They had found
papers and letters which opened before them this scheme of fraud; then,
with his residence address, using his keys, they had learned everything
necessary for the completion of their plans. A copy of the Judge's
will must have been in Henley's possession, and, no doubt, some
lawyer's letter, describing the situation, received since the departure
of his wife. Apparently everything two clever crooks needed to know
was in their possession. All they needed to do was pull the strings,
using a figurehead to represent Philip Henley. That was the part for
which I was chosen. They had to construct a lie in order to interest
me, yet that was comparatively easy, and there was a strong probability
of success but for peculiar conditions of which they could know
nothing. The half-breed had never been mentioned; he was the monkey
wrench thrown unexpectedly into their well-oiled machine. Yet, even
without him, the reappearance of Philip Henley's wife was sufficient to
cause disaster.
Philip Henley's wife! The magic of the words halted me. Then now, if
all I had learned was true, she was his widow. What would that mean to
me! The swift beating of my heart answered. As I sat there alone, in
the silence I forgot everything save her, and my mind dwelt upon every
word and look which had passed between us.
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