CHAPTER XLIV.
THE SHADOW OF DEATH.
This conversation with Rebecca had suggested to Ezra that he might stillhave influence enough with his father's ward to induce her to come outof doors, and so put herself within the reach of Burt. He had proposedthe plan to his father, who approved of it heartily. The only weakpoint in his scheme had been the difficulty which might arise ininducing the girl to venture out of the Priory on that tempestuouswinter's night. There was evidently only one incentive strong enough tobring it about, and that was the hope of escape. By harping skilfullyupon this string they might lure her into the trap. Ezra and his fathercomposed the letter together, and the former handed it to Mrs. Jorrocks,with a request that she should deliver it.
It chanced, however, that Rebecca, keenly alive to any attempt atcommunication between the young merchant and her mistress, saw the cronehobbling down the passage with the note in her hand.
"What's that, mother?" she asked.
"It's a letter for her," wheezed the old woman, nodding her tremuloushead in the direction of Kate's room.
"I'll take it up," said Rebecca eagerly. "I am just going up there withher tea."
"Thank ye. Them stairs tries my rheumatiz something cruel."
The maid took the note and carried it upstairs. Instead of taking itstraight to her mistress she slipped into her own room and read everyword of it. It appeared to confirm her worst suspicions. Here was Ezraasking an interview with the woman whom he had assured her that hehated. It was true that the request was made in measured words and on aplausible pretext. No doubt that was merely to deceive any other eyewhich might rest upon it. There was an understanding between them, andthis was an assignation. The girl walked swiftly up and down the roomlike a caged tigress, striking her head with her clenched hands in heranger and biting her lip until the blood came. It was some time beforeshe could overcome her agitation sufficiently to deliver the note, andwhen she did so her mistress, as we have seen, noticed that her mannerwas nervous and wild. She little dreamed of the struggle which wasgoing on in the dark-eyed girl's mind against the impulse which urgedher to seize her imagined rival by the white throat and choke the lifeout of her.
"It's eight o'clock now," Ezra was saying downstairs. "I wonder whethershe will come?"
"She is sure to come," his father said briefly.
"Suppose she didn't?"
"In that case we should find other means to bring her out. We have notgone so far, to break down over a trifle at the last moment."
"I must have something to drink," Ezra said, after a pause, helpinghimself from the bottle. "I feel as cold as ice and as nervous as acat. I can't understand how you look so unconcerned. If you were goingto sign an invoice or audit an account or anything else in the way ofbusiness you could not take it more calmly. I wish the time would come.This waiting is terrible."
"Let us pass the time to advantage," said John Girdlestone; and drawinga little fat Bible from his pocket he began to read it aloud in a solemnand sonorous voice. The yellow light illuminated the old merchant'smassive features as he stooped forwards towards the candle.His strongly marked nose and his hollow cheeks gave him a vulture-likeaspect, which was increased by the effect of his deep-set glitteringeyes.
Ezra, leaning back in his chair with the firelight flickering over hishaggard but still handsome face, looked across at his father with apuzzled expression. He had never yet been able to determine whether theold man was a consummate hypocrite or a religious monomaniac. Burt laywith his feet in the light of the fire and his head sunk back across thearm of the chair, fast asleep and snoring loudly.
"Isn't it time to wake him up?" Ezra asked, interrupting the reading.
"Yes, I think it is," his father answered, closing the sacred volumereverently and replacing it in his bosom.
Ezra took up the candle and held it over the sleeping man. "What abrute he looks!" he said. "Did ever you see such an animal in yourlife?"
The navvy was certainly not a pretty sight. His muscular arms and legswere all a-sprawl and his head hung back at a strange angle to his body,so that his fiery red beard pointed upwards, exposing all the thicksinewy throat beneath it. His eyes were half open and looked blearedand unhealthy, while his thick lips puffed out with a whistling sound atevery expiration. His dirty brown coat was thrown open, and out of oneof the pockets protruded a short thick cudgel with a leaden head.
John Girdlestone picked it out and tried it in the air. "I think Icould kill an ox with this," he said.
"Don't wave it about _my_ head," cried Ezra. "As you stand in thefirelight brandishing that stick in your long arms you are lessattractive than usual."
John Girdlestone smiled and replaced the cudgel in the sleeper's pocket."Wake up, Burt," he cried, shaking him by the arm. "It's half-pasteight."
The navvy started to his feet with an oath and then fell back into hischair, staring round him vacantly, at a loss as to where he might be.His eye fell upon the bottle of Hollands, which was now nearly empty,and he held out his hand to it with an exclamation of recognition.
"I've been asleep, guv'nor," he said hoarsely. "Must have a dram to setme straight. Did you say it was time for the job."
"We have made arrangements by which she will be out by the withered oakat nine o'clock."
"That's not for half an hour," cried Burt, in a surly voice. "You neednot have woke me yet."
"We'd better go out there now. She may come rather before the time"
"Come on, then!" said the navvy, buttoning up his coat and rolling aragged cravat round his throat. "Who is a-comin' with me?"
"We shall both come," answered John Girdlestone firmly. "You will needhelp to carry her to the railway line."
"Surely Burt can do that himself," Ezra remarked. "She's not so veryheavy."
Girdlestone drew his son aside. "Don't be so foolish, Ezra," he said."We can't trust the half-drunken fellow. It must be done with thegreatest carefulness and precision, and no traces left. Our oldbusiness watchword was to overlook everything ourselves, and we shallcertainly do so now."
"It's a horrible affair!" Ezra said, with a shudder. "I wish I was outof it."
"You won't think that to-morrow morning when you realize that the firmis saved and no one the wiser. He has gone on. Don't lose sight ofhim."
They both hurried out, and found Burt standing in front of the door.It was blowing half a gale now, and the wind was bitterly cold.There came a melancholy rasping and rustling from the leafless wood, andevery now and again a sharp crackling sound would announce that somerotten branch had come crashing down. The clouds drove across the faceof the moon, so that at times the cold, clear light silvered the darkwood and the old monastery, while at others all was plunged in darkness.From the open door a broad golden bar was shot across the lawn from thelamp in the hall. The three dark figures with their long fantasticshadows looked eerie and unnatural in the yellow glare.
"Are we to have a lantern?" asked Burt.
"No, no," cried Ezra. "We shall see quite enough as it is. We don'twant a light."
"I have one," said the father. "We can use it if it is necessary.I think we had better take our places now. She may come sooner than weexpect. It will be well to leave the door as it is. She will see thatthere is no obstacle in the way."
"You're not half sharp enough," said Ezra. "If the door was left likethat it might suggest a trap to her. Better close the dining-room doorand then leave the hall door just a little ajar. That would look morenatural. She would conclude that Burt and you were in there."
"Where are Jorrocks and Rebecca?" Girdlestone asked, closing the door assuggested.
"Jorrocks is in her room. Rebecca, I have no doubt, is in hers also."
"Things look safe enough. Come along, Burt. This way."
The three tramped their way across the gravelled drive and over theslushy grass to the border of the wood.
"This is the withered oak," said Girdlestone,
as a dark mass loomed infront of them. It stood somewhat apart from the other trees, and thebase of it was free from the brambles which formed a thick undergrowthelsewhere.
Burt walked round the great trunk and made as careful an examination ofthe ground as he could in the dark.
"Would the lantern be of any use to you?" Girdlestone asked.
"No, It's all serene. I think I know how to fix it now. You two canget behind those trees, or where you like, as long as you're not in theway. I don't want no 'sistance. When Jem Burt takes a job in hand hecarries it through in a workmanlike manner. I don't want nobody elsefoolin' around."
"We would not dream of interfering with your arrangements," saidGirdlestone.
"You'd better not!" Burt growled. "I'll lay down behind this oak, d'yesee. When she comes, she'll think as he's not arrived yet, and she'llget standin' around and waitin'. When I see my chance, I'll get behindher, and she'll never know that she has not been struck by lightnin'."
"Excellent!" cried John Girdlestone; "excellent! We had best get intoour places."
"Mind you do it all in one crack," Ezra said. "Don't let us have anycrying out afterwards. I could stand a good deal, but not that."
"You should know how I hits," Burt remarked with a malicious grin, whichwas hidden from his companion. "If your head wasn't well nigh solid youwouldn't be here now."
Ezra's hand involuntarily went up to the old scar. "I think such a oneas that would settle her!" he said, as he withdrew with his father.The two took up their position under the shadow of some trees fiftyyards off or more. Burt crouched down behind the withered oak with hisweapon in his hand and waited for the coming of his victim.
Ezra, though usually resolute and daring, had completely lost his nerve,and his teeth were chattering in his head. His father, on the otherhand, was emotionless and impassive as ever.
"It's close upon nine o'clock," Ezra whispered.
"Ten minutes to," said the other, peering at his great goldenchronometer through the darkness.
"What if she fails to come?"
"We must devise other means of bringing her out."
From the spot where they stood they had a view of the whole of thePriory. She could not come out without being seen. Above the door wasa long narrow window which opened upon the staircase. On thisGirdlestone and his son fixed their eyes, for they knew that on her waydown she would be visible at it. As they looked, the dim light whichshone through it was obscured and then reappeared.
"She has passed!"
"Hush!"
Another moment and the door was stealthily opened. Once again the broadgolden bar shot out across the lawn almost to the spot where theconfederates were crouching. In the centre of the zone of light therestood a figure--the figure of the girl. Even at that distance theycould distinguish the pearl-grey mantle which she usually wore and theclose-fitting bonnet. She had wrapped a shawl round the lower part ofher face to protect her from the boisterous wind. For a minute or moreshe stood peering out into the darkness of the night, as thoughuncertain whether to proceed or to go back. Then, with a quick, suddengesture she closed the door behind her. The light was no longer there,but they knew that she was outside the house, and that the appointmentwould be kept.
What an age it seemed before they heard her footsteps. She came veryslowly, putting one foot gingerly before the other, as if afraid offalling over something in the darkness. Once or twice she stoppedaltogether, looking round, no doubt, to make sure of her whereabouts.At that instant the moon shone out from behind a cloud, and they saw herdark figure a short distance on. The light enabled her to see thewithered oak, for she came rapidly towards it. As she approached, shesatisfied herself apparently that she was the first on the ground, forshe slackened her pace once more and walked in the listless way thatpeople assume when they are waiting. The clouds were overtaking themoon again, and the light was getting dimmer.
"I can see her still," said Ezra in a whisper, grasping his father'swrist in his excitement.
The old man said nothing, but he peered through the darkness with eager,straining eyes.
"There she is, standing out a little from the oak," the young merchantsaid, pointing with a quivering finger. "She's not near enough for himto reach her."
"He's coming out from the shadow now," the other said huskily."Don't you see him crawling along the ground?"
"I see him," returned the other in the same subdued, awestruck voice."Now he has stopped; now he goes on again! My God, he's close behindher! She is looking the other way."
A thin ray of light shot down between the clouds. In its silveryradiance two figures stood out hard and black, that of the unconsciousgirl and of the man who crouched like a beast of prey behind her.He made a step forward, which brought him within a yard of her. She mayhave heard the heavy footfall above the shriek of the storm, for sheturned suddenly and faced him. At the same instance she was struck downwith a crashing blow. There was no time for a prayer, no time for ascream. One moment had seen her a magnificent woman in all the pride ofher youthful beauty, the next left her a poor battered, senseless wreck.The navvy had earned his blood-money.
At the sound of the blow and the sight of the fall both the old man andthe young ran out from their place of concealment. Burt was standingover the body, his bludgeon in his hand.
"Not even a groan!" he said. "What d'ye think of that?"
Girdlestone wrung his hand and congratulated him warmly. "Shall I lightthe lantern?" he asked.
"For God's sake, don't!" Ezra said earnestly.
"I had no idea that you were so faint-hearted, my son," the merchantremarked. "However, I know the way to the gate well enough to go thereblindfold. What a comfort it is to know that there is no blood about!That's the advantage of a stick over a knife."
"You're correct there, guv'nor," Burt said approvingly.
"Will you kindly carry one end and I'll take the other. I'll go first,if you don't mind, because I know the way best. The train will pass inless than half an hour, so we have not long to wait. Within that timeevery chance of detection will have gone."
Girdlestone raised up the head of the murdered girl, and Burt took herfeet. Ezra walked behind as though he were in some dreadful dream.He had fully recognized the necessity for the murder, but he had neverbefore realized how ghastly the details would be. Already he had begunto repent that he had ever acquiesced in it. Then came thoughts of thesplendid possibilities of the African business, which could only besaved from destruction by this woman's death. How could he, with hisluxurious tastes, bear the squalor and poverty which would be his lotwere the firm to fail? Better a rope and a long drop than such a lifeas that! All these considerations thronged into his mind as he ploddedalong the slippery footpath which led through the forest to the woodengate.
The Firm of Girdlestone Page 44