All Colonel Fairfax’s coolness; all the aplomb that had made him a
master of men; all his traditional self-possession dropped from him,
and he stood stammering like any schoolboy.
Dorothy’s eyes sparkled. “It’s all right, father,” she declared. “Frank
married me to save me from that horrible Forbes. He didn’t want to do
so because of that ridiculous accusation against him, but he couldn’t
help it. I insisted on it. Shake hands with him. You and I are going to
find the real murderer, and clear his name.”
“But--but--Mr. Loving----”
Loving, his face pale, but with a forced smile on his lips, struck in.
“Hallo, Howard, old man,” he said, holding out his hand. “I was just
waiting my chance to speak to you. Frank Howard is all right, colonel,”
he continued earnestly, turning to the elder man. “I’ve told you so
before, you know.”
Colonel Fairfax had recovered his poise somewhat. “Well,” he said,
“this isn’t the time or place to talk about it, though it is the time
to thank you, Mr. Howard, for saving my girl’s life. It nearly killed
me when I lost her. Come, let’s get on board--Good Heavens! Loving!
What’s the matter?”
Loving’s face had grown white as death, and his distended eyes seemed
popping from their sockets. Following his gaze, the others saw Mr.
Willoughby picking his way along the Seashark toward them.
“Ah! Mr. Howard,” he said, holding out his hand to Loving, “I’m glad
to see you here, for, of course, it means that you must have cleared
yourself of that terrible charge. Quite a coincidence having another of
the same name in our little party, isn’t it? I had meant to speak to
him about you, but we have been in such a turmoil that I haven’t had
the chance.”
The changing expressions in the faces of his listeners suddenly caught
the good man’s attention. “Why! What is the matter?” he explained.
“I--I hope I don’t---- Surely you have cleared yourself of that charge,
Mr. Howard?”
Loving’s dry lips moved, but no sound came. The other men, too, were
stricken dumb. Only Dorothy found breath.
“This gentleman is Mr. Loving, Mr. Willoughby,” she gasped. “Why do you
call him Howard?”
The missionary turned a bewildered face to the girl. “I don’t
understand,” he stammered. “I knew this gentleman as Mr. Howard in
Porto Rico, where I married him to Dolores Montoro. Later she followed
him to New York, and he was reported to have murdered her. I was
coming to testify when I was wrecked, and----”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account