MARION'S UNCLE.

A Case for the Detectives.

By SYLVANUS COBB, Jon.

CHAPTER XVIII,

THE MYSTERY SOLVED—CONCLUSION. It seemed to Marion a long, long ride. She was not alarmed, not fearful, but

very anxious, At length, however, the ride came to an end, the coach stopped, the driver descended and opened tha door, then Renwick got out and turned and gave her his hand. As she stepped down, and landed on terra firma, she saw that she was upon the end of a broad per; that a forest of masts arose on both hands; and she knew that the man who had ridden in the coach with them had followed her out, aud was speaking to some one m a boat that lay at the landing, directly below the soot where she stood. Thus much she had seen, and was watching for the appearance of a man with a hoarse, gruff voice, who had been hailed as "Captain," and who appeared to be coming up from the boat, when she was startled by a terrified gasp and cry from the lips of the man who still held her hand. She turned, and saw, clearly revealed in the soft moonlight, the handsome face of Paul Sheridan. He, with two other men, one of whom was Jacob Andrews, had come from the shadow of a small building near the centre of the pier that served as a shelter and office" for stevedores and customs

officers. 'Mr Renwick,' said Sheridan, very pleasantly, 'I am sorry to interrupt your delightful trip, but 1 believe I must do it. Ah! take care! ISone of that! There!' The clerk, quickly recovering from the overpowering shock, had suddenly plunged his right hand into his bosom ; but the officer had been too swift sighted and quick-motioned for him. As the last word had dropped from his lips/ the irons had snapped upon his prisoner's wrists. And then the poor wretch cried aloud against the outrage upon his person. ' Is it such a serious offence to seek to win a young and —' 'Bah!' interrupted Sheridan, deter mined to hear no more. 'Wo know you, Jasper Renwick, through and through. As for this lady, she has been under my protection from the first. Come. You are wanted else where.'

■ But,' cried the stricken man, 'my property is—is—' ' Out with it. You were going to say, in that brig lying out there in the stream; but you are mistaken. Your luggage is all safe—every atom of it. We have looked out for that. No, Jasper, you are check-mated, and by a 'Tool's Mate' at that. But come. We have no time to waste here. It is almost midnight, and there's business to be done.'

Jasper looked eagerly around, and presently he inquired for Captain Mur dall. 'What is itf asked Paul. 'Are you anxious to know if Tom Tobin is safe? Because if you are, ■ I can tell you yes. He is quietly meditating on your probable fate by this time at the office of our chief.' A deep, despairing groan was; the prisoner's only response; and a few moments later he had been handed back into the coach which had brought him down, with Sheridan by his _ side. Then Mr Andrews asked Marion if she was willing to get in with him and ride in the same vehicle; and at the same time he whispered to her that they were going directly to the friends she most desired to see. She embraced the opportunity eagerly, and was quickly seated by the coroner's side, and opposite to Sheridan. The re maining .officer mounted to the box with the driver, and off they went. When they stopped, and the door of the coach had been opened, the prisoner's gathered equanimity and assurance was again upset. He found himself before the hotel where Arthur Singleton had been shot. And now he was terrified. When his face could be seen, it was pale as death, and his frame quivered at every joint. No word was spoken. Andrews first alighted, and assisted Marion out, and then led her into the house and into the drawing-room, where she was told to lay aside her hat and mantle. This 'done, the landlord came in, and told the coroner he could go up when he pleased. Then Andrews took her hand again, and conducted her up to the next floor, and on to a door where he gently rapped. It was opened by Uncle Stephen himself; and on the next instant the dear girl was in his arms. When he had pressed her to his bosom, and kissed her.—o ! so like her father's kiss I—he led her into the room.

The first thing she saw was her dear lover, Walter, sitting by the side of a couch on which some one was lying; and close by, with a happy smile on his homely face, stood Dr. Vanwert. She came nearer* and saw on the couch —' 0 ! thank Heaven!' — Arthur Singleton ! —not dead, nor yet death like. He was very pale, and evidently very weak; but Vanwert had said he should not die, —at least not from any cause now present.

Marion sat down by Walter's side ; and presently, as she met the yearn ing, prayerful gaze of Arthur, she bent over and kissed him on the fair white brow ; and a look of ineffable joy and gratitude, lighting up every feature, was her reward. She understood him j and he understood her; and Walter understood them both, and from that hour their union of heart and spirit, in love and trust and unswerving con fidence, was perfect. Pretty soon, in answer to a ques tion, Marion told the story of her late adventure, from beginning to end,—

from the reception of the forged letter j to the moment of her arrival in that chamber. She had concluded, and a question had been asked and answered, when there came another rap on the door. , 1 This time Mr Andrews answered the summons, and when he returned he was followed by Paul Sheridan and Jasper Renwick. The latter had advanced to the centre of the room, with an expression of blank amaze on | his face, before he observed the couch. A step further, and he saw the features of the man lying there. _ A moment he gazed, and then recognised them. The effect was strange. It was a mixture of terror and thankful ness—of alarm, and a sense of relief ; but terror predominated. Tho man might yet die, and he be hanged for murder; for what could save him from Singleton's ante-mortem testi-

mony 1 And then, when the manacled man had recovered from the first shock of the unexpected discovery, he looked around upon the other occupants of the room. At length he met the gaze of the old banker. He felt that the fateful moment had come, and he struggled for self-control and courage. From the calm, keen, steady gaze of his employer he turned to Mr Andrews, and then to Sheridan. Then he glanced towards the sofa, and looked for a few seconds upon the two there sitting, and him there lying. Then he lifted his head, and de manded : 'Why am I here, with these cruel irons on my hands? What have 1 done ? Of what am I accused 1 Is it in accord with the law of the land that a free man—a citizen—can be thus arrested, and manacled, without even iuforming him why it is done V •Jasper Renwick! did you not shoot Arthur Singleton V

It was Wilmot who asked. ' Who says I shot him V 'I say it!' . , ' You ? Did you see me do it ? 'I saw you enter this house, on Monday evening ; and I saw your face once in this room. Then I heard two shots fired, and immediately there after I saw you leap from that window ; run to the end of the roof of the piazza; and thence leap to the ground 1' ' You — you — saw /' '0, poor fool! Did you think you had given Anthony Wollaston the slip on that Monday evening V Kenwick caught his breath, and stared like one suddenly stricken with Pals.y- . _, , 4No! no ! It is not possible. 'Jasper! it is not only possible, but it is true. I and the man you have known as Wollaston are one and the same person. So now you should be able to realise how much of the plotting I have detected, and how much of pilfering, on the part of yourself and Thomas Tobin.' For a few seconds the astounded man stared in speechless wonder wondering, perhaps, that he had not before discovered what he now saw plainly enough—that his master's face had been behind the red beard of Wollaston. Before he could find words for speech Marion had asked Singleton why Renwick had shot him. «Miss Wilmot,' the young man re plied, speaking clearly, and with a strength of voice that showed very plainly that no serious injury had been done to the lung, ' I think Jasper came here on purpose to shoot me. He knew that Walter was coming, having surreptitiously read the letter I had written to yourself—for which you pardon me, I know.' ' Hush, Arthur ! 0 ! there can be no pardon where there was only love and good-will.' ' You are an angel, dear lady; and if Walter ever abuses you, you will know wdiere to look for redress. But enough of that. Knowing that Walter was coming to see me, Jasper fancied we should have high words, if we did not actually come to blows. And I—l did, I am sorry to say, once forget my self, but it was quickly over. In the end we parted in kindness and amity. Fifteen minutes after Walter had gone Jasper came. Never mind all he said. He tried to anger me, and he did it. He finally spoke words of you that drove me mad, and I knocked him down. I remember little more. I was too far gone in passion to see clearly. But I know that he got up and that he shot me. I felt a crash on my head, and that was all. Yes,' he added, after a pause, •he had stolen Walter's pistol from his desk on purpose to turn suspicion upon him.' Here the old doctor interfered, and forbade his patient to talk any more. And then Jasper Kenwick, having once more pulled himself together, exclaimed, with hot indignation: ' Look ye, gentlemen. Why not let the curtain fall on this farce 1 If I am arrested for shooting ( Arthur Singleton, take me to prison, in Heaven's name ! Don't keep me here to afford entertainment for those who are bound to crush me if they can. But they'll find it more difficult than they think.' 'Jasper,' said the old banker, with another of thobe looks that caused the wretch to shrink and tremble, ' do you fancy I shall find it difficult to prove that you have committed the basest of forgeries, and that you have robbed me of more than two hundred thousand dollars V The villain managed to uphold him self with bold bravado. ' Bah !' he cried, spitefully—it was not genuine indignation—' I defy you! I have never committed a forgery in my life. And, sir, as for robbing you, go ahead with your proof if you dare. By' the heavens above! if you do it, I will open up to the public a story of baseness and crime on the part of

your— A sharp cry from Marion, who knew too well what he meant, "inter

rupted him; and before he could gol on, Mr Wilmot put forth his hand, and commanded silence. 'Sit down!' he said. 'Sit down, Jasper, and listen to a story I have to toll. Sit, all of you. and give me your ears. I will not detain you a great while; but I would have your atten tion while I speak.' . Mr Sheridan moved up a chair tor his prisoner, and bade him to sit, which he did; and presently the banker went on. 'Jasper Renwick, I wish to tell yon a story; and it is for the ears of others as well. And, mind you, it is a true story. Listen: «Once upon a time a man—ho was my nearest and dearest friend—found himself in trouble-in great danger. He was a banker.doing a thriving busi iness, which he sought to conduct hon ourably, and yet profitably. Let us call his name Hamlet. He once as sumed that name for a time, and it will answer as well as another. •Hamlet had a head clerk —a confidental clerk—whom he had never liked—had never, in his heart, trusted ; but he could not well put him away. Aforetime Hamlet had had a beloved partner. This clerk was of that partner's choosing. In short, the man had, in other years, saved the partner s life, and Hamlet bowed to the inevit able. At length the partner died; and on his death-bed he obtained from Hamlet a promise that he would retain the said clerk in his employ'till a given time. So, you see, the banker was still to be saddled with the man whom he had really come to fear.

' And now let me come #peedily to the end. It is not a pleasant subject to me, and I will not particularise. Time went on, until at length my friend Hamlet made an astounding discovery. A friend, on the eve of leaving his home for, he could not tell how long, left with him, for safe keeping, fifty thousand dollars in government bonds. They were placed in a strong envelope, and secured by three seals of red wax, bearing the owner's own device. They were laid away in a strong box to which only Hamlet himself should have had access : but it had become very evident, in course of time, that another had con trived to gain entrance. At all events, Hamlet discovered that the bonds had been taken from that envelope, and a mass of blank bank-note paper put in their place.

'Perhaps you can imagine my friend's feelings. The seals had been very deftly lifted off", probably by heat ing, and put back again with common gluten. Tlie discovery was made by Hamlet's finding one of the seals lifted at the edge ; so he had no difficulty in opening the packet, nor in restoring it to its original appearance. Naturally he suspected the head clerk, and ho began to watch and to examine.

- 'And now was to come another as tounding discovery. He very soon found that the clerk had a systematic course of falsification of the books, and the issuing of cheques I forged by himself, some of the blanks of which were taken from the cheque book of the office, while others were stolen from his employer's private book. How in the world, you will ask, did the man hope to carry ou such a course of high-handed knavery undetected ? Ah 1 there comes in the most monstrous part of his plot. Listen : •He had planned, when all should be ready for stepping out with his plunder, that he would quietly murder his master —the bankor—and so fix matters that he should appear to have died by suicide! Never mind how Hamlet discovered all this. Suffice it to say, his great danger sharpened his wits, and he had eyes everywhere. At length he knew that the clerk had purchased poison—a most deadly drug —and that it was to be administered to himself on the first opportunity. It so happened that my friend was at that time suffering with a throat trouble, for which he had obtained from his physician a medicine which he kept in his private office in the bank. 1 Well, finally, Hamlet knew that the thief—forger—would-be murderer —Jasper! the story interests you !' The poor wretch was the picture of woe and desolation. He looked, with a vacant stare, into Wilmot's face, but made no answer. The banker resumed : 'My friend knew that the poison had been put in his medicine. Then Hamlet bad recourse to his physician. The physician was a wonderful chemist. Into the hidden mysteries of nature he had delved with all his powers of mind and body; and we may almost say, what he did not know of chemistry was not worth knowing. To him Hamlet applied, frankly and freely, telling his story from beginning to end. The physician thought the matter over, and finally said : • Ham let, I can give you a draught that shall suspend in your syutem every vital action and every power, saving only that of life; and to all appearances you shall be as a man utterly dead. No doctor in the land, other than my self, could detect tho cU«at. The symptoms of death will be perfect.' And* he said, further, that the condi tion would continue for twelve hours if he were left unaided ; but he—the doctor —could administer an antidote that would revive him at any time after an hour or so. ' Gentlemen, my friend made up his mind to try the experiment; for thus, and thus alone, could he hope to save himself. His villainous clerk might conquer if he were allowed more time. The banker reasoned thus : ' I will die. My clerk shall see me dead, and be lieve that I am buried; and others must think the same. Then the vil lain will go boldly to his work. Be lieving me dead, as he has long planned I should be, he will heap upon my head his own villainies, thinking pone can dispute him,'

• So reasoned Hamlet : and I think you will see that he had good reason for what he did. By seeming to die lie would save his life from the arts of the poisoner, and, in another charac ter, come . back upon the scene and save his property. 'And he did it. He made his preparations, aud when all was ready the doctor gave him the wonderful agent, telling him how to use it; and the thing was done. Before swallow ing the magic drops the banker so j arranged things that his head clerk should think surely he swallowed the poison of his own furnishing. He swallowed the doctor's preparation, and remembered little more; but he learned afterwards that the false clerk was left alone with what he fully believed to be his master's dead body for a considerable time. During that time he dropped a phial labelled 'poison' by the side of the sofa on which the body lay, and also stole a number of blank cheques from the cheque-book in the bankers' desk, at the same time writing his own false hoods on the stubs, ' The body of my friend was borne to his dwelling, and there during the night, after it had been laid in a hur riedly procured casket, the good doctor brought him back to life, and put a log of wood in his place, then fastened the cover down; and so it was carried away and entombed. As for Hamlet himself, he got easily out of the way, and having been, in his younger days, a play-actor of no mean ability, he had no difficulty in assuming a suitable dis guise, and returning upon the scene in the character of a dear friend who was »0 the time thousands of miles away on fie other side of the continent.

At this point the narrator arose to his feet, and looked around, but in the end his eyes rested upon the girl sit ting there by the sofa-side. 'Ho!' he presently cried. 'Why keep up longer a deception which must by this time be apparent to you all ? Behold ! Now, Jasper Renwick, what think you of my proof V As he thus spoke he tore away the iron grey wig, and the grey, flowing beard ; his whole look was changed ; even the opalistic eyes had new light and meaning, and the false rotundity of the body was forgotten. ' Papa ! Papa ! Papa !' It was all she could say, as, in her unutterable joy, she was clasped to her father's bosom. She knew now why she had not sorrowed in her bereave ment as she should have sorrowed. In her Uncle Stephen she had found the lost one, and her heart felt it, though her reason knew it not. And Walter Vernon —at first he couid scarcely believe the evidence of his own senses; and yet, since the wonderful story had been fairly begun, he had been led to suspect the denoue ment. And so had the others. Of those present, only three had known the secret. The good old doctor had been a party to the deception, if not its originator; Jacob Andrews, the i 'oroner, had been informed later, as <iad Paul Sheridan. They were both men to be trusted ; and they had been trusted to good purpose. Jasper Renwick had not a word to say. He was an arrant coward, and when he found his edifice of crime thus pulled down upon his head, he was utterly crushed and broken. He knew that every dollar of the hundreds of thousands he had stolen and embezzled had been in his compact valise on board the Santa Clara ; and if they had got that, they had got all. Really, at that moment, the failure of his grand scheme and the loss of so vast a sum was more to him than was the shame, the ignominy, and the probable punishment. Pie was taken away ; and we will say here : In due time he was tried for forgery, robbery, embezzlement, and for attempting to kill with malice aforethought. No account was made of the abduction. He was convinced and sentenced, and a few years later he died in prison. Thomas Tobin was convicted of embezzlement and of uttering paper which he knew to be forged. He was sentenced to a term in the State prison ; and at the end of six years was pardoned out on account of un usually good behaviour and gentle-

manly deportment, and failing health

The last heard of him by his old friends of the bank he was somewhere in the gold region, making money. Arthur Singleton war, confined to his chamber for a time, but he.was able

to attend the wedding of Walter and and Marion, though he could not act as best man. He was not strong enough. Before tlie snows of the

winter had come, however, he was as strong as ever, and resumed his place in the bank as head clerk, Walter having become a partner in the busi ness.

And so the old sign was once more put up — ' Wilmot & Vernon, Bankers.' Not a dollar was lost through the peculations of Jasper Ren wick. Believing Matthew Wilmot to be dead and buried and out of the way, with no soul living that could prove his forgery of the dead man's name, he had gone boldly on; and, as had been anticipated and provided for, when ready for his final move, he had gathered together the whole sum of his stealings—he had been too grasping to let a shilling slip—into the receptacle which he had sent on board the Santa Clara, and which Andrews and his assistant officers had there found and captured. I 'All's well that ends well!' said Matthew Wilmot, when the strange tangle had been cleared, and his busi ness had become once more a pleasure to him. ' And,' he added, gayly,' of all the acting I ever did,l regard my enact ment of the person and character of Marion's uncle as the most effective, as it has certainly proved to be the most entertaining to the public. [THE END.]

THE AUCKLAND EVENING STAR. THURSDAY. SEPTEMBER 15, 1887.

6



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