"Dad, O'Guire that is, was driven to stealing. Mother too. All the other little ones died but me. Dad trained me. Write to the police in London and ask about Nora O'Guire--there are lots of other names, but they know me under all as Nora O'Guire. Then mother died. She made me swear not to rest till we had revenged her on Dudgeon. We came out, Dad and I, came out to find him. I bluffed the bank."
"But the deeds you had with you--were they forgeries?"
"No. I stole them. From a solicitor's office in Dublin--he probably does not know they are missing. Write to him."
"In the cellar under the house--in a stone jar. His name is on them. The bank-notes are there too. The gold is in a----"
The head fell back. "I am glad," she said. "You are the first man to beat me--but I love you."
"Tell me how you managed to deceive everyone as you did."
"I acted. Once, for a time, when things got too hot for us, I went on the stage. It threw the 'tecks off the scent. I wanted to stay at it, for I liked it, but mother was mad to ruin Dudgeon, and Dad could not keep straight. So we began again. I wore a wig and made up. You'll find it in the cave."
"Oh, if I could only have married you," she gasped. "If I had only met you earlier!"
"Yes, I'll tell you. I went to the bank--like this--and saw Eustace. I slipped into the kitchen and drugged the tea. I knew they all took it. Then Dad and I broke in. It was quite easy. I climbed up the verandah, opened the back door, and let Dad in. They were all dead asleep. We took the keys and cleared the safe. Every place was locked up again and left just as we found it. Dad went out, and when I had locked the back door I went over the verandah again."
"The buggy was in the bush. We whitewashed the horses as a blind. We knew they hated the colour up here. It puzzled everyone."
"Dad knew it in the old days. He and mother used to meet here in secret--there is a way across to the ford--the water gets shallow in one place--it was there Dad shot----"
Her voice caught and she turned appealing eyes to him as she struggled for breath.
"Give me--rum," she muttered, and he rested her head on his arm, while he slowly poured some of the spirit between her lips. For a time she lay so still he thought she had gone, till there came a wavering sigh and she moved her head slightly.