King of the Castle Part 63

"What's the matter with him?" said one of the men who had come off from the sh.o.r.e to Glyddyr's yacht, after performing the duty he had in hand.

"Well," said the steward, laughing, "he's my boss, so it ain't for me to say; but if it had been you, I should have said you had been looking into a brandy gla.s.s till you were too giddy to stand."

"Well; that's what I thought," said the coroner's officer, "but being a gentleman, I held my tongue. Thought gents never did take too much."

"Oh, no; never," said the steward, sarcastically. "But don't talk about it; the guvnor's a good deal upset about the affair at Mr Gartram's."

"'Nough to upset any one. Who'd have thought it. Well, good morning."

"Don't want me as a witness, do you?"

The officer laughed, and was rowed back to the sh.o.r.e, while Glyddyr sat in his cabin watching the progress of the boat, and asking himself, as he glanced from time to time at the summons to the inquest which he held in his hand, whether he had committed himself in any way by word or look in the presence of the coroner's officer.

Twice over he turned to the brandy decanter in search of courage, but he shrank from it with a fresh chill of dread.

"It may make me talk too much," he said; "I might say something I couldn't take back."

Hurriedly thrusting the temptation from him, he well bathed his burning temples, and felt refreshed by the cold water.

"Now," he said, setting his teeth and trying to be firm; "there's only one man who knows the rights of this case, and I am that man. If I go straight no one can find it out, and there's a rich wife for me at the end of a few months, and freedom from this cursed load of debt. Well, I'll go through it in spite of everything. I will face it out."

But even as he tried to screw himself up his own words struck him with terrible force--

"A rich wife!"

How would he dare to continue his advances towards the child of the man he had murdered?

"I can't do it. I dare not do it," he said in a despairing way. "She will be looking me through and through, and some day she might find out.

No; Gellow must do his worst, I can't go on."

But as he thought all this his eyes were directed towards the Fort, with its blank-looking cas.e.m.e.nts, and though he shuddered as he thought of the dead man lying there behind one of those blank windows--his work-- the man whose hand he had grasped only the night before in friendship, and whom he had cut off by that one act--though he thought of all this with shudders, and vainly tried to screen himself from the darts of conscience by holding up as shield the word accident--the place had a terrible fascination, and he felt that he must go on now, for there was the sweet young girl heiress to so great a property, there was the ideal seaside home for a man who had yachting proclivities. The place was pretentious, and the mockery of an old Norman castle jarred upon his tastes; but there was the place waiting for him, ready to be his if he only had patience and manly force enough to keep his own counsel.

"And I will," he said, as he clenched his fists. "It isn't cowardice; it's overstrung sensibility. I have the strength, and I will face it all out, come what may."

He felt cooler now, and began to hesitate as to what he should do. The coroners inquest was to him the enemy, and he would have to view the body.

"No, no," he muttered, "how confused I am--that is, for the jury. I am only a witness called because--Yes, I remember, what the man said now, because I saw the deceased last night."

"Yes, I saw him last night," groaned Glyddyr; "and I feel as if I shall always be seeing him now."

Once more he made an effort to collect himself, and took the situation in the full. He had nearly been committing the grave error of running away, but he had fortunately paused.

"It would have been madness," he thought, "and only inviting pursuit by attracting attention to my actions."

He walked on deck, his nervous excitement having completely counteracted the effect produced by the spirits and wine, and ordered his men into the boat to row him ash.o.r.e.

He had made up his mind what to do, and as soon as they reached the landing steps he walked straight up to the Fort for the second time that morning.

He was cool now, for he was fully awake to the fact that his life depended upon his calmly facing facts.

Half-way up, towards the bridge, he met Doctor Asher and his colleague, the latter bowing and pa.s.sing on, but Asher stopped short, and took Glyddyr's extended hand.

"Going in?" he said.

"Yes; how is she--Miss Gartram?"

"Terrible state, poor girl; broken-hearted; I only saw her for a few moments. Dreadful accident, is it not?"

Glyddyr felt his blood run cold, and his eyes seemed to him to be vacant, as he gazed straight at the doctor. "Accident?" he said, huskily.

"Oh, yes; no doubt about that. But you understand, do you not?"

"No--yes--I think I do," said Glyddyr, whose throat felt dry.

"Of course. Poor fellow, I warned him against it over and over again, but it is of no use with a man who once becomes a slave to a drug."

"Yes, I see," said Glyddyr, staring hard at the doctor, but not seeing him.

"I feel as if I were to blame, but, on dispa.s.sionate consideration, what could I do?"

"Of course," answered Glyddyr, "what could you do?"

"It was better that he should take the drug under my supervision than recklessly alone."

"Yes; much," said Glyddyr, vacantly.

"And yet on the face of it one can't say that it seems so. But what could a medical man do in such a case? 'I am suffering for want of sleep,' he used to say, 'and I must have this stuff.' 'It is madness to take it,' I said. 'If you don't give it me, I shall get it myself at the druggists.' So, of course, I had to give way and exhibit safe doses, but no foresight can prevent a man taking double or triple the quant.i.ties prescribed."

"No; I see," said Glyddyr, in the same vacant way. "But do you think he did get more at the druggist's?"

"That was my first thought, and I telegraphed to the two nearest and most likely men, but they say in each case, 'no.' Most awful accident, Mr Glyddyr. It ought to be a warning to people not to tamper with drugs which they do not understand, eh?"

"Yes, of course."

"How can anyone know how much to prescribe or take? A medical man of long experience has to go very cautiously, for what is a safe dose for one const.i.tution is certain death to another. But, there: I must go.

My colleague, to whom I have every reason to be grateful for his loyal aid, is waiting for me. I wanted help, for I cannot recall when I have been so overcome as by this case. The shock was terrible. Dining with him--called away--returning to find that he was asleep. Let me see you were with him, were you not?"

"Yes, part of the time," faltered Glyddyr, as he felt a thrill of dread run through him under the doctor's searching eyes, which seemed to be reading his inmost thoughts; and he found himself wondering whether this man had really been called away upon two occasions, or had made excuses, so as to watch his every act.

"And did you notice anything particular?"

"N-no," faltered Glyddyr; and then, in response to the sharply applied goad of dread, "no, nothing; only that he breathed rather heavily."

"To be sure; yes. But, there: good-bye. We shall meet again at the inquest, I suppose I I am not surprised at you looking so pale and overcome."

"Do I look pale and overcome?" said Glyddyr hastily, the words slipping from his lips.

"Terribly, my dear sir, terribly. Good morning."