CHAPTER XX
THE COURTEOUS CAPTAIN
Vickers sprang back at that door as the sharp click of the turning keycaught his ear, and Copplestone, preceding him and following Audrey, whohad advanced fearlessly into the cabin, pulled himself up with a sudden,sickening sense of treachery. The two young men looked at each other, anda dead silence fell on them and the girl. Then Vickers laid his hand onthe door and shook it.
"Locked in!" he muttered with a queer glance at his companions. "Whatdoes that mean?"
"Nothing good!" growled Copplestone who was secretly cursing his ownfolly in allowing Audrey to leave the quay. "We're trapped!--that's whatit means. Why we're trapped isn't a question that matters very much underthe circumstances--the serious thing is that we certainly are trapped."
Vickers turned to Audrey.
"My fault!" he said contritely. "All my fault! But I meant it for thebest--it was the thing to do--and who on earth could have foreseen this.Look here!--we've got to think pretty quick, Copplestone, that captain,now? Has he done this on his own hook, or--is there somebody on boardwho's at the top of things?"
"I don't see any good in thinking quick, or asking one's selfquestions," replied Copplestone. "We're locked in here. We've got MissGreyle into this mess--and her mother will be anxious and alarmed. I wishwe'd let this confounded yacht go where it liked before ever we'd--"
"Don't!" broke in Audrey. "That's no good. Mr. Vickers certainly did whathe felt to be best--and who could foresee this? And I'm not afraid--andas for my mother, if we don't return very soon, why, she knows where weare and there are police in Scarhaven, and--"
"How long are we going to be where we are?" asked Copplestone, grimly."The thing's moving!"
There was no doubt of that very pertinent fact. Somewhere beneath them,machinery began to work; above them there was hurry and scurry as ropesand stays were thrown off. But so beautifully built was that yacht, andso almost sound-proof the luxurious cabin in which they were prisoners,that little of the noise of departure came to them. However, there was nomistaking the increasing throb of the engines nor the fact that thevessel was moving, and Vickers suddenly sprang on a lounge seat and movedaway a silken screen which curtained a port-hole window.
"There's no doubt of that!" he exclaimed.
"We're going through the outer harbour--we've passed the light at the endof the quay. What do these people mean by carrying us out to sea?Copplestone!--with all submission to you--whether it's relevant or not, Iwish we knew more of that captain chap!"
"I know him," remarked Audrey. "I have been on this yacht before. Hisname is Andrius. He's an American--or American-Norwegian, or somethinglike that."
"And the crew?" asked Vickers. "Are they Scarhaven men?"
"No," replied Audrey. "There isn't a Scarhaven man amongst them. Mycousin--I mean--you know whom I mean--bought this yacht just as it stood,from an American millionaire early this spring, and he took over thecaptain, crew, and everything."
"So--we're in the hands of strangers!" exclaimed Vickers, whileCopplestone dug his hands into his pockets and began to stamp about. "Iwish I'd known all that before we came on board."
"But what harm can they do us?" said Audrey, incredulous of danger. "Youdon't suppose they'll want to murder us, surely! My own belief is that wenever should have been locked up here if you hadn't let them know howmuch we know, Mr. Vickers."
"Let them--I don't understand," said Vickers, turning a puzzledglance on her.
"Why," replied Audrey with a laugh which convinced both men of herfearlessness, "you let the captain see that we know a great deal and hethereupon ran downstairs--presumably to tell somebody of what you said.And--here's the result!"
"You think, then--" suggested Vickers. "You think that--"
"I think the somebody--whoever he is--wants to know exactly how much wedo know," answered Audrey with another laugh. "And so we're being carriedoff to be cross-examined--at somebody's leisure. Let's hope they won'tuse thumb-screws and that sort of thing. And anyway," she continued,looking from one to the other, "hadn't we better make the best of it?We're going out to sea, that's certain--here's the bar!"
A sudden lifting of the thickly-carpeted floor, a dip to the left,another to the right, a plunge forward, a drop back, then a settling downto a steady persistent roll, showed her companions that Audrey wasright--the yacht was crossing the bar which lay at the mouth ofScarhaven Bay. Outside that lay the North Sea, and Copplestone suddenlywondered which course the vessel was going to take, north, east, orsouth. But before he could put his thoughts into words, the door wassuddenly unlocked, and Captain Andrius, suave, polite, deprecating,walked into the cabin.
"A thousands pardons--and two words of explanation!" he exclaimed, as heexecuted a deep bow to his lady prisoner. "First--Miss Greyle, I havesent a message to your mother that you are quite safe and will join herin due course. Second--this is merely a temporary detention--you shallall be landed--all in good time."
Vickers as a legal man, assumed his most professional air.
"Do you know what you are rendering yourself liable to, sir, by detainingus at all?" he demanded. "An action--"
Captain Andrius bowed again; again assumed his deprecating smile. Hewaved the two men to seats and himself took a chair with his back to thedoor by which he entered.
"My dear sir!" he said courteously. "You forget that I am but a servant.I am under orders. However, I give my word that no harm shall come toyou, that you shall be treated with every polite attention, and that youshall be landed."
"When--and where?" asked Vickers.
"Tomorrow, certainly," replied Andrius. "As to where, I cannot exactlysay. But--where you will be in touch with--shall we say civilization?"
He showed a set of fine white teeth in such a curious fashion as he spokethe last word that Copplestone and Vickers instinctively glanced at eachother, with a mutual instinct of distrust.
"Won't do!" said Vickers. "I insist that you put about and go intoScarhaven again."
Andrius spread out his open palms and shook his head "Impossible!" heanswered. "We are already _en voyage_. Time presses. Beplacable--tomorrow you shall be released."
Vickers was about to answer this appeal with an angry refusal to beeither placable or tractable, but he suddenly stopped the words whichrose to his tongue. There was something in all this--some mystery, somequeer game, and it might be worth while to find it out.
"Where are you taking this yacht?" he demanded brusquely. "Come, now!"
"I am under--orders," said Andrius, with another smile.
"Whose orders?" persisted Vickers. "Look here--it's no use trying toburke facts. Who's on board this vessel? You know what I mean. Is the manwho calls himself Squire of Scarhaven here?"
Andrius shook his head quietly and gave his questioner a shrewd glance.
"Mr. Vickers," he said meaningly, "I know you! You are a lawyer--though ayoung one. Lawyers are guarded in their speech. Now--we are alone--wefour. No one can hear anything we say. Tell me--is that right what yousaid to me on deck, that the man who has called himself Marston Greyle isnot so at all?"
"Absolutely right," replied Vickers.
"An impostor?" demanded Andrius.
"He is!"
"And never had any right to--anything?"
"No right whatever!"
"Then," said Andrius, with a polite inclination of his head and shouldersto Audrey, "the truth is that everything of the Scarhaven propertybelongs to this lady?"
"Everything!" exclaimed Vickers. "Land, houses, furniture,valuables--everything. All the property which you have on thisyacht--pictures, china, silver, books, objects of art, as I aminstructed, removed from the house--are Miss Greyle's sole property. Oncemore I warn you of what you are doing, and I demand that you immediatelyreturn to Scarhaven. This very yacht belongs to Miss Greyle!"
Andrius nodded, looked fixedly at the young solicitor for a moment, andthen rose.
"I am obliged to you," he said. "That, of course, is your
claim. But--theother one, eh? It seems to me there might be something to be said forthat, you know? So, all I can do is to renew my assurance of politeattention, offer you our best accommodation--which is luxurious--andpromise to land you--somewhere--tomorrow. Miss Greyle, we have two womenservants on board--I shall send them to you at once and they will attendto you--please consider them your own. You, gentlemen, will perhaps joinme in my quarters?--I have two spare cabins close to my own which are atyour service."
Copplestone and Vickers looked at each other and at Audrey--undecided andvaguely suspicious. But Audrey was evidently neither alarmed noruneasy--she nodded a ready assent to the Captain's proposal.
"Thank you, Captain Andrius," she said coolly. "I know the two women. Youmay send one of them. Do what he suggests," she murmured, turning toCopplestone, who had moved close to her, "I'm not one scrap afraid ofanything--and it's only until tomorrow. He'll land us--I'm sure of it."
There was nothing for it, then, but to follow Andrius to his owncomfortable quarters. There, utterly ignoring the strange circumstancesunder which they met, he played the part of host with genuine desire tomake his guests feel at ease, and when he showed them to their berths,a little later, he emphasized his assurance of their absolute safetyand liberty.
"You see, gentlemen, your movements are untrammelled," he said. "You cango in and out of your quarters as you like. You can go where you like onthe yacht tomorrow morning. There is no restriction on you. Sleepwell--and tomorrow you are all free again, eh?"
Copplestone got a word or two with Vickers--alone.
"What do you think?" he muttered. "Shall you sleep?"
"My impression--for I know what you're thinking about," said Vickers, "isthat Miss Greyle's as safe as if she were in her mother's house! She's nofear, herself, anyway. There's some mystery, somewhere, and I can't makethis Andrius man out at all, but I believe all's right as regardspersonal safety. There's Miss Greyle's cabin, anyhow, right oppositeours--and I can keep an eye and an ear open even when I'm asleep!"
But in spite of these assurances, Copplestone slept little. He was up,dressed, and on deck by sunrise, staring around him in a fresh autumnmorning to get some notion of the yacht's whereabouts, and he had justmanaged to make out a mere filmy line of land far to the westward whenAudrey appeared at his elbow. There was no one of any importance nearthem and Copplestone impulsively seized her hands.
"I've scarcely slept!" he blurted out, gazing intently at her."Couldn't! Blaming myself for letting you get into this confounded mess!You're all right?"
Audrey responded a little to the pressure of his hands before shedisengaged her own.
"It wasn't your fault," she said. "It's nobody's fault. Don't blame Mr.Vickers--he couldn't foresee this. Yes, I'm all right--and I slept like atop. What's the use of worrying? Do you know," she went on, lowering hervoice and drawing nearer to him, "I believe something's going to come ofall this--something that'll clear matters up once and for all."
"Why?" asked Copplestone, wonderingly. "What makes you think that?"
"Don't know--instinct, intuitiveness, perhaps," she answered."Besides--I'm dead certain we're not the only people--I don't mean crewand Captain--aboard the _Pike_. I believe there's somebody else. There'ssome mystery, anyway. Keep that to yourself," she said as Andrius andVickers appeared from below. "Don't show any sign--wait to see how thingsturn out."
She turned away from him to greet the other two as unconcernedly as ifthere were nothing unusual in the situation, and Copplestone marvelled ather coolness. He himself, not so well equipped with patience, wasfeverishly anxious to know how things would turn out, and when. But theday went by and nothing happened, except that Captain Andrius was verypolite to his guests and that the yacht, a particularly fast sailer,continued to make headway through the grey seas, sometimes in bare sightof land and sometimes out of it. To one or two inquiries as to thefulfilment of his promise Andrius made no more answer than a reassuringnod; once when Vickers pressed him, he replied curtly that the day wasnot yet over. Vickers drew Copplestone aside on hearing that.
"Look here!" he said. "I've been reckoning things up as near as I can. Imake out that we've been running due north, or north-east ever since weleft Scarhaven last night. I reckon, too, that this vessel makes quitetwenty-two or three, knots an hour. We must be off the extreme north-eastcoast of Scotland. And night's coming on!"
"There are ports there that he can put into," said Copplestone. "Thething is--will he keep his promise? Remember!--he must know very wellthat if we once land anywhere within reach of a telegraph office, we canwire particulars about him to every port in the world if we like--andhe's got to go somewhere, eventually, you know."
Vickers shook his head as if this were a problem he would give up. It wasbeyond him, he said, to even guess at what Andrius was after, or what wasgoing to happen. And nothing did happen until, as the three prisoners satat dinner with their polite gaoler, the _Pike_ came to a sudden stop andhung gently on a quiet sea. Andrius looked up and smiled.
"A pleasant night for your landing," he remarked. "Don't hurry--but therewill be a boat ready for you as soon as dinner is over."
"And where are we?" asked Vickers.
"That, my dear sir, you will see when you land." replied Andrius."You will, at any rate, be quite comfortable for the night, and inthe morning, I think, you will be able to journey--wherever you wishto go to."
There was something in the smile which accompanied the last words whichmade Copplestone uneasy. But the prospect of regaining their liberty wastoo good--he kept his own counsel. And half-an-hour later, he, Audrey andVickers, stood on deck, looking down on a boat alongside, in which weretwo or three of the crew and a man holding a lanthorn. In front was thedark sea, and ahead a darker mass which they took to be land.
"You won't tell us what this place is?" said Vickers as he was about tofollow the others into the boat. "It's on the mainland, of course?"
"The morning light, my good sir, will show you everything," repliedAndrius. "Be content that I have kept my promise--you have come offluckily," he added with a significant look.
Vickers felt a strange sense of alarm as the boat left the yacht. Henoticed two or three suspicious circumstances. As soon as they got away,he saw that all the yacht's lights had been or were being darkened orentirely obscured; at a dozen boat lengths they could see her no more.Then a boat, swiftly pulled, passed them in the darkness, evidentlycoming from the shore to which they were being taken: it, too, carried nolight. Nor were there any lights on the shore itself; all there was inutter blackness. They were on the shingle within a quarter of an hour;within a minute or two the yachtsmen had helped all three on to thebeach, had carried up certain boxes and packages which had been placed inthe boat, had set down the lighted lanthorn, jumped into the boat againand vanished in the darkness. And in the silence, broken only by the dripof water from the retreating oars, and by the scarcely-noticed ripple ofthe waves, Audrey voiced exactly what her two companions felt.
"Andrius has kept his word--and cheated us! We're stranded!"
From somewhere out of the darkness came a groan--deep and heartfelt, asif in entire agreement with Audrey's declaration. That it proceeded froma human being was evident enough, and Vickers hastily snatched up thelanthorn and strode in the direction from which it came. And there,seated on the shingle, his whole attitude one of utter dejection andmisery, the three castaways found a sharer of their sorrows--PeterChatfield!