Vellenaux A Novel by Edmund William Forrest (best fiction novels .TXT) 📖

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Stolen From His Desk On The Morning Of His Death. Has The Lawyer Sent

For Yet Arrived? If So,  I Will Give My Deposition On Oath,  Ere It Is Too

Late: I Am Not A Principal,  But An Accessory. After The Fact--" Here Sir

Ralph Fell Back On The Pillow,  And Remained Motionless Several Minutes,

During Which Time The Rector And Lawyer Had Been Summoned From The

Parlor Below. The Rector Being A Magistrate Undertook To Put A Few

Questions To The Dying Man Before He Gave,  His Testimony. When

Sufficiently Recovered To Speak,  The Baronet,  In A Husky Voice,  Related

The Whole Of His Interview With Mrs. Fraudhurst,  Her Production Of The

Will And The Compact Entered Into Between Them. The Document Was Sworn

To,  Signed And Duly Witnessed By Those Present.

 

"Arthur Give This Will Into The Hands Of Miss Effingham,  Or Her Legal

Adviser,  And Obtain Her Forgiveness For Me." This The Gallant Soldier

Faithfully Promised To Do. The Room Was Then Cleared Of All Except The

Rector And The Dying Baronet. He Lingered Until Sometime After Midnight,

And Ere The Light Of Another Day Dawned,  His Spirit Had Passed Away,  And

The Baronetcy Became Extinct.

 

During The Following Day Mr. Russell,  The Agent,  Arrived,  And Arthur,  In

The Name Of Miss Effingham,  Authorized Him To Settle All Claims,  And

Have The Body Of The Late Sir Ralph Conveyed To Vellenaux For Interment.

Having Thus Arranged Matters,  Captain Carlton And His Friend Draycott

Started By The Next Train For London.

 

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It Was By No Means An Uncommon Occurrence For Sir Ralph To Absent

Himself From Home For A Day Or Two Without Communicating To Any One His

Intentions Or The Direction In Which He Was Going,  Therefore His Absence

At The Dinner Table In The Evening Did Not Excite Any Misgivings In The

Mind Of Mrs. Fraudhurst,  But His Non-Appearance At The Breakfast Table

The Following Morning Caused Considerable Disquietude To That Amiable

Person. Hurried On By Her Ambition She Had Aimed At Too High A Prize,

And In So Doing Had Let Slip The Reins Of Power. The Possession Of The

Will Was The Only Hold She Had Ever Had On The Baronet And Now When Too

Late She Perceived,  To Her Dismay,  The Awkward Position In Which She

Stood. Ever Suspicious Of The Motives Of Others; She Now Tormented

Herself With Apprehensions Concerning His Absence,  And The Business That

Could Have Taken Him Away At That Particular Time. From The Servants She

Could Gain No Information Regarding His Movements; But It Occurred To

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Her That Old Bridoon,  The Gate-Keeper,  Could Throw Some Light On The

Subject,  And Therefore Determined To Lose No Time In Questioning Him As

To The Direction Taken By His Master.

 

The Person Who Had Been Despatched To Southampton To Summon Mr. Russell,

The Agent,  Found The Gentleman In Question Had Gone To Vellenaux,  And

Thinking From What He Had Overheard That It Was A Matter Of Considerable

Importance,  Made No Longer Delay In That Good Town Than Was Actually

Necessary,  But Took The First Train To Switchem,  And From Thence On Foot

To The Lodge Gates,  And Walked Quickly Up The Avenue; When Near The Lawn

He Encountered Mrs. Fraudhurst,  Who,  Noticing Him To Be A Stranger And

In Haste,  Accosted Him And Enquired His Business.

 

"I Am Looking For Mr. Russell,  My Lady," Was His Reply.

 

"He Resides In Southampton; But Where Have You Come From,  And Who Is It

That Wishes To See Him?"

 

"Sir Ralph Coleman,  My Lady,  Has Met With An Accident About Two Miles

From Fallowfield,  And Is Not Expected To Live Long. He Has Sent For His

Agent,  And I Have Been To Southampton,  But Was Told That I Should Find

Him Here."

 

The Widow Started And Turned Deadly Pale. "He Has The Will With Him,"

She Thought.

 

"I Beg Pardon,  My Lady,  For Being So Abrupt,--Perhaps You Are Lady

Coleman," For He Noticed Her Start And Change Color.

 

"Pray Go On,  My Good Fellow,  And Tell Me All About That Accident,  Where

The Baronet Is,  And Who Is With Him,  And All You Know Concerning This

Sad Affair."

 

The Man Related All He Knew,  And Something That He Had Heard. "The

Gentleman That Sent Me For Mr. Russell They Called Captain Carlton." At

This Name She Again Started,  And,  In Spite Of Herself,  Trembled

Perceptibly,  But The Man Went On--

 

"There Was Something Said About A Stolen Will,  Which Sir Ralph Wanted To

Enquire About,  Or Something Of That Sort,  And I Am In Great Haste."

 

"Stay One Moment. Did You Say Sir Ralph Was Not Expected To Live?"

 

"The Doctors Said He Could Not Last More Than A Few Hours."

 

By This Time She Had Recovered Her Presence Of Mind. "Mr. Russell," She

Said,  "Was Here This Morning,  But Has Returned To Southampton; You Must

Have Passed Him On Your Way Here; Return My Good Fellow As Quickly As

You Can,  And Let Him Know All That You Have Told Me." She Gave Him A

Sovereign And Said,  "I Will Be There Almost As Soon As Yourself."

 

The Man Took The Coin With A Bow,  And Started For The Railway Station,

And Mrs. Fraudhurst Returned To The House,  Where She Well Knew Mr.

Russell Then Was Settling Home Matters With The Steward. She Went

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Directly To Her Own Apartment To Form Plans Of Immediate Action. "Arthur

Is In England,  Sir Ralph Dying,  The Will Found In His Possession; He Has

Made A Confession Of The Whole,  Implicating Me; He Must Have Done So,  Or

How Could That Messenger Have Heard Of The Stolen Will. Idiot That I

Was,  To Trust It Out Of My Own Keeping. My Only Safety Is In Instant

Flight. I Must Place The Wide Waste Of Waters Between Me And The

Consequences That Must Inevitably Await Me Should I Remain Here After

The Disclosure Becomes Known Throughout The Country." She Then

Commenced To Pack Up Her Wardrobe And Valuables. Her Plan Was Soon

Arranged. She Then Descended To The Drawing Room And Rang For Old

Reynolds,  Who Answered The Summons. "Has Mr. Russell Left The House?"

She Enquired,  And On Receiving An Answer In The Negative,  Desired That

He Might Be Informed That She Wished To Speak To Him,  "And Return

Yourself,  Reynolds,  For I Have Something Of Importance To Communicate To

Both Of You."

 

In A Few Minutes The Agent Entered,  She Requested Him To Be Seated.

"Reynolds,  You Too Will Remain;" Then Addressing Mr. Russell Said,  "I

Have Just Received The Intelligence That Sir Ralph Has Met With An

Accident,  By Rail,  Resulting,  I Am Told,  In A Broken Limb,  Which May

Detain Him For Some Days At The Farm House Where He Now Lies; He Has

Requested Me To Attend Him,  And Bring Such Things As I May Deem

Necessary,  And Further Directs That You Will Call Over And See Him

Sometime To-Morrow." She Then Gave Orders To The Butler To Pack Up

Several Changes Of His Master's Linen,  And Underclothing In A Large

Trunk And Have It Sent To Her Room,  As She Had Bandages,  Flannel,  And

Other Things That It Might Be Necessary To Place Therein. This Was

Accordingly Done,  But As Soon As Alone She Emptied The Trunk Of Its

Contents,  And Filled It With Her Own Apparel. The Carriage Was Then

Ordered Round,  The Trunks Put In,  And Mrs. Fraudhurst,  Who Had Found A

Home There For Upwards Of Twenty Years,  Left Vellenaux Never Again To

Return To It.

 

"She Has Baggage Enough For The Seik Men Of A Whole Troop," Remarked

Bridoon As She Passed Through The Park Gates.

 

On Arriving At The Station Her First Act Was To Dismiss The Carriage,

The Next To Take A Ticket For Exeter,  And In A Snug Hostlery In That

City Made An Addition To Her Toilette,  Then Ordered A Cab And Proceeded

To The Principal Bank.

 

"I Wish To See The Manager," She Said,  With A Condescending Smile. The

Obsequious Cashier Led The Way To The Sanctum,  And Ushered Her In,  For

He Knew The Visitor Well,  And Also Knew That Opposite Her Name In The

Books Of The Establishment There Was An Array Of Figures,  Representing

A Goodly Amount Of The Current Coin Of The Realm.

 

In About Ten Minutes The Lady,  Accompanied By The Manager,  Returned,  And

Presented A Cheque For The Full Amount Of Her Deposit,  Which Was Paid In

Gold And Notes. This Circumstance Did Not Much Surprise The Banker,  For

She Had Done The Same On Three Or Four Occasions During The Last Seven

Years,  Re-Depositing The Same Amount A Few Hours After. She Was Then

Politely Bowed Into Her Cab And Was Driven Off. Having Settled Her Bill

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Ticket For Queenstown,  Ireland,  And By The Time Mr. Russell Arrived At

The Farm House To Attend Sir Ralph,  Mrs. Fraudhurst Was Airing Herself

At The Cove Of Cork. Her Object In Misleading The Man Who Had Been Sent

To Acquaint The Agent With What Had Occurred To Sir Ralph,  Had Thus Been

Effected: That Of Gaining Time To Enable Her To Quit The Country Before

Steps Could Be Taken To Arrest Her.

 

"There Is Not A Finer Craft Swims The Ocean Than The Beauty That Lays

Out Yonder," Said A Weather-Beaten