The Slave of Silence

by Fred M. White

  CHAPTER XXX

  Meanwhile, absolutely unconscious of the dangers that were rapidlyclosing around her, Beatrice took her way to Wandsworth. Richford hadbeen ingenious enough to see that Beatrice would go down by rail, as shehad very little money to spare, so that if they desired it, the twoconspirators could have got there before her. But there was no occasionfor that, seeing that Beatrice had the treasure in her pocket andSartoris was none the wiser.

  Richford would have gone far at that moment to spite Sartoris. He hadtried to play the latter false over the scheme that they had in handtogether, and Sartoris had found him out. The latter made it a rulenever to trust anybody, and he had been suspicious of Richford from thefirst. He had known exactly how Richford's affairs stood, he had seenthat a sudden blow dealt at him now would pull the whole structure downand ruin it for ever. And without the smallest feeling in the matter,Sartoris had done this thing. But for him Richford could have pulledaround again, as Sartoris had been aware.

  But Sartoris had had enough of his ally and in this way he got rid ofhim altogether. Richford dared not show his face again; he would have toleave the country and never return. Sartoris chuckled to himself as hethought of this.

  He was on extremely good terms with himself when Beatrice called. Shehad not given the letter from Berrington very much consideration, thoughshe was a little surprised at the address. Doubtless the matter hadsomething to do with her father, the girl thought. The mystery of thatstrange disappearance was getting on her nerves sadly.

  Rather timidly the girl knocked at the door of the gloomy looking house,which was opened after a pause by a little man in an invalid chair.Beatrice looked at him in surprise. She gained some courage from a quickglance at the hall with its electric lights and fine pictures and themagnificent flowers in pots and vases everywhere. It seemed to Beatricethat only a woman could be responsible for this good taste, and she tookheart accordingly. No desperate characters could occupy a house likethis, she told herself, and in any case a helpless little man in a chaircould not prove a formidable antagonist.

  "I hope I have not made any mistake," she said. "If this is 100, AudleyPlace----"

  "This is 100, Audley Place, Mrs. Richford," the little man said. "Willyou be so good as to come this way and shut the door? I have beenexpecting you."

  "It was a letter that I received from my friend, Colonel Berrington,"Beatrice said. "He asked me to call and see him here. I hope he is notill."

  "I have not noticed any signs of illness," Sartoris said drily. "I haveno doubt that the Colonel had very good reasons for asking you to comehere, in fact he did so to oblige me. The Colonel is out at present. Heis staying with me, being fond of the air of the place. I dare say hewill be back before you go."

  Beatrice nodded in bewildered fashion. In some vague way it seemed toher that her host was making fun of her, there was just a faintsuggestion of mockery in his tones. Was there any plot against her onfoot, Beatrice wondered. But nobody could possibly know of the diamondsin her pocket; besides, she had received the letter before she hadthought of removing those diamonds from the custody of the hotel people.Again, as to the genuineness of Berrington's letter she did notentertain the shadow of a doubt. Nobody, not even an expert, couldsucceed in making a successful forgery of the dashing hand-writing ofBerrington.

  "If you will come this way," Sartoris said quietly, "we shall be morecomfortable. As the evening is by no means warm you will perhaps notobject to the temperature of my room. If you are fond of flowers, youmay admire it."

  A little cry of admiration broke from Beatrice at the sight of theconservatory room. She had forgotten all her fears for the moment.Gradually she let the atmosphere of the place steal over her. She foundthat she was replying to a lot of searching questions as to her past andthe past of her father, Sir Charles. No, she had no papers, nor did sheknow where to find those keys. She wondered what this man was drivingat.

  "I knew your father very well at one time," he said. "I saw a great dealof him in India. In fact he and I were in more than one expeditiontogether."

  "What year was that?" Beatrice asked quite innocently.

  To her surprise Sartoris gave signs of irritation and anger. He turnedit off a moment later by an allusion to neuralgia, but Beatrice was notquite satisfied. Why did this man want the key of a certain desk, andwhy did he require a bundle of papers in a blue envelope therefrom?Beatrice resolved to be on her guard.

  "I will do what I can for you," she said. "If you can come and see me."

  "I am afraid that is impossible," said Sartoris, who had lapsed into hisbland manner once more. "I am sensitive of people's remarks and all thatkind of thing. I dare say you will think that I am morbidlyself-conscious, but then I have not always been a cripple. I was asstraight as yourself once. Fancy a little crooked figure like me in ahansom cab!"

  Beatrice started violently. The words had recalled a painful time toher. She recollected now with vivid force that on the night of SirCharles's disappearance a little crooked man in a hansom cab had beenthe directing party in the outrage.

  The girl's instinct had led her swiftly to the truth. She felt, as sureas if she had been told, that this man before her was at the bottom ofthis business. She knew that she stood face to face with the man who hadstolen the body of Sir Charles Darryll. For a moment Beatrice foughthard with the feeling that she was going to faint. Her eyes dilated andshe looked across at the man opposite. He was lying back in his chairfeasting his eyes upon her beauty, so that the subtle change in thegirl's face was not lost upon him.

  "I seem to have alarmed you about something," he said. "What was it?Surely the spectacle of a crooked little man like me in a hansom cab isnot so dreadful as all that. And yet those words must have touched upona chord somewhere."

  "It--it recalled my father to me," Beatrice stammered. "The police foundcertain things out. They discovered the night my father disappeared thatoutside the hotel was a black hansom cab with a man inside who was acripple."

  "You don't mean to say that!" Sartoris cried.

  In his turn he had almost betrayed himself. He could have cursed himselfaloud now. As it was, he forced an unsteady smile to his lips.

  "I mean to say that the police are very clever at that kind of thing,"he went on. "But surely you would not possibly identify me or my remarkwith the monster in question! There are a great many people in this bigLondon of ours who would answer to that description. Now tell me, didthe police find anything more out?"

  The question was eager, despite the fact that Sartoris imparted a laughinto it. But Beatrice was not to be drawn any further. She feltabsolutely certain of the fact that she was talking to the real culpritwho was picking her brain so that he could get to the bottom of what thepolice had discovered, with an eye to the future.

  "Really, I don't know," the girl said coldly. "That is all that Ioverheard. The police I find are very close over these matters, and inany case they do not usually choose a woman as their confidant. You hadbetter ask Colonel Berrington."

  It was an unfortunate remark in more senses than one. Beatrice did notquite realize how quick and clever was the man to whom she was talking.If his instinct had told him much his cleverness told him more.Berrington was in the confidence of the police. And Sartoris hadimagined that the soldier was working out the problem on his own behalf.He had counted, too, on Berrington's affection for Mary to do as littleharm as possible.

  "I'll ask the Colonel," he said between his teeth. "Oh, yes, I willcertainly do that. What are you looking at so closely?"

  Beatrice had risen to her feet in her eagerness. She pointed to twocabinet photographs.

  "Those people," she stammered. "Why, I know them. They call themselvesCountess de la Moray and General Gastang. They were staying at the_Royal Palace Hotel_ the night of the tragedy. They pretended to know meand all about me. I am quite sure that they are actors in disguise. Butseeing that you know them----"

  Sartoris turned away his face for a moment, so that Beatrice s
hould notsee its evil expression. He cursed himself for his inane folly. But hewas quick to rise to the situation.

  "A very strange thing," he said. "As a matter of fact, I don't knowthose people. But some friends of mine in Paris were their victims somelittle time ago, and they were anxious that the police here should bewarned, as the precious pair had fled to England. Perhaps they wereproud of this guise, perhaps their vanity impelled them, but they hadthose photographs taken and my friends got copies and sent them to me.They only arrived to-day or they would not be here. They will go toScotland Yard in the morning."

  Beatrice inclined her head coldly. She knew the whole thing was a quickand ready lie, and she could not for the life of her pretend to believeit. She buttoned her jacket about her and stood up.

  "I will not detain you any longer," she said. "If I can find what youdesire I will let you know. I can find my own way to the door."

  "Wait till Berrington returns," Sartoris urged. "He will not be long. Heis not in the house yet, but he will be sorry he has missed you."

  Beatrice stood before the glass putting her hat on straight. She couldsee over her shoulder in the direction of the door, and there in thegloom with his finger to his lips stood Berrington. There was just asuggestion of surprise in his eyes, surprise and annoyance, but the lookwhich he passed the girl was a command to keep herself well in hand. Themere fact that help was so near gave her a new courage. She smiled asshe turned to Sartoris.

  "Well, I am afraid that I must be going," she said. "Please tell theColonel when he comes in that I am sorry to have missed him. He willunderstand that."

  There was the faint click of a key in the front door, and two peoplecame noisily into the room. They were a young and handsome man and anequally young and handsome woman, well dressed, smartly groomed, andwell bred. And yet, though they were strangers to Beatrice, they were atthe same time curiously familiar. The girl was trying to recall whereshe had seen them both before.

  "We are rather late," the man said with a wink at Sartoris. "Businessdetained us. Yes, we are also rather hungry, having had no dinner tospeak of. Hullo, I say, look here. Do you mean to say that you are foolenough to keep our photographs in our very last disguise?"

  Something like an oath broke from Sartoris as he glanced at Beatrice.The girl could not control herself for the moment; she could not hidefrom Sartoris and the others that she knew now that she was in thepresence of Countess de la Moray and General Gastang in their properperson.

  "Those are not your photographs at all," Sartoris croaked. "As a matterof fact I only got them from Paris to-day. If you will----"

  The speaker paused as Beatrice was stepping towards the door. All ofthem realised that she knew everything. Sartoris made a sign and the manReggie stood between Beatrice and the door.