The Greatest Thrillers of Fergus Hume. Fergus Hume
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woman, nor child to save it.”
“I dare say,” answered Brian; “but if you had my reasons you might think differently.”
Yet in his own mind the lawyer had a suspicion which he thought might perhaps account for Brian’s obstinate concealment of his movements on the fatal night. He had admitted an appointment with a woman. He was a handsome young fellow, and probably his morals were no better than those of his fellows. There was perhaps some intrigue with a married woman. He had perchance been with her on that night, and it was to shield her that he refused to speak.
“Even so,” argued Calton, “let him lose his character rather than his life; indeed the woman herself should speak. It would be hard upon her I admit; yet when a man’s life is in danger, surely nothing should stop her.”
Full of these perplexing thoughts, Calton went down to St. Kilda to have a talk with Madge. He intended to ask her to assist him towards obtaining the information he needed. He had a great respect for Madge, and thought her a really clever woman. It was just possible, he argued, that Brian’s great love might cause him to confess everything to her, at her urgent request. He found Madge awaiting his arrival with anxiety.
“Where have you been all this time?” she said as they sat down; “I have been counting every moment since I saw you last. How is he?”
“Just the same,” answered Calton, taking off his gloves, “still obstinately refusing to save his own life. Where’s your father?” he asked, suddenly.
“Out of town,” she answered, impatiently. “He will not be back for a week—but what do you mean that he won’t save his own life?”
Calton leaned forward, and took her hand.
“Do you want to save his life?” he asked.
“Save his life,” she reiterated, starting up out of her chair with a cry. “God knows, I would die to save him.”
“Pish,” murmured Calton to himself, as he looked at her glowing face and outstretched hands, “these women are always in extremes. The fact is,” he said aloud, “Fitzgerald is able to prove an ALIBI, and he refuses to do so.”
“But why?”
Calton shrugged his shoulders.
“That is best known to himself—some Quixotic idea of honour, I fancy. Now, he refuses to tell me where he was on that night; perhaps he won’t refuse to tell you—so you must come up and see him with me, and perhaps he will recover his senses, and confess.”
“But my father,” she faltered.
“Did you not say he was out of town?” asked Calton.
“Yes,” hesitated Madge. “But he told me not to go.”
“In that case,” said Calton, rising and taking up his hat and gloves, “I won’t ask you.”
She laid her hand on his arm.
“Stop! will it do any good?”
Calton hesitated a moment, for he thought that if the reason of Brian’s silence was, as he surmised, an intrigue with a married woman, he might not tell the girl he was engaged to about it—but, on the other hand, there might be some other reason, and Calton trusted to Madge to find it out. With these thoughts in his mind he turned round.
“Yes,” he answered, boldly, “it may save his life.”
“Then I shall go,” she answered, recklessly. “He is more to me than my father, and if I can save him, I will. Wait,” and she ran out of the room.
“An uncommonly plucky girl,” murmured the lawyer, as he looked out of the window. “If Fitzgerald is not a fool he will certainly tell her all—that is, of course, if he is able to—queer things these women are—I quite agree with Balzac’s saying that no wonder man couldn’t understand woman, seeing that God who created her failed to do so.”
Madge came back dressed to go out, with a heavy veil over her face.
“Shall I order the carriage?” she asked, pulling on her gloves with trembling fingers.
“Hardly,” answered Calton, dryly, “unless you want to see a paragraph in the society papers to the effect that Miss Madge Frettlby visited Mr. Fitzgerald in gaol—no—no—we’ll get a cab. Come, my dear,” and taking her arm he led her away.
They reached the station, and caught a train just as it started, yet notwithstanding this Madge was in a fever of impatience.
“How slowly it goes,” she said, fretfully.
“Hush, my dear,” said Calton, laying his hand on her arm. “You will betray yourself—we’ll arrive soon—and save him.”
“Oh, God grant we may,” she said with a low cry, clasping her hands tightly together, while Calton could see the tears falling from under her thick veil.
“This is not the way to do so,” he said, almost roughly, “you’ll be in hysterics soon—control yourself for his sake.”
“For his sake,” she muttered, and with a powerful effort of will, calmed herself. They soon arrived in Melbourne, and, getting a hansom, drove up quickly to the gaol. After going through the usual formula, they entered the cell where Brian was, and, when the warder who accompanied them opened the door, they found the young man seated on his bed. He looked up, and, on seeing Madge, rose and held out his hands with a cry of delight. She ran forward, and threw herself on his breast with a stifled sob. For a short time no one spoke—Calton being at the other end of the cell, busy with some notes which he had taken from his pocket, and the warder having retired.
“My poor darling,” said Madge, stroking back the soft, fair hair from his flushed forehead, “how ill you look.”
“Yes!” answered Fitzgerald, with a hard laugh. “Prison does not improve a man—does it?”
“Don’t speak in that tone, Brian,” she said; “it is not like you—let us sit down and talk calmly over the matter.”
“I don’t see what good that will do,” he answered, wearily, as they sat down hand-in-hand. “I have talked about it to Calton till my head aches, and it is no good.”
“Of course not,” retorted the lawyer, sharply, as he also sat down. “Nor will it be any good until you come to your senses, and tell us where you were on that night.”
“I tell you I cannot.”
“Brian, dear,” said Madge, softly, taking his hand, “you must tell all—for my sake.”
Fitzgerald sighed—this was the hardest temptation he had yet been subjected to. He felt half inclined to yield, and chance the result—but one look at Madge’s pure face steeled him against doing so. What could his confession bring but sorrow and regret to one whom he loved better than his life.
“Madge!” he answered, gravely, taking her hand again, “you do not know what you ask.”
“Yes, I do!” she replied, quickly. “I ask you to save yourself—to prove that you are not guilty of this terrible crime, and not to sacrifice your life for the sake of—of—”
Here she stopped, and looked helplessly at Calton, for she had no idea of the reason of Fitzgerald’s refusal to speak.
“For the sake of a woman,” finished Calton, bluntly.
“A woman!” she faltered, still holding her lover’s hand.
“Is—is—is that the reason?”
Brian averted his face.
“Yes!” he said, in a low, rough voice.
A sharp expression of anguish crossed her pale face, and, sinking her head on her hands, she wept bitterly. Brian looked