CHAPTER XII
GEOFFREY IS PUT TO THE TEST
The house was quiet at last. When these mysterious things had firsthappened, fear and alarm had driven sleep from every eye, and many wasthe long night the whole family had spent, huddled round the fire tillgray morn chased their fears away.
But as the inhabitants of a beleaguered city learn to sleep through aheavy bombardment, so had the Ravenspurs come to meet these horrors withgrim tenacity. They were all upstairs now, behind locked doors, with ahope that they might meet again on the morrow. Only Geoffrey was upwaiting for his uncle Ralph.
He came at length so noiselessly that Geoffrey was startled, andmotioned to him that he should follow him without a word.
They crept like ghosts along the corridor until they reached a room withdouble doors at the end of the picture gallery. Generations ago thisroom had been built for a Ravenspur who had developed dangeroushomicidal mania, and in this room he had lived virtually a prisoner formany years.
After they had closed the two doors, a heavy curtain was drawn over theinner one, and Ralph fumbled his way to the table and lighted a candle.
"Now we can talk," he said quietly, "but not loud. Understand that thematter is to be a profound secret between us and that not a soul is toknow of it; not even Vera."
"I have already given my promise," said Geoffrey.
"I know. Still there is no harm in again impressing the fact on yourmind. Geoffrey, you are about to see strange things, things that willtest your pluck and courage to the uttermost."
Geoffrey nodded. With the eagerness of youth he was ready.
"I will do anything you ask me," he replied. "I could face any danger toget at the bottom of this business."
"You are a good lad. Turn the lamp down very low and then open thewindow. Have you done that?"
"Yes, I can feel the cold air on my face."
Ralph crossed to the window and, putting out his hand, gave the quaintmournful call of the owl. There was a minute's pause and then came theanswering signal. A minute or two later and a man's head and shoulderswere framed in the open window. Geoffrey would have dashed forward, butRalph held him back.
"Not so impatient," he said. "This is a friend."
Geoffrey asked no questions, though he was puzzled to know why thevisitor did not enter the castle by the usual way. At Ralph's request heclosed the window and drew the heavy curtains and the lamp was turned upagain.
"My nephew," said Ralph. "A fine young fellow, and one that you and Ican trust. Geoffrey, this is my old friend, Sergius Tchigorsky."
Geoffrey shook hands with Tchigorsky. To his intense surprise he saw theface of the stranger was disfigured in the same way as that of hisuncle. Conscious that his gaze was somewhat rude he looked down.Tchigorsky smiled. Very little escaped him and to him the young man'smind was as clear as a brook.
"My appearance startles you," he said. "Some day you will learn how youruncle and myself came to be both disfigured in this terrible way. Thatsecret will be disclosed when the horror that haunts this house islifted."
"Will it ever be lifted, sir?" Geoffrey asked.
"We can do so at any time," Tchigorsky replied in his deep voice. "Youmay be surprised to hear that we can place our hand on the guilty partyat a moment's notice and bring the offender to justice. Your eyes ask mewhy we do not do so instantly. We refrain, as the detectives refrainfrom arresting one or two of a big gang of swindlers, preferring tospread their nets till they have them all in their meshes. There arefour people in this business, and we must take the lot of them, or therewill be no peace for the house of Ravenspur. You follow me?"
"Perfectly," Geoffrey replied. "An enemy so marvelously clever must notbe treated lightly. Do you propose to make the capture to-night?"
Ralph Ravenspur laughed. It was not a pleasant laugh and was mirthless.His scarred face was full of scornful amusement.
"Not to-night or to-morrow night, or for many nights," he said. "We haveall the serpent wisdom of the Old World against us, the occult knowledgeof the East allied to the slippery cunning that Western education gives.There will be many dangers before we have finished, and the worst ofthese dangers will fall upon you."
Ralph brought his hand down with a sudden clap on his nephew'sshoulders. Tchigorsky regarded him long and earnestly as if he wouldread his very soul.
"You will do," he said curtly. "I am satisfied you will do and I nevermade a mistake in my estimate of a man yet. Ravenspur, are you ready?"
"Ay, ay. I have been ready this long time."
The lamp was extinguished and list slippers were donned, and with nomore provision than a box of wax matches they left the room. Instructedby Ralph Ravenspur, they fell behind him, each holding by the coat-tailof the other. Down the corridor they went, down the stairs, alongstone-flagged passages until they reached the vast series of cellars andvaults over which the castle was built.
There were many of these with twists and turns and low passages; theplace was large enough to conceal a big force of troops. And yet, thoughit was pitchy dark and intricate as a labyrinth, the blind man made noerror; he did not hesitate for a moment.
Well as Geoffrey imagined that he knew the castle, he was fain toconfess his utter ignorance alongside the knowledge displayed by theblind guide.
Ralph pulled up suddenly and began to speak.
"I brought you here to-night, Geoffrey," he said, "so that you mighthave the first lesson in the task that lies before you. Listen! can youhear anything?"
"I hear the roar of the sea, the waves grating on the shingle."
"Yes, because we are on a level with the sea. There are deeper vaultsyet, which you will see presently, and they are below the level of thesea. Our ancestors used to place their prisoners there, and, by removinga kind of sluice, allowed the tide to come in and drown them. You see,those walls are damp."
They were, indeed. As a wax vesta flared up, the dripping stones and thelong white fungi gave the place a weird appearance. Then Ralph droppedsuddenly, extinguished his match, and drew his companions behind a rowof cupboard-like timbers.
"Somebody is coming," he whispered.
The others could hear nothing. But the blind man's powers of hearingwere abnormal. It seemed a long time before the sound of footsteps couldbe heard. Then a figure in white, a fair figure with long shining hairhanging down her back and carrying a taper, crept down the steps.
An exclamation trembled on Geoffrey's lips--an exclamation of alarm, ofadmiration, of the utmost astonishment. But Ralph laid a hand on hismouth. The figure passed into the vault beyond.
"It was Marion!" said Geoffrey in a thrilling whisper. "And yet it didnot look like Marion. She seemed so dreamy; so far off."
"She was walking in her sleep," Ralph said quietly.
"But the danger of it, the danger!"
"My dear boy, there is no danger at all. Blind as I am, I found out thispeculiarity of Marion's directly I returned. Danger to her! I would nothave a hair of her head injured to save Ravenspur from destruction.Geoffrey, it is through Marion and Marion alone, that we are going tosolve the mystery."
"Ay," Tchigorsky muttered, "that is so."
Ralph raised his hand to impose silence. The soft returning footfallswere clear to the ears. Then, rigid, unbending, with dilated eyes,Marion passed, the flash of the lantern behind her.
"Come," said Ralph, "let us return. A good night's work, Tchigorsky!"
"Ay," Tchigorsky murmured; "a good night's work, indeed."