I wasintroduced to the man who afterwards loved me, and was so brutally doneto death. When at last she became aware that her lover had forsaken hersome ill-feeling arose between us. I knew that she must hate me, but Itreated her jealousy with unconcern, and remained towards her the sameas before. In my heart, however, I envied her her youth and good looks,and feared that Charles Holroyde might return to his first love. But,alas! he was murdered mysteriously--by whom I knew not, until three daysago, when Max Richards divulged to me the truth. Then I resolved thatpunishment should fall upon the guilty. Well, I hated Nelly because Iknew that Holroyde had admired her, and I likewise hated Liane,entertaining a suspicion that because she always avoided me she hadspoken of me detrimentally to the man whom I loved. After Holroyde'sdeath I left the Riviera and went to Paris, to Wiesbaden, to Vienna,caring little whither I went, until at last, about a year afterwards, Ireturned to Monte Carlo, and heard from one of Captain Brooker's friendsthat he and the girls had left long ago for England, where they hadresolved to live in the future. Immediately after my lover's death luckhad forsaken me entirely, and I passed a spurious bank-note for a largeamount at Marseilles. The police were endeavouring to find me, and itwas to avoid arrest that I was travelling. I wrote several times toNelly and received replies, stating how happy they were in their countryhome in England, and how much more peaceful and enjoyable it was than atNice. Still there was one matter upon which I desired to see her, amatter connected with the fa
mily of the man who was dead. He had, Ibelieved, told her of his relations in England, but he had spoken noword of them to me. I had in my possession a Cosway miniature he hadone day left at my house, an antique portrait of an elderly lady,beautifully painted on ivory and set round with brilliants. He hadmentioned to me that it was an heirloom, and I desired to return it tothe family if I could find them. With that object I went to England,and one summer's evening met Nelly by appointment in a country lane ashort distance from Stratfield Mortimer."
"You met her?" Captain Brooker exclaimed. "She never told me so."
"She had, alas, no opportunity," Mariette answered. "For it was on thatevening she met with her death. She had ridden her