Comtesse de Martigny, a gay Parisienne, into the shrewdest andcleverest of adventuresses, and aided by the two Italians, made severallarge and successful coups at Vichy, Aix-les-Bains, and elsewhere,"continued the man Logan, speaking in the same clear, decisive tones,addressing the Earl. "I, however, had parted from them, and wasconducting an honest business in London, while Mr Keene had left on ashooting expedition in Africa, where he afterwards met you, and Ipresume gave his name as Smeeton in order that you should not connecthim with the person who had been at San Remo that season.
"Until your marriage, the Frenchwoman did not trouble your wife norLolita in the least. She waited her time until Lady Marigold hadmarried and was wealthy and you returned to London from your honeymoonin Cairo, when one day she called at Stanchester House, saw theCountess, and by showing her the letter she had written to Athertonsucceeded in extracting blackmail from her, a course which she hascontinued until quite recently. And not only this," he added, "but sheapproached Lolita secretly and made large requests, threatening that ifthey were not complied with she would denounce her as the murderess ofpoor Randolph Glover at San Remo! Her ladyship, helpless and terrified,was forced to comply with these demands although entirely innocent ofthe crime. On the other hand, however, there was some truth in thewoman's allegation against Lady Stanchester--who, by the way, believedthat Richard Keene was dead--and these facts were confirmed by Wingfieldwho, previous to being in the employment of Mr Keene, was valet toMajor Atherton.
"One day, it appeared that the woman Lejeune, in an interview in whichshe repeated her usual demands for money, told her of Wingfield'sallegations against her and how she could ruin her in your eyes bybringing forward the young valet. The Countess thereupon paid the sumdemanded, but from that moment entered into a conspiracy againstWingfield, fearing the revelation he might make concerning her. Herfriendship with Atherton had long ago given rise to rumour, and these,she knew, had reached your ears before your marriage. Therefore she wasnow in fear of both the Frenchwoman and the valet. She knew where MarieLejeune, Belotto and Ostini were living in London, and in order to freeherself gave information to Scotland Yard, who held a warrant from theFrench police for their arrest. The trio were, however, wary, andfearing arrest rapidly changed their place of abode, with the resultthat the police were baffled."
"And all this time Lolita was being blackmailed?" asked the Earl.
"Yes," answered my love faintly. "It is true, George, all this--everyword of it."
"Matters continued thus for two years, until last August, when a tragedyoccurred," Logan went on. "The young valet, Wingfield, whose love forLady Lolita had now cooled and who had told her ladyship of his lowlystation and of how he had been in the service of Major Atherton, hadsome time before got into low water, and Lady Lolita, in order to assisthim, had first given him money and then, when her private resources weredrained by the woman Lejeune's demands, had given him articles ofjewellery, which he sold or pawned. The young man's opinion regardingthe death of Randolph Glover had changed, for he explained to herladyship how he had discovered in San Remo that the unfortunate youngofficer had fallen a prey to those harpies, and that the manoeuvre hadbeen carried out and the charge laid against her ladyship in order toextract blackmail. Lady Lolita had then entered into negotiations withyoung Wingfield to effect her release from the bondage in which theFrenchwoman held her, and these continued for some months, until thatfateful night in August. Of what occurred then her ladyship herself canbest explain to us."
And, pausing, he turned to my love to allow her to tell us with her ownlips.
For a few moments she remained pale and silent. Her great blue eyes metmine, and then looking me straight in the face she said--
"What Mr Logan has told you is perfectly correct. The poor young manwas working in my interests, and I had written him a cipher lettermaking an appointment to meet me in the park at a spot where we had metseveral times previously, as I knew, secretly watching the Frenchwomanand her accomplices in London as he was, he had something to report tome. That afternoon, however, as I drove through the village I saw atthe window of the Stanchester Arms the one man whom I feared woulddenounce me--the man who had been witness of the affair at San Remo, andwho had openly expressed belief in my guilt--Richard Keene. He had cometo Sibberton evidently to make inquiries about me. By his presencethere, I knew he meant mischief.
"That same evening I also received a secret visit from Marie Lejeune.Still I kept the appointment and walked across the park by a circuitousroute, in order that none of the servants should recognise me. I knew Ihad plenty of time by the chiming of the stable clock, therefore I didnot hurry. But when I reached the hollow I found he was not there, andhad waited for a moment in expectation, when of a sudden I saw somethingin the darkness lying close to me. I bent and to my horror discoveredthat it was the young man Wingfield--dead! I screamed and rushed away,not knowing whither I went, but scarcely had I gone a few yards when Iran right into the arms of Mr Logan. I had, in my horror, picked upthe knife lying at the dead man's side, a long, thin Italian dagger, andwhen he met me I still held it in my hand. That very fact, of which Iwas unconscious at the moment, convinced him of my guilt. Thus on asecond occasion was I suspected of a crime of which I was innocent. Ofwhat occurred afterwards I have little recollection. I only know thatMr Logan took the knife from my hand, and that for hours we wandered,he trying to obtain from me the true facts against Marigold which thedead man had alleged. Then at dawn we parted, and I was met by MrWoodhouse, who set about swiftly to remove every piece of evidence thatmight convict me of the mysterious crime. Ah!" she cried, "God aloneknows how much I have suffered--how Marie Lejeune and her accompliceshave tortured me."
"I admit," declared Logan frankly, "that I believed Lady Lolita to beguilty. The horror at finding the dead man and the knowledge that thegreat intrigue was still in progress produced upon her an effect which Iunfortunately mistook for guilt. You must first know that on the nightin question, being again associated with Marie Lejeune, I hadaccompanied her to Sibberton, whither she went at Lady Lolita's request.Her ladyship saw her privately, while I awaited her in the `Mermaid'over at Geddington. Marie had, by secret means, learnt of Lolita'sintention to meet Hugh Wingfield in the park that night, therefore onleaving the Hall she awaited in order to watch and obtain knowledge ofthe negotiations against her which she knew were in progress between thevalet and her ladyship, while I, surprised at her long absence, strolledacross to the park in order to meet her on her return, as the way wasdark and lonely.
"According to the statement she afterwards made to me, it appears thatshe watched the young valet's arrival. He stood listening for aboutfive minutes, when suddenly a woman, whom by her ermine cloak she knewwas Lady Lolita, approached in the gloom, but as the young man utteredher name and put his hand out to welcome her, she stepped nimbly pasthim and struck him full in the back--a fatal blow. It was but the workof a single instant. `Ah! my lady!' he gasped, clutching at her cloak.`You--you've killed me!' And he sank upon the ground and expired. Atthat instant Marie Lejeune stepped from her hiding-place and the twowomen met face to face. Then Marie was staggered to discover that thewoman who wore Lady Lolita's cloak was not Lady Lolita herself--but thatwoman standing there!" he exclaimed, pointing to the Countess, "LadyStanchester!"
"Lady Stanchester!" we all gasped in one breath, while the wretchedwoman thus denounced stood before us, swaying and shrinking from ourgaze.
"But surely she was still at Aix-les-Bains!" I cried.
"No," he declared. "She had returned to London on the previous day, andwas living at Burton's boarding-house, in Hereford Road, Bayswater,under the name of Mrs Frith. That very morning she had seen the youngvalet in Westbourne Grove, and had followed him down to Sibberton. Assoon as she saw him take a ticket for Kettering she knew of hisintention to meet Lady Lolita clandestinely, therefore she saw in thather opportunity to deal him a fatal blow, and thus prevent any uglyrevelation regarding her past."<
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"But the cloak?" I asked.
"Lady Lolita had lent it to her just before her departure for Aix, andshe wore it on that night." Then I saw how, by my neglecting to tellLolita of the finding of the cloak by the gamekeeper Jacobs, I hadmyself withheld the truth from her! Had she known that the cloak shehad lent Marigold had been found torn and cast aside, she would ofcourse have suspected the identity of the assassin.
"The young man's acquaintance with Lolita and Marigold accounts, Isuppose, for his having watched my movements in London!" remarked theEarl.
CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE.
THE TRUTH.
"You see," Logan went on, "Lady Stanchester feared the revelation whichthe young valet could make concerning