CHAPTER XV
PRATT OFFERS A HAND
For a full moment of tense silence Nesta and Pratt looked at each otheracross the letter which he held in his outstretched hand--lookedsteadily and with a certain amount of stern inquiry. And it was Nesta'seyes which first gave way--beaten by the certainty in Pratt's. Shelooked aside; her cheeks flamed; she felt as if something were rising inher throat--to choke her.
"I can't believe that!" she muttered. "You're--mistaken! Oh--utterlymistaken!"
"No mistake!" said Pratt confidently. "I tell you your mother meantme--me!--to meet my death at that bridge. Here's the proof in thisletter! I'll tell you, first, when I received it: then I'll read youwhat's in it, and if you doubt my reading of it, you shall read ityourself--but it won't go out of my hands! And first as to my gettingit, for that's important. It reached me, by registered post, mind you,on the Saturday morning on which your brother met his death. It washanded in at Normandale village post-office for registration late on theFriday afternoon. And--by whom do you think?"
"I--don't know!" replied Nesta faintly. This merciless piling up ofdetails was beginning to frighten her--already she felt as if sheherself were some criminal, forced to listen from the dock to theopening address of a prosecuting counsel. "How should I know?--how can Ithink?"
"It was handed in for registration by your mother's maid, EstherMawson," said Pratt with a dark look. "I've got her evidence, anyway!And that was all part of a plan--just as a certain something that wasenclosed was a part of the same plan--a plot. And now I'll read you theletter--and you'll bear it in mind that I got it by first post thatSaturday morning. This is what it--what your mother--says:--
"I particularly wish to see you again, at once, about the matter between us and to have another look at _that document_. Can you come here, bringing it with you, tomorrow, Saturday afternoon, by the train which leaves soon after two o'clock? As I am most anxious that your visit should be private and unknown to any one here, do not come to the house. Take the path across the park to the shrubberies near the house, so that if you are met people would think you were taking a near cut to the village. I will meet you in the shrubbery on the house side of the little foot-bridge. The gates--'"
Pratt suddenly paused, and before proceeding looked hard at his visitor.
"Now listen to what follows--and bear in mind what your mother knew, andhad done, at the time she wrote this letter. This is how the letter goeson---let every word fix itself in your mind, Miss Mallathorpe!"
"'The gates of the foot-bridge are locked, but the enclosed keys will open them. I will meet you amongst the trees on the further side. Be sure to come and to bring _that document_--I have something to say about it on seeing it again.'"
Pratt turned to the drawer from which he had taken the letter and tookout two small keys, evidently belonging to patent padlocks. He held themup before Nesta.
"There they are!" he said triumphantly. "Been in my possession eversince--and will remain there. Now--do you wish to read the letter? I'veread it to you word for word. You don't? Very good--back it goes inthere, with these keys. And now then," he continued, having replacedletter and keys in his drawer, and turned to her again, "now then, yousee what a diabolical scheme it was that was in your mother's mindagainst me. She meant me to meet with the fate which overtook her ownson! She meant me to fall through that bridge. Why? She hoped that Ishould break my neck--as he did! She wanted to silence me--but she alsowanted more--she wanted to take from my dead body, or my unconsciousbody, the certain something which she was so anxious I should bring withme, which she referred to as _that document_. She was willing to riskanything--even to murder!--to get hold of that. And now you know why Iwent to Normandale Grange that Saturday--you know, now, the real reason.I told a deliberate lie at the inquest, for your mother's sake--for yoursake, if you know it. I did not go there to hand in my application forthe stewardship--I went in response to the letter I've just read. Is allthis clear to you?"
Nesta could only move her head in silent acquiescence. She was alreadyconvinced, that whether all this was entirely true or not, there wastruth of some degree in what Pratt had told her. And she was thinking ofher mother--and of the trap which she certainly appeared to havelaid--and of her brother's fate--and for the moment she felt sick andbeaten. But Pratt went on in that cold, calculating voice, telling hisstory point by point.
"Now I come to what happened that Saturday afternoon," he said. "I mayas well tell you that in my own interest I have carefully collectedcertain evidence which never came out at the inquest--which, indeed, hasnothing to do with the exact matter of the inquest. Now, that Saturday,your mother and you had lunch together--your brother, as we shall see ina moment, being away--at your lunch time--a quarter to two. About twentyminutes past two your mother left the house. She went out into thegardens. She left the gardens for the shrubberies. And at twenty-fiveminutes to three, she was seen by one of your gardeners, Featherstone,in what was, of course, hiding, amongst the trees at the end of thenorth shrubbery. What was she doing there, Miss Mallathorpe? She waswaiting!--waiting until a certain hoped-for accident happened--to me.Then she would come out of her hiding-place in the hope of getting thatdocument from my pocket! Do you see how cleverly she'd laid herplans--murderous plans?"
Nesta was making a great effort to be calm. She knew now that she wasface to face with some awful mystery which could only be solved bypatience and strenuous endeavour. She knew, too, that she must show nosign of fear before this man!
"Will you finish your story, if you please?" she asked.
"In my own way--in my own time," answered Pratt. "I now come to--yourmother. On the Friday noon, the late Mr. Harper Mallathorpe went toBarford to visit a friend--young Stemthwaite, at the Hollies. He was tostay the night there, and was not expected home until Saturday evening.He did stay the night, and remained in Barford until noon on Saturday;but he--unexpectedly--returned to the house at half past two. And almostas soon as he'd got in, he picked up a gun and strolled out--into thegardens and the north shrubbery. And, as you know, he went to thefoot-bridge. You see, Miss Mallathorpe, your mother, clever as she was,had forgotten one detail--the gates of that footbridge were merely low,four-barred things, and there was nothing to prevent an active young manfrom climbing them. She forgot another thing, too--that warning had notbeen given at the house that the bridge was dangerous. And, of course,she'd never, never calculated that your brother would return sooner thanhe was expected, or that, on his return, he'd go where he did. Andso--but I'll spare you any reference to what happened. Only--you knownow how it was that Mrs. Mallathorpe was found by her son's body. She'dbeen waiting about--for me! But--the fate she'd meant for me was dealtout to--him!"
In spite of herself Nesta gave way to a slight cry.
"I can't bear any more of that!" she said. "Have you finished?"
"There's not much more to say--now at any rate," replied Pratt. "Andwhat I have to say shall be to the point. I'm sorry enough to have beenobliged to say all that I have said. But, you know, you forced me to it!You threatened me. The real truth, Miss Mallathorpe, is just this--youdon't understand me at all. You come here--excuse my plainspeech--hectoring and bullying me with talk about the police, andblackmail, and I don't know what! It's I who ought to go to the police!I could have your mother arrested, and put in the dock, on a charge ofattempted murder, this very day! I've got all the proofs."
"I suppose you held that out as a threat to her when you forced her tosign that power of attorney?" observed Nesta.
For the first time since her arrival Pratt looked at his visitor in anunfriendly fashion. His expression changed and his face flushed alittle.
"You think that, do you?" he said. "Well, you're wrong. I'm not a fool.I held out no such threat. I didn't even tell your mother what I'd foundout. I wasn't going to show her my hand all at once--though I've shownyou a good deal of it."
"Not all?" she asked quickly.
"Not
all," answered Pratt with a meaning glance. "To use moremetaphors--I've several cards up my sleeve, Miss Mallathorpe. But you'reutterly wrong about the threats. I'll tell you--I don't mind that--how Igot the authority you're speaking about. Your mother had promised methat stewardship--for life. I'd have been a good steward. But werecognized that your brother's death had altered things--that you,being, as she said, a self-willed young woman--you see how plain Iam--would insist on looking after your own affairs. So she gaveme--another post. I'll discharge its duties honestly."
"Yes," said Nesta, "but you've already told me that you'd a hold on mymother before any of these recent events happened, and that you possesssome document which she was anxious to get into her hands. So it comesto this--you've a double hold on her, according to your story."
"Just so," agreed Pratt. "You're right, I have--a double hold."
Nesta looked at him silently for a while: Pratt looked at her.
"Very well," she said at last. "How much do you want--to be bought out?"
Pratt laughed.
"I thought that would be the end of it!" he remarked. "Yes--I thoughtso!"
"Name your price!" said Nesta.
"Miss Mallathorpe!" answered Pratt, bending forward and speaking with anew earnestness. "Just listen to me. It's no good. I'm not to be boughtout. Your mother tried that game with me before. She offered me firstfive, then ten thousand pounds--cash down--for that document, when shecame to see me at my rooms. I dare say she'd have gone to twentythousand--and found the money there and then. But I said no then--and Isay no to you! I'm not to be purchased in that way. I've my own ideas,my own plans, my own ambitions, my own--hopes. It's not any use at allfor you to dangle your money before me. But--I'll suggest somethingelse--that you can do."
Nesta made no answer. She continued to look steadily at the man whoevidently had her mother in his power, and Pratt, who was watching herintently, went on speaking quietly but with some intensity of tone.
"You can do this," he said. "To start with--and it'll go a longway--just try and think better of me. I told you, you don't understandme. Try to! I'm not a bad lot. I've great abilities. I'm a hard worker.Eldrick & Pascoe could tell you that I'm scrupulously honest in moneymatters. You'll see that I'll look after your mother's affairs in afashion that'll commend itself to any firm of auditors and accountantswho may look into my accounts every year. I'm only taking the salaryfrom her that I was to have had for the stewardship. So--why not leaveit at that? Let things be! Perhaps--in time you'll come to see that--I'mto be trusted."
"How can I trust a man who deliberately tells me that he holds a secretand a document over a woman's head?" demanded Nesta. "You've admitted aprevious hold on my mother. You say you're in possession of a secretthat would ruin her--quite apart from recent events. Is that honest?"
"It was none of my seeking," retorted Pratt. "I gained the knowledge byaccident."
"You're giving yourself away," said Nesta. "Or you've some mental twistor defect which prevents you from seeing things straight. It's not howyou got your knowledge, but the use you're making of it that's theimportant thing! You're using it to force my mother to----"
"Excuse me!" interrupted Pratt with a queer smile. "It's you who don'tsee things straight. I'm using my knowledge to protect--all of you. Letyour mind go back to what was said at first--to what I said at first. Isaid that I'd discovered a secret which, if revealed, would ruin yourmother and injure--you! So it would--more than ever, now. So, you see,in keeping it, I'm taking care, not only of her interests, butof--yours!"
Nesta rose. She realized that there was no more to be said--or done. AndPratt rose, too, and looked at her almost appealingly.
"I wish you'd try to see things as I've put them, Miss Mallathorpe," hesaid. "I don't bear malice against your mother for that scheme shecontrived--I'm willing to put it clear out of my head. Why not acceptthings as they are? I'll keep that secret for ever--no one shall everknow about it. Why not be friends, now--why not shake hands?"
He held out his hand as he spoke. But Nesta drew back.
"No!" she said. "My opinion is just what it was when I came here."
Before Pratt could move she had turned swiftly to the door and letherself out, and in another minute she was amongst the crowds in thestreet below. For a few minutes she walked in the direction of Robson'soffices, but when she had nearly reached them, she turned, and wentdeliberately to those of Eldrick & Pascoe.