CHAPTER XXIV

PROOF POSITIVE

Impatient of the interruption, Dean looked at Gebb in a quick, irritable way, like a man whose nerves are not under control; but, in his own interests, he answered quietly enough--

"I am coming to the Grangebury visit shortly," he said, "but it is necessary for me to explain what led to it, so that you may not misunderstand my reason for going there."

"I beg your pardon, Mr. Dean," replied the detective. "Pray go on."

"As I said before," continued the prisoner, "I was certain that Miss Gilmar had left a confession behind her, and after months of search I found it."

"Where?" asked Edith, much interested.

"In the Yellow Room. It was sewn into the hangings, between the satin and the lining, and, but for the particular minute search I made, would never have been discovered. I dare say Ellen Gilmar hid it thus safely so that she might not be accused of the crime in her lifetime; but no doubt when dying she intended to indicate its hiding-place, so that I might be set free and my character cleared, after she was safe from the punishment of man."

"As she is," observed Ferris, bitterly.

"Leave her to God," said Dean, slowly. "As she has sown, so shall she reap, and I wish her no worse fate. Well," continued he, "you will understand that as soon as I discovered this proof of my innocence I was bent upon clearing myself. But this was not so easy to do. I had escaped from gaol, and were I discovered would be at once taken back, when, as I fancied, the confession might go astray or prove useless. It was towards the end of July last that I found it, and I consulted Mr. Alder, who came down about the same time to visit Edith."

"Yes," said Edith, colouring. "He came to ask me again to marry him."

"Alder advised me to place the confession in the hands of Basson, and offered to take it up to him. But at the moment I was unwilling to let this proof of my innocence leave my hands, and I determined to go up to London myself and see Basson. But, thinking I might be discovered, I feared to do so--or at all events to go to Basson's office. I wrote and told Alder this, so he suggested that I should go to Grangebury, where Mr. Basson was giving a lecture, on the twenty-fourth of July, and he said I could come up late and see Mr. Basson before the lecture, place the confession in his hands with instructions what to do, and then return by a late train to Norminster. Thus, he said in his letter, I should be exposed to less risk of discovery. The advice seemed good to me, and I adopted it."

"But where did you get the money to visit London?" asked Edith. "For I never gave you any."

"I borrowed it from Mrs. Grix, and told her I was visiting a friend," explained Dean. "Also I asked her to tell you that I had gone into Norminster, in case you missed me."

"I didn't miss you at all, and there was no need for Mrs. Grix to say anything," said Miss Wedderburn. "All the same," she added reproachfully, "you might have trusted me."

"And me also," interposed Ferris. "I should have had the confession, not Basson."

"You are right," replied his father, with a sigh. "I behaved foolishly, I admit; but I acted, as I thought, for the best. On the twenty-fourth of July, by the five o'clock train, I went up to Grangebury."

"Did you know that Miss Gilmar was there?" asked Gebb, with a glance at Edith.

"No, I did not," answered Dean. "Why do you ask?"

"Because Miss Wedderburn knew of Miss Gilmar's whereabouts."

"That is true enough," responded Edith, calmly; "but I did not think it necessary at the time to tell Mr. Dean. No one but myself--and later on Arthur--knew that Miss Gilmar was lodging in Paradise Row. Continue, Mr. Dean!"

"I arrived late in Grangebury, about six o'clock, and went to a public-house, where I had some tea, and made myself as respectable as possible to go to the lecture. I intended to see Mr. Basson before it began, and then take the nine o'clock train to Norminster."

"Had you a return ticket?" asked Gebb, remembering the one found in the Yellow Room.

"Yes; a third-class return. However, in the public-house I fell asleep, being worn out with trouble and fatigue. I did not waken until it was nearly nine o'clock, and then went to the Town Hall. Mr. Basson was already on the platform, so I could not speak to him. Yet I was anxious to get back to Norminster on that night, as I did not want Edith to know I had been in London."

"But why?" said Edith. "You must have been aware that you could trust me."

"I wished you to know nothing, my dear, until Basson proved my innocence," replied Dean, sadly. "But I should have trusted you. I see it now. However, I did not go back that night, for I lost my ticket."

"Where did you lose it?" asked Gebb, eagerly, for this was a most important point.

Dean shook his head. "I can't say," he replied. "I saw Mr. Alder at the door of the Town Hall, and told him that I was going back, but gave him the confession, and asked him to show it to Basson. He tried to get me to remain, but I was bent on returning, and knew that the confession was safe in his hands. I ran to the station, but there found I had lost my ticket, where I know not. I had no money to buy another, so I went back to the Town Hall and saw Mr. Alder again about half-past nine o'clock. Then, to my surprise, I saw Edith enter the Hall."

"I had just returned from getting the necklace from Miss Gilmar," explained Edith. "I came up to Grangebury after you did."

"I did not know you were out of Kirkstone Hall," said Dean. "Well, I did not trouble to wonder why you were there; but lest you should see me I kept myself out of sight. I then explained my position to Mr. Alder. He gave me some money, and advised me to stay all night at Grangebury. I was unwilling to do so, but as the last train had left I was forced to stay. I slept in the public-house where I had been before, and left by the early train next morning."

"Did you hear of the murder before you left?"

"No, as I departed early. So you see, Mr. Gebb, I can prove an alibi; for at the time of the murder--ten o'clock it was, the paper said--I was asleep in the public-house. The keeper of it can prove that I was."

"What is the name of the public-house?"

"The Golden Hind, near the railway station."

Gebb noted this name in his pocket-book, and rose to his feet "So this is all you have to tell me?" said he, briskly.

"All!--and enough, too. I don't know who killed Ellen Gilmar. It was not I."

"If the hotel keeper can prove your alibi that will be all right, Mr. Dean. But this confession; you say Mr. Alder has it?"

"Yes. But I asked him to make no use of it," replied Dean, "for, as I was in Grangebury on the very night--about the very hour--that Ellen was murdered, I was afraid, if Alder acted on the confession, I might be accused of the second crime. Certainly I had a defence; but the evidence was so strong against me that I did not wish to risk appearing."

"Do you know who killed Miss Gilmar?"

"No!" cried Dean, vehemently, "I do not."

"Then what about these?" said Gebb, and suddenly produced the jewels of Miss Gilmar. "These ornaments belonged to the dead woman; they were taken off her body by the wretch who killed her. I found them hidden in your room at Kirkstone Hall; yet you swear that you do not know the name of the assassin. What am I to understand by this contradiction?"

"It's a plot to ruin me," said Dean, becoming very pale. "I did not know that these jewels were in my room. I never saw them before. Edith! Arthur! What do you know of this?"

"We know nothing," they said simultaneously.

"Come, Mr. Dean," said Gebb, imperiously, "these ornaments would not have been hidden in your room without your knowledge. If your alibi is to be believed you are innocent, but on this evidence you must know who is guilty."

Dean gave a long sigh, and lapsed into his old sullen manner.

"I know nothing about them," he said in a piteous tone; "some one must have put them there. I don't know who. I have told you the truth, but even that will not help one, and I shall be condemned for the second time--an innocent man. Oh, God is cruel--cruel!" and the tears ran down his cheeks.

After that there was little more to be said. The old man was ill and feeble. For the moment he had braced himself to tell his story, and the hope of being righted had given him unnatural strength; but now that all was told, Nature claimed her own, and Dean fell back on his bed thoroughly exhausted. Ferris desired to stay beside his father, but when the warder came back they would not permit this, and in the end the three left the prison. In the street Gebb turned to speak a few words to Edith before leaving for town, as he had decided to do.

"What are your intentions?" he asked.

"I shall stay here until to-morrow," she replied. "I am too exhausted to return to London to-night But I must go up in the morning, as I promised to see Mr. Alder."

"Alder?" repeated Gebb, who had half forgotten the man; "how is he?"

"Very ill--dying, they say; and he sent for me to see him. I could not go to-day, as I came here with Arthur to see what had been done about his father. Do you think he is innocent?"

"Yes, I do," replied Gebb; "but I am puzzled about the jewels. I cannot help thinking that Dean knows something about them; but he won't speak."

"He may to-morrow morning," said Ferris, quickly. "I think he is too exhausted to-night to remember much more. His memory has been severely taxed to-day, you know. I shall speak to him to-morrow, and whatever he tells me I shall tell you, Mr. Gebb."

"Very well," replied Gebb, dubiously, and walked briskly to the railway station, as he was anxious to reach London, to see Parge and tell him what he had discovered.

Also, he desired the advice of Parge regarding the jewels, for despite Arthur's promise, he did not trust him altogether. The young man had deceived him before, and should occasion arise might do so again. So Gebb determined to act independently of anything which might be said by Dean in the morning. He was surrounded on all sides by people who, with their own ends to gain, were more or less unscrupulous, so it behoved him to be wary. Otherwise, he would never pluck out the heart of this mystery.

On arriving in town Gebb went to his office, and there found three letters for him. Two, from the station-master and the ticket-clerk of Norminster Station, were corroborative of Dean's visit to town on the evening of the twenty-fourth of July; for both stated that Mad Martin, the gardener of Kirkstone Hall, had purchased a return ticket, and had left for London by the five o'clock train. But knowing what he did, this evidence came too late to enlighten Gebb in any degree, so he tossed the letters aside and opened the third one. It proved to be from Parge, requesting him to call and see him at once on important business concerning the Grangebury murder case, these latter words being underlined.

"He has found out something," thought Gebb. "I wonder what it is? another mare's-nest, I expect. However, we'll see. I'll call to-morrow."

At ten o'clock next morning he was in Pimlico, and in the presence of Mr. Parge, who received him with a look of subdued triumph.

"Well, Absalom," said he, "have you discovered who killed Miss Gilmar?"

"No, I haven't, Simon; have you?"

"Yes. I found out the truth from--who do you think?"

"I don't know," said Gebb, impatiently. "Mrs. Presk, perhaps."

"No, not from the mistress, but from the maid--Matilda Crane."

Gebb looked at the ex-detective in amazement. "Why, what did she know about it?"

"She knew who visited Miss Gilmar on the night of the murder. I said you had not examined that girl properly, Absalom, so I sent for her to put a few questions myself. Then I discovered that she had found, cast into the grate among other papers, a letter written by the assassin to Miss Gilmar. Here it is."

Gebb took the bit of paper handed to him, and read as follows:--

"Dear Miss Gilmar,

"I wish to see you on the evening of the 24th July, between nine and ten o'clock, about some information touching Dean. Get rid of every one in the house at that time, and expect me for certain. It will be better for us to be alone. Burn this.

"Yours truly, "John Alder."

"Alder!" repeated Gebb, in amazement; "Alder!"

"Yes! it was Alder who murdered that wretched woman."