CHAPTER XCV.
PLANS FOR OUR FRIENDS' RELEASE--MURRAY'S COUNTER-PLOT--THE LETTER, ANDHOW IT WAS INTERCEPTED--HERBERT MURRAY TRIUMPHS--CHIVEY WORKS THEARTFUL DODGE.
"Well," exclaimed the unfortunate Mole, "this is a nice go!"
"I'm glad you think it nice," said young Jack, bitterly.
As they spoke, they were being led through the streets of Marseilles,handcuffed and two abreast, with a brace of gendarmes between eachcouple.
The people flocked out to stare at the "notorious gang of forgers,which"--so rang the report--"had just been captured by the police,after making a desperate resistance."
The first impulse of Jack Harkaway himself had been naturally to resisthis captors.
But he was speedily shown the uselessness of such a course.
When they were brought up before the judge for examination, theyprotested their innocence, and told the simple truth.
But this did not avail them.
Herbert Murray had prepared the way for their statements to be regardedas falsehoods.
By this means, when Jack protested that his name was Harkaway, it wentclearly against him, inasmuch as it corroborated what Murray had said.
So they were remanded, one and all, and sent back to the cells.
Mr. Mole's indignation could not be subdued.
"These people are worse than savages!" he exclaimed; "but we'll letthem know. They shall make us ample reparation for this indignity."
He talked threateningly of the British ambassador, and made all kindsof threats.
But he was poohpoohed by the authorities.
Harry Girdwood was the only one of the party who kept his coolness.
He put forth his request with so much earnestness, to be allowed to seethe English consul, that his request was granted at once.
He drew up a letter and entrusted it to the gaoler, who promised tohave it forwarded.
Now this became known to Herbert Murray, and he then saw that he hadstill a task of no ordinary difficulty before him--that it was notsufficient alone to have his hated enemies arrested.
The greater difficulty by far was to keep them now that he had securedthem.
In this crisis he once more consulted with his worthless servant andconfederate, Chivey.
"Our next job," said Chivey, doubtfully, "is to get at the gaoler, andstop the letter he has received from reaching its destination."
"How would you set to work?" demanded his master.
"You do what you can inside," said Chivey, "and I'll lay in wait forthe messenger with the letter outside in case you fail."
"Good."
"You can buy that gaoler," said the tiger.
"I will."
"Do so. Your task is the easier of the two. Ten francs ought to squarehim."
"It ought," said Murray; "but I question if it will."
* * * *
Murray was doomed to a sad disappointment in his operations, for dowhat he would, he could not "get at" the man charged with deliveringthe Harkaways' letters.
But he contrived to ascertain who the man was, and to give adescription of him to the tiger.
Chivey saw the man come out of the prison, and he thought over variousplans for getting hold of the letter which he knew that he must becarrying.
His first idea was to go up to him and address him straight off uponthe subject; but this would not do.
The messenger would in all probability take the alarm.
He next had an idea of following up the messenger, and after giving hima crack on the head, rifling his pockets.
This idea he abandoned even sooner than the first, and this for sundrywholesome reasons.
Firstly, the man's road did not lead him into any sufficiently quietplaces for such an attempt.
Secondly, the man was a tough-looking customer, and an awkward fellowto tackle.
And thirdly--but the second reason sufficed to send Chivey's mind awayfrom all ideas of violence.
No; deeds of daring were not at all in Chivey's line.
He had a notion, however, and this was to go as fast as he could to theBritish consul's, and there to be ready for the messenger when he came.
His plans were not more matured than this; but chance seemed to verymuch favour this precious pair of youthful scamps--for the time being,at any rate.
* * * *
Chivey timed his own arrival at the consul's residence, so as to bethere just a few minutes in advance of the prison messenger.
The servant who admitted him was an Englishman, and told Chivey thathis master was particularly engaged just then, and would not be visiblefor some considerable time.
"Be so good as to ask when I can see your master," said Chivey, with anair of lofty condescension.
"I must not disturb him now," said the servant.
"He will be very vexed with you if you don't," returned Chivey, "whenhe knows my business."
The servant being only impressed with this threat, went off at once toobey the insidious tiger, who of course was not in livery.
Barely had the consul's servant disappeared, when the messenger fromthe prison entered.
Chivey recognised him instantly.
"_Une lettre pour Monsieur le Consul_," said the messenger.
Chivey held out his hand, and the man, taking it for granted thatChivey belonged to the consular establishment, gave it to him.
"_Il y a une reponse_--there is an answer," said the messenger.
"It will be forwarded," returned Chivey, with cool presence of mind.
"I ought to take it with me," said the messenger.
"I can't disturb his excellency now," replied the tiger; "those are mymaster's express orders, which I can't presume to disobey. He will sendthe answer on immediately it is ready."
The man paused.
"The consul was expecting this letter," said Chivey, moving towards thedoor, "and he told me particularly that he would send the answer on."
"_Puisqu'il est ainsi_," said the man, dubiously. "Since it must be so,I suppose I had better leave the letter."
"Of course you had," returned Chivey, closing the door. "I daresay youwill get the answer within an hour."
At that very moment the servant returned with a message from the consulto the effect that in half an hour he could be seen, if the applicantwould call again.
"Very good," said Chivey, in the same patronising manner, "you may tellyour master that I will look back later on."
"Very well, sir."
Chivey walked out, chuckling inwardly at the success of his mission.
"What could be easier?" said the Cockney scamp to himself; "shellingpeas is a fool to it."
But before he could get fairly over the threshold, the servant stoppedhim with a question that startled him a little, and well-nigh made himlose his presence of mind.
"The man who called just now, sir, he left a letter."
"Eh? Oh, yes!"
"For you, sir?"
"Yes," added Chivey with the coolest effrontery. "My servant knew thatI had come on here; thinking to be detained some time with hisexcellency the consul, I left word at my hotel where I was coming, andhe followed me here with a letter."
"Oh, I see, sir," returned the servant, obsequiously, "quite so, sir,beg pardon, sir."
"Not at all, my good man, not at all," returned Chivey, superciliously;"you are a very civil, well-spoken young man--here is a trifle foryou."
He passed the servant a large silver coin, and walked on.
The servant bowed again and examined the coin, in the process ofbobbing his head.
"Five francs," said the consul's servant, to himself; "he's a realswell, anyone can see."
One word more.
The five-franc piece which had in no slight degree biassed theservant's opinion of the visitor, was one of Pierre Lenoir's admirablemanufacture.
* * * *
&
nbsp; "Let's have a look at the letter, Chivey," said Herbert Murray, as soonas his servant got back.
But Chivey seemed to hesitate.
"Come, come," said Murray, "we shall not quarrel about the terms."
"We oughnt't to," returned the tiger, "for it's worth a Jew's eye."
Murray tore the letter open and read it down eagerly.
As it throws some additional light upon the actual state of affairswith the Harkaway party, possibly it may be as well to give the letterof young Jack to the consul verbatim.
It was dated from the prison.
"SIR,--I wish to solicit your immediate assistance in getting released from the above uncomfortable premises, where, in company with a party of friends and fellow-travellers, I have been by a singular accident carried by the police. From scraps of information I have gained while here, I believe I am correct in asserting that we have fallen into a trap, cunningly prepared for us by an unscrupulous fellow-countryman of ours, who has cogent reasons for wishing us out of the way, and has accordingly caused me and my friends to be arrested as coiners. The person in question is named Herbert Murray, but I am unable to say under what _alias_ he is at present known in this part of the world. I mention this that you may be able to keep an eye upon the individual pending our release on bail, for I presume that bail is a French institution. My signature will serve you for reference on me, as it may readily be identified at my father's bankers here, Messrs. B. Fould & Co.
"Your obedient servant,
"JACK HARKAWAY."
Herbert Murray pursed his brows as he read on.
"What do you think of that?" demanded Chivey.
"Queer!"
"Precious queer."
"The one lesson to be learnt from it, Chivey," said his master, "is tostop all correspondence between the prisoners and the consul."
"And push forward the trial as much as possible."
"Yes, and get together as many reliable witnesses as we can----"
"Buy them at a pound apiece," concluded Chivey.
"Right," said Herbert Murray, with a mischievous grin; "forewarned,forearmed; we hold them now and we'll keep them----"
"Please the pigs," concluded Chivey fervently.