Part 41 (1/2)

Which is it?”

O'Moy raised his arms, only to let them fall heavily to his sides again.

”What explanation can there be?” he asked. ”How can a man who has been--as I hope I have--a man of honour in the past explain such an act of madness? It arose out of your order against duelling,” he went on.

”Samoval offended me mortally. He said such things to me of my wife's honour that no man could suffer, and I least of any man. My temper betrayed me. I consented to a clandestine meeting without seconds. It took place here, and I killed him. And then I had, as I imagined--quite wrongly, as I know now--overwhelming evidence that what he had told me was true, and I went mad.” Briefly he told the story of Tremayne's descent from Lady O'Moy's balcony and the rest.

”I scarcely know,” he resumed, ”what it was I hoped to accomplish in the end. I do not know--for I never stopped to consider--whether I should have allowed Captain Tremayne to have been shot if it had come to that.

All that I was concerned to do was to submit him to the ordeal which I conceived he must undergo when he saw himself confronted with the choice of keeping silence and submitting to his fate, or saving himself by an avowal that could scarcely be less bitter than death itself.”

”You fool, O'Moy-you d.a.m.ned, infernal fool!” his lords.h.i.+p swore at him.

”Grant overheard more than you imagined that night outside the gates.

His conclusions ran the truth very close indeed. But I could not believe him, could not believe this of you.”'

”Of course not,” said O'Moy gloomily. ”I can't believe it of myself.”

”When Miss Armytage intervened to afford Tremayne an alibi, I believed her, in view of what Grant had told me; I concluded that hers was the window from which Tremayne had climbed down. Because of what I knew I was there to see that the case did not go to extremes against Tremayne.

If necessary Grant must have given full evidence of all he knew, and there and then left you to your fate. Miss Armytage saved us from that, and left me convinced, but still not understanding your own att.i.tude.

And now comes Richard Butler to surrender to me and cast himself upon my mercy with another tale which completely gives the lie to Miss Armytage's, but confirms your own.”

”Richard Butler!” cried O'Moy. ”He has surrendered to you?”

”Half-an-hour ago.”

Sir Terence turned aside with a weary shrug. A little laugh that was more a sob broke from him. ”Poor Una!” he muttered.

”The tangle is a shocking one--lies, lies everywhere, and in the places where they were least to be expected.” Wellington's anger flashed out. ”Do you realise what awaits you as a result of all this d.a.m.ned insanity?”

”I do, sir. That is why I place my resignation in your hands. The disregard of a general order punishable in any officer is beyond pardon in your adjutant-general.”

”But that is the least of it, you fool.”

”Sure, don't I know? I a.s.sure you that I realise it all.”

”And you are prepared to face it?” Wellington was almost savage in an anger proceeding from the conflict that went on within him. There was his duty as commander-in-chief, and there was his friends.h.i.+p for O'Moy and his memory of the past in which O'Moy's loyalty had almost been the ruin of him.

”What choice have I?”

His lords.h.i.+p turned away, and strode the length of the room, his head bent, his lips twitching. Suddenly he stopped and faced the silent intelligence officer.

”What is to be done, Grant?”

”That is a matter for your lords.h.i.+p. But if I might venture--”

”Venture and be d.a.m.ned,” snapped Wellington.

”The signal service rendered the cause of the allies by the death of Samoval might perhaps be permitted to weigh against the offence committed by O'Moy.”

”How could it?” snapped his lords.h.i.+p. ”You don't know, O'Moy, that upon Samoval's body were found certain doc.u.ments intended for Ma.s.sena. Had they reached him, or had Samoval carried out the full intentions that dictated his quarrel with you, and no doubt sent him here depending upon his swordsmans.h.i.+p to kill you, all my plans for the undoing of the French would have been ruined. Ay, you may stare. That is another matter in which you have lacked discretion. You may be a fine engineer, O'Moy, but I don't think I could have found a less judicious adjutant-general if I had raked the ranks of the army on purpose to find an idiot.

Samoval was a spy--the cleverest spy that we have ever had to deal with.