The Motor Pirate

by G. Sidney Paternoster

  CHAPTER XVIII

  IN WHICH THE PIRATE APPEARS IN A FROLICSOME HUMOUR

  THE fainting fit which terminated my conversation with Evie alarmed metremendously, and as soon as I could summon assistance I sent for adoctor. She came round before the medical man arrived, but I did notrevert to the topic which had agitated her. Indeed, she appearedlistless and disinclined to say a word on any subject. Colonel Maitlandwas less worried than myself, but even he was anxious until after thedoctor had seen her and assured him that his daughter was merelysuffering from over excitement, and that a sedative and a good night'srest would probably restore her completely.

  I was not so sure that such would be the case, and when she had retiredI thought it well to take the Colonel into his study and give him asfull an account as I could of all that had led up to the fainting fit.He listened to my story with attention, and when I had done, though Icould plainly see that he thought his daughter's fears were due to herown morbid fancy, yet he agreed with me that it would be well that sheshould have a change of scene at the earliest possible moment.

  After arriving at this decision I determined to at once seek outMannering, and demand from him some explanation of his conduct, for Icould not conceive that Evie's story was entirely the outcome of herimagination. It was a delicate subject to discuss, yet I did nothesitate. I was in no humour to mince matters. My anger, though I hadkept it well under control hitherto, only needed the slightest fanningto bring it to a white heat, and I longed whole-heartedly that Manneringwould afford me some excuse for giving physical expression to myfeelings.

  I walked up to his front door, and knocked in a manner to denote withsufficient distinctiveness that the mood of the knocker was theimperative. I could see by the lights within that the inmates of thehouse had not retired to rest, but I had to repeat my summons beforethere was any response. Then I heard footsteps within, and the dooropening an inch or two, a voice inquired who was there.

  "Is Mr. Mannering in?" I demanded.

  "Mr. Sutgrove, is it?" replied the voice, and upon my answering in theaffirmative, the door was thrown open, and I saw the two maidservantsstanding in the hall.

  "I beg your pardon, sir," said the parlourmaid. "We didn't expect anyone at this time of night."

  "That's all right," I answered. "Can I see Mr. Mannering?"

  "He's gone away for a day or two, sir," said the girl.

  "That's very sudden, isn't it?" I asked. "I saw him this afternoon."

  "Yes, sir. He said nothing about it to us until after dinner. Then hepacked his handbag and went away on his motor."

  "It's a confounded nuisance," I remarked. "I wanted to see him onimportant business. Did he say where he was going?"

  "He said Cromer, sir, but he did not leave any address." Then, after amomentary hesitation, she added, "Is--is anything wrong?"

  I looked at her keenly. She dropped her eyes, and I could see there wassomething on her mind.

  "What makes you ask?" I enquired.

  "I--I don't know," she replied, with obvious embarrassment.

  "There must be something or you would not have asked," I saidencouragingly. "Come--out with it."

  She still hesitated, but the housemaid was bolder. "I'll tell thegentleman if you don't, Sarah," she declared. "It's like this, sir," sherattled out volubly: "the master, Mr. Mannering that is, has been soqueer in his ways lately that Sarah and me 'as been quite scared. Notthat he 'asn't been quite the gentleman. He always was that, wasn't he,Sarah? But he's been that restless and bound up in himselflately--walking up and down in his room and talking to himself. Healways was one to shut himself up in that nasty old coach-house with hisexperiments and things, but he was quiet, and we never took no accountof it. But lately he's been different."

  "How?" I asked.

  "Well, instead of going to bed like a Christian he's up all hours of thenight. It ain't only that. He slips out as if he didn't want us to seehim, and when we've known he hasn't been at home we've found he's takenthe trouble to tumble the bed to make it appear as how he slept in it."

  "Pooh!" I remarked. "If that's all, my servants would probably say thesame about me. You need not be alarmed about such trifles."

  "But it's not all," said Sarah, taking up the story. "The nights he goesout are just the nights the Pirate makes his appearance."

  "Those are just the nights I am away from home," I said.

  "But you have the detective gentleman with you," argued the girl, "andwhen you come back I warrant you do not bring diamond studs back withyou that don't belong to you."

  "What!" I cried. "What!"

  "It's truth, sir," said the housemaid. "A week ago, just after he cameback from Paris, I was sweeping the floor of his bedroom, when I sweepsup a diamond stud. Now, I knew he never had such a thing----"

  "I suppose you know exactly what jewellery he has?" I interrupted,laughing.

  "He always was a very careless gentleman until the last month, beforewhich he left his things lying about all over the place, but then he hada safe put in his bedroom, and he never so much as left the key lyingabout. However, I mentions the stud to Sarah, and we talks it over andputs two and two together, and Sarah thinks that if he doesn't ask whathas become of it, it might be as well as if we told the detectivegentleman about it."

  "Quite right," I remarked. "You might let me look at the stud, though."

  After a little pressing the girls fetched the trinket, and I perceivedthat it very closely resembled the stud Winter had worn on the night ofour first encounter with the Pirate. I said nothing about thissupposition to the maids, but bidding them to be careful not to mentionthe matter to any one until they had seen Forrest, whom I promisedshould call upon them, I left the house.

  Though disappointed in my original intention of forcing an explanationfrom Mannering, I was by no means ill pleased with the result of myvisit to his house. My suspicions as to his identity with the Pirate hadbecome considerably stronger, and once that identity was established Ifancied I should have little difficulty in preventing any furtherannoyance at his hands.

  Yet when I came to think calmly upon the subject I could not fail to seehow frail was the foundation upon which my suspicions were built up. Thefancies of a girl, the suspicions of a couple of gossiping servants, andthe discovery of a stud, which might or might not prove to be the onewhich had been stolen from Winter. I longed for Forrest to return, for Ifelt utterly incapable of resting, and as he had not put in anappearance by midnight, I got out my car and went into St. Albans tomeet him. At the police station there was no news of him to be obtained,but I did learn that the Pirate had been seen, his presence having beenreported from the vicinity of Bedford.

  Knowing that it would be impossible for me to sleep until I had seenForrest; knowing, too, how unlikely it was that he would now return toSt. Albans before morning, I thought I might at least have one shot onmy own account of bringing off the capture I so ardently desired. So, incase of an untoward accident happening, I scribbled a note to thedetective, telling him briefly what I had heard from the servants, andmy intentions; and making sure that my revolver was in working order, Ibade my friends at the police-station good night, and departed.

  I knew it would be useless to take the direct road to Bedford if Iwished to meet the Pirate, and, as he had been reported going east, Itook the route through Hertford, trusting that I might be able to cuthim off upon his return. I gleaned nothing concerning him at eitherHertford or Ware, and was so doubtful of proceeding further in thatdirection that I left it to the arbitrament of a coin to determinewhether I should go on by a road with which I was unacquainted toCambridge through Bishop's Stortford, or take a route I knew throughRoyston. The choice fell upon the Stortford road, and later I was gladI had taken it, for about a mile to the south of Stortford I discoveredthat I was upon the right track.

  I was bowling along at about fifteen miles an hour when I came upon twohorses grazing at the road-side. They galloped off at my approach, and,a few seconds later, I cam
e upon a specimen of the Pirate's handiwork,which at first sight was irresistibly ludicrous. A brougham was drawn upat the side of the road, and, bound to the wheels, were a coachman and afootman, clad in gorgeous liveries. The coachman was fat and florid, thefootman a particularly fine specimen of flunkeydom, and their faces, asthe light of my lamps fell upon them--they could not speak, for theywere both gagged as well as bound--were so convulsed with terror, that Icould see they did not look upon me as a friend. As I dismounted from mycar to go to their assistance, I heard a dismal wail from the roof ofthe vehicle and, looking up, I perceived a portly old lady perched uponthe uncomfortable eminence.

  I made an attempt to explain that my intentions were purely pacific, butas I could elicit nothing from the old lady but appeals to spare herlife, I turned my attention to the two men, and speedily released themfrom their bonds. By the time they were loose they had realized that Iwas a friend; but it was some time before I managed to obtain from theman account of how they got into such a mess. Even when their powers ofspeech had returned they were unable to give a lucid account of theaffair.

  Of course it was the work of the Pirate. They had been returning withtheir mistress--the old lady on the roof of the brougham--from somelocal coming-of-age festivities, when they had met the rascal. He hadbound the servants, set the horses free, and, after robbing the old ladyof all the jewellery she wore, he had compelled her to climb to theposition where I discovered her, threatening to return and kill her ifshe moved from her position for an hour. It needed much persuasionbefore she ventured to descend from her perch; but with the assistanceof the coachman, I managed to get her inside the brougham, and furtherassisting in securing the two horses, I left them.

  This incident delayed me for nearly half an hour, and it was a good dealpast one before I again set out on my quest. The brougham had beenstopped just near a bye-road, and as the footman had assured me that thePirate had taken this path when he departed, I thought I would follow. Icould see for myself that a motor-car had passed that way, for thethunderstorm of the previous day had left the roads heavy in places, andthe marks of his tyres were plainly visible.

  I had followed the road for about a couple of miles further when I cameonce more upon some of the Pirate's victims. These, too, were returningfrom the same function at which the old lady had been a guest, when theyfell into the clutches of the Pirate. In this case my assistance was notrequired, for the two young ladies of the party had recoveredsufficiently from their fright to have already set at liberty their malecompanion and the coachman. They told me of their experiences, andafter I had heard them, I thought that Forrest's idea that the Piratewas a madman more likely than I had done previously.

  When stopped by the Pirate, the husband of one of the ladies had shownfight until he had been felled by a blow from the butt end of arevolver. The coachman had discreetly made no resistance. Then, aftersecuring the jewels the women wore, the Pirate had displayed a freakishhumour quite new to his character. He had insisted upon the two womendancing for his amusement in the road, threatening to shoot the husbandif they did not comply with his request. They assured me that he had satchuckling with laughter, and urging them on with all sorts of wildthreats, until they fell from exhaustion. They were splashed with mudfrom head to foot, and their dainty frocks presented a sorry sight. Inaddition they told me that they could barely stand, for their feet werecut to pieces, since, at the first steps of the weird dance, theirslippers had stuck in the mud, and they were given no opportunity tostop and recover them.

  I did not wait to hear more than the barest outline of the story, for Ilearned that he had left them not more than ten minutes before myarrival on the scene, and with the heavy roads, I thought there was atleast a chance of some lucky accident bringing me face to face with myquarry.