CHAPTER XV
AN HONOURABLE RETREAT
It was not what they expected. Their faces showed it; they were sounmistakably startled. They looked at each other, then at theunconscious woman, then back again at one another. Mr Burton bit hislip.
'Who the deuce is that?'
'Servants, perhaps.'
The suggestion was the Flyman's.
'Then confound the servants! Why can't they take a little extra timeto-night? They know their mistress is away.'
The knocking came again--a regular rat-tat-tat.
'That's no servants. They wouldn't make that row.'
'You can never tell. Nowadays they make what row they please; theyfancy themselves. Brutes!'
'Visitors, perhaps.'
'Confound them, whoever it is!'
They spoke in whispers, an appreciable pause between each man'sspeaking, as if each in turn waited for something to happen. Mr Burtonwas outwardly the most self-possessed, being the kind of man who wouldprobably smile as he mounted the gallows. The Flyman had his eyesnearly shut, his fists clenched, his shoulders a little hunched, as ifgathering himself together to resist a coming attack. Mr Thomas Coxwas visibly tremulous; his great head twitched upon his shoulders; hewas apparently in danger of physical collapse. It was curious toobserve the contrasting attitudes of the three men as they stood aboutthe recumbent woman.
The knocking was repeated, still more loudly, as if the knocker waxedimpatient.
'We shall have to let 'em in. Anyhow, we shall have to see who'sthere. They'll knock the door down.'
This was the Flyman. Mr Cox suggested an alternative.
'Can't we--can't we get away? Isn't there another way out?'
Mr Burton enlightened him.
'My dear Cox, there's only one way into a flat, and there's only oneway out, unless you try the window, which means a drop of perhaps ahundred feet. I'm not dropping. The Flyman's right; we shall have tosee who's there. There needn't be trouble, unless you give yourselfaway. It depends who it is. I'll lay this dear little girl of mineupon her bed; she'll be more comfortable there, and not soconspicuous. I know which is her room. Then we'll see who's come tocall on you.'
Displaying a degree of strength with which one would hardly havecredited his slight figure, lifting Miss Casata off the floor, he boreher from the room. During his absence there came the knocking for thefourth time, this time furiously. When he returned, a marked changehad taken place in his appearance. There were signs of strangedisorder on his countenance, as if during his brief withdrawal he hadbeen unstrung by some overwhelming shock. The Flyman at once observedhis altered looks.
'What's happened? What's the matter?'
'Curse you, Flyman!'
'What have I done now?'
'I say, curse you!'
'Is she--dead?'
'No, she's not. I'm going to open the door. If it's the servants, I'llsend them away, pretending to give them a message from her; if it'scallers, I'll tell them a lie; if it's anybody who wants to makehimself unpleasant, you two look out. I'm not going to be bluffed outof this before I've got that ruby.'
'Burton, be careful what you do, for all our sakes.'
This was Mr Cox. The retort was hardly courteous.
'You be hanged!'
Mr Burton reached the front door as the knocking was recommencing.From where they were they could not see what he did, but they couldhear. They heard him open; a feminine voice inquire, in tones ofindignation,--
'What's the meaning of this? Why am I kept waiting?'
Then the front door slammed, the drawing-room door was thrownviolently open, and two young ladies came through it, one after theother, with such extremely indecorous rapidity as to suggest that theycould scarcely be entirely responsible for their own proceedings, as,indeed, they were not. Mr Horace Burton had propelled them forwardwith his own right arm before they themselves had the least idea whatwas about to happen. And, following right upon their heels, he closedthe drawing-room door, turned the key and stood with his back againstit, surveying them with his habitual, benignant smile.
It was what they call upon the stage a tableau, The smiling gentleman,the two bewildered ladies, the two other almost equally bewilderedmen, for it was an open question which were the more surprised by thesingularity of Mr Burton's behaviour--Miss Bewicke and Miss Broad orMr Thomas Cox and the Flyman.
The peculiar nature of her reception seemed to have driven MissBroad's wits completely from her. She gazed around like a womanstartled out of sleep, who has no notion of what has roused her. MissBewicke had apparently retained some fragments of hers. She looked atMr Burton, then at Mr Cox and the Flyman, then back at the gentlemanwho stood before the door. She eyed him up and down with a mixture, asit seemed, of amusement, anger and contempt. Could a voice have stung,hers would have stung him then. But this gentleman was pachydermatous.
'So it's you?'
'I guess it is.'
'How dare you come here?'
'That's the problem.'
'It's one which will soon be solved.'
She moved across the room. He checked her.
'It's no good your ringing the bell. There's no one to answer.'
As she turned to face him, Miss Broad spoke, with an apparent partialreturn to consciousness.
'Who is this person?'
'This person is Horace Burton, of whom you may have heard. I cannottell you who the other persons are. They look as if they were friendsof his.'
'So this is Horace Burton?'
Miss Broad regarded the gentleman in question as if he were someunclean thing, which, possibly, she considered him to be. He, on theother hand, continued genial as ever.
'And you're Miss Broad--Letty, I believe? I'm pleased to meet you,cousin that is to be.'
'Cousin--your cousin? I shall never be a cousin of yours.'
'No? That's hard on Guy. He's counting on the money.'
'You despicable creature!' She turned away, presenting him with a goodview of her back, and put a question to Miss Bewicke. 'What is hedoing here? Surely you don't allow him in your rooms?'
Mr Burton took upon himself to answer for the lady.
'I'll tell you what I'm doing here; she can't. I'm now for the firsttime going to tell her also. It'll be giving her a little piece ofinformation which I know she'll value. Miss Bewicke, I've come here insearch of a quarter of million of money.'
'Is that so? You really are too modest! It was surely scarcely worthyour while to come for such a trifle! I need hardly say that you willfind several little sums of that amount lying loose about thepremises!'
'Indeed? Well, I want one; that's all.'
'Mr Burton, will you be so good as to leave my rooms?'
'I'll leave them on the wings of the wind, whatever that may be, whenI have my uncle's ruby.'
'When you have what?'
'My uncle's ruby. My dear cousin Guy committed burglary here lastnight in quest of it, so I'm sure you won't mind my paying you alittle call this evening as a sort of sequel.'
'I suppose Louise Casata told you about Mr Holland?'
'There's no charge for supposing.'
'Probably the same person also informed you that he went away withwhat he sought?'
'Did he, Miss Bewicke?'
'You had better refer to your informant.'
'I'm referring to you. I'm asking you if Guy Holland left these roomslast night in possession of my uncle's ruby?'
'Ask Miss Casata; ask your cousin even, but don't ask me.'
'I am asking you. You've been playing some confounded trick.'
'Mr Burton!'
'I don't wish to hurt your feelings, Miss Bewicke, so I'll say you'vebeen amusing yourself with some dainty, delicate device, and Ishouldn't be surprised to learn that you have that ruby on your personat this moment.'
Miss Bewicke, walking to the bell, pressed her finger against thebutton, so that it kept up a continuous ringing. Mr Burton
watched herwith a smile.
'You see, there's no one there. You might have taken my word.'
'Where is Miss Casata?'
'Where is she? That's the question. Where's everyone?'
'If I am unable to attract the attention of my own servants, thanks toyou, my friends in the next flat will hear the unceasing tinkling ofthe bell, and guess that there is something wrong.'
'I should be sorry, Miss Bewicke, to have to seem rude to a lady--'
'On the contrary, I should imagine that few things would give yougreater pleasure; you are that kind of person.'
'At the same time, I must request you to leave that bell alone.'
He went closer to her. His moving away from it left the doorunguarded. Over her shoulder she shot a glance at Miss Broad. Thatyoung lady, catching it, perceived the little ruse she had beenplaying. Hurrying to the door, she began to turn the key, and hadalready unlocked it when Mr Burton came rushing back to the post whichhe had been beguiled into deserting.
'You darling!' he cried.
Seizing Miss Broad by the waist he dragged her from the door. As hewhirled her round, she struck him with her clenched fist on his rightear, the blow being delivered with such good judgment, force andfortune that it carried the young gentleman clean off his feet andright over on to his back.
'Bravo!' exclaimed Miss Bewicke. 'Now, Letty, open the door!'
But Miss Bewicke was a little hasty in supposing that the road wasfree. As Mr Burton fell, he prevented Miss Broad from moving byclutching at her skirts. She struggled to release herself in vain; hegripped too tight. And the Flyman, hastening to occupy the fallenhero's place, confronted Miss Bewicke as she advanced.
'It's no good,' he observed. 'There's no road this way.'
She was not to be baffled without an effort.
'If you'll let me pass, I'll give you--'
'You won't give me anything, because you won't pass. Now, don't you besilly, or you'll be sorry. You won't bowl me over with a clip on theear from your little fist.'
This was said because, encouraged, perhaps, by Miss Broad's success,Miss Bewicke showed signs of actual violence. The apparentrecognition, however, of some peculiar quality on the face of the manin front of her caused her to relinquish her purpose, if it was everformed. Instead, turning to Miss Broad, she took her by the hand.
'Come, quick!' she cried.
Mr Burton, reassured by the Flyman's arrival, loosed the lady's skirtas he ascended to his feet. The quick-witted proprietress of therooms, taking instant advantage of Miss Broad's freedom, rushed hertowards the door through which, not long since, he had carried MissCasata. Divining their purpose, he tore after them as soon as he hadregained his perpendicular.
'Stop them, you fools! Move yourself, Cox!'
But Mr Cox did not move himself. He remained motionless where he wasstanding, and Mr Burton, in spite of his impetuosity, was too late.They were not only through before he reached the door, but had bangedit in his face, and turned the key on the other side. He shook thehandle in vain.
'Open, you cats!'
They were not likely to comply with his civil invitation. He addressedhimself to Mr Cox, on his face, all at once, a very peculiar look ofpallor.
'I shouldn't be surprised if you swing for this.'
'Swing? For letting them through that door? Who do you think you'retalking to?'
'I'm talking to you, my friend. What's the betting that your lettingthem through that door doesn't turn out a hanging matter for you? I'lltake short odds.' He turned to the Flyman. 'Let me through there.There's another way into where they are; I'll see if I can get atthem. You stay here, in case they try to double. Cox is no good. I'llbe even with him for this.'
Mr Burton crossed to a door, which was on the other side of the littlehall. Unlocked, it admitted him to the kitchen. From the kitchen hepassed to another room, apparently where the servants slept. On theopposite side of this was still another door. He eyed it.
'If I remember rightly, that leads into her room.'
The door was locked; the key was in the lock upon the other side. Hestooped to see; it was in a position which prevented anything beingvisible. He rattled the handle; rapped with his knuckles at the panel,without result. All was silent.
'It is her room. I wonder what they're up to? They're very still. Theycan't--'
He stopped, probably because the stillness of which he spoke wasbroken by a woman's cry--a mingling of surprise, anguish, fear. Heretraced his steps towards the kitchen, whispering to himself twowords,--
'They have!'
Taking the key from one side of the lock, replacing it in the other,he locked the door of the servants' room behind him. The key itself hepocketed.
'Except through the drawing-room, there's only this way out, so we'vetrapped you anyhow.'
As if to make assurance doubly sure, he locked the door of the kitchenalso. Again he pocketed the key.