XIV
"Don't begin by accusing the landlord of anything," Nevill advised, atthe hotel door. "He's got too much Arab blood in him to stand that.You'd only make him tell you lies. We must seem to know things, and askquestions as if we expected him to confirm our knowledge. That mayconfuse him if he wants to lie. He won't be sure what ground to take."
The Arab porter was not in his place, but the proprietor sat in his denbehind the window. He was drinking a cup of thick, syrupy coffee, andsoaking a rusk in it. Stephen thought this a disgusting sight, and couldhardly bear to let his eyes rest on the thick rolls of fat that bulgedover the man's low collar, all the way round his neck like a yellowruff. Not trusting himself to speak just then, Stephen let Caird beginthe conversation.
The landlord bowed over his coffee and some letters he was reading, butdid not trouble to do more than half rise from his chair and sink backagain, solidly. These fine gentlemen would never be clients of his,would never be instrumental in sending any one to him. Why should he puthimself out?
"We've had a letter from Miss Ray this morning," Nevill announced, aftera perfunctory exchange of "good days" in French.
The two young men both looked steadily at the proprietor of the hotel,as Nevill said these words. The fat man did not show any sign ofembarrassment, however, unless his expectant gaze became somewhat fixed,in an effort to prevent a blink. If this were so, the change waspractically imperceptible. "She had left here before six o'clock lastevening, hadn't she?"
"I cannot tell you, Monsieur. It is as I answered yesterday. I do notknow the time when she went out."
"You must know what she said when she went."
"On the contrary, Monsieur. The young lady did not speak with meherself. She sent a message."
"And the message was that she was leaving your hotel?"
"First of all, that she had the intention of dining out. With a lady."
Stephen and Nevill looked at each other. With a lady? Could it bepossible that Mademoiselle Soubise, interested in the story, had calledand taken the girl away?
"What then?" went on Caird. "She let you know eventually that she'd madeup her mind to go altogether?"
"The message was that she might come back in some days. But yes,Monsieur, she let me know that for the present she was leaving."
"Yet you didn't tell us this when we called!" exclaimed Stephen. "Youlet us think she would be back later in the evening."
"Pardon me, Monsieur, if you remember, you asked _when_ Mademoisellewould be back. I replied that I did not know. It was perfectly true. Anddesolated as I was to inconvenience you, I could not be as frank as myheart prompted. My regrettable reserve was the result of Mademoiselle'sexpressed wish. She did not desire to have it known that she was leavingthe hotel, until she herself chose to inform her friends. As it seemsyou have had a letter, Monsieur, I can now speak freely. Yesterdayevening I could not."
He looked like the last man whose heart would naturally prompt him tofrankness, but it seemed impossible to prove, at the moment, that he waslying. It was on the cards that Miss Ray might have requested silence asto her movements.
Stephen bit his lip to keep back an angry reproach, nevertheless, andCaird reflected a moment before answering. Then he said slowly; "Lookhere: we are both friends of Miss Ray, the only ones she has in Algiers,except of course my aunt, Lady MacGregor, with whom she lunchedyesterday. We are afraid she has been imprudently advised by some one,as she is young and inexperienced in travelling. Now, if you will findout from your servants, and also let us know from your own observation,exactly what she did yesterday, after returning from her visit to myaunt--what callers she had, if any; to whose house she went, and soon--we will make it worth your while. Lady MacGregor" (he made greatplay with his relative's name, as if he wished the landlord tounderstand that two young men were not the girl's only friends inAlgiers) "is very anxious to see Miss Ray. To spare her anxiety, weoffer a reward of a thousand francs for reliable information. But wemust hear to-day, or to-morrow at latest."
As he evolved this proposal, Nevill and Stephen kept their eyes upon theman's fat face. He looked politely interested, but not excited, thoughthe offer of a thousand francs was large enough to rouse his cupidity,it would seem, if he saw his way to earning it.
He shrugged his shoulders with a discouraged air when Nevill finished.
"I can tell you now, Monsieur, all that I know of Mademoiselle'smovements--all that anybody in the hotel knows, I think. No one came tosee her, except yourselves. She was out all the morning of yesterday,and did not return here till sometime after the _dejeuner_. After that,she remained in her room until towards evening. It was the head-waiterwho brought me the message of which I have told you, and requested thebill. At what hour the young lady actually went out, I do not know. Theporter can probably tell you."
"But her luggage," Stephen cut in quickly. "Where did it go? You can atleast tell that?"
"Mademoiselle's luggage is still in the hotel. She asked permission tostore it, all but a dressing-bag of some sort, which, I believe shecarried with her."
"In a cab?"
"That I do not know. It will be another question for the porter. Butwere I in the place of Monsieur and his friend, I should have nouneasiness about the young lady. She is certain to have foundtrustworthy acquaintances, for she appeared to be very sensible."
"We shall be glad if you will let us have a short talk with several ofyour servants," said Nevill--"the _femme de chambre_ who took care ofMiss Ray's room, and the waiter who served her, as well as the porter."
"Certainly, Monsieur. They shall be brought here," the landlordassented. "I will help you by questioning them myself."
"I think we'll do that without your help, thank you," replied Stephendrily.
The fat man looked slightly less agreeable, but touched a bell in thewall by his desk. A boy answered and was sent to command Angele andAhmed to report at once. Also he was to summon the porter, whether thatman had finished his breakfast or not. These orders given, MonsieurConstant looked at the two Englishmen as if to say, "You see! I put mywhole staff at your disposition. Does not this prove my good faith? Whatwould you have more?"
Angele was Algerian French, evidently of mixed parentage, like all thosein the Hotel de la Kasbah who were not Arabs. She was middle-aged, witha weary, hatchet face, and eyes from which looked a crushed spirit. IfStephen and Nevill could have seen Madame Constant, they would hardlyhave wondered at that expression.
Ahmed had negro blood in his veins, and tried to smooth out thefrizziness of the thick black hair under his fez, with much pomatum,which smelled of cheap bergamot.
These two, with the porter who soon appeared, brushing breadcrumbs fromhis jacket, stood in front of the bureau window, waiting to learn thepurpose for which they had been torn from their various occupations. "Itis these gentlemen who have something to ask you. They do not wish me tointerfere," announced the master to his servants, with a gesture. Hethen turned ostentatiously to the sipping of his neglected coffee.
Nevill undertook the cross-questionings, with occasional help fromStephen, but they learned no detail of importance. Angele said that shehad been out when the demoiselle Americaine had left the hotel; but thatthe luggage of Mademoiselle was still in her room. Ahmed had taken amessage to Monsieur le Patron, about the bill, and had brought backMademoiselle's change, when the note was paid. The porter had carrieddown a large dressing-bag, at what time he could not be sure, but it waslong before dark. He had asked if Mademoiselle wished him to call a_voiture_, but she had said no. She was going out on foot, and wouldpresently return in a carriage. This she did. The porter believed it wasan ordinary cab in which Mademoiselle had driven back, but he had notthought much about it, being in a hurry as he took the bag. He was atleast certain that Mademoiselle had been alone. She had received nocallers while she was in the hotel, and had not been seen speaking toany one: but she had gone out a great deal. Why had he not mentioned inthe evening that the young lady had driven away wi
th luggage? For thesufficient reason that Mademoiselle had particularly requested him tosay nothing of her movements, should any one come to inquire. It was forthe same reason that he had been obliged to deceive Monsieur in thematter of knocking at her door. And as the porter made this answer, helooked far more impudent than he had looked last night, though he wassmiling blandly.
How much of this was lies and how much truth? Stephen wondered, when,having given up hope of learning more from landlord or servants, theyleft the hotel.
Nevill had to confess that he was puzzled. "Their stories hold togetherwell enough," he said, "but if they have anything to hide (mind, I don'tsay they have) they're the sort to get up their tale beforehand, so asto make it water-tight. We called last night, and that man Constant musthave known we'd come again, whether we heard from Miss Ray or whether wedidn't--still more, if we _didn't_. Easy as falling off a log to put theservants up to what he wanted them to say, and prepare them forquestions, without giving them tips under our noses."
"If they know anything that fat old swine doesn't want them to giveaway, we can bribe it out of them," said Stephen, savagely. "Surelythese Arabs and half-breeds love money."
"Yes, but there's something else they hold higher, most of them, I willsay in their favour--loyalty to their own people. If this affair has todo with Arabs, like as not we might offer all we've got without inducingthem to speak--except to tell plausible lies and send us farther alongthe wrong track. It's a point of pride with these brown faces. Their ownabove the Roumis, and I'm hanged if I can help respecting them for that,lies and all."
"But why should they lie?" broke out Stephen. "What can it be to them?"
"Nothing, in all probability," Nevill tried to soothe him. "The chancesare, they've told us everything they know, in good faith, and thatthey're just as much in the dark about Miss Ray's movements as weare--without the clue we have, knowing as we do why she came to Algiers.It's mysterious enough anyhow, what's become of her; but it's morelikely than not that she kept her own secret. You say she admitted inher letter having heard something which she didn't mention to us whenshe was at my house; so she must have got a clue, or what she thoughtwas a clue, between the time when we took her from the boat to the Hotelde la Kasbah, and the time when she came to us for lunch."
"It's simply hideous!" Stephen exclaimed. "The only way I can see now isto call in the police. They must find out where that cab came from andwhere it took Miss Ray. That's the important thing."
"Yes, to get hold of the cabman is the principal thing," said Nevill,without any ring of confidence in his voice. "But till we learn thecontrary, we may as well presume she's safe. As for the police, for hersake they must be a last resort."
"Let's go at once and interview somebody. But there's one hope. She mayhave gone to Tlemcen to see that Kabyle maid of Mademoiselle Soubise,for herself. Perhaps that's why she didn't encourage us to motor there.She's jolly independent."
Nevill's face brightened. "When we've done what we can in Algiers, wemight run there ourselves in the car, just as I proposed before," hesaid eagerly. "If nothing came of it, we wouldn't be wasting time, youknow. She warned you not to expect news for a fortnight, so there's nouse hanging about here in hopes of a letter or telegram. We can go toTlemcen and get back inside five days. What do you say?"
What Stephen might have said was, that they could save the journey bytelegraphing to Mademoiselle Soubise to ask whether Miss Ray had arrivedin Tlemcen. But the brightness in Nevill's eyes and the hopefulness inhis voice kept back the prosaic suggestion.
"I say, by all means let's go to Tlemcen," he answered. "To-morrow,after we've found out what we can here about the cab, inquired at therailway stations and so on. Besides, we can at least apply to the policefor information about Ben Halim. If we learn he's alive, and where he isliving, it may be almost the same as knowing where Miss Ray has gone."