while bess was thus employed, her colleague had his hands full in london. on arriving at paddington, herrick drove directly to the west kensington flat. it was closed, and the porter explained that mr. joyce had been away for some weeks.

"ah, that is a pity," said dr. jim with a grim smile. "i wished to see him most particularly."

"i expect him back shortly sir," said the man.

"ah! has he written to fix the date of his return?"

"not yet sir. but mr. joyce never remains away more than a month or two."

"he may change his habits this time."

"i don't think so sir. shall i tell him you called sir?"

"no. you need not go so far as that. when he comes home just send a wire to that address. and this for yourself."

the porter, a venal creature in uniform, looked at the half sovereign and the address of the guelph hotel in jermyn street. he promised faithfully to send a wire the moment mr. joyce returned, and dr. jim went away, very well satisfied that he had done right in having robin watched. "damned little scoundrel!" growled herrick. "what is the use of sparing him? but that he is in the hands of a stronger villain, i would lay him by the heels straight off. but i shall deal with santiago this time. i expect he and joyce are plotting together in some hole."

in another hour herrick was climbing a flight of dingy stairs in the neighbourhood of the strand. he stopped at the second landing and before a door, which bore the name of kidd, belcher & co, private inquiry office. on entering he was confronted by a dirty undersized boy. kidd was absent on business, but belcher was in, and on giving his card, dr. jim was shown into the next room. here at a table near the window sat a man. that is he stood on two legs, he was neatly dressed, and he talked in a prim precise voice. but going by his face he was a ferret. the long face and nose, the broad forehead and small receding chin, and above all the red-rimmed eyes without eyebrows or eyelashes. all this made him look very much like a ferret. and his nature was also of the beast. he was a sly, silent, cunning tracker, relentless when once he had hunted down his prey. a dangerous man, a deadly man, who had elected to place himself on the side of the law, as offering the better price. had he chosen to be one of the great criminal profession, mr. belcher would have been a dangerous opponent to the police. luckily he found that honesty paid better than roguery, therefore he was at the disposal of dr. jim, for the watching of santiago and joyce. he talked freely on this point. "it's all right sir," he said in his whispering voice and arranging his neat white tie. "kidd caught him at the paddington station, and followed him to pimlico."

"oh, he is in pimlico is he?"

"watched by three boys, and kidd himself. four kids i call them," said mr. belcher with a silent laugh. "you see sir that mexican gent prefers to live at pimlico because it is near the gambling club. we need not mention names sir, as i have an interest in that club and don't want the police to know of it. i hunt with the hounds and run with the fox you see," and belcher gave another of his silent laughs.

"humph!" said jim taking no notice of the joke, "so joyce is at santiago's lodgings is he?"

"drove straight therefrom paddington, and has not been out of doors since. the don has been sir. he never thinks you are after _him_."

"i fancy he has rather a contempt for my brains," said jim. "however we shall see about that. i'll go to those lodgings."

"would you mind telling me what the mexican has done sir?"

"i would mind very much mr. belcher. when i want to tell you my business you won't have to help me. it is a private matter. but later on there may be something in it likely to pay you. at present all i want you to do is to keep an eye on joyce and santiago. i will pay you well for it."

"yes sir, thank you, sir. excuse my curiosity. quite professional."

"no doubt; but you will make more money by asking no questions. if things are as i suspect with these two it will put a lot of cash into your pockets. meanwhile, hold your tongue."

"very good dr. herrick," said the ferret meekly, "so long as you know your business, i don't need to teach it to you. but you know our firm. we are straight."

"so long as you are paid. otherwise you prefer to keep gambling saloons unknown to the police. oh, never fear man, i shall say nothing. by the way, lend me a revolver:"

"ha!" said the ferret with sudden interest, "is it as bad as that?"

"i think so. one at least of the two will show fight, and it won't be the man you followed from paddington. you had better come with me belcher. i want to know if the coast is clear. if the two catch sight of me from the window, they may clear out. while i am talking to them, you and kidd can remain outside. if you hear a shot, rush up with the nearest policeman. but i won't fire unless i am driven to it."

"going to shoot one of them dr. herrick?" said belcher producing a very serviceable weapon which jim slipped into his breast pocket.

"not unless either one draws on me. it is the mexican i fear. but it is the more likely i shall only fire the revolver by way of a signal. you know what you have to do?"

"yes sir," said the ferret with something of admiration in his whisper, "you ought to have been in our profession doctor. you provide against every chance."

"except sudden death," laughed jim as they went down the dingy stairs, "i have a tough article to deal with in that santiago. do you know anything about him belcher."

the ferret shook his head and waved a neat umbrella to a passing hansom. "not much sir," he replied, "he's been in england over six months, and always in the same lodgings. he has money but not too much of it. i got to know him at the club, and he gambled so high and won so much that i made it my business to look after him. but i could find out nothing to get the whip hand of him, sir."

"mr. joyce goes to your club also?"

"yes sir. i told you so when you called to see me first. i knew the name at once. kidd knows him too, but he doesn't know kidd. that was why i sent kidd to paddington. he's a fool, sir."

"true enough," replied herrick dryly, "but even a fool can become dangerous in the hands of an unscrupulous scoundrel like santiago. oh, i do not know anything against him," added herrick seeing the ferret's eyes twinkle. "i am only going by the little i do know."

"not enough to jail him i suppose, sir?"

"not yet, but there might be soon," replied jim, glancing sideways at his neat companion. he well knew that belcher and kidd liked to know secrets in order to extort blackmail. a dangerous pair; but jim knew how to deal with them. they were rather afraid of jim. he knew too much.

herrick had become acquainted with the ferret through having saved the life of his small daughter, and as this child was the apple of the man's eye, he adored jim and was in the habit of speaking to him more freely than he otherwise would have done. therefore jim got to know more about the private inquiry firm than was altogether wise. however, he could keep his mouth shut, and, as at present, he sometimes found the pair useful. but the connection was not a pleasant one, even so, and herrick was wont to comfort himself with the reflection that when dirty work has to be done, no man can be nice in the choice of his instruments.

directed by the ferret, the cab stopped at the corner of a pimlico street in a quiet neighbourhood. there he left the doctor in the cab, and went along to reconnoitre. in ten minutes he came back.

"the mexican has gone out," said belcher, "he has been away an hour. but joyce is in the sitting-room. kidd saw his face two or three times at the window. if you creep along the street under the house he won't be able to see you."

"right you are," said dr. jim climbing down, and paying off the cab--lavishly because he did not want a disturbance, "you wait outside both of you and keep an eye on the policeman. when you hear a shot"--

"you needn't tell me twice dr. herrick," said belcher, his professional pride wounded. "off you go sir, i'll stop hereabouts and whistle if the mexican comes along. he doesn't know my real business."

"jim nodded, and walked along to number forty-three, where--as belcher told him santiago had rooms on the first floor. on the opposite side of the street he saw kidd with a green shade and picturesquely attired in rags, playing the part of a pavement artist. at the end of the street three or four boys were playing marbles. no one would suspect that either man or boys were spies. jim fingered his revolver, and rang the bell.

"i want to see mr. joyce," he said to the slattern who opened the door, "my name is nuttall, and i come from don manuel santiago."

the slattern suspecting nothing from this calm address conducted jim up the stairs. she opened a door and gave the message to robin. herrick heard his voice telling her to show in mr. nuttall, and he guessed from the sound of it that joyce was uneasy. the slattern pushed jim to the door and then dropped down stairs rapidly. she wanted to get back to her novel, for her mistress was away for the afternoon.

"well joyce and how are you?"

robin gave a kind of squeal like that of a trapped animal, and fell back into the chair from which he had risen to welcome mr. nuttall. his face grew white, his jaw dropped, and he collapsed into a limp heap. fright so paralysed his tongue that he could not speak. jim smiled politely and closed the door. then he took a chair opposite to the wretched creature.

"you are a proper little scoundrel," he said in withering tones, "i am sorry to see you brought so low as this, joyce."

"what do you want?" cried robin flaming into sudden fury. "have you not humiliated me enough, but that you must come after me----"

"to find you in hiding with don manuel. go easy joyce, and keep a civil tongue in your head."

"i'd like to kill you," he muttered, his face distorted with fury.

"i have no doubt you would, and i have also small doubt but that your friend santiago will try."

"do you want to see him?"

"and you. yes. you told me such lies at saxham, coached by don manuel i suppose, that i wish to talk to the two of you together."

"if you don't leave this place i will call the police."

"do so by all means. i shall give you in charge when they appear. come joyce, don't be a fool! you have to sit down and do what i tell you."

joyce resumed his seat and bit his fingers. "santiago will kill you," he muttered viciously. "i hope he will!"

"thank you; i see pity is wasted on a reptile like you. but see here," said jim with sudden fierceness. "i am prepared for you and for the mexican also. i have only to fire this," he showed the revolver "and the detectives who are waiting will come up."

"detectives!" cried joyce white as snow and trembling.

"yes, you fool. i gave you every chance to clear yourself. you abused my leniency, and plotted with santiago to cheat me. this time you will not get off so easy. i wonder how you will like being in the dock on a charge of conspiracy."

"it's--it's--it's a lie!"

"it's the truth, and you know it. you and santiago wish to get the money left by colonel carr. you tried to murder stephen in the churchyard."

"it was not i," gasped robin shaking with fright, "i was with the miss endicottes all the time."

"oh, i know that your accomplice is the bolder villain. it was he--" here herrick made a shot in the dark, "--it was santiago who struck marsh."

"i know he did," sobbed joyce falling into the trap, "but i--"

"never mind about yourself," said jim exulting in having extorted this piece of information, "tell me what there is between santiago and corn that made him force the parson to tell a lie in order to prove his alibi. corn said that manuel was with him all the evening. you know that is false. manuel went out and struck stephen marsh."

"i don't know what power santiago has over corn," said robin wiping his eyes, "he never told me; but he has some. he treats me like a dog, and i can't call my soul my own."

"you poor little rat!" said herrick with a certain pity. "then the best thing you can do is to come back to me, and tell me all you know about this scoundrel."

"no! no!" whimpered joyce, "he would kill me."

"not he! i shall know how to save you, and if you do not tell," said dr. jim in a sharp tone, "i'll have you arrested as being concerned in this murder of colonel carr."

"i am innocent; you know i am innocent!"

"i know nothing of the sort," replied herrick unexpectedly. "i have your word for it, and your confession of your doings on that night. but there is quite enough in that confession--signed by yourself, mind--to justify your being arrested on suspicion of having committed the crime. do you think a jury would believe in your story, especially as i can prove that the pistol with which--as i verily believe--the crime was committed was in your possession?"

"i got it from santiago."

"so you said, and yet at the time you told me, it was out of my power to question the man. you knew that he had gone up to town by the heathcroft line, and you did not tell me."

"i was afraid. he forced me to hold my tongue."

"you had better be a little more afraid of me. i can do you more mischief than don manuel is likely to do. he will have sufficient to do to look after himself. but i knew what a slippery little devil you were joyce, and so i had you watched from the moment you disembarked at the paddington station. you can't move a step now without my knowledge. so you need not try to give me the slip again."

by this time joyce was in a state of collapse. he saw that herrick had been too clever for him. between his fear of santiago and his fear of herrick he was in a pitiable state of mind. dr. jim felt sorry for the miserable creature in spite of the contempt which his conduct righteously provoked. "i'll tell you what i can," said joyce after a pause.

"i think you are wise. you expect santiago back soon?"

"at five o'clock."

"it is a quarter past four now," said herrick glancing at his watch. "i will wait for him."

"he is dangerous," said joyce alarmed, and rising from his chair.

"so am i. it is not a man like me who is afraid of a mexican greaser, mr. joyce. don't go near that window. you'll be making signals to your friend. i don't trust you."

"on my honour--" began joyce returning to his seat.

"you haven't got any. now then, why did santiago try to get marsh killed?"

"he did not want to kill him. he only desired that he should be disabled and prevented from going to the vault."

herrick whistled. "ah, he has been looking up the will at doctor's commons. well, and what does he expect to gain by the money going to frisco? the man is in communication with him i suppose?"

"no," said joyce sulkily, "he is in communication with me."

"the devil!" herrick sprang to his feet. "so _you_ put that cipher in the paper, asking frisco to meet you at hyde park corner."

"yes i did. i put in the first and the second."

"who taught you the cipher? it was one that colonel carr knew."

"santiago taught it to me."

"ah! now we are getting at the truth," said herrick, "and where did you meet santiago may i ask? no lie this time, please?"

"i met him at the gambling club in this district."

"oh, you did. i never knew that gambling was a vice of yours. it seems one never does know a man. i thought better of you. well, and for what reason did santiago tell you about this cipher."

"i knew him before i went on the walking tour with you. when i came back to london i went to the club and saw him there. he talked about the murder of carr and had seen my name as one of the men who found the body. in one way and another he got everything out of me."

"the story you told me?"

"yes! he made me tell everything."

"clever man," said herrick with a nod, "but of course you are so weak poor soul, that you would tell everything. i now see how this man got you into his power. well, and why did he teach you the cipher."

"it seems he knew frisco--"

"oh! he denied that. i knew that was a lie; but no matter."

"i said that frisco was in london, and that i should like to find him. i wanted to know if frisco had really killed colonel carr."

"oh!" herrick shrugged his shoulders, "and were on simple enough to think that frisco would tell you?"

"he did tell me--"

"that he was innocent of course?"

"yes. that he was innocent. but if he had told me that he was guilty i could not have betrayed him."

"humph!" said dr. jim with a sharp glance, "you are getting more mysterious every moment. well, so you put in that cipher--the first--by the direction of the mexican?

"yes. and met frisco at hyde park corner. i also put in the second when i wanted to see frisco again. he wouldn't give me his address, but said if i wanted to see him i was to communicate by the cipher. i did not meet him the second time, because i saw you waiting to catch us."

"ah! that was clever of you."

"of you too," said joyce, "how did you learn the cipher?"

"that is my business. be civil," said dr. jim sharply, "go on. you saw this man you say, and he told you he was innocent, which is a lie. i suppose santiago saw him also?"

"yes. we were all three in my flat."

"nice party," said dr. jim sarcastically, "and you made up this conspiracy between the lot of you?"

"yes! we wanted marsh to lose the money."

"i do not see where the advantage would come in," said dr. jim reflectively, "the money would go to frisco certainly, but he could not benefit, without running the risk of arrest."

"he was not to appear at all in the matter," explained joyce. "when the money came to him, he was to feign death and make a will leaving the fortune to me; i was to share it with him and santiago."

herrick stared. the conspiracy was more complete than he had thought, and very cunning too. "upon my word that is clever," he said in a tone half of jest and half admiration, "although i do not exactly see how the law would look at the matter. frisco wanted for murder--to feign death--fortune left to you--money to be shared between the presumed corpse and the two plotters left alive. why! it's like a melodrama. you would have had some difficulty in proving the death of frisco though."

"oh, santiago was going to manage that," said joyce with confidence.

"i am sure he would, even to going the length of making a real corpse of the man after the will was signed."

joyce jumped up and began to walk up and down much agitated. "no," he said, "bad as you think me herrick, i should never have consented to frisco being put out of the way. the death would have been proved without that. frisco would have received his share of the money. he would have gone free. i would rather die myself than that anything should happen to frisco. yes, you may look; i would."

dr. jim shrugged his shoulders. "your conscience has grown very tender all of a sudden, that you should desire to shield a scoundrel. is frisco a relative of yours that you should be so careful of his skin?"

joyce dropped into his seat and looked straight at the doctor. "frisco is my father," he said deliberately.

dr. jim jumped up in his turn and stared down at the pinched white face. he could scarcely believe his ears. "your father?" he gasped, "is this another part of your conspiracy?"

"it is the truth," said joyce simply, so simply that herrick was convinced that for once he was telling no lie. "when he met me and came to my flat, he told me he was my father. i did not believe him, but he soon convinced me by showing me my mother's letters.

"addressed to him where?"

"colonel carr's."

"oh!" herrick dropped back into his chair, "so this accounts for the annuity! what is your father's real name?"

"joyce! the same as mine. he was colonel carr's cousin."

herrick was amazed, and remembered what he had heard about the uncle of the wicked colonel. "carr's father turned a son out of doors," he muttered "the son went to america and married. he had one daughter--"

"my mother. she was the carr's cousin, not my father's. i am getting confused," murmured joyce feeling his head.

"in that case you are cousin to stephen marsh?"

"yes. and i should have the money, since my grandfather was the brother of colonel carr. that was why i conspired, as you call it. that was why my father and santiago tried to help me to get my rights. what do you think of it now herrick?"

"i think that you went the wrong way to work," said jim, "that is if you are telling me the truth,--which i doubt."

"it is the truth," cried joyce clenching his fist, "if you do not believe me," he added listening for a moment, "here is one who will tell you."

"santiago!" said herrick rising to be ready for emergencies.

"yes! he is coming up the stair now."

at that moment there was a shrill whistle outside, belcher's signal.