"And whose was the devilish mind that conceived this awful thing, and what was the motive?" he cried, when he had recovered from his stupefaction. "You will know directly, but it is best I should tell the story in my own way, and in proper sequence. Well, I went to Forest View, to look after Mr Monkton. I may say that Stent never went near him himself, for fear of recognition. I found that he was being treated with drugs, so as to keep him more or less in a state of torpor. When I saw what was being done, I was horrified, and remonstrated. But Stent was always plausible, told me the effect was temporary, and that as soon as he could fix the time for his release, he would give him antidotes that would speedily restore him to his normal state. "I very shortly conceived the idea of liberating him, but the means were hard to discover. Stent distrusted everybody, and it was only by acceding to all his humours that I was able to worm anything out of him. Half-a-dozen times he permitted me to administer the drug during his absence. It was one of his own preparation--for he was among other things a most skilled chemist. On these occasions I gave your father but a small portion of the dose intended for him. By these means I revived his benumbed faculties, and was able to assure him that I was his friend, and was eagerly seeking the means of restoring him to freedom. "Then one day, when Stent was in an unusually good temper, he came to me, with that evil smile on his face which I had learned to know and dread. `A curious thing is going to happen to-morrow. A man is coming here to stay for a little time. Can you guess what he is coming for?' Of course, I answered I could not. "`He will stay here under an assumed name, but he is rather a great personage in his own world. He will want, if I know him aright, to go to Monkton's room every day, and gloat over his handiwork.' "It was imprudent of me, but I could not help blurting out, `Yours as well as his.' "His smile grew more evil as he said, `I am afraid you are a little too tender-hearted for this world, my dear. Anyway, I am paid a big price for the job, and you know I never refuse money.' "I saw my mistake, and pretended to fall in with his mood, and succeeded in winning him back to amiability. I expressed great curiosity to know the real name of the man who, to use his own expression, was coming down `to gloat over his handiwork.' To this day I shall never know what caused him to satisfy it. But at last he told me." Sheila and her lover gazed at the pale-faced woman intently. In their eagerness they almost forgot their loathing. "The instigator of his abduction, the man who hired this fiend to carry out his deadly, malignant revenge, is a man well-known, wealthy, a peer of the realm. I daresay you have heard of him. He is called Lord Wrenwyck."