"I'll see," was the reply. "Hullo! what's that! Gramp, what do you mean by rushing into the room?" It was indeed Cicero who stood, hot and puffing, at the door. He took no notice of Blair, but addressed himself to Alan. "Mr. Thorold," he said, "I have information if you will pay me well." "You shall be paid if what you have to say is worth it." "Then I must tell you that Lestrange was the Quiet Gentleman. You see this lancet? He stole it out of your desk, and gave it to me to say that I found it in the hut. This proves that he was the Quiet Gentleman, and I believe he murdered Dr. Warrender." "You do, you scoundrel!" cried Mr. Beauchamp. "But you are too late--we know all!" "Too late!" cried Gramp. "Good heavens! to think of my getting nothing, and Clara Maria two thousand pounds!" * * * * * Little remains to be told. Lestrange was traced to Southampton, but there the trail was lost, much to the disappointment of Inspector Blair, who, although he duly received the two thousand pounds, never ceased to regret the man's escape. Alan paid him the reward gladly, for without him the mystery would never have been solved, and Mr. Beauchamp's innocence would never have been established. Sophy and Alan were married in the presence of the ex-millionaire and of Miss Vicky. After the ceremony, the former left England with Joe. He bought a small yacht, in which he and his faithful servant sail the waters of the Mediterranean. No one has ever guessed the truth. Mrs. Marry continues to lament the loss of the Quiet Gentleman, but she has always believed him to have been one and the same person. That Mr. Beauchamp was the second representative of the part, she never dreamed. Mr. Marlow is dead to the Heathton villagers, and to this day they talk of the mystery which surrounded the disappearance of his corpse--indeed, the vault has the reputation of being haunted. Barkham left England with his fifty pounds, and Mrs. Warrender returned to America with her two thousand and her many jewels. There she married a Canadian doctor, and vanished altogether. Cicero received a small sum, and now spends his time frantically hunting for Clara Maria, in the hope of extorting a share of her money; but Clara Maria is a clever woman, and he is not likely to come across her. Sophy and Alan are supremely happy in their life at the Abbey Farm. They make frequent trips to the Continent, where they meet Mr. Beauchamp. Miss Vicky, too, is happy. She has Sophy's son and heir to care for, and what more can she want? "The heir to millions," says the old lady, "and what a mystery there was about it all! To this day, I don't understand everything." "Few people do," is Alan's reply. "The millionaire's mystery will always remain a mystery in Heathton." -------------------------------------------- BILLING AND SONS, LTD., PRINTERS, GUILDFORD. End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Millionaire Mystery, by Fergus Hume