A Bid for Fortune Part 29

"Mr. Draper said nothing, but Dr. Nikola dropped into a chair and spoke for him.

"'You must not blame my old friend Draper,' he said suavely. 'We have been wondering for the last twenty-four hours how we might best get hold of you, and the means we have employed so successfully seemed the only possible way. Have no fear, my lord, you shall not be hurt. In less than twenty-four hours you will enjoy the society of your energetic friend Mr. Hatteras again.'

"'What is your reason for abducting me like this?' I asked. 'You are foolish to do so, for Mr. Hatteras will leave no stone unturned to find me.'

"'I do not doubt that at all,' said Dr. Nikola quietly; 'but I think Mr.

Hatteras will find he will have all his work cut out for him this time.'

"'If you imagine that your plans are not known in Sydney you are mistaken,' I cried. 'The farce you are playing at Government House is detected, and Mr. Hatteras, directly he finds I am lost, will go to Lord Amberley, and reveal everything.'

"'I have not the slightest objection,' returned Dr. Nikola quietly. 'By the time Mr. Hatteras can take those steps--indeed, by the time he discovers your absence at all--we shall be beyond his reach.'

"I could not follow his meaning, of course, but while he had been speaking I had been looking stealthily round me for a means of escape.

The only way out of the room was, of course, by the door, but both Nikola and his ally were between me and that. Then a big stone hatchet hanging on the wall near me caught my eye. Hardly had I seen it before an idea flashed through my brain. Supposing I seized it and fought my way out. The door of the room stood open, and I noticed with delight that the key was in the lock on the outside. One rush, armed with the big hatchet, would take me into the pa.s.sage; then before my foes could recover their wits I might be able to turn the key, and, having locked them in, make my escape from the house.

"Without another thought I made up my mind, sprang to the wall, wrenched down the hatchet, and prepared for my rush. But by the time I had done it both Nikola and Draper were on their feet.

"'Out of my way!' I cried, raising my awful weapon aloft. 'Stop me at your peril!'

"With my hatchet in the air I looked at Nikola. He was standing rigidly erect, with one arm out-stretched, the hand pointing at me. His eyes glared like living coals, and when he spoke his voice came from between his teeth like a serpent's hiss.

"'Put down that axe!' he said.

"With that the old horrible fear of him which had seized me on board ship came over me again. His eyes fascinated me so that I could not look away from them. I put down the hatchet without another thought. Still he gazed at me in the same hideous fashion.

"'Sit down in that chair,' he said quietly. 'You cannot disobey me.' And indeed I could not. My heart was throbbing painfully, and an awful dizziness was creeping over me. Still I could not get away from those terrible eyes. They seemed to be growing larger and fiercer every moment. Oh! I can feel the horror of them even now. As I gazed his white right hand was moving to and fro before me with regular sweeps, and with each one I felt my own will growing weaker and weaker. That I was being mesmerized, I had no doubt, but if I had been going to be murdered I could not have moved a finger to save myself.

"Then there came a sudden but imperative knock at the door, and both Nikola and Draper rose. Next moment the man whom we had noticed in the train as we came up from Melbourne, and against whom you, Mr. Hatteras, had warned me in Sydney, entered the room. He crossed and stood respectfully before Nikola.

"'Well, Mr. Eastover, what news?' asked the latter. 'Have you done what I told you?'

"'Everything,' the man answered, taking an envelope from his pocket.

'Here is the letter you wanted.'

"Nikola took it from his subordinate's hand, broke the seal, and having withdrawn the contents, read it carefully. All this time, seeing resistance was quite useless, I did not move. I felt too sick and giddy for anything. When he had finished his correspondence Nikola said something in an undertone to Draper, who immediately left the room.

During the time he was absent none of us spoke. Presently he returned, bringing with him a wine gla.s.s filled with water, which he presented to Nikola.

"'Thank you,' said that gentleman, feeling in his waistcoat pocket.

Presently he found what he wanted and produced what looked like a small silver scent-bottle. Uns.c.r.e.w.i.n.g the top, he poured from it into the wine gla.s.s a few drops of some dark-coloured liquid. Having done this he smelt it carefully and then handed it to me. 'I must ask you to drink this, my lord,' he said. 'You need have no fear of the result: it is perfectly harmless.'

"Did ever man hear such a cool proposition? Very naturally I declined to do as he wished.

"'You _must_ drink it!' he reiterated. 'Pray do so at once. I have no time to waste bandying words.'

"'I will not drink it!' I cried, rising to my feet, and prepared to make a fight for it if need should be.

"Once more those eyes grew terrible, and once more that hand began to make the pa.s.ses before my face. Again I felt the dizziness stealing over me. His will was growing every moment too strong for me. I could not resist him. So when he once more said, 'Drink!' I took the gla.s.s and did as I was ordered. After that I remember seeing Nikola, Draper, and the man they called Eastover engaged in earnest conversation on the other side of the room. I remember Nikola crossing to where I sat and gazing steadfastly into my face, and after that I recollect no more until I came to my senses in this room, to find myself bound and gagged. For what seemed like hours I lay in agony, then I heard footsteps in the verandah, and next moment the sound of voices. I tried to call for help, but could utter no words. I thought you would go away without discovering me, but fortunately for me you did not do so. Now, Mr.

Hatteras, I have told you everything."

For some time after the Marquis had concluded his strange story both the Inspector and I sat in deep thought. That Beckenham had been kidnapped in order that he should be out of the way while the villainous plot for abducting Phyllis was being enacted there could be no doubt. But why had he been chosen? and what clues were we to gather from what he had told us? I turned to the Inspector and said--

"What do you think will be the best course for us to pursue now?"

"I have been wondering myself. I think, as there is nothing to be learned from this house, the better plan would be for you two gentlemen to go back to Mr. Wetherell, while I return to the detective office and see if anything has been discovered by the men there. As soon as I have found out I will join you at Potts Point. What do you think?"

I agreed that it would be the best course; so, taking the Marquis by the arms (for he was still too weak to walk alone), we left the house, and were about to step into the street when I stopped, and asking them to wait for me ran back into the room again. In the corner, just as it had been thrown down, lay the rope with which Beckenham had been bound and the pad which had been fitted over his mouth. I picked both up and carried them into the verandah.

"Come here, Mr. Inspector," I cried. "I thought I should learn something from this. Look at this rope and this pad, and tell me what you make of them."

He took each up in turn and looked them over and over. But he only shook his head.

"I don't see anything to guide us," he said.

"Don't you?" I cried. "Why, they tell me more than I have learnt from anything else I've seen. Look at the two ends of this. They're seized!"

I looked triumphantly at him, but he only stared at me in surprise, and said, "What do you mean by 'seized'?"

"Why, I mean that the ends are bound up in this way--look for yourself.

Now not one landsman in a hundred _seizes_ a rope's end. This line was taken from some ship in the harbour, and----By Jove! here's another discovery!"

"What now?" he cried, being by this time almost as excited as I was myself.

"Why, look here," I said, holding the middle of the rope up to the light, so that we could get a better view of it. "Not very many hours ago this rope was running through a block, and that block was an uncommon one."

"How do you know that it was an uncommon one?"

"Because it has been newly painted, and what's funnier still, painted green, of all other colours. Look at this streak of paint along the line; see how it's smudged. Now, let's review the case as we walk along."

So saying, with the Marquis between us, we set off down the street, hoping to be able to pick up a cab.

"First and foremost," I said, "remember old Draper's talk of the South Seas--remember the collection of curios he possessed. Probably he owns a schooner, and it's more than probable that this line and this bit of canvas came from it."

"I see what you're driving at," said the Inspector. "It's worth considering. Directly I get to the office I will set men to work to try and find this mysterious gentleman. You would know him again, my lord?"

"I should know him anywhere," was Beckenham's immediate reply.

"And have you any idea at all where this house, to which he conducted you, is located?"

"None at all. I only know that it was about half-way down a street of which all the houses, save the one at the corner--which was a grocer's shop--were one-storied villas."

"Nothing a little more definite, I suppose?"

"Stay! I remember that there was an empty house with broken windows almost opposite, and that on either side of the steps leading up to the front door were two stone eagles with out-stretched wings. The head of one of the eagles--the left, I think--was missing."

The Inspector noted these things in his pocket-book, and just as he had finished we picked up a cab and called it to the side walk. When we had got in and given the driver Mr. Wetherell's address, I said to the Inspector--"What are you going to do first?"

"Put some men on to find Mr. Draper, and some more to find a schooner with her blocks newly painted green."

"You won't be long in letting us know what you discover?" I said.