Chapter 30

CONCLUSION

About ten days afterwards I one morning received by post a brief note from Guertin, written from the Prefecture in Paris, urging me to go at once to the Victoria Hotel at Varenna, on the Lake of Como, where, if I waited in the name of Brown, my patience would be rewarded.

And there, sure enough, six days later, as I sat one evening in my private sitting-room, the door suddenly opened and my well-beloved, in a dark travelling gown, sprang forward and embraced me, sobbing for very joy.

Can I adequately describe the happiness of that reunion. Of what I uttered I have no recollection, for I held her closely in my arms as I kissed her hot tears away.

A man stood by--a tall, silent, gentlemanly man, whose hair was grey, and whose face as he advanced beneath the strong light showed traces of disguise.

"I am Philip Poland--Sonia's father," he exclaimed in a low voice. Whereupon I took the hand of the escaped prisoner, and expressed the utmost satisfaction at that meeting, for he had risked his liberty to come there to me.

"Sonia has told me everything," he said; "and I can only regret that those blackguards have treated you and her as they have. But Guertin, who is a humane man, even though he be a detective, has tracked them down, and only yesterday I heard Du Cane--the man who made that false charge against myself, and stepped into my shoes; the man who intended that my poor girl should marry that young scoundrel Forbes--has been discovered in Breslau, and is being extradited to England."

"On the night of your arrest, Mr. Poland, a mystery occurred," I said presently, as we sat together exchanging many confidences, as I held my dear wife's soft little hand in mine.

"Yes," he replied. "It was only while I was out at Devil's Island that I learnt the truth. Du Cane, intending to get me out of the way, hit upon a very ingenious plan of sending a man made up as Guertin--whom I only knew by sight--to see me and suggest suicide rather than arrest. This man--a person named Lefevre--came and made the suggestion. He did not know that Du Cane had written anonymously to the Prefecture, and never dreamed that Guertin himself would follow him so quickly. On leaving, he apparently hung about watching the result of his dastardly mission, when Harriman--or Bell as we knew him--walked up the drive, in order to call in secret upon me. He espied a man whom he recognized as Guertin peering in at the window, and, creeping up behind him, struck him down before he could utter a word. Afterwards he slipped away, believing that he had killed our arch-enemy, the chief of the _surete_. Presently, however, the body of the unfortunate Lefevre was found by Guertin himself, who had come to arrest me."

"And Harriman admitted this!" I exclaimed.

"Yes. He admitted it to me upon his death-bed. He died of fever a week before I made my dash for liberty. But," he added, "Sonia has told me of that dastardly attempt which those hell-fiends Reckitt and Forbes made upon you in Porchester Terrace, and how they also tortured her. But they were fortunately alarmed and fled precipitately, leaving Sonia unconscious."

"Yes," declared my sweet wife. "When I came to myself I recollected, in horror, what they had told me concerning the fate to which they had abandoned you in the adjoining room, and with a great effort managed to free myself and seek you. I cut the straps which bound you, and succeeded in killing the snake just in time to save you. Then I stole away and left, fearing that you might suspect me of having had some hand in the affair."

"And you saved my life, darling!" I exclaimed, kissing her fondly on the lips.

Then, turning to Poland, I said--

"The police are hunting for you everywhere. Cannot you get to some place where you are not liable to be taken back to France?"

"To-morrow, if I am fortunate," he said, with a faint smile, "I return to the modest little villa I have rented on the hill-side outside Athens. In Greece one is still immune from arrest for offences abroad."

"And I shall return to London with you, Owen. Father and I have travelled to Trieste, and thence here, in order that I should rejoin you, now that the danger is past."

"Ah! darling," I cried. "I never for one moment doubted you! Yet I admit that the circumstances once or twice looked very black and suspicious."

"Alas! I could not prevent it," she declared; "I left you and joined Dad at the Coliseum, because I went in fear of some further attempt being made upon us, and I felt you and I would be safe if I were with him. He had no idea when he met the others at Stamford that Forbes and Reckitt and Du Cane had effected that _coup_ with the Archduchess's jewels."

"No. I had no idea of it," said Poland. "My meeting with them was one of farewell. I had already severed my connection with them three years ago, before my arrest."

And then, after some further explanations, I clasped my loved one in my arms and openly repeated my declaration of fervent love and fond affection.

Of the rest, what need be said?

Sonia is now very happy, either down at Carrington or at Wilton Street, for the black clouds which overshadowed the earlier days of our marriage have rent asunder, and given place to all the sunshine and brightness of life and hope.

No pair could be happier than we.

Twice we have been to Athens as the guest of the tall, grey-haired Englishman who is such a thorough-going cosmopolitan, and who lives in Greece for the sake of the even climate and the study of its antiquities. No one in the Greek capital recognizes Mr. Wilfrid Marsh as the once-famous Louis Lessar.

And dear old Jack Marlowe, still our firm and devoted friend, is as full of good-humoured philosophy as ever, and frequently our visitor. He still leads his careless existence, and is often to be seen idling in the window of White's, smoking and watching the passers-by in St. James's Street.

You who read the newspapers probably know how Arnold Du Cane, alias Pennington, alias Winton, was recently sentenced at the Old Bailey to fifteen years, and the two young Frenchmen, Terassier and Brault, to seven years each, for complicity in the robbery on the Scotch express.

And probably you also read the account of how two mysterious Englishmen named Reckitt and Forbes, who had been arrested in Paris, had, somehow, prior to their extradition to England, managed to obtain possession of blades of safety-razors, and with them had both committed suicide.

In consequence of this there was no trial of the perpetrators of those brutal crimes in Porchester Terrace.

The whole affair was but a nine days' horror, and as the authorities saw that no good could accrue from alarming the public by further publicity or inquiry, it was quickly "Hushed up."

THE END

_Richard Clay & Sons, Limited, London and Bungay._

"THE MASTER OF MYSTERY"

WILLIAM LE QUEUX'S NOVELS

Opinions in 1911

"Mr. William Le Queux retains his position as 'The Master of Mystery.' ... He is far too skilful to allow pause for thought: he whirls his readers from incident to incident, holding their attention from the first page to the close of the book."--_Pall Mall Gazette._

"Mr. Le Queux is the master of mystery. He never fails to produce the correct illusion. He always leaves us panting for more--a brilliant feat."--_Daily Graphic._

"Mr. Le Queux is still 'The Master of Mystery.'"--_Madame._

"Mr. Le Queux is a most experienced hand in writing sensational fiction. He never loses the grip of his readers."--_Publishers' Circular._

"Mr. Le Queux always grips his reader, and holds him to the last page."--_Bristol Times and Mirror._

"Mr. Le Queux's books once begun must be read to the end."--_Evening News._

"There is no better companion on a railway journey than Mr. William Le Queux."--_Daily Mail._

"Mr. Le Queux knows his business, and carries it on vigorously and prosperously. His stories are always fantastic and thrilling."--_Daily Telegraph._

"Mr. Le Queux is an adept at the semi-detective story. His work is always excellent."--_Review of Reviews._

"Mr. Le Queux is always so refreshing in his stories of adventure that one knows on taking up a new book of his that one will be amused."--_Birmingham Post._

"Mr. Le Queux's books are delightfully convincing."--_Scotsman._

"Mr. Le Queux's books are always exciting and absorbing. His mysteries are enthralling and his skill is world-famous."--_Liverpool Daily Post._

"Mr. Le Queux has brought the art of the sensational novel to high perfection."--_Northern Whig._

"Mr. Le Queux is so true to his own style that any one familiar with his books would certainly guess him to be the author, even if his name were not given."--_Methodist Recorder._

"'As good wine needs no bush' so no mystery story by Mr. Le Queux, the popular weaver of tales of crime, needs praise for its skill. Any novel with this author's name appended is sure to be ingenious in design and cleverly worked out."--_Bookseller._

"Mr. Le Queux is always reliable. The reader who picks up any of his latest novels knows what to expect."--_Bookman._

"Mr. Le Queux's admirers are legion, and the issue of a new novel is to them one of the most felicitous events that can happen."--_Newcastle Daily Chronicle._

"Mr. Le Queux is the master of the art of mystery-creating."--_Liverpool Daily Post._

A Descriptive List of NASH'S Two-Shilling NOVELS

The greatest popular success of modern publishing.

Autumn 1911

Exactly like 6/- Novels in size :: :: quality and appearance :: ::

Recognisable everywhere by their green cloth covers on which are coloured medallions

NASH'S 2/- NOVELS

LATEST VOLUMES

_An Exchange of Souls_ By Barry Pain

_The Arrest of Arsene Lupin_ By Maurice Leblanc

_The Perfume of the Lady in Black_ By Gaston Leroux

_The Lady of the Hundred Dresses_ By S. R. Crockett

_The Silent House_ By Louis Tracy

_Hushed Up_ By William Le Queux

_Yellow Men and Gold_ By Gouverneur Morris

NASH'S 2/- NOVELS

_VOLUMES ALREADY ISSUED_ MYSTERY & DETECTIVE STORIES

+The Hollow Needle+ _By Maurice Leblanc_

A story of Arsene Lupin, the greatest, most ingenious and most daring criminal in modern fiction.

"A thrilling and fascinating story ... not less exciting or less mystifying than its predecessors."--_Liverpool Daily Post._

"Well worthy of its place in the famous set of adventures."--_Observer._

+The Black Spider+ _By Carlton Dawe_

"Described as a sensational story of a female 'Raffles' this tale ... in every way lives up to its description."--_Birmingham Daily Post._

"Full of thrills from beginning to end."--_Western Mail._

"An extremely powerful story ... well worked out, and the mixture of romance with a story of the 'Raffles' type is well calculated to please."--_T.P.'s Weekly._

+The Window at The White Cat+ _by Mary Roberts Rinehart_

_Author of "The Circular Staircase," etc._

"The plot is skilful and the incidents exciting. It is something more than a mere detective story: there is character in it, and a pleasant love story, and a quite refreshing sense of humour."--_The Outlook._

"We greatly enjoyed the brisk dialogue and the unexpected ending."--_Evening Times._

+The Wife He Never Saw+ _By Max Marcin_

"A decidedly clever bit of sensation, ... worked out with considerable resource. Altogether a fine thrill."--_Liverpool Courier._

"A vigorous and briskly moving yarn--the best thing of the kind we have encountered for some considerable time."--_Birmingham Daily Post._

+The Red Symbol+ _By John Ironside_

"Enthralling, entertaining and powerful ... clean and wholesome, it is one of the most powerful novels we have had for a long time ... a fine mystery story most excellently told and holding its reader in its grasp from start to finish."--_Dublin Daily Express._

"A love story full of thrilling incidents."--_Country Life._

"Vigour and swing characterise the book, which has no dull pages, and which keeps its alluring secret until near the end."--_Glasgow Herald._

+Raffles+ _By E. W. Hornung_

"Hats off to Raffles."--_Daily Telegraph._

+The House of Whispers+ _By William Le Queux_

"Mystery--tantalising and baffling."--_The Yorkshire Post._

"An excellent tale."--_The Daily Telegraph._

"Full of arresting situations and making a strong appeal at every stage to the instinct of curiosity."--_The Pall Mall Gazette._

"Mr. Le Queux will please thousands by this work."--_The Morning Leader._

+Treasure of Israel+ _by William Le Queux_

"Another of his wonderful mystery stories."--_Liverpool Daily Post._

"An admirably worked piece of sensationalism ... ought to please a host of readers."--_The Sunday Times._

"Mr. Le Queux keeps his readers fascinated to the end."--_The Yorkshire Post._

"The author is at his raciest; each chapter discloses some new phase of the mystery, each page supplies a new thrill of excitement."--_The Pall Mall Gazette._

+The House of the Whispering Pines+ _By Anna Katharine Green_

_Author of "The Leavenworth Case."_

"The author has written nothing so good since her famous 'Leavenworth Case.' The story grips one from the first scene.... The book is crammed with incident ... there is not a dull page from first to last."--_The Outlook._

"So ingenious, plausible, dramatic, and well-thought-out a plot is a relief after the far-fetched absurdities of many tales of the kind. The most austere reader ... will find himself consumed with wonder as to whom the guilty man can be."--_The Evening Standard._

+The Man who Drove the Car+ _By Max Pemberton_

"Excellent and thrilling reading."--_The Morning Leader._

"The book is excellent reading."--_The Daily Express._

"Exciting enough to please the most blase reader of sensational fiction."--_North Mail._

"A thoroughly delightful book, absorbing, and of tense interest throughout."--_The Liverpool Daily Post._

Humorous & Breezy Books.

+Stranleigh's Millions+ _By Robert Barr_

"He is a good fellow, and, like Mr. Barr, invariably entertaining."--_Daily Graphic._

"Very amusing, very delightful."--_The Globe._

+Sea Dogs+ _By Morley Roberts_

"A jolly collection."--_The Evening Standard._

"Mighty interesting."--_The Daily Chronicle._

"A bright and breezy book."--_The Daily Mail._

"Very funny indeed ... the whole book is one good laugh."--_The Observer._

"For wit and humour and invention it would be hard to beat."--_The Referee._

_VOLUMES ALREADY ISSUED_ :: :: SOCIAL COMEDIES :: ::

+A Honeymoon--And After+ _By F. C. Philips & Percy Fendall_

"A really clever novel of modern society life."--_The Dundee Advertiser._

"A well-written and clever novel."--_The Dublin Express._

"A bright, well-written story that holds the reader till the end."--_The Pall Mall Gazette._

"Owes much of its sustained interest to ruthless pictures of life in frivolous West-end circles."--_The Daily Chronicle._

+Envious Eliza+ _By Madame Albanesi_

"Eliza is charming."--_The Standard._

"Human and genuine throughout."--_The Morning Leader._

"The reader is carried on to the end with unabated pleasure and zest."--_The Bookman._

"The authoress has the gift of informing her characters with life and charm.... The book cannot fail to consolidate the position which the authoress has won by her earlier works."--_The Daily News._

+Jack and Three Jills+ _By F. G. Philips_

_Author of "As in a Looking Glass," etc._

"An arresting and clever piece of observation."--_Bystander._

"An entertaining story of legal life.... Jack ... is frank, manly, and generally attractive."--_Pall Mall Gazette._

+The Divine Fire+ _By May Sinclair_

"Judged by almost every standard to which a comedy like this should be referred, I find her book the most remarkable that I have read for many years."--Mr. Owen Seaman in _Punch._

"A novel to read, and what is more to keep and read again."--_Outlook._

+A Lucky Young Woman+ _By F. C. Philips_

"Shows us the author at his best."--_Pall Mall Gazette._

Yorkshire Life.

+Mr. Poskitt's Nightcaps+ _By J. S. Fletcher_

"Excellent ... comic and tragic episodes of Yorkshire life, rich in character and dramatic force."--_The Morning Leader._

A Masterpiece of Fiction.

+The Nun+ _By Rene Bazin_

"A book which no one who reads it will ever forget."--_The Westminster Gazette._

"It is difficult to speak in measured terms of this exquisite story ... a consummate artist, his work eats into the heart, and lives in the memory as do but few books from modern authors."--_The Daily Telegraph._

"It is long since we have read a tragedy so intensely moving as the story of this innocent peasant girl.... 'The Nun' is a masterwork of fiction."--_The Daily Graphic._

TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES:

1. Minor changes have been made to correct typesetters' errors; otherwise, every effort has been made to remain true to the author's words and intent.

2. In the advertising pages, titles were in bold font; + has been used in this text version to indicate that.

3. Following the title page, this edition included a page of magazine and newspaper reviews of William Le Queux's books. This has been moved to just before the advertising pages at the end of this e-text.