A Prince of Swindlers (18 page)

“What is it, sir?” asked Belton.

“I will tell you, but you must not look so terrified. Put in a few words, it is neither more nor less than to attempt to divert the enormous sum of money which the prodigal English public is taking out of its pocket in order to assist the people of the Canary Islands, who have lost so severely by the recent terrible earthquake, into my own.”

Belton's face expressed his astonishment.

“But, my dear sir,” he said, “that's a fund of which the Marquis of Laverstock is president, and of whose committee you are one of the principal members.”

“Exactly,” answered Carne. “It is to those two happy circumstances I shall later on attribute the success I now mean to attain. Lord Laverstock is merely a pompous old nobleman, whose hobby is philanthropy. This lesson will do him good. It will be strange if, before I am a week older, I cannot twist him round my finger. Now for my instructions. In the first place, you must find me a moderate-sized house, fit for an elderly lady, and situated in a fairly fashionable quarter, say South Kensington. Furnish it on the hire system from one of the big firms, and engage three servants who can be relied upon to do their work, and what is more important, who can hold their tongues.

“Next find me an old lady to impersonate the mistress of the house. She must be very frail and delicate-looking, and you will arrange with some livery stable people in the neighbourhood to supply her with a carriage, in which she will go for an airing every afternoon in order that the neighbourhood may become familiar with her personality. Both she and the servants must be made to thoroughly understand that their only chance of obtaining anything from me depends upon their carrying out my instructions to the letter. Also, while they are in the house, they must keep themselves to themselves. My identity, of course, must not transpire.

“As soon as I give the signal, the old lady must keep to the house, and the neighbourhood must be allowed to understand that she is seriously ill. The day following she will be worse, and the next she will be dead. You will then make arrangements for the funeral, order a coffin, and arrange for the conveyance of the body to Southampton,
en route
for the Channel Islands, where she is to be buried. At Southampton a yacht, which I will arrange for myself, will be in readiness to carry us out to sea. Do you think you understand?”

“Perfectly, sir,” Belton replied, “but I wish I could persuade you to give up the attempt. You will excuse my saying so, sir, I hope, but it does seem to me a pity, when you have done so much, to risk losing it all over such a dangerous bit of business as this. It surely can't succeed, sir?”

“Belton,” said Carne very seriously, “you strike me as being in a strange humour to-night, and I cannot say that I like it, Were it not that I have the most implicit confidence in you, I should begin to think you were turning honest. In that case our connection would be likely to be a very short one.”

“I hope, sir,” Belton answered in alarm, “that you still believe I am as devoted as ever to your interests.”

“I do believe it,” Carne replied. “Let the manner in which you carry out the various instructions I have just given you, confirm me in that belief. This is Wednesday. I shall expect you to come to me on Saturday with a report that the house has been taken and furnished, and that the servants are installed and the delicate old lady in residence.”

“You may rely upon my doing my best, sir.”

“I feel sure of that,” said Carne, “and now that all is arranged I think that I will go to bed.”

A week later a committee of the Canary Islands Relief Fund was able to announce to the world, through the columns of the Daily Press, that the generous public of England had subscribed no less a sum than one hundred thousand pounds for the relief of the sufferers by the late earthquake. The same day Carne attended a committee meeting in Gloucester Place. A proposition advanced by Lady Weltershall and seconded by Simon Carne was carried unanimously. It was to the effect that in a week's time such members of the Relief Committee as could get away should start for the scene of the calamity in the chairman's yacht, which had been placed at their disposal, taking with them, for distribution among the impoverished inhabitants of the Islands, the sum already subscribed, namely, one hundred thousand pounds in English gold. They would then be able, with the assistance of the English Consul, to personally superintend the distribution of their money, and also be in a position to report to the subscribers, when they returned to England, the manner in which the money had been utilised.

“In that case,” said Carne, who had not only seconded the motion, but had put the notion into Lady Weltershall's head, “it might be as well if our chairman would interview the authorities of the bank, and arrange that the amount in question shall be packed, ready for delivery to the messengers he may select to call for it before the date in question.”

“I will make it my business to call at the bank to-morrow morning,” replied the chairman, “and perhaps you, Mr. Carne, would have no objection to accompany me.”

“If it will facilitate the business of this committee I shall be only too pleased to do so,” said Carne, and so it was settled.

On a Tuesday afternoon, six days later, and two days before the date upon which it had been arranged that the committee should sail, the Marquis of Laverstock received a letter. Lady Caroline Weltershall, the Earl of Amberley, and Simon Carne were with him when he opened it. He read it through, and then read it again, after which he turned to his guests.

“This is really a very extraordinary communication,” he said, “and as it affects the matter we have most at heart, perhaps I had better read it to you:

154, Great Chesterton Street,

Tuesday Evening.

To the Most Noble the Marquis of Laverstock, K.G., Berkeley Square.

My Lord—As one who has been permitted to enjoy a long and peaceful life in a country where such visitations are happily unknown, I take the liberty of writing to your Lordship to say how very much I should like to subscribe to the fund so nobly started by you and your friends to assist the poor people who have lost so much by the earthquake in the Canary Islands. Being a lonely old woman, blessed by Providence with some small share of worldly wealth, I feel it my duty to make some small sacrifice to help others who have not been so blessed.

Unfortunately, I do not enjoy very good health, but if your Lordship could spare a moment to call upon me, I would like to thank you in the name of Womanhood for all you have done, and, in proof of my gratitude, would willingly give you my cheque for the sum of ten thousand pounds to add to the amount already subscribed. I am permitted by my doctors to see visitors between the hours of eleven and twelve in the morning, and five and six in the afternoon. I should then be both honoured and pleased to see your Lordship.

Trusting you will concede me this small favour, I have the honour to be,

Yours very sincerely,

J
ANET
O'H
ALLORAN.

There was a momentary pause after his lordship had finished reading the letter.

“What will you do?” inquired Lady Caroline.

“It is a noble offering,” put in Simon Carne.

“I think there cannot be two opinions as to what is my duty,” replied the chairman. “I shall accede to her request, though why she wants to see me is more than I can tell.”

“As she hints in the letter, she wishes to congratulate you personally on what you have done,” continued the Earl of Amberley; “and as it will be the handsomest donation we have yet received, it will, perhaps, be as well to humour her.”

“In that case I will do as I say, and make it my business to call there this afternoon between five and six. And now it is my duty to report to you that Mr. Simon Carne and I waited upon the authorities at the Bank this morning, and have arranged that the sum of one hundred thousand pounds in gold shall be ready for our messengers when they call for it, either to-morrow morning or to-morrow afternoon at latest.”

“It is a large sum to take with us,” said Lady Caroline. “I trust it will not prove a temptation to thieves!”

“You need have no fear on that score,” replied his lordship. “As I have explained to the manager, my own trusted servants will effect the removal of the money, accompanied by two private detectives, who will remain on board my yacht until we weigh anchor. We have left nothing to chance. To make the matter doubly sure, I have also arranged that the money shall not be handed over except to a person who shall present my cheque, and at the same time show this signet ring which I now wear upon my finger.”

The other members of the committee expressed themselves as perfectly satisfied with this arrangement, and when certain other business had been transacted the meeting broke up.

As soon as he left Berkeley Square Carne returned with all haste to Porchester House. Reaching his study he ordered that Belton should be at once sent to him.

“Now, Belton,” he said, when the latter stood before him, “there is not a moment to lose. Lord Laverstook will be at Great Chesterton Street in about two hours. Send a messenger to Waterloo to inquire if they can let us have a special train at seven o'clock to take a funeral party to Southampton. Use the name of Merryburn, and you may say that the amount of the charge, whatever it may be, will be paid before the train starts. As soon as you obtain a reply, bring it to
154
, Great Chesterton Street. In the meantime I shall disguise myself and go on to await you there. On the way I shall wire to the captain of the yacht at Southampton to be prepared for us. Do you understand what you have to do?”

“Perfectly, sir,” Belton replied. “But I must confess that I am very nervous.”

“There is no need to be. Mark my words, everything will go like clockwork. Now I am going to change my things and prepare for the excursion.”

He would have been a sharp man who would have recognised in the dignified-looking clergyman who drove up in a hansom to
154
, Great Chesterton Street, half an hour later, Simon Carne, who had attended the committee meeting of the Canary Island Relief Fund that afternoon. As he alighted he looked up, and saw that all the blinds were drawn down, and that there were evident signs that Death had laid his finger on the house. Having dismissed his cab he rang the bell, and when the door was opened entered the house. The butler who admitted him had been prepared for his coming. He bowed respectfully, and conducted him to the drawing-room. There he found an intensely respectable old lady, attired in black silk, seated beside the window.

“Go upstairs,” he said peremptorily, “and remain in the room above this until you are told to come down. Be careful not to let yourself be seen. As soon as it gets dark to-night you can leave the house, but not till then. Before you go the money promised you will be paid. Now be off upstairs, and make sure that none of the neighbours catch sight of you.”

Ten minutes later a man, who might have been a retired military officer, and who was dressed in deepest black, drove up, and was admitted to the house. Though no one would have recognised him, Carne addressed him at once as “Belton.”

“What have you arranged about the train?” he asked, as soon as they were in the drawing-room together.

“I have settled that it shall be ready to start for Southampton punctually at seven o'clock,” the other answered.

“And what about the hearse?”

“It will be here at a quarter to seven, without fail.”

“Very good; we will have the corpse ready meanwhile. Now, before you do anything else, have the two lower blinds in the front drawn up. If he thinks there is trouble in the house he may take fright, and we must not scare our bird away after all the bother we have had to lure him here.”

For the next hour they were busily engaged perfecting their arrangements. These were scarcely completed before a gorgeous landau drove up to the house, and Belton reported that the footman had alighted and was ascending the steps.

“Let his lordship be shown into the drawing-room,” said Simon Carne, “and as soon as he is there do you, Belton, wait at the door. I'll call you when I want you.”

Carne went into the drawing-room and set the door ajar. As he did so he heard the footman inquire whether Mrs. O'Halloran was at home, and whether she would see his master. The butler answered in the affirmative, and a few moments later the Marquis ascended the steps.

“Will you be pleased to step this way, my lord,” said the servant. “My mistress is expecting you, and will see you at once.”

When he entered the drawing-room he discovered the same portly, dignified clergyman whom the neighbours had seen enter the house an hour or so before, standing before the fireplace.

“Good-afternoon, my lord,” said this individual, as the door closed behind the butler. “If you will be good enough to take a seat, Mrs. O'Halloran will be down in a few moments.”

His lordship did as he was requested, and while doing so commented on the weather, and allowed his eyes to wander round the room. He took in the grand piano, the easy chairs on either side of the book-case, and the flower-stand in the window. He could see that there was plain evidence of wealth in these things. What his next thought would have been can only be conjectured, for he was suddenly roused from his reverie by hearing the man say in a gruff voice: “It's all up, my lord. If you move or attempt to cry out, you're a dead man!”

Swinging round he discovered a revolver barrel pointed at his head. He uttered an involuntary cry of alarm, and made as if he would rise.

“Sit down, sir,” said the clergyman authoritatively. “Are you mad that you disobey me? You do not know with whom you are trifling.”

“What do you mean?” cried the astonished peer, his eyes almost starting from his head. “I demand to be told what this behaviour means. Are you aware who I am?”