The Greatest Thrillers of Fergus Hume. Fergus Hume

and you can go also, Rosa," cried Miss Lyle, angered by the insulting gaze of the girl. "I am mistress here in my nephew's house, and I refuse to let a murderess remain under its roof!"

      "Be content," said Hagar, pausing at the door. "Rosa shall come with me; and when you see us again with Mr. Horval, you will then learn who killed Mrs. Arryford, and why."

      "Insolent hussy!" muttered Miss Lyle, and closed the door on Hagar, Horval and the black woman.

      The trio walked away, and shortly afterwards picked up an omnibus, in which they returned to the Lambeth pawnshop. Hagar talked earnestly to Horval the whole way; and from the close attention which the detective paid to her it would seem that the conversation was of the deepest interest. Rosa, a dejected heap of misery, sat with downcast eyes, and at intervals wiped away the tears which ran down her black cheeks. The poor negress, under suspicion as a thief and a murderess, turned out of house and home, desolate and forsaken, was crushed to the earth under the burden of her woes. On her the fetish necklace of amber beads had brought a curse.

      On arriving at the shop Hagar conducted Rosa into the back parlor; and after a further conference she dismissed the detective.

      "You can stay with me for a week," she said to Rosa.

      "And den what you do?"

      "Oh," said Hagar, with an agreeable smile, "I shall take you with me to denounce the assassin of your late mistress."

      All that week Rosa stayed in the domestic portion of the pawn-shop, and made herself useful in cooking and cleaning. Hagar questioned her closely concerning the events which had taken place on the night of the murder in the house at Bedford Gardens, and elicited certain information which gave her great satisfaction. This she communicated to Horval when he one day paid her a hurried visit. When in possession of the facts, Horval looked at her with admiration, and on taking his leave he paid her a compliment.

      "You ought to be a man, with that head of yours," he said; "you're too good to be a woman!"

      "And not bad enough to be a man," retorted Hagar, laughing. "Be off with you, Mr. Horval, and let me know when you want me up West."

      In four more days Horval again made his appearance, this time in a state of the greatest excitement. He was closeted with Hagar for over an hour, and at its conclusion he departed in a great hurry. Shortly after noon Hagar resigned the shop into Bolker's charge, put on hat and cloak, and ordered Rosa to come with her. What the reason of this unexpected departure might be she did not inform the negress immediately; but before they reached their destination Rosa knew all, and was much rejoiced thereat.

      Hagar took Rosa as far as Duke Street, St James's, and here, at the door of a certain house, they found the detective impatiently waiting for them.

      "Well, Mr. Horval," said Hagar, coming to a stop, "is he indoors?"

      "Safe and sound!" replied Horval, tapping his breastcoat pocket---"and I have got you know what here. Shall we come up?"

      "Not immediately. I wish to see him by myself first. You remain outside his door, and enter with Rosa when I call you."

      Mr. Horval nodded, with a full comprehension of what was required of him, and the trio ascended the dark staircase. They paused at a door on the second landing. Then Hagar, motioning to her companions that they should withdraw themselves into the gloom, rapped lightly on the portal. Shortly afterwards it was opened by Mr. Frederick Jevons, who looked inquiringly at Hagar. She turned her face towards the light which fell through the murky staircase window, whereat, recognizing her, he stepped back in dismay.

      "The pawn-shop girl!" said he in astonishment. "What do you want?"

      "I wish to see you," replied Hagar, composedly, "but it is just as well that our conversation should be in private."

      "Why, you can have nothing to say to me but what the whole world might hear!"

      "After I have mentioned the object of my visit you may think differently," said Hagar, with some dryness. "However, we'll talk here if you wish."

      "No, no; come in," said Jevons, standing on one side. "Since you insist upon privacy, you shall have it. This way."

      He showed her into a large and rather badly furnished room. Evidently Mr. Fred Jevons had not been rich until he inherited the fortune of Mrs. Arryford.

      "I suppose you will be moving to the Bedford Gardens house soon?" said Hagar, sitting composedly in a large armchair.

      "Is that what you came to speak to me about?" retorted Jevons, rudely.

      "Not exactly. Perhaps, as you are impatient, we had better get to business."

      "Business! What business can I have to do with you?"

      "Why," said Hagar, quietly, and looking directly at him, "the business of those amber beads which you--pawned."

      "I," stammered Jevons, drawing back with a pale face.

      "Also," added Hagar, solemnly, "the business which concerns the commission of a crime."

      "A--a--a crime!" gasped the wretched creature.

      "Yes--the most terrible of all crimes--murder!"

      "What--what--what do you--you mean?"

      Hagar rose from her chair, and, drawn to her full height, stretched out an accusing arm towards the young man. "What I mean you know well enough!" she said, sternly. "I mean that you murdered Mrs. Arryford!"

      "It's a lie!" cried Jevons, sinking into a chair, for his legs refused to support him longer.

      "It is not a lie--it is the truth! I have evidence!"

      "Evidence!" He started up with dry and trembling lips.

      "Yes. Through her influence over Mrs. Arryford, your aunt induced her to make you her heir. You are fond of money; you are in debt, and you could not wait until the old lady died in the course of nature. On the night of the murder you were in the house."

      "No, no! I swear---"

      "You need not; you were seen leaving the house. To throw suspicion on Rosa you disguised yourself as a negress, and came to pawn the amber bead necklace at my shop. I recognized that the supposed black woman was minus the little finger of the right hand. You, Mr. Jevons, are mutilated in the same way. Again, I paid you with a five-pound note. Of that note I took the number. It has been traced by the number, and you are the man who paid it away. I saw---"

      Jevons jumped up, still white and shaking. "It's a lie! a lie!" he said, hoarsely. "I did not kill Mrs. Arryford; I did not pawn the beads. I did---"

      "You did both those things!" said Hagar, brushing past him. "I have two witnesses who can prove what I say is true. Rosa! Mr. Horval!"

      She flung the outside door wide open, while Jevons again sank into the arm-chair, with an expression of horror on his white face. "Rosa! Horval!" he muttered. "I am lost!"

      Rosa and the detective entered quickly in response to Hagar's call, and with her looked down on the shrinking figure of the accused man.

      "These are my witnesses," said Hagar, slowly. "Rosa!"

      "I saw dat man in de house when my missy died," said the negress. "I hear noise in de night; I come down, and I see Massa Jevons run away from de room of my missy, and Missus Lyle let him out by de side door. He kill my poo' missy--yes, I tink dat."

      "You hear," said Hagar to the terrified man. "Now, Mr. Horval."

      "I traced the five-pound note you gave him by its number," said the detective. "Yes, he paid it away at his club; I can bring a waiter to prove it."

      "You hear," said Hagar again; "and I know by the evidence of your lost finger that you are the man, disguised as a negress, who pawned the necklace which was stolen from the person of Mrs. Arryford, after you murdered her. The dead woman, as Rosa tells us, wore that necklace night and day. Only with her death could it have been removed. You murdered her; you stole the necklace of amber beads."

      Jevons