The Solitary Farm

by Fergus Hume

  CHAPTER XXIV

  A REMARKABLE DISCOVERY

  Next morning there was a great sensation in the village of Marshely, asin some way the events of the previous night leaked out. Certainly, theaccounts of these were more or less garbled, and no one appeared to knowwho was responsible for them. But this much of the truth became publicproperty, that Vand and the negro prince who had been stopping at "TheChequers" were dead, that Mrs. Vand had fled to escape arrest, and thatthe police were in possession of Bleacres. Later in the afternoon itbecame known that Vand had killed Captain Huxham for the sake of certainjewels.

  But the villagers were greatly astonished when they heard--from whatsource was not known--that another man had been killed. No one, saveSilas Pence, had seen Edwin Lister enter the Manor, and Pence himselfhad presumed, until informed, that the man was Cyril, so no one knewthat any person was missing. Now it appeared that the man who wasmurdered by Vand had committed a crime himself previous to his owndeath. But what he had done with the body no one knew, and the policecould find no traces of the same in spite of all their efforts.

  Inspector Inglis called at Miss Anker's cottage in the morning andinterviewed both Bella and her lover. From them he heard the whole tale,and was greatly astonished by the recital. Under the circumstances hewas inclined to take the jewels into official custody, but Bella refusedto give them up; and undoubtedly they were her property left to her byher father, Maxwell Faith. Inglis admitted this, so did not press thepoint.

  Afterwards the inspector examined Silas Pence, and heard from him muchthe same story as he had told Bella. The preacher was lying on a bed ofsickness, as the blow on his head and the many worries he had beenthrough of late nearly gave him brain fever. Of course--and Inglis toldhim as much--he should have reported at once the death of Huxham, as hehad seen the body. But as Pence had not beheld the blow struck, thepolice could do nothing but admonish. Silas stated that in one point ofhis story when he confessed to Bella he had been wrong, which was afterseeing Edwin Lister enter the Manor--or, as he thought then, Cyril--hehad rushed away in the direction of the common in the vain attempt torid himself of troublesome thoughts. When he returned Mr. and Mrs. Vandwere in the kitchen, as Luke proved; and Pence was thus enabled to enterthe house. Undoubtedly the guilty pair had left the front door open, sothat blame might be cast upon some outsider--on a possible burglar, forinstance. When they heard the noise of Pence's flight and found themoney gone, they were quite determined to place the blame on a robber.Mrs. Vand confessed this later, although at the time of the robbery shehad not dreamed the burglar was the talented young preacher whom she sogreatly admired.

  But the guilty woman was missing for some days. On inquiry being made itappeared that the Romany girl, bribed by Mrs. Vand to assist her flight,had made a cup of tea for the constable. As Dutton was wet and cold, hedrank the tea only too willingly, never suspecting that it was drugged.But it turned out to be dosed with laudanum, and he fell into a deepsleep. Granny Tunks, as she stated on reviving, had attempted to staythe flight of Mrs. Vand and the Romany girl, but the latter had promptlyknocked her down with the very chunk of wood with which Mrs. Tunks hadstruck the half-drowned woman. In this way Granny's sins came home toher.

  Inglis found, on the detail of the motor-car being reported by Cyril,who had heard it from Mrs. Vand, that use had been made of the same. Headvertised for such a car in such a neighbourhood, and speedily wascalled upon by a public chauffeur, who drove for hire. The man confessedvery frankly that Vand had engaged his car to wait for himself and hiswife on the high road to Pierside, and that thinking that nothing waswrong he had done so. Vand had paid him well, and the driver merelythought it was the eccentric whim of a rich man. Vand, it appeared, hadengaged the car in London from the stand in Trafalgar Square. When Mrs.Vand left the hut the Romany girl had rowed her to the swamps in theboat she had brought for the removal of Luke to the caravan, and thewoman had then crossed the marshy ground to the high road. Making someexcuse for the non-appearance of her husband, she had been driven toLondon, and the driver, who had already received his money, dropped herin Piccadilly. That, as he confessed, was the last he saw of her.

  Inspector Inglis was very angry with the man, and pointed out that heshould have suspected that the couple were flying from justice from thefact of the large sum of money paid, and on account of the strange placewhere it was arranged that the car should wait. But the man exoneratedhimself completely, and in the end he was permitted to go free, as thepolice could not do anything. And after all the chauffeur, who did notlook particularly intelligent, might have acted in all good faith.

  However the point was that Mrs. Vand, dropped in Piccadilly, hadvanished entirely. She had ample money, as it was proved that she haddrawn fifty pounds in gold from her bank, and although she had fled fromthe hut with only the dripping dress she wore, there would be nodifficulty in her obtaining a fresh disguise. The police advertised inthe papers and with handbills, but nothing could be heard of the woman.She had vanished as completely as though the earth had opened andswallowed her.

  Strangely enough, it was from Mrs. Vand's solicitor that the first newscame of her doings. Timson was the lawyer's name, and he came down toPierside to see Inspector Inglis. On being shown into the inspector'soffice he broke out abruptly--

  "Sir," said Timson, who was a mild-faced, spectacled, yellow-haired man,"I have a communication to make to you about my respected client, Mrs.Rosamund Vand, if you will hear it."

  "Respectable, eh?" questioned the officer ironically. "Perhaps you don'tknow, Mr.--Mr."--he referred to the card--"Mr. Timson, that yourrespectable client is wanted for her complicity in the murder of herbrother?"

  "Sir," said Mr. Timson again and firmly, "my client--my respectedclient," he added with emphasis "assured me that she had nothing to dowith the commission of that crime. She was in a dead faint in thekitchen when her husband, in a moment of passion, struck down CaptainHuxham."

  "So she says because it is to her benefit to say so, Mr. Timson. But theman who saw the murder committed swears that it was a most deliberateaffair, and was only done for the sake of certain jewels, which----"

  "Deliberate or not, Mr. Inspector," interrupted the meek little man, "myrespected client had nothing to do with it. Afterwards she held hertongue for the sake of her husband, for his sake also paid blackmail tothe man who saw the crime committed."

  "We can argue that point," said Inglis drily, "when we see Mrs. Vand.You are doubtless aware of her whereabouts?"

  "No," said Timson coolly, "I am not."

  "But you said you had seen her--after the murder was committed, I fancyyou hinted."

  "I saw her," said Timson, quite calmly, "on the day following her flightfrom the hut on the marshes. She alighted in Piccadilly and walked aboutthe streets for the rest of the night. Afterwards she went to a quiethotel and had a brush and a wash up. She then called on me--"

  "And you did not detain her when you knew----"

  "I knew nothing. Had I known that she was flying from justice Icertainly should have urged her to surrender. But the news of theseterrible doings in Marshely had not reached London; it was not in thepapers until the following day. You grant that?"

  "Yes, yes! But----"

  "No 'buts' at all, Mr. Inspector," said Timson, who seemed firm enoughin spite of his meek aspect. "My client confessed to me that her husbandhad been drowned, and that he had murdered her brother in a fit ofpassion because Captain Huxham intended to turn his sister out of doorsand alter his will on account of her secret marriage."

  "That motive may have had some weight," said Inglis quietly, "but Ifancy the sight of the jewels made Vand murder his brother-in-law. DidMrs. Vand call to tell you this?"

  "No!" snapped Timson, whose meekness was giving way. "She called to makeher will."

  "Make her will--in whose favour?"

  "I see no reason why I should not tell you," said the lawyer, "althoughI never reveal professional secrets. But I will tell, so that you maysee h
ow you have misjudged my client. She made a will in favour of MissIsabella Faith----"

  "Faith? Ah! she knew, then, that the girl was not her niece."

  "Yes. But she did not tell me that, nor did I inquire. All she did wasto make me, or, rather instruct me, to draw up a will leaving theBleacres property and the five hundred a year she inherited from thelate Captain Huxham, to Miss Faith, as some token of repentance forhaving misjudged her. And now," cried Timson, rising wrathfully, "myrespected client is misjudged herself. I come to clear her character."

  "I don't see how that will clears her character," said Inglis coolly,"and from the mere fact that she made it I daresay she has committedsuicide."

  "Impossible! Impossible!"

  "I think it is very probable, indeed, Mr. Timson, Mrs. Vand cannot getout of England, as all the ports and railway stations are watched, andthere is a full description of her appearance posted everywhere. Unlessshe wants to get a long sentence for complicity in this most brutalmurder, she will have to commit suicide."

  "I tell you she is innocent."

  "Can you tell me that she is not an accomplice after the fact?"

  "A wife is not bound to give evidence against her husband."

  Inspector Inglis rose with a fatigued air. "I am not here to argue onpoints of law with you, Mr. Timson. All I ask is, if you know where yourrespected client is?" he laid a sneering emphasis on his last words.

  "No, I do not," said Timson, taking up his hat, "and I bid you goodday."

  What the lawyer said was evidently correct, for although his office andhimself were watched by the police, it could not be proved that he wasin communication with the missing woman. The whereabouts of Mrs. Vandbecame more of a mystery than ever. Inglis told Bella of her goodfortune, but of course until Mrs. Vand was dead she could not benefit.And there seemed to be no chance of proving the woman's death, eventhough the inspector firmly held to the opinion that she had committedsuicide.

  Meantime Timson went on to Marshely to look after his client's property,and seeing that the corn was ripe, he arranged with a number oflabourers, under an overseer whom he could trust, that it should bereaped immediately. Thus it happened that four days after Mrs. Vand'sdisappearance, when Cyril came to tell Bella about the inquest, she wasable to inform him that the Solitary Farm lands were about to be reaped.

  "And we might go there in the evening to look," said Bella.

  "My dear, I should think that the Manor was hateful to you."

  "Well, it is. Even if I do inherit it from Mrs. Vand, I can never livethere, Cyril. But I want you to come with me this evening, as I have akind of idea that the body of Mrs. Vand"--she grew pale andshuddered--"may be found amidst the corn."

  Cyril started back, astonished. "My dear girl, you must be mad!"

  "No, I am not, Cyril. Think of how she is being hunted, and how herperson is described everywhere, while all the ports and stations arewatched. I believe that she, poor woman! went to see her lawyer, so asto prove her sorrow for having misjudged me, by making me her heiress,and that she then returned to die amidst the corn."

  "Do you think she is dead there?"

  "Perhaps yes, perhaps no. Granny Tunks is still in the hut, and she isvery avaricious. Mrs. Vand had money. She may have bribed Granny tobring her food while she lay hid among the corn."

  "But such a hiding-place!" said Lister, who nevertheless was much struckwith what Bella was saying.

  "A very good one and a place where no one would think of looking. Thinkhow thick the corn is growing! No one ever enters it, and that scarletcoated scarecrow stands sentinel over it. Believe me, Cyril, Mrs. Vandhas been hiding there. I wish you to come with me this evening. Theyhave started to reap the corn by order of Mr. Timson. If Mrs. Vand isthere, she will in the end be discovered. Let us find her, and save her,and get her out of the kingdom."

  "That will bring us within reach of the law."

  "I don't care," said Bella, quite recklessly; "after all, she hadnothing to do with the crime, and only kept silent to shield herhusband. I want to help the poor thing, and you must aid me to do so."

  "But Bella, she never liked you."

  "What has that got to do with it?" cried the girl passionately. "Ournatures did not suit one another, and perhaps I behaved rather harshlytowards her. She meant well. And remember, Cyril, she has made amends byleaving me all that would have been mine had I really been CaptainHuxham's daughter."

  Cyril nodded. "I admit that she has done her best to repent," he saidafter a pause, "and we should not judge her too harshly. I'll come."

  "And help her to escape?"

  "Yes. It won't be easy; but I'll do my best."

  "That's my own dear boy," said the girl, kissing him, "and now whatabout the inquest?"

  "A verdict of death by drowning has been brought in," said Cyrilquickly. "I think if we can get Mrs. Vand away, everything concerningthe Huxham mystery will be at an end."

  "They won't put the whole story in the papers, Cyril?"

  "No. Inglis will edit all that is to be given to the reporters andjournalists. He will say as little as possible about the matter. It isknown that Huxham was murdered by Vand, and in the absence of myfather's body no cognisance can be taken of that alleged murder."

  "Don't you believe that your father has been murdered?"

  "I don't know; I can't tell. Tunks says so, and I don't suppose he wouldtell such a story against himself unless it were true. But no body hasbeen found, and until the body of the missing man is found, it ispresumed in law that he is alive. But"--Cyril shrugged hisshoulders--"who can tell the truth?"

  "It will be made manifest in time," said Bella firmly; "your father, oryour father's body, will be found. Where are Durgo and Henry to beburied?"

  "In Marshely churchyard to-morrow. I shall go to the funeral. I am sorryfor Durgo. In spite of his skin he was a real white man. And when he isunder the earth, Bella, I think we had better sell the jewels and marry,and take a trip round the world in order to forget all this terriblebusiness. I am quite glad it is over."

  "It is not over yet," insisted Bella, "your father has to be found, andMrs. Vand must be discovered."

  "Or their bodies," said Cyril significantly, and turned away.

  It must not be thought that young Lister was callous. His father hadnever been one to him, and, moreover, his son had seen so little of him,that he was as strange to the young man as he had been to the boy. Cyrildeeply regretted the gulf that was between them, as he was of a trulyaffectionate nature, but his father always had repelled the least signof tenderness. He only looked on Cyril as one to be made use of, andborrowed from him on every occasion. Had he succeeded in getting thejewels and had aided Durgo to regain his chiefdom, he would haveremained in Nigeria as a kind of savage prime minister, without castinga thought to his son. And whether his father was dead or alive, Cyrilknew that he would have to repay the one thousand pounds which he hadborrowed to cover his father's delinquency in respect of the forgedcheque. How could such a son as Cyril Lister respect or love such aparent as Edwin of the same name?

  Nevertheless, Cyril, although he said little to Bella, was very anxiousto ascertain the fate of his father. It seemed very certain that Tunkshad seen him murdered by the evil-hearted old sailor, but what thatscoundrel had done with the body could not be discovered. In vain thepolice dug in the cellars of the Manor-house, tapped the walls, rippedup the floors, and dragged the boundary channel. The body of EdwinLister could not be found, and as no one had seen him save Tunks, andPence, and Bella, who had all mistaken him for Cyril, the police beganto believe that Edwin, the father, was a myth. And Cyril could not makeInglis see otherwise for all his urging and confession.

  "If the man is alive, why doesn't he turn up?" asked Inglis; "and ifdead, why can't we find his body?"

  There was no answer to this, and Cyril gave up his father's fate as ariddle, when he walked in the cool of the evening towards the SolitaryFarm. The immediate object of his visit was to find if Mrs. Vand, deador al
ive, was concealed in the thickly standing corn. Bella strolled byhis side. But the lovers had taken no one into this particularconfidence, not even Dora, and walked towards the well-known house, andup the corn-path, anxiously looking right and left. Then Cyril utteredan exclamation of annoyance. "What a bother!" he said, much vexed: "see,Bella, there are labourers still reaping--yonder, near the scarecrow."

  "I suppose Mr. Timson wants the fields reaped quickly," said Bella, alsomuch vexed. "I thought everyone would have been gone by this time. Wemust wait until the labourers depart, Cyril. It will never do to findMrs. Vand while they are about. They would tell the police, and shewould be arrested. That would be dangerous!"

  "So it will be--if she is alive," said the young man, who was verydoubtful on this point himself.

  The setting sun cast a rosy glow over the fields of golden grain. Theold house seemed to be buried in a treasure meadow. All round rolled theradiant waves, and the scarlet-coated scarecrow's task was nearly done.The corn was ripe for the harvest, and soon the acres of the SolitaryFarm would consist of nothing but stubble.

  As the lovers drew near the house, they saw a labourer approach thescarecrow. The corn had been reaped for some distance all round it, andnow a man had cut a path direct to it in order to pull it down. Its taskwas over, and it was no longer needed to keep off the birds. Suddenlythe man laid his hand on the quaint figure, which had been so familiarto every one for months, and uttered a loud cry of astonishment. Cyrilsaw him beckoning to other labourers, and shortly there was a crowdround the scarlet coat.

  "What is the matter?" asked Bella, and the lovers hurried to join thegroup.

  One of the labourers heard the question, and turned excitedly. "Master!Missus!" he said, in horrified tone, "it's a corpse."

  He pulled the tattered gray felt hat from the scarecrow, and Cyrilrecoiled with a loud cry of surprise. "Bella! Bella!"

  "What is it? what is it?" she said, startled by the discovery.

  "It is my father. It is Edwin Lister."

  All present knew of the tragedy, and of the hunt made for Edwin Lister.And now the missing man had been discovered. One of the labourers,mindful of public house gossip, touched the drooping neck of the figure,and shuddered. "Take missy away," he said softly to Cyril, and with agrey face, "this ain't no sight for her. His throat has been cut."

  But it was not the man who led the girl away. Bella saw the labourer'sface, guessed, with a shudder, what he had said, and, catching Cyril'sarm, dragged him away from that awful spot. The young fellow, with ablanched face and tottering limbs, stumbled blindly along as she pulledhim forward. In all his expectations, he had never counted upon such aterrible dramatic discovery as this. His father, the missing man, themurdered man, who had been hunted for alive and dead for many weeks, hadbeen used by Captain Huxham as a scarecrow to frighten the birds. Nowonder they had kept away from those sinister fields.

  "Oh, great God!" moaned Cyril, sick and faint, "let this be the end."