CHAPTER XX
A NEW DEVELOPMENT
"You see, Mr. Denzil," said Ferruci, turning triumphantly to Lucian, "Idid not buy this cloak; I am not the Italian this lady speaks of."
Lucian was extremely astonished at this unexpected testimony in favourof the Count, and questioned the shopwoman sharply. "Are you certain ofwhat you say?" he asked, looking at her intently.
"Yes, I am, sir," replied the girl stiffly, as though she did not likeher word doubted. "The gentleman who bought the cloak was not so tall asthis one, nor did he speak English well. I had great difficulty inlearning what he wanted."
"But you said that he was dark, with a moustache--and--"
"I said all that, sir; but this is not the gentleman."
"Could you swear to it?" said Lucian, more chagrined than he liked toshow to the victorious Ferruci.
"If it is necessary, I could, sir," said the shopwoman, with thegreatest confidence. And after so direct a reply, and such certainevidence, Denzil had nothing to do but retire from an awkward positionas gracefully as he could.
"And now, sir," said Ferruci, who had followed him out of the shop, "youcome with me, please."
"Where to?" asked Lucian gloomily.
"To my friend--to my rooms. I have shown I did not buy the cloak youspeak of. Now we must find my friend, Dr. Jorce, to tell you I was notat Jersey Street when you say."
"Is Dr. Jorce at your rooms?"
"I asked him to call about this time," said Ferruci, glancing at hiswatch. "When Mrs. Vrain speak to me of what you say I wish to defendmyself, so I write last night to my friend to talk with you this day. Iget his telegram saying he would come at two hours."
Lucian glanced in his turn at his watch. "Half-past one," he said,beckoning to a cab. "Very good, Count, we will just have time to getback to your place."
"And what you think now?" said Ferruci, with a malicious twinkle in hiseyes.
"I do not know what to think," replied Lucian dismally, "save that it isa strange coincidence that _another_ Italian should have bought thecloak."
The Count shrugged his shoulders as they got into the hansom, but he didnot speak until they were well on their way back to Marquis Street. Hethen looked thoughtfully at his companion. "I do not believecoincidence," he said abruptly, "but in design."
"What do you mean, Count? I do not quite follow you."
"Some one who knows I love Mrs. Vrain wish to injure me," said theItalian rapidly, "and so make theirself like me to buy that cloak. Ah!you see? But he could not make himself as tall as me. Oh, yes, sir, I amsure it is so."
"Do you know any one who would disguise himself so as to implicate youin the murder?"
"No." Ferruci shook his head. "I cannot think of one man--not one."
"Do you know a man called Wrent?" asked Lucian abruptly.
"I do not, Mr. Denzil," said Ferruci at once. "Why do you ask?"
"Well, I thought he might be the man to disguise himself. But no," addedLucian, remembering Rhoda's account of Wrent's white hair and beard, "itcannot be him. He would not sacrifice his beard to carry out the plan;in fact he could not without attracting Rhoda's attention."
"Rhoda! Wrent! What strange names you talk of!" cried Ferrucivivaciously.
"No stranger than that of your friend Jorce."
Ferruci laughed. "Oh, he is altogether most strange. You see."
It was as the Italian said. Dr. Jorce--who was waiting for them in theCount's room--proved to be a small, dried-up atom of a man, who lookedas though all the colour had been bleached out of him. At first sight hewas more like a monkey than a man, owing to his slight, queer figureand agile movements; but a closer examination revealed that he had aclever face, and a pair of most remarkable eyes. These were of asteel-grey hue, with an extraordinary intensity of gaze; and when hefixed them on Lucian at the moment of introduction the young barristerfelt as though he were being mesmerised.
For the rest, Jorce was dressed sombrely in black cloth, was extremelyvoluble and vivacious, and impressed Lucian with the idea that he wasless a fellow mortal than a changeling from fairyland. Quite anexceptional man was Dr. Jorce, and, as the Italian said, "most strange."
"My good friend," said Ferruci, laying his stern hand on the shoulder ofthis oddity, "this gentleman wishes you to decide a--what do yousay?--bet?"
"A bet!" cried the little doctor in a deep bass voice, but with someindignation. "Do I understand, Count, that you have brought me all theway from my place in Hampstead to decide a bet?"
"Ah, but sir, it is a bet most important," said Ferruci, with a smile."This Mr. Denzil declares that he saw me in Pim--Pim--what?"
"In Pimlico," said Lucian, seeing that Ferruci could not pronounce theword. "I say that the Count was in Pimlico on Christmas Eve."
"You are wrong, sir," said Jorce, with a wave of his skinny hand. "Myfriend, Count Ferruci, was in my house at Hampstead on that evening."
"Was he?" remarked Lucian, astonished at this confident assertion. "Andat what time did he leave?"
"He did not leave till next morning. My friend the Count remained undermy roof all night, and left at twelve o'clock on Christmas morning."
"So you see," said Ferruci airily to Lucian, "that I could not have donewhat you think, as that was done--by what you said--between eleven andtwelve on that night."
"Was the Count with you at ten o'clock on that evening?" asked Denzil.
"Certainly he was; so you have lost your bet, Mr. Denzil. Sorry to bringyou such bad fortune, but truth is truth, you know."
"Would you repeat this statement, if I wished?"
"Why not? Call on me at any time. 'The Haven, Hampstead'; that willalways find me."
"Ah, but I do not think it will be necessary for Mr. Denzil to call onyou, sir," interposed the Count rapidly. "You can always come to me.Well, Mr. Denzil, are you satisfied?"
"I am," replied Lucian. "I have lost my bet, Count, and I apologise.Good-day, Dr. Jorce, and thank you. Count Ferruci, I wish you good-bye."
"Not even _au revoir_?" said Ferruci mockingly.
"That depends upon the future," replied Lucian coolly, and forthwithwent away in low spirits at the downfall of his hopes. Far fromrevealing the mystery of Vrain's death, his late attempts to solve ithad resulted in utter failure. Lydia had cleared herself; Ferruci hadproved himself innocent; and Lucian could not make up his mind what wasnow to be done.
In this dilemma he sought out Diana, as, knowing from experience thatwhere a man's logic ends a woman's instinct begins, he thought she mightsuggest some way out of the difficulty. On arriving at the Royal JohnHotel he found that Diana was waiting for him with great impatience; andhardly giving herself time to greet him, she asked how he had fared inhis interview with Count Ferruci.
"Has that man been arrested, Mr. Denzil?"
"No, Miss Vrain. I regret to say that he has not been arrested. To speakplainly, he has, so far as I can see, proved himself innocent."
"Innocent! And the evidence against him?"
"Is utterly useless. I brought him face to face with the woman who soldthe cloak, and she denies that Ferruci bought it."
"But she said the buyer was an Italian."
"She did, and dark, with a moustache. All the same, she did notrecognise the Count. She says the buyer was not so tall, and spoke worseEnglish."
"Ferruci could make his English bad if he liked."
"Probably; but he could not make his stature shorter. No, Miss Vrain, Iam afraid that our Italian friend, in spite of the evidence against him,did not buy the cloak. That he resembles the purchaser in looks andnationality is either a coincidence or----"
"Or what?" seeing that Lucian hesitated.
"Or design," finished the barrister. "And, indeed, the Count himself isof this opinion. He believes that some one who wished to get him intotrouble personated him."
"Has he any suspicions as to whom the person may be?"
"He says not, and I believe him; for if he did suspect any particularindividual he
certainly would gain nothing by concealment of the fact."
"H'm!" said Diana thoughtfully, "so that denial of the saleswomandisposes of the cloak's evidence. What about the Count's presence inJersey Street on Christmas Eve?"
"He was not there!"
"But Rhoda, the servant, saw him both in the house and in the backyard!"
"She saw a dark man, with a moustache, but she could not say that he wasa foreigner. She does not know Ferruci, remember. The man she saw musthave been the same as the purchaser of the cloak."
"Where does Ferruci say he was?"
"At Hampstead, visiting a friend."
"Oh! And what does the friend say?"
"He declares that the Count was with him on Christmas Eve and stayed allnight."
"That is very convenient evidence for the Count, Mr. Denzil. Who is thisaccommodating friend?"
"A doctor called Jorce."
"Can his word be trusted?"
"So far as I can judge from his looks and a short acquaintance, I shouldsay so."
"It was half-past eight when the servant saw the dark man run out ofthe yard?"
"Yes!"
"And at half-past eight Ferruci was at Hampstead in the house of Dr.Jorce?"
"Not that I know of," said Lucian, remembering that he had asked Jorcethe question rather generally than particularly, "but the doctordeclared that Ferruci was with him at ten o'clock on that evening, anddid not leave him until next morning; so as your father was killedbetween eleven and twelve, Ferruci must be innocent."
"It would seem so, if this doctor is to be believed," muttered Dianareflectively, "but judging by what you have told me, there is nothing toshow that Ferruci was _not_ in Pimlico at eight-thirty, and was _not_the man whom the servant saw."
"Well, certainly he could get from Pimlico to Hampstead in an hour and ahalf. However, the main point about all this evidence is, that neitherFerruci nor Lydia Vrain killed your father."
"No! no! that seems clear. Still! still! they know about it. Oh, I amsure of it. It must have been Ferruci who was in Pimlico on that night.If so, he knows who Wrent is, and why he stayed in Jersey Street."
"Perhaps, although he denies ever hearing the name of Wrent. But I wouldnot be surprised if the man who could solve the mystery is----"
"Who?--who?"
"Doctor Jorce himself. I feel sure of it."