The Bond of Black

by William Le Queux

endeavoured to fathom the mystery, but have failed. That poorRoddy was murdered is absolutely certain."

  "You refused his love because of your affection for me, Aline!" Jackexclaimed, in a low, broken voice, for this discovery that sheworshipped the power which he held in greatest hatred had utterlycrushed and appalled him. Truly he had spoken the truth on that nightin Duddington when he had told me that the Devil had sent her into hislife to arrest the good deeds he was endeavouring to perform.

  "Yes," she answered, looking up into his dark, grave face with eyes fallof tears. "You know, Jack, that I have ever been true to you. I havebeen forced to act like this; compelled to commit a profanity which hashorrified me, and made to exercise the ingenious trickery which was bornof the fertile resources of this man beneath whose thrall I have beenheld."

  "It's a lie!" cried the hideous fellow who personified the Evil One.His very appearance caused us to shudder. "You are one of us--ourpriestess. Was it not you, yourself, who suggested to our brothers theSacrifice of the Cat?"

  "Yes," cried half a dozen voices, "it was Aline who suggested it."

  "At your instigation," she answered boldly. "You first broached thesubject and then induced me to suggest it. I've been your catspaw fromthe very moment we first met at Montgeron, and you took me to the Templeof Satan at Passy. From that day I have known not a moment's peace; thespirit of Satan has entered my soul, and I've existed in an awfultorment of mind, like that prepared for the wicked."

  CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE.

  CONCLUSION.

  The faces of that excited group seemed as demoniacal as the power theyhad worshipped, and about me I heard ominous words--words which causedme to grip my weapon resolutely. My arm was still around Muriel'swaist, for I saw that another attempt would probably be made upon her,so incensed were they that she should have betrayed them. The cult ofSatan worships in secret, hiding their infamous rites in undergroundtemples--as well they may--and the votaries of the Evil One are underoath not to divulge the whereabouts of the Devil's dwelling-place or thecharacter of their blasphemies and outrages, on penalty of death. Trulythis religion of darkness, springing as it has done from thedrawing-rooms of debased Paris, is a terrible and awful spectacle in ourpresent enlightened age.

  I glanced around. The doors were closed, and there were only two of usarmed, while the daggers used for the piercing of the sacred elementwere gleaming in several hands. They now numbered nearly a dozen toeach of us, and I knew that if we had to defend the two women we lovedwe should be compelled to fight desperately.

  "Forgive me!" implored Aline, looking into her lover's face. "I swearthat I have always loved you, and that I have been what you believed meto be, an honest woman. Tell me," she cried, falling again upon herknees before him. "Tell me, Jack, that you will forgive me, now thatyou know all."

  "I do not know all," he answered, in a hard voice. "You confess tohaving visited Morgan immediately before his death."

  "But I did not commit the crime!" she said wildly. "I am innocent--innocent!"

  Some jeering laughter greeted this terribly earnest protest. Thosearound, mostly better-class people, judging from their dress and speech,now took a keen delight in her disgrace and grief.

  "He was her lover, and she killed him when she knew that he had not diedat Monte Carlo!" somebody exclaimed. "She wanted to marry the parson."

  "It's untrue. I swear it is!" she cried. "We had flirted at MonteCarlo, but I had no thought beyond his friendship. When I left him onthat fatal morning we parted the best of friends. Not until next daydid I know of his strange death, then reported in the papers."

  At the moment Muriel, who had remained silent and motionless, as iflistening intently, suddenly disengaged herself from my embrace, andwalking boldly forward, exclaimed in a loud, firm voice--

  "Enough! The mystery of poor Roddy's death shall no longer cause yourestrangement from your lover, Aline. Listen!" Then turning to me, sheadded: "You will remember that once, about eighteen months ago, when Iwas having tea one Sunday at your rooms, Roddy called, and youintroduced us."

  "Yes," I cried, suddenly remembering. "I had always believed that youwere unacquainted, but I remember quite well now."

  "A few days later I met him in Oxford Street, and from that time we werefriends, although I saw but very little of him. One day, however, by aword I let drop, he suspected that I was connected with this terriblecult of Evil, and at once asked me to reveal some of its secrets,because he was about to ask a question in Parliament upon the subject,and wished to obtain reliable information. The asking of a questionupon such a subject would, he knew, cause a great sensation, and if notarmed with facts he must bring himself into ridicule. Well, I confessthat I told him something of the rites, and afterwards, at his urgentrequest, brought him here by the secret way through which I brought youto-night. Unfortunately, however, his presence was detected, and hisidentity established; although at the time I had no idea that such wasthe case."

  I noticed how the white-faced band of Satanists exchanged glances offear as they listened to her words spoken clearly and fearlessly. She,too, glanced round at them with a look of hatred and defiance.

  "The day on which he accompanied me here was," she continued, "threedays prior to his death. I was in the habit of meeting him at railwaystations of an evening and imparting to him various information until heknew almost as much of the ways and doings of the Diabolists as I didmyself. We had an arrangement by which, if he was unable to keep anappointment, his man should come and bring me a letter with a blanksheet of paper, by which I should know that to keep the appointment wasimpossible. We met at railway stations for two reasons: first, becausethe Satanists should not discover my dealings with this Member ofParliament who would, in a few days, startle England with hisstatements; and, secondly, because you, Clifton, should not call andfind me with your friend."

  "Extraordinary!" I ejaculated. "Then the note taken by Ash to theKing's Cross terminus was meant for you?"

  "Certainly," she responded. "I, however, mistook the hour of ourappointment, and having that day obtained information that the Satanistshad discovered that he had been present, I hastened to warn him of hisdanger. Too eager to wait and keep the appointment, and fearing lestharm should befall him, I went straight to his chambers, arriving, Isuppose, immediately after Aline had left. The door was ajar, sopushing it open I entered. There were strange sounds in thesitting-room, and in order to discover the reason of them I slippedbehind one of the bedroom doors to listen. Scarce, however, had I donethis when there were hurrying footsteps in the passage as a man wentout. I believed the footsteps to be yours, Clifton. Then when he haddescended the stairs I crept on into Roddy's room, but drew backhorrified a second later. I was too late. He was dying. I tried torouse him, but he clutched my dress so frantically that he tore it andheld a piece of black chiffon in his clenched hand. He had, I knew,been poisoned, and in the paroxysm his agony was frightful. Powerless,I stood beside him for a few moments until the last spark of life hadleft, then reproaching myself bitterly for my tardiness, I flew from thehouse, fearing lest suspicion should fall upon me. I was witness ofthat crime, and to ease my conscience I confessed to Mr Yelverton, thencurate at St Michael's, all that I knew, although being a member of theChurch, I made no mention of my association with the cult. He knew thetruth."

  "Then tell me who was the murderer?" I cried.

  "I believed the murderer to be my lover, Clifton Cleeve," she answered."But here, in this place, I overheard a confession, and discovered thatthe man who committed the cowardly crime in order to conceal theexistence of this cult of Evil is the same who, having ascertained thatI was witness of his crime and might denounce him, afterwards sought tosilence me also," she answered; and pointing to the man who personifiedSatan, added, "It is that man--Francis Vidit--the man under whose ironthraldom both Aline and myself have been compelled to commit theprofanity that has terrified us; the man whose heart is as black withwickedne
ss as that of the Evil One he now represents. He is themurderer of Roddy Morgan!"

  The villainous-looking fellow made a dash forward with a second knife inhis hand, but in an instant both Jack's revolver and my own were at hishead and he fell behind, flinching.

  "Hold back!" I cried. "Drop that knife this instant, or by Heaven!I'll put a bullet through you!"

  At that moment, while he stood glaring at me, Muriel placed something toher mouth and blew shrilly. It was a police whistle.

  In a second the door was burst open, and an inspector in uniform, adetective and several constables, sprang into the room, creating aconfusion utterly indescribable.