“She did not withdraw her hand.
“‘Will you be true to me, or will you remove the last good influencewhich is ever likely to come into my life?’
“‘John,’ she cried, passionately, ‘I will never abandon you! Never,never, not if the whole world were against you.’
“In vain I argued and pleaded with her. It was absolutely useless. Herwhole life was bound up in this man before me. My daughter, gentlemen,is all that I have left to love, and it filled me with agony when I sawhow powerless I was to save her from her ruin. My helplessness seemed totouch this man who was the cause of my trouble.
“‘It may not be as bad as you think, sir,’ said he, in his quiet,inflexible way. ‘I love Elise with a love which is strong enough torescue even one who has such a record as I have. It was but yesterdaythat I promised her that never again in my whole life would I do a thingof which she should be ashamed. I have made up my mind to it, and neveryet did I make up my mind to a thing which I did not do.’
“He spoke with an air which carried conviction with it. As he concludedhe put his hand into his pocket and he drew out a small cardboard box.
“‘I am about to give you a proof of my determination,’ said he. ‘This,Elise, shall be the first-fruits of your redeeming influence over me.You are right, sir, in thinking that I had designs upon the jewels inyour possession. Such ventures have had a charm for me, which dependedas much upon the risk run as upon the value of the prize. Those famousand antique stones of the Jewish priest were a challenge to my daringand my ingenuity. I determined to get them.’
“‘I guessed as much.’
“‘There was only one thing that you did not guess.’
“‘And what is that?’
“‘That I got them. They are in this box.’
“He opened the box, and tilted out the contents upon the corner of mydesk. My hair rose and my flesh grew cold as I looked. There were twelvemagnificent square stones engraved with mystical characters. There couldbe no doubt that they were the jewels of the urim and thummim.
“‘Good God!’ I cried. ‘How have you escaped discovery?’
“By the substitution of twelve others, made especially to my order, inwhich the originals are so carefully imitated that I defy the eye todetect the difference.’
“‘Then the present stones are false?’ I cried.
“‘They have been for some weeks.’
“We all stood in silence, my daughter white with emotion, but stillholding this man by the hand.
“‘You see what I am capable of, Elise,’ said he.
“‘I see that you are capable of repentance and restitution,’ sheanswered.
“‘Yes, thanks to your influence! I leave the stones in your hands, sir.Do what you like about it. But remember that whatever you do against me,is done against the future husband of your only daughter. You will hearfrom me soon again, Elise. It is the last time that I will ever causepain to your tender heart,’ and with these words he left both the roomand the house.
“My position was a dreadful one. Here I was with these precious relicsin my possession, and how could I return them without a scandal and anexposure? I knew the depth of my daughter’s nature too well to supposethat I would ever be able to detach her from this man now that she hadentirely given him her heart. I was not even sure how far it was rightto detach her if she had such an ameliorating influence over him. Howcould I expose him without injuring her—and how far was I justified inexposing him when he had voluntarily put himself into my power? Ithought and thought, until at last I formed a resolution which may seemto you to be a foolish one, and yet, if I had to do it again, I believeit would be the best course open to me.
“My idea was to return the stones without any one being the wiser. Withmy keys I could get into the museum at any time, and I was confidentthat I could avoid Simpson, whose hours and methods were familiar to me.I determined to take no one into my confidence—not even my daughter—whomI told that I was about to visit my brother in Scotland. I wanted a freehand for a few nights, without inquiry as to my comings and goings. Tothis end I took a room in Harding Street that very night, with anintimation that I was a Pressman, and that I should keep very latehours.
“That night I made my way into the museum, and I replaced four of thestones. It was hard work, and took me all night When Simpson came roundI always heard his footsteps, and concealed myself in the mummy-case. Ihad some knowledge of gold-work, but was far less skilful than the thiefhad been. He had replaced the setting so exactly that I defy any one tosee the difference. My work was rude and clumsy. However, I hoped thatthe plate might not be carefully examined, or the roughness of thesetting observed, until my task was done. Next night I replaced fourmore stones. And to-night I should have finished my task had it not beenfor the unfortunate circumstance which has caused me to reveal so muchwhich I should have wished to keep concealed. I appeal to you,gentlemen, to your sense of honour and of compassion, whether what Ihave told you should go any farther or not. My own happiness, mydaughter’s future, the hopes of this man’s regeneration, all depend uponyour decision.”
“Which is,” said my friend, “that all is well that ends well, and thatthe whole matter ends here and at once. To-morrow the loose settingsshall be tightened by an expert goldsmith, and so passes the greatestdanger to which, since the destruction of the Temple, the urim andthummim have been exposed. Here is my hand, Professor Andreas, and I canonly hope that under such difficult circumstances I should have carriedmyself as unselfishly and as well.”
Just one footnote to this narrative. Within a month Elise Andreas wasmarried to a man whose name, had I the indiscretion to mention it, wouldappeal to my readers as one who is now widely and deservedly honoured.But if the truth were known, that honour is due not to him but to thegentle girl who plucked him back when he had gone so far down that darkroad along which few return.
THE LOST SPECIAL
The confession of Herbert de Lernac, now lying under sentence of deathat Marseilles, has thrown a light upon one of the most inexplicablecrimes of the century—an incident which is, I believe, absolutelyunprecedented in the criminal annals of any country. Although there is areluctance to discuss the matter in official circles, and littleinformation has been given to the Press, there are still indicationsthat the statement of this arch-criminal is corroborated by the facts,and that we have at last found a solution for a most astoundingbusiness. As the matter is eight years old, and as its importance wassomewhat obscured by a political crisis which was engaging the publicattention at the time, it may be as well to state the facts as far as wehave been able to ascertain them. They are collated from the Liverpoolpapers of that date, from the proceedings at the inquest upon JohnSlater, the engine-driver, and from the records of the London and WestCoast Railway Company, which have been courteously put at my disposal.Briefly, they are as follows.
On the 3rd of June, 1890, a gentleman, who gave his name as MonsieurLouis Caratal, desired an interview with Mr. James Bland, thesuperintendent of the London and West Coast Central Station inLiverpool. He was a small man, middle-aged and dark, with a stoop whichwas so marked that it suggested some deformity of the spine. He wasaccompanied by a friend, a man of imposing physique, whose deferentialmanner and constant attention showed that his position was one ofdependence. This friend or companion, whose name did not transpire, wascertainly a foreigner, and probably, from his swarthy complexion, eithera Spaniard or a South American. One peculiarity was observed in him. Hecarried in his left hand a small black leather dispatch-box, and it wasnoticed by a sharp-eyed clerk in the Central office that this box wasfastened to his wrist by a strap. No importance was attached to the factat the time, but subsequent events endowed it with some significance.Monsieur Caratal was shown up to Mr. Bland’s office, while his companionremained outside.
Monsieur Caratal’s business was quickly dispatched. He had arrived thatafternoon from Central America. Affairs of the utmost importancedemanded that he should be in Paris without the loss of an unnecessaryhour. He had missed the London express. A special must be provided.Money was of no importance. Time was everything. If the company wouldspeed him on his way, they might make their own terms.
Mr. Bland struck the electric bell, summoned Mr. Potter Hood, thetraffic manager, and had the matter arranged in five minutes. The trainwould start in three-quarters of an hour. It would take that time toinsure that the line should be clear. The powerful engine calledRochdale (No. 247 on the company’s register) was attached to twocarriages, with a guard’s van behind. The first carriage was solely forthe purpose of decreasing the inconvenience arising from theoscillation. The second was divided, as usual, into four compartments, afirst-class, a first-class smoking, a second-class, and a second-classsmoking. The first compartment, which was nearest to the engine, was theone allotted to the travellers. The other three were empty. The guard ofthe special train was James McPherson, who had been some years in theservice of the company. The stoker, William Smith, was a new hand.