Читать книгу Franks: Duellist - Ambrose Pratt - Страница 7

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RICHARDS had, during my absence, reduced the ruin of our apartments to something less of disorder, but when in the grey light of morning I once more stood among my beaten and bruised belongings, a great rage again filled my heart against the perpetrator of the damage, which only the recollection of the ten thousand pounds which he had given me could at all assuage.

I slept for a few hours, then made some excuse to get Richards out of the road so that I might satisfy a very natural curiosity. Opening the iron rubbish cage I found the skull and purse quite intact, and be assured I lost no time in examining the treasure. What a fool I must have been in the first instance, or rather, how blinded with over-happiness at my luck! The purse was quite bulky, even after the abstraction of the Treasury bills. With a little patience I discovered its secret and presently drew forth a roll of very thin foreign papers covered with writing. There was a secret, too, in the skull, for on pressing a small diamond set cunningly in the occiput, a section came apart disclosing a cavity almost filled with a humid paste which smelt strongly of almonds. But I set myself to read the papers without troubling much about the paste, which I took for nothing more than a dainty sweetmeat.

The first I unfolded was a letter written in French, signed Talleyrand, pressing strongly upon its addressee the necessity of gaining the Naval Secretary more indubitably to the cause of France, and urging that his promises be committed to writing, or at least his receipts for remittances obtained.

The second was from Napoleon himself and contained a promise of speedy advancement if certain engagements not therein specified were fulfilled.

The third was an order on the Treasury of France for five thousand napoleons payable to the Count d'Arras. This impressed me very much, for D'Arras was much trusted in England as a loyal Bourbon adherent.

The fourth was a note from Lord Melville acknowledging the receipt of a large amount of gold bullion, and advising the remission of Treasury bills in exchange. I no longer wondered that De Sevringen had not accepted my challenge to produce or obtain the numbers of the Treasury notes which he had accused me of stealing from his person.

The fifth document was in cipher, and therefore unintelligible to me, but it was addressed to Bishop Dunne, and it bore the hall-mark of the Papal Seal.

The sixth, also in cipher, had neither address nor signature, but it was in the same handwriting as the letter signed Talleyrand.

The seventh was a receipt from Prince George for fifteen thousand pounds.

The eighth, a receipt from Mr. Absin, M.P., for two hundred pounds.

The ninth, a letter from Lord Melville, declaring that certain unspecified charges were without foundation, and protesting his good faith.

The tenth was a note from the Duke of Powers, making an appointment.

The eleventh and last a letter from my brother Devenac (how well I recognised his crabbed characters!), and as its devious phrases and villainous but intangible suggestions marvellously expressed his disposition, I transcribe it without reserve:—

'MY DEAR SIR,—I have the honour to acknowledge having happily—per medium of a courier, who, extravagant man, has on the journey hither ridden the devil out of an animal for which under other circumstances I would have gladly paid at least fifteen guineas, but excuse this divagation—received a document under the impress of your hand and seal bearing date the — day of —— in the year of our Lord 1804. Referring to the request you have made, which regards, inter multa alia, my younger brother, whom I have the honour to consign to the devil, a taskmaster whose peculiar talents might perhaps be capable of holding his own in more proper estimation than I am able to bestow, I, pardon me for presuming to advise you, would suggest a careful reconnaissance before attempting to approach him. He may or may not number amongst his conquests (good heavens! that women are for the most part infernal creatures and anxious to achieve their own seduction I make no question) the ladies whose names you have been good enough (with perfect safety) to commit to my discretion. At least I am credibly informed that the Earl of —— is at liberty to add to his crest a pair of horns by his ministrations. And yet I make bold to doubt, for Caruth tells me the lad is a braggart, and, so far as I can inform myself, the affair drifts along without noise. His pistol and rapier I would warn you of. He practised in his youthful days with the pistol on my father's chickens, and never accounted to me for the waste thereof. I bear, myself, the scar of a sword-thrust in my shoulder, which I owe him (the boy has a scalding tongue and he once persuaded me to play the fool; by the grace of God only I survived the encounter, for he covets my shoes and has striven hard to win them, even to the hiring of assassins) and which one day I hope to repay. You have been so good as to lay great stress and thanks upon the poor services I have been able to render you. Your condescension has gratified my eyes, but, unfortunately, not my pocket, and I confess that I confidently expected ere this to have received a substantial advance on account of the agreements we have come to. There is the matter of a mortgage upon Carnbystows, which I ventured on a previous occasion to lay before your generous consideration. A paltry amount, certainly, two thousand pounds, but there have been so many calls upon my pocket of late that now it hangs baggy as a tied smock. Moreover, Somerset has made me an offer of his Devonshire stock for eleven hundred pounds (a bargain I would be ashamed to let pass), while Tregarthen of Ilby (an ardent admirer of your own) will let me have his ewes at two pounds per caput (his flock is only consistent of twelve hundred all told) because he is anxious to get to London to place himself at your commands. By the courier who will deliver to you this memorandum I may mention that I have dispatched an invitation to my good friend the Earl of Chatham to meet me and discuss some personal policies on the same day of next month as the day of this upon which I indite these poor words. By hap your goodness may render the suggested meeting unnecessary, for I will not deny that I would converse with the earl on money matters, and in case you can assist me, I beg you intrust my courier with the package, in which occasion he bears my instructions to destroy the second missive—I have the honour to subscribe myself, your obedient Servant, DEVENAC.'

I read this letter with amusement not unmixed with feelings of contempt and triumph. So Devenac, cautious boor that he was, had allowed himself to be bought by the marquis, but I dare have sworn not blindly, and the cunningly-worded but clever threat at the end of the missive laid bare to me my brother's heart. No doubt Devenac intended to make what he could from one side and then sell the whole business to the other. Only the intention to my mind was too patent, and I wondered grimly what De Sevringen thought about it. It seemed to me that I had stumbled into possession of the key to a very pretty conspiracy, and the fancy brought in its train a rush of pleasant thoughts. I lay back in my chair and dreamed, and my dreams displayed to me myself acting strange parts and walking through manifold adventures to a golden and glorious climax. I saw myself, the graceless scamp whose follies and escapades had made him infamous in London, transformed into a patriot rendering a distinguished service to the nation, and at the last, overwhelmed with honours, walking up Cheapside on the arm of the Prince of Wales, on his way to receive the thanks of both Houses of Parliament. Far-fetched and vainglorious visions, it is true, but they aroused in my heart wild enthusiasm and a burning spirit of enterprise and of ambition. Richards had returned but I was not conscious of his presence. With a sudden glow of ardour I crashed my fist upon the table, staring the while into vacancy. I may mention my blow sent the poor rickety table into collapse again.

'From this hour,' I muttered theatrically, but quite unconscious of that same, 'I shall cease playing the fool. From this hour I shall live a man, and by the actions of the future I shall beat into forgetfulness every disgraceful incident of my wretched past From this hour——'

Richards interrupted me: 'Lawks!' he observed solemnly, 'wouldn't that French marquis like to be here now?'

He was quite right. On the floor lay the skull and purse, and scattered about my feet reposed the Treasury bills, and the even more priceless documents referring to the conspiracy. I was very annoyed with myself, and in consequence thereof gave Richards a well-merited flogging.

The next four days I spent in forming plans, maturing them, dismissing them, forming others, maturing them, dismissing them, until my mind was a perfect chaos for confusion and ill-temper. Richards suffered more than myself, I believe, but then my discomfort was mental, his merely physical.

The Prince of Wales had suddenly taken it into his head to rejoin his regiment at Portsmouth: there was no one else cared or dared to disturb me. Richards, meanwhile, attended to the replenishing of my wardrobe and furniture, but I paid his work very little attention, and, to do him justice, he kept out of my way as much as possible. At the end of the fourth day I felt that I was going mad—the strain was altogether beyond me. I had always been accustomed to walk in the devil-may-care, reckless method of the gambler, and to allow the next day to care for itself without borrowing its trouble or work beforehand. It is hard to break through the habits of a lifetime, and I was pretty weary of the effort.

'Richards!' I shouted all on a sudden.

'Milord!' he gasped, edging toward the door; the rogue had most likely done something to deserve a beating and feared I had discovered it, but I reassured him.

'Come here, lad,' I said kindly. 'Just inform me how did I come into this windfall of the bills?'

Richards watched me like a cat from the corners of his eyes.

'You took them from that French gentleman, milord,'

'Yes,' I cried impetuously, 'but reason farther back.'

'I brought the Frenchy here,' declared Richards, modestly.

'Farther back still, you idiot!'

'You were going to put out your light till I persuaded you to go to sleep,' said the dolt, with a crafty look.

'You are a brainless ass, Richards; it was all chance!' I shouted.

'H'm! yes,' assented Richards, dubiously. Richards had been brought up a Methodist, and in spite of many beatings still had hankerings after chapel-going and suchlike foolishness. He was longing to give me the lie with a smiling 'Providence,' but he did not dare.

'How have I lived for the past ten years?' I demanded.

'Cards?' suggested Richards.

'Chance! you lunatic,' I corrected.

'Chance?'

'Yes, chance. How did you come to me?'

'I brought you a letter from Mr. Feversham.'

'But it was a chance I engaged you. I could see with half an eye you were a fool; I pitied you.'

'H'm!' said Richards, disgustedly, 'chance.'

'Can't you see, you poor simpleton, that everything happens by chance?' I demanded.

'Well, if that's right, milord, how did you break your cords when you were bound the other night, and kill those two robbers and put a hole through the Frenchy's cheek—was that chance?' he asked triumphantly.

'How did I get the strength which enabled me to burst the cords?' I retorted.

'You were born with it, I s'pose, my lord,' replied the incorrigible idiot.

I near wept in sheer disgust. 'It was chance again, you empty-pated clown,' I cried; 'and what's more, I vow I'm going to trust entirely to chance in future and not try to set myself against the fates, so swallow that, you clodhopper. Am I bidden anywhere to-night?'

'The Duchess of Powers sent a letter three days since, bidding you to her rout; you tore it to ribands without reading it.'

'Then how the devil do you know what was in it?'

Richards actually blushed. 'I thought you'd want it after, you didn't seem yourself, so I pieced it together; here it is,' and the rogue came towards me ready to make a rush if I looked like attacking him. But I was of another mind, and that was filled with a sudden presentiment akin to inspiration.

'Chance again!' I cried blithely. 'Get me my best clothes, Richards, on the instant.'

But the rogue retired muttering uncannily to himself, and the door once open he exclaimed jeeringly, in accents of deep, almost unutterable, contempt, 'H'm! chance!'

I made at him but the door slammed in my face. It is a mistake for a man to be familiar with his lackey, and I was meditating upon a punishment meet for his insolence when the rascal burst in on me, his face one blaze of surprise. 'This was pinned to the outside of the door,' he cried excitedly.

'This' was a pink letter folded in the figure of eight, sealed with green wax and addressed, 'To M. Caryl Franks.' I tore it open, and in very astonishment recited its contents aloud:—

'DEAR MONSIEUR,—Remembering the services which some time since you so gallantly rendered me, I am now constrained to bethink me of the principle contained so expressively in your English idiom, "One good turn deserves another." Accept the warning of one who, while in doubt as to many of her intentions, at least wishes you no ill. Your life is momentarily in danger. Be careful where and how you walk; above all, on no account visit the Duchess of P.'s rout this evening. More I cannot tell you. Farewell. C. D'A.'

'Well,' I gasped, noting Richards gaping at me open-mouthed, 'what do you think of that? Chance! My God, it's the hand of fate.'

'It seems to me, my lord,' remarked Richards, his aspect amusingly severe, 'that this rout is a good place to stay away from.'

'But chance,' I persisted, willing that the fool should, even at the eleventh hour, see a little light.

Richards, however, moved away sullen and stubborn as a mule.

'C. D'A.' he muttered, repeating Clarisse's initials. 'This makes the twelfth woman in ten months. Chance, ugh!'

But I was too quick for him this time, and the rogue limped off, howling dismally, to fetch my clothes.