Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-02-04
)4N ERLEIGH, SCHOOLMASTER
ohm n

room there for myself For two days 1
waited, and then 1 heard the news from
Malaga"
"And the people were still there when
you heard of the bodies coming ashoreY'
Yes, so that was an end OF that. 1
left at once. There was no need for me
to stay"
III M said Lord Wimberley thought
fully. Il think should have stayed until
had known that the bodies had been
identified"
Perhaps 1t would have been wise, my
Lord. But 1 wanted to get to Malaga
and see If l could not work from there
and find out something. / knew there
was no time to be lost, that others would
be on the trail"
He leant back In his chair and lit his
cigar. Lord Wimberley drank little
champagne.
WAS this girl anything like the photo
graphs of my nephew"
"Yes-so 1t seemed to melt was that
which first attracted my attention to the
young lady. I said to myself, This is
surely a sister of the missing young gem
tleman.'"
"And the other man-the man who was
not William Meriet? What was he like?'
"Tal and big-with false beard. I
thought then that II might have been
Mr. Ricardo AIeret, but. of course, l
afterward knew that was impossible"
Certainly 1t was impossible. But the
story interests me-because I am sure
that the little man was William Meriet" !"
"And may I ask precisely who is Mr..
William Meriet?"
'IIe is the youngest OF these brothers
of whom Dick Meriet Is the eldest"
''I see. my lord. so that he is what you
would call an interested party.
"Yes. If he could get rid of me and his
brother he would inherit the title and
estates"
"And you know him, eh7"
"Only very slightly"
"You do not care for him?'
"He is a rotter, like his brothers"
"a rotter, eh2 You mean he Is no
good?"
Precisely"
Lord Wimberley lit cigarette. and for
a minute the two men smoked in silence.
Then Lopez said:
'I was a fool not to have stayed on at
that hotel I begin to see that might
have learnt something Of Importance"
What do you meanT'
"why. that this was a clever plot to
put people off the scent. They wished me
to think that this girl was the young
Lord Wimberley. They hoped I would go
TO the police and that they would lead us
dance all over tho continent II the
little boat had not been wrecked that
would have happened. And in the mean
time the young Lord Wimberley and Mr.,
Ricardo AIerlet would have escaped"
"By Jove." said Lord Wimberley.
there is something in that Perhaps all
the three brothers were in the scheme.
There was an attempt on my life-that-
could not have been made by Dick
Merelt. / wish you had come to me at
Non u Ia fnn late - zfpnad
his champagne
mot for one with brains" he said.
''What is a year-to one who has eyes
and brains? II / thought that / could
earn 1000 pounds"
He paused and stroked his black
mustaehe. His dark eyes twinkled and
there was a flush under his swarthy skin
'You did not find gold In Australian
queried Lord Wimberley. "And that fine
castle OF yours let's the water In through
the roof"
1T is So And my aged mother has the
rheumatism. And the wind blows through
the windows and the walls. have to
find the money for her and my fiys sis
ters. may have 70 work"
"Well. work on this. ia gladly pay
you the money, II / can bring another OF
these seoundrels 10 justice"
but may earn nothing-and spend
the little have left"
LORD Wnnpsrley laughed LOOK here,
Senior Roderigo," he said. II rather like
you and your castle In Spain. III finance
you for llttls-givs you money to keep
you going-50 pounds q month for a year
but not q day longer"
Tho spaniard was too overcome 70
speak. He seized Lord Wimberley's hand
ana bent over a 10 Kiss H. but Il Was
roughly withdrawn from MS grasp.
mot a day longer said Lord WImher-
ley and b son earn the 2lQ.000 the e6o0
fli ne deducted ffefn ItT
soh. ny ifi-nd. my fIiena cried the