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CHAPTER X—Continued
—13—
But Dewdrop had no comfort to
offer.
That the three were waiting for
Pharaoh seemed pretty clear. But
where was Pharaoh now? And what
had Pharaoh been doing since seven
o’clock? He had not seen Rush
or Bugle, nor had he learned their
news. More. While his men had
the use of the Rolls, Pharaoh was
rising his feet. And that was not
like Pharaoh.
Somewhere in the pile of the cas
tle a new light leaped Into life—a
definite eye of radiance, unshaded
and unconfined. For a moment It
stabbed the darkness, a steady pin
prick of light. Then it broke into a
series of flashes—a silent luminous
stutter that no one could ever mis
take.
And so my eyes were opened. Be
fore his fellows could tell me, L
knew the truth.
Pharaoh wras on the ramparts, and
Pharaoh was going to “talk.” Pha
raoh had been in the castle the live
long day. He had never left with
Dewdrop. And now he was going to
quench the lights of the castle; and
when he had put them out, he would
let his accomplices In.
Dewdrop deciphered the message,
word by word.
“Clothe—up—to—bridge — thtand
—by—to—enter—by—lntht — nighth
—pothtern—directly—lighth—fall."
The lamp flashed once more and
went out.
Before I had gathered my wits,
the three were afoot.
To this day I cannot decide what
I should have done. Had I left
* them and dashed for the castle to
give the alarm, before I had found
the warden the lights would have
failed. Had I attacked, whatever
tlte result of my effort, I think It
is clear that I must myself have
gone down, hut Pharaoh would still
have been rampant. The brain, the
will and the drive prompting this
reign of terror belong to Pharaoh
alone. And only the destruction of
Fharnoh could end this sinister
rule. First Pharaoh, and then his
fellows; but Pharaoh first.
I say “that is how I saw it," but
that Is more than the truth, for I
saw it very darkly, and ns I stole
after my quarry towards the bridge,
I was myself the prey of a horrid
uncertainty for which I was not to
blame. I had staked and won; and
now I was taking my winnings as
gamblers do. But this was no gam
ing-table; this was the Instant busi
ness of life and death.
Wild to exploit the advantage I
clearly held, in fear of wasting this
by striking too soon, in fear of los
ing it by holding my hand, I moved
10 paces in rear of the shambling
thieves, with one hand on Sabre’s
collar and the other on Geoffrey’s
knife.
So far as I had gathered, they
knew no more than I did what I’ha
raoh was going to do. He was go
ing to cut off the light—disarm the
main switchboard, without a doubt.
Then they were to use the post
ern—
The vision brought me up with a
jerk.
How could they use the postern?
The postern was fast. Pharaoh
must have opened it somehow. Un
known to the warden, he must have
obtained the key.
. A sudden apprehension lifted its
ugly head. In Pharaoh's presence
Helena had handed the warden a
master key. That was the key with
which Pharaoh had opened the
postern; though no alarm had been
raised, because nothing was known.
Pharaoh had killed the warden and
had taken the master key.
That this was so, I instantly
made up my mind. “Talk about
panic. . . .” Blindness, havoc and
panic would rule the night. The
sheep would have no shepherd—
and Geoffrey and Barley were gone.
How Pharaoh would find the treas
ure, I could not think. My wuy
at least was clear. The thieves
would bring me to Pharaoh and ev
erything was to be gained by my
holding my hand.
And here, ns though by magic,
the lights of Yorick went out.
There was now less need of si
lence and more of speed, - for the
three rogues ran for the draw
bridge as hard as they could. Sabre
and I ran behind them, as though we
belonged to the crew.
Ahead I saw something white by
the castle wall. The three turned
aside to avoid It, and I did the
same. As I went by, I saw that
it was a sheet. At that moment
Sabre left me—he seemed to stop.
But I had no time to wrangle. . .
The postern-door was open. The
three stumbled In and stood wait
ing. And I stood waiting without,
and with a foot on the step and uiy
head close against the wall.
Then catne Pharaoh’s voice.
“Bugle.’’
“’Ere," said Bugle at once.
“Don't talk. Whisper. Here. Take
these goods. . . . Have you forgot
ten them?"
“I’ve got a shoe." breathed Bu
gle. “Wat's this?"
“A wipe.” said Pharaoh. “To
which side of the drive are the
cars?”
“They’re to the right from here.”
“Drop the wipe on the draw
bridge, and sling the shoe into the
fields to the left of the drive. If you
want to live, make It snappy.
They’re going to open those gates
before you get back.”
As Bugle went by me, I saw that
here was a chance which would
never return. Pharaoh had used no
torch. If Bugle’s reminiscence was
true, the probability was that he
would not use one tonight. I was
tall and thick-set, very much about
Bugle’s build—a suit I had left at
Plumage was fitting him very well;
and Bugle had been told to whis
per. . . .
In a flash I was running for the
drawbridge in Bugle’s wake.
The castle was alive with niur
murs—sounds of disorder and dis
tress; someone was out on the ram
parts, raving (to me!) men were
Sabre and I Ran Behind Them.
trampling and shouting; I could
hear blows falling upon woodwork
and the shiver of breaking glass.
I>ut 1 heard these things as in a
dream, for now I knew whose key
had opened the postern, whose
handkerchief would lie on the
drawbridge, whose slipper fall in
the fields. . . .
The knowledge set my heart
pounding. Some fountain that had
not been working burst suddenly
into play. Its liquor was bitter
sweet— and it made me drunken
with rage. A girl had been mis
handled. Not the Countess Helena
of Yorick, for she was not of this
life; but a slight, pathetic figure,
whose head was bare . . . that had
stood very still in a valley.
What then took plnce, happened
more swiftly than I can set It down.
Bugle was on the drawbridge,
and 1 was standing, ready and wait
ing to kill him, three paces away.
I saw the man drop the handker
chief and I saw him draw back his
arm to discharge the shoe. It was
then that I noticed Sabre—nosing
the scrap of linen, white on the
bridge. . . .
As the shoe left Bugle’s hand, the
Alsatian crouched, and as lie turned
to come back, the great dog sprang.
The shock would have sent a
giant flying, for Sabre weighed
fully six stone.
As Bugle met the rail of the
drawbridge, I heard a bone snap.
And then the twro went over, into
the moat.
The splash they made must have !
been heard, but for the outcry with
in the castle itself.
As I ran for the postern. I heard
a hubbub in the archway and Flo
rin's voice calling to Hubert to
open the gates.
As I stumbled into the passage_
“This is the stufr." breathed
Rush. “Up the stairs on yer left.
I’ve got to lock this door."
It seemed best to do ns he said.
Pharaoh and Dewdrop were gone.
I needed Rush to bring me where
they were.
Without a word, I turned to the
steps I knew. . . .
As I came to their head, I be
came aware of a radiance—a faint
suggestion of light, enough to out
line the doorway that gave to the
little hall. Another step, and I
heard the drone of a voice.
I entered the hall a-tlptoe.
One of its doors was half-open—
not that of the staircase which led
to Helena’s room. Beyond this a
light was burning, the light of a
torch — and an ice-cold voice was
teaching a bitter sentence to cut
like a whetted knife.
“So you see, there’s not much
left. Tomorrow morning, no doubt,
order will be restored. Very likely
the police will arrive. They won’t
arrive tonight, for the telephone
Isn’t working. I’m afraid I’m to
blame for that. The search, which
is now proceeding in a somewhat
haphazard way. will be organized;
clues will be sifted; the abduction
will be reconstructed. Your sheets
are below the ramparts, so they’ll
know you were taken that way.
Your handkerchief lies on the draw
bridge; the slipper which you
kicked off will be found in the
fields.
“I expect they’ll employ your
Alsatian—I’m sure I should. But
as I carried you here. I don’t think
that he will come off. One has to
think of these things. Be that as
it may. no stone will be left un
turned to find the beautiful count
ess — you really are lovely, you
knew—the worshipful mistress of
Yorlck, that carted her drunken
brother out of her way. And all
the time you’ll be here, sharing this
somewhat unfriendly chnrnber with
me and my friends. . . . You do
see the point, don’t you? They
won’t search the castle, because
they’ll know for certain we're none
of us here. You didn’t search it
this morning — you knew I was
gone. And if they did search the
castle, I hardly think Florin would
let them look In this room. It’s
cleverly done, that door. You’ve got
to be curious to find It and an ex
pert to find its lock. I’m both. I
found them on Wednesday evening
—with the help of your brother's
key. I need hardly say that had
I known that the key which you
handed the warden was his and not
yours, we should have adjourned to
this chamber this morning instead
of tonight. However, all's well that
ends well. . . .”
A stealthy step behind me remem
bered Rush.
As 1 turned, he was locking the
door at the head of the curling
stair.
For a fraction of a second 1 hesi
tated. Rush was at my mercy. Was
this the time to unmask? And then
T decided to stake my winnings
once more.
Rush straightened his hack and
turned to the half-open door. Then
lie hung on his heel for an instant,
to breathe in my ear.
“Come on. you. I'll give you Pha
raoh’s a genius. He’s got little
Shelia cold.”
**•••*•
Here, since it hears upon my
story, I must describe how you en
tered that secret room.
This was the way of It.
In the massive door from the hall
(lie keyhole was set to the right,
and when you had turned tile key,
the iron-studded oak opened in
wards and so to the left. At once
you found yourself at the foot of n
staircase-turret, the steps of which
rose to die right and nfter three or
four rises curled out of your view.
Now the door was very heavy
and, not being truly hung, had to
lie held open; if it were not so held,
it at once swung back to its frame
and, since its lock was a spring
lock. shut itself fast. A catch was,
therefore, provided, to prevent It
from playing this trick—the sort of
self-acting catch that is used for
an entrance gate; and do bring this
catch into action, you had but to
open the door as wide as you could.
Rut by so doing you were masking
another door.
Enter the turret and let the door
shut behind you, and there in the
wall which the door, when open,
had hidden, was another smaller
doorway which gave to the secret
room. The door which Is framed
was also of oak and Iron, but
though It boasted a handle, there
was no keyhole at all. It was In
fact locked by the catch which held
open the major door. Turn this
catch to one side, and the minor
door would swing open without a
sound.
From within the room this door,
when shut, could neither he opened
nor seen, because it was backed
with the woodwork which covered
the walls.
All this, of course, I learned later.
All that i knew at the moment was
that the door to the room had been
“cleverly done.”
Rush whispered over Ids shoul
der.
“Watch ojit for this door. It's
wedged.”
He sidled round the oak and I
followed, with a hand on my pistol
and Geoffrey's knife in my sleeve.
I shall never forget the scene.
Only one torch was alight, and
this was so held by Oewdrop that
Its beam fell on Helena's face. To
this the eye naturally turned,,and
In an instant the rest of the room
was black.
She was sitting upright on a
bench, with her hack to the pan
elled wall. The neck of her dress
was torn and had fallen from one
of her shoulders. If anything, her
air was listless: she did not seem
to be breathing, she sat so still.
Her eyes were lowered to avoid the
glare of the torch, but her beau
tiful head was high, and for all
the emotion she showed she might
have been sitting in a church.
The sight of her captive and des
olate hit me hard.
That Pharaoh had been able to
seize her was all ni.v fault: but for
me, she would have had Sabre, her
bodyguard. More. Had I returned
to the castle, my cousin and Bar
ley and I would all have been there,
and the odds against Pharaoh’s
success would have been absurd: as
It was, I had made them even—
and Pharaoh had won.
The beam of the torch was blind
ing and I shut my eyes and sank
my chin on my chest. I wanted
to be able to see where Pharaoh
was. Bush was beside me; he had
lingered a moment to take up the
wedge and to lock the major door,
but now he was standing beside me
—I could hear him licking his lips.
And Dewdrop, a pace or two dis
tant, was holding the torch. But
I had not distinguished Pharaoh,
and Pharaoh was first on my list.
Then the man spoke again, nnd I
knew that he was standing or sit
ting on the farther side of the
room.
“As always. I’m perfectly frank.
My hand is upon the treasure. It's
simply a question of testing these
walls and this floor. But I can’t
get It out of the castle—at least,
not as much ns I want. I don't
like to use the drawbridge: 1 be
lieve even your bucolics would And
that strange. But 1 know there's
another way out. You took it with
Mr. Spencer five nights ago."
There was » little silence. Then—
“do on." sa Id Helena, quietly.
“You will fell me that way," said
I’haraoh.
“And then?*'
“We shall work till dawn, re
moving as much ns we can.”
“And then?"
“We shall clear up and go.’’ said
Pharaoh. “And you will be free.
I hardly think you’ll want anybody
to find us—In possession of so much
gold."
“‘Clear up nnd,’" said Helena.
“What do you mean bv ‘clear up?’”
“I mean what you think 1 mean.
There's a nuisance I've got to
abate.”
“If you were honest, you’d say
‘a score to settle.’” *
“I prefer the term ‘nuisance.’
Still, that may have to wait a lit
tle. At dawn we shall leave the
castle, and you will he free.”
Helena took a deep breath.
“I see,” she said. “And now I'll
tell you something. You’ve got a
long way, but a long way Is never
enough. You know that you’re near
the gold, hut you don’t know how
to reach It. It’s very wpII to talk
of testing these walls and this floor,
but that’s a job for a mason, and
you know It ns well as I. But if
the gold was here, as you admit
ted just now, you couldn’t get It
away. More. So long ns you stay
here, you're safe, for no one will
open this room. But ‘the longer
you stay here, the slighter your
chance of escape. You've only the
Rolls and my mpn will very soon
find that, looking for me, And to
morrow, as you surmise, order will
he restored. Quite good order, I
warn you : Air. Rohun will see to
that. If you wait till then, there
fore, you will have to cut your way
out. You’ll have no gold to carry, so
that should be easy enough: hut
once you are out, you’ll have no
sort of transport nnd the park will
he full of my people, looking for
me. Of course, ns I say, if you stay
here, you’re perfectly safe. But
you’ve neither food nor water, nnd
nothing that you can think of will
make me talk.”
"What, nothing?" said Pharaoh.
“Nothing." said Helena, calmly.
“You’ve no one here to torture, and
I’m not afraid for myself. For the
moment I’m up ngalnst It: but you
are up against time.”
It was clear that she meant what
she said: tier fearlessness was sub
lime.
i wondered ir sue neiieved what
Phnrnoh hatl said. “Removing as
much as we can . . . clear up and
go . . . and you will be free." Once
Phnrnoh hurl access to more than
a million pounds, was Pharaoh the
mnn to grab what he could and
bolt? If she opened her mouth.
Pharaoh would certainly go. It
seemed likely that he would take
with him a thousand pounds. Fif
teen hundred, perhaps: Dewdrop
and Bugle and Rush could ench of
them manage a hag. And some
thing else he would take—against
his return : and that was her mas
ter key. And she herself would be
free, or she would he dead. Was
it likely that Pharaoh, the ruthless,
would spare her life? Spare her to
cut off his access. If nothing else?
‘‘It certainly looks,’’ he said, "as
though we shan’t he able to finish
tonight. Still, these things shouldn’t
be rushed. And yon know 1 can't
help feeling that twenty-four hours
In this chamber "ill help you to
change your mind. The quarters are
close, aren’t they?”
"So much," said Helena, calmly,
“may happen In twenty-four hours."
"As I was saying, here we are
out of the world, and time will
stand still. Outside—well, the ward
en will rage and your people Imag
ine vain things: Mr. Rohun will or
ganize: Mr. Spencer will grin like
a dog and run about the—”
“Mr. Spencer’s the rock you've
split on from first to last."
(TO HE COM'INI'El))
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Tuskegee Institute, an institution
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