CHAPTER V
A RAY OF LIGHT
A sense of expectation, an uneasy feeling of momentous events about tohappen, hung over the doomed Ravenspurs. For once, Marion appeared tofeel the strain. Her face was pale, and, though she strove hard toregain the old gentle gaiety, her eyes were red and swollen withweeping.
All through breakfast she watched Ravenspur in strange fascination. Heseemed to have obtained some kind of hold over her. Yet nothing could bemore patient, dull, and stolid than the way in which he proceeded withthe meal. He appeared to dwell in an unseen world of his own; thestirring events of the previous night had left no impression on himwhatever.
For the most part, they were a sad and silent party. The terror thatwalked by night and day was stealing closer to them; it was coming in anew and still more dreadful form. Accident or the intervention ofProvidence had averted a dire tragedy; but it would come again.
Ravenspur made light of the matter. He spoke of the danger as somethingpast. Yet it was impossible wholly to conceal the agitation that filledhim. He saw Marion's pale, sympathetic face; he saw the heavy tears inVera's eyes, and a dreadful sense of his absolute impotence came uponhim.
"Let us forget it," he said almost cheerfully. "Let us think no more ofthe matter. No doubt, science can explain this new mystery."
The speaker's sightless eyes were turned upwards; he seemed to bethinking aloud rather than addressing the company generally. Marionturned as if something had stung her.
"Uncle Ralph knows something that he conceals from us," she cried.
Ralph smiled. Yet he had the air of one who is displeased with himself.
"I know many things that are mercifully concealed from pure natures likeyours," he said. "But as to what happened last night I am as much in thedark as any of you. Ah, if I were not blind!"
A strained silence followed. One by one the company rose until the roomwas deserted, save for Ralph Ravenspur and his nephew Geoffrey. Thehandsome lad's face was pale, his lips quivered.
"I am dreadfully disappointed, uncle," he observed.
"Meaning from your tone that you are disappointed with me, Geoff. Why?"
"Because you spoke at first as if you understood things. And then youprofessed to be as ignorant as the rest of us. Oh, it is awful! I--Iwould not care so much if I were less fond of Vera than I am. I loveher; I love her with my whole heart and soul. If you could only see thebeauty of her face you would understand.
"And yet when she kisses me good-night I am never sure that it is notfor the last time. I feel that I must wake up presently to find that allis an evil dream. And we can do nothing, nothing, nothing but wait andtremble and--die."
Ralph had no reply; indeed there was no reply to this passionateoutburst. The blind man rose from the table and groped his way to thedoor with those long hands that seemed to be always feeling forsomething like the tentacles of an octopus.
"Come with me to your grandfather's room," he said. "I want you to lendme your eyes for a time."
Geoffrey followed willingly. The bed room was exactly as Ravenspur hadquitted it, for as yet the housemaid had not been there.
"Now look round you carefully," said Ralph. "Look for something out ofthe common. It may be a piece of rag, a scrap of paper, a spot ofgrease, or a dab of some foreign substance on the carpet. Is there afire laid here?"
"No," Geoffrey replied. "The grate is a large open one. I will see whatI can find."
The young fellow searched minutely. For some time no reward awaited hispains. Then his eyes fell upon the hearthstone.
"I can only see one little thing," he said.
"In a business like this, there are no such matters as little things,"Ralph replied. "A clue that might stand on a pin's point often leads togreat results. Tell me what it is that attracts your attention."
"A bronze stain on the hearthstone. It is about the size of the palm ofone's hand. It looks very like a piece of glue dabbed down."
"Take a knife and scrape it up," said Ralph. He spoke slowly andevidently under excitement well repressed. "Wrap it in your handkerchiefand give it to me. Has the stuff any particular smell?"
"Yes," said Geoffrey. "It has a sickly sweet odor. I am sure that Inever smelt anything like it before."
"Probably not. There, I have no further need of your services, and Iknow that Vera is waiting for you. One word before you go--you are notto say a single word to a soul about this matter; not a single soul,mind. And now I do not propose to detain you any longer."
Geoffrey retired with a puzzled air. When the echo of his footsteps haddied away, Ralph rose and crept out upon the leads. He was shiveringwith excitement; there was a look of eager expectation, almost oftriumph, on his face.
He felt his way along the leads until he came to a group of chimneys,about the center one of which he fumbled with his hands for some time.
Then the look of triumph on his face grew more marked and stronger.
"Assurance doubly sure," he whispered. His voice croaked hoarsely withexcitement. "If I had only somebody here whom I could trust! If I toldanybody here whom I suspected they would rise like one person, and hurlme into the moat. And I can do no more than suspect. Patience, patience,and yet patience."
From the terrace came the sound of fresh young voices. They were thoseof Vera and Geoffrey talking almost gaily as they turned their stepstoward the granite cliffs. For the nerves of youth are elastic and theythrow off the strain easily.
They walked along side by side until they came to the cliffs. Here therugged ramparts rose high with jagged indentations and rough hollows.There were deep cups and fissures in the rocks where a regiment ofsoldiers might lie securely hidden. For miles the gorse was flushed withits golden glory.
"Let us sit down and forget our troubles," said Geoffrey. "How restfulthe time if we could sail away in a ship, Vera, away to the ends of theearth, where we could hide ourselves from this cruel vendetta and be atpeace. What use is the Ravenspur property to us when we are doomed todie?"
Vera shuddered slightly and the exquisite face grew pale.
"They might spare us," she said plaintively. "We are young and we havedone no harm to anybody. And yet I have not lost all faith. I feelcertain that Heaven above us will not permit this hideous slaughter tocontinue."
She laid her trembling fingers in Geoffrey's hand, and he drew her closeto him and kissed her.
"It seems hard to look into your face and doubt it, dearest," he said."Even the fiend who pursues us would hesitate to destroy you. But Idare not, I must not, think of that. If you are taken away I do not wantto live."
"Nor I either, Geoff. Oh, my feelings are similar to yours!"
The dark violet eyes filled with tears, the fresh breeze from the searuffled Vera's fair hair and carried her sailor hat away up the cliff.It rested, perched upon a gorse bush overhanging one of the ravines orcups in the rock. As Geoffrey ran to fetch the hat he looked over.
A strange sight met his astonished gaze. The hollow might have been asmall stone quarry at some time. Now it was lined with grass and moss,and in the center of the cup, which had no fissure or passage of anykind, two men were seated bending down over a small shell or gourdplaced on a fire of sticks.
In ordinary circumstances there would have been nothing strange in this,for the sight of peripatetic hawkers and tinkers along the cliffs wasnot unusual.
But these men did not belong to that class. They were tall and spare;they were clad in dingy robes; on their heads were turbans of the samesad color. They were dark of feature, with thin faces and ragged beards.In appearance they were singularly alike; indeed, they might have beentwin brothers some time past the prime of life.
From the shell on the ground a thick vapor was rising. The smell of itfloated on the air to Geoffrey's nostrils. He reeled back almost sickand faint with the perfume and the discovery he had made. For thatinfernal stuff had exactly the same smell as the pungent drug which hadcome so near to destroying the life of Rupert Ravenspur only a few hours
before.
Here was something to set the blood tingling in the veins and the pulsesleaping with a mad excitement. From over the top of the gorse Geoffreywatched with all his eyes. He saw the smoke gradually die away; he sawa small mass taken from the gourd and carefully stowed away in a metalbox. Then the fire was kicked out and all traces of it were obliterated.
Geoffrey crept back again to Vera, trembling from head to foot. He hadmade up his mind what to do. He would say nothing of this strangediscovery to Vera; he would keep it for Ralph Ravenspur's ears alone.Ralph had been in foreign parts and might understand the enigma.
Meanwhile it became necessary to get out of the Asiatics' way. It wasnot prudent for them to know that a Ravenspur was so close. Vera lookedinto Geoffrey's face, wondering.
"How pale you are!" she said. "And how long you have been!"
"Come and let us walk," said Geoffrey. "I--I twisted my ankle on a stoneand it gave me a twinge or two. It's all right now. Shall we see if wecan get as far as Sprawl Point and back before luncheon?"
Vera rose to the challenge. She rather prided herself on her powers as awalker. The exercise caused her to glow and tingle, and all the way itnever occurred to her how silent and abstracted Geoffrey had become.