I asked, my astonishment increasing at such revelations. “We were friends; I had done him no wrong.”
“The motive was a sufficiently strong one; that of obtaining your fortune.”
“How?”
“Cannot you see the depths of the plot? He was aware you had made a will leaving everything to Vera, therefore, if you died, she would possess the estate. In that case he hoped to marry her, and failing this, his father could give information which would secure her conviction and exile as one implicated in the attempts against the Czar. In either case he would obtain the money. You were the only obstacle, and when once removed, all would have been easy.”
“By fortuitous circumstances he did not succeed,” Vera said, kissing me fondly.
“No. He was a clever rogue, I can assure you. But he was unaware that I was in England watching his movements,” remarked Boris.
“What of his father?” I asked.
“He also has obtained what he richly deserves. Having been detected in assisting in the manufacture of bombs in Zurich, immediately on his return after giving evidence against you, he was convicted and sentenced to ten years’ imprisonment.”
“Serve the old scoundrel right!” declared Bob, in a tone of satisfaction. “It seems to me, Frank, old fellow, you owe your life to our newly-discovered friend.”
“Yes, that is true,” I admitted. “It is a debt I can never repay.”