"That is your resolve. But it seemsto me folly; forgive me if I question your decision, if I criticiseyou."
For a moment the glances of Wingate and Mrs Saxton met, and they readeach other's thoughts. Monkton must let Lord Wrenwyck go unpunished; itwould be political death to him to have that old folly brought intopublic gaze.
He interposed hastily. "Dearest Sheila, your father is right. Iunderstand his reasons perfectly. He is not an ordinary man. If he isto keep his position, he must forgo the revenge to which he is so justlyentitled."
Sheila looked at him with puzzled eyes. Austin was wise beyond hisyears, but surely he was wrong in this. She pressed her hand to herhead, and murmured faintly, "I do not understand. But I suppose it mustbe as you say."
Mrs Saxton went on swiftly with her story.
"According to all accounts. Lord Wrenwyck is half insane. He had beenmixed up with some financial transactions with Stent, and had taken theman's measure, had satisfied himself that he would carry out anyvillainous scheme, so long as he was well paid for the risk. He it waswho suggested the abduction of Mr Monkton, the systematic drugging atForest View, where he would come in while his unhappy prisoner wasasleep, and watch him with a fiendish smile spreading over his repulsivecountenance."
At this point Sheila raised her hands with a gesture of despair. "Andyet this fiend is to go scot-free, and live to work further evil."
"He will not do that," said Mrs Saxton quickly. "Smeaton, after ourinterview, compelled him to go to Scotland Yard. Depend upon it. LordWrenwyck will not risk his fate a second time. He will be renderedpowerless by the fact that his cunningly laid scheme was frustrated, andalso that it is known to those who could set the law in motion at anymoment they chose."
And again Sheila murmured, "You may be right, but I cannot understand."
"I am coming now to the end of my story," Mrs Saxton continued, afterthis interruption. "I was walking one day into Horsham, and wasaccosted by a young man who seemed desirous of striking up anacquaintance. I rebuffed him, of course, and learned afterwards that hemade similar advances to the young woman who was supposed to be myfellow-servant. At once it struck me that he was spying upon us. Helodged at a small inn a little distance away, and gave out that he wasan artist. I mentioned the matter to Stent, but he rather laughed atthe idea; told me I had got detectives on the brain. He was destituteof nerves himself, and had an exaggerated belief in his own capacity tooutwit everybody.
"Pondering upon the means by which I could extricate my patient--if Imay call him so--from a position which I felt convinced was growing moreperilous, the idea of using this young man came into my mind. Day afterday I impressed upon Stent that my fears were well grounded, and that atany moment he might be faced with discovery. At last I invented a storythat I had seen this man who called himself Franks standing outside thehouse with another person, obviously a detective, and had heard thelatter say distinctly; `Smeaton himself thinks we have given them ropeenough.'
"You know the story of the removal in the dead of night?"
She addressed her question to Wingate, appreciating the fact that heshowed his hostility less plainly than did his sweetheart.
The young man nodded. "Yes, we know that."
"Stent was at last impressed, and agreed that we must leave Forest Viewas quickly and secretly as possible. Stent and the other maid--LordWrenwyck had left us by then--travelled in the van. I drove Mr Monktonin the motor by a roundabout route--I may tell you I am an expertdriver. My destination was supposed to be the house of the confederatewhere he had first been taken.
"The game was now in my hands, and I knew I could play it. I drove to adifferent place altogether, some miles from London. I had, fortunately,plenty of money with me. We stayed at an hotel for the night. Nextmorning we came up to London and took up our quarters in a small inn atHampstead."
"What did you do with the car?" asked Wingate.
"We left it at a garage close to the hotel where we stayed the firstnight, promising to come back for it in a couple of hours. There, nodoubt, it is still."
"And the next step when you got to London?" was Wingate's next question.
"Owing to the cessation of the drugs, Mr Monkton's faculties wereswiftly restored. He was weak and ill from his long confinement, but hecould think clearly. His first impulse was to come home at once. Idissuaded him from this till he had gone to Smeaton and sought hisadvice. I felt also it was imperative to get rid of Stent and Bolinskiin case they meditated further mischief. It happened that the meanswere in my power, means which I should not have used except in anextreme case. Information in my possession, which I placed at thedisposal of Scotland Yard, enabled the authorities to arrest them on acriminal charge. That you have heard, or will hear."
She paused a moment, and Sheila spoke.
"You drove up to Chesterfield Street the other night with a companion."
"Your father. He was longing to come back, and to humour him Isuggested we should come for a few minutes as far as the house."
"And the portrait of Lady Gladys that was sent me? That was my father'sidea, of course. And to make sure, you sent that young woman to tell mewhat to do. But I had guessed before she came."
"That young woman was a friend of mine, who knows nothing about thegeneral circumstances. I simply made use of her for this particularpurpose."
There was a long pause. Wingate was the first to break it. He had nokindly feelings towards this woman who was ready to betray her oldassociates when it suited her own interests. Still, he could dissemblebetter than Sheila.
"You have cleared up all except one thing, Mrs Saxton. What of theItalian who died at Forest View, and the man Whyman who disappearedafter Smeaton's visit to him at Southport?"
"They were both members of a rather wide fraudulent partnership whichincluded Stent and Bolinski. Roselli was evidently seized with remorseon his deathbed, and, much to Stent's chagrin, conveyed a message inItalian which the young man Franks in his turn conveyed to Smeaton. HadStent guessed the nature of that message, he would have found some meansto keep Franks out of the house. In consequence of my information, thepolice are searching for Whyman now."
This extraordinary woman was, by now, perfectly calm and collected.What her inmost feelings were, it would be impossible to guess, butapparently she felt no shame in avowing that she had betrayed her oldfriends.
There was an embarrassing silence till she spoke again. "I have nowconcluded my story. If there is nothing more you wish to ask me, I willgo."
Sheila rose, her face cold and hard. "Nothing more, Mrs Saxton. Myfather will, of course, reward you for the help you gave him, as youhave put it yourself, at the eleventh hour. He has no doubt arrangedthat with you already. You will understand that now I want him tomyself."
"I quite understand." Without another word, she bowed and left theroom, her bearing not devoid of a certain dignity, which might, or mightnot, have been the result of callousness.
Left to themselves, Sheila breathed a sigh of relief. "The air issweeter for her departure," she said simply.
Then she knelt down again, and laid one hand tenderly on her father'sshoulder. The other she extended to Wingate, and drew him towards her.
"Father, dearest," she said in her sweet, low voice, "I have a secret totell you, and I could not tell it on a better night than this. Austinand I love each other. You do not know what he has been to me duringthis terrible time. You will let us be happy?"
Very gentle and kindly was the smile that met her upturned face.
"My darling, you are the dearest thing on earth to me. Could I refuseyou anything on such a night as this?" He turned to the young man."Austin--give me your hand."
He placed it in Sheila's, and drawing his daughter to his breast, kissedher. "Dearest, I wish you to follow where your heart leads you. And Ithink you have chosen well."
------------------------------------------------------------------------
THREE
MONTHS LATER.
Reginald Monkton, restored to his normal health and strength by thedevoted ministrations of his daughter, resumed his place in the House.And six months after that happy event the wedding bells rang for Sheilaand Austin Wingate, heralding the dawn of a bright future for thesesorely tried lovers.
Of the other personages in the story but little remains to be told.Stent and Bolinski, with their accomplice, Whyman, were tried at the OldBailey and found guilty of extensive and far-reaching frauds, andcondemned to a long term of penal servitude.
Mrs Saxton, enriched by the handsome reward bestowed upon her byMonkton, left England for abroad. Farloe disappeared also, anddoubtless rejoined his sister under another name. Varney still retainshis _penchant_ for the detection of crime, but so far has not