Jeanne of the Marshes

by E. Phillips Oppenheim

  CHAPTER XVI

  The smoke cleared slowly away. Engleton had risen to his feet, thelight of a new hope blazing in his eyes. Forrest and Cecil de la Bornestood close together near the door, which still stood ajar. The girl,who stood with her back to the wall, saw their involuntary movementtowards it, and her voice rang out sharp and clear.

  "If you try it on I shoot!" she exclaimed. "You know what that means,Cecil. A pistol isn't a plaything with me."

  Cecil looked no more toward the door. He came instead a little fartherinto the room.

  "My dear Kate," he said, "we are willing to admit, Forrest and I, thatwe are beaten. You can do exactly what you like with us except leave ushere. Our little joke with Engleton is at an end. Perhaps we carried ittoo far. If so, we must face the penalty. Take him away if you like.Personally I do not find this place attractive."

  Kate lowered her revolver and turned to Engleton.

  "Come over to my side," she said. "We are going to leave this place."

  Engleton staggered towards her. He had always been thin, but he seemedto have lost more flesh in the last few days.

  "For God's sake let's get out!" he said. "If I don't breathe some freshair soon, it will be the end of me."

  "In any order you please," Cecil de la Borne said smiling. "The onlycondition I make is that before you leave the place altogether, Kate, Ihave a few minutes' conversation with you. You can hold your pistol tomy temple, if you like, while I talk, but there are a few things I mustsay."

  "Afterwards, then," she answered. "We are going first out of the place.We shall turn seawards and wait for you. When you have come out, youwill hand us your electric torches and go on in front."

  "You are quite a strategist," Forrest remarked grimly. "Do as she says,Cecil. The sooner we are out of this, the better."

  Kate passed her hand through Engleton's arm.

  "Come along," she said. "Lean on me if you are not feeling well. Do notbe afraid. They will not dare to touch us."

  Engleton laughed weakly, but with the remains of the contempt withwhich he had always treated his jailers.

  "Afraid of them!" he exclaimed contemptuously. "I fancy the boot hasbeen on the other leg. Who you are, my dear young lady, I do not know,but upon my word you are the most welcome companion a man ever had."

  The pair moved toward the doorway. Neither Forrest nor Cecil de laBorne made any effort to prevent their passing out. Kate turned alittle to the right, and then stood with the revolver clasped in herhand.

  "Please come out now," she said. "You will give your electric torch tohim."

  She indicated Engleton, who stretched out his hand. Cecil and Forrestobeyed her command to the letter. Engleton held the torch, and they allfour made their way along the noisome passage. Forrest turned his headonce cautiously toward his companion's, but Cecil shook his head.

  "Wait," he whispered softly.

  The thunder of the sea grew less and less distinct. Before them shone afaint glimmer of light. Soon they reached the three steps which led upinto the gun-room. Cecil and Forrest climbed up. Kate and Engletonfollowed. Cecil carefully closed the door behind them.

  "You see," he remarked, "we are reconciled to our defeat. Let us sitdown for a moment and talk."

  "Open the window and give me some brandy," Engleton said.

  Kate felt him suddenly grow heavy upon her arm.

  "Bring a chair quick," she ordered. "He is going to faint."

  She bent over him, alarmed at the sudden change in his face. Herattention for one moment was relaxed. Then she felt her wrist seized ina grip of iron. The revolver, which she was still holding, fell to theground, and Cecil calmly picked it up and thrust it into his pocket.

  "You have played the game very well, Kate," he said. "Now I think it isour turn."

  She looked at him indignantly, but without any trace of fear.

  "You brute!" she exclaimed. "Can't you see that he has fainted? Do youwant him to die here?"

  "Not in the least," Cecil answered. "Here, Forrest, you take care ofthis," he added, passing the revolver over to him. "I'll look afterEngleton."

  He led him to an easy-chair close to the window. He opened it a fewinches, and a current of strong fresh air came sweeping in. Then hepoured some brandy into a glass and gave it to Kate.

  "Let him sip this," he said. "Keep his head back. That's right. We willcall a truce for a few moments. I am going to talk with my friend."

  He turned away, and Kate, with a sudden movement, sprang toward thefireplace and pulled the bell. Cecil looked around and smiledcontemptuously.

  "It is well thought of," he remarked, "but unfortunately there is not aservant in the house. Go on ringing it, if you like. All that it canawake are the echoes."

  Kate dropped the rope and turned back towards Engleton. The colour wascoming slowly back to his cheeks. With an effort he kept fromaltogether losing consciousness.

  "I am not going to faint," he said in a low tone. "I will not. Tell me,they have the pistol?"

  "Yes," Kate answered, "but don't be afraid. I am not going back thereagain, nor shall they take you."

  He pressed her hand.

  "You are a plucky girl," he muttered. "Stick to me now and I'll neverforget it. I've held out so long that I'm d--d if I let them off theirpunishment now."

  Cecil came slowly across the room.

  "Feeling better, Engleton?" he asked.

  Engleton turned his head.

  "Yes," he answered, "I am well enough. What of it?"

  "We'd better have an understanding," Cecil said.

  "Have it, then, and be d----d to you!" Engleton answered. "You won'tget me alive down into that place again. If you are going to try, try."

  "Come," Cecil said, "there is no need to talk like that. Why not passyour word to treat this little matter as a joke? It's the simplest way.Go up to your room, change your clothes and shave, have a drink withus, and take the morning train to town. It's not worth while riskingyour life for the sake of a little bit of revenge on us for having gonetoo far. I admit that we were wrong in keeping you here. You terrifiedus. Forrest has more enemies than friends and I am unknown in London.If you went to the club with your story, people would believe it. Weshouldn't have a chance. That is why we were afraid to let you go back.Forget the last few days and cry quits."

  "I'll see you d----d first," Engleton answered.

  Cecil's face changed a little.

  "Well," he said, "I have made you a fair offer. If you refuse, I shallleave it to my friend Forrest to deal with you. You may not find him soeasy, as I have been."

  Kate stepped for a moment forward, and laid her hand on Cecil'sshoulder.

  "Mr. De la Borne," she said, "we don't want to have anything to say toyour friend. We trust him less than you. Open the door and let us out."

  "Where are you going to?" Cecil asked. "Engleton is not fit to walkanywhere."

  "I am going to take him back home with me," Kate answered. "Oh, I canget him there all right. I am not afraid of that. He will have plentyof strength to walk away from this place."

  "It is impossible, my dear Kate," Cecil answered. "Take my advice.Leave him to us. We will deal with him reasonably enough. Kate, listen."

  He passed his arm through hers and drew her a little on one side.

  "Kate," he said, "I'm afraid I haven't behaved exactly well to you. Igot up in London amongst a lot of people who seemed to look at thingsso differently, and there were distractions, and I'm afraid that Iforgot some of my promises. But I have never forgotten you. Why do youtake the part of that miserable creature over there? He is just a youngsimpleton, who, because he was half drunk, dared to accuse us ofcheating. We were obliged to keep him shut up until he took it back.Leave him to us. He shall come to no harm. I give you my word, and Iwill never forget it."

  Kate looked at him a little curiously.

  "Will you keep your promise?" she asked curiously.

  Cecil hesitated, but only for a minute.

  "Yes," he sa
id, "I will even do that."

  She withdrew her arm firmly, but without haste.

  "Is that all you have to say?" she asked.

  "I offer you my promise," he answered. "Isn't that worth something?"

  "Something," she answered, "not much. I want no more to do with you,Mr. Cecil de la Borne. Don't think you can make terms with me for youcan't. I only hope that you get punished for what you have done."

  Cecil raised his hand as though about to strike her.

  "You little cat!" he exclaimed. "We'll see the thing through, then. Youare prisoners here just as much as though you were in the vault."

  Forrest, who had spoken very little, came suddenly forward.

  "We have talked too much," he said, "and wasted too much time. Let ushave the issue before us in black and white. Engleton, are you wellenough to understand what I say?"

  "Perfectly," Engleton answered. "Go on."

  "Will you sign a retraction of your charges against us, and pledge yourword of honour never to repeat them, or to make any complaint, formalor otherwise, as to your detention here."

  "I'm d----d if I will!" Engleton answered.

  "Consider what your refusal means first," Forrest said. "Open thepassage door, Cecil."

  Cecil pushed it back, and a little breath of the noxious odour stoleinto the room.

  "You either make us that promise, Engleton," he said, "or as sure asI'm standing here, we'll drag you both down that passage, right to theend, and throw you into the sea."

  "And hang for it afterwards," Engleton said, with a sneer.

  "Not we," Forrest declared. "The currents down there are strange ones,and it would be many weeks before your bodies were recovered. Yourcharacter in London is pretty well known, and Kate here has been seenoften enough on her way up to the Hall. People will soon put two andtwo together. There are a dozen places in the Spinney where one couldslip off into the sea. Besides we shall have a little evidence tooffer. Oh, there is nothing for us to fear, I can assure you. Now then.I can see it's no use arguing with you any longer."

  "One moment," Kate said. "What about the young lady I left outside?"

  Cecil turned upon her swiftly.

  "Don't tell lies, Kate," he said. "It's a poor sort of tale that."

  "At any rate it's no lie," Kate answered. "When I came to your frontdoor, I left the young lady who was staying here only a few weeks ago,Miss Le Mesurier you called her, sitting in the barn waiting."

  Cecil laughed scornfully.

  "Did she drop from the clouds?" he asked.

  "She has been staying at the farm," Kate answered, "for days. I broughther with me to-night because I thought that she might know somethingabout Lord Ronald's disappearance. She is there waiting. If I do notreturn by daylight, she will go to the police."

  "I think," Forrest remarked ironically, "that we will risk the younglady outside. Your story, my dear, is ingenious, but scarcelyplausible. If you are ready, Cecil--"

  The four of them were suddenly stupefied into a dead silence. Theireyes were riveted upon the door which led to the underground passage.Cecil's face was almost grotesque with the terrible writing of fear.Distinctly they could all hear footsteps stumbling along the unevenway. Forrest was first to recover the power of speech. He called out toCecil from the other end of the room.

  "Shut the door! Shut it, I say!"

  Cecil took a quick step forward. Before he could reach the door,however, the girl had thrown her arms round his waist.

  "You shall not close it," she cried.

  "Who is it coming?" Cecil cried panting.

  "God knows!" she answered. "They say the ghosts walk here."

  He strove to loosen himself from her grasp, but he was powerless.Nevertheless he got a little nearer to the door. Forrest came swiftlyacross the room. Engleton struck at him with a chair, but the blow washarmless.

  "Stand aside, Cecil," Forrest said. "I'll close it."

  "I'm hanged if you will," was the sudden reply.

  Andrew de la Borne stepped out of the darkness and stood upright,blinking and looking around in amazement.