by Sax Rohmer
XIII
THE DRAFT ON PARIS
For close upon a month Soames performed the duties imposed upon himin the household of Henry Leroux. He was unable to discover, despitea careful course of inquiry from the cook and the housemaid, that Mrs.Leroux frequently absented herself. But the servants were newly engaged,for the flat in Palace Mansions had only recently been leased by theLeroux. He gathered that they had formerly lived much abroad, and thattheir marriage had taken place in Paris. Mrs. Leroux had been to visita friend in the French capital once, he understood, since the housemaidhad been in her employ.
The mistress (said the housemaid) did not care twopence-ha'penny for herhusband; she had married him for his money, and for nothing else. Shehad had an earlier love (declared the cook) and was pining away to amere shadow because of her painful memories. During the last six months(the period of the cook's service) Mrs. Leroux had altered out of allrecognition. The cook was of opinion that she drank secretly.
Of Mr. Leroux, Soames formed the poorest opinion. He counted him aspiritless being, whose world was bounded by his book-shelves, and whosewife would be a fool if she did not avail herself of the liberty whichhis neglect invited her to enjoy. Soames felt himself, not a snake inthe grass, but a benefactor--a friend in need--a champion come to thedefense of an unhappy and persecuted woman.
He wondered when an opportunity should arise which would enable himto commence his chivalrous operations; almost daily he anticipatedinstructions to the effect that Mrs. Leroux would be leaving for Parisimmediately. But the days glided by and the weeks glided by, withoutanything occurring to break the monotony of the Leroux household.
Mr. Soames sought an opportunity to express his respectful readiness toMrs. Leroux; but the lady was rarely visible outside her own apartmentsuntil late in the day, when she would be engaged in preparing forthe serious business of the evening: one night a dance, another, abridge-party; so it went. Mr. Leroux rarely joined her upon thesefestive expeditions, but clung to his study like Diogenes to his tub.
Great was Mr. Soames' contempt; bitter were the reproaches of the cook;dark were the predictions of the housemaid.
At last, however, Soames, feeling himself neglected, seized anopportunity which offered to cement the secret bond (the TOO secretbond) existing between himself and the mistress of the house.
Meeting her one afternoon in the lobby, which she was crossing on theway from her bedroom to the drawing-room, he stood aside to let herpass, whispering:
"At your service, whenever you are ready, madam!"
It was a non-committal remark, which, if she chose to keep up thecomedy, he could explain away by claiming it to refer to the summoningof the car from the garage--for Mrs. Leroux was driving out thatafternoon.
She did not endeavor to evade the occult meaning of the words, however.In the wearily dreamy manner which, when first he had seen her, hadaroused Soames' respectful interest, she raised her thin hand to herhair, slowly pressing it back from her brow, and directed her big eyesvacantly upon him.
"Yes, Soames," she said (her voice had a faraway quality in keeping withthe rest of her personality), "Mr. King speaks well of you. But pleasedo not refer again to"--she glanced in a manner at once furtive andsorrowful, in the direction of the study-door--"to the ... littlearrangement of"...
She passed on, with the slow, gliding gait, which, together with herfragility, sometimes lent her an almost phantomesque appearance.
This was comforting, in its degree; since it proved that the smilingGianapolis had in no way misled him (Soames). But as a man of business,Mr. Soames was not fully satisfied. He selected an evening when Mrs.Leroux was absent--and indeed she was absent almost every evening, forLeroux entertained but little. The cook and the housemaid were absent,also; therefore, to all intents and purposes, Soames had the flat tohimself; since Henry Leroux counted in that establishment, not as anentity, but rather as a necessary, if unornamental, portion of thefittings.
Standing in the lobby, Soames raised the telephone receiver, and havingpaused with closed eyes preparing the exact form of words in which heshould address his invisible employer, he gave the number: East 18642.
Following a brief delay:--
"Yes," came a nasal voice, "who is it?"
"Soames! I want to speak to Mr. King!"
The words apparently surprised the man at the other end of the wire, forhe hesitated ere inquiring:--
"What did you say your name was?"
"Soames--Luke Soames."
"Hold on!"
Soames, with closed eyes, and holding the receiver to his ear, silentlyrehearsed again the exact wording of his speech. Then:--
"Hullo!" came another voice--"is that Mr. Soames?"
"Yes! Is that Mr. Gianapolis speaking?"
"It is, my dear Soames!" replied the sing-song voice; and Soames,closing his eyes again, had before him a mental picture of the radiantlysmiling Greek.
"Yes, my dear Soames," continued Gianapolis; "here I am. I hope you arequite well--perfectly well?"
"I am perfectly well, thank you; but as a man of business, it hasoccurred to me that failing a proper agreement--which in this case Iknow would be impossible--a trifling advance on the first quarter's"...
"On your salary, my dear Soames! On your salary? Payment for the firstquarter shall be made to you to-morrow, my dear Soames! Why ever did younot express the wish before? Certainly, certainly!"...
"Will it be sent to me?"
"My dear fellow! How absurd you are! Can you get out to-morrow eveningabout nine o'clock?"
"Yes, easily."
"Then I will meet you at the corner of Victoria Street, by the hotel,and hand you your first quarter's salary. Will that be satisfactory?"
"Perfectly," said Soames, his small eyes sparkling with avarice. "Mostdecidedly, Mr. Gianapolis. Many thanks."...
"And by the way," continued the other, "it is rather fortunate that yourang me up this evening, because it has saved me the trouble of ringingyou up."
"What?"--Soames' eyes half closed, from the bottom lids upwards:--"thereis something"...
"There is a trifling service which I require of you--yes, my dearSoames."
"Is it?"...
"We will discuss the matter to-morrow evening. Oh! it is a mere trifle.So good-by for the present."
Soames, with the fingers of his two hands interlocked before him, andhis thumbs twirling rapidly around one another, stood in the lobby,gazing reflectively at the rug-strewn floor. He was working out in hismind how handsomely this first payment would show up on the welcomeside of his passbook. Truly, he was fortunate in having met the generousGianapolis....
He thought of a trifling indiscretion committed at the expense of oneMr. Mapleson, and of the wine-bill of Colonel Hewett; and he thought ofthe apparently clairvoyant knowledge of the Greek. A cloud momentarilycame between his perceptive and the rosy horizon.
But nearer to the foreground of the mental picture, uprose a left-handpage of his pass book; and its tidings of great joy, written in clerklyhand, served to dispel the cloud.
Soames sighed in gentle rapture, and, soft-footed, passed into his ownroom.
Certainly his duties were neither difficult nor unpleasant. The mistressof the house lived apparently in a hazy dream-world of her own, and Mr.Leroux was the ultimate expression of the non-commercial. Mr. Soamescould have robbed him every day had he desired to do so; but he hadrefrained from availing himself even of those perquisites which heconsidered justly his; for it was evident, to his limited intelligence,that greater profit was to be gained by establishing himself in thishousehold than by weeding-out five shillings here, and half-a-sovereignthere, at the risk of untimely dismissal.
Yet--it was a struggle! All Mr. Soames' commercial instincts were up inarms against this voice of a greater avarice which counseled abstention.For instance: he could have added half-a-sovereign a week to hisearnings by means of a simple arrangement with the local wine merchant.Leroux's cigars he could have sold by the
hundreds; for Leroux, when afriend called, would absently open a new box, entirely forgetful of thefact that a box from which but two--or at most three--cigars had beentaken, lay already on the bureau.
Mr. Soames, in order to put his theories to the test, had temporarilyabstracted half-a-dozen such boxes from the study and the dining-roomand had hidden them. Leroux, finding, as he supposed, that he was out ofcigars, had simply ordered Soames to get him some more.
"Er--about a dozen boxes--er--Soames," he had said; "of the same sort!"
Was ever a man of business submitted to such an ordeal? After receivingthose instructions, Soames had sat for close upon an hour in his ownroom, contemplating the six broken boxes, containing in all some fivehundred and ninety cigars; but the voice within prevailed; he must courtno chance of losing his situation; therefore, he "discovered" these sixboxes in a cupboard--much to Henry Leroux's surprise!
Then, Leroux regularly sent him to the Charing Cross branch of theLondon County and Suburban Bank with open checks! Sometimes, he would besent to pay in, at other times to withdraw; the amounts involved varyingfrom one guinea to 150 pounds! But, as he told himself, on almost everyoccasion that he went to Leroux's bank, he was deliberately throwingmoney away, deliberately closing his eyes to the good fortune which thiscareless and gullible man cast in his path. He observed a scrupuloushonesty in all these dealings, with the result that the bank managercame to regard him as a valuable and trustworthy servant, and said asmuch to the assistant manager, expressing his wonder that Leroux--whoseaccount occasioned the bank more anxiety, and gave it more work, thanthat of any other two depositors--had at last engaged a man who wouldkeep his business affairs in order!
And these were but a few of the golden apples which Mr. Soames permittedto slip through his fingers, so steadfast was he in his belief thatGianapolis would be as good as his word, and make his fortune.
Leroux employed no secretary; and his MSS. were typed at his agent'soffice. A most slovenly man in all things, and in business mattersespecially, he was the despair, not only of his banker, but of hisbroker; he was a man who, in professional parlance, "deserved to berobbed." It is improbable that he had any but the haziest ideas, atany particular time, respecting the state of his bank balance andinvestments. He detested the writing of business letters, and wasalways at great pains to avoid anything in the nature of a commercialrendezvous. He would sign any document which his lawyer or his brokercared to send him, with simple, unquestioned faith.
His bank he never visited, and his appearance was entirely unfamiliarto the staff. True, the manager knew him slightly, having had twointerviews with him: one when the account was opened, and the secondwhen Leroux introduced his solicitor and broker--in order that in thefuture he might not be troubled in any way with business affairs.
Mr. Soames perceived more and more clearly that the mild deceptionprojected was unlikely to be discovered by its victim; and, at theappointed time, he hastened to the corner of Victoria Street, to hisappointment with Gianapolis. The latter was prompt, for Soames perceivedhis radiant smile afar off.
The saloon bar of the Red Lion was affably proposed by Mr. Gianapolisas a suitable spot to discuss the business. Soames agreed, not withoutcertain inward qualms; for the proximity of the hostelry to New ScotlandYard was a disquieting circumstance.
However, since Gianapolis affected to treat their negotiations inthe light of perfectly legitimate business, he put up no protest, andpresently found himself seated in a very cozy corner of the saloon bar,with a glass of whisky-and-soda on a little table before him, bubblingin a manner which rendered it an agreeable and refreshing sight in theeyes of Mr. Soames.
"You know," said Gianapolis, the gaze of his left eye bisecting thatof his right in a most bewildering manner, "they call this 'the 'tec'stabernacle!'"
"Indeed," said Soames, without enthusiasm; "I suppose some of theScotland Yard men do drop in now and then?"
"Beyond doubt, my dear Soames."
Soames responded to his companion's radiant smile with a smile of hisown by no means so pleasant to look upon. Soames had the type of facewhich, in repose, might be the face of an honest man; but his smilewould have led to his instant arrest on any racecourse in Europe: it wasthe smile of a pick-pocket.
"Now," continued Gianapolis, "here is a quarter's salary in advance."
From a pocket-book, he took a little brown paper envelope and from thebrown paper envelope counted out four five-pound notes, five goldensovereigns, one half-sovereign, and ten shillings' worth of silver.Soames' eyes glittered, delightedly.
"A little informal receipt?" smiled Gianapolis, raising his eyebrows,satanically. "Here on this page of my notebook I have written: 'Receivedfrom Mr. King for service rendered, 26 pounds, being payment, inadvance, of amount due on 31st October 19--' I have attached a stampto the page, as you will see," continued Gianapolis, "and here is afountain-pen. Just sign across the stamp, adding to-day's date."
Soames complied with willing alacrity; and Gianapolis having carefullyblotted the signature, replaced the notebook in his pocket, and politelyacknowledged the return of the fountain-pen. Soames, glancing furtivelyabout him, replaced the money in the envelope, and thrust the lattercarefully into a trouser pocket.
"Now," resumed Gianapolis, "we must not permit our affairs of businessto interfere with our amusements."
He stepped up to the bar and ordered two more whiskies with soda. Thesebeing sampled, business was resumed.
"To-morrow," said Gianapolis, leaning forward across the table so thathis face almost touched that of his companion, "you will be entrusted byMr. Leroux with a commission."...
Soames nodded eagerly, his eyes upon the speaker's face.
"You will accompany Mrs. Leroux to the bank," continued Gianapolis, "inorder that she may write a specimen signature, in the presence of themanager, for transmission to the Credit Lyonnais in Paris."...
Soames nearly closed his little eyes in his effort to comprehend.
"A draft in her favor," continued the Greek, "has been purchased byMr. Leroux's bank from the Paris bank, and, on presentation of this, acheckbook will be issued to Mrs. Leroux by the Credit Lyonnais in Paristo enable her to draw at her convenience upon that establishment againstthe said order. Do you follow me?"
Soames nodded rapidly, eager to exhibit an intelligent grasp of thesituation.
"Now"--Gianapolis lowered his voice impressively--"no one at the CharingCross branch of the London County and Suburban Bank has ever seen Mrs.Leroux!--Oh! we have been careful of that, and we shall be careful inthe future. You are known already as an accredited agent of Leroux;therefore"--he bent yet closer to Soames' ear--"you will direct thechauffeur to drop you, not at the Strand entrance, but at the sideentrance. You follow?"
Soames, almost holding his breath, nodded again.
"At the end of the court, in which the latter entrance is situated, alady dressed in the same manner as Mrs. Leroux (this is arranged)will be waiting. Mrs. Leroux will walk straight up the court, into thecorridor of Bank Chambers by the back entrance, and from thence out intothe Strand. YOU will escort the second lady into the manager's office,and she will sign 'Mira Leroux' instead of the real Mira Leroux."...
Soames became aware that he was changing color. This was a superiorfelony, and as such it awed his little mind. It was tantamount toburning his boats. Missing silver spoons and cooked petty cash weretrivialities usually expiable at the price of a boot-assisted dismissal;but this--!
"You understand?" Gianapolis was not smiling, now. "There is not theslightest danger. The signature of the lady whom you will meet will bean exact duplicate of the real one; that is, exact enough to deceive aman who is not looking for a forgery. But it would not be exact enoughto deceive the French banker--he WILL be looking for a forgery. Youfollow me? The signature on the checks drawn against the Credit Lyonnaiswill be the SAME as the specimen forwarded by the London County andSuburban, since they will be written by the same lady--the duplicateMrs. Leroux. Theref
ore, the French bank will have no means of detectingthe harmless little deception practised upon them, and the English bank,if it should ever see those checks, will raise no question, since thechecks will have been honored by the Credit Lyonnais."
Soames finished his whisky-and-soda at a gulp.
"Finally," concluded Gianapolis, "you will escort the lady out by thefront entrance to the Strand. She will leave you and walk in an easterlydirection--making some suitable excuse if the manager should insist uponseeing her to the door; and the real Mrs. Leroux will come out by theStrand end of Bank Chambers' corridor, and walk back with you around thecorner to where the car will be waiting. Perfect?"
"Quite," said Soames, huskily....
But when, some twenty minutes later, he returned to Palace Mansions,he was a man lost in thought; and he did not entirely regain his wontedcomposure, and did not entirely shake off the incubus, Doubt, until inhis own room he had re-counted the contents of the brown paper envelope.Then:--
"It's safe enough," he muttered; "and it's worth it!"
Thus it came about that, on the following morning, Leroux called himinto the study and gave him just such instructions as Gianapolis hadoutlined the evening before.
"I am--er--too busy to go myself, Soames," said Leroux, "and--er--Mrs.Leroux will shortly be paying a visit to friends in--er--in Paris.So that I am opening a credit there for her. Save so muchtrouble--and--such a lot of--correspondence--international moneyorders--and such worrying things. Mr. Smith, the manager, knows youand you will take this letter of authority. The draft I understand hasalready been purchased."
Mr. Soames was bursting with anxiety to learn the amount of this draft,but could find no suitable opportunity to inquire. The astonishingdeception, then, was carried out without anything resembling a hitch.Mrs. Leroux went through with her part in the comedy, in the dreamymanner of a somnambulist; and the duplicate Mrs. Leroux, who waitedat the appointed spot, had achieved so startling a resemblance to herprototype, that Mr. Soames became conscious of a craving for a pegof brandy at the moment of setting eyes upon her. However, he bracedhimself up and saw the business through.
As was to be expected, no questions were raised and no doubtsentertained. The bank manager was very courteous and very reserved, andthe fictitious Mrs. Leroux equally reserved, indeed, cold. She avoidedraising her motor veil, and, immediately the business was concluded,took her departure, Mr. Smith escorting her as far as the door.
She walked away toward Fleet Street, and the respectful attendant,Soames, toward Charing Cross; he rejoined Mrs. Leroux at the door ofBank Chambers, and the two turned the corner and entered the waitingcar. Soames was rather nervous; Mrs. Leroux quite apathetic.
Shortly after this event, Soames learnt that the date of Mrs. Leroux'sdeparture to Paris was definitely fixed. He received from her hands alarge envelope.
"For Mr. King," she said, in her dreamy fashion; and he noticed that sheseemed to be in poorer health than usual. Her mouth twitched strangely;she was a nervous wreck.
Then came her departure, attended by a certain bustle, an appointmentwith Mr. Gianapolis; and the delivery of the parcel into thatgentleman's keeping.
Mrs. Leroux was away for six days on this occasion. Leroux sent herthree postcards during that time, and re-addressed some ten or twelveletters which arrived for her. The address in all cases was:
c/o Miss Denise Ryland, Atelier 4, Rue du Coq d'Or, Montmartre, Paris.
East 18642 was much in demand that week; and there were numerousmeetings between Soames and Gianapolis at the corner of VictoriaStreet, and numerous whiskies-and-sodas in the Red Lion; for Gianapolispersisted in his patronage of that establishment, apparently for noother reason than because it was dangerously near to Scotland Yard, andan occasional house of call for members of the Criminal InvestigationDepartment.
Thus did Mr. Soames commence his career of duplicity at the flat ofHenry Leroux; and for some twelve months before the events which sodramatically interfered with the delightful scheme, he drew his doublesalary and performed his perfidious work with great efficiency andcontentment. Mrs. Leroux paid four other visits to Paris during thattime, and always returned in much better spirits, although pale andsomewhat haggard looking. It fell to the lot of Soames always to meether at Charing Cross; but never once, by look or by word, didshe proffer, or invite, the slightest exchange of confidence. Sheapathetically accepted his aid in conducting this intrigue as she wouldhave accepted his aid in putting on her opera-cloak.
The curious Soames had read right through the telephone directory fromA to Z in quest of East 18642--only to learn that no such number waspublished. His ingenuity not being great, he could think of no meansto learn the address of the mysterious Mr. King. So keenly had he beenimpressed with the omniscience of that shadowy being who knew all hispast, that he feared to inquire of the Eastern Exchange. His bankingaccount was growing handsomely, and, above all things, he dreaded tokill the goose that laid the golden eggs.
Then came the night which shattered all. Having rung up East 18642 andmade an appointment with Gianapolis in regard to some letters forMrs. Leroux, he had been surprised, on reaching the corner of VictoriaStreet, to find that Gianapolis was not there! He glanced up at the faceof Big Ben. Yes--for the first time during their business acquaintance,Mr. Gianapolis was late!
For close upon twenty minutes, Soames waited, walking slowly up anddown. When, at last, coming from the direction of Westminster, he sawthe familiar spruce figure.
Eagerly he hurried forward to meet the Greek; but Gianapolis--to thehorror and amazement of Soames--affected not to know him! He steppedaside to avoid the stupefied butler, and passed. But, in passing, hehissed these words at Soames:--
"Follow to Victoria Street Post Office! Pretend to post letters at nextbox to me and put them in my hand!"
He was gone!
Soames, dazed at this new state of affairs, followed him at a discreetdistance. Gianapolis ran up the Post Office steps briskly, and Soames,immediately afterwards, ascended also--furtively. Gianapolis was takingout a number of letters from his pocket.
Soames walked across to the "Country" box on his right, and affectedto scrutinize the addresses on the envelopes of Mrs. Leroux'scorrespondence.
Gianapolis, on the pretense of posting a country letter, reached out andsnatched the correspondence from Soames' hand. The gaze of his left eyecrookedly sought the face of the butler.
"Go home!" whispered Gianapolis; "be cautious!"
