THE OPINION OF OCTAVIUS FANKS.
A few months after the confession of Vaud and the end of the Tooley Alley case, Fanks was seated with Louis Fellenger in the house of the latter at Taxton-on-Thames. Louis had surrendered the estates to Hersham, who was now known by his rightful title of Sir Gregory Fellenger. Mrs. Boazoph was dead; Anne Colmer contemplated marriage with the new Sir Gregory; and Mr. Fanks was having a chat with Fellenger about the extraordinary matters in which they both had been concerned.
"When did you get back to town, Fanks?" asked Louis, when they were comfortably seated.
"Last week, old fellow. I have been enjoying myself in Italy, and I assure you that I needed it after the wear and tear of the Tooley Alley affair. I came down to have a chat with you about it."
"I am glad you have. There are one or two points about those confessions which I do not understand. That case was a hard nut to crack, Fanks."
Fanks looked up from the pipe he was filling. "Hard?" he echoed; "you may well say that, Fellenger. I have had many hard cases in my time, but the Tooley Alley mystery was the hardest of them all. The affair of Monsieur Judas was difficult; so was the Chinese Jar Puzzle. The Carbuncle Clue gave me some trouble; but all these were child's play compared to the mystery of your cousin's death. I thought I should never get a hold of the rope with which I designed to hang Vaud."
"You didn't hang him, however."
"No; he managed to hang himself before his trial. I was not sorry, poor devil."
"Nor was I," said Louis; "and I think that Vaud was mad when he killed Gregory, mad with despair and grief at the end of Emma Calvert. The old man has gone abroad, I hear."
"Yes; I met him in Italy. He is quite broken down, as he was very proud of his son Herbert. But he told me that he always thought Herbert would do something rash, although he never suspected that he killed Gregory. How could he when the young man conducted himself so circumspectly? I don't think Herbert was insane," said Fanks, decisively; "he acted too cleverly and cunningly for that. He killed Gregory in cold blood with the greatest determination. Besides, look at the measures he took to secure his safety. No, no, my friend; Vaud was not mad."