CHAPTER XXIV
A SUBTLE PLAN
It was now a serious matter of thought to me how I could take Marjoryinto proper confidence, without spoiling things and betraying Adams'sconfidence. As I pondered, the conviction grew upon me that I had betterbe quite frank with her and ask her advice. Accordingly when I sawher at Crom at noon I entered on the matter, though I confess withtrepidation. When I told her I wanted to ask her advice she was allattention. I felt particularly nervous as I began:
"Marjory, when a man is in a hole he ought to consult his best friend;oughtn't he?"
"Why certainly!"
"And you are my best friend; are you not?"
"I hope so! I should certainly like to be."
"Well, look here, dear, I am in such a tangle that I can't find a wayout, and I want you to help me." She must have guessed at something likethe cause of my difficulty, for a faint smile passed over her face asshe said:
"The old trouble? Sam Adams's diplomacy, eh?"
"It is this. I want to know how you think I should act so as to giveleast pain to a very dear friend of mine, and at the same time do a veryimperative duty. You may see a way out that I don't."
"Drive on dear; I'm listening."
"Since we met I have had some very disturbing information from a sourcewhich I am not at liberty to mention. I can tell you all about this,though you must not ask me how I know it. But first there is somethingelse. I believe, though I do not know for certain, that your secret isblown; that the detectives have discovered where you live." She sat upat once.
"What!" I went on quickly:
"And I am sorry to say that if it is discovered it has been through me;though not by any act or indeed by any fault of mine." She laid her handon mine and said reassuringly:
"If you are in it, I can look at it differently. May I ask how you cameinto that gallery?"
"Certainly! I am not pledged as to this. It was by the most simple andtransparent of means. You and I were seen together. They did not knowwhere to look for you or follow you up, when they had lost the scent;but they knew me and watched me. Voila!"
"That's simple enough anyhow!" was her only comment. After a while sheasked:
"Do you know how far they have got in their search?"
"I do not; I only know that they expected to find where you lived twodays ago. I suppose they have found it out by this."
"Sam Adams is getting too clever. They will be making him President, orAlderman or something, if he doesn't look out. But do you know yet whyall this trouble is being taken about me."
"I can tell you," I answered "but you must not tell any one, for itwould not do for the sake of others if it got about. There is a plan gotup by a gang of blackmailers to kidnap you for a ransom." She jumped upwith excitement and began to clap her hands.
"Oh, that is too delicious!" she said. "Tell me all you know of it. Wemay be able to lead them on a bit. It will be an awful lark!" I couldnot possibly share her mirth; the matter was really too grave. She sawmy feeling in my face and stopped. She thought for a minute or two withher brows wrinkled and then she said:
"Are you really serious, Archie, as to any danger in the matter?"
"My dear, there is always danger in a conspiracy of base men. We haveto fear, for we don't know the power or numbers of the conspiracy. Wehave no idea of their method of working, or where or how we may expectattack. The whole thing is a mystery to us. Doubtless it will only comefrom one point; but we must be ready to repel, all round the compass."
"But, look here, it is only danger."
"The danger is to you; if it were to me, I think I could laugh myself.But, my darling, remember that it is out of my love for you that my fearcomes. If you were nothing to me, I could, I suppose, bear it easilyenough. You have taken new responsibilities on you, Marjory, since youlet a man love you. His heart is before you to walk on; so you have totread carefully."
"I can avoid treading on it, can't I?" she said falling into the vein ofmetaphor. "Surely, if there is anything in the world that by instinct Icould know is in danger, it would be your heart!"
"Ah, my dear, it does not stay still. It will keep rolling along withyou wherever you go; hopping back and forward and sideways in everyconceivable way. You must now and again tread on it for all your care;in the dark or in the light."
"I had no idea," she said "that I had taken such a responsibility on myshoulders when I said I would marry you."
"It is not the marrying" I said "but the loving that makes thetrouble!"
"I see!" she replied and was silent for a while. Then she turned to meand said very sweetly:
"Anyhow Archie, whatever we may settle about what we are to do, I amglad you came to consult me and to tell me frankly of your trouble. Dothis always, my dear. It will be best for you, and best for me too, tofeel that you trust me. You have given me a pleasure to-day that isbeyond words."
Then we spoke of other things, and we agreed to wait till the next daybefore arranging any fixed plan of action. Before I went away, andwhilst the sentiment of parting was still on her, she said to me--and Icould see that the thought had been in her mind for some time:
"Archie, you and I are to live together as man and wife. Is it notso? I think we both want to be as nearly one as a man and a woman canbe--flesh of each other's flesh, and bone of bone, and soul of soul.Don't you think we shall become this better by being joined, us two,against all comers. We have known each other only a short time as yet.What we have seen of each other has been good enough to make us clingtogether for life. But, my dear, what has been, has been only thewishing to cling; the clinging must be the struggle that is to follow.Be one with me in this fight. It is my fight, I feel, begun before Iever knew you. When your fight comes, and I can see you have it beforeyou with regard to that treasure, you will know that you can count onme. It may be only a fancy of mine, but the comradeship of pioneers,when the men and women had to fight together against a common foe,runs in my blood! Let me feel, before I give myself altogether to yourkeeping, or you to mine, that there is something of this comradeshipbetween us; it will make love doubly dear!"
What could a man in love say to this? It seemed like the very essence ofmarried love, and was doubly dear to me on that account. Pledged by mykisses I came away, feeling as if I had in truth left my wife behind.
When I got back to Cruden I took up the matter of the treasure whilst Iwas waiting for news from Adams. In the stir of the events of the lastfew days I had almost forgotten it. I read the papers over again, asI wished to keep myself familiar with the facts; I also went over thecipher, for I did not wish to get stale in it. As I laboured through it,all Marjory's sweetness to me on that day of the ride from Braemar cameback to me; and as I read I found myself unconsciously drumming out thesymbols on the table with the fingers of my right hand and my left afterthe fashion of Marjory's variant. When I was through, I sat pondering,and all sorts of new variants kept rising before me in that kind oflinked succession when the mind runs free in day-dreaming and one ideabrings up another. I was not altogether easy, for I was now alwaysexpecting some letter or telegram of a disconcerting kind; anxietyhad become an habitual factor in my working imagination. All sorts ofpossibilities kept arising before me, mostly with reference to Marjory.I was glad that already we understood in common one method of secretcommunication; and I determined then and there that when I went over toCrom on the next day I would bring the papers with me, and that Marjoryand I would renew our lesson, and practice till we were quite familiarwith the cipher.
Just then a message was brought to me that a gentleman wished to seeme, so I asked the maid to bring him up. I do not think that I wasaltogether surprised to find that he was one of the three men whom I hadseen at Cruden before. He handed me in silence a letter which I found tobe from Adams. I read it with a sinking heart. In it he told me that itwas now ascertained that two members of the blackmail gang had come toEngland. They had been seen to land at Dover, but got out between thereand London; and their t
race was lost. He said he wished to advise me atonce, so that I might be on the alert. He would himself take his ownsteps as I understood. The messenger, when he saw I had read the letter,asked me if there was any answer. I said "only thanks" and he went away.It was not till afterwards that I remembered that I might have asked theman to tell me something of the appearance of the suspected men, so thatI might know them if I should come across them. Once again I fell in myown esteem as a competent detective. In the meantime I could do nothing;Marjory's last appeal to me made it impossible for me to take stepsagainst her wishes. She manifestly wanted the fight with the kidnappersto go on; and she wanted me to be with her in it heart and soul.Although this community of purpose was sweet, there grew out of our veryisolation a new source of danger, a never-ending series of dangers. Thecomplications were growing such that it would soon be difficult to takeany step at all with any prospect of utility. Marjory would now bewatched with all the power and purpose of the American Secret Service.That she would before long infallibly find it out, and that she would insuch case endeavour at all hazards to escape from it, was apparent. Ifshe did escape from their secret surveillance, she would be playing intothe hands of her enemies; and so might incur new danger. I began toexercise my brain as to how I could best help her wishes. If we were tofight together and alone, we would at least make as good a battle as wecould.
I thought, and thought, and thought till my head began to spin; and thenan idea all at once sprang into my view. It was so simple, and so muchin accord with my wishes; so delightful, that I almost shouted out withjoy.
I did not lose a minute, but hurried a change of clothes into a bag andcaught the train for Aberdeen _en route_ for London.
I did not lose any time. Next morning I was in London and went with mysolicitor to Doctor's Commons. There I got a license of the Archbishopof Canterbury entitling Archibald Hunter and Marjory Anita Drake to bemarried anywhere in England--there being no similar license in Scotland.I returned at once, stopping at Carlisle to make arrangements with alocal clergyman to be ready to perform a marriage service at eighto'clock of the second morning.