CHAPTER LIII. MESSRS. HIGGENSON AND CO.
At ten o'clock we reached St. Pancras, travelling by fast train fromTorchester, and half an hour later a hansom put us down at the HotelMetropole. Immediately in front of the entrance Count de Cartienne'ssmall brougham was waiting, and as we descended from the cab his servantstepped forward and handed me a note. I tore it open and read it underthe gas-lamp.
"Come to me at once and you will find Mr. M----. Bring the box withyou.--C----."
I passed the note on to my father and drew him a little on one side. Atthe sight of the handwriting he started.
"Philip, whose writing is this?" he asked quickly.
"The writing of the man who alone knows where Marx is," I answered. "Itis he who calls for his letters and forwards them."
"His name? I insist upon knowing his name."
"De Cartienne."
My father's face turned a shade paler and his eyebrows contracted.
"You have been keeping this from me, Philip. You shall not go near thatman. I forbid it. My God! Marx and de Cartienne friends!"
He stopped short on the pavement and looked at me with a new light in hisface. He began to understand.
"Marx and de Cartienne," he repeated slowly. "Philip, cannot you see whatthis means? Marx has been de Cartienne's tool and I have been theirvictim. Where is de Cartienne? Philip, you shall tell me! Do you hear?"
My father seized my arm and held it fast. I turned and faced him.
"Father, you must leave this to me," I said, firmly. "I have thought itall over in the train and my plans are made. You will trust me?"
"Tell me what they are," he said.
"I have in my possession a box belonging to de Cartienne, which containsa secret. Until I yield that box up to him I am safe, since he can onlyget it from me. You see that he tells me in this note to bring it withme."
"Yes. Go on."
"Well, I am going without the box, and if he is really ignorant of who Iam and willing to give me the information about Marx, why, then I caneasily come back for it, and whatever it contains he must have unopened.
"If, on the other hand, I fall into any sort of trap and he makes me sendfor it, then, immediately on receipt of my message, no matter how it iscouched, you must force the box open, and if it contains anything in theleast suspicious, come straight to my aid with the police. The messengerwho comes for the box must be bribed or frightened into bringing you."
"I do not like it, Philip. It is all too roundabout. If de Cartienne hasany idea who you are, you are running a risk."
"I don't think so," I answered. "Until he gets possession of that box hewill feel himself, to a certain extent, in my hands and will not belikely to do me an injury."
"What do you suppose the box contains?"
I hesitated and looked around. De Cartienne's servant was some distanceoff and there was no one within hearing.
"Have you read the newspapers just lately?" I asked.
My father shook his head.
"Only the literary newspapers."
I bought a special edition, which a newsboy was brandishing in our faces,and, turning down the leading article, passed it on to my father. Heglanced down at it and then looked up at me in blank amazement.
"Philip, you cannot mean this!" he exclaimed.
"Why not?" I answered. "I do, indeed; but whether there is anything in itor not we shall soon know. I must go now. You understand what to do if Isend for the box."
"I don't like your expedition at all," he said, doubtfully. "Have you anyidea where you are going?"
I shook my head.
"None; but I shall come to no harm. My star is in the ascendant now. Ifit leads me into danger it will bring me safely out of it. _Au revoir!_"
Then I sprang into the carriage and was driven swiftly away.
Our journey came to a sudden end, and, if I was surprised at the localityinto which it had brought me, I was still more so at its termination. Thecarriage had stopped outside a gloomy-looking warehouse, the back ofwhich, ornamented with several cranes, overlooked the river. The whole ofthe front appeared to be in darkness, but from a gas-lamp on the otherside of the narrow way I could read the brass sign-plate by the side ofthe door:
HIGGENSON AND CO. Merchants and Exporters.
The door of the carriage was thrown open and I was evidently expected todescend. I did so after a moment's hesitation.
"Are you sure that you have brought me to the right place?" I asked theman who held the door open. "This seems to be a warehouse. I think theremust be some mistake."
The man silently closed the carriage door and stepped up to his seatbeside the driver.
"There is no mistake," he said curtly. "You will find the Count deCartienne--there."
He pointed to the warehouse door and I saw that it was now open and thata man was standing upon the threshold. I turned towards him doubtfully.
"Will you come this way, Mr. Morton?" he said. "Count de Cartienne issorry to have to bring you here, but we are busy--very busy, and he hadno time to get back to the hotel. The carriage will wait to take youback."
The man's manner and tone were certainly not those of a servant, but fromthe position in which he stood I could see nothing save the bare outlineof his figure. I crossed the pavement towards him.
We left the room and he conducted me down a passage and into a smallchamber. Here my companion paused and lit a lamp which stood on a tablein the middle of the room.
"Count de Cartienne will be with you in a moment," he said, walking tothe door. "Kindly excuse me."
I turned the lamp a little higher and looked around. The room was quite asmall one and plainly furnished as a waiting-room.
For the first time I began to realise fully what I had done in coming tothis place at such an hour. Some wild thoughts of a tardy retreat flashedinto my mind, and I tried the handle of the door by which we had entered.It turned, but the door remained closed. I stooped down and examined it.The result was as I had feared--a spring lock had fastened it. I triedthe other door, by which my guide had issued. The result was the same. Iwas a prisoner.
I had scarcely time to realise my position before it became necessary toact. The door was suddenly opened and Count de Cartienne stood before me,his eyes flashing with anger and his tall, lithe frame quivering withrage.
"Why have you not brought that box?" he exclaimed in a low, fierce tone.
I stood up facing him, with my back to the table, striving to keep calm,for the situation was critical. The complete change in his appearance andmanner towards me was sufficient warning.
"The box is safe enough," I answered. "You can have it in an hour's time.But----"
"But what?" he interrupted, savagely. "Why have you not brought it, as Ibade you in my note? Why is it not here? We want it at once!"
"You forget that there is a _quid pro quo_ which I expect from you. Itseems to me, Count de Cartienne, that you are making a tool of me,and----"
"What is it you want--to see this man Marx?"
"Yes."
"Well, he is not here."
I checked the rejoinder which, had I spoken it, would probably have costme my life.
"Where is he, then?" I asked.
"I will tell you when you have written for that box," he said, opening adrawer and placing pen and paper upon the table.
I shook my head. "There is no need for me to write. It is of no use myremaining if Mr. Marx is not here. Send your servant back with me and Iwill give it him."
"No, I shall hold you as a hostage for the box. Besides, I have a fewwords to say to you, boy," he added grimly. "Write."
I hesitated, but only for a moment.
"Do I understand that you detain me here against my will?" I said,slowly.
"Understand anything you please, but write."
I took up the pen without another word. When I had finished the note hetook it from me and read i
t through. Then he glanced at the address andstarted.
"Mr. Ravenor! Oh, Mr. Ravenor is in London, is he?" he remarked slowly.
"Yes."
He looked away with the ghost of an evil smile upon his lips.
"Ravenor in London! How strange. He and I are old acquaintances. I mustcall on him," he added mockingly.
He stood still for a moment and then left the room abruptly with the notein his hand. I tried to follow him, but the door closed too quickly. If Icould have seen any means of escape I should have made use of them, for Ihad gained the knowledge which I had come to seek, and I knew that I wasin danger. There was only that solitary window looking out upon the riverand the closed door. If this man meant mischief, I was securely in hispower.
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