The Hundredth Chance

by Ethel M. Dell

  CHAPTER XIX

  THE OUTER DARKNESS

  Something was waking her. Someone seemed to be knocking on the outerdoor of her brain. She came back to consciousness as one returning froma far, far journey that yet had occupied but a very brief space of time.An inner sense of urgency awoke and responded to that outer knocking.As through a maze of disconnected impressions she heard a voice.

  "I give you ten seconds, my lord," it said. "Just--ten--seconds!"

  The words were absolutely quiet, they sounded almost suave; but thedeadly determination of them smote upon her like the call of a trumpet.She started up.

  The next instant she was staring about her in utter bewilderment. Shewas lying on a deep couch in a room she had never seen before, astrange, conical chamber, oak-panelled, lighted by a domed skylight. Itwas furnished with bizarre Eastern luxury. The couch on which she laywas a nest of tiger-skins.

  But she saw these details but vaguely. That voice she had heard hadmade all else of no importance. It had spoken close to her, but it wasnot in the room with her, and she could not for the moment tell whenceit had come. She could only listen with caught breath for more, listenwith starting eyes fixed on the stuffed skin of a cobra poised on asmall table near as if ready to strike. She even fancied for a momentthat the thing was alive, and then realized with a passing relief thatit had been converted into the stem of a reading-lamp.

  Again the voice came. It was counting slowly, with the utmostregularity.

  But it was not allowed to continue. Saltash's voice; quick andimperious, broke in upon it. "Be quiet, you damn' fool! If you murderme, you'll only be sorry afterwards. I have told you I don't know whereshe is."

  "You have told me a lie, my lord." Grim as fate came the answer, andfollowing it a movement that turned her sick with fear.

  She sprang to her feet with a wild cry. "Jake! Jake! I am here!Jake,--come to me!"

  She threw herself against the panelling of the wall in a frenzy ofterror, and beat upon it fiercely, frantically. There was a door behindher, but instinct warned her that it did not lead whither she desired togo. It was through the panelling that those sinister words had reachedher.

  But it resisted her wild efforts. She beat in vain. "Oh, Jake!" shecried again, and broke into agonized sobbing. "Jake, where are you?"

  And then she heard his voice again, short this time and commanding."Let her out, my lord! The game is up."

  "Trust a woman to give it away!" said Saltash, and laughed a cold, hardlaugh.

  The panelling against which she stood suddenly yielded, slid back. Shefound herself standing on the threshold of the music-room, close to oneof the carved fireplaces. And there, face to face with her, one handthrust deep into his breeches-pocket, stood her husband, stood Jake.All her life she was to remember the look he wore.

  Saltash was nearer still, but she scarcely saw him. She went past him,sobbing, inarticulate, unnerved. She stretched out trembling,beseeching hands to the man in whose eyes she read the lust of murder.She cried aloud to him in her agony!

  "Come away! Oh, come away! Be merciful this once--only this once!Jake! Jake!"

  She reached him, she clung to him; she would have knelt to him. But hethrust his left arm around her, forcibly holding her up.

  He did not speak to her, did not, she believed, so much as look at her.His eyes were fixed with a terrible intensity upon the man beyond her.His attitude was strained and unyielding. The untamed ferocity of thewilds was in every line of him, in every tense muscle. Ruthlessness,lawlessness, savagery unshackled, fiercely eager, beat in every pulse,every sinew of his frame. She felt as if she were holding back afurious animal from his prey, as if at any moment he would burst free,and rend and tear till the demon that possessed him was satisfied.

  But she clung to him faster and faster, seeking to pinion the murderousright hand that was thrust so deeply away out of her reach. She heardanother laugh from Saltash, but she did not dare to turn. And then camea sound like the click of a spring-trap.

  The tension went suddenly out of Jake. He relaxed and with a certaincowboy roughness took his hand from his pocket and grasped her by theshoulders. His eyes came from beyond her, and looked straight intohers. And she knew without turning her head that her own hour ofreckoning had come. They were alone.

  For many, many seconds he looked at her so with a red-hot glow in hiseyes that seemed as though it would burn its way to her most secretsoul. She endured it with a desperate courage. If he had caught her bythe throat she would not have flinched. But his hold, though insistent,was without violence. And at last very, very slowly he let her go.

  "I guess that ends it," he said.

  "What do you mean?" Through quivering lips she asked the question. Shefelt as if an icy wind had suddenly caught her. She was cold from headto foot.

  He made a slight gesture as of one indicating the obvious, and turnedaway. She saw his square figure moving away from her, and a terriblefear went through her. Her very heart felt frozen within her. Shetried to speak, to utter his name; but her throat only workedspasmodically, making no sound.

  He reached the door, opened it, and then--as if he could not help it--helooked back at her. And in that moment with frantic effort she burstthe bonds that held her. She threw out her arms in wild entreaty.

  "Jake!" she gasped. "Jake! Don't--don't leave me!"

  He stopped, but he did not return. There was a curious look on hisface. He seemed to stand irresolute.

  She began to move towards him, but found herself trembling too much towalk. She tottered to the mantel-piece for support. But she stilllooked towards him, still tremulously entreated him.

  "Jake, you--you don't understand! You never will understand if youleave me now. I'm going under--I'm going under! Jake,--save me!"

  She bowed her head suddenly upon her hands, and stood quivering. Shehad made her last piteous effort to escape from the toils that held her.Nothing but a miracle could save her now. Nothing but the power of thatlove that dieth not.

  Seconds passed. She thought that he had gone, had abandoned her to herfate, left her to the mercy of a man who would compass her ruin. Andshe wondered in her agony if she could muster sufficient strength toflee from that evil place and snatch her own deliverance down on thedark, lonely shore, where no one could ever drag her back again.

  And then very suddenly a hand touched her, closed upon her arm. It wasas if a current of electricity ran through her. She turned with a greatstart.

  Jake's eyes, very level, quite inscrutable, looked straight into hers."I guess we'll be getting along home," he said.

  His hand urged her steadily, indomitably. He led her speechless fromthe room, supporting her when she faltered, but never hesitating orsuffering her to pause.

  They came out at the top of the great, branching staircase. The hallbelow them was lighted only by the soft glow that surrounded Saltash'sfavourite statue. The hand that held Maud's arm tightened to a grip.They went down the stairs together, and passed the tragic figure by.

  As they moved down the long hall, a man stepped suddenly out from behindthe statue, and looked after them with eyes that shone derisively. Hedid not utter a word, and his movements were without sound.

  Neither of the two was aware of his presence. Only as they paused atthe outer door, Maud glanced back and saw the arc of light about thestatue vanish.

  She uttered a quick exclamation, for it was as if the marble itself hadcome to life and fled from her gaze. And then she was aware of Jake'shands fastening her waterproof about her, and she forgot all but herlonging to escape--to escape.

  A few seconds more, and she heard the heavy door shut behind them. Shewas out in the gathering darkness with Jake, and the rain was beating inher face.

  It was then that her weakness came back to her, a sense of terribleexhaustion that gave her the feeling of dragging heavy chains. Shefought against it des
perately, dreading every instant lest he shouldmisinterpret her dragging steps and leave her. An overwhelmingdrowsiness was creeping over her, numbing all her facilities. Shestruggled to fling it off, but could not. It crowded upon her like anevil dream. She staggered, stumbled, almost fell.

  Jake stopped. "Reckon you're tired," he said.

  She answered him with a rush of tears. "I can't help it! Really, Ican't help it! I--I believe I must be ill."

  She tried to cling to his supporting arm, but her hands slipped weaklyaway. She felt herself sinking, sinking into a black sea of oblivion,and knew it was futile to struggle any longer.

  Yet a vague sense of comfort came to her with the consciousness of hisarms tightening around her. She gave herself to him like a tired child.She even feebly thanked him as he lifted her.

  And then for a long, long space she knew nothing. Billows and billowsof unfathomable nothingness were over her, under her, all about her.Sometimes her drugged brain stirred as if about to register animpression, but no actual impression reached it. The things of earthhad faded utterly away. She was as one vaguely floating in a nebulouscloud through which now and then, now and then, a dim star shone for amoment and then went out.

  After a time even this slender link was snapped. She went into a deeperdarkness, and there for awhile her troubled wanderings were stayed. Sheslept as she had never slept before. It was as if for a long, longspace she ceased to be....

  Out of the silence at last came a fearful dream. Out of a greatemptiness she entered another world, a world of demon shapes and demonvoices, of faces that jeered and vanished, a world of terrible, outerdarkness, in which she seemed to be bereft of all things, to stand as itwere naked and alone. She dreamed that the statue had come to lifeindeed, and behold, it was herself! In horror unutterable, in shamethat was agony she went her appointed way,--a fallen woman who couldnever rise again.

  And ever a voice within seemed urging her to soar, to soar; but shecould not. Wings had been given her, but she could not use them. Onewing had been broken, how she knew not. Perhaps it was in beatingagainst the bars of a cage. Some such struggle hovered vaguely in hermemory, but all struggling was over now. All hope of escape was dead.

  Again the demon-faces came all about her, demon-hands clutched at her,pulling her down. And every face was the face of Charlie Burchester,every hand wore the ring which twice over he had given to her. Andstill she heard his laugh, that cruel, bitter laugh with which he hadleft her alone in the music-room with Jake.

  At last she knew that she cried aloud to die, but instantly she realizedthe futility of her prayer. There was no God to hear her in this awfulplace. And there was no Death.

  Yet it was then that it seemed to her that a door was opened somewherevery far above her, and a gracious breath of purity came down. Crushedas she was, over-whelmed with evil, grossly besmirched and degraded, itcame to her like a puff of morning wind from the clean, open spaces ofthe earth. She turned her face upwards. She gasped and opened her eyes.

  And then all in a moment the dreadful vision passed away from her, andshe saw Jake's face gazing, gazing into hers.