The Man with the Clubfoot

by Valentine Williams

  CHAPTER XVII

  FRANCIS TAKES UP THE NARRATIVE

  I saw the lights flash up in the room. I heard Desmond cry out:"Grundt;" Instantly I flung myself flat on my face in the flower bed,lest Desmond's shout might have alarmed the soldiers about the fire. Butno one came; the gardens remained dark and damp and silent, and I heardno sound from the room in which I knew my brother to be in the clutchesof that man.

  Desmond's cry pulled me together. It seemed to arouse me from thelethargy into which I had sunk during all those months of danger anddisappointment. It shook me into life. If I was to save him, not amoment was to be lost. Clubfoot would act swiftly, I knew. So must I.But first I must find out what the situation was, the meaning ofClubfoot's presence in Monica's house, of those soldiers in the park.And, above all, was Monica herself at the Castle?

  I had noticed a little estaminet place on the road, about a hundredyards before we reached the Schloss. I might, at least, be able to pickup something there. Accordingly, I stole across the garden, scaled thewall again and reached the road in safety.

  The estaminet was full of people, brutish-looking peasants swilling neatspirits, cattle drovers and the like. I stood up at the bar and ordereda double noggin of _Korn_--a raw spirit made in these parts frompotatoes, very potent but at least pure. A man in corduroys and leggingswas drinking at the bar, a bluff sort of chap, who readily entered intoconversation. A casual question of mine about the game conditionselicited from him the information that he was an under-keeper at theCastle. It was a busy time for them, he told me, as four big shoots hadbeen arranged. The first was to take place the next day. There wereplenty of birds, and he thought the Frau Graefin's guests ought to besatisfied.

  I asked him if there was a big party staying at the Castle. No, he toldme, only one gentleman besides the officer billeted there, but a lot ofpeople were coming over for the shoot the next day, the officers fromCleves and Goch, the Chief Magistrate from Cleves, and a number offarmers from round about.

  "I expect you will find the soldiers billeted at the Castle useful asbeaters," I enquired with a purpose.

  The man assented grudgingly. Gamekeepers are first-class grumblers. Butthe soldiers were not many. For his part he could do without themaltogether. They were such terrible poachers to have about the place, hedeclared. But what they would do for beaters without them, he didn'tknow ... they were very short of beaters ... that was a fact.

  "I am staying at Cleves," I said, "and I'm out of a job. I am not longfrom hospital, and they've discharged me from the army. I wouldn't mindearning a few marks as a beater, and I'd like to see the sport. I usedto do a bit of shooting myself down on the Rhine where I come from."

  The man shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. "That's none of mybusiness, getting the beaters together," he replied. "Besides, I shallhave the head gamekeeper after me if I go bringing strangers in...."

  I ordered another drink for both of us, and won the man round withoutmuch difficulty. He pouched my five mark note and announced that hewould manage it ... the Frau Graefin was to see some men who had offeredtheir services as beaters after dinner at the Castle that evening. Hewould take me along.

  Half an hour later I stood, as one of a group of shaggy and bedraggledrustics, in a big stone courtyard outside the main entrance to theCastle. The head gamekeeper mustered us with his eye and, bidding usfollow him, led the way under a vaulted gateway through a massive doorinto a small lobby which had apparently been built into the great hallof the Castle, for it opened right into it.

  We found ourselves in a splendid old feudal hall, oak-lined andoak-raftered, with lines of dusty banners just visible in the twilightreigning in the upper part of the vast place. The modern generation hadforborne to desecrate the fine old room with electric light, and massivesilver candlesticks shed a soft light on the table set at the far end ofthe hall, where dinner, apparently, was just at an end.

  Three people were sitting at the table, a woman at the head, who, evenbefore I had taken in the details I have just set down, I knew to beMonica, though her back was towards me. On one side of the table was abig, heavy man whom I recognized as Clubfoot, on the other side a paleslip of a lad in officer's uniform with only one arm ... Schmalz, nodoubt.

  A servant said something to Monica, who, asking permission of hercompanions by a gesture, left the table and came across the hall. To mysurprise, she was dressed in deepest black with linen cuffs. Her face waspale and set, and there was a look of fear and suffering in her eyesthat wrung my very heart.

  I had shuffled into the last place of the row in which the head keeperhad ranged us. Monica spoke a word or two to each of the men, whoshambled off in turn with low obeisances. Directly she stopped in frontof me I knew she had recognized me--I felt it rather, for she made nosign--though the time I had had in Germany had altered my appearance, Idare say, and I must have looked pretty rough with my three days' beardand muddy clothes.

  "Ah!" she said with all her languor _de grande dame_, "you are the manof whom Heinrich spoke. You have just come out of hospital, I think?"

  "Beg the Frau Graefin's pardon," I mumbled out in the thick patois of theRhine which I had learnt at Bonn, "I served with the Herr Graf inGalicia, and I thought maybe the Frau Graefin ..."

  She stopped me with a gesture.

  "Herr Doktor!" she called to the dinner-table.

  By Jove! this girl had grit: her pluck was splendid.

  Clubfoot came stumping over, all smiles after his food and smoking along cigar that smelt delicious.

  "Frau Graefin?" he queried, glancing at me.

  "This is a man who served under my husband in Galicia. He is ill and outof work, and wishes me to help him. I should wish, therefore, to see himin my sitting-room, if you will allow me...."

  "But, Frau Graefin, most certainly. There surely was no need ..."

  "Johann!" Monica called the servant I had seen before, "take this maninto the sitting-room!"

  The servant led the way across the hall into a snugly furnished librarywith a dainty writing-desk and pretty chintz curtains. Monica followedand sat down at the desk.

  "Now tell me what you wish to say ..." she began in German as the servantleft the room, but almost as soon as he had gone she was on her feet,clasping my hands.

  "Francis!" she whispered in English in a great sob, "oh, Francis! whathave they done to you to make you look like that?"

  I gripped her wrist tightly.

  "Frau Graefin," I said in German, still in that hideous patois, "you mustbe calm." And I whispered in English in her ear:

  "Monica, be brave! And talk German whatever you do."

  She regained her self-possession at once.

  "I understand," she answered, sitting down at her desk again; "it ismore prudent."

  And for the rest of the time we spoke in German.

  "Desmond?" I asked.

  "Locked up in Grundt's bedroom," she replied. "I met them pushing himalong the corridor--it was horrible! Grundt won't let him out of hissight. Oh, it was madness to have come. If only I could have warnedyou!"

  "What is Grundt doing here?" I asked. "And those soldiers and thatofficer?"

  "My dear," she answered, and her eyes flashed mischief in a suddenchange of mood, "I'm in preventive arrest!"

  "But, Monica...."

  "Listen! Gerry and that spying man-servant of his made trouble. When Deswent off that evening and didn't come back, Gerry insisted that weshould notify the police. He made an awful scene, then the valet chippedin, and from what he said I knew he meant mischief. I didn't dare trustGerry with the truth, so I let him send a note to the police. They cameround and asked a lot of questions and went away again, so I thoughtwe'd heard the last of it and came up here. Gerry wouldn't come. He'sgone off to Baden-Baden on some new cure.

  "About a week ago the Chief Magistrate at Cleves, who is an old friendof ours, motored over, and after a lot of talk, blurted out that I wasto consider myself under arrest, and that an officer and a detachment ofm
en from Goch were coming over to guard the house. The magistrate manwould have told me anything I wanted to know, but he knew nothing: hesimply carried out his orders. Then the lieutenant and his men arrived,and since that time I have been a prisoner in the house and grounds. Iwas terribly scared about Des until Grundt arrived suddenly, two nightsago, and I saw at once by his face that Des was still at large. But,Francis, that Clubfoot man came here to catch Des ... and he has simplywalked into the trap."

  "And Desmond?" I asked. "What is Clubfoot going to do about him?"

  "He was with Des for about an hour in his room, and I heard him tellSchmalz he would 'try again' after dinner. Oh, Francis, I am frightenedof that man ... not a word has he said to me about my knowingDesmond--not a word about my harbouring Des in Berlin ... but he knowseverything, and he watches me the whole time."

  I glanced through the open door into the hall. The candles still burnton the dinner-table, where Clubfoot and the officer sat conversing inlow tones.

  "I have been here long enough," I said. "But before I go, I want you toanswer one or two questions, Monica. Will you?"

  "Yes, Francis," she said, raising her eyes to mine.

  "What time is the shoot to-morrow?"

  "At ten o'clock."

  "Are Grundt and Schmalz going?"

  "Yes."

  "You too?"

  "Yes."

  "Could you get away back to the house by 12.30?"

  "Not alone. One of them is always with me out of doors."

  "Could you meet me alone anywhere outside at that time?"

  "There is a quarry outside a village called Quellenburg ... it is on theedge of our preserves ... just off the road. We ought to be as far asthat by twelve. If it is necessary, I will try and give them the slipand hide in one of the caves there. Then, when you came, if you whistledI could come out."

  "Good. That will do excellently. We will arrange it so. Now, anotherquestion ... how many soldiers have you here?"

  "Sixteen."

  "Are they all going beating?"

  "Oh, no! Only ten of them. The other six and the sergeant remainbehind."

  "Have you a car here?"

  "No, but Grundt has one."

  "How many servants will there be in the house to-morrow?"

  "Only Johann, the butler, and the maids ... a woman cook and two girls."

  "Can you contrive to have Johann out of the house between 10 and 12:30to-morrow morning?"

  "Yes, I can send him to Cleves with a note."

  "The maids too?"

  "Yes, the maids too."

  "Good. Now will you do one thing more--the hardest of all? I want youto send a message to Desmond. Can you arrange it?"

  "Tell me what your message is, and I may be able to answer you."

  "I want you to tell him that he must at all costs contrive to keepGrundt from going to that shoot to-morrow ... at any rate between tenand twelve. He must manage to let Grundt believe that he is going totell him where Grundt may find what he is after ... but he must keep himin suspense during those hours."

  "And after?"

  "There will be no after," I said.

  "I will see that Des gets your message," Monica replied, "for I willtake it myself."

  "No, Monica," I said, "I don't want..."

  "Francis," ...she spoke almost in a whisper ... "my life in this countryis over," ... and she touched her widow's weeds.... "Karl was killed atPredeal three weeks ago.... You know as well as I do that I am involvedin this affair as much as you and Des ... and I will share the risk ifonly you will take me away with you ... that is if you ..." Shefaltered.

  I heard the chairs scrape in the corner of the hall where thedinner-party was breaking up.

  "The Frau Graefin has only to command," I said. "The Frau Graefin knows Ihave been waiting for years...."

  Clubfoot was crossing towards the open door.

  "... I never expected to find the Frau Graefin so gracious.... I hadnever hoped that the Frau Graefin would be willing to do so much forme ... the Frau Graefin has made me very happy."

  Clubfoot stood on the threshold and listened to my halting speech.

  "You can bring your things in when you come to-morrow ..." Monica said."The keeper will tell you what time you must be here."

  Then she dismissed me, but as I went I heard her say:

  "Herr Doktor! Can I have a word with you?"