Читать книгу The Counterstroke - Ambrose Pratt - Страница 9

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OELTJEN was at first most concerned at the failure of his coadjutor's mission, for he recognized at once that the situation no longer offered a hope of extracting from Madame Viyella the information required by Mr. Perigord. Regarding Miss Elliott's disappearance, he was inclined to be quite tranquil, preferring to believe that she had some good private reason for absenting herself, or was detained by some unforeseen or accidental circumstance. When, however, Cressingham informed him of Katherin Viyella's wild and jealous threat against Miss Elliott's life, and also of the circumstance of the two men who had met himself and Miss Elliott at the door the previous night, and, lastly, of the two figures he had caught a glimpse of running after Miss Elliott's cab as she drove off, the Count's face became grave and thoughtful as that of his companion.

He strongly urged Cressingham at all hazards to keep his appointment with Madame Viyella as a course which offered the only present chance of sounding their now joint suspicions. For a long while Cressingham utterly refused, feeling himself entirely unequal to the task of making love to a woman he had commenced to detest.

But they were saved the trouble of determining by the advent of Madame herself, who, finding her lover once again recreant, had made up her mind to visit him. She entered the room abruptly, the light of battle in her eyes, Cressingham's protesting servant following her to the door. Perhaps she had thought to find her lover engaged with some other woman; at any rate, her face grew instantly composed on sight of Oeltjen. She found grace indeed to appear faintly embarrassed, but not for long. With wonderful sang froid she advanced to the two men, offering a hand to either. "How fortunate am I, messieurs, to find two friends, expecting only one. You will be surprised, dear Count, to find me visiting your friend at such an hour, but less so, I hope, when I tell you that Lord Francis is my fiancé, and that I have come to make him mes adieux. To-morrow, at daylight (She glanced at the clock), indeed, but that is only two short hours hence, I set off for Vienna, having been called suddenly to visit the death-bed of a relative."

The two men exchanged unquiet glances.

"That is unfortunate, Madame," said Oeltjen. "If you will permit me then, I shall retire. I am at present a guest of your fiancé, Madame. I wish you bon voyage and a happy return—to you, Cressingham, I offer my heartiest felicitations. Au revoir."

"Au revoir, Count," said Madame; then as the door closed upon him she turned fiercely on the other. "Infame, perjured one, what have you to say?"

Cressingham found it necessary to exercise his nicest diplomacy.

"Nothing, Katherin, except that I have not been able to help myself. A strange thing has happened. It appears that your new friend Miss Elliott (the girl of whom you were recently so foolishly jealous) has mysteriously disappeared from her home. Lethby, her cousin, whom you know, has been frightfully upset about it, only learned the facts a few hours back, and he hurried at once to me to demand my assistance in searching for her. Well, what could I do? The man is my friend. It was impossible to refuse. I have been with him driving for hours from one police-station to another, longing all the while to slip away and go to you."

He watched Madame with the keenest scrutiny as he spoke, but her face reflected only surprise and some amusement.

"Captain Lethby is her lover you know, has been for several years," he concluded rather lamely.

"Miss Elliott has disappeared—when?" demanded Madame.

"No one has seen her since the concert last night to which you accompanied her, Katherin."

"That is strange—perhaps some accident?"

"I confess I rather feared at first that her disappearance was due to you," said the man pointedly; "you said some queer things the other day, you know."

Madame frowned.

"What nonsense, Frank. I was mad at the time, and scarcely knew what I said. But enough of her. You must come with me to Vienna."

"Eh, what!"

"You must come with me to Vienna. My father has been taken very ill; he has cabled me to go to him at once."

Cressingham looked at her stupidly, a rush of whirling thoughts aching his head. Here indeed was a marvellous opportunity given him of discovering the identity of her mysterious parent, a chance he felt he ought not to abandon. But on the other hand, what of Miss Elliott? His whole heart cried out to him to stay in London. His sweetheart at that moment might be in some danger and he deserting her. He still thought that Katherin Viyella had had a hand in her disappearance, in spite of her careless disavowal of all concern in it. A tortured moment left him nerveless and miserable. Not knowing what to do, he vaguely temporized.

"But how can I accompany you, Katherin?"

"How you like; my friend, my lover, my husband. Do we not belong to each other?"

"But, dear, we must have some regard for appearances."

"Ah, bah! appearances! Am I not my own mistress?"

"Really, dear, I think it would be better for me to follow you. I know how devoted you are, sweet one, and I glory in it; but I must take care of my dear girl's good name. Some day you will be my wife, Katey; is it not so?"

Well he knew that such a thing was far removed from the regions of the possible, but Madame did not know he knew, and she had played so long a part that she was bound in it. She dared not undeceive him yet, fearing that the coldness of his English nature might revolt from her control did he know that she had lied to him.

"Ah, Frank," she murmured with a melting look. "Can you wait?"

But he was master now. "Marry me at once then, sweetheart—it can be done. I know a clergyman, a good fellow, who won't mind being knocked up—and then we can go off on our honeymoon together."

He had won, but she made one last pouting attempt. "Frank, you know there is no time now for that." She put her arms about him and whispered tenderly: "We have all our lives before us for marriage, dear. That is only a contract. If I am content to wait and trust you—surely you——"

He put her gently from him. "We regard these things differently in England, Kate," he answered, a note of sternness in his voice. "My wife's name must be above the reach of all suspicion. Do you understand, dear?"

"How cruel you are, Frank. You think of the world; I only of our two selves." Tears stood in her eyes.

The woman was so beautiful in her distress that Cressingham took her in his arms and satisfied her amply with the ardour of his kisses, but presently he led her to the door and to her waiting carriage. She gave him her address in Vienna and departed, charging him with her latest breath to follow soon—she could not live without him long, she said.

Cressingham found Oeltjen waiting in his drawing room. "I heard everything," said the Count. "I think you should have sunk all considerations and gone off with her. I cannot understand why you did not."

"You forget my instructions not to leave England."

"I forget nothing—those instructions depended upon Madame, and were only given you in order to curtail her movements through her infatuation for yourself."

Cressingham hesitated a moment, then blurted out: "Look here, Oeltjen, I'll be frank with you. I simply can't leave London until I hear from Miss Elliott—there, the murder is out."

Oeltjen gave a long, low whistle. "Ah, pardon me—I think I see. You love the English lady."

"I do."

The Count laughed happily and executed a pas seul, effervescent as a schoolboy.

"My friend, I could kiss you," he cried. "I can now be your friend, for I am no longer jealous of you. You see," he said, sobering as suddenly as his spirits had risen, "I have worshipped Madame so long and, in spite of me, I cannot help but hate all others who love her too. Ah, what I have suffered these days! but now I no longer care—she loves you, yes; but you love another. Ah, you smile at me, you do not understand. You love with your heads, you cold Englishmen. With us, we love with the heart. You see a woman beautiful as a dream—you love her. You are told she is bad, you at once discover that she is to be despised, and—pouf, she is to you in future a beautiful creature indeed, but to be in your hearts despised. With us Germans, it is so different. We love the same woman, but once we have given our hearts to her we do not recall the gift. I am not plain perhaps, for I cannot quite express all that I mean. For myself, I love Madame knowing what she is too well, but still I love her. You know how little hope I have, but still I love her. What are her faults, her crimes to me? I love her. When she dies, if I survive her I shall love her still, and sometimes go to muse and weep upon her tomb."

Cressingham silently took and pressed the Count's hand. The men looked deep into each other's eyes, and from that moment a friendship sprang up between them which no circumstance could ever mar completely.

Von Oeltjen spoke presently. "We are in a great difficulty, my friend. I wish that Mr. Perigord were here."

"He is here!" replied a deep, low voice, which made the gentlemen start as if a thunderbolt had fallen.

Standing in the open doorway was the huge loose figure of the master, holding before him in a grasp of iron, a foot from the floor, the helpless pyjama-clad form of Cressingham's servant, one hand across his mouth to suppress outcry.

"This fellow wanted to prevent my entrance," he observed carelessly. "I rang and rang; he came at last and told me to go to the devil."

"How can I apologize, sir!" said Cressingham, a little stiffly.

"No need. You can go!" (to the startled valet, who instantly hopped off). He stepped into the room and locked the door behind him, drawing the curtains close.

"It appears you wanted me," he said. "Indeed, I think it is time that I returned, although I have only been from England a few hours. So Katherin Viyella sets out for Vienna?"

"You know that?" gasped Cressingham and Oeltjen in a breath.

"And more—but not enough, not enough. Who is the woman that her friends have kidnapped in mistake for her?"

He eyed the pair before him keenly, but their faces expressed only blank surprise.

"H'm, you don't know; that's bad. You do nothing, you know nothing! Are you blind, the pair of you? It is lucky that some of my agents are more sensible. She is tall, slight, fair" (he took a note-book from his pocket and read from it), "blue eyes, rather pretty, dressed from head to heel in a yellow sealskin coat, fur outside, blue silk lining."

"Good God! Francine Elliott!" shouted Cressingham.

"Elliott, Elliott; not the daughter of Colonel Francis Elliott?"

"The same—she went with Madame yesterday evening to a concert, and has not returned home since. Her servants and—er—friends have been awfully anxious about her, and are only waiting until morning to put the matter in the hands of the police."

"Ah! this lady visited you late last night, Lord Francis!"

"She came to warn me of a plot to murder me. It seems that I was seen coming from your house in Finchley Road, and this fact, added to my intimacy with Madame, made your enemies anxious. They determined to get rid of me, and concocted a plan. They took the very same house which you must have vacated and forged a summons to get me there, intending to assassinate me on my arrival. Miss Elliott overheard a conversation in Swedish between two men in a tenement house in the east, while she was making a call on a sick protegeé of hers after the concert. It was then late, and the affair was to be carried out that same night, so she drove straight to my rooms to warn me."

"I see. She must be a plucky girl."

Cressingham's eyes flashed. "Plucky, yes—but, great heavens, it seems that she's come to harm through me. Where is she——"

"Softly, my lord," said Perigord, "one thing at a time please. Was Madame Viyella here when Miss Elliott called?"

"No, she arrived while we were talking, and Miss Elliott, not caring to meet her, waited in my dressing room until she had gone."

"Ha, it was a clear mistake; true, their heights are similar, and then the abductors were probably ignorant fools who took the girl for Madame in the first instance and let their proper quarry slip."

"Why should they want to kidnap Madame?" gasped Cressingham.

"Your fault, my Lord; you kept her dangling too long. You should have got her secret from her the first day. Delays are ever dangerous, your delay was fatal. The circle having their suspicions wakened on hearing that you had visited my house, tried to get Madame away from England, for they are quite aware of her attachment to you, and they feared lest you should exert your influence to worm some of their secrets from her. But Madame refused to leave you—and they got panic-stricken. Therefore they determined to cause your assassination, and at the same time spirit Madame off to the Continent, where they might keep her in confinement until she became more amenable to reason. Their double plot failed. You were warned in time, and their agents kidnapped Miss Elliott instead of Madame. On discovering their mistake they adopted the final expedient of cabling Madame some message which must be of most vital moment, for immediately on receipt of it she telegraphed to Kaputsky, the chief of the second circle in Vienna, that she would set off to-morrow, or rather" (he glanced at the clock) "this morning for the Continent. What the message they sent her was, I cannot tell, for although I hold a copy, it is in a cypher which I cannot read. Perhaps, however, Madame told you something, my lord?"

"That her father was ill, dying, she said, I think," said Cressingham. "But for heaven's sake, sir, tell me where they have got Miss Elliott. Is she in any danger? Do they contemplate——"

"I am not omniscient, young man. What I do know is this. Some twelve hours ago a steam yacht put in at Flushing and landed a young woman who was supposed to be very ill. No doubt they had drugged Miss Elliott, for she was put ashore lying on a stretcher, quite unconscious, and taken in that condition straight to an hotel. My agent there saw her face, and telegraphed me that their prisoner was not Madame. I arrived on the scene two hours later, by means of a special train, and acquired all the information I could from one of their agents who is my paid spy. Very soon afterwards they found out their mistake for themselves. None of the abductors apparently knew Madame by sight, but Kaputsky, having quite by accident (he is an old flame of Madame's) gone in to contemplate the sleeping beauty, discovered that his men had abducted the wrong woman. There followed a fine old row, nearly every word of which I heard; but later I was not so fortunate. When Kaputsky recovered his temper, he became doubly careful, and although my room was directly overhead and the floor bored through and fitted with an ear trumpet as well, I was unable to gather more than an outline of his dispositions concerning Miss Elliott. He set off at once himself for Vienna, and very soon afterwards Miss Elliott was removed from the hotel and put on board the yacht, which weighed anchor within five minutes and steamed out to sea."

"My God!" cried Cressingham, "they will murder her."

"I think not; I hope not," said Oeltjen soothingly. "What object would they have in committing such a crime?"

Perigord glanced slowly from one to the other. "Ah," he said suddenly; "I forgot: you were once attached to Miss Elliott, my Lord."

"Once!" muttered Cressingham, his voice hoarse with despair.

Perigord smiled. "Have no fear on that score, my Lord. They do not intend to murder the young woman, but to take her for the present to some secret place of theirs. They would probably return her to England at once, safe and sound, but they are not ready to quit London yet, and they know that, Miss Elliott once free, the police would swarm about their ears."

"But where, where?" he cried distractedly.

"That I shall ascertain to-morrow night at latest. Before then Captain Klein, the deputy, Klein the murderer, will have fallen into my hands, and he shall be made to speak. Colonel Elliott will arrive in London in a few hours. Fortunately he is one of us and can be persuaded to grasp the situation. I shall make it my duty to explain to him, and to him shall be the task of rescuing his daughter."

"Ah, sir," cried Cressingham, "let me assist in that!"

"For you," said Perigord coldly, "I have another plan. Madame Viyella——"

"That cursed woman——" cried the young man hotly——"am I not yet rid of her?"

"Judge! At daylight, indeed about this time, yes she will be just about now getting into her carriage with her maid, in order to drive to Waterloo. Her maid is mine, her coachman is mine, her footman is mine! You understand! Going through Hyde Park the carriage will stop, the footman will get down and go to the door. Madame will ask the reason. The footman will dash in her face a mask of chloroform. The footman will then resume his place and the carriage will proceed, not to Waterloo, but to can you guess where, my Lord?"

"Not, not—here," stammered Cressingham, pale as death and very miserable.

"But yes—why not? I have not had time to arrange for her another asylum. Here she will be quite safe. Your rooms are small but compact. The only difficulty is your servant. Him you must dismiss first thing in the morning. I shall provide a man to take his place whom you will find altogether trustworthy. It will be your pleasant task, when Madame recovers consciousness, to see that she wants for nothing; but she must not leave her room, you understand? Should Madame lose her temper and scream out, I should suggest chloroform, or a gag, whichever you prefer. The man I shall send you has a stock of both."

"How long must I act the cad in this fashion?" grated Cressingham between his shut teeth.

"Until I send for Madame. I shall relieve you of her charge as soon as possible."

"And then?"

"I shall have other work for you, work more suited to your taste, I hope, that is if you care to assist in rescuing Miss Elliott."

Cressingham's whole face eagerly lit up. "Ah, sir!" he cried, "I should be grateful to you all my life."

Perigord patted him kindly on the shoulder. "Let us go downstairs now and wait there to receive our prisoner. We must not run any risk of interruption or of being overlooked by servants."

"One moment, sir, I have forgotten to tell you something. Some few nights ago—Thursday, I fancy—Madame was visited by her father."

Perigord stopped suddenly. "Ha! who told you this?"

"She herself; she fancied that I saw her bid a man farewell at her own doorstep in the early morning, and thinking me jealous she informed me it was her father."

"She lied. Prince Carlos, who has carried out his duties better than you, my lord, saw this man; it was Klein—a deputy."

"But is it not possible that Klein may be her father?"

"Bah, he is younger than she. By-the-by, you must bear with the Prince if you run across him; the man is mad with jealousy. Do you know what he told me this evening? He calmly informed me that he had discovered Madame's lover, one of the three infamous chiefs of the inner circle, in the person of Lord Francis Cressingham, and he earnestly begged to be appointed your executioner."

"But that is beyond a joke, sir."

"Precisely, therefore I put you on your guard. Remember, he is a Prince, and his person sacred. But let us go down. Oeltjen, your arm."

The three men noiselessly slipped down the stairs, and softly opened the street door. They had not long to wait. In about ten minutes a brougham drawn by two fine chestnuts drew up before the building; a footman sprang to the ground and opening the carriage door lifted bodily into the street the limp form of a woman whose face was covered with a wrap. A second woman followed quickly unassisted, and these two carried Madame between them, swiftly but with infinite care, into the house and up the stairs, guided by Lord Francis, to his room.

Perigord and Oeltjen departed arm in arm immediately the carriage had arrived.

Lord Francis recognized the sweet subtle smell of chloroform quickly permeating his rooms, and wondering idly at the lavish use made of it, asked himself the question, would Madame wake at all perhaps? But he soon put that thought aside: somehow he felt his task less brutal and more easy since his last conversation with Perigord, in which he had learned of Madame's latest lie to him. It is always hard for an honest nature to sympathize deeply with a liar, and although he too had lately resorted to trickery, still, there was excuse for himself, he argued, in the duty which demanded such diplomacy. He had at any rate deceived Madame in a good cause; she had deceived him, or striven to, for no cause at all—except that a lie had appeared to her the readiest pathway from a trying situation.

His lips tightened as he thought of her subsequent address in throwing herself upon his honour so as to avoid the questions which she could not answer. He felt almost glad that he had now a chance of squaring the account between them.

For a time he sat lost in marvel at the power of this strange creature Perigord, who knew how to win so many and diverse instruments into his service. For the thousandth time he asked himself the question: "who—what is Perigord?" But with a smile at the bootless nature of the query he presently returned to his apartment, and after double locking the outer door and carefully secreting the keys, he put on a heavy dressing gown and reposed himself to sleep upon the thick rugs by the fire.

The humbly apologetic rays of a weak and cloud-fogged sun were mildly discussing with the darkness a question of precedence when he awoke. The clock was striking ten, and some one was beating against the inner wall of the bedroom. At first half-dazed he got slowly to his feet, and memory came to him with a rush.

He saw that it was necessary to obtrude upon Madame's solitude, indeed she seemed anxious for such an attention to be paid her. Lord Cressingham was not a very vain man, but all men are somewhat vain. His first act was to seek a mirror, brush and comb, and fix himself up becomingly as possible considering the imperious nature of the noise Madame was making and his consequent impatience. Then he approached the bedroom door, gave a knock, a loud cough, waited a second, noisily turned the handle, then, observing that the hammering had ceased, he pushed the door a little open and cautiously poked his head round the corner.