"I then determined to kill his daughter.It was the night of my enemy's burial.The Sahibah was alone in the house and was intending to leave it that night.I knew she would see that everything was securely fastened before she went away, and so, when I opened one of the windows, I was sure she would come to close it.Crouching down outside I awaited her approach, intending to spring up and stab her while she was pulling the window down.Everything happened as I planned - what ails the Sahib? I did not kill her! No, at the last moment something - never mind what - stayed my arm! The death of an innocent girl did not promise me any lasting satisfaction and I gave up the idea, returned to New York, and re-embarked for Bombay as innocent in act as when I left it.My life had been a failure and I had no desire to prolong it.When you arrested me on the charge of murder, nothing would have given me greater pleasure than to have been able to plead guilty.
"You already know why I so hated Darrow.He robbed me of the only woman I ever loved.Maddened by jealousy, I told her I had thrown him into the well in the cave here.It was a lie, but she believed it, and fled from me, and in a few minutes had thrown herself into that bottomless hole.See, Sahib," he said, entering the cave and pointing down the dark shaft, - "that is the road she took in order that her bones might rest with his, and, after all, they are thousands of miles apart.It's not the triumph I planned, but it's all I have! And this is why I brought you here; that you may take back to my enemy's family the knowledge that in death I am triumphant.
Tell them," he said, rising to his full height, "that while the carcass of the English cur rots in a foreign land, Rama Ragobah's bones lie mingled with those of his beautiful Lona!" - My blood was up, and I rushed fiercely at him.With the quickness of a cat he dodged me, spat in my face as I turned, and, with a horrible laugh, sprang headlong into the well.Down deeper and deeper sank the laugh - then it died away - then a faint plash - and all was silent.Rama Ragobah was gone! For fully ten minutes I stood dazed and irresolute and then returned mechanically to the house.
I at first thought of informing the authorities of the whole affair, but, when I realised how hard it would be for me to prove my innocence were I charged with Ragobah's murder, I decided to keep the secret of the well.
I shudder when I think of Miss Darrow's narrow escape.Did you suspect who her assailant really was? I wonder you have written me nothing about it, but suppose you thought it would only needlessly alarm me.If you had known it was our friend Ragobah, you would doubtless have felt it imperative that I should know of it, - so Iconclude from your silence that you did not discover his identity.
I need not, of course, tell you, my dear Doctor, that we have reached the end of our Indian clue, and that I deem it wise, all things considered, for me to get out of India just as soon as possible.If this letter is in any way delayed, you need not be surprised if I have the pleasure of relating its contents in person.
Remember me to Miss Darrow and tell her how sorry I am that, thus far, I have been unable to be of any real service to her.As Ishall see you so soon I need write nothing further.Kind regards to Miss Alice.
Ever yours, GEORGE MAITLAND.
When I had finished reading this letter I looked up at Gwen, expecting to see that its news had depressed her.I must confess, however, that I could not detect any such effect.On the contrary, she seemed to be in much better spirits than when I began reading.
"According to this letter, then," she said, addressing me somewhat excitedly, "we may - " but she let fall her eyes and did not complete her sentence.My sister bestowed upon her one of those glances described in the vernacular of woman as "knowing" and then said to me: "We may expect Mr.Maitland at any time, it seems." "Yes," Ireplied; "he will lose no time in getting here.He undoubtedly feels much chagrined at his failure and will now be more than ever determined to see the affair through to a successful conclusion.He is in the position of a hound that has lost its scent, and is eager to return to its point of departure for a fresh start.I fancy it will be no easy task to discover a new clue, and I shall watch Maitland's work in this direction with a great deal of curiosity."Gwen did not speak, but she listened to our conversation with a nearer approach to a healthy interest than I had known her to display on any other occasion since her father's death.I regarded this as a good omen.Her condition, since that sad occurrence, had worried me a good deal.She seemed to have lost her hold on life and to exist in a state of wearied listlessness.Nothing seemed to impress her and she would at times forget, in the midst of a sentence, what she had intended to say when she began it! Her elasticity was gone and every effort a visible burden to her.I knew the consciousness of her loss was as a dull, heavy weight bearing her down, and I knew, too, that she could not marshal her will to resist it, - that, in fact, she really didn't care, so tired was she of it all.Experience had taught me how the dull, heavy ache of a great loss will press upon the consciousness with the regular, persistent, relentless throb of a loaded wheel and eat out one's life with the slow certainty of a cancer.This I knew to have been Gwen's state since her father's death, and all my attempts to bring about a healthful reaction had hitherto been futile.It is not to be wondered at, therefore, that even the transient interest she had evinced was hailed by me with delight as the beginning of that healthful reaction for which I had so long sought.When a human bark in the full tide of life is suddenly dashed upon the rocks of despair the wreckage is strewn far and wide, and it is with no little difficulty that enough can be rescued to serve in the rebuilding of even the smallest of craft.The thought, therefore, that Gwen's intellectual flotsam was beginning at length to swirl about a definite object in a way to facilitate the rescue of her faculties was to me a decidedly reassuring one, and I noted with pleasure that the state of excited expectancy which she had tried in vain to conceal did not wane, but waxed stronger as the days went by.
