CHAPTER XIX
There was a moment's breathless silence as Andrew stood there lookingin upon the little group. Then he left his position at the door andcame up to the table round which they were seated.
"Madam," he said to the Princess, "your daughter is safe. She came downto the island this afternoon, and was unable to return owing to thestorm."
The Princess gave a little sigh of relief.
"Foolish child!" she said. "But where is she now, Mr. Andrew?"
"She is still at the island," Andrew answered. "It was impossible forher to leave, so I came here to tell you of her whereabouts."
"It was extremely thoughtful of you," the Princess said graciously.
"If Miss Le Mesurier was unable to leave the island, how was it thatyou came?" Major Forrest asked, looking at Andrew through his eyeglassas though he were some sort of natural curiosity.
"I swam over," Andrew answered. "It was a very short distance."
It was about this time that they all noticed the fact that Andrew waswearing clothes of an altogether different fashion to the fisherman'sgarb in which they had seen him previously. The Princess looked at himperplexed. Cecil felt instinctively that the event which he had mostdreaded was about to happen.
"And you came up here purposely to relieve our minds, Mr. Andrew," thePrincess said. "Really it is most kind of you. I wish that there weresome way--"
She hesitated, a slight note of question in her tone, expressed also byher upraised eyebrows.
"I had a further reason for coming," Andrew said slowly. "I am verysorry indeed to seem inhospitable or discourteous, but there is acertain matter which must be cleared up, and at once. I refer to thedisappearance of Lord Ronald."
There was an instant's dead silence. Then Forrest, with white face,leaned across the table.
"Who the devil are you?" he asked.
"I am Andrew de la Borne," Andrew answered, "the owner of these poorestates, which I am very well content to leave for the greater part ofthe time in my brother's care, only that he is young, and is liable tomake mistakes. He has made one, sir, I fear, in offering you thehospitality of the Red Hall."
Forrest rose slowly to his feet. The Princess held out her hand asthough to beg him not to speak. She turned towards Andrew.
"I do not understand, sir," she said, "why you have chosen tomasquerade under another name, and why you come now to insult yourbrother's guests in such a manner. Is what he says true, Cecil?" sheadded, turning towards him. "Is this man your brother?"
"Yes!" Cecil answered sullenly. "He tells the truth. It is just likehim to make such a thundering idiot of himself."
"I beg your pardon," Andrew answered. "It is not I, Cecil, who desireto come here and say these things to any guest of yours. It is you whoare sheltering under this roof one man at least to whom you shouldnever have offered your hospitality. The Duke of Westerham, who hasbeen my guest for the last few days, told me all that one needs to knowabout you, sir, and your career."
Forrest asked no more questions. He turned to Cecil.
"Mr. De la Borne," he said, "I have understood that you were my host,and I appeal to you. Is this person indeed your elder brother?"
"Yes!" Cecil answered.
"You know what this means," Forrest continued, speaking to Cecil. "Icannot remain in this house any longer. I could only accept hospitalityfrom those who have at least learned to comport themselves asgentlemen."
Andrew smiled.
"I will not grudge you, sir," he said, "any reasonable excuse forleaving this house as quickly as may be, but before you go, I insistupon knowing what has become of Lord Ronald."
Cecil turned towards his brother angrily.
"I am sick of hearing about Engleton!" he declared. "I tell you that heleft here, Andrew, on Wednesday morning, and caught the 9-5 train toLondon, or at any rate to Peterboro'. Whether he went north, south,east, or west, is no concern of ours. We only know that he promised tocome back and has not come."
"There is more to be learnt then," Andrew answered. "How did he get toLynn Station that morning?"
"In the motor car," Cecil answered.
"Who drove it?" Andrew asked.
"Major Forrest," Cecil answered.
"It is a lie!" Andrew declared. "The car never went a hundred yardsbeyond the gates. I know that for a fact."
Again there was silence. The Princess intervened.
"Mr. Andrew," she began--"I beg your pardon, Mr. De la Borne--supposingLord Ronald did wish to keep his departure and the manner of it a greatsecret, why should it trouble you? You don't suppose, I presume, thatthere has been a fight, or anything of that sort?"
"I only know," Andrew answered, "that the brother of one of my dearestfriends has disappeared from this house, after spending several days inthe company of a man of bad reputation. That is quite enough for me. Iam determined to get to the bottom of the matter."
"It is a very little matter, after all," the Princess said calmly."Perhaps--"
She hesitated, and looked at the two other men.
"Perhaps," she continued slowly, "it would be as well to tell you thetruth."
"If you do not, madam," Andrew answered, "it is more than probable thatI shall speedily elicit it."
Both Forrest and Cecil seemed stricken speechless, and before theycould recover themselves the Princess had commenced her story, talkingwith easy and convincing fluency.
"Lord Ronald," she said, "did leave here at the time you and the Dukehave been told, and Major Forrest did try to drive him in the motor toLynn Station. When he found that that was impossible, that they couldnot get the engine to go, Lord Ronald left his luggage here and walkedto Wells. That is the last we have heard of him. He asked that hisluggage should be sent to his rooms in London, and we sent it off thenext day. He left here on good terms with everybody, but he told usdistinctly that the business on which he was summoned away was of avery unpleasant nature. I think that some one was trying to blackmailhim. Now you can make what inquiries you like, but I am very certain ofone thing, that anything you may discover is more likely to bringdiscredit upon Lord Ronald himself than anybody else."
"Madam," Andrew said, "your story, of course, I am bound to accept asthe truth, but I must tell you frankly that I shall pass it on to theDuke, who will take up his inquiries from the point you name. If hefinds that the facts do not correspond with what you have told me, Ifear that the consequences will be disagreeable for all of you."
"Of what on earth do you suspect us?" Major Forrest asked sharply. "Doyou think that we have made away with Engleton? Why should we? We maybe the adventurers you delicately suggest, but at least we should havean object in our crimes. Engleton had not a ten-pound note of readymoney with him. I know that for a fact, because I lent him some moneyto pay his chauffeur's wages when he sent him away."
"You are perhaps holding some of his IOU's?" Andrew asked.
"I certainly am," Forrest answered, "and the sooner I hear from him thebetter. If you are really the owner of this house, I shall leaveto-morrow morning."
Andrew bowed coldly.
"That," he said, "would certainly seem to be your best course. On thecontrary," he added, "I am not altogether sure that I am justified inletting you go."
The Princess frowned at him indignantly.
"You talk nonsense, my dear Mr. Andrew, or Mr. Andrew de la Borne," shesaid. "If you tried to retain Major Forrest on such a cock and bullpretext, you would be probably very soon sorry for it. Besides you haveno power to do anything of the sort."
"Madam," Andrew answered, "I am a magistrate, and I could sign awarrant on the spot. I do not, however, feel justified in going to suchlengths. I feel sure that if Major Forrest is wanted, we shall be ableto find him."
"Of course you will," the Princess intervened calmly. "Men like MajorForrest do not run away just because some one chooses to make aridiculous charge against them. If only I could get Jeanne, I wouldleave myself to-night."
"My dear Princess," Cecil said,
"I hope that you do not mean it. Mybrother has said more than he means, I am sure."
"I have said less." Andrew replied. "I have the very best reasons forbelieving that Major Forrest has lied his way into whatever friendshiphe may have had with Lord Ronald and my brother."
Forrest moved toward the door.
"Mr. De la Borne," he said to Cecil, "you will forgive me if I declineto remain here to be insulted by your brother."
The Princess followed him from the room. Cecil and Andrew were alone.
"D--n you, Andrew!" the former said, turning upon him, whitefaced, andwith a sort of petulant anger. "Why do you come here and spoil thingslike this?"
Andrew stood upon the hearthrug, and looked at his brother, black andforbidding.
"Cecil," he said, "my life has been spoilt by paying for your excesses.Ever since I came of age I have been hampered all the time by payingyour debts and providing you with money. I even let you pose here asthe master of the Red Hall because it pleased you. I have had enough ofit. If you run up any more debts, you must pay them yourself. I ammaster here and I intend to remain so."
Cecil was suddenly pale.
"Do you mean," he asked, "that you intend to remain here now?"
Andrew hesitated.
"Your guests are leaving," he said. "Why not?"
"But they may not go until to-morrow or the next day," Cecil said. "Icannot turn them out."
Andrew stood for a moment looking thoughtfully at the door.
"They cannot stay more than a day," he said, "if Major Forrest isreally their friend. In any case, I shall not return until they aregone."
Cecil's face cleared a little, but he was still perplexed.
"They had just promised," he said, "to stay another week."
"If you wish to entertain the Princess and Miss Le Mesurier," Andrewsaid, "and they are willing to stop after what has passed, I havenothing, of course, to say against it. But the man Forrest I will nothave here. If ever cheat and coward were written in a man's face, yourfriend carries the marks in his."
"He has won nothing to speak of from me here," Cecil declared.
"You are probably too small game," Andrew answered. "How aboutEngleton? Did he lose?"
"I am not sure," Cecil answered. "Not very much, if anything."
The Princess came rustling back. She held her little spaniel up to hercheek, and she affected not to notice the somewhat strained attitude ofthe two men. She went at once to Andrew.
"Mr. De la Borne," she said, "I think that you have been very unjustand very rude to Major Forrest, who is an old friend of mine. I am surethat you have been misled, and I am sure that some day you will ask hispardon."
Andrew bowed slightly, and looked her straight in the face.
"Princess," he said, "may I ask how long you have known the gentlemanwho has just left us?"
"For a very great many years," she answered. "Why?"
"Are you sure of your own knowledge," Andrew asked, "that he is reallya person of good repute and against whom there have been no scandalousreports?"
"I do not listen to gossip," the Princess answered. "Major Forrest goeseverywhere in London, and I have seen nothing in his deportment at anytime to induce me to withdraw my friendship."
"I fancy, then," Andrew said, "that some day you will find you havebeen a little deceived."
"What about Lord Ronald?" the Princess asked. "Perhaps, Mr. De laBorne, you think that we are all a little company of adventurers. Thisis such a likely spot for our operations, isn't it?"
"Lord Ronald," Andrew said, "is the brother of my old friend, and heis, of course, above suspicion, but Lord Ronald appears to have leftyou somewhat abruptly, I might almost say mysteriously."
"He was here for some time," the Princess said, "and he is coming back."
"In the meantime," Andrew continued, "he appears to have vanished fromthe face of the earth."
The Princess turned away carelessly.
"That," she said, "is scarcely our affair. I have not the slightestdoubt but that he will turn up again."
"If it should turn out that I am mistaken," Andrew said stiffly, "Ishould be glad to ask your pardons, but from my present information Ican only say I do not care to extend the hospitality of my house toMajor Forrest, nor do I consider him a fit associate, madam, for youand your step-daughter."
"May I ask," the Princess inquired, "who Major Forrest's traducers havebeen?"
"My information," Andrew answered, "comes from the Duke of Westerham. Ihave every reason to believe that the case against him has beenunderstated."
"The Duke," Cecil declared, "is a pig-headed old fool!"
Andrew shrugged his shoulders.
"I have always found him a man of remarkably keen judgment," he said.
"What are you going to do about Jeanne?" the Princess asked, changingthe subject abruptly.
"I should suggest," Andrew answered, "that you have a maid pack a bagand prepare to go with me over to the island early in the morning.There is no chance to cross before then, as the tide would be high."
"But how nervous she will be there all alone!" the Princess exclaimed.
"My servant is there," Andrew answered, "and also an old woman whocooks for me. They will, I am sure, do everything they can to make hercomfortable. I shall go myself and bring her back here as soon as it isdaylight."
"We are giving you a great deal of trouble, I am afraid, Mr. De laBorne," the Princess said stiffly. "To-morrow, as soon as my maid canpack, we will return to London."
Andrew bowed as he turned to leave the room.
"I trust," he said, "that you will not let my presence interfere withyour plans. I shall remain on the island myself to-morrow, after I havebrought your daughter back."