CHAPTER XLV
BAFFLED
Geoffrey had not long to wait. From where he was standing he could seedown into the vault perfectly well. He would have been better satisfiedhad he understood what those people were talking about, but their wordsconveyed nothing to him.
On the floor of the vault the queer-looking machinery was spread out,and to the ends of the india-rubber tubes wires were attached. No soonerhad this been accomplished than the woman, after giving some rapidinstructions to her allies, left the vault. She was so quick thatGeoffrey barely had time to conceal himself behind a pillar before shepassed him.
The woman was masked and disguised beyond recognition, but Geoffrey hadno need to be told who she was. He knew that he was in the presence ofMrs. May. And, despite his knowledge of her cleverness and resource, hefound himself marveling to see her display so fine a knowledge of thehouse.
The woman passed along, dragging a number of fine light wires after her.The other ends of the wires were attached to the queer-looking apparatusin the vault.
Mrs. May went along the passages, along the corridor, and up the stairsas if she had been accustomed to the house all her life. Surely she musthave been here many times before, or she would not have exhibited suchfearless confidence. The idea of the black, gliding figure creepingabout the house in the dead of night filled Geoffrey with loathing.
All the same, he did not neglect his opportunities. He followed swiftlyand silently until he came to the main corridor on the first landing.Here, to his surprise, the woman turned into one of the bed-rooms, theroom used by the head of the house. She closed the door behind her.
What to do next? But Geoffrey was not long in doubt. Ralph was standingby his side, a dark lantern in his hand.
"Where did she go?" he whispered.
"You heard her, then?" asked Geoffrey.
"Of course, I heard everything. I see with my ears. Naturally youguessed who she was. But what room did she go into?"
"My grandfather's."
"So I expected. But she means to visit all the rooms in turn. You neednot be afraid, she will be there for some minutes. What do you seeoutside?"
Geoffrey made a close examination with the lantern.
"I see a tangle of small wires on the floor," he said. "They come upfrom the vaults."
"Where they are attached to a queer-looking instrument?"
"Yes, yes. I see you know all about it. One of the wires runs under thedoor into the room where Mrs. May is engaged."
"And where she will be engaged for some time," said Ralph. "Move thatbook ladder and look over the fanlight."
There were books on high shelves in the corridor, and a lightlibrarian's ladder close at hand. Geoffrey propped this against the doorand looked in through the open fanlight. All the bed-room doors hadfanlights at Ravenspur.
The lantern inside was on the dressing-table and, standing on a chair bya fireplace, was Mrs. May. She had pinned the thin wire to the wallcunningly, and had turned the end of it into a plate that stood on themantel shelf. From a flask she poured a little white powder into theplate.
This done she seemed to be satisfied. Geoffrey whipped the ladder awayand the woman emerged from the room. Once more she went along thecorridor with firm, resolute step, and the air of one who knows what sheis doing and has a definite object in view.
From one bed-room to another she went, leaving a wire in each untilevery room occupied by one of the Ravenspur family had been visited.Geoffrey's room was the last. When she had finished here she took up apair of scissors and tapped the wire. Outside the door Geoffrey andRalph could hear the noise distinctly.
Ralph's jaws came together with a click.
"The key is outside your room door," he whispered. "Turn it."
Geoffrey wondered, but he hastened to comply. The key turned with anease and silence that testified to the fact of its having been carefullyoiled.
"What does it all mean?" Geoffrey whispered.
"She is going to test her machinery," said Ralph with a chuckle. "Andshe is going one step farther to her own destruction. Listen."
Again came the faint tap, and then down from far below the purring jarof electrical apparatus in motion. There was silence inside the room fora moment and then Geoffrey saw the handle turn. It was turned softly atfirst, then more quickly, and finally it was tugged as an angry childsnatches at a toy.
Ralph chuckled. The diabolical mirth seemed to come deep from histhroat.
"She is trying to get out," Geoffrey whispered.
"Of course she is," Ralph replied. "But not quite yet."
The lock was rattling loudly by this time; there was a half-angry,half-frightened muttering from within. And then there came a long,piercing, wailing scream, as of a woman in the last agony before death.
Geoffrey would have started back, but Ralph restrained him.
"No, no," he whispered violently. "It is all right; everything isturning out splendidly."
"But she is a woman and in deadly peril, uncle."
"I know it, lad. Five minutes more and that fiend will be beyond furthermischief. She has been trying the effect of her infernal contrivance andwill be hoist with her own petard. She is scared to death. She imaginesshe has fastened herself in and can't get out."
"But this is murder," Geoffrey cried.
"I dare say some people would call it so," Ralph replied coolly. "As amatter of fact, there never could be homicide more justifiable than tolet that woman perish there. Still, we are not going to do anything ofthe kind. When those cries cease, and you hear yonder wretch fall to theground, then open the door and drag her out."
The cries were coming wildly from behind the door; there was a hammeringon the panels. The cries rang through the house, they reached theAsiatics in the vaults and the latter fled in terror into the night.
Something had happened, but what it was they did not care. They had onlythemselves to think of.
In spite of his strong nerves, Geoffrey shuddered. It was horrible to bealone in that grim house of tears, waiting in the darkness, opposed bygrim horrors and, above all, to have that note of agony ringing in hisears.
Would it never stop? Would the time to act never come? Geoffrey wouldhave interfered in spite of everything but for the fact that Ralph wasgripping his shoulder in a grasp that at any other time would have beenpainful.
Suddenly the noise ceased. There was a moan and the soft, crushing fallof a body. Ralph's face blazed up instantly.
"Now," he cried, "there is no time to be lost."
Geoffrey darted forward. He had the door opened in an instant. Mrs. Maylay still and white on the floor. The atmosphere of the room seemed tohave vanished. It was intolerable to breathe there; air there was none.
As the door fell back the room filled as with a sudden strong draught.Geoffrey dragged the unconscious figure into the corridor.
"Will she die?" he gasped.
"No, she will not die," Ralph said coolly. "Had I intended her to die Ishould not have allowed you to open the door. Pick her up and throw heron one of the beds in a spare room. She will require no attention, butshe will not attain consciousness for some hours. And, after that, shewill be useless for a day or two. You need not worry; our scheme isworking out splendidly. Pick her up."
Ralph indicated the still figure with brutal indifference. He would haveshown more consideration to a sick dog. Geoffrey complied, and presentlymade the woman as comfortable as circumstances allowed.
Geoffrey had hardly done so before there was a light footfall in thecorridor, and Tchigorsky appeared, still in disguise.
"I gather that things are well," he said. "Just now I met thatshe-devil's accomplices fleeing as if the Father of Lies was behindthem. She was trapped, eh?"
Ralph nodded and chuckled.
"In Geoffrey's room," he explained. "When she was testing her apparatusI had the key turned on her. And she could not get out. I let her remainthere as long as I considered it safe to do so, and her yells must havealarmed her
confederates. Probably they have fled, leaving thingsintact."
"Probably," said Tchigorsky. "I will go and see."
He was back again presently, a pleased expression on his face.
"Nothing has been touched," he said. "I have removed the wires, in caseof danger. We have the lady more or less under our thumb."
"What was she doing?" Geoffrey asked.
"It is an appliance for exhausting air," Tchigorsky explained. "You takea powder and place it on a hot plate. Directly it begins to burn itdraws up all the air. The thing has been known in the East for thousandsof years. Mrs. May applied electricity to give her greater scope. Aplate of the powder was to be heated in the room of everybody in thecastle when asleep.
"A few minutes and the thing is done. Then the wires are withdrawn andgradually the different rooms fill with air again. The burnt powderleaves no trace. Then you are all found dead in your beds and nobodyknows how it is done. The wires are easily drawn back to the battery andthe whole thing is destroyed."
Geoffrey shuddered.
"What a fiend!"