Brandon of the Engineers Part 48

"And yet you believed she stole your papers!"

"I thought she did," d.i.c.k answered doggedly. "Still, I didn't blame her."

"You blamed me? But you ought to be satisfied, in one respect, because Clare and I are separated, and I'll own that I'm anxious about her future. Had things gone well, I would have tried to keep her away from you; in fact, I did try, because I frankly think she might have made a better marriage. For all that, if you are determined and she is willing, you have my consent. You will probably never be very rich, but I could trust Clare to you."

"I am determined."

"Very well. I can tell you something you may be glad to hear. Clare did not rob you, nor did I."

d.i.c.k looked at him with keen relief. "Then who took the plans?"

"Your cousin. The pocket they were in was unb.u.t.toned when he took hold of you and hurried you out of the house. He brought them to me afterwards, but I saw they were not valuable and destroyed them."

It was impossible to doubt the statement, and d.i.c.k flushed with shame and anger as he realized that his absurd and unjust suspicion of Clare had prevented his seeing who the real culprit was. Clare had accidentally torn his pocket loose, the bulky envelope must have been sticking out, and Lance had noticed it as he hustled him across the hall.

"Yes; Lance took the plans!" he exclaimed hoa.r.s.ely. "But why?"

"It looks as if you hadn't heard from home. Your cousin has stepped into your place. I imagine he had always envied it, and didn't hesitate when he saw an opportunity of getting rid of you."

d.i.c.k was silent for a few moments and his face was very hard. He heard the crew hurrying about the deck, and a winch rattle as the hatches were lifted. The vessel would soon be in port, and Kenwardine's fate must be decided before they went ash.o.r.e; but the man looked very cool as he leaned back in his chair, languidly waiting.

"Why didn't you tell me this earlier?" d.i.c.k asked sternly.

"I should have thought my object was plain enough," Kenwardine replied.

"I didn't want Clare to marry a badly paid engineer. Things are different now and I admit that you have stood a rather severe test. I'll give you two letters; one to Clare, advising her to marry you, and the other stating how your cousin stole the plans, which you can use in any way you like. Before writing them, I'd like to see Fuller for a minute or two.

You needn't hesitate about it, because I don't mean to victimize him in any way. In fact, I want to tell him something to his advantage."

d.i.c.k went out, and when he had sent Jake down, leaned upon the steamer's rail lost in thought. It had been a shock to learn of his cousin's treachery, but this was balanced by the relief of knowing that Clare was innocent. Indeed, he grew hot with shame as he wondered how he had suspected her. He felt angry with Kenwardine for keeping him in the dark so long, but his indignation was tempered by a touch of grim amus.e.m.e.nt.

Since the fellow was ambitious for Clare, he must have regretted having destroyed the plans when he learned that d.i.c.k's father was rich, but after conniving at the theft he could not put matters right. Now, when his career was ended, he was willing, for his daughter's sake, to clear d.i.c.k's name and help him to regain the station he had lost. But d.i.c.k was not sure he wished to regain it just yet. He had been turned out of the army; his father, who had never shown much love for him, had been quick to believe the worst; and he was bound for a time to a man who had befriended him.

Presently he looked about. Lights were opening out in twinkling lines as the steamer moved sh.o.r.eward, and a splash of oars came out of the gloom.

d.i.c.k vacantly noted that several boats were approaching, and then a winch rattled and Don Sebastian, who had come up quietly, touched his arm. A chain sling swung past beneath a moving derrick, and as they crossed the deck to get out of the way he saw a steamer close by. Her windla.s.s was clanking as she shortened her cable and he supposed she was the Spanish boat the mate had spoken of, but he followed his companion and listened to what he had to say. Then as the anchor was let go he thought Jake ought to have come back and went to look for him. He found the lad leaning against the deckhouse, smoking a cigarette.

"Where's Kenwardine?" he asked.

"I left him in the saloon. He gave me two letters for you and a useful hint about some debts of mine."

"Never mind that! How long is it since you left him?"

"Quite five minutes," Jake answered coolly.

Struck by something in his tone, d.i.c.k ran below and found no luggage in Kenwardine's room. None of the stewards whom he asked had seen him for some time, and a hasty search showed that he was not on deck. d.i.c.k went back to Jake.

"Do you know where the fellow is?" he asked sharply as Don Sebastian came up.

"If you insist, I imagine he's on board the Spanish boat," Jake answered with a chuckle. "As she seems to have her anchor up, I guess it's too late for us to interfere."

A sharp rattle of chain that had rung across the water suddenly stopped and d.i.c.k saw one of the steamer's colored side-lights slowly move. It was plain that she was going to sea.

"Since we had been pa.s.sed by the doctor, there was nothing to prevent the sh.o.r.e boats coming alongside, and I believe one or two did so before we quite stopped," Jake resumed. "They were, no doubt, looking for a job, and the ladder was already lowered."

"Then you knew Kenwardine meant to steal away?"

"I didn't know, but thought it likely," Jake replied with some dryness.

"On the whole, it was perhaps the best thing he could do. What's your opinion, Don Sebastian?"

The Spaniard smiled. "I think the President will be satisfied that it was the simplest way out of the difficulty."

"Well," said Jake, "here are your letters, d.i.c.k. Perhaps we had better see about getting ash.o.r.e."

They moved towards the gangway, past the hatch where some heavy cases were being hoisted up, and d.i.c.k carefully put the letters in his pocket.

This distracted his attention from what was going on, and when he heard a warning shout he stepped back a moment too late. A big case swung forward beneath a derrick-boom and struck his shoulder. Staggering with the blow, he lost his balance and plunged down the hatch. He was conscious of a heavy shock, a sudden, stinging pain, and then remembered nothing more.

CHAPTER x.x.xI

RICHTER'S MESSAGE

It was a hot evening and Clare sat at a table in the patio, trying to read. The light was bad, for buzzing insects hovered about the lamp, but the house had not cooled down yet and she wanted to distract her troubled thoughts. Footsteps and voices rose from the street outside, where the citizens were pa.s.sing on their way to the plaza, but the sounds were faint and m.u.f.fled by the high walls. The house had been built in times when women were jealously guarded and a dwelling was something of a fort.

Now, with the iron gate in the narrow, arched entrance barred, the girl was securely cut off from the exotic life of the city.

This isolation was sometimes a comfort, but it sometimes jarred. Clare was young, and fond of cheerful society, and the iron gate had its counterpart in another barrier, invisible but strong, that shut her out from much she would have enjoyed. She often stood, so to speak, gazing wistfully between the bars at innocent pleasures in which she could not join. Kenwardine, in spite of his polished manners, was tactfully avoided by English and Americans of the better cla.s.s, and their wives and daughters openly showed their disapproval.

At length Clare gave up the attempt to read. She felt lonely and depressed. n.o.body had been to the house since Kenwardine left, and d.i.c.k and Jake were away. She did not see d.i.c.k often and he was, of course, nothing to her; for one thing, he was in some mysterious way her father's enemy. Still, she missed him; he was honest, and perhaps, if things had been different----

Then she turned her head sharply as she heard the click of a bolt. This was strange, because Lucille had locked the gate. She could not see it in the gloom of the arch, but it had certainly opened. Then as she waited with somewhat excited curiosity a dark figure appeared on the edge of the light, and she put down her book as Richter came forward. He made very little noise and stopped near the table.

"How did you get in?" she asked.

Richter smiled. "You have forgotten that Herr Kenwardine gave me a key."

"I didn't know he had," Clare answered. "But won't you sit down?"

He moved a chair to a spot where his white clothes were less conspicuous, though Clare noted that he did so carelessly and not as if he wished to hide himself. Then he put a small linen bag on the table.

"This is some money that belongs to Herr Kenwardine; you may find it useful. It is not good to be without money in a foreign town."

Clare looked at him with alarm. He was fat and generally placid, but his philosophical good humor was not so marked as usual.

"Then you have heard from my father?"

"Yes. I have a cablegram. It was sent in a roundabout way through other people's hands and took some time to reach me. Herr Kenwardine left Kingston last night."

"But there is no boat yet."