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Myerst. ā€œNow, look hereā ā€”I said nobody knew as much of this affair as I know, and thatā€™s true also. And hereā€™s the truth of what I know. The old man in that room, whom you know as Nicholas Cardlestone, is in reality Chamberlayne, the stockbroker, of Market Milcaster, whose name was so freely mentioned when your father was tried there. Thatā€™s another fact!ā€

ā€œHow,ā€ asked Breton, sternly, ā€œcan you prove it? How do you know it?ā€

ā€œBecause,ā€ replied Myerst, with a cunning grin, ā€œI helped to carry out his mock death and burialā ā€”I was a solicitor in those days, and my name wasā ā€”something else. There were three of us at it: Chamberlayneā€™s nephew; a doctor of no reputation; and myself. We carried it out very cleverly, and Chamberlayne gave us five thousand pounds apiece for our trouble. It was not the first time that I had helped him and been well paid for my help. The first time was in connection with the Cloudhampton Hearth and Home Mutual Benefit Society affairā ā€”Aylmore, or Ainsworth, was as innocent as a child in that!ā ā€”Chamberlayne was the man at the back. But, unfortunately, Chamberlayne didnā€™t profitā ā€”he lost all he got by it, pretty quick. That was why be transferred his abilities to Market Milcaster.ā€

ā€œYou can prove all this, I suppose?ā€ remarked Spargo.

ā€œEvery wordā ā€”every letter! But about the Market Milcaster affair: Your father, Breton, was right in what he said about Chamberlayne having all the money that was got from the bank. He hadā ā€”and he engineered that mock death and funeral so that he could disappear, and he paid us who helped him generously, as Iā€™ve told you. The thing couldnā€™t have been better done. When it was done, the nephew disappeared; the doctor disappeared; Chamberlayne disappeared. I had bad luckā ā€”to tell you the truth, I was struck off the rolls for a technical offence. So I changed my name and became Mr. Myerst, and eventually what I am now. And it was not until three years ago that I found Chamberlayne. I found him in this way: After I became secretary to the Safe Deposit Company, I took chambers in the Temple, above Cardlestoneā€™s. And I speedily found out who he was. Instead of going abroad, the old foxā ā€”though he was a comparatively young ā€™un, then!ā ā€”had shaved off his beard, settled down in the Temple and given himself up to his two hobbies, collecting curiosities and stamps. There heā€™d lived quietly all these years, and nobody had ever recognized or suspected him. Indeed, I donā€™t see how they could; he lived such a quiet, secluded life, with his collections, his old port, and his little whims and fads. Butā ā€”I knew him!ā€

ā€œAnd you doubtless profited by your recognition,ā€ suggested Breton.

ā€œI certainly did. He was glad to pay me a nice sum every quarter to hold my tongue,ā€ replied Myerst, ā€œand I was glad to take it and, naturally, I gained a considerable knowledge of him. He had only one friendā ā€”Mr. Elphick, in there. Now, Iā€™ll tell you about him.ā€

ā€œOnly if you are going to speak respectfully of him,ā€ said Breton sternly.

ā€œIā€™ve no reason to do otherwise. Elphick is the man who ought to have married your mother. When things turned out as they did, Elphick took you and brought you up as he has done, so that you should never know of your fatherā€™s disgrace. Elphick never knew until last night that Cardlestone is Chamberlayne. Even the biggest scoundrels have friendsā ā€”Elphickā€™s very fond of Cardlestone. Heā ā€”ā€

Spargo turned sharply on Myerst.

ā€œYou say Elphick didnā€™t know until last night!ā€ he exclaimed. ā€œWhy, then, this running away? What were they running from?ā€

ā€œI have no more notion than you have, Spargo,ā€ replied Myerst. ā€œI tell you one or other of them knows something that I donā€™t. Elphick, I gather, took fright from you, and went to Cardlestoneā ā€”then they both vanished. It may be that Cardlestone did kill Maitlandā ā€”I donā€™t know. But Iā€™ll tell you what I know about the actual murderā ā€”for I do know a good deal about it, though, as I say, I donā€™t know who killed Maitland. Now, first, you know all that about Maitlandā€™s having papers and valuables and gold on him? Very wellā ā€”Iā€™ve got all that. The whole lot is locked upā ā€”safelyā ā€”and Iā€™m willing to hand it over to you, Breton, when we go back to town, and the necessary proof is givenā ā€”as it will beā ā€”that youā€™re Maitlandā€™s son.ā€

Myerst paused to see the effect of this announcement, and laughed when he saw the blank astonishment which stole over his hearersā€™ faces.

ā€œAnd still more,ā€ he continued, ā€œIā€™ve got all the contents of that leather box which Maitland deposited with meā ā€”thatā€™s safely locked up, too, and at your disposal. I took possession of that the day after the murder. Then, for purposes of my own, I went to Scotland Yard, as Spargo there is aware. You see, I was playing a gameā ā€”and it required some ingenuity.ā€

ā€œA game!ā€ exclaimed Breton. ā€œGood heavensā ā€”what game?ā€

ā€œI never knew until I had possession of all these things that Marbury was Maitland of Market Milcaster,ā€ answered Myerst. ā€œWhen I did know then I began to put things together and to pursue my own line, independent of everybody. I tell you I had all Maitlandā€™s papers and possessions, by that timeā ā€”except one thing. That packet of Australian stamps. Andā ā€”I found out that those stamps were in the hands ofā ā€”Cardlestone!ā€

XXXVI The Final Telegram

Myerst paused, to take a pull at his glass, and to look at the two amazed listeners with a smile of conscious triumph.

ā€œIn the hands of Cardlestone,ā€ he repeated. ā€œNow, what did I argue from that? Why, of course, that Maitland had been to Cardlestoneā€™s rooms that night. Wasnā€™t he found lying dead at the foot of Cardlestoneā€™s stairs? Ayeā ā€”but who found him? Not the porterā ā€”not the policeā ā€”not you, Master Spargo, with all your cleverness. The man who found Maitland lying dead there that night wasā ā€”I!ā€

In the silence that followed, Spargo, who had been making notes of what Myerst said, suddenly

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