CHAPTER XVII.
After Jack Shore had been securely handcuffed, and after a hasty butbootless search for his partner in crime, Detective Simms hustled himinto the launch, and desiring to get him behind the prison barswithout delay, ordered the engineer to run the boat across the riverat once so as to avoid any attempt at release by possibleconfederates.
A hasty examination of both Constance and Virginia convinced Mr.Thorpe that they were not seriously hurt, and were rendered senselessonly by a shock of great mental excitement.
To remain until after their recovery would only add torture to apainful situation; he therefore made them as comfortable as thelimited means at hand would allow, and then taking Dorothy with him,boarded the launch, leaving Sam and Smith to watch over and care forhis wife and sister until the arrival of a physician, whom he intendedto dispatch to their aid as quickly as possible. Dorothy objected toleaving her mother, but was sternly overruled and awed into submissionby her father.
Ten minutes after her rescue the boat was speeding toward MadisonStreet landing with John Thorpe and Dorothy, Jack Shore and DetectiveSimms, taciturn and grave.
As the boat drew away, both Sam and Smith silently contemplated thetwo insensible women on the floor. For some moments neither spoke aword, profoundly absorbed in a grave contemplation of the questionablenecessity of the two women undertaking so dangerous a mission.
To Sam it appeared plain they had very recently learned of Dorothy'splace of captivity; but why they had not imparted the information tosome of their male friends, why they had kept her place of concealmentsecret, and why, also, they had undertaken her release just prior tothe arrival of her father on the scene, was a mystery. It onlyresulted in a suspicion that they had somehow heard of John Thorpe'spremeditated attempt at rescue, and were alarmed lest Dorothy shouldfall into his hands.
Smith's mind was not of an analytical nature; in fact, he did notthink their presence was attributable to anything other than amother's natural heart-breaking longing to recover her darling asswiftly as possible, and in the enterprise Virginia had joined her.
And as he thought of the indifference and cruel desertion of JohnThorpe with her child, for whom she had made such a sacrifice, asolemn, serious look of sadness gathered on his face and deepened intocontempt and anger. And the compassion in his heart welled up and atlength broke from between his lips, in unconscious mutterings. "Sure,he tuk her darlint from her an' left her lyin' there, too, so he do,on the hard flure, wid her sinses gone out from her hid complately.The heartless man!"
"The trouble between them is serious," Sam replied, as he knelt downbeside Virginia and commenced to chafe her hands.
"Sure, don't I know it, so I do!" rejoined Smith, as he followed Sam'sexample and set to chafing Constance's hands between his own. "An'he's broke her heart entirely, so he ave," he went on, "an' her handsdo be numb wid no life in thim at all."
Then he was silent for a time and worked industriously to bring backinto her hands the warmth that had fled.
Suddenly he asked Sam in an eager, anxious whisper, "Do yees belaveshe'd do wrong?"
"No!" Sam promptly replied.
"Naither do I. Indade she's as swate an' innocint a lady as wan avehivin's angels. Sure, she cudn't do wrong at all, at all."
"Not at all!" responded Sam gravely.
"An' the mister shud ave better sinse than to trate her so unkind,don't yees think so now?"
"Thorpe is a damned fool, I guess!" Sam answered gloomily.
"Indade, I do belave it, too, so I do!"
Again there was silence. Again it was broken by Smith, who said in alow, confidential tone: "I'll tell yees, I belave it do be someattracious divil ave come betwain thim."
"You do!" Sam snapped at him, as though he interpreted Smith'sallusion a direct reference to Virginia.
"Indade I do, so I do!"
"Why do you think so?" Sam asked, a tinge of annoyance at Smith'spersistence still appearing in the manner of asking.
"Isn't she an angel? An' it's only the divil cud sipporate an angelfrom her husband. Sure, man, dear, what more do yees want to proveit?"
A twitching of Virginia's eyelids at that moment caught Sam'sattention. It was nature's first harbinger of approachingconsciousness. He held up his hand for Smith to be silent. Thetwitching, however, ceased, and her eyelid remaining closed, againbecame motionless.
"A false alarm!" he muttered, and proceeded to chafe her hands moreindustriously than before. It was evident that Sam liked theoccupation; for this young lady had unconsciously woven a mesh ofenthralling servitude about his heart, and his idolizing; passionatefondness had at last been rewarded by unexpectedly finding himselfpermitted to caress her at will; to stroke her hair, to contemplateher fair face, to press her hands between his own.
Sam shrewdly suspected that Virginia was somehow the cause of Thorpe'sestrangement from his wife, but wherefore and why, were parts that shealone could explain, and her lips were sealed.
That she was also mysteriously connected with the abduction of thechild, he felt was a moral certainty. And her meeting with the Italianin the lonely park at dead of night could have offered no othersolution. It had acted as a temporary restraining factor upon theardor of his love and admiration. But now, as she lay so still andinsensible in his care and protection; now, as he gazed on her fairfeatures, all his doubts of her chastity and loyalty to those sheloved vanished, and an all conquering fondness suddenly burst in aflood of radiance upon him, sweeping away all his misgivings beforeit, irresistible and impetuous as the flight of an avalanche.
It was very quiet at that moment; so still that the rippling water, asit lapped along the logs which supported the cabin, sounded verydistinct. Smith imagined he heard a splash, and assuming a listeningattitude, said cautiously, "Phwat may that mane?"
After a pause, Sam alertly remarked, "We have not kept a lookout. Whatif the dago's partner should steal in on us?"
Smith's eyes blazed with anger. Laying Constance's hand down, hesprang to his feet. "Be the power ave justice," he exclaimed betweenhis teeth, "sure, an' it do be a divil ave a bad job the rogue'll takeon, to boord us now."
"If you see anybody lurking near, call me," said Sam.
"Niver yees moind! Just lave the thavin' blackguard to me! I'll attindto him!" Smith answered, a savage joy betrayed on his face, and,seizing hold of the axe, he crept softly to the door. After listeninga moment, he opened it and stepped out, closing the door behind him.
Again there was silence. Again Sam tenderly smoothed away Virginia'sabundant silky black hair from her face, and fondly chafed hertemples. And as he thought of her swift recovery, a recovery thatwould place a great gulf between him and this one girl who could makehim the happiest being on all God's green earth, he muttered; "Oh, forone touch of those ruby colored lips--even if it be stolen."
Virginia's face was very close to him, and as he looked at her hedetected a faint warmth in her cheeks; noted the fine mold, thedelicate tracery of blue veins through her clear white skin--thetemptation was very great. His heart thumped wildly and then--unmindfulof the impropriety, or unwilling to resist the natural inclination ofhis arm to slip under her full, round, snowy neck--raised her head andtouched her lips with his. The contact germinated a magnetic sparkthat raced through her veins and instantly awoke her to life.
She sprang to her feet, the red blood of active youth flushing herface to crimson. For one moment she looked indignant, fully consciousof the liberty he had taken. Sam bent his head abashed, and saidapologetically--said in tones and manner that left no mistake as to hishonest love and deep respect for her--"You looked so beautifulthat--really now--I could not help it--forgive me!"
Her mobile face, that had set in a shock of alarm, indignation andscorn, softened and, as the events of the night flooded her memory,changed to a smile. For one moment it loitered in her eyes and on herlips, and then again changed to a grave, serious look that developedtears in her beautiful blue eyes. She held out her hand to him. W
erehis eyes deceiving him? Could he believe it? Yes, and he stood dazedwith overpowering joy that she was not offended at the liberty.
He took her hand and gently carried it to his lips. Then she turned tothe aid of Constance, knelt beside her, felt her hands, her face, herneck, and asked him. "Who was so mean to strike her down?"
For answer he sadly shook his head, and replied gravely, "She sank tothe floor after John Thorpe refused her."
Then bitter tears trickled down Virginia's face as she continued tochafe her hands; but finding her efforts to restore warmth wereunavailing, the same gripping at her heartstrings again possessed her.She raised her eyes to him, a frantic pleading in her voice, "Help me,Sam; oh, help me bring back the life that has nearly fled!"
"Help you!" he repeated proudly, as he stood in front of the girl whohad for the first time asked of him a favor in her distress, the favorof a "good samaritan."
And then, looking straight at her, he said, very seriously, as heknelt and took Constance's other hand, "The strength that God hasgiven me is at your service, now and forever!"
She understood, and he noted with pleasure that no swift questioningglance of anger, no look of weariness and turning away, as oncebefore, followed his magnanimity.
At that moment Smith, who stood on the platform just outside the cabindoor, was heard to say in a loud voice:
"Move on there! The channel be over beyant, in the middle ave thewater! Kape yees head more sout be aste!" Then he was heard mutteringindistinctly, with only such disjointed words as "blackguard,""whillip" and "divilish rat," clearly audible.
It was soon, however, followed by angry words delivered in anaggressively belligerent voice: "Be hivins, don't yees come near us!Kape off, sure, d'yees moind, yees blackguards, or I'll put a holethrough yees bottom that'll sink yees down to the place where yees dobelong, so ye do!"
Suddenly changing his voice to an anxious tone, said, "Phwat d'yeeswant? Phwat's that? Doctor, sure! Praise be to God! Oh, we've beenwaitin' for yees, doctor dear, till our hearts do be broken entirely.Be me soul, it's the thruth; not wan bit more nor less. Come, dear,yees do be wanted quick!"
A lurch at the cabin told that the launch had arrived. The door washastily opened and Smith pushed the doctor in.
"There they be, sure, lyin' en the flure wid no sinse in thim at all,at all. Do yees be quick, doctor, and hivin'll reward yees!"
Skillful application of proven restoratives, however, failed toproduce sensibility, and the doctor considered the case so grave thathe ordered Constance be removed to her home as quickly as possible.
She was, therefore, tenderly taken on board the launch and conveyedhome.
The sun's rays had burst through and dispersed the early morning mistsbefore Constance recovered from the shock, but, alas! with the shadowof a wreck enveloping her.