King of the Castle Part 68

His knees seemed to give way beneath him, and he was glad to move a little to one side, and rest against the iron rail that guarded the edge of the cliff, for he was giddy with emotion as he felt how narrow an escape he had had from destruction.

"But they could not tell," he said to himself. "It was his heart; and no doctor could have a.n.a.lysed the case sufficiently to have said who gave him a larger quant.i.ty than he usually took.

"Yes, safe," he muttered, with a feeling of relief and elation. But the giddy sensation returned, and he could gladly have gone into the inn and call for brandy, had he dared, the thought that such an action on his part might cause suspicion keeping him back.

He could hear the people, grouped about, discussing the event, and though it horrified him, and moment by moment as he stood leaning over the rail and gazing out to sea, he antic.i.p.ated hearing something said which would fix suspicion upon him, he could not tear himself away.

His men were waiting for him at the harbour steps, but he shrank from moving, though he suffered agony in staying there, for out before him, on the dark sea with the stars reflected, and looking up at him like eyes, he felt that there was danger, and that he would not dare to go out to his yacht.

And yet he kept asking himself what there was to fear.

"Dead men tell no tales," he kept saying to himself; but nothing seemed to check his nervous dread.

"Suppose all should be discovered?"

At last he tore himself away, determined to get on board the yacht, have a good stiff gla.s.s of brandy and water, and go to bed early; but, instead of turning off to the left and down to the end of the pier, he found himself led as it were up the cliff-path towards the Fort; and with the full intention of going right to the door to inquire how the ladies were, so as to force down and master the cowardly dread, he pa.s.sed on, and when close to the drawbridge, stopped short.

A firm, elastic step was coming in the other direction, and a new dread a.s.sailed him.

Thought flies quickly, and in a few moments he had a.n.a.lysed his position.

He had, in his endeavour to obtain money, destroyed Gartram's life. He had tried to make himself believe that he was only going to borrow part of what would be his anon; but, in his hurry and fear, he had failed to obtain the money, and he had removed Gartram.

What would be the result? Claude would doubtless have become his wife when urged by her father, but that father was dead, and he was face to face with the fact that he had destroyed his chances. For Claude had evidently a strong leaning towards Chris Lisle; and while he had been shiveringly and nervously leaning against the cliff rail, Chris had quickly made his way to the ladies' side, had walked home with them, and now was returning master of the situation, and in another few moments would be standing face to face with him.

A fierce feeling of resentment sprang up in his breast, and, as his hands clenched, he could feel the veins in his forehead tingle and start.

Chris was coming slowly down the path, with his head bent, thinking deeply of Claude's sorrow, and in spite of the angry words which had pa.s.sed during their last interview, full of sorrow for the hard, pa.s.sionate man cut off so suddenly; but as he suddenly found himself confronted by Glyddyr, he felt the blood flush up into his temples, and his hands shook,

It was momentary. His hands dropped easily to his sides, and he told himself that he need not fear Glyddyr now. He had only to wait patiently till the time of mourning and sorrow had pa.s.sed away, and then Claude would naturally turn to him; and for the first time he felt glad that he had made that _coup_.

"I am not going to make an enemy of this man," he said to himself. "I can afford to be generous;" and, breaking the silence, he said quietly, "Going up to the house, Mr Glyddyr?"

"Sir?"

"I said, are you going up to the house?"

"The man's angry and disappointed," thought Chris, and he spoke in the same quiet, inquiring tone.

"And, pray, by what right do you question me?" said Glyddyr angrily, and glad of something which roused him from the trembling, morbid state in which he was grovelling.

"I can hardly call it a right," replied Chris, "and only speak as a very old friend of the family."

"Friend? Why, confound you, sir; Mr Gartram ordered you never to enter his house again."

"Let Mr Gartram rest," replied Chris, gravely, and his tones were so impressive and seemed so full of suggestion that Glyddyr shrank again, and was silent. "I only wished to say that Miss Gartram is ill--utterly prostrate--and that an intrusion--"

"Intrusion!" cried Glyddyr, recovering himself, and beginning to quiver with jealous rage.

"Yes, sir; intrusion upon Miss Gartram at such a time would be as cruel as uncalled for."

"Intrusion! Such insolence! Are you aware, sir--"

"I am aware of everything, sir, everything," said Chris firmly; and once more Glyddyr, ridden by coward conscience, shivered, that word "everything" conveyed so much. "This is neither time nor place to discuss such matters. That poor gentleman is lying dead yonder; his child is broken-hearted, and I ask you, as a gentleman, to refrain from going up there now."

There was silence for a few moments, during which Glyddyr battled hard with his feelings, and Chris felt that, had it been any one else, he would not have spoken in this way.

"And suppose, sir, I refuse?" cried Glyddyr at last.

There was another pause, for the smouldering hatred against this man deep down in Chris Lisle's breast began to glow, and there was a curious twitching about his fingers; but the thoughts of what had taken place, and Claude's pale, sorrowful countenance, rose before him, and he said quietly,--

"You cannot refuse, sir."

"But I do," raged Glyddyr. "Do you hear? I do refuse, and tell you it is a piece of insolent a.s.sumption on your part to dictate to me what I shall do."

Chris was silent, and Glyddyr misinterpreted that silence in his excitement, or he would not have gone on with a pa.s.sionate rage that was almost childish.

"Confound you for daring to come here at all. What do you mean, fellow?

And now, understand this: if you intrude your presence upon that lady or her cousin again, I'll have you horse-whipped and turned off the place. Do you hear me--go!"

"Parry Glyddyr," said Chris gently, "at a time like this, every instinct within me prompts me to try and behave like a gentleman--"

"You--a gentleman!" sneered Glyddyr.

"To one who was that poor man's friend, and whom I should fain have believed--"

"Curse your insolence!" sneered Glyddyr. "Leave this place. Go back to your kennel, dog. Don't preach to me."

"You have totally forgotten yourself, sir, and I can only attribute it to your having been drinking. I will not quarrel with you now, I once more appeal to you to go."

"And I once more order you to go!" cried Glyddyr, whose mad rage for the moment rode over his natural cowardice. "What! You will not go? It is an insult to every one here. Be off!"

"Have you forgotten trying to turn me away from here once before?"

"When you took a cowardly advantage of me, sir. I have not forgotten it, but--bah! I have no time to quarrel with such a cad. Be off, and if you come here again, take the consequences."

He turned on his heel to go up to the house.

"Stop," said Chris, in a low deep trembling voice. "Mr Glyddyr, I appeal to you once more. Don't go up there to that place now," and he laid his hand upon his shoulder.

Glyddyr turned upon him, and made a backhanded blow at his face.

The flame flashed out for an instant, and then it was smothered down.

Quick as lightning Chris Lisle's firm, strong hand gripped his rival by the wrist; there was a savage wrench given to the arm, and, after a miserable attempt at resistance, Glyddyr leant over to ease the agony he felt.

"If I did what nature seems to prompt me to do," whispered Chris, "I should throw you into that moat; but, I will try and keep my temper.

You are half-drunk. You are not fit to go up to that house. I am not afraid of your going there, but I will not have her insulted by your presence to-night. Come down here."