Colonel Thorndyke's Secret

than that at the churchyard when the two coffins were brought in. The distance was short, and the tenants had request

ainedly as the coffins passed by. Besides these, a large number of people from Reigate and the surrounding villages were present, attracted rather by the crime that had caused the death than by the loss of the Squir

al grief among those for whom the Squire had done so much. Even Mr. Prendergast, who ha

ut I never have been at one that so affected me. No monument ever raised, sir, did

se he said, "The ladies will have their lunch upstairs, Mr. Prendergast; we may as well

t would be as well for me to read them both. That of your father is a very short and simple document, extending, indeed, only over a few lines

would have eaten nothing, but he made an effort to do so in

d up for the ladies. It is as well to lose no time, for I k

them in a minute or two, the girl l

orndyke and Mr. John Thorndyke, and I will ask you, if there is any phrase t

queathed to his brother, John Thorndyke, his estate in the parish of Crowswood, to be held by him until his daughter Millicent came to the age of twenty-one, or was married; if that marriage did not take place until she was over t

be divided in equal portions between my daughter, Millicent Conyers Thorndyke, and my nephew, Mark Thorndyke. Should, however, my daughter die before marriage, I bequeath the said estate in the parish of Crowswood to my brother, John Thorndyke, for his life, and after him to his son Mark, and to the latter the whole of my other property of all kinds, this to take effect on the

ndyke's testament was a short one. He left all his property to his son Mark, with the exception of a hundred pounds to his niece to buy a mourning ring or brooch or other ornament in memory of him, and fifty pounds to Mr

ce the legacy of the estate in favor of my cousin M

refuse to accept the

n mistress of the estate until you attain the age of twenty-one. Many things may happen before that time; for example, you might marry, and in that case your husband would have a voice in the matter; you might die, in which case Mr. Mark Thorndyke would, without any effort on your part, come into p

the seat from which she had risen, and she did not u

clusion that second thoughts are sometimes the wisest, and also that you should have some consideration for your father's wishes in a matter of this kind. He worked hard and risked his life to build up the fortun

n by far in this business would be for the interests of your cousin and yourself to be identical. She is a very cha

. If she and I had been engaged before all this happened the case would have been different; but you see yourself t

as you grow older you will grow wiser. Well, you had better come up and

know anything

He mentioned vaguely that he was a wealthy man. I thought that

doubt if there will ever be anything b

he most foolish business that I ever heard of. However, you shall tell

lace in the gig, and was driven away. Milli

e her own way for a time. I think the sooner I can get her away from here the better.

ore. I am thinking of going up to town in a couple of days; I was thinking of doing so tomorrow, but a day or so will make no difference. I propose that you both go with me, and that I then help you look for a house. Even if you don't get one at once, a week in London will be a change, and you can then, if you like, go somewhere for a time. Of course Bath would be too gay at present; but you might go t

an excellent plan,"

d the luggage can go by the carrier; it is m

cheerful,

s here, and the packing them up will give her

is an excellen

aid but little during the past few days, but it was evident that he was griev

know what I shall be doing for a time, but I am sure that until I

f the Colonel, sahib; he is fifty now; he will go home to end his days; he has saved enough to live in comfort

ce you left; while here, you know, we all reg

ose he has here, but he longs for the bright sun and blue sky of India, and though it wi

at you always feel our cold winters very trying; therefore I will not oppose your wishes. I shall be going up to t

master, and had to a certain extent transferred his allegiance from the sahib, whose life he had several times saved, to his little daughter. Still, she agreed with Mark that it was perhaps best that he should go. She and Mrs. Cunningham would find but little occasion for his services when established in London, and his swarthy complexion and semi-Eastern costume would attract attention, and perhaps trouble, when

hould go up to London for a week, and then go down to Weymouth for a time, after which they would be guided by circumstances. Accordingly, two days later, Mark drove Millicent and Mrs. Cunningham up to London. A groom accompanied them on Mark's favor

ere, Mrs. Cunningham?" M

that he should not do so; and

cent said, "we could be like brother and sister. Now that we fin

s father's care; now you are a young lady on your own account. You must see that the position is chan

hrugged her

d stiff he can certainly do so if he

ike yourself. Had not Mark suggested his going to

lessly. "He has several friends in town, and of cours

ve her entirely to herself until her humor changed. In the morning, when Mark came round, Millicent announced that she felt tired with the drive of the previous day, and would prefer staying indoors.

s he glanced toward her inquiringly. "Millicent is unnerved and shaken

already been round to the lawyer's, and have got a check for Ramoo's legacy. He will be up this afternoon, and I will go r

room. Mrs. Cunningham, whose hands were always busy, took some work ou

s that Mark is going

ords which he let drop I believe that he intends to devote hi

ion faded out at onc

ningham, that will be

to hinder Mark. The man, whoever he may be, is of course a desperate charac

Of course such men are dangerous. Very likely, this man may have accomplices, and it is not against o

disclosure after marriage of the real facts of the case would cause no disturbance or difficulty. The estate would be theirs, and it would not matter which had broug

most admirable, as one whose dictum was law. During the last year there had been some slight change, but more, perhaps, on Mark's part than on hers.

d made a rapid change in their position. Millicent had sprung almost at a bound into a young woman. She had come to think and resolve for herself; she was becoming wayward and fanciful; she no longer deferred to Mark's opinion, but held her own, and was capable of being v

Prendergast over the lost treasure. The old lawyer scoffed at the

t and digging it up, and fancying that someone was on his track, and he put down the attack as being made by someone connected with it. His manner impressed your uncle. He concealed the diamonds or sent them off somewhere, instantly. He never had any further trouble about

isely still, would have instructed his solicitor fully on the subject. The amount of trouble given by men, otherwise perfectly sane, by cranks and fancies is astonishing. Here is something like 100,000 pounds lost owing to a superstitious whim. As to your chance of finding the treasure, I regard it as small indeed. The things

h instructions to hold them until claimed by him, and that perhaps an inquiry among suc

to go yourself, they would in each case want you to be identified before they would answer any question, whereas I should write a note to them in the firm's name, with our compliments, saying that we should be glad to know if the late Colonel Thorndyke, of whose will we are the executors, had any account at their firm or has deposited any property

ere make similar inquiries at all the principal establishments at Calcutta and Madras. Should I fail there, it seems to me that the only remaining plan will be to find out from the military authorities the place where my

ave buried the things there; he might have taken a shovel and buried them in a clump of bush

ere at the time. If so, they might possibly know who was my uncle's servant at the time. The man may be a pensioner, and in that case I might discover his address throu

dea is the most Utopian that I ever heard of. As to where the tent stood, is it likely that a man would remember to within a hundred yards wher

mself at that time. He certainly spoke of the whole of this treasure collectively. It is morally certain that he would not carry all these jewels that he had been collecting about with him, and certai

act of a madman, and Colonel Thorndyke, although eccentric and cranky, was not mad. But, on the other hand, he may have carried about a banker's passbook, or what is equivalent to i

ld have been no object for his putting the power of de

at she was an heiress, and fancied that he was followed about by black fellows, might do anything, reasonable or unreasonable, under the sun. At any rate, Mr. Thorndyke, I will carry out your

Street, and related to the chief the cir

d fly at once without attempting to carry out their original purpose. Your father, no doubt, fell heavily, and the man might well have feared that the fall would be heard; but the previous attempt precludes the supposition that robbery was at the bottom of it. It points to a case of revenge, and certainly goes a very long way to support the theory that we talked over when I last saw you, that the highwayman who endeavored to stop

of London, and it is with that object that I have come to you now. I should like, for some time, at any rate, to enter the detective force as an enrolled member. I should, of course, require no pay, but should be prepared to obey all orders and to do any work required, as any other member of the corps would do. I am strong, active, and have, I hope, a fair share of intelligence. I should not mind risking my life in carrying out any duty that you

our men are so well known among the criminal class that they are liable to be detected even under the cleverest disguises. There is work, too, upon which it is absolutely necessary that a gentleman should be employed, and in the event of your joining us, I should wish you to keep the matter strictly from all your acquaintances; and it would certainly be advantageous that you should, wh

that I should not do the actual work of making an

the court is half full of men of the criminal class, and the faces of our men would soon be known to every one of them. Well, if you will call about ten o'clock tomorrow you shall have my answer; but I should advise you to think the matter well over b