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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6833f05 --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,3 @@ +* text=auto +*.txt text +*.md text diff --git a/9853.txt b/9853.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..18c18ef --- /dev/null +++ b/9853.txt @@ -0,0 +1,8727 @@ +Project Gutenberg's The Mystery of the Four Fingers, by Fred M. White + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: The Mystery of the Four Fingers + +Author: Fred M. White + +Posting Date: November 5, 2011 [EBook #9853] +Release Date: February, 2006 +First Posted: October 24, 2003 + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MYSTERY OF THE FOUR FINGERS *** + + + + +Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Mary Meehan, and the Project +Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team + + + + + + + + + + + +The Mystery of the Four Fingers + +BY FRED M. WHITE + +Author of "THE MIDNIGHT GUEST," "THE CRIMSON BLIND," Etc., Etc. + +1908 + + + + + + +CONTENTS + + I. THE BLACK PATCH + + II. THE FIRST FINGER + + III. THE LOST MINE + + IV. IN THE LIFT + + V. A PUZZLE FOR VENNER + + VI. A PARTIAL FAILURE + + VII. THE WHITE LADY + + VIII. MISSING + + IX. A NEW PHASE + + X. THE SECOND FINGER + + XI. AN UNEXPECTED MOVE + + XII. THE HOUSE NEXT DOOR + + XIII. THE WHITE LADY AGAIN + + XIV. MASTER OF THE SITUATION + + XV. FELIX ZARY + + XVI. FENWICK MOVES AGAIN + + XVII. MERTON GRANGE + + XVIII. A COUPLE OF VISITORS + + XIX. PHANTOM GOLD + + XX. THE PRODIGAL'S RETURN + + XXI. THE THIRD FINGER + + XXII. "THE TIME WILL COME" + + XXIII. SMOKED OUT + + XXIV. THE MOUTH OF THE NET + + XXV. AN ACT OF CHARITY + + XXVI. THE LAST FINGER + + XXVII. NEMESIS + +XXVIII. EXPLANATIONS + + XXIX. THIS MORTAL COIL + + XXX. A PEACEFUL SUNSET + + + + +CHAPTER I + +THE BLACK PATCH + +Considering it was nearly the height of the London winter season, the +Great Empire Hotel was not unusually crowded. This might perhaps have +been owing to the fact that two or three of the finest suites of rooms in +the building had been engaged by Mark Fenwick, who was popularly supposed +to be the last thing in the way of American multi-millionaires. No one +knew precisely who Fenwick was, or how he had made his money; but during +the last few months his name had bulked largely in the financial Press +and the daily periodicals of a sensational character. So far, the man had +hardly been seen, it being understood that he was suffering from a chill, +contracted on his voyage to Europe. Up to the present moment he had taken +all his meals in his rooms, but it was whispered now that the great man +was coming down to dinner. There was quite a flutter of excitement in the +Venetian dining-room about eight o'clock. + +The beautifully decorated saloon had a sprinkling of well-dressed men +and women already dining decorously there. Everything was decorous about +the Great Empire Hotel. No thought had been spared in the effort to keep +the place quiet and select. The carpets were extra thick, and the waiters +more than usually soft-footed. On the whole, it was a restful place, +though, perhaps, the decorative scheme of its lighting erred just a +trifle on the side of the sombre. Still, flowers and ferns were soft and +feathery. The band played just loudly enough to stimulate conversation +instead of drowning it. At one of the little tables near the door two men +were dining. One had the alertness and vigor which bespeaks the dweller +in towns. He was neatly groomed, with just the slight suspicion of the +dandy in his dress, though it was obvious at the merest glance that he +was a gentleman. His short, sleek hair gave to his head a certain +suggestion of strength. The eyes which gleamed behind his gold-rimmed +glasses were keen and steady. Most men about town were acquainted with +the name of Jim Gurdon, as a generation before had been acquainted with +his prowess in the athletic field. Now he was a successful barrister, +though his ample private means rendered professional work quite +unnecessary. + +The other man was taller, and more loose-limbed, though his spare frame +suggested great physical strength. He was dark in a hawk-like way, +though the suggestion of the adventurer about him was softened by a pair +of frank and pleasant grey eyes. Gerald Venner was tanned to a fine, +healthy bronze by many years of wandering all over the world; in fact, he +was one of those restless Englishmen who cannot for long be satisfied +without risking his life in some adventure or other. + +The two friends sat there quietly over their dinner, criticising from +time to time those about them. + +"After all," Gurdon said presently, "you must admit that there is +something in our civilization. Now, isn't this better than starving under +a thin blanket, with a chance of being murdered before morning?" + +Venner shrugged his shoulders indifferently. + +"I don't know," he said. "There is something in danger that stimulates +me; in fact, it is the only thing that makes life worth living, I dare +say you have wondered why it is that I have never settled down and +become respectable like the rest of you. If you heard my story, you +would not be surprised at my eccentric mode of living; at any rate, it +enables me to forget." + +Venner uttered the last words slowly and sadly, as if he were talking +to himself, and had forgotten the presence of his companion. There +was a speculative look in his eyes, much as if London had vanished +and he could see the orchids on the table before him growing in their +native forests. + +"I suppose I don't look much like a man with a past," he went on; "like +a man who is the victim of a great sorrow. I'll tell you the story +presently, but not here; I really could not do it in surroundings like +these. I've tried everything, even to money-making, but that is the +worst and most unsatisfactory process of the lot. There is nothing so +sordid as that." + +"Oh, I don't know," Gurdon laughed. "It is better to be a +multi-millionaire than a king today. Take the case of this man Fenwick, +for instance; the papers are making more fuss of him than if he were the +President of the United States or royalty travelling incognito." + +Venner smiled more or less contemptuously. He turned to take a casual +glance at a noisy party who had just come into the dining room, for the +frivolous note jarred upon him. Almost immediately the little party sat +down, and the decorous air of the room seemed to subdue them. Immediately +behind them followed a man who came dragging his limbs behind him, +supported on either side by a servant. He was quite a young man, with a +wonderfully handsome, clean-shaven face. Indeed, so handsome was he, that +Venner could think of no more fitting simile for his beauty than the +trite old comparison of the Greek god. The man's features were perfectly +chiselled, slightly melancholy and romantic, and strongly suggestive of +the early portraits of Lord Byron. Yet, all the same, the almost perfect +face was from time to time twisted and distorted with pain, and from time +to time there came into the dark, melancholy eyes a look of almost +malignant fury. It was evident that the newcomer suffered from racking +pain, for his lips were twitching, and Venner could see that his even, +white teeth were clenched together. On the whole, it was a striking +figure to intrude upon the smooth gaiety of the dining-room, for it +seemed to Venner that death and the stranger were more than casual +acquaintances. He had an idea that it was only a strong will which kept +the invalid on this side of the grave. + +The sufferer sank at length with a sigh of relief into a large armchair, +which had been specially placed for him. He waved the servants aside as +if he had no further use for them, and commenced to study his _menu_, as +if he had no thought for anything else. Venner did not fail to note that +the man had the full use of his arms, and his eye dwelt with critical +approval on the strong, muscular hands and wrists. + +"I wonder who that fellow is?" he said. "What a magnificent frame his +must have been before he got so terribly broken up." + +"He is certainly a fascinating personality," Gurdon admitted. "Somehow, +he strikes me not so much as the victim of an accident as an unfortunate +being who is suffering from the result of some terrible form of +vengeance. What a character he would make for a story! I am ready to bet +anything in reason that if we could get to the bottom of his history it +would be a most dramatic one. It regularly appeals to the imagination. I +can quite believe our friend yonder has dragged himself out of bed by +sheer force of will to keep some appointment whereby he can wreak his +long nursed revenge." + +"Not in a place like this," Venner smiled. + +"Why not? In the old days these things used to be played out to the +accompaniment of thunder and lightning on a blasted heath. Now we are +much more quiet and gentle in our methods. It is quite evident that our +handsome friend is expecting someone to dine with him. He gives a most +excellent dinner to his enemy, points out to him his faults in the most +gentlemanly fashion, and then proceeds to poison him with a specially +prepared cigar. I can see the whole thing in the form of a short story." + +Venner smiled at the conceit of his companion. He was more than half +inclined to take a sentimental view of the thing himself. He turned to +the waiter to give some order, and as he did so, his eyes encountered two +more people, a man and a woman, who, at that moment, entered the +dining-room. The man was somewhat past middle age, with a large bald +head, covered with a shining dome of yellow skin, and a yellow face +lighted by a pair of deep-sunk dark eyes. The whole was set off and +rendered sinister by a small hook nose and a little black moustache. For +the rest, the man was short and inclined to be stout. He walked with a +wonderfully light and agile step for a man of his weight; in fact he +seemed to reach his seat much as a cat might have done. Indeed, despite +his bulk, there was something strangely feline about the stranger. + +Venner gave a peculiar gasp and gurgle. His eyes started. All the blood +receded from his brown face, leaving him ghastly white under his tan. It +was no aspect of fear--rather one of surprise,--of strong and +unconquerable emotion. At the same moment Venner's hand snapped the stem +of his wine glass, and the champagne frothed upon the table. + +"Who is that man?" Venner asked of the waiter. His tone was so strained +and harsh that he hardly recognised his own voice. "Who is the man, I +say? No, no; I don't mean him. I mean that stout man, with the lady in +white, over there." + +The waiter stared at the speaker in astonishment. He seemed to wonder +where he had been all these years. + +"That, sir, is Mr. Mark Fenwick, the American millionaire." + +Venner waved the speaker aside. He was recovering from his emotion now +and the blood had returned once more to his cheeks. He became conscious +of the fact that Gurdon was regarding him with a polite, yet none the +less critical, wonder. + +"What is the matter?" the latter asked. "Really, the air seems full of +mystery. Do you know that for the last two minutes you have been +regarding that obese capitalist with a look that was absolutely +murderous? Do you mean to tell me that you have ever seen him before?" + +"Indeed, I have," Venner replied. "But on the last occasion of our +meeting, he did not call himself Mark Fenwick, or by any other name so +distinctly British. Look at him now; look at his yellow skin with the +deep patches of purple at the roots of the little hair he has. Mark the +shape of his face and the peculiar oblique slit of his eyelids. Would you +take that man for an Englishman?" + +"No, I shouldn't," Gurdon said frankly. "If I had to hazard a guess, I +should say he is either Portuguese or perhaps something of the Mexican +half caste." + +"You would not be far wrong," Venner said quietly. "I suppose you thought +that the appearance of that man here tonight was something of a shock to +me. You can little guess what sort of a shock it has been. I promise to +tell you my story presently, so it will have to keep. In the meantime, +it is my mood to sit here and watch that man." + +"Personally, I am much more interested in his companion," Gurdon laughed. +"A daughter of the gods, if ever there was one. What a face, and what a +figure! Do you mean to say that you didn't notice her as she came in?" + +"Positively I didn't," Venner confessed. "My whole attention was rivetted +on the man. I tell you I can see absolutely nothing but his great, +yellow, wicked face, and for the background the romantic spot where we +last met." + +It was Gurdon's turn now to listen. He leant forward in his chair, his +whole attention concentrated upon the figure of the stranger, huddled up +in the armchair at the little table opposite. He touched Venner on the +arm, and indicated the figure of the man who had suffered so cruelly in +some form or other. + +"The plot thickens," Venner murmured. "Upon my word, he seems to know +this Mark Fenwick as well as I do." + +The maimed crippled figure in the armchair had dragged himself almost to +his feet, with his powerful, muscular arm propping him against the table. +His unusually handsome face was all broken and twisted up with an +expression of malignant fury. He stood there for a moment or two like a +statue of uncontrollable passion, rigid, fixed, and motionless, save for +the twitching of his face. Then, gradually he dropped back into his chair +again, a broken and huddled heap, quivering from head to foot with the +pain caused by his recent exertion. A moment later he took from his +breast pocket a silk shade, which he proceeded to tie over his eyes, as +if the light hurt him. Watching his every movement with intense +eagerness, the two friends saw that he had also taken from his pocket a +small silver case, about the same size as an ordinary box of safety +matches. Indeed, the case looked not unlike the silver coverings for wood +matches, which are generally to be seen in well-appointed households. +Then, as if nothing interested him further, he leaned back in his chair, +and appeared to give himself over entirely to his enjoyment of the +orchestra. In all probability no diner there besides Venner and Gurdon +had noticed anything in the least out of the common. + +"This is very dramatic," Gurdon said. "Here is a melo-drama actually +taking place in a comedy 'set' like this. I am glad you will be in a +position later on to gratify my curiosity. I confess I should like to +learn something more about this Mark Fenwick, who does not appear to be +in the least like one's idea of the prosaic money spinner." + +"He isn't," Venner said grimly. "Anything but that. Why, three years ago +that man was as poor and desperate as the most wretched outcast who +walks the streets of London to-night. And one thing you may be certain +of--wherever you dine from now to your dying day, you will be under the +roof of no more diabolical scoundrel than the creature who calls himself +Mark Fenwick." + +There was a deep note in Venner's voice that did not fail to stimulate +Gurdon's curiosity. He glanced again at the millionaire, who appeared to +be talking in some foreign tongue with his companion. The tall, fair girl +with the shining hair had her back to the friends, so they could not see +her face, and when she spoke it was in a tone so low that it was not +possible to catch anything more than the sweetness of her voice. + +"I wonder what she is doing with him?" Gurdon said. "At any rate, she is +English enough. I never saw a woman with a more thoroughbred air. She is +looking this way." + +Just for a moment the girl turned her head, and Venner caught a full +sight of her face. It was only for an instant; then the fair head was +turned again, and the girl appeared to resume her dinner. Venner jumped +from his chair and took three strides across the room. He paused there as +if struggling to regain possession of himself; then he dropped into his +chair again, shielding his face from the light with his hands. Gurdon +could see that his companion's face had turned to a ghastly grey. +Veritably it was a night of surprises, quick, dramatic surprises, +following close upon one another's heels. + +"What, do you mean to say you know her, too?" Gurdon whispered. + +Venner looked up with a strange, unsteady smile on his face. He appeared +to be fighting hard to regain his self-control. + +"Indeed, I do know her," he said. "My friend, you are going to have all +the surprises you want. What will you say when I tell you that the girl +who sits there, utterly unconscious of my presence, and deeming me to be +at the other end of the world, is no less a person than--my own wife?" + + + + +CHAPTER II + +THE FIRST FINGER + + +Gurdon waited for his companion to go on. It was a boast of his that he +had exhausted most of the sensations of life, and that he never allowed +anything to astonish him. All the same, he was astonished now, and +surprised beyond words. For the last twenty-five years, on and off, he +had known Venner. Indeed, there had been few secrets between them since +the day when they had come down from Oxford together. From time to time, +during his wanderings, Venner had written to his old chum a fairly +complete account of his adventures. During the last three years the +letters had been meagre and far between; and at their meeting a few days +ago, Gurdon had noticed a reticence in the manner of his old chum that he +had not seen before. + +He waited now, naturally enough, for the other to give some explanation +of his extraordinary statement, but Venner appeared to have forgotten all +about Gurdon. He sat there shielding one side of his face, heedless of +the attentions of the waiter, who proffered him food from time to time. + +"Is that all you are going to tell me?" Gurdon asked at length. + +"Upon my word, I am very sorry," Venner said. "But you will excuse me +if I say nothing more at present. You can imagine what a shock this has +been to me." + +"Of course. I don't wish to be impertinent, old chap, but I presume that +there has been some little misunderstanding--" + +"Not in the least. There has been no misunderstanding whatever. I +honestly believe that the woman over yonder is still just as passionately +fond of me as I am of her. As you know, Gurdon, I never was much of a +ladies' man; in fact, you fellows at Oxford used to chaff me because I +was so ill at ease in the society of women. Usually a man like myself +falls in love but once in his lifetime, and then never changes. At any +rate, that is my case. I worship the ground that girl walks upon. I would +have given up my life cheerfully for her; I would do so now if I could +save her a moment's pain. You think, perhaps, that she saw me when she +came in here to-night. That is where you have got the impression that +there is some misunderstanding between us. You talked just now of +dramatic surprises. I could show you one even beyond your powers of +imagination if I chose. What would you say if I told you that three years +ago I became the husband of that beautiful girl yonder, and that from +half-an-hour after the ceremony till the present moment I have never set +eyes on her again?" + +"It seems almost incredible," Gurdon exclaimed. + +"Yes, I suppose it does. But it is absolutely a fact all the same. I +can't tell you here the romance of my life. I couldn't do it in +surroundings like these. We will go on to your rooms presently, and then +I will make a clean breast of the whole thing to you. You may be disposed +to laugh at me for a sentimentalist, but I should like to stay here a +little longer, if it is only now and again to hear a word or two from her +lips. If you will push those flowers across between me and the light I +shall be quite secure from observation. I think that will do." + +"But you don't mean to tell me," Gurdon murmured, "that the lady in +question is the daughter of that picturesque-looking old ruffian, +Mark Fenwick?" + +"Of course, she isn't," Venner said, with great contempt. "What the +connection is between them, I cannot say. What strange fate links them +together is as much a mystery to me as it is to you. I do not like it, +but I let it pass, feeling so sure of Vera's innocence and integrity. But +the waiter will tell us. Here, waiter, is the lady dining over there with +Mr. Fenwick his daughter or not?" + +"Certainly, sir," the waiter responded. "That is Miss Fenwick." + +There was silence for a moment or two between the two friends. Venner +appeared to be deeply immersed in his own thoughts, while Gurdon's eyes +travelled quickly between the table where the millionaire sat and the +deep armchair, in which the invalid lay huddled; and Venner now saw that +the cripple on the opposite side of the room was regarding Fenwick and +his companion with the intentness of a cat watching a mouse. + +Dinner had now come pretty well to an end, and the coffee and liqueurs +were going round. A cup was placed before Fenwick, who turned to one of +the waiters with a quick order which the latter hastened to obey. The +order was given so clearly that Gurdon could hear distinctly what it was. +He had asked for a light, wherewith to burn the glass of Curacoa which he +intended to take, foreign fashion, in his coffee. + +"And don't forget to bring me a wooden match," he commanded. "Household +matches. Last night one of your men brought me a vesta." + +The waiter hurried off to execute his commission, but his intention was +anticipated by another waiter who had apparently been doing nothing and +hanging about in the background. The second waiter was a small, lithe +man, with beady, black eyes and curly hair. For some reason or other, +Gurdon noticed him particularly; then he saw a strange thing happen. The +little waiter with the snaky hair glanced swiftly across the room in the +direction of the cripple huddled up in the armchair. Just as if he had +been waiting for a signal, the invalid stretched out one of his long +arms, and laid his fingers significantly on the tiny silver box he had +deposited on the table some little time before. The small waiter went +across the room and deliberately lifted the silver box from the table. He +then walked briskly across to where the millionaire was seated, placed +the box close to his elbow, and vanished. He seemed to fairly race down +the room until he was lost in a pile of palms which masked the door. +Gurdon had followed all this with the deepest possible interest. Venner +sat there, apparently lost to all sense of his surroundings. His head was +on his hands, and his mind was apparently far away. Therefore, Gurdon was +left entirely to himself, to study the strange things that were going on +around him. His whole attention was now concentrated upon Fenwick, who +presently tilted his glass of Curacoa dexterously into his coffee cup, +and then stretched out his hand for the silver match box by his side. He +was still talking to his companion while he fumbled for a match without +looking at the little case in his hand. Suddenly he ceased to speak, his +black eyes rivetted on the box. It fell from his fingers as if it had +contained some poisonous insect, and he rose to his feet with a sudden +scream that could be heard all over the room. + +There was a quick hush in the conversation, and every head was turned in +the direction of the millionaire's table. Practically every diner there +knew who the man with the yellow head was, so that the startling +interruption was all the more unexpected. Once again the frightened cry +rang out, and then Fenwick stood, gazing with horrified eyes and white, +ghastly face at the innocent looking little box on the table. + +"Who brought this here?" he screamed. "Bring that waiter here. Find him +at once. Find him at once, I say. A little man with beady eyes and hair +like rats' tails." + +The head waiter bustled up, full of importance; but it was in vain that +he asked for some explanation of what had happened. All Fenwick could do +was to stand there gesticulating and calling aloud for the production of +the erring waiter. + +"But I assure you, sir," the head waiter said, "we have no waiter here +who answers to the description of the man you mention. They are all here +now, every waiter who has entered the room to-night. If you will be so +good as to pick out the one who has offended you--" + +Fenwick's startled, bloodshot eyes ranged slowly over the array of +waiters which had been gathered for his inspection round his table. +Presently he shook his head with an impatient gesture. + +"I tell you, he is not here," he cried. "The man is not here. He is quite +small, with very queer, black hair." + +The head waiter was equally positive in his assurance. Louder rose the +angry voice of the millionaire, till at length Venner was aroused from +his reverie and looked up to Gurdon to know what was going on. The latter +explained as far as possible, not omitting to describe the strange matter +of the silver box. Venner smiled with the air of a man who could say a +great deal if he chose. + +"It is all part of the programme," he said. "That will come in my story +later on. But what puzzles me is where that handsome cripple comes in. +The mystery deepens." + +By this time Fenwick's protestations had grown weaker. He seemed to +ramble on in a mixture of English and Portuguese which was exceedingly +puzzling to the head waiter, who still was utterly in the dark as to the +cause of offence. Most of the diners had gathered round the millionaire's +table with polite curiosity, and sundry offers of assistance. + +"I think we had better get to our own room," a sweet, gentle voice said, +as the tall, fair girl by Fenwick's side rose and moved in the direction +of the door. It was, perhaps, unfortunate that Venner had risen at the +same time. As he strode from his own table, he came face to face with the +girl who stood there watching him with something like pain in her blue +eyes. Just for an instant she staggered back, and apparently would have +fallen had not Venner placed his arm about her waist. In the strange +confusion caused by the unexpected disturbance, nobody had noticed this +besides Gurdon, who promptly rose to the occasion. + +"You had better take the lady as far as her own rooms," he said. "This +business has evidently been too much for her. Meanwhile, I will see what +I can do for Mr. Fenwick." + +Venner shot his friend a glance of gratitude. He did not hesitate for a +moment; he saw that the girl by his side was quite incapable of offering +any objections for the present. In his own strong, masterful way, he drew +the girl's hand under his arm, and fairly dragged her from the room into +the comparative silence and seclusion of the corridor beyond. + +"Which way do we go?" he asked. + +"The Grand Staircase," the girl replied faintly. "It is on the first +floor. But you must not come with me, you must come no further. It would +be madness for him to know that we are together." + +"He will not come just yet," Venner replied. "My friend knows something +of my story, and he will do his best to get us five minutes together. You +have heard me speak of Jim Gurdon before." + +"But it is madness," the girl whispered. "You know how dangerous it is. +Oh, Gerald, what must you think of me when--" + +"I swear to you that I think nothing of you that is unkind or +ungenerous," Venner protested. "By a cruel stroke of fate we were parted +at the very moment when our happiness seemed most complete. Why you left +me in the strange way you did, I have never yet learned. In your letter +to me you told me you were bound to act as you did, and I believed you +implicitly. How many men in similar circumstances would have behaved as I +did? How many men would have gone on honoring a wife who betrayed her +husband as you betrayed me? And yet, as I stand here at this moment, +looking into your eyes, I feel certain that you are the same sweet and +innocent girl who did me the happiness to become my wife." + +The beautiful face quivered, and the blue eyes filled with tears. Her +trembling hand lay on Venner's arm for a moment; then he caught the girl +to his side and kissed her passionately. + +"I thank you for those words," she whispered. "From the bottom of my +heart I thank you. If you only knew what I have suffered, if you only +knew the terrible pressure that is put upon me;--and it seemed to me +that I was acting for the best. I hoped, too, that you would go away and +forget me; that in the course of time I should be nothing more than a +memory to you. And yet, in my heart, I always felt that we should meet +again. Is it not strange that we should come together like this?" + +"I do not see that it is in the least strange," Venner replied, +"considering that I have been looking for you for the last three years. +When I found you to-night, it was with the greatest difficulty that I +restrained myself from laying my hands on the man who is the cause of +all your misery and suffering. How long has he been passing for an +Englishman? Since when has he been a millionaire? If he be a +millionaire at all." + +"I cannot tell you," the girl whispered. "Really, I do not know. A little +time ago we were poor enough; then suddenly, money seemed to come in from +all sides. I asked no questions; they would not have been answered if I +had. At least, not truthfully. And now you really must go. When shall I +see you again? Ah, I cannot tell you. For the present you must go on +trusting me as implicitly as you have done in the past. Oh, if you only +knew how it wrings my heart to have to speak to you like this, when all +the time my whole love is for you and you alone. Gerald--ah, go now; go +at once. Don't you see that he is coming up the stairs?" + +Venner turned away, and slipped down a side corridor, till Fenwick had +entered his own room. Then he walked down the stairs again into the +dining-room, where a heated discussion was still going on as to the +identity of the missing waiter. + +"They'll never find him," Gurdon muttered, "for the simple reason that +the fellow was imported for the occasion, and, in my opinion, was no +waiter at all. You will notice also that our crippled friend has +vanished. I would give a great deal to know what was in the box that +pretty nearly scared the yellow man to death. I never saw a fellow so +frightened in my life. He had to fortify himself with two brandies before +he could get up to his own room. Gerald, I really must find out what was +in that box!" + +"I think I could tell you," Venner said, with a smile. "Didn't you tell +me that the mysterious waiter fetched it from the table where it had been +placed by the handsome cripple?" + +"Certainly, he did. I saw the signal pass directly Fenwick asked for a +wooden match; that funny little waiter was palpably waiting for the +silver box, and as soon as he placed it on Fenwick's table, he discreetly +vanished. But, as I said before, I would give considerable to know what +was in that box." + +"Well, go and see," Venner said grimly. "Unless my eyes deceive me, the +box is still lying on Fenwick's table. In his fright, he forgot all about +it, and there isn't a waiter among the whole lot, from the chief +downwards, who has a really clear impression of what the offence was. If +you take my advice, you will go and have a peep into that box when you +get the chance. Don't tell me what you find, because I will guess that." + +Gurdon crossed over to the other table, and took the box up in his hand. +He pulled the slide out and glanced at the contents with a puzzled +expression of face. Then he dropped the box again, and came back to +Venner with a look on his face as if he had been handling something more +than usually repulsive. + +"You needn't tell me what it is," Venner said. "I know quite as well as +you do. Inside that box is a dried up piece of flesh, some three inches +long--in other words a mummified human forefinger." + + + + +CHAPTER III + +THE LOST MINE + + +Gurdon nodded thoughtfully. He was trying to piece the puzzle together in +his mind, but so far without success. He was not in the least surprised +to find that Venner had guessed correctly. + +"You've got it exactly," he said. "That is just what the gruesome thing +is. What does it all mean?" + +By this time dinner had long been a thing of the past, and all the guests +had departed. Here and there the lights were turned down, leaving half +the room in semi-darkness. It was just the time and place for an exchange +of confidences. + +"How did you know exactly what was in that box?" Gurdon asked. "I have +read things of this kind before, but they have generally taken the form +of a warning previous to some act of vengeance." + +"As a matter of fact, this is something of the same kind," Venner said; +"though I am bound to say that my guess was somewhat in the nature of a +shot. Still, putting two and two together, I felt that I could not have +been far wrong. Since I have been here this evening, I have begun to form +a pretty shrewd opinion as to where Fenwick gets his money." + +"What shall we do with that box?" Gurdon asked. + +"Leave it where it is, by all means. You may depend upon it that Fenwick +will return for his lost property." + +The prophecy came true quicker than Gurdon had expected, for out of the +gloom there presently emerged the yellow face of Mark Fenwick. He came in +with a furtive air, like some mean thief who is about to do a shabby +action. He was palpably looking for something. He made a gesture of +disappointment when he saw that the table where he had dined was now +stripped of everything except the flowers. He did not seem to see the +other two men there at all. Venner took the box from his companion's +hand, and advanced to Fenwick's side. + +"I think you have lost something, sir," he said coolly. "Permit me to +restore your property to you." + +The millionaire gave a kind of howl as he looked at Venner. The noise he +made was like that of a child suffering from toothache. He fairly +grovelled at Venner's feet, but as far as the latter's expression was +concerned, the two might have met for the first time. Just for a moment +Fenwick stood there, mopping his yellow face, himself a picture of abject +misery and despair. + +"Well?" Venner said sharply. "Is this little box yours, or not?" + +"Oh, yes, oh yes," Fenwick whined. "You know that perfectly well--I +mean, you must recognise--oh, I don't know what I mean. The fact is, +I am really ill to-night. I hardly know what I am doing. Thank you, +very much." + +Fenwick snatched the box from Venner's fingers, and made hastily +for the door. + +"I believe we are allowed to smoke in here after ten," Gurdon said. "If +that is the case, why not have a cigar together, and discuss the matter? +What I am anxious to know at present is the inner meaning of the finger +in the box." + +There was no objection to a cigar in the dining-room at this late hour, +and presently the two friends were discussing their Havanas together. +Venner began to speak at length. + +"Perhaps it would be as well," he said, "to stick to the box business +first. You will remember, some three years ago, my writing you to the +effect that I was going to undertake a journey through Mexico. I don't +suppose I should have gone there at all, only I was attracted by the +notion of possible adventures in that country, among the hills where, at +one time, gold was found. There was no question whatever that gold in +large quantities used to be mined in the wild district where I had chosen +to take up my headquarters. Practical engineers say that the gold is +exhausted, but that did not deter me in the least. + +"The first man who put the idea into my head was a half-caste Mexican, +who had an extraordinary grip on the history of his country, especially +as far as legends and traditions were concerned. He was a well-educated +man, and an exceedingly fascinating story-teller. It was he who first +gave me the history of what he called the Four Finger Mine. It appears +that this mine had been discovered some century or more ago by a +Frenchman, who had settled down in the country and married the daughter +of a native chief. The original founder of the mine was a curious sort of +man, and was evidently possessed of strong miserly tendencies. Most men +in his position would have gathered together a band of workers, and +simply exploited the mine for all it was worth. However, this man, Le +Fenu, did nothing of the kind. He kept his discovery an absolute secret, +and what mining was to be done, he did himself. I understand that he was +a man of fine physique, and that his disposition was absolutely fearless. +It was his habit at certain seasons of the year to go up to his mine, and +there work it for a month or two at a time, spending the rest of the year +with his family. It is quite certain, too, that he kept his secret, even +from his grown-up sons; for when he died, they had not the slightest idea +of the locality of the mine, which fact I know from Le Fenu's +descendants. + +"And now comes the interesting part of my story, Le Fenu went up into +the mountains early in May one year, to put in his solitary two months' +mining, as usual. For, perhaps, the first time in his life, he suffered +from a serious illness--some kind of fever, I suppose, though he had just +strength of will enough to get on the back of a horse and ride as far as +the nearest _hacienda_. + +"Now, on this particular farm there dwelt a Dutchman, who, I believe, was +called Van Fort. Whether or not Le Fenu partially disclosed his secret in +his delirium, will never actually be known. At any rate, two or three +weeks later the body of Le Fenu was discovered not very far away from the +scene of his mining operations, and from the evidence obtainable, there +was no doubt in the world that he was foully murdered. Justice in that +country walks with very tardy footsteps, and though there was little +question who the real murderer was, Van Fort was never brought to +justice. Perhaps that was accounted for by the fact that he seemed to be +suddenly possessed of more money than usual, and was thus in a position +to bribe the authorities. + +"And now comes a further development. Soon after the death of Le Fenu, it +was noted that Van Fort spent most of his time away from his farm in the +mountains, no doubt prospecting for Le Fenu's mine. Whether he ever found +it or not will never be known. Please to bear in mind the fact that for a +couple of centuries at least Le Fenu's mysterious property was known as +the Four Finger Mine. With this digression, I will go on to speak further +of Van Fort's movements. To make a long story short, from his last +journey to the mountains he never returned. His widow searched for him +everywhere; I have seen her--a big sullen woman, with a cruel mouth and a +heavy eye. From what I have heard, I have not the slightest doubt that it +was she who inspired the murder of the Frenchman. + +"She had practically given up all hope of ever seeing her husband again, +when, one dark and stormy night, just as she was preparing for bed, she +heard her husband outside, screaming for assistance. From his tone, he +was evidently in some dire and deadly peril. The woman was by no means +devoid of courage; she rushed out into the night and searched far and +near, but no trace of Van Fort could be found, nor did the imploring cry +for assistance come again. But the next morning, on the doorstep lay a +bleeding forefinger, which the woman recognised as coming from her +husband's hand. To make identity absolutely certain, on the forefinger +was a ring of native gold, which the Dutchman always wore. Please to +remember once more that this mine was known as the Four Finger Mine." + +Venner paused just for a moment to give dramatic effect to his point. +Gurdon said nothing; he was too deeply interested in the narrative to +make any comment. + +"That was what I may call the first act in the drama," Venner went on. +"Six months had elapsed, and Van Fort's widow was beginning to forget all +about the startling incident, when, one night, just at the same time, and +in just the same circumstances, came that wild, pitiful yell for +assistance outside the Dutchman's farm. Half mad with dread and terror +the woman sat there listening. She did not dare to go outside now; she +knew how futile such an act would be. Also, she knew quite well what was +going to happen in the morning. She sat up half the night in a state +bordering on madness. I need not insult your intelligence, my dear +fellow, by asking you to guess what she found on the doorstep in the +daylight." + +"Of course, I can guess," Gurdon said. "Beyond all question, it was the +third finger of the Dutchman's hand." + +"Quite so," Venner resumed. "I need not over elaborate my story or bore +you by telling how, six months later, the second finger of the hand +appeared in the same sensational circumstances, and how, at the end of a +year, the four fingers were complete. Let me once more impress upon you +the fact that this mine was called the Four Finger Mine for more than a +century before these strange things happened." + +"It is certainly an extraordinary thing," Gurdon muttered. "I don't think +I ever listened to a weirder tale. And did the Dutch woman confess to +her crime? This strikes me as being a fitting end to the story. I suppose +it came from her lips." + +"She didn't confess, for the simple reason that she had no mind to +confess with," Venner explained. "Of course, certain neighbors knew +something of what was going on, but they never knew the whole truth, +because, after the appearance of the last finger, Mrs. Van Fort went +stark raving mad. She lived for a few days, and at the end of that time +her body was found in a waterfall close to her house. That is the story +of the Four Finger Mine so far as it goes, though I should not be +surprised if we manage to get to the last chapter yet. Now, you are an +observant man--did you notice anything peculiar in Fenwick's appearance +to-night?" + +Gurdon shook his head slowly. It was quite evident that he had not +noticed anything out of the common in the appearance of the millionaire. +Venner proceeded to explain. + +"Let me tell you this," he said. "When I married my wife, we were within +an easy ride of the locality where the Four Finger Mine is situated. Mind +you, our marriage was a secret one, and I presume that Fenwick is still +in ignorance of it, though, of course, he was fully aware of the fact +that I had more than a passing admiration for Vera. I merely mention this +by way of accentuating the little point that I am going to make. It is +more than probable that, when I stumbled upon Fenwick and the girl who +passes for his daughter, he also was in search of the Four Finger Mine. +When he came in to-night he, of course, recognised me, though I treated +him as an absolute stranger whom I had met for the first time. You will +see presently why I treated him in this fashion. I am glad I spoke to +him, because I noticed a slight thing that throws a flood of light upon +the mystery. Now, did it escape your observation, or did you notice that +Fenwick took the box I gave him in his right hand?" + +"Oh, dear, no," Gurdon said. "A little thing like that would be almost +too trivial for the typical detective of the cheap story." + +"All the same, it is very important," Venner said. "He took the box in +his right hand; he made as if to extend his left, then suddenly changed +his mind, and put it in his pocket. But he was too late to disguise from +me that he had--" + +"I know," Gurdon shouted. "He had lost all the fingers on his left +hand. What an amazing thing! We must get to the bottom of this business +at all costs." + +"That is precisely what we are going to do," Venner said grimly. "I am +glad you are so quick in taking up the point. When I noted the loss of +those fingers, I was absolutely staggered for a moment. If he had been +less agitated than he was, Fenwick would have guessed what I had seen. I +need not tell you that when I last saw Fenwick his left hand was as sound +as yours or mine. The inference of this is, that Fenwick has fallen under +the ban of the same strange vengeance that overtook Van Fort and his +wife. There is not the slightest doubt that he discovered the mine, and +that he has not yet paid the penalty for his temerity." + +"I presume the penalty is coming," Gurdon said. "What a creepy sort of +idea it is, that terrible vengeance reaching across a continent in such a +sinister fashion. But don't forget that we know something as to the way +in which this thing is to be brought about. Don't forget the cripple who +sat at yonder table to-night." + +"I am not likely to forget him," Venner observed. "All the more because +he evidently knows more about this matter than we do ourselves. When he +came here to-night, he little dreamed that there was one man in the +room, at least, who had a fairly good knowledge of the Four Finger +Mystery. We shall have to look him out, and, if necessary, force him to +speak. But it is a delicate matter, and as far as I can see, one not +unattended with danger." + +Gurdon smoked in thoughtful silence for some little time, turning the +strange thing over in his mind. The more he dwelt upon it, the more wild +and dramatic did it seem. + +"There is one thing in our favor," he said, presently. "The mysterious +cripple is evidently a deadly enemy of Fenwick's. We shall doubtless find +him ready to accept our offer, provided that we put it in the right way." + +"I am not so sure of that," Venner replied. "At any rate, we can make no +move in that direction without thinking the whole thing out carefully and +thoroughly. Our crippled friend is evidently a fanatic in his way, and he +is not alone in his scheme. Do not forget that we have also the little +man who played the part of the waiter to deal with. I am sorry that I did +not notice him. A man who could carry off a thing like that with such +splendid audacity is certainly a force to be reckoned with." + +Gurdon rose from his seat with a yawn, and intimated that it was time to +go to bed. It was long past twelve now and the hotel was gradually +retiring to rest. The Grand Empire was not the sort of house to cater to +the frivolous type of guest, and usually within an hour of the closing of +the theatres the whole of the vast building was wrapped in silence. + +"I think I will go now," Gurdon said. "Come and lunch with me to-morrow, +and then you can tell me something about your own romance. What sort of a +night is it, waiter?" + +"Very bad, sir," the waiter replied. "It's pouring in torrents. Shall I +call you a cab, sir?" + + + + +CHAPTER IV + +IN THE LIFT + + +Gurdon looked out from the shelter of the great portico to see the sheets +of rain falling on the pavement. Silence reigned supreme but for the +steady plash of the raindrops as they rattled on the pavements. To walk +half a mile on such a night meant getting wet through; and Gurdon +somewhat ruefully regarded his thin slippers and his light dust overcoat. +Half a dozen times the night porter blew his whistle, but no sign of a +cab could be seen. + +"We shan't get one to-night," Venner said. "They are all engaged. There +is only one thing for it--you must take a room here, and stay till the +morning. I've no doubt I can fit you up in the way of pyjamas and the +things necessary." + +Gurdon fell in readily enough with the suggestion. Indeed, there was +nothing else for it. He took his number and key from the sleepy clerk in +the office, and made his way upstairs to Venner's bedroom. + +"I'll just have one cigarette before I turn in," he said. "It seems as if +Fate had ordained that I am to keep in close touch with the leading +characters of the mystery. By the way, we never took the trouble to find +out who the handsome cripple was." + +"That is very easily done in the morning," Venner replied. "A striking +personality like that is not soon lost sight of. Besides, he has +doubtless been here before, for, if you will recollect, his attendants +took him to the right table as if it had been ordered beforehand. And +now, if you don't mind, I'll turn in--not that I expect to sleep much +after an exciting evening like this. Good night, old fellow." + +Gurdon went on to his own room, where he slowly undressed and sat +thinking the whole thing out on the edge of his bed. Perhaps he was +suffering from the same suppressed excitement which at that moment was +keeping Venner awake, for he felt not the slightest disposition to turn +in. Usually he was a sound sleeper; but this night seemed likely to prove +an exception to the rule. + +An hour passed, and Gurdon was still sitting there, asking himself +whether it would not be better to go to bed and compel sleep to come to +him. Impatiently he turned out his light and laid his head resolutely on +the pillow. + +But it was all in vain--sleep was out of the question. The room was not +altogether in darkness, either; for the sleeping apartments on that +landing had been arranged back to back with a large, open ventilator +between them. Through this ventilator came a stream of light; evidently +the occupant of the adjoining room had not yet retired. The light +worried Gurdon; he asked himself irritably why his neighbor should be +permitted to annoy him in this way. A moment or two later the sound of +suppressed voices came through the ventilator, followed by the noise of a +heavy fall. + +At any ordinary time Gurdon would have thought nothing of this, but his +imagination was aflame now, and his mind was full of hidden mysteries. It +seemed to him that something sinister and underhand was going on in the +next room. + +Usually, no one would identify the Grand Empire Hotel with crime and +intrigue; but that did not deter Gurdon from rising from his bed and +making a determined effort to see through the ventilator into the +adjoining room. It was not an easy matter, but by dint of balancing two +chairs one on top of the other the thing was accomplished. Very +cautiously Gurdon pushed back the glass slide and looked through. So far +as he could see, there was nothing to justify any suspicion. The room +was absolutely empty, though it was brilliantly lighted; and for a +moment Gurdon felt ashamed of his suspicions, and turned away, half +determined to try and sleep. It was at that instant that he noticed +something out of the common. To his quickened ear there came a sound +unmistakably like a snore, and pushing his body half through the +ventilator he managed to make out the bed in the next room. On it lay +the body of a boy in uniform, unmistakably a messenger boy or hotel +attendant of that kind. Gurdon could see the hotel name embroidered in +gold letters on his collar. + +Perhaps there was nothing so very suspicious in this, except that the boy +was lying on the bed fully dressed, even to his boots. It was a luxurious +room; not at all the class of apartment to which the hotel management +would relegate one of their messenger boys, nor was it possible that the +lad had had the temerity to go into the vacant room and sleep. + +"Something wrong here," Gurdon muttered. "Hang me if I don't get through +the ventilator and see what it is." + +It was no difficult matter for an athlete like Gurdon to push his way +through and drop on to the bed on the other side. Then he shook the form +of the slumbering lad without reward. The boy seemed to be plunged in a +sleep almost like death. As Gurdon turned him over, he noticed on the +other side of the lad's collar the single word "Lift." It began to dawn +upon Gurdon exactly what had happened. In large hotels like the Grand +Empire there is no fixed period when the lift is suspended, and +consequently, it has its attendants night and day. For some reason, this +boy had evidently been drugged and carried into the room where he now +lay. There was no doubt whatever about it, for it was impossible to +shake the lad into the slightest semblance of life. Gurdon crossed to +the door, and found, not to his surprise, that it was locked. His first +impulse was to return to his room and call the night porter; but a +strange, wild idea had come into his mind, and he refrained from doing +so. It occurred to him that perhaps Mark Fenwick or the cripple had had +a hand in this outrage. + +"I'll wait a bit," Gurdon told himself. "It is just possible that my key +will fit this door. Anyway, it is worth trying." + +Gurdon made his way back to his own room again, to return a minute or two +later with his key. To his great delight the door opened, and he stood in +a further corridor, close against the cage in which the lift worked +noiselessly up and down. + +It was absolutely quiet, so that anybody standing there would have been +able to carry out any operation of an unlawful kind without observation. +Gurdon stood, looking down the lift shaft, until he saw that the cage was +once more beginning to ascend. It came up slowly and smoothly and without +the least noise, until it was level with the floor on which Gurdon was +standing. It was one of the open kind, so he could see inside quite +clearly. To all practical purposes, the lift was empty, save for the +presence of one man, who lay unconscious on the floor. The cage was +ascending so leisurely that Gurdon was in a position to make a close +examination of the figure before the whole structure had risen to the +next floor. It did not need a second glance to tell Gurdon that the man +in the cage was the attendant, and that he was suffering from the same +drug which had placed his boy assistant beyond all power of interfering. + +"Now what does all this mean?" Gurdon muttered. "Who is there on the +floor above who is interested in getting these two people out of the way? +What do they want to bring up or send down which it is not safe to +dispose of by the ordinary means? I think I'll wait and see. No sleep for +me to-night." + +The lift vanished in the same silent way. It hung overhead for some +little time, and once more appeared in sight, this time absolutely empty, +save for a small square box with iron bands at the corners, which lay +upon the floor. As the cage descended, Gurdon suddenly made up his mind +what to do. He sprang lightly on to the top of the falling cage, and +grasped the rope with both hands. A moment later and he was descending in +the darkness. + +As far as he could judge, the lift went down to the basement, where, for +the time being, it remained. There was a warm damp smell in the air, +suggestive of fungus, whereby Gurdon judged that he must be in the vaults +beneath the hotel. As his eyes became accustomed to the gloom, he could +make out just in front of him a circular patch of light, which evidently +was a coal shoot. + +He had no need to wait now for the full development of the adventure. +He could hear whispered voices and the clang of metal, as if somebody +had opened the door of the lift. One of the voices he failed to +understand, but with a thrill he recognised the fact that the speaker +was talking in either Spanish or Portuguese. Instantly it flashed into +his mind that this was the language most familiar to the man who called +himself Mark Fenwick. Beyond doubt he was quite right when he +identified this last development with the actors in the dramatic events +earlier in the evening. + +"Now don't be long about it," a hoarse voice whispered. "There are two +more cases to send up, and two more to come down here. Has that van come +along, or shall we have to wait until morning?" + +"The van is there right enough," another hoarse voice said. "We have +the stuff out on the pavement. Let's have the last lot here, and get it +up at once." + +Gurdon could hear the sound of labored breathing as if the unseen man was +struggling with some heavy burden. Presently some square object was +deposited on the floor of the lift. It seemed to slip from someone's +hands, and dropped with a heavy thud that caused the lift to vibrate like +a thing of life." + +"Clumsy fool," a voice muttered. "You might have dropped that on my foot. +What did you want to let go for?" + +"I couldn't help it," another voice grumbled. "I didn't know it was half +so heavy. Besides, the rope broke." + +"Oh, are you going to be there all night?"--another voice, with a +suggestion of a foreign accent in it, asked impatiently. "Don't forget +you have to bring the man down yet, and see that the boy is taken to his +place. Now, up with it." + +Standing there, holding on to the rope and quivering with excitement, +Gurdon wondered what was going to happen next. Once more he felt himself +rising, and an instant later he was in the light again. He waited till +the lift had reached his own floor; then he jumped quickly down, taking +care as he went to note the heavy box which lay on the floor of the lift. +A corner of it had been split open by the heavy jar, and some shining +material like sand lay in a little heap, glittering in the rays of the +electric light. + +Gurdon stood there panting for a moment, and rather at a loss to know +what to do next. Once more the lift came down, this time with two boxes +of a smaller size. They vanished; and as the lift rose once again, Gurdon +had barely time to hide himself behind the bedroom door, and thus escape +the observation of two men who now occupied the cage. He just caught a +fleeting glimpse of them, and saw that one was an absolute stranger, but +he felt his heart beating slightly faster as he recognised in the other +the now familiar form of Mark Fenwick. The mystery was beginning to +unfold itself. + +"That was a close thing," Gurdon muttered, as he wiped his hot face. "I +think I had better go back to my own room, and wait developments. One +can't be too careful." + +The lift-boy was still sleeping on the bed; but his features were +twitching, as if already the drug was beginning to lose its effect. At +least, so Gurdon shrewdly thought, and subsequent events proved that he +was not far wrong. He was standing in his own room now, waiting by the +ventilator, when he heard the sound of footsteps on the other side of the +wall. Two men had entered the room, and by taking a little risk, Gurdon +could see that they were examining the unconscious boy coolly and +critically. + +"I should think about five minutes more would do it," one of them said. +"Better carry him out, and shove him in that little sentry box of his. +When he comes to himself again he won't know but what he has fallen +asleep; barring a headache, the little beggar won't be any the worse for +the adventure." + +"Have we got all the stuff up now?" the other man asked. + +"Every bit of it," was the whispered reply. "I hope the old man is +satisfied now. It was not a bad idea of his to work this little game in a +great hotel of this kind. But, all the same, it is not without risks, +and I for one should be glad to get away to that place in the country +where we are going in a week or two." + +Gurdon heard no more. He allowed the best part of half-an-hour to pass +before he ventured once more to creep through the ventilator and reach +the landing in the neighborhood of the lift. Everything looked quite +normal now, and as if nothing had happened. The lift boy sat in his +little hut, yawning and stretching himself. It was quite evident that he +knew nothing of the vile uses he had been put to. A sudden idea occurred +to Gurdon. + +"I want you to bring the lift up to this floor," he said to the boy. "No, +I don't want to use it; I have lost something, and it occurs to me that I +might have left it in the lift." + +In the usual unconcerned manner of his class the boy touched an electric +button, and the lift slowly rose from the basement. + +"Does this go right down to the cellars?" Gurdon asked. + +"It can if it's wanted to," the boy replied. "Only it very seldom does. +You see, we only use this lift for our customers. It's fitted with what +they call a pneumatic cushion--I mean, if anything goes wrong, the lift +falls into a funnel shaped well, made of concrete, which forms a cushion +of air, and so breaks the fall. They say you could cut the rope and let +it down without so much as upsetting a glass of water. Not that I should +like to try it, sir, but there you are." + +Gurdon entered the lift, where he pretended to be searching for something +for a moment or two. In reality, he was scraping up some of the yellow +sand which had fallen from the box to the floor of the lift, and this he +proceeded to place in a scrap of paper. Then he decided that it was +absolutely necessary to retire to bed, though he was still in full +possession of his waking faculties. As a matter of fact, he was asleep +almost as soon as his head touched the pillow. Nevertheless, he was up +early the following morning, and in Venner's bedroom long before +breakfast. He had an exciting story to tell, and he could not complain +that in Venner he had anything but an interested listener. + +"We are getting on," the latter said grimly. "But before you say anything +more, I should like to have a look at that yellow sand you speak of. +Bring it over near the light." + +Venner let the yellow stuff trickle through his hands; then he turned to +Gurdon with a smile. + +"You look upon this as refuse, I suppose?" he said. "You seem to imagine +that it is of no great value." + +"Well, is it?" Gurdon asked. "What is it?" + +"Gold," Venner said curtly. "Pure virgin gold, of the very finest +quality. I never saw a better sample." + + + + +CHAPTER V + +A PUZZLE FOR VENNER + + +Venner sat just for a moment or two with the thin stream trickling +through his fingers, and wondering what it all meant. With his superior +knowledge of past events, he could see in this something that it was +impossible for Gurdon to follow. + +"I suppose this is some of the gold from the Four Finger Mine?" Gurdon +suggested. "Do you know, I have never handled any virgin gold before. I +had an idea that it was more brilliant and glittering. Is this very +good stuff?" + +"Absolutely pure, I should say," Venner replied. "There are two ways of +gold mining. One is by crushing quartz in machinery, as they do in South +Africa, and the other is by obtaining the metal in what are called +pockets or placers. This is the way in which it is generally found in +Australia and Mexico. I should not be in the least surprised if this came +from the Four Finger Mine." + +"There is no reason why it shouldn't," Gurdon said. "It is pretty +evident, from what you told me last night, that Mark Fenwick has +discovered the mysterious treasure house, but that does not account for +all these proceedings. Why should he have taken all the trouble he did +last night, when he might just as well have brought the stuff in, and +taken the other boxes out by the front door?" + +"That is what we have to find out," Venner said. "That fellow may call +himself a millionaire, but I believe he is nothing more nor less than a +desperate adventurer." + +Gurdon nodded his assent. There must have been something very urgent to +compel Mark Fenwick to adopt such methods. Why was he so strangely +anxious to conceal the knowledge that he was receiving boxes of pure gold +in the hotel, and that he was sending out something of equal value? +However carefully the thing might have been planned the drugging of lift +attendants must have been attended with considerable risk. And the +slightest accident would have brought about a revelation. As it was, +everything seemed to have passed off smoothly, except for the chance by +which Gurdon had stumbled on the mystery. + +"We can't leave the thing here," the latter said. "For once in my life I +am going to turn amateur detective. I have made up my mind to get into +Fenwick's suite of rooms and see what is going on there. Of course, the +thing will take time, and will have to be carefully planned. Do you think +it is possible for us to make use of your wife in this matter?" + +"I don't think so," Venner said thoughtfully. + +"In the first place, I don't much like the idea; and in the second, I +am entirely at a loss to know what mysterious hold Mark Fenwick has on +Vera. As I told you last night, she left me within a very short time of +our marriage, and until a few hours ago I had never looked upon her +again. Something terrible must have happened, or she would never have +deserted me in the way she did. I don't for a moment believe that Mark +Fenwick knew anything about our marriage, but on that point I cannot be +absolutely certain. You had better come back to me later in the day, and +I will see what I can do. It is just possible that good fortune may be +on my side." + +The afternoon was dragging on, and still Venner was no nearer to a +practical scheme which would enable him to make an examination of +Fenwick's rooms without the chance of discovery. He was lounging in the +hall, smoking innumerable cigarettes, when Fenwick himself came down the +stairs. Obviously the man was going on a journey, for he was closely +muffled up in a big fur coat, and behind him came a servant, carrying two +bags and a railway rug. It was a little gloomy in the lobby, so Venner +was enabled to watch what was going on without being seen himself. He did +not fail to note a certain strained anxiety that rested on Fenwick's +face. The man looked behind him once or twice, as if half afraid of being +followed. Venner had seen that same furtive air in men who are wanted by +the police. Fenwick stopped at the office and handed a couple of keys to +the clerk. His instructions were quite audible to Venner. + +"I shan't want those for a day or two," he said. "You will see that no +one has them under any pretext. Probably, I shall be back by Saturday at +the latest." + +Venner did not scruple to follow Fenwick's disappearing figure as far as +the street. He was anxious to obtain a clue to Fenwick's destination. +Straining his ears, he just managed to catch the words "Charing Cross," +and then returned to the hall, by no means dissatisfied. Obviously, +Fenwick was intending to cross the Channel for a day or two, and he had +said to the clerk that he would not be back before Saturday. + +Here was something like a chance at last. Very slowly and thoughtfully, +Venner went up the stairs in the direction of his own room. He had +ascertained by this time that one part of Fenwick's suite was immediately +over his own bedroom. His idea now was to walk up to the next floor, and +make a close examination of the rooms there. It did not take him long to +discover the fact that Fenwick's suite was self contained, like a flat. +That is to say, a strong outer door once locked made communication with +the suite of rooms impossible. Venner was still pondering over his +problem when the master door opened, and Vera came out so hurriedly as +almost to fall into Venner's arms. She turned pale as she saw him; and as +she closed the big door hurriedly behind her, Venner could see that she +had in her hand the tiny Yale key which gave entrance to the suite of +rooms. The girl looked distressed and embarrassed, but not much more so +than Venner, who was feeling not a little guilty. + +But all this was lost upon Vera; her own agitation and her own +unhappiness seemed to have blinded her to everything else. + +"What are you doing here?" she stammered. + +"Perhaps I am looking for you," Venner said. He had quite recovered +himself by this time. "I was in the lobby just now, when I saw that +scoundrel, Fenwick, go out. He is not coming back for a day or two, I +understand." + +"No," Vera said with accents of evident relief. "He is gone, but I don't +know where he is gone. He never tells me." + +Just for a moment Venner looked somewhat sternly at his companion. Here +was an opportunity for an explanation too good to be lost. + +"There is a little alcove at the end of the corridor," he said. "I see it +is full of ferns and flowers. In fact, the very place for a confidence. +Vera, whether you like it or not, I am going to have an explanation." + +The girl shrank back, and every vestige of color faded from her face. +Yet at the same time, the pleading, imploring eyes which she turned upon +her companion's face were filled with the deepest affection. Badly as he +had been treated, Venner could not doubt for a moment the sincerity of +the woman who had become his wife. But he did not fail to realise that +few men would have put up with conduct like this, however much in love +they might have been. Therefore, the hand that he laid on Vera's arm was +strong and firm, and she made no resistance as he led her in the +direction of the little alcove. + +"Now," he said. "Are you going to tell me why you left me so mysteriously +on our wedding day? You merely went to change your dress, and you never +returned. Am I to understand that at the very last moment you learned +something that made it absolutely necessary for us to part? Do you really +mean that?" + +"Indeed, I do, Gerald," the girl said. "There was a letter waiting for me +in my bedroom. It was a short letter, but long enough to wreck my +happiness for all time." + +"No, no," Venner cried; "not for all time. You asked me to trust you +absolutely and implicitly, and I have done so. I believe every word that +you say, and I am prepared to wait patiently enough till the good time +comes. But I am not going to sit down quietly like this and see a pure +life like yours wrecked for the sake of such a scoundrel as Fenwick. +Surely it is not for his sake that you--" + +"Oh, no," the girl cried. "My sacrifice is not for his sake at all, but +for that of another whose life is bound up with his in the strangest +possible way. When you first met me, Gerald, and asked me to be your +wife, you did not display the faintest curiosity as to my past history. +Why was that?" + +"Why should I?" Venner demanded. "I am my own master, I have more money +than I know what to do with and I have practically no relations to +consider. You were all-sufficient for me; I loved you for your own sake +alone; I cared nothing, and I care nothing still for your past. What I +want to know is, how long this is going on?" + +"That I cannot tell you," Vera said sadly. "You must go on trusting me, +dear. You must--" + +The speaker broke off suddenly, as someone in the corridor called her +name. She slipped away from Venner's side, and, looking through the palms +and flowers, he could see that she was talking eagerly to a woman who had +the appearance of a lady's maid. Venner could not fail to note the calm +strength of the woman's face. It was only for a moment; then Vera came +back with a telegram in her hand. + +"I must go at once," she said. "It is something of great importance. I +don't know when I shall see you again--" + +"I do," Venner said grimly. "You are going to dine with me to-night. +Come just for once; let us imagine we are on our honeymoon. That +blackguard Fenwick is away, and he will be none the wiser. Now, I want +you to promise me." + +"I really can't," Vera protested. "If you only knew the danger--" + +However, Venner's persistency got its own way. A moment later Vera was +hurrying down the corridor. It was not until she was out of sight that +Venner found that she had gone away, leaving the little Yale key behind +her on the table. He thrilled at the sight of it. Here was the +opportunity for which he had been waiting. + +Not more than ten minutes had elapsed when, thanks to the use of the +telephone, Gurdon had reached the Grand Empire Hotel. In a few hurried +words, Venner gave him a brief outline of what had happened. There was no +time to lose. + +"Of course, it is a risk," Venner said, "and I am not altogether sure +that I am justified in taking advantage of this little slip on the part +of my wife. What do you think?" + +"I think you are talking a lot of rot," Gurdon said emphatically. "You +love the girl, you believe implicitly in her, and you are desperately +anxious to get her out of the hands of that blackguard, Fenwick. From +some morbid idea of self sacrifice, your wife continues to lead this life +of misery rather than betray what she would probably call a trust. It +seems to me that you would be more than foolish to hesitate longer." + +"Come along, then," Venner said. "Let's see what we can do." + +The key was in the lock at length, and the big door thrown open, +disclosing a luxurious suite of rooms beyond. So far as the explorers +could see at present, they had the place entirely to themselves. No +doubt Fenwick's servants had taken advantage of his absence to make a +holiday. For the most part, the rooms presented nothing out of the +common; they might have been inhabited by anybody possessing large +means. In one of the rooms stood a desk, carefully locked, and by its +side a fireproof safe. + +"No chance of getting into either of those," Gurdon said. "Besides, the +attempt would be too risky. Don't you notice a peculiar noise going on? +Sounds almost like machinery." + +Surely enough, from a distant apartment there came a peculiar click and +rumble, followed by a whirr of wheels, as if someone was running out a +small motor close by. At the same time, the two friends noticed the +unmistakable odor of petrol on the atmosphere. + +"What the dickens can that be?" Gurdon said. "Its most assuredly in the +flat, and not far off, either." + +"The only way to find out is to go and see," Venner replied. "I fancy +this is the way." + +They came at length to a small room at the end of a long corridor. It +was evidently from this room that the sound of machinery came, for the +nearer they came the louder it grew. The door was slightly ajar, and +looking in, the friends could see two men, evidently engaged on some +mechanical task. There was a fire of charcoal in the grate, and attached +to it a pair of small but powerful bellows, driven by a small motor. In +the heart of the fire was a metal crucible, so white and dazzling hot +that it was almost impossible for the eye to look upon it. Venner did not +fail to notice that the men engaged in this mysterious occupation were +masked; at least, they wore exceedingly large smoked spectacles, which +came to much the same thing. Behind them stood another man, who had every +appearance of being a master workman. He had a short pipe in his mouth, a +pair of slippers on his feet, and his somewhat expansive body was swathed +in a frock coat. Presently he made a sign, and with the aid of a long +pair of tongs, the white hot crucible was lifted from the fire. It was +impossible for the two men outside to see what became of it, but +evidently the foreman was satisfied with the experiment, for he gave a +grunt of approval. + +"I think that will do," he muttered. "The impression is excellent. +Now, you fellows can take a rest whilst I go off and finish the other +lot of stuff." + +"He's coming out," Venner whispered. "Let us make a bolt for it. It +won't do to be caught here." + +They darted down the corridor together, and stood in an angle of a +doorway, a little undecided as to what to do next. The man in the frock +coat passed them, carrying under one arm a square case, that bore some +resemblance to the slide in which photographers slip their negatives +after taking a photograph. The man in the frock coat placed his burden on +a chair, and then, apparently, hurried back for something he had +forgotten. + +"Here is our chance," Gurdon whispered. "Let's see what is in that case. +There may be an important clue here." + +The thing was done rapidly and neatly. Inside the case, between layers of +cotton wool, lay a great number of gold coins, obviously sovereigns. They +appeared to be in a fine state of preservation, for they glistened in the +light like new gold. + +"Put one in your pocket," whispered Venner. + +"I'm afraid we are going to have our journey for our pains; but still, +you can't tell. Better take two while you are about it." + +Gurdon slipped the coins into his pocket, then turned away in the +direction of the door as the man in the frock coat came back, +thoughtfully whistling, as if to give the intruders a chance of escape. +Before he appeared in sight the outer door closed softly, and Venner and +Gurdon were in the corridor once more. + + + + +CHAPTER VI + +A PARTIAL FAILURE + + +"Do you notice anything peculiar about these coins?" Venner said, when +once more they were back in the comparative seclusion of the +smoking-room. "Have a good look at them." + +Gurdon complied; he turned the coins over in his hand and weighed them on +his fingers. So far as he could see they were good, honest, British +coins, each well worth the twenty shillings which they were supposed to +represent. + +"I don't see anything peculiar about them at all," he said. "So far as I +can judge, they appear to be genuine enough. At first I began to think +that our friend Fenwick had turned coiner. Look at this." + +As he spoke Gurdon dashed the coin down upon a marble table. It rang true +and clear. + +"I'd give a pound for it," he said. "The weight in itself is a good test. +No coiner yet has ever discovered a metal that will weigh like gold and +ring as true. The only strange thing about the coin is that it is in such +a wonderful state of preservation. It might have come out of the Mint +yesterday. I am afraid we shall have to abandon the idea of laying +Fenwick by the heels on the charge of making counterfeit money. I'll +swear this is genuine." + +"I am of the same opinion, too," Venner said. "I have handled too much +gold in my time to be easily deceived. Still, there is something wrong +here, and I'll tell you why. Look at those two coins again, and tell me +the dates on them." + +"That is very easily done. One is dated 1901 and the other is dated 1899. +I don't see that you gain anything by pointing out that fact to me. I +don't see what you are driving at." + +"Well the thing is pretty clear. It would be less clear if those coins +had been worn by use and circulation. But they are both of them Mint +perfect, and they are of different dates. Do you suppose that our friend +Fenwick makes a hobby of collecting English sovereigns? Besides, the man +in the frock coat was going to do something with these coins; and, of +course, you noticed how carefully they were wrapped up in cotton wool." + +"I should like to make assurance doubly sure," Gurdon said. "Let's +take these two coins to some silversmith's shop and ask if they are +all right." + +It was no far journey to the nearest silversmiths, where the coins were +cut up, tested, and weighed. The assistant smiled as he handed the pieces +back to Venner. + +"We will give you eighteen and sixpence each for them, sir," he said, +"which is about the intrinsic value of a sovereign; and, as you are +probably aware, sir, English gold coinage contains a certain amount of +alloy, without which it would speedily deteriorate in circulation, just +as the old guinea used to; but there is no doubt that I have just lost +you three shillings by cutting up those coins." + +Venner smiled as he left the shop. As a matter of fact, he was a little +more puzzled now than he had been before. He had expected to find +something wrong with the two coins. + +"We must suspend judgment for the present," he said. "Still, I feel +absolutely certain that there is some trick here, though what the +scheme is I am utterly at a loss to know. Will you come in this evening +after dinner and take your coffee and cigar with me? My wife is dining +with me, but it was an express stipulation that she should go directly +dinner is over." + +At a little after seven Venner was impatiently waiting the coming of +Vera. He was not altogether sorry to notice that the dining-room was +filling up more rapidly than it had done for some days past. Perhaps, on +the whole, there would be safety in numbers. Venner had secured a little +table for two on the far side of the room, and he stood in the doorway +now, waiting somewhat restlessly and impatiently for Vera to appear. He +was not a little anxious and nervous in case something should happen at +the last moment to prevent his wife's appearance. As a rule, Venner was +not a man who was troubled much with nerves, though he became conscious +of the fact that he possessed them to-night. + +Was ever a man so strangely placed as himself, he wondered? He marvelled, +too, that he could sit down so patiently without asserting his rights. He +was the possessor of ample means, and if money stood in the way he was +quite prepared to pay Fenwick his price. + +On these somewhat painful meditations Vera intruded. She was simply +dressed in white, and had no ornaments beyond a few flowers. Her face was +flushed now, and there was in her eyes a look of something that +approached happiness. + +"I am so glad you have come, dear," Venner said, as he pressed the girl's +hand. "I was terribly afraid that something might come in the way. If +there is any danger--" + +"I don't think there is any danger," Vera whispered, "though there are +other eyes on me besides those of Mark Fenwick. But, all the same, I am +not supposed to know anybody in the hotel, and I come down to dinner as a +matter of course, I am glad the place is so crowded, Gerald, it will make +us less conspicuous. But it is just possible that I may have to go before +dinner is over. If that is so, I hope you will not be annoyed with me." + +"You have given me cause for greater annoyance than that," Venner smiled. +"And I have borne it all uncomplainingly. And now let us forget the +unhappy past, and try and live for the present. We are on our honeymoon, +you understand. I wonder what people in this room would say if they heard +our amazing story." + +"I have no doubt there are other stories just as sad here," Vera said, as +she took her place at the table. "But I am not going to allow myself to +be miserable to-night. We are going to forget everything; we are going to +believe that this is Fairyland, and that you are the Prince who--" + +Despite her assumed gaiety there was just a little catch in Vera's voice. +If Venner noticed it he did not appear to do so. For the next hour or so +he meant resolutely to put the past out of his mind, and give himself +over to the ecstasy of the moment.... All too soon the dinner came to an +end, and Gurdon appeared. + +"This is my wife," Venner said simply. "Dear, Mr. Gurdon is a very old +friend of mine, and I have practically no secrets from him. All the same, +he did not know till last night that I was married--until you came into +the room and my feelings got the better of me. But we can trust Gurdon." + +"I think I am to be relied upon," Gurdon said with a smile. "You will +pardon me if I say that I never heard a stranger story than yours; and if +at any time I can be of assistance to you, I shall be sincerely happy to +do all that is in my power." + +"You are very good," Vera said gratefully. "Who knows how soon I may +call upon you to fulfil your promise? But I am afraid that it will not be +quite yet." + +They sat chatting there for some half an hour longer, when a waiter came +in, and advancing to their table proffered Vera a visiting card, on the +back of which a few words had been scribbled. The girl looked a little +anxious and distressed as her eyes ran over the writing on the card. Then +she rose hurriedly. + +"I am afraid I shall have to go," she said. "I have been anticipating +this for some little time." + +She turned to the waiter, and asked if her maid was outside, to which the +man responded that it was the maid who had brought the card, and that she +was waiting with her wraps in the corridor. Vera extended her hand to +Gurdon as she rose to go. + +"I am exceedingly sorry," she said. "This has been a pleasant evening for +me: perhaps the most pleasant evening with one exception that I ever +spent in my life. Gerald will know what evening I mean." + +As she finished she smiled tenderly at Venner. He had no words in reply. +Just at that moment he was filled with passionate and rebellious anger. +He dared not trust himself to speak, conscious as he was that Vera's +burden was already almost more than she could bear. She held out her hand +to him with an imploring little gesture, as if she understood exactly +what was passing in his mind. + +"You will forgive me," she whispered. "I am sure you will forgive me. It +is nothing but duty which compels me to go. I would far rather stay here +and be happy." + +Venner took the extended hand and pressed it tenderly. His yearning eyes +looked after the retreating figure; then, suddenly, he turned to Gurdon, +who affected to be busy over a cigar. + +"I want you to do something for me," he said. "It is a strange fancy, +but I should like you to follow her. I suppose I am beginning to get +old and nervous; at any rate, I am full of silly fancies tonight. I am +possessed with the idea that my unhappy little girl is thrusting +herself into some danger. You can quite see how impossible it is for me +to dog her footsteps, but your case is different. Of course, if you +like to refuse--" + +"I am not going to refuse," Gurdon said. "I can see nothing dishonorable. +I'll go at once, if you like." + +Venner nodded curtly, and Gurdon rose from the table. He passed out into +the street just as the slim figure of Vera was descending the steps of +the hotel. He had no difficulty in recognising her outline, though she +was clad from head to foot now in a long, black wrap, and her fair hair +was disguised under a hood of the same material. Rather to Gurdon's +surprise, the girl had not called a cab. She was walking down the street +with a firm, determined step, as of one who knew exactly where she was +going, and meant to get there in as short a time as possible. + +Gurdon followed cautiously at a distance. He was not altogether satisfied +in his own mind that his action was quite as straightforward as it might +have been. Still, he had given his promise, and he was not inclined to +back out of it now. For about a quarter of an hour he followed, until +Vera at length halted before a house somewhere in the neighborhood of +Grosvenor Square. It was a fine, large corner mansion, but so far as +Gurdon could see there was not a light in the place from parapet to +basement. He could see Vera going up the steps; he was close enough to +hear the sound of an electric bell; then a light blazed in the hall, and +the door was opened. So far as Gurdon could see, it was an old man who +opened the door; an old man with a long, grey beard, and a face lined and +scored with the ravages of time. All this happened in an instant. The +door was closed again, and the whole house left in darkness. + +Gurdon paused, a little uncertain as to what to do next. He would have +liked, if possible, to be a little closer to Vera, for if there were any +dangers threatening her he would be just as powerless to help now as if +he had been in another part of the town. He walked slowly down the side +of the house, and noted that there was a line garden behind, and a small +green door leading to the lane. Acting on the impulse of the moment he +tried the door, which yielded to his touch. If he had been asked why he +did this thing he would have found it exceedingly difficult to reply. +Still, the thing was done, and Gurdon walked forward over the wide +expanse of lawn till he could make out at length a row of windows, +looking out from the back of the house. It was not so very easy to +discern all this, for the night was dark, and the back of the house +darker still. Presently a light flared out in one of the rooms, and then +Gurdon could make out the dome of a large conservatory leading from the +garden to the house. + +"I shall find myself in the hands of the police, if I don't take care," +Gurdon said to himself. "What an ass I am to embark on an adventure like +this. It isn't as if I had the slightest chance of being of any use to +the girl, seeing that I--" + +He broke off, suddenly conscious of the fact that another of the rooms +was lighted now--a large one, by the side of the conservatory. In the +silence of the garden it seemed to him that he could hear voices raised +angrily, and then a cry, as if of pain, from somebody inside. + +Fairly interested at last, Gurdon advanced till he was close to the +window. He could hear no more now, for the same tense silence had +fallen over the place once more. Gurdon pressed close to the window; he +felt something yield beneath his feet, and the next moment he had +plunged headlong into the darkness of something that suggested an +underground cellar. Perhaps he had been standing unconsciously on a +grating that was none too safe, for now he felt himself bruised and half +stunned, lying on his back on a cold, hard floor, amid a mass of broken +glass and rusty ironwork. + +Startled and surprised as he was, the noise of the breaking glass sounded +in Gurdon's ears like the din of some earthquake. He struggled to his +feet, hoping that the gods would be kind to him, and that he could get +away before his presence there was discovered. He was still dazed and +confused; his head ached painfully, and he groped in the pitch darkness +without any prospect of escape. He could nowhere find an avenue. So far +as he could judge, he was absolutely caught like a rat in a trap. + +He half smiled to himself; he was still too dazed to grasp the +significance of his position, when a light suddenly appeared overhead, at +the top of a flight of stairs, and a hoarse voice demanded to know who +was there. In the same dreamy kind of way, Gurdon was just conscious of +the fact that a strong pair of arms lifted him from the floor, and that +he was being carried up the steps. In the same dreamy fashion, he was +cognisant of light and warmth, a luxurious atmosphere, and rows upon +rows of beautiful flowers everywhere. He would, no doubt, awake +presently, and find that the whole thing was a dream. Meanwhile, there +was nothing visionary about the glass of brandy which somebody had put to +his lips, or about the hands which were brushing him down and removing +all traces of his recent adventure. + +"When you feel quite up to it, sir," a quiet, respectful voice said, "my +master would like to see you. He is naturally curious enough to know what +you were doing in the garden." + +"I am afraid your master must have his own way," Gurdon said grimly. "I +am feeling pretty well now, thanks to the brandy. If you will take me to +your master, I will try to explain matters." + +The servant led the way into a large, handsome apartment, where a man in +evening dress was seated in a big armchair before the fire. He looked +round with a peculiar smile as Gurdon came in. + +"Well, sir," he said. "And what does this mean?" + +Gurdon had no voice to reply, for the man in the armchair was the +handsome cripple--the hero of the forefinger. + + + + +CHAPTER VII + +THE WHITE LADY + + +Gurdon looked hopelessly about him, utterly at a loss for anything to +say. The whole thing had been so unexpected, so very opposite to the +commonplace ending he had anticipated, that he was too dazed and +confused to do anything but smile in an inane and foolish manner. He had +rather looked forward to seeing some eccentric individual, some elderly +recluse who lived there with a servant or two. And here he was, face to +face with the man who, at the present moment, was to him the most +interesting in London. + +"You can take your time," the cripple said. "I am anxious for you to +believe that I am not in the least hurry. The point of the problem is +this: a well dressed man, evidently a gentleman, is discovered at a late +hour in the evening in my cellar. As the gentleman in question is +obviously sober, one naturally feels a little curiosity as to what it +all means." + +The speaker spoke quite slowly and clearly, and with a sarcastic emphasis +that caused Gurdon to writhe impotently. Every word and gesture on the +part of the cripple spoke of a strong mind and a clear intellect in that +twisted body. Despite the playful acidity of his words, there was a +distinct threat underlying them. It occurred to Gurdon as he stood there +that he would much rather have this man for a friend than a foe. + +"Perhaps you had better take a seat," the cripple said. "There is plenty +of time, and I don't mind confessing to you that this little comedy +amuses me. Heaven knows, I have little enough amusement in my dreary +life; and, therefore, in a measure, you have earned my gratitude. But +there is another side to the picture. I have enemies who are utterly +unscrupulous. I have to be unscrupulous in my turn, so that when I have +the opportunity of laying one of them by the heels, my methods are apt to +be thorough. Did you come here alone to-night, or have you an +accomplice?" + +"Assuredly, I came alone," Gurdon replied. + +"Oh, indeed. You found your way into the garden. To argue out the thing +logically, we will take it for granted that you had no intention whatever +of paying a visit to my garden when you left home. If such had been your +intention, you would not be wearing evening dress, and thin, patent +leather shoes. Your visit to the garden was either a resolution taken on +the spur of the moment, or was determined upon after a certain discovery. +I am glad to hear that you came here entirely by yourself." + +There was an unmistakable threat in these latter words; and as Gurdon +looked up he saw that the cripple was regarding him with an intense +malignity. The grey eyes were cold and merciless, the handsome face hard +and set, and yet it was not a countenance which one usually associates +with the madman or the criminal. Really, it was a very noble face--the +face of a philanthropist, a poet, a great statesman, who devotes his +money and his talents to the interests of his country. Despite a feeling +of danger, Gurdon could not help making a mental note of these things. + +"Won't you sit down?" the cripple asked again. "I should like to have a +little chat with you. Here are whisky and soda, and some cigars, for the +excellence of which I can vouch, as I import them myself. Perhaps, also, +you share with me a love of flowers?" + +With a wave of his strong arm, the speaker indicated the wealth of +blossoms which arose from all sides of the room. There were flowers +everywhere. The luxuriant blooms seemed to overpower and dwarf the +handsome furnishings of the room. At the far end, folding doors +opened into the conservatory, which was a veritable mass of brilliant +colors. The cripple smiled upon his blossoms, as a mother might smile +on her child. + +"These are the only friends who never deceive you," he said. "Flowers and +dogs, and, perhaps, little children. I know this, because I have +suffered from contact with the world, as, perhaps, you will notice when +you regard this poor body of mine. I think you said just now you came +here entirely by yourself." + +"That is a fact," Gurdon replied. He was beginning to feel a little more +at his ease now. "Let me hasten to assure you that I came here with no +felonious intent at all. I was looking for somebody, and I thought that +my friend came here. You will pardon me if I do not explain with any +amount of detail, because the thing does not concern myself altogether. +And, besides--" + +Gurdon paused; he could not possibly tell this stranger of the startling +events which had led to his present awkward situation. In any case, he +would not have been believed. + +"We need not go into that," the cripple said. "It is all by the way. You +came here alone; and, I take it, when you left your home, you had not the +slightest intention of coming here. To make my meaning a little more +clear, if you disappeared from this moment, and your friends never saw +you again, the police would not have the slightest clue to your +whereabouts." + +Gurdon laughed just a little uneasily; he began to entertain the idea +that he was face to face with some dangerous lunatic, some man whose +dreadful troubles and misfortunes had turned him against the world. +Evidently, it would be the right policy to humor him. + +"That is quite correct," he said. "Nobody has the least idea where I am; +and if the unpleasant contingency you allude to happened to me, I should +go down to posterity as one of the victims of the mysterious type of +crime that startles London now and again." + +"I should think," said the stranger, in a thin, dry tone, that caused +Gurdon's pulses to beat a little faster--"I should think that your +prophecy is in a fair way to turn out correct. I don't ask you why you +came here, because you would not tell me if I did. But you must have been +spying on the place, or you would not have had the misfortune to tread on +a damaged grating, and finish your adventure ignominiously in the cellar. +As I told you just now, I have enemies who are absolutely unscrupulous, +and who would give much for a chance of murdering me if the thing could +be done with impunity. Common sense prompts me to take it for granted +that you are in some wry connected with the foes to whom I have alluded." + +"I assure you, I am not," Gurdon protested. "I am the enemy of no man. I +came here to night--" + +Gurdon stopped in some confusion. How could he possibly tell this man why +he had come and what he had in his mind? The thing was awkward--almost to +the verge of absurdity. + +"I quite see the quandary you are in," said the cripple, with a smile. +"Now, let me ask you a question. Do you happen to know a man by the name +of Mark Fenwick?" + +The query was so straight and to the point that Gurdon fairly started. +More and more did he begin to appreciate the subtlety and cleverness of +his companion. It was impossible to fence the interrogation; it had to be +answered, one way or the other. + +"I know the man by sight," he said; "but I beg to assure you that until +last night I had never seen him." + +"That may be," the cripple said drily. "But you know him now, and that +satisfies me. Now, listen. You see what I have in my hand. Perhaps you +are acquainted with weapons of this kind?" + +So saying, the speaker wriggled in his chair, and produced from somewhere +behind him a small revolver. Despite its silver plated barrel and ivory +handle, it was a sinister looking weapon, and capable of deadly mischief +in the hands of an expert. Though no judge of such matters, it occurred +to Gurdon that his companion handled the revolver as an expert should. + +"I have been used to this kind of thing from a boy," the cripple said. "I +could shoot you where you sit within a hair's breadth of where I wanted +to hit you." + +"Which would be murder," Gurdon said quietly. + +"Perhaps it would, in the eyes of the law; but there are times when one +is tempted to defy the mandates of a wise legislature. For instance, I +have told you more than once before that I have enemies, and everything +points to the fact that you are the tool and accomplice of some of them. +I have about me one or two faithful people, who would do anything I ask. +If I shoot you now the report of a weapon like this will hardly be +audible beyond the door. You lie there, dead, shot clean through the +brain. I ring my bell and tell my servants to clear this mess away. I +give them orders to go and bury it quietly somewhere, and they would obey +me without the slightest hesitation. Nothing more would be said. I should +be as safe from molestation as if the whole thing had happened on a +desert island. I hope I have succeeded in making the position clear, +because I should be loth to think that a little incident like this should +cause inconvenience to one who might after all have been absolutely +innocent." + +The words were spoken quietly, and without the slightest trace of +passion. Still, there was no mistaking the malignity and intense fury +which underlay the well chosen and well balanced sentences. + +Gurdon was silent; there was nothing for him to say. He was in a position +in which he could not possibly explain; he could only sit there, looking +into the barrel of the deadly weapon, and praying for some diversion +which might be the means of saving his life. It came presently in a +strange and totally unexpected fashion. Upon the tense, nerve-breaking +silence, a voice suddenly intruded like a flash of light in a dark place. +It was a sweet and girlish voice, singing some simple ballad, with a +natural pathos which rendered the song singularly touching and +attractive. As the voice came nearer the cripple's expression changed +entirely; his hard eyes grew soft, and the handsome features were +wreathed in a smile. Then the door opened, and the singer came in. + +Gurdon looked at her, though she seemed unconscious of his presence +altogether. He saw a slight, fair girl, dressed entirely in white, with +her long hair streaming over her shoulders. The face was very sad and +wistful, the blue eyes clouded with some suggestion of trouble and +despair. Gurdon did not need a second glance to assure him that he was in +the presence of one who was mentally afflicted. She came forward and took +her place by the side of the cripple. + +"They told me that you are busy," she said, "Just as if it mattered +whether you were busy or not, when I wanted to see you." + +"You must go away now, Beth," the cripple said, in his softest and most +tender manner. "Don't you see that I am talking with this gentleman?" + +The girl turned eagerly to Gurdon; she crossed the room with a swift, +elastic step, and laid her two hands on him. + +"I know what you have come for," she said, eagerly. "You have come to +tell me all about Charles. You have found him at last; you are going to +bring him back to me. They told me he was dead, that he had perished in +the mine; but I knew better than that. I know that Charles will come back +to me again." + +"What mine?" Gurdon asked. + +"Why, the Four Finger Mine, of course," was the totally unexpected +reply. "They said that Charles had lost his life in the Four Finger +Mine. It was in a kind of dream that I saw his body lying there, +murdered. But I shall wake from the dream presently, and he will come +back to me, come back in the evening, as he always used to when the sun +was setting beyond the pines." + +There was something so utterly sad and hopeless in this that Gurdon +averted his eyes from the girl's face. He glanced in the direction of the +door; then it required all his self control to repress a cry, for in the +comparative gloom of the passage beyond, he could just make out the +figure of Vera, who stood there with her finger on her lip as if imposing +silence. He could see that in her hand she held something that looked +like a chisel. A moment later she flitted away once more, leaving Gurdon +to puzzle his brain as to what it all meant. + +"I am sorry for all this," the cripple said. "You have entirely by +accident come face to face with a phase in my life which is sacred and +inviolate. Really, if I had no other reason for reducing you to silence, +this would be a sufficiently powerful inducement. My dear Beth, I really +must ask you--" + +Whatever the cripple might have intended to say, the speech was never +finished; for, at that moment, the electric lights vanished suddenly, +plunging the whole house into absolute darkness. A moment later, +footsteps came hurrying along in the hall, and a voice was heard to say +that the fuse from the meter had gone, and it would be impossible to turn +on the light again until the officials had been called in to repair the +damage. At the same moment, Gurdon rose to his feet and crept quietly in +the direction of the door. Here, at any rate, was a chance of escape, for +that his life was in dire peril he had felt for some little time. He had +hardly reached the doorway when he felt a slim hand touch his, and he was +guided from the room into the passage beyond. He could give a pretty fair +idea as to the owner of the slim fingers that trembled in his own, but he +made no remark; he allowed himself to be led on till his feet stumbled +against the stairs. + +"This way," a voice whispered. "Say nothing, and make no protest. You +will be quite safe from further harm." + +Gurdon did exactly as he was told. He found himself presently at the top +of a staircase, and a little later on in a room, the door of which was +closed very quietly by his guide. + +"I think I can guess who I have to thank for this," Gurdon murmured. "But +why did you not take me to the front door, or the back entrance leading +to the garden? It was lucky for me that the lights failed at the critical +moment--a piece of nominal good fortune, such as usually only happens in +a story. But I should feel a great deal safer if I were on the other side +of the front door." + +"That is quite impossible," Vera said, for it was she who had come to +Gurdon's rescue. "Both doors are locked, and all the rooms on the +ground floor are furnished with shutters. As to the light going out, I +am responsible for it. I learned all about the electric light when I +lived in a mining camp in Mexico. I had only to remove one of the lamps +and apply my chisel to the two poles, and thereby put out every fuse in +the house. That is why the light failed, for it occurred to me that in +the confusion that followed the darkness, I should be in a position to +save you. But you little realise how near you have been to death +to-night. And, why, oh, why did you follow me in this way? It was very +wrong of you." + +"It was Venner's idea," Gurdon said. "He had a strange fear that you were +going into some danger. He asked me to follow you, and I did so. As to +the manner of my getting here--" + +"I know all about that," Vera said hurriedly. "I have been listening to +your conversation. I dare say you are curious to know something more +about this strange household; but, for the present, you will be far +better employed in getting away from it. I shall not be easy in my mind +till you are once more in the street." + + + + +CHAPTER VIII + +MISSING + + +Gurdon waited to hear what his companion was going to say now. He had +made up his mind to place himself implicitly in her hands, and let her +decide for the best. Evidently, he had found himself in a kind of lunatic +asylum, where one inhabitant at least had developed a dangerous form of +homicidal mania, and he had a pretty sure conclusion that Vera had saved +his life. It was no time now to ask questions; that would come later on. + +"I am sure I am awfully grateful to you," Gurdon said. "Who are these +people, and why do they behave in this insane fashion? This is not +exactly the kind of menage one expects to find in one of the best +appointed mansions in the West End." + +"I can tell you nothing about it," Vera said. There was a marked coldness +in her voice that told Gurdon he was going too far. "I can tell you +nothing. One thing you may rest assured of--I am in no kind of danger, +nor am I likely to be. My concern chiefly at the present moment is with +you. I want you to get back as soon as you can to the Great Empire Hotel, +and ease Gerald's mind as to myself." + +"I hardly like to go, without you," Gurdon murmured. + +"But you must," Vera protested. "Let me assure you once more that I am as +absolutely safe here as if I were in my own room. Now, come this way. I +dare not strike a light. I can only take you by the hand and lead you to +the top of the house. Every inch of the place is perfectly familiar to +me, and you are not likely to come to the least harm. Please don't waste +a moment more of your time." + +Gurdon yielded against his better judgment. A moment or two later, he +found himself climbing through a skylight on to the flat leads at the +top of the house. By the light of the town he could now see what he +was doing, and pretty well where he was. From the leads he could look +down into the garden, though, as yet, he could not discern any avenue +of escape. + +"The thing is quite easy," Vera explained. "The late occupant of the +house had a nervous dread of fire, and from every floor he had a series +of rope ladders arranged. See, there is one fixed to this chimney. I have +only to throw it over, and you can reach the garden without delay; then I +will pull the ladder up again and no one will be any the wiser. Please, +leave me without any further delay, in the absolute assurance that I +shall be back again within an hour." + +A few minutes later Gurdon was in the street again, making his way back +to the hotel where Venner was waiting for him. + +It was a strange story that he had to tell; a very thrilling and +interesting adventure, but one which, after all, still further +complicated the mystery and rendered it almost unintelligible. + +"And you mean to say that you have been actually face to face with our +cripple friend?" Venner said. "You mean to say that he would actually +have murdered you if Vera had not interfered in that providential manner? +I suppose I must accept your assurance that she is absolutely safe, +though I can't help feeling that she has exaggerated her own position. I +am terribly anxious about her. I have an idea which I should like to +carry out. I feel tolerably sure that this picturesque cripple of ours +could tell us everything that we want to know. Besides, unless I do +something I shall go mad. What do you say to paying the interesting +cripple a visit to-morrow night, and forcing him to tell us everything?" + +Gurdon shook his head; he was not particularly impressed with the +suggestion that Venner had made. + +"Of course, we could get into the house easily enough," he said. "Now +that I have learned the secret of the cellar, there will be no +difficulty about that. Still, don't you think it seems rather ridiculous +to try this sort of thing when your wife is in a position to tell you +the whole thing?" + +"But she would decline to do anything of the kind," Venner protested. +"She has told me that her lips are sealed; she has even no explanation to +offer for the way in which she left me within half-an-hour of our +becoming man and wife. I should almost be justified in forcing her to +speak; but, you see, I cannot do that. Therefore, I must treat her in a +way as if she were one of our enemies. I have a very strong fancy for +paying a visit to our cripple friend, and, if the worst came to the +worst, we could convince him that we are emphatically not on the side of +Mark Fenwick. At any rate, I mean to have a try, and if you don't like to +come in--" + +"Oh, I'll come in fast enough," Gurdon said. "You had better meet me +to-morrow night at my rooms, say, about eleven; then, we will see what we +can do with a view to a solution of the mystery." + +At the appointed time, Venner duly put in an appearance. He was clothed +in a dark suit and cap, Gurdon donning a similar costume. Under his arm +Venner had a small brown paper parcel. + +"What have you got there?" Gurdon asked. + +"A pair of tennis shoes," was the response. "And if you take my advice, +you should have a pair, too. My idea is to take off our boots directly we +get into the seclusion of the garden and change into these shoes. Now +come along, let's get it over." + +It was an easy matter to reach the garden without being observed, and in +a very short time the two friends were standing close to the windows of +the large room at the back of the house. There was not so much as a +glimmer of light to be seen anywhere within. Very cautiously they felt +their way along until they came at length to the grating through which +Gurdon had made so dramatic an entrance on the night before. He took +from his pocket a box of vestas, and ventured to strike one. He held it +down close to the ground, shading the tiny point of flame in the hollow +of his hand. + +"Here is a bit of luck to begin with," he chuckled. "They haven't +fastened this grating up again. I suppose my escape last night must have +upset them. At any rate, here is a way into the house without running the +risk of being arrested on a charge of burglary, and if the police did +catch us we should find it an exceedingly awkward matter to frame an +excuse carefully, to satisfy a magistrate." + +"That seems all right," Venner said. "When we get into the cellar it's +any odds that we find the door of the stairs locked. I don't suppose the +grating has been forgotten. You see, it is not such an easy matter to get +the British workman to do a job on the spur of the moment." + +"Well, come along; we will soon ascertain that," Gurdon said. "Once down +these steps, we shall be able to use our matches." + +They crept cautiously down the stairs into the damp and moldy cellar; +thence, up the steps on the other side, where Gurdon lighted one of his +matches. The door was closed, but it yielded quite easily to the touch, +and at length the two men were in the part of the house which was given +over to the use of the servants. So far as they could judge the place was +absolutely deserted. Doubtless the domestic staff had retired to bed. All +the same, it seemed strange to find no signs of life in the kitchen. The +stove was cold, and though the grate was full of cinders, it was quite +apparent that no fire had been lighted there for the past four and twenty +hours. Again, there was no furniture in the kitchen other than a large +table and a couple of chairs. The dressers were empty, and the shelves +deprived of their usual burden. + +"This is odd," Venner murmured. "Perhaps we shall have better luck on the +dining-room floor. I suppose we had better not turn on the lights!" + +"That would be too risky," Gurdon said. "However, I have plenty of +matches, which will serve our purpose equally well." + +On cautiously reaching the hall a further surprise awaited the intruders. +There was absolutely nothing there--not so much as an umbrella stand. The +marble floor was swept bare of everything, the big dining-room which the +night before had been most luxuriously furnished, was now stripped and +empty; not so much as a flower remained; and the conservatory beyond +showed nothing but wooden staging and glittering glass behind that. A +close examination of the whole house disclosed the fact that it was +absolutely empty. + +"If I did not know you as well as I do," Venner said grimly, "I should +say that you had been drinking. Do you mean to tell me that you sat in +this dining-room last night, and that it was furnished in the luxurious +way you described? Do you mean to tell me that you sat here, opposite +our cripple friend, waiting for him to shoot you? Are you perfectly +certain that we have made our way into the right house? You have no +doubt on that score?" + +"Of course, I haven't," Gurdon said, a little hotly. "Would there be two +houses close together, both of them with a broken grating over the +cellar? I tell you this is the same house right enough. It was just in +this particular spot I was seated when the lights went out, and your +wife's fertility of resource saved my life. It may be possible that the +electric fuses have not yet been repaired. At any rate, I'll see." + +Gurdon laid his hand upon the switch and snapped it down. No light came; +the solitary illuminating point in the room was afforded by the match +which Venner held in his hand. + +"There," Gurdon said, with a sort of gloomy triumph. "Doesn't that +prove it? I suppose that our cripple took alarm and has cleared out of +the house." + +"That's all very well, but it is almost impossible to remove the +furniture of a great place like this in the course of a day." + +"My dear chap, I don't think it has been removed in the course of a +day. Didn't you notice just now what a tremendous lot of dust we +stirred up as we were going over the house? My theory is this--only +three or four of the rooms were furnished, and the rest of the house +was closed. When I made my escape last night, the cripple must have +taken alarm and gone away from here as speedily as possible. What +renders the whole thing more inexplicable is the fact that your wife +could explain everything if she pleased. But after a check-mate like +this, I don't see the slightest reason for staying here any longer. The +best thing we can do is to get back to my rooms and discuss the matter +over a whiskey and soda and cigar. But, talking about cigars, will you +have the goodness to look at this?" + +From the empty grate Gurdon picked up a half smoked cigar of a somewhat +peculiar make and shape. + +"I want you to notice this little bit of evidence," he said. "This is the +very cigar that the cripple gave me last night. I can't say that I +altogether enjoyed smoking it, but it was my tip to humor him. I smoked +that much. When the white lady came in I naturally threw the end of the +cigar into the fireplace. In the face of this, I don't think you will +accuse me of dreaming." + +More than one cigar was consumed before Venner left his friend's rooms, +but even the inspiration of tobacco failed to elucidate a solitary point +at issue. What had become of the cripple, and where had he vanished so +mysteriously? Gurdon was still debating this point over a late breakfast +the following morning, when Venner came in. His face was flushed and his +manner was excited. He carried a copy of an early edition of an evening +paper in his hand--the edition which is usually issued by most papers a +little after noon. + +"I think I've discovered something," he said. "It was quite by accident, +but you will not fail to be interested in something that appears in the +_Comet_. It alludes to the disappearance of a gentleman called Bates, who +seems to have vanished from his house in Portsmouth Square. You know the +name of the Square, of course?" + +Gurdon pushed his coffee cup away from him, and lighted a cigarette. He +felt that something of importance was coming. + +"I suppose I ought to know the name of the square," he said grimly. +"Seeing that I nearly lost my life in a house there the night before +last. But please go on. I see you have something to tell me that is well +worth hearing." + +"That's right," Venner said. "Most of it is in this paper. It appears +that the aforesaid Mr. Bates is a gentleman of retiring disposition, and +somewhat eccentric habits. As far as one can gather, he has no friends, +but lives quietly in Portsmouth Square, his wants being ministered to by +a body of servants who have been in his employ for years. Of necessity, +Mr. Bates is a man of wealth, or he could not possibly live in a house +the rent of which cannot be less than five or six hundred a year. As a +rule, Mr. Bates rarely leaves his house, but last night he seems to have +gone out unattended, and since then, he has not been seen." + +"Stop a moment," Gurdon exclaimed eagerly. "I am beginning to see +daylight at last. What was the number of the house where this Bates +lived? I mean the number of the square." + +Venner turned to his paper, and ran his eye down the printed column. Then +he smiled as he spoke. + +"The number of the house," he said, "is 75." + +"I knew it," Gurdon said excitedly. "I felt pretty certain of it. The man +who has disappeared lived at No. 75, and the place where we had our +adventure, or rather, I had my adventure, is No. 74. Now, tell me, who +was it who informed the police of the disappearance of Mr. Bates? Some +servant, I suppose?" + +"Of course; and the servant goes on to suggest that Mr. Bates had +mysterious enemies, who caused him considerable trouble from time to +time. But now I come to the interesting part of my story. At the foot of +the narrative which is contained in the _Comet_, that I hold in my hand, +is a full description of Mr. Bates." + +"Go on," Gurdon said breathlessly. "I should be little less than an idiot +if I did not know what was coming." + +"I thought you would guess," Venner said. "A name like Bates implies +middle age and respectability. But this Bates is described as being young +and exceedingly good looking. Moreover, he is afflicted with a kind of +paralysis, which renders his movements slow and uncertain. And now you +know all about it. There is not the slightest doubt that this missing +Bates is no other than our interesting friend, the good-looking cripple. +The only point which leaves us in doubt is the fact that Mr. Bates is a +respectable householder, living at 75, Portsmouth Square, while the man +who tried to murder you entertained you at No. 74, which house, now, is +absolutely empty. We need not discuss that puzzle at the present moment, +because there are more important things to occupy our attention. There +can be no doubt that this man who calls himself Bates has been kidnapped +by somebody. You will not have much difficulty in guessing the name of +the culprit." + +"I guess it at once," Gurdon said. "If I mention the name of Mark +Fenwick, I think I have said the last word." + + + + +CHAPTER IX + +A NEW PHASE + + +There was not the slightest doubt that Gurdon had hit the mark. As far as +they could see at present, the man most likely to benefit by the death or +disappearance of the cripple was Mark Fenwick. Still, it was impossible +to dismiss the thing in this casual way, nor could it be forgotten that +the cripple had actually been present at the Grand Empire Hotel on the +night when the alleged millionaire received his message by means of the +mummified finger. Therefore, logically speaking, it was only fair to +infer that on the night in question Fenwick had not been acquainted with +the personality of the cripple. Otherwise, the latter would have scarcely +ventured to show himself in a place where his experiment had been brought +to a conclusion. + +On the other hand, it was just possible that Fenwick had been looking for +the cripple for some time past. But all this was more or less in the air, +though there was a great deal to be said for the conclusion at which the +two friends had arrived. + +"I work it out like this," Venner said, after a long, thoughtful pause. +"You know all about the Four Finger Mine; you know exactly what happened +to the Dutchman Van Fort after the murder of Le Fenu. It will be fresh in +your recollection how, by some mysterious agency, the fingers of the +Dutchman were conveyed to his wife, though he himself was never seen +again. It is quite fair to infer that Fenwick has contrived to get hold +of the same mine, though that dangerous property does not seem to have +harmed him as much as it did the other thief. Still, we know that he has +lost all the fingers of his left hand, and we have evidence of the fact +that the vengeance has been worked out in the same mysterious fashion as +it was worked out on the Dutchman. We know, too, who is at the bottom of +the plot, we know that the cripple could tell us all about it if he +liked. Obviously, this same cripple is a deadly enemy of Fenwick's. And, +no doubt, Fenwick has found out where to lay his hands upon his man quite +recently. Fenwick is a clever man, he is bold and unscrupulous, and +without question he set to work at once to get the better of the cripple. +Of course, this may be nothing but a wrong theory of mine, and it may +lead us astray, but it is all I can see to work upon at present." + +"I don't think you are very far wrong," Gurdon said, "but I am still +puzzled about the house in Portsmouth Square." + +"Which house do you mean?" Venner asked. + +"The one in which my adventure took place. The house from which the +furniture vanished so mysteriously." + +"That seems to me capable of an easy explanation," Venner replied. "There +is no doubt that the man called Bates and the cripple are one and the +same person. You must admit that." + +"Yes, I admit that freely enough. Go on." + +"Well, this Bates, as we will call him, has a large establishment at 75, +Portsmouth Square. The house next door was empty, possibly it belonged to +Mr. Bates. He had a whim for furnishing a room or two in an empty house, +or perhaps there was some more sinister purpose behind it. Anyway, after +you had blundered on the place and had taken your life in your hands, it +became necessary for the man to disappear from No. 74. Therefore, he had +that furniture removed at once. I daresay if we investigated the house +carefully we should find that there was some means of communication +between the two; at least, that is the only explanation I can think of." + +"You've got it," Gurdon cried. "I'll wager any money, you are right. But +I am sorry the man has vanished in this mysterious way, because it checks +our investigations at the very outset. The last thing you wanted in this +matter was police interference. Now the whole thing has got into the +papers, and the public are sure to take the matter up. It is the very +class of mystery that the cheap press loves to dwell upon. It has all +the attributes of the _cause celebre_. Here is a handsome man, +picturesque looking, a cripple into the bargain, a man leading an +absolutely secluded life, and the very last person in the world one would +expect to have enemies. He is very rich, too, and lives in one of the +finest houses in the West End of London. He disappears in the most +mysterious manner. Unless I am greatly mistaken, within the next two or +three days London will be disclosing this matter and the newspapers will +be full of it." + +"I am afraid you are right," Venner admitted; "but I don't see how we are +going to gain any thing by telling the police what we have found out. As +you know, I investigated this matter solely in the interests of the woman +I love, and with the one intention of freeing her life from the cloud +that hangs over it. In any other circumstances I would go direct to +Scotland Yard and tell them everything we know. But not now. I think you +will agree with me that we should go our own way and say nothing to +anybody about our discovery." + +The events of the next day or so fully verified the fears of the two +friends. The Bates case appealed powerfully to the large section of the +public who delight in crimes of the mysterious order. Within a couple of +days most of the papers were devoting much space to the problem. It so +happened, too, that the week was an exceedingly barren one from a news +point of view; therefore, the Bates case had the place of honor. There +was absolutely no fresh information, not a single line that pointed to a +definite solution of the problem. Indeed, the ingenious way in which most +of the papers contrived to fill some three columns a day was beyond all +praise. But both Gurdon and Venner searched in vain for a scrap of +information that threw any light on the identity of the missing man. His +habits were described at some length, a tolerably accurate description of +his household appeared in several quarters; but nothing very much beyond +that. The missing man's servants were exceedingly reticent, and if they +knew anything whatever about their master they had preferred to confide +it to the police in preference to the inquisitive reporter. Not a single +relative turned up, though it was generally understood that the missing +man was possessed of considerable property. + +It was on the third day that Venner began to see daylight. One of the +evening papers had come out with a startling letter which seemed to point +to a clue, though it conveyed nothing to the police. Venner came round to +Gurdon's rooms with a copy of the evening paper in his hand. He laid it +before his friend and asked him to read the letter, which, though it +contained but a few lines, was of absorbing interest to both of them. + +"You see what this man says?" Venner remarked. "He appears to be a +workingman who got himself into trouble over a drinking bout. Two days +ago he was charged before the magistrate with being drunk and disorderly, +and was sentenced to a fine of forty shillings or fourteen days' +imprisonment. According to his story, the money was not forthcoming, +therefore he was taken to gaol. At the end of two days his friends +contrived to obtain the necessary cash and he was released. He writes all +this to show how it was that he was entirely ignorant of the startling +events which had taken place in the Bates case. This man goes on to say +that on the night when Mr. Bates disappeared he was passing Portsmouth +Square on his way home from some public-house festivities. He was none +too sober, and has a hazy recollection of what he saw. He recollects +quite clearly, now that he has time to think the matter over, seeing a +cab standing at the corner of the Square within three doors of No. 75. At +the same time, a telegraph boy called at No. 75 with a message. It was at +this point that the narrator of the story stopped to light his pipe. It +was rather a windy evening, so that he used several matches in the +process. Anyway, he stood there long enough to see the telegraph boy +deliver his message to a gentleman who appeared to have great difficulty +in getting to the door. No sooner had the telegraph boy gone than the +gentleman crept slowly and painfully down the steps and walked in the +direction of the cab. Then somebody stepped from the cab and accosted the +cripple, who, beyond all question, was the mysterious Bates. The writer +of the letter says that he heard a sort of cry, then someone called out +something in a language that he was unable to understand. He rather +thinks it was Portuguese, because among his fellow workmen is a +Portuguese artisan, and the language sounded something like his." + +"We are getting on," Gurdon said. "That little touch about the Portuguese +language clearly points to Fenwick." + +"Of course, it does," Venner went on. "But that is not quite all. The +letter goes on to say that something like a struggle took place, after +which the cripple was bundled into the cab, which was driven away. It was +a four-wheeled cab, and the peculiarity about it was that it had india +rubber tires, which is a most unusual thing for the typical growler. The +author of all this information says that the struggle appeared to be of +no very desperate nature, for it was followed by nothing in the way of a +call for help. Indeed, the workman who is telling all this seemed to +think that it was more or less in the way of what he calls a spree. He +said nothing whatever to the police about it, fearing perhaps that he +himself was in no fit state to tell a story; and, besides, there was just +the possibility that he might find himself figuring before a magistrate +the next morning. That is the whole of the letter, Gurdon, which though +it conveys very little to the authorities, is full of pregnant +information for ourselves. At any rate, it tells us quite clearly that +Fenwick was at the bottom of this outrage." + +"Quite right," Gurdon said. "The little touch about the Portuguese +language proves that. Is there anything else in the letter likely to be +useful to us?" + +"No, I have given you the whole of it. Personally, the best thing we can +do is to go and interview the writer, who has given his name and address. +A small, but judicious, outlay in the matter of beer will cause him to +tell us all we want to know." + +It was somewhere in the neighborhood of the Docks where the man who had +given his name as James Taylor was discovered later on in the day. He was +a fairly intelligent type of laborer, who obtained a more or less +precarious livelihood as a docker. As a rule, he worked hard enough four +or five hours a day when things were brisk, and, in slack periods when +money was scarce, he spent the best part of his day in bed. He had one +room in a large tenement house, where the friends found him partially +dressed and reading a sporting paper. He was not disposed to be +communicative at first, but the suggestion of something in the way of +liquid refreshment stimulated his good-nature. + +"Right you are," he said. "I've had nothing today besides a mouthful of +breakfast, and when I've paid my rent I shall have a solitary tanner +left; but I 'ope you gents are not down here with a view of getting a +poor chap into trouble?" + +Gurdon hastened to reassure him on that head. He was balancing a +half-sovereign thoughtfully on his forefinger. + +"We are not going to hurt you at all," he said. "We want you to give us a +little information. In proof of what I say you can take this +half-sovereign and obtain what liquid refreshment you require. Also, you +can keep the change. If you don't like my proposal, there is an end of +the matter." + +"Don't be short, guv'nor," Taylor responded. "I like that there +proposition of yours so well that I'm going to take it; 'alf-sovereigns +ain't so plentiful as all that comes to. If you just wait a moment, I'll +be back in 'alf a tick. Then I'll tell you all you want to know." + +The man was back again presently, and professed himself ready to answer +any questions that might be put to him. His manner grew just a little +suspicious as Venner mentioned the name of Bates. + +"You don't look like police," he said. "Speaking personally, I ain't fond +of 'em, and I don't want to get into trouble." + +"We have no connection whatever with the police," Venner said. "In fact, +we would rather not have anything to do with them. It so happens that we +are both interested in the gentleman that you saw getting into the cab +the other night. I have read your letter in the paper, and I am quite +prepared to believe every word of it. The only thing we want to know is +whether you saw the man in the cab--" + +"Which one?" Taylor asked. "There were two blokes in the cab." + +"This is very interesting," Venner murmured. "I shall be greatly obliged +to you if you will describe both of them." + +"I couldn't describe the one, guv'nor," Taylor replied. "His back was to +me all the time, and when you come to think of it, I wasn't quite so +clear in the head as I might have been. But I caught a glimpse of the +other man's face; as he looked out of the cab the light of the lamp shone +on his face. He'd a big cloak on, as far as I could judge, with the +collar turned up about his throat, and a soft hat on his head. He knocks +the hat off looking out of the cab window, then I see as 'is head was +bald like a bloomin' egg, and yellow, same as if he had been painted. I +can't tell you any more than that, not if you was to give me another +'alf-sovereign on the top of the first one." + +"Just another question," Gurdon said. "Then we won't bother you any more. +About what age do you suppose the man was?" + +Taylor paused thoughtfully for a moment before he replied. + +"Well, I should think he was about fifty-five or sixty," he said. "Looked +like some sort of a foreigner." + +"That will do, thank you," Venner said. "We will not detain you any +longer. At the same time I should be obliged if you would keep this +information to yourself; but, of course, if the police question you, you +will have to speak. But a discreet silence on the subject of this visit +of ours would be esteemed." + +Taylor winked and nodded, and the friends departed, not displeased to get +away from the stuffy and vitiated atmosphere of Taylor's room. On the +whole, they were not dissatisfied with the result of their expedition. At +any rate, they had now proof positive of the fact that Fenwick was at the +bottom of the mysterious disappearance of the man called Bates. + +"I don't quite see what we are going to do next," Venner said. "So +far, we have been exceedingly fortunate to find ourselves in +possession of a set of clues which would be exceedingly valuable to +the police. But how are we going to use these clues is quite another +matter. What do you suggest?" + +"Keeping a close eye upon Fenwick at any rate. For that purpose it would +not be a bad idea to employ a private inquiry agent. He need know +nothing of what we are after." + +Thereupon it was decided that Gurdon was to dine with Venner that night +and go fully into the matter. + + + + +CHAPTER X + +THE SECOND FINGER + + +It was, perhaps, fortunate for all concerned that, though Venner was so +closely identified by the irony of Fate with the movements of Mark +Fenwick, he was not known to the latter personally, though they had been +almost side by side three years previous in Mexico. Therefore, it was +possible for Venner to get a table in the dining-room quite close to that +of the alleged millionaire. It was all the more fortunate, as things +subsequently turned out, that Fenwick had returned to town that afternoon +and had announced his intention of dining at the hotel the same evening. +This information Venner gave to Gurdon when the latter turned up about +half-past seven. Then the host began to outline the plan of campaign +which he had carefully thought out. + +"Fenwick is dining over there," he said. "He generally sits with his back +to the wall, and I have had our table so altered that we can command all +his movements. Vera, of course, will dine with him. Naturally enough, she +will act as if we were absolute strangers to her. That will be +necessary." + +"Of course," Gurdon admitted. "But isn't it a strange thing that you +should be an absolute stranger to Fenwick?" + +"Well, it does seem strange on the face of it. But it is capable of the +easiest explanation. You see, when I first met Vera, she was at school in +a town somewhere removed from the Four Finger Mine. I saw a good deal of +her there, and when finally she went up country, we were practically +engaged. At her urgent request the engagement was kept a secret, and when +I followed to the Mines it was distinctly understood that I should not +call at Fenwick's house or make myself known to him except in the way of +business. As it happens, we never did meet, and whenever I saw Vera it +was usually by stealth. The very marriage was a secret one, and you may +charge me fairly with showing great weakness in the matter. But there, I +have told you the story before, and you must make the best of it. On the +whole, I am glad things turned out as they did, for now I can play my +cards in the game against Fenwick without his even suspecting that he has +me for an opponent. It is certainly an advantage in my favor." + +Venner had scarcely ceased speaking before Fenwick and Vera appeared. She +gave one timid glance at Venner; then, averting her eyes, she walked +demurely across to her place at the table. Fenwick followed, looking +downcast and moody, and altogether unlike a man who is supposed to be +the happy possessor of millions. His manner was curt and irritable, and +he seemed disposed to find fault with everything. Venner noticed, too, +that though the man ate very little he partook of far more champagne than +was good for anyone. Thanks no doubt to the wine, the man's dark mood +lifted presently, and he began chatting to Vera. The two men at the other +table appeared to be deeply interested in their dinner, though, as a +matter of fact, they were listening intently to every word that Fenwick +was saying. He was talking glibly enough now about some large house in +the country which he appeared to have taken for the winter months. Vera +listened with polite indifference. + +"In Kent," Fenwick was saying. "Not very far from Canterbury. A fine old +house, filled with grand furniture, just the sort of place you'd like. +I've made all arrangements, and the sooner we get away from London the +better I shall be pleased." + +"It will be rather dull, I fear," Vera replied. "I don't suppose that I +shall get on very well with county people--" + +"Hang the county people," Fenwick growled. "Who cares a straw for them? +Not but what they'll come along fast enough when they hear that Mark +Fenwick, the millionaire, is in their midst. Still, there is a fine park +round the house, and you'll be able to get as much riding as you want." + +Venner watching furtively saw that Vera was interested for the first +time. He had not forgotten the fact that she was an exceedingly fine +horsewoman; he recollected the glorious rides they had had together. +Interested as he was in the mysterious set of circumstances which had +wound themselves into his life, he was not without hope that this change +would enable him to see more of Vera than was possible in London. In the +lonely country he would be able to plan meetings with her; indeed, he had +made up his mind to leave London as soon as Vera had gone. Moreover, in +this instance, duty and inclination pointed the same way. If the mystery +were to be solved and Vera freed from her intolerable burden, it would be +essential that every movement of Fenwick's should be carefully watched. +The only way to carry out this plan successfully would be to follow him +into Kent. + +"You heard that?" he murmured to Gurdon. "We must find out exactly where +this place is, and then look out some likely quarters in the +neighborhood. I must contrive to see Vera and learn her new address +before she goes." + +"No reason to worry about that," Gurdon said. "It will all be in the +papers. The doings of these monied men are chronicled as carefully now +as the movements of Royalty. It is any odds when you take up your +_Morning Post_ in the morning that you will know not only exactly where +Fenwick is going to spend the winter, but get an exact history of the +house. So far as I can see we might finish our dinner and go off to a +theatre. We are not likely to hear any more to-night, and all this +mystery and worry is beginning to get on my nerves. What do you say to +an hour or two at the Gaiety?" + +Venner pleaded for a few moments' delay. So far as he was personally +concerned he felt very unlike the frivolity of the typical musical +comedy; but still, he had finished his dinner by this time and was not +disposed to be churlish. Fenwick had completed his repast also, and was +sipping his coffee in an amiable frame of mind, heedless apparently of +business worries of all kinds. + +At the same moment a waiter came into the room and advanced to the +millionaire's table with a small parcel in his hand. + +"A letter for you, sir. An express letter which has just arrived. Will +you be good enough to sign the receipt?" + +"Confound the people," Fenwick growled. "Can't you leave me alone for +half an hour when I am having my dinner? Take the thing up to my room. +You sign it, Vera." + +"I'll sign it, of course," Vera replied. "But don't you think you had +better open the parcel? It may be of some importance. People don't +usually send express letters at this time of night unless they are +urgent. Or, shall I open it for you?" + +The waiter had gone by this time, taking the receipt for the letter with +him. With a gesture Fenwick signified to Vera that she might open the +parcel. She cut the string and opened the flat packet, disclosing a small +object in tissue paper inside. This she handed to Fenwick, who tore the +paper off leisurely. Then the silence of the room was startled by the +sound of an oath uttered in tones of intense fury. + +"Curse the thing!" Fenwick cried. His yellow face was wet and ghastly +now. The big purple veins stood out like cords on his forehead. "Am I +never to be free from the terror of this mystery? Where did it come from? +How could it be possible when the very man I have most reason to dread is +no longer in a position--" + +The speaker broke off suddenly, as if conscious that he was betraying +himself. The little object in the tissue paper lay on the table in such a +position that it was impossible for Venner or Gurdon to see what it was, +but they could give a pretty shrewd guess. Venn or looked inquiringly at +his friend. + +"Well, what do you suppose it is?" he asked. + +"Personally, I have no doubt whatever as to what it is," Gurdon said. "I +am as sure as if I held the thing in my hand at the present moment. It +is the second finger which at some time or another was attached to +Fenwick's hand." + +"You've got it," Venner said. "Upon my word, the farther we go with this +thing the more complicated it becomes. No sooner do we clear up one point +than a dozen fresh ones arrive. Now, is not this amazing? We know +perfectly well that the man whom we have to call Bates has been kidnapped +by our interesting friend opposite, and yet here the second warning +arrives just as if Bates were still free to carry out his vengeance. What +can one make of it?" + +"Well, the logical conclusion is that Bates has an accomplice. I fail to +see any other way of accounting for it." + +Fenwick still sat there mopping his heated face and turning a disgusted +eye upon the little object on the table. He seemed to be terribly +distressed and upset, though there was nothing like the scene on the +previous occasion, and, doubtless, few diners besides Venner and Gurdon +knew that anything out of the common was taking place there. But they +were watching everything carefully; they noted Fenwick's anxious face, +they could hear his stertorous breathing. Though he had dined so freely +he called for brandy now, a large glass of which he drank without any +addition whatever. Then his agitation became less uncontrollable and a +little natural color crept into his cheeks. Without glancing at it he +slipped the little object on the table into his pocket and rose more or +less unsteadily to his feet. + +"I have had a shock," he muttered. "I don't deny that I have had a +terrible shock. You don't understand it, Vera, and I hope you never will. +I wish I had never touched that accursed mine. I wish it had been fathoms +under the sea before I heard of it, but the mischief has been done now, +and I shall have to go on to the end. You can stay here if you like--as +to me, I am going to my own room. I want to be alone for a bit and think +this matter out." + +Fenwick lurched across the room with the air of a man who is more or less +intoxicated, though his head was clear enough and his faculties undimmed. +Still, his limbs were trembling under him and he groped his way to the +door with the aid of a table here and there. It was perhaps rather a +risky thing to do, but Venner immediately crossed over and took the seat +vacated so recently by Fenwick. Vera welcomed him shyly, but it was +palpable that she was ill at ease. She would have risen had not Venner +detained her. + +"Don't you think you are very imprudent?" she said. "Suppose he should +change his mind and come back here again?" + +"I don't think there is much chance of that," Venner said, grimly. +"Fenwick will only be too glad to be by himself for a bit. But tell me, +dear, what was it that gave him such a shock?" + +"I don't understand it at all," Vera said. "It was something to do +with that dreadful mine and the vengeance connected with it. This is +the second time the same thing has happened within the last few days, +and I fear that it will culminate sooner or later in some fearful +tragedy. I have some hazy idea of the old legend, but I have almost +forgotten what it is." + +"I don't think you need worry about that," Venner said. "Though it +will have to be spoken of again when the whole thing is cleared up; +but now I wish to talk to you on more personal matters. Did I not +understand Fenwick to say to-night that he was taking a large house +somewhere in Kent?" + +"That is his intention, I believe," Vera replied. "I understand it is a +large, dull place in the heart of the country. Personally I am not +looking forward to it with the least pleasure. Things are bad enough here +in London, but there is always the comfortable feeling that one is +protected here, whereas in a lonely neighborhood the feeling of +helplessness grows very strong." + +"You are not likely to be lonely or neglected," Venner smiled. "As soon +as I have definitely ascertained where you are going, Gurdon and myself +will follow. It is quite necessary that we should be somewhere near you; +but, of course, if you object--" + +But Vera was not objecting. Her face flushed with a sudden happiness. The +knowledge that the man she loved was going to be so near her filled her +with a sense of comfort. + +"Don't you think it will be dangerous?" she asked. + +"Not in the least," Venner said. "Don't forget that I am a stranger to +Mark Fenwick, which remark applies with equal force to Gurdon. And if we +take a fancy to spend a month or two hunting in the neighborhood of +Canterbury, surely there is nothing suspicious in that. I am looking +forward to the hunting as a means whereby we may manage to get some long +rides together. And even if Fenwick does find it out, it will be easy to +explain to him that you made my acquaintance on the field of sport." + +"I am glad to hear you say that," Vera whispered. "I may be wrong, of +course, but I feel that strange things are going to happen, and that I +shall need your presence to give me courage." + +Vera might have said more, but a waiter came into the room at the same +moment with an intimation to the effect that Mr. Fenwick desired to speak +to her. She flitted away now, and there was nothing for it but for Venner +to fall in with Gurdon's suggestion of a visit to the theatre. + +It was not long after breakfast on the following morning that Venner +walked into Gurdon's rooms with a new proposal. + +"I have been thinking out this confounded thing," he said. "I have an +idea; as you know, the house where you had your adventure the other night +is empty, it has occurred to me that perhaps it may be to let. If so, we +are going to call upon the agent in the characters of prospective +tenants. What I want to do is to ascertain if possible the name of the +owner of the premises." + +"I see," Gurdon said thoughtfully. "I am ready for you now." + +It was some little time before the friends got on the right track, but +they found the right man at length. The agent was not quite sure whether +he was in a position at present to make any definite arrangements on the +part of the owner. + +"I presume he wants to let the house," he said, "though I have no +instructions, and it is some considerable time since I have heard from my +client. You see, he lives abroad." + +"Can't you give us his address," Venner asked, "and let us write to him +direct? It would save time." + +"That I fear is equally impossible," the agent explained. "My client +wanders about from place to place, and I haven't the remotest idea where +to find him. However, I'll do my best." + +"You might tell us his name," Venner said. + +"Certainly. His name is Mr. Le Fenu." + +"What do you make of it?" Venner said, when once more he and Gurdon were +in the street. "I see you have forgotten what the name of Le Fenu +implies. Don't you remember my telling you that the original owner of +the Four Finger Mine who was murdered by the Dutchman, Van Fort, was +called Le Fenu?" + + + + +CHAPTER XI + +AN UNEXPECTED MOVE + + +On the whole the discovery was startling enough. It proved to +demonstration that the man who called himself Bates must have been in +some way connected with the one-time unfortunate owner of the Four Finger +Mine. There was very little said as the two friends walked down the +street together. Venner paused presently, and stood as if an idea had +occurred to him. + +"I have a notion that something will come of this," he said. "I had a +great mind to go back to the agent's and try to get the key of the empty +house under some pretext or another." + +"What do you want it for?" Gurdon asked. + +"I am not sure that I want it for anything," Venner admitted. "I have a +vague idea, a shadowy theory, that I am on the right track at last, but I +may be wrong, especially as I am dealing with so unscrupulous an opponent +as Fenwick. All the same, I think I'll step round to that agent's office +this afternoon and get the key. Sooner or later, I shall want a town +house, and I don't see why that Portsmouth Square place shouldn't suit me +very well." + +Venner was true to his intention, and later in the afternoon was once +more closeted with the house-agent. + +"Do you really want to let the place?" he asked. + +"Well, upon my word, sir, I'm not quite sure," the agent replied. "As +I said before, it is such a difficult matter to get in contact with +the owner." + +"But unless he wanted to let it, why did he put it in your hands?" Venner +asked. "Still, you can try to communicate with him, and it will save time +if you let me have the keys to take measurements and get estimates for +the decorating, and so on. I will give you any references you require." + +"Oh, there can be no objection to that," the agent replied. "Yes, you can +have the keys now, if you like. You are not in the least likely to run +away with the place." + +Venner departed with the keys in his possession, and made his way back to +the hotel. He had hardly reached his own room before a waiter came in +with a note for him. It was from Vera, with an urgent request that Venner +would see her at once, and the intimation that there would be no danger +in his going up to the suite of rooms occupied by Mark Fenwick. Venner +lost no time in answering this message. He felt vaguely uneasy and +alarmed. Surely, there must be something wrong, or Vera would not have +sent for him in this sudden manner. He could not quite see, either, how +it was that he could call at Fenwick's rooms without risk. However, he +hesitated no longer, but knocked at the outer door of the self-contained +rooms, which summons was presently answered by Vera herself. + +"You can come in," she said. "I am absolutely alone. Mr. Fenwick has gone +off in a great hurry with all his assistants, and my own maid will not be +back for some little time." + +"But is there no chance of Fenwick coming back?" Venner asked. "If he +caught me here, all my plans would be ruined. My dear girl, why don't you +leave him and come to me? I declare it makes me miserable to know that +you are constantly in contact with such a man as that. It isn't as if you +were any relation to him." + +"Thank goodness, I am no relation at all," Vera replied. "It is not for +my own sake that I endure all this humiliation." + +"Then, why endure it?" Venner urged. + +"Because I cannot help myself. Because there is someone else whom I have +to look after and shield from harm. Some day you will know the whole +truth, but not yet, because my lips are sealed. But I did not bring you +here to talk about myself. There are other and more urgent matters. I am +perfectly sure that something very wrong is going on here. Not long after +breakfast this morning, Mr. Fenwick was sitting here reading the paper, +when he suddenly rose in a state of great agitation and began sending +telegrams right and left. I am certain that there was terribly disturbing +intelligence in that paper; but what it was, I, of course, cannot say. I +have looked everywhere for a clue and all in vain. No sooner were the +telegrams dispatched than the three or four men here, whom Mr. Fenwick +calls his clerks, gathered all his papers and things together and sent +them off by express vans. Mr. Fenwick told me that everything was going +to the place that he had taken at Canterbury, but I don't believe that, +because none of the boxes were labelled. Anyway, they have all gone, and +I am instructed to remain here until I hear from Mr. Fenwick again." + +Venner began to understand; in the light of his superior knowledge it was +plain to him that these men had been interrupted in some work, and that +they feared the grip of the law. He expressed a wish to see the paper +which had been the cause of all the trouble. The news-sheet lay on the +floor where Fenwick had thrown it, and Venner took it up in his hands. + +"This has not been disturbed?" he asked. + +"No," Vera replied. "I thought it best not to. I have looked at both +sides of the paper myself, but I have not turned over a leaf. You see, +it must have been on one side or another of this sheet that the +disturbing news appeared, and that is why I have not looked further. +Perhaps you will be able to pick out the particular paragraph? There is +plenty of time." + +Very carefully Venner scanned the columns of the paper. He came at length +to something that seemed to him to bear upon the sudden change of plans +which appeared to have been forced upon Fenwick. The paragraph in +question was not a long one, and emanated from the New York correspondent +of the _Daily Herald_. + +"We are informed," the paragraph ran, "that the police here believe that +at length they are on the track of the clever gang of international +swindlers who were so successful in their bank forgeries two years ago. +Naturally enough, the authorities are very reticent as to names and other +details, but they declare that they have made a discovery which embraces +what is practically a new crime, or, at any rate, a very ingenious +variant upon an old one. As far as we can understand, the police were +first put on the track by the discovery of the fact that the head of the +gang had recently transported some boxes of gold dust to London. Quite by +accident this discovery was made, and, at first, the police were under +the impression that the gold had been stolen. When, however, they had +proved beyond the shadow of a doubt that the gold in question was +honestly the property of the gang, they naturally began to ask themselves +what it was intended for. As the metal could be so easily transferred +into cash, what was the object of the gang in taking the gold to Europe? +This question the Head of the Criminal Investigation Department feels +quite sure that he has successfully solved. The public may look for +startling developments before long. Meanwhile, two of the smartest +detectives in New York are on their way to Europe, and are expected to +reach Liverpool by the _Lusitania_ to-day." + +"There is the source of the trouble," Venner said. "I hardly care about +telling you how I know, because the less information you have on this +head the better. And I don't want your face to betray you to the sharp +eyes of Mark Fenwick. But I am absolutely certain that that paragraph is +the source of all the mischief." + +"I daresay it is," Vera sighed. "I feel so terribly lonely and frightened +sometimes, so afraid of something terrible happening, that I feel +inclined to run away and hide myself. What shall I do now, though I am +afraid you cannot help me?" + +"I can help you in a way you little dream of," Venner said through his +teeth. "For the present, at any rate, you had better do exactly as +Fenwick tells you. I am not going to leave you here all alone, when we +have a chance like this; after dinner, I am going to take you to a +theatre. Meanwhile, I must leave you now, as I have much work to do, and +there is no time to be lost. It will be no fault of mine if you are not +absolutely free from Mark Fenwick before many days have passed." + +Venner sat alone at dinner, keeping a critical eye open for whatever +might be going on around him. He had made one or two little calculations +as to time and distance, and, unless his arithmetic was very far out, he +expected to learn something useful before midnight. + +The meal had not proceeded very far when two strangers came in and took +their places at a table close by. They were in evening dress and appeared +to be absolutely at home, yet, in some subtle way, they differed +materially from the other diners about them. On the whole, they might +have passed for two mining engineers who had just touched civilisation +after a long lapse of time. Venner noticed that they both ate and drank +sparingly, and that they seemed to get through their dinner as speedily +as possible. They went off to the lounge presently to smoke over their +coffee, and Venner followed them. He dropped into a seat by their side. + +"You have forgotten me, Mr. Egan," he said to the smaller man of the two. +"Don't you remember that night on the Bowery when I was fortunate enough +to help you to lay hands on the notorious James Daley? You were in rather +a tight place, I remember." + +"Bless me, if it isn't Mr. Venner," the other cried. "This is my friend, +Grady. I daresay you have heard of him." + +"Of course I have," Venner replied. "Mr. Grady is quite as celebrated +in his way as you are yourself. But you see, there was a time when I took +a keen interest in crime and criminals, and some of my experiences in New +York would make a respectable volume. When I heard that you were coming +over here--" + +"You heard we were coming here?" Egan exclaimed. "I should very much like +to know how you heard that." + +"Oh, you needn't be alarmed," Venner laughed. "Nobody has betrayed your +secret mission to Europe, though, strangely enough, I fancy I shall be in +a position to give you some considerable assistance. I happened to see a +paragraph in the _Herald_ to-day alluding to a mysterious gang of +swindlers who had hit upon a novel form of crime--something to do with +gold dust, I believe it was. At the end of the paragraph it stated that +two of the smartest detectives in the New York Force were coming over +here, and, therefore, it was quite fair to infer that you might be one of +them. In any case, if you had not been, I could have introduced myself to +your colleagues and used your name." + +Egan looked relieved, but he said nothing. + +"You are quite right to be reticent," Venner said. "But, as I remarked +before, I think I can help you in this business. You hoped to lay hands +on the man you wanted in this hotel." + +"I quite see you know something," Egan replied. "As a matter of fart, we +are a long way at present from being in a position to lay hands on our +man with a reasonable hope of convicting him. There will be a great deal +of watching to do first, and a lot of delicate detective work. That is +the worst of these confounded newspapers. How that paragraph got into the +_Herald,_ I don't know, but it is going to cause Grady and myself a great +deal of trouble. To be quite candid, we did expect to find our man here, +but when he had vanished as he did, just before we arrived, I knew at +once that somebody must have been giving him information." + +"Do I know the name of the man?" Venner asked. + +"If you don't, I certainly can't tell you," Egan said. "One has to be +cautious, even with so discreet a gentleman as yourself." + +"That's very well," Venner said. "But it so happens that I am just as +much interested in this individual as yourself. Now let me describe him. +He is short and stout, he is between fifty and sixty years of age, he has +beady black eyes, and a little hooked nose like a parrot. Also, he has an +enormous bald head, and his coloring is strongly like that of a yellow +tomato. If I am mistaken, then I have no further interest in the matter." + +"Oh, you're not mistaken," Egan said. "That is our man right enough. +But tell me, sir, do you happen to know what his particular line is +just at present?" + +"I have a pretty good idea," Venner said; "but I am not quite sure as +yet. I have been making a few inquiries, and they all tend to confirm my +theory, but I am afraid I cannot stay here discussing the matter any +longer, as I have an important appointment elsewhere. Do you propose to +stay at the Empire Hotel for any time?" + +Egan replied that it all depended upon circumstances. They were in no way +pressed for time, and as they were there on State business they were not +limited as to expenses. With a remark to the effect that they might meet +again later on in the evening, Venner went on his way and stood waiting +for Vera at the foot of the stairs. She came down presently, and they +entered a cab together. + +"We won't go to a theatre at all," Venner said. "We will try one of the +music halls, and we shall be able to talk better there; if we have a box +we shall be quite secure from observation." + +"It is all the same to me," Vera smiled. "I care very little where I go +so long as we are together. How strange it is that you should have turned +up in this extraordinary way!" + +"There is nothing strange about it at all," Venner said. "It is only Fate +making for the undoing of the criminal. It may be an old-fashioned theory +of mine, but justice always overtakes the rogue sooner or later, and +Fenwick's time is coming. I have been the instrument chosen to bring +about his downfall, and save you from your terrible position. If you +would only confide in me--" + +"But I can't, dear," Vera said. "There is somebody else. If it were not +for that somebody else, I could end my troubles to-morrow. But don't let +us talk about it. Let us have two delightful hours together and thank +Providence for the opportunity." + +The time passed all too quickly in the dim seclusion of one of the boxes; +indeed, Vera sat up with a start when the orchestra began to play the +National Anthem. It seemed impossible that the hour was close upon +twelve. As to the performance itself, Vera could have said very little. +She had been far too engrossed in her companion to heed what was taking +place upon the stage. + +"Come along," Venner said. "It has been a delightful time, but all too +brief. I am going to put you in a cab and send you back to the hotel, as +I have to go and see Gurdon." + +Vera made no demur to this arrangement, and presently was being conveyed +back to the hotel, while Venner thoughtfully walked down the street. Late +as it was, the usual crop of hoarse yelling newsboys were ranging the +pavement and forcing their wares on the unwilling passers-by. + +"Here you are, sir. 'Late Special.' Startling development of the Bates +Case. The mystery solved." + +"I'll take one of those," Venner said. "Here's sixpence for you, and you +can keep the change. Call me that cab there." + + + + +CHAPTER XII + +THE HOUSE NEXT DOOR + + +Venner lost no time in reaching the rooms of his friend Gurdon, and was +fortunate enough to find the latter at home. He was hard at work on some +literary matter, but he pushed his manuscript aside as Venner came +excitedly into the room. + +"Well, what is it?" he asked. "Anything fresh? But your face answers that +question. Have you found Bates?" + +"No, I haven't," Venner said; "but he seems to have been discovered. I +bought this paper just now in Piccadilly, but I have not been able to +look at it yet. It is stated here that the mystery has been solved." + +"Hand it over," Gurdon cried excitedly. "Let's see if we can find it. Ah! +here we are. The Press Association has just received a letter which +appears to come from Mr. Bates himself. He says he is very much annoyed +at all this fuss and bother in the papers, about his so-called +kidnapping. He goes on to say that he was called to the Continent by +pressing business, and that he had not even time to tell his servants he +was going, as it was imperatively necessary that he should catch the +midnight boat to Dieppe. The correspondent of the Press Association says +that Mr. Bates has been interviewed by a foreign journalist, who is +absolutely certain as to his identity. Moreover, an official has called +at Mr. Bates' residence and found that his servants have had a letter +from their master instructing them to join him at once, as he has let his +house furnished for the next two months. Well, my dear man, that seems to +be very satisfactory, and effectually disposes of the idea that Mr. Bates +has been mysteriously kidnapped. I am rather sorry for this in a way, +because it upsets all our theories and makes it necessary to begin our +task all over again." + +"I don't believe a word of it," Venner said. "I believe it's a gigantic +bluff. I was coming to see you to-night in any case, but after buying +that paper I came on here post haste. Now that story of the Press +Association strikes me as being decidedly thin. Here is a man living +comfortably at home who suddenly disappears in a most mysterious manner, +and nothing is heard of him for some time. Directly the public began to +regard it as a fascinating mystery and the miscreants realising what a +storm they were likely to stir up, the man himself writes and says that +it is all a mistake. Now, if he had come back and shown himself, it would +have been quite another matter. Instead of doing that, he writes a +letter from abroad, or sends a telegram or something of that kind, saying +that he has been called away on urgent business. That might pass easily +enough, but mark what follows. He writes to his servants asking them to +join him at once in some foreign town because he has let his house for +two months, and the new tenant wishes to get in without delay. Did ever +anybody hear anything so preposterous? Just as if a man would let a house +in that break-neck fashion without giving his servants due warning. The +thing is not to be thought of." + +"Then you think the servants have been lured away on a fools' errand?" +Gurdon asked. "You don't think there is anybody in the house?" + +"Oh, yes, I do," Venner said drily. "I have a very strong opinion that +there _are_ people in the house, and I also have a pretty shrewd idea as +to who they are. It happens, also, that I am in a position to test my +theory without delay." + +"How do you propose to do that?" Gurdon asked. + +"Quite easily. After I left you this afternoon I went back to the agent +and succeeded in obtaining possession of the keys of the empty house in +Portsmouth Square. My excuse was that I wanted to go into detail and to +take measurements and the like. I need not remind you that Bates' house +is next door to the empty one. In fact, there is no question that both +houses belong to the same person. You will remember, also, the mysterious +way in which that furniture vanished from the scene of your adventure." + +"I remember," Gurdon said grimly. "But all the same I don't quite see +what you are driving at." + +"The thing is quite plain. That furniture did not vanish through the +prosaic medium of a van, nor was it carted through the front door from +one house to the other. The two houses communicated in some way, and it +will be our business to find the door. As I have the keys and every +legitimate excuse for being on the premises, we can proceed to make our +investigations without the slightest secrecy, and without the least fear +of awkward questions being asked. Now do you follow me?" + +"I follow you fast enough. I suppose your game is to try and get into the +next house by means of the door?" + +"You have hit it exactly," Venner said. "That is precisely what I mean +to do. We shall find it necessary to discover the identity of Mr. +Bates' tenant." + +"When are we going to make the experiment?" Gurdon asked. + +"We are going to make it now," Venner replied. "We will have a cab as far +as the Empire Hotel, so that I can get the keys. After that, the thing +will be quite easy. Come along, and thank me for an exciting evening's +adventure. I shall be greatly surprised if it is not even more exciting +than the last occasion." + +They were in the empty house at last. The windows were closed and +shuttered, so that it was possible to use matches in the various rooms +without attracting attention from the outside. But search how they would, +for upwards of two hours, they could find no trace whatever of a means of +communication between the two houses. They tapped the walls and sounded +the skirtings, but without success. Venner paced the floor of the +drawing-room moodily, racking his brains to discover a way out of the +difficulty. + +"It must be here somewhere," he muttered. "I am sure all that +furniture was moved backwards and forwards through some door, and a +wide one at that." + +"Then it must be on the ground floor," Gurdon remarked. "When you come to +think of it, some of that furniture was so heavy and massive that it +would not go through an ordinary doorway, neither could it have been +brought upstairs without the assistance of two or three men of great +strength. We shall have to look for it in the hall; if we don't find it +there, we shall have to give it up as a bad job and try some other plan." + +"I am inclined to think you are right," Venner said. "Let us go down and +see. At any rate, there is one consolation. If we fail to-night we can +come again to-morrow." + +Gurdon did not appear to be listening. He strode resolutely down the +stairs into the hall and stood for some moments contemplating the panels +before him. The panels were painted white; they were elaborately +ornamented with wreaths of flowers after the Adams' style of decoration. +Then it seemed to Gurdon that two pairs of panels, one above and one +below, had at one time taken the formation of a doorway. He tapped on one +of the panels, and the drumming of his fingers gave out a hollow sound. +Gurdon tapped again on the next panel, but hardly any sound came in +response. He looked triumphantly at Venner. + +"I think we have got it at last," he said. "Do you happen to have a knife +in your pocket? Unless I am greatly mistaken, the decorations around +these panels come off like a bead. If you have a knife with you we can +soon find out." + +Venner produced a small knife from his pocket, and Gurdon attempted to +insinuate the point of the blade under the elaborate moulding. Surely +enough, the moulding yielded, and presently came away in Gurdon's hands. + +"There you are," he said. "It is exactly as I told you. I thought at +first that those mouldings were plaster, but you can see for yourself now +that they are elaborately carved wood." + +Venner laid the ornament aside and stood watching Gurdon with breathless +interest while the latter attacked another of the mouldings. They came +away quite easily, pointing to the fact that they must have been removed +before within a very short period. Once they were all cleared away, +Gurdon placed the point of the knife behind one of the panels, and it +came away in his hands, disclosing beyond a square hole quite large +enough for anybody to enter. Here was the whole secret exposed. + +"Exactly what I thought," Gurdon said. "If I removed all the mouldings +from the other three panels there would be space enough here to drive a +trap through. I think we have been exceedingly lucky to get to the bottom +of this. How clever and ingeniously the whole thing has been managed! +However, I don't think there is any occasion for us to worry about moving +any more of the panels, seeing that we can get through now quite easily. +Wouldn't it be just as well to put all the lights out?" + +"I haven't thought of that," Venner muttered. "On the whole, it would be +exceedingly injudicious not to extinguish all the lights. We had better +go on at once, I think, and get it over." + +The house was reduced to darkness, and very quietly and cautiously the +two adventurers crept through the panel. They were in the hall on the +other side, of which fact there was no doubt, for they stepped at once +off a marble floor on to a thick rug which deadened the sound of their +footsteps. They had, naturally enough, expected to find the whole place +in darkness, and the tenant of the house and his servants in bed. This, +on the whole, would be in their favor, for it would enable them to take +all the observations they required with a minimum chance of being +disturbed. + +A surprise awaited them from the first. True, the hall was in darkness, +and, as far as they could judge, so was the rest of the house. But from +somewhere upstairs came the unmistakable sound of a piano, and of +somebody singing in a sweet but plaintive soprano voice. Gurdon clutched +his companion by the arm. + +"Don't you think it is just possible that we have made a mistake?" he +whispered. "Isn't it quite on the cards that this is a genuine affair, +and that we are intruding in an unwarrantable manner upon some +respectable private citizen? I am bound to say that that beautiful voice +does not suggest crime to me." + +"We must go on now," Venner said, impatiently. "It won't do to judge by +appearances. Let us go up the stairs and see what is going on for +ourselves. If we are intruding, we will get away as speedily as +possible." + +Gurdon made no further objection, and together they crept up the stairs. +There was no chance of their being surprised from behind by the servants, +for they had taken good care to notice that the basement was all in +darkness. They were getting nearer and nearer now to the sound of the +music, which appeared to come from the drawing-room, the door of which +was widely enough open for the brilliant light inside to illuminate the +staircase. A moment later the music ceased, and someone was heard to +applaud in a hoarse voice. + +"Sing some more," the voice said. "Now don't be foolish, don't begin to +cry again. Confound the girl, she makes me miserable." + +"Do you recognise the voice?" Venner whispered. + +"Lord! yes," was Gurdon's reply. "Why, it's Fenwick. No mistaking those +tones anywhere. Now, what on earth does all this mean?" + +"We shall find out presently," Venner said. "You may laugh at me, but I +quite expected something of this kind, which was one of the reasons why I +obtained the keys of the house." + +"It's a most extraordinary thing," Gurdon replied. "Now isn't this +man--Fenwick--one of the last persons in the world you would credit with +a love of music?" + +"I don't know," Venner said. "You never can tell. But don't let's talk. +We are here more to listen than anything else. I wish we could get a +glimpse of the singer." + +"I am going to," Gurdon declared. "Unless I am greatly mistaken, I have +made a discovery, too. Oh, I am not going to take any risk. Do you see +that mirror opposite the door? It strikes me if I get close enough to +look into it that I shall be able to see who is in the room without +betraying my presence." + +So saying, Gurdon crept forward till he was close enough to the mirror to +get a very good idea of the room and its occupants. He could see a pale +figure in white standing by a piano; he could see that Fenwick was +sprawling in a big armchair, smoking a large cigar. Then he noticed that +the girl crossed the floor and laid a slim hand half timidly, half +imploringly, on Fenwick's shoulder. + +"Why are you so unkind to me?" she said. "Why so cruel? How many times +have you promised me that you will bring him back to me again? I get so +tired of waiting, I feel so sad and weary, and at times my mind seems to +go altogether." + +"Have patience," Fenwick said. "If you will only wait a little longer he +will come back to you right enough. Now go to the piano and sing me +another song before I go to bed. Do you hear what I say?" + +The last words were harshly uttered; the girl reeled back as if fearing +a blow. Gurdon standing there clenched his fists impulsively; he had +considerable difficulty in restraining himself. + +"Very well," she said; "just one more, and then I will go to bed, for I +am so tired and weary." + +Once more the sweet pathetic voice rang out in some simple song; the +words gradually died away, and there was silence. Gurdon had barely time +to slip back to the head of the stairs before the girl came out and made +her way to the landing above. Standing just below the level of the floor, +Venner gazed eagerly at the pretty tired face and mournful blue eyes. He +grasped his companion by the arm in a grip that was almost painful. + +"We are getting to it," he said. "It was a good night's work coming here +to-night. Do you mean to say you don't notice the likeness? Making due +allowance for the difference in height and temperament, that poor girl is +the image of my wife." + +"I must have been a dolt not to have noticed it before," Gurdon said. +"Now that you mention it, the likeness is plain enough. My dear fellow, +can't you see in this a reason for your wife's reticence in speaking of +the past?" + +There was no time to reply, for the sinister evil face of Fenwick +appeared in the doorway, and he called aloud in Spanish some hoarse +command, which was answered from above by someone, in the same language. +Gurdon whispered to his companion, with a view to ascertaining what had +been said. + +"You will see for yourself in a minute," Venner said in an excited +whisper. "You are going to have another surprise. You wanted to know just +now what had become of Bates. Unless I am greatly mistaken, you will be +able to judge for yourself in a few moments. I believe the man to be a +prisoner in his own house." + + + + +CHAPTER XIII + +THE WHITE LADY AGAIN + + +It was perhaps an imprudent thing for the two friends to remain there, +exposed as they were to the danger of discovery at any moment; but, so +completely were they fascinated by what was going on about them, that +they had flung caution to the winds. One thing was in their favor, +however; there was not much likelihood of their being attacked from +below, seeing that all the servants had gone to bed; unless, perhaps, +some late comer entered the house. Still, the risk had to be run, and so +they stood there together, waiting for the next move. It was Venner who +spoke first. + +"I cannot get over the extraordinary likeness of that girl to my wife," +he said. "Is she anything like the woman you saw next door? I mean the +poor half-demented creature who happened to come into the room when you +were talking with the owner?" + +"Why, of course, it is the same girl," Gurdon replied. + +"Then I am sure she is Vera's sister. I'll ask her about it the first +time I have an opportunity. Be silent and get a little lower down the +stairs. There is somebody coming from the top of the house. We can see +here without being seen." + +Assuredly there were sounds emanating from the top of the house. A voice +was raised in angry expostulation, followed by other voices morose and +threatening. As far as the listeners could judge, two men were dragging a +third down the stairs against his will. But for that, the house was +deadly silent; the watchers could hear the jingle of a passing cab bell, +a belated foot passenger whistled as he went along. It seemed almost +impossible to believe that so close to light and law and order and the +well-being of the town a strange tragedy like this should be in progress; +hidden from the eye of London, by mere skill of brick and mortar, this +strange thing was going on. Venner wondered to himself how many such +scenes were taking place in London at the same moment. + +But he had not much time for his meditation, for the shuffling of feet +came closer. There were no more sounds of expostulation now; only the +heavy breathing of three people, as if the captive had ceased to struggle +and was making but a passive resistance. Then there emerged on the +landing the figure of the handsome cripple with a guardian on either +side. His face was no longer distorted with pain; rather was it white +with an overpowering anger--his eyes shone like points of flame. On his +right side Venner and Gurdon recognised the figure of the man in the +list slippers--the man who had been handling the sovereigns in Fenwick's +rooms. His comrade was a stranger, though of the same type, and it seemed +to Venner that anyone would have been justified in repudiating either of +them as an acquaintance. It was perfectly evident that the cripple came +against his will, though he was struggling no longer. Probably the +condition of his emaciated frame had rendered the task of his captors an +easy one. They dragged him, limp and exhausted, into the drawing-room +where Fenwick was seated and they stood in the doorway awaiting further +instructions. + +"You needn't stay there," Fenwick growled. "If I want you I can call. You +had better go back to your cards again." + +The two men disappeared up the stairs, and just for a moment there was +silence in the drawing-room. It was safe for Venner and his companion +now to creep back to the drawing-room door and take a careful note of +what was going on. With the aid of a friendly mirror on the opposite +side of the room, it was possible to see and note everything. The +cripple had fallen into a chair, where he sat huddled in a heap, his +hand to his head, as if some great physical pain racked him. His heavy +breathing was the only sound made, except the steady puffing of +Fenwick's cigar. A fit of anger gripped Venner for the moment; he would +have liked to step in and soundly punish Fenwick for his brutality. +Doubtless the poor crippled frame was racked with the pain caused by the +violence of his late captors. + +But under that queer exterior was a fine spirit. Gradually the cripple +ceased to quiver and palpitate; gradually he pulled himself up in his +chair and faced his captor. His face was still deadly white, but it was +hard and set now; there was no sign of fear about him. He leaned forward +and stared Fenwick between the eyes. + +"Well, you scoundrel," he said in a clear, cold voice, "I should like to +know the meaning of this. I have heard of and read of some strange +outrages in my time, but to kidnap a man and keep him prisoner in his own +house is to exceed all the bounds of audacity." + +"You appear to be annoyed," Fenwick said. "Perhaps you have not already +learned who I am?" + +"I know perfectly well who you are," the cripple responded. "Your name is +Mark Fenwick, and you are one of the greatest scoundrels unhung. At +present, you are posing as an American millionaire. Fools may believe +you, but I know better. The point is, do you happen to know who I am?" + +"Yes, I know who you are," Fenwick said with a sardonic smile. "You elect +to call yourself Mr. Bates, or some such name, and you pretend to be a +recluse who gives himself over to literary pursuits. As a matter of +fact, you are Charles Le Fenu, and your father was, at one time, the +practical owner of the Four Finger Mine." + +"We are getting on," Venner whispered. "It may surprise you to hear this, +but I have suspected it for some little time. The so-called absent owner +of these houses is the man sitting opposite Fenwick there. Now do you +begin to see something like daylight before you? I wouldn't have missed +this for worlds." + +"We have certainly been lucky," Gurdon replied. + +There was no time for further conversation, for the cripple was speaking +again. His voice was still hard and cold, nor did his manner betray the +slightest sign of fear. + +"So you have found that out," he said. "You know that I am the son of the +unfortunate Frenchman who was murdered by a rascally Dutchman at your +instigation. You thought that once having discovered the secret of the +mine you could work it to your own advantage. How well you worked it your +left hand testifies." + +The jeer went home to Fenwick, his yellow face flushed, and he half rose +from his chair with a threatening gesture. + +"Oh, you can strike me," the cripple said. "I am practically helpless as +far as my lower limbs are concerned, and it would be just the sort of +cowardly act that would gratify a dirty little soul like yours. It +hurts me to sit here, helpless and useless, knowing that you are the +cause of all my misfortunes; knowing that, but for you, I should be as +straight and strong as the best of them. And yet you are not safe--you +are going to pay the penalty of your crime. Have you had the first of +your warnings yet?" + +Fenwick started in his seat; in the looking-glass the watchers could see +how ghastly his face had grown. + +"I don't know what you mean," he muttered. + +"Liar!" the cripple cried. "Paltry liar! Why, you are shaking from head +to foot now--your face is like that of a man who stands in the shadow of +the gallows." + +"I repeat, I don't know what you mean," Fenwick said. + +"Oh, yes, you do. When your accomplice Van Fort foully murdered my +father, you thought that the two of you would have the mine to +yourselves; you thought you would work it alone as my father did, and +send your ill-gotten gains back to England. That is how the murdered man +accomplished it, that is how he made his fortune--and you were going to +do the same thing, both of you. When you had made all your arrangements +you went down to the coast on certain business, leaving the rascally +Dutchman behind. He was quite alone in the mine, there was no one within +miles of that secret spot. And yet he vanished. Van Fort was never heard +of again. The message of his fingers was conveyed to his wife, for she +was implicated in the murder of my father, and how she suffered you +already know. But you are a brave man--I give you all the credit for +that. You went back to the mine again, determined not to be deterred by +what had happened. What happened to you, I need not go into. Shall I tell +the story, or will you be content with a recollection of your sufferings? +It is all the same to me." + +"You are a bold man," Fenwick cried. He was trembling with the rage that +filled him. "You are a bold man to defy me like this. Nobody knows that I +am here, nobody knows that you are back in your own house again. I could +kill you as you sit there, and not a soul would suffer for the crime." + +The cripple laughed aloud; he seemed to be amused at something. + +"Really!" he sneered. "Such cheap talk is wasted upon me. Besides, what +would you gain by so unnecessary a crime, and how much better off would +you be? You know as well as I do, disguise it as you will, that the long +arm has reached for you across five thousand miles of sea, and that, +when the time comes, you will be stricken down here in London as surely +and inevitably as if you had remained in Mexico under the shadow of the +mountains. The dreadful secret is known to a few, in its entirety it is +even unknown to me. I asked you just now if you had received the first +of your messages, and you denied that you knew what I meant. You +actually had the effrontery to deny it to me, sitting opposite to you as +I am, and looking straight at the dreadful disfigurement of your left +hand. For over three centuries the natives of Mexico worked the Four +Finger Mine till only two of the tribe who knew its secret remained. +Then it was that my father came along. He was a brave man, and an +adventurer to his finger tips. Moreover, he was a doctor. His healing +art made those rough men his friends, and when their time came, my +father was left in possession of the mine. How that mine was guarded and +how the spirit of the place took its vengeance upon intruders, you know +too well. Ah, I have touched you now." + +Fenwick had risen, and was pacing uneasily up and down the room. All the +dare-devil spirit seemed to have left the man for a moment; he turned a +troubled face on the cripple huddled in his chair. He seemed half +inclined to temporise, and then, with a short laugh, he resumed his own +seat again. + +"You seem to be very sure of your ground," he sneered. + +"I am," the cripple went on. "What does it matter what becomes of a +melancholy wreck like myself? Doctors tell me that in time I may become +my old self again, but in my heart I doubt it, and as sure as I sit here +the mere frame-work of a human being, my injuries are due to you. I +might have had you shot before now, or I might even have done it myself, +but I spared you. It would have been a kindness to cut your life short, +but I had another use for you than that. And now, gradually, but surely, +the net is closing in around you, though you cannot yet see its meshes, +and you are powerless to prevent the inevitable end." + +"You seem to have mapped it all out," Fenwick replied. "You seem to have +settled it all to your own satisfaction, but you forget that I may have +something to say in the matter. When I discovered, as I did quite by +accident, that you were in London, I laid my plans for getting you into +my hands. It suits me very well, apart from the criminal side of it, to +hide myself in your house, but that is not all. I am in a position now to +dictate terms, and you have nothing else to do but to listen. I am +prepared to spare your life on one condition. Now kindly follow me +carefully." + +"I am listening," the cripple said, coldly. "If you were not the blind +fool you seem to be you would know that there could be no conditions +between us; but go on. Let me hear what you have to say." + +"I am coming to that. I want you to tell me where I can find Felix Zary." + +Suddenly, without the slightest premonition, the cripple burst into a +hearty laugh. He rocked backward and forward in a perfect ecstasy of +enjoyment; for the moment, at any rate, he might have been on the very +best of terms with his companion. + +"Oh, that is what you are driving at?" he said. "So you think that if you +could get Felix Zary out of the way you would be absolutely safe? Really, +it is marvellous how an otherwise clever man could be so blind to the +true facts of the case. My good sir, I will give you Zary's address with +pleasure." + +Fenwick was obviously puzzled. Perhaps it was beginning to dawn upon +him that he had a man of more than ordinary intellect to grapple with. +He looked searchingly at the cripple, who was leaning back with eyes +half closed. + +"Hang me, if I can understand you," he muttered. "I am in imminent danger +of my life, though I should be safe enough if Felix Zary and yourself +were out of the way." + +"And you are quite capable of putting us out of the way," the cripple +said, gently. "Is not that so, my friend?" + +"Aye, I could, and I would," Fenwick said in a fierce whisper. "If you +were both dead I could breathe freely; I could go to bed at night feeling +sure that I should wake in the morning. Nothing could trouble me then. As +to that accursed mine, I have done with it. Never again do I plant my +foot in Mexico." + +"Fool that you are!" the cripple said in tones of infinite pity. "So you +think that if Zary and myself were out of the way you might die +eventually in your bed honored and respected of men? I tell you, never! +The vengeance is upon you, it is following you here, it is close at hand +now. You have already had your warning. Perhaps, for all I know to the +contrary, you may have had your second warning; that you have had one, +your face told me eloquently enough a few moments ago. I am quite sure +that a little quiet reflection will show you the absurdity of keeping me +a prisoner in my own house. Of course, I know I am entirely in your +hands, and that you may keep me here for weeks if you choose. It will be +very awkward for me, because I have important business on hand." + +"I know your important business," Fenwick sneered. "Everything that goes +in your favor will naturally spell disaster to me. As I told you before, +it was only an accident that told me where you were; indeed, so changed +are you that I should not have recognised you if I had met you in the +street. No, on the whole, you will stay where you are." + +At this point Venner clutched Gurdon's arm and dragged him hurriedly +across the landing down to the half staircase. So quickly was this done +that Gurdon had no time to ask the reason for it all. + +"Someone coming down the stairs," Venner whispered. "Didn't you hear a +voice? I believe it is the girl in white again." + +Surely enough, looking upward, they could see the slim white figure +creeping down the stairs. The girl was crooning some little song to +herself as she came along. She turned into the drawing-room and called +aloud to the cripple in the chair. With an oath on his lips, Fenwick +motioned her away. + + + + +CHAPTER XIV + +MASTER OF THE SITUATION + + +"What have you come back here for?" Fenwick demanded. "You said you were +tired, and that you were going to bed, long ago." + +The girl looked dreamily about her; it was some little time before she +appeared to appreciate the significance of Fenwick's question. She was +more like one who walks in her sleep than a human being in the full +possession of understanding. + +"I don't know," she said, helplessly. She rubbed her eyes as if there had +been mist before them. "I was so tired that I lay on the bed without +undressing, and I fell fast asleep. Then I had a dream. I dreamed that +all the miserable past was forgotten, and that Charles was with me once +more. Then he seemed to call me, and I woke up. Oh, it was such a vivid +dream, so vivid, that I could not sleep again! I was so restless and +anxious, that I made up my mind to come downstairs, and, as I was passing +a door just now, it opened, and the face of Charles looked out. It was +only for a moment, then two men behind him dragged him back and the door +closed once more." + +"A foolish fancy," Fenwick growled. + +"It was not," the girl cried almost passionately. "I tried the door a +moment later, and it was locked. I tell you that Charles is in that room. +I cannot go to bed again until I am certain of the truth. Oh, why do you +keep me in suspense like this?" + +"Mad," Fenwick muttered. "Mad as a March hare. Why don't you send her to +an asylum?" + +"She is not mad," the cripple said in a curiously hard voice. "Something +tells me that she has made a discovery. You rascal, is it possible that +you have Charles Evors under this roof?" + +Fenwick laughed, but there was something uneasy and strained about his +mirth. He glanced defiantly at the cripple, then his eyes dropped before +the latter's steady gaze. + +"Why should I worry about Evors?" he asked. "The man is nothing to me, +and if by chance--" + +The rest of Fenwick's sentence was drowned in a sudden uproar which +seemed to break out in a room overhead. The tense silence was broken by +the thud of heavy blows as if someone were banging on a door, then came +muttered shouts and yells of unmistakable pain. Hastily Fenwick rose from +his seat and made in the direction of the door. He had hardly advanced +two steps before he found himself confronted with the rim of a +silver-plated revolver, which the cripple was holding directly in the +line of his head. + +"Sit down," the latter said tersely. "Sit down, or, as sure as I am a +living man, I'll fire. I could say that I fired the shot in self-defence, +and when the whole story comes to be told I have no fear that a jury +would disbelieve me. Besides, there is nothing to be afraid of. Those +sounds don't come from the police trying to force their way into the +house. On the contrary, it seems to me that some of your parasites are +having a misunderstanding over their cards. At any rate, you are not to +move. If you do, there will be an end once and for all of the millionaire +Mark Fenwick. Sit down, my child--you are trembling from head to foot." + +"It was his voice," the girl cried. "I am certain that it was Charles who +called out just now." + +Once more the shouts and cries broke out, once more came that banging on +the panels, followed by a splitting crash, after which the uproar +doubled. Evidently a door had given way and the conflict was being fought +out on the stairs. + +"Shall we go and take a hand?" Gurdon whispered excitedly. "Murder might +be going on here." + +"I think we had better risk it a little longer," was Venner's cautious +reply. "After all is said and done, we must not make ourselves too +prominent. If necessary we will take a hand, but, unless I am greatly +mistaken, the prisoner upstairs has got the better of his captors. Ah, I +thought so." + +The sound of strife overhead suddenly ceased after two smashing blows, +in which evidently a man's clenched fist had come in contact with naked +flesh. There was a groan, the thud of a falling body, and the man in the +list slippers came rolling down the stairs. He was followed a moment +later by a young clean-shaven man dressed in a grey Norfolk suit. His +frame suggested power and strength, though his face was white like that +of one who is just recovering from a long illness. He was breathing very +hard, but otherwise he did not appear to have suffered much in the +struggle out of which he had emerged in so victorious a fashion. He made +his way direct to the drawing-room, and immediately a woman's voice +uprose in a long wailing cry. + +"I'd give something to see that," Venner whispered. "Only I am afraid we +can't do anything until the man in the list slippers comes to his senses +and takes himself off. There is another one coming now. He doesn't look +much better off than his colleague." + +Another man crept down the stairs, swaying as he came and holding on to +the balusters. He had a tremendous swelling over his left eye and a +terrible gash in his lip, from which the blood was flowing freely. +Altogether he presented a terrible aspect as he bent over the prostrate +form of his unconscious companion. + +"Here, get up, wake up," he said. "What are you lying there for? He'll +be out of the house before we can turn round, and what will the governor +say then?" + +The man in the slippers gradually assumed a sitting position and stared +stupidly about him. A hearty kick in the ribs seemed to restore him to +some measure of consciousness. + +"Don't ask me," he said. "I never saw anything like it. Here's a chap who +has been in bed on and off for months coming out in this unexpected +manner and knocking us about as if we had been ninepins. What's become of +him, I should like to know?" + +"What are you two ruffians doing there?" came Fenwick's voice from the +drawing-room. "Go back to your room, and I will send for you when I +want you." + +The men slunk back again, probably by no means sorry to be out of further +trouble. No sooner had they disappeared than the two friends stood in the +entrance to the door of the drawing-room once more. The friendly mirror +again stood them in good stead, for by its aid they watched as dramatic +and thrilling a picture as ever was presented on any stage. + +The young man in the Norfolk suit stood there side by side with the girl +in white. He had his arm about her waist. She clung to him, with her head +upon his shoulder; there were words of endearment on her lips. Just for +the moment she seemed to have forgotten that they were not alone; all +the world might have been made for herself and her lover. For the moment, +too, the dreamy look had left her face, and she no longer conveyed the +impression to a stranger's eyes that she was suffering from some form of +insanity. She was alert and vigorous once more. + +"Oh, I knew that you would come back to me," she said. "I knew that you +were not dead, for all they told me so. How cruel they were to tell me +these things--" + +"Stop," the cripple cried. "It sounds cruel and heartless for me to have +to interfere just now, but I must insist that you go back to your room, +Beth. Back at once." + +"Can't I stay a little longer?" the girl pleaded. "It is such a long time +since Charles and I--" + +"No, no, you must do as I tell you. It will be far better in the long +run. We are only two men against three, and there may be others concealed +in the house for all I know. For myself, I am perfectly helpless, and +Charles looks as if he had just come from the grave. Evidently his +struggles have tried him." + +"Well, I must confess, I am feeling rather down," Charles Evors said. "I +could not stand it any longer, and I made a dash for liberty. Goodness +knows how long I have been in the hands of those men; and how long they +have kept me under the influence of drugs. I suppose the supply fell +short. Anyway, I had just sense enough to take advantage of my first +opportunity. You can explain all to me presently, but the mere fact of +Fenwick being here is enough to tell me who is at the bottom of this +business." + +Fenwick placed his fingers to his lips and whistled shrilly. Almost +immediately sounds of footsteps broke out overhead, and a door opened +somewhere with a loud crash. The cripple turned to the girl, who had +crept reluctantly as far as the doorway. + +"Now listen to me," he said quickly. "Listen and act quickly. Go +downstairs into the street and bring here the first policeman you can +find. Tell him a violent quarrel has broken out between Mr. Bates and +some of his guests, and say you fear that some mischief will be done. Do +you understand me?" + +The girl nodded quickly. Evidently she quite understood. She +disappeared so suddenly that Venner and Gurdon had barely time to get +out of her way. They heard the street door open--they were conscious of +the sudden draught rushing up the stairs; the sound of passing cabs was +distinctly audible. + +The girl had hardly time to get outside before three or four men came +down the stairs. They rushed headlong into the drawing-room, where they +seemed to pause, no doubt deterred in their violence for a moment by the +sight of the cripple's revolver. + +"Here's our chance," Gurdon whispered. "The girl will be back with the +police in two minutes, and we have heard quite enough to know the +ingenious scheme which is uppermost in the cripple's mind. Let's lock +them in. Don't you see that the key is in on this side of the door? Turn +it quickly." + +"Good business," Gurdon chuckled as he snapped the key in the lock. "Now +they can fight as long as they like. At any rate, they can't do much +mischief so long as they are caged in there." + +A din of mingled voices came from the other side of the door, followed +quickly by the whiplike crack of a revolver shot. Then someone tried the +door and yelled aloud that it was locked. Fists battered violently on the +panels, and just as the din was at its height the helmets of two +policemen appeared mounting the stairs. Venner stepped coolly forward as +if he had every right to be there. + +"I'm glad you officers have come," he said. "There seems to be something +in the nature of a free fight going on here. We took the liberty of +turning in as the door was open to see what had happened. You had better +go in yourself." + +The policeman tried the door, which, naturally, did not yield to his +hand, and he called out to those inside to open in the name of the law. A +voice on the other side pleaded that the door was locked. Venner turned +the key in the door. + +"Probably the young lady had the sense to lock them in," he said. "You +had better go inside, officer. No, there is no reason why we should +accompany you. As a matter of fact our presence here is more or less an +intrusion." + +The policemen stepped into the room and demanded to know what was the +matter. They could see the master of the house sitting there in his +chair, with a tall young man in a Norfolk suit by his side, and opposite +him Fenwick, flushed and sullen, with his satellites behind him. There +were four of them altogether, and the appearance they made was by no +means attractive, seeing that two at least of them were showing +unmistakable signs of violence. + +It was the cripple who first recovered his self-possession. + +"I am sorry to trouble you," he said, "but I am afraid we have rather +forgotten ourselves. You know me, of course?" + +"Oh, yes, sir," the first officer replied. "You are Mr. Bates, the +gentleman who is supposed to have been kidnapped the other night; the +inspector told me that you were still on the Continent." + +"Well, I am not," the cripple said curtly. "I am back home again, as you +can see with your own eyes. The gentleman over there with the yellow +face is Mr. Mark Fenwick, the well-known millionaire. I daresay you have +heard of him." + +Both officers touched their hats respectfully; they had probably come +here prepared to make more than one arrest and thus cover themselves with +comparative glory; but the mere mention of Fenwick's name settled that +point once and for all. + +"As you are probably aware," the cripple went on, "until quite recently +Mr. Fenwick was staying at the Great Empire Hotel, but the place was too +public for one of his gentle and retiring disposition, and so he made +arrangements to take my house furnished, though the understanding was +that nobody should know anything about it, and nobody would have known +anything about it but for the fact that in the way of business Mr. +Fenwick had to consult these other gentlemen. Perhaps they don't look in +the least like it, but they are all American capitalists, having made +their money by gold mining. They don't look a very attractive lot, +officer, but if you knew them as well as I do you would learn to love +them for their many engaging qualities, and their purity of heart." + +The officers touched their helmets again, and appeared to be undecided in +their minds as to whether the cripple was chaffing them or not. But +though his voice had a certain playfulness of tone, his face was quite +grave and steadfast. + +"Very well, sir," the foremost of the constables said. "I understand that +neither of you gentlemen desires to make any charge against the other. I +shall have to make a note of this." + +"Of course you will," the cripple said sweetly. "Now I appeal to Mr. +Fenwick and his companions as to whether or not the whole thing has not +been a silly misunderstanding. You see, officer, gold mining is rather a +thirsty business, and occasionally leads to rather more champagne than is +good for one. I can only apologise to my tenant, Mr. Fenwick, for losing +my temper, and I will at once rid him of my presence. It is getting very +late, and I can come round in the morning and make my peace here. As I am +a little lame, I will ask one of you officers to give me your arm. +Charles, will you be good enough to give me your arm also? I wish you +good-night, Mr. Fenwick. In fact, I wish all of you good-night. I shall +not fail to call round in the morning--" + +"But you are not going," Fenwick cried in dismay. "You are not going away +from your own house at this time of night?" + +"You forget," the cripple said, gravely, "that for the time being you are +my tenant, and that I have no more right in this house, indeed, not so +much right, as one of these policemen. I have sent my servants away, and +I am at present staying--in fact, it does not matter much where I am +staying. Come along." + +The trap was so neatly laid and so coolly worked that Fenwick could only +sit and gasp in his chair, while his two victims walked quietly away in +the most natural manner in the world. + +"We had better be off," Gurdon whispered. "There is no occasion for us to +stay any longer. Let us follow the cripple. By Jove, I never saw anything +done more neatly than that!" + + + + +CHAPTER XV + +FELIX ZARY + + +It would have been a comparatively easy matter for the two friends to +have slipped out of the house before the cripple came down the stairs +accompanied by the young man who called himself Charles Evors. The front +door was still open, and there was no one to bar their way. Then it +suddenly occurred to Gurdon that by so doing they would betray the secret +of the moveable panel which communicated with the house next door. + +"It would never do to go away like this," he said, hurriedly. "Besides, +it is more than likely that we shall want to use that entrance again. +We shall have to run the risk of losing sight of the cripple; anything +is better than leaving that panel open for the servants to discover in +the morning." + +Venner could see for himself at once that there was no help for it, so +without any further discussion on the matter, the two men hurried down +the stairs, their feet making no noise on the thick carpet, and then they +darted through the hole into the house next door. It was only the work of +a moment to replace the panel, but hardly had they done so before they +heard a confused murmur of voices on the other side. Gurdon pressed his +back to the panel until the noise of the voices ceased. + +"That was a pretty close call," he said. "Give me the mouldings and I +will try to make them secure without any unnecessary noise. I daresay we +can get the nails to fit the same holes. Anyway, there must be no +hammering, or we shall be pretty sure to rouse the suspicions of the +people next door." + +It was perhaps fortunate that the mouldings fitted so well, for Gurdon +managed to work the nails into the original holes and complete a more or +less workmanlike job to his own satisfaction. Certainly, anybody who was +not in the secret would never have detected anything wrong with the +panels or imagined for a moment that they had been so recently moved. + +"That's a good job well done," Venner said. + +"Yes, but what do you do it for? In fact, what are you two gentlemen +doing here at all?" + +The voice came with a startling suddenness. It was an exceedingly clear, +melodious voice, yet with a steely ring in it. The two friends wheeled +round sharply to find themselves face to face with an exceedingly tall +individual, whose length was almost grotesquely added to by the amazing +slimness of his figure. In that respect he was not at all unlike the type +of human skeleton which one generally expects to find in a travelling +circus, or some show of that kind. The man, moreover, was dressed in +deep black, which added to his solemnity. He had an exceedingly long, +melancholy face, on both sides of which hung a mass of oily-looking black +hair; his nose, too, was elongated and thin, and a long drooping +moustache concealed his mouth. On the whole his appearance was redeemed +from the grotesque by an extraordinary pair of black eyes, which were +round and large as those of a Persian cat. Despite the man's exceeding +thinness, he conveyed a certain suggestion of strength. At that moment he +had a handkerchief between his fingers, and Gurdon could see that his +wrists were supple and pliable as if they had been made of india rubber. +Gurdon had heard that sort of hands before described as conjurer's hands. +As he looked at them he half expected to see the handkerchief disappear +and an orange or apple or something of that kind take its place. Then the +stranger coolly walked across the hall and turned up another of the +lights. He seemed to be perfectly at home, and conveyed a curious +impression to the visitors that he expected to find them there. + +"I beg to remind you that you have not yet answered my question," he +said. "What are you doing here?" + +"Let me answer your question with another," Venner said. "Who are you, +and what may you be doing here?" + +The man smiled in a peculiar fashion. His big black eyes seemed to +radiate sparks; they were luminous and full of vivid fury, though, at the +same time, the long horse-like face never for a moment lost its look of +profound dejection. They might have been eyes gleaming behind a dull, +painted mask. + +"We will come to that presently," he said. "For the moment the mention of +my name must content you. It is just possible that you might have heard +the name of Felix Zary." + +Venner and Gurdon fairly started. The name of Felix Zary was familiar to +them, but only during the last three-quarters of an hour. In fact, that +was the name of the man as to whose whereabouts Fenwick had been so +anxious to hear. Here was another element in the mystery, which, up to +this moment, had not advanced very far towards solution. + +"I have heard the name before," Venner said, "but only quite +recently--within the last hour, in fact." + +"Oh, yes," the stranger said, "I know exactly what you mean. You +probably heard it next door when you were listening so intently to +the conversation between my friend Charles Le Fenu, the cripple, and +that scoundrel who calls himself Fenwick. He is exceedingly anxious +to know where I am, though without the smallest intention of +benefitting me. Before long, his curiosity will be gratified; but +not in the way he thinks." + +The latter words came from the speaker's lips with a spitting hiss, such +as a cat emits in the presence of a dog. The great round black eyes +added intensity to the threat, and rendered the feline simile complete. +The prophecy boded ill for Fenwick when at length he and Felix Zary came +face to face. + +"I see my conjecture is quite right," the stranger went on. "And as to +you gentlemen, I have asked your names merely as a matter of courtesy. As +a matter of fact I know perfectly well who you are--you are Mr. Gerald +Venner and Mr. James Gurdon. But there is one thing I don't know, and +that is why you have thrust yourself into this diabolical business. You +must be brave men, or absolutely unconscious of the terrible danger you +are running. If either of you are friends of Fenwick's--" + +"Not for a moment," Venner cried. "You pay us a poor compliment indeed if +you take us to be in any way friendly with that scoundrel." + +"And yet you are here," Zary went on. "You are spying on the movements of +my friend, Le Fenu. You have contrived to obtain possession of the keys +of his house for no other purpose. Why?" + +Venner paused before he answered the question. He did not recognise the +right of this man to put him through a cross-examination. Indeed, it +seemed to him, the less he said the better. Perhaps Zary saw something +of what was going on in his mind, for his big black eyes smiled, though +the dejected visage remained the same. + +"I see, you do not trust me," he said. "Perhaps you are right to be +cautious. Let me ask you another question, assuring you at the same time +that I am the friend of Charles Le Fenu and his sisters, and that if +necessary I will lay down my life to save them from trouble. Tell me, Mr. +Venner, why are you so interested in saving the girl who passes for +Fenwick's daughter from her miserable position? Tell me." + +Zary came a step or two closer to Venner and looked down into his face +with a searching yearning expression in those magnetic black eyes. The +appeal to Venner was irresistible. The truth rose to his lips; it refused +to be kept back. + +"Because," he said slowly, "because she is my wife." + +A great sigh of relief came from Zary. + +"I am glad of that," he said. "Exceedingly glad. And yet I had suspected +something of the kind. It is good for me to know that I am with friends, +and that you two are only actuated by the best motives. For some days now +I have had you under close observation. I followed you here to-night; +indeed, I was in the house when you removed those panels. As a matter of +fact, Mr. Gurdon's first involuntary visit here absolutely ruined a +carefully laid plan of mine for getting Mark Fenwick into my hands. But +I will tell you later on all about the mystery of the furnished +dining-room and how and why the furniture vanished so strangely. When I +followed you here to-night I was quite prepared to shoot you both if +necessary, but some strange impulse came over me to speak to you and ask +you what you were doing. I am rather glad I did, because I should not +like to have a tragedy on my hands. Now would you like to come with me as +far as my own rooms, where I shall be in a position to throw a little +light upon a dark place or two?" + +Venner and Gurdon clutched eagerly at the suggestion. Without further +words, they passed into the street, and would have walked down the steps +had not Zary detained them. + +"One moment," he whispered. "Hang back in the shadow of the portico. +Don't you see that there are two or three men on the steps of the house +next door? Ah, I can catch the tones of that rascal Fenwick. If only that +vile scoundrel knew how close to him I was at the present moment! But let +us listen. Perhaps we may hear something useful." + +It was very still and quiet in the Square now, for the hour was late, and +therefore the voices from the portico came clear and distinct to the +listeners' ears. + +"What is the good of it?" one of the voices said. "Why on earth can't you +wait till morning? Le Fenu has got clear away, and there isn't much +chance of catching him again in a hurry. It was one of the coolest +things I have seen for a long time." + +"Oh, he doesn't lack brains, or pluck either," Fenwick said. "I should +have been proud of a trick like that myself. I ought to have poisoned him +when I had the chance. I ought to have got him out of the way without +delay. But it seemed such a safe thing to kidnap him and hide him in his +own house, where we could go on with our work without the slightest +danger or interruption from those accursed police. And then, when Fate +played into our hands and we got hold of Evors as well, it looked as if +everything was going our way. How you fools ever contrived to let him get +the upper hand of you is more than I can understand." + +"It was Jones's fault," another voice growled. "He forgot the drug, and +we ran clean out of it. Then, I suppose, we got interested over a game of +cards, and one way and another, Evors managed to get six or seven hours' +sleep without having any of that stuff inside him. Bless me, if it wasn't +all like a dream, guv'nor. There we were, interested in our cards, and +before we knew where we were our heads were banged together, and I was +lying on the floor thinking that the end of the world had come. That +fellow has got the strength of the very devil itself." + +"Poor weak creature," Fenwick sneered. + +"Weak-minded, perhaps, and easily led," the first speaker said. "But +there is not much the matter with him when it comes to fists." + +"We can't stop chattering here all night," Fenwick cried. "It is all very +well for you men, who don't care so long as you have something to eat and +drink. You would be quite satisfied to sit like a lot of hogs in a sty in +Le Fenu's house, but he'll certainly be back in the morning with some +infernal scheme or other for getting the best of us. Don't you see it is +impossible for me any longer to play the part of a tenant of a furnished +house, now that the owner of the house is at large again? It is a very +fortunate thing, too, in a way, that I can pass all you people off as my +servants. Now get away at once and do as I tell you. As for me, I am +going to take a cab as far as the old place by the side of the river. In +an hour's time I hope to be on my way to Canterbury. Now, you are quite +sure you all know what to do? It's confoundedly awkward to have one's +plans upset like this, but a clever man always has an alternative scheme +on hand, and I've got mine. There, that will do. Be off at once." + +"That's all very well, guv'nor," another voice said. "It is easy enough +to put the door on the latch and turn out of the crib, leaving it empty, +but what about the girl in the white dress? I ain't very scrupulous as a +rule, but it seems rather cruel to leave the poor kid behind and she not +more than half right in her head." + +"Devil fly away with the girl," Fenwick said passionately. "We can +pick her up at any time we want to. Besides, I think I can see a way +to arrange for her and a method of getting her out of the house within +the next hour. It was no bad thing for men who get their living as we +do when some genius invented motor cars. Now do go along or we shall +never finish." + +The little group on the portico steps melted away, and one by one the +slouching figures vanished into the darkness. Zary stepped on to the +pavement, and proceeded to open the front door of the next house. It +yielded to his touch. + +"I am glad of this," he said; "and, really, we owe quite a debt of +gratitude to the tender-hearted ruffian who was averse to leaving a poor +girl in this house all alone. We will spare Fenwick the trouble of any +inconvenience so far as she is concerned." + +So saying, Zary proceeded to walk up the stairs, turning up the lights as +he went. He called the name of Beth softly three or four times, and +presently a door opened overhead and a girl in a white dress came out. A +pleased smile spread over her face as she looked over the balusters and +noted the caller. + +"Felix," she said softly, "is it really you? I have been hiding myself in +my room because I was terrified, and after Charles had gone those men +quarrelled so terribly among themselves! I suppose Charles forgot all +about me in the excitement of the moment." + +"Oh, no, he didn't, dear one," Zary said very gently. "He would have +come back to you in any case. But I am going to take you away from this +house where you have been so miserable; I am going to see that you are +not molested in the future." + +"That is all very well," Venner interposed, "but where can the young lady +go? She is quite alone and helpless, and unless you have some reputable +female relation--" + +"It is not a matter of my relations," Zary smiled. "Miss Beth will go to +one who is her natural protector, and one who will watch over her welfare +with unceasing care. To put it quite plainly, Miss Beth is going to the +Great Empire Hotel, and you are going to take her. To-night she will +sleep under the same roof as her sister." + +Venner was just a little startled by the suddenness of the proposal, yet, +on the whole, the suggestion was an exceedingly natural one, for who was +better capable of looking after the unfortunate Beth than her own sister? +True, the hour was exceedingly late; but then a huge place like the Great +Empire Hotel was practically open night and day, and a request at one +o'clock in the morning that a guest in the house should be awakened to +receive another guest would be nothing in the way of a novelty. + +"Very well," Venner said. "Let her put on her hat and jacket, and she can +come with me at once." + + + + +CHAPTER XVI + +FENWICK MOVES AGAIN + + +Beth raised no objection to the programme; indeed, the suggestion seemed +to fill her with delight. She would not be a moment, she said. She would +put certain necessaries in a handbag, and come back for the rest of her +wardrobe on the morrow. Venner had expressed a desire that Zary should +accompany him, but the latter shook his head emphatically. + +"No, no," he said; "you are going alone. As for me, I have important +business on hand which will not brook the slightest delay. Mr. Gurdon had +best return to his own rooms; and, for his own sake, I would advise him +to keep in the middle of the road. You two little know the danger you +incurred when you decided to thrust your head into this hornet's nest. +Now I will see you both off the premises and put out all the lights. I +may mention in passing that I have a latchkey to this place." + +A few minutes later Venner found himself walking down the deserted +streets with his fair little companion hanging on his arm. She chattered +to him very prettily and daintily, but there was a great deal in her +remarks which conveyed nothing to him at all. She constantly alluded to +matters of which he was entirely ignorant, apparently taking it for +granted that he was _au fait_ with what she was saying. It struck Venner +that though not exactly mentally deficient, she was suffering from +weakness of intellect, brought about, probably, by some great shock or +terrible sorrow. On the whole, he was not sorry to find himself in the +great hall of the hotel, the lights of which were still burning, and +where several guests were lounging for a final cigar. + +"I know it is exceedingly late," Venner said to the clerk, "but it is +quite imperative that this young lady should see Miss Fenwick. Will +you be good enough to send up to her room and tell her how sorry I am +to disturb her at this time of night, but that the matter is +exceedingly urgent?" + +"Miss Fenwick is not in, sir," came the startling response. "She went out +shortly after eleven o'clock, and she told me that she might not be back +for some considerable time. You see, she wanted to be quite sure that she +could get back into the hotel at any time she returned. Oh, no doubt she +is returning, or I don't suppose for a moment that she would have asked +me all those questions." + +The information was sufficiently disturbing, but there was no help for +it. All they had to do was to sit down and wait patiently till Vera came +back. They were not in the least likely to attract any attention, seeing +that several men in evening dress together with their wives were seated +in the hall for a final chat after the theatre or some party or +reception. In her long white frock, partially concealed by a cloak and +hood, Beth would have easily passed for a girl fresh from a theatre or a +dance. It was a long weary wait of over an hour, and Venner was feeling +distinctly anxious, when the big folding doors at the end of the hall +opened and Vera's tall, graceful figure emerged. + +"Here is your sister," Venner said. There was just a stern suggestion in +his voice. "Now, you are not to cry or make any scene, you are not to +attract any attention to yourself, but take it all for granted. You can +be as emotional as you please when you are alone together in your room." + +Vera came across the hall in a jaded, weary way, as if she were +thoroughly tired out. Her face flushed a little as she recognised Venner. +Then she looked at his companion and almost paused, while the blood ebbed +from her face, leaving it deadly pale. + +"Gerald," she whispered. "Gerald and Beth. What does it mean? What +strange thing has happened to bring you both together here." + +"Don't make a scene, for goodness' sake," Venner said. "Take it as calmly +as you can. Unless you are self-possessed, your sister is sure to give +way, and that is the last thing in the world to be desired. I cannot +possibly stop now to tell you all the extraordinary things which have +happened to-night. Let it be sufficient to say that it is absolutely +imperative that you give your sister shelter, and that nobody but +yourself should know where she is." + +"But how did you find her?" Vera asked. "And who was it suggested that +you should bring her to me?" + +"Let me just mention the name of Zary," Venner replied. "Oh, I can come +round here to-morrow and tell you all about it. If you think that there +is any possible danger--" + +"Of course there is danger," Vera said. "Mr. Fenwick may be back at any +moment. He does not know that I am aware that my sister is even alive. If +he became acquainted with the fact that we had come together again, all +my plans would be absolutely ruined, and my three years of self-sacrifice +would be in vain." + +"I am afraid you must run the risk now," Venner said. "At any rate, your +sister will have to stay here till the morning. It is perhaps a good +thing that she does not understand what is going on." + +Apparently the girl had no real comprehension of all the anxieties and +emotions of which she was unconsciously the centre. She was holding her +sister's hand now and smiling tenderly into her face, like a child who +has found a long-lost friend. + +"You may rest assured on one point," Venner went on. "For the present +there is not the slightest reason to fear Fenwick. He has had a great +shock to-night; all his plans have been upset, and he finds himself in a +position of considerable danger. I know for a fact that he is going +straight away to Canterbury, and probably by this time he is on his way +there. According to what your mysterious friend Zary said, he had some +plan cut and dried for providing for your sister's safety to-morrow. Now +take the poor child to bed, for she is half asleep already, and when once +you have made her comfortable I want you to come down again and have a +few words with me. You need not hesitate; surely a man can talk to his +wife whenever he pleases--and, besides, there are several people here who +show not the slightest signs of going to bed yet." + +"Very well," Vera said. "Come along, dear, I see you are dreadfully +sleepy--so sleepy that you do not appear to recognise the sister you have +met for the first time for three years." + +Venner had time to smoke the best part of a cigar before Vera reappeared. +They took a seat in a secluded corner of the hall, where it was possible +to talk without interruption. + +"Now, please, tell me everything," the girl said. + +"I am afraid that is impossible," Venner replied. "This is one of the +most extraordinary and complicated businesses that I ever heard of. In +the first place, I came to England, weary and worn out with my search for +you, and half inclined to abandon it altogether. In the very last place +in the world where I expect to meet you, I come in contact with you in +this hotel. I find that you are being passed off as the daughter of one +of the greatest scoundrels who ever cheated the gallows. But that does +not check my faith in you. I had kept my trust in you intact. Ever since +you left me on the day of our marriage I have had nothing but a few words +to explain your amazing conduct; and now here am I doing my best to free +you from the chains that bind you, and all the while you seem to be +struggling to hug those chains about you and to baffle all my efforts. +Why do you do this? What is the secret that you conceal so carefully from +the man who would do anything to save you from trouble, from the man you +profess to love? If you do care for me--" + +"Oh, I do indeed," Vera whispered. There were tears in her eyes now and +her cheeks were wet. "It is not for my own sake--it is for the sake of +the poor girl upstairs. I had promised to say nothing of that to +anyone--to try and save her--and I left you and ran the risk of for ever +forfeiting your affection. But if Beth is better in the morning I will +try to get her to absolve me from my promise and induce her--" + +"She is not capable of giving a promise of rescinding it," Venner said. +"Don't you think it would be far better if, instead, you discussed the +matter with your brother, Charles Le Fenu?" + +"So you know all about that?" Vera cried. + +"Yes, I do. I have seen him to-night. Gurdon has already had an interview +with him--an interview that almost cost him his life. We have been having +some pretty fine adventures the last two or three days--but if it all +ends in saving you and lifting this cloud from your life I shall be well +content. I am not going to ask you to go into explanations now, because I +see they would be distasteful to you, and because you have given some +foolish promise which you are loth to break. But tell me one thing. You +said just now that you had not seen your sister for three years, though +she has been living with your brother, whom you visited quite recently." + +"That is easily explained," Vera said. "It was deemed necessary to tell +Beth one or two fictions with a view to easing her mind and leaving her +still with some slight shadow of hope, which was the only means of +preventing her reason from absolutely leaving her. These fictions +entailed my keeping out of the way. Beth is exceedingly different from +me, as you know." + +"Indeed, she is," said Venner, smiling for the first time. "But does it +not strike you as an extraordinary thing that I should be fighting in +this fierce way in your behalf, and that you should be placing negative +obstacles in my way all the time? I won't worry you any more to-night, +dearest--you look tired and worn out. You had better go to your own +room, and we can discuss this matter further in the morning." + +It was dark enough and sheltered enough in that secluded corner of the +hall for Venner to draw the girl towards him and kiss her lips +passionately. Just for a brief moment Vera lay in her husband's arms; +then, with a little sigh, she disengaged herself and disappeared slowly +up the stairs. + +She had placed Beth in her own room, which they would share together for +that night, at any rate. The younger girl was sleeping placidly; there +was a smile on her face--her lips were parted like those of one who is +utterly and entirely happy. She made a fair picture as she lay there, +with her yellow hair streaming over her shoulders. She just murmured +something in her sleep, as Vera bent over her and brushed her forehead +lightly with her lips. + +"Oh, I wonder how long this cloud will last!" Vera murmured--"how much +longer I shall be till I am free! How terrible it is to have the offer of +a good man's love, and be compelled to spoil it as I do, or, at least, as +I appear to do. And yet I should be a happy woman if I could only throw +off these shackles--" + +Vera paused, unable to say more, for something seemed to rise in her +throat and choke her. She was utterly tired and worn out, almost too +tired to undress and get into bed--and yet once her head was on the +pillow she could not sleep; she tossed and turned wearily. All London +seemed to be transformed into one noisy collection of clocks. The noise +and the din seemed to stun Vera and throb through her head like the +beating of hammers on her brain. She fell off presently into a troubled +sleep, which was full of dreams. It seemed to her that she was locked in +a safe, and that somebody outside was hammering at the walls to let her +free. Then she became conscious of the fact that somebody really was +knocking at the door. As Vera stumbled out of bed a clock somewhere +struck three. She flicked up the light and opened the door. A +sleepy-looking chambermaid handed her a note, which was marked "Urgent" +on the envelope. With a thrill, she recognised the handwriting of Mark +Fenwick. What new disaster was here? she wondered. + +"Is there anybody waiting for an answer?" she asked tremblingly. "Is the +messenger downstairs?" + +"Yes, miss," the sleepy chambermaid replied. "It was brought by a +gentleman in a motor. I told him you were in bed and fast asleep, but he +said it was of the greatest importance and I was to wake you. Perhaps you +had better read it." + +With a hand that trembled terribly, Vera tore open the envelope. There +were only two or three lines there in Fenwick's stiff handwriting; +they were curt and discourteous, and very much to the point. They ran +as follows-- + +"I am writing you this from Canterbury, where I have been for the last +hour, and where I have important business. I have sent one of the cars +over for you, and you are to come back at once. Whatever happens, see +that you obey me." + + * * * * * + +"You will tell the gentleman I will be down in a few moments," Vera said. +"I will not detain him any longer than I can help." + +"What is to be done?" the girl wondered directly she was alone. She felt +that she dared not disobey this command; she would have to go at all +costs. She knew by bitter experience that Fenwick was not the man to +brook contradiction. Besides, at the present moment it would be a fatal +thing to rouse his suspicions. And yet, she felt how impossible it was +for her to leave Beth here in the circumstances. Nor could she see her +way to call up Venner at this hour and explain what had happened. All she +could do was to scribble a short note to him with a view to explaining +the outline of the new situation. Ten minutes later she was downstairs in +the hall, where she found the man awaiting her. He was clad in furs, his +motor cap was pulled over his eyes as if he shrank from observation; but +all the same Vera recognised him. + +"So it is you, Jones," she said. "Do you know that you have been sent all +the way from Canterbury to fetch me at this time in the morning? It is +perfectly monstrous that I should be dragged out of bed like this; +perfectly disgraceful!" + +"I don't know anything about that, miss," the man said sullenly. "It is +the guv'nor's orders, and he gave me pretty plainly to understand that +he would want to know the reason why if I came back without you. Don't +blame me." + +"I'm not blaming you at all," Vera said, coldly. "Nor am I going to stand +here bandying words with you. I will just go to my room and put on a fur +coat--then I shall be ready." + +"Very well, miss. That's the proper way to take it. But where is the +other young lady?" + +Vera's heart fairly stood still for a moment. Fenwick's note had said +nothing about her sister, though this man seemed to be aware of the fact +that she was here. There was only one thing for it, and that was to lie +boldly and without hesitation. She looked the speaker in the face in +blank astonishment. + +"I fail to understand you," she said. "There is nobody here but me; there +could be nobody here but me. And now I have nothing further to say. One +moment and I will be with you." + + + + +CHAPTER XVII + +MERTON GRANGE + + +Vera came down a few moments later ready for her journey. Now that she +had had time to think matters over, she was looking forward with some +dread to her forthcoming interview with Mark Fenwick. Surely something +out of the common must have taken place, or he would never have sent for +her at such an extraordinary time, and Vera had always one thing to +contend with; she had not forgotten, in fact, she could not forget, that +for the last three years she had been engaged in plotting steadily +against the man by whose name she was known. Moreover, she was not in the +least blind to Fenwick's astuteness, and there was always the unpleasant +feeling that he might be playing with her. She had always loathed and +detested this man from the bottom of her soul; there were times when she +doubted whether or not he was a relation of hers. As far as Vera knew, he +was supposed to be her mother's half-brother, and so much as this she +owed the man--he had come to her at the time when she was nearly +destitute, and in no position to turn her back on his advances. That it +suited Fenwick to have a well-bred and graceful girl about him, she knew +perfectly well. But long before would she have left him, only she was +quite certain that Fenwick was at the bottom of the dreadful business +which had resulted in Beth's deplorable state of mind. + +But as to all this, Vera could say nothing at the moment. All she had to +do now was to guard herself against a surprise on the part of Fenwick. +She had been startled by the mere suggestion on the part of her companion +that she had not been alone at the Great Empire Hotel. Much as she would +have liked illumination on this point, she had the prudence to say +nothing. Silently she stepped into the car, a big Mercedes with great +glaring eyes; silently, too, she was borne along the empty streets. It +wanted yet three hours to daylight, and Vera asked how long they would be +in reaching their destination. Her companion put on speed once the +outskirts of town were reached. Vera could feel the cold air streaming +past her face like a touch of ice. + +"Oh, about an hour and a half," the driver said carelessly. "I suppose it +is about fifty-five miles. With these big lamps and these clear roads +we'll just fly along." + +The speaker touched a lever, and the car seemed to jump over the smooth +roads. The hedges and houses flew by and the whole earth seemed to +vibrate to the roar and rattle of the car. It was Vera's first experience +of anything like racing, and she held her breath in terror. + +"What would happen if a wheel gave way?" she asked. She had muffled her +face in her veil, so that she could breathe more freely now. "Surely a +pace like this is dangerous." + +"You have to take risks, miss," the driver said coolly. "We are moving at +about five and forty miles an hour now. I'm very sorry if it makes you +nervous, but my instructions were to get back as quickly as possible." + +"I don't feel exactly nervous," Vera said. + +"Oh, no, you are getting over it. Everybody does after the first few +moments. When you get used to the motion you will like it. It gives you a +feeling like a glass of champagne when you're tired. You'll see for +yourself presently." + +Surely enough Vera did see for herself presently. As the feeling of +timidity and unfamiliarity wore off she began to be conscious of a glow +in her blood as if she were breathing some pure mountain air. The breeze +fairly sang past her ears, the car ran more smoothly now with nothing to +check its movement, and Vera could have sung aloud for the very joy of +living. She began to understand the vivid pleasure of motoring; she could +even make an excuse for those who travelled the high roads at top speed. +Long before she had reached her destination she had forgotten everything +else beside the pure delight of that trip in the dark. + +"Here we are, miss," the driver said at length, as he turned in through +a pair of huge iron gates. "It's about a mile up the avenue to the +house--but you can see the lights in front of you." + +"Have we really come all that way in this short time?" Vera asked. "It +only seems about ten minutes since we started." + +The driver made no reply, and Vera had little time to look curiously +about her. So far as she could judge, they were in a large park, filled +with magnificent oak trees. Here and there through the gloom she seemed +to see shadowy figures flitting, and these she assumed to be deer. On +each side of the avenue rose a noble line of elm trees, beyond which were +the gardens; then a series of terraces, culminating in a fine house of +the late Tudor period. Beyond question, it was a fine old family mansion +in which Fenwick had taken up his quarters for the present. + +"What do you call the place?" Vera asked. + +"This is Merton Grange, miss," the driver explained. "It belongs to Lord +Somebody or another, I forget his name. Anyway, he has had to let the +house for a time and go abroad. You had better get out here, and I'll +take the car to the garage. I wouldn't ring the bell if I were you, miss. +I'd just walk straight into the house. You'll find the door open and the +guv'nor ready to receive you. He is sure to have heard the car coming up +the drive." + +Vera descended and walked up the flight of steps which led to a noble +portico. Here was a great massive oak door, which looked as if it +required the strength of a strong man to open it, but it yielded to +Vera's touch, and a moment later she was standing in the great hall. + +Tired as she was and frightened as she was feeling now, she could not +but admire the beauty and symmetry of the place. Like most historic +mansions of to-day, the place had been fitted with electric light, and +a soft illuminating flood of it filled the hall. It was a magnificent +oak-panelled apartment, filled with old armor and trophies, and lined +with portraits of the owner's ancestors. It seemed to Vera that +anybody might be happy here. It also seemed strange to her that a man +of Fenwick's type should choose a place like this for his habitation. +She was destined to know later what Fenwick had in his mind when he +came here. + +Vera's meditations were cut short by the appearance of the man himself. +To her surprise she noted that he was dressed in some blue material, just +like an engineer on board ship. His hands were grimy, too, as if he had +been indulging in some mechanical work. He nodded curtly to the girl. + +"So you've come at last," he said. "I daresay you wonder why I sent for +you. There is a little room at the back yonder, behind the +drawing-room, that I have turned into a study. Go in there and wait +for me, and I'll come to you as soon as I have washed my hands. I hope +you have brought all you want with you; for there is precious little +accommodation for your sex here at present. You can take your choice of +bed-rooms--there are enough of those and to spare. I have something +serious to say to you." + +With a sinking at her heart Vera passed into the little room that Fenwick +had pointed out to her. At any other time she would have admired the old +furniture and the elegant refined simplicity of it all; now she had other +things to think of. She stood warming her hands at the fire till Fenwick +came in and carefully closed the door behind him. + +"Now we can get to business," he said. "I daresay you wonder why I sent +for you instead of leaving you in London for the present. Up to now I +have always regarded you as perfectly safe--indeed, I thought you were +sufficiently grateful to me for all my kindness to you. I find I am +mistaken." + +Vera looked up with a challenge in her eyes. She knew that she had +something to face now, and she meant to see it through without showing +the white feather. She was braced up and ready, now that the moment for +action had come. + +"Have you ever really been kind to me?" she challenged. "I mean, have you +really been kind to me for my own sake, and out of pure good-nature? I +very much doubt it." + +"This is your gratitude," Fenwick sneered. "I think we had better +understand one another." + +"I would give a great deal to understand you," the girl said boldly. "But +we are wasting time fencing here like this, and I am very tired. You sent +for me at this extraordinary hour, and I came. I have every right to know +why you asked me to come here." + +"Sit down," Fenwick growled. "I sent for you because I did not trust you. +I sent for you because you have betrayed your promise. You are doing +something that you told me you would not do." + +"And what is that?" Vera asked. + +"Just as if you did not know. Let us go back a bit, back three years and +a half ago. Your father was alive in those days; it was just before he +met his death in Mexico." + +"I remember perfectly well," Vera said, quietly. "I am not likely to +forget the time. Pray continue." + +"Have patience please, I am coming to it all in time. Your father died +more or less mysteriously, but there is not the shadow of a doubt that he +was murdered. Nobody knows how he was murdered, but a good many people +behind the scenes can guess why. The thing was hushed up, possibly +because the tragedy took place in so remote a corner of the +world--possibly because the authorities were bribed. Tell me the name of +the man, or, at least, tell me the name of the one man who was with your +father at the time of his death." + +Vera's face paled slightly, but she kept her eyes steadily fixed on her +companion's face. She began to understand where the point of the torture +was coming in. + +"I will not affect to misunderstand you," she said. "The man who was with +my father at that time was Mr. Charles Evors. He was a sort of pupil of +my father's, and had more than once accompanied him on his excursions. +You want to insinuate that my father met his death at the hands of this +young man, who, overcome by certain temptation and a desire to obtain the +secret of the Four Finger Mine, murdered his master?" + +"I am in a position to prove it," Fenwick said sternly. "I have given you +practical proof of it, more than once. Why should I have interfered in +the way I did, unless it was that I desired to save you pain? I could +have brought the whole thing into the light of day, but I refrained from +doing so because, it seemed to me, nothing could be gained by bringing +the criminal to justice. I had another reason, too, as you know." + +"Yes, I am aware of that," Vera said. "I could never make it out--I could +never really believe that Charles Evors was guilty of that dreadful +crime. He was so frank and true, so kind to everybody! I know he was +weak--I know that he had been sent away from England because he had +fallen into bad company; I know, too, that he was a little fond of drink. +There was only one point on which he was reticent--he never spoke much +about his people; but I rather gathered that they were in a high +position." + +"They were," Fenwick grinned. "You'd be surprised if you knew how high a +position. But go on." + +"I was saying that I could not credit Charles Evors with such a crime. A +man who is so fond of children, so sympathetic to things weaker than +himself, could not have taken the life of a fellow-creature. He was fond +of my father, too, but that was not the strangest feature of the mystery. +Do you suppose for a moment that the man who was engaged to be married to +my sister could have laid violent hands on her father?" + +"But he did do it," Fenwick cried impatiently. "Otherwise why did he +vanish so mysteriously? Why did he go away and leave us to infer that he +had perished at sea? It was the kindest thing we could do to let your +sister think that her lover was dead, though the shock seems to have +deprived her of her reason; and, though I acted all for the best, your +brother chose to proclaim me an abandoned scoundrel, and to say that your +father's death lay at my door. You know why it became necessary for you +to remain with me and treat your brother henceforth as a stranger. You +volunteered to do it, you volunteered to turn your back on your family +and remain with me. Why did you do so?" + +No reply came from Vera's lips. It seemed to her that her safest course +lay in silence. To her great relief, Fenwick went on without waiting for +an answer. + +"Now I am coming to my point," he said. "You have broken faith with me. +Three or four times since we came to England you have seen your brother. +You have seen him by stealth; you know all about that strange household +in Portsmouth Square where he chooses to hide himself under the name of +Bates. I want to know why it is that you have chosen to break your word +with me? I have had you watched to-night, and I have learned all your +movements by means of the telephone. You will stay down here during my +pleasure. If you fail to do so, or if you try to deceive me again, as +sure as I stand here at the present moment I will betray Charles Evors +into the hands of the police. Now look me in the face and answer my +question truthfully Do you know where that young man is?" + +It was fortunate for Vera that she could reply in the negative. A few +more hours, perhaps, and she might have been able to afford the +information; but, luckily for her, the startling events that had recently +taken place in Portsmouth Square were not known to her in their entirety. +She could look Fenwick in the face. + +"I don't," she said. "I have never seen him since that fateful +morning--but I don't care to go into that. I admit that I have seen my +brother. I admit, too, that I have seen my sister; the temptation to find +them and see them once more was too strong for me. You will not be +surprised to find that I have some natural feelings left. It is not so +very extraordinary." + +Fenwick shot a suspicious glance at Vera, but she was gazing into the +fire with a thoughtful look. She was acting her part splendidly; she +was deceiving this man who, as a rule, could read the thoughts of +most people. + +"Perhaps you are right," he said doubtfully. "But to make assurance +doubly sure you are going to help me out of a difficulty. I suppose you +have not forgotten Felix Zary?" + +"No," Vera said, in a curiously low voice. "I have not forgotten my +father's faithful companion. I should very much like to see him again. If +you know where he is--" + +"Oh, I know where he is," Fenwick said with a laugh. "We will have him +down here as a pleasant surprise. That is all I want you to do--I want +you to write a letter to Zary, telling him that you are in great trouble, +and asking him to come down here and see you at once. I should like you +to write that letter now." + + + + +CHAPTER XVIII + +A COUPLE OF VISITORS + + +Something in the tone of Fenwick's voice caused Vera to look up +hastily. Perhaps it was her imagination that in the unsteady light of +the flickering fire his face seemed to have changed almost beyond +recognition. The features were dark and murderous and the eyes were +full of a lust for vengeance. It was only just for a moment--then the +man became his normal self again, just as if nothing had happened. A +violent shudder passed over Vera's frame, but Fenwick appeared to +notice nothing of this. + +"You want me to write that letter now?" she asked. + +"At once," Fenwick responded. "I don't mind telling you that I am in +great trouble over business matters; there is a conspiracy on foot +amongst certain people to get me into trouble. I may even find myself +inside the walls of a prison. The man who can save me from all this is +your friend, Felix Zary. Unfortunately for me, the man has the bad taste +to dislike me exceedingly. He seems to think that I was in some way +responsible for your father's death. And, as you know, he loved your +father with a devotion that was almost dog-like. If I could get Zary +down here I should have no difficulty in convincing him that he was +wrong. But he would not come near the place so long as he knew that I +was present; so, therefore, I want you to write to him and conceal the +fact that I am on the premises. Directly he gets your letter he will +come at once." + +"I have not the slightest doubt of it," Vera said slowly. "There is +nothing that Zary would not do for one of us, if you will assure me that +you mean no harm by him--" + +"Harm?" Fenwick shouted. "What harm could I do the man? Didn't I tell you +just now that I want him to do me a service? One does not generally +ill-treat those who are in a position to bestow favors. Now sit down like +the good girl that you are, and write that letter at once. Then you can +go to bed." + +"I will write it in the morning," Vera said. "Surely there cannot be +all this desperate hurry. If the letter is written before the post goes +out tomorrow afternoon it will be in good time. I am much too tired to +do it now." + +Just for a moment Fenwick's eyes blazed angrily again. It seemed to Vera +that the man was about to burst forth into a storm of passion. The hot +words did not come, however, for Fenwick restrained himself. Perhaps he +was afraid of going a little too far; perhaps he was afraid of arousing +Vera's suspicions, and thus defeating his own object by a refusal on her +part to write the letter. He knew from past experience that she could be +as firm of purpose as himself if she chose. + +"Very well," he said, with an almost grotesque attempt at good-humor. +"You look very tired tonight, and I daresay you have had a fatiguing +journey--and, after all, there is no great hurry. I will show you up to +the room which I have set apart for your use." + +Vera was only too glad to get away. Despite her strange surroundings, and +despite the sense of coming danger, she threw herself on the bed and +slept the sleep of utter exhaustion. It was getting towards noon before +she came back to herself, invigorated and refreshed by her long rest. + +So far as the girl could see, there were no servants in the house at +present besides an old retainer of the family and her husband. Fenwick +had made some excuse about the staff of domestics who were to follow +later on; but up to now he only had about him the men whom Vera had known +more or less well for the last two years. The meals appeared to be served +in a remarkably irregular fashion; even the lunch was partaken of +hurriedly by Fenwick, who pleaded the pressure of business. + +"I can't stop a minute," he said. "I have more to do now than I can +manage. I should just like to have a look at that letter that you have +written to Zary. There is no excuse for not doing it now, and I want to +put it in the post-bag." + +"Very well," Vera said serenely. "If you will come with me to the library +you will see exactly what I write. I know you are a suspicious man and +that you don't trust anybody, therefore I shall be very glad for you to +know that I have carried out your request to the letter." + +Fenwick laughed as if something had pleased him. Nevertheless, he looked +over Vera's shoulder until she had penned the last word. She slowly +folded up the communication and sealed it. + +"How am I to address the envelope?" she said. "I have not the slightest +idea where Zary is to be found. For all I know to the contrary, he may +not even be in England." + +"Oh, yes, he is," Fenwick chuckled. "He is in London at the present +moment. If you address that letter, 17, Paradise Street, Camberwell, Zary +will be in receipt of it to-morrow morning." + +Vera wrote the address boldly and firmly, and handed the letter with more +or less contempt to her companion. She wanted him to feel that she held +his suspicions with scorn. She wanted him to know that so far as she was +concerned here was an end of the matter. Nevertheless, she followed him +carelessly from the room and saw him place the letter, together with +others, on the hall table. A moment later he had vanished, and she was +left alone to act promptly. She did not hesitate for a moment; she made +her way back to the drawing-room and addressed a second envelope to the +house in Paradise Street, into which envelope she slipped a blank sheet +of notepaper. Then she stamped the envelope and made her way back +cautiously to the hall. There was a chance of being discovered, a chance +that she was being watched, but she had to run the risk of that. She was +crossing the hall freely and carelessly now, and so contrived as to sweep +the mass of letters with her sleeve to the floor, exclaiming at her own +clumsiness as she did so. Like a flash she picked out the one letter that +she needed and swiftly exchanged it for the other. A moment later she was +out of doors, with the dangerous communication in her pocket. + +So far as she could see, she had succeeded beyond her wildest +expectations. It was only a simple ruse, but like most simple things, +generally successful. Vera was trembling from head to foot now, but the +fresh air of the park and the broad, beautiful solitude of it soothed her +jarred nerves, and brought back a more contented frame of mind. Her +spirits rose as she walked along. + +"I am glad I did that," she told herself, "I may be mistaken, but I +firmly believe that I have saved Zary's life. Had he come down here he +would never have left the place again. And yet there is danger for him +still, and I must warn him of it. I must manage to communicate in some +way with Gerald. I wonder if it would be safe to send him a telegram from +the village. I wonder, too, in what direction the village lies. Still, I +have all the afternoon before me, and a brisk walk will do me good." + +With a firm, elastic step, Vera walked across the grass in the direction +of a wood, beyond which she could see the slope of the high road. She had +hardly entered the wood before she heard a voice calling her name, and to +her intense delight she turned to find herself face to face with Venner. + +"Oh, this is glorious," she said, as she placed both her hands in his. +"But do you think that it is quite safe for you to come here so soon? For +all I know, I may be followed. + +"I don't think so," Venner said. "Now let me take you in my arms and kiss +you. Let us sit down here in this snug corner and try to imagine that we +are back in the happy days when no cloud loomed between us, and we were +looking forward to many joyous years together. We will talk mundane +matters presently." + +Vera yielded to the ecstasy of the moment. Everything was so dark and +melancholy that it seemed a sin to lose a gleam of sunshine like this. +But the time crept on and the November sun was sinking, and it was borne +in upon Vera that she must get back to the house again. Very gently, she +disengaged herself from Venner's embrace. + +"We must be really practical now," she said. "Tell me what has happened +since I left the hotel last night?" + +"So far as I can see, nothing," Venner replied. "I asked for you this +morning, and to my surprise I found that you had vanished in the dead of +the night with a mysterious chauffeur and a Mercedes car. By great good +luck I found a policeman who had made a note of the number of the car; +after which I went to the makers, or rather the agents of the makers, and +it was quite easy to find out that the Mercedes in question had recently +been delivered to Mr. Mark Fenwick's order at Merton Grange near +Canterbury. After that, you will not be surprised to find that I came +down here as soon as possible, and that I have been hiding here with a +pair of field-glasses trying to get a glimpse of you." + +"That was very interesting," Vera laughed. "But tell me about my sister. +I am so anxious over her." + +"No reason to be," said Venner. "I have seen to that. She has gone back +to your brother." + +"Oh, I am so glad. Now listen to me carefully." + +She went on with some detail to tell the story of her last night's +experiences. She spoke of Felix Zary and the letter which she had been +more or less compelled to write to him. Also, she described the ruse by +which the letter had been regained. + +"Now you must go and see this Zary," she said. "Tell him that you come +from me, and tell him all about the letter. Mind, he must reply to my +letter just as if it had reached him in the ordinary way through the +post, because, as you see, I shall have to show the answer to Mr. +Fenwick, and I want to lull his suspicions to rest entirely. You may find +Zary a little awkward at first." + +"I don't think I shall," Venner smiled. "In fact, he and I are already +acquainted. But I am not going to tell you anything about that; you +prefer to keep your secrets as far as I am concerned, and I am going to +guard mine for the present. I am working to put an end to all this +mystery and bother, and I am going to do it my own way. Anyway, I will +see Zary for you and tell him exactly what has happened. In fact, I will +go to town this evening for the express purpose. Then I will come back in +the morning and meet you here the same time to-morrow afternoon." + +They parted at that, and Vera made her way back to the house. She saw +that the letters were no longer on the hall table, and therefore she +concluded that they had been posted. She assumed a quiet, dignified +manner during the rest of the evening. She treated Fenwick more or less +distantly, as if she were still offended with his suspicions. Fenwick, on +the other hand, was more than usually amiable. Something had evidently +pleased him, and he appeared to be doing his best to wipe out the +unpleasant impression of the morning. Vera felt quite easy in her mind +now; she knew that her ruse had been absolutely successful. All the same, +she ignored Fenwick's request of a little music, professing to be +exceedingly tired, which, indeed, was no more than the truth. + +"I am going to bed quite early to-night," she said. "I have been sleeping +very indifferently of late." + +It was barely ten before she was in her room, and there she lay, +oblivious of all that was taking place around her, till she woke +presently with an idea that she could hear the sound of hammering close +by. As she sat up in bed with all her senses about her, she could hear +the great stable clock strike the hour of three. Her ears had not +deceived her; the sound of metal meeting metal in a kind of musical chink +came distinct and clear. Then from somewhere near she could hear voices. +The thing was very strange, seeing that Fenwick was a business man pure +and simple, and that he had never confessed to any knowledge of +mechanics. It came back to her mind now, that directly she had entered +the house Fenwick had greeted her in a suit of blue overalls which she +understood men who followed mechanical pursuits generally wore. She +recollected, too, that his hands were black and grimy. What could be +going on, and why had she seen nothing of this during the day-time? She +could comprehend men sitting up all night and working in a factory, but +surely there could be no occasion for a thing like this in a private +house, unless, perhaps, Fenwick and his satellites were engaged in some +pursuit that needed careful concealment from the eyes of the law. + +It would be well, perhaps, Vera thought, if she could find out what was +going on. The discovery might be the means of putting another weapon +into her hands. She rose from her bed and partially dressed herself. +Then, with a pair of slippers on her feet and a dark wrap round her +shoulders, she stole into the corridor. A dim light was burning there, +so that she had no fear of being discovered, especially as the walls +were draped with tapestry, and here and there armored figures stood, +which afforded a capital means of concealment. As Vera sidled along she +noticed that at the end of the corridor was a small room down a flight +of steps. From where she stood she could see into the room, the door of +which was open. Fenwick stood there apparently engaged in superintending +the melting of metal in a crucible over a fire, which was driven to +white heat by a pair of bellows. The rest of his gang seemed to be doing +something on an iron table with moulds and discs. Vera could see the +gleam of yellow metal, then somebody closed the door of the room and she +could learn no more. It was all very strange and mysterious, and there +was a furtive air about it which did not suggest honesty of purpose. +There was nothing more for it now except for Vera to return to her +room, with a determination to see the inside of that little apartment +the first time that the coast was clear. + +She hurried along back to her own room, and had almost succeeded in +reaching it, when she came face to face with a man who had stepped out of +a doorway so suddenly that the two figures came almost in contact. A +fraction of a second later a hand was laid over Vera's mouth, while +another grasped her wrist; then she saw that the intruder had been joined +by a companion. + +"Please don't say a word, miss; and, whatever you do, don't call out," +one of the men whispered. "We know all about you and who you are. Believe +me, we are here to do you the greatest service in our power. My colleague +will tell you the same." + +"But who are you?" Vera asked, as the man removed his hand from her +mouth. Her courage had come back to her now. "Why do you come in +this fashion?" + +"My name is Egan," the stranger said, "and this is my companion, Grady. +We are New York detectives, over here on important business. The man we +are after is Mark Fenwick." + + + + +CHAPTER XIX + +PHANTOM GOLD + + +Vera had entirely recovered her self-possession by this time. She was +able to regard the men coolly and critically. There was nothing about +them that suggested anything wrong or underhand; on the contrary, the +girl rather liked their appearance. All the same it was a strange and +unique experience; and though Vera had been through a series of trials +and tribulations, she thrilled now as she recognised how near she had +been to the man who was thus running himself into the hands of justice. + +"But how can you know anything about me?" she said. "You surely do not +mean to say that you suspect--" + +"Not at all, miss," Egan said, civilly. "Only, you see, it is always our +business to know a great deal more than people imagine. I hope you won't +suppose that we are going to take any advantage of our position here, or +that we want you to betray Mr. Fenwick into our hands; but since we have +been unfortunate enough to be discovered by you, we will ask you to go so +far as to say nothing to Mr. Fenwick. If you tell him, you will be doing +considerable harm to a great many deserving people who have suffered +terribly at that man's hands. I think you understand." + +Vera understood only too well, and yet her delicate sense of honor was +slightly disturbed at the idea of continuing there without warning +Fenwick of the danger that overshadowed him. Personally, she would have +liked to have told him exactly how he stood, and given him the +opportunity to get away. Perhaps Egan saw something of this in Vera's +face, for he went on to speak again. + +"I know it isn't very nice for you, miss," he said, "and I am not +surprised to see you hesitate; but seeing that Mr. Fenwick has done you +as much harm as anybody else--" + +"How do you know that?" Vera exclaimed. + +"Well, you see, it is our business to know everything. I feel quite +certain that on reflection you will do nothing to defeat the ends +of justice." + +"No," Vera said, thoughtfully. "In any case, it cannot much matter. You +are here to arrest Mr. Fenwick, and you probably know where he is to be +found at the present moment." + +"There you are wrong, miss," Grady said. "We are not in a position at +present to lay hands on our man. We came here prepared to take a few +risks--but I don't suppose you would care to hear anything about our +methods. It will be a great favor to us if you will retire to your room +and stay there till morning." + +Vera went off without any further ado, feeling that once more the current +of events had come between her and the sleep that she so sorely needed. +But, in spite of everything, she had youth and health on her side, and +within a few minutes she was fast asleep. It was fairly late when she +came down the next morning, and she was rather surprised to find that +Fenwick had not finished his breakfast. He sat there sullen and +heavy-eyed, and had no more than a grunt for Vera in response to her +morning greeting. He turned over his food with savage disapproval. +Evidently, from the look of him, he had not only been up late overnight, +but he had also had more wine than was good for him. + +"Who can eat rubbish like this?" he growled. "The stuff isn't fit to feed +a dog with. Look at this bacon." + +"You can expect nothing else," Vera said, coldly. "If you choose to try +and run a large house like this with practically no servants beyond a +caretaker and his wife, you must put up with the consequences. You are an +exceedingly clever man, but you seem to have overlooked one fact, and +that is the amount of gossip you are providing for the neighbors. It +isn't as if we were still in town, where the man next door knows nothing +of you and cares less. Here people are interested in their neighbors. It +will cause quite a scandal when it becomes known that you are occupying +Lord Merton's house with nothing more than a number of questionable men. +As far as I can see, you are far worse off here than if you had stayed in +London. I may be wrong, of course." + +"I begin to think you are quite right," Fenwick grunted. "I must see to +this. It will never do for all these chattering magpies to pry into my +business. You had better go into Canterbury this morning and see if you +can't arrange for a proper staff of servants to come. Well, what's the +matter now?" + +One of the men had come into the room with a telegram in his hand. He +pitched it in a contemptuous way upon the table and withdrew, whistling +unconcernedly. The man's manner was so flippant and familiar that Vera +flushed with annoyance. + +"I wish you would keep your subordinates a little more under your +control," she said. "One hardly expects a man of your wealth to be +treated in this way by his clerks." + +But Fenwick was not listening. His brows were knotted in a sullen frown +over the telegram that he held in his hand. He clutched the flimsy paper +and threw it with a passionate gesture into the fire. Vera could see that +his yellow face had grown strangely white, and that his coarse lips were +trembling. He rose from the table, pushing his plate away from him. + +"I've got to go to town at once," he said. "How strange it is that +everything seems to have gone wrong of late! I shall be back again in +time for dinner, and I shall be glad if you are good enough to see that I +have something fit to eat. Perhaps you had better telephone to town for +some servants. It doesn't much matter what you pay them as long as they +are good." + +Fenwick walked rapidly from the room, and a few moments later Vera could +see his car moving swiftly down the drive. On the whole, she was not +sorry to have Fenwick out of the house. She was pleased, also, to know +that he had made up his mind over the servant question. Already the house +was beginning to look shabby and neglected; in the strong morning +sunshine Vera could see the dust lying everywhere. Her womanly instincts +rebelled against this condition of things; she was not satisfied until +she had set the telephone in motion and settled the matter as far as the +domestic staff was concerned. + +Then a sudden thought flashed into her mind. Here was the opportunity +for examining the little room where Fenwick and his satellites had +been busy the previous evening. Vera had not failed to notice the fact +that three of the men had gone off with Fenwick in his car, so that, +in all probability, they meant to accompany him to town. If this +turned out to be correct, then there was only one man to be accounted +for. Possibly with the assistance of Gerald, the fourth man might be +got out of the way. + +It was nearly three o'clock in the afternoon before Vera managed to see +her husband. Eagerly and rapidly she told him all that had taken place +the previous evening, though she was rather surprised to find him +manifesting less astonishment than she had expected. Venner smiled when +Vera mentioned this. + +"Oh, that's no new thing to me," he said. "I saw all that going on in +your suite of rooms at the Great Empire Hotel, though I haven't the least +notion what it all means. I should have thought that your interesting +guardian was manufacturing counterfeit coins. But we managed to get hold +of one of them, and a jeweller pronounced at once that it was a genuine +sovereign. Still, there is no question of the fact that some underhand +business is going on, and I am quite ready to assist you in finding out +what it is. The point is whether the coast is clear or not." + +"There is only one man left behind." Vera explained. "All the rest have +gone to London with Mr. Fenwick, who received a most disturbing telegram +at breakfast this morning. Of course, the old caretaker and his wife +count for nothing; they are quite innocent parties, and merely regard +their stay here as temporary, pending the arrival of our staff of +servants." + +"In that case, I don't see why it shouldn't be managed," Venner said. +"You had better go back to the house, and I will call and see you. There +is not the slightest reason why I shouldn't give my own name, nor is +there the slightest reason why you should not show me over the house when +I come. I daresay all this sounds a bit cheap, but one cannot be too +careful in dealing with these people." + +It was all arranged exactly as Venner had suggested, and a little later +Vera was shaking hands with her own husband as if he were a perfect +stranger. They proceeded presently to walk up the grand staircase and +along the corridor, Vera doing the honors of the place and speaking in a +manner calculated to deceive anybody who was listening. She stopped +presently and clutched Venner's arm excitedly. She pointed to a doorway +leading to a little room down the steps at the end of the corridor. + +"There," she whispered, "that is the room, and, as far as I can see, it +is absolutely empty. What do you say to going in there now? The coast +seems to be quite clear." + +Venner hesitated for a moment; it would be just as well, he thought, +to err on the side of caution. A casual glance from the corridor +disclosed nothing, except that on the table there stood a bottle +apparently containing wine, for a glass of some dark ruby liquid stood +beside it. Very rapidly Venner ran down the flight of stairs and +looked into the room. + +"There is nobody there for the moment," he said, "but that bulldog of +Fenwick's can't be far off, for there is a half-smoked cigarette on the +end of the table which has not yet gone out. I think I can see my way now +to working this thing without any trouble or danger. Do you happen to +know if that rheumatic old caretaker uses snuff?" + +"Really, I don't," Vera said with a smile. "But what possible connection +is there between the caretaker and his snuff--?" + +"Never mind about that at present. Go down and ask the old man for his +snuff box. By the look of him, I am quite sure he indulges in the habit. +Tell him you want to kill some insects in the conservatory. Tell him +anything, so long as you get possession of the box for a few minutes." + +Vera flew off on her errand. She was some moments before she could make +the old man understand what she needed; then, with the air of one who +parts with some treasure, he handed over to her a little tortoiseshell +box, remarking, at the same time, that he had had it for the last sixty +years and would not part with it for anything. A moment later, Vera was +back again at the end of the corridor. Venner had not moved, a sure sign +that no one had approached in the meantime. Taking the box from Vera's +hand, and leaving her to guard the corridor, he stepped into the little +room, where he proceeded to stir a little pellet of snuff into the glass +of wine. This done, he immediately hurried Vera away to the other end of +the corridor. + +"I think that will be all right now," he said. "We have only got to wait +till our man comes back and give him a quarter of an hour. Snuff is a +very strong drug, and within a few minutes of his finishing his wine he +will be sound asleep on the floor." + +It all fell out exactly as Venner had prophesied. The man came back +presently, passing Vera and her companion without the slightest suspicion +of anything being wrong. Then he turned into the little room and closed +the door behind him. Half an hour passed before Vera knocked at the door +on some frivolous pretext, but no answer came from the other side. She +knocked again and again, after which she ventured to open the door. The +wine-glass was empty, a half-finished cigarette smouldered on the floor, +and, by the side of it, lay the man in a deep and comatose sleep. Venner +fairly turned him over with his foot, but the slumbering form gave no +sign. The thing was safe now. + +"We needn't worry ourselves for an hour or so," Venner said. "And now we +have to see if we can discover the secrets of the prison house. Evidently +nothing is going on at present. I should like to know what the table is +for. It is not unlike a modern gas stove--I mean a gas stove used for +cooking purposes, and here is a parcel on the table, just the same sort +of parcel that the mysterious new sovereigns were wrapped up in." + +"Oh, let me see," Vera said eagerly as she pulled the lid off the box. +"See, this stuff inside is just like asbestos, and sure enough here is a +layer of sovereigns on the top. How bright and new they look. I have +never seen gold so attractive before. I--" + +Vera suddenly ceased to speak, and a sharp cry of pain escaped her as she +dropped to the floor one of the coins which she had taken in her hand. +She was regarding her thumb and forefinger now with some dismay, for they +were scorched and swollen. + +"Those coins are red hot," she said. "You try--but look out you don't +get burned." + +Surely enough, the coins were almost at white heat; so much so, that a +wax match placed on the edge of one flared instantly. Venner looked +puzzled; he could not make it out. There was no fire in the room, and +apparently no furnace or oven in which the metal could have been heated. +Then he suddenly recollected that Vera must be in pain. + +"My poor child," he said. "I am so sorry. You must go down to the old +housekeeper at once and get her to put something on your hand. Meanwhile, +I will stay here and investigate, though I don't expect for a moment that +I shall make any further discoveries." + +Vera's hand was dressed at length, and the pain of the burn had somewhat +abated when Venner came down the stairs again. He shook his head in +response to the questioning glance in Vera's eyes. + +"Absolutely nothing," he said. "I found a safe there let into the wall, +but then, you see, the safe has been built for years, and no doubt has +been used by Lord Merton to store his plate and other valuables of that +kind. It is just possible, of course, that Fenwick has the key of it, and +that the safe had been cleared out for his use. I am afraid we shall +never solve this little puzzle until Fenwick is in the hands of those +detectives who gave me such a fright last night." + +"But there must have been some means of heating those coins," Vera +protested. "They must have come straight from a furnace." + +"Of course," Venner said. "The trouble is where to find the furnace. I +am perfectly sure, too, that the sovereigns were genuine. Now what on +earth can a man gain by taking current coins of the realm and making +them red hot? The only chance of a solution is for me to find Egan and +Grady and tell them of my discovery. I shall be at the same spot +to-morrow afternoon at the same time, and if I find anything out I will +let you know." + +There was nothing more for it than this, whereupon Venner went away and +Vera returned thoughtfully to the dining-room. She was just a little bit +in doubt as to whether the man upstairs would guess the trick played upon +him, but that she had to risk. + + + + +CHAPTER XX + +THE PRODIGAL'S RETURN + + +Money can do most things, even in the matter of furnishing a large house +with competent servants, and by six o'clock Vera had contrived for the +domestic machine to run a little more smoothly. At any rate, she was in a +position now to provide Fenwick with something in the shape of a +respectable dinner on his return from town. + +It was about a quarter to eight when he put in an appearance, and for the +first time for some days he changed into evening dress for the chief meal +of the day. He appeared to be as morose and savage as he had been in the +morning, in fact even more so if that were possible. He answered Vera's +questions curtly, so that she fell back upon herself and ate her soup in +silence. And yet, though Fenwick was so quiet, it seemed to Vera that he +was regarding her with a deep distrust, so that she found herself +flushing under his gaze. He put his spoon down presently, and pointed +with his hand to Vera's swollen fingers. + +"What have you got there?" he demanded. "How did you do that?" + +"I burnt it," Vera stammered. "It was an accident." + +"Well, I don't suppose you burnt it on purpose," Fenwick growled. "I +don't suppose you put your hand into the fire to see if it was hot. What +I asked you was how you did it. Please answer my question." + +"I repeat it was an accident," Vera said, coldly. "I burnt my fingers in +such a way--" + +"Yes, and you are not the first woman who has burnt her fingers +interfering with things that don't concern her. I insist upon knowing +exactly how that accident happened." + +Vera turned a cold, contemptuous face to her companion; she began to +understand now that his suspicions were aroused. It came back to her +vividly enough that she had dropped the hot sovereign on the floor, and +that, owing to the shock and sudden surprise, she had not replaced it. It +was just possible that Fenwick had gone into the little room and had +missed the sovereign from the neat layer of coins on the top of the box. +And then another dreadful thought came to Vera--supposing that the +drugged man had not recovered from the effects of his dose by the time +that Fenwick had returned? It was a point which both she and Venner had +overlooked. There was nothing for it but to take refuge behind an assumed +indignation, and decline to answer offensive questions put in that tone +of voice. Vera was still debating as to the most contemptuous reply when +the dining-room door opened and one of the newly-arrived servants +announced Mr. Blossett. + +Fenwick rose to his feet and an unmistakable oath escaped his lips. All +the same, he forced a kind of sickly smile to his face, as a big man, +with an exceedingly red face and an exceedingly offensive swaggering +manner, came into the dining-room. The stranger was quite well dressed, +nothing about his garments offended the eye or outraged good taste, yet, +all the same, the man had "bounder" written all over him in large +letters. His impudent red face, his aggressively waxed moustache, and the +easy familiarity of his manner, caused Vera to shrink within herself, +though she could have been grateful to the fellow for the diversion which +his appearance had created. + +"Well, Fenwick, my buck!" he cried. "You didn't expect that I should +accept your invitation quite so promptly, but I happen to be knocking +around here, and I thought I'd drop in and join you in your chop. This is +your daughter, I suppose? Glad to make your acquaintance, miss. I was +told there were many beauties at Merton Grange, but I find that there is +one more than I expected." + +Vera merely bowed in reply. The man was so frankly, hopelessly, utterly +vulgar that her uppermost feeling was one of amusement. She could see +that Fenwick was terribly annoyed, though for some reason he had to keep +himself in hand and be agreeable to Blossett. + +"Sit down," he said. "Ring the bell, and we will get another cover laid. +I don't suppose you mind missing the soup." + +"I have been in the soup too often to care about it," Blossett laughed. +"To tell the truth, we had such a warm time last night that solid food +and myself are not on speaking terms just now. Here, waiter, fill me a +tumbler of champagne. I daresay when I have got that down my neck I shall +be able to pay my proper attentions to this young lady." + +Fenwick made no reply; he cut savagely at his fish as if he were passing +the knife over the throat of the intruder. Meanwhile the stranger rattled +on, doubtless under the impression that he was making himself exceedingly +agreeable. Vera sat there watching the scene with a certain sense of +amusement. She was still a little pale and unsteady, still doubtful as to +the amount of information that Fenwick had gleaned as to her movements +that afternoon. She would be glad to get away presently and try to +ascertain for herself whether the drugged man had recovered or not. +Meanwhile, there was no occasion for her to talk, as the intruder was +quite able to carry on all the necessary conversation. + +"This is mighty fine tipple," he said. "Waiter, give me another tumbler +of champagne. In my chequered career I don't often run up against this +class of lotion. The worst of it is, it makes one talk too fast, and +seeing that I have got to run the gauntlet with the next little parcel of +sparklers--" + +"Fool!" Fenwick burst out. His face was livid with rage, his eyes were +shot with passionate anger. "Fool! can't you be silent? Don't you see +that there is one here who is outside--" + +"Beg pardon," Blossett said, unsteadily. "I thought the young woman knew +all about it. Lord, with her dainty face and her aristocratic air, what a +bonnet she'd make. Wouldn't she look nice passing off as the daughter of +the old military swell with a fondness for a little game of cards? You +know what I mean--the same game that old Jim and his wife used to play." + +"Be silent," Fenwick thundered in a tone that at last seemed to +penetrate the thick skull of his companion. "My--my daughter knows +nothing of these things." + +Blossett stammered something incoherent, his manner became more sullen, +and long before dinner was completed it was evident that he had had far +more wine than was good for him. + +"If you will excuse me, I will leave you," Vera said coldly. "I do not +care for any dessert or coffee to-night." + +"Perhaps you had better go," Fenwick said with an air of relief. "I will +take care that this thing does not happen again." + +But Vera had already left the room; she was still consumed with anxiety, +and desired to know more of what had happened to the man whom Venner had +drugged. She did not dare venture as far as the little room, for fear +that suspicious eyes should be watching her. It was just possible that +Fenwick had given his satellites a hint to note her movements. Therefore, +all she could do was to sit in the drawing-room with the door open. Some +of the men began to pass presently, and after a little time, with a sigh +of relief, Vera caught sight of the one upon whom the trick of the snuff +was played. He seemed all right, as far as she could judge, and the girl +began to breathe a little more freely. + +As she sat there in the silence watching and waiting, she saw Fenwick and +his companion emerge from the dining-room and cross the hall in the +direction of the billiard room. Blossett was still talking lightly and +incoherently; he leant on the arm of his host, and obviously the support +was necessary. Vera had never before seen a drunken man under the same +roof as herself, and her soul revolted at the sight. How much longer was +this going on, she wondered? How much more would she be called upon to +endure? For the present, she had only to possess herself in patience and +hope for the best. She was longing now for something like action. The +silence and stillness of the house oppressed her; she would have liked to +be up and doing something. Anything better than sitting there. + +The silence was broken presently by the sound of angry voices proceeding +from the billiard-room. Half-a-dozen men seemed to be talking at the same +time--words floated to Vera's ears; then suddenly the noise ceased, as if +somebody had clapped down a lid upon the meeting. Vera guessed exactly +what had happened. The billiard-room door had been closed for fear of the +servants hearing what was going on. It was just possible that behind +those closed doors the mystery that had so puzzled Vera was being +unfolded. She recollected now that between the dining-and the +billiard-room was a fairly large conservatory opening on either side into +the apartments in question. It was just possible that Fenwick and his +companions might have overlooked the conservatory. At any rate, Vera +determined to take advantage of the chance. The conservatory was full of +palms and plants and flowers, behind which it was possible for the girl +to hide and listen to all that was going on. + +Vera fully understood the danger she was running, she quite appreciated +the fact that discovery might be visited with unpleasant consequences. +But this did not deter her for a moment. She was in the conservatory a +little later, and was not displeased to find that the door leading to +the billiard-room was open. Behind a thick mask of ferns she took her +stand. Between the feathery fronds she could see into the billiard-room +without being seen. Fenwick was standing by the side of the table laying +down the law about something, while the rest of his men were scattered +about the room. + +"Why should I do it?" Fenwick was saying. "Why should I trust a man +like you? You come down to-night on the most important errand, well +knowing the risks you are running, and you start by getting drunk at +the dinner table." + +"I wasn't drunk," Blossett said sullenly. "As to the girl, why, I +naturally expected--" + +"Who gave you the right to expect?" Fenwick demanded. "Couldn't you see +at a glance that she knew nothing about it. Another word and you would +have betrayed the whole thing. You can stay here all night and talk if +you like, but you are not going to have that parcel to take away to +London with you. In your present condition you would be in the hands of +the police before morning." + +"But I haven't got a cent," Blossett said. "I hadn't enough money in my +pocket to pay my cab fare from Canterbury; and don't you try on any of +your games with me, because I am not the sort of man to stand them. You +are a fine lot of workmen I know, but there isn't one of you who has the +pluck and ability to take two thousand pound's worth of that stuff and +turn it into cash in a week. Now look at the last parcel I had, I got +rid of it in such a manner that no one could possibly discover that I +ever handled the metal at all. Who among you could say the same thing?" + +"Oh, you are right enough so long as you keep sober," Fenwick said. "But, +all the same, I shall not trust you with the parcel that is waiting +upstairs." + +Vera listened, comprehending but little of what was going on. After all, +she seemed to be having only her trouble for her pains. Beyond doubt +these men were doing something illicit with the coinage of the country, +though Vera could not bring herself to believe that they were passing off +counterfeit money, seeing that the sovereigns were absolutely genuine. + +"Well, something has got to be done," another of the gang remarked. "We +are bound to have a few thousand during the next few days, and, as +Blossett says, there is nobody that can work the oracle as well as he +can. The best thing I can do is to go to town with him and keep a close +eye on him till he has pulled round once more. He can keep sober enough +on occasions if he likes, and once the drinking fit has passed he may be +right for weeks." + +"I am going to have no one with me," Blossett roared. "Do you think I am +going to be treated like a blooming kid? I tell you, I am the best man of +the lot of you. There isn't one of you can hold a candle to me. Fenwick, +with all his cunning, is a child compared with Ned Blossett. Ask any of +the old gang in New York, ask the blistering police if you like; and as +to the rest of you, who are you? A set of whitefaced mechanics, without +pluck enough to rob a hen-roost. Take that, you cur!" + +The speaker rose suddenly to his feet and lurched across the room in +Fenwick's direction. He aimed an unexpected blow at the latter which sent +him headlong to the floor, and immediately the whole room was a scene of +angry violence. + +Vera shrank back in her shelter, hardly knowing what to do next. She +saw that Blossett had disentangled himself from the mob about him and +was making his way headlong into the conservatory. There was nothing +for it but instant retreat. On the opposite side was a doorway leading +to the garden, and through this Vera hastily slipped and darted across +the grass, conscious of the noise and struggle going on behind. She +paused with a little cry of vexation as she came close to a man who was +standing on the edge of the lawn looking at the house. It was only for +a moment that she stood there in doubt; then a glad little cry broke +from her lips. + +"Charles," she said. "Mr. Evors, what are you doing here?" + +"We will come to that presently," Evors replied. "Meanwhile, you can be +observed from where you are, and those rioters yonder may make it awkward +for you. When they have patched up their quarrel, I will return to the +house with you and explain. We can get in by the little green door behind +the gunroom." + +Vera suffered herself to be led away, feeling now utterly unable to be +astonished at anything. They came at length to the secluded side of the +house, where the girl paused and looked at her companion for an +explanation. + +"You seem to be strangely familiar with this place," she said. "You walk +about here in the dark as if you had known this house all your lifetime, +Have you been here before?" + +"Many a time," Evors replied sadly. "Up to the time I was twenty my +happiest years were spent here. But I see you are still in the dark. +Cannot you guess who I really am, Vera? No? Then I will enlighten you. My +name is Charles Evors, and I am the only son of Lord Merton. I was born +here, and, if the Fates are good to me, some day I hope to die here." + + + + +CHAPTER XXI + +THE THIRD FINGER + + +Vera ought to have experienced a feeling of deepest surprise; but she was +long post any emotion of that kind. On the contrary, it seemed quite +natural that Evors should be there telling her this extraordinary thing. +The sounds of strife and tumult in the house had now died away; +apparently the men in the billiard-room had patched up their quarrel, for +nothing more could be heard save a sudden pop which sounded like the +withdrawal of a cork. With a gesture of contempt, Evors pointed to the +billiard-room window. + +"I don't think you need worry about them," he said. "As far as I can +judge, they were bound to come to some truce." + +"But do you know what they were doing?" Vera asked. + +"I haven't the remotest idea," Evors replied. "Some rascality, beyond +question. There always is rascality where Fenwick is concerned. Is it not +a strange thing that I should come down here and find that fellow settled +in the home of my ancestors?" + +"Then you did not come down on purpose to see him?" + +"No, I came here entirely on my own responsibility. If you have +half-an-hour to spare, and you think it quite safe, I will tell you +everything. But there is one thing first, one assurance you must give me, +or I am bound to remain silent. The death of your poor father in that +mysterious fashion--" + +"Stop," Vera said gently. "I know exactly what you are going to say. You +want me to believe that you had no hand whatever in my father's murder. +My dear Charles, I know it perfectly well. The only thing that puzzles +me is why you acted in that strange weak fashion after the discovery of +the crime." + +"That is exactly what I am going to tell you," Evors went on. "It is a +strange story, and one which, if you read it in the pages of a book, you +would be inclined to discredit entirely. And yet stranger and more +remarkable things happen every day." + +Evors led the way to a secluded path beside the terrace. + +"You need not worry about getting to the house," he said. "I can show you +how to manage that at any time of the day or night without disturbing +anybody. I am afraid that on many occasions I put my intimate knowledge +of the premises to an improper use, and that was the beginning of my +downfall. What will you say to me when I confess to you that when I came +out to Mexico I was driven out of the old country, more or less, like a +criminal?" + +"I understood you to be a little wild," Vera said. + +"A little wild!" Evors echoed bitterly. "I behaved in a perfectly +disgraceful fashion. I degraded the old name, I made it a byword in the +district. As sure as I am standing here at the present moment, I am more +or less answerable for my mother's death. It is a strange thing with us +Evors that all the men begin in this way. I suppose it is some taint in +our blood. Up to the age of five-and-twenty, we have always been more +like devils than men, and then, for the most part, we have settled down +to wipe out the past and become respectable members of society. I think +my father recognised that, though he was exceedingly hard and stern with +me. Finally, after one more unusually disgraceful episode, he turned me +out of the house, and said he hoped never to look upon my face again. I +was deeply in debt, I had not a penny that I could call my own, and, +finally, I drifted out to Mexico with the assistance of a boon +companion. On the way out I took a solemn oath that I would do my best +to redeem the past. I felt heartily ashamed of my evil ways; and for six +months no one could possibly have led a purer and better life than +myself. It was about this time that I became acquainted with your father +and your sister Beth." + +Evors paused a moment and paced up and down the avenue with Vera by his +side. She saw that he was disturbed about something, so that she deemed +it best not to interrupt him. + +"It was like getting back to a better world again," Evors went on. "I +believed that I had conquered myself; I felt pretty sure of it, or I +would have never encouraged the friendship with your sister, which she +offered me from the first. I don't know how it was or why it was that I +did not see much of you about that time, but you were not in the +mountains with the others." + +"I was down in the city," Vera explained. "There was a friend of mine who +had had a long serious illness, and I was engaged in nursing her. That is +the reason." + +"But it doesn't much matter," Evors went on. "You were not there to watch +my friendship for Beth ripening into a warmer and deeper feeling. Mind +you, she had not the remotest idea who I really was, nor had your father. +They were quite content to take me on trust, they had no vulgar curiosity +as to my past. And then the time came when Beth discovered what my +feelings were, and I knew that she had given her heart to me. I had not +intended to speak, I had sternly schooled myself to hold my tongue until +I had completed my probation; but one never knows how these things come +about. It was all so spontaneous, so unexpected--and before I knew what +had really happened, we were engaged. It was the happiest time of my +life. I had rid myself of all my bad habits. I was in the full flush and +vigor of my manhood. I did not say anything to Beth about the past, +because I felt that she would not understand, but I told your father +pretty nearly everything except who I really was, for I had made up my +mind not to take the old name again until I had really earned the right +to do so. Of course, the name of Evors conveyed no impression to anybody. +It did not imply that I was heir to Lord Merton. Your father was +intensely friendly and sympathetic, he seemed to understand exactly. We +became more than friends, and this is how it came about that I +accompanied him finally on one of his secret visits to the Four Finger +Mine. Your father's regular journeys to the mine had resulted in his +becoming a rich man, and, as you know, he always kept the secret to +himself, taking nobody with him as a rule, with the exception of Felix +Zary. I will speak of Zary again presently. You know how faithful he was +to your father, and how he would have laid down his life for him." + +"Zary was an incomprehensible character," Vera said. "He was one of the +surviving, or, rather, the only surviving member of the tribe who placed +the Four Finger Mine in my father's hands. That was done solely out of +gratitude, and Zary steadfastly declined to benefit one penny from the +gold of the mine. He had a curious contempt for money, and he always +said that the gold from the Four Finger Mine had brought a curse on his +tribe. I really never got to the bottom of it, and I don't suppose I ever +shall; but I am interrupting you, Charles. Will you please go on with +your story." + +"Where was I?" Evors asked. "Oh, yes, I was just leading up to the time +when I accompanied your father on his last fatal journey to the mine. At +one time I understand it was his intention to take with him the +Dutchman, Van Fort, or your mother's brother, Mark Fenwick. However, +your father decided against this plan, and I went with him instead. To a +great extent it was my doing so that kept Van Fort and Fenwick out of +it, for I distrusted both those men, and I believed that they would have +been guilty of any crime to learn the secret of the mine. Your father, +always trustful and confiding, laughed at my fears, and we started on +that fateful journey. I don't want to harrow your feelings +unnecessarily, or describe in detail how your father died; but he was +foully murdered, and, as sure as I am in the presence of my Maker, the +murder was accomplished either by the Dutchman or Fenwick, or between +the two of them. Zary mysteriously vanished about the same time, and +there was no one to back me up in my story. You may judge of my horror +and surprise a little later when Van Fort and Fenwick entered into a +deliberate conspiracy to prove that I was responsible for your father's +death. They laid their plans with such a diabolical ingenuity that, had +I been placed upon my trial at that time, I should have been hanged to a +certainty. They even went so far as to tell Beth what had happened, with +what result upon her mind you know. At this time Van Fort disappeared, +and was never heard of again. Of the strange weird vengeance which +followed him I will talk another time. I suppose I lost my nerve +utterly, for I became as clay in the hands of Mark Fenwick. Badly as he +was treating me, he professed to be my friend, and assured me he had +found a way by which I could escape from the death which threatened me. +Goodness only knows what he had in his mind; perhaps he wanted to part +Beth and myself and get all your father's money into his hands. I +suppose he reckoned without your brother, though the latter did not +count for much just then, seeing that he was in the hospital at Vera +Cranz, hovering between life and death, as the result of his accident. +For my own part, I never believed it was an accident at all. I believed +that Fenwick engineered the whole business. But that is all by the way. +Like the weak fool that I was, I fell in with Fenwick's suggestion and +allowed myself to become a veritable tool in his hands, but I did not go +till I heard that you had come back again to look after Beth." + +Vera recollected the time perfectly well; she was following Evors' +narrative with breathless interest. How well she recollected the day +of her own marriage and the receipt of that dreadful letter, which +parted Gerald and herself on the very steps of the altar, and +transformed her life from one of happiness into one of absolute +self-sacrifice. She was beginning to see daylight now, she was +beginning to discern a way at length, whereby she would be able to defy +Fenwick and part with him for all time. + +"It is getting quite plain now," she said. "But please go on. You cannot +think how deeply interested I am in all you are saying. Presently I will +tell you my side of the story. How I came to part with Beth, how I placed +her in my brother's hands, how I elected to remain with Mark Fenwick, and +my reasons for so doing. I may say that one of my principal reasons for +staying with my uncle was to discover the real cause of my father's +death. That you had anything to do with it I never really believed, +though appearances were terribly against you, and you deliberately +elected to make them look worse. But we need not go into that now. What +happened to you after you fled from Mexico?" + +"I am very much afraid that I dropped back into the old habits," Evors +said, contritely. "I was reckless and desperate, and cared nothing for +anybody. I had honestly done my best to atone for the past, and it seemed +to me that Fate was dealing with me with a cruelty which I did not +deserve. One or two of Fenwick's parasites accompanied me everywhere; +there seemed to be no lack of money, and I had pretty well all I wanted. +There were times, of course, when I tried to break the spell, but they +used to drug me then, until my mind began to give way under the strain. +Sometimes we were in Paris, sometimes we were in London, but I have not +the slightest recollection of how I got from one place to another. I was +like a man who is constantly on the verge of delirium. How long this had +been going on I can't tell you, but finally I came to my senses in the +house in London, and there for two days I was practically all right. All +through this time I had the deepest horror of the drink with which they +plied me, and on this occasion the horror had grown no less. For some +reason or another, no doubt it was an oversight, they neglected me for +two days, and I began to get rapidly better. Then, by the purest chance +in the world, I discovered that I was actually under the same roof as +Beth and your brother, and the knowledge was like medicine to me. I +refused everything those men offered me, I demanded to be allowed to go +out on business. They refused, and a strange new strength filled my +veins. I contrived to get the better of the two men, and half an hour +afterward I left the house in company with your brother." + +All this was news indeed to Vera, but she asked no questions--she was +quite content to stand there and listen to all that Evors had to say. + +"I would not stay with your brother," he went on. "I went off +immediately to an old friend of mine, to whom I told a portion of my +story. He supplied me with money and clothing, and advised me that the +best thing I could do was to go quietly away into the country and give +myself an entire rest. I followed his advice, and I drifted down here, I +suppose, in the same way that an animal finds his way home. I did not +know my father was away, and you can imagine my surprise when I +discovered to whom he had left the house. I feel pretty much myself now; +there is no danger of my showing the white feather again. If you are in +any trouble or distress, a line to the address on this card will bring me +to you at any time. In this house there are certain hiding-places where I +could secrete myself without anybody being the wiser; but we need not go +into that. Now perhaps you had better return to the house, or you may be +missed. Good-night, Vera. You cannot tell how wonderfully helpful your +sympathy has been to me." + +He was gone a moment later, and Vera returned slowly and thoughtfully to +the house. The place was perfectly quiet now; the billiard-room door was +open, and Vera could see that the apartment was deserted. Apparently the +household had retired to rest, though it seemed to be nobody's business +to fasten up the doors. Most of the lights were out, for it was getting +very late now, so that there was nothing for it but for Vera to go up +the stairs to her own room. She had hardly reached the landing when a +door halfway down burst open, and Fenwick stood there shouting at the top +of his voice for such of his men as he mentioned by name. He seemed to be +almost beside himself with passion, though at the same time his face was +pallid with a terrible fear. He held a small object in his hand, which he +appeared to regard with disgust and loathing. + +"Why don't some of you come out?" he yelled. "You drunken dogs, where +have you all gone to? Let the man come out who has played this trick on +me, and I'll break every bone in his body." + +One or two heads emerged, and presently a little group stood around the +enraged and affrighted Fenwick. Standing in a doorway, Vera could hear +every word that passed. + +"I locked my door after dinner," Fenwick said. "It is a patent lock, no +key but mine will fit it. When I go to bed I find this thing lying on the +dressing table." + +"Another of the fingers," a voice cried. "The third finger. Are you quite +sure that you locked your door?" + +"I'll swear it," Fenwick yelled. "And if one of you--but, of course, it +can't be one of you. There is no getting rid of this accursed thing. And +when the last one comes--" + +Fenwick stopped as if something choked him. + + + + +CHAPTER XXII + +"THE TIME WILL COME" + + +The startled group on the stairs stood gazing at Fenwick as if they were +stricken dumb. There was not one of them who had the slightest advice to +offer, not one of them but felt that Fenwick's time was close at hand. +Every man there knew by heart the strange story of the Four Finger Mine, +and of the vengeance which had overtaken the Dutchman. The same unseen +vengeance was very near Fenwick now; he had had his three warnings, and +there was but one more to come before the final note of tragedy was +struck. Most of them looked with dazed fascination at the mutilated left +hand of their chief. + +"How did you lose yours?" somebody whispered. + +"Don't ask me," Fenwick said hoarsely. "I break into a cold sweat +whenever I think of it. But why don't you do what I tell you? Why don't +you find Zary? Find him out and bring him down here, and then I can laugh +at the vengeance of the Four Fingers. But I have my plans laid, and I +shall know how to act when the times comes. Now you all get off to bed +again and forget all my foolishness. I suppose I was startled by seeing +that accursed thing lying on my table, and lost my nerve." + +The little group melted away, and once more the house became silent. When +morning came there was no sign or suggestion of the events of the night +before. For the first time for many months, Vera felt comparatively +happy. She felt, too, that at last she was reaping the reward of all her +self-sacrifice, and was approaching the time when she would be able to +throw off the yoke and take up her life at the point where she had +dropped it. She could afford to wait on events now; she could afford to +possess her soul in patience till the hour and the man came together. + +Somewhat to her relief, Fenwick did not appear at breakfast, so that, for +once, she could partake of the meal in comparative comfort. Swaggering up +and down the terrace outside, with a large cigar in his mouth, was the +man who called himself Blossett. He had the air of one who is waiting for +something; possibly he was waiting for the parcel which had been the +means of breeding last night's disturbance in the billiard-room. Anyway, +Vera noticed that Fenwick was very busy up and downstairs, and that all +his parasites had gathered in the little room at the end of the corridor. +For the present, at any rate, Vera's curiosity was satisfied. She had no +intention of running any more risks, and as soon as she had finished her +breakfast she went out into the grounds, with no intention of returning +before lunch. She made her way across the wood which led to the high +road, on the possible chance of meeting Gerald. It was not Gerald, +however, who advanced from the deepest part of the copse to meet her, but +the thin, cadaverous form of Felix Zary. He advanced towards the girl, +and, in a grave, respectful way, he lifted her hand to his lips. + +"You had not expected me, dear lady," he said. + +"Well no, Felix," Vera said. "Though I am not in the least surprised. I +suppose Mr. Venner has been to see you and has explained to you the +meaning of that sheet of blank paper which reached you in an envelope +bearing my handwriting." + +"I have seen Mr. Venner," Zary replied in his smooth, respectful, even +voice, "and he explained to me. I did not suspect--if I had received your +letter I should have come to you at once--I believe I would come beyond +the grave at the call of one bearing the beloved name of Le Fenu. There +is nothing I would not do for you. At this moment I owe my life to your +resourcefulness and courage. Had I come in response to your letter, I +should never have left the house alive. Fenwick would have murdered me, +and the vengeance of the Four Fingers would have been lost." + +"Why should it not be?" Vera said with a shudder. "Why extract blood for +blood in this fashion? Can all your revenge bring my dear father back to +life again? And yet the vengeance draws nearer and nearer, as I know. I +saw Mark Fenwick last night after he had received the third of those +dreadful messages, and he was frightened to the depths of his soul. Let +me implore you not to go any further--" + +"It is not for me to say yes or no," Zary responded in the same quiet, +silky manner. It seemed almost impossible to identify this man with +murder and outrage. "I am but an instrument. I can only follow the +dictates of my instinct. I cannot get away from the traditions of the +tribe to which I belong. For two years now I have been a wanderer on the +face of the earth; I have been in many strange cities and seen many +strange things; with the occult science that I inherited from my +ancestors, the Aztecs, I have earned my daily bread. I am what some call +a medium, some call a conjurer, some call a charlatan and a quack. It is +all the same what they call me, so long as I have the knowledge. For +generations the vengeance of the Four Fingers has descended upon those +who violate the secret of the mine, and so it must be to the end of time. +If I did not obey the voice within me, if I refused to recognise the +forms of my ancestors as they come to me in dreams, I should for ever and +ever be a spirit wandering through space. Ah, dear lady, there are things +you do not know, things, thank God, beyond your comprehension, so, +therefore, do not interfere. Rest assured that this thing is absolute and +inevitable." + +Zary spoke with a certain gentle inspiration, as if all this was part of +some ritual that he was repeating by heart. Quiet, almost timid as he +looked, Vera knew from past experience that no efforts of hers could turn +him from his intention. That he would do anything for a Le Fenu she knew +full well, and all this in return for some little kindness which her +father had afforded one or two of the now almost extinct tribe from which +had come the secret of the Four Finger Mine. And Zary was absolutely the +last of his race. There would be none to follow him. + +"Very well," she said, "I see that anything I could say would be wasted +on you, nor would I ask you what you are going to do next, because I am +absolutely convinced that you would not tell me if I did. Still, I have a +right to know--" + +"You have a right to know nothing," Zary said, in a tone of deep +humility. "But do not be afraid--the vengeance will not fall yet, for are +not the warnings still incomplete? I will ask you to leave me here and go +your way." + +There was nothing for it but to obey, and Vera passed slowly through the +wood in the direction of the high road. A strange weird smile flickered +about the corner of Zary's mouth, as he stood there still and motionless, +like some black statue. His lips moved, but no words came from them. He +appeared to be uttering something that might have passed for a silent +prayer. He took a battered gold watch from his pocket and consulted it +with an air of grim satisfaction. Then, suddenly, he drew behind a +thicket of undergrowth, for his quick ears detected the sound of +approaching footsteps. Almost immediately the big form of Fenwick loomed +in the opening, and a hoarse voice asked if somebody were there. Zary +stepped out again and confronted Fenwick, who started back as if the slim +black apparition had been a ghost. + +"You here!" he stammered. "I did not expect to see you--I came here +prepared to find somebody quite different." + +"It matters little whom you came to find," Zary said. "The message sent +to bring you here was merely a ruse of mine. Murderer and treacherous dog +that you are, so you thought to get me here in the house among your hired +assassins by means of the letter which you compelled my dear mistress to +write? Are you mad that you should pit your paltry wits against mine?" + +"I am as good as you," Fenwick said. + +"Oh, you rave," Zary went on. "I am the heir of the ages. A thousand +years of culture, of research, of peeps behind the veil, have gone to +make me what I am. Your scientists and your occult researchers think they +have discovered much, but, compared with me, they are but as children +arguing with sages. Before the letter was written, the spirits that float +on the air had told me of its coming. I have only to raise my hand and +you wither up like a drop of dew in the eye of the sunshine. I have only +to say the word and you die a thousand lingering deaths in one--but for +such cattle as you the vengeance of the Four Fingers is enough. You shall +die even as the Dutchman died, you shall perish miserably with your +reason gone and your nerves shattered. If you could see yourself now as I +can see you, with that dreadful look of fear haunting your eyes, you +would know that the dread poison had already begun its work. The third +warning came to you last night, the message that you should get your +affairs in order and be prepared for the inevitable. The Dutchman is no +more, his foul wretch of a wife died, a poor wreck of a woman, bereft of +sense and reason." + +"This is fine talk," Fenwick stammered. "What have you against me that +you should threaten me like this?" + +Zary raised his hand aloft with a dramatic gesture; his great round black +eyes were filled with a luminous fire. + +"Listen," he said. "Listen and heed. I am the last of my race, a race +which has been persecuted by the alien and interloper for the last three +centuries. Time was when we were a great and powerful people, educated +and enlightened beyond the dreams of to-day. Our great curse was the +possession of large tracts of land which contained the gold for which +you Eastern people are prepared to barter honor and integrity and +everything that the honest man holds dear. For it you are prepared to +sacrifice your wives and children, you are prepared to cut the throat of +your best friend. When you found your heart's desire in my country, you +came in your thousands, and by degrees murders and assassination worked +havoc with my tribe. It was not till quite recently that there came +another man from the East, a different class of creature altogether. I +am alluding to your late brother-in-law, George Le Fenu. He sought no +gold or treasure; he came to us, he healed us of diseases of which we +knew no cure. And in return for that we gave him the secret of the Four +Finger Mine. It was because he had the secret of the mine and because he +refused to share it with you that you and the Dutchman, with the aid of +his foul wife, killed him." + +"It's a lie," Fenwick stammered. "George Le Fenu suffered nothing at my +hands. It was the young man Evors." + +"It is false," Zary thundered. His eyes were dark, and in a sudden flood +of fury he reached out a long thin hand and clutched Fenwick by the +collar. "Why tell me this when I know so well how the whole thing +happened? I can give it you now chapter and verse, only it would merely +be a waste of breath. I declare as I stand here with my hand almost +touching your flesh that I can scarcely wait for the vengeance, so eager +am I to extract the debt that you owe to George Le Fenu and his +children." + +By way of reply, Fenwick dashed his fist full into the face of Zary. The +latter drew back just in time to avoid a crushing blow; then his long +thin arms twisted about the form of his bulky antagonist as a snake winds +about his prey. So close and tenacious, so wonderfully tense was the +grip, that Fenwick fairly gasped for breath. He had not expected a virile +force like this in one so slender. A bony leg was pressed into the small +of his back--he tottered backward and lay upon the mossy turf with Zary +with one bony hand at his throat, on the top of him. It was all so sudden +and so utterly unexpected that Fenwick could only gasp in astonishment. +Then he became conscious of the fact that Zary's great luminous eyes were +bent, full of hate, upon his face. A long curved knife gleamed in the +sunshine. Very slowly the words came from Zary. + +"I could finish you now," he whispered. "I could end it once and for all. +It is only for me to put in action the forces that I know of, and you +would utterly vanish from here, leaving no trace behind. One swift blow +of this knife--" + +"What are you doing?" a voice asked eagerly. "Zary, have you taken leave +of your senses? Release him at once, I say." + +Very slowly Zary replaced the knife in his pocket and rose to his feet. +There was not the least trace of his recent passion--he was perfectly +calm and collected, his breathing was as even and regular as it had been +before the onslaught. + +"You are quite right, master," he said. "I had almost forgotten myself. I +am humiliated and ashamed. The mere touch of that man is pollution. We +shall meet again, Mr. Evors." + +Zary went calmly away and vanished in the thick undergrowth as quickly +and mysteriously as if he had been spirited from the spot. Fenwick rose +to his feet and wiped the stains from his clothing. + +"I certainly owe you one for that," he growled. "That fellow would most +assuredly have murdered me if you had not come up just at the right +moment. It is fortunate, too, that you should have turned up here just +now. Come as far as the house. I should like to say a few words to you +in private." + +It was well, perhaps, that Evors could not see the expression of his +companion's face, that he did not note the look of mingled triumph and +malice that distorted it. It never for a moment occurred to him as +possible that black treachery could follow so closely upon the heels of +his own magnanimity. Without the slightest demur he followed Fenwick to +the house. The latter led the way upstairs into a room overlooking the +ancient part of the house, murmuring something to the effect that here +was the thing that he wished to show Evors. They were inside the room at +length, then, with a muttered excuse, Fenwick hastened from the room. +The key clicked in the door outside, and Evors knew that he was once +more a prisoner. + +"You stay there till I want you," Fenwick cried. "I'll teach you to play +these tricks on me after all I have done for you." + +"You rascal," Evors responded. "And so you think that you have me a +prisoner once more. Walk to the end of the corridor and back, then come +in here again and I will have a pleasant surprise for you. You need not +be afraid--I am not armed." + +Perhaps some sudden apprehension possessed Fenwick, for he turned rapidly +as he was walking away and once more opened the door. Evors had been as +good as his word--the surprise which he had promised Fenwick was complete +and absolute. + +"Vanished," Fenwick cried. "Gone! Curse him, what can have become of +him?" + + + + +CHAPTER XXIII + +SMOKED OUT + + +A feeling of helpless exasperation gripped Fenwick to the exclusion of +all other emotions. Everything seemed to be going wrong just now; turn +in any direction he pleased some obstacle blocked his path. Like most +cunning criminals he could never quite dispossess himself of the idea +that honesty and cleverness never went together. All honest men were +fools of necessity, and therefore the legitimate prey of rogues like +himself. And yet, though he was more or less confronted now with men of +integrity, he was as helpless in their hands as if he had been a child. +The maddening part of the whole thing was his inability to find anything +to strike. He was like a general leading an army into the dark in a +strange country, and knowing all the time that he had cunning unseen +foes to fight. + +Thoughts like these were uppermost in Fenwick's mind as he gazed in +consternation about the little room from which Evors had vanished. So far +as Fenwick knew, Evors had saved his life from Zary, but that had not +prevented Fenwick from behaving in a dastardly fashion. It seemed to him +as if Fate were playing into his hands by bringing Evors here at this +moment. Hitherto he had found Evors such plastic material that he had +never seriously considered him in the light of a foe. Now, for the first +time, he saw how greatly he had been mistaken. + +"Where can the fellow have gone to?" he muttered. "And whence comes his +intimate knowledge of the house?" + +He tapped the walls, he examined the floor, but there was no sign +whatever of the means by which Evors had made good his escape. + +Fenwick furiously rang the bell and demanded that the old caretaker +should be sent to him at once. The man came to him, shambling unsteadily +along and breathing fast as if he had been running. His aged features +were quivering with some strange excitement, as Fenwick did not fail to +notice, despite his own perturbation. + +"What on earth is the matter with you?" he exclaimed. "You look as if you +had seen a ghost! What is it? Speak up, man!" + +"It isn't that, sir," the old man said in trembling tones. "It is a sight +that I never expected to see again. A bit wild he was--aye, a rare +handful at times, though we were all precious fond of him. And to see him +back here again like this--" + +"What the devil are you talking about?" Fenwick burst out furiously. "The +old fool is in his second childhood." + +"It was the young master," the caretaker babbled on. "Why, you could +have knocked me down with a feather when he came in the house with you. +As soon as I set eyes on Mr. Charles--" + +"Mr. what?" Fenwick asked. "Oh, I see what you mean. You are speaking of +Mr. Evors, who came in with me." + +"That's it, sir, that's it," the old man said. "Mr. Evors, only we used +to call him Mr. Charles." + +Fenwick began to understand. + +"Let's have it out," he said. "Mr. Evors, whom you saw with me just now, +is Lord Merton's only son?" + +"That he be, sir, that he be. And to think that he should come home like +this. It'll be a good day for the old house when he returns to settle +down altogether." + +Fenwick dismissed the old man with a contemptuous gesture. He had found +out all he wanted to know, though his information had come to him as an +unpleasant surprise. It was a strange coincidence that Fenwick should +have settled upon Merton Grange for a dwelling-place, and thus had picked +out the actual home of the young man who had suffered so much at his +hands. But there was something beyond this that troubled Fenwick. It was +a disturbing thought to know that Charles Evors could find his way about +the house in this mysterious fashion. It was a still more disturbing +thought to feel that Evors might be in league with those who were +engaged in tracking down the so-called millionaire. There were certain +things going on which it was imperative to keep a profound secret. +Doubtless there were secret passages and panels in this ancient house, +and Fenwick turned cold at the thought that perhaps prying eyes had +already solved the problem of the little room at the end of the corridor. +He lost no time in calling his parasites about him. In a few words he +told them what had happened. + +"Don't you see what it means?" he said. "Charles Evors is here, he has +come back to his old home, and what is more he has come back to keep an +eye on us. I feel pretty certain that someone is behind him. Very likely +it is that devil Zary. If the police were to walk in now, guided by +Evors, we should be caught like rats in a trap. I didn't want to trust +that stuff to Blossett, but he must get away with it now without delay. +There is a train about twelve o'clock to London, and he must get one of +the servants to drive him over in a dogcart. Now don't stand gazing at me +with your mouths open like that, for goodness knows how close the danger +is. Get the stuff away at once." + +The man Blossett came into the garden, a big cigar between his lips. He +laughed in his insolent fashion when he was told of his errand. The hot +blood was in Fenwick's face, but he had not time to quarrel with the +swaggering Blossett. + +"I thought you would come to your senses," the latter said. "Nobody +like me to do a little thing of that sort. Now let me have the case and +I'll be off without delay. Better put it in a Gladstone bag. If I have +any luck I shall be back here to-night, and then we can share the +bank-notes and there will be an end of the matter. You had better sink +all the materials in the moat. Not that I am afraid of anything +happening, myself." + +Half an hour later Blossett was being bowled down the drive behind a +fleet horse. A little later still, as the train pulled out of the +station, Egan and Grady stood there watching it with rueful faces. Venner +was with them, and smiled to himself, despite the unfortunate nature of +the situation. + +"I thought we had cut it a bit too fine," Grady said. "It is all the +fault of that confounded watch of mine. Now what's the best thing to be +done? Shall we telegraph to Scotland Yard and ask to have Blossett +detained when he reaches Victoria?" + +"I don't quite like the idea," Egan said. "If we were English detectives +it wouldn't much matter, but I guess I don't want Scotland Yard to have +the laugh of me like this. It may cost a deal of money, and I shall +probably have to pay it out of my own pocket, but I am going to have a +special train." + +"My good man," Venner said, "it is absurd to think that you can get a +special train at a roadside station like this. Probably they do things +differently in America, but if you suggest a special to the +station-master here, he will take you for an amiable lunatic. I have an +idea that may work out all right, though it all depends upon whether the +train that has gone out of the station is a fast or a slow one." + +The inquiry proved the fact that the train was a slow one, stopping at +every station. It would be quite two hours in reaching Victoria. Venner +smiled with the air of a man who is well pleased with himself. He turned +eagerly to his companions. + +"I think I've got it," he said. "We will wound Fenwick with one of his +own weapons. It will be the easiest thing in the world to got from here +to Victoria well under two hours in a motor." + +"I guess that's about true," Grady said, drily. "But what applies to +the special equally applies to the motor. Where are we to get the +machine from?" + +"Borrow Fenwick's," Venner said. "I understand the working of a Mercedes, +and, I know where the car is kept. If I go about this thing boldly, our +success is assured. Then you can wait for me at the cross roads and I can +pick you up." + +"Well, you can try it on, sir," Egan said doubtfully. "If you fail we +must telegraph to Scotland Yard." + +But Venner had not the slightest intention of failing. There were no +horses in the stable at Merton Grange, and consequently no helpers +loafing about the yard. There stood the big car, and on a shelf all the +necessaries for setting the machine in motion. In an incredibly short +space of time Venner had backed the Mercedes into the yard; he turned her +dexterously, and a moment later was speeding down a side avenue which led +to the Park. The good old saying that fortune favors the brave was not +belied in this instance, for Venner succeeded in reaching the high road +without mishap. It was very long odds against his theft being discovered, +at any rate, for some considerable time; and even if the car were +missing, no one could possibly identify its loss with the chase after +Blossett. It was consequently in high spirits that the trio set out on +their journey. Naturally enough Venner was curious to know what the +criminal charge would be. + +"Though I have found out a good deal," he said, "I am still utterly at a +loss to know what these fellows have been up to. Of course, I quite +understand that there is some underhand business with regard to certain +coins--but then those coins are real gold, and it would not pay anybody +to counterfeit sovereigns worth twenty shillings apiece." + +"You don't think so," Egan said, drily. "We shall be able to prove the +contrary presently. But hadn't you better wait, sir, till the critical +moment comes?" + +"Very well," Venner laughed good-naturedly. "I'll wait and see what +dramatic surprise you have in store for me." + +The powerful car sped over the roads heedless of police traps or other +troubles of that kind, and some time before the appointed hour for the +arrival of Blossett's train in London they had reached Victoria. It was +an easy matter to store the car in a neighboring hotel, and presently +they had the satisfaction of seeing Blossett swagger from a first-class +carriage with a heavy Gladstone bag in his hand. He called a cab and was +rapidly driven off in the direction of the city. Egan in his turn called +another cab, giving the driver strict injunctions to keep the first +vehicle in sight. It was a long chase, but it came to an end presently +outside an office in Walbrook. Blossett paid his man and walked slowly up +a flight of steps, carrying his bag. He paused at length before a door +which was marked "Private," and also placarded the information that here +was the business place of one Drummond, commission agent. Scarcely had +the door closed on Blossett than Egan followed without ceremony. He +motioned the other two to remain behind; he had some glib story to tell +the solitary clerk in the outer office, from whom he gleaned the +information that Mr. Drummond was engaged on some particular business and +could not see him for some time. + +"Very well," he said; "I'll wait and read the paper." + +He sat there patiently for some five minutes, his quick ears strained to +catch the faintest sound of what was taking place in the inner office. +There came presently the chink of metal, whereupon the watcher whistled +gently and his comrade and Venner entered the room. Very coolly Egan +crossed over and locked the door. + +"Now, my young friend," he said to the astonished clerk, "you will oblige +me by not making a single sound. I don't suppose for a moment you have +had anything to do with this; in fact, from your bewildered expression, I +am certain that you haven't. Now tell me how long have you been in your +present situation." + +"About three months," the clerk replied. "If you gentlemen happen to be +police officers--" + +"That is exactly what we are," Grady smiled. "Do you find business +brisk--plenty of clients about?" + +The clerk shook his head. He was understood to say that business was +inclined to be slack. He was so frightened and uneasy that it was +somewhat difficult to discern what he was talking about. From time to +time there came sounds of tinkling metal from the inner office. Then +Grady crossed the floor and opened the door. He stepped inside +nimbly, there was a sudden cry, and then the voice of the detective +broke out harshly. + +"Now drop it," he said. "Keep your hands out of your pocket--there are +three of us here altogether, and the more fuss you make the worse it will +be for both of you. You know perfectly well who I am, Blossett; and we +are old friends, too, Mr. Drummond, though I don't know you by that name. +You will come with me--" + +"But what's the charge?" Blossett blustered. "I am doing business with my +friend here quite in a legitimate way." + +"Counterfeit coining," Grady said crisply. "Oh, we know all about it, so +you need not try to bluff it out in that way. I'll call a cab, and we can +drive off comfortably to Bow Street." + +All the swaggering impudence vanished from Blossett. As for his +companion, he had not said a word from start to finish. It was about an +hour later that Venner and his companions were seated at lunch at a hotel +in Covent Garden, and Venner was impatiently waiting to hear what was the +charge which had laid Blossett and his companion by the heels. Grady +smiled as he drew from his pocket what appeared to be a brand new +sovereign. + +"This is it," he said. "A counterfeit. You wouldn't think so to look at +it, would you? It appears to be perfectly genuine. If you will balance it +on your finger you will find that it is perfect weight, and as to the +finish it leaves nothing to be desired. And yet that coin is false, +though it contains as much gold as any coin that you have in your purse." + +"Now I begin to understand," Venner exclaimed. "I have already told you +all about my discovery at the Empire Hotel, also what happened quite +recently at Merton Grange. I could not for the life of me understand what +those fellows had to gain by making sovereigns red-hot. Of course, I took +them to be real sovereigns--" + +"Well, so they are practically," Egan said. "They contain absolutely as +much gold as an English coin of equal value. They are made from the metal +Fenwick managed to loot from the Four Finger Mine." + +"What, do you know all about that?" Venner cried. + +"We know all about everything," Grady said gravely. "We have been +tracking Fenwick for years, and it is a terrible indictment we shall have +to lay against him when the proper time comes. We shall prove beyond the +shadow of a doubt that he was one of the murderers of Mr. George Le Fenu +--but we need not go into that now, for I see you are anxious to know all +about the trick of the sovereigns. After Fenwick was compelled to abandon +the Four Finger Mine, he found himself with a great deal less gold than +he had expected. Then he hit upon the ingenious scheme which we are here +to expose. His plan was to make sovereigns and half-sovereigns, and put +them on the market as genuine coins. Now do you see what he had to gain +by this ingenious programme?" + + + + +CHAPTER XXIV + +THE MOUTH OF THE NET + + +"I am afraid I am very dense," Venner said, "but I quite fail to see how +a man could make a fortune by selling for a sovereign an article that +cost him twenty shillings, to say nothing of the trouble and cost of +labor and the risk of being discovered--" + +"As a matter of fact, the risk is comparatively small," Grady said. "It +was only by a pure accident that we got on the inside track of this +matter. You see, the coins are of actual face value, they are most +beautifully made, and, indeed, would pass anywhere. Let me tell you that +every sovereign contains a certain amount of alloy which reduces its +actual value to about eighteen and threepence. Now you can see where the +profit comes in. Supposing these men turn out a couple of thousand +sovereigns a day--no very difficult matter with a plant like theirs; and, +of course, the money can be disposed of with the greatest possible ease. +This leaves a profit of a hundred and seventy-five pounds a day. When I +have said so much, I think I have told you everything. Don't you admire +the ingenuity of an idea like this?" + +It was all perfectly plain now--indeed, the mystery appeared to be +ridiculously simple now that it was explained. + +"And what are you going to do now?" Venner asked. + +Grady explained that the next step would be the arrest of Fenwick and his +gang at Merton Grange. For that purpose it would be necessary to enlist +the assistance of the local authorities. And in no case did the American +detectives purpose to effect the arrest before night. So far as Venner +was concerned, he was quite at liberty to accompany the Americans on +their errand; at the same time they let him infer that here was a +situation in which they preferred his room to his company. + +"As you will," Venner smiled. "So far as I am concerned, I am going to +get back to Canterbury as soon as I can. With all your preparations you +have an exceedingly clever man to deal with, and it is just possible that +by this time Fenwick already knows that you have laid the messenger by +the heels. Men of that sort never trust one another, and it is +exceedingly probable that Blossett has been watched." + +Grady and Egan admitted this possibility cheerfully enough. Doubtless +they had made plans which they did not care to communicate to Venner. He +left them presently, only to discover to his annoyance that he had just +missed a train to Canterbury, and that there was not another one till +nearly six o'clock. It was quite dark when he stepped out of the carriage +at Canterbury Station and stood debating whether he should walk as far as +the lodgings he had taken near Merton Grange, or call a cab. As he was +idly making up his mind, he saw to his surprise the figure of the +handsome cripple descending from the next carriage. He noted, too, that +the cripple did not seem anything like as feeble as before, though he +appeared to be glad enough to lean on the arm of a servant. At the same +moment Le Fenu was joined by Evors, who came eagerly forward and shook +him warmly by the hand. What these two were doing here, and what they had +in their minds, it was not for Venner to say. He wondered what they would +think if they knew how close he was, and how deeply interested he was in +their movements. He hung back in the shadow, for just then he did not +want to be recognised by Le Fenu. + +"What a queer tangle it all is," he said to himself. "If I spoke to Le +Fenu, he would recognise me in a moment as an old friend of his father's. +I wonder what he would say to me if he knew I was his brother-in-law +--and Evors, too. Imagine their astonishment if I walked up to them at +this moment. Still, on the whole, I think I prefer to watch their +movements. If they are going to thrust their heads into the lion's mouth, +perhaps I may be able to stand by and render some assistance." + +It was as Venner had anticipated, for presently Le Fenu and Evors +entered a cab and gave the driver directions to take them as far as +Merton Grange. Venner made up his mind that he could do no better than +follow their example. + +The cab stopped at length outside the lodge gates, where Evors and Le +Fenu alighted, and walked slowly up the drive. It was rather a painful +effort for Le Fenu, but he managed it a great deal better than Venner had +anticipated. They did not enter the house by the front door--on the +contrary, they crept round a small side entrance, beyond which they +vanished, leaving Venner standing on the grass wondering what he had +better do next. + +Meanwhile, Evors led the way down a flight of stairs till he emerged +presently in a corridor. With his companion on his arm he walked to the +little room at the end and boldly flung open the door. + +The room was empty, a thing which both of them seemed to expect, for they +smiled at one another in a significant manner, and nodded with the air of +men who are quite pleased with themselves. + +"You had better sit down," Evors said. "That walk must have tired you +terribly. I should be exceedingly sorry--" + +"You need not worry about me," Le Fenu said in a clear, hard voice. "I am +a little tired, perhaps, but I have a duty to fulfil, and the knowledge +of it has braced me wonderfully. Besides, I am so much better of late, +and I am looking eagerly forward to the time when I shall be as other +men. Now go and fetch him, and let us get the thing done. But for the +fact that he is my mother's brother I would have had no mercy on the +scoundrel. Still, the same blood flows in our veins, and I am in a +merciful mood to-night." + +Evors walked boldly out of the room and down the stairs into the +hall--then in a loud voice he called out the name of Mark Fenwick. The +dining-room door burst open and Fenwick strode out, his yellow face +blazing with passion in the light. + +"So you are back again," he said hoarsely. "You are a bold man to thrust +your head into the lion's mouth like this." + +"There are others equally bold," Evors said, coolly. "I am strong enough +and able enough to take you by that fat throat of yours and choke the +life out of you. You have a different man to deal with now--but there are +others to be considered, so I will trouble you to come along with me. The +interview had best take place in the little room at the end of the +corridor. You know the room I mean. Ah, I see you do." + +Fenwick started. It was quite plain that Evors' hint was not lost on +him. Without another word he led the way up the staircase into the +little room. He started again and half turned when he caught sight of +the white, handsome face of Le Fenu. In all probability he would have +disappeared altogether, but for the fact that Evors closed the door and +turned the key. + +Fenwick stood there, his yellow face scared and terrified. Cold as it +was, a bead of perspiration stood on his bulging forehead. He looked from +one to the other as if he anticipated violence. Le Fenu sat up in his +chair and laughed aloud. + +"You are but a sorry coward after all," he said. "You have no need to +fear us in the slightest. We shall leave the vengeance to come in the +hands of others. And now sit down--though you are not fit to take a chair +in the company of any honest men." + +"In my own house," Fenwick began feebly, "you are--" + +"We will overlook that," Le Fenu went on. "It is our turn now, and I +don't think you will find our conditions too harsh. It is not so long +ago since my friend here was a prisoner in your hands, and since you +reduced him to such a condition of mind that he had abandoned hope and +lost all desire to live. It is not so long ago, either, since you dared +to make me a prisoner in my own house for your own ends. It was +fortunate for you that I chose to live more or less alone in London and +under an assumed name. But all the time I was looking for you, all the +time I was working out my plans for your destruction. Then you found me +out--you began to see how I could be useful to you, how I could become +your miserable tool, as Mr. Evors here did. You dared not stay at your +hotel--things were not quite ripe for you to come down here. Therefore +you hit upon the ingenious idea of making me a prisoner under my own +roof. But Fate, which has been waiting for you a long time, intervened, +and I became a free man again just at the very moment when Mr. Evors +also regained his liberty. Since then we have met more than once, and +the whole tale of your villainy is now plain before me. You might have +been content with the murder of my father and the blood money you +extracted from the Four Finger Mine, but that was not enough for +you--nothing less than the extermination of our race sufficed. It was no +fault of yours that I was not killed in the so-called accident that has +made me the cripple that I am. That was all arranged by you, as I shall +be able to prove when the proper time comes. I escaped death by a +miracle, and good friends of mine hid me away beyond the reach of your +arm. Even then you had no sort of mercy, even then you were not content +with the mischief you had wrought. You must do your best to pin your +crime to Mr. Evors, though that conspiracy cost my sister Beth her +reason. Of course, you would deny all these things, and I see you are +prepared to deny them now. But it is absolutely useless to add one lie +to another, because we know full well--" + +"Stop," Fenwick cried. "What are you here for? Why do you tell me this? +A desperate man like myself--" + +"No threats," Le Fenu said, sternly. "I am simply here to warn you. God +knows what an effort it is on my part not to hand you over to your +punishment, but I cannot forget that you are a blood relation of +mine--and, therefore, I am disposed to spare you. Still, there is another +Nemesis awaiting you, which Nemesis I need not mention by name. When I +look at your left hand I feel sorry for you. Bad as you are, the terrible +fate which is yours moves me to a kind of pity." + +Le Fenu paused and glanced significantly at Fenwick's maimed hand. +The latter had nothing more to say; all his swaggering assurance had +left him--he sat huddled up in his chair, a picture of abject terror +and misery. + +"You can help me if you will," he said hoarsely. "You are speaking of +Zary. That man is no human being at all, he is no more than a +cold-blooded tiger, and yet he would do anything for you and yours. If +you asked him to spare me--" + +Fenwick broke off and covered his face with his hands. His shoulders +were heaving with convulsive sobs now, tears of self-pity ran through +his fingers. For the time being, at any rate, the man's nerve was +utterly gone. He was prepared to make any conditions to save his skin. +Agitated and broken as he was, his cunning mind was yet moving swiftly. +A little time ago, these two men would not have dared to intrude +themselves upon his presence, he had held them like prisoners in the +hollow of his hand; and now it seemed to him that they must feel their +position to be impregnable, or they would never have intruded upon him +in this bold fashion. + +"I am not the man I was," he gasped. "It is only lately that my nerve +seems to have utterly deserted me. You do not know what it is to be +fighting in the dark against a foe so cold and relentless as Felix Zary. +When the first warning came I was alarmed. The second warning frightened +me till I woke in the night with a suffocating feeling at my heart as if +I were going to die. Against the third warning I took the most elaborate +precautions; but it came all the same, and since then I have been +drinking to drown my terror. But what is the good of that?--how little +does it serve me in my sober moments? As I said just now, Zary would do +anything for your family, and if you would induce him to forego that +dreaded vengeance which hangs over me--" + +"Impossible," Le Fenu said coldly. "Zary is a fanatic, a dreamer of +dreams; he has a religion of his own which no one else in the world +understands but himself. He firmly and honestly believes that some divine +power is impelling him on, that he is merely an instrument in the hands +of the Maker of the universe. There have been other beings of the same +class in a way. Charlotte Corday believed herself to be the chosen +champion of Heaven when she stabbed the French monster in his bath. +Nothing I could say or do would turn Zary from what he believes to be his +duty. The only thing you can do is to go away and lose yourself in some +foreign country where Zary cannot follow you." + +"Impossible," Fenwick said hoarsely. "I could not get away. If the man +possesses the powers he claims he would know where to find me, even if I +hid myself in the depths of a Brazilian forest. I tell you I am doomed. I +cannot get away from the inevitable." + +Fenwick slipped from his chair and fairly grovelled in his anguish on +the floor. It was a pitiable sight, but one that moved the watchers with +contempt. They waited patiently enough for the paroxysm of terror to +pass and for Fenwick to resume something like the outer semblance of +manhood. He drew himself up at length, and wiped the tears from his +sickly yellow face. + +"I cannot think," he said. "My mind seems to have ceased to act. If +either of you have any plan I shall be grateful to hear it. It seems +almost impossible--" + +The speaker suddenly paused, for there came from below the unmistakable +sounds of high voices raised in expostulation. It occurred to Fenwick for +a moment that his subordinates were quarrelling among themselves; then +his quick ears discerned the sound of strange voices. He rose to his feet +and made in the direction of the door. A minute later a stealthy tap was +heard on the door, and a voice whispered, asking to be admitted. Evors +glanced at Le Fenu in an interrogative kind of way, as if asking for +instructions. The latter nodded, and the door opened. The man in the list +slippers staggered into the room, his red face white and quivering, his +whole aspect eloquent of fear. + +"What is it?" Fenwick whispered. "What's the trouble? Why don't you speak +out, man, instead of standing there like that?" + +The man found his voice at last, his words came thickly. + +"They are here," he said. "The men from America. You know who I mean. Get +away at once. Wait for nothing. Those two devils Egan and Grady are +downstairs in the hall." + + + + +CHAPTER XXV + +AN ACT OF CHARITY + + +Fenwick looked at the speaker as if he did not exactly comprehend what he +had said. The man's mind was apparently dazed, as if the accumulation of +his troubles had been too much for him. He passed his hand across his +forehead, striving to collect his thoughts and to find some way of facing +this new and unexpected peril. + +"Say that again," he faltered. "I don't quite understand. Surely Egan and +Grady are in New York." + +"They are both down in the hall," the man said, vehemently. "And, what's +more, they know that you are here. If you don't want to spend the night +in gaol, get away without any further delay." + +Fenwick could only look about him helplessly. It seemed to him futile to +make further effort. Turn which way he would, there was no avenue open to +him. He looked imploringly in the direction of Charles Evors. + +"I think I can manage it," the latter said. "Now, you fellow, whatever +your name is, leave the room at once and go downstairs and close the +door behind you." + +The man slunk away, and, at a sign from Le Fenu, Evors closed the door. +Evors jumped to his feet and crossed the room to where a picture was let +into the panelling. He pushed this aside and disclosed a dark opening +beyond to Fenwick's astonished gaze. The latter stared about him. + +"Now get through there," Evors said. "It is a good thing for you that I +know all the secrets of the old house. There are many panels and passages +here, for this used to be a favorite hiding-place for the fugitive +cavaliers in the time of Cromwell." + +"But where does it go to?" Fenwick stammered. + +Evors explained that the passage terminated in a bedroom a little +distance away. He went on to say that Fenwick would only have to press +his hand upon the wall and that the corresponding panel of the bedroom +would yield to his touch. + +"It is the Blue Room," he said, "in which you will find yourself +presently. Wait there and I'll see what I can do for you. I fancy that I +shall be able to convey you outside the walls of the house without +anybody being the wiser." + +Fenwick crept through the hole, and Evors pulled the panel across, +leaving the room exactly as it had been a few minutes before. He had +hardly done so when there was a sound of footsteps outside, and without +ceremony the American detectives came in. The occupants of the room had +had ample time to recover their self-possession, so that they could look +coolly at the intruders and demand to know what this outrage meant. The +Americans were clearly puzzled. + +"I am sure I beg your pardon," Egan said, "but I understand that Mr. +Fenwick is the tenant of the house." + +"That is so," Evors said. "Do you generally come into a gentleman's house +in this unceremonious fashion?" + +"Perhaps I had better explain my errand," Egan said. "We are down here +with a warrant for the apprehension of Mark Fenwick, and we know that a +little time ago he was in the house. He is wanted on a charge of stealing +certain valuables in New York, and also for manufacturing counterfeit +coins. We quite expected to find him here." + +"In that case, of course, you have perfect liberty to do as you please," +Evors said. "I may explain that I am the only son of Lord Merton, and +that I shall be pleased to do anything to help you that lies in my power. +By all means search the house." + +Grady appeared as if about to say something, but Egan checked him. It was +no time for the Americans to disclose the fact that they knew all about +the murder of Mr. George Le Fenu, and how Evors had been more or less +dragged into the business. Their main object now was to get hold of +Fenwick without delay, and take him back with them to London. + +"Very well, sir," Egan said. "We need not trouble you any further. If +our man is anywhere about the house, we are bound to find him. Come +along, Grady." + +They bustled out of the room, and presently they could be heard ranging +about the house. As the two friends discussed the situation in whispers +the door was flung open and Vera came in. Her face was aflame with +indignation--she was quivering with a strange unaccustomed passion. + +"Charles," she cried. "I hardly expected to see you here." + +"Perhaps you are equally surprised to see Evors," Le Fenu said. "We have +had an explanation--" + +"I have already met Charles," Vera said. "But he did not tell me you were +coming down here. Still, all that is beside the point. There will be +plenty of time for full explanation later on. What I have to complain of +now is an intolerable outrage on the part of Mark Fenwick. He has +actually dared to intrude himself on the privacy of my bedroom, and +despite all I can say--" + +"By Jove, this is a piece of bad luck," Evors exclaimed. "My dear Vera, I +had not the slightest idea that you were occupying the Blue Room. In +fact, I did not know that it was being used at all. I managed to send +Fenwick that way for the simple reason that there are two American +detectives downstairs with a warrant for his arrest. It was your +brother's idea to get him away--" + +"What for?" Vera asked, passionately. + +"Why should we trouble ourselves for the safety of an abandoned wretch +like that? He is the cause of all our troubles and sorrows. For the last +three years he has blighted the lives of all of us, and there is worse +than that--for, as sure as I am speaking to you now, the blood of our +dear father is upon his head." + +"Yes, and mine might have been also, but for a mere miracle," Le Fenu +said. "He tried to do away with me--he would have done away with all of +us if he had only dared. But one thing do not forget--he is our mother's +only brother." + +Vera started and bit her lips. It was easy to see that the appeal was not +lost upon her, and that she was ready now to fall in with her brother's +idea. She waited quite humbly for him to speak. + +"I am glad you understand," he said. "It would never do for us to hand +that man over to justice, richly as he deserves his sentence. And you can +help us if you will. Those men will search every room in the house, +including yours. If you are in there when they come and show a certain +amount of indignation--" + +"Oh, I quite understand," Vera responded. + +"And I will do what I can for that wretched creature." + +"What is he doing now?" Le Fenu asked. + +"He has huddled himself up in a wardrobe," Vera explained. "He seems so +paralysed with fear that I could not get anything like a coherent account +of what had happened. Anyway, I will go back to my room now. You need not +be afraid for me." + +As matters turned out, Vera had no time to spare, for she was hardly back +in her room before the detectives were at the door. She came out to them, +coldly indignant, and demanded to know what this conduct meant. As was +only natural, the Americans were profoundly regretful and almost abjectly +polite, but they had their duty to perform, and they would be glad to +know if Vera had seen anything of Mark Fenwick, for whose apprehension +they held a warrant. + +"Well," Vera said, loftily, "you don't expect to find him in here, I +suppose? Of course, if your duty carries you so far as to ransack a +lady's room, I will not prevent you." + +The absolute iciness of the whole thing profoundly impressed the +listeners. Astute as they were, it never occurred to them that the girl +was acting a part; furthermore, with their intimate knowledge of +Fenwick's past, they knew well enough that Vera had no cause to shield +the man of whom they were in search. + +"We will not trouble you," Egan stammered. "It is a mere matter of form, +and it would be absurd to suppose that our man is concealed in your room. +In all probability he received news of our coming and got away without +warning his companions. It is just the sort of thing that a man of his +type would do. We have the rest of the gang all safe, but we shall +certainly have to look elsewhere for their chief. Will you please accept +our apologies?" + +Vera waved the men aside haughtily. She was glad to turn her back upon +them, so that they could not see the expression of her face. She was +trembling violently now, for her courage had suddenly deserted her. For +some long time she stood there in the corridor, until, presently, she +heard the noise of wheels as two vehicles drove away. Then, with a great +sigh of relief, she recognised the fact that the detectives had left the +house. She opened the door of her room and called aloud to Fenwick. She +called again and again without response. + +"You can come out," she said, contemptuously. "There is no cause to fear, +for those men have gone." + +A moment later the yellow, fear-distorted face of Mark Fenwick peeped out +into the corridor. He came shambling along on tottering limbs, and his +coarse mouth twitched horribly. It seemed to Vera as if she were looking +at a mere travesty of the man who so short a time ago had been so strong +and masterful and courageous. + +"They gave me a rare fright," Fenwick said in a senile way. He seemed to +have aged twenty years in the last few minutes. "That--that--was very +cool and courageous of you, my dear. I couldn't have done any better +myself. You dear, kind girl. He advanced now and would have taken Vera's +hands in his, but she turned from him with loathing. She was wondering +which she disliked most--the cold, cruel, determined criminal, or this +miserable wreck of a man glad to lean on anyone for support. + +"Don't touch me," she said, with a shudder. "Don't thank me for anything +for I should have handed you over to those men gladly, I was ready and +willing to do so, only my brother recalled to me the fact that the same +blood runs in the veins of both of us. It was the remembrance of this +that made me lie just now, that caused me to run the risk of a criminal +charge myself. For I understand that anybody who harbors a thief for +whose arrest a warrant has been issued, runs the risk of going to gaol. +And to think that Le Fenu should do a thing of that kind for such a +creature as yourself--it is too amazing." + +"I suppose it is, my dear," Fenwick said in the same carneying voice. "I +never expected to find myself shielded behind a woman. But I have lost +all my nerve lately, and the more I drink to drown my troubles, the worse +I get. But you must not think too badly of me, for I am not so black as +I am painted." + +"Could you be any blacker?" Vera asked. "Could any human being have +descended lower than you have descended? I think not. You imagine because +I threw in my lot with you three years ago that I knew nothing of your +crimes. As a matter of fact, I knew everything. I knew how you had +shifted the responsibility of that dastardly murder on to the shoulders +of the man who is in love with my sister Beth. It was for her sake that I +pretended ignorance, for her sake that I came with you to try to get to +the bottom of your designs. What I have endured in the time nobody but +myself can know. But it has all come out now, and here am I to-day trying +to shield you from the very vengeance that I have been plotting for you +all this time. Oh, don't say anything, don't deny it, don't add more +useless lies to the catalogue of your vices. Go now. Let us see the last +of you, and never intrude upon us again." + +All this outburst of indignation had apparently been wasted on Fenwick +for he did not appear to be listening at all. He had enough troubles of +his own, and, despite the fact that his nerve had failed him, it was no +feeling of remorse that left him stricken and trembling and broken down +before Vera's scornful eyes. He could only whine and protest that he was +absolutely helpless. + +"But what can I do?" he murmured, with tears in his eyes. "I am not so +young as I was, indeed I am much older than people take me for. I have no +money and no friends, there is not a place I can go to. Don't turn me +out--let me stay here, where I shall be safe." + +"It is impossible," Vera said, coldly. "We have done enough, and more +than enough for you. Now come this way, and I will hand you over to +my brother and Mr. Evors. They are cleverer than I am, and may be +able to devise some means for getting you out of the country. Why +don't you come?" + +"I can't," Fenwick almost sobbed. "There is something in my limbs that +renders them powerless. If you will give me your arm, I daresay I shall +be able to get as far as the little room." + +The touch of the man was pollution, yet Vera bravely endured it. She +could hear the excited servants talking in whispers downstairs, and one +of them might appear at any moment. It would be far better for the +domestic staff to assume that the culprit had vanished, otherwise their +gossip would assuredly bring the detectives back again without delay. +Vera was glad enough when her task was finished and the trembling form of +Mark Fenwick was lowered into a seat. The cunning look was still in his +eyes; the born criminal would never get rid of that expression, though +for the rest he was an object now more for pity than fear. + +"It is very good of you," he said. "It is far better than I deserve. You +will say I can't stay here--" + +"That is absolutely certain," Le Fenu said, coldly. "Most assuredly you +can't remain here. You may remain for the night, and Mr. Evors and myself +will try and think of a plan between us." + +"And Zary," Fenwick whispered. The mention of that dreaded name set him +trembling again. "Keep me away from Zary. I am afraid of a good many +things, but the mere mention of that man's name stops my heart beating +and suffocates me." + +"You had better go away," Le Fenu said to Vera, "and leave the wretched +creature to us. There will be no trouble in hiding him here for a bit. +There are two rooms here that nobody knows anything about except Evors +and his father." + +Vera was only too glad to get away into the open air, glad to feel that +at last this nerve-destroying mystery was coming to an end. She wanted to +see Venner, too, and tell him all that had happened. In all probability +he was waiting at the accustomed spot. With a light heart and a feeling +of youthfulness upon her that she had not felt for some time, she set out +on her journey. + + + + +CHAPTER XXVI + +THE LAST FINGER + + +In the ordinary course of things, and but for the dramatic events of the +evening, it would have been about the time of night when dinner was +finished and the house-party had gathered in the drawing-room. It had +been somewhere about seven when the Americans reached Merton Grange, and +now it was getting towards nine. It was not exactly the temperature at +which one enjoys an evening stroll, but the recent events had been so +exciting that Vera felt how impossible it would be to settle down to +anything within the limits of the house. There was a moon, too, which +made all the difference in the world. As Vera walked along, she almost +smiled to herself to think how strange her conduct might look in the +eyes of those formal people whose lives run in conventional channels. +She told herself more than once that it would be absurd to hope to see +Gerald at this time of night, but all the same she continued her journey +across the park. + +She had not so far to go as she expected, for presently she could see the +glow of a cigar in the distance, and Venner came up. A little joyful cry +came from Vera. + +"This is very fortunate," she said. "How lucky it is that I should run +against you in this fashion." + +"Well, I was flattering myself that you came on purpose," Venner said. +"And, after all, it is not so very lucky, seeing that I have been hanging +about this house on the chance of seeing you since it became dark. But +you look rather more disturbed and anxious than usual. My dear girl, I do +hope and trust that there are no new complications. I shall really have +to take you by force and carry you out of the country. Why should we have +to go on living this miserable kind of existence when we can take our +happiness in both hands and enjoy it? Now don't tell me that something +fresh has occurred which will keep us apart, for another year or two? By +the way, have you had any visitors to-night?" + +"What do you know about them?" Vera asked. "Have you found out anything +about Mr. Fenwick?" + +"Well, I should say so," Venner said, drily. "I have absolutely got to +the bottom of that mysterious coin business. In fact, I accompanied Egan +and Grady to London, and I was with them when they arrested that awful +creature, Blossett. Egan and Grady are old friends of mine, and I told +them all about the strange coins and how you literally burnt your fingers +over them. They were coming down here to arrest Fenwick, and I offered to +accompany them; but they declined my offer, so I returned here alone, and +have been hanging about the house, curious to know what had taken place. +Have they bagged our friend Fenwick yet?" + +"It is about Mr. Fenwick that I wish to speak to you," Vera replied. "Mr. +Evors is down here. By the way, I don't know whether you are aware of the +fact that he is the son of Lord Merton." + +"Perhaps you had better tell me the story," Venner said. + +"I am coming to that presently. Mr. Evors is down here; he is the man who +is engaged to my sister Beth." + +Venner whistled softly to himself. At any rate, he knew all about that, +for his mind went swiftly back to the series of dramatic events which had +taken place some time previously in the house in Portsmouth Square. He +recollected now the white-faced young man who had broken away from his +captors and joined Le Fenu, otherwise Bates, in the drawing-room. He +recollected the joy and delight of the girl, and how she had clung to the +stranger as if he had come back to her from the other side of the grave. + +"There will be a great many things to be explained between us, +presently," he said, gravely. "But for the present, I want to know all +about Fenwick. Where is he now?" + +"He is hiding up at the house. I believe they have put him into a secret +room, the whereabouts of which is known only to Charles Evors. Of course, +he will not stay." + +"But why shield such a blackguard at all?" Venner asked. "Surely, after +all the trouble he has caused you--" + +"You must not forget that he is our own flesh and blood," Vera said, +quietly. "I had almost ignored the fact--I am afraid I should have +ignored it altogether had not my brother taken a strong view of the +matter. At any rate, there he is, and we are in a conspiracy to get him +safely out of the country. For the present the man is utterly broken down +and absolutely incapable of taking care of himself. I want you to do me a +favor, Gerald. I want you to take a hand in this business. While the +police are still hot upon the track it would not be prudent for Mr. Evors +or my brother to be too much in evidence just now." + +"My dearest girl, I would do anything in the world for you," Venner +cried. "And if I am to take that sorry old rascal out of the country and +get rid of him altogether, I will do so with pleasure and never count the +cost. If I could see your brother--" + +"Then why not come and see him now?" Vera said. "You will have to meet +sooner or later, and there could be no better opportunity for an +explanation." + +To Le Fenu and Evors smoking in the dining-room came Vera and Venner. Le +Fenu looked up with a sort of mild surprise and perhaps just a suspicion +of mistrust in his eyes. + +"Whom have we here, Vera?" he said. + +"This is Mr. Gerald Venner," Vera said. "You know him perfectly well by +name--he was with us, on and off, for a considerable time before our poor +father died. Father had a great regard for him, and I hope you will have +the same, for a reason which I am just going to mention." + +"I am sure I am very pleased to meet you," Le Fenu said, politely. "This +is my friend, Mr. Charles Evors, the only son of the owner of the house. +When I come to look at you, Mr. Venner, I confess that your appearance +pleases me, but I have had to deal with so many suspicious characters +lately that really--" + +"Don't apologise," Venner laughed. "You will have to make the best of +me. I came here to-night with Vera to have a thorough explanation of +certain matters." + +"Oh, indeed," Le Fenu responded with uplifted brows. "My sister and you +appear to be on very familiar terms--" + +"It is only natural," Vera laughed. A vivid blush flooded her face. +"Charles, Mr. Venner is my husband." + +"I am not in the least surprised to hear it," Le Fenu said. "In fact, I +am not surprised at anything. I have quite outgrown all emotions of that +kind, but perhaps you will be good enough to tell me how this came +about, and why I have not heard it before. As your brother, I am +entitled to know." + +"Of course, you are. It was just after our father died that I promised +myself to Gerald. I had my own ideas why the marriage should be kept a +secret. You see, I had more or less thrown in my lot with my uncle, Mark +Fenwick, because I had determined to get to the bottom of the business of +our father's death. I felt certain that Charles here had nothing to do +with it; though, owing to his folly and weakness, he played directly into +the hands of the man who was really responsible for the crime." + +"We all know who is responsible for the crime," Le Fenu said. "There is +no necessity to mention his name." + +"Oh, I know that," Vera went on. "The explanation I am making now is more +to my husband than either of you. He has been goodness and kindness +itself, and he is entitled to know everything. It was within a few +minutes of my being married that I learned something of the dreadful +truth. I learned that Fenwick had conspired to throw the blame of the +tragedy upon Charles Evors. I found out what an effect this conspiracy +had had on our poor Beth. There and then I came to a great resolution. I +wrote to my husband and told him that in all probability I could never +see him again--at any rate, I could not see him for a long space of time. +I implored him to trust me in spite of all appearances, and he did so. +Now he knows the reason why I acted so strangely. I can see that he has a +thousand questions to ask me, but I hope that he will refrain from doing +so at present. The thing that troubles me now is what has become of poor +little Beth." + +"Oh, she is all right enough," Le Fenu said. "I thought of that before I +came down. I have left her in the safe hands of the very clever doctor +who has my case under his charge, and Beth is with his family. We can +have her down here to-morrow if you like." + +"Nothing would please me better," Vera said, fervently. "And now, I want +to know if you have done anything or formed any plan for getting rid of +Mark Fenwick. I shall not be able to breathe here until he is gone." + +Le Fenu explained that they had come to no conclusion at present. He was +quite alive to the fact that delay was dangerous, seeing that Lord +Merton's agents would have to communicate with him by telegram, and that +the owner of the house might be back again at any moment. Therefore, it +was absolutely necessary that something should be done in the matter of +Mark Fenwick without loss of time. Vera indicated her companion. + +"That is why I brought Gerald here," she said. + +"I thought he might he able to help us. He knows all sorts and +conditions of people, and it is probable that he may be able to find an +asylum in London where the wretched man upstairs can hide till it is +quite safe to get him out of the way." + +"I think I can manage that part of the programme," Venner said. "There is +an old servant of mine living down Poplar way with his wife who will do +anything I ask him. The man has accompanied me all over the world, and he +is exceedingly handy in every way. Those people would take a lodger to +oblige me, and when you come to think of it, Poplar is not at all a bad +place for anybody who wants to get out of the country without being +observed. It is close to the river, and all sorts of craft are constantly +going up and down. What do you think of the idea?" + +"Excellent," Evors cried. "Couldn't be better. Do you think those people +would mind if you looked them up very late to-night?" + +"Not in the least," Venner said. "There is only one drawback, and that is +the danger of traveling." + +Le Fenu suggested that the difficulty could be easily overcome by the use +of Fenwick's motor, which, fortunately, the detectives had brought back +with them when they came in search of the culprit. It was an easy matter +to rig Fenwick up in something suggestive of a feminine garb and smuggle +him out into the grounds, and thence to the stable, where the motor was +waiting. Fenwick came downstairs presently, a pitiable object. His mind +still seemed wandering; but he braced himself up and became a little more +like his old self when the plan of action was explained to him. Vera drew +a deep breath of relief when once the man was outside the house. + +"Thank God, we shall never see him again," she said, fervently. "And now, +I believe I could eat something. It is the first time that the idea of +food has been pleasant to me for days." + +Meanwhile, Venner and Fenwick were speeding along in the car towards +London. Perhaps it was the knowledge that safety lay before him, perhaps +it was the exhilaration caused by the swift motion of the car, but +Fenwick became more and more like himself as they began to near the +Metropolis. + +"This is very kind of you," he said, "considering you are a stranger to +me. If you only knew my unfortunate story--" + +"I know your story perfectly," Venner said, coldly. "You see, I had the +pleasure of the friendship of the late Mr. George Le Fenu, and Mr. Evors +and the younger Mr. Le Fenu are also known to me. Not to be behindhand in +exchanging confidence for confidence, I may also say that your niece, +Vera, is my wife." + +Fenwick said no more, for which Venner was profoundly grateful. They came +at length to the little house in Poplar, where Fenwick was smuggled in, +and a certain part of the story confided to a seafaring man and his +comfortable, motherly wife, who professed themselves ready and willing to +do anything that Venner asked them. + +"Give him a sitting-room and a bedroom," Venner said; "and take this +ten-pound note and buy him a rough workman's wardrobe in the morning as +if you were purchasing it for yourself. Let him lie low here for a day or +two, and I will write you instructions. As to myself, I must get back to +Canterbury without delay." + +Trembling with a sort of fearful joy, Fenwick found himself presently in +a comfortable sitting-room at the back of the house. He noted the +cleanliness of the place, and his heart lightened within him. Something +of his own stern self-reliant courage was coming back to him; his busy +mind began to plan for the future. Presently he was conscious of a +healthy desire to eat and drink. In response to his ring, the landlady +informed him that she had some cold meat in the house, and that it was +not yet too late to send out for some wine if he desired it. + +"Very well," Fenwick said in high good-humor. "Give me the cold meat, and +ask your husband to get me a bottle of brandy. I shall feel all the +better for a thorough wash, and don't be long, my good woman, for I have +never been so hungry in my life as I am now." + +Fenwick returned to the sitting-room a few minutes later to find a decent +meal spread out for him. There was cheese and butter and some cold meat +under a metal cover. A bottle of brandy stood by the side of Fenwick's +plate, with a syphon of soda-water. He took a hearty pull of the mixture. +The generous spirit glowed in his veins. He would cheat the world yet. + +"And now for the food," he said. "I trust it is beef. Nothing like beef +on occasions like this. Also--" + +He raised the cover from a dish. Then he jumped to his feet with a +snarling oath. He could only stand there trembling in every limb, with a +fascinated gaze on the dish before him. + +"God help me," he whispered. "There is no getting away from it. The last +warning--the fourth finger!" + + + + +CHAPTER XXVII + +NEMESIS + + +For a long space of time Fenwick stood there, his head buried in his +hands. All the way through, he had never been able to disguise from +himself the feeling that, sooner or later, this dread thing must happen. +Years ago he had taken his life in his hands in exploring the recesses of +the Four Finger Mine; he had more or less known what he had to expect, +for the mine had been a sacred thing, almost a part of the religion of +the diminishing tribe which had imparted the secret to Le Fenu, and any +intruder was bound to suffer. So far as Fenwick knew, the last survivor +of this tribe was Felix Zary. Leaving out of account altogether the +latter's religious fanaticism, he had been deeply and sincerely attached +to the family of Le Fenu, and now he was playing the part of the avenging +genius. All these things came back to Fenwick as he sat there. + +He knew full well the character of the man he had to deal with; he knew +how clever and resourceful Felix Zary was. Hitherto, he had scorned the +suggestion that there was some mysterious magic behind Zary's movements, +but now he did not know what to think. All he knew was that he was +doomed, and that all the police in the Metropolis could not shield him +from the reach of Zary's long arm. + +And here, indeed, was proof positive of the fact. Two hours before, +nobody, not even Fenwick himself, knew that he would spend the night at +the little house in Poplar. And here was Zary already upon his track, +almost before he had started on the long journey which was intended to +lead to the path of safety. Fenwick never troubled to think what had +become of the meal prepared for him, or how the extraordinary change had +been brought about. Gradually, as he sat there, something like strength +and courage came back to him. Come what might, he would not yield, he +would not surrender himself into the hands of the foe without a struggle. +He replaced the cover on the dish, and rang the bell for his landlady. +She came in a moment later, comfortable and smiling, the very picture of +respectable middle-age. As Fenwick glanced at her, he at once acquitted +her of any connection with his final warning. + +"I am sorry to trouble you," he said, "but I should like to know if you +have any other lodgers. You see, I am rather a bad sleeper, suffering a +great deal from nightmare, and I should not like to alarm your other +lodgers in the middle of the night." + +"Lord bless you, sir," the woman said, "we haven't any lodgers at all. We +don't need to take them, seeing that my man is comfortably fixed. Of +course, we are pleased to do anything we can for you, but we shouldn't +have had you here at all if it hadn't been to please Mr. Venner. We'd do +anything for him." + +"No doubt," Fenwick said, hastily. "I suppose your husband sees a good +many of his old friends occasionally?" + +"No, he doesn't," the woman replied. "I don't suppose we have had anybody +in the house except yourself for the last two months. I hope you have +enjoyed your supper, sir?" + +"Oh, yes," Fenwick stammered. "I finished all the meat. There is one +thing more I should like to ask you. I may have to go out presently, late +as it is. Do you happen to have such a thing as a latchkey? If you +haven't, the key of the front door will do." + +The latchkey was forthcoming, and presently Fenwick heard his landlord +and his wife going upstairs to bed. He did not feel comfortable until he +had crept all over the house and seen that everything was made secure. +Then he sat down to think the matter out. Twice he helped himself +liberally to brandy, a third time his hand went mechanically to the +bottle--then he drew back. + +"I mustn't have any more of that," he said. "It would be simply playing +into the hands of the fiend who is pursuing me." + +With a resolution that cost him an effort, Fenwick locked the brandy +away in a cupboard and threw the key out of the window. In his present +state of mind he dared not trust himself too far. Partially divesting +himself of his clothing he drew from about his waist a soft leather belt +containing pockets, and from these pockets he produced a large amount of +gold coins and a packet of banknotes. Altogether there were some hundreds +of pounds, and Fenwick congratulated himself on the foresight which had +led him to adopt this plan in case necessity demanded it. He had enough +and more than enough to take him to the other side of the world, if only +he could manage to get rid of Felix Zary. + +His mind was made up at length; he would creep out of the house in the +dead of the night and make his way down to the Docks. At every hour ships +of various size and tonnage put out of the port of London, and, no doubt, +the skipper of one of these for a consideration would take him wherever +he wanted to go; and Fenwick knew, moreover, that there were scores of +public-houses along the side of the river which are practically never +closed, and which are run entirely for the benefit of seafaring men. It +would be easy to make inquiries at some of these and discover what +vessels were leaving by the next tide, and a bargain could be struck +immediately, go far as Fen wick was concerned, he inclined towards a +sailing ship bound for the Argentine. His spirits rose slightly at the +prospect before him; his step was fairly light and buoyant as he +proceeded in the direction of his bedroom. There was no light in the +room, so that he had to fumble about in his pockets for a box of matches +which fell from his fingers and dropped on to the floor. + +"Confound it," Fenwick muttered. "Where are they?" + +"Don't trouble," a calm, quiet voice said out of the darkness. "I have +matches, with which I will proceed to light the gas." + +Fenwick could have cried aloud, had he been physically able to do so. +There was no reason for a light to be struck or the gas to be lighted so +that he might see the face of the speaker. Indeed, he recognised the +voice far too well for that. A moment later, he was gazing at the +impassive face of Felix Zary. + +"You did not expect to see me," the latter said. "You were under the +impression that you were going to get away from me. Never did man make a +greater mistake. It matters little what you do, it will matter nothing to +you or anybody else in twelve hours from now. Do you realise the fact +that you have but that time to live? Do you understand that?" + +"You would murder me?" Fenwick said hoarsely. + +"You may calm yourself on that score. You are unarmed, and I have not so +much as a pocket knife in my possession. I shall not lay a hand upon +you--I shall not peril my soul for the sake of a creature like you. There +are other ways and other methods of which you know nothing." + +"How did you get here?" Fenwick asked hoarsely. "How did you put that +dreadful thing on my table?" + +Zary smiled in a strange, bland fashion. He could have told Fenwick +prosaically what a man with a grasp like his could do in connection with +a water pipe. He could have told, also, how he had dogged and watched his +victim within the last few hours, with the pertinacity of a bloodhound. +But Zary could see how Fenwick was shaken and dazed by some terrible +thing which he could not understand. It was no cue of Zary's to enlighten +the miserable man opposite. + +"There are things utterly beyond your comprehension," he said, calmly. +"If you look back to the past you will remember how we laid our mark upon +the man who stole the Four Finger Mine. That man, I need not say, was +yourself. To gain your ends you did not scruple to take the life of your +greatest friend, the greatest benefactor you ever had. You thought the +thing out carefully. You devised a cunning scheme whereby you might +become rich and powerful at the expense of George Le Fenu, and scarcely +was the earth dry upon his coffin before your warnings came. You knew +the legend of the Four Finger Mine, and you elected to defy it. A week +went by, a week during which you took the gold from the mine, and all +seemed well with you. Then you woke one morning to find that in the night +you had lost your forefinger without the slightest pain and with very +little loss of blood. That was the first sign of the vengeance of the +genius of the mine. Shaken and frightened as you were, you hardened your +heart, like Pharaoh of old, and determined to continue. Another week +passed, and yet another finger vanished in the same mysterious fashion. +Still, you decided to stand the test, and your third warning came. With +the fourth warning, your nerves utterly gave way, and you fled from the +mine with less ill-gotten gain than you had expected. It matters nothing +to me what followed afterwards, but you will admit that at the present +moment you have not benefitted much by your crime. I have nothing more to +say to you. I only came here tonight just to prove to you how impossible +it is for you to hide from the vengeance of the mine. In your last bitter +moments I want you to think of my words and realise--" + +As Zary spoke he moved across the room in the direction of the gas +bracket; he laid his hand upon the tap, and a moment later the room was +in darkness. There was a sound like the sliding of a window, followed by +a sudden rush of cold air, and by the time that Fenwick had found his +matches and lighted the gas again there was not so much as a trace of +Zary to be seen. + +"I wish I hadn't thrown away the key of that cupboard," Fenwick said, +hoarsely. "I would give half I possess for one drop of brandy now. Still, +I won't give in, I won't be beaten by that fellow. At any rate, he can't +possibly know what I intend to do. He could not know that I shall be on +board a vessel before morning." + +Half an hour later, Fenwick left the house and made his way straight to +the Docks. At a public-house in the vicinity he obtained the brandy that +he needed so badly, and felt a little stiffened and braced up by the +spirit. He found presently the thing he wanted, in the shape of a large +barque bound for the River Plate. The skipper, a burly-looking man with +an enormous black beard, was uproariously drunk, but not quite so +intoxicated that he could not see the business side of a bargain. + +"Oh, you want to go out with me, mister?" he said. "Well, that's +easily enough managed. We've got no passengers on board, and you'll +have to rough it with the rest of us. I don't mind taking you on for +fifty pounds." + +"That's a lot of money," Fenwick protested. + +The black-bearded skipper winked solemnly at the speaker. + +"There's always a risk in dealing with stolen goods," he said. "Besides +fifty pounds isn't much for a man who wants to get out of the country as +badly as I see you do, and once I have passed my word to do it, I'll see +you safe through, and so will my crew, or I'll know the reason why. Now, +my yellow pal, fork out that money, and in half an hour you'll be as safe +as if you were on the other side of the herring-pond and not a policeman +in London will know where to find you. Now, is it a bargain or not?" + +Fenwick made no further demur; he accepted the conditions there and then. +There was nothing to be gained by affecting to pose as an honest man, and +he was a little frightened to find how easily this drunken ruffian had +spotted him for a fugitive from justice. + +"I can't give you the money just now," he whispered. "I've got it +concealed about me, and to produce a lot of cash in a mixed company like +this would be too dangerous." + +The skipper nodded, and proposed further refreshment. Fenwick agreed +eagerly enough; he was feeling desperate now, and he did not seem to care +much what happened to him. He could afford to place himself entirely in +the hands of the black-bearded skipper, who would look after him closely +for his own sake. After all said and done, he had no cause to doubt the +honesty of the seaman, who appeared to be fairly popular with his +companions and well-known in the neighborhood. It was the best part of an +hour before the commander of the barque staggered to his feet and +announced in an incoherent voice that it was time to get aboard. +Presently they were straggling down to the dock, Fenwick propping up his +companion and wondering if the latter was sober enough to find his way to +his ship. It was very dark; a thin rain had begun to fall, and the waters +of the river were ruffled by an easterly breeze. The skipper stumbled +down a flight of steps and into a roomy boat, which was prevented from +capsizing by something like a miracle. Presently they came alongside the +black hull of a vessel, and Fenwick found himself climbing up a greasy +ladder on to a dirty deck, where two seamen were passing the time playing +a game of cards. Down below, the skipper indicated a stuffy little bunk +leading out of his own cabin, which he informed Fenwick would be placed +at his disposal for the voyage. + +"If you don't mind I'll turn in now," the latter said. "I'm dead tired +and worn out. My nerves are all jumping like red hot wires. Do you think +I shall be safe here?" + +"Safe as houses!" the skipper said. "And, besides, we shall be dropping +down the river in about an hour." + +Just as he was, Fenwick rolled into the bunk, and in a moment was fast +asleep. When he came to himself again, the vessel was pitching and +rolling; he could hear the rattling creak of blocks and rigging; there +was a sweeter and fresher atmosphere in the little cabin. A sense of +elation possessed the fugitive. It seemed to him that he was absolutely +safe at last. The skipper had evidently gone on deck after having +finished his breakfast, for the plates lay about the table and some tepid +coffee in a tin had apparently been left for the use of the passenger. + +"I don't think much of this," Fenwick muttered. "Still I daresay I can +better it if I pay for it. I'll go on deck presently and see what the +black-bearded pirate has to say. At any rate, I am absolutely safe now, +and can afford to laugh at the threats of Felix Zary. If that man +thinks--" + +Fenwick paused, and the knife and fork he was holding over the cold bacon +fell from his hands. It was too cruel, the irony of Fate too bitter, for +there, just in front of him, propped up by the sugar basin, was a cabinet +photograph of the very man who was uppermost in his thoughts. It was +Felix Zary to the life; the same calm, philosophic features, the same +great round eyes like those of a Persian cat. It all came back to Fenwick +now, the whole horror of the situation. His head whirled, and spots +seemed to dance before his eyes; a string snapped somewhere in his brain. +Zary was behind him, he thought, close behind him like an avenging fury. + +With a horrid scream, Fenwick tumbled up the stairs on to the slippery +deck. All round him was a wild waste of white waters. The ship heeled +over as Fenwick darted to the side.... + + + + +CHAPTER XXVIII + +EXPLANATIONS + + +Night was beginning to fight with morning by the time that Venner +returned to Merton Grange. There was no one to be seen; the house was in +total darkness, so that Venner placed the motor in the stable and +returned to his own rooms. On the whole, he was disposed to congratulate +himself upon the result of his night's work. It mattered very little to +himself or anybody else what became of Fenwick, now he was once out of +the way. He was never likely to trouble them again, and as far as Venner +could see, he was now in a position openly to claim his wife before all +the world. + +Despite his feeling of happiness, Venner slept but badly, and a little +after ten o'clock the next morning found him back at Merton Grange. Evors +greeted him cordially, with the information that he alone was up as yet, +and that the others had doubtless taken advantage of the opportunity to +get a good night's rest. + +"And you will see, my dear fellow," he said, "how necessary such a thing +is. Goodness knows how long it is since I went to bed with my mind +absolutely at rest. The same remark applies with equal force to Miss Le +Fenu--I mean your wife." + +"I can quite understand that," Venner said. "It has been much the same +with me, though I must confess that I was so happy last night that I +could not sleep at all. By the way, have you any information as to your +father's movements? He probably knows by this time that his house has +been given over to a gang of swindlers." + +"He does," Evors said. "I have had a telegram from him this morning to +say that he will be home some time in the course of the day; and, to tell +the truth, I am looking forward with some dread to meeting my father. But +I think I shall be able to convince him now that I am in earnest and that +I am anxious to settle down in the old place and take my share in the +working of the estate. When my father sees Beth and knows her story, I am +sanguine that he will give us a welcome, and that my adventures will be +over. I want him to meet Beth down here, and last night after you had +gone, and we were talking matters over, Vera promised to go up to town +to-day and fetch her sister. By the way, what has become of your +friend--Gurdon, I think his name is? I mean the fellow who very nearly +lost his life the night he fell down the cellar trap and found himself +landed in the house in Portsmouth Square." + +"Oh, Gurdon's all right," Venner laughed. + +"I hope you will have the chance of making his acquaintance in the +course of the day. You seem to have been in Charles Le Fenu's +confidence for some time--tell me, why all that mystery about the house +in Portsmouth Square? Of course, I don't mean Le Fenu's reason for +calling himself Bates, and all that kind of thing, because that was +perfectly obvious. Under the name of Bates he was lying low and +maturing his plans for crushing Fenwick. As a matter of fact, Fenwick +was almost too much for him. Indeed, he would have been if Gurdon and +myself had not interfered and given both of you a chance to escape. It +was a very neat idea of Fenwick's to kidnap a man and keep him a +prisoner in his own house." + +"Yes," Evors said. "And he used his own house for illegal purposes. But +before I answer your question, let me ask you one. Why was Gurdon +prowling about Portsmouth Square that night?" + +"That is quite easily explained," Venner replied. "I sent him. To go back +to the beginning of things, I have to revert to the night when I first +saw Mark Fenwick at the Great Empire Hotel, posing as a millionaire, and +having for company a girl who passed as his daughter. Seeing that this +pseudo Miss Fenwick was my own wife, you can imagine how interested I +was. She has already told in your hearing the reason why she left me on +our wedding day, and if I am satisfied with those reasons it is nothing +to do with anybody. As a matter of fact, I am satisfied with them, and +there is no more to be said; but when I ran against Vera again at the +hotel I knew nothing of past events, and I made an effort to find out the +cause of her apparently strange conduct. In a way, she was fighting +against me; she would tell me nothing, and I had to find out everything +for myself. On the night in question I sent Gurdon to Portsmouth Square, +and he had the misfortune to betray himself." + +"It nearly ended in his death," Evors said, soberly. "Charles Le Fenu +was very bitter just about that time. You can quite understand how it +was that he mistook Gurdon for one of Fenwick's spies. But why did he +go there?" + +"He followed my wife, and there you have the simple explanation of the +whole thing. But you have not yet told me why those two or three rooms +were furnished in the empty house." + +"Who told you about that?" Evors asked. + +"What a chap you are to ask questions! We got into the empty house after +the so-called Bates was supposed to have been kidnapped, and to our +surprise we found that all that fine furniture had vanished. There was no +litter of straw or sign of removal outside, so we came to the conclusion +that it had been conveyed from one house to the other. After a good deal +of trouble, we lit upon a moveable panel, and by means of it entered the +house where you and Le Fenu were practically prisoners. We were on the +premises when you managed to get the better of that man in the carpet +slippers and his companion; we heard all that took place in the +drawing-room between Fenwick and Beth and Le Fenu. In fact, we aided and +abetted in getting the police into the house. You will recollect how +cleverly Le Fenu managed the rest, and how he and you got away from the +house without causing any scandal. That was very smartly done. But come, +are you going to tell me the story of the empty house, and why it was +partly furnished?" + +"I think I can come to that now," Evors said. "The whole thing was born +in the ingenious brain of Felix Zary. He was going to lay some sort of +trap for Fenwick, but we shall never know what it was now, because Fate +has disposed of Fenwick in some other way. Now, won't you sit down and +have some breakfast with me?" + +At the same moment Vera came in. Familiar as her features were and well +as Venner knew her, there was a brightness and sweetness about her now +that he had never noticed before. The cloud seemed to have lifted from +her face; her eyes were no longer sad and sombre--they were beaming with +happiness. + +"I am so glad you have come," she said. "We want you to know all that +happened last night after you had gone." + +Venner explained that he knew pretty well all that had taken place, as +he had been having it all out with Evors. What he wanted now was to get +Vera to himself, and presently he had his way. + +"We are going for a long walk," he said, "where I have something serious +to say to you. Now that you have no longer any troubles on your +shoulders, I can be very firm with you--" + +"Not just yet," Vera laughed. "Later on you can be as firm as you like, +and we are not going for a long walk either. We shall just have time to +get to the station and catch the 11.15 to Victoria. I am going up to +London to-day to bring Beth down here. I think the change will do her +good. Of course, we can't remain in the house, so I have taken rooms for +the three of us at a farm close by. When Beth has had everything +explained to her and knows that the man she loves is free, you will see a +change for the better in the poor child. There is nothing really the +matter with her mind, and when she realises her happiness she will soon +be as well as any of us. You will come with me to London, Gerald?" + +"My dearest girl, of course I will," Venner said. "I will do anything you +like. Let us get these things pushed through as speedily as possible, so +that we can start on our honeymoon, which has been delayed for a trifling +matter of three years, and you cannot say that I have been unduly +impatient." + +Vera raised herself on her toes and threw her arms round her husband's +neck. She kissed him twice. There were tears in her eyes, but there was +nothing but happiness behind the tears, as Venner did not fail to notice. + +"You have been more than good," she whispered. "Ah, if you only knew how +I have missed you, how terrified I was lest you should take me at my word +and abandon me to my fate, as you had every right to do. And yet, all the +time, I had a curious feeling that you trusted me, though I dared not +communicate with you and tell you where you could send me so much as a +single line. I was fearful lest a passionate appeal from you should turn +me from my purpose. You see, I had pledged myself to fight the battle for +Beth and her lover, and for the best part of three years I did so. And +the strangest part of it all is that you, my husband, from whom I +concealed everything, should be the very one who eventually struck +straight to the heart of the mystery." + +"Yes, that's all right enough," Venner smiled, "but why could not you +have confided in me in the first instance? Do you think that I should +have refused to throw myself heart and soul into the affair and do my +best to help those who were dear to you?" + +"I suppose I lost my head," Vera murmured. "But do not let us waste too +much time regretting the last three years; and do not let us waste too +much time at all, or we shall lose our train." + +"That is bringing one back to earth with a vengeance," Venner laughed. +"But come along and let us get all the business over, and we can look +eagerly forward to the pleasure of afterwards." + +It was all done at length--the long explanation was made in the West End +doctor's drawing-room, and at length Beth seemed to understand the +complicated story that was told her. She listened very carefully, her +questions were well chosen; then she flung herself face downwards on the +couch where she was seated and burst into a passion of weeping. Vera +held her head tenderly, and made a sign to Venner that he should leave +them together. + +"This is the best thing that could happen," she whispered. "If you will +come back in an hour's time you will see an entirely different girl. +Don't speak to her now." + +It was exactly as Vera had predicted, for when Venner returned presently +to the drawing-room, he found a bright, alert little figure clad in furs +and eager for her journey. She danced across the room to Venner and held +up her lips for him to kiss them. + +"I understand it all now," she cried. "Vera has told me absolutely +everything. How good and noble it was of her to sacrifice her happiness +for the sake of Charles and myself, and how wicked I must have been ever +to think that Charles could have been guilty of that dreadful crime. Ever +since then there has been a kind of cloud over my mind, a certain sense +of oppression that made everything dim before my eyes. I could not feel, +I could not even shed a tear. I seemed to be all numb and frozen, and +when the tears came just now, all the ice melted away and I became myself +again. Don't you think I look quite different?" + +"I think you look as if you would be all the better for a lot of care and +fussing," Venner said. "You want to go to some warm spot and be petted +like a child. Now let us go and say good-bye to these good friends of +yours and get down to Canterbury. There is somebody waiting for you there +who will bring back the roses to your pale cheeks a great deal better +than I can." + +"Isn't Mr. Gurdon coming with us?" Vera asked. + +"He can't" Venner explained. "I've just been telephoning to him, and he +says that he can't come down till the last train. He will just look in +presently after dinner--he is sharing my rooms with me. But hadn't we +better get along?" + +Canterbury was reached at length, and then Merton Grange, where Le Fenu +and Evors were waiting in the portico. Lord Merton had not yet arrived: +indeed, Evors explained that it was very uncertain whether he would get +there that night or not. + +"Not that it makes much difference," he said, eagerly. "Of course, you +will all dine with me. For my part, I can't see why you shouldn't stay +here altogether." + +"What?" Vera cried, "without a chaperon?" + +"I like that," Le Fenu exclaimed. "What do you call yourself? Have you +so soon forgotten the fact that you are a staid married woman? What do +you think of that, Venner?" + +Vera laughed and blushed softly; she was not thinking so much now of her +own happiness as of the expression of joy and delight on the face of her +sister. Beth had hung back a little shyly from Evors as they crossed the +hall, and he, in his turn, was constrained and awkward. Very cleverly +Vera managed to detach her husband and her brother from the others. + +"Let them go into the dining-room," she whispered. "It doesn't matter +what becomes of us." + +"But is she really equal to the excitement of it?" Le Fenu asked, +anxiously. "She must have had an exceedingly trying day." + +"I am quite sure that she is perfectly safe," Vera said. "Of course, she +was terribly excited and upset at first, but she was quite calm and +rational all the way down, as Gerald will tell you. All Beth wants now is +quiet and change, and to feel that her troubles are over. Let's go and +have tea in that grand old hall. If the others don't care to come in to +tea we will try not to be offended." + +The others did not come in to tea, neither were they seen till it was +nearly time to dress for dinner. Assuredly Vera had proved a true +prophet, for Beth's shy, quiet air of happiness indicated that she had +suffered nothing through the events of the day. It was a very quiet meal +they had later on, but none the less pleasant for that. Dinner had come +to an end and the cigarettes were on the table before Gurdon appeared. He +carried a copy of an evening paper in his hand, and despite his usual air +of calmness and indifference, there was just the suspicion of excitement +about him that caused Venner to stand up and reach for the paper. + +"You have news there for us, I am sure," he said. "I think we are all in +a position to stand anything you like to tell us." + +"You have guessed it correctly," Gurdon said. "It is all here in the +_Evening Herald_." + +"What is all here?" Le Fenu demanded. + +"Can't you guess?" Gurdon asked. "I see you can't. It is the dramatic +conclusion, the only conclusion of the story. Our late antagonist, +Fenwick, has committed suicide!" + + + + +CHAPTER XXIX + +THIS MORTAL COIL + + +It cannot be said that Gurdon's announcement caused any particular +sensation. To all of those who knew anything about the inner history of +the Four Finger Mine the conclusion appeared to be perfectly logical. It +was Venner who mentioned the secret of the mine before anybody had even +the curiosity to ask to see the paper. + +"Do you think that this has been the outcome of anything that Zary did?" +he asked Le Fenu. "You see, as far as I am concerned, I was only in the +mine once or twice, and before your father's death my knowledge of its +romantic history was limited. I can't altogether bring myself to believe +that the mine was haunted by avenging spirits and all that kind of thing. +In this twentieth century of ours, one is naturally very cynical about +such matters." + +"I really cannot tell you," Le Fenu replied. "Of course there must be +human agency afoot. Zary always declared that he was the last of his +tribe, and when he died the secret of the mine would belong to our family +alone. As a matter of fact, my father died first, so that Zary alone is +in possession of the strange secret of that dread place. One thing is +very certain. It was none of us who took vengeance on the Dutchman who +murdered my father. Who was responsible for that I do not know. Still, +there was something very terrible and awe-striking about the way in which +the Dutchman's fingers returned to his wife, one by one. I should like to +have known, also, how Fenwick lost his fingers. But Zary would never tell +me. I think he professed that it had been done through the agency of the +spirits of his departed ancestors, who guarded the mine. Mind you, I +don't say that it is impossible, for we are beginning to understand that +there are hidden forces in Nature which till quite recently were a sealed +book to us. It is no use speculating about the matter, because we shall +never know. Zary has been always fond of us, but I have a feeling now +that we shall never see him again. I believe he came to England on +purpose to accomplish the death of Mark Fenwick, and you may rely upon it +that he will vanish now without making any further sign." + +"That is more than possible," Gurdon said, thoughtfully; "but so far as I +can judge from what this paper says, Fenwick's death seems to have been +prosaic enough. Perhaps I had better read you the account in the +newspaper." + +Without waiting for any further permission, Gurdon began to read aloud:-- + +"STRANGE SUICIDE IN THE CHANNEL. + +"DEATH OF MR. MARK FENWICK. + +"Late this afternoon the barque _British Queen_ put back into the Port of +London with the schooner _Red Cross_ in tow. It appears that the barque +in question was bound for the River Plate, and had dropped down the river +with the morning tide. Outside the mouth of the Thames she had +encountered exceedingly squally weather, so much so that she had lost a +considerable amount of running gear owing to the gusty and uncertain +condition of the wind. About eleven o'clock in the morning an extra +violent squall struck the vessel, and the skipper, Luther Jones, decided +to put back again and wait till the next tide. It was at this point that +the _Red Cross_ was sighted making signals of distress. At considerable +hazard to himself and his crew the skipper of the _British Queen_ managed +to get the schooner in tow, and worked her up the river on a short sail. +This in itself is simply an incident illustrating the perils of the sea, +and merely leads up to the dramatic events which follow. It appears, +according to Captain Jones' statement, that very early this morning a man +called upon him in a public-house and demanded to know what he would +require for a passage to the River Plate. Satisfactory terms having been +arranged, the stranger came aboard the _British Queen_ and immediately +repaired to his bunk. So far as the captain could see, his passenger was +exceedingly reticent, and desirous of avoiding publicity; in fact, the +skipper of the _British Queen_ put him down as a fugitive from justice. +All the same he asked no questions; presumably he had been well content +to hold his tongue in return for a liberal fee in the way of passage +money. So far as Captain Jones knows, his passenger slept comfortably +enough, and it is quite evident that he partook of breakfast in the +morning. What happened subsequently, it is somewhat difficult to say, for +Captain Jones was busy on his own deck looking after the safety of his +ship. These events took place shortly before the _Red Cross_ was sighted. + +"It was at this time that Captain Jones believes that he heard a shrill +scream coming from the cabin, as if his passenger had met with an +accident, or had been frightened by something out of the common. He came +on deck a moment later, looking like a man who had developed a dangerous +mania. He seemed to be flying from some unseen terror, and, indeed, gave +every indication suggestive of the conclusion that he was suffering from +a severe attack of _delirium tremens_. Captain Jones does not share this +view, though it is generally accepted by his crew. Before anybody could +interfere or stretch out a hand to detain the unfortunate man, he had +reached the side of the vessel and thrown himself into the tremendous sea +which was running at the time. It was absolutely out of the question to +make any attempt to save him, though, naturally, Captain Jones did what +he could. Then occurred one of the strange things which so frequently +happen at sea. Five minutes later a great wave breaking over the foredeck +cast some black object at the feet of Captain Jones, which object turned +out to be the body of the unhappy suicide. The man was quite dead; +indeed, he had sustained enough bodily injuries to cause death, without +taking drowning into consideration. + +"As before stated, Captain Jones came in contact with the _Red Cross_ a +little later, and on reaching the safety of the Pool he immediately +communicated with the police, who took possession of the body of the +suicide. On Scotland Yard being communicated with, a detective was sent +down and immediately recognised the body as that of Mr. Mark Fenwick, the +American millionaire. + +"No doubt is entertained that the police officer is right, as Mr. Fenwick +was well-known to thousands of people in London, not only on account of +his wealth, but owing, also, to his remarkable personal appearance. At +the present moment the body lies in a public-house by the side of the +Thames, and an inquest will be held in the morning. + +"Later.--Since going to press, we hear that startling developments are +expected in the matter of the suicide of Mr. Mark Fenwick. On excellent +authority we are informed that the police hold a warrant for the arrest +of Fenwick and others, on a series of criminal charges, among which that +of uttering counterfeit coin is not the least prominent. If these facts +prove to be correct, it will be easy to see why Mr. Fenwick was +attempting to leave the country in fugitive fashion. Further details will +appear in a later edition." + +"That is the whole of the story," Gurdon said when he had concluded. "On +the whole, I should say that Mark Fenwick is very well out of it. He has +had a pretty fair innings, but Fate has been too strong for him in the +long run. It is just as well, too, that he has escaped his punishment--I +mean, for your sakes, more than anything else. If that man had been put +upon his trial, a charge of murder would have been added sooner or later, +and you would have all been dragged from police court to criminal court +to give evidence over and over again. In fact, you would have been the +centre of an unpleasant amount of vulgar curiosity. As it is, the inquest +will be more or less of a formal affair, and the public will never know +that Fenwick has been anything more than a common swindler." + +Venner was emphatically of the same view; personally, he was exceedingly +glad to think that the knot had been cut in this fashion and that the +unpleasant business was ended. He discussed the matter thoughtfully with +Gurdon as he and the latter walked in the direction of his rooms, for he +had refused to spend the night at Merton Grange, though Vera, of +necessity, had arranged to stay there. + +"I suppose one ought to be thankful," he said, "that matters are no +worse. Still, at the same time, I must confess that I should like to +have a few words with Zary. I wonder if we could get him to take us back +to Mexico with a view to exploring the Four Finger Mine. After all said +and done, it seems a pity that that rich treasure house should be lost +to the world." + +"Better leave it alone," Gurdon said. "It makes me creep when I think of +it. All the same, I am with you in one thing. I should certainly like to +see Zary again." + +Gurdon and his companion were destined to have their wish gratified +sooner than they had expected. They let themselves into the farmhouse +where they were staying, and Venner turned up the lamp in the big +rambling sitting-room. There, half-asleep in a chair before the fire, sat +the very man whom they had been discussing. He appeared to be heavy with +sleep--his melancholy eyes opened slowly as he turned to the newcomers. + +"You have been thinking about me," he said--"you have been wondering what +had become of me. We are strangers, and yet we are not strangers. Mr. +Venner is known to me, and Mr. Venner's wife also. I was aware that my +dear young mistress was his wife when it was still a secret to everybody +else. You are puzzled and mystified over the death of Mark Fenwick. Mr. +Gurdon has been reading an account to you from a newspaper." + +"You are certainly a very remarkable man," Gurdon said. "As a matter of +fact, that is exactly what I have been doing. But tell me, Zary, how did +you know?" + +"You have a great poet," Zary said, calmly and deliberately. "He was one +of the noblest philosophers of his time. I have read him, I hope to read +him again many times. His name is Shakespeare, and he says 'there are +more things in Heaven and earth than are dreamt of in our philosophy.' +Gentlemen, that is so, as you would know if you possessed the powers that +I do. But I could not explain--you would not understand, for your minds +are different from mine. I am going away; I shall never see my dear +friends again--for the last time we have met. And because I could not +endure a formal parting I have come to you to give them all a message +from me. It is only this, that I shall never cease to think of them +wherever I may be--but I need not dwell upon that. As to Fenwick, I did +not design that he should die so peaceful a death. I had gauged his mind +incorrectly; I had goaded him into a pitch of terror which drove him over +the border land and destroyed his reason. Therefore, he committed +suicide, and so he is finished with." + +There was a pause for some time, until it became evident that Zary had no +more to say. He rose to his feet, and was advancing in the direction of +the door when Gurdon stopped him. + +"Pardon me," the latter said, "but like most ordinary men, I am by no +means devoid of my fair share of curiosity. What is going to be done in +the matter of the Four Finger Mine?" + +Zary's large round eyes seemed to emit flashes of light. His face had +grown hard and white like that of a statue. + +"Well," he demanded, "what about the mine?" + +"Why, you see, it practically belongs to Mr. Le Fenu's children," Gurdon +said. "In which case it should prove an exceedingly valuable property." + +"The mine belongs to us, it belongs to me," Zary cried. "I am the last of +my tribe, and the secret shall die with me. Man, do you suppose that +happiness lies in the mere accumulation of money? I tell you that the +thing is a curse, one of the greatest curses that ever God laid on +humanity. To hundreds and thousands of us this life of ours on earth is a +veritable hell through the greed for gold. Of all the wars that have +brought pain and suffering to humanity, none has done a tithe of the harm +wrought by the incessant battle for the yellow metal which you call +gold. If there had been no such thing on earth, the tribe to which I +belong would to-day walk as gods amongst ordinary men. No, I shall do +nothing to pander to this disease. When I die the secret of the mine +perishes with me. Never more will man work there as long as I have the +health and strength to prevent it." + +The latter part of Zary's speech had sunk almost to a whisper; he made a +profound bow to Venner and Gurdon, then left the room softly. He seemed +to vanish almost like the spirit of one of his departed ancestors, and +his place knew him no more. + +"Curious man," Gurdon said, thoughtfully. "Very quiet and gentle as a +rule, but not the kind of person you would care to have as a foe. I have +a very strong feeling that none of us will ever see Felix Zary again. +Now, don't you think we can begin to forget all about this kind of thing? +Surely we have had enough horrors and mysteries, and I can only wonder at +the way in which those girls have borne up against all their troubles. +Tell me, what are you going to do? I mean as to your future." + +"Upon my word, I really haven't given it a thought," Venner said. "It is +not very often that a man has the unique experience of being married +three years without a honeymoon, and without more than half an hour in +his wife's company. You can but feebly guess, my dear fellow, how +terribly I have suffered during the time to which I refer. Still, I +trusted my wife implicitly, though all the dictates of common-sense were +against me, and I am sincerely and heartily glad now that I took the line +I did. As soon as possible, I intend to take Vera away for a long tour on +the Continent. When I come back I shall have the old house done up again, +and, I suppose, settle down to the life of a country gentleman. But, of +course, I can't do anything till Beth's future is settled. I suppose, for +the present, she will go back again to Le Fenu's doctor friends, pending +her marriage with Charles Evors." + +"The programme is all right," Gurdon said. "But suppose Lord Merton +objects to the arrangement?" + +"I don't fancy that he will do that, from what I hear," Venner said. "All +the Evors have been wild in their youth, and the present lord is no +exception to the rule. Depend upon it, he will be very glad to have his +son back again, happily married, and eager to become domesticated. +Besides, from what I understand from Vera, her father worked the Four +Finger Mine to considerable advantage during his lifetime, and Beth is +something quite considerable in the way of an heiress. On the whole, I am +not disposed to worry. Now let us have one quiet cigar, and then go to +bed like a pair of average respectable citizens." + + + + +CHAPTER XXX + +A PEACEFUL SUNSET + + +"Upon my word," Evors was saying to Beth, "I feel as nervous as an Eton +boy sent up to the head for a flogging. It is just the same sensation as +I used to enjoy in my schooldays; but I don't care what he says, I am +going to marry you whether he likes it or not, though, of course, he is +bound to like it. No one could look at that dear sweet little face of +yours without falling in love with you on the spot." + +Beth demurely hoped so; she pretended an easy unconcern, though, on the +whole, she was perhaps more anxious than Evors, for the latter had +written to his father at some length explaining how matters stood, and +Lord Merton had telegraphed to say that he would be at home the following +afternoon. The afternoon had arrived in due course, and now the wheels of +his carriage might be heard at any moment. Vera and her husband were not +far off; they had promised to come in and give their moral support if it +became necessary. + +"I don't see how he can possibly help liking you," Evors went on. +"Thank goodness, we shall be spared the trouble of making a long +explanation. If my father had been against the arrangement he probably +would have done something else besides telegraphing that he was coming; +but I don't care, it doesn't matter what he says, I have quite made up +my mind what to do." + +"But you couldn't go against your father," Beth said, timidly. + +"Oh, couldn't I? My dear girl, I have been doing nothing else all my +lifetime. I have been a most undutiful son, and I have no doubt that I +have come near to breaking my father's heart many a time, as he nearly +broke the heart of his father before him. In common fairness he will have +to admit that we Evors are all alike as young men; and, in any case, I +couldn't give you up, Beth. Just think how faithful you have been to me +all these years, when all the time it has seemed as if I had a terrible +crime on my conscience. Your father's death--" + +Beth laid her little hand upon the speaker's mouth. + +"Oh, hush, hush," she whispered. "I implore you never to speak of that +again. They told me, or, at least, that dreadful man told me, that you +had committed that awful deed. He gave me the most overwhelming proofs, +and when I demanded a chance to speak to you and hear from your own lips +that it was all a cruel lie, you were nowhere to be found. This, Fenwick +told me, was proof positive of your guilt. It was such a shock to me +that, for the time being, I lost my reason--at least, I did not exactly +lose my reason, but my brain just seemed to go to sleep in some strange +way. And yet, from first to last, I never believed a word that Mark +Fenwick said. There was always present the knowledge that your name would +be cleared at last, and the most gratifying part of it all is the +knowledge that there can be no scandal, no slanderous tongues to say that +there is no smoke without fire, and those wicked things that sound so +small and yet imply so much." + +"Don't let us think of it. Let our minds dwell only on the happy future +that is before us. We shall be able to marry at once; then we can go and +live in the old Manor House by the park gates. The place is already +furnished, and needs very little doing up. Sooner or later you will be +mistress of this grand old home, though I hope that time may not come for +many years. It seems to me--" + +But Beth was not attending. She seemed to be listening with more or less +fear to the sound of wheels crunching on the gravel outside. Evors had +hardly time to reassure her, when the door opened and Lord Merton came +in. He was a tall man of commanding presence, a little cold and +haughty-looking, though his lips indicated a genial nature, and he could +not altogether suppress the grave amusement in his eyes. + +"This is an unconventional meeting," he said. "I received your letter, +Charles, and I am bound to say the contents would have astonished me +exceedingly had they been written by anybody but an Evors. But our +race has always been a law unto itself, with more or less disastrous +consequences. We have been a wild and reckless lot, but this is the +first time, so far as I know, that one of the tribe has been accused +of murder." + +"It is a wicked lie," Beth burst out, passionately. She had forgotten all +her fears in her indignation. "My father was killed by the man Fenwick +and his colleagues. That has all been proved beyond a doubt!" + +Lord Merton smiled down upon the flushed, indignant face. It was quite +evident that Beth had made a favorable impression upon him. + +"I admire your loyalty and your pluck," he said. "My dear child, many +a woman has risked her happiness by marrying an Evors--not one of +them did so except in absolute defiance of the advice of their +friends. In every case it has been a desperate experiment, and yet, I +believe, in every case it has turned out perfectly happily. It was the +same with Charles's mother. It was the same with my mother. No Evors +ever asked permission of his sire to take unto himself a wife; no +Evors ever cared about social position. Still, at the same time, I am +glad to know that my boy has chosen a lady. When he was quite a young +man, I should not have been in the least surprised if he had come home +with a flaunting barmaid, or something exquisitely vulgar in the way +of a music hall artiste." + +Beth laughed aloud. She had quite forgotten her fears now; she was +beginning rather to like this caustic old gentleman, whose cynical words +were belied by the smile in his eyes. + +"I am very glad to know that you are satisfied with me," she said, +timidly: "It is good to know that." + +"I suppose it would have been all the same in any case," Lord Merton +replied with a smile. "You would have married Charles and he would have +had to have earned his own living, which would have been an excellent +thing for him." + +"Indeed, he wouldn't," Beth laughed. "Do you know, Lord Merton, that I am +quite a large heiress in my way. I am sure you won't mind my speaking +like this, but I feel so happy to-day that I hardly know what I am +saying. If you only knew the dread with which I have been looking forward +to meeting you--" + +"Oh, they are all like that," Lord Merton laughed. "To strangers, I am +supposed to be a most terrible creature, but everybody on my estate knows +how lamentably weak I am. They all take advantage of me and bully me, +even down to the lads in the stable, and I won't disguise from you the +satisfaction I feel in the knowledge that you have money of your own. For +some considerable time past I have been severely economising with a view +to paying off some alarming mortgages on the estate, so that I should not +have been in a position to allow Charles much in the way of an income. It +will be my ambition when my time comes to hand you over the property +without a penny owing to anybody." + +"May that day be a long way off, sir," Charles said, with feeling. "I +hope to assure you how I appreciate the noble manner in which you have +forgiven--" + +"Say no more about it, say no more," Lord Merton said. He seemed to have +some little difficulty in the articulation of his words. "Let us shake +hands on the bargain and forget the past. I was profoundly interested in +your long letter, and I must confess to some little curiosity to see your +other friends, especially Mrs. Venner, who seems to have played so noble +a part in the story. I understand that she and her husband are down here. +I suppose you made them more or less comfortable, which must have been a +rather difficult undertaking in the circumstances. However, I have +arranged to have all the old servants back to-morrow, and it will be some +considerable time before I let the old house again. Now run away and +enjoy yourselves, and let us meet at dinner as if nothing had happened. I +don't want it to appear that there has been anything like a quarrel +between us." + +So saying, Lord Merton turned and proceeded to his own room, leaving +Beth in a state of almost speechless admiration. It was so different from +anything she had expected, that she felt as if she could have cried for +pure happiness. The sun was shining outside; through the window she could +see the deer wandering in the park. It was good to know that the old dark +past was gone, and that the primrose path of happiness lay shining before +them. Presently, as they wandered out in the sunshine, Vera came on the +terrace and watched them. There was no need to tell her that the +interview with the master of the house had been a smooth one. She could +judge that by the way in which the lovers were walking side by side. +Venner came and stood by his wife's side. + +"So that's all right," he said. "As far as one can judge, they have +managed to propitiate the ogre." + +"What do you mean by calling a man an ogre in his own house?" the voice +of Lord Merton asked at the same moment. "For some few minutes I have +been keeping an eye on you two, but I suppose I must introduce myself, +though you will guess who I am. Mr. Venner, will you be good enough to do +me the honor of introducing me to your wife? I have heard a great deal of +her from my son. Mrs. Venner, if you will shake hands with me I shall +esteem it a great favor." + +"Then you are not annoyed with us?" Vera asked. "You are not displeased +at the way we have taken possession of your house? I am afraid that +indirectly we have been the cause of a great scandal." + +"Oh, don't worry yourself about that," Lord Merton, said breezily. "There +have been far worse scandals than this in great houses before now; and, +at any rate, it does not touch us. I am afraid you have been rather +inconvenienced here, and that the Grange has not upheld its reputation +for hospitality. Still, I hope it will be all right to-morrow, and I +sincerely trust that you can see your way to stay here for some little +time to come. I am going to ask my sister, Lady Glynn, to come down and +act the part of hostess. Somebody will have to introduce Beth to the +county as my future daughter-in-law." + +"You are pleased with the arrangement?" Vera asked, demurely. + +"Indeed, I am," Lord Merton cried. "You do not know what an eccentric lot +we are. I should not have been at all surprised if Charles had come home +with some curiosity in the way of a bride, and I am only too profoundly +grateful to find that he has made so sweet a choice. But, tell me, you +will stay here some little time--" + +"I am afraid not," Venner, said regretfully. "If you will allow us to +come back a little later on, I am sure that my wife and myself will be +very pleased. I have no doubt that Evors will be impatient to claim his +bride, but I hope he will wait for a month or two at least. You see, I +have a bride of my own, though, in a way, we are old married people. I +don't know whether Charles told you anything of our story, but if you +would like to hear it--" + +Lord Merton intimated that he had already done so. He expressed a hope +that Venner and his wife would return again a little later on; then, +making some excuse, he returned to the house, leaving Venner and Vera +together. For some little time they wandered across the park very +silently, for the hearts of both were full, and this was one of those +moments when words are not necessary to convey thought from one mind to +another. Presently Evors and Beth appeared in the distance and joined +the others. + +"Well," Venner said with a smile, "it is some time since I saw two people +look more ridiculously happy than you two. But I am sincerely glad to +find that the ogre is only one in name. My dear Charles, your father is +quite a delightful person. I quite understood from what you told me that +we had a lot of trouble in store for us. On the contrary, he seems to be +as pleased with the course of events as we are." + +"He seems to have altered so much lately," Evors said. "At any rate, he +has been particularly good to me, and I am not likely to forget it. +Behold in me a reformed character, ready to settle down to a country life +with Beth by my side--" + +"Not quite, yet," Venner said, hastily. "You will have to curb your +impatience for a bit; you must not forget how Vera has suffered for the +sake of you both, and how patiently I waited for my happiness. You must +promise us that the marriage will not take place under two months, or I +give you a solemn warning that we shall not be there. Our own +honeymoon--" + +"Of course Charles will promise," Beth said, indignantly. "Oh, I could +never dream of being married unless Vera were present. And, after all, +what are two months when you have a whole lifetime before you? I am sure +that Charles agrees with me." + +"I don't, indeed," Evors said, candidly. "Still, I am not going to be +disagreeable, and Beth knows that she has only to look at me with those +imploring eyes of hers to get absolutely her own way." + +They left it at that, and gradually drifted apart again. When Vera and +her husband returned to the Grange, the setting sun shone fully in their +faces, flinging their shadows far behind. Venner paused just for a +moment under the sombre shadow of a clump of beeches, and drew his wife +to his side. + +"One moment," he said. "We have not yet decided where we are going. I +have everything in readiness in London, and I suppose that you are not +lacking in the matter of wardrobe. Don't tell me, while having +everything that woman can want in the way of dress, that you have +nothing to wear." + +"I won't," Vera said, softly. "My dear boy, cannot you see how glad I +shall be to be alone with you at last? Everything is going well here, and +Beth is entirely happy. You have been very good and patient, and I will +keep you waiting no longer. If you so will it, and I think you do, let it +be tomorrow." + +Venner stooped and kissed the trembling lips held up to his. Then very +silently, their hearts too full for further speech, they turned towards +the house. + + + + + + + + + + +End of Project Gutenberg's The Mystery of the Four Fingers, by Fred M. 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Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..18f3dda --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #9853 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/9853) diff --git a/old/my4fn10.txt b/old/my4fn10.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..9c5d227 --- /dev/null +++ b/old/my4fn10.txt @@ -0,0 +1,8688 @@ +The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Mystery of the Four Fingers, by Fred M. White + +Copyright laws are changing all over the world. Be sure to check the +copyright laws for your country before downloading or redistributing +this or any other Project Gutenberg eBook. + +This header should be the first thing seen when viewing this Project +Gutenberg file. Please do not remove it. Do not change or edit the +header without written permission. + +Please read the "legal small print," and other information about the +eBook and Project Gutenberg at the bottom of this file. Included is +important information about your specific rights and restrictions in +how the file may be used. You can also find out about how to make a +donation to Project Gutenberg, and how to get involved. + + +**Welcome To The World of Free Plain Vanilla Electronic Texts** + +**eBooks Readable By Both Humans and By Computers, Since 1971** + +*****These eBooks Were Prepared By Thousands of Volunteers!***** + + +Title: The Mystery of the Four Fingers + +Author: Fred M. White + +Release Date: February, 2006 [EBook #9853] +[This file was first posted on October 24, 2003] + +Edition: 10 + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: US-ASCII + +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK, THE MYSTERY OF THE FOUR FINGERS *** + + + + +E-text prepared by Juliet Sutherland, Mary Meehan, and the Project Gutenberg +Online Distributed Proofreading Team + + + + + + + +The Mystery of the Four Fingers + +BY FRED M. WHITE + +Author of "THE MIDNIGHT GUEST," "THE CRIMSON BLIND," Etc., Etc. + +1908 + + + + + + +CONTENTS + + I. THE BLACK PATCH + + II. THE FIRST FINGER + + III. THE LOST MINE + + IV. IN THE LIFT + + V. A PUZZLE FOR VENNER + + VI. A PARTIAL FAILURE + + VII. THE WHITE LADY + + VIII. MISSING + + IX. A NEW PHASE + + X. THE SECOND FINGER + + XI. AN UNEXPECTED MOVE + + XII. THE HOUSE NEXT DOOR + + XIII. THE WHITE LADY AGAIN + + XIV. MASTER OF THE SITUATION + + XV. FELIX ZARY + + XVI. FENWICK MOVES AGAIN + + XVII. MERTON GRANGE + + XVIII. A COUPLE OF VISITORS + + XIX. PHANTOM GOLD + + XX. THE PRODIGAL'S RETURN + + XXI. THE THIRD FINGER + + XXII. "THE TIME WILL COME" + + XXIII. SMOKED OUT + + XXIV. THE MOUTH OF THE NET + + XXV. AN ACT OF CHARITY + + XXVI. THE LAST FINGER + + XXVII. NEMESIS + +XXVIII. EXPLANATIONS + + XXIX. THIS MORTAL COIL + + XXX. A PEACEFUL SUNSET + + + + +CHAPTER I + +THE BLACK PATCH + +Considering it was nearly the height of the London winter season, the +Great Empire Hotel was not unusually crowded. This might perhaps have +been owing to the fact that two or three of the finest suites of rooms in +the building had been engaged by Mark Fenwick, who was popularly supposed +to be the last thing in the way of American multi-millionaires. No one +knew precisely who Fenwick was, or how he had made his money; but during +the last few months his name had bulked largely in the financial Press +and the daily periodicals of a sensational character. So far, the man had +hardly been seen, it being understood that he was suffering from a chill, +contracted on his voyage to Europe. Up to the present moment he had taken +all his meals in his rooms, but it was whispered now that the great man +was coming down to dinner. There was quite a flutter of excitement in the +Venetian dining-room about eight o'clock. + +The beautifully decorated saloon had a sprinkling of well-dressed men +and women already dining decorously there. Everything was decorous about +the Great Empire Hotel. No thought had been spared in the effort to keep +the place quiet and select. The carpets were extra thick, and the waiters +more than usually soft-footed. On the whole, it was a restful place, +though, perhaps, the decorative scheme of its lighting erred just a +trifle on the side of the sombre. Still, flowers and ferns were soft and +feathery. The band played just loudly enough to stimulate conversation +instead of drowning it. At one of the little tables near the door two men +were dining. One had the alertness and vigor which bespeaks the dweller +in towns. He was neatly groomed, with just the slight suspicion of the +dandy in his dress, though it was obvious at the merest glance that he +was a gentleman. His short, sleek hair gave to his head a certain +suggestion of strength. The eyes which gleamed behind his gold-rimmed +glasses were keen and steady. Most men about town were acquainted with +the name of Jim Gurdon, as a generation before had been acquainted with +his prowess in the athletic field. Now he was a successful barrister, +though his ample private means rendered professional work quite +unnecessary. + +The other man was taller, and more loose-limbed, though his spare frame +suggested great physical strength. He was dark in a hawk-like way, +though the suggestion of the adventurer about him was softened by a pair +of frank and pleasant grey eyes. Gerald Venner was tanned to a fine, +healthy bronze by many years of wandering all over the world; in fact, he +was one of those restless Englishmen who cannot for long be satisfied +without risking his life in some adventure or other. + +The two friends sat there quietly over their dinner, criticising from +time to time those about them. + +"After all," Gurdon said presently, "you must admit that there is +something in our civilization. Now, isn't this better than starving under +a thin blanket, with a chance of being murdered before morning?" + +Venner shrugged his shoulders indifferently. + +"I don't know," he said. "There is something in danger that stimulates +me; in fact, it is the only thing that makes life worth living, I dare +say you have wondered why it is that I have never settled down and +become respectable like the rest of you. If you heard my story, you +would not be surprised at my eccentric mode of living; at any rate, it +enables me to forget." + +Venner uttered the last words slowly and sadly, as if he were talking +to himself, and had forgotten the presence of his companion. There +was a speculative look in his eyes, much as if London had vanished +and he could see the orchids on the table before him growing in their +native forests. + +"I suppose I don't look much like a man with a past," he went on; "like +a man who is the victim of a great sorrow. I'll tell you the story +presently, but not here; I really could not do it in surroundings like +these. I've tried everything, even to money-making, but that is the +worst and most unsatisfactory process of the lot. There is nothing so +sordid as that." + +"Oh, I don't know," Gurdon laughed. "It is better to be a +multi-millionaire than a king today. Take the case of this man Fenwick, +for instance; the papers are making more fuss of him than if he were the +President of the United States or royalty travelling incognito." + +Venner smiled more or less contemptuously. He turned to take a casual +glance at a noisy party who had just come into the dining room, for the +frivolous note jarred upon him. Almost immediately the little party sat +down, and the decorous air of the room seemed to subdue them. Immediately +behind them followed a man who came dragging his limbs behind him, +supported on either side by a servant. He was quite a young man, with a +wonderfully handsome, clean-shaven face. Indeed, so handsome was he, that +Venner could think of no more fitting simile for his beauty than the +trite old comparison of the Greek god. The man's features were perfectly +chiselled, slightly melancholy and romantic, and strongly suggestive of +the early portraits of Lord Byron. Yet, all the same, the almost perfect +face was from time to time twisted and distorted with pain, and from time +to time there came into the dark, melancholy eyes a look of almost +malignant fury. It was evident that the newcomer suffered from racking +pain, for his lips were twitching, and Venner could see that his even, +white teeth were clenched together. On the whole, it was a striking +figure to intrude upon the smooth gaiety of the dining-room, for it +seemed to Venner that death and the stranger were more than casual +acquaintances. He had an idea that it was only a strong will which kept +the invalid on this side of the grave. + +The sufferer sank at length with a sigh of relief into a large armchair, +which had been specially placed for him. He waved the servants aside as +if he had no further use for them, and commenced to study his _menu_, as +if he had no thought for anything else. Venner did not fail to note that +the man had the full use of his arms, and his eye dwelt with critical +approval on the strong, muscular hands and wrists. + +"I wonder who that fellow is?" he said. "What a magnificent frame his +must have been before he got so terribly broken up." + +"He is certainly a fascinating personality," Gurdon admitted. "Somehow, +he strikes me not so much as the victim of an accident as an unfortunate +being who is suffering from the result of some terrible form of +vengeance. What a character he would make for a story! I am ready to bet +anything in reason that if we could get to the bottom of his history it +would be a most dramatic one. It regularly appeals to the imagination. I +can quite believe our friend yonder has dragged himself out of bed by +sheer force of will to keep some appointment whereby he can wreak his +long nursed revenge." + +"Not in a place like this," Venner smiled. + +"Why not? In the old days these things used to be played out to the +accompaniment of thunder and lightning on a blasted heath. Now we are +much more quiet and gentle in our methods. It is quite evident that our +handsome friend is expecting someone to dine with him. He gives a most +excellent dinner to his enemy, points out to him his faults in the most +gentlemanly fashion, and then proceeds to poison him with a specially +prepared cigar. I can see the whole thing in the form of a short story." + +Venner smiled at the conceit of his companion. He was more than half +inclined to take a sentimental view of the thing himself. He turned to +the waiter to give some order, and as he did so, his eyes encountered two +more people, a man and a woman, who, at that moment, entered the +dining-room. The man was somewhat past middle age, with a large bald +head, covered with a shining dome of yellow skin, and a yellow face +lighted by a pair of deep-sunk dark eyes. The whole was set off and +rendered sinister by a small hook nose and a little black moustache. For +the rest, the man was short and inclined to be stout. He walked with a +wonderfully light and agile step for a man of his weight; in fact he +seemed to reach his seat much as a cat might have done. Indeed, despite +his bulk, there was something strangely feline about the stranger. + +Venner gave a peculiar gasp and gurgle. His eyes started. All the blood +receded from his brown face, leaving him ghastly white under his tan. It +was no aspect of fear--rather one of surprise,--of strong and +unconquerable emotion. At the same moment Venner's hand snapped the stem +of his wine glass, and the champagne frothed upon the table. + +"Who is that man?" Venner asked of the waiter. His tone was so strained +and harsh that he hardly recognised his own voice. "Who is the man, I +say? No, no; I don't mean him. I mean that stout man, with the lady in +white, over there." + +The waiter stared at the speaker in astonishment. He seemed to wonder +where he had been all these years. + +"That, sir, is Mr. Mark Fenwick, the American millionaire." + +Venner waved the speaker aside. He was recovering from his emotion now +and the blood had returned once more to his cheeks. He became conscious +of the fact that Gurdon was regarding him with a polite, yet none the +less critical, wonder. + +"What is the matter?" the latter asked. "Really, the air seems full of +mystery. Do you know that for the last two minutes you have been +regarding that obese capitalist with a look that was absolutely +murderous? Do you mean to tell me that you have ever seen him before?" + +"Indeed, I have," Venner replied. "But on the last occasion of our +meeting, he did not call himself Mark Fenwick, or by any other name so +distinctly British. Look at him now; look at his yellow skin with the +deep patches of purple at the roots of the little hair he has. Mark the +shape of his face and the peculiar oblique slit of his eyelids. Would you +take that man for an Englishman?" + +"No, I shouldn't," Gurdon said frankly. "If I had to hazard a guess, I +should say he is either Portuguese or perhaps something of the Mexican +half caste." + +"You would not be far wrong," Venner said quietly. "I suppose you thought +that the appearance of that man here tonight was something of a shock to +me. You can little guess what sort of a shock it has been. I promise to +tell you my story presently, so it will have to keep. In the meantime, +it is my mood to sit here and watch that man." + +"Personally, I am much more interested in his companion," Gurdon laughed. +"A daughter of the gods, if ever there was one. What a face, and what a +figure! Do you mean to say that you didn't notice her as she came in?" + +"Positively I didn't," Venner confessed. "My whole attention was rivetted +on the man. I tell you I can see absolutely nothing but his great, +yellow, wicked face, and for the background the romantic spot where we +last met." + +It was Gurdon's turn now to listen. He leant forward in his chair, his +whole attention concentrated upon the figure of the stranger, huddled up +in the armchair at the little table opposite. He touched Venner on the +arm, and indicated the figure of the man who had suffered so cruelly in +some form or other. + +"The plot thickens," Venner murmured. "Upon my word, he seems to know +this Mark Fenwick as well as I do." + +The maimed crippled figure in the armchair had dragged himself almost to +his feet, with his powerful, muscular arm propping him against the table. +His unusually handsome face was all broken and twisted up with an +expression of malignant fury. He stood there for a moment or two like a +statue of uncontrollable passion, rigid, fixed, and motionless, save for +the twitching of his face. Then, gradually he dropped back into his chair +again, a broken and huddled heap, quivering from head to foot with the +pain caused by his recent exertion. A moment later he took from his +breast pocket a silk shade, which he proceeded to tie over his eyes, as +if the light hurt him. Watching his every movement with intense +eagerness, the two friends saw that he had also taken from his pocket a +small silver case, about the same size as an ordinary box of safety +matches. Indeed, the case looked not unlike the silver coverings for wood +matches, which are generally to be seen in well-appointed households. +Then, as if nothing interested him further, he leaned back in his chair, +and appeared to give himself over entirely to his enjoyment of the +orchestra. In all probability no diner there besides Venner and Gurdon +had noticed anything in the least out of the common. + +"This is very dramatic," Gurdon said. "Here is a melo-drama actually +taking place in a comedy 'set' like this. I am glad you will be in a +position later on to gratify my curiosity. I confess I should like to +learn something more about this Mark Fenwick, who does not appear to be +in the least like one's idea of the prosaic money spinner." + +"He isn't," Venner said grimly. "Anything but that. Why, three years ago +that man was as poor and desperate as the most wretched outcast who +walks the streets of London to-night. And one thing you may be certain +of--wherever you dine from now to your dying day, you will be under the +roof of no more diabolical scoundrel than the creature who calls himself +Mark Fenwick." + +There was a deep note in Venner's voice that did not fail to stimulate +Gurdon's curiosity. He glanced again at the millionaire, who appeared to +be talking in some foreign tongue with his companion. The tall, fair girl +with the shining hair had her back to the friends, so they could not see +her face, and when she spoke it was in a tone so low that it was not +possible to catch anything more than the sweetness of her voice. + +"I wonder what she is doing with him?" Gurdon said. "At any rate, she is +English enough. I never saw a woman with a more thoroughbred air. She is +looking this way." + +Just for a moment the girl turned her head, and Venner caught a full +sight of her face. It was only for an instant; then the fair head was +turned again, and the girl appeared to resume her dinner. Venner jumped +from his chair and took three strides across the room. He paused there as +if struggling to regain possession of himself; then he dropped into his +chair again, shielding his face from the light with his hands. Gurdon +could see that his companion's face had turned to a ghastly grey. +Veritably it was a night of surprises, quick, dramatic surprises, +following close upon one another's heels. + +"What, do you mean to say you know her, too?" Gurdon whispered. + +Venner looked up with a strange, unsteady smile on his face. He appeared +to be fighting hard to regain his self-control. + +"Indeed, I do know her," he said. "My friend, you are going to have all +the surprises you want. What will you say when I tell you that the girl +who sits there, utterly unconscious of my presence, and deeming me to be +at the other end of the world, is no less a person than--my own wife?" + + + + +CHAPTER II + +THE FIRST FINGER + + +Gurdon waited for his companion to go on. It was a boast of his that he +had exhausted most of the sensations of life, and that he never allowed +anything to astonish him. All the same, he was astonished now, and +surprised beyond words. For the last twenty-five years, on and off, he +had known Venner. Indeed, there had been few secrets between them since +the day when they had come down from Oxford together. From time to time, +during his wanderings, Venner had written to his old chum a fairly +complete account of his adventures. During the last three years the +letters had been meagre and far between; and at their meeting a few days +ago, Gurdon had noticed a reticence in the manner of his old chum that he +had not seen before. + +He waited now, naturally enough, for the other to give some explanation +of his extraordinary statement, but Venner appeared to have forgotten all +about Gurdon. He sat there shielding one side of his face, heedless of +the attentions of the waiter, who proffered him food from time to time. + +"Is that all you are going to tell me?" Gurdon asked at length. + +"Upon my word, I am very sorry," Venner said. "But you will excuse me +if I say nothing more at present. You can imagine what a shock this has +been to me." + +"Of course. I don't wish to be impertinent, old chap, but I presume that +there has been some little misunderstanding--" + +"Not in the least. There has been no misunderstanding whatever. I +honestly believe that the woman over yonder is still just as passionately +fond of me as I am of her. As you know, Gurdon, I never was much of a +ladies' man; in fact, you fellows at Oxford used to chaff me because I +was so ill at ease in the society of women. Usually a man like myself +falls in love but once in his lifetime, and then never changes. At any +rate, that is my case. I worship the ground that girl walks upon. I would +have given up my life cheerfully for her; I would do so now if I could +save her a moment's pain. You think, perhaps, that she saw me when she +came in here to-night. That is where you have got the impression that +there is some misunderstanding between us. You talked just now of +dramatic surprises. I could show you one even beyond your powers of +imagination if I chose. What would you say if I told you that three years +ago I became the husband of that beautiful girl yonder, and that from +half-an-hour after the ceremony till the present moment I have never set +eyes on her again?" + +"It seems almost incredible," Gurdon exclaimed. + +"Yes, I suppose it does. But it is absolutely a fact all the same. I +can't tell you here the romance of my life. I couldn't do it in +surroundings like these. We will go on to your rooms presently, and then +I will make a clean breast of the whole thing to you. You may be disposed +to laugh at me for a sentimentalist, but I should like to stay here a +little longer, if it is only now and again to hear a word or two from her +lips. If you will push those flowers across between me and the light I +shall be quite secure from observation. I think that will do." + +"But you don't mean to tell me," Gurdon murmured, "that the lady in +question is the daughter of that picturesque-looking old ruffian, +Mark Fenwick?" + +"Of course, she isn't," Venner said, with great contempt. "What the +connection is between them, I cannot say. What strange fate links them +together is as much a mystery to me as it is to you. I do not like it, +but I let it pass, feeling so sure of Vera's innocence and integrity. But +the waiter will tell us. Here, waiter, is the lady dining over there with +Mr. Fenwick his daughter or not?" + +"Certainly, sir," the waiter responded. "That is Miss Fenwick." + +There was silence for a moment or two between the two friends. Venner +appeared to be deeply immersed in his own thoughts, while Gurdon's eyes +travelled quickly between the table where the millionaire sat and the +deep armchair, in which the invalid lay huddled; and Venner now saw that +the cripple on the opposite side of the room was regarding Fenwick and +his companion with the intentness of a cat watching a mouse. + +Dinner had now come pretty well to an end, and the coffee and liqueurs +were going round. A cup was placed before Fenwick, who turned to one of +the waiters with a quick order which the latter hastened to obey. The +order was given so clearly that Gurdon could hear distinctly what it was. +He had asked for a light, wherewith to burn the glass of Curacoa which he +intended to take, foreign fashion, in his coffee. + +"And don't forget to bring me a wooden match," he commanded. "Household +matches. Last night one of your men brought me a vesta." + +The waiter hurried off to execute his commission, but his intention was +anticipated by another waiter who had apparently been doing nothing and +hanging about in the background. The second waiter was a small, lithe +man, with beady, black eyes and curly hair. For some reason or other, +Gurdon noticed him particularly; then he saw a strange thing happen. The +little waiter with the snaky hair glanced swiftly across the room in the +direction of the cripple huddled up in the armchair. Just as if he had +been waiting for a signal, the invalid stretched out one of his long +arms, and laid his fingers significantly on the tiny silver box he had +deposited on the table some little time before. The small waiter went +across the room and deliberately lifted the silver box from the table. He +then walked briskly across to where the millionaire was seated, placed +the box close to his elbow, and vanished. He seemed to fairly race down +the room until he was lost in a pile of palms which masked the door. +Gurdon had followed all this with the deepest possible interest. Venner +sat there, apparently lost to all sense of his surroundings. His head was +on his hands, and his mind was apparently far away. Therefore, Gurdon was +left entirely to himself, to study the strange things that were going on +around him. His whole attention was now concentrated upon Fenwick, who +presently tilted his glass of Curacoa dexterously into his coffee cup, +and then stretched out his hand for the silver match box by his side. He +was still talking to his companion while he fumbled for a match without +looking at the little case in his hand. Suddenly he ceased to speak, his +black eyes rivetted on the box. It fell from his fingers as if it had +contained some poisonous insect, and he rose to his feet with a sudden +scream that could be heard all over the room. + +There was a quick hush in the conversation, and every head was turned in +the direction of the millionaire's table. Practically every diner there +knew who the man with the yellow head was, so that the startling +interruption was all the more unexpected. Once again the frightened cry +rang out, and then Fenwick stood, gazing with horrified eyes and white, +ghastly face at the innocent looking little box on the table. + +"Who brought this here?" he screamed. "Bring that waiter here. Find him +at once. Find him at once, I say. A little man with beady eyes and hair +like rats' tails." + +The head waiter bustled up, full of importance; but it was in vain that +he asked for some explanation of what had happened. All Fenwick could do +was to stand there gesticulating and calling aloud for the production of +the erring waiter. + +"But I assure you, sir," the head waiter said, "we have no waiter here +who answers to the description of the man you mention. They are all here +now, every waiter who has entered the room to-night. If you will be so +good as to pick out the one who has offended you--" + +Fenwick's startled, bloodshot eyes ranged slowly over the array of +waiters which had been gathered for his inspection round his table. +Presently he shook his head with an impatient gesture. + +"I tell you, he is not here," he cried. "The man is not here. He is quite +small, with very queer, black hair." + +The head waiter was equally positive in his assurance. Louder rose the +angry voice of the millionaire, till at length Venner was aroused from +his reverie and looked up to Gurdon to know what was going on. The latter +explained as far as possible, not omitting to describe the strange matter +of the silver box. Venner smiled with the air of a man who could say a +great deal if he chose. + +"It is all part of the programme," he said. "That will come in my story +later on. But what puzzles me is where that handsome cripple comes in. +The mystery deepens." + +By this time Fenwick's protestations had grown weaker. He seemed to +ramble on in a mixture of English and Portuguese which was exceedingly +puzzling to the head waiter, who still was utterly in the dark as to the +cause of offence. Most of the diners had gathered round the millionaire's +table with polite curiosity, and sundry offers of assistance. + +"I think we had better get to our own room," a sweet, gentle voice said, +as the tall, fair girl by Fenwick's side rose and moved in the direction +of the door. It was, perhaps, unfortunate that Venner had risen at the +same time. As he strode from his own table, he came face to face with the +girl who stood there watching him with something like pain in her blue +eyes. Just for an instant she staggered back, and apparently would have +fallen had not Venner placed his arm about her waist. In the strange +confusion caused by the unexpected disturbance, nobody had noticed this +besides Gurdon, who promptly rose to the occasion. + +"You had better take the lady as far as her own rooms," he said. "This +business has evidently been too much for her. Meanwhile, I will see what +I can do for Mr. Fenwick." + +Venner shot his friend a glance of gratitude. He did not hesitate for a +moment; he saw that the girl by his side was quite incapable of offering +any objections for the present. In his own strong, masterful way, he drew +the girl's hand under his arm, and fairly dragged her from the room into +the comparative silence and seclusion of the corridor beyond. + +"Which way do we go?" he asked. + +"The Grand Staircase," the girl replied faintly. "It is on the first +floor. But you must not come with me, you must come no further. It would +be madness for him to know that we are together." + +"He will not come just yet," Venner replied. "My friend knows something +of my story, and he will do his best to get us five minutes together. You +have heard me speak of Jim Gurdon before." + +"But it is madness," the girl whispered. "You know how dangerous it is. +Oh, Gerald, what must you think of me when--" + +"I swear to you that I think nothing of you that is unkind or +ungenerous," Venner protested. "By a cruel stroke of fate we were parted +at the very moment when our happiness seemed most complete. Why you left +me in the strange way you did, I have never yet learned. In your letter +to me you told me you were bound to act as you did, and I believed you +implicitly. How many men in similar circumstances would have behaved as I +did? How many men would have gone on honoring a wife who betrayed her +husband as you betrayed me? And yet, as I stand here at this moment, +looking into your eyes, I feel certain that you are the same sweet and +innocent girl who did me the happiness to become my wife." + +The beautiful face quivered, and the blue eyes filled with tears. Her +trembling hand lay on Venner's arm for a moment; then he caught the girl +to his side and kissed her passionately. + +"I thank you for those words," she whispered. "From the bottom of my +heart I thank you. If you only knew what I have suffered, if you only +knew the terrible pressure that is put upon me;--and it seemed to me +that I was acting for the best. I hoped, too, that you would go away and +forget me; that in the course of time I should be nothing more than a +memory to you. And yet, in my heart, I always felt that we should meet +again. Is it not strange that we should come together like this?" + +"I do not see that it is in the least strange," Venner replied, +"considering that I have been looking for you for the last three years. +When I found you to-night, it was with the greatest difficulty that I +restrained myself from laying my hands on the man who is the cause of +all your misery and suffering. How long has he been passing for an +Englishman? Since when has he been a millionaire? If he be a +millionaire at all." + +"I cannot tell you," the girl whispered. "Really, I do not know. A little +time ago we were poor enough; then suddenly, money seemed to come in from +all sides. I asked no questions; they would not have been answered if I +had. At least, not truthfully. And now you really must go. When shall I +see you again? Ah, I cannot tell you. For the present you must go on +trusting me as implicitly as you have done in the past. Oh, if you only +knew how it wrings my heart to have to speak to you like this, when all +the time my whole love is for you and you alone. Gerald--ah, go now; go +at once. Don't you see that he is coming up the stairs?" + +Venner turned away, and slipped down a side corridor, till Fenwick had +entered his own room. Then he walked down the stairs again into the +dining-room, where a heated discussion was still going on as to the +identity of the missing waiter. + +"They'll never find him," Gurdon muttered, "for the simple reason that +the fellow was imported for the occasion, and, in my opinion, was no +waiter at all. You will notice also that our crippled friend has +vanished. I would give a great deal to know what was in the box that +pretty nearly scared the yellow man to death. I never saw a fellow so +frightened in my life. He had to fortify himself with two brandies before +he could get up to his own room. Gerald, I really must find out what was +in that box!" + +"I think I could tell you," Venner said, with a smile. "Didn't you tell +me that the mysterious waiter fetched it from the table where it had been +placed by the handsome cripple?" + +"Certainly, he did. I saw the signal pass directly Fenwick asked for a +wooden match; that funny little waiter was palpably waiting for the +silver box, and as soon as he placed it on Fenwick's table, he discreetly +vanished. But, as I said before, I would give considerable to know what +was in that box." + +"Well, go and see," Venner said grimly. "Unless my eyes deceive me, the +box is still lying on Fenwick's table. In his fright, he forgot all about +it, and there isn't a waiter among the whole lot, from the chief +downwards, who has a really clear impression of what the offence was. If +you take my advice, you will go and have a peep into that box when you +get the chance. Don't tell me what you find, because I will guess that." + +Gurdon crossed over to the other table, and took the box up in his hand. +He pulled the slide out and glanced at the contents with a puzzled +expression of face. Then he dropped the box again, and came back to +Venner with a look on his face as if he had been handling something more +than usually repulsive. + +"You needn't tell me what it is," Venner said. "I know quite as well as +you do. Inside that box is a dried up piece of flesh, some three inches +long--in other words a mummified human forefinger." + + + + +CHAPTER III + +THE LOST MINE + + +Gurdon nodded thoughtfully. He was trying to piece the puzzle together in +his mind, but so far without success. He was not in the least surprised +to find that Venner had guessed correctly. + +"You've got it exactly," he said. "That is just what the gruesome thing +is. What does it all mean?" + +By this time dinner had long been a thing of the past, and all the guests +had departed. Here and there the lights were turned down, leaving half +the room in semi-darkness. It was just the time and place for an exchange +of confidences. + +"How did you know exactly what was in that box?" Gurdon asked. "I have +read things of this kind before, but they have generally taken the form +of a warning previous to some act of vengeance." + +"As a matter of fact, this is something of the same kind," Venner said; +"though I am bound to say that my guess was somewhat in the nature of a +shot. Still, putting two and two together, I felt that I could not have +been far wrong. Since I have been here this evening, I have begun to form +a pretty shrewd opinion as to where Fenwick gets his money." + +"What shall we do with that box?" Gurdon asked. + +"Leave it where it is, by all means. You may depend upon it that Fenwick +will return for his lost property." + +The prophecy came true quicker than Gurdon had expected, for out of the +gloom there presently emerged the yellow face of Mark Fenwick. He came in +with a furtive air, like some mean thief who is about to do a shabby +action. He was palpably looking for something. He made a gesture of +disappointment when he saw that the table where he had dined was now +stripped of everything except the flowers. He did not seem to see the +other two men there at all. Venner took the box from his companion's +hand, and advanced to Fenwick's side. + +"I think you have lost something, sir," he said coolly. "Permit me to +restore your property to you." + +The millionaire gave a kind of howl as he looked at Venner. The noise he +made was like that of a child suffering from toothache. He fairly +grovelled at Venner's feet, but as far as the latter's expression was +concerned, the two might have met for the first time. Just for a moment +Fenwick stood there, mopping his yellow face, himself a picture of abject +misery and despair. + +"Well?" Venner said sharply. "Is this little box yours, or not?" + +"Oh, yes, oh yes," Fenwick whined. "You know that perfectly well--I +mean, you must recognise--oh, I don't know what I mean. The fact is, +I am really ill to-night. I hardly know what I am doing. Thank you, +very much." + +Fenwick snatched the box from Venner's fingers, and made hastily +for the door. + +"I believe we are allowed to smoke in here after ten," Gurdon said. "If +that is the case, why not have a cigar together, and discuss the matter? +What I am anxious to know at present is the inner meaning of the finger +in the box." + +There was no objection to a cigar in the dining-room at this late hour, +and presently the two friends were discussing their Havanas together. +Venner began to speak at length. + +"Perhaps it would be as well," he said, "to stick to the box business +first. You will remember, some three years ago, my writing you to the +effect that I was going to undertake a journey through Mexico. I don't +suppose I should have gone there at all, only I was attracted by the +notion of possible adventures in that country, among the hills where, at +one time, gold was found. There was no question whatever that gold in +large quantities used to be mined in the wild district where I had chosen +to take up my headquarters. Practical engineers say that the gold is +exhausted, but that did not deter me in the least. + +"The first man who put the idea into my head was a half-caste Mexican, +who had an extraordinary grip on the history of his country, especially +as far as legends and traditions were concerned. He was a well-educated +man, and an exceedingly fascinating story-teller. It was he who first +gave me the history of what he called the Four Finger Mine. It appears +that this mine had been discovered some century or more ago by a +Frenchman, who had settled down in the country and married the daughter +of a native chief. The original founder of the mine was a curious sort of +man, and was evidently possessed of strong miserly tendencies. Most men +in his position would have gathered together a band of workers, and +simply exploited the mine for all it was worth. However, this man, Le +Fenu, did nothing of the kind. He kept his discovery an absolute secret, +and what mining was to be done, he did himself. I understand that he was +a man of fine physique, and that his disposition was absolutely fearless. +It was his habit at certain seasons of the year to go up to his mine, and +there work it for a month or two at a time, spending the rest of the year +with his family. It is quite certain, too, that he kept his secret, even +from his grown-up sons; for when he died, they had not the slightest idea +of the locality of the mine, which fact I know from Le Fenu's +descendants. + +"And now comes the interesting part of my story, Le Fenu went up into +the mountains early in May one year, to put in his solitary two months' +mining, as usual. For, perhaps, the first time in his life, he suffered +from a serious illness--some kind of fever, I suppose, though he had just +strength of will enough to get on the back of a horse and ride as far as +the nearest _hacienda_. + +"Now, on this particular farm there dwelt a Dutchman, who, I believe, was +called Van Fort. Whether or not Le Fenu partially disclosed his secret in +his delirium, will never actually be known. At any rate, two or three +weeks later the body of Le Fenu was discovered not very far away from the +scene of his mining operations, and from the evidence obtainable, there +was no doubt in the world that he was foully murdered. Justice in that +country walks with very tardy footsteps, and though there was little +question who the real murderer was, Van Fort was never brought to +justice. Perhaps that was accounted for by the fact that he seemed to be +suddenly possessed of more money than usual, and was thus in a position +to bribe the authorities. + +"And now comes a further development. Soon after the death of Le Fenu, it +was noted that Van Fort spent most of his time away from his farm in the +mountains, no doubt prospecting for Le Fenu's mine. Whether he ever found +it or not will never be known. Please to bear in mind the fact that for a +couple of centuries at least Le Fenu's mysterious property was known as +the Four Finger Mine. With this digression, I will go on to speak further +of Van Fort's movements. To make a long story short, from his last +journey to the mountains he never returned. His widow searched for him +everywhere; I have seen her--a big sullen woman, with a cruel mouth and a +heavy eye. From what I have heard, I have not the slightest doubt that it +was she who inspired the murder of the Frenchman. + +"She had practically given up all hope of ever seeing her husband again, +when, one dark and stormy night, just as she was preparing for bed, she +heard her husband outside, screaming for assistance. From his tone, he +was evidently in some dire and deadly peril. The woman was by no means +devoid of courage; she rushed out into the night and searched far and +near, but no trace of Van Fort could be found, nor did the imploring cry +for assistance come again. But the next morning, on the doorstep lay a +bleeding forefinger, which the woman recognised as coming from her +husband's hand. To make identity absolutely certain, on the forefinger +was a ring of native gold, which the Dutchman always wore. Please to +remember once more that this mine was known as the Four Finger Mine." + +Venner paused just for a moment to give dramatic effect to his point. +Gurdon said nothing; he was too deeply interested in the narrative to +make any comment. + +"That was what I may call the first act in the drama," Venner went on. +"Six months had elapsed, and Van Fort's widow was beginning to forget all +about the startling incident, when, one night, just at the same time, and +in just the same circumstances, came that wild, pitiful yell for +assistance outside the Dutchman's farm. Half mad with dread and terror +the woman sat there listening. She did not dare to go outside now; she +knew how futile such an act would be. Also, she knew quite well what was +going to happen in the morning. She sat up half the night in a state +bordering on madness. I need not insult your intelligence, my dear +fellow, by asking you to guess what she found on the doorstep in the +daylight." + +"Of course, I can guess," Gurdon said. "Beyond all question, it was the +third finger of the Dutchman's hand." + +"Quite so," Venner resumed. "I need not over elaborate my story or bore +you by telling how, six months later, the second finger of the hand +appeared in the same sensational circumstances, and how, at the end of a +year, the four fingers were complete. Let me once more impress upon you +the fact that this mine was called the Four Finger Mine for more than a +century before these strange things happened." + +"It is certainly an extraordinary thing," Gurdon muttered. "I don't think +I ever listened to a weirder tale. And did the Dutch woman confess to +her crime? This strikes me as being a fitting end to the story. I suppose +it came from her lips." + +"She didn't confess, for the simple reason that she had no mind to +confess with," Venner explained. "Of course, certain neighbors knew +something of what was going on, but they never knew the whole truth, +because, after the appearance of the last finger, Mrs. Van Fort went +stark raving mad. She lived for a few days, and at the end of that time +her body was found in a waterfall close to her house. That is the story +of the Four Finger Mine so far as it goes, though I should not be +surprised if we manage to get to the last chapter yet. Now, you are an +observant man--did you notice anything peculiar in Fenwick's appearance +to-night?" + +Gurdon shook his head slowly. It was quite evident that he had not +noticed anything out of the common in the appearance of the millionaire. +Venner proceeded to explain. + +"Let me tell you this," he said. "When I married my wife, we were within +an easy ride of the locality where the Four Finger Mine is situated. Mind +you, our marriage was a secret one, and I presume that Fenwick is still +in ignorance of it, though, of course, he was fully aware of the fact +that I had more than a passing admiration for Vera. I merely mention this +by way of accentuating the little point that I am going to make. It is +more than probable that, when I stumbled upon Fenwick and the girl who +passes for his daughter, he also was in search of the Four Finger Mine. +When he came in to-night he, of course, recognised me, though I treated +him as an absolute stranger whom I had met for the first time. You will +see presently why I treated him in this fashion. I am glad I spoke to +him, because I noticed a slight thing that throws a flood of light upon +the mystery. Now, did it escape your observation, or did you notice that +Fenwick took the box I gave him in his right hand?" + +"Oh, dear, no," Gurdon said. "A little thing like that would be almost +too trivial for the typical detective of the cheap story." + +"All the same, it is very important," Venner said. "He took the box in +his right hand; he made as if to extend his left, then suddenly changed +his mind, and put it in his pocket. But he was too late to disguise from +me that he had--" + +"I know," Gurdon shouted. "He had lost all the fingers on his left +hand. What an amazing thing! We must get to the bottom of this business +at all costs." + +"That is precisely what we are going to do," Venner said grimly. "I am +glad you are so quick in taking up the point. When I noted the loss of +those fingers, I was absolutely staggered for a moment. If he had been +less agitated than he was, Fenwick would have guessed what I had seen. I +need not tell you that when I last saw Fenwick his left hand was as sound +as yours or mine. The inference of this is, that Fenwick has fallen under +the ban of the same strange vengeance that overtook Van Fort and his +wife. There is not the slightest doubt that he discovered the mine, and +that he has not yet paid the penalty for his temerity." + +"I presume the penalty is coming," Gurdon said. "What a creepy sort of +idea it is, that terrible vengeance reaching across a continent in such a +sinister fashion. But don't forget that we know something as to the way +in which this thing is to be brought about. Don't forget the cripple who +sat at yonder table to-night." + +"I am not likely to forget him," Venner observed. "All the more because +he evidently knows more about this matter than we do ourselves. When he +came here to-night, he little dreamed that there was one man in the +room, at least, who had a fairly good knowledge of the Four Finger +Mystery. We shall have to look him out, and, if necessary, force him to +speak. But it is a delicate matter, and as far as I can see, one not +unattended with danger." + +Gurdon smoked in thoughtful silence for some little time, turning the +strange thing over in his mind. The more he dwelt upon it, the more wild +and dramatic did it seem. + +"There is one thing in our favor," he said, presently. "The mysterious +cripple is evidently a deadly enemy of Fenwick's. We shall doubtless find +him ready to accept our offer, provided that we put it in the right way." + +"I am not so sure of that," Venner replied. "At any rate, we can make no +move in that direction without thinking the whole thing out carefully and +thoroughly. Our crippled friend is evidently a fanatic in his way, and he +is not alone in his scheme. Do not forget that we have also the little +man who played the part of the waiter to deal with. I am sorry that I did +not notice him. A man who could carry off a thing like that with such +splendid audacity is certainly a force to be reckoned with." + +Gurdon rose from his seat with a yawn, and intimated that it was time to +go to bed. It was long past twelve now and the hotel was gradually +retiring to rest. The Grand Empire was not the sort of house to cater to +the frivolous type of guest, and usually within an hour of the closing of +the theatres the whole of the vast building was wrapped in silence. + +"I think I will go now," Gurdon said. "Come and lunch with me to-morrow, +and then you can tell me something about your own romance. What sort of a +night is it, waiter?" + +"Very bad, sir," the waiter replied. "It's pouring in torrents. Shall I +call you a cab, sir?" + + + + +CHAPTER IV + +IN THE LIFT + + +Gurdon looked out from the shelter of the great portico to see the sheets +of rain falling on the pavement. Silence reigned supreme but for the +steady plash of the raindrops as they rattled on the pavements. To walk +half a mile on such a night meant getting wet through; and Gurdon +somewhat ruefully regarded his thin slippers and his light dust overcoat. +Half a dozen times the night porter blew his whistle, but no sign of a +cab could be seen. + +"We shan't get one to-night," Venner said. "They are all engaged. There +is only one thing for it--you must take a room here, and stay till the +morning. I've no doubt I can fit you up in the way of pyjamas and the +things necessary." + +Gurdon fell in readily enough with the suggestion. Indeed, there was +nothing else for it. He took his number and key from the sleepy clerk in +the office, and made his way upstairs to Venner's bedroom. + +"I'll just have one cigarette before I turn in," he said. "It seems as if +Fate had ordained that I am to keep in close touch with the leading +characters of the mystery. By the way, we never took the trouble to find +out who the handsome cripple was." + +"That is very easily done in the morning," Venner replied. "A striking +personality like that is not soon lost sight of. Besides, he has +doubtless been here before, for, if you will recollect, his attendants +took him to the right table as if it had been ordered beforehand. And +now, if you don't mind, I'll turn in--not that I expect to sleep much +after an exciting evening like this. Good night, old fellow." + +Gurdon went on to his own room, where he slowly undressed and sat +thinking the whole thing out on the edge of his bed. Perhaps he was +suffering from the same suppressed excitement which at that moment was +keeping Venner awake, for he felt not the slightest disposition to turn +in. Usually he was a sound sleeper; but this night seemed likely to prove +an exception to the rule. + +An hour passed, and Gurdon was still sitting there, asking himself +whether it would not be better to go to bed and compel sleep to come to +him. Impatiently he turned out his light and laid his head resolutely on +the pillow. + +But it was all in vain--sleep was out of the question. The room was not +altogether in darkness, either; for the sleeping apartments on that +landing had been arranged back to back with a large, open ventilator +between them. Through this ventilator came a stream of light; evidently +the occupant of the adjoining room had not yet retired. The light +worried Gurdon; he asked himself irritably why his neighbor should be +permitted to annoy him in this way. A moment or two later the sound of +suppressed voices came through the ventilator, followed by the noise of a +heavy fall. + +At any ordinary time Gurdon would have thought nothing of this, but his +imagination was aflame now, and his mind was full of hidden mysteries. It +seemed to him that something sinister and underhand was going on in the +next room. + +Usually, no one would identify the Grand Empire Hotel with crime and +intrigue; but that did not deter Gurdon from rising from his bed and +making a determined effort to see through the ventilator into the +adjoining room. It was not an easy matter, but by dint of balancing two +chairs one on top of the other the thing was accomplished. Very +cautiously Gurdon pushed back the glass slide and looked through. So far +as he could see, there was nothing to justify any suspicion. The room +was absolutely empty, though it was brilliantly lighted; and for a +moment Gurdon felt ashamed of his suspicions, and turned away, half +determined to try and sleep. It was at that instant that he noticed +something out of the common. To his quickened ear there came a sound +unmistakably like a snore, and pushing his body half through the +ventilator he managed to make out the bed in the next room. On it lay +the body of a boy in uniform, unmistakably a messenger boy or hotel +attendant of that kind. Gurdon could see the hotel name embroidered in +gold letters on his collar. + +Perhaps there was nothing so very suspicious in this, except that the boy +was lying on the bed fully dressed, even to his boots. It was a luxurious +room; not at all the class of apartment to which the hotel management +would relegate one of their messenger boys, nor was it possible that the +lad had had the temerity to go into the vacant room and sleep. + +"Something wrong here," Gurdon muttered. "Hang me if I don't get through +the ventilator and see what it is." + +It was no difficult matter for an athlete like Gurdon to push his way +through and drop on to the bed on the other side. Then he shook the form +of the slumbering lad without reward. The boy seemed to be plunged in a +sleep almost like death. As Gurdon turned him over, he noticed on the +other side of the lad's collar the single word "Lift." It began to dawn +upon Gurdon exactly what had happened. In large hotels like the Grand +Empire there is no fixed period when the lift is suspended, and +consequently, it has its attendants night and day. For some reason, this +boy had evidently been drugged and carried into the room where he now +lay. There was no doubt whatever about it, for it was impossible to +shake the lad into the slightest semblance of life. Gurdon crossed to +the door, and found, not to his surprise, that it was locked. His first +impulse was to return to his room and call the night porter; but a +strange, wild idea had come into his mind, and he refrained from doing +so. It occurred to him that perhaps Mark Fenwick or the cripple had had +a hand in this outrage. + +"I'll wait a bit," Gurdon told himself. "It is just possible that my key +will fit this door. Anyway, it is worth trying." + +Gurdon made his way back to his own room again, to return a minute or two +later with his key. To his great delight the door opened, and he stood in +a further corridor, close against the cage in which the lift worked +noiselessly up and down. + +It was absolutely quiet, so that anybody standing there would have been +able to carry out any operation of an unlawful kind without observation. +Gurdon stood, looking down the lift shaft, until he saw that the cage was +once more beginning to ascend. It came up slowly and smoothly and without +the least noise, until it was level with the floor on which Gurdon was +standing. It was one of the open kind, so he could see inside quite +clearly. To all practical purposes, the lift was empty, save for the +presence of one man, who lay unconscious on the floor. The cage was +ascending so leisurely that Gurdon was in a position to make a close +examination of the figure before the whole structure had risen to the +next floor. It did not need a second glance to tell Gurdon that the man +in the cage was the attendant, and that he was suffering from the same +drug which had placed his boy assistant beyond all power of interfering. + +"Now what does all this mean?" Gurdon muttered. "Who is there on the +floor above who is interested in getting these two people out of the way? +What do they want to bring up or send down which it is not safe to +dispose of by the ordinary means? I think I'll wait and see. No sleep for +me to-night." + +The lift vanished in the same silent way. It hung overhead for some +little time, and once more appeared in sight, this time absolutely empty, +save for a small square box with iron bands at the corners, which lay +upon the floor. As the cage descended, Gurdon suddenly made up his mind +what to do. He sprang lightly on to the top of the falling cage, and +grasped the rope with both hands. A moment later and he was descending in +the darkness. + +As far as he could judge, the lift went down to the basement, where, for +the time being, it remained. There was a warm damp smell in the air, +suggestive of fungus, whereby Gurdon judged that he must be in the vaults +beneath the hotel. As his eyes became accustomed to the gloom, he could +make out just in front of him a circular patch of light, which evidently +was a coal shoot. + +He had no need to wait now for the full development of the adventure. +He could hear whispered voices and the clang of metal, as if somebody +had opened the door of the lift. One of the voices he failed to +understand, but with a thrill he recognised the fact that the speaker +was talking in either Spanish or Portuguese. Instantly it flashed into +his mind that this was the language most familiar to the man who called +himself Mark Fenwick. Beyond doubt he was quite right when he +identified this last development with the actors in the dramatic events +earlier in the evening. + +"Now don't be long about it," a hoarse voice whispered. "There are two +more cases to send up, and two more to come down here. Has that van come +along, or shall we have to wait until morning?" + +"The van is there right enough," another hoarse voice said. "We have +the stuff out on the pavement. Let's have the last lot here, and get it +up at once." + +Gurdon could hear the sound of labored breathing as if the unseen man was +struggling with some heavy burden. Presently some square object was +deposited on the floor of the lift. It seemed to slip from someone's +hands, and dropped with a heavy thud that caused the lift to vibrate like +a thing of life." + +"Clumsy fool," a voice muttered. "You might have dropped that on my foot. +What did you want to let go for?" + +"I couldn't help it," another voice grumbled. "I didn't know it was half +so heavy. Besides, the rope broke." + +"Oh, are you going to be there all night?"--another voice, with a +suggestion of a foreign accent in it, asked impatiently. "Don't forget +you have to bring the man down yet, and see that the boy is taken to his +place. Now, up with it." + +Standing there, holding on to the rope and quivering with excitement, +Gurdon wondered what was going to happen next. Once more he felt himself +rising, and an instant later he was in the light again. He waited till +the lift had reached his own floor; then he jumped quickly down, taking +care as he went to note the heavy box which lay on the floor of the lift. +A corner of it had been split open by the heavy jar, and some shining +material like sand lay in a little heap, glittering in the rays of the +electric light. + +Gurdon stood there panting for a moment, and rather at a loss to know +what to do next. Once more the lift came down, this time with two boxes +of a smaller size. They vanished; and as the lift rose once again, Gurdon +had barely time to hide himself behind the bedroom door, and thus escape +the observation of two men who now occupied the cage. He just caught a +fleeting glimpse of them, and saw that one was an absolute stranger, but +he felt his heart beating slightly faster as he recognised in the other +the now familiar form of Mark Fenwick. The mystery was beginning to +unfold itself. + +"That was a close thing," Gurdon muttered, as he wiped his hot face. "I +think I had better go back to my own room, and wait developments. One +can't be too careful." + +The lift-boy was still sleeping on the bed; but his features were +twitching, as if already the drug was beginning to lose its effect. At +least, so Gurdon shrewdly thought, and subsequent events proved that he +was not far wrong. He was standing in his own room now, waiting by the +ventilator, when he heard the sound of footsteps on the other side of the +wall. Two men had entered the room, and by taking a little risk, Gurdon +could see that they were examining the unconscious boy coolly and +critically. + +"I should think about five minutes more would do it," one of them said. +"Better carry him out, and shove him in that little sentry box of his. +When he comes to himself again he won't know but what he has fallen +asleep; barring a headache, the little beggar won't be any the worse for +the adventure." + +"Have we got all the stuff up now?" the other man asked. + +"Every bit of it," was the whispered reply. "I hope the old man is +satisfied now. It was not a bad idea of his to work this little game in a +great hotel of this kind. But, all the same, it is not without risks, +and I for one should be glad to get away to that place in the country +where we are going in a week or two." + +Gurdon heard no more. He allowed the best part of half-an-hour to pass +before he ventured once more to creep through the ventilator and reach +the landing in the neighborhood of the lift. Everything looked quite +normal now, and as if nothing had happened. The lift boy sat in his +little hut, yawning and stretching himself. It was quite evident that he +knew nothing of the vile uses he had been put to. A sudden idea occurred +to Gurdon. + +"I want you to bring the lift up to this floor," he said to the boy. "No, +I don't want to use it; I have lost something, and it occurs to me that I +might have left it in the lift." + +In the usual unconcerned manner of his class the boy touched an electric +button, and the lift slowly rose from the basement. + +"Does this go right down to the cellars?" Gurdon asked. + +"It can if it's wanted to," the boy replied. "Only it very seldom does. +You see, we only use this lift for our customers. It's fitted with what +they call a pneumatic cushion--I mean, if anything goes wrong, the lift +falls into a funnel shaped well, made of concrete, which forms a cushion +of air, and so breaks the fall. They say you could cut the rope and let +it down without so much as upsetting a glass of water. Not that I should +like to try it, sir, but there you are." + +Gurdon entered the lift, where he pretended to be searching for something +for a moment or two. In reality, he was scraping up some of the yellow +sand which had fallen from the box to the floor of the lift, and this he +proceeded to place in a scrap of paper. Then he decided that it was +absolutely necessary to retire to bed, though he was still in full +possession of his waking faculties. As a matter of fact, he was asleep +almost as soon as his head touched the pillow. Nevertheless, he was up +early the following morning, and in Venner's bedroom long before +breakfast. He had an exciting story to tell, and he could not complain +that in Venner he had anything but an interested listener. + +"We are getting on," the latter said grimly. "But before you say anything +more, I should like to have a look at that yellow sand you speak of. +Bring it over near the light." + +Venner let the yellow stuff trickle through his hands; then he turned to +Gurdon with a smile. + +"You look upon this as refuse, I suppose?" he said. "You seem to imagine +that it is of no great value." + +"Well, is it?" Gurdon asked. "What is it?" + +"Gold," Venner said curtly. "Pure virgin gold, of the very finest +quality. I never saw a better sample." + + + + +CHAPTER V + +A PUZZLE FOR VENNER + + +Venner sat just for a moment or two with the thin stream trickling +through his fingers, and wondering what it all meant. With his superior +knowledge of past events, he could see in this something that it was +impossible for Gurdon to follow. + +"I suppose this is some of the gold from the Four Finger Mine?" Gurdon +suggested. "Do you know, I have never handled any virgin gold before. I +had an idea that it was more brilliant and glittering. Is this very +good stuff?" + +"Absolutely pure, I should say," Venner replied. "There are two ways of +gold mining. One is by crushing quartz in machinery, as they do in South +Africa, and the other is by obtaining the metal in what are called +pockets or placers. This is the way in which it is generally found in +Australia and Mexico. I should not be in the least surprised if this came +from the Four Finger Mine." + +"There is no reason why it shouldn't," Gurdon said. "It is pretty +evident, from what you told me last night, that Mark Fenwick has +discovered the mysterious treasure house, but that does not account for +all these proceedings. Why should he have taken all the trouble he did +last night, when he might just as well have brought the stuff in, and +taken the other boxes out by the front door?" + +"That is what we have to find out," Venner said. "That fellow may call +himself a millionaire, but I believe he is nothing more nor less than a +desperate adventurer." + +Gurdon nodded his assent. There must have been something very urgent to +compel Mark Fenwick to adopt such methods. Why was he so strangely +anxious to conceal the knowledge that he was receiving boxes of pure gold +in the hotel, and that he was sending out something of equal value? +However carefully the thing might have been planned the drugging of lift +attendants must have been attended with considerable risk. And the +slightest accident would have brought about a revelation. As it was, +everything seemed to have passed off smoothly, except for the chance by +which Gurdon had stumbled on the mystery. + +"We can't leave the thing here," the latter said. "For once in my life I +am going to turn amateur detective. I have made up my mind to get into +Fenwick's suite of rooms and see what is going on there. Of course, the +thing will take time, and will have to be carefully planned. Do you think +it is possible for us to make use of your wife in this matter?" + +"I don't think so," Venner said thoughtfully. + +"In the first place, I don't much like the idea; and in the second, I +am entirely at a loss to know what mysterious hold Mark Fenwick has on +Vera. As I told you last night, she left me within a very short time of +our marriage, and until a few hours ago I had never looked upon her +again. Something terrible must have happened, or she would never have +deserted me in the way she did. I don't for a moment believe that Mark +Fenwick knew anything about our marriage, but on that point I cannot be +absolutely certain. You had better come back to me later in the day, and +I will see what I can do. It is just possible that good fortune may be +on my side." + +The afternoon was dragging on, and still Venner was no nearer to a +practical scheme which would enable him to make an examination of +Fenwick's rooms without the chance of discovery. He was lounging in the +hall, smoking innumerable cigarettes, when Fenwick himself came down the +stairs. Obviously the man was going on a journey, for he was closely +muffled up in a big fur coat, and behind him came a servant, carrying two +bags and a railway rug. It was a little gloomy in the lobby, so Venner +was enabled to watch what was going on without being seen himself. He did +not fail to note a certain strained anxiety that rested on Fenwick's +face. The man looked behind him once or twice, as if half afraid of being +followed. Venner had seen that same furtive air in men who are wanted by +the police. Fenwick stopped at the office and handed a couple of keys to +the clerk. His instructions were quite audible to Venner. + +"I shan't want those for a day or two," he said. "You will see that no +one has them under any pretext. Probably, I shall be back by Saturday at +the latest." + +Venner did not scruple to follow Fenwick's disappearing figure as far as +the street. He was anxious to obtain a clue to Fenwick's destination. +Straining his ears, he just managed to catch the words "Charing Cross," +and then returned to the hall, by no means dissatisfied. Obviously, +Fenwick was intending to cross the Channel for a day or two, and he had +said to the clerk that he would not be back before Saturday. + +Here was something like a chance at last. Very slowly and thoughtfully, +Venner went up the stairs in the direction of his own room. He had +ascertained by this time that one part of Fenwick's suite was immediately +over his own bedroom. His idea now was to walk up to the next floor, and +make a close examination of the rooms there. It did not take him long to +discover the fact that Fenwick's suite was self contained, like a flat. +That is to say, a strong outer door once locked made communication with +the suite of rooms impossible. Venner was still pondering over his +problem when the master door opened, and Vera came out so hurriedly as +almost to fall into Venner's arms. She turned pale as she saw him; and as +she closed the big door hurriedly behind her, Venner could see that she +had in her hand the tiny Yale key which gave entrance to the suite of +rooms. The girl looked distressed and embarrassed, but not much more so +than Venner, who was feeling not a little guilty. + +But all this was lost upon Vera; her own agitation and her own +unhappiness seemed to have blinded her to everything else. + +"What are you doing here?" she stammered. + +"Perhaps I am looking for you," Venner said. He had quite recovered +himself by this time. "I was in the lobby just now, when I saw that +scoundrel, Fenwick, go out. He is not coming back for a day or two, I +understand." + +"No," Vera said with accents of evident relief. "He is gone, but I don't +know where he is gone. He never tells me." + +Just for a moment Venner looked somewhat sternly at his companion. Here +was an opportunity for an explanation too good to be lost. + +"There is a little alcove at the end of the corridor," he said. "I see it +is full of ferns and flowers. In fact, the very place for a confidence. +Vera, whether you like it or not, I am going to have an explanation." + +The girl shrank back, and every vestige of color faded from her face. +Yet at the same time, the pleading, imploring eyes which she turned upon +her companion's face were filled with the deepest affection. Badly as he +had been treated, Venner could not doubt for a moment the sincerity of +the woman who had become his wife. But he did not fail to realise that +few men would have put up with conduct like this, however much in love +they might have been. Therefore, the hand that he laid on Vera's arm was +strong and firm, and she made no resistance as he led her in the +direction of the little alcove. + +"Now," he said. "Are you going to tell me why you left me so mysteriously +on our wedding day? You merely went to change your dress, and you never +returned. Am I to understand that at the very last moment you learned +something that made it absolutely necessary for us to part? Do you really +mean that?" + +"Indeed, I do, Gerald," the girl said. "There was a letter waiting for me +in my bedroom. It was a short letter, but long enough to wreck my +happiness for all time." + +"No, no," Venner cried; "not for all time. You asked me to trust you +absolutely and implicitly, and I have done so. I believe every word that +you say, and I am prepared to wait patiently enough till the good time +comes. But I am not going to sit down quietly like this and see a pure +life like yours wrecked for the sake of such a scoundrel as Fenwick. +Surely it is not for his sake that you--" + +"Oh, no," the girl cried. "My sacrifice is not for his sake at all, but +for that of another whose life is bound up with his in the strangest +possible way. When you first met me, Gerald, and asked me to be your +wife, you did not display the faintest curiosity as to my past history. +Why was that?" + +"Why should I?" Venner demanded. "I am my own master, I have more money +than I know what to do with and I have practically no relations to +consider. You were all-sufficient for me; I loved you for your own sake +alone; I cared nothing, and I care nothing still for your past. What I +want to know is, how long this is going on?" + +"That I cannot tell you," Vera said sadly. "You must go on trusting me, +dear. You must--" + +The speaker broke off suddenly, as someone in the corridor called her +name. She slipped away from Venner's side, and, looking through the palms +and flowers, he could see that she was talking eagerly to a woman who had +the appearance of a lady's maid. Venner could not fail to note the calm +strength of the woman's face. It was only for a moment; then Vera came +back with a telegram in her hand. + +"I must go at once," she said. "It is something of great importance. I +don't know when I shall see you again--" + +"I do," Venner said grimly. "You are going to dine with me to-night. +Come just for once; let us imagine we are on our honeymoon. That +blackguard Fenwick is away, and he will be none the wiser. Now, I want +you to promise me." + +"I really can't," Vera protested. "If you only knew the danger--" + +However, Venner's persistency got its own way. A moment later Vera was +hurrying down the corridor. It was not until she was out of sight that +Venner found that she had gone away, leaving the little Yale key behind +her on the table. He thrilled at the sight of it. Here was the +opportunity for which he had been waiting. + +Not more than ten minutes had elapsed when, thanks to the use of the +telephone, Gurdon had reached the Grand Empire Hotel. In a few hurried +words, Venner gave him a brief outline of what had happened. There was no +time to lose. + +"Of course, it is a risk," Venner said, "and I am not altogether sure +that I am justified in taking advantage of this little slip on the part +of my wife. What do you think?" + +"I think you are talking a lot of rot," Gurdon said emphatically. "You +love the girl, you believe implicitly in her, and you are desperately +anxious to get her out of the hands of that blackguard, Fenwick. From +some morbid idea of self sacrifice, your wife continues to lead this life +of misery rather than betray what she would probably call a trust. It +seems to me that you would be more than foolish to hesitate longer." + +"Come along, then," Venner said. "Let's see what we can do." + +The key was in the lock at length, and the big door thrown open, +disclosing a luxurious suite of rooms beyond. So far as the explorers +could see at present, they had the place entirely to themselves. No +doubt Fenwick's servants had taken advantage of his absence to make a +holiday. For the most part, the rooms presented nothing out of the +common; they might have been inhabited by anybody possessing large +means. In one of the rooms stood a desk, carefully locked, and by its +side a fireproof safe. + +"No chance of getting into either of those," Gurdon said. "Besides, the +attempt would be too risky. Don't you notice a peculiar noise going on? +Sounds almost like machinery." + +Surely enough, from a distant apartment there came a peculiar click and +rumble, followed by a whirr of wheels, as if someone was running out a +small motor close by. At the same time, the two friends noticed the +unmistakable odor of petrol on the atmosphere. + +"What the dickens can that be?" Gurdon said. "Its most assuredly in the +flat, and not far off, either." + +"The only way to find out is to go and see," Venner replied. "I fancy +this is the way." + +They came at length to a small room at the end of a long corridor. It +was evidently from this room that the sound of machinery came, for the +nearer they came the louder it grew. The door was slightly ajar, and +looking in, the friends could see two men, evidently engaged on some +mechanical task. There was a fire of charcoal in the grate, and attached +to it a pair of small but powerful bellows, driven by a small motor. In +the heart of the fire was a metal crucible, so white and dazzling hot +that it was almost impossible for the eye to look upon it. Venner did not +fail to notice that the men engaged in this mysterious occupation were +masked; at least, they wore exceedingly large smoked spectacles, which +came to much the same thing. Behind them stood another man, who had every +appearance of being a master workman. He had a short pipe in his mouth, a +pair of slippers on his feet, and his somewhat expansive body was swathed +in a frock coat. Presently he made a sign, and with the aid of a long +pair of tongs, the white hot crucible was lifted from the fire. It was +impossible for the two men outside to see what became of it, but +evidently the foreman was satisfied with the experiment, for he gave a +grunt of approval. + +"I think that will do," he muttered. "The impression is excellent. +Now, you fellows can take a rest whilst I go off and finish the other +lot of stuff." + +"He's coming out," Venner whispered. "Let us make a bolt for it. It +won't do to be caught here." + +They darted down the corridor together, and stood in an angle of a +doorway, a little undecided as to what to do next. The man in the frock +coat passed them, carrying under one arm a square case, that bore some +resemblance to the slide in which photographers slip their negatives +after taking a photograph. The man in the frock coat placed his burden on +a chair, and then, apparently, hurried back for something he had +forgotten. + +"Here is our chance," Gurdon whispered. "Let's see what is in that case. +There may be an important clue here." + +The thing was done rapidly and neatly. Inside the case, between layers of +cotton wool, lay a great number of gold coins, obviously sovereigns. They +appeared to be in a fine state of preservation, for they glistened in the +light like new gold. + +"Put one in your pocket," whispered Venner. + +"I'm afraid we are going to have our journey for our pains; but still, +you can't tell. Better take two while you are about it." + +Gurdon slipped the coins into his pocket, then turned away in the +direction of the door as the man in the frock coat came back, +thoughtfully whistling, as if to give the intruders a chance of escape. +Before he appeared in sight the outer door closed softly, and Venner and +Gurdon were in the corridor once more. + + + + +CHAPTER VI + +A PARTIAL FAILURE + + +"Do you notice anything peculiar about these coins?" Venner said, when +once more they were back in the comparative seclusion of the +smoking-room. "Have a good look at them." + +Gurdon complied; he turned the coins over in his hand and weighed them on +his fingers. So far as he could see they were good, honest, British +coins, each well worth the twenty shillings which they were supposed to +represent. + +"I don't see anything peculiar about them at all," he said. "So far as I +can judge, they appear to be genuine enough. At first I began to think +that our friend Fenwick had turned coiner. Look at this." + +As he spoke Gurdon dashed the coin down upon a marble table. It rang true +and clear. + +"I'd give a pound for it," he said. "The weight in itself is a good test. +No coiner yet has ever discovered a metal that will weigh like gold and +ring as true. The only strange thing about the coin is that it is in such +a wonderful state of preservation. It might have come out of the Mint +yesterday. I am afraid we shall have to abandon the idea of laying +Fenwick by the heels on the charge of making counterfeit money. I'll +swear this is genuine." + +"I am of the same opinion, too," Venner said. "I have handled too much +gold in my time to be easily deceived. Still, there is something wrong +here, and I'll tell you why. Look at those two coins again, and tell me +the dates on them." + +"That is very easily done. One is dated 1901 and the other is dated 1899. +I don't see that you gain anything by pointing out that fact to me. I +don't see what you are driving at." + +"Well the thing is pretty clear. It would be less clear if those coins +had been worn by use and circulation. But they are both of them Mint +perfect, and they are of different dates. Do you suppose that our friend +Fenwick makes a hobby of collecting English sovereigns? Besides, the man +in the frock coat was going to do something with these coins; and, of +course, you noticed how carefully they were wrapped up in cotton wool." + +"I should like to make assurance doubly sure," Gurdon said. "Let's +take these two coins to some silversmith's shop and ask if they are +all right." + +It was no far journey to the nearest silversmiths, where the coins were +cut up, tested, and weighed. The assistant smiled as he handed the pieces +back to Venner. + +"We will give you eighteen and sixpence each for them, sir," he said, +"which is about the intrinsic value of a sovereign; and, as you are +probably aware, sir, English gold coinage contains a certain amount of +alloy, without which it would speedily deteriorate in circulation, just +as the old guinea used to; but there is no doubt that I have just lost +you three shillings by cutting up those coins." + +Venner smiled as he left the shop. As a matter of fact, he was a little +more puzzled now than he had been before. He had expected to find +something wrong with the two coins. + +"We must suspend judgment for the present," he said. "Still, I feel +absolutely certain that there is some trick here, though what the +scheme is I am utterly at a loss to know. Will you come in this evening +after dinner and take your coffee and cigar with me? My wife is dining +with me, but it was an express stipulation that she should go directly +dinner is over." + +At a little after seven Venner was impatiently waiting the coming of +Vera. He was not altogether sorry to notice that the dining-room was +filling up more rapidly than it had done for some days past. Perhaps, on +the whole, there would be safety in numbers. Venner had secured a little +table for two on the far side of the room, and he stood in the doorway +now, waiting somewhat restlessly and impatiently for Vera to appear. He +was not a little anxious and nervous in case something should happen at +the last moment to prevent his wife's appearance. As a rule, Venner was +not a man who was troubled much with nerves, though he became conscious +of the fact that he possessed them to-night. + +Was ever a man so strangely placed as himself, he wondered? He marvelled, +too, that he could sit down so patiently without asserting his rights. He +was the possessor of ample means, and if money stood in the way he was +quite prepared to pay Fenwick his price. + +On these somewhat painful meditations Vera intruded. She was simply +dressed in white, and had no ornaments beyond a few flowers. Her face was +flushed now, and there was in her eyes a look of something that +approached happiness. + +"I am so glad you have come, dear," Venner said, as he pressed the girl's +hand. "I was terribly afraid that something might come in the way. If +there is any danger--" + +"I don't think there is any danger," Vera whispered, "though there are +other eyes on me besides those of Mark Fenwick. But, all the same, I am +not supposed to know anybody in the hotel, and I come down to dinner as a +matter of course, I am glad the place is so crowded, Gerald, it will make +us less conspicuous. But it is just possible that I may have to go before +dinner is over. If that is so, I hope you will not be annoyed with me." + +"You have given me cause for greater annoyance than that," Venner smiled. +"And I have borne it all uncomplainingly. And now let us forget the +unhappy past, and try and live for the present. We are on our honeymoon, +you understand. I wonder what people in this room would say if they heard +our amazing story." + +"I have no doubt there are other stories just as sad here," Vera said, as +she took her place at the table. "But I am not going to allow myself to +be miserable to-night. We are going to forget everything; we are going to +believe that this is Fairyland, and that you are the Prince who--" + +Despite her assumed gaiety there was just a little catch in Vera's voice. +If Venner noticed it he did not appear to do so. For the next hour or so +he meant resolutely to put the past out of his mind, and give himself +over to the ecstasy of the moment.... All too soon the dinner came to an +end, and Gurdon appeared. + +"This is my wife," Venner said simply. "Dear, Mr. Gurdon is a very old +friend of mine, and I have practically no secrets from him. All the same, +he did not know till last night that I was married--until you came into +the room and my feelings got the better of me. But we can trust Gurdon." + +"I think I am to be relied upon," Gurdon said with a smile. "You will +pardon me if I say that I never heard a stranger story than yours; and if +at any time I can be of assistance to you, I shall be sincerely happy to +do all that is in my power." + +"You are very good," Vera said gratefully. "Who knows how soon I may +call upon you to fulfil your promise? But I am afraid that it will not be +quite yet." + +They sat chatting there for some half an hour longer, when a waiter came +in, and advancing to their table proffered Vera a visiting card, on the +back of which a few words had been scribbled. The girl looked a little +anxious and distressed as her eyes ran over the writing on the card. Then +she rose hurriedly. + +"I am afraid I shall have to go," she said. "I have been anticipating +this for some little time." + +She turned to the waiter, and asked if her maid was outside, to which the +man responded that it was the maid who had brought the card, and that she +was waiting with her wraps in the corridor. Vera extended her hand to +Gurdon as she rose to go. + +"I am exceedingly sorry," she said. "This has been a pleasant evening for +me: perhaps the most pleasant evening with one exception that I ever +spent in my life. Gerald will know what evening I mean." + +As she finished she smiled tenderly at Venner. He had no words in reply. +Just at that moment he was filled with passionate and rebellious anger. +He dared not trust himself to speak, conscious as he was that Vera's +burden was already almost more than she could bear. She held out her hand +to him with an imploring little gesture, as if she understood exactly +what was passing in his mind. + +"You will forgive me," she whispered. "I am sure you will forgive me. It +is nothing but duty which compels me to go. I would far rather stay here +and be happy." + +Venner took the extended hand and pressed it tenderly. His yearning eyes +looked after the retreating figure; then, suddenly, he turned to Gurdon, +who affected to be busy over a cigar. + +"I want you to do something for me," he said. "It is a strange fancy, +but I should like you to follow her. I suppose I am beginning to get +old and nervous; at any rate, I am full of silly fancies tonight. I am +possessed with the idea that my unhappy little girl is thrusting +herself into some danger. You can quite see how impossible it is for me +to dog her footsteps, but your case is different. Of course, if you +like to refuse--" + +"I am not going to refuse," Gurdon said. "I can see nothing dishonorable. +I'll go at once, if you like." + +Venner nodded curtly, and Gurdon rose from the table. He passed out into +the street just as the slim figure of Vera was descending the steps of +the hotel. He had no difficulty in recognising her outline, though she +was clad from head to foot now in a long, black wrap, and her fair hair +was disguised under a hood of the same material. Rather to Gurdon's +surprise, the girl had not called a cab. She was walking down the street +with a firm, determined step, as of one who knew exactly where she was +going, and meant to get there in as short a time as possible. + +Gurdon followed cautiously at a distance. He was not altogether satisfied +in his own mind that his action was quite as straightforward as it might +have been. Still, he had given his promise, and he was not inclined to +back out of it now. For about a quarter of an hour he followed, until +Vera at length halted before a house somewhere in the neighborhood of +Grosvenor Square. It was a fine, large corner mansion, but so far as +Gurdon could see there was not a light in the place from parapet to +basement. He could see Vera going up the steps; he was close enough to +hear the sound of an electric bell; then a light blazed in the hall, and +the door was opened. So far as Gurdon could see, it was an old man who +opened the door; an old man with a long, grey beard, and a face lined and +scored with the ravages of time. All this happened in an instant. The +door was closed again, and the whole house left in darkness. + +Gurdon paused, a little uncertain as to what to do next. He would have +liked, if possible, to be a little closer to Vera, for if there were any +dangers threatening her he would be just as powerless to help now as if +he had been in another part of the town. He walked slowly down the side +of the house, and noted that there was a line garden behind, and a small +green door leading to the lane. Acting on the impulse of the moment he +tried the door, which yielded to his touch. If he had been asked why he +did this thing he would have found it exceedingly difficult to reply. +Still, the thing was done, and Gurdon walked forward over the wide +expanse of lawn till he could make out at length a row of windows, +looking out from the back of the house. It was not so very easy to +discern all this, for the night was dark, and the back of the house +darker still. Presently a light flared out in one of the rooms, and then +Gurdon could make out the dome of a large conservatory leading from the +garden to the house. + +"I shall find myself in the hands of the police, if I don't take care," +Gurdon said to himself. "What an ass I am to embark on an adventure like +this. It isn't as if I had the slightest chance of being of any use to +the girl, seeing that I--" + +He broke off, suddenly conscious of the fact that another of the rooms +was lighted now--a large one, by the side of the conservatory. In the +silence of the garden it seemed to him that he could hear voices raised +angrily, and then a cry, as if of pain, from somebody inside. + +Fairly interested at last, Gurdon advanced till he was close to the +window. He could hear no more now, for the same tense silence had +fallen over the place once more. Gurdon pressed close to the window; he +felt something yield beneath his feet, and the next moment he had +plunged headlong into the darkness of something that suggested an +underground cellar. Perhaps he had been standing unconsciously on a +grating that was none too safe, for now he felt himself bruised and half +stunned, lying on his back on a cold, hard floor, amid a mass of broken +glass and rusty ironwork. + +Startled and surprised as he was, the noise of the breaking glass sounded +in Gurdon's ears like the din of some earthquake. He struggled to his +feet, hoping that the gods would be kind to him, and that he could get +away before his presence there was discovered. He was still dazed and +confused; his head ached painfully, and he groped in the pitch darkness +without any prospect of escape. He could nowhere find an avenue. So far +as he could judge, he was absolutely caught like a rat in a trap. + +He half smiled to himself; he was still too dazed to grasp the +significance of his position, when a light suddenly appeared overhead, at +the top of a flight of stairs, and a hoarse voice demanded to know who +was there. In the same dreamy kind of way, Gurdon was just conscious of +the fact that a strong pair of arms lifted him from the floor, and that +he was being carried up the steps. In the same dreamy fashion, he was +cognisant of light and warmth, a luxurious atmosphere, and rows upon +rows of beautiful flowers everywhere. He would, no doubt, awake +presently, and find that the whole thing was a dream. Meanwhile, there +was nothing visionary about the glass of brandy which somebody had put to +his lips, or about the hands which were brushing him down and removing +all traces of his recent adventure. + +"When you feel quite up to it, sir," a quiet, respectful voice said, "my +master would like to see you. He is naturally curious enough to know what +you were doing in the garden." + +"I am afraid your master must have his own way," Gurdon said grimly. "I +am feeling pretty well now, thanks to the brandy. If you will take me to +your master, I will try to explain matters." + +The servant led the way into a large, handsome apartment, where a man in +evening dress was seated in a big armchair before the fire. He looked +round with a peculiar smile as Gurdon came in. + +"Well, sir," he said. "And what does this mean?" + +Gurdon had no voice to reply, for the man in the armchair was the +handsome cripple--the hero of the forefinger. + + + + +CHAPTER VII + +THE WHITE LADY + + +Gurdon looked hopelessly about him, utterly at a loss for anything to +say. The whole thing had been so unexpected, so very opposite to the +commonplace ending he had anticipated, that he was too dazed and +confused to do anything but smile in an inane and foolish manner. He had +rather looked forward to seeing some eccentric individual, some elderly +recluse who lived there with a servant or two. And here he was, face to +face with the man who, at the present moment, was to him the most +interesting in London. + +"You can take your time," the cripple said. "I am anxious for you to +believe that I am not in the least hurry. The point of the problem is +this: a well dressed man, evidently a gentleman, is discovered at a late +hour in the evening in my cellar. As the gentleman in question is +obviously sober, one naturally feels a little curiosity as to what it +all means." + +The speaker spoke quite slowly and clearly, and with a sarcastic emphasis +that caused Gurdon to writhe impotently. Every word and gesture on the +part of the cripple spoke of a strong mind and a clear intellect in that +twisted body. Despite the playful acidity of his words, there was a +distinct threat underlying them. It occurred to Gurdon as he stood there +that he would much rather have this man for a friend than a foe. + +"Perhaps you had better take a seat," the cripple said. "There is plenty +of time, and I don't mind confessing to you that this little comedy +amuses me. Heaven knows, I have little enough amusement in my dreary +life; and, therefore, in a measure, you have earned my gratitude. But +there is another side to the picture. I have enemies who are utterly +unscrupulous. I have to be unscrupulous in my turn, so that when I have +the opportunity of laying one of them by the heels, my methods are apt to +be thorough. Did you come here alone to-night, or have you an +accomplice?" + +"Assuredly, I came alone," Gurdon replied. + +"Oh, indeed. You found your way into the garden. To argue out the thing +logically, we will take it for granted that you had no intention whatever +of paying a visit to my garden when you left home. If such had been your +intention, you would not be wearing evening dress, and thin, patent +leather shoes. Your visit to the garden was either a resolution taken on +the spur of the moment, or was determined upon after a certain discovery. +I am glad to hear that you came here entirely by yourself." + +There was an unmistakable threat in these latter words; and as Gurdon +looked up he saw that the cripple was regarding him with an intense +malignity. The grey eyes were cold and merciless, the handsome face hard +and set, and yet it was not a countenance which one usually associates +with the madman or the criminal. Really, it was a very noble face--the +face of a philanthropist, a poet, a great statesman, who devotes his +money and his talents to the interests of his country. Despite a feeling +of danger, Gurdon could not help making a mental note of these things. + +"Won't you sit down?" the cripple asked again. "I should like to have a +little chat with you. Here are whisky and soda, and some cigars, for the +excellence of which I can vouch, as I import them myself. Perhaps, also, +you share with me a love of flowers?" + +With a wave of his strong arm, the speaker indicated the wealth of +blossoms which arose from all sides of the room. There were flowers +everywhere. The luxuriant blooms seemed to overpower and dwarf the +handsome furnishings of the room. At the far end, folding doors +opened into the conservatory, which was a veritable mass of brilliant +colors. The cripple smiled upon his blossoms, as a mother might smile +on her child. + +"These are the only friends who never deceive you," he said. "Flowers and +dogs, and, perhaps, little children. I know this, because I have +suffered from contact with the world, as, perhaps, you will notice when +you regard this poor body of mine. I think you said just now you came +here entirely by yourself." + +"That is a fact," Gurdon replied. He was beginning to feel a little more +at his ease now. "Let me hasten to assure you that I came here with no +felonious intent at all. I was looking for somebody, and I thought that +my friend came here. You will pardon me if I do not explain with any +amount of detail, because the thing does not concern myself altogether. +And, besides--" + +Gurdon paused; he could not possibly tell this stranger of the startling +events which had led to his present awkward situation. In any case, he +would not have been believed. + +"We need not go into that," the cripple said. "It is all by the way. You +came here alone; and, I take it, when you left your home, you had not the +slightest intention of coming here. To make my meaning a little more +clear, if you disappeared from this moment, and your friends never saw +you again, the police would not have the slightest clue to your +whereabouts." + +Gurdon laughed just a little uneasily; he began to entertain the idea +that he was face to face with some dangerous lunatic, some man whose +dreadful troubles and misfortunes had turned him against the world. +Evidently, it would be the right policy to humor him. + +"That is quite correct," he said. "Nobody has the least idea where I am; +and if the unpleasant contingency you allude to happened to me, I should +go down to posterity as one of the victims of the mysterious type of +crime that startles London now and again." + +"I should think," said the stranger, in a thin, dry tone, that caused +Gurdon's pulses to beat a little faster--"I should think that your +prophecy is in a fair way to turn out correct. I don't ask you why you +came here, because you would not tell me if I did. But you must have been +spying on the place, or you would not have had the misfortune to tread on +a damaged grating, and finish your adventure ignominiously in the cellar. +As I told you just now, I have enemies who are absolutely unscrupulous, +and who would give much for a chance of murdering me if the thing could +be done with impunity. Common sense prompts me to take it for granted +that you are in some wry connected with the foes to whom I have alluded." + +"I assure you, I am not," Gurdon protested. "I am the enemy of no man. I +came here to night--" + +Gurdon stopped in some confusion. How could he possibly tell this man why +he had come and what he had in his mind? The thing was awkward--almost to +the verge of absurdity. + +"I quite see the quandary you are in," said the cripple, with a smile. +"Now, let me ask you a question. Do you happen to know a man by the name +of Mark Fenwick?" + +The query was so straight and to the point that Gurdon fairly started. +More and more did he begin to appreciate the subtlety and cleverness of +his companion. It was impossible to fence the interrogation; it had to be +answered, one way or the other. + +"I know the man by sight," he said; "but I beg to assure you that until +last night I had never seen him." + +"That may be," the cripple said drily. "But you know him now, and that +satisfies me. Now, listen. You see what I have in my hand. Perhaps you +are acquainted with weapons of this kind?" + +So saying, the speaker wriggled in his chair, and produced from somewhere +behind him a small revolver. Despite its silver plated barrel and ivory +handle, it was a sinister looking weapon, and capable of deadly mischief +in the hands of an expert. Though no judge of such matters, it occurred +to Gurdon that his companion handled the revolver as an expert should. + +"I have been used to this kind of thing from a boy," the cripple said. "I +could shoot you where you sit within a hair's breadth of where I wanted +to hit you." + +"Which would be murder," Gurdon said quietly. + +"Perhaps it would, in the eyes of the law; but there are times when one +is tempted to defy the mandates of a wise legislature. For instance, I +have told you more than once before that I have enemies, and everything +points to the fact that you are the tool and accomplice of some of them. +I have about me one or two faithful people, who would do anything I ask. +If I shoot you now the report of a weapon like this will hardly be +audible beyond the door. You lie there, dead, shot clean through the +brain. I ring my bell and tell my servants to clear this mess away. I +give them orders to go and bury it quietly somewhere, and they would obey +me without the slightest hesitation. Nothing more would be said. I should +be as safe from molestation as if the whole thing had happened on a +desert island. I hope I have succeeded in making the position clear, +because I should be loth to think that a little incident like this should +cause inconvenience to one who might after all have been absolutely +innocent." + +The words were spoken quietly, and without the slightest trace of +passion. Still, there was no mistaking the malignity and intense fury +which underlay the well chosen and well balanced sentences. + +Gurdon was silent; there was nothing for him to say. He was in a position +in which he could not possibly explain; he could only sit there, looking +into the barrel of the deadly weapon, and praying for some diversion +which might be the means of saving his life. It came presently in a +strange and totally unexpected fashion. Upon the tense, nerve-breaking +silence, a voice suddenly intruded like a flash of light in a dark place. +It was a sweet and girlish voice, singing some simple ballad, with a +natural pathos which rendered the song singularly touching and +attractive. As the voice came nearer the cripple's expression changed +entirely; his hard eyes grew soft, and the handsome features were +wreathed in a smile. Then the door opened, and the singer came in. + +Gurdon looked at her, though she seemed unconscious of his presence +altogether. He saw a slight, fair girl, dressed entirely in white, with +her long hair streaming over her shoulders. The face was very sad and +wistful, the blue eyes clouded with some suggestion of trouble and +despair. Gurdon did not need a second glance to assure him that he was in +the presence of one who was mentally afflicted. She came forward and took +her place by the side of the cripple. + +"They told me that you are busy," she said, "Just as if it mattered +whether you were busy or not, when I wanted to see you." + +"You must go away now, Beth," the cripple said, in his softest and most +tender manner. "Don't you see that I am talking with this gentleman?" + +The girl turned eagerly to Gurdon; she crossed the room with a swift, +elastic step, and laid her two hands on him. + +"I know what you have come for," she said, eagerly. "You have come to +tell me all about Charles. You have found him at last; you are going to +bring him back to me. They told me he was dead, that he had perished in +the mine; but I knew better than that. I know that Charles will come back +to me again." + +"What mine?" Gurdon asked. + +"Why, the Four Finger Mine, of course," was the totally unexpected +reply. "They said that Charles had lost his life in the Four Finger +Mine. It was in a kind of dream that I saw his body lying there, +murdered. But I shall wake from the dream presently, and he will come +back to me, come back in the evening, as he always used to when the sun +was setting beyond the pines." + +There was something so utterly sad and hopeless in this that Gurdon +averted his eyes from the girl's face. He glanced in the direction of the +door; then it required all his self control to repress a cry, for in the +comparative gloom of the passage beyond, he could just make out the +figure of Vera, who stood there with her finger on her lip as if imposing +silence. He could see that in her hand she held something that looked +like a chisel. A moment later she flitted away once more, leaving Gurdon +to puzzle his brain as to what it all meant. + +"I am sorry for all this," the cripple said. "You have entirely by +accident come face to face with a phase in my life which is sacred and +inviolate. Really, if I had no other reason for reducing you to silence, +this would be a sufficiently powerful inducement. My dear Beth, I really +must ask you--" + +Whatever the cripple might have intended to say, the speech was never +finished; for, at that moment, the electric lights vanished suddenly, +plunging the whole house into absolute darkness. A moment later, +footsteps came hurrying along in the hall, and a voice was heard to say +that the fuse from the meter had gone, and it would be impossible to turn +on the light again until the officials had been called in to repair the +damage. At the same moment, Gurdon rose to his feet and crept quietly in +the direction of the door. Here, at any rate, was a chance of escape, for +that his life was in dire peril he had felt for some little time. He had +hardly reached the doorway when he felt a slim hand touch his, and he was +guided from the room into the passage beyond. He could give a pretty fair +idea as to the owner of the slim fingers that trembled in his own, but he +made no remark; he allowed himself to be led on till his feet stumbled +against the stairs. + +"This way," a voice whispered. "Say nothing, and make no protest. You +will be quite safe from further harm." + +Gurdon did exactly as he was told. He found himself presently at the top +of a staircase, and a little later on in a room, the door of which was +closed very quietly by his guide. + +"I think I can guess who I have to thank for this," Gurdon murmured. "But +why did you not take me to the front door, or the back entrance leading +to the garden? It was lucky for me that the lights failed at the critical +moment--a piece of nominal good fortune, such as usually only happens in +a story. But I should feel a great deal safer if I were on the other side +of the front door." + +"That is quite impossible," Vera said, for it was she who had come to +Gurdon's rescue. "Both doors are locked, and all the rooms on the +ground floor are furnished with shutters. As to the light going out, I +am responsible for it. I learned all about the electric light when I +lived in a mining camp in Mexico. I had only to remove one of the lamps +and apply my chisel to the two poles, and thereby put out every fuse in +the house. That is why the light failed, for it occurred to me that in +the confusion that followed the darkness, I should be in a position to +save you. But you little realise how near you have been to death +to-night. And, why, oh, why did you follow me in this way? It was very +wrong of you." + +"It was Venner's idea," Gurdon said. "He had a strange fear that you were +going into some danger. He asked me to follow you, and I did so. As to +the manner of my getting here--" + +"I know all about that," Vera said hurriedly. "I have been listening to +your conversation. I dare say you are curious to know something more +about this strange household; but, for the present, you will be far +better employed in getting away from it. I shall not be easy in my mind +till you are once more in the street." + + + + +CHAPTER VIII + +MISSING + + +Gurdon waited to hear what his companion was going to say now. He had +made up his mind to place himself implicitly in her hands, and let her +decide for the best. Evidently, he had found himself in a kind of lunatic +asylum, where one inhabitant at least had developed a dangerous form of +homicidal mania, and he had a pretty sure conclusion that Vera had saved +his life. It was no time now to ask questions; that would come later on. + +"I am sure I am awfully grateful to you," Gurdon said. "Who are these +people, and why do they behave in this insane fashion? This is not +exactly the kind of menage one expects to find in one of the best +appointed mansions in the West End." + +"I can tell you nothing about it," Vera said. There was a marked coldness +in her voice that told Gurdon he was going too far. "I can tell you +nothing. One thing you may rest assured of--I am in no kind of danger, +nor am I likely to be. My concern chiefly at the present moment is with +you. I want you to get back as soon as you can to the Great Empire Hotel, +and ease Gerald's mind as to myself." + +"I hardly like to go, without you," Gurdon murmured. + +"But you must," Vera protested. "Let me assure you once more that I am as +absolutely safe here as if I were in my own room. Now, come this way. I +dare not strike a light. I can only take you by the hand and lead you to +the top of the house. Every inch of the place is perfectly familiar to +me, and you are not likely to come to the least harm. Please don't waste +a moment more of your time." + +Gurdon yielded against his better judgment. A moment or two later, he +found himself climbing through a skylight on to the flat leads at the +top of the house. By the light of the town he could now see what he +was doing, and pretty well where he was. From the leads he could look +down into the garden, though, as yet, he could not discern any avenue +of escape. + +"The thing is quite easy," Vera explained. "The late occupant of the +house had a nervous dread of fire, and from every floor he had a series +of rope ladders arranged. See, there is one fixed to this chimney. I have +only to throw it over, and you can reach the garden without delay; then I +will pull the ladder up again and no one will be any the wiser. Please, +leave me without any further delay, in the absolute assurance that I +shall be back again within an hour." + +A few minutes later Gurdon was in the street again, making his way back +to the hotel where Venner was waiting for him. + +It was a strange story that he had to tell; a very thrilling and +interesting adventure, but one which, after all, still further +complicated the mystery and rendered it almost unintelligible. + +"And you mean to say that you have been actually face to face with our +cripple friend?" Venner said. "You mean to say that he would actually +have murdered you if Vera had not interfered in that providential manner? +I suppose I must accept your assurance that she is absolutely safe, +though I can't help feeling that she has exaggerated her own position. I +am terribly anxious about her. I have an idea which I should like to +carry out. I feel tolerably sure that this picturesque cripple of ours +could tell us everything that we want to know. Besides, unless I do +something I shall go mad. What do you say to paying the interesting +cripple a visit to-morrow night, and forcing him to tell us everything?" + +Gurdon shook his head; he was not particularly impressed with the +suggestion that Venner had made. + +"Of course, we could get into the house easily enough," he said. "Now +that I have learned the secret of the cellar, there will be no +difficulty about that. Still, don't you think it seems rather ridiculous +to try this sort of thing when your wife is in a position to tell you +the whole thing?" + +"But she would decline to do anything of the kind," Venner protested. +"She has told me that her lips are sealed; she has even no explanation to +offer for the way in which she left me within half-an-hour of our +becoming man and wife. I should almost be justified in forcing her to +speak; but, you see, I cannot do that. Therefore, I must treat her in a +way as if she were one of our enemies. I have a very strong fancy for +paying a visit to our cripple friend, and, if the worst came to the +worst, we could convince him that we are emphatically not on the side of +Mark Fenwick. At any rate, I mean to have a try, and if you don't like to +come in--" + +"Oh, I'll come in fast enough," Gurdon said. "You had better meet me +to-morrow night at my rooms, say, about eleven; then, we will see what we +can do with a view to a solution of the mystery." + +At the appointed time, Venner duly put in an appearance. He was clothed +in a dark suit and cap, Gurdon donning a similar costume. Under his arm +Venner had a small brown paper parcel. + +"What have you got there?" Gurdon asked. + +"A pair of tennis shoes," was the response. "And if you take my advice, +you should have a pair, too. My idea is to take off our boots directly we +get into the seclusion of the garden and change into these shoes. Now +come along, let's get it over." + +It was an easy matter to reach the garden without being observed, and in +a very short time the two friends were standing close to the windows of +the large room at the back of the house. There was not so much as a +glimmer of light to be seen anywhere within. Very cautiously they felt +their way along until they came at length to the grating through which +Gurdon had made so dramatic an entrance on the night before. He took +from his pocket a box of vestas, and ventured to strike one. He held it +down close to the ground, shading the tiny point of flame in the hollow +of his hand. + +"Here is a bit of luck to begin with," he chuckled. "They haven't +fastened this grating up again. I suppose my escape last night must have +upset them. At any rate, here is a way into the house without running the +risk of being arrested on a charge of burglary, and if the police did +catch us we should find it an exceedingly awkward matter to frame an +excuse carefully, to satisfy a magistrate." + +"That seems all right," Venner said. "When we get into the cellar it's +any odds that we find the door of the stairs locked. I don't suppose the +grating has been forgotten. You see, it is not such an easy matter to get +the British workman to do a job on the spur of the moment." + +"Well, come along; we will soon ascertain that," Gurdon said. "Once down +these steps, we shall be able to use our matches." + +They crept cautiously down the stairs into the damp and moldy cellar; +thence, up the steps on the other side, where Gurdon lighted one of his +matches. The door was closed, but it yielded quite easily to the touch, +and at length the two men were in the part of the house which was given +over to the use of the servants. So far as they could judge the place was +absolutely deserted. Doubtless the domestic staff had retired to bed. All +the same, it seemed strange to find no signs of life in the kitchen. The +stove was cold, and though the grate was full of cinders, it was quite +apparent that no fire had been lighted there for the past four and twenty +hours. Again, there was no furniture in the kitchen other than a large +table and a couple of chairs. The dressers were empty, and the shelves +deprived of their usual burden. + +"This is odd," Venner murmured. "Perhaps we shall have better luck on the +dining-room floor. I suppose we had better not turn on the lights!" + +"That would be too risky," Gurdon said. "However, I have plenty of +matches, which will serve our purpose equally well." + +On cautiously reaching the hall a further surprise awaited the intruders. +There was absolutely nothing there--not so much as an umbrella stand. The +marble floor was swept bare of everything, the big dining-room which the +night before had been most luxuriously furnished, was now stripped and +empty; not so much as a flower remained; and the conservatory beyond +showed nothing but wooden staging and glittering glass behind that. A +close examination of the whole house disclosed the fact that it was +absolutely empty. + +"If I did not know you as well as I do," Venner said grimly, "I should +say that you had been drinking. Do you mean to tell me that you sat in +this dining-room last night, and that it was furnished in the luxurious +way you described? Do you mean to tell me that you sat here, opposite +our cripple friend, waiting for him to shoot you? Are you perfectly +certain that we have made our way into the right house? You have no +doubt on that score?" + +"Of course, I haven't," Gurdon said, a little hotly. "Would there be two +houses close together, both of them with a broken grating over the +cellar? I tell you this is the same house right enough. It was just in +this particular spot I was seated when the lights went out, and your +wife's fertility of resource saved my life. It may be possible that the +electric fuses have not yet been repaired. At any rate, I'll see." + +Gurdon laid his hand upon the switch and snapped it down. No light came; +the solitary illuminating point in the room was afforded by the match +which Venner held in his hand. + +"There," Gurdon said, with a sort of gloomy triumph. "Doesn't that +prove it? I suppose that our cripple took alarm and has cleared out of +the house." + +"That's all very well, but it is almost impossible to remove the +furniture of a great place like this in the course of a day." + +"My dear chap, I don't think it has been removed in the course of a +day. Didn't you notice just now what a tremendous lot of dust we +stirred up as we were going over the house? My theory is this--only +three or four of the rooms were furnished, and the rest of the house +was closed. When I made my escape last night, the cripple must have +taken alarm and gone away from here as speedily as possible. What +renders the whole thing more inexplicable is the fact that your wife +could explain everything if she pleased. But after a check-mate like +this, I don't see the slightest reason for staying here any longer. The +best thing we can do is to get back to my rooms and discuss the matter +over a whiskey and soda and cigar. But, talking about cigars, will you +have the goodness to look at this?" + +From the empty grate Gurdon picked up a half smoked cigar of a somewhat +peculiar make and shape. + +"I want you to notice this little bit of evidence," he said. "This is the +very cigar that the cripple gave me last night. I can't say that I +altogether enjoyed smoking it, but it was my tip to humor him. I smoked +that much. When the white lady came in I naturally threw the end of the +cigar into the fireplace. In the face of this, I don't think you will +accuse me of dreaming." + +More than one cigar was consumed before Venner left his friend's rooms, +but even the inspiration of tobacco failed to elucidate a solitary point +at issue. What had become of the cripple, and where had he vanished so +mysteriously? Gurdon was still debating this point over a late breakfast +the following morning, when Venner came in. His face was flushed and his +manner was excited. He carried a copy of an early edition of an evening +paper in his hand--the edition which is usually issued by most papers a +little after noon. + +"I think I've discovered something," he said. "It was quite by accident, +but you will not fail to be interested in something that appears in the +_Comet_. It alludes to the disappearance of a gentleman called Bates, who +seems to have vanished from his house in Portsmouth Square. You know the +name of the Square, of course?" + +Gurdon pushed his coffee cup away from him, and lighted a cigarette. He +felt that something of importance was coming. + +"I suppose I ought to know the name of the square," he said grimly. +"Seeing that I nearly lost my life in a house there the night before +last. But please go on. I see you have something to tell me that is well +worth hearing." + +"That's right," Venner said. "Most of it is in this paper. It appears +that the aforesaid Mr. Bates is a gentleman of retiring disposition, and +somewhat eccentric habits. As far as one can gather, he has no friends, +but lives quietly in Portsmouth Square, his wants being ministered to by +a body of servants who have been in his employ for years. Of necessity, +Mr. Bates is a man of wealth, or he could not possibly live in a house +the rent of which cannot be less than five or six hundred a year. As a +rule, Mr. Bates rarely leaves his house, but last night he seems to have +gone out unattended, and since then, he has not been seen." + +"Stop a moment," Gurdon exclaimed eagerly. "I am beginning to see +daylight at last. What was the number of the house where this Bates +lived? I mean the number of the square." + +Venner turned to his paper, and ran his eye down the printed column. Then +he smiled as he spoke. + +"The number of the house," he said, "is 75." + +"I knew it," Gurdon said excitedly. "I felt pretty certain of it. The man +who has disappeared lived at No. 75, and the place where we had our +adventure, or rather, I had my adventure, is No. 74. Now, tell me, who +was it who informed the police of the disappearance of Mr. Bates? Some +servant, I suppose?" + +"Of course; and the servant goes on to suggest that Mr. Bates had +mysterious enemies, who caused him considerable trouble from time to +time. But now I come to the interesting part of my story. At the foot of +the narrative which is contained in the _Comet_, that I hold in my hand, +is a full description of Mr. Bates." + +"Go on," Gurdon said breathlessly. "I should be little less than an idiot +if I did not know what was coming." + +"I thought you would guess," Venner said. "A name like Bates implies +middle age and respectability. But this Bates is described as being young +and exceedingly good looking. Moreover, he is afflicted with a kind of +paralysis, which renders his movements slow and uncertain. And now you +know all about it. There is not the slightest doubt that this missing +Bates is no other than our interesting friend, the good-looking cripple. +The only point which leaves us in doubt is the fact that Mr. Bates is a +respectable householder, living at 75, Portsmouth Square, while the man +who tried to murder you entertained you at No. 74, which house, now, is +absolutely empty. We need not discuss that puzzle at the present moment, +because there are more important things to occupy our attention. There +can be no doubt that this man who calls himself Bates has been kidnapped +by somebody. You will not have much difficulty in guessing the name of +the culprit." + +"I guess it at once," Gurdon said. "If I mention the name of Mark +Fenwick, I think I have said the last word." + + + + +CHAPTER IX + +A NEW PHASE + + +There was not the slightest doubt that Gurdon had hit the mark. As far as +they could see at present, the man most likely to benefit by the death or +disappearance of the cripple was Mark Fenwick. Still, it was impossible +to dismiss the thing in this casual way, nor could it be forgotten that +the cripple had actually been present at the Grand Empire Hotel on the +night when the alleged millionaire received his message by means of the +mummified finger. Therefore, logically speaking, it was only fair to +infer that on the night in question Fenwick had not been acquainted with +the personality of the cripple. Otherwise, the latter would have scarcely +ventured to show himself in a place where his experiment had been brought +to a conclusion. + +On the other hand, it was just possible that Fenwick had been looking for +the cripple for some time past. But all this was more or less in the air, +though there was a great deal to be said for the conclusion at which the +two friends had arrived. + +"I work it out like this," Venner said, after a long, thoughtful pause. +"You know all about the Four Finger Mine; you know exactly what happened +to the Dutchman Van Fort after the murder of Le Fenu. It will be fresh in +your recollection how, by some mysterious agency, the fingers of the +Dutchman were conveyed to his wife, though he himself was never seen +again. It is quite fair to infer that Fenwick has contrived to get hold +of the same mine, though that dangerous property does not seem to have +harmed him as much as it did the other thief. Still, we know that he has +lost all the fingers of his left hand, and we have evidence of the fact +that the vengeance has been worked out in the same mysterious fashion as +it was worked out on the Dutchman. We know, too, who is at the bottom of +the plot, we know that the cripple could tell us all about it if he +liked. Obviously, this same cripple is a deadly enemy of Fenwick's. And, +no doubt, Fenwick has found out where to lay his hands upon his man quite +recently. Fenwick is a clever man, he is bold and unscrupulous, and +without question he set to work at once to get the better of the cripple. +Of course, this may be nothing but a wrong theory of mine, and it may +lead us astray, but it is all I can see to work upon at present." + +"I don't think you are very far wrong," Gurdon said, "but I am still +puzzled about the house in Portsmouth Square." + +"Which house do you mean?" Venner asked. + +"The one in which my adventure took place. The house from which the +furniture vanished so mysteriously." + +"That seems to me capable of an easy explanation," Venner replied. "There +is no doubt that the man called Bates and the cripple are one and the +same person. You must admit that." + +"Yes, I admit that freely enough. Go on." + +"Well, this Bates, as we will call him, has a large establishment at 75, +Portsmouth Square. The house next door was empty, possibly it belonged to +Mr. Bates. He had a whim for furnishing a room or two in an empty house, +or perhaps there was some more sinister purpose behind it. Anyway, after +you had blundered on the place and had taken your life in your hands, it +became necessary for the man to disappear from No. 74. Therefore, he had +that furniture removed at once. I daresay if we investigated the house +carefully we should find that there was some means of communication +between the two; at least, that is the only explanation I can think of." + +"You've got it," Gurdon cried. "I'll wager any money, you are right. But +I am sorry the man has vanished in this mysterious way, because it checks +our investigations at the very outset. The last thing you wanted in this +matter was police interference. Now the whole thing has got into the +papers, and the public are sure to take the matter up. It is the very +class of mystery that the cheap press loves to dwell upon. It has all +the attributes of the _cause celebre_. Here is a handsome man, +picturesque looking, a cripple into the bargain, a man leading an +absolutely secluded life, and the very last person in the world one would +expect to have enemies. He is very rich, too, and lives in one of the +finest houses in the West End of London. He disappears in the most +mysterious manner. Unless I am greatly mistaken, within the next two or +three days London will be disclosing this matter and the newspapers will +be full of it." + +"I am afraid you are right," Venner admitted; "but I don't see how we are +going to gain any thing by telling the police what we have found out. As +you know, I investigated this matter solely in the interests of the woman +I love, and with the one intention of freeing her life from the cloud +that hangs over it. In any other circumstances I would go direct to +Scotland Yard and tell them everything we know. But not now. I think you +will agree with me that we should go our own way and say nothing to +anybody about our discovery." + +The events of the next day or so fully verified the fears of the two +friends. The Bates case appealed powerfully to the large section of the +public who delight in crimes of the mysterious order. Within a couple of +days most of the papers were devoting much space to the problem. It so +happened, too, that the week was an exceedingly barren one from a news +point of view; therefore, the Bates case had the place of honor. There +was absolutely no fresh information, not a single line that pointed to a +definite solution of the problem. Indeed, the ingenious way in which most +of the papers contrived to fill some three columns a day was beyond all +praise. But both Gurdon and Venner searched in vain for a scrap of +information that threw any light on the identity of the missing man. His +habits were described at some length, a tolerably accurate description of +his household appeared in several quarters; but nothing very much beyond +that. The missing man's servants were exceedingly reticent, and if they +knew anything whatever about their master they had preferred to confide +it to the police in preference to the inquisitive reporter. Not a single +relative turned up, though it was generally understood that the missing +man was possessed of considerable property. + +It was on the third day that Venner began to see daylight. One of the +evening papers had come out with a startling letter which seemed to point +to a clue, though it conveyed nothing to the police. Venner came round to +Gurdon's rooms with a copy of the evening paper in his hand. He laid it +before his friend and asked him to read the letter, which, though it +contained but a few lines, was of absorbing interest to both of them. + +"You see what this man says?" Venner remarked. "He appears to be a +workingman who got himself into trouble over a drinking bout. Two days +ago he was charged before the magistrate with being drunk and disorderly, +and was sentenced to a fine of forty shillings or fourteen days' +imprisonment. According to his story, the money was not forthcoming, +therefore he was taken to gaol. At the end of two days his friends +contrived to obtain the necessary cash and he was released. He writes all +this to show how it was that he was entirely ignorant of the startling +events which had taken place in the Bates case. This man goes on to say +that on the night when Mr. Bates disappeared he was passing Portsmouth +Square on his way home from some public-house festivities. He was none +too sober, and has a hazy recollection of what he saw. He recollects +quite clearly, now that he has time to think the matter over, seeing a +cab standing at the corner of the Square within three doors of No. 75. At +the same time, a telegraph boy called at No. 75 with a message. It was at +this point that the narrator of the story stopped to light his pipe. It +was rather a windy evening, so that he used several matches in the +process. Anyway, he stood there long enough to see the telegraph boy +deliver his message to a gentleman who appeared to have great difficulty +in getting to the door. No sooner had the telegraph boy gone than the +gentleman crept slowly and painfully down the steps and walked in the +direction of the cab. Then somebody stepped from the cab and accosted the +cripple, who, beyond all question, was the mysterious Bates. The writer +of the letter says that he heard a sort of cry, then someone called out +something in a language that he was unable to understand. He rather +thinks it was Portuguese, because among his fellow workmen is a +Portuguese artisan, and the language sounded something like his." + +"We are getting on," Gurdon said. "That little touch about the Portuguese +language clearly points to Fenwick." + +"Of course, it does," Venner went on. "But that is not quite all. The +letter goes on to say that something like a struggle took place, after +which the cripple was bundled into the cab, which was driven away. It was +a four-wheeled cab, and the peculiarity about it was that it had india +rubber tires, which is a most unusual thing for the typical growler. The +author of all this information says that the struggle appeared to be of +no very desperate nature, for it was followed by nothing in the way of a +call for help. Indeed, the workman who is telling all this seemed to +think that it was more or less in the way of what he calls a spree. He +said nothing whatever to the police about it, fearing perhaps that he +himself was in no fit state to tell a story; and, besides, there was just +the possibility that he might find himself figuring before a magistrate +the next morning. That is the whole of the letter, Gurdon, which though +it conveys very little to the authorities, is full of pregnant +information for ourselves. At any rate, it tells us quite clearly that +Fenwick was at the bottom of this outrage." + +"Quite right," Gurdon said. "The little touch about the Portuguese +language proves that. Is there anything else in the letter likely to be +useful to us?" + +"No, I have given you the whole of it. Personally, the best thing we can +do is to go and interview the writer, who has given his name and address. +A small, but judicious, outlay in the matter of beer will cause him to +tell us all we want to know." + +It was somewhere in the neighborhood of the Docks where the man who had +given his name as James Taylor was discovered later on in the day. He was +a fairly intelligent type of laborer, who obtained a more or less +precarious livelihood as a docker. As a rule, he worked hard enough four +or five hours a day when things were brisk, and, in slack periods when +money was scarce, he spent the best part of his day in bed. He had one +room in a large tenement house, where the friends found him partially +dressed and reading a sporting paper. He was not disposed to be +communicative at first, but the suggestion of something in the way of +liquid refreshment stimulated his good-nature. + +"Right you are," he said. "I've had nothing today besides a mouthful of +breakfast, and when I've paid my rent I shall have a solitary tanner +left; but I 'ope you gents are not down here with a view of getting a +poor chap into trouble?" + +Gurdon hastened to reassure him on that head. He was balancing a +half-sovereign thoughtfully on his forefinger. + +"We are not going to hurt you at all," he said. "We want you to give us a +little information. In proof of what I say you can take this +half-sovereign and obtain what liquid refreshment you require. Also, you +can keep the change. If you don't like my proposal, there is an end of +the matter." + +"Don't be short, guv'nor," Taylor responded. "I like that there +proposition of yours so well that I'm going to take it; 'alf-sovereigns +ain't so plentiful as all that comes to. If you just wait a moment, I'll +be back in 'alf a tick. Then I'll tell you all you want to know." + +The man was back again presently, and professed himself ready to answer +any questions that might be put to him. His manner grew just a little +suspicious as Venner mentioned the name of Bates. + +"You don't look like police," he said. "Speaking personally, I ain't fond +of 'em, and I don't want to get into trouble." + +"We have no connection whatever with the police," Venner said. "In fact, +we would rather not have anything to do with them. It so happens that we +are both interested in the gentleman that you saw getting into the cab +the other night. I have read your letter in the paper, and I am quite +prepared to believe every word of it. The only thing we want to know is +whether you saw the man in the cab--" + +"Which one?" Taylor asked. "There were two blokes in the cab." + +"This is very interesting," Venner murmured. "I shall be greatly obliged +to you if you will describe both of them." + +"I couldn't describe the one, guv'nor," Taylor replied. "His back was to +me all the time, and when you come to think of it, I wasn't quite so +clear in the head as I might have been. But I caught a glimpse of the +other man's face; as he looked out of the cab the light of the lamp shone +on his face. He'd a big cloak on, as far as I could judge, with the +collar turned up about his throat, and a soft hat on his head. He knocks +the hat off looking out of the cab window, then I see as 'is head was +bald like a bloomin' egg, and yellow, same as if he had been painted. I +can't tell you any more than that, not if you was to give me another +'alf-sovereign on the top of the first one." + +"Just another question," Gurdon said. "Then we won't bother you any more. +About what age do you suppose the man was?" + +Taylor paused thoughtfully for a moment before he replied. + +"Well, I should think he was about fifty-five or sixty," he said. "Looked +like some sort of a foreigner." + +"That will do, thank you," Venner said. "We will not detain you any +longer. At the same time I should be obliged if you would keep this +information to yourself; but, of course, if the police question you, you +will have to speak. But a discreet silence on the subject of this visit +of ours would be esteemed." + +Taylor winked and nodded, and the friends departed, not displeased to get +away from the stuffy and vitiated atmosphere of Taylor's room. On the +whole, they were not dissatisfied with the result of their expedition. At +any rate, they had now proof positive of the fact that Fenwick was at the +bottom of the mysterious disappearance of the man called Bates. + +"I don't quite see what we are going to do next," Venner said. "So +far, we have been exceedingly fortunate to find ourselves in +possession of a set of clues which would be exceedingly valuable to +the police. But how are we going to use these clues is quite another +matter. What do you suggest?" + +"Keeping a close eye upon Fenwick at any rate. For that purpose it would +not be a bad idea to employ a private inquiry agent. He need know +nothing of what we are after." + +Thereupon it was decided that Gurdon was to dine with Venner that night +and go fully into the matter. + + + + +CHAPTER X + +THE SECOND FINGER + + +It was, perhaps, fortunate for all concerned that, though Venner was so +closely identified by the irony of Fate with the movements of Mark +Fenwick, he was not known to the latter personally, though they had been +almost side by side three years previous in Mexico. Therefore, it was +possible for Venner to get a table in the dining-room quite close to that +of the alleged millionaire. It was all the more fortunate, as things +subsequently turned out, that Fenwick had returned to town that afternoon +and had announced his intention of dining at the hotel the same evening. +This information Venner gave to Gurdon when the latter turned up about +half-past seven. Then the host began to outline the plan of campaign +which he had carefully thought out. + +"Fenwick is dining over there," he said. "He generally sits with his back +to the wall, and I have had our table so altered that we can command all +his movements. Vera, of course, will dine with him. Naturally enough, she +will act as if we were absolute strangers to her. That will be +necessary." + +"Of course," Gurdon admitted. "But isn't it a strange thing that you +should be an absolute stranger to Fenwick?" + +"Well, it does seem strange on the face of it. But it is capable of the +easiest explanation. You see, when I first met Vera, she was at school in +a town somewhere removed from the Four Finger Mine. I saw a good deal of +her there, and when finally she went up country, we were practically +engaged. At her urgent request the engagement was kept a secret, and when +I followed to the Mines it was distinctly understood that I should not +call at Fenwick's house or make myself known to him except in the way of +business. As it happens, we never did meet, and whenever I saw Vera it +was usually by stealth. The very marriage was a secret one, and you may +charge me fairly with showing great weakness in the matter. But there, I +have told you the story before, and you must make the best of it. On the +whole, I am glad things turned out as they did, for now I can play my +cards in the game against Fenwick without his even suspecting that he has +me for an opponent. It is certainly an advantage in my favor." + +Venner had scarcely ceased speaking before Fenwick and Vera appeared. She +gave one timid glance at Venner; then, averting her eyes, she walked +demurely across to her place at the table. Fenwick followed, looking +downcast and moody, and altogether unlike a man who is supposed to be +the happy possessor of millions. His manner was curt and irritable, and +he seemed disposed to find fault with everything. Venner noticed, too, +that though the man ate very little he partook of far more champagne than +was good for anyone. Thanks no doubt to the wine, the man's dark mood +lifted presently, and he began chatting to Vera. The two men at the other +table appeared to be deeply interested in their dinner, though, as a +matter of fact, they were listening intently to every word that Fenwick +was saying. He was talking glibly enough now about some large house in +the country which he appeared to have taken for the winter months. Vera +listened with polite indifference. + +"In Kent," Fenwick was saying. "Not very far from Canterbury. A fine old +house, filled with grand furniture, just the sort of place you'd like. +I've made all arrangements, and the sooner we get away from London the +better I shall be pleased." + +"It will be rather dull, I fear," Vera replied. "I don't suppose that I +shall get on very well with county people--" + +"Hang the county people," Fenwick growled. "Who cares a straw for them? +Not but what they'll come along fast enough when they hear that Mark +Fenwick, the millionaire, is in their midst. Still, there is a fine park +round the house, and you'll be able to get as much riding as you want." + +Venner watching furtively saw that Vera was interested for the first +time. He had not forgotten the fact that she was an exceedingly fine +horsewoman; he recollected the glorious rides they had had together. +Interested as he was in the mysterious set of circumstances which had +wound themselves into his life, he was not without hope that this change +would enable him to see more of Vera than was possible in London. In the +lonely country he would be able to plan meetings with her; indeed, he had +made up his mind to leave London as soon as Vera had gone. Moreover, in +this instance, duty and inclination pointed the same way. If the mystery +were to be solved and Vera freed from her intolerable burden, it would be +essential that every movement of Fenwick's should be carefully watched. +The only way to carry out this plan successfully would be to follow him +into Kent. + +"You heard that?" he murmured to Gurdon. "We must find out exactly where +this place is, and then look out some likely quarters in the +neighborhood. I must contrive to see Vera and learn her new address +before she goes." + +"No reason to worry about that," Gurdon said. "It will all be in the +papers. The doings of these monied men are chronicled as carefully now +as the movements of Royalty. It is any odds when you take up your +_Morning Post_ in the morning that you will know not only exactly where +Fenwick is going to spend the winter, but get an exact history of the +house. So far as I can see we might finish our dinner and go off to a +theatre. We are not likely to hear any more to-night, and all this +mystery and worry is beginning to get on my nerves. What do you say to +an hour or two at the Gaiety?" + +Venner pleaded for a few moments' delay. So far as he was personally +concerned he felt very unlike the frivolity of the typical musical +comedy; but still, he had finished his dinner by this time and was not +disposed to be churlish. Fenwick had completed his repast also, and was +sipping his coffee in an amiable frame of mind, heedless apparently of +business worries of all kinds. + +At the same moment a waiter came into the room and advanced to the +millionaire's table with a small parcel in his hand. + +"A letter for you, sir. An express letter which has just arrived. Will +you be good enough to sign the receipt?" + +"Confound the people," Fenwick growled. "Can't you leave me alone for +half an hour when I am having my dinner? Take the thing up to my room. +You sign it, Vera." + +"I'll sign it, of course," Vera replied. "But don't you think you had +better open the parcel? It may be of some importance. People don't +usually send express letters at this time of night unless they are +urgent. Or, shall I open it for you?" + +The waiter had gone by this time, taking the receipt for the letter with +him. With a gesture Fenwick signified to Vera that she might open the +parcel. She cut the string and opened the flat packet, disclosing a small +object in tissue paper inside. This she handed to Fenwick, who tore the +paper off leisurely. Then the silence of the room was startled by the +sound of an oath uttered in tones of intense fury. + +"Curse the thing!" Fenwick cried. His yellow face was wet and ghastly +now. The big purple veins stood out like cords on his forehead. "Am I +never to be free from the terror of this mystery? Where did it come from? +How could it be possible when the very man I have most reason to dread is +no longer in a position--" + +The speaker broke off suddenly, as if conscious that he was betraying +himself. The little object in the tissue paper lay on the table in such a +position that it was impossible for Venner or Gurdon to see what it was, +but they could give a pretty shrewd guess. Venn or looked inquiringly at +his friend. + +"Well, what do you suppose it is?" he asked. + +"Personally, I have no doubt whatever as to what it is," Gurdon said. "I +am as sure as if I held the thing in my hand at the present moment. It +is the second finger which at some time or another was attached to +Fenwick's hand." + +"You've got it," Venner said. "Upon my word, the farther we go with this +thing the more complicated it becomes. No sooner do we clear up one point +than a dozen fresh ones arrive. Now, is not this amazing? We know +perfectly well that the man whom we have to call Bates has been kidnapped +by our interesting friend opposite, and yet here the second warning +arrives just as if Bates were still free to carry out his vengeance. What +can one make of it?" + +"Well, the logical conclusion is that Bates has an accomplice. I fail to +see any other way of accounting for it." + +Fenwick still sat there mopping his heated face and turning a disgusted +eye upon the little object on the table. He seemed to be terribly +distressed and upset, though there was nothing like the scene on the +previous occasion, and, doubtless, few diners besides Venner and Gurdon +knew that anything out of the common was taking place there. But they +were watching everything carefully; they noted Fenwick's anxious face, +they could hear his stertorous breathing. Though he had dined so freely +he called for brandy now, a large glass of which he drank without any +addition whatever. Then his agitation became less uncontrollable and a +little natural color crept into his cheeks. Without glancing at it he +slipped the little object on the table into his pocket and rose more or +less unsteadily to his feet. + +"I have had a shock," he muttered. "I don't deny that I have had a +terrible shock. You don't understand it, Vera, and I hope you never will. +I wish I had never touched that accursed mine. I wish it had been fathoms +under the sea before I heard of it, but the mischief has been done now, +and I shall have to go on to the end. You can stay here if you like--as +to me, I am going to my own room. I want to be alone for a bit and think +this matter out." + +Fenwick lurched across the room with the air of a man who is more or less +intoxicated, though his head was clear enough and his faculties undimmed. +Still, his limbs were trembling under him and he groped his way to the +door with the aid of a table here and there. It was perhaps rather a +risky thing to do, but Venner immediately crossed over and took the seat +vacated so recently by Fenwick. Vera welcomed him shyly, but it was +palpable that she was ill at ease. She would have risen had not Venner +detained her. + +"Don't you think you are very imprudent?" she said. "Suppose he should +change his mind and come back here again?" + +"I don't think there is much chance of that," Venner said, grimly. +"Fenwick will only be too glad to be by himself for a bit. But tell me, +dear, what was it that gave him such a shock?" + +"I don't understand it at all," Vera said. "It was something to do +with that dreadful mine and the vengeance connected with it. This is +the second time the same thing has happened within the last few days, +and I fear that it will culminate sooner or later in some fearful +tragedy. I have some hazy idea of the old legend, but I have almost +forgotten what it is." + +"I don't think you need worry about that," Venner said. "Though it +will have to be spoken of again when the whole thing is cleared up; +but now I wish to talk to you on more personal matters. Did I not +understand Fenwick to say to-night that he was taking a large house +somewhere in Kent?" + +"That is his intention, I believe," Vera replied. "I understand it is a +large, dull place in the heart of the country. Personally I am not +looking forward to it with the least pleasure. Things are bad enough here +in London, but there is always the comfortable feeling that one is +protected here, whereas in a lonely neighborhood the feeling of +helplessness grows very strong." + +"You are not likely to be lonely or neglected," Venner smiled. "As soon +as I have definitely ascertained where you are going, Gurdon and myself +will follow. It is quite necessary that we should be somewhere near you; +but, of course, if you object--" + +But Vera was not objecting. Her face flushed with a sudden happiness. The +knowledge that the man she loved was going to be so near her filled her +with a sense of comfort. + +"Don't you think it will be dangerous?" she asked. + +"Not in the least," Venner said. "Don't forget that I am a stranger to +Mark Fenwick, which remark applies with equal force to Gurdon. And if we +take a fancy to spend a month or two hunting in the neighborhood of +Canterbury, surely there is nothing suspicious in that. I am looking +forward to the hunting as a means whereby we may manage to get some long +rides together. And even if Fenwick does find it out, it will be easy to +explain to him that you made my acquaintance on the field of sport." + +"I am glad to hear you say that," Vera whispered. "I may be wrong, of +course, but I feel that strange things are going to happen, and that I +shall need your presence to give me courage." + +Vera might have said more, but a waiter came into the room at the same +moment with an intimation to the effect that Mr. Fenwick desired to speak +to her. She flitted away now, and there was nothing for it but for Venner +to fall in with Gurdon's suggestion of a visit to the theatre. + +It was not long after breakfast on the following morning that Venner +walked into Gurdon's rooms with a new proposal. + +"I have been thinking out this confounded thing," he said. "I have an +idea; as you know, the house where you had your adventure the other night +is empty, it has occurred to me that perhaps it may be to let. If so, we +are going to call upon the agent in the characters of prospective +tenants. What I want to do is to ascertain if possible the name of the +owner of the premises." + +"I see," Gurdon said thoughtfully. "I am ready for you now." + +It was some little time before the friends got on the right track, but +they found the right man at length. The agent was not quite sure whether +he was in a position at present to make any definite arrangements on the +part of the owner. + +"I presume he wants to let the house," he said, "though I have no +instructions, and it is some considerable time since I have heard from my +client. You see, he lives abroad." + +"Can't you give us his address," Venner asked, "and let us write to him +direct? It would save time." + +"That I fear is equally impossible," the agent explained. "My client +wanders about from place to place, and I haven't the remotest idea where +to find him. However, I'll do my best." + +"You might tell us his name," Venner said. + +"Certainly. His name is Mr. Le Fenu." + +"What do you make of it?" Venner said, when once more he and Gurdon were +in the street. "I see you have forgotten what the name of Le Fenu +implies. Don't you remember my telling you that the original owner of +the Four Finger Mine who was murdered by the Dutchman, Van Fort, was +called Le Fenu?" + + + + +CHAPTER XI + +AN UNEXPECTED MOVE + + +On the whole the discovery was startling enough. It proved to +demonstration that the man who called himself Bates must have been in +some way connected with the one-time unfortunate owner of the Four Finger +Mine. There was very little said as the two friends walked down the +street together. Venner paused presently, and stood as if an idea had +occurred to him. + +"I have a notion that something will come of this," he said. "I had a +great mind to go back to the agent's and try to get the key of the empty +house under some pretext or another." + +"What do you want it for?" Gurdon asked. + +"I am not sure that I want it for anything," Venner admitted. "I have a +vague idea, a shadowy theory, that I am on the right track at last, but I +may be wrong, especially as I am dealing with so unscrupulous an opponent +as Fenwick. All the same, I think I'll step round to that agent's office +this afternoon and get the key. Sooner or later, I shall want a town +house, and I don't see why that Portsmouth Square place shouldn't suit me +very well." + +Venner was true to his intention, and later in the afternoon was once +more closeted with the house-agent. + +"Do you really want to let the place?" he asked. + +"Well, upon my word, sir, I'm not quite sure," the agent replied. "As +I said before, it is such a difficult matter to get in contact with +the owner." + +"But unless he wanted to let it, why did he put it in your hands?" Venner +asked. "Still, you can try to communicate with him, and it will save time +if you let me have the keys to take measurements and get estimates for +the decorating, and so on. I will give you any references you require." + +"Oh, there can be no objection to that," the agent replied. "Yes, you can +have the keys now, if you like. You are not in the least likely to run +away with the place." + +Venner departed with the keys in his possession, and made his way back to +the hotel. He had hardly reached his own room before a waiter came in +with a note for him. It was from Vera, with an urgent request that Venner +would see her at once, and the intimation that there would be no danger +in his going up to the suite of rooms occupied by Mark Fenwick. Venner +lost no time in answering this message. He felt vaguely uneasy and +alarmed. Surely, there must be something wrong, or Vera would not have +sent for him in this sudden manner. He could not quite see, either, how +it was that he could call at Fenwick's rooms without risk. However, he +hesitated no longer, but knocked at the outer door of the self-contained +rooms, which summons was presently answered by Vera herself. + +"You can come in," she said. "I am absolutely alone. Mr. Fenwick has gone +off in a great hurry with all his assistants, and my own maid will not be +back for some little time." + +"But is there no chance of Fenwick coming back?" Venner asked. "If he +caught me here, all my plans would be ruined. My dear girl, why don't you +leave him and come to me? I declare it makes me miserable to know that +you are constantly in contact with such a man as that. It isn't as if you +were any relation to him." + +"Thank goodness, I am no relation at all," Vera replied. "It is not for +my own sake that I endure all this humiliation." + +"Then, why endure it?" Venner urged. + +"Because I cannot help myself. Because there is someone else whom I have +to look after and shield from harm. Some day you will know the whole +truth, but not yet, because my lips are sealed. But I did not bring you +here to talk about myself. There are other and more urgent matters. I am +perfectly sure that something very wrong is going on here. Not long after +breakfast this morning, Mr. Fenwick was sitting here reading the paper, +when he suddenly rose in a state of great agitation and began sending +telegrams right and left. I am certain that there was terribly disturbing +intelligence in that paper; but what it was, I, of course, cannot say. I +have looked everywhere for a clue and all in vain. No sooner were the +telegrams dispatched than the three or four men here, whom Mr. Fenwick +calls his clerks, gathered all his papers and things together and sent +them off by express vans. Mr. Fenwick told me that everything was going +to the place that he had taken at Canterbury, but I don't believe that, +because none of the boxes were labelled. Anyway, they have all gone, and +I am instructed to remain here until I hear from Mr. Fenwick again." + +Venner began to understand; in the light of his superior knowledge it was +plain to him that these men had been interrupted in some work, and that +they feared the grip of the law. He expressed a wish to see the paper +which had been the cause of all the trouble. The news-sheet lay on the +floor where Fenwick had thrown it, and Venner took it up in his hands. + +"This has not been disturbed?" he asked. + +"No," Vera replied. "I thought it best not to. I have looked at both +sides of the paper myself, but I have not turned over a leaf. You see, +it must have been on one side or another of this sheet that the +disturbing news appeared, and that is why I have not looked further. +Perhaps you will be able to pick out the particular paragraph? There is +plenty of time." + +Very carefully Venner scanned the columns of the paper. He came at length +to something that seemed to him to bear upon the sudden change of plans +which appeared to have been forced upon Fenwick. The paragraph in +question was not a long one, and emanated from the New York correspondent +of the _Daily Herald_. + +"We are informed," the paragraph ran, "that the police here believe that +at length they are on the track of the clever gang of international +swindlers who were so successful in their bank forgeries two years ago. +Naturally enough, the authorities are very reticent as to names and other +details, but they declare that they have made a discovery which embraces +what is practically a new crime, or, at any rate, a very ingenious +variant upon an old one. As far as we can understand, the police were +first put on the track by the discovery of the fact that the head of the +gang had recently transported some boxes of gold dust to London. Quite by +accident this discovery was made, and, at first, the police were under +the impression that the gold had been stolen. When, however, they had +proved beyond the shadow of a doubt that the gold in question was +honestly the property of the gang, they naturally began to ask themselves +what it was intended for. As the metal could be so easily transferred +into cash, what was the object of the gang in taking the gold to Europe? +This question the Head of the Criminal Investigation Department feels +quite sure that he has successfully solved. The public may look for +startling developments before long. Meanwhile, two of the smartest +detectives in New York are on their way to Europe, and are expected to +reach Liverpool by the _Lusitania_ to-day." + +"There is the source of the trouble," Venner said. "I hardly care about +telling you how I know, because the less information you have on this +head the better. And I don't want your face to betray you to the sharp +eyes of Mark Fenwick. But I am absolutely certain that that paragraph is +the source of all the mischief." + +"I daresay it is," Vera sighed. "I feel so terribly lonely and frightened +sometimes, so afraid of something terrible happening, that I feel +inclined to run away and hide myself. What shall I do now, though I am +afraid you cannot help me?" + +"I can help you in a way you little dream of," Venner said through his +teeth. "For the present, at any rate, you had better do exactly as +Fenwick tells you. I am not going to leave you here all alone, when we +have a chance like this; after dinner, I am going to take you to a +theatre. Meanwhile, I must leave you now, as I have much work to do, and +there is no time to be lost. It will be no fault of mine if you are not +absolutely free from Mark Fenwick before many days have passed." + +Venner sat alone at dinner, keeping a critical eye open for whatever +might be going on around him. He had made one or two little calculations +as to time and distance, and, unless his arithmetic was very far out, he +expected to learn something useful before midnight. + +The meal had not proceeded very far when two strangers came in and took +their places at a table close by. They were in evening dress and appeared +to be absolutely at home, yet, in some subtle way, they differed +materially from the other diners about them. On the whole, they might +have passed for two mining engineers who had just touched civilisation +after a long lapse of time. Venner noticed that they both ate and drank +sparingly, and that they seemed to get through their dinner as speedily +as possible. They went off to the lounge presently to smoke over their +coffee, and Venner followed them. He dropped into a seat by their side. + +"You have forgotten me, Mr. Egan," he said to the smaller man of the two. +"Don't you remember that night on the Bowery when I was fortunate enough +to help you to lay hands on the notorious James Daley? You were in rather +a tight place, I remember." + +"Bless me, if it isn't Mr. Venner," the other cried. "This is my friend, +Grady. I daresay you have heard of him." + +"Of course I have," Venner replied. "Mr. Grady is quite as celebrated +in his way as you are yourself. But you see, there was a time when I took +a keen interest in crime and criminals, and some of my experiences in New +York would make a respectable volume. When I heard that you were coming +over here--" + +"You heard we were coming here?" Egan exclaimed. "I should very much like +to know how you heard that." + +"Oh, you needn't be alarmed," Venner laughed. "Nobody has betrayed your +secret mission to Europe, though, strangely enough, I fancy I shall be in +a position to give you some considerable assistance. I happened to see a +paragraph in the _Herald_ to-day alluding to a mysterious gang of +swindlers who had hit upon a novel form of crime--something to do with +gold dust, I believe it was. At the end of the paragraph it stated that +two of the smartest detectives in the New York Force were coming over +here, and, therefore, it was quite fair to infer that you might be one of +them. In any case, if you had not been, I could have introduced myself to +your colleagues and used your name." + +Egan looked relieved, but he said nothing. + +"You are quite right to be reticent," Venner said. "But, as I remarked +before, I think I can help you in this business. You hoped to lay hands +on the man you wanted in this hotel." + +"I quite see you know something," Egan replied. "As a matter of fart, we +are a long way at present from being in a position to lay hands on our +man with a reasonable hope of convicting him. There will be a great deal +of watching to do first, and a lot of delicate detective work. That is +the worst of these confounded newspapers. How that paragraph got into the +_Herald,_ I don't know, but it is going to cause Grady and myself a great +deal of trouble. To be quite candid, we did expect to find our man here, +but when he had vanished as he did, just before we arrived, I knew at +once that somebody must have been giving him information." + +"Do I know the name of the man?" Venner asked. + +"If you don't, I certainly can't tell you," Egan said. "One has to be +cautious, even with so discreet a gentleman as yourself." + +"That's very well," Venner said. "But it so happens that I am just as +much interested in this individual as yourself. Now let me describe him. +He is short and stout, he is between fifty and sixty years of age, he has +beady black eyes, and a little hooked nose like a parrot. Also, he has an +enormous bald head, and his coloring is strongly like that of a yellow +tomato. If I am mistaken, then I have no further interest in the matter." + +"Oh, you're not mistaken," Egan said. "That is our man right enough. +But tell me, sir, do you happen to know what his particular line is +just at present?" + +"I have a pretty good idea," Venner said; "but I am not quite sure as +yet. I have been making a few inquiries, and they all tend to confirm my +theory, but I am afraid I cannot stay here discussing the matter any +longer, as I have an important appointment elsewhere. Do you propose to +stay at the Empire Hotel for any time?" + +Egan replied that it all depended upon circumstances. They were in no way +pressed for time, and as they were there on State business they were not +limited as to expenses. With a remark to the effect that they might meet +again later on in the evening, Venner went on his way and stood waiting +for Vera at the foot of the stairs. She came down presently, and they +entered a cab together. + +"We won't go to a theatre at all," Venner said. "We will try one of the +music halls, and we shall be able to talk better there; if we have a box +we shall be quite secure from observation." + +"It is all the same to me," Vera smiled. "I care very little where I go +so long as we are together. How strange it is that you should have turned +up in this extraordinary way!" + +"There is nothing strange about it at all," Venner said. "It is only Fate +making for the undoing of the criminal. It may be an old-fashioned theory +of mine, but justice always overtakes the rogue sooner or later, and +Fenwick's time is coming. I have been the instrument chosen to bring +about his downfall, and save you from your terrible position. If you +would only confide in me--" + +"But I can't, dear," Vera said. "There is somebody else. If it were not +for that somebody else, I could end my troubles to-morrow. But don't let +us talk about it. Let us have two delightful hours together and thank +Providence for the opportunity." + +The time passed all too quickly in the dim seclusion of one of the boxes; +indeed, Vera sat up with a start when the orchestra began to play the +National Anthem. It seemed impossible that the hour was close upon +twelve. As to the performance itself, Vera could have said very little. +She had been far too engrossed in her companion to heed what was taking +place upon the stage. + +"Come along," Venner said. "It has been a delightful time, but all too +brief. I am going to put you in a cab and send you back to the hotel, as +I have to go and see Gurdon." + +Vera made no demur to this arrangement, and presently was being conveyed +back to the hotel, while Venner thoughtfully walked down the street. Late +as it was, the usual crop of hoarse yelling newsboys were ranging the +pavement and forcing their wares on the unwilling passers-by. + +"Here you are, sir. 'Late Special.' Startling development of the Bates +Case. The mystery solved." + +"I'll take one of those," Venner said. "Here's sixpence for you, and you +can keep the change. Call me that cab there." + + + + +CHAPTER XII + +THE HOUSE NEXT DOOR + + +Venner lost no time in reaching the rooms of his friend Gurdon, and was +fortunate enough to find the latter at home. He was hard at work on some +literary matter, but he pushed his manuscript aside as Venner came +excitedly into the room. + +"Well, what is it?" he asked. "Anything fresh? But your face answers that +question. Have you found Bates?" + +"No, I haven't," Venner said; "but he seems to have been discovered. I +bought this paper just now in Piccadilly, but I have not been able to +look at it yet. It is stated here that the mystery has been solved." + +"Hand it over," Gurdon cried excitedly. "Let's see if we can find it. Ah! +here we are. The Press Association has just received a letter which +appears to come from Mr. Bates himself. He says he is very much annoyed +at all this fuss and bother in the papers, about his so-called +kidnapping. He goes on to say that he was called to the Continent by +pressing business, and that he had not even time to tell his servants he +was going, as it was imperatively necessary that he should catch the +midnight boat to Dieppe. The correspondent of the Press Association says +that Mr. Bates has been interviewed by a foreign journalist, who is +absolutely certain as to his identity. Moreover, an official has called +at Mr. Bates' residence and found that his servants have had a letter +from their master instructing them to join him at once, as he has let his +house furnished for the next two months. Well, my dear man, that seems to +be very satisfactory, and effectually disposes of the idea that Mr. Bates +has been mysteriously kidnapped. I am rather sorry for this in a way, +because it upsets all our theories and makes it necessary to begin our +task all over again." + +"I don't believe a word of it," Venner said. "I believe it's a gigantic +bluff. I was coming to see you to-night in any case, but after buying +that paper I came on here post haste. Now that story of the Press +Association strikes me as being decidedly thin. Here is a man living +comfortably at home who suddenly disappears in a most mysterious manner, +and nothing is heard of him for some time. Directly the public began to +regard it as a fascinating mystery and the miscreants realising what a +storm they were likely to stir up, the man himself writes and says that +it is all a mistake. Now, if he had come back and shown himself, it would +have been quite another matter. Instead of doing that, he writes a +letter from abroad, or sends a telegram or something of that kind, saying +that he has been called away on urgent business. That might pass easily +enough, but mark what follows. He writes to his servants asking them to +join him at once in some foreign town because he has let his house for +two months, and the new tenant wishes to get in without delay. Did ever +anybody hear anything so preposterous? Just as if a man would let a house +in that break-neck fashion without giving his servants due warning. The +thing is not to be thought of." + +"Then you think the servants have been lured away on a fools' errand?" +Gurdon asked. "You don't think there is anybody in the house?" + +"Oh, yes, I do," Venner said drily. "I have a very strong opinion that +there _are_ people in the house, and I also have a pretty shrewd idea as +to who they are. It happens, also, that I am in a position to test my +theory without delay." + +"How do you propose to do that?" Gurdon asked. + +"Quite easily. After I left you this afternoon I went back to the agent +and succeeded in obtaining possession of the keys of the empty house in +Portsmouth Square. My excuse was that I wanted to go into detail and to +take measurements and the like. I need not remind you that Bates' house +is next door to the empty one. In fact, there is no question that both +houses belong to the same person. You will remember, also, the mysterious +way in which that furniture vanished from the scene of your adventure." + +"I remember," Gurdon said grimly. "But all the same I don't quite see +what you are driving at." + +"The thing is quite plain. That furniture did not vanish through the +prosaic medium of a van, nor was it carted through the front door from +one house to the other. The two houses communicated in some way, and it +will be our business to find the door. As I have the keys and every +legitimate excuse for being on the premises, we can proceed to make our +investigations without the slightest secrecy, and without the least fear +of awkward questions being asked. Now do you follow me?" + +"I follow you fast enough. I suppose your game is to try and get into the +next house by means of the door?" + +"You have hit it exactly," Venner said. "That is precisely what I mean +to do. We shall find it necessary to discover the identity of Mr. +Bates' tenant." + +"When are we going to make the experiment?" Gurdon asked. + +"We are going to make it now," Venner replied. "We will have a cab as far +as the Empire Hotel, so that I can get the keys. After that, the thing +will be quite easy. Come along, and thank me for an exciting evening's +adventure. I shall be greatly surprised if it is not even more exciting +than the last occasion." + +They were in the empty house at last. The windows were closed and +shuttered, so that it was possible to use matches in the various rooms +without attracting attention from the outside. But search how they would, +for upwards of two hours, they could find no trace whatever of a means of +communication between the two houses. They tapped the walls and sounded +the skirtings, but without success. Venner paced the floor of the +drawing-room moodily, racking his brains to discover a way out of the +difficulty. + +"It must be here somewhere," he muttered. "I am sure all that +furniture was moved backwards and forwards through some door, and a +wide one at that." + +"Then it must be on the ground floor," Gurdon remarked. "When you come to +think of it, some of that furniture was so heavy and massive that it +would not go through an ordinary doorway, neither could it have been +brought upstairs without the assistance of two or three men of great +strength. We shall have to look for it in the hall; if we don't find it +there, we shall have to give it up as a bad job and try some other plan." + +"I am inclined to think you are right," Venner said. "Let us go down and +see. At any rate, there is one consolation. If we fail to-night we can +come again to-morrow." + +Gurdon did not appear to be listening. He strode resolutely down the +stairs into the hall and stood for some moments contemplating the panels +before him. The panels were painted white; they were elaborately +ornamented with wreaths of flowers after the Adams' style of decoration. +Then it seemed to Gurdon that two pairs of panels, one above and one +below, had at one time taken the formation of a doorway. He tapped on one +of the panels, and the drumming of his fingers gave out a hollow sound. +Gurdon tapped again on the next panel, but hardly any sound came in +response. He looked triumphantly at Venner. + +"I think we have got it at last," he said. "Do you happen to have a knife +in your pocket? Unless I am greatly mistaken, the decorations around +these panels come off like a bead. If you have a knife with you we can +soon find out." + +Venner produced a small knife from his pocket, and Gurdon attempted to +insinuate the point of the blade under the elaborate moulding. Surely +enough, the moulding yielded, and presently came away in Gurdon's hands. + +"There you are," he said. "It is exactly as I told you. I thought at +first that those mouldings were plaster, but you can see for yourself now +that they are elaborately carved wood." + +Venner laid the ornament aside and stood watching Gurdon with breathless +interest while the latter attacked another of the mouldings. They came +away quite easily, pointing to the fact that they must have been removed +before within a very short period. Once they were all cleared away, +Gurdon placed the point of the knife behind one of the panels, and it +came away in his hands, disclosing beyond a square hole quite large +enough for anybody to enter. Here was the whole secret exposed. + +"Exactly what I thought," Gurdon said. "If I removed all the mouldings +from the other three panels there would be space enough here to drive a +trap through. I think we have been exceedingly lucky to get to the bottom +of this. How clever and ingeniously the whole thing has been managed! +However, I don't think there is any occasion for us to worry about moving +any more of the panels, seeing that we can get through now quite easily. +Wouldn't it be just as well to put all the lights out?" + +"I haven't thought of that," Venner muttered. "On the whole, it would be +exceedingly injudicious not to extinguish all the lights. We had better +go on at once, I think, and get it over." + +The house was reduced to darkness, and very quietly and cautiously the +two adventurers crept through the panel. They were in the hall on the +other side, of which fact there was no doubt, for they stepped at once +off a marble floor on to a thick rug which deadened the sound of their +footsteps. They had, naturally enough, expected to find the whole place +in darkness, and the tenant of the house and his servants in bed. This, +on the whole, would be in their favor, for it would enable them to take +all the observations they required with a minimum chance of being +disturbed. + +A surprise awaited them from the first. True, the hall was in darkness, +and, as far as they could judge, so was the rest of the house. But from +somewhere upstairs came the unmistakable sound of a piano, and of +somebody singing in a sweet but plaintive soprano voice. Gurdon clutched +his companion by the arm. + +"Don't you think it is just possible that we have made a mistake?" he +whispered. "Isn't it quite on the cards that this is a genuine affair, +and that we are intruding in an unwarrantable manner upon some +respectable private citizen? I am bound to say that that beautiful voice +does not suggest crime to me." + +"We must go on now," Venner said, impatiently. "It won't do to judge by +appearances. Let us go up the stairs and see what is going on for +ourselves. If we are intruding, we will get away as speedily as +possible." + +Gurdon made no further objection, and together they crept up the stairs. +There was no chance of their being surprised from behind by the servants, +for they had taken good care to notice that the basement was all in +darkness. They were getting nearer and nearer now to the sound of the +music, which appeared to come from the drawing-room, the door of which +was widely enough open for the brilliant light inside to illuminate the +staircase. A moment later the music ceased, and someone was heard to +applaud in a hoarse voice. + +"Sing some more," the voice said. "Now don't be foolish, don't begin to +cry again. Confound the girl, she makes me miserable." + +"Do you recognise the voice?" Venner whispered. + +"Lord! yes," was Gurdon's reply. "Why, it's Fenwick. No mistaking those +tones anywhere. Now, what on earth does all this mean?" + +"We shall find out presently," Venner said. "You may laugh at me, but I +quite expected something of this kind, which was one of the reasons why I +obtained the keys of the house." + +"It's a most extraordinary thing," Gurdon replied. "Now isn't this +man--Fenwick--one of the last persons in the world you would credit with +a love of music?" + +"I don't know," Venner said. "You never can tell. But don't let's talk. +We are here more to listen than anything else. I wish we could get a +glimpse of the singer." + +"I am going to," Gurdon declared. "Unless I am greatly mistaken, I have +made a discovery, too. Oh, I am not going to take any risk. Do you see +that mirror opposite the door? It strikes me if I get close enough to +look into it that I shall be able to see who is in the room without +betraying my presence." + +So saying, Gurdon crept forward till he was close enough to the mirror to +get a very good idea of the room and its occupants. He could see a pale +figure in white standing by a piano; he could see that Fenwick was +sprawling in a big armchair, smoking a large cigar. Then he noticed that +the girl crossed the floor and laid a slim hand half timidly, half +imploringly, on Fenwick's shoulder. + +"Why are you so unkind to me?" she said. "Why so cruel? How many times +have you promised me that you will bring him back to me again? I get so +tired of waiting, I feel so sad and weary, and at times my mind seems to +go altogether." + +"Have patience," Fenwick said. "If you will only wait a little longer he +will come back to you right enough. Now go to the piano and sing me +another song before I go to bed. Do you hear what I say?" + +The last words were harshly uttered; the girl reeled back as if fearing +a blow. Gurdon standing there clenched his fists impulsively; he had +considerable difficulty in restraining himself. + +"Very well," she said; "just one more, and then I will go to bed, for I +am so tired and weary." + +Once more the sweet pathetic voice rang out in some simple song; the +words gradually died away, and there was silence. Gurdon had barely time +to slip back to the head of the stairs before the girl came out and made +her way to the landing above. Standing just below the level of the floor, +Venner gazed eagerly at the pretty tired face and mournful blue eyes. He +grasped his companion by the arm in a grip that was almost painful. + +"We are getting to it," he said. "It was a good night's work coming here +to-night. Do you mean to say you don't notice the likeness? Making due +allowance for the difference in height and temperament, that poor girl is +the image of my wife." + +"I must have been a dolt not to have noticed it before," Gurdon said. +"Now that you mention it, the likeness is plain enough. My dear fellow, +can't you see in this a reason for your wife's reticence in speaking of +the past?" + +There was no time to reply, for the sinister evil face of Fenwick +appeared in the doorway, and he called aloud in Spanish some hoarse +command, which was answered from above by someone, in the same language. +Gurdon whispered to his companion, with a view to ascertaining what had +been said. + +"You will see for yourself in a minute," Venner said in an excited +whisper. "You are going to have another surprise. You wanted to know just +now what had become of Bates. Unless I am greatly mistaken, you will be +able to judge for yourself in a few moments. I believe the man to be a +prisoner in his own house." + + + + +CHAPTER XIII + +THE WHITE LADY AGAIN + + +It was perhaps an imprudent thing for the two friends to remain there, +exposed as they were to the danger of discovery at any moment; but, so +completely were they fascinated by what was going on about them, that +they had flung caution to the winds. One thing was in their favor, +however; there was not much likelihood of their being attacked from +below, seeing that all the servants had gone to bed; unless, perhaps, +some late comer entered the house. Still, the risk had to be run, and so +they stood there together, waiting for the next move. It was Venner who +spoke first. + +"I cannot get over the extraordinary likeness of that girl to my wife," +he said. "Is she anything like the woman you saw next door? I mean the +poor half-demented creature who happened to come into the room when you +were talking with the owner?" + +"Why, of course, it is the same girl," Gurdon replied. + +"Then I am sure she is Vera's sister. I'll ask her about it the first +time I have an opportunity. Be silent and get a little lower down the +stairs. There is somebody coming from the top of the house. We can see +here without being seen." + +Assuredly there were sounds emanating from the top of the house. A voice +was raised in angry expostulation, followed by other voices morose and +threatening. As far as the listeners could judge, two men were dragging a +third down the stairs against his will. But for that, the house was +deadly silent; the watchers could hear the jingle of a passing cab bell, +a belated foot passenger whistled as he went along. It seemed almost +impossible to believe that so close to light and law and order and the +well-being of the town a strange tragedy like this should be in progress; +hidden from the eye of London, by mere skill of brick and mortar, this +strange thing was going on. Venner wondered to himself how many such +scenes were taking place in London at the same moment. + +But he had not much time for his meditation, for the shuffling of feet +came closer. There were no more sounds of expostulation now; only the +heavy breathing of three people, as if the captive had ceased to struggle +and was making but a passive resistance. Then there emerged on the +landing the figure of the handsome cripple with a guardian on either +side. His face was no longer distorted with pain; rather was it white +with an overpowering anger--his eyes shone like points of flame. On his +right side Venner and Gurdon recognised the figure of the man in the +list slippers--the man who had been handling the sovereigns in Fenwick's +rooms. His comrade was a stranger, though of the same type, and it seemed +to Venner that anyone would have been justified in repudiating either of +them as an acquaintance. It was perfectly evident that the cripple came +against his will, though he was struggling no longer. Probably the +condition of his emaciated frame had rendered the task of his captors an +easy one. They dragged him, limp and exhausted, into the drawing-room +where Fenwick was seated and they stood in the doorway awaiting further +instructions. + +"You needn't stay there," Fenwick growled. "If I want you I can call. You +had better go back to your cards again." + +The two men disappeared up the stairs, and just for a moment there was +silence in the drawing-room. It was safe for Venner and his companion +now to creep back to the drawing-room door and take a careful note of +what was going on. With the aid of a friendly mirror on the opposite +side of the room, it was possible to see and note everything. The +cripple had fallen into a chair, where he sat huddled in a heap, his +hand to his head, as if some great physical pain racked him. His heavy +breathing was the only sound made, except the steady puffing of +Fenwick's cigar. A fit of anger gripped Venner for the moment; he would +have liked to step in and soundly punish Fenwick for his brutality. +Doubtless the poor crippled frame was racked with the pain caused by the +violence of his late captors. + +But under that queer exterior was a fine spirit. Gradually the cripple +ceased to quiver and palpitate; gradually he pulled himself up in his +chair and faced his captor. His face was still deadly white, but it was +hard and set now; there was no sign of fear about him. He leaned forward +and stared Fenwick between the eyes. + +"Well, you scoundrel," he said in a clear, cold voice, "I should like to +know the meaning of this. I have heard of and read of some strange +outrages in my time, but to kidnap a man and keep him prisoner in his own +house is to exceed all the bounds of audacity." + +"You appear to be annoyed," Fenwick said. "Perhaps you have not already +learned who I am?" + +"I know perfectly well who you are," the cripple responded. "Your name is +Mark Fenwick, and you are one of the greatest scoundrels unhung. At +present, you are posing as an American millionaire. Fools may believe +you, but I know better. The point is, do you happen to know who I am?" + +"Yes, I know who you are," Fenwick said with a sardonic smile. "You elect +to call yourself Mr. Bates, or some such name, and you pretend to be a +recluse who gives himself over to literary pursuits. As a matter of +fact, you are Charles Le Fenu, and your father was, at one time, the +practical owner of the Four Finger Mine." + +"We are getting on," Venner whispered. "It may surprise you to hear this, +but I have suspected it for some little time. The so-called absent owner +of these houses is the man sitting opposite Fenwick there. Now do you +begin to see something like daylight before you? I wouldn't have missed +this for worlds." + +"We have certainly been lucky," Gurdon replied. + +There was no time for further conversation, for the cripple was speaking +again. His voice was still hard and cold, nor did his manner betray the +slightest sign of fear. + +"So you have found that out," he said. "You know that I am the son of the +unfortunate Frenchman who was murdered by a rascally Dutchman at your +instigation. You thought that once having discovered the secret of the +mine you could work it to your own advantage. How well you worked it your +left hand testifies." + +The jeer went home to Fenwick, his yellow face flushed, and he half rose +from his chair with a threatening gesture. + +"Oh, you can strike me," the cripple said. "I am practically helpless as +far as my lower limbs are concerned, and it would be just the sort of +cowardly act that would gratify a dirty little soul like yours. It +hurts me to sit here, helpless and useless, knowing that you are the +cause of all my misfortunes; knowing that, but for you, I should be as +straight and strong as the best of them. And yet you are not safe--you +are going to pay the penalty of your crime. Have you had the first of +your warnings yet?" + +Fenwick started in his seat; in the looking-glass the watchers could see +how ghastly his face had grown. + +"I don't know what you mean," he muttered. + +"Liar!" the cripple cried. "Paltry liar! Why, you are shaking from head +to foot now--your face is like that of a man who stands in the shadow of +the gallows." + +"I repeat, I don't know what you mean," Fenwick said. + +"Oh, yes, you do. When your accomplice Van Fort foully murdered my +father, you thought that the two of you would have the mine to +yourselves; you thought you would work it alone as my father did, and +send your ill-gotten gains back to England. That is how the murdered man +accomplished it, that is how he made his fortune--and you were going to +do the same thing, both of you. When you had made all your arrangements +you went down to the coast on certain business, leaving the rascally +Dutchman behind. He was quite alone in the mine, there was no one within +miles of that secret spot. And yet he vanished. Van Fort was never heard +of again. The message of his fingers was conveyed to his wife, for she +was implicated in the murder of my father, and how she suffered you +already know. But you are a brave man--I give you all the credit for +that. You went back to the mine again, determined not to be deterred by +what had happened. What happened to you, I need not go into. Shall I tell +the story, or will you be content with a recollection of your sufferings? +It is all the same to me." + +"You are a bold man," Fenwick cried. He was trembling with the rage that +filled him. "You are a bold man to defy me like this. Nobody knows that I +am here, nobody knows that you are back in your own house again. I could +kill you as you sit there, and not a soul would suffer for the crime." + +The cripple laughed aloud; he seemed to be amused at something. + +"Really!" he sneered. "Such cheap talk is wasted upon me. Besides, what +would you gain by so unnecessary a crime, and how much better off would +you be? You know as well as I do, disguise it as you will, that the long +arm has reached for you across five thousand miles of sea, and that, +when the time comes, you will be stricken down here in London as surely +and inevitably as if you had remained in Mexico under the shadow of the +mountains. The dreadful secret is known to a few, in its entirety it is +even unknown to me. I asked you just now if you had received the first +of your messages, and you denied that you knew what I meant. You +actually had the effrontery to deny it to me, sitting opposite to you as +I am, and looking straight at the dreadful disfigurement of your left +hand. For over three centuries the natives of Mexico worked the Four +Finger Mine till only two of the tribe who knew its secret remained. +Then it was that my father came along. He was a brave man, and an +adventurer to his finger tips. Moreover, he was a doctor. His healing +art made those rough men his friends, and when their time came, my +father was left in possession of the mine. How that mine was guarded and +how the spirit of the place took its vengeance upon intruders, you know +too well. Ah, I have touched you now." + +Fenwick had risen, and was pacing uneasily up and down the room. All the +dare-devil spirit seemed to have left the man for a moment; he turned a +troubled face on the cripple huddled in his chair. He seemed half +inclined to temporise, and then, with a short laugh, he resumed his own +seat again. + +"You seem to be very sure of your ground," he sneered. + +"I am," the cripple went on. "What does it matter what becomes of a +melancholy wreck like myself? Doctors tell me that in time I may become +my old self again, but in my heart I doubt it, and as sure as I sit here +the mere frame-work of a human being, my injuries are due to you. I +might have had you shot before now, or I might even have done it myself, +but I spared you. It would have been a kindness to cut your life short, +but I had another use for you than that. And now, gradually, but surely, +the net is closing in around you, though you cannot yet see its meshes, +and you are powerless to prevent the inevitable end." + +"You seem to have mapped it all out," Fenwick replied. "You seem to have +settled it all to your own satisfaction, but you forget that I may have +something to say in the matter. When I discovered, as I did quite by +accident, that you were in London, I laid my plans for getting you into +my hands. It suits me very well, apart from the criminal side of it, to +hide myself in your house, but that is not all. I am in a position now to +dictate terms, and you have nothing else to do but to listen. I am +prepared to spare your life on one condition. Now kindly follow me +carefully." + +"I am listening," the cripple said, coldly. "If you were not the blind +fool you seem to be you would know that there could be no conditions +between us; but go on. Let me hear what you have to say." + +"I am coming to that. I want you to tell me where I can find Felix Zary." + +Suddenly, without the slightest premonition, the cripple burst into a +hearty laugh. He rocked backward and forward in a perfect ecstasy of +enjoyment; for the moment, at any rate, he might have been on the very +best of terms with his companion. + +"Oh, that is what you are driving at?" he said. "So you think that if you +could get Felix Zary out of the way you would be absolutely safe? Really, +it is marvellous how an otherwise clever man could be so blind to the +true facts of the case. My good sir, I will give you Zary's address with +pleasure." + +Fenwick was obviously puzzled. Perhaps it was beginning to dawn upon +him that he had a man of more than ordinary intellect to grapple with. +He looked searchingly at the cripple, who was leaning back with eyes +half closed. + +"Hang me, if I can understand you," he muttered. "I am in imminent danger +of my life, though I should be safe enough if Felix Zary and yourself +were out of the way." + +"And you are quite capable of putting us out of the way," the cripple +said, gently. "Is not that so, my friend?" + +"Aye, I could, and I would," Fenwick said in a fierce whisper. "If you +were both dead I could breathe freely; I could go to bed at night feeling +sure that I should wake in the morning. Nothing could trouble me then. As +to that accursed mine, I have done with it. Never again do I plant my +foot in Mexico." + +"Fool that you are!" the cripple said in tones of infinite pity. "So you +think that if Zary and myself were out of the way you might die +eventually in your bed honored and respected of men? I tell you, never! +The vengeance is upon you, it is following you here, it is close at hand +now. You have already had your warning. Perhaps, for all I know to the +contrary, you may have had your second warning; that you have had one, +your face told me eloquently enough a few moments ago. I am quite sure +that a little quiet reflection will show you the absurdity of keeping me +a prisoner in my own house. Of course, I know I am entirely in your +hands, and that you may keep me here for weeks if you choose. It will be +very awkward for me, because I have important business on hand." + +"I know your important business," Fenwick sneered. "Everything that goes +in your favor will naturally spell disaster to me. As I told you before, +it was only an accident that told me where you were; indeed, so changed +are you that I should not have recognised you if I had met you in the +street. No, on the whole, you will stay where you are." + +At this point Venner clutched Gurdon's arm and dragged him hurriedly +across the landing down to the half staircase. So quickly was this done +that Gurdon had no time to ask the reason for it all. + +"Someone coming down the stairs," Venner whispered. "Didn't you hear a +voice? I believe it is the girl in white again." + +Surely enough, looking upward, they could see the slim white figure +creeping down the stairs. The girl was crooning some little song to +herself as she came along. She turned into the drawing-room and called +aloud to the cripple in the chair. With an oath on his lips, Fenwick +motioned her away. + + + + +CHAPTER XIV + +MASTER OF THE SITUATION + + +"What have you come back here for?" Fenwick demanded. "You said you were +tired, and that you were going to bed, long ago." + +The girl looked dreamily about her; it was some little time before she +appeared to appreciate the significance of Fenwick's question. She was +more like one who walks in her sleep than a human being in the full +possession of understanding. + +"I don't know," she said, helplessly. She rubbed her eyes as if there had +been mist before them. "I was so tired that I lay on the bed without +undressing, and I fell fast asleep. Then I had a dream. I dreamed that +all the miserable past was forgotten, and that Charles was with me once +more. Then he seemed to call me, and I woke up. Oh, it was such a vivid +dream, so vivid, that I could not sleep again! I was so restless and +anxious, that I made up my mind to come downstairs, and, as I was passing +a door just now, it opened, and the face of Charles looked out. It was +only for a moment, then two men behind him dragged him back and the door +closed once more." + +"A foolish fancy," Fenwick growled. + +"It was not," the girl cried almost passionately. "I tried the door a +moment later, and it was locked. I tell you that Charles is in that room. +I cannot go to bed again until I am certain of the truth. Oh, why do you +keep me in suspense like this?" + +"Mad," Fenwick muttered. "Mad as a March hare. Why don't you send her to +an asylum?" + +"She is not mad," the cripple said in a curiously hard voice. "Something +tells me that she has made a discovery. You rascal, is it possible that +you have Charles Evors under this roof?" + +Fenwick laughed, but there was something uneasy and strained about his +mirth. He glanced defiantly at the cripple, then his eyes dropped before +the latter's steady gaze. + +"Why should I worry about Evors?" he asked. "The man is nothing to me, +and if by chance--" + +The rest of Fenwick's sentence was drowned in a sudden uproar which +seemed to break out in a room overhead. The tense silence was broken by +the thud of heavy blows as if someone were banging on a door, then came +muttered shouts and yells of unmistakable pain. Hastily Fenwick rose from +his seat and made in the direction of the door. He had hardly advanced +two steps before he found himself confronted with the rim of a +silver-plated revolver, which the cripple was holding directly in the +line of his head. + +"Sit down," the latter said tersely. "Sit down, or, as sure as I am a +living man, I'll fire. I could say that I fired the shot in self-defence, +and when the whole story comes to be told I have no fear that a jury +would disbelieve me. Besides, there is nothing to be afraid of. Those +sounds don't come from the police trying to force their way into the +house. On the contrary, it seems to me that some of your parasites are +having a misunderstanding over their cards. At any rate, you are not to +move. If you do, there will be an end once and for all of the millionaire +Mark Fenwick. Sit down, my child--you are trembling from head to foot." + +"It was his voice," the girl cried. "I am certain that it was Charles who +called out just now." + +Once more the shouts and cries broke out, once more came that banging on +the panels, followed by a splitting crash, after which the uproar +doubled. Evidently a door had given way and the conflict was being fought +out on the stairs. + +"Shall we go and take a hand?" Gurdon whispered excitedly. "Murder might +be going on here." + +"I think we had better risk it a little longer," was Venner's cautious +reply. "After all is said and done, we must not make ourselves too +prominent. If necessary we will take a hand, but, unless I am greatly +mistaken, the prisoner upstairs has got the better of his captors. Ah, I +thought so." + +The sound of strife overhead suddenly ceased after two smashing blows, +in which evidently a man's clenched fist had come in contact with naked +flesh. There was a groan, the thud of a falling body, and the man in the +list slippers came rolling down the stairs. He was followed a moment +later by a young clean-shaven man dressed in a grey Norfolk suit. His +frame suggested power and strength, though his face was white like that +of one who is just recovering from a long illness. He was breathing very +hard, but otherwise he did not appear to have suffered much in the +struggle out of which he had emerged in so victorious a fashion. He made +his way direct to the drawing-room, and immediately a woman's voice +uprose in a long wailing cry. + +"I'd give something to see that," Venner whispered. "Only I am afraid we +can't do anything until the man in the list slippers comes to his senses +and takes himself off. There is another one coming now. He doesn't look +much better off than his colleague." + +Another man crept down the stairs, swaying as he came and holding on to +the balusters. He had a tremendous swelling over his left eye and a +terrible gash in his lip, from which the blood was flowing freely. +Altogether he presented a terrible aspect as he bent over the prostrate +form of his unconscious companion. + +"Here, get up, wake up," he said. "What are you lying there for? He'll +be out of the house before we can turn round, and what will the governor +say then?" + +The man in the slippers gradually assumed a sitting position and stared +stupidly about him. A hearty kick in the ribs seemed to restore him to +some measure of consciousness. + +"Don't ask me," he said. "I never saw anything like it. Here's a chap who +has been in bed on and off for months coming out in this unexpected +manner and knocking us about as if we had been ninepins. What's become of +him, I should like to know?" + +"What are you two ruffians doing there?" came Fenwick's voice from the +drawing-room. "Go back to your room, and I will send for you when I +want you." + +The men slunk back again, probably by no means sorry to be out of further +trouble. No sooner had they disappeared than the two friends stood in the +entrance to the door of the drawing-room once more. The friendly mirror +again stood them in good stead, for by its aid they watched as dramatic +and thrilling a picture as ever was presented on any stage. + +The young man in the Norfolk suit stood there side by side with the girl +in white. He had his arm about her waist. She clung to him, with her head +upon his shoulder; there were words of endearment on her lips. Just for +the moment she seemed to have forgotten that they were not alone; all +the world might have been made for herself and her lover. For the moment, +too, the dreamy look had left her face, and she no longer conveyed the +impression to a stranger's eyes that she was suffering from some form of +insanity. She was alert and vigorous once more. + +"Oh, I knew that you would come back to me," she said. "I knew that you +were not dead, for all they told me so. How cruel they were to tell me +these things--" + +"Stop," the cripple cried. "It sounds cruel and heartless for me to have +to interfere just now, but I must insist that you go back to your room, +Beth. Back at once." + +"Can't I stay a little longer?" the girl pleaded. "It is such a long time +since Charles and I--" + +"No, no, you must do as I tell you. It will be far better in the long +run. We are only two men against three, and there may be others concealed +in the house for all I know. For myself, I am perfectly helpless, and +Charles looks as if he had just come from the grave. Evidently his +struggles have tried him." + +"Well, I must confess, I am feeling rather down," Charles Evors said. "I +could not stand it any longer, and I made a dash for liberty. Goodness +knows how long I have been in the hands of those men; and how long they +have kept me under the influence of drugs. I suppose the supply fell +short. Anyway, I had just sense enough to take advantage of my first +opportunity. You can explain all to me presently, but the mere fact of +Fenwick being here is enough to tell me who is at the bottom of this +business." + +Fenwick placed his fingers to his lips and whistled shrilly. Almost +immediately sounds of footsteps broke out overhead, and a door opened +somewhere with a loud crash. The cripple turned to the girl, who had +crept reluctantly as far as the doorway. + +"Now listen to me," he said quickly. "Listen and act quickly. Go +downstairs into the street and bring here the first policeman you can +find. Tell him a violent quarrel has broken out between Mr. Bates and +some of his guests, and say you fear that some mischief will be done. Do +you understand me?" + +The girl nodded quickly. Evidently she quite understood. She +disappeared so suddenly that Venner and Gurdon had barely time to get +out of her way. They heard the street door open--they were conscious of +the sudden draught rushing up the stairs; the sound of passing cabs was +distinctly audible. + +The girl had hardly time to get outside before three or four men came +down the stairs. They rushed headlong into the drawing-room, where they +seemed to pause, no doubt deterred in their violence for a moment by the +sight of the cripple's revolver. + +"Here's our chance," Gurdon whispered. "The girl will be back with the +police in two minutes, and we have heard quite enough to know the +ingenious scheme which is uppermost in the cripple's mind. Let's lock +them in. Don't you see that the key is in on this side of the door? Turn +it quickly." + +"Good business," Gurdon chuckled as he snapped the key in the lock. "Now +they can fight as long as they like. At any rate, they can't do much +mischief so long as they are caged in there." + +A din of mingled voices came from the other side of the door, followed +quickly by the whiplike crack of a revolver shot. Then someone tried the +door and yelled aloud that it was locked. Fists battered violently on the +panels, and just as the din was at its height the helmets of two +policemen appeared mounting the stairs. Venner stepped coolly forward as +if he had every right to be there. + +"I'm glad you officers have come," he said. "There seems to be something +in the nature of a free fight going on here. We took the liberty of +turning in as the door was open to see what had happened. You had better +go in yourself." + +The policeman tried the door, which, naturally, did not yield to his +hand, and he called out to those inside to open in the name of the law. A +voice on the other side pleaded that the door was locked. Venner turned +the key in the door. + +"Probably the young lady had the sense to lock them in," he said. "You +had better go inside, officer. No, there is no reason why we should +accompany you. As a matter of fact our presence here is more or less an +intrusion." + +The policemen stepped into the room and demanded to know what was the +matter. They could see the master of the house sitting there in his +chair, with a tall young man in a Norfolk suit by his side, and opposite +him Fenwick, flushed and sullen, with his satellites behind him. There +were four of them altogether, and the appearance they made was by no +means attractive, seeing that two at least of them were showing +unmistakable signs of violence. + +It was the cripple who first recovered his self-possession. + +"I am sorry to trouble you," he said, "but I am afraid we have rather +forgotten ourselves. You know me, of course?" + +"Oh, yes, sir," the first officer replied. "You are Mr. Bates, the +gentleman who is supposed to have been kidnapped the other night; the +inspector told me that you were still on the Continent." + +"Well, I am not," the cripple said curtly. "I am back home again, as you +can see with your own eyes. The gentleman over there with the yellow +face is Mr. Mark Fenwick, the well-known millionaire. I daresay you have +heard of him." + +Both officers touched their hats respectfully; they had probably come +here prepared to make more than one arrest and thus cover themselves with +comparative glory; but the mere mention of Fenwick's name settled that +point once and for all. + +"As you are probably aware," the cripple went on, "until quite recently +Mr. Fenwick was staying at the Great Empire Hotel, but the place was too +public for one of his gentle and retiring disposition, and so he made +arrangements to take my house furnished, though the understanding was +that nobody should know anything about it, and nobody would have known +anything about it but for the fact that in the way of business Mr. +Fenwick had to consult these other gentlemen. Perhaps they don't look in +the least like it, but they are all American capitalists, having made +their money by gold mining. They don't look a very attractive lot, +officer, but if you knew them as well as I do you would learn to love +them for their many engaging qualities, and their purity of heart." + +The officers touched their helmets again, and appeared to be undecided in +their minds as to whether the cripple was chaffing them or not. But +though his voice had a certain playfulness of tone, his face was quite +grave and steadfast. + +"Very well, sir," the foremost of the constables said. "I understand that +neither of you gentlemen desires to make any charge against the other. I +shall have to make a note of this." + +"Of course you will," the cripple said sweetly. "Now I appeal to Mr. +Fenwick and his companions as to whether or not the whole thing has not +been a silly misunderstanding. You see, officer, gold mining is rather a +thirsty business, and occasionally leads to rather more champagne than is +good for one. I can only apologise to my tenant, Mr. Fenwick, for losing +my temper, and I will at once rid him of my presence. It is getting very +late, and I can come round in the morning and make my peace here. As I am +a little lame, I will ask one of you officers to give me your arm. +Charles, will you be good enough to give me your arm also? I wish you +good-night, Mr. Fenwick. In fact, I wish all of you good-night. I shall +not fail to call round in the morning--" + +"But you are not going," Fenwick cried in dismay. "You are not going away +from your own house at this time of night?" + +"You forget," the cripple said, gravely, "that for the time being you are +my tenant, and that I have no more right in this house, indeed, not so +much right, as one of these policemen. I have sent my servants away, and +I am at present staying--in fact, it does not matter much where I am +staying. Come along." + +The trap was so neatly laid and so coolly worked that Fenwick could only +sit and gasp in his chair, while his two victims walked quietly away in +the most natural manner in the world. + +"We had better be off," Gurdon whispered. "There is no occasion for us to +stay any longer. Let us follow the cripple. By Jove, I never saw anything +done more neatly than that!" + + + + +CHAPTER XV + +FELIX ZARY + + +It would have been a comparatively easy matter for the two friends to +have slipped out of the house before the cripple came down the stairs +accompanied by the young man who called himself Charles Evors. The front +door was still open, and there was no one to bar their way. Then it +suddenly occurred to Gurdon that by so doing they would betray the secret +of the moveable panel which communicated with the house next door. + +"It would never do to go away like this," he said, hurriedly. "Besides, +it is more than likely that we shall want to use that entrance again. +We shall have to run the risk of losing sight of the cripple; anything +is better than leaving that panel open for the servants to discover in +the morning." + +Venner could see for himself at once that there was no help for it, so +without any further discussion on the matter, the two men hurried down +the stairs, their feet making no noise on the thick carpet, and then they +darted through the hole into the house next door. It was only the work of +a moment to replace the panel, but hardly had they done so before they +heard a confused murmur of voices on the other side. Gurdon pressed his +back to the panel until the noise of the voices ceased. + +"That was a pretty close call," he said. "Give me the mouldings and I +will try to make them secure without any unnecessary noise. I daresay we +can get the nails to fit the same holes. Anyway, there must be no +hammering, or we shall be pretty sure to rouse the suspicions of the +people next door." + +It was perhaps fortunate that the mouldings fitted so well, for Gurdon +managed to work the nails into the original holes and complete a more or +less workmanlike job to his own satisfaction. Certainly, anybody who was +not in the secret would never have detected anything wrong with the +panels or imagined for a moment that they had been so recently moved. + +"That's a good job well done," Venner said. + +"Yes, but what do you do it for? In fact, what are you two gentlemen +doing here at all?" + +The voice came with a startling suddenness. It was an exceedingly clear, +melodious voice, yet with a steely ring in it. The two friends wheeled +round sharply to find themselves face to face with an exceedingly tall +individual, whose length was almost grotesquely added to by the amazing +slimness of his figure. In that respect he was not at all unlike the type +of human skeleton which one generally expects to find in a travelling +circus, or some show of that kind. The man, moreover, was dressed in +deep black, which added to his solemnity. He had an exceedingly long, +melancholy face, on both sides of which hung a mass of oily-looking black +hair; his nose, too, was elongated and thin, and a long drooping +moustache concealed his mouth. On the whole his appearance was redeemed +from the grotesque by an extraordinary pair of black eyes, which were +round and large as those of a Persian cat. Despite the man's exceeding +thinness, he conveyed a certain suggestion of strength. At that moment he +had a handkerchief between his fingers, and Gurdon could see that his +wrists were supple and pliable as if they had been made of india rubber. +Gurdon had heard that sort of hands before described as conjurer's hands. +As he looked at them he half expected to see the handkerchief disappear +and an orange or apple or something of that kind take its place. Then the +stranger coolly walked across the hall and turned up another of the +lights. He seemed to be perfectly at home, and conveyed a curious +impression to the visitors that he expected to find them there. + +"I beg to remind you that you have not yet answered my question," he +said. "What are you doing here?" + +"Let me answer your question with another," Venner said. "Who are you, +and what may you be doing here?" + +The man smiled in a peculiar fashion. His big black eyes seemed to +radiate sparks; they were luminous and full of vivid fury, though, at the +same time, the long horse-like face never for a moment lost its look of +profound dejection. They might have been eyes gleaming behind a dull, +painted mask. + +"We will come to that presently," he said. "For the moment the mention of +my name must content you. It is just possible that you might have heard +the name of Felix Zary." + +Venner and Gurdon fairly started. The name of Felix Zary was familiar to +them, but only during the last three-quarters of an hour. In fact, that +was the name of the man as to whose whereabouts Fenwick had been so +anxious to hear. Here was another element in the mystery, which, up to +this moment, had not advanced very far towards solution. + +"I have heard the name before," Venner said, "but only quite +recently--within the last hour, in fact." + +"Oh, yes," the stranger said, "I know exactly what you mean. You +probably heard it next door when you were listening so intently to +the conversation between my friend Charles Le Fenu, the cripple, and +that scoundrel who calls himself Fenwick. He is exceedingly anxious +to know where I am, though without the smallest intention of +benefitting me. Before long, his curiosity will be gratified; but +not in the way he thinks." + +The latter words came from the speaker's lips with a spitting hiss, such +as a cat emits in the presence of a dog. The great round black eyes +added intensity to the threat, and rendered the feline simile complete. +The prophecy boded ill for Fenwick when at length he and Felix Zary came +face to face. + +"I see my conjecture is quite right," the stranger went on. "And as to +you gentlemen, I have asked your names merely as a matter of courtesy. As +a matter of fact I know perfectly well who you are--you are Mr. Gerald +Venner and Mr. James Gurdon. But there is one thing I don't know, and +that is why you have thrust yourself into this diabolical business. You +must be brave men, or absolutely unconscious of the terrible danger you +are running. If either of you are friends of Fenwick's--" + +"Not for a moment," Venner cried. "You pay us a poor compliment indeed if +you take us to be in any way friendly with that scoundrel." + +"And yet you are here," Zary went on. "You are spying on the movements of +my friend, Le Fenu. You have contrived to obtain possession of the keys +of his house for no other purpose. Why?" + +Venner paused before he answered the question. He did not recognise the +right of this man to put him through a cross-examination. Indeed, it +seemed to him, the less he said the better. Perhaps Zary saw something +of what was going on in his mind, for his big black eyes smiled, though +the dejected visage remained the same. + +"I see, you do not trust me," he said. "Perhaps you are right to be +cautious. Let me ask you another question, assuring you at the same time +that I am the friend of Charles Le Fenu and his sisters, and that if +necessary I will lay down my life to save them from trouble. Tell me, Mr. +Venner, why are you so interested in saving the girl who passes for +Fenwick's daughter from her miserable position? Tell me." + +Zary came a step or two closer to Venner and looked down into his face +with a searching yearning expression in those magnetic black eyes. The +appeal to Venner was irresistible. The truth rose to his lips; it refused +to be kept back. + +"Because," he said slowly, "because she is my wife." + +A great sigh of relief came from Zary. + +"I am glad of that," he said. "Exceedingly glad. And yet I had suspected +something of the kind. It is good for me to know that I am with friends, +and that you two are only actuated by the best motives. For some days now +I have had you under close observation. I followed you here to-night; +indeed, I was in the house when you removed those panels. As a matter of +fact, Mr. Gurdon's first involuntary visit here absolutely ruined a +carefully laid plan of mine for getting Mark Fenwick into my hands. But +I will tell you later on all about the mystery of the furnished +dining-room and how and why the furniture vanished so strangely. When I +followed you here to-night I was quite prepared to shoot you both if +necessary, but some strange impulse came over me to speak to you and ask +you what you were doing. I am rather glad I did, because I should not +like to have a tragedy on my hands. Now would you like to come with me as +far as my own rooms, where I shall be in a position to throw a little +light upon a dark place or two?" + +Venner and Gurdon clutched eagerly at the suggestion. Without further +words, they passed into the street, and would have walked down the steps +had not Zary detained them. + +"One moment," he whispered. "Hang back in the shadow of the portico. +Don't you see that there are two or three men on the steps of the house +next door? Ah, I can catch the tones of that rascal Fenwick. If only that +vile scoundrel knew how close to him I was at the present moment! But let +us listen. Perhaps we may hear something useful." + +It was very still and quiet in the Square now, for the hour was late, and +therefore the voices from the portico came clear and distinct to the +listeners' ears. + +"What is the good of it?" one of the voices said. "Why on earth can't you +wait till morning? Le Fenu has got clear away, and there isn't much +chance of catching him again in a hurry. It was one of the coolest +things I have seen for a long time." + +"Oh, he doesn't lack brains, or pluck either," Fenwick said. "I should +have been proud of a trick like that myself. I ought to have poisoned him +when I had the chance. I ought to have got him out of the way without +delay. But it seemed such a safe thing to kidnap him and hide him in his +own house, where we could go on with our work without the slightest +danger or interruption from those accursed police. And then, when Fate +played into our hands and we got hold of Evors as well, it looked as if +everything was going our way. How you fools ever contrived to let him get +the upper hand of you is more than I can understand." + +"It was Jones's fault," another voice growled. "He forgot the drug, and +we ran clean out of it. Then, I suppose, we got interested over a game of +cards, and one way and another, Evors managed to get six or seven hours' +sleep without having any of that stuff inside him. Bless me, if it wasn't +all like a dream, guv'nor. There we were, interested in our cards, and +before we knew where we were our heads were banged together, and I was +lying on the floor thinking that the end of the world had come. That +fellow has got the strength of the very devil itself." + +"Poor weak creature," Fenwick sneered. + +"Weak-minded, perhaps, and easily led," the first speaker said. "But +there is not much the matter with him when it comes to fists." + +"We can't stop chattering here all night," Fenwick cried. "It is all very +well for you men, who don't care so long as you have something to eat and +drink. You would be quite satisfied to sit like a lot of hogs in a sty in +Le Fenu's house, but he'll certainly be back in the morning with some +infernal scheme or other for getting the best of us. Don't you see it is +impossible for me any longer to play the part of a tenant of a furnished +house, now that the owner of the house is at large again? It is a very +fortunate thing, too, in a way, that I can pass all you people off as my +servants. Now get away at once and do as I tell you. As for me, I am +going to take a cab as far as the old place by the side of the river. In +an hour's time I hope to be on my way to Canterbury. Now, you are quite +sure you all know what to do? It's confoundedly awkward to have one's +plans upset like this, but a clever man always has an alternative scheme +on hand, and I've got mine. There, that will do. Be off at once." + +"That's all very well, guv'nor," another voice said. "It is easy enough +to put the door on the latch and turn out of the crib, leaving it empty, +but what about the girl in the white dress? I ain't very scrupulous as a +rule, but it seems rather cruel to leave the poor kid behind and she not +more than half right in her head." + +"Devil fly away with the girl," Fenwick said passionately. "We can +pick her up at any time we want to. Besides, I think I can see a way +to arrange for her and a method of getting her out of the house within +the next hour. It was no bad thing for men who get their living as we +do when some genius invented motor cars. Now do go along or we shall +never finish." + +The little group on the portico steps melted away, and one by one the +slouching figures vanished into the darkness. Zary stepped on to the +pavement, and proceeded to open the front door of the next house. It +yielded to his touch. + +"I am glad of this," he said; "and, really, we owe quite a debt of +gratitude to the tender-hearted ruffian who was averse to leaving a poor +girl in this house all alone. We will spare Fenwick the trouble of any +inconvenience so far as she is concerned." + +So saying, Zary proceeded to walk up the stairs, turning up the lights as +he went. He called the name of Beth softly three or four times, and +presently a door opened overhead and a girl in a white dress came out. A +pleased smile spread over her face as she looked over the balusters and +noted the caller. + +"Felix," she said softly, "is it really you? I have been hiding myself in +my room because I was terrified, and after Charles had gone those men +quarrelled so terribly among themselves! I suppose Charles forgot all +about me in the excitement of the moment." + +"Oh, no, he didn't, dear one," Zary said very gently. "He would have +come back to you in any case. But I am going to take you away from this +house where you have been so miserable; I am going to see that you are +not molested in the future." + +"That is all very well," Venner interposed, "but where can the young lady +go? She is quite alone and helpless, and unless you have some reputable +female relation--" + +"It is not a matter of my relations," Zary smiled. "Miss Beth will go to +one who is her natural protector, and one who will watch over her welfare +with unceasing care. To put it quite plainly, Miss Beth is going to the +Great Empire Hotel, and you are going to take her. To-night she will +sleep under the same roof as her sister." + +Venner was just a little startled by the suddenness of the proposal, yet, +on the whole, the suggestion was an exceedingly natural one, for who was +better capable of looking after the unfortunate Beth than her own sister? +True, the hour was exceedingly late; but then a huge place like the Great +Empire Hotel was practically open night and day, and a request at one +o'clock in the morning that a guest in the house should be awakened to +receive another guest would be nothing in the way of a novelty. + +"Very well," Venner said. "Let her put on her hat and jacket, and she can +come with me at once." + + + + +CHAPTER XVI + +FENWICK MOVES AGAIN + + +Beth raised no objection to the programme; indeed, the suggestion seemed +to fill her with delight. She would not be a moment, she said. She would +put certain necessaries in a handbag, and come back for the rest of her +wardrobe on the morrow. Venner had expressed a desire that Zary should +accompany him, but the latter shook his head emphatically. + +"No, no," he said; "you are going alone. As for me, I have important +business on hand which will not brook the slightest delay. Mr. Gurdon had +best return to his own rooms; and, for his own sake, I would advise him +to keep in the middle of the road. You two little know the danger you +incurred when you decided to thrust your head into this hornet's nest. +Now I will see you both off the premises and put out all the lights. I +may mention in passing that I have a latchkey to this place." + +A few minutes later Venner found himself walking down the deserted +streets with his fair little companion hanging on his arm. She chattered +to him very prettily and daintily, but there was a great deal in her +remarks which conveyed nothing to him at all. She constantly alluded to +matters of which he was entirely ignorant, apparently taking it for +granted that he was _au fait_ with what she was saying. It struck Venner +that though not exactly mentally deficient, she was suffering from +weakness of intellect, brought about, probably, by some great shock or +terrible sorrow. On the whole, he was not sorry to find himself in the +great hall of the hotel, the lights of which were still burning, and +where several guests were lounging for a final cigar. + +"I know it is exceedingly late," Venner said to the clerk, "but it is +quite imperative that this young lady should see Miss Fenwick. Will +you be good enough to send up to her room and tell her how sorry I am +to disturb her at this time of night, but that the matter is +exceedingly urgent?" + +"Miss Fenwick is not in, sir," came the startling response. "She went out +shortly after eleven o'clock, and she told me that she might not be back +for some considerable time. You see, she wanted to be quite sure that she +could get back into the hotel at any time she returned. Oh, no doubt she +is returning, or I don't suppose for a moment that she would have asked +me all those questions." + +The information was sufficiently disturbing, but there was no help for +it. All they had to do was to sit down and wait patiently till Vera came +back. They were not in the least likely to attract any attention, seeing +that several men in evening dress together with their wives were seated +in the hall for a final chat after the theatre or some party or +reception. In her long white frock, partially concealed by a cloak and +hood, Beth would have easily passed for a girl fresh from a theatre or a +dance. It was a long weary wait of over an hour, and Venner was feeling +distinctly anxious, when the big folding doors at the end of the hall +opened and Vera's tall, graceful figure emerged. + +"Here is your sister," Venner said. There was just a stern suggestion in +his voice. "Now, you are not to cry or make any scene, you are not to +attract any attention to yourself, but take it all for granted. You can +be as emotional as you please when you are alone together in your room." + +Vera came across the hall in a jaded, weary way, as if she were +thoroughly tired out. Her face flushed a little as she recognised Venner. +Then she looked at his companion and almost paused, while the blood ebbed +from her face, leaving it deadly pale. + +"Gerald," she whispered. "Gerald and Beth. What does it mean? What +strange thing has happened to bring you both together here." + +"Don't make a scene, for goodness' sake," Venner said. "Take it as calmly +as you can. Unless you are self-possessed, your sister is sure to give +way, and that is the last thing in the world to be desired. I cannot +possibly stop now to tell you all the extraordinary things which have +happened to-night. Let it be sufficient to say that it is absolutely +imperative that you give your sister shelter, and that nobody but +yourself should know where she is." + +"But how did you find her?" Vera asked. "And who was it suggested that +you should bring her to me?" + +"Let me just mention the name of Zary," Venner replied. "Oh, I can come +round here to-morrow and tell you all about it. If you think that there +is any possible danger--" + +"Of course there is danger," Vera said. "Mr. Fenwick may be back at any +moment. He does not know that I am aware that my sister is even alive. If +he became acquainted with the fact that we had come together again, all +my plans would be absolutely ruined, and my three years of self-sacrifice +would be in vain." + +"I am afraid you must run the risk now," Venner said. "At any rate, your +sister will have to stay here till the morning. It is perhaps a good +thing that she does not understand what is going on." + +Apparently the girl had no real comprehension of all the anxieties and +emotions of which she was unconsciously the centre. She was holding her +sister's hand now and smiling tenderly into her face, like a child who +has found a long-lost friend. + +"You may rest assured on one point," Venner went on. "For the present +there is not the slightest reason to fear Fenwick. He has had a great +shock to-night; all his plans have been upset, and he finds himself in a +position of considerable danger. I know for a fact that he is going +straight away to Canterbury, and probably by this time he is on his way +there. According to what your mysterious friend Zary said, he had some +plan cut and dried for providing for your sister's safety to-morrow. Now +take the poor child to bed, for she is half asleep already, and when once +you have made her comfortable I want you to come down again and have a +few words with me. You need not hesitate; surely a man can talk to his +wife whenever he pleases--and, besides, there are several people here who +show not the slightest signs of going to bed yet." + +"Very well," Vera said. "Come along, dear, I see you are dreadfully +sleepy--so sleepy that you do not appear to recognise the sister you have +met for the first time for three years." + +Venner had time to smoke the best part of a cigar before Vera reappeared. +They took a seat in a secluded corner of the hall, where it was possible +to talk without interruption. + +"Now, please, tell me everything," the girl said. + +"I am afraid that is impossible," Venner replied. "This is one of the +most extraordinary and complicated businesses that I ever heard of. In +the first place, I came to England, weary and worn out with my search for +you, and half inclined to abandon it altogether. In the very last place +in the world where I expect to meet you, I come In contact with you in +this hotel. I find that you are being passed off as the daughter of one +of the greatest scoundrels who ever cheated the gallows. But that does +not check my faith in you. I had kept my trust in you intact. Ever since +you left me on the day of our marriage I have had nothing but a few words +to explain your amazing conduct; and now here am I doing my best to free +you from the chains that bind you, and all the while you seem to be +struggling to hug those chains about you and to baffle all my efforts. +Why do you do this? What is the secret that you conceal so carefully from +the man who would do anything to save you from trouble, from the man you +profess to love? If you do care for me--" + +"Oh, I do indeed," Vera whispered. There were tears in her eyes now and +her cheeks were wet. "It is not for my own sake--it is for the sake of +the poor girl upstairs. I had promised to say nothing of that to +anyone--to try and save her--and I left you and ran the risk of for ever +forfeiting your affection. But if Beth is better in the morning I will +try to get her to absolve me from my promise and induce her--" + +"She is not capable of giving a promise of rescinding it," Venner said. +"Don't you think it would be far better if, instead, you discussed the +matter with your brother, Charles Le Fenu?" + +"So you know all about that?" Vera cried. + +"Yes, I do. I have seen him to-night. Gurdon has already had an interview +with him--an interview that almost cost him his life. We have been having +some pretty fine adventures the last two or three days--but if it all +ends in saving you and lifting this cloud from your life I shall be well +content. I am not going to ask you to go into explanations now, because I +see they would be distasteful to you, and because you have given some +foolish promise which you are loth to break. But tell me one thing. You +said just now that you had not seen your sister for three years, though +she has been living with your brother, whom you visited quite recently." + +"That is easily explained," Vera said. "It was deemed necessary to tell +Beth one or two fictions with a view to easing her mind and leaving her +still with some slight shadow of hope, which was the only means of +preventing her reason from absolutely leaving her. These fictions +entailed my keeping out of the way. Beth is exceedingly different from +me, as you know." + +"Indeed, she is," said Venner, smiling for the first time. "But does it +not strike you as an extraordinary thing that I should be fighting in +this fierce way in your behalf, and that you should be placing negative +obstacles in my way all the time? I won't worry you any more to-night, +dearest--you look tired and worn out. You had better go to your own +room, and we can discuss this matter further in the morning." + +It was dark enough and sheltered enough in that secluded corner of the +hall for Venner to draw the girl towards him and kiss her lips +passionately. Just for a brief moment Vera lay in her husband's arms; +then, with a little sigh, she disengaged herself and disappeared slowly +up the stairs. + +She had placed Beth in her own room, which they would share together for +that night, at any rate. The younger girl was sleeping placidly; there +was a smile on her face--her lips were parted like those of one who is +utterly and entirely happy. She made a fair picture as she lay there, +with her yellow hair streaming over her shoulders. She just murmured +something in her sleep, as Vera bent over her and brushed her forehead +lightly with her lips. + +"Oh, I wonder how long this cloud will last!" Vera murmured--"how much +longer I shall be till I am free! How terrible it is to have the offer of +a good man's love, and be compelled to spoil it as I do, or, at least, as +I appear to do. And yet I should be a happy woman if I could only throw +off these shackles--" + +Vera paused, unable to say more, for something seemed to rise in her +throat and choke her. She was utterly tired and worn out, almost too +tired to undress and get into bed--and yet once her head was on the +pillow she could not sleep; she tossed and turned wearily. All London +seemed to be transformed into one noisy collection of clocks. The noise +and the din seemed to stun Vera and throb through her head like the +beating of hammers on her brain. She fell off presently into a troubled +sleep, which was full of dreams. It seemed to her that she was locked in +a safe, and that somebody outside was hammering at the walls to let her +free. Then she became conscious of the fact that somebody really was +knocking at the door. As Vera stumbled out of bed a clock somewhere +struck three. She flicked up the light and opened the door. A +sleepy-looking chambermaid handed her a note, which was marked "Urgent" +on the envelope. With a thrill, she recognised the handwriting of Mark +Fenwick. What new disaster was here? she wondered. + +"Is there anybody waiting for an answer?" she asked tremblingly. "Is the +messenger downstairs?" + +"Yes, miss," the sleepy chambermaid replied. "It was brought by a +gentleman in a motor. I told him you were in bed and fast asleep, but he +said it was of the greatest importance and I was to wake you. Perhaps you +had better read it." + +With a hand that trembled terribly, Vera tore open the envelope. There +were only two or three lines there in Fenwick's stiff handwriting; +they were curt and discourteous, and very much to the point. They ran +as follows-- + +"I am writing you this from Canterbury, where I have been for the last +hour, and where I have important business. I have sent one of the cars +over for you, and you are to come back at once. Whatever happens, see +that you obey me." + + * * * * * + +"You will tell the gentleman I will be down in a few moments," Vera said. +"I will not detain him any longer than I can help." + +"What is to be done?" the girl wondered directly she was alone. She felt +that she dared not disobey this command; she would have to go at all +costs. She knew by bitter experience that Fenwick was not the man to +brook contradiction. Besides, at the present moment it would be a fatal +thing to rouse his suspicions. And yet, she felt how impossible it was +for her to leave Beth here in the circumstances. Nor could she see her +way to call up Venner at this hour and explain what had happened. All she +could do was to scribble a short note to him with a view to explaining +the outline of the new situation. Ten minutes later she was downstairs in +the hall, where she found the man awaiting her. He was clad in furs, his +motor cap was pulled over his eyes as if he shrank from observation; but +all the same Vera recognised him. + +"So it is you, Jones," she said. "Do you know that you have been sent all +the way from Canterbury to fetch me at this time in the morning? It is +perfectly monstrous that I should be dragged out of bed like this; +perfectly disgraceful!" + +"I don't know anything about that, miss," the man said sullenly. "It is +the guv'nor's orders, and he gave me pretty plainly to understand that +he would want to know the reason why if I came back without you. Don't +blame me." + +"I'm not blaming you at all," Vera said, coldly. "Nor am I going to stand +here bandying words with you. I will just go to my room and put on a fur +coat--then I shall be ready." + +"Very well, miss. That's the proper way to take it. But where is the +other young lady?" + +Vera's heart fairly stood still for a moment. Fenwick's note had said +nothing about her sister, though this man seemed to be aware of the fact +that she was here. There was only one thing for it, and that was to lie +boldly and without hesitation. She looked the speaker in the face in +blank astonishment. + +"I fail to understand you," she said. "There is nobody here but me; there +could be nobody here but me. And now I have nothing further to say. One +moment and I will be with you." + + + + +CHAPTER XVII + +MERTON GRANGE + + +Vera came down a few moments later ready for her journey. Now that she +had had time to think matters over, she was looking forward with some +dread to her forthcoming interview with Mark Fenwick. Surely something +out of the common must have taken place, or he would never have sent for +her at such an extraordinary time, and Vera had always one thing to +contend with; she had not forgotten, in fact, she could not forget, that +for the last three years she had been engaged in plotting steadily +against the man by whose name she was known. Moreover, she was not in the +least blind to Fenwick's astuteness, and there was always the unpleasant +feeling that he might be playing with her. She had always loathed and +detested this man from the bottom of her soul; there were times when she +doubted whether or not he was a relation of hers. As far as Vera knew, he +was supposed to be her mother's half-brother, and so much as this she +owed the man--he had come to her at the time when she was nearly +destitute, and in no position to turn her back on his advances. That it +suited Fenwick to have a well-bred and graceful girl about him, she knew +perfectly well. But long before would she have left him, only she was +quite certain that Fenwick was at the bottom of the dreadful business +which had resulted in Beth's deplorable state of mind. + +But as to all this, Vera could say nothing at the moment. All she had to +do now was to guard herself against a surprise on the part of Fenwick. +She had been startled by the mere suggestion on the part of her companion +that she had not been alone at the Great Empire Hotel. Much as she would +have liked illumination on this point, she had the prudence to say +nothing. Silently she stepped into the car, a big Mercedes with great +glaring eyes; silently, too, she was borne along the empty streets. It +wanted yet three hours to daylight, and Vera asked how long they would be +in reaching their destination. Her companion put on speed once the +outskirts of town were reached. Vera could feel the cold air streaming +past her face like a touch of ice. + +"Oh, about an hour and a half," the driver said carelessly. "I suppose it +is about fifty-five miles. With these big lamps and these clear roads +we'll just fly along." + +The speaker touched a lever, and the car seemed to jump over the smooth +roads. The hedges and houses flew by and the whole earth seemed to +vibrate to the roar and rattle of the car. It was Vera's first experience +of anything like racing, and she held her breath in terror. + +"What would happen if a wheel gave way?" she asked. She had muffled her +face in her veil, so that she could breathe more freely now. "Surely a +pace like this is dangerous." + +"You have to take risks, miss," the driver said coolly. "We are moving at +about five and forty miles an hour now. I'm very sorry if it makes you +nervous, but my instructions were to get back as quickly as possible." + +"I don't feel exactly nervous," Vera said. + +"Oh, no, you are getting over it. Everybody does after the first few +moments. When you get used to the motion you will like it. It gives you a +feeling like a glass of champagne when you're tired. You'll see for +yourself presently." + +Surely enough Vera did see for herself presently. As the feeling of +timidity and unfamiliarity wore off she began to be conscious of a glow +in her blood as if she were breathing some pure mountain air. The breeze +fairly sang past her ears, the car ran more smoothly now with nothing to +check its movement, and Vera could have sung aloud for the very joy of +living. She began to understand the vivid pleasure of motoring; she could +even make an excuse for those who travelled the high roads at top speed. +Long before she had reached her destination she had forgotten everything +else beside the pure delight of that trip in the dark. + +"Here we are, miss," the driver said at length, as he turned in through +a pair of huge iron gates. "It's about a mile up the avenue to the +house--but you can see the lights in front of you." + +"Have we really come all that way in this short time?" Vera asked. "It +only seems about ten minutes since we started." + +The driver made no reply, and Vera had little time to look curiously +about her. So far as she could judge, they were in a large park, filled +with magnificent oak trees. Here and there through the gloom she seemed +to see shadowy figures flitting, and these she assumed to be deer. On +each side of the avenue rose a noble line of elm trees, beyond which were +the gardens; then a series of terraces, culminating in a fine house of +the late Tudor period. Beyond question, it was a fine old family mansion +in which Fenwick had taken up his quarters for the present. + +"What do you call the place?" Vera asked. + +"This is Merton Grange, miss," the driver explained. "It belongs to Lord +Somebody or another, I forget his name. Anyway, he has had to let the +house for a time and go abroad. You had better get out here, and I'll +take the car to the garage. I wouldn't ring the bell if I were you, miss. +I'd just walk straight into the house. You'll find the door open and the +guv'nor ready to receive you. He is sure to have heard the car coming up +the drive." + +Vera descended and walked up the flight of steps which led to a noble +portico. Here was a great massive oak door, which looked as if it +required the strength of a strong man to open it, but it yielded to +Vera's touch, and a moment later she was standing in the great hall. + +Tired as she was and frightened as she was feeling now, she could not +but admire the beauty and symmetry of the place. Like most historic +mansions of to-day, the place had been fitted with electric light, and +a soft illuminating flood of it filled the hall. It was a magnificent +oak-panelled apartment, filled with old armor and trophies, and lined +with portraits of the owner's ancestors. It seemed to Vera that +anybody might be happy here. It also seemed strange to her that a man +of Fenwick's type should choose a place like this for his habitation. +She was destined to know later what Fenwick had in his mind when he +came here. + +Vera's meditations were cut short by the appearance of the man himself. +To her surprise she noted that he was dressed in some blue material, just +like an engineer on board ship. His hands were grimy, too, as if he had +been indulging in some mechanical work. He nodded curtly to the girl. + +"So you've come at last," he said. "I daresay you wonder why I sent for +you. There is a little room at the back yonder, behind the +drawing-room, that I have turned into a study. Go in there and wait +for me, and I'll come to you as soon as I have washed my hands. I hope +you have brought all you want with you; for there is precious little +accommodation for your sex here at present. You can take your choice of +bed-rooms--there are enough of those and to spare. I have something +serious to say to you." + +With a sinking at her heart Vera passed into the little room that Fenwick +had pointed out to her. At any other time she would have admired the old +furniture and the elegant refined simplicity of it all; now she had other +things to think of. She stood warming her hands at the fire till Fenwick +came in and carefully closed the door behind him. + +"Now we can get to business," he said. "I daresay you wonder why I sent +for you instead of leaving you in London for the present. Up to now I +have always regarded you as perfectly safe--indeed, I thought you were +sufficiently grateful to me for all my kindness to you. I find I am +mistaken." + +Vera looked up with a challenge in her eyes. She knew that she had +something to face now, and she meant to see it through without showing +the white feather. She was braced up and ready, now that the moment for +action had come. + +"Have you ever really been kind to me?" she challenged. "I mean, have you +really been kind to me for my own sake, and out of pure good-nature? I +very much doubt it." + +"This is your gratitude," Fenwick sneered. "I think we had better +understand one another." + +"I would give a great deal to understand you," the girl said boldly. "But +we are wasting time fencing here like this, and I am very tired. You sent +for me at this extraordinary hour, and I came. I have every right to know +why you asked me to come here." + +"Sit down," Fenwick growled. "I sent for you because I did not trust you. +I sent for you because you have betrayed your promise. You are doing +something that you told me you would not do." + +"And what is that?" Vera asked. + +"Just as if you did not know. Let us go back a bit, back three years and +a half ago. Your father was alive in those days; it was just before he +met his death in Mexico." + +"I remember perfectly well," Vera said, quietly. "I am not likely to +forget the time. Pray continue." + +"Have patience please, I am coming to it all in time. Your father died +more or less mysteriously, but there is not the shadow of a doubt that he +was murdered. Nobody knows how he was murdered, but a good many people +behind the scenes can guess why. The thing was hushed up, possibly +because the tragedy took place in so remote a corner of the +world--possibly because the authorities were bribed. Tell me the name of +the man, or, at least, tell me the name of the one man who was with your +father at the time of his death." + +Vera's face paled slightly, but she kept her eyes steadily fixed on her +companion's face. She began to understand where the point of the torture +was coming in. + +"I will not affect to misunderstand you," she said. "The man who was with +my father at that time was Mr. Charles Evors. He was a sort of pupil of +my father's, and had more than once accompanied him on his excursions. +You want to insinuate that my father met his death at the hands of this +young man, who, overcome by certain temptation and a desire to obtain the +secret of the Four Finger Mine, murdered his master?" + +"I am in a position to prove it," Fenwick said sternly. "I have given you +practical proof of it, more than once. Why should I have interfered in +the way I did, unless it was that I desired to save you pain? I could +have brought the whole thing into the light of day, but I refrained from +doing so because, it seemed to me, nothing could be gained by bringing +the criminal to justice. I had another reason, too, as you know." + +"Yes, I am aware of that," Vera said. "I could never make it out--I could +never really believe that Charles Evors was guilty of that dreadful +crime. He was so frank and true, so kind to everybody! I know he was +weak--I know that he had been sent away from England because he had +fallen into bad company; I know, too, that he was a little fond of drink. +There was only one point on which he was reticent--he never spoke much +about his people; but I rather gathered that they were in a high +position." + +"They were," Fenwick grinned. "You'd be surprised if you knew how high a +position. But go on." + +"I was saying that I could not credit Charles Evors with such a crime. A +man who is so fond of children, so sympathetic to things weaker than +himself, could not have taken the life of a fellow-creature. He was fond +of my father, too, but that was not the strangest feature of the mystery. +Do you suppose for a moment that the man who was engaged to be married to +my sister could have laid violent hands on her father?" + +"But he did do it," Fenwick cried impatiently. "Otherwise why did he +vanish so mysteriously? Why did he go away and leave us to infer that he +had perished at sea? It was the kindest thing we could do to let your +sister think that her lover was dead, though the shock seems to have +deprived her of her reason; and, though I acted all for the best, your +brother chose to proclaim me an abandoned scoundrel, and to say that your +father's death lay at my door. You know why it became necessary for you +to remain with me and treat your brother henceforth as a stranger. You +volunteered to do it, you volunteered to turn your back on your family +and remain with me. Why did you do so?" + +No reply came from Vera's lips. It seemed to her that her safest course +lay in silence. To her great relief, Fenwick went on without waiting for +an answer. + +"Now I am coming to my point," he said. "You have broken faith with me. +Three or four times since we came to England you have seen your brother. +You have seen him by stealth; you know all about that strange household +in Portsmouth Square where he chooses to hide himself under the name of +Bates. I want to know why it is that you have chosen to break your word +with me? I have had you watched to-night, and I have learned all your +movements by means of the telephone. You will stay down here during my +pleasure. If you fail to do so, or if you try to deceive me again, as +sure as I stand here at the present moment I will betray Charles Evors +into the hands of the police. Now look me in the face and answer my +question truthfully Do you know where that young man is?" + +It was fortunate for Vera that she could reply in the negative. A few +more hours, perhaps, and she might have been able to afford the +information; but, luckily for her, the startling events that had recently +taken place in Portsmouth Square were not known to her in their entirety. +She could look Fenwick in the face. + +"I don't," she said. "I have never seen him since that fateful +morning--but I don't care to go into that. I admit that I have seen my +brother. I admit, too, that I have seen my sister; the temptation to find +them and see them once more was too strong for me. You will not be +surprised to find that I have some natural feelings left. It is not so +very extraordinary." + +Fenwick shot a suspicious glance at Vera, but she was gazing into the +fire with a thoughtful look. She was acting her part splendidly; she +was deceiving this man who, as a rule, could read the thoughts of +most people. + +"Perhaps you are right," he said doubtfully. "But to make assurance +doubly sure you are going to help me out of a difficulty. I suppose you +have not forgotten Felix Zary?" + +"No," Vera said, in a curiously low voice. "I have not forgotten my +father's faithful companion. I should very much like to see him again. If +you know where he is--" + +"Oh, I know where he is," Fenwick said with a laugh. "We will have him +down here as a pleasant surprise. That is all I want you to do--I want +you to write a letter to Zary, telling him that you are in great trouble, +and asking him to come down here and see you at once. I should like you +to write that letter now." + + + + +CHAPTER XVIII + +A COUPLE OF VISITORS + + +Something in the tone of Fenwick's voice caused Vera to look up +hastily. Perhaps it was her imagination that in the unsteady light of +the flickering fire his face seemed to have changed almost beyond +recognition. The features were dark and murderous and the eyes were +full of a lust for vengeance. It was only just for a moment--then the +man became his normal self again, just as if nothing had happened. A +violent shudder passed over Vera's frame, but Fenwick appeared to +notice nothing of this. + +"You want me to write that letter now?" she asked. + +"At once," Fenwick responded. "I don't mind telling you that I am in +great trouble over business matters; there is a conspiracy on foot +amongst certain people to get me into trouble. I may even find myself +inside the walls of a prison. The man who can save me from all this is +your friend, Felix Zary. Unfortunately for me, the man has the bad taste +to dislike me exceedingly. He seems to think that I was in some way +responsible for your father's death. And, as you know, he loved your +father with a devotion that was almost dog-like. If I could get Zary +down here I should have no difficulty in convincing him that he was +wrong. But he would not come near the place so long as he knew that I +was present; so, therefore, I want you to write to him and conceal the +fact that I am on the premises. Directly he gets your letter he will +come at once." + +"I have not the slightest doubt of it," Vera said slowly. "There is +nothing that Zary would not do for one of us, if you will assure me that +you mean no harm by him--" + +"Harm?" Fenwick shouted. "What harm could I do the man? Didn't I tell you +just now that I want him to do me a service? One does not generally +ill-treat those who are in a position to bestow favors. Now sit down like +the good girl that you are, and write that letter at once. Then you can +go to bed." + +"I will write it in the morning," Vera said. "Surely there cannot be +all this desperate hurry. If the letter is written before the post goes +out tomorrow afternoon it will be in good time. I am much too tired to +do it now." + +Just for a moment Fenwick's eyes blazed angrily again. It seemed to Vera +that the man was about to burst forth into a storm of passion. The hot +words did not come, however, for Fenwick restrained himself. Perhaps he +was afraid of going a little too far; perhaps he was afraid of arousing +Vera's suspicions, and thus defeating his own object by a refusal on her +part to write the letter. He knew from past experience that she could be +as firm of purpose as himself if she chose. + +"Very well," he said, with an almost grotesque attempt at good-humor. +"You look very tired tonight, and I daresay you have had a fatiguing +journey--and, after all, there is no great hurry. I will show you up to +the room which I have set apart for your use." + +Vera was only too glad to get away. Despite her strange surroundings, and +despite the sense of coming danger, she threw herself on the bed and +slept the sleep of utter exhaustion. It was getting towards noon before +she came back to herself, invigorated and refreshed by her long rest. + +So far as the girl could see, there were no servants in the house at +present besides an old retainer of the family and her husband. Fenwick +had made some excuse about the staff of domestics who were to follow +later on; but up to now he only had about him the men whom Vera had known +more or less well for the last two years. The meals appeared to be served +in a remarkably irregular fashion; even the lunch was partaken of +hurriedly by Fenwick, who pleaded the pressure of business. + +"I can't stop a minute," he said. "I have more to do now than I can +manage. I should just like to have a look at that letter that you have +written to Zary. There is no excuse for not doing it now, and I want to +put it in the post-bag." + +"Very well," Vera said serenely. "If you will come with me to the library +you will see exactly what I write. I know you are a suspicious man and +that you don't trust anybody, therefore I shall be very glad for you to +know that I have carried out your request to the letter." + +Fenwick laughed as if something had pleased him. Nevertheless, he looked +over Vera's shoulder until she had penned the last word. She slowly +folded up the communication and sealed it. + +"How am I to address the envelope?" she said. "I have not the slightest +idea where Zary is to be found. For all I know to the contrary, he may +not even be in England." + +"Oh, yes, he is," Fenwick chuckled. "He is in London at the present +moment. If you address that letter, 17, Paradise Street, Camberwell, Zary +will be in receipt of it to-morrow morning." + +Vera wrote the address boldly and firmly, and handed the letter with more +or less contempt to her companion. She wanted him to feel that she held +his suspicions with scorn. She wanted him to know that so far as she was +concerned here was an end of the matter. Nevertheless, she followed him +carelessly from the room and saw him place the letter, together with +others, on the hall table. A moment later he had vanished, and she was +left alone to act promptly. She did not hesitate for a moment; she made +her way back to the drawing-room and addressed a second envelope to the +house in Paradise Street, into which envelope she slipped a blank sheet +of notepaper. Then she stamped the envelope and made her way back +cautiously to the hall. There was a chance of being discovered, a chance +that she was being watched, but she had to run the risk of that. She was +crossing the hall freely and carelessly now, and so contrived as to sweep +the mass of letters with her sleeve to the floor, exclaiming at her own +clumsiness as she did so. Like a flash she picked out the one letter that +she needed and swiftly exchanged it for the other. A moment later she was +out of doors, with the dangerous communication in her pocket. + +So far as she could see, she had succeeded beyond her wildest +expectations. It was only a simple ruse, but like most simple things, +generally successful. Vera was trembling from head to foot now, but the +fresh air of the park and the broad, beautiful solitude of it soothed her +jarred nerves, and brought back a more contented frame of mind. Her +spirits rose as she walked along. + +"I am glad I did that," she told herself, "I may be mistaken, but I +firmly believe that I have saved Zary's life. Had he come down here he +would never have left the place again. And yet there is danger for him +still, and I must warn him of it. I must manage to communicate in some +way with Gerald. I wonder if it would be safe to send him a telegram from +the village. I wonder, too, in what direction the village lies. Still, I +have all the afternoon before me, and a brisk walk will do me good." + +With a firm, elastic step, Vera walked across the grass in the direction +of a wood, beyond which she could see the slope of the high road. She had +hardly entered the wood before she heard a voice calling her name, and to +her intense delight she turned to find herself face to face with Venner. + +"Oh, this is glorious," she said, as she placed both her hands in his. +"But do you think that it is quite safe for you to come here so soon? For +all I know, I may be followed. + +"I don't think so," Venner said. "Now let me take you in my arms and kiss +you. Let us sit down here in this snug corner and try to imagine that we +are back in the happy days when no cloud loomed between us, and we were +looking forward to many joyous years together. We will talk mundane +matters presently." + +Vera yielded to the ecstasy of the moment. Everything was so dark and +melancholy that it seemed a sin to lose a gleam of sunshine like this. +But the time crept on and the November sun was sinking, and it was borne +in upon Vera that she must get back to the house again. Very gently, she +disengaged herself from Venner's embrace. + +"We must be really practical now," she said. "Tell me what has happened +since I left the hotel last night?" + +"So far as I can see, nothing," Venner replied. "I asked for you this +morning, and to my surprise I found that you had vanished in the dead of +the night with a mysterious chauffeur and a Mercedes car. By great good +luck I found a policeman who had made a note of the number of the car; +after which I went to the makers, or rather the agents of the makers, and +it was quite easy to find out that the Mercedes in question had recently +been delivered to Mr. Mark Fenwick's order at Merton Grange near +Canterbury. After that, you will not be surprised to find that I came +down here as soon as possible, and that I have been hiding here with a +pair of field-glasses trying to get a glimpse of you." + +"That was very interesting," Vera laughed. "But tell me about my sister. +I am so anxious over her." + +"No reason to be," said Venner. "I have seen to that. She has gone back +to your brother." + +"Oh, I am so glad. Now listen to me carefully." + +She went on with some detail to tell the story of her last night's +experiences. She spoke of Felix Zary and the letter which she had been +more or less compelled to write to him. Also, she described the ruse by +which the letter had been regained. + +"Now you must go and see this Zary," she said. "Tell him that you come +from me, and tell him all about the letter. Mind, he must reply to my +letter just as if it had reached him in the ordinary way through the +post, because, as you see, I shall have to show the answer to Mr. +Fenwick, and I want to lull his suspicions to rest entirely. You may find +Zary a little awkward at first." + +"I don't think I shall," Venner smiled. "In fact, he and I are already +acquainted. But I am not going to tell you anything about that; you +prefer to keep your secrets as far as I am concerned, and I am going to +guard mine for the present. I am working to put an end to all this +mystery and bother, and I am going to do it my own way. Anyway, I will +see Zary for you and tell him exactly what has happened. In fact, I will +go to town this evening for the express purpose. Then I will come back in +the morning and meet you here the same time to-morrow afternoon." + +They parted at that, and Vera made her way back to the house. She saw +that the letters were no longer on the hall table, and therefore she +concluded that they had been posted. She assumed a quiet, dignified +manner during the rest of the evening. She treated Fenwick more or less +distantly, as if she were still offended with his suspicions. Fenwick, on +the other hand, was more than usually amiable. Something had evidently +pleased him, and he appeared to be doing his best to wipe out the +unpleasant impression of the morning. Vera felt quite easy in her mind +now; she knew that her ruse had been absolutely successful. All the same, +she ignored Fenwick's request of a little music, professing to be +exceedingly tired, which, indeed, was no more than the truth. + +"I am going to bed quite early to-night," she said. "I have been sleeping +very indifferently of late." + +It was barely ten before she was in her room, and there she lay, +oblivious of all that was taking place around her, till she woke +presently with an idea that she could hear the sound of hammering close +by. As she sat up in bed with all her senses about her, she could hear +the great stable clock strike the hour of three. Her ears had not +deceived her; the sound of metal meeting metal in a kind of musical chink +came distinct and clear. Then from somewhere near she could hear voices. +The thing was very strange, seeing that Fenwick was a business man pure +and simple, and that he had never confessed to any knowledge of +mechanics. It came back to her mind now, that directly she had entered +the house Fenwick had greeted her in a suit of blue overalls which she +understood men who followed mechanical pursuits generally wore. She +recollected, too, that his hands were black and grimy. What could be +going on, and why had she seen nothing of this during the day-time? She +could comprehend men sitting up all night and working in a factory, but +surely there could be no occasion for a thing like this in a private +house, unless, perhaps, Fenwick and his satellites were engaged in some +pursuit that needed careful concealment from the eyes of the law. + +It would be well, perhaps, Vera thought, if she could find out what was +going on. The discovery might be the means of putting another weapon +into her hands. She rose from her bed and partially dressed herself. +Then, with a pair of slippers on her feet and a dark wrap round her +shoulders, she stole into the corridor. A dim light was burning there, +so that she had no fear of being discovered, especially as the walls +were draped with tapestry, and here and there armored figures stood, +which afforded a capital means of concealment. As Vera sidled along she +noticed that at the end of the corridor was a small room down a flight +of steps. From where she stood she could see into the room, the door of +which was open. Fenwick stood there apparently engaged in superintending +the melting of metal in a crucible over a fire, which was driven to +white heat by a pair of bellows. The rest of his gang seemed to be doing +something on an iron table with moulds and discs. Vera could see the +gleam of yellow metal, then somebody closed the door of the room and she +could learn no more. It was all very strange and mysterious, and there +was a furtive air about it which did not suggest honesty of purpose. +There was nothing more for it now except for Vera to return to her +room, with a determination to see the inside of that little apartment +the first time that the coast was clear. + +She hurried along back to her own room, and had almost succeeded in +reaching it, when she came face to face with a man who had stepped out of +a doorway so suddenly that the two figures came almost in contact. A +fraction of a second later a hand was laid over Vera's mouth, while +another grasped her wrist; then she saw that the intruder had been joined +by a companion. + +"Please don't say a word, miss; and, whatever you do, don't call out," +one of the men whispered. "We know all about you and who you are. Believe +me, we are here to do you the greatest service in our power. My colleague +will tell you the same." + +"But who are you?" Vera asked, as the man removed his hand from her +mouth. Her courage had come back to her now. "Why do you come in +this fashion?" + +"My name is Egan," the stranger said, "and this is my companion, Grady. +We are New York detectives, over here on important business. The man we +are after is Mark Fenwick." + + + + +CHAPTER XIX + +PHANTOM GOLD + + +Vera had entirely recovered her self-possession by this time. She was +able to regard the men coolly and critically. There was nothing about +them that suggested anything wrong or underhand; on the contrary, the +girl rather liked their appearance. All the same it was a strange and +unique experience; and though Vera had been through a series of trials +and tribulations, she thrilled now as she recognised how near she had +been to the man who was thus running himself into the hands of justice. + +"But how can you know anything about me?" she said. "You surely do not +mean to say that you suspect--" + +"Not at all, miss," Egan said, civilly. "Only, you see, it is always our +business to know a great deal more than people imagine. I hope you won't +suppose that we are going to take any advantage of our position here, or +that we want you to betray Mr. Fenwick into our hands; but since we have +been unfortunate enough to be discovered by you, we will ask you to go so +far as to say nothing to Mr. Fenwick. If you tell him, you will be doing +considerable harm to a great many deserving people who have suffered +terribly at that man's hands. I think you understand." + +Vera understood only too well, and yet her delicate sense of honor was +slightly disturbed at the idea of continuing there without warning +Fenwick of the danger that overshadowed him. Personally, she would have +liked to have told him exactly how he stood, and given him the +opportunity to get away. Perhaps Egan saw something of this in Vera's +face, for he went on to speak again. + +"I know it isn't very nice for you, miss," he said, "and I am not +surprised to see you hesitate; but seeing that Mr. Fenwick has done you +as much harm as anybody else--" + +"How do you know that?" Vera exclaimed. + +"Well, you see, it is our business to know everything. I feel quite +certain that on reflection you will do nothing to defeat the ends +of justice." + +"No," Vera said, thoughtfully. "In any case, it cannot much matter. You +are here to arrest Mr. Fenwick, and you probably know where he is to be +found at the present moment." + +"There you are wrong, miss," Grady said. "We are not in a position at +present to lay hands on our man. We came here prepared to take a few +risks--but I don't suppose you would care to hear anything about our +methods. It will be a great favor to us if you will retire to your room +and stay there till morning." + +Vera went off without any further ado, feeling that once more the current +of events had come between her and the sleep that she so sorely needed. +But, in spite of everything, she had youth and health on her side, and +within a few minutes she was fast asleep. It was fairly late when she +came down the next morning, and she was rather surprised to find that +Fenwick had not finished his breakfast. He sat there sullen and +heavy-eyed, and had no more than a grunt for Vera in response to her +morning greeting. He turned over his food with savage disapproval. +Evidently, from the look of him, he had not only been up late overnight, +but he had also had more wine than was good for him. + +"Who can eat rubbish like this?" he growled. "The stuff isn't fit to feed +a dog with. Look at this bacon." + +"You can expect nothing else," Vera said, coldly. "If you choose to try +and run a large house like this with practically no servants beyond a +caretaker and his wife, you must put up with the consequences. You are an +exceedingly clever man, but you seem to have overlooked one fact, and +that is the amount of gossip you are providing for the neighbors. It +isn't as if we were still in town, where the man next door knows nothing +of you and cares less. Here people are interested in their neighbors. It +will cause quite a scandal when it becomes known that you are occupying +Lord Merton's house with nothing more than a number of questionable men. +As far as I can see, you are far worse off here than if you had stayed in +London. I may be wrong, of course." + +"I begin to think you are quite right," Fenwick grunted. "I must see to +this. It will never do for all these chattering magpies to pry into my +business. You had better go into Canterbury this morning and see if you +can't arrange for a proper staff of servants to come. Well, what's the +matter now?" + +One of the men had come into the room with a telegram in his hand. He +pitched it in a contemptuous way upon the table and withdrew, whistling +unconcernedly. The man's manner was so flippant and familiar that Vera +flushed with annoyance. + +"I wish you would keep your subordinates a little more under your +control," she said. "One hardly expects a man of your wealth to be +treated in this way by his clerks." + +But Fenwick was not listening. His brows were knotted in a sullen frown +over the telegram that he held in his hand. He clutched the flimsy paper +and threw it with a passionate gesture into the fire. Vera could see that +his yellow face had grown strangely white, and that his coarse lips were +trembling. He rose from the table, pushing his plate away from him. + +"I've got to go to town at once," he said. "How strange it is that +everything seems to have gone wrong of late! I shall be back again in +time for dinner, and I shall be glad if you are good enough to see that I +have something fit to eat. Perhaps you had better telephone to town for +some servants. It doesn't much matter what you pay them as long as they +are good." + +Fenwick walked rapidly from the room, and a few moments later Vera could +see his car moving swiftly down the drive. On the whole, she was not +sorry to have Fenwick out of the house. She was pleased, also, to know +that he had made up his mind over the servant question. Already the house +was beginning to look shabby and neglected; in the strong morning +sunshine Vera could see the dust lying everywhere. Her womanly instincts +rebelled against this condition of things; she was not satisfied until +she had set the telephone in motion and settled the matter as far as the +domestic staff was concerned. + +Then a sudden thought flashed into her mind. Here was the opportunity +for examining the little room where Fenwick and his satellites had +been busy the previous evening. Vera had not failed to notice the fact +that three of the men had gone off with Fenwick in his car, so that, +in all probability, they meant to accompany him to town. If this +turned out to be correct, then there was only one man to be accounted +for. Possibly with the assistance of Gerald, the fourth man might be +got out of the way. + +It was nearly three o'clock in the afternoon before Vera managed to see +her husband. Eagerly and rapidly she told him all that had taken place +the previous evening, though she was rather surprised to find him +manifesting less astonishment than she had expected. Venner smiled when +Vera mentioned this. + +"Oh, that's no new thing to me," he said. "I saw all that going on in +your suite of rooms at the Great Empire Hotel, though I haven't the least +notion what it all means. I should have thought that your interesting +guardian was manufacturing counterfeit coins. But we managed to get hold +of one of them, and a jeweller pronounced at once that it was a genuine +sovereign. Still, there is no question of the fact that some underhand +business is going on, and I am quite ready to assist you in finding out +what it is. The point is whether the coast is clear or not." + +"There is only one man left behind." Vera explained. "All the rest have +gone to London with Mr. Fenwick, who received a most disturbing telegram +at breakfast this morning. Of course, the old caretaker and his wife +count for nothing; they are quite innocent parties, and merely regard +their stay here as temporary, pending the arrival of our staff of +servants." + +"In that case, I don't see why it shouldn't be managed," Venner said. +"You had better go back to the house, and I will call and see you. There +is not the slightest reason why I shouldn't give my own name, nor is +there the slightest reason why you should not show me over the house when +I come. I daresay all this sounds a bit cheap, but one cannot be too +careful in dealing with these people." + +It was all arranged exactly as Venner had suggested, and a little later +Vera was shaking hands with her own husband as if he were a perfect +stranger. They proceeded presently to walk up the grand staircase and +along the corridor, Vera doing the honors of the place and speaking in a +manner calculated to deceive anybody who was listening. She stopped +presently and clutched Venner's arm excitedly. She pointed to a doorway +leading to a little room down the steps at the end of the corridor. + +"There," she whispered, "that is the room, and, as far as I can see, it +is absolutely empty. What do you say to going in there now? The coast +seems to be quite clear." + +Venner hesitated for a moment; it would be just as well, he thought, +to err on the side of caution. A casual glance from the corridor +disclosed nothing, except that on the table there stood a bottle +apparently containing wine, for a glass of some dark ruby liquid stood +beside it. Very rapidly Venner ran down the flight of stairs and +looked into the room. + +"There is nobody there for the moment," he said, "but that bulldog of +Fenwick's can't be far off, for there is a half-smoked cigarette on the +end of the table which has not yet gone out. I think I can see my way now +to working this thing without any trouble or danger. Do you happen to +know if that rheumatic old caretaker uses snuff?" + +"Really, I don't," Vera said with a smile. "But what possible connection +is there between the caretaker and his snuff--?" + +"Never mind about that at present. Go down and ask the old man for his +snuff box. By the look of him, I am quite sure he indulges in the habit. +Tell him you want to kill some insects in the conservatory. Tell him +anything, so long as you get possession of the box for a few minutes." + +Vera flew off on her errand. She was some moments before she could make +the old man understand what she needed; then, with the air of one who +parts with some treasure, he handed over to her a little tortoiseshell +box, remarking, at the same time, that he had had it for the last sixty +years and would not part with it for anything. A moment later, Vera was +back again at the end of the corridor. Venner had not moved, a sure sign +that no one had approached in the meantime. Taking the box from Vera's +hand, and leaving her to guard the corridor, he stepped into the little +room, where he proceeded to stir a little pellet of snuff into the glass +of wine. This done, he immediately hurried Vera away to the other end of +the corridor. + +"I think that will be all right now," he said. "We have only got to wait +till our man comes back and give him a quarter of an hour. Snuff is a +very strong drug, and within a few minutes of his finishing his wine he +will be sound asleep on the floor." + +It all fell out exactly as Venner had prophesied. The man came back +presently, passing Vera and her companion without the slightest suspicion +of anything being wrong. Then he turned into the little room and closed +the door behind him. Half an hour passed before Vera knocked at the door +on some frivolous pretext, but no answer came from the other side. She +knocked again and again, after which she ventured to open the door. The +wine-glass was empty, a half-finished cigarette smouldered on the floor, +and, by the side of it, lay the man in a deep and comatose sleep. Venner +fairly turned him over with his foot, but the slumbering form gave no +sign. The thing was safe now. + +"We needn't worry ourselves for an hour or so," Venner said. "And now we +have to see if we can discover the secrets of the prison house. Evidently +nothing is going on at present. I should like to know what the table is +for. It is not unlike a modern gas stove--I mean a gas stove used for +cooking purposes, and here is a parcel on the table, just the same sort +of parcel that the mysterious new sovereigns were wrapped up in." + +"Oh, let me see," Vera said eagerly as she pulled the lid off the box. +"See, this stuff inside is just like asbestos, and sure enough here is a +layer of sovereigns on the top. How bright and new they look. I have +never seen gold so attractive before. I--" + +Vera suddenly ceased to speak, and a sharp cry of pain escaped her as she +dropped to the floor one of the coins which she had taken in her hand. +She was regarding her thumb and forefinger now with some dismay, for they +were scorched and swollen. + +"Those coins are red hot," she said. "You try--but look out you don't +get burned." + +Surely enough, the coins were almost at white heat; so much so, that a +wax match placed on the edge of one flared instantly. Venner looked +puzzled; he could not make it out. There was no fire in the room, and +apparently no furnace or oven in which the metal could have been heated. +Then he suddenly recollected that Vera must be in pain. + +"My poor child," he said. "I am so sorry. You must go down to the old +housekeeper at once and get her to put something on your hand. Meanwhile, +I will stay here and investigate, though I don't expect for a moment that +I shall make any further discoveries." + +Vera's hand was dressed at length, and the pain of the burn had somewhat +abated when Venner came down the stairs again. He shook his head in +response to the questioning glance in Vera's eyes. + +"Absolutely nothing," he said. "I found a safe there let into the wall, +but then, you see, the safe has been built for years, and no doubt has +been used by Lord Merton to store his plate and other valuables of that +kind. It is just possible, of course, that Fenwick has the key of it, and +that the safe had been cleared out for his use. I am afraid we shall +never solve this little puzzle until Fenwick is in the hands of those +detectives who gave me such a fright last night." + +"But there must have been some means of heating those coins," Vera +protested. "They must have come straight from a furnace." + +"Of course," Venner said. "The trouble is where to find the furnace. I +am perfectly sure, too, that the sovereigns were genuine. Now what on +earth can a man gain by taking current coins of the realm and making +them red hot? The only chance of a solution is for me to find Egan and +Grady and tell them of my discovery. I shall be at the same spot +to-morrow afternoon at the same time, and if I find anything out I will +let you know." + +There was nothing more for it than this, whereupon Venner went away and +Vera returned thoughtfully to the dining-room. She was just a little bit +in doubt as to whether the man upstairs would guess the trick played upon +him, but that she had to risk. + + + + +CHAPTER XX + +THE PRODIGAL'S RETURN + + +Money can do most things, even in the matter of furnishing a large house +with competent servants, and by six o'clock Vera had contrived for the +domestic machine to run a little more smoothly. At any rate, she was in a +position now to provide Fenwick with something in the shape of a +respectable dinner on his return from town. + +It was about a quarter to eight when he put in an appearance, and for the +first time for some days he changed into evening dress for the chief meal +of the day. He appeared to be as morose and savage as he had been in the +morning, in fact even more so if that were possible. He answered Vera's +questions curtly, so that she fell back upon herself and ate her soup in +silence. And yet, though Fenwick was so quiet, it seemed to Vera that he +was regarding her with a deep distrust, so that she found herself +flushing under his gaze. He put his spoon down presently, and pointed +with his hand to Vera's swollen fingers. + +"What have you got there?" he demanded. "How did you do that?" + +"I burnt it," Vera stammered. "It was an accident." + +"Well, I don't suppose you burnt it on purpose," Fenwick growled. "I +don't suppose you put your hand into the fire to see if it was hot. What +I asked you was how you did it. Please answer my question." + +"I repeat it was an accident," Vera said, coldly. "I burnt my fingers in +such a way--" + +"Yes, and you are not the first woman who has burnt her fingers +interfering with things that don't concern her. I insist upon knowing +exactly how that accident happened." + +Vera turned a cold, contemptuous face to her companion; she began to +understand now that his suspicions were aroused. It came back to her +vividly enough that she had dropped the hot sovereign on the floor, and +that, owing to the shock and sudden surprise, she had not replaced it. It +was just possible that Fenwick had gone into the little room and had +missed the sovereign from the neat layer of coins on the top of the box. +And then another dreadful thought came to Vera--supposing that the +drugged man had not recovered from the effects of his dose by the time +that Fenwick had returned? It was a point which both she and Venner had +overlooked. There was nothing for it but to take refuge behind an assumed +indignation, and decline to answer offensive questions put in that tone +of voice. Vera was still debating as to the most contemptuous reply when +the dining-room door opened and one of the newly-arrived servants +announced Mr. Blossett. + +Fenwick rose to his feet and an unmistakable oath escaped his lips. All +the same, he forced a kind of sickly smile to his face, as a big man, +with an exceedingly red face and an exceedingly offensive swaggering +manner, came into the dining-room. The stranger was quite well dressed, +nothing about his garments offended the eye or outraged good taste, yet, +all the same, the man had "bounder" written all over him in large +letters. His impudent red face, his aggressively waxed moustache, and the +easy familiarity of his manner, caused Vera to shrink within herself, +though she could have been grateful to the fellow for the diversion which +his appearance had created. + +"Well, Fenwick, my buck!" he cried. "You didn't expect that I should +accept your invitation quite so promptly, but I happen to be knocking +around here, and I thought I'd drop in and join you in your chop. This is +your daughter, I suppose? Glad to make your acquaintance, miss. I was +told there were many beauties at Merton Grange, but I find that there is +one more than I expected." + +Vera merely bowed in reply. The man was so frankly, hopelessly, utterly +vulgar that her uppermost feeling was one of amusement. She could see +that Fenwick was terribly annoyed, though for some reason he had to keep +himself in hand and be agreeable to Blossett. + +"Sit down," he said. "Ring the bell, and we will get another cover laid. +I don't suppose you mind missing the soup." + +"I have been in the soup too often to care about it," Blossett laughed. +"To tell the truth, we had such a warm time last night that solid food +and myself are not on speaking terms just now. Here, waiter, fill me a +tumbler of champagne. I daresay when I have got that down my neck I shall +be able to pay my proper attentions to this young lady." + +Fenwick made no reply; he cut savagely at his fish as if he were passing +the knife over the throat of the intruder. Meanwhile the stranger rattled +on, doubtless under the impression that he was making himself exceedingly +agreeable. Vera sat there watching the scene with a certain sense of +amusement. She was still a little pale and unsteady, still doubtful as to +the amount of information that Fenwick had gleaned as to her movements +that afternoon. She would be glad to get away presently and try to +ascertain for herself whether the drugged man had recovered or not. +Meanwhile, there was no occasion for her to talk, as the intruder was +quite able to carry on all the necessary conversation. + +"This is mighty fine tipple," he said. "Waiter, give me another tumbler +of champagne. In my chequered career I don't often run up against this +class of lotion. The worst of it is, it makes one talk too fast, and +seeing that I have got to run the gauntlet with the next little parcel of +sparklers--" + +"Fool!" Fenwick burst out. His face was livid with rage, his eyes were +shot with passionate anger. "Fool! can't you be silent? Don't you see +that there is one here who is outside--" + +"Beg pardon," Blossett said, unsteadily. "I thought the young woman knew +all about it. Lord, with her dainty face and her aristocratic air, what a +bonnet she'd make. Wouldn't she look nice passing off as the daughter of +the old military swell with a fondness for a little game of cards? You +know what I mean--the same game that old Jim and his wife used to play." + +"Be silent," Fenwick thundered in a tone that at last seemed to +penetrate the thick skull of his companion. "My--my daughter knows +nothing of these things." + +Blossett stammered something incoherent, his manner became more sullen, +and long before dinner was completed it was evident that he had had far +more wine than was good for him. + +"If you will excuse me, I will leave you," Vera said coldly. "I do not +care for any dessert or coffee to-night." + +"Perhaps you had better go," Fenwick said with an air of relief. "I will +take care that this thing does not happen again." + +But Vera had already left the room; she was still consumed with anxiety, +and desired to know more of what had happened to the man whom Venner had +drugged. She did not dare venture as far as the little room, for fear +that suspicious eyes should be watching her. It was just possible that +Fenwick had given his satellites a hint to note her movements. Therefore, +all she could do was to sit in the drawing-room with the door open. Some +of the men began to pass presently, and after a little time, with a sigh +of relief, Vera caught sight of the one upon whom the trick of the snuff +was played. He seemed all right, as far as she could judge, and the girl +began to breathe a little more freely. + +As she sat there in the silence watching and waiting, she saw Fenwick and +his companion emerge from the dining-room and cross the hall in the +direction of the billiard room. Blossett was still talking lightly and +incoherently; he leant on the arm of his host, and obviously the support +was necessary. Vera had never before seen a drunken man under the same +roof as herself, and her soul revolted at the sight. How much longer was +this going on, she wondered? How much more would she be called upon to +endure? For the present, she had only to possess herself in patience and +hope for the best. She was longing now for something like action. The +silence and stillness of the house oppressed her; she would have liked to +be up and doing something. Anything better than sitting there. + +The silence was broken presently by the sound of angry voices proceeding +from the billiard-room. Half-a-dozen men seemed to be talking at the same +time--words floated to Vera's ears; then suddenly the noise ceased, as if +somebody had clapped down a lid upon the meeting. Vera guessed exactly +what had happened. The billiard-room door had been closed for fear of the +servants hearing what was going on. It was just possible that behind +those closed doors the mystery that had so puzzled Vera was being +unfolded. She recollected now that between the dining-and the +billiard-room was a fairly large conservatory opening on either side into +the apartments in question. It was just possible that Fenwick and his +companions might have overlooked the conservatory. At any rate, Vera +determined to take advantage of the chance. The conservatory was full of +palms and plants and flowers, behind which it was possible for the girl +to hide and listen to all that was going on. + +Vera fully understood the danger she was running, she quite appreciated +the fact that discovery might be visited with unpleasant consequences. +But this did not deter her for a moment. She was in the conservatory a +little later, and was not displeased to find that the door leading to +the billiard-room was open. Behind a thick mask of ferns she took her +stand. Between the feathery fronds she could see into the billiard-room +without being seen. Fenwick was standing by the side of the table laying +down the law about something, while the rest of his men were scattered +about the room. + +"Why should I do it?" Fenwick was saying. "Why should I trust a man +like you? You come down to-night on the most important errand, well +knowing the risks you are running, and you start by getting drunk at +the dinner table." + +"I wasn't drunk," Blossett said sullenly. "As to the girl, why, I +naturally expected--" + +"Who gave you the right to expect?" Fenwick demanded. "Couldn't you see +at a glance that she knew nothing about it. Another word and you would +have betrayed the whole thing. You can stay here all night and talk if +you like, but you are not going to have that parcel to take away to +London with you. In your present condition you would be in the hands of +the police before morning." + +"But I haven't got a cent," Blossett said. "I hadn't enough money in my +pocket to pay my cab fare from Canterbury; and don't you try on any of +your games with me, because I am not the sort of man to stand them. You +are a fine lot of workmen I know, but there isn't one of you who has the +pluck and ability to take two thousand pound's worth of that stuff and +turn it into cash in a week. Now look at the last parcel I had, I got +rid of it in such a manner that no one could possibly discover that I +ever handled the metal at all. Who among you could say the same thing?" + +"Oh, you are right enough so long as you keep sober," Fenwick said. "But, +all the same, I shall not trust you with the parcel that is waiting +upstairs." + +Vera listened, comprehending but little of what was going on. After all, +she seemed to be having only her trouble for her pains. Beyond doubt +these men were doing something illicit with the coinage of the country, +though Vera could not bring herself to believe that they were passing off +counterfeit money, seeing that the sovereigns were absolutely genuine. + +"Well, something has got to be done," another of the gang remarked. "We +are bound to have a few thousand during the next few days, and, as +Blossett says, there is nobody that can work the oracle as well as he +can. The best thing I can do is to go to town with him and keep a close +eye on him till he has pulled round once more. He can keep sober enough +on occasions if he likes, and once the drinking fit has passed he may be +right for weeks." + +"I am going to have no one with me," Blossett roared. "Do you think I am +going to be treated like a blooming kid? I tell you, I am the best man of +the lot of you. There isn't one of you can hold a candle to me. Fenwick, +with all his cunning, is a child compared with Ned Blossett. Ask any of +the old gang in New York, ask the blistering police if you like; and as +to the rest of you, who are you? A set of whitefaced mechanics, without +pluck enough to rob a hen-roost. Take that, you cur!" + +The speaker rose suddenly to his feet and lurched across the room in +Fenwick's direction. He aimed an unexpected blow at the latter which sent +him headlong to the floor, and immediately the whole room was a scene of +angry violence. + +Vera shrank back in her shelter, hardly knowing what to do next. She +saw that Blossett had disentangled himself from the mob about him and +was making his way headlong into the conservatory. There was nothing +for it but instant retreat. On the opposite side was a doorway leading +to the garden, and through this Vera hastily slipped and darted across +the grass, conscious of the noise and struggle going on behind. She +paused with a little cry of vexation as she came close to a man who was +standing on the edge of the lawn looking at the house. It was only for +a moment that she stood there in doubt; then a glad little cry broke +from her lips. + +"Charles," she said. "Mr. Evors, what are you doing here?" + +"We will come to that presently," Evors replied. "Meanwhile, you can be +observed from where you are, and those rioters yonder may make it awkward +for you. When they have patched up their quarrel, I will return to the +house with you and explain. We can get in by the little green door behind +the gunroom." + +Vera suffered herself to be led away, feeling now utterly unable to be +astonished at anything. They came at length to the secluded side of the +house, where the girl paused and looked at her companion for an +explanation. + +"You seem to be strangely familiar with this place," she said. "You walk +about here in the dark as if you had known this house all your lifetime, +Have you been here before?" + +"Many a time," Evors replied sadly. "Up to the time I was twenty my +happiest years were spent here. But I see you are still in the dark. +Cannot you guess who I really am, Vera? No? Then I will enlighten you. My +name is Charles Evors, and I am the only son of Lord Merton. I was born +here, and, if the Fates are good to me, some day I hope to die here." + + + + +CHAPTER XXI + +THE THIRD FINGER + + +Vera ought to have experienced a feeling of deepest surprise; but she was +long post any emotion of that kind. On the contrary, it seemed quite +natural that Evors should be there telling her this extraordinary thing. +The sounds of strife and tumult in the house had now died away; +apparently the men in the billiard-room had patched up their quarrel, for +nothing more could be heard save a sudden pop which sounded like the +withdrawal of a cork. With a gesture of contempt, Evors pointed to the +billiard-room window. + +"I don't think you need worry about them," he said. "As far as I can +judge, they were bound to come to some truce." + +"But do you know what they were doing?" Vera asked. + +"I haven't the remotest idea," Evors replied. "Some rascality, beyond +question. There always is rascality where Fenwick is concerned. Is it not +a strange thing that I should come down here and find that fellow settled +in the home of my ancestors?" + +"Then you did not come down on purpose to see him?" + +"No, I came here entirely on my own responsibility. If you have +half-an-hour to spare, and you think it quite safe, I will tell you +everything. But there is one thing first, one assurance you must give me, +or I am bound to remain silent. The death of your poor father in that +mysterious fashion--" + +"Stop," Vera said gently. "I know exactly what you are going to say. You +want me to believe that you had no hand whatever in my father's murder. +My dear Charles, I know it perfectly well. The only thing that puzzles +me is why you acted in that strange weak fashion after the discovery of +the crime." + +"That is exactly what I am going to tell you," Evors went on. "It is a +strange story, and one which, if you read it in the pages of a book, you +would be inclined to discredit entirely. And yet stranger and more +remarkable things happen every day." + +Evors led the way to a secluded path beside the terrace. + +"You need not worry about getting to the house," he said. "I can show you +how to manage that at any time of the day or night without disturbing +anybody. I am afraid that on many occasions I put my intimate knowledge +of the premises to an improper use, and that was the beginning of my +downfall. What will you say to me when I confess to you that when I came +out to Mexico I was driven out of the old country, more or less, like a +criminal?" + +"I understood you to be a little wild," Vera said. + +"A little wild!" Evors echoed bitterly. "I behaved in a perfectly +disgraceful fashion. I degraded the old name, I made it a byword in the +district. As sure as I am standing here at the present moment, I am more +or less answerable for my mother's death. It is a strange thing with us +Evors that all the men begin in this way. I suppose it is some taint in +our blood. Up to the age of five-and-twenty, we have always been more +like devils than men, and then, for the most part, we have settled down +to wipe out the past and become respectable members of society. I think +my father recognised that, though he was exceedingly hard and stern with +me. Finally, after one more unusually disgraceful episode, he turned me +out of the house, and said he hoped never to look upon my face again. I +was deeply in debt, I had not a penny that I could call my own, and, +finally, I drifted out to Mexico with the assistance of a boon +companion. On the way out I took a solemn oath that I would do my best +to redeem the past. I felt heartily ashamed of my evil ways; and for six +months no one could possibly have led a purer and better life than +myself. It was about this time that I became acquainted with your father +and your sister Beth." + +Evors paused a moment and paced up and down the avenue with Vera by his +side. She saw that he was disturbed about something, so that she deemed +it best not to interrupt him. + +"It was like getting back to a better world again," Evors went on. "I +believed that I had conquered myself; I felt pretty sure of it, or I +would have never encouraged the friendship with your sister, which she +offered me from the first. I don't know how it was or why it was that I +did not see much of you about that time, but you were not in the +mountains with the others." + +"I was down in the city," Vera explained. "There was a friend of mine who +had had a long serious illness, and I was engaged in nursing her. That is +the reason." + +"But it doesn't much matter," Evors went on. "You were not there to watch +my friendship for Beth ripening into a warmer and deeper feeling. Mind +you, she had not the remotest idea who I really was, nor had your father. +They were quite content to take me on trust, they had no vulgar curiosity +as to my past. And then the time came when Beth discovered what my +feelings were, and I knew that she had given her heart to me. I had not +intended to speak, I had sternly schooled myself to hold my tongue until +I had completed my probation; but one never knows how these things come +about. It was all so spontaneous, so unexpected--and before I knew what +had really happened, we were engaged. It was the happiest time of my +life. I had rid myself of all my bad habits. I was in the full flush and +vigor of my manhood. I did not say anything to Beth about the past, +because I felt that she would not understand, but I told your father +pretty nearly everything except who I really was, for I had made up my +mind not to take the old name again until I had really earned the right +to do so. Of course, the name of Evors conveyed no impression to anybody. +It did not imply that I was heir to Lord Merton. Your father was +intensely friendly and sympathetic, he seemed to understand exactly. We +became more than friends, and this is how it came about that I +accompanied him finally on one of his secret visits to the Four Finger +Mine. Your father's regular journeys to the mine had resulted in his +becoming a rich man, and, as you know, he always kept the secret to +himself, taking nobody with him as a rule, with the exception of Felix +Zary. I will speak of Zary again presently. You know how faithful he was +to your father, and how he would have laid down his life for him." + +"Zary was an incomprehensible character," Vera said. "He was one of the +surviving, or, rather, the only surviving member of the tribe who placed +the Four Finger Mine in my father's hands. That was done solely out of +gratitude, and Zary steadfastly declined to benefit one penny from the +gold of the mine. He had a curious contempt for money, and he always +said that the gold from the Four Finger Mine had brought a curse on his +tribe. I really never got to the bottom of it, and I don't suppose I ever +shall; but I am interrupting you, Charles. Will you please go on with +your story." + +"Where was I?" Evors asked. "Oh, yes, I was just leading up to the time +when I accompanied your father on his last fatal journey to the mine. At +one time I understand it was his intention to take with him the +Dutchman, Van Fort, or your mother's brother, Mark Fenwick. However, +your father decided against this plan, and I went with him instead. To a +great extent it was my doing so that kept Van Fort and Fenwick out of +it, for I distrusted both those men, and I believed that they would have +been guilty of any crime to learn the secret of the mine. Your father, +always trustful and confiding, laughed at my fears, and we started on +that fateful journey. I don't want to harrow your feelings +unnecessarily, or describe in detail how your father died; but he was +foully murdered, and, as sure as I am in the presence of my Maker, the +murder was accomplished either by the Dutchman or Fenwick, or between +the two of them. Zary mysteriously vanished about the same time, and +there was no one to back me up in my story. You may judge of my horror +and surprise a little later when Van Fort and Fenwick entered into a +deliberate conspiracy to prove that I was responsible for your father's +death. They laid their plans with such a diabolical ingenuity that, had +I been placed upon my trial at that time, I should have been hanged to a +certainty. They even went so far as to tell Beth what had happened, with +what result upon her mind you know. At this time Van Fort disappeared, +and was never heard of again. Of the strange weird vengeance which +followed him I will talk another time. I suppose I lost my nerve +utterly, for I became as clay in the hands of Mark Fenwick. Badly as he +was treating me, he professed to be my friend, and assured me he had +found a way by which I could escape from the death which threatened me. +Goodness only knows what he had in his mind; perhaps he wanted to part +Beth and myself and get all your father's money into his hands. I +suppose he reckoned without your brother, though the latter did not +count for much just then, seeing that he was in the hospital at Vera +Cranz, hovering between life and death, as the result of his accident. +For my own part, I never believed it was an accident at all. I believed +that Fenwick engineered the whole business. But that is all by the way. +Like the weak fool that I was, I fell in with Fenwick's suggestion and +allowed myself to become a veritable tool in his hands, but I did not go +till I heard that you had come back again to look after Beth." + +Vera recollected the time perfectly well; she was following Evors' +narrative with breathless interest. How well she recollected the day +of her own marriage and the receipt of that dreadful letter, which +parted Gerald and herself on the very steps of the altar, and +transformed her life from one of happiness into one of absolute +self-sacrifice. She was beginning to see daylight now, she was +beginning to discern a way at length, whereby she would be able to defy +Fenwick and part with him for all time. + +"It is getting quite plain now," she said. "But please go on. You cannot +think how deeply interested I am in all you are saying. Presently I will +tell you my side of the story. How I came to part with Beth, how I placed +her in my brother's hands, how I elected to remain with Mark Fenwick, and +my reasons for so doing. I may say that one of my principal reasons for +staying with my uncle was to discover the real cause of my father's +death. That you had anything to do with it I never really believed, +though appearances were terribly against you, and you deliberately +elected to make them look worse. But we need not go into that now. What +happened to you after you fled from Mexico?" + +"I am very much afraid that I dropped back into the old habits," Evors +said, contritely. "I was reckless and desperate, and cared nothing for +anybody. I had honestly done my best to atone for the past, and it seemed +to me that Fate was dealing with me with a cruelty which I did not +deserve. One or two of Fenwick's parasites accompanied me everywhere; +there seemed to be no lack of money, and I had pretty well all I wanted. +There were times, of course, when I tried to break the spell, but they +used to drug me then, until my mind began to give way under the strain. +Sometimes we were in Paris, sometimes we were in London, but I have not +the slightest recollection of how I got from one place to another. I was +like a man who is constantly on the verge of delirium. How long this had +been going on I can't tell you, but finally I came to my senses in the +house in London, and there for two days I was practically all right. All +through this time I had the deepest horror of the drink with which they +plied me, and on this occasion the horror had grown no less. For some +reason or another, no doubt it was an oversight, they neglected me for +two days, and I began to get rapidly better. Then, by the purest chance +in the world, I discovered that I was actually under the same roof as +Beth and your brother, and the knowledge was like medicine to me. I +refused everything those men offered me, I demanded to be allowed to go +out on business. They refused, and a strange new strength filled my +veins. I contrived to get the better of the two men, and half an hour +afterward I left the house in company with your brother." + +All this was news indeed to Vera, but she asked no questions--she was +quite content to stand there and listen to all that Evors had to say. + +"I would not stay with your brother," he went on. "I went off +immediately to an old friend of mine, to whom I told a portion of my +story. He supplied me with money and clothing, and advised me that the +best thing I could do was to go quietly away into the country and give +myself an entire rest. I followed his advice, and I drifted down here, I +suppose, in the same way that an animal finds his way home. I did not +know my father was away, and you can imagine my surprise when I +discovered to whom he had left the house. I feel pretty much myself now; +there is no danger of my showing the white feather again. If you are in +any trouble or distress, a line to the address on this card will bring me +to you at any time. In this house there are certain hiding-places where I +could secrete myself without anybody being the wiser; but we need not go +into that. Now perhaps you had better return to the house, or you may be +missed. Good-night, Vera. You cannot tell how wonderfully helpful your +sympathy has been to me." + +He was gone a moment later, and Vera returned slowly and thoughtfully to +the house. The place was perfectly quiet now; the billiard-room door was +open, and Vera could see that the apartment was deserted. Apparently the +household had retired to rest, though it seemed to be nobody's business +to fasten up the doors. Most of the lights were out, for it was getting +very late now, so that there was nothing for it but for Vera to go up +the stairs to her own room. She had hardly reached the landing when a +door halfway down burst open, and Fenwick stood there shouting at the top +of his voice for such of his men as he mentioned by name. He seemed to be +almost beside himself with passion, though at the same time his face was +pallid with a terrible fear. He held a small object in his hand, which he +appeared to regard with disgust and loathing. + +"Why don't some of you come out?" he yelled. "You drunken dogs, where +have you all gone to? Let the man come out who has played this trick on +me, and I'll break every bone in his body." + +One or two heads emerged, and presently a little group stood around the +enraged and affrighted Fenwick. Standing in a doorway, Vera could hear +every word that passed. + +"I locked my door after dinner," Fenwick said. "It is a patent lock, no +key but mine will fit it. When I go to bed I find this thing lying on the +dressing table." + +"Another of the fingers," a voice cried. "The third finger. Are you quite +sure that you locked your door?" + +"I'll swear it," Fenwick yelled. "And if one of you--but, of course, it +can't be one of you. There is no getting rid of this accursed thing. And +when the last one comes--" + +Fenwick stopped as if something choked him. + + + + +CHAPTER XXII + +"THE TIME WILL COME" + + +The startled group on the stairs stood gazing at Fenwick as if they were +stricken dumb. There was not one of them who had the slightest advice to +offer, not one of them but felt that Fenwick's time was close at hand. +Every man there knew by heart the strange story of the Four Finger Mine, +and of the vengeance which had overtaken the Dutchman. The same unseen +vengeance was very near Fenwick now; he had had his three warnings, and +there was but one more to come before the final note of tragedy was +struck. Most of them looked with dazed fascination at the mutilated left +hand of their chief. + +"How did you lose yours?" somebody whispered. + +"Don't ask me," Fenwick said hoarsely. "I break into a cold sweat +whenever I think of it. But why don't you do what I tell you? Why don't +you find Zary? Find him out and bring him down here, and then I can laugh +at the vengeance of the Four Fingers. But I have my plans laid, and I +shall know how to act when the times comes. Now you all get off to bed +again and forget all my foolishness. I suppose I was startled by seeing +that accursed thing lying on my table, and lost my nerve." + +The little group melted away, and once more the house became silent. When +morning came there was no sign or suggestion of the events of the night +before. For the first time for many months, Vera felt comparatively +happy. She felt, too, that at last she was reaping the reward of all her +self-sacrifice, and was approaching the time when she would be able to +throw off the yoke and take up her life at the point where she had +dropped it. She could afford to wait on events now; she could afford to +possess her soul in patience till the hour and the man came together. + +Somewhat to her relief, Fenwick did not appear at breakfast, so that, for +once, she could partake of the meal in comparative comfort. Swaggering up +and down the terrace outside, with a large cigar in his mouth, was the +man who called himself Blossett. He had the air of one who is waiting for +something; possibly he was waiting for the parcel which had been the +means of breeding last night's disturbance in the billiard-room. Anyway, +Vera noticed that Fenwick was very busy up and downstairs, and that all +his parasites had gathered in the little room at the end of the corridor. +For the present, at any rate, Vera's curiosity was satisfied. She had no +intention of running any more risks, and as soon as she had finished her +breakfast she went out into the grounds, with no intention of returning +before lunch. She made her way across the wood which led to the high +road, on the possible chance of meeting Gerald. It was not Gerald, +however, who advanced from the deepest part of the copse to meet her, but +the thin, cadaverous form of Felix Zary. He advanced towards the girl, +and, in a grave, respectful way, he lifted her hand to his lips. + +"You had not expected me, dear lady," he said. + +"Well no, Felix," Vera said. "Though I am not in the least surprised. I +suppose Mr. Venner has been to see you and has explained to you the +meaning of that sheet of blank paper which reached you in an envelope +bearing my handwriting." + +"I have seen Mr. Venner," Zary replied in his smooth, respectful, even +voice, "and he explained to me. I did not suspect--if I had received your +letter I should have come to you at once--I believe I would come beyond +the grave at the call of one bearing the beloved name of Le Fenu. There +is nothing I would not do for you. At this moment I owe my life to your +resourcefulness and courage. Had I come in response to your letter, I +should never have left the house alive. Fenwick would have murdered me, +and the vengeance of the Four Fingers would have been lost." + +"Why should it not be?" Vera said with a shudder. "Why extract blood for +blood in this fashion? Can all your revenge bring my dear father back to +life again? And yet the vengeance draws nearer and nearer, as I know. I +saw Mark Fenwick last night after he had received the third of those +dreadful messages, and he was frightened to the depths of his soul. Let +me implore you not to go any further--" + +"It is not for me to say yes or no," Zary responded in the same quiet, +silky manner. It seemed almost impossible to identify this man with +murder and outrage. "I am but an instrument. I can only follow the +dictates of my instinct. I cannot get away from the traditions of the +tribe to which I belong. For two years now I have been a wanderer on the +face of the earth; I have been in many strange cities and seen many +strange things; with the occult science that I inherited from my +ancestors, the Aztecs, I have earned my daily bread. I am what some call +a medium, some call a conjurer, some call a charlatan and a quack. It is +all the same what they call me, so long as I have the knowledge. For +generations the vengeance of the Four Fingers has descended upon those +who violate the secret of the mine, and so it must be to the end of time. +If I did not obey the voice within me, if I refused to recognise the +forms of my ancestors as they come to me in dreams, I should for ever and +ever be a spirit wandering through space. Ah, dear lady, there are things +you do not know, things, thank God, beyond your comprehension, so, +therefore, do not interfere. Rest assured that this thing is absolute and +inevitable." + +Zary spoke with a certain gentle inspiration, as if all this was part of +some ritual that he was repeating by heart. Quiet, almost timid as he +looked, Vera knew from past experience that no efforts of hers could turn +him from his intention. That he would do anything for a Le Fenu she knew +full well, and all this in return for some little kindness which her +father had afforded one or two of the now almost extinct tribe from which +had come the secret of the Four Finger Mine. And Zary was absolutely the +last of his race. There would be none to follow him. + +"Very well," she said, "I see that anything I could say would be wasted +on you, nor would I ask you what you are going to do next, because I am +absolutely convinced that you would not tell me if I did. Still, I have a +right to know--" + +"You have a right to know nothing," Zary said, in a tone of deep +humility. "But do not be afraid--the vengeance will not fall yet, for are +not the warnings still incomplete? I will ask you to leave me here and go +your way." + +There was nothing for it but to obey, and Vera passed slowly through the +wood in the direction of the high road. A strange weird smile flickered +about the corner of Zary's mouth, as he stood there still and motionless, +like some black statue. His lips moved, but no words came from them. He +appeared to be uttering something that might have passed for a silent +prayer. He took a battered gold watch from his pocket and consulted it +with an air of grim satisfaction. Then, suddenly, he drew behind a +thicket of undergrowth, for his quick ears detected the sound of +approaching footsteps. Almost immediately the big form of Fenwick loomed +in the opening, and a hoarse voice asked if somebody were there. Zary +stepped out again and confronted Fenwick, who started back as if the slim +black apparition had been a ghost. + +"You here!" he stammered. "I did not expect to see you--I came here +prepared to find somebody quite different." + +"It matters little whom you came to find," Zary said. "The message sent +to bring you here was merely a ruse of mine. Murderer and treacherous dog +that you are, so you thought to get me here in the house among your hired +assassins by means of the letter which you compelled my dear mistress to +write? Are you mad that you should pit your paltry wits against mine?" + +"I am as good as you," Fenwick said. + +"Oh, you rave," Zary went on. "I am the heir of the ages. A thousand +years of culture, of research, of peeps behind the veil, have gone to +make me what I am. Your scientists and your occult researchers think they +have discovered much, but, compared with me, they are but as children +arguing with sages. Before the letter was written, the spirits that float +on the air had told me of its coming. I have only to raise my hand and +you wither up like a drop of dew in the eye of the sunshine. I have only +to say the word and you die a thousand lingering deaths in one--but for +such cattle as you the vengeance of the Four Fingers is enough. You shall +die even as the Dutchman died, you shall perish miserably with your +reason gone and your nerves shattered. If you could see yourself now as I +can see you, with that dreadful look of fear haunting your eyes, you +would know that the dread poison had already begun its work. The third +warning came to you last night, the message that you should get your +affairs in order and be prepared for the inevitable. The Dutchman is no +more, his foul wretch of a wife died, a poor wreck of a woman, bereft of +sense and reason." + +"This is fine talk," Fenwick stammered. "What have you against me that +you should threaten me like this?" + +Zary raised his hand aloft with a dramatic gesture; his great round black +eyes were filled with a luminous fire. + +"Listen," he said. "Listen and heed. I am the last of my race, a race +which has been persecuted by the alien and interloper for the last three +centuries. Time was when we were a great and powerful people, educated +and enlightened beyond the dreams of to-day. Our great curse was the +possession of large tracts of land which contained the gold for which +you Eastern people are prepared to barter honor and integrity and +everything that the honest man holds dear. For it you are prepared to +sacrifice your wives and children, you are prepared to cut the throat of +your best friend. When you found your heart's desire in my country, you +came in your thousands, and by degrees murders and assassination worked +havoc with my tribe. It was not till quite recently that there came +another man from the East, a different class of creature altogether. I +am alluding to your late brother-in-law, George Le Fenu. He sought no +gold or treasure; he came to us, he healed us of diseases of which we +knew no cure. And in return for that we gave him the secret of the Four +Finger Mine. It was because he had the secret of the mine and because he +refused to share it with you that you and the Dutchman, with the aid of +his foul wife, killed him." + +"It's a lie," Fenwick stammered. "George Le Fenu suffered nothing at my +hands. It was the young man Evors." + +"It is false," Zary thundered. His eyes were dark, and in a sudden flood +of fury he reached out a long thin hand and clutched Fenwick by the +collar. "Why tell me this when I know so well how the whole thing +happened? I can give it you now chapter and verse, only it would merely +be a waste of breath. I declare as I stand here with my hand almost +touching your flesh that I can scarcely wait for the vengeance, so eager +am I to extract the debt that you owe to George Le Fenu and his +children." + +By way of reply, Fenwick dashed his fist full into the face of Zary. The +latter drew back just in time to avoid a crushing blow; then his long +thin arms twisted about the form of his bulky antagonist as a snake winds +about his prey. So close and tenacious, so wonderfully tense was the +grip, that Fenwick fairly gasped for breath. He had not expected a virile +force like this in one so slender. A bony leg was pressed into the small +of his back--he tottered backward and lay upon the mossy turf with Zary +with one bony hand at his throat, on the top of him. It was all so sudden +and so utterly unexpected that Fenwick could only gasp in astonishment. +Then he became conscious of the fact that Zary's great luminous eyes were +bent, full of hate, upon his face. A long curved knife gleamed in the +sunshine. Very slowly the words came from Zary. + +"I could finish you now," he whispered. "I could end it once and for all. +It is only for me to put in action the forces that I know of, and you +would utterly vanish from here, leaving no trace behind. One swift blow +of this knife--" + +"What are you doing?" a voice asked eagerly. "Zary, have you taken leave +of your senses? Release him at once, I say." + +Very slowly Zary replaced the knife in his pocket and rose to his feet. +There was not the least trace of his recent passion--he was perfectly +calm and collected, his breathing was as even and regular as it had been +before the onslaught. + +"You are quite right, master," he said. "I had almost forgotten myself. I +am humiliated and ashamed. The mere touch of that man is pollution. We +shall meet again, Mr. Evors." + +Zary went calmly away and vanished in the thick undergrowth as quickly +and mysteriously as if he had been spirited from the spot. Fenwick rose +to his feet and wiped the stains from his clothing. + +"I certainly owe you one for that," he growled. "That fellow would most +assuredly have murdered me if you had not come up just at the right +moment. It is fortunate, too, that you should have turned up here just +now. Come as far as the house. I should like to say a few words to you +in private." + +It was well, perhaps, that Evors could not see the expression of his +companion's face, that he did not note the look of mingled triumph and +malice that distorted it. It never for a moment occurred to him as +possible that black treachery could follow so closely upon the heels of +his own magnanimity. Without the slightest demur he followed Fenwick to +the house. The latter led the way upstairs into a room overlooking the +ancient part of the house, murmuring something to the effect that here +was the thing that he wished to show Evors. They were inside the room at +length, then, with a muttered excuse, Fenwick hastened from the room. +The key clicked in the door outside, and Evors knew that he was once +more a prisoner. + +"You stay there till I want you," Fenwick cried. "I'll teach you to play +these tricks on me after all I have done for you." + +"You rascal," Evors responded. "And so you think that you have me a +prisoner once more. Walk to the end of the corridor and back, then come +in here again and I will have a pleasant surprise for you. You need not +be afraid--I am not armed." + +Perhaps some sudden apprehension possessed Fenwick, for he turned rapidly +as he was walking away and once more opened the door. Evors had been as +good as his word--the surprise which he had promised Fenwick was complete +and absolute. + +"Vanished," Fenwick cried. "Gone! Curse him, what can have become of +him?" + + + + +CHAPTER XXIII + +SMOKED OUT + + +A feeling of helpless exasperation gripped Fenwick to the exclusion of +all other emotions. Everything seemed to be going wrong just now; turn +in any direction he pleased some obstacle blocked his path. Like most +cunning criminals he could never quite dispossess himself of the idea +that honesty and cleverness never went together. All honest men were +fools of necessity, and therefore the legitimate prey of rogues like +himself. And yet, though he was more or less confronted now with men of +integrity, he was as helpless in their hands as if he had been a child. +The maddening part of the whole thing was his inability to find anything +to strike. He was like a general leading an army into the dark in a +strange country, and knowing all the time that he had cunning unseen +foes to fight. + +Thoughts like these were uppermost in Fenwick's mind as he gazed in +consternation about the little room from which Evors had vanished. So far +as Fenwick knew, Evors had saved his life from Zary, but that had not +prevented Fenwick from behaving in a dastardly fashion. It seemed to him +as if Fate were playing into his hands by bringing Evors here at this +moment. Hitherto he had found Evors such plastic material that he had +never seriously considered him in the light of a foe. Now, for the first +time, he saw how greatly he had been mistaken. + +"Where can the fellow have gone to?" he muttered. "And whence comes his +intimate knowledge of the house?" + +He tapped the walls, he examined the floor, but there was no sign +whatever of the means by which Evors had made good his escape. + +Fenwick furiously rang the bell and demanded that the old caretaker +should be sent to him at once. The man came to him, shambling unsteadily +along and breathing fast as if he had been running. His aged features +were quivering with some strange excitement, as Fenwick did not fail to +notice, despite his own perturbation. + +"What on earth is the matter with you?" he exclaimed. "You look as if you +had seen a ghost! What is it? Speak up, man!" + +"It isn't that, sir," the old man said in trembling tones. "It is a sight +that I never expected to see again. A bit wild he was--aye, a rare +handful at times, though we were all precious fond of him. And to see him +back here again like this--" + +"What the devil are you talking about?" Fenwick burst out furiously. "The +old fool is in his second childhood." + +"It was the young master," the caretaker babbled on. "Why, you could +have knocked me down with a feather when he came in the house with you. +As soon as I set eyes on Mr. Charles--" + +"Mr. what?" Fenwick asked. "Oh, I see what you mean. You are speaking of +Mr. Evors, who came in with me." + +"That's it, sir, that's it," the old man said. "Mr. Evors, only we used +to call him Mr. Charles." + +Fenwick began to understand. + +"Let's have it out," he said. "Mr. Evors, whom you saw with me just now, +is Lord Merton's only son?" + +"That he be, sir, that he be. And to think that he should come home like +this. It'll be a good day for the old house when he returns to settle +down altogether." + +Fenwick dismissed the old man with a contemptuous gesture. He had found +out all he wanted to know, though his information had come to him as an +unpleasant surprise. It was a strange coincidence that Fenwick should +have settled upon Merton Grange for a dwelling-place, and thus had picked +out the actual home of the young man who had suffered so much at his +hands. But there was something beyond this that troubled Fenwick. It was +a disturbing thought to know that Charles Evors could find his way about +the house in this mysterious fashion. It was a still more disturbing +thought to feel that Evors might be in league with those who were +engaged in tracking down the so-called millionaire. There were certain +things going on which it was imperative to keep a profound secret. +Doubtless there were secret passages and panels in this ancient house, +and Fenwick turned cold at the thought that perhaps prying eyes had +already solved the problem of the little room at the end of the corridor. +He lost no time in calling his parasites about him. In a few words he +told them what had happened. + +"Don't you see what it means?" he said. "Charles Evors is here, he has +come back to his old home, and what is more he has come back to keep an +eye on us. I feel pretty certain that someone is behind him. Very likely +it is that devil Zary. If the police were to walk in now, guided by +Evors, we should be caught like rats in a trap. I didn't want to trust +that stuff to Blossett, but he must get away with it now without delay. +There is a train about twelve o'clock to London, and he must get one of +the servants to drive him over in a dogcart. Now don't stand gazing at me +with your mouths open like that, for goodness knows how close the danger +is. Get the stuff away at once." + +The man Blossett came into the garden, a big cigar between his lips. He +laughed in his insolent fashion when he was told of his errand. The hot +blood was in Fenwick's face, but he had not time to quarrel with the +swaggering Blossett. + +"I thought you would come to your senses," the latter said. "Nobody +like me to do a little thing of that sort. Now let me have the case and +I'll be off without delay. Better put it in a Gladstone bag. If I have +any luck I shall be back here to-night, and then we can share the +bank-notes and there will be an end of the matter. You had better sink +all the materials in the moat. Not that I am afraid of anything +happening, myself." + +Half an hour later Blossett was being bowled down the drive behind a +fleet horse. A little later still, as the train pulled out of the +station, Egan and Grady stood there watching it with rueful faces. Venner +was with them, and smiled to himself, despite the unfortunate nature of +the situation. + +"I thought we had cut it a bit too fine," Grady said. "It is all the +fault of that confounded watch of mine. Now what's the best thing to be +done? Shall we telegraph to Scotland Yard and ask to have Blossett +detained when he reaches Victoria?" + +"I don't quite like the idea," Egan said. "If we were English detectives +it wouldn't much matter, but I guess I don't want Scotland Yard to have +the laugh of me like this. It may cost a deal of money, and I shall +probably have to pay it out of my own pocket, but I am going to have a +special train." + +"My good man," Venner said, "it is absurd to think that you can get a +special train at a roadside station like this. Probably they do things +differently in America, but if you suggest a special to the +station-master here, he will take you for an amiable lunatic. I have an +idea that may work out all right, though it all depends upon whether the +train that has gone out of the station is a fast or a slow one." + +The inquiry proved the fact that the train was a slow one, stopping at +every station. It would be quite two hours in reaching Victoria. Venner +smiled with the air of a man who is well pleased with himself. He turned +eagerly to his companions. + +"I think I've got it," he said. "We will wound Fenwick with one of his +own weapons. It will be the easiest thing in the world to got from here +to Victoria well under two hours in a motor." + +"I guess that's about true," Grady said, drily. "But what applies to +the special equally applies to the motor. Where are we to get the +machine from?" + +"Borrow Fenwick's," Venner said. "I understand the working of a Mercedes, +and, I know where the car is kept. If I go about this thing boldly, our +success is assured. Then you can wait for me at the cross roads and I can +pick you up." + +"Well, you can try it on, sir," Egan said doubtfully. "If you fail we +must telegraph to Scotland Yard." + +But Venner had not the slightest intention of failing. There were no +horses in the stable at Merton Grange, and consequently no helpers +loafing about the yard. There stood the big car, and on a shelf all the +necessaries for setting the machine in motion. In an incredibly short +space of time Venner had backed the Mercedes into the yard; he turned her +dexterously, and a moment later was speeding down a side avenue which led +to the Park. The good old saying that fortune favors the brave was not +belied in this instance, for Venner succeeded in reaching the high road +without mishap. It was very long odds against his theft being discovered, +at any rate, for some considerable time; and even if the car were +missing, no one could possibly identify its loss with the chase after +Blossett. It was consequently in high spirits that the trio set out on +their journey. Naturally enough Venner was curious to know what the +criminal charge would be. + +"Though I have found out a good deal," he said, "I am still utterly at a +loss to know what these fellows have been up to. Of course, I quite +understand that there is some underhand business with regard to certain +coins--but then those coins are real gold, and it would not pay anybody +to counterfeit sovereigns worth twenty shillings apiece." + +"You don't think so," Egan said, drily. "We shall be able to prove the +contrary presently. But hadn't you better wait, sir, till the critical +moment comes?" + +"Very well," Venner laughed good-naturedly. "I'll wait and see what +dramatic surprise you have in store for me." + +The powerful car sped over the roads heedless of police traps or other +troubles of that kind, and some time before the appointed hour for the +arrival of Blossett's train in London they had reached Victoria. It was +an easy matter to store the car in a neighboring hotel, and presently +they had the satisfaction of seeing Blossett swagger from a first-class +carriage with a heavy Gladstone bag in his hand. He called a cab and was +rapidly driven off in the direction of the city. Egan in his turn called +another cab, giving the driver strict injunctions to keep the first +vehicle in sight. It was a long chase, but it came to an end presently +outside an office in Walbrook. Blossett paid his man and walked slowly up +a flight of steps, carrying his bag. He paused at length before a door +which was marked "Private," and also placarded the information that here +was the business place of one Drummond, commission agent. Scarcely had +the door closed on Blossett than Egan followed without ceremony. He +motioned the other two to remain behind; he had some glib story to tell +the solitary clerk in the outer office, from whom he gleaned the +information that Mr. Drummond was engaged on some particular business and +could not see him for some time. + +"Very well," he said; "I'll wait and read the paper." + +He sat there patiently for some five minutes, his quick ears strained to +catch the faintest sound of what was taking place in the inner office. +There came presently the chink of metal, whereupon the watcher whistled +gently and his comrade and Venner entered the room. Very coolly Egan +crossed over and locked the door. + +"Now, my young friend," he said to the astonished clerk, "you will oblige +me by not making a single sound. I don't suppose for a moment you have +had anything to do with this; in fact, from your bewildered expression, I +am certain that you haven't. Now tell me how long have you been in your +present situation." + +"About three months," the clerk replied. "If you gentlemen happen to be +police officers--" + +"That is exactly what we are," Grady smiled. "Do you find business +brisk--plenty of clients about?" + +The clerk shook his head. He was understood to say that business was +inclined to be slack. He was so frightened and uneasy that it was +somewhat difficult to discern what he was talking about. From time to +time there came sounds of tinkling metal from the inner office. Then +Grady crossed the floor and opened the door. He stepped inside +nimbly, there was a sudden cry, and then the voice of the detective +broke out harshly. + +"Now drop it," he said. "Keep your hands out of your pocket--there are +three of us here altogether, and the more fuss you make the worse it will +be for both of you. You know perfectly well who I am, Blossett; and we +are old friends, too, Mr. Drummond, though I don't know you by that name. +You will come with me--" + +"But what's the charge?" Blossett blustered. "I am doing business with my +friend here quite in a legitimate way." + +"Counterfeit coining," Grady said crisply. "Oh, we know all about it, so +you need not try to bluff it out in that way. I'll call a cab, and we can +drive off comfortably to Bow Street." + +All the swaggering impudence vanished from Blossett. As for his +companion, he had not said a word from start to finish. It was about an +hour later that Venner and his companions were seated at lunch at a hotel +in Covent Garden, and Venner was impatiently waiting to hear what was the +charge which had laid Blossett and his companion by the heels. Grady +smiled as he drew from his pocket what appeared to be a brand new +sovereign. + +"This is it," he said. "A counterfeit. You wouldn't think so to look at +it, would you? It appears to be perfectly genuine. If you will balance it +on your finger you will find that it is perfect weight, and as to the +finish it leaves nothing to be desired. And yet that coin is false, +though it contains as much gold as any coin that you have in your purse." + +"Now I begin to understand," Venner exclaimed. "I have already told you +all about my discovery at the Empire Hotel, also what happened quite +recently at Merton Grange. I could not for the life of me understand what +those fellows had to gain by making sovereigns red-hot. Of course, I took +them to be real sovereigns--" + +"Well, so they are practically," Egan said. "They contain absolutely as +much gold as an English coin of equal value. They are made from the metal +Fenwick managed to loot from the Four Finger Mine." + +"What, do you know all about that?" Venner cried. + +"We know all about everything," Grady said gravely. "We have been +tracking Fenwick for years, and it is a terrible indictment we shall have +to lay against him when the proper time comes. We shall prove beyond the +shadow of a doubt that he was one of the murderers of Mr. George Le Fenu +--but we need not go into that now, for I see you are anxious to know all +about the trick of the sovereigns. After Fenwick was compelled to abandon +the Four Finger Mine, he found himself with a great deal less gold than +he had expected. Then he hit upon the ingenious scheme which we are here +to expose. His plan was to make sovereigns and half-sovereigns, and put +them on the market as genuine coins. Now do you see what he had to gain +by this ingenious programme?" + + + + +CHAPTER XXIV + +THE MOUTH OF THE NET + + +"I am afraid I am very dense," Venner said, "but I quite fail to see how +a man could make a fortune by selling for a sovereign an article that +cost him twenty shillings, to say nothing of the trouble and cost of +labor and the risk of being discovered--" + +"As a matter of fact, the risk is comparatively small," Grady said. "It +was only by a pure accident that we got on the inside track of this +matter. You see, the coins are of actual face value, they are most +beautifully made, and, indeed, would pass anywhere. Let me tell you that +every sovereign contains a certain amount of alloy which reduces its +actual value to about eighteen and threepence. Now you can see where the +profit comes in. Supposing these men turn out a couple of thousand +sovereigns a day--no very difficult matter with a plant like theirs; and, +of course, the money can be disposed of with the greatest possible ease. +This leaves a profit of a hundred and seventy-five pounds a day. When I +have said so much, I think I have told you everything. Don't you admire +the ingenuity of an idea like this?" + +It was all perfectly plain now--indeed, the mystery appeared to be +ridiculously simple now that it was explained. + +"And what are you going to do now?" Venner asked. + +Grady explained that the next step would be the arrest of Fenwick and his +gang at Merton Grange. For that purpose it would be necessary to enlist +the assistance of the local authorities. And in no case did the American +detectives purpose to effect the arrest before night. So far as Venner +was concerned, he was quite at liberty to accompany the Americans on +their errand; at the same time they let him infer that here was a +situation in which they preferred his room to his company. + +"As you will," Venner smiled. "So far as I am concerned, I am going to +get back to Canterbury as soon as I can. With all your preparations you +have an exceedingly clever man to deal with, and it is just possible that +by this time Fenwick already knows that you have laid the messenger by +the heels. Men of that sort never trust one another, and it is +exceedingly probable that Blossett has been watched." + +Grady and Egan admitted this possibility cheerfully enough. Doubtless +they had made plans which they did not care to communicate to Venner. He +left them presently, only to discover to his annoyance that he had just +missed a train to Canterbury, and that there was not another one till +nearly six o'clock. It was quite dark when he stepped out of the carriage +at Canterbury Station and stood debating whether he should walk as far as +the lodgings he had taken near Merton Grange, or call a cab. As he was +idly making up his mind, he saw to his surprise the figure of the +handsome cripple descending from the next carriage. He noted, too, that +the cripple did not seem anything like as feeble as before, though he +appeared to be glad enough to lean on the arm of a servant. At the same +moment Le Fenu was joined by Evors, who came eagerly forward and shook +him warmly by the hand. What these two were doing here, and what they had +in their minds, it was not for Venner to say. He wondered what they would +think if they knew how close he was, and how deeply interested he was in +their movements. He hung back in the shadow, for just then he did not +want to be recognised by Le Fenu. + +"What a queer tangle it all is," he said to himself. "If I spoke to Le +Fenu, he would recognise me in a moment as an old friend of his father's. +I wonder what he would say to me if he knew I was his brother-in-law +--and Evors, too. Imagine their astonishment if I walked up to them at +this moment. Still, on the whole, I think I prefer to watch their +movements. If they are going to thrust their heads into the lion's mouth, +perhaps I may be able to stand by and render some assistance." + +It was as Venner had anticipated, for presently Le Fenu and Evors +entered a cab and gave the driver directions to take them as far as +Merton Grange. Venner made up his mind that he could do no better than +follow their example. + +The cab stopped at length outside the lodge gates, where Evors and Le +Fenu alighted, and walked slowly up the drive. It was rather a painful +effort for Le Fenu, but he managed it a great deal better than Venner had +anticipated. They did not enter the house by the front door--on the +contrary, they crept round a small side entrance, beyond which they +vanished, leaving Venner standing on the grass wondering what he had +better do next. + +Meanwhile, Evors led the way down a flight of stairs till he emerged +presently in a corridor. With his companion on his arm he walked to the +little room at the end and boldly flung open the door. + +The room was empty, a thing which both of them seemed to expect, for they +smiled at one another in a significant manner, and nodded with the air of +men who are quite pleased with themselves. + +"You had better sit down," Evors said. "That walk must have tired you +terribly. I should be exceedingly sorry--" + +"You need not worry about me," Le Fenu said in a clear, hard voice. "I am +a little tired, perhaps, but I have a duty to fulfil, and the knowledge +of it has braced me wonderfully. Besides, I am so much better of late, +and I am looking eagerly forward to the time when I shall be as other +men. Now go and fetch him, and let us get the thing done. But for the +fact that he is my mother's brother I would have had no mercy on the +scoundrel. Still, the same blood flows in our veins, and I am in a +merciful mood to-night." + +Evors walked boldly out of the room and down the stairs into the +hall--then in a loud voice he called out the name of Mark Fenwick. The +dining-room door burst open and Fenwick strode out, his yellow face +blazing with passion in the light. + +"So you are back again," he said hoarsely. "You are a bold man to thrust +your head into the lion's mouth like this." + +"There are others equally bold," Evors said, coolly. "I am strong enough +and able enough to take you by that fat throat of yours and choke the +life out of you. You have a different man to deal with now--but there are +others to be considered, so I will trouble you to come along with me. The +interview had best take place in the little room at the end of the +corridor. You know the room I mean. Ah, I see you do." + +Fenwick started. It was quite plain that Evors' hint was not lost on +him. Without another word he led the way up the staircase into the +little room. He started again and half turned when he caught sight of +the white, handsome face of Le Fenu. In all probability he would have +disappeared altogether, but for the fact that Evors closed the door and +turned the key. + +Fenwick stood there, his yellow face scared and terrified. Cold as it +was, a bead of perspiration stood on his bulging forehead. He looked from +one to the other as if he anticipated violence. Le Fenu sat up in his +chair and laughed aloud. + +"You are but a sorry coward after all," he said. "You have no need to +fear us in the slightest. We shall leave the vengeance to come in the +hands of others. And now sit down--though you are not fit to take a chair +in the company of any honest men." + +"In my own house," Fenwick began feebly, "you are--" + +"We will overlook that," Le Fenu went on. "It is our turn now, and I +don't think you will find our conditions too harsh. It is not so long +ago since my friend here was a prisoner in your hands, and since you +reduced him to such a condition of mind that he had abandoned hope and +lost all desire to live. It is not so long ago, either, since you dared +to make me a prisoner in my own house for your own ends. It was +fortunate for you that I chose to live more or less alone in London and +under an assumed name. But all the time I was looking for you, all the +time I was working out my plans for your destruction. Then you found me +out--you began to see how I could be useful to you, how I could become +your miserable tool, as Mr. Evors here did. You dared not stay at your +hotel--things were not quite ripe for you to come down here. Therefore +you hit upon the ingenious idea of making me a prisoner under my own +roof. But Fate, which has been waiting for you a long time, intervened, +and I became a free man again just at the very moment when Mr. Evors +also regained his liberty. Since then we have met more than once, and +the whole tale of your villainy is now plain before me. You might have +been content with the murder of my father and the blood money you +extracted from the Four Finger Mine, but that was not enough for +you--nothing less than the extermination of our race sufficed. It was no +fault of yours that I was not killed in the so-called accident that has +made me the cripple that I am. That was all arranged by you, as I shall +be able to prove when the proper time comes. I escaped death by a +miracle, and good friends of mine hid me away beyond the reach of your +arm. Even then you had no sort of mercy, even then you were not content +with the mischief you had wrought. You must do your best to pin your +crime to Mr. Evors, though that conspiracy cost my sister Beth her +reason. Of course, you would deny all these things, and I see you are +prepared to deny them now. But it is absolutely useless to add one lie +to another, because we know full well--" + +"Stop," Fenwick cried. "What are you here for? Why do you tell me this? +A desperate man like myself--" + +"No threats," Le Fenu said, sternly. "I am simply here to warn you. God +knows what an effort it is on my part not to hand you over to your +punishment, but I cannot forget that you are a blood relation of +mine--and, therefore, I am disposed to spare you. Still, there is another +Nemesis awaiting you, which Nemesis I need not mention by name. When I +look at your left hand I feel sorry for you. Bad as you are, the terrible +fate which is yours moves me to a kind of pity." + +Le Fenu paused and glanced significantly at Fenwick's maimed hand. +The latter had nothing more to say; all his swaggering assurance had +left him--he sat huddled up in his chair, a picture of abject terror +and misery. + +"You can help me if you will," he said hoarsely. "You are speaking of +Zary. That man is no human being at all, he is no more than a +cold-blooded tiger, and yet he would do anything for you and yours. If +you asked him to spare me--" + +Fenwick broke off and covered his face with his hands. His shoulders +were heaving with convulsive sobs now, tears of self-pity ran through +his fingers. For the time being, at any rate, the man's nerve was +utterly gone. He was prepared to make any conditions to save his skin. +Agitated and broken as he was, his cunning mind was yet moving swiftly. +A little time ago, these two men would not have dared to intrude +themselves upon his presence, he had held them like prisoners in the +hollow of his hand; and now it seemed to him that they must feel their +position to be impregnable, or they would never have intruded upon him +in this bold fashion. + +"I am not the man I was," he gasped. "It is only lately that my nerve +seems to have utterly deserted me. You do not know what it is to be +fighting in the dark against a foe so cold and relentless as Felix Zary. +When the first warning came I was alarmed. The second warning frightened +me till I woke in the night with a suffocating feeling at my heart as if +I were going to die. Against the third warning I took the most elaborate +precautions; but it came all the same, and since then I have been +drinking to drown my terror. But what is the good of that?--how little +does it serve me in my sober moments? As I said just now, Zary would do +anything for your family, and if you would induce him to forego that +dreaded vengeance which hangs over me--" + +"Impossible," Le Fenu said coldly. "Zary is a fanatic, a dreamer of +dreams; he has a religion of his own which no one else in the world +understands but himself. He firmly and honestly believes that some divine +power is impelling him on, that he is merely an instrument in the hands +of the Maker of the universe. There have been other beings of the same +class in a way. Charlotte Corday believed herself to be the chosen +champion of Heaven when she stabbed the French monster in his bath. +Nothing I could say or do would turn Zary from what he believes to be his +duty. The only thing you can do is to go away and lose yourself in some +foreign country where Zary cannot follow you." + +"Impossible," Fenwick said hoarsely. "I could not get away. If the man +possesses the powers he claims he would know where to find me, even if I +hid myself in the depths of a Brazilian forest. I tell you I am doomed. I +cannot get away from the inevitable." + +Fenwick slipped from his chair and fairly grovelled in his anguish on +the floor. It was a pitiable sight, but one that moved the watchers with +contempt. They waited patiently enough for the paroxysm of terror to +pass and for Fenwick to resume something like the outer semblance of +manhood. He drew himself up at length, and wiped the tears from his +sickly yellow face. + +"I cannot think," he said. "My mind seems to have ceased to act. If +either of you have any plan I shall be grateful to hear it. It seems +almost impossible--" + +The speaker suddenly paused, for there came from below the unmistakable +sounds of high voices raised in expostulation. It occurred to Fenwick for +a moment that his subordinates were quarrelling among themselves; then +his quick ears discerned the sound of strange voices. He rose to his feet +and made in the direction of the door. A minute later a stealthy tap was +heard on the door, and a voice whispered, asking to be admitted. Evors +glanced at Le Fenu in an interrogative kind of way, as if asking for +instructions. The latter nodded, and the door opened. The man in the list +slippers staggered into the room, his red face white and quivering, his +whole aspect eloquent of fear. + +"What is it?" Fenwick whispered. "What's the trouble? Why don't you speak +out, man, instead of standing there like that?" + +The man found his voice at last, his words came thickly. + +"They are here," he said. "The men from America. You know who I mean. Get +away at once. Wait for nothing. Those two devils Egan and Grady are +downstairs in the hall." + + + + +CHAPTER XXV + +AN ACT OF CHARITY + + +Fenwick looked at the speaker as if he did not exactly comprehend what he +had said. The man's mind was apparently dazed, as if the accumulation of +his troubles had been too much for him. He passed his hand across his +forehead, striving to collect his thoughts and to find some way of facing +this new and unexpected peril. + +"Say that again," he faltered. "I don't quite understand. Surely Egan and +Grady are in New York." + +"They are both down in the hall," the man said, vehemently. "And, what's +more, they know that you are here. If you don't want to spend the night +in gaol, get away without any further delay." + +Fenwick could only look about him helplessly. It seemed to him futile to +make further effort. Turn which way he would, there was no avenue open to +him. He looked imploringly in the direction of Charles Evors. + +"I think I can manage it," the latter said. "Now, you fellow, whatever +your name is, leave the room at once and go downstairs and close the +door behind you." + +The man slunk away, and, at a sign from Le Fenu, Evors closed the door. +Evors jumped to his feet and crossed the room to where a picture was let +into the panelling. He pushed this aside and disclosed a dark opening +beyond to Fenwick's astonished gaze. The latter stared about him. + +"Now get through there," Evors said. "It is a good thing for you that I +know all the secrets of the old house. There are many panels and passages +here, for this used to be a favorite hiding-place for the fugitive +cavaliers in the time of Cromwell." + +"But where does it go to?" Fenwick stammered. + +Evors explained that the passage terminated in a bedroom a little +distance away. He went on to say that Fenwick would only have to press +his hand upon the wall and that the corresponding panel of the bedroom +would yield to his touch. + +"It is the Blue Room," he said, "in which you will find yourself +presently. Wait there and I'll see what I can do for you. I fancy that I +shall be able to convey you outside the walls of the house without +anybody being the wiser." + +Fenwick crept through the hole, and Evors pulled the panel across, +leaving the room exactly as it had been a few minutes before. He had +hardly done so when there was a sound of footsteps outside, and without +ceremony the American detectives came in. The occupants of the room had +had ample time to recover their self-possession, so that they could look +coolly at the intruders and demand to know what this outrage meant. The +Americans were clearly puzzled. + +"I am sure I beg your pardon," Egan said, "but I understand that Mr. +Fenwick is the tenant of the house." + +"That is so," Evors said. "Do you generally come into a gentleman's house +in this unceremonious fashion?" + +"Perhaps I had better explain my errand," Egan said. "We are down here +with a warrant for the apprehension of Mark Fenwick, and we know that a +little time ago he was in the house. He is wanted on a charge of stealing +certain valuables in New York, and also for manufacturing counterfeit +coins. We quite expected to find him here." + +"In that case, of course, you have perfect liberty to do as you please," +Evors said. "I may explain that I am the only son of Lord Merton, and +that I shall be pleased to do anything to help you that lies in my power. +By all means search the house." + +Grady appeared as if about to say something, but Egan checked him. It was +no time for the Americans to disclose the fact that they knew all about +the murder of Mr. George Le Fenu, and how Evors had been more or less +dragged into the business. Their main object now was to get hold of +Fenwick without delay, and take him back with them to London. + +"Very well, sir," Egan said. "We need not trouble you any further. If +our man is anywhere about the house, we are bound to find him. Come +along, Grady." + +They bustled out of the room, and presently they could be heard ranging +about the house. As the two friends discussed the situation in whispers +the door was flung open and Vera came in. Her face was aflame with +indignation--she was quivering with a strange unaccustomed passion. + +"Charles," she cried. "I hardly expected to see you here." + +"Perhaps you are equally surprised to see Evors," Le Fenu said. "We have +had an explanation--" + +"I have already met Charles," Vera said. "But he did not tell me you were +coming down here. Still, all that is beside the point. There will be +plenty of time for full explanation later on. What I have to complain of +now is an intolerable outrage on the part of Mark Fenwick. He has +actually dared to intrude himself on the privacy of my bedroom, and +despite all I can say--" + +"By Jove, this is a piece of bad luck," Evors exclaimed. "My dear Vera, I +had not the slightest idea that you were occupying the Blue Room. In +fact, I did not know that it was being used at all. I managed to send +Fenwick that way for the simple reason that there are two American +detectives downstairs with a warrant for his arrest. It was your +brother's idea to get him away--" + +"What for?" Vera asked, passionately. + +"Why should we trouble ourselves for the safety of an abandoned wretch +like that? He is the cause of all our troubles and sorrows. For the last +three years he has blighted the lives of all of us, and there is worse +than that--for, as sure as I am speaking to you now, the blood of our +dear father is upon his head." + +"Yes, and mine might have been also, but for a mere miracle," Le Fenu +said. "He tried to do away with me--he would have done away with all of +us if he had only dared. But one thing do not forget--he is our mother's +only brother." + +Vera started and bit her lips. It was easy to see that the appeal was not +lost upon her, and that she was ready now to fall in with her brother's +idea. She waited quite humbly for him to speak. + +"I am glad you understand," he said. "It would never do for us to hand +that man over to justice, richly as he deserves his sentence. And you can +help us if you will. Those men will search every room in the house, +including yours. If you are in there when they come and show a certain +amount of indignation--" + +"Oh, I quite understand," Vera responded. + +"And I will do what I can for that wretched creature." + +"What is he doing now?" Le Fenu asked. + +"He has huddled himself up in a wardrobe," Vera explained. "He seems so +paralysed with fear that I could not get anything like a coherent account +of what had happened. Anyway, I will go back to my room now. You need not +be afraid for me." + +As matters turned out, Vera had no time to spare, for she was hardly back +in her room before the detectives were at the door. She came out to them, +coldly indignant, and demanded to know what this conduct meant. As was +only natural, the Americans were profoundly regretful and almost abjectly +polite, but they had their duty to perform, and they would be glad to +know if Vera had seen anything of Mark Fenwick, for whose apprehension +they held a warrant. + +"Well," Vera said, loftily, "you don't expect to find him in here, I +suppose? Of course, if your duty carries you so far as to ransack a +lady's room, I will not prevent you." + +The absolute iciness of the whole thing profoundly impressed the +listeners. Astute as they were, it never occurred to them that the girl +was acting a part; furthermore, with their intimate knowledge of +Fenwick's past, they knew well enough that Vera had no cause to shield +the man of whom they were in search. + +"We will not trouble you," Egan stammered. "It is a mere matter of form, +and it would be absurd to suppose that our man is concealed in your room. +In all probability he received news of our coming and got away without +warning his companions. It is just the sort of thing that a man of his +type would do. We have the rest of the gang all safe, but we shall +certainly have to look elsewhere for their chief. Will you please accept +our apologies?" + +Vera waved the men aside haughtily. She was glad to turn her back upon +them, so that they could not see the expression of her face. She was +trembling violently now, for her courage had suddenly deserted her. For +some long time she stood there in the corridor, until, presently, she +heard the noise of wheels as two vehicles drove away. Then, with a great +sigh of relief, she recognised the fact that the detectives had left the +house. She opened the door of her room and called aloud to Fenwick. She +called again and again without response. + +"You can come out," she said, contemptuously. "There is no cause to fear, +for those men have gone." + +A moment later the yellow, fear-distorted face of Mark Fenwick peeped out +into the corridor. He came shambling along on tottering limbs, and his +coarse mouth twitched horribly. It seemed to Vera as if she were looking +at a mere travesty of the man who so short a time ago had been so strong +and masterful and courageous. + +"They gave me a rare fright," Fenwick said in a senile way. He seemed to +have aged twenty years in the last few minutes. "That--that--was very +cool and courageous of you, my dear. I couldn't have done any better +myself. You dear, kind girl. He advanced now and would have taken Vera's +hands in his, but she turned from him with loathing. She was wondering +which she disliked most--the cold, cruel, determined criminal, or this +miserable wreck of a man glad to lean on anyone for support. + +"Don't touch me," she said, with a shudder. "Don't thank me for anything +for I should have handed you over to those men gladly, I was ready and +willing to do so, only my brother recalled to me the fact that the same +blood runs in the veins of both of us. It was the remembrance of this +that made me lie just now, that caused me to run the risk of a criminal +charge myself. For I understand that anybody who harbors a thief for +whose arrest a warrant has been issued, runs the risk of going to gaol. +And to think that Le Fenu should do a thing of that kind for such a +creature as yourself--it is too amazing." + +"I suppose it is, my dear," Fenwick said in the same carneying voice. "I +never expected to find myself shielded behind a woman. But I have lost +all my nerve lately, and the more I drink to drown my troubles, the worse +I get. But you must not think too badly of me, for I am not so black as +I am painted." + +"Could you be any blacker?" Vera asked. "Could any human being have +descended lower than you have descended? I think not. You imagine because +I threw in my lot with you three years ago that I knew nothing of your +crimes. As a matter of fact, I knew everything. I knew how you had +shifted the responsibility of that dastardly murder on to the shoulders +of the man who is in love with my sister Beth. It was for her sake that I +pretended ignorance, for her sake that I came with you to try to get to +the bottom of your designs. What I have endured in the time nobody but +myself can know. But it has all come out now, and here am I to-day trying +to shield you from the very vengeance that I have been plotting for you +all this time. Oh, don't say anything, don't deny it, don't add more +useless lies to the catalogue of your vices. Go now. Let us see the last +of you, and never intrude upon us again." + +All this outburst of indignation had apparently been wasted on Fenwick +for he did not appear to be listening at all. He had enough troubles of +his own, and, despite the fact that his nerve had failed him, it was no +feeling of remorse that left him stricken and trembling and broken down +before Vera's scornful eyes. He could only whine and protest that he was +absolutely helpless. + +"But what can I do?" he murmured, with tears in his eyes. "I am not so +young as I was, indeed I am much older than people take me for. I have no +money and no friends, there is not a place I can go to. Don't turn me +out--let me stay here, where I shall be safe." + +"It is impossible," Vera said, coldly. "We have done enough, and more +than enough for you. Now come this way, and I will hand you over to +my brother and Mr. Evors. They are cleverer than I am, and may be +able to devise some means for getting you out of the country. Why +don't you come?" + +"I can't," Fenwick almost sobbed. "There is something in my limbs that +renders them powerless. If you will give me your arm, I daresay I shall +be able to get as far as the little room." + +The touch of the man was pollution, yet Vera bravely endured it. She +could hear the excited servants talking in whispers downstairs, and one +of them might appear at any moment. It would be far better for the +domestic staff to assume that the culprit had vanished, otherwise their +gossip would assuredly bring the detectives back again without delay. +Vera was glad enough when her task was finished and the trembling form of +Mark Fenwick was lowered into a seat. The cunning look was still in his +eyes; the born criminal would never get rid of that expression, though +for the rest he was an object now more for pity than fear. + +"It is very good of you," he said. "It is far better than I deserve. You +will say I can't stay here--" + +"That is absolutely certain," Le Fenu said, coldly. "Most assuredly you +can't remain here. You may remain for the night, and Mr. Evors and myself +will try and think of a plan between us." + +"And Zary," Fenwick whispered. The mention of that dreaded name set him +trembling again. "Keep me away from Zary. I am afraid of a good many +things, but the mere mention of that man's name stops my heart beating +and suffocates me." + +"You had better go away," Le Fenu said to Vera, "and leave the wretched +creature to us. There will be no trouble in hiding him here for a bit. +There are two rooms here that nobody knows anything about except Evors +and his father." + +Vera was only too glad to get away into the open air, glad to feel that +at last this nerve-destroying mystery was coming to an end. She wanted to +see Venner, too, and tell him all that had happened. In all probability +he was waiting at the accustomed spot. With a light heart and a feeling +of youthfulness upon her that she had not felt for some time, she set out +on her journey. + + + + +CHAPTER XXVI + +THE LAST FINGER + + +In the ordinary course of things, and but for the dramatic events of the +evening, it would have been about the time of night when dinner was +finished and the house-party had gathered in the drawing-room. It had +been somewhere about seven when the Americans reached Merton Grange, and +now it was getting towards nine. It was not exactly the temperature at +which one enjoys an evening stroll, but the recent events had been so +exciting that Vera felt how impossible it would be to settle down to +anything within the limits of the house. There was a moon, too, which +made all the difference in the world. As Vera walked along, she almost +smiled to herself to think how strange her conduct might look in the +eyes of those formal people whose lives run in conventional channels. +She told herself more than once that it would be absurd to hope to see +Gerald at this time of night, but all the same she continued her journey +across the park. + +She had not so far to go as she expected, for presently she could see the +glow of a cigar in the distance, and Venner came up. A little joyful cry +came from Vera. + +"This is very fortunate," she said. "How lucky it is that I should run +against you in this fashion." + +"Well, I was flattering myself that you came on purpose," Venner said. +"And, after all, it is not so very lucky, seeing that I have been hanging +about this house on the chance of seeing you since it became dark. But +you look rather more disturbed and anxious than usual. My dear girl, I do +hope and trust that there are no new complications. I shall really have +to take you by force and carry you out of the country. Why should we have +to go on living this miserable kind of existence when we can take our +happiness in both hands and enjoy it? Now don't tell me that something +fresh has occurred which will keep us apart, for another year or two? By +the way, have you had any visitors to-night?" + +"What do you know about them?" Vera asked. "Have you found out anything +about Mr. Fenwick?" + +"Well, I should say so," Venner said, drily. "I have absolutely got to +the bottom of that mysterious coin business. In fact, I accompanied Egan +and Grady to London, and I was with them when they arrested that awful +creature, Blossett. Egan and Grady are old friends of mine, and I told +them all about the strange coins and how you literally burnt your fingers +over them. They were coming down here to arrest Fenwick, and I offered to +accompany them; but they declined my offer, so I returned here alone, and +have been hanging about the house, curious to know what had taken place. +Have they bagged our friend Fenwick yet?" + +"It is about Mr. Fenwick that I wish to speak to you," Vera replied. "Mr. +Evors is down here. By the way, I don't know whether you are aware of the +fact that he is the son of Lord Merton." + +"Perhaps you had better tell me the story," Venner said. + +"I am coming to that presently. Mr. Evors is down here; he is the man who +is engaged to my sister Beth." + +Venner whistled softly to himself. At any rate, he knew all about that, +for his mind went swiftly back to the series of dramatic events which had +taken place some time previously in the house in Portsmouth Square. He +recollected now the white-faced young man who had broken away from his +captors and joined Le Fenu, otherwise Bates, in the drawing-room. He +recollected the joy and delight of the girl, and how she had clung to the +stranger as if he had come back to her from the other side of the grave. + +"There will be a great many things to be explained between us, +presently," he said, gravely. "But for the present, I want to know all +about Fenwick. Where is he now?" + +"He is hiding up at the house. I believe they have put him into a secret +room, the whereabouts of which is known only to Charles Evors. Of course, +he will not stay." + +"But why shield such a blackguard at all?" Venner asked. "Surely, after +all the trouble he has caused you--" + +"You must not forget that he is our own flesh and blood," Vera said, +quietly. "I had almost ignored the fact--I am afraid I should have +ignored it altogether had not my brother taken a strong view of the +matter. At any rate, there he is, and we are in a conspiracy to get him +safely out of the country. For the present the man is utterly broken down +and absolutely incapable of taking care of himself. I want you to do me a +favor, Gerald. I want you to take a hand in this business. While the +police are still hot upon the track it would not be prudent for Mr. Evors +or my brother to be too much in evidence just now." + +"My dearest girl, I would do anything in the world for you," Venner +cried. "And if I am to take that sorry old rascal out of the country and +get rid of him altogether, I will do so with pleasure and never count the +cost. If I could see your brother--" + +"Then why not come and see him now?" Vera said. "You will have to meet +sooner or later, and there could be no better opportunity for an +explanation." + +To Le Fenu and Evors smoking in the dining-room came Vera and Venner. Le +Fenu looked up with a sort of mild surprise and perhaps just a suspicion +of mistrust in his eyes. + +"Whom have we here, Vera?" he said. + +"This is Mr. Gerald Venner," Vera said. "You know him perfectly well by +name--he was with us, on and off, for a considerable time before our poor +father died. Father had a great regard for him, and I hope you will have +the same, for a reason which I am just going to mention." + +"I am sure I am very pleased to meet you," Le Fenu said, politely. "This +is my friend, Mr. Charles Evors, the only son of the owner of the house. +When I come to look at you, Mr. Venner, I confess that your appearance +pleases me, but I have had to deal with so many suspicious characters +lately that really--" + +"Don't apologise," Venner laughed. "You will have to make the best of +me. I came here to-night with Vera to have a thorough explanation of +certain matters." + +"Oh, indeed," Le Fenu responded with uplifted brows. "My sister and you +appear to be on very familiar terms--" + +"It is only natural," Vera laughed. A vivid blush flooded her face. +"Charles, Mr. Venner is my husband." + +"I am not in the least surprised to hear it," Le Fenu said. "In fact, I +am not surprised at anything. I have quite outgrown all emotions of that +kind, but perhaps you will be good enough to tell me how this came +about, and why I have not heard it before. As your brother, I am +entitled to know." + +"Of course, you are. It was just after our father died that I promised +myself to Gerald. I had my own ideas why the marriage should be kept a +secret. You see, I had more or less thrown in my lot with my uncle, Mark +Fenwick, because I had determined to get to the bottom of the business of +our father's death. I felt certain that Charles here had nothing to do +with it; though, owing to his folly and weakness, he played directly into +the hands of the man who was really responsible for the crime." + +"We all know who is responsible for the crime," Le Fenu said. "There is +no necessity to mention his name." + +"Oh, I know that," Vera went on. "The explanation I am making now is more +to my husband than either of you. He has been goodness and kindness +itself, and he is entitled to know everything. It was within a few +minutes of my being married that I learned something of the dreadful +truth. I learned that Fenwick had conspired to throw the blame of the +tragedy upon Charles Evors. I found out what an effect this conspiracy +had had on our poor Beth. There and then I came to a great resolution. I +wrote to my husband and told him that in all probability I could never +see him again--at any rate, I could not see him for a long space of time. +I implored him to trust me in spite of all appearances, and he did so. +Now he knows the reason why I acted so strangely. I can see that he has a +thousand questions to ask me, but I hope that he will refrain from doing +so at present. The thing that troubles me now is what has become of poor +little Beth." + +"Oh, she is all right enough," Le Fenu said. "I thought of that before I +came down. I have left her in the safe hands of the very clever doctor +who has my case under his charge, and Beth is with his family. We can +have her down here to-morrow if you like." + +"Nothing would please me better," Vera said, fervently. "And now, I want +to know if you have done anything or formed any plan for getting rid of +Mark Fenwick. I shall not be able to breathe here until he is gone." + +Le Fenu explained that they had come to no conclusion at present. He was +quite alive to the fact that delay was dangerous, seeing that Lord +Merton's agents would have to communicate with him by telegram, and that +the owner of the house might be back again at any moment. Therefore, it +was absolutely necessary that something should be done in the matter of +Mark Fenwick without loss of time. Vera indicated her companion. + +"That is why I brought Gerald here," she said. + +"I thought he might he able to help us. He knows all sorts and +conditions of people, and it is probable that he may be able to find an +asylum in London where the wretched man upstairs can hide till it is +quite safe to get him out of the way." + +"I think I can manage that part of the programme," Venner said. "There is +an old servant of mine living down Poplar way with his wife who will do +anything I ask him. The man has accompanied me all over the world, and he +is exceedingly handy in every way. Those people would take a lodger to +oblige me, and when you come to think of it, Poplar is not at all a bad +place for anybody who wants to get out of the country without being +observed. It is close to the river, and all sorts of craft are constantly +going up and down. What do you think of the idea?" + +"Excellent," Evors cried. "Couldn't be better. Do you think those people +would mind if you looked them up very late to-night?" + +"Not in the least," Venner said. "There is only one drawback, and that is +the danger of traveling." + +Le Fenu suggested that the difficulty could be easily overcome by the use +of Fenwick's motor, which, fortunately, the detectives had brought back +with them when they came in search of the culprit. It was an easy matter +to rig Fenwick up in something suggestive of a feminine garb and smuggle +him out into the grounds, and thence to the stable, where the motor was +waiting. Fenwick came downstairs presently, a pitiable object. His mind +still seemed wandering; but he braced himself up and became a little more +like his old self when the plan of action was explained to him. Vera drew +a deep breath of relief when once the man was outside the house. + +"Thank God, we shall never see him again," she said, fervently. "And now, +I believe I could eat something. It is the first time that the idea of +food has been pleasant to me for days." + +Meanwhile, Venner and Fenwick were speeding along in the car towards +London. Perhaps it was the knowledge that safety lay before him, perhaps +it was the exhilaration caused by the swift motion of the car, but +Fenwick became more and more like himself as they began to near the +Metropolis. + +"This is very kind of you," he said, "considering you are a stranger to +me. If you only knew my unfortunate story--" + +"I know your story perfectly," Venner said, coldly. "You see, I had the +pleasure of the friendship of the late Mr. George Le Fenu, and Mr. Evors +and the younger Mr. Le Fenu are also known to me. Not to be behindhand in +exchanging confidence for confidence, I may also say that your niece, +Vera, is my wife." + +Fenwick said no more, for which Venner was profoundly grateful. They came +at length to the little house in Poplar, where Fenwick was smuggled in, +and a certain part of the story confided to a seafaring man and his +comfortable, motherly wife, who professed themselves ready and willing to +do anything that Venner asked them. + +"Give him a sitting-room and a bedroom," Venner said; "and take this +ten-pound note and buy him a rough workman's wardrobe in the morning as +if you were purchasing it for yourself. Let him lie low here for a day or +two, and I will write you instructions. As to myself, I must get back to +Canterbury without delay." + +Trembling with a sort of fearful joy, Fenwick found himself presently in +a comfortable sitting-room at the back of the house. He noted the +cleanliness of the place, and his heart lightened within him. Something +of his own stern self-reliant courage was coming back to him; his busy +mind began to plan for the future. Presently he was conscious of a +healthy desire to eat and drink. In response to his ring, the landlady +informed him that she had some cold meat in the house, and that it was +not yet too late to send out for some wine if he desired it. + +"Very well," Fenwick said in high good-humor. "Give me the cold meat, and +ask your husband to get me a bottle of brandy. I shall feel all the +better for a thorough wash, and don't be long, my good woman, for I have +never been so hungry in my life as I am now." + +Fenwick returned to the sitting-room a few minutes later to find a decent +meal spread out for him. There was cheese and butter and some cold meat +under a metal cover. A bottle of brandy stood by the side of Fenwick's +plate, with a syphon of soda-water. He took a hearty pull of the mixture. +The generous spirit glowed in his veins. He would cheat the world yet. + +"And now for the food," he said. "I trust it is beef. Nothing like beef +on occasions like this. Also--" + +He raised the cover from a dish. Then he jumped to his feet with a +snarling oath. He could only stand there trembling in every limb, with a +fascinated gaze on the dish before him. + +"God help me," he whispered. "There is no getting away from it. The last +warning--the fourth finger!" + + + + +CHAPTER XXVII + +NEMESIS + + +For a long space of time Fenwick stood there, his head buried in his +hands. All the way through, he had never been able to disguise from +himself the feeling that, sooner or later, this dread thing must happen. +Years ago he had taken his life in his hands in exploring the recesses of +the Four Finger Mine; he had more or less known what he had to expect, +for the mine had been a sacred thing, almost a part of the religion of +the diminishing tribe which had imparted the secret to Le Fenu, and any +intruder was bound to suffer. So far as Fenwick knew, the last survivor +of this tribe was Felix Zary. Leaving out of account altogether the +latter's religious fanaticism, he had been deeply and sincerely attached +to the family of Le Fenu, and now he was playing the part of the avenging +genius. All these things came back to Fenwick as he sat there. + +He knew full well the character of the man he had to deal with; he knew +how clever and resourceful Felix Zary was. Hitherto, he had scorned the +suggestion that there was some mysterious magic behind Zary's movements, +but now he did not know what to think. All he knew was that he was +doomed, and that all the police in the Metropolis could not shield him +from the reach of Zary's long arm. + +And here, indeed, was proof positive of the fact. Two hours before, +nobody, not even Fenwick himself, knew that he would spend the night at +the little house in Poplar. And here was Zary already upon his track, +almost before he had started on the long journey which was intended to +lead to the path of safety. Fenwick never troubled to think what had +become of the meal prepared for him, or how the extraordinary change had +been brought about. Gradually, as he sat there, something like strength +and courage came back to him. Come what might, he would not yield, he +would not surrender himself into the hands of the foe without a struggle. +He replaced the cover on the dish, and rang the bell for his landlady. +She came in a moment later, comfortable and smiling, the very picture of +respectable middle-age. As Fenwick glanced at her, he at once acquitted +her of any connection with his final warning. + +"I am sorry to trouble you," he said, "but I should like to know if you +have any other lodgers. You see, I am rather a bad sleeper, suffering a +great deal from nightmare, and I should not like to alarm your other +lodgers in the middle of the night." + +"Lord bless you, sir," the woman said, "we haven't any lodgers at all. We +don't need to take them, seeing that my man is comfortably fixed. Of +course, we are pleased to do anything we can for you, but we shouldn't +have had you here at all if it hadn't been to please Mr. Venner. We'd do +anything for him." + +"No doubt," Fenwick said, hastily. "I suppose your husband sees a good +many of his old friends occasionally?" + +"No, he doesn't," the woman replied. "I don't suppose we have had anybody +in the house except yourself for the last two months. I hope you have +enjoyed your supper, sir?" + +"Oh, yes," Fenwick stammered. "I finished all the meat. There is one +thing more I should like to ask you. I may have to go out presently, late +as it is. Do you happen to have such a thing as a latchkey? If you +haven't, the key of the front door will do." + +The latchkey was forthcoming, and presently Fenwick heard his landlord +and his wife going upstairs to bed. He did not feel comfortable until he +had crept all over the house and seen that everything was made secure. +Then he sat down to think the matter out. Twice he helped himself +liberally to brandy, a third time his hand went mechanically to the +bottle--then he drew back. + +"I mustn't have any more of that," he said. "It would be simply playing +into the hands of the fiend who is pursuing me." + +With a resolution that cost him an effort, Fenwick locked the brandy +away in a cupboard and threw the key out of the window. In his present +state of mind he dared not trust himself too far. Partially divesting +himself of his clothing he drew from about his waist a soft leather belt +containing pockets, and from these pockets he produced a large amount of +gold coins and a packet of banknotes. Altogether there were some hundreds +of pounds, and Fenwick congratulated himself on the foresight which had +led him to adopt this plan in case necessity demanded it. He had enough +and more than enough to take him to the other side of the world, if only +he could manage to get rid of Felix Zary. + +His mind was made up at length; he would creep out of the house in the +dead of the night and make his way down to the Docks. At every hour ships +of various size and tonnage put out of the port of London, and, no doubt, +the skipper of one of these for a consideration would take him wherever +he wanted to go; and Fenwick knew, moreover, that there were scores of +public-houses along the side of the river which are practically never +closed, and which are run entirely for the benefit of seafaring men. It +would be easy to make inquiries at some of these and discover what +vessels were leaving by the next tide, and a bargain could be struck +immediately, go far as Fen wick was concerned, he inclined towards a +sailing ship bound for the Argentine. His spirits rose slightly at the +prospect before him; his step was fairly light and buoyant as he +proceeded in the direction of his bedroom. There was no light in the +room, so that he had to fumble about in his pockets for a box of matches +which fell from his fingers and dropped on to the floor. + +"Confound it," Fenwick muttered. "Where are they?" + +"Don't trouble," a calm, quiet voice said out of the darkness. "I have +matches, with which I will proceed to light the gas." + +Fenwick could have cried aloud, had he been physically able to do so. +There was no reason for a light to be struck or the gas to be lighted so +that he might see the face of the speaker. Indeed, he recognised the +voice far too well for that. A moment later, he was gazing at the +impassive face of Felix Zary. + +"You did not expect to see me," the latter said. "You were under the +impression that you were going to get away from me. Never did man make a +greater mistake. It matters little what you do, it will matter nothing to +you or anybody else in twelve hours from now. Do you realise the fact +that you have but that time to live? Do you understand that?" + +"You would murder me?" Fenwick said hoarsely. + +"You may calm yourself on that score. You are unarmed, and I have not so +much as a pocket knife in my possession. I shall not lay a hand upon +you--I shall not peril my soul for the sake of a creature like you. There +are other ways and other methods of which you know nothing." + +"How did you get here?" Fenwick asked hoarsely. "How did you put that +dreadful thing on my table?" + +Zary smiled in a strange, bland fashion. He could have told Fenwick +prosaically what a man with a grasp like his could do in connection with +a water pipe. He could have told, also, how he had dogged and watched his +victim within the last few hours, with the pertinacity of a bloodhound. +But Zary could see how Fenwick was shaken and dazed by some terrible +thing which he could not understand. It was no cue of Zary's to enlighten +the miserable man opposite. + +"There are things utterly beyond your comprehension," he said, calmly. +"If you look back to the past you will remember how we laid our mark upon +the man who stole the Four Finger Mine. That man, I need not say, was +yourself. To gain your ends you did not scruple to take the life of your +greatest friend, the greatest benefactor you ever had. You thought the +thing out carefully. You devised a cunning scheme whereby you might +become rich and powerful at the expense of George Le Fenu, and scarcely +was the earth dry upon his coffin before your warnings came. You knew +the legend of the Four Finger Mine, and you elected to defy it. A week +went by, a week during which you took the gold from the mine, and all +seemed well with you. Then you woke one morning to find that in the night +you had lost your forefinger without the slightest pain and with very +little loss of blood. That was the first sign of the vengeance of the +genius of the mine. Shaken and frightened as you were, you hardened your +heart, like Pharaoh of old, and determined to continue. Another week +passed, and yet another finger vanished in the same mysterious fashion. +Still, you decided to stand the test, and your third warning came. With +the fourth warning, your nerves utterly gave way, and you fled from the +mine with less ill-gotten gain than you had expected. It matters nothing +to me what followed afterwards, but you will admit that at the present +moment you have not benefitted much by your crime. I have nothing more to +say to you. I only came here tonight just to prove to you how impossible +it is for you to hide from the vengeance of the mine. In your last bitter +moments I want you to think of my words and realise--" + +As Zary spoke he moved across the room in the direction of the gas +bracket; he laid his hand upon the tap, and a moment later the room was +in darkness. There was a sound like the sliding of a window, followed by +a sudden rush of cold air, and by the time that Fenwick had found his +matches and lighted the gas again there was not so much as a trace of +Zary to be seen. + +"I wish I hadn't thrown away the key of that cupboard," Fenwick said, +hoarsely. "I would give half I possess for one drop of brandy now. Still, +I won't give in, I won't be beaten by that fellow. At any rate, he can't +possibly know what I intend to do. He could not know that I shall be on +board a vessel before morning." + +Half an hour later, Fenwick left the house and made his way straight to +the Docks. At a public-house in the vicinity he obtained the brandy that +he needed so badly, and felt a little stiffened and braced up by the +spirit. He found presently the thing he wanted, in the shape of a large +barque bound for the River Plate. The skipper, a burly-looking man with +an enormous black beard, was uproariously drunk, but not quite so +intoxicated that he could not see the business side of a bargain. + +"Oh, you want to go out with me, mister?" he said. "Well, that's +easily enough managed. We've got no passengers on board, and you'll +have to rough it with the rest of us. I don't mind taking you on for +fifty pounds." + +"That's a lot of money," Fenwick protested. + +The black-bearded skipper winked solemnly at the speaker. + +"There's always a risk in dealing with stolen goods," he said. "Besides +fifty pounds isn't much for a man who wants to get out of the country as +badly as I see you do, and once I have passed my word to do it, I'll see +you safe through, and so will my crew, or I'll know the reason why. Now, +my yellow pal, fork out that money, and in half an hour you'll be as safe +as if you were on the other side of the herring-pond and not a policeman +in London will know where to find you. Now, is it a bargain or not?" + +Fenwick made no further demur; he accepted the conditions there and then. +There was nothing to be gained by affecting to pose as an honest man, and +he was a little frightened to find how easily this drunken ruffian had +spotted him for a fugitive from justice. + +"I can't give you the money just now," he whispered. "I've got it +concealed about me, and to produce a lot of cash in a mixed company like +this would be too dangerous." + +The skipper nodded, and proposed further refreshment. Fenwick agreed +eagerly enough; he was feeling desperate now, and he did not seem to care +much what happened to him. He could afford to place himself entirely in +the hands of the black-bearded skipper, who would look after him closely +for his own sake. After all said and done, he had no cause to doubt the +honesty of the seaman, who appeared to be fairly popular with his +companions and well-known in the neighborhood. It was the best part of an +hour before the commander of the barque staggered to his feet and +announced in an incoherent voice that it was time to get aboard. +Presently they were straggling down to the dock, Fenwick propping up his +companion and wondering if the latter was sober enough to find his way to +his ship. It was very dark; a thin rain had begun to fall, and the waters +of the river were ruffled by an easterly breeze. The skipper stumbled +down a flight of steps and into a roomy boat, which was prevented from +capsizing by something like a miracle. Presently they came alongside the +black hull of a vessel, and Fenwick found himself climbing up a greasy +ladder on to a dirty deck, where two seamen were passing the time playing +a game of cards. Down below, the skipper indicated a stuffy little bunk +leading out of his own cabin, which he informed Fenwick would be placed +at his disposal for the voyage. + +"If you don't mind I'll turn in now," the latter said. "I'm dead tired +and worn out. My nerves are all jumping like red hot wires. Do you think +I shall be safe here?" + +"Safe as houses!" the skipper said. "And, besides, we shall be dropping +down the river in about an hour." + +Just as he was, Fenwick rolled into the bunk, and in a moment was fast +asleep. When he came to himself again, the vessel was pitching and +rolling; he could hear the rattling creak of blocks and rigging; there +was a sweeter and fresher atmosphere in the little cabin. A sense of +elation possessed the fugitive. It seemed to him that he was absolutely +safe at last. The skipper had evidently gone on deck after having +finished his breakfast, for the plates lay about the table and some tepid +coffee in a tin had apparently been left for the use of the passenger. + +"I don't think much of this," Fenwick muttered. "Still I daresay I can +better it if I pay for it. I'll go on deck presently and see what the +black-bearded pirate has to say. At any rate, I am absolutely safe now, +and can afford to laugh at the threats of Felix Zary. If that man +thinks--" + +Fenwick paused, and the knife and fork he was holding over the cold bacon +fell from his hands. It was too cruel, the irony of Fate too bitter, for +there, just in front of him, propped up by the sugar basin, was a cabinet +photograph of the very man who was uppermost in his thoughts. It was +Felix Zary to the life; the same calm, philosophic features, the same +great round eyes like those of a Persian cat. It all came back to Fenwick +now, the whole horror of the situation. His head whirled, and spots +seemed to dance before his eyes; a string snapped somewhere in his brain. +Zary was behind him, he thought, close behind him like an avenging fury. + +With a horrid scream, Fenwick tumbled up the stairs on to the slippery +deck. All round him was a wild waste of white waters. The ship heeled +over as Fenwick darted to the side.... + + + + +CHAPTER XXVIII + +EXPLANATIONS + + +Night was beginning to fight with morning by the time that Venner +returned to Merton Grange. There was no one to be seen; the house was in +total darkness, so that Venner placed the motor in the stable and +returned to his own rooms. On the whole, he was disposed to congratulate +himself upon the result of his night's work. It mattered very little to +himself or anybody else what became of Fenwick, now he was once out of +the way. He was never likely to trouble them again, and as far as Venner +could see, he was now in a position openly to claim his wife before all +the world. + +Despite his feeling of happiness, Venner slept but badly, and a little +after ten o'clock the next morning found him back at Merton Grange. Evors +greeted him cordially, with the information that he alone was up as yet, +and that the others had doubtless taken advantage of the opportunity to +get a good night's rest. + +"And you will see, my dear fellow," he said, "how necessary such a thing +is. Goodness knows how long it is since I went to bed with my mind +absolutely at rest. The same remark applies with equal force to Miss Le +Fenu--I mean your wife." + +"I can quite understand that," Venner said. "It has been much the same +with me, though I must confess that I was so happy last night that I +could not sleep at all. By the way, have you any information as to your +father's movements? He probably knows by this time that his house has +been given over to a gang of swindlers." + +"He does," Evors said. "I have had a telegram from him this morning to +say that he will be home some time in the course of the day; and, to tell +the truth, I am looking forward with some dread to meeting my father. But +I think I shall be able to convince him now that I am in earnest and that +I am anxious to settle down in the old place and take my share in the +working of the estate. When my father sees Beth and knows her story, I am +sanguine that he will give us a welcome, and that my adventures will be +over. I want him to meet Beth down here, and last night after you had +gone, and we were talking matters over, Vera promised to go up to town +to-day and fetch her sister. By the way, what has become of your +friend--Gurdon, I think his name is? I mean the fellow who very nearly +lost his life the night he fell down the cellar trap and found himself +landed in the house in Portsmouth Square." + +"Oh, Gurdon's all right," Venner laughed. + +"I hope you will have the chance of making his acquaintance in the +course of the day. You seem to have been in Charles Le Fenu's +confidence for some time--tell me, why all that mystery about the house +in Portsmouth Square? Of course, I don't mean Le Fenu's reason for +calling himself Bates, and all that kind of thing, because that was +perfectly obvious. Under the name of Bates he was lying low and +maturing his plans for crushing Fenwick. As a matter of fact, Fenwick +was almost too much for him. Indeed, he would have been if Gurdon and +myself had not interfered and given both of you a chance to escape. It +was a very neat idea of Fenwick's to kidnap a man and keep him a +prisoner in his own house." + +"Yes," Evors said. "And he used his own house for illegal purposes. But +before I answer your question, let me ask you one. Why was Gurdon +prowling about Portsmouth Square that night?" + +"That is quite easily explained," Venner replied. "I sent him. To go back +to the beginning of things, I have to revert to the night when I first +saw Mark Fenwick at the Great Empire Hotel, posing as a millionaire, and +having for company a girl who passed as his daughter. Seeing that this +pseudo Miss Fenwick was my own wife, you can imagine how interested I +was. She has already told in your hearing the reason why she left me on +our wedding day, and if I am satisfied with those reasons it is nothing +to do with anybody. As a matter of fact, I am satisfied with them, and +there is no more to be said; but when I ran against Vera again at the +hotel I knew nothing of past events, and I made an effort to find out the +cause of her apparently strange conduct. In a way, she was fighting +against me; she would tell me nothing, and I had to find out everything +for myself. On the night in question I sent Gurdon to Portsmouth Square, +and he had the misfortune to betray himself." + +"It nearly ended in his death," Evors said, soberly. "Charles Le Fenu +was very bitter just about that time. You can quite understand how it +was that he mistook Gurdon for one of Fenwick's spies. But why did he +go there?" + +"He followed my wife, and there you have the simple explanation of the +whole thing. But you have not yet told me why those two or three rooms +were furnished in the empty house." + +"Who told you about that?" Evors asked. + +"What a chap you are to ask questions! We got into the empty house after +the so-called Bates was supposed to have been kidnapped, and to our +surprise we found that all that fine furniture had vanished. There was no +litter of straw or sign of removal outside, so we came to the conclusion +that it had been conveyed from one house to the other. After a good deal +of trouble, we lit upon a moveable panel, and by means of it entered the +house where you and Le Fenu were practically prisoners. We were on the +premises when you managed to get the better of that man in the carpet +slippers and his companion; we heard all that took place in the +drawing-room between Fenwick and Beth and Le Fenu. In fact, we aided and +abetted in getting the police into the house. You will recollect how +cleverly Le Fenu managed the rest, and how he and you got away from the +house without causing any scandal. That was very smartly done. But come, +are you going to tell me the story of the empty house, and why it was +partly furnished?" + +"I think I can come to that now," Evors said. "The whole thing was born +in the ingenious brain of Felix Zary. He was going to lay some sort of +trap for Fenwick, but we shall never know what it was now, because Fate +has disposed of Fenwick in some other way. Now, won't you sit down and +have some breakfast with me?" + +At the same moment Vera came in. Familiar as her features were and well +as Venner knew her, there was a brightness and sweetness about her now +that he had never noticed before. The cloud seemed to have lifted from +her face; her eyes were no longer sad and sombre--they were beaming with +happiness. + +"I am so glad you have come," she said. "We want you to know all that +happened last night after you had gone." + +Venner explained that he knew pretty well all that had taken place, as +he had been having it all out with Evors. What he wanted now was to get +Vera to himself, and presently he had his way. + +"We are going for a long walk," he said, "where I have something serious +to say to you. Now that you have no longer any troubles on your +shoulders, I can be very firm with you--" + +"Not just yet," Vera laughed. "Later on you can be as firm as you like, +and we are not going for a long walk either. We shall just have time to +get to the station and catch the 11.15 to Victoria. I am going up to +London to-day to bring Beth down here. I think the change will do her +good. Of course, we can't remain in the house, so I have taken rooms for +the three of us at a farm close by. When Beth has had everything +explained to her and knows that the man she loves is free, you will see a +change for the better in the poor child. There is nothing really the +matter with her mind, and when she realises her happiness she will soon +be as well as any of us. You will come with me to London, Gerald?" + +"My dearest girl, of course I will," Venner said. "I will do anything you +like. Let us get these things pushed through as speedily as possible, so +that we can start on our honeymoon, which has been delayed for a trifling +matter of three years, and you cannot say that I have been unduly +impatient." + +Vera raised herself on her toes and threw her arms round her husband's +neck. She kissed him twice. There were tears in her eyes, but there was +nothing but happiness behind the tears, as Venner did not fail to notice. + +"You have been more than good," she whispered. "Ah, if you only knew how +I have missed you, how terrified I was lest you should take me at my word +and abandon me to my fate, as you had every right to do. And yet, all the +time, I had a curious feeling that you trusted me, though I dared not +communicate with you and tell you where you could send me so much as a +single line. I was fearful lest a passionate appeal from you should turn +me from my purpose. You see, I had pledged myself to fight the battle for +Beth and her lover, and for the best part of three years I did so. And +the strangest part of it all is that you, my husband, from whom I +concealed everything, should be the very one who eventually struck +straight to the heart of the mystery." + +"Yes, that's all right enough," Venner smiled, "but why could not you +have confided in me in the first instance? Do you think that I should +have refused to throw myself heart and soul into the affair and do my +best to help those who were dear to you?" + +"I suppose I lost my head," Vera murmured. "But do not let us waste too +much time regretting the last three years; and do not let us waste too +much time at all, or we shall lose our train." + +"That is bringing one back to earth with a vengeance," Venner laughed. +"But come along and let us get all the business over, and we can look +eagerly forward to the pleasure of afterwards." + +It was all done at length--the long explanation was made in the West End +doctor's drawing-room, and at length Beth seemed to understand the +complicated story that was told her. She listened very carefully, her +questions were well chosen; then she flung herself face downwards on the +couch where she was seated and burst into a passion of weeping. Vera +held her head tenderly, and made a sign to Venner that he should leave +them together. + +"This is the best thing that could happen," she whispered. "If you will +come back in an hour's time you will see an entirely different girl. +Don't speak to her now." + +It was exactly as Vera had predicted, for when Venner returned presently +to the drawing-room, he found a bright, alert little figure clad in furs +and eager for her journey. She danced across the room to Venner and held +up her lips for him to kiss them. + +"I understand it all now," she cried. "Vera has told me absolutely +everything. How good and noble it was of her to sacrifice her happiness +for the sake of Charles and myself, and how wicked I must have been ever +to think that Charles could have been guilty of that dreadful crime. Ever +since then there has been a kind of cloud over my mind, a certain sense +of oppression that made everything dim before my eyes. I could not feel, +I could not even shed a tear. I seemed to be all numb and frozen, and +when the tears came just now, all the ice melted away and I became myself +again. Don't you think I look quite different?" + +"I think you look as if you would be all the better for a lot of care and +fussing," Venner said. "You want to go to some warm spot and be petted +like a child. Now let us go and say good-bye to these good friends of +yours and get down to Canterbury. There is somebody waiting for you there +who will bring back the roses to your pale cheeks a great deal better +than I can." + +"Isn't Mr. Gurdon coming with us?" Vera asked. + +"He can't" Venner explained. "I've just been telephoning to him, and he +says that he can't come down till the last train. He will just look in +presently after dinner--he is sharing my rooms with me. But hadn't we +better get along?" + +Canterbury was reached at length, and then Merton Grange, where Le Fenu +and Evors were waiting in the portico. Lord Merton had not yet arrived: +indeed, Evors explained that it was very uncertain whether he would get +there that night or not. + +"Not that it makes much difference," he said, eagerly. "Of course, you +will all dine with me. For my part, I can't see why you shouldn't stay +here altogether." + +"What?" Vera cried, "without a chaperon?" + +"I like that," Le Fenu exclaimed. "What do you call yourself? Have you +so soon forgotten the fact that you are a staid married woman? What do +you think of that, Venner?" + +Vera laughed and blushed softly; she was not thinking so much now of her +own happiness as of the expression of joy and delight on the face of her +sister. Beth had hung back a little shyly from Evors as they crossed the +hall, and he, in his turn, was constrained and awkward. Very cleverly +Vera managed to detach her husband and her brother from the others. + +"Let them go into the dining-room," she whispered. "It doesn't matter +what becomes of us." + +"But is she really equal to the excitement of it?" Le Fenu asked, +anxiously. "She must have had an exceedingly trying day." + +"I am quite sure that she is perfectly safe," Vera said. "Of course, she +was terribly excited and upset at first, but she was quite calm and +rational all the way down, as Gerald will tell you. All Beth wants now is +quiet and change, and to feel that her troubles are over. Let's go and +have tea in that grand old hall. If the others don't care to come in to +tea we will try not to be offended." + +The others did not come in to tea, neither were they seen till it was +nearly time to dress for dinner. Assuredly Vera had proved a true +prophet, for Beth's shy, quiet air of happiness indicated that she had +suffered nothing through the events of the day. It was a very quiet meal +they had later on, but none the less pleasant for that. Dinner had come +to an end and the cigarettes were on the table before Gurdon appeared. He +carried a copy of an evening paper in his hand, and despite his usual air +of calmness and indifference, there was just the suspicion of excitement +about him that caused Venner to stand up and reach for the paper. + +"You have news there for us, I am sure," he said. "I think we are all in +a position to stand anything you like to tell us." + +"You have guessed it correctly," Gurdon said. "It is all here in the +_Evening Herald_." + +"What is all here?" Le Fenu demanded. + +"Can't you guess?" Gurdon asked. "I see you can't. It is the dramatic +conclusion, the only conclusion of the story. Our late antagonist, +Fenwick, has committed suicide!" + + + + +CHAPTER XXIX + +THIS MORTAL COIL + + +It cannot be said that Gurdon's announcement caused any particular +sensation. To all of those who knew anything about the inner history of +the Four Finger Mine the conclusion appeared to be perfectly logical. It +was Venner who mentioned the secret of the mine before anybody had even +the curiosity to ask to see the paper. + +"Do you think that this has been the outcome of anything that Zary did?" +he asked Le Fenu. "You see, as far as I am concerned, I was only in the +mine once or twice, and before your father's death my knowledge of its +romantic history was limited. I can't altogether bring myself to believe +that the mine was haunted by avenging spirits and all that kind of thing. +In this twentieth century of ours, one is naturally very cynical about +such matters." + +"I really cannot tell you," Le Fenu replied. "Of course there must be +human agency afoot. Zary always declared that he was the last of his +tribe, and when he died the secret of the mine would belong to our family +alone. As a matter of fact, my father died first, so that Zary alone is +in possession of the strange secret of that dread place. One thing is +very certain. It was none of us who took vengeance on the Dutchman who +murdered my father. Who was responsible for that I do not know. Still, +there was something very terrible and awe-striking about the way in which +the Dutchman's fingers returned to his wife, one by one. I should like to +have known, also, how Fenwick lost his fingers. But Zary would never tell +me. I think he professed that it had been done through the agency of the +spirits of his departed ancestors, who guarded the mine. Mind you, I +don't say that it is impossible, for we are beginning to understand that +there are hidden forces in Nature which till quite recently were a sealed +book to us. It is no use speculating about the matter, because we shall +never know. Zary has been always fond of us, but I have a feeling now +that we shall never see him again. I believe he came to England on +purpose to accomplish the death of Mark Fenwick, and you may rely upon it +that he will vanish now without making any further sign." + +"That is more than possible," Gurdon said, thoughtfully; "but so far as I +can judge from what this paper says, Fenwick's death seems to have been +prosaic enough. Perhaps I had better read you the account in the +newspaper." + +Without waiting for any further permission, Gurdon began to read aloud:-- + +"STRANGE SUICIDE IN THE CHANNEL. + +"DEATH OF MR. MARK FENWICK. + +"Late this afternoon the barque _British Queen_ put back into the Port of +London with the schooner _Red Cross_ in tow. It appears that the barque +in question was bound for the River Plate, and had dropped down the river +with the morning tide. Outside the mouth of the Thames she had +encountered exceedingly squally weather, so much so that she had lost a +considerable amount of running gear owing to the gusty and uncertain +condition of the wind. About eleven o'clock in the morning an extra +violent squall struck the vessel, and the skipper, Luther Jones, decided +to put back again and wait till the next tide. It was at this point that +the _Red Cross_ was sighted making signals of distress. At considerable +hazard to himself and his crew the skipper of the _British Queen_ managed +to get the schooner in tow, and worked her up the river on a short sail. +This in itself is simply an incident illustrating the perils of the sea, +and merely leads up to the dramatic events which follow. It appears, +according to Captain Jones' statement, that very early this morning a man +called upon him in a public-house and demanded to know what he would +require for a passage to the River Plate. Satisfactory terms having been +arranged, the stranger came aboard the _British Queen_ and immediately +repaired to his bunk. So far as the captain could see, his passenger was +exceedingly reticent, and desirous of avoiding publicity; in fact, the +skipper of the _British Queen_ put him down as a fugitive from justice. +All the same he asked no questions; presumably he had been well content +to hold his tongue in return for a liberal fee in the way of passage +money. So far as Captain Jones knows, his passenger slept comfortably +enough, and it is quite evident that he partook of breakfast in the +morning. What happened subsequently, it is somewhat difficult to say, for +Captain Jones was busy on his own deck looking after the safety of his +ship. These events took place shortly before the _Red Cross_ was sighted. + +"It was at this time that Captain Jones believes that he heard a shrill +scream coming from the cabin, as if his passenger had met with an +accident, or had been frightened by something out of the common. He came +on deck a moment later, looking like a man who had developed a dangerous +mania. He seemed to be flying from some unseen terror, and, indeed, gave +every indication suggestive of the conclusion that he was suffering from +a severe attack of _delirium tremens_. Captain Jones does not share this +view, though it is generally accepted by his crew. Before anybody could +interfere or stretch out a hand to detain the unfortunate man, he had +reached the side of the vessel and thrown himself into the tremendous sea +which was running at the time. It was absolutely out of the question to +make any attempt to save him, though, naturally, Captain Jones did what +he could. Then occurred one of the strange things which so frequently +happen at sea. Five minutes later a great wave breaking over the foredeck +cast some black object at the feet of Captain Jones, which object turned +out to be the body of the unhappy suicide. The man was quite dead; +indeed, he had sustained enough bodily injuries to cause death, without +taking drowning into consideration. + +"As before stated, Captain Jones came in contact with the _Red Cross_ a +little later, and on reaching the safety of the Pool he immediately +communicated with the police, who took possession of the body of the +suicide. On Scotland Yard being communicated with, a detective was sent +down and immediately recognised the body as that of Mr. Mark Fenwick, the +American millionaire. + +"No doubt is entertained that the police officer is right, as Mr. Fenwick +was well-known to thousands of people in London, not only on account of +his wealth, but owing, also, to his remarkable personal appearance. At +the present moment the body lies in a public-house by the side of the +Thames, and an inquest will be held in the morning. + +"Later.--Since going to press, we hear that startling developments are +expected in the matter of the suicide of Mr. Mark Fenwick. On excellent +authority we are informed that the police hold a warrant for the arrest +of Fenwick and others, on a series of criminal charges, among which that +of uttering counterfeit coin is not the least prominent. If these facts +prove to be correct, it will be easy to see why Mr. Fenwick was +attempting to leave the country in fugitive fashion. Further details will +appear in a later edition." + +"That is the whole of the story," Gurdon said when he had concluded. "On +the whole, I should say that Mark Fenwick is very well out of it. He has +had a pretty fair innings, but Fate has been too strong for him in the +long run. It is just as well, too, that he has escaped his punishment--I +mean, for your sakes, more than anything else. If that man had been put +upon his trial, a charge of murder would have been added sooner or later, +and you would have all been dragged from police court to criminal court +to give evidence over and over again. In fact, you would have been the +centre of an unpleasant amount of vulgar curiosity. As it is, the inquest +will be more or less of a formal affair, and the public will never know +that Fenwick has been anything more than a common swindler." + +Venner was emphatically of the same view; personally, he was exceedingly +glad to think that the knot had been cut in this fashion and that the +unpleasant business was ended. He discussed the matter thoughtfully with +Gurdon as he and the latter walked in the direction of his rooms, for he +had refused to spend the night at Merton Grange, though Vera, of +necessity, had arranged to stay there. + +"I suppose one ought to be thankful," he said, "that matters are no +worse. Still, at the same time, I must confess that I should like to +have a few words with Zary. I wonder if we could get him to take us back +to Mexico with a view to exploring the Four Finger Mine. After all said +and done, it seems a pity that that rich treasure house should be lost +to the world." + +"Better leave it alone," Gurdon said. "It makes me creep when I think of +it. All the same, I am with you in one thing. I should certainly like to +see Zary again." + +Gurdon and his companion were destined to have their wish gratified +sooner than they had expected. They let themselves into the farmhouse +where they were staying, and Venner turned up the lamp in the big +rambling sitting-room. There, half-asleep in a chair before the fire, sat +the very man whom they had been discussing. He appeared to be heavy with +sleep--his melancholy eyes opened slowly as he turned to the newcomers. + +"You have been thinking about me," he said--"you have been wondering what +had become of me. We are strangers, and yet we are not strangers. Mr. +Venner is known to me, and Mr. Venner's wife also. I was aware that my +dear young mistress was his wife when it was still a secret to everybody +else. You are puzzled and mystified over the death of Mark Fenwick. Mr. +Gurdon has been reading an account to you from a newspaper." + +"You are certainly a very remarkable man," Gurdon said. "As a matter of +fact, that is exactly what I have been doing. But tell me, Zary, how did +you know?" + +"You have a great poet," Zary said, calmly and deliberately. "He was one +of the noblest philosophers of his time. I have read him, I hope to read +him again many times. His name is Shakespeare, and he says 'there are +more things in Heaven and earth than are dreamt of in our philosophy.' +Gentlemen, that is so, as you would know if you possessed the powers that +I do. But I could not explain--you would not understand, for your minds +are different from mine. I am going away; I shall never see my dear +friends again--for the last time we have met. And because I could not +endure a formal parting I have come to you to give them all a message +from me. It is only this, that I shall never cease to think of them +wherever I may be--but I need not dwell upon that. As to Fenwick, I did +not design that he should die so peaceful a death. I had gauged his mind +incorrectly; I had goaded him into a pitch of terror which drove him over +the border land and destroyed his reason. Therefore, he committed +suicide, and so he is finished with." + +There was a pause for some time, until it became evident that Zary had no +more to say. He rose to his feet, and was advancing in the direction of +the door when Gurdon stopped him. + +"Pardon me," the latter said, "but like most ordinary men, I am by no +means devoid of my fair share of curiosity. What is going to be done in +the matter of the Four Finger Mine?" + +Zary's large round eyes seemed to emit flashes of light. His face had +grown hard and white like that of a statue. + +"Well," he demanded, "what about the mine?" + +"Why, you see, it practically belongs to Mr. Le Fenu's children," Gurdon +said. "In which case it should prove an exceedingly valuable property." + +"The mine belongs to us, it belongs to me," Zary cried. "I am the last of +my tribe, and the secret shall die with me. Man, do you suppose that +happiness lies in the mere accumulation of money? I tell you that the +thing is a curse, one of the greatest curses that ever God laid on +humanity. To hundreds and thousands of us this life of ours on earth is a +veritable hell through the greed for gold. Of all the wars that have +brought pain and suffering to humanity, none has done a tithe of the harm +wrought by the incessant battle for the yellow metal which you call +gold. If there had been no such thing on earth, the tribe to which I +belong would to-day walk as gods amongst ordinary men. No, I shall do +nothing to pander to this disease. When I die the secret of the mine +perishes with me. Never more will man work there as long as I have the +health and strength to prevent it." + +The latter part of Zary's speech had sunk almost to a whisper; he made a +profound bow to Venner and Gurdon, then left the room softly. He seemed +to vanish almost like the spirit of one of his departed ancestors, and +his place knew him no more. + +"Curious man," Gurdon said, thoughtfully. "Very quiet and gentle as a +rule, but not the kind of person you would care to have as a foe. I have +a very strong feeling that none of us will ever see Felix Zary again. +Now, don't you think we can begin to forget all about this kind of thing? +Surely we have had enough horrors and mysteries, and I can only wonder at +the way in which those girls have borne up against all their troubles. +Tell me, what are you going to do? I mean as to your future." + +"Upon my word, I really haven't given it a thought," Venner said. "It is +not very often that a man has the unique experience of being married +three years without a honeymoon, and without more than half an hour in +his wife's company. You can but feebly guess, my dear fellow, how +terribly I have suffered during the time to which I refer. Still, I +trusted my wife implicitly, though all the dictates of common-sense were +against me, and I am sincerely and heartily glad now that I took the line +I did. As soon as possible, I intend to take Vera away for a long tour on +the Continent. When I come back I shall have the old house done up again, +and, I suppose, settle down to the life of a country gentleman. But, of +course, I can't do anything till Beth's future is settled. I suppose, for +the present, she will go back again to Le Fenu's doctor friends, pending +her marriage with Charles Evors." + +"The programme is all right," Gurdon said. "But suppose Lord Merton +objects to the arrangement?" + +"I don't fancy that he will do that, from what I hear," Venner said. "All +the Evors have been wild in their youth, and the present lord is no +exception to the rule. Depend upon it, he will be very glad to have his +son back again, happily married, and eager to become domesticated. +Besides, from what I understand from Vera, her father worked the Four +Finger Mine to considerable advantage during his lifetime, and Beth is +something quite considerable in the way of an heiress. On the whole, I am +not disposed to worry. Now let us have one quiet cigar, and then go to +bed like a pair of average respectable citizens." + + + + +CHAPTER XXX + +A PEACEFUL SUNSET + + +"Upon my word," Evors was saying to Beth, "I feel as nervous as an Eton +boy sent up to the head for a flogging. It is just the same sensation as +I used to enjoy in my schooldays; but I don't care what he says, I am +going to marry you whether he likes it or not, though, of course, he is +bound to like it. No one could look at that dear sweet little face of +yours without falling in love with you on the spot." + +Beth demurely hoped so; she pretended an easy unconcern, though, on the +whole, she was perhaps more anxious than Evors, for the latter had +written to his father at some length explaining how matters stood, and +Lord Merton had telegraphed to say that he would be at home the following +afternoon. The afternoon had arrived in due course, and now the wheels of +his carriage might be heard at any moment. Vera and her husband were not +far off; they had promised to come in and give their moral support if it +became necessary. + +"I don't see how he can possibly help liking you," Evors went on. +"Thank goodness, we shall be spared the trouble of making a long +explanation. If my father had been against the arrangement he probably +would have done something else besides telegraphing that he was coming; +but I don't care, it doesn't matter what he says, I have quite made up +my mind what to do." + +"But you couldn't go against your father," Beth said, timidly. + +"Oh, couldn't I? My dear girl, I have been doing nothing else all my +lifetime. I have been a most undutiful son, and I have no doubt that I +have come near to breaking my father's heart many a time, as he nearly +broke the heart of his father before him. In common fairness he will have +to admit that we Evors are all alike as young men; and, in any case, I +couldn't give you up, Beth. Just think how faithful you have been to me +all these years, when all the time it has seemed as if I had a terrible +crime on my conscience. Your father's death--" + +Beth laid her little hand upon the speaker's mouth. + +"Oh, hush, hush," she whispered. "I implore you never to speak of that +again. They told me, or, at least, that dreadful man told me, that you +had committed that awful deed. He gave me the most overwhelming proofs, +and when I demanded a chance to speak to you and hear from your own lips +that it was all a cruel lie, you were nowhere to be found. This, Fenwick +told me, was proof positive of your guilt. It was such a shock to me +that, for the time being, I lost my reason--at least, I did not exactly +lose my reason, but my brain just seemed to go to sleep in some strange +way. And yet, from first to last, I never believed a word that Mark +Fenwick said. There was always present the knowledge that your name would +be cleared at last, and the most gratifying part of it all is the +knowledge that there can be no scandal, no slanderous tongues to say that +there is no smoke without fire, and those wicked things that sound so +small and yet imply so much." + +"Don't let us think of it. Let our minds dwell only on the happy future +that is before us. We shall be able to marry at once; then we can go and +live in the old Manor House by the park gates. The place is already +furnished, and needs very little doing up. Sooner or later you will be +mistress of this grand old home, though I hope that time may not come for +many years. It seems to me--" + +But Beth was not attending. She seemed to be listening with more or less +fear to the sound of wheels crunching on the gravel outside. Evors had +hardly time to reassure her, when the door opened and Lord Merton came +in. He was a tall man of commanding presence, a little cold and +haughty-looking, though his lips indicated a genial nature, and he could +not altogether suppress the grave amusement in his eyes. + +"This is an unconventional meeting," he said. "I received your letter, +Charles, and I am bound to say the contents would have astonished me +exceedingly had they been written by anybody but an Evors. But our +race has always been a law unto itself, with more or less disastrous +consequences. We have been a wild and reckless lot, but this is the +first time, so far as I know, that one of the tribe has been accused +of murder." + +"It is a wicked lie," Beth burst out, passionately. She had forgotten all +her fears in her indignation. "My father was killed by the man Fenwick +and his colleagues. That has all been proved beyond a doubt!" + +Lord Merton smiled down upon the flushed, indignant face. It was quite +evident that Beth had made a favorable impression upon him. + +"I admire your loyalty and your pluck," he said. "My dear child, many +a woman has risked her happiness by marrying an Evors--not one of +them did so except in absolute defiance of the advice of their +friends. In every case it has been a desperate experiment, and yet, I +believe, in every case it has turned out perfectly happily. It was the +same with Charles's mother. It was the same with my mother. No Evors +ever asked permission of his sire to take unto himself a wife; no +Evors ever cared about social position. Still, at the same time, I am +glad to know that my boy has chosen a lady. When he was quite a young +man, I should not have been in the least surprised if he had come home +with a flaunting barmaid, or something exquisitely vulgar in the way +of a music hall artiste." + +Beth laughed aloud. She had quite forgotten her fears now; she was +beginning rather to like this caustic old gentleman, whose cynical words +were belied by the smile in his eyes. + +"I am very glad to know that you are satisfied with me," she said, +timidly: "It is good to know that." + +"I suppose it would have been all the same in any case," Lord Merton +replied with a smile. "You would have married Charles and he would have +had to have earned his own living, which would have been an excellent +thing for him." + +"Indeed, he wouldn't," Beth laughed. "Do you know, Lord Merton, that I am +quite a large heiress in my way. I am sure you won't mind my speaking +like this, but I feel so happy to-day that I hardly know what I am +saying. If you only knew the dread with which I have been looking forward +to meeting you--" + +"Oh, they are all like that," Lord Merton laughed. "To strangers, I am +supposed to be a most terrible creature, but everybody on my estate knows +how lamentably weak I am. They all take advantage of me and bully me, +even down to the lads in the stable, and I won't disguise from you the +satisfaction I feel in the knowledge that you have money of your own. For +some considerable time past I have been severely economising with a view +to paying off some alarming mortgages on the estate, so that I should not +have been in a position to allow Charles much in the way of an income. It +will be my ambition when my time comes to hand you over the property +without a penny owing to anybody." + +"May that day be a long way off, sir," Charles said, with feeling. "I +hope to assure you how I appreciate the noble manner in which you have +forgiven--" + +"Say no more about it, say no more," Lord Merton said. He seemed to have +some little difficulty in the articulation of his words. "Let us shake +hands on the bargain and forget the past. I was profoundly interested in +your long letter, and I must confess to some little curiosity to see your +other friends, especially Mrs. Venner, who seems to have played so noble +a part in the story. I understand that she and her husband are down here. +I suppose you made them more or less comfortable, which must have been a +rather difficult undertaking in the circumstances. However, I have +arranged to have all the old servants back to-morrow, and it will be some +considerable time before I let the old house again. Now run away and +enjoy yourselves, and let us meet at dinner as if nothing had happened. I +don't want it to appear that there has been anything like a quarrel +between us." + +So saying, Lord Merton turned and proceeded to his own room, leaving +Beth in a state of almost speechless admiration. It was so different from +anything she had expected, that she felt as if she could have cried for +pure happiness. The sun was shining outside; through the window she could +see the deer wandering in the park. It was good to know that the old dark +past was gone, and that the primrose path of happiness lay shining before +them. Presently, as they wandered out in the sunshine, Vera came on the +terrace and watched them. There was no need to tell her that the +interview with the master of the house had been a smooth one. She could +judge that by the way in which the lovers were walking side by side. +Venner came and stood by his wife's side. + +"So that's all right," he said. "As far as one can judge, they have +managed to propitiate the ogre." + +"What do you mean by calling a man an ogre in his own house?" the voice +of Lord Merton asked at the same moment. "For some few minutes I have +been keeping an eye on you two, but I suppose I must introduce myself, +though you will guess who I am. Mr. Venner, will you be good enough to do +me the honor of introducing me to your wife? I have heard a great deal of +her from my son. Mrs. Venner, if you will shake hands with me I shall +esteem it a great favor." + +"Then you are not annoyed with us?" Vera asked. "You are not displeased +at the way we have taken possession of your house? I am afraid that +indirectly we have been the cause of a great scandal." + +"Oh, don't worry yourself about that," Lord Merton, said breezily. "There +have been far worse scandals than this in great houses before now; and, +at any rate, it does not touch us. I am afraid you have been rather +inconvenienced here, and that the Grange has not upheld its reputation +for hospitality. Still, I hope it will be all right to-morrow, and I +sincerely trust that you can see your way to stay here for some little +time to come. I am going to ask my sister, Lady Glynn, to come down and +act the part of hostess. Somebody will have to introduce Beth to the +county as my future daughter-in-law." + +"You are pleased with the arrangement?" Vera asked, demurely. + +"Indeed, I am," Lord Merton cried. "You do not know what an eccentric lot +we are. I should not have been at all surprised if Charles had come home +with some curiosity in the way of a bride, and I am only too profoundly +grateful to find that he has made so sweet a choice. But, tell me, you +will stay here some little time--" + +"I am afraid not," Venner, said regretfully. "If you will allow us to +come back a little later on, I am sure that my wife and myself will be +very pleased. I have no doubt that Evors will be impatient to claim his +bride, but I hope he will wait for a month or two at least. You see, I +have a bride of my own, though, in a way, we are old married people. I +don't know whether Charles told you anything of our story, but if you +would like to hear it--" + +Lord Merton intimated that he had already done so. He expressed a hope +that Venner and his wife would return again a little later on; then, +making some excuse, he returned to the house, leaving Venner and Vera +together. For some little time they wandered across the park very +silently, for the hearts of both were full, and this was one of those +moments when words are not necessary to convey thought from one mind to +another. Presently Evors and Beth appeared in the distance and joined +the others. + +"Well," Venner said with a smile, "it is some time since I saw two people +look more ridiculously happy than you two. But I am sincerely glad to +find that the ogre is only one in name. My dear Charles, your father is +quite a delightful person. I quite understood from what you told me that +we had a lot of trouble in store for us. On the contrary, he seems to be +as pleased with the course of events as we are." + +"He seems to have altered so much lately," Evors said. "At any rate, he +has been particularly good to me, and I am not likely to forget it. +Behold in me a reformed character, ready to settle down to a country life +with Beth by my side--" + +"Not quite, yet," Venner said, hastily. "You will have to curb your +impatience for a bit; you must not forget how Vera has suffered for the +sake of you both, and how patiently I waited for my happiness. You must +promise us that the marriage will not take place under two months, or I +give you a solemn warning that we shall not be there. Our own +honeymoon--" + +"Of course Charles will promise," Beth said, indignantly. "Oh, I could +never dream of being married unless Vera were present. And, after all, +what are two months when you have a whole lifetime before you? I am sure +that Charles agrees with me." + +"I don't, indeed," Evors said, candidly. "Still, I am not going to be +disagreeable, and Beth knows that she has only to look at me with those +imploring eyes of hers to get absolutely her own way." + +They left it at that, and gradually drifted apart again. When Vera and +her husband returned to the Grange, the setting sun shone fully in their +faces, flinging their shadows far behind. Venner paused just for a +moment under the sombre shadow of a clump of beeches, and drew his wife +to his side. + +"One moment," he said. "We have not yet decided where we are going. I +have everything in readiness in London, and I suppose that you are not +lacking in the matter of wardrobe. Don't tell me, while having +everything that woman can want in the way of dress, that you have +nothing to wear." + +"I won't," Vera said, softly. "My dear boy, cannot you see how glad I +shall be to be alone with you at last? Everything is going well here, and +Beth is entirely happy. You have been very good and patient, and I will +keep you waiting no longer. If you so will it, and I think you do, let it +be tomorrow." + +Venner stooped and kissed the trembling lips held up to his. Then very +silently, their hearts too full for further speech, they turned towards +the house. + + + + +*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK, THE MYSTERY OF THE FOUR FINGERS *** + +This file should be named my4fn10.txt or my4fn10.zip +Corrected EDITIONS of our eBooks get a new NUMBER, my4fn11.txt +VERSIONS based on separate sources get new LETTER, my4fn10a.txt + +Project Gutenberg eBooks are often created from several printed +editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the US +unless a copyright notice is included. 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