CHAPTER XIV
A FLIGHT, A STONE-CUTTER'S SHED, AND A VOICE OUTSIDE
He saw her standing in the middle of the room, her clenched handspressed to her lips. At the angle from which he peered into the room,her head was in line with the lighted transom.
His grip on the ledge was firm but his foothold on the latticeprecarious. He felt himself slipping. Exerting all of his strength hedrew himself upward, free of the vines that had begun to yield to hisweight.
An almost inaudible "Whew!" escaped his lips as he straddled the sill.An instant later he was in the room.
"Why have you come up here?" She came swiftly to his side.
"Thank the Lord, I made it," he whispered, breathlessly. "I came upbecause there was nowhere else to go. I thought I heard voices--a manand a woman speaking. They seemed to be quite close to me. Don't bealarmed, Miss Cameron. I am confident that I can--"
"And now that you are here, trapped as I am, what do you purpose to do?You cannot escape. Go back before it is too late. Go--"
"Is Sprouse--where is he?"
"He is somewhere in the house. I have heard no sound. I was to waituntil he--Oh, Mr. Barnes, I--I am terrified. You will never know the--"
"Trust him," he said. "He is a marvel. We'll be safely out of here in alittle while, and then it will all look simple to you. You are ready togo? Good! We will wait a few minutes and if he doesn't show upwe'll--Why, you are trembling like a leaf! Sit down, do! If he doesn'treturn in a minute or two, I'll take a look about the house myself. Idon't intend to desert him. I know this floor pretty well, and thelower one. The stairs are--"
"But the stairway is closed at the bottom by a solid steel curtain. Itis made to look like a panel in the wall. Mr. Curtis had it put in toprotect himself from burglars. You are not to venture outside thisroom, Mr. Barnes. I forbid it. You--"
"How did Sprouse get out? You said your door was locked."
He sat down on the edge of the bed beside her. She was still tremblingviolently. He took her hand in his and held it tightly.
"He had a key. I do not know where he obtained--"
"Skeleton key, such as burglars use. By Jove, what a wonderful burglarhe would make! Courage, Miss Cameron! He will be here soon. Then comesthe real adventure,--my part of it. I didn't come here to-night to getany flashy old crown jewels. I came to take you out of--"
"You--you know about the crown jewels?" she murmured. Her body seemedto stiffen.
"Very little. They are nothing to me."
"Then you know who I am?"
"No. You will tell me to-morrow."
"Yes, yes,--to-morrow," she whispered, and fell to shivering again.
For some time there was silence. Both were listening intently forsounds in the hall; both were watching the door with unblinking eyes.She leaned closer to whisper in his ear. Their shoulders touched. Hewondered if she experienced the same delightful thrill that ran throughhis body. She told him of the man who watched across the hall from theroom supposed to be occupied by Loeb the secretary, and of Sprouse'sincomprehensible daring.
"Where is Mr. Curtis?" he asked.
Her breath fanned his cheek, her lips were close to his ear. "There isno Mr. Curtis here. He died four months ago in Florida."
"I suspected as much." He did not press her for further revelations."Sprouse should be here by this time. It isn't likely that he has metwith a mishap. You would have heard the commotion. I must go out thereand see if he requires any--"
She clutched his arm frantically. "You shall do nothing of the kind.You shall not--"
"Sh! What do you take me for, Miss Cameron? He may be sorely in need ofhelp. Do you think that I would leave him to God knows what sort offate? Not much! We undertook this job together and--"
"But he said positively that I was to go in case he did not returnin--in fifteen minutes," she begged. "He may have been cut off and wascompelled to escape from another--"
"Just the same, I've got to see what has become of--"
"No! No!" She arose with him, dragging at his arm. "Do not befoolhardy. You are not skilled at--"
"There is only one way to stop me, Miss Cameron. If you will come withme now--"
"But I must know whether he secured the--"
"Then let me go. I will find out whether he has succeeded. Stand overthere by the window, ready to go if I have to make a run for it."
He was rougher than he realised in wrenching his arm free. She uttereda low moan and covered her face with her hands. Undeterred, he crossedto the door. His hand was on the knob when a door slammed violentlysomewhere in a distant part of the house.
A hoarse shout of alarm rang out, and then the rush of heavy feet overthickly carpeted floors.
Barnes acted with lightning swiftness. He sprang to the open window,half-carrying, half-dragging the girl with him.
"Now for it!" he whispered. "Not a second to lose. Climb upon my back,quick, and hang on for dear life." He had scrambled through the windowand was lying flat across the sill. "Hurry! Don't be afraid. I amstrong enough to carry you if the vines do their part."
With surprising alacrity and sureness she crawled out beside him andthen over upon his broad back, clasping her arms around his neck.Holding to the ledge with one hand he felt for and clutched the thickvine with the other. Slowly he slid his body off of the sill and swungfree by one arm. An instant later he found the lattice with the otherhand and the hurried descent began. His only fear was that the vinewould not hold. If it broke loose they would drop fifteen feet or moreto the ground. A broken leg, an arm, or even worse,--But her hair wasbrushing his ear and neck, her arms were about him, her heart beatagainst his straining back, and--Why be a pessimist?
His feet touched the ground. In the twinkling of an eye he picked herup in his arms and bolted across the little grass plot into theshrubbery. She did not utter a sound. Her arms tightened, and now hercheek was against his.
Presently he set her down. His breath was gone, his strength exhausted.
"Can you--manage to--walk a little way?" he gasped. "Give me your hand,and follow as close to my heels as you can. Better that I should bumpinto things than you."
Shouts were now heard, and shrill blasts on a police whistle split theair.
Her breathing was like sobs,--short and choking,--but he knew she wasnot crying. Apprehension, alarm, excitement,--anything but hysteria.The fortitude of generations was hers; a hundred forebears had passedcourage down to her.
On they stumbled, blindly, recklessly. He spared her many an injury bytaking it himself. More than once she murmured sympathy when he crashedinto a tree or floundered over a log. The soft, long-drawn "o-ohs!"that came to his ears were full of a music that made him impervious topain. They had the effect of martial music on him, as the drum and fifeexalts the faltering soldier in his march to death.
Utterly at sea, he was now guessing at the course they were taking.Whether their frantic dash was leading them toward the Tavern, orwhether they were circling back to Green Fancy, he knew not. Panting,he forged onward, his ears alert not only for the sound of pursuit butfor the shot that would end the career of the spectacular Sprouse.
At last she cried out, quaveringly:
"Oh, I--I can go no farther! Can't we--is it not safe to stop for amoment? My breath is--"
"God bless you, yes," he exclaimed, and came to an abrupt stop. Sheleaned heavily against him, gasping for breath. "I haven't the faintestidea where we are, but we must be some distance from the house. We willrest a few minutes and then take it easier, more cautiously. I amsorry, but it was the only thing to do, rough as it was."
"I know, I understand. I am not complaining, Mr. Barnes. You will findme ready and strong and--"
"Let me think. I must try to get my bearings. Good Lord, I wish Sprousewere here. He has eyes like a cat. He can see in the dark. We are offthe path, that's sure."
"I hope he is safe. Do you think he escaped?"
"I am sure of it. Those whistles were sounding the alarm. There wou
ldhave been no object in blowing them unless he had succeeded in gettingout of the house. He may come this way. The chances are that yourflight has not been discovered. They are too busy with him to think ofyou,--at least for the time being. Do you feel like going on? We mustbeat them to the Tavern. They--"
"I am all right now," she said, and they were off again. Barnes nowpicked his way carefully and with the greatest caution. If at times hewas urged to increased speed through comparatively open spaces it wasbecause he realised the peril that lay at the very end of theirjourney: the likelihood of being cut off by the pursuers before hecould lodge her safely inside of the walls. He could only pray that hewas going in the right direction.
An hour,--but what seemed thrice as long,--passed and they had not cometo the edge of the forest. Her feet were beginning to drag; he couldtell that by the effort she made to keep up with him. From time to timehe paused to allow her to rest. Always she leaned heavily against him,seldom speaking; when she did it was to assure him that she would beall right in a moment or two. There was no sentimental motive behindhis action when he finally found it necessary to support her with anencircling arm, nor was she loath to accept this tribute of strength.
"You are plucky," he once said to her.
"I am afraid I could not be so plucky if you were not so strong," shesighed, and he loved the tired, whimsical little twist she put into herreply. It revived the delightful memory of another day.
To his dismay they came abruptly upon a region abounding in huge rocks.This was new territory to him. His heart sank.
"By Jove, I--I believe we are farther away from the road than when westarted. We must have been going up the slope instead of down."
"In any case, Mr. Barnes," she murmured, "we have found something tosit down upon."
He chuckled. "If you can be as cheerful as all that, we sha'n't missthe cushions," he said, and, for the first time, risked a flash of theelectric torch. The survey was brief. He led her forward a few paces toa flat boulder, and there they seated themselves.
"I wonder where we are," she said.
"I give it up," he replied dismally. "There isn't much sense inwandering over the whole confounded mountain, Miss Cameron, and notgetting anywhere. I am inclined to suspect that we are above GreenFancy, but a long way off to the right of it. My bump of directiontells me that we have been going to the right all of the time.Admitting that to be the case, I am afraid to retrace our steps. TheLord only knows what we might blunder into."
"I think the only sensible thing to do, Mr. Barnes, is to makeourselves as snug and comfortable as we can and wait for the firstsigns of daybreak."
He scowled,--and was glad that it was too dark for her to see his face.He wondered if she fully appreciated what would happen to him if thepursuers came upon him in this forbidding spot. He could almost picturehis own body lying there among the rocks and rotting, while she--well,she would merely go back to Green Fancy.
"I fear you do not realise the extreme gravity of the situation."
"I do, but I also realise the folly of thrashing about in this brushwithout in the least knowing where our steps are leading us. Besides, Iam so exhausted that I must be a burden to you. You cannot go onsupporting me--"
"We must get out of these woods," he broke in doggedly, "if I have tocarry you in my arms."
"I shall try to keep going," she said quickly. "Forgive me if I seemedto falter a little. I--I--am ready to go on when you say the word."
"You poor girl! Hang it all, perhaps you are right and not I. Sit stilland I will reconnoitre a bit. If I can find a place where we can hideamong these rocks, we'll stay here till the sky begins to lighten.Sit--"
"No! I shall not let you leave me for a second. Where you go, I go."She struggled to her feet, suppressing a groan, and thrust a determinedarm through his.
"That's worth remembering," said he, and whether it was a muscularnecessity or an emotional exaction that caused his arm to tighten onhers, none save he would ever know.
After a few minutes prowling among the rocks they came to the face ofwhat subsequently proved to be a sheer wall of stone. He flashed thelight, and, with an exclamation, started back. Not six feet ahead ofthem the earth seemed to end; a yawning black gulf lay beyond.Apparently they were on the very edge of a cliff.
"Good Lord, that was a close call," he gasped. He explained in a fewwords and then, commanding her to stand perfectly still, dropped to theground and carefully felt his way forward. Again he flashed the light.In an instant he understood. They were on the brink of a shallowquarry, from which, no doubt, the stone used in building thefoundations at Green Fancy had been taken.
Lying there, he made swift calculations. There would be a road leadingfrom this pit up to the house itself. The quarry, no longer of use tothe builder, was reasonably sure to be abandoned. In all probabilitysome sort of a stone-cutter's shed would be found nearby. It wouldprovide shelter from the fine rain that was falling and from the chillnight air. He remembered that O'Dowd, in discussing the erection ofGreen Fancy the night before, had said that the stone came from a pittwo miles away, where a fine quality of granite had been found. Thequarry belonged to Mr. Curtis, who had refused to consider any offerfrom would-be purchasers. Two miles, according to Barnes's quickcalculations, would bring the pit close to the northern boundary of theCurtis property and almost directly on a line with the point where heand Sprouse entered the meadow at the beginning of their advance uponGreen Fancy. That being the case, they were now quite close to thestake and rider fence separating the Curtis land from that of thefarmer on the north. Sprouse and Barnes had hugged this fence duringtheir progress across the meadow.
"Good," he said, more to himself than to her. "I begin to see light."
"Oh, dear! Is there some one down in that hole, Mr.--"
"Are you afraid to remain here while I go down there for a look around?I sha'n't be gone more than a couple of minutes."
"The way I feel at present," she said, jerkily, "I shall never, neverfrom this instant till the hour in which I die, let go of yourcoat-tails, Mr. Barnes." Suiting the action to the word, her fingersresolutely fastened, not upon the tail of his coat but upon his sturdyarm. "I wouldn't stay here alone for anything in the world."
"Heaven bless you," he exclaimed, suddenly exalted. "And, since you putit that way, I shall always contrive to be within arm's length."
And so, together, they ventured along the edge of the pit until theyreached the wagon road at the bottom. As he had expected, there was aramshackle shed hard by. It was not much of a place, but it wasdeserted and a safe shelter for the moment.
A workman's bench lay on its side in the middle of the earthen floor.He righted it and drew it over to the boarding.... She laid her headagainst his shoulder and sighed deeply.... He kept his eyes glued onthe door and listened for the first ominous sound outside. A long timeafterward she stirred.
"Don't move," he said softly. "Go to sleep again if you can. I will--"
"Sleep? I haven't been asleep. I've been thinking all the time, Mr.Barnes. I've been wondering how I can ever repay you for all the pain,and trouble, and--"
"I am paid in full up to date," he said. "I take my pay as I go and amsatisfied." He did not give her time to puzzle it out, but went onhurriedly: "You were so still I thought you were asleep."
"As if I could go to sleep with so many things to keep me awake!" Sheshivered.
"Are you cold? You are wet--"
"It was the excitement, the nervousness, Mr. Barnes," she said, drawingslightly away from him. He reconsidered the disposition of his arm."Isn't it nearly daybreak?"
He looked at his watch. "Three o'clock," he said, and turned the lightupon her face. "God, you are--" He checked the riotous words that weredriven to his lips by the glimpse of her lovely face. "I-I beg yourpardon!"
"For what?" she asked, after a moment.
"For--for blinding you with the light," he floundered.
"Oh, I can forgive you for that," she said composedly.
/>
There ensued another period of silence. She remained slightly aloof.
"You'd better lean against me," he said at last. "I am softer than thebeastly boards, you know, and quite as harmless."
"Thank you," she said, and promptly settled herself against hisshoulder. "It IS better," she sighed.
"Would you mind telling me something about yourself, Miss Cameron? Whatis the true story of the crown jewels?"
She did not reply at once. When she spoke it was to ask a question ofhim.
"Do you know who he really is,--I mean the man known to you as Mr.Loeb?"
"Not positively. I am led to believe that he is indirectly in line tosucceed to the throne of your country."
"Tell me something about Sprouse. How did you meet him and what inducedhim to take you into his confidence? It is not the usual way withgovernment agents."
He told her the story of his encounter and connection with the secretagent, and part but not all of the man's revelations concerning herselfand the crown jewels.
"I knew that you were not a native American," he said. "I arrived atthat conclusion after our meeting at the cross-roads. When O'Dowd saidyou were from New Orleans, I decided that you belonged to one of theFrench or Spanish families there. Either that or you were a fairyprincess such as one reads about in books."
"And you now believe that I am a royal--or at the very worst--a noblelady with designs on the crown?" There was a faint ripple in her lowvoice.
"I should like to know whether I am to address you as Princess,Duchess, or--just plain Miss."
"I am more accustomed to plain Miss, Mr. Barnes, than to either of thetitles you would give me."
"Don't you feel that I am deserving of a little enlightenment?" heasked. "I am working literally as well as figuratively in the dark. Whoare you? Why were you a prisoner at Green Fancy? Where and what is yournative land?"
"Sprouse did not tell you any of these things?"
"No. I think he was in some doubt himself. I don't blame him forholding back until he was certain."
"Mr. Barnes, I cannot answer any one of your questions withoutjeopardising a cause that is dearer to me than anything else in all theworld. I am sorry. I pray God a day may soon come when I can revealeverything to you--and to the world. I am of a stricken country; I amtrying to serve the unhappy house that has ruled it for centuries andis now in the direst peril. The man you know as Loeb is a prince ofthat house. I may say this to you, and it will serve to explain myposition at Green Fancy: he is not the Prince I was led to believeawaited me there. He is the cousin of the man I expected to meet, andhe is the enemy of the branch of the house that I would serve. Do notask me to say more. Trust me as I am trusting you,--as Sprouse trustedyou."
"May I ask the cause of O'Dowd's apparent defection?"
"He is not in sympathy with all of the plans advanced by his leader,"she said, after a moment's reflection.
"Your sympathies are with the Entente Allies, the prince's are opposed?Is that part of Sprouse's story true?"
"Yes."
"And O'Dowd?"
"O'Dowd is anti-English, Mr. Barnes, if that conveys anything to you.He is not pro-German. Perhaps you will understand."
"Wasn't it pretty risky for you to carry the crown jewels around in atravelling bag, Miss Cameron?"
"I suppose so. It turned out, however, that it was the safest, surestway. I had them in my possession for three days before coming to GreenFancy. No one suspected. They were given into my custody by thecommittee to whom they were delivered in New York by the men whobrought them to this country."
"And why did you bring them to Green Fancy?"
"I was to deliver them to one of their rightful owners, Mr. Barnes,--aloyal prince of the blood."
"But why HERE?" he insisted.
"He was to take them into Canada, and thence, in good time, to thepalace of his ancestors."
"I am to understand, then, that not only you but the committee youspeak of, fell into a carefully prepared trap."
"Yes."
"You did not know the man who picked you up in the automobile, MissCameron. Why did you take the chance with--"
"He gave the password, or whatever you may call it, and it could havebeen known only to persons devoted to our--our cause."
"I see. The treachery, therefore, had its inception in the loyal nest.You were betrayed by a friend."
"I am sure of it," she said bitterly. "If this man Sprouse does notsucceed in restoring the--oh, I believe I shall kill myself, Mr.Barnes."
The wail of anguish in her voice went straight to his heart.
"He has succeeded, take my word for it. They will be in your handsbefore many hours have passed."
"Is he to come to the Tavern with them? Or am I to meet him--"
"Good Lord!" he gulped. Here was a contingency he had not considered.Where and when would Sprouse appear with his booty? "I--I fancy we'llfind him waiting for us at the Tavern."
"But had you no understanding?"
"Er--tentatively." The perspiration started on his brow.
"They will guard the Tavern so closely that we will never be able toget away from the place," she said, and he detected a querulous note inher voice.
"Now don't you worry about that," he said stoutly.
"I love the comforting way you have of saying things," she murmured,and he felt her body relax.
For reasons best known to himself, he failed to respond to thisinteresting confession. He was thinking of something else: his amazingstupidity in not foreseeing the very situation that now presenteditself. Why had he neglected to settle upon a meeting place withSprouse in the event that circumstances forced them to part company inflight? Fearing that she would pursue the subject, he made haste tobranch off onto another line.
"What is the real object of the conspiracy up there, Miss Cameron?"
"You must bear with me a little longer, Mr. Barnes," she said,appealingly. "I cannot say anything now. I am in a very perplexingposition. You see, I am not quite sure that I am right in myconclusions, and it would be dreadful if I were to make a mistake."
"If they are up to any game that may work harm to the Allies, they mustnot be allowed to go on with it," he said sternly. "Don't wait too longbefore exposing them, Miss Cameron."
"I--I cannot speak now," she said, painfully.
"You said that to-morrow night would be too late. What did you mean bythat?"
"Do you insist on pinning me down to--"
"No. You may tell me to mind my own business, if you like."
"That is not a nice way to put it, Mr. Barnes. I could never say such athing to you."
He was silent. She waited a few seconds and then removed her head fromhis shoulder. He heard the sharp intake of her breath and felt theconvulsive movement of the arm that rested against his. There was nomistaking her sudden agitation.
"I will tell you," she said, and he was surprised by the harshness thatcame into her voice. "To-morrow morning was the time set for mymarriage to that wretch up there. I could have avoided it only bydestroying myself. If you had come to-morrow night instead of to-nightyou would have found me dead, that is all. Now you understand."
"Good God! You--you were to be forced into a marriage with--why, it isthe most damnable--"
"O'Dowd,--God bless him!--was my only champion. He knew my father. He--"
"Listen!" he hissed, starting to his feet.
"Don't move!" came from the darkness outside. "I have me gun leveled. Iheard me name taken in vain. Thanks for the blessing. I was wonderingwhether you would say something pleasant about me,--and, thank the goodLord, I was patient. But I'd advise you both to sit still, just thesame."
A chuckle rounded out the gentle admonition of the invisible Irishman.