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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. 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..1b47494 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #67801 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/67801) diff --git a/old/67801-0.txt b/old/67801-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 9de01ed..0000000 --- a/old/67801-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,13558 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of In the Name of the People, by Arthur -W. Marchmont - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world 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. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: In the Name of the People - -Author: Arthur W. Marchmont - -Illustrator: A. Forestier - -Release Date: April 8, 2022 [eBook #67801] - -Language: English - -Produced by: D A Alexander, David E. Brown, and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was - produced from images generously made available by The - Internet Archive) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK IN THE NAME OF THE -PEOPLE *** - - - - - -_BY THE SAME AUTHOR._ - - -WHEN I WAS CZAR. - -The _Court Circular_ says:--“There is always something supremely -audacious about Mr. Marchmont’s books. This, however, I will say, that -for a long evening’s solid enjoyment ‘When I was Czar’ would be hard to -beat.” - -The _Nottingham Guardian_ says:--“The best story of political intrigue -which has been written since ‘The Prisoner of Zenda,’ with which it -compares for the irresistible buoyancy by which it is told and the -skill in which expectation is maintained on tiptoe till the last move.” - -The _Freeman’s Journal_ says:--“A very brilliant work, every page in it -displays the dramatic talent of the author and his capacity for writing -smart dialogue.” - - -AN IMPERIAL MARRIAGE. - -The _Sporting Life_ says:--“Every page is full of incident and bright -dialogue. The characters are strongly and vividly drawn, and the -development of the whole story shows the author to be a thorough master -of his craft.” - -The _Scotsman_ says:--“The action never flags, the romantic element -is always paramount, so that the production is bound to appeal -successfully to all lovers of spirited fiction.” - -The _Notts Guardian_ says:--“The interest is absorbing and cumulative -through every chapter, and yet the tale is never overloaded with -incident. The vigour and reality of the story does not flag to the last -page.” - -The _Court Journal_ says:--“One of those intricate webs of intrigue and -incident in the weaving of which the author has no equal.” - - -BY SNARE OF LOVE. - -The _Dundee Courier_ says:--“To say that the clever author of ‘When I -was Czar’ has eclipsed that stirring romance is to bring one within the -sphere of the incredible. But it is true. The present novel is full -to overflowing of boundless resource and enterprise, which cannot but -rouse even the most blasé of readers.” - -The _Daily Mail_ says:--“The story is undoubtedly clever. Mr. Marchmont -contrives to invest his most improbable episodes with an air of -plausibility, and the net result is an exciting and entertaining tale.” - -The _Birmingham Post_ says:--“Mr. Marchmont creates numerous thrilling -situations which are worked out with dramatic power, his description -of the interior of a Turkish prison, with all its horrors, being a -realistic piece of work.” - - -IN THE CAUSE OF FREEDOM. - -The _Times_:--“Mr. Marchmont’s tales always have plenty of go. He is -well up to his standard in this busy and exciting narrative.” - -The _Globe_:--“Mr. A. W. Marchmont can always write an exciting story -bristling with adventures and hazard, and incidents of all sorts. ‘In -the Cause of Freedom’ furnishes a good example of his talent. Vivid, -packed with drama, with action that never flags, this novel ought to -appeal successfully to all lovers of romantic and spirited fiction.” - -The _People’s Saturday Journal_:--“It is an admirable example of the -type of exciting fiction for which Mr. Marchmont is justly famous, and -lacks nothing in the way of plot and incident.” - - -THE QUEEN’S ADVOCATE. - -The _Daily News_ says:--“Written in a vigorous and lively manner, -adventures throng the pages, and the interest is maintained throughout.” - -The _Belfast Northern Whig_ says:--“As one book follows another from -Mr. Marchmont’s pen we have increased breadth of treatment, more -cleverly constructed plots and a closer study of human life and -character. His present work affords ample evidence of this.” - -_Madam_ says:--“A thrilling story, the scene of which takes us to the -heart of the terrible Servian tragedy. We are taken through a veritable -maze of adventure, even to that dreadful night of the assassination of -the Royal couple. A very readable story.” - - -A COURIER OF FORTUNE. - -The _Daily Telegraph_ says:--“An exciting romance of the ‘cloak and -rapier.’ The fun is fast and furious; plot and counterplot, ambushes -and fightings, imprisonment and escapes follow each other with a -rapidity that holds the reader with a taste for adventure in a state -of more or less breathless excitement to the close. Mr. Marchmont -has a spirited manner in describing adventure, allowing no pause in -the doings for overdescription either of his characters or their -surroundings.” - -The _Bristol Mercury_ says:--“A very striking picture of France at -a period of absolute social and political insecurity. The author’s -characters are drawn with such art as to make each a distinct -personality. ‘A Courier of Fortune’ is quite one of the liveliest books -we have read.” - - -BY WIT OF WOMAN. - -The _Morning Leader_ says:--“A stirring tale of dramatic intensity, -and full of movement and exciting adventure. The author has evolved a -character worthy to be the wife of Sherlock Holmes. She is the heroine; -and what she did not know or could not find out about the Hungarian -Patriot Party was not worth knowing.” - -The _Standard_ says:--“Mr. Marchmont is one of that small band of -authors who can always be depended upon for a distinct note, a novel -plot, an original outlook. ‘By Wit of Woman’ is marked by all the -characteristic signs of Mr. Marchmont’s work.” - - -THE LITTLE ANARCHIST. - -The _Sheffield Telegraph_ says:--“The reader once inveigled into -starting the first chapter is unable to put the book down until he has -turned over the last page.” - -_Manchester City News_ says:--“It is no whit behind its predecessors -in stirring episode, thrilling situation and dramatic power. The story -grips in the first few lines and holds the reader’s interest until -‘finis’ is written.” - -The _Scotsman_ says:--“A romance, brimful of incident and arousing -in the reader a healthy interest that carries him along with never a -pause--a vigorous story with elements that fascinate. In invention and -workmanship the novel shows no falling off from the high standard of -Mr. Marchmont’s earlier books.” - - - - -IN THE NAME OF THE PEOPLE - - -[Illustration: “‘To whom are you going to give the papers you have just -received from M. Dagara?’” (Page 193.)] - - - - - IN THE NAME OF - THE PEOPLE - - By - ARTHUR W. MARCHMONT - - _Author of “When I was Czar,” “The - Queen’s Advocate,” etc., etc._ - - _ILLUSTRATED_ - - WARD, LOCK & CO., LIMITED - LONDON, MELBOURNE AND TORONTO - 1911 - - - - -CONTENTS - - - CHAP. PAGE - - I AN UNPROPITIOUS START 9 - - II DEVELOPMENTS 18 - - III THE RECEPTION 28 - - IV MIRALDA 38 - - V INEZ 49 - - VI DR. BAROSA 59 - - VII SAMPAYO IS UNEASY 70 - - VIII MIRALDA’S MASK 79 - - IX THE INTERROGATION 90 - - X A DRASTIC TEST 100 - - XI POLICE METHODS 110 - - XII THE REAL “M.D.” 121 - - XIII MIRALDA’S CONFIDENCE 132 - - XIV ALONE WITH SAMPAYO 143 - - XV IN THE FLUSH OF SUCCESS 151 - - XVI BAROSA’S SECRET 161 - - XVII A LITTLE CHESS PROBLEM 172 - - XVIII DAGARA’S STORY 180 - - XIX SPY WORK 190 - - XX A NIGHT ADVENTURE ON THE RIVER 199 - - XXI PLOT AND COUNTERPLOT 207 - - XXII READY 216 - - XXIII ON THE _RAMPALLO_ 226 - - XXIV A TIGHT CORNER 235 - - XXV ILL NEWS 244 - - XXVI IN SIGHT OF VICTORY 253 - - XXVII DR. BAROSA SCORES 263 - - XXVIII “YOU SHALL DIE” 272 - - XXIX MIRALDA’S APPEAL 280 - - XXX JEALOUSY 289 - - XXXI A NIGHT OF TORMENT 299 - - XXXII A HUNDRED LASHES 309 - - XXXIII THE LUCK TURNS 318 - - XXXIV ON THE TRACK 327 - - XXXV THE PROBLEM OF AN EMPTY HOUSE 335 - - XXXVI UNTIL LIFE’S END 343 - - - - -CHAPTER I - -AN UNPROPITIOUS START - - - “318, RUA DE PALMA, - “LISBON, - “_September 20, 1907_. - - “My Dear Muriel,-- - - “I’m here at last, and the above is my address. The _Stella_ dropped - her anchor in the Tagus yesterday afternoon, and within half an - hour I was at the Visconte de Linto’s house. That will show you I - mean my campaign to be vigorous. But the Visconte and his wife are - at Coimbra, and Miralda is with them. I should have been off in - pursuit of her by the first train; but I managed to find out that - they are with friends there and will be back to-morrow for a big - reception. As that is just the sort of place I should choose before - all others for the meeting with Miralda, I promptly set to work to - get an invitation. I have done it all right. I got it through that - M. Volheno whom you and Stefan brought on a visit to us at Tapworth, - just after I got home from South Africa. Tell Stefan, by the way, - that Volheno is quite a big pot and high in the confidence of the - Dictator. I told him, of course, that I had come here about the - mining concessions in East Africa; and I shall rub that in to every - one. I think his mouth watered a bit at the prospect of getting - something for himself; anyway, he was awfully decent and promised me - all sorts of a good time here. Among the introductions he mentioned - was one to the de Lintos! I kept my face as stiff as a judge’s; but - I could have shrieked. Imagine a formal introduction to Miralda! - ‘Mademoiselle Dominguez. Mr. Donnington,’ and those eyes of hers wide - with astonishment, and her lips struggling to suppress her laughter! - I really think I must let him do it, just to see her face at the - moment. Anyway, I shall see her to-morrow night. Ye gods! It’s over - four months since I fell before her beauty as intuitively as a pagan - falls before the shrine of the little tin god he worships. I hope no - one has got in the way meanwhile; if there is any one--well, I’ll do - my best to give him a bad time. I’m not here for my health, as the - Yanks say; nor for the health of any other fellow. By all of which - you will see I am in good spirits, and dead set on winning. - - “By the way, I hear that things are in the very devil of a mess in - the city; and Volheno told me--unofficially of course--that the - streets are positively unsafe after dark. But I was out for a couple - of hours last night, renewing my acquaintance with the city, and - saw no ripple of trouble. After his warning I shoved a revolver in - my pocket; but a cigar-holder would have been just as much good. I - should rather like a scrap with some of the Lisbon ragamuffins. - - “I’ve taken a furnished flat here; yacht too awkward to get to and - from; and a hotel impossible--too many old women gossips. - - “Love to your hub and the kiddies. - - “Your affect. brother, - - “RALPH. - - “PS. Think of it. To-morrow night by this time I shall have met her - again. Don’t grin. You married a Spaniard; and for love too. And - you’re not ashamed of being beastly happy. R. D. - - “PPS. Mind. I hold you to your promise. If there is any real trouble - about M. and I need you, you are to come the moment I wire. Be a good - pal, and don’t back down. But I think I shall worry through on my - own.” - -I have given this letter because it explains the circumstances of my -presence in Lisbon. A love quest. In the previous March, my sister’s -husband, Stefan Madrillo, who is on the staff of the Spanish Embassy -in Paris, had introduced me to Miralda Dominguez--the most beautiful -girl in Paris as she was generally acknowledged; and although up to -that moment I had never cared for any woman, except my sister, and the -thought of marriage had never entered my head, the whole perspective of -life was changed on the instant. - -The one desire that possessed me was to win her love; the one possible -prospect which was not utterly barren and empty of everything but -wretchedness, was that she would give herself to me for life. - -I had one advantage over the crowd of men whom the lodestone of her -beauty drew round her. I had lived in her country, spoke her language -as readily as my own, and could find many interests in common. -Naturally I played that for all it was worth. - -From the first moment of meeting I was enslaved by her stately grace, -her ravishing smile, her soft, liquid, sympathetic voice, the subtle -but ineffable charm of her presence, and the dark lustrous eyes into -which I loved to bring the changing lights of surprise, curiosity, -interest and pleasure. - -I was miserable when away from her; and should have been wholly -happy in her presence if it had not been for the despairing sense of -unworthiness which plagued and depressed me. She was a goddess to me, -and I a mere clod. - -For three weeks--three crazily happy and yet crazily miserable weeks -for me--this had continued; and then I had been wired for at a moment’s -notice, owing to my dear father’s sudden illness. - -I had to leave within an hour of the receipt of the telegram, without -a chance of putting the question on which my whole happiness depended, -without even a word of personal leave-taking. And for the whole of the -four months since that night I had had to remain in England. - -During nearly all the time my father lay hovering between life -and death. At intervals, uncertain and transitory, he regained -consciousness; and at such moments his first question was for me. I -could not think of leaving him, of course; and even when the end came, -the settlement of the many affairs connected with the large fortune he -left delayed me a further two or three weeks. - -My sister assured me that, through some friend or other, she had -contrived to let Miralda know something of the facts; but this was no -more than a cold comfort. When at length I turned the _Stella’s_ head -toward Lisbon, steaming at the top speed of her powerful engines, I -felt how feeble such a written explanation, dribbling through two or -three hands and watered down in the dribbling process, might appear to -Miralda, even assuming that she had given me a second thought as the -result of those three weeks in Paris. - -But I was in Lisbon at last; and although I could not help realizing -that a hundred and fifty obstacles might have had time to grow up -between us during the long interval, I gritted my teeth in the resolve -to overcome them. - -Anyway, the following night would show me how the land lay; and, as -anything was better than suspense, I gave a sigh of relief at the -thought, and having posted the letter to my sister, set off for another -prowl round the city. - -I had not been there for several years--before I went out with the -Yeomanry for a fling at the Boers--and it interested me to note the -changes which had taken place. But I thought much more of Miralda than -of any changes and not at all of any possible trouble in the streets. -After a man has had a few moonlights rides reconnoitring kopjes which -are likely to be full of Boer snipers, he isn’t going to worry himself -grey about a few Portuguese rag-and-bobtail with an itch for his purse. - -Besides, I felt well able to take care of myself in any street row. I -was lithe and strong and in the pink of condition, and knew fairly well -“how to stop ’em,” as Jem Whiteway, the old boxer, used to say, with a -shake of his bullet head when he tried to get through my guard and I -landed him. - -But my contempt for the dangers of the streets was a little premature. -My experiences that night were destined to change my opinion entirely, -and to change a good many other things too. Before the night was many -hours older, I had every reason to be thankful that I had taken a -revolver out with me. - -It came about in this way. I was skirting that district of the city -which is still frequently called the Mouraria--a nest of little, -narrow, tortuous by-ways into which I deemed it prudent not to venture -too far--and was going down a steep street toward the river front, when -the stillness was broken by the hoarse murmur of many voices. I guessed -that some sort of a row was in the making, and hurried on to see the -fun. And as I reached a turning a little farther down, I found myself -in the thick of it. - -A small body of police came tearing round the corner running for their -lives with a crowd of men at their heels, whooping and yelling like a -pack of hounds in full sight of the fox. - -As the police passed, one of them struck a vicious blow at me with a -club, and I only just managed to jump back and escape the blow. I drew -into the shelter of a doorway as the mob followed. The street was very -narrow and steep at this point, and the police, seeing the advantage it -gave them, rallied to make a stand some forty or fifty yards up the -hill above me. - -The foremost pursuers paused a few moments to let a good number come -up; and then they went for the police for all they were worth. The -fight was very hot; but discipline told, as it will; and although the -police were tremendously outnumbered, they held their ground well -enough at first. - -Meanwhile the racket kept bringing up reinforcements for the mob, and -some of them began to get disagreeably curious about me. Here was a -glorious struggle going on against the common foe, and I was standing -idly by instead of taking a hand in it. - -One or two of them questioned me in a jeering tone, and presently some -fool yelled out that I was a spy. From taunts and gibing insults, those -near me proceeded to threats, fists and sticks were shaken at me, and -matters looked decidedly unpleasant. - -I kept on explaining that I was a foreigner; but that was no more than -a waste of breath; and I looked about for a chance to get away. - -I was very awkwardly placed, however. If I went up the street, I -should only run into the thick of the fight with the police; while the -constant arrival of freshcomers below me made escape in that direction -impossible. - -Then came a crisis. One excited idiot struck at me with a stick, and -of course I had to defend myself; and for a time I was far too busy to -heed what was going on in the big row higher up the street. I tried -fists at first and, putting my back to the wall, managed to keep the -beggars at bay. Then a chance came to seize a big heavy club with -which a little brute was trying to break my head; and with that I soon -cleared quite a respectable space by laying about me indiscriminately. - -But suddenly the club was knocked out of my hands, and a howl of -delight hailed my discomfiture. Then I remembered my revolver. I -whipped it out and a rather happy thought occurred to me. Shouting at -the top of my lungs that I was an Englishman and had nothing to do -with either the mob or the police, I grabbed hold of the ringleader of -my assailants, and used him as a sort of hostage. Keeping him between -myself and the rest, I shoved the barrel of the revolver against his -head and sung out that I would blow out his brains if any other man -attempted to harm me. - -The ruse served me well. The crowd hung back; and my prisoner, in a -holy scare for his life, yelled at his friends to leave me alone. - -Whether the trick would have really got me out of the mess I don’t -know. There was not time to tell, for another development followed -almost immediately. Some fresh arrivals came up yelling that the -soldiers were close at hand; and we soon heard them. - -The mob were now caught between two fires. The police were still -holding their own above us, and the troops were hurrying up from the -other direction. Some one had the wit to see that the crowd’s only -chance was to carry the street against the police and clear that way -for flight. A fierce attack was made upon them, therefore, and they -were driven back to one side, leaving half the roadway clear. - -The throng about me melted away, and I let my prisoner go, intending to -wait for the troops. But I soon abandoned that idea; for I saw they had -clubbed their muskets and were knocking down everybody they saw. - -I had already had a blow aimed at me by the police, and had been -threatened by the mob; and being in about equal danger from both sides, -I was certain to get my head cracked if I remained. Their tactics were -to hit first and inquire afterwards, and I therefore adopted the only -alternative and took to my heels. - -Being among the last to fly I was seen. A tally-ho was raised and -four or five of the police came dashing after me. Not knowing the -district well, I ran at top speed and bolted round corner after corner, -haphazard, keeping a sharp look-out as I ran for some place in which I -could take cover. - -I had succeeded in shaking off all but two or three when, on turning -into one street, I spied the window of a house standing partly open. -To dart to it, throw it wide, clamber in, and close it after me took -only a few seconds; and as I squatted on the floor, breathing hard -from the chase and the effects of my former tussle, I had the intense -satisfaction of hearing my pursuers go clattering past the house. - -That I might be taken for a burglar and handed over to the police by -the occupants of the house, did not bother me in the least. I could -very easily explain matters. It was the virtual certainty of a cracked -pate, not the fear of arrest from which I had bolted; and that I had -escaped with a sound skull was enough for me for the present. - -But no one came near me; so I stopped where I was until the row outside -had died down. It seemed to die a hard death; and I must have sat there -in the dark for over an hour before I thought of venturing out to -return to my rooms. - -Naturally unwilling to leave by the window, I groped my way out into -the passage and struck a match to look for the front door. Close to -me was a staircase leading to the upper rooms; and at the end of the -passage a second flight down to the basement. - -Like so many houses in Lisbon this was built on a steep hill, and -guessing that I should find a way out downstairs at the back, I decided -to use that means of leaving, as it offered less chance of my being -observed. - -I had just reached the head of the stairway, when a door below was -unlocked and several people entered the house. A confused murmur of -voices followed, and among them I heard that of a woman speaking in a -tone of angry protest against some mistake which those with her were -making. - -The answering voices were those of men--strident, stern, distinctly -threatening, and mingled with oaths. - -Then the woman spoke again; repeating her protest in angry tones; but -her voice was now vibrant with rising alarm. - -“Silence!” - -The command broke her sentence in two, and her words died away in -muffled indistinctness, suggesting that force had been used to secure -obedience. - -Then a light was kindled; there was some scuffling along the passage; -and they all appeared to enter a room. - -I paused, undecided what to do. The thing had a very ugly look; but I -had had quite enough trouble to satisfy me for one night. I didn’t want -to go blundering into an affair which might be no more than a family -quarrel; especially as I was trespassing in the house. - -A few seconds later, however, came the sound of trouble; a blow, a -groan, and the thud of a fall. - -I caught my breath in fear that the woman had been struck down. - -But the next instant a shrill piercing cry for help rang out in her -voice, and this also was stifled as if a hand had been clapped on her -mouth. - -That decided things for me. - -Whatever the consequences, I could not stop to think of them while a -woman was in such danger as that cry for help had signalled. - - - - -CHAPTER II - -DEVELOPMENTS - - -My view of the trouble was that it was a case of robbery. The -disordered condition of the city was sure to be used by the roughs as -a cover for their operations; and I jumped to the conclusion that the -woman whose cry I was answering had been decoyed to the house to be -robbed. - -But as I ran down the stairs I heard enough to show me that it was in -reality a sort of by-product of the riot in the streets. The woman was -a prisoner in the hands of some of the mob, and they were threatening -her with violence because she was, in their jargon, an enemy of the -cause of the people. - -To my surprise it was against this that she was protesting so -vehemently. Her speech, in strong contrast to that of the men, was -proof of refinement and culture, while the little note of authority -which I had observed at first suggested rank. It was almost -inconceivable, therefore, that she could have anything in common with -such fellows as her captors. - -The door of the room in which they all were stood slightly ajar, and as -I reached it she reiterated her protest with passionate vehemence. - -“You are mad. I am your friend, not your enemy. I swear that. One of -you must know Dr. Barosa. Find him and bring him here and he will bear -out every word I have said.” - -[Illustration: “Holding my revolver in readiness, I entered.”] - -“That’s enough of that. Lies won’t help you,” came the reply in the -same gruff bullying tone I had heard before. “Now, Henriques,” he -added, as if ordering a comrade to finish the grim work. - -Holding my revolver in readiness, I entered. There were three of the -rascals. Two had hold of the woman who knelt between them with her back -to me, while the third, also with his back to me, was just raising a -club to strike her. - -They were so intent upon their job and probably so certain that no one -was in the house, that they did not notice me until I had had time to -give the fellow with the club a blow on the side of the head which sent -him staggering into a corner with an oath of surprise and rage. The -others released their hold of the woman, and as I stepped in front of -her, they fell away in healthy fear of my levelled weapon. - -They were the reverse of formidable antagonists; rascals from the -gutter apparently; venomous enough in looks, but undersized, feeble -specimens; ready to attack an unarmed man or a defenceless woman, but -utterly cowed by the sight of the business end of my revolver. - -They slunk back toward the door, rage, baulked malice and fear on their -ugly dirty faces. - -“A spy! A spy!” exclaimed the brute who had the stick; and at the word -they felt for their knives. - -“Put your hands up, you dogs,” I cried. “The man who draws a knife will -get a bullet in his head.” - -Meanwhile the woman had scrambled to her feet, with a murmured word -of thanks to the Virgin for my opportune intervention, and then to -my intense surprise she put her hand on my arm and said in a tone of -entreaty: “Do not fire, monsieur. They have only acted in ignorance.” - -“You hear that, you cowardly brutes,” I said, without turning to look -at her, for I couldn’t take my eyes off the men. “Clear out, or----” -and I stepped toward them as if I meant to fire. - -In that I made a stupid blunder as it turned out. They hung together -a second and then at a whisper from the fellow who appeared to be the -leader, they suddenly bolted out of the room, and locked the door -behind them. - -Not at all relishing the idea of being made a prisoner in this way, I -shouted to them to unlock the door, threatening to break it down and -shoot them on sight if they refused. As they did not answer I picked up -a heavy chair to smash in one of the panels, when my companion again -interposed. - -But this time it was on my and her own account. “They have firearms in -the house, monsieur. If you show yourself, they will shoot you; and I -shall be again at their mercy.” - -She spoke in a tone of genuine concern and, as I recognized the wisdom -of the caution, I put the chair down again and turned to her. - -It was the first good square look I had had at her, and I was surprised -to find that she was both young and surpassingly handsome--an -aristocrat to her finger tips, although plainly dressed like one of -the people. Her features were finely chiselled, she had an air of -unmistakable refinement, she carried herself with the dignity of a -person of rank, and her eyes, large and of a singular greenish brown -hue, were bent upon me with the expression of one accustomed to -expect ready compliance with her wishes. She had entirely recovered -her self-possession and in some way had braided up the mass of golden -auburn hair, the dishevelled condition of which I had noticed in the -moment of my entrance. - -“You are probably right, madame,” I said; “but I don’t care for the -idea of being locked in here while those rascals fetch some companions.” - -I addressed her as madame; but she couldn’t be more than four or five -and twenty, and might be much younger. - -“There will be no danger, monsieur,” she replied in a tone of complete -confidence. - -“There appeared to be plenty of it just now; and the sooner we are out -of this place, the better I shall be pleased.” And with that I turned -to the window to see if we could get out that way. It was, however, -closely barred. - -“You may accept my assurance. These men have been acting under a -complete misunderstanding. They will bring some one who will explain -everything to them.” - -“Dr. Barosa, you mean?” - -“What do you know of him?” The question came sharply and with a touch -of suspicion, as it seemed to me. - -“Nothing, except that I heard you mention him just as I entered.” - -She paused a moment, keeping her eyes on my face, and then, with a -little shrug, she turned away. “I will see if my ser--my companion is -much hurt,” she said, and bent over the man who was lying against the -wall. - -I noticed the slip; but it was nothing to me if she wished to make me -think he was a companion instead of a servant. - -She knew little or nothing about how to examine the man’s hurt, so I -offered to do it for her. “Will you allow me to examine him, madame? I -have been a soldier and know a little about first aid.” - -She made way for me and went to the other end of the room while I -looked him over. He had had just such a crack on the head as I feared -for myself when bolting from the troops. It had knocked the senses -out of him; but that was all. He was in no danger; so I made him as -comfortable as I could and told her my opinion. - -“He will be all right, no doubt,” was her reply, with about as much -feeling as I should have shown for somebody else’s dog; and despite -her handsome face and air of position, I began to doubt whether he -would not have been better worth saving than she. - -“How did all this happen?” - -She gave a little impatient start at the question, as if resenting it. -“He was brought here with me, monsieur, and the men struck him,” she -replied after a pause. - -“Yes. But why were you brought here?” - -“I have not yet thanked you for coming to my assistance, monsieur,” she -replied irrelevantly. “Believe me, I do thank you most earnestly. I owe -you my life, perhaps.” - -It was an easy guess that she found the question distasteful and had -parried it intentionally; so I followed the fresh lead. “I did no more -than I hope any other man would have done, madame,” I said. - -“That is the sort of reply I should look for from an Englishman, -monsieur.” Her strange eyes were fixed shrewdly upon me as she made -this guess at my nationality. - -“I am English,” I replied with a smile. - -“I am glad. I would rather be under an obligation to an Englishman than -to any one except a countryman of my own.” She smiled very graciously, -almost coquettishly, as if anxious to convince me of her absolute -sincerity. But she spoilt the effect directly. Lifting her eyes to -heaven and with a little toss of the hands, she exclaimed. “What a -mercy of the Virgin that you chanced to be in the house--this house of -all others in the city.” - -I understood. She wished to cross-examine me. “You are glad that I -arrived in time to interrupt things just now?” I asked quietly. - -“Monsieur!” Eyes, hands, lithe body, everything backed up the tone of -surprise that I should question it. “Do I not owe you my life?” I came -to the conclusion that she was as false as woman of her colour can be. -But she was an excellent actress. - -“Then let me suggest that we speak quite frankly. Let me lead the way. -I am an Englishman, here in Lisbon on some important business, and not, -as the doubt underneath your question, implies--a spy. I----” - -“Monsieur!” she cried again as if in almost horrified protest. - -“I was caught in the thick of a street fight,” I continued, observing -that for all her energetic protest she was weighing my explanation very -closely. “And had to run for it with the police at my heels. I saw a -window of this house standing partly open and scrambled through it for -shelter.” - -“What a blessed coincidence for me!” - -“It would be simpler to say, madame, that you do not believe me,” I -said bluntly. - -“Ah, but on my faith----” - -“Let me put it to you another way,” I cut in. “I don’t know much of the -ways of spies, but if I were one I should have contented myself with -listening at that door, instead of entering, and have locked you all in -instead of letting myself be caught in this silly fashion.” Then I saw -the absurdity of losing my temper and burst out laughing. - -She drew herself up. “You are amused, monsieur.” - -“One may as well laugh while one can. If my laugh offends you, I beg -your pardon for it, but I am laughing at my own conversion. An hour or -two back I was ridiculing the idea of there being anything to bother -about in the condition of the Lisbon streets. Since then I have been -attacked by the police, nearly torn to pieces by the mob, had to bolt -from the troops, and now you thank me for having saved your life and in -the same breath take me for a spy. Don’t you think that is enough cause -for laughter? If you have any sense of humour you surely will.” - -“I did not take you for a spy, monsieur,” she replied untruthfully. -“But you have learnt things while here. We are obliged to be cautious.” - -“My good lady, how on earth can it matter? We have met by the merest -accident; there is not the slightest probability that we shall ever -meet again; and if we did--well, you suggested just now that you know -something of the ways of us English, and in that case you will feel -perfectly certain that anything I have seen or heard here to-night will -never pass my lips.” - -“You have not mentioned your name, monsieur?” - -“Ralph Donnington. I arrived yesterday and stayed at the Avenida. Would -you like some confirmation? My card case is here, and this cigar case -has my initials outside and my full name inside.” - -“I do not need anything of that sort,” she cried quickly, waving her -hands. But she read both the name and the initials. - -“What have you inferred from what you have seen here to-night?” - -“That the rascals who brought you here are some of the same sort of -riff-raff I saw attacking the police and got hold of you as an enemy -of the people. I heard that bit of cant from one of them. That you are -of the class they are accustomed to regard as their oppressors was -probably as evident to them as to me; and when you expressed sympathy -with them----” - -“You heard that?” she broke in earnestly. - -“Certainly, when I heard you tell them to fetch this Dr. Barosa. But it -is nothing to me; nor, thank Heaven, are your Portuguese politics or -plots. But what is a good deal to me is how we are going to get out of -this.” - -“And for what do you take me, monsieur?” - -“For one of the most beautiful enthusiasts I ever had the pleasure of -meeting, madame,” I replied with a bow. “And a leader whom any one -should be glad indeed to follow.” - -She was woman enough to relish the compliment and she smiled. “You -think I am a leader of these people, then?” - -“It is my regret that I am not one of them.” - -“I am afraid that is not true, Mr. Donnington.” - -“At any rate I shall be delighted to follow your lead out of this -house.” - -“You will not be in any danger, I assure you of that.” - -As she spoke we heard the sounds of some little commotion outside the -room and I guessed that the scoundrels had brought up some more of -their kind. - -“I hope so, but I think we shall soon know.” - -“I have your word of honour that you will not breathe a word of -anything you have witnessed here to-night.” - -“Certainly. I pledge my word of honour.” - -The men outside appeared to have a good deal to chatter about and -seemed none too ready to enter. They were probably discussing who -should have the privilege of being the first to face my revolver. I did -not like the look of the thing at all. - -“If they are your friends, why don’t they come in?” I asked my -companion. “Hadn’t you better speak to them?” - -She crossed to the door and it occurred to me to place the head of a -chair under the handle and make it a little more difficult for them to -get in. - -“You need have no fear, Mr. Donnington,” she said with a touch of -contempt as I took this precaution. - -“It’s only a slight test of the mood they are in.” - -As she reached the door the injured man began to show signs of -recovering his senses; and I stooped over him while she spoke to the -men. - -“Is Dr. Barosa there?” she called. - -Getting no reply, she repeated the question and knocked on the panel. - -There was an answer this time, but not at all what she had expected. -One of the fellows fired a pistol and the bullet pierced the thin panel -and went dangerously near her head. - -I pulled her across to a spot where she would be safe from a chance -shot. Only just in time, for half a dozen shots were fired in quick -succession. - -She was going to speak again, but I stopped her with a gesture; and -then extinguished one of the two candles by which the room was lighted. - -A long pause followed the shots, as if the scoundrels were listening to -learn the effect of the firing. - -In the silence the man in the corner groaned, and I heard the key -turned in the lock as some one tried to push the door open. - -I drew out my weapon. - -“You will not shoot them, Mr. Donnington?” exclaimed my companion under -her breath. - -“Doesn’t this man Barosa know your voice?” I whispered. - -“Of course.” - -“Then he isn’t there,” I said grimly. - -I raised my voice and called loudly: “Don’t you dare to enter. I’ll -shoot the first man that tries to.” Then to my companion: “You’d better -crouch down in the corner here. There’ll be trouble the instant they -are inside.” - -But she had no lack of pluck and shook her head disdainfully. “You must -not fire. If you shoot one of these men you will not be safe for an -hour in the city.” - -“I don’t appear to be particularly safe as it is,” I answered drily. - -There was another pause; then a vigorous shove broke the chair I had -placed to the door and half a dozen men rushed in. - -As I raised my arm to fire, my companion caught it and stopped me. - -For the space of a few seconds the scoundrels stared at us, their eyes -gleaming in vicious malice and triumph. I read murder in them. - -“Throw your weapon on the table there,” ordered one of them. - -Then a thought occurred to me. - -I made as if to obey; but, instead of doing anything of the sort, I -extinguished the remaining candle, grabbed my companion’s arm, drew her -to the opposite side of the room and, pushing her into a corner, stood -in front of her. - -And in the pitchy darkness we waited for the ruffians to make the first -move in their attack. - - - - -CHAPTER III - -THE RECEPTION - - -The effect of my impulse to extinguish the light in the room was much -greater than I had anticipated. It proved to be the happiest thought I -had ever had; for I am convinced that it saved my life, and probably -that of my companion. - -The average Portuguese of the lower class is too plugged with -superstition ever to feel very happy in the dark. He is quick to people -it with all sorts of impalpable terrors. And these fellows were soon in -a bad scare. - -For a few moments the wildest confusion prevailed. Execrations, -threats, cries of anger, and prayers were mingled in about equal -proportions; and every man who had a pistol fired it off. At least, -that appeared to be the case, judging by the number of shots. - -As they aimed at the corner where they had seen us, however, nothing -resulted except a waste of ammunition. - -The darkness was all in my favour. I knew that any man who touched me -in the dark must be an enemy; while they could not tell, when they ran -against any one, whether it was friend or foe. More than one struggle -among them told me this, and showed me further what was of at least -equal importance--that they were afraid to advance farther into the -room. - -When a lull came in the racket, therefore, I adopted another ruse. I -crept toward the corner where they had seen us, and, stamping heavily, -cried out that I would shoot the first man I touched. - -Another volley of shots followed; but I was back out of range again, -and soon had very welcome proof that the trick was successful. Each man -appeared to mistake his neighbour for me, and some of them were pretty -roughly handled by their friends before the blunders were discovered. - -Some one shouted for a light; and in the lull that succeeded we had -a great stroke of luck. The wounded man, who lay in a corner near to -them, began to move his feet restlessly, and they immediately jumped to -the conclusion that I was going to attack them from there. - -I backed this idea promptly. Letting out a fierce yell of rage, I -fired a shot at random. This filled to overflowing the cup of their -cowardice, and in another moment they had bolted like rabbits out of -the room and locked the door again. - -I lost no time in relighting the candles, and set to work to pile the -furniture against the door to prevent them taking us again by surprise, -and to give me time to see if we couldn’t get away by the window. - -Opening it as quietly as possible I had a good look at the bars, and -saw that it would be possible to force them sufficiently apart with -wedges for us to squeeze through. - -“We can reach the street this way, madame?” I asked my companion, who -was now very badly scared. - -“It is useless,” she replied despairingly. - -“Not so useless as stopping here. We can’t expect such luck a second -time as we have just had.” I spoke sharply, wishing to rouse her. - -But she only shook her head and tossed up her hands. So I began to -break up some of the furniture to make some wedges, when she jumped to -her feet with a cry of surprise and delight. - -“It is his voice,” she exclaimed, her eyes shining and her face -radiant with delight. Whoever “he” might be, it was easy to see what -she felt about him. - -Then the key was turned once more and an attempt made to force away my -impromptu barricade. - -I closed the window instantly and blew out one of the candles. - -“Open the door. It is I, Barosa,” called a voice. - -“Let him in, monsieur. Let him in at once. We are safe now.” - -“Are you sure?” I asked, suspecting a trick. - -Again the rich colour flooded her face. “Do you think I do not know his -voice, or that he would harm me? Let him in. Let him in, I say,” she -cried excitedly. - -I pulled away enough of the barricade to admit one man at a time. I -reckoned that no one man of the crowd I had seen would have the pluck -to come in alone. - -A dark, handsome, well-dressed man squeezed his way through the opening -with an impatient exclamation on the score of my precaution. And the -instant she saw his face, my companion sprang toward him uttering his -name impetuously. - -“Manoel! Manoel! Thank the Holy Virgin you have come.” - -His appearance excited me also, for I recognized him at a glance. -He had been pointed out to me in Paris some time before by my -brother-in-law as one of the chief agents of Dom Miguel, the Pretender -to the Portuguese Throne. His real name was Luis Beriardos. His -presence in Lisbon at such a time and his connexion with a section of -the revolutionaries gave me a clue to the whole business. - -The two stood speaking together for a time in whispers, and then he -went out to the others. I heard him explain that they had made a -blunder in regard to madame and that he was ready to vouch for her as -one of their best friends and a leader of their movements. - -Some further murmur of talk followed, and when he returned, one or two -of the rest tried to follow. But I stopped that move. One man was all I -meant to have in the room at a time; and when I told the others to get -out they went. I had managed to make them understand that it was safer -to obey. - -“What does this mean, sir?” asked Barosa, indignantly. - -“You need have no fear now, Mr. Donnington,” added madame. - -I replied to Barosa. “Those men have been telling you that I am a spy -and you have come in to question me. This lady has assured me that I -have nothing to fear from you. You will therefore have the goodness to -get the key of that door and lock it on this side. Then we can talk, -but not till then.” - -“I shall not do anything of the sort,” he replied hotly. - -“Then I shall shove these things back in position;” and I began. - -“Dr. Barosa will get the key, Mr. Donnington,” put in madame; and she -appealed to him with a look. “He has saved my life, doctor,” she said -in an undertone. - -I noticed that she did not now call him by his Christian name as in the -first flush of her relief. - -He hesitated a second or two and then with an angry shrug of the -shoulders complied. - -“I’ll take the key, doctor,” I said quietly; and when he stood -irresolute, I pushed past him and drew it out of the lock. “Now we can -talk, and I’m ready to answer any questions, in reason, which you like -to ask.” - -“Your conduct is very extraordinary, sir.” - -“Not a bit of it. These friends of yours take me for a spy. You may -come to the same conclusion. They tried to take my life; and you -may wish to do the same. I am simply taking precautions. I have told -this lady enough about myself to satisfy her that I am no spy; but if -you are not equally satisfied, I prefer to remain here with no other -company than ourselves until a chance of getting away offers.” - -He was going to reply when madame interposed. To do her justice she -took up my cause with a right good will. She repeated all I had -previously told her, gave him a graphic account of what had passed, -lauded me to the skies, and ended by declaring her absolute conviction -that every word I had spoken was the truth. - -Feeling that my case was in safe hands, I let them have it out -together. He was suspicious, and at every proof of this, her anger and -indignation increased. - -“I have accepted Mr. Donnington’s word, Dr. Barosa,” she said hotly, -when he declared that I ought not to be allowed to leave the house; -“and I have given him a pledge for his safety. You know me, and that I -will keep my word. Very well, I declare to you on my honour that if any -harm comes to him now, I will abandon the cause and reveal everything I -know about it and all concerned in it.” - -That shook all the opposition out of him on the spot. - -“You are at liberty to go, Mr. Donnington,” he said at once. - -“Thank you; but what about your friends out there?” - -“I will leave the house with you,” declared madame. “And we will see if -any one will dare to try and stop you.” - -“It might be simpler if they were to go first,” I suggested. - -“I will answer for them,” said Barosa. “We have your word that you will -not speak of anything you have learned here to-night?” - -“Yes, I pledge my word,” I replied. - -“Let me thank you once more, Mr. Donnington----” began madame. - -But I stopped her. “We can call the account between us squared, madame. -If I helped you out of one mess you have got me out of this. And for -the rest, silence for silence. We shall not meet again.” - -“Are you staying long in the city, sir?” asked Barosa with a suggestion -of eagerness in his tone. - -“Not an hour longer than my business here renders necessary. I am not -so delighted with my experiences so far as to wish to remain.” - -He left the room then and after a hurried conference with the fellows -outside he called to us and we left the house. - -With what relief I drew the first breath of the fresh night air will -be readily understood; but I do not think I fully realized how narrow -an escape I had had until I was safe in my rooms and sat recalling the -incidents of the strange adventure. - -Who was the woman I had helped? Not a hint had been dropped of her -name; but that she was a person of as much importance in the world -outside as in the ranks of the revolutionary party of which she was a -leader, I could not doubt. That the conspiracy was being carried on -in the interest of the Pretender was fairly certain, seeing that this -Beriardos, or Barosa, as he now called himself, was mixed up in it; and -I resolved to write at once to Madrillo to send me everything he knew -about him. - -What had he meant, too, by that eager question as to the length of -my stay in the city? He was certainly not satisfied that I was not a -spy. Should I have to be on the look-out for further trouble from him -and the scum of the city joined with him? It was a more probable than -pleasant prospect. - -As that exceedingly handsome creature had reminded me, I had gained -some information which made me dangerous to these people; and however -willing she might be to accept my promise of secrecy, it was all -Portugal to a bunch of grapes that the others would not be so content. - -And the irritating part of it was that I had got into the mess -through my own blundering stupidity. If I hadn’t been ass enough to -go wandering about the city when I had been warned to stop indoors, I -shouldn’t have had this bother. But the world is full of asses; and -many of them with a heap more brains than I. And with a chuckle, as if -that silly cynicism were both an excuse and a consolation, I tossed -away my cigar and went to bed. - -A night’s sound sleep put me on much better terms with myself, and I -scouted the thought of troublesome personal consequences following my -adventure. The thing was over and done with and I was well out of the -mess. - -Instead of bothering to write to Madrillo for details about this Dr. -Barosa, therefore, I went off to the _Stella_ for a cruise to blow the -cobwebs away and think about Miralda and the meeting with her that -evening. - -We were to meet at the house of the Marquis de Pinsara, and my friend, -Volheno, had impressed upon me the importance of the gathering. - -“Affairs are in a somewhat delicate condition just at present,” he -had said; “and as there is a great deal of surface discontent here -and in Oporto--although the bulk of the country is solid in our -favour--we have to exercise some care in organizing our followers. -The Marquis de Pinsara is one of M. Franco’s firmest adherents, and -this reception will really be political in character. You may have -heard of the ‘National League of Portugal?’ No? Well, it is a powerful -loyalist association, and we are doing our utmost to make the movement -fully representative and powerful;” and being a politician and -proportionately verbose, he had first inflicted upon me a long account -of the League and its merits, and from that had launched into the -reasons why he meant to take me to the reception. Put shortly these -were simply that he wished to interest the Marquis de Pinsara and many -of his loyalist friends in the concessions at Beira which I had put -forward as the object of my visit. - -What this process of “interesting” the Marquis meant, I learnt within a -few minutes of my entering his house. - -As Volheno sent me a line at the last moment saying he was detained, -I had to go alone and I was very glad. Not being quite certain how -Miralda would receive me, I did not wish to have any lookers-on when -me met. Moreover, I certainly did not want to fool away the evening, a -good deal of which I hoped to spend with her, in talking a lot of rot -about these concessions which I had only used as a stalking-horse for -my visit to Lisbon. - -But I soon found that in choosing them, I had invested myself with a -most inconvenient amount of importance. - -The Marquis received me with as much cordiality as if I were an old -friend and benefactor of his family. He grasped my hand warmly, -expressed his delight at making my acquaintance, could not find words -to describe his admiration of England and the English, and then started -upon the concessions. - -I thought he would never stop, but he came to the point. Volheno had -taken as gospel all the rubbish I had talked about the prospects of -wealth offered by the concessions, and had passed it on to the marquis -through a magnifying glass until the latter, being a comparatively -poor man, was under the impression that I could make his fortune. He -was more than willing to be “interested” in the scheme; and took great -pains to convince me that without his influence I could not succeed. -And that influence was mine for a consideration. - -In the desire to get free from his button-holing I gave him promises -lavish enough to send him off to his other guests with eyes positively -glittering with greed. - -Unfortunately for me, however, he began to use his influence at once, -and while I was hanging about near the entrance, waiting to catch -Miralda the moment she arrived, he kept bringing up a number of his -friends--mostly titled and all tiresome bores--whom he was also -“interesting” in the scheme. - -They all said the same thing. Theirs was the only influence which -could secure the concessions for me, and they all made it plain about -the consideration. I began at length to listen for the phrase and -occasionally to anticipate it; and thus in half an hour or so I had -promised enough backsheesh to have crippled the scheme ten times over. - -One of these old fellows--a marquis or visconte or something of the -sort, the biggest bore of the lot anyway--was in possession of me -in a corner when Miralda arrived, and for the life of me I couldn’t -shake him off. I was worrying how to get away when the marquis came -sailing up with another of them in tow, a tall, stiff, hawk-faced, -avaricious-looking old man, with a pompous air, and more orders on his -breast than I could count. - -I groaned and wished the concessions at the bottom of the Tagus, but -the next moment had to shut down a smile. It was the Visconte de Linto, -Miralda’s stepfather. - -The marquis had evidently filled him up with exaggerated stories of -my wealth and the riches I had come to pour into the pockets of those -who assisted me, and his first tactic was to get rid of the bore in -possession. He did this by carrying me off to present me to his wife -and daughter. - -It was the reverse of such a meeting as I had pictured or desired; for -at that moment Miralda was besieged by a crowd of men clamouring for -dances. But I could not think of an excuse, and I had barely time -to explain that I had met Miralda and her mother in Paris, when the -old man pushed his way unceremoniously through the little throng and -introduced me, stumbling over my name which he had obviously forgotten, -and adding that Miralda must save two or three dances for me. - -As he garbled my name she was just taking her dance card back from a -man who had scribbled his initials on it and she turned to me with a -little impatient movement of the shoulders which I knew well. - -Our eyes met, and my fear that she might have forgotten me was -dissipated on the instant. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -MIRALDA - - -Although it was easy to read the look of recognition in Miralda’s -eyes, it was the reverse of easy to gather the thoughts which that -recognition prompted. After the first momentary widening of the lids, -the start of surprise, and the involuntary tightening of the fingers on -her fan, she was quick to force a smile, as she bowed to me, and the -smile served as an impenetrable mask to her real feelings. - -The viscontesse gave me a very different welcome. She was pleased to -see me again and frankly expressed her pleasure. I had done my best to -ingratiate myself in her favour during those three weeks in Paris, and -had evidently been successful. She was a kind-hearted garrulous soul, -and before I could get a word in about the dances, she plunged into a -hundred and one questions about Paris and England and the beauties of -Lisbon, and why I had not let them know of my coming and so on, and -without giving me time to reply she turned to Miralda. - -“You surely remember Mr. Donnington, child? We met him in Paris, last -spring.” - -“Oh yes, mother. His sister is M. Madrillo’s wife,” said Miralda -indifferently. - -This was not exactly how I wished to be remembered. “I am glad you -have not forgotten my sister, at any rate, mademoiselle,” I replied, -intending this to be very pointed. - -“M. Madrillo showed us many kindnesses, monsieur, and did much to -make our stay in Paris pleasant; and it is not a Portuguese failing to -forget.” - -This was better, for there was a distinct note of resentment in her -voice instead of mere indifference. But before I could reply, the -viscontesse interposed a very natural but extremely inconvenient -question. “And what brings you here, Mr. Donnington?” - -The visconte answered this, making matters worse than ever; and there -followed a little by-play of cross purposes. - -“Mr. Donnaheen is here on some very important business, my dear--very -important business indeed.” - -“If I remember, Donnington is the proper pronunciation, father,” -interposed Miralda, very quietly, as if courtesy required the -correction--the courtesy that was due to a stranger, however. - -“I wish you wouldn’t interrupt me, Miralda,” he replied testily. “This -gentleman will understand how difficult some English names are to -pronounce and will excuse my slip, I am sure.” - -“Certainly, visconte.” - -“I am only sorry I do not speak English.” - -“Donnington is quite easy to pronounce, Affonso,” his wife broke in. - -He gave a sigh of impatience. “Of course it is, I know that well -enough.” - -“You were speaking of the reason for Mr. Donnington’s visit,” Miralda -reminded him demurely; and as she turned to him her eyes swept -impassively across my face. As if a stranger’s presence in Lisbon were -a legitimate reason for the polite assumption of curiosity. - -“It is in a way Government business; Mr. Donnington”--he got the name -right this time and smiled--“is seeking some concessions in our East -African colony and he needs my influence.” - -“Oh, business in East Africa?” she repeated, with a lift of the -eyebrows. “How very interesting;” and with that she turned away and -handed her programme to one of the men pestering her for a dance. - -No words she could have spoken and nothing she could have done would -have been so eloquent of her appreciation of my conduct in absenting -myself for four months and then coming to Lisbon on business. Once more -I wished those infernal concessions at the bottom of the Tagus. - -“I hope to be of considerable use and you may depend upon my doing my -utmost,” said the visconte, self-complacently. - -“I cannot say how highly I shall value your influence, sir, not only -in that but in everything,” I replied, putting an emphasis on the -“everything” in the hope that Miralda would understand. - -But she paid no heed and went on chatting with the man next her. - -“And how long are you staying, Mr. Donnington?” asked her mother. - -“Rather a superfluous question that, Maria,” said her husband. “Of -course it will depend upon how your business goes, eh, Mr. Donnington?” - -I saw a chance there and took it. “I am afraid my object will take -longer to accomplish than I hoped,” I replied; for Miralda’s benefit -again of course. - -“At any rate you will have time for some pleasure-making, I trust,” -said the viscontesse. - -“Englishmen don’t let pleasure interfere with business, my dear, they -are far too strenuous,” replied her husband, who appeared to think he -was flattering me and doing me a service by insisting that I could have -no possible object beyond business. “I presume that you are only here -to-night for the one purpose. The Marquis de Pinsara told me as much.” - -At that moment a partner came up to claim Miralda for a dance, and as -she rose she said: “Mr. Donnington is fortunate in finding so many to -help him in his business.” - -“Wait a moment, Miralda,” exclaimed her father as she was turning away. -“Have you kept the dances for Mr. Donnington?” - -Again her eyes flashed across mine with the same half-disdainful smile -of indifference. “Mr. Donnington has been so occupied discussing the -serious purpose of his visit that he has had no time to think of such -frivolity and ask for them;” and with that parting shot she went off to -the ball-room without waiting to hear my protest. - -The visconte smiled and gestured. “I suppose you don’t dance, Mr. -Donnington,” he said, “I have heard that many Englishmen do not.” - -“Indeed he does, Affonso,” declared his wife quickly. “I remember that -well in Paris. He and Miralda often danced together. And now, sit down -here in Miralda’s place till she comes back and let us have a chat -about Paris,” she added to me. - -But the old visconte had not quite done with me. Drawing me aside--“I -want you to feel that I shall do all in my power, Mr. Donnington,” he -began. - -I knew what was coming so I anticipated him. “I am sure of that, and I -have been given to understand that you can do more for me than any one -else in Portugal. And of course you’ll understand that those who assist -me in the early stages will naturally share in the after advantages and -gains. I make a strong point of that.” - -“Of course that was not in my mind at all,” he protested. - -“Naturally. But I should insist upon it,” I said gravely. - -“I suppose it will be a very big thing?” - -“Millions in it, visconte. Millions;” and I threw out my hands as if -half the riches of the earth would soon be in their grasp. “And of -course I know that without you I should be powerless.” - -He appreciated this thoroughly and went off on excellent terms with -himself and with a high opinion of me as a potential source of wealth, -while I sat down by the viscontesse to explain why four months had -passed since we met. - -But these miserable concessions gave me no peace. I was only beginning -my explanation when up came the marquis and dragged me off for the -first of another batch of introductions, followed by a long conference -in another room with him and Volheno who had meanwhile arrived. And -just as the marquis took my arm to lead me away, and thus prevented my -escape, Miralda returned from the dance. - -A single glance showed her that I was fully occupied in the business -which I had been forced to admit in her presence was the object of my -visit to Lisbon, and the expression of her eyes and the shrug of her -shoulders were a sufficient indication of her feeling. - -I was properly punished for the silly lie which I had merely intended -to conceal my real purpose, and when I saw Miralda welcome a fresh -partner with a smile which I would have given the whole of Portuguese -Africa to have won from her, I could scarcely keep my temper. - -I was kept at this fool talk for an hour or more when I ought to have -been making my peace with her, and I resolved on the spot to invent a -telegram from London the next day reporting a hitch in the negotiations. - -When at length I got free, Miralda was not anywhere to be seen; and I -wandered about the rooms and in and out of the conservatories looking -for her, putting up no end of couples in odd corners and getting -deservedly scowled at for my pains. - -I saw her at last among the dancers; and I stood and watched her, -gritting my teeth in the resolve that no titled old bores nor even wild -horses should prevent my speaking to her as soon as the waltz was over. - -I stalked her into a palm house which I had missed in my former search -and, giving her and her partner just enough time to find seats, I -followed and walked straight up to them. - -She knew I was coming. I could tell that by the way she squared -her shoulders and affected the deepest interest in her partner’s -conventional nothings. - -“I think the next is our dance, mademoiselle,” I said unblushingly, -as I affected to consult my card. She gave a start as if entirely -surprised by and rather indignant at the interruption; while her -partner had the decency to rise. But she glanced at her card and then -looked up with a bland smile and shook her head. “I am afraid you are -mistaken, monsieur.” - -The man was going to resume his place by her side, but I stopped -that. “I have the honour of your initials here, and if to my intense -misfortune you have given the dance to two of us, perhaps this -gentleman will allow me, as an old acquaintance of yours, to enjoy the -few minutes of interval to deliver an important message entrusted to -me.” - -I was under the fire of her eyes all the time I was delivering this -flowery and untruthful rigmarole; but I was as voluble and as grave as -a judge. I took the man in all right. I made him feel that under the -circumstances he was in the way and with a courteous bow to us both, he -excused himself. - -Miralda was going to request him to remain, I think, so I took -possession of the vacant chair; and then of course she could not bring -him back without making too much of the incident and possibly causing a -little scene. - -That I had offended her I could not fail to see; her hostility -and resentment were obvious, but whether the cause was my present -effrontery or my long neglect of her, I had yet to find out. - -She did not quite know what to do. After sitting a few moments in -rather frowning indecision, she half rose as if she were going to leave -me, but with a little toss of the head she decided against that and -turned to me. - -“You have a message for me, monsieur?” Her tone was one of studied -indifference and her look distinctly chilling. - -“For one thing, my sister desired to be most kindly remembered to you.” - -Up went the deep fringed lids and the dark eyebrows, as a comment upon -the message which I had described as important. “Please to tell Madame -Madrillo that I am obliged by her good wishes and reciprocate them.” -This ridiculously stilted phrase made it difficult for me to resist a -smile. But I played up to it. - -“I feel myself deeply honoured, mademoiselle, by being made the bearer -of any communication from you. I will employ my most earnest efforts to -convey to my sister your wishes and the auspicious circumstances under -which they are so graciously expressed.” - -She had to turn away before I finished, but she would not smile. There -was, however, less real chill and more effort at formality when she -replied-- - -“As you have delivered your message, monsieur----” she finished with a -wave of the hands, as if dismissing me. - -But I was not going of course, and then I made a very gratifying little -discovery. Her dance card was turned over by her gesture and I saw that -for the next dance she had no partner. - -“That is only one of the messages, mademoiselle,” I replied after a -pause in the same stilted tone. “Have I your permission to report the -second?” - -I guessed she was beginning to see the absurdity of it, for she turned -slightly away from me and bowed, not trusting herself to speak. - -“My brother-in-law, M. Stefan Madrillo, desired me to bring you an -assurance of his best wishes.” - -“Have you any messages from the children also, monsieur?” she asked -quickly, with a swift flash of her glorious eyes. - -I kept it up for another round. “I am honoured by being able to assure -you that their boy appreciated to the full the bon-bons which were the -outcome of your distinguished generosity when in Paris, and retains his -appetite for delicacies; but the little girl, not yet being able to -speak, has entrusted me with no more than some gurgles and coos. To my -profound regret I cannot reproduce them verbatim. May I have the honour -of conveying your reply?” - -She kept her face turned right away from me and did not answer. - -“I have yet another message, mademoiselle, if your patience is not -exhausted,” I said after a pause. - -“Still another, monsieur?” - -“Still another, mademoiselle.” - -“From whom, monsieur?” - -“From a man you knew in Paris, mademoiselle, Mr. Ralph Donnington. He -has charged me to explain----” - -“I don’t wish to hear that one, thank you,” she broke in. - -“But he is absolutely determined that you shall hear it.” - -“Shall?” she cried warmly, throwing back her head with a lovely poise -of indignation and looking straight into my eyes. - -“Yes, shall,” I replied firmly. “I have travelled over a thousand miles -to deliver it.” - -“I am not interested in mining concessions, Mr. Donnington,” she cried -scornfully, thinking to wither me. - -“Nor am I.” - -Her intense surprise at this put all her indignation to flight, and -left nothing in her eyes but bewildered curiosity. - -“Nor am I,” I repeated with a smile. - -“But----” - -“I know,” I said when she paused. “I had to have a pretext.” - -She knew what I meant then and lowered her eyes. - -“I still do not wish to hear Mr. Donnington’s message,” she said after -a pause and in a very different tone. - -“I do not wish to force it upon you now, and certainly not against your -wish. I may be some months in Lisbon, and----” - -“There is the band for the next dance, I must go,” she interposed. - -“I have seen by your card that you have no partner; but if you wish me -to leave you I will do so, or take you back to the viscontesse--unless -you will give it to me.” - -She leant back in her chair, her head bent, her brows gathered in a -frown of perplexity and her fingers playing nervously with her fan. - -“I do not wish to dance, Mr. Donnington, thank you,” she murmured. - -“Just as you will.” - -A long silence followed. She was agitated and I perplexed. - -After perhaps a minute of this silence, I rose. - -“You wish to be alone, mademoiselle?” - -She did not reply and I was turning to leave when she looked up -quickly. “I do not wish you to go, Mr. Donnington.” Then putting -aside the thoughts, whatever they were, which had been troubling her, -she laughed and added: “Why should I? It is pleasant to meet an old -acquaintance. You have come through Paris on your way here, of course. -Were you there long?” - -I was more perplexed by the change of tone and manner than by her -former silent preoccupation. - -“I did not come through Paris,” I replied, as I resumed my seat. “I -came from England in the _Stella_--my yacht.” - -“You have had delightful weather for your cruise.” - -“I was not cruising in that sense. The _Stella_ is a very fast boat and -I came in her because I could get here more quickly.” - -“Our Portuguese railways are very slow, of course, and the Spanish -trains no better. It is a very tedious journey from Paris.” - -“Very,” I agreed. Whether she wished to make small talk in order to -avoid my explanation, I did not know; but I fell in with her wish and -then tried to lead round to the old time in Paris. - -She turned my references to it very skilfully however, and after my -third unsuccessful attempt, she herself referred to it in a way that -forced me to regard it as a sealed page. - -“It has been very pleasant to meet you again, Mr. Donnington, and have -such a delightful chat, and I am so much obliged to you for not having -pressed me to dance. I hope we shall see a good deal of you while you -are here. You quite captured my dear mother during that time in Paris. -Of course you’ll call.” - -“I ventured to leave cards immediately on my arrival.” - -Then she rose. “I must really go now. Major Sampayo will be looking for -me for the next dance. Have you met the major yet?” - -“I don’t think so; but I have had so many introductions this evening -that I don’t remember all the names.” - -“Ah, the result of your supposed purpose in Lisbon, probably. Of course -I shall keep your secret,” she replied with a smile. Then a sudden -change came over her. She paused, the hand which held her fan trembled, -the effort to maintain the light indifference of voice and manner -became apparent, and her voice was a trifle unsteady as she added: “You -will meet Major Sampayo at our house. Ah, here he comes with my friend -the Contesse Inglesia. I suppose my mother has told you I am betrothed -to him.” - -The news gripped me like a cramp in the heart, and I caught my breath -and gritted my teeth as I stared at her. - -But the next instant I rallied. The pain and concern in her eyes seemed -to explain what had so perplexed me in her manner. Her agitation when -I told her the real purpose of my presence; her quick assumption of -indifference, of mere acquaintanceship, her studious evasion of my -references to our time in Paris, and her light surface talk on things -of no concern to either of us. If my new wild hope was right, all this -had been merely intended to school herself to refer lightly to the -matter of her betrothal. - -I forced a smile. “Permit me to congratulate----” I began; but the -words died on my lips as I turned and saw the two people whom she had -mentioned. - -The man, Major Sampayo, I knew to be one of the vilest scoundrels who -ever escaped the gallows. - -And his companion was the woman whose life I had saved from her -revolutionary associates on the previous night. - - - - -CHAPTER V - -INEZ - - -With a big effort I managed to pull myself together, and much to -Miralda’s surprise I covered my momentary confusion with a hearty laugh -and a sentence spoken for the benefit of the other two who were now -within earshot. - -“I’m afraid I’ve bored you frightfully, but I couldn’t resist sparing -a few minutes from this concession-mongering business. And after your -saying that the viscontesse remembers our chats in Paris, I shall -certainly ask her to allow me to call.” - -I succeeded in speaking in the tone of a quite casual acquaintance, and -I turned to find two pairs of eyes fixed intently upon me. - -Whether the fellow who now called himself Major Sampayo recognized me I -could not tell, but his companion did, and I waited for her to decide -whether we were to acknowledge that we had met. - -She made no sign and I made my bow to Miralda and was moving off when -the major intervened. - -“Will you present me to your friend, Miralda?” - -I could have kicked him for the glib use of her name. I paused and -turned with a smile, as if highly pleased by the request. If I knew -myself, the kicking would come later. - -“Mr. Donnington, may I introduce Major Sampayo?” said Miralda, a little -nervously. - -I bowed and smirked, but behind the entrenchment of English reserve I -made no offer to take his hand. - -“I am glad to meet you, Mr. Donnington.” - -“I consider myself equally fortunate, Major Sampayo.” - -I saw then that he had an uneasy feeling that we had met somewhere -before, and his eyes moved from side to side as he searched his memory -to place my voice or face or name. - -“Is that really Mr. Donnington?” exclaimed his companion, with a -delightful assumption of interested surprise. “My dear Miralda, please -don’t leave me out.” - -“My friend the Contesse Inez Inglesia,” said Miralda. - -She held out her hand and as I took it she looked straight into my -eyes with a most cordial smile. “I have heard so much about you, Mr. -Donnington, that I have been questioning every one I know to find a -mutual friend, and wandering all over the rooms to find you.” - -Which meant that she knew I had been a long time with Miralda. - -“I have such an implicit faith in Portuguese sincerity, contesse, that -you will turn my head if you flatter me so. The fact is I have been -making an unconscionable bore of myself with Mademoiselle Dominguez. I -met her and the viscontesse in Paris last spring, and I was so glad to -find a face I knew to-night, that I could not resist the temptation for -a chat.” - -“Have you been long in Lisbon, sir?” asked Sampayo, still worrying -himself about me. - -“Two days, major, that’s all. I came in my yacht.” - -“Surely you’ve heard about Mr. Donnington, major,” said the contesse. -“He’s the millionaire who has come about the mining concessions in -Beira, or somewhere.” - -“No, I had not heard that,” he replied, with a little start, as if this -might have suggested a clue to his problem. “Have you been in Beira, -sir?” - -I smiled and shrugged my shoulders. “I suppose I ought not to own it, -but I was never there in my life.” - -“Major Sampayo knows every inch of South Africa, Mr. Donnington,” said -the contesse. “He was out there at the time your country was at war -with the Boers.” - -“Oh, indeed,” said I, as if in great surprise. I knew that well enough. -“Then I shall hope to get some wrinkles from him.” - -“You served in that war, didn’t you, Mr. Donnington?” asked Miralda, -evidently feeling she ought to say something. - -“For a few months. I was in Bloemfontein and Mafeking.” I purposely -named places as distant as possible from the spot where I had seen him. -I did not wish him to recognize me yet. - -“Were you out at the finish of the campaign?” he asked at the prompting -of his uneasy fears. - -“About the middle. I was sent down country after the relief of -Mafeking.” This was half truth but also half lie. I had gone up again -almost immediately. But it appeared to ease his unrest. - -“I have a curious feeling that we have met somewhere,” he said; “and -was wondering whether it could have been out in South Africa. That was -the reason for my rather inquisitive questions.” - -I laughed. “Oh, I should have recognized you in a moment if that had -been the case. I never forget a face.” - -This made him uneasy again, but, as the band struck up, he gave his arm -to Miralda. - -“Thanks for a delightful chat, mademoiselle,” I said lightly to -Miralda. “May I take you to your partner, madame?” I asked, offering my -arm to the Contesse. - -Instead of accepting it she said to Miralda. “If you see Vasco tell him -I’ll give him another waltz for this. I am going to sit this out with -Mr. Donnington--that is, of course, if he is willing.” - -“I’ll tell him, Inez,” replied Miralda over her shoulder as she walked -away. - -Inez was silent until they were out of hearing, and then she said very -meaningly: “What an excellent actor you are, Mr. Donnington.” - -“May I return the compliment? I saw that you wished it to appear that -we were complete strangers. And with your permission that is just what -we have been up to the moment of this introduction.” - -Another pause followed by a surprise for me. - -“So you are Miralda’s Englishman!” - -But I was too well on my guard to betray myself. “Am I really?” I asked -with an easy laugh. “We had a jolly time for a week or two, but--that’s -four months ago.” - -“You are fond of camelias, Mr. Donnington.” - -“I am wearing one, as you see,” I replied pointing to my buttonhole. -But I had often given camelias to Miralda in those three weeks; and -this handsome, dangerous, stately creature with hazel eyes, which were -open and frank or diabolically sly at will, knew it. - -Again she paused once more as the preface to a shot. - -“What do you know about Major Sampayo, Mr. Donnington?” She flashed the -question at me, her eyes searchlights in their intensity. - -“I think he’s quite a handsome man and looks awfully well in that -rather gorgeous uniform; and I presume those orders on his chest show -that he is as distinguished a soldier as he looks.” - -“Spoken without even a shadow of hesitation. I declare that every -moment I admire your acting more.” She let her eyes rest on mine and -half closed the lids. “I think I am glad I am not Major Sampayo,” she -said slowly. - -“I should imagine you have every reason to be satisfied with your own -delightfully handsome personality. But if it comes to that, I am also -glad I am not the major.” - -“Not even with Miralda thrown in?” - -“Not even with Miralda thrown in,” I repeated with a laugh. “She’s -a very charming girl and exceedingly pretty and all that. She was -acknowledged to be one of the prettiest girls in Paris last spring, you -know, and I admire her tremendously.” - -“A frank admission of unconcerned admiration is very clever, of course, -but I am not deceived by it, Mr. Donnington.” - -“No? Well then shall I confess that I worship her, that the ground her -foot touches is changed to holy soil; that when she smiles I am in -heaven, and when she frowns, in hell; and that for four months I have -only existed on the hope of seeing her again; that she fills my heart, -inspires my every thought, dominates my every action, permeates my -being, and is the end-all and be-all of my life?” I declaimed all this -with a lot of extravagant gesture; and then added in a different tone: -“And why on earth do you want to insist that I am in love with her?” - -“It is necessary that I know exactly the relationship between you?” - -“My relationship is precisely the same as between you and myself, -madame.” - -“What do you mean?” - -“Are we not all cousins in more or less remote degree--in our descent -from Adam and Eve?” - -She rustled her shoulders impatiently. “Don’t you understand what I -mean? You know how we first met.” - -“Oh ho, and is the fair Miralda one of you?” I laughed. “But I thought -that subject was taboo?” - -“You know my secret and I can therefore talk freely to you.” - -“I would very much rather that you did not, if you please.” - -“I am under the deepest of all obligations to you, Mr. Donnington; -you saved my life and I wish to be your friend. If you have any such -feeling for Miralda as you have burlesqued, I owe it to you to let -you understand things and be warned in time. It is not possible for a -foreigner to know the undercurrents of life here at present.” - -“My dear lady, I am only trying to swim on the surface. I find myself -to-night in the house of one of the staunchest supporters of the -Government at a gathering intended to strengthen the position of the -loyalist body--the National League of Portugal.” - -“I am one of the acknowledged leaders of that League.” - -I could not restrain a start of astonishment at this; and she noticed -it, of course. - -“You are surprised. But many of those here are my friends--my political -friends, I mean. It was my public connexion with the League which led -me into the trouble last night. The men who threatened me knew of my -position in it, but not of my sympathies with them--that of course is -as close a secret as possible--and by a trick decoyed me to a house -where I was seized and brought to where you found me. The intention -was to kill me and then carry me into the streets to make it appear -that I had been killed in the rioting. You will understand from this -the dangerous forces that are at work. Some of those men suspect you -of being a spy and you will be well advised not to prolong your stay -in Lisbon. And your friendship with M. Volheno will not add to your -safety.” - -“Cannot an Englishman come here without being taken for a spy?” - -“You know that one of your best English detectives has been employed -by the Spanish Government to reorganize the detective force there. -One story I have heard is that you yourself are an English detective -engaged by M. Volheno to help in unearthing some of the conspiracies -here, and that your desire to obtain some concessions in Africa is a -mere blind.” - -“It would be difficult to go much further away about me, anyway.” - -“Yet those who seek concessions from a Government do not usually -advertise the fact far and wide. You are a man of courage and resource: -we have had proof of that. You have learnt some of our secrets and one -of our haunts. You have some secret knowledge about Major Sampayo that -threatens him; and you are more than clever enough to sustain the part -of an Englishman of wealth and position.” - -“And do you mean that you yourself believe this preposterous story?” - -“No; but I should like to know the real reason for your coming here.” - -“And that Dr. Barosa, does he take me for a spy?” - -“No, we have already made inquiries about you from our friends in -England. But, like myself, he wishes to know why you are here. You will -do well to give me your confidence.” - -“And your other colleague--Major Sampayo?” - -“I did not tell you that he was with us.” - -“Not in so many words. And really I don’t care.” - -“He will remember where he has met you before, and the facts may help -us to know more about you--for your benefit or otherwise.” - -“My dear madame, if you mean that for a threat, it does not in the -least alarm me. Let me tell you once for all I am not a member of -the English detective force; my presence here has not the remotest -connexion with your politics or your plots; and I have no sort of -sympathy with them one way or another. I am just an average Englishman; -and as such claim the right to go where I will when I will, so long as -I mind my own business. And as an Englishman I can take care of myself -and must decline to be frightened out of doing what I wish to do either -by charming, cultured and handsome ladies, like yourself, or by such -gutter scum as I had the tussle with last night.” - -“Then you refuse to give me your confidence?” - -“Let me put it rather that I have really no confidence worth giving. I -shall hold absolutely secret what you have told me--that on my honour. -And now do you mind if we talk about the scenery?” - -“You will have cause to regret it, Mr. Donnington.” - -“My dear madam, I have arrived at the mature age of twenty-seven, and -probably twenty-six of them are full of regrets for lost chances. But -there is a question of real seriousness I should like to put to you,” I -said very gravely. - -“Well?” - -“What is the name of the third, no the fourth bluff, to the north of -the river mouth?” - -She turned and bent those strange eyes of hers upon me with an intent -stare. “You mean me to understand that you regard everything I have -said--my warning, my questions, everything--as a mere jest.” - -“I mean that, although I am by the way of being a wilful person, I am -not an ungrateful one; and that if you would do me the honour one day -of making up a little party to view that bluff from the deck of my -yacht, it would give me great pleasure and I hope promote that better -understanding between us which I should like to think you desire as -much as I.” - -“I accept willingly,” she replied with a smile; but even then she could -not resist a thrust. Looking at me out of the half-veiled corners of -her eyes she asked: “May I bring Major Sampayo?” - -“By all means, and Dr. Barosa and any others of your colleagues--even -the fair Miralda; and I will have cosy corners specially fitted up for -you all where you may talk politics or personalities as you prefer.” - -Again her strange eyes fastened on mine, searchingly. “What do you -really mean by that?” she asked, with tense earnestness. - -“Oh, please don’t let us get serious again, and read grave meanings -into mere trifling banalities,” I exclaimed with a laugh. “I mean no -more than that I should try to give you all a good time and let you -enjoy it in your own way.” - -“If I am to enjoy it, Mr. Donnington, you must ask Miralda’s brother, -Lieutenant de Linto.” - -“My dear lady, I’ll ask the whole regiment if you wish it.” - -“Here he comes, you can ask him now. I suppose you know him?” - -A young fellow in the uniform of a lieutenant had entered the palm -house and came hurrying toward us. I did not care for his looks. -Tall and slight of figure, a foppish and affected manner, anæmic and -dissipated in looks with a narrow, retreating forehead, no chin to -speak of, and prominent eyes, in one of which he had an eyeglass, I set -him down as weak, unstable, shallow, and generally undesirable. But he -was Miralda’s half-brother and thus to me a person of consideration. - -“I say, Inez, this is too bad. I’ve been hunting for you everywhere and -the dance is all but over.” - -She beamed on him with one of her richest smiles. “I own my fault, -Vasco, but I sent word to you by Miralda. I simply could not resist the -opportunity of a chat with the distinguished Englishman every one is -talking about. Mr. Donnington, Lieutenant de Linto.” - -I had risen and shook hands cordially, expressing my pleasure at -meeting him. “I fear that unwittingly I have taken your place, -lieutenant,” I added. “Pray pardon me.” - -“Here’s my card, Vasco. Take two dances for the one we have missed.” - -“That’s all right then,” he said, as he took her card eagerly and -scribbled his initials on it. “I think after all I’m obliged to you, -Mr. Donnington,” he added with a vacuous smile which he intended to be -pleasant. - -“Mr. Donnington has asked me to make up a little yachting party one -day, Vasco, and I was just mentioning your name as you came up.” - -“Oh, I say, but I’m a rare bad sailor,” he replied doubtfully. - -“We’ll choose a fine day then, Vasco. And of course I couldn’t go -without you.” She laid her hand on his arm and glanced up into his face -with a yearning look which convinced him of her perfect sincerity and -fetched a sigh out of him that told its own tale. - -I excused myself promptly, and as I turned away he took the chair by -her side, feasting his big eyes on her beauty and letting his little -senses surfeit themselves in the glamour of her charms. - -She had his scalp right enough. He was hers, body and soul and honour. -But why had she taken the trouble? She cared for him even less than I -cared for her; and the night before I had seen her look at Barosa with -the light which only one man can bring to a woman’s eyes. Only one at a -time, anyway. - -Why then should she fool this little insignificant creature? Of course -she had a purpose. She was not the woman to waste her time and her -glances for nothing. - -Was it those confounded politics again? One of the little wheels within -the big one which was to have its part to play when the whole machinery -of plot and conspiracy was set in motion. - -Fools can be useful at times. - -What part had this one to play? - -It was nothing to me--and yet it might be much. He was Miralda’s -brother; and nothing which concerned her could be indifferent to me. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -DR. BAROSA - - -As I made my way through the crowded rooms with the object of finding -the viscontesse and making sure of an invitation to her house, I saw -Miralda and Sampayo sitting together. They did not see me and I stood a -moment watching them. - -He appeared to be urging her to do something and his eyes were -insistent, compelling and passionate. There was no doubt that he felt -for her all the animal love of which such a man is capable. - -But there was no answering light in her eyes. She was passive, cold -and indifferent; and the emotion he stirred was more like fear than -anything. - -Instinctively I hated the man and felt an unholy glow of gladness at -the thought that at a word from me any hold or influence he could have -over her would snap like a rotten twig. - -My thoughts slipped back to that old time in South Africa; and in -place of the swaggering major of cavalry, with his breast covered -with orders, I saw him as I had seen him there, a broken-down -tatter-de-mallion member of the hungry brigade at Koomarte Port; -general sponge, reputed spy and acknowledged rascal, passing as a -Frenchman under the name of Jean Dufoire; one of the many scamps who -infested the border between the Transvaal and the Portuguese Colony, -ripe for any scoundrelism from theft to throat-slitting. - -This was the story I knew about him. When old Kruger was bundling off -his private fortune to Europe, this Dufoire managed to get hold of some -secret information about one of the consignments and joined with three -other men to steal it. They were successful. The two men in charge of -it were found murdered; and the money, said to be nearly £50,000, was -missing. - -But that was not all. Not content with a share of the loot, Dufoire -first picked a quarrel with one of his companions and shot him -treacherously, and then cheated the other two of the greater part of -the money and disappeared. - -The facts came out when the two men were afterwards captured. One of -them died; and just before his death confessed everything, in the -hope that the British would take the matter up and secure Dufoire’s -punishment. Many men were aware that I knew Dufoire by sight; and when -the war was over and I was leaving Capetown for home, the other scamp, -a Corsican named Lucien Prelot, sought me out to get news of him. He -swore by all the saints in the calendar that if he could ever find -Dufoire he would drive a knife between his ribs. He begged me on his -knees to let him know if I ever met Dufoire again; and vowed, Corsican -as he was, that he would go from one end of the world to the other in -his quest for revenge. - -Of course I would not have anything to do with such an affair; but -he managed in some way to ferret out my address in England and wrote -me two or three letters urging the same request. And then one day he -turned up in London to tell me that he had made money on the Rand, that -he was in Europe searching for Dufoire, and that he could and would pay -me any sum I chose to ask if I would tell him where to find his enemy. - -That was about a year before my father’s death; and every month had -brought me a letter from him, in the hope that I could send news. -These letters were addressed from various parts of Europe where he -was pursuing his search, with the deadly intensity of his unslaked and -unslakable thirst for revenge. - -And while Prelot was hunting for a Frenchman of the name of Jean -Dufoire, the scoundrel himself had been strutting it in the Portuguese -capital as Francisco Sampayo, major of cavalry. He had purchased his -position, of course, with the fortune he had acquired by robbery, -bloodshed and treachery; and had found some means to use it to obtain -the promise of Miralda’s hand in marriage. - -That some underhand means had been employed to force her consent I was -certain; as certain as that I could scare the brute out of the country -with half a dozen words. But before I spoke them I felt that I must -learn more of the facts. - -“Good evening, Mr. Donnington,” The voice broke in upon my reverie, and -I turned to find Dr. Barosa at my elbow. - -“Ah, good evening, Dr. Barosa,” I replied, as we shook hands. - -“You were looking very thoughtful, sir; I am afraid I disturbed you.” - -“I have reason to be thoughtful, doctor. I am more than a little -perplexed by the position in which I find myself.” - -“I shall be delighted to be of any service, if I can. Would you care -for a chat here, or may I do myself the pleasure of calling upon you at -your rooms?” - -“Both, by all means. I should like a word or two with you, and the -sooner the better; but I shall also be glad to see you at my rooms at -any time.” - -He thanked me and led the way to a spot where we could talk privately. - -“I’ll go straight to the point, doctor: that is our English way. I have -had a conversation with Contesse Inglesia this evening, and I wish to -disabuse your mind thoroughly of any thought that I am a spy.” - -“My dear sir, I do not think it.” - -“I don’t wish you only to think it, I want you to know. You’ll -appreciate the difference. I am ready to give you any proofs you can -suggest, to answer any questions you like to put, and to back every -word I say with facts. I am tremendously in earnest about this. And -when you have thoroughly convinced yourself, I wish you to convince any -one and every one associated with you, who may be inclined to suspect -me.” - -“Your reasons, Mr. Donnington?” - -“Must surely be obvious. Last night’s business showed me the length to -which some of your more reckless friends are prepared to carry mistakes -of the kind; and I desire to be able to walk the streets of the city -without expecting to be shot or knifed at the next corner.” - -“I do not doubt you, and certainly do not presume to ask for any facts; -but if you would prefer to make any statement, I am of course ready to -listen.” - -I replied to that by giving him a fairly full account of myself, and -then added: “Of course I am aware that my statement, unsupported by -evidence, could easily be made up by any one who was here as a spy. I -suggest, therefore, that you shall get evidence of my identity. The -best and simplest thing I can suggest at the moment is that I give -you the addresses of various firms who have photographed me from time -to time, and that you send your agents to them to get photographs of -Ralph Donnington which they have taken. You can then send some one to -my place at Tapworth for the photographs to be identified; you can have -them shown also to my bankers in London; and to any one of a dozen -people who know all about me.” - -“I accept your word, I assure you,” he said, with a wave of the hand. - -“But that is just what I do not wish you to do. You must be in a -position to say you know, and to table the evidence;” and with that I -wrote down the names and addresses and insisted upon his taking them. - -“As the matter is naturally pressing you will of course use the -telegraph, and if money will expedite your inquiries I will very gladly -pay any sum that is necessary. I am, fortunately for myself, a man of -considerable means, and not likely to spare money to put an end to this -intolerable suspicion.” - -“You have invited me to question you. There is one point. You are a -friend of M. Volheno?” - -“That gentleman, as I have told you, was brought to our place, Tapworth -Hall, by my sister’s husband, M. Stefan Madrillo, some years ago, and -when I came over here about these concessions, Madrillo advised me to -see him. Only in that degree is he a friend of mine.” - -“These concessions have been spoken about, Mr. Donnington, with unusual -freedom.” - -“That is not my doing. M. Volheno gave a somewhat lurid account of them -to the Marquis de Pinsara, as a man likely to be able to help in the -matter; and the latter appears to have told all his acquaintances. I -shall not be in the least surprised to find the matter in the papers -in the morning. Of course it is very ridiculous and calculated to -frustrate my object entirely. But it is not my doing, I assure you.” - -“Yet M. Volheno might have an object?” - -“You mean to use them to conceal some other purpose for my visit?” - -“And you give me your word that you have no other purpose except to -obtain these concessions?” - -“Contesse Inglesia put much the same question, and I will answer it -as I answered her. I pledge my word that I have no sort or kind of -interest in the political affairs of your country otherwise than as -they may be incidentally connected with these concessions.” - -“Is that an entirely frank answer, Mr. Donnington?” - -“Any suspicion underlying that remark I have already given you the -means of dissipating. I declare to you, on my honour as an English -gentleman, that I have none but absolutely private and personal reasons -for coming to Lisbon.” - -“You have discussed political matters with M. Volheno?” - -“Certainly not in any detail. He told me the city was in a condition -of unrest, and that there were all sorts of more or less dangerous -combinations against the Government. But this was merely as a reason -for the warning he gave me against being in the streets alone after -dark.” - -“You did not heed that warning?” - -“No. I was disposed to smile at it. But I learnt my lesson last night, -and shall profit by it in the future.” - -Barosa sat a few moments thinking. “I will have these inquiries made, -Mr. Donnington,” he said then; “but I have no doubt whatever of the -result. I will make it my personal affair to see that you have no -trouble. In point of fact we already have proof that you are what -you say. Mademoiselle Dominguez and her mother met you in Paris last -spring, and they of course know you to be Mr. Donnington.” - -Why did he want to drag Miralda into the matter? - -“I have intentionally kept her name out of our conversation, Dr. -Barosa,” I answered with a smile, “and I still wish you to make your -own investigations.” - -“The Contesse Inglesia is disposed to think that your meeting with -Mademoiselle Dominguez is connected with your presence here now.” - -“The contesse is a very charming and delightful woman, doctor, and -being a woman is likely to jump to conclusions.” - -“You will understand, of course, that any such purpose would concern -us. She is a friend of our cause, and betrothed to a man to whom we are -under great obligations, Major Sampayo.” - -“I will ask you, if you please, not to give me any information about -either your friends or your objects. For the rest, I shall be glad to -know when you have satisfied yourself about me; and afterwards, if you -wish, to see you at any time as a friend. But no politics, mind.” - -He took this as a hint that the subject should be dropped, and he -switched off to a topic I was always ready to talk about, yachting -and yachts in general, and my own boat in particular. He was a keen -yachtsman, and when I suggested that he should find time to have a run -on the _Stella_, he accepted the invitation quite eagerly. - -As a matter of fact, I rather liked him. He had treated me quite -candidly; and I was convinced he was satisfied that, whatever might -be my real object in coming to the city, it had no connexion with -the political situation. His politics were no concern of mine. I was -absolutely indifferent whether the King of Portugal was Dom Carlos or -Dom Miguel; and it was no part of my duty to tell Volheno or any one -else that this keen-eyed smooth-voiced, doctor, who was accepted as a -loyalist in this most loyalist of gatherings, was in reality a secret -agent of the Pretender endeavouring to exploit this National League in -the interests of his master. - -The only point where the thing threatened to affect me was in regard -to Sampayo. Barosa had admitted that they were under great obligations -to him, and I read this to mean that some of old Oom Paul’s money was -finding its way into the coffers of the cause. - -If, in return for the money, Sampayo had stipulated for the support of -Barosa and the rest in regard to Miralda, there might be trouble. But -I was so confident of being able to bring that scoundrel to his knees -that I could view even such an alliance without concern. - -What I had to do first was to get at Miralda’s own feelings and the -reasons behind her engagement, and for that I must do my best to -secure her mother as an ally. - -The viscontesse greeted me with a smile and a shake of the head. -“You’ve neglected me shamefully, Mr. Donnington. Here’s nearly the -whole evening gone and we’ve scarcely had a word together.” - -“I hope we shall have many opportunities. I assure you I have not had a -minute to myself the whole evening, and after all a place like this is -not the best in the world for a real friendly talk.” - -“When can you spare time to come and see us?” - -“May I come?” - -“May you come, indeed? Why of course you not only may, but must. Now -when?” - -“Shall you be at home to-morrow?” - -“I’m always at home. Come in the afternoon. I’ve such a lot to tell -you. I suppose you’ve heard about Miralda and Major Sampayo. I was just -going to tell you about it this evening when that wretched old marquis -carried you away.” - -“You mean your daughter’s engagement? Yes. She herself told me of it.” - -“Do you think him a handsome man? They call him one of the handsomest -men in the army. And he’s very rich, too. There were heaps of women -setting their caps at him.” - -“A man who is both rich and handsome is generally labelled desirable. -At least in London and presumably in Lisbon also.” - -“You will find that out before you have been here long. Do you think -our girls pretty?” - -“Some of them are much more than pretty,” I agreed. - -“Would you like an introduction to any of them? I’ll do it for you in a -moment.” - -“I am too pleased to be where I am to wish anything of the kind.” - -“Ah, you always knew how to say nice things, Mr. Donnington. I often -think of that time in Paris, and sometimes I--do you know what I used -to think?” - -“If I was the subject of your thoughts I trust they were pleasant ones.” - -“You know an old woman--I call myself old, but I’m offended in an -instant if any one else does--an old woman, especially the mother of a -pretty girl--you think Miralda pretty, don’t you?” - -“By far the prettiest in the rooms to-night.” - -“Well, a mother gets into the way of thinking that when a young man -pays her attention, it’s vicarious, you know. A woman’s never too old -to relish attentions, of course, but I suppose you know that. But in -Paris I had my suspicions.” - -“Of whom, viscontesse?” - -“Of you, Mr. Donnington. Perhaps I should say they were rather hopes -than suspicions. You were a great favourite of mine, I’ll admit that. -At the same time, I wasn’t quite sure that some of the nice things you -said and did were solely on my account. But that’s all over now, of -course--over and done with;” and she smiled and fanned herself slowly, -looking at me askance through half-closed lids, as if to watch the -effect of her words. - -Was she warning or reproaching me? Or both? What answer did she expect? -“I trust nothing has occurred in the interval to cause me to forfeit -your good opinion, madame.” - -The fan stopped a moment, as if she detected the double meaning of my -words. “Four months is a long time to take to travel a thousand miles -or so. I had hoped to see you in Lisbon.” - -“I think you know that I was called from Paris suddenly by my father’s -illness. He lay for many weeks between life and death, and it was -absolutely impossible for me to leave him even for a day. I have come -here at the first possible moment.” - -The fan stopped again, abruptly this time, and she lowered it slowly -until it rested upon her lap; her look was very serious and her eyes -full of concern. - -“It is only these--these concessions which have brought you here -now, Mr. Donnington?” she replied after a pause, her tone and look -suggesting some degree of nervous doubt of what my reply would be. - -I returned her look and framed my answer carefully. “I have been very -careful to let every one know that--every one else.” - -She bit her lips and frowned, the concern in her eyes deepened, and -with a half-suppressed sigh she turned away and began to fan herself -slowly again. I think she understood my meaning, but before she -could reply Miralda came up on Major Sampayo’s arm. As she saw them -approaching, the viscontesse started and glanced quickly and nervously -at me with a look I could not read. - -I rose to give my seat to Miralda, and her mother sent Sampayo to find -the visconte as she wished to go home. Then she burst into one of her -garrulous speeches and did not cease speaking until Sampayo returned -with the visconte, when she hurried both husband and Miralda away on -the plea of an overpowering headache. And Sampayo went with them. - -I was both perplexed and excited as the result of that short -conversation. It was possible to read so much both in her words and -in her manner; and I was puzzling over her real meaning when Sampayo -re-entered the room, glanced round hurriedly, and then came straight -across to me. - -By the heavy frown in which his brows were drawn together, his air of -decision, and the expression of his eyes when he saw me, I guessed that -he had at last succeeded in remembering me and had decided to lose no -time in finding out what I knew about him. - -I had been watching him without looking up, and when I did so, his look -changed and he forced a smile: a very poor effort to appear at ease. - -“You know I was puzzling where we could have met, Mr. Donnington. I -have settled it at last. It was in South Africa, and I wish to have a -word or two with you.” - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -SAMPAYO IS UNEASY - - -Although Sampayo had obviously made up his mind to ascertain at once -whether I knew anything about those black doings of his in South -Africa, I had not the slightest intention of satisfying him. - -There were many things I had to clear up before I dealt with him; and, -as matters stood, it suited me much better that Miralda should be -betrothed to him than to any one else. - -Sampayo was a big brute, much bigger than I, and had once possessed -great strength; but during his years of comfort and wealth, fat had -taken the place of a good deal of his muscle. He had, however, retained -the air of bullying masterfulness and he now tried to bully me. - -“You have not been frank with me, Mr. Donnington,” he said as he sat -down. “I don’t suppose you wished purposely to mislead me, but you did -so in fact. You said that after the relief of Mafeking you did not see -any more of the war.” - -“No, no, pardon me. I said I was sent down country.” - -“Well, that’s much the same thing, sir; whereas, from what you have -told Mademoiselle Dominguez it is clear that you went up country -again and were there at the end of things. You meant me to infer the -opposite, and I must ask you for your reasons.” - -At his hectoring tone I turned and looked him full in the eyes, and -then turned away again with a shrug of the shoulders, giving him no -other reply. - -“You heard me, Mr. Donnington.” - -I took out my watch, glanced at the time, and replaced it in my pocket -very deliberately, and yawned. - -“I have asked you a question, sir, and I mean to have an answer.” - -I paused and looked at him again more deliberately than before. “Is it -possible that you are addressing me?” - -“Certainly I am addressing you,” he said with an angry twist of the -head. - -“Then be good enough to drop that barrack-yard tone, or say at once -that you wish to force a quarrel upon me.” - -I knew he was an arrant coward; and this was not at all to his liking. -After a slight pause he said in a very different manner: “I may have -spoken abruptly, but I think I am entitled to an explanation.” - -“Of what?” I rapped out very sharply. - -“Whether you intentionally misled me as to your movements in South -Africa?” - -“What on earth can it matter to you or any one else except myself where -I went and where I did not go in South Africa?” - -“Do you say you did not meet me out there?” - -“Why should I say whether I did or did not? And why should you be so -anxious about it?” - -“I am not anxious about it at all. No more so than yourself. But if you -did meet me and now deny it, I have a right to ask your reasons.” - -“I met hundreds of men, of course--thousands indeed--and equally of -course you may have been one of them.” - -“That is not meant as an evasion, I hope,” he exclaimed, losing his -temper again. - -“Major Sampayo!” I cried indignantly. - -He gave a twirl to his moustaches and it looked as if he were going to -quarrel in earnest. But he thought better of it. “I meant no offence, -Mr. Donnington,” he muttered. - -“Then I will take none.” - -“But you will remember your remark that you never forget a face.” - -“I did not mean that I could identify at sight every man I met in the -campaign both on our side and among the Boers. Of course there would -have to be something in the circumstances of the meeting which would -serve as a connecting link.” - -“And you do not remember me then?” he persisted. - -It was awkward to answer this without a direct lie, so I turned and had -another steady look at him for perhaps half a minute and then shook my -head. “Can you suggest anything likely to recall your features to me?” - -His eyes shifted uneasily under my scrutiny, and he vented a little -sigh of relief as he replied: “Of course I cannot.” - -“We both appear to be in the same difficulty, then. Now that I look -fixedly at your features, there is something about them that I seem -to know; but very likely it is only due to the fact that I have seen -you two or three times to-night. Sampayo. Sampayo,” I repeated, as if -trying to recall the name, and then shook my head again as if giving -the matter up. “I suppose we must take it that we have not met,” I said. - -“I can understand that,” I said with a smile. - -“You will excuse my curiosity, I trust, Mr. Donnington. It may have -seemed somewhat exaggerated to you perhaps, but I am always anxious to -meet any one who was out there when I was.” - -“I can understand that,” I said, with a smile. - -All the former uneasy suspicion leapt to life again in his eyes. “Why?” -he asked, quickly and eagerly. - -“It is just the same with me,” I answered lightly. “It suggests a sort -of comradeship, you know, chatting over the old experiences.” - -“Certainly, certainly,” he agreed. - -“I shall be glad to have an opportunity of exchanging experiences with -you some day. Only we mustn’t begin, as we did just now, by firing -broadsides at one another.” - -“No, no, of course not. I am quite ashamed of my heat.” - -“That’s all right, major. On which side were you in the war? Of course -we’ve all buried the hatchet long ago.” - -“I was not a combatant, Mr. Donnington. I was making money and was -very successful, I am glad to say.” As I knew how he had made it, his -boastful self-complacent tone was amusing. “I rejoined the army here -on my return. And now there is another topic on which I should like to -say just a word or two. You met Mademoiselle Dominguez last spring in -Paris, I believe.” - -“Yes. She was there with her mother.” - -“You are aware that she has done me the honour to promise to be my -wife?” - -“Oh yes. She herself told me. But----” - -He interrupted with a wave of the hand. “One moment. It has been -suggested to me to-night that your present visit is in some respects a -result of that meeting?” - -I smiled. “Considering that I have been only two days in the city there -appears to be a tremendous amount of interest in my movements and -actions.” - -“You have proposed that we should see something of each other in a -friendly way, Mr. Donnington, and I should be glad of your assurance -that there is no truth in the suggestion?” - -“Really, really!” I protested laughing again. - -“Pardon my frankness, but I wish to know where we stand.” - -“You are not serious, of course?” - -“Indeed I am. And I must press the point.” - -“Well, really, I can’t take such a thing seriously at all, Major -Sampayo. You are naturally at liberty to entertain any ideas you wish -as to my presence in Lisbon. But I am greatly astonished that you -should have even broached such a subject.” - -“I have a right to put the question to you, I think.” - -“Well, I disagree with you, and absolutely decline to discuss it. You -must have seen very little of the English in South Africa if your -experiences have led you to believe that it is our custom to exchange -confidences with a stranger. Possibly after you and I have had our -proposed chat over our mutual experiences out there and get to know one -another better, we may resume the subject. But not until then, if you -please. And now, I must bid you good-night.” - -He looked very angry and malicious; but I did not care for that. I was -rather pleased than otherwise that Miralda should have spoken of me to -him in such a way as to rouse his jealousy. - -Sleep was almost out of the question for me that night. I was in a -positive fever of unrest. - -Did Miralda care for me? If so, why had she promised to marry Sampayo? - -Over and over again I recalled every word that had passed between us -that evening, and every glance she had given me. The first look at the -moment of meeting had been one of surprise, but I had read no other -feeling into it. - -She had, however, been genuinely indignant when she heard that only -business had brought me. And she had every right. I had carried matters -far enough in Paris to warrant her in believing I cared for her. I had -done everything I could to make my feelings plain. Then I had gone -without a word, had remained away four months, and had now arrived -“on business.” It was only human nature that she should resent such -treatment. - -Unexplained, my conduct was that of a cad and a coxcomb. She might -well believe that in Paris I had spoken without meaning, had been -amusing myself with a flirtation, and had forgotten her as soon as I -had shaken the dust of the city off my feet. To follow to Lisbon on -such an errand as the visconte had described and I had acquiesced in, -was nothing short of a brutal insult to her. - -But while her resentment was white-hot, I had made her see the truth. -Her eyes had told me that she understood. And the explanation had -shifted the axis of all her thoughts. I had come solely on her account, -hurrying to her at the first moment I was at liberty to speak the words -which had been impossible in Paris, and--she had pledged herself to -another man. - -If she cared for me--always that if--she would find herself playing -the part she believed I had played. The charge of inconstancy was -transferred from my shoulders to hers. And she had to face the task of -telling me the truth. Her sudden agitation was intelligible enough. And -she had undoubtedly been very deeply moved. That thought was as balm in -Gilead to me. - -I thought long and carefully over her manner at that point. She had -thrown off her agitation with an effort and passed at once to the -opposite extreme of indifference; she had plunged into a discussion -of conventional trivialities of no interest to either of us, and had -deftly fended off my attempts to refer to our former relations until -she herself had mentioned them in a way that implied they were past and -buried. And she had followed this with the news of the engagement. - -The object might have been to spare us both from embarrassment. But I -read more in it. That she should try to spare me pain was as natural as -is the light when the sun shines. But she had not spared me. She would -know that to refer to it in the light tone she had used would add to -the shock; and there had not been a word of preparation and not one of -regret. - -Why? - -I thought I could see the reason. She wished me to believe her -heartless and unfeeling. She had regretted her involuntary agitation -on learning the truth, lest I should believe she really cared. She had -then acted designedly and with the set purpose of making me believe she -had entirely forgotten the Paris episodes, could speak of them with -complete indifference, and was happy in her engagement. - -Again, why? - -And again I thought I could see her reason. She felt there were -circumstances behind her betrothal to Sampayo which shut out the -possibility of its being broken and she wished to drive home that -conviction upon me. She could not tell me what the facts and influences -were which had decided her; so she deliberately blackened herself in my -eyes, posing as a jilt who had first encouraged me to hope and had then -thrown me over with a laugh and a careless toss of the head. - -But I knew her too well to accept any such self-caricature as a true -portrait, even without the help of all I had heard from Inez, from -Barosa, and from the viscontesse. - -Was it too late now to win? It might be; but it certainly was not too -late to make a big effort. And such an effort I would make at once. If -she had compromised herself in this wretched conspiracy business so far -as to be under the thumb of Barosa and his associates, her very safety -demanded that I should strive with might and main to break the power -they held over her and set her free from it. - -But my fear was that some other compelling influence was at work; and -I looked to find it in her home. It was not the viscontesse, I was -certain of her; but I knew very little yet of the visconte and nothing -at all of the brother, Vasco, except that he was infatuated with Inez -and was being properly fooled by her. I made my promised visit to the -viscontesse on the following afternoon hoping to be able to resume -the thread of the conversation at the reception. But no opportunity -offered. She had some friends and I could not get a word with her -alone; and Miralda did not come in until just as I was leaving. - -But I learnt something from the conversation. It concerned mainly the -personal side of the political situation. Every one had a grievance -against M. Franco, the Dictator. In his zeal for economy he had swept -away a host of sinecure positions about the Court; and had thus made -enemies not only of every one who had been paid for doing nothing and -their friends and relatives, but also of all who had been looking -forward to such payments. - -The visconte himself had held one of the best of these sinecures. He -had been the royal cork-drawer or napkin ring-holder-in-chief, or -something equally important, and the loss of the salary had been hotly -resented. - -It sounded intensely ridiculous; but the viscontesse herself was full -of indignation; and her friends all agreed and joined in abusing the -Government with a violence which, although entirely laughable, proved -how widespread was the discontent among those who had been staunch in -their loyalty. - -It was on this feeling among the higher classes that Barosa was working -on behalf of the Pretender, Dom Miguel. - -Just as I was leaving, the viscontesse found a moment to tell me she -wished to have had more opportunity of talking to me, so I promptly -asked her to come to luncheon on the _Stella_ the next day, and she -was hesitating when Miralda came in. We were standing near the door -and she joined us. She greeted me with just the same air of detached -friendliness she had shown on the previous evening; but when her -mother spoke of my invitation, she surprised me. - -“It will be delightful, and I should like it above all things--that is -if the invitation is to include me, Mr. Donnington?” - -“Why, of course.” - -“And can we have a little run out to sea? I love the sea you know.” - -“It shall be exactly as you wish,” I replied, and having arranged that -the launch was to be ready for them at noon, I went off delighted at -the prospect of having Miralda and her mother to myself, for some -hours. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -MIRALDA’S MASK - - -The next morning was gloriously fine, and I was on the _Stella_ in good -time to see that all was in readiness. Old Bolton, my skipper, muttered -something about the wind shifting and that we should probably have a -change in the weather, but for once I didn’t believe him, and just -before noon I jumped into the launch and went off in high spirits to -fetch Miralda and her mother. - -Then came a decidedly disagreeable surprise. - -As I stepped on to the quay, Inez was waiting for me, her servant -standing by with wraps. With one of her most radiant smiles she gave me -her hand and reminded me that I had invited her to see the yacht. “So -when I heard Miralda and the viscontesse were going to-day, I thought -this would be just a chance of chances.” - -“Of course, delighted,” I replied very cordially. I couldn’t very well -tell her she wasn’t wanted; so I buttoned up my chagrin and made the -best of it. “We’re going to have a little run out to sea.” - -“You’re quite sure I shall not upset your plans?” she asked, knowing -quite well that that was precisely what she was doing. - -“My dear lady, what plans do you think I have that could be spoilt? -There’s heaps of room on the _Stella_ for us all.” - -“I mean with regard to Miralda, Mr. Donnington,” she said, dropping -her light tone and fixing those queer eyes of hers on me. - -“I hope to give both the viscontesse and her daughter a pleasant day’s -outing. You don’t consider that a very deadly plan, I hope.” - -“You may remember my warning?” - -“I try to make it a rule to remember only the pleasant things which are -said to me by beautiful ladies, contesse.” - -“You mean you refuse to be warned?” - -“Against what?” - -“Ah, you pretend you do not know,” she retorted impatiently. - -“I don’t think you quite grasp the position. I am in Lisbon on business -which will detain me some little time. Meanwhile, I am fortunate in -having met some old friends and made some new ones, and I am delighted -to have an opportunity of welcoming them on my yacht. That is how -matters stand. And any warning against doing that, however well meant -and by whomsoever given, is really as little needed as if you or I were -to go to the _Stella’s_ captain and warn him against hidden reefs out -there on the open sea.” - -“It is against a hidden reef in an apparently open sea that I am -warning you.” - -“Well, Captain Bolton is a splendid seaman and knows his charts, but a -man of very few words, and he would--just smile.” - -“You may smile if you will; but do you think I should have forced -myself upon you in this way without reason?” - -“The man is fortunate indeed upon whom such pleasure is thus thrust.” - -“You cover your meaning with a jest--but I am too much in earnest. I -wish to be your friend. You must not seek to interfere with Miralda’s -marriage.” - -“Your pardon, but we are really getting too personal. Let me suggest -that we wait to discuss that lady until she is present. Ah, here they -are,” I exclaimed, catching sight of them. And then I had a little -thrust at Inez. “And you are fortunate, too. Lieutenant de Linto is -with them.” - -I knew how he must bore her; and she did not succeed in disguising her -chagrin. She had admitted that she had come as a sort of watchdog; and -the punishment fitted the crime so aptly that I grinned. Nor was that -to be her only punishment, as matters turned out. The skipper proved a -true weather prophet, and Inez was a desperately bad sailor. - -She played her watchdog part cleverly; but it was entirely superfluous. -All the delightful anticipations I had indulged in were killed by -Miralda herself, whose conduct perplexed me far more than on the -previous night. - -Almost from the moment her dainty foot touched the _Stella’s_ deck, she -acted in a manner I could not have deemed possible. She was very bright -and laughed and talked as if there were no such thing in the world as -care and trouble. She treated me as if I were a mere acquaintance whom -she was just pleased to meet again. Nothing more. - -But it was not that which so pained me. She spoke freely of her visit -to Paris, referring now to her mother and again to me in regard -to little episodes of the time there, and doing it all without -a suggestion of restraint. Then in a hard tone and with jarring -half-boastful laughter, she began to jest about her conquests. She -named several men, who, as I knew, had admired her; mimicked their -ways, ridiculed their attentions, and freely admitted that she had -flirted with them, because “one must amuse oneself.” - -If any man had told me that she was capable of such conduct I think -I should have knocked him down. But I heard it all myself. I could -scarcely believe my own eyes and ears. The last belief in the back of -my mind was that she could be the callous, heartless coquette she was -showing herself, luring men to her by her beauty only to laugh at them -for believing in her, and descending to the depths of talking about it -to others in a vein of self-glorification. - -The luncheon gong interrupted but did not check her, and as I sat -listening in silence she appealed to me more than once to confirm -some little ridiculous trait of some one or other of the men she had -“scalped.” - -Inez saw and rejoiced at my discomfiture, but retribution was at hand -for her. When we sat down to luncheon the sea was as smooth as the -table-cloth, but when we reached the deck again the weather had changed -and a heavy bank of clouds to the south threatened a capful of wind. -And even this served to show Miralda in a new light. - -She heard me tell the skipper to return. “Is it going to be rough? I -hope so. I love a rough sea. Don’t go back yet.” - -Inez and Vasco protested vigorously. - -Miralda looked at them both and shrugged her shoulders, and then turned -to me. “I don’t see why we should spoil our pleasure for them, do you?” -she asked with a laugh that was half a sneer. - -“I am sorry to cut your pleasure short, but I think we had better -return,” I replied. - -“People look so silly when they are ill;” and with an unpleasant laugh -she crossed to the side. - -When the wind came and the _Stella_ began to roll, Inez hurried away, -followed directly by Vasco. - -The viscontesse had been very quiet all the time, and although the -motion of the yacht did not appear to upset her, she said she would -rather lie down and asked Miralda to go with her. - -“Don’t be unreasonable, mother,” was the reply. “I am enjoying every -moment of it. You don’t want to shut me up in a stuffy cabin. But take -my hat with you, and bring me a wrap of some sort, and my cloak.” - -The unfeeling words and the tone in which they were uttered, stung me -like the knots of a whip lash. I gave my arm to the viscontesse and -took her below and installed her comfortably on a sofa in the saloon. - -“Miralda loves a rough sea, Mr. Donnington,” she said, as she pointed -to the wraps for me to take on deck. “Don’t stay with me; I am going to -take an old woman’s privilege and have a nap.” - -I took the things in silence and returned to Miralda. - -She stood by the bulwarks her eyes intent on the troubled waters; a -stray lock or two of her hair had been freed by the breeze, and her -face was radiant with delight. She revelled in the scene. A veritable -incarnation of vigorous youth and bewitching beauty. - -She turned as I reached her side. “Isn’t it glorious, Mr. Donnington? I -suppose I may stay on deck? I shan’t be in the way?” - -“The whole yacht is yours to be where you will, of course,” I replied. - -“You always say such pleasant things. I remember that knack of yours. -Help me on with this cloak,” she added with a coquettish glance. -“There, how do I look?” she asked when she had adjusted the wrap, -gracefully, as all her acts were. “And now you must find me a corner -where I shan’t be quite blown away,” she commanded. - -I found her a corner and installed her. - -“We shall want two chairs, of course, and then we can have a long chat -like we used to in Paris.” - -I had had quite enough of Paris already, if she meant to continue to -talk in her former strain. But I fetched another chair and sat down. - -Then she laughed suddenly and almost boisterously. “Do you know I -really believe my mother wanted me to go and stop with her? She can be -a terrible nuisance. Imagine me pinned up there. Sympathize with me.” - -“The viscontesse told me she hoped to get to sleep,” I replied. - -“Then wasn’t it selfish of her? As if I was going to miss this -beautiful sea just because she feels bad and has a headache. Absolutely -preposterous, wasn’t it?” and she laughed again. - -I looked round at her and made no reply. - -She returned the look as if surprised at my silence. Then her eyes -lighted and her lips parted. “Oh, I remember now, of course. It was you -who always put on that mournful look--funereally gloomy--when I used to -do things which shocked your English propriety. I was thinking it was -that Graf von Holstein--that long-faced German who would insist upon -giving me flowers I did not want and then expected me to dance with him -in return.” - -I had given her flowers and asked her to dance when she wore them. - -“Very unreasonable, mademoiselle,” I said after a pause. - -“Oh, men are always like that. They all seem to think that because a -girl amuses herself and dances once or twice with them, they have made -a conquest.” - -“A man is of course unreasonable to believe in a woman.” - -“What a delightfully cynical platitude. Isn’t the sea getting up -quickly? Poor mother! I am afraid you won’t tempt her on the yacht -again.” Again she laughed, and added: “And that’s a nuisance, for I -love the sea.” - -I turned unexpectedly and caught a look in her eyes as they were -bent on me, which she had not meant me to see. And then I thought I -understood. - -“I thought that was it,” I said quietly. I myself could smile now. - -“What was what, Mr. Donnington?” she asked as a sort of challenge; -adding, with an attempt to resume her former expression of reckless -frivolity: “that sounds like a conundrum, doesn’t it? And they are such -stupid things.” - -“I believe I have the answer to the bigger conundrum.” - -“There’s the grave Englishman again,” she jested, with a toss of the -head. - -“Yes. ‘Miralda’s Englishman,’” I answered, holding her eyes with mine -and speaking slowly and deliberately. - -It was great daring, but I felt that I must strip away this mask of -heartless raillery which galled and pained me beyond endurance. I would -know the truth at any cost. If this coquette of flouts and jibes who -laughed at men with one breath and made light of even her mother’s -sufferings with the next, was the real woman whom I had set in the -inmost shrine of my heart, the sooner I was away the better. - -The mask fell, but not at once. - -She met my gaze steadily, almost defiantly, and the blood rushed to her -face as she read my look and strove to force a laugh and utter a jest -in reply. But the words would not come. - -“You understand me,” I said, in the same deliberate tone. “You are -either the most heartless jilt who ever trifled with the best feelings -of men in order to be able to boast of your triumphs afterwards, or you -are deliberately playing the part for some purpose of your own. God -forbid that I should accept your self-accusation.” - -“I will go----” she began and half rose. But the reaction came then. -The crimson faded from her face, leaving it white and strained. She hid -it behind her hands as she sank back in the chair, her head lowered, -trembling in agitation. - -I was answered and without a word I rose and left her that she might be -alone while she recovered her self-command. - -With a rare feeling of exultation I renewed all that had passed in the -light of my new knowledge. She had set herself purposely to disgust me -with the gibbering caricature she had drawn of herself. And my heart -thrilled and my blood raced through my veins as I saw that my reading -of her conduct on the evening of the reception had been right. - -Many minutes passed as I paced the deck deciding the course I would -take, and not until I had settled it did I return to her. - -She had regained her self-possession, but as I sat down she looked at -me questioningly and nervously as if fearing how I should refer to the -secret I had surprised. But there was not a vestige of the mask left. -She was just herself. - -“The wind is dropping again already,” I said in a casual tone. - -Her eyes thanked me, but she made no reply and sank back in her chair -with an air of relief. I uttered a few commonplaces about the weather -and the yacht, worked round to the subject of Lisbon and then to that -of my supposed purpose in the city. For once the concessions were of -use, as they enabled me to describe my own acts and intentions in -regard to her as if I were referring to the concessions. - -“Of course I shall find difficulties--indeed the whole position is -entirely different from my anticipations. I ought to have been here -earlier. But it was impossible. After my father’s stroke of paralysis -which took me at a moment’s notice from Paris, he lay between life and -death for three months; and although I was as anxious then as now about -these concessions and should have come at once to Lisbon, I could not -leave him for any purpose, however vital and important to me.” - -“No, of course not,” she murmured, not raising her eyes from the deck. - -“But now that I am here, of course I shall not abandon my efforts to -obtain them until they are actually in the possession of some one else. -I have heard that they are promised, but I shall not regard that as an -actual barrier.” - -She moved slightly and answered in a voice firm but low: “From what I -have heard you will only be wasting time and effort, Mr. Donnington. -You will not be allowed to--to obtain them.” - -“You think the unsettled condition of political matters here, the -cabals and intrigues and so on, will interfere with me?” - -“I am sure of it,” she said very deliberately. - -“You mean there are obstacles of which I know nothing. As for those I -do know, I care nothing for them.” - -“It depends upon what you do know.” Every word was uttered in a low -tense monotone, full charged with suppressed feeling. - -“I know, as I say, that they are promised to some one else, but that -doesn’t count with me. I know too that they are involved in the secret -plans of some of those whose political objects are opposed to the -professed objects of some leaders of the League of Portugal. But that -also I will not regard as an insuperable barrier.” - -“Is that all you know?” - -“Yes.” - -“It has not occurred to you that private influences may be at work -which those who might wish to help you are powerless to resist, and -which make your quest absolutely unattainable and impossible?” - -“I admit I have had fears of that, but I shall not believe it -impossible until I know what those influences are.” - -“I have told you that I know it to be impossible, Mr. Donnington.” - -“Will you tell me more--what these private influences are?” - -“I cannot without speaking of things that must be secret; without -revealing a story of shame and crime.” - -“Why should I sacrifice an object which is more to me than any I have -ever desired because another person has done wrong?” - -“You must not even seek to discover it.” - -“On the contrary, I will know it within the next few hours.” - -“If you knew it, you would recognize the truth of what I have said. But -if you will take advice, you will use those next few hours to be many -leagues on your way to England.” - -“I will go when I said--when the concessions are actually in the -possession of those who seek them. Not one hour, not one minute before.” - -She was silent for a while and then for the first time since I had -rejoined her she sat forward and looked at me. “Once in those days when -we met in Paris, you said you would do anything I asked you? Does that -promise hold good now?” - -“Yes.” - -“Then I wish you to leave Lisbon at once.” - -I shook my head. “No, anything but that.” - -“I was afraid,” she murmured, and leant back in her seat, with a sigh -of despair; and we both remained silent. - -Some time later the skipper’s voice roused me. “We shall drop anchor in -about quarter of an hour, Mr. Donnington,” he said as he passed. - -Miralda rose with a sigh, started to leave me and then returned. - -“There is one thing you spoke of which I must make clear. I am -no revolutionary, as you hinted, but I am not free. I have been -compromised against my will and I cannot break the bonds. But don’t -think me a rebel, because you see me associated with those who are.” - -And without waiting for any reply, she turned and hurried away. - -When the anchor was dropped and the launch waiting to take us all on -shore, she came up with the viscontesse and was again wearing a mask. -But a different one now. She laughed and chatted brightly, but without -the hardness or bitterness of the earlier time. - -I was once more the stranger. I gathered that the mask was now worn -to mislead Inez, for when we shook hands, although her words of thanks -were just those of common courtesy, there was an expression in the eyes -and a simultaneous pressure of the fingers eloquent of the altered -relations between us. - -Wishing to be entirely alone I returned to the _Stella_ and remained -there thinking and speculating and planning. - -I did not reach my rooms until late and found a letter awaiting me -which made me rub my eyes in astonishment. - -It was from Volheno, thanking me for some information I had given -him and saying that it had been acted upon the previous night with -excellent results. “It will of course be considered by the Government -when we come to decide the matter of the Beira concessions; and I need -scarcely say that if you can give us any more information of the same -kind, you will render the Government a great service.” - -I had given no information and would see him in the morning and -explain. The man was mad; and I tossed the letter down and went off to -bed. - -I must have slept heavily after the day in the fresh air, for I was -roused by some one shaking me roughly. - -I opened my eyes to find the lights switched up and the police in my -room. Two of them were searching the room and a third stood over me and -ordered me sternly to get up and dress and be quick about it. - -“What does it mean?” I asked, blinking like an owl in the sudden light. - -“You are arrested. That’s what it means. Dress and come with us, unless -you want to go as you are;” and the fellow gave point to his words by -stripping off the bedclothes. - -A curious sequel, this, to Volheno’s letter. - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -THE INTERROGATION - - -Dignity in a nightshirt is impossible; so I rolled off the bed and -dressed myself quickly. - -Why I should be arrested I could not imagine, unless it was in some -way the outcome of that row in the streets. Even if that were so, the -thing could not be serious. I had been mistaken for one of the mob and -nearly clubbed by a policeman; but it was scarcely likely I should be -punished because he had missed his aim. Probably some fool or other had -blundered, and the whole thing was just a mistake. - -I was disposed to smile at it, therefore. I might lose half a night’s -sleep; but that was no great matter; and as a recompense I should have -an experience at first hand of police methods under a dictator. - -“What am I supposed to have done?” I asked the man who had awakened me. - -“Wait and see.” He jerked the words out with scowling gruffness. - -“In England when a man is arrested like this it’s usual to tell him the -reason.” - -“This isn’t England.” - -“There’s no need to make the affair more unpleasant than necessary by -talking in that tone. The whole thing’s a mistake; but I don’t blame -you. Why growl at me, therefore?” - -“Orders.” - -“Well, who ordered this?” - -“Hurry.” And he accompanied the word with an emphatic gesture. - -“Thank you,” I said with a grin; and as it was evident I should not get -anything out of him, I finished dressing in silence. In the meanwhile -the two men finished their search of the drawers and wardrobe and my -luggage; and we went to my sitting-room. - -This had also been ransacked; and the work must have been done before -they roused me. “Your men certainly understand their work,” I said; for -the search had been very thorough; “but you might have put some of the -things back in their places. If you’ll give me a couple of minutes, -I’ll do it myself, however.” - -“No.” Short, sharp, and peremptory this, from the fellow who had spoken -before. - -“Then wake my servant--his room is through the kitchen at the end of -the hall and up a short flight of stairs.” - -“No.” Same tone from the same speaker. - -“All right. Then I’ll leave a line here for him to let him know what -has happened.” - -“No.” - -“But he’ll think I’ve gone mad, or bolted, or----” - -“Come.” He was quite a master of monosyllabic dialogue. - -“I’ll be hanged if I will,” I flung back at him angrily. - -But as he pulled out a revolver and made me understand--without even a -monosyllable this time--that I should be shot if I didn’t, I decided -not to be obstinate. - -As we left the door of the house a vehicle drove up and I was bundled -into it, none too gently. - -“Where are you taking me?” - -“Silence.” The word was so fiercely uttered that I saw no use in -arguing the point. I sat still therefore wondering to which prison we -were going and what steps I should be allowed to take to get the matter -explained. The simplest course would be to send a line to Volheno; -but the arrest was really an outrage, and in the interests of other -Englishmen in the city, a row ought to be made about it by the British -authorities. - -I was hesitating to which of the two quarters I would send, when the -carriage stopped before a large private house, the door of which was -instantly opened and I was hurried inside. Obviously I was expected. - -The three men took me up a broad flight of stairs and halted on the -landing. The man of monosyllables went into a room at the back of the -house, taking with him some papers which I concluded he had brought -from my rooms; and after perhaps a couple of minutes he reopened the -door and signed to us to enter. - -Seated at a large official-looking table was a man in evening dress -reading the letter from Volheno, the receipt of which had so puzzled -me on my return from the _Stella_. To my intense surprise he rose and -offered me his hand. - -“I am sorry to have had to disturb you, Mr. Donnington, and am -extremely obliged to you for having come so promptly,” he said with a -courteous smile and an appearance of great cordiality. - -This was too much for my gravity. I looked at him in bewilderment, -and then laughed. “As a matter of fact your men didn’t give me any -alternative.” - -“I do not understand,” he replied glancing from me to the police, who -looked rather sheepish. - -“Well, I was arrested. These men got into my rooms--I don’t know -how--hauled me out of bed, would tell me nothing, except that I was -under arrest; and dragged me here. That’s why I came so promptly,” I -said drily. - -“What does this mean, you?” he thundered at the police, his eyes -flaming his anger. - -“I was only ordered to bring him here, and I brought him,” answered the -man of few words, in a hang-dog, surly tone. - -“By Heaven, it is infamous. Do you mean to tell me that you never -delivered M. Volheno’s letter to this gentleman?” - -“I had no letter.” - -“You blockhead, you fool, you thing of wood, get out of the room. -You’ll hear of this again, all of you. A set of clumsy mules without -the brains of an idiot amongst you;” and he stormed away at them -furiously. - -I chuckled at their discomfiture while admiring at the same time the -excellent variety of abusive epithet possessed by their angry superior. - -“These blunders are the curse and despair of public men,” he exclaimed -as he slammed the door after them and returned to his seat. “Of course -the whole thing is an egregious blunder, Mr. Donnington, and I tender -you at once a most profound apology.” - -I considered it judicious to mount the high horse. “It is a very -disgraceful affair, sir, and naturally I shall report the matter to the -representatives of my country here and demand satisfaction.” - -“Oh, I hope you will not find it necessary to do that,” he replied -in a tone of great concern. “I would not have had it occur for any -consideration in the world.” - -“A man in my position is not likely to submit tamely to such an -infamous outrage; and I cannot see my way to have such a thing hushed -up,” I declared with a very grandiose air. “It might have occurred to -any countryman of mine whose lack of influence might render him unable -to protect himself.” - -“Let us talk it over;” he urged; and we did at some length until I -allowed myself to be mollified by his apologies, and agreed not to take -any step without first seeing Volheno. - -“And now perhaps you will have the goodness to explain why I was asked -so courteously”--I dwelt on the phrase and he winced--“to come here at -this time of night.” - -“It was really M. Volheno’s suggestion, Mr. Donnington. You see I am in -evening dress and I was fetched home hurriedly from a social gathering -as the result of some discoveries the police have made. I may explain I -am the magistrate--d’Olliveira is my name: you may perhaps have heard -it.” - -“I have not. I never discuss public matters here,” I said. - -“Well, as I was saying, some important discoveries have been made and a -number of arrests----” - -“Of the same nature as mine?” I interjected. - -“Oh, please,” he replied with a deprecatory smile and wave of the -hand. “A number of genuine arrests have been made and I am going to -interrogate the prisoners. M. Volheno thinks it very probable that you -can identify----” - -“Do what?” I exclaimed. - -“We believe that they are some of the men who frequented the -revolutionary headquarters in the Rua Catania about which you gave him -information.” - -“Wait a moment. I never gave M. Volheno any information of any sort -whatever, sir.” - -He gave me a very shrewd glance and his eyes were hard and piercing. -“Surely--I don’t understand, then.” - -“I am beginning to, I think. I had a letter from him to-night--I think -your clever police brought it away with them--in which he thanked me -for having done something of the sort. But he is under a complete -delusion. I am going to see him in the morning and tell him so.” - -“Is this the letter?” I nodded as he held it up. “With your permission -I’ll read it again.” - -“I don’t care what you do with it,” I said. - -“It is certainly very strange,” he muttered to himself when he -finished. “He clearly has had a letter from you and this is the reply -to it.” - -“Nothing of the sort is clear, sir, and I’ll beg you to be so good as -not to imply that I should lie about it either to you or to him,” I -rapped out hotly. “I have had as much from your people as I can stand -for one night. I tell you point-blank that I did not write any letter -either to M. Volheno or any one else giving any such information as he -and you appear to think; nor did I tell any one anything of the sort. I -declare that on my word of honour.” - -His look was very stern. “This is an official matter, of course, Mr. -Donnington, and you must not regard anything I say as reflecting in any -way upon your word. But I am taken entirely by surprise, of course, and -equally of course the matter cannot rest here.” - -“What does that mean?” - -He made a little gesture of protest and sat thinking. “Do you say that -you had no such information about the house in the Rua Catania?” he -asked after the pause. - -“What I know and what I don’t know concerns no one but myself, sir,” I -replied firmly. “I decline to answer your question.” - -He shrugged his shoulders significantly. “This may be more serious than -I thought. You will see that. I think, perhaps, I had better send for -M. Volheno.” - -“You can send for the Dictator himself if you like. It makes no sort of -difference to me.” - -He was much perplexed what to do and at length took a paper from one -of the pigeon holes of the table, folded it very carefully and then -held it out to me. “Is that your signature, Mr. Donnington?” He put the -question in his severest magisterial manner. - -“It’s uncommonly like it, I admit.” - -“Ah,” he grunted with evident satisfaction. “Have you any objection to -write a few lines in my presence and at my dictation.” - -“None whatever, provided you undertake to destroy what I write in my -presence afterwards.” - -He smiled grimly and then rose and waved me to sit at the desk. - -“Well?” I asked, looking up pen in hand at the desk. - -“Write as follows, please.” - - “It may influence your Government in granting the Beira concessions - which I seek,” I wrote as he dictated, “if I give you some - information which I have learnt. Let your men raid at once the - house 237, Rua da Catania. It is one of the headquarters of the - revolutionary party. I shall be in a position to tell you much more - in a few days. Of course you will keep the fact of my writing thus - absolutely secret.” - -“That will do,” he said. - -I resumed my former seat and he sat down at the desk again and very -carefully compared what I had written with the letter the signature of -which he had shown to me. The work of comparison occupied a long time, -and now and again he made a note of some point which struck him. - -“You gave me a pledge on your word of honour just now, Mr. Donnington,” -he said, at length turning a very stern face to me. “Are you willing -that I treat with you on that basis?” - -“Of course I am.” - -“Then will you pledge me your word to imitate to the utmost of your -ability a line of the writing of this letter?” - -“Certainly.” - -Again I took his seat and he folded the letter so that only one line -was visible. - -“Rua de Catania. It is one of the headquarters,” was the line. - -“It’s a little unusual for a magistrate to give lessons in forgery, -isn’t it?” I asked as I studied the writing and then wrote as good an -imitation of it as I could, and returned to my seat. - -Again he made an examination letter by letter, very laboriously. - -“Well?” I asked, growing impatient at his long silence. - -“I am greatly perplexed, Mr. Donnington. And I must ask you one or two -questions. How did you come to know of the house mentioned here?” - -“Wait a bit, please. I have complied with the test you put; what is the -result? And what is my position now?” - -“I put my questions in a perfectly friendly spirit--as M. Volheno would -put them were he here.” - -“And that writing test?” - -“I will discuss it freely with you afterwards. I promise you that.” - -“Well, I can tell you nothing about the house. Evidently the writer of -that letter knows that I learnt what I know by accident; but what I -know I cannot reveal.” - -“I am sorry you take that line. Whom did you meet there?” - -“I cannot answer.” - -“Did you meet a Dr. Barosa there?” - -“I cannot answer.” - -“Did you rescue a lady from any of the men belonging to the place?” - -“I cannot answer. I will not answer any questions.” - -“Was that lady the Contesse Inez Inglesia?” - -I held my tongue. - -He asked many questions of a similar nature, surprising me considerably -by his knowledge of my movements on that night and since; but I -maintained a stolid silence. - -I could see his anger rising at his repeated failure to extract any -reply, and he sat thinking with pursed lips and a heavy frown. “I will -make one further effort. I ask you as a personal favour to M. Volheno -to reply to me.” - -“If M. Volheno were fifty times as great a friend of mine as he is, and -begged me on his knees, I would not do it, sir!” - -His frown deepened at this. “Then you must understand that if you -persist in refusing, you may as well abandon all thought of obtaining -the concessions you seek.” - -“To the devil with the concessions. If Volheno or you or any one else -in the business think you are going to bribe me with them to do spy -work for you, the sooner you disabuse your minds of that insulting rot -the better,” I answered letting my temper go. “And now I’ve finished -with this thing and want to go back to bed.” - -“I cannot take the responsibility of allowing you to leave, Mr. -Donnington,” he snapped back sharply. - -“Do you mean that you dare to detain me as a prisoner?” - -“Keep your temper, sir, and remember that I am a law officer of His -Majesty the King of Portugal.” - -“Then as a British subject I claim my right to communicate at once with -the British Legation.” - -“That request will be considered, and if it is thought desirable, -complied with. Not otherwise. This is a political matter. It is -known to us that you have held communication with these dangerous -revolutionaries; you are seeking to shield them by refusing -information; and the only inference I can draw is that you do so -because you are in collusion with them.” - -At that I burst out laughing. “Infer what you like and be hanged to -you.” - -“You may find this is no laughing matter, sir,” he cried, getting white -with anger. - -“And so may you, magistrate though you are. Kidnapping Englishmen is -not a game your Government can play at with impunity, my friend.” - -“I shall send for M. Volheno,” he said as he rose; “and in the -meantime shall detain you here on my own responsibility.” - -And with that he favoured me with a scowl and went out of the room, -leaving me to speculate where I was going to finish the night. - -The odds appeared to be in favour of a prison cell rather than my own -bed. - - - - -CHAPTER X - -A DRASTIC TEST - - -The matter was obviously more serious than I had at first believed; -and I realized that, as the authorities were aware that I knew Barosa -and Inez were really revolutionaries, I might have some difficulty in -convincing them that my knowledge had been innocently obtained. And two -unpleasant possibilities loomed ahead. - -This hot-headed magistrate, if left to himself, might pack me off to -one of their prisons; and any one who has seen a Portuguese prison will -understand my dread of such a step. - -The condition of these dens of filth, wretchedness, and abomination is -a black stain upon the Portuguese administration. Take the lowest and -dirtiest type of the worst doss-house in London, multiply its foulest -features ten times, overcrowd it with verminous brawling scum to two -or three times the extent of what you would consider its utmost limit -of accommodation, and stir up the whole with gaoler-bullies who have -all graduated with the highest honours in the school of brutality and -blackguardism; and you have a typical Portuguese gaol. - -A sojourn in one of those human hells was one possible result for me; -and the other was even more distasteful--that a sufficiently grave view -might be taken of the case to have me ordered out of the country. - -I was railing at my ill-luck in ever having learnt the facts which -threatened one of these alternatives, when the murmurs of many voices -started below in the house swelled as it came up the stairs and -culminated in a chorus of threats and groans and curses just outside as -the door was opened and a man was thrust violently into the room and -went staggering across the floor. - -He had been in the wars. His clothes were all disordered, his collar -was flying loose, his coat was torn, and he had the crumpled look which -a man is apt to have at two o’clock in the morning after a night on the -general rampage finished up with a scrimmage with the police. - -His first act was inspired by the sheer stupidity of rage. He turned -and shook his fists at the door and swore copiously. He had quite a -natural gift for cursing, and gave free vent to it. Then he began to -put his clothes straight and saw me for the first time. - -“Hallo, you here?” - -“Yes.” Both question and answer sounded a little superfluous under the -circumstances, but it turned out that he recognized me. - -“Did they want you?” He swore again as he recalled his own experiences. - -“Who?” - -“Those infernal brutes out there?” - -“Do you mean the police?” - -Instead of replying he gave me a sharp look and then came up close and -peered inquiringly at me with his head slightly on one side. - -“What the devil are you doing here?” - -“Waiting to go somewhere else; but where, seems a little doubtful at -present.” - -He laughed. “I didn’t expect they’d take you yet. They’re all -fools--the whole lot of them. I told them to give you more rope.” - -“What kind?” - -“Oh, not that sort;” and he made a gesture to indicate hanging. Then -wrinkling his brows he added suspiciously: “You didn’t come of your own -accord, did you?” - -“Perhaps you’ll make things a bit plainer.” - -“If you did, you’d better tell me.” - -“If there’s any telling to be done you’d better start it,” I said drily. - -“They got me to-night---- Here, aren’t you interested in Miralda -Dominguez?” he broke off lowering his voice. - -“I’m getting rather interested in you. Who are you?” - -He winked knowingly. He was quite young, dark and not bad-looking, -except that he had sly ferretty eyes. “You don’t know, eh? You don’t -remember, eh? Is that your line? Or are you on the same tack as I am?” - -“What is your particular tack?” - -“You might have guessed it I should think. They’ve got about twenty of -Barosa’s people here and about half a dozen police to look after them. -Somebody let ’em know that I meant to save myself by telling things, -and the brutes nearly tore me to bits as I came up. The devils;” and -once more he cursed them luridly. “But I’ll make it hot for some of -them,” he added, his little close-set eyes gleaming viciously. - -“Oh, you’re an informer, are you? Well, I don’t like your breed, -I’m----” - -“Oh, I know you, of course. You’re Ralph Donnington, the reputed -English millionaire. I know;” and he winked again. “I saw you at the -de Pinsara house the other night with Barosa. He told me you were all -right. I had to tell them about you, of course. They’ve sucked me about -as dry as a squeezed orange. Barosa told me you were interested in -Miralda Dominguez----” - -“I’d rather not talk any more,” I interposed sharply. - -“I suppose you know it’s all up. They’ve got Barosa and Contesse -Inglesia, and Lieutenant de Linto and heaps of others. But not his -sister yet.” - -I affected not to hear this and took out a cigarette and lighted it. - -“Can you spare me one?” - -I put the case in my pocket. - -“If you want to get her out of the mess you’d better do as I’ve done. -Out with everything. It’s the only way. I----” - -I jumped to my feet. “Look here, if you talk any more to me I shall -act as deputy for those men outside, and when I’ve finished with you, -you’ll find it difficult to talk at all.” - -That stopped him and he slunk away to the door and flopped into a chair -staring at me and muttering to himself, probably cursing me as he had -cursed the others. - -Soon afterwards M. d’Olliveira came back with a couple of police, and -said that Volheno was coming and would arrive in about half an hour. -Then he ordered the first of the prisoners to be brought in. - -The informer jumped away from the door as if it was on fire and crossed -to the other side of the magistrate’s desk. - -The proceedings were very short--apparently for no purpose other than -identification. - -I glanced at the prisoner and recognized him as one of the men I had -seen at the house in the Rua Catania. He was the scoundrel named -Henriques, who had been going to strike Inez when I had entered. - -He looked at the young informer with a scowl of hate and hissed out an -execration. - -The magistrate appealed to me first. “You know this man, Mr. -Donnington?” he said sharply, and the fellow turned a scowling face on -me with a half defiant and wholly malicious expression. - -“Do I? If you know that, why ask me?” - -“Don’t trifle with me, sir.” - -“He knows him well enough. He saw him that night in the Rua Catania,” -broke in the informer. - -“Hold your tongue,” was the rough rebuke. “Do you deny it, Mr. -Donnington?” - -“You can draw what inference you please. I decline to be questioned by -you or any one,” I replied. - -“I cannot too strongly warn you, Mr. Donnington, that any refusal to -identify this man and any of his companions will render you suspect.” - -“I am quite ready to accept the responsibility.” - -He turned then to the informer and accepted his identification, made a -note of it, and sent the prisoner away in custody. - -Another of the men I had seen in the house was brought in, and a very -similar scene was enacted, except that I held my tongue. Three more -followed and then a pause. - -When the door opened next time Dr. Barosa was brought in. - -“You know this man, Mr. Donnington?” asked d’Olliveira. - -“Yes, I had the pleasure of meeting him at the house of the Marquis de -Pinsara. Good evening, Dr. Barosa;” and I rose and would have shaken -hands with him had not the police prevented me. - -“Did you see him in Rua Catania?” asked the magistrate. - -“I have told you I met him elsewhere. That is my answer.” - -“I am obliged to you, Mr. Donnington,” said Barosa, “but unfortunately -no good purpose can be gained by your keeping silent about anything you -know. You can only compromise yourself; and as everything is now known -to these people, I release you from the pledge of secrecy you gave.” - -“Ah,” broke in d’Olliveira, gloatingly. - -“To the devil with you and your grunts of satisfaction,” I cried hotly, -turning on him. “If you want to bribe or frighten information out of -people, do it with carrion like that young brute at your side. Don’t -try it with Englishmen.” - -“How dare you use that tone to me, sir?” he exclaimed, getting up. - -Barosa interposed. “I beg you not to compromise yourself further. It -may lead you into a very false position and can do no good either to -me or to the Contesse Inglesia. It is known quite well that you were -present in the----” - -“That’s enough, doctor. If you like to tell these people what they want -to know, it’s your affair not mine. As for my part, I have friends -quite influential enough not only to protect me, but to make it -unpleasant for this hectoring gentleman here. I am sorry to see you in -this mess.” - -He threw up his hands. “It is the fortune of war.” Then he turned to -the magistrate. “Now, sir are you satisfied?” - -There was a pause and d’Olliveira said: “Yes, absolutely.” - -And then I had the most amazing surprise of my life. - -The magistrate waved his hand and a dozen or more men, police and -prisoners mingled together, crowded into the room, and the eyes of -every man present were directed on me. - -Barosa stepped forward and offered me his hand. - -“You must forgive us, Mr. Donnington,” he said. - -“Forgive you. What the deuce for?” - -“For having tested you in this drastic way. You will admit the evidence -that you had betrayed us to the authorities was very strong--a letter -in your name to your friend M. Volheno and his to you, thanking you -for the information, was found in your rooms. I made the inquiries you -suggested and satisfied myself of your absolute good faith. I would not -believe you had broken your word, but my friends here insisted, and -then this test was planned.” - -“Do you mean----” I stopped in sheer astonishment as the truth dawned -on me. - -“I mean that this was all an elaborate pretence. There is no magistrate -here and no police. We are all comrades in the one cause, and after -what has passed no one of us will ever distrust you again. I say that -for all of us.” - -“Yes, certainly for me,” said the magistrate. - -“For us all,” came a chorus. - -“Well, you fooled me all right,” I said, gaping at them for a moment -like a bumpkin at a wax-work show, for the suddenness of the thing -almost bewildered me. Then I laughed and added: “It seems I was sitting -on a bag with more gunpowder in it than I knew. Which do you expect -me to do--thank you for your present confidence or curse you for your -former distrust?” - -“The matter is ended, Mr. Donnington,” said Barosa. “And you have as -much reason as we have to be glad the result is what it is.” - -“And if it had gone the other way?” - -He shrugged his shoulders and replied very drily: “You had better not -ask perhaps. At such a crisis our methods with those who betray us -cannot be--pleasant.” - -“Which reminds me,” I said, turning to the man who had played the -magistrate--whose real name I learnt was Sebastian Maral--“you’ve asked -me plenty of questions and there are one or two I should like to ask -you. How did you get that spurious letter I was supposed to write to M. -Volheno?” - -“I think we had better discuss those matters alone,” interposed Barosa; -and then all but we three left the room. - -“Was such a letter really written?” I asked. - -“Certainly. That which you received was M. Volheno’s reply to it.” - -“Then some one did give away that Rua Catania house? Who is it? Do you -suspect any one in particular?” - -“No,” said Barosa, his look darkening as he added: “But we shall of -course find out.” - -“I think you can help us, Mr. Donnington,” said Maral. “The writer is -obviously an enemy of yours. Can you make a suggestion?” - -I was fairly confident that I knew, but it did not suit me to say so. -“I have not had time yet to make any enemies unless some one is after -the Beira concessions and thought this an easy way of getting rid of a -competitor. Will you show me the original of that letter you dictated -to me?” - -He glanced at Barosa who nodded, and it was given to me. - -I made a discovery then. Either from inadvertence or as a proof of -confidence in me, Maral left on the letter, where it was pinned to the -top, a strip of paper with half a dozen words followed by the numerals -“134.” - -I compared the handwriting of the letter with my own copy of the -dictated part and saw at once how clumsy a forgery it was. My signature -was done well enough; the writer probably had a signature of mine and -had practised it until the resemblance was striking. But the attempt to -write an entire autograph letter was a conspicuous failure. - -Then while pretending to continue my examination of the writing, I -worried over the curious superscription, and it dawned upon me at -length that it was a message of some sort in cypher. - -As the other two had their heads together in a very earnest discussion, -I unpinned the cypher message and rolled it up in my palm. Its nature -convinced me that it was inadvertence not confidence which had led -Maral to let me see it, and I took the risk of his not noticing its -absence even if I could not do what I now very much wished--retain the -letter itself for a time. - -“I wish to keep this letter, Dr. Barosa,” I said presently. - -“I am afraid that is not possible. It has to be returned.” - -“We can get over that easily enough. You are probably as eager as I am -to know who wrote it. As for returning it, I’ll write out another in my -own hand, and that one can be returned.” - -After some demur this was agreed to; and I went to the desk and wrote -the duplicate letter, and was careful to fold it up so that Maral -should not miss the strip of paper I had annexed. - -While I was writing, Barosa paced up and down the room thinking. The -fact that there was a traitor somewhere among the followers disquieted -him profoundly. And when I had finished he came up to me and said with -intense earnestness: “You have some definite purpose in keeping that -letter, Mr. Donnington?” - -“Naturally. I mean to try and find the writer of it.” - -“Are you sure there is no one you suspect?” - -“I do not know all your followers; if there is any one among them who -seeks to prevent my getting----” - -He broke in, with an impatient motion of the hand. “Do you give me your -word you have no positive suspicion?” - -“Is that a question you should expect me to answer? I am not one of -you, and I have no interest whatever in your cause. If I am anxious to -discover the writer, it is for my own purposes not yours.” - -“We are helping you in trusting that to you.” - -“Take it back if you will;” and I held it out. - -He shook his head and did not take it. “If you find out the truth you -will tell me?” he asked. - -“I make no promise. I may or I may not, but frankly that will turn upon -my own concerns, not upon yours.” - -“You are very straight,” he said, with a slow hesitating smile, much -more suggestive of vexation than mirth. - -“I think we had better leave it there. It is not improbable that if I -do get at the truth I may need your help. In that case I shall come to -you.” - -“I should like something more definite.” - -I shook my head. “Not yet, at any rate,” I said. - -“I may visit you?” - -“At any time you please. And now, I’ll be off.” - -While we had been speaking Maral was taking papers from the desk, and -as he turned and held out his hand to bid me good-night, we heard the -sound of loud knocking at the door of the house. - -“What can that be?” he exclaimed nervously. - -The next moment the room door was thrust open and the young fellow who -had played the part of informer rushed in. - -“The police!” he gasped. “The house is surrounded. All the rest have -gone.” - -Barosa did not turn a hair, but Maral, suddenly grey with fear, tossed -up his hands and dropped into his chair with a sigh of despair. - -“Are they really the police this time?” I asked. - -He nodded. “More of the same man’s work,” he said with grim -concentrated passion, and carried away for the moment by his feelings, -he clenched his fists and uttered a vehement oath. - -I should have sworn too, no doubt, if I had been in his place. But I -was thinking of myself and what I was going to do. - -It was a tight corner for us all. - -In the pause the knocking was repeated more noisily and peremptorily -than before. - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -POLICE METHODS - - -At the second summons Barosa roused himself. - -“What will you do, Mr. Donnington. We have a secret means of leaving -the house and----” - -“I swear I had forgotten that,” exclaimed Maral, as he jumped up, -grabbed his papers and made for the door. - -“Wait please. Give me the letter which M. Volheno wrote me,” I said, -stopping him. - -He searched for it agitatedly and then thrust it into my hand. “Come -on, Barosa,” he cried and darted away. - -“Are you going to remain?” asked Barosa, hurriedly. - -I nodded. “You won’t want to use this house again?” - -“Of course not. But----” - -The crash of glass below interrupted him, announcing that the police -had broken in, and the next moment I had the room to myself and sat -down to wait for the real police and find out how their treatment -differed from that of the bogus ones. - -With Volheno’s letter in my possession I had nothing to fear, and I -glanced at it to make sure that Maral in his panic had handed me the -right one--and then gave a start of surprise. - -It was Volheno’s letter all right, but folded up in it was a long -doubled strip of paper with three rows of small holes punched in it -at irregular intervals. I knew instantly what it was--the key to the -cipher which I had seen attached to the letter which I had duplicated. - -As the police might have a fancy to search me I rolled it and the other -strip very tightly, emptied a cigarette, inserted the roll, and plugged -up the ends with tobacco; and just when the police were at the door I -struck a match and was puffing at the cigarette as two of them entered. - -“Good evening, gentlemen, I’m very relieved to see you,” I said, rising -and carefully pinching out the lighted tobacco. - -“You are our prisoner,” exclaimed one of them, covering me with a -revolver. - -“I’m extremely relieved to hear it, I can assure you.” - -“Where are the others?” - -“What others?” - -“The other scoundrels who use this house?” - -“To my intense satisfaction your arrival scared them away.” - -“Don’t try and fool us with that tone. You won’t help them and it will -make things worse for you. Put up your hands.” - -I did so, at once, of course, keeping hold of my precious cigarette, -and they made a very business-like search of all my pockets, and then -felt all about me to see that I had no weapons. They put the results -of their search on the desk, and one of them, being a very zealous -officer, went to the trouble of breaking open two or three of the -cigarettes and pinching and bending the rest. But it did not occur to -him that I could be smoking one which he might wish to see. It had been -quite a happy thought, that little precaution of mine. - -Then one of them picked up the letter from Volheno and was unfolding it -when I said gently: “I am not sure that M. Volheno will care for you -to read correspondence between us.” - -The name acted like a charm of magic. He refolded it and dropped it -like a live coal. - -“It would, however, assist you to understand the position, my friend, -and appreciate your mistake,” I said in the same suave tone. - -“Who are you?” - -“My name is Ralph Donnington. I am an Englishman and have the privilege -of enjoying the friendship of M. Volheno.” - -“Why didn’t you say who you were before?” - -“You did not ask me, and I never argue with the man at the butt end of -a revolver.” - -“How is it you are here?” - -“I think that is a matter I can better explain to my friend, M. -Volheno, himself.” Seeing the excellent effect of the name, I deemed it -judicious to rub it in. “Are you in command here? If not, I wish you -would bring your superior here or take me to him.” - -They whispered together and one of them left the room. - -“Do you know where you are? What this house is, I mean?” - -“Oh yes, perfectly. I have had very good proof of it. Would you -have any objection to my lowering my hands? This is rather a trying -position.” - -He nodded and his face relaxed in a grin which he turned away to -conceal. - -“I should also like my matchbox and cigarettes--if you don’t think I -shall blow the Government up with them. Thank you very much,” I added -as he handed them to me. - -Affecting considerable annoyance at the condition of the cigarettes, I -tossed away those which were broken, and while pretending to straighten -out the bent ones I managed to slip the one I held into the case -without his knowledge. Then I lit another and pocketed the case, and -sat puffing away, with that air of easy indifference affected by the -cigarette-smoking villain in melodrama when he is top dog and has all -the virtuous members of the caste in his power. - -I had nearly finished the cigarette when the man returned with a -superior officer whose look of chagrin told me that the raid had been -unsuccessful and that Barosa and the rest had escaped. - -“Now what is your story?” he asked brusquely. - -As he had the look of a man who would not stand any nonsense, I dropped -my air of indifference. “I am an Englishman, Donnington is my name. I -quite understand that my presence here requires explanation and that of -course I am entirely in your hands.” - -“What is your explanation?” - -“I was brought here by force.” - -He sneered. “You think I shall believe that?” - -“I am sure that my friend, M. Volheno, will.” - -“What does M. Volheno know of you?” - -“Your men took from me a letter he wrote to me. It is on the desk -there and explains itself. But it is marked confidential; and whether -he would wish you to read it is a point I will leave to you. I am -indifferent.” - -This proved a good card. He stretched out his hand to take the letter -and paused. - -“Tell me the purport of it,” he said. - -“No, no. I can’t do that. It is a confidential letter, I say. I cannot -disclose it therefore. But I am your prisoner and cannot prevent your -doing what you please.” - -His perplexity was quite amusing. - -“How do I know it is not a forgery?” - -“I don’t know that myself, but it was addressed to me at my rooms, 318, -Rua de Palma, and reached me to-night through the post.” - -“How long have you been in this house?” - -“Some hours.” - -“Alone?” he cried with another sneer. - -“Oh no. For part of the time one man was here; for others, two; and at -times perhaps a dozen.” - -“Where are they?” - -“I have no more idea than you. There were two of them when you and your -men arrived. I was then left alone.” - -“But the house was surrounded. They couldn’t escape.” - -“I was brought straight to this room and have not been allowed to leave -it for a moment.” - -“‘Allowed’?” he repeated quickly, catching at the word. - -“That is just what I mean. Otherwise, I certainly should not have -remained.” - -“Who were the men?” - -I smiled and shrugged my shoulders. “I would tell you if I could.” This -was a deliberate equivocation, but it saved me from a direct lie. I -meant that I could not because of my pledge, but I meant him to infer -that I did not know. - -He paused and I added: “And now I shall be glad to know what you -propose to do with me?” - -“What do you suppose we generally do with prisoners? Billet them at the -Avenida Palace Hotel? You’ll be locked up for the rest of the night, of -course, while we make inquiries about you.” - -“I am an Englishman--as I have told you.” - -“What of that? What’s good enough for a Portuguese is good enough for -an Englishman, I suppose.” - -“I am also a friend of M. Volheno.” - -“So you say. But do you expect me to rouse him in the middle of the -night whenever a revolutionary rascal chooses to say he is a friend?” - -“I can give you the names of several other influential men who know me. -The Marquis de Pinsara, Visconte de Linto,” and I rattled off a number -of the men to whom I had been introduced on the night of the reception. - -“You can communicate with them in the morning and call them as -witnesses,” he sneered. He had the sardonic habit strongly developed. -“But I haven’t done questioning you yet.” - -“I shall not answer any more questions. You don’t believe what I tell -you. My object was to avoid the unpleasantness of being thrust into one -of your filthy gaols; and that has evidently failed.” - -“You will tell me where the men are hidden who were here with you,” he -said very threateningly. - -“I repeat, I know no more than you do. You were already in the house -when they left this room.” - -“That won’t do for me,” he answered bluntly. He motioned to the two men -who pulled my hands behind my back and slipped a pair of handcuffs on -my wrists, while he himself sat down at the desk and made a list of the -things the men had taken from me. “Is this all?” he asked the fellow -who had searched me. - -“All but a cigarette case.” - -“Anything in it?” - -“Nothing but cigarettes. I made sure of that.” - -“All right.” I breathed more freely. - -“Now, prisoner, show me the secret hiding-place in this room.” - -“There is none. The men left the room.” - -He came close up and glared so fiercely into my face that I thought he -was going to strike me. He was the sort of brute to enjoy hitting a -defenceless man. “If you lie to me, I’ll----” he ground his teeth and -left me to finish the sentence out of my own fears. - -“I do not lie,” I said meeting his look steadily. “And you will do well -to bear in mind in all you do now that in the morning you will find -every word I have said as to my friendship with M. Volheno is true.” - -I spoke very calmly thinking it would have the better effect. But it -appeared to enrage him and this time he actually raised his hand for a -blow. It was therefore clearly time to try a change of manner. - -So I shoved my head forward until our noses were nearly touching -and with a fierce oath, I cried: “You dare to lay a hand on me, you -infernal bully, and it shall cost you dear. M. Volheno shall know of -this. Do your duty whatever that may be, but not one jot more, or----” -and I adopted his tactic of an unfinished sentence. - -The result was a surprising success. His hand fell to his side, his -eyes wavered, and his threatening truculence of manner dropped from him -like a cloak. The reason was, of course, that he was a miserable coward -and had mistaken my coolness for fear. - -“I am only doing my duty,” he muttered. - -“You lie,” I thundered back, quick to take advantage of his mood. -“You dare to handcuff me like a felon, when I tell you I am a British -subject and give you ample means of testing what I say. You’ll have to -reckon with the British Legation for this. Do what you will, while you -have me in your power; but don’t think for an instant you won’t have to -pay for your bullying in the morning.” - -“I have----” - -“Don’t try to excuse yourself. If you want to bully any one, do it -with the unfortunate devils under your orders. As for me, do what you -dare--but remember, it will be my turn to-morrow.” - -“If you’ll give your word not to offer resistance, you shall be freed.” - -“You didn’t ask that before you handcuffed me. I call these men to -witness that. Take me in them to M. Volheno--if you dare. Or haul me -off to gaol in them. It’s all one to me--until to-morrow.” - -He paused and then signed to the men who freed me, and he left the -room. I sat down and the men stood near the door whispering and -sniggering together. They appeared to be rather pleased at their -chief’s discomfiture. - -He was away so long that I fell asleep and was in the middle of a -realistic dream that I was in prison among the scum of the city when I -was roused by some one thundering my name in my ear. - -I started up and found the official had returned with a companion who -was shaking me and calling me by name. - -“Mr. Donnington! Mr. Donnington!” - -“Well, what is it?” I grumbled, blinking at him like an owl until I -recognized him as a man I had seen at Volheno’s bureau. - -“M. Volheno desired me to come to you, sir.” - -“Oh, ho,” I chuckled, turning to the official, “so you thought -discretion was the better part of bullying, eh?” - -“My name is Dagara, Mr. Donnington. I am M. Volheno’s private -secretary. He instructed me to say that he desires to see you as soon -as you can call on him.” - -“I have to go to gaol first,” I said with a snarl for my old enemy. “I -was already there in my dreams when you roused me. But if I am to be -shot or hanged or beheaded as this man decides, I’ll leave directions -for my corpse to be packed up neatly and sent to M. Volheno.” I was -winning so I could afford a small jibe. - -“You are of course at liberty to go where you will,” said Dagara. - -“Then I’ll go back to bed,” I declared as I rose, “and will see M. -Volheno in the morning. I have to tell him how this brute has treated -me.” - -The official had wilted like an unwatered flower in the noon sunlight. -He returned me my belongings and began to mumble an apology. “I much -regret----” - -“I’ve no doubt of it. I know your kind,” I cut in drily, and then left -the house with Dagara, feeling that I was well out of an ugly business. - -I had come off with all the honours of war, too, for my letters had not -been read and the two little secret papers were safely stowed away in -my cigarette case. - -The secretary walked with me to my rooms and I found him an exceedingly -close-lipped individual. The house where the drastic test of my good -faith had been applied was in the Rua Formosa, about half a mile from -the Rua de Palma; and during the walk I could get little else than -monosyllables from my companion. He did go so far as to tell me that he -had been at work all night with Volheno and that that was the reason he -had not gone home and had been able to come so promptly to identify me. - -But when I asked him about the police official he replied that he knew -nothing. - -I soon ceased to question him, and as we reached my rooms, he said -suddenly: “You will understand of course that M. Volheno never allows -me to speak of any of his affairs. I will give him your message, and -wish you good-morning, Mr. Donnington;” and with this abrupt apology in -explanation of his silence, he raised his hat and went off. - -A useful and silently working wheel, no doubt, in the complicated -machinery of the Dictator’s system of government, was my mental verdict -as I entered my rooms, eager to examine my prizes at leisure. - -I put back some of the things Barosa’s men had left littered about, -brewed myself some strong coffee, and set to work. - -I first read through again very carefully the forged letter which had -been sent to Volheno. That it was the work of an enemy who was well -versed in my movements was of course on the surface. My friendship with -the man to whom it was addressed, my secret knowledge of the house in -the Rua Catania, my business in regard to these Beira concessions, -these three points told their story as plainly as the attempt proved -the ingenious malignity of the writer, and his intention to cause -Barosa and his friends to suspect me of treachery. The blow was aimed -at my life. - -There was only one man in all Lisbon who could have the needed -information and would have the motive. - -Sampayo. - -Jealousy was one motive, and fear of what I knew about him another. And -he was just the sort of cunning beast to go to work in this mole-like -way. He had reckoned that Barosa’s people would accept without question -such a proof of my treachery and act upon it. And in all probability -they would have done so, but for my conversation with Barosa on the -night of the reception and his conviction of my good faith. - -But there was another point. He must have known that the contents of -the letter would be at once passed on to Barosa. There was therefore -some one about Volheno in league with the revolutionary party, and that -some one must be sufficiently high in his confidence to be able to get -the letter and send it to his friends. - -I must find that man out; and then I studied the little slip of paper -which Maral had inadvertently given me with the letter. - -The line of nonsense ran as follows. - - “Real effects to you truly. You know what this only can mean. 134” - -Absolute gibberish of course. But I had the key. - -I noticed that the sentence exactly fitted a line of the same length as -the strip of paper with the holes in it; and when I laid the first line -of holes on the top of the words the meaning was clear. - -All the letters were covered by it except the following: - - RETURN AT ONCE - -“Return at once.” - -A simple direction to send the letter back; and 134 was probably the -number by which the man was known to his companions. I had had my -trouble for nothing--or next to nothing; for the cipher key did not -cover the figures at the end of the message. - -Then a thought struck me. The numerals might stand for letters: 134 -would be “A. C. D.;” or 13 and 4, “M.D.” - -“M.D.!” I uttered the letters aloud in my surprise. They were Miralda’s -initials. “Miralda Dominguez.” - -The coincidence mazed me; but a moment’s reflection made the inference -appear grotesque, preposterous, idiotic; and I laughed at it. - -But my nerves were out of balance. The ordeal of the last few hours, -following so close upon the tense interview with Miralda on the -_Stella_, had tried me severely. Everybody appeared to be playing at -make-believe to cause me to misread everything I saw and heard. - -Even as I laughed at the thought that Miralda could have had even -the remotest connexion with the cipher message, the disconcerting -possibility suggested by the coincidence would not be shaken off. - -Furious with myself, for the subconscious distrust of her which this -depression of spirits implied, I huddled the papers together and went -off to bed. - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -THE REAL “M. D.” - - -A few hours’ sleep enabled me to laugh much more sincerely at the -thought which had sent me off to bed in a hurry, and I was reviewing -the whole situation when Miralda’s brother called. He had the look of a -man who had been making a night of it, and was washed out and generally -sorry for himself. - -“Hullo, then, I have caught you, Mr. Donnington. May I come in?” - -“Of course you may,” I said as I shook hands with him, put him into -an easy chair and handed him the cigarettes. “Why, did you think you -wouldn’t catch me?” - -He lit a cigarette and I saw that his hand shook badly. - -“Eh? Oh, you’re such a busy man, aren’t you?” His hesitancy and a note -in his voice suggested nervousness, as if he had been momentarily at a -loss how to answer. - -“Not too busy for a chat with you at any time, lieutenant.” I spoke -cordially because I wished to be friendly. - -“Thanks,” he said, adding after a puff or two: “You look confoundedly -fit.” - -“Not much the matter, I’m glad to say.” - -“No, I should think not, indeed.” Another pause followed and he put his -eyeglass in position, glanced at me and then round the room, and let -it fall again. “I suppose not.” - -“Will you have a pick-me-up?” I asked. It struck me he had been looking -about for one. - -“Cognac,” he replied with a nod. I rang for my servant, Bryant, and -mixed a brandy and soda, which Vasco drank eagerly. “Had a hot night of -it,” he murmured with one of his inane grins as he set the empty glass -down. - -“Lost?” - -“I always do, curse the luck,” he answered, and pouring himself out -about a wine-glassful of brandy he gulped it down. “Hair of the dog, -you know,” he added, smacking his lips. The spirit stimulated him. -“Better luck next time;” and he laughed, the frown left his face, and -he lolled back smoking with an air of indifference real or assumed. - -“So you’re off, eh? Going in your yacht?” - -“Off? Where to?” - -“Home, I suppose. That’s what I meant about catching you.” - -“I am not going away.” - -“Not? Why Sampayo----” he stopped suddenly. “No, it wasn’t Sampayo of -course--but I heard you were going last night,” he said, evidently -confused by his first slip. - -My interest awoke in an instant. If Sampayo had sent him to me, it was -probably to learn the issue of the previous night’s scheme. - -“No no. I shan’t be able to get away for a long time to come.” - -“Then I wonder why the deuce--I’m awfully glad to hear it. Then you -won’t be taking your boat away?” - -“Of course not. But I’m afraid the weather yesterday made your trip in -her rather unpleasant.” - -“Not a bit of it. The fact is I--I came to ask you a favour. I wonder -if you’d mind lending her to me for a day. As a matter of fact I want -to give some of the fellows of my regiment a bit of an outing, and I -should like to take ’em out in her.” - -He said all this with the air of one repeating a lesson and very much -afraid of forgetting it. “My dear lieutenant, you can have her and -welcome. Give me a couple of days’ notice, that’s all.” - -“Thanks. I’m afraid you’ll think it cool of me.” - -“Not cool of _you_ at all; but I think Major Sampayo himself might have -asked, instead of worrying you to do it.” - -He sat bolt upright and stared at me. “I say, how the deuce did you -know?” he cried, astonishment shaking all the pretence out of him. - -“Never mind that. You can have the _Stella_,” I answered, with a smile, -intending him to infer that I knew much more. - -“I know I’m a clumsy sort of ass. I suppose I gave it away. Dashed if -you don’t beat me;” and he shook his head in perplexity as he first -tried to relight his cigarette and then threw it away and started a -fresh one. - -“Did Major Sampayo tell you why he thought I was leaving in such a -hurry?” - -“Here, hold on. I’m getting a bit afraid of you.” - -“I am the last man in Lisbon you need be afraid of, lieutenant. I have -the greatest desire for your friendship and--if you would like to give -it--your confidence.” - -I spoke earnestly and he glanced at me with a hunted, harassed look in -his eyes, and then reached for the brandy again. I put it out of his -reach. “I never was more serious in my life,” I added. “If I can ever -help you, you have only to ask.” - -He got up. He was pale and shaking. “I think I’ll go,” he said. - -“Very well. But don’t forget what I’ve said. I mean it, on my honour;” -and I held out my hand. - -Instead of taking it he looked intently into my eyes and then, to my -surprise, and pain, he seemed to crumple up suddenly. He threw himself -back into the chair, covered his face with his hands and burst into -tears. - -It is hateful to see a man cry, but the feeling I had for him was -rather pity than contempt. His tears told me so much. He was the merest -tool in Sampayo’s hands, and his weak nature was as clay for the -stronger man’s moulding. Miralda’s words flashed across my mind--that -behind her betrothal to Sampayo was a “story of shame and crime.” Here -was the key to it, I was convinced. - -The shock of learning that I knew Sampayo was in the background, his -fear of what I knew, followed by my earnest offer of friendship, -confidence and help, coming at a moment when he was shaken by a night -of dissipation, had unmanned him. - -With an excuse that I had to speak to Bryant, I left him alone for -a few minutes, and when I returned he was staring out of the window -smoking. - -“You’ll think me an awful fool and baby, Mr. Donnington,” he said -nervously and shamefacedly. - -“No. Any man might break down under the load you are carrying.” - -“May I come and see you again? I’m all shaken up now.” - -“You can do better than that. Tell me now.” - -“How you read a fellow’s thoughts.” - -“Sit down and tell me frankly what hold Major Sampayo has on you.” - -“I--I can’t tell you.” - -“Is it money?” - -“I--I can’t tell you,” he repeated, in the same hesitating way. - -“I shan’t preach. I only wish to help.” - -“I--I can’t tell you. I--I daren’t. I wish to heaven I dared.” - -“You mean because of--your sister and all the others involved?” - -With a quick start he asked, “Is it on her account you ask?” - -“It is on your account, I ask.” - -He wavered, but with a shrug of his thin shoulders he turned back -to stare out of the window again. After a pause he said somewhat -irritably. “I’m not in the confessional box, Mr. Donnington. You’ve no -right to question me. And after all, you can’t help me.” - -“If you think that, there’s an end of the thing, lieutenant.” - -“Now I’ve put your back up, I suppose?” and he laughed feebly. - -“Not in the least, I assure you. I know that you are in a devil of a -mess----” - -“How do you know it? Has Miralda----” he broke in. - -“Don’t mention your sister’s name, please,” I interposed in my turn, -speaking sharply. - -“Sampayo says you hate him on her account. And he hates you. There’s no -mistake about that.” - -“Yet he sent you to borrow my yacht.” - -“That’s for another thing altogether--there I go. If I stop here you’ll -have everything out of me.” - -“If you mean in regard to this wretched conspiracy, I probably know -much more than you could tell me.” - -His jaw fell in his surprise. “You know and yet lend the _Stella_? Why, -are you----” He paused and stared at me in gaping bewilderment. - -There could be only one reason for this. The _Stella_ was to be used -for some purpose connected with the revolutionaries and he had jumped -to the conclusion that I was in league with them. Before I could reply -he saw his mistake. “What a mess I’m making of things,” he muttered -to himself; and then to me weakly--“Don’t question me any more, -Donnington.” - -“Very well. But I was not asking you about that at all, merely your -personal affairs.” - -He stood glancing at me nervously and irresolutely. “I say, you won’t -give me away, will you?” - -“You have my word on that.” - -“Not even to Miralda, I mean? I told her I wanted to talk to you, but -she wouldn’t hear of it.” - -“When was that?” - -“A couple of days ago.” That was before our talk on the _Stella_ when -she had been intent upon keeping me at a distance. - -“Why did you ask her?” - -“There you go again. You said you wouldn’t question me. I wish you -wouldn’t,” he said peevishly, and then added with utter inconsequence; -“she used to be always speaking of you when she came back from Paris. -You were Miralda’s Englishman, you know. And when you turned up -here----” - -“I’d rather you didn’t tell me.” - -“You are an odd mixture. One minute you want to know everything and -the next you shut me up. She’s awfully white and it’s because it’s so -hard on her that I feel such a brute. I----” he pulled up suddenly and -seized his hat. “No, hang it, I can’t tell you now.” - -At that moment Bryant brought in a letter from Volheno asking me to go -to him at once, and when we were alone again Vasco held out his hand. -“May I come again? I--I _should_ like to tell you.” - -I told him to come any time, and having made me repeat my promise not -to give him away, he wrung my hand and went off. - -So Miralda was being sacrificed to save her brother from the -consequences of the “shame and crime” of which he had been guilty. That -was unmistakably plain now; as plain as that Sampayo was the brute who -was demanding the sacrifice as the price of his silence. - -In one way it was good news to me. I had feared that there might -prove to be some other obstacle far more difficult to overcome. But -the instant I sent Sampayo flying for life from the vengeance of the -Corsican, Prelot, this barrier would cease to have terrors for either -Miralda or her weak-kneed brother. It would be best, however, to learn -what this crime was before dealing with Sampayo. - -It must be serious, for Vasco was absolutely helpless; so much so that -Miralda had forbidden him to speak to me. But that must have been -before our explanation on the _Stella_. Would she still forbid him? - -Other points in the interview were by no means so clear as the evidence -of Sampayo’s power. Why had he been sent to me? Was it merely to -ascertain whether I had escaped the snare laid on the previous night? -If so why the request about the _Stella_? - -The two things appeared to be inconsistent, and yet there was a -possible explanation. Knowing Vasco to be a fool, Sampayo had had to -prompt him with a reason for the call, supposing I had escaped from the -toils. Vasco was prepared to find me gone. He had blurted that out; -and Sampayo had probably coached him with the request for the yacht to -conceal his own hope--that I was dead--and at the same time to give him -something to talk about if I were found at home. - -Could that request for the yacht be genuine? If so, for what purpose -was it wanted? I could not answer that riddle at present, but I might -be able to get the answer from Vasco. - -As I was leaving to go to Volheno, I remembered the ease with which -Barosa’s men had got into the flat, so I told Bryant to get a new lock -and a bolt and have them fitted that day. I had had enough of midnight -visitors. - -Volheno received me as courteously as ever, but I soon found that he -was profoundly perplexed about my conduct. - -“I expected you much earlier, Mr. Donnington.” - -“I am sorry. I didn’t get to bed till six o’clock and lay late.” - -“You’ll understand that I have been anxious to hear your news. You have -rendered me a most valuable service by giving me the information about -that Rua Catania house, and you will add immensely to my obligation if -you’ll tell me about this affair last night in the Rua Formosa.” - -“I have not rendered you any service at all, as a matter of fact. I was -coming to see you about your letter. It was a complete puzzle. I did -not write to you at all.” - -“I don’t understand.” - -“Neither do I altogether. But if you received a letter signed with my -name giving information, it was a forgery.” - -“Mr. Donnington! Are you serious?” - -“Never more sober in my life.” - -He rang his table bell. “Tell M. Dagara to come to me.” - -“He is out, sir.” - -“Tell him to come to me the instant he returns. I had no doubt that the -signature was yours. I couldn’t doubt it.” - -“Well, you must doubt it now. I declare to you positively that I did -not write the letter which put you on the track of that Rua Catania -business.” - -“I am bound to say I thought it strange that, having been only a few -hours in the city, you should have got secret information which my -people have been trying in vain to get for weeks.” - -I let this go without a reply, but he guessed my reason for silence. - -“Had you any such information in your possession?” he asked, shooting a -quick questioning glance at me. - -“I think I would rather not answer that question.” - -“That means that you had, of course, and makes the matter all the -stranger.” - -“Well, I’ll admit I knew something,” I said on second thoughts, -reflecting that I should have to explain the previous night’s affair. -“These are the facts. You remember warning me not to be in the streets -at night. I disregarded the warning and on the second night I got into -the middle of a fight between the mob and the police, and had to run -for it. By chance I found shelter in that house in the Rua Catania and -afterwards learnt the character of the place.” - -“You saw some of these villains there, of course?” - -“Yes, and had a bit of trouble, but I got out all right.” - -“Do you know the men?” - -“Yes,” I said, after considering. “But the position is this. I only -got away by passing my word of honour not to speak of anything or any -person I had seen there.” - -“Of course such a pledge given under those circumstances is not to be -considered binding. Do you know the names of any of them or----” - -I shook my head. “I must keep the word I gave, M. Volheno.” - -“Would you keep your word to a murderer who spared your life on -condition that you kept secret a murder you had seen him commit?” - -“That case has not arisen and I would prefer not to discuss questions -of casuistry.” - -“But these men are assassins and worse. They are enemies of the State -ripe for any evil work. I must press you to tell me all you know.” - -“My lips are sealed. And to that fact I owe my escape from worse -trouble last night.” - -“Well, tell me that then,” he said, with a deep frown of vexation. - -“The letter you received in my name was really intended to fix on me a -charge of having broken my pledge;” and I went on to give him a short -and carefully worded account of what had passed, laying particular -stress upon my treatment by the police. - -He put the last point aside with a short promise that the matter should -be sifted, and then questioned me at great length and with all the -pressure he could exert to get me to give the names of the men I had -seen, or a description of them. - -I resisted all his pressure and then he tried argument. He explained -the position of the Government, and their difficulties; the urgent -necessity that they should know who were their friends and who their -enemies, declaring that my information might be of positively vital -importance. - -In reply I uttered one or two home truths, telling him that in my -opinion they were trying their hands at repression in a very amateurish -fashion; employing enough force to render many classes of the people -dissatisfied and violent, but not enough to keep them in subjection. - -We were hammering away at this when Dagara entered. - -“You asked for me, sir?” - -“Oh, yes. Bring me the file of personal letters--A to F. That brings -us back from the general question to your part in particular, Mr. -Donnington,” he said, when the secretary had gone out again. - -“You must not press me any more. I cannot do what you ask.” - -But he did press me very strongly indeed, and then Dagara returned with -the file of letters. - -“I want that which Mr. Donnington wrote about the Rua Catania affair. -Just find it.” - -I was not a little curious to see whether the copy I had made had been -returned. - -“I think I left it in my desk,” said Dagara. - -“Oh, how many times have I told you to file these at once.” - -“I did file it, sir, but if you remember you asked for it when you were -dictating the reply to Mr. Donnington.” - -“Manoel, Manoel, is that any excuse for not refiling it at once?” -exclaimed Volheno, and proceeded to lecture the man for his -carelessness. - -It was well for me that both of them were thus engaged, and I rose and -strolled to the window and looked out. - -“Manoel,” was his first name, then, “Manoel Dagara”; and in a flash the -identity of the “M. D.” of the cipher message was plain. - -This sleek, secretive, smooth-tongued secretary who had parried my -questions with the unctuous plea that his employer enjoined such close -silence in regard to his affairs, was in league with Barosa! On such -terms indeed that he even purloined private letters and carried them to -his other masters. - -Here in the very eye of the web of Government was a traitor. - -Volheno might well say they did not know who were friends and who -enemies. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - -MIRALDA’S CONFIDENCE - - -As the door closed behind Dagara I returned to my seat. M. Volheno was -obviously annoyed by the incident, but I observed that it was rather -the fact of the secretary’s negligence than the consequences of it -which had ruffled his temper. - -“You would scarcely believe, judging by this, the trouble I have -taken to train that young man. Since his marriage there has been some -difference in him; but he is usually as dependable as a machine, and -does his work with precision, speed and silence.” - -“A man of the kind is, of course, essential for such confidential -affairs as yours,” I replied. - -“Of course I can trust him. He has my entire confidence and is a -perfect encyclopædia of details. As a matter of fact he is a distant -connexion of mine, an orphan, and I educated him.” - -“Such a man has reason to be grateful,” I said. - -“I believe he would give his life for me,” declared Volheno confidently. - -Dagara came back then, but without the letter, and I concluded that -Maral had failed to send him the copy I had made. While he was making -his explanation I observed him very carefully. - -He was genuinely troubled, as he might well be, indeed; but there was -so little in his look and manner suggestive of roguery or hypocrisy -that, despite what I knew, I set him down as an honest fellow who had -been forced against his will into this treachery. - -His explanation was that the letter was probably among his employer’s -papers and that he would make a search for it; and Volheno, trusting -him implicitly, accepted the story and sent him away with another word -or two of censure. - -Then he resumed his efforts to get me to disclose what I knew, but -adopted a different line. He referred to the concessions, and gave me -to understand that, whereas it would help me in regard to them if I -told him things, my refusal would as certainly prejudice my chances. - -I did not attach the value of a rotten orange to them, but I deemed it -judicious to make a fine display of rather indignant surprise. - -From that he went a step further--that although he himself had no doubt -that I had acquired the information innocently, it was highly probable -that those to whom he was bound to report the matter would not take the -same view; and he hinted that in such a case I might receive a request -to leave the country. - -That touched me on the raw, but I instantly professed a readiness to -leave. I would go that very day if he wished, but in such a case, of -course, the concessions would be dropped and there would be no plums -in the future for those who looked for them in return for help at the -present. - -And then he grew a little more subtle. - -“There is another point, Mr. Donnington. We shall necessarily take more -interest than heretofore in your movements.” - -“I am quite indifferent about that,” I replied. “You may quarter your -agents in my rooms and on my yacht, if you wish.” - -“I don’t mean any such thing as you imply. But you have certain friends -in Lisbon, and----” - -“On your introduction,” I reminded him. - -“There is, for instance, the Visconte de Linto.” - -“To whom I was presented by the Marquis de Pinsara.” - -“Some of his family were known to you previously. The whole of that -family occupy a somewhat peculiar position. You may have heard that the -visconte filled for some years a Court position with a good emolument -and no duties. M. Franco has put an end to that--as in so many other -cases--and this has produced both discontent and bitterness in some -quarters. Between such discontent and actual disaffection, the gap is -small; and we cannot help being impressed by a coincidence where we -find close friendly relations between some such family and a foreigner -who suddenly acquires such dangerous information as you yourself -possess.” - -“If you mean that my acquaintance is likely to prejudice them in any -way, it shall cease. But it is a mare’s nest--nothing more.” - -“The prejudice might be against you, Mr. Donnington. The position of -that family is--peculiar. The visconte is angry and embittered by the -loss of his salary. His wife is indiscreet and has often spoken against -the Government in very strong terms. The son is a lieutenant in the -one regiment in Lisbon some of whose officers are not wholly free from -a suspicion of disaffection. And the daughter, a very charming young -lady, is engaged to marry another officer of the same regiment and, -further, has one or two friends--one especially--who is something of an -enigma. Then you arrive, and--well, you can draw the inference.” - -I smiled. “The inference I draw, M. Volheno, is not from surmise but -from a knowledge of facts.” - -“Now don’t you think you would be well advised to let me have in -confidence the information you have gained?” - -“I have already explained--I am bound by my word.” - -“Then we can do no good by further discussion,” he exclaimed abruptly, -and rose to end the interview. - -I hesitated a moment whether to tell him that I had really come to -Lisbon on Miralda’s account, but thought it better to hold my tongue. -It would have shown him the strength of his threat to pack me out of -the country. - -The interview left me with the extremely unpleasant and disquieting -feeling that I was getting out of my depth in troubled waters which -might easily be lashed into a storm. - -Why he had introduced the topic of the de Linto family, I could not -understand. Yet he must have had a reason, and I ought to know it. -Could I get it from Dagara? He had Volheno’s confidence, and if Barosa -and his associates could force him to give them information, I might -be able to squeeze him also under a threat of exposure. The plan was -infinitely distasteful; but if Miralda’s safety was at stake, I was -ready to adopt almost any means to protect her. - -She was in some danger, clearly. She had told me herself that, although -she was no rebel, she was compromised. And as Volheno suspected her, it -might be only a short time before discovery would follow and suspicion -materialize into an actual charge. - -Considerably alarmed at this prospect I decided to come to close grips -with Sampayo at once. He might not be the only obstacle between Miralda -and me, but the situation would certainly be much clearer the instant -he was out of the way. - -I went off in search of him that afternoon, therefore, but learnt that -he was in Oporto and would not return until the following day. On my -way back I met the Visconte de Linto close to his house and he urged -me to go in with them. He was eager to know something more about the -concessions and his own prospects in regard to them. - -This proved to be a preface to a long account of his grievances against -the Dictator. I was a very patient, sympathetic listener; and my -patience was rewarded, for I succeeded in steering the talk round to -the subject of Sampayo, about whom I wished to know the visconte’s real -opinion. I appealed to his cupidity, therefore. - -“I should very much value your advice on a point concerning Major -Sampayo,” I said in a confidence-inviting tone. “I am told that his -influence with the Government is so great that his help alone would be -enough to secure me all I want. Of course you’ll see my difficulty. I -should be delighted to have my friends sharing in the good things; but -those behind me naturally expect me to limit the number. Now, if he can -do everything, of course he is just the man for their purpose.” - -His face fell. “He couldn’t do that, Mr. Donnington. Of course, he is a -_wealthy_ man and all that, but----” and he shook his head. - -“Scarcely wealthy--in our sense of the word, visconte,” I replied -airily. “Not wealthy compared with men who are prepared to put fifty or -a hundred thousand pounds into a single scheme.” - -“Will your friends go that extent?” - -“If the concessions are such as I desire, I should be ready to do much -more than that myself.” I spoke intentionally as if such a sum were a -mere bagatelle. - -“You must be a very wealthy man, then, Mr. Donnington,” he exclaimed. - -I smiled blandly and shrugged my shoulders, and then became very -earnest. “I could of course finance the whole thing myself; and if I -could find some one here in Lisbon to co-operate with me honourably and -straightforwardly--he must of course be a man of the highest honour--I -might do so; and should of course leave all the negotiations here -to him. Well, the question is then whether Major Sampayo is such a -man. I place great reliance upon your opinion, as he is to marry your -daughter.” - -His perplexity at this was almost comical. He saw that his own chance -of plunder was in danger, and did not know how to save it without -running down the man who was to marry Miralda. - -“You place me in a great difficulty, sir,” he said nervously. - -“Let me tell you something in confidence, then. I do not like Major -Sampayo. Of course in business matters we do not allow such personal -considerations to determine our actions, although they may influence -us. I would much rather work with such a man as yourself for instance. -But as his name is known to those behind me, of course any decision I -may make and my reason for it might reach him.” - -His alarm at this was obvious. “I--I am afraid I cannot say anything.” - -“Of course as your son-in-law, his success would benefit you. An -indirect benefit, perhaps, but still a benefit.” - -“Our conversation has taken a very unexpected turn, Mr. Donnington. I -was under the impression you desired my influence in any event.” - -“It may be a question between yours or his,” I said, pressing him -further into the corner. “That is why I have spoken as I have.” - -“I--I really cannot say anything. You must decide for yourself. I -should be delighted to be associated with you, but--but----” he shook -his head and paused. - -“But you are afraid of Sampayo?” I finished for him. - -“Mr. Donnington!” he exclaimed with no little indignation. - -“Don’t take offence, please, at least until you have heard me out. Will -you give me your word of honour not to speak of what I wish to tell -you?” - -“Yes, certainly.” - -“In coming to Lisbon I had another object besides these concessions. I -met your daughter in Paris, and my disappointment was intense when I -found that she was betrothed to Major Sampayo. I had hoped that in all -my affairs I should have enjoyed the advantage of your help--as that of -a relative by marriage.” - -He tossed up his hands and stared at me in speechless surprise. - -“Since I have been here--you must pardon my speaking very freely--it -has come to my knowledge that Sampayo has forced himself upon you by -reason of his knowledge of certain matters.” - -“My dear Mr. Donnington----” He could get no further, and jumped up -from his chair and began to pace the room in extreme agitation. - -“My reason for speaking in this way is to ask you one very vital -question. If Major Sampayo were to relinquish his claims to your -daughter’s hand, would you be willing to honour me by allowing me to -plead my own cause with her?” - -“I should be only too----” he cried impulsively but checked himself in -the middle of the sentence, and shook his head again. “It is out of the -question; out of the question.” - -“I am answered, on the one point. Now, will you go a step further and -tell me why you deem it out of the question?” - -“I really cannot discuss the matter. I really cannot,” he said -nervously. “You must excuse me.” - -“I cannot press you, of course. But will you think it over and let me -see you again?” - -“I am afraid I must say it would be quite useless, Mr. Donnington.” - -“Well, the position may have changed when we next meet,” I said as I -rose. “And now, will you let me give you a hint on another matter. M. -Volheno is my friend, as you know, and when I was with him to-day I -learnt that your attitude toward the Government is a subject of close -and watchful interest. You and all in this house will be well advised -to be on your guard;” and without giving him time for the alarm in his -eyes to crystallize into questions, I left him. - -As I crossed the hall his wife met me. She greeted me very warmly and -taking me to the saloon asked me to wait a moment for her. - -Before she returned, however, Miralda and Inez came in. Both were -surprised to find me there, and judging by their manner, their surprise -was not so great as their displeasure. - -“You are still in Lisbon, Mr. Donnington?” said Inez coldly. - -“Obviously. Does that surprise you?” - -“More than I can express. Doesn’t it, Miralda?” - -“I don’t know,” murmured Miralda who was very much disturbed. - -“I have no intention of leaving, madame,” I said to Inez. - -“No doubt your correspondence detains you?” - -“My correspondence?” I repeated. - -“And your close association with M. Volheno and the Government.” - -“Inez!” exclaimed Miralda, under her breath. - -I understood then. They had heard part of the Rua Catania business, but -not the sequel; and Inez had been using it to poison Miralda against -me. I was not unwilling to see the result. “It is well known that M. -Volheno is friendly toward me.” - -“There has been an exchange of letters between you, I believe.” - -“Well, scarcely. He wrote to me and I have written to him.” Miralda -started uneasily, looked across quickly, and then dropped her eyes. - -“I have seen your letter to him and have been speaking to Miralda about -it.” - -“You will permit me to doubt that you have seen the letter I wrote?” - -“I have a copy of it;” and she handed it to me. “You do not deny that -that is what you wrote.” - -I glanced over it. It was in her own handwriting. “Word for word, as -nearly as I can recollect,” I said. - -Inez smiled derisively in triumph. “That is how an Englishman keeps his -word,” she sneered. - -“I have kept my word just as an Englishman would, madame.” - -But Miralda was both perplexed and troubled. “Do you really mean you -wrote such a letter, Mr. Donnington?” she asked. - -“It is a fact that I wrote a letter addressed to M. Volheno and couched -in those identical terms. Under the circumstances it was the best -course for me to adopt.” - -Miralda caught her breath and winced as if I had struck her. - -“Circumstances,” echoed Inez, with a fine scorn. - -“But you had pledged your honour not to reveal a word of this,” said -Miralda, hesitatingly. “You cannot mean that you broke it deliberately -in this way?” - -“That is perfectly plain,” declared Inez. “It is only what I told you.” - -But Miralda shook her head and laid her hand on Inez’ arm, as she -appealed to me. “Mr. Donnington?” - -“You know enough of us English, mademoiselle, to judge whether, having -given my word, I should break it.” - -“There is no doubt,” said Inez, with a contemptuous toss of the head. - -“You at least have condemned me. And you, mademoiselle?” - -“If you admit you broke your word, I should be forced to believe you; -but----” and she threw up her hands with a frown of perplexity. - -“But I have not admitted it,” I said. - -“How can you say that in the face of this letter?” cried Inez, her -fingers shaking with anger as she held it out. - -“Wait, Inez. You can explain this, Mr. Donnington?” - -“I cannot explain anything----” - -“There, what did I say?” interposed Inez, with contemptuous scorn. - -“To those who have already condemned me without explanation.” - -Miralda looked at me steadily. “I have not condemned you,” she said -slowly. - -“Then I tell you at once that the letter I wrote was written with the -full sanction of a man whose approval even the Contesse Inglesia will -regard as important--Dr. Barosa.” - -“Dr. Barosa!” they exclaimed together, but in very different accents. -Miralda’s betokened surprise, Inez’ scorn and disbelief. - -“It was written last night in his presence, long after the raid on the -Rua Catania house and when he had thoroughly satisfied himself and -others that I had not broken my word.” - -“I find that very difficult of belief,” cried Inez. - -“Inez! How dare you?” cried Miralda impetuously, and then winced and -flushed slightly in some confusion, as her friend turned sharply upon -her with a meaning glance. - -“Mr. Donnington is to be congratulated upon having so zealous a -champion,” she said coldly. - -But it was I, not she, who profited by this shaft. Miralda’s face -set and her eyes shone as she held out her hand to me. “I owe you an -apology, Mr. Donnington, for having stooped to listen to this slander. -You have my word for it that I will not do it again.” - -As I took her hand, Inez coughed suggestively. - -Miralda understood and turned quickly from me. “There is a limit to -what I will endure even from you, Inez. You have reached it now;” and -Inez, being a person of discretion, held her tongue. - -I left them, asking Miralda to make my excuses to her mother, and -returned to my rooms in a glow of pleasure at the proof of Miralda’s -confidence in me, and her zeal in risking even a breach with Inez on my -account. - -At my rooms I found a letter marked “Urgent and confidential.” - -I guessed of course that it had some concern with the concessions, and -after puzzling over the unknown handwriting, as one will at times, I -opened it without much interest. - -But I read it with the closest concern. It was from Vasco, and it gave -me the very facts I was so eager to learn. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - -ALONE WITH SAMPAYO - - -Vasco’s letter was very long, and so rambling and inconsequent in -parts as to be almost incoherent. It was obviously written under the -impulse of intense feeling, despair indeed; and was in response to my -solicitation of confidence and offer of help. - - “I don’t believe you can help me even if you would, and I don’t - suppose you’ll care to try when you know the mess I am in. But you - said you would, and a drowning man catches at straws. I am at the - end of things; utterly broken up and ruined; and bar writing to you - I have only two alternatives--to shoot myself or get more hopelessly - into the power of the man who has done a lot to drag me down. That’s - the mood in which I write to you, and the reason I write. If you - won’t or can’t help me, say so at once.” - -That was the preface to his ugly story. - -Put in a few words he was hopelessly in Sampayo’s power. He was a -gambler and a hard drinker, and Sampayo had used both these weaknesses -to ruin him. And ruin him he certainly had, using a craft and cunning -worthy of the man. - -Having got Vasco hopelessly in debt to him and others, Sampayo had -succeeded in having him placed in a position where he had charge of a -considerable sum of money subscribed by the officers of the regiment. -He had then dunned him for payment and set others to do the same, and -Vasco had been weak enough to use this money. Sampayo was of course -on the watch, and had discovered the theft within a few hours of its -commission. - -To frighten such a weakling was easy work; and Sampayo had at once -engineered matters so that the money had to be instantly forthcoming. -Scared out of his wits, Vasco had admitted his act, and the scoundrel, -in the guise of friendship, had offered to find the sum on condition -that Vasco gave him a written confession. - -Glad to escape on any terms, Vasco had only too readily agreed, and -exposure had thus been averted. This was some six months previously. -For two of them Sampayo showed nothing but friendship. Then the -persecution started. Vasco was drawn into the revolutionary net and -forced to commit himself. The next step was that Miralda should be -involved. To save Vasco she had yielded; and after another interval the -demand that she should consent to marry Sampayo had followed. - -She had resisted this strenuously--she had been home from Paris only -about a month at the time; but the utmost pressure had been brought to -bear upon her, not only by the visconte and Vasco, but by Barosa and -the leaders of the revolutionary party. - -For two months she had held out, and had yielded only a month before my -arrival. - -How this part of the letter stirred me will be readily understood. -After my talk with Miralda on the _Stella_, it was not mere coxcombry -on my part to believe that, had I come only a month earlier, I should -have found her ready to receive me on the same footing as in those -weeks in Paris. - -I could understand now the reason for Inez’ warning, Barosa’s -references, Sampayo’s instant jealousy, and that regret of the -viscontesse that I had not come sooner. They had known the reason for -Miralda’s stubborn resistance, and had feared that my arrival would -lead to her rebellion. - -Vasco’s immediate request was that I would lend him some money--about -five hundred pounds--but he freely admitted that even if I consented, -the money would not free him from Sampayo. - -I sent him a note at once that I would do what he wanted and would have -the money ready for him if he would come to me the following evening. - -But I made it a condition that he should go on board the _Stella_ at -once and remain there until the time for our interview. I did not mean -to give Sampayo a chance of frightening him into admitting he had -told me. I told Bryant to put the letter into Vasco’s own hands and -to go with him to the yacht, and I wrote a line to my skipper with -instructions. - -It proved to be a prudent precaution. Sampayo returned about midday and -as I found out afterwards went everywhere in search of Vasco, before -going to his own quarters, where I was waiting. - -He had learnt meanwhile that his attempt against me had failed, but he -was genuinely surprised to see me when he entered. - -“This is an unexpected pleasure, Mr. Donnington,” he said. - -“I am sure of the unexpectedness,” I replied drily, taking no notice of -the offer of his hand. - -He drew himself up stiffly. “Am I to understand that your refusal of my -hand is intentional?” - -“Am I to understand on my side that you made the offer of it from any -feeling of friendship?” - -“That is a very extraordinary question.” - -“It is not altogether an ordinary visit, Major Sampayo. It has more to -do with business of a sort than friendship. I am right in thinking you -do not feel very well disposed to me.” - -“Oh, really I have no time just now for talk of that kind. I have been -away from the city and have a great press of matters to attend to. Be -good enough to state your business briefly.” - -He said this in a very curt sharp tone and he crossed to a writing -desk, unlocked it and began to turn over some papers. - -I made no reply, but leant back in my chair and lighted a cigar. My -silence worried him. He kept up a pretence of being very busy, opening -a letter or two and making some notes as if ignoring my presence. - -Then under the pretence of fetching a book, he rose and assumed -surprise to find me still in the room. “Oh, are you still here?” - -“Yes, still here, as you see--waiting.” - -“Your conduct is very extraordinary. You are trying my courtesy to the -utmost limit.” - -“On the contrary, I am only waiting until you have time and inclination -to give me undivided attention. By all means finish these pressing -matters first.” - -“Well, then, state your business at once.” - -“It may take some time,” I said with an apologetic smile. I could not -resist the pleasure of playing with him a little, as a punishment for -his conduct. - -“If it has anything to do with the concessions you are after, you may -spare me and yourself the waste of time in discussing them. I have -decided to have nothing to do with the matter.” - -“Don’t you think I could persuade you to change your mind?” - -“Certainly not. The Marquis de Pinsara spoke to me to endeavour to -obtain my influence for you, but I declined. I will not be mixed up in -an affair which I do not consider quite clean.” - -“I assure you there is nothing in it which would soil your hands, Major -Sampayo,” I said, with just sufficient emphasis on the “your” to rouse -him. - -“I consider that remark extremely offensive, sir,” he replied hotly. -“And you will be good enough to understand that I do not allow any -man, Englishman or not, to make offensive remarks to me. I do not -suppose you have come to insult me deliberately.” - -His manner was very hectoring; and as it is sometimes amusing to allow -a bully to believe he can bully you, I allowed him to enjoy this belief -for a while. - -With a start of affected nervousness I exclaimed quickly, “Oh, I’m -sure--I trust----” as if beginning an apology, and then stopped and -lowered my eyes. - -“Then be good enough to be more guarded in what you say and how you say -it.” - -I hesitated as if much impressed and rather cowed by this and at a loss -what to say. “These concessions, of course....” I stammered when he -broke in. - -“You have my answer in regard to them. It is final. And now I must ask -you to leave me.” - -I put in a little comedy stroke, by tossing up my hands, glancing -half-appealingly at him, and giving a little sigh of regret. - -“You can do no good by remaining, Mr. Donnington. You asked me just now -whether I had offered you my hand in any spirit of friendliness. I will -tell you now, I did not. I have no wish for your friendship or your -acquaintance.” - -“But you expressed a desire that we should meet again and I--I made -quite sure----” I broke off again and let the sentence falter out in an -indistinct murmur. - -“You know my decision now at any rate. You understand our language -quite well enough for my meaning to be perfectly plain.” - -I was rather surprised at his attitude. He appeared to have quite -reassured himself that we had not met before and that he had nothing to -fear from me. And yet he had set that trap to get me into trouble. I -could only conclude therefore that my present apparent fear of him led -him to think he could safely intimidate me. So I dug the spur in. - -“You said you would welcome a chance of exchanging our mutual -experiences in South Africa.” - -But he did not feel the spur. “I have told you I do not desire your -acquaintance at all,” he said warmly, adding with a sneer: “Are you -Englishmen accustomed to force yourselves upon one in the way you are -doing now?” - -I let even this go in silence, and he crossed and threw the door open. -“Now, sir,” he said, in barrack-yard style. - -I rose then. “I think you had better not insist on my going at present.” - -“I don’t care what you think. Go. That’s all I mean.” - -“You are deeply involved in a certain conspiracy, Major Sampayo. I have -absolute knowledge that concerns you closely.” - -“Oh, this is blackmail, eh?” he cried. “You want to force me to -help you by threatening me. Well, I refuse point-blank. Give what -information you like. You are a spy.” - -I gave him a steady look and answered very deliberately. “You mistake -me. I did not give the information which led to that raid in the Rua -Catania, but--I know who did.” - -I got right home with that thrust, and as he glared at me, that old -perplexed, speculative fear of me came creeping back into his eyes. He -tried to fight it back by encouraging his rage. “Are you going to force -me to kick you out, you spy?” he cried fiercely. - -“A spy is an object of contempt, quite kickable, of course; but Dr. -Barosa would probably regard a traitor as infinitely more despicable.” - -“I don’t know what you mean,” he said, even more angrily, but also with -more fear. - -I paused. “You forged the letter in my name. I have the proofs here;” -and I took out the letter and held it up. - -He burst into a loud scoffing laugh, the effort of which was obvious. -“You must have lost your senses.” Even his voice was beginning to grow -unsteady. - -Having frightened him to this extent, I took a chance. It was -certain of course that he must have carefully practised the copying -of my handwriting before he forged the letter, so I glanced round -significantly at his desk and said: “You are forgetting that you have -not been in this room for more than thirty hours.” - -It was an excellent bluff. He was scared right through. He changed -colour, and the quick look which he shot involuntarily at the desk was -instinct with fear. It was several seconds before he could recover -himself sufficiently even to bluster. - -“I’ll have no more of this,” he said with an oath and came toward me -threateningly. - -I knew him to be a wretched coward and was not in the least doubt that -if he laid hands on me I could more than hold my own; so I let him -come, my eyes fixed very steadily upon his. About two paces from me he -stopped. - -“Are you going?” he asked. - -I made no answer and no movement. - -“I’m in no mood to be trifled with.” - -I let this go also without reply. I kept my eyes steadily on his face, -and saw the struggle between his rage and his fear, and at one moment -his rage all but won. His face set viciously and he tried to conceal -his intention under an assumption of contempt. - -“You are too contemptible to touch,” he said, as he moved back and then -turned to his desk. - -For a moment he misled me. I thought he meant no more by the insult -than a cover for his cowardice. But I soon changed my opinion. His back -was toward me, and I saw that while pretending to turn over his papers, -his left hand went stealthily to a drawer. I guessed his intention. - -The purpose in his mind when he had meditated that attack had not been -to put me out of the room, but to secure the proofs of his treachery -which I said were in my possession. He was looking now for a weapon -with which to force them from me. - -To test him, as well as to interrupt his search, I made a feint of -leaving. - -“I will go now,” I said and stepped toward the door. - -“No, by Heaven, not until this thing is cleared,” he cried, and rushing -to the door he locked it, pocketed the key, and hurried back to the -desk. - -Knowing the man, I had of course taken the precaution of having my -own weapon with me, and was about to take it out when another thought -struck me. - -Instead of the revolver, I took out a letter from the Corsican, Prelot, -which had been forwarded to me that morning. - -“What is there to be cleared up?” I asked, in the same steady, stern -tone I had used before. - -He found his revolver then and holding it behind him turned round. “You -have made a lying charge against me. You say you have the proofs. Give -me them.” - -“I refuse to do anything of the sort.” - -“I think you will,” he replied, with a cunning leer, and he covered me. - -“Do you dare to threaten me?” - -“Hand them over at once. Don’t fool me.” - -I hesitated a moment. - -“I give you five seconds,” he thundered. - -“I had certain information in this letter,” and I held up the -Corsican’s. - -“Give it to me.” - -I folded it up and threw it close to him. - -With a chuckle he stooped and picked it up, and as he began to read it -I took out my own weapon. - -The door was locked and he might be really dangerous when he learnt the -peril which menaced him. - - - - -CHAPTER XV - -IN THE FLUSH OF SUCCESS - - -My precaution proved to be unnecessary. - -As Sampayo read the first page of the letter his expression was merely -one of perplexity. Prelot had begun with a recital of the places he -had visited since writing to me before, and this told nothing of any -significance. - -Sampayo read it hurriedly and turning the page glanced down at the -signature. - -He started violently, and stared at the words for the space of a few -seconds like a man bewitched. The hectic flush of triumphant cunning -changed to a deathly grey. His hand shook so that the paper crackled; -then his teeth began to chatter; the trembling spread to his limbs, and -the whole of his big frame quivered and shook till he reeled under the -shock and had to cling to the table for support. - -His eyes all this time were fixed glassily on the signature of the -letter; his breath was laboured and stertorous as he gasped for air; -and he made frantic efforts to fight against the palsy of terror. He -failed. And at length the revolver dropped from his nerveless hand, -the letter fluttered to the floor, and with a groan he collapsed into -the chair near him helpless, inert, and unconscious, his bullocky head -lolling over the back with gaping mouth and staring but unseeing eyes. - -I laid him down on the floor, and pocketed his revolver lest, when he -recovered, he might have a fancy to put a bullet in me. Then I helped -myself to the key, and having unlocked the door, put the key in my own -pocket. - -Next I picked up Prelot’s letter and was beginning to hunt round for -some brandy when it occurred to me to look in his desk to make sure -that he had no other weapons and also to see if there was any evidence -that he had been practising my handwriting. A hasty search gave me just -what I wanted. Hidden away in a small drawer I found some sheets of -paper on one of which was the draft of the letter he had written in his -own handwriting; while among the others were his first attempts at the -forgery and with them a letter of mine written to Volheno announcing my -arrival in Lisbon. - -I concluded that Sampayo had been disturbed at his work and had put the -papers away hurriedly and forgotten them. - -Lastly I turned my attention to restoring him. I found a decanter of -brandy and gave him some. The spirit soon began to take effect, and -then I lit another cigar and sat down to wait until he should be ready -to resume operations. - -When at length he sat up he passed his hand across his eyes in dazed -bewilderment, as a man will when awakened suddenly from an ugly dream. -Then with a start he began to stare about the floor as if looking for -the letter, and not seeing it he gave a deep sigh of intense relief, -apparently convinced that the thing was no more than a nightmare horror. - -“If you’re looking for that letter, I have it,” I said quietly. - -With a shuddering start at my voice--I was behind him and he had not -seen me--he swung round and stared at me, and began to shake again as -his terror returned. - -“Here, you’d better have some more of this;” and I poured him out a -wine-glassful of brandy and gave it him. - -He made one gulp of it and sat leaning forward, trying to think. -Presently he scrambled to his feet and sank with a sigh into the chair, -leant his arms on the desk and buried his face in his hands. - -For some few minutes--five probably--he remained in this attitude of -utter dejection. Then he let his hands fall on the desk, turned his -head slightly so that he could see exactly where I was, and shifted his -position so that the action of his left hand should be hidden by his -body. - -He was reaching for his revolver of course. A start and a grunt of -dismay announced his disappointment. - -“If you feel steady enough to shoot, you’re fit to talk,” I said -sharply; “and we’ll get this thing over.” - -There was a long pause before he spoke. “What is it?” he murmured then, -slowly and sullenly. - -I gave him another shock then. Imitating Prelot’s voice as nearly as I -could recall it, I stamped my feet and called out, “Ah, Jean Dufoire, -at last!” - -The effect was electrical. He sprang up and turned round in a positive -agony of terror. - -I laughed. “I began to think you might have forgotten your name.” - -With a scowl of hate he flung a bitter curse at me. - -“Well, it’s roused you anyway, and now listen to me. You are either -going to do exactly what I tell you, or Lucien Prelot and Jean Dufoire -will be face to face before this time to-morrow. Now, which is it to -be?” - -“Who is Jean Dufoire?” he asked, after a long pause. - -“If that’s your line, I’m going.” - -He let me reach the door and felt in his pocket to make sure that he -had the key; but when I opened it he started. “Wait,” he said. - -“Which is it to be? Quick,” I said sharply. - -“Tell me what you want.” - -“Which is it to be?” I repeated. - -“I’ll do what you wish.” The words came slowly as if the utterance of -each one of them was a torture. - -I returned to my seat. “In the first place, you have a confession of -Lieutenant de Linto’s. Give it me.” - -With shaking fingers he unlocked a drawer of the desk and from a secret -recess in it took out a paper and held it out. - -I pushed a chair half-way between us. “Put it there.” He obeyed. “Now -write an admission that you incited this young fool to take the money -having won large amounts from him by cheating at cards.” - -“I didn’t.” - -“I haven’t forgotten Jean Dufoire’s reputation. Write what I say--and -sign it Jean Dufoire, now known as Major Francisco Sampayo.” - -He fought against this, but in the end yielded. - -“Now a confession that you wrote the letter in my name giving -information about the house in the Rua Catania.” - -Against this he fought more stubbornly than before, but I showed him -the papers I had taken from his desk, vowing I would take them straight -to Barosa, and then he gave in. The sweat was standing in great beads -on his forehead as he placed the papers on the chair. - -“Now a letter to the Visconte de Linto and one to Mademoiselle -Dominguez renouncing all claim to her hand.” - -“I will not,” he cried with an oath. “My hand shall rot first.” - -“It will do that soon after Lucien Prelot has found you.” - -“I will not,” he repeated, flinging down the pen. “I dare not.” - -I took the slip of paper and wrote, speaking the words as I pencilled -them. “‘Jean Dufoire is now known as Major Francisco Sampayo. You will -find him in Lisbon.’ That telegram I shall send within five minutes of -leaving here,” I said. - -With a groan he threw up his hands distractedly and rising began to -pace up and down. “I dare not. I dare not,” he exclaimed. - -I watched him very closely and observed that his movements, at first -erratic as if at the dictates of his overpowering agitation, had a -method suggestive of a purpose. Each turn he took brought him a little -nearer to me. So I stood up and while pocketing the papers he had -written, I held my weapon in readiness, questioning him the while. - -“What do you mean by dare not?” - -“You don’t understand.” - -“Then make it plain.” - -“No. There is a limit to my compliance. I dare not do this.” - -“What is it you are afraid of?” - -“I can’t tell you that. My lips are sealed.” - -“Oh come, you weren’t afraid to betray your associates when you thought -to get me into a mess. Why be afraid now, to get yourself out of one?” - -He was pacing in my direction now and I made a half turn from him as if -to glance at his desk. - -“I would do it if I could, Heaven knows. You’ve got me in a corner, -but----” And at that instant he sprang forward to grab me by the -throat. I was fully prepared, and instead of getting his hands on me he -threw them up and staggered back from my levelled revolver. - -“Don’t try that again,” I said between my teeth. “And now do what I -have told you--and do it at once.” - -He abandoned his intention to try force, and sat down again at the -desk, but he would not write the letters. - -“I dare not. I dare not. You must do what you will. I dare not,” he -repeated, over and over again in answer to my threats. - -This persistent refusal perplexed me. That he was in fear of his life -I knew, for I had convinced him I meant to set his enemy on his track. -But there was obviously something or some one of whom he was even more -afraid than of me. I could think of only one man--Barosa. But why of -him? And why only in regard to breaking his engagement to Miralda? - -“Why are you so determined to marry Mademoiselle Dominguez?” - -“I am not. I will take any oath you like not to marry her.” - -“Then it is only the written renouncement you shrink from?” - -“I dare not do it.” - -“Then write a letter to her asking her to release you and to keep the -whole thing secret.” - -“Why are you so set on this?” he asked. - -“Don’t question me,” I snapped angrily. - -He sat thinking in moody despair. He might well despair being between -the upper and nether millstones. Then at length he took up the pen and -began to write, but stopped and tore up the sheet. - -“You can tell her,” he said. - -I renewed my threats, promising secrecy, but he struggled hard and -at length I got up and went to the door, declaring I would at once -dispatch the telegram I had drafted. - -“Give me time,” he said then. “Let me have a week--three days--one -day----” he pleaded as I shook my head. And at last he gave in. - -“Now for my last condition,” I said as I took the letter. “You will -leave the city at once--to-day.” - -“Give me more time. I shall go of course after this, but I must have -some time--two days at least--to make arrangements.” - -“Not one hour after to-day. If you are still in the city to-morrow, -this message will go to Lucien Prelot.” - -And with that final shot I left him. - -There was only a very small fly in the amber of my satisfaction at the -result of the interview. I had secured all I wanted. I had caused the -rupture of the engagement to Miralda, had put an end to his hold over -her brother, had obtained the proofs of his treachery toward Barosa, -and had given him a notice to quit which he would not dare to disobey. - -The only point where I had failed had been in learning that strange -secret at the back of his fears which had made him refuse to write -the letter to the visconte. It was in some way connected with the -betrothal; but beyond that, I could not even hazard a guess. - -But I was in too high spirits at what I had gained to worry over the -minor failure. Indeed, the prospect of a secret understanding with -Miralda was so alluring that I was more than half disposed to be glad -that the thing had taken this particular course, and decided not to -lose a minute before telling her the news. - -I was hurrying off to her when I remembered my promise to have the -money for Vasco. I had to get it from the bank, and while I was there -it occurred to me to put the other papers I had forced from Sampayo in -safe custody. I sealed them up and left them in the bank’s custody, -with instructions that the packet was not to be given to any one--only -to myself in person. - -This precaution started another line of thought. Sampayo was at bay, -utterly desperate, fighting for all he cared for in life, and I must -reckon with that and be on my guard. - -What was he likely to do? He had attempted my life once, even while he -was only in doubt whether I could harm him. What would he do now that -he knew and was desperate? I decided not to run the risk of being -alone in my rooms until I knew that he was out of Lisbon. - -Instead of going straight to Miralda, therefore, I drove down to the -quay and sent off a message by a boatman to Burroughs, my second in -command on the _Stella_, to come to my rooms with a couple of the crew. - -Jack Burroughs was just the man for such a purpose--a ’Varsity man of -good birth but very small means, with the roving instinct strongly -developed, he had been half over the globe in search of adventure; and -having a love of the sea, had jumped at my suggestion that he should -come with me, partly as companion and partly to qualify himself to take -command of the _Stella_ later on. - -Having dispatched the message I drove back to the visconte’s house. I -was in luck, for Miralda was alone when the servant showed me into the -room. - -She was not surprised by my visit and received me with some little -restraint. Her eyes were troubled and her hand trembled as she placed -it in mine. - -“I am glad to find you alone.” - -“I was expecting you, Mr. Donnington, but I am afraid I am sorry you -have come.” - -“Expecting me? But no one except myself knew I was coming.” - -“You are the bearer of a letter, I think.” - -“Are you reading my thoughts? You amaze me.” - -She shook her head and smiled sadly. “It is unfortunately nothing -occult. But I will ask you not to give me the letter.” - -I drew a deep breath of surprise. “Do you know what is in it?” - -“No--but please do not question me. You are mixing in matters which -you cannot understand and I cannot explain. But do not give me the -letter--I--I could not read it.” - -“Will you not say why? This is so extraordinary.” - -“I know it must seem so to you. Oh, why do you not leave the city?” she -burst out impulsively. - -“But the news I bring is good news--at least I hope----” - -“Please, please,” she interposed, holding up her hand. - -“But if you don’t know the contents of the letter why mustn’t you read -it?” - -“Don’t question me. I cannot tell you. I would if I might--I am sure -you know that. But I cannot.” - -“Who told you I was coming?” - -She shook her head again, growing more and more distressed. “Don’t -offer it to me even. I must take it if you do but must not read it.” - -I sat thinking a moment. I was almost dumbfounded by this sudden check -at the moment when I had been so full of confidence. I had hoped that -the instant she saw the letter she would see that the barrier between -us was swept away for good. And now she would not even look at it. - -She dared not, just as Sampayo had not dared to write the letter to the -visconte. Was there any connexion between her fear and his? Was this -further evidence of that mysterious power in the background? - -“Very well,” I said at length; and at the words the expression of her -eyes changed. - -But there are more ways than one of gaining an end, and I was resolved -she should know the contents of the letter before I left; and once more -I pressed those Beira concessions into my service. I chatted at random -for a while and then spoke of them. - -“You’ll be glad to hear that I am getting along all right in that -matter,” I said in a casual tone. - -“I am glad if it will mean that you will be able to leave Lisbon,” she -replied, a little suspicious as to which concessions I meant. - -I said a lot about Beira and the colony until I had cleared the doubt -from her eyes. “I’ll tell you how the matter stands,” I said then, and -added quickly, not heeding her attempts to interrupt me: “There was a -man here who tried to forestall me by using secret means he possessed -to force others, and to-day I have seen him and he has given me a -letter definitely renouncing his claims and by to-morrow he will have -left Lisbon for good.” - -She understood, but instead of showing relief or pleasure, her eyes -clouded again with trouble, and she sat with drooped head biting her -lip and pressing her hands tightly together in agitation. - -“Have you no word of--of congratulation?” - -Her congratulation was a deep sigh, a gesture of despair, and a -scarcely audible whisper: “It is too late.” - -“No!” I exclaimed firmly. “I don’t and won’t believe that. And I hold -too strong a hand now for any one to beat me.” - -My firmness told. She looked up with the dawn of hope in her eyes, and -if I could read it, something beside hope, something far dearer to me. - -“My hand on it,” I said, stretching it out. - -She was about to place hers in it, when the servant announced Inez. On -watchdog duty again, of course. I gave her the letter and whispered -quickly: “Take this now. You know what is in it. I have other news for -you--I have rescued Vasco.” - - - - -CHAPTER XVI - -BAROSA’S SECRET - - -I stayed a few minutes after Inez’ arrival so that she should not think -she had scared me away, and I left the house more in love with Miralda -than ever and convinced that had she been free the interview would have -had a very different result. - -I saw Barosa’s sinister influence behind. Sampayo had evidently told -him at once what I had done; he had instantly sent instructions to -Miralda to take the letter but not to read it; and his power over her -was too great for her to dare to disobey. - -To break down his influence appeared impossible; it meant a fight -against the whole forces of this infernal conspiracy. And then a -somewhat wild, harum-scarum alternative occurred to me--to carry her -away from it all on the _Stella_. Vasco was out of danger, and so far -as she herself was in danger from the Government, she could smile at it -when we were once in old England. - -Vasco was already on the yacht. Could I use him to get her there? And -if I did, would she resent my trick or come to view it as the best, if -not the only way out? - -Burroughs was at my rooms when I arrived, and he was just the man to -help me in such a plan; but I would not broach it until I had had more -time to think it round. - -I was still undecided when Barosa arrived. I guessed his object but -greeted him pleasantly. He was, however, too engrossed by the reasons -which had brought him to make any sort of pretence, and the moment we -had shaken hands, he plunged into the subject. - -“I have come to see you about Major Sampayo, Mr. Donnington. I regret -to hear that you and he have quarrelled.” - -“Scarcely quarrelled, doctor. At least I should not use that term; and -pardon me if I say that it is a strictly personal matter.” - -“I cannot regard it so; that is why I have come. You have threatened -to use certain information you possess and have required him to leave -Lisbon at once.” - -“I should put it very differently, of course.” - -“We need not split hairs,” he replied bluntly. - -“I do not care to be addressed quite so curtly, Dr. Barosa. If you wish -to tell me anything or to make any sort of request, I am willing to -listen in a friendly spirit. But not otherwise.” - -“I have no wish to offend, but the matter is serious. I have explained -to you once before that we are under great obligations to Major -Sampayo, and any action directed against him is felt to be directed -equally against us.” - -“Of course I cannot take that view. I have nothing to do with your aims -or concerns or plans. My action is strictly individual. But perhaps you -will put in plain terms exactly what you wish.” - -“That your persecution of Major Sampayo shall cease.” - -“Persecution! There is no persecution. Are you aware that he even -attempted my life?” - -“Not for a moment, Mr. Donnington. You refer to the Rua Catania letter. -That has all been explained. He was not satisfied that you would keep -your pledge of secrecy and intended that merely as a test.” - -“Is it possible that he has persuaded you to believe that?” - -“Otherwise I should not say it, Mr. Donnington.” - -“Well, I don’t, and nothing would ever make me. He forged my name to -the letter and managed to let you know of it somehow in his belief that -you would deal with me as a liar and traitor. I know the man.” - -“So do I. And the fact that he warned us of the raid so that nothing -should be discovered satisfies me of his good faith.” - -“Very well, then, we must be content to differ about it.” - -“You will not forget that he had stronger cause for distrusting you -than we had. We believed that you had come here for very different -reasons from those openly given--reasons which touched him very closely -indeed.” - -“Did he think I came after him, do you mean?” I asked with a smile. - -“No, of course not,” he replied, nettled by my smile,--as, indeed, -I intended he should be. “He believed that you had come on a very -different person’s account.” - -Why did he fight shy of mentioning Miralda by name? And why was he -himself so interested in forcing Sampayo to marry her, when the man -himself had offered to take any oath I wished that he would not? “I -don’t care a rap what he believed,” I said, after a moment’s pause. - -“But we care, Mr. Donnington?” - -I paused and then asked sharply: “What is Miralda Dominguez to you, Dr. -Barosa?” - -The question took him by surprise, and the sudden light which gleamed -in his eyes answered my question. - -“She is nothing to me, personally, of course,” he protested. - -“You misunderstand my question. What is she to you and your friends?” -It was not prudent yet to show him that I believed I had guessed his -secret of secrets. - -“She is one of us, Mr. Donnington. She is in a position to render our -cause valuable help, as she has already done. It is more to the point -to ask what she is to you.” - -I had another shaft ready, but to prepare the way for the surprise -I paused, gave a shrug and a smile of indifference, and then said -quickly: “I hope to make her my wife.” - -Once more the sudden flame in his eyes confirmed my former diagnosis. - -“That will not be possible, Mr. Donnington.” - -“We shall see. I doubt if I am more easily turned from a course I have -once taken than you yourself. I’ll tell you how I view the thing, for -it is the pith and marrow of this business with Sampayo. I came here -for the express purpose of asking her to become my wife. I found her -promised to Major Sampayo. I set my wits to work and my money, and -ascertained that she had been driven to compromise herself in your -politics. By means of money I succeeded in learning how she had been -forced to join you. My whip-hand over Sampayo led him to admit that -he did not really wish to marry her--and I found that you were really -the background force which made him shrink from an open rupture with -her. He agreed to a secret one and gave me a letter to her. I took that -letter and she absolutely refused to open it. I saw, therefore, that -Sampayo had been to you and that you had ordered her not to read it. -Now I’ve spoken frankly and invite similar freedom from you. Why did -you do this?” - -“I cannot explain to you without entering into matters that are -secret--political matters, I mean, of course,” he replied, making the -addition quickly. - -“Very good. Then you come to me and tell me that I must not do as I -please with regard to Sampayo. You call it persecution. I apply that -term to Mademoiselle Dominguez’ treatment. Cease that, give her back -her freedom of action, and I’ve done with Sampayo. He can stop here or -go to the devil for all I care.” - -“I have told you it is not possible, Mr. Donnington,” he said firmly. - -“You mean that you, for motives personal to yourself, will not permit -it.” - -“You have no reason to draw any such inference.” - -“Well, I do draw it, and shall continue to believe it and act upon it -until I learn it is wrong.” - -“I tell you it is wrong, wholly wrong and preposterous.” - -I looked at him with a purposely aggravating smile and shook my head. -“As a matter of fact, I know,” I said. Pure bluff this, of course, but -useful. - -He paled with anger and his eyes flashed again. “You wish to insult -me,” he said between his teeth. - -“I should not regard it as an insult if you suggested that I admired -a very beautiful woman, but if I got as angry as you are, you would -conclude that you were right.” - -He sprang up. “Then you intend to disregard my warning and set us all -at defiance,” he cried, beside himself with rage. - -“Are you threatening me?” - -“Take it as you will, sir.” - -It was on the tip of my tongue to tell him that I knew he was the agent -of the Pretender and reply to his threat with one to denounce him to -Volheno. But I checked myself. “You understand I shan’t take it lying -down. I shall hit back. And now I think we are at the end of this stage -of the affair,” I said; and he left me. - -It was evidently a fight to be with the gloves off, and I might look -for trouble without any fear of being disappointed. But I should be on -my guard. - -I had gained more than a warning by the interview, however. I had -learnt the secret which had been in the background. Barosa was in love -with Miralda; and Sampayo was only the stalking-horse to keep other -men away until he could declare himself. I could not resist a smile at -his dilemma. He could not do anything at present without changing Inez -from friend to enemy and I saw how this interesting embarrassment could -be turned to excellent account with her. - -But the axis of things was shifted. It was not Sampayo who had so -tortuously woven the web which had entangled Miralda. It was Barosa -himself. And then came the question why Sampayo had been so pliant a -tool in his hands and so frightened of him. There was one probable -answer to that--that Barosa knew what I knew about that South African -villainy. - -Vasco arrived when I was turning over the problem. I told him that I -had obtained his confession from Sampayo and that the latter would -not trouble him any more; and he thanked me profusely, making earnest -protestations that he would never touch a card or a dicebox again as -long as he lived. Men generally make resolutions of that sort at such a -moment, of course. He told me how much he owed to his fellow-officers, -and I gave him the amount. - -Then I suggested that he should return to the _Stella_ until Sampayo -had left Lisbon. This was not my real reason. I really wished to have -him on board in case I should decide upon the drastic step of carrying -off Miralda and could use him to get her to go to the yacht. - -But he jumped away from the suggestion as if it were a red-hot iron. “I -am sorry I cannot, Mr. Donnington. I’ll do anything else, but to-morrow -I must go on duty.” - -“Why?” I asked with surprise at his exaggerated love of discipline. - -“Don’t ask me that. I cannot tell you. I cannot really.” - -“But you’ve told me a good deal.” - -“I’d tell you anything else. You’re the best friend a fellow could -have. But this is not my secret. Please don’t question me.” - -“Not your secret, eh? Then it’s some of this conspiracy business. It -strikes me you’re going to make a fool of yourself. You’d much better -have nothing to do with it.” - -“For heaven’s sake don’t say any more.” - -“Very well. By the way, you wanted to have my yacht for a day?” - -His tell-tale face was instantly so troubled that I took it he -connected the question with what I had said before. - -“I shan’t want it, thank you,” he said quickly; and added with -stammering hesitation: “You see, I’ve given up the idea of taking those -fellows out.” - -“All right. But all I was going to suggest was that you should come for -another outing with me and perhaps get your sister to join you.” - -“Oh, I’ll do that any time--but not to-morrow, or--or the next day. Any -other time. I know Miralda would go--at least--if----” and he stopped. - -“Well, we’ll fix a day soon,” I said, and let him go. - -Evidently something serious was to take place on the morrow. What could -it be? Was it something I ought to know for Miralda’s sake? Clearly the -sooner I could get her away the better. - -Later in the evening Burroughs told me a curious incident. We were -smoking, and he broke one of the pauses with a sudden laugh. “A rum -thing happened yesterday,” he said, in response to my glance of -surprise. - -“Well?” - -“Say, is the king of this benighted country in the habit of playing the -Haroun Al Raschid game?” - -“I don’t know, Jack.” - -“Well, it looks like it. I was on the Quay yesterday and some of the -loafers began looking at me and nudging one another and chattering--you -know what beggars they are for that--and the thing went on until there -were two or three dozen of ’em gawking around. I was walking away when -hang me if the whole lot didn’t off with the caps and sing out ‘Long -Live the King.’ I looked round for the King, but he wasn’t there, and -when I was going back in the launch to the _Stella_ afterwards, one of -the hands told me the crowd had taken me for him, and were pretty huffy -because I hadn’t acknowledged the cheer. Wish I’d tumbled to it, I’d -have played up to it.” - -“You are surprisingly like him, Jack, now that I look at you,” I said -with a grin. - -“Rather be myself, a heap,” he replied drily, and after some chaff the -matter dropped. - -I had been considering how to tell him about Miralda, and after the -next pause I asked him if he knew why we were in Lisbon. - -“You haven’t told me,” he replied drily. - -“You mean you have guessed?” - -He took his pipe out of his mouth, glanced at it, and then at me and -smiled. “I know the symptoms. I’ve had the fever myself. You’re the -sort to take it badly too.” - -“I have.” - -“What’s the trouble?” - -“All sorts and plenty of it.” - -“Well, I’m with you, if you want me. I’d love a scrap.” - -“I’m thinking of making a bolt of it.” - -“_Stella?_” I nodded. “The lady willing?” - -“I don’t know. I haven’t asked her. She’s been forced to give a promise -to some one else. I’d better tell you something about it;” and I gave -him a short outline of the position. - -“It’s a mix up, sure,” he commented drily. “But she’s a lovely girl. -That’s a cert.” - -“How do you know?” - -“A man has eyes, I suppose. She’s a good sailor too. Seemed to enjoy -that bit of a racket on the yacht.” - -“Yes,” I said, self-consciously. - -“If you can get her to put one of her dainty feet into a rowing boat, -I’ll answer for it that she doesn’t take it out again except to mount -the _Stella’s_ companion, and the rest would be as easy as shooting -gulls.” - -“But how to do it?” - -He paused, shook his pipe out, refilled it and lit it. “If you leave it -to me, I’d undertake to do it all right,” he said very deliberately. - -“How?” - -“I said leave it to me. I’ll tell you how when it’s done.” - -“But you’ve never spoken to her.” - -“All the better.” - -“I should ask her first.” - -“And spoil your chance. Ask her when we’re half-way across the bay.” - -“It may have to come to that.” - -“Better come first,” he said with his dry smile. “If you want to win.” - -That was my own thought secretly; but I was half afraid Miralda herself -might resent such a strong step. - -We lapsed into silence and I sat thinking over the whole situation, -and the longer I thought the stronger grew my conviction that to get -Miralda away was at once the safest and simplest solution of all the -difficulties. If she would go, of course. Would she? I could only -answer that out of the hopes which her look that afternoon had roused. -If she were free, I was certain of her. And free she certainly would be -if I dared to carry her off in the _Stella_. - -Presently we began to speak of another matter. We were sitting at -the open window with no light except from that of the full moon, and -Burroughs went out on to the verandah and leant over, looking about -curiously. - -“I suppose you think there may be something happen to-night by having -us up here?” he asked as he sat down again. - -“Scarcely likely, but I thought best to be prepared.” - -“It’s turning-in time. I’ll keep the first watch.” - -“What have you seen?” I asked. - -“Nothing--except that any one could get in here easily enough.” - -“Oh, I don’t think there’s any fear of that.” - -“I wasn’t talking about fear of anything. But I shan’t turn in.” - -“Neither shall I, yet. I couldn’t sleep.” - -“Well, I reckon we don’t want to show ’em they’re expected;” and he -got up and closed the window. “And we shall have plenty of other time -to talk, so we’ll keep a close lip. From what you told me, this is the -night they’re most likely to try some hanky-panky. I guess, too, we -don’t want too fresh smoke for ’em to smell, so I’ll shake my pipe out.” - -He did so and drew his chair away from the window, and I followed his -example. - -I was wrong about not being able to sleep. After a time I dozed off -and, at Burroughs’ suggestion, lay down on a sofa close to him and went -off into a sound sleep. - -From a dream that I was being smothered I awoke to find a hand pressed -tightly on my mouth. - -“Hsh! Wake up. Something’s happening,” whispered Burroughs. - -I looked round the room. It was almost dark, for the moonlight was no -longer streaming through the window. I had evidently been asleep some -hours. - -Then Burroughs caught my sleeve and pulled it upwards. A sign to me to -get up. - -When I stood up he put his lips to my ear and whispered: “You stay this -side of the window. I’ll go to the other.” - -Without making a sound he crept away from me. - -I stood listening intently, and presently bent down and peered -cautiously at the window. - -There was neither sign nor sound of anything. - -The seconds of suspense lengthened into minutes. - -Burroughs had clearly deceived himself. - -And just when I was on the point of telling him so, the form of a man -showed on the verandah. - -In a second I was on my feet again in the shadow of the curtain. - -Cautiously the window was pushed open. A man entered and stood -motionless as a statue, listening and peering round the room. - -With absolutely noiseless tread he stepped forward a couple of paces, -paused again, and then returned to the balcony. - -A couple of minutes passed before he re-entered, this time with a -companion. The second man remained close to the window. - -The small circle light of an electric lamp carried by the first comer -flashed for an instant, and then he started to cross the room. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII - -A LITTLE CHESS PROBLEM - - -As soon as the two men were separated in this way, I realized that -Burroughs had made a mistake in tactics. We ought to have stayed -together. As it was, I did not know which of the two he meant to tackle. - -It turned out that he was in the same uncertainty about me; but he -saw that the man who had crossed the room was going to switch on the -electric light, and to prevent this he sprang on him and shouted to me -to seize the other fellow. - -I might as well have tried to seize a stroke of lightning. Before my -companion had half finished his sentence, the man was out of the room -and over the balcony railing, and it would have been sheer folly to -attempt any pursuit. - -Meanwhile, Burroughs, who was as strong as a bullock, had collared his -man, holding his hands behind him in a grip of iron. - -I closed the jalousies and fastened them, and then shut the window and -fastened that, and then switched up the light. - -I recognized the prisoner immediately. It was Henriques--the brute who -had been going to strike Inez that night in the Rua Catania. - -“Run your hands over him and draw his teeth,” said my friend. - -He had both a revolver and a knife, and I took these from him and then -turned out his pockets. Among the miscellaneous contents I found, to -my intense surprise, an envelope addressed to Vasco, the name being -given in full. - -I was careful not to show my keen interest at this, and something like -a flash of intuition warned me that I must learn the contents of the -letter without Henriques knowing that I had read it. As the envelope -was fastened, this was a little difficult. “These things may be wanted -by the police and may or may not be important,” I said to Burroughs. -Then I fetched a sheet of paper from my desk, wrapped up the envelope -and the small things and sealed the packet, placing the revolver and -knife by them. I did it very deliberately so that Henriques should see, -and then I said to him: “I don’t mean to give you a chance to deny that -these thing were found on you.” - -“Shall I send for the police?” asked Burroughs, who was considerably -perplexed by what I had done. - -“That depends upon this scoundrel. You needn’t hold him. He can’t do -any harm. But don’t let him get near these toys of his,” and I pointed -to his weapons. I had my plan by that time. I meant to trick him, and -it was part of my plan that he should believe that the packet was not -out of his sight the whole time. - -“Now, if you make a clean breast of things, I shall let you go,” I -said, turning to the man. “What’s your name?” - -“Garcia Rosada.” He lied so promptly that I saw he had been carefully -making up his tale. - -I was on the point of telling him I knew his name, when it occurred -to me that it would be better to affect to believe him. “Who sent you -here?” - -“No one.” - -“Why did you come then?” - -He hung his head for a moment as if in shame and then muttered: “I’ve -never been a thief before, and if you’ll let me go, Excellency, I vow -to the Holy Virgin I’ll never be one again. Have mercy on me. I’ve a -wife and five children and this will--will kill them.” He was an artful -scoundrel, and the break in his voice was quite cleverly done. - -I put a few more questions, and he improved on the tale, saying that -his companion was name Ferraz, and having heard that I was a very rich -man, had tempted him to try and rob me. - -Burroughs’ face, when he saw that I appeared to believe the yarn, was -quite an amusing study. He was divided between doubt whether I was -really gulled, and curiosity as to my object, if I was not. - -“I’ll write that down while it’s fresh in my memory. If I find your -story true, I won’t punish you, Rosada,” I said and turned away to my -writing table. I made a pretence of writing, repeating the words aloud -and turning now and then to put a question about some detail. - -But what I really did was to make up a dummy packet the exact -counterfeit of that on the table. - -As soon as it was ready I crossed again to Henriques. “There’s one -thing you haven’t explained,” I said, picking up the revolver. “Why did -you bring this and the knife with you?” - -He had his tale ready, good enough for such a fool as he deemed me. -“They are not mine at all, Excellency. They belong to Ferraz--the man -who got me into this.” - -I put a question or two; and then as if in doubt I turned to replace -the revolver and stood for a moment in such a position that he could -not see me exchange the packets. - -“You don’t believe that, do you?” exclaimed Burroughs, with a scoff. - -“I don’t know quite what to believe yet,” I replied. “I’ll think it -over;” and I returned to my desk, and while keeping up the farce of -writing and asking occasional questions, I opened the packet and took -out the letter to Vasco. - -It was very insecurely fastened, fortunately, so that I could open it -without showing any signs that it had been tampered with. As I read -it, I found it was from Dagara, and could scarcely restrain a laugh of -chagrin at the elaborate means I had taken to discover a mare’s nest. - -It ran as follows:-- - - “LISBON CHESS CLUB. - 438, RUA DA GLORIA. - - “DEAR LIEUTENANT DE LINTO,-- - - “I was sorry you could not be at the Club last night. We had a most - interesting series of problems set by M. Polski, the Polish champion. - There were ten of them and the fifth and sixth will interest - you--both forced mates in seven moves. I hope that all our playing - members will find or make an opportunity of studying them very - thoroughly. I shall have them printed, of course, and am writing in - this strain to all the members who were not present. - - “I am so anxious to see the general average of play improved before - we meet the Sanatarem Club. - - “Yours sincerely, - “MANOEL DAGARA.” - -Feeling very much like a man who has most ridiculously hoaxed himself, -I refolded the letter, put it back carefully into the envelope, and was -about to fasten it when a thought struck me. - -Vasco a chess player! The most unlikely man in all Christendom to have -that profoundly staid disease. And why should this Henriques be chosen -to carry such a letter and have it on him in the dead of night when he -had come on such a grim mission as had brought him here? - -Then a reason suggested itself. He must have had instructions to -deliver it in person to Vasco; and as the latter had been on the -_Stella_ from the previous night, the note could not be delivered. The -man in such a case, being afraid to leave it about, might well prefer -to have it on him. - -This meant that it was of much more importance than its contents -suggested; and my thoughts flew to the cipher. - -I was glad now that I had taken all the trouble and I took some more. -I made an exact copy of the letter, laying a sheet of very thin paper -over it and using the utmost pains to space every word and letter -exactly as it was written. - -Then I fastened it up and made up another packet and returned to -Burroughs. - -“I am still undecided what to do,” I said to him. “If this man’s tale -is true, I shan’t punish him. But he must stop here for the present, of -course. Have him locked in a room and let a couple of men be with him.” - -Then I made another exchange of the packets and said to Henriques. “You -can’t have your weapons, but you can keep this.” And I gave it him. - -Burroughs took him out of the room and was back again in a minute or -two, his face one staring note of interrogation. - -“What the devil does it all mean?” he cried. - -“He’s an honest fellow that, Jack. He’s been led into trouble by evil -companions and----” - -“Oh, rats!” he broke in. “What were you writing there? You had me -guessing all the time?” - -“I was only writing this;” and I showed him the copy of the letter. - -He read it and scratched his head. “What is it? A prize puzzle?” - -“It’s a copy of the letter I took from our friend’s pocket.” - -“But you wrapped it up in the parcel.” - -“You wouldn’t have me rob a gentleman of his belongings?” - -“But the blessed thing was on the table all the time.” - -“Do you mean this?” and I produced the dummy. - -“It’s on me,” he said with a laugh. He was very American at times in -his idioms. - -“I’m either a big stupid ass and have taken a lot of trouble for -nothing, or I’ve made a useful discovery. I shall soon know which,” I -said explaining how I had changed the packets. - -Then I fetched the cipher key which I had hidden in another room and -returned to find him puffing at his pipe and puzzling over the copy of -the letter. - -I told him then about the discovery of the cipher, and laid the key -over the lines getting more nonsense words from the first two or three. -Then I read the letter again and a thought struck me. - -Dagara spoke of ten problems. There were ten lines in the letter. - -“The fifth and sixth will interest you,” ran the phrase. - -I laid the punctured slip over these in turn. The fifth gave me this -result. I will put the indicated letters in capitals. - -“I hoPe that All our Playing mEmbeRS will find oR make.” - -“P A P E R S R,” was shown up. - -I laid the same row of holes over the next line, with no results that -were intelligible. The second row was no more fruitful, but the third -gave this result. - -“an EArly opportunity of stuDying them thoroughlY.” - -Put together the two lines of indicated letters read-- - -“PAPERS READY”--easy enough for Macaulay’s schoolboy to understand. -“Papers Ready.” - -“I’m not a stupid ass after all,” I exclaimed, triumphantly. “Now we -want our considering caps. This means that some important information -which the writer of this letter has obtained is waiting to be -delivered, and what we have to do is to get hold of them.” - -“It’s not in my line,” said Burroughs. - -“I’m going to sleep over it. We’re not likely to have any more callers, -so I shall go to bed;” and to bed I went, leaving him on watch, as he -declared he should sit up till daylight. - -In the morning I decided what to do. It was clear that the papers were -too important to be trusted by Dagara to any one but a duly selected -messenger. The care with which the message was sent to Vasco that they -were ready, suggested that he was not that messenger. Why then should -he be told about them? Probably he had to send the messenger for them. - -I thought it over carefully, revolving all I knew, and by the process -of exclusion decided it was Miralda. It must be some one whom Vasco -could see at any time, the moment the message reached him. Even with -Inez, of whom I thought first, this was not practicable. It might be -some fellow-officer; but no one of them would be so invariably within -immediate touch as Miralda. - -Moreover, it was just the thing for which she could be used to the best -advantage. Dagara was married I knew, and thus she would only have to -pay an informal visit to the wife for him to meet her and hand over any -papers. Then I recalled that Inez had been one of the first to see that -forged letter of mine which Dagara had given up, and the conclusion was -easy that when Miralda obtained anything, she handed it on to Inez for -the latter to give to Barosa. - -The inference was strong enough for me to risk acting upon it. I could -not, of course, be certain that Miralda went to Dagara’s house for any -communications, while that I should go there was out of the question. I -decided therefore to try my hand at a cipher message in Miralda’s name -telling Dagara to bring the papers to a spot where I could meet him, -and then take him to the only safe place for such an interview as ours -would be--on the _Stella_. - -I must contrive to get him there secretly. I remembered a very -little-used landing-stage on the east of the city round the point, -where I could have my launch ready, and I soon saw a way of getting -Dagara to that spot. - -The message I sent in cipher was as follows: - - “Usual place unsafe. M. waiting now in the Praca da Figueira for - papers.” - -I wrapped this up in a long letter answering his about the chess -problems, addressed it to Dagara at Volheno’s and sent Bryant to leave -it at the office. - -I had meanwhile bundled Burroughs off to bring the launch to the -landing-stage, and I timed the delivery of the letter to reach Dagara -just about his dinner interval. - -If the scheme failed, I resolved as an alternative to find out where he -lived and risk a visit to his house to frighten the papers out of him. - -I had a carriage in readiness as I intended to drive him in it to the -landing-stage; and I was not a little excited as I started for the -Praca da Figueira--a quiet little square close to my flat. - -I left the carriage out of sight and as I turned the corner leisurely I -felt a little thrill of satisfaction to see that he was there before me. - -I had worked out my chess problem successfully and saw my way to mate -in less than his seven moves. - -He was walking slowly with his back toward me, and I quickened up my -pace so that I was close to him when he heard my footsteps, turned and -saw me. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII - -DAGARA’S STORY - - -I was a great deal more pleased to see Dagara than he was to see me, -judging by the way in which he took my hand and the little nervous -shrinking movement as I linked my arm in his and turned back with him -toward the carriage. - -“I am afraid I am a little late, but I have made all the haste I -could,” I said with a smile of apology which perplexed him considerably. - -“You have an appointment then? I myself am--am waiting for a friend.” - -“My appointment is with you, of course. There is a change in the plans -and I have come to fetch you. I have a carriage here for the purpose. I -was delighted to come. I want to ask your opinion about something.” - -“I’m afraid I don’t quite understand, Mr. Donnington.” - -“The fact is I want to talk chess with you--about M. Polski’s ten -problems, and particularly the fifth and sixth.” - -His face turned to the colour of the paving stones he was staring at so -intently, and his voice was as husky as if half the dust of the city -had got into his throat when he muttered: “What do you mean?” - -“Here’s my carriage. Jump in, and we’ll chat it over as we drive.” I -had already told the driver where to go. - -Dagara had no jump left in him, poor fellow, and tried to refuse to get -in at all. But with my help he stumbled in and sat staring helplessly -at me, as I talked a lot of nonsense about chess--to give him time to -pull himself together. - -“Where are you taking me, Mr. Donnington?” he asked when I had -chattered myself almost out of breath. - -“He is driving us down to a landing-stage and I’m going to give you -some lunch on my yacht. I have had a desire for a chat with you for -several days.” - -“I am much obliged to you, Mr. Donnington, but I cannot go now.” - -“Oh, nonsense. I’ll make excuses to M. Volheno.” - -“But I will not go. I won’t be forced in this way,” he cried, striving -hard to rally his courage. - -“Of course I won’t force you. I’ll stop the carriage.” I leant forward -as if to call to the driver, and then turned with a meaning look. “By -the way, did you find that missing letter the other day?” - -“I don’t know what you mean. I demand to get out.” - -“I know why it was missing, M. Dagara. Would you rather lunch with me -or shall we return together to M. Volheno? Decide quickly, please. It -must be one or the other.” - -He drew a sobbing breath of fright; and all thought of resistance was -abandoned. - -I let him frighten himself thoroughly until we were nearing the -landing-stage. “Now I want you to understand things. I shall either be -one of the best friends you ever had or I shall ruin you lock, stock -and barrel. That rests with you. I know all you have been doing and -what your appointment was for to-day. Give me the papers you have and -tell me candidly all you know about these people’s plans, and I shall -be the friend. Refuse, and I shall be the reverse. And I can be a very -ugly enemy, M. Dagara. We shall not talk on the way to the yacht and -you will have ample time to think over your position and decide. But -I must have the papers at once, lest you should take a fancy to pitch -them into the harbour.” - -He hesitated in positively pitiful fear. - -“If you do not give them to me now without trouble, my men on the -launch will take them from you by force.” - -That threat had a wholesome effect. After a moment he handed me an -envelope which I pocketed, and he gave no more trouble. - -In consequence of some repairs to the roadway the carriage had to stop -some fifty yards short of the landing-stage, but he walked to the -launch without demur, and when I told him to conceal himself in the -little cabin he obeyed at once. - -As soon as we reached the _Stella_ I led him into the saloon. “Now I’ll -have your decision, Dagara,” I said sharply. - -“Will you really try to shield me?” - -“Yes, I give you my word--but no half measures, mind. I know quite -enough to test the truth of all you say.” - -“I’m the most miserable man in Portugal, Mr. Donnington, and this -double life is killing me;” and then out came his story. - -It was very similar to Vasco’s case--except that Dagara’s wife had been -the means of his undoing. She had friends among the revolutionaries and -had been in league with them some time before he discovered it. She had -wormed things out of him, as wives can and do out of husbands who love -and trust them, and had handed on the information to her friends. - -Barosa had learnt this and naturally jumped at the chance of getting a -man in such a position into his clutches. It was not difficult to lay a -trap for him, and he found himself suddenly faced with the alternative -of giving a little information of a comparatively harmless description, -or of seeing the wife he loved denounced to the Government as a -revolutionary. - -Love for wife triumphed over fealty to employer, and the information -was given. It concerned only some arrangements for the disposition -of a body of troops and police on one occasion when the king was -returning to the capital from a shooting party. But it was given in -writing--Barosa took good care of that, of course--and from that hour -Dagara was a bond-slave and had never known a minute’s peace of mind. - -By degrees, cunningly progressive, information of increasing secrecy -and importance had been extorted from him until even his wife was -scared out of her senses and the man himself driven to regard suicide -as offering the only prospect of relief from unbearable torture. - -I was right in my guess that Miralda had been used lately as a -go-between. She knew the wife, and Vasco had been dastard enough to -induce his sister to fetch one or two communications from Dagara, -without telling her their nature. She had then been allowed to discover -their treasonable character, and had immediately refused to carry any -more. Then the screw was turned. She was already compromised and her -name as a suspect would be given up. She had resisted strenuously, -answering threat with threat, but the thing had been done cleverly, and -the only people she was at that time in a position to harm were the -Dagaras, her friends, and her own brother. The latter’s prosecution for -the theft he had confessed was the next menace, and this had driven her -to yield, and so, like Dagara, she had become hopelessly entangled in -the net. - -This was almost all that Dagara could tell me. I put a guarded question -about the Visconte de Linto, but he declared with the exception of -Miralda, Henriques and a friend of his wife’s, he did not know the name -of another person in the conspiracy. Henriques was the caretaker of the -building in which the chess club met, and carried his letters to Vasco. - -The reason for this caution on Barosa’s part was clear. He knew that -Dagara had a very weak backbone and that at any moment a fit of remorse -might seize him in which he would reveal all he knew to Volheno. He was -therefore allowed to know as little as possible. - -“But you know what use is made of the information you have given from -time to time?” I asked him. - -“So far as I can see, it has been of comparatively little use. I have -told them from time to time the objects and plans of the police and -have warned them when suspicion has fallen on certain individuals, or -when raids have been planned. The threatened persons have disappeared -and the raids have brought no result.” - -“You warned them about me and gave them that letter?” - -“Yes. But in regard to that a curious thing occurred. I received a -communication in the cipher warning me to look out for it.” - -I understood this of course. In his eagerness that the attempt against -me should not misfire, Sampayo had sent the warning. - -“But what are these men’s plans?” - -“I don’t know. They are of course in league against the Government, but -what they mean to do I have no idea. That uncertainty is the heaviest -part of my burden. It weighs on me night and day.” - -“Well, let us deal with these papers in particular,” I said. “What is -the information in them?” - -“I was ordered to ascertain the movements of the police and troops -to-morrow evening when the King returns to the city from a shooting -expedition. Except that in this case I had to get fuller details -and quite exact particulars; the information is no more than I have -supplied before.” - -“Do you suppose any demonstration is to take place against him or any -attempt made to harm him?” - -“God forbid,” he cried instantly agitated. - -“Is there anything in the arrangements differing from those which are -usually made?” - -“Yes, there is. His Majesty is not supposed to be returning for another -week and is only remaining for the one night. He has expressly ordered -that the customary arrangements shall be omitted both on his arrival -and on his departure the following morning early. He wishes the matter -to be kept quite secret.” - -I pricked up my ears at this. “Tell me the police arrangements.” - -“They are all there,” he replied pointing to the papers. - -“Tell me generally.” - -“There will be very few police or military present. He crosses from -Barreiro in an ordinary launch--not the royal launch--and instead of -going to the Quay, he will land at the Eastern landing-stage--the one -from which you brought me to-day. He will be accompanied only by two -members of the shooting party, and three or four officers will be -present to receive him.” - -“Of any particular regiment?” - -“The First Battalion of the Royal Guards.” - -This was the regiment in which Sampayo was a major and Vasco lieutenant. - -“Wait a moment. Is not the loyalty of that regiment suspected?” - -“Oh no,” he replied decidedly. - -“But M. Volheno said something of the sort to me.” - -“M. Volheno was only trying to draw some admissions from you, Mr. -Donnington. He dictated to me a _précis_ of his conversation with you -that morning; and I knew at once what his object had been.” - -“Well, go on.” - -“A private carriage will be in waiting for his Majesty, and he and his -two companions will drive in that to the Palace.” - -“But a carriage cannot get any closer to the stage than ours -to-day--that is some forty or fifty yards from the landing-place.” - -“His Majesty has used that stage more than once when returning -privately to the city.” - -“Since you have been giving away this information?” - -“Yes, once--about six weeks ago.” - -“Will that part be policed?” - -“It never is. His Majesty does not go in fear of any section of -his people. He ridicules the very suggestion of such a thing, Mr. -Donnington.” - -“And M. Franco and M. Volheno?” - -“Are of the same opinion so far as the capital is concerned. Of course, -it would be different in Oporto. The revolutionaries are strong there. -But in Lisbon there is no more than discontent which the police can -suppress.” - -“I understand. Now, would it take you long to make a copy of these -papers?” - -“An hour, perhaps.” - -“Do so while you are having something to eat. I wish to think things -over.” I left him at the work and going on deck nearly tumbled over -Burroughs, who was staring intently at some object through the most -powerful glass we had on the yacht. - -“Don’t show yourself, Ralph. Come here a moment,” and he pulled me -under the lee of the pinnace behind which he was screening his action. - -“What is it?” - -“You’ve infected me with some of your suspicions, and as you said last -night about yourself, I’m either a stupid ass or I’ve made a discovery -which may be important. I’ve been watching the people on that boat -there--the one with the grey hull and sharp lines. She’s called the -_Rampallo_. She came in yesterday, and the old man tells me the whole -of her crew were discharged soon after you sent for me.” - -“Well, what’s that to us? We don’t want any hands.” - -“But she hasn’t taken on another.” - -“I suppose her skipper or owner can please himself.” - -“But the skipper went with the crew as well. And when I came off this -morning to fetch the launch, I saw that tall young dandy on board -her--the fellow who was out with us.” - -“The devil you did!” I exclaimed, with suddenly roused interest. - -“There have been two or three boats out to her this morning, and what -can any one be wanting in a yacht with no crew on board?” - -“Let me have a squint at her,” I said, taking the glass and training -it on her. She was a nice craft, about 250 tonnage; her sharp lines -suggested a good turn of speed; and everything about her was as smart -as one expects to see it in a private yacht. - -“What drew my attention to her,” said Burroughs at my elbow, “was that -I saw some one carefully scanning us through a glass, and I thought I’d -return the compliment.” - -“What was he like?” - -The description he gave fitted no one whom I knew. “He’s been at it -more than once since. The old man has noticed it too.” - -“Are you sure that you recognized that young fellow?” I asked as I -handed him the glass, not having seen any one on the yacht. - -“I’d eat my sea-boots if it wasn’t.” - -“Well, keep an eye skinned for her. It’s very singular.” - -I took his advice not to show myself and sat down on the other side of -the deck and lit a cigar to think things over. - -I recalled Vasco’s request for the loan of the _Stella_ and the -hesitating way in which he had explained that he had abandoned the -idea of taking his companions for a day’s cruise. - -Why was he on that other yacht? For a time my mind was so thronged with -the crowd of suggestions arising out of Dagara’s statement, the events -of the last few days, and now this enigma of a crewless yacht, that I -had the greatest difficulty in picking a course. In my present mood I -was ready to see matter for suspicion in anything, however trivial. - -Presently Burroughs called to me. “He’s there now, Ralph.” - -It was Vasco, sure enough. The glass showed his features plainly; and -while I was watching, two other men came up on the deck and all three -went ashore in a launch. - -I returned to my seat completely bewildered. I had gained vitally -important information, but had no idea what use to make of it. Rack my -wits as I would, I couldn’t see the connecting link with Barosa’s plans. - -Then all suddenly a wild thought occurred to me: far-fetched, -extravagant, and grossly improbable; but not impossible. - -It was that an attempt was to be made on the king’s life, and that this -crewless yacht was to afford the means of escape for the assassins. - -Possible or impossible I could put it to the test. It was good enough -to form a working hypothesis, and I plunged into the consideration of -the steps to take. - -In the first place Dagara must go back to the city with the papers and -these must find their way to Barosa. - -I saw how to do that. I called Burroughs to me. - -“Jack, I am going to take Dagara back to the city in the launch, and I -want you to go at once to my rooms and liberate the fellow we caught -last night. It must be done cleverly. Tell Simmons to leave Foster in -the room alone with him and then to fire a shot and yell to Foster for -help. Foster is to rush out, leaving the door open and the way clear -for the scoundrel to get off. He must be at liberty inside an hour from -now and must have no suspicion that the thing is a plant. Get going, -man. I’ll tell you all afterwards,” I said as he hesitated and wanted -to ask questions. - -Then I went down to Dagara to test him. - -I should have to trust him, for his part was of the very pith and -marrow of my new plans. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX - -SPY WORK - - -Dagara having finished both his task and his lunch was waiting in some -concern to know what was to come next, and he appeared relieved when I -said he was to return in the launch. - -“I wish you to go back,” I told him, “and act precisely as if our -meeting had never taken place. With this exception--should any change -be made in these arrangements for the King’s arrival to-morrow evening, -let me know them and do not divulge them to any one.” - -“And about Mademoiselle Dominguez?” he asked. - -“Well, what about her?” I repeated, not understanding. - -“She got you to meet me to-day after sending me word where to go.” - -“Oh no, that was a fairy tale of mine. I wrote that cipher letter. -Yours has not yet reached her brother. But it will do so very soon now, -and she will no doubt go to your house as usual.” - -“But how did you get the cipher?” he asked in blank astonishment. - -“Never mind about that. The question is, will you do exactly as I ask? -I will call at M. Volheno’s office to-morrow afternoon and you must -manage to see me and----” - -“He has an appointment from four to five with M. Franco at the latter’s -bureau. If you come then I could see you privately without exciting -any suspicion.” - -I agreed to do this and then, having got from him his address and the -time when he would reach his house and give the papers to Miralda, I -made certain that no one on the _Rampallo_ was taking stock of our -movements, and smuggled him into the launch. - -As soon as he had left to return to his office I sent the men with the -launch to wait at the usual landing-stage on the quay. - -When I reached my rooms, the little farce had been played and Henriques -had gone. I calculated that his first step would be to deliver the -letter to Vasco, who would immediately send Miralda for the papers, and -my intention was to meet her as she left Dagara’s house. - -It was essential that I should know to whom she was to hand them and -that person must be shadowed from the moment they were in his or her -possession. - -In the meanwhile I had to ascertain whether Sampayo had left the city, -and to do this I sent my servant, Bryant, a sharp fellow, with a letter -for Sampayo. I told him to say it was to be given into Sampayo’s own -hands, and if asked, he was to say it was from Dr. Barosa. - -I wrote one line: “Give you one more hour.” - -He returned with the news that Sampayo had gone. The furniture was -being removed and all the evidences of a speedy departure were -everywhere. I concluded, therefore, that Sampayo had learnt of the -failure of his little scheme the previous night and had fled. - -In the meanwhile Burroughs and I had discussed the spy work that had to -be done. My opinion was that the papers would be given to Inez, and if -so, the difficulties would be considerable. - -“Simmons is sharp enough to do it,” said Burroughs; “but I should -suggest that you put both him and your man, Bryant, on it, and let -Simmons rig himself up as a Portuguese long-shoreman.” - -I adopted the suggestion and we sent the man out to buy the necessary -disguise. - -“I must be on hand to point out the quarry,” I said; “but the devil -of it is, if she takes them to her house we shall have the trail cut -and shall need to shadow every one who comes out. And that’s precisely -where she is most likely to take them.” - -“Say, I’ve a great idea,” exclaimed Burroughs, clashing his big fist on -the table excitedly. “What price my offering to ship aboard that yacht, -the _Rampallo_?” - -“What’s that got to do with this sleuthing business?” - -“Nothing, but you want to know what game’s going on on board her.” - -“My dear fellow, let’s stick to one thing at a time.” - -“It would be great though, wouldn’t it? I’d make ’em sit up.” - -“Do you imagine for an instant that you are not known to belong to the -_Stella_?” - -“I didn’t think of that,” he said crestfallen, shaking his head. - -“Well, don’t think any more of it, and let’s worry this other thing -out.” - -“I can’t get that infernal boat out of my head.” - -We did worry with it until it was time to set out; but the only thing I -could see to do, if Inez took the papers home, was to call at her house -myself. - -Being entirely new to this spy business, I was abominably nervous and -possessed with the conviction that every one we met knew quite well -the reason why we were strolling along the street with an entirely -exaggerated air of indifference. - -Burroughs and I went ahead, Simmons, got up as a rather theatrical -Portuguese fisherman, was behind us, and Bryant, who apparently was -the coolest of the four, followed on the opposite side of the street. - -We had barely reached the neighbourhood of Dagara’s house when Miralda -drove up in a hired carriage. She stopped the driver a hundred yards -short of the street and got out, leaving the driver to wait. - -My first step was to get rid of the carriage, by telling the man he -would not be wanted and paying his fare with the addition of a liberal -tip. - -In a few minutes Miralda returned and was profoundly surprised to find -me instead of the carriage, and her hand trembled as she put it in mine. - -“I have sent your carriage away. I knew you were coming to M. Dagara’s -house and the reason, and I was compelled to speak to you alone.” - -“You have frightened me. What is the matter?” - -“I am only going to ask you to trust me. You will?” - -“Need you ask that?” and her eyes flashed in reproach. “But I may be -seen with you,” she added, glancing round. - -“I am not going to keep you long enough to explain everything--only to -ask you two questions. I will tell you everything another time. To whom -are you going to give the papers you have just received from M. Dagara?” - -“Mr. Donnington!” she cried with a start and a stare of astonishment. - -“No, not to me,” I replied with a smile. “Let us walk on a little. You -will not think I mean anything that is not entirely to help you in -asking this.” - -“No. I know that. But I--I can’t tell you. Besides, I have been ordered -not--not to speak to you.” - -“I guessed something of the sort and that’s partly the reason why I -arranged this meeting instead of coming to your house. You generally -give such things to the Contesse Inglesia. Shall you give her these?” - -Again she was startled. “But how can all this be known to you? Do you -mean others know it?” - -“Certainly not. But please tell me.” - -“How you have learnt all this, I can’t imagine; but you are right. I -do generally give them to Inez. But there has been some unaccountable -delay and I am to give them to Vasco.” - -“That’s good news, for a start.” - -“Why good news?” she asked quickly. - -“You must let me be a little mysterious for the present. And now, the -second question--can you tell me where he is to take them?” - -“I know no more than you--not so much indeed it seems;” and she smiled -faintly. - -“That’s better--that you can smile, I mean. When will you give them to -him? Is he waiting at your home for them?” - -“No. He hurried in to tell me to fetch them at once and that he would -come back for them. He was very excited about something and very -strange.” - -“When is he to return for them?” - -“I don’t know.” - -“But I must know. It is absolutely vital. Can you so arrange that he -does not get them until, say, eight o’clock this evening?” - -“Why?” - -“Don’t ask me. Can you do it?” - -“It may be dangerous, but I--I will try.” - -“It must be certain,” I said firmly. “I must know definitely.” - -“Then of course I promise you.” - -“Good. I shall depend on you. Let me say how I thank you for this -trust.” - -“As if I should not,” she said again, with a look of reproach. -“But--but can’t you tell me something? I am all at sea.” - -“I wish we both were,” I cried impulsively. “That would put an end to -all this ugly business.” - -Her face clouded. “I can see no end to it but trouble and disaster,” -she replied with a gesture of despair that went to my heart. - -“I believe I can see the end, if all goes well just now. But if I -fail----” I paused and looked at her earnestly. - -“If you fail?” she repeated questioningly. - -“There is still the sea,” I said, with as much under-current of meaning -as I could put into tone, looks, manner. - -She sighed. “Yes, there is still the sea; but----” and she shook her -head despondently. - -“Would you dare?” I asked in little more than a whisper. - -“I am fettered like a slave--oh, once more to be free!” she sighed. - -“Will you dare it now?” - -But at that she flinched. “I am talking like a madwoman. It is -impossible, impossible.” - -“I don’t understand that word when I am in such earnest as now. Sampayo -has left Lisbon. I have driven him away. I will sweep every other -obstacle out of our path. Miralda?” - -She trembled as I uttered her name and took her hand in mine; the -colour flushed her cheeks and she stood hesitating with downcast eyes. - -“Miralda?” I said again appealingly, hoping she would yield. - -“Ah, how you tempt me!” she whispered. - -“In less than an hour we can be out of the river, homeward bound. For -God’s sake come--now,” I said passionately. - -But I failed. She started as if from a dream and shivered. “You made me -forget, but----” - -“Remember only your happiness and the freedom from all these troubles. -Trust me.” - -She shook her head, sighed deeply, and withdrew her hand. “It is not -that I distrust. But there is my mother. If I were to play these men -false they would visit it upon her.” - -“But she can come with us. Let me see her.” - -“It is impossible. Impossible. Would to Heaven it were not?” - -“Then I’ll try the other way,” I said. “But if I fail----” - -After a pause she lifted her eyes to mine, let them rest there a second -and then smiled, but shook her head despondently again. - -“It must be as you will,” I said. “And now there is one thing more. It -may be necessary for me to communicate with you. If I send one of my -people to your house, will you see him?” - -“Yes. I will help you all I can and pray for your success.” - -I held out my hand. “Till we meet again.” - -She put hers into it with a delighting pressure. - -“And if I fail,” I said again, “there is still the sea.” - -“There is still the sea,” she whispered; “for you, but not for me.” - -I watched her go and presently saw her enter a carriage. - -Then Burroughs came up and I tried to think of other things; not -very successfully at first. We returned to my rooms, and on the way -Miralda’s eloquent smile, the thrilling pressure of her hand, the flush -of tell-tale colour, and the proof of her trust, entangled my wits and -made it difficult for me for a time to give coherent answers to the -questions of my insistently curious companion. - -My object in securing Miralda’s promise to delay the delivery of the -papers to Vasco was to enable me to make preparations to follow him -myself, and I set about them the instant we reached my rooms. - -I had decided to use the Portuguese clothes which Simmons had obtained; -and a few alterations in them together with a false moustache, the -darkening of my eyebrows and the judicious application of a little -picturesque dirt to my face and hands and clothes, so changed my -appearance that even Miralda would have had difficulty in recognizing -me. - -I arranged that Burroughs should follow me, to be at hand in case of -need; that Simmons should go to the launch and Foster remain for the -night with Bryant at the flat. - -It was dark when I reached the visconte’s house to wait for Vasco, and -I had no fear that he would penetrate my disguise. - -There was one trouble I had to guard against--the danger of the -streets. The fact that a man of my apparent position was lurking -about in such a neighbourhood might easily attract the attention of -the police, but I was saved from that embarrassment by Miralda’s -punctuality. - -I had scarcely found a hiding-place when a carriage drove up and she -and Inez alighted from it and entered the house. She had gone to Inez -in order not to meet Vasco until the hour we had agreed. - -Three minutes afterwards he came out and hurried away at a rapid pace, -and the spy work commenced in earnest. While we were in the quieter -streets, I followed at just sufficient distance to keep him in sight; -but when he turned into the Rua Sao Benito I hastened to close up, for -fear of losing him in that somewhat busy street. - -As I hurried round the corner I nearly plumped into him. He stood -looking about him, and I stopped and rolled a cigarette to fill the -pause. - -It turned out that he was waiting for a tram-car, and when he boarded -it I had no option but to risk discovery and follow him. He sat close -to the door and I passed him, with my face averted, choosing a seat on -the same side, but at the other end. - -He was in a condition of extreme nervous excitement and had been -drinking freely, probably to drown his fears. He sat with his hands -plunged in his pockets and took no notice of any one; and even when the -other passengers got out at the Square of St. Paul, leaving him at one -end of the long seat and me at the other with no one between us, he -took no notice of me. - -I had now lost Burroughs, of course. He had hung behind until he had -missed the car; but this was perhaps all the better. If he had been in -the car, Vasco might have recognized him. - -When we reached the Praca do Commercio, Vasco got up and jumped off -and hurried along the Rua da Alfandega. There was little fear of my -attracting notice here as there were still plenty of people about, and -I had no difficulty in following him. - -I guessed now that he was making for the landing-stage near the -Artillery Museum, and just as he reached that building he was accosted -by two men in the dress of sailors. He drew back nervously at first, -with a sharp stare; then began to talk to them; and they walked on -together. - -They were as much like sailors as I was like the cross of St. Paul’s, -and walked with the stiff upright carriage of well-drilled soldiers. - -It was clear that I was not the only person in Lisbon that night with a -fancy for disguise, and this discovery confirmed my opinion that Vasco -was making for the landing-stage. - -Were Burroughs’ suspicions of that yacht, the _Rampallo_, about to be -confirmed? - -It looked uncommonly like it. - - - - -CHAPTER XX - -A NIGHT ADVENTURE ON THE RIVER - - -The fact that Vasco’s companions--presumably his fellow-officers--were -playing at being sailors, increased the need for extreme caution. I -dropped back and followed at a distance, contented to keep the three -men just in sight. - -They made straight for the landing-stage, got aboard a small launch in -which another man was waiting, and cast off at once and headed out into -the estuary. They were going to the _Rampallo_, of course; and equally -of course I must manage to get on board after them. - -I could not follow immediately, however, as the noise of my launch -would be heard and a dozen suspicions started. I guessed that a -conference was to be held on the yacht about the information which -Vasco had brought; but why such a place was chosen for it baffled me. -The reason could not be merely the desire for absolute privacy which -had induced me to take Dagara to the _Stella_. These men must have a -dozen places in the city where they could meet without a remote chance -of being overheard. - -Still I had to deal with facts, and the controlling fact now was -that the papers were on Vasco and he was going to the yacht. I must -therefore follow him or throw up the sponge. - -While I was waiting Burroughs arrived. “I lost you in the Rua Sao -Benito, Ralph,” he explained, “so I thought it best to come on to the -launch. Why are you here?” - -I told him briefly what had occurred, and what I meant to do, and in a -few minutes we were on our way to the _Stella_. - -“You’re taking risks,” he said, as we sat talking it over. - -“I can’t help that, but in fact I’m not so sure there are any. My idea -is this. As soon as we reach the yacht, get the _Firefly_ launched.” -This was a small electric launch I had on the yacht. “You and I will -drop down in her to the _Rampallo_. She runs with scarcely a sound, and -we’ll see whether any look-out is kept on her. I shall be surprised -if there is; and if not, I shall climb aboard without any trouble. If -there is one, you must manage to keep him watching you at the stern -while I swim to the bow and get aboard by the anchor cable. Once on -board, I’ll shift for myself. If necessary I’ll silence him.” - -“It sounds all right to you, perhaps,” he grumbled. - -“It’s got to be all right, Jack. The worst that can happen is that I -shall be discovered and have to make a bolt of it. I suppose I can dive -well enough to jump from a yacht’s bulwarks. But even if the beggars -get hold of me, I suppose you can make enough row to scare them. Have -the launch within hail, if you like, with the skipper and four or five -of the men. There’s no personal risk at all--the only risk is that I -may fail to find out things.” - -“But if they caught you they might shoot first and jaw afterwards,” he -objected. - -“A dozen ‘ifs’ suggest a dozen ‘mights,’ of course. But I’m not likely -to give them much of a chance.” - -“They’d be justified if they took you for a thief.” - -“They won’t be thinking about thieves. They’re much more likely to be -fearing the police and be scared out of their skins. Anyway, it’s the -best plan I can think of, and it’s got to be done.” - -When we reached the _Stella_ I threw off the clothes I had been wearing -and dressed for the venture. I had of course to render myself as -little conspicuous as possible for the spy work on the _Rampallo_, and -had also to be careful not to wear anything which would hamper me too -much if I had to take to the water. - -So I chose a set of very dark grey combinations which fastened close -up to the neck, and a pair of dark rubber-soled shoes. A dark cloak -to wear in the _Firefly_ completed a costume in which I looked like a -cross between a Harlequin and a Guy Fawkes conspirator. - -By the time these preparations were complete Burroughs had launched the -_Firefly_ and we were soon off. The moon was not due for an hour and -the night was dark enough to conceal us. - -The _Firefly_ glided almost noiselessly through the waters at the slow -pace we deemed best, and we switched off the motor every now and again -and let the boat drift. The darkness made it a little difficult to pick -up the _Rampallo_, which had no light, but Burroughs glanced now and -then at the compass by the flash of an electric torch, and thus kept -his course. - -“What weapon have you?” he whispered once. - -“Why, none, of course. I’m not going throat-slitting. I am only going -to use my ears.” - -“There she is,” he said suddenly, and pointed ahead. His eyes were -keener than mine, but I made her out soon afterwards. - -We drifted down close to her, keeping our eyes fixed on her for any -sign that a look-out was kept. - -“I don’t think there is any one on the deck,” he whispered. - -She was lying between us and the twinkling lamps of the city, and as -we drifted nearer, her outline showed up against the lights and the -reflexion of them in the sky. - -All was as still as a vault; and not a single porthole gave out so much -as the glimmer of a match. - -A sickening feeling of disappointment began to creep over me at the -fear that there was no one on board. - -“Sheer down alongside, Jack,” I whispered. - -No one challenged us as we dropped under the lee of the hull. I fended -the _Firefly_ off with my hands and then worked her round under the -stern. - -Here was confirmation of my fear in the disconcerting discovery that -the launch, which I had confidently expected to find either astern or -alongside, was not there. - -“There’s no one on her, Ralph,” said Burroughs. - -“I shall get aboard and see. Drop astern and then circle round at a -distance to the bow.” - -We drifted far enough for our little propeller to be out of earshot and -then made a sweep round to the bow. - -“What do you think it means?” he whispered. - -“I’m afraid I’ve backed the wrong horse. But I can’t think of anywhere -else for that launch to go. When I get aboard stand off up the bay so -that you can keep a look-out for me. The reflection of the city light -in the sky will be enough for you to see any signal I make to you.” - -“You can do better than that. Take the electric torch. You can show a -light then even if you have to swim for it.” - -“That’s a happy thought,” I exclaimed, and tucked it inside my vest. - -“If there’s any trouble I shall be able to make racket enough for you -to hear me, and you can come aboard after me.” - -We stopped the propeller then and drifted down till I could reach the -yacht’s cable. I swarmed up this and, using the greatest caution, got a -grip and hauled myself up until I could see along the deck. - -It was quite deserted, so I climbed on to the forecastle and crept -along as stealthily as a cat stalking a bird and almost as noiselessly. - -I had reached almost amidships when I discovered that some one was on -board after all. The glow from a lamp showed through the partly open -companion of the saloon. Doubling my caution I lay at full length on -the deck and approached the opening. - -Whoever he was he was able to afford very good cigars, for the scent of -one reached me. I lay listening intently. I heard the crackle of papers -as they were turned over; the rustle of some one moving in his chair, a -sound of stertorous breathing; the clink of a bottle against a glass, -and again the crackle of papers as the man, whoever he was, resumed his -writing or reading. - -For many minutes there was no other sound. Then the man struck a match -as he lit a fresh cigar, and pushed aside the papers with a breath of -relief. Then silence for a while, broken at length by a gasp and a -snore. - -“Wake up, you drunken young pig!” - -At this I nearly uttered a cry of astonishment. It was Sampayo’s voice; -and in a second I understood what had so baffled me--why the papers had -been brought to the _Rampallo_. - -Sampayo was hiding on it from me. That removal of his goods and all -the evidences of flight which Bryant had seen were just play-acting to -mislead me into the belief that he had bolted, and being afraid to be -seen on shore he had arranged for his associates to come to the boat. - -That they were coming was soon plain. Sampayo roused the man he had -spoken to; and the answer was in Vasco’s voice, thick with drink. - -“Go on deck, you young fool, and see if there are any signs of the -launch. They ought to be here by now.” - -“Leave me alone,” grunted Vasco thickly. - -“I must go myself then,” was the reply with an oath. - -I slipped away forward and hid myself under the lee of the forecastle -hatchway. Sampayo came out on deck and stood smoking and listening and -peering through the darkness for the expected launch. - -Presently, I heard the quick throb of her propeller, and in a few -minutes she reached the yacht and three or four men, I could not -distinguish the exact number, came on board, and all went down below at -once. - -Anxious not to miss a word of what passed I hastened along the deck to -my former position, and had just passed the hatchway leading below to -the saloon when some one came running up the companion way. - -In a second I rolled into the scuppers lying as still as death. - -“I fastened her all right,” protested some one. - -“For Heaven’s sake, make sure. You’re not much of a hand at sailors’ -knots,” was the laughing reply. - -Two men came out and hurried across the deck. One of them got down into -the launch; and the other stood watching. - -“It’s all right. As fast as a steeple.” - -“It would be a pretty mess if she got adrift.” - -The men came on deck again and they both returned toward the companion -way. - -“I suppose everything’s all right on the deck,” said one. - -“What should be wrong?” - -“Nothing. Only I’ve got an infernally uneasy feeling.” - -“Not going to back out at the last minute, are you? We shall be in a -pretty bad way to-morrow night if we have to go without the only man -who knows anything about managing the boat.” - -“Who said anything about backing out? We’re all in it now, sink or -swim. But--oh, hang presentiments,” he broke off irritably. - -“Well, I’ll get a lantern if you like and look round the deck. But it’s -all rot.” - -“I’ve half a mind you shall.” - -As he said this he came a couple of paces toward me, and I began to -think any number of unpleasant things. - -“I won’t be a minute,” said the other and ran down below. - -Move I dare not. The man was too close to me, and the instant the other -returned with a light, my discovery was certain. All I could do was to -plan how to escape. I decided to lie still until actually discovered, -and then trust to their astonishment, giving me time to jump over the -side and swim for it. - -The few seconds that followed were among the longest of my life. But -just as I heard the second man coming with the lantern, some one below -called to the man close to me by name. - -“Gompez!” - -He went a couple of steps down the companion way and replied that he -was going to see that all was snug on deck, and before the words were -out of his mouth I was half-way to the stern. - -Then followed the grimmest game of hide and seek I have ever had to -play. But the odds were on my side. The two men went carefully round -the deck; but, fool-like, kept together. The light of the lantern -showed me exactly where they were all the time, and by skulking from -cover to cover I had little difficulty in keeping out of their way. - -My movements were absolutely noiseless, and the dark grey costume I had -fortunately put on made it almost impossible for them to see me. - -I had one other narrow escape. I had worked my way back again to the -companion while they were in the bows, when another man came out and -called to them sharply to be quick. I was crouched so close to him that -he could have touched me if he had stretched out a hand in my direction. - -But instead of that he went a few steps toward the others and I turned -and slipped away in the opposite direction. - -Two or three minutes later the three went below, the newcomer -expressing a strong opinion about the folly of having shown a light. - -Giving them time to join the rest of the party below, I crawled back to -the companion and settled myself to listen once more. - -Barosa’s was the first voice I heard distinctly. “We needn’t waste any -more time in discussing it. Captain Gompez was quite right to satisfy -himself and as we are indebted to him for having the boat at all, it -is surely ungracious to charge him with wasting a few minutes for this -purpose. And now, please, will you let me explain exactly what are the -arrangements for to-morrow? Major Sampayo has carefully examined these -papers, and every detail is as I told you it would be.” - -There was a murmur of interest, followed by a pause, and then Barosa -spoke again. - -“I have news of the greatest importance for you, gentlemen, and that -you may appreciate it fully, I shall be obliged if you will carefully -study this plan of the scene.” - -A considerable rustling of papers followed as the plans were handed -round, the whispering of many questions, and then another pause of -silent, almost breathless expectancy. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI - -PLOT AND COUNTERPLOT - - -The pause was a long one before Barosa spoke again. - -“Of course we have all studied the actual ground of which these are -the plans, but it was best that we should have them before us in -settling the final details. I was able to tell you three days ago the -arrangements for Dom Carlos’s private visit to the city to-morrow -evening, and this later information, coming straight from M. Volheno’s -office, confirms them. Dom Carlos will arrive at the little Eastern -landing-stage at a few minutes before eight, and will have with him -two companions--only two. And the news I have for you is that those -two companions are fast and firm adherents of the rightful king of -Portugal, His Majesty Dom Miguel.” - -A murmur of surprise greeted this statement, and Barosa paused in -evident enjoyment of the effect his words had produced. - -“They are Conte Carvalho Listoa and Colonel Antonio Castillo. You will -agree that I do not exaggerate when I say that that fact makes failure -impossible. He will be received by six officers of the 7th Battalion -of the Royal Guards----” and he gave a string of names which I do not -remember. - -“These, as we know well, are also our staunch friends, pledged like -ourselves to give their lives for their rightful king. Dom Carlos will -thus be without a single supporter, and absolutely in our power. He -has, as you know, made use of the same landing-stage on the occasion -of former private visits to the city, and the arrangement has always -been that a carriage drew up close to the stage. That will not be -practicable to-morrow, although he does not know it. You will see two -thin red lines on the plans. Those indicate the lines of excavations, -which have been made for some supposed building and drainage -operations. I have been able to get that work started without creating -any suspicion as to the real object--which is to render it impossible -for a carriage to approach within fifty yards of the landing-stage.” - -“Good,” exclaimed some one and the others murmured assent. - -Barosa then explained the scheme in elaborate detail. - -It was this. The king was to be met at the landing-stage and the -officers were to explain why the carriage was not in the usual place; -and that it was in waiting for him at a spot most easily reached -through the smaller of two sheds used for wharfage purposes. A door at -the back of this shed opened on to a narrow way between two buildings. -The officers were not to leave the shed, as it was deemed desirable -that they should not take any personal part in what followed. The two -friends of the king were to walk a few yards with him and then excuse -themselves on the plea that they had left something on the launch, but -if this proved impracticable, they were to drop behind. - -From the door of the shed to the end of the passage was a distance of -some forty yards and a carriage was to be in full view; but this was to -be one provided by Barosa and intended for the escape of those in the -plot who would not be needed after the attempt had been carried out. -The king’s carriage, sent from the Palace, was to wait at a spot fifty -yards in the other direction. - -Except the two servants with Barosa’s carriage, not a man was to show -himself in the path between the shed door and the carriage, lest the -king’s suspicions should be roused. The coachman was to signal with -his whip when the king appeared, and then to make it appear that the -horses were restive and to back them past the corner of the building on -the left hand of the narrow passage. - -Round this corner the conspirators were to wait and when the king -reached it, a cloak was to be thrown over his head and he was to be -gagged and hurried through an adjoining shed to some water steps where -the launch would be waiting to rush him to the _Rampallo_, where a -cabin had been specially prepared for him. The yacht was to make -at full steam for Oporto, where he was to be delivered over to the -revolutionary party there and forced, under threat of assassination, to -abdicate in favour of Dom Miguel. - -After Barosa had finished his explanation, a long discussion followed -on many of the details. The scheme was hailed with approval, but the -tone of the speakers convinced me that, while ready to take part in an -abduction plot, they were against assassination, and Barosa had to give -very specific assurances that nothing of the sort would be attempted. - -Presently the talk turned upon the arrangements made to protect -themselves and their friends when the trouble came after the abduction; -and as it was not very material for me to learn that, I crept away -to the bow, lowered myself noiselessly into the water, flashed my -torchlamp as a signal to Burroughs, and struck out to meet him. - -“You’ve given me the fright of my life, Ralph,” he said when I had -clambered into the _Firefly_. “I heard their launch come out, and saw a -light moving about the deck and didn’t know what the deuce to do.” - -“It’s all right, Jack. Get back to the _Stella_. I’m cold to the bones, -but I’ve heard enough to keep my blood from stagnating.” - -“Here’s my flask. Take a pull.” - -I gulped down a couple of mouthfuls of whisky, and as soon as I was on -board and had had a hot bath, a vigorous towelling, and some grog, I -was ready to talk things over with him. - -I told him everything I had overheard. “And now the question is what -I’m to do.” - -“It’s as simple as falling off a tree. Slip off to the quay and bring -off a party of police and take ’em on the yacht.” - -“Yes, and get the only woman in the world I care for arrested for -conspiracy in a plot to abduct the king.” - -“You could make her safety a condition.” - -“With whom? Who’s to assure me of that? It’s nearly midnight. Where do -you suppose these men would be by the time I had roused first Volheno -and then old Franco the Dictator, and argued the matter out. And if -they refused, where should I find myself? I can tell you. In gaol until -I opened my lips. I’m already half-suspect as it is. That saw won’t cut -any ice, Jack.” - -“But you won’t let the thing go through, surely?” - -“What’s the King of Portugal to me, and what do I care whether his -name’s Carlos or Miguel?” - -“Well then, tell mademoiselle what’s going on and get her to make a -bolt of it on the _Stella_ to-morrow, and leave word behind you and -queer the plan that way.” - -“There are several reasons against that, but one’s enough. She wouldn’t -leave her mother to bear the brunt of things, her brother’s up to the -eyes in it, and if she did bolt, she’d be under the charge all her life -long and her flight would be accepted as proof of guilt.” - -“Well, I give it up then,” he exclaimed with a shrug. - -“But I don’t. I can’t. I’ve got to queer the thing somehow and make -certain of mademoiselle’s safety. And I’ve got to do it off my own bat. -Wait a bit, wait a bit,” I exclaimed after some minutes’ thought. -“I’ve got an idea coming. By the lord-knows-who, I believe it would be -possible. Let’s go over that business again. He lands from the launch, -goes into the shed--there are two sheds, I remember--he goes out with -his two friends, the coachman sees him and under pretence of the horses -turning restive, backs the carriage past the corner, the two friends -turn back. I wonder if both sheds have doors at the back. I expect so.” - -“Is that Greek you’re muttering?” broke in Burroughs. - -“Stand up, Jack, let’s have a look at you.” - -He got up and I laughed as I looked him over. “Wait a bit, take your -coat off,” and I plunged into my cabin and fished out a thick tweed -shooting coat and a soft felt hat. “Here, put these on, quick.” - -He did so, muttering: “Is this a pantomime rehearsal?” - -“By the lord Harry, it’ll do,” I cried excitedly, smacking my hands -together. - -“What’ll do?” - -“Wait, man, wait. It’s all coming up like a clear photo. How much -taller am I of us two? By George, two inches. That’s a heap; but -padding might take off some of it.” - -“Perhaps you’d like to know how much thinner you are than I am next?” -he said with a grin. - -“That’s just what I would,” I replied to his still greater surprise. -“Six inches, eh. That’s a lot.” - -“And muscle too, not fat, mind that.” - -“But I can get over that, easily enough.” - -“When you’ve a minute to spare perhaps you’ll tell me why you take this -sudden interest in my anatomy?” he asked drily, as he threw off my -shooting coat and put on his jacket. - -“I’m going to crown you and be your Majesty’s understudy at the same -time, King Jack Burroughs. You won’t have a long reign, my boy--only a -couple of minutes at most--that is if that second shed has the door I -believe it has.” - -“You’ll soon be understudying in a strait jacket at this rate, Ralph.” - -“It is a little mad, perhaps, but I’m going to do it. I intend you -to take the place of the king to-morrow evening long enough for this -coachman to mistake you for him. I shall then take your place, the -instant no one is looking, and I’m going to let these men abduct me. -It will be much easier for them than if they got hold of the genuine -article.” - -“Wouldn’t it be much simpler and shorter to put a bullet in your head -yourself?” he asked grimly. “You’ll find one get there all right when -they know.” - -“Not a bit of it. You forget the ‘divinity that doth hedge a king.’ -These men are not assassins. They made that plain; nor are they -accustomed to handle kings every day. They’ll be so excited over the -business that they’ll be as nervous about ill-treating him as an old -maid about her lap dog. They’re officers, mind, and what we term -gentlemen; and they’ll be so scared to death lest the thing is going to -fail, that they won’t want me to have so much as a peep at their faces -until I’m safe on the _Rampallo_ and locked up in the cabin which, as I -heard, is already in readiness for my reception. If you turn the thing -over, you’ll see that if I had laid the plan myself, it could not have -suited me better;” and I ran over it again in detail. - -“When we first leave the shed you’ll be king, and Bryant--I shall use -Bryant because he’s a cool hand--and I will be in attendance on your -Majesty. You’ll be recognized at once as the king--half Lisbon would -mistake you for him at close grips even, and these fellows will be -expecting you--we shall walk about ten yards and then stop while we are -supposed to be asking you to excuse us; and we shan’t move on until -the carriage has backed out of sight. I shall then take your place--I -shall pad myself out, you know, and make up--and shall walk on alone -straight into the trap.” - -“But why you? I could put up a bigger fight than you.” - -“There’s no fight to be put up at all, Jack.” - -“You mean to let them carry you off to Oporto? You may find yourself in -a tighter corner there than you reckon.” - -“But I’m not going to Oporto. It’s 180 miles or thereabouts and, with -an amateur crew, the _Rampallo_ under the best circumstances wouldn’t -make more than twelve to fifteen knots; the _Stella_ would steam round -her, and from the moment these beggars shove their yacht’s nose out of -the harbour, you’ll keep almost within hailing distance. That’s where I -want you. They’ll shut me into the cabin and as soon as it’s daylight -I’ll hang a handkerchief or a pillow-case or something out of the -porthole, and you’ll make trouble for my hosts.” - -“Of course they’ll stop directly and say ‘thank you, sir,’ and go down -on their knees and ask me to come on board and kick ’em,” he gibed with -a heave of his big shoulders. - -“It doesn’t matter what they say, it’s what you’ll do, Jack. Haven’t -we got a couple of guns? And couldn’t you give the thing a pretty loud -advertisement? And do you think they’ll relish to have you firing a -royal salute within a league or so of the shore? And can’t we get some -cartridges that aren’t blank in the city to-morrow? And would they -enjoy their breakfast nicely if you sent a shot into the _Rampallo’s_ -hull? Or couldn’t the old man run the _Stella_ alongside in the old -grappling-iron style?” - -“Piracy now, eh?” - -“Yes, piracy, if it comes to it. But it won’t. What I’m after is this. -Sign on an extra crew to-morrow and get ’em on the _Stella_ quietly. -When you see my signal, sheer close up, fire a blank cartridge and -order them to stop. Get our men aboard somehow or anyhow; and then -we’ll send the _Rampallo_ off to sea with the whole of them in her as -prisoners and keep them away a week. By that time I shall have had time -to straighten things out in the city. And now I’ll tell you exactly -what we’ve got to do to-morrow;” and I went very carefully over the -whole ground, filling in the gaps and elaborating the details and -mapping out the whole of the day’s work before us. - -As soon as the dawn broke, Burroughs and I steamed over to the Eastern -landing-stage and made a careful survey of the scene of operations. -There were half a dozen places where we could lie hidden in the larger -shed, and as I had hoped, it had an opening at the back, and the doors -were so close together that it would be difficult for any one at the -spot where the carriage was to remain to be certain which one a person -leaving either would use. - -I explained everything as I had planned it; and as we ran back to -the _Stella_ to snatch three or four hours’ sleep, I arranged that -Burroughs should take Bryant down to the place during the day and -explain things to him. - -As soon as we were up, the skipper was called to a consultation and his -work assigned to him. He was to engage the spare crew, buy some ball -cartridges and half a dozen pair of handcuffs, and lay in a store of -provisions to put on the _Rampallo_ sufficient for a week’s cruise, if -the scheme went right. - -With Burroughs I went to my rooms and we explained Bryant’s part to him -and sent him off to get the necessary disguises--shooting rigs such as -were in common enough use, and three light dustcoats for us to wear -over the disguises in driving to the landing-stage. For me he was also -to get some padding to fill out my spare figure to something like the -proportions of His Majesty, and a quantity of small shot, intended -to increase my weight, lest my abductors should detect the deception -when they found I was two or three stone lighter than their august and -portly monarch ought to be. - -The arrangements of these matters occupied nearly all the morning. - -Next, I sent Burroughs to Miralda to tell her to find some means of -preventing Vasco from taking any part in the night’s work. If necessary -Burroughs was to frighten her into compliance, but not to say what was -actually on foot. If no other way could be found, Miralda was to drug -Vasco. But by fair means or foul, he must be prevented from leaving the -house, or his life would be in danger. - -This was essential in view of the line I meant to take with Volheno and -the authorities in the event of success. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII - -READY - - -I was busy with the final touches to my shooting rig when Burroughs -returned bringing Miralda’s promise to do what I asked. - -“She is going to stop him somehow, Ralph. I think she’ll drug him if -he gives any trouble. He was evidently gloriously drunk last night -and he turned up this morning--his friends of the _Rampallo_ took him -back--and is all to pieces, she told me. He had already let out enough -to scare her out of her senses almost, and she jumped at the chance of -saving him from trouble.” - -“Did she want to know things?” - -“Well, what do you think? She has a way with her, too; and I was glad -to get out of fire of her eyes--or she’d have had the whole business -out of me.” - -“Any message for me?” I asked casually. - -“No, nothing particular, of course,” he replied in the same tone, with -a grin. “I don’t wonder you’re willing to do things now. Hanged if I -wouldn’t be. She wanted to know that you weren’t running any risks; but -she didn’t seem to fancy that a rough sort of sea-dog like me was the -sort of message carrier she ought to choose, so she made a postman of -me;” and he put down a letter and went out of the room saying he wanted -to tell Simmons something. - -It was the first letter I had ever received from Miralda, and I did -what I suppose nine out of ten mooncalves would have done. I just sat -staring at the envelope for a while, as if it were an amulet with a -thousand mystic virtues, and looking round to make sure I was alone, -I kissed it--yes, and more than once, before I thought of such a -commonplace thing as opening it. - -It was very simply worded. - - “I will of course do what you ask; and I think I am half disappointed - you have asked so little of me--a something to help others, not - you yourself. Your friend’s manner shows me that he at any rate - recognizes the dangers of the task you are attempting, whatever that - may be. I know it would be useless to try and dissuade you from it; - and I suppose I cannot help you. But I can pray for you. With all my - heart and soul I do. God keep you safe and unharmed, and give you - success. - - “MIRALDA.” - -It is difficult even to suggest how this letter moved me. - -Like a pause of peace and hope and love in the midst of the strenuous -hurly-burly of the struggle, it seemed; a favour on the lance of -a knight setting out to battle for the woman of his heart; a kiss -imprinted on the shield with love’s whispered blessing. For the -moment all else in the world was nothing, and Miralda was all in all. -Everything was forgotten as my thoughts wandered among the fairy groves -of that mystic domain of ecstatic oblivion--the rhapsody of a lover who -knows that he may hope. - -“Shall I sew these shot pads together, sir?” - -It was Bryant’s respectful voice, and it brought me to earth as if I -had dropped from a balloon. - -“Eh? Oh. Yes. No. I’ll see to it in a moment,” I muttered incoherently, -as my thoughts were knitting themselves together. “Don’t go, Bryant;” -and with an effort I told him what I wished and sent him away. - -The dream was broken, but I folded Miralda’s letter and was putting it -next my heart, when common sense prevailed over romance. I might fail. -If I did and were searched, the letter, instead of an amulet protecting -me from danger, might prove a serious peril for her. So I lit a match, -and kissed the paper once more, and burnt it. - -Then Burroughs returned to discuss where we had better have the launch -in waiting for him to get back to the _Stella_. This proved to be, -however, only the preface to a change he wished to make in the plan. - -“You don’t seem to think that you’ll be in any danger while you’re in -the hands of these fellows on the _Rampallo_, Ralph?” - -“No. I shall take a revolver with me, of course. There’ll be plenty of -chance of concealing it under all that padding.” - -“Well, I’ve thought of something. When the time comes for us to hail -their boat in the morning, it would give them a much bigger scare if it -was you who hailed them. I’m afraid of that part of the business, you -know.” - -He spoke with such earnestness that he showed his meaning at once. “Why -not say it plump out, Jack?” I asked with a smile. - -“Confound you, don’t you understand? That part of the affair will need -a longer head than mine to manage.” - -“What I do understand is that you don’t agree with me about there being -no danger for the prisoner on the _Rampallo_ and that you want to be -the prisoner instead of me. Don’t you think it’s like your infernal -conceit to want to cast yourself for the star part?” - -“Oh, come off,” he growled. “There’s no earthly good in your keeping -the star part for yourself.” - -“Didn’t you give me the cheering opinion that I should find a bullet in -my head when they discovered me?” - -“I’m serious, Ralph.” - -“Well then, answer me this. If I’m right and there is no danger, I run -no risk. And if you’re right and there is danger, why should I shove -you into it instead of myself?” - -“Fifty reasons. If anything happened to you the whole thing would be -spoilt.” - -“Not a bit of it. We should still have wrecked this little -revolutionary move and you could carry out the rest of the plan with -the much stronger card that these beggars would have to answer for what -they might have done to me.” - -“Yes, but hang it all, man, there’s--there’s the girl,” he said, -hesitatingly and almost nervously. - -“You don’t want to make me jealous, do you?” - -“Don’t rot, Ralph. I’m in earnest.” - -“The offer is just what I should expect from you, but I must see the -thing through myself. If there is any risk, it must be mine.” - -“I’d much rather----” - -“No, Jack,” I interposed, shaking my head. His offer moved me deeply. -It was just like his whole-hearted friendship to wish to take the risk, -especially as he believed it to be much more serious than I did. Big -or little, however, that risk must be mine. But his disappointment was -both genuine and keen. - -“I must go out now,” I said a moment later. “I have to see Dagara, and -while I’m away, you’d better take Bryant down to the landing-stage and -put him through his paces.” - -He got up with a smile and a heave of his broad shoulders. “You’re an -obstinate devil, Ralph,” he said: “and it would serve you right if I -chucked the whole thing.” - -“Look here. I’ll put it another way. If our positions were reversed, -would you let me take the star part?” - -“I don’t want any of your conundrums,” he grunted, and went off to call -Bryant. - -Acting on my resolve to avoid even remote risks, I took Simmons with me -to M. Volheno’s bureau. - -I found Dagara on the look-out for me, and the moment I asked for M. -Volheno, he came out of an adjoining room. - -“M. Volheno is not in, Mr. Donnington,” he said, for the benefit of the -clerks round. “Can I be of any assistance?” - -“I only wished to ask a simple question.” - -“Will you come into my room?” and he led the way. - -“Well? Have you any further information for me?” I asked as soon as he -had closed the door carefully behind us. - -“No, Mr. Donnington.” - -“There is no change in the arrangements for His Majesty’s arrival -to-night?” - -“None whatever, but--but I want to speak to you. I can’t bear this any -longer. I have decided to tell M. Volheno everything.” - -If he did anything of the sort, of course there was an end to all my -plans, and therefore to all my hopes of getting Miralda out of the -trouble. But it would not do to let him see it. - -“I think you are quite right.” - -He was as much surprised as I intended him to be. “I scarcely expected -you to agree so readily. But after my promise to you, I felt I must let -you know first.” - -“I am not involved, M. Dagara. You are in a very trying -position--purgatory, as you term it--but your ruin and imprisonment -cannot in any way affect any one but yourself and your wife and -children, of course.” - -“My wife and children?” he echoed blankly. - -“No, not your children, perhaps. Your friends will no doubt be able to -take care of them. Your wife, only, I should have said.” - -“But she has had nothing to do with this betrayal of information.” - -I perceived then that he had not decided to confess, but was only -contemplating the step. “You are rather shortsighted, surely, if -you think that those whom you are going to give up to justice will -not retaliate. You must reckon that they will do their utmost to be -revenged, and that utmost will include your wife.” - -“You don’t think I should confess, then?” - -“On the contrary, I think you should have told everything long ago; but -you might have taken the precaution of sending your wife out of the -country. Is she strong enough to bear imprisonment? You know what hells -your Portuguese prisons are.” - -“It would kill her in a week,” he groaned. - -“It is clearly your duty, but I am sorry for her.” - -“I have not the means to send her away. O God, I’d kill myself if I -dared, but that would only leave her destitute and at the mercy of the -men who have destroyed me.” - -“You have destroyed yourself,” I said sternly. “But I have no time to -discuss this with you. So far as I am concerned, I prefer that you -include every detail of our interview yesterday in your confession to -M. Volheno. Hide nothing, for I have nothing to fear.” - -Having made him believe that I was indifferent, I rose and turned to -the door, and then paused. - -“I don’t know that I have quite understood one thing you said--about -not having means to send your wife away. Does that mean that you have -no money.” - -“Yes,” he replied disconsolately. “My salary is not large and I cannot -save.” - -“Oh, if that’s all, you must allow my pity for your wife and children -to take a practical shape. How much money would she require?” - -“I don’t know,” he said, wringing his hands fatuously. - -“Try and think it out, then;” and while he was doing this I turned my -side of the matter over and came to the conclusion that as his presence -was a menace to Miralda’s safety, the sooner he was out of Lisbon the -better. The moment this abduction plot failed, a dozen informers were -certain to offer evidence, and he and his wife would certainly be -accused. - -“About two hundred and fifty milreis, Mr. Donnington,” he said, looking -up at last. - -“Well, you asked my advice just now, and I’ll give it you. You are -ill both in mind and body. Any one can see that, and in such a -condition, no one can form a calm judgment. Ask M. Volheno to give you -a fortnight’s holiday and leave the country to-night. I will give you -double the sum you ask for now. Go to Paris and give your address to -M. Madrillo, at the Spanish Embassy. He will let me know it and I will -send you another two hundred and fifty milreis, and will let you know -the position here.” - -I put the money on the table and the tears were in his eyes as he -seized my hand and pressed it in both of his. - -“Don’t give way, man. If I find that it is not safe for you to return -here, I will interest myself to find you employment either in Paris or -elsewhere. Don’t thank me, but prove your gratitude by going straight -for the future;” and I hurried away. It was worth many times the money -to secure the delay for Miralda, and his excessive gratitude tended to -make me feel rather mean. - -Burroughs and Bryant had not returned when I reached my rooms, so I -went once more carefully over every detail of my scheme in a kind of -mental rehearsal. There was only one point which gave me any qualms -now. We three had to get into the shed on the wharf without being seen -and conceal ourselves, and yet be able to learn the precise moment of -the king’s arrival. - -Burroughs had been worrying over the same thing, it turned out, and had -not been idle. - -“We’ve made a useful friend, Ralph,” he said when he arrived. “Got hold -of the wharf watchman. He’s a Spaniard, and Bryant’s Spanish came in -very handy. He managed to find out how things go down there. He shuts -the big shed at seven o’clock and we must be inside before then. We -can manage it all right. That Bryant has his head screwed on the right -way. He promised to go to the man’s house to-night at nine o’clock; so -that if we show up about half-past six, he’s going to meet him and take -him away while he explains why he can’t keep the appointment. We shall -slip in then, and Bryant will get rid of him and join us by the back -entrance. A screwdriver will do the rest.” - -“A screwdriver.” - -“We had a good look at the lock on that back door and five minutes will -have it off.” - -“I’d been worrying about that part of the thing. But time’s getting on. -We’d better have something to eat and get ready.” - -The business of dressing occupied some time. We all wore the hunting -rigs over our ordinary clothes; as both Burroughs and Bryant were to -get rid of theirs as soon as possible after the purpose for which they -were needed was achieved. - -We sent Simmons and Foster off to the yacht and locked the flat up for -the night. - -We looked rather like three squat square Dutchmen as we set off; but -the long grey dustcoats rendered us sufficiently inconspicuous, and -as the weather had changed and the light was bad, we attracted no -attention in the streets. - -The wind was rising and a light rain falling, and there was every -promise of a somewhat dirty night. This was all the better for our -purpose. - -When we were near the landing-stage, Bryant went on ahead in search of -the new friend he had made and presently we saw the two together close -to the sheds. They stood talking for a few minutes and then walked -away, and disappeared round the end of the further building. - -“He lives over that way,” said Burroughs. “We may safely go.” - -The rain was falling fast now and the wind coming in gusty squalls -across the bay and not a soul was to be seen as we slipped into the -shed. - -We hid ourselves among a large quantity of hay, and were scarcely -settled when some one else entered the shed, and I heard him clamber -among some big packing cases. I jumped to the conclusion that either we -had been seen or that Volheno had decided to put a police agent on the -watch. - -I dared not speak to Burroughs, and in this trying uncertainty we -waited until the watchman entered, gave a casual glance round with his -lantern, and then locked the doors. - -I racked my wits to know what to do about the unwelcome interloper. -Bryant might come to the back entrance at any minute, and we should be -instantly discovered. - -Then to my profound relief I heard his voice. - -“Are you there, sir?” he asked in a whisper. - -“Phew, how that shook me up!” exclaimed Burroughs. “How did you get in, -Bryant?” - -“I got rid of the man at his house door as he was going to fetch his -overalls, so I came on at once, sir.” - -“All right. But I wish you had said who you were. Get to work with that -lock.” - -In a few minutes all was ready and we waited anxiously for the sound of -the king’s approach. - -We heard the arrival of the officers in the adjoining shed and could -even catch the low hum of their voices. - -The suspense was not a little trying; and I was intensely glad when the -whistle of a launch announced that the king was coming. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII - -ON THE _RAMPALLO_ - - -Whenever I read of an actor playing for the first time a part which -is to make or mar his reputation, my thoughts fly back to that wet -squally evening on the Lisbon water-front. The big warehouse with its -piles of varied merchandise; the curiously composite smell with its -predominating scent of hay; the creaking of the tall slide doors at the -front as the wind dashed at them and whistled through the crevices and -whispered and rustled in the cavernous gloom of the building, the hiss -and spume of the waters of the bay, and Burroughs, Bryant and I grouped -together by the smaller door as I stood listening intently for the cue -to “go on.” - -I was, and yet was not, nervous. That is, I was sure of myself and -confident of success, was quite cool, and had not a thought of -shrinking from the scene to be played; but at the same time my pulses -were beating very fast, my tongue was dry, and I kept moistening my -lips and biting them, and I could not keep my hands still nor my -fingers from fidgetting, and I am sure I was very pale. - -I knew that success or failure might turn upon my giving the signal to -leave the shed at exactly the right moment. If I went too soon, the men -waiting at the end of the narrow passage would know the king had not -had time to pass through the shed from the launch. If I delayed too -long, the king himself might come out before the “abduction” had taken -place. - -Yet I had nothing to guide me. After the whistle of the launch we could -not hear a sound to indicate what was passing--the racket of the wind -made that impossible. Had I foreseen this, I saw how simply I could -have avoided this perplexity. A hole or two bored in the big gates or -a brick loosened in the partition wall between the two sheds would -have sufficed; and I cursed my stupidity in having lost sight of the -precaution. - -“Can you hear anything?” I whispered to Burroughs, but both he and -Bryant were in the same dismayed perplexity as I. - -“There seems a hitch somewhere,” he whispered back. - -“Well, I shan’t wait any longer,” I decided a moment later, and I -opened the door with as little noise as possible. - -It creaked horribly on the hinges, however, and jammed half-way, and I -caught my breath, fearing that the wrench I had to give it must surely -be heard by those in the adjoining shed. Then the wind came rushing -through with most disconcerting violence; and I only just succeeded in -preventing the door from slamming to with a tell-tale bang. - -“A bold face on it, and we shall soon know,” I said as we started -through the drenching rain squall. - -Burroughs went in front with Bryant close to his side, while I kept -behind as I did not wish the man who was on the look-out to see that -there were two replicas of the king’s august person. - -The rain gave us invaluable help, for it rendered impossible any exact -recognition of us by the man on the watch. - -We walked some ten yards along the narrow passage before he even saw -us. Then he waved his whip, jerked at his horses, and began to back -them past the end of the building to our left. - -At that moment the strenuous excitement was relieved by a touch of -the ludicrous. In the preoccupation of the period of suspense I had -forgotten to stick on the false moustache without which any imposture -would have been instantly detected. - -I called to the others to halt a moment, and fishing the thing out of -my pocket I dabbed it on, and had to hold it in its place by crinkling -my upper lip against my nose. - -Burroughs and Bryant turned back; and I pulled my felt hat well down -over my face, held my head down as if to avoid the pelting rain and -hurried on alone. - -On reaching the corner I purposely quickened my pace, and as I -turned, something was thrown over my head, a hand was clapped to my -mouth--outside the cloak fortunately, otherwise it might have been my -moustache only which would have been abducted--and I was lifted off my -feet and carried bodily away. - -I made a pretence of struggling. - -“No harm will happen to you unless you resist or try to cry out,” said -a voice sternly. - -I felt I could safely desist, therefore, and let them carry me the -rest of the distance to the launch, where I was placed in the little -deckhouse with a couple of men to hold me down. - -I made another feeble struggle then, and once more I was ordered with -threats to lie still. - -In the struggle I managed to get my hands up to my face and luckily -found the moustache which I stuck on again. - -Almost immediately afterwards, I was turned face downwards, and -the covering cloak or cloth or whatever it was, was pulled back -sufficiently to allow of a revolver being thrust against my head. - -“If you dare even to look round, I shall fire,” said the same voice, -and I replied with an appropriate shiver of fear. I chuckled as I -realized that the men were as anxious I should not see their faces as -I was that they should not see mine. - -Next I felt a hand on my forehead, my face was lifted an inch or two, -and a thick wide scarf, in which a gag was fastened, was wound twice -round my head and fastened at the back, and then my hands were tied -behind me. - -It was extremely uncomfortable, of course, and I had great difficulty -in breathing, but that was all. A very small discount from the success -which I had scored. - -After that I was left to my own meditations, and I guessed that I was -not one whit less excited or ill at ease than my captors. My one qualm -was whether the scarf would be taken off before I was left in the -cabin which was in readiness for me on the _Rampallo_. If it was, then -the confounded moustache would assuredly go with it and that farcical -incident might prove to be the curtain raiser to a very serious drama -and possibly a tragedy. - -But the men’s unwillingness to let me see their faces was a fact of -auspicious promise, and I judged that their reluctance would not -lessen until they were practically certain their desperate venture had -succeeded. So long as failure was a possible contingency, it would be -practicable for them to make a bolt of it in a body, with much less -risk of recognition than if “His Majesty” had seen that his abductors -were officers whom he knew well by sight and probably by name. - -Nor could they be absolutely certain of success until the _Rampallo_ -was many knots on her way to Oporto. They would naturally calculate -that the abduction would be discovered almost at once; and were no -doubt afraid that the authorities would be roused to prompt and -energetic action, with the result that the yacht might be stopped -before she could get out of the river. - -I persuaded myself, therefore, that the risk of my impersonation being -detected was over for some hours at least, and as this was the most -comforting thought for me, there was no good purpose to be gained by -anticipating trouble. - -The launch was a vile sea boat. She kicked about and tossed and pitched -like the ill-behaved cockle-shell she was, and, as I was powerless to -help myself, I rolled about the floor like a bale of goods or a very -intoxicated monarch; and the man in charge understood neither how to -manage her properly nor how to make matters easier for his “king.” - -I was heartily glad, therefore, when we bumped alongside the _Rampallo_ -and I was hoisted aboard. They handled me with all the clumsiness of -nervous amateurs, and I think that was the moment of my greatest peril, -for the launch danced and bobbed about so much that they nearly dropped -me into the river. - -But they did not unfasten the scarf, and I was taken below into a -cabin, laid on the berth, my hands still tied and the gag in position, -and locked in. - -Had they peeped in a few minutes later they would have been -considerably surprised. They were as great bunglers in tying my hands -as they were in managing the launch, and I had not the least difficulty -in wriggling my arms free. A vigorous tug tore off the head-gear, -wig, and all, and as there were a couple of serviceable bolts on the -door I shot them home softly, and indulged in the luxury of unimpeded -breathing. It had not occurred to them apparently, that “His Majesty” -might be quite as anxious to keep them out of the cabin as they were to -keep him in; otherwise they would have removed the door fastenings. - -Then I closed the porthole and covered it over, took off the -shot-weighed shooting rig, and with my revolver ready at hand, I threw -myself at full length on the bunk to cool and wait for the next act. - -I was in darkness, of course, but by feeling the hands of my watch I -found the time to be just nine o’clock. It would be dawn between four -and five; and I had thus some seven or eight hours to wait before -signalling to Burroughs on the _Stella_. I was now quite easy in mind -about the issue, and as no one could enter the cabin without making -noise enough to wake me, there was no reason why I should not go to -sleep. - -The yacht was under weigh almost as soon as I was placed in the cabin -and, so far as I could gauge the speed, was making no more than from -ten to twelve knots. - -I was just dropping off to sleep when some one tried the door and was -apparently very much astonished to find it fastened on my side. It must -have seemed something like a conjuring trick for a “king” gagged and -bound, as I was, to have accomplished such a feat. - -I took no notice, of course. There was some whispered consultation -followed by more knocking and more whispering, and then I was left at -peace. They concluded, no doubt, that as they could force the door -at any time, there was no use in doing so until we were near Oporto; -and that if I preferred to remain gagged, instead of allowing them to -release me, the “royal” prerogative entitled me to punish myself. - -Anyhow, they went away and I went to sleep, and did not wake until -the dawn was breaking. I had very little doubt that I passed a more -comfortable night than any one else on the yacht. - -I opened the porthole and shoving my head through was intensely pleased -to see the _Stella_ under easy steam about a mile astern. I waved a -towel as a signal to the skipper to close up, and having edged it and -left it fluttering, I looked carefully to see that my revolver was -loaded, and sat down to speculate as to what form the crisis would take. - -As the _Stella_ could steam two knots to the _Rampallo’s_ one, a few -minutes after my signal was observed would bring matters to a head. -But those minutes might bring trouble my way, of course. - -The first sign of it was a hurried trampling of feet on the deck over -my head, followed almost directly by a loud knocking at my cabin door -and an angry demand for me to open it. - -I let them knock and call as they pleased and then some one said that -the door was to be broken in. But I did not wish that to be done and -did wish to make delay, so I rapped back loudly with the butt of my -revolver. - -“Open the door at once,” came in loud angry tones. - -Putting my handkerchief to my mouth I yelled back a lot of muffled -unintelligible gibberish. An altercation followed in which they -continued to call to me to open and I replied with the same sort of rot -and played with the bolts as if fumbling in an attempt to unfasten them. - -In this way I gained two or three invaluable minutes, and a glance out -of the porthole showed me that the _Stella_ was coming up very fast. - -Their impatience drove them to act at last; and the first blow was -struck to force the way in. - -“Wait. I’ll open it,” I shouted. - -I drew the bolts and stepped back as a hail came across the water in -Burroughs’ stentorian tones. - -There are many ways of showing astonishment, and most of them were -conspicuous as the door flew open and four men started to rush in and -then jumped back from my levelled weapon. - -“Well, gentlemen, I should like to know what the devil you mean by -kidnapping me in this way,” I sang out and then, to their further -astonishment, I burst out laughing. - -If my life had depended upon my keeping serious, I could not have -helped laughing at the ridiculous figures they cut. It was not so much -their boundless amazement at seeing me instead of the king, nor their -quick retreat from my weapon, but their general appearance which was -so irresistibly comic. - -They wore neither coat, waistcoat, nor collar, their trousers were -rolled up to the knees, in their shirts of finest linen were gold -studs and the sleeves were rolled up to the elbows, their boots were -faultless in fit, all four wore gloves, and two of them carried -pince-nez; while from the top to toe they were smothered in a mixture -of machine oil, perspiration and coal dust. - -They looked for all the world like amateur greasers badly made up and -coming straight from the comic opera stage. - -“Who are you and where is----” stammered one of them, when a companion -stopped him and stepped forward. - -“Leave this to me,” he said and then to me: “Who are you?” - -“I am the king of Portugal, of course--Dom Carlos,” I replied, trying -to keep my face straight. “Where is Captain Gompez?” - -“I am Captain Gompez.” - -“I’m afraid you’ve had rather a rough night of it, captain. Stokehole -work is trying for an amateur.” - -“Who are you, sir? I’m in no mood for fooling.” - -“I should think not after such an experience. But as you are the owner -of this boat, tell me why you brought me here?” - -As I said this I saw one of the younger men--a red-headed, -fiery-looking fellow--pull off his gloves furtively and begin to reach -for his hip pocket. “If either of you attempts to draw on me I shall -fire at whoever’s nearest to me,” I sang out in a very different tone. - -Captain Gompez was the nearest and he promptly turned and stopped the -fellow who then tried to sneak away. - -But I wouldn’t have that either. “You stop just where you are,” I -said. “I’m like your leader here--in no mood for fooling.” - -At this moment Burroughs fired the blank cartridge from the _Stella_, -and some one called excitedly for Captain Gompez. - -Taken aback by the unexpected development, all four started and I took -advantage of the moment when their eyes were off me to grab hold of the -captain and drag him into the cabin and then slammed the door to and -shot home one of the bolts. - -“Now we can talk this----” - -Before I could finish the sentence he flung himself upon me with an -oath in a desperate effort to grab my weapon, while he shouted to the -others to break in the door. - -Like a fool I had allowed myself to be taken by surprise, and in a -second he had me pinned against the wall and at a terrible disadvantage. - -I could not use my weapon, and my life depended on my preventing him -from getting it. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV - -A TIGHT CORNER - - -Captain Gompez was about my own height but very strong, as agile as a -cat, and mad with rage. Under equal conditions I should have had no -chance in such a struggle with him. Fortunately for me, however, the -conditions were not equal. - -He had been up all night, hard at work in laborious and unusual toil. -He was responsible for the management of the _Rampallo_ and had had to -teach his crew of amateurs their work, and he was also the leader in -this critical part of the abduction plot. The combined strain of all -this had told on him and made tremendous demands upon his strength and -endurance. - -At the same time, he had the two most powerful motives which can drive -a man to set his life on an issue such as that involved in this attack -on me. He knew that in some way I had thwarted the plot, and the -knowledge filled him with a frenzy of rage, while he believed that, on -his success in overpowering me, depended not only his own safety but -that of all who were relying upon his leadership. This rendered him -desperate. - -My advantage was that I was as fresh as paint after the hours of sleep -I had had during the night; and I felt that if I could hold my own in -the first minutes of the affair, the frantic efforts he was making -would tire him out and give me the victory. Time would give me another -advantage. The _Stella_ would soon be alongside, when Burroughs would -quickly have command of the _Rampallo_. - -The struggle between us began in a somewhat curious fashion. The attack -had taken me by surprise, as I have said, and forced me back against -the side of the cabin. As he grabbed for the revolver, I shot my right -hand up as high as I could stretch it, to hold the weapon out of his -reach. You may have seen one child use a similar tactic when teasing -another, and you may know how difficult it is to bend an arm held rigid -in such a position, when there is no marked advantage in height. - -That was the problem the captain had to solve, and he fought with -tremendous energy. He held my right wrist in his left, tugging and -straining to lever it down so that he might venture to release his -right, which held my left in a grip of steel, and grab the prize. - -His shouts to the others to break the door open were not answered, and -he soon ceased to call, concentrating all his strength in the struggle -for my weapon. - -He displayed such strength that I realized he would beat me before the -energy which frenzy gave him was exhausted; and as I was convinced that -the first use he would make of his victory would be to put a bullet -into my head, I resolved to empty the revolver as a defensive measure. - -I fired three shots in rapid succession when he suddenly released my -left arm and fastened both hands on my right wrist and tugged and -strained at it in the desperate effort to drag the weapon within his -reach. - -This was more than I could resist, and I thought he would dislocate my -shoulder and wrench the sinews. But I succeeded in discharging two more -cartridges before my power of resistance was broken, and then I let the -weapon fall and at the same moment I got my left hand on his throat and -pressing my foot against the wall pushed him violently backwards. - -The manœuvre took him by surprise and he slipped and fell, dragged me -down with him, to resume the struggle under different conditions. I had -some advantage now, however. I was top dog. But he writhed and wriggled -with such agility that I could make little use of my position. - -He fought at this stage like a savage. He kicked me viciously, butted -my face with his head, tried every trick to get his hands on my throat, -writhing the while like a snake to change his position so that he could -wriggle back to the spot where the revolver lay, the possession of -which meant life or death to me and freedom or ruin to him. - -Again I realized that he was the better man and that I was going to -be beaten. By a very clever movement he got me again at a terrible -disadvantage. I was holding on to his throat when he twisted to one -side, drew his knees up with a sudden jerk and thrust one of his feet -into the pit of my stomach with such force as to drive the wind clean -out of me. My grip on his throat relaxed and I fell back sick and dizzy -and beaten. - -Only the merest luck saved my life then. As I fell, my hand came in -contact with the revolver and I gripped it and pulled the trigger. Even -as the shot flashed, he was on to me; and he wrenched the weapon from -me, and pulled the trigger three or four times at my head in the hope -that there was still a cartridge left. - -Maddened with rage and disappointment he raised it and tried to strike -me on the head; but I had sense enough to protect myself with my arms, -and then my rage began to lend me strength. I grappled with him again, -and as the effects of the kick passed off and I recovered my wind, I -renewed the fight. - -I was in a very different mood now. He had attempted to take my life -and I no longer tried merely to exhaust his strength. I fought like a -madman. For the moment, indeed, I was mad, crazed with blood lust, -white-hot for revenge. - -Disappointment at finding the weapon, which he had striven so -frantically to gain, useless, disheartened him; his strength was nearly -used up and he had no passion left to answer to that which burned like -a fever in me. - -I got him under me again, my left hand fastened on his throat while I -dashed my fist again and again into his face, finding a brutal pleasure -in the punishment I inflicted, until his resistance weakened and he lay -still and helpless. - -Then I rose and sat on the berth, breathing hard and watching him as -if he were some dangerous wild beast who had mauled me and from whose -fangs I had only just escaped with my life--as indeed I had. - -I was not seriously hurt. That kick of his had only winded me. My -arms were painful from the blows I had received from the revolver in -shielding my head, but they were only bruised, and I had every cause to -be glad matters were no worse. - -Nor was my opponent badly injured. His face was damaged and his lips -swollen and bleeding, but the blood was chiefly from his nose; and he -soon recovered sufficiently to sit up. - -His first movement brought me to my feet, but he had no strength left -to make any fight. Moreover my own rage had cooled and, to tell the -truth, I was a little ashamed of my savagery; so I made no effort to -interfere with him. - -He spat out some of the blood from his mouth and had plenty more on his -face, so I threw him a towel. - -“Are you going to try any more of this?” I asked. - -He was wiping his face with the towel, and paused to look up at me, -shook his head, and continued his task. - -At that moment the _Stella_ came alongside with a force which sent a -shiver through the _Rampallo_ from stern to stern; and the sounds of -the trampling of many feet on the deck above our heads followed. - -“What’s that?” he exclaimed and started to scramble up. - -“You’ll find it safer to stop just where you are,” I said curtly. - -He glanced up at me and, not liking my looks, abandoned the attempt. -“What is the meaning of it all?” he asked sullenly. - -“I was on this boat the night before last when you were all discussing -your plans and I decided to play the king’s part in this business.” - -“You?” and he ran his eyes over my much slighter form. - -“You’ll find the remainder of His Majesty under the bunk here; the -shot-weighted clothes and all the rest of it.” - -“And what’s your object?” - -“Never mind. I had one and have gained it. My yacht, the _Stella_, -followed us all through the night; and the row up there means that my -men have just come aboard.” - -The racket on deck was dying down now and I soon heard Burroughs -calling my name loudly and anxiously. - -“Donnington! Ralph! Where are you?” - -I opened the cabin door and answered him. - -“Is all well with you?” he cried, eagerly. “I was getting worried about -you.” - -“It’s all right, Jack, but it was touch and go, owing to Captain Gompez -here, the leader of the lot.” - -“Been making trouble, has he? Have you left any kick in him?” - -“What are you going to do with us?” interposed Gompez. - -“Send you to sea for a week in charge of my friend here, Mr. -Burroughs--and a crew chosen from my own yacht. At the end of that -time I shall probably hand you over to the authorities with a full -statement of all this.” - -“I protest----” he began angrily. - -“Waste of time,” I cut in laconically. “Bring him along to the rest, -Jack.” - -We went to the yacht’s saloon where the other prisoners were. Burroughs -had done things thoroughly. There were seven of them, and he had -handcuffed them all and put a couple of men over them, with loaded -revolvers. - -“I’m taking no risks, Ralph,” said Burroughs in explanation, and then -fastened Captain Gompez’ wrists in similar fashion. - -A more dejected forlorn set of men I had never cast eyes on. Grimed -from head to foot, worn out with sleeplessness, toil and anxiety, they -were broken by the utter defeat of their scheme and the certainty that -ruin, disgrace, dishonour and possibly death was all they had to face. -Two or three had dozed off, and the rest turned as I entered and looked -at me with lack-lustre eyes without even the energy to show anger. - -Among those who were asleep, or feigning sleep, was Sampayo. He was -in a corner at the far end, his face averted and his head sunk on his -breast. The arrival of the _Stella_ had warned him that I was at the -bottom of the trouble, and he and the red-headed young fellow who had -tried to draw on me before had been the only ones to give trouble; but -they had gained nothing by it except a crack on the head. - -Sampayo was not of course aware that I knew he was on board, and his -present attitude was probably due to the hope that he would escape my -notice. - -“You can tell your companions my decision, Captain Gompez,” I said, and -went away with Burroughs to arrange for the stores to be transferred -from the _Stella_ and discuss the steps he was to take to guard against -any trouble from the prisoner-passengers. - -“I shall run no risks, Ralph. I’ve been looking round and I can -separate them and shall keep them fastened up. The old man and I -discussed the course I’d better lay. There’s none too much coal on -board, so I shall steam due west for a day and if the weather holds -good shall just crawl about until the time’s up, and I’ve arranged -where he can pick us up if you want to before the week’s out. And of -course I shall keep well away from any vessels that may came along.” - -The two yachts were still roped together, and while the stores were -transferred I went down to the “king’s” cabin and told Burroughs to -send Sampayo to me. - -“I have sent for you to write a brief letter to Dr. Barosa telling him -what has occurred,” I said without preface. - -“What use are you going to make of it?” - -“Just what I decide. It is possible that I may not speak of this thing -at all.” - -“I’ll tell you everything if you’ll put me ashore,” he said after a -pause. - -“Characteristic, but out of the question.” - -“Then I won’t write a word.” - -“Very well. Then I’ll get one of the others.” - -He looked at me eagerly, as if my words suggested a hope that matters -would be made easier if he complied. “Why do you want to hound us down?” - -“So far as you are concerned, your old companion, Prelot, will do that.” - -He caught his breath with a shudder at the mention of the name. “That -letter to Barosa will do no good. After you showed you knew about me, -I begged and prayed him to do the only thing that would get rid of -you--and he refused.” - -He paused as if waiting for me to question him. - -“He is mad with his love for Mademoiselle Dominguez,” he continued -after a pause. “I said that if he would let me break with her, you -would go away. He would not. It was he who planned that attempt on -your life the same night. He was with Henriques. He is mad, I say. -And nothing, not even this, will turn him from his purpose. He knows -something about that South African affair of mine, but not all. He has -had nearly all my money, he forced this farce of an engagement with -Mademoiselle Dominguez, and his intention was to use the influence he -would have if a revolution was provoked to force her to marry him. -That’s why she has been dragged into it, and he would sacrifice every -man of us rather than lose her. He would have been betrothed to her -openly, but he could not break with the Contesse Inglesia. Now you know -everything.” - -“I knew most of that before,” I replied drily. “But how did you get the -visconte’s consent?” - -He shrugged his shoulders. “He could not help himself. He was in this -thing also to some extent, but Barosa found out that he had been -stealing his wife’s money and I was put to threaten him with exposure -if he refused. I have been Barosa’s slave for months, curse him.” - -There was no mistaking the bitter sincerity of this. - -“You will do no good with the letter you want. It is more probable -that you will find that he fled from the city the moment he knew this -thing had failed and took Mademoiselle Dominguez with him. But if he is -still there, and still hopes to provoke a revolution, your only means -of dealing with him will be through the Contesse Inglesia. Rouse her -jealousy, and you may succeed. I would have done it, but I dared not.” - -I did not let him see my alarm at his suggestion that Barosa had forced -Miralda to fly with him, but I determined to get back to Lisbon as fast -as the _Stella_ could carry me. - -I took Sampayo back to the rest, wrote a line:--“We are prisoners in -the hands of Mr. Ralph Donnington, who knows everything;” and obtained -the signatures of them all to it; and then hurried up on deck. - -The _Stella_ was just casting off, and with a last handshake with -Burroughs, I jumped on board. - -“How long will it take us to get back to port, captain?” I asked the -skipper, who had good news for me. - -“We’re not much more than thirty-five knots out,” he said. “These -fools couldn’t get more than a few knots an hour out of the _Rampallo_ -and didn’t even know enough to keep a straight course. They’ve been -zigzagging about all night. Never saw such lubbers.” - -“Well, let her rip. I must be back at the earliest moment. Get all you -can out of her.” - -Sampayo’s words had fired me with impatience. A burning fever of unrest -had seized me and I should not know a second’s peace until I had -assured myself of Miralda’s safety. - -The bare thought that she might be in Barosa’s power and that the very -act by which I had striven and risked so much to win her, might prove -to be the means of losing her, was torture unutterable. - -The instant we were in the river I had the launch lowered and jumped -into her and shot away to the quay. - -A few minutes now would tell me the best or the worst. - - - - -CHARIER XXV - -ILL NEWS - - -Sampayo’s statement had not only roused my fears for Miralda’s safety -but had also decided me not to have any further dealings at all with -Barosa. As soon as I had satisfied myself that she was not in any -danger from him, I would go straight to Volheno and tell him about the -abduction plot and how it had been frustrated. - -I could make a full statement of that without in any way violating the -pledge of secrecy I had given to Barosa. That pledge did not include -either my previous knowledge that he was an agent of the Pretender, Dom -Miguel, or anything I had overheard on the _Rampallo_ and the results. - -I would keep my word in regard to all that had occurred in the Rua -Catania house and in the other house in the Rua Formosa, where I had -been subjected to the “test”; and should not give the names of any -one whose connexions with the plot I had learnt before my spy work on -Captain Gompez’ yacht. - -My intention was to make one condition--that Miralda, her mother, the -visconte, Vasco and, if possible, Dagara, should be pardoned for their -complicity in the affair. They had been forced into the net by Barosa’s -tortuous cunning, and that I could prove if put to it. - -I felt that I had a perfect right to impose such a condition as the -price of my services. I had thwarted the abduction plot, and my -own experiences proved that, but for me, nothing would have saved -the king. Moreover, I had risked my life--had very nearly lost it, -indeed--and, although I had chosen my own method instead of turning -informer in advance, that was my own concern. But the result had been -entirely successful, for it had led to my taking a batch of the men in -it red-handed. - -In making this decision to go at once to Volheno, I had none but -personal considerations. I had no interest in the political issues -involved in the struggle between the Throne and the people. They were -nothing to me. The Government managed their own affairs in their own -way; and if I had been fool enough to have offered them suggestions, -they would have laughed at me for an impertinent interfering puppy. - -At the same time, the part of informer was a profoundly hateful one to -play, and if I could have gained my end as easily and safely by dealing -direct with Barosa, I should have preferred that method. - -But he was too dangerous a man. I had far too high an opinion of his -ability, shrewdness and resource to believe for an instant that I could -pit myself against him. It was much more by accident than anything else -that I had obtained the whip-hand over him now; and it would be sheer -folly to run the risk of giving him an opportunity to outwit me, when a -word to Volheno would lay him by the heels. - -I took Bryant and Simmons ashore with me. I sent the latter up to my -rooms and, as I deemed it best not to go about alone, I drove with -Bryant to Miralda’s house and left him in the carriage to wait for me. - -My anxiety on Miralda’s account rendered me nervously uneasy. This -feeling quickened into alarm when the servant told me she was not in -the house. The viscontesse was at home and I sent a message begging her -to see me at once. - -The instant she entered the room I read ill news in her manner and -looks. She was greatly agitated, her face was white and drawn, her -eyes full of trouble, and she appeared both surprised and angry to see -me. She drew back and would not take my hand. “You asked for me, Mr. -Donnington? I wonder you dare to come here, sir.” - -“Dare to come?” I repeated, bewildered by this reception. - -“Why is not Miralda with you?” - -The question filled the cup of my alarm and amazement. - -“There is some mistake, viscontesse. I have just landed from my yacht -and have come straight here to see her.” - -“For Heaven’s sake do not try to deceive me. I know what has happened. -It was cruel and shameful. I have been beside myself with grief and -suspense.” - -“I give you my word of honour I have not seen Miralda since the day -before yesterday.” - -She stared at me as if unable to believe or even understand me. “Have -not seen her?” she repeated hoarsely, after a pause. “Oh, that cannot -be true.” - -“I assure you most earnestly and solemnly that it is true.” - -As the conviction of my sincerity was forced upon her, her expression -changed. The trouble in her wide, staring eyes gave place to -unmistakable terror inspired by her new thoughts. Suddenly she reeled, -threw up her hands in despair, and then clasped them distractedly to -her face and sank on a couch with a moan of anguish. - -“Then she is arrested or dead. Heaven have mercy upon my dear, dear -child,” she cried, a prey to overpowering emotion. - -I was scarcely less alarmed by this most disconcerting news, and while -the viscontesse was striving to recover some measure of self-command, I -tried to realize all it meant and to think what to do. - -“Don’t go, Mr. Donnington,” she said at length in the midst of her -sobs; and I waited, tormented by a thousand vague fears. - -“I beg you to tell me all as soon as possible. Even minutes may be of -vital importance,” I said earnestly. - -She made an effort to check her wild sobs. “But we cannot do anything,” -she wailed helplessly. - -“Not unless you can let me know what has happened,” I replied sharply. -“If anything is to be done, it must be at once.” - -“I will try to tell you,” she said a minute later, sitting up. - -“I know that Miralda was here yesterday,” I said, “because I sent to -her and received a letter from her. That was early in the afternoon. -Will you tell me everything that occurred after that?” - -“I know very little, Mr. Donnington. In the afternoon Inez came and -the two were alone together. Miralda came to me afterwards and I saw -that she was both greatly excited and distressed. It was in some way -connected with this miserable conspiracy business. She told me that -something very important was to happen; but that she herself did not -know what it was. She was to go for the evening to Inez. I was in great -trouble about Vasco, you know. He was in bed ill--he had been drinking -heavily the night before, I must tell you.” - -“Did he leave the house yesterday?” I interposed. - -“No. He was getting better toward the evening and said he had to go -out; but I went up later and found him sleeping so soundly that I could -not rouse him.” - -“Was Miralda in the house then?” - -“No, she had been gone about half an hour. Well, I waited by his -bedside for a long time, an hour or more--I could not say how long. -When Inez arrived I went down to her, and she asked me where Miralda -was. I said she had gone to her house. She had never reached there, -however; and then Inez said she had something very serious to tell me. -It was that Miralda had been in secret communication with you, and that -as some of their friends suspected you of having betrayed them in some -way, Miralda had also fallen under suspicion. She had disappeared, and -one of three things must be the cause. She had been arrested, or had -got into the hands of those who suspected her, or had run away with -you.” - -“Can you fix the time the contesse was here?” - -“Not that first visit, but she came again about ten o’clock, bringing -the news that your yacht had left the river and that it was plain that -Miralda had gone with you.” - -So the _Stella_ had been missed, it seemed. - -“What I tell you is true, viscontesse; I have not seen Miralda.” - -“You think she has been arrested then?” - -“It is impossible to be certain--but I do not think it.” - -“Oh, but don’t tell me you believe she has fallen into the hands of any -of these people who will do her mischief? They would kill her.” - -“Oh, no; I am certain that there is no fear of that.” I was, for it was -as clear as anything could be that Barosa would not allow anything of -the sort. - -“You are so positive. Do you know anything that makes you so?” - -“Yes; but I cannot tell you.” - -“You get to learn so much. I suppose you know that my husband has left -the city.” - -“No. When was that?” - -“You warned him one afternoon that he was under suspicion; and he left -the next night. He has gone to Paris.” - -“Would to Heaven you and Miralda had gone with him,” I exclaimed. - -“We were going; but Miralda was prevented.” - -“How prevented?” - -“Dr. Barosa and Inez arrived when all was ready, and after what they -said to her, she told me she could not go.” - -“But they let the visconte go?” - -“And I could have gone too--but I could not leave my dear child.” - -I began to get a grip of the situation now. - -“And Vasco? Can I see him?” - -“He is on duty this morning. He is better. What are you going to do?” -she asked as I rose. - -“To find Miralda.” - -“Pray God you may be successful. You will let me know?” - -With a promise to do so, I left her. I had very little doubt that I -should find Miralda with Inez. She had been taken away from her home -as the result of that attempt at flight; and Barosa had used Inez for -the purpose. The thing must have been planned before the failure of the -previous night’s scheme was known; and being uncertain of the issue, he -was still afraid to break with Inez. - -Under other circumstances he might have employed different -means--getting Miralda into his own hands; but he would shrink from -rousing Inez’ jealousy until he felt strong enough to set her at -defiance. - -What the effect upon him would be of the failure of the scheme was of -course very difficult to say. But it was not of much consequence unless -he had already got Miralda away and I should know that as soon as I saw -Inez herself. - -The lie which had been told about my having carried Miralda away was -intended merely to blind her mother’s eyes. It offered a plausible -reason for Miralda’s absence. - -As I drove to Inez’ house I told Bryant to wait for me, but not to -remain in the carriage, as I did not wish him to be seen; and as soon -as the servant opened the door, I pushed my way in, lest Inez should -refuse to see me. - -She did make the attempt. In reply to my message, she sent word that -she was unable to see me then, but would do so an hour later. - -“Then I will wait,” I told the servant; and down I sat in the hall. -Inez’ unwillingness to face me confirmed my opinion that Miralda was in -the house; and nothing short of force would have made me leave. - -After perhaps a quarter of an hour the servant came with another -message--her mistress would receive me in a few minutes. She was -leading the way upstairs when I stopped her, saying bluntly I preferred -to remain where I was until the contesse was quite ready. - -I did not intend to give Inez a chance of smuggling Miralda out of the -house while I was cooling my heels shut up in a room upstairs. Whether -or not any attempt of the sort had been planned, I do not know; but -while I was close to the door and had a full view of the staircase it -was impracticable. - -Another delay followed, and then the servant said Inez was waiting for -me; and she herself appeared at the top of the stairs, cool, smiling, -and apologetic. - -“I am so sorry to have kept you waiting, Mr. Donnington,” she said as -she gave me her hand, and led the way into an adjoining room; “but your -call at this unusual hour found me quite unprepared to come to you.” - -“It is not a conventional purpose which has brought me, madame,” I -replied as she settled herself gracefully upon a couch. - -“No? Ah, well, I am grateful to any purpose which leads you to find -your way at last to my house,” she said with another smile. - -I was in no mood for this kind of thing; so I said rather bluntly: “My -purpose is to see Mademoiselle Dominguez.” - -Her start and look and gesture of extreme surprise were well acted. “My -dear Mr. Donnington! Miralda?” - -“Yes, certainly.” - -“But----” she paused, and then those strange eyes of hers expressed -perplexity and trouble and rising alarm. “I am afraid I--I don’t -understand.” - -“Yet my words were very simple. I wish to see Mademoiselle Dominguez.” - -“I heard that, of course. But is it possible, you believe she is here? -Do you mean you do not know what has occurred? You find out so many -things, you know,” she added with a quick thrust. - -“I know that she came here last night. I have seen her mother this -morning; but, as you suggest, I do find out things. You were under the -impression last night that she did not reach your house; but”----and I -paused as I made a shot, speaking very meaningly--“I know how she came -to the house.” - -A single swift up-lift of the deeply fringed lids told me that the -unexpected shot had pierced the armour-plate of her defence; and -when she looked up after a pause all the assumption of surprise had -disappeared. - -“You have only yourself to blame, Mr. Donnington,” she said, tone and -manner both very earnest. She had as many moods as an actress has -costumes and was able to change them much more quickly. - -“And that means--what, if you please?” - -“I am genuinely sorry for you. I knew from the first that your object -here was Miralda; and you will remember that I warned you. You would -not heed the warning. You set to work to win back Miralda; and had she -been free, you would have succeeded. But she was not free; and when you -took the mad step of driving Major Sampayo from the city you--well, you -can understand what was sure to follow.” - -“On the contrary I do not understand, madame.” - -“You precipitated matters, of course. Miralda is Major Sampayo’s wife -and is now with his friends.” - - - - -CHAPTER XXVI - -IN SIGHT OF VICTORY - - -Inez’ face as she said this was full of excellently simulated -solicitude for me; but had she been aware of all I knew about Sampayo’s -movements, she would certainly have chosen some other fairy tale with -which to fool me. - -“I am afraid some one has been misleading you,” I said drily; “unless, -of course, you were present at the wedding?” - -Her own instinct or my manner warned her that she had blundered. “I -was--not present, Mr. Donnington.” She began the reply quickly, and the -slight pause in the sentence came when she suddenly changed her mind; -and the last words were spoken in a very different tone. - -“When is the marriage said to have occurred? I don’t wish to question -you in the dark, and will tell you that I know precisely all Major -Sampayo’s recent movements. Let me suggest, therefore, that it is quite -useless to fence with my questions.” - -She fixed her eyes on me with a steady searching look. “Are you -threatening me, Mr. Donnington?” - -“I am asking you to let me see Mademoiselle Dominguez at once, madame.” - -“I have told you she is with Major Sampayo’s friends.” - -“You are one of those friends. Mademoiselle Dominguez is here,” I said -as positively as if I knew it for a fact. - -For a moment I thought she was going to give in; but her features set -and she threw her head back with a toss of defiance. “You must have -seen a yacht in the river for the last two days, the _Rampallo_. It is -Major Sampayo’s; and Miralda joined him there last night.” - -“The _Rampallo_ belongs to Captain Gompez, and I passed last night on -board her.” - -She sat bolt upright and stared at me, every muscle and nerve strained -and set, her face as white as her lace and the pupils of her weird eyes -dilated with sudden fear and wonder. For several seconds she was unable -to utter a word, as she realized all that must lie behind my words. - -“You will now, perhaps, deem it prudent not to refuse any longer to -bring Mademoiselle Dominguez here to me,” I said very meaningly. - -She lowered her head with a deep sigh and sat thinking, then rose with -a little shiver of fear. “I will fetch her,” she murmured and went out -of the room. - -I breathed a sigh of satisfaction at my victory. It was a telling proof -of the strength of my hold over her and all who were leagued with her -in this persecution of Miralda. - -I had to wait about a quarter of an hour before she returned, bringing -Miralda, who was pale and worn and nervous. - -Inez did not enter the room, but closed the door, leaving us alone, as -I took Miralda’s hand. - -“Oh, why have you come here, Mr. Donnington?” - -“To take you away. I have come straight here from your mother and am -going to take you back to her.” - -“I--I cannot go,” she replied, shaking her head. - -“Why not?” - -“If I attempt to leave here, I shall be arrested.” - -“Is that the tale they have told you to keep you here?” - -“It is true. Do you know what happened last night?” - -“Yes, indeed; a great deal better than you or any one else in this -house. I urge you to come away at once with me; and I will tell you -everything that occurred.” - -“I--I dare not,” she said, shrinking away from me. - -“But I tell you that you have absolutely nothing to fear. You can trust -me?” - -“Oh yes, yes. You know that; but I--dare not go.” - -It was evident that by some means they had succeeded in breaking down -her nerve. “Let me urge you to come at once--just as you are.” - -“Do you know that a mad attempt was made to make the king a prisoner; -that it failed and has been discovered; and that all concerned in it -are now in danger of their lives? I had no idea of such a shameful -plot, or I would never have done what I have. There is no hope for any -of us but flight; and Dr. Barosa is arranging for us to fly secretly -this afternoon.” - -“I know much more than that. I know why it failed. I have every reason -to know, because I myself prevented the attempt.” - -“You?” she cried in amazement. - -“Yes, I. No one else.” - -“And you knew this terrible thing and did not warn me? And yet you knew -I was implicated! Oh, how could you?” - -This was a point of view which had not occurred to me. She had good -reason to blame me; and for the moment I was silent. - -“You have no answer? If you had told me, do you think I would not -have given a warning of it even at the risk of my life?” and with a -despondent sigh she dropped into a chair and sat staring helplessly at -the floor. - -“You are forgetting that I myself prevented it.” - -“Yes, but my life is now in danger. You do not understand what it is -you have done. You did what you deemed best, of course; but you do not -understand. They are hunting the city for us all now.” - -“These people have merely told you that to frighten you. No one has -been even to your house.” - -“Oh, how little you understand. They are waiting because it is known -that I have left there. The instant I leave here I shall be arrested.” - -“Then how could you escape this afternoon?” - -“Inez and Dr. Barosa have arranged that. We shall go in disguise, of -course.” - -“Who told you that the plot had been discovered?” - -“Do you think they do not know that? M. Dagara sent them warning last -night, and told them the names of those who are to be arrested.” - -“Everything you tell me only confirms what I say to you--that these -lies have been coined in order to frighten you. M. Dagara is not in -Lisbon. He left yesterday evening. I gave him money to take him and -his wife to Paris. He did not even know that the abduction had been -planned; and he left the city before he could hear of its failure.” - -She shook her head. “I know you think that--but I have the list of -names.” - -“Will you show it me?” - -She took it out of the bosom of her dress and handed it me. - -“The trick is obvious,” I said with a smile. “It is not his -handwriting.” - -“Inez made a copy for me.” - -“But did not show you the original. It is a lie--the whole thing. Do -try to understand it all by the light of what I tell you. Why, here on -the very face of it is a proof of its falsehood. Your mother’s name is -mentioned.” - -“Do you think I have not seen it?” she cried, intensely moved. - -“Yes, but I have come straight from her to you. If she had been listed -for arrest, should I have found her at home?” - -“She is left at liberty because they expect me to return to her, when -we should both be arrested. That is why I have not gone home.” - -“But surely you can see that that is inconsistent with the other thing -they told you--that you would be taken the moment you left this house? -They have put your mother’s name on this concocted list in order to -frighten you, and vamped this utterly false explanation. If the police -are watching your home, you can safely leave here; if, on the other -hand, they know how to find you without your going home, why is not -your mother already arrested?” - -This made some impression. “I do not know what to think,” she murmured. - -“There is another thing. If you are to run into danger the instant you -leave here, it means that the police know where you are. Do you suppose -that, in such a case, they would not have raided this house?” - -“Inez is not on the list.” - -“Another proof that the whole thing is a fabrication. If the police -had such intimate knowledge of the plot that they knew of your slight -connexion with it, would they not know of the leaders?” - -She considered a moment. “But you yourself knew that the visconte and -all of us were suspected. You told him.” - -“I ascertained afterwards that I was wrong. Dagara told me.” - -“But why should Inez be so false as you suggest?” - -“She is instigated by Dr. Barosa.” - -“And what is his motive, then?” - -It was an awkward question. “I know the motive; but you may doubt the -truth. Let me tell you first what has occurred. When I learnt the truth -as to the abduction plot----” - -“When did you learn it, and how?” - -“I was present on the _Rampallo_ when they all met there, and I -overheard the whole matter discussed and settled. I then planned -matters so that I should be mistaken for the king and carried off in -his stead. That was done last night. I was taken to the _Rampallo_ and -was on her all the night. My own yacht followed; and this morning my -people boarded the _Rampallo_, released me and made prisoners of every -man on the yacht. Under the charge of my friend, Mr. Burroughs, the -_Rampallo_ has been sent off with the men and I came back to free you.” - -“But how could that free me?” - -“In one of two ways. Either by forcing Dr. Barosa to free you from all -connexion with the conspiracy; or by making your pardon a condition of -my handing over these men to the authorities with a full statement of -what had occurred. Now, except myself and those in my confidence on the -_Stella_, there is not a man in Lisbon, outside those in the plot, who -knows the facts.” - -She listened in rapt attention, sat thinking a few moments, and then -put out her hand. “Can you forgive me for hesitating to go with you? I -have been distracted with fear.” - -“There is nothing to forgive. All I ask is that you come with me at -once. You would be safer in the hands of the police than here.” - -“Tell me why? And you have not explained Dr. Barosa’s object. He has -been kindness itself in all this trouble.” - -“He stopped you from leaving with the visconte,” I reminded her. - -“There was a reason. My presence was still necessary to get the -information from M. Dagara. But Dr. Barosa and Inez are going to take -my mother and myself away to-day to join the visconte in Paris.” - -“They will do nothing of the kind. They are false to you right -through. The contesse herself is being deceived by Barosa. Sampayo is -among the men on the _Rampallo_; and I got from him to-day the real -truth why you were compelled to betroth yourself to him. It is not a -pretty story, but you must hear it. He----” I stopped abruptly as Inez -entered. - -She was smiling, but far less collectedly than usual. “Well, have you -persuaded Mr. Donnington that you must remain here, Miralda?” - -“No; I am going with him, Inez.” - -“You must do as you please, of course, but you know the danger.” - -“I am going home.” - -“You do not think we can take care of her, Mr. Donnington? What have -you told her to cause this change of plan?” - -“I will gladly tell you all I have said if you will accompany us. -Miralda is naturally anxious to reassure her mother as soon as -possible.” - -“I do not wish to do so, thank you; but we shall have a minute or two -while Miralda gets ready. And I wish to have a word with you privately, -Mr. Donnington, after what you told me.” - -“I shall be ready in a minute,” said Miralda with a smile as she went -away. - -“What are you going to do, Mr. Donnington?” asked Inez. “There can, of -course, be only one meaning to your statement--that you were on the -_Rampallo_ last night. Are you going to betray us?” She was greatly -agitated and made little attempt to conceal it. - -“Not necessarily. I have no concern with your politics or plots.” - -“Yet you have interfered in this?” - -“For the sole purpose of making sure of Miralda’s liberty. When she has -left the city, and if she is not implicated any further, and a full -explanation is made in writing of the means adopted to force her to do -what she has done--a statement which must also include the persecution -of the rest of her family--there may be no reason why I should not keep -silent.” - -“May be?” - -“Will be--if you prefer it put more definitely. But that statement, -signed by both yourself and Dr. Barosa, must be in my hands within an -hour.” - -“And Major Sampayo?” - -I shrugged my shoulders. “I care for nothing but Miralda’s welfare in -this.” - -“You are a generous enemy, Mr. Donnington. There will be no difficulty -in doing all you ask. May I--may I thank you?” and she held out her -hand. “I have not forgotten that you saved my life, and only regret -that I have been powerless to help you with Miralda until you have -forced me. I hope you will bear me no malice.” - -“It is not my way, I assure you.” - -“Will you tell me how you learnt of last night’s plot?” - -“I would rather you did not ask me.” - -“Some one betrayed it to you?” - -“No. But you must not press me to give you any more details.” - -“But you cannot have done it alone; and you will see that for Miralda’s -sake we ought to know if any traitor is amongst us. He might carry -information in the future to others, and then all this would come out.” - -“I repeat I do not know of any traitor in your ranks. I cannot say any -more.” - -“But who knows beside yourself?” she persisted. - -“No one on whose silence I cannot rely as surely as you may rely upon -me.” - -“But, Mr. Donnington----” - -“I can say no more. And now Miralda should be back.” - -“I am agitated and had actually forgotten her. I will go and see what -is keeping her;” and she went away. - -I was now very impatient to be out of the house. I had gained all I had -striven for so desperately; and there was really no solid reason why I -should turn informer. If this abduction scheme was not discovered by -the Government, no suspicion in any future plot would fall upon Miralda. - -Her flight from the city would not be connected with any trouble of the -sort; and when we reached Paris, it would be my fault if in a few hours -she was not my wife. - -The Sampayo complication was ended; and he would never dare to cross my -path or hers again. If he did, the means of getting rid of him would -still be available, so long as Prelot’s thirst for vengeance lasted. - -There was Vasco. I could not see at once what to do in regard to him. -But Miralda and I could discuss his future with the viscontesse. -Probably the best thing would be for him to throw up his commission and -join us. He had been a fool and must pay for his folly. - -There was also Barosa. If Sampayo had spoken the truth about his love -for Miralda, he would be mad with Inez for letting her go. It was all -for the best, therefore, that he was not in the house. I might have -found much more difficulty in getting Miralda away. - -Yet he could not have prevented me. The weapon I held was too strong. -Not only his liberty and even his life were in my hands, but those of -Inez and of every one associated with him in the plot. My silence was -worth infinitely more than the price I asked. At the same time I was -more than glad that I had had to deal with Inez instead of him. - -While I was occupied in these thoughts several minutes passed, and my -impatience at Miralda’s delay in returning mounted fast and I began to -grow uneasy. She had promised to be back almost at once; and had now -been absent more than a quarter of as hour. - -I recalled the former suspicion which had led to my remaining in the -hall, and reflected that it might be best to go down there again. - -Then the door opened and with a sigh of relief I turned to meet her. - -But instead of Miralda, it was Dr. Barosa who entered. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVII - -DR. BAROSA SCORES - - -Barosa was carrying a sheet or two of writing paper, and in the glance -I caught of his profile as he shut the door carefully behind him, I -noticed that his hard strong features were paler than usual. His set -determined expression and manner were those of a man who knows he is -face to face with a grave crisis. - -“You are surprised to see me, Mr. Donnington,” he said as he turned to -me; and his voice, deep and vibrating, confirmed my diagnosis. - -“Yes, I am.” - -“Let me explain. The Contesse Inglesia has told me what has passed -between you and that you desire to have a written statement from me -concerning Mademoiselle Dominguez and her relations; and I thought it -could be more conveniently drawn up at once.” - -“I am waiting for her to leave the house with me.” - -“I am aware of that. She will no doubt be here in a moment and can -perhaps assist us in writing this. Will you tell me what you wish -written?” - -“I have told the contesse; and you are quite able to do all I need,” I -answered shortly. - -“You will understand how profoundly I myself am concerned by all this. -My liberty, my life, and what is far more to me than my life, are at -stake. You have ascertained all our plans, and I feel it imperative to -ask what use you intend to make of anything you compel me to write.” - -“It will never be used at all unless it should become necessary in -order to explain Mademoiselle Dominguez’ connexion with your plot.” - -“Become necessary?” he repeated. “What does that mean?” - -“If the plot should be discovered and she should be in any danger.” - -“But it has been discovered already. It has failed. You discovered it -because of the facts which had come to your knowledge as the result of -the Rua Catania affair.” - -“I do not intend to discuss the matter with you, Dr. Barosa. You can do -as you please about writing what I require.” - -“And if I refuse?” - -I shrugged my shoulders. “You must infer what you will.” - -“I will put it on another ground. I accepted unconditionally your -pledge of secrecy and was instrumental in saving you subsequently from -very serious consequences at the hands of those who questioned your -good faith. As a return for that service I ask you to tell me exactly -what you know.” - -“The service of which you speak was followed by your secret visit to -my rooms--with Henriques; and Major Sampayo told me this morning the -object of that visit,” I said very drily. “Sampayo was very frank about -you.” - -“What did he say?” he asked, quite unruffled by this thrust. - -“You can ask him on his return. And now, I am going.” - -He had remained close to the door and he turned and locked it and put -the key in his pocket. - -“Our interview cannot end in this abrupt way, Mr. Donnington. The cause -I have at heart may be ruined by you. You have told Contesse Inglesia -that you were on the _Rampallo_ the night before last, and I must know -what you overheard and what use you intend to make of that information.” - -“Open that door or give me the key,” I said sternly. - -“I shall do neither. I am armed, as probably you are; and if you wish -to force a struggle you must do so.” - -Like a fool, I had come without a revolver; but I clapped my hand to my -pocket as if I had one there; and then paused. “I don’t want your blood -on my head,” I exclaimed. - -But he was not deceived. “Ah, I perceive you have not thought that -precaution necessary,” he said quietly. “Well, I mean you no harm, but -we must talk this thing out and then I pledge you my word to open the -door. Will you answer my questions?” - -I was, in a mess, and if I was to get out, it would not be by force; -unless I could succeed in catching him off his guard. So I threw myself -into a chair and laughed. “You are right. I am not armed. But the -weapon I have is stronger than a revolver. I had my suspicions roused -about the _Rampallo_, and I got on board her in time to hear all your -discussion on the news which M. Dagara sent you.” - -“Ah, as a spy!” he sneered. - -“Yes; as a spy, if you like. As a result, Captain Gompez and his -companions carried me off instead of the king; and this morning my men -from the _Stella_ came aboard and I returned here.” - -“Where are my friends now?” - -“On the _Rampallo_ in charge of my people.” - -“Why did you interfere? What could it matter to you?” - -“You know perfectly well. Sampayo told you, after my interview with -him three days ago. He begged you to cut the net in which you had -involved Mademoiselle Dominguez. He told me this morning what I had -only suspected before and what the Contesse Inglesia does not even -suspect--your real motive.” - -“He has lied to you of course.” - -“Lies or truth, it doesn’t alter the present situation. Even if you -draw your revolver and put one of its bullets in my head you won’t help -matters. I have taken that precaution, you may be perfectly certain.” - -“You mean to betray us all to the Government?” he asked after a pause, -during which he drew his hand slowly from his pocket. - -“I tell you what I have already told the contesse. My object is -entirely personal. You can fight out your battle with your Government -in your own way; but I mean to gain my end. When once that is gained, I -shan’t be more minutes in Lisbon than I can help.” - -Again he paused. He realized no doubt that he had to choose between -giving up Miralda or sacrificing his cause and all concerned in it. A -dilemma searching enough to make him thoughtful. - -“You will give me your pledge to keep absolutely silent?” he asked at -length. - -“It is for me to impose conditions, not for you.” - -“How do I know that all has occurred as you tell me?” - -“You can please yourself. I have a paper signed by Sampayo and Gompez -and all the rest of them.” - -“Show it me.” - -“Certainly.” - -This might offer me the chance I sought. I took it out and held it -toward him, intending to close with him the instant he came near -enough. But he was too wary. “Throw it to me,” he said. - -“You can read it from there,” I replied, and held it up so that he -could do so. - -“And where is the _Rampallo_ now?” - -I smiled and shook my head. “I have been very frank as to what has -occurred; but what is going to occur is my own business.” - -“You say these men have let you make them prisoners?” - -“They say so themselves here.” - -“And they are absolutely in your power to deliver them up to the -Government when you please?” - -“Absolutely. And they will be given up and a full statement of the -facts made, unless I determine otherwise.” - -That hit him as hard as I intended. - -“When?” he rapped out. - -“That also I must leave you guessing. If you are under the belief that -by keeping me here or doing me any sort of mischief you will prevent -all this getting out, you are merely deluding yourself.” - -He paused once more and then tossed up his hands. “You have left me no -option,” he said with a sigh. “What do you wish me to write?” - -“That Mademoiselle Dominguez and her brother were forced into this -affair by you and that she was never aware of the nature of the -communications she received from Dagara.” - -“I will write it,” he said at once. “Here is the key of the door;” and -he threw the key to me as he crossed to a table and sat down to write. - -I drew a breath of relief. I had won more easily than I had -anticipated. Whatever his intentions had been at the outset of the -interview, he had apparently abandoned them on learning that to do -anything to me would not avert discovery or save his companions. - -He found some difficulty in wording the paper and tore up a couple of -sheets with an exclamation of impatience. Several minutes were spent in -this way. - -When he had finished the writing he handed it to me. “Will that do?” - -I read it carefully. It was almost in the words I had used, and I -folded it up and put it in my pocket, well satisfied that, should -any emergency arise requiring its use, it would prove a sufficient -confirmation of the story I had to tell. - -“I am satisfied,” I said. - -“You will leave Lisbon at once, Mr. Donnington, and will keep -absolutely silent as to all that has occurred?” - -“Yes, unless circumstances arise in which I am compelled to use this -document on Mademoiselle Dominguez’ behalf.” - -“I quite understand that, and can accept your word absolutely,” he -replied. As I went toward the door, he added: “You will pardon the -means I adopted to secure this interview, and will understand how vital -it was that I should know the position precisely?” - -“So long as you recognize it, that’s enough for me.” - -“Oh, wait one moment,” he cried, as I put the key in the lock. “We have -forgotten one very important point. I have been intensely disturbed by -all this, as you will have seen; and that is the cause of my oversight. -You will arrange for my friends to be set at liberty at once?” - -“Certainly; as soon as practicable.” - -“To-day, I mean?” - -“That is not possible. The _Rampallo_ is out at sea. I will send the -_Stella_ after her; but it will be at least two days before the two -yachts can be back in port.” - -His face clouded. “That is very serious. These officers are absent from -their regiment without leave and exceedingly awkward questions may be -asked. It may mean ruin for them.” - -“I presume they knew the risk they were running.” - -“Had they succeeded there would have been no risk of course. On the -contrary, they would have had their reward. Had the cause of their -failure been other than it was, they would have been able to return -to duty at once; but as it is----” he broke off and paced the room in -great perturbation. “Could you have them put on shore somewhere along -the coast so as to save time?” - -“No. The _Rampallo_ has steamed straight out into the Atlantic.” - -He tossed up his hands with an exclamation of despair. “I beg you to -remain a minute while we consider this. I can think of but one way. It -may be two days, you say?” - -“Possibly less,” I replied. “We parted company this morning about seven -o’clock. The _Rampallo_ makes about eight or nine knots under easy -steam and was about forty miles out. The _Stella_ covers two knots to -her one; and if we assume that the _Rampallo_ has nine hours start, and -allow for the time necessary to pick her up, the _Stella_ should reach -her in about twelve hours. The _Rampallo_ would be about twenty-four -hours on the homeward run and should make the river the day after -to-morrow in the early morning.” - -“If they returned in your yacht they would be here sooner.” - -“But the _Stella_ will not return here.” - -“Could you not let her do so? The matter is very serious indeed.” - -“No. I shall send orders that my men are to return to the _Stella_. -Those who took the _Rampallo_ to sea must bring her back.” - -“You will not be surprised if I press you to let them return in your -yacht. I do press it, very earnestly indeed.” - -“I can’t do it, Dr. Barosa.” - -“Well, then, I must fall back on my first thought. The _Rampallo_ must -be wrecked, and Gompez and the rest take to the boat. That would give a -plausible reason for their absence.” - -I smiled. It was certainly ingenious. “The weather has been rather -against anything of that sort,” I reminded him. - -“That is not serious. As I gather it, you will send out an order at -once to your boat to go after the _Rampallo_ and just take off the men -you have on her. Will you let me send a letter by--your captain will it -be?” - -“Captain Bolton.” - -“Well, will you let me send a letter by him to Gompez?” - -“Yes, if you give it me at once.” - -He began to write it at once and, as before, found difficulty in -framing it, and tore up several sheets. “I can trust your captain to -deliver it unopened?” he asked. - -“Of course you can. But I must ask you to get it done,” I said -impatiently. - -He made a fresh start; wrote a dozen lines or so, and again tore up the -sheet, this time with a muttered oath of vexation. - -“I am sorry to try your patience so, Mr. Donnington; but I have been -so disturbed that I am scarcely master of my thoughts. Will you let me -send this to your boat later on? Or will you write your instructions to -your captain and let me send them both together?” - -“Yes, that will do as well,” I said. - -He got up from the table and made way for me. I began a note to the -skipper telling him to hunt up the _Rampallo_ and take off Burroughs -and the men; and was proceeding to add that he should then steam to -Plymouth, when it occurred to me that I might possibly persuade Miralda -and her mother to leave on the _Stella_ at once. - -I paused and by chance glanced in a mirror just opposite me, in which I -saw Barosa. He was watching me with a look of cunning, gloating triumph -that in an instant my suspicions awoke. He was fooling me. All his show -of concern for his companions, his inability to master his thoughts, -his suggestion about wrecking the _Rampallo_ and all the rest of it, -were tricks, nothing more, to fool me to put this order into his hands -so that he might get his friends at liberty. - -Careful not to let him know that I had seen him, I resumed the writing. -But after adding a couple of lines I scribbled the word “Cancelled” in -big sprawling letters right across the paper, rose with a laugh and -tore it into minute fragments. “I’m like you, Dr. Barosa, I cannot -write. I’ll see my skipper and tell him personally; and you can send -your letter to him later. I’ll tell him to wait for it.” - -“That will answer the same purpose, of course,” he said, not quite -successful in hiding his chagrin. “I will send it to the yacht in less -than an hour.” - -“Will you see that Mademoiselle Dominguez comes to me?” I said, and -unlocked the door. - -As I threw open the door he caught me by the arm. “Wait a moment, there -is another----” - -The sentence was not finished. I turned at his voice and a cloth was -thrown over my head, I was seized before I had a chance to resist, my -arms were pinioned and a gag thrust into my mouth; and I was carried -down the stairs and flung on the floor of a room the door of which was -locked and bolted. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVIII - -“YOU SHALL DIE” - - -I was not left alone very long, but it was quite enough for me to -curse my own folly for having allowed myself to be trapped in this -way. I ought never to have entered the house at all without taking -ample precautions. I could have brought half a dozen of the _Stella’s_ -men with me. That was the first stupid blunder; but even in the house -itself, I had acted like an idiot. - -I could see the whole business plainly enough now. Everything had been -done to secure delay. The instant I had arrived Inez had sent for -Barosa, and her talk to me had been merely intended to create delay -until he arrived. Then in order that the two might consult together, -Miralda had been brought to me. - -They had filled her with the fear of arrest, calculating that she -would hesitate long enough to serve their purpose; but of course they -had never intended to allow her to leave the house. Then as their -preparations were not complete, Barosa had come to me to cause more -delay. - -He had first detained me with a threat in order to gain more time; and -as soon as the trap for me was ready, he had affected to submit to -defeat. This was to learn precisely how matters were on the _Rampallo_, -and the steps necessary to secure the freedom of his companions. - -He had gulled me so completely that I had been within an ace of giving -him the authority to the skipper, which would have sent the _Stella_ -racing off to bring the men back to the city, while I was kept a -prisoner. - -Fortunately I had pulled up in time to checkmate that move, and thus -was still so far master of the position. - -What would be Barosa’s next step? What did he mean to do with me? It -would not do him much good to keep me a prisoner. Nor, so far as his -conspiracy was concerned, would he gain anything even by knocking me on -the head or putting a bullet in it. - -I had rubbed the fact in well that, if anything happened to me, there -were others who would give the information which would blow his plans -into the air and send him flying for his life. There was a certain -amount of grim satisfaction that I was worth more to him alive than -dead; and in my present plight any consolation at all was welcome. - -There was another source of consolation, too. Bryant knew where I -was, and when I did not return to him he would do something. He was a -sharp fellow, and quite shrewd enough to make matters unpleasant for -my gaolers. Fortunately, I had told him that I was coming to the house -in search of Miralda; and as he knew about Barosa and the attempt the -latter and Henriques had made, he would soon scent danger. - -He would be in a desperate fix, however, what to do and when to do it; -urged, on the one hand, to immediate action by his alarm for me, but -restrained on the other by fear of acting too soon and so interfering -with my plans. But I might safely reckon that he would not let many -hours pass without taking some vigorous measures on my behalf. In that -case I might still escape without any more serious trouble than those -hours of discomfort. - -Barosa was ignorant of the fact that Bryant knew of my presence in -the house, and thus would not have the very strong incentive to hurry -matters which that knowledge would have given him. If my guess was -right--that his object was to force me to send an order to Captain -Bolton to go after the _Rampallo_ and set the prisoners at liberty--he -would be chary of doing me any injury which would prevent my sending -for them. - -I had reached that point in my speculations when the door was unbolted, -and two or three persons entered. They carefully examined the cords on -my arms, and then hauled me to my feet, and half led, half carried me -up several flights of stairs to a room where the gag and cloth over my -head were taken off. - -I found myself in a small room, the one window of which was barred. -A pallet bed stood in one corner with a mattress, but without sheets -or blankets, and by the window a chair and a small table with writing -materials on it. - -I lay down on the bed, intensely glad to be able to breathe freely -once more, but both sick and dizzy from the pressure of the gag. I -recognized the men who had brought me upstairs. I had seen them on the -night of the “test,” and I judged that they had been intentionally -selected by Barosa in order that I might see I was in the hands of men -who would have scant mercy for a traitor. - -He meant to play on my fears, and the writing materials ready to hand -showed me I had guessed his purpose. I was to be forced to write the -necessary instructions to the skipper. - -Not a word was spoken by the men. As soon as they had finished with me -they went outside, leaving the door open and remained close to it. - -Some few minutes passed, and then Barosa came into the room and closed -the door. - -“Now, Mr. Donnington, you must understand what we require you to do,” -he said very peremptorily. “You have chosen to interfere in our plans, -and your interference has brought you to this pass. You are absolutely -in our power; and I tell you at once and frankly, that your life will -depend upon your decision. You will write the instructions to Captain -Bolton to go after the _Rampallo_, and take our friends to Oporto with -all speed. As soon as they are safe, you shall be set at liberty. Not -here in Lisbon; but you will go on board a steamer which will take you -straight back to England, and you will have to give your word of honour -not to speak a word of anything you know until you reach your country. -You will also order your captain to take your yacht straight to England -the moment that our friends are landed.” - -“I shall do nothing of the sort, Dr. Barosa.” - -“I think you will change your mind. The penalty of refusal will -be--death,” he replied, as sternly and impressively as he could speak. - -“Very well. I refuse absolutely,” I said, in quite as firm a tone as -his. As a matter of fact, I did not believe in his threat. His object -was to get his friends at liberty with the least trouble and in the -quickest time, and he was bluffing me. - -But if it was only bluff, he made it very realistic. “I shall give you -five minutes in which to do what I require, and at the end of that time -if you persist in your refusal you shall die. That I declare solemnly -on my honour.” - -With that he called in a couple of men and ordered them to unfasten my -right hand and bind my left arm to my side, and as soon as they had -done so, he sent them out again. - -“I will tell you what you do not seem to know. The attempt last night -on the king has become known, many arrests have been made, and we are -all in danger of the same fate. At present the men who have brought you -up here do not know the part you have played in betraying them; but -when they learn it you know enough of them to judge how they will feel -towards you, and what they will be eager to do in revenge. If on my -return in five minutes from now those instructions are not written, I -shall tell them everything.” - -With that he went out, leaving me extremely perplexed and profoundly -uncomfortable. Every one knows the trying effect of suspense on one’s -nerves; and he had no doubt carefully calculated how it would act upon -mine. - -Did he mean to make his threat good, or was it a blank cartridge? I -did not believe that the attempted abduction had been discovered, and -that statement of his threw doubt on everything else. Moreover, he had -told and acted lie after lie in the former interview, and had done so -cleverly enough to hoodwink me completely. - -He had declared on his honour that he was in earnest now, and his -manner had been tremendously earnest. But a man who could lie as he -had would probably not hold his word of honour much more highly than -his word without such a pledge. So I put that aside as a mere touch of -play-acting. - -As I thought it all over, it seemed to me that he had overplayed his -part. If he had meant to shoot me, that reference to his associates -founded, as I believed it to be, on a lie about the plot having been -discovered, was an unnecessary exaggeration of my danger, intended to -appeal to my fears. - -Yet, if I were wrong, my shrift was to be a very short one. To form a -judgment on a man’s probable motives, when the penalty of a mistake -means death, is a very ugly task, and I seemed to have scarcely begun -to think when he came back. - -I was still sitting on the bed and a glance at the paper showed him it -was blank. - -“You persist in refusing, then?” - -“I haven’t had time to decide.” - -“I won’t give you any longer,” he said, very sternly. - -“There’s one point you must clear up. About Mademoiselle Dominguez,” I -said firmly. - -“I will answer you with your own words this morning. It is for me, not -you, to impose conditions. But her safety will be secured.” - -“Then you can have my decision. As soon as she and I are across the -frontier, you can have the letter you want.” - -“You mean you will not write it otherwise? I warn you.” - -“I mean I will not write it otherwise,” I replied; “I’ll see you hanged -first. Do what you will.” - -He called in the three men who were waiting at the door, and in a very -few words told them the part I had taken on the previous night, and -that I intended to betray everything I knew to the authorities. - -Before he had half finished there was no question about their -verdict. I read it in faces dark and fierce as a cyclone cloud; in -the threatening looks from eyes ablaze with wrath; in the execrations -hissed and growled between teeth clenched fast in hate, and in the -gleam of the half-drawn weapons as the strenuous fingers clutched at -them instinctively. - -White-hot with passion they were, and possessed with but one common -motive and resolve--to defend themselves by exacting the uttermost -penalty for my treachery. Jury and judges and executioners in one, -Barosa knew how to play upon their feelings, and I saw that I was -condemned and sentenced almost as soon as the first words had left his -lips. - -They were some of those who had been suspicious of me when the “test” -of my good faith had been made, one of them being the young fellow who -on that night had endeavoured to draw a statement from me by pretending -that he had been arrested and had turned informer. He was the most -vindictive of them all now; and while Barosa was still speaking, he -broke in with a loud fierce oath, and, carried away by his rage, he -drew his revolver and fired point-blank at my head. - -Barosa saw him and struck up his arm. “Marco!” he thundered. “Are you -the sole judge?” - -“The dog shall die,” he growled, in a muttered snarl of hate; and the -other two scowlingly agreed with fierce and savage oaths. - -Barosa turned on them, his eyes snapping with rage. “Do you follow your -own lead or mine?” - -“He shall die,” said Marco sullenly, and was raising his revolver again -when Barosa snatched it from him and flung it to the ground. - -All three quailed before his fierce look and masterful assertion of -his leadership; and Marco fell back a couple of paces, his gaze at me -more vengeful and bitter than before, as if I had been the cause of his -humiliation. - -I could understand Barosa’s action. With men of this class among his -followers his rule must be absolute and inflexible. Independent action, -even when amounting to no more than an anticipation of his orders, -could only be fraught with danger in such a cause as his; and for his -own sake and that of the end he had in view, he was bound to exact -literal and implicit obedience. - -For a few seconds there was dead silence. - -“Well, is it my lead or yours?” he asked them. - -There was no longer sign or sound of disobedience. - -“Pick up your weapon, Marco.” - -The young fellow obeyed and put it back in his pocket. - -“Now your decision?” he asked. - -“Death,” all three exclaimed together. - -“Bind his free hand,” he ordered next. - -But I was not going to submit tamely. I sprang to my feet and seized -the chair. If I was to die it should be in hot blood, not like a sheep. - -“Resistance is useless, Mr. Donnington. You must see that.” - -My reply was not in words. I swung the chair up--it was a stout heavy -wooden one--and struck at him with all my force. He jumped back and -escaped most of the blow, but one of the legs struck him on the side of -the head; and then a very hot five minutes followed. I laid the young -fellow, Marco, senseless, and gave the other two something to remember -me by before the chair was torn out of my grip, and I was seized and my -right arm bound to my side and my legs lashed together. - -Barosa had kept carefully out of the fight, but as soon as I was -helpless he saw that the cords were tied very securely. - -“Stand him against the wall there,” he said, indicating a spot at the -foot of the bed. - -They placed me as directed and then drew back. - -He stooped over Marco, who was only stunned for the moment, drew the -revolver from his pocket and handed it to one of the men. “You have -yours,” he said to the other. - -The fellow drew it out with a swift under glance at me, full of -sinister thirst for revenge and gloating satisfaction. - -Then Barosa looked across at me. “We are all agreed that this is our -only course, Mr. Donnington.” - -I met his look firmly. “You can murder me if you will, but it will not -help you. You know that,” I replied. - -“Will you write what I require?” - -“No.” - -“Now,” he said sharply to the others. - -They looked to see that the revolvers were loaded, glanced at each -other and raised them slowly, pointing them at my head and waiting for -the word to fire. - -“I give you one last chance, Mr. Donnington,” said Barosa. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIX - -MIRALDA’S APPEAL - - -Whether I was really so near death as it appeared when the two -pistols were levelled close to my head and the men were waiting for -the word to fire, or whether it was no more than a well-played and -realistically-staged bluff to frighten me into writing the instructions -to Captain Bolton, I have never been able to decide. I think now, it -was only pretence from beginning to end; but I believed it was grim -earnest then, and that when I answered Barosa’s question with another -refusal, I was signing my own death-warrant. - -But in the pause before he gave the order to fire there was a sound of -rapid footsteps on the stairs, and Inez rushed into the room. With a -cry of horror she dashed between me and the levelled weapons. - -“What does this mean?” she asked Barosa. - -“You can see for yourself,” was the reply. - -“You shall not do this in my house. Lower your pistols, you,” she cried -to the men. - -They looked to Barosa, who hesitated a second, and then signed to them -to leave the room. - -At that moment the strain told on me. I turned dizzy and weak, and sat, -or rather slid, down on to the foot of the bed, and lolled helplessly -against the wall. - -An angry altercation followed between Inez and Barosa, but I paid no -attention to it. I could not; and some minutes passed before I was able -to pull my wits together sufficiently to hear what passed. - -Barosa was about to leave the room. “The responsibility is yours, not -mine,” he was saying. “I tell you that while that man is alive, not -one of us is safe. You know how the police are hunting for us. They -will come here to a certainty, and then----” and he threw up his hands -angrily and went out. - -Inez sat down and leaned her head on her hand in thought, and presently -turned and looked at me, with a deep despairing sigh. - -The interval gave me time to think. It was beginning to dawn upon me -that the whole thing was play-acting, and that Inez herself had had her -cue to enter for her part in it. - -“Mr. Donnington?” she began at length. - -I turned very slowly and looked at her. For the present it was -evidently my best course to lead her to think that I had no suspicion -of the unreality of the proceedings. - -“You are ill.” - -I gave a feeble smile and wagged my head slowly. - -“Can you listen to me?” - -“Yes. I--I thank you,” I said, in a half-indistinct mumble, and with a -sigh as heavy as hers. - -“It is horrible,” she replied with a shudder. “But they shall not do -you any harm. If I could get you out of the house I would. Oh, why, why -have you done all this?” - -“I owe you my life,” I said, inconsequently. - -“If I can save you,” she cried. After a pause she jumped up and began -to pace the floor excitedly. “You are mad to set Barosa at defiance. -You must see the uselessness, the folly of it, the utter madness. -The whole city is up in anger against us. We are in hourly danger of -discovery, even here in this house. There is nothing left for any of us -but flight; and you choose such a moment to drive him to extremes;” and -she continued in this half-distracted manner, as if speaking partly to -me and partly to herself, and giving me a very vivid picture of their -desperate situation. - -But it did not agree with what Barosa had said. He had declared that -if I gave the order for the officers on the _Rampallo_ to be set at -liberty, I was to be set free on their arrival. That meant a delay of -nearly two days, and was therefore absolutely inconsistent with Inez’ -statement that they were in hourly danger of the police raiding the -house. - -However, her long excited tirade gave me time to think things out; -and when at last she ended with an appeal to me to write what Barosa -required, I had decided how to reply. - -“You ask me to have these men set at liberty, contesse; but if I -were to do so, what object would be gained, as everything has been -discovered?” - -“They are our friends and we must save them. Their ruin will not help -you.” - -“Miralda is my friend, and I must save her.” - -“But you will not help her by destroying them.” - -“Why is Miralda kept a prisoner here?” - -“She is not a prisoner, Mr. Donnington.” - -“But she was not allowed to leave the house this morning.” - -“Because after she had seen you we learnt other facts about her danger. -She is not a prisoner, and she stayed because it was not safe for her -to leave the house. That is all. You persuaded her to consent, but when -I saw her afterwards she realized her mistake in having given you the -promise. She will tell you so herself. She is as anxious as I am that -you should do what Dr. Barosa requires.” - -This was all part of her parrot-like lesson, of course, but it was no -use to tell her that I knew that. So I tried another tack. “Do you know -Major Sampayo’s history?” - -“What has that to do with this?” she asked in surprise. - -“A great deal, as I will show you. Do you know it?” - -“No, except that----” - -“Anything about his South African career, I mean?” I broke in. - -“No,” she replied, shaking her head. - -“Then I’ll tell you.” And I told her enough to let her understand why -he went in such fear of me. “That is the secret of Barosa’s hold over -him,” I added. - -“Why do you tell me this, and at such a time?” she asked suspiciously. - -“Three days ago Sampayo offered to take any oath I pleased that he -would never marry Miralda; and this morning on the _Rampallo_ he told -me he had all but gone on his knees to Barosa, to induce him to set -Miralda free from all this, in order that I might be induced to leave -the country.” - -She began to understand me now. The catch of the breath, the dilating -nostrils, the quick movement of the head, and the involuntary gripping -of the hands, were signs as easy to read as print. - -“Within the last hour or two, here in this room, I offered to write -all that he needs if Miralda and I were put across the frontier. He -refused. I asked myself--why? I ask you the same question?” - -In the pause she sat gnawing her lip; her bosom rose and fell quickly -under the strain of her quickened breathing; her colour began to wane; -her brows were drawn together in a frown, and the pupils of those -curious eyes of hers dilated as if her pent-up feeling had acted upon -them like atropine. “Why do you tell me this?” she repeated, her voice -down almost to a whisper. - -“This morning Sampayo swore to me that his betrothal to Miralda was a -sham and a pretence, never intended to culminate in marriage, but only -meant to cover another man’s plans and passion.” - -“Why do you tell me this?” she asked, for the third time. - -“Because Manoel Barosa is the man you love.” - -She winced as if I had struck her in the face, and for a few seconds -sat speechless and overwrought. Then with a great effort she mastered -her emotion and laughed. “It is all false, all ridiculous, all -laughable.” - -“Then why will he not let Miralda go?” - -“I have told you we are not preventing her.” - -“Ah, stop that pretence. If you will not answer that question to me, -answer it to yourself.” - -But she had regained her self-command, and concealed all sign of the -jealousy I knew I had roused. “She shall come to you herself and tell -you that what I say is true,” she said. She went to the door, paused, -and then turned. “You have done yourself an ill turn by this. Until now -I have been your friend,” she said, clipping her words short in her -anger; and with that she went out. - -I cared nothing for her anger. I knew that I had started a fire which -would soon rage furiously enough to burn up Barosa’s scheme in regard -to Miralda. The question I had told Inez to put to herself was one to -which the roused devil of her jealousy would soon supply the answer; -and when it was answered, Barosa would have his hands full in looking -after himself. - -Moreover, I was now all but convinced that the whole show of force -had been nothing more than an ingenious and well-acted bluff. Barosa -had realized that without my help he could not get Gompez and his -companions set at liberty, and it was quite probable that he had been -to Captain Bolton. I smiled as I thought of the reception he would meet -with from the old skipper. - -As his dramatic show of force and Inez’ appeal following her -aptly-timed rescue, had both failed, the next move was to send -Miralda. But it was very long before she came, and the afternoon began -to wane. I watched the fading light with eyes greedy for the darkness, -for I knew that I might then look for some results of Bryant’s action. - -I was suffering considerable pain now. The cords which bound my arms to -my sides had been so tightly drawn that all the blood in my body was -congested, and I tossed and turned on the bed in vain efforts to find -relief from the pressure. - -All my own worries were forgotten, however, when Miralda came, and I -struggled up into a sitting posture and greeted her with a smile, as -she crossed the room. - -Her face was very pale and careworn, her manner nervous and hesitating, -and her eyes very troubled. She had no smile in answer to mine. - -“Inez tells me that you believe I am a prisoner here, Mr. Donnington. -I have come to assure you that is not so. I did not return to you this -morning because I found it would be useless for me to attempt to leave.” - -She said this nervously in a sort of monotone, and with the air of -one repeating a lesson and afraid of forgetting the lines. The very -tone contradicted every syllable; and as she finished, she whispered -hurriedly in English: “Caution.” - -I understood the position instantly and played up to it. “I told you -there was no danger. You might have trusted me,” I replied aloud in a -tone of reproach; and then with a glance toward the door which she had -left wide open, I whispered in English: “Listening?” - -She nodded quickly, and said in her own tongue: “You did not know. You -could not know. Everything about last night has been discovered, and -the city is being ransacked to find us.” - -“Not a bit of it. I am sure that nothing is yet known of the failure. -This is said to frighten you;” and again I whispered quickly in -English: “Are you a prisoner?” - -Again she answered with a quick significant nod, as she went on with -her lesson. “I have come to beg of you to do what Dr. Barosa wishes. -Inez says you are refusing because you think you can help me. But you -can help me much better by doing this. I beg you with all my heart not -to refuse any longer.” - -She was now able to speak with a much greater appearance of sincerity -and earnestness; and as she finished this last appeal she whispered in -English: “Don’t do it.” - -“You say I can help you better by freeing these men. Prove that to me, -or let others prove it. Do you know that Dr. Barosa has told me that -even if I yield to him I am to be taken from here on board a vessel -sailing straight for England? How is that to help you?” and I laughed -incredulously. - -Under cover of the sound of my laugh she whispered “Brazil, not -England,” and then added, with a well-acted note of concern in her -voice: “You are placing me in danger from some of these desperate men -who believe that I am in league with you to betray them.” - -“But that cannot be so. No one knows that I told you anything about the -position of things on the _Rampallo_,” and I questioned her with my -eyes. - -“I tell you you will ruin me if you persist in refusing, Mr. -Donnington,” and added under her breath: “We were overheard.” - -“I can’t believe that. These people are merely seeking to frighten you. -Of course if I thought you were really in danger the thing would be -altogether different,” and again my eyes questioned her. - -She shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. “How can I prove it to -you? I am. I know that. Even Dr. Barosa is alarmed, lest he may not be -able to protect me from their violence.” - -“But he has already arranged for your escape and your mother’s.” - -She shook her head again meaningly. “These men have made that -impossible to-day. We were prevented when everything was ready.” - -Once more the silent question from me, answered by the significant -shake of her head, told me the real truth beneath her words. - -“But what you say only confirms my opinion--that by doing what is asked -I should not help you,” I said. - -Her eyes signalled assent, but her lips uttered a quite emotional -protest. “Is my safety nothing to you, then? If I beg and implore you -to do what I have asked; if I tell you, as I do, that my liberty, and -probably my life, depend upon your decision, is this all nothing to -you?” - -Her look explained the double meaning of her words. She believed that -not only my safety, but her own, depended upon my doing what she had -asked--but asked not in words, but by her looks and whispered English -asides. - -“You distress me more than I can say,” I replied, adopting a similar -equivocation. “If it were possible I would tell you precisely how I -feel.” - -“You appear to think you can set these men at defiance with impunity, -and that they will not harm you or me so long as you refuse!” A swift -interchange of glances told me that this was actually her belief. -Then she added with passion: “How can you be so infatuated, so mad, -so reckless? You will pay for refusal with your life.” Once more the -significant gesture of the head denied the truth of her words. - -“What you have said has moved me deeply. Heaven knows, I have no -thought in all this but to save you from harm. I must make you -understand that. I have already told Dr. Barosa that if he will put -you and me across the frontier, I will do what he asks and keep silent -about everything. In that way your safety would be assured. But he -refused, believing that he can force me to agree to his terms. He -cannot. I have so arranged that even if he took my life--as indeed he -all but did to-day--he cannot tear his companions from my grip, and -will have to answer for my murder in addition to these other charges. -There are two beside myself who know everything about last night’s -attempt--they helped me in it--and they will hand over the prisoners -I took. Aye, and more than that. They know of his hatred of me; and -should anything happen to me they will not rest until they have -hunted him down and avenged me. No; it is useless to plead longer,” I -exclaimed, as if she had been going to do so, while in fact she had -listened with mounting interest and pleasure to every word. - -“But I must,” she broke in, taking the cue readily. “I beg----” - -“I cannot listen to you. I have stated my terms. The moment you are out -of the country, or on my yacht and in safety, I will do what is wanted; -but until then neither entreaties nor threats shall make me yield.” - -She gave me a last bright glance of encouragement, her heart in her -eyes, and then burying her face in her hands she cried despairingly: -“You do not care, you do not care. You will ruin us all in your -madness;” and as if overwhelmed by her emotions, she rushed out of the -room. - - - - -CHAPTER XXX - -JEALOUSY - - -The interview with Miralda left me in better spirits than I had been -at any moment since my imprisonment. She had confirmed my own view -that my life was safe so long as I refused to release Gompez and his -companions, and had assured me that she herself was in no serious or -immediate danger. - -But best of all she had given me another proof of her trust. A fresh -bond was created between us and the old one cemented more firmly -than ever. Despite the fact that those who had sent her to induce me -to yield were actually listening to every word that passed, she had -contrived to let me know the real truth of the position. - -I could understand the pressure which had been applied to force her -to come on such an errand. Her manner when she entered and uttered -the first lines of the part in which she had been carefully drilled -had revealed her feelings; and the nervous, quickly whispered word of -warning told me why she had yielded. - -She knew the risk she was running should her act be discovered, but she -had faced it unflinchingly for my sake, resolved to put me on my guard -let the consequences be what they might to her. Barosa and Inez had -little dreamt that the trick of forcing her to try and mislead me would -result in the strengthening of my resistance! And it was Miralda’s own -shrewdness and care for me which had brought it all about. - -The thought was infinitely sweet; and all the discomfort and pain I was -enduring were forgotten in the delightful contemplation of Miralda’s -courage and zeal for me. - -The discomfort would soon be over now, moreover. Many hours had passed -since Bryant saw me enter the house, and I was certain that he was now -at work to secure my liberation. - -If I had not been blinded in the morning by my alarm for Miralda I -should have taken the precaution to tell him what steps to take. But I -had not thought there would be any danger in Inez’ house. I ought to -have foreseen that she would send for Barosa, and have given Bryant -definite instructions what to do if I did not return to him. - -What was he likely to do? He would keep a watch on the house of course. -He would thus see Barosa arrive, and probably also the men who must -have been sent for afterwards. I read the thing in this way. Inez had -sent word to him almost as soon as I was in the house. He had come at -once and then had probably sent Miralda to me in order to overhear what -passed between us. - -Recognizing the danger, he had then sent for such of his companions -as he could thoroughly trust and had laid the trap into which I had -fallen. But he saw that unless he could get the men on the _Rampallo_ -free, I still held the key to the situation. He had tried first to -trick me with that pretence of submission, and when that had failed, -he had fallen back on threats, carrying the threat to the very -extreme limit in the hope that I should yield when death appeared the -inevitable alternative. - -Then, threats having failed, he resorted again to cunning. Inez rushed -in and saved my life, and then Miralda had been sent again. - -When Bryant saw first Barosa and then the men arrive, he would be -shrewd enough to understand that I was in danger. In an hour or two -he would be in a parlous fix what to do. Unwilling to leave the house, -lest I should be brought out of it, he would have to devise some way of -getting it watched; and it was an easy guess that he would solve the -difficulty by finding a messenger of some kind to carry word to the men -on the launch to fetch the skipper. - -The question they had to settle was whether they would enter the house -themselves or put the police on the track. The skipper would be for -doing it themselves--that was his blunt way; but Bryant’s was a much -more cautious nature, and he was far more likely to make up some yarn -and set the police to work. - -All this would occupy a lot of time, but I felt certain that the night -would still be young when they would act. - -I lay back on my mattress no longer fretting and chafing at the slow -passage of time. I had ample food for thought. I pieced together these -speculative doings of Bryant in the intervals of giving rein to the -fresh hopes and new delights engendered by my interview with Miralda. I -recalled word by word all she had said, treasuring her little asides, -her significant glances, her changes of tone and manner, as jewels -whose every facet reflected her trust, her courage, and above all her -care for me. - -I was confident now of success, and it was she who had given me -confidence. As the darkness deepened I rejoiced. Each minute was -bringing nearer our delivery and reunion. - -Some long time after she had left me--perhaps an hour or perhaps two -hours, I had no means of reckoning the time, but it had long been quite -dark--I heard footsteps approaching the room; and I guessed the curtain -was to go up for the next scene. - -Barosa and Inez entered together. He carried a lamp, and I could see by -its light that the faces of both were very pale. He set the lamp down -on the little table and then bent over me. - -“Mr. Donnington!” he said. His voice was low and slightly husky, either -from suppressed passion or anxiety. - -I made no reply, and when he repeated my name and shook me I moaned as -if in great pain. There was little enough pretence about it indeed, for -the tightness of my bonds was causing acute suffering. - -I rolled my eyes upon him, uttered another moan, shook my head feebly, -and then closed my eyes. - -“He is almost unconscious, Manoel,” said Inez. - -I read that use of his name to mean much. She had been asking herself -the question I had suggested--about the real reason for detaining -Miralda--and finding it unanswerable had passed it on to him. - -“Mr. Donnington!” he said again angrily. - -It was my object to waste time, of course; so I took no notice except -to sigh heavily, open my eyes again and close them instantly as if the -effort tried my strength. - -“You are not so bad as all that,” he said, and shook me again very -roughly. When this had no effect, he felt my pulse, and in doing so put -a finger under the rope which bound my left hand. - -“See how swollen the hands are, Manoel,” said Inez, holding the lamp -close to me. “It must be torture.” - -But Barosa knew better than to be taken in by my malingering. “He can -speak well enough as he is if he pleases. Mr. Donnington, we have come -to set you at liberty.” - -Then why didn’t he do it, was my natural thought. But I went through -another little pantomime. I showed slightly more strength this time, as -if invigorated by the news, but sank back again exhausted. - -“He is only shamming, curse him,” muttered Barosa. - -“These cords are cruelly tight, Manoel. Ease them, and see the effect. -I’ll go and fetch some brandy.” - -She went away and Barosa began to unfasten the knots. He was very -suspicious and went to work cautiously. But he need not have feared. -The instant the cords were released and the stagnant blood began to -course again through the veins, I was not only helpless but in positive -agony, from my aching head to my throbbing feet. - -Inez had been back some time before I could bear to move and when I -strove to sit up in order to take the spirit she had fetched, I fell -back like a log, sick, dizzy and as helpless as a new-born babe. Barosa -held me up while she poured a little brandy between my chattering teeth. - -The pain subsided slowly and the brandy stimulated me, and after a long -interval--I made it long enough to try Barosa’s patience sorely--I -struggled to a sitting posture. - -“What is this you have told Contesse Inglesia?” he asked. - -I passed my hand across my forehead and stared at him vacantly. - -“You know well enough what I mean. Repeat it to me.” - -“What about?” I muttered. - -“About Mademoiselle Dominguez. Some lie Major Sampayo is said to have -told you.” - -I looked from him to Inez, and met her eyes fixed upon me intently. -“Tell me,” I said to her. - -“What Major Sampayo said about the reason why Miralda was betrothed to -him.” - -I turned slowly to Barosa. “If the contesse has told you, why bother me -about it?” - -“Repeat it,” he said sternly. - -I shook my head. “You know already.” - -“Repeat it,” he cried again furiously. “And then admit you lied.” - -“I do not lie,” I answered and turned again to Inez. “So you have asked -that question?” - -“Repeat it, I say,” he thundered. “If you dare.” - -“Oh, I dare. Sampayo told me that you had him at your mercy because you -found out the facts about his South African doings and threatened to -expose him. I had the same knowledge with an addition which frightened -him even more. He said that you had forced this betrothal, but that it -was only a sham and that you did not mean him to marry Miralda because -you yourself loved her.” - -Out came a storm of oaths and denial, with fierce and passionate -threats against Sampayo for having coined the lie and against me for -having dared to repeat it. - -Inez was scarcely less moved; and from what passed it was clear that -there had been a very warm quarrel between them before they had come up -to me. I learnt that she had threatened to sacrifice everything and go -straight to M. Volheno. - -It was a long time before I could get a word in, and then I brought -them back to the real point. “Sampayo told me that after my interview -with him he begged you to get rid of me by doing what I wanted--freeing -Miralda from all this trouble. But you refused and tried to get rid of -me in another way--by inciting Henriques to murder me.” - -“It is a lie, a lie. It is all lies,” he exclaimed furiously. - -“Well then, why have you kept Miralda in the toils? If Sampayo lied, -what is the truth?” - -That roused Inez again, and another altercation followed, fiercer even -and more prolonged than the first. He had evidently tried to answer the -question with fifty subtle pretexts, but Inez was jealous and knew too -much not to be able to see that there was no reason except the true -one. - -In their anger they let out other valuable facts. The plot to abduct -the king had not been discovered, and Miralda had been prevented from -flying on the pretext that no discovery was likely to be made and -that she would be wanted for the next scheme which might be hatched. -My arrival with the news that I could reveal the whole conspiracy and -meant to do so had cut even this ground from under Barosa’s feet, -and then my repetition to Inez of Sampayo’s story had completed his -discomfiture. - -I was delighted to find that Inez was now as anxious as I was that -Miralda should fly the country; and instead of making her my enemy, as -she had declared, she was resolved that I should take Miralda away. - -Barosa was equally determined that I should do nothing of the kind, and -hence the bitterness of both and the _impasse_ to which matters were -brought. - -Another result of the quarrel was that it gave me time to recover my -strength, and as that increased, I began to see whether I could not -take advantage of the position to escape. I was more than a match for -Barosa even after my experiences in that room. It was probable that -he had a revolver on him, and if I could get that, I could soon put a -different complexion on matters. - -But he and Inez had crossed to the other end of the room, she had -closed the door lest the sound of their angry voices should be heard by -others in the house; and I could not get to him, however quick my rush, -before he would have time to draw his weapon. - -In his present frenzy he would shoot me the instant he drew, and things -were going too favourably for me to take that risk. - -I waited therefore in the hope that he would return to my end of the -room and give me the chance I sought. - -But before I had such a chance, some one knocked hurriedly at the door -and Marco rushed in. - -“I must speak to you at once,” he said excitedly to Barosa, and the two -men went out together. - -Inez was literally convulsed with jealous rage. Her face was white, -her features drawn and haggard, her hands fiercely clenched, and she -was shaking from head to foot. As the two men went out, she watched -Barosa, her strange eyes gleaming like those of a tigress watching her -prey. And when the door closed behind them, she crossed to me, her hand -pressed tightly to her heart. - -“Get Miralda from this house or I will not answer for myself,” she -said, her lips shivering and her voice low and hoarse with passion. - -I threw up my hands with a gesture of helplessness. - -With fingers that shook so violently that she could scarcely command -them, she tore open the bosom of her dress, took out a revolver and -thrust it into my hands. - -“Wait here a few minutes until I return. She shall be ready to go,” she -whispered and then turned to the door. - -“Inez! Quick. For God’s sake!” cried Barosa; and the next moment I was -alone again. - -I rose and paced the room to shake off the lingering effects of the -cramp caused by the cords. My legs were still stiff, but a few turns -across the room put me all right. - -Presently I opened the door and stood listening for Inez’ return. -Although I was within a few minutes of complete success, I was in a -fever of impatience. - -There was no sound anywhere in the house, and it was all dark. I -fetched the lamp from my room and went to the stairhead. - -Was it after all nothing but some fresh ruse? - -I examined the revolver Inez had given me. It was loaded. - -I was mystified. - -I began to descend the stairs, but paused. - -If I carried a light I should be an easy mark for any one having a -fancy to make a target of my body. - -Setting the lamp down I felt my way by the balustrade and crept down in -the dark, careful to make as little noise as possible and halting every -now and again to listen. - -In this way I descended two storeys, and tried in vain to remember how -many flights I had been carried up, that I might know on which floor I -stood. - -Feeling in my pockets I found my matches and was about to strike one -when I heard a footstep followed by a smothered exclamation, as if some -one had stumbled in the dark. The sound came from some distance below. - -Instinctively I shrank back against the wall and stood holding my -breath and listening intently. - -All was as still as a vault. - -My eyes had now grown sufficiently accustomed to the dark to enable -me to make out that I was on a wide landing on to which several rooms -opened. I felt my way round and listened cautiously at each. Not -a sound. Two of the doors were ajar, but each of the rooms was in -darkness. - -I hesitated when I reached the stairs again what to do. That stumbling -footstep below had been full of unpleasant suggestion. But it was -useless to stop where I was, so I continued my descent, more cautiously -and slowly than before. - -When I reached the next floor I paused again, waiting a long time and -straining my ears for some clue to the baffling situation. Not hearing -a sound, I again made a circuit of the landing, feeling my way by the -wall. There were three doors here, and each was ajar, and all three -rooms in darkness. - -Feeling my way back to the stairs, I stumbled against a low pedestal -placed at some little distance from the wall. There was a large plant -on it and in preventing it from falling, the leaves shook with a -rustling noise almost disconcerting in the dead stillness of the house. - -I crouched as still as a statue behind it, listening and holding my -breath again. Then I heard other rustling with a curiously regular beat -or infinitesimal throbbing. For a long time this puzzled me; until at -length I discovered that the throbbing was that of my own heart and the -rustling due to the movement of my coat lapel against the stiff edge of -my collar. - -I crept on then to the stairs and descended, still using the same -caution. I reached the bottom. I was now in the hall. The feel of the -marble under my foot told me this. - -I remembered the direction of the front door and turned toward it. - -But I had not taken two steps in its direction before I was seized, a -hand was pressed on my mouth before I could utter a sound, and my hands -were wrenched back violently and pinioned behind me. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXI - -A NIGHT OF TORMENT - - -My first thought when I was seized so suddenly in the darkness was that -a fresh trap had been laid for me and that I had blundered into it; and -that all the fierce wrangling between Inez and Barosa in my presence -had been mere pretence, to lead up to her saying what she had about my -leaving the house with Miralda. - -But why all that trouble had been taken when I was already in their -power and, above and beyond all, why she should have given me a loaded -revolver, was utterly baffling. - -I had not more than a minute or two to worry over that, however, for my -captors dragged me in silence to a room close by, which, like the rest -of the house, was in darkness. - -“Don’t speak above a whisper,” said one of them fiercely, putting his -lips close to my ear. - -An electric lamp was flashed in my face and the sudden light set me -blinking and winking like an owl. - -“Do you know him?” asked a voice out of the darkness. - -A murmur of dissent from the rest followed. - -“Where are the rest of you?” was the first question asked of me. - -“I don’t know what you mean,” I replied after a pause. - -“Answer my question at once.” - -I was at my wits’ end to know what line to take. I had had such -dramatic proof of Barosa’s methods of testing my good faith, that the -suspicion flashed across me that this was just another of them. He -and Inez might have patched up their quarrel--if it had been one in -reality--and he might have devised this means of seeing whether I meant -to keep my promise of silence, before he allowed Miralda to leave the -house with me. - -My hesitation appeared to provoke the man who had put the question. -“Answer at once, you dog,” he said. But whether his anger was real or -assumed, I could not tell. - -“There is some mistake----” I began. - -“You’ll find that out if you don’t answer at once,” he broke in. - -“I am an Englishman, Ralph Donnington, and have been kept a prisoner in -this house since this morning.” - -“Answer me instantly,” he repeated with an oath. - -“I have given you the only answer I can.” - -The lamp was directed at my face the whole time--the only gleam of -light in the whole room. And to me everything was, of course, just one -huge blur of utter darkness. - -“You refuse to tell me? You will repent it, I warn you.” - -“I have answered,” I said again. - -“You say you were a prisoner?” - -“Yes.” - -“When did you come to the house?” - -“This morning. I came here from my yacht, the _Stella_. She is in the -river now.” - -“Who made you a prisoner, and why?” - -To answer that involved the telling of all I knew. And whether this was -sham or reality, it meant danger to Miralda. “You may be sure I mean to -find that out,” I said, fencing. - -A pause followed and I heard some whispering. Then the man’s former -question was repeated. “You say you were a prisoner?” - -“Yes.” - -“A prisoner at liberty to roam about the house armed with a loaded -revolver? Is that what you mean?” - -“Some little time ago a woman came to me--I was locked in a room at the -top of the house--and gave me the revolver and told me I could leave.” - -This was the truth; but it sounded like a preposterous lie--as the -truth sometimes will. - -“And that was just at the moment when you were all hurry-scurrying -for your lives on our arrival. Of course you don’t know who the woman -was, any more than why you came sneaking down the stairs in the pitch -darkness with her revolver ready to put a bullet into any one who -prevented your escape.” - -“What I tell you is absolutely true. I was trying to get away, of -course, and came down in the dark fearing some trick on the part of -those who had imprisoned me.” - -“You know whose house this is?” - -“Oh, yes. The Contesse Inglesia’s.” - -“Oh come, you know something,” he sneered. “I suppose she is a friend -of yours--just in a social way?” - -“I was presented to her at the house of the Marquis de Pinsara -just after my arrival in Lisbon. I came to Lisbon on a mission of -considerable importance in which the Marquis and others of his friends -are greatly interested.” - -“Do you include His Majesty the King in your circle of friends?” - -I disregarded the sneer and replied gravely, “No, but I can give you -a list of those who are interested in my affairs;” and beginning with -M. Volheno, I rattled off a number of names. It was no good having -well-placed acquaintances without making some use of them. - -“You are an impudent scoundrel,” was the hot reply. “Why did you come -to this house to-day?” - -“On matters closely connected with my object here in Lisbon.” This was, -of course, my real object--Miralda--but it was not necessary to split -hairs or trouble with too much explanation. - -“Whom have you seen here?” - -“The Contesse Inglesia and the woman who gave me the revolver.” - -“No one else?” - -“I should not identify any one else.” This was very close to a direct -lie; and as I had no intention of either telling what I knew or of -committing myself to a direct denial, until I was certain about the -nature of the whole proceedings, I added: “I have said that I am an -Englishman. I have given you my name and have told you I am a friend -of M. Volheno, amongst others. You do not believe what I say, and I -claim my right as a British subject to communicate with my country’s -representatives here in the capital. Let me send to them or yourselves -send to M. Volheno. I shall not answer any more questions.” - -“Tell me at once where to find the rest of your companions,” he said -very sternly. - -“I know no more than yourself. I have no other answer to give.” I spoke -very firmly and half expected that my experience of the former test -would be repeated and that the men would be satisfied. - -But nothing of the kind followed. After a pause the light was suddenly -put out, a whispered command was given, and I was hurried out of the -room and then out of the house, dragged with no little violence into a -carriage and driven away. - -This might still be part of a drastic test, of course; so I held my -tongue and let them take me where they would. As I left the house I -glanced about me in the hope of catching sight of Bryant; and was -considerably troubled when I could not see him. - -But I was soon to learn that it was no mere test. The carriage pulled -up before a gloomy building and I was half led, half dragged inside, -where I was confronted by a number of men in police uniform. I was -searched and everything taken from me; my name was entered; and without -more ado I was led away to be thrust into an unmistakable prison cell -with other equally unmistakable prisoners. - -The experiences of that night live as an ineffaceable memory--worse -than any nightmare horrors; worse than one’s worst imaginings of any -nether world. - -The cell was a large one in which perhaps twenty or thirty could have -been confined without any undue crowding. There were more than that -number already there when I was thrust inside; and many others were -brought in afterwards, men and women indiscriminately, until we must -have numbered over sixty altogether. - -Had all been approximately clean or approximately sober, the air -would still have been too foul to breathe and we should have been too -crowded to move without shouldering one another. By the exercise of -strict discipline and mutual arrangement and forbearance, it would have -been possible, by taking turns, for some to have slept while the rest -huddled together. - -But there was neither cleanliness nor discipline. Most of the -men and some of the women were of the scum of the gutter; filthy -beyond description and evil-smelling to the point of nausea--the -incarnation of all that is offensive and abominable in humanity. And -to add to the horror, many of the men were in different stages of -drunkenness--hilarious, quarrelsome, brutal or obscene, according as -the drink developed their natural or unnatural temperaments. But all -were noisy and equally loathsome. - -Some dozen of the men and most of the women--of whom there were -about fifteen--were of a better class. But two or three of the women -were too hysterical from fear to be capable of anything approaching -self-command. Their cries and moans of anguish were heartrending; and -their occasional piercing screams and vehement outbursts of sobbing, -not only added to the general din and racket, but provoked the anger of -the drunkards and drew from them a flood of obscenity and abuse. - -Wherever a dozen women are brought together in trouble, however, -you may confidently look for at least one “ministering angel” among -them. There were two in that awful den that night. In appearance they -afforded the extremes of contrast. One was a tall buxom woman in the -forties with a hard forbidding-looking face, but with a heart as stout -as her big body and courage as strong as her bared brawny arms. The -other was a pale frail slip of a girl who looked as if a breath of wind -would have knocked her down; and it was an act of hers which brought -matters to a crisis. - -On my entrance two or three fights were in progress, and as I had no -wish except to avoid trouble, if possible, I pushed my way to a corner -near one of the small barred windows, and stood leaning against the -wall, watching the unruly crowd in dismay at the prospect of a night to -be passed in such company and in such utterly foul surroundings. - -Whenever the door was opened and fresh prisoners were thrust in, their -entrance was hailed by raucous shouts of welcome or hoarse oaths and -jeers of anger according to the feelings which the newcomers’ looks -inspired. Those who were known favourably were hailed by their names, -while others were received with yells and curses and immediately seized -and buffeted and kicked and mauled, dragged hither and thither like -a big bone by a pack of yelping curs, until bruised, battered and -half-dead with fear, they found rest and obscurity in a corner; or -until some new arrival distracted the attention of their persecutors. - -I had been watching one of these affairs when I turned to find the -girl I have mentioned at my side. Her fragile form and pale face -moved my pity, and I made way so that she could stand just under the -window. She thanked me with a smile, and we stood thus for a long time, -exchanging an occasional glance. - -Later on, one of the noisiest of the hysterical women drifted our way -and the girl instantly left her place and began to try and comfort -the woman. There must have been magnetism in her touch and eyes, for -the effect was remarkable. The other’s cries ceased and her sobbing -subsided, and she soon regained a measure of composure. - -She was a good-looking woman and her face attracted the attention -of a drunken brute of a bully who shouldered his way up and with a -coarse oath tried to put his arm round her waist to kiss her. Without -a second’s consideration of her own risk, the girl thrust herself in -his way and pushed him back with all her little strength, and stood -guarding the woman like a young lioness at bay. - -The beast swore viciously, glared at her and raised his hand for a -blow; then his look changed, his eyes blazed with animal passion and he -tried to seize her, swearing he would kiss her instead of the woman. - -I shouldered my way to her rescue, but before I could reach her, the -big woman intervened. She grabbed the brute from behind and dragged him -off, with a voluble torrent of language which, “ministering angel” as -she afterwards proved, had very little of the minister and nothing of -the angel in it. - -The drunken bully, powerful though he was, had much difficulty in -shaking her off, and by the time he had succeeded, I had reached the -girl and stood in front of her. Finding a man to deal with and one much -slighter than himself, he elbowed himself clear of the throng round him -and prepared to knock me into the next world. But I knew how to use my -fists and he did not; and as he struck at me I easily parried the blow -and gave him an undercut on the jaw which sent him staggering back, a -very much surprised bully indeed. - -A fight being a welcome recreation for the prisoners, we were -immediately surrounded by a yelling, oathing crowd, and a sufficient -space was cleared for us to settle matters. It is no credit to batter a -half-drunken man, and I would gladly have avoided the thing if it had -been possible. But it was not. My antagonist was regarded as a sort -of champion by those who knew him; and as they were anxious to see me -mauled, they hounded him on with shouts and cheers of encouragement. -Five minutes finished it; and established a reputation for me which -proved of infinite value for the rest of that terrible night. - -His friends led him away to the other end of the place; and when I -turned to go back to my corner, I found that the girl and her big -companion had taken possession of it for the benefit of the other -women. They had cleared a sufficient space to enable the women to lie -down; and by some magic of womanhood had comforted and soothed them -until comparative quiet had been restored. - -Nor was that all. Such of the men as were sober and decent had drifted -to our end and stood in line as a guard over the women. A space of very -few feet divided us from the rowdies; and as they still persisted in -keeping up a racket, I determined to use the authority with which my -victory had invested me, to try and stop some of the din. - -I picked out three of the strongest men near me, told them what I meant -to do, and asked their help. We were, of course, heavily handicapped in -numbers; but we were sober and capable of concerted action, whereas the -others were mostly drunk and at loggerheads even with one another. - -Four of us crossed the dividing line and without a word seized four of -the noisiest of the crowd, dragged them from the midst of the throng, -shook and cuffed them soundly, and then ordered them to stop their -yelling and oathing. - -They slunk off cowed and beaten; but a number of the others broke out -with volleys of curses and threats and showed fight. At this, the other -men from my corner came forward, and the manœuvre was repeated on a -larger scale. This time I took care to punish my man severely; and when -we shoved them reeling away and looked for fresh ones, we looked in -vain. - -They all backed away, huddled together like sheep frightened by the -dogs; and for the rest of the night there was no recurrence of the row. -We went back to our side and resumed guard over the women; half our -number crouched on the ground and the rest of us did sentry work. - -The rowdies across the dividing line gave very little trouble after -that. There were occasional wranglings among themselves, as they fought -for room to crouch or lie down, or struggled for space to breathe; -but they had had their lesson and were careful not to provoke another -attack from us. - -Many of them were soon fast in drunken sleep, as their stertorous -breathing and loud snoring evidenced. But contrasted with the din and -racket in the past hours, this was comparative peace and silence. - -How any one could sleep under such conditions baffled me. The reek and -noisome stench of the place were appalling; and although I stood as -near as I could get to one of the windows, I was almost suffocated and -felt sick, stifled, and overpowered. - -The women also slept, all but the two who watched over them and tended -them with the care and vigilance of tender-hearted womanhood. The -endurance of the young girl was as wonderful as her staunch courage and -her magnetic handling of her troubled sisters. She even outlasted the -big brawny woman who fell asleep soon after the dawn broke. The light -struggled through the windows, and the abject wretchedness and squalor -of the scene were infinitely more depressing and horrible in the light -than they had seemed in the feeble rays of the gas jets. - -Only once did she show even a sign of breaking down. That was about two -hours after the dawn when she was near me and I asked her why she was a -prisoner and spoke in praise of her conduct. - -She told me that she was a political prisoner, and that her real name -was Pia Rosada, but she had been arrested in a different one. She was a -keen revolutionary, goaded into rebellion by the ill-treatment of her -relatives. She was only a suspect; but she knew much and looked forward -to some kind of torture being employed to force her to turn informer. -“They may do what they will, I shall tell nothing,” she said, her eyes -lighting with resolution and dauntless courage--a martyr in the making. - -“I am sorry for you,” I murmured. - -“I would die a hundred deaths first,” she answered. Then her look -changed. Her clear gaze was troubled and she glanced round at the -women. “Do you think we have no cause to revolt? Look at these poor -creatures;” and her eyes filled with tears. But she dashed them away. -“We cannot afford the luxury of tears,” she said hurriedly, and slipped -from me to go to one of her charges who woke and sat up and began to -weep. In a minute she was soothed and comforted by the touch of those -wonderful hands, the glance of the magnetic eyes, and the soft whisper -of the sweet calming voice. - -My thoughts flew to Miralda, and with a shudder of fear I pictured her -in the midst of such a scene of abomination and desolate misery. - -Death was a million times preferable to existence in such a hell of -life as this! - - - - -CHAPTER XXXII - -A HUNDRED LASHES - - -I was not without apprehension that, as soon as the drunkards -and rowdies woke up, there would be some renewal of the night’s -disturbances, with trouble to follow for the women and for us who had -kept watch over them. - -But the anticipation was unfounded. The men were too ill to make -trouble. The fearful atmosphere they had breathed, combined with the -effects of their intoxication, had sapped alike their strength and -their energy. Listless, sick both in mind and body, crushed in spirit -and utterly downcast, they kept apart from us and huddled together in a -compact companionship of weary, lifeless, dejected wretchedness. - -Several of those at our end of the prison, men and women alike, were in -much the same condition. Daylight appeared to add to their sufferings, -instead of diminishing it. In the dim gas light they had been spared -the sight of the other’s condition; but it was revealed to them now and -made them the more conscious of their own evil plight. The pestilential -atmosphere had also enfeebled them; and the frail little Pia and her -strong helpmate were hard put to it to keep them from giving way. Many -of them fainted, gasping piteously for air; and Pia asked me to get the -men to help in holding one or two of them up to the windows that they -might breathe fresh air in place of the pestilence-laden atmosphere of -the gaol. - -The men agreed readily, although themselves greatly weakened by -the night’s experiences, and I had just laid down one woman whom a -companion had helped me to revive in this way, when he began to speak -of Pia; praising her courage, her endurance and her resource. - -“She is a little heroine and will be missed by our friends,” he said, -when I echoed his praises warmly. “I hope they can prove nothing -against her. How long have you known her?” - -“I saw her for the first time here.” - -“She is heart and soul in our cause and one of the staunchest workers -and the bravest.” - -“What cause is yours, my friend?” - -“You are right to be cautious; but my cause is yours, and yours mine.” - -At this moment Pia touched me on the arm. “Will you come and look at -this poor soul here?” she asked; and as I turned and we bent over a -woman who had fainted, she whispered hurriedly: “That man is a spy. Be -careful what you say to him.” - -I was astounded. It seemed incredible that any money, any reward -however lavish, could induce a man to face the horrors of such an -inferno as that gaol. - -“Can you lift her to the window?” asked Pia, seeing my look of -incredulity; and she whispered: “It is true. I know. Be very careful.” - -The man helped me hold the unconscious woman to the air; and when we -set her down somewhat revived, he was at me again, seeking to draw some -compromising admissions from me in response to his own violent abuse of -the Government. - -“You are mistaken about me and should not speak so unguardedly to a -stranger even in this place,” I answered. - -“I should not had I not seen how you sympathize with our friends here. -It is true we have not met before, and in that sense we are strangers; -but a fellowship of suffering in our common cause makes us all -friends--aye, and more than friends.” - -“What I have done has been done for motives of mere humanity.” - -“But they recognize a leader in you--and I proclaim myself as devoted a -follower as any of them.” - -“I am no leader of any cause, man. I am an Englishman; my name is -Donnington; and I have been brought here through the blundering of the -police.” - -“They are devils,” he exclaimed vehemently, and then tried to lead me -into joining in his abuse of them. But little Pia had put me on my -guard, and after a time he abandoned his efforts and fastened on to -another man, with results I was delighted to see. - -The man listened for a while and presently, taking offence at something -which the spy said, answered hotly; the spy lost his temper and let -fall a remark which others beside the man he was pumping resented. They -closed round him and first thrashed him soundly and then knocked him -across to the other group. The latter glad to get hold of one of us -grabbed hold of him, and venting on his cowardly body all the rage they -dared not vent on us, they beat and kicked and mauled him unmercifully, -until his screams for help attracted the attention of the warders and -they entered and dragged him away. - -Knowing that he would seek revenge by lying about us, I got from Pia -all the names of the men who had stood by me during the night, so that -when I was out of my own troubles, I might tell Volheno what had really -occurred. - -Soon after that the door was thrown open and several officials entered. -They made a careful note of the unusual division of the prisoners into -the two groups, and at once ordered the removal of those with whom we -had had the trouble. - -While this was going on I went up to the chief official and told him my -name and asked for food for myself and those remaining. I was famished -and parched with thirst. I had not had even a crust of bread for -twenty-four hours and only the sip of brandy which Inez had given me. - -His reply was an oath and an order to hold my tongue. - -I pointed to the women and asked for food for them, and the brute -raised his hand and struck me across the mouth. - -Mad with rage at this, I sprang on him and pulled him down, dashing -his head against the stone flags. In a moment half a dozen of his men -rushed up and dragged me off, kicking and mauling me with the utmost -violence, and then put my wrists in irons. - -Their leader rose livid with rage. “You shall have the lash for this, -you traitorous dog,” he hissed between his teeth. “Fling him in the -corner there,” he ordered. “The lash shall tear the flesh from your -back for this. Yes, the lash and plenty of it. That shall be your -breakfast. Yes, the lash, the lash;” and he repeated this several -times, each time with a fierce and bitter oath, as if gloating in the -prospective treat of seeing my flesh cut to ribbons. - -I was flung into the corner, as he had ordered--the loathsome spot, -reeking with all the filthy abominations of the vile crew who had -passed the night in it--and the other prisoners were forbidden to -come near me under penalty of sharing my punishment. But the door had -scarcely closed on them before little Pia came straight across, with -gentle reproaches for my futile violence and words of sympathy for my -trouble. - -I tried to send her away, fearing the warders would return and find she -had disobeyed their order; but she would not go. The skin of my face -was broken slightly where one of the men had kicked me--only a graze, -for the force of the kick was spent before his foot touched me; and she -insisted upon wiping the few drops of blood away. Her touch was that of -a hand skilled in healing; and as she did what she could to cleanse -the little wound, her eyes were full of tears and her face a living -mask of pity and sympathy. - -[Illustration: “In a moment half a dozen of his men rushed up and -dragged me off.”] - -“Go, go before they return and find you here,” I urged her. - -“Is it not you who saved us all from the worst terrors of this awful -night? Shall I desert you now you have brought this trouble on -yourself?” - -“Go, please go. You can do me no good and only harm yourself,” I begged -her; but she would not go, and was still with me when the men came back -to lead me out. - -They seized her at once and, being brutes not men, handled her with -cruel violence. I would have cursed them in my empty rage had it not -seemed like a dishonour to her, in her calm quiet, almost saint-like -resignation. - -We were taken out together into a large quadrangle, and I caught my -breath with a shiver of panic as I saw on the other side the whipping -post surrounded by a group of men, two of whom held many-thonged, -heavily knotted whips. - -We were led across to it and a halt was made, and the two powerful men -with the whips eyed us both with sinister, half-gloating gaze. - -I was ashamed of my cowardice then. Grit my teeth as I would in a -firm resolve to bear the awful punishment of the lash, I turned cold -and sick at the thought of it. But the frail creature by my side was -utterly unmoved. She was pale, but no paler than usual, and as calm and -unmoved as the whipping post itself. - -To the brutalized ruffians, the tragedy was more like a pleasant farce. - -“Only two this morning?” asked one of those holding a whip. - -“May be more presently,” replied one of the men with us. - -“I want more exercise than this,” was the growling answer, uttered with -a sort of snarling laugh. - -“You’ll have plenty with this dog. He struck the captain.” - -“He looks as if he had less stomach for his breakfast than the girl -here.” - -The taunt bit like an acid and did more than anything could have done -to revive my drooped courage. - -In this coarse way they jested until another prisoner was brought -out from a different cell and tied up for the lash. I will not dwell -on the sickening scene which followed. I shut my eyes and, had I not -been ironed, would gladly have closed my ears as well to keep out the -awful sound of the poor wretch’s screams, until the blessed relief of -unconsciousness silenced them. - -Pia stood with her hands clasped to her eyes and her thumbs pressed -close to her ears, and did not look up until the unfortunate victim -was carried away, the blood dripping from his lacerated back making a -gruesome and significant track across the flags. - -I thought my flogging would follow immediately; but it turned out -otherwise. We had merely been made to witness the terrible punishment -that our courage might be broken and our senses racked by the sight of -what was in store for us. - -Instead of being triced up to the post, we were led away into another -part of the building; and one of the men with me explained with a -chuckle that such a number of strokes as I should receive for my -offence could only be ordered by the Governor of the prison himself. - -As we were taken into the room I saw the officer I had struck, who was -addressed as Captain Moros, in close consultation with a tall, thin, -grey-bearded man in an elaborate uniform decorated with several medals. -This was His Excellency the Governor. He frowned at me over the rims -of his pince-nez; and I perceived at once that he had been already -informed of my heinous deed, and that the captain had made the case as -black as possible. - -“This is the man, I suppose?” the Governor asked him. - -“Yes,” said the captain, and he turned to the warders by my side. - -“Is he securely ironed? He is a very desperate and very dangerous -ruffian,” he added to the Governor. “I have ascertained that he nearly -killed one of his fellow-prisoners in the night and instigated an -attack upon another of them this morning;” and he bent toward the -Governor and whispered to him. - -He was describing the incident of the spy’s mauling, and he finished in -a tone loud enough to reach me. “There is no doubt he recognized him -and was at the bottom of the whole thing.” - -“Who is he? Is he known to our men?” - -“Oh, yes. I have made inquiries. He is one of the most violent -revolutionaries in the city. Altogether a most reckless, dangerous man. -I am able to vouch for all this personally; and there is no doubt he -meant to kill me. I had a most marvellous escape.” - -“How do you say the attack was made?” - -“Without a word of warning. I was watching as some of the prisoners -were taken out of the cell and he sprang on me suddenly from behind and -tried to throttle me. It took half a dozen men to drag him away.” - -“Certainly a very bad case; as bad as it could be. And the woman, who -is she?” asked the Governor. - -“A political suspect in league with the man. I have reason to believe -that she incited him to attack me. I had the fellow separated from -the rest and ordered them not to go near him on pain of sharing his -punishment. I really did that as a test to find out if he had any -close associates among them. She went to him at once in defiance of my -orders; and I find that they are old companions. They acted together -all the night in a very suspicious manner indeed.” - -“She looks very young and fragile for such a punishment.” - -“Your Excellency will see that flagrant disobedience of our orders such -as this woman was guilty of cannot be passed over. She knew the penalty -of disobedience; and if prisoners find that we can be set at defiance -with impunity, the difficulty of keeping them in subjection will be -very great. I feel that my sense of duty compels me to press this case.” - -“I see that, of course. The doctor had better examine her to see if she -can bear the punishment.” - -“You may of course leave that to me,” was the reply; and the Governor -was quite willing to do it. - -A pause followed, and I was waiting to be questioned, for I had not -even been asked my name, when Pia’s clear young voice broke the silence. - -“General de Sama.” - -If a bomb had exploded suddenly in the room it would not have produced -much more astonishment. The Governor looked up with surprise; the -captain shouted “Silence her;” and the two men holding Pia shook her -angrily, one of them clapping a hand to her mouth. It was evident that -none but official dogs must bark in that place, and for a prisoner to -open her lips was a crime. - -I made an effort to explain, but before a couple of words were out of -my lips, I was silenced as Pia had been. - -When the commotion caused by this had subsided, the Governor addressed -me. “You have attempted the life of Captain Moros and you are evidently -a very dangerous and desperate man. The punishment for your crime under -the law is death; but your intended victim has interceded for you -and has mercifully asked that the case shall be dealt with, not as a -capital crime against the law of the land, but as an offence against -the discipline of the prison. As such I have power to deal with it. It -is a very grave offence, very grave indeed, and the punishment must -be in proportion to its gravity. You will receive a hundred lashes to -be administered twenty strokes at a time with such intervals between -each flogging as the doctor shall decide. You have every reason to be -grateful to Captain Moros for his leniency. As for you,” he added, -turning to Pia, “your case is different, but I am compelled to uphold -the discipline of the prison. You knew beforehand the punishment of -disobedience. But you are young and may have been led into this trouble -by your evil companion there. You will receive five strokes with the -lash.” - -With that he signed to the men to take us away. - -I was so dazed, stunned and overwhelmed by the terrible sentence that -even the gloating look of triumph and malice on Captain Moros’ face -failed to rouse my resentment, as my guards hustled me away. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIII - -THE LUCK TURNS - - -As it turned out, this same paralysis of despair which fell on me after -hearing my terrible sentence proved the means of saving me. I had tried -to explain who I was and had been silenced, and any attempt during the -proceedings would have failed in the same way. - -But as I was being taken out, my condition of helplessness led the -warders to believe I was too feeble to offer any sort of resistance, -and their hold of me was very slight. - -Just as I reached the door, through which Pia had already passed, my -wits awoke and my energy quickened in obedience to an instinct of -self-preservation. The Conte de Sama had been one of those to whom the -Marquis de Pinsara had introduced me on the night of the reception, -and the conte had written me subsequently that his brother, General de -Sama, the Governor of the prison, was anxious to co-operate with me. - -I sprang back from the gaolers’ loose hold of me, therefore, and -darting toward the Governor I rushed out the words: “There is a -mistake. I am Ralph Donnington, the Englishman who seeks the Beira -Concessions. Your brother, Conte de Sama----” - -I had no chance to finish, for I was collared by the warders, one of -whom silenced me as Pia had been silenced. - -Captain Moros was furious and put himself in front of the Governor, as -if to protect him from my violence and ordered the men to drag me away -instantly. - -But I had appealed to a far higher force than the law--the cupidity of -this Portuguese notable; and he had heard enough to rouse his fear of -losing a chance of fortune. - -“Wait,” he said quickly to his companion. “Remain here with your -prisoner,” he ordered the gaolers; and then, as if to conceal his -personal interest in my statement, he was shrewd enough to cover -it with a reference to the law. “If the prisoner is an Englishman, -Captain Moros, as he says, you will see there may be somewhat serious -complications. I must question him. Have the female prisoner brought -back.” - -“May I sit down?” I asked abruptly. My legs were trembling under me and -I was feeling faint from want of food and quite used up. He consented -and a warder placed a chair for me. - -“If you are an Englishman”--and he affected to have forgotten my name, -stumbling over it--“how is it I find you here?” - -“Ralph Donnington is my name. I was arrested last night by mistake as a -political suspect. I passed the night in this prison, and when Captain -Moros entered it this morning, I told him who I was and asked him for -some food. He ordered me to be silent. I then asked for some food for -the women who were lying ill from the effects of the awful night we had -all endured. His reply was a blow on the mouth, and I lost my temper -and grappled with him.” - -The captain tried several times to interrupt me with furious outbursts, -but the Governor--thinking no doubt of the concessions--would not let -him interfere. - -“If your statement is true, it puts a very different complexion on the -matter. You must see that, Captain Moros.” - -“It is a pack of lies,” he declared. - -“All the prisoners heard and saw what passed. Interrogate them singly -and they will corroborate every word. I have the honour of the -friendship of M. Volheno and I shall appeal to him to do so. I have -requested to be allowed to communicate both with him and with the -representatives of my country, but no notice has been taken. If your -Excellency will send to M. Volheno, you will be immediately convinced -that I am what I say--Ralph Donnington, an Englishman of great wealth, -enjoying the friendship of the Marquis de Pinsara and many other -prominent men in Lisbon, and here for the purpose of acquiring very -valuable concessions in your African Colony.” - -The concessions won hands down, and the victory extended even to little -Pia who had been brought back and stood listening in amazement. - -“This must be inquired into, of course,” said the Governor after a -pause. “Free the prisoner’s hands,” he added. Then to me: “Do you know -anything of the girl at your side?” - -“I will answer for her as for myself. I know her to be innocent of -any wrong, and that she is about to leave the country. I am indeed -interested in making arrangements for her to do so.” - -Pia moved restlessly and was about to protest, I think, so I placed my -hand on her shoulder and looked into her eyes: “You will bear out what -I say?” - -To deny would compromise me, and that I was sure she would not do. -After a slight pause, she said simply: “That is so.” - -At my mention of Volheno’s name the Governor had scribbled a line and -handed it to a subordinate who took it away. - -“I am compelled to protest against this, your Excellency,” said the -captain at this point. “And having made this protest, I will, with your -permission, return to my duties.” - -“The matter has taken a very grave turn, Captain Moros; you will be -good enough to remain until we know more. This may be serious for you.” -The subordinate returned then and handed a packet to the Governor who -whispered with him, and sent him away again. “I find that you gave your -name on being brought in last night, Mr. Donnington. Here is what was -found upon you. I shall return all except a paper which I may have to -deal with differently. I revoke both sentences.” - -This was, of course, the confession of Gompez and the rest. “May I -ask that some of the money may be used to buy food for the wretched -prisoners in that cell?” - -He granted the request and sent some one away for the purpose. - -“I have telephoned to M. Volheno, and have no doubt, from what he -says, that all is as you represent. He desires to see you as soon as -possible.” - -“May we go then? I have had no food since yesterday morning.” - -“There is still one formality,” he replied. He turned then to Captain -Moros and said something which made the brute go white and set him -trembling, as he protested. But the protest was evidently unavailing, -and after some further words, he rose and went out at the back of -the room. I learnt afterwords that he was made the scapegoat for my -treatment and dismissed from his position. - -Just as this incident ended, the door by which we had entered opened -and another prisoner was brought in. To my amazement I saw it was -Bryant. - -“Do you recognize any one here, prisoner?” the Governor asked him. - -Bryant stared all round. “Only my master, Mr. Donnington.” - -“Was that the formality, your Excellency?” I asked. - -“M. Volheno said you two were to be confronted, and I had no option but -to do so. You are now at liberty to leave.” - -“And my servant?” - -“Certainly. I trust you will let this most regrettable and -unintelligible series of mistakes pass out of your mind. Here are the -things taken from you--the paper I am sending to M. Volheno. And now,” -he added, as he offered me his hand; “I shall be glad if at some time -convenient to yourself you will afford me an opportunity of discussing -with you the matter in which you so interested my brother.” - -Pia was at a loss what to do. So I laid my hand on her arm. “Come,” I -said. - -“But----” she began. - -“Come,” I repeated, more insistently, and she yielded, leaving the -place as if she where walking in her sleep. But as soon as we were in -the street and the gloomy gates had closed behind us, she paused to -take two or three deep breaths, her face raised skywards and her eyes -shining brightly in rapture, and then smiled, as if the very air itself -were at once the symbol and the proof of the liberty so unexpectedly -regained. - -After that she turned and held out her hand to me. - -“You are out of prison, Pia, but you are not free,” I said, shaking -my head. “I have answered for you; and you cannot return to your -associates here without falsifying my pledge.” - -Her eyes clouded in embarrassment. “What can I do?” - -“In the first place you are going to put absolute confidence in your -new gaoler and let him look after your future, as soon as he knows what -you wish to do. He is a very stern gaoler and will take no refusals,” I -added, interrupting a threatened protest. - -“If you are anything like as famished as I am, your first desire will -be to eat something;” and we turned into the first hotel we reached. - -Some objection was taken to our appearance--we were like three towsled -tramps--but money soon overcame that, and while I was doing what I -could to get rid of the results of the night’s imprisonment--Pia having -gone off with a servant for a similar purpose--I listened to Bryant’s -account of his experience. - -It was pretty much what I anticipated, but with an unexpected result. -He had waited for me outside Inez’ house for some hours and had then -contrived to send a message to Captain Bolton. Together they had agreed -that the skipper should go and tell the police about my disappearance, -while Bryant remained on watch. - -But in some way the abduction plot had become known. The police had -jumbled the two things up and, on reaching Inez’ house, their first act -was to arrest Bryant himself on suspicion, refusing to believe or even -listen to his explanation; and he had been in prison up to the moment -of his being brought in to identify me. - -It turned out that Captain Bolton had been making inquiries everywhere -both for me and for Bryant; and Volheno had heard of the latter’s -imprisonment and had been on the point of ordering his release when -General Sama had communicated with him about me. - -I told Bryant to hurry his breakfast and go down to the quay to send -word to the skipper that we were both at liberty, and then drive to -Miralda’s house for news of her, and bring me the result of his inquiry -to my rooms. - -Pia’s story was soon told. She had no living relatives. She and -her only brother had lived together until he had been led to join -the revolutionary party. His arrest had soon followed through the -betrayal of a false friend who had tried to make love to her and -in revenge for his defeat had betrayed him. The brother, feeble and -delicate in health, had been questioned as to the plans and names of -his companions, and Pia declared that his refusal to speak had been -punished with the lash. He had died in prison, and this had driven her -into hot rebellion against those whom she termed his murderers. - -She had been hunted for by the police; but her arrest on the previous -night had been an accident--she was caught as I had once been--in the -thick of a fracas between the police and the people. She had not given -her right name, but, feeling sure she would be identified, she looked -forward to sharing the same fate as her brother. - -This fact explained the readiness of the Governor to liberate her. - -“You have no friends anywhere?” I asked. - -“I have only one friend in the world; but when my brother was arrested, -he had to fly for his life. That was almost on the eve of the day we -were to have been married,” she said simply. - -“And where is he?” - -“In America.” - -“That settles it then. You will go out to him.” - -She tossed up her hands. “Some day, perhaps.” - -“There is no ‘perhaps’ about it and no ‘some day.’ Do you know that -if it had not been for you I should have had that lash this morning. -If you had not mentioned the Governor’s name, I should not have known -him and been able to do what I did. You will go out to New York by the -first boat you can catch, and you will leave Lisbon for Paris to-day, -and go to an address I will give you to wait in safety until that boat -starts.” - -“Monsieur!” she cried tremulously. - -“I am your gaoler, remember, and responsible for you. You must let -me persuade you to do what I say. And now, I must go. Hurry your -preparations and return to me here;” and I gave her the address of my -flat. - -“But I--I cannot accept your money, monsieur.” - -“But you can use it. I shall lend it to you, and when you are married -in the new world, you will soon be able to repay me. There is a place -for such a woman as you in the world and good work waiting to be done -by you. You promise to come to me?” - -She could not speak. The tears, which no persecution, nor the horrors -of the past night, nor even the almost certain prospect of the lash -itself had been able to draw from her, were standing thick in her eyes -as I left her and hurried to my rooms. - -I decided to go to Volheno as soon as I had changed into some decent -clothes, and secure a pardon for Miralda in return for a full statement -of what I knew, and then obtain his assistance in searching for her. -There was a faint chance that Bryant would bring back some news of her -from the vicontesse; but he did not arrive before I was ready to go to -Volheno. - -I found him studying the paper which General de Sama had sent to him -from the prison, and his first question was about it. - -“Why have you made prisoners of some of His Majesty’s officers?” he -asked. - -“I have much to tell you and of very grave importance, but there is -a condition,” I replied. I told him enough to convince him that my -information was such as to place clues in his hand strong enough to -enable him to break up the whole revolutionary movement so far as the -Pretender’s friends were concerned; and then named my condition. - -Without mentioning their names I described at length the means which -had been adopted to force Miralda, Vasco and Dagara into the scheme and -how they had helped me to thwart it, and asked for a written assurance -of pardon for them all. - -He fought hard and tried every means to get the names from me. A long -and at times very heated altercation followed, in which I declared that -I would make all the trouble I could on the score of my own treatment, -and finally that I would seek an audience of the king himself and lay -all the facts before him. - -I won the victory in the end, and I had the assurance in my pocket when -I gave him the story, confining my statement to what I had overheard on -the _Rampallo_ and all that had followed from it. We then arranged for -the _Stella_ to go out at once to pick up the _Rampallo_ and to carry -out Government agents to take over charge of her and the officers. - -I purposely abstained from mentioning Inez, but the fact that I had -been arrested in her house led Volheno to question me about her. I -found that the house had been raided through a blunder of the police -who had mixed up some information they had received with Captain -Bolton’s statement that I was a prisoner there. Volheno had nothing -definite against her, and I would not give him any information. - -Of Miralda’s whereabouts he knew no more than I. She had not been -arrested, however; and I returned to my rooms to learn the result of -Bryant’s visit to her house. - -He brought no news of her. He had seen the viscontesse who was almost -prostrate with grief and anxiety at her absence. - -There was only one inference to draw. Miralda must still be with -Barosa; and where to look for them baffled me. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIV - -ON THE TRACK - - -I racked my wits in vain to think of some clue to the place where -Barosa was likely to hide. I ransacked my memory to recall every -incident of my stay in the city, every word which had been dropped in -my hearing, and every man I had met, having any connexion with him or -any of his companions. But it led to no result. - -All I could think of was to institute a house-to-house search of the -whole city; and I wrote to urge Volheno to have this done, declaring I -would cheerfully bear all the expense and give a liberal reward to any -one who brought me the information I craved. - -But the thought of the length of time which such a search would involve -drove me to the verge of despair. I must find some means by which I -myself could take part in the search. To sit still with folded hands -was a sheer impossibility. - -I thought of Inez. She might now be willing to help me. I had the key -now to what had so perplexed me during the last few minutes I had spent -in her house. While she and Barosa were wrangling, Marco had rushed -up with the news of the police raid, and this had prevented Inez from -keeping her promise to return to me. - -She had meant to return--that was clear now--and she was in fierce -earnest that Miralda should leave the house with me. The loaded -revolver--which had proved such a Greek gift when the police had found -it upon me--had been honestly given, to provide me with the means -of overcoming any opposition, whether from Barosa or others, to our -getting away. - -But the words she had used in giving it only pointed to greater danger -now. “Get Miralda away or I will not answer for myself.” With Barosa -and Miralda still associated, the devil of jealousy I had roused in -Inez might goad her to some act of wild rage against Miralda; and the -thought that I had placed her in this added peril stung and scorched me -with all the agony of a festering wound. - -My helplessness was torture; and yet I could not think how to commence -my search, where to go, or what to do. Stay in the house I could -not, and I rushed out into the streets, wandering aimlessly about, -scrutinizing every one I met, as if I expected that some of those I -sought would stroll about publicly in the full light of day in order -that I might see them. - -After a time I found myself close to Inez’ house, and as I loitered -about I narrowly escaped being once more arrested by the police. I went -from there to the house in the Rua Catania and then to the Rua Formosa, -where I had been subjected to the “test”--the most unlikely spots in -all the city, of course, where I should find any one. And that I should -go there at all only proved the fatuous vagueness of my thoughts. - -From the latter place I was on my way back to my rooms when I -remembered where Henriques had been employed as a porter. I hurried -there at once, but without result. Not a trace was to be found. - -I returned to my rooms in despair. It was now late in the afternoon, -and little Pia was waiting for me. She had finished her few -preparations and was ready to go. - -“You are in great trouble, Mr. Donnington. What is the matter?” she -asked as I entered, her smile of welcome changing on the instant to a -look of deep concern and sympathy. - -“Yes, I am in sore trouble. Wellnigh beside myself, but I will see to -your matters.” - -“Tell me. Let me help you.” - -“Could you help me, I wonder.” I had not thought of her. She might know -of some places where I could search, but on the other hand, she could -not give me the information without bringing those with whom she had -been associated into danger of arrest. - -“Tell me. You can surely trust me,” she urged. - -“You could only help me by betraying your former friends. Do you know a -Dr. Barosa?” - -“By name, yes. There is nothing you can ask me I will not tell you. You -believe that as I am sure you believe I will keep everything you say -secret.” - -A few seconds decided me to tell her enough to make the position -clear--that what I wanted was to know where to look for Barosa. - -“I do not know that I could help you much in any case. It is very -difficult,” she murmured, her face troubled and her manner expressing -both perplexity and wistful anxiety. - -“I do not understand,” I said. - -“You said I might have to betray my former associates. Does that mean -that you will take the police with you?” She paused and sat biting her -lip in great distress. “If you ask me, I cannot refuse.” - -“If I can find Mademoiselle Dominguez without the police it is all I -want.” - -She brightened instantly. “Can you get me some disguise?” Seeing my -surprise, she explained, “I would go without it, but it would not help -you. Since we parted this morning, I have had a very narrow escape from -arrest in my own name. The police are swarming near my lodging, and -it is in that district we must search. I was on my way there when by -good fortune I met a friend--a girl who had lived in the same house as -myself. She warned me not to go near it because the police were in it. -Her brother had been arrested and she herself was flying. To go as I -am, therefore, would not help you.” - -“You must not go at all. Tell me where to go,” I said. - -She hesitated again. “If I hesitate, you will understand me. Let me be -frank. Some of the people have been very kind to me and to put them -into the hands of the police would be an ill return.” - -“I will not take the police with me. Tell me where to search, and I’ll -find means of doing what I need without the police.” - -“A little to the west of the Theatre of Donna Amelia and close to the -Square of Camoes is a nest of streets; and many of the houses are those -of our friends where any refugees are certain of a ready shelter. It is -there I should expect to find those whom you seek. But you must go not -as you are. It would be not only useless but dangerous, and you must be -careful to have help at hand. If your object were suspected, you would -look in vain for a friend in all that district.” - -I opened a map and she pointed the neighbourhood out to me and -indicated a spot at the corner of the Square which would be the best -for my purpose. - -“There are three theatres close there, and the hawkers always stand -about there to catch the people going to them. You could thus watch -without being suspected;” she explained. - -I took her advice and set about my preparations forthwith, and while -getting ready, a thought occurred to me. I sent Bryant with a note to -Volheno telling him I had an important clue and I asked him, as I had -already had a narrow escape of being arrested, to give me a line or two -which would protect me from anything of the kind and enable me to call -upon the police to assist me if I should need their help. - -Pia helped me to disguise myself as a pedlar of matches, suggesting -many clever touches--the result probably of her experiences--and when I -was ready not a soul in all Lisbon would have recognized me. - -Volheno sent me the letter I asked for, and when Bryant returned with -it I told him to disguise himself also and to watch me from another -corner of the Square, and to have Simmons and Foster, who had not gone -in the _Stella_, in a liquor shop close at hand. - -Then I slipped out of the house and shuffled off on my search in the -character of a match seller. I had about a mile to go across the city -to my destination, but I did not reach it. I had just turned into -the Rua da Carmo when a man carrying a bag and having the air of a -commercial traveller crossed the street and came up to buy a box of -matches. - -His disguise was good, but as he lit his cigarette I recognized him. It -was Marco; and in a moment my other plan was abandoned and I decided to -follow him. - -He made straight for the Central Station. After studying the -time-tables, he went to the booking place, entered into conversation -with the clerk and bought some tickets, turned away with a casual air -and left the building again. - -Either Pia was all wrong in her guess as to the locality where Barosa -was likely to hide, or Marco was not going back to him. He sauntered -idly across the Square of San Pedro, turned into the Rua Bitesgo, -quickened his pace slightly as he reached the Rua da Magdalena, and -branching off to the left, when about half-way down, threaded his way -at a quick pace among the maze of streets which form the district of -Eastern Lisbon. - -This was directly in the opposite direction from that which Pia had -suggested; but I was certain by the change from his former sauntering -pace to a quick stride, that he was taking me where I wanted to go. - -His speed made it difficult for me to keep him in sight without his -discovering that I was shadowing him. Twice I nearly lost him as he -made a double turn in the short tortuous streets, and after that I had -to lessen the distance between us, doing my best to slink along in the -shadow of the houses. - -Presently he turned into a very steep hilly street and, slackening, -began to look about him warily. I guessed that he was getting near his -destination, and redoubled my caution. About half-way down the hill he -stopped at the corner of a dark street somewhat wider than the rest, -where the houses were larger, and I slipped to cover in the wide porch -of a house on the opposite side. - -Two men were in sight, one coming down the hill and the other up, and -lighting a cigarette as a pretext for loitering, Marco waited until -both men had passed and gave each of them a sharp searching look. As -soon as they were out of sight, he turned and hurried along the side -street. - -I followed quickly, but when I reached the corner he had disappeared. - -I had run him to earth; but which house he had entered I could not -tell, of course. I passed the mouth of the street and had a good look -at the houses. He had not had time to go more than fifty yards; and -within that distance there were only six houses, the two nearest of -which were detached and stood well apart from one another. - -Keeping under the shadow of the buildings I walked the length of the -street and discovered that it had no outlet at the farther end. I -returned to the corner with the same caution, and then considered what -to do. - -I felt at liberty to seek the help of the police if necessary. My -promise to Pia not to do so did not apply now, since my discovery was -not due to anything she had told me, but to the accidental meeting with -Marco. - -At the same time, I did not wish to bring the police into it except -in the very last extremity. It was quite possible that they would -arrest every one in the house, including Miralda herself; and after my -terrible experiences of the previous night, the thought that she should -endure even for an hour the horrors of such a den of beastliness was -unendurable. - -If it proved necessary for me to enter any house in search of Miralda, -it would be nothing short of sheer madness to do so alone; and in that -case I must have the help of the police. - -But it might not come to that. Marco’s visit to the railway station and -his purchase of tickets was plain evidence that some one, presumably -Barosa, was meditating immediate flight from the city. But as there was -only the one outlet from the street, he could not leave without passing -me; and certainly he could not get Miralda away. - -There was another consideration. The meditated flight suggested -that Miralda was not in any immediate danger. It might be better to -risk a little delay, therefore, rather than take a hasty step with -consequences which I might afterwards have bitter cause to regret. - -Then I began to consider whether I could possibly find means of sending -a message to Bryant so as to bring him and the others to my assistance. -With them to help me, I should have no hesitation in entering the -house, if I could ascertain definitely in which Barosa was hiding. - -I was puzzling over this when Marco came out of the second house, and -I noticed one little significant fact. In addition to the bag, he was -carrying an overcoat on his arm. This meant that he at any rate had -been staying in the house; and it decided me not to follow him. - -He walked to the corner of the street and was turning up the hill away -from me when he changed his mind and came straight towards me. I drew -back against the wall to avoid him, and he had all but passed when he -caught sight of me. The start he gave showed that he recognized me as -the man from whom he had bought the matches. - -He paused a moment, put his hand to his head, as if he had forgotten -something and turned to retrace his steps. He meant to warn the others -in the house, of course; and as I had to prevent this at any cost, I -stepped forward quickly and grabbed him by the wrist. - -“What do you want with me, you old fool?” he said roughly, trying at -the same time to shake off my hold. - -“You are my prisoner,” I said sternly. “Who are in that house there?” - -“I don’t know what you mean. Which house?” - -“The one you have just left. I know you. Answer at once.” - -His answer was both clever-witted and quick. He flung the overcoat he -carried over my head and made a fierce snatch to break away from me, -while reaching at the same time for a weapon. - -I held on, however, and managed to trip him up. As we fell together the -coat dropped away and I was in time to seize the barrel of a revolver -he had succeeded in drawing, and drag it out of his hand. - -“It’s no use, Marco,” I said. - -He knew me then. “The Englishman!” he cried with an oath of unbounded -amazement. - -“Yes, the Englishman,” I said. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXV - -THE PROBLEM OF AN EMPTY HOUSE - - -The discovery of my identity, combined no doubt with the fact that -I had disarmed Marco, put an end to any thought of resistance, so I -pulled him up and forced him against the wall, and kicked his bag and -coat close to his feet. - -“Now, Marco, tell me who is in that house and be quick about it.” - -“Will you let me go if I do?” - -“I’ll hand you to the police if you don’t. You went to the railway -station to-night and took some tickets. I saw you and then followed you -here. You went into the second house across the road. Now who are in -there?” - -“Barosa, Maral, Countess Inglesia and Mademoiselle Dominguez,” he said -sullenly after a slight pause. - -“Who else?” - -“No one.” - -“What have you come out for now?” - -“If I tell you everything, will you let me go?” - -I repeated my question. - -“To fetch a carriage. Mademoiselle Dominguez is in no danger,” he -added, thinking probably to appease me. “She is going to leave with us, -and her mother is to join us at the station. I took a letter to her -this evening. If I tell you everything, will you let me go?” - -As a matter of fact I wished to get rid of him now that I had obtained -the information I needed. But I did not let him know it. - -“No,” I answered fiercely with an oath. “You tried to murder me -yesterday, you villain, and you shall pay for it with your life. I have -the police in hiding close here and I’ll give you to them!” Then I made -a pretence of hauling him away, but at the time I stooped as if to pick -up his bag and loosened my hold of him. - -He saw his chance and took it. He tore himself free, pushed me -violently away, snatched up his bag and coat and darted off. With a cry -of rage, I started in pursuit, but I went no more than a few yards, -just far enough to convince him I was in earnest, and then returned to -my corner well satisfied to have got rid of him so easily. - -His information put a different complexion on matters. As he was going -for the carriage which was to take Barosa and the rest to the station, -the time for their departure must be drawing near; and when he did not -return, some one would probably come out to look for him, or they would -all have to start for the station on foot. - -I could well afford to wait for either result. Miralda was safe thus -far, and, according to Marco, was willing to trust to Inez and Barosa -to get her away from the city. The two latter had probably patched up -a peace, and it was no doubt Inez’ plan to have the viscontesse with -them--as a useful check on Barosa. - -About a quarter of an hour later the door of the house opened and some -one looked out. I could not distinguish whether it was a man or a -woman, however, as my attention had been distracted by three or four -men at some distance away who were coming down the hill in my direction. - -I made out soon afterwards that they were police, and as I did not wish -to be seen and questioned at that moment, I slipped along the by-street -and hid in a doorway nearly opposite the house I was watching, to hide -there until they had passed. - -Before they reached the turning, however, some one in the disguise of -an old man came out of the house and shambled along toward the corner. -It must be either Barosa or Maral, I knew; and as it would vastly -simplify things if I could scare him away as I had scared Marco, I -slipped like a shadow across the road and got between him and the house. - -He heard me and turned. - -“I arrest you, Dr. Barosa,” I cried, and started as if to run after him. - -Taking me for a police agent, he paused a second, drew out his -revolver, and then, thinking probably he could both save himself by -flight and prevent the others in the house being discovered, he turned -round and bolted. - -But in avoiding me, he ran right into the arms of the police who -reached the corner of the street at the same minute. There was a short -sharp scuffle, a cry or two of astonishment, a gruff call to surrender, -a pause, and then a shot. - -One of the police fell, and I saw Barosa break away, reach the middle -of the road, and raise his hand to his head. A flash and a report -followed, he lurched heavily and then dropped, as a drunken man drops, -nervelessly and all in a heap. - -Everything had occurred with such dramatic swiftness that I could -scarcely realize it. In a few seconds a number of people came hurrying -up, attracted by the noise of the shots, and as they crowded round the -police, I joined them and edged through to the front. - -The man whom Barosa had shot was sitting on the doorstep of the house -at the corner, hatless and very white, but I heard one of his comrades -say that he was not seriously hurt. - -Two others had carried Barosa close to the same spot and were bending -down, examining his wound and feeling his heart for the pulse. - -“Dead,” announced one of them with an oath, and as he rose I saw -Barosa’s face. The false beard and wig he had been wearing had fallen -off in the scuffle; and the right cheek and temple were discoloured -with the powder, the blue-black mark showing plainly in contrast to the -grey pallor of the face. - -He had chosen death rather than imprisonment; and after my experiences -of one night in that hell, I was not surprised. - -The police did not recognize him and had no idea that he was a man of -any importance. - -“Does any one know him?” was asked, and some half-dozen of those -present pressed forward, looked at him, and shook their heads. - -I took advantage of the movement to back away, and as I turned I came -face to face with Maral. He had not seen Barosa, and I did not mean -that he should. Very much to his surprise, I linked my arm in his and -drew him away across the mouth of the street to the corner from which I -had kept my watch. - -“Come with me or you are lost,” I said in a low voice. - -“Who are you?” - -“You are Sebastian Maral. The police are there. You must fly or you -will be taken.” - -“Who are you?” - -“A friend if you go, an enemy if you stay. My name does not matter. A -secret agent--but you once did me a good turn. I am going to raid the -second house over there. I give you a chance to fly; if you stay I must -hand you to my comrades.” - -“But I----” - -I cut him short. “Say which it shall be. Quick. I can’t give you -another moment or I shall be seen with you. Are there any men left in -that house? We have taken Barosa.” - -An oath burst from him and he began to tremble. “There are only two -women there. But--” - -At that instant there was a movement among the little throng across -the street. Two or three of the people went running past us and I saw -others hurrying in the opposite direction. They were sent by the police -probably in search of a conveyance. - -“My men are coming. Which is it to be. Quick,” I said, and let go my -hold of him. He hesitated for no more than a second and then, tossing -his hands up in despair, he turned away, walked a few steps, then -quickened his pace, and at last ran at full speed. - -Barosa having been caught as he was leaving the little side street, it -was possible that the police might take a fancy to search some of the -houses, so I deemed it prudent to hang about until they had gone and -the commotion caused by the affair had subsided. - -Two carriages arrived almost together, one from each direction. Barosa -and the wounded man were placed in one and the police drove away. The -driver of the other was moving off, grumbling at having been brought -there for nothing, when I stepped into the roadway and hailed him. - -“Drive away and come back in a quarter of an hour, and wait at this -corner for me,” I told him. - -“Wouldn’t your highness like a four-in-hand?” he asked with a -contemptuous jeer at my poverty-stricken appearance. - -A milreis changed his sneer to a glance of curiosity and amazement. “It -will pay you to do what I say and keep your tongue between your teeth,” -I said curtly. - -“I’ll be here,” he replied, and rattled away down the hill. - -I crossed to the house at once and knocked lightly at the door. No one -opened it; so I knocked again, a little louder; and again a third -time. Still with no result. The house was, as I have said, all in -darkness, and, although I listened intently, I could not hear a sound. - -It was probable that either the three men had had keys or that the door -was to be opened only in response to some agreed knock. I did not know -it, of course, and might stay there rapping all night without being -admitted. - -Both Inez and Miralda would be intensely alarmed by the failure of the -three men to return and if they had heard Barosa’s shot or had seen -anything of the commotion that followed, they would certainly conclude -that the three had been arrested and mistake my summons for that of the -police bent upon effecting an arrest. - -It was a most provoking and unexpected check. I left the door and -fumbled my way round to the back to try and get admittance there. I -was no expert at burgling, but even if I had been I should have been -puzzled how to get into this house. There was a door at the back -letting out upon a small garden; but it was securely fastened, and -every window in the lower part of the house was protected by both -outside bars and inside shutters. It was hopeless to try and force them. - -There was a stack pipe running up to the gutter at the roof; but it -was so placed that if I climbed it I could not reach any window except -one on the top floor; and an attempt to enter that way meant a very -considerable risk that I should break my neck. There was no urgent -necessity to run such a risk, so I went round again to the front of the -house to look for a chance of getting in there. - -It was no more promising than the back, so far as the windows within -reach were concerned. - -It was almost ludicrous to find myself in such a fix. Here was I able -and eager to save both Inez and Miralda; and there were they shivering -with panic and regarding me as an enemy bent on their destruction -and arrest; and only this infernal locked door and the barred windows -between us. - -I tried knocking again, but with no better result than before, and then -it occurred to me that although I had examined the front and the back -and one side, I had not inspected the fourth side. - -The chances of breaking in there were better. There was a small -projection built about half-way up the house with a window level with -the first floor, which did not appear to have either shutters or bars. -A stack pipe offered a chance of reaching this window, and although -the pipe was unpleasantly insecure I judged that even if it gave way I -could not hurt myself much, as there was a flower bed with some shrubs -on the spot where I should fall. - -I began the ascent very cautiously, digging my toes into the courses of -the bricks where I could, and carefully testing the bearing strain of -the pipe before trusting my full weight on it. It was a very difficult -business, for part of my disguise consisted of a long overcoat which -hampered almost every step I took. - -But I made the ascent safely and managed to get a grip of the window -ledge, and then, pulling myself up till my chin was level with the -window, I found a slender but sufficient hold for my feet on a ledge of -the brickwork. - -To my relief the window was unfastened. I opened it very cautiously, -climbed in over the sill, into a tiny room quite bare of furniture. -I listened intently and, not hearing a sound, tried the handle of -the door. To my intense chagrin, it was locked. It seemed as if some -diabolical ingenuity was at work to prevent my effecting Miralda’s -rescue. - -The door opened outwards and that made it easier for me to force it; -but I was loth to make the row which this would cause and so advertise -the fact that I was in the house. - -It had to be done, however, so I put my shoulder to it and tried first -to force it open with quiet pressure. This proving unavailing I dashed -myself against it with all my weight and strength. At the third attempt -it yielded with a crash which echoed through the house, making a din -which would have roused the heaviest sleeper in the remotest part of -the building. - -Then I stood listening again intently. Not a sound. I was close to the -head of the stairs. Fearing that the noise I had made would scarce Inez -and Miralda half out of their senses, I tried to reassure them. - -“Miralda, Miralda. It is I, Ralph,” I called loudly, but only the echo -of my own voice replied. - -Disconcerted at this, I lit a match and hurried through the rooms, -calling her name as I went. I searched first those on the floor where I -was; next those above, and then went below. - -Save for the scanty furniture, the house was empty, and there was not a -sign that Miralda had ever been in it. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXVI - -UNTIL LIFE’S END - - -Earlier in the evening, barely an hour before, indeed, the discovery -that the house was deserted would have alarmed me profoundly, -for Miralda’s disappearance might then have had a very sinister -significance. But she was no longer in any danger. Barosa was dead and -I had the assurance of the pardon for her association with his plot. - -Instead of being alarmed therefore, I burst out laughing as the reason -for her disappearance flashed upon me. - -She had obviously run away from me. - -When first Marco, then Barosa and lastly Maral had left the house not -to return, Miralda and Inez would have been both desperately perplexed -and thoroughly scared. Waiting to fly in accordance with the plan which -Marco had explained to me, they would immediately conclude either that -the men had been arrested or had had to run from the police. - -In this condition of fear they would naturally keep a sharp look-out, -and thus would have seen me. In my disguise their inevitable inference -would be that I was a police spy who had discovered their hiding-place, -and my movements had been just such as would tend to confirm that -belief. - -When I broke into the house, therefore, they would realize that their -only chance was to fly from it, especially when they found that I was -alone and that no police were in the street to stop them. - -A moment’s consideration prompted the conclusion that they would make -for the railway station in the hope that Barosa or one of the other men -would elude arrest and be there to meet them. - -I hurried out of the house, therefore. The carriage was waiting, and -having questioned the driver and found that he had not seen any one -come out of the side street, I told him to drive to the station as fast -as he could. - -It was fairly certain that neither Maral nor Marco would run the -risk of going to the railway. Barosa probably had the tickets in his -possession; and as I was resolved that Inez should leave the city, my -first act was to purchase a ticket and put it in an envelope together -with some banknotes, in case she should be without money. - -Then I made a round of the building in search of them. They would -almost certainly be disguised, but I was confident that my instinct -would enable me to detect Miralda, however well disguised, while the -fact that the viscontesse was to be of the party would help me. - -Neither the viscontesse nor any one even remotely suggesting Miralda -was in the station, however. A train was due out in a quarter of an -hour after my arrival, and I loitered near the barrier, keeping a sharp -but futile look-out, until it occurred to me that I myself might be -defeating my object. If the two had seen me as a spy getting into the -house, they would instantly conclude that I was watching for them now. -So I looked for a place where I could hide and still watch. - -Five more minutes passed and I scrutinized every passenger and every -individual within sight. A rather lanky youth in the company of a -squat, stout, broad-shouldered market woman, apparently his mother, -appeared to be waiting to meet some one, but there was not another soul -loitering anywhere in the station. - -As the time was now getting very short, I left my hiding-place to go -and look outside; and as I neared this couple, the boy put his arm -through his mother’s, drew her attention to something at the other side -of the station, and walked away with her. The woman was lame and rolled -in her walk with a most grotesque waddle. - -After a dozen yards or so they paused and the young fellow looked -round. He appeared disconcerted to see that I was watching them, and -drew his mother forward again. - -Then I nearly laughed aloud. The woman took two or three steps without -either the waddle or the limp; suddenly recollected herself and went -lame with the wrong foot. - -I hastened after them and as they quickened their pace, I called out in -English: “You’ve forgotten which is your lame foot, Miralda.” - -They stopped and turned, but even when I was close to them and saw -their faces clearly, I should not have recognized the market woman as -Miralda, nor the lanky youth as Inez, had it not been for Miralda’s -eyes. I had looked too often into them not to know them. - -“It is I, Ralph; you’ve been running away from me the last hour or -more,” I added, laughing. - -“Ralph!” cried Miralda. “What does it all mean?” - -“You shall know all directly, but I must speak to your son there first. -He has not a moment to lose if he means to catch this train.” - -“Mr. Donnington?” exclaimed Inez. “Where----” - -“You must let me talk, please,” I interrupted. “When Dr. Barosa left -that house he ran into a party of police, but I managed to get a word -or two with him before he fled, and I have to give you this ticket -and the money with it. You are to leave by this train. If you remain -another hour in Lisbon, you will be arrested.” - -“Where is he?” - -“You haven’t a second to spare,” I cried, giving her the ticket and -pressing the envelope into her hand. “You will learn everything later. -Miralda is pardoned. And now go, or it will be too late;” and I urged -her away in the direction of the barrier, without giving her time to -question me. - -She hesitated, walked away a few steps, paused in doubt, and was -turning back, when the call to the passengers to enter the train came. -She choked back a hundred unspoken questions, hurried through the -barrier and got into the train. - -With a sigh of satisfaction I watched it move along the platform and -disappear in the darkness, and then turned to Miralda. Her disguise -was really wonderful. The complexion was darkened almost to the tan of -a mulatto, and the skin of the forehead, nose and upper half of the -cheeks was lined very cunningly and had the wrinkled look of age: on -the left side of the face was what looked like the cicatrice of a bad -wound or burn, and on the right a large disfiguring claret-coloured -birth-mark. Both mark and scar extended to the lips, and along the -edges of both and across the lower lip was fastened a cleverly moulded -skin-covered plastic pad which gave the appearance of the flabby cheeks -and fat double chin of a woman of middle age, the lower part being lost -in the folds of a neckerchief. - -The effect was grotesque, and as I stared at her in amazement, the -upper part of her face crinkled, while the lower remained stolidly -impassive. “Are you trying to smile?” I asked. - -“You look comical enough to make any one smile,” she replied, her lips -scarcely moving, as she spoke through her nearly-closed teeth. - -“I suppose I do. But have you seen yourself in a glass? Whoever did -that, knew his business; but you--you are not exactly pretty, you know. -I can scarcely believe it is really you.” - -“You are not even clean,” she retorted, tossing her head. - -“I haven’t a hideous birth-mark and a double chin, at any rate.” - -“But you’re a Jew with a hook nose and your grey beard is as dirty as -it is long.” - -We must have made an odd-looking couple in all truth--a fat, waddling, -disfigured, old market woman and a dirty down-at-heels Jew pedlar, and -I saw the station people were beginning to eye us suspiciously. - -“I think it’s time the market woman went home,” I said. - -“She is waiting for her mother, Jew.” - -“I think she’ll be found at home. Barosa didn’t mean her to leave -to-night or she would have been here. Nothing matters now except to get -you home.” - -“Where is Dr. Barosa?” - -“I don’t know.” This was true in the letter; I had never been down -where he deserved to be. “When I saw him last he was in the hands of -the police,” I added. - -“But I may be arrested also at any minute.” - -“Not by the police. You are pardoned, but the other arrest is imminent.” - -“What other arrest?” - -“This, by the old Jew,” I replied, linking my arm in hers to leave the -station. “Let’s see how fast the market woman can waddle.” - -She was a willing prisoner and pressed close to me with a happy -unrestrained laugh, and then clapped her hand to her face with an -exclamation of dismay and let her head droop as we went out into the -street. - -“Why did you cry out?” I asked. - -“It’s coming off. What shall I do?” she cried. “You shouldn’t have made -me laugh. I didn’t expect to have to laugh when this was put on.” - -“Thank Heaven, we can laugh as much as we like now--even at one -another. Can’t you get it all off? The Jew’s going,” I said, and I -took off my grey beard, eyebrows, nose and wig, with a sigh of relief. - -“I’ve got all but the last bit off,” said Miralda, as she held up her -face under the light of a lamp and laughed merrily. - -Cicatrice, birth-mark and double chin were in one piece and adhering -now by the mark. I peeled this back carefully, and then held her -upturned face close to mine. - -“I thought the Jew who arrested me was gone,” she said. - -“It was the market woman he arrested. Miralda is free--if she wishes.” - -“It doesn’t seem much like it;” and she moved in my arms. - -“Does she wish it?” - -“She doesn’t wish to go to prison.” - -“Does she wish to be free?” - -“Do you think it would be safe for her to be free in the streets alone?” - -“Is she willing to pay for an escort?” - -“It depends on the terms.” - -“There are several. The first is that you smile.” - -“I can do that although my face is still very sticky;” and she smiled -and grimaced. - -“The next is to say one word and promise to answer a simple question.” - -“What question?” - -“You must promise first. But the answer must be the truth.” - -“Oh, what an insult! That’s the Jew back again. Anything more?” - -“Yes, the proper corollary to the answer.” - -“Don’t you think the escort is rather a coward to make all these terms -now?” - -“Yes, but he insists all the same.” - -“Well, what is the word?” - -“Ralph,” I said. - -“That’s easy--Ralph,” she said with purposeful unconcern. “I’ve done -two of the things--the escort ought to take me half-way home for that.” - -“Now for the question.” I paused and her light assumption of -indifference changed under my earnest gaze. She made an effort to -release herself. But I held her fast. “Do you love----” - -“Ralph!” A very different tone this as she hid her face against my -shoulder and then let me lift it that our lips might meet in the -rapturous ecstasy of the lingering betrothal kiss. - -Roused by the sound of approaching wheels, we drew apart and walked on -hand in hand. - -It proved to be the carriage which had taken me to the station and the -driver asked if I needed him. - -Oblivious to all else save our happiness, I should have let him pass, -but the question brought me to earth, and I stopped him. He stared in -some astonishment at us both as I put Miralda into the carriage and -told him to drive first to my rooms. - -I remembered that Pia was waiting there, and when I told Miralda about -her, she declared she would take her home. - -When we reached my rooms, Simmons was there, Bryant having sent him -back when he did not see me, and I told him to go in search of Bryant. -Then I took Pia out to Miralda and drove home with her. - -We found that the viscontesse had not heard anything of the projected -flight from the city. The letter which Miralda had written to tell her -about it had not been delivered, Barosa having substituted for it one -written by himself to say Miralda would be home that evening. - -“You see I didn’t answer that question after all,” said Miralda as we -were alone and I was bidding her good-night. - -“Which question?” I asked, as if I did not understand. - -“You know I didn’t.” - -“Didn’t you? I had an impression----” - -“Not in words,” she broke in with a flash of happy laughter. - -“That’s a challenge. You shall answer it now,” I cried, putting my arm -as far round her much-swathed waist as it would reach. - -“You are developing a very masterful manner, Mr. Jew.” - -“It is necessary with a rebellious market woman. Answer it now.” - -“Which question?” she mocked, mimicking my indifferent tone. - -“Do--you--love----” - -She put her hand to my lips, and silenced me, and then lifting her eyes -to mine she threw her arms round my neck and whispered: “With all my -heart, Ralph, and for all my life.” - -And again we sealed the compact with the all appropriate formalities. - -The next morning M. Volheno sent for me and I was glad to find -him anxious to hush up the whole matter of the Abduction Plot. In -pursuance of this policy, two conditions were attached to Miralda’s -pardon--absolute silence about everything and a year’s expatriation -for her, her mother and the visconte. Vasco was to be transferred to a -regiment in Portuguese Africa. - -I told him of Barosa’s death, and that he was really Luis Beriardos, -Dom Miguel’s trusted agent, and he was genuinely relieved. Barosa’s -fate was never publicly known and he was buried under a different name -as the result of a concocted identification. - -The fate of his associates on the _Rampallo_ I never learned. The yacht -and the prisoners on her were handed over to the men whom Volheno sent -out in the _Stella_ with secret instructions; and when they returned -neither the skipper nor Burroughs knew anything. - -By the time of the _Stella’s_ arrival, the viscontesse had completed -all arrangements for the year’s enforced absence; and a few hours after -the yacht’s anchor was dropped it was weighed again and I was taking a -farewell look at the city. - -Miralda and her mother were below and Pia was with them. She was to -sail for America from Southampton. - -I was heartily glad to go. It had been a strenuous love quest, but -all the trouble and the dangers were forgotten in that joyous hour of -success, in the glowing consciousness that I had won the woman I loved, -and the thrilling realization of my hopes. - -As I stood dreaming of the happiness to come, there was the soft rustle -of a skirt and a hand was slipped into my arm. - -“You are glad to go, Ralph?” asked Miralda. “You were smiling.” - -“I was thinking of my fellow passenger,” I whispered. “And she is -smiling, too.” - -But her eyes were very thoughtful behind the smile. It was natural. All -her young life had been passed in the city she was leaving. - -She turned her eyes from me, let them roam over the glorious panorama -of the city and the hills beyond, and then turned to me again. “I was -trying to think if I have any regrets. I have not. I have not in all my -heart a thought that is not wholly happy at being with you. But it has -been my home.” - -“I know,” I said, understanding; and I took her hand and pressed my -lips to it. “You will grow to love the new home, and it shall be one of -peace and content and, so far as I can ensure it, of happiness.” - -“Is that all?” she asked, with half mischievous, half wistful glance. - -“What more would you have, dearest?” - -“That which draws me to it and makes me happy to go,” she said in a -whisper. - -“Ah, our love. To last, please God, until life’s end.” - -She caught her breath, pressed closer to me, sighed and then smiled as -she repeated in a whisper of prayerful earnestness: “Until life’s end.” - -And then we stood together in silence too happy for words, until the -yacht had turned out of the river mouth and the city was hidden from -view. - - -THE END - - -Butler & Tenner, The Selwood Printing Works, Frome, and London. - - - - -TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES: - - - Italicized or underlined text is surrounded by underscores: _italics_. - - Obvious typographical errors have been corrected. - - Inconsistencies in hyphenation have been standardized. - - Archaic or alternate spelling has been retained from the original. - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK IN THE NAME OF THE PEOPLE *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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Marchmont</p> -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world 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 <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you -are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this eBook. -</div> - -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: In the Name of the People</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Arthur W. Marchmont</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Illustrator: A. Forestier</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: April 8, 2022 [eBook #67801]</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</p> - <p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; text-align:left'>Produced by: D A Alexander, David E. Brown, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)</p> -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK IN THE NAME OF THE PEOPLE ***</div> - -<div class="figcenter hide"><img src="images/coversmall.jpg" width="40%" alt="" /></div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> -<div class="chapter"> -<div class="blockquot"> -<p><span class="u"><b><i>BY THE SAME AUTHOR.</i></b></span></p> - - -<p class="ph2">WHEN I WAS CZAR.</p> - -<p>The <i>Court Circular</i> says:—“There is always something supremely -audacious about Mr. Marchmont’s books. This, however, I will say, -that for a long evening’s solid enjoyment ‘When I was Czar’ would be -hard to beat.”</p> - -<p>The <i>Nottingham Guardian</i> says:—“The best story of political intrigue -which has been written since ‘The Prisoner of Zenda,’ with which it -compares for the irresistible buoyancy by which it is told and the skill -in which expectation is maintained on tiptoe till the last move.”</p> - -<p>The <i>Freeman’s Journal</i> says:—“A very brilliant work, every page -in it displays the dramatic talent of the author and his capacity for writing -smart dialogue.”</p> - - -<p class="ph2">AN IMPERIAL MARRIAGE.</p> - -<p>The <i>Sporting Life</i> says:—“Every page is full of incident and bright -dialogue. The characters are strongly and vividly drawn, and the development -of the whole story shows the author to be a thorough master of his -craft.”</p> - -<p>The <i>Scotsman</i> says:—“The action never flags, the romantic element is -always paramount, so that the production is bound to appeal successfully -to all lovers of spirited fiction.”</p> - -<p>The <i>Notts Guardian</i> says:—“The interest is absorbing and cumulative -through every chapter, and yet the tale is never overloaded with incident. -The vigour and reality of the story does not flag to the last page.”</p> - -<p>The <i>Court Journal</i> says:—“One of those intricate webs of intrigue and -incident in the weaving of which the author has no equal.”</p> - - -<p class="ph2">BY SNARE OF LOVE.</p> - -<p>The <i>Dundee Courier</i> says:—“To say that the clever author of ‘When -I was Czar’ has eclipsed that stirring romance is to bring one within the -sphere of the incredible. But it is true. The present novel is full to -overflowing of boundless resource and enterprise, which cannot but -rouse even the most blasé of readers.”</p> - -<p>The <i>Daily Mail</i> says:—“The story is undoubtedly clever. Mr. Marchmont -contrives to invest his most improbable episodes with an air of -plausibility, and the net result is an exciting and entertaining tale.”</p> - -<p>The <i>Birmingham Post</i> says:—“Mr. Marchmont creates numerous -thrilling situations which are worked out with dramatic power, his description -of the interior of a Turkish prison, with all its horrors, being a -realistic piece of work.”</p> - - -<p class="ph2">IN THE CAUSE OF FREEDOM.</p> - -<p>The <i>Times</i>:—“Mr. Marchmont’s tales always have plenty of go. He -is well up to his standard in this busy and exciting narrative.”</p> - -<p>The <i>Globe</i>:—“Mr. A. W. Marchmont can always write an exciting -story bristling with adventures and hazard, and incidents of all sorts. -‘In the Cause of Freedom’ furnishes a good example of his talent. Vivid, -packed with drama, with action that never flags, this novel ought to -appeal successfully to all lovers of romantic and spirited fiction.”</p> - -<p>The <i>People’s Saturday Journal</i>:—“It is an admirable example of the -type of exciting fiction for which Mr. Marchmont is justly famous, and -lacks nothing in the way of plot and incident.”</p> - - -<p class="ph2">THE QUEEN’S ADVOCATE.</p> - -<p>The <i>Daily News</i> says:—“Written in a vigorous and lively manner, -adventures throng the pages, and the interest is maintained throughout.”</p> - -<p>The <i>Belfast Northern Whig</i> says:—“As one book follows another -from Mr. Marchmont’s pen we have increased breadth of treatment, more -cleverly constructed plots and a closer study of human life and character. -His present work affords ample evidence of this.”</p> - -<p><i>Madam</i> says:—“A thrilling story, the scene of which takes us to the -heart of the terrible Servian tragedy. We are taken through a veritable -maze of adventure, even to that dreadful night of the assassination -of the Royal couple. A very readable story.”</p> - - -<p class="ph2">A COURIER OF FORTUNE.</p> - -<p>The <i>Daily Telegraph</i> says:—“An exciting romance of the ‘cloak -and rapier.’ The fun is fast and furious; plot and counterplot, ambushes -and fightings, imprisonment and escapes follow each other with -a rapidity that holds the reader with a taste for adventure in a state of -more or less breathless excitement to the close. Mr. Marchmont has a -spirited manner in describing adventure, allowing no pause in the doings -for overdescription either of his characters or their surroundings.”</p> - -<p>The <i>Bristol Mercury</i> says:—“A very striking picture of France at a -period of absolute social and political insecurity. The author’s characters -are drawn with such art as to make each a distinct personality. -‘A Courier of Fortune’ is quite one of the liveliest books we have read.”</p> - - -<p class="ph2">BY WIT OF WOMAN.</p> - -<p>The <i>Morning Leader</i> says:—“A stirring tale of dramatic intensity, and -full of movement and exciting adventure. The author has evolved a -character worthy to be the wife of Sherlock Holmes. She is the heroine; -and what she did not know or could not find out about the Hungarian -Patriot Party was not worth knowing.”</p> - -<p>The <i>Standard</i> says:—“Mr. Marchmont is one of that small band of -authors who can always be depended upon for a distinct note, a novel -plot, an original outlook. ‘By Wit of Woman’ is marked by all the -characteristic signs of Mr. Marchmont’s work.”</p> - - -<p class="ph2">THE LITTLE ANARCHIST.</p> - -<p>The <i>Sheffield Telegraph</i> says:—“The reader once inveigled into starting -the first chapter is unable to put the book down until he has turned over -the last page.”</p> - -<p><i>Manchester City News</i> says:—“It is no whit behind its predecessors -in stirring episode, thrilling situation and dramatic power. The story -grips in the first few lines and holds the reader’s interest until ‘finis’ is -written.”</p> - -<p>The <i>Scotsman</i> says:—“A romance, brimful of incident and arousing -in the reader a healthy interest that carries him along with never a pause—a -vigorous story with elements that fascinate. In invention and workmanship -the novel shows no falling off from the high standard of Mr. -Marchmont’s earlier books.”</p> -</div></div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h1>IN THE NAME OF THE<br /> -PEOPLE</h1> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> -<div class="chapter"> -<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/frontispiece.jpg" alt="" /></div> -<p class="caption">“‘To whom are you going to give the papers you have<br /> -just received from M. Dagara?’” (Page <a href="#Page_193">193</a>.)</p> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="titlepage"> -<p><span class="xxlarge">IN THE NAME OF<br /> -THE PEOPLE</span></p> - -<p>By<br /> -<span class="xlarge">ARTHUR W. MARCHMONT</span><br /> - -<i>Author of “When I was Czar,” “The<br /> -Queen’s Advocate,” etc., etc.</i></p> - - -<p><i>ILLUSTRATED</i></p> - - -<p><span class="large">WARD, LOCK & CO., LIMITED</span><br /> -LONDON, MELBOURNE AND TORONTO<br /> -1911</p> -</div> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_7">[7]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CONTENTS</h2> -</div> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2" summary="table"> - -<tr><td class="tdr"><small>CHAP.</small></td><td class="tdr" colspan="2"><small>PAGE</small></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">I</td><td> <span class="smcap">An Unpropitious Start</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_9"> 9</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">II</td><td> <span class="smcap">Developments</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_18"> 18</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">III</td><td> <span class="smcap">The Reception</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_28"> 28</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">IV</td><td> <span class="smcap">Miralda</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_38"> 38</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">V</td><td> <span class="smcap">Inez</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_49"> 49</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">VI</td><td> <span class="smcap">Dr. Barosa</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_59"> 59</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">VII</td><td> <span class="smcap">Sampayo is Uneasy</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_70"> 70</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">VIII</td><td> <span class="smcap">Miralda’s Mask</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_79"> 79</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">IX</td><td> <span class="smcap">The Interrogation</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_90"> 90</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">X</td><td> <span class="smcap">A Drastic Test</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_100"> 100</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">XI</td><td> <span class="smcap">Police Methods</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_110"> 110</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">XII</td><td> <span class="smcap">The Real “M.D.”</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_121"> 121</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">XIII</td><td> <span class="smcap">Miralda’s Confidence</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_132"> 132</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">XIV</td><td> <span class="smcap">Alone with Sampayo</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_143"> 143</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">XV</td><td> <span class="smcap">In the Flush of Success</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_151"> 151</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">XVI</td><td> <span class="smcap">Barosa’s Secret</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_161"> 161</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">XVII</td><td> <span class="smcap">A Little Chess Problem</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_172"> 172</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">XVIII</td><td> <span class="smcap">Dagara’s Story</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_180"> 180</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">XIX</td><td> <span class="smcap">Spy Work</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_190"> 190</a><span class="pagenum" id="Page_8">[8]</span></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">XX</td><td> <span class="smcap">A Night Adventure on the River</span> </td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_199"> 199</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">XXI</td><td> <span class="smcap">Plot and Counterplot</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_207"> 207</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">XXII</td><td> <span class="smcap">Ready</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_216"> 216</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">XXIII</td><td> <span class="smcap">On the <i>Rampallo</i></span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_226"> 226</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">XXIV</td><td> <span class="smcap">A Tight Corner</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_235"> 235</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">XXV</td><td> <span class="smcap">Ill News</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_244"> 244</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">XXVI</td><td> <span class="smcap">In Sight of Victory</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_253"> 253</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">XXVII</td><td> <span class="smcap">Dr. Barosa Scores</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_263"> 263</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">XXVIII</td><td> “<span class="smcap">You Shall Die</span>”</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_272"> 272</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">XXIX</td><td> <span class="smcap">Miralda’s Appeal</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_280"> 280</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">XXX</td><td> <span class="smcap">Jealousy</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_289"> 289</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">XXXI</td><td> <span class="smcap">A Night of Torment</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_299"> 299</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">XXXII</td><td> <span class="smcap">A Hundred Lashes</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_309"> 309</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">XXXIII</td><td> <span class="smcap">The Luck Turns</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_318"> 318</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">XXXIV</td><td> <span class="smcap">On the Track</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_327"> 327</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">XXXV</td><td> <span class="smcap">The Problem of an Empty House</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_335"> 335</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">XXXVI</td><td> <span class="smcap">Until Life’s End</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_343"> 343</a></td></tr> -</table> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_9">[9]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER I<br /> - - -<small>AN UNPROPITIOUS START</small></h2> -</div> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class="right"><span class="indentright">“318, <span class="smcap">Rua de Palma</span>,</span><br /> -<span class="indentright2">“<span class="smcap">Lisbon</span>,</span><br /> -“<i>September 20, 1907</i>.</p> - -<p class="drop-cap">“MY DEAR MURIEL,—</p> - -<p>“I’m here at last, and the above is my address. -The <i>Stella</i> dropped her anchor in the Tagus -yesterday afternoon, and within half an hour I was -at the Visconte de Linto’s house. That will show you -I mean my campaign to be vigorous. But the Visconte -and his wife are at Coimbra, and Miralda is with them. -I should have been off in pursuit of her by the first -train; but I managed to find out that they are with -friends there and will be back to-morrow for a big -reception. As that is just the sort of place I should -choose before all others for the meeting with Miralda, -I promptly set to work to get an invitation. I have -done it all right. I got it through that M. Volheno -whom you and Stefan brought on a visit to us at Tapworth, -just after I got home from South Africa. Tell -Stefan, by the way, that Volheno is quite a big pot -and high in the confidence of the Dictator. I told -him, of course, that I had come here about the mining -concessions in East Africa; and I shall rub that in -to every one. I think his mouth watered a bit at the -prospect of getting something for himself; anyway, -he was awfully decent and promised me all sorts of a -good time here. Among the introductions he mentioned -was one to the de Lintos! I kept my face<span class="pagenum" id="Page_10">[10]</span> -as stiff as a judge’s; but I could have shrieked. Imagine -a formal introduction to Miralda! ‘Mademoiselle -Dominguez. Mr. Donnington,’ and those eyes of -hers wide with astonishment, and her lips struggling -to suppress her laughter! I really think I must let him -do it, just to see her face at the moment. Anyway, -I shall see her to-morrow night. Ye gods! It’s -over four months since I fell before her beauty as -intuitively as a pagan falls before the shrine of the -little tin god he worships. I hope no one has got in -the way meanwhile; if there is any one—well, I’ll do -my best to give him a bad time. I’m not here for my -health, as the Yanks say; nor for the health of any -other fellow. By all of which you will see I am in good -spirits, and dead set on winning.</p> - -<p>“By the way, I hear that things are in the very -devil of a mess in the city; and Volheno told me—unofficially -of course—that the streets are positively -unsafe after dark. But I was out for a couple of hours -last night, renewing my acquaintance with the city, -and saw no ripple of trouble. After his warning I -shoved a revolver in my pocket; but a cigar-holder -would have been just as much good. I should rather -like a scrap with some of the Lisbon ragamuffins.</p> - -<p>“I’ve taken a furnished flat here; yacht too awkward -to get to and from; and a hotel impossible—too -many old women gossips.</p> - -<p>“Love to your hub and the kiddies.</p> - -<p class="right"><span class="indentright">“Your affect. brother,</span><br /> - -“<span class="smcap">Ralph</span>.</p> - -<p>“PS. Think of it. To-morrow night by this time -I shall have met her again. Don’t grin. You married -a Spaniard; and for love too. And you’re not ashamed -of being beastly happy. R. D.</p> - -<p>“PPS. Mind. I hold you to your promise. If -there is any real trouble about M. and I need you, -you are to come the moment I wire. Be a good pal,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_11">[11]</span> -and don’t back down. But I think I shall worry -through on my own.”</p> -</div> - -<p>I have given this letter because it explains the -circumstances of my presence in Lisbon. A love -quest. In the previous March, my sister’s husband, -Stefan Madrillo, who is on the staff of the Spanish -Embassy in Paris, had introduced me to Miralda -Dominguez—the most beautiful girl in Paris as she was -generally acknowledged; and although up to that -moment I had never cared for any woman, except my -sister, and the thought of marriage had never entered -my head, the whole perspective of life was changed on -the instant.</p> - -<p>The one desire that possessed me was to win her -love; the one possible prospect which was not utterly -barren and empty of everything but wretchedness, -was that she would give herself to me for life.</p> - -<p>I had one advantage over the crowd of men whom the -lodestone of her beauty drew round her. I had lived -in her country, spoke her language as readily as my -own, and could find many interests in common. -Naturally I played that for all it was worth.</p> - -<p>From the first moment of meeting I was enslaved by -her stately grace, her ravishing smile, her soft, liquid, -sympathetic voice, the subtle but ineffable charm of -her presence, and the dark lustrous eyes into which -I loved to bring the changing lights of surprise, curiosity, -interest and pleasure.</p> - -<p>I was miserable when away from her; and should -have been wholly happy in her presence if it had not -been for the despairing sense of unworthiness which -plagued and depressed me. She was a goddess to -me, and I a mere clod.</p> - -<p>For three weeks—three crazily happy and yet -crazily miserable weeks for me—this had continued; -and then I had been wired for at a moment’s notice, -owing to my dear father’s sudden illness.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_12">[12]</span>I had to leave within an hour of the receipt of the -telegram, without a chance of putting the question -on which my whole happiness depended, without even -a word of personal leave-taking. And for the whole of -the four months since that night I had had to remain in -England.</p> - -<p>During nearly all the time my father lay hovering -between life and death. At intervals, uncertain and -transitory, he regained consciousness; and at such -moments his first question was for me. I could not -think of leaving him, of course; and even when the -end came, the settlement of the many affairs connected -with the large fortune he left delayed me a further -two or three weeks.</p> - -<p>My sister assured me that, through some friend or -other, she had contrived to let Miralda know something -of the facts; but this was no more than a cold -comfort. When at length I turned the <i>Stella’s</i> head -toward Lisbon, steaming at the top speed of her powerful -engines, I felt how feeble such a written explanation, -dribbling through two or three hands and watered -down in the dribbling process, might appear to Miralda, -even assuming that she had given me a second thought -as the result of those three weeks in Paris.</p> - -<p>But I was in Lisbon at last; and although I could -not help realizing that a hundred and fifty obstacles -might have had time to grow up between us during the -long interval, I gritted my teeth in the resolve to -overcome them.</p> - -<p>Anyway, the following night would show me how -the land lay; and, as anything was better than suspense, -I gave a sigh of relief at the thought, and having -posted the letter to my sister, set off for another prowl -round the city.</p> - -<p>I had not been there for several years—before I -went out with the Yeomanry for a fling at the Boers—and -it interested me to note the changes which had -taken place. But I thought much more of Miralda<span class="pagenum" id="Page_13">[13]</span> -than of any changes and not at all of any possible -trouble in the streets. After a man has had a few -moonlights rides reconnoitring kopjes which are likely -to be full of Boer snipers, he isn’t going to worry himself -grey about a few Portuguese rag-and-bobtail with -an itch for his purse.</p> - -<p>Besides, I felt well able to take care of myself in any -street row. I was lithe and strong and in the pink of -condition, and knew fairly well “how to stop ’em,” -as Jem Whiteway, the old boxer, used to say, with a -shake of his bullet head when he tried to get through -my guard and I landed him.</p> - -<p>But my contempt for the dangers of the streets was -a little premature. My experiences that night were -destined to change my opinion entirely, and to change -a good many other things too. Before the night was -many hours older, I had every reason to be thankful -that I had taken a revolver out with me.</p> - -<p>It came about in this way. I was skirting that -district of the city which is still frequently called the -Mouraria—a nest of little, narrow, tortuous by-ways -into which I deemed it prudent not to venture too far—and -was going down a steep street toward the river -front, when the stillness was broken by the hoarse -murmur of many voices. I guessed that some sort of a -row was in the making, and hurried on to see the fun. -And as I reached a turning a little farther down, I -found myself in the thick of it.</p> - -<p>A small body of police came tearing round the -corner running for their lives with a crowd of men at -their heels, whooping and yelling like a pack of hounds -in full sight of the fox.</p> - -<p>As the police passed, one of them struck a vicious blow -at me with a club, and I only just managed to jump -back and escape the blow. I drew into the shelter -of a doorway as the mob followed. The street was -very narrow and steep at this point, and the police, -seeing the advantage it gave them, rallied to make a<span class="pagenum" id="Page_14">[14]</span> -stand some forty or fifty yards up the hill above -me.</p> - -<p>The foremost pursuers paused a few moments to let -a good number come up; and then they went for the -police for all they were worth. The fight was very -hot; but discipline told, as it will; and although -the police were tremendously outnumbered, they held -their ground well enough at first.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile the racket kept bringing up reinforcements -for the mob, and some of them began to get -disagreeably curious about me. Here was a glorious -struggle going on against the common foe, and I was -standing idly by instead of taking a hand in it.</p> - -<p>One or two of them questioned me in a jeering tone, -and presently some fool yelled out that I was a spy. -From taunts and gibing insults, those near me proceeded -to threats, fists and sticks were shaken at me, -and matters looked decidedly unpleasant.</p> - -<p>I kept on explaining that I was a foreigner; but that -was no more than a waste of breath; and I looked about -for a chance to get away.</p> - -<p>I was very awkwardly placed, however. If I went -up the street, I should only run into the thick of the -fight with the police; while the constant arrival of -freshcomers below me made escape in that direction -impossible.</p> - -<p>Then came a crisis. One excited idiot struck at -me with a stick, and of course I had to defend myself; -and for a time I was far too busy to heed what was going -on in the big row higher up the street. I tried fists -at first and, putting my back to the wall, managed to -keep the beggars at bay. Then a chance came to -seize a big heavy club with which a little brute was -trying to break my head; and with that I soon cleared -quite a respectable space by laying about me -indiscriminately.</p> - -<p>But suddenly the club was knocked out of my hands, -and a howl of delight hailed my discomfiture. Then I<span class="pagenum" id="Page_15">[15]</span> -remembered my revolver. I whipped it out and a -rather happy thought occurred to me. Shouting at -the top of my lungs that I was an Englishman and -had nothing to do with either the mob or the police, I -grabbed hold of the ringleader of my assailants, and -used him as a sort of hostage. Keeping him between -myself and the rest, I shoved the barrel of the revolver -against his head and sung out that I would blow out -his brains if any other man attempted to harm me.</p> - -<p>The ruse served me well. The crowd hung back; -and my prisoner, in a holy scare for his life, yelled -at his friends to leave me alone.</p> - -<p>Whether the trick would have really got me out -of the mess I don’t know. There was not time to -tell, for another development followed almost immediately. -Some fresh arrivals came up yelling that -the soldiers were close at hand; and we soon heard -them.</p> - -<p>The mob were now caught between two fires. The -police were still holding their own above us, and the -troops were hurrying up from the other direction. -Some one had the wit to see that the crowd’s only -chance was to carry the street against the police and -clear that way for flight. A fierce attack was made -upon them, therefore, and they were driven back to -one side, leaving half the roadway clear.</p> - -<p>The throng about me melted away, and I let my -prisoner go, intending to wait for the troops. But -I soon abandoned that idea; for I saw they had clubbed -their muskets and were knocking down everybody they -saw.</p> - -<p>I had already had a blow aimed at me by the police, -and had been threatened by the mob; and being in -about equal danger from both sides, I was certain to -get my head cracked if I remained. Their tactics were -to hit first and inquire afterwards, and I therefore -adopted the only alternative and took to my heels.</p> - -<p>Being among the last to fly I was seen. A tally-ho<span class="pagenum" id="Page_16">[16]</span> -was raised and four or five of the police came dashing -after me. Not knowing the district well, I ran at top -speed and bolted round corner after corner, haphazard, -keeping a sharp look-out as I ran for some place in -which I could take cover.</p> - -<p>I had succeeded in shaking off all but two or three -when, on turning into one street, I spied the window of -a house standing partly open. To dart to it, throw it -wide, clamber in, and close it after me took only a few -seconds; and as I squatted on the floor, breathing -hard from the chase and the effects of my former tussle, -I had the intense satisfaction of hearing my pursuers -go clattering past the house.</p> - -<p>That I might be taken for a burglar and handed over -to the police by the occupants of the house, did not -bother me in the least. I could very easily explain matters. -It was the virtual certainty of a cracked pate, not -the fear of arrest from which I had bolted; and that I -had escaped with a sound skull was enough for me for -the present.</p> - -<p>But no one came near me; so I stopped where I -was until the row outside had died down. It seemed -to die a hard death; and I must have sat there in the -dark for over an hour before I thought of venturing -out to return to my rooms.</p> - -<p>Naturally unwilling to leave by the window, I groped -my way out into the passage and struck a match to -look for the front door. Close to me was a staircase -leading to the upper rooms; and at the end of the -passage a second flight down to the basement.</p> - -<p>Like so many houses in Lisbon this was built on -a steep hill, and guessing that I should find a way out -downstairs at the back, I decided to use that means of -leaving, as it offered less chance of my being observed.</p> - -<p>I had just reached the head of the stairway, when a -door below was unlocked and several people entered -the house. A confused murmur of voices followed, and -among them I heard that of a woman speaking in a tone<span class="pagenum" id="Page_17">[17]</span> -of angry protest against some mistake which those -with her were making.</p> - -<p>The answering voices were those of men—strident, -stern, distinctly threatening, and mingled with oaths.</p> - -<p>Then the woman spoke again; repeating her protest -in angry tones; but her voice was now vibrant with -rising alarm.</p> - -<p>“Silence!”</p> - -<p>The command broke her sentence in two, and her -words died away in muffled indistinctness, suggesting -that force had been used to secure obedience.</p> - -<p>Then a light was kindled; there was some scuffling -along the passage; and they all appeared to enter a -room.</p> - -<p>I paused, undecided what to do. The thing had a -very ugly look; but I had had quite enough trouble -to satisfy me for one night. I didn’t want to go -blundering into an affair which might be no more than a -family quarrel; especially as I was trespassing in the -house.</p> - -<p>A few seconds later, however, came the sound of -trouble; a blow, a groan, and the thud of a fall.</p> - -<p>I caught my breath in fear that the woman had -been struck down.</p> - -<p>But the next instant a shrill piercing cry for help -rang out in her voice, and this also was stifled as -if a hand had been clapped on her mouth.</p> - -<p>That decided things for me.</p> - -<p>Whatever the consequences, I could not stop to -think of them while a woman was in such danger as -that cry for help had signalled.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_18">[18]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER II<br /> - - -<small>DEVELOPMENTS</small></h2> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap">MY view of the trouble was that it was a case -of robbery. The disordered condition of the city -was sure to be used by the roughs as a cover -for their operations; and I jumped to the conclusion -that the woman whose cry I was answering had -been decoyed to the house to be robbed.</p> - -<p>But as I ran down the stairs I heard enough to -show me that it was in reality a sort of by-product -of the riot in the streets. The woman was a prisoner -in the hands of some of the mob, and they were -threatening her with violence because she was, in their -jargon, an enemy of the cause of the people.</p> - -<p>To my surprise it was against this that she was -protesting so vehemently. Her speech, in strong -contrast to that of the men, was proof of refinement -and culture, while the little note of authority which -I had observed at first suggested rank. It was almost -inconceivable, therefore, that she could have anything -in common with such fellows as her captors.</p> - -<p>The door of the room in which they all were stood -slightly ajar, and as I reached it she reiterated her -protest with passionate vehemence.</p> - -<p>“You are mad. I am your friend, not your enemy. -I swear that. One of you must know Dr. Barosa. -Find him and bring him here and he will bear out every -word I have said.”</p> - - -<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/i_018.jpg" alt="" /></div> -<p class="caption">“Holding my revolver in readiness, I entered.”</p> - -<p>“That’s enough of that. Lies won’t help you,” -came the reply in the same gruff bullying tone I had<span class="pagenum" id="Page_19">[19]</span> -heard before. “Now, Henriques,” he added, as if -ordering a comrade to finish the grim work.</p> - -<p>Holding my revolver in readiness, I entered. There -were three of the rascals. Two had hold of the -woman who knelt between them with her back to me, -while the third, also with his back to me, was just -raising a club to strike her.</p> - -<p>They were so intent upon their job and probably -so certain that no one was in the house, that they did -not notice me until I had had time to give the fellow -with the club a blow on the side of the head which -sent him staggering into a corner with an oath of -surprise and rage. The others released their hold of -the woman, and as I stepped in front of her, they fell -away in healthy fear of my levelled weapon.</p> - -<p>They were the reverse of formidable antagonists; -rascals from the gutter apparently; venomous enough -in looks, but undersized, feeble specimens; ready to -attack an unarmed man or a defenceless woman, but -utterly cowed by the sight of the business end of my -revolver.</p> - -<p>They slunk back toward the door, rage, baulked -malice and fear on their ugly dirty faces.</p> - -<p>“A spy! A spy!” exclaimed the brute who had -the stick; and at the word they felt for their knives.</p> - -<p>“Put your hands up, you dogs,” I cried. “The -man who draws a knife will get a bullet in his -head.”</p> - -<p>Meanwhile the woman had scrambled to her feet, -with a murmured word of thanks to the Virgin for -my opportune intervention, and then to my intense -surprise she put her hand on my arm and said in a -tone of entreaty: “Do not fire, monsieur. They -have only acted in ignorance.”</p> - -<p>“You hear that, you cowardly brutes,” I said, -without turning to look at her, for I couldn’t take -my eyes off the men. “Clear out, or——” and I -stepped toward them as if I meant to fire.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_20">[20]</span>In that I made a stupid blunder as it turned out. -They hung together a second and then at a whisper -from the fellow who appeared to be the leader, they -suddenly bolted out of the room, and locked the door -behind them.</p> - -<p>Not at all relishing the idea of being made a prisoner -in this way, I shouted to them to unlock the door, -threatening to break it down and shoot them on -sight if they refused. As they did not answer I picked -up a heavy chair to smash in one of the panels, when -my companion again interposed.</p> - -<p>But this time it was on my and her own account. -“They have firearms in the house, monsieur. If you -show yourself, they will shoot you; and I shall be -again at their mercy.”</p> - -<p>She spoke in a tone of genuine concern and, as I -recognized the wisdom of the caution, I put the chair -down again and turned to her.</p> - -<p>It was the first good square look I had had at her, -and I was surprised to find that she was both young -and surpassingly handsome—an aristocrat to her -finger tips, although plainly dressed like one of the -people. Her features were finely chiselled, she had -an air of unmistakable refinement, she carried herself -with the dignity of a person of rank, and her eyes, -large and of a singular greenish brown hue, were bent -upon me with the expression of one accustomed to -expect ready compliance with her wishes. She had -entirely recovered her self-possession and in some -way had braided up the mass of golden auburn hair, -the dishevelled condition of which I had noticed in -the moment of my entrance.</p> - -<p>“You are probably right, madame,” I said; “but -I don’t care for the idea of being locked in here while -those rascals fetch some companions.”</p> - -<p>I addressed her as madame; but she couldn’t be -more than four or five and twenty, and might be much -younger.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_21">[21]</span>“There will be no danger, monsieur,” she replied in -a tone of complete confidence.</p> - -<p>“There appeared to be plenty of it just now; and -the sooner we are out of this place, the better I shall -be pleased.” And with that I turned to the window -to see if we could get out that way. It was, however, -closely barred.</p> - -<p>“You may accept my assurance. These men have -been acting under a complete misunderstanding. They -will bring some one who will explain everything to -them.”</p> - -<p>“Dr. Barosa, you mean?”</p> - -<p>“What do you know of him?” The question came -sharply and with a touch of suspicion, as it seemed -to me.</p> - -<p>“Nothing, except that I heard you mention him -just as I entered.”</p> - -<p>She paused a moment, keeping her eyes on my face, -and then, with a little shrug, she turned away. “I -will see if my ser—my companion is much hurt,” she -said, and bent over the man who was lying against the -wall.</p> - -<p>I noticed the slip; but it was nothing to me if she -wished to make me think he was a companion instead -of a servant.</p> - -<p>She knew little or nothing about how to examine -the man’s hurt, so I offered to do it for her. “Will -you allow me to examine him, madame? I have been -a soldier and know a little about first aid.”</p> - -<p>She made way for me and went to the other end of -the room while I looked him over. He had had just -such a crack on the head as I feared for myself when -bolting from the troops. It had knocked the senses -out of him; but that was all. He was in no danger; -so I made him as comfortable as I could and told her -my opinion.</p> - -<p>“He will be all right, no doubt,” was her reply, -with about as much feeling as I should have shown<span class="pagenum" id="Page_22">[22]</span> -for somebody else’s dog; and despite her handsome -face and air of position, I began to doubt whether he -would not have been better worth saving than she.</p> - -<p>“How did all this happen?”</p> - -<p>She gave a little impatient start at the question, as -if resenting it. “He was brought here with me, -monsieur, and the men struck him,” she replied after a -pause.</p> - -<p>“Yes. But why were you brought here?”</p> - -<p>“I have not yet thanked you for coming to my -assistance, monsieur,” she replied irrelevantly. “Believe -me, I do thank you most earnestly. I owe you -my life, perhaps.”</p> - -<p>It was an easy guess that she found the question -distasteful and had parried it intentionally; so I -followed the fresh lead. “I did no more than I hope -any other man would have done, madame,” I said.</p> - -<p>“That is the sort of reply I should look for from an -Englishman, monsieur.” Her strange eyes were -fixed shrewdly upon me as she made this guess at my -nationality.</p> - -<p>“I am English,” I replied with a smile.</p> - -<p>“I am glad. I would rather be under an obligation -to an Englishman than to any one except a countryman -of my own.” She smiled very graciously, almost -coquettishly, as if anxious to convince me of her absolute -sincerity. But she spoilt the effect directly. -Lifting her eyes to heaven and with a little toss of -the hands, she exclaimed. “What a mercy of the -Virgin that you chanced to be in the house—this house -of all others in the city.”</p> - -<p>I understood. She wished to cross-examine me. -“You are glad that I arrived in time to interrupt -things just now?” I asked quietly.</p> - -<p>“Monsieur!” Eyes, hands, lithe body, everything -backed up the tone of surprise that I should question -it. “Do I not owe you my life?” I came to -the conclusion that she was as false as woman of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_23">[23]</span> -her colour can be. But she was an excellent -actress.</p> - -<p>“Then let me suggest that we speak quite frankly. -Let me lead the way. I am an Englishman, here in -Lisbon on some important business, and not, as the -doubt underneath your question, implies—a spy. -I——”</p> - -<p>“Monsieur!” she cried again as if in almost horrified -protest.</p> - -<p>“I was caught in the thick of a street fight,” I -continued, observing that for all her energetic protest -she was weighing my explanation very closely. “And -had to run for it with the police at my heels. I saw a -window of this house standing partly open and scrambled -through it for shelter.”</p> - -<p>“What a blessed coincidence for me!”</p> - -<p>“It would be simpler to say, madame, that you -do not believe me,” I said bluntly.</p> - -<p>“Ah, but on my faith——”</p> - -<p>“Let me put it to you another way,” I cut in. “I -don’t know much of the ways of spies, but if I were -one I should have contented myself with listening at -that door, instead of entering, and have locked you -all in instead of letting myself be caught in this silly -fashion.” Then I saw the absurdity of losing my -temper and burst out laughing.</p> - -<p>She drew herself up. “You are amused, monsieur.”</p> - -<p>“One may as well laugh while one can. If my laugh -offends you, I beg your pardon for it, but I am laughing -at my own conversion. An hour or two back I was -ridiculing the idea of there being anything to bother -about in the condition of the Lisbon streets. Since -then I have been attacked by the police, nearly torn to -pieces by the mob, had to bolt from the troops, -and now you thank me for having saved your life and -in the same breath take me for a spy. Don’t you -think that is enough cause for laughter? If you have -any sense of humour you surely will.”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_24">[24]</span>“I did not take you for a spy, monsieur,” she replied -untruthfully. “But you have learnt things while -here. We are obliged to be cautious.”</p> - -<p>“My good lady, how on earth can it matter? We -have met by the merest accident; there is not the -slightest probability that we shall ever meet again; -and if we did—well, you suggested just now that you -know something of the ways of us English, and in -that case you will feel perfectly certain that anything -I have seen or heard here to-night will never pass my -lips.”</p> - -<p>“You have not mentioned your name, monsieur?”</p> - -<p>“Ralph Donnington. I arrived yesterday and -stayed at the Avenida. Would you like some confirmation? -My card case is here, and this cigar case -has my initials outside and my full name inside.”</p> - -<p>“I do not need anything of that sort,” she cried -quickly, waving her hands. But she read both the -name and the initials.</p> - -<p>“What have you inferred from what you have seen -here to-night?”</p> - -<p>“That the rascals who brought you here are some -of the same sort of riff-raff I saw attacking the police -and got hold of you as an enemy of the people. I -heard that bit of cant from one of them. That you -are of the class they are accustomed to regard as their -oppressors was probably as evident to them as to me; -and when you expressed sympathy with them——”</p> - -<p>“You heard that?” she broke in earnestly.</p> - -<p>“Certainly, when I heard you tell them to fetch -this Dr. Barosa. But it is nothing to me; nor, thank -Heaven, are your Portuguese politics or plots. But -what is a good deal to me is how we are going to get -out of this.”</p> - -<p>“And for what do you take me, monsieur?”</p> - -<p>“For one of the most beautiful enthusiasts I ever -had the pleasure of meeting, madame,” I replied<span class="pagenum" id="Page_25">[25]</span> -with a bow. “And a leader whom any one should -be glad indeed to follow.”</p> - -<p>She was woman enough to relish the compliment -and she smiled. “You think I am a leader of these -people, then?”</p> - -<p>“It is my regret that I am not one of them.”</p> - -<p>“I am afraid that is not true, Mr. Donnington.”</p> - -<p>“At any rate I shall be delighted to follow your -lead out of this house.”</p> - -<p>“You will not be in any danger, I assure you of that.”</p> - -<p>As she spoke we heard the sounds of some little -commotion outside the room and I guessed that the -scoundrels had brought up some more of their kind.</p> - -<p>“I hope so, but I think we shall soon know.”</p> - -<p>“I have your word of honour that you will not -breathe a word of anything you have witnessed here -to-night.”</p> - -<p>“Certainly. I pledge my word of honour.”</p> - -<p>The men outside appeared to have a good deal to -chatter about and seemed none too ready to enter. -They were probably discussing who should have the -privilege of being the first to face my revolver. I -did not like the look of the thing at all.</p> - -<p>“If they are your friends, why don’t they come in?” -I asked my companion. “Hadn’t you better speak -to them?”</p> - -<p>She crossed to the door and it occurred to me to -place the head of a chair under the handle and make -it a little more difficult for them to get in.</p> - -<p>“You need have no fear, Mr. Donnington,” she said -with a touch of contempt as I took this precaution.</p> - -<p>“It’s only a slight test of the mood they are in.”</p> - -<p>As she reached the door the injured man began to -show signs of recovering his senses; and I stooped -over him while she spoke to the men.</p> - -<p>“Is Dr. Barosa there?” she called.</p> - -<p>Getting no reply, she repeated the question and -knocked on the panel.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_26">[26]</span>There was an answer this time, but not at all what -she had expected. One of the fellows fired a pistol -and the bullet pierced the thin panel and went dangerously -near her head.</p> - -<p>I pulled her across to a spot where she would be -safe from a chance shot. Only just in time, for half -a dozen shots were fired in quick succession.</p> - -<p>She was going to speak again, but I stopped her -with a gesture; and then extinguished one of the two -candles by which the room was lighted.</p> - -<p>A long pause followed the shots, as if the scoundrels -were listening to learn the effect of the firing.</p> - -<p>In the silence the man in the corner groaned, and -I heard the key turned in the lock as some one tried -to push the door open.</p> - -<p>I drew out my weapon.</p> - -<p>“You will not shoot them, Mr. Donnington?” -exclaimed my companion under her breath.</p> - -<p>“Doesn’t this man Barosa know your voice?” I -whispered.</p> - -<p>“Of course.”</p> - -<p>“Then he isn’t there,” I said grimly.</p> - -<p>I raised my voice and called loudly: “Don’t you -dare to enter. I’ll shoot the first man that tries -to.” Then to my companion: “You’d better crouch -down in the corner here. There’ll be trouble the instant -they are inside.”</p> - -<p>But she had no lack of pluck and shook her head -disdainfully. “You must not fire. If you shoot -one of these men you will not be safe for an hour in -the city.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t appear to be particularly safe as it is,” -I answered drily.</p> - -<p>There was another pause; then a vigorous shove -broke the chair I had placed to the door and half -a dozen men rushed in.</p> - -<p>As I raised my arm to fire, my companion caught it -and stopped me.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_27">[27]</span>For the space of a few seconds the scoundrels stared -at us, their eyes gleaming in vicious malice and triumph. -I read murder in them.</p> - -<p>“Throw your weapon on the table there,” ordered -one of them.</p> - -<p>Then a thought occurred to me.</p> - -<p>I made as if to obey; but, instead of doing anything -of the sort, I extinguished the remaining candle, grabbed -my companion’s arm, drew her to the opposite side -of the room and, pushing her into a corner, stood in -front of her.</p> - -<p>And in the pitchy darkness we waited for the ruffians -to make the first move in their attack.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_28">[28]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER III<br /> - - -<small>THE RECEPTION</small></h2> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap">THE effect of my impulse to extinguish the light -in the room was much greater than I had -anticipated. It proved to be the happiest thought I -had ever had; for I am convinced that it saved my -life, and probably that of my companion.</p> - -<p>The average Portuguese of the lower class is too -plugged with superstition ever to feel very happy in -the dark. He is quick to people it with all sorts of -impalpable terrors. And these fellows were soon in -a bad scare.</p> - -<p>For a few moments the wildest confusion prevailed. -Execrations, threats, cries of anger, and prayers were -mingled in about equal proportions; and every man -who had a pistol fired it off. At least, that appeared -to be the case, judging by the number of shots.</p> - -<p>As they aimed at the corner where they had seen -us, however, nothing resulted except a waste of ammunition.</p> - -<p>The darkness was all in my favour. I knew that -any man who touched me in the dark must be an -enemy; while they could not tell, when they ran -against any one, whether it was friend or foe. More -than one struggle among them told me this, and showed -me further what was of at least equal importance—that -they were afraid to advance farther into the -room.</p> - -<p>When a lull came in the racket, therefore, I adopted -another ruse. I crept toward the corner where they<span class="pagenum" id="Page_29">[29]</span> -had seen us, and, stamping heavily, cried out that I -would shoot the first man I touched.</p> - -<p>Another volley of shots followed; but I was back -out of range again, and soon had very welcome proof -that the trick was successful. Each man appeared -to mistake his neighbour for me, and some of them -were pretty roughly handled by their friends before -the blunders were discovered.</p> - -<p>Some one shouted for a light; and in the lull that -succeeded we had a great stroke of luck. The wounded -man, who lay in a corner near to them, began to move -his feet restlessly, and they immediately jumped to -the conclusion that I was going to attack them from -there.</p> - -<p>I backed this idea promptly. Letting out a fierce -yell of rage, I fired a shot at random. This filled to -overflowing the cup of their cowardice, and in another -moment they had bolted like rabbits out of the room -and locked the door again.</p> - -<p>I lost no time in relighting the candles, and set to -work to pile the furniture against the door to prevent -them taking us again by surprise, and to give me time -to see if we couldn’t get away by the window.</p> - -<p>Opening it as quietly as possible I had a good look -at the bars, and saw that it would be possible to force -them sufficiently apart with wedges for us to squeeze -through.</p> - -<p>“We can reach the street this way, madame?” I -asked my companion, who was now very badly scared.</p> - -<p>“It is useless,” she replied despairingly.</p> - -<p>“Not so useless as stopping here. We can’t expect -such luck a second time as we have just had.” -I spoke sharply, wishing to rouse her.</p> - -<p>But she only shook her head and tossed up her -hands. So I began to break up some of the furniture -to make some wedges, when she jumped to her feet -with a cry of surprise and delight.</p> - -<p>“It is his voice,” she exclaimed, her eyes shining<span class="pagenum" id="Page_30">[30]</span> -and her face radiant with delight. Whoever “he” -might be, it was easy to see what she felt about -him.</p> - -<p>Then the key was turned once more and an attempt -made to force away my impromptu barricade.</p> - -<p>I closed the window instantly and blew out one of -the candles.</p> - -<p>“Open the door. It is I, Barosa,” called a voice.</p> - -<p>“Let him in, monsieur. Let him in at once. We -are safe now.”</p> - -<p>“Are you sure?” I asked, suspecting a trick.</p> - -<p>Again the rich colour flooded her face. “Do you -think I do not know his voice, or that he would harm -me? Let him in. Let him in, I say,” she cried -excitedly.</p> - -<p>I pulled away enough of the barricade to admit one -man at a time. I reckoned that no one man of the -crowd I had seen would have the pluck to come in -alone.</p> - -<p>A dark, handsome, well-dressed man squeezed his -way through the opening with an impatient exclamation -on the score of my precaution. And the instant -she saw his face, my companion sprang toward him -uttering his name impetuously.</p> - -<p>“Manoel! Manoel! Thank the Holy Virgin you -have come.”</p> - -<p>His appearance excited me also, for I recognized -him at a glance. He had been pointed out to me in -Paris some time before by my brother-in-law as one -of the chief agents of Dom Miguel, the Pretender to -the Portuguese Throne. His real name was Luis -Beriardos. His presence in Lisbon at such a time and -his connexion with a section of the revolutionaries -gave me a clue to the whole business.</p> - -<p>The two stood speaking together for a time in whispers, -and then he went out to the others. I heard him -explain that they had made a blunder in regard to -madame and that he was ready to vouch for her as<span class="pagenum" id="Page_31">[31]</span> -one of their best friends and a leader of their -movements.</p> - -<p>Some further murmur of talk followed, and when he -returned, one or two of the rest tried to follow. But -I stopped that move. One man was all I meant to -have in the room at a time; and when I told the -others to get out they went. I had managed to make -them understand that it was safer to obey.</p> - -<p>“What does this mean, sir?” asked Barosa, indignantly.</p> - -<p>“You need have no fear now, Mr. Donnington,” -added madame.</p> - -<p>I replied to Barosa. “Those men have been telling -you that I am a spy and you have come in to question -me. This lady has assured me that I have nothing -to fear from you. You will therefore have the goodness -to get the key of that door and lock it on this side. -Then we can talk, but not till then.”</p> - -<p>“I shall not do anything of the sort,” he replied -hotly.</p> - -<p>“Then I shall shove these things back in position;” -and I began.</p> - -<p>“Dr. Barosa will get the key, Mr. Donnington,” -put in madame; and she appealed to him with a look. -“He has saved my life, doctor,” she said in an undertone.</p> - -<p>I noticed that she did not now call him by his -Christian name as in the first flush of her relief.</p> - -<p>He hesitated a second or two and then with an -angry shrug of the shoulders complied.</p> - -<p>“I’ll take the key, doctor,” I said quietly; and -when he stood irresolute, I pushed past him and -drew it out of the lock. “Now we can talk, and I’m -ready to answer any questions, in reason, which you -like to ask.”</p> - -<p>“Your conduct is very extraordinary, sir.”</p> - -<p>“Not a bit of it. These friends of yours take me -for a spy. You may come to the same conclusion.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_32">[32]</span> -They tried to take my life; and you may wish to do -the same. I am simply taking precautions. I have -told this lady enough about myself to satisfy her that -I am no spy; but if you are not equally satisfied, I -prefer to remain here with no other company than -ourselves until a chance of getting away offers.”</p> - -<p>He was going to reply when madame interposed. -To do her justice she took up my cause with a right -good will. She repeated all I had previously told her, -gave him a graphic account of what had passed, -lauded me to the skies, and ended by declaring her -absolute conviction that every word I had spoken -was the truth.</p> - -<p>Feeling that my case was in safe hands, I let them -have it out together. He was suspicious, and at -every proof of this, her anger and indignation increased.</p> - -<p>“I have accepted Mr. Donnington’s word, Dr. -Barosa,” she said hotly, when he declared that I ought -not to be allowed to leave the house; “and I have -given him a pledge for his safety. You know me, -and that I will keep my word. Very well, I declare to -you on my honour that if any harm comes to him -now, I will abandon the cause and reveal everything -I know about it and all concerned in it.”</p> - -<p>That shook all the opposition out of him on the spot.</p> - -<p>“You are at liberty to go, Mr. Donnington,” he -said at once.</p> - -<p>“Thank you; but what about your friends out -there?”</p> - -<p>“I will leave the house with you,” declared madame. -“And we will see if any one will dare to try and stop -you.”</p> - -<p>“It might be simpler if they were to go first,” I -suggested.</p> - -<p>“I will answer for them,” said Barosa. “We have -your word that you will not speak of anything you -have learned here to-night?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I pledge my word,” I replied.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_33">[33]</span>“Let me thank you once more, Mr. Donnington——” -began madame.</p> - -<p>But I stopped her. “We can call the account -between us squared, madame. If I helped you out -of one mess you have got me out of this. And for -the rest, silence for silence. We shall not meet again.”</p> - -<p>“Are you staying long in the city, sir?” asked -Barosa with a suggestion of eagerness in his tone.</p> - -<p>“Not an hour longer than my business here renders -necessary. I am not so delighted with my experiences -so far as to wish to remain.”</p> - -<p>He left the room then and after a hurried conference -with the fellows outside he called to us and we left -the house.</p> - -<p>With what relief I drew the first breath of the fresh -night air will be readily understood; but I do not -think I fully realized how narrow an escape I had had -until I was safe in my rooms and sat recalling the -incidents of the strange adventure.</p> - -<p>Who was the woman I had helped? Not a hint -had been dropped of her name; but that she was a -person of as much importance in the world outside as -in the ranks of the revolutionary party of which she -was a leader, I could not doubt. That the conspiracy -was being carried on in the interest of the Pretender -was fairly certain, seeing that this Beriardos, or Barosa, -as he now called himself, was mixed up in it; and I -resolved to write at once to Madrillo to send me everything -he knew about him.</p> - -<p>What had he meant, too, by that eager question as -to the length of my stay in the city? He was certainly -not satisfied that I was not a spy. Should I -have to be on the look-out for further trouble from -him and the scum of the city joined with him? It -was a more probable than pleasant prospect.</p> - -<p>As that exceedingly handsome creature had reminded -me, I had gained some information which made me -dangerous to these people; and however willing she<span class="pagenum" id="Page_34">[34]</span> -might be to accept my promise of secrecy, it was all -Portugal to a bunch of grapes that the others would -not be so content.</p> - -<p>And the irritating part of it was that I had got -into the mess through my own blundering stupidity. -If I hadn’t been ass enough to go wandering about -the city when I had been warned to stop indoors, I -shouldn’t have had this bother. But the world is full -of asses; and many of them with a heap more brains -than I. And with a chuckle, as if that silly cynicism -were both an excuse and a consolation, I tossed away -my cigar and went to bed.</p> - -<p>A night’s sound sleep put me on much better terms -with myself, and I scouted the thought of troublesome -personal consequences following my adventure. The -thing was over and done with and I was well out of -the mess.</p> - -<p>Instead of bothering to write to Madrillo for details -about this Dr. Barosa, therefore, I went off to the -<i>Stella</i> for a cruise to blow the cobwebs away and think -about Miralda and the meeting with her that evening.</p> - -<p>We were to meet at the house of the Marquis de -Pinsara, and my friend, Volheno, had impressed -upon me the importance of the gathering.</p> - -<p>“Affairs are in a somewhat delicate condition just -at present,” he had said; “and as there is a great deal -of surface discontent here and in Oporto—although -the bulk of the country is solid in our favour—we -have to exercise some care in organizing our followers. -The Marquis de Pinsara is one of M. Franco’s firmest -adherents, and this reception will really be political -in character. You may have heard of the ‘National -League of Portugal?’ No? Well, it is a powerful -loyalist association, and we are doing our utmost to -make the movement fully representative and powerful;” -and being a politician and proportionately -verbose, he had first inflicted upon me a long account -of the League and its merits, and from that had launched<span class="pagenum" id="Page_35">[35]</span> -into the reasons why he meant to take me to the reception. -Put shortly these were simply that he wished -to interest the Marquis de Pinsara and many of his -loyalist friends in the concessions at Beira which I -had put forward as the object of my visit.</p> - -<p>What this process of “interesting” the Marquis -meant, I learnt within a few minutes of my entering -his house.</p> - -<p>As Volheno sent me a line at the last moment saying -he was detained, I had to go alone and I was very -glad. Not being quite certain how Miralda would -receive me, I did not wish to have any lookers-on -when me met. Moreover, I certainly did not want to -fool away the evening, a good deal of which I hoped -to spend with her, in talking a lot of rot about these -concessions which I had only used as a stalking-horse -for my visit to Lisbon.</p> - -<p>But I soon found that in choosing them, I had invested -myself with a most inconvenient amount of importance.</p> - -<p>The Marquis received me with as much cordiality -as if I were an old friend and benefactor of -his family. He grasped my hand warmly, expressed -his delight at making my acquaintance, could not -find words to describe his admiration of England -and the English, and then started upon the concessions.</p> - -<p>I thought he would never stop, but he came to the -point. Volheno had taken as gospel all the rubbish -I had talked about the prospects of wealth offered -by the concessions, and had passed it on to the marquis -through a magnifying glass until the latter, being a -comparatively poor man, was under the impression -that I could make his fortune. He was more than -willing to be “interested” in the scheme; and took -great pains to convince me that without his influence I -could not succeed. And that influence was mine for -a consideration.</p> - -<p>In the desire to get free from his button-holing I<span class="pagenum" id="Page_36">[36]</span> -gave him promises lavish enough to send him off to -his other guests with eyes positively glittering with -greed.</p> - -<p>Unfortunately for me, however, he began to use -his influence at once, and while I was hanging about -near the entrance, waiting to catch Miralda the moment -she arrived, he kept bringing up a number of his friends—mostly -titled and all tiresome bores—whom he was -also “interesting” in the scheme.</p> - -<p>They all said the same thing. Theirs was the only -influence which could secure the concessions for me, -and they all made it plain about the consideration. -I began at length to listen for the phrase and occasionally -to anticipate it; and thus in half an hour or so -I had promised enough backsheesh to have crippled -the scheme ten times over.</p> - -<p>One of these old fellows—a marquis or visconte or -something of the sort, the biggest bore of the lot -anyway—was in possession of me in a corner when -Miralda arrived, and for the life of me I couldn’t -shake him off. I was worrying how to get away when -the marquis came sailing up with another of them in -tow, a tall, stiff, hawk-faced, avaricious-looking old -man, with a pompous air, and more orders on his -breast than I could count.</p> - -<p>I groaned and wished the concessions at the bottom -of the Tagus, but the next moment had to shut down -a smile. It was the Visconte de Linto, Miralda’s -stepfather.</p> - -<p>The marquis had evidently filled him up with -exaggerated stories of my wealth and the riches I -had come to pour into the pockets of those who assisted -me, and his first tactic was to get rid of the bore -in possession. He did this by carrying me off to -present me to his wife and daughter.</p> - -<p>It was the reverse of such a meeting as I had pictured -or desired; for at that moment Miralda was besieged -by a crowd of men clamouring for dances. But I<span class="pagenum" id="Page_37">[37]</span> -could not think of an excuse, and I had barely time -to explain that I had met Miralda and her mother in -Paris, when the old man pushed his way unceremoniously -through the little throng and introduced me, -stumbling over my name which he had obviously forgotten, -and adding that Miralda must save two or three dances -for me.</p> - -<p>As he garbled my name she was just taking her -dance card back from a man who had scribbled his -initials on it and she turned to me with a little impatient -movement of the shoulders which I knew well.</p> - -<p>Our eyes met, and my fear that she might have forgotten -me was dissipated on the instant.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_38">[38]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER IV<br /> - - -<small>MIRALDA</small></h2> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap2">ALTHOUGH it was easy to read the look of recognition -in Miralda’s eyes, it was the reverse of -easy to gather the thoughts which that recognition -prompted. After the first momentary widening of the -lids, the start of surprise, and the involuntary tightening -of the fingers on her fan, she was quick to force a -smile, as she bowed to me, and the smile served as -an impenetrable mask to her real feelings.</p> - -<p>The viscontesse gave me a very different welcome. -She was pleased to see me again and frankly expressed -her pleasure. I had done my best to ingratiate myself -in her favour during those three weeks in Paris, and -had evidently been successful. She was a kind-hearted -garrulous soul, and before I could get a word in about -the dances, she plunged into a hundred and one questions -about Paris and England and the beauties of Lisbon, and -why I had not let them know of my coming and so -on, and without giving me time to reply she turned -to Miralda.</p> - -<p>“You surely remember Mr. Donnington, child? -We met him in Paris, last spring.”</p> - -<p>“Oh yes, mother. His sister is M. Madrillo’s wife,” -said Miralda indifferently.</p> - -<p>This was not exactly how I wished to be remembered. -“I am glad you have not forgotten my sister, at any -rate, mademoiselle,” I replied, intending this to be -very pointed.</p> - -<p>“M. Madrillo showed us many kindnesses, monsieur,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_39">[39]</span> -and did much to make our stay in Paris pleasant; -and it is not a Portuguese failing to forget.”</p> - -<p>This was better, for there was a distinct note of -resentment in her voice instead of mere indifference. -But before I could reply, the viscontesse interposed -a very natural but extremely inconvenient question. -“And what brings you here, Mr. Donnington?”</p> - -<p>The visconte answered this, making matters worse -than ever; and there followed a little by-play of -cross purposes.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Donnaheen is here on some very important -business, my dear—very important business indeed.”</p> - -<p>“If I remember, Donnington is the proper pronunciation, -father,” interposed Miralda, very quietly, -as if courtesy required the correction—the courtesy -that was due to a stranger, however.</p> - -<p>“I wish you wouldn’t interrupt me, Miralda,” he -replied testily. “This gentleman will understand -how difficult some English names are to pronounce -and will excuse my slip, I am sure.”</p> - -<p>“Certainly, visconte.”</p> - -<p>“I am only sorry I do not speak English.”</p> - -<p>“Donnington is quite easy to pronounce, Affonso,” -his wife broke in.</p> - -<p>He gave a sigh of impatience. “Of course it is, I -know that well enough.”</p> - -<p>“You were speaking of the reason for Mr. Donnington’s -visit,” Miralda reminded him demurely; and -as she turned to him her eyes swept impassively -across my face. As if a stranger’s presence in Lisbon -were a legitimate reason for the polite assumption -of curiosity.</p> - -<p>“It is in a way Government business; Mr. Donnington”—he -got the name right this time and smiled—“is -seeking some concessions in our East African -colony and he needs my influence.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, business in East Africa?” she repeated, with -a lift of the eyebrows. “How very interesting;”<span class="pagenum" id="Page_40">[40]</span> -and with that she turned away and handed her programme -to one of the men pestering her for a dance.</p> - -<p>No words she could have spoken and nothing she -could have done would have been so eloquent of her -appreciation of my conduct in absenting myself for -four months and then coming to Lisbon on business. -Once more I wished those infernal concessions at the -bottom of the Tagus.</p> - -<p>“I hope to be of considerable use and you may depend -upon my doing my utmost,” said the visconte, -self-complacently.</p> - -<p>“I cannot say how highly I shall value your influence, -sir, not only in that but in everything,” I replied, -putting an emphasis on the “everything” in the hope -that Miralda would understand.</p> - -<p>But she paid no heed and went on chatting with the -man next her.</p> - -<p>“And how long are you staying, Mr. Donnington?” -asked her mother.</p> - -<p>“Rather a superfluous question that, Maria,” said -her husband. “Of course it will depend upon how -your business goes, eh, Mr. Donnington?”</p> - -<p>I saw a chance there and took it. “I am afraid -my object will take longer to accomplish than I hoped,” -I replied; for Miralda’s benefit again of course.</p> - -<p>“At any rate you will have time for some pleasure-making, -I trust,” said the viscontesse.</p> - -<p>“Englishmen don’t let pleasure interfere with business, -my dear, they are far too strenuous,” replied -her husband, who appeared to think he was flattering -me and doing me a service by insisting that I could -have no possible object beyond business. “I presume -that you are only here to-night for the one purpose. -The Marquis de Pinsara told me as much.”</p> - -<p>At that moment a partner came up to claim Miralda -for a dance, and as she rose she said: “Mr. Donnington -is fortunate in finding so many to help him in his -business.”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_41">[41]</span>“Wait a moment, Miralda,” exclaimed her father -as she was turning away. “Have you kept the dances -for Mr. Donnington?”</p> - -<p>Again her eyes flashed across mine with the same -half-disdainful smile of indifference. “Mr. Donnington -has been so occupied discussing the serious purpose -of his visit that he has had no time to think of such -frivolity and ask for them;” and with that parting -shot she went off to the ball-room without waiting to -hear my protest.</p> - -<p>The visconte smiled and gestured. “I suppose -you don’t dance, Mr. Donnington,” he said, “I have -heard that many Englishmen do not.”</p> - -<p>“Indeed he does, Affonso,” declared his wife quickly. -“I remember that well in Paris. He and Miralda -often danced together. And now, sit down here in -Miralda’s place till she comes back and let us have a -chat about Paris,” she added to me.</p> - -<p>But the old visconte had not quite done with me. -Drawing me aside—“I want you to feel that I shall -do all in my power, Mr. Donnington,” he began.</p> - -<p>I knew what was coming so I anticipated him. “I -am sure of that, and I have been given to understand -that you can do more for me than any one else in Portugal. -And of course you’ll understand that those who assist -me in the early stages will naturally share in the after -advantages and gains. I make a strong point of that.”</p> - -<p>“Of course that was not in my mind at all,” he -protested.</p> - -<p>“Naturally. But I should insist upon it,” I said -gravely.</p> - -<p>“I suppose it will be a very big thing?”</p> - -<p>“Millions in it, visconte. Millions;” and I threw -out my hands as if half the riches of the earth would -soon be in their grasp. “And of course I know that -without you I should be powerless.”</p> - -<p>He appreciated this thoroughly and went off on -excellent terms with himself and with a high opinion<span class="pagenum" id="Page_42">[42]</span> -of me as a potential source of wealth, while I sat down -by the viscontesse to explain why four months had -passed since we met.</p> - -<p>But these miserable concessions gave me no peace. -I was only beginning my explanation when up came -the marquis and dragged me off for the first of another -batch of introductions, followed by a long conference -in another room with him and Volheno who had -meanwhile arrived. And just as the marquis took -my arm to lead me away, and thus prevented my -escape, Miralda returned from the dance.</p> - -<p>A single glance showed her that I was fully occupied -in the business which I had been forced to admit in -her presence was the object of my visit to Lisbon, -and the expression of her eyes and the shrug of her -shoulders were a sufficient indication of her feeling.</p> - -<p>I was properly punished for the silly lie which I had -merely intended to conceal my real purpose, and -when I saw Miralda welcome a fresh partner with a -smile which I would have given the whole of Portuguese -Africa to have won from her, I could scarcely -keep my temper.</p> - -<p>I was kept at this fool talk for an hour or more when -I ought to have been making my peace with her, and -I resolved on the spot to invent a telegram from -London the next day reporting a hitch in the negotiations.</p> - -<p>When at length I got free, Miralda was not anywhere -to be seen; and I wandered about the rooms -and in and out of the conservatories looking for her, -putting up no end of couples in odd corners and getting -deservedly scowled at for my pains.</p> - -<p>I saw her at last among the dancers; and I stood and -watched her, gritting my teeth in the resolve that no -titled old bores nor even wild horses should prevent -my speaking to her as soon as the waltz was over.</p> - -<p>I stalked her into a palm house which I had missed -in my former search and, giving her and her partner<span class="pagenum" id="Page_43">[43]</span> -just enough time to find seats, I followed and walked -straight up to them.</p> - -<p>She knew I was coming. I could tell that by the -way she squared her shoulders and affected the deepest -interest in her partner’s conventional nothings.</p> - -<p>“I think the next is our dance, mademoiselle,” I -said unblushingly, as I affected to consult my card. -She gave a start as if entirely surprised by and -rather indignant at the interruption; while her partner -had the decency to rise. But she glanced at her -card and then looked up with a bland smile and shook -her head. “I am afraid you are mistaken, monsieur.”</p> - -<p>The man was going to resume his place by her side, -but I stopped that. “I have the honour of your -initials here, and if to my intense misfortune you have -given the dance to two of us, perhaps this gentleman -will allow me, as an old acquaintance of yours, to enjoy -the few minutes of interval to deliver an important -message entrusted to me.”</p> - -<p>I was under the fire of her eyes all the time I was -delivering this flowery and untruthful rigmarole; -but I was as voluble and as grave as a judge. I took -the man in all right. I made him feel that under the -circumstances he was in the way and with a courteous -bow to us both, he excused himself.</p> - -<p>Miralda was going to request him to remain, I think, -so I took possession of the vacant chair; and then of -course she could not bring him back without making -too much of the incident and possibly causing a little -scene.</p> - -<p>That I had offended her I could not fail to see; her -hostility and resentment were obvious, but whether the -cause was my present effrontery or my long neglect -of her, I had yet to find out.</p> - -<p>She did not quite know what to do. After sitting -a few moments in rather frowning indecision, she half -rose as if she were going to leave me, but with a little<span class="pagenum" id="Page_44">[44]</span> -toss of the head she decided against that and turned -to me.</p> - -<p>“You have a message for me, monsieur?” Her -tone was one of studied indifference and her look -distinctly chilling.</p> - -<p>“For one thing, my sister desired to be most kindly -remembered to you.”</p> - -<p>Up went the deep fringed lids and the dark eyebrows, -as a comment upon the message which I had described -as important. “Please to tell Madame Madrillo that -I am obliged by her good wishes and reciprocate -them.” This ridiculously stilted phrase made it -difficult for me to resist a smile. But I played up to -it.</p> - -<p>“I feel myself deeply honoured, mademoiselle, by -being made the bearer of any communication from -you. I will employ my most earnest efforts to convey -to my sister your wishes and the auspicious circumstances -under which they are so graciously expressed.”</p> - -<p>She had to turn away before I finished, but she -would not smile. There was, however, less real chill -and more effort at formality when she replied—</p> - -<p>“As you have delivered your message, monsieur——” -she finished with a wave of the hands, as if dismissing -me.</p> - -<p>But I was not going of course, and then I made a -very gratifying little discovery. Her dance card was -turned over by her gesture and I saw that for the next -dance she had no partner.</p> - -<p>“That is only one of the messages, mademoiselle,” -I replied after a pause in the same stilted tone. “Have -I your permission to report the second?”</p> - -<p>I guessed she was beginning to see the absurdity of -it, for she turned slightly away from me and bowed, -not trusting herself to speak.</p> - -<p>“My brother-in-law, M. Stefan Madrillo, desired -me to bring you an assurance of his best wishes.”</p> - -<p>“Have you any messages from the children also,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_45">[45]</span> -monsieur?” she asked quickly, with a swift flash of -her glorious eyes.</p> - -<p>I kept it up for another round. “I am honoured -by being able to assure you that their boy appreciated -to the full the bon-bons which were the outcome of -your distinguished generosity when in Paris, and retains -his appetite for delicacies; but the little girl, -not yet being able to speak, has entrusted me with -no more than some gurgles and coos. To my profound -regret I cannot reproduce them verbatim. May I -have the honour of conveying your reply?”</p> - -<p>She kept her face turned right away from me and -did not answer.</p> - -<p>“I have yet another message, mademoiselle, if your -patience is not exhausted,” I said after a pause.</p> - -<p>“Still another, monsieur?”</p> - -<p>“Still another, mademoiselle.”</p> - -<p>“From whom, monsieur?”</p> - -<p>“From a man you knew in Paris, mademoiselle, -Mr. Ralph Donnington. He has charged me to -explain——”</p> - -<p>“I don’t wish to hear that one, thank you,” she -broke in.</p> - -<p>“But he is absolutely determined that you shall -hear it.”</p> - -<p>“Shall?” she cried warmly, throwing back her -head with a lovely poise of indignation and looking -straight into my eyes.</p> - -<p>“Yes, shall,” I replied firmly. “I have travelled -over a thousand miles to deliver it.”</p> - -<p>“I am not interested in mining concessions, Mr. Donnington,” -she cried scornfully, thinking to wither me.</p> - -<p>“Nor am I.”</p> - -<p>Her intense surprise at this put all her indignation -to flight, and left nothing in her eyes but bewildered -curiosity.</p> - -<p>“Nor am I,” I repeated with a smile.</p> - -<p>“But——”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_46">[46]</span>“I know,” I said when she paused. “I had to -have a pretext.”</p> - -<p>She knew what I meant then and lowered her eyes.</p> - -<p>“I still do not wish to hear Mr. Donnington’s message,” -she said after a pause and in a very different -tone.</p> - -<p>“I do not wish to force it upon you now, and certainly -not against your wish. I may be some months -in Lisbon, and——”</p> - -<p>“There is the band for the next dance, I must go,” -she interposed.</p> - -<p>“I have seen by your card that you have no partner; -but if you wish me to leave you I will do so, or -take you back to the viscontesse—unless you will -give it to me.”</p> - -<p>She leant back in her chair, her head bent, her brows -gathered in a frown of perplexity and her fingers -playing nervously with her fan.</p> - -<p>“I do not wish to dance, Mr. Donnington, thank -you,” she murmured.</p> - -<p>“Just as you will.”</p> - -<p>A long silence followed. She was agitated and I -perplexed.</p> - -<p>After perhaps a minute of this silence, I rose.</p> - -<p>“You wish to be alone, mademoiselle?”</p> - -<p>She did not reply and I was turning to leave when -she looked up quickly. “I do not wish you to go, -Mr. Donnington.” Then putting aside the thoughts, -whatever they were, which had been troubling her, -she laughed and added: “Why should I? It is -pleasant to meet an old acquaintance. You have -come through Paris on your way here, of course. Were -you there long?”</p> - -<p>I was more perplexed by the change of tone and -manner than by her former silent preoccupation.</p> - -<p>“I did not come through Paris,” I replied, as I -resumed my seat. “I came from England in the -<i>Stella</i>—my yacht.”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_47">[47]</span>“You have had delightful weather for your cruise.”</p> - -<p>“I was not cruising in that sense. The <i>Stella</i> is a -very fast boat and I came in her because I could get -here more quickly.”</p> - -<p>“Our Portuguese railways are very slow, of course, -and the Spanish trains no better. It is a very tedious -journey from Paris.”</p> - -<p>“Very,” I agreed. Whether she wished to make -small talk in order to avoid my explanation, I did not -know; but I fell in with her wish and then tried to -lead round to the old time in Paris.</p> - -<p>She turned my references to it very skilfully however, -and after my third unsuccessful attempt, she -herself referred to it in a way that forced me to regard -it as a sealed page.</p> - -<p>“It has been very pleasant to meet you again, Mr. -Donnington, and have such a delightful chat, and I -am so much obliged to you for not having pressed -me to dance. I hope we shall see a good deal of you -while you are here. You quite captured my dear -mother during that time in Paris. Of course you’ll -call.”</p> - -<p>“I ventured to leave cards immediately on my -arrival.”</p> - -<p>Then she rose. “I must really go now. Major -Sampayo will be looking for me for the next dance. -Have you met the major yet?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t think so; but I have had so many introductions -this evening that I don’t remember all the -names.”</p> - -<p>“Ah, the result of your supposed purpose in Lisbon, -probably. Of course I shall keep your secret,” she -replied with a smile. Then a sudden change came -over her. She paused, the hand which held her fan -trembled, the effort to maintain the light indifference -of voice and manner became apparent, and her voice -was a trifle unsteady as she added: “You will meet -Major Sampayo at our house. Ah, here he comes with<span class="pagenum" id="Page_48">[48]</span> -my friend the Contesse Inglesia. I suppose my mother -has told you I am betrothed to him.”</p> - -<p>The news gripped me like a cramp in the heart, and -I caught my breath and gritted my teeth as I stared at -her.</p> - -<p>But the next instant I rallied. The pain and concern -in her eyes seemed to explain what had so perplexed -me in her manner. Her agitation when I told -her the real purpose of my presence; her quick assumption -of indifference, of mere acquaintanceship, her -studious evasion of my references to our time in Paris, -and her light surface talk on things of no concern to -either of us. If my new wild hope was right, all this -had been merely intended to school herself to refer -lightly to the matter of her betrothal.</p> - -<p>I forced a smile. “Permit me to congratulate——” -I began; but the words died on my lips as I turned -and saw the two people whom she had mentioned.</p> - -<p>The man, Major Sampayo, I knew to be one of the -vilest scoundrels who ever escaped the gallows.</p> - -<p>And his companion was the woman whose life I had -saved from her revolutionary associates on the previous -night.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_49">[49]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER V<br /> - - -<small>INEZ</small></h2> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap">WITH a big effort I managed to pull myself -together, and much to Miralda’s surprise I -covered my momentary confusion with a hearty laugh -and a sentence spoken for the benefit of the other two -who were now within earshot.</p> - -<p>“I’m afraid I’ve bored you frightfully, but I -couldn’t resist sparing a few minutes from this concession-mongering -business. And after your saying that -the viscontesse remembers our chats in Paris, I shall -certainly ask her to allow me to call.”</p> - -<p>I succeeded in speaking in the tone of a quite casual -acquaintance, and I turned to find two pairs of eyes -fixed intently upon me.</p> - -<p>Whether the fellow who now called himself Major -Sampayo recognized me I could not tell, but his companion -did, and I waited for her to decide whether -we were to acknowledge that we had met.</p> - -<p>She made no sign and I made my bow to Miralda -and was moving off when the major intervened.</p> - -<p>“Will you present me to your friend, Miralda?”</p> - -<p>I could have kicked him for the glib use of her name. -I paused and turned with a smile, as if highly pleased -by the request. If I knew myself, the kicking would -come later.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Donnington, may I introduce Major Sampayo?” -said Miralda, a little nervously.</p> - -<p>I bowed and smirked, but behind the entrenchment -of English reserve I made no offer to take his hand.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_50">[50]</span>“I am glad to meet you, Mr. Donnington.”</p> - -<p>“I consider myself equally fortunate, Major Sampayo.”</p> - -<p>I saw then that he had an uneasy feeling that we -had met somewhere before, and his eyes moved from -side to side as he searched his memory to place my -voice or face or name.</p> - -<p>“Is that really Mr. Donnington?” exclaimed his -companion, with a delightful assumption of interested -surprise. “My dear Miralda, please don’t leave me -out.”</p> - -<p>“My friend the Contesse Inez Inglesia,” said Miralda.</p> - -<p>She held out her hand and as I took it she looked -straight into my eyes with a most cordial smile. “I -have heard so much about you, Mr. Donnington, that -I have been questioning every one I know to find a -mutual friend, and wandering all over the rooms to -find you.”</p> - -<p>Which meant that she knew I had been a long time -with Miralda.</p> - -<p>“I have such an implicit faith in Portuguese sincerity, -contesse, that you will turn my head if you -flatter me so. The fact is I have been making an -unconscionable bore of myself with Mademoiselle Dominguez. -I met her and the viscontesse in Paris last spring, -and I was so glad to find a face I knew to-night, that -I could not resist the temptation for a chat.”</p> - -<p>“Have you been long in Lisbon, sir?” asked Sampayo, -still worrying himself about me.</p> - -<p>“Two days, major, that’s all. I came in my -yacht.”</p> - -<p>“Surely you’ve heard about Mr. Donnington, -major,” said the contesse. “He’s the millionaire -who has come about the mining concessions in Beira, -or somewhere.”</p> - -<p>“No, I had not heard that,” he replied, with a little -start, as if this might have suggested a clue to his -problem. “Have you been in Beira, sir?”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_51">[51]</span>I smiled and shrugged my shoulders. “I suppose -I ought not to own it, but I was never there in my -life.”</p> - -<p>“Major Sampayo knows every inch of South Africa, -Mr. Donnington,” said the contesse. “He was out -there at the time your country was at war with the -Boers.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, indeed,” said I, as if in great surprise. I knew -that well enough. “Then I shall hope to get some -wrinkles from him.”</p> - -<p>“You served in that war, didn’t you, Mr. Donnington?” -asked Miralda, evidently feeling she ought -to say something.</p> - -<p>“For a few months. I was in Bloemfontein and -Mafeking.” I purposely named places as distant as -possible from the spot where I had seen him. I did -not wish him to recognize me yet.</p> - -<p>“Were you out at the finish of the campaign?” he -asked at the prompting of his uneasy fears.</p> - -<p>“About the middle. I was sent down country after -the relief of Mafeking.” This was half truth but also -half lie. I had gone up again almost immediately. -But it appeared to ease his unrest.</p> - -<p>“I have a curious feeling that we have met somewhere,” -he said; “and was wondering whether it could -have been out in South Africa. That was the reason -for my rather inquisitive questions.”</p> - -<p>I laughed. “Oh, I should have recognized you in -a moment if that had been the case. I never forget a -face.”</p> - -<p>This made him uneasy again, but, as the band struck -up, he gave his arm to Miralda.</p> - -<p>“Thanks for a delightful chat, mademoiselle,” I -said lightly to Miralda. “May I take you to your -partner, madame?” I asked, offering my arm to the -Contesse.</p> - -<p>Instead of accepting it she said to Miralda. “If -you see Vasco tell him I’ll give him another waltz<span class="pagenum" id="Page_52">[52]</span> -for this. I am going to sit this out with Mr. Donnington—that -is, of course, if he is willing.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll tell him, Inez,” replied Miralda over her shoulder -as she walked away.</p> - -<p>Inez was silent until they were out of hearing, and -then she said very meaningly: “What an excellent -actor you are, Mr. Donnington.”</p> - -<p>“May I return the compliment? I saw that you -wished it to appear that we were complete strangers. -And with your permission that is just what we have -been up to the moment of this introduction.”</p> - -<p>Another pause followed by a surprise for me.</p> - -<p>“So you are Miralda’s Englishman!”</p> - -<p>But I was too well on my guard to betray myself. -“Am I really?” I asked with an easy laugh. “We -had a jolly time for a week or two, but—that’s four -months ago.”</p> - -<p>“You are fond of camelias, Mr. Donnington.”</p> - -<p>“I am wearing one, as you see,” I replied pointing -to my buttonhole. But I had often given camelias -to Miralda in those three weeks; and this handsome, -dangerous, stately creature with hazel eyes, which -were open and frank or diabolically sly at will, knew -it.</p> - -<p>Again she paused once more as the preface to a shot.</p> - -<p>“What do you know about Major Sampayo, Mr. -Donnington?” She flashed the question at me, her -eyes searchlights in their intensity.</p> - -<p>“I think he’s quite a handsome man and looks awfully -well in that rather gorgeous uniform; and I -presume those orders on his chest show that he is as -distinguished a soldier as he looks.”</p> - -<p>“Spoken without even a shadow of hesitation. I -declare that every moment I admire your acting -more.” She let her eyes rest on mine and half closed -the lids. “I think I am glad I am not Major Sampayo,” -she said slowly.</p> - -<p>“I should imagine you have every reason to be satisfied<span class="pagenum" id="Page_53">[53]</span> -with your own delightfully handsome personality. -But if it comes to that, I am also glad I am not the -major.”</p> - -<p>“Not even with Miralda thrown in?”</p> - -<p>“Not even with Miralda thrown in,” I repeated with -a laugh. “She’s a very charming girl and exceedingly -pretty and all that. She was acknowledged to -be one of the prettiest girls in Paris last spring, you -know, and I admire her tremendously.”</p> - -<p>“A frank admission of unconcerned admiration is -very clever, of course, but I am not deceived by it, Mr. -Donnington.”</p> - -<p>“No? Well then shall I confess that I worship her, -that the ground her foot touches is changed to holy -soil; that when she smiles I am in heaven, and when -she frowns, in hell; and that for four months I have -only existed on the hope of seeing her again; that she -fills my heart, inspires my every thought, dominates -my every action, permeates my being, and is the end-all -and be-all of my life?” I declaimed all this with a -lot of extravagant gesture; and then added in a different -tone: “And why on earth do you want to insist -that I am in love with her?”</p> - -<p>“It is necessary that I know exactly the relationship -between you?”</p> - -<p>“My relationship is precisely the same as between -you and myself, madame.”</p> - -<p>“What do you mean?”</p> - -<p>“Are we not all cousins in more or less remote -degree—in our descent from Adam and Eve?”</p> - -<p>She rustled her shoulders impatiently. “Don’t -you understand what I mean? You know how we -first met.”</p> - -<p>“Oh ho, and is the fair Miralda one of you?” I -laughed. “But I thought that subject was -taboo?”</p> - -<p>“You know my secret and I can therefore talk -freely to you.”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_54">[54]</span>“I would very much rather that you did not, if you -please.”</p> - -<p>“I am under the deepest of all obligations to you, -Mr. Donnington; you saved my life and I wish to be -your friend. If you have any such feeling for Miralda -as you have burlesqued, I owe it to you to let you -understand things and be warned in time. It is not possible -for a foreigner to know the undercurrents of life here -at present.”</p> - -<p>“My dear lady, I am only trying to swim on the surface. -I find myself to-night in the house of one of the -staunchest supporters of the Government at a gathering -intended to strengthen the position of the loyalist -body—the National League of Portugal.”</p> - -<p>“I am one of the acknowledged leaders of that -League.”</p> - -<p>I could not restrain a start of astonishment at this; -and she noticed it, of course.</p> - -<p>“You are surprised. But many of those here are -my friends—my political friends, I mean. It was my -public connexion with the League which led me into -the trouble last night. The men who threatened me -knew of my position in it, but not of my sympathies -with them—that of course is as close a secret as -possible—and by a trick decoyed me to a house where I -was seized and brought to where you found me. The -intention was to kill me and then carry me into the -streets to make it appear that I had been killed in the -rioting. You will understand from this the dangerous -forces that are at work. Some of those men -suspect you of being a spy and you will be well advised -not to prolong your stay in Lisbon. And your friendship -with M. Volheno will not add to your safety.”</p> - -<p>“Cannot an Englishman come here without being -taken for a spy?”</p> - -<p>“You know that one of your best English detectives -has been employed by the Spanish Government -to reorganize the detective force there. One story<span class="pagenum" id="Page_55">[55]</span> -I have heard is that you yourself are an English detective -engaged by M. Volheno to help in unearthing some -of the conspiracies here, and that your desire to obtain -some concessions in Africa is a mere blind.”</p> - -<p>“It would be difficult to go much further away -about me, anyway.”</p> - -<p>“Yet those who seek concessions from a Government -do not usually advertise the fact far and wide. -You are a man of courage and resource: we have had -proof of that. You have learnt some of our secrets -and one of our haunts. You have some secret knowledge -about Major Sampayo that threatens him; and -you are more than clever enough to sustain the part -of an Englishman of wealth and position.”</p> - -<p>“And do you mean that you yourself believe this -preposterous story?”</p> - -<p>“No; but I should like to know the real reason -for your coming here.”</p> - -<p>“And that Dr. Barosa, does he take me for a spy?”</p> - -<p>“No, we have already made inquiries about you from -our friends in England. But, like myself, he wishes -to know why you are here. You will do well to give -me your confidence.”</p> - -<p>“And your other colleague—Major Sampayo?”</p> - -<p>“I did not tell you that he was with us.”</p> - -<p>“Not in so many words. And really I don’t care.”</p> - -<p>“He will remember where he has met you before, -and the facts may help us to know more about you—for -your benefit or otherwise.”</p> - -<p>“My dear madame, if you mean that for a threat, -it does not in the least alarm me. Let me tell you once -for all I am not a member of the English detective -force; my presence here has not the remotest connexion -with your politics or your plots; and I have -no sort of sympathy with them one way or another. -I am just an average Englishman; and as such claim -the right to go where I will when I will, so long as I -mind my own business. And as an Englishman I<span class="pagenum" id="Page_56">[56]</span> -can take care of myself and must decline to be frightened -out of doing what I wish to do either by charming, -cultured and handsome ladies, like yourself, or by -such gutter scum as I had the tussle with last night.”</p> - -<p>“Then you refuse to give me your confidence?”</p> - -<p>“Let me put it rather that I have really no confidence -worth giving. I shall hold absolutely secret -what you have told me—that on my honour. And -now do you mind if we talk about the scenery?”</p> - -<p>“You will have cause to regret it, Mr. Donnington.”</p> - -<p>“My dear madam, I have arrived at the mature -age of twenty-seven, and probably twenty-six of -them are full of regrets for lost chances. But there is -a question of real seriousness I should like to put to -you,” I said very gravely.</p> - -<p>“Well?”</p> - -<p>“What is the name of the third, no the fourth bluff, -to the north of the river mouth?”</p> - -<p>She turned and bent those strange eyes of hers upon -me with an intent stare. “You mean me to understand -that you regard everything I have said—my -warning, my questions, everything—as a mere jest.”</p> - -<p>“I mean that, although I am by the way of being a -wilful person, I am not an ungrateful one; and that -if you would do me the honour one day of making up -a little party to view that bluff from the deck of my -yacht, it would give me great pleasure and I hope -promote that better understanding between us which -I should like to think you desire as much as I.”</p> - -<p>“I accept willingly,” she replied with a smile; -but even then she could not resist a thrust. Looking -at me out of the half-veiled corners of her eyes she -asked: “May I bring Major Sampayo?”</p> - -<p>“By all means, and Dr. Barosa and any others of -your colleagues—even the fair Miralda; and I will -have cosy corners specially fitted up for you all where -you may talk politics or personalities as you prefer.”</p> - -<p>Again her strange eyes fastened on mine, searchingly.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_57">[57]</span> -“What do you really mean by that?” she asked, -with tense earnestness.</p> - -<p>“Oh, please don’t let us get serious again, and read -grave meanings into mere trifling banalities,” I -exclaimed with a laugh. “I mean no more than that -I should try to give you all a good time and let you -enjoy it in your own way.”</p> - -<p>“If I am to enjoy it, Mr. Donnington, you must -ask Miralda’s brother, Lieutenant de Linto.”</p> - -<p>“My dear lady, I’ll ask the whole regiment if you -wish it.”</p> - -<p>“Here he comes, you can ask him now. I suppose -you know him?”</p> - -<p>A young fellow in the uniform of a lieutenant had -entered the palm house and came hurrying toward -us. I did not care for his looks. Tall and slight of -figure, a foppish and affected manner, anæmic and -dissipated in looks with a narrow, retreating forehead, -no chin to speak of, and prominent eyes, in one of -which he had an eyeglass, I set him down as weak, -unstable, shallow, and generally undesirable. But he -was Miralda’s half-brother and thus to me a person -of consideration.</p> - -<p>“I say, Inez, this is too bad. I’ve been hunting -for you everywhere and the dance is all but over.”</p> - -<p>She beamed on him with one of her richest smiles. -“I own my fault, Vasco, but I sent word to you by -Miralda. I simply could not resist the opportunity -of a chat with the distinguished Englishman every one -is talking about. Mr. Donnington, Lieutenant de -Linto.”</p> - -<p>I had risen and shook hands cordially, expressing -my pleasure at meeting him. “I fear that unwittingly -I have taken your place, lieutenant,” I added. -“Pray pardon me.”</p> - -<p>“Here’s my card, Vasco. Take two dances for the -one we have missed.”</p> - -<p>“That’s all right then,” he said, as he took her card<span class="pagenum" id="Page_58">[58]</span> -eagerly and scribbled his initials on it. “I think after -all I’m obliged to you, Mr. Donnington,” he added -with a vacuous smile which he intended to be pleasant.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Donnington has asked me to make up a little -yachting party one day, Vasco, and I was just mentioning -your name as you came up.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I say, but I’m a rare bad sailor,” he replied -doubtfully.</p> - -<p>“We’ll choose a fine day then, Vasco. And of -course I couldn’t go without you.” She laid her hand -on his arm and glanced up into his face with a yearning -look which convinced him of her perfect sincerity and -fetched a sigh out of him that told its own tale.</p> - -<p>I excused myself promptly, and as I turned away he -took the chair by her side, feasting his big eyes -on her beauty and letting his little senses surfeit -themselves in the glamour of her charms.</p> - -<p>She had his scalp right enough. He was hers, body and -soul and honour. But why had she taken the trouble? -She cared for him even less than I cared for her; -and the night before I had seen her look at Barosa -with the light which only one man can bring to a -woman’s eyes. Only one at a time, anyway.</p> - -<p>Why then should she fool this little insignificant -creature? Of course she had a purpose. She was -not the woman to waste her time and her glances for -nothing.</p> - -<p>Was it those confounded politics again? One -of the little wheels within the big one which was to -have its part to play when the whole machinery of -plot and conspiracy was set in motion.</p> - -<p>Fools can be useful at times.</p> - -<p>What part had this one to play?</p> - -<p>It was nothing to me—and yet it might be much. -He was Miralda’s brother; and nothing which concerned -her could be indifferent to me.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_59">[59]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER VI<br /> - - -<small>DR. BAROSA</small></h2> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap2">AS I made my way through the crowded rooms with -the object of finding the viscontesse and making -sure of an invitation to her house, I saw Miralda and -Sampayo sitting together. They did not see me and -I stood a moment watching them.</p> - -<p>He appeared to be urging her to do something and -his eyes were insistent, compelling and passionate. -There was no doubt that he felt for her all the animal -love of which such a man is capable.</p> - -<p>But there was no answering light in her eyes. She -was passive, cold and indifferent; and the emotion he -stirred was more like fear than anything.</p> - -<p>Instinctively I hated the man and felt an unholy -glow of gladness at the thought that at a word from -me any hold or influence he could have over her would -snap like a rotten twig.</p> - -<p>My thoughts slipped back to that old time in South -Africa; and in place of the swaggering major of cavalry, -with his breast covered with orders, I saw him as I -had seen him there, a broken-down tatter-de-mallion -member of the hungry brigade at Koomarte Port; -general sponge, reputed spy and acknowledged rascal, -passing as a Frenchman under the name of Jean -Dufoire; one of the many scamps who infested the -border between the Transvaal and the Portuguese -Colony, ripe for any scoundrelism from theft to throat-slitting.</p> - -<p>This was the story I knew about him. When old<span class="pagenum" id="Page_60">[60]</span> -Kruger was bundling off his private fortune to Europe, -this Dufoire managed to get hold of some secret information -about one of the consignments and joined with -three other men to steal it. They were successful. -The two men in charge of it were found murdered; -and the money, said to be nearly £50,000, was missing.</p> - -<p>But that was not all. Not content with a share of -the loot, Dufoire first picked a quarrel with one of -his companions and shot him treacherously, and then -cheated the other two of the greater part of the money -and disappeared.</p> - -<p>The facts came out when the two men were afterwards -captured. One of them died; and just before -his death confessed everything, in the hope that the -British would take the matter up and secure Dufoire’s -punishment. Many men were aware that I knew -Dufoire by sight; and when the war was over and I -was leaving Capetown for home, the other scamp, -a Corsican named Lucien Prelot, sought me out to get -news of him. He swore by all the saints in the calendar -that if he could ever find Dufoire he would drive a -knife between his ribs. He begged me on his knees -to let him know if I ever met Dufoire again; and vowed, -Corsican as he was, that he would go from one end of -the world to the other in his quest for revenge.</p> - -<p>Of course I would not have anything to do with such -an affair; but he managed in some way to ferret out -my address in England and wrote me two or three -letters urging the same request. And then one day -he turned up in London to tell me that he had made -money on the Rand, that he was in Europe searching -for Dufoire, and that he could and would pay me any -sum I chose to ask if I would tell him where to find his -enemy.</p> - -<p>That was about a year before my father’s death; -and every month had brought me a letter from him, -in the hope that I could send news. These letters -were addressed from various parts of Europe where<span class="pagenum" id="Page_61">[61]</span> -he was pursuing his search, with the deadly intensity -of his unslaked and unslakable thirst for revenge.</p> - -<p>And while Prelot was hunting for a Frenchman -of the name of Jean Dufoire, the scoundrel himself -had been strutting it in the Portuguese capital as -Francisco Sampayo, major of cavalry. He had -purchased his position, of course, with the fortune he -had acquired by robbery, bloodshed and treachery; -and had found some means to use it to obtain the -promise of Miralda’s hand in marriage.</p> - -<p>That some underhand means had been employed to -force her consent I was certain; as certain as that I -could scare the brute out of the country with half a -dozen words. But before I spoke them I felt that I -must learn more of the facts.</p> - -<p>“Good evening, Mr. Donnington,” The voice -broke in upon my reverie, and I turned to find Dr. -Barosa at my elbow.</p> - -<p>“Ah, good evening, Dr. Barosa,” I replied, as we -shook hands.</p> - -<p>“You were looking very thoughtful, sir; I am afraid -I disturbed you.”</p> - -<p>“I have reason to be thoughtful, doctor. I am more -than a little perplexed by the position in which I find -myself.”</p> - -<p>“I shall be delighted to be of any service, if I can. -Would you care for a chat here, or may I do myself -the pleasure of calling upon you at your rooms?”</p> - -<p>“Both, by all means. I should like a word or two -with you, and the sooner the better; but I shall also -be glad to see you at my rooms at any time.”</p> - -<p>He thanked me and led the way to a spot where we -could talk privately.</p> - -<p>“I’ll go straight to the point, doctor: that is our -English way. I have had a conversation with Contesse -Inglesia this evening, and I wish to disabuse your -mind thoroughly of any thought that I am a spy.”</p> - -<p>“My dear sir, I do not think it.”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_62">[62]</span>“I don’t wish you only to think it, I want you to -know. You’ll appreciate the difference. I am ready -to give you any proofs you can suggest, to answer -any questions you like to put, and to back every word -I say with facts. I am tremendously in earnest about -this. And when you have thoroughly convinced -yourself, I wish you to convince any one and every -one associated with you, who may be inclined to suspect -me.”</p> - -<p>“Your reasons, Mr. Donnington?”</p> - -<p>“Must surely be obvious. Last night’s business -showed me the length to which some of your more -reckless friends are prepared to carry mistakes of the -kind; and I desire to be able to walk the streets of -the city without expecting to be shot or knifed at the -next corner.”</p> - -<p>“I do not doubt you, and certainly do not presume -to ask for any facts; but if you would prefer to make -any statement, I am of course ready to listen.”</p> - -<p>I replied to that by giving him a fairly full account -of myself, and then added: “Of course I am aware -that my statement, unsupported by evidence, could -easily be made up by any one who was here as a spy. -I suggest, therefore, that you shall get evidence of my -identity. The best and simplest thing I can suggest at -the moment is that I give you the addresses of various -firms who have photographed me from time to time, -and that you send your agents to them to get photographs -of Ralph Donnington which they have taken. -You can then send some one to my place at Tapworth -for the photographs to be identified; you can have -them shown also to my bankers in London; and to -any one of a dozen people who know all about me.”</p> - -<p>“I accept your word, I assure you,” he said, with a -wave of the hand.</p> - -<p>“But that is just what I do not wish you to do. -You must be in a position to say you know, and to -table the evidence;” and with that I wrote down the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_63">[63]</span> -names and addresses and insisted upon his taking -them.</p> - -<p>“As the matter is naturally pressing you will of -course use the telegraph, and if money will expedite -your inquiries I will very gladly pay any sum that is -necessary. I am, fortunately for myself, a man of -considerable means, and not likely to spare money to -put an end to this intolerable suspicion.”</p> - -<p>“You have invited me to question you. There is -one point. You are a friend of M. Volheno?”</p> - -<p>“That gentleman, as I have told you, was brought -to our place, Tapworth Hall, by my sister’s husband, -M. Stefan Madrillo, some years ago, and when I came -over here about these concessions, Madrillo advised -me to see him. Only in that degree is he a friend of -mine.”</p> - -<p>“These concessions have been spoken about, Mr. -Donnington, with unusual freedom.”</p> - -<p>“That is not my doing. M. Volheno gave a somewhat -lurid account of them to the Marquis de Pinsara, -as a man likely to be able to help in the matter; and -the latter appears to have told all his acquaintances. -I shall not be in the least surprised to find the matter in -the papers in the morning. Of course it is very -ridiculous and calculated to frustrate my object entirely. -But it is not my doing, I assure you.”</p> - -<p>“Yet M. Volheno might have an object?”</p> - -<p>“You mean to use them to conceal some other -purpose for my visit?”</p> - -<p>“And you give me your word that you have no -other purpose except to obtain these concessions?”</p> - -<p>“Contesse Inglesia put much the same question, and -I will answer it as I answered her. I pledge my word -that I have no sort or kind of interest in the political -affairs of your country otherwise than as they may be -incidentally connected with these concessions.”</p> - -<p>“Is that an entirely frank answer, Mr. Donnington?”</p> - -<p>“Any suspicion underlying that remark I have<span class="pagenum" id="Page_64">[64]</span> -already given you the means of dissipating. I declare -to you, on my honour as an English gentleman, that I -have none but absolutely private and personal reasons -for coming to Lisbon.”</p> - -<p>“You have discussed political matters with M. -Volheno?”</p> - -<p>“Certainly not in any detail. He told me the city -was in a condition of unrest, and that there were all -sorts of more or less dangerous combinations against -the Government. But this was merely as a reason -for the warning he gave me against being in the streets -alone after dark.”</p> - -<p>“You did not heed that warning?”</p> - -<p>“No. I was disposed to smile at it. But I learnt -my lesson last night, and shall profit by it in the future.”</p> - -<p>Barosa sat a few moments thinking. “I will -have these inquiries made, Mr. Donnington,” he said -then; “but I have no doubt whatever of the result. -I will make it my personal affair to see that you have -no trouble. In point of fact we already have proof -that you are what you say. Mademoiselle Dominguez -and her mother met you in Paris last spring, and they -of course know you to be Mr. Donnington.”</p> - -<p>Why did he want to drag Miralda into the matter?</p> - -<p>“I have intentionally kept her name out of our conversation, -Dr. Barosa,” I answered with a smile, “and -I still wish you to make your own investigations.”</p> - -<p>“The Contesse Inglesia is disposed to think that -your meeting with Mademoiselle Dominguez is connected -with your presence here now.”</p> - -<p>“The contesse is a very charming and delightful -woman, doctor, and being a woman is likely to jump -to conclusions.”</p> - -<p>“You will understand, of course, that any such -purpose would concern us. She is a friend of our -cause, and betrothed to a man to whom we are under -great obligations, Major Sampayo.”</p> - -<p>“I will ask you, if you please, not to give me any<span class="pagenum" id="Page_65">[65]</span> -information about either your friends or your objects. -For the rest, I shall be glad to know when you have -satisfied yourself about me; and afterwards, if you -wish, to see you at any time as a friend. But no politics, -mind.”</p> - -<p>He took this as a hint that the subject should be -dropped, and he switched off to a topic I was always -ready to talk about, yachting and yachts in general, -and my own boat in particular. He was a keen -yachtsman, and when I suggested that he should find -time to have a run on the <i>Stella</i>, he accepted the -invitation quite eagerly.</p> - -<p>As a matter of fact, I rather liked him. He had -treated me quite candidly; and I was convinced he -was satisfied that, whatever might be my real object -in coming to the city, it had no connexion with the -political situation. His politics were no concern of -mine. I was absolutely indifferent whether the King -of Portugal was Dom Carlos or Dom Miguel; and it -was no part of my duty to tell Volheno or any one else -that this keen-eyed smooth-voiced, doctor, who was -accepted as a loyalist in this most loyalist of gatherings, -was in reality a secret agent of the Pretender endeavouring -to exploit this National League in the interests of -his master.</p> - -<p>The only point where the thing threatened to affect -me was in regard to Sampayo. Barosa had admitted -that they were under great obligations to him, and I -read this to mean that some of old Oom Paul’s money -was finding its way into the coffers of the cause.</p> - -<p>If, in return for the money, Sampayo had stipulated -for the support of Barosa and the rest in regard to -Miralda, there might be trouble. But I was so confident -of being able to bring that scoundrel to his -knees that I could view even such an alliance without -concern.</p> - -<p>What I had to do first was to get at Miralda’s own -feelings and the reasons behind her engagement,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_66">[66]</span> -and for that I must do my best to secure her mother -as an ally.</p> - -<p>The viscontesse greeted me with a smile and a shake -of the head. “You’ve neglected me shamefully, Mr. -Donnington. Here’s nearly the whole evening gone -and we’ve scarcely had a word together.”</p> - -<p>“I hope we shall have many opportunities. I assure -you I have not had a minute to myself the whole -evening, and after all a place like this is not the best -in the world for a real friendly talk.”</p> - -<p>“When can you spare time to come and see us?”</p> - -<p>“May I come?”</p> - -<p>“May you come, indeed? Why of course you -not only may, but must. Now when?”</p> - -<p>“Shall you be at home to-morrow?”</p> - -<p>“I’m always at home. Come in the afternoon. -I’ve such a lot to tell you. I suppose you’ve heard -about Miralda and Major Sampayo. I was just going -to tell you about it this evening when that wretched -old marquis carried you away.”</p> - -<p>“You mean your daughter’s engagement? Yes. -She herself told me of it.”</p> - -<p>“Do you think him a handsome man? They call -him one of the handsomest men in the army. And -he’s very rich, too. There were heaps of women setting -their caps at him.”</p> - -<p>“A man who is both rich and handsome is generally -labelled desirable. At least in London and presumably -in Lisbon also.”</p> - -<p>“You will find that out before you have been here -long. Do you think our girls pretty?”</p> - -<p>“Some of them are much more than pretty,” I -agreed.</p> - -<p>“Would you like an introduction to any of them? -I’ll do it for you in a moment.”</p> - -<p>“I am too pleased to be where I am to wish anything -of the kind.”</p> - -<p>“Ah, you always knew how to say nice things,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_67">[67]</span> -Mr. Donnington. I often think of that time in Paris, -and sometimes I—do you know what I used to think?”</p> - -<p>“If I was the subject of your thoughts I trust they -were pleasant ones.”</p> - -<p>“You know an old woman—I call myself old, but -I’m offended in an instant if any one else does—an -old woman, especially the mother of a pretty girl—you -think Miralda pretty, don’t you?”</p> - -<p>“By far the prettiest in the rooms to-night.”</p> - -<p>“Well, a mother gets into the way of thinking that -when a young man pays her attention, it’s vicarious, -you know. A woman’s never too old to relish attentions, -of course, but I suppose you know that. But -in Paris I had my suspicions.”</p> - -<p>“Of whom, viscontesse?”</p> - -<p>“Of you, Mr. Donnington. Perhaps I should say -they were rather hopes than suspicions. You were -a great favourite of mine, I’ll admit that. At the -same time, I wasn’t quite sure that some of the nice -things you said and did were solely on my account. -But that’s all over now, of course—over and done -with;” and she smiled and fanned herself slowly, -looking at me askance through half-closed lids, as if -to watch the effect of her words.</p> - -<p>Was she warning or reproaching me? Or both? -What answer did she expect? “I trust nothing has -occurred in the interval to cause me to forfeit your good -opinion, madame.”</p> - -<p>The fan stopped a moment, as if she detected the -double meaning of my words. “Four months is a -long time to take to travel a thousand miles or so. I -had hoped to see you in Lisbon.”</p> - -<p>“I think you know that I was called from Paris -suddenly by my father’s illness. He lay for many -weeks between life and death, and it was absolutely -impossible for me to leave him even for a day. I -have come here at the first possible moment.”</p> - -<p>The fan stopped again, abruptly this time, and she<span class="pagenum" id="Page_68">[68]</span> -lowered it slowly until it rested upon her lap; her -look was very serious and her eyes full of concern.</p> - -<p>“It is only these—these concessions which have -brought you here now, Mr. Donnington?” she replied -after a pause, her tone and look suggesting some degree -of nervous doubt of what my reply would be.</p> - -<p>I returned her look and framed my answer carefully. -“I have been very careful to let every one know that—every -one else.”</p> - -<p>She bit her lips and frowned, the concern in her -eyes deepened, and with a half-suppressed sigh she -turned away and began to fan herself slowly -again. I think she understood my meaning, but -before she could reply Miralda came up on Major -Sampayo’s arm. As she saw them approaching, the -viscontesse started and glanced quickly and nervously -at me with a look I could not read.</p> - -<p>I rose to give my seat to Miralda, and her mother -sent Sampayo to find the visconte as she wished to -go home. Then she burst into one of her garrulous -speeches and did not cease speaking until Sampayo -returned with the visconte, when she hurried both -husband and Miralda away on the plea of an overpowering -headache. And Sampayo went with them.</p> - -<p>I was both perplexed and excited as the result of -that short conversation. It was possible to read so -much both in her words and in her manner; and I was -puzzling over her real meaning when Sampayo re-entered -the room, glanced round hurriedly, and then -came straight across to me.</p> - -<p>By the heavy frown in which his brows were drawn -together, his air of decision, and the expression of -his eyes when he saw me, I guessed that he had at -last succeeded in remembering me and had decided -to lose no time in finding out what I knew about him.</p> - -<p>I had been watching him without looking up, and -when I did so, his look changed and he forced a smile: -a very poor effort to appear at ease.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_69">[69]</span>“You know I was puzzling where we could have -met, Mr. Donnington. I have settled it at last. It -was in South Africa, and I wish to have a word or two -with you.”</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_70">[70]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER VII<br /> - - -<small>SAMPAYO IS UNEASY</small></h2> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap2">ALTHOUGH Sampayo had obviously made up -his mind to ascertain at once whether I knew -anything about those black doings of his in South -Africa, I had not the slightest intention of satisfying -him.</p> - -<p>There were many things I had to clear up before I -dealt with him; and, as matters stood, it suited me -much better that Miralda should be betrothed to -him than to any one else.</p> - -<p>Sampayo was a big brute, much bigger than I, and -had once possessed great strength; but during his -years of comfort and wealth, fat had taken the place -of a good deal of his muscle. He had, however, retained -the air of bullying masterfulness and he now -tried to bully me.</p> - -<p>“You have not been frank with me, Mr. Donnington,” -he said as he sat down. “I don’t suppose you -wished purposely to mislead me, but you did so in -fact. You said that after the relief of Mafeking you -did not see any more of the war.”</p> - -<p>“No, no, pardon me. I said I was sent down -country.”</p> - -<p>“Well, that’s much the same thing, sir; whereas, -from what you have told Mademoiselle Dominguez -it is clear that you went up country again and were -there at the end of things. You meant me to infer -the opposite, and I must ask you for your reasons.”</p> - -<p>At his hectoring tone I turned and looked him full<span class="pagenum" id="Page_71">[71]</span> -in the eyes, and then turned away again with a shrug -of the shoulders, giving him no other reply.</p> - -<p>“You heard me, Mr. Donnington.”</p> - -<p>I took out my watch, glanced at the time, and replaced -it in my pocket very deliberately, and yawned.</p> - -<p>“I have asked you a question, sir, and I mean to -have an answer.”</p> - -<p>I paused and looked at him again more deliberately -than before. “Is it possible that you are addressing -me?”</p> - -<p>“Certainly I am addressing you,” he said with an -angry twist of the head.</p> - -<p>“Then be good enough to drop that barrack-yard -tone, or say at once that you wish to force a quarrel -upon me.”</p> - -<p>I knew he was an arrant coward; and this was not -at all to his liking. After a slight pause he said in a -very different manner: “I may have spoken abruptly, -but I think I am entitled to an explanation.”</p> - -<p>“Of what?” I rapped out very sharply.</p> - -<p>“Whether you intentionally misled me as to your -movements in South Africa?”</p> - -<p>“What on earth can it matter to you or any one -else except myself where I went and where I did not -go in South Africa?”</p> - -<p>“Do you say you did not meet me out there?”</p> - -<p>“Why should I say whether I did or did not? And -why should you be so anxious about it?”</p> - -<p>“I am not anxious about it at all. No more so -than yourself. But if you did meet me and now deny -it, I have a right to ask your reasons.”</p> - -<p>“I met hundreds of men, of course—thousands -indeed—and equally of course you may have been -one of them.”</p> - -<p>“That is not meant as an evasion, I hope,” he exclaimed, -losing his temper again.</p> - -<p>“Major Sampayo!” I cried indignantly.</p> - -<p>He gave a twirl to his moustaches and it looked as<span class="pagenum" id="Page_72">[72]</span> -if he were going to quarrel in earnest. But he thought -better of it. “I meant no offence, Mr. Donnington,” -he muttered.</p> - -<p>“Then I will take none.”</p> - -<p>“But you will remember your remark that you -never forget a face.”</p> - -<p>“I did not mean that I could identify at sight every -man I met in the campaign both on our side and among -the Boers. Of course there would have to be something -in the circumstances of the meeting which would serve -as a connecting link.”</p> - -<p>“And you do not remember me then?” he persisted.</p> - -<p>It was awkward to answer this without a direct -lie, so I turned and had another steady look at him -for perhaps half a minute and then shook my head. -“Can you suggest anything likely to recall your features -to me?”</p> - -<p>His eyes shifted uneasily under my scrutiny, and -he vented a little sigh of relief as he replied: “Of -course I cannot.”</p> - -<p>“We both appear to be in the same difficulty, then. -Now that I look fixedly at your features, there is -something about them that I seem to know; but very -likely it is only due to the fact that I have seen you -two or three times to-night. Sampayo. Sampayo,” -I repeated, as if trying to recall the name, and then -shook my head again as if giving the matter up. “I -suppose we must take it that we have not met,” I said.</p> - -<p>“I can understand that,” I said with a smile.</p> - -<p>“You will excuse my curiosity, I trust, Mr. Donnington. -It may have seemed somewhat exaggerated to -you perhaps, but I am always anxious to meet any -one who was out there when I was.”</p> - -<p>“I can understand that,” I said, with a smile.</p> - -<p>All the former uneasy suspicion leapt to life again -in his eyes. “Why?” he asked, quickly and eagerly.</p> - -<p>“It is just the same with me,” I answered lightly. -“It suggests a sort of comradeship, you know, chatting -over the old experiences.”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_73">[73]</span>“Certainly, certainly,” he agreed.</p> - -<p>“I shall be glad to have an opportunity of exchanging -experiences with you some day. Only we mustn’t -begin, as we did just now, by firing broadsides at one -another.”</p> - -<p>“No, no, of course not. I am quite ashamed of my -heat.”</p> - -<p>“That’s all right, major. On which side were you -in the war? Of course we’ve all buried the hatchet -long ago.”</p> - -<p>“I was not a combatant, Mr. Donnington. I was -making money and was very successful, I am glad to -say.” As I knew how he had made it, his boastful -self-complacent tone was amusing. “I rejoined the -army here on my return. And now there is another -topic on which I should like to say just a word or two. -You met Mademoiselle Dominguez last spring in Paris, -I believe.”</p> - -<p>“Yes. She was there with her mother.”</p> - -<p>“You are aware that she has done me the honour -to promise to be my wife?”</p> - -<p>“Oh yes. She herself told me. But——”</p> - -<p>He interrupted with a wave of the hand. “One -moment. It has been suggested to me to-night that -your present visit is in some respects a result of that -meeting?”</p> - -<p>I smiled. “Considering that I have been only two -days in the city there appears to be a tremendous -amount of interest in my movements and actions.”</p> - -<p>“You have proposed that we should see something -of each other in a friendly way, Mr. Donnington, and -I should be glad of your assurance that there is no -truth in the suggestion?”</p> - -<p>“Really, really!” I protested laughing again.</p> - -<p>“Pardon my frankness, but I wish to know where -we stand.”</p> - -<p>“You are not serious, of course?”</p> - -<p>“Indeed I am. And I must press the point.”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_74">[74]</span>“Well, really, I can’t take such a thing seriously at -all, Major Sampayo. You are naturally at liberty -to entertain any ideas you wish as to my presence in -Lisbon. But I am greatly astonished that you should -have even broached such a subject.”</p> - -<p>“I have a right to put the question to you, I think.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I disagree with you, and absolutely decline -to discuss it. You must have seen very little of the -English in South Africa if your experiences have led -you to believe that it is our custom to exchange -confidences with a stranger. Possibly after you and I -have had our proposed chat over our mutual experiences -out there and get to know one another better, we may -resume the subject. But not until then, if you please. -And now, I must bid you good-night.”</p> - -<p>He looked very angry and malicious; but I did not -care for that. I was rather pleased than otherwise -that Miralda should have spoken of me to him in such -a way as to rouse his jealousy.</p> - -<p>Sleep was almost out of the question for me that -night. I was in a positive fever of unrest.</p> - -<p>Did Miralda care for me? If so, why had she promised -to marry Sampayo?</p> - -<p>Over and over again I recalled every word that had -passed between us that evening, and every glance she -had given me. The first look at the moment of meeting -had been one of surprise, but I had read no other -feeling into it.</p> - -<p>She had, however, been genuinely indignant when -she heard that only business had brought me. And -she had every right. I had carried matters far enough -in Paris to warrant her in believing I cared for her. I -had done everything I could to make my feelings plain. -Then I had gone without a word, had remained -away four months, and had now arrived “on business.” -It was only human nature that she should resent such -treatment.</p> - -<p>Unexplained, my conduct was that of a cad and a<span class="pagenum" id="Page_75">[75]</span> -coxcomb. She might well believe that in Paris I -had spoken without meaning, had been amusing myself -with a flirtation, and had forgotten her as soon -as I had shaken the dust of the city off my feet. To -follow to Lisbon on such an errand as the visconte -had described and I had acquiesced in, was nothing -short of a brutal insult to her.</p> - -<p>But while her resentment was white-hot, I had made -her see the truth. Her eyes had told me that she -understood. And the explanation had shifted the -axis of all her thoughts. I had come solely on her -account, hurrying to her at the first moment I was at -liberty to speak the words which had been impossible -in Paris, and—she had pledged herself to another man.</p> - -<p>If she cared for me—always that if—she would -find herself playing the part she believed I had played. -The charge of inconstancy was transferred from my -shoulders to hers. And she had to face the task of -telling me the truth. Her sudden agitation was intelligible -enough. And she had undoubtedly been very -deeply moved. That thought was as balm in Gilead -to me.</p> - -<p>I thought long and carefully over her manner at -that point. She had thrown off her agitation with -an effort and passed at once to the opposite extreme -of indifference; she had plunged into a discussion of -conventional trivialities of no interest to either of us, -and had deftly fended off my attempts to refer to -our former relations until she herself had mentioned -them in a way that implied they were past and buried. -And she had followed this with the news of the engagement.</p> - -<p>The object might have been to spare us both from -embarrassment. But I read more in it. That she -should try to spare me pain was as natural as is the -light when the sun shines. But she had not spared me. -She would know that to refer to it in the light tone -she had used would add to the shock; and there had<span class="pagenum" id="Page_76">[76]</span> -not been a word of preparation and not one of -regret.</p> - -<p>Why?</p> - -<p>I thought I could see the reason. She wished me -to believe her heartless and unfeeling. She had regretted -her involuntary agitation on learning the truth, -lest I should believe she really cared. She had then -acted designedly and with the set purpose of making -me believe she had entirely forgotten the Paris episodes, -could speak of them with complete indifference, and -was happy in her engagement.</p> - -<p>Again, why?</p> - -<p>And again I thought I could see her reason. She -felt there were circumstances behind her betrothal -to Sampayo which shut out the possibility of its being -broken and she wished to drive home that conviction -upon me. She could not tell me what the facts and -influences were which had decided her; so she deliberately -blackened herself in my eyes, posing as a jilt -who had first encouraged me to hope and had then -thrown me over with a laugh and a careless toss of the -head.</p> - -<p>But I knew her too well to accept any such self-caricature -as a true portrait, even without the help -of all I had heard from Inez, from Barosa, and from the -viscontesse.</p> - -<p>Was it too late now to win? It might be; but it -certainly was not too late to make a big effort. And -such an effort I would make at once. If she had compromised -herself in this wretched conspiracy business -so far as to be under the thumb of Barosa and his -associates, her very safety demanded that I should strive -with might and main to break the power they held -over her and set her free from it.</p> - -<p>But my fear was that some other compelling influence -was at work; and I looked to find it in her home. -It was not the viscontesse, I was certain of her; -but I knew very little yet of the visconte and nothing<span class="pagenum" id="Page_77">[77]</span> -at all of the brother, Vasco, except that he was infatuated -with Inez and was being properly fooled by her. -I made my promised visit to the viscontesse on -the following afternoon hoping to be able to resume the -thread of the conversation at the reception. But no -opportunity offered. She had some friends and I could -not get a word with her alone; and Miralda did not -come in until just as I was leaving.</p> - -<p>But I learnt something from the conversation. It -concerned mainly the personal side of the political -situation. Every one had a grievance against M. -Franco, the Dictator. In his zeal for economy he -had swept away a host of sinecure positions about -the Court; and had thus made enemies not only of -every one who had been paid for doing nothing and -their friends and relatives, but also of all who had been -looking forward to such payments.</p> - -<p>The visconte himself had held one of the best of -these sinecures. He had been the royal cork-drawer -or napkin ring-holder-in-chief, or something equally -important, and the loss of the salary had been hotly -resented.</p> - -<p>It sounded intensely ridiculous; but the viscontesse -herself was full of indignation; and her friends all -agreed and joined in abusing the Government with -a violence which, although entirely laughable, proved -how widespread was the discontent among those who -had been staunch in their loyalty.</p> - -<p>It was on this feeling among the higher classes that -Barosa was working on behalf of the Pretender, Dom -Miguel.</p> - -<p>Just as I was leaving, the viscontesse found a -moment to tell me she wished to have had more opportunity -of talking to me, so I promptly asked her to -come to luncheon on the <i>Stella</i> the next day, and she -was hesitating when Miralda came in. We were -standing near the door and she joined us. She -greeted me with just the same air of detached friendliness<span class="pagenum" id="Page_78">[78]</span> -she had shown on the previous evening; but -when her mother spoke of my invitation, she surprised -me.</p> - -<p>“It will be delightful, and I should like it above all -things—that is if the invitation is to include me, Mr. -Donnington?”</p> - -<p>“Why, of course.”</p> - -<p>“And can we have a little run out to sea? I love -the sea you know.”</p> - -<p>“It shall be exactly as you wish,” I replied, and -having arranged that the launch was to be ready for -them at noon, I went off delighted at the prospect of -having Miralda and her mother to myself, for some -hours.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_79">[79]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER VIII<br /> - - -<small>MIRALDA’S MASK</small></h2> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap">THE next morning was gloriously fine, and I was on -the <i>Stella</i> in good time to see that all was in readiness. -Old Bolton, my skipper, muttered something -about the wind shifting and that we should probably -have a change in the weather, but for once I didn’t -believe him, and just before noon I jumped into the -launch and went off in high spirits to fetch Miralda -and her mother.</p> - -<p>Then came a decidedly disagreeable surprise.</p> - -<p>As I stepped on to the quay, Inez was waiting for -me, her servant standing by with wraps. With one -of her most radiant smiles she gave me her hand and -reminded me that I had invited her to see the yacht. -“So when I heard Miralda and the viscontesse were -going to-day, I thought this would be just a chance of -chances.”</p> - -<p>“Of course, delighted,” I replied very cordially. -I couldn’t very well tell her she wasn’t wanted; so -I buttoned up my chagrin and made the best -of it. “We’re going to have a little run out to -sea.”</p> - -<p>“You’re quite sure I shall not upset your plans?” -she asked, knowing quite well that that was precisely -what she was doing.</p> - -<p>“My dear lady, what plans do you think I have -that could be spoilt? There’s heaps of room on the -<i>Stella</i> for us all.”</p> - -<p>“I mean with regard to Miralda, Mr. Donnington,”<span class="pagenum" id="Page_80">[80]</span> -she said, dropping her light tone and fixing those queer -eyes of hers on me.</p> - -<p>“I hope to give both the viscontesse and her -daughter a pleasant day’s outing. You don’t consider -that a very deadly plan, I hope.”</p> - -<p>“You may remember my warning?”</p> - -<p>“I try to make it a rule to remember only the -pleasant things which are said to me by beautiful -ladies, contesse.”</p> - -<p>“You mean you refuse to be warned?”</p> - -<p>“Against what?”</p> - -<p>“Ah, you pretend you do not know,” she retorted -impatiently.</p> - -<p>“I don’t think you quite grasp the position. I am -in Lisbon on business which will detain me some little -time. Meanwhile, I am fortunate in having met some -old friends and made some new ones, and I am delighted -to have an opportunity of welcoming them on my -yacht. That is how matters stand. And any warning -against doing that, however well meant and by whomsoever -given, is really as little needed as if you or I -were to go to the <i>Stella’s</i> captain and warn him against -hidden reefs out there on the open sea.”</p> - -<p>“It is against a hidden reef in an apparently open -sea that I am warning you.”</p> - -<p>“Well, Captain Bolton is a splendid seaman and -knows his charts, but a man of very few words, and -he would—just smile.”</p> - -<p>“You may smile if you will; but do you think I -should have forced myself upon you in this way without -reason?”</p> - -<p>“The man is fortunate indeed upon whom such -pleasure is thus thrust.”</p> - -<p>“You cover your meaning with a jest—but I am too -much in earnest. I wish to be your friend. You -must not seek to interfere with Miralda’s marriage.”</p> - -<p>“Your pardon, but we are really getting too personal. -Let me suggest that we wait to discuss that lady until<span class="pagenum" id="Page_81">[81]</span> -she is present. Ah, here they are,” I exclaimed, catching -sight of them. And then I had a little thrust at -Inez. “And you are fortunate, too. Lieutenant de -Linto is with them.”</p> - -<p>I knew how he must bore her; and she did not succeed -in disguising her chagrin. She had admitted that she -had come as a sort of watchdog; and the punishment -fitted the crime so aptly that I grinned. Nor was that -to be her only punishment, as matters turned out. -The skipper proved a true weather prophet, and Inez was -a desperately bad sailor.</p> - -<p>She played her watchdog part cleverly; but it was -entirely superfluous. All the delightful anticipations -I had indulged in were killed by Miralda herself, whose -conduct perplexed me far more than on the previous -night.</p> - -<p>Almost from the moment her dainty foot touched -the <i>Stella’s</i> deck, she acted in a manner I could not -have deemed possible. She was very bright and laughed -and talked as if there were no such thing in the world -as care and trouble. She treated me as if I were a mere -acquaintance whom she was just pleased to meet -again. Nothing more.</p> - -<p>But it was not that which so pained me. She spoke -freely of her visit to Paris, referring now to her mother -and again to me in regard to little episodes of the time -there, and doing it all without a suggestion of restraint. -Then in a hard tone and with jarring half-boastful -laughter, she began to jest about her conquests. She -named several men, who, as I knew, had admired her; -mimicked their ways, ridiculed their attentions, and -freely admitted that she had flirted with them, because -“one must amuse oneself.”</p> - -<p>If any man had told me that she was capable of such -conduct I think I should have knocked him down. -But I heard it all myself. I could scarcely believe -my own eyes and ears. The last belief in the back of -my mind was that she could be the callous, heartless<span class="pagenum" id="Page_82">[82]</span> -coquette she was showing herself, luring men to her by -her beauty only to laugh at them for believing in her, -and descending to the depths of talking about it to -others in a vein of self-glorification.</p> - -<p>The luncheon gong interrupted but did not check -her, and as I sat listening in silence she appealed -to me more than once to confirm some little ridiculous -trait of some one or other of the men she had “scalped.”</p> - -<p>Inez saw and rejoiced at my discomfiture, but retribution -was at hand for her. When we sat down to -luncheon the sea was as smooth as the table-cloth, -but when we reached the deck again the weather had -changed and a heavy bank of clouds to the south -threatened a capful of wind. And even this served -to show Miralda in a new light.</p> - -<p>She heard me tell the skipper to return. “Is it -going to be rough? I hope so. I love a rough sea. -Don’t go back yet.”</p> - -<p>Inez and Vasco protested vigorously.</p> - -<p>Miralda looked at them both and shrugged her shoulders, -and then turned to me. “I don’t see why we -should spoil our pleasure for them, do you?” she asked -with a laugh that was half a sneer.</p> - -<p>“I am sorry to cut your pleasure short, but I think -we had better return,” I replied.</p> - -<p>“People look so silly when they are ill;” and with an -unpleasant laugh she crossed to the side.</p> - -<p>When the wind came and the <i>Stella</i> began to roll, -Inez hurried away, followed directly by Vasco.</p> - -<p>The viscontesse had been very quiet all the time, and -although the motion of the yacht did not appear to -upset her, she said she would rather lie down and -asked Miralda to go with her.</p> - -<p>“Don’t be unreasonable, mother,” was the reply. -“I am enjoying every moment of it. You don’t want -to shut me up in a stuffy cabin. But take my hat with -you, and bring me a wrap of some sort, and my -cloak.”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_83">[83]</span>The unfeeling words and the tone in which they were -uttered, stung me like the knots of a whip lash. I gave -my arm to the viscontesse and took her below and -installed her comfortably on a sofa in the saloon.</p> - -<p>“Miralda loves a rough sea, Mr. Donnington,” she -said, as she pointed to the wraps for me to take on deck. -“Don’t stay with me; I am going to take an old woman’s -privilege and have a nap.”</p> - -<p>I took the things in silence and returned to Miralda.</p> - -<p>She stood by the bulwarks her eyes intent on the -troubled waters; a stray lock or two of her hair had -been freed by the breeze, and her face was radiant with -delight. She revelled in the scene. A veritable -incarnation of vigorous youth and bewitching beauty.</p> - -<p>She turned as I reached her side. “Isn’t it glorious, -Mr. Donnington? I suppose I may stay on deck? I -shan’t be in the way?”</p> - -<p>“The whole yacht is yours to be where you will, of -course,” I replied.</p> - -<p>“You always say such pleasant things. I remember -that knack of yours. Help me on with this cloak,” -she added with a coquettish glance. “There, how do -I look?” she asked when she had adjusted the wrap, -gracefully, as all her acts were. “And now you must -find me a corner where I shan’t be quite blown away,” -she commanded.</p> - -<p>I found her a corner and installed her.</p> - -<p>“We shall want two chairs, of course, and then we -can have a long chat like we used to in Paris.”</p> - -<p>I had had quite enough of Paris already, if she -meant to continue to talk in her former strain. But I -fetched another chair and sat down.</p> - -<p>Then she laughed suddenly and almost boisterously. -“Do you know I really believe my mother wanted me -to go and stop with her? She can be a terrible nuisance. -Imagine me pinned up there. Sympathize with me.”</p> - -<p>“The viscontesse told me she hoped to get to sleep,” -I replied.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_84">[84]</span>“Then wasn’t it selfish of her? As if I was going to -miss this beautiful sea just because she feels bad and -has a headache. Absolutely preposterous, wasn’t -it?” and she laughed again.</p> - -<p>I looked round at her and made no reply.</p> - -<p>She returned the look as if surprised at my silence. -Then her eyes lighted and her lips parted. “Oh, I -remember now, of course. It was you who always put -on that mournful look—funereally gloomy—when I used -to do things which shocked your English propriety. I -was thinking it was that Graf von Holstein—that long-faced -German who would insist upon giving me -flowers I did not want and then expected me to dance -with him in return.”</p> - -<p>I had given her flowers and asked her to dance when -she wore them.</p> - -<p>“Very unreasonable, mademoiselle,” I said after a -pause.</p> - -<p>“Oh, men are always like that. They all seem -to think that because a girl amuses herself and dances -once or twice with them, they have made a conquest.”</p> - -<p>“A man is of course unreasonable to believe in a -woman.”</p> - -<p>“What a delightfully cynical platitude. Isn’t the -sea getting up quickly? Poor mother! I am afraid -you won’t tempt her on the yacht again.” Again she -laughed, and added: “And that’s a nuisance, for -I love the sea.”</p> - -<p>I turned unexpectedly and caught a look in her eyes -as they were bent on me, which she had not meant -me to see. And then I thought I understood.</p> - -<p>“I thought that was it,” I said quietly. I myself -could smile now.</p> - -<p>“What was what, Mr. Donnington?” she asked as -a sort of challenge; adding, with an attempt to resume -her former expression of reckless frivolity: “that sounds -like a conundrum, doesn’t it? And they are such -stupid things.”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_85">[85]</span>“I believe I have the answer to the bigger conundrum.”</p> - -<p>“There’s the grave Englishman again,” she jested, -with a toss of the head.</p> - -<p>“Yes. ‘Miralda’s Englishman,’” I answered, holding -her eyes with mine and speaking slowly and deliberately.</p> - -<p>It was great daring, but I felt that I must strip -away this mask of heartless raillery which galled and -pained me beyond endurance. I would know the -truth at any cost. If this coquette of flouts and jibes -who laughed at men with one breath and made light of -even her mother’s sufferings with the next, was the -real woman whom I had set in the inmost shrine of my -heart, the sooner I was away the better.</p> - -<p>The mask fell, but not at once.</p> - -<p>She met my gaze steadily, almost defiantly, and the -blood rushed to her face as she read my look and -strove to force a laugh and utter a jest in reply. But -the words would not come.</p> - -<p>“You understand me,” I said, in the same deliberate -tone. “You are either the most heartless jilt who ever -trifled with the best feelings of men in order to be able -to boast of your triumphs afterwards, or you are -deliberately playing the part for some purpose of your own. -God forbid that I should accept your self-accusation.”</p> - -<p>“I will go——” she began and half rose. But the -reaction came then. The crimson faded from her face, -leaving it white and strained. She hid it behind her -hands as she sank back in the chair, her head lowered, -trembling in agitation.</p> - -<p>I was answered and without a word I rose and left -her that she might be alone while she recovered her -self-command.</p> - -<p>With a rare feeling of exultation I renewed all that -had passed in the light of my new knowledge. She -had set herself purposely to disgust me with the gibbering -caricature she had drawn of herself. And my<span class="pagenum" id="Page_86">[86]</span> -heart thrilled and my blood raced through my veins -as I saw that my reading of her conduct on the evening -of the reception had been right.</p> - -<p>Many minutes passed as I paced the deck deciding -the course I would take, and not until I had settled it -did I return to her.</p> - -<p>She had regained her self-possession, but as I sat -down she looked at me questioningly and nervously -as if fearing how I should refer to the secret I had surprised. -But there was not a vestige of the mask left. -She was just herself.</p> - -<p>“The wind is dropping again already,” I said in a -casual tone.</p> - -<p>Her eyes thanked me, but she made no reply and -sank back in her chair with an air of relief. I uttered -a few commonplaces about the weather and the yacht, -worked round to the subject of Lisbon and then to that -of my supposed purpose in the city. For once the -concessions were of use, as they enabled me to describe -my own acts and intentions in regard to her as if I -were referring to the concessions.</p> - -<p>“Of course I shall find difficulties—indeed the whole -position is entirely different from my anticipations. I -ought to have been here earlier. But it was impossible. -After my father’s stroke of paralysis which took me at a -moment’s notice from Paris, he lay between life and -death for three months; and although I was as anxious -then as now about these concessions and should have -come at once to Lisbon, I could not leave him for any -purpose, however vital and important to me.”</p> - -<p>“No, of course not,” she murmured, not raising her -eyes from the deck.</p> - -<p>“But now that I am here, of course I shall not abandon -my efforts to obtain them until they are actually in the -possession of some one else. I have heard that they -are promised, but I shall not regard that as an actual -barrier.”</p> - -<p>She moved slightly and answered in a voice firm but<span class="pagenum" id="Page_87">[87]</span> -low: “From what I have heard you will only be -wasting time and effort, Mr. Donnington. You will -not be allowed to—to obtain them.”</p> - -<p>“You think the unsettled condition of political matters -here, the cabals and intrigues and so on, will interfere -with me?”</p> - -<p>“I am sure of it,” she said very deliberately.</p> - -<p>“You mean there are obstacles of which I know -nothing. As for those I do know, I care nothing for -them.”</p> - -<p>“It depends upon what you do know.” Every word -was uttered in a low tense monotone, full charged with -suppressed feeling.</p> - -<p>“I know, as I say, that they are promised to some -one else, but that doesn’t count with me. I know -too that they are involved in the secret plans of some -of those whose political objects are opposed to the -professed objects of some leaders of the League of Portugal. -But that also I will not regard as an insuperable barrier.”</p> - -<p>“Is that all you know?”</p> - -<p>“Yes.”</p> - -<p>“It has not occurred to you that private influences -may be at work which those who might wish to help -you are powerless to resist, and which make your quest -absolutely unattainable and impossible?”</p> - -<p>“I admit I have had fears of that, but I shall not -believe it impossible until I know what those influences -are.”</p> - -<p>“I have told you that I know it to be impossible, Mr. -Donnington.”</p> - -<p>“Will you tell me more—what these private influences -are?”</p> - -<p>“I cannot without speaking of things that must be -secret; without revealing a story of shame and crime.”</p> - -<p>“Why should I sacrifice an object which is more to -me than any I have ever desired because another person -has done wrong?”</p> - -<p>“You must not even seek to discover it.”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_88">[88]</span>“On the contrary, I will know it within the next few -hours.”</p> - -<p>“If you knew it, you would recognize the truth of -what I have said. But if you will take advice, you -will use those next few hours to be many leagues on -your way to England.”</p> - -<p>“I will go when I said—when the concessions are -actually in the possession of those who seek them. -Not one hour, not one minute before.”</p> - -<p>She was silent for a while and then for the first time -since I had rejoined her she sat forward and looked -at me. “Once in those days when we met in Paris, -you said you would do anything I asked you? Does -that promise hold good now?”</p> - -<p>“Yes.”</p> - -<p>“Then I wish you to leave Lisbon at once.”</p> - -<p>I shook my head. “No, anything but that.”</p> - -<p>“I was afraid,” she murmured, and leant back in -her seat, with a sigh of despair; and we both remained -silent.</p> - -<p>Some time later the skipper’s voice roused me. “We -shall drop anchor in about quarter of an hour, Mr. -Donnington,” he said as he passed.</p> - -<p>Miralda rose with a sigh, started to leave me and -then returned.</p> - -<p>“There is one thing you spoke of which I must -make clear. I am no revolutionary, as you hinted, but I -am not free. I have been compromised against my will -and I cannot break the bonds. But don’t think me a -rebel, because you see me associated with those who are.”</p> - -<p>And without waiting for any reply, she turned and -hurried away.</p> - -<p>When the anchor was dropped and the launch waiting -to take us all on shore, she came up with the viscontesse -and was again wearing a mask. But a different one -now. She laughed and chatted brightly, but without -the hardness or bitterness of the earlier time.</p> - -<p>I was once more the stranger. I gathered that the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_89">[89]</span> -mask was now worn to mislead Inez, for when we shook -hands, although her words of thanks were just those -of common courtesy, there was an expression in the -eyes and a simultaneous pressure of the fingers eloquent -of the altered relations between us.</p> - -<p>Wishing to be entirely alone I returned to the <i>Stella</i> -and remained there thinking and speculating and -planning.</p> - -<p>I did not reach my rooms until late and found a -letter awaiting me which made me rub my eyes in -astonishment.</p> - -<p>It was from Volheno, thanking me for some information -I had given him and saying that it had been acted -upon the previous night with excellent results. “It -will of course be considered by the Government when -we come to decide the matter of the Beira concessions; -and I need scarcely say that if you can give us any more -information of the same kind, you will render the -Government a great service.”</p> - -<p>I had given no information and would see him in -the morning and explain. The man was mad; and I -tossed the letter down and went off to bed.</p> - -<p>I must have slept heavily after the day in the fresh -air, for I was roused by some one shaking me roughly.</p> - -<p>I opened my eyes to find the lights switched up and -the police in my room. Two of them were searching -the room and a third stood over me and ordered me -sternly to get up and dress and be quick about it.</p> - -<p>“What does it mean?” I asked, blinking like an owl -in the sudden light.</p> - -<p>“You are arrested. That’s what it means. Dress -and come with us, unless you want to go as you are;” -and the fellow gave point to his words by stripping off -the bedclothes.</p> - -<p>A curious sequel, this, to Volheno’s letter.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_90">[90]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER IX<br /> - - -<small>THE INTERROGATION</small></h2> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap">DIGNITY in a nightshirt is impossible; so I rolled -off the bed and dressed myself quickly.</p> - -<p>Why I should be arrested I could not imagine, unless -it was in some way the outcome of that row in the -streets. Even if that were so, the thing could not be -serious. I had been mistaken for one of the mob and -nearly clubbed by a policeman; but it was scarcely -likely I should be punished because he had missed -his aim. Probably some fool or other had blundered, -and the whole thing was just a mistake.</p> - -<p>I was disposed to smile at it, therefore. I might -lose half a night’s sleep; but that was no great matter; -and as a recompense I should have an experience at -first hand of police methods under a dictator.</p> - -<p>“What am I supposed to have done?” I asked the -man who had awakened me.</p> - -<p>“Wait and see.” He jerked the words out with -scowling gruffness.</p> - -<p>“In England when a man is arrested like this it’s -usual to tell him the reason.”</p> - -<p>“This isn’t England.”</p> - -<p>“There’s no need to make the affair more unpleasant -than necessary by talking in that tone. The whole -thing’s a mistake; but I don’t blame you. Why -growl at me, therefore?”</p> - -<p>“Orders.”</p> - -<p>“Well, who ordered this?”</p> - -<p>“Hurry.” And he accompanied the word with an -emphatic gesture.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_91">[91]</span>“Thank you,” I said with a grin; and as it was -evident I should not get anything out of him, I finished -dressing in silence. In the meanwhile the two men -finished their search of the drawers and wardrobe and -my luggage; and we went to my sitting-room.</p> - -<p>This had also been ransacked; and the work must -have been done before they roused me. “Your men -certainly understand their work,” I said; for the -search had been very thorough; “but you might -have put some of the things back in their places. -If you’ll give me a couple of minutes, I’ll do it myself, -however.”</p> - -<p>“No.” Short, sharp, and peremptory this, from -the fellow who had spoken before.</p> - -<p>“Then wake my servant—his room is through the -kitchen at the end of the hall and up a short flight of -stairs.”</p> - -<p>“No.” Same tone from the same speaker.</p> - -<p>“All right. Then I’ll leave a line here for him to -let him know what has happened.”</p> - -<p>“No.”</p> - -<p>“But he’ll think I’ve gone mad, or bolted, or——”</p> - -<p>“Come.” He was quite a master of monosyllabic -dialogue.</p> - -<p>“I’ll be hanged if I will,” I flung back at him -angrily.</p> - -<p>But as he pulled out a revolver and made me understand—without -even a monosyllable this time—that I should -be shot if I didn’t, I decided not to be obstinate.</p> - -<p>As we left the door of the house a vehicle drove up -and I was bundled into it, none too gently.</p> - -<p>“Where are you taking me?”</p> - -<p>“Silence.” The word was so fiercely uttered that -I saw no use in arguing the point. I sat still therefore -wondering to which prison we were going and what -steps I should be allowed to take to get the matter -explained. The simplest course would be to send a line -to Volheno; but the arrest was really an outrage,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_92">[92]</span> -and in the interests of other Englishmen in the city, -a row ought to be made about it by the British -authorities.</p> - -<p>I was hesitating to which of the two quarters I would -send, when the carriage stopped before a large private -house, the door of which was instantly opened and I -was hurried inside. Obviously I was expected.</p> - -<p>The three men took me up a broad flight of stairs and -halted on the landing. The man of monosyllables went -into a room at the back of the house, taking with him -some papers which I concluded he had brought from -my rooms; and after perhaps a couple of minutes he -reopened the door and signed to us to enter.</p> - -<p>Seated at a large official-looking table was a man in -evening dress reading the letter from Volheno, the -receipt of which had so puzzled me on my return from -the <i>Stella</i>. To my intense surprise he rose and offered -me his hand.</p> - -<p>“I am sorry to have had to disturb you, Mr. -Donnington, and am extremely obliged to you for -having come so promptly,” he said with a courteous -smile and an appearance of great cordiality.</p> - -<p>This was too much for my gravity. I looked at him -in bewilderment, and then laughed. “As a matter -of fact your men didn’t give me any alternative.”</p> - -<p>“I do not understand,” he replied glancing from -me to the police, who looked rather sheepish.</p> - -<p>“Well, I was arrested. These men got into my -rooms—I don’t know how—hauled me out of bed, -would tell me nothing, except that I was under arrest; -and dragged me here. That’s why I came so promptly,” -I said drily.</p> - -<p>“What does this mean, you?” he thundered at the -police, his eyes flaming his anger.</p> - -<p>“I was only ordered to bring him here, and I -brought him,” answered the man of few words, in a -hang-dog, surly tone.</p> - -<p>“By Heaven, it is infamous. Do you mean to tell<span class="pagenum" id="Page_93">[93]</span> -me that you never delivered M. Volheno’s letter to -this gentleman?”</p> - -<p>“I had no letter.”</p> - -<p>“You blockhead, you fool, you thing of wood, get -out of the room. You’ll hear of this again, all of you. -A set of clumsy mules without the brains of an idiot -amongst you;” and he stormed away at them furiously.</p> - -<p>I chuckled at their discomfiture while admiring at -the same time the excellent variety of abusive epithet -possessed by their angry superior.</p> - -<p>“These blunders are the curse and despair of public -men,” he exclaimed as he slammed the door after them -and returned to his seat. “Of course the whole thing -is an egregious blunder, Mr. Donnington, and I tender -you at once a most profound apology.”</p> - -<p>I considered it judicious to mount the high horse. -“It is a very disgraceful affair, sir, and naturally I -shall report the matter to the representatives of my -country here and demand satisfaction.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I hope you will not find it necessary to do that,” -he replied in a tone of great concern. “I would not -have had it occur for any consideration in the world.”</p> - -<p>“A man in my position is not likely to submit tamely -to such an infamous outrage; and I cannot see my way -to have such a thing hushed up,” I declared with a very -grandiose air. “It might have occurred to any countryman -of mine whose lack of influence might render -him unable to protect himself.”</p> - -<p>“Let us talk it over;” he urged; and we did at -some length until I allowed myself to be mollified by -his apologies, and agreed not to take any step without -first seeing Volheno.</p> - -<p>“And now perhaps you will have the goodness to -explain why I was asked so courteously”—I dwelt -on the phrase and he winced—“to come here at this -time of night.”</p> - -<p>“It was really M. Volheno’s suggestion, Mr. Donnington. -You see I am in evening dress and I was fetched<span class="pagenum" id="Page_94">[94]</span> -home hurriedly from a social gathering as the result -of some discoveries the police have made. I may -explain I am the magistrate—d’Olliveira is my name: -you may perhaps have heard it.”</p> - -<p>“I have not. I never discuss public matters here,” -I said.</p> - -<p>“Well, as I was saying, some important discoveries -have been made and a number of arrests——”</p> - -<p>“Of the same nature as mine?” I interjected.</p> - -<p>“Oh, please,” he replied with a deprecatory smile -and wave of the hand. “A number of genuine arrests -have been made and I am going to interrogate the -prisoners. M. Volheno thinks it very probable that -you can identify——”</p> - -<p>“Do what?” I exclaimed.</p> - -<p>“We believe that they are some of the men who -frequented the revolutionary headquarters in the Rua -Catania about which you gave him information.”</p> - -<p>“Wait a moment. I never gave M. Volheno any -information of any sort whatever, sir.”</p> - -<p>He gave me a very shrewd glance and his eyes were -hard and piercing. “Surely—I don’t understand, -then.”</p> - -<p>“I am beginning to, I think. I had a letter from -him to-night—I think your clever police brought it -away with them—in which he thanked me for having -done something of the sort. But he is under a complete -delusion. I am going to see him in the morning -and tell him so.”</p> - -<p>“Is this the letter?” I nodded as he held it up. -“With your permission I’ll read it again.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t care what you do with it,” I said.</p> - -<p>“It is certainly very strange,” he muttered to himself -when he finished. “He clearly has had a letter -from you and this is the reply to it.”</p> - -<p>“Nothing of the sort is clear, sir, and I’ll beg you -to be so good as not to imply that I should lie about -it either to you or to him,” I rapped out hotly. “I<span class="pagenum" id="Page_95">[95]</span> -have had as much from your people as I can stand for -one night. I tell you point-blank that I did not write -any letter either to M. Volheno or any one else giving -any such information as he and you appear to think; -nor did I tell any one anything of the sort. I declare -that on my word of honour.”</p> - -<p>His look was very stern. “This is an official matter, -of course, Mr. Donnington, and you must not regard -anything I say as reflecting in any way upon your -word. But I am taken entirely by surprise, of course, -and equally of course the matter cannot rest here.”</p> - -<p>“What does that mean?”</p> - -<p>He made a little gesture of protest and sat thinking. -“Do you say that you had no such information about -the house in the Rua Catania?” he asked after the -pause.</p> - -<p>“What I know and what I don’t know concerns no -one but myself, sir,” I replied firmly. “I decline -to answer your question.”</p> - -<p>He shrugged his shoulders significantly. “This -may be more serious than I thought. You will see -that. I think, perhaps, I had better send for M. -Volheno.”</p> - -<p>“You can send for the Dictator himself if you like. -It makes no sort of difference to me.”</p> - -<p>He was much perplexed what to do and at length -took a paper from one of the pigeon holes of the table, -folded it very carefully and then held it out to me. “Is -that your signature, Mr. Donnington?” He put the -question in his severest magisterial manner.</p> - -<p>“It’s uncommonly like it, I admit.”</p> - -<p>“Ah,” he grunted with evident satisfaction. “Have -you any objection to write a few lines in my presence -and at my dictation.”</p> - -<p>“None whatever, provided you undertake to destroy -what I write in my presence afterwards.”</p> - -<p>He smiled grimly and then rose and waved me to sit -at the desk.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_96">[96]</span>“Well?” I asked, looking up pen in hand at the -desk.</p> - -<p>“Write as follows, please.”</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>“It may influence your Government in granting -the Beira concessions which I seek,” I wrote as he -dictated, “if I give you some information which I -have learnt. Let your men raid at once the house -237, Rua da Catania. It is one of the headquarters -of the revolutionary party. I shall be in a position -to tell you much more in a few days. Of course -you will keep the fact of my writing thus absolutely -secret.”</p> -</div> - -<p>“That will do,” he said.</p> - -<p>I resumed my former seat and he sat down at the -desk again and very carefully compared what I had -written with the letter the signature of which he had -shown to me. The work of comparison occupied a long -time, and now and again he made a note of some point -which struck him.</p> - -<p>“You gave me a pledge on your word of honour -just now, Mr. Donnington,” he said, at length turning -a very stern face to me. “Are you willing that -I treat with you on that basis?”</p> - -<p>“Of course I am.”</p> - -<p>“Then will you pledge me your word to imitate to -the utmost of your ability a line of the writing of this -letter?”</p> - -<p>“Certainly.”</p> - -<p>Again I took his seat and he folded the letter so -that only one line was visible.</p> - -<p>“Rua de Catania. It is one of the headquarters,” -was the line.</p> - -<p>“It’s a little unusual for a magistrate to give lessons -in forgery, isn’t it?” I asked as I studied the writing -and then wrote as good an imitation of it as I could, -and returned to my seat.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_97">[97]</span>Again he made an examination letter by letter, very -laboriously.</p> - -<p>“Well?” I asked, growing impatient at his long -silence.</p> - -<p>“I am greatly perplexed, Mr. Donnington. And I -must ask you one or two questions. How did you -come to know of the house mentioned here?”</p> - -<p>“Wait a bit, please. I have complied with the test -you put; what is the result? And what is my position now?”</p> - -<p>“I put my questions in a perfectly friendly spirit—as -M. Volheno would put them were he here.”</p> - -<p>“And that writing test?”</p> - -<p>“I will discuss it freely with you afterwards. I -promise you that.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I can tell you nothing about the house. -Evidently the writer of that letter knows that I learnt -what I know by accident; but what I know I cannot -reveal.”</p> - -<p>“I am sorry you take that line. Whom did you -meet there?”</p> - -<p>“I cannot answer.”</p> - -<p>“Did you meet a Dr. Barosa there?”</p> - -<p>“I cannot answer.”</p> - -<p>“Did you rescue a lady from any of the men belonging -to the place?”</p> - -<p>“I cannot answer. I will not answer any questions.”</p> - -<p>“Was that lady the Contesse Inez Inglesia?”</p> - -<p>I held my tongue.</p> - -<p>He asked many questions of a similar nature, surprising -me considerably by his knowledge of my movements -on that night and since; but I maintained a -stolid silence.</p> - -<p>I could see his anger rising at his repeated failure -to extract any reply, and he sat thinking with pursed -lips and a heavy frown. “I will make one further -effort. I ask you as a personal favour to M. Volheno -to reply to me.”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_98">[98]</span>“If M. Volheno were fifty times as great a friend of -mine as he is, and begged me on his knees, I would not -do it, sir!”</p> - -<p>His frown deepened at this. “Then you must understand -that if you persist in refusing, you may as -well abandon all thought of obtaining the concessions -you seek.”</p> - -<p>“To the devil with the concessions. If Volheno -or you or any one else in the business think you are -going to bribe me with them to do spy work for you, -the sooner you disabuse your minds of that insulting -rot the better,” I answered letting my temper go. -“And now I’ve finished with this thing and want -to go back to bed.”</p> - -<p>“I cannot take the responsibility of allowing you -to leave, Mr. Donnington,” he snapped back sharply.</p> - -<p>“Do you mean that you dare to detain me as a -prisoner?”</p> - -<p>“Keep your temper, sir, and remember that I -am a law officer of His Majesty the King of Portugal.”</p> - -<p>“Then as a British subject I claim my right to communicate -at once with the British Legation.”</p> - -<p>“That request will be considered, and if it is thought -desirable, complied with. Not otherwise. This is a -political matter. It is known to us that you have held -communication with these dangerous revolutionaries; -you are seeking to shield them by refusing information; -and the only inference I can draw is that you do so -because you are in collusion with them.”</p> - -<p>At that I burst out laughing. “Infer what you like -and be hanged to you.”</p> - -<p>“You may find this is no laughing matter, sir,” he -cried, getting white with anger.</p> - -<p>“And so may you, magistrate though you are. -Kidnapping Englishmen is not a game your Government -can play at with impunity, my friend.”</p> - -<p>“I shall send for M. Volheno,” he said as he rose;<span class="pagenum" id="Page_99">[99]</span> -“and in the meantime shall detain you here on my -own responsibility.”</p> - -<p>And with that he favoured me with a scowl and went -out of the room, leaving me to speculate where I was -going to finish the night.</p> - -<p>The odds appeared to be in favour of a prison cell -rather than my own bed.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_100">[100]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER X<br /> - - -<small>A DRASTIC TEST</small></h2> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap">THE matter was obviously more serious than I -had at first believed; and I realized that, as -the authorities were aware that I knew Barosa and -Inez were really revolutionaries, I might have some -difficulty in convincing them that my knowledge had -been innocently obtained. And two unpleasant possibilities -loomed ahead.</p> - -<p>This hot-headed magistrate, if left to himself, might -pack me off to one of their prisons; and any one who -has seen a Portuguese prison will understand my -dread of such a step.</p> - -<p>The condition of these dens of filth, wretchedness, -and abomination is a black stain upon the Portuguese -administration. Take the lowest and dirtiest type -of the worst doss-house in London, multiply its foulest -features ten times, overcrowd it with verminous -brawling scum to two or three times the extent of -what you would consider its utmost limit of accommodation, -and stir up the whole with gaoler-bullies -who have all graduated with the highest honours in -the school of brutality and blackguardism; and you -have a typical Portuguese gaol.</p> - -<p>A sojourn in one of those human hells was one -possible result for me; and the other was even more -distasteful—that a sufficiently grave view might be -taken of the case to have me ordered out of the country.</p> - -<p>I was railing at my ill-luck in ever having learnt -the facts which threatened one of these alternatives,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_101">[101]</span> -when the murmurs of many voices started below in -the house swelled as it came up the stairs and culminated -in a chorus of threats and groans and curses just -outside as the door was opened and a man was thrust -violently into the room and went staggering across -the floor.</p> - -<p>He had been in the wars. His clothes were all disordered, -his collar was flying loose, his coat was torn, -and he had the crumpled look which a man is apt to -have at two o’clock in the morning after a night on -the general rampage finished up with a scrimmage -with the police.</p> - -<p>His first act was inspired by the sheer stupidity of -rage. He turned and shook his fists at the door and -swore copiously. He had quite a natural gift for -cursing, and gave free vent to it. Then he began -to put his clothes straight and saw me for the first -time.</p> - -<p>“Hallo, you here?”</p> - -<p>“Yes.” Both question and answer sounded a little -superfluous under the circumstances, but it turned -out that he recognized me.</p> - -<p>“Did they want you?” He swore again as he recalled -his own experiences.</p> - -<p>“Who?”</p> - -<p>“Those infernal brutes out there?”</p> - -<p>“Do you mean the police?”</p> - -<p>Instead of replying he gave me a sharp look and then -came up close and peered inquiringly at me with his -head slightly on one side.</p> - -<p>“What the devil are you doing here?”</p> - -<p>“Waiting to go somewhere else; but where, seems -a little doubtful at present.”</p> - -<p>He laughed. “I didn’t expect they’d take you yet. -They’re all fools—the whole lot of them. I told -them to give you more rope.”</p> - -<p>“What kind?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, not that sort;” and he made a gesture to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_102">[102]</span> -indicate hanging. Then wrinkling his brows he added -suspiciously: “You didn’t come of your own accord, -did you?”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps you’ll make things a bit plainer.”</p> - -<p>“If you did, you’d better tell me.”</p> - -<p>“If there’s any telling to be done you’d better start -it,” I said drily.</p> - -<p>“They got me to-night—— Here, aren’t you interested -in Miralda Dominguez?” he broke off lowering -his voice.</p> - -<p>“I’m getting rather interested in you. Who are -you?”</p> - -<p>He winked knowingly. He was quite young, dark -and not bad-looking, except that he had sly ferretty -eyes. “You don’t know, eh? You don’t remember, -eh? Is that your line? Or are you on the same -tack as I am?”</p> - -<p>“What is your particular tack?”</p> - -<p>“You might have guessed it I should think. They’ve -got about twenty of Barosa’s people here and about -half a dozen police to look after them. Somebody -let ’em know that I meant to save myself by telling -things, and the brutes nearly tore me to bits as I came -up. The devils;” and once more he cursed them -luridly. “But I’ll make it hot for some of them,” -he added, his little close-set eyes gleaming viciously.</p> - -<p>“Oh, you’re an informer, are you? Well, I don’t -like your breed, I’m——”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I know you, of course. You’re Ralph Donnington, -the reputed English millionaire. I know;” -and he winked again. “I saw you at the de Pinsara -house the other night with Barosa. He told me you -were all right. I had to tell them about you, of course. -They’ve sucked me about as dry as a squeezed orange. -Barosa told me you were interested in Miralda Dominguez——”</p> - -<p>“I’d rather not talk any more,” I interposed sharply.</p> - -<p>“I suppose you know it’s all up. They’ve got<span class="pagenum" id="Page_103">[103]</span> -Barosa and Contesse Inglesia, and Lieutenant de Linto -and heaps of others. But not his sister yet.”</p> - -<p>I affected not to hear this and took out a cigarette -and lighted it.</p> - -<p>“Can you spare me one?”</p> - -<p>I put the case in my pocket.</p> - -<p>“If you want to get her out of the mess you’d -better do as I’ve done. Out with everything. It’s -the only way. I——”</p> - -<p>I jumped to my feet. “Look here, if you talk any -more to me I shall act as deputy for those men outside, -and when I’ve finished with you, you’ll find it difficult -to talk at all.”</p> - -<p>That stopped him and he slunk away to the door -and flopped into a chair staring at me and muttering -to himself, probably cursing me as he had cursed -the others.</p> - -<p>Soon afterwards M. d’Olliveira came back with a -couple of police, and said that Volheno was coming -and would arrive in about half an hour. Then he -ordered the first of the prisoners to be brought in.</p> - -<p>The informer jumped away from the door as if it -was on fire and crossed to the other side of the magistrate’s -desk.</p> - -<p>The proceedings were very short—apparently for -no purpose other than identification.</p> - -<p>I glanced at the prisoner and recognized him as one -of the men I had seen at the house in the Rua Catania. -He was the scoundrel named Henriques, who had been -going to strike Inez when I had entered.</p> - -<p>He looked at the young informer with a scowl of -hate and hissed out an execration.</p> - -<p>The magistrate appealed to me first. “You know -this man, Mr. Donnington?” he said sharply, and -the fellow turned a scowling face on me with a half -defiant and wholly malicious expression.</p> - -<p>“Do I? If you know that, why ask me?”</p> - -<p>“Don’t trifle with me, sir.”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_104">[104]</span>“He knows him well enough. He saw him that -night in the Rua Catania,” broke in the informer.</p> - -<p>“Hold your tongue,” was the rough rebuke. “Do -you deny it, Mr. Donnington?”</p> - -<p>“You can draw what inference you please. I decline -to be questioned by you or any one,” I replied.</p> - -<p>“I cannot too strongly warn you, Mr. Donnington, -that any refusal to identify this man and any of his -companions will render you suspect.”</p> - -<p>“I am quite ready to accept the responsibility.”</p> - -<p>He turned then to the informer and accepted his -identification, made a note of it, and sent the prisoner -away in custody.</p> - -<p>Another of the men I had seen in the house was -brought in, and a very similar scene was enacted, -except that I held my tongue. Three more followed -and then a pause.</p> - -<p>When the door opened next time Dr. Barosa was -brought in.</p> - -<p>“You know this man, Mr. Donnington?” asked -d’Olliveira.</p> - -<p>“Yes, I had the pleasure of meeting him at the -house of the Marquis de Pinsara. Good evening, Dr. -Barosa;” and I rose and would have shaken hands -with him had not the police prevented me.</p> - -<p>“Did you see him in Rua Catania?” asked the -magistrate.</p> - -<p>“I have told you I met him elsewhere. That is my -answer.”</p> - -<p>“I am obliged to you, Mr. Donnington,” said Barosa, -“but unfortunately no good purpose can be gained -by your keeping silent about anything you know. You -can only compromise yourself; and as everything -is now known to these people, I release you from the -pledge of secrecy you gave.”</p> - -<p>“Ah,” broke in d’Olliveira, gloatingly.</p> - -<p>“To the devil with you and your grunts of satisfaction,” -I cried hotly, turning on him. “If you<span class="pagenum" id="Page_105">[105]</span> -want to bribe or frighten information out of people, -do it with carrion like that young brute at your side. -Don’t try it with Englishmen.”</p> - -<p>“How dare you use that tone to me, sir?” he exclaimed, -getting up.</p> - -<p>Barosa interposed. “I beg you not to compromise -yourself further. It may lead you into a very false -position and can do no good either to me or to the -Contesse Inglesia. It is known quite well that you were -present in the——”</p> - -<p>“That’s enough, doctor. If you like to tell these -people what they want to know, it’s your affair not -mine. As for my part, I have friends quite influential -enough not only to protect me, but to make it -unpleasant for this hectoring gentleman here. I am -sorry to see you in this mess.”</p> - -<p>He threw up his hands. “It is the fortune of war.” -Then he turned to the magistrate. “Now, sir are you -satisfied?”</p> - -<p>There was a pause and d’Olliveira said: “Yes, -absolutely.”</p> - -<p>And then I had the most amazing surprise of my life.</p> - -<p>The magistrate waved his hand and a dozen or more -men, police and prisoners mingled together, crowded -into the room, and the eyes of every man present -were directed on me.</p> - -<p>Barosa stepped forward and offered me his hand.</p> - -<p>“You must forgive us, Mr. Donnington,” he said.</p> - -<p>“Forgive you. What the deuce for?”</p> - -<p>“For having tested you in this drastic way. You -will admit the evidence that you had betrayed us to -the authorities was very strong—a letter in your -name to your friend M. Volheno and his to you, thanking -you for the information, was found in your rooms. -I made the inquiries you suggested and satisfied myself -of your absolute good faith. I would not believe -you had broken your word, but my friends here -insisted, and then this test was planned.”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_106">[106]</span>“Do you mean——” I stopped in sheer astonishment -as the truth dawned on me.</p> - -<p>“I mean that this was all an elaborate pretence. -There is no magistrate here and no police. We are -all comrades in the one cause, and after what has -passed no one of us will ever distrust you again. I -say that for all of us.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, certainly for me,” said the magistrate.</p> - -<p>“For us all,” came a chorus.</p> - -<p>“Well, you fooled me all right,” I said, gaping at -them for a moment like a bumpkin at a wax-work -show, for the suddenness of the thing almost bewildered -me. Then I laughed and added: “It seems I -was sitting on a bag with more gunpowder in it than I -knew. Which do you expect me to do—thank you -for your present confidence or curse you for your former -distrust?”</p> - -<p>“The matter is ended, Mr. Donnington,” said -Barosa. “And you have as much reason as we have -to be glad the result is what it is.”</p> - -<p>“And if it had gone the other way?”</p> - -<p>He shrugged his shoulders and replied very drily: -“You had better not ask perhaps. At such a crisis -our methods with those who betray us cannot be—pleasant.”</p> - -<p>“Which reminds me,” I said, turning to the man -who had played the magistrate—whose real name -I learnt was Sebastian Maral—“you’ve asked me -plenty of questions and there are one or two I should -like to ask you. How did you get that spurious letter -I was supposed to write to M. Volheno?”</p> - -<p>“I think we had better discuss those matters alone,” -interposed Barosa; and then all but we three left the -room.</p> - -<p>“Was such a letter really written?” I asked.</p> - -<p>“Certainly. That which you received was M. -Volheno’s reply to it.”</p> - -<p>“Then some one did give away that Rua Catania<span class="pagenum" id="Page_107">[107]</span> -house? Who is it? Do you suspect any one in -particular?”</p> - -<p>“No,” said Barosa, his look darkening as he added: -“But we shall of course find out.”</p> - -<p>“I think you can help us, Mr. Donnington,” said -Maral. “The writer is obviously an enemy of yours. -Can you make a suggestion?”</p> - -<p>I was fairly confident that I knew, but it did not -suit me to say so. “I have not had time yet to make -any enemies unless some one is after the Beira concessions -and thought this an easy way of getting rid of a -competitor. Will you show me the original of that -letter you dictated to me?”</p> - -<p>He glanced at Barosa who nodded, and it was given -to me.</p> - -<p>I made a discovery then. Either from inadvertence -or as a proof of confidence in me, Maral left on the -letter, where it was pinned to the top, a strip of paper -with half a dozen words followed by the numerals -“134.”</p> - -<p>I compared the handwriting of the letter with my -own copy of the dictated part and saw at once how -clumsy a forgery it was. My signature was done -well enough; the writer probably had a signature of -mine and had practised it until the resemblance was -striking. But the attempt to write an entire autograph -letter was a conspicuous failure.</p> - -<p>Then while pretending to continue my examination -of the writing, I worried over the curious superscription, -and it dawned upon me at length that it was a message -of some sort in cypher.</p> - -<p>As the other two had their heads together in a very -earnest discussion, I unpinned the cypher message and -rolled it up in my palm. Its nature convinced me -that it was inadvertence not confidence which had led -Maral to let me see it, and I took the risk of his not -noticing its absence even if I could not do what I now -very much wished—retain the letter itself for a time.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_108">[108]</span>“I wish to keep this letter, Dr. Barosa,” I said -presently.</p> - -<p>“I am afraid that is not possible. It has to be -returned.”</p> - -<p>“We can get over that easily enough. You are -probably as eager as I am to know who wrote it. As -for returning it, I’ll write out another in my own hand, -and that one can be returned.”</p> - -<p>After some demur this was agreed to; and I went -to the desk and wrote the duplicate letter, and was -careful to fold it up so that Maral should not miss the -strip of paper I had annexed.</p> - -<p>While I was writing, Barosa paced up and down the -room thinking. The fact that there was a traitor somewhere -among the followers disquieted him profoundly. -And when I had finished he came up to me and said -with intense earnestness: “You have some definite -purpose in keeping that letter, Mr. Donnington?”</p> - -<p>“Naturally. I mean to try and find the writer of -it.”</p> - -<p>“Are you sure there is no one you suspect?”</p> - -<p>“I do not know all your followers; if there is any -one among them who seeks to prevent my getting——”</p> - -<p>He broke in, with an impatient motion of the hand. -“Do you give me your word you have no positive -suspicion?”</p> - -<p>“Is that a question you should expect me to answer? -I am not one of you, and I have no interest whatever in -your cause. If I am anxious to discover the writer, -it is for my own purposes not yours.”</p> - -<p>“We are helping you in trusting that to you.”</p> - -<p>“Take it back if you will;” and I held it out.</p> - -<p>He shook his head and did not take it. “If you -find out the truth you will tell me?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“I make no promise. I may or I may not, but -frankly that will turn upon my own concerns, not -upon yours.”</p> - -<p>“You are very straight,” he said, with a slow hesitating<span class="pagenum" id="Page_109">[109]</span> -smile, much more suggestive of vexation than -mirth.</p> - -<p>“I think we had better leave it there. It is not -improbable that if I do get at the truth I may need -your help. In that case I shall come to you.”</p> - -<p>“I should like something more definite.”</p> - -<p>I shook my head. “Not yet, at any rate,” I said.</p> - -<p>“I may visit you?”</p> - -<p>“At any time you please. And now, I’ll be off.”</p> - -<p>While we had been speaking Maral was taking papers -from the desk, and as he turned and held out his hand to -bid me good-night, we heard the sound of loud knocking -at the door of the house.</p> - -<p>“What can that be?” he exclaimed nervously.</p> - -<p>The next moment the room door was thrust open -and the young fellow who had played the part of informer -rushed in.</p> - -<p>“The police!” he gasped. “The house is surrounded. -All the rest have gone.”</p> - -<p>Barosa did not turn a hair, but Maral, suddenly -grey with fear, tossed up his hands and dropped into -his chair with a sigh of despair.</p> - -<p>“Are they really the police this time?” I asked.</p> - -<p>He nodded. “More of the same man’s work,” -he said with grim concentrated passion, and carried -away for the moment by his feelings, he clenched his -fists and uttered a vehement oath.</p> - -<p>I should have sworn too, no doubt, if I had been -in his place. But I was thinking of myself and what -I was going to do.</p> - -<p>It was a tight corner for us all.</p> - -<p>In the pause the knocking was repeated more noisily -and peremptorily than before.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_110">[110]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XI<br /> - - -<small>POLICE METHODS</small></h2> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap2">AT the second summons Barosa roused himself.</p> - -<p>“What will you do, Mr. Donnington. We -have a secret means of leaving the house and——”</p> - -<p>“I swear I had forgotten that,” exclaimed Maral, -as he jumped up, grabbed his papers and made for -the door.</p> - -<p>“Wait please. Give me the letter which M. Volheno -wrote me,” I said, stopping him.</p> - -<p>He searched for it agitatedly and then thrust it -into my hand. “Come on, Barosa,” he cried and -darted away.</p> - -<p>“Are you going to remain?” asked Barosa, hurriedly.</p> - -<p>I nodded. “You won’t want to use this house -again?”</p> - -<p>“Of course not. But——”</p> - -<p>The crash of glass below interrupted him, -announcing that the police had broken in, and the -next moment I had the room to myself and sat -down to wait for the real police and find out how -their treatment differed from that of the bogus -ones.</p> - -<p>With Volheno’s letter in my possession I had nothing -to fear, and I glanced at it to make sure that Maral -in his panic had handed me the right one—and then -gave a start of surprise.</p> - -<p>It was Volheno’s letter all right, but folded up in -it was a long doubled strip of paper with three rows of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_111">[111]</span> -small holes punched in it at irregular intervals. I knew -instantly what it was—the key to the cipher which -I had seen attached to the letter which I had duplicated.</p> - -<p>As the police might have a fancy to search me I -rolled it and the other strip very tightly, emptied a -cigarette, inserted the roll, and plugged up the ends -with tobacco; and just when the police were at the -door I struck a match and was puffing at the cigarette -as two of them entered.</p> - -<p>“Good evening, gentlemen, I’m very relieved to see -you,” I said, rising and carefully pinching out the -lighted tobacco.</p> - -<p>“You are our prisoner,” exclaimed one of them, -covering me with a revolver.</p> - -<p>“I’m extremely relieved to hear it, I can assure -you.”</p> - -<p>“Where are the others?”</p> - -<p>“What others?”</p> - -<p>“The other scoundrels who use this house?”</p> - -<p>“To my intense satisfaction your arrival scared -them away.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t try and fool us with that tone. You won’t -help them and it will make things worse for you. Put -up your hands.”</p> - -<p>I did so, at once, of course, keeping hold of my -precious cigarette, and they made a very business-like -search of all my pockets, and then felt all about -me to see that I had no weapons. They put the results -of their search on the desk, and one of them, being a -very zealous officer, went to the trouble of breaking open -two or three of the cigarettes and pinching and -bending the rest. But it did not occur to him that I -could be smoking one which he might wish to see. It -had been quite a happy thought, that little precaution -of mine.</p> - -<p>Then one of them picked up the letter from Volheno -and was unfolding it when I said gently: “I am not<span class="pagenum" id="Page_112">[112]</span> -sure that M. Volheno will care for you to read correspondence -between us.”</p> - -<p>The name acted like a charm of magic. He refolded -it and dropped it like a live coal.</p> - -<p>“It would, however, assist you to understand the -position, my friend, and appreciate your mistake,” -I said in the same suave tone.</p> - -<p>“Who are you?”</p> - -<p>“My name is Ralph Donnington. I am an Englishman -and have the privilege of enjoying the friendship -of M. Volheno.”</p> - -<p>“Why didn’t you say who you were before?”</p> - -<p>“You did not ask me, and I never argue with the man -at the butt end of a revolver.”</p> - -<p>“How is it you are here?”</p> - -<p>“I think that is a matter I can better explain to my -friend, M. Volheno, himself.” Seeing the excellent -effect of the name, I deemed it judicious to rub it in. -“Are you in command here? If not, I wish you -would bring your superior here or take me to him.”</p> - -<p>They whispered together and one of them left -the room.</p> - -<p>“Do you know where you are? What this house -is, I mean?”</p> - -<p>“Oh yes, perfectly. I have had very good proof -of it. Would you have any objection to my lowering -my hands? This is rather a trying position.”</p> - -<p>He nodded and his face relaxed in a grin which he -turned away to conceal.</p> - -<p>“I should also like my matchbox and cigarettes—if -you don’t think I shall blow the Government up -with them. Thank you very much,” I added as he -handed them to me.</p> - -<p>Affecting considerable annoyance at the condition -of the cigarettes, I tossed away those which were broken, -and while pretending to straighten out the bent ones -I managed to slip the one I held into the case without -his knowledge. Then I lit another and pocketed the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_113">[113]</span> -case, and sat puffing away, with that air of easy -indifference affected by the cigarette-smoking villain -in melodrama when he is top dog and has all the virtuous -members of the caste in his power.</p> - -<p>I had nearly finished the cigarette when the man -returned with a superior officer whose look of chagrin -told me that the raid had been unsuccessful and -that Barosa and the rest had escaped.</p> - -<p>“Now what is your story?” he asked brusquely.</p> - -<p>As he had the look of a man who would not stand -any nonsense, I dropped my air of indifference. “I -am an Englishman, Donnington is my name. I quite -understand that my presence here requires explanation -and that of course I am entirely in your hands.”</p> - -<p>“What is your explanation?”</p> - -<p>“I was brought here by force.”</p> - -<p>He sneered. “You think I shall believe that?”</p> - -<p>“I am sure that my friend, M. Volheno, will.”</p> - -<p>“What does M. Volheno know of you?”</p> - -<p>“Your men took from me a letter he wrote to me. -It is on the desk there and explains itself. But it is -marked confidential; and whether he would wish you -to read it is a point I will leave to you. I am indifferent.”</p> - -<p>This proved a good card. He stretched out his hand -to take the letter and paused.</p> - -<p>“Tell me the purport of it,” he said.</p> - -<p>“No, no. I can’t do that. It is a confidential -letter, I say. I cannot disclose it therefore. But I -am your prisoner and cannot prevent your doing what -you please.”</p> - -<p>His perplexity was quite amusing.</p> - -<p>“How do I know it is not a forgery?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know that myself, but it was addressed -to me at my rooms, 318, Rua de Palma, and reached -me to-night through the post.”</p> - -<p>“How long have you been in this house?”</p> - -<p>“Some hours.”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_114">[114]</span>“Alone?” he cried with another sneer.</p> - -<p>“Oh no. For part of the time one man was here; -for others, two; and at times perhaps a dozen.”</p> - -<p>“Where are they?”</p> - -<p>“I have no more idea than you. There were two -of them when you and your men arrived. I was then -left alone.”</p> - -<p>“But the house was surrounded. They couldn’t -escape.”</p> - -<p>“I was brought straight to this room and have not -been allowed to leave it for a moment.”</p> - -<p>“‘Allowed’?” he repeated quickly, catching at -the word.</p> - -<p>“That is just what I mean. Otherwise, I certainly -should not have remained.”</p> - -<p>“Who were the men?”</p> - -<p>I smiled and shrugged my shoulders. “I would -tell you if I could.” This was a deliberate equivocation, -but it saved me from a direct lie. I meant that -I could not because of my pledge, but I meant him -to infer that I did not know.</p> - -<p>He paused and I added: “And now I shall be glad -to know what you propose to do with me?”</p> - -<p>“What do you suppose we generally do with prisoners? -Billet them at the Avenida Palace Hotel? -You’ll be locked up for the rest of the night, of course, -while we make inquiries about you.”</p> - -<p>“I am an Englishman—as I have told you.”</p> - -<p>“What of that? What’s good enough for a -Portuguese is good enough for an Englishman, I suppose.”</p> - -<p>“I am also a friend of M. Volheno.”</p> - -<p>“So you say. But do you expect me to rouse him -in the middle of the night whenever a revolutionary -rascal chooses to say he is a friend?”</p> - -<p>“I can give you the names of several other influential -men who know me. The Marquis de Pinsara, -Visconte de Linto,” and I rattled off a number of the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_115">[115]</span> -men to whom I had been introduced on the night of the -reception.</p> - -<p>“You can communicate with them in the morning -and call them as witnesses,” he sneered. He had the -sardonic habit strongly developed. “But I haven’t -done questioning you yet.”</p> - -<p>“I shall not answer any more questions. You -don’t believe what I tell you. My object was to avoid -the unpleasantness of being thrust into one of your -filthy gaols; and that has evidently failed.”</p> - -<p>“You will tell me where the men are hidden who -were here with you,” he said very threateningly.</p> - -<p>“I repeat, I know no more than you do. You were -already in the house when they left this room.”</p> - -<p>“That won’t do for me,” he answered bluntly. He -motioned to the two men who pulled my hands behind -my back and slipped a pair of handcuffs on my wrists, -while he himself sat down at the desk and made a list -of the things the men had taken from me. “Is this -all?” he asked the fellow who had searched me.</p> - -<p>“All but a cigarette case.”</p> - -<p>“Anything in it?”</p> - -<p>“Nothing but cigarettes. I made sure of that.”</p> - -<p>“All right.” I breathed more freely.</p> - -<p>“Now, prisoner, show me the secret hiding-place -in this room.”</p> - -<p>“There is none. The men left the room.”</p> - -<p>He came close up and glared so fiercely into my face -that I thought he was going to strike me. He was the -sort of brute to enjoy hitting a defenceless man. “If -you lie to me, I’ll——” he ground his teeth and left -me to finish the sentence out of my own fears.</p> - -<p>“I do not lie,” I said meeting his look steadily. -“And you will do well to bear in mind in all you do -now that in the morning you will find every word I -have said as to my friendship with M. Volheno is -true.”</p> - -<p>I spoke very calmly thinking it would have the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_116">[116]</span> -better effect. But it appeared to enrage him and -this time he actually raised his hand for a blow. It -was therefore clearly time to try a change of manner.</p> - -<p>So I shoved my head forward until our noses were -nearly touching and with a fierce oath, I cried: “You -dare to lay a hand on me, you infernal bully, and it -shall cost you dear. M. Volheno shall know of this. -Do your duty whatever that may be, but not one jot -more, or——” and I adopted his tactic of an unfinished -sentence.</p> - -<p>The result was a surprising success. His hand fell -to his side, his eyes wavered, and his threatening -truculence of manner dropped from him like a cloak. -The reason was, of course, that he was a miserable -coward and had mistaken my coolness for fear.</p> - -<p>“I am only doing my duty,” he muttered.</p> - -<p>“You lie,” I thundered back, quick to take advantage -of his mood. “You dare to handcuff me like a -felon, when I tell you I am a British subject and give -you ample means of testing what I say. You’ll have -to reckon with the British Legation for this. Do -what you will, while you have me in your power; -but don’t think for an instant you won’t have to pay -for your bullying in the morning.”</p> - -<p>“I have——”</p> - -<p>“Don’t try to excuse yourself. If you want to -bully any one, do it with the unfortunate devils under -your orders. As for me, do what you dare—but -remember, it will be my turn to-morrow.”</p> - -<p>“If you’ll give your word not to offer resistance, -you shall be freed.”</p> - -<p>“You didn’t ask that before you handcuffed me. -I call these men to witness that. Take me in them -to M. Volheno—if you dare. Or haul me off to gaol -in them. It’s all one to me—until to-morrow.”</p> - -<p>He paused and then signed to the men who freed -me, and he left the room. I sat down and the men -stood near the door whispering and sniggering together.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_117">[117]</span> -They appeared to be rather pleased at their chief’s -discomfiture.</p> - -<p>He was away so long that I fell asleep and was in the -middle of a realistic dream that I was in prison among -the scum of the city when I was roused by some one -thundering my name in my ear.</p> - -<p>I started up and found the official had returned -with a companion who was shaking me and calling me -by name.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Donnington! Mr. Donnington!”</p> - -<p>“Well, what is it?” I grumbled, blinking at him -like an owl until I recognized him as a man I had seen -at Volheno’s bureau.</p> - -<p>“M. Volheno desired me to come to you, sir.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, ho,” I chuckled, turning to the official, “so -you thought discretion was the better part of bullying, -eh?”</p> - -<p>“My name is Dagara, Mr. Donnington. I am M. -Volheno’s private secretary. He instructed me to -say that he desires to see you as soon as you can call -on him.”</p> - -<p>“I have to go to gaol first,” I said with a snarl for -my old enemy. “I was already there in my dreams -when you roused me. But if I am to be shot or hanged -or beheaded as this man decides, I’ll leave directions -for my corpse to be packed up neatly and sent to M. -Volheno.” I was winning so I could afford a small -jibe.</p> - -<p>“You are of course at liberty to go where you will,” -said Dagara.</p> - -<p>“Then I’ll go back to bed,” I declared as I rose, -“and will see M. Volheno in the morning. I have -to tell him how this brute has treated me.”</p> - -<p>The official had wilted like an unwatered flower in -the noon sunlight. He returned me my belongings -and began to mumble an apology. “I much regret——”</p> - -<p>“I’ve no doubt of it. I know your kind,” I cut<span class="pagenum" id="Page_118">[118]</span> -in drily, and then left the house with Dagara, feeling -that I was well out of an ugly business.</p> - -<p>I had come off with all the honours of war, too, for -my letters had not been read and the two little secret -papers were safely stowed away in my cigarette case.</p> - -<p>The secretary walked with me to my rooms and I -found him an exceedingly close-lipped individual. -The house where the drastic test of my good faith had -been applied was in the Rua Formosa, about half a -mile from the Rua de Palma; and during the walk I -could get little else than monosyllables from my companion. -He did go so far as to tell me that he had -been at work all night with Volheno and that that -was the reason he had not gone home and had been -able to come so promptly to identify me.</p> - -<p>But when I asked him about the police official he -replied that he knew nothing.</p> - -<p>I soon ceased to question him, and as we reached -my rooms, he said suddenly: “You will understand -of course that M. Volheno never allows me to speak -of any of his affairs. I will give him your message, -and wish you good-morning, Mr. Donnington;” and -with this abrupt apology in explanation of his silence, -he raised his hat and went off.</p> - -<p>A useful and silently working wheel, no doubt, in -the complicated machinery of the Dictator’s system -of government, was my mental verdict as I entered -my rooms, eager to examine my prizes at leisure.</p> - -<p>I put back some of the things Barosa’s men had -left littered about, brewed myself some strong coffee, -and set to work.</p> - -<p>I first read through again very carefully the forged -letter which had been sent to Volheno. That it was -the work of an enemy who was well versed in my -movements was of course on the surface. My friendship -with the man to whom it was addressed, my -secret knowledge of the house in the Rua Catania, -my business in regard to these Beira concessions,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_119">[119]</span> -these three points told their story as plainly as the -attempt proved the ingenious malignity of the writer, -and his intention to cause Barosa and his friends to -suspect me of treachery. The blow was aimed at my -life.</p> - -<p>There was only one man in all Lisbon who could -have the needed information and would have the -motive.</p> - -<p>Sampayo.</p> - -<p>Jealousy was one motive, and fear of what I knew -about him another. And he was just the sort of -cunning beast to go to work in this mole-like way. He -had reckoned that Barosa’s people would accept -without question such a proof of my treachery and -act upon it. And in all probability they would have -done so, but for my conversation with Barosa on -the night of the reception and his conviction of my -good faith.</p> - -<p>But there was another point. He must have known -that the contents of the letter would be at once passed -on to Barosa. There was therefore some one about -Volheno in league with the revolutionary party, -and that some one must be sufficiently high in his -confidence to be able to get the letter and send it to -his friends.</p> - -<p>I must find that man out; and then I studied the -little slip of paper which Maral had inadvertently -given me with the letter.</p> - -<p>The line of nonsense ran as follows.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>“Real effects to you truly. You know what this -only can mean. 134”</p> -</div> - -<p>Absolute gibberish of course. But I had the key.</p> - -<p>I noticed that the sentence exactly fitted a line of -the same length as the strip of paper with the holes in -it; and when I laid the first line of holes on the top -of the words the meaning was clear.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_120">[120]</span>All the letters were covered by it except the following:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>RETURN AT ONCE</p> -</div> - -<p>“Return at once.”</p> - -<p>A simple direction to send the letter back; and 134 -was probably the number by which the man was -known to his companions. I had had my trouble for -nothing—or next to nothing; for the cipher key did -not cover the figures at the end of the message.</p> - -<p>Then a thought struck me. The numerals might -stand for letters: 134 would be “A. C. D.;” or 13 -and 4, “M.D.”</p> - -<p>“M.D.!” I uttered the letters aloud in my surprise. -They were Miralda’s initials. “Miralda Dominguez.”</p> - -<p>The coincidence mazed me; but a moment’s reflection -made the inference appear grotesque, preposterous, -idiotic; and I laughed at it.</p> - -<p>But my nerves were out of balance. The ordeal -of the last few hours, following so close upon the tense -interview with Miralda on the <i>Stella</i>, had tried me -severely. Everybody appeared to be playing at -make-believe to cause me to misread everything I saw -and heard.</p> - -<p>Even as I laughed at the thought that Miralda could -have had even the remotest connexion with the -cipher message, the disconcerting possibility suggested -by the coincidence would not be shaken off.</p> - -<p>Furious with myself, for the subconscious distrust -of her which this depression of spirits implied, I huddled -the papers together and went off to bed.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_121">[121]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XII<br /> - - -<small>THE REAL “M. D.”</small></h2> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap">A FEW hours’ sleep enabled me to laugh much -more sincerely at the thought which had sent -me off to bed in a hurry, and I was reviewing the -whole situation when Miralda’s brother called. He -had the look of a man who had been making a night -of it, and was washed out and generally sorry for himself.</p> - -<p>“Hullo, then, I have caught you, Mr. Donnington. -May I come in?”</p> - -<p>“Of course you may,” I said as I shook hands with -him, put him into an easy chair and handed him the -cigarettes. “Why, did you think you wouldn’t catch -me?”</p> - -<p>He lit a cigarette and I saw that his hand shook -badly.</p> - -<p>“Eh? Oh, you’re such a busy man, aren’t you?” -His hesitancy and a note in his voice suggested nervousness, -as if he had been momentarily at a loss -how to answer.</p> - -<p>“Not too busy for a chat with you at any time, -lieutenant.” I spoke cordially because I wished to -be friendly.</p> - -<p>“Thanks,” he said, adding after a puff or two: -“You look confoundedly fit.”</p> - -<p>“Not much the matter, I’m glad to say.”</p> - -<p>“No, I should think not, indeed.” Another pause -followed and he put his eyeglass in position, glanced<span class="pagenum" id="Page_122">[122]</span> -at me and then round the room, and let it fall again. -“I suppose not.”</p> - -<p>“Will you have a pick-me-up?” I asked. It struck -me he had been looking about for one.</p> - -<p>“Cognac,” he replied with a nod. I rang for my -servant, Bryant, and mixed a brandy and soda, which -Vasco drank eagerly. “Had a hot night of it,” he -murmured with one of his inane grins as he set the -empty glass down.</p> - -<p>“Lost?”</p> - -<p>“I always do, curse the luck,” he answered, and -pouring himself out about a wine-glassful of brandy -he gulped it down. “Hair of the dog, you know,” -he added, smacking his lips. The spirit stimulated -him. “Better luck next time;” and he laughed, the -frown left his face, and he lolled back smoking with -an air of indifference real or assumed.</p> - -<p>“So you’re off, eh? Going in your yacht?”</p> - -<p>“Off? Where to?”</p> - -<p>“Home, I suppose. That’s what I meant about -catching you.”</p> - -<p>“I am not going away.”</p> - -<p>“Not? Why Sampayo——” he stopped suddenly. -“No, it wasn’t Sampayo of course—but I heard you -were going last night,” he said, evidently confused -by his first slip.</p> - -<p>My interest awoke in an instant. If Sampayo had -sent him to me, it was probably to learn the issue of -the previous night’s scheme.</p> - -<p>“No no. I shan’t be able to get away for a long -time to come.”</p> - -<p>“Then I wonder why the deuce—I’m awfully glad -to hear it. Then you won’t be taking your boat away?”</p> - -<p>“Of course not. But I’m afraid the weather yesterday -made your trip in her rather unpleasant.”</p> - -<p>“Not a bit of it. The fact is I—I came to ask you -a favour. I wonder if you’d mind lending her to me -for a day. As a matter of fact I want to give some<span class="pagenum" id="Page_123">[123]</span> -of the fellows of my regiment a bit of an outing, and -I should like to take ’em out in her.”</p> - -<p>He said all this with the air of one repeating a lesson -and very much afraid of forgetting it. “My dear -lieutenant, you can have her and welcome. Give me -a couple of days’ notice, that’s all.”</p> - -<p>“Thanks. I’m afraid you’ll think it cool of me.”</p> - -<p>“Not cool of <i>you</i> at all; but I think Major Sampayo -himself might have asked, instead of worrying you to -do it.”</p> - -<p>He sat bolt upright and stared at me. “I say, how -the deuce did you know?” he cried, astonishment -shaking all the pretence out of him.</p> - -<p>“Never mind that. You can have the <i>Stella</i>,” I -answered, with a smile, intending him to infer that I -knew much more.</p> - -<p>“I know I’m a clumsy sort of ass. I suppose I -gave it away. Dashed if you don’t beat me;” and -he shook his head in perplexity as he first tried to -relight his cigarette and then threw it away and started -a fresh one.</p> - -<p>“Did Major Sampayo tell you why he thought I was -leaving in such a hurry?”</p> - -<p>“Here, hold on. I’m getting a bit afraid of you.”</p> - -<p>“I am the last man in Lisbon you need be afraid -of, lieutenant. I have the greatest desire for your -friendship and—if you would like to give it—your -confidence.”</p> - -<p>I spoke earnestly and he glanced at me with a -hunted, harassed look in his eyes, and then reached -for the brandy again. I put it out of his reach. “I -never was more serious in my life,” I added. “If -I can ever help you, you have only to ask.”</p> - -<p>He got up. He was pale and shaking. “I think -I’ll go,” he said.</p> - -<p>“Very well. But don’t forget what I’ve said. -I mean it, on my honour;” and I held out my hand.</p> - -<p>Instead of taking it he looked intently into my eyes<span class="pagenum" id="Page_124">[124]</span> -and then, to my surprise, and pain, he seemed to crumple -up suddenly. He threw himself back into the chair, -covered his face with his hands and burst into tears.</p> - -<p>It is hateful to see a man cry, but the feeling I had -for him was rather pity than contempt. His tears -told me so much. He was the merest tool in Sampayo’s -hands, and his weak nature was as clay for the stronger -man’s moulding. Miralda’s words flashed across my -mind—that behind her betrothal to Sampayo was a -“story of shame and crime.” Here was the key to it, -I was convinced.</p> - -<p>The shock of learning that I knew Sampayo was in -the background, his fear of what I knew, followed by -my earnest offer of friendship, confidence and help, -coming at a moment when he was shaken by a night -of dissipation, had unmanned him.</p> - -<p>With an excuse that I had to speak to Bryant, I -left him alone for a few minutes, and when I returned -he was staring out of the window smoking.</p> - -<p>“You’ll think me an awful fool and baby, Mr. -Donnington,” he said nervously and shamefacedly.</p> - -<p>“No. Any man might break down under the load -you are carrying.”</p> - -<p>“May I come and see you again? I’m all shaken -up now.”</p> - -<p>“You can do better than that. Tell me now.”</p> - -<p>“How you read a fellow’s thoughts.”</p> - -<p>“Sit down and tell me frankly what hold Major -Sampayo has on you.”</p> - -<p>“I—I can’t tell you.”</p> - -<p>“Is it money?”</p> - -<p>“I—I can’t tell you,” he repeated, in the same -hesitating way.</p> - -<p>“I shan’t preach. I only wish to help.”</p> - -<p>“I—I can’t tell you. I—I daren’t. I wish to -heaven I dared.”</p> - -<p>“You mean because of—your sister and all the -others involved?”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_125">[125]</span>With a quick start he asked, “Is it on her account -you ask?”</p> - -<p>“It is on your account, I ask.”</p> - -<p>He wavered, but with a shrug of his thin shoulders -he turned back to stare out of the window again. After -a pause he said somewhat irritably. “I’m not in the -confessional box, Mr. Donnington. You’ve no right to -question me. And after all, you can’t help me.”</p> - -<p>“If you think that, there’s an end of the thing, -lieutenant.”</p> - -<p>“Now I’ve put your back up, I suppose?” and -he laughed feebly.</p> - -<p>“Not in the least, I assure you. I know that you -are in a devil of a mess——”</p> - -<p>“How do you know it? Has Miralda——” he -broke in.</p> - -<p>“Don’t mention your sister’s name, please,” I -interposed in my turn, speaking sharply.</p> - -<p>“Sampayo says you hate him on her account. -And he hates you. There’s no mistake about that.”</p> - -<p>“Yet he sent you to borrow my yacht.”</p> - -<p>“That’s for another thing altogether—there I go. -If I stop here you’ll have everything out of me.”</p> - -<p>“If you mean in regard to this wretched conspiracy, -I probably know much more than you could tell -me.”</p> - -<p>His jaw fell in his surprise. “You know and yet -lend the <i>Stella</i>? Why, are you——” He paused -and stared at me in gaping bewilderment.</p> - -<p>There could be only one reason for this. The <i>Stella</i> -was to be used for some purpose connected with the -revolutionaries and he had jumped to the conclusion -that I was in league with them. Before I could reply -he saw his mistake. “What a mess I’m making of -things,” he muttered to himself; and then to me -weakly—“Don’t question me any more, Donnington.”</p> - -<p>“Very well. But I was not asking you about that -at all, merely your personal affairs.”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_126">[126]</span>He stood glancing at me nervously and irresolutely. -“I say, you won’t give me away, will you?”</p> - -<p>“You have my word on that.”</p> - -<p>“Not even to Miralda, I mean? I told her I wanted -to talk to you, but she wouldn’t hear of it.”</p> - -<p>“When was that?”</p> - -<p>“A couple of days ago.” That was before our talk -on the <i>Stella</i> when she had been intent upon keeping -me at a distance.</p> - -<p>“Why did you ask her?”</p> - -<p>“There you go again. You said you wouldn’t -question me. I wish you wouldn’t,” he said peevishly, -and then added with utter inconsequence; “she used -to be always speaking of you when she came back -from Paris. You were Miralda’s Englishman, you -know. And when you turned up here——”</p> - -<p>“I’d rather you didn’t tell me.”</p> - -<p>“You are an odd mixture. One minute you want -to know everything and the next you shut me up. -She’s awfully white and it’s because it’s so hard on -her that I feel such a brute. I——” he pulled up -suddenly and seized his hat. “No, hang it, I can’t -tell you now.”</p> - -<p>At that moment Bryant brought in a letter from -Volheno asking me to go to him at once, and when -we were alone again Vasco held out his hand. “May -I come again? I—I <i>should</i> like to tell you.”</p> - -<p>I told him to come any time, and having made me -repeat my promise not to give him away, he wrung -my hand and went off.</p> - -<p>So Miralda was being sacrificed to save her brother -from the consequences of the “shame and crime” -of which he had been guilty. That was unmistakably -plain now; as plain as that Sampayo was the -brute who was demanding the sacrifice as the price -of his silence.</p> - -<p>In one way it was good news to me. I had feared -that there might prove to be some other obstacle far<span class="pagenum" id="Page_127">[127]</span> -more difficult to overcome. But the instant I sent -Sampayo flying for life from the vengeance of the -Corsican, Prelot, this barrier would cease to have terrors -for either Miralda or her weak-kneed brother. It -would be best, however, to learn what this crime was -before dealing with Sampayo.</p> - -<p>It must be serious, for Vasco was absolutely helpless; -so much so that Miralda had forbidden him to -speak to me. But that must have been before our -explanation on the <i>Stella</i>. Would she still forbid -him?</p> - -<p>Other points in the interview were by no means so -clear as the evidence of Sampayo’s power. Why had -he been sent to me? Was it merely to ascertain whether -I had escaped the snare laid on the previous night? -If so why the request about the <i>Stella</i>?</p> - -<p>The two things appeared to be inconsistent, and -yet there was a possible explanation. Knowing -Vasco to be a fool, Sampayo had had to prompt him -with a reason for the call, supposing I had escaped from -the toils. Vasco was prepared to find me gone. He -had blurted that out; and Sampayo had probably -coached him with the request for the yacht to conceal -his own hope—that I was dead—and at the same time -to give him something to talk about if I were found -at home.</p> - -<p>Could that request for the yacht be genuine? If -so, for what purpose was it wanted? I could not -answer that riddle at present, but I might be able to -get the answer from Vasco.</p> - -<p>As I was leaving to go to Volheno, I remembered -the ease with which Barosa’s men had got into the -flat, so I told Bryant to get a new lock and a bolt -and have them fitted that day. I had had enough of -midnight visitors.</p> - -<p>Volheno received me as courteously as ever, but -I soon found that he was profoundly perplexed about -my conduct.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_128">[128]</span>“I expected you much earlier, Mr. Donnington.”</p> - -<p>“I am sorry. I didn’t get to bed till six o’clock and -lay late.”</p> - -<p>“You’ll understand that I have been anxious to -hear your news. You have rendered me a most valuable -service by giving me the information about that -Rua Catania house, and you will add immensely to -my obligation if you’ll tell me about this affair last -night in the Rua Formosa.”</p> - -<p>“I have not rendered you any service at all, as a -matter of fact. I was coming to see you about your -letter. It was a complete puzzle. I did not write -to you at all.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t understand.”</p> - -<p>“Neither do I altogether. But if you received a -letter signed with my name giving information, it was -a forgery.”</p> - -<p>“Mr. Donnington! Are you serious?”</p> - -<p>“Never more sober in my life.”</p> - -<p>He rang his table bell. “Tell M. Dagara to come to -me.”</p> - -<p>“He is out, sir.”</p> - -<p>“Tell him to come to me the instant he returns. I -had no doubt that the signature was yours. I couldn’t -doubt it.”</p> - -<p>“Well, you must doubt it now. I declare to you -positively that I did not write the letter which put you -on the track of that Rua Catania business.”</p> - -<p>“I am bound to say I thought it strange that, having -been only a few hours in the city, you should have -got secret information which my people have been -trying in vain to get for weeks.”</p> - -<p>I let this go without a reply, but he guessed my -reason for silence.</p> - -<p>“Had you any such information in your possession?” -he asked, shooting a quick questioning glance -at me.</p> - -<p>“I think I would rather not answer that question.”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_129">[129]</span>“That means that you had, of course, and makes -the matter all the stranger.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I’ll admit I knew something,” I said on -second thoughts, reflecting that I should have to -explain the previous night’s affair. “These are the -facts. You remember warning me not to be in the -streets at night. I disregarded the warning and on -the second night I got into the middle of a fight between -the mob and the police, and had to run for it. -By chance I found shelter in that house in the Rua -Catania and afterwards learnt the character of the -place.”</p> - -<p>“You saw some of these villains there, of -course?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, and had a bit of trouble, but I got out all -right.”</p> - -<p>“Do you know the men?”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” I said, after considering. “But the position -is this. I only got away by passing my word of honour -not to speak of anything or any person I had seen -there.”</p> - -<p>“Of course such a pledge given under those circumstances -is not to be considered binding. Do you know -the names of any of them or——”</p> - -<p>I shook my head. “I must keep the word I gave, -M. Volheno.”</p> - -<p>“Would you keep your word to a murderer who -spared your life on condition that you kept secret a -murder you had seen him commit?”</p> - -<p>“That case has not arisen and I would prefer not -to discuss questions of casuistry.”</p> - -<p>“But these men are assassins and worse. They -are enemies of the State ripe for any evil work. I must -press you to tell me all you know.”</p> - -<p>“My lips are sealed. And to that fact I owe my -escape from worse trouble last night.”</p> - -<p>“Well, tell me that then,” he said, with a deep -frown of vexation.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_130">[130]</span>“The letter you received in my name was really intended -to fix on me a charge of having broken my -pledge;” and I went on to give him a short and carefully -worded account of what had passed, laying -particular stress upon my treatment by the police.</p> - -<p>He put the last point aside with a short promise -that the matter should be sifted, and then questioned -me at great length and with all the pressure he -could exert to get me to give the names of the men -I had seen, or a description of them.</p> - -<p>I resisted all his pressure and then he tried argument. -He explained the position of the Government, -and their difficulties; the urgent necessity that they -should know who were their friends and who their -enemies, declaring that my information might be of -positively vital importance.</p> - -<p>In reply I uttered one or two home truths, telling -him that in my opinion they were trying their hands -at repression in a very amateurish fashion; employing -enough force to render many classes of the people dissatisfied -and violent, but not enough to keep them -in subjection.</p> - -<p>We were hammering away at this when Dagara -entered.</p> - -<p>“You asked for me, sir?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes. Bring me the file of personal letters—A -to F. That brings us back from the general -question to your part in particular, Mr. Donnington,” -he said, when the secretary had gone out again.</p> - -<p>“You must not press me any more. I cannot do -what you ask.”</p> - -<p>But he did press me very strongly indeed, and -then Dagara returned with the file of letters.</p> - -<p>“I want that which Mr. Donnington wrote about -the Rua Catania affair. Just find it.”</p> - -<p>I was not a little curious to see whether the copy -I had made had been returned.</p> - -<p>“I think I left it in my desk,” said Dagara.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_131">[131]</span>“Oh, how many times have I told you to file these -at once.”</p> - -<p>“I did file it, sir, but if you remember you asked -for it when you were dictating the reply to Mr. Donnington.”</p> - -<p>“Manoel, Manoel, is that any excuse for not refiling -it at once?” exclaimed Volheno, and proceeded to -lecture the man for his carelessness.</p> - -<p>It was well for me that both of them were thus -engaged, and I rose and strolled to the window and -looked out.</p> - -<p>“Manoel,” was his first name, then, “Manoel -Dagara”; and in a flash the identity of the “M. D.” -of the cipher message was plain.</p> - -<p>This sleek, secretive, smooth-tongued secretary who -had parried my questions with the unctuous plea -that his employer enjoined such close silence in regard -to his affairs, was in league with Barosa! On such -terms indeed that he even purloined private letters -and carried them to his other masters.</p> - -<p>Here in the very eye of the web of Government -was a traitor.</p> - -<p>Volheno might well say they did not know who were -friends and who enemies.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_132">[132]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XIII<br /> - - -<small>MIRALDA’S CONFIDENCE</small></h2> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap2">AS the door closed behind Dagara I returned to -my seat. M. Volheno was obviously annoyed -by the incident, but I observed that it was rather the -fact of the secretary’s negligence than the consequences -of it which had ruffled his temper.</p> - -<p>“You would scarcely believe, judging by this, the -trouble I have taken to train that young man. Since -his marriage there has been some difference in him; -but he is usually as dependable as a machine, and -does his work with precision, speed and silence.”</p> - -<p>“A man of the kind is, of course, essential for such -confidential affairs as yours,” I replied.</p> - -<p>“Of course I can trust him. He has my entire -confidence and is a perfect encyclopædia of details. -As a matter of fact he is a distant connexion of mine, -an orphan, and I educated him.”</p> - -<p>“Such a man has reason to be grateful,” I said.</p> - -<p>“I believe he would give his life for me,” declared -Volheno confidently.</p> - -<p>Dagara came back then, but without the letter, and -I concluded that Maral had failed to send him the copy -I had made. While he was making his explanation I -observed him very carefully.</p> - -<p>He was genuinely troubled, as he might well be, -indeed; but there was so little in his look and manner -suggestive of roguery or hypocrisy that, despite what -I knew, I set him down as an honest fellow who had -been forced against his will into this treachery.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_133">[133]</span>His explanation was that the letter was probably -among his employer’s papers and that he would make -a search for it; and Volheno, trusting him implicitly, -accepted the story and sent him away with another -word or two of censure.</p> - -<p>Then he resumed his efforts to get me to disclose -what I knew, but adopted a different line. He referred -to the concessions, and gave me to understand -that, whereas it would help me in regard to them if I -told him things, my refusal would as certainly prejudice -my chances.</p> - -<p>I did not attach the value of a rotten orange to them, -but I deemed it judicious to make a fine display of -rather indignant surprise.</p> - -<p>From that he went a step further—that although he -himself had no doubt that I had acquired the information -innocently, it was highly probable that those to -whom he was bound to report the matter would not -take the same view; and he hinted that in such a case -I might receive a request to leave the country.</p> - -<p>That touched me on the raw, but I instantly professed -a readiness to leave. I would go that very day -if he wished, but in such a case, of course, the concessions -would be dropped and there would be no plums -in the future for those who looked for them in return -for help at the present.</p> - -<p>And then he grew a little more subtle.</p> - -<p>“There is another point, Mr. Donnington. We -shall necessarily take more interest than heretofore -in your movements.”</p> - -<p>“I am quite indifferent about that,” I replied. -“You may quarter your agents in my rooms and on my -yacht, if you wish.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t mean any such thing as you imply. But -you have certain friends in Lisbon, and——”</p> - -<p>“On your introduction,” I reminded him.</p> - -<p>“There is, for instance, the Visconte de -Linto.”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_134">[134]</span>“To whom I was presented by the Marquis de Pinsara.”</p> - -<p>“Some of his family were known to you previously. -The whole of that family occupy a somewhat peculiar -position. You may have heard that the visconte filled -for some years a Court position with a good emolument -and no duties. M. Franco has put an end to -that—as in so many other cases—and this has produced -both discontent and bitterness in some quarters. -Between such discontent and actual disaffection, -the gap is small; and we cannot help being impressed -by a coincidence where we find close friendly relations -between some such family and a foreigner who suddenly -acquires such dangerous information as you -yourself possess.”</p> - -<p>“If you mean that my acquaintance is likely to -prejudice them in any way, it shall cease. But it is a -mare’s nest—nothing more.”</p> - -<p>“The prejudice might be against you, Mr. Donnington. -The position of that family is—peculiar. -The visconte is angry and embittered by the loss of -his salary. His wife is indiscreet and has often spoken -against the Government in very strong terms. The -son is a lieutenant in the one regiment in Lisbon some -of whose officers are not wholly free from a suspicion -of disaffection. And the daughter, a very charming -young lady, is engaged to marry another officer of the -same regiment and, further, has one or two friends—one -especially—who is something of an enigma. Then -you arrive, and—well, you can draw the inference.”</p> - -<p>I smiled. “The inference I draw, M. Volheno, is -not from surmise but from a knowledge of facts.”</p> - -<p>“Now don’t you think you would be well advised -to let me have in confidence the information you have -gained?”</p> - -<p>“I have already explained—I am bound by my -word.”</p> - -<p>“Then we can do no good by further discussion,”<span class="pagenum" id="Page_135">[135]</span> -he exclaimed abruptly, and rose to end the interview.</p> - -<p>I hesitated a moment whether to tell him that I had -really come to Lisbon on Miralda’s account, but -thought it better to hold my tongue. It would have -shown him the strength of his threat to pack me out -of the country.</p> - -<p>The interview left me with the extremely unpleasant -and disquieting feeling that I was getting out of my -depth in troubled waters which might easily be lashed -into a storm.</p> - -<p>Why he had introduced the topic of the de Linto -family, I could not understand. Yet he must have -had a reason, and I ought to know it. Could I get -it from Dagara? He had Volheno’s confidence, and -if Barosa and his associates could force him to give -them information, I might be able to squeeze him also -under a threat of exposure. The plan was infinitely -distasteful; but if Miralda’s safety was at stake, I -was ready to adopt almost any means to protect -her.</p> - -<p>She was in some danger, clearly. She had told me -herself that, although she was no rebel, she was compromised. -And as Volheno suspected her, it might -be only a short time before discovery would follow -and suspicion materialize into an actual charge.</p> - -<p>Considerably alarmed at this prospect I decided to -come to close grips with Sampayo at once. He might -not be the only obstacle between Miralda and me, but -the situation would certainly be much clearer the -instant he was out of the way.</p> - -<p>I went off in search of him that afternoon, therefore, -but learnt that he was in Oporto and would not return -until the following day. On my way back I met the -Visconte de Linto close to his house and he urged me to -go in with them. He was eager to know something -more about the concessions and his own prospects -in regard to them.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_136">[136]</span>This proved to be a preface to a long account of -his grievances against the Dictator. I was a very -patient, sympathetic listener; and my patience was -rewarded, for I succeeded in steering the talk round to -the subject of Sampayo, about whom I wished to know -the visconte’s real opinion. I appealed to his cupidity, -therefore.</p> - -<p>“I should very much value your advice on a point -concerning Major Sampayo,” I said in a confidence-inviting -tone. “I am told that his influence with the -Government is so great that his help alone would be -enough to secure me all I want. Of course you’ll -see my difficulty. I should be delighted to have my -friends sharing in the good things; but those behind -me naturally expect me to limit the number. Now, -if he can do everything, of course he is just the man -for their purpose.”</p> - -<p>His face fell. “He couldn’t do that, Mr. Donnington. -Of course, he is a <i>wealthy</i> man and all that, but——” -and he shook his head.</p> - -<p>“Scarcely wealthy—in our sense of the word, visconte,” -I replied airily. “Not wealthy compared with men who -are prepared to put fifty or a hundred thousand -pounds into a single scheme.”</p> - -<p>“Will your friends go that extent?”</p> - -<p>“If the concessions are such as I desire, I should be -ready to do much more than that myself.” I spoke -intentionally as if such a sum were a mere bagatelle.</p> - -<p>“You must be a very wealthy man, then, Mr. -Donnington,” he exclaimed.</p> - -<p>I smiled blandly and shrugged my shoulders, and -then became very earnest. “I could of course finance -the whole thing myself; and if I could find some one -here in Lisbon to co-operate with me honourably and -straightforwardly—he must of course be a man of -the highest honour—I might do so; and should of -course leave all the negotiations here to him. Well, -the question is then whether Major Sampayo is such<span class="pagenum" id="Page_137">[137]</span> -a man. I place great reliance upon your opinion, -as he is to marry your daughter.”</p> - -<p>His perplexity at this was almost comical. He saw -that his own chance of plunder was in danger, and -did not know how to save it without running down the -man who was to marry Miralda.</p> - -<p>“You place me in a great difficulty, sir,” he said -nervously.</p> - -<p>“Let me tell you something in confidence, then. -I do not like Major Sampayo. Of course in business -matters we do not allow such personal considerations -to determine our actions, although they may influence -us. I would much rather work with such a man as -yourself for instance. But as his name is known to -those behind me, of course any decision I may make -and my reason for it might reach him.”</p> - -<p>His alarm at this was obvious. “I—I am afraid -I cannot say anything.”</p> - -<p>“Of course as your son-in-law, his success would -benefit you. An indirect benefit, perhaps, but still -a benefit.”</p> - -<p>“Our conversation has taken a very unexpected -turn, Mr. Donnington. I was under the impression -you desired my influence in any event.”</p> - -<p>“It may be a question between yours or his,” I -said, pressing him further into the corner. “That is -why I have spoken as I have.”</p> - -<p>“I—I really cannot say anything. You must decide -for yourself. I should be delighted to be associated -with you, but—but——” he shook his head and paused.</p> - -<p>“But you are afraid of Sampayo?” I finished for -him.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Donnington!” he exclaimed with no little -indignation.</p> - -<p>“Don’t take offence, please, at least until you have -heard me out. Will you give me your word of honour -not to speak of what I wish to tell you?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, certainly.”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_138">[138]</span>“In coming to Lisbon I had another object besides -these concessions. I met your daughter in Paris, and -my disappointment was intense when I found that she -was betrothed to Major Sampayo. I had hoped that -in all my affairs I should have enjoyed the advantage -of your help—as that of a relative by marriage.”</p> - -<p>He tossed up his hands and stared at me in speechless -surprise.</p> - -<p>“Since I have been here—you must pardon my -speaking very freely—it has come to my knowledge -that Sampayo has forced himself upon you by reason -of his knowledge of certain matters.”</p> - -<p>“My dear Mr. Donnington——” He could get no -further, and jumped up from his chair and began to -pace the room in extreme agitation.</p> - -<p>“My reason for speaking in this way is to ask you -one very vital question. If Major Sampayo were to relinquish -his claims to your daughter’s hand, would -you be willing to honour me by allowing me to plead -my own cause with her?”</p> - -<p>“I should be only too——” he cried impulsively -but checked himself in the middle of the sentence, and -shook his head again. “It is out of the question; out -of the question.”</p> - -<p>“I am answered, on the one point. Now, will you -go a step further and tell me why you deem it out of -the question?”</p> - -<p>“I really cannot discuss the matter. I really cannot,” -he said nervously. “You must excuse me.”</p> - -<p>“I cannot press you, of course. But will you think -it over and let me see you again?”</p> - -<p>“I am afraid I must say it would be quite useless, -Mr. Donnington.”</p> - -<p>“Well, the position may have changed when we -next meet,” I said as I rose. “And now, will you -let me give you a hint on another matter. M. Volheno -is my friend, as you know, and when I was with him -to-day I learnt that your attitude toward the Government<span class="pagenum" id="Page_139">[139]</span> -is a subject of close and watchful interest. You -and all in this house will be well advised to be on your -guard;” and without giving him time for the alarm in -his eyes to crystallize into questions, I left him.</p> - -<p>As I crossed the hall his wife met me. She greeted -me very warmly and taking me to the saloon asked -me to wait a moment for her.</p> - -<p>Before she returned, however, Miralda and Inez -came in. Both were surprised to find me there, and -judging by their manner, their surprise was not so great -as their displeasure.</p> - -<p>“You are still in Lisbon, Mr. Donnington?” said -Inez coldly.</p> - -<p>“Obviously. Does that surprise you?”</p> - -<p>“More than I can express. Doesn’t it, Miralda?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know,” murmured Miralda who was very -much disturbed.</p> - -<p>“I have no intention of leaving, madame,” I said -to Inez.</p> - -<p>“No doubt your correspondence detains you?”</p> - -<p>“My correspondence?” I repeated.</p> - -<p>“And your close association with M. Volheno and -the Government.”</p> - -<p>“Inez!” exclaimed Miralda, under her breath.</p> - -<p>I understood then. They had heard part of the -Rua Catania business, but not the sequel; and Inez -had been using it to poison Miralda against me. I was -not unwilling to see the result. “It is well known that -M. Volheno is friendly toward me.”</p> - -<p>“There has been an exchange of letters between -you, I believe.”</p> - -<p>“Well, scarcely. He wrote to me and I have written -to him.” Miralda started uneasily, looked across -quickly, and then dropped her eyes.</p> - -<p>“I have seen your letter to him and have been -speaking to Miralda about it.”</p> - -<p>“You will permit me to doubt that you have seen -the letter I wrote?”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_140">[140]</span>“I have a copy of it;” and she handed it to me. -“You do not deny that that is what you wrote.”</p> - -<p>I glanced over it. It was in her own handwriting. -“Word for word, as nearly as I can recollect,” I said.</p> - -<p>Inez smiled derisively in triumph. “That is how an -Englishman keeps his word,” she sneered.</p> - -<p>“I have kept my word just as an Englishman would, -madame.”</p> - -<p>But Miralda was both perplexed and troubled. “Do -you really mean you wrote such a letter, Mr. Donnington?” -she asked.</p> - -<p>“It is a fact that I wrote a letter addressed to M. -Volheno and couched in those identical terms. Under -the circumstances it was the best course for me to -adopt.”</p> - -<p>Miralda caught her breath and winced as if I had -struck her.</p> - -<p>“Circumstances,” echoed Inez, with a fine scorn.</p> - -<p>“But you had pledged your honour not to reveal a -word of this,” said Miralda, hesitatingly. “You -cannot mean that you broke it deliberately in this -way?”</p> - -<p>“That is perfectly plain,” declared Inez. “It is -only what I told you.”</p> - -<p>But Miralda shook her head and laid her hand on -Inez’ arm, as she appealed to me. “Mr. Donnington?”</p> - -<p>“You know enough of us English, mademoiselle, -to judge whether, having given my word, I should -break it.”</p> - -<p>“There is no doubt,” said Inez, with a contemptuous -toss of the head.</p> - -<p>“You at least have condemned me. And you, -mademoiselle?”</p> - -<p>“If you admit you broke your word, I should be -forced to believe you; but——” and she threw up her -hands with a frown of perplexity.</p> - -<p>“But I have not admitted it,” I said.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_141">[141]</span>“How can you say that in the face of this letter?” -cried Inez, her fingers shaking with anger as she held -it out.</p> - -<p>“Wait, Inez. You can explain this, Mr. Donnington?”</p> - -<p>“I cannot explain anything——”</p> - -<p>“There, what did I say?” interposed Inez, with -contemptuous scorn.</p> - -<p>“To those who have already condemned me without -explanation.”</p> - -<p>Miralda looked at me steadily. “I have not condemned -you,” she said slowly.</p> - -<p>“Then I tell you at once that the letter I wrote was -written with the full sanction of a man whose approval -even the Contesse Inglesia will regard as important—Dr. -Barosa.”</p> - -<p>“Dr. Barosa!” they exclaimed together, but in very -different accents. Miralda’s betokened surprise, Inez’ -scorn and disbelief.</p> - -<p>“It was written last night in his presence, long after -the raid on the Rua Catania house and when he had -thoroughly satisfied himself and others that I had not -broken my word.”</p> - -<p>“I find that very difficult of belief,” cried Inez.</p> - -<p>“Inez! How dare you?” cried Miralda impetuously, -and then winced and flushed slightly in some -confusion, as her friend turned sharply upon her with -a meaning glance.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Donnington is to be congratulated upon having -so zealous a champion,” she said coldly.</p> - -<p>But it was I, not she, who profited by this shaft. -Miralda’s face set and her eyes shone as she held out -her hand to me. “I owe you an apology, Mr. Donnington, -for having stooped to listen to this slander. You -have my word for it that I will not do it again.”</p> - -<p>As I took her hand, Inez coughed suggestively.</p> - -<p>Miralda understood and turned quickly from me. -“There is a limit to what I will endure even from you,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_142">[142]</span> -Inez. You have reached it now;” and Inez, being a -person of discretion, held her tongue.</p> - -<p>I left them, asking Miralda to make my excuses to -her mother, and returned to my rooms in a glow of -pleasure at the proof of Miralda’s confidence in me, and -her zeal in risking even a breach with Inez on my -account.</p> - -<p>At my rooms I found a letter marked “Urgent and -confidential.”</p> - -<p>I guessed of course that it had some concern with the -concessions, and after puzzling over the unknown -handwriting, as one will at times, I opened it without -much interest.</p> - -<p>But I read it with the closest concern. It was from -Vasco, and it gave me the very facts I was so eager to -learn.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_143">[143]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XIV<br /> - - -<small>ALONE WITH SAMPAYO</small></h2> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap">VASCO’S letter was very long, and so rambling and -inconsequent in parts as to be almost incoherent. -It was obviously written under the impulse of intense -feeling, despair indeed; and was in response to my -solicitation of confidence and offer of help.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>“I don’t believe you can help me even if you would, -and I don’t suppose you’ll care to try when you know -the mess I am in. But you said you would, and a -drowning man catches at straws. I am at the end of -things; utterly broken up and ruined; and bar writing -to you I have only two alternatives—to shoot -myself or get more hopelessly into the power of the -man who has done a lot to drag me down. That’s -the mood in which I write to you, and the reason I -write. If you won’t or can’t help me, say so at once.”</p> -</div> - -<p>That was the preface to his ugly story.</p> - -<p>Put in a few words he was hopelessly in Sampayo’s -power. He was a gambler and a hard drinker, and -Sampayo had used both these weaknesses to ruin him. -And ruin him he certainly had, using a craft and cunning -worthy of the man.</p> - -<p>Having got Vasco hopelessly in debt to him and -others, Sampayo had succeeded in having him placed -in a position where he had charge of a considerable -sum of money subscribed by the officers of the regiment. -He had then dunned him for payment and set<span class="pagenum" id="Page_144">[144]</span> -others to do the same, and Vasco had been weak enough -to use this money. Sampayo was of course on the -watch, and had discovered the theft within a few -hours of its commission.</p> - -<p>To frighten such a weakling was easy work; and -Sampayo had at once engineered matters so that the -money had to be instantly forthcoming. Scared out -of his wits, Vasco had admitted his act, and the scoundrel, -in the guise of friendship, had offered to find the -sum on condition that Vasco gave him a written -confession.</p> - -<p>Glad to escape on any terms, Vasco had only too -readily agreed, and exposure had thus been averted. -This was some six months previously. For two of -them Sampayo showed nothing but friendship. Then -the persecution started. Vasco was drawn into the -revolutionary net and forced to commit himself. The -next step was that Miralda should be involved. To -save Vasco she had yielded; and after another interval -the demand that she should consent to marry -Sampayo had followed.</p> - -<p>She had resisted this strenuously—she had been -home from Paris only about a month at the time; -but the utmost pressure had been brought to bear -upon her, not only by the visconte and Vasco, but by -Barosa and the leaders of the revolutionary party.</p> - -<p>For two months she had held out, and had yielded -only a month before my arrival.</p> - -<p>How this part of the letter stirred me will be readily -understood. After my talk with Miralda on the <i>Stella</i>, -it was not mere coxcombry on my part to believe -that, had I come only a month earlier, I should have -found her ready to receive me on the same footing as -in those weeks in Paris.</p> - -<p>I could understand now the reason for Inez’ warning, -Barosa’s references, Sampayo’s instant jealousy, and -that regret of the viscontesse that I had not come -sooner. They had known the reason for Miralda’s<span class="pagenum" id="Page_145">[145]</span> -stubborn resistance, and had feared that my arrival -would lead to her rebellion.</p> - -<p>Vasco’s immediate request was that I would lend him -some money—about five hundred pounds—but he -freely admitted that even if I consented, the money -would not free him from Sampayo.</p> - -<p>I sent him a note at once that I would do what he -wanted and would have the money ready for him if he -would come to me the following evening.</p> - -<p>But I made it a condition that he should go on board -the <i>Stella</i> at once and remain there until the time for -our interview. I did not mean to give Sampayo a -chance of frightening him into admitting he had told -me. I told Bryant to put the letter into Vasco’s own -hands and to go with him to the yacht, and I wrote a -line to my skipper with instructions.</p> - -<p>It proved to be a prudent precaution. Sampayo -returned about midday and as I found out afterwards -went everywhere in search of Vasco, before going to -his own quarters, where I was waiting.</p> - -<p>He had learnt meanwhile that his attempt against -me had failed, but he was genuinely surprised to see -me when he entered.</p> - -<p>“This is an unexpected pleasure, Mr. Donnington,” -he said.</p> - -<p>“I am sure of the unexpectedness,” I replied drily, -taking no notice of the offer of his hand.</p> - -<p>He drew himself up stiffly. “Am I to understand -that your refusal of my hand is intentional?”</p> - -<p>“Am I to understand on my side that you made the -offer of it from any feeling of friendship?”</p> - -<p>“That is a very extraordinary question.”</p> - -<p>“It is not altogether an ordinary visit, Major Sampayo. -It has more to do with business of a sort than -friendship. I am right in thinking you do not feel very -well disposed to me.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, really I have no time just now for talk of that -kind. I have been away from the city and have a great<span class="pagenum" id="Page_146">[146]</span> -press of matters to attend to. Be good enough to -state your business briefly.”</p> - -<p>He said this in a very curt sharp tone and he crossed -to a writing desk, unlocked it and began to turn over -some papers.</p> - -<p>I made no reply, but leant back in my chair and -lighted a cigar. My silence worried him. He kept -up a pretence of being very busy, opening a letter -or two and making some notes as if ignoring my -presence.</p> - -<p>Then under the pretence of fetching a book, he rose -and assumed surprise to find me still in the room. -“Oh, are you still here?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, still here, as you see—waiting.”</p> - -<p>“Your conduct is very extraordinary. You are -trying my courtesy to the utmost limit.”</p> - -<p>“On the contrary, I am only waiting until you have -time and inclination to give me undivided attention. -By all means finish these pressing matters first.”</p> - -<p>“Well, then, state your business at once.”</p> - -<p>“It may take some time,” I said with an apologetic -smile. I could not resist the pleasure of playing with -him a little, as a punishment for his conduct.</p> - -<p>“If it has anything to do with the concessions you -are after, you may spare me and yourself the waste -of time in discussing them. I have decided to have -nothing to do with the matter.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t you think I could persuade you to change -your mind?”</p> - -<p>“Certainly not. The Marquis de Pinsara spoke to -me to endeavour to obtain my influence for you, but I -declined. I will not be mixed up in an affair which -I do not consider quite clean.”</p> - -<p>“I assure you there is nothing in it which would -soil your hands, Major Sampayo,” I said, with just -sufficient emphasis on the “your” to rouse him.</p> - -<p>“I consider that remark extremely offensive, sir,” -he replied hotly. “And you will be good enough to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_147">[147]</span> -understand that I do not allow any man, Englishman -or not, to make offensive remarks to me. I do not -suppose you have come to insult me deliberately.”</p> - -<p>His manner was very hectoring; and as it is sometimes -amusing to allow a bully to believe he can bully -you, I allowed him to enjoy this belief for a while.</p> - -<p>With a start of affected nervousness I exclaimed -quickly, “Oh, I’m sure—I trust——” as if beginning -an apology, and then stopped and lowered my eyes.</p> - -<p>“Then be good enough to be more guarded in what -you say and how you say it.”</p> - -<p>I hesitated as if much impressed and rather cowed -by this and at a loss what to say. “These concessions, -of course....” I stammered when he broke in.</p> - -<p>“You have my answer in regard to them. It is -final. And now I must ask you to leave me.”</p> - -<p>I put in a little comedy stroke, by tossing up my -hands, glancing half-appealingly at him, and giving -a little sigh of regret.</p> - -<p>“You can do no good by remaining, Mr. Donnington. -You asked me just now whether I had offered you my -hand in any spirit of friendliness. I will tell you now, -I did not. I have no wish for your friendship or your -acquaintance.”</p> - -<p>“But you expressed a desire that we should meet -again and I—I made quite sure——” I broke off -again and let the sentence falter out in an indistinct -murmur.</p> - -<p>“You know my decision now at any rate. You -understand our language quite well enough for my -meaning to be perfectly plain.”</p> - -<p>I was rather surprised at his attitude. He appeared -to have quite reassured himself that we had not met -before and that he had nothing to fear from me. And -yet he had set that trap to get me into trouble. I -could only conclude therefore that my present apparent -fear of him led him to think he could safely intimidate -me. So I dug the spur in.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_148">[148]</span>“You said you would welcome a chance of exchanging -our mutual experiences in South Africa.”</p> - -<p>But he did not feel the spur. “I have told you I -do not desire your acquaintance at all,” he said warmly, -adding with a sneer: “Are you Englishmen accustomed -to force yourselves upon one in the way you -are doing now?”</p> - -<p>I let even this go in silence, and he crossed and -threw the door open. “Now, sir,” he said, in barrack-yard -style.</p> - -<p>I rose then. “I think you had better not insist -on my going at present.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t care what you think. Go. That’s all I -mean.”</p> - -<p>“You are deeply involved in a certain conspiracy, -Major Sampayo. I have absolute knowledge that -concerns you closely.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, this is blackmail, eh?” he cried. “You -want to force me to help you by threatening me. Well, -I refuse point-blank. Give what information you like. -You are a spy.”</p> - -<p>I gave him a steady look and answered very deliberately. -“You mistake me. I did not give the -information which led to that raid in the Rua Catania, -but—I know who did.”</p> - -<p>I got right home with that thrust, and as he glared -at me, that old perplexed, speculative fear of me came -creeping back into his eyes. He tried to fight it back by -encouraging his rage. “Are you going to force me -to kick you out, you spy?” he cried fiercely.</p> - -<p>“A spy is an object of contempt, quite kickable, of -course; but Dr. Barosa would probably regard a -traitor as infinitely more despicable.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know what you mean,” he said, even more -angrily, but also with more fear.</p> - -<p>I paused. “You forged the letter in my name. -I have the proofs here;” and I took out the letter and -held it up.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_149">[149]</span>He burst into a loud scoffing laugh, the effort of which -was obvious. “You must have lost your senses.” -Even his voice was beginning to grow unsteady.</p> - -<p>Having frightened him to this extent, I took a -chance. It was certain of course that he must have -carefully practised the copying of my handwriting -before he forged the letter, so I glanced round significantly -at his desk and said: “You are forgetting that -you have not been in this room for more than thirty -hours.”</p> - -<p>It was an excellent bluff. He was scared right -through. He changed colour, and the quick look -which he shot involuntarily at the desk was instinct -with fear. It was several seconds before he could -recover himself sufficiently even to bluster.</p> - -<p>“I’ll have no more of this,” he said with an oath and -came toward me threateningly.</p> - -<p>I knew him to be a wretched coward and was not -in the least doubt that if he laid hands on me I could -more than hold my own; so I let him come, my eyes -fixed very steadily upon his. About two paces from -me he stopped.</p> - -<p>“Are you going?” he asked.</p> - -<p>I made no answer and no movement.</p> - -<p>“I’m in no mood to be trifled with.”</p> - -<p>I let this go also without reply. I kept my eyes -steadily on his face, and saw the struggle between -his rage and his fear, and at one moment his rage all -but won. His face set viciously and he tried to conceal -his intention under an assumption of contempt.</p> - -<p>“You are too contemptible to touch,” he said, as -he moved back and then turned to his desk.</p> - -<p>For a moment he misled me. I thought he meant no -more by the insult than a cover for his cowardice. -But I soon changed my opinion. His back was toward -me, and I saw that while pretending to turn over his -papers, his left hand went stealthily to a drawer. I -guessed his intention.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_150">[150]</span>The purpose in his mind when he had meditated that -attack had not been to put me out of the room, but to -secure the proofs of his treachery which I said were in -my possession. He was looking now for a weapon -with which to force them from me.</p> - -<p>To test him, as well as to interrupt his search, I made -a feint of leaving.</p> - -<p>“I will go now,” I said and stepped toward the door.</p> - -<p>“No, by Heaven, not until this thing is cleared,” he -cried, and rushing to the door he locked it, pocketed -the key, and hurried back to the desk.</p> - -<p>Knowing the man, I had of course taken the precaution -of having my own weapon with me, and was -about to take it out when another thought struck me.</p> - -<p>Instead of the revolver, I took out a letter from the -Corsican, Prelot, which had been forwarded to me -that morning.</p> - -<p>“What is there to be cleared up?” I asked, in the -same steady, stern tone I had used before.</p> - -<p>He found his revolver then and holding it behind -him turned round. “You have made a lying charge -against me. You say you have the proofs. Give me -them.”</p> - -<p>“I refuse to do anything of the sort.”</p> - -<p>“I think you will,” he replied, with a cunning leer, -and he covered me.</p> - -<p>“Do you dare to threaten me?”</p> - -<p>“Hand them over at once. Don’t fool me.”</p> - -<p>I hesitated a moment.</p> - -<p>“I give you five seconds,” he thundered.</p> - -<p>“I had certain information in this letter,” and I -held up the Corsican’s.</p> - -<p>“Give it to me.”</p> - -<p>I folded it up and threw it close to him.</p> - -<p>With a chuckle he stooped and picked it up, and -as he began to read it I took out my own weapon.</p> - -<p>The door was locked and he might be really dangerous -when he learnt the peril which menaced him.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_151">[151]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XV<br /> - - -<small>IN THE FLUSH OF SUCCESS</small></h2> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap">MY precaution proved to be unnecessary.</p> - -<p>As Sampayo read the first page of the letter -his expression was merely one of perplexity. Prelot -had begun with a recital of the places he had visited -since writing to me before, and this told nothing of -any significance.</p> - -<p>Sampayo read it hurriedly and turning the page -glanced down at the signature.</p> - -<p>He started violently, and stared at the words for -the space of a few seconds like a man bewitched. The -hectic flush of triumphant cunning changed to a deathly -grey. His hand shook so that the paper crackled; -then his teeth began to chatter; the trembling spread -to his limbs, and the whole of his big frame quivered -and shook till he reeled under the shock and had to -cling to the table for support.</p> - -<p>His eyes all this time were fixed glassily on the signature -of the letter; his breath was laboured and stertorous -as he gasped for air; and he made frantic efforts -to fight against the palsy of terror. He failed. And -at length the revolver dropped from his nerveless -hand, the letter fluttered to the floor, and with a groan -he collapsed into the chair near him helpless, inert, -and unconscious, his bullocky head lolling over the -back with gaping mouth and staring but unseeing -eyes.</p> - -<p>I laid him down on the floor, and pocketed his -revolver lest, when he recovered, he might have a fancy -to put a bullet in me. Then I helped myself to the key,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_152">[152]</span> -and having unlocked the door, put the key in my own -pocket.</p> - -<p>Next I picked up Prelot’s letter and was beginning -to hunt round for some brandy when it occurred to -me to look in his desk to make sure that he had no -other weapons and also to see if there was any evidence -that he had been practising my handwriting. A hasty -search gave me just what I wanted. Hidden away -in a small drawer I found some sheets of paper on one -of which was the draft of the letter he had written in -his own handwriting; while among the others were -his first attempts at the forgery and with them a -letter of mine written to Volheno announcing my -arrival in Lisbon.</p> - -<p>I concluded that Sampayo had been disturbed at -his work and had put the papers away hurriedly and -forgotten them.</p> - -<p>Lastly I turned my attention to restoring him. I -found a decanter of brandy and gave him some. The -spirit soon began to take effect, and then I lit another -cigar and sat down to wait until he should be ready -to resume operations.</p> - -<p>When at length he sat up he passed his hand -across his eyes in dazed bewilderment, as a man will -when awakened suddenly from an ugly dream. Then -with a start he began to stare about the floor as if -looking for the letter, and not seeing it he gave a -deep sigh of intense relief, apparently convinced that -the thing was no more than a nightmare horror.</p> - -<p>“If you’re looking for that letter, I have it,” I -said quietly.</p> - -<p>With a shuddering start at my voice—I was behind -him and he had not seen me—he swung round and -stared at me, and began to shake again as his terror -returned.</p> - -<p>“Here, you’d better have some more of this;” and -I poured him out a wine-glassful of brandy and gave it -him.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_153">[153]</span>He made one gulp of it and sat leaning forward, -trying to think. Presently he scrambled to his -feet and sank with a sigh into the chair, leant his -arms on the desk and buried his face in his hands.</p> - -<p>For some few minutes—five probably—he remained -in this attitude of utter dejection. Then he let his -hands fall on the desk, turned his head slightly so that -he could see exactly where I was, and shifted his position -so that the action of his left hand should be hidden -by his body.</p> - -<p>He was reaching for his revolver of course. A start -and a grunt of dismay announced his disappointment.</p> - -<p>“If you feel steady enough to shoot, you’re fit to -talk,” I said sharply; “and we’ll get this thing -over.”</p> - -<p>There was a long pause before he spoke. “What -is it?” he murmured then, slowly and sullenly.</p> - -<p>I gave him another shock then. Imitating Prelot’s -voice as nearly as I could recall it, I stamped my feet -and called out, “Ah, Jean Dufoire, at last!”</p> - -<p>The effect was electrical. He sprang up and turned -round in a positive agony of terror.</p> - -<p>I laughed. “I began to think you might have -forgotten your name.”</p> - -<p>With a scowl of hate he flung a bitter curse at me.</p> - -<p>“Well, it’s roused you anyway, and now listen -to me. You are either going to do exactly what I tell -you, or Lucien Prelot and Jean Dufoire will be face -to face before this time to-morrow. Now, which is it -to be?”</p> - -<p>“Who is Jean Dufoire?” he asked, after a long -pause.</p> - -<p>“If that’s your line, I’m going.”</p> - -<p>He let me reach the door and felt in his pocket to -make sure that he had the key; but when I opened -it he started. “Wait,” he said.</p> - -<p>“Which is it to be? Quick,” I said sharply.</p> - -<p>“Tell me what you want.”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_154">[154]</span>“Which is it to be?” I repeated.</p> - -<p>“I’ll do what you wish.” The words came slowly -as if the utterance of each one of them was a torture.</p> - -<p>I returned to my seat. “In the first place, you -have a confession of Lieutenant de Linto’s. Give it -me.”</p> - -<p>With shaking fingers he unlocked a drawer of the -desk and from a secret recess in it took out a paper and -held it out.</p> - -<p>I pushed a chair half-way between us. “Put it -there.” He obeyed. “Now write an admission that -you incited this young fool to take the money having -won large amounts from him by cheating at cards.”</p> - -<p>“I didn’t.”</p> - -<p>“I haven’t forgotten Jean Dufoire’s reputation. -Write what I say—and sign it Jean Dufoire, now known -as Major Francisco Sampayo.”</p> - -<p>He fought against this, but in the end yielded.</p> - -<p>“Now a confession that you wrote the letter in my -name giving information about the house in the Rua -Catania.”</p> - -<p>Against this he fought more stubbornly than before, -but I showed him the papers I had taken from his desk, -vowing I would take them straight to Barosa, and -then he gave in. The sweat was standing in great -beads on his forehead as he placed the papers on the -chair.</p> - -<p>“Now a letter to the Visconte de Linto and one to -Mademoiselle Dominguez renouncing all claim to her -hand.”</p> - -<p>“I will not,” he cried with an oath. “My hand shall -rot first.”</p> - -<p>“It will do that soon after Lucien Prelot has found -you.”</p> - -<p>“I will not,” he repeated, flinging down the pen. -“I dare not.”</p> - -<p>I took the slip of paper and wrote, speaking the -words as I pencilled them. “‘Jean Dufoire is now<span class="pagenum" id="Page_155">[155]</span> -known as Major Francisco Sampayo. You will find -him in Lisbon.’ That telegram I shall send within -five minutes of leaving here,” I said.</p> - -<p>With a groan he threw up his hands distractedly -and rising began to pace up and down. “I dare not. -I dare not,” he exclaimed.</p> - -<p>I watched him very closely and observed that his -movements, at first erratic as if at the dictates of his -overpowering agitation, had a method suggestive of a -purpose. Each turn he took brought him a little -nearer to me. So I stood up and while pocketing the -papers he had written, I held my weapon in readiness, -questioning him the while.</p> - -<p>“What do you mean by dare not?”</p> - -<p>“You don’t understand.”</p> - -<p>“Then make it plain.”</p> - -<p>“No. There is a limit to my compliance. I dare -not do this.”</p> - -<p>“What is it you are afraid of?”</p> - -<p>“I can’t tell you that. My lips are sealed.”</p> - -<p>“Oh come, you weren’t afraid to betray your associates -when you thought to get me into a mess. Why -be afraid now, to get yourself out of one?”</p> - -<p>He was pacing in my direction now and I made a -half turn from him as if to glance at his desk.</p> - -<p>“I would do it if I could, Heaven knows. You’ve -got me in a corner, but——” And at that instant he -sprang forward to grab me by the throat. I was -fully prepared, and instead of getting his hands on me -he threw them up and staggered back from my levelled -revolver.</p> - -<p>“Don’t try that again,” I said between my teeth. -“And now do what I have told you—and do it at -once.”</p> - -<p>He abandoned his intention to try force, and sat -down again at the desk, but he would not write the -letters.</p> - -<p>“I dare not. I dare not. You must do what you<span class="pagenum" id="Page_156">[156]</span> -will. I dare not,” he repeated, over and over again in -answer to my threats.</p> - -<p>This persistent refusal perplexed me. That he was -in fear of his life I knew, for I had convinced him I -meant to set his enemy on his track. But there was -obviously something or some one of whom he was -even more afraid than of me. I could think of only -one man—Barosa. But why of him? And why -only in regard to breaking his engagement to Miralda?</p> - -<p>“Why are you so determined to marry Mademoiselle -Dominguez?”</p> - -<p>“I am not. I will take any oath you like not to -marry her.”</p> - -<p>“Then it is only the written renouncement you -shrink from?”</p> - -<p>“I dare not do it.”</p> - -<p>“Then write a letter to her asking her to release -you and to keep the whole thing secret.”</p> - -<p>“Why are you so set on this?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“Don’t question me,” I snapped angrily.</p> - -<p>He sat thinking in moody despair. He might well -despair being between the upper and nether millstones. -Then at length he took up the pen and began to write, -but stopped and tore up the sheet.</p> - -<p>“You can tell her,” he said.</p> - -<p>I renewed my threats, promising secrecy, but he -struggled hard and at length I got up and went to the -door, declaring I would at once dispatch the telegram -I had drafted.</p> - -<p>“Give me time,” he said then. “Let me have a -week—three days—one day——” he pleaded as I -shook my head. And at last he gave in.</p> - -<p>“Now for my last condition,” I said as I took the -letter. “You will leave the city at once—to-day.”</p> - -<p>“Give me more time. I shall go of course after -this, but I must have some time—two days at least—to -make arrangements.”</p> - -<p>“Not one hour after to-day. If you are still in<span class="pagenum" id="Page_157">[157]</span> -the city to-morrow, this message will go to Lucien -Prelot.”</p> - -<p>And with that final shot I left him.</p> - -<p>There was only a very small fly in the amber of my -satisfaction at the result of the interview. I had secured -all I wanted. I had caused the rupture of the -engagement to Miralda, had put an end to his hold -over her brother, had obtained the proofs of his -treachery toward Barosa, and had given him a -notice to quit which he would not dare to disobey.</p> - -<p>The only point where I had failed had been in learning -that strange secret at the back of his fears which had -made him refuse to write the letter to the visconte. -It was in some way connected with the betrothal; -but beyond that, I could not even hazard a guess.</p> - -<p>But I was in too high spirits at what I had gained -to worry over the minor failure. Indeed, the prospect -of a secret understanding with Miralda was so alluring -that I was more than half disposed to be glad that -the thing had taken this particular course, and decided -not to lose a minute before telling her the -news.</p> - -<p>I was hurrying off to her when I remembered my -promise to have the money for Vasco. I had to get -it from the bank, and while I was there it occurred to -me to put the other papers I had forced from Sampayo -in safe custody. I sealed them up and left them in -the bank’s custody, with instructions that the packet -was not to be given to any one—only to myself in -person.</p> - -<p>This precaution started another line of thought. -Sampayo was at bay, utterly desperate, fighting for -all he cared for in life, and I must reckon with that -and be on my guard.</p> - -<p>What was he likely to do? He had attempted my -life once, even while he was only in doubt whether -I could harm him. What would he do now that he -knew and was desperate? I decided not to run the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_158">[158]</span> -risk of being alone in my rooms until I knew that he -was out of Lisbon.</p> - -<p>Instead of going straight to Miralda, therefore, I -drove down to the quay and sent off a message by a -boatman to Burroughs, my second in command on -the <i>Stella</i>, to come to my rooms with a couple of the -crew.</p> - -<p>Jack Burroughs was just the man for such a purpose—a -’Varsity man of good birth but very small means, -with the roving instinct strongly developed, he had -been half over the globe in search of adventure; and -having a love of the sea, had jumped at my suggestion -that he should come with me, partly as companion -and partly to qualify himself to take command of the -<i>Stella</i> later on.</p> - -<p>Having dispatched the message I drove back to -the visconte’s house. I was in luck, for Miralda was -alone when the servant showed me into the room.</p> - -<p>She was not surprised by my visit and received me -with some little restraint. Her eyes were troubled and -her hand trembled as she placed it in mine.</p> - -<p>“I am glad to find you alone.”</p> - -<p>“I was expecting you, Mr. Donnington, but I am -afraid I am sorry you have come.”</p> - -<p>“Expecting me? But no one except myself knew -I was coming.”</p> - -<p>“You are the bearer of a letter, I think.”</p> - -<p>“Are you reading my thoughts? You amaze me.”</p> - -<p>She shook her head and smiled sadly. “It is unfortunately -nothing occult. But I will ask you not -to give me the letter.”</p> - -<p>I drew a deep breath of surprise. “Do you know -what is in it?”</p> - -<p>“No—but please do not question me. You are mixing -in matters which you cannot understand and I cannot -explain. But do not give me the letter—I—I could not -read it.”</p> - -<p>“Will you not say why? This is so extraordinary.”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_159">[159]</span>“I know it must seem so to you. Oh, why do you -not leave the city?” she burst out impulsively.</p> - -<p>“But the news I bring is good news—at least I hope——”</p> - -<p>“Please, please,” she interposed, holding up her -hand.</p> - -<p>“But if you don’t know the contents of the letter -why mustn’t you read it?”</p> - -<p>“Don’t question me. I cannot tell you. I would if I -might—I am sure you know that. But I cannot.”</p> - -<p>“Who told you I was coming?”</p> - -<p>She shook her head again, growing more and more -distressed. “Don’t offer it to me even. I must take -it if you do but must not read it.”</p> - -<p>I sat thinking a moment. I was almost dumbfounded -by this sudden check at the moment when -I had been so full of confidence. I had hoped -that the instant she saw the letter she would see that -the barrier between us was swept away for good. -And now she would not even look at it.</p> - -<p>She dared not, just as Sampayo had not dared to -write the letter to the visconte. Was there any -connexion between her fear and his? Was this further -evidence of that mysterious power in the background?</p> - -<p>“Very well,” I said at length; and at the words the -expression of her eyes changed.</p> - -<p>But there are more ways than one of gaining an end, -and I was resolved she should know the contents of the -letter before I left; and once more I pressed those -Beira concessions into my service. I chatted at random -for a while and then spoke of them.</p> - -<p>“You’ll be glad to hear that I am getting along all -right in that matter,” I said in a casual tone.</p> - -<p>“I am glad if it will mean that you will be able to -leave Lisbon,” she replied, a little suspicious as to -which concessions I meant.</p> - -<p>I said a lot about Beira and the colony until I had -cleared the doubt from her eyes. “I’ll tell you how<span class="pagenum" id="Page_160">[160]</span> -the matter stands,” I said then, and added quickly, -not heeding her attempts to interrupt me: “There was -a man here who tried to forestall me by using secret -means he possessed to force others, and to-day I have -seen him and he has given me a letter definitely renouncing -his claims and by to-morrow he will have left -Lisbon for good.”</p> - -<p>She understood, but instead of showing relief or -pleasure, her eyes clouded again with trouble, and she -sat with drooped head biting her lip and pressing her -hands tightly together in agitation.</p> - -<p>“Have you no word of—of congratulation?”</p> - -<p>Her congratulation was a deep sigh, a gesture of -despair, and a scarcely audible whisper: “It is too -late.”</p> - -<p>“No!” I exclaimed firmly. “I don’t and won’t -believe that. And I hold too strong a hand now for -any one to beat me.”</p> - -<p>My firmness told. She looked up with the dawn -of hope in her eyes, and if I could read it, something -beside hope, something far dearer to me.</p> - -<p>“My hand on it,” I said, stretching it out.</p> - -<p>She was about to place hers in it, when the servant -announced Inez. On watchdog duty again, of course. -I gave her the letter and whispered quickly: “Take -this now. You know what is in it. I have other -news for you—I have rescued Vasco.”</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_161">[161]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XVI<br /> - - -<small>BAROSA’S SECRET</small></h2> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap">I STAYED a few minutes after Inez’ arrival so -that she should not think she had scared me away, -and I left the house more in love with Miralda than -ever and convinced that had she been free the interview -would have had a very different result.</p> - -<p>I saw Barosa’s sinister influence behind. Sampayo -had evidently told him at once what I had done; he -had instantly sent instructions to Miralda to take the -letter but not to read it; and his power over her was -too great for her to dare to disobey.</p> - -<p>To break down his influence appeared impossible; -it meant a fight against the whole forces of this infernal -conspiracy. And then a somewhat wild, harum-scarum -alternative occurred to me—to carry her away -from it all on the <i>Stella</i>. Vasco was out of danger, and -so far as she herself was in danger from the Government, -she could smile at it when we were once in old England.</p> - -<p>Vasco was already on the yacht. Could I use him -to get her there? And if I did, would she resent my -trick or come to view it as the best, if not the only way -out?</p> - -<p>Burroughs was at my rooms when I arrived, and -he was just the man to help me in such a plan; but -I would not broach it until I had had more time to -think it round.</p> - -<p>I was still undecided when Barosa arrived. I guessed -his object but greeted him pleasantly. He was, -however, too engrossed by the reasons which had<span class="pagenum" id="Page_162">[162]</span> -brought him to make any sort of pretence, and the -moment we had shaken hands, he plunged into the -subject.</p> - -<p>“I have come to see you about Major Sampayo, Mr. -Donnington. I regret to hear that you and he have -quarrelled.”</p> - -<p>“Scarcely quarrelled, doctor. At least I should -not use that term; and pardon me if I say that it is -a strictly personal matter.”</p> - -<p>“I cannot regard it so; that is why I have come. You -have threatened to use certain information you possess -and have required him to leave Lisbon at once.”</p> - -<p>“I should put it very differently, of course.”</p> - -<p>“We need not split hairs,” he replied bluntly.</p> - -<p>“I do not care to be addressed quite so curtly, Dr. -Barosa. If you wish to tell me anything or to make -any sort of request, I am willing to listen in a friendly -spirit. But not otherwise.”</p> - -<p>“I have no wish to offend, but the matter is serious. -I have explained to you once before that we are under -great obligations to Major Sampayo, and any action -directed against him is felt to be directed equally -against us.”</p> - -<p>“Of course I cannot take that view. I have nothing -to do with your aims or concerns or plans. My -action is strictly individual. But perhaps you will -put in plain terms exactly what you wish.”</p> - -<p>“That your persecution of Major Sampayo shall -cease.”</p> - -<p>“Persecution! There is no persecution. Are you -aware that he even attempted my life?”</p> - -<p>“Not for a moment, Mr. Donnington. You refer -to the Rua Catania letter. That has all been explained. -He was not satisfied that you would keep your pledge of -secrecy and intended that merely as a test.”</p> - -<p>“Is it possible that he has persuaded you to believe -that?”</p> - -<p>“Otherwise I should not say it, Mr. Donnington.”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_163">[163]</span>“Well, I don’t, and nothing would ever make me. -He forged my name to the letter and managed to let -you know of it somehow in his belief that you would -deal with me as a liar and traitor. I know the man.”</p> - -<p>“So do I. And the fact that he warned us of the -raid so that nothing should be discovered satisfies me -of his good faith.”</p> - -<p>“Very well, then, we must be content to differ about -it.”</p> - -<p>“You will not forget that he had stronger cause for -distrusting you than we had. We believed that you -had come here for very different reasons from -those openly given—reasons which touched him very -closely indeed.”</p> - -<p>“Did he think I came after him, do you mean?” -I asked with a smile.</p> - -<p>“No, of course not,” he replied, nettled by my -smile,—as, indeed, I intended he should be. “He -believed that you had come on a very different person’s -account.”</p> - -<p>Why did he fight shy of mentioning Miralda by -name? And why was he himself so interested in -forcing Sampayo to marry her, when the man himself -had offered to take any oath I wished that he -would not? “I don’t care a rap what he believed,” -I said, after a moment’s pause.</p> - -<p>“But we care, Mr. Donnington?”</p> - -<p>I paused and then asked sharply: “What is -Miralda Dominguez to you, Dr. Barosa?”</p> - -<p>The question took him by surprise, and the sudden -light which gleamed in his eyes answered my question.</p> - -<p>“She is nothing to me, personally, of course,” he -protested.</p> - -<p>“You misunderstand my question. What is she -to you and your friends?” It was not prudent yet -to show him that I believed I had guessed his secret -of secrets.</p> - -<p>“She is one of us, Mr. Donnington. She is in a<span class="pagenum" id="Page_164">[164]</span> -position to render our cause valuable help, as she has -already done. It is more to the point to ask what she -is to you.”</p> - -<p>I had another shaft ready, but to prepare the -way for the surprise I paused, gave a shrug and a -smile of indifference, and then said quickly: “I -hope to make her my wife.”</p> - -<p>Once more the sudden flame in his eyes confirmed -my former diagnosis.</p> - -<p>“That will not be possible, Mr. Donnington.”</p> - -<p>“We shall see. I doubt if I am more easily turned -from a course I have once taken than you yourself. -I’ll tell you how I view the thing, for it is the pith -and marrow of this business with Sampayo. I came -here for the express purpose of asking her to become -my wife. I found her promised to Major Sampayo. -I set my wits to work and my money, and ascertained -that she had been driven to compromise herself -in your politics. By means of money I succeeded -in learning how she had been forced to join you. My -whip-hand over Sampayo led him to admit that he -did not really wish to marry her—and I found that -you were really the background force which made -him shrink from an open rupture with her. He agreed -to a secret one and gave me a letter to her. I took -that letter and she absolutely refused to open it. I -saw, therefore, that Sampayo had been to you and -that you had ordered her not to read it. Now I’ve -spoken frankly and invite similar freedom from you. -Why did you do this?”</p> - -<p>“I cannot explain to you without entering into -matters that are secret—political matters, I mean, -of course,” he replied, making the addition quickly.</p> - -<p>“Very good. Then you come to me and tell me -that I must not do as I please with regard to Sampayo. -You call it persecution. I apply that term to -Mademoiselle Dominguez’ treatment. Cease that, -give her back her freedom of action, and I’ve done<span class="pagenum" id="Page_165">[165]</span> -with Sampayo. He can stop here or go to the devil -for all I care.”</p> - -<p>“I have told you it is not possible, Mr. Donnington,” -he said firmly.</p> - -<p>“You mean that you, for motives personal to -yourself, will not permit it.”</p> - -<p>“You have no reason to draw any such inference.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I do draw it, and shall continue to believe -it and act upon it until I learn it is wrong.”</p> - -<p>“I tell you it is wrong, wholly wrong and preposterous.”</p> - -<p>I looked at him with a purposely aggravating smile -and shook my head. “As a matter of fact, I know,” -I said. Pure bluff this, of course, but useful.</p> - -<p>He paled with anger and his eyes flashed again. -“You wish to insult me,” he said between his teeth.</p> - -<p>“I should not regard it as an insult if you suggested -that I admired a very beautiful woman, but -if I got as angry as you are, you would conclude that -you were right.”</p> - -<p>He sprang up. “Then you intend to disregard -my warning and set us all at defiance,” he cried, beside -himself with rage.</p> - -<p>“Are you threatening me?”</p> - -<p>“Take it as you will, sir.”</p> - -<p>It was on the tip of my tongue to tell him that I -knew he was the agent of the Pretender and reply -to his threat with one to denounce him to Volheno. -But I checked myself. “You understand I shan’t -take it lying down. I shall hit back. And now I -think we are at the end of this stage of the affair,” -I said; and he left me.</p> - -<p>It was evidently a fight to be with the gloves off, -and I might look for trouble without any fear of -being disappointed. But I should be on my guard.</p> - -<p>I had gained more than a warning by the interview, -however. I had learnt the secret which had -been in the background. Barosa was in love with<span class="pagenum" id="Page_166">[166]</span> -Miralda; and Sampayo was only the stalking-horse -to keep other men away until he could declare himself. -I could not resist a smile at his dilemma. He -could not do anything at present without changing -Inez from friend to enemy and I saw how this -interesting embarrassment could be turned to excellent -account with her.</p> - -<p>But the axis of things was shifted. It was not -Sampayo who had so tortuously woven the web which -had entangled Miralda. It was Barosa himself. And -then came the question why Sampayo had been so -pliant a tool in his hands and so frightened of him. -There was one probable answer to that—that Barosa -knew what I knew about that South African villainy.</p> - -<p>Vasco arrived when I was turning over the problem. -I told him that I had obtained his confession from -Sampayo and that the latter would not trouble him -any more; and he thanked me profusely, making -earnest protestations that he would never touch a card -or a dicebox again as long as he lived. Men generally -make resolutions of that sort at such a moment, of -course. He told me how much he owed to his fellow-officers, -and I gave him the amount.</p> - -<p>Then I suggested that he should return to the -<i>Stella</i> until Sampayo had left Lisbon. This was not -my real reason. I really wished to have him on -board in case I should decide upon the drastic step -of carrying off Miralda and could use him to get her -to go to the yacht.</p> - -<p>But he jumped away from the suggestion as if it -were a red-hot iron. “I am sorry I cannot, Mr. -Donnington. I’ll do anything else, but to-morrow -I must go on duty.”</p> - -<p>“Why?” I asked with surprise at his exaggerated -love of discipline.</p> - -<p>“Don’t ask me that. I cannot tell you. I -cannot really.”</p> - -<p>“But you’ve told me a good deal.”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_167">[167]</span>“I’d tell you anything else. You’re the best -friend a fellow could have. But this is not my secret. -Please don’t question me.”</p> - -<p>“Not your secret, eh? Then it’s some of this -conspiracy business. It strikes me you’re going to -make a fool of yourself. You’d much better have -nothing to do with it.”</p> - -<p>“For heaven’s sake don’t say any more.”</p> - -<p>“Very well. By the way, you wanted to have my -yacht for a day?”</p> - -<p>His tell-tale face was instantly so troubled that I -took it he connected the question with what I had -said before.</p> - -<p>“I shan’t want it, thank you,” he said quickly; -and added with stammering hesitation: “You see, -I’ve given up the idea of taking those fellows out.”</p> - -<p>“All right. But all I was going to suggest was -that you should come for another outing with me -and perhaps get your sister to join you.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I’ll do that any time—but not to-morrow, -or—or the next day. Any other time. I know -Miralda would go—at least—if——” and he stopped.</p> - -<p>“Well, we’ll fix a day soon,” I said, and let him -go.</p> - -<p>Evidently something serious was to take place on -the morrow. What could it be? Was it something -I ought to know for Miralda’s sake? Clearly the -sooner I could get her away the better.</p> - -<p>Later in the evening Burroughs told me a curious -incident. We were smoking, and he broke one of -the pauses with a sudden laugh. “A rum thing -happened yesterday,” he said, in response to my -glance of surprise.</p> - -<p>“Well?”</p> - -<p>“Say, is the king of this benighted country in the -habit of playing the Haroun Al Raschid game?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know, Jack.”</p> - -<p>“Well, it looks like it. I was on the Quay yesterday<span class="pagenum" id="Page_168">[168]</span> -and some of the loafers began looking at me and -nudging one another and chattering—you know -what beggars they are for that—and the thing went -on until there were two or three dozen of ’em gawking -around. I was walking away when hang me if the -whole lot didn’t off with the caps and sing out ‘Long -Live the King.’ I looked round for the King, but -he wasn’t there, and when I was going back in the -launch to the <i>Stella</i> afterwards, one of the hands -told me the crowd had taken me for him, and were -pretty huffy because I hadn’t acknowledged the cheer. -Wish I’d tumbled to it, I’d have played up to it.”</p> - -<p>“You are surprisingly like him, Jack, now that I -look at you,” I said with a grin.</p> - -<p>“Rather be myself, a heap,” he replied drily, and -after some chaff the matter dropped.</p> - -<p>I had been considering how to tell him about -Miralda, and after the next pause I asked him if -he knew why we were in Lisbon.</p> - -<p>“You haven’t told me,” he replied drily.</p> - -<p>“You mean you have guessed?”</p> - -<p>He took his pipe out of his mouth, glanced at it, -and then at me and smiled. “I know the symptoms. -I’ve had the fever myself. You’re the sort to take -it badly too.”</p> - -<p>“I have.”</p> - -<p>“What’s the trouble?”</p> - -<p>“All sorts and plenty of it.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I’m with you, if you want me. I’d love a -scrap.”</p> - -<p>“I’m thinking of making a bolt of it.”</p> - -<p>“<i>Stella?</i>” I nodded. “The lady willing?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know. I haven’t asked her. She’s been -forced to give a promise to some one else. I’d better -tell you something about it;” and I gave him a -short outline of the position.</p> - -<p>“It’s a mix up, sure,” he commented drily. “But -she’s a lovely girl. That’s a cert.”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_169">[169]</span>“How do you know?”</p> - -<p>“A man has eyes, I suppose. She’s a good sailor -too. Seemed to enjoy that bit of a racket on the -yacht.”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” I said, self-consciously.</p> - -<p>“If you can get her to put one of her dainty feet -into a rowing boat, I’ll answer for it that she doesn’t -take it out again except to mount the <i>Stella’s</i> companion, -and the rest would be as easy as shooting -gulls.”</p> - -<p>“But how to do it?”</p> - -<p>He paused, shook his pipe out, refilled it and lit -it. “If you leave it to me, I’d undertake to do it -all right,” he said very deliberately.</p> - -<p>“How?”</p> - -<p>“I said leave it to me. I’ll tell you how when it’s -done.”</p> - -<p>“But you’ve never spoken to her.”</p> - -<p>“All the better.”</p> - -<p>“I should ask her first.”</p> - -<p>“And spoil your chance. Ask her when we’re -half-way across the bay.”</p> - -<p>“It may have to come to that.”</p> - -<p>“Better come first,” he said with his dry smile. -“If you want to win.”</p> - -<p>That was my own thought secretly; but I was half -afraid Miralda herself might resent such a strong -step.</p> - -<p>We lapsed into silence and I sat thinking over the -whole situation, and the longer I thought the stronger -grew my conviction that to get Miralda away was at -once the safest and simplest solution of all the difficulties. -If she would go, of course. Would she? -I could only answer that out of the hopes which her -look that afternoon had roused. If she were free, I -was certain of her. And free she certainly would -be if I dared to carry her off in the <i>Stella</i>.</p> - -<p>Presently we began to speak of another matter.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_170">[170]</span> -We were sitting at the open window with no light -except from that of the full moon, and Burroughs -went out on to the verandah and leant over, looking -about curiously.</p> - -<p>“I suppose you think there may be something -happen to-night by having us up here?” he asked -as he sat down again.</p> - -<p>“Scarcely likely, but I thought best to be prepared.”</p> - -<p>“It’s turning-in time. I’ll keep the first watch.”</p> - -<p>“What have you seen?” I asked.</p> - -<p>“Nothing—except that any one could get in here -easily enough.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I don’t think there’s any fear of that.”</p> - -<p>“I wasn’t talking about fear of anything. But I -shan’t turn in.”</p> - -<p>“Neither shall I, yet. I couldn’t sleep.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I reckon we don’t want to show ’em -they’re expected;” and he got up and closed the -window. “And we shall have plenty of other time -to talk, so we’ll keep a close lip. From what you -told me, this is the night they’re most likely to try -some hanky-panky. I guess, too, we don’t want -too fresh smoke for ’em to smell, so I’ll shake my -pipe out.”</p> - -<p>He did so and drew his chair away from the window, -and I followed his example.</p> - -<p>I was wrong about not being able to sleep. After -a time I dozed off and, at Burroughs’ suggestion, -lay down on a sofa close to him and went off into a -sound sleep.</p> - -<p>From a dream that I was being smothered I awoke -to find a hand pressed tightly on my mouth.</p> - -<p>“Hsh! Wake up. Something’s happening,” -whispered Burroughs.</p> - -<p>I looked round the room. It was almost dark, for -the moonlight was no longer streaming through the -window. I had evidently been asleep some hours.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_171">[171]</span>Then Burroughs caught my sleeve and pulled it -upwards. A sign to me to get up.</p> - -<p>When I stood up he put his lips to my ear and -whispered: “You stay this side of the window. -I’ll go to the other.”</p> - -<p>Without making a sound he crept away from me.</p> - -<p>I stood listening intently, and presently bent down -and peered cautiously at the window.</p> - -<p>There was neither sign nor sound of anything.</p> - -<p>The seconds of suspense lengthened into minutes.</p> - -<p>Burroughs had clearly deceived himself.</p> - -<p>And just when I was on the point of telling him so, -the form of a man showed on the verandah.</p> - -<p>In a second I was on my feet again in the shadow -of the curtain.</p> - -<p>Cautiously the window was pushed open. A man -entered and stood motionless as a statue, listening -and peering round the room.</p> - -<p>With absolutely noiseless tread he stepped forward -a couple of paces, paused again, and then returned -to the balcony.</p> - -<p>A couple of minutes passed before he re-entered, -this time with a companion. The second man remained -close to the window.</p> - -<p>The small circle light of an electric lamp carried by -the first comer flashed for an instant, and then he -started to cross the room.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_172">[172]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XVII<br /> - - -<small>A LITTLE CHESS PROBLEM</small></h2> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap2">AS soon as the two men were separated in this way, -I realized that Burroughs had made a mistake -in tactics. We ought to have stayed together. As -it was, I did not know which of the two he meant to -tackle.</p> - -<p>It turned out that he was in the same uncertainty -about me; but he saw that the man who had crossed -the room was going to switch on the electric light, -and to prevent this he sprang on him and shouted to -me to seize the other fellow.</p> - -<p>I might as well have tried to seize a stroke of lightning. -Before my companion had half finished his -sentence, the man was out of the room and over the -balcony railing, and it would have been sheer folly -to attempt any pursuit.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile, Burroughs, who was as strong as a -bullock, had collared his man, holding his hands -behind him in a grip of iron.</p> - -<p>I closed the jalousies and fastened them, and then -shut the window and fastened that, and then switched -up the light.</p> - -<p>I recognized the prisoner immediately. It was -Henriques—the brute who had been going to strike -Inez that night in the Rua Catania.</p> - -<p>“Run your hands over him and draw his teeth,” -said my friend.</p> - -<p>He had both a revolver and a knife, and I took -these from him and then turned out his pockets.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_173">[173]</span> -Among the miscellaneous contents I found, to my -intense surprise, an envelope addressed to Vasco, -the name being given in full.</p> - -<p>I was careful not to show my keen interest at this, -and something like a flash of intuition warned me -that I must learn the contents of the letter without -Henriques knowing that I had read it. As the envelope -was fastened, this was a little difficult. “These -things may be wanted by the police and may or may -not be important,” I said to Burroughs. Then I -fetched a sheet of paper from my desk, wrapped up -the envelope and the small things and sealed the -packet, placing the revolver and knife by them. I -did it very deliberately so that Henriques should -see, and then I said to him: “I don’t mean to -give you a chance to deny that these thing were -found on you.”</p> - -<p>“Shall I send for the police?” asked Burroughs, -who was considerably perplexed by what I had done.</p> - -<p>“That depends upon this scoundrel. You needn’t -hold him. He can’t do any harm. But don’t let -him get near these toys of his,” and I pointed to his -weapons. I had my plan by that time. I meant -to trick him, and it was part of my plan that he -should believe that the packet was not out of his -sight the whole time.</p> - -<p>“Now, if you make a clean breast of things, I -shall let you go,” I said, turning to the man. “What’s -your name?”</p> - -<p>“Garcia Rosada.” He lied so promptly that I -saw he had been carefully making up his tale.</p> - -<p>I was on the point of telling him I knew his name, -when it occurred to me that it would be better to -affect to believe him. “Who sent you here?”</p> - -<p>“No one.”</p> - -<p>“Why did you come then?”</p> - -<p>He hung his head for a moment as if in shame -and then muttered: “I’ve never been a thief before,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_174">[174]</span> -and if you’ll let me go, Excellency, I vow to the -Holy Virgin I’ll never be one again. Have mercy -on me. I’ve a wife and five children and this will—will -kill them.” He was an artful scoundrel, and -the break in his voice was quite cleverly done.</p> - -<p>I put a few more questions, and he improved on -the tale, saying that his companion was name Ferraz, -and having heard that I was a very rich man, had -tempted him to try and rob me.</p> - -<p>Burroughs’ face, when he saw that I appeared to -believe the yarn, was quite an amusing study. He -was divided between doubt whether I was really -gulled, and curiosity as to my object, if I was not.</p> - -<p>“I’ll write that down while it’s fresh in my memory. -If I find your story true, I won’t punish you, Rosada,” -I said and turned away to my writing table. I made -a pretence of writing, repeating the words aloud and -turning now and then to put a question about some -detail.</p> - -<p>But what I really did was to make up a dummy -packet the exact counterfeit of that on the table.</p> - -<p>As soon as it was ready I crossed again to Henriques. -“There’s one thing you haven’t explained,” -I said, picking up the revolver. “Why did you -bring this and the knife with you?”</p> - -<p>He had his tale ready, good enough for such a -fool as he deemed me. “They are not mine at all, -Excellency. They belong to Ferraz—the man who -got me into this.”</p> - -<p>I put a question or two; and then as if in doubt -I turned to replace the revolver and stood for a moment -in such a position that he could not see me exchange -the packets.</p> - -<p>“You don’t believe that, do you?” exclaimed -Burroughs, with a scoff.</p> - -<p>“I don’t know quite what to believe yet,” I replied. -“I’ll think it over;” and I returned to my -desk, and while keeping up the farce of writing and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_175">[175]</span> -asking occasional questions, I opened the packet and -took out the letter to Vasco.</p> - -<p>It was very insecurely fastened, fortunately, so -that I could open it without showing any signs that -it had been tampered with. As I read it, I found it -was from Dagara, and could scarcely restrain a laugh -of chagrin at the elaborate means I had taken to -discover a mare’s nest.</p> - -<p>It ran as follows:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class="right"><span class="indentright">“<span class="smcap">Lisbon Chess Club.</span></span><br /> -<span class="smcap">438, Rua da Gloria.</span></p> - -<p>“<span class="smcap">Dear Lieutenant de Linto</span>,—</p> - -<p>“I was sorry you could not be at the Club last night. -We had a most interesting series of problems set by -M. Polski, the Polish champion. There were ten of -them and the fifth and sixth will interest you—both -forced mates in seven moves. I hope that all our -playing members will find or make an opportunity -of studying them very thoroughly. I shall have them -printed, of course, and am writing in this strain to all -the members who were not present.</p> - -<p>“I am so anxious to see the general average of play -improved before we meet the Sanatarem Club.</p> - -<p class="right"><span class="indentright2">“Yours sincerely,</span><br /> -“<span class="smcap">Manoel Dagara</span>.”</p> -</div> - -<p>Feeling very much like a man who has most ridiculously -hoaxed himself, I refolded the letter, put it -back carefully into the envelope, and was about to -fasten it when a thought struck me.</p> - -<p>Vasco a chess player! The most unlikely man -in all Christendom to have that profoundly staid disease. -And why should this Henriques be chosen to -carry such a letter and have it on him in the dead of -night when he had come on such a grim mission as had -brought him here?</p> - -<p>Then a reason suggested itself. He must have had<span class="pagenum" id="Page_176">[176]</span> -instructions to deliver it in person to Vasco; and -as the latter had been on the <i>Stella</i> from the previous -night, the note could not be delivered. The man in -such a case, being afraid to leave it about, might well -prefer to have it on him.</p> - -<p>This meant that it was of much more importance -than its contents suggested; and my thoughts flew -to the cipher.</p> - -<p>I was glad now that I had taken all the trouble and -I took some more. I made an exact copy of the -letter, laying a sheet of very thin paper over it and using -the utmost pains to space every word and letter exactly -as it was written.</p> - -<p>Then I fastened it up and made up another packet -and returned to Burroughs.</p> - -<p>“I am still undecided what to do,” I said to him. -“If this man’s tale is true, I shan’t punish him. But -he must stop here for the present, of course. Have -him locked in a room and let a couple of men be -with him.”</p> - -<p>Then I made another exchange of the packets and -said to Henriques. “You can’t have your weapons, -but you can keep this.” And I gave it him.</p> - -<p>Burroughs took him out of the room and was back -again in a minute or two, his face one staring note of -interrogation.</p> - -<p>“What the devil does it all mean?” he cried.</p> - -<p>“He’s an honest fellow that, Jack. He’s been led -into trouble by evil companions and——”</p> - -<p>“Oh, rats!” he broke in. “What were you writing -there? You had me guessing all the time?”</p> - -<p>“I was only writing this;” and I showed him the -copy of the letter.</p> - -<p>He read it and scratched his head. “What is it? -A prize puzzle?”</p> - -<p>“It’s a copy of the letter I took from our friend’s -pocket.”</p> - -<p>“But you wrapped it up in the parcel.”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_177">[177]</span>“You wouldn’t have me rob a gentleman of his -belongings?”</p> - -<p>“But the blessed thing was on the table all the time.”</p> - -<p>“Do you mean this?” and I produced the dummy.</p> - -<p>“It’s on me,” he said with a laugh. He was very -American at times in his idioms.</p> - -<p>“I’m either a big stupid ass and have taken a lot of -trouble for nothing, or I’ve made a useful discovery. -I shall soon know which,” I said explaining how I had -changed the packets.</p> - -<p>Then I fetched the cipher key which I had hidden -in another room and returned to find him puffing at -his pipe and puzzling over the copy of the letter.</p> - -<p>I told him then about the discovery of the cipher, -and laid the key over the lines getting more nonsense -words from the first two or three. Then I read the -letter again and a thought struck me.</p> - -<p>Dagara spoke of ten problems. There were ten -lines in the letter.</p> - -<p>“The fifth and sixth will interest you,” ran the -phrase.</p> - -<p>I laid the punctured slip over these in turn. The -fifth gave me this result. I will put the indicated -letters in capitals.</p> - -<p>“I hoPe that All our Playing mEmbeRS will find -oR make.”</p> - -<p>“P A P E R S R,” was shown up.</p> - -<p>I laid the same row of holes over the next line, with -no results that were intelligible. The second row was -no more fruitful, but the third gave this result.</p> - -<p>“an EArly opportunity of stuDying them thoroughlY.”</p> - -<p>Put together the two lines of indicated letters read—</p> - -<p>“PAPERS READY”—easy enough for Macaulay’s -schoolboy to understand. “Papers Ready.”</p> - -<p>“I’m not a stupid ass after all,” I exclaimed, triumphantly. -“Now we want our considering caps. This -means that some important information which the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_178">[178]</span> -writer of this letter has obtained is waiting to be delivered, -and what we have to do is to get hold of -them.”</p> - -<p>“It’s not in my line,” said Burroughs.</p> - -<p>“I’m going to sleep over it. We’re not likely to -have any more callers, so I shall go to bed;” and to -bed I went, leaving him on watch, as he declared he -should sit up till daylight.</p> - -<p>In the morning I decided what to do. It was clear -that the papers were too important to be trusted by -Dagara to any one but a duly selected messenger. -The care with which the message was sent to -Vasco that they were ready, suggested that he was not -that messenger. Why then should he be told about -them? Probably he had to send the messenger for -them.</p> - -<p>I thought it over carefully, revolving all I knew, and -by the process of exclusion decided it was Miralda. It -must be some one whom Vasco could see at any time, -the moment the message reached him. Even with -Inez, of whom I thought first, this was not practicable. -It might be some fellow-officer; but no one of them -would be so invariably within immediate touch as -Miralda.</p> - -<p>Moreover, it was just the thing for which she could -be used to the best advantage. Dagara was married -I knew, and thus she would only have to pay an informal -visit to the wife for him to meet her and hand over -any papers. Then I recalled that Inez had been one -of the first to see that forged letter of mine which -Dagara had given up, and the conclusion was easy -that when Miralda obtained anything, she handed -it on to Inez for the latter to give to Barosa.</p> - -<p>The inference was strong enough for me to risk -acting upon it. I could not, of course, be certain that -Miralda went to Dagara’s house for any communications, -while that I should go there was out of the -question. I decided therefore to try my hand at a<span class="pagenum" id="Page_179">[179]</span> -cipher message in Miralda’s name telling Dagara to -bring the papers to a spot where I could meet him, -and then take him to the only safe place for such an -interview as ours would be—on the <i>Stella</i>.</p> - -<p>I must contrive to get him there secretly. I remembered -a very little-used landing-stage on the east -of the city round the point, where I could have my -launch ready, and I soon saw a way of getting Dagara -to that spot.</p> - -<p>The message I sent in cipher was as follows:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>“Usual place unsafe. M. waiting now in the Praca -da Figueira for papers.”</p> -</div> - -<p>I wrapped this up in a long letter answering his -about the chess problems, addressed it to Dagara at -Volheno’s and sent Bryant to leave it at the office.</p> - -<p>I had meanwhile bundled Burroughs off to bring -the launch to the landing-stage, and I timed the delivery -of the letter to reach Dagara just about his dinner -interval.</p> - -<p>If the scheme failed, I resolved as an alternative -to find out where he lived and risk a visit to his house -to frighten the papers out of him.</p> - -<p>I had a carriage in readiness as I intended to drive -him in it to the landing-stage; and I was not a little -excited as I started for the Praca da Figueira—a quiet -little square close to my flat.</p> - -<p>I left the carriage out of sight and as I turned the -corner leisurely I felt a little thrill of satisfaction to -see that he was there before me.</p> - -<p>I had worked out my chess problem successfully and -saw my way to mate in less than his seven moves.</p> - -<p>He was walking slowly with his back toward me, -and I quickened up my pace so that I was close to -him when he heard my footsteps, turned and saw me.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_180">[180]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XVIII<br /> - - -<small>DAGARA’S STORY</small></h2> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap">I WAS a great deal more pleased to see Dagara -than he was to see me, judging by the way in -which he took my hand and the little nervous -shrinking movement as I linked my arm in his and -turned back with him toward the carriage.</p> - -<p>“I am afraid I am a little late, but I have made all -the haste I could,” I said with a smile of apology which -perplexed him considerably.</p> - -<p>“You have an appointment then? I myself am—am -waiting for a friend.”</p> - -<p>“My appointment is with you, of course. There -is a change in the plans and I have come to fetch you. -I have a carriage here for the purpose. I was delighted -to come. I want to ask your opinion about something.”</p> - -<p>“I’m afraid I don’t quite understand, Mr. Donnington.”</p> - -<p>“The fact is I want to talk chess with you—about -M. Polski’s ten problems, and particularly the fifth -and sixth.”</p> - -<p>His face turned to the colour of the paving stones -he was staring at so intently, and his voice was as -husky as if half the dust of the city had got into his -throat when he muttered: “What do you mean?”</p> - -<p>“Here’s my carriage. Jump in, and we’ll chat it -over as we drive.” I had already told the driver -where to go.</p> - -<p>Dagara had no jump left in him, poor fellow, and -tried to refuse to get in at all. But with my help he<span class="pagenum" id="Page_181">[181]</span> -stumbled in and sat staring helplessly at me, as I -talked a lot of nonsense about chess—to give him time -to pull himself together.</p> - -<p>“Where are you taking me, Mr. Donnington?” -he asked when I had chattered myself almost out of -breath.</p> - -<p>“He is driving us down to a landing-stage and I’m -going to give you some lunch on my yacht. I have -had a desire for a chat with you for several days.”</p> - -<p>“I am much obliged to you, Mr. Donnington, but I -cannot go now.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, nonsense. I’ll make excuses to M. Volheno.”</p> - -<p>“But I will not go. I won’t be forced in this way,” -he cried, striving hard to rally his courage.</p> - -<p>“Of course I won’t force you. I’ll stop the -carriage.” I leant forward as if to call to the driver, -and then turned with a meaning look. “By the way, -did you find that missing letter the other day?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know what you mean. I demand to get -out.”</p> - -<p>“I know why it was missing, M. Dagara. Would -you rather lunch with me or shall we return together -to M. Volheno? Decide quickly, please. It must -be one or the other.”</p> - -<p>He drew a sobbing breath of fright; and all thought -of resistance was abandoned.</p> - -<p>I let him frighten himself thoroughly until we were -nearing the landing-stage. “Now I want you to understand -things. I shall either be one of the best friends -you ever had or I shall ruin you lock, stock and barrel. -That rests with you. I know all you have been doing -and what your appointment was for to-day. Give -me the papers you have and tell me candidly all you -know about these people’s plans, and I shall be the -friend. Refuse, and I shall be the reverse. And I -can be a very ugly enemy, M. Dagara. We shall not -talk on the way to the yacht and you will have ample -time to think over your position and decide. But I<span class="pagenum" id="Page_182">[182]</span> -must have the papers at once, lest you should take a -fancy to pitch them into the harbour.”</p> - -<p>He hesitated in positively pitiful fear.</p> - -<p>“If you do not give them to me now without trouble, -my men on the launch will take them from you by -force.”</p> - -<p>That threat had a wholesome effect. After a moment -he handed me an envelope which I pocketed, and -he gave no more trouble.</p> - -<p>In consequence of some repairs to the roadway -the carriage had to stop some fifty yards short of -the landing-stage, but he walked to the launch without -demur, and when I told him to conceal himself -in the little cabin he obeyed at once.</p> - -<p>As soon as we reached the <i>Stella</i> I led him into -the saloon. “Now I’ll have your decision, Dagara,” -I said sharply.</p> - -<p>“Will you really try to shield me?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I give you my word—but no half measures, -mind. I know quite enough to test the truth of all -you say.”</p> - -<p>“I’m the most miserable man in Portugal, Mr. -Donnington, and this double life is killing me;” and -then out came his story.</p> - -<p>It was very similar to Vasco’s case—except that -Dagara’s wife had been the means of his undoing. -She had friends among the revolutionaries and had -been in league with them some time before he discovered -it. She had wormed things out of him, as wives can -and do out of husbands who love and trust them, and -had handed on the information to her friends.</p> - -<p>Barosa had learnt this and naturally jumped at the -chance of getting a man in such a position into his -clutches. It was not difficult to lay a trap for him, -and he found himself suddenly faced with the alternative -of giving a little information of a comparatively -harmless description, or of seeing the wife he loved -denounced to the Government as a revolutionary.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_183">[183]</span>Love for wife triumphed over fealty to employer, -and the information was given. It concerned only some -arrangements for the disposition of a body of troops -and police on one occasion when the king was returning -to the capital from a shooting party. But it was given -in writing—Barosa took good care of that, of course—and -from that hour Dagara was a bond-slave and had -never known a minute’s peace of mind.</p> - -<p>By degrees, cunningly progressive, information of -increasing secrecy and importance had been extorted -from him until even his wife was scared out of her -senses and the man himself driven to regard suicide -as offering the only prospect of relief from unbearable -torture.</p> - -<p>I was right in my guess that Miralda had been used -lately as a go-between. She knew the wife, and -Vasco had been dastard enough to induce his sister -to fetch one or two communications from Dagara, -without telling her their nature. She had then been -allowed to discover their treasonable character, and -had immediately refused to carry any more. Then -the screw was turned. She was already compromised -and her name as a suspect would be given up. She -had resisted strenuously, answering threat with threat, -but the thing had been done cleverly, and the only -people she was at that time in a position to harm were -the Dagaras, her friends, and her own brother. The -latter’s prosecution for the theft he had confessed was -the next menace, and this had driven her to yield, -and so, like Dagara, she had become hopelessly entangled -in the net.</p> - -<p>This was almost all that Dagara could tell me. I -put a guarded question about the Visconte de Linto, -but he declared with the exception of Miralda, Henriques -and a friend of his wife’s, he did not know the name of -another person in the conspiracy. Henriques was -the caretaker of the building in which the chess club -met, and carried his letters to Vasco.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_184">[184]</span>The reason for this caution on Barosa’s part was -clear. He knew that Dagara had a very weak backbone -and that at any moment a fit of remorse might -seize him in which he would reveal all he knew to -Volheno. He was therefore allowed to know as little -as possible.</p> - -<p>“But you know what use is made of the information -you have given from time to time?” I asked him.</p> - -<p>“So far as I can see, it has been of comparatively -little use. I have told them from time to time the -objects and plans of the police and have warned them -when suspicion has fallen on certain individuals, or -when raids have been planned. The threatened persons -have disappeared and the raids have brought no result.”</p> - -<p>“You warned them about me and gave them that -letter?”</p> - -<p>“Yes. But in regard to that a curious thing occurred. -I received a communication in the cipher warning -me to look out for it.”</p> - -<p>I understood this of course. In his eagerness that -the attempt against me should not misfire, Sampayo -had sent the warning.</p> - -<p>“But what are these men’s plans?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know. They are of course in league -against the Government, but what they mean to do -I have no idea. That uncertainty is the heaviest part -of my burden. It weighs on me night and day.”</p> - -<p>“Well, let us deal with these papers in particular,” -I said. “What is the information in them?”</p> - -<p>“I was ordered to ascertain the movements of the -police and troops to-morrow evening when the King -returns to the city from a shooting expedition. Except -that in this case I had to get fuller details and -quite exact particulars; the information is no more -than I have supplied before.”</p> - -<p>“Do you suppose any demonstration is to take -place against him or any attempt made to harm him?”</p> - -<p>“God forbid,” he cried instantly agitated.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_185">[185]</span>“Is there anything in the arrangements differing -from those which are usually made?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, there is. His Majesty is not supposed to be -returning for another week and is only remaining for -the one night. He has expressly ordered that the -customary arrangements shall be omitted both on his -arrival and on his departure the following morning -early. He wishes the matter to be kept quite secret.”</p> - -<p>I pricked up my ears at this. “Tell me the police -arrangements.”</p> - -<p>“They are all there,” he replied pointing to the -papers.</p> - -<p>“Tell me generally.”</p> - -<p>“There will be very few police or military present. -He crosses from Barreiro in an ordinary launch—not -the royal launch—and instead of going to the Quay, -he will land at the Eastern landing-stage—the one -from which you brought me to-day. He will be -accompanied only by two members of the shooting -party, and three or four officers will be present to receive -him.”</p> - -<p>“Of any particular regiment?”</p> - -<p>“The First Battalion of the Royal Guards.”</p> - -<p>This was the regiment in which Sampayo was a -major and Vasco lieutenant.</p> - -<p>“Wait a moment. Is not the loyalty of that regiment -suspected?”</p> - -<p>“Oh no,” he replied decidedly.</p> - -<p>“But M. Volheno said something of the sort to -me.”</p> - -<p>“M. Volheno was only trying to draw some admissions -from you, Mr. Donnington. He dictated to me -a <i>précis</i> of his conversation with you that morning; -and I knew at once what his object had been.”</p> - -<p>“Well, go on.”</p> - -<p>“A private carriage will be in waiting for his Majesty, -and he and his two companions will drive in that to the -Palace.”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_186">[186]</span>“But a carriage cannot get any closer to the stage -than ours to-day—that is some forty or fifty yards -from the landing-place.”</p> - -<p>“His Majesty has used that stage more than once -when returning privately to the city.”</p> - -<p>“Since you have been giving away this information?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, once—about six weeks ago.”</p> - -<p>“Will that part be policed?”</p> - -<p>“It never is. His Majesty does not go in fear of -any section of his people. He ridicules the very suggestion -of such a thing, Mr. Donnington.”</p> - -<p>“And M. Franco and M. Volheno?”</p> - -<p>“Are of the same opinion so far as the capital is -concerned. Of course, it would be different in Oporto. -The revolutionaries are strong there. But in Lisbon -there is no more than discontent which the police can -suppress.”</p> - -<p>“I understand. Now, would it take you long to -make a copy of these papers?”</p> - -<p>“An hour, perhaps.”</p> - -<p>“Do so while you are having something to eat. I -wish to think things over.” I left him at the work and -going on deck nearly tumbled over Burroughs, who -was staring intently at some object through the most -powerful glass we had on the yacht.</p> - -<p>“Don’t show yourself, Ralph. Come here a moment,” -and he pulled me under the lee of the pinnace -behind which he was screening his action.</p> - -<p>“What is it?”</p> - -<p>“You’ve infected me with some of your suspicions, -and as you said last night about yourself, I’m either -a stupid ass or I’ve made a discovery which may be -important. I’ve been watching the people on that -boat there—the one with the grey hull and sharp lines. -She’s called the <i>Rampallo</i>. She came in yesterday, -and the old man tells me the whole of her crew were -discharged soon after you sent for me.”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_187">[187]</span>“Well, what’s that to us? We don’t want any -hands.”</p> - -<p>“But she hasn’t taken on another.”</p> - -<p>“I suppose her skipper or owner can please himself.”</p> - -<p>“But the skipper went with the crew as well. And -when I came off this morning to fetch the launch, I -saw that tall young dandy on board her—the fellow -who was out with us.”</p> - -<p>“The devil you did!” I exclaimed, with suddenly -roused interest.</p> - -<p>“There have been two or three boats out to her this -morning, and what can any one be wanting in a yacht -with no crew on board?”</p> - -<p>“Let me have a squint at her,” I said, taking the -glass and training it on her. She was a nice craft, -about 250 tonnage; her sharp lines suggested a good -turn of speed; and everything about her was as smart -as one expects to see it in a private yacht.</p> - -<p>“What drew my attention to her,” said Burroughs -at my elbow, “was that I saw some one carefully -scanning us through a glass, and I thought I’d return -the compliment.”</p> - -<p>“What was he like?”</p> - -<p>The description he gave fitted no one whom I knew. -“He’s been at it more than once since. The old man -has noticed it too.”</p> - -<p>“Are you sure that you recognized that young -fellow?” I asked as I handed him the glass, not having -seen any one on the yacht.</p> - -<p>“I’d eat my sea-boots if it wasn’t.”</p> - -<p>“Well, keep an eye skinned for her. It’s very -singular.”</p> - -<p>I took his advice not to show myself and sat down -on the other side of the deck and lit a cigar to think -things over.</p> - -<p>I recalled Vasco’s request for the loan of the <i>Stella</i> -and the hesitating way in which he had explained that<span class="pagenum" id="Page_188">[188]</span> -he had abandoned the idea of taking his companions -for a day’s cruise.</p> - -<p>Why was he on that other yacht? For a time my -mind was so thronged with the crowd of suggestions -arising out of Dagara’s statement, the events of the -last few days, and now this enigma of a crewless yacht, -that I had the greatest difficulty in picking a course. -In my present mood I was ready to see matter for -suspicion in anything, however trivial.</p> - -<p>Presently Burroughs called to me. “He’s there -now, Ralph.”</p> - -<p>It was Vasco, sure enough. The glass showed his -features plainly; and while I was watching, two other -men came up on the deck and all three went ashore in -a launch.</p> - -<p>I returned to my seat completely bewildered. I -had gained vitally important information, but had -no idea what use to make of it. Rack my wits as I -would, I couldn’t see the connecting link with Barosa’s -plans.</p> - -<p>Then all suddenly a wild thought occurred to me: -far-fetched, extravagant, and grossly improbable; -but not impossible.</p> - -<p>It was that an attempt was to be made on the king’s -life, and that this crewless yacht was to afford the -means of escape for the assassins.</p> - -<p>Possible or impossible I could put it to the test. -It was good enough to form a working hypothesis, -and I plunged into the consideration of the steps to -take.</p> - -<p>In the first place Dagara must go back to the city -with the papers and these must find their way to -Barosa.</p> - -<p>I saw how to do that. I called Burroughs to me.</p> - -<p>“Jack, I am going to take Dagara back to the city -in the launch, and I want you to go at once to my -rooms and liberate the fellow we caught last night. -It must be done cleverly. Tell Simmons to leave Foster<span class="pagenum" id="Page_189">[189]</span> -in the room alone with him and then to fire a shot and -yell to Foster for help. Foster is to rush out, leaving -the door open and the way clear for the scoundrel to -get off. He must be at liberty inside an hour from now -and must have no suspicion that the thing is a plant. -Get going, man. I’ll tell you all afterwards,” I said -as he hesitated and wanted to ask questions.</p> - -<p>Then I went down to Dagara to test him.</p> - -<p>I should have to trust him, for his part was of the -very pith and marrow of my new plans.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_190">[190]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XIX<br /> - - -<small>SPY WORK</small></h2> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap">DAGARA having finished both his task and his -lunch was waiting in some concern to know -what was to come next, and he appeared relieved -when I said he was to return in the launch.</p> - -<p>“I wish you to go back,” I told him, “and act -precisely as if our meeting had never taken place. -With this exception—should any change be made in -these arrangements for the King’s arrival to-morrow -evening, let me know them and do not divulge them -to any one.”</p> - -<p>“And about Mademoiselle Dominguez?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“Well, what about her?” I repeated, not understanding.</p> - -<p>“She got you to meet me to-day after sending me -word where to go.”</p> - -<p>“Oh no, that was a fairy tale of mine. I wrote -that cipher letter. Yours has not yet reached her -brother. But it will do so very soon now, and she -will no doubt go to your house as usual.”</p> - -<p>“But how did you get the cipher?” he asked in -blank astonishment.</p> - -<p>“Never mind about that. The question is, will you -do exactly as I ask? I will call at M. Volheno’s -office to-morrow afternoon and you must manage to -see me and——”</p> - -<p>“He has an appointment from four to five with M. -Franco at the latter’s bureau. If you come then<span class="pagenum" id="Page_191">[191]</span> -I could see you privately without exciting any suspicion.”</p> - -<p>I agreed to do this and then, having got from him his -address and the time when he would reach his house -and give the papers to Miralda, I made certain that -no one on the <i>Rampallo</i> was taking stock of our movements, -and smuggled him into the launch.</p> - -<p>As soon as he had left to return to his office I sent -the men with the launch to wait at the usual landing-stage -on the quay.</p> - -<p>When I reached my rooms, the little farce had been -played and Henriques had gone. I calculated that -his first step would be to deliver the letter to Vasco, -who would immediately send Miralda for the papers, -and my intention was to meet her as she left Dagara’s -house.</p> - -<p>It was essential that I should know to whom she -was to hand them and that person must be shadowed -from the moment they were in his or her possession.</p> - -<p>In the meanwhile I had to ascertain whether -Sampayo had left the city, and to do this I sent my -servant, Bryant, a sharp fellow, with a letter for Sampayo. -I told him to say it was to be given into Sampayo’s -own hands, and if asked, he was to say it was -from Dr. Barosa.</p> - -<p>I wrote one line: “Give you one more hour.”</p> - -<p>He returned with the news that Sampayo had gone. -The furniture was being removed and all the evidences -of a speedy departure were everywhere. I concluded, -therefore, that Sampayo had learnt of the failure of -his little scheme the previous night and had fled.</p> - -<p>In the meanwhile Burroughs and I had discussed -the spy work that had to be done. My opinion was -that the papers would be given to Inez, and if so, -the difficulties would be considerable.</p> - -<p>“Simmons is sharp enough to do it,” said Burroughs; -“but I should suggest that you put both him<span class="pagenum" id="Page_192">[192]</span> -and your man, Bryant, on it, and let Simmons rig -himself up as a Portuguese long-shoreman.”</p> - -<p>I adopted the suggestion and we sent the man out -to buy the necessary disguise.</p> - -<p>“I must be on hand to point out the quarry,” I -said; “but the devil of it is, if she takes them to her -house we shall have the trail cut and shall need to -shadow every one who comes out. And that’s precisely -where she is most likely to take them.”</p> - -<p>“Say, I’ve a great idea,” exclaimed Burroughs, -clashing his big fist on the table excitedly. “What -price my offering to ship aboard that yacht, the -<i>Rampallo</i>?”</p> - -<p>“What’s that got to do with this sleuthing business?”</p> - -<p>“Nothing, but you want to know what game’s -going on on board her.”</p> - -<p>“My dear fellow, let’s stick to one thing at a -time.”</p> - -<p>“It would be great though, wouldn’t it? I’d -make ’em sit up.”</p> - -<p>“Do you imagine for an instant that you are not -known to belong to the <i>Stella</i>?”</p> - -<p>“I didn’t think of that,” he said crestfallen, shaking -his head.</p> - -<p>“Well, don’t think any more of it, and let’s worry -this other thing out.”</p> - -<p>“I can’t get that infernal boat out of my head.”</p> - -<p>We did worry with it until it was time to set out; -but the only thing I could see to do, if Inez took the -papers home, was to call at her house myself.</p> - -<p>Being entirely new to this spy business, I was abominably -nervous and possessed with the conviction that -every one we met knew quite well the reason why we -were strolling along the street with an entirely exaggerated -air of indifference.</p> - -<p>Burroughs and I went ahead, Simmons, got up as -a rather theatrical Portuguese fisherman, was behind<span class="pagenum" id="Page_193">[193]</span> -us, and Bryant, who apparently was the coolest of -the four, followed on the opposite side of the street.</p> - -<p>We had barely reached the neighbourhood of Dagara’s -house when Miralda drove up in a hired carriage. -She stopped the driver a hundred yards short of the -street and got out, leaving the driver to wait.</p> - -<p>My first step was to get rid of the carriage, by telling -the man he would not be wanted and paying his fare -with the addition of a liberal tip.</p> - -<p>In a few minutes Miralda returned and was profoundly -surprised to find me instead of the carriage, -and her hand trembled as she put it in mine.</p> - -<p>“I have sent your carriage away. I knew you were -coming to M. Dagara’s house and the reason, and I -was compelled to speak to you alone.”</p> - -<p>“You have frightened me. What is the matter?”</p> - -<p>“I am only going to ask you to trust me. You -will?”</p> - -<p>“Need you ask that?” and her eyes flashed in -reproach. “But I may be seen with you,” she added, -glancing round.</p> - -<p>“I am not going to keep you long enough to explain -everything—only to ask you two questions. I will -tell you everything another time. To whom are you -going to give the papers you have just received from -M. Dagara?”</p> - -<p>“Mr. Donnington!” she cried with a start and a -stare of astonishment.</p> - -<p>“No, not to me,” I replied with a smile. “Let us -walk on a little. You will not think I mean anything -that is not entirely to help you in asking this.”</p> - -<p>“No. I know that. But I—I can’t tell you. -Besides, I have been ordered not—not to speak to -you.”</p> - -<p>“I guessed something of the sort and that’s partly -the reason why I arranged this meeting instead of coming -to your house. You generally give such things to -the Contesse Inglesia. Shall you give her these?”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_194">[194]</span>Again she was startled. “But how can all this be -known to you? Do you mean others know it?”</p> - -<p>“Certainly not. But please tell me.”</p> - -<p>“How you have learnt all this, I can’t imagine; but -you are right. I do generally give them to Inez. But -there has been some unaccountable delay and I am to -give them to Vasco.”</p> - -<p>“That’s good news, for a start.”</p> - -<p>“Why good news?” she asked quickly.</p> - -<p>“You must let me be a little mysterious for the -present. And now, the second question—can you -tell me where he is to take them?”</p> - -<p>“I know no more than you—not so much indeed -it seems;” and she smiled faintly.</p> - -<p>“That’s better—that you can smile, I mean. When -will you give them to him? Is he waiting at your -home for them?”</p> - -<p>“No. He hurried in to tell me to fetch them at -once and that he would come back for them. He was -very excited about something and very strange.”</p> - -<p>“When is he to return for them?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know.”</p> - -<p>“But I must know. It is absolutely vital. Can -you so arrange that he does not get them until, say, -eight o’clock this evening?”</p> - -<p>“Why?”</p> - -<p>“Don’t ask me. Can you do it?”</p> - -<p>“It may be dangerous, but I—I will try.”</p> - -<p>“It must be certain,” I said firmly. “I must know -definitely.”</p> - -<p>“Then of course I promise you.”</p> - -<p>“Good. I shall depend on you. Let me say how -I thank you for this trust.”</p> - -<p>“As if I should not,” she said again, with a look of -reproach. “But—but can’t you tell me something? -I am all at sea.”</p> - -<p>“I wish we both were,” I cried impulsively. “That -would put an end to all this ugly business.”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_195">[195]</span>Her face clouded. “I can see no end to it but -trouble and disaster,” she replied with a gesture of -despair that went to my heart.</p> - -<p>“I believe I can see the end, if all goes well just -now. But if I fail——” I paused and looked at her -earnestly.</p> - -<p>“If you fail?” she repeated questioningly.</p> - -<p>“There is still the sea,” I said, with as much under-current -of meaning as I could put into tone, looks, -manner.</p> - -<p>She sighed. “Yes, there is still the sea; but——” -and she shook her head despondently.</p> - -<p>“Would you dare?” I asked in little more than a -whisper.</p> - -<p>“I am fettered like a slave—oh, once more to be -free!” she sighed.</p> - -<p>“Will you dare it now?”</p> - -<p>But at that she flinched. “I am talking like a -madwoman. It is impossible, impossible.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t understand that word when I am in such -earnest as now. Sampayo has left Lisbon. I have -driven him away. I will sweep every other obstacle -out of our path. Miralda?”</p> - -<p>She trembled as I uttered her name and took her -hand in mine; the colour flushed her cheeks and she -stood hesitating with downcast eyes.</p> - -<p>“Miralda?” I said again appealingly, hoping she -would yield.</p> - -<p>“Ah, how you tempt me!” she whispered.</p> - -<p>“In less than an hour we can be out of the river, -homeward bound. For God’s sake come—now,” I said -passionately.</p> - -<p>But I failed. She started as if from a dream and -shivered. “You made me forget, but——”</p> - -<p>“Remember only your happiness and the freedom -from all these troubles. Trust me.”</p> - -<p>She shook her head, sighed deeply, and withdrew -her hand. “It is not that I distrust. But there is my<span class="pagenum" id="Page_196">[196]</span> -mother. If I were to play these men false they would -visit it upon her.”</p> - -<p>“But she can come with us. Let me see her.”</p> - -<p>“It is impossible. Impossible. Would to Heaven -it were not?”</p> - -<p>“Then I’ll try the other way,” I said. “But if I -fail——”</p> - -<p>After a pause she lifted her eyes to mine, let them -rest there a second and then smiled, but shook her -head despondently again.</p> - -<p>“It must be as you will,” I said. “And now there -is one thing more. It may be necessary for me to -communicate with you. If I send one of my people -to your house, will you see him?”</p> - -<p>“Yes. I will help you all I can and pray for your -success.”</p> - -<p>I held out my hand. “Till we meet again.”</p> - -<p>She put hers into it with a delighting pressure.</p> - -<p>“And if I fail,” I said again, “there is still the sea.”</p> - -<p>“There is still the sea,” she whispered; “for you, -but not for me.”</p> - -<p>I watched her go and presently saw her enter a -carriage.</p> - -<p>Then Burroughs came up and I tried to think of -other things; not very successfully at first. We -returned to my rooms, and on the way Miralda’s -eloquent smile, the thrilling pressure of her hand, the -flush of tell-tale colour, and the proof of her trust, entangled -my wits and made it difficult for me for a time -to give coherent answers to the questions of my -insistently curious companion.</p> - -<p>My object in securing Miralda’s promise to delay the -delivery of the papers to Vasco was to enable me to -make preparations to follow him myself, and I set -about them the instant we reached my rooms.</p> - -<p>I had decided to use the Portuguese clothes which -Simmons had obtained; and a few alterations in them -together with a false moustache, the darkening of my<span class="pagenum" id="Page_197">[197]</span> -eyebrows and the judicious application of a little picturesque -dirt to my face and hands and clothes, so -changed my appearance that even Miralda would have -had difficulty in recognizing me.</p> - -<p>I arranged that Burroughs should follow me, to be at -hand in case of need; that Simmons should go to the -launch and Foster remain for the night with Bryant -at the flat.</p> - -<p>It was dark when I reached the visconte’s house to -wait for Vasco, and I had no fear that he would penetrate -my disguise.</p> - -<p>There was one trouble I had to guard against—the -danger of the streets. The fact that a man of my -apparent position was lurking about in such a neighbourhood -might easily attract the attention of the -police, but I was saved from that embarrassment by -Miralda’s punctuality.</p> - -<p>I had scarcely found a hiding-place when a carriage -drove up and she and Inez alighted from it and entered -the house. She had gone to Inez in order not -to meet Vasco until the hour we had agreed.</p> - -<p>Three minutes afterwards he came out and hurried -away at a rapid pace, and the spy work commenced -in earnest. While we were in the quieter streets, I -followed at just sufficient distance to keep him in -sight; but when he turned into the Rua Sao Benito -I hastened to close up, for fear of losing him in that -somewhat busy street.</p> - -<p>As I hurried round the corner I nearly plumped into -him. He stood looking about him, and I stopped -and rolled a cigarette to fill the pause.</p> - -<p>It turned out that he was waiting for a tram-car, -and when he boarded it I had no option but to risk -discovery and follow him. He sat close to the door -and I passed him, with my face averted, choosing a -seat on the same side, but at the other end.</p> - -<p>He was in a condition of extreme nervous excitement -and had been drinking freely, probably to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_198">[198]</span> -drown his fears. He sat with his hands plunged in -his pockets and took no notice of any one; and even -when the other passengers got out at the Square of -St. Paul, leaving him at one end of the long seat and -me at the other with no one between us, he took no -notice of me.</p> - -<p>I had now lost Burroughs, of course. He had hung -behind until he had missed the car; but this was -perhaps all the better. If he had been in the car, -Vasco might have recognized him.</p> - -<p>When we reached the Praca do Commercio, Vasco -got up and jumped off and hurried along the Rua da -Alfandega. There was little fear of my attracting -notice here as there were still plenty of people about, -and I had no difficulty in following him.</p> - -<p>I guessed now that he was making for the landing-stage -near the Artillery Museum, and just as he reached -that building he was accosted by two men in the -dress of sailors. He drew back nervously at first, -with a sharp stare; then began to talk to them; -and they walked on together.</p> - -<p>They were as much like sailors as I was like the -cross of St. Paul’s, and walked with the stiff upright -carriage of well-drilled soldiers.</p> - -<p>It was clear that I was not the only person in Lisbon -that night with a fancy for disguise, and this discovery -confirmed my opinion that Vasco was making for the -landing-stage.</p> - -<p>Were Burroughs’ suspicions of that yacht, the -<i>Rampallo</i>, about to be confirmed?</p> - -<p>It looked uncommonly like it.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_199">[199]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XX<br /> - - -<small>A NIGHT ADVENTURE ON THE RIVER</small></h2> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap">THE fact that Vasco’s companions—presumably -his fellow-officers—were playing at being sailors, -increased the need for extreme caution. I dropped -back and followed at a distance, contented to keep the -three men just in sight.</p> - -<p>They made straight for the landing-stage, got aboard -a small launch in which another man was waiting, -and cast off at once and headed out into the estuary. -They were going to the <i>Rampallo</i>, of course; and equally -of course I must manage to get on board after them.</p> - -<p>I could not follow immediately, however, as the noise -of my launch would be heard and a dozen suspicions -started. I guessed that a conference was to be held -on the yacht about the information which Vasco -had brought; but why such a place was chosen for it -baffled me. The reason could not be merely the desire -for absolute privacy which had induced me to take -Dagara to the <i>Stella</i>. These men must have a dozen -places in the city where they could meet without a -remote chance of being overheard.</p> - -<p>Still I had to deal with facts, and the controlling -fact now was that the papers were on Vasco and he was -going to the yacht. I must therefore follow him or -throw up the sponge.</p> - -<p>While I was waiting Burroughs arrived. “I lost -you in the Rua Sao Benito, Ralph,” he explained, -“so I thought it best to come on to the launch. Why -are you here?”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_200">[200]</span>I told him briefly what had occurred, and what I -meant to do, and in a few minutes we were on our -way to the <i>Stella</i>.</p> - -<p>“You’re taking risks,” he said, as we sat talking it -over.</p> - -<p>“I can’t help that, but in fact I’m not so sure -there are any. My idea is this. As soon as we reach -the yacht, get the <i>Firefly</i> launched.” This was a -small electric launch I had on the yacht. “You and -I will drop down in her to the <i>Rampallo</i>. She runs -with scarcely a sound, and we’ll see whether any look-out -is kept on her. I shall be surprised if there is; and if -not, I shall climb aboard without any trouble. If -there is one, you must manage to keep him watching -you at the stern while I swim to the bow and get -aboard by the anchor cable. Once on board, I’ll shift -for myself. If necessary I’ll silence him.”</p> - -<p>“It sounds all right to you, perhaps,” he grumbled.</p> - -<p>“It’s got to be all right, Jack. The worst that can -happen is that I shall be discovered and have to make -a bolt of it. I suppose I can dive well enough to jump -from a yacht’s bulwarks. But even if the beggars get -hold of me, I suppose you can make enough row to scare -them. Have the launch within hail, if you like, with -the skipper and four or five of the men. There’s no -personal risk at all—the only risk is that I may fail to -find out things.”</p> - -<p>“But if they caught you they might shoot first and -jaw afterwards,” he objected.</p> - -<p>“A dozen ‘ifs’ suggest a dozen ‘mights,’ of course. -But I’m not likely to give them much of a chance.”</p> - -<p>“They’d be justified if they took you for a thief.”</p> - -<p>“They won’t be thinking about thieves. They’re -much more likely to be fearing the police and be scared -out of their skins. Anyway, it’s the best plan I can -think of, and it’s got to be done.”</p> - -<p>When we reached the <i>Stella</i> I threw off the clothes -I had been wearing and dressed for the venture. I had<span class="pagenum" id="Page_201">[201]</span> -of course to render myself as little conspicuous as -possible for the spy work on the <i>Rampallo</i>, and had -also to be careful not to wear anything which would -hamper me too much if I had to take to the water.</p> - -<p>So I chose a set of very dark grey combinations which -fastened close up to the neck, and a pair of dark rubber-soled -shoes. A dark cloak to wear in the <i>Firefly</i> -completed a costume in which I looked like a cross -between a Harlequin and a Guy Fawkes conspirator.</p> - -<p>By the time these preparations were complete -Burroughs had launched the <i>Firefly</i> and we were soon -off. The moon was not due for an hour and the night -was dark enough to conceal us.</p> - -<p>The <i>Firefly</i> glided almost noiselessly through the -waters at the slow pace we deemed best, and we -switched off the motor every now and again and let -the boat drift. The darkness made it a little difficult -to pick up the <i>Rampallo</i>, which had no light, but -Burroughs glanced now and then at the compass by -the flash of an electric torch, and thus kept his -course.</p> - -<p>“What weapon have you?” he whispered once.</p> - -<p>“Why, none, of course. I’m not going throat-slitting. -I am only going to use my ears.”</p> - -<p>“There she is,” he said suddenly, and pointed ahead. -His eyes were keener than mine, but I made her -out soon afterwards.</p> - -<p>We drifted down close to her, keeping our eyes fixed -on her for any sign that a look-out was kept.</p> - -<p>“I don’t think there is any one on the deck,” he -whispered.</p> - -<p>She was lying between us and the twinkling lamps -of the city, and as we drifted nearer, her outline showed -up against the lights and the reflexion of them in the -sky.</p> - -<p>All was as still as a vault; and not a single porthole -gave out so much as the glimmer of a match.</p> - -<p>A sickening feeling of disappointment began to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_202">[202]</span> -creep over me at the fear that there was no one on -board.</p> - -<p>“Sheer down alongside, Jack,” I whispered.</p> - -<p>No one challenged us as we dropped under the lee -of the hull. I fended the <i>Firefly</i> off with my hands and -then worked her round under the stern.</p> - -<p>Here was confirmation of my fear in the disconcerting -discovery that the launch, which I had confidently -expected to find either astern or alongside, was not -there.</p> - -<p>“There’s no one on her, Ralph,” said Burroughs.</p> - -<p>“I shall get aboard and see. Drop astern and then -circle round at a distance to the bow.”</p> - -<p>We drifted far enough for our little propeller to be -out of earshot and then made a sweep round to the -bow.</p> - -<p>“What do you think it means?” he whispered.</p> - -<p>“I’m afraid I’ve backed the wrong horse. But I -can’t think of anywhere else for that launch to go. -When I get aboard stand off up the bay so that you -can keep a look-out for me. The reflection of the city -light in the sky will be enough for you to see any signal -I make to you.”</p> - -<p>“You can do better than that. Take the electric -torch. You can show a light then even if you have to -swim for it.”</p> - -<p>“That’s a happy thought,” I exclaimed, and -tucked it inside my vest.</p> - -<p>“If there’s any trouble I shall be able to make -racket enough for you to hear me, and you can come -aboard after me.”</p> - -<p>We stopped the propeller then and drifted down till -I could reach the yacht’s cable. I swarmed up this -and, using the greatest caution, got a grip and hauled -myself up until I could see along the deck.</p> - -<p>It was quite deserted, so I climbed on to the forecastle -and crept along as stealthily as a cat stalking a -bird and almost as noiselessly.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_203">[203]</span>I had reached almost amidships when I discovered -that some one was on board after all. The glow from -a lamp showed through the partly open companion of -the saloon. Doubling my caution I lay at full length -on the deck and approached the opening.</p> - -<p>Whoever he was he was able to afford very good -cigars, for the scent of one reached me. I lay listening -intently. I heard the crackle of papers as they were -turned over; the rustle of some one moving in his chair, -a sound of stertorous breathing; the clink of a bottle -against a glass, and again the crackle of papers as the -man, whoever he was, resumed his writing or reading.</p> - -<p>For many minutes there was no other sound. Then -the man struck a match as he lit a fresh cigar, and -pushed aside the papers with a breath of relief. Then -silence for a while, broken at length by a gasp and a -snore.</p> - -<p>“Wake up, you drunken young pig!”</p> - -<p>At this I nearly uttered a cry of astonishment. -It was Sampayo’s voice; and in a second I understood -what had so baffled me—why the papers had been -brought to the <i>Rampallo</i>.</p> - -<p>Sampayo was hiding on it from me. That removal -of his goods and all the evidences of flight which Bryant -had seen were just play-acting to mislead me -into the belief that he had bolted, and being afraid -to be seen on shore he had arranged for his associates -to come to the boat.</p> - -<p>That they were coming was soon plain. Sampayo -roused the man he had spoken to; and the answer was -in Vasco’s voice, thick with drink.</p> - -<p>“Go on deck, you young fool, and see if there are -any signs of the launch. They ought to be here by -now.”</p> - -<p>“Leave me alone,” grunted Vasco thickly.</p> - -<p>“I must go myself then,” was the reply with an -oath.</p> - -<p>I slipped away forward and hid myself under the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_204">[204]</span> -lee of the forecastle hatchway. Sampayo came out -on deck and stood smoking and listening and peering -through the darkness for the expected launch.</p> - -<p>Presently, I heard the quick throb of her propeller, -and in a few minutes she reached the yacht and three -or four men, I could not distinguish the exact number, -came on board, and all went down below at once.</p> - -<p>Anxious not to miss a word of what passed I hastened -along the deck to my former position, and had just -passed the hatchway leading below to the saloon when -some one came running up the companion way.</p> - -<p>In a second I rolled into the scuppers lying as still -as death.</p> - -<p>“I fastened her all right,” protested some one.</p> - -<p>“For Heaven’s sake, make sure. You’re not much -of a hand at sailors’ knots,” was the laughing reply.</p> - -<p>Two men came out and hurried across the deck. -One of them got down into the launch; and the other -stood watching.</p> - -<p>“It’s all right. As fast as a steeple.”</p> - -<p>“It would be a pretty mess if she got adrift.”</p> - -<p>The men came on deck again and they both returned -toward the companion way.</p> - -<p>“I suppose everything’s all right on the deck,” said -one.</p> - -<p>“What should be wrong?”</p> - -<p>“Nothing. Only I’ve got an infernally uneasy -feeling.”</p> - -<p>“Not going to back out at the last minute, are you? -We shall be in a pretty bad way to-morrow night if we -have to go without the only man who knows anything -about managing the boat.”</p> - -<p>“Who said anything about backing out? We’re -all in it now, sink or swim. But—oh, hang presentiments,” -he broke off irritably.</p> - -<p>“Well, I’ll get a lantern if you like and look round -the deck. But it’s all rot.”</p> - -<p>“I’ve half a mind you shall.”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_205">[205]</span>As he said this he came a couple of paces toward -me, and I began to think any number of unpleasant -things.</p> - -<p>“I won’t be a minute,” said the other and ran down -below.</p> - -<p>Move I dare not. The man was too close to me, -and the instant the other returned with a light, my -discovery was certain. All I could do was to plan -how to escape. I decided to lie still until actually -discovered, and then trust to their astonishment, -giving me time to jump over the side and swim for -it.</p> - -<p>The few seconds that followed were among the -longest of my life. But just as I heard the second man -coming with the lantern, some one below called to the -man close to me by name.</p> - -<p>“Gompez!”</p> - -<p>He went a couple of steps down the companion way -and replied that he was going to see that all was snug -on deck, and before the words were out of his mouth -I was half-way to the stern.</p> - -<p>Then followed the grimmest game of hide and seek -I have ever had to play. But the odds were on my -side. The two men went carefully round the deck; -but, fool-like, kept together. The light of the lantern -showed me exactly where they were all the time, -and by skulking from cover to cover I had little -difficulty in keeping out of their way.</p> - -<p>My movements were absolutely noiseless, and the -dark grey costume I had fortunately put on made it -almost impossible for them to see me.</p> - -<p>I had one other narrow escape. I had worked my -way back again to the companion while they were in -the bows, when another man came out and called to -them sharply to be quick. I was crouched so close to -him that he could have touched me if he had stretched -out a hand in my direction.</p> - -<p>But instead of that he went a few steps toward the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_206">[206]</span> -others and I turned and slipped away in the opposite -direction.</p> - -<p>Two or three minutes later the three went below, -the newcomer expressing a strong opinion about the -folly of having shown a light.</p> - -<p>Giving them time to join the rest of the party below, -I crawled back to the companion and settled myself to -listen once more.</p> - -<p>Barosa’s was the first voice I heard distinctly. -“We needn’t waste any more time in discussing it. -Captain Gompez was quite right to satisfy himself -and as we are indebted to him for having the boat at -all, it is surely ungracious to charge him with wasting -a few minutes for this purpose. And now, please, -will you let me explain exactly what are the arrangements -for to-morrow? Major Sampayo has carefully -examined these papers, and every detail is as I told -you it would be.”</p> - -<p>There was a murmur of interest, followed by a pause, -and then Barosa spoke again.</p> - -<p>“I have news of the greatest importance for you, -gentlemen, and that you may appreciate it fully, I shall -be obliged if you will carefully study this plan of the -scene.”</p> - -<p>A considerable rustling of papers followed as the -plans were handed round, the whispering of many -questions, and then another pause of silent, almost -breathless expectancy.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_207">[207]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XXI<br /> - - -<small>PLOT AND COUNTERPLOT</small></h2> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap">THE pause was a long one before Barosa spoke -again.</p> - -<p>“Of course we have all studied the actual ground of -which these are the plans, but it was best that we should -have them before us in settling the final details. I was -able to tell you three days ago the arrangements for -Dom Carlos’s private visit to the city to-morrow -evening, and this later information, coming straight -from M. Volheno’s office, confirms them. Dom Carlos -will arrive at the little Eastern landing-stage at a few -minutes before eight, and will have with him two -companions—only two. And the news I have for you -is that those two companions are fast and firm adherents -of the rightful king of Portugal, His Majesty -Dom Miguel.”</p> - -<p>A murmur of surprise greeted this statement, and -Barosa paused in evident enjoyment of the effect his -words had produced.</p> - -<p>“They are Conte Carvalho Listoa and Colonel -Antonio Castillo. You will agree that I do not exaggerate -when I say that that fact makes failure impossible. -He will be received by six officers of the 7th -Battalion of the Royal Guards——” and he gave a -string of names which I do not remember.</p> - -<p>“These, as we know well, are also our staunch friends, -pledged like ourselves to give their lives for their rightful -king. Dom Carlos will thus be without a single -supporter, and absolutely in our power. He has, as<span class="pagenum" id="Page_208">[208]</span> -you know, made use of the same landing-stage on the -occasion of former private visits to the city, and the -arrangement has always been that a carriage drew up -close to the stage. That will not be practicable to-morrow, -although he does not know it. You will see -two thin red lines on the plans. Those indicate the -lines of excavations, which have been made for some -supposed building and drainage operations. I have -been able to get that work started without creating -any suspicion as to the real object—which is to render -it impossible for a carriage to approach within fifty -yards of the landing-stage.”</p> - -<p>“Good,” exclaimed some one and the others murmured -assent.</p> - -<p>Barosa then explained the scheme in elaborate detail.</p> - -<p>It was this. The king was to be met at the landing-stage -and the officers were to explain why the carriage -was not in the usual place; and that it was in waiting -for him at a spot most easily reached through the smaller -of two sheds used for wharfage purposes. A door at -the back of this shed opened on to a narrow way -between two buildings. The officers were not to leave -the shed, as it was deemed desirable that they should -not take any personal part in what followed. The two -friends of the king were to walk a few yards with -him and then excuse themselves on the plea that they -had left something on the launch, but if this proved -impracticable, they were to drop behind.</p> - -<p>From the door of the shed to the end of the passage -was a distance of some forty yards and a carriage was -to be in full view; but this was to be one provided by -Barosa and intended for the escape of those in the plot -who would not be needed after the attempt had been -carried out. The king’s carriage, sent from the Palace, -was to wait at a spot fifty yards in the other direction.</p> - -<p>Except the two servants with Barosa’s carriage, not -a man was to show himself in the path between the -shed door and the carriage, lest the king’s suspicions<span class="pagenum" id="Page_209">[209]</span> -should be roused. The coachman was to signal with -his whip when the king appeared, and then to make it -appear that the horses were restive and to back them -past the corner of the building on the left hand of the -narrow passage.</p> - -<p>Round this corner the conspirators were to wait -and when the king reached it, a cloak was to be thrown -over his head and he was to be gagged and hurried -through an adjoining shed to some water steps where -the launch would be waiting to rush him to the <i>Rampallo</i>, -where a cabin had been specially prepared for -him. The yacht was to make at full steam for Oporto, -where he was to be delivered over to the revolutionary -party there and forced, under threat of assassination, -to abdicate in favour of Dom Miguel.</p> - -<p>After Barosa had finished his explanation, a long -discussion followed on many of the details. The scheme -was hailed with approval, but the tone of the speakers -convinced me that, while ready to take part in an -abduction plot, they were against assassination, and -Barosa had to give very specific assurances that nothing -of the sort would be attempted.</p> - -<p>Presently the talk turned upon the arrangements -made to protect themselves and their friends when the -trouble came after the abduction; and as it was not -very material for me to learn that, I crept away to the -bow, lowered myself noiselessly into the water, flashed -my torchlamp as a signal to Burroughs, and struck out -to meet him.</p> - -<p>“You’ve given me the fright of my life, Ralph,” he -said when I had clambered into the <i>Firefly</i>. “I heard -their launch come out, and saw a light moving about -the deck and didn’t know what the deuce to do.”</p> - -<p>“It’s all right, Jack. Get back to the <i>Stella</i>. -I’m cold to the bones, but I’ve heard enough to keep -my blood from stagnating.”</p> - -<p>“Here’s my flask. Take a pull.”</p> - -<p>I gulped down a couple of mouthfuls of whisky, and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_210">[210]</span> -as soon as I was on board and had had a hot bath, a -vigorous towelling, and some grog, I was ready to talk -things over with him.</p> - -<p>I told him everything I had overheard. “And now -the question is what I’m to do.”</p> - -<p>“It’s as simple as falling off a tree. Slip off to the -quay and bring off a party of police and take ’em on the -yacht.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, and get the only woman in the world I care -for arrested for conspiracy in a plot to abduct the -king.”</p> - -<p>“You could make her safety a condition.”</p> - -<p>“With whom? Who’s to assure me of that? -It’s nearly midnight. Where do you suppose these -men would be by the time I had roused first Volheno -and then old Franco the Dictator, and argued the -matter out. And if they refused, where should I find -myself? I can tell you. In gaol until I opened my -lips. I’m already half-suspect as it is. That saw -won’t cut any ice, Jack.”</p> - -<p>“But you won’t let the thing go through, surely?”</p> - -<p>“What’s the King of Portugal to me, and what do I -care whether his name’s Carlos or Miguel?”</p> - -<p>“Well then, tell mademoiselle what’s going on and -get her to make a bolt of it on the <i>Stella</i> to-morrow, -and leave word behind you and queer the plan that -way.”</p> - -<p>“There are several reasons against that, but one’s -enough. She wouldn’t leave her mother to bear the -brunt of things, her brother’s up to the eyes in it, -and if she did bolt, she’d be under the charge all her life -long and her flight would be accepted as proof of guilt.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I give it up then,” he exclaimed with a -shrug.</p> - -<p>“But I don’t. I can’t. I’ve got to queer the thing -somehow and make certain of mademoiselle’s safety. -And I’ve got to do it off my own bat. Wait a bit, wait -a bit,” I exclaimed after some minutes’ thought.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_211">[211]</span> -“I’ve got an idea coming. By the lord-knows-who, -I believe it would be possible. Let’s go over that -business again. He lands from the launch, goes into -the shed—there are two sheds, I remember—he goes -out with his two friends, the coachman sees him and -under pretence of the horses turning restive, backs the -carriage past the corner, the two friends turn back. -I wonder if both sheds have doors at the back. I -expect so.”</p> - -<p>“Is that Greek you’re muttering?” broke in Burroughs.</p> - -<p>“Stand up, Jack, let’s have a look at you.”</p> - -<p>He got up and I laughed as I looked him over. -“Wait a bit, take your coat off,” and I plunged into -my cabin and fished out a thick tweed shooting coat -and a soft felt hat. “Here, put these on, quick.”</p> - -<p>He did so, muttering: “Is this a pantomime rehearsal?”</p> - -<p>“By the lord Harry, it’ll do,” I cried excitedly, -smacking my hands together.</p> - -<p>“What’ll do?”</p> - -<p>“Wait, man, wait. It’s all coming up like a clear -photo. How much taller am I of us two? By George, -two inches. That’s a heap; but padding might take -off some of it.”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps you’d like to know how much thinner -you are than I am next?” he said with a grin.</p> - -<p>“That’s just what I would,” I replied to his still -greater surprise. “Six inches, eh. That’s a lot.”</p> - -<p>“And muscle too, not fat, mind that.”</p> - -<p>“But I can get over that, easily enough.”</p> - -<p>“When you’ve a minute to spare perhaps you’ll tell -me why you take this sudden interest in my anatomy?” -he asked drily, as he threw off my shooting coat and -put on his jacket.</p> - -<p>“I’m going to crown you and be your Majesty’s -understudy at the same time, King Jack Burroughs. -You won’t have a long reign, my boy—only a couple<span class="pagenum" id="Page_212">[212]</span> -of minutes at most—that is if that second shed has -the door I believe it has.”</p> - -<p>“You’ll soon be understudying in a strait jacket -at this rate, Ralph.”</p> - -<p>“It is a little mad, perhaps, but I’m going to do -it. I intend you to take the place of the king to-morrow -evening long enough for this coachman to -mistake you for him. I shall then take your place, -the instant no one is looking, and I’m going to let -these men abduct me. It will be much easier for them -than if they got hold of the genuine article.”</p> - -<p>“Wouldn’t it be much simpler and shorter to put -a bullet in your head yourself?” he asked grimly. -“You’ll find one get there all right when they know.”</p> - -<p>“Not a bit of it. You forget the ‘divinity that -doth hedge a king.’ These men are not assassins. -They made that plain; nor are they accustomed to -handle kings every day. They’ll be so excited over the -business that they’ll be as nervous about ill-treating -him as an old maid about her lap dog. They’re -officers, mind, and what we term gentlemen; and -they’ll be so scared to death lest the thing is going to -fail, that they won’t want me to have so much as a -peep at their faces until I’m safe on the <i>Rampallo</i> -and locked up in the cabin which, as I heard, is already -in readiness for my reception. If you turn the thing -over, you’ll see that if I had laid the plan myself, it -could not have suited me better;” and I ran over it -again in detail.</p> - -<p>“When we first leave the shed you’ll be king, and -Bryant—I shall use Bryant because he’s a cool hand—and -I will be in attendance on your Majesty. You’ll -be recognized at once as the king—half Lisbon would -mistake you for him at close grips even, and these -fellows will be expecting you—we shall walk about -ten yards and then stop while we are supposed to be -asking you to excuse us; and we shan’t move on until -the carriage has backed out of sight. I shall then take<span class="pagenum" id="Page_213">[213]</span> -your place—I shall pad myself out, you know, and -make up—and shall walk on alone straight into the -trap.”</p> - -<p>“But why you? I could put up a bigger fight -than you.”</p> - -<p>“There’s no fight to be put up at all, Jack.”</p> - -<p>“You mean to let them carry you off to Oporto? -You may find yourself in a tighter corner there than -you reckon.”</p> - -<p>“But I’m not going to Oporto. It’s 180 miles or -thereabouts and, with an amateur crew, the <i>Rampallo</i> -under the best circumstances wouldn’t make more than -twelve to fifteen knots; the <i>Stella</i> would steam round -her, and from the moment these beggars shove their -yacht’s nose out of the harbour, you’ll keep almost -within hailing distance. That’s where I want you. -They’ll shut me into the cabin and as soon as it’s -daylight I’ll hang a handkerchief or a pillow-case or -something out of the porthole, and you’ll make trouble -for my hosts.”</p> - -<p>“Of course they’ll stop directly and say ‘thank -you, sir,’ and go down on their knees and ask me to come -on board and kick ’em,” he gibed with a heave of his -big shoulders.</p> - -<p>“It doesn’t matter what they say, it’s what you’ll -do, Jack. Haven’t we got a couple of guns? And -couldn’t you give the thing a pretty loud advertisement? -And do you think they’ll relish to have you firing a -royal salute within a league or so of the shore? And -can’t we get some cartridges that aren’t blank in the -city to-morrow? And would they enjoy their breakfast -nicely if you sent a shot into the <i>Rampallo’s</i> hull? -Or couldn’t the old man run the <i>Stella</i> alongside in -the old grappling-iron style?”</p> - -<p>“Piracy now, eh?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, piracy, if it comes to it. But it won’t. What -I’m after is this. Sign on an extra crew to-morrow -and get ’em on the <i>Stella</i> quietly. When you see<span class="pagenum" id="Page_214">[214]</span> -my signal, sheer close up, fire a blank cartridge and -order them to stop. Get our men aboard somehow -or anyhow; and then we’ll send the <i>Rampallo</i> off to -sea with the whole of them in her as prisoners and keep -them away a week. By that time I shall have had time -to straighten things out in the city. And now I’ll tell -you exactly what we’ve got to do to-morrow;” and I -went very carefully over the whole ground, filling in -the gaps and elaborating the details and mapping out -the whole of the day’s work before us.</p> - -<p>As soon as the dawn broke, Burroughs and I steamed -over to the Eastern landing-stage and made a careful -survey of the scene of operations. There were half a -dozen places where we could lie hidden in the larger -shed, and as I had hoped, it had an opening at the -back, and the doors were so close together that it -would be difficult for any one at the spot where the -carriage was to remain to be certain which one a person -leaving either would use.</p> - -<p>I explained everything as I had planned it; and -as we ran back to the <i>Stella</i> to snatch three or four -hours’ sleep, I arranged that Burroughs should take -Bryant down to the place during the day and explain -things to him.</p> - -<p>As soon as we were up, the skipper was called to a -consultation and his work assigned to him. He was -to engage the spare crew, buy some ball cartridges -and half a dozen pair of handcuffs, and lay in a store of -provisions to put on the <i>Rampallo</i> sufficient for a -week’s cruise, if the scheme went right.</p> - -<p>With Burroughs I went to my rooms and we explained -Bryant’s part to him and sent him off to -get the necessary disguises—shooting rigs such as -were in common enough use, and three light dustcoats -for us to wear over the disguises in driving to the -landing-stage. For me he was also to get some padding -to fill out my spare figure to something like the -proportions of His Majesty, and a quantity of small<span class="pagenum" id="Page_215">[215]</span> -shot, intended to increase my weight, lest my abductors -should detect the deception when they found I was -two or three stone lighter than their august and portly -monarch ought to be.</p> - -<p>The arrangements of these matters occupied nearly -all the morning.</p> - -<p>Next, I sent Burroughs to Miralda to tell her to find -some means of preventing Vasco from taking any part -in the night’s work. If necessary Burroughs was to -frighten her into compliance, but not to say what was -actually on foot. If no other way could be found, -Miralda was to drug Vasco. But by fair means or foul, -he must be prevented from leaving the house, or his -life would be in danger.</p> - -<p>This was essential in view of the line I meant to -take with Volheno and the authorities in the event of -success.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_216">[216]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XXII<br /> - - -<small>READY</small></h2> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap">I WAS busy with the final touches to my shooting -rig when Burroughs returned bringing Miralda’s -promise to do what I asked.</p> - -<p>“She is going to stop him somehow, Ralph. I -think she’ll drug him if he gives any trouble. He -was evidently gloriously drunk last night and he -turned up this morning—his friends of the <i>Rampallo</i> -took him back—and is all to pieces, she told me. He -had already let out enough to scare her out of her -senses almost, and she jumped at the chance of saving -him from trouble.”</p> - -<p>“Did she want to know things?”</p> - -<p>“Well, what do you think? She has a way with her, -too; and I was glad to get out of fire of her eyes—or -she’d have had the whole business out of me.”</p> - -<p>“Any message for me?” I asked casually.</p> - -<p>“No, nothing particular, of course,” he replied in -the same tone, with a grin. “I don’t wonder you’re -willing to do things now. Hanged if I wouldn’t be. -She wanted to know that you weren’t running any risks; -but she didn’t seem to fancy that a rough sort of -sea-dog like me was the sort of message carrier she -ought to choose, so she made a postman of me;” -and he put down a letter and went out of the room -saying he wanted to tell Simmons something.</p> - -<p>It was the first letter I had ever received from -Miralda, and I did what I suppose nine out of ten -mooncalves would have done. I just sat staring at<span class="pagenum" id="Page_217">[217]</span> -the envelope for a while, as if it were an amulet with -a thousand mystic virtues, and looking round to -make sure I was alone, I kissed it—yes, and more -than once, before I thought of such a commonplace -thing as opening it.</p> - -<p>It was very simply worded.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>“I will of course do what you ask; and I think -I am half disappointed you have asked so little of me—a -something to help others, not you yourself. Your -friend’s manner shows me that he at any rate recognizes -the dangers of the task you are attempting, whatever -that may be. I know it would be useless to try and -dissuade you from it; and I suppose I cannot help -you. But I can pray for you. With all my heart -and soul I do. God keep you safe and unharmed, and -give you success.</p> - -<p class="right">“<span class="smcap">Miralda.</span>”</p> -</div> - -<p>It is difficult even to suggest how this letter moved -me.</p> - -<p>Like a pause of peace and hope and love in the midst -of the strenuous hurly-burly of the struggle, it seemed; -a favour on the lance of a knight setting out to battle -for the woman of his heart; a kiss imprinted on the -shield with love’s whispered blessing. For the moment -all else in the world was nothing, and Miralda was all -in all. Everything was forgotten as my thoughts -wandered among the fairy groves of that mystic domain -of ecstatic oblivion—the rhapsody of a lover who -knows that he may hope.</p> - -<p>“Shall I sew these shot pads together, sir?”</p> - -<p>It was Bryant’s respectful voice, and it brought -me to earth as if I had dropped from a balloon.</p> - -<p>“Eh? Oh. Yes. No. I’ll see to it in a moment,” -I muttered incoherently, as my thoughts were knitting -themselves together. “Don’t go, Bryant;” and -with an effort I told him what I wished and sent him -away.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_218">[218]</span>The dream was broken, but I folded Miralda’s -letter and was putting it next my heart, when common -sense prevailed over romance. I might fail. If I -did and were searched, the letter, instead of an amulet -protecting me from danger, might prove a serious -peril for her. So I lit a match, and kissed the paper -once more, and burnt it.</p> - -<p>Then Burroughs returned to discuss where we had -better have the launch in waiting for him to get back -to the <i>Stella</i>. This proved to be, however, only the -preface to a change he wished to make in the plan.</p> - -<p>“You don’t seem to think that you’ll be in any -danger while you’re in the hands of these fellows on -the <i>Rampallo</i>, Ralph?”</p> - -<p>“No. I shall take a revolver with me, of course. -There’ll be plenty of chance of concealing it under -all that padding.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I’ve thought of something. When the time -comes for us to hail their boat in the morning, it would -give them a much bigger scare if it was you who hailed -them. I’m afraid of that part of the business, you -know.”</p> - -<p>He spoke with such earnestness that he showed his -meaning at once. “Why not say it plump out, Jack?” -I asked with a smile.</p> - -<p>“Confound you, don’t you understand? That part -of the affair will need a longer head than mine to -manage.”</p> - -<p>“What I do understand is that you don’t agree -with me about there being no danger for the prisoner -on the <i>Rampallo</i> and that you want to be the prisoner -instead of me. Don’t you think it’s like your infernal -conceit to want to cast yourself for the star part?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, come off,” he growled. “There’s no earthly -good in your keeping the star part for yourself.”</p> - -<p>“Didn’t you give me the cheering opinion that I -should find a bullet in my head when they discovered -me?”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_219">[219]</span>“I’m serious, Ralph.”</p> - -<p>“Well then, answer me this. If I’m right and there -is no danger, I run no risk. And if you’re right and -there is danger, why should I shove you into it instead -of myself?”</p> - -<p>“Fifty reasons. If anything happened to you -the whole thing would be spoilt.”</p> - -<p>“Not a bit of it. We should still have wrecked -this little revolutionary move and you could carry -out the rest of the plan with the much stronger card that -these beggars would have to answer for what they -might have done to me.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, but hang it all, man, there’s—there’s the girl,” -he said, hesitatingly and almost nervously.</p> - -<p>“You don’t want to make me jealous, do -you?”</p> - -<p>“Don’t rot, Ralph. I’m in earnest.”</p> - -<p>“The offer is just what I should expect from you, -but I must see the thing through myself. If there -is any risk, it must be mine.”</p> - -<p>“I’d much rather——”</p> - -<p>“No, Jack,” I interposed, shaking my head. His -offer moved me deeply. It was just like his whole-hearted -friendship to wish to take the risk, especially as -he believed it to be much more serious than I did. -Big or little, however, that risk must be mine. But -his disappointment was both genuine and keen.</p> - -<p>“I must go out now,” I said a moment later. “I -have to see Dagara, and while I’m away, you’d better -take Bryant down to the landing-stage and put him -through his paces.”</p> - -<p>He got up with a smile and a heave of his broad -shoulders. “You’re an obstinate devil, Ralph,” -he said: “and it would serve you right if I chucked -the whole thing.”</p> - -<p>“Look here. I’ll put it another way. If our -positions were reversed, would you let me take the -star part?”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_220">[220]</span>“I don’t want any of your conundrums,” he grunted, -and went off to call Bryant.</p> - -<p>Acting on my resolve to avoid even remote risks, I -took Simmons with me to M. Volheno’s bureau.</p> - -<p>I found Dagara on the look-out for me, and the -moment I asked for M. Volheno, he came out of an -adjoining room.</p> - -<p>“M. Volheno is not in, Mr. Donnington,” he said, for -the benefit of the clerks round. “Can I be of any -assistance?”</p> - -<p>“I only wished to ask a simple question.”</p> - -<p>“Will you come into my room?” and he led the -way.</p> - -<p>“Well? Have you any further information for -me?” I asked as soon as he had closed the door carefully -behind us.</p> - -<p>“No, Mr. Donnington.”</p> - -<p>“There is no change in the arrangements for His -Majesty’s arrival to-night?”</p> - -<p>“None whatever, but—but I want to speak to -you. I can’t bear this any longer. I have decided -to tell M. Volheno everything.”</p> - -<p>If he did anything of the sort, of course there was -an end to all my plans, and therefore to all my hopes -of getting Miralda out of the trouble. But it would -not do to let him see it.</p> - -<p>“I think you are quite right.”</p> - -<p>He was as much surprised as I intended him to be. -“I scarcely expected you to agree so readily. But -after my promise to you, I felt I must let you know -first.”</p> - -<p>“I am not involved, M. Dagara. You are in a very -trying position—purgatory, as you term it—but your -ruin and imprisonment cannot in any way affect any one -but yourself and your wife and children, of -course.”</p> - -<p>“My wife and children?” he echoed blankly.</p> - -<p>“No, not your children, perhaps. Your friends<span class="pagenum" id="Page_221">[221]</span> -will no doubt be able to take care of them. Your -wife, only, I should have said.”</p> - -<p>“But she has had nothing to do with this betrayal -of information.”</p> - -<p>I perceived then that he had not decided to confess, -but was only contemplating the step. “You are -rather shortsighted, surely, if you think that those -whom you are going to give up to justice will not -retaliate. You must reckon that they will do their -utmost to be revenged, and that utmost will include -your wife.”</p> - -<p>“You don’t think I should confess, then?”</p> - -<p>“On the contrary, I think you should have told -everything long ago; but you might have taken the -precaution of sending your wife out of the country. -Is she strong enough to bear imprisonment? You -know what hells your Portuguese prisons are.”</p> - -<p>“It would kill her in a week,” he groaned.</p> - -<p>“It is clearly your duty, but I am sorry for -her.”</p> - -<p>“I have not the means to send her away. O God, -I’d kill myself if I dared, but that would only leave -her destitute and at the mercy of the men who have -destroyed me.”</p> - -<p>“You have destroyed yourself,” I said sternly. -“But I have no time to discuss this with you. So -far as I am concerned, I prefer that you include every -detail of our interview yesterday in your confession -to M. Volheno. Hide nothing, for I have nothing -to fear.”</p> - -<p>Having made him believe that I was indifferent, I -rose and turned to the door, and then paused.</p> - -<p>“I don’t know that I have quite understood one thing -you said—about not having means to send your wife -away. Does that mean that you have no money.”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” he replied disconsolately. “My salary is -not large and I cannot save.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, if that’s all, you must allow my pity for your<span class="pagenum" id="Page_222">[222]</span> -wife and children to take a practical shape. How -much money would she require?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know,” he said, wringing his hands -fatuously.</p> - -<p>“Try and think it out, then;” and while he was -doing this I turned my side of the matter over and -came to the conclusion that as his presence was a -menace to Miralda’s safety, the sooner he was out of -Lisbon the better. The moment this abduction plot -failed, a dozen informers were certain to offer evidence, -and he and his wife would certainly be accused.</p> - -<p>“About two hundred and fifty milreis, Mr. Donnington,” -he said, looking up at last.</p> - -<p>“Well, you asked my advice just now, and I’ll give -it you. You are ill both in mind and body. Any -one can see that, and in such a condition, no one can -form a calm judgment. Ask M. Volheno to give you -a fortnight’s holiday and leave the country to-night. -I will give you double the sum you ask for now. Go -to Paris and give your address to M. Madrillo, at the -Spanish Embassy. He will let me know it and I will -send you another two hundred and fifty milreis, and -will let you know the position here.”</p> - -<p>I put the money on the table and the tears were -in his eyes as he seized my hand and pressed it in both -of his.</p> - -<p>“Don’t give way, man. If I find that it is not -safe for you to return here, I will interest myself to -find you employment either in Paris or elsewhere. -Don’t thank me, but prove your gratitude by going -straight for the future;” and I hurried away. It was -worth many times the money to secure the delay for -Miralda, and his excessive gratitude tended to make -me feel rather mean.</p> - -<p>Burroughs and Bryant had not returned when I -reached my rooms, so I went once more carefully -over every detail of my scheme in a kind of mental -rehearsal. There was only one point which gave me<span class="pagenum" id="Page_223">[223]</span> -any qualms now. We three had to get into the shed -on the wharf without being seen and conceal ourselves, -and yet be able to learn the precise moment of the -king’s arrival.</p> - -<p>Burroughs had been worrying over the same thing, -it turned out, and had not been idle.</p> - -<p>“We’ve made a useful friend, Ralph,” he said when -he arrived. “Got hold of the wharf watchman. -He’s a Spaniard, and Bryant’s Spanish came in very -handy. He managed to find out how things go down -there. He shuts the big shed at seven o’clock and -we must be inside before then. We can manage it all -right. That Bryant has his head screwed on the -right way. He promised to go to the man’s house to-night -at nine o’clock; so that if we show up about -half-past six, he’s going to meet him and take him -away while he explains why he can’t keep the appointment. -We shall slip in then, and Bryant will get -rid of him and join us by the back entrance. A screwdriver -will do the rest.”</p> - -<p>“A screwdriver.”</p> - -<p>“We had a good look at the lock on that back door -and five minutes will have it off.”</p> - -<p>“I’d been worrying about that part of the thing. -But time’s getting on. We’d better have something -to eat and get ready.”</p> - -<p>The business of dressing occupied some time. We -all wore the hunting rigs over our ordinary clothes; -as both Burroughs and Bryant were to get rid of theirs -as soon as possible after the purpose for which they -were needed was achieved.</p> - -<p>We sent Simmons and Foster off to the yacht and -locked the flat up for the night.</p> - -<p>We looked rather like three squat square Dutchmen -as we set off; but the long grey dustcoats rendered -us sufficiently inconspicuous, and as the weather -had changed and the light was bad, we attracted no -attention in the streets.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_224">[224]</span>The wind was rising and a light rain falling, and -there was every promise of a somewhat dirty night. -This was all the better for our purpose.</p> - -<p>When we were near the landing-stage, Bryant went -on ahead in search of the new friend he had made and -presently we saw the two together close to the sheds. -They stood talking for a few minutes and then walked -away, and disappeared round the end of the further -building.</p> - -<p>“He lives over that way,” said Burroughs. “We -may safely go.”</p> - -<p>The rain was falling fast now and the wind coming -in gusty squalls across the bay and not a soul was to -be seen as we slipped into the shed.</p> - -<p>We hid ourselves among a large quantity of hay, and -were scarcely settled when some one else entered the -shed, and I heard him clamber among some big packing -cases. I jumped to the conclusion that either we had -been seen or that Volheno had decided to put a police -agent on the watch.</p> - -<p>I dared not speak to Burroughs, and in this trying -uncertainty we waited until the watchman entered, -gave a casual glance round with his lantern, and then -locked the doors.</p> - -<p>I racked my wits to know what to do about the -unwelcome interloper. Bryant might come to the -back entrance at any minute, and we should be -instantly discovered.</p> - -<p>Then to my profound relief I heard his voice.</p> - -<p>“Are you there, sir?” he asked in a whisper.</p> - -<p>“Phew, how that shook me up!” exclaimed Burroughs. -“How did you get in, Bryant?”</p> - -<p>“I got rid of the man at his house door as he was -going to fetch his overalls, so I came on at once, sir.”</p> - -<p>“All right. But I wish you had said who you were. -Get to work with that lock.”</p> - -<p>In a few minutes all was ready and we waited -anxiously for the sound of the king’s approach.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_225">[225]</span>We heard the arrival of the officers in the adjoining -shed and could even catch the low hum of their voices.</p> - -<p>The suspense was not a little trying; and I was -intensely glad when the whistle of a launch announced -that the king was coming.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_226">[226]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XXIII<br /> - - -<small>ON THE <i>RAMPALLO</i></small></h2> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap">WHENEVER I read of an actor playing for the -first time a part which is to make or mar his -reputation, my thoughts fly back to that wet squally -evening on the Lisbon water-front. The big warehouse -with its piles of varied merchandise; the -curiously composite smell with its predominating -scent of hay; the creaking of the tall slide doors at the -front as the wind dashed at them and whistled through -the crevices and whispered and rustled in the cavernous -gloom of the building, the hiss and spume of the -waters of the bay, and Burroughs, Bryant and I -grouped together by the smaller door as I stood listening -intently for the cue to “go on.”</p> - -<p>I was, and yet was not, nervous. That is, I was sure -of myself and confident of success, was quite cool, and -had not a thought of shrinking from the scene to be -played; but at the same time my pulses were beating -very fast, my tongue was dry, and I kept moistening -my lips and biting them, and I could not keep my -hands still nor my fingers from fidgetting, and I am -sure I was very pale.</p> - -<p>I knew that success or failure might turn upon my -giving the signal to leave the shed at exactly the right -moment. If I went too soon, the men waiting at the -end of the narrow passage would know the king had -not had time to pass through the shed from the -launch. If I delayed too long, the king himself -might come out before the “abduction” had taken -place.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_227">[227]</span>Yet I had nothing to guide me. After the whistle -of the launch we could not hear a sound to indicate -what was passing—the racket of the wind made that -impossible. Had I foreseen this, I saw how simply -I could have avoided this perplexity. A hole or two -bored in the big gates or a brick loosened in the partition -wall between the two sheds would have sufficed; -and I cursed my stupidity in having lost sight of the -precaution.</p> - -<p>“Can you hear anything?” I whispered to Burroughs, -but both he and Bryant were in the same -dismayed perplexity as I.</p> - -<p>“There seems a hitch somewhere,” he whispered -back.</p> - -<p>“Well, I shan’t wait any longer,” I decided a moment -later, and I opened the door with as little noise as -possible.</p> - -<p>It creaked horribly on the hinges, however, and -jammed half-way, and I caught my breath, fearing -that the wrench I had to give it must surely be heard -by those in the adjoining shed. Then the wind came -rushing through with most disconcerting violence; -and I only just succeeded in preventing the door from -slamming to with a tell-tale bang.</p> - -<p>“A bold face on it, and we shall soon know,” I said -as we started through the drenching rain squall.</p> - -<p>Burroughs went in front with Bryant close to his -side, while I kept behind as I did not wish the man -who was on the look-out to see that there were two -replicas of the king’s august person.</p> - -<p>The rain gave us invaluable help, for it rendered -impossible any exact recognition of us by the man on -the watch.</p> - -<p>We walked some ten yards along the narrow passage -before he even saw us. Then he waved his whip, -jerked at his horses, and began to back them past the -end of the building to our left.</p> - -<p>At that moment the strenuous excitement was<span class="pagenum" id="Page_228">[228]</span> -relieved by a touch of the ludicrous. In the preoccupation -of the period of suspense I had forgotten -to stick on the false moustache without which any -imposture would have been instantly detected.</p> - -<p>I called to the others to halt a moment, and fishing -the thing out of my pocket I dabbed it on, and had -to hold it in its place by crinkling my upper lip against -my nose.</p> - -<p>Burroughs and Bryant turned back; and I pulled -my felt hat well down over my face, held my head -down as if to avoid the pelting rain and hurried on -alone.</p> - -<p>On reaching the corner I purposely quickened my -pace, and as I turned, something was thrown over -my head, a hand was clapped to my mouth—outside -the cloak fortunately, otherwise it might have been -my moustache only which would have been abducted—and -I was lifted off my feet and carried bodily -away.</p> - -<p>I made a pretence of struggling.</p> - -<p>“No harm will happen to you unless you resist or -try to cry out,” said a voice sternly.</p> - -<p>I felt I could safely desist, therefore, and let them -carry me the rest of the distance to the launch, where -I was placed in the little deckhouse with a couple of -men to hold me down.</p> - -<p>I made another feeble struggle then, and once more -I was ordered with threats to lie still.</p> - -<p>In the struggle I managed to get my hands up to -my face and luckily found the moustache which I -stuck on again.</p> - -<p>Almost immediately afterwards, I was turned face -downwards, and the covering cloak or cloth or whatever -it was, was pulled back sufficiently to allow of -a revolver being thrust against my head.</p> - -<p>“If you dare even to look round, I shall fire,” said -the same voice, and I replied with an appropriate -shiver of fear. I chuckled as I realized that the men<span class="pagenum" id="Page_229">[229]</span> -were as anxious I should not see their faces as I was -that they should not see mine.</p> - -<p>Next I felt a hand on my forehead, my face was lifted -an inch or two, and a thick wide scarf, in which a gag -was fastened, was wound twice round my head and -fastened at the back, and then my hands were tied -behind me.</p> - -<p>It was extremely uncomfortable, of course, and I -had great difficulty in breathing, but that was all. -A very small discount from the success which I had -scored.</p> - -<p>After that I was left to my own meditations, and -I guessed that I was not one whit less excited or ill at -ease than my captors. My one qualm was whether -the scarf would be taken off before I was left in the -cabin which was in readiness for me on the <i>Rampallo</i>. -If it was, then the confounded moustache would -assuredly go with it and that farcical incident might -prove to be the curtain raiser to a very serious drama -and possibly a tragedy.</p> - -<p>But the men’s unwillingness to let me see their faces -was a fact of auspicious promise, and I judged that -their reluctance would not lessen until they were -practically certain their desperate venture had succeeded. -So long as failure was a possible contingency, -it would be practicable for them to make a bolt of it -in a body, with much less risk of recognition than if -“His Majesty” had seen that his abductors were -officers whom he knew well by sight and probably by -name.</p> - -<p>Nor could they be absolutely certain of success until -the <i>Rampallo</i> was many knots on her way to Oporto. -They would naturally calculate that the abduction -would be discovered almost at once; and were no -doubt afraid that the authorities would be roused to -prompt and energetic action, with the result that the -yacht might be stopped before she could get out of -the river.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_230">[230]</span>I persuaded myself, therefore, that the risk of my -impersonation being detected was over for some hours -at least, and as this was the most comforting thought -for me, there was no good purpose to be gained by -anticipating trouble.</p> - -<p>The launch was a vile sea boat. She kicked about -and tossed and pitched like the ill-behaved cockle-shell -she was, and, as I was powerless to help myself, I -rolled about the floor like a bale of goods or a very -intoxicated monarch; and the man in charge understood -neither how to manage her properly nor how -to make matters easier for his “king.”</p> - -<p>I was heartily glad, therefore, when we bumped -alongside the <i>Rampallo</i> and I was hoisted aboard. -They handled me with all the clumsiness of nervous -amateurs, and I think that was the moment of my -greatest peril, for the launch danced and bobbed -about so much that they nearly dropped me into -the river.</p> - -<p>But they did not unfasten the scarf, and I was -taken below into a cabin, laid on the berth, my hands -still tied and the gag in position, and locked in.</p> - -<p>Had they peeped in a few minutes later they would -have been considerably surprised. They were as great -bunglers in tying my hands as they were in managing -the launch, and I had not the least difficulty in wriggling -my arms free. A vigorous tug tore off the head-gear, -wig, and all, and as there were a couple of -serviceable bolts on the door I shot them home softly, -and indulged in the luxury of unimpeded breathing. -It had not occurred to them apparently, that -“His Majesty” might be quite as anxious to keep -them out of the cabin as they were to keep him in; -otherwise they would have removed the door fastenings.</p> - -<p>Then I closed the porthole and covered it over, -took off the shot-weighed shooting rig, and with -my revolver ready at hand, I threw myself at full -length on the bunk to cool and wait for the next act.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_231">[231]</span>I was in darkness, of course, but by feeling the hands -of my watch I found the time to be just nine o’clock. -It would be dawn between four and five; and I had -thus some seven or eight hours to wait before signalling -to Burroughs on the <i>Stella</i>. I was now quite easy in -mind about the issue, and as no one could enter the -cabin without making noise enough to wake me, there -was no reason why I should not go to sleep.</p> - -<p>The yacht was under weigh almost as soon as I -was placed in the cabin and, so far as I could gauge -the speed, was making no more than from ten to -twelve knots.</p> - -<p>I was just dropping off to sleep when some one tried -the door and was apparently very much astonished to -find it fastened on my side. It must have seemed -something like a conjuring trick for a “king” gagged -and bound, as I was, to have accomplished such a feat.</p> - -<p>I took no notice, of course. There was some whispered -consultation followed by more knocking and more -whispering, and then I was left at peace. They concluded, -no doubt, that as they could force the door -at any time, there was no use in doing so until we were -near Oporto; and that if I preferred to remain gagged, -instead of allowing them to release me, the “royal” -prerogative entitled me to punish myself.</p> - -<p>Anyhow, they went away and I went to sleep, and -did not wake until the dawn was breaking. I had -very little doubt that I passed a more comfortable -night than any one else on the yacht.</p> - -<p>I opened the porthole and shoving my head through -was intensely pleased to see the <i>Stella</i> under easy -steam about a mile astern. I waved a towel as a -signal to the skipper to close up, and having edged -it and left it fluttering, I looked carefully to see that -my revolver was loaded, and sat down to speculate as -to what form the crisis would take.</p> - -<p>As the <i>Stella</i> could steam two knots to the <i>Rampallo’s</i> -one, a few minutes after my signal was observed would<span class="pagenum" id="Page_232">[232]</span> -bring matters to a head. But those minutes might -bring trouble my way, of course.</p> - -<p>The first sign of it was a hurried trampling of feet -on the deck over my head, followed almost directly by a -loud knocking at my cabin door and an angry demand -for me to open it.</p> - -<p>I let them knock and call as they pleased and then -some one said that the door was to be broken in. But I -did not wish that to be done and did wish to make -delay, so I rapped back loudly with the butt of my -revolver.</p> - -<p>“Open the door at once,” came in loud angry tones.</p> - -<p>Putting my handkerchief to my mouth I yelled -back a lot of muffled unintelligible gibberish. An -altercation followed in which they continued to call -to me to open and I replied with the same sort of rot -and played with the bolts as if fumbling in an attempt -to unfasten them.</p> - -<p>In this way I gained two or three invaluable minutes, -and a glance out of the porthole showed me that the -<i>Stella</i> was coming up very fast.</p> - -<p>Their impatience drove them to act at last; and the -first blow was struck to force the way in.</p> - -<p>“Wait. I’ll open it,” I shouted.</p> - -<p>I drew the bolts and stepped back as a hail came -across the water in Burroughs’ stentorian tones.</p> - -<p>There are many ways of showing astonishment, and -most of them were conspicuous as the door flew open -and four men started to rush in and then jumped back -from my levelled weapon.</p> - -<p>“Well, gentlemen, I should like to know what the -devil you mean by kidnapping me in this way,” I sang -out and then, to their further astonishment, I burst -out laughing.</p> - -<p>If my life had depended upon my keeping serious, -I could not have helped laughing at the ridiculous figures -they cut. It was not so much their boundless amazement -at seeing me instead of the king, nor their quick<span class="pagenum" id="Page_233">[233]</span> -retreat from my weapon, but their general appearance -which was so irresistibly comic.</p> - -<p>They wore neither coat, waistcoat, nor collar, their -trousers were rolled up to the knees, in their shirts of -finest linen were gold studs and the sleeves were rolled -up to the elbows, their boots were faultless in fit, -all four wore gloves, and two of them carried pince-nez; -while from the top to toe they were smothered -in a mixture of machine oil, perspiration and coal -dust.</p> - -<p>They looked for all the world like amateur greasers -badly made up and coming straight from the comic -opera stage.</p> - -<p>“Who are you and where is——” stammered one -of them, when a companion stopped him and stepped -forward.</p> - -<p>“Leave this to me,” he said and then to me: “Who -are you?”</p> - -<p>“I am the king of Portugal, of course—Dom Carlos,” -I replied, trying to keep my face straight. “Where -is Captain Gompez?”</p> - -<p>“I am Captain Gompez.”</p> - -<p>“I’m afraid you’ve had rather a rough night of it, -captain. Stokehole work is trying for an amateur.”</p> - -<p>“Who are you, sir? I’m in no mood for fooling.”</p> - -<p>“I should think not after such an experience. But -as you are the owner of this boat, tell me why you -brought me here?”</p> - -<p>As I said this I saw one of the younger men—a red-headed, -fiery-looking fellow—pull off his gloves furtively -and begin to reach for his hip pocket. “If -either of you attempts to draw on me I shall fire at -whoever’s nearest to me,” I sang out in a very different -tone.</p> - -<p>Captain Gompez was the nearest and he promptly -turned and stopped the fellow who then tried to sneak -away.</p> - -<p>But I wouldn’t have that either. “You stop just<span class="pagenum" id="Page_234">[234]</span> -where you are,” I said. “I’m like your leader here—in -no mood for fooling.”</p> - -<p>At this moment Burroughs fired the blank cartridge -from the <i>Stella</i>, and some one called excitedly for -Captain Gompez.</p> - -<p>Taken aback by the unexpected development, all -four started and I took advantage of the moment -when their eyes were off me to grab hold of the captain -and drag him into the cabin and then slammed the -door to and shot home one of the bolts.</p> - -<p>“Now we can talk this——”</p> - -<p>Before I could finish the sentence he flung himself -upon me with an oath in a desperate effort to grab -my weapon, while he shouted to the others to break -in the door.</p> - -<p>Like a fool I had allowed myself to be taken by -surprise, and in a second he had me pinned against -the wall and at a terrible disadvantage.</p> - -<p>I could not use my weapon, and my life depended -on my preventing him from getting it.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_235">[235]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XXIV<br /> - - -<small>A TIGHT CORNER</small></h2> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap">CAPTAIN GOMPEZ was about my own height -but very strong, as agile as a cat, and mad with -rage. Under equal conditions I should have had no -chance in such a struggle with him. Fortunately for -me, however, the conditions were not equal.</p> - -<p>He had been up all night, hard at work in laborious -and unusual toil. He was responsible for the management -of the <i>Rampallo</i> and had had to teach his crew -of amateurs their work, and he was also the leader -in this critical part of the abduction plot. The combined -strain of all this had told on him and made tremendous -demands upon his strength and endurance.</p> - -<p>At the same time, he had the two most powerful -motives which can drive a man to set his life on an -issue such as that involved in this attack on me. He -knew that in some way I had thwarted the plot, and -the knowledge filled him with a frenzy of rage, while -he believed that, on his success in overpowering me, -depended not only his own safety but that of all who -were relying upon his leadership. This rendered him -desperate.</p> - -<p>My advantage was that I was as fresh as paint after -the hours of sleep I had had during the night; and I -felt that if I could hold my own in the first minutes of -the affair, the frantic efforts he was making would tire -him out and give me the victory. Time would give me -another advantage. The <i>Stella</i> would soon be alongside,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_236">[236]</span> -when Burroughs would quickly have command -of the <i>Rampallo</i>.</p> - -<p>The struggle between us began in a somewhat curious -fashion. The attack had taken me by surprise, as I -have said, and forced me back against the side of the -cabin. As he grabbed for the revolver, I shot my -right hand up as high as I could stretch it, to hold the -weapon out of his reach. You may have seen one child -use a similar tactic when teasing another, and you -may know how difficult it is to bend an arm held rigid -in such a position, when there is no marked advantage -in height.</p> - -<p>That was the problem the captain had to solve, -and he fought with tremendous energy. He held -my right wrist in his left, tugging and straining to -lever it down so that he might venture to release his -right, which held my left in a grip of steel, and grab -the prize.</p> - -<p>His shouts to the others to break the door open -were not answered, and he soon ceased to call, concentrating -all his strength in the struggle for my weapon.</p> - -<p>He displayed such strength that I realized he would -beat me before the energy which frenzy gave him was -exhausted; and as I was convinced that the first use -he would make of his victory would be to put a -bullet into my head, I resolved to empty the revolver -as a defensive measure.</p> - -<p>I fired three shots in rapid succession when he suddenly -released my left arm and fastened both hands -on my right wrist and tugged and strained at it in the -desperate effort to drag the weapon within his reach.</p> - -<p>This was more than I could resist, and I thought -he would dislocate my shoulder and wrench the sinews. -But I succeeded in discharging two more cartridges before -my power of resistance was broken, and then I let the -weapon fall and at the same moment I got my left -hand on his throat and pressing my foot against the -wall pushed him violently backwards.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_237">[237]</span>The manœuvre took him by surprise and he slipped -and fell, dragged me down with him, to resume the -struggle under different conditions. I had some -advantage now, however. I was top dog. But he -writhed and wriggled with such agility that I could -make little use of my position.</p> - -<p>He fought at this stage like a savage. He kicked -me viciously, butted my face with his head, tried -every trick to get his hands on my throat, writhing -the while like a snake to change his position so that -he could wriggle back to the spot where the revolver -lay, the possession of which meant life or death to me -and freedom or ruin to him.</p> - -<p>Again I realized that he was the better man and -that I was going to be beaten. By a very clever movement -he got me again at a terrible disadvantage. I -was holding on to his throat when he twisted to one -side, drew his knees up with a sudden jerk and thrust -one of his feet into the pit of my stomach with such -force as to drive the wind clean out of me. My grip -on his throat relaxed and I fell back sick and dizzy -and beaten.</p> - -<p>Only the merest luck saved my life then. As I fell, -my hand came in contact with the revolver and I -gripped it and pulled the trigger. Even as the shot -flashed, he was on to me; and he wrenched the weapon -from me, and pulled the trigger three or four times at -my head in the hope that there was still a cartridge -left.</p> - -<p>Maddened with rage and disappointment he raised -it and tried to strike me on the head; but I had -sense enough to protect myself with my arms, and then -my rage began to lend me strength. I grappled with -him again, and as the effects of the kick passed off -and I recovered my wind, I renewed the fight.</p> - -<p>I was in a very different mood now. He had attempted -to take my life and I no longer tried merely to exhaust -his strength. I fought like a madman. For the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_238">[238]</span> -moment, indeed, I was mad, crazed with blood lust, -white-hot for revenge.</p> - -<p>Disappointment at finding the weapon, which he -had striven so frantically to gain, useless, disheartened -him; his strength was nearly used up and he had -no passion left to answer to that which burned like a -fever in me.</p> - -<p>I got him under me again, my left hand fastened on -his throat while I dashed my fist again and again -into his face, finding a brutal pleasure in the punishment -I inflicted, until his resistance weakened and he -lay still and helpless.</p> - -<p>Then I rose and sat on the berth, breathing hard -and watching him as if he were some dangerous wild -beast who had mauled me and from whose fangs I had -only just escaped with my life—as indeed I had.</p> - -<p>I was not seriously hurt. That kick of his had only -winded me. My arms were painful from the blows I -had received from the revolver in shielding my head, -but they were only bruised, and I had every cause -to be glad matters were no worse.</p> - -<p>Nor was my opponent badly injured. His face was -damaged and his lips swollen and bleeding, but the -blood was chiefly from his nose; and he soon recovered -sufficiently to sit up.</p> - -<p>His first movement brought me to my feet, but he -had no strength left to make any fight. Moreover -my own rage had cooled and, to tell the truth, I was -a little ashamed of my savagery; so I made no effort -to interfere with him.</p> - -<p>He spat out some of the blood from his mouth and -had plenty more on his face, so I threw him a towel.</p> - -<p>“Are you going to try any more of this?” I -asked.</p> - -<p>He was wiping his face with the towel, and paused -to look up at me, shook his head, and continued his -task.</p> - -<p>At that moment the <i>Stella</i> came alongside with a<span class="pagenum" id="Page_239">[239]</span> -force which sent a shiver through the <i>Rampallo</i> from -stern to stern; and the sounds of the trampling of -many feet on the deck above our heads followed.</p> - -<p>“What’s that?” he exclaimed and started to scramble -up.</p> - -<p>“You’ll find it safer to stop just where you are,” -I said curtly.</p> - -<p>He glanced up at me and, not liking my looks, -abandoned the attempt. “What is the meaning of -it all?” he asked sullenly.</p> - -<p>“I was on this boat the night before last when you -were all discussing your plans and I decided to play -the king’s part in this business.”</p> - -<p>“You?” and he ran his eyes over my much slighter -form.</p> - -<p>“You’ll find the remainder of His Majesty under the -bunk here; the shot-weighted clothes and all the rest -of it.”</p> - -<p>“And what’s your object?”</p> - -<p>“Never mind. I had one and have gained it. My -yacht, the <i>Stella</i>, followed us all through the night; -and the row up there means that my men have just -come aboard.”</p> - -<p>The racket on deck was dying down now and I soon -heard Burroughs calling my name loudly and anxiously.</p> - -<p>“Donnington! Ralph! Where are you?”</p> - -<p>I opened the cabin door and answered him.</p> - -<p>“Is all well with you?” he cried, eagerly. “I -was getting worried about you.”</p> - -<p>“It’s all right, Jack, but it was touch and go, -owing to Captain Gompez here, the leader of the lot.”</p> - -<p>“Been making trouble, has he? Have you left any -kick in him?”</p> - -<p>“What are you going to do with us?” interposed -Gompez.</p> - -<p>“Send you to sea for a week in charge of my friend -here, Mr. Burroughs—and a crew chosen from my own -yacht. At the end of that time I shall probably hand<span class="pagenum" id="Page_240">[240]</span> -you over to the authorities with a full statement of -all this.”</p> - -<p>“I protest——” he began angrily.</p> - -<p>“Waste of time,” I cut in laconically. “Bring him -along to the rest, Jack.”</p> - -<p>We went to the yacht’s saloon where the other -prisoners were. Burroughs had done things thoroughly. -There were seven of them, and he had handcuffed -them all and put a couple of men over them, with -loaded revolvers.</p> - -<p>“I’m taking no risks, Ralph,” said Burroughs in -explanation, and then fastened Captain Gompez’ -wrists in similar fashion.</p> - -<p>A more dejected forlorn set of men I had never cast -eyes on. Grimed from head to foot, worn out with -sleeplessness, toil and anxiety, they were broken by the -utter defeat of their scheme and the certainty that -ruin, disgrace, dishonour and possibly death was all -they had to face. Two or three had dozed off, and -the rest turned as I entered and looked at me with -lack-lustre eyes without even the energy to show -anger.</p> - -<p>Among those who were asleep, or feigning sleep, -was Sampayo. He was in a corner at the far end, his -face averted and his head sunk on his breast. The -arrival of the <i>Stella</i> had warned him that I was at the -bottom of the trouble, and he and the red-headed -young fellow who had tried to draw on me before -had been the only ones to give trouble; but they had -gained nothing by it except a crack on the head.</p> - -<p>Sampayo was not of course aware that I knew he -was on board, and his present attitude was probably -due to the hope that he would escape my notice.</p> - -<p>“You can tell your companions my decision, Captain -Gompez,” I said, and went away with Burroughs -to arrange for the stores to be transferred from the -<i>Stella</i> and discuss the steps he was to take to guard -against any trouble from the prisoner-passengers.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_241">[241]</span>“I shall run no risks, Ralph. I’ve been looking -round and I can separate them and shall keep them -fastened up. The old man and I discussed the course -I’d better lay. There’s none too much coal on board, -so I shall steam due west for a day and if the weather -holds good shall just crawl about until the time’s -up, and I’ve arranged where he can pick us up if you -want to before the week’s out. And of course I shall -keep well away from any vessels that may came along.”</p> - -<p>The two yachts were still roped together, and while -the stores were transferred I went down to the “king’s” -cabin and told Burroughs to send Sampayo to me.</p> - -<p>“I have sent for you to write a brief letter to Dr. -Barosa telling him what has occurred,” I said without -preface.</p> - -<p>“What use are you going to make of it?”</p> - -<p>“Just what I decide. It is possible that I may not -speak of this thing at all.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll tell you everything if you’ll put me ashore,” -he said after a pause.</p> - -<p>“Characteristic, but out of the question.”</p> - -<p>“Then I won’t write a word.”</p> - -<p>“Very well. Then I’ll get one of the others.”</p> - -<p>He looked at me eagerly, as if my words suggested -a hope that matters would be made easier if he complied. -“Why do you want to hound us down?”</p> - -<p>“So far as you are concerned, your old companion, -Prelot, will do that.”</p> - -<p>He caught his breath with a shudder at the mention -of the name. “That letter to Barosa will do no -good. After you showed you knew about me, I begged -and prayed him to do the only thing that would get -rid of you—and he refused.”</p> - -<p>He paused as if waiting for me to question him.</p> - -<p>“He is mad with his love for Mademoiselle Dominguez,” -he continued after a pause. “I said that if -he would let me break with her, you would go away. -He would not. It was he who planned that attempt<span class="pagenum" id="Page_242">[242]</span> -on your life the same night. He was with Henriques. -He is mad, I say. And nothing, not even this, will -turn him from his purpose. He knows something -about that South African affair of mine, but not all. -He has had nearly all my money, he forced this farce -of an engagement with Mademoiselle Dominguez, -and his intention was to use the influence he would -have if a revolution was provoked to force her to -marry him. That’s why she has been dragged into -it, and he would sacrifice every man of us rather than -lose her. He would have been betrothed to her openly, -but he could not break with the Contesse Inglesia. -Now you know everything.”</p> - -<p>“I knew most of that before,” I replied drily. -“But how did you get the visconte’s consent?”</p> - -<p>He shrugged his shoulders. “He could not help himself. -He was in this thing also to some extent, but -Barosa found out that he had been stealing his wife’s -money and I was put to threaten him with exposure -if he refused. I have been Barosa’s slave for months, -curse him.”</p> - -<p>There was no mistaking the bitter sincerity of -this.</p> - -<p>“You will do no good with the letter you want. -It is more probable that you will find that he fled -from the city the moment he knew this thing had failed -and took Mademoiselle Dominguez with him. But if -he is still there, and still hopes to provoke a revolution, -your only means of dealing with him will be -through the Contesse Inglesia. Rouse her jealousy, -and you may succeed. I would have done it, but I -dared not.”</p> - -<p>I did not let him see my alarm at his suggestion -that Barosa had forced Miralda to fly with him, but -I determined to get back to Lisbon as fast as the <i>Stella</i> -could carry me.</p> - -<p>I took Sampayo back to the rest, wrote a line:—“We -are prisoners in the hands of Mr. Ralph Donnington,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_243">[243]</span> -who knows everything;” and obtained the signatures -of them all to it; and then hurried up on deck.</p> - -<p>The <i>Stella</i> was just casting off, and with a last handshake -with Burroughs, I jumped on board.</p> - -<p>“How long will it take us to get back to port, captain?” -I asked the skipper, who had good news for -me.</p> - -<p>“We’re not much more than thirty-five knots out,” -he said. “These fools couldn’t get more than a few -knots an hour out of the <i>Rampallo</i> and didn’t even -know enough to keep a straight course. They’ve been -zigzagging about all night. Never saw such lubbers.”</p> - -<p>“Well, let her rip. I must be back at the earliest -moment. Get all you can out of her.”</p> - -<p>Sampayo’s words had fired me with impatience. -A burning fever of unrest had seized me and I should -not know a second’s peace until I had assured myself -of Miralda’s safety.</p> - -<p>The bare thought that she might be in Barosa’s -power and that the very act by which I had striven and -risked so much to win her, might prove to be the means -of losing her, was torture unutterable.</p> - -<p>The instant we were in the river I had the launch -lowered and jumped into her and shot away to the -quay.</p> - -<p>A few minutes now would tell me the best or the -worst.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_244">[244]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHARIER XXV<br /> - - -<small>ILL NEWS</small></h2> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap">SAMPAYO’S statement had not only roused my -fears for Miralda’s safety but had also decided -me not to have any further dealings at all with Barosa. -As soon as I had satisfied myself that she was not -in any danger from him, I would go straight to Volheno -and tell him about the abduction plot and how it had -been frustrated.</p> - -<p>I could make a full statement of that without in -any way violating the pledge of secrecy I had given to -Barosa. That pledge did not include either my -previous knowledge that he was an agent of the Pretender, -Dom Miguel, or anything I had overheard -on the <i>Rampallo</i> and the results.</p> - -<p>I would keep my word in regard to all that had occurred -in the Rua Catania house and in the other -house in the Rua Formosa, where I had been subjected -to the “test”; and should not give the names -of any one whose connexions with the plot I had learnt -before my spy work on Captain Gompez’ yacht.</p> - -<p>My intention was to make one condition—that -Miralda, her mother, the visconte, Vasco and, if possible, -Dagara, should be pardoned for their complicity -in the affair. They had been forced into the net by -Barosa’s tortuous cunning, and that I could prove -if put to it.</p> - -<p>I felt that I had a perfect right to impose such a -condition as the price of my services. I had thwarted -the abduction plot, and my own experiences proved<span class="pagenum" id="Page_245">[245]</span> -that, but for me, nothing would have saved the king. -Moreover, I had risked my life—had very nearly -lost it, indeed—and, although I had chosen my own -method instead of turning informer in advance, that -was my own concern. But the result had been entirely -successful, for it had led to my taking a batch of the -men in it red-handed.</p> - -<p>In making this decision to go at once to Volheno, I -had none but personal considerations. I had no interest -in the political issues involved in the struggle -between the Throne and the people. They were nothing -to me. The Government managed their own -affairs in their own way; and if I had been fool enough -to have offered them suggestions, they would have -laughed at me for an impertinent interfering puppy.</p> - -<p>At the same time, the part of informer was a profoundly -hateful one to play, and if I could have gained -my end as easily and safely by dealing direct with -Barosa, I should have preferred that method.</p> - -<p>But he was too dangerous a man. I had far too high -an opinion of his ability, shrewdness and resource -to believe for an instant that I could pit myself against -him. It was much more by accident than anything -else that I had obtained the whip-hand over him now; -and it would be sheer folly to run the risk of giving -him an opportunity to outwit me, when a word to -Volheno would lay him by the heels.</p> - -<p>I took Bryant and Simmons ashore with me. I sent -the latter up to my rooms and, as I deemed it best -not to go about alone, I drove with Bryant to Miralda’s -house and left him in the carriage to wait for me.</p> - -<p>My anxiety on Miralda’s account rendered me nervously -uneasy. This feeling quickened into alarm when -the servant told me she was not in the house. The -viscontesse was at home and I sent a message begging -her to see me at once.</p> - -<p>The instant she entered the room I read ill news in -her manner and looks. She was greatly agitated,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_246">[246]</span> -her face was white and drawn, her eyes full of -trouble, and she appeared both surprised and -angry to see me. She drew back and would not take -my hand. “You asked for me, Mr. Donnington? -I wonder you dare to come here, sir.”</p> - -<p>“Dare to come?” I repeated, bewildered by this -reception.</p> - -<p>“Why is not Miralda with you?”</p> - -<p>The question filled the cup of my alarm and amazement.</p> - -<p>“There is some mistake, viscontesse. I have just -landed from my yacht and have come straight here -to see her.”</p> - -<p>“For Heaven’s sake do not try to deceive me. I -know what has happened. It was cruel and shameful. -I have been beside myself with grief and suspense.”</p> - -<p>“I give you my word of honour I have not seen -Miralda since the day before yesterday.”</p> - -<p>She stared at me as if unable to believe or even understand -me. “Have not seen her?” she repeated -hoarsely, after a pause. “Oh, that cannot be true.”</p> - -<p>“I assure you most earnestly and solemnly that it -is true.”</p> - -<p>As the conviction of my sincerity was forced upon -her, her expression changed. The trouble in her wide, -staring eyes gave place to unmistakable terror inspired -by her new thoughts. Suddenly she reeled, -threw up her hands in despair, and then clasped them -distractedly to her face and sank on a couch with a -moan of anguish.</p> - -<p>“Then she is arrested or dead. Heaven have mercy -upon my dear, dear child,” she cried, a prey to -overpowering emotion.</p> - -<p>I was scarcely less alarmed by this most disconcerting -news, and while the viscontesse was striving to -recover some measure of self-command, I tried to -realize all it meant and to think what to do.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_247">[247]</span>“Don’t go, Mr. Donnington,” she said at length -in the midst of her sobs; and I waited, tormented by -a thousand vague fears.</p> - -<p>“I beg you to tell me all as soon as possible. Even -minutes may be of vital importance,” I said earnestly.</p> - -<p>She made an effort to check her wild sobs. “But -we cannot do anything,” she wailed helplessly.</p> - -<p>“Not unless you can let me know what has happened,” -I replied sharply. “If anything is to be done, -it must be at once.”</p> - -<p>“I will try to tell you,” she said a minute later, -sitting up.</p> - -<p>“I know that Miralda was here yesterday,” I said, -“because I sent to her and received a letter from -her. That was early in the afternoon. Will you tell -me everything that occurred after that?”</p> - -<p>“I know very little, Mr. Donnington. In the afternoon -Inez came and the two were alone together. Miralda -came to me afterwards and I saw that she was -both greatly excited and distressed. It was in some -way connected with this miserable conspiracy business. -She told me that something very important was to -happen; but that she herself did not know what it -was. She was to go for the evening to Inez. I was -in great trouble about Vasco, you know. He was in -bed ill—he had been drinking heavily the night before, -I must tell you.”</p> - -<p>“Did he leave the house yesterday?” I interposed.</p> - -<p>“No. He was getting better toward the evening -and said he had to go out; but I went up later and -found him sleeping so soundly that I could not rouse -him.”</p> - -<p>“Was Miralda in the house then?”</p> - -<p>“No, she had been gone about half an hour. Well, I -waited by his bedside for a long time, an hour or more—I -could not say how long. When Inez arrived I went -down to her, and she asked me where Miralda was. I -said she had gone to her house. She had never reached<span class="pagenum" id="Page_248">[248]</span> -there, however; and then Inez said she had something -very serious to tell me. It was that Miralda had -been in secret communication with you, and that -as some of their friends suspected you of having -betrayed them in some way, Miralda had also fallen -under suspicion. She had disappeared, and one of -three things must be the cause. She had been -arrested, or had got into the hands of those who -suspected her, or had run away with you.”</p> - -<p>“Can you fix the time the contesse was here?”</p> - -<p>“Not that first visit, but she came again about -ten o’clock, bringing the news that your yacht had -left the river and that it was plain that Miralda had -gone with you.”</p> - -<p>So the <i>Stella</i> had been missed, it seemed.</p> - -<p>“What I tell you is true, viscontesse; I have not -seen Miralda.”</p> - -<p>“You think she has been arrested then?”</p> - -<p>“It is impossible to be certain—but I do not think -it.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, but don’t tell me you believe she has fallen -into the hands of any of these people who will do her -mischief? They would kill her.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, no; I am certain that there is no fear of that.” -I was, for it was as clear as anything could be that -Barosa would not allow anything of the sort.</p> - -<p>“You are so positive. Do you know anything that -makes you so?”</p> - -<p>“Yes; but I cannot tell you.”</p> - -<p>“You get to learn so much. I suppose you know -that my husband has left the city.”</p> - -<p>“No. When was that?”</p> - -<p>“You warned him one afternoon that he was -under suspicion; and he left the next night. He -has gone to Paris.”</p> - -<p>“Would to Heaven you and Miralda had gone with -him,” I exclaimed.</p> - -<p>“We were going; but Miralda was prevented.”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_249">[249]</span>“How prevented?”</p> - -<p>“Dr. Barosa and Inez arrived when all was ready, -and after what they said to her, she told me she could -not go.”</p> - -<p>“But they let the visconte go?”</p> - -<p>“And I could have gone too—but I could not leave -my dear child.”</p> - -<p>I began to get a grip of the situation now.</p> - -<p>“And Vasco? Can I see him?”</p> - -<p>“He is on duty this morning. He is better. What -are you going to do?” she asked as I rose.</p> - -<p>“To find Miralda.”</p> - -<p>“Pray God you may be successful. You will let -me know?”</p> - -<p>With a promise to do so, I left her. I had very -little doubt that I should find Miralda with Inez. She -had been taken away from her home as the result -of that attempt at flight; and Barosa had used -Inez for the purpose. The thing must have been -planned before the failure of the previous night’s -scheme was known; and being uncertain of the -issue, he was still afraid to break with Inez.</p> - -<p>Under other circumstances he might have employed -different means—getting Miralda into his own hands; -but he would shrink from rousing Inez’ jealousy until -he felt strong enough to set her at defiance.</p> - -<p>What the effect upon him would be of the failure -of the scheme was of course very difficult to say. -But it was not of much consequence unless he had -already got Miralda away and I should know that as -soon as I saw Inez herself.</p> - -<p>The lie which had been told about my having carried -Miralda away was intended merely to blind her -mother’s eyes. It offered a plausible reason for -Miralda’s absence.</p> - -<p>As I drove to Inez’ house I told Bryant to wait -for me, but not to remain in the carriage, as I did not -wish him to be seen; and as soon as the servant<span class="pagenum" id="Page_250">[250]</span> -opened the door, I pushed my way in, lest Inez should -refuse to see me.</p> - -<p>She did make the attempt. In reply to my message, -she sent word that she was unable to see me -then, but would do so an hour later.</p> - -<p>“Then I will wait,” I told the servant; and down -I sat in the hall. Inez’ unwillingness to face me confirmed -my opinion that Miralda was in the house; -and nothing short of force would have made me leave.</p> - -<p>After perhaps a quarter of an hour the servant -came with another message—her mistress would -receive me in a few minutes. She was leading the way -upstairs when I stopped her, saying bluntly I preferred -to remain where I was until the contesse was quite -ready.</p> - -<p>I did not intend to give Inez a chance of smuggling -Miralda out of the house while I was cooling my -heels shut up in a room upstairs. Whether or not any -attempt of the sort had been planned, I do not know; -but while I was close to the door and had a full view -of the staircase it was impracticable.</p> - -<p>Another delay followed, and then the servant said -Inez was waiting for me; and she herself appeared -at the top of the stairs, cool, smiling, and apologetic.</p> - -<p>“I am so sorry to have kept you waiting, Mr. Donnington,” -she said as she gave me her hand, and led -the way into an adjoining room; “but your call at -this unusual hour found me quite unprepared to come -to you.”</p> - -<p>“It is not a conventional purpose which has brought -me, madame,” I replied as she settled herself gracefully -upon a couch.</p> - -<p>“No? Ah, well, I am grateful to any purpose -which leads you to find your way at last to my house,” -she said with another smile.</p> - -<p>I was in no mood for this kind of thing; so I said -rather bluntly: “My purpose is to see Mademoiselle -Dominguez.”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_251">[251]</span>Her start and look and gesture of extreme surprise -were well acted. “My dear Mr. Donnington! Miralda?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, certainly.”</p> - -<p>“But——” she paused, and then those strange eyes -of hers expressed perplexity and trouble and rising -alarm. “I am afraid I—I don’t understand.”</p> - -<p>“Yet my words were very simple. I wish to see -Mademoiselle Dominguez.”</p> - -<p>“I heard that, of course. But is it possible, you -believe she is here? Do you mean you do not know -what has occurred? You find out so many things, -you know,” she added with a quick thrust.</p> - -<p>“I know that she came here last night. I have -seen her mother this morning; but, as you suggest, -I do find out things. You were under the impression -last night that she did not reach your house; but”——and -I paused as I made a shot, speaking very meaningly—“I -know how she came to the house.”</p> - -<p>A single swift up-lift of the deeply fringed lids told -me that the unexpected shot had pierced the armour-plate -of her defence; and when she looked up after a -pause all the assumption of surprise had disappeared.</p> - -<p>“You have only yourself to blame, Mr. Donnington,” -she said, tone and manner both very earnest. -She had as many moods as an actress has costumes -and was able to change them much more quickly.</p> - -<p>“And that means—what, if you please?”</p> - -<p>“I am genuinely sorry for you. I knew from the -first that your object here was Miralda; and you -will remember that I warned you. You would not -heed the warning. You set to work to win back -Miralda; and had she been free, you would have succeeded. -But she was not free; and when you took -the mad step of driving Major Sampayo from the city -you—well, you can understand what was sure to -follow.”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_252">[252]</span>“On the contrary I do not understand, madame.”</p> - -<p>“You precipitated matters, of course. Miralda -is Major Sampayo’s wife and is now with his -friends.”</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_253">[253]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XXVI<br /> - - -<small>IN SIGHT OF VICTORY</small></h2> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap">INEZ’ face as she said this was full of excellently -simulated solicitude for me; but had she been -aware of all I knew about Sampayo’s movements, she -would certainly have chosen some other fairy tale -with which to fool me.</p> - -<p>“I am afraid some one has been misleading you,” -I said drily; “unless, of course, you were present at -the wedding?”</p> - -<p>Her own instinct or my manner warned her that -she had blundered. “I was—not present, Mr. Donnington.” -She began the reply quickly, and the slight -pause in the sentence came when she suddenly changed -her mind; and the last words were spoken in a very -different tone.</p> - -<p>“When is the marriage said to have occurred? -I don’t wish to question you in the dark, and will -tell you that I know precisely all Major Sampayo’s -recent movements. Let me suggest, therefore, that -it is quite useless to fence with my questions.”</p> - -<p>She fixed her eyes on me with a steady searching -look. “Are you threatening me, Mr. Donnington?”</p> - -<p>“I am asking you to let me see Mademoiselle Dominguez -at once, madame.”</p> - -<p>“I have told you she is with Major Sampayo’s -friends.”</p> - -<p>“You are one of those friends. Mademoiselle -Dominguez is here,” I said as positively as if I knew it -for a fact.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_254">[254]</span>For a moment I thought she was going to give in; -but her features set and she threw her head back with -a toss of defiance. “You must have seen a yacht in -the river for the last two days, the <i>Rampallo</i>. It is -Major Sampayo’s; and Miralda joined him there last -night.”</p> - -<p>“The <i>Rampallo</i> belongs to Captain Gompez, and I -passed last night on board her.”</p> - -<p>She sat bolt upright and stared at me, every muscle -and nerve strained and set, her face as white as her lace -and the pupils of her weird eyes dilated with sudden -fear and wonder. For several seconds she was unable -to utter a word, as she realized all that must lie behind -my words.</p> - -<p>“You will now, perhaps, deem it prudent not to -refuse any longer to bring Mademoiselle Dominguez -here to me,” I said very meaningly.</p> - -<p>She lowered her head with a deep sigh and sat thinking, -then rose with a little shiver of fear. “I will -fetch her,” she murmured and went out of the room.</p> - -<p>I breathed a sigh of satisfaction at my victory. -It was a telling proof of the strength of my hold over -her and all who were leagued with her in this persecution -of Miralda.</p> - -<p>I had to wait about a quarter of an hour before she -returned, bringing Miralda, who was pale and worn -and nervous.</p> - -<p>Inez did not enter the room, but closed the door, -leaving us alone, as I took Miralda’s hand.</p> - -<p>“Oh, why have you come here, Mr. Donnington?”</p> - -<p>“To take you away. I have come straight here from -your mother and am going to take you back to -her.”</p> - -<p>“I—I cannot go,” she replied, shaking her head.</p> - -<p>“Why not?”</p> - -<p>“If I attempt to leave here, I shall be arrested.”</p> - -<p>“Is that the tale they have told you to keep you -here?”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_255">[255]</span>“It is true. Do you know what happened last -night?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, indeed; a great deal better than you or any -one else in this house. I urge you to come away at once -with me; and I will tell you everything that occurred.”</p> - -<p>“I—I dare not,” she said, shrinking away from me.</p> - -<p>“But I tell you that you have absolutely nothing -to fear. You can trust me?”</p> - -<p>“Oh yes, yes. You know that; but I—dare not -go.”</p> - -<p>It was evident that by some means they had succeeded -in breaking down her nerve. “Let me urge you to -come at once—just as you are.”</p> - -<p>“Do you know that a mad attempt was made to -make the king a prisoner; that it failed and has -been discovered; and that all concerned in it are -now in danger of their lives? I had no idea of such -a shameful plot, or I would never have done what I -have. There is no hope for any of us but flight; -and Dr. Barosa is arranging for us to fly secretly this -afternoon.”</p> - -<p>“I know much more than that. I know why it -failed. I have every reason to know, because I -myself prevented the attempt.”</p> - -<p>“You?” she cried in amazement.</p> - -<p>“Yes, I. No one else.”</p> - -<p>“And you knew this terrible thing and did not -warn me? And yet you knew I was implicated! Oh, -how could you?”</p> - -<p>This was a point of view which had not occurred -to me. She had good reason to blame me; and for -the moment I was silent.</p> - -<p>“You have no answer? If you had told me, do you -think I would not have given a warning of it even at the -risk of my life?” and with a despondent sigh she -dropped into a chair and sat staring helplessly at the -floor.</p> - -<p>“You are forgetting that I myself prevented it.”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_256">[256]</span>“Yes, but my life is now in danger. You do not understand -what it is you have done. You did what you -deemed best, of course; but you do not understand. -They are hunting the city for us all now.”</p> - -<p>“These people have merely told you that to frighten -you. No one has been even to your house.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, how little you understand. They are waiting -because it is known that I have left there. The instant -I leave here I shall be arrested.”</p> - -<p>“Then how could you escape this afternoon?”</p> - -<p>“Inez and Dr. Barosa have arranged that. We shall -go in disguise, of course.”</p> - -<p>“Who told you that the plot had been discovered?”</p> - -<p>“Do you think they do not know that? M. -Dagara sent them warning last night, and told them the -names of those who are to be arrested.”</p> - -<p>“Everything you tell me only confirms what I say -to you—that these lies have been coined in order to -frighten you. M. Dagara is not in Lisbon. He left -yesterday evening. I gave him money to take him -and his wife to Paris. He did not even know that the -abduction had been planned; and he left the city -before he could hear of its failure.”</p> - -<p>She shook her head. “I know you think that—but -I have the list of names.”</p> - -<p>“Will you show it me?”</p> - -<p>She took it out of the bosom of her dress and handed -it me.</p> - -<p>“The trick is obvious,” I said with a smile. “It is -not his handwriting.”</p> - -<p>“Inez made a copy for me.”</p> - -<p>“But did not show you the original. It is a lie—the -whole thing. Do try to understand it all by the -light of what I tell you. Why, here on the very face -of it is a proof of its falsehood. Your mother’s name -is mentioned.”</p> - -<p>“Do you think I have not seen it?” she cried, -intensely moved.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_257">[257]</span>“Yes, but I have come straight from her to you. If -she had been listed for arrest, should I have found -her at home?”</p> - -<p>“She is left at liberty because they expect me to -return to her, when we should both be arrested. -That is why I have not gone home.”</p> - -<p>“But surely you can see that that is inconsistent with -the other thing they told you—that you would be taken -the moment you left this house? They have put -your mother’s name on this concocted list in order to -frighten you, and vamped this utterly false explanation. -If the police are watching your home, you can safely -leave here; if, on the other hand, they know how to find -you without your going home, why is not your mother -already arrested?”</p> - -<p>This made some impression. “I do not know what -to think,” she murmured.</p> - -<p>“There is another thing. If you are to run into -danger the instant you leave here, it means that the -police know where you are. Do you suppose that, in -such a case, they would not have raided this house?”</p> - -<p>“Inez is not on the list.”</p> - -<p>“Another proof that the whole thing is a fabrication. -If the police had such intimate knowledge of the plot -that they knew of your slight connexion with it, -would they not know of the leaders?”</p> - -<p>She considered a moment. “But you yourself -knew that the visconte and all of us were suspected. -You told him.”</p> - -<p>“I ascertained afterwards that I was wrong. Dagara -told me.”</p> - -<p>“But why should Inez be so false as you suggest?”</p> - -<p>“She is instigated by Dr. Barosa.”</p> - -<p>“And what is his motive, then?”</p> - -<p>It was an awkward question. “I know the motive; -but you may doubt the truth. Let me tell you first -what has occurred. When I learnt the truth as to -the abduction plot——”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_258">[258]</span>“When did you learn it, and how?”</p> - -<p>“I was present on the <i>Rampallo</i> when they all met there, -and I overheard the whole matter discussed and settled. -I then planned matters so that I should be mistaken -for the king and carried off in his stead. That was -done last night. I was taken to the <i>Rampallo</i> and was -on her all the night. My own yacht followed; and this -morning my people boarded the <i>Rampallo</i>, released me -and made prisoners of every man on the yacht. -Under the charge of my friend, Mr. Burroughs, the -<i>Rampallo</i> has been sent off with the men and I came -back to free you.”</p> - -<p>“But how could that free me?”</p> - -<p>“In one of two ways. Either by forcing Dr. Barosa -to free you from all connexion with the conspiracy; -or by making your pardon a condition of my handing -over these men to the authorities with a full statement -of what had occurred. Now, except myself and those -in my confidence on the <i>Stella</i>, there is not a man -in Lisbon, outside those in the plot, who knows the -facts.”</p> - -<p>She listened in rapt attention, sat thinking a few -moments, and then put out her hand. “Can you -forgive me for hesitating to go with you? I have -been distracted with fear.”</p> - -<p>“There is nothing to forgive. All I ask is that you -come with me at once. You would be safer in the -hands of the police than here.”</p> - -<p>“Tell me why? And you have not explained Dr. -Barosa’s object. He has been kindness itself in all -this trouble.”</p> - -<p>“He stopped you from leaving with the visconte,” -I reminded her.</p> - -<p>“There was a reason. My presence was still necessary -to get the information from M. Dagara. But -Dr. Barosa and Inez are going to take my mother and -myself away to-day to join the visconte in Paris.”</p> - -<p>“They will do nothing of the kind. They are false<span class="pagenum" id="Page_259">[259]</span> -to you right through. The contesse herself is being -deceived by Barosa. Sampayo is among the men on -the <i>Rampallo</i>; and I got from him to-day the real -truth why you were compelled to betroth yourself -to him. It is not a pretty story, but you must hear it. -He——” I stopped abruptly as Inez entered.</p> - -<p>She was smiling, but far less collectedly than usual. -“Well, have you persuaded Mr. Donnington that -you must remain here, Miralda?”</p> - -<p>“No; I am going with him, Inez.”</p> - -<p>“You must do as you please, of course, but you -know the danger.”</p> - -<p>“I am going home.”</p> - -<p>“You do not think we can take care of her, Mr. Donnington? -What have you told her to cause this change -of plan?”</p> - -<p>“I will gladly tell you all I have said if you will accompany -us. Miralda is naturally anxious to reassure -her mother as soon as possible.”</p> - -<p>“I do not wish to do so, thank you; but we shall -have a minute or two while Miralda gets ready. And -I wish to have a word with you privately, Mr. Donnington, -after what you told me.”</p> - -<p>“I shall be ready in a minute,” said Miralda with -a smile as she went away.</p> - -<p>“What are you going to do, Mr. Donnington?” -asked Inez. “There can, of course, be only one meaning -to your statement—that you were on the <i>Rampallo</i> -last night. Are you going to betray us?” She was -greatly agitated and made little attempt to conceal it.</p> - -<p>“Not necessarily. I have no concern with your -politics or plots.”</p> - -<p>“Yet you have interfered in this?”</p> - -<p>“For the sole purpose of making sure of Miralda’s -liberty. When she has left the city, and if she is not -implicated any further, and a full explanation is made -in writing of the means adopted to force her to do -what she has done—a statement which must also<span class="pagenum" id="Page_260">[260]</span> -include the persecution of the rest of her family—there -may be no reason why I should not keep silent.”</p> - -<p>“May be?”</p> - -<p>“Will be—if you prefer it put more definitely. But -that statement, signed by both yourself and Dr. Barosa, -must be in my hands within an hour.”</p> - -<p>“And Major Sampayo?”</p> - -<p>I shrugged my shoulders. “I care for nothing but -Miralda’s welfare in this.”</p> - -<p>“You are a generous enemy, Mr. Donnington. There -will be no difficulty in doing all you ask. May I—may -I thank you?” and she held out her hand. “I -have not forgotten that you saved my life, and only -regret that I have been powerless to help you with Miralda -until you have forced me. I hope you will bear me -no malice.”</p> - -<p>“It is not my way, I assure you.”</p> - -<p>“Will you tell me how you learnt of last night’s -plot?”</p> - -<p>“I would rather you did not ask me.”</p> - -<p>“Some one betrayed it to you?”</p> - -<p>“No. But you must not press me to give you any -more details.”</p> - -<p>“But you cannot have done it alone; and you -will see that for Miralda’s sake we ought to know if any -traitor is amongst us. He might carry information in -the future to others, and then all this would come out.”</p> - -<p>“I repeat I do not know of any traitor in your ranks. -I cannot say any more.”</p> - -<p>“But who knows beside yourself?” she persisted.</p> - -<p>“No one on whose silence I cannot rely as surely as -you may rely upon me.”</p> - -<p>“But, Mr. Donnington——”</p> - -<p>“I can say no more. And now Miralda should be -back.”</p> - -<p>“I am agitated and had actually forgotten her. I -will go and see what is keeping her;” and she went -away.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_261">[261]</span>I was now very impatient to be out of the house. -I had gained all I had striven for so desperately; and -there was really no solid reason why I should turn informer. -If this abduction scheme was not discovered -by the Government, no suspicion in any future plot -would fall upon Miralda.</p> - -<p>Her flight from the city would not be connected -with any trouble of the sort; and when we reached -Paris, it would be my fault if in a few hours she was not -my wife.</p> - -<p>The Sampayo complication was ended; and he would -never dare to cross my path or hers again. If he did, -the means of getting rid of him would still be available, -so long as Prelot’s thirst for vengeance lasted.</p> - -<p>There was Vasco. I could not see at once what to -do in regard to him. But Miralda and I could discuss -his future with the viscontesse. Probably the best -thing would be for him to throw up his commission and -join us. He had been a fool and must pay for his -folly.</p> - -<p>There was also Barosa. If Sampayo had spoken the -truth about his love for Miralda, he would be mad -with Inez for letting her go. It was all for the best, -therefore, that he was not in the house. I might have -found much more difficulty in getting Miralda away.</p> - -<p>Yet he could not have prevented me. The weapon -I held was too strong. Not only his liberty and even -his life were in my hands, but those of Inez and of every -one associated with him in the plot. My silence was -worth infinitely more than the price I asked. At the -same time I was more than glad that I had had to deal -with Inez instead of him.</p> - -<p>While I was occupied in these thoughts several -minutes passed, and my impatience at Miralda’s delay -in returning mounted fast and I began to grow uneasy. -She had promised to be back almost at once; and -had now been absent more than a quarter of as -hour.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_262">[262]</span>I recalled the former suspicion which had led to my -remaining in the hall, and reflected that it might be -best to go down there again.</p> - -<p>Then the door opened and with a sigh of relief I -turned to meet her.</p> - -<p>But instead of Miralda, it was Dr. Barosa who -entered.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_263">[263]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XXVII<br /> - - -<small>DR. BAROSA SCORES</small></h2> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap">BAROSA was carrying a sheet or two of writing -paper, and in the glance I caught of his profile -as he shut the door carefully behind him, I noticed -that his hard strong features were paler than usual. -His set determined expression and manner were those -of a man who knows he is face to face with a grave -crisis.</p> - -<p>“You are surprised to see me, Mr. Donnington,” -he said as he turned to me; and his voice, deep and -vibrating, confirmed my diagnosis.</p> - -<p>“Yes, I am.”</p> - -<p>“Let me explain. The Contesse Inglesia has told -me what has passed between you and that you desire -to have a written statement from me concerning -Mademoiselle Dominguez and her relations; and I -thought it could be more conveniently drawn up at -once.”</p> - -<p>“I am waiting for her to leave the house with -me.”</p> - -<p>“I am aware of that. She will no doubt be here in -a moment and can perhaps assist us in writing this. -Will you tell me what you wish written?”</p> - -<p>“I have told the contesse; and you are quite able -to do all I need,” I answered shortly.</p> - -<p>“You will understand how profoundly I myself -am concerned by all this. My liberty, my life, and -what is far more to me than my life, are at stake. You -have ascertained all our plans, and I feel it imperative<span class="pagenum" id="Page_264">[264]</span> -to ask what use you intend to make of anything you -compel me to write.”</p> - -<p>“It will never be used at all unless it should become -necessary in order to explain Mademoiselle Dominguez’ -connexion with your plot.”</p> - -<p>“Become necessary?” he repeated. “What does -that mean?”</p> - -<p>“If the plot should be discovered and she should -be in any danger.”</p> - -<p>“But it has been discovered already. It has failed. -You discovered it because of the facts which had come -to your knowledge as the result of the Rua Catania -affair.”</p> - -<p>“I do not intend to discuss the matter with you, -Dr. Barosa. You can do as you please about writing -what I require.”</p> - -<p>“And if I refuse?”</p> - -<p>I shrugged my shoulders. “You must infer what -you will.”</p> - -<p>“I will put it on another ground. I accepted unconditionally -your pledge of secrecy and was instrumental -in saving you subsequently from very serious -consequences at the hands of those who questioned -your good faith. As a return for that service I ask -you to tell me exactly what you know.”</p> - -<p>“The service of which you speak was followed by -your secret visit to my rooms—with Henriques; and -Major Sampayo told me this morning the object of -that visit,” I said very drily. “Sampayo was very -frank about you.”</p> - -<p>“What did he say?” he asked, quite unruffled by -this thrust.</p> - -<p>“You can ask him on his return. And now, I am -going.”</p> - -<p>He had remained close to the door and he turned -and locked it and put the key in his pocket.</p> - -<p>“Our interview cannot end in this abrupt way, Mr. -Donnington. The cause I have at heart may be ruined<span class="pagenum" id="Page_265">[265]</span> -by you. You have told Contesse Inglesia that you -were on the <i>Rampallo</i> the night before last, and I must -know what you overheard and what use you intend -to make of that information.”</p> - -<p>“Open that door or give me the key,” I said sternly.</p> - -<p>“I shall do neither. I am armed, as probably you -are; and if you wish to force a struggle you must do -so.”</p> - -<p>Like a fool, I had come without a revolver; but I -clapped my hand to my pocket as if I had one there; -and then paused. “I don’t want your blood on my -head,” I exclaimed.</p> - -<p>But he was not deceived. “Ah, I perceive you -have not thought that precaution necessary,” he said -quietly. “Well, I mean you no harm, but we must -talk this thing out and then I pledge you my word to -open the door. Will you answer my questions?”</p> - -<p>I was, in a mess, and if I was to get out, it would not -be by force; unless I could succeed in catching him -off his guard. So I threw myself into a chair and -laughed. “You are right. I am not armed. But -the weapon I have is stronger than a revolver. I had -my suspicions roused about the <i>Rampallo</i>, and I got -on board her in time to hear all your discussion on -the news which M. Dagara sent you.”</p> - -<p>“Ah, as a spy!” he sneered.</p> - -<p>“Yes; as a spy, if you like. As a result, Captain -Gompez and his companions carried me off instead -of the king; and this morning my men from the -<i>Stella</i> came aboard and I returned here.”</p> - -<p>“Where are my friends now?”</p> - -<p>“On the <i>Rampallo</i> in charge of my people.”</p> - -<p>“Why did you interfere? What could it matter -to you?”</p> - -<p>“You know perfectly well. Sampayo told you, after -my interview with him three days ago. He begged -you to cut the net in which you had involved Mademoiselle -Dominguez. He told me this morning what<span class="pagenum" id="Page_266">[266]</span> -I had only suspected before and what the Contesse -Inglesia does not even suspect—your real motive.”</p> - -<p>“He has lied to you of course.”</p> - -<p>“Lies or truth, it doesn’t alter the present situation. -Even if you draw your revolver and put one of its -bullets in my head you won’t help matters. I have -taken that precaution, you may be perfectly certain.”</p> - -<p>“You mean to betray us all to the Government?” -he asked after a pause, during which he drew his hand -slowly from his pocket.</p> - -<p>“I tell you what I have already told the contesse. -My object is entirely personal. You can fight out -your battle with your Government in your own way; -but I mean to gain my end. When once that is gained, -I shan’t be more minutes in Lisbon than I can help.”</p> - -<p>Again he paused. He realized no doubt that he -had to choose between giving up Miralda or sacrificing -his cause and all concerned in it. A dilemma searching -enough to make him thoughtful.</p> - -<p>“You will give me your pledge to keep absolutely -silent?” he asked at length.</p> - -<p>“It is for me to impose conditions, not for you.”</p> - -<p>“How do I know that all has occurred as you tell -me?”</p> - -<p>“You can please yourself. I have a paper signed -by Sampayo and Gompez and all the rest of them.”</p> - -<p>“Show it me.”</p> - -<p>“Certainly.”</p> - -<p>This might offer me the chance I sought. I took -it out and held it toward him, intending to close with -him the instant he came near enough. But he was -too wary. “Throw it to me,” he said.</p> - -<p>“You can read it from there,” I replied, and held it -up so that he could do so.</p> - -<p>“And where is the <i>Rampallo</i> now?”</p> - -<p>I smiled and shook my head. “I have been very -frank as to what has occurred; but what is going to -occur is my own business.”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_267">[267]</span>“You say these men have let you make them -prisoners?”</p> - -<p>“They say so themselves here.”</p> - -<p>“And they are absolutely in your power to deliver -them up to the Government when you please?”</p> - -<p>“Absolutely. And they will be given up and a -full statement of the facts made, unless I determine -otherwise.”</p> - -<p>That hit him as hard as I intended.</p> - -<p>“When?” he rapped out.</p> - -<p>“That also I must leave you guessing. If you are -under the belief that by keeping me here or doing me -any sort of mischief you will prevent all this getting -out, you are merely deluding yourself.”</p> - -<p>He paused once more and then tossed up his hands. -“You have left me no option,” he said with a sigh. -“What do you wish me to write?”</p> - -<p>“That Mademoiselle Dominguez and her brother -were forced into this affair by you and that she was -never aware of the nature of the communications she -received from Dagara.”</p> - -<p>“I will write it,” he said at once. “Here is the -key of the door;” and he threw the key to me as he -crossed to a table and sat down to write.</p> - -<p>I drew a breath of relief. I had won more easily than -I had anticipated. Whatever his intentions had been -at the outset of the interview, he had apparently -abandoned them on learning that to do anything to -me would not avert discovery or save his companions.</p> - -<p>He found some difficulty in wording the paper and -tore up a couple of sheets with an exclamation of -impatience. Several minutes were spent in this -way.</p> - -<p>When he had finished the writing he handed it to -me. “Will that do?”</p> - -<p>I read it carefully. It was almost in the words I -had used, and I folded it up and put it in my pocket, -well satisfied that, should any emergency arise requiring<span class="pagenum" id="Page_268">[268]</span> -its use, it would prove a sufficient confirmation of -the story I had to tell.</p> - -<p>“I am satisfied,” I said.</p> - -<p>“You will leave Lisbon at once, Mr. Donnington, -and will keep absolutely silent as to all that has -occurred?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, unless circumstances arise in which I am compelled -to use this document on Mademoiselle Dominguez’ -behalf.”</p> - -<p>“I quite understand that, and can accept your -word absolutely,” he replied. As I went toward the -door, he added: “You will pardon the means I -adopted to secure this interview, and will understand -how vital it was that I should know the position precisely?”</p> - -<p>“So long as you recognize it, that’s enough for -me.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, wait one moment,” he cried, as I put the key -in the lock. “We have forgotten one very important -point. I have been intensely disturbed by all this, -as you will have seen; and that is the cause of my -oversight. You will arrange for my friends to be set -at liberty at once?”</p> - -<p>“Certainly; as soon as practicable.”</p> - -<p>“To-day, I mean?”</p> - -<p>“That is not possible. The <i>Rampallo</i> is out at -sea. I will send the <i>Stella</i> after her; but it will be -at least two days before the two yachts can be back in -port.”</p> - -<p>His face clouded. “That is very serious. These -officers are absent from their regiment without leave -and exceedingly awkward questions may be asked. -It may mean ruin for them.”</p> - -<p>“I presume they knew the risk they were running.”</p> - -<p>“Had they succeeded there would have been no -risk of course. On the contrary, they would have -had their reward. Had the cause of their failure -been other than it was, they would have been able to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_269">[269]</span> -return to duty at once; but as it is——” he broke off -and paced the room in great perturbation. “Could -you have them put on shore somewhere along the coast -so as to save time?”</p> - -<p>“No. The <i>Rampallo</i> has steamed straight out into -the Atlantic.”</p> - -<p>He tossed up his hands with an exclamation of -despair. “I beg you to remain a minute while we -consider this. I can think of but one way. It may -be two days, you say?”</p> - -<p>“Possibly less,” I replied. “We parted company -this morning about seven o’clock. The <i>Rampallo</i> -makes about eight or nine knots under easy steam -and was about forty miles out. The <i>Stella</i> covers -two knots to her one; and if we assume that the -<i>Rampallo</i> has nine hours start, and allow for the time -necessary to pick her up, the <i>Stella</i> should reach her -in about twelve hours. The <i>Rampallo</i> would be about -twenty-four hours on the homeward run and should -make the river the day after to-morrow in the early -morning.”</p> - -<p>“If they returned in your yacht they would be here -sooner.”</p> - -<p>“But the <i>Stella</i> will not return here.”</p> - -<p>“Could you not let her do so? The matter is very -serious indeed.”</p> - -<p>“No. I shall send orders that my men are to return -to the <i>Stella</i>. Those who took the <i>Rampallo</i> to sea -must bring her back.”</p> - -<p>“You will not be surprised if I press you to let them -return in your yacht. I do press it, very earnestly -indeed.”</p> - -<p>“I can’t do it, Dr. Barosa.”</p> - -<p>“Well, then, I must fall back on my first thought. -The <i>Rampallo</i> must be wrecked, and Gompez and the -rest take to the boat. That would give a plausible -reason for their absence.”</p> - -<p>I smiled. It was certainly ingenious. “The weather<span class="pagenum" id="Page_270">[270]</span> -has been rather against anything of that sort,” I -reminded him.</p> - -<p>“That is not serious. As I gather it, you will send -out an order at once to your boat to go after the <i>Rampallo</i> -and just take off the men you have on her. Will -you let me send a letter by—your captain will it be?”</p> - -<p>“Captain Bolton.”</p> - -<p>“Well, will you let me send a letter by him to Gompez?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, if you give it me at once.”</p> - -<p>He began to write it at once and, as before, found -difficulty in framing it, and tore up several sheets. -“I can trust your captain to deliver it unopened?” -he asked.</p> - -<p>“Of course you can. But I must ask you to get it -done,” I said impatiently.</p> - -<p>He made a fresh start; wrote a dozen lines or so, -and again tore up the sheet, this time with a muttered -oath of vexation.</p> - -<p>“I am sorry to try your patience so, Mr. Donnington; -but I have been so disturbed that I am scarcely -master of my thoughts. Will you let me send this -to your boat later on? Or will you write your instructions -to your captain and let me send them both -together?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, that will do as well,” I said.</p> - -<p>He got up from the table and made way for me. I -began a note to the skipper telling him to hunt up -the <i>Rampallo</i> and take off Burroughs and the men; -and was proceeding to add that he should then steam -to Plymouth, when it occurred to me that I might -possibly persuade Miralda and her mother to leave -on the <i>Stella</i> at once.</p> - -<p>I paused and by chance glanced in a mirror just -opposite me, in which I saw Barosa. He was watching -me with a look of cunning, gloating triumph that in an -instant my suspicions awoke. He was fooling me. -All his show of concern for his companions, his inability<span class="pagenum" id="Page_271">[271]</span> -to master his thoughts, his suggestion about -wrecking the <i>Rampallo</i> and all the rest of it, were -tricks, nothing more, to fool me to put this order into -his hands so that he might get his friends at liberty.</p> - -<p>Careful not to let him know that I had seen him, I -resumed the writing. But after adding a couple of -lines I scribbled the word “Cancelled” in big sprawling -letters right across the paper, rose with a laugh and -tore it into minute fragments. “I’m like you, Dr. -Barosa, I cannot write. I’ll see my skipper and tell -him personally; and you can send your letter to him -later. I’ll tell him to wait for it.”</p> - -<p>“That will answer the same purpose, of course,” -he said, not quite successful in hiding his chagrin. -“I will send it to the yacht in less than an hour.”</p> - -<p>“Will you see that Mademoiselle Dominguez comes -to me?” I said, and unlocked the door.</p> - -<p>As I threw open the door he caught me by the arm. -“Wait a moment, there is another——”</p> - -<p>The sentence was not finished. I turned at his voice -and a cloth was thrown over my head, I was seized -before I had a chance to resist, my arms were pinioned -and a gag thrust into my mouth; and I was carried -down the stairs and flung on the floor of a room the -door of which was locked and bolted.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_272">[272]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XXVIII<br /> - - -<small>“YOU SHALL DIE”</small></h2> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap">I WAS not left alone very long, but it was quite -enough for me to curse my own folly for having -allowed myself to be trapped in this way. I ought -never to have entered the house at all without taking -ample precautions. I could have brought half a -dozen of the <i>Stella’s</i> men with me. That was the -first stupid blunder; but even in the house itself, I -had acted like an idiot.</p> - -<p>I could see the whole business plainly enough -now. Everything had been done to secure delay. -The instant I had arrived Inez had sent for Barosa, -and her talk to me had been merely intended to create -delay until he arrived. Then in order that the two -might consult together, Miralda had been brought -to me.</p> - -<p>They had filled her with the fear of arrest, calculating -that she would hesitate long enough to serve -their purpose; but of course they had never intended -to allow her to leave the house. Then as their preparations -were not complete, Barosa had come to me -to cause more delay.</p> - -<p>He had first detained me with a threat in order -to gain more time; and as soon as the trap for me -was ready, he had affected to submit to defeat. This -was to learn precisely how matters were on the <i>Rampallo</i>, -and the steps necessary to secure the freedom -of his companions.</p> - -<p>He had gulled me so completely that I had been<span class="pagenum" id="Page_273">[273]</span> -within an ace of giving him the authority to the -skipper, which would have sent the <i>Stella</i> racing off -to bring the men back to the city, while I was kept a -prisoner.</p> - -<p>Fortunately I had pulled up in time to checkmate -that move, and thus was still so far master of the -position.</p> - -<p>What would be Barosa’s next step? What did he -mean to do with me? It would not do him much good -to keep me a prisoner. Nor, so far as his conspiracy -was concerned, would he gain anything even by -knocking me on the head or putting a bullet in it.</p> - -<p>I had rubbed the fact in well that, if anything -happened to me, there were others who would give -the information which would blow his plans into the -air and send him flying for his life. There was a -certain amount of grim satisfaction that I was worth -more to him alive than dead; and in my present -plight any consolation at all was welcome.</p> - -<p>There was another source of consolation, too. -Bryant knew where I was, and when I did not return -to him he would do something. He was a sharp -fellow, and quite shrewd enough to make matters -unpleasant for my gaolers. Fortunately, I had told -him that I was coming to the house in search of -Miralda; and as he knew about Barosa and the -attempt the latter and Henriques had made, he would -soon scent danger.</p> - -<p>He would be in a desperate fix, however, what to -do and when to do it; urged, on the one hand, to -immediate action by his alarm for me, but restrained -on the other by fear of acting too soon and so interfering -with my plans. But I might safely reckon -that he would not let many hours pass without taking -some vigorous measures on my behalf. In that -case I might still escape without any more serious -trouble than those hours of discomfort.</p> - -<p>Barosa was ignorant of the fact that Bryant knew<span class="pagenum" id="Page_274">[274]</span> -of my presence in the house, and thus would not -have the very strong incentive to hurry matters -which that knowledge would have given him. If -my guess was right—that his object was to force -me to send an order to Captain Bolton to go after the -<i>Rampallo</i> and set the prisoners at liberty—he would -be chary of doing me any injury which would prevent -my sending for them.</p> - -<p>I had reached that point in my speculations when -the door was unbolted, and two or three persons -entered. They carefully examined the cords on my -arms, and then hauled me to my feet, and half led, -half carried me up several flights of stairs to a room -where the gag and cloth over my head were taken off.</p> - -<p>I found myself in a small room, the one window of -which was barred. A pallet bed stood in one corner -with a mattress, but without sheets or blankets, and -by the window a chair and a small table with writing -materials on it.</p> - -<p>I lay down on the bed, intensely glad to be able to -breathe freely once more, but both sick and dizzy -from the pressure of the gag. I recognized the men -who had brought me upstairs. I had seen them on -the night of the “test,” and I judged that they had -been intentionally selected by Barosa in order that -I might see I was in the hands of men who would -have scant mercy for a traitor.</p> - -<p>He meant to play on my fears, and the writing -materials ready to hand showed me I had guessed -his purpose. I was to be forced to write the necessary -instructions to the skipper.</p> - -<p>Not a word was spoken by the men. As soon as -they had finished with me they went outside, leaving -the door open and remained close to it.</p> - -<p>Some few minutes passed, and then Barosa came -into the room and closed the door.</p> - -<p>“Now, Mr. Donnington, you must understand -what we require you to do,” he said very peremptorily.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_275">[275]</span> -“You have chosen to interfere in our plans, and your -interference has brought you to this pass. You are -absolutely in our power; and I tell you at once and -frankly, that your life will depend upon your decision. -You will write the instructions to Captain Bolton to -go after the <i>Rampallo</i>, and take our friends to Oporto -with all speed. As soon as they are safe, you shall -be set at liberty. Not here in Lisbon; but you will -go on board a steamer which will take you straight -back to England, and you will have to give your -word of honour not to speak a word of anything you -know until you reach your country. You will also -order your captain to take your yacht straight to -England the moment that our friends are landed.”</p> - -<p>“I shall do nothing of the sort, Dr. Barosa.”</p> - -<p>“I think you will change your mind. The penalty -of refusal will be—death,” he replied, as sternly and -impressively as he could speak.</p> - -<p>“Very well. I refuse absolutely,” I said, in quite -as firm a tone as his. As a matter of fact, I did not -believe in his threat. His object was to get his friends -at liberty with the least trouble and in the quickest -time, and he was bluffing me.</p> - -<p>But if it was only bluff, he made it very realistic. -“I shall give you five minutes in which to do what -I require, and at the end of that time if you persist -in your refusal you shall die. That I declare solemnly -on my honour.”</p> - -<p>With that he called in a couple of men and ordered -them to unfasten my right hand and bind my left arm -to my side, and as soon as they had done so, he sent -them out again.</p> - -<p>“I will tell you what you do not seem to know. -The attempt last night on the king has become -known, many arrests have been made, and we are -all in danger of the same fate. At present the men -who have brought you up here do not know the part -you have played in betraying them; but when they<span class="pagenum" id="Page_276">[276]</span> -learn it you know enough of them to judge how they -will feel towards you, and what they will be eager -to do in revenge. If on my return in five minutes -from now those instructions are not written, I shall -tell them everything.”</p> - -<p>With that he went out, leaving me extremely perplexed -and profoundly uncomfortable. Every one -knows the trying effect of suspense on one’s nerves; -and he had no doubt carefully calculated how it would -act upon mine.</p> - -<p>Did he mean to make his threat good, or was it -a blank cartridge? I did not believe that the attempted -abduction had been discovered, and that -statement of his threw doubt on everything else. -Moreover, he had told and acted lie after lie in the -former interview, and had done so cleverly enough -to hoodwink me completely.</p> - -<p>He had declared on his honour that he was in -earnest now, and his manner had been tremendously -earnest. But a man who could lie as he had would -probably not hold his word of honour much more -highly than his word without such a pledge. So I -put that aside as a mere touch of play-acting.</p> - -<p>As I thought it all over, it seemed to me that he -had overplayed his part. If he had meant to shoot -me, that reference to his associates founded, as I -believed it to be, on a lie about the plot having been -discovered, was an unnecessary exaggeration of my -danger, intended to appeal to my fears.</p> - -<p>Yet, if I were wrong, my shrift was to be a very -short one. To form a judgment on a man’s probable -motives, when the penalty of a mistake means death, -is a very ugly task, and I seemed to have scarcely -begun to think when he came back.</p> - -<p>I was still sitting on the bed and a glance at the -paper showed him it was blank.</p> - -<p>“You persist in refusing, then?”</p> - -<p>“I haven’t had time to decide.”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_277">[277]</span>“I won’t give you any longer,” he said, very sternly.</p> - -<p>“There’s one point you must clear up. About -Mademoiselle Dominguez,” I said firmly.</p> - -<p>“I will answer you with your own words this -morning. It is for me, not you, to impose conditions. -But her safety will be secured.”</p> - -<p>“Then you can have my decision. As soon as she -and I are across the frontier, you can have the letter -you want.”</p> - -<p>“You mean you will not write it otherwise? I -warn you.”</p> - -<p>“I mean I will not write it otherwise,” I replied; -“I’ll see you hanged first. Do what you will.”</p> - -<p>He called in the three men who were waiting at -the door, and in a very few words told them the part -I had taken on the previous night, and that I intended -to betray everything I knew to the authorities.</p> - -<p>Before he had half finished there was no question -about their verdict. I read it in faces dark and -fierce as a cyclone cloud; in the threatening looks -from eyes ablaze with wrath; in the execrations -hissed and growled between teeth clenched fast in -hate, and in the gleam of the half-drawn weapons -as the strenuous fingers clutched at them instinctively.</p> - -<p>White-hot with passion they were, and possessed -with but one common motive and resolve—to defend -themselves by exacting the uttermost penalty for my -treachery. Jury and judges and executioners in -one, Barosa knew how to play upon their feelings, -and I saw that I was condemned and sentenced -almost as soon as the first words had left his lips.</p> - -<p>They were some of those who had been suspicious -of me when the “test” of my good faith had been -made, one of them being the young fellow who on -that night had endeavoured to draw a statement -from me by pretending that he had been arrested and -had turned informer. He was the most vindictive -of them all now; and while Barosa was still speaking,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_278">[278]</span> -he broke in with a loud fierce oath, and, carried away -by his rage, he drew his revolver and fired point-blank -at my head.</p> - -<p>Barosa saw him and struck up his arm. “Marco!” -he thundered. “Are you the sole judge?”</p> - -<p>“The dog shall die,” he growled, in a muttered -snarl of hate; and the other two scowlingly agreed -with fierce and savage oaths.</p> - -<p>Barosa turned on them, his eyes snapping with -rage. “Do you follow your own lead or mine?”</p> - -<p>“He shall die,” said Marco sullenly, and was raising -his revolver again when Barosa snatched it from -him and flung it to the ground.</p> - -<p>All three quailed before his fierce look and masterful -assertion of his leadership; and Marco fell back a -couple of paces, his gaze at me more vengeful and -bitter than before, as if I had been the cause of his -humiliation.</p> - -<p>I could understand Barosa’s action. With men -of this class among his followers his rule must be -absolute and inflexible. Independent action, even -when amounting to no more than an anticipation of -his orders, could only be fraught with danger in such -a cause as his; and for his own sake and that of the -end he had in view, he was bound to exact literal -and implicit obedience.</p> - -<p>For a few seconds there was dead silence.</p> - -<p>“Well, is it my lead or yours?” he asked them.</p> - -<p>There was no longer sign or sound of disobedience.</p> - -<p>“Pick up your weapon, Marco.”</p> - -<p>The young fellow obeyed and put it back in his -pocket.</p> - -<p>“Now your decision?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“Death,” all three exclaimed together.</p> - -<p>“Bind his free hand,” he ordered next.</p> - -<p>But I was not going to submit tamely. I sprang -to my feet and seized the chair. If I was to die it -should be in hot blood, not like a sheep.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_279">[279]</span>“Resistance is useless, Mr. Donnington. You -must see that.”</p> - -<p>My reply was not in words. I swung the chair -up—it was a stout heavy wooden one—and struck -at him with all my force. He jumped back and -escaped most of the blow, but one of the legs struck -him on the side of the head; and then a very hot -five minutes followed. I laid the young fellow, -Marco, senseless, and gave the other two something -to remember me by before the chair was torn out of -my grip, and I was seized and my right arm bound -to my side and my legs lashed together.</p> - -<p>Barosa had kept carefully out of the fight, but -as soon as I was helpless he saw that the cords were -tied very securely.</p> - -<p>“Stand him against the wall there,” he said, indicating -a spot at the foot of the bed.</p> - -<p>They placed me as directed and then drew back.</p> - -<p>He stooped over Marco, who was only stunned for -the moment, drew the revolver from his pocket and -handed it to one of the men. “You have yours,” -he said to the other.</p> - -<p>The fellow drew it out with a swift under glance at -me, full of sinister thirst for revenge and gloating -satisfaction.</p> - -<p>Then Barosa looked across at me. “We are all -agreed that this is our only course, Mr. Donnington.”</p> - -<p>I met his look firmly. “You can murder me if -you will, but it will not help you. You know that,” -I replied.</p> - -<p>“Will you write what I require?”</p> - -<p>“No.”</p> - -<p>“Now,” he said sharply to the others.</p> - -<p>They looked to see that the revolvers were loaded, -glanced at each other and raised them slowly, pointing -them at my head and waiting for the word to fire.</p> - -<p>“I give you one last chance, Mr. Donnington,” -said Barosa.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_280">[280]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XXIX<br /> - - -<small>MIRALDA’S APPEAL</small></h2> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap">WHETHER I was really so near death as it -appeared when the two pistols were levelled -close to my head and the men were waiting for the -word to fire, or whether it was no more than a well-played -and realistically-staged bluff to frighten me -into writing the instructions to Captain Bolton, I -have never been able to decide. I think now, it was -only pretence from beginning to end; but I believed -it was grim earnest then, and that when I answered -Barosa’s question with another refusal, I was signing -my own death-warrant.</p> - -<p>But in the pause before he gave the order to fire -there was a sound of rapid footsteps on the stairs, -and Inez rushed into the room. With a cry of horror -she dashed between me and the levelled weapons.</p> - -<p>“What does this mean?” she asked Barosa.</p> - -<p>“You can see for yourself,” was the reply.</p> - -<p>“You shall not do this in my house. Lower your -pistols, you,” she cried to the men.</p> - -<p>They looked to Barosa, who hesitated a second, -and then signed to them to leave the room.</p> - -<p>At that moment the strain told on me. I turned -dizzy and weak, and sat, or rather slid, down on to -the foot of the bed, and lolled helplessly against the -wall.</p> - -<p>An angry altercation followed between Inez and -Barosa, but I paid no attention to it. I could not; -and some minutes passed before I was able to pull -my wits together sufficiently to hear what passed.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_281">[281]</span>Barosa was about to leave the room. “The responsibility -is yours, not mine,” he was saying. “I -tell you that while that man is alive, not one of us is -safe. You know how the police are hunting for us. -They will come here to a certainty, and then——” -and he threw up his hands angrily and went out.</p> - -<p>Inez sat down and leaned her head on her hand in -thought, and presently turned and looked at me, -with a deep despairing sigh.</p> - -<p>The interval gave me time to think. It was beginning -to dawn upon me that the whole thing was -play-acting, and that Inez herself had had her cue to -enter for her part in it.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Donnington?” she began at length.</p> - -<p>I turned very slowly and looked at her. For the -present it was evidently my best course to lead her -to think that I had no suspicion of the unreality of -the proceedings.</p> - -<p>“You are ill.”</p> - -<p>I gave a feeble smile and wagged my head slowly.</p> - -<p>“Can you listen to me?”</p> - -<p>“Yes. I—I thank you,” I said, in a half-indistinct -mumble, and with a sigh as heavy as hers.</p> - -<p>“It is horrible,” she replied with a shudder. “But -they shall not do you any harm. If I could get you -out of the house I would. Oh, why, why have you -done all this?”</p> - -<p>“I owe you my life,” I said, inconsequently.</p> - -<p>“If I can save you,” she cried. After a pause -she jumped up and began to pace the floor excitedly. -“You are mad to set Barosa at defiance. You must -see the uselessness, the folly of it, the utter madness. -The whole city is up in anger against us. We are -in hourly danger of discovery, even here in this house. -There is nothing left for any of us but flight; and -you choose such a moment to drive him to extremes;” -and she continued in this half-distracted manner, as -if speaking partly to me and partly to herself, and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_282">[282]</span> -giving me a very vivid picture of their desperate -situation.</p> - -<p>But it did not agree with what Barosa had said. -He had declared that if I gave the order for the officers -on the <i>Rampallo</i> to be set at liberty, I was to be set -free on their arrival. That meant a delay of nearly -two days, and was therefore absolutely inconsistent -with Inez’ statement that they were in hourly danger -of the police raiding the house.</p> - -<p>However, her long excited tirade gave me time to -think things out; and when at last she ended with an -appeal to me to write what Barosa required, I had -decided how to reply.</p> - -<p>“You ask me to have these men set at liberty, -contesse; but if I were to do so, what object would -be gained, as everything has been discovered?”</p> - -<p>“They are our friends and we must save them. -Their ruin will not help you.”</p> - -<p>“Miralda is my friend, and I must save her.”</p> - -<p>“But you will not help her by destroying them.”</p> - -<p>“Why is Miralda kept a prisoner here?”</p> - -<p>“She is not a prisoner, Mr. Donnington.”</p> - -<p>“But she was not allowed to leave the house this -morning.”</p> - -<p>“Because after she had seen you we learnt other -facts about her danger. She is not a prisoner, and -she stayed because it was not safe for her to leave -the house. That is all. You persuaded her to consent, -but when I saw her afterwards she realized her -mistake in having given you the promise. She will -tell you so herself. She is as anxious as I am that you -should do what Dr. Barosa requires.”</p> - -<p>This was all part of her parrot-like lesson, of course, -but it was no use to tell her that I knew that. So I -tried another tack. “Do you know Major Sampayo’s -history?”</p> - -<p>“What has that to do with this?” she asked in -surprise.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_283">[283]</span>“A great deal, as I will show you. Do you know -it?”</p> - -<p>“No, except that——”</p> - -<p>“Anything about his South African career, I -mean?” I broke in.</p> - -<p>“No,” she replied, shaking her head.</p> - -<p>“Then I’ll tell you.” And I told her enough to -let her understand why he went in such fear of me. -“That is the secret of Barosa’s hold over him,” I -added.</p> - -<p>“Why do you tell me this, and at such a time?” -she asked suspiciously.</p> - -<p>“Three days ago Sampayo offered to take any oath -I pleased that he would never marry Miralda; and -this morning on the <i>Rampallo</i> he told me he had all -but gone on his knees to Barosa, to induce him to -set Miralda free from all this, in order that I might -be induced to leave the country.”</p> - -<p>She began to understand me now. The catch of -the breath, the dilating nostrils, the quick movement -of the head, and the involuntary gripping of the -hands, were signs as easy to read as print.</p> - -<p>“Within the last hour or two, here in this room, -I offered to write all that he needs if Miralda and I -were put across the frontier. He refused. I asked -myself—why? I ask you the same question?”</p> - -<p>In the pause she sat gnawing her lip; her bosom -rose and fell quickly under the strain of her quickened -breathing; her colour began to wane; her brows were -drawn together in a frown, and the pupils of those -curious eyes of hers dilated as if her pent-up feeling -had acted upon them like atropine. “Why do you -tell me this?” she repeated, her voice down almost -to a whisper.</p> - -<p>“This morning Sampayo swore to me that his -betrothal to Miralda was a sham and a pretence, -never intended to culminate in marriage, but only -meant to cover another man’s plans and passion.”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_284">[284]</span>“Why do you tell me this?” she asked, for the -third time.</p> - -<p>“Because Manoel Barosa is the man you love.”</p> - -<p>She winced as if I had struck her in the face, and -for a few seconds sat speechless and overwrought. -Then with a great effort she mastered her emotion -and laughed. “It is all false, all ridiculous, all -laughable.”</p> - -<p>“Then why will he not let Miralda go?”</p> - -<p>“I have told you we are not preventing her.”</p> - -<p>“Ah, stop that pretence. If you will not answer -that question to me, answer it to yourself.”</p> - -<p>But she had regained her self-command, and concealed -all sign of the jealousy I knew I had roused. -“She shall come to you herself and tell you that -what I say is true,” she said. She went to the door, -paused, and then turned. “You have done yourself -an ill turn by this. Until now I have been your -friend,” she said, clipping her words short in her -anger; and with that she went out.</p> - -<p>I cared nothing for her anger. I knew that I had -started a fire which would soon rage furiously enough -to burn up Barosa’s scheme in regard to Miralda. -The question I had told Inez to put to herself was -one to which the roused devil of her jealousy would -soon supply the answer; and when it was answered, -Barosa would have his hands full in looking after -himself.</p> - -<p>Moreover, I was now all but convinced that the -whole show of force had been nothing more than an -ingenious and well-acted bluff. Barosa had realized -that without my help he could not get Gompez and -his companions set at liberty, and it was quite -probable that he had been to Captain Bolton. I smiled -as I thought of the reception he would meet with -from the old skipper.</p> - -<p>As his dramatic show of force and Inez’ appeal -following her aptly-timed rescue, had both failed,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_285">[285]</span> -the next move was to send Miralda. But it was -very long before she came, and the afternoon began -to wane. I watched the fading light with eyes greedy -for the darkness, for I knew that I might then look -for some results of Bryant’s action.</p> - -<p>I was suffering considerable pain now. The cords -which bound my arms to my sides had been so tightly -drawn that all the blood in my body was congested, -and I tossed and turned on the bed in vain efforts to -find relief from the pressure.</p> - -<p>All my own worries were forgotten, however, when -Miralda came, and I struggled up into a sitting posture -and greeted her with a smile, as she crossed the room.</p> - -<p>Her face was very pale and careworn, her manner -nervous and hesitating, and her eyes very troubled. -She had no smile in answer to mine.</p> - -<p>“Inez tells me that you believe I am a prisoner -here, Mr. Donnington. I have come to assure you -that is not so. I did not return to you this morning -because I found it would be useless for me to attempt -to leave.”</p> - -<p>She said this nervously in a sort of monotone, and -with the air of one repeating a lesson and afraid of -forgetting the lines. The very tone contradicted -every syllable; and as she finished, she whispered -hurriedly in English: “Caution.”</p> - -<p>I understood the position instantly and played up -to it. “I told you there was no danger. You might -have trusted me,” I replied aloud in a tone of reproach; -and then with a glance toward the door -which she had left wide open, I whispered in English: -“Listening?”</p> - -<p>She nodded quickly, and said in her own tongue: -“You did not know. You could not know. Everything -about last night has been discovered, and the -city is being ransacked to find us.”</p> - -<p>“Not a bit of it. I am sure that nothing is yet -known of the failure. This is said to frighten you;”<span class="pagenum" id="Page_286">[286]</span> -and again I whispered quickly in English: “Are you -a prisoner?”</p> - -<p>Again she answered with a quick significant nod, -as she went on with her lesson. “I have come to -beg of you to do what Dr. Barosa wishes. Inez says -you are refusing because you think you can help me. -But you can help me much better by doing this. I -beg you with all my heart not to refuse any longer.”</p> - -<p>She was now able to speak with a much greater -appearance of sincerity and earnestness; and as she -finished this last appeal she whispered in English: -“Don’t do it.”</p> - -<p>“You say I can help you better by freeing these -men. Prove that to me, or let others prove it. Do -you know that Dr. Barosa has told me that even if I -yield to him I am to be taken from here on board a -vessel sailing straight for England? How is that to -help you?” and I laughed incredulously.</p> - -<p>Under cover of the sound of my laugh she whispered -“Brazil, not England,” and then added, with -a well-acted note of concern in her voice: “You are -placing me in danger from some of these desperate -men who believe that I am in league with you to -betray them.”</p> - -<p>“But that cannot be so. No one knows that I -told you anything about the position of things on the -<i>Rampallo</i>,” and I questioned her with my eyes.</p> - -<p>“I tell you you will ruin me if you persist in refusing, -Mr. Donnington,” and added under her breath: -“We were overheard.”</p> - -<p>“I can’t believe that. These people are merely -seeking to frighten you. Of course if I thought you -were really in danger the thing would be altogether -different,” and again my eyes questioned her.</p> - -<p>She shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. -“How can I prove it to you? I am. I know that. -Even Dr. Barosa is alarmed, lest he may not be able -to protect me from their violence.”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_287">[287]</span>“But he has already arranged for your escape and -your mother’s.”</p> - -<p>She shook her head again meaningly. “These men -have made that impossible to-day. We were prevented -when everything was ready.”</p> - -<p>Once more the silent question from me, answered -by the significant shake of her head, told me the real -truth beneath her words.</p> - -<p>“But what you say only confirms my opinion—that -by doing what is asked I should not help you,” -I said.</p> - -<p>Her eyes signalled assent, but her lips uttered a -quite emotional protest. “Is my safety nothing to -you, then? If I beg and implore you to do what I -have asked; if I tell you, as I do, that my liberty, -and probably my life, depend upon your decision, is -this all nothing to you?”</p> - -<p>Her look explained the double meaning of her -words. She believed that not only my safety, but -her own, depended upon my doing what she had asked—but -asked not in words, but by her looks and -whispered English asides.</p> - -<p>“You distress me more than I can say,” I replied, -adopting a similar equivocation. “If it were possible -I would tell you precisely how I feel.”</p> - -<p>“You appear to think you can set these men at -defiance with impunity, and that they will not harm -you or me so long as you refuse!” A swift interchange -of glances told me that this was actually her -belief. Then she added with passion: “How can -you be so infatuated, so mad, so reckless? You will -pay for refusal with your life.” Once more the -significant gesture of the head denied the truth of her -words.</p> - -<p>“What you have said has moved me deeply. -Heaven knows, I have no thought in all this but to -save you from harm. I must make you understand -that. I have already told Dr. Barosa that if he will<span class="pagenum" id="Page_288">[288]</span> -put you and me across the frontier, I will do what -he asks and keep silent about everything. In that -way your safety would be assured. But he refused, -believing that he can force me to agree to his terms. -He cannot. I have so arranged that even if he took -my life—as indeed he all but did to-day—he cannot -tear his companions from my grip, and will have to -answer for my murder in addition to these other -charges. There are two beside myself who know -everything about last night’s attempt—they helped -me in it—and they will hand over the prisoners I -took. Aye, and more than that. They know of his -hatred of me; and should anything happen to me -they will not rest until they have hunted him down -and avenged me. No; it is useless to plead longer,” -I exclaimed, as if she had been going to do so, while -in fact she had listened with mounting interest and -pleasure to every word.</p> - -<p>“But I must,” she broke in, taking the cue readily. -“I beg——”</p> - -<p>“I cannot listen to you. I have stated my terms. -The moment you are out of the country, or on my -yacht and in safety, I will do what is wanted; but -until then neither entreaties nor threats shall make -me yield.”</p> - -<p>She gave me a last bright glance of encouragement, -her heart in her eyes, and then burying her face in -her hands she cried despairingly: “You do not care, -you do not care. You will ruin us all in your madness;” -and as if overwhelmed by her emotions, she -rushed out of the room.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_289">[289]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XXX<br /> - - -<small>JEALOUSY</small></h2> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap">THE interview with Miralda left me in better -spirits than I had been at any moment since -my imprisonment. She had confirmed my own view -that my life was safe so long as I refused to release -Gompez and his companions, and had assured me that -she herself was in no serious or immediate danger.</p> - -<p>But best of all she had given me another proof -of her trust. A fresh bond was created between us and -the old one cemented more firmly than ever. Despite -the fact that those who had sent her to induce me to -yield were actually listening to every word that passed, -she had contrived to let me know the real truth of -the position.</p> - -<p>I could understand the pressure which had been -applied to force her to come on such an errand. Her -manner when she entered and uttered the first lines of -the part in which she had been carefully drilled had -revealed her feelings; and the nervous, quickly -whispered word of warning told me why she had -yielded.</p> - -<p>She knew the risk she was running should her act -be discovered, but she had faced it unflinchingly for -my sake, resolved to put me on my guard let the -consequences be what they might to her. Barosa and -Inez had little dreamt that the trick of forcing her to -try and mislead me would result in the strengthening -of my resistance! And it was Miralda’s own shrewdness -and care for me which had brought it all about.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_290">[290]</span>The thought was infinitely sweet; and all the -discomfort and pain I was enduring were forgotten in -the delightful contemplation of Miralda’s courage -and zeal for me.</p> - -<p>The discomfort would soon be over now, moreover. -Many hours had passed since Bryant saw me enter the -house, and I was certain that he was now at work -to secure my liberation.</p> - -<p>If I had not been blinded in the morning by my -alarm for Miralda I should have taken the precaution -to tell him what steps to take. But I had not thought -there would be any danger in Inez’ house. I ought -to have foreseen that she would send for Barosa, and -have given Bryant definite instructions what to do if -I did not return to him.</p> - -<p>What was he likely to do? He would keep a watch -on the house of course. He would thus see Barosa -arrive, and probably also the men who must have been -sent for afterwards. I read the thing in this way. -Inez had sent word to him almost as soon as I was in -the house. He had come at once and then had -probably sent Miralda to me in order to overhear -what passed between us.</p> - -<p>Recognizing the danger, he had then sent for such -of his companions as he could thoroughly trust and -had laid the trap into which I had fallen. But he saw -that unless he could get the men on the <i>Rampallo</i> -free, I still held the key to the situation. He had -tried first to trick me with that pretence of submission, -and when that had failed, he had fallen back on threats, -carrying the threat to the very extreme limit in the -hope that I should yield when death appeared the -inevitable alternative.</p> - -<p>Then, threats having failed, he resorted again to -cunning. Inez rushed in and saved my life, and then -Miralda had been sent again.</p> - -<p>When Bryant saw first Barosa and then the men -arrive, he would be shrewd enough to understand<span class="pagenum" id="Page_291">[291]</span> -that I was in danger. In an hour or two he would be -in a parlous fix what to do. Unwilling to leave the -house, lest I should be brought out of it, he would -have to devise some way of getting it watched; and -it was an easy guess that he would solve the difficulty -by finding a messenger of some kind to carry word to -the men on the launch to fetch the skipper.</p> - -<p>The question they had to settle was whether they -would enter the house themselves or put the police -on the track. The skipper would be for doing it themselves—that -was his blunt way; but Bryant’s was a -much more cautious nature, and he was far more -likely to make up some yarn and set the police to -work.</p> - -<p>All this would occupy a lot of time, but I felt -certain that the night would still be young when they -would act.</p> - -<p>I lay back on my mattress no longer fretting and -chafing at the slow passage of time. I had ample -food for thought. I pieced together these speculative -doings of Bryant in the intervals of giving rein to the -fresh hopes and new delights engendered by my interview -with Miralda. I recalled word by word all she -had said, treasuring her little asides, her significant -glances, her changes of tone and manner, as jewels -whose every facet reflected her trust, her courage, -and above all her care for me.</p> - -<p>I was confident now of success, and it was she -who had given me confidence. As the darkness -deepened I rejoiced. Each minute was bringing -nearer our delivery and reunion.</p> - -<p>Some long time after she had left me—perhaps an -hour or perhaps two hours, I had no means of reckoning -the time, but it had long been quite dark—I heard -footsteps approaching the room; and I guessed the -curtain was to go up for the next scene.</p> - -<p>Barosa and Inez entered together. He carried -a lamp, and I could see by its light that the faces<span class="pagenum" id="Page_292">[292]</span> -of both were very pale. He set the lamp down on -the little table and then bent over me.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Donnington!” he said. His voice was low -and slightly husky, either from suppressed passion -or anxiety.</p> - -<p>I made no reply, and when he repeated my name -and shook me I moaned as if in great pain. There -was little enough pretence about it indeed, for the -tightness of my bonds was causing acute suffering.</p> - -<p>I rolled my eyes upon him, uttered another moan, -shook my head feebly, and then closed my eyes.</p> - -<p>“He is almost unconscious, Manoel,” said Inez.</p> - -<p>I read that use of his name to mean much. She -had been asking herself the question I had suggested—about -the real reason for detaining Miralda—and -finding it unanswerable had passed it on to him.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Donnington!” he said again angrily.</p> - -<p>It was my object to waste time, of course; so I took -no notice except to sigh heavily, open my eyes again -and close them instantly as if the effort tried my -strength.</p> - -<p>“You are not so bad as all that,” he said, and -shook me again very roughly. When this had no -effect, he felt my pulse, and in doing so put a finger -under the rope which bound my left hand.</p> - -<p>“See how swollen the hands are, Manoel,” said -Inez, holding the lamp close to me. “It must be -torture.”</p> - -<p>But Barosa knew better than to be taken in by my -malingering. “He can speak well enough as he is if -he pleases. Mr. Donnington, we have come to set you -at liberty.”</p> - -<p>Then why didn’t he do it, was my natural thought. -But I went through another little pantomime. I -showed slightly more strength this time, as if invigorated -by the news, but sank back again exhausted.</p> - -<p>“He is only shamming, curse him,” muttered -Barosa.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_293">[293]</span>“These cords are cruelly tight, Manoel. Ease them, -and see the effect. I’ll go and fetch some brandy.”</p> - -<p>She went away and Barosa began to unfasten the -knots. He was very suspicious and went to work -cautiously. But he need not have feared. The -instant the cords were released and the stagnant -blood began to course again through the veins, I was -not only helpless but in positive agony, from my -aching head to my throbbing feet.</p> - -<p>Inez had been back some time before I could bear to -move and when I strove to sit up in order to take -the spirit she had fetched, I fell back like a log, sick, -dizzy and as helpless as a new-born babe. Barosa -held me up while she poured a little brandy between -my chattering teeth.</p> - -<p>The pain subsided slowly and the brandy stimulated -me, and after a long interval—I made it long enough -to try Barosa’s patience sorely—I struggled to a sitting -posture.</p> - -<p>“What is this you have told Contesse Inglesia?” -he asked.</p> - -<p>I passed my hand across my forehead and stared -at him vacantly.</p> - -<p>“You know well enough what I mean. Repeat it -to me.”</p> - -<p>“What about?” I muttered.</p> - -<p>“About Mademoiselle Dominguez. Some lie Major -Sampayo is said to have told you.”</p> - -<p>I looked from him to Inez, and met her eyes fixed upon -me intently. “Tell me,” I said to her.</p> - -<p>“What Major Sampayo said about the reason why -Miralda was betrothed to him.”</p> - -<p>I turned slowly to Barosa. “If the contesse has told -you, why bother me about it?”</p> - -<p>“Repeat it,” he said sternly.</p> - -<p>I shook my head. “You know already.”</p> - -<p>“Repeat it,” he cried again furiously. “And then -admit you lied.”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_294">[294]</span>“I do not lie,” I answered and turned again to -Inez. “So you have asked that question?”</p> - -<p>“Repeat it, I say,” he thundered. “If you -dare.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I dare. Sampayo told me that you had him -at your mercy because you found out the facts about -his South African doings and threatened to expose -him. I had the same knowledge with an addition -which frightened him even more. He said that you had -forced this betrothal, but that it was only a sham -and that you did not mean him to marry Miralda -because you yourself loved her.”</p> - -<p>Out came a storm of oaths and denial, with fierce -and passionate threats against Sampayo for having -coined the lie and against me for having dared to -repeat it.</p> - -<p>Inez was scarcely less moved; and from what -passed it was clear that there had been a very warm -quarrel between them before they had come up to me. -I learnt that she had threatened to sacrifice everything -and go straight to M. Volheno.</p> - -<p>It was a long time before I could get a word in, and -then I brought them back to the real point. “Sampayo -told me that after my interview with him he -begged you to get rid of me by doing what I wanted—freeing -Miralda from all this trouble. But you refused -and tried to get rid of me in another way—by inciting -Henriques to murder me.”</p> - -<p>“It is a lie, a lie. It is all lies,” he exclaimed -furiously.</p> - -<p>“Well then, why have you kept Miralda in the toils? -If Sampayo lied, what is the truth?”</p> - -<p>That roused Inez again, and another altercation -followed, fiercer even and more prolonged than the -first. He had evidently tried to answer the question -with fifty subtle pretexts, but Inez was jealous and -knew too much not to be able to see that there was no -reason except the true one.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_295">[295]</span>In their anger they let out other valuable facts. -The plot to abduct the king had not been discovered, -and Miralda had been prevented from flying on the -pretext that no discovery was likely to be made and -that she would be wanted for the next scheme which -might be hatched. My arrival with the news that I -could reveal the whole conspiracy and meant to do so -had cut even this ground from under Barosa’s feet, -and then my repetition to Inez of Sampayo’s story -had completed his discomfiture.</p> - -<p>I was delighted to find that Inez was now as anxious -as I was that Miralda should fly the country; and -instead of making her my enemy, as she had declared, -she was resolved that I should take Miralda away.</p> - -<p>Barosa was equally determined that I should do -nothing of the kind, and hence the bitterness of both -and the <i>impasse</i> to which matters were brought.</p> - -<p>Another result of the quarrel was that it gave me -time to recover my strength, and as that increased, -I began to see whether I could not take advantage of -the position to escape. I was more than a match for -Barosa even after my experiences in that room. It -was probable that he had a revolver on him, and if I -could get that, I could soon put a different complexion -on matters.</p> - -<p>But he and Inez had crossed to the other end of the -room, she had closed the door lest the sound of their -angry voices should be heard by others in the house; -and I could not get to him, however quick my rush, -before he would have time to draw his weapon.</p> - -<p>In his present frenzy he would shoot me the instant -he drew, and things were going too favourably for -me to take that risk.</p> - -<p>I waited therefore in the hope that he would return -to my end of the room and give me the chance I -sought.</p> - -<p>But before I had such a chance, some one knocked -hurriedly at the door and Marco rushed in.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_296">[296]</span>“I must speak to you at once,” he said excitedly -to Barosa, and the two men went out together.</p> - -<p>Inez was literally convulsed with jealous rage. Her -face was white, her features drawn and haggard, her -hands fiercely clenched, and she was shaking from -head to foot. As the two men went out, she watched -Barosa, her strange eyes gleaming like those of a -tigress watching her prey. And when the door closed -behind them, she crossed to me, her hand pressed -tightly to her heart.</p> - -<p>“Get Miralda from this house or I will not answer for -myself,” she said, her lips shivering and her voice low -and hoarse with passion.</p> - -<p>I threw up my hands with a gesture of helplessness.</p> - -<p>With fingers that shook so violently that she could -scarcely command them, she tore open the bosom of -her dress, took out a revolver and thrust it into my -hands.</p> - -<p>“Wait here a few minutes until I return. She -shall be ready to go,” she whispered and then turned -to the door.</p> - -<p>“Inez! Quick. For God’s sake!” cried Barosa; -and the next moment I was alone again.</p> - -<p>I rose and paced the room to shake off the lingering -effects of the cramp caused by the cords. My legs -were still stiff, but a few turns across the room put -me all right.</p> - -<p>Presently I opened the door and stood listening -for Inez’ return. Although I was within a few minutes -of complete success, I was in a fever of impatience.</p> - -<p>There was no sound anywhere in the house, and -it was all dark. I fetched the lamp from my room and -went to the stairhead.</p> - -<p>Was it after all nothing but some fresh ruse?</p> - -<p>I examined the revolver Inez had given me. It was -loaded.</p> - -<p>I was mystified.</p> - -<p>I began to descend the stairs, but paused.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_297">[297]</span>If I carried a light I should be an easy mark for -any one having a fancy to make a target of my body.</p> - -<p>Setting the lamp down I felt my way by the balustrade -and crept down in the dark, careful to make as little -noise as possible and halting every now and again to -listen.</p> - -<p>In this way I descended two storeys, and tried -in vain to remember how many flights I had been -carried up, that I might know on which floor I stood.</p> - -<p>Feeling in my pockets I found my matches and was -about to strike one when I heard a footstep followed by a -smothered exclamation, as if some one had stumbled -in the dark. The sound came from some distance -below.</p> - -<p>Instinctively I shrank back against the wall and -stood holding my breath and listening intently.</p> - -<p>All was as still as a vault.</p> - -<p>My eyes had now grown sufficiently accustomed to the -dark to enable me to make out that I was on a -wide landing on to which several rooms opened. I -felt my way round and listened cautiously at each. -Not a sound. Two of the doors were ajar, but each -of the rooms was in darkness.</p> - -<p>I hesitated when I reached the stairs again what to -do. That stumbling footstep below had been full -of unpleasant suggestion. But it was useless to stop -where I was, so I continued my descent, more -cautiously and slowly than before.</p> - -<p>When I reached the next floor I paused again, -waiting a long time and straining my ears for some -clue to the baffling situation. Not hearing a sound, I -again made a circuit of the landing, feeling my way -by the wall. There were three doors here, and each -was ajar, and all three rooms in darkness.</p> - -<p>Feeling my way back to the stairs, I stumbled -against a low pedestal placed at some little distance -from the wall. There was a large plant on it and in -preventing it from falling, the leaves shook with a<span class="pagenum" id="Page_298">[298]</span> -rustling noise almost disconcerting in the dead stillness -of the house.</p> - -<p>I crouched as still as a statue behind it, listening -and holding my breath again. Then I heard other -rustling with a curiously regular beat or infinitesimal -throbbing. For a long time this puzzled me; until -at length I discovered that the throbbing was that of -my own heart and the rustling due to the movement -of my coat lapel against the stiff edge of my collar.</p> - -<p>I crept on then to the stairs and descended, still -using the same caution. I reached the bottom. I -was now in the hall. The feel of the marble under my -foot told me this.</p> - -<p>I remembered the direction of the front door and -turned toward it.</p> - -<p>But I had not taken two steps in its direction before -I was seized, a hand was pressed on my mouth before -I could utter a sound, and my hands were wrenched -back violently and pinioned behind me.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_299">[299]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XXXI<br /> - - -<small>A NIGHT OF TORMENT</small></h2> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap">MY first thought when I was seized so suddenly -in the darkness was that a fresh trap had -been laid for me and that I had blundered into it; -and that all the fierce wrangling between Inez and -Barosa in my presence had been mere pretence, to lead -up to her saying what she had about my leaving the -house with Miralda.</p> - -<p>But why all that trouble had been taken when I -was already in their power and, above and beyond all, -why she should have given me a loaded revolver, was -utterly baffling.</p> - -<p>I had not more than a minute or two to worry over -that, however, for my captors dragged me in silence -to a room close by, which, like the rest of the house, -was in darkness.</p> - -<p>“Don’t speak above a whisper,” said one of them -fiercely, putting his lips close to my ear.</p> - -<p>An electric lamp was flashed in my face and the -sudden light set me blinking and winking like an owl.</p> - -<p>“Do you know him?” asked a voice out of the -darkness.</p> - -<p>A murmur of dissent from the rest followed.</p> - -<p>“Where are the rest of you?” was the first question -asked of me.</p> - -<p>“I don’t know what you mean,” I replied after a -pause.</p> - -<p>“Answer my question at once.”</p> - -<p>I was at my wits’ end to know what line to take. I<span class="pagenum" id="Page_300">[300]</span> -had had such dramatic proof of Barosa’s methods of -testing my good faith, that the suspicion flashed across -me that this was just another of them. He and Inez -might have patched up their quarrel—if it had been -one in reality—and he might have devised this means -of seeing whether I meant to keep my promise of silence, -before he allowed Miralda to leave the house with me.</p> - -<p>My hesitation appeared to provoke the man who -had put the question. “Answer at once, you dog,” -he said. But whether his anger was real or assumed, -I could not tell.</p> - -<p>“There is some mistake——” I began.</p> - -<p>“You’ll find that out if you don’t answer at once,” -he broke in.</p> - -<p>“I am an Englishman, Ralph Donnington, and have -been kept a prisoner in this house since this morning.”</p> - -<p>“Answer me instantly,” he repeated with an oath.</p> - -<p>“I have given you the only answer I can.”</p> - -<p>The lamp was directed at my face the whole time—the -only gleam of light in the whole room. And to me -everything was, of course, just one huge blur of utter -darkness.</p> - -<p>“You refuse to tell me? You will repent it, I warn -you.”</p> - -<p>“I have answered,” I said again.</p> - -<p>“You say you were a prisoner?”</p> - -<p>“Yes.”</p> - -<p>“When did you come to the house?”</p> - -<p>“This morning. I came here from my yacht, the -<i>Stella</i>. She is in the river now.”</p> - -<p>“Who made you a prisoner, and why?”</p> - -<p>To answer that involved the telling of all I knew. -And whether this was sham or reality, it meant danger -to Miralda. “You may be sure I mean to find that -out,” I said, fencing.</p> - -<p>A pause followed and I heard some whispering. -Then the man’s former question was repeated. “You -say you were a prisoner?”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_301">[301]</span>“Yes.”</p> - -<p>“A prisoner at liberty to roam about the house -armed with a loaded revolver? Is that what you -mean?”</p> - -<p>“Some little time ago a woman came to me—I was -locked in a room at the top of the house—and gave -me the revolver and told me I could leave.”</p> - -<p>This was the truth; but it sounded like a preposterous -lie—as the truth sometimes will.</p> - -<p>“And that was just at the moment when you were -all hurry-scurrying for your lives on our arrival. Of -course you don’t know who the woman was, any more -than why you came sneaking down the stairs in the -pitch darkness with her revolver ready to put a bullet -into any one who prevented your escape.”</p> - -<p>“What I tell you is absolutely true. I was trying -to get away, of course, and came down in the dark -fearing some trick on the part of those who had imprisoned -me.”</p> - -<p>“You know whose house this is?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes. The Contesse Inglesia’s.”</p> - -<p>“Oh come, you know something,” he sneered. “I -suppose she is a friend of yours—just in a social way?”</p> - -<p>“I was presented to her at the house of the Marquis -de Pinsara just after my arrival in Lisbon. I came -to Lisbon on a mission of considerable importance in -which the Marquis and others of his friends are greatly -interested.”</p> - -<p>“Do you include His Majesty the King in your -circle of friends?”</p> - -<p>I disregarded the sneer and replied gravely, “No, -but I can give you a list of those who are interested -in my affairs;” and beginning with M. Volheno, I -rattled off a number of names. It was no good having -well-placed acquaintances without making some use -of them.</p> - -<p>“You are an impudent scoundrel,” was the hot -reply. “Why did you come to this house to-day?”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_302">[302]</span>“On matters closely connected with my object here -in Lisbon.” This was, of course, my real object—Miralda—but -it was not necessary to split hairs or -trouble with too much explanation.</p> - -<p>“Whom have you seen here?”</p> - -<p>“The Contesse Inglesia and the woman who gave -me the revolver.”</p> - -<p>“No one else?”</p> - -<p>“I should not identify any one else.” This was -very close to a direct lie; and as I had no intention -of either telling what I knew or of committing myself -to a direct denial, until I was certain about the nature -of the whole proceedings, I added: “I have said -that I am an Englishman. I have given you my -name and have told you I am a friend of M. Volheno, -amongst others. You do not believe what I say, and -I claim my right as a British subject to communicate -with my country’s representatives here in the capital. -Let me send to them or yourselves send to M. Volheno. -I shall not answer any more questions.”</p> - -<p>“Tell me at once where to find the rest of your -companions,” he said very sternly.</p> - -<p>“I know no more than yourself. I have no other -answer to give.” I spoke very firmly and half expected -that my experience of the former test would be -repeated and that the men would be satisfied.</p> - -<p>But nothing of the kind followed. After a pause -the light was suddenly put out, a whispered command -was given, and I was hurried out of the room and then -out of the house, dragged with no little violence into -a carriage and driven away.</p> - -<p>This might still be part of a drastic test, of course; -so I held my tongue and let them take me where they -would. As I left the house I glanced about me in the -hope of catching sight of Bryant; and was considerably -troubled when I could not see him.</p> - -<p>But I was soon to learn that it was no mere test. -The carriage pulled up before a gloomy building and I<span class="pagenum" id="Page_303">[303]</span> -was half led, half dragged inside, where I was confronted -by a number of men in police uniform. I was searched -and everything taken from me; my name was entered; -and without more ado I was led away to be thrust into -an unmistakable prison cell with other equally unmistakable -prisoners.</p> - -<p>The experiences of that night live as an ineffaceable -memory—worse than any nightmare horrors; worse -than one’s worst imaginings of any nether world.</p> - -<p>The cell was a large one in which perhaps twenty -or thirty could have been confined without any undue -crowding. There were more than that number already -there when I was thrust inside; and many others were -brought in afterwards, men and women indiscriminately, -until we must have numbered over sixty altogether.</p> - -<p>Had all been approximately clean or approximately -sober, the air would still have been too foul to -breathe and we should have been too crowded to -move without shouldering one another. By the -exercise of strict discipline and mutual arrangement -and forbearance, it would have been possible, by -taking turns, for some to have slept while the -rest huddled together.</p> - -<p>But there was neither cleanliness nor discipline. -Most of the men and some of the women were of the -scum of the gutter; filthy beyond description and -evil-smelling to the point of nausea—the incarnation -of all that is offensive and abominable in humanity. -And to add to the horror, many of the men were in -different stages of drunkenness—hilarious, quarrelsome, -brutal or obscene, according as the drink developed -their natural or unnatural temperaments. But all -were noisy and equally loathsome.</p> - -<p>Some dozen of the men and most of the women—of -whom there were about fifteen—were of a better -class. But two or three of the women were too hysterical -from fear to be capable of anything approaching<span class="pagenum" id="Page_304">[304]</span> -self-command. Their cries and moans of anguish -were heartrending; and their occasional piercing -screams and vehement outbursts of sobbing, not only -added to the general din and racket, but provoked -the anger of the drunkards and drew from them a -flood of obscenity and abuse.</p> - -<p>Wherever a dozen women are brought together in -trouble, however, you may confidently look for at -least one “ministering angel” among them. There -were two in that awful den that night. In appearance -they afforded the extremes of contrast. One was a -tall buxom woman in the forties with a hard forbidding-looking -face, but with a heart as stout as her big body -and courage as strong as her bared brawny arms. -The other was a pale frail slip of a girl who looked as -if a breath of wind would have knocked her down; -and it was an act of hers which brought matters to a -crisis.</p> - -<p>On my entrance two or three fights were in progress, -and as I had no wish except to avoid trouble, if possible, -I pushed my way to a corner near one of the small -barred windows, and stood leaning against the wall, -watching the unruly crowd in dismay at the prospect -of a night to be passed in such company and in such -utterly foul surroundings.</p> - -<p>Whenever the door was opened and fresh prisoners -were thrust in, their entrance was hailed by raucous -shouts of welcome or hoarse oaths and jeers of anger -according to the feelings which the newcomers’ looks -inspired. Those who were known favourably were -hailed by their names, while others were received -with yells and curses and immediately seized and -buffeted and kicked and mauled, dragged hither and -thither like a big bone by a pack of yelping curs, until -bruised, battered and half-dead with fear, they found -rest and obscurity in a corner; or until some new -arrival distracted the attention of their persecutors.</p> - -<p>I had been watching one of these affairs when I<span class="pagenum" id="Page_305">[305]</span> -turned to find the girl I have mentioned at my side. -Her fragile form and pale face moved my pity, and -I made way so that she could stand just under the -window. She thanked me with a smile, and we -stood thus for a long time, exchanging an occasional -glance.</p> - -<p>Later on, one of the noisiest of the hysterical women -drifted our way and the girl instantly left her place -and began to try and comfort the woman. There -must have been magnetism in her touch and eyes, -for the effect was remarkable. The other’s cries -ceased and her sobbing subsided, and she soon regained -a measure of composure.</p> - -<p>She was a good-looking woman and her face attracted -the attention of a drunken brute of a bully who shouldered -his way up and with a coarse oath tried to put his -arm round her waist to kiss her. Without a second’s -consideration of her own risk, the girl thrust herself -in his way and pushed him back with all her little -strength, and stood guarding the woman like a young -lioness at bay.</p> - -<p>The beast swore viciously, glared at her and raised -his hand for a blow; then his look changed, his eyes -blazed with animal passion and he tried to seize her, -swearing he would kiss her instead of the woman.</p> - -<p>I shouldered my way to her rescue, but before I -could reach her, the big woman intervened. She -grabbed the brute from behind and dragged him off, -with a voluble torrent of language which, “ministering -angel” as she afterwards proved, had very little of -the minister and nothing of the angel in it.</p> - -<p>The drunken bully, powerful though he was, had -much difficulty in shaking her off, and by the time -he had succeeded, I had reached the girl and stood in -front of her. Finding a man to deal with and one much -slighter than himself, he elbowed himself clear of the -throng round him and prepared to knock me into the -next world. But I knew how to use my fists and he<span class="pagenum" id="Page_306">[306]</span> -did not; and as he struck at me I easily parried the -blow and gave him an undercut on the jaw which -sent him staggering back, a very much surprised -bully indeed.</p> - -<p>A fight being a welcome recreation for the prisoners, -we were immediately surrounded by a yelling, oathing -crowd, and a sufficient space was cleared for us to settle -matters. It is no credit to batter a half-drunken man, -and I would gladly have avoided the thing if it had -been possible. But it was not. My antagonist was -regarded as a sort of champion by those who knew -him; and as they were anxious to see me mauled, -they hounded him on with shouts and cheers of encouragement. -Five minutes finished it; and established -a reputation for me which proved of infinite value -for the rest of that terrible night.</p> - -<p>His friends led him away to the other end of the -place; and when I turned to go back to my corner, I -found that the girl and her big companion had taken -possession of it for the benefit of the other women. -They had cleared a sufficient space to enable the -women to lie down; and by some magic of womanhood -had comforted and soothed them until comparative -quiet had been restored.</p> - -<p>Nor was that all. Such of the men as were sober -and decent had drifted to our end and stood in line -as a guard over the women. A space of very few feet -divided us from the rowdies; and as they still persisted -in keeping up a racket, I determined to use the authority -with which my victory had invested me, to try and -stop some of the din.</p> - -<p>I picked out three of the strongest men near me, told -them what I meant to do, and asked their help. We -were, of course, heavily handicapped in numbers; but we -were sober and capable of concerted action, whereas -the others were mostly drunk and at loggerheads even -with one another.</p> - -<p>Four of us crossed the dividing line and without a<span class="pagenum" id="Page_307">[307]</span> -word seized four of the noisiest of the crowd, dragged -them from the midst of the throng, shook and cuffed -them soundly, and then ordered them to stop their -yelling and oathing.</p> - -<p>They slunk off cowed and beaten; but a number -of the others broke out with volleys of curses and -threats and showed fight. At this, the other men -from my corner came forward, and the manœuvre -was repeated on a larger scale. This time I took care to -punish my man severely; and when we shoved them -reeling away and looked for fresh ones, we looked in -vain.</p> - -<p>They all backed away, huddled together like sheep -frightened by the dogs; and for the rest of the night -there was no recurrence of the row. We went back -to our side and resumed guard over the women; half -our number crouched on the ground and the rest of us -did sentry work.</p> - -<p>The rowdies across the dividing line gave very little -trouble after that. There were occasional wranglings -among themselves, as they fought for room to crouch -or lie down, or struggled for space to breathe; but they -had had their lesson and were careful not to provoke -another attack from us.</p> - -<p>Many of them were soon fast in drunken sleep, as -their stertorous breathing and loud snoring evidenced. -But contrasted with the din and racket in the past -hours, this was comparative peace and silence.</p> - -<p>How any one could sleep under such conditions -baffled me. The reek and noisome stench of the place -were appalling; and although I stood as near as I -could get to one of the windows, I was almost suffocated -and felt sick, stifled, and overpowered.</p> - -<p>The women also slept, all but the two who watched -over them and tended them with the care and vigilance -of tender-hearted womanhood. The endurance of the -young girl was as wonderful as her staunch courage -and her magnetic handling of her troubled sisters.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_308">[308]</span> -She even outlasted the big brawny woman who fell asleep -soon after the dawn broke. The light struggled through -the windows, and the abject wretchedness and squalor -of the scene were infinitely more depressing and horrible -in the light than they had seemed in the feeble rays of -the gas jets.</p> - -<p>Only once did she show even a sign of breaking down. -That was about two hours after the dawn when she -was near me and I asked her why she was a prisoner -and spoke in praise of her conduct.</p> - -<p>She told me that she was a political prisoner, and -that her real name was Pia Rosada, but she had been -arrested in a different one. She was a keen revolutionary, -goaded into rebellion by the ill-treatment of her -relatives. She was only a suspect; but she knew -much and looked forward to some kind of torture -being employed to force her to turn informer. “They -may do what they will, I shall tell nothing,” she said, -her eyes lighting with resolution and dauntless courage—a -martyr in the making.</p> - -<p>“I am sorry for you,” I murmured.</p> - -<p>“I would die a hundred deaths first,” she answered. -Then her look changed. Her clear gaze was troubled -and she glanced round at the women. “Do you think we -have no cause to revolt? Look at these poor creatures;” -and her eyes filled with tears. But she dashed them -away. “We cannot afford the luxury of tears,” she -said hurriedly, and slipped from me to go to one of -her charges who woke and sat up and began to -weep. In a minute she was soothed and comforted -by the touch of those wonderful hands, the glance of -the magnetic eyes, and the soft whisper of the sweet -calming voice.</p> - -<p>My thoughts flew to Miralda, and with a shudder of -fear I pictured her in the midst of such a scene of abomination -and desolate misery.</p> - -<p>Death was a million times preferable to existence in -such a hell of life as this!</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_309">[309]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XXXII<br /> - - -<small>A HUNDRED LASHES</small></h2> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap">I WAS not without apprehension that, as soon as -the drunkards and rowdies woke up, there would -be some renewal of the night’s disturbances, with -trouble to follow for the women and for us who had -kept watch over them.</p> - -<p>But the anticipation was unfounded. The men -were too ill to make trouble. The fearful atmosphere -they had breathed, combined with the effects of their -intoxication, had sapped alike their strength and their -energy. Listless, sick both in mind and body, crushed -in spirit and utterly downcast, they kept apart from -us and huddled together in a compact companionship -of weary, lifeless, dejected wretchedness.</p> - -<p>Several of those at our end of the prison, men and -women alike, were in much the same condition. Daylight -appeared to add to their sufferings, instead of -diminishing it. In the dim gas light they had been -spared the sight of the other’s condition; but it was -revealed to them now and made them the more conscious -of their own evil plight. The pestilential -atmosphere had also enfeebled them; and the frail -little Pia and her strong helpmate were hard put to -it to keep them from giving way. Many of them -fainted, gasping piteously for air; and Pia asked me -to get the men to help in holding one or two of them up -to the windows that they might breathe fresh air -in place of the pestilence-laden atmosphere of the -gaol.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_310">[310]</span>The men agreed readily, although themselves -greatly weakened by the night’s experiences, and I -had just laid down one woman whom a companion -had helped me to revive in this way, when he began -to speak of Pia; praising her courage, her endurance -and her resource.</p> - -<p>“She is a little heroine and will be missed by our -friends,” he said, when I echoed his praises warmly. -“I hope they can prove nothing against her. How long -have you known her?”</p> - -<p>“I saw her for the first time here.”</p> - -<p>“She is heart and soul in our cause and one of the -staunchest workers and the bravest.”</p> - -<p>“What cause is yours, my friend?”</p> - -<p>“You are right to be cautious; but my cause is -yours, and yours mine.”</p> - -<p>At this moment Pia touched me on the arm. -“Will you come and look at this poor soul here?” -she asked; and as I turned and we bent over a woman -who had fainted, she whispered hurriedly: “That man -is a spy. Be careful what you say to him.”</p> - -<p>I was astounded. It seemed incredible that any -money, any reward however lavish, could induce a -man to face the horrors of such an inferno as that gaol.</p> - -<p>“Can you lift her to the window?” asked Pia, -seeing my look of incredulity; and she whispered: -“It is true. I know. Be very careful.”</p> - -<p>The man helped me hold the unconscious woman -to the air; and when we set her down somewhat -revived, he was at me again, seeking to draw some -compromising admissions from me in response to his -own violent abuse of the Government.</p> - -<p>“You are mistaken about me and should not speak -so unguardedly to a stranger even in this place,” I -answered.</p> - -<p>“I should not had I not seen how you sympathize -with our friends here. It is true we have not met -before, and in that sense we are strangers; but a fellowship<span class="pagenum" id="Page_311">[311]</span> -of suffering in our common cause makes us all -friends—aye, and more than friends.”</p> - -<p>“What I have done has been done for motives of -mere humanity.”</p> - -<p>“But they recognize a leader in you—and I proclaim -myself as devoted a follower as any of them.”</p> - -<p>“I am no leader of any cause, man. I am an Englishman; -my name is Donnington; and I have been -brought here through the blundering of the police.”</p> - -<p>“They are devils,” he exclaimed vehemently, and -then tried to lead me into joining in his abuse of them. -But little Pia had put me on my guard, and after a -time he abandoned his efforts and fastened on to -another man, with results I was delighted to see.</p> - -<p>The man listened for a while and presently, taking -offence at something which the spy said, answered -hotly; the spy lost his temper and let fall a remark -which others beside the man he was pumping resented. -They closed round him and first thrashed him soundly -and then knocked him across to the other group. The -latter glad to get hold of one of us grabbed hold of him, -and venting on his cowardly body all the rage they -dared not vent on us, they beat and kicked and mauled -him unmercifully, until his screams for help attracted -the attention of the warders and they entered and -dragged him away.</p> - -<p>Knowing that he would seek revenge by lying about -us, I got from Pia all the names of the men who had -stood by me during the night, so that when I was out -of my own troubles, I might tell Volheno what had -really occurred.</p> - -<p>Soon after that the door was thrown open and several -officials entered. They made a careful note of the -unusual division of the prisoners into the two groups, -and at once ordered the removal of those with whom -we had had the trouble.</p> - -<p>While this was going on I went up to the chief official -and told him my name and asked for food for myself<span class="pagenum" id="Page_312">[312]</span> -and those remaining. I was famished and parched -with thirst. I had not had even a crust of bread for -twenty-four hours and only the sip of brandy which -Inez had given me.</p> - -<p>His reply was an oath and an order to hold my -tongue.</p> - -<p>I pointed to the women and asked for food for -them, and the brute raised his hand and struck me -across the mouth.</p> - -<p>Mad with rage at this, I sprang on him and pulled -him down, dashing his head against the stone flags. -In a moment half a dozen of his men rushed up and -dragged me off, kicking and mauling me with the -utmost violence, and then put my wrists in irons.</p> - -<p>Their leader rose livid with rage. “You shall have -the lash for this, you traitorous dog,” he hissed between -his teeth. “Fling him in the corner there,” he -ordered. “The lash shall tear the flesh from your -back for this. Yes, the lash and plenty of it. That -shall be your breakfast. Yes, the lash, the lash;” -and he repeated this several times, each time with a -fierce and bitter oath, as if gloating in the prospective -treat of seeing my flesh cut to ribbons.</p> - -<p>I was flung into the corner, as he had ordered—the -loathsome spot, reeking with all the filthy abominations -of the vile crew who had passed the night in it—and -the other prisoners were forbidden to come near -me under penalty of sharing my punishment. But -the door had scarcely closed on them before little Pia -came straight across, with gentle reproaches for my -futile violence and words of sympathy for my trouble.</p> - -<p>I tried to send her away, fearing the warders would -return and find she had disobeyed their order; but -she would not go. The skin of my face was broken -slightly where one of the men had kicked me—only a -graze, for the force of the kick was spent before his foot -touched me; and she insisted upon wiping the few -drops of blood away. Her touch was that of a hand<span class="pagenum" id="Page_313">[313]</span> -skilled in healing; and as she did what she could to -cleanse the little wound, her eyes were full of tears -and her face a living mask of pity and sympathy.</p> - - -<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/i_312.jpg" alt="" /></div> -<p class="caption">“In a moment half a dozen of his men rushed up<br /> -and dragged me off.”</p> - -<p>“Go, go before they return and find you here,” I -urged her.</p> - -<p>“Is it not you who saved us all from the worst -terrors of this awful night? Shall I desert you now -you have brought this trouble on yourself?”</p> - -<p>“Go, please go. You can do me no good and only -harm yourself,” I begged her; but she would not -go, and was still with me when the men came back to -lead me out.</p> - -<p>They seized her at once and, being brutes not men, -handled her with cruel violence. I would have cursed -them in my empty rage had it not seemed like a dishonour -to her, in her calm quiet, almost saint-like -resignation.</p> - -<p>We were taken out together into a large quadrangle, -and I caught my breath with a shiver of panic as I -saw on the other side the whipping post surrounded -by a group of men, two of whom held many-thonged, -heavily knotted whips.</p> - -<p>We were led across to it and a halt was made, and -the two powerful men with the whips eyed us both -with sinister, half-gloating gaze.</p> - -<p>I was ashamed of my cowardice then. Grit my -teeth as I would in a firm resolve to bear the awful -punishment of the lash, I turned cold and sick at the -thought of it. But the frail creature by my side was -utterly unmoved. She was pale, but no paler than -usual, and as calm and unmoved as the whipping post -itself.</p> - -<p>To the brutalized ruffians, the tragedy was more -like a pleasant farce.</p> - -<p>“Only two this morning?” asked one of those -holding a whip.</p> - -<p>“May be more presently,” replied one of the men -with us.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_314">[314]</span>“I want more exercise than this,” was the growling -answer, uttered with a sort of snarling laugh.</p> - -<p>“You’ll have plenty with this dog. He struck the -captain.”</p> - -<p>“He looks as if he had less stomach for his breakfast -than the girl here.”</p> - -<p>The taunt bit like an acid and did more than anything -could have done to revive my drooped courage.</p> - -<p>In this coarse way they jested until another prisoner -was brought out from a different cell and tied up for -the lash. I will not dwell on the sickening scene which -followed. I shut my eyes and, had I not been ironed, -would gladly have closed my ears as well to keep out -the awful sound of the poor wretch’s screams, until -the blessed relief of unconsciousness silenced them.</p> - -<p>Pia stood with her hands clasped to her eyes and -her thumbs pressed close to her ears, and did not look -up until the unfortunate victim was carried away, -the blood dripping from his lacerated back making -a gruesome and significant track across the flags.</p> - -<p>I thought my flogging would follow immediately; -but it turned out otherwise. We had merely been -made to witness the terrible punishment that our -courage might be broken and our senses racked by -the sight of what was in store for us.</p> - -<p>Instead of being triced up to the post, we were led -away into another part of the building; and one of the -men with me explained with a chuckle that such a -number of strokes as I should receive for my offence -could only be ordered by the Governor of the prison -himself.</p> - -<p>As we were taken into the room I saw the officer -I had struck, who was addressed as Captain Moros, -in close consultation with a tall, thin, grey-bearded man -in an elaborate uniform decorated with several medals. -This was His Excellency the Governor. He frowned -at me over the rims of his pince-nez; and I perceived -at once that he had been already informed of my<span class="pagenum" id="Page_315">[315]</span> -heinous deed, and that the captain had made the case -as black as possible.</p> - -<p>“This is the man, I suppose?” the Governor -asked him.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” said the captain, and he turned to the -warders by my side.</p> - -<p>“Is he securely ironed? He is a very desperate -and very dangerous ruffian,” he added to the Governor. -“I have ascertained that he nearly killed one of his -fellow-prisoners in the night and instigated an attack -upon another of them this morning;” and he bent -toward the Governor and whispered to him.</p> - -<p>He was describing the incident of the spy’s mauling, -and he finished in a tone loud enough to reach -me. “There is no doubt he recognized him and was -at the bottom of the whole thing.”</p> - -<p>“Who is he? Is he known to our men?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes. I have made inquiries. He is one of -the most violent revolutionaries in the city. Altogether -a most reckless, dangerous man. I am able to vouch -for all this personally; and there is no doubt he meant -to kill me. I had a most marvellous escape.”</p> - -<p>“How do you say the attack was made?”</p> - -<p>“Without a word of warning. I was watching -as some of the prisoners were taken out of the cell -and he sprang on me suddenly from behind and -tried to throttle me. It took half a dozen men to -drag him away.”</p> - -<p>“Certainly a very bad case; as bad as it could be. -And the woman, who is she?” asked the Governor.</p> - -<p>“A political suspect in league with the man. I -have reason to believe that she incited him to attack -me. I had the fellow separated from the rest and -ordered them not to go near him on pain of sharing -his punishment. I really did that as a test to find -out if he had any close associates among them. She -went to him at once in defiance of my orders; and I -find that they are old companions. They acted<span class="pagenum" id="Page_316">[316]</span> -together all the night in a very suspicious manner -indeed.”</p> - -<p>“She looks very young and fragile for such a -punishment.”</p> - -<p>“Your Excellency will see that flagrant disobedience -of our orders such as this woman was guilty of cannot -be passed over. She knew the penalty of disobedience; -and if prisoners find that we can be set at -defiance with impunity, the difficulty of keeping -them in subjection will be very great. I feel that -my sense of duty compels me to press this case.”</p> - -<p>“I see that, of course. The doctor had better -examine her to see if she can bear the punishment.”</p> - -<p>“You may of course leave that to me,” was the -reply; and the Governor was quite willing to do it.</p> - -<p>A pause followed, and I was waiting to be questioned, -for I had not even been asked my name, when -Pia’s clear young voice broke the silence.</p> - -<p>“General de Sama.”</p> - -<p>If a bomb had exploded suddenly in the room it -would not have produced much more astonishment. -The Governor looked up with surprise; the captain -shouted “Silence her;” and the two men holding -Pia shook her angrily, one of them clapping a hand -to her mouth. It was evident that none but official -dogs must bark in that place, and for a prisoner to -open her lips was a crime.</p> - -<p>I made an effort to explain, but before a couple of -words were out of my lips, I was silenced as Pia had -been.</p> - -<p>When the commotion caused by this had subsided, -the Governor addressed me. “You have attempted -the life of Captain Moros and you are evidently a -very dangerous and desperate man. The punishment -for your crime under the law is death; but your -intended victim has interceded for you and has mercifully -asked that the case shall be dealt with, not as a -capital crime against the law of the land, but as an<span class="pagenum" id="Page_317">[317]</span> -offence against the discipline of the prison. As such -I have power to deal with it. It is a very grave -offence, very grave indeed, and the punishment must -be in proportion to its gravity. You will receive -a hundred lashes to be administered twenty strokes -at a time with such intervals between each flogging -as the doctor shall decide. You have every reason -to be grateful to Captain Moros for his leniency. As -for you,” he added, turning to Pia, “your case is different, -but I am compelled to uphold the discipline of -the prison. You knew beforehand the punishment -of disobedience. But you are young and may have -been led into this trouble by your evil companion -there. You will receive five strokes with the lash.”</p> - -<p>With that he signed to the men to take us away.</p> - -<p>I was so dazed, stunned and overwhelmed by the -terrible sentence that even the gloating look of triumph -and malice on Captain Moros’ face failed to -rouse my resentment, as my guards hustled me away.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_318">[318]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XXXIII<br /> - - -<small>THE LUCK TURNS</small></h2> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap2">AS it turned out, this same paralysis of despair which -fell on me after hearing my terrible sentence -proved the means of saving me. I had tried to explain -who I was and had been silenced, and any -attempt during the proceedings would have failed -in the same way.</p> - -<p>But as I was being taken out, my condition of helplessness -led the warders to believe I was too feeble -to offer any sort of resistance, and their hold of me -was very slight.</p> - -<p>Just as I reached the door, through which Pia had -already passed, my wits awoke and my energy quickened -in obedience to an instinct of self-preservation. -The Conte de Sama had been one of those to whom -the Marquis de Pinsara had introduced me on the -night of the reception, and the conte had written me -subsequently that his brother, General de Sama, the -Governor of the prison, was anxious to co-operate -with me.</p> - -<p>I sprang back from the gaolers’ loose hold of me, -therefore, and darting toward the Governor I rushed -out the words: “There is a mistake. I am Ralph -Donnington, the Englishman who seeks the Beira -Concessions. Your brother, Conte de Sama——”</p> - -<p>I had no chance to finish, for I was collared by the -warders, one of whom silenced me as Pia had been -silenced.</p> - -<p>Captain Moros was furious and put himself in front<span class="pagenum" id="Page_319">[319]</span> -of the Governor, as if to protect him from my violence -and ordered the men to drag me away instantly.</p> - -<p>But I had appealed to a far higher force than the -law—the cupidity of this Portuguese notable; and -he had heard enough to rouse his fear of losing a chance -of fortune.</p> - -<p>“Wait,” he said quickly to his companion. “Remain -here with your prisoner,” he ordered the gaolers; -and then, as if to conceal his personal interest in my -statement, he was shrewd enough to cover it with a -reference to the law. “If the prisoner is an Englishman, -Captain Moros, as he says, you will see there -may be somewhat serious complications. I must -question him. Have the female prisoner brought -back.”</p> - -<p>“May I sit down?” I asked abruptly. My legs -were trembling under me and I was feeling faint from -want of food and quite used up. He consented and -a warder placed a chair for me.</p> - -<p>“If you are an Englishman”—and he affected to -have forgotten my name, stumbling over it—“how -is it I find you here?”</p> - -<p>“Ralph Donnington is my name. I was arrested -last night by mistake as a political suspect. I passed -the night in this prison, and when Captain Moros -entered it this morning, I told him who I was and asked -him for some food. He ordered me to be silent. I -then asked for some food for the women who were -lying ill from the effects of the awful night we had all -endured. His reply was a blow on the mouth, and -I lost my temper and grappled with him.”</p> - -<p>The captain tried several times to interrupt me with -furious outbursts, but the Governor—thinking no -doubt of the concessions—would not let him interfere.</p> - -<p>“If your statement is true, it puts a very different -complexion on the matter. You must see that, -Captain Moros.”</p> - -<p>“It is a pack of lies,” he declared.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_320">[320]</span>“All the prisoners heard and saw what passed. -Interrogate them singly and they will corroborate -every word. I have the honour of the friendship of -M. Volheno and I shall appeal to him to do so. I -have requested to be allowed to communicate both -with him and with the representatives of my country, -but no notice has been taken. If your Excellency -will send to M. Volheno, you will be immediately convinced -that I am what I say—Ralph Donnington, an -Englishman of great wealth, enjoying the friendship -of the Marquis de Pinsara and many other prominent -men in Lisbon, and here for the purpose of acquiring -very valuable concessions in your African Colony.”</p> - -<p>The concessions won hands down, and the victory -extended even to little Pia who had been brought -back and stood listening in amazement.</p> - -<p>“This must be inquired into, of course,” said the -Governor after a pause. “Free the prisoner’s hands,” -he added. Then to me: “Do you know anything -of the girl at your side?”</p> - -<p>“I will answer for her as for myself. I know -her to be innocent of any wrong, and that she is about -to leave the country. I am indeed interested in -making arrangements for her to do so.”</p> - -<p>Pia moved restlessly and was about to protest, I -think, so I placed my hand on her shoulder and -looked into her eyes: “You will bear out what I -say?”</p> - -<p>To deny would compromise me, and that I was -sure she would not do. After a slight pause, she -said simply: “That is so.”</p> - -<p>At my mention of Volheno’s name the Governor -had scribbled a line and handed it to a subordinate -who took it away.</p> - -<p>“I am compelled to protest against this, your -Excellency,” said the captain at this point. “And -having made this protest, I will, with your permission, -return to my duties.”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_321">[321]</span>“The matter has taken a very grave turn, Captain -Moros; you will be good enough to remain until we -know more. This may be serious for you.” The -subordinate returned then and handed a packet to the -Governor who whispered with him, and sent him away -again. “I find that you gave your name on being -brought in last night, Mr. Donnington. Here is what -was found upon you. I shall return all except a paper -which I may have to deal with differently. I revoke -both sentences.”</p> - -<p>This was, of course, the confession of Gompez and -the rest. “May I ask that some of the money may -be used to buy food for the wretched prisoners in -that cell?”</p> - -<p>He granted the request and sent some one away -for the purpose.</p> - -<p>“I have telephoned to M. Volheno, and have no -doubt, from what he says, that all is as you represent. -He desires to see you as soon as possible.”</p> - -<p>“May we go then? I have had no food since -yesterday morning.”</p> - -<p>“There is still one formality,” he replied. He -turned then to Captain Moros and said something -which made the brute go white and set him trembling, -as he protested. But the protest was evidently -unavailing, and after some further words, he rose -and went out at the back of the room. I learnt afterwords -that he was made the scapegoat for my treatment -and dismissed from his position.</p> - -<p>Just as this incident ended, the door by which we -had entered opened and another prisoner was brought -in. To my amazement I saw it was Bryant.</p> - -<p>“Do you recognize any one here, prisoner?” the -Governor asked him.</p> - -<p>Bryant stared all round. “Only my master, Mr. -Donnington.”</p> - -<p>“Was that the formality, your Excellency?” I -asked.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_322">[322]</span>“M. Volheno said you two were to be confronted, -and I had no option but to do so. You are now at -liberty to leave.”</p> - -<p>“And my servant?”</p> - -<p>“Certainly. I trust you will let this most regrettable -and unintelligible series of mistakes pass out of -your mind. Here are the things taken from you—the -paper I am sending to M. Volheno. And now,” -he added, as he offered me his hand; “I shall be glad -if at some time convenient to yourself you will afford -me an opportunity of discussing with you the matter -in which you so interested my brother.”</p> - -<p>Pia was at a loss what to do. So I laid my hand on -her arm. “Come,” I said.</p> - -<p>“But——” she began.</p> - -<p>“Come,” I repeated, more insistently, and she -yielded, leaving the place as if she where walking -in her sleep. But as soon as we were in the street -and the gloomy gates had closed behind us, she paused -to take two or three deep breaths, her face raised -skywards and her eyes shining brightly in rapture, -and then smiled, as if the very air itself were at once -the symbol and the proof of the liberty so unexpectedly -regained.</p> - -<p>After that she turned and held out her hand to -me.</p> - -<p>“You are out of prison, Pia, but you are not free,” -I said, shaking my head. “I have answered for you; -and you cannot return to your associates here without -falsifying my pledge.”</p> - -<p>Her eyes clouded in embarrassment. “What can -I do?”</p> - -<p>“In the first place you are going to put absolute -confidence in your new gaoler and let him look after -your future, as soon as he knows what you wish to -do. He is a very stern gaoler and will take no refusals,” -I added, interrupting a threatened protest.</p> - -<p>“If you are anything like as famished as I am, your<span class="pagenum" id="Page_323">[323]</span> -first desire will be to eat something;” and we turned -into the first hotel we reached.</p> - -<p>Some objection was taken to our appearance—we -were like three towsled tramps—but money soon -overcame that, and while I was doing what I could -to get rid of the results of the night’s imprisonment—Pia -having gone off with a servant for a similar -purpose—I listened to Bryant’s account of his experience.</p> - -<p>It was pretty much what I anticipated, but with -an unexpected result. He had waited for me outside -Inez’ house for some hours and had then contrived -to send a message to Captain Bolton. Together they -had agreed that the skipper should go and tell the -police about my disappearance, while Bryant remained -on watch.</p> - -<p>But in some way the abduction plot had become -known. The police had jumbled the two things up -and, on reaching Inez’ house, their first act was to -arrest Bryant himself on suspicion, refusing to believe -or even listen to his explanation; and he had been in -prison up to the moment of his being brought in to -identify me.</p> - -<p>It turned out that Captain Bolton had been making -inquiries everywhere both for me and for Bryant; -and Volheno had heard of the latter’s imprisonment -and had been on the point of ordering his release -when General Sama had communicated with him -about me.</p> - -<p>I told Bryant to hurry his breakfast and go down -to the quay to send word to the skipper that we were -both at liberty, and then drive to Miralda’s house -for news of her, and bring me the result of his inquiry -to my rooms.</p> - -<p>Pia’s story was soon told. She had no living relatives. -She and her only brother had lived together -until he had been led to join the revolutionary party. -His arrest had soon followed through the betrayal<span class="pagenum" id="Page_324">[324]</span> -of a false friend who had tried to make love to her -and in revenge for his defeat had betrayed him. The -brother, feeble and delicate in health, had been -questioned as to the plans and names of his companions, -and Pia declared that his refusal to speak -had been punished with the lash. He had died in -prison, and this had driven her into hot rebellion -against those whom she termed his murderers.</p> - -<p>She had been hunted for by the police; but her -arrest on the previous night had been an accident—she -was caught as I had once been—in the thick of a -fracas between the police and the people. She had -not given her right name, but, feeling sure she would -be identified, she looked forward to sharing the same -fate as her brother.</p> - -<p>This fact explained the readiness of the Governor -to liberate her.</p> - -<p>“You have no friends anywhere?” I asked.</p> - -<p>“I have only one friend in the world; but when -my brother was arrested, he had to fly for his life. -That was almost on the eve of the day we were to -have been married,” she said simply.</p> - -<p>“And where is he?”</p> - -<p>“In America.”</p> - -<p>“That settles it then. You will go out to him.”</p> - -<p>She tossed up her hands. “Some day, perhaps.”</p> - -<p>“There is no ‘perhaps’ about it and no ‘some -day.’ Do you know that if it had not been for you -I should have had that lash this morning. If you -had not mentioned the Governor’s name, I should not -have known him and been able to do what I did. -You will go out to New York by the first boat you can -catch, and you will leave Lisbon for Paris to-day, -and go to an address I will give you to wait in safety -until that boat starts.”</p> - -<p>“Monsieur!” she cried tremulously.</p> - -<p>“I am your gaoler, remember, and responsible for -you. You must let me persuade you to do what I<span class="pagenum" id="Page_325">[325]</span> -say. And now, I must go. Hurry your preparations -and return to me here;” and I gave her the address -of my flat.</p> - -<p>“But I—I cannot accept your money, monsieur.”</p> - -<p>“But you can use it. I shall lend it to you, and when -you are married in the new world, you will soon be -able to repay me. There is a place for such a woman -as you in the world and good work waiting to be -done by you. You promise to come to me?”</p> - -<p>She could not speak. The tears, which no persecution, -nor the horrors of the past night, nor even -the almost certain prospect of the lash itself had been -able to draw from her, were standing thick in her -eyes as I left her and hurried to my rooms.</p> - -<p>I decided to go to Volheno as soon as I had changed -into some decent clothes, and secure a pardon for -Miralda in return for a full statement of what I knew, -and then obtain his assistance in searching for her. -There was a faint chance that Bryant would bring -back some news of her from the vicontesse; but -he did not arrive before I was ready to go to Volheno.</p> - -<p>I found him studying the paper which General de -Sama had sent to him from the prison, and his first -question was about it.</p> - -<p>“Why have you made prisoners of some of His -Majesty’s officers?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“I have much to tell you and of very grave importance, -but there is a condition,” I replied. I -told him enough to convince him that my information -was such as to place clues in his hand strong enough -to enable him to break up the whole revolutionary -movement so far as the Pretender’s friends were concerned; -and then named my condition.</p> - -<p>Without mentioning their names I described at -length the means which had been adopted to force -Miralda, Vasco and Dagara into the scheme and how -they had helped me to thwart it, and asked for a -written assurance of pardon for them all.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_326">[326]</span>He fought hard and tried every means to get the -names from me. A long and at times very heated -altercation followed, in which I declared that I would -make all the trouble I could on the score of my own -treatment, and finally that I would seek an audience -of the king himself and lay all the facts before him.</p> - -<p>I won the victory in the end, and I had the assurance -in my pocket when I gave him the story, confining -my statement to what I had overheard on the -<i>Rampallo</i> and all that had followed from it. We -then arranged for the <i>Stella</i> to go out at once to pick -up the <i>Rampallo</i> and to carry out Government agents -to take over charge of her and the officers.</p> - -<p>I purposely abstained from mentioning Inez, but -the fact that I had been arrested in her house led -Volheno to question me about her. I found that the -house had been raided through a blunder of the -police who had mixed up some information they had -received with Captain Bolton’s statement that I was -a prisoner there. Volheno had nothing definite -against her, and I would not give him any information.</p> - -<p>Of Miralda’s whereabouts he knew no more than -I. She had not been arrested, however; and I returned -to my rooms to learn the result of Bryant’s -visit to her house.</p> - -<p>He brought no news of her. He had seen the viscontesse -who was almost prostrate with grief and -anxiety at her absence.</p> - -<p>There was only one inference to draw. Miralda -must still be with Barosa; and where to look for them -baffled me.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_327">[327]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XXXIV<br /> - - -<small>ON THE TRACK</small></h2> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap">I RACKED my wits in vain to think of some clue -to the place where Barosa was likely to hide. -I ransacked my memory to recall every incident of -my stay in the city, every word which had been -dropped in my hearing, and every man I had met, -having any connexion with him or any of his companions. -But it led to no result.</p> - -<p>All I could think of was to institute a house-to-house -search of the whole city; and I wrote to urge -Volheno to have this done, declaring I would cheerfully -bear all the expense and give a liberal reward -to any one who brought me the information I craved.</p> - -<p>But the thought of the length of time which such -a search would involve drove me to the verge of -despair. I must find some means by which I myself -could take part in the search. To sit still with folded -hands was a sheer impossibility.</p> - -<p>I thought of Inez. She might now be willing to -help me. I had the key now to what had so perplexed -me during the last few minutes I had spent -in her house. While she and Barosa were wrangling, -Marco had rushed up with the news of the police -raid, and this had prevented Inez from keeping her -promise to return to me.</p> - -<p>She had meant to return—that was clear now—and -she was in fierce earnest that Miralda should leave -the house with me. The loaded revolver—which -had proved such a Greek gift when the police had<span class="pagenum" id="Page_328">[328]</span> -found it upon me—had been honestly given, to provide -me with the means of overcoming any opposition, -whether from Barosa or others, to our getting -away.</p> - -<p>But the words she had used in giving it only pointed -to greater danger now. “Get Miralda away or I will -not answer for myself.” With Barosa and Miralda -still associated, the devil of jealousy I had roused -in Inez might goad her to some act of wild rage against -Miralda; and the thought that I had placed her in -this added peril stung and scorched me with all the -agony of a festering wound.</p> - -<p>My helplessness was torture; and yet I could not think -how to commence my search, where to go, or what -to do. Stay in the house I could not, and I rushed -out into the streets, wandering aimlessly about, -scrutinizing every one I met, as if I expected that -some of those I sought would stroll about publicly -in the full light of day in order that I might see them.</p> - -<p>After a time I found myself close to Inez’ house, -and as I loitered about I narrowly escaped being -once more arrested by the police. I went from there -to the house in the Rua Catania and then to the Rua -Formosa, where I had been subjected to the “test”—the -most unlikely spots in all the city, of course, -where I should find any one. And that I should go -there at all only proved the fatuous vagueness of -my thoughts.</p> - -<p>From the latter place I was on my way back to my -rooms when I remembered where Henriques had been -employed as a porter. I hurried there at once, but -without result. Not a trace was to be found.</p> - -<p>I returned to my rooms in despair. It was now late -in the afternoon, and little Pia was waiting for me. -She had finished her few preparations and was ready -to go.</p> - -<p>“You are in great trouble, Mr. Donnington. What -is the matter?” she asked as I entered, her smile<span class="pagenum" id="Page_329">[329]</span> -of welcome changing on the instant to a look of deep -concern and sympathy.</p> - -<p>“Yes, I am in sore trouble. Wellnigh beside -myself, but I will see to your matters.”</p> - -<p>“Tell me. Let me help you.”</p> - -<p>“Could you help me, I wonder.” I had not thought -of her. She might know of some places where I could -search, but on the other hand, she could not give -me the information without bringing those with -whom she had been associated into danger of arrest.</p> - -<p>“Tell me. You can surely trust me,” she urged.</p> - -<p>“You could only help me by betraying your former -friends. Do you know a Dr. Barosa?”</p> - -<p>“By name, yes. There is nothing you can ask me -I will not tell you. You believe that as I am sure -you believe I will keep everything you say secret.”</p> - -<p>A few seconds decided me to tell her enough to -make the position clear—that what I wanted was to -know where to look for Barosa.</p> - -<p>“I do not know that I could help you much in -any case. It is very difficult,” she murmured, her -face troubled and her manner expressing both perplexity -and wistful anxiety.</p> - -<p>“I do not understand,” I said.</p> - -<p>“You said I might have to betray my former associates. -Does that mean that you will take the police -with you?” She paused and sat biting her lip in -great distress. “If you ask me, I cannot refuse.”</p> - -<p>“If I can find Mademoiselle Dominguez without -the police it is all I want.”</p> - -<p>She brightened instantly. “Can you get me some -disguise?” Seeing my surprise, she explained, -“I would go without it, but it would not help you. -Since we parted this morning, I have had a very narrow -escape from arrest in my own name. The police -are swarming near my lodging, and it is in that district -we must search. I was on my way there when -by good fortune I met a friend—a girl who had lived<span class="pagenum" id="Page_330">[330]</span> -in the same house as myself. She warned me not -to go near it because the police were in it. Her -brother had been arrested and she herself was flying. -To go as I am, therefore, would not help you.”</p> - -<p>“You must not go at all. Tell me where to go,” -I said.</p> - -<p>She hesitated again. “If I hesitate, you will -understand me. Let me be frank. Some of the -people have been very kind to me and to put them -into the hands of the police would be an ill return.”</p> - -<p>“I will not take the police with me. Tell me where -to search, and I’ll find means of doing what I need -without the police.”</p> - -<p>“A little to the west of the Theatre of Donna -Amelia and close to the Square of Camoes is a nest -of streets; and many of the houses are those of our -friends where any refugees are certain of a ready shelter. -It is there I should expect to find those whom -you seek. But you must go not as you are. It -would be not only useless but dangerous, and you must -be careful to have help at hand. If your object were -suspected, you would look in vain for a friend in all -that district.”</p> - -<p>I opened a map and she pointed the neighbourhood -out to me and indicated a spot at the corner of the -Square which would be the best for my purpose.</p> - -<p>“There are three theatres close there, and the -hawkers always stand about there to catch the people -going to them. You could thus watch without being -suspected;” she explained.</p> - -<p>I took her advice and set about my preparations -forthwith, and while getting ready, a thought occurred -to me. I sent Bryant with a note to Volheno -telling him I had an important clue and I asked -him, as I had already had a narrow escape of being -arrested, to give me a line or two which would protect -me from anything of the kind and enable me to call -upon the police to assist me if I should need their help.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_331">[331]</span>Pia helped me to disguise myself as a pedlar of -matches, suggesting many clever touches—the result -probably of her experiences—and when I was ready -not a soul in all Lisbon would have recognized me.</p> - -<p>Volheno sent me the letter I asked for, and when -Bryant returned with it I told him to disguise himself -also and to watch me from another corner of the -Square, and to have Simmons and Foster, who had not -gone in the <i>Stella</i>, in a liquor shop close at hand.</p> - -<p>Then I slipped out of the house and shuffled off -on my search in the character of a match seller. I had -about a mile to go across the city to my destination, -but I did not reach it. I had just turned into the -Rua da Carmo when a man carrying a bag and having -the air of a commercial traveller crossed the street -and came up to buy a box of matches.</p> - -<p>His disguise was good, but as he lit his cigarette -I recognized him. It was Marco; and in a moment -my other plan was abandoned and I decided to follow -him.</p> - -<p>He made straight for the Central Station. After -studying the time-tables, he went to the booking place, -entered into conversation with the clerk and bought -some tickets, turned away with a casual air and left -the building again.</p> - -<p>Either Pia was all wrong in her guess as to the -locality where Barosa was likely to hide, or Marco -was not going back to him. He sauntered idly across -the Square of San Pedro, turned into the Rua Bitesgo, -quickened his pace slightly as he reached the Rua da -Magdalena, and branching off to the left, when about -half-way down, threaded his way at a quick pace -among the maze of streets which form the district of -Eastern Lisbon.</p> - -<p>This was directly in the opposite direction from that -which Pia had suggested; but I was certain by the -change from his former sauntering pace to a quick -stride, that he was taking me where I wanted to go.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_332">[332]</span>His speed made it difficult for me to keep him in sight -without his discovering that I was shadowing him. -Twice I nearly lost him as he made a double turn in -the short tortuous streets, and after that I had to -lessen the distance between us, doing my best to -slink along in the shadow of the houses.</p> - -<p>Presently he turned into a very steep hilly street -and, slackening, began to look about him warily. I -guessed that he was getting near his destination, and -redoubled my caution. About half-way down the -hill he stopped at the corner of a dark street somewhat -wider than the rest, where the houses were larger, -and I slipped to cover in the wide porch of a house -on the opposite side.</p> - -<p>Two men were in sight, one coming down the hill -and the other up, and lighting a cigarette as a pretext -for loitering, Marco waited until both men had passed -and gave each of them a sharp searching look. As -soon as they were out of sight, he turned and hurried -along the side street.</p> - -<p>I followed quickly, but when I reached the corner -he had disappeared.</p> - -<p>I had run him to earth; but which house he had -entered I could not tell, of course. I passed the -mouth of the street and had a good look at the -houses. He had not had time to go more than fifty -yards; and within that distance there were only six -houses, the two nearest of which were detached and -stood well apart from one another.</p> - -<p>Keeping under the shadow of the buildings I walked -the length of the street and discovered that it had no -outlet at the farther end. I returned to the corner with -the same caution, and then considered what to do.</p> - -<p>I felt at liberty to seek the help of the police if -necessary. My promise to Pia not to do so did not -apply now, since my discovery was not due to anything -she had told me, but to the accidental meeting -with Marco.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_333">[333]</span>At the same time, I did not wish to bring the police -into it except in the very last extremity. It was -quite possible that they would arrest every one in the -house, including Miralda herself; and after my -terrible experiences of the previous night, the thought -that she should endure even for an hour the horrors -of such a den of beastliness was unendurable.</p> - -<p>If it proved necessary for me to enter any house -in search of Miralda, it would be nothing short of sheer -madness to do so alone; and in that case I must -have the help of the police.</p> - -<p>But it might not come to that. Marco’s visit to -the railway station and his purchase of tickets was -plain evidence that some one, presumably Barosa, -was meditating immediate flight from the city. But -as there was only the one outlet from the street, -he could not leave without passing me; and certainly -he could not get Miralda away.</p> - -<p>There was another consideration. The meditated -flight suggested that Miralda was not in any immediate -danger. It might be better to risk a little delay, -therefore, rather than take a hasty step with consequences -which I might afterwards have bitter cause -to regret.</p> - -<p>Then I began to consider whether I could possibly -find means of sending a message to Bryant so as to -bring him and the others to my assistance. With -them to help me, I should have no hesitation in entering -the house, if I could ascertain definitely in which -Barosa was hiding.</p> - -<p>I was puzzling over this when Marco came out of -the second house, and I noticed one little significant -fact. In addition to the bag, he was carrying an -overcoat on his arm. This meant that he at any rate -had been staying in the house; and it decided me not -to follow him.</p> - -<p>He walked to the corner of the street and was -turning up the hill away from me when he changed<span class="pagenum" id="Page_334">[334]</span> -his mind and came straight towards me. I drew -back against the wall to avoid him, and he had all but -passed when he caught sight of me. The start he gave -showed that he recognized me as the man from whom -he had bought the matches.</p> - -<p>He paused a moment, put his hand to his head, as -if he had forgotten something and turned to retrace -his steps. He meant to warn the others in the house, -of course; and as I had to prevent this at any cost, -I stepped forward quickly and grabbed him by the -wrist.</p> - -<p>“What do you want with me, you old fool?” -he said roughly, trying at the same time to shake off -my hold.</p> - -<p>“You are my prisoner,” I said sternly. “Who are -in that house there?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know what you mean. Which house?”</p> - -<p>“The one you have just left. I know you. Answer at once.”</p> - -<p>His answer was both clever-witted and quick. -He flung the overcoat he carried over my head and -made a fierce snatch to break away from me, while -reaching at the same time for a weapon.</p> - -<p>I held on, however, and managed to trip him up. As -we fell together the coat dropped away and I was in -time to seize the barrel of a revolver he had succeeded -in drawing, and drag it out of his hand.</p> - -<p>“It’s no use, Marco,” I said.</p> - -<p>He knew me then. “The Englishman!” he cried -with an oath of unbounded amazement.</p> - -<p>“Yes, the Englishman,” I said.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_335">[335]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XXXV<br /> - - -<small>THE PROBLEM OF AN EMPTY HOUSE</small></h2> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap">THE discovery of my identity, combined no -doubt with the fact that I had disarmed Marco, -put an end to any thought of resistance, so I pulled -him up and forced him against the wall, and kicked -his bag and coat close to his feet.</p> - -<p>“Now, Marco, tell me who is in that house and be -quick about it.”</p> - -<p>“Will you let me go if I do?”</p> - -<p>“I’ll hand you to the police if you don’t. You -went to the railway station to-night and took some -tickets. I saw you and then followed you here. You -went into the second house across the road. Now -who are in there?”</p> - -<p>“Barosa, Maral, Countess Inglesia and Mademoiselle -Dominguez,” he said sullenly after a slight pause.</p> - -<p>“Who else?”</p> - -<p>“No one.”</p> - -<p>“What have you come out for now?”</p> - -<p>“If I tell you everything, will you let me go?”</p> - -<p>I repeated my question.</p> - -<p>“To fetch a carriage. Mademoiselle Dominguez -is in no danger,” he added, thinking probably to -appease me. “She is going to leave with us, and her -mother is to join us at the station. I took a letter to -her this evening. If I tell you everything, will you -let me go?”</p> - -<p>As a matter of fact I wished to get rid of him now<span class="pagenum" id="Page_336">[336]</span> -that I had obtained the information I needed. But -I did not let him know it.</p> - -<p>“No,” I answered fiercely with an oath. “You -tried to murder me yesterday, you villain, and you -shall pay for it with your life. I have the police in -hiding close here and I’ll give you to them!” Then -I made a pretence of hauling him away, but at the -time I stooped as if to pick up his bag and loosened -my hold of him.</p> - -<p>He saw his chance and took it. He tore himself -free, pushed me violently away, snatched up his bag and -coat and darted off. With a cry of rage, I started -in pursuit, but I went no more than a few yards, -just far enough to convince him I was in earnest, -and then returned to my corner well satisfied to have -got rid of him so easily.</p> - -<p>His information put a different complexion on -matters. As he was going for the carriage which -was to take Barosa and the rest to the station, the -time for their departure must be drawing near; and -when he did not return, some one would probably -come out to look for him, or they would all have to -start for the station on foot.</p> - -<p>I could well afford to wait for either result. Miralda -was safe thus far, and, according to Marco, was willing -to trust to Inez and Barosa to get her away from the -city. The two latter had probably patched up a peace, -and it was no doubt Inez’ plan to have the viscontesse -with them—as a useful check on Barosa.</p> - -<p>About a quarter of an hour later the door of the -house opened and some one looked out. I could not distinguish -whether it was a man or a woman, however, -as my attention had been distracted by three or four -men at some distance away who were coming down -the hill in my direction.</p> - -<p>I made out soon afterwards that they were police, -and as I did not wish to be seen and questioned at -that moment, I slipped along the by-street and hid<span class="pagenum" id="Page_337">[337]</span> -in a doorway nearly opposite the house I was watching, -to hide there until they had passed.</p> - -<p>Before they reached the turning, however, some -one in the disguise of an old man came out of the house -and shambled along toward the corner. It must -be either Barosa or Maral, I knew; and as it -would vastly simplify things if I could scare him -away as I had scared Marco, I slipped like a shadow -across the road and got between him and the house.</p> - -<p>He heard me and turned.</p> - -<p>“I arrest you, Dr. Barosa,” I cried, and started as if -to run after him.</p> - -<p>Taking me for a police agent, he paused a second, -drew out his revolver, and then, thinking probably -he could both save himself by flight and prevent the -others in the house being discovered, he turned round -and bolted.</p> - -<p>But in avoiding me, he ran right into the arms of -the police who reached the corner of the street at the -same minute. There was a short sharp scuffle, a cry -or two of astonishment, a gruff call to surrender, -a pause, and then a shot.</p> - -<p>One of the police fell, and I saw Barosa break away, -reach the middle of the road, and raise his hand to his -head. A flash and a report followed, he lurched -heavily and then dropped, as a drunken man drops, -nervelessly and all in a heap.</p> - -<p>Everything had occurred with such dramatic swiftness -that I could scarcely realize it. In a few seconds -a number of people came hurrying up, attracted by -the noise of the shots, and as they crowded round -the police, I joined them and edged through to the -front.</p> - -<p>The man whom Barosa had shot was sitting on the -doorstep of the house at the corner, hatless and -very white, but I heard one of his comrades say -that he was not seriously hurt.</p> - -<p>Two others had carried Barosa close to the same<span class="pagenum" id="Page_338">[338]</span> -spot and were bending down, examining his wound -and feeling his heart for the pulse.</p> - -<p>“Dead,” announced one of them with an oath, and -as he rose I saw Barosa’s face. The false beard -and wig he had been wearing had fallen off in the -scuffle; and the right cheek and temple were -discoloured with the powder, the blue-black -mark showing plainly in contrast to the grey pallor of -the face.</p> - -<p>He had chosen death rather than imprisonment; -and after my experiences of one night in that hell, -I was not surprised.</p> - -<p>The police did not recognize him and had no idea -that he was a man of any importance.</p> - -<p>“Does any one know him?” was asked, and some -half-dozen of those present pressed forward, looked -at him, and shook their heads.</p> - -<p>I took advantage of the movement to back away, -and as I turned I came face to face with Maral. He -had not seen Barosa, and I did not mean that he -should. Very much to his surprise, I linked my arm -in his and drew him away across the mouth of -the street to the corner from which I had kept my -watch.</p> - -<p>“Come with me or you are lost,” I said in a low -voice.</p> - -<p>“Who are you?”</p> - -<p>“You are Sebastian Maral. The police are there. -You must fly or you will be taken.”</p> - -<p>“Who are you?”</p> - -<p>“A friend if you go, an enemy if you stay. My -name does not matter. A secret agent—but you -once did me a good turn. I am going to raid the -second house over there. I give you a chance to fly; -if you stay I must hand you to my comrades.”</p> - -<p>“But I——”</p> - -<p>I cut him short. “Say which it shall be. Quick. -I can’t give you another moment or I shall be seen<span class="pagenum" id="Page_339">[339]</span> -with you. Are there any men left in that house? -We have taken Barosa.”</p> - -<p>An oath burst from him and he began to tremble. -“There are only two women there. But—”</p> - -<p>At that instant there was a movement among the -little throng across the street. Two or three of the -people went running past us and I saw others hurrying -in the opposite direction. They were sent by the -police probably in search of a conveyance.</p> - -<p>“My men are coming. Which is it to be. Quick,” I -said, and let go my hold of him. He hesitated for -no more than a second and then, tossing his hands -up in despair, he turned away, walked a few steps, -then quickened his pace, and at last ran at full speed.</p> - -<p>Barosa having been caught as he was leaving the -little side street, it was possible that the police might -take a fancy to search some of the houses, so I deemed -it prudent to hang about until they had gone and the -commotion caused by the affair had subsided.</p> - -<p>Two carriages arrived almost together, one from -each direction. Barosa and the wounded man were -placed in one and the police drove away. The driver -of the other was moving off, grumbling at having been -brought there for nothing, when I stepped into the -roadway and hailed him.</p> - -<p>“Drive away and come back in a quarter of an hour, -and wait at this corner for me,” I told him.</p> - -<p>“Wouldn’t your highness like a four-in-hand?” -he asked with a contemptuous jeer at my poverty-stricken -appearance.</p> - -<p>A milreis changed his sneer to a glance of curiosity -and amazement. “It will pay you to do what I say -and keep your tongue between your teeth,” I said -curtly.</p> - -<p>“I’ll be here,” he replied, and rattled away down the -hill.</p> - -<p>I crossed to the house at once and knocked lightly -at the door. No one opened it; so I knocked again,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_340">[340]</span> -a little louder; and again a third time. Still with -no result. The house was, as I have said, all in darkness, -and, although I listened intently, I could not hear a -sound.</p> - -<p>It was probable that either the three men had had -keys or that the door was to be opened only in response -to some agreed knock. I did not know it, of course, -and might stay there rapping all night without being -admitted.</p> - -<p>Both Inez and Miralda would be intensely alarmed -by the failure of the three men to return and if they -had heard Barosa’s shot or had seen anything of the -commotion that followed, they would certainly conclude -that the three had been arrested and mistake -my summons for that of the police bent upon effecting -an arrest.</p> - -<p>It was a most provoking and unexpected check. -I left the door and fumbled my way round to the back -to try and get admittance there. I was no expert at -burgling, but even if I had been I should have been -puzzled how to get into this house. There was a door at -the back letting out upon a small garden; but it was -securely fastened, and every window in the lower part of -the house was protected by both outside bars and inside -shutters. It was hopeless to try and force them.</p> - -<p>There was a stack pipe running up to the gutter -at the roof; but it was so placed that if I climbed it -I could not reach any window except one on the top -floor; and an attempt to enter that way meant a very -considerable risk that I should break my neck. There -was no urgent necessity to run such a risk, so I went -round again to the front of the house to look for a -chance of getting in there.</p> - -<p>It was no more promising than the back, so far as -the windows within reach were concerned.</p> - -<p>It was almost ludicrous to find myself in such a -fix. Here was I able and eager to save both Inez -and Miralda; and there were they shivering with<span class="pagenum" id="Page_341">[341]</span> -panic and regarding me as an enemy bent on their -destruction and arrest; and only this infernal locked -door and the barred windows between us.</p> - -<p>I tried knocking again, but with no better result than -before, and then it occurred to me that although I -had examined the front and the back and one side, I had -not inspected the fourth side.</p> - -<p>The chances of breaking in there were better. There -was a small projection built about half-way up the -house with a window level with the first floor, which -did not appear to have either shutters or bars. A -stack pipe offered a chance of reaching this window, -and although the pipe was unpleasantly insecure I -judged that even if it gave way I could not hurt -myself much, as there was a flower bed with some -shrubs on the spot where I should fall.</p> - -<p>I began the ascent very cautiously, digging my toes -into the courses of the bricks where I could, and carefully -testing the bearing strain of the pipe before -trusting my full weight on it. It was a very difficult -business, for part of my disguise consisted of a long -overcoat which hampered almost every step I took.</p> - -<p>But I made the ascent safely and managed to get a -grip of the window ledge, and then, pulling myself up -till my chin was level with the window, I found a -slender but sufficient hold for my feet on a ledge of the -brickwork.</p> - -<p>To my relief the window was unfastened. I opened -it very cautiously, climbed in over the sill, into a tiny -room quite bare of furniture. I listened intently and, -not hearing a sound, tried the handle of the door. -To my intense chagrin, it was locked. It seemed -as if some diabolical ingenuity was at work to prevent -my effecting Miralda’s rescue.</p> - -<p>The door opened outwards and that made it easier for -me to force it; but I was loth to make the row which -this would cause and so advertise the fact that I was in -the house.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_342">[342]</span>It had to be done, however, so I put my shoulder -to it and tried first to force it open with quiet pressure. -This proving unavailing I dashed myself against it -with all my weight and strength. At the third attempt -it yielded with a crash which echoed through the house, -making a din which would have roused the heaviest -sleeper in the remotest part of the building.</p> - -<p>Then I stood listening again intently. Not a sound. -I was close to the head of the stairs. Fearing that the -noise I had made would scarce Inez and Miralda half -out of their senses, I tried to reassure them.</p> - -<p>“Miralda, Miralda. It is I, Ralph,” I called loudly, -but only the echo of my own voice replied.</p> - -<p>Disconcerted at this, I lit a match and hurried through -the rooms, calling her name as I went. I searched -first those on the floor where I was; next those above, -and then went below.</p> - -<p>Save for the scanty furniture, the house was empty, -and there was not a sign that Miralda had ever been -in it.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_343">[343]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XXXVI<br /> - - -<small>UNTIL LIFE’S END</small></h2> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap">EARLIER in the evening, barely an hour before, -indeed, the discovery that the house was -deserted would have alarmed me profoundly, for -Miralda’s disappearance might then have had a very -sinister significance. But she was no longer in any -danger. Barosa was dead and I had the assurance -of the pardon for her association with his plot.</p> - -<p>Instead of being alarmed therefore, I burst out -laughing as the reason for her disappearance flashed -upon me.</p> - -<p>She had obviously run away from me.</p> - -<p>When first Marco, then Barosa and lastly Maral -had left the house not to return, Miralda and Inez -would have been both desperately perplexed and -thoroughly scared. Waiting to fly in accordance -with the plan which Marco had explained to me, they -would immediately conclude either that the men had -been arrested or had had to run from the police.</p> - -<p>In this condition of fear they would naturally keep -a sharp look-out, and thus would have seen me. -In my disguise their inevitable inference would be -that I was a police spy who had discovered their -hiding-place, and my movements had been just such -as would tend to confirm that belief.</p> - -<p>When I broke into the house, therefore, they would -realize that their only chance was to fly from it, -especially when they found that I was alone and that -no police were in the street to stop them.</p> - -<p>A moment’s consideration prompted the conclusion<span class="pagenum" id="Page_344">[344]</span> -that they would make for the railway station in the -hope that Barosa or one of the other men would elude -arrest and be there to meet them.</p> - -<p>I hurried out of the house, therefore. The carriage -was waiting, and having questioned the driver and -found that he had not seen any one come out of the side -street, I told him to drive to the station as fast as he -could.</p> - -<p>It was fairly certain that neither Maral nor Marco -would run the risk of going to the railway. Barosa -probably had the tickets in his possession; and as I -was resolved that Inez should leave the city, my first -act was to purchase a ticket and put it in an envelope -together with some banknotes, in case she should be -without money.</p> - -<p>Then I made a round of the building in search of -them. They would almost certainly be disguised, -but I was confident that my instinct would enable me to -detect Miralda, however well disguised, while the -fact that the viscontesse was to be of the party would -help me.</p> - -<p>Neither the viscontesse nor any one even remotely -suggesting Miralda was in the station, however. A -train was due out in a quarter of an hour after my -arrival, and I loitered near the barrier, keeping a -sharp but futile look-out, until it occurred to me that -I myself might be defeating my object. If the two -had seen me as a spy getting into the house, they -would instantly conclude that I was watching for -them now. So I looked for a place where I could -hide and still watch.</p> - -<p>Five more minutes passed and I scrutinized every -passenger and every individual within sight. A -rather lanky youth in the company of a squat, stout, -broad-shouldered market woman, apparently his -mother, appeared to be waiting to meet some one, -but there was not another soul loitering anywhere in -the station.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_345">[345]</span>As the time was now getting very short, I left my -hiding-place to go and look outside; and as I neared -this couple, the boy put his arm through his mother’s, -drew her attention to something at the other side of the -station, and walked away with her. The woman was -lame and rolled in her walk with a most grotesque -waddle.</p> - -<p>After a dozen yards or so they paused and the young -fellow looked round. He appeared disconcerted to -see that I was watching them, and drew his mother -forward again.</p> - -<p>Then I nearly laughed aloud. The woman took two -or three steps without either the waddle or the limp; -suddenly recollected herself and went lame with the -wrong foot.</p> - -<p>I hastened after them and as they quickened their -pace, I called out in English: “You’ve forgotten -which is your lame foot, Miralda.”</p> - -<p>They stopped and turned, but even when I was -close to them and saw their faces clearly, I should -not have recognized the market woman as Miralda, -nor the lanky youth as Inez, had it not been for -Miralda’s eyes. I had looked too often into them not -to know them.</p> - -<p>“It is I, Ralph; you’ve been running away from -me the last hour or more,” I added, laughing.</p> - -<p>“Ralph!” cried Miralda. “What does it all mean?”</p> - -<p>“You shall know all directly, but I must speak to -your son there first. He has not a moment to lose if -he means to catch this train.”</p> - -<p>“Mr. Donnington?” exclaimed Inez. “Where——”</p> - -<p>“You must let me talk, please,” I interrupted. -“When Dr. Barosa left that house he ran into a party -of police, but I managed to get a word or two with him -before he fled, and I have to give you this ticket and -the money with it. You are to leave by this train. -If you remain another hour in Lisbon, you will be -arrested.”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_346">[346]</span>“Where is he?”</p> - -<p>“You haven’t a second to spare,” I cried, giving -her the ticket and pressing the envelope into her -hand. “You will learn everything later. Miralda -is pardoned. And now go, or it will be too late;” -and I urged her away in the direction of the barrier, -without giving her time to question me.</p> - -<p>She hesitated, walked away a few steps, paused -in doubt, and was turning back, when the call to the -passengers to enter the train came. She choked -back a hundred unspoken questions, hurried through the -barrier and got into the train.</p> - -<p>With a sigh of satisfaction I watched it move along -the platform and disappear in the darkness, and then -turned to Miralda. Her disguise was really wonderful. -The complexion was darkened almost to the tan of a -mulatto, and the skin of the forehead, nose and upper -half of the cheeks was lined very cunningly and had -the wrinkled look of age: on the left side of the face -was what looked like the cicatrice of a bad wound or -burn, and on the right a large disfiguring claret-coloured -birth-mark. Both mark and scar extended to the -lips, and along the edges of both and across the lower lip -was fastened a cleverly moulded skin-covered plastic -pad which gave the appearance of the flabby cheeks -and fat double chin of a woman of middle age, the -lower part being lost in the folds of a neckerchief.</p> - -<p>The effect was grotesque, and as I stared at her in -amazement, the upper part of her face crinkled, while -the lower remained stolidly impassive. “Are you -trying to smile?” I asked.</p> - -<p>“You look comical enough to make any one smile,” -she replied, her lips scarcely moving, as she spoke -through her nearly-closed teeth.</p> - -<p>“I suppose I do. But have you seen yourself in a -glass? Whoever did that, knew his business; but -you—you are not exactly pretty, you know. I can -scarcely believe it is really you.”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_347">[347]</span>“You are not even clean,” she retorted, tossing -her head.</p> - -<p>“I haven’t a hideous birth-mark and a double chin, -at any rate.”</p> - -<p>“But you’re a Jew with a hook nose and your grey -beard is as dirty as it is long.”</p> - -<p>We must have made an odd-looking couple in all -truth—a fat, waddling, disfigured, old market woman -and a dirty down-at-heels Jew pedlar, and I saw -the station people were beginning to eye us suspiciously.</p> - -<p>“I think it’s time the market woman went home,” -I said.</p> - -<p>“She is waiting for her mother, Jew.”</p> - -<p>“I think she’ll be found at home. Barosa didn’t -mean her to leave to-night or she would have been here. -Nothing matters now except to get you home.”</p> - -<p>“Where is Dr. Barosa?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know.” This was true in the letter; I -had never been down where he deserved to be. “When -I saw him last he was in the hands of the police,” I -added.</p> - -<p>“But I may be arrested also at any minute.”</p> - -<p>“Not by the police. You are pardoned, but the -other arrest is imminent.”</p> - -<p>“What other arrest?”</p> - -<p>“This, by the old Jew,” I replied, linking my arm -in hers to leave the station. “Let’s see how fast the -market woman can waddle.”</p> - -<p>She was a willing prisoner and pressed close to me -with a happy unrestrained laugh, and then clapped -her hand to her face with an exclamation of dismay and -let her head droop as we went out into the street.</p> - -<p>“Why did you cry out?” I asked.</p> - -<p>“It’s coming off. What shall I do?” she cried. -“You shouldn’t have made me laugh. I didn’t -expect to have to laugh when this was put on.”</p> - -<p>“Thank Heaven, we can laugh as much as we like -now—even at one another. Can’t you get it all off?<span class="pagenum" id="Page_348">[348]</span> -The Jew’s going,” I said, and I took off my grey beard, -eyebrows, nose and wig, with a sigh of relief.</p> - -<p>“I’ve got all but the last bit off,” said Miralda, as -she held up her face under the light of a lamp and -laughed merrily.</p> - -<p>Cicatrice, birth-mark and double chin were in one -piece and adhering now by the mark. I peeled this -back carefully, and then held her upturned face close -to mine.</p> - -<p>“I thought the Jew who arrested me was gone,” she -said.</p> - -<p>“It was the market woman he arrested. Miralda -is free—if she wishes.”</p> - -<p>“It doesn’t seem much like it;” and she moved -in my arms.</p> - -<p>“Does she wish it?”</p> - -<p>“She doesn’t wish to go to prison.”</p> - -<p>“Does she wish to be free?”</p> - -<p>“Do you think it would be safe for her to be free -in the streets alone?”</p> - -<p>“Is she willing to pay for an escort?”</p> - -<p>“It depends on the terms.”</p> - -<p>“There are several. The first is that you smile.”</p> - -<p>“I can do that although my face is still very sticky;” -and she smiled and grimaced.</p> - -<p>“The next is to say one word and promise to answer -a simple question.”</p> - -<p>“What question?”</p> - -<p>“You must promise first. But the answer must -be the truth.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, what an insult! That’s the Jew back again. -Anything more?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, the proper corollary to the answer.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t you think the escort is rather a coward to -make all these terms now?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, but he insists all the same.”</p> - -<p>“Well, what is the word?”</p> - -<p>“Ralph,” I said.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_349">[349]</span>“That’s easy—Ralph,” she said with purposeful -unconcern. “I’ve done two of the things—the escort -ought to take me half-way home for that.”</p> - -<p>“Now for the question.” I paused and her light -assumption of indifference changed under my earnest -gaze. She made an effort to release herself. But -I held her fast. “Do you love——”</p> - -<p>“Ralph!” A very different tone this as she hid -her face against my shoulder and then let me lift it -that our lips might meet in the rapturous ecstasy of -the lingering betrothal kiss.</p> - -<p>Roused by the sound of approaching wheels, we drew -apart and walked on hand in hand.</p> - -<p>It proved to be the carriage which had taken me -to the station and the driver asked if I needed him.</p> - -<p>Oblivious to all else save our happiness, I should -have let him pass, but the question brought me to -earth, and I stopped him. He stared in some astonishment -at us both as I put Miralda into the carriage -and told him to drive first to my rooms.</p> - -<p>I remembered that Pia was waiting there, and -when I told Miralda about her, she declared she would -take her home.</p> - -<p>When we reached my rooms, Simmons was there, -Bryant having sent him back when he did not see me, -and I told him to go in search of Bryant. Then I -took Pia out to Miralda and drove home with her.</p> - -<p>We found that the viscontesse had not heard anything -of the projected flight from the city. The letter which -Miralda had written to tell her about it had not been -delivered, Barosa having substituted for it one written -by himself to say Miralda would be home that evening.</p> - -<p>“You see I didn’t answer that question after all,” -said Miralda as we were alone and I was bidding her -good-night.</p> - -<p>“Which question?” I asked, as if I did not understand.</p> - -<p>“You know I didn’t.”</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_350">[350]</span>“Didn’t you? I had an impression——”</p> - -<p>“Not in words,” she broke in with a flash of happy -laughter.</p> - -<p>“That’s a challenge. You shall answer it now,” -I cried, putting my arm as far round her much-swathed -waist as it would reach.</p> - -<p>“You are developing a very masterful manner, Mr. -Jew.”</p> - -<p>“It is necessary with a rebellious market woman. -Answer it now.”</p> - -<p>“Which question?” she mocked, mimicking my -indifferent tone.</p> - -<p>“Do—you—love——”</p> - -<p>She put her hand to my lips, and silenced me, and -then lifting her eyes to mine she threw her arms round -my neck and whispered: “With all my heart, Ralph, -and for all my life.”</p> - -<p>And again we sealed the compact with the all -appropriate formalities.</p> - -<p>The next morning M. Volheno sent for me and I -was glad to find him anxious to hush up the whole -matter of the Abduction Plot. In pursuance of this -policy, two conditions were attached to Miralda’s -pardon—absolute silence about everything and a -year’s expatriation for her, her mother and the visconte. -Vasco was to be transferred to a regiment in Portuguese -Africa.</p> - -<p>I told him of Barosa’s death, and that he was really -Luis Beriardos, Dom Miguel’s trusted agent, and he -was genuinely relieved. Barosa’s fate was never -publicly known and he was buried under a different -name as the result of a concocted identification.</p> - -<p>The fate of his associates on the <i>Rampallo</i> I never -learned. The yacht and the prisoners on her were -handed over to the men whom Volheno sent out in -the <i>Stella</i> with secret instructions; and when they -returned neither the skipper nor Burroughs knew -anything.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_351">[351]</span>By the time of the <i>Stella’s</i> arrival, the viscontesse -had completed all arrangements for the year’s enforced -absence; and a few hours after the yacht’s anchor -was dropped it was weighed again and I was taking a -farewell look at the city.</p> - -<p>Miralda and her mother were below and Pia was -with them. She was to sail for America from Southampton.</p> - -<p>I was heartily glad to go. It had been a strenuous -love quest, but all the trouble and the dangers were -forgotten in that joyous hour of success, in the glowing -consciousness that I had won the woman I loved, and -the thrilling realization of my hopes.</p> - -<p>As I stood dreaming of the happiness to come, -there was the soft rustle of a skirt and a hand was -slipped into my arm.</p> - -<p>“You are glad to go, Ralph?” asked Miralda. -“You were smiling.”</p> - -<p>“I was thinking of my fellow passenger,” I whispered. -“And she is smiling, too.”</p> - -<p>But her eyes were very thoughtful behind the smile. -It was natural. All her young life had been passed -in the city she was leaving.</p> - -<p>She turned her eyes from me, let them roam over -the glorious panorama of the city and the hills beyond, -and then turned to me again. “I was trying to think -if I have any regrets. I have not. I have not in all -my heart a thought that is not wholly happy at being -with you. But it has been my home.”</p> - -<p>“I know,” I said, understanding; and I took her -hand and pressed my lips to it. “You will grow to -love the new home, and it shall be one of peace and -content and, so far as I can ensure it, of happiness.”</p> - -<p>“Is that all?” she asked, with half mischievous, -half wistful glance.</p> - -<p>“What more would you have, dearest?”</p> - -<p>“That which draws me to it and makes me happy -to go,” she said in a whisper.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_352">[352]</span>“Ah, our love. To last, please God, until life’s -end.”</p> - -<p>She caught her breath, pressed closer to me, sighed -and then smiled as she repeated in a whisper of prayerful -earnestness: “Until life’s end.”</p> - -<p>And then we stood together in silence too happy -for words, until the yacht had turned out of the river -mouth and the city was hidden from view.</p> - - -<p class="center">THE END</p> - - -<p class="center">Butler & Tenner, The Selwood Printing Works, Frome, and London.</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<div class="transnote"> -<p class="ph1">TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES:</p> - -<p>Obvious typographical errors have been corrected.</p> - -<p>Inconsistencies in hyphenation have been standardized.</p> - -<p>Archaic or alternate spelling has been retained from the original.</p> -</div></div> -<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK IN THE NAME OF THE PEOPLE ***</div> -<div style='text-align:left'> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will -be renamed. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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