CHAPTER LVII
HAND AND FOOT
What did it mean? Why was there all this commotion in the house? And whydid everybody leave her so severely alone? These were the questions thatPrincess Zara, otherwise Mrs. May, otherwise Mrs. Jasper Ravenspur,asked herself. And why had Marion not returned?
Oh, it was bitter to lie there fettered hand and foot at the very momentwhen activity and cunning and action were most imperatively needed. AndTchigorsky was not dead. How she had been tricked and fooled!
Fate had played against her. Who could have anticipated that Voski wouldhave come to Ravenspur and met his death there! By this time the shamBen Heer had all necessary proofs in his hands.
The door opened and a resolute-looking woman came in. Her garb wassomething of the hospital type, yet more severe and plainer. She came inand took her place with the air of one who watches a prisoner.
"I do not require your services," the adventuress said coldly.
"It is immaterial, madame," was the equally cold reply. "I am sent hereto do my duty whether you require my services or not."
"Indeed! Am I to regard myself as a prisoner, then?"
The other bowed. The bolt had fallen. There was nothing for it but tosubmit quietly. By this time Tchigorsky's proofs were in possession ofthe police. The prisoner smiled grimly as she thought how she couldescape her foes yet.
"What is the confusion in the house?" she asked. "What is your name?"
"My name is Symonds. I was fetched here by the inspector of police. Thebodies of two Asiatics have been found drowned in the vaults, and theyare getting ready for the inquest to-morrow."
Once again the defeated murderess smiled. Fate was all against her.Those men had come to do her bidding and had perished. Doubtless thenote sent by Vera Ravenspur would be found on one of them, and thiswould be no more than another link in the long chain.
She tried to rise but she could not. She lay on the bed fully dressed,her brain was as quick and as clear as ever, but the paralysis in thelower limbs fettered her. A blind fury shook her for the moment.
If she had only been free to move she would have triumphed even yet.Tchigorsky might have been a clever man, but she would have shown himthat he was no match for her. And now she had walked into the trap hehad laid for her. Doubtless she had been watched into the castle;doubtless the enemy had seen her lay those wires, and had arranged togive her a taste of that deadly stuff she had prepared for others. ThenMarion had been spirited away, and the key of the safe taken from her.Subsequently Tchigorsky had ransacked the box. Oh, she saw it all.
The family of Ravenspur saw it all by this time, too. She was no longera guest in the house of Ravenspur, but a prisoner in charge of a femalewarder. In a day or two she would be cast into prison. In due course shewould undergo her trial and finally be hanged by the neck until she weredead.
It was this last thought that caused her to smile. She was too clever awoman not to accept the inevitable. A great many people in her positionwould have protested and lied and blustered. She saw the folly of it.
"I should like to see Mr. Ravenspur," she said. "Will you tell him so?You need not fear. I am helpless. I could not move."
Mrs. Symonds stepped into the corridor and gave the message to a passingservant. After a time a slow step came shuffling along up the stairs. Itwas Ralph, who presently came into the room.
"You can leave us for a little time," he said.
Symonds discreetly disappeared. She passed into the corridor. The womanin the bed opened her mouth to speak, but stopped in astonishment.Ralph's glasses were gone, and the smooth unguents had disappeared fromhis face. Those cruel criss-cross lines stood out with startlingdistinctness.
"You wanted to see my father?" he said. "My father declines to see youin any circumstances. Perhaps I shall do as well."
"You, you are one of the men I saw at Lassa." The words came from thewoman's lips with a gasp. She had never been so astonished in all herlife.
"Yes, I was the other one," Ralph said coolly. "I had to disguise myselfwhen I found out you were in England. There is no longer any need fordisguise. I hope you are delighted to see me, my dear sister-in-law."
"Oh, so you know that also?"
"You may take it for granted that I knew everything."
There was a long pause before the woman spoke again.
"I need not ask what opinion you have formed of me?"
"You are perhaps the most depraved wretch who ever drew the breath oflife," said Ralph, slowly and without emotion. "To your ambition andwhat you call your religion you are prepared to sacrifice everything.You deliberately murdered the man who loved you."
"Your brother, Jasper. I admit it. Perhaps you will find it impossibleto believe that I loved him. But I did with my whole heart and soul. Iloved him and I killed him. Does it not sound strange? But this is thefact. I had to do it--for the sake of my people and my religion I hadto do it. When I recovered those papers I slew him as he knew I would.He was the only thing on earth that I had to care for."
"Oh! Had you not a daughter?"
The woman made a gesture of contempt.
"A poor creature," she said. "But I brought her up in the strong faith Ifollow, and so she has not been without her uses. Not that she knowsanything of the Holy Temple and the ceremonial there. I never told herabout the two men who escaped along the Black Valley. If I had I shouldhave known you to be a worthy antagonist instead of a half-witted fool,and then you would never have brought me to this pass. Oh, if I had onlytold her that!"
There was a passionate ring in the woman's voice. It was the first timeduring the interview that she had displayed any humanity.
"You didn't and there is an end of it," Ralph said. "Go on."
"Is there any need to go on? I have failed and there is an end of thematter. When my husband died my feelings were turned to rage and hatredof you all."
"Why should you all live and prosper while he was dead?" said Mrs. May."With your money I could do anything among my own people. I could founda new dynasty. Did I not possess the occult knowledge of the East with athorough knowledge of what you are pleased to call Western civilization?I could do it. A little longer and your wealth would have come to mychild; in other words, it would have come to me. Do you understand whatI mean?"
"Perfectly. I have understood for some time. Before I returned toEngland I had an idea of what was at the bottom of the vendetta. But youwould not have succeeded. Tchigorsky and myself made up our minds thatif we could not bring the crimes home to you we would shoot you."
Ralph spoke with a grim coldness that was not without its effect uponthe listener. Hard as she was, the sentiment was after her own heart.
"That would have been murder," she said.
"Perhaps so. In the cold, prosaic eyes of the law we might have beenregarded as criminals of the type you mention; but we did not propose topay any deference to the law. Nor would our deed have been discovered.You would simply have disappeared; we should have shot you and thrownyour body into the sea. And I don't fancy that the deed would haveweighed very heavily on the conscience of either of us."
The woman smiled. Nothing seemed to disturb her. She was full ofpassionate fury against the decrees of fate, but she did not show it.
"I suppose you planned everything out?" she asked.
"Everything; Tchigorsky and myself between us. It was Tchigorsky whorescued my nephew after your familiar in the blue dress and red hat hadcut the mast and sculls. We guessed that the search for Geoffrey wouldempty the house, and that you would take advantage of the fact.
"Geoffrey and I watched you laying those wires. It was I who saw thatyou had a taste of the poison. I wanted to lay you by the heels herewhile Tchigorsky overhauled your possessions. Your messenger was waylaidand robbed of your key. Also I opened the letter you sent by my niece sothat your confederates might be summoned to your assistance."
"Marion has come back again?"
"Within the last hour, yes. You will see her
presently."
The woman smiled curiously.
"Not to-night," she said. "Not to-night. I am tired and fancy I shallsleep well. I shall be glad of a long, long rest. Shall I see yourfather?"
"No," Ralph said sternly. "You certainly shall not."
"Then good-night. Do not be surprised if I beat you yet."
It was late, and the family were retiring. Marion had already gone. Inthe drawing-room a group had gathered round the fire. They were silentand sad, for they had heard many things that had moved them strangely.There was a knock at the door and Symonds looked in.
"My prisoner is dead," she said coldly and unmoved. "I supposed shemanaged to secret some poison and take it. But she is dead."
"It is well," Ravenspur replied. "It might have been worse. It was thebest she could do to lift the shadow of disgrace from this unhappyhouse."
L'ENVOI
Marion had bowed her head before the coming storm. She asked no mercyand expected none. Yet she looked the same pure, unaffected saint shehad ever appeared. Ravenspur would have taken her hand, but she drew itaway.
"It is true," she said, "I am a fallen angel. I have never been anythingelse. Put it down to my mother's training if you like, but I came hereas her friend, not yours. My religion is hers, my feelings are hers; Iam of her people. With all the wicked knowledge of the East I came hereto cut you off root and branch."
"Why?" Ravenspur said brokenly. "In the name of Heaven, why?"
"Because for years I have been taught to hate you; because I am at heartan Asiatic. It would be grand to have all your money, so that I might bea great person in my own country some day. Then I came and brought thecurse with me. It never seemed to strike any of you that the curse and Icame together. Three deaths followed. In every one of these I played apart; I was responsible for them all. Shall I tell you how?"
"No, no," said Ravenspur. "Heavens, this is too horrible. To think ofyou looking so sweet and so fair and good; to think that you should havecrept into our hearts only to betray us like this. We want to hearnothing beyond your confession. Have you a heart at all, or are you abeautiful fiend?"
"I did not imagine that I had a heart at all until I came here," Marionreplied. She had not abated a jot of her sweetness of expression orangelic manner. "Then gradually I began to love you all. When I met mycousin Geoffrey I recognized the fact that I was a woman.
"More than once I have been on the point of betraying myself to him. Butthe more passion for him filled my heart the worse I felt. I was goingto kill you all off and keep Geoffrey for myself. If Vera had died hewould have come to care for me in time. I know he would.
"Then my mother came. I was not getting along fast enough for her. Herkeen eyes saw into my breast and discovered my secret at once. For thatreason she marked Geoffrey down for her next victim. I tried to warnhim; I wrote him a letter. And I had to do him to death myself. It was Iwho cut the mast away; it was I who sawed the sculls. I was the girl inthe blue dress."
"Amazing," Geoffrey murmured. "To think of it! Marion, Marion!"
There were tears in his eyes; he could not be angry with her. There weretears in the eyes of everybody. Vera was crying softly. And all thegrief was as so many daggers in the heart of the unhappy girl.
"Go on," she said. "Cry for me. Every look of pity and every sign ofgrief stings me to the quick. Perhaps I am mad; perhaps I am notresponsible for my actions. But I swear that all the time I have beenplotting against your lives I have cared for you. Only my training andmy religion forced me on. Call me insane if you please, as you say ofthe fakir who sleeps upon a bed of sharp nails. I could explain all themysteries----"
"You need not," Ralph said. "I can do that in good time. From the firstI knew you, from the first I have dogged you from room to room at nightand frustrated your designs. Then came Tchigorsky, who finished the taskfor me. Need I say more?"
Marion moved towards the door. The imploring look had gone from herface; her eyes had grown sad and hopeless. And yet in the face of herconfession, in face of the knowledge of her crimes, not one of them hadthe slightest anger for her.
"I am going," she said. "In the event of this happening, I had made myplans. It may be that I shall have to take my trial; it may be that Ishall be spared. One thing you may be certain of--my mother will neverstand in the dock."
Ralph rose and slipped quietly from the room.
"If she dies, if anything happens to her," Marion went on, "it may bepossible to spare me. Nobody knows anything to my dishonor outside thefamily but Dr. Tchigorsky, and you can rely upon his silence. If mymother is no more there need be no scandal. Farewell, farewell to youall! Oh, if Heaven had been good to me, and sent me here as a littlechild, then what a happy life might have been mine!"
She passed out of the room and nobody made any attempt to detain her. Itwas a long, long time before anybody spoke and no voice was raised abovea whisper. The shock was stupendous. In none of their past sorrows andtroubles had their feelings been more outraged.
The cloud lay heavy upon them all; it would be a long while before itpassed away. Ravenspur rose at length, his face white and worn.
"We can do no good here," he said. "Perhaps sleep will bring us mercifulrelief."
It was at this moment that Symonds looked in with her information. Itwas no shock, because all were past being shocked. Vera cried onGeoffrey's shoulder.
"I am glad of it," she whispered; "it's an awful thing to say, but I amglad. It saves Marion. We shall never see her again; but I am glad sheis saved."
* * * * *
A young couple were looking down on the Mediterranean from the terraceof an old garden filled with the choicest flowers. The man lookedbronzed and well, the girl radiantly happy. For grief has no abidingplace in the eyes of youth.
"Doesn't it seem wonderful, Geoffrey?" the girl said. "Positively Icannot realize that we have been married three weeks. I shall wake uppresently and find myself back at Ravenspur again wondering whatdreadful thing is going to happen next."
Geoffrey touched a letter that lay in Vera's lap.
"Here is the evidence of our freedom," he said. "Read it to me, please."
Vera picked up the letter. There was no heading. Then she read:
"I am near you and yet far off. I hear little things from the world from time to time, and I know that you are married to Geoffrey. I felt that I must write you a few lines.
"I am in a convent here, in a convent from whence I can never emerge again. Heaven knows how many human tragedies are bound up in these gray old walls. But of all the miserable wretches here there is none more miserable than myself. Still, in my new faith I have found consolation. I know that there is hope even for sinners as black as myself.
"Will it sound strange to you to hear that I long and yearn for you always; that I still love those whom I would have destroyed? I meant to write you a long letter, but my heart is too full. Do not reply, because we are not allowed to have letters here.
"Heaven bless you both and give you the happiness you deserve!
"MARION."
Geoffrey took up the letter and tore it into minute fragments. Thegentle breeze carried it over the oleanders and lemon trees like snow.
Down below the blue sea sparkled and the world seemed full of the puredelight of life.
"Geoffrey," Vera said after a long pause, "are we too happy?"
"Is it possible to be too happy?" Geoffrey replied.
"Well, too selfishly happy I mean. It seems awful to be so blissfulwhen Marion is full of misery. I shall never feel anything but affectionfor her. It seems a strange thing to say, but I mean it. Poor Marion."
Geoffrey stooped and kissed the quivering lips.
"Poor Marion, indeed!" he said. "Marion was two distinct persons. Of allthe shocks we ever had, her confession hurt me most of all. A creatureso sweet and pure and good, a veritable angel! It is sufficient toutterly destroy one's fait
h in human nature. It would if I hadn't gotyou."
THE END.
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