THE SECRET IS REVEALED.
On receipt of Mr. Hersham's letter, Fanks out Sir Louis, and him the communication. He had told the all that he had from Mrs. Prisom; for, without permission, he not to the of the late Sir Francis. If he did not do so, he would not be able to the of the cross; therefore, for the of his ends, and also with a in Fellenger's good sense, he him his confidant, and the in his hands. Louis read it carefully; and, all that had gone before, he it partially. Nevertheless, he was puzzled as to the meaning of the affair; and looked to Fanks for an explanation.
"What do you think of that?" asked Fanks, when the gave the in silence. "Can you it?"
"I do not think it is very difficult to understand," said Fellenger, with a of his shoulders, "Madeline Garry from the Isle of Wight; she was starving, and she met with a good Samaritan, who took her in. Afterwards, she London, and left her child to be adopted. That child is your friend, Edward Hersham. The is plain enough."
"It is so as you have related it. But Hersham has the of St. Catherine on his arm. Why should the child of Madaline Garry be marked in that way?"
"Perhaps my uncle marked the child. He to have had a for tattooing."
"Why should Sir Francis mark the child of Fielding?"
There was something so in the of the that Sir Louis looked at him intently. What he saw in his his next remark. "You don't think Hersham is illegitimate, do you?" he asked.
"Indeed, that is my opinion," returned Fanks. "Why was Sir Francis of Madaline Garry? Because he had done her a wrong. Why did she Fielding, almost on the same day that your uncle married Miss Darmer? Why did Sir Francis the child with his cross? The answer to all these questions is--to my mind--to be in the that the child of Madaline Garry was also the child of Sir Francis Fellenger. I that Hersham is the half-brother of the man who was at Tooley's Alley."
"It likely," Louis, nursing his with his hand. "But how can you the truth of your statement?"
"There are two ways. One is by Binjoy. He may know as he was in at the birth of Gregory, and at that of Hersham. He may tell the truth; but as he is delirious, there is no of any from him. The second way is to out Madaline Garry, and her to own up. But the only person who where she is, is Mrs. Jerusalem, who has vanished. If I Mrs. Jerusalem, I may the other woman. But at present that is also."
"Quite impossible. I do not see what you can do."
"Do you what Mrs. Prisom said about the in the study of your late uncle?"
"Yes. She to some in with the desk, which was to be used for the of Gregory, should Madaline Garry attempt to herself."
"Exactly. Well, we must the desk. I that Sir Francis, the anger of the woman he had wronged, out a full account of his sin; and of the why he the on the arm of the child. If we can that paper--which Sir Francis was in the desk, we may why your was murdered."
"I cannot what you mean."
"You will know soon enough," Fanks, a sadly. "I have a very idea of what will be the outcome of my search. If are as I think, it will not be long I the of Sir Gregory. I have an instinct--and more than an instinct--that the to the which has me so long, is about to be in my hand. I shall be pleased for my own sake; I shall be sorry for yours."
"Why. What do you mean? I do not understand. Explain yourself, Mr. Fanks."
"No," Fanks, his head. "I may be wrong, and I do not wish to you pain. Let me the desk. If I am wrong, all the for you; all the for the case. If am right, I had you learned the truth without my intervention. Come, Sir Louis, let us the study of your late uncle. Do you know where it is?"
"Oh, yes," said Sir Louis, leading the way. "It has been up since his death. You know my was not a man of books, so he did not use it. As for myself, I am always in my laboratory in the old wing. If Sir Francis left any paper in his desk, it will be there still. Unless," added Louis, with an afterthought, "unless it was taken away by the woman he feared."
"No. If the paper had Madaline Garry power to herself on the of her old lover, she would have used that power; and then Mrs. Prisom might have by acting on the last of Sir Francis. Nothing of this has happened; so I am sure that if the paper is in that desk, we shall it; if we it we shall learn the truth about this cross; and, consequently, the which the of your cousin."
After which speech, the with Sir Louis to the study of the late Sir Francis Fellenger.
Sir Louis the door; and they entered into the long-disused room. It had been up for many years, the was and musty, with a of decay. Fanks opened the shutters, and the into the apartment; it the on which their marks; it on the old-fashioned furniture, and comfortless, such as was used in the early days of the Victorian era; and--to the of the detective--it a escritoire, all and pigeon-holes, and handles. The key, and rusty, was still in the lock; and Louis, it over with, a creak, open the of which the cloth. This was with green cloth, ink-stained and dusty, but on it there rested no papers ink. Evidently the papers had been the had been closed, and left to its many years' solitude.
Fanks and the one after the other. These nothing but of newspaper, of which they carefully, but without any to the cross. There were also of old letters; and accounts, and records of ships, and stores, and expenses; of Fellenger's days. In another they sea-shells, and on cardboard; while some pictures, and small charts. But they the paper to which Sir Francis had in that last long with Mrs. Prisom.
"Well, it is not in any of these," said Fanks, with a look of disappointment. "I wonder where it can be?"
"Perhaps there is a drawer," Sir Louis.
"It is not unlikely; and no the paper would be in such a out of of the woman.
"I you are right, Sir Louis; let us look for a drawer. If there is one I shall it; I have been at this of work before; and I have an idea how to go about it."
Fanks no boast, for after a hard search of an hour or more; after with the and with a tape, they across a hiding-place, in the of the at the of the desk. Herein was a paper yellow with age, which Fanks slowly out; for it was so with time that he it would in his hand; this to the light of the window he read carefully, while Sir Louis waited for a of its contents. The of the when he read it; and he at the baronet, when he his perusal.
"It is the paper I to find," he said, slowly, "and it up the most point of the case. But I told you, Mr. Fellenger, that the would give you pain. Read them for yourself."
"Why do you call me Mr. Fellenger?" asked Louis, quietly.
"You will the answer to that question in this paper," Fanks, and passed it to the baronet. After a pause, and a at the detective, Fellenger took the thin yellow sheet, and read it slowly. This was what he read, in the of Sir Francis:
"I have Madaline Garry; I am the father of the child to her about the same time that my heir, Gregory, was born. Madaline me to her; but, for which I need not here, I was unable to do so. She married Luke Fielding, and he is to be the father of her child. This is not so; the boy is mine. When my wife died, Madaline on to the Hall and nursing Gregory. For I not her; she would have the truth, and have me and her family, had I not to her wish. She came to the Hall with her own child and nursed that of my late wife. But I was that she would the children so that her son should what to his half-brother. I was twice nearly sending her away on account of this fear; but she to me by the truth; so I let her stay. But, to the danger, I one night on the left arm of my son, Gregory, the of St. Catherine, which I had already on the arm of Madaline and of Nancy Prisom. Should the children be changed, and I die, the truth can be by the cross. The child marked with the is my son and heir, Gregory Fellenger; the other is his brother, Edward, the son of myself and Madaline Garry. I hope, in this way, that I shall prevent Madaline from herself on me, as I sure she to do.
(Signed), Francis Luddham Fellenger."
On reading this document, Louis the room him, and he was to be seated. Fanks him and the paper--the paper which the man at one of title and property. Louis himself, and faintly. "I understand," he said, in a low tone, "Sir Gregory the title and wrongfully; Hersham is the heir."
"Yes. Madaline Garry her vengeance. She put her child in the place of the heir, after the death of Sir Francis, and took away the son of Lady Fellenger. That was why she came to the Hall to be the nurse; she wanted her child to the property. Owing to the and the father being alive, she not the children; but when Sir Francis was killed she did so, and therefore the title for her son. I now why she so with Hersham so that he should be by the Vicar of Fairview; he was not her child, but that of her in the of Sir Francis; I can see all this; so can you; but," added Fanks, with hesitation, "can you how this you?"
"Certainly," Louis, calmly, "I shall have to give the property up to my cousin, who now goes by the name of Hersham. I you, I shall not mind the so much as you to think. As I told you, I nothing for money, and for science. Oh, me, Mr. Fanks, I am to title and estates, and go to Taxton-on-Thames, as plain Louis Fellenger."
"You can this matter?"
"I shall not the matter. I that paper to be true. We it together; and it proved a doubt--by the of the on Hersham's left arm, that he is the Sir Gregory, and the owner of these estates. Let him have them; I shall not one to prevent his what is his own. Besides, I like Hersham--as I may still call him--he is a good fellow. I used to meet him at Taxton-on-Thames. Let him Anne Colmer, and take up his position; he will make a much than I."
They left the room, and again to the library. In there Louis asked Fanks a question which had been in his mind for some time.
"I say, Mr. Fanks," he said, "what makes you say that this up the of Tooley's Alley?"
"Well," said Fanks, "someone must have this story; and have told it to Sir Gregory. That was why he allowed the to be on his arm."
"I don't see that."
"Why, the person who told him the him that the only he had of the property was to be with the mark, which Sir Francis said was on the arm of his heir."
"Oh, I now. But who was the person who told Sir Gregory the of that and it on his arm?"
"Ah," said Fanks, "tell me the name of that person, and I'll tell you the of the son of Madaline Garry, who the title and name of Sir Gregory Fellenger."
