"You must save him!" cried Miss Berengaria, lending a hand readily, "for his evidence is needed to convict Beryl of murder."
"Mr. Durham told me something of this, but not all," said Payne, going on with the business. "Go down and leave the man to me for a time, Miss Berengaria. I will call you when he is better."
By this time Michael was almost insensible with pain, but Miss Plantagenet left the room at once. Hurrying down to the drawing-room, she found the four young people waiting there with scared faces. Even Durham was startled by the expedition with which Julius had carried out his plan of ridding himself of an undesirable witness.
"Though he"s a fool," said the lawyer, emphatically. "He should have made Jerry wait for a few days."
"And to use such an obvious poison," said Miss Berengaria; "it is a.r.s.enic that has been administered."
"Michael will confess now, though," said Alice. "I do hope he won"t die.
Mr. Durham, where are you going?"
"To the Hurseton telegraph office. The doctor"s trap is at the door now.
I wish to wire to Scotland Yard, so that Jerry may be caught."
"Don"t go," implored Alice, "at any time Michael may be able to speak, and I wish you to write down his confession."
"I will go," said Conniston, jumping up. "Write down the wire, Durham.
The sooner Jerry is tracked the better. We shall catch Julius yet."
"I only hope we"ll save Michael," muttered Durham, going to Miss Plantagenet"s desk. "Come here, Conniston."
When the wire was written--and a long one it was--Conniston made free with Payne"s trap and drove to Hurseton, where he sent it at once to London. Meantime, those in the drawing-room talked over the matter and waited to hear from the doctor. After an hour he made his appearance.
"He is better," he announced; "the mustard and oil made him sick. I think he has got rid of the poison. He wants to see you, Mr. Durham."
"I"ll go at once," said the lawyer, while Alice clasped her hands.
But Payne stopped him. "No. I want the man to have a short sleep first,"
he said, "and I am returning to watch beside him. I will ring the bell when he is better and able to speak."
It was late that night or rather early next morning before the household retired. Miss Berengaria, thinking the servants had better know as little as possible, sent them to bed, retaining only Maria to wait on her personally. Then Conniston returned, and the five sat in the drawing-room talking. About two in the morning the bell in the turret chamber was heard to ring. Durham, with writing materials, hastened up at once. Alice wanted to go, but Miss Berengaria made her stop. Then she sent Conniston to the Hall to tell any servant who was waiting up that Miss Randolph would remain that night at the Bower. "And when you return, you can sleep also," she said.
Durham found Michael better but weak. He was lying back on his pillows in an almost exhausted condition, and Payne was feeling his pulse. "I wanted him to wait till the dawn," said the doctor, "but he insists on speaking."
"I might die," said Michael, his eyes large and bright and his voice hoa.r.s.e. "I want my revenge on this man who tried to poison me."
"Are you sure Beryl----"
"I am quite sure. Jerry brought up the tea, and a.r.s.enic was in it. I know Beryl wanted to get all the estate to himself. Tell me"--Michael looked anxiously towards Durham--"is Gore alive?"
"Yes. Miss Malleson and Miss Plantagenet knew you were Michael Gilroy as soon as you came."
"And they fooled me."
"They did," admitted Durham, promptly, "and I did also. I allowed you to make that false will, so as to trap Beryl."
"Ah! and he will be trapped and hanged," said the boy, bitterly. "I only hope I"ll be alive to see him swing."
"Mr. Durham," said Payne, removing his finger from the patient"s pulse, "if you want to hear this confession you had better get to work at once.
I cannot allow him to talk long."
"I"ll begin," said Michael, in a stronger voice, and without further preamble he began to talk in a slow, monotonous voice, almost without a pause. Durham took down his words swiftly.
"My name is Michael Gilroy," said the lad, quietly. "I am the son of Walter Gore, the father of Bernard, and of Mrs. Gilroy, who was the housekeeper at the Hall. My father deceived her by a false marriage, as at the time, although my mother did not know, he was already married to a Signora Tolomeo."
"You are sure of that?" asked Durham. "Your mother said----"
"I know--I know, but she is wrong. She wanted to make me out the heir.
But I am three years younger than my half-brother. It was a false marriage. When my mother discovered the truth, she went to America with me. My father allowed us an income. When he died, my mother was starving with me in New York. She came to this country and saw my grandfather, Sir Simon, in London. He heard her story and was sorry for her. Then he offered her the post of housekeeper at the Hall, and promised to provide for her after his death. But he would only a.s.sist her on condition that I was sent back to the States. I returned, and my mother kept me out of her wages. She has been a good mother to me----"
"Take this," said Payne, holding wine to his lips, for his voice was growing weaker.
Michael drank, and continued at once. "My mother had an idea of making me the heir. But, as I told her, that was impossible. She had told Sir Simon too much at first. I remained in the States till I was over twenty, then I came to England. Sir Simon got me a post in the city. I did not like the work, and I idled. He often a.s.sisted me. I behaved very badly."
"I know that," said Durham, pausing in his writing. "You forged a check made payable to Bernard Gore."
Michael laughed weakly. "I did," he said. "I wanted money and I got a thousand pounds by that."
"How is it that you are so poor?"
"Because Beryl took the money from me. He wanted money also, and he threatened to have me arrested for the murder if I did not give him all.
I spent very little of it. He took all, and then left me to starve. I came here, and----"
"Wait a bit; I want to know about your impersonation of Gore?"
"That was Beryl"s idea also. He met me in the city, as Sir Simon one day sent him to pay me money. He was struck by my likeness to my half-brother, and even then he resolved to make use of me. But there was no chance until Bernard quarrelled with Sir Simon. Then Beryl found that Gore had enlisted in the Imperial Yeomanry. He told me that Sir Simon was coming to town to live in Crimea Square, and he was afraid lest he should become reconciled to Bernard. Beryl, knowing how proud Sir Simon was, persuaded me to impersonate Bernard by dressing up as an Imperial Yeoman, and arranged that I should make love to a housemaid----"
"So as to get into the house?"
"Yes; and so as to let the fact get to Sir Simon"s ears. Beryl thought that if Sir Simon knew that Bernard was making love to a servant, he would cast him off for ever. Well, I did make the acquaintance of the housemaid and visited at the house, keeping well out of sight of my mother."
"She did not know you were there?"
"No. Whenever she was heard coming I got out of the way. She really thought from Jane"s description that I was my half-brother."
"When did you forge the check?"
"Just before I met Jane at the beginning of October. Beryl and I both wanted the money. I could imitate Bernard"s writing, as Beryl got me some letters of his. I forged the check and got the money. Then Beryl afterwards took it from me."
"And did Sir Simon know of the forgery?" said Durham, thinking of what had been said to him by Tolomeo.
"I am coming to that," went on Michael, after another drink of wine. "I visited at the house as I said, and Sir Simon came to know that--as he thought--Bernard was about the place. He sent down on the evening of the committal of the crime to ask me up. I was afraid, and I ran away."
"Why did you return before ten?"
"Ah, you know that, do you?" said Michael, with a weak smile. "I returned because it struck me that there might be some difficulty about the check, and I thought I would see Sir Simon about it myself. I fancied he might have me arrested. On the other hand, I thought he might truly think it was Bernard, and then that would a.s.sist Beryl"s plans for keeping him out of the property. I came to the house just after ten. My mother opened the door. When she saw me, she ordered me away. I refused to go."
"Why was that?"