The Lion's Mouse

by C. N. Williamson and A. M. Williamson

  VI

  THE PARCEL WITH THE GOLD SEALS

  There was a second of suspense for Clo, and then Beverley spoke quietly:

  "Oh, I see! That's very interesting," she said. "I hope--the news isgood?"

  "It's a long message," the man answered. "I was told to let you have itin person. I thought you'd be goin' out sooner or later. If your husban''ad bin along, I'd have left a line, but----"

  "Never mind what you would have done, please," Beverley cut him short."The best thing I can think of now, is this" (she hurried on in a lowtone, and Clo who had stepped aside, nearer to the car, did not catchthe words), "Take a taxi, and follow my automobile. We're going into thePark. When you see us stop, you must stop too, at a distance.

  "I shall get out and let the motor, with my friend in it, go on withoutme for a while. Then we can talk. Do you understand?"

  "I'll be there," said the man.

  He touched his hat and moved away, as if his errand were done.

  "Drive slowly through the Park," Beverley instructed Robbins, and gentlymade Clo get into the car before her. "I'm so sorry to have kept youstanding, dear," she said. "I hope you don't feel weak or 'tottery'?"

  Clo did feel very weak, not from fatigue, but from excitement. Shereplied that she felt "grand." And Mrs. Sands forgot to say that she wasglad.

  The girl glanced at the older woman, and saw that she was staringstraight ahead, with a withdrawn look in her eyes, which told that shesaw nothing. Clo's heart beat fast. This drive was to have been aglorious experience. She had seen Central Park more than once, and hadwalked there, miserable in her loneliness. Now, though she looked out ofthe window, it was to let Beverley feel that she was not being staredat. The girl saw only a blur of colour, as if a kaleidoscope turnedbefore her eyes.

  At last Beverley spoke.

  "Dear child," she said, "I'm sure you understand that the man who waswaiting for me brought a message I'm anxious to hear. And--I'm sure ofanother thing--that I can trust you!"

  "I'd die any minute for you, sure I would!" she cried.

  "I believe you would! But I don't want you to die. All I want is for youto listen while I explain----"

  "As if you needed to explain to me!" the girl broke out.

  "I don't need to, perhaps, yet I wish to say just this: I love Rogerdearly. I've told you so often enough! I'd give anything on earth not tohave a secret from him. But to save a life--not my own--there is asecret I must keep. This man and his message are part of it. Now, that'sall I'm going to explain, except that--that nothing must be said."

  "I'd bite my tongue out sooner!" Clo protested.

  "Thank you, dear! Now we've had this talk, it's a comfort, not a worry,having you with me. You won't mind if I send you on while I get down andwalk in the Park?"

  "I'd love it!" said Clo.

  At once Beverley took the speaking tube and ordered the chauffeur tostop. He drew up at the side of the road. They were in the midst of thePark now, an exquisite green and gold world of peace and beauty.

  "I feel like taking a little exercise," Beverley said to Robbins, as shestepped out of the car. "Miss Riley isn't strong enough to walk. Go asfar along Riverside Drive as Grant's Tomb, and then come back, butslowly, so she can see everything. You'll find me waiting here."

  It seemed that Robbins carried out his instructions too laboriously. Clodidn't like the ferret-man, and she didn't believe that Beverley likedmeeting him.

  When at last Robbins brought the car back to the rendezvous there wasthe tall graceful figure in gray, standing alone.

  "Oh, have we kept you?" the girl cried, throwing open the door beforethe automobile stopped.

  Beverley did not answer, or seem to hear. She did not even look at Clo.

  "Home!" she said to Robbins. "As fast as you can!"

  Clo was shocked into silence, and hardly breathed when Beverley had sunkon to the seat, covering her face with her hands. The car had nearlyreached the Sands' corner of Park Avenue before the elder girl spoke.Then she said abruptly, as if waking from a dream:

  "Forgive me! I couldn't talk! I'm in dreadful trouble! I must ask you tohelp me. Are you strong enough to take a longer drive, and to walk a fewsteps alone?"

  "Rather!" said Clo.

  "Well, when we stop in front of our house, sit still in the car. I don'twant Sister Lake or Roger to know we're back. I'll run in, get a parcelwhich must be taken to a certain place, and give it to you. Then Robbinswill drive (I'll tell him) to a hotel on Broadway, called theWestmorland. I never heard of it before, but it seems that it's near 33dStreet, and quiet and respectable. Go into the restaurant and order tea.While you're there, that man you saw will come into the room, and you'llhand him the packet. That's all."

  "It sounds too easy," Clo said.

  "I hope it will be easy. I'll bring you a latch-key when I come downwith the parcel. Let yourself in when you get home, and go straight toyour room. I don't want you to fib, but try to make it seem to Sister asif we'd just come back. She'll think it strange if she knows I've sentyou out on an errand by yourself."

  "She shan't know," the girl promised.

  "You _are_ a comfort! You see, I told Roger I'd be at home by four, andI couldn't be, till long after if I took the parcel myself. I shall onlyjust be in time as it is. Here we are at the door! Now I'll rush. Infive minutes I hope to be with you again. Oh, if only Sister Lake isn'tat the window!"

  The five minutes passed, and Beverley didn't return. Clo watched thesilver-gilt clock under the vase of violets. Ten minutes; fifteenminutes; no Mrs. Sands! The girl was wondering whether she ought to waitindefinitely, or seek her friend to see what had happened when Beverleyappeared. She was breathless with haste.

  "Here, take this, and do just as I told you to do," she said, thrustinginto Clo's hands a bag, not a parcel. "Inside you'll find what I spokeof, and money to pay for your tea. I had to hide the parcel. I can'tstop to explain more now." She turned to the chauffeur, and hastilyordered him to drive to the Westmorland Hotel. Miss Riley had to meet afriend there; Robbins must wait till she was ready to come home.

  Only as the car slowed down in front of the third-rate hotel did Clotouch the hasp of the gray suede bag. It was not locked, and save for acrumpled dollar bill, its sole contents was a large, unaddressedenvelope fastened with three gold seals. On each of these seals was thesame elaborate monogram, which Clo did not try to make out; but it wasnot composed of Beverley Sands' initials. Evidently the parcel had beencrammed into the first handy receptacle, for it was all but too big togo in, and Clo found it difficult to extract without damaging the seals.Leaving the bag on the seat, she hid the envelope under the smart, whitecloth cape which went with her new frock.

  The restaurant of the hotel opened off the hall. At that hour, a littleafter four o'clock, there was no one in the room but a waiter. Afternoontea was evidently not a daily custom of the Westmorland's guests, butwhen it was brought at length, the ferret-man had not yet arrived.

  "Oh, dear, what shall I do if he doesn't come?" Clodagh asked herself,thinking fearfully about the chauffeur--and about Sister Lake.

  Just then the face of the ferret man appeared at the door. He glancedabout, fixed the girl with his red-rimmed eyes, slouched into the room,and limped briskly to the table.

  "Hello!" he exclaimed, with a familiar grin, and pulled out a chair tosit opposite Clo. He kept on his hat. His breath reeked spirits, and thegirl was disgusted, but she was the faithful servant of Mrs. Sands, andthe waiter was staring.

  "Here's the parcel Mrs. Sands sent. She particularly wanted me to getback as soon as possible."

  The long envelope, with the gold seals uppermost, was lying on thetable. Clo removed a napkin she had laid over it, and pushed the parcelacross the table. As she did this she rose.

  "Looks right enough!" remarked the ferret man, sitting still. "Thisis what she told me to expect: long white envelope, three goldseals----" He picked the parcel up, holding it to his sharp nose andnear-sighted eyes. "Yeh, munergram, or
what yuh call it, right, too."

  "Then that's all," said Clo, Beverley's dollar bill in her hand. "I'llcall the waiter----"

  "Don't be too previous, cutie, _if_ you please!" and a not immaculatehand helped itself to a fold of her dress. "Yuh an' me ain't workin'this show on our own. You're for Mrs. Sands, I'm fur--well, I'm fursomeone I guess is even more particular than her. It's as much as myjob's worth to let yuh make your get-away till I've had a squint insidethis yere envelup."

  "Mrs. Sands didn't tell me there was anything to wait for after I'd putit in your hands," Clo objected. "I don't see----"

  "It's me that's got to see. Now yuh keep yer hair on, gurlie, while Ilamp this thing. No good tryin' the sneak game, because I'd be on to yuhlike a thousand o' brick before yuh'd took a step----"

  "I've no intention of running away," Clo assured him, with a dignitycopied from her idol. "Mrs. Sands has nothing to hide."

  The man chuckled, as with a knife taken from the table he opened theenvelope without breaking the seals. He did this slowly. Clo sat downagain.

  The ugly hands drew out from the envelope another smaller envelope.There were no seals on it, but the flap was stuck with gum. The manswore under his breath as he used the knife again. Clo was deeplyinterested. Her idea was that the fellow would pull out a quantity ofgreenbacks; but in an instant she saw that she had guessed wrong. Therewere many sheets of paper folded together, at least a dozen, and thisseemed to astound the man. With a jerk he opened out the sheaf ofpapers, and having stared an instant, slammed them on to the table."Curse her, she thought she'd do us, did she?" The words tumbled outbetween his brown, broken teeth, as he dashed his fist on to the papers."So this is why she sent you--you catspaw!"

  Clo was far from being a coward. Her hot, defiant temper rose at theleast alarm, but she was so amazed at the result of her errand that shewas struck dumb. Mechanically her eyes had turned to the papers. She sawthat the upper sheets consisted of blank stationery taken from a train,the Santa Fe Limited.

  "If you're trying to scare me, you can't," she said. "You're acting likea fool. If something's gone wrong in your business, it isn't my fault,and I'm sure it isn't Mrs. Sands. If there's a trick, she's tricked,too. Try to have common sense."

  The girl's fearless gaze and quickly spoken words calmed the man.

  "It's darned rot to say my lady who stayed at home ain't in the trick.Why, dumbhead, this paper shows! She was on board the Limited. Gee!Don't I have cause to know that? It's easy as slidin' off a log to seewhat she done. She helped herself to what was in this yere envelope, an'filled it with train stationery. Then she sealed it up with the samekind o' seals. Stole the stamp and wax on purpose. Thought she could getaway with it. I take off my hat to her."

  "I know nothing except that I agreed to bring the parcel," said Clo.

  "You go back to her ladyship as fast as you can scamper, and tell her Iwasn't soft enough to bow myself off the stage without peepin' at whatSanta Claus had put in my stockin'. Tell her 'twould only o' bin amatter o' time if I hadn't peeped. As it is, it's a matter o' less time.Tell her a life will pay for this, and she jolly well knows whose!"

  The man had ceased to bluster, and now that he had got himself in handagain his fierce eyes and his low, hissing voice thrilled the girl ashis threats had not thrilled her. This time he allowed her to rise,which she did, tottering slightly. She had forgotten about paying forher tea, but the dollar bill lay in a crumpled wad on the table. The manplaced one of his oddly repulsive hands over it.

  "I'll see to the waiter," he said. "I'm stayin' in this hotel. You cutalong and tell your lady friend she's got till ten o'clock to-night toexplain herself, not a minute more. Good day to you, Miss Baby Doll!"

  Without answering, Clo walked out of the room, ashamed that her kneeswere weak, and hoping that she could get safely to the car withoutmaking a fool of herself. Physically, it was a great relief to lie backagainst the soft cushions of robin's egg blue, and shut her eyes. Whatwould Angel do when she heard how dreadfully the errand had failed?

  Clo had forgotten the difficulty of making Sister Lake believe, withouta fib, that she and Mrs. Sands had only just come in from their drivetogether. But she remembered as she went up in the elevator. It was verylate now--long after five. Sister was sure to be cross; but if she werecross only with Clo, and not Mrs. Sands, that wouldn't matter.

  Few things work out according to expectations. Sister Lake had been atthe window, it seemed, when the car brought back Mrs. Sands and Clobefore four o'clock, and had been alarmed when the former descended tohurry alone into the house.

  "I was afraid you'd fainted," she said when Clo arrived at last. "I flewout of this room to go down in the elevator, and bumped into Mr. Sandsin the hall, and while I was apologizing and making him understand sheappeared on the scene."

  "My goodness, the fat _is_ in the fire!" Clo thought desperately. Aloudshe said: "Well?"

  "She said you wanted to go to tea with someone, and she was hurrying toher room to get money for you, so that you could stand treat. Iobjected, as I had a right to do," went on Sister Lake. "You're still mypatient, if my time is up to-morrow. And if you have a relapse I shallbe in a nice fix, as I'm due at Mrs. Jardine's Tuesday morning! Mrs.Sands really acted very queer, she was so determined you should go. Evenwhen her husband backed me up, she was as obstinate as--as--if shewasn't such a sweet woman, I should say a pig!"

  "It was my fault," pleaded Clo. "I'm not tired a bit." Yet as sheargued, a voice was saying inside her head: "No wonder the poor darlingwas a long time coming down with the parcel!"

  But this, though exciting enough, was as naught beside the greatquestion: "What would Beverley say, what would she feel, when Clo had toconfess all that had happened at the Hotel Westmorland?"