Colonel Thorndyke's Secret

t was over the next mor

l to it. I need not say how deeply I and my wife sympathize with you. Never did a kinder heart beat than your father's; never have I seen people so universally grieve

his must go no further-I have a suspicion, amounting almost to a certainty, that the

said in amazement. "Why, I thought tha

x months, and of the report they had had from the officer

ardly have known which was my father's bedroom, except, indeed, that he saw the light there after those in the ladies' rooms were extinguished; but, at any rate, he could not have told which was my father's and which was mine. But all this is, as I said, Mr. Greg, quite between ourselves. I had a long talk yesterday with Sir Charles Harris, and, a

inary degree of hatred would drive a man, however brutal his nature, to commit such a crime, and to run the risk of hanging for it. Let us take a brisk walk in the

ectory without passing through the village. There is another reason. I sent up yesterday by the coach a letter to be delivered at once by hand, and I expect a detective down here by one o'clock. I don't know that he will do any good; but at the same time it

e window. Mark stated that it was already so dark that although he was within fifty yards of the man when he mounted and ro

at the bullet was int

en his head and that of Mr. Bastow, bu

with the idea that it was

it was an attempt to murder him, and was so impressed by the fact that when we went to the library later on he went into certain family matte

n, then, as to who

ts that seemed to justify the conviction, there was no proof whatever, and

in the same opi

f what is really but a matter of opinion, and because, were I to give the name, it

thor of the second attempt is

t is barely possible that two men could have, unknown to each oth

t it had been standing there for some little time, for there were marks where it had scraped the ground repeatedly. He had followed the marks of its hoofs for some distance; it had gone at a gallop for abou

r near the foot of the ladder, o

hatever

window or door save that of Mr.

at all

jurors, who at once returned a verdict of "Wi

f importance in his evidence was the statement that the wound must have been fatal at once, the

as an unusually small

hat you would expect to find a highwayman carry, if he carried on

wound that a ra

ht bruise on the flesh on each side of the wound, such a mark as might be made by the handle

ward course, or was i

, his assailant, who probably was approaching the bed with the dagger in his hand, plunged it into him; had he struck at him I should certainly

going out into the hall, found

hen I went up to him just before I gave my evidence that it

; no one could have had a kinder or more patient tutor than he was to me, while my father regarded him as a very dear

m, and that he and the Squire should have been taken at once seemed almost beyond belief. She had, however, nerved herself to some degree of composure before she went down

stow has g

that it was best so. Of course, he was not a very old man, but he has for some years been a very feeble one, and now that Millicent and I

to him. He was fond of you and Millicent, but his affection for your father was a passion; his face always lit up when he spoke to him. I used to think sometim

she held out her hand silently to Mark and left the room hurriedly. The next day she was better, and was able to walk for a time w

now, Mark," she said as they sat together in th

icent," he said, "when I tell you that

p in his fac

you mea

till my father told me when we went into the library after the shot was fired. The news did not affect me one way or the other, although it surprised me a great deal. Like yourself, I have always supposed that you we

dreadful!" she exclaim

you see it involves the fact that you a

d be dreadful, and I won't have it. Nothing could make me have it. What, to take th

orward to succeeding him. Sit down and let me tell you the story. It was not my father's fault that he reigned here so long as master, i

and how the estate had been left by Colonel Thorndyke's will to his brother until such time as Millicent should come of age, or marry, and how

"You must take the estate, and we can div

ng all expenses of keeping up this house. He very properly considered that although he had accepted the situation at your father's earnest wish, he ought not to make money by doing so. If we put it down at 30,000 pounds altogether, you see there is 15,000 pounds for each of us. A very nice sum for a young man to start life with, especially as I shall have my father's es

s that

her the wh

said. "I think that the chance of ever finding it is very

she exclaimed. "From what you say it wil

smi

sick of such a hopeless affair long before this; but as they may ever since your father's death have been watching us, although it hardly seems possible, I shall follow out the Colonel's instructions, and get rid of those particular diamonds at onc

has known this

one else, except, perhaps, Ramoo. I am not sure whether he was in uncle's service when you were sent over in Mrs. Cunningham's charge. He may know it or he may not, but certainly no one else does, except, as I say, the solicitors and mys

down tomorrow, and beg him to say nothing about it; 15,000 pounds is quite enough for any girl; and besides, you say that my father's greatest wish was tha

simply to carry out the provisions of your father's will, and to place you in possession of the

all hate y

hould despise me. At the present moment you may think that this estate would be only a b

ked at him r

do? Live here in this great house, with only Mrs. Cunningham, whil

nningham and I have been talking it over. We thought that the best plan would be for her to

earn the harp and take lessons in painting. There would be time enough

, bursting into tears, "and I shall

e world, as my uncle did, and doing something to distinguish myself, instead of settling down for life to be a country magistrate and a squire. Of course it came as a surp

as you said to me just now, you may

away, why need anyone know anything about it? My father's wish was that I should not have people making love to me just because I was an heiress; after all that has been d

ill, at 5 per cent, bri

the world. There is nothing to prevent t

live as my father did, in a false position; but even then I might give out that the property had only been left to my father during his lifetime, and that it had now gone elsewhere, without saying whom it had gone to. However, as I shall be away t

ng into the room, Millicent ran to h

I thought I could not have been more miserab

ed at the news. I have all along thought that it was a mistake on the part of your f

ther; of course he could not have known, and he thought he was doin

himself of it. We have all spent a happy time; he was universally liked and respected. I think all of us have benefited by it. It would not have been half as pleasant if it had been known that you, my child, were the real owner of the estate, and he was acting merely as your g

sterical laugh. "It is all hidden away, and no one

rom it for a time if I could have done so, but you must have learned it tomorrow, and I quite agree with Mark that is was better that he should tell you this evening. I sent down to the tow

Mrs. Cunningham

," she said. "She is much griev

hat the Colonel must have taken some such preca

Millicent's birth, and he said that in case of his death I was to take it to your father. He said that there was a letter inclosed in it to him, and also a copy of his will. The letter was directed to your father, and not to me. I handed it over to him when he asked me to come here. He told me afterwards that the letter contained the request that his brother lived to make personally to him-that

re, and I hope that for Millicent's sake and my own it may turn out to be so. I can get on extre

named for the funeral. He learned from Mark that he had already acquainted Millicent with her change of circumstances. A few minutes after he arrived, a se

e about this hateful thing last n

y; "and he tells me also that you a

I am not going to rob my cousin of what he has always been taught to th

es of the position, and has become acquainted with the best people in this part of the country, and will now obtain the benefit of something like 15,000 pounds-a comfortable little sum, especially as he inherits, I believe, his father's property in Sussex. You yourself will have obtained what I cannot but consider the advantage of having been brought up without knowing that you were an heiress, and therefore without being spoiled, which

y his manner that her request would be refused, "if you could arrange so that things would n

as then to come to you. If you did not you were to be informed of the circumstances or not, as Mr. Thorndyke might decide was best, but you were not to come into the property until you married. Your cousin was also to be informed when you came to the age of twenty-one, and as at that time he was to take his half share of the remainder of the property, he would then be able to arrange his life as he liked. If your uncle died, as unfortunately he ha

as an heiress, it would be wicked to upset it all and to fly in the face of his wishes by setting

one way in which it might be managed," he

agreed with that of my father, and that I was determined not to be married for money; and I am quite sure that Mark would be as unwilling as I am that the estate should chang

ergast said quietly. "And now I think th