CHAPTER XXV
THE DISQUIETING END OF PONG
Later on, he and Deppingham visited the underground chamber, accompaniedby Mr. Britt. They found that the door to the passage had been blownaway by the terrific concussion. Otherwise, the room was, to allappearances, undamaged, except that some of the wine casks were leaking.The subterranean passage at this place was completely filled with earthand stone.
Deppingham stared at the closed mouth of the passage. "They've cut offour exit, but they've also secured us from invasion from this source. Iwonder if the beggars were clever enough to carry the plunder above theflood line. If not, they've had their work for nothing."
"Selim says there is a cave near the mouth of the passage," said Chase."The tunnel comes out half way up the side of the mountain, overlookingthe sea, and the hole is very carefully screened by the thick shrubbery.Trust Von Blitz to do the safe thing."
"I don't mind Von Blitz escaping so much, Chase," said his lordshipearnestly, "as I do the unfortunate closing of what may have been ouronly way to leave the chateau in the end."
"You must think me an ungrateful fool," said Chase bitterly. He hadalready stated his position clearly.
"Not at all, old chap. Don't get that into your head. I only meant thata hole in the ground is worth two warships that won't come when we need'em."
Chase looked up quickly. "You don't believe that I can call thecruisers?"
"Oh, come now, Chase, I'm not a demmed native, you know."
The other grinned amiably. "Well, you just wait, as the boy says."
Deppingham put his eyeglass in more firmly and stared at his companion,not knowing whether to take the remark as a jest or to begin to look forsigns of mental collapse. Britt laughed shortly.
"I guess we'll have to," said the stubby lawyer.
After satisfying themselves that there was no possibility of the enemyever being able to enter the chateau through the collapsed passage, thetrio returned to the upper world.
Involuntarily their gaze went out searchingly over the placid sea. Thewhole sky glared back at them, unwrinkled, smokeless, cloudless. Chaseturned to Deppingham, a word of encouragement on his lips. His lordshipwas looking intently toward the palm-shaded grotto at the base of thelower terrace. Britt moved uneasily and then glanced at hisfellow-countryman, a queer expression in his eyes. A moment laterDeppingham was clearing his throat for the brisk comment on the beautyof the view from the rather unfrequented spot on which they stood.
Robert Browne and Lady Agnes were seated on the edge of the fountain inApollo's Grotto, conversing earnestly, even eagerly, with Mr. Bowles,who stood before them in an unmistakable attitude of indecision andperturbation. Deppingham's first futile attempt to appear unconcernedwas followed by an oppressive silence, broken at last by the Englishman.He gave Chase a look which plainly revealed his uneasiness.
"Ever since I've heard that Bowles has the power to marry people, Chase,I've been upset a bit," he explained nervously.
"You don't mean to say, Lord Deppingham, that you're afraid the heirswill follow the advice of that rattle-headed Saunders," said Chase, witha laugh, "Why, it wouldn't hold in court for a second. Ask Britt."
Britt cleared his throat. "Not for half a second," he said. "I'm onlywondering if Bowles has authority to grant divorces."
"I daresay he has," said Deppingham, tugging at his moustache."He's--he's a magistrate."
"It doesn't follow," said Chase, "that he has unlimited legal powers."
"But _what_ are they ragging him about down there, Chase," blurted outthe unhappy Deppingham.
"Come in and have a drink," said Chase suddenly. Deppingham wasshivering. "You've got a chill in that damp cellar. I can assure youpositively, as representative of the opposition, that the grandchildrenof Skaggs and Wyckholme are not going to divorce or marry anybody whileI'm here, Britt and Saunders and Bowles to the contrary. And LadyDeppingham is no fool. Come on and have something to warm the cockles.You're just childish enough to have the croup to-night." He said it withsuch fine humour that Deppingham could not take offence.
"All right, old chap," he said with a laugh. "I am chilled to the bone.I'll join you in a few minutes." To their surprise, he started offacross the terrace in the direction of the consulting trio. Chase andBritt silently watched his progress. They saw him join the others,neither of whom seemed to be confused or upset by his appearance, andsubsequently enter into the discussion that had been going on.
"Just the same, Chase," said Britt, after a long silence, "he's worried,and not about marriage or divorce, either. He's jealous. I didn'tbelieve it was in him."
"See here, Britt, you've no right to stir him up with those confoundedremarks about divorce. You know that it's rot. Don't do it."
"My dear Chase," said Britt, waving his hand serenely, "we can't alwayssee what's in the air, but, by the Eternal, we usually can feel it.'Nough said. Give you my word, I can't help laughing at the positionyou're in at present. It doesn't matter what you get onto in connectionwith our side of the case, you're where you can't take advantage of itwithout getting killed by your own clients. Horrible paradox, eh?"
When Deppingham rejoined them, he was pale and very nervous. His wife,who had been weeping, came up with him, while Browne went off toward thestables with the ex-banker.
"What do you think has happened?" demanded his lordship, addressing thetwo men, who stood by, irresolutely. "Somebody's trying to poison us!"
"What!" from both listeners.
"I've said it all along. Now, we know! Lady Deppingham's dog isdead--poisoned, gentlemen." He was wiping the moisture from his brow.
"I'm sorry, Lady Deppingham," said Chase earnestly. "He was a nice dog.But I hardly think he could have eaten what was intended for any of us.If he was poisoned, the poison was meant for him and for no one else. Hebit one of the stable boys yesterday. It--"
"That may all be very true, Chase," protested his lordship, "but don'tyou see, it goes to show that some one has a stock of poison on hand,and we may be the next to get it. He died half an hour aftereating--after eating a biscuit that was intended for _me_! It's--it'sdemmed uncomfortable, to say the least."
"Mr. Bowles has been questioning the servants," said Lady Agnesmiserably.
"Of course," said Chase philosophically, "it's much better that Pongshould have got it than Lord Deppingham. By the way, who gave him thebiscuit?"
"Bromley. She tossed it to him and he--he caught it so cleverly. Youknow how cunning he was, Mr. Chase. I loved to see him catch--"
"Then Bromley has saved your life, Deppingham," said Chase. "I'm sureyou need the brandy, after all this. Come along. Will you join us, LadyDeppingham?"
"No. I'm going to bed!" She started away, then stopped and looked at herhusband, her eyes wide with sudden comprehension. "Oh, Deppy, I shouldhave died! I should have died!"
"My dear!"
"I couldn't have lived if--"
"But, my dear, I _didn't_ eat it--and here we are! God bless you!" Heturned abruptly and walked off beside her, ignoring the two distressedAmericans. As they passed through the French window, Deppingham put hisarm about his wife's waist. Chase turned to Britt.
"I don't know what you're thinking, Britt, but it isn't so, whatever itis."
"Good Lord, man, I wasn't thinking _that_!"
A very significant fact now stared the occupants of the chateau in theface. There was not the slightest doubt in the minds of those conversantwith the situation that the poison had been intended for either Lord orLady Deppingham. The drug had been subtly, skilfully placed in one ofthe sandwiches which came up to their rooms at eleven o'clock, the hourat which they invariably drank off a cup of bouillon. Lady Deppinghamwas not in her room when Bromley brought the tray. She was on thegallery with the Brownes. Bromley came to ask her if she desired to havethe bouillon served to her there. Lady Agnes directed her to fetch thetray, first inviting Mrs. Browne to accept Lord Deppingham's portion.Drusilla declined and Bromley tossed a sandwich to Pong,
who was alwayslying in wait for such scraps as might come his way. Lady Agnes alwaysate macaroons--never touching the sandwiches. This fact, of course, itwas argued, might not have been known to the would-be poisoner. Herladyship, as usual, partook of the macaroons and felt no ill effects. Itwas, therefore, clear that the poison was intended for but one of them,as, on this occasion, a single sandwich came up from the buffet. No onebut Deppingham believed that it was intended for him.
In any event, Pong, the red cocker, was dead. He was in convulsionsalmost immediately after swallowing the morsel he had begged for, and inless than three minutes was out of his misery, proving conclusively thata dose of deadly proportions had been administered. It is no wonder thatDeppingham shuddered as he looked upon the stiff little body in theupper hall.
Drusilla Browne was jesting, no doubt, but it is doubtful if any onegrasped the delicacy of her humour when she observed, in mock concern,addressing the assembled mourners, that she believed the heirs weretrying to get rid of their incumbrances after the good old Borgiafashion, and that she would never again have the courage to eat amouthful of food so long as she stood between her husband and a hymenealfortune.
"You know, my dear," she concluded, turning to her Husband, "that I_might_ have had Lord Deppingham's biscuit. His wife asked me to takeit. Goodness, you're a dreadful Borgia person, Agnes," she went on,smiling brightly at her ladyship. Deppingham was fumbling nervously athis monocle. "I should think you _would_ be nervous, Lord Deppingham."
The most rigid questioning elicited no information from the servants.Baillo's sudden, involuntary look of suspicion, directed toward LadyAgnes and Robert Browne, did not escape the keen eye of HollingsworthChase.
"Impossible!" he said, half aloud. He looked up and saw that thePrincess was staring at him questioningly. He shook his head, withoutthinking.
Despair settled upon the white people. They were confronted by a new andserious peril: poison! At no time could they feel safe. Chase took itupon himself to talk to the native servants, urging them to do nothingthat might reflect suspicion upon them. He argued long and forcefullyfrom the standpoint of a friend and counsellor. They listened stolidlyand repeated their vows of fidelity and integrity. He was astute enoughto take them into his confidence concerning the treachery of Jacob VonBlitz. It was only after most earnest pleading that he persuaded themnot to slay the German's wives as a temporary expedient.
One of the stable boys volunteered to carry a note from Chase to Rasula,asking the opportunity to lay a question of grave importance before him.Chase suggested to Rasula that he should meet him that evening at thewest gate, under a flag of truce. The tone of the letter was more orless peremptory.
Rasula came, sullen but curious. At first he would not believe; butChase was firm in his denunciation of Jacob von Blitz. Then he waspleased to accuse Chase of duplicity and double-dealing, going so far asto charge the deposed American with plotting against Von Blitz tofurther his own ends in more ways than one. At last, however, when hewas ready to give up in despair, Chase saw signs of conviction in themanner of the native leader. His own fairness, his courage, had appealedto Rasula from the start. He did not know it then, but the dark-skinnedlawyer had always felt, despite his envy and resentment, a certainrespect for his integrity and fearlessness.
He finally agreed to follow the advice of the American; grudgingly, tobe sure, but none the less determined.
"You will find everything as I have stated it, Rasula," said Chase. "I'msorry you are against me, for I would be your friend. I've told you howto reach the secret cave. The chests are there. The passage is closed.You can trap him in the attempt to rob the bank. I could have taken himred-handed and given him over to Lord Deppingham. But you would neverhave known the truth. Now I ask you to judge for yourselves. Give him afair trial, Rasula--as you would any man accused of crime--and be just.If you need a witness--an eye-witness--call on me. I will come and Iwill appear against him. I've been honest with you. I am willing totrust you to be honest with me."