common accident which had happened to his master, in his master’s cellar, had connected Mr. Vendale in this man’s mind with the idea of danger by murder.  Your niece surprised him into a confession, which aggravated tenfold the terrors that possessed her.  Aroused to a sense of the mischief he had done, the man, of his own accord, made the one atonement in his power.  ’If my master is in danger, miss,’ he said, ’it’s my duty to follow him, too; and it’s more than my duty to take care of you.’  The two set forth together—­and, for once, a superstition has had its use.  It decided your niece on taking the journey; and it led the way to saving a man’s life.  Do you understand me, so far?”

“I understand you, so far.”

“My first knowledge of the crime that you had committed,” pursued Bintrey, “came to me in the form of a letter from your niece.  All you need know is that her love and her courage recovered the body of your victim, and aided the after-efforts which brought him back to life.  While he lay helpless at Brieg, under her care, she wrote to me to come out to him.  Before starting, I informed Madame Dor that I knew Miss Obenreizer to be safe, and knew where she was.  Madame Dor informed me, in return, that a letter had come for your niece, which she knew to be in your handwriting.  I took possession of it, and arranged for the forwarding of any other letters which might follow.  Arrived at Brieg, I found Mr. Vendale out of danger, and at once devoted myself to hastening the day of reckoning with you.  Defresnier and Company turned you off on suspicion; acting on information privately supplied by me.  Having stripped you of your false character, the next thing to do was to strip you of your authority over your niece.  To reach this end, I not only had no scruple in digging the pitfall under your feet in the dark—­I felt a certain professional pleasure in fighting you with your own weapons.  By my advice the truth has been carefully concealed from you up to this day.  By my advice the trap into which you have walked was set for you (you know why, now, as well as I do) in this place.  There was but one certain way of shaking the devilish self-control which has hitherto made you a formidable man.  That way has been tried, and (look at me as you may) that way has succeeded.  The last thing that remains to be done,” concluded Bintrey, producing two little slips of manuscript from his despatch-box, “is to set your niece free.  You have attempted murder, and you have committed forgery and theft.  We have the evidence ready against you in both cases.  If you are convicted as a felon, you know as well as I do what becomes of your authority over your niece.  Personally, I should have preferred taking that way out of it.  But considerations are pressed on me which I am not able to resist, and this interview must end, as I have told you already, in a compromise.  Sign those lines, resigning all authority over Miss Obenreizer, and pledging yourself never to be seen in England or in Switzerland again; and I will sign an indemnity which secures you against further proceedings on our part.”