CHAPTER XVI
THE LAMP AND THE MASK
"10761," said Alden. "I wonder whose car that is."
None of the watchful trio had any idea. But whomever was within it, thesecond car performed exactly the same man[oe]uvres as the first, and, afew moments after its appearance, was lost to sight and hearing oncemore.
But a matter of seconds later, came the familiar _thud-thud-thud_; and athird car plunged up the hill and went swinging around the drive. Again,no one of the three was able to recognise the number. Out by the furthergate of the drive it passed, turned, and flashed by them in thedarkness, to go leaping down the slope.
"Three," said Alden. "I wonder if there's any more."
His tone was thoughtful.
"Say," began Mr. Oppner, "we'd better get on with it now, because----"
"I know," Alden interrupted, "there may be only one more to come? You'rethinking that, after all those expected have arrived, there'll betrouble in getting the door to open?"
"I was thinking that, too," said Martin. "Maybe they're all arrived asit is; but we stand a still worse chance if we wait."
"Come on," said Mr. Oppner, with a rising excitement evident in hisvoice. "We know there's one big fish in the net, anyway!"
_Thud-thud-thud!_
"There's another car coming," cried Alden. "Hurry up, Mr. Oppner! Thisway. Mind your head through this broken part. We'll be on the steps asthe car comes around the drive!"
They crept through the gap below and ran across the road, Oppner asactively as either of his companions. Already, the white beam of theheadlight was cutting-the gloom, below, where the road was heavilybordered with trees.
"Just in time!"
Past the gate they ran, and pattered on to the drive. Behind them, a bigcar was just spinning past the gate. As it came leaping along the driveAlden ran up the four stone steps to the door and jammed his thumb hardagainst the bell button.
At the same moment, Martin whistled shrilly, three times.
Whereupon affairs began to move in meteoric fashion.
Several people came bundling out of the car. From the gloom all about itthere sounded the scamper of hurrying feet.
The door was thrown open, and a blaze of light swept the steps.
Alden leapt over the threshold, pistol in hand, yelling at the sametime:
"Follow me, boys!"
Like the swoop of heated play to a goal burst a human wave upon thesteps. Oppner and Martin were swept irresistibly upward and inward. Theywere surrounded, penned in. Then:
"Break away, you goldarned idiot!" rose Alden's angry voice ahead.
The lights went out. The door slammed.
"Alden!" cried Mr. Oppner. "Alden!"
Someone pinioned him from behind.
"There's a mistake, you blamed ass!" he screamed. "I ain't one of 'em!Alden! Martin!"
A hand was pressed firmly over his mouth, and with veins swelling up andeyes starting from his head in impotent fury, Mr. Oppner was hustledforward through the darkness.
Around him a number of people seemed to be moving, and when he found hisfeet upon stairs, several unseen hands were outstretched to thrust himupward. The darkness was impenetrable.
Apparently the stair was uncarpeted, as likewise was the corridor alongwhich he presently found himself proceeding. The echo of many footstepsrang through the house. It sounded shell-like, empty. Then it seemed tohim that not so many were about him. He felt his revolver slide from hiship-pocket. He was pushed gently forward, and a door closed behind him.The sound of footsteps died away with that of whispering voices.
Came a sudden angry roar, muffled, distant, he thought in the voice ofAlden. It was stifled, cut off ere it had come to full crescendo, in avery significant manner. Silence, then, fell about him, the chillsilence of an empty house.
Cautiously he turned and felt for the door, which he knew to be closebehind him. He was obsessed by a childish, though not unnatural, fear offalling through some trap.
He touched the door-knob, turned it. As he had anticipated, the door waslocked. He wondered if there were any windows to this strangely darkapartment. With his fingers touching the wall, he crept slowly forward,halting at every other step to listen; but the night gave up no sound.
The tenth pace brought him to a corner. He turned off at right angles,still pursuing the wall, and came upon shutters, closely barred. Hepressed on, came to another corner; proceeded, another; and finallytouched the door-knob again.
This was a square room, apparently, and unfurnished. But what might notyawn for him in the middle of the floor? He remembered that the riverran at the end of the garden.
Pressing his ear to the door, he listened intently.
Without, absolutely nothing stirred. He drew a quick, sibilant breath,and turned, planting his back against the door and clenching his fists.
Suddenly it had been borne in upon his mind that something, someone, wasin the room with him!
Vainly he sought to peer through the darkness. His throat was parched.
A dim glow was born in the heart of the gloom. Scarce able to drawbreath, fearing what he might see, yet more greatly fearing to lookaway, even for an instant, Mr. Oppner stared and stared. His eyes ached.
Brighter became the glow, and proclaimed itself a ball of light. Itilluminated the face that was but a few inches removed from it. In themidst of that absolute darkness the effect was indescribably weird.Nothing for some moments was visible but just that ball of light and thedark face with the piercing eyes gleaming out from slits in a silk mask.
Then the ball became fully illuminated, and Oppner saw that it was someunfamiliar kind of lamp, and that it rested in a sort of metal tripodupon a plain deal table, otherwise absolutely bare.
Save for this table, the lamp, and a chair, the room was entirelyinnocent of furniture. Upon the chair, with his elbows resting on thetable, sat a man in evening dress. He was very dark, very well groomed,and seemingly very handsome; but the black silk half-mask effectuallydisguised him. His eyes were arresting. Mr. Oppner did not move, and hecould not look away.
For he knew that he stood in the presence of Severac Bablon.
The latter pushed something across the table in Oppner's direction.
"Your cheque-book," he said, "and a fountain pen."
Mr. Oppner gulped; did not stir, did not speak. Severac Bablon's voicewas vaguely familiar to him.
"You are the second richest man in the United States," he continued,"and the first in parsimony. I shall mulct you in one hundred thousandpounds!"
"You'll never get it!" rasped Oppner.
"No? Well let us weigh the possibilities, one against the other. Therehave been protests, from rival journals, against the _Gleaner's_acceptance of foreign money for British national purposes. This I hadanticipated, but such donations have had the effect of stimulating theBritish public. If the cheques already received, and your own, which youare about to draw, are not directly devoted to the purpose for whichthey are intended, I can guarantee that you shall not be humiliated bytheir return!"
"Ah!" sighed Oppner.
"The _Gleaner_ newspaper has made all arrangements with an importantEnglish firm to construct several air vessels. The materials and theworkmanship will be British throughout, and the vessels will be placedat the disposal of the authorities. The source of the _Gleaner's_ fundthus becomes immaterial. But, in recognition of the subscribers, thevessels will be named 'Oppner I.,' 'Oppner II.,' 'Hague I.,' etc."
"Yep?"
"At some future time we may understand one another better, Mr. Oppner.For the present I shall make no overtures. I have no desire unduly tomystify you, however. The men whom Mr. Martin of Pinkerton's, foundsurrounding this house were not the men from Sullivan's Agency, butfriends of my own. Sullivans were informed at the last moment that theraid had been abandoned. The car, again, which you observed, is my own.I caused it to be driven to and fro between here and Richmond Bridge foryour especial amusement, altering the number on each occasi
on. Finally,any outcry you may care to raise will pass unnoticed, as The Cedars hasbeen leased for the purpose of a private establishment for the care ofmental cases."
"You're holding me to ransom?"
"In a sense. But you would not remain here. I should remove you to asafer place. My car is waiting."
"You can't hold me for ever." Mr. Oppner was gathering courage. Thisinterview was so very businesslike, so dissimilar from the methods ofAmerican brigandage, that his keen, commercial instincts were coming tothe surface. "Any time I get out I can tell the truth and demand mymoney back."
"It is so. But on the day that you act in that manner, within an hourfrom the time, your New York mansion will be burned to a shell, withoutloss of life, but with destruction of property considerably exceeding invalue the amount of your donation to the _Gleaner_ fund. I may add thatI shall continue to force your expenditures in this way, Mr. Oppner,until such time as I bring you to see the falsity of your views. On thatday we shall become friends."
"Ah!"
"You may wonder why I have gone to the trouble to make a captive of you,here, when by means of such a menace alone I might have achieved myobject; I reply that you possess that stubborn type of disposition whichonly succumbs to _force majeure_. Your letter to the _Gleaner_explaining your views respecting the Dominion, and proposing that anair-vessel be christened 'The Canada,' is here, typed; you have only tosign it. The future, immediate, and distant is entirely in your ownhands, Mr. Oppner. You will remain my guest until I have your cheque andyour signature to this letter. You will always be open to sudden demandsupon your capital, from me, so long as you continue, by your wrongfulemployment of the power of wealth, to blacken the Jewish name. For it isbecause you are a Jew that I require these things of you."