by Fergus Hume
“I can’t guess the riddle,” replied Hagar hopelessly. “Your story does not aid me in the least.”
While thus speaking, her eyes wandered to the wall at the back of the glum old steward. Thereon she saw in a frame of black wood one of those hideous samplers which our grandmothers were so fond of working. It was a yellow square, embroidered—or rather stitched—with the alphabet in divers colors, and also a’ array of numerals up to twenty-six. Hagar idly wondered why the worker had stopped at that particular number; and then she noticed that the row of figures was placed directly under the row of letters. At once the means of reading the key riddle flashed on her brain. The cypher was exceedingly simple. All that had to be done was to substitute letters for the figures. Hagar uttered an ejaculation which roused old Parsons from his musings.
“What’s the matter?” said he, turning his head: “what are you looking at, girl? Oh,” he added, following her gaze, “that sampler; ‘twas done by my mother; a rare hand at needlework she was! But never mind her just now. I want to know about that riddle.”
“I can’t guess it,” said Hagar, keeping her own counsel, for reasons to be revealed hereafter. “Do you wish your key back? I have it here.”
“No; I don’t want my son to get it, and make that proud wench rich by guessing the riddle. Keep the key till I call for it. What! are you going? Have a drink of milk?”
The offer was hospitably made, but Hagar declined it, as she had no desire to break bread with this malignant old man. Making a curt excuse, she took her leave, and within the hour she was on her way back to London, with a clue to the cypher in her brain. The sampler had revealed the secret; for without doubt it was from his wife’s needlework that the Parsons of sixty years before had got the idea of constructing his cryptogram. In the sampler the figures were placed thus:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1O 11 12 13 14 15 P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
and Parsons had simply substituted figures for letters. The thing was so plain that Hagar wondered why, with the key-sampler staring him in the face, the steward had not succeeded in reading the riddle.
When back in the shop, she applied her test to the figures on the key, and found out the meaning thereof. Then she considered what was the best course to pursue. Clearly it was not wise to tell Parsons, as he hated Miss Danetree, and it he found the picture through Hagar’s aid he might either hide it again or destroy it. Should she tell Miss Danetree herself, or Frank Parsons, the despised lover? After some consideration the girl wrote to the latter, asking him to call on her at the shop. She felt rather a sympathy with his plight after hearing his father’s story, and wished to judge for herself if he was an eligible suitor for Miss Danetree’s hand. If she liked him, and found him worthy, Hagar was resolved to tell him how to find the picture, and by doing so thus aid him to gain the hand of the disdainful beauty. If, on the other hand, she did not care for him, Hagar concluded to reveal her discovery to Miss Danetree herself. Her resolution thus being taken, she waited quietly for the arrival of the steward’s son.
When he presented himself, Hagar liked him very much indeed, for three reasons. In the first place, he was handsome—a sure passport to a woman’s favor; in the second, he had a fine frank nature, and a tolerably intelligent brain; in the third, he was deeply in love with Marion Danetree. This last reason influenced Hagar as much as anything, for she was at a romantic age, and took a deep interest in love and lovers.
“It is most extraordinary that my father should have pawned the key,” said Frank, when Hagar had told her story, less the explanation of the riddle.
“It may be extraordinary, Mr. Parsons, but it is very lucky—for you.”
“I don’t see it,” said Frank, raising his eyebrows. “Why.”
“Why,” replied Hagar, drawing the key out of her pocket, “because I have discovered the secret.”
“What! Do you know what that line of figures means?”
“Yes. When I paid my visit to your father, I saw an article in his room which gave me a clue. I worked out the cypher, and now I know where the picture is hidden.”
Young Parsons sprang to his feet with glowing eyes. “Where—oh, where?” he almost shouted. “Tell me, quick!”
“For you to tell Miss Danetree, no doubt,” said Hagar, coolly.
At once his enthusiasm died away, and he sat down, with a frown on his face. “What do you know about Miss Danetree?” he asked, sharply.
“All that your father told me, Mr. Parsons. You love her, but she does not love you; and for that your father hates her.”
“I know he does,” said the young man, sighing, “and very unjustly. I will be frank with you, Miss Stanley.”
“I think it is best for you to be so, as I hold your fate in my hands.”
“You hold—fate! What do you mean?”
Hagar shrugged her shoulders in pity at his obtuseness. “Why,” she said, quietly, “this picture is worth thirty thousand pounds, and Miss Danetree is worth nothing except that ruined Hall. If I tell you where to find that picture, you will be able to restore her fortunes, and make her a comparatively rich woman. Now you cannot reed the cypher; I can; and so—you see!”
Young Parsons laughed outright at her comprehensive view of the situation, although he blushed a little at the same time, and gave an indignant denial to the hinted motive which prompted Hagar’s speech. “I am not a fortune-hunter,” he said, bluntly; “if I learn the whereabouts of Castagno’s ‘Nativity,’ I shall certainly tell Mar— I mean Miss Danetree. But as for trading on that knowledge to make her marry me against her will, I’d rather die than act so basely!”
“Ah, my dear young man, I am afraid you have no business instincts,” said Hagar, dryly. “I thought you loved the lady.”
“You are determined to get at the truth, I see. Yes; I do love her.”
“And she loves you?”
Parsons hesitated, and blushed again at this downright questioning. “Yes; I think she does—a little,” he said, at length.
“H’m! That means she loves you a great deal.”
“Well,” said the young man, slyly, “you are a woman, and should be able to read a woman’s character. Don’t you think so?”
“Perhaps. But you forget that I have not seen this particular woman — or rather angel, as I suppose you call her.”
“You are a queer girl!”
“And you—a love-sick young man!” rejoined Hagar, mimicking his tone. “But time passes; tell me about your wooing.”
“There is little to tell,” rejoined Frank, dolefully. “My father is, as you know, the steward of the Danetree family; but as they were ruined by the Regency squire, his duties are now light enough. Miss Danetree is the last of the race, and all that remains to her is the Hall, the few acres which surround it, and a small income from the rents of two outlying farms. I was brought up from childhood with Marion—I must call her so, as it is the name which comes easiest to my lips—and I loved her always. She loves me also.”
“Then why will she not marry you?”
“Because she is poor and I am poor. Oh, my position as son of her steward would not stand in the way could I support her as my wife. But my father always refused to let me learn a profession or a trade, or even to earn my own livelihood, as he desired me to succeed him as the steward of the Danetree property. In the old days the post was a good one; but now it is worth nothing.”
“And your father dislikes Miss Danetree.”
“Yes, because he thinks she scorns me—which she does not. But she will not let me tell him the truth until there is a chance of our marriage.”
“Well,” said Hagar, producing the paper on which was written the line of figures, “I am about to give you that chance. This cypher is quite easy; figures have been substituted for letters—that is all. A is set down as one, B as two, and so on.”
“I don’t quite understand.”
“I will show you. These figures must
be divided into numbers, and a letter set over each. Now, the first number is twenty, and the twentieth letter of the alphabet is ‘T.’ The twenty-first letter is ‘U.’ Then come the eighteenth and the fourteenth letters. What are they?”
Frank counted. “‘R’ and ‘N,’” he said, after a pause. “Ah! I see the first word is T, U, R, N,—that is turn!”
“Exactly; represented by numbers, 20, 21, 18, 14. Now you understand, so I need not explain further. Here is the cypher written out.”
Young Parsons took up the paper and read as follows:
T u r n k e y l e f t e y e 20 21 18 14 11 5 25 12 5 6 20 5 25 5 8 c h e r u b H 3 8 5 18 21 2
“Turn key left eye eighth cherub!” repeated Parsons, in puzzled tones. “I have no doubt that you have solved the problem correctly; but, I do not know what the sentence means.”
“Well,” said Hagar, rather sharply, “it means, I should think, that the left eye of some cherub’s head is a keyhole, into which is to be thrust the copper key upon which the figures are engraved. Doubtless, by turning the key the wall will open, and the picture will be discovered.”
“What a clever girl you are!” cried Parsons, in admiration.
“I use my brains, that is all,” said Hagar, coolly. “I’m afraid you don’t. However, are there a number of sculptured cherubs in Danetree Hall?”
“Yes; there is a room called ‘The Cherubs’ Room,’ from a number of carved heads. How did you guess that there was more than one?”
“Because the letter ‘H’ corresponds with the figure eight; so no doubt there are more than eight heads. All you have to do is to take this copper key, put it into the left eye of the eighth cherub, and find the picture. Then you can marry Miss Danetree, and the pair of you can live on the thirty thousand pounds. If she is as clever as you, you’ll need it all.”
Quite impervious to Hagar’s irony, Frank Parsons took his leave with many admiring words and protestations of gratitude. When he found the picture he promised to let Hagar know, and to invite her to Danetree Hall to see it. Then he departed, and it was only when she was left alone that Hagar reflected she had not got back the pound lent on the key. But she consoled herself with the reflection that she could demand it when the hidden picture was discovered. Principal and interest was what she required; for Hagar was nothing if not businesslike.
That same evening Frank was seated in the prim little parlor with his dour father. He had been up to the Hall, and had proved the truth of Hagar’s reading by discovering the picture; also he had seen Marion Danetree, and told her of the good fortune which was coming. She would be able to buy back the lost acres of the family, to restore and refurnish the old house, to take up her position again in the county, and reign once more as the lady of Danetree Hall. All this Frank told his father, and the old man’s brow grew black as night.
“You have made her rich!” he muttered—“that proud girl who looks upon you as dirt beneath her feet.”
Frank smiled. He had not told his father the termination of the interview with Marion; nor did he intend to do so at present.
“We’ll talk of Marion and her pride to-morrow,” he said, rising; “I am going to bed just now; but you know how I discovered the picture, and how it has been restored to the Danetrees as grandfather wished.”
When his son left the room, Luke Parsons sat with folded hands and a dull pain in his heart. It was gall and wormwood to him that the woman who rejected Frank should acquire wealth and regain her position through the aid of the man she despised. Oh, if he could only hide the picture, or even destroy it!—anything rather than that proud Marion Danetree should be placed on an eminence to look down on his bright boy. To rob her of this newly-found wealth—to take away the picture— Parsons felt that he would commit even a crime.
And why should he not? Frank had left the key on the table—the copper key which was to be placed in the left eye of the cherub. Parsons knew well enough—from the explanation of his son—how the key was to be used; how his father had designed the hiding-place of the Castagno picture. The lock and key which had belonged to the First Charles had been given to the old man by his master. He had placed the first behind the cherub, with the keyhole in the left eye, so as to keep the panel or portion of the wall in its place; and on the second he had graven the numbers indicating the locality. Parsons rose to his feet and stretched out his hand for the copper key. When he touched it, all his scruples vanished. He made up his mind then and there to go up that night to the Hall and destroy the picture. Then Marion Danetree would no longer be rich, or benefit by the secret which Frank had discovered. It will be seen that Mr. Parsons never thought of Hagar’s share in the reading of the cypher.
As steward he had keys of all the doors in the Hall, and was able easily to gain admission at whatever hour he chose. He chose to enter now, and with a lantern in his hand, and a clasp-knife hidden in his pocket, he went on his errand of destruction. Unlocking a small side door under the greater terrace, he passed along the dark underground passages, ascending to the upper floor, and in a short space of time he found himself in “The Cherubs’ Room.”
It was a large and lofty apartment, paneled with oak darkened by time and carved with fruit and flowers and foliage after the mode of Grinling Gibbons. Between each panel there was a beautifully-carven cherub’s head, with curly hair, and wings placed crosswise under the chin. The moonlight streaming in through the wide and uncurtained windows showed all these things clearly to the wild eyes of the old man; and he made haste to fulfil his task before the moon should set and leave him in darkness. Swinging the lantern so that its yellow light should illuminate the walls, Parsons counted the cherubs’ heads between the panels, starting from the door, and was rewarded by finding the one he sought. The left eye of this face was pierced, and into it he inserted the slender copper stem of the key. There was a cracking sound as he turned it, and then the whole of the panel swung outward to the left. On the back of this he beheld the picture of Andrea del Castagno. The sight of it was so unexpected that he started back with a cry, and let fall the lantern, which was immediately extinguished. However, this mattered little, as he had ample light in the rays of the summer moon. In the white radiance he relighted his candle, and then, betwixt the yellow glare of the one and the chill glimmer of the other, he examined the gem of art which, in the interests of mistaken pride, he proposed to destroy. It was beautiful beyond description.
Under a lowly roof of thatched straw lay the Divine Child, stretching up His little Hands to the Holy Mother. With arms crossed upon her breast in ecstatic adoration, Mary bent over Him worshiping; and in the dim obscurity of the humble dwelling could be seen the tall form and reverend head of Joseph. Above spread the dark blue of the night sky, broken by golden dashes of color, in which were seen the majestic forms of wide-winged angels looking earthward. At the top of the picture there was a blaze of light radiating from the Godhead, and in the arrowy beam streaming downward floated the white specter of the Holy Dove. The marvelous beauty of the picture lay in the dispersion and disposition of the various lights: that mild luster which emanated from the Form of the Child, the aureole hovering round the bowed head of Mary; the glory of the golden atmosphere surrounding the angels; and, highest and most wonderful of all, the fierce white light which showered down, blinding the terrible, from the unseen Deity. The picture was majestic, sublime: a dream of lovely piety, a masterpiece of art.
For the moment Parsons was spellbound before this wounderful creation which he intended to destroy. Almost he was tempted to forego his evil purpose, and to spare the beautiful vision which spread itself so gloriously before trial. But the thought of Marion and her scorn, of Frank and his hopeless love, decided him With a look of hatred he opened the knife, and raised the blade to slash the picture.
“Stop!”
With a cry, Parsons dropped the knife and wheeled round at that imperious command. At the further end of the room, candle in hand, stood the tall form of a woman. She wore a d
ressing-gown hastily thrown over her shoulders; her hair was loose, her feet were bare; and she approached the steward noiselessly and swiftly. It was Marion Danetree, and her eyes were full of anger.
“What are you doing here at this time of night?” she demanded haughtily of the sullen old man. “I heard a cry and the noise of a fall, and I came down.”
“I want to spoil that picture,” said Parsons between his teeth.
“Destroy Castagno’s ‘Nativity’? Take away my only chance of restoring the family fortunes? You are mad.”
“No; I am Frank’s father. You despise him; you hate him. Through him you have found the picture; but now ——” He picked up the knife again.
“Wait a moment!” said Marion, comprehending Parsons’s motive; “if you destroy that picture, you prevent my marriage with Frank.”
“What?”—the knife crashed on the floor—“are you going to marry my boy?”
“Yes. Did not Frank tell you? When we discovered the picture together this afternoon, he asked me to be his wife. I consented only too gladly.”
“But—but I thought you despised him!”
“Despise him? I love him better than all the world! Go away, Mr. Parsons, and thank God that He sent me to prevent you committing a crime. I shall bring that picture to Frank as my dowry. He shall take my name, and there will once more be a Squire Danetree at the Hall.”
“O Miss Danetree—Marion—forgive me!” cried Parsons, quite broken down.
“I forgive you; it was love for Frank made you think of this folly. But go—go! it is not seemly that you should be here at this hour of the night.”
Parsons closed up the panel in silence, locked it, and turned to go. But as he passed her he held out his hand.
“What is this?” asked Marion, smiling.
“My gift to you—my marriage gift—the copper key which has brought you a husband and a fortune.”