Then, then--go toHilda. Forget me. Go--go to Hilda and be happy. If you think of me,Raife--pity me!" Gilda Tempest, the mysterious, beautiful girl, trainedto crime, with the nature of an angel, collapsed and died in the arms ofthe man into whose life she had entered with such disastrous effect.
In the presence of this pathetic scene the agents of police stood insilence, and with what appeared to be respect. At length the sergeantapproached Raife, saying: "This is indeed a tragedy, monsieur, but itremains my duty to arrest you. Monsieur Vachelle, you are underarrest."
Three gendarmes approached. Raife bowed. A silent figure had been anonlooker at this scene until now. Detective-Inspector Herrionapproached the group and, speaking to the sergeant, said: "Thisgentleman is Sir Raife Remington, the missing baronet of whom I havespoken to you. This is the house of his wife, Lady Remington. I don'tthink there can be any charge. A man is not a burglar in his own house.With deference may I suggest that we enter the house. Lady Remingtonwill make the necessary explanations."
The scared men-servants were still there and, acting on Herrion'sinstructions, they carried the lifeless form of Gilda Tempest into thehall that was now brilliantly-lit. Raife re-entered the house where, ashort while before, he had stealthily entered as a burglar. The crowdof people which had collected outside in answer to the revolver shot andgeneral commotion, were dispersed, and the Avenue des Champs Elyseesresumed a more normal aspect.
Detective-inspector Herrion approached the sergeant and whispered: "Iwill be responsible for Sir Raife Remington. You may trust me. Don'tlet that fellow Malsano escape you. He is not far away you may besure."
The sergeant smote his chest, exclaiming: "That will be all right, MrHerrion. I have arranged for that. You may be sure he is safely withus by now."
The arrest of Doctor Malsano was not effected without trouble. He andDenoir, when they heard the revolver shot and Gilda's piercing shriek,made their way down the side street to the motor-car that was waitingfor them. They were too late, however, for the doctor was, in a sense,hoist with his own petard. In his anxiety to complete the downfall ofRaife and secure his arrest, he had given the police such warning thattheir plans had been skilfully laid with a view to capturing a gang, notan individual. There was a fight before the two desperadoes weresecured, and the old man fought with the fury of a wild cat. Denoir wasmore easily overcome. Malsano was at last secured, but his resourcealmost served him to the end. Producing a phial he nearly succeeded inswallowing its contents of poison. A quick upward blow sent it flyingin the air. It fell to the pavement and broke in a hundred pieces. Thelong life of crime had told on the man. Wanted in half the cities ofEurope, his conviction was assured. He did not long survive. The lifeof a gaol broke his nerve, and within a few months he was dead, butbefore he breathed his last he confessed the story of the vendetta.Soon after the tragic events that led to his return to normal life, forwhich his distinguished lineage had intended him, Sir Raife heard insilence the account of Malsano's extraordinary villainy. By instinct acriminal, Malsano had exerted all his talents in the direction ofgrievous harm to every one with whom he came in contact.
Unforgivable, unforgettable, was the crime of sacrificing the life of abeautiful, sweet-dispositioned girl to his cruel desire for ill-gottengain. Equally cruel was the malignant spirit in which he carried on thebrutal vendetta against a man who had not harmed anybody, and was notborn at the time when the crazy curse was made.
Hilda had been disturbed by the commotion in the house. She donned adressing-gown and descended the staircase with all the courage of herhighly-strung, self-reliant nature. The scene that confronted her wascalculated to try the nerves of the strongest. The dead girl, GildaTempest, was lying on a lounge in the centre of the brilliantly-lithall. Her upturned face was of marble whiteness, and its beauty wasintensified by an expression of perfect peace. Raife, Hilda's husband,knelt before the lifeless figure. Two gendarmes stood silently by.Herrion crossed the hall and advanced to receive Lady Remington andaddressed her.
"Lady Remington, there has been a terrible tragedy. Will you allow meto talk to you somewhere, and explain matters to you? I think I canmake a difficult situation more easy."
Hilda was quite calm and, addressing one of the men-servants, said:"Turn on the lights in this room. Come in, Mr Herrion, and tell me."
With all the grace of manner that belonged to this wonderful detective,Herrion told the story, as he had unearthed it. He pleaded for Raife,and told of the extraordinary influence of the man Malsano. Heexplained that Raife had not been responsible for his actions, and thata mad, uncontrollable passion had led him into the most dangeroussituations. He added: "Lady Remington, in the interests of all, let memost earnestly beg of you to try and overlook these distressingoccurrences. Sir Raife has not been conscious of the happenings of thepast year. He will be very ill. Slowly he will recover, and let mehope that the sadness of these events will be forgotten. If you willleave it to me I think I can hush matters, and smooth things over. Thewoman, Gilda Tempest, gave her life for Sir Raife. I hope, LadyRemington, you will not think I exceed my privilege, when I beg of youto forget the past."
Lady Remington looked at this extraordinary little man. Then she heldout her hand to him, saying: "Yes, Mr Herrion, I will do as yousuggest. You have done me a great service, and I will never forget."
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Seated on the terrace at Aldborough Park were two people, Raife's motherand Hilda. Playing on the lawn was a flaxen-haired little boy, withthree puppy dogs. They were rolling over one another after the mannerof puppy dogs and children, with that complete _abandon_ andunderstanding that belong to them. A tall, handsome man, with whitehair and slightly bent shoulders, surveyed the scene with a satisfiedsmile, smoking a pipe the while. The events of that terrible year whenRaife Remington was dragged from his high estate to that of a commoncriminal were forgotten. The fever that followed the last scene of thetragedy had left him white-haired and slightly bent, but he was still afine and aristocratic figure. The child who played with the puppies onthe lawn was the heir to the baronetcy and Aldborough Park.
Detective-inspector Herrion had displayed all his tact and cleverness inpreventing a renewal of the scandal that followed Raife's disappearanceand, in the moments of his leisure, he was a welcome guest at AldboroughPark.
Raife's mother, the Dowager Lady Remington, had recovered much of healthwith the return of the normal conditions of life.
The brave American girl, Hilda, who had borne her troubles with courageand resource, was happy.
When she knew the terrible conditions of Gilda Tempest's life, she feltsorry for her dead rival, but, she would have been more than human ifshe had not a sense of relief that the shadow of "the other woman" nolonger cast a gloom on her husband's life.
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The End.
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