"A daughter?" said Leon. "Oh yes! Of course I remember. And of age!
Well, I never thought of that. Why, she must be heiress to the immense Dalton property. Of age, and still at school! What"s her name? I really forget it, and it"s odd too, for, after all, she"s my own cousin, in spite of the short-comings of her father and--and other people."
"Yes, Leon," said, Sir Lionel, "you"re right. She is your own cousin. As to her father, you must remember how I have always said that he was innocent, and sinned against rather than sinning. Heaven forbid that we should visit on this poor child the disgrace of her father, when he was not guilty at all. I feel confident, Leon, that you will espouse her cause as eagerly as I do; and since I am prevented from doing any thing by this infernal gout, I look to you to represent me in this business, and bring that infernal scoundrel to justice."
"Infernal scoundrel! What infernal scoundrel?"
"Why, this Wiggins."
"Wiggins?"
"Yes. The madman that is trying to shut up Edith, and keep her under lock and key."
"Edith! Who"s Edith? What, Dalton"s daughter? Oh, is that her name? But what do you mean? What madman? what lock and key?"
"You know Wiggins, don"t you?" asked Sir Lionel.
"Which Wiggins? There are several that I know--Wiggins the sausage man, Wiggins the rat-catcher, Wig--"
"I mean John Wiggins, of John Wiggins and Company, solicitors, Liverpool. You know them perfectly well. I sent you there once."
"Yes," said Leon, slowly, "I remember."
"What sort of a man was this John Wiggins himself when you saw him?"
"Oh, an ordinary-looking person--grave, quiet, sensible, cool as a clock, and very reticent. I told you all about him."
"Yes, but I didn"t know but that you might remember something that would throw light on his present actions. You went there to ask some questions in my name with reference to poor Dalton, and the disposal of his property."
"Yes, and got about as little satisfaction as one could get."
"He was not communicative."
"Not at all. Every answer was an evasion. What little I did get out of him had to be dragged out. The most important questions he positively refused to answer."
"Of course. I remember all that, for I was the one who wished to know, and consequently his refusal to answer affected me most of all. I wondered at the time, and thought that it might be some quiet plan of his, but I really had no idea of the audacity of his plans."
"How is that?"
"Wait a moment. Did you see anything in this man that could excite the suspicion that he was at all flighty or insane?"
"Insane! Certainly not. He was, on the contrary, the sanest person I ever met with."
"Well, then, he must have become insane since. I"ve no doubt that he has for years been planning to get control of the Dalton property; and now, when he has become insane, he is still animated by this ruling pa.s.sion, and has gone to work to gratify it in this mad way."
"Mad way? What mad way? I don"t understand."
"Well, I"ll tell you all about it. I merely wished to get your unbiased opinion of the man first;" and upon this Sir Lionel told him the whole story which Miss Plympton had narrated to him. To all this Leon listened with the deepest interest and the most profound astonishment, interrupting his father by frequent questions and exclamations.
"What can be his design?" said Leon. "He must have some plan in his head."
"Plan? a mad plan enough!" exclaimed Sir Lionel. "It is clearly nothing else than an attempt to get control of the property by a _coup de main_."
"Well, the opinion that I formed of Wiggins is that he is altogether too shrewd and deep a man to undertake any thing without seeing his way clear to success!"
"The man"s mad!" cried Sir Lionel. "How can any sane man hope to succeed in this? Why, no one can set up a private prison-house in that style.
If the law allowed that, I know of one person who could set up a private jail, and keep it pretty well filled, too."
"An idea strikes me," said Leon, "which may explain this on other grounds than madness, and which is quite in accordance with Wiggins"s character. He has been the agent of the estates for these ten years, and though he was very close and uncommunicative about the extent of his powers and the nature of his connection with Dalton, yet it is evident that he has had Dalton"s confidence to the highest degree; and I think that before Dalton"s unfortunate business, he must have had some influence over him. Perhaps he has persuaded Dalton to make him the guardian of his daughter."
"Well, what good would that do?" asked Sir Lionel.
"Do you know any thing about the law of guardianship?"
"Not much."
"Well, it seems to me, from what I have heard, that a guardian has a great many very peculiar rights. He stands in a father"s place. He can choose such society for his ward as he likes, and can shut her up, just as a father might. In this instance Wiggins may be standing on his rights, and the knowledge of this may be the reason why he defied you so insolently."
Sir Lionel looked annoyed, and was silent for a few moments.
"I don"t believe it," said he; "I don"t believe any thing of the kind. I don"t believe any law will allow a man to exercise such control over another just because he or she is a minor. Besides, even if it were so, Edith is of age, and this restraint can not be kept up. What good would it do, then, for him to imprison her for three or four months? At the end of that time she must escape from his control. Besides, even on the ground that he is _in loco parentis_, you must remember that there are limits even to a father"s authority. I doubt whether even a father would be allowed to imprison, a daughter without cause."
"But this imprisonment may only be a restriction within the grounds. The law can not prevent that. Oh, the fact is, this guardianship law is a very queer thing, and we shall find that Wiggins has as much right over her as if he were her father. So we must go to work carefully; and my idea is that it would be best to see him first of all, before we do any thing, so as to see how it is."
"At any rate," said Sir Lionel, "we can force him to show by what right he controls her liberty. The law of guardianship can not override the _habeas corpus_ act, and the liberty of the subject is provided for, after all. If we once get Edith out of his control, it will be difficult for him to get her back again, even if the law did decide in his favor. Still I think there is a good deal in what you say, and it certainly is best not to be too hasty about it. An interview with him, first of all, will be decidedly the best thing. I think, before going there, you had better see my solicitors in London. You see I intrust the management of this affair to you, Leon, for this infernal gout ties me up here closer than poor Edith at Dalton Hall. You had better set about it at once. Go first to London, see my solicitors, find out about the law of guardianship, and also see what we had better do. Then, if they approve of it, go to Dalton Hall and see Wiggins. I don"t think that you are the sort of man who can be turned back at the gates by that ruffian porter. You must also write me what the solicitors say, for I think I had better keep Miss Plympton informed about the progress of affairs, partly to satisfy her anxiety, and partly to present her from taking any independent action which may embarra.s.s our course of conduct."
CHAPTER XI.
LUCY.
About a week after the conversation detailed in the last chapter, the train stopped at the little station near Dalton village, and Leon Dudleigh stepped out. At the same time a woman got out of another carriage in the train. She was dressed in black, and a c.r.a.pe veil concealed her face. Leon Dudleigh stood and looked about for a few moments in search of some vehicle in which to complete his journey, and as the train went on he walked into the little station-house to make inquiries. The woman followed slowly. After exchanging a few words with the ticket clerk, Leon found out that no vehicle was to be had in the neighborhood, and with an exclamation of impatience he told the clerk that he supposed he would have to walk, and at the same time asked him some questions about getting his luggage forwarded to the inn at Dalton.
Having received a satisfactory answer, he turned to the door and walked toward the village.
[Ill.u.s.tration: "AT THAT MOMENT THE WOMAN RAISED HER VEIL."]
The woman who had followed him into the station-house had already left it, and was walking along the road ahead of him. She was walking at a slow pace, and before long Leon came up with her. He had not noticed her particularly, and was now about pa.s.sing her, when at that very moment the woman raised her veil, and turned about so as to face him.
At the sight of her face Leon uttered an exclamation of amazement and started back.
"Lucy!" he exclaimed, in a tone of deep and bitter vexation.
"Aha, Leon!" said the woman, with a smile. "You thought you would give me the slip. You didn"t know what a watch I was keeping over you."
At this Leon regarded her in gloomy silence, while the expression of deep vexation remained unchanged on his face.