alarm, was reading the evening papers, which
contained short notices of Ferruci's death. On seeing her lover, she
hurried forward anxiously and caught him by the hand.

"Lucian, I am so glad you have come!" she cried, leading him to a chair.
"I sent messages both to Geneva Square and Sergeant's Inn, but you were
neither at your lodgings nor in your office."

"I was better employed, my dear," said Lucian, with a weary sigh, for he
was quite worn out with fatigue and anxiety. "I have been with Link,
telling him about Ferruci's death, and being blamed as the cause of
it."

"You blamed! And why?" said Diana, with just indignation.

"Because I forced Ferruci to confess the truth, and when he saw that
there was every chance of his being put into jail for his villainy, he
went to his bedroom and took poison. You know, Mrs. Clear said the man
was something of a chemist, so I suppose he prepared the poison himself.
It was very swift in its action, for he dropped dead before I could
recover my presence of mind."

"Lucian! this is terrible!" cried Diana, wringing her hands.

"You may well say that," he replied gloomily. "Now the whole details of
the case will be in the papers, and that unfortunate woman will be
arrested."

"Lydia! And what will her father say? It will break his heart!"

"Perhaps; but he must take the consequences of having brought up his
daughter so badly. Still," added Lucian, reflectively, "I do not believe
that Lydia is so guilty as Wrent. That scoundrel seems to be at the
bottom of the affair. Ferruci and he contrived and carried out the whole
thing between them, and a precious pair of villains they are."

"Will Wrent be arrested?"

"If he can be found; but I fancy the scoundrel has made himself scarce
out of fright. Since he left Jersey Street, after the murder, he has not
been heard of. Even Mrs. Clear does not know where he is. You know she
has put advertisements in the papers in the cypher he gave
her--according to the arrangement between them--but Wrent has not turned
up."

"And Rhoda?"

"Rhoda is still missing. The police are getting warrants out for the
servant, for Wrent, for Mrs. Clear, and for Lydia Vrain. Ferruci,
luckily for himself and his family, has escaped the law by his own act.
It was the wisest thing the scoundrel could do to kill himself and avoid
dishonour. I must admit the man had pluck."

"It is terrible! terrible! What will be the end of it?"

"Imprisonment for the lo