Water Weed by Alice Campbell

Author:Alice Campbell
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Dean Street Press
Published: 2022-05-09T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER XXV

A night letter from New York arrived two days later bringing the comforting news that Virginia’s father would be with them in a week’s time. When she had read the cabled message, Virginia breathed again, it seemed to her for the first time since the dreadful affair had begun.

Since Wednesday night a fair amount had been accomplished. The Colonel had secured competent legal assistance for Glenn, and machinery had been put in operation for eliciting all obtainable evidence on the prisoner’s behalf. Virginia was repeatedly assured that no stone would be left unturned in the young man’s defence; yet for all that her mind was filled with grave misgivings. All around her she sensed an atmosphere of incredulity which chilled and alarmed her beyond words. Bitterly she regretted having ventured alone on her excursion to “The Grapes and Pear-Tree.” If only there had been someone with her when she had acquainted her friend with the facts of the murder, some other witness who could have received with her the indisputable impression of his blank bewilderment. But as it was she found herself unable to make anyone share in her belief. Again and again she had told her story, in the utmost detail, only to be met with reluctant silence. At last she tried no more, resolved to hold her tongue until her father arrived. He, at least, would not treat her tale with total disrespect, nor would he dismiss in a summary fashion her tentative theory relating to Major Falck, which, when she had mentioned it to the Colonel, had been met with a courteous but crushing rebuff. She was still feeling ashamed as a result of that encounter.

“Geoffrey Falck?” the Colonel had repeated in utter stupefaction, staring at her through his eyeglass as if he thought she had taken leave of her senses. “You can’t surely mean to be taken seriously, can you? Why, my dear girl, I have known Geoffrey Falck for twenty years, and the idea that he could commit murder is quite out of the question! Even if he had been in the neighbourhood at the time—which is most unlikely—and even if he could have got into the house, which is still more improbable, since the police are convinced that the house was never entered at all, I should know on the face of it that he could not have had a hand in the crime. The whole thing’s absurd!”

“But why is it so absurd, Cousin Bertram?” she had persisted in a low voice, but with great earnestness. “You see—although you may not know it—he did actually threaten her life. She was desperately afraid of him!”

The Colonel laughed a little.

“Who on earth told you that?” he asked in amusement.

“Glenn did, when I was staying at the Weir House. He said Mrs. Fenmore was always in terror of what her husband might do, and I think it is true, because—because of many things. Just before I was there someone tried to break into her bedroom through the window.

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