"From what I hear from Garth, it is likely that she will die," said Fanks. "I expect the poor woman will be glad to go now that she sees her daughter will make a good marriage." "Garth came to see me the other day," said Louis, "and he told me that at one time he thought I had committed the crime." "I thought so, too," said Fanks, quietly. "Mrs. Jerusalem did her best to make me suspect you." "I am glad you found that I was guiltless. By the way, where is Mrs. Jerusalem?" "She is keeping house for Garth. I hear that Hersham gave Garth some money, knowing how hard-up he was, so he has set up a house on the strength of it. I don't envy Garth his housekeeper." "Oh, she loves him in her own savage way," said Louis, coolly. "I daresay when he marries he will give her the go-by. I am sure she deserves it for the double way in which she treated me. Then she will go to the Union, or become an emigrant to America, like Messrs. Binjoy and Turnor." "Why America?" "She has a sister there. I wonder what those two scoundrelly doctors are doing in the States?" "Evil, you may be sure of that," replied Fanks. "Let us hope that they will be lynched some day. I am sure that they deserve it." "They do," assented Fellenger. "I am sorry they did not get into trouble." Fanks laughed. "That was certainly your own fault, my dear fellow," he said. "Well, I was unwilling to prosecute for that blackmailing, because I did not want the public to know more of our family scandal than was necessary. I was sorry to let the blackguards go, but, after all, it is best so. Don't you think so yourself?" "No, I don't," said Fanks. "You are too full of the milk of human kindness, my dear Fellenger. I should have punished the rascals." "I am sure you would not if your family had been involved in such a business. I am glad you kept so much from the public ear; there are quite enough scandals as it is. Well, we have discussed the case a good time, so suppose you come inside and have some luncheon." "I'm agreeable," was Fanks' reply, and he got up to follow his friend. "By the way, can I take any message from you to Hersham and Miss Colmer? I am going down to Mere Hall next week." "Tell them I hope they will ask me to dance at the wedding." "Of course they will. I shall dance also," added Fanks, with a smile. "I deserve to, for I danced enough after the evidence of this Tooley Alley case. May I never have such another; it was more like a detective novel than a story in real life. But it is over now, thank Heaven. We have acted our several parts; the bad have been punished and the good rewarded, so we can drop the curtain on the Tragedy of Tooley's Alley." THE END. End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Tracked by a Tattoo, by Fergus Hume