"I want this stick as a memento of him," answered the gentleman, sweetly.
"But I can"t part with it on any account."
"I"ll give you five pounds for it, though it is not worth a penny."
"No, sir, I cannot sell it. My brother knew that."
"Where is your brother?"
"He"s in the town."
"And are you all alone in this large house?" asked he, with an insinuating smile.
"Yes, why?"
"Oh, nothing. But really, miss, you must let me have this stick. You must. You must, I say you must," and he came close to her and stared her straight in the face.
"Ah, you will then. I can have it," said he, picking up his hat and the stick. "Now, good-bye."
"Miss O"Flynn, will you leave the room?" said a voice behind him that made him start round as he was making his way to the door.
He paused thunderstruck, as his eyes rested on Reg"s pale face with its look of fierce determination.
"Villiers Wyckliffe we meet at last."
The silence in the room was profound, broken only by the fall of Wyck"s hat on the floor, as his trembling fingers lost their power of grasp.
"Morris!" he gasped.
"Yes, I am Reg Morris."
At this announcement Wyck"s first idea was flight, and he made for the door.
"Don"t trouble yourself, the door is locked. There is no escape for you now," said Reg, sternly.
Wyck watched his adversary for a moment. Then he came forward, smiling, and said, "My dear Morris, I was most sorry to hear of your trouble.
Believe me, I beg your pardon, sincerely, for any wrong I did you."
"Stand aside, you scoundrel. You killed the girl I had loved for years.
You made it your sport to break our hearts. Your chosen device is a broken heart. See I have provided you with an excellent reproduction of it, and, in order that you may carry it with you wherever you go, that it may always be in evidence, I am going to brand your charming device on both your ears."
The relentless, menacing tone chilled him and sapped his self-control.
At heart Wyck was a coward, but he was a calculating villain as well.
His lips quivered and his face paled. His voice shook as he whined:
"Mercy, Morris. Mercy! I"ll forfeit anything, I"ll do anything you like, to make amends. I never meant--"
"But I do mean it, you grovelling coward. And if you take my advice you"ll submit, for it has to be done."
Again the cold, cruel tone made him shiver, but the bully in Wyck"s nature rea.s.serted itself as he shouted:
"You won"t. You won"t, for I"ll shoot you, you hound," and he levelled a revolver he had taken from his pocket at Reg"s head.
Reg laughed a hard, unnatural laugh, as he sprang forward and, knocking his arm up, planted a blow well between his eyes. The bullet lodged harmlessly in the ceiling and Wyck lay in a heap on the floor.
"Come, doctor," cried Reg, as between them they hauled the struggling man to a sofa. Reg smothered his cries, and a few minutes later he was under chloroform. Reg"s stern determination acted like a spell on his a.s.sistants and swiftly all the accessories for the operation were brought. A small block was placed under each ear; Reg firmly held the die upon the piece of flesh, and with a single blow from a mallet calmly branded the device on each ear. Then he handed his victim over to the doctor to dress the wounds and, giving a deep sigh, sank into a chair, and buried his face in his hands. A wave of relief that his task was accomplished, that his oath was fulfilled, pa.s.sed over him. Pity for his victim he had none, only satisfaction that an act of stern, pitiless justice had been done. When the doctor had finished his bandaging Reg straightened himself.
"We"d better keep him a week here to give the wounds a chance to heal,"
said Hal.
"Yes, it would be as well to do so," said the doctor. "When the bleeding stops I will dress them so that they heal quickly."
"I wonder what he"ll do now," said Reg.
"Probably give us in charge," laughed Hal.
"Let him do so, I"m agreeable. At any rate we will stop in Melbourne to give him a chance."
Terence and his sister were left in charge with full instructions, and the boys left for their hotel, where they found all their friends awaiting them.
"Father, I"ve kept my word," said Reg, taking Whyte"s hand.
"Amen," said the old man.
"Kiss me," said Mrs. Whyte, coming to him with tears in her eyes.
"And shake hands with us," said Hil and May.
Goody also came forward and gave him a hearty hand-clasp.
"I thank you all," said Reg, much affected. "But here is the man to whom the success is due. He offered his services to me, a complete stranger, and all these months he has been my constant companion. Hal, old boy, give me your hand."
"I only helped a friend in need," answered Hal.
"As any Australian would do," said the doctor.
The girls and Goody took to the Whytes at once. Goody and old Whyte had many opinions and pursuits in common, while the girls openly called Mrs.
Whyte, mother. Amy"s death had left its mark on both the old people, and the Mia-Mia had become intolerable to them, so that when an opportunity occurred of selling it they accepted it eagerly. Whyte had had enough of England. It held only one small spot sacred and dear to him, which was Amy"s grave.
That evening Reg was seized with a fit of melancholy. Now that his revenge was accomplished the inevitable reaction had come. In spite of his conviction that he had done his duty, still his conscience p.r.i.c.ked him for wilfully maiming a fellow-creature. He had separated himself from the others and was brooding sadly in the twilight when he was roused by the touch of a small hand being laid on his.
"Don"t fret, Mr. Morris," said May, in her gentle, sympathetic way.
"Think how you have saved others now from the fate you saved me from."
"You make too much of it, Miss Goodchild."
"No, I can never do that," she answered, simply.
"Ah, here you are. We"ve been looking for you everywhere," called out Mrs. Whyte, coming upon them.