CHAPTER XXXIV.
ON THE TRACK.
Beatrice's disappearance was known at Brandon Hall on the following day.The servants first made the discovery. They found her absent from herroom, and no one had seen her about the house. It was an unusual thingfor her to be out of the house early in the day, and of late for manymonths she had scarcely ever left her room, so that now her absence atonce excited suspicion. The news was communicated from one to anotheramong the servants. Afraid of Potts, they did not dare to tell him, butfirst sought to find her by themselves. They called Mrs. Compton,and the fear which perpetually possessed the mind of this poor, timidcreature now rose to a positive frenzy of anxiety and dread. She toldall that she knew, and that was that she had seen her the evening beforeas usual, and had left her at ten o'clock.
No satisfaction therefore could be gained from her. The servants triedto find traces of her, but were unable. At length toward evening, onPotts's return from the bank, the news was communicated to him.
The rage of Potts need not be described here. That one who had twicedefied should now escape him filled him with fury. He organized all hisservants into bands, and they scoured the grounds till darkness put anend to these operations.
That evening Potts and his two companions dined in moody silence, onlyconversing by fits and starts.
"I don't think she's killed herself," said Potts, in reply to anobservation of Clark. "She's got stuff enough in her to do it, but Idon't believe she has. She's playing a deeper game. I only wish we couldfish up her dead body out of some pond; it would quiet matters down veryconsiderable."
"If she's got off she's taken with her some secrets that won't do us anygood," remarked John.
"The devil of it is," said Potts, "we don't know how much she does know.She must know a precious lot, or she never would have dared to say whatshe did."
"But how could she get out of the park?" said Clark. "That wall is toohigh to climb over, and the gates are all locked."
"It's my opinion," exclaimed John, "that she's in the grounds yet."
Potts shook his head.
"After what she told me it's my belief she can do any thing. Why, didn'tshe tell us of crimes that were committed before she was born? I beginto feel shaky, and it is the girl that has made me so."
Potts rose to his feet, plunged his hands deep into his pockets, andwalked up and down. The others sat in gloomy silence.
"Could that Hong Kong nurse of hers have told her any thing?" askedJohn.
"She didn't know any thing to tell."
"Mrs. Compton must have blown, then."
"Mrs. Compton didn't know. I tell you that there is not one human beingliving that knows what she told us besides ourselves and her. How thedevil she picked it up I don't know."
"I didn't like the cut of her from the first," said John. "She had a wayof looking that made me feel uneasy, as though there was something inher that would some day be dangerous. I didn't want you to send forher."
"Well, the mischief's done now."
"You're not going to give up the search, are you?" asked Clark.
"Give it up! Not I."
"We must get her back."
"Yes; our only safety now is in catching her again at all hazards."
There was a long silence.
"Twenty years ago," said Potts, moodily, "the _Vishnu_ drifted away, andsince the time of the trial no one has mentioned it to me till that girldid."
"And she is only twenty years old," rejoined John.
"I tell you, lads, you've got the devil to do with when you tackle her,"remarked Clark; "but if she is the devil we must fight it out and crushher."
"Twenty-three years," continued Potts, in the same gloomytone--"twenty-three years have passed since I was captured with myfollowers. No one has mentioned that since. No one in all the worldknows that I am the only Englishman that ever joined the Thugs exceptthat girl."
"She must know every thing that we have done," said Clark.
"Of course she must."
"Including our Brandon enterprise," said John.
"And including your penmanship." said Clark; "enough, lad, to stretch aneck."
"Come," said Potts, "don't let us talk of this, any how."
Again they relapsed into silence.
"Well!" exclaimed John, at last, "what are you going to do to-morrow?"
"Chase her till I find her," replied Potts, savagely.
"But where?"
"I've been thinking of a plan which seems to me to be about the thing."
"What?"
"A good old plan," said Potts. "Your pup, Johnnie, can help us."
John pounded his fist on the table with savage exultation.
"My blood-hound! Good, old Dad, what a trump you are to think of that!"
"He'll do it!"
"Yes," said John, "if he gets on her track and comes up with her I'm alittle afraid that we'll arrive at the spot just too late to save her.It's the best way that I know of for getting rid of the difficultyhandsomely. Of course we are going after her through anxiety, and thedog is an innocent pup who comes with us; and if any disaster happens wewill kill him on the spot."
Potts shook his head moodily. He had no very hopeful feeling about this.He was shaken to the soul at the thought of this stern, relentless girlcarrying out into the world his terrific secret.
Early on the following morning they resumed their search after the lostgirl. This time the servants were not employed, but the three themselveswent forth to try what they could do. With them was the "pup" to whichallusion had been made on the previous evening. This animal was a hugeblood-hound, which John had purchased to take the place of his bull-dog,and of which he was extravagantly proud. True to his instinct, the houndunderstood from smelling an article of Beatrice's apparel what it wasthat he was required to seek, and he went off on her trail out throughthe front door, down the steps, and up to the grove.
The others followed after. The dog led them down the path toward thegate, and thence into the thick grove and through the underbrush. Scrapsof her dress still clung in places to the brushwood. The dog led themround and round wherever Beatrice had wandered in her flight from Vijal.They all believed that they would certainly find her here, and that shehad lost her way or at least tried to conceal herself. But at last, totheir disappointment, the dog turned away out of the wood and into thepath again. Then he led them along through the woods until he reachedthe Park wall. Here the animal squatted on his haunches, and, lifting uphis head, gave a long deep howl.
"What's this?" said Potts.
"Why, don't you see? She's got over the wall somehow. All that we've gotto do is to put the dog over, and follow on."
"WHY, DON'T YOU SEE? SHE'S GOT OVER THE WALL SOMEHOW."]
The others at once understood that this must be the case. In a shorttime they were on the other side of the wall, where the dog found thetrail again, and led on while they followed as before.
They did not, however, wish to seem like pursuers. That would hardlybe the thing in a country of law and order. They chose to walk ratherslowly, and John held the dog by a strap which he had brought with him.They soon found the walk much longer than they had anticipated, andbegan to regret that they had not come in a carriage. They had gone toofar, however, to remedy this now, so they resolved to continue on theirway as they were.
"Gad!" said John, who felt fatigued first, "what a walker she is!"
"She's the devil!" growled Clark, savagely.
At last, after about three hours' walk, the dog stopped at a place bythe road-side, and snuffed in all directions. The others watched himanxiously for a long time. The dog ran all around sniffing at theground, but to no purpose.
He had lost the trail. Again and again he tried to recover it. But hisblood-thirsty instinct was completely at fault. The trail had gone, andat last the animal came up to his master and crouched down at his feetwith a low moan.
"Sold!" cried John, with a curse.
"What can have become of her
?" said Potts.
"I don't know," said John. "I dare say she's got took up in some wagon.Yes, that's it. That's the reason why the trail has gone."
"What shall we do now? We can't follow. It may have been the coach, andshe may have got a lift to the nearest railway station."
"Well," said John, "I'll tell you what we can do. Let one of us go tothe inns that are nearest, and ask if there was a girl in the coach thatlooked like her, or make any inquiries that may be needed. We could findout that much at any rate."
The others assented. John swore he was too tired. At length, after someconversation, they all determined to go on, and to hire a carriage back.Accordingly on they went, and soon reached an inn.
Here they made inquiries, but could learn nothing whatever about anygirl that had stopped there. Potts then hired a carriage and drove offto the next inn, leaving the others behind. He returned in about twohours. His face bore an expression of deep perplexity.
"Well, what luck, dad?" asked John.
"There's the devil to pay," growled Potts.
"Did you find her?"
"There is a girl at the next inn, and it's her. Now what name do youthink they call her by?"
"What?"
"Miss Despard."
Clark turned pale and looked at John, who gave a long, low whistle.
"Is she alone?" asked John.
"No--that's the worst of it. A reverend gent is with her, who has chargeof her, and says he is her brother."
"Who?"
"His name is Courtenay Despard, son of Colonel Lionel Despard," saidPotts.
The others returned his look in utter bewilderment.
"I've been thinking and thinking," said Potts, "but I haven't got tothe bottom of it yet. We can't do any thing just now, that's evident.I found out that this reverend gent is on his way to Holby, where he isrector. The only thing left for us to do is to go quietly home and lookabout us."
"It seems to me that this is like the beginning of one of those monsoonstorms," said Clark, gloomily.
The others said nothing. In a short time they were on their way back,moody and silent.