The Dark Star Part 54

He stuck the note into the frame of his mirror over the washstand with a vague idea that if anything happened to him this would furnish a clue to his whereabouts.

Then he thought of the steward, but, although he had no reason to believe the girl who had written him, something within him made him ashamed to notify the steward as to where he was going. He ought to have done it; common prudence born of experience with Ilse Dumont suggested it. And yet he could not bring himself to do it; and exactly why, he did not understand.

One thing, however, he could do; and he did. He wrote a note to Captain West giving the Paris address of the Princess Mistchenka, and asked that the olive-wood box be delivered to her in case any accident befell him. This note he dropped into the mailbox at the end of the main corridor as he went out. A few minutes later he stood in an empty pa.s.sageway outside a door numbered 623. He had a loaded automatic in his breast pocket, a cigarette between his fingers, and, on his agreeable features, a smile of antic.i.p.ation--a smile in which amus.e.m.e.nt, incredulity, reckless humour, and a spice of malice were blended--the smile born of the drop of Irish sparkling like champagne in his singing veins.

And he turned the k.n.o.b of door No. 623 and went in.

She was reading, curled up on her sofa under the electric bulb, a cigarette in one hand, a box of bonbons beside her.

She looked up leisurely as he entered, gave him a friendly nod, and, when he held out his hand, placed her own in it. With delighted gravity he bent and saluted her finger tips with lips that twitched to control a smile.

"Will you be seated, please?" she said gently.

The softness of her agreeable voice struck him as he looked around for a seat, then directly at her; and saw that she meant him to find a seat on the lounge beside her.

"Now, indeed you are Scheherazade of the Thousand and One Nights," he said gaily, "with your cigarette and your bonbons, and cross-legged on your divan----"

"Did Scheherazade smoke cigarettes, Mr. Neeland?"

"No," he admitted; "that is an anachronism, I suppose. Tell me, how are you, dear lady?"

"Thank you, quite well."

"And--busy?" His lips struggled again to maintain their gravity.

"Yes, I have been busy."

"Cooking something up?--I mean soup, of course," he added.

She forced a smile, but reddened as though it were difficult for her to accustom herself to his half jesting sarcasms.

"So you've been busy," he resumed tormentingly, "but not with cooking lessons! Perhaps you've been practising with your pretty little pistol. You know you really need a bit of small arms practice, Scheherazade."

"Because I once missed you?" she inquired serenely.

"Why so you did, didn't you?" he exclaimed, delighted to goad her into replying.

"Yes," she said, "I missed you. I needn't have. I am really a dead shot, Mr. Neeland."

"Oh, Scheherazade!" he protested.

She shrugged:

"I am not bragging; I could have killed you. I supposed it was necessary only to frighten you. It was my mistake and a bad one."

"My dear child," he expostulated, "you meant murder and you know it.

Do you suppose I believe that you know how to shoot?"

"But I do, Mr. Neeland," she returned with good-humoured indifference.

"My father was head _jager_ to Count Geier von Sturmspitz, and I was already a dead shot with a rifle when we emigrated to Canada. And when he became an Athabasca trader, and I was only twelve years old, I could set a moose-hide shoe-lace swinging and cut it in two with a revolver at thirty yards. And I can drive a shingle nail at that distance and drive the bullet that drove it, and the next and the next, until my revolver is empty. You don't believe me, do you?"

"You know that the beautiful Scheherazade----"

"Was famous for her fantastic stories? Yes, I know that, Mr. Neeland.

I'm sorry you don't believe I fired only to frighten you."

"I'm sorry I don't," he admitted, laughing, "but I'll practise trying, and maybe I shall attain perfect credulity some day. Tell me," he added, "what _have_ you been doing to amuse yourself?"

"I've been amusing myself by wondering whether you would come here to see me tonight."

"But your note said you were sure I'd come."

"You _have_ come, haven't you?"

"Yes, Scheherazade, I'm here at your bidding, spirit and flesh. But I forgot to bring one thing."

"What?"

"The box which--you have promised yourself."

"Yes, the captain has it, I believe," she returned serenely.

"Oh, Lord! Have you even found out _that_? I don't know whether I'm much flattered by this surveillance you and your friends maintain over me. I suppose you even know what I had for dinner. Do you?"

"Yes."

"Come, I'll call that bluff, dear lady! What did I have?"

When she told him, carelessly, and without humour, mentioning accurately every detail of his dinner, he lost his gaiety of countenance a little.

"Oh, I say, you know," he protested, "that's going it a trifle too strong. Now, why the devil should your people keep tabs on me to that extent?"

She looked up directly into his eyes:

"Mr. Neeland, I want to tell you why. I asked you here so that I may tell you. The people a.s.sociated with me are absolutely pledged that neither the French nor the British Government shall have access to the contents of your box. That is why nothing that you do escapes our scrutiny. We are determined to have the papers in that box, and we shall have them."

"You have come to that determination too late," he began; but she stopped him with a slight gesture of protest:

"Please don't interrupt me, Mr. Neeland."

"I won't; go on, dear lady!"

"Then, I'm trying to tell you all I may. I am trying to tell you enough of the truth to make you reflect very seriously.

"This is no ordinary private matter, no vulgar attempt at robbery and crime as you think--or pretend to think--for you are very intelligent, Mr. Neeland, and you know that the contrary is true.

"This affair concerns the secret police, the emba.s.sies, the chancelleries, the rulers themselves of nations long since grouped into two formidable alliances radically hostile to one another.