"Beg pardon, your grace, but the house on Westminster Road _is_ her home. She has no other that I know of."
The duke stared at the detective a moment, and then hastily demanded:
"Who _are_ you talking of?"
"Beg pardon again, your grace, but I am afraid there is some misunderstanding."
"_Who_ are you talking about?"
"I am talking of the woman who came to the d.u.c.h.ess just before she disappeared," answered the detective.
"Good Heaven!" exclaimed the duke, with such a look of deep disappointment that the detective hastened to deprecate his displeasure by saying:
"I am very sorry, your grace, that there should have been any misapprehension."
"You idiot!" were the words that arose spontaneously to the duke"s lips; but they were not uttered. The "princely Hereward" habitually governed himself.
"Why did you not tell me in your telegram _who_ was found?" he demanded.
"I certainly thought that your grace would have understood. In the telegram dispatched at nine o"clock yesterday morning, I told your grace that I had a clew to the woman who had called at Elmthorpe House on Tuesday. In the telegram sent at three in the afternoon, I said--"She is found." I certainly thought your grace would understand that the woman to whom I had gained the clew was found. I grieve to know how much mistaken I was," sighed Mr. Setter.
"Ah! that accounts for everything. I never received that first telegram."
"Your grace never received it?"
"Certainly not."
"Then my messenger was false to his trust. I was so indiscreet as to send it to the office by a ticket porter, believing the fellow would do his duty faithfully, after having been paid in advance. The more fool I. I am certainly old enough to have known better!" said the detective, with a mortified air.
"Well Mr. Setter, it is useless to regret that mistake now. Be so good as to call a cab. We will go at once to Westminster Road and see this Mrs.
Brown. What information has she given you?"
"None whatever, except this, which we knew before--that she visited the bride on the afternoon of the wedding day. She declines to tell _me_ the nature of her business with the d.u.c.h.ess; but says that she will explain it to you; she further denies all knowledge of the present abode of the d.u.c.h.ess."
"Then we must lose no time in going to the woman," said the duke.
As he spoke, the cab which had been signalled by the detective drove up, and the cabman jumped down and opened the door.
The duke entered it and sat down on the back cushions.
His grace"s servant, Kerr, came up to the window for orders.
"Take my luggage home to Elmthorpe House. Give my respects to Lady Belgrade, and say that I will join her ladyship this afternoon," said the duke.
The servant touched his hat and withdrew.
"To Number ----, Westminster Road," ordered Mr. Setter, as he mounted to the box-seat beside the cabman.
The latter started his horses at a good rate of speed, so that a drive of about forty minutes brought them to their destination.
The detective jumped down and opened the door, saying,
"Excuse me, your grace; but, I think, perhaps I ought to go in first to ensure you an interview with the woman?"
"By all means go in first, officer. I will remain here in the cab until you return to summon me," answered the duke.
Detective Setter went up to the door and knocked, and then waited a few seconds until the door was opened, and he was admitted by an unseen hand.
A few minutes elapsed, and then detective Setter reappeared, and came up to the cab and said:
"She will see you at once, early as it is, your grace, I do not know what in the world possesses the old woman; but she is chuckling in the most insane manner in the antic.i.p.ation of meeting you "face to face," as she calls it."
"Well, we shall soon see," said the duke, as, with a resigned air, he followed Mr. Setter into the house.
The detective led him up stairs to the gaudy parlor which had once been Rose Cameron"s sitting-room.
There was no one present; but the detective handed a chair to the duke, and begged him to sit down and wait for Mrs. Brown"s appearance.
The duke threw himself into the chair, and gazed around him upon the garish scene, until a chamber door opened, and Mrs. Brown, in her Sunday"s best suit, sailed in. The duke arose.
Mrs. Brown came on toward him, courtesying stiffly, and saying:
"Good morning to you, Mr. Scott! It is a many months since I have had the pleasure of seeing you in this house."
The duke was not so much amazed at this greeting as he might have been, had he not heard the astounding testimony of Rose Cameron. So he answered quietly:
"I do not think, madam, that you ever "had the pleasure" of seeing me "in this house" or, in fact, anywhere else. I have never seen _you_ in my life before."
"Oh! oh! oh! here to the man! He would brazen it out to my very face!"
exclaimed Mrs. Brown.
The duke started and flushed crimson as he stared at the woman.
"Oh, I am not afeard of you! Deuce a bit am I afeard of you! You may glare till your eyes drop out, but you"ll not scare me! And you may be the Markiss of Arondelle and the Duke of Hereward, too, for aught I know, or care either! But you were just plain Mr. John Scott to me, and also to that poor, wronged la.s.s whom you have betrayed into prison, if not unto death! And now, Mr. John Scott, as you wished to see me (and I can guess why you wished to see me,) and as I have no objection to see you, besides having something of importance to tell you, perhaps you will send that man off," said Mrs. Brown pointing to the detective.
"No. I prefer that Mr. Setter should stay here, and be a witness to all that pa.s.ses between us," answered the duke.
"All right. It is no business of mine, and no _shame_ of mine. Only I thought as you mightn"t like a stranger to hear all your secrets, and I wish to spare your feelings," said the woman.
"I beg you will not consider my feelings in the least, madam," answered the duke, with a slight smile of amus.e.m.e.nt; "and I hope you will allow Mr. Setter to remain," he added.
"Oh, in course! _I_ have no objection, if _you_ have none."
"Pray go on and say what you have to say," urged the duke.
"Then, first of all, I have to tell you that I know why you have come here. You have come to inquire about Miss Salome Levison, the great banker"s heiress."
"You are speaking of the d.u.c.h.ess of Hereward, madam," interrupted the duke, in a stern voice.