"Gentlemen," he said, in rather an oratorical way, "I was, as you know, secretary to the late Mr. Grent, and frequently went down to see him at Wray House. Sometimes I stayed there for days, and, therefore, saw a great deal of the household. About a year ago, I fell in love with Julia Brawn, a handsome girl, who was Donna Maria's maid. I gave her that locket you showed me, and promised to marry her as soon as I was rich enough to keep a wife." "Did you really intend to marry her?" questioned Darrel suspiciously, "or were you only fooling the girl." "I intended to make her my wife," said Vass, with dignity. "She was a good girl, and a beautiful girl, whom I loved very much. When we met we naturally conversed about those we knew, and Julia was in the habit of telling me all that went on in the house, I learnt from her that Grent was in love with Miss Hargone, the governess. Now, at this time, I knew that he was nearly ruined by speculation; so when he told me one day that he had ten thousand pounds I doubted him, until he showed it to me at Wray House. He explained that the money belonged to a society called the Peruvian Patriots, and explained to me all about their symbol of the Blue Mummy. Once or twice he said to me that he wished the ten thousand pounds was his own. Then Miss Hargone made a confidant of Julia." "But Miss Hargone had left the house some weeks before Manuel paid the money to Grent." "I know that, Mr. Torry, but Julia used to call on Miss Hargone in London. The governess told Julia that Grent intended to fly to America with the ten thousand pounds, and had asked her to go with him. She said she had promised to go if Grent could show her the money in his possession, and to see it, she had made an appointment with him in Mortality-lane. Both were to be disguised." "Why?" "Because Grent was terribly afraid of the society and had made Miss Hargone afraid also. They thought it better to meet in some out-of-the-way spot, where there would be no chance of their being disturbed. That was why Mortality-lane was chosen. When Miss Hargone was convinced that Grent had the money she was to return home to her lodgings in Bloomsbury, and meet Grent the next morning at Victoria Station. They were to go to Genoa and sail for South America." "A very nice plot," said Darrel. "But how about Julia going in place of Lydia?" CHAPTER XXIV A QUEER MESSAGE Vass paused before answering this question and drank some more water. Now that he had commenced his confession he was much more at his ease, and seemed disposed to tell all he had hitherto kept back. He smiled faintly and repeated Darrel's remark before making any reply. "How about going in place of Lydia?" he said. "Well that was because Miss Hargone never intended to go to Italy or South America with Grent." "But he bought double tickets for Genoa," exclaimed Torry.