The Mask: A Story of Love and Adventure

by H. B. Marriott Watson

  CHAPTER XIII

  Instead of finding his master resting from his fatigue, as Mrs. Traynorhad said, Francois discovered the new arrival very much awake. He wassitting in front of Helen's bureau, eagerly perusing a bundle ofprivate letters tied with blue ribbon, which he had taken from adrawer. As the door opened, he jumped up quickly, as if detectedcommitting a dishonorable action; but, when he saw who it was, his facerelaxed and he gave a grim nod of recognition.

  "Lock the door!" he said in a whisper. "It won't do to have anyonecome in here now."

  The valet turned the key, and, dropping entirely the obsequious mannerof the paid menial, threw himself carelessly into a chair. Taking fromhis pocket a richly chased silver cigarette box, loot from formerhouses where he had been employed, he struck a match on the highlypolished Circassian walnut chair, and proceeded to enjoy a smoke.

  His companion looked at him anxiously.

  "Well?" he demanded hoarsely. "Is it all right? What do they say?Does anyone suspect?"

  The Frenchman gracefully emitted from between his thin lips a thickcloud of blue smoke, and broke into a laugh that, under thecircumstances, sounded strangely hollow and sinister.

  "Suspect?" he chuckled. "Why should they suspect? Are you not ze sameman who went away--ze same build, ze same face, ze same voice, ze samein every particular--except one. Zat you have not--_non_--you have notze education, ze fine manners, ze _savoir faire_ of monsieur." Withthat expressive shrug of the shoulder, so characteristic of his nation,he added: "_Mais que voulez vous_? We must do ze best we can."

  His listener struck the brass bed-post savagely with his heavy fist.With a burst of profanity he broke out:

  "Yes, damn him! He had all the advantages. I had none. But it's myturn now. I want all that's coming to me."

  "Hush!" exclaimed the valet, raising his finger warningly. "Zey mayhear. Everything will be all right. We must be very careful. Youmust not talk. You must avoid people. Let them think you sick, orstrange, or crazy, anything you like. But keep away from zem, or elsethey soon discover that 'Handsome Jack,' ze penniless adventurer, isquite a different person from ze accomplished and wealthy MonsieurKenneth Traynor."

  "We can't expect to keep the game up long," interrupted the big fellowmoodily.

  "We won't have to," replied his companion calmly. "Just enough time tosqueeze ze orange dry--that's all----"

  Handsome looked up quickly. Savagely he retorted:

  "Of which juice you and Keralio want a goodly share, don't you?"

  The valet's greenish eyes flashed.

  "Of course I do, and, what's more, I mean to get it." Changing hisfree, careless tone to one tense with significance and menace he wenton: "Don't be a fool, Monsieur Handsome. Who put you up to this snap,but me? Who knows what you did to monsieur out there on ze _veldt_,better than me? Dead men tell no tales, but live ones do. Don'tforget that! If you want to keep clear of ze electric chair, you'llkeep your mouth shut, and play fair."

  The gambler listened, his mouth twitching nervously, his eyes glowingwith sullen hatred.

  "What do you and Keralio want? I gave you the diamonds--what more doyou expect?"

  The valet laughed scoffingly.

  "You gave him ze diamonds. Why? You were d----d glad to be rid ofzem. We can't do anything with zem now. We may have to wait months oryears before we can venture to cut zem up and dispose of zem. _Non_,monsieur! If zey appeared on ze market now, ze news would be flashed_immediatement_ to every corner of ze globe, and your career and minewould come to a quick end. _Voila_!"

  "Don't forget Keralio!" said Handsome, with a sneer.

  "_Eh, bien_? Has he not earned it, Signor Keralio? Is it not becauseof his courage and daring that you are here--ze master in this house?Who but Keralio would have had ze nerve to carry ze thing through?"

  Handsome shrugged his shoulders. Cynically he said:

  "Oh, I don't know. It seems to me that Keralio is safe under cover,while here I am, disporting myself in the limelight, with every eyeturned on me. I guess I prefer Keralio's job to mine----"

  The valet's eyes flashed vindictively as he retorted:

  "Could your puny brain have conceived this scheme which will make usall rich? Keralio outlined ze whole plan to me directly he heard ofyour existence. On our reaching Cape Town, after finding you starvingon ze _veldt_, I cabled him ze news. A few hours later he told meexactly what to do. He knew you would do it. How, I do not know. Heis no ordinary man, Keralio. When I first saw you out zere, unkempt,in rags, starving, I could have dropped dead from surprise. It neveroccurred to me that you might be useful. But Keralio knew. He knowseverything. He also knew that you would accept his leadership, thatyou would quickly get rid of monsieur, and secure ze diamonds. Was itnot his idea that you set fire to ze ship? And who set fire to zeship, _s'il vous plait_, when you refused? Who but your very humbleservant. And a hard, dangerous job, it was, too--catch me ever wantingto do it again!"

  "Not half so bad as mine. He put up a terrible fight before I threwhim overboard."

  "Who--monsieur?"

  "Yes--he fought like a wildcat, and he was fast getting the best of me,when I managed to give him a rap on the head. That quieted him, andover he went." With an exclamation of disgust, he added: "It was ad----d nasty job. I'm sorry I ever went into it----"

  "Sorry--you fool? _Sapristi_! Just think of this wonderfulopportunity. You have ze keys to his vaults, you have control of hisbank accounts." Lowering his voice, and, with a significant leer onhis face, he added "and you have--his wife!"

  Handsome grinned, and the valet went on:

  "_Precisement_! Madame is cold and haughty, like all zese Americanwomen. It's not exactly my taste, but she's pretty and dainty, and----"

  "Who are all these other people," interrupted the miner, "that manSteell----"

  "Yes, that is so. You must know everyone. You must make a study ofeach, so as to avoid making bad breaks. Monsieur Steell is a lawyer.He's in love with madame's sister, Miss Ray. You've known him all yourlife, went to school with him, and all that sort of thing. Say 'yes'to everything he says. That's your cue at present. Talk as little asyou can, and agree with everybody. The man you must talk with most isMonsieur Parker. He is president of the mining company. Happily he'srather shortsighted, so he won't notice anything. He's the man to whomyou'll have to explain ze loss of ze diamonds. He'll be here to-nightfor dinner, so you'd better get your story ready."

  "What can I say?"

  "Say that in ze panic your belt worked loose, you had to dive into zewater. When you were dragged into ze lifeboat the belt was gone, doyou understand?"

  "Yes--but will they believe it?"

  "They must believe it. There'll be an awful fuss, of course, butthey'll get over it. No suspicion can attach to you."

  "He's coming to-night--this man Parker?"

  "Yes, to-night. He'll be here for dinner. He----"

  Before the valet could complete the sentence there was a knock on thedoor and Helen outside called out:

  "May I come in?"

  Instantly the valet jumped up and assumed once more his deferentialdemeanor. The gambler hurriedly shut the bureau drawers and put on theblue spectacles.

  The door opened and Helen entered.

  Alert as the Frenchman was, he was not quick enough to quite concealfrom the wife that his present obsequious manner had been suddenlyassumed for her benefit directly she had entered the room. She hadoverheard voices, as she reached the landing, and the abrupt manner inwhich these sounds had ceased was not entirely natural. It had alsoseemed to her that the valet's tone had had a ring of familiarity aboutit which she had never known it to have before. Could it be possiblethat they were discussing matters which were to be kept from her? Ifso, her husband already had secrets in which not she but his valetshared. She recalled Keralio's cynical smile, as he had whispered:"Husbands only tell their wives half." Perhaps he had spoken thetruth. Perha
ps at this very moment she was degraded, insulted in herwomanhood by a man who was secretly unloyal to her. The very thoughtwent through her like a knife-thrust. All her life, every hour she haddevoted to her husband. Even now she did not like to even harbor ashade of distrust, but his strange behavior since his return, thisearnest conversation behind closed doors with a menial she despised anddistrusted--all this could not but add to her anxiety. Calmly, sheasked:

  "Have you finished with Francois, dear? We need him downstairs."

  The valet himself answered the question:

  "_Oui_, madame. I was just coming."

  Bowing politely, he turned on his heel, and, with a significant glanceat Handsome, which his mistress did not notice, he left the room.Helen glanced at the bed, which was undisturbed. Surprised, sheexclaimed:

  "Why, I thought you were going to lie down!"

  He shook his head. Shifting uneasily on his feet, and, without lookingup, he answered:

  "No--I can't sleep. I'm too nervous. I'll sleep to-night."

  Advancing farther into the room she went up him and put her armaffectionately round him. Sympathetically she said:

  "You'll feel better in a few days, dear. Just rest and take thingseasy. I won't hear of your going to the office for a week at least.All the business you and Mr. Parker have you can transact here. By theway, dear, you haven't even mentioned the most important thing ofall--have you brought back the diamonds?"

  Instead of replying at once to her question, he turned quickly andpulled down the blind.

  "You don't mind, do you?" he said. "The light hurts my eyes."

  "Of course not," she replied. Sitting down near him she went on: "Tellme--have you got the diamonds? How beautiful they must be! How Ishould love to see them!"

  When finally he turned and confronted her she could see his face onlyindistinctly, as the drawing of the blind had left the room almost indarkness. His voice was strained and tense as he replied huskily:

  "I have not got the diamonds!"

  Helen almost started from her seat.

  "You have not got them!" she exclaimed. "Where are they, Ken?"

  "They are lost!"

  "Lost?" she echoed, stupefied.

  "Yes--lost."

  "Oh, how terrible!" she faltered.

  This, then, was the secret of his strange manner, his depression andnervousness. He had lost the diamonds. He had returned home toannounce to the eagerly awaiting stockholders that over a milliondollars' worth of property had suddenly been swept away. His feelingof personal responsibility must have been awful. No wonder he was nothimself. It was enough to unnerve any man. Of course he was not toblame, but the world is so merciless. He would have to bear thecensure, even when he was perfectly innocent. How she regretted thathe had ever undertaken so heavy a responsibility. Timidly, not wishingto embarrass or annoy him, she said:

  "How did it happen, dear?"

  For a moment he made no answer, but just sat and stared at her. Whatlittle light entered between the shade and the window frame fell fullon her face, lighting up the fine profile, the delicately chiseledmouth, throwing off golden glints from her artistically arranged hair.From her face his eyes wandered greedily down to her snow-white neck,her slender, graceful figure, her beautifully molded arms. Certainly,he mused to himself, his brother was an epicure in love. This womanwas dainty enough to tempt a saint.

  "How did it happen?" she asked again.

  "It was in the first rush from the burning ship," he said hoarsely. "Iwas asleep when the fire broke out. It happened at two o'clock in themorning. The diamonds were in the belt which each night I unfastenedand put under my pillow. It was more comfortable to do that than towear it. When the first alarm came I forgot everything--except my ownsafety. I rushed pell-mell on deck. It was a nasty night. We didn'tknow where we were, or how grave the situation was. Outside the windwas howling furiously, the siren was blowing dismally, thepanic-stricken passengers and sailors were fighting like wildcats. Ilost my head along with the rest. I had reached the lifeboat whensuddenly I remembered the belt. I felt at my waist. It was not there.I remembered I had left it under the pillow. I was horror-stricken.Great beads of perspiration broke from every pore. The people werefighting to get into the boat; I fought to get out and back to mystateroom. Suddenly someone knocked me on the head. I lostconsciousness. When I came to we were miles away from the wreck,drifting on the ocean in an open boat, and the _Abyssinia_ was nowhereto be seen."

  Helen made an exclamation of sympathy.

  "Poor soul--how terrible you must have felt! Thank God, you escapedwith your life! We ought to feel grateful for that. Suppose I hadbeen compelled to tell Mary that you were drowned. It would havekilled her--you know that. Do you remember what you told her when youwent away?"

  He stared at her, not understanding.

  "Told who?" he said cautiously.

  "Mary."

  "Oh, yes--Mary--of course--you mean your sister----"

  Helen looked at him in amazement, then in alarm. Could the wreck haveaffected his mind? Laughingly she retorted:

  "Ray? Of course not. How foolish you are, Kenneth. Don't youremember that your old nurse came to see you before you sailed?"

  He nodded and coughed uneasily, moving restlessly about in his chair,as if to hide his embarrassment. These questions were decidedlyunpleasant. Inwardly he wished Francois was present to help him out.

  "Mary? Oh, yes, I remember--of course--of course----"

  The look of anxiety in the young woman's face deepened. His memoryfailed him completely. Changing the subject she said quickly:

  "There's something else I wish to mention to you, dear. It is aboutSignor Keralio----"

  He started quickly to his feet. How came his brother's wife to knowthe name of the arch-plotter, the man who had sentenced her own husbandto death? Was it possible that she knew more? Was she aware of hisreal identity? Was her present amiability of manner merely simulated?Was she waiting her time before calling in the police and exposing himas an impostor?

  "Keralio?" he echoed hoarsely. "What about Keralio?" Making a stepforward he exclaimed savagely: "Has he squealed? Is the game up? He'sto blame, not I!"

  Impulsively, instinctively, Helen sprang from her chair and fell backwith a startled exclamation. Now thoroughly alarmed, more than everconvinced that the shipwreck had affected his brain, her one solicitudewas to keep him quiet until she could get a doctor. Soothingly shesaid:

  "Of course, dear; of course. We won't speak of Signor Keralio now.He's not worth discussing anyhow."

  He watched her closely for a moment, as if trying to see if she weredeceiving him, but her face was frank and serene. Suddenly, takinghold of her hand, which she abandoned willingly enough in his, hemurmured:

  "You mustn't mind what I say. I'll soon be all right. I'm a bit mixedup. My mind's been queer ever since that awful night."

  "Perhaps you would prefer if we had no one to dinner. I could easilygive some excuse and put them all off."

  His first impulse was to promptly accept this suggestion, yet what wasthe good? If he did not meet them to-day he must do so to-morrow. Itwas best to get it over with. The quicker he got to know the peoplethe easier it would be for him. If he seemed to avoid meeting them, itmight only arouse suspicion. Shaking his head, he said:

  "No, dear. That's all right. I'm glad they're coming. It will liventhings up."

  Helen's face brightened. It was the first cheerful remark he had made.

  "That's what I think. You must forget what you have gone through.After all it's not so bad, but it might be a lot worse. Mr. Parkerwill feel badly about the stones, of course, because he had counted onmaking capital out of the advertising they would receive. But whoknows? Perhaps it's all for the best. They may find other stones evenmore valuable."

  A sudden knock at the door interrupted them.

  "Come in," called out Helen.

  The maid
appeared.

  "Mr. Parker is downstairs, m'm."

  "Good gracious! Here already for dinner. What time is it?"

  "Seven o'clock, m'm."

  "All right. I'll be down immediately."

  The girl went away and Helen turned to her companion.

  "Now, hurry, dear, won't you? Dinner is ready. The guests arearriving. Dress quickly and come down."

  He still held her hand.

  "You're not angry with me?" he whispered.

  "Why should I be angry?"

  "Because of the diamonds."

  "No, indeed--it was you I wanted, not the diamonds."

  Drawing her to him, he kissed her. But her lips were cold. There wasno response to his ardor. She could not herself have explained why.She felt no inclination to respond to his caresses, which at any othertime she would have returned with warmth. With a slight shade ofimpatience she broke away.

  "We have no time for that now, Kenneth. Our guests are waiting."

  "That's right," he replied, with a smile that did not escape her."We've no time now. But the night is still before us."

  "Will you come soon?"

  "Yes--I'll be right down."