Middletown transcript., 1905-03-25

udukcT bHab Niget tOlu me the WHOte
story Of Sir Jasper's desperate scheme as
We were pacing up and down the avenue.
1t happened, curiously enough" he
said, "that the evening before / received
your letter ] was dining with man who
was the solicitor to several large insur-
ance companies. Something brought up
the question OF frauds on the companies,
and incidentally he mentioned that there
lad been much delay and some doubt
about paying the insurance on Sir Jasper
Verriker's policies. He had taken them
out for very large amounts only few
months before, and it had struck every
body as strange that man, who was
well-known as an expert swimmer, should
have been unable to save himself when
he fell overheard in perfectly calm sea
But so many witnesses had been present,
and Lady Verriker's evidence was so
strongly confirmed by the servant-Anne
that the companies had to decide to
pay"
"But do you think that Lady Verriker
knew that he had only pretended to
drown himselfY' / asked.
Il am certain that she did not She
truly believed that he was dead, although
| should think that her suspicious were
aroused when she got to England and
found that Sir Jasper had left sealed
packet for her to be opened at his DEATH
In this-for Sir Adam and I have found
and read the letter-he commanded her
to 20 to the Court and to live there
for year, and in the meantime to turn
all she could into solid cash. This she
did, for you must remember that she was
entirely under his dominion, and that
Anne, who was in his secret, had already
commenced her plot to kill her by means
Of drugs"
"While she was delirious," said, Il
learned that Sir Jasper took all her money
for himself, that sometimes when she
was alone in Italy she was starving! /
wonder that she could stand it would
not y
Nigel laughed.
''No-you are of different calibre. ]
should like to see the man who would
attempt to starve you. But poor Lady
Verriker is meek dependent woman,
and far too gentle and yielding to stand
alone. 1t was cruel fate for her. But
to continue. The next morning | re-
ceiyed your letter, and, finding that I
could not get away at once, determined
to devote some time to inquiry into Ver
riker's history. discovered easily that
when he had died-for had no suspicion
that he was not drowned-he had been
deeply involved in debts and difficulties
Of all sorts, and that he was in short
very bad character. | was still full Of
the subject when I met man whom |
had known very intimately in Paris. He
was the same man who had once told me
good deal about various secret political
movements and societies, and had intro
duced me to the real Sergali.
'tAs we chatted mentioned quite acci-
dentally the name which was uppermost
in my mind. To my surprise, La Vigne
instantly worked himself into furious
passion, and gathered enough from his
incoherent words to learn that Verriker
had once belonged to one of these socie-
ties, and had proved false to his oath.
III he were not dead La Vigne exclaimed
-'and l doubt sometimes if he isl
would follow him to the worlds end and
kill him myself!'"
"And do you think that he was the
man who passed himself off as Ollett p
| asked in breathless whisper.
"No-I know that he was not But it
is quite clear to me that the society to
which Verriker had once belonged had
its suspicious as to his demise, and was
having the Court watched as precau-
tionary measure. The soi-disam Ollett
was evidently one Of its members, and
believe when you told him that Sergali
was staying in the house he supposed
him to be the real man who was bound
on the same errand as himself. Well,
came down here and saw you, and at
first was inclined to believe that Lady
Verriker had been inveigled into mar
riage with some foreign adventurer. It
was when you described the Signor's
voice to me that | first began to suspect
that Verriker had never died at all. For
remembered visit which | had once
paid to country house when one after
noon he had disguised himself as an old
country parson. | shall never forget the
naturalness Of the croaking breaking
voice which he assumed then-so differ
ent from his ordinary soft smooth tones
and your description agreed with it
exactly.
Il went back to London and I saw La
Vigne, and from him I got the whole
story Of misplaced trust and perjured
faith that had not stopped short at de-
liberate murder. I no longer wondered
that the society was determined to track
him to death, as they surely did But it
was bold scheme, and worthy OF the
mans audacious brain, to come back to
his own house under the name and in
the disguise Of his arch enemy. 1t would |
have thrown the most suspicious off the |
track, as it did your Mr.. Ollett.''
''But not for long," said, under my
breath. "It was because he got my
letter, Nigel-the one intended for you
that he came back y
mo, it was not Do not think that
again !" Nigel declared. "There is no
doubt that he telegraphed to London to |
know Sergali's whereabouts, and when |
he discovered that he was still in town |
the whole plot burst upon him. He |
would know that there was only one
man who was likely to personate Sergali"
"And the end? How came you here |
with Sir Adam ~ / asked.
"That was purely accidental. l met