"Well?" demanded the girl, seeing how nervous her lover was.
Craver moved slowly towards the door. "You will never get it. Nor will your father. Sir Hector did not leave his fortune to either of you."
Claudia stared when her lover disappeared. She wondered if he knew more about the crime than he admitted. Her father, her lover--was one or the other guilty?
[CHAPTER VIII.]
When in the street, Craver turned over in his mind what the girl had said relative to the hint given by her father. Undoubtedly Lemby had a superlatively bad temper, and undoubtedly he had been in the house when the crime was committed. Adding to this the fact that Wyke disliked Claudia's father and had a bitter tongue, it did not seem impossible that the pirate might have struck the blow in a moment of anger. Before the arrival of the postman, and while Mrs. Vence was in the kitchen, Lemby might have slipped down from the upstairs drawing-room to commit the crime and then have slipped up again. But against this was to be placed the fact that a second visitor was not only in the house, but in the company of the baronet. Lemby could scarcely have used the knife while the other man was present. On the whole, Craver was perplexed by the situation, and wondered what he should do. If Lemby took his daughter to Australia, Craver felt sure that he would never see her again, as he himself was unable to leave England. And Lemby, if implicated in the death of his proposed son-in-law, would certainly return to his native land to escape possible arrest. For quite ten minutes Craver stood by the Underground Station at Earl's Court considering how be act. Finally, he made up his mind as to his next step, and took a ticket to Blackfriars.
When in the train the young man reflected on the conclusion he had arrived at. This was to follow Lemby to Mr. Sandal's office, and frankly offer his assistance in extricating the pirate from his dilemma on condition that Claudia should be allowed to marry him. It was difficult to see how he could help the pirate since he knew so little. Two heads are always better than one, and Craver believed that Lemby would consent to the marriage in order to gain a friend while in trouble. Craver alighted on the Blackfriars platform with the conviction that he was going on a wild-goose chase. Nevertheless, failing all else, he believed it was worth while to act as he intended.
Edwin knew where Mr. Sandal's office was situated, as Sir Hector had mentioned on a momentous occasion the name and address of his lawyer. So the young man walked up to the Strand, and soon found himself in Lincoln's Inn Fields. In a few minutes he was at the door of the building in which Mr. Sandal's office was situated, and was mounting the stairs. On inquiry it appeared that Lemby had arrived, and was awaiting the interview with Mr. Sandal, who was engaged for the time being. Craver rejoiced that there was a chance of seeing the pirate before he interviewed the lawyer, and requested to be shown into the waiting-room. The clerk opened a side door to admit him into the same, and then closed it again. Seated near a table covered with magazines and newspapers for the convenience of waiting clients was Lemby reading one of the newspapers. He raised his eyes when the door opened, and rose to his foot when he saw Craver. The astonishment of the buccaneer was very apparent.
"What on earth are you doing here, Craver?" he asked in his truculent way. "I did not know that Sandal was your lawyer?"
"Nor is he," replied Craver, taking a seat and thus forcing Lemby to resume his former position. "I came here to see you."
"Oh, did you? And who told you that I was here?"