CHAPTER XXVII
A NIGHT WITH A MADMAN
When left alone at the bottom of the ancient shaft, with theimpenetrable gloom of the prehistoric workings crowding him close,Peveril had found a few minutes in which to reflect upon the strangehappenings of the past half-hour. "Darrell's Folly" was the CopperPrincess, the mine in which he owned a half-interest--the one forwhich he had searched so long and had almost given up hopes offinding. Was it of any value? Or did the name, applied in derision,rightly describe it? And the old man who had twice attempted to takehis life, whom he had just rescued from a living tomb, was hispartner! How could they ever work harmoniously together? He certainlyshould not agree to the carrying on of further smuggling operations,and so there was a barrier to their amicable relations at the veryoutset.
But was that man the person with whom he would have to deal, afterall? He was evidently crazy, and probably had been from the veryfirst; for Peveril now remembered that Mr. Ketchum had hinted atsomething of the kind during their last interview. As a crazy mancould not legally transact business, his dealings would then be withRalph Darrell's heirs or legal representatives. Who were those heirs?Were there any other besides this daughter, Mary? He hoped not. What abrave, splendid girl she was, and how pleasant it would be to discussbusiness plans with her! How absurd of him not to have recognized herat once, even in her boyish costume, and how stupid she must thinkhim!
He wished those fellows up above had not been in such a hurry withthat rope, for there were a lot more questions he wanted to ask her.So many that he would not have objected if he and she had been leftdown there together ever so much longer. How different the old mineseemed now to what it had when he first knew it! Hereafter it wouldalways be associated in his mind with memories of a slight figure thathe had been permitted to hold for a single minute, a flushed face, apair of glorious eyes, and a voice that he should never forget. Howshy she was, and at the same time how dignified; how sweet and womanlyin her anxiety about her father! He hoped they could be friends, asall business partners should be. Of course they could never beanything more than that; for he was not forgetting his obligation toRose--oh no, not for one minute.
How infernally slow those chaps up above were now, and why didn't theylet down the rope? Were they going to keep him waiting in that beastlyhole forever? It really seemed so.
By a simple process of reasoning, and the putting together of thevarious bits of information gained from her father, Mary Darrell hadreached the conclusion that the young man whose fortunes had been sostrangely interwoven with hers during the past ten days was therightful owner of the mine that her father had claimed for so manyyears. She was too loyal to the latter to believe for a moment that hehad consciously attempted to defraud Peveril of his rights, butcredited all his actions to the sad mental condition of which she hadonly now become aware.
"Poor, dear papa!" she said to herself. "He has done splendidly totake care of me for so long as he has, and now I will take care ofhim. We will go away from this horrid place, where he gets so excited,and find some little home in the East, where he can rest until hismind is wholly restored.
"In the meantime this Mr. Peveril can have the old mine, to do with ashe pleases. I shall let him know that we consider it his propertybefore he has a chance to even make a claim against it. I mustn't lethim see for a moment how badly we feel about it, though, for he seemsvery nice, and has certainly placed us under a great obligation bycoming to our rescue so splendidly. I wonder how he knew that papa andI were down in that awful place?"
Having got her father to his room, told Aunty Nimmo to prepare forcompany, and hurriedly changed her dress, Mary Darrell greeted theexpected guests according to her privately arranged programme, andinvited them in to supper. After seeing them seated at the table andprovided with a bountiful meal, she left them on the plea that herfather needed her attention.
The girl had not been gone many minutes, and Peveril's friends werestill congratulating him upon having come into his fortune, at thesame time speculating whether the "Folly" was worth anything or not,when she re-entered the room with a frightened expression on her face.Addressing herself to Major Arkell, she said:
"Would you mind coming up to see my father, sir? I fear he is veryill."
The major at once complied with this request, and, after he had gone,Captain Spillins said: "I shouldn't wonder if the old fellow playedout and left you in sole possession of the Princess, after all, Mr.Peveril."
"Which Princess are you meanin', captain?" asked Mike Connell. "Sureit seems to me there's two of them."
"Have a care, Connell," said Peveril, warningly. "Remember thecircumstances under which we are here."
"I beg your pardon, Mister Peril," exclaimed the Irishman, contritely;"I'd near forgot that you was already bespoke."
A hot flush sprang to the young man's cheek, but ere he could frame areply Major Arkell reappeared, looking greatly worried.
"Boys," he said, "we've a very serious case on our hands, and one thatdemands immediate action. The old man up-stairs is fairly out of hishead, besides being in a high fever. He needs medical attendance asquickly as it can be got to him, and careful nursing. I have given himan opiate, which I hope will keep him quiet for a while, and now Ipropose to go to Red Jacket in the tug for a doctor and a nurse.Captain Spillins will, of course, go with me, and we shall try to beback by morning. In the meantime the poor young lady must not be leftalone, or with only that old aunty, who is nearly frightened out ofher wits, and so I think you, Peveril, ought to stay here with Connelland do what you can. You are, in a sense, the proprietor here, youknow, and as Connell has also been here before, maybe the old man willbe more reasonable with you than he would be with entire strangers."
"I quite agree with you that some of us ought to stay here and do whatwe can," said Peveril; "and, under the circumstances, I supposeConnell and I are the ones to do so. At the same time, I haven't hadmuch experience in caring for madmen."
"No more have I," said Connell, "but I'll do me best, for sake of theyoung lady, and maybe she'll forgive me for treating her the same as Iwould a lad."
"And, major," added Peveril, "if you will kindly fetch my luggage fromthe Trefethen's I shall be greatly obliged."
So the party separated; and, while two of them wended their way backto the tug at Laughing Fish, the others prepared for the long vigil ofthe night.
After the effect of the opiate had passed, their patient was seizedwith paroxysms of raving and frantic efforts to leave his bed for thepurpose of protecting his property. At such times it required theunited efforts of the two volunteer nurses to restrain him, and aftereach attack he was left weak and helpless as an infant. Then he wouldweep, and beg piteously not to be abandoned to the mercy of hisenemies; or he would fancy himself still in the awful blackness of theancient workings, and plead with his attendants not to be left theretodie.
"For the sake of my daughter, gentlemen--my only child--who has no oneelse in the world to love her or care for her, I beg of you to saveme. If you are human, take pity on her and let me go!" he would cry.
At such times no voice, not even Mary's, seemed to soothe him as didthat of Peveril, and his most violent struggles were controlled by thegentle firmness of the young athlete.
All through that dreadful night Mary Darrell watched Peveril withtear-filled eyes, wondering at his strength and gentleness, andunconsciously loving him for them. Not that she would for an instanthave admitted such a thing even to herself. She tried instead tobelieve that he was the cause of all this sorrow, and that she hatedhim for it. "In whatever he does," she said to herself, "he isactuated by remorse, and a desire to atone in some way for ruining myfather's life."
The anxiously awaited dawn found Ralph Darrell lying quietly withclosed eyes and Peveril keeping wakeful watch beside him. Aunty Nimmohad been sent to her bed long since, and Connell was fast asleep onthe floor of the hall just outside the sick-room door. Mary Darrellsat in an easy-chair, overcome by exhaustion, al
so sleeping lightly.
As the growing light fell on her tear-stained face, crowned by awealth of close-clipped hair curling in tiny ringlets, Peveril lookedat her curiously, and wondered why he had never thought her beautifuluntil that moment. Apparently conscious of the young man's gaze, thegirl suddenly opened her eyes, and a faint flush suffused her palecheeks. Ere either she or Peveril could speak, the muffled sound of asteam-whistle broke the morning stillness.
"Our friends have come, Miss Darrell," whispered the watcher. "Youhave just time to go to your room and refresh yourself with a dash ofcold water before they appear."
Nodding assent, the girl accepted the suggestion and departed.
Then Peveril sent Connell to meet the new-comers, who, as he knew,would steam directly into the land-locked basin, and remained tofinish his vigil alone.
Suddenly, as he sat absorbed in meditation, the madman, who had beenwatching through half-closed eyes, sprang upon him without a sound ofwarning and clutched his throat with a vise-like grip.
Not even the utmost exertion of Peveril's splendid strength served toloose that horrid hold. In silence he fought for his life, until hegrew black in the face and his eyes started from their sockets. Hishead seemed on the point of bursting. He reeled, staggered, and then,together with his terrible assailant, fell heavily to the floor. Asthey did so, the old man's head struck on a sharp corner; he uttered amoan, and at last the deadly clutch on Peveril's throat was relaxed.
With his next moment of consciousness Peveril was sitting on the floorgasping for breath, and Ralph Darrell lay motionless beside him in apool of blood. Then came quick steps on the stair, and Mary Darrell,accompanied by Major Arkell and the doctor from Red Jacket, enteredthe room.
For an instant the girl stared horror-stricken at the scene beforeher. Then she darted forward and clasped her father's body in herarms, crying out as she did so:
"You have killed him, Richard Peveril!--killed an old man, sick andhelpless; robbed him of his all, and then murdered him! Oh,papa!--dear, dear papa! Why did I leave you for a single minute?"
"My! How she hates poor Mr. Peril!" whispered Nelly Trefethen, who hadcome to act as nurse, and who, guided by Mike Connell, reached thedoorway in time to witness the tableau, as well as to hear MaryDarrell's cruel words.