The Mask Part 29

The man lingered in the room, arranging the chairs, and fussing about the table, until he began to make Helen nervous. Peremptorily she said:

"You had better go, Francois; monsieur is waiting for you."

The valet bowed obsequiously, and left the room, shutting the door carefully. Instead of proceeding immediately upstairs, he stopped for a moment behind the closed door and listened intently. But, unable to overhear the two women, who were conversing in an undertone, he hurried upstairs toward his employer's bedroom. Arrived on the landing, he went straight to the room, and, without stopping for the formality of knocking, he turned the handle and went in.

CHAPTER XIII

Instead of finding his master resting from his fatigue, as Mrs. Traynor had said, Francois discovered the new arrival very much awake. He was sitting in front of Helen's bureau, eagerly perusing a bundle of private letters tied with blue ribbon, which he had taken from a drawer. As the door opened, he jumped up quickly, as if detected committing a dishonorable action; but, when he saw who it was, his face relaxed and he gave a grim nod of recognition.

"Lock the door!" he said in a whisper. "It won't do to have anyone come in here now."

The valet turned the key, and, dropping entirely the obsequious manner of the paid menial, threw himself carelessly into a chair. Taking from his pocket a richly chased silver cigarette box, loot from former houses where he had been employed, he struck a match on the highly polished Circa.s.sian walnut chair, and proceeded to enjoy a smoke.

His companion looked at him anxiously.

"Well?" he demanded hoa.r.s.ely. "Is it all right? What do they say?

Does anyone suspect?"

The Frenchman gracefully emitted from between his thin lips a thick cloud of blue smoke, and broke into a laugh that, under the circ.u.mstances, sounded strangely hollow and sinister.

"Suspect?" he chuckled. "Why should they suspect? Are you not ze same man who went away--ze same build, ze same face, ze same voice, ze same in every particular--except one. Zat you have not--_non_--you have not ze education, ze fine manners, ze _savoir faire_ of monsieur." With that expressive shrug of the shoulder, so characteristic of his nation, he added: "_Mais que voulez vous_? We must do ze best we can."

His listener struck the bra.s.s bed-post savagely with his heavy fist.

With a burst of profanity he broke out:

"Yes, d.a.m.n him! He had all the advantages. I had none. But it's my turn now. I want all that's coming to me."

"Hush!" exclaimed the valet, raising his finger warningly. "Zey may hear. Everything will be all right. We must be very careful. You must not talk. You must avoid people. Let them think you sick, or strange, or crazy, anything you like. But keep away from zem, or else they soon discover that 'Handsome Jack,' ze penniless adventurer, is quite a different person from ze accomplished and wealthy Monsieur Kenneth Traynor."

"We can't expect to keep the game up long," interrupted the big fellow moodily.

"We won't have to," replied his companion calmly. "Just enough time to squeeze ze orange dry--that's all----"

Handsome looked up quickly. Savagely he retorted:

"Of which juice you and Keralio want a goodly share, don't you?"

The valet's greenish eyes flashed.

"Of course I do, and, what's more, I mean to get it." Changing his free, careless tone to one tense with significance and menace he went on: "Don't be a fool, Monsieur Handsome. Who put you up to this snap, but me? Who knows what you did to monsieur out there on ze _veldt_, better than me? Dead men tell no tales, but live ones do. Don't forget that! If you want to keep clear of ze electric chair, you'll keep your mouth shut, and play fair."

The gambler listened, his mouth twitching nervously, his eyes glowing with sullen hatred.

"What do you and Keralio want? I gave you the diamonds--what more do you expect?"

The valet laughed scoffingly.

"You gave him ze diamonds. Why? You were d----d glad to be rid of zem. We can't do anything with zem now. We may have to wait months or years before we can venture to cut zem up and dispose of zem. _Non_, monsieur! If zey appeared on ze market now, ze news would be flashed _immediatement_ to every corner of ze globe, and your career and mine would come to a quick end. _Voila_!"

"Don't forget Keralio!" said Handsome, with a sneer.

"_Eh, bien_? Has he not earned it, Signor Keralio? Is it not because of his courage and daring that you are here--ze master in this house?

Who but Keralio would have had ze nerve to carry ze thing through?"

Handsome shrugged his shoulders. Cynically he said:

"Oh, I don't know. It seems to me that Keralio is safe under cover, while here I am, disporting myself in the limelight, with every eye turned on me. I guess I prefer Keralio's job to mine----"

The valet's eyes flashed vindictively as he retorted:

"Could your puny brain have conceived this scheme which will make us all rich? Keralio outlined ze whole plan to me directly he heard of your existence. On our reaching Cape Town, after finding you starving on ze _veldt_, I cabled him ze news. A few hours later he told me exactly what to do. He knew you would do it. How, I do not know. He is no ordinary man, Keralio. When I first saw you out zere, unkempt, in rags, starving, I could have dropped dead from surprise. It never occurred to me that you might be useful. But Keralio knew. He knows everything. He also knew that you would accept his leadership, that you would quickly get rid of monsieur, and secure ze diamonds. Was it not his idea that you set fire to ze ship? And who set fire to ze ship, _s'il vous plait_, when you refused? Who but your very humble servant. And a hard, dangerous job, it was, too--catch me ever wanting to do it again!"

"Not half so bad as mine. He put up a terrible fight before I threw him overboard."

"Who--monsieur?"

"Yes--he fought like a wildcat, and he was fast getting the best of me, when I managed to give him a rap on the head. That quieted him, and over he went." With an exclamation of disgust, he added: "It was a d----d nasty job. I'm sorry I ever went into it----"

"Sorry--you fool? _Sapristi_! Just think of this wonderful opportunity. You have ze keys to his vaults, you have control of his bank accounts." Lowering his voice, and, with a significant leer on his face, he added "and you have--his wife!"

Handsome grinned, and the valet went on:

"_Precis.e.m.e.nt_! Madame is cold and haughty, like all zese American women. It's not exactly my taste, but she's pretty and dainty, and----"

"Who are all these other people," interrupted the miner, "that man Steell----"

"Yes, that is so. You must know everyone. You must make a study of each, so as to avoid making bad breaks. Monsieur Steell is a lawyer.

He's in love with madame's sister, Miss Ray. You've known him all your life, went to school with him, and all that sort of thing. Say 'yes'

to everything he says. That's your cue at present. Talk as little as you can, and agree with everybody. The man you must talk with most is Monsieur Parker. He is president of the mining company. Happily he's rather shortsighted, so he won't notice anything. He's the man to whom you'll have to explain ze loss of ze diamonds. He'll be here to-night for dinner, so you'd better get your story ready."

"What can I say?"

"Say that in ze panic your belt worked loose, you had to dive into ze water. When you were dragged into ze lifeboat the belt was gone, do you understand?"

"Yes--but will they believe it?"

"They must believe it. There'll be an awful fuss, of course, but they'll get over it. No suspicion can attach to you."

"He's coming to-night--this man Parker?"

"Yes, to-night. He'll be here for dinner. He----"

Before the valet could complete the sentence there was a knock on the door and Helen outside called out:

"May I come in?"