Carmen's Messenger

by Harold Bindloss

  XXII

  CARMEN GETS A SHOCK

  On his way to Liverpool, Foster tried to review the situation calmly.His anger was vanishing, but he still felt sore and annoyed withhimself. He had weakly yielded to sentimental pity for an attractivegirl and had paid for it, because she had, no doubt, warned Daly, whoknew from Foster's boldness that he had learned enough to make himdangerous. The latter grimly resolved that he would not let anyQuixotic folly spoil his plans again. He had been cleverly tricked,but was not beaten yet, because a study of the steamship advertisementsled him to believe that Daly could not leave Liverpool until theafternoon. Moreover, the fellow was obviously afraid of him.

  Arriving shortly after twelve o'clock, he drove to the Canadian Pacificoffice and asked a clerk for a list of the passengers by a steamerannounced to sail that day. He was given a list and saw that Mr.Andrew Forbes had taken a saloon berth. This indicated that Daly hadbooked his passage beforehand.

  "I see my friend's on board," Foster remarked. "Have you got a firstand a second-class berth left?"

  "We had," the clerk said, smiling, "Unfortunately, the boat has gone."

  "Gone!" exclaimed Foster, who got a shock. "Don't your steamers sailin the afternoon?"

  "As a rule," the clerk agreed. "However, this is an extra sailing, andwe sent her off earlier to pick up passengers at Belfast Lough."

  Foster said nothing, but left the office with a determined look. Aswift Canadian Northern liner sailed from Bristol two days later andought to reach Quebec soon after the other boat. He thought oftelegraphing to secure a berth, but decided not to do so. He had givenGordon his Carlisle address, which was all that he had promised, andalthough he had heard nothing from him, the police might make inquiriesat the steamship offices. On the whole, it seemed safer to leaveLiverpool and he took the first train to Bristol, but got out atHereford, which was about half-way. It would be awkward if the policeinterfered with him now.

  Reaching Bristol shortly before the steamer sailed, he had no troublein taking a passage for himself and Pete, and arrived at Quebec abouttwelve hours after the Canadian Pacific boat. Daly had got a start,and although Foster did not mean to give up the chase, he feltdepressed as the train sped through the forests of Ontario. It was notlong since he had come that way in high spirits, looking forward withpleasure to a holiday. Now he looked back, with a feeling ofunreality, on his wanderings among the Scottish bogs. All he had doneseemed ridiculous and fantastic. Nobody was the better for it, whilehe had involved himself in a horrible tangle. The police were probablyon his track and Featherstone suspected him; he had acted like aromantic boy and not a sober man. There was, however, one brightgleam; Alice trusted him, and he must show that he deserved herconfidence.

  Arriving at Gardner's Crossing in the evening, he sent Pete to thehotel and went to Austin's house. He must see Carmen and resolved thatshe should find him proof against her wiles; he was not going to be asentimental fool again. In a general way, Carmen was, of course, tooclever for him, but he had now certain advantages which he meant to use.

  He was shown into her drawing-room, where he was left for some time,and imagined with rather grim amusement that she was makingpreparations to receive him. Carmen knew the power of her beauty,which, however, owed much to her tasteful dress. In the meantime, helooked about the room. It was pretty with a certain exotic touch thatthe girl knew how to give. The color-plan of carpets, rugs, andcurtains, although rather vivid, was good; the furniture pleased theeye. Foster had once thought it charmingly artistic, but knew betternow. Alice Featherstone had taught him the difference betweenprettiness and dignified beauty. He felt that difference plainly whenCarmen came in, dressed like the fashionable women he had seen inEdinburgh.

  "You have come back soon, but it's nice to see you," she said with asmile. "The Crossing was duller than usual after you had gone."

  "Thank you! I came back sooner than I expected," Foster replied,rather dryly.

  Carmen gave him a quick look, but sat down with languid grace in aneasy chair.

  "Well, I've no doubt you have much to tell me about your trip, and ifyou'll talk about Edinburgh and London, I won't let anybody in."

  "Aren't you anxious to know if I delivered the packet?"

  "The packet? I had forgotten it," Carmen said carelessly. "Still, Idid think you might have written to let me know you took it safe. ButI dare say you had many interesting things to do."

  "As it happened, I had," Foster replied with a touch of grimness. "Forall that, I delivered the packet and got an answer."

  Carmen regarded him with surprise, as if she thought he had not playedup. "You can give me the answer afterwards. Tell me aboutFeatherstone's place and his people. I'm curious about them;particularly his sisters. I suppose he has some?"

  Foster thought he understood. Carmen was clever and would not haveused such obvious means had she wished to learn if Lawrence had asister who had attracted him. What she wanted was to persuade him thatthe packet was not important.

  "I'd sooner talk about the errand you gave me. Did you know what thepacket contained?"

  She laughed, but he thought the laugh was forced. "Doesn't that soundrather stupid when I sent the thing?"

  "Perhaps it does," said Foster gravely. "Still, I hope you didn'tknow."

  Her coquettish manner vanished and she leaned slightly forward whileher eyes got hard. Indeed, there was something feline in her alertpose. Now she had, so to speak, unsheathed her claws, he was glad theadvantage was heavily on his side. For all that, he did not want tohurt her.

  "Go on," she said sharply.

  "Very well. I got an answer, which I opened. I'll show it to you, butwon't give it up."

  "You opened it!" she exclaimed. "Do you mean to keep a letter that wassent to me?"

  "I don't think it was sent to you; that's important."

  Carmen smiled defiantly and Foster admired her pluck, since it wasobvious that he had found out the trick. Still he thought she did notknow how important the letter really was.

  "Then you can quit fencing and get down to business," she said, andFoster saw that the surface polish she generally wore was thin. Thecharacter it concealed was fierce and somewhat primitive. He hadsuspected that Carmen would not be restrained by conventions if she letherself go.

  "If you'll be patient, I'll try to make things plain."

  He began by hastily recounting what had happened at the factory thenight Fred Hulton was killed. Carmen was obviously puzzled, which wasa relief to him, but he saw comprehension in her look as he went on torelate how he had been watched by the police, and his interview withGraham and subsequent adventures. By degrees, her understandingchanged to horror, and when he stopped he saw that she had got a cruelshock. Her face was white, her gaze was fixed, and, her eyes wereunusually wide open. Still he thought it was through her pride shesuffered most. Then she braced herself and looked at him scornfully.

  "You surely lost your nerve and got imagining things when you werehiding in the bogs. It's a quite impossible story!"

  "It sounds like that, but I have some proof; money for Daly and anotherman, which I suppose you were to send on. It's evidently their shareof the plunder."

  He took out his wallet and held up the checks, keeping, however, a firmgrip on them, because he knew that if Carmen meant to fight for herlover she would not be scrupulous.

  "Daly wasn't near the factory the night Fred Hulton was killed. I knowwhere he was," she said in a strained but defiant voice.

  "All the better for him," Foster rejoined. "It's pretty clear that hehad a share in the thing."

  Carmen suddenly leaned back and turned her head. She had given insooner than Foster expected, but the evidence was overwhelming. He didnot look at her for some moments and felt ashamed of the cruelty he hadhad to use, but there was no avoiding this when a number of people'shappiness was at stake. After all, he thought it was rather herambition than her affection that had been engag
ed. Then rousingherself with an effort she turned to him.

  "Well," she said, "it looks as if I'd had an escape!"

  Foster felt comforted, but did not answer, and she resumed: "Youhaven't told me this for nothing. What do you want?"

  "I want to know where Daly is. I've no doubt he called here on his waywest and you have his address."

  "You can't force me to give it you."

  "I don't know if I can or not, but don't want to use force," Fosterreplied, and while he waited, hesitating to play his last card, Carmenlooked up with fear in her eyes.

  "Jake," she said, "you mustn't think my father knows anything aboutthis. I sent the packet, without telling him, because Daly asked me."

  "But your father and he had some business together that nobody knewabout."

  "They had. They were really backing Nicholson, who got the firstrecorders turned off the Fish-hawk silver claim."

  "Ah!" said Foster, "now I understand!"

  He was glad to admit that her statement explained Austin's rathermysterious association with Daly. Public feeling had been stronglyroused by the dispute about the mine, whose finders it was believed hadbeen cunningly cheated out of their rights. There were, moreover,hints of foul play about a dangerous accident in the workings that hadgiven the victorious claimants a legal advantage. Foster could imagineDaly's finding scope for his talents in the trickery and intrigue, andsaw why Austin did not want his share in it known.

  "In a way, it's a relief to find that's all your father had to do withthe fellow," he resumed. "Anyhow, I want his address."

  "I won't give it you," Carmen answered stubbornly.

  Foster hesitated. The shock the girl had got had broken down herself-control. He shrank from turning this to his advantage and dealingher another blow, but could not be fastidious when his partner's safetyand Alice Featherstone's happiness were at stake. Besides, it would bebetter for Carmen that her infatuation for Daly should be altogetherdestroyed.

  "Well," he said, "I'm surprised that you should still feel you ought toprotect the man, and must try to convince you that he doesn't deserveit."

  Then he related what he had seen in the corridor of the Carlisle hoteland how Miss Huntley had helped Daly to deceive him. Carmen's facepaled and then suddenly turned crimson; but she answered with aquietness he had not expected:

  "You're not a liar, Jake, so I suppose this is true. But you're all ofyou human, and you say the girl is pretty. What you saw mayn't meanvery much."

  "She wore an engagement ring. I don't imagine it was given her byanother man."

  Then Carmen flung the last of her self-control away. Her eyes flashedand Foster thought she looked like a wild cat as she indulged hersavage rage.

  "The cur!" she cried in a harsh voice. "He went to Banff, in BritishColumbia. Now you know, you had better go after him. Do what you likewith him; I don't mind!"

  Foster went to the door, but as he reached it she called him back andlooked at him with a bitter, mocking smile.

  "You're smarter than I thought, Jake, but I suppose you think I don'tknow why you meddled! It wasn't for your partner's sake, though I soonguessed that Daly was getting after him; Featherstone has a sister, andyou have fallen in love with her. Well, she can have you with pleasureif she has any use for you, and before long you'll make her deadlytired. You'd bore a live woman crazy in a week; you'll never be rich,because you're afraid of touching a dollar you don't earn, and you'vegot the morals of a convent-school girl!" She gasped and resumed in ascream: "Why don't you go before I throw something at you?"

  Foster left and was glad when he shut the door. Carmen was obviouslybeside herself and had gone further than she meant. If it was anycomfort to insult him, he did not grudge it her, but thought he sawwhere her remarks led. He had been rather fond of Carmen, as she nodoubt knew, before he understood her, and their friendship might haveripened until----. Well, he was sorry for her, but it looked as if shewas not the only person who had had an escape.

  When he got outside, he went to the factory and found Hulton alone inthe president's room. The man looked worn, but greeted Foster with areserved smile and gave him a cigar.

  "You haven't been away very long," he remarked. "Didn't your visitturn out as pleasant as you expected?"

  "In one way, it did not. But why did you send the British police afterme?"

  "As a matter of fact, I let them know you were all right, but my agenthad to go to them, and thought it might be better if they kept a watchon you. You'd got busy about some mysterious business. What was it?"

  "I can't tell you," said Foster bluntly. "It only concerns me andFeatherstone, but it led to something else; I'll come to that later.What about the man I helped on the train? If he got through all right,why didn't he send me word?"

  "As the fellows who attacked you had got on the wrong track, we thoughtwe'd let them follow it, but they were smarter than we reckoned and welost them."

  "Then you made use of me, at my risk, as the Scottish police didafterwards?" Foster rejoined. "I don't know that I've much to thankyou for, since it led to my being thrown off the Montreal express andchased across the Border bogs."

  "I must allow that we did something of the kind," Hulton owned with asmile. "But we'll let that go. What have you found out?"

  Foster handed him Graham's letter and the check on the American bank,but not the circular check for Daly. Hulton's face showed sternsatisfaction and he gave Foster a very grateful look.

  "I owe you much for this and am not going to forget the service. Thesepapers prove conspiracy and robbery, and clear my boy. But how did youget them?"

  Foster supplied a garbled account of his interview with Graham, andHulton looked at him thoughtfully.

  "Its plain that you're keeping something back, but if it's your or yourpartner's business, I suppose I can't object. I believe you mean to dothe square thing."

  "Thank you," said Foster. "What have you found out about Daly?"

  "Enough to show he wasn't at the factory the night Fred was killed,"Hulton answered with stern self-control. "But he was in the plot andis being watched in Scotland."

  "Then you don't know that he's in Canada?"

  Hulton stretched out his hand to a bell, but Foster stopped him.

  "Wait a moment! You have got to leave Daly to me. Anyhow, you're notto send your agents or the police after him until I telegraph you. I'mgoing to look for him by to-night's train."

  "The train goes west," Hulton answered meaningly.

  "It does, but if I think I'm followed, I'll spoil the trail."

  Hulton's eyes flashed and his face set very hard. "The man belongs tothe gang that killed my son and tried to blacken his name. I don'tquit until I've run the last rogue down."

  "I mean to see Daly first," Foster answered doggedly.

  After a moment or two, Hulton made a gesture of agreement. "Very well;I allow you have a claim. But I won't interfere if my agents havealready got on his track."

  "I must take the risk of that," Foster replied and left the factory afew minutes afterwards.