Chapter 11.
"That is an uncommonly pretty trading schooner, Bertha," FrankMallett said, as he rose from his chair to get a better look at acraft that was passing along to the eastward. "I suppose she mustbe in the fruit trade, and must just have arrived from the Levant.I should not be surprised if she had been a yacht at one time. Sheis not carrying much sail, but she is going along fast. I thinkthey would have done better if they had rigged her as afore-and-aft schooner instead of putting those heavy yards on theforemast. That broad band of white round her spoils her appearance;her jib boom is unusually long, and she must carry a tremendousspread of canvas in light winds. I should think that she must befull up to the hatches, for she is very low in the water for atrader."
The Osprey was lying in the outside tier of yachts off Cowes. Theparty that had been on board her for the regatta had broken up aweek before, and only Lady Greendale and Bertha remained on board.The former had not been well for some days, and had had her maiddown from town as soon as the cabins were empty. It had beenproposed, indeed, that she and Bertha should return to town, but,being unwilling to cut short the girl's pleasure, she said that sheshould do better on board than in London; and, moreover, she didnot feel equal to travelling. She was attended by a doctor inCowes, and the Osprey only took short sails each day, generallydown to the Needles and back, or out to the Nab.
"Yes, she is a nice-looking boat," Bertha agreed, "and if her sailswere white and her ropes neat and trim, she would look like ayacht, except for those big yards."
"Her skipper must be a lubber to have the ropes hanging about likethat. Of course, he may have had bad weather in crossing the bay,but if he had any pride in the craft, he might at least have gother into a good deal better trim while coming in from the Needles.Still, all that could be remedied in an hour's work, and certainlyshe is as pretty a trader as ever I saw. How did your mother seemthis afternoon, Bertha?"
"About the same, I think. I don't feel at all anxious about her,because I have often seen her like this before. I think really,Frank, that she is quite well enough to go up to town; but sheknows that I am enjoying myself so much that she does not like totake me away. I have no doubt that she will find herself better bySaturday, when, you know, we arranged some time back that we wouldgo up. You won't be long before you come, will you?"
"Certainly not. Directly you have landed I shall take the Osprey toGosport, and lay her up there. I need not stop to see that done. Ican trust Hawkins to see her stripped and everything taken onshore; and, of course, the people at the yard are responsible forhauling her up. I shall probably be in town the same evening; but,if you like, and think that your mother is only stopping for you,we will go across to Southampton at once."
"Oh, no, I am sure that she would not like that; and I don't wantto lose my last three days here. Of course, when we get home at theend of next week, and you are settled down there, too, you will bea great deal over at Greendale, but it won't be as it is here."
"Not by a long way. However, we shall be able to look forward tothe spring, Bertha, when I shall have you all to myself on board,and we shall go on a long cruise together; though I do think thatit is ridiculous that I should have to wait until then."
"Not at all ridiculous, sir. You say that you are perfectlyhappy--and everyone says that an engagement is the happiest time inone's life--and besides, it is partly your own fault; you have mademe so fond of the Osprey that I have quite made up my mind thatnothing could possibly be so nice as to spend our honeymoon onboard her, and to go where we like, and to do as we like, withoutbeing bothered by meeting people one does not care for. And,besides, if you should get tired of my company, we might ask JackHarley and Amy to come to us for a month or so."
"I don't think that it will be necessary for us to do that," helaughed. "Starting as we shall in the middle of March, we shan'tfind it too hot in the Mediterranean before we turn our headhomewards; and I think we shall find plenty to amuse us betweenGibraltar and Jaffa."
"No, three months won't be too much, Frank. Tomorrow is the dinnerat the clubhouse, isn't it?"
"Yes. I should be sorry to miss that, for having only been justelected a member of the Squadron, I should like to put in anappearance at the first set dinner."
"Of course, Frank. I certainly should not like you to miss it."
The next evening Frank went ashore to dine at the club. An hour anda half later a yacht's boat came off.
"I have a note for Miss Greendale," the man in the stern said, asshe came alongside; "I am to give it to her myself."
Bertha was summoned, and, much surprised, came on deck.
The man handed up the note to her. She took it into the companion,where a light was burning; her name and that of the yacht were instraggling handwriting that she scarcely recognised as Frank's.
She tore it open.
"My Darling: I have had a nasty accident, having been knocked downjust as I landed. I am at present at Dr. Maddison's. I wish youwould come ashore at once. It is nothing very serious, but if youdid not see me you might think that it was. Don't agitate yourmother, but bring Anna with you. The boat that brings this notewill take you ashore."
Bertha gave a little gasp, and then summoning up her courage, randown into the cabin.
"Mamma, dear, you must spare me and Anna for half an hour. I havejust had a note from Frank. He has been knocked down and hurt. Hesays that it is nothing very serious, and he only writes to me tocome ashore so that I can assure myself. I won't stop more than aquarter of an hour. If I find that he is worse than I expect, Iwill send Anna off to you with a message."
Scarcely listening to what her mother said in reply, she ran intoher cabin, told Anna to put on her hat and shawl to go ashore withher, and in a minute descended to the boat with her maid. It was afour-oared gig, and the helmsman had taken his place in the sternbehind them.
Bertha sat cold and still without speaking. She was sure that Frankmust be more seriously hurt than he had said, or he would have hadhimself taken off to the yacht instead of to the surgeon's. Theshaky and almost illegible handwriting showed the difficulty hemust have had in holding the pencil.
The boat made its way through the fleet till it reached the shallowwater which they had to cross on their way to the shore. Here, withthe exception of a few small craft, the water was clear of yachts.
Suddenly the long line of lights along the shore disappeared, andsomething thick, heavy and soft fell over Bertha's head. An arm wasthrown round her, and Anna pressed tightly against her. In vain shestruggled. There was a faint, strange smell, and she lostconsciousness.
An hour passed without her return to the yacht, and Lady Greendalebegan to fear that she had found Frank too ill to leave, and hadforgotten to send Anna back with the message. At last she touchedthe bell.
"Will you tell the captain that I want to speak to him?"
"Captain," she said. "I am much alarmed about Major Mallett. Thatboat that came off here an hour ago brought a note for my daughter,saying that he had been hurt, and she went ashore with her maid tosee him. She said that she would be back in a short time, and thatif she found that he was badly hurt she would send her maid backwith a message to me. She has been gone for more than an hour, andI wish you would take a boat and go ashore, find out how the Majoris, and bring me back word at once. He is at Dr. Maddison's. Youknow the house."
The skipper hurried away with a serious face. A little more than aminute after he had left the cabin Lady Greendale heard the rattleof the blocks of the falls. The boat was little more than half anhour away. Lady Greendale, in her anxiety, had told the steward tolet her know when it was coming alongside, and went up on deck toget the news as quickly as possible.
"It is a rum affair altogether, my lady," Hawkins said, as hestepped on deck. "I went to the doctor's, and he has seen nothingwhatever of the Major, and Miss Greendale and her maid have notbeen to his house at all."
Lady Greendale stood for a moment speechless with surprise andconsternation.
&nb
sp; "This is most extraordinary," she said at last. "What can it mean?You are sure that there is no mistake, captain? It was to Dr.Maddison's house she went."
"Yes, my lady, there ain't no mistake about that. I have been thereto fetch medicine for you two or three times. Besides, I saw thedoctor myself."
"Major Mallett must have been taken to some other doctor's," shesaid, "and must have made a mistake and put in the name of Dr.Maddison. His house is some little distance from the club. Theremay be another doctor's nearer. What is to be done?"
"I am sure I do not know, my lady," the captain said, inperplexity.
"Where can my daughter and her maid be?" Lady Greendale went on."They went ashore to go to Dr. Maddison's."
"Perhaps, my lady, they might have heard as they went ashore thatthe Major was somewhere else, or some messenger might have beenwaiting at the landing stage to take them there direct."
"That must be it, I suppose; but it is all very strange. I thinkthe best thing, captain, will be for you to go to the club. Theyare sure to know there about the accident, and where he is. Yousee, the landing stage is close to the club, and he might have beenjust going in when he was knocked down--by a carriage, I suppose."
"Like enough he is at the club still, my lady. At any rate, I willgo there in the first place and find out. There is sure to be acrowd about the gates listening to the music--they have got a bandover from Newport--so that if they do not know anything at theclub, there are sure to be some people outside who saw theaccident, and will know where the Major was taken. Anyhow, I won'tcome back without news."
Even to Lady Greendale, anxious and alarmed as she was, it did notseem long before the steward came down with the news that the boatwas just alongside. This time she was too agitated to go up. Sheheard someone come running down the companion, and a moment later,to her astonishment, Frank Mallett himself came in. He looked paleand excited.
"What is all this, Lady Greendale?" he exclaimed. "The skippertells me that a letter came here saying that I had been hurt andtaken to Dr. Maddison's, and that Bertha and her maid went off atonce, and have not returned, though it is more than two hours sincethey went. I have not been hurt. I wrote no letter to Bertha, butwas at dinner at the club when the skipper came for me. What is itall about?"
"I don't know, Frank. I cannot even think," Lady Greendale said inan agitated voice. "What can it all mean and where can Bertha be?"and she burst into tears.
"I don't know. I can't think," Frank said, slowly.
He stood silent for a minute or two, and then went on.
"I cannot suggest anything. I will go ashore at once. The watermanat our landing stage must have noticed if two ladies got out there.He could hardly have helped doing so, for it would be curious,their coming ashore alone after dark. Then I will go to the otherlanding places and ask there. There are always boys hanging aboutto earn a few pence by taking care of boats. I will be back as soonas I can."
The boat was still alongside, and the men stretched to their oars.Th a very few minutes they were at the club landing stage. Thewaterman here declared that no ladies whatever, unaccompanied bygentlemen, had landed after dark.
"I must have seen them, sir," he said, "for you see I go down tohelp out every party that arrives here. They must have gone to oneof the other landing places."
But at neither of these could he obtain any information. There wereseveral boys at each of them who had been there for hours, and theywere unanimous in declaring that no ladies had landed there afterdark at all. He then walked up and down between the watch house andthe club.
He had, when he landed, intended to go to the police office as soonas he had inquired at the landing stages--the natural impulse of anEnglishman who has suffered loss or wrong--but the more he thoughtit over the more inexpedient did such a course seem to him. It washighly improbable--indeed, it seemed to him impossible--that theycould do more than he had in the matter. The passage of two ladiesthrough the crowded streets would scarcely have attracted theattention of anyone, and any idea of violence being used was out ofthe question. If they had landed, which he now regarded as veryimprobable, they must have at least gone willingly to the placewhere they believed they should find him, and unless every house inCowes was searched from top to bottom there was no chance offinding them, carefully hidden away as they would be. He could notsee, therefore, that the police could at present be of any utilitywhatever. It might be necessary finally to obtain the aid of thepolice, but in that case it was Scotland Yard and not Cowes thatthe matter must be laid before; and even this should be only a lastresort, for above all things it was necessary for Bertha's sakethat the matter should be kept a profound secret, and, once in thehands of the police, it would be in all the papers the next day. Ifthe aid of detectives was to be called in, it would be far betterto put it into the hands of a private detective.
Having made up his mind upon this point, he returned to the yacht.
"I am sorry to say that I have no news," he said to Lady Greendale,who was lying on the couch, worn out with weeping. "I haveascertained almost beyond doubt that they did not land at the clubstage or either of the other two landing places."
"What can it be?" she sobbed. "What can have become of them?"
"I am afraid there is little doubt that they have been carriedoff," he replied. "I can see no other possible solution of it."
"But who can have done such a thing?"
"Ah! that is another matter. I have been thinking it over and over,and there is only one man that I know capable of such a dastardlyaction. At present I won't mention his name, even to you; but Iwill soon be on his track. Do not give way, Lady Greendale; even heis not capable of injuring her, and no doubt she will be restoredto you safe and sound. But we shall need patience. Ah! there is aboat coming alongside."
He ran up on deck. It proved, however, to be only a shore boat,bringing off George Lechmere, who, having met a comrade in thetown, had asked leave to spend the evening with him. He was, ofcourse, ignorant of all that had happened since he had left, andFrank told him.
"I have no doubt whatever that she has been carried off," he said,"and there is only one man who could have done it."
"That villain, Carthew," George Lechmere exclaimed.
"Yes, he is the man I suspect, George. I heard this evening that hehad been hit tremendously hard on the turf at Goodwood. He wouldthink that if he could force Miss Greendale to marry him it wouldretrieve his fortune, and would, moreover, satisfy his vindictivespirit for the manner in which she had rejected him, and inaddition give him another triumph over me."
"That is it, sir. I have no doubt that that is it. But his yacht isnot here--at least I have not seen her."
"No, I am sure that she is not here; but I believe, for all that,that Miss Greendale must have been taken on board a yacht. Theynever would have dared to land her in Cowes. Of course, I madeinquiries as a matter of form at the landing places, but as sheknew the way to Dr. Maddison's, and as the streets were full ofpeople at the time she landed, they could never have attempted touse violence, especially as she had her maid with her. On the otherhand, it would have been comparatively easy to manage it in thecase of a yacht. They had but to row alongside, to seize and gagthem before they had time to utter a cry, and then to carry thembelow. The Phantom is not here--at any rate, was not here thisafternoon, but there is no reason why Carthew should not havechartered a yacht for the purpose. Ask the skipper to come aft."
"Captain," he said, when Hawkins came aft, "what men went ashorethis afternoon?"
"Harris and Williams and Marvel, sir. They went ashore in thedinghy, and Harris went to the doctor's for that medicine."
"Ask them to come here."
"Did anyone speak to you, Harris," he went on, as the three mencame aft, "while you were ashore today?--I mean anyone that you didnot know."
"No, sir," the man said, promptly. "Leastwise, the only chap thatspoke to me was a gent as was standing on the steps by the watchhouse as I went down to the boat, and he on
ly says to me, 'Inoticed you go in to Dr. Maddison's, my man. There is nothing thematter with my friend, Major Mallett, I hope.'
"'No, sir,' says I, 'he is all right. I was just getting a bottleof medicine for an old lady on board.'
"That was all that passed between us."
"Thank you, Harris. That is just what I wanted to know."
After the men had gone forward again, he said to the captain:
"I have a strong conviction, Hawkins, indeed I am almost certain,that Miss Greendale has been carried off to one of the yachts here,but whether it is a large one or a small one I have not theslightest idea. The question is, what is to be done? It is pasteleven now, and it is impossible to go round the fleet and makeenquiries. Besides, the craft may have made off already. They wouldhave been sure to have placed her in the outside tier, so as to getup anchor as soon as they had Miss Greendale on board."
"We might get out the boats, sir, and lie off and see if any yachtsset sail," the skipper suggested.
"That would be of no use, Hawkins. You could not stop them. Even ifyou hailed to know what yacht it was, they might give you a falsename.
"One thing I have been thinking of that can be done. I wish, in thefirst place, that you would ask all the men if anyone has noticedamong the yacht sailors in the streets one with the name of thePhantom on his jersey. Some of them may have been paid off, for shehas not been raced since Ryde. In any case, I want two of the mento go ashore, the first thing in the morning, and hang about allday, if necessary, in hopes of finding one of the Phantom's crew.If they do find one, bring him off at once, and tell him that hewill be well paid for his trouble.
"By the way, you may as well ask Harris what the gentleman was likewho spoke to him at the landing place."
He walked slowly backwards and forwards with George Lechmere,without exchanging a word, until in five minutes Hawkins returned.
"It was a clean-shaven man who spoke to Harris, sir; he judged himto be about forty. He wore a sort of yachting dress, and he wasrather short and thin. About the other matter Rawlins says that henoticed when he was ashore yesterday two of the Phantom's menstrolling about. Being a Cowes man himself, he knew them both, butas they were not alone he just passed the time of day and went onwithout stopping."
"Does he know where they live? I don't think it at all likely theywould be on leave now, or that he would find either of them at hometomorrow morning; but it is possible that he might do so. At anyrate it is worth trying. It is curious that two of them should behere when we have seen nothing of the Phantom since the race forthe cup, unless, of course, her owner has laid her up, which ishardly likely. If she had been anywhere about here she would haveentered for the race yesterday."
"I will send Rawlins and one of the other Cowes men ashore at sixo'clock, Major. If they don't meet the men, they are safe to beable to find out where they live."
"And tell them and the others, Hawkins, that on no account whateveris a word to be said on shore as to the disappearance of MissGreendale. It is of great importance that no one should obtain theslightest hint of what has taken place."
When the captain had again gone forward, Frank went down, and withsome difficulty persuaded Lady Greendale to go to bed.
"We can do nothing more tonight," he said. "You may well imaginethat if I saw the least chance of doing any good I should not bestanding here, but nothing can be done till morning."
Having seen her to her stateroom, he returned to the deck, where hehad told George Lechmere to wait for him.
"It is enough to drive one mad, George," he said, as he joined him;"to think that somewhere among all those yachts Miss Greendale maybe held a prisoner."
"I can quite understand that, Major, by what I feel myself. I haveseen so much of Miss Greendale, and she has always been so kind tome, knowing that you considered that I had saved your life, andknowing about that other thing, that I feel as if I could doanything for her. And I feel it all the more because it is thescoundrel I owed such a deep debt to before. But I hardly thinkthat she can be on board one of the yachts here."
"I feel convinced that she is not, George. They could hardly keepher gagged all this time, and at night a scream would be heardthough the skylights were closed."
"No, sir; if she was put on board here I feel sure that they wouldhave got up sail at once."
"That is just what I feel. Likely enough they had the mainsailalready up and the chain short, and directly the boat was up at thedavits they would have got up the anchor and been off. They may betwenty miles away by this time; though whether east or west one hasno means of even guessing. The wind is nearly due north, and theymay have gone either way, or have made for Cherbourg or Havre. Itdepends partly upon her size. If she is a small craft, they can'tget far beyond that range. If she is a large one, she may have goneanywhere. The worst of it is that unless we can get some clue as toher size we can do absolutely nothing. A good many yachts went offtoday both east and west, and by the end of the week the wholefleet will be scattered, and even if we do get the size of theyacht, I don't see that we can do anything unless we can get hername too.
"If we could do that, we could act at once. I should run up totown, lay the case before the authorities at Scotland Yard, and getthem to telegraph to every port in the kingdom, that upon herputting in there the vessel was at once to be searched for twoladies who were believed to have been forcibly carried away inher."
"And have those on board arrested, I suppose, Major?"
"Well, that would have to be thought over, George. Carthew couldnot be brought to punishment without the whole affair being madepublic. That is the thing above all others to be avoided."
"Yes, I see that, sir; and yet it seems hard that he should go offunpunished again."
"He would not go unpunished, you may be sure," Frank said, grimly;"for if the fellow ever showed his face in London again, I wouldthrash him to within an inch of his life. However, sure as I feel,it is possible that I am mistaken. Miss Greendale is known to be anonly daughter, and an heiress, and some other impecunious scamp mayhave conceived the idea of making a bold stroke for her fortune. Itis not likely, but it is possible."
Until morning broke, the two men paced the deck together. Scarcelya word was spoken. Frank was in vain endeavouring to think whatcourse had best be taken, if the search for the men of the phantomturned out unavailing. George was brooding over the old wrong hehad suffered, and longing to avenge that and the present one.
"Thank God, the night is over," Frank said at last; "and I havethoroughly tired myself. I have thought until I am stupid. Now Iwill lie down on one of the sofas, and perhaps I may forget it allfor a few hours."
Sleep, however, did not come to him, and at seven o'clock he was ondeck again.
"The men went ashore at six, sir," the skipper said. "I expect theywill be back again before long."
Ten minutes later the dinghy came out between two yachts ahead.
"Rawlins is not on board," the skipper said, as they came close. "Itold him to send off the instant they got any news whatever. Thatis Simpson in the stern."
"Well, Simpson, what news?" Frank asked as she rowed alongside.
"Well, sir, we have found out as how all the Phantom's crew areashore. Some of the chaps told us that they came back a fortnightago, the crew having been paid off. Rawlins said that I'd bettercome off and tell you that. He has gone off to look one of them up,and bring him off in a shore boat. He knows where he lives, and Iexpect we shall have him alongside in a few minutes."
"Do you think that is good news or bad, sir?" George Lechmereasked.
"I think that it is bad rather than good," Frank said. "Before, itseemed to me that, whatever the craft was in which she was carriedaway, she would probably be transferred to the Phantom, which mightbe lying in Portland or in Dover, or be cruising outside theisland, and if I had heard nothing of the Phantom I should havesearched for her. However, I suppose that the scoundrel thoughtthat he could not trust a crew of Cowes men to take part in abusin
ess like this. But we shall know more when Rawlins comes off."
In half an hour the shore boat came alongside with Rawlins and asailor with a Phantom jersey on.
"So you have all been paid off, my lad?" Frank said to the sailoras he stepped on deck.
"Yes sir. It all came sudden like. We had expected that she wouldbe out for another month, at least. However, as each man got amonth's pay, we had nothing to grumble about; although it did seemstrange that even the skipper should not have had a hint of whatMr. Carthew intended, till he called him into his cabin and paidhim his money."
"And where is she laid up?"
"Well, sir, she is at Ostend. I don't know whether she is going tobe hauled up there, or only dismantled and left to float in thedock. The governor told the skipper that he thought he might go tothe Mediterranean in December, but that till then he should not beable to use her. It seemed a rum thing leaving her out thereinstead of having her hauled up at Southampton or Gosport, andspecially that he should not have kept two or three of us on boardin charge. But, of course, that was his affair. Mr. Carthew israther a difficult gentleman to please, and very changeable-like.We had all made sure that we were going to race here after winningthe Cup at Ryde; and, indeed, after the race he said as much to theskipper."
"Has he anyone with him?" Frank asked.
"Only one gentleman, sir. I don't know what his name was."
"What was he like?"
"He was a smallish man, and thin, and didn't wear no hair on hisface."
"Thank you. Here is a sovereign for your trouble.
"That is something, at any rate, George," he went on, as the manwas rowed away. "The whole proceeding is a very strange one, andyou see the description of the man with Carthew exactly answers tothat of the man who found out from the boat's crew that Dr.Maddison was attending Lady Greendale; and now you see that it isquite possible that the Phantom is somewhere near, or was somewherenear yesterday afternoon. Carthew may have hired a foreign crew,and sailed in her a couple of days after her own crew came over; orhe may have hired another craft either abroad or here. At any rate,there is something to do. I will go up to town by the midday train,and then down to Dover, and cross to Ostend tonight."
"Begging your pardon, Major, could not you telegraph to the harbourmaster at Ostend, asking if the Phantom is there?"
"I might do that, George, but if I go over there I may pick up someclue. I may find out what hotel he stopped at after the crew hadleft, and if so, whether he crossed to England or left by a trainfor France. There is no saying what information I may light on. Youstay on board here. You can be of no use to me on the journey, andmay be of use here. I will telegraph to you from Ostend. Possibly Imay want the yacht to sail at once to Dover to meet me there, oryou may have to go up to town to do something for me.
"Now I must go down and tell Lady Greendale as much as isnecessary. It will, of course, be the best thing for her to go upto town with me, but if she is not well enough for that, of courseshe must stay on board."
Lady Greendale had just come into the saloon when he went down.
"I think I have got a clue--a very faint one," he said. "I am goingup to town at once to follow it up. How are you feeling, LadyGreendale?"
"I have a terrible headache, but that is nothing. Of course, I willgo up with you."
"But do you feel equal to it?"
"Oh, yes, quite," she said, feverishly. "What is your clue, Frank?"
"Well, it concerns the yacht in which I believe Bertha has beencarried off. At any rate, I feel so certain as to who had a hand init, that I have no hesitation in telling you that it was Carthew."
"Mr. Carthew! Impossible, Frank. He always seemed to me aparticularly pleasant and gentlemanly man."
"He might seem that, but I happen to know other things about him.He is an unmitigated scoundrel. Of course, not a word must be saidabout it, Lady Greendale. You see that for Bertha's sake we mustwork quietly. It would never do for the matter to get into thepapers."
"It would be too dreadful, Frank. I do think that it would kill me.I will trust it in your hands altogether. I have only one comfortin this dreadful affair, and that is that Bertha has Anna withher."
"That is certainly a great comfort; and it is something in theman's favour that when he enticed her from the yacht with thatforged letter he suggested that she should bring her maid."