He put
out his hand in an attempt to take the pistol that Rupert easily
evaded.
"Give it to me," he said. "I saved his life; you might have
killed him."
"Yes, you saved him, father," Rupert muttered, thinking to himself
that the saving of Walter's life might well mean the loss of Ella's,
since very likely the failure of their plots would be at once
attributed by the conspirators to her. "Father, I never wrote that
letter you say you had. Walter forged it to get you here, where he
meant to kill us both. That's why he looked like that, that's why
he had his gun."
General Dunsmore only stared blankly at him for a moment.
"Kill me? Kill you? What for?" he gasped.
"So that he might become Lord Chobham of Wreste Abbey instead of
Lord Chobham's poor relation," answered Rupert. "The poison attempt
on uncle which Walter discovered was first of all his own doing; it
was through him Charley Wright lost his life. He has committed at
least one other murder. Today he meant to kill both of us. Then
he would have been heir to the title and estates, and when uncle
died he would have been Lord Chobham."
"Nonsense, absurd, impossible. You're mad, quite mad," the general
stammered. "Why, he would have been hanged at once."
"Not if he could have fixed the blame elsewhere," Rupert answered.
"That was to have been my part; it was carefully arranged to make
it seem I was responsible for it all.
Pages:
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217