United States or Brunei ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
"Think!" cried Diana disdainfully. "I think they are a couple of adventurers; but she is the worst of the two. The old man, Jabez Clyne, I think moderately well of; he is a weak fool under the thumb of his daughter. If you only knew what I have suffered at the hands of that golden-haired doll!" "I should think you could hold your own, Miss Vrain."
"Yes, dear, much better," said Lydia, and considering it was four months since Christmas Eve, Lucian thought it was time Mr. Clyne recovered. "He enjoyed his tea, though," said Cecilia. "Mr. Clyne always says there is no tea like ours." "And no evenings," cried Lydia, who was very glad there were not. "Poppa and I are coming soon to have a long evening to play whist again." "But, dear Mrs.
Clyne, as he well knew, was dominated in every way by his astute daughter, and did he learn Lucian's intentions, he was quite capable through sheer weakness of character of revealing the same to Lydia, who, in her turn since she was bent upon marrying Ferruci might retail them to the Italian, and so put him on his guard.
"Every one that I knew was civil to him; he had no one who wanted to kill him when he left Berwin Manor. Why he went away, or how he died, I can't say." "If you want to know how he died," explained Link, "I can tell you. He was stabbed." "So the journals said; with a bowie!" "No, not with a bowie," corrected Lucian, "but with some long, sharp instrument." "A dagger?" suggested Clyne.
I'll tell you how it came to be made, and then I'll relate the story in my own fashion, as the way in which the confession is written is too muddled for you to understand clearly. Still, it shows plainly enough that Clyne, for all our suspicions, is innocent." "And Rhoda, the sharp servant girl, guilty," said Lucian, reflectively. "I never should have thought that she was involved in the matter.
"If I do, you shall know at once," he said. Although Denzil received Mr. Clyne with all courtesy, and promised to aid him, if he could, in breaking off the marriage with Ferruci, by revealing his true character to Mrs. Vrain, he by no means made a confidant of the little man, or entrusted him with the secret of his plans.
However, these matters were yet in abeyance, as Lydia was too diplomatic to break off with so subtle a man as the Count, who might prove a dangerous enemy were his love turned to hate, and Mr. Clyne was quite willing to remain on friendly terms with the man so long as Lydia chose that such friendship should exist.
Now I have made a clean breast of it I am willing to be punished; but I hope Lydia will be set free, for whosoever is guilty, she is innocent. I have been an unlucky man, and I remain one at this moment when I sign myself for the last time, JABEZ CLYNE." Needless to say, both Link and Denzil were greatly surprised at this confession, which revealed all things save the one they wished to know.
"Crazy, that is," remarked Clyne; "always thought the world was against him, and folks wanted to get quit of him." "He said he had enemies," hinted Lucian. "You bet! He no doubt made out that all Europe was against him," said Clyne. "That was my son-in-law all over. Lyddy and he had a tiff, just like other married couples, and he clears out to lie low in an out-of-the-way shanty in Pimlico.
"A wise precaution, with that imp about," said Lucian. "I hope Clear was sensible enough to adopt it." "Yes, and no. When he was sober he locked the door, and when drunk he left it open, and Rhoda looted at will. And now comes the more important part of the confession. You remember that Clyne left the stiletto from Berwin Manor on Clear's table?"
Word Of The Day