Two Boys and a Fortune Part 39

"All these things flashed into my mind within a few seconds of time as I stood by the bedside of the dead man. My determination was quickly taken. I knew that Ann had gone home, that there was no one near to see the deed.

"I took the new will and held it in the flame of the candle till it was entirely consumed. Then I blew the cinders, so that they scattered about the room and would not attract attention."

"Oh, Syd!" This in a kind of gasp from Roy.

Rex said nothing. He was sitting upright now, still seeming to see before him the face of "No. 131," Mr. Keeler's criminal brother.

"Yes, I knew you would all shrink from me when you knew," went on Sydney. He spoke in a voice that was almost hard now. It was as if it had become so from the spurring that was necessary to enable him to make his confession. "I shrank from myself as soon as the last piece of tinder had vanished from the candlestick. I could not bear to stay in the house. I hurried off to the undertaker's, and then stopped at Dr. Martin's to tell him that the miser was dead.

"He said something about the good fortune that had come to us so quickly. I shuddered and hurried home. But I could not sleep. I seemed to have become an old man in that one instant while I held that sheet of paper in the flame of the candle."

"That's the reason we did not see you at breakfast the next morning?"

said Roy softly.

"Yes, I felt that I could not face you all just yet."

"And that is why you looked so terrible and fainted away when I told Scott Bowman about our inheritance at your office?" added Rex.

"Yes; I was planning all sorts of ways to fix things, so we needn't take the money. Then I saw it was too late. Now you know what has been on my mind all these months. I knew that my health was being undermined by the strain. But I did not care for that. I even hoped at times that I might die, because then I felt that you need never know."

"And-- and was it anything in particular that made you tell us to-night?" asked Rex.

"Yes. It seems very strange how things come about, but then it often happens so. Do you remember, Reggi-- Rex, telling me the name of the man who left your friend Miles with the Morriseys'?"

"Yes, and it was Darley, the same name you mentioned just now. And you fainted then, just as you did that time at the office. You don't mean that Miles--"

"Yes, I am almost certain that Miles Morrisey is really a Darley, the son of Maurice Darley, to whom all this money belongs. When I suspected this I knew that the end had come-- that I must trace the thing down and confess."

At this point the carriage halted before the door of the house. Rex sprang out, then Roy, and both boys waited to help Sydney. But he made no movement to follow them.

"Aren't you going to get out, Syd?" asked Roy.

"No; I have no right to live among you any more. Now that you know, it will seem like having a convict in the house. I can go to some hotel.

You can send my things to me and I will stay there till-- till this is settled up and they put me away."

Roy stepped into the carriage and put his face so close to Sydney's that the latter felt the smooth flesh against his day's growth of beard.

"Dear old fellow," whispered Roy, "you must come. We haven't cast you off. And-- and besides, we want you with us to help us decide what to do."

"Don't be so good to me, Roy. I can't bear it."

But as he spoke, Sydney got out, and the three went up the steps.

Nothing was said as they ascended the stairs. There was danger of disturbing the household.

"Good night, Syd," said Roy, when they reached the top.

He put out his hand, but Sydney did not see it in the darkness.

"Good night, Roy," he responded.

Rex said nothing, but when Sydney's door closed behind him, he drew Roy into his room with him.

"You must stay with me to-night, Roy, "he said, and he began taking off his coat.

"Why didn't you speak to Syd before we came in, Reggie?"

"I couldn't, Roy. I feel awfully sorry for him. But he's committed a crime, and I can't help but think all the while of Mr. Keeler's brother."

"It's terrible-- awful." Roy's face was pale; he looked almost as Sydney had looked at one time.

"What are we going to do?" Rex sat down on the edge of the bed, a despairing droop to the shoulders that he usually carried so squarely.

"We must give up everything to the rightful heir."

"But where shall we go then? We've sold our house in Marley and spent the money we got for it. We'll be worse off than we were before, Roy.

Oh, dear, why did you ever look up at that trestle and see that old man crawl out on it?"

"I've wished I hadn't before now," replied Roy gravely.

"The money hasn't made us happy as you expected it would, and now see what misery it has brought. But I suppose it's wrong for me to regret doing what I did. And don't think so hard of Syd, Reggie. Remember that he did what he did, not for himself, but for us."

"I'll try my best, but I don't feel now as if I could ever touch him again. And think what he has brought us to! Poverty, after just giving us the taste of wealth." The twins did not sleep much that night.

CHAPTER x.x.xII

A HARD DAY FOR THE TWINS

Roy and Rex slept far into the morning, which was Sat.u.r.day. They were awakened finally by a persistent knocking on the door and Jess's voice:

"Are you boys going to sleep all day? Have you forgotten we were all going to Marley at eleven o'clock? And here's a note Syd left for you, Rex. He's much better and gone to the office. Get up now or we shan't save breakfast"

"All right," responded Roy, and he shook his brother and told him about Syd's note.

"I wonder what it's about," murmured Rex.

Then he saw it on the carpet, where Jess had poked it under the door.

He s.n.a.t.c.hed it up eagerly and read:

"I am going to telegraph for Miles to come in and stay over Sunday. He must be told while he is here. He will get to the house in time for dinner."

"I wonder if he expects me to tell him?" muttered Rex. "Great Scott, it'll be mighty queer to entertain a fellow in a house that really belongs to him!"

"And I wonder when mother and the girls are to be told," added Roy.

"Do you suppose Syd could have told mother already?"

But there was no sign that Mrs. Pell knew from her demeanor when she poured the coffee for them.

"I must go down and see Syd about it," said Roy as they went out into the hall together. "You'll have to go to Marley without me."