walter choked down an ugly word that rose to his lips. he resented the intrusion just at a moment when he particularly desired to be alone with vera. who was it, he wondered, who came so late? and who rang so imperiously and persistently for admission? he flung back bolt and chain, and opened the door. with her nerves all unstrung, and with a certain intuition of impending calamity upon her, vera had followed him into the hall. she had dried her eyes now; she showed little sign of her recent agitation. she heard walter's exclamation as he recognised the intruder.
"good heavens, it is mrs. delahay!" he cried. "what can you want here at this hour?"
"the studio," mrs. delahay gasped. "get to the studio at once. if your uncle should happen to be there----"
"you can reassure yourself on that point," walter said. "lord ravenspur is at present in his bedroom."
maria delahay pressed her hand to her heart. she gave a little gasp of relief. she was too breathless to explain. all she needed now was a chair to support her failing limbs. as walter stood there it flashed upon him that something wrong must be taking place in connection with the studio. he had not forgotten the vivid incident of the other night. perhaps at this very moment the clue to the puzzle was in his hands. he turned round, and his gaze fell upon vera, who was watching mrs. delahay curiously.
"take this lady into the drawing-room," he said, "and wait till i come back. i shan't be very long."
vera came forward with a sympathetic smile upon her face. a light was shining on her features. maria delahay could see how fair and sweet she was. and so this, she thought, was her sister's child. this was the girl from whom her mother had voluntarily separated herself for upwards of eighteen years. it seemed impossible, incredible to believe, but there it was. and the girl's hand was under mrs. delahay's arm now. she was being gently assisted as far as the drawing-room.
"i am sure you are mrs. delahay," vera said, in her most sympathetic voice. "if all had gone well we should have met before now. i cannot tell you how sorry i am for you. i do hope this dreadful mystery will be cleared up before long. and now can i get you anything? i suppose you came to see lord ravenspur?"
maria delahay hesitated for a moment. there was no occasion to tell this beautiful child the dread import of her presence there. it seemed a wicked thing to bring her within the range of the trouble.
"i should like to see lord ravenspur, yes," she said "so you are his ward, vera rayne? really, i cannot see any likeness between you and your father."
the words had slipped unconsciously from maria delahay's lips before she had time to think what she was saying. it was only when she noted the startled look in vera's eyes that she realised the full extent of her imprudent speech.
"did you know my father?" vera cried.
"what am i saying!" mrs. delahay exclaimed. "my head is so dazed and confused that i don't know what i am talking about. just for a moment i was filled with a foolish idea that you were lord ravenspur's daughter. it would be strange if you bore a likeness to him, seeing that he is only your guardian."
vera was silent for a moment. mrs. delahay's impetuous speech had filled her with misgivings. she did not know, she could not feel sure that, after all, lord ravenspur might stand in closer relationship to her than that of a guardian. but she put the trouble out of her mind now. she had other things to occupy her attention. and after all said and done, the poor creature by her side was in deeper grief and anxiety than herself.
"i think i will go up and tell my guardian you are here," she said. "i know he will be glad to see you."
vera was spared the trouble, for at that moment ravenspur came into the room with a bundle of papers in his hand. he started as he caught sight of mrs. delahay.
"you here at this hour!" he exclaimed. "i hope----"
"no; there is nothing particularly wrong," the woman said. "i should like a few words with you if i am not intruding."
vera discreetly left the room, and walked off towards the library. there was a stern expression on ravenspur's face as he looked at his visitor. he waited for her to speak.
"i daresay you will think this is rather singular of me," she faltered, "but i came here tonight because your life is in danger. i believe that the man called luigi silva is under your roof at the present moment. you know who i mean?"
"i know perfectly well," ravenspur replied. "it would be absurd to pretend to misunderstand you. and so it turns out after all that you are the sister of my poor friend flavio's wife. did delahay know your identity before he married you?"
"he knew all there was that was worth knowing," the woman said, a little defiantly. "he knew the story of my miserable youth, for instance. i don't want you to misunderstand me. i don't wish to pretend that i had any ardent passion for my husband. but my affection was deep and sincere, and my loss is almost more than i can bear. oh, i know what you are going to say. you are going to ask what i know about that wretched flavio affair. i repeat in all sincerity that i knew nothing till the other day. i did not even know that my sister was alive, not until i visited her tonight at her house in isleworth road. i was not aware that she had married boris flavio. i did not know that she had a child----"
"do you know who the child is?" ravenspur asked swiftly.
"yes; i know now,," was the significant reply. "i have just been talking to her. what a beautiful girl she is! how sweet and natural! how open and candid is her face! it seems almost incredible to me that my sister could have forgotten her child all these years. i could not have done so."
"no; nor any other woman worthy of the name," ravenspur said grimly. "but though you lived with your sister till early womanhood, you had no real conception of her character. i never met her myself, for which i am devoutly thankful. but i learnt enough, and more than enough, of her character from flavio's letters to me. if ever a man was cursed with a fiend incarnate in the shape of a wife, flavio was that man. oh, i don't wish to give you pain, for you have suffered enough of late. but i know what i am talking about. the mere fact that you alluded to just now is proof positive that your sister is incapable of affection for her child. more or less by accident you have made this discovery tonight. by sheer chance you know that your sister's daughter is under my roof. for a long time past i have known that some agency has been at work to deprive me of the girl, an agency so utterly unscrupulous that my very life is in danger. i suppose that man is acting for your sister, who has a sudden whim to gain possession of her child once more. and now i am going to ask you a favour. you are to say nothing of what you have found out tonight. i have told you what your sister is, and no doubt my words will prove true before long. i am going to ask you to give me a solemn promise that----"
"it is too late," mrs. delahay exclaimed. "whatever my sister may be is all beside the point. she knows where her daughter is, and luigi silva knows also. he told us everything not long ago. i found out by accident that he was coming here. i saw him enter the house a few moments ago. i believe he is in your studio at the present moment. that is why i rang the bell so furiously; that is why i prayed i should not be too late."
ravenspur started violently.
"oh, this is intolerable," he cried. "one could hardly believe it possible that this is london in the twentieth century. i had thought that those insane vendettas had died out before this, even in corsica. i must go at once and see----"
as the speaker turned away maria delahay held out a detaining hand. her face was pale and pleading.
"your life is too valuable to be risked in that headstrong fashion," she said. "besides, i have already warned your nephew, who appears to know everything. he went off to the studio at once. i have no doubt that he has scared silva away by this time. but why don't you put this matter in the hands of the police? why run this risk when a few words would prevent any danger? and there need be no scandal. silva could be warned. he would have to leave the country, and then there would be an end----"
"and this from you who are a half corsican yourself," ravenspur said reproachfully. "i could free myself from silva, no doubt, but before many months had passed another man would take his place and my danger would be greater than ever. you see i have the advantage of knowing my present assailant. to quote the old saying. 'better a devil you know than a devil you don't know.'"
maria delahay had nothing to say in reply. she was turning the matter rapidly over in her mind. it seemed to her that she could see a way out of the difficulty.
"i think," she began, "that perhaps----"
the words were never finished, for suddenly the tense silence of the house was broken by a quick cry and the tinkling sound of broken glass. then, in the distance somewhere, a door banged sullenly, and silence fell over the house once more.
