CHAPTER XIII
GOSSIP
Going by circumstantial evidence, Diana certainly had good grounds toaccuse Mrs. Vrain of committing the crime, for there were four points atleast which could be proved past all doubt as incriminating her stronglyin the matter.
In the first place, the female shadow on the blind seen by Lucian,showed that a woman had been in the habit of entering the house by thesecret way of the cellar, and during the absence of Vrain.
Secondly, the finding of the parti-coloured ribbon in the Silent House,which had been knotted round the handle of the stiletto by Diana, andthe absence of the stiletto itself from its usual place on the wall ofthe Berwin Manor library, proved that the weapon had been removedtherefrom to London, and, presumably, used to commit the deed, seeingthat otherwise there was no necessity for its presence in the GenevaSquare mansion.
Thirdly, Diana had discovered that Lydia had spent the night of themurder in town; and, lastly, she also declared that the fragment ofgauze found by Lucian on the dividing fence was the property of Mrs.Vrain.
This quartette of charges was recapitulated by Diana in support of heraccusation of her stepmother.
"I always suspected Lydia as indirectly guilty," she declared inconcluding her speech for the prosecution, "but I was not certain untilnow that she had actually struck the blow herself."
"But did she?" said Denzil, by no means convinced.
"I do not know what further evidence you require to prove it," retortedDiana indignantly. "She was in town on Christmas Eve; she took thestiletto from the library, and----"
"You can't prove that," interrupted Lucian decidedly. Then, seeing thelook of anger on Diana's face, he hastened to apologise. "Excuse me,Miss Vrain," he said nervously. "I am not the less your friend because Icombat your arguments; but in this case it is necessary to look on bothsides of the question. Is it possible to prove that Mrs. Vrain removedthis dagger?"
"Nobody actually saw it in her possession," replied Diana, who was moreamenable to reason than the majority of her sex, "but I can prove thatthe stiletto, with its ribbon, remained in the library after thedeparture of my father. If Lydia did not take it, who else had occasionto bring it up to London?"
"Let us say Count Ferruci," suggested Denzil.
Diana pointed to the fragment of the veil lying on the table. "On theevidence of that piece of gauze," she said, "it was Lydia who enteredthe house. Again, you saw her shadow on the window blind."
"I saw two shadows," corrected Lucian hastily, "those of a man and awoman."
"In plain English, Mr. Denzil, those of Mrs. Vrain and Count Ferruci."
"We cannot be certain of that."
"But circumstantial evidence----"
"Is not always conclusive, Miss Vrain."
"Upon my word, sir, you seem inclined to defend this woman!"
"Miss Vrain," said Lucian seriously, "if we don't give her the benefitof every doubt the jury will, should she be tried on this charge. Iadmit that the evidence against this woman is strong, but it is notcertain; and I argue the case looking at it from her point of view--theonly view which is likely to be taken by her counsel. If Mrs. Vrainkilled her husband she must have had a strong motive to do so."
"Well," said Diana impatiently, "there is the assurance money."
"I don't know if that motive is quite strong enough to justify thiswoman in risking her neck," responded the barrister. "As Mrs. Vrain ofBerwin Manor she had an ample income, for your father seems to have leftall the rents to her, and spent but little on himself; also she had anassured position, and, on the whole, a happy life. Why should she risklosing these advantages to gain more money?"
"She wanted to marry Ferruci," said Diana, driven to another point ofdefence. "She was almost engaged to him before she married my foolishfather; she invited him to Berwin Manor against the wish of her husband,and showed plainly that she loved him sufficiently to commit a crime forhis sake. With my father dead, and she in possession of L20,000, shecould hope to marry this Italian."
"Can you prove that she was so reckless?"
"Yes, I can," replied Miss Vrain defiantly. "The same person who told methat Lydia was not at Berwin Manor on Christmas Eve can tell you thather behaviour with Count Ferruci was the talk of Bath."
"Who is this person?" asked Lucian, looking up.
"A friend of mine--Miss Tyler. I brought her up with me, so that youshould get her information at first hand. You can see her at once," andDiana rose to ring the bell.
"One moment," interposed Lucian, before she could touch the button."Tell me if Miss Tyler knows your reason for bringing her up."
"I have not told her directly," said Diana, with some bluntness, "but asshe is no fool, I fancy she suspects. Why do you ask?"
"Because I have something to tell you which I do not wish your friend tohear, unless," added Lucian significantly, "you desire to take her intoour confidence."
"No," said Diana promptly. "I do not think it is wise to take her intoour confidence. She is rather--well, to put it plainly, Mr.Denzil--rather a gossip."
"H'm! As such, do you consider her evidence reliable?"
"We can pick the grains of wheat out of the chaff. No doubt sheexaggerates and garbles, after the fashion of a scandal-loving woman,but her evidence is valuable, especially as showing that Lydia was notat Bath on Christmas Eve. We will tell her nothing, so she can suspectas much as she likes; if we do speak freely she will spread the gossip,and if we don't, she will invent worse facts; so in either case itdoesn't matter. What is it you have to tell me?"
Lucian could scarcely forbear smiling at Diana's candidly expressedestimate of her ally's character, but, fearful of giving offence to hiscompanion, he speedily composed his features. With much explanation andan exhibition of Miss Greeb's plan, he gave an account of hisdiscoveries, beginning with his visit to the cellar, and ending with theimportant conversation with his landlady. Diana listened attentively,and when he concluded gave it as her opinion that Lydia had entered thefirst yard by the side passage and had climbed over the fence into thesecond, "as is clearly proved by the veil," she concluded decisively.
"But why should she take all that trouble, and run the risk of beingseen, when it is plain that your father expected her?"
"Expected her!" cried Diana, thunderstruck. "Impossible!"
"I don't know so much about that," replied Lucian drily, "although Iadmit that on the face of it my assertion appears improbable. But when Imet your father the second time, he was so anxious to prove, by lettingme examine the house, that no one had entered it during his absence,that I am certain he was well aware the shadows I saw were those ofpeople he knew were in the room. Now, if the woman was Mrs. Vrain, shemust have been in the habit of visiting your father by the back way."
"And Ferruci also?"
"I am not sure if the male shadow was Ferruci, no more than I am certainthe other was Mrs. Vrain."
"But the veil?"
Lucian shrugged his shoulders in despair. "That seems to prove it wasshe," he said dubiously, "but I can't explain your father's conduct inreceiving her in so secretive a way. The whole thing is beyond me."
"Well, what is to be done?" said Diana, after a pause, during which theylooked blankly at one another.
"I must think. My head is too confused just now with this conflictingevidence to plan any line of action. As a relief, let us examine yourfriend and hear what she has to say."
Diana assented, and touched the bell. Shortly, Miss Tyler appeared,ushered in by a nervous waiter, to whom it would seem she had addresseda sharp admonition on his want of deference. Immediately on entering shepounced down on Miss Vrain like a hawk on a dove, pecked her on bothcheeks, addressed her as "my dearest Di," and finally permitted herself,with downcast eyes and a modest demeanour, to be introduced to Lucian.
It might be inferred from the foregoing description that Miss Tyler wasa young and ardent damsel in her teens; whereas she was considerablynearer forty than thirty, and possessed an uncomel
y aspect unpleasing tomale eyes. Her own were of a cold grey, her lips were thin, her waistpinched in, and--as the natural consequence of tight lacing--her nosewas red. Her scanty hair was drawn off her high forehead very tightly,and screwed into a cast-iron knob at the nape of her long neck; and shesmiled occasionally in an acid manner, with many teeth. She wore aplainly-made green dress, with a toby frill; and a large silver crossdangled on her flat bosom. Altogether, she was about as venomous aspecimen of an unappropriated blessing as can well be imagined.
"Bella," said Miss Vrain to this unattractive female, "for certainreasons, which I may tell you hereafter, Mr. Denzil wishes to know ifMrs. Vrain was at Berwin Manor on Christmas Eve."
"Of course she was not, dearest Di," said Bella, drooping her elderlyhead on one scraggy shoulder, with an acid smile. "Didn't I tell you so?I was asked by Lydia--alas! I wish I could say my dearest Lydia--tospend Christmas at Berwin Manor. She invited me for my singing andplaying, you know: and as we all have to make ourselves agreeable, Icame to see her. On the day before Christmas she received a letter bythe early post which seemed to upset her a great deal, and told me shewould have to run up to town on business. She did, and stayed all night,and came down next morning to keep Christmas. I thought it _very_strange."
"What was her business in town, Miss Tyler?" asked Lucian.
"Oh, she didn't tell _me_," said Bella, tossing her head, "at least notdirectly, but I gathered from what she said that something was wrongwith poor dear Mr. Clyne--her father, you know, dearest Di."
"Was the letter from him?"
"Oh, I couldn't say that, Mr. Denzil, as I don't know, and I never speakby hearsay. So much mischief is done in the world by people repeatingidle tales of which they are not sure."
"Was Count Ferruci at Berwin Manor at the time?"
"Oh, dear me, no, Di! I told you that he was up in London the whole ofChristmas week. I only hope," added Miss Tyler, with a venomous smile,"that Lydia did not go up to meet him."
"Why should she?" demanded Lucian bluntly.
"Oh, I'm not blind!" cried Bella, shrilly laughing. "No, indeed. TheCount--a most amiable man--was _very_ attentive to me at one time; andLydia--a married woman--I regret to say, did not like him being so. I amindeed sorry to repeat scandal, Mr. Denzil, but the way in which Mrs.Vrain behaved towards me and carried on with the Count was notcreditable. I am a gentlewoman, Mr. Denzil, and a churchwoman, and assuch cannot countenance such conduct as his."
"You infer, then, that Mrs. Vrain was in love with the Italian?"
"I shouldn't be at all surprised to hear it," cried Bella again. "But hedid not care for her! Oh, dear, no! It is my belief, Mr. Denzil, thatMrs. Vrain knows more about the death of her husband than she chooses toadmit. Oh, I've read _all_ the papers; I know _all_ about the death."
"Miss Tyler!" said Lucian, alarmed.
"Bella!" cried Miss Vrain. "I----"
"Oh, I'm not blind, dearest," interrupted Bella, speaking very fast. "Iknow you ask me these questions to find out if Lydia killed her husband.Well, she did!"
"How do you know, Miss Tyler?"
"Because I'm sure of it, Mr. Denzil. Wasn't Mr. Vrain stabbed with adagger? Very well, then. There was a dagger hanging in the library ofthe Manor, and I saw it there four days before Christmas. When I lookedfor it on Christmas Day it was gone."
"Gone! Who took it?"
"Mrs. Vrain!"
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I am!" snapped Miss Tyler. "I didn't see her take it, but it wasthere before she went, and it wasn't there on Christmas Day. If Lydiadid not take it, who did?"
"Count Ferruci, perhaps."
"He wasn't there! No!" cried Bella, raising her head, "I'm sure Mrs.Vrain stole it and killed her husband, and I don't care who hears me sayso!"
Diana and Lucian looked at one another in silence.