CHAPTER XXIV
ENID LEARNS SOMETHING
Reginald Hensen struggled out of bed and into his clothing as best hecould. He was terribly weak and shaky, far more weak than he had imaginedhimself to be, but he was in danger now, and his indomitable will-powerpulled him through. What a fool Littimer had been to tell him so muchmerely so that he might triumph over his powerful foe for a few minutes.But Henson was planning a little scheme by which he intended to repay theyoung man tenfold. He had no doubt as to the willingness of his tool.
He took a bottle of brandy from a drawer and helped himself to a liberaldose. Walker had expressly forbidden anything of the kind, but it was notime for nice medical obedience. The grateful stimulant had itsimmediate effect. Then Henson rang the bell, and after a time Williamsappeared tardily.
"You are to go down to Barnes and ask him to send a cab here as soon aspossible," Henson said. "I have to go to London by the first train inthe morning."
Williams nodded, with his mouth wide open. He was astonished and not alittle alarmed at the strength and vitality of this man. And only a fewhours before Williams had learnt with deep satisfaction that Henson wouldbe confined to his bed for some days.
Henson dressed at length and packed a small portmanteau. But he had tosit on his bed for some little time and sip a further dose of brandybefore he could move farther. After all there was no hurry. A full hourwas sure to elapse before the leisurely Barnes brought the cab to thelodge-gates.
Henson crept downstairs at length and trod his catlike way to thelibrary. Once there he proceeded to make a minute inspection of thetelephone. He turned the handle just the fragment of an inch and a queersmile came over his face. Then he crept as silently upstairs, opened thewindow of the bathroom quietly, and slipped on to the leads. There were acouple of insulators here, against the wire of one of which Henson tappedhis knuckles gently. The wire gave back an answering twang. The otherjangled limp and loose.
"One of the wires cut," Henson muttered. "I expected as much. Madame Enidis getting a deal too clever. I suppose this is some suggestion of hervery astute friend David Steel. Well, I have given Mr. Steel one lessonin minding his own business, and if he interferes further I shall have togive him another. He will be in gaol before long charged with attemptedmurder and robbery with violence, and so exit Steel. After that the girlwill be perhaps chary of seeking outside assistance. And this will be thethird I have had to get rid of. Heavens! How feeble I feel, how weak Iam. And yet I must go through this thing now."
He staggered into the house again and dropped into a chair. There was aloud buzzing in his ears, so that he could hardly hear the murmur ofvoices in the drawing-room below. This was annoying, because Hensonliked to hear everything that other folks said. Then he dropped off intoa kind of dreamy state, coming back presently to the consciousness thathe had fainted.
Meanwhile Frank Littimer had joined Enid in the drawing-room. The housewas perfectly quiet and still by this time; the dust-cloud hung on theair and caused the lamps to burn with a spitting blue flame. Enid's facelooked deadly pale against her black dress.
"So you have been seeing Reginald," she said. "Why--why did you do it?"
"I didn't mean to," Frank muttered. "I never intended him to know that Ihad been in the house at all. But I was passing his room and he heard me.He seemed to know my footsteps. I believe if two mice ran by him twice inthe darkness he could tell the difference between them."
"You had an interesting conversation. What did he want to use thetelephone for?"
"I don't know. I tried to manipulate it for him, but the instrument wasout of order."
"I know. I had a pretty shrewd idea what our cousin was going to do. Yousee, I was listening at the door. Not a very ladylike thing to do, butone must fight Henson with his own tools. When I heard him ask for thetelephone directory I ran out and nipped one of the wires by thebathroom. Frank, it would have been far wiser if you hadn't come."
Littimer nodded gloomily. There was something like tears in his eyes.
"I know it," he said. "I hate the place and its dreadful associations.But I wanted to see Chris first. Did she say anything about mebefore--before--"
"My dear boy, she loved you always. She knew and understood, and wassorry. And she never, never forgot the last time that you were inthe house."
Frank Littimer glanced across the room with a shudder. His eyes dweltwith fascination on the overturned table with its broken china and glassand wilted flowers in the corner.
"It is not the kind of thing to forget," he said, hoaresly. "I can see myfather now--"
"Don't," Enid shuddered, "don't recall it. And your mother has never beenthe same since. I doubt if she will ever be the same again. From that dayto this nothing has ever been touched in the house. And Henson comes herewhen he can and makes our lives hideous to us."
"I fancy I shook him up to-night," Littimer said, with subdued triumph."He seemed to shudder when I told him that I had found Van Sneck."
Enid started from her chair. Her eyes were shining with the suddenbrilliancy of unveiled stars.
"You have found Van Sneck!" she whispered. "Where?"
"Why, in the Brighton Hospital. Do you mean to say that you don't knowabout it, that you don't know that the man found so mysteriously in Mr.David Steel's house and Van Sneck are one and the same person?"
Enid resumed her seat again. She was calm enough now.
"It had not occurred to me," she said. "Indeed, I don't know why itshould have done. Sooner or later, of course, I should have suggested toMr. Steel to try and identify the man, but--"
"My dear Enid, what on earth are you talking about?"
"Nonsense," Enid said, in some confusion. "Things you don't understand atpresent, and things you are not going to understand just yet. I read inthe papers that the man was quite a stranger to Mr. Steel. But are youcertain that it _is_ Van Sneck?"
"Absolutely certain. I went to the hospital and identified him."
"Then there is no more to be said on that point. But you were foolish totell Reginald."
"Not a bit of it. Why, Henson has known it all along. You needn't getexcited. He is a deep fellow, and nobody knows better than he how todisguise his feelings. All the same, he was just mad to know what I haddiscovered, you could see it in his face. Reginald Henson--"
Littimer paused, open-mouthed, for Henson, dressed and wrapped ready forthe journey, had come quietly into the drawing-room. The deadly pallor ofhis face, the white bandages about his throat, only served to render hisappearance more emphatic and imposing. He stood there with the halo ofdust about him, looking like the evil genius of the place.
"I fear I startled you," he said, with a sardonic smile. "And I fear thatin the stillness of the place I have overheard a great part of yourconversation. Frank, I must congratulate you on your discretion, so far.But seeing that you are young and impressionable, I am going to movetemptation out of your way. Enid, I am going on a journey."
"I trust that it is a long one, and that it will detain you for aconsiderable period," Enid said, coldly.
"It is neither far, nor is it likely to keep me," Henson smiled."Williams has just come in with the information that the cab awaits me atthe gate. Now, then!"
The last words were flung at Littimer with contemptuous command. The hotblood flared into the young man's face. Enid's eyes flashed.
"If my cousin likes to stay here," she said, "why--"
"He is coming with me," Henson said, hoarsely. "Do you understand? Withme! And if I like to drag him--or _you_, my pretty lady--to the end ofthe world or the gates of perdition, you will have to come. Now, getalong before I compel you."
Enid stood with fury in her eyes and clenched hands as Littimer slunkaway out of the house, Henson following between his victim and Williams.He said no words till the lodge-gates were past and the growl of the dogshad died into the distance.
"We are going to Littimer Castle," said Henson.
"Not there," Littimer groaned--"no
t there, Henson! I couldn't--I couldn'tgo to that place!"
Henson pointed towards the cab.
"Littimer or perdition!" he said. "You don't want to go to the latterjust yet? Jump in, then!"
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