The Great Miss Driver Part 27

"Wire as soon as you can--Grand Hotel to-night--to-morrow, the Continental, Paris. Write to-morrow, and send my portmanteau; I'll take my bag. I shall come back if there's any trouble."

"No, no, you mustn't," said Jenny.

"Well, we'll see about that presently. Good-by."

I watched him go into the hall and take up his bag; then I came back to Jenny.

"Now come away," I said, quickly. "You don't want to meet Fillingford, and he may be here any minute. I'll see you safe on the road, then I'll come back to this fellow. We can hush it all up--it's only a matter of enough money."

I heard the wheels of a carriage in the road. Jenny held up her hand for silence. We listened a moment. The carriage stopped at the gate of Hatcham Ford. It was Fillingford--Would he meet Octon? I feared that Octon would take no pains to avoid him.

In that I was wrong. The situation had sobered him. He had seen where lay the best chance for Jenny, and he would not throw it away. When the carriage drove up, he was just by the gate of Ivydene--Lacey, hidden in the shrubberies, saw him there. He drew back into the shadow of the gate and watched Fillingford get out. Fillingford, intent on Hatcham Ford, never glanced in his direction. When Fillingford had gone in, he resumed his way to the station.

When I heard the carriage stop, I cried to Jenny, "He mustn't find you!

Run upstairs somewhere--I'll manage to send him away."

"What's the good?" she asked. "We've got to have it out; we may as well have it out now." She looked at me haughtily. "I'm not inclined to hide from Lord Fillingford."

Powers's hand went up to his throat; he coughed and gurgled again. She looked down at him with a smile. "What's the good of hiding me? You can't hide that!"

"I won't let him in at all!" I cried.

"What's the good? He'll know I'm here if you do that. It's best to let him in. I'm not afraid to meet him, and I'd rather--know to-night."

His knock came on the door. I went and opened it. He started at the sight of me.

"You, Mr. Austin? I was looking for Mr. Octon."

"He's not here," I answered. "He has just left for London."

He seemed to hesitate for a moment. "Then are you alone here?" he asked.

Before I had time to think of my answer, Jenny's voice came from the dining-room. "I am here. Bring Lord Fillingford into this room, Austin."

He did not start now, but he bit his lip. I stood aside to let him pa.s.s, and shut the door after him. Then I followed him into the dining-room.

Jenny was standing near the fire beside Powers, who kept shifting his head about on the footstool with stiff awkward movements. Fillingford came to the middle of the room and bowed slightly to Jenny; then his eyes fell on Powers and, in sudden surprise, he pointed his finger at him.

"My servant--and your spy," she said. "He has had a narrow escape of his life."

"So it's true," he said--not in question, but to himself, in a very low voice. "True to-night--and true often before!"

She made no attempt at denial. "Yes, I have often been here. I'll answer any question you like to put--and answer it truthfully.

"What I know is enough. I impute no more than I know."

"I thank you for that at least. It's only justice, but justice must be hard to give--from you to me."

"But what I know is--enough."

"You've a perfect right to say so."

Both were speaking calmly and quietly. There was no trace of pa.s.sion in their voices. Neither took any heed of me, but I stayed--since she had not bidden me go.

He took a letter from his pocket. I recognized the large square envelope as of the shape which Jenny used.

"The letter you were so good as to send me this afternoon," he said, holding it up in his hand.

"Yes."

"I read it with very great pleasure." He tore it into four pieces and flung them on the table before him. They lay there between him and Jenny. He looked at her with a smile. "You're not like Eleanor Lacey for nothing," he said.

She smiled, too, and raised a hand to restrain me, for at his bitter taunt I had made a step forward, meaning to interpose.

"Probably not!" she answered. Then she turned to me. "You'll look after Powers for me, won't you, Austin? It's only a matter of money with him, as we all know--and Mr. Cartmell has plenty."

"I'll do all I can to prevent your being troubled at all."

"I shan't be troubled--but I shall be grateful to you. Lord Fillingford, in return for your compliment, may I beg a favor of you?" She had given a quick glance at the clock.

"Anything that it's in my power to grant," he answered with a little bow.

"It's nothing great--only the loan of your carriage. I came here on foot--and I'm tired."

"It's quite at your disposal."

"It's not inconvenient? You're not hurried?"

"I can walk, Miss Driver."

"Please don't do that. I'll send it back for you as quickly as possible."

"As you please," he said courteously.

"Good-night, Austin," she said to me, holding out her hand. "Don't come with me. I'd rather find my own way to the carriage, if you and Lord Fillingford will let me."

I took her hand. She gave mine a quick light squeeze. "G.o.d bless you, Austin," she said. Then, with a last slight salutation to Fillingford, she walked out of the room--and we heard the hall door shut behind her.

Fillingford stood where he was for a moment, then slowly sat down. I went to the table and collected the fragments of Jenny's letter. I made a gesture toward the fire. He nodded. I flung the pieces into the flames.

Powers slowly raised his head, leaning on his elbow. "Where am I?" he muttered.

"Not where you ought to be," I said. He laid his head down again, grumbling inarticulately.

"We want no publicity about this, Mr. Austin," said Fillingford--he spoke quite in his usual reserved and measured way. "I shall be willing to second your efforts in that direction. This man had better be got out of the town quietly--that can probably be managed by using the appropriate means. For the rest, no public announcement having been made, nothing need be said. It will probably be desirable for me to go away for a few weeks--that is, if Miss Driver prefers to remain at Breysgate. Or, if she takes a short holiday, I can remain--just as she wishes."

"I think it can all be managed, Lord Fillingford. We must try to have as little gossip as possible--for everybody's sake."

"You don't want my help to-night?"