CHAPTER XXXIV
THE BARGAIN
It may be that when one is placed in such a predicament as that in whichI then found myself, one's wits are suddenly sharpened, and a new senseis given to one. Whether that is so or not, I was as certain as if Iactually saw him that my assailant was the butler, Hollins. And I shouldhave been infinitely surprised if any other voice than his had spoken--ashe did speak when the last grumble of the thunder died out in a sulky,reluctant murmur.
"In at that door, and straight up the stairs, Moneylaws!" he commanded."And quick, if you don't want your brains scattering. Lively, now!"
He trailed the muzzle of the revolver round from my temple to the back ofmy head as he spoke, pressing it into my hair in its course in a fashionthat was anything but reassuring. I have often thought since of how Iexpected the thing to go off at any second, and how I was--for it's afact--more curious than frightened about it. But the sense ofself-preservation was on me, self-assertive enough, and I obliged him,stumbling in at the door under the pressure of his strong arm and of therevolver, and beginning to boggle at the first steps--old and much wornones, which were deeply hollowed in the middle. He shoved me forward.
"Up you go," he said, "straight ahead! Put your arms up and out--in frontof you till you feel a door--push it open."
He kept one hand on the scruff of my neck--too tightly for comfort--andwith the other pressed the revolver into the cavity just above it, and inthis fashion we went up. And even in that predicament I must have had mywits about me, for I counted two-and-twenty steps. Then came the door--aheavy, iron-studded piece of strong oak, and it was slightly open, and asI pushed it wider in the darkness, a musty, close smell came fromwhatever was within.
"No steps," said he, "straight on! Now then, halt--and keep halting! Ifyou move one finger, Moneylaws, out fly your brains! No great loss to thecommunity, my lad--but I've some use for them yet."
He took his hand away from my neck, but the revolver was still pressedinto my hair, and the pressure never relaxed. And suddenly I heard a snapbehind me, and the place in which we stood was lighted up--feebly, butenough to show me a cell-like sort of room, stone-walled, of course, anddestitute of everything in the furnishing way but a bit of a cranky oldtable and a couple of three-legged stools on either side of it. With thereleased hand he had snapped the catch of an electric pocket-lamp, and inits blue glare he drew the revolver away from my head, and steppingaside, but always covering me with his weapon, motioned me to the furtherstool. I obeyed him mechanically, and he pulled the table a littletowards him, sat down on the other stool, and, resting his elbow on thetable ledge, poked the revolver within a few inches of my nose.
"Now, we'll talk for a few minutes, Moneylaws," he said quietly, "Stormor no storm, I'm bound to be away on my business, and I'd have been offnow if it hadn't been for your cursed peeping and prying. But I don'twant to kill you, unless I'm obliged to, so you'll just serve your owninterests best if you answer a question or two and tell no lies. Arethere more of you outside or about?"
"Not to my knowledge!" said I.
"You came alone?" he asked.
"Absolutely alone," I replied.
"And why?" he demanded.
"To see if I could get any news of Miss Dunlop," I answered.
"Why should you think to find Miss Dunlop here--in this old ruin?" heargued; and I could see he was genuinely curious. "Come now--straighttalk, Moneylaws!--and it'll be all the better for you."
"She's missing since last night," I replied. "It came to me that shelikely took a short cut across these grounds, and that in doing so shefell in with Sir Gilbert--or with you--and was kept, lest she should letout what she'd seen. That's the plain truth, Mr. Hollins."
He was keeping his eyes on me just as steadily as he kept the revolver,and I saw from the look in them that he believed me.
"Aye!" he said. "I see you can draw conclusions, if it comes to it.But--did you keep that idea of yours strictly to yourself, now?"
"Absolutely!" I repeated.
"You didn't mention it to a soul?" he asked searchingly.
"Not to a soul!" said I. "There isn't man, woman, or child knowsI'm here."
I thought he might have dropped the muzzle of the revolver at that, buthe still kept it in a line with my nose and made no sign of relaxinghis vigilance. But, as he was silent for the moment, I let out aquestion at him.
"It'll do you no harm to tell me the truth, Mr. Hollins," I said. "Do youknow anything about Miss Dunlop? Is she safe? You've maybe had a younglady yourself one time or another--you'll understand what I'm feelingabout it?"
He nodded solemnly at that and in quite a friendly way.
"Aye!" he answered. "I understand your feelings well enough,Moneylaws--and I'm a man of sentiment, so I'll tell you at once that thelass is safe enough, and there's not as much harm come to her as youcould put on a sixpence--so there! But--I'm not sure yet that you're safeyourself," he went on, still eyeing me consideringly. "I'm a soft-heartedman, Moneylaws--or else you wouldn't have your brains in their place atthis present minute!"
"There's a mighty lot of chance of my harming you, anyway!" said I, witha laugh that surprised myself. "Not so much as a penknife on me, and youwith that thing at my head."
"Aye!--but you've got a tongue in that head," said he. "And you might beusing it! But come, now--I'm loth to harm you, and you'd best tell me abit more. What's the police doing?"
"What police do you mean?" I inquired.
"Here, there, everywhere, anywhere!" he exclaimed. "No quibbles,now!--you'll have had plenty of information."
"They're acting on yours," I retorted. "Searching about Glasgow for SirGilbert and Lady Carstairs--you put us on to that, Mr. Hollins."
"I had to," he answered. "Aye, I put Lindsey on to it, to be sure--and hetook it all in like it was gospel, and so did all of you! It gained time,do you see, Moneylaws--it had to be done."
"Then--they aren't in Glasgow?" I asked.
He shook his big head solemnly at that, and something like a smile cameabout the corners of his lips.
"They're not in Glasgow, nor near it," he answered readily, "but whereall the police in England--and in Scotland, too, for that matter--'llfind it hard to get speech with them. Out of hand, Moneylaws!--out ofhand, d'ye see--for the police!"
He gave a sort of chuckle when he said this, and it emboldened me to cometo grips with him--as far as words went.
"Then what harm can I do you, Mr. Hollins?" I asked. "You're not in anydanger that I know of."
He looked at me as if wondering whether I wasn't trying a joke on him,and after staring a while he shook his head.
"I'm leaving this part--finally," he answered. "That's Sir Gilbert'sbrand-new car that's all ready for me down the stairs; and as I say,whether it's storm or no storm, I must be away. And there's just twothings I can do, Moneylaws--I can lay you out on the floor here, withyour brains running over your face, or I can--trust to your honour!"
We looked at each other for a full minute in silence--our eyes meeting inthe queer, bluish light of the electric pocket-lamp which he had set onthe table before us. Between us, too, was that revolver--always pointingat me out of its one black eye.
"If it's all the same to you, Mr. Hollins," said I at length, "I'd preferyou to trust to my honour. Whatever quality my brains may have, I'drather they were used than misused in the way you're suggesting! If it'sjust this--that you want me to hold my tongue--"
"I'll make a bargain with you," he broke in on me. "You'd be fine andglad to see your sweetheart, Moneylaws, and assure yourself that she'scome to no harm, and is safe and well?"
"Aye! I would that!" I exclaimed. "Give me the chance, Mr. Hollins!"
"Then give me your word that whatever happens, whatever comes, you'llnot mention to the police that you've seen me tonight, and that wheneveryou're questioned you'll know nothing about me!" he said eagerly."Twelve hours' start--aye, six!--means safety to me, Moneylaws. Willyou keep silence?"
"Whe
re's Miss Dunlop?" asked I.
"You can be with her in three minutes," he answered, "if you'll give meyour word--and you're a truthful lad, I think--that you'll both bidewhere you are till morning, and that after that you'll keep your tonguequiet. Will you do that?"
"She's close by?" I demanded.
"Over our heads," he said calmly. "And you've only to say the word--"
"It's said, Mr. Hollins!" I exclaimed. "Go your ways! I'll never breathea syllable of it to a soul! Neither in six, nor twelve, nor a thousandhours!--your secret's safe enough with me--so long as you keep your wordabout her--and just now!"
He drew his free hand off the table, still watching me, and still keepingup the revolver, and from a drawer in the table between us pulled out akey and pushed it over.
"There's a door behind you in yon corner," he said. "And you'll find alantern at its foot--you've matches on you, no doubt. And beyond the doorthere's another stair that leads up to the turret, and you'll find herthere--and safe--and so--go your ways, now, Moneylaws, and I'll go mine!"
He dropped the revolver into a side pocket of his waterproof coat as hespoke, and, pointing me to the door in the corner, turned to that bywhich he had entered. And as he turned he snapped off the light of hiselectric lamp, while I myself, having fumbled for a box of matches,struck one and looked around me for this lantern he had mentioned. Inits spluttering light I saw his big figure round the corner--then, justas I made for the lantern, the match went out and all was darkness again.As I felt for another match, I heard him pounding the stair--and suddenlythere was a sort of scuffle and he cried out loudly once, and there wasthe sound of a fall, and then of lighter steps hurrying away, and then aheavy, rattling groan. And with my heart in my mouth and fingerstrembling so that I could scarcely hold the match, I made shift to lightthe candle in the lantern, and went fearfully after him. There, in anangle of the stairway, he was lying, with the blood running in darkstreams from a gap in his throat; while his hands, which he hadinstinctively put up to it, were feebly dropping away and relaxing on hisbroad chest. And as I put the lantern closer to him he looked up at me ina queer, puzzled fashion, and died before my very eyes.