The Sign of the Stranger
Page 7
letter, itshould not be before the first horror of the affair had died down.Therefore I made excuse to him that her ladyship was going over veryearly to Lady Sudborough's to join a picnic and would not be back beforeevening.
"Very well," he answered. "I'll come up then." And mounting hismachine he spun away down the hill.
Next moment, from where I stood, I distinguished a trap approachingalong a bend in the road. Three men were in it, two of them being inuniform--the police from Northampton.
Having no desire that they should know that I had returned to the spotto efface those tell-tale marks, the only way to avoid them was tospring over the wall again into the park, which I did without a moment'shesitation, crouching down until they had passed, and then crossed thecorner of the park and entered the Monk's Wood, a thick belt of forestthrough which ran a footpath which joined the road about a mile furtherdown. The way I had taken to Sibberton was a circuitous one, it wastrue, but at any rate I should avoid being seen in the vicinity of thespot where the tragedy was enacted.
Walking forward along the dim forest path covered with moss and wildflowers, where the rising sun glinted upon the grey trunks of the treesand the foliage above rustled softly in the wind, I was sorely puzzledover the innkeeper's manner when I had put that direct question to him.
Notwithstanding his denial, I felt convinced that he had recognised thedead man.
I had almost gained the outer edge of the wood, walking noiselessly overthe carpet of moss, when of a sudden the sound of voices caused me tostart and halt.
At first I saw nothing, but next moment through the tree trunks twentyyards away I caught sight of two persons strolling slowly in company--aman and a woman.
The man's face I could not see, but the woman, whose hair, beneath hernavy blue Tam o' Shanter cap showed dishevelled as a ray of sunlightstruck it, and whose white silk dress showed muddy and bedraggledbeneath her dark cloak, I recognised in an instant--although her backwas turned towards me.
It was Lady Lolita, the goddess of my admiration. Lolita--my queen--mylove.
CHAPTER SIX.
FOR LOVE OF LOLITA.
I held my breath, open-mouthed, utterly dumbfounded.
Lolita's appearance showed too plainly that she had been out all thenight. Her cloak was torn at the shoulder, evidently by a bramble, andthe weary manner in which she walked was as though she were exhausted.
The man, bearded, broad-shouldered and athletic, seemed, as far as Icould judge from his back, to be of middle age. He wore a rough tweedsuit and a golf cap, and as he strode by her side he spoke with herearnestly, emphasising his words with gesture, as though giving hercertain directions, which she heard resignedly and in silence.
I noticed that when he stretched out his hand to add force to hisutterance that she shrank from him and shuddered. She was probably verycold, for the early morning air was chilly, and the dew was heavy on theground.
Without betraying my presence, I crept on noiselessly after them, hopingthat I might overhear the words the fellow uttered, but in this I wasdoomed to disappointment, for at the edge of the wood, before I realisedthe man's intention, he suddenly raised his hat, and turning, left her,disappearing by the narrow path that led through a small spinney toLowick village. Thus I was prevented from obtaining a glance at hisfeatures and blamed myself for not acting with more foresight andingenuity.
After he had left her, she stood alone, gazing after him. No word,however, escaped her. By his attitude I knew that he had threatenedher, and that she had no defence. She was inert and helpless.
In a few moments, with a wild gesture, she sank upon her knees in thegrass, and throwing up her two half-bare arms to heaven cried aloud forhelp, her wild beseeching words reaching me where I stood.
My adored was in desperation. I heard the words of her fervent prayerand stood with head uncovered. Long and earnestly she besought help,forgiveness and protection; then with a strange, determined calm sherose again, and stood in hesitation which way to proceed.
For the first time she seemed to realise that the sun was alreadyshining, and that it was open day, for she glanced at her clothes, andwith feminine dexterity shook out her bedraggled skirts and glanced atthem dismayed.
I recognised her utter loneliness: therefore I walked forward to her.
Slowly she recognised me, as through a veil, and starting, she fellback, glaring at me as though she were witness of some appallingapparition.
"You!" she gasped. "How did you find me here?"
"No matter how I found you, Lady Lolita," I responded. "You are in wantof a friend, and I am here to give you help, as I promised you lastnight. This is no time for words; we must act, and act quickly. Youmust let me take you back to the Hall."
"But look at me!" she cried in dismay. "I can't go back like this!They would--they would suspect!"
"There must be no suspicion," I said, thoroughly aroused to theimportance of secrecy now that the police were already in the parkmaking their investigations. "You cannot return to the Hall like this,for the servants would see you and know that you've been absent allnight."
"I'm afraid of Weston," she said. "She is so very inquisitive." Westonwas her maid.
"Then you must come with me to my house," I suggested. "We could reachit across the fields and enter by the back way unobserved. I can sendMrs Dawson out on some pretext, and you can remain locked in mysitting-room while I go up to the Hall and fetch one of yourwalking-dresses. I can slip up to your wardrobe and manage to stealsomething without Weston suspecting. Then, when you return, you canexplain that you've merely been out for an early walk."
The suggestion, although a desperate one, commended itself to her, andwith a few words of heartfelt thanks she announced her readiness toaccompany me.
I longed to inquire the name of the male companion, but feared to do so,seeing how pale and agitated she was. Her face had changed sadly sincethe previous night, for she was now white, wan and haggard, presenting astrange, terrified appearance, dishevelled and bedraggled as she was.She must certainly have been out in the park for fully seven hours. Wasshe aware of the tragedy, I wondered?
I told her nothing of the discovery. How could I in thosecircumstances? True, she was not wearing the ermine collar, as I hadsuspected, yet the prints made by her shoes as she now walked with mewere assuredly the same as those I had effaced.
We spoke but little as we hurried along, creeping always beneath wallsand behind trees, and often compelled to make long detours in order toobtain cover and avoid recognition by any of those working in thefields.
Compelled to scale the high wall of the park at last, I assisted herover without much difficulty, for although she preserved all her naturalbeauty, she was athletic, fond of all games and a splendid rider tohounds.
"If I can only conceal the fact that I've been absent all night, it willbe of such very material assistance," she said after we had crossed thehigh road and gained the shelter of a long narrow spinney. "I shallnever be able to sufficiently repay you for this," she added.
"Remember the confession of my heart to you last night, Lolita," was myanswer. "We will discuss it all later on--when you are safe." And wepushed forward, our eyes and ears on the alert as we approached thevillage.
At last, by good fortune, I managed to get her unobserved inside myhouse. Creeping noiselessly up the stairs I took her to one of mydusty, disused attics in preference to my sitting-room, and there shelocked herself in. Not, however, before I had pressed her hand insilence as assurance that she might place her trust in me.
A few moments later I found my old housekeeper in the kitchen, andhaving given her directions to go on an errand for me to a farm about amile and a half distant, I started off up to the Hall upon as strange anerrand as man has ever gone, namely to steal a dress belonging to hislove.
I had, of course, disregarded my appointment with Pink, and not wishingto meet the searchers or the doctor himself, I reached the Hall by thebypath that led from Lowic
k, passing along the edge of the Monk's Woodwherein I had met Lolita.
On entering the mansion I found that the startling news of the tragedyhad just reached there, for the servants were all greatly alarmed. Theycrowded about me to learn the latest details, but I passed quickly on tomy room and for a few minutes pretended to be engrossed incorrespondence, although my real reason was to await an opportunity toreach her ladyship's room after the servants' bell had sounded and thefaithful maid Weston had gone down to breakfast.
At last the bell clanged, and I stole along the corridor in order towatch the neat maid's disappearance with the others. She seemed longerthan usual, but presently she came, and after she had passed along tothe servants' hall I quickly ascended the main staircase, and sped alongthe two long corridors to my love's room--a large, well-furnishedapartment with long mirrors and a