course, I expected this honour,because, after the way Fotheringay sprang at me in the auction market, Icertainly got the impression he had no particular friendliness for meleft--but--"
"But that is precisely what we have come about," interposed the earleagerly. "Those three old manuscripts which we made so terrific a fightover--"
My lips closed, and a new look of resolution came into my face.
"I see," I replied. "Then, as it is a matter of business, I beg youtell me what you desire in a plain, business-like fashion."
There was an awkward pause; and then Lord Cyril began: "I understand,Mr Glynn," he said in his most seductive tones, "from no less anauthority than the earl here, that you have been retained to getpossession of three historical documents that were found among theeffects of a certain dead refugee priest who called himself AlphonseCalasanctius. Now, are you aware to what those deeds relate?"
I nodded, and the two men exchanged a quick look of intelligence. "Thatbeing so," proceeded Lord Cuthbertson, "you will doubtless realise howimportant it is that His Majesty's Government, and not an enemy of thiscountry, should obtain possession of them."
"Quite," I returned, determining to meet the statesman's strategy withdiplomacy as far-reaching as his own.
"And may I take it that you are prepared, as far as lies in your power,to assist His Majesty's Government in this direction?"
"That is hardly necessary," I said, with a smile. "I have not got thedocuments at all. They are in the hands of a man with whom I am butlittle acquainted--Mr Zouche. Wouldn't it be better if pressure wereplaced on him?"
"I can hardly agree in that," said the Foreign Secretary softly, and Isaw I had countered but not defeated him. "In the first place, MrZouche is not an English subject, like yourself. He is Spanish, withall the absurd notions of the average Spaniard as to the future gloriesand magnificence of Spain. In the second place, he and Lord Fotheringayhave had this very point over between them, and the hunchback hasabsolutely refused to assist us or the earl, who really put him on thetrack of the documents, and who is now trying, in vain, unfortunately,to frighten him out of them."
"In other words," I remarked sternly, "Lord Fotheringay first of allthrew in his lot with the hunchback, who went off with the plunder, andwon't divide it. Thereupon he bethought himself of his patriotism, andhas said to you: `Here is a matter of the honour and fair fame andfortune of England. Come, let us sink all our personal greed anddifferences and recover those deeds in the name and for the sake of ourcommon brotherhood of kin and blood.' My lord, it won't answer with me.When I wanted help Fotheringay would not raise a finger for me, butrather studied how he could throw me back. Now he's in trouble, let himget out of it; but let him be a man over it, and don't let him bleatabout the needs of England when he really means his own greed."
"There's a good deal in what you say," remarked Lord Cuthbertson, "butnot everything. Bear with me a minute, and I will explain. I have nodoubt you are under the impression that when Fotheringay went to Mexicohe went simply because he'd got a lot of spare cash, and wanted achange, and to bag some big game. As a matter of fact, he had nothought of the sort. He went as a special and a private spy of theForeign Office; and his business was, under the harmless guise of anenthusiastic sportsman, to investigate certain rumours we had heard asto the discovery of these Jesuit plans of the sacred Lake of Treasurewhich really belongs to England. Well, he did so, and so cleverly didhe manage that he penetrated the very monastery in which they werehidden, and he got at the very prior of the Order--a member of which hadheld them in his possession. A certain bargain was struck between theprior and himself, but before the Foreign Office could send the big sumof money required to ratify it this Father Alphonse Calasanctius ranaway with the documents to England, but was, we have reason to believe,poisoned on his arrival by some compatriot or relative who knew nothingof the value of the manuscripts, and thought only of the forced sale ofthe goods which you and the earl attended. Therefore I beg you don'tjudge your old companion unfairly and harshly. We all of us do manythings for England in our public capacity that we should not dare, oreven wish, to do for ourselves in our own private business. His soleblunder was to get Zouche to help him, because Zouche is really avillain who would dare any crime or fraud to help his country, Spain.So it, of course, has happened as might have been expected. Zouche hasrepudiated the earl, and unless you can give us a hand England is goingto lose this sacred lake and its millions and Zouche."
"He may not necessarily triumph," I answered.
"There are probably other people hot on the track of those manuscripts.To-day there have been one or two attempts to make Zouche disgorge froma source which is truly bold and daring and resourceful; I'll assume,after what you say, it is the earl. Well, let the earl continue hispressure. He may frighten him out of them, but I doubt it--I doubt itvery much. Then there is my employer."
"You must give that man up, Hugh," cut in Colonel Napier, who had nothitherto spoken. "He's a scoundrel of the first water. I know allabout him. He escaped from that Mexican monastery at the same time asFather Alphonse Calasanctius, but not before he killed EarlFotheringay's companion, young Sutton."
"That is false," suddenly interrupted a strange voice, "and the policeof London and Mexico know it, for the deed was done by Calasanctiushimself, and not by the novice at all." And to everybody's astonishmentthe doors of my big cupboard were flung open, and there steppedtherefrom no less a personage than Don Jose Casteno himself.
CHAPTER EIGHT.
SOME GRAVE SUSPICIONS.
For a moment all was confusion. Colonel Napier sprang to his feet withan angry gesture, and even Lord Cyril Cuthbertson rose and crossed overto the place where Fotheringay was sitting near the fire, and consultedhim in low and anxious tones.
Curiously enough, Casteno appeared to be the least perturbed of any ofus, although he had made such a dramatic entry. Somehow he seemed totake his position in that conference as a matter of right, and when hesaw that none of the others were prepared to talk to him on any terms,but were determined to treat him as a bold, impertinent interloper, heswung round from them and stepped up to my desk, where I sat idlyplaying with a pen.
"It is not true that I am the wretch whom Colonel Napier has spoken of,"he said to me very simply, looking me straight in the eyes. "It is nottrue that I am an enemy of England, such as Lord Cuthbertson hassuggested. It is not true that I am engaged in any dishonourable orunpatriotic enterprise; nor was it begun, as they pretend, by my flightfrom a monastery in Mexico coincident with the disappearance of FatherCalasanctius; nor did it include in its train the killing of thatexceedingly foolish and indiscreet personage, Sutton. On the contrary,I assert here that all and each of those allegations are false; and whatis perhaps the more intolerable is the fact that Lord Cyril knows it,has on his file at the Foreign Office a full report of the affair,coupled with a diplomatic request that the man should be found andreturned to his friends."
And he turned and faced the Secretary for Foreign Affairs with astriking look of defiance; but that nobleman would not take up hischallenge. He merely drew a little closer to the earl, who was nowstanding listening to him with an expression of the most grave concern,and the shot went wide.
In no sense disconcerted, however, Don Jose confronted me again.
"You see," he said significantly, "Lord Cuthbertson's striking change ofmanner when I am here to face him out. I repeat to you that he dare notdeny what I have just told you, although it suited his purpose wellenough to blacken my name when I was not here to speak up for myself.The point for you now to consider," he went on in a lower tone, "is, asa man of honour, not whether you can take up the cause of LordCuthbertson but if you can throw me over on such flimsy, unsubstantialtalk as this has been."
"If he doesn't, Doris shall never speak to him again," cut in ColonelNapier, who was an old Anglo-Indian, and nothing if not a mostpersistent fire-eater.
Don Jose turned as swiftly as though he had be
en stung by a snake."Colonel, that is not worthy of you," he cried. "I beg you withdraw itfor your own sake, for I warn you most solemnly that before a day hasgone you will regret it."
"And I, as an Englishman, jealous of my country's success, refuse,"thundered the old soldier. "Let it be enough that I have spoken. MrGlynn can make his own choice." And throwing back his shoulders hestalked impressively out of the room.
Almost unobserved, too, the Secretary for Foreign Affairs and EarlFotheringay had also manoeuvred their steps towards the doorway; andnow, when Casteno tried to speak with them, they took advantage of apause created by the sudden rattle of the
The Hunchback of Westminster Page 11
