The Birkenhead News and Wirral General Advertiser. — 1884-05-03 (Birkenhead, Merseyside, England)

THE LAST.  Mr. Greer had informed Leon that on the following morning he would be preewith a cheque for him, and the chman rubbed his white hands, and hummed an air which he had, in gay days that had passed, heard in the Mantle in Paris, and it occasioned Mr. Greer an inward and almost insane satisfaction to see his persecutor so merry. It is quite likely that recent anxiety had somewhat upset the Bailie's equilibrium; certainly men have rarely contemplated suicide with such complacency as he did. "You will indeed receive a check,' my friend," he thought to himself, "and one you have never thought of. Instead of money to squander in vice, there will be nothing for you but my poor body, which it will be beyond your power to hurt. Kate will have her gold in spite of you, and you will be baffled, cunning as you are." As these thoughts occurred to him he Sat in his own private room, and he had given strict injunctions to the servants not to bring any one to him. He drew a small phial from his pocket, and he looked at the colourless fluid it contained with peculiar satisfaction. "The books say that you are sure and that you are painless," he murmured; "but painless or not, you are my safest,— my only relief. Thank Heaven that the end of all the misery that has racked me for so long is in my grasp at last," and he uncorked the bottle. The servant, who answered an impatient ringing at the front door, was not a little surprised to find "Miss Kate," as she still called her young mistress, together with Walter Howell, waiting for admission. "'Deed Miss," she cried joyfully, for Kate was a general favourite, "a sicht o' your bonny face is guid for sair een." "Is uncle in ?" Kate demanded, and the servant saw that they were both strongly agitated. "Ay, he's ben the hoose, Miss Kate, but I wisna tae let onybody disturb him; he's in his am n room, ye ken." "Wait in the dining-room, Walter, dear," cried Kate hurriedly, "I would like to be the first to tell him what has happened," and she scampered from them. Bursting into her uncle's room she saw him in the act of raising a small bottle to his lips. She had no notion that it contained poison, but she put her hand on his arm, for no reason that she could ever explain, and he looked up, the bottle failing from between his fingers and breaking into many fragments, and in its fall it struck the corner of the table, and a sickly odour pervaded the apartment. "Oh, Uncle !" Kate cried, "how -white and awful you look." He gazed at her in a dazed, glassy way for a moment, then when she dropped on her knees at his feet his head fell on her shoulder and he burst into tears. "The truth about Walter's money has come out at last," she murmured  gently. "Does Walter know ?" he asked in a hollow tone "Yes," she answered. He groaned aloud—a groan that seemed to come from his very soul. "You have nothing to fear from him, dear," she went on soothingly. "He says that all who have loved and been kind to me he must perforce love. He does not want you to bother about things at all. If you have the money, of course, dear, you will give it to him, and if you have not, he says it doesn't matter." "Tell him, Kate," the Bailie spoke eagerly now, "that I have more for him than his father left. I have invested well. I have been a good servant." Kate marvelled at him. Now that he was beginning to feel safe, he was taking credit to himself for the way he managed to add to the orignal capital that he had never intended to give up to the real owner I. "Won't you see him uncle?" "Not now Kate, not now." "He is in the house." Mr Greer considered for a few minutes. "Kate," he said at last, "I cannot face him yet. In a little time, when he is in full enjoyment of his own, we may meet, but not now." The girl liked this speech better than anything he had yet said, and she kissed him. "Ask him," Mr. Greer went on," to meet Leon here to-morrow morning. Leon is coming to take half his fortune. But he will be disappointed." Then, in his own way, he told that Leon had oppressed him, and was on the eve of extorting a large sum of money from him, but for all his crafty suppressions here, and plausible explanations there, his confession was a humiliating one, and when Kate heard him out she could not but see, alas! too plainly, that her uncle was, in spite of all his goodness to her a contemptible  Kate  expla character. "I will tell Walter what you say, and he will know how to deal with that vile Frenchman; and what will you do uncle ?" "I will go away for a little—my arrangements are all made. Some time to-morrow your husband will hear from my agents. It may be some while before we meet." Kate regarded him doubtfully for a minute, and then kissing him, she left him. Walter listened gravely to her story. When she had finished he said, "Your uncle is right. It is better that we do not meet for a time. As for Furneaux, I shall be glad of the chance of dealing with him." And very promptly the little rascal was dealt with when he appeared at the house in the morning. It chanced that in anticipation of his golden windfall he ' had been to Glasgow on the previous night in search of amusement and had stayed there He was mightily surprised to be received by Walter in Mr. Greer's house. "It is Mr. Greer I want," he said. "possibly," Walter returned coolly, "but I am afraid you won't see him." "I have an appointment with him—" Leon commenced. "The appointment won't be kept. To make a long matter short, Mr. Furneaux, I may tell you that I am acquainted with your object in coming here, and I now know why you have for so long had such influence over Mr.  Greer."