t the door."

"Well, granted," said Capel.

"He watched, sir, night and day, and wouldn't leave the place, and at
last, when--"

"I know," said Capel, "those Italians."

"Now, you shouldn't take away people's character, sir," said the
detective reproachfully. "It was that Indian. He wasn't satisfied that
the secret place was safe. He was sure it would be broken open, and so
that night, or the one before, he took the treasure out, and put it
where he felt certain that no one would look for it."

"And where was that?" cried Capel.

The detective smiled.

"As I said, gentlemen, where no one would look for it."

"And that was?"

"In the dead man's own charge, sirs. _In the coffin_."

Capel and Mr Girtle sank back in their chairs.

"And if you open that vault, gentlemen, and the iron tomb, and the steel
chest, you'll find it safe and sound."

"There's one more thing, sir, I should like to say, and that is about
that old Indian servant. He was struck down, no doubt, or fainted after
he had killed the footman, defending the treasure. I can't quite say
what happened then, but it looks to me as if some one came upon the old
fellow when he was lying helpless--some one who also meant to steal that
treasure--and that he, or she, or whoever it was, chloroformed the old
man to death. I had it on the doctor's authority that he did not die of
his wounds; but this is only theory. I can't say."

It was a theory that sent a chill through Paul Capel, and he dared not
put his thoughts about the fair Creole into shape.

All proved about the treasure precisely as Mr Linnett had said, for
when, with much compunction, the various caskets were opened once again,
there lay the two cases beneath the cloth-of-gold robe, safely in the
keeping of the dead man, whereat, and for other reasons, Mr Linnett
much rejoiced.

Later on, old Mr Girtle had his wish, that of giving Lydia away to the
man she loved--one who often afterwards told her he wondered how he
could have been so blind--blind, he said, as the old place, which was
kept, in accordance with the Colonel's last commands, closed in front,
but bright and gay behind, while Paul Capel used to say, "It is
astonishing how much human sunshine can be got into a Dark House."

THE END.

End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Dark House, by Georg Manville Fenn

*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE DARK HOUSE ***

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