"I intend to have Beryl arrested."
"And then?"
"I shall make Bernard give himself up. The whole case must be tried in court. Also I shall have Michael arrested."
"But why, if he is innocent?"
"My dear Miss Plantagenet," said the lawyer, slowly, "Mrs. Gilroy is an important witness in this case. She is hiding. As soon as she sees that her son is arrested, and in danger of being condemned as an accessory before the fact, she will come out and give evidence to show that he acted merely as the tool of Beryl. In a word, she will save him."
"Which is four or five words. Well, Durham, I don"t say but what you are right, and if--Good gracious, what"s that?"
This was the sudden entrance of Maria, looking pale. She hurried up to her mistress and caught her arm. "Oh, ma"am, come to see that poor gentleman," she said. "He is very ill--I don"t know what"s the matter."
Neither Miss Berengaria nor the others were startled; it was to be expected that Michael would have frequent lapses in his illness.
The old lady rose at once to the occasion. "Send Jerry at once for Dr.
Payne," she said sharply.
"Please, ma"am, Jerry has left the house."
"Left the house! What do you mean?"
Maria explained. "I haven"t seen Jerry since six o"clock," she declared; "he brought me up the cup of tea you ordered for the poor sick gentleman."
"I ordered no tea," said Miss Berengaria, with uneasiness.
"Jerry said you did, ma"am," persisted the maid; "he brought it to me, and said you wished the gentleman to drink it at once. He waited while the gentleman did so, and then said he would tell you. I forgot to mention it, ma"am, when you came up after dinner."
Durham nodded significantly and rose. "I will go for Dr. Payne," he said, walking to the door. "Is the gentleman ill?"
"Very, sir. He says he has a burning pain in his stomach."
Durham nodded again and glanced at the old lady. "You were right," he said gravely, "there is something wrong," and he disappeared to fetch the doctor.
"Where is Jerry gone?" asked Miss Berengaria.
"I don"t know, ma"am. James said he went out at half-past six with his bag, complaining you had sent him away."
"James should have stopped him, or have told me."
"So he says, ma"am, now."
"When it is too late," said the angry Miss Berengaria. "Alice, come with me. Conniston, you can wait here with Miss Randolph," and before the couple could say a word, the old lady hurried out of the room, followed by Alice. Both were oppressed by a sense of anxiety.
Michael was very ill and in great pain. Sitting up in bed, he was pressing both hands to his stomach and moaning. "Oh, give me water--water," he entreated, when the women appeared. "I am dying of thirst."
While Miss Berengaria gave him drink, Alice looked into the tea-cup, which still stood on the table beside the bed. At the bottom there was a white sediment. "Something has been given to you in your tea," she said, turning pale.
"It was some time after drinking the tea that I felt ill," moaned Michael, rocking to and fro. "Oh, how I suffer."
"Jerry brought the tea," began Miss Plantagenet, when Michael interrupted her with a scream.
"Jerry! Jerry! It"s Beryl"s work. Jerry did anything he told him. I believe he has poisoned me. Call him up--call him up."
"Jerry has gone away," said Miss Berengaria, very pale.
"Lost! Lost!" moaned Michael. "Ah, this was why he made me sign the will--this was why--oh, heavens! how I suffer--suffer--the pain--the pain. Help me--help me! I am poisoned!"
Both the terrified women looked at one another, for even Miss Berengaria, strong-minded as she was, felt her nerve give way under this unexpected catastrophe. Then Alice advanced to the bedside, and from sheer force of habit addressed Michael by the false name he had a.s.sumed.
"Bernard----"
"I am not Bernard," he screamed, rocking and rocking. "I will confess all. I am a dead man. Beryl won"t give me the money now. He wants it all to himself. He has made Jerry poison me. I am to die as Sir Simon died.
I am lost--lost--lost. Oh, what a wicked man I have been."
"Make atonement while you can," said Miss Berengaria, taking swift advantage of the opportunity. "Listen. We have known for some time that you are not Bernard Gore, and----"
Michael paid no attention, but kept on rocking in an agony of pain.
"Help me--save me!" he moaned. "Oh, great heavens!"
"Payne will be here directly," said the old lady. "Maria"--the maid was in the room by this time--"go down and bring up some boiling water. We will apply hot flannels to his stomach."
"Meanwhile," said Alice, when the maid ran out, "tell us about yourself, Michael."
"Michael--Michael," he muttered, with the perspiration beading his brow.
"You know my name. I thought you took me for Gore."
"Never. Bernard Gore is alive. We pretended to believe you, so that in the end you might be induced to confess."
"And now you have poisoned me."
"Certainly not," cried Miss Plantagenet, quickly. "Jerry gave you the cup of tea."
"He said you told him to bring it up."
"I did not. He brought it up himself, and has now left the house. As soon as he knew you had drunk it, he left the house. And now that I remember," added Miss Berengaria, sharply, "Beryl was talking privately to the boy before he went away."
"Yes! Yes! It is Beryl who has done this. Oh, I will confess all. It was Beryl who killed Sir Simon."
"We know that, and--ah, here is Payne. Doctor, I am glad you have come.
Do you know----"
"I know a great deal," said Payne. "Mr. Durham talked to me while we drove along. He met me half-way to Hurseton. Come, we must get to work."
He asked Alice and Durham, who had entered, to leave the room, and began to attend to the wretched man. Maria came up with hot water and then hurried down for oil and mustard. Payne took up the cup which Miss Berengaria pointed out and examined it. He touched the sediment with the tip of his finger and tasted it. "a.r.s.enic," said he.
"Good Lord!" cried the old lady, sitting down heavily, "and in my own house. Doctor, that boy must be arrested. Are you sure?"
"Certain. a.r.s.enic has been administered. That is why he feels these burning pains. Give me the oil and mustard. We must give him an emetic, so that he may get rid of the poison. We may save him yet."