CHAPTER VII.
Whatever may have been the Colonel's intentions when he caught me inhis compartment, something, and I think my last words, led him tomodify them. He felt, probably, that if he attacked me I mightretaliate unpleasantly. I ought to be able to hold my own with him,although in truth I was not over happy at the course events had taken,and I could not compliment myself on my good management.
I had not been overprudent; I had pressed my attentions on him ratherabruptly, although I had the excuse that I usually found them wellreceived, thanks to my affable address; again I had behaved mostincautiously in penetrating his identity.
And, worse than all, I had still no certainty. I could only surmisethat the lady was the one I was in search of, for I had not as yetclapt eyes on her, and I had been to some extent driven to show myhand before I had made my ground good. So the first thing I did onregaining my own compartment was to ring for Jules, the conductor, andput before him the photograph with which I was provided, and ask himif he recognized it.
"But perfectly. It is the lady yonder," he said promptly. "Is it yourown, or did you find it or annex it from next door? Ah, your own; andwhat have you to do with her?"
"I may tell you some day, Jules. For the present you must know that Iam after her; I have to watch her, stick to her like her shadow untilit is time to act."
"An adventuress, eh?"
"She is in possession of what does not belong to her; something sheabstracted from--from--Never mind where, and it must be recovered fromher here, or after she leaves the car."
"Afterwards, please. We can't have any scandal on board here."
"Five hundred francs wouldn't tempt you to let me have a free hand forjust half an hour? I could do it, say somewhere short of Basle, and onreaching there make off. No one should be any the wiser, and they, thewomen, wouldn't dare to make a fuss."
"It's I who do not dare--not for twice five hundred francs. My placeis worth more than that; and if it is a dog's life, it is better thanlying on the straw. Besides, there's her friend the Colonel, he'll beon the alert, you may depend."
"So must I be, and I must find some way to circumvent him. I'll beeven with him. He sha'n't beat me, the overbearing, hectoring brute.It's between him and me, and I think I'm a match for him."
I spoke this confidently to my friend, who engaged for his part to doall in his power to assist, or at least to do nothing against me, andI was content to bide my time. Pride goes before a fall. I was not asclever as I thought, and shall have to tell you how seriously I hadunderrated his worth in the coming trial of strength.
As the train sped on and the night began to close in on us, I remainedquietly in my berth, pondering over my position, and in consideringthe course I should adopt under various contingencies. The first andmost serious danger was that the lady should succeed in leaving thetrain at any of the intermediate stations at Basle, and so give methe slip. There were Laon, Rheims, Chaumont, and the rest.
It must be my business to keep close watch against any evasion of thiskind, and Jules had promised to help. I did not look for any suchattempt until far into the night, when the stations were empty andhalf-dark, and I agreed with Jules to divide the hours till daylight,he taking the first, I the last. We were due at Basle at 5 A.M., and Iexpected to join forces then with Tiler, my colleague, coming from theside of Ostend, via Brussels and Strasburg.
Meanwhile I kept quiet and made no sign beyond showing that I wasthere and on the spot ready to act if it should be necessary. Thus,when the train slackened speed on approaching a station, I was alwayson the move and the first to descend and patrol the platform. TheColonel always got out too, but he never accosted me; indeed, heseemed disposed to despise me, to ignore my existence, or dare me tothe worst I could do.
I suppose the lady must have been of the same mind, for whendinner-time arrived, she came boldly out of her compartment, and I mether face to face for the first time, on her way to the restaurant. Iwas standing at the door of my compartment.
"Dinner is ready," the Colonel said to me significantly, but I did notchoose to understand, and shook my head, holding my ground.
"You are coming to dinner, I think," he repeated in a sharp commandingway, as if he were talking to his soldiers.
"I shall please myself about that," I replied gruffly.
"Not a bit of it. One moment," he whispered to the lady, who walkedon, and turned again to me: "Now see here, my friend, I do not mean toleave you behind. You will come to the dining-car with us, and no twoways about it, even if I have to carry you."
"I won't dine with you," I cried.
"I never asked you to dine with me, but you shall dine when I do. Iwill pay for your dinner, but I wouldn't sit at table with you forworlds," he shouted with scornful laughter. "You're going to dineunder my eye, that's all, even though the sight of you is enough tomake one sick. So come along, sharp's the word, see? Walk first; lethim pass you, Mrs. Blair."
I felt I had no choice. He was capable of again assaulting me. Therewas something in his manner that cowed me, and I was obliged in spiteof myself to give way.
There were only three of us in the dining-car, and we were not a verymerry company. Our tables were laid almost adjoining, and there was noconversation between us, except when the Colonel asked me withcontemptuous civility what wine I preferred. He did not talk to thelady, or the merest commonplaces, for I was within earshot. But I madean excellent dinner, I must confess. I had eaten nothing since Amiens.Then I got back to my berth, where the bed was made. I threw myself onto it, rejoiced at the prospect of getting a few hours' sleep whileJules remained on the watch.
He was to call me a little before reaching Basle, and, like an assthat I was, I fully relied on his doing so, believing him to be myfriend. Such friendship as his did not bear any great strain, as Ilearnt presently to my great chagrin.
I slept heavily, but in fitful snatches, as a man does when constantlydisturbed by the whirr and whizzing of the train, the rattle andjangle of wheels passing over ill-jointed points. After one of thelongest periods of unconsciousness I awoke, aroused by the completeabsence of noise. The train was at a standstill in some station andmaking a very protracted halt.
Something moved me to lift the blind and look out, and I saw, notwithout uneasiness, that we were at Basle. I thought I recognized thestation, but I soon made out for certain the name "Basilea" (Basle),and saw the clock with the fingers at five-thirty. People were alreadyon the move, work-people, the thrifty, industrious Swiss, forestallingtime, travellers in twos and threes arriving and departing by theearly train through this great junction on the frontier ofSwitzerland.
Stay! What? Who are those crossing the platform hurriedly. Greatpowers! Right under my eyes, a little party of four, two females, twomen accompanying them, escorting them, carrying rugs and parcels.There could not be a shadow of doubt.
It was the lady, the so-called Mrs. Blair, in full flight, with allher belongings, and under the care and guidance not only of theColonel, that of course, but also of the perfidious Jules l'Echelle.He had sold me! All doubt of his treachery disappeared when on rushingto the door I found I had been locked into my compartment.
I rang the electric bell frantically, again and again. I got noanswer; I threw up the window and thrust my head out, shouting forhelp, but got none, only one or two sluggish porters came up and askedwhat was amiss, answering stolidly, when they heard, that it was noneof their business. "They had no key, it must be a mistake. Theconductor would explain, I must wait till he came."
Presently Jules arrived, walking very leisurely from the direction ofthe restaurant, and he stood right under my window with a grin on hisface and mockery in his voice.
"What's wrong? Locked in? Can't be possible? Who could have done it? Iwill inquire," he said slowly and imperturbably.
"No, no; let me out first. You can do it if you choose. I believe itwas your trickery from the first. I must get out, I tell you, or theywill escape me," I cried.
"Not u
nlikely. I may say it is pretty certain they will. That was theColonel's idea; you'd better talk to him about it next time you seehim."
"And that will be never, I expect. He's not going to show up hereagain."
"There you're wrong; he will be back before the train starts, you mayrely on that, and you'll be able to talk to him. We'll let you outthen," he was laughing at me, traitor that he was. "Here he comes.We're just going on."
Now I saw my last chance of successfully performing my missiondisappearing beyond recall. I renewed my shouts and protests, but wasonly laughed at for my pains. The railway officials at Basle mighthave interfered, but Jules answered for me, declaring with asignificant gesture that I was in drink and that he would see to me.
I quite despaired. Already the train was moving out of the station,when, to my intense joy, I caught sight of Ludovic Tiler, who camedown the platform running alongside us, and crying, "Falfani,Falfani," as he recognized me.
"Don't mind me," I shouted to him. "I must go on, I can't help myself.It's for you to take it up now. She's in the restaurant. You'll easilyknow her, in a long ulster, with her maid and the child. You can'tmiss her. By the Lord, she is standing at the door! Get away withyou, don't let her see you talking with me. She must not know we areacting in common, and I do hope she hasn't noticed. Be off, I tellyou, only let me hear of you; wire to Lucerne what you're doing.Address telegraph-office. Send me a second message at Goeschenen. Ishall get one or both. Say where I may answer and where I can joinyou."
The Passenger from Calais Page 7
