CHAPTER XVII
"CRUEL PRINCE, OBEYING DESTINY"
Don Luis once more addressed himself to Vorski:
"We're agreed, aren't we, Kamerad? All that I'm saying exactly expressesthe truth?"
Vorski had closed his eyes, his head was drooping, and the veins on histemple were immoderately swollen. To prevent any interference byStephane, Don Luis exclaimed:
"You will speak, my fine fellow! Ah, the pain is beginning to growserious, is it? The brain is giving way? . . . Remember, just onewhistle, a bar or two of _Tipperary_ and I interrupt my speech . . . .You won't? You're not ripe yet? So much the worse for you! . . . Andyou, Stephane, have no fear for Francois. I answer for everything. Butno pity for this monster, please! No, no and again no! Don't forget thathe prepared and contrived everything of his own free will! Don't forget. . . But I'm getting angry. What's the use?"
Don Luis unfolded the page of the note-book on which Vorski had writtendown the prophecy and, holding it under his eyes, continued:
"What remains to be said is not so important, once the generalexplanation is accepted. Nevertheless, we must go into detail to someslight extent, show the mechanism of the affair imagined and built upby Vorski and lastly come to the part played by our attractive ancientDruid . . . . So we are now in the month of June. This is the seasonfixed for the execution of the thirty victims. It was evidentlyappointed by Brother Thomas because the rhythm of his verse called for amonth in one syllable, just as the year fourteen and three was selectedbecause three rhymes with be and tree and just as Brother Thomas decidedupon the number of thirty victims because thirty is the number of theSarek reefs and coffins. But Vorski takes it as a definite command.Thirty victims are needed in June '17. They will be provided. They willbe provided on condition that the twenty-nine inhabitants of Sarek--weshall see presently that Vorski has his thirtieth victim handy--consentto stay on the island and await their destruction. Well, Vorski suddenlyhears of the departure of Honorine and Maguennoc. Honorine will comeback in time. But how about Maguennoc? Vorski does not hesitate: hesends Elfride and Conrad on his tracks, with instructions to kill himand to wait. He hesitates the less because he believes, from certainwords which he has overheard, that Maguennoc has taken with him theprecious stone, the miraculous gem which must not be touched but whichmust be left in its leaden sheath (this is the actual phrase used byMaguennoc)!
"Elfride and Conrad therefore set out. One morning, at an inn, Elfridemixes poison with the coffee which Maguennoc is drinking (the prophecyhas stated that there will be poison). Maguennoc continues his journey.But in an hour or two he is seized with intolerable pain and dies,almost immediately, on the bank by the road-side. Elfride and Conradcome up and go through his pockets. They find nothing, no gem, noprecious stone. Vorski's hopes have not been realized. All the same, thecorpse is there. What are they to do with it? For the time being, theyfling it into a half-demolished hut, which Vorski and his accompliceshad visited some months before. Here Veronique d'Hergemont discovers thebody . . . and an hour later fails to find it there. Elfride and Conrad,keeping watch close at hand, have taken it away and hidden it, still forthe time being, in the cellars of a little empty country-house.
"There's one victim accounted for. We may observe, in passing, thatMaguennoc's predictions relating to the order in which the thirtyvictims are to be executed--beginning with himself--have no basis. Theprophecy doesn't mention such a thing. In any case, Vorski goes to workat random. At Sarek he carries off Francois and Stephane Maroux andthen, both as a measure of precaution and in order to cross the islandwithout attracting attention and to enter the Priory more easily, hedresses himself in Stephane's clothes, while Raynold puts on Francois'.The job before them is an easy one. The only people in the house are anold man, M. d'Hergemont, and a woman, Marie Le Goff. As soon as theseare got rid of, the rooms and Maguennoc's in particular will besearched. Vorski, as yet unaware of the result of Elfride's expedition,would not be surprised if Maguennoc had left the miraculous jewel at thePriory.
"The first to fall is the cook, Marie Le Goff, whom Vorski takes by thethroat and stabs with a knife. But it so happens that the ruffian'sface gets covered with blood; and, seized with one of those fits ofcowardice to which he is subject, he runs away, after loosing Raynoldupon M. d'Hergemont.
"The fight between the boy and the old man is a long one. It iscontinued through the house and, by a tragic chance, ends beforeVeronique d'Hergemont's eyes. M. d'Hergemont is killed. Honorine arrivesat the same moment. She drops, making the fourth victim.
"Matters now begin to go quickly. Panic sets in during the night. Thepeople of Sarek, frightened out of their wits, seeing that Maguennoc'spredictions are being fulfilled and that the hour of the disaster whichhas so long threatened their island is about to strike, make up theirminds to go. This is what Vorski and his son are waiting for. Taking uptheir position in the motor-boat which they have stolen, they rush afterthe runaways and the abominable hunt begins, the great disaster foretoldby Brother Thomas:
"'There will be shipwrecks, terrors, grief and crimes.'
"Honorine, who witnesses the scene and whose brain is already greatlyupset, goes mad and throws herself from the cliff.
"Thereupon we have a lull of a few days, during which Veroniqued'Hergemont explores the Priory and the island without being disturbed.As a matter of fact, after their successful hunt, leaving only Otto, whospends his time drinking in the cells, the father and son have gone offin the boat to fetch Elfride and Conrad and to bring back Maguennoc'sbody and fling it in the water within sight of Sarek, since Maguennocof necessity has one of the thirty coffins earmarked for his reception.
"At that moment, that is when he returns to Sarek, Vorski's bag numberstwenty-four victims. Stephane and Francois are prisoners, guarded byOtto. The rest consists of four women reserved for crucifixion,including the three sisters Archignat, all locked up in theirwash-house. It is their turn next. Veronique d'Hergemont tries torelease them, but it is too late. Waylaid by the band, shot at byRaynold, who is an expert archer, the sisters Archignat are wounded byarrows (for arrows, see the prophecy) and fall into the enemy's hands.That same evening they are strung up on the three oaks, after Vorski hasfirst relieved them of the fifty thousand-franc notes which they carriedconcealed on their persons. Total: twenty-nine victims. Who will be thethirtieth? Who will be the fourth woman?"
Don Luis paused and continued:
"As to this, the prophecy speaks very plainly in two places, each ofwhich complements the other:
"'Before his mother's eyes, Abel kills Cain.'
"And, a few lines lower down:
"'His wedded wife one night in June hath slain.'
"Vorski, from the moment when he became aware of this document, hadinterpreted the two lines in his own fashion. Being, in fact, unable atthat time to dispose of Veronique, for whom he has vainly been huntingall over France, he temporizes with the decrees of destiny. The fourthwoman to be tortured shall be a wife, but she shall be his first wife,Elfride. And this will not be absolutely contrary to the prophecy,which, if need be, can apply to the mother of Cain just as well as tothe mother of Abel. And observe that the other prophecy, that which wascommunicated to him by word of mouth in the old days, also failed tospecify the woman who was to die:
"'Vorski's wife shall perish on the cross.'
"Which wife? Elfride.
"So his dear, devoted accomplice is to perish. It's terrible for Vorski;it breaks his heart. But the god Moloch must be obeyed; and, consideringthat Vorski, to accomplish his task, decided to sacrifice his sonRaynold, it would be inexcusable if he refused to sacrifice his wifeElfride. So all will be well.
"But, suddenly, a dramatic incident occurs. While pursuing the sistersArchignat, he sees and recognizes Veronique d'Hergemont!
"A man like Vorski could not fail to behold in this yet another favourvouchsafed by the powers above. The woman whom he has never forgotten issent to him at the very moment when she is to take her place in theg
reat adventure. She is given to him as a miraculous victim which he candestroy . . . or conquer. What a prospect! And how the heavens brightenwith unexpected light! Vorski loses his head. He becomes more and moreconvinced that he is the Messiah, the chosen one, the apostle,missionary, the man who is 'obeying destiny.' He is linked up with theline of the high-priests, the guardians of the God-Stone. He is a Druid,an arch-druid; and, as such, on the night when Veronique d'Hergemontburns the bridge, on the sixth night after the moon, he goes and cutsthe sacred mistletoe with a golden sickle!
"And the siege of the Priory begins. I will not linger over this.Veronique d'Hergemont has told you the whole story, Stephane, and weknow her sufferings, the part played by the delightful All's Well, thediscovery of the underground passage and the cells, the fight forFrancois, the fight for you, Stephane, whom Vorski imprisoned in one ofthe torture-cells called 'death-chambers' in the prophecy. Here you aresurprised with Madame d'Hergemont. The young monster, Raynold, hurls youinto the sea. Francois and his mother escape. Unfortunately, Vorski andhis band succeed in reaching the Priory. Francois is captured. Hismother joins him. And then . . . and then the most tragic scenes ensue,scenes upon which I will not enlarge: the interview between Vorski andVeronique d'Hergemont, the duel between the two brothers, between Cainand Abel, before Veronique d'Hergemont's very eyes. For the prophecyinsists upon it:
"'Before his mother's eyes, Abel kills Cain.'
"And the prophecy likewise demands that she shall suffer beyondexpression and that Vorski shall be subtle in doing evil. 'A cruelprince,' he puts marks on the two combatants; and, when Abel is on thepoint of being defeated, he himself wounds Cain so that Cain may bekilled.
"The monster is mad. He's mad and drunk. The climax is close at hand. Hedrinks and drinks; for Veronique d'Hergemont's martyrdom is to takeplace that evening:
"'By thousand deaths and lingering agony, His wedded wife one night of June hath slain.'
"The thousand deaths Veronique has already undergone; and the agony willbe lingering. The hour comes. Supper, funeral procession, preparations,the setting up of the ladder, the binding of the victim and then . . .and then the ancient Druid!"
Don Luis gave a hearty laugh as he uttered the last words:
"Here, upon my word, things begin to get amusing! From this momentonward, tragedy goes hand in hand with comedy, the gruesome with theburlesque. Oh, that ancient Druid, what a caution! To you, Stephane, andyou, Patrice, who were behind the scenes, the story is devoid ofinterest. But to you, Vorski, what exciting revelations! . . . I say,Otto, just put the ladder against the trunk of the tree, so that youremployer can rest his feet on the top rung. Is that easier for you,Vorski? Mark you, my little attention does not come from any ridiculousfeeling of pity. Oh, dear, no! But I'm afraid that you might go phut;and besides I want you to be in a comfortable position to listen to theancient Druid's confession."
He had another burst of laughter. There was no doubt about it: theancient Druid was a great source of entertainment to Don Luis.
"The ancient Druid's arrival," he said, "introduces order and reasoninto the adventure. What was loose and vague becomes more compact.Incoherent crime turns into logical punishment. We have no longer blindobedience to Brother Thomas' doggerel, but the submission to commonsense, the rigorous method of a man who knows what he wants and who hasno time to lose. Really, the ancient Druid deserves all our admiration.
"The ancient Druid, whom we may call either Don Luis Perenna or ArseneLupin--you suspect that, don't you?--knew very little of the story whenthe periscope of his submarine, the _Crystal Stopper_, emerged in sightof the coast of Sarek at mid-day yesterday."
"Very little?" Stephane Maroux cried, in spite of himself.
"One might say, nothing," Don Luis declared.
"What! All those facts about Vorski's past, all those precise detailsabout what he did at Sarek, about his plans and the part played byElfride and the poisoning of Maguennoc?"
"I learnt all that here, yesterday," said Don Luis.
"But from whom? We never left one another?"
"Believe me when I say that the ancient Druid, when he landed yesterdayon the coast of Sarek, knew nothing at all. But the ancient Druid laysclaim to be at least as great a favourite of the gods as you are,Vorski. And in fact he at once had the luck to see, on a lonely littlebeach, our friend Stephane, who himself had had the luck to fall into apretty deep pool of water and thus to escape the fate which you and yourson had prepared for him. Rescue-work, conversation. In half an hour,the ancient Druid had the facts. Forthwith, investigations. He ended byreaching the cells, where he found in yours, Vorski, a white robe whichhe needed for his own use and a scrap of paper with a copy of theprophecy written by yourself. Excellent. The ancient Druid knows theenemy's plans.
"He begins by following the tunnel down which Francois and his motherfled, but is unable to pass because of the subsidence which has beenproduced. He retraces his steps and comes out on the Black Heath.Exploration of the island. Meeting with Otto and Conrad. The enemy burnsthe foot-bridge. It is six o'clock in the evening. Query: how to get tothe Priory? Stephane suggests, by the Postern path. The ancient Druidreturns to the _Crystal Stopper_. They circumnavigate the island underthe direction of Stephane, who knows all the channels--and besides, mydear Vorski, the _Crystal Stopper_ is a very docile submarine. She canslip in anywhere; the ancient Druid had her built to his owndesigns--and at last they land at the spot where Francois' boat ishanging. Here, meeting with All's Well, who is sleeping under the boat,the ancient Druid introduces himself. Immediate display of sympathy.They make a start. But, half-way up the ascent, All's Well branches off.At this place the wall is the cliff is, so to speak, patched withmovable blocks of stone. In the middle of these stones is an opening, anopening made by Maguennoc, as the ancient Druid discovered later, inorder to enter the hall of sacrifices and the mortuary crypts. Thus, theancient Druid finds himself in the thick of the plot, master aboveground and below. Only, it is eight o'clock in the evening.
"As regards Francois, there is no immediate anxiety. The prophecy says,'Abel kills Cain.' But Veronique d'Hergemont was to perish 'one night ofJune.' Had she undergone the horrible martyrdom? Was it too late torescue her?"
Don Luis turned to Stephane:
"You remember, Stephane, the agony through which you and the ancientDruid passed and your relief at discovering the tree prepared with theinscription, 'V. d'H.' The tree has no victim on it yet. Veronique willbe saved; and in fact we hear a sound of voices coming from the Priory.It is the grim procession. It slowly climbs the grassy slope amid thethickening darkness. The lantern is waved. A halt is called. Vorskispouts and holds forth. The last scene is at hand. Soon we shall rush tothe assault and Veronique will be delivered.
"But here an incident occurs which will amuse you, Vorski. Yes, we makea strange discovery, my friends and I: we find a woman prowling roundthe dolmen, who hides as we come up. We seize her. Stephane recognizesher by the light of an electric torch. Do you know who it was, Vorski? Igive you a hundred guesses. Elfride! Yes, Elfride, your accomplice, theone whom you meant to crucify at first! Curious, wasn't it? In anextreme state of excitement, half crazy, she tells us that she consentedto the duel between the two boys on your promise that her son would bethe victor and kill Veronique's son. But you had locked her up, in themorning; and, in the evening, when she succeeded in making her escape,it was Raynold's dead body that she found. She has now come to bepresent at the torture of the rival whom she detests and then to avengeherself on you and kill you, my poor old chap.
"A capital idea! The ancient Druid approves; and, while you go up to thedolmen and Stephane keeps an eye on you, he continues to questionElfride. But, lo and behold, Vorski, at the sound of your voice, thejade begins to kick! She veers round unexpectedly. Her master's voicestimulates her to an unparalleled display of ardour. She wants to seeyou, to warn you of your danger, to save you; and suddenly she makes arush at the ancient Druid with a dagger in her hand. The anci
ent Druidis obliged, in self-defence, to knock her down, half-stunning her; andthe sight of this moribund woman at once suggests to him a means ofturning the incident to good account. The wretched creature is tied upin the twinkling of an eye. The ancient Druid intends you yourself topunish her, Vorski, and make her undergo the fate which you had reservedfor her before. So he slips his robe on Stephane, gives him hisinstructions, shoots an arrow in your direction the moment you come upand, while you go running in pursuit of a white robe, does aconjuring-trick and substitutes Elfride for Veronique, the first wifefor the second. How? That's my business. All you need know is that thetrick was played and succeeded to perfection!" Don Luis stopped to drawbreath. One would really have thought, from his familiar andconfidential tone, that he was telling Vorski an amusing story, a goodjoke, which Vorski ought to be the first to laugh at.
"That's not all," he continued. "Patrice Belval and some of myMoors--you may as well know that we have eighteen of them on board--havebeen working in the underground rooms. There's no getting away from theprophecy. The moment the wife has expired
"'Fire and loud noise will issue from the earth. In secrecy where the great treasure lies.'
"Of course, Brother Thomas never knew where the great treasure lay, nordid any one else. But the ancient Druid has guessed; and he wants Vorskito receive his signal and to drop ready-roasted into his mouth. For thishe needs an outlet issuing near the Fairies' Dolmen. Captain Belvallooks for one and finds it. They clear an old stairway. They clear theinside of the dead tree. They take from the submarine somedynamite-cartridges and signal-rockets and place them in position. And,when you, Vorski, from your perch, start proclaiming like a herald,'She's dead! The fourth woman has died upon the cross!' bang, bang,bang! Thunder, flame, uproar, the whole bag of tricks. That does it: youare more and more the darling of the gods, the pet of destiny; and youburn with the noble longing to fling yourself down the chimney andgobble up the God-Stone. Next day, therefore, after sleeping off yourbrandy and your rum, you start to work again, smiling. You killed yourthirty victims, according to the rites prescribed by Brother Thomas. Youhave surmounted every obstacle. The prophecy is fulfilled.
"'And man again will on the stone set eyes Once stolen from wild men in bye-gone days O'er sea: the God-stone which gives life or death.'
"The ancient Druid has no choice but to give in and to hand you the keyof Paradise. But first, of course, a little interlude, a few capers andwizard's tricks, just for a bit of fun. And then hey for the God-Stoneguarded by the Sleeping Beauty!"
Don Luis nimbly cut a few of those capers of which he seemed so fond.Then he said to Vorski:
"Well, old chap, I have a vague impression that you've had enough of myspeech and that you would prefer to reveal Francois' hiding-place to meat once, rather then stay here any longer. I'm awfully sorry, but youreally must learn how the matter stands with the Sleeping Beauty and theunexpected presence of Veronique d'Hergemont. However, two minutes willbe sufficient. Pardon me."
Dropping the character of the ancient Druid and speaking in his ownname, Don Luis continued:
"What you want to know is why I took Veronique d'Hergemont to that placeafter snatching her from your clutches. The answer is very simple. Wherewould you have me take her? To the submarine? An absurd suggestion! Thesea was rough that night and Veronique needed rest. To the Priory?Never! That would have been too far from the scene of operations and Ishould have had no peace of mind. In reality there was only one placesheltered from the storm and sheltered from attack; and that was thehall of sacrifices. That was why I took her there and why she wassleeping there, quietly, under the influence of a strong narcotic, whenyou saw her. I confess that the pleasure of treating you to thisspectacle counted for something in my decision. And how splendidly I wasrewarded! Oh, if you could have seen the face you pulled! Such a ghastlysight! Veronique raised from the dead! Veronique brought back to life!So horrible was the vision that you ran away helter-skelter.
"But to cut a long story short: you find the exit blocked. Thereupon youchange your mind. Conrad returns to the offensive. He attacks me bystealth while I am preparing to move Veronique d'Hergemont to thesubmarine. Conrad receives a mortal blow from one of the Moors. Secondcomic interlude. Conrad, dressed up in the ancient Druid's robe, is laidon the floor in one of the crypts; and of course your first thought isto leap on him and wreak your vengeance on him. And, when you seeElfride's body, which has taken the place of Veronique d'Hergemont inthe sacred table, whoosh . . . you jump on that too and reduce the womanwhom you have already crucified to a bleeding pulp! Blunder uponblunder! And the end of the whole story likewise strikes a comic note.You are strung up on the pillory while I deliver straight at you aspeech which does for you and which proves that, if you have won theGod-Stone by virtue of your thirty coffins, I am taking possession of itby my own intrinsic virtue. There's the whole adventure for you, my dearVorski. Except for a few secondary incidents, or some others, of greaterimportance, which there is no need for you to know, you know as much asI do. You've been quite comfortable and have had lots of time to think.So I am confidently expecting your answer about Francois. Come, out withyour little song:
"'It's a long, long way to Tipperary. It's a long way to go . . . .'
"Well? Are you feeling in a chatty mood?"
Don Luis had climbed a few rungs. Stephane and Patrice had come near andwere anxiously listening. It was evident that Vorski meant to speak.
He had opened his eyes and was staring at Don Luis with a look ofmingled hatred and fear. This extraordinary man must have appeared tohim as one of those persons against whom it is absolutely useless tofight and to whom it is equally useless to appeal for compassion. DonLuis represented the conqueror; and, in the presence of one strongerthan yourself, there is nothing for it but to yield in all humility.Besides, Vorski was incapable of further resistance. The torture wasbecoming intolerable.
He spoke a few words in an unintelligible voice.
"A little louder, please," said Don Luis. "I can't hear. Where'sFrancois?"
He climbed the ladder. Vorski stammered:
"Shall I be free?"
"On my word of honour. We shall all leave this place, except Otto, whowill release you."
"At once?"
"At once."
"Then . . ."
"Then what?"
"Well, Francois is alive."
"You mutton-head. I know that. But where is he?"
"Tied into the boat."
"The one hanging at the foot of the cliff?"
"Yes."
Don Luis struck his forehead with his hand:
"Idiot! Idiot! Idiot! . . . Don't mind: I'm speaking of myself. Yes, Iought to have guessed that! Why, All's Well was sleeping under the boat,peacefully, like a good dog sleeping beside his master! Why, when wesent All's Well on Francois' trail, he led Stephane straight to theboat. It's true enough, there are times when the cleverest of us behavelike simpletons! But you, Vorski, did you know that there was a way downthere and a boat?"
"I knew it since yesterday."
"And, you artful dog, you intended to skedaddle in her?"
"Yes."
"Well, Vorski, you shall skedaddle in her, with Otto. I'll leave her foryou. Stephane!"
But Stephane Maroux was already running towards the cliff, escorted byAll's Well.
"Release him, Stephane," cried Don Luis.
And he added, addressing the Moors:
"Help him, you others. And get the submarine under way. We shall sail inten minutes."
He turned to Vorski:
"Good-bye, my dear chap . . . . Oh, just one more word! Everywell-regulated adventure contains a love-story. Ours appears to bewithout one, for I should never dare to allude to the feelings thaturged you towards the sainted woman who bore your name. And yet I musttell you of a very pure and noble affection. Did you notice theeagerness with which Stephane flew to Francois' assistance? Obviously heloves his young pupil, but he loves the m
other still more. And, sinceeverything that pleases Veronique d'Hergemont is bound to please you, Iwish to admit that he is not indifferent to her, that his wonderful lovehas touched her heart, that it was with real joy that she saw himrestored to her this morning and that this will all end in a wedding. . . as soon as she's a widow, of course. You follow me, don't you? Theonly obstacle to their happiness is yourself. Therefore, as you are aperfect little gentleman, you will not like to . . . But I need not goon. I rely on your good manners to die as soon as you can. Good-bye, oldfellow, I won't offer you my hand, but my heart's with you. Otto, in tenminutes, unless you hear to the contrary, release your employer. You'llfind the boat at the bottom of the cliff. Good luck, my friends!"
It was finished. The battle between Don Luis and Vorski was ended: andthe issue had not been in doubt for a single instant. From the firstminute, one of the two adversaries had so consistently dominated theother, that the latter, in spite of all his daring and his training as acriminal, had been nothing more than a grotesque, absurd, disjointedpuppet in his opponent's hands. After succeeding in the entire executionof his plan, after attaining and surpassing his object, he, the masterof events, in the moment of victory, found himself suddenly strung up onthe tree of torture; and there he remained, gasping and captive like aninsect pinned to a strip of cork.
Without troubling any further about his victims, Don Luis went off withPatrice Belval, who could not help saying to him:
"All the same, you're letting those vile scoundrels down very lightly!"
"Pooh, it won't be long before they get themselves nabbed elsewhere,"said Don Luis, chuckling. "What do you expect them to do?"
"Well, first of all, to take the God-Stone."
"Out of the question! It would need twenty men to do that, with ascaffolding and machinery. I myself am giving up the idea for thepresent. I shall come back after the war."
"But, look here, Don Luis, what is this miraculous stone?"
"Ah, now you're asking something!" said Don Luis, without making furtherreply.
They set out; and Don Luis, rubbing his hands, said:
"I worked the thing well. It's not much over twenty-four hours since welanded at Sarek. And the riddle had lasted twenty-four centuries. Onecentury an hour. My congratulations, Lupin."
"I should be glad to offer you mine, Don Luis," said Patrice Belval,"but they are not worth as much as those of an expert like yourself."
When they reached the sands of the little beach, Francois' boat hadalready been lowered and was empty. Farther away, on the right, the_Crystal Stopper_ was floating on the calm sea. Francois came running upto them, stopped a few yards from Don Luis and looked at him withwide-open eyes:
"I say," he murmured, "then it's you? It's you I was expecting?"
"Faith," said Don Luis, laughing. "I don't know if you were expecting me. . . but I'm sure it's me!"
"You . . . you . . . Don Luis Perenna! . . . That is to say . . ."
"Hush, no other names! Perenna's enough for me . . . . Besides, we won'ttalk about me, if you don't mind. I was just a chance, a gentleman whohappened to drop in at the right moment. Whereas you . . . by Jove,youngster, but you've done jolly well! . . . So you spent the night inthe boat?"
"Yes, under the tarpaulin, lashed to the bottom and tightly gagged."
"Uncomfortable?"
"Not at all. I hadn't been there ten minutes when All's Well appeared.So . . ."
"But the man, the scoundrel: what had he threatened to do to you?"
"Nothing. After the duel, while the others were attending to myopponent, he brought me down here, pretending that he was going to takeme to mother and put us both on board the boat. Then, when we got to theboat, he laid hold of me without a word."
"Do you know the man? Do you know his name?"
"I know nothing about him. All I can say is that he was persecuting us,mother and me."
"For reasons which I shall explain to you, Francois. In any case, youhave nothing to fear from him now."
"Oh, but you haven't killed him?"
"No, but I have put it out of his power to do any more harm. This willall be explained to you; but I think that, for the moment, the mosturgent thing is that we should go to your mother."
"Stephane told me that she was resting over there, in the submarine, andthat you had saved her too. Does she expect me?"
"Yes; we had a talk last night, she and I, and I promised to find you. Ifelt that she trusted me. All the same, Stephane, you had better goahead and prepare her."
The _Crystal Stopper_ lay at the end of a reef of rocks which formed asort of natural jetty. Some ten or twelve Moors were running to and fro.Two had drawn apart and were whispering together. Two of them wereholding a gangway which Don Luis and Francois crossed a minute later.
In one of the cabins, arranged as a drawing-room, Veronique laystretched on a couch. Her pale face bore the marks of the unspeakablesuffering which she had undergone. She seemed very weak, very weary. Buther eyes, full of tears, were bright with happiness.
Francois rushed into her arms. She burst into sobs, without speaking aword.
Opposite them, All's Well, seated on his haunches, beat the air with hisfore-paws and looked at them, with his head a little on one side:
"Mother," said Francois, "Don Luis is here."
She took Don Luis' hand and pressed a long kiss upon it, while Francoismurmured:
"You saved mother . . . . You saved us both . . . ."
Don Luis interrupted him:
"Will you give me pleasure, Francois? Well, don't thank me. If youreally want to thank somebody, there, thank your friend All's Well. Hedoes not look as if he had played a very important part in the piece.And yet, compared with the scoundrel who persecuted you, he was the goodgenius, always discreet, intelligent, modest and silent."
"So are you!"
"Oh, I am neither modest nor silent; and that's why I admire All's Well.Here, All's Well, come along with me and, for goodness' sake, stopsitting up! You might have to do it all night, for they will be sheddingtears together for hours, the mother and son . . . ."
The Secret of Sarek Page 18