CHAPTER XXXIV.
MR. PELHAM MAKES HIS APPEARANCE ONCE MORE.
MY DEAR LOVE,--My note written last night was short, because I hadscarcely anything to say, and I postponed what I had to tell untilto-night. Mrs. Holdfast did not detain Fanny long yesterday. She askedbut one question, which, if the little girl had not been preparedto answer, would have removed Fanny from the game, and increasedthe difficulties of our task. In the story Fanny invented for themystification of Mrs. Holdfast I saw one great danger. Mrs. Holdfast isnot playing alone; there is a master mind behind her. Who that mastermind is it was necessary for me to discover, and I have made thediscovery. I shall not be surprised if, in the letter I shall write toyou to-morrow night I am able to tell you something of the very greatestmoment.
Fanny's danger was this: She had told a clever story; had invented asister, and had furnished a tolerably fair excuse for forcing herselfupon a lady of Mrs. Holdfast's position. But she had spoken of herselfand her sister living in lodgings in London. If there is one thing Mrs.Holdfast desires at present to avoid it is the slightest chance ofanything coming before the public which would tend to prove that she andGrace who destroyed Sydney Campbell are one and the same person. Perhapsthe only person who, in an indirect way, is aware of this fact (that is,to Mrs. Holdfast's knowledge) is Fanny. Here was a risk; and betweenFanny's first and second visit to Mrs. Holdfast, the suggestion had insome way arisen that the little girl might have been instructed in herpart by an unseen enemy. It was necessary, therefore, to test the truthof Fanny's story, and there was only one point which could be seizedupon. In what street in London, in what house, did Fanny and her sisterlive before the sister ran away? This occurred to my sharp mind beforeit had been suggested to Mrs. Holdfast, and I determined to manufactureevidence. I enlisted Mrs. Preedy on my side. I bought her a new gown,a cloak, and a hat, and I made her a present of them. Then, havingentirely won her heart--she told me that she looked upon me as adaughter--I cautiously imparted to her what I wanted her to do for me.It appeared that nothing was easier. For a few shillings a friend ofMrs. Preedy, living half a mile from Great Porter Square, undertook,in case a lady called to ask there, to give certain answers to certainquestions about two lodgers, one called Nelly and the other Dot. Thelesson was a simple one, and was easily learned. Armed with the address,Fanny went to Mrs. Holdfast, according to appointment. I may inform youthat I am placing fuller reliance than ever upon little Fanny, and thatI have related to her a great deal of Grace's life in Oxford, which, incase of need, she can turn to useful account. As I anticipated, Mrs.Holdfast asked Fanny in what house she and her sister lived in London.Without hesitation, Fanny gave the address of Mrs. Preedy's friend, andMrs. Holdfast dismissed her, desiring her to call again on the followingday--this morning. I ascertained to-day that Mrs. Holdfast called at theaddress, and received the answers prepared for her.
I must tell you what Mrs. Preedy said to me during the evening.
"My dear, you are not what you pretend to be."
I gave her a spirited answer, knowing by this time how to manage her.
"You are a clever woman," I replied, looking at her admiringly; "youhave guessed my secret; not one in a thousand would have done it. I am_not_ a servant-of-all-work, and I came here to be out of the way, letme say, of my young man. Well now, there's no harm in that, is there?"
"Not a bit of harm," she said. "But what is it all about?"
"I can't tell you just now," I said. "You may be certain of one thing.If things go on as they've been going on lately, you will be none theworse off for it. If I don't go into partnership with you, I shall makeyou a very handsome present, and I shan't ask you for any wages. I havebroken a lot of things since I've been here, but I've bought new ones intheir place. Mrs. Preedy, you leave everything to me, and I will showyou that Becky can be grateful."
"Well, my dear," said Mrs. Preedy, "so long as there's no harm done,I don't mind. You're a good sort, and I dare say have seen a lot oftrouble. So have I. Women are born to be imposed upon."
"Does our young man lodger pay his rent regularly?" I asked, pretendingto know nothing.
"My dear," said Mrs. Preedy, sadly, "since he has lived here I haven'tseen the colour of his money."
"Now," I said, smiling, "suppose I pay it for him. Not for his sake--foryours. I'm not sweet on him, though he pretends to be on me. It's ashame that you should be taken in by a foreign gentleman like him--youcan't afford it."
I found out how many weeks' rent he owed, and I paid it. I don't thinkanything is wanting to complete the conquest of my mistress's heart. Yousee I am spending some of the money you gave me; I couldn't get alongwithout it.
To-day Mrs. Holdfast received Fanny very graciously, called her a nicelittle thing, said she was growing quite fond of her, and was almostinclined to take her into the house to live with her.
"Oh, how I wish you would!" cried Fanny.
However, it appears that at present Mrs. Holdfast, even if she is inearnest, cannot take Fanny into her house. If it _were_ done Fanny wouldfind a way to communicate with me, and tell me all that is going on.
Mrs. Holdfast expressed great curiosity about Fanny's sister, and askedthe child whether Nelly did not give her an address to write to.
"O, yes," said Fanny, prepared for any emergency; "Nelly's gone toParis. She said I might write to her at the post-office there."
What does Mrs. Holdfast do but write a letter to Fanny's sister, andaddress it to the Poste Restante, Paris. She did not give the letter toFanny to post. What is in the letter? Nothing important, perhaps, butwritten in the endeavour to more completely verify the truth of Fanny'sstory. Or perhaps Mrs. Holdfast really knew some actresses in thecountry, and is anxious to ascertain if Nelly is one of her oldacquaintances.
Now I will tell you something more important.
"You are a shrewd little thing," said Mrs. Holdfast to Fanny; "I have agood mind, although I can't let you sleep in the house, to take you intomy service."
"O, do, ma'am, do!" cried Fanny.
"Well, I'll try you. But mind--you must keep my secrets. Do you know anyperson in London besides me?"
"Not a blessed soul!" replied Fanny. "And I'll keep your secrets--youtry me. O, I don't believe there's a kinder lady in the world than youare!"
"She's an artful one," said Fanny to me, as she gave me the particularsof this conversation, "but I'm an artfuller!"
Mrs. Holdfast is so extraordinarily vain that even this deserted child'spraise was agreeable to her.
"Be true to me," said Mrs. Holdfast, "and I'll make a lady of you. Areyou fond of babies?"
To which Fanny replied that she doted on them. Mrs. Holdfast rang abell, and desired the maid who answered it to take Fanny into thenursery.
"I'll come up to you presently," said Mrs. Holdfast.
Fanny went into the nursery, where she saw what she describes as theloveliest baby in the world, all dressed in laces and silks, "more likea beautiful wax doll," said Fanny, "than anything else." It was Mrs.Holdfast's baby, the maid told Fanny, and her mistress doted on it.
"I've seen a good many babies and a good many mothers," said the maid,"but I never saw a mother as fond of a baby as Mrs. Holdfast is ofhers."
Fanny's account agrees with the maid's words. When Mrs. Holdfast cameinto the nursery, and took her baby, and sat in a rocking chair, singingto the child, Fanny said it was very hard to believe that a woman likethat could do anything wrong. If Fanny were not truthful and faithful tome, and would rather have her tongue cut out than deceive me, I shouldreceive her version of this wonderful mother's love with a great dealof suspicion. But there can be no doubt of its truth. I remember thatthe Reporter of the _Evening Moon_ spoke of this, and that it won hisadmiration, as it could not fail to win the admiration of any personwho did not know how wicked is the heart that beats in Mrs. Holdfast'sbosom. Can you reconcile it with your knowledge of her? I cannot. Itdoes not raise the character of the woman in my eyes; it debases it.
In
the nursery Mrs. Holdfast gave Fanny a letter, with instructions todeliver it to the gentleman in person, and to wait for an answer.
My dear, this letter was addressed "Mr. Pelham, 147, Buckingham PalaceRoad."
Here at once is established the fact of the continuance of the intimacybetween Mr. Pelham and Mrs. Holdfast. Is it possible that your father,after you left the country, discovered that his wife was deceiving him,and flew from the shame of her presence? It must be so. What, then, tookplace between husband and wife, and to whose advantage would it be thathe should be made to disappear? I shudder to contemplate the answer. Ican find but one; it is horrible to think of.
Fanny received the letter without remark, and went to the address inBuckingham Palace Road. Mr. Pelham was in, and Fanny was desired to walkup-stairs. There, in a handsomely-furnished room, she saw Mr. Pelham,lounging on a sofa, smoking and drinking. "A regular swell," said Fanny.He tore the letter open, and tossed it away passionately, withoutreading it.
"You haven't taken anything out of it?" he cried to Fanny.
"Oh, no, sir," replied Fanny, "it's just as Mrs. Holdfast gave it to me.I was to wait for an answer."
Fanny says he looked as savage as if he had expected to find theenvelope full of money, and didn't find a penny. He drew the letterto him and read it; then rose, and took some paper from a desk,scribbled an answer, which he put carelessly into an envelope andthrew over to Fanny, saying, "Give her that!" Fanny states that heis not an agreeable-looking gentleman, and that there is somethingabout him that reminds her of ---- but here Fanny stopped, and wouldnot finish what she intended to say. She roused my curiosity, but shewould not satisfy it.
"Wait a bit," she said. "I've got an idea in my head. If it's a rightone I shall astonish you. If it ain't, it would be foolish to speakabout it."
I could get nothing more than this out of her, and I let the subjectdrop, but there is evidently something very weighty on her mind.
She hurried into the street with Mr. Pelham's answer to Mrs. Holdfast'snote, and getting into a quiet nook, where she was free fromobservation, asked a girl to read it to her. Mr. Pelham had scarcelywetted the gum, and the envelope was easily unfastened. Fannyendeavoured to commit the letter to memory, but she failed; the girl whoread it to her could not quite make out the words. The letter containeda demand for money, and Mr. Pelham said in it that before the week wasout he must have a cheque for five hundred pounds. One remark Fannyperfectly remembered. "If you are going to turn niggardly and stingy,"wrote Mr. Pelham, "I shall have to keep the purse myself. Don't forgetthat the money is as much mine as yours, more mine than yours indeed,and that I could ruin you with one word."
Fanny says that when Mrs. Holdfast read the letter (which she deliveredproperly fastened) and came to those words--of course Fanny could onlyguess that--Mrs. Holdfast said aloud:
"And yourself, too, Pelham. It would go harder with you than with me."
For a moment--only for a single moment, as I gather from Fanny--Mrs.Holdfast's face grew haggard, but she became gay again instantly, andbegan to sing and talk lightly. Can such a nature as hers really feel?
Again, for the second time this week, Richard Manx has not come to hisroom in Great Porter Square. I make sure of this by putting the chain onthe street door after mid-night. I attach importance to the slightestcircumstance now, and do not allow anything to escape me. Do not for amoment let your courage and your hopefulness fail you. We have not yetobtained a tangible link to start from, but it appears to me as ifevents were coming closer; something will come to light presently whichwill assist in the discovery of your father's murderer. You are neverabsent from my thoughts; you are for ever in my heart. I am yours tilldeath.
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