CHAPTER XLIV
STILL NEARER
He entered as coolly and easily as if he had been doing this kind ofthing all his life, as if he had the full use of his eyesight.
"I can't see you, but, of course, you are there," he said. "Tchigorskysent me because he cannot come himself. The jade he calls his mistresshas need of him. Muffle yourself and follow me. Not too closely."
Geoffrey was only too glad of the opportunity. He passed under theshadow of the rocks until he gained the path to the head of the cliffsand here Ralph paused.
"We are safe now," he said. "You can remove your disguise and cross theterrace. There is not a living soul in the castle at present."
"All the servants are on the beach, then?"
"Every one of them, both male and female, which is a flatteringtestimony to your popularity, Geoffrey. I opine that they will bepleased to see you in the morning. By the way, have you concocted aplausible story to account for your escape?"
"I haven't," Geoffrey admitted with a smile. "I preferred to leave it tothe greater talents of Tchigorsky and yourself. I have no genius forfiction."
Ralph muttered that the matter might be safely left in their hands, andthen they entered the deserted castle and made their way to Ralph'sroom. Here the two doors were closed and Ralph sat down silently overhis pipe.
"Is anything going to happen?" Geoffrey asked.
"A great deal during the next hour or two," Ralph replied. "But it isimpossible to forecast, and you will see it all for yourself in goodtime. I can't do anything until I have heard further from our friendTchigorsky."
Half an hour passed in dead silence, and then there was a rapping on thewindow. When the casement was thrown open, the head of Tchigorskyappeared. He was clad in Oriental robes and had made his way upwards byclimbing the thick ivy that grew on that side of the house. He nodded toGeoffrey.
"I told you we should meet again," he said. "I have just ten minutes tospare. A cigarette, please."
Geoffrey handed over the cigarette. "Have you discovered it all?" Ralphasked.
"I have discovered nothing," Tchigorsky said calmly from behind thecloud of smoke. "At present I have not the remotest idea which way shewill strike."
"Ah, she is in one of her suspicious moods."
"When she trusts nobody. Quite right. All I can tell you is that she iscoming here presently. She is well aware that there is not a soul in thehouse. She knows that this state of things is likely to last for sometime. She will come by and by, and with her she will bring some greatdanger to the house of Ravenspur. What form that danger is to take Icannot say. But I shall find out."
The last words came from Tchigorsky's lips with a snap.
"But she will want confederates," said Geoffrey.
"She may or she may not. She is a woman of infinite resource. Nobodyknows what mischief she is capable of. If she brings me along, I may beexceedingly useful; if she leaves me behind I shall be more usefullyemployed in going over her papers and documents. You see, I know thelanguage. But, be that as it may, this is going to be an eventfulnight."
Tchigorsky finished his cigarette and rose to go. He had fewinstructions to leave behind him, and these few were of an exceedinglysimple nature. All that Geoffrey and Ralph Ravenspur had to do was towatch. They were to keep their eyes open and be largely guided byevents. And there were to be no lights.
Half an hour passed before Ralph rose and softly opened the door. For alittle time he threw the casement open wide. As Geoffrey drew a matchfrom his box Ralph laid a restraining hand on his arm.
"No more smoking," he said. "I purposely opened the casement to sweetenthe air of the room. My dear boy, you do not want to betray us with thesmell of fresh tobacco. The enemy would take alarm at once."
"I had forgotten," Geoffrey murmured. "How stupid of me!"
Again silence and painful tension on the nerves. Presently below camethe soft fall of a foot, and then a noise as if a human body had come incontact with some object in the dark. There was the scratch of a match,and a ball of flame flickered in ghastly fashion in the hall.
"The foe is here," Ralph whispered. "Go and look over. Your rubber-soledboots are in the corner. Put them on."
Geoffrey did as he desired. He crept along the corridor until he couldlook down into the hall. There he saw a woman--a woman who wore shortskirts and a closely fitting jacket. She had a small lantern in herhand, the light of which she seemed to lower or heighten by pressing astud.
Behind her came the two Orientals, who carried a small but heavybrass-bound box between them. This, at a sign from the woman, theydeposited on the floor.
As far as Geoffrey could judge neither of these men was Tchigorsky. Hecould catch the sound of whispered conversation, but the words conveyedno meaning to his ears. The two discoursed in a language he did notunderstand.
A hand was laid on Geoffrey's arm. He turned to see Ralph by his side.The latter bent over the balustrade listening with all his ears. Downbelow the brass box was being opened and the contents were placed uponthe floor.
The contents looked like machinery, but it was machinery of a kind thatGeoffrey had never seen before. There was a small disk of hammeredcopper, and to this was attached a number of what seemed to beindia-rubber snakes. At a sign from the woman the two Asiatics picked upthe box and its contents and started away toward the kitchen.
Noiseless as they were, Ralph heard them. He clutched his companion'sarm.
"They have gone," he whispered. "In which direction?"
"They had moved off towards the kitchen," said Geoffrey.
"Good! This thing is turning out exactly as I expected. They hadsomething with them?"
"Yes, a thing like a copper octopus with india-rubber tentacles. Theyhave taken it with them. A most extraordinary affair."
"It will be more extraordinary still before it is finished," Ralph saidgrimly. "Follow them and report what you see. Take good care not to beseen. Unless I am mistaken they are going down to the vaults and areplanning a _coup_ to do for us all to-night."
Geoffrey crept silently down the stairs. Then he made his way swiftlyalong the passages until he came to the cellars. Then the steady blowingof a current of fresh air told him that Ralph's suggestion was right.Down he went until he came to the channel leading to the vaults.
But he was cautious. He peeped down. Below him were three figures, andonce more they had spread out their queer apparatus. By the side of itwere two large glass-stoppered bottles, such as one sees in alaboratory, receptacles for acids and the like. They were tightly tiedover the stoppers.
The woman picked up one of them and removed the parchment. Before shedrew the stopper she donned thick glasses and a mask for her face, thetwo Orientals doing the same. They were evidently dealing with some verydangerous poison.
The stopper was removed and a few spots of the acid dropped on thecopper disc. A white smoke arose, which, small as it was, filled the airwith a pungent odor. Almost immediately the acid was wiped off and theodor ceased. Only just a whiff of it reached Geoffrey's nose, but itturned him faint--giddy for an instant.
What was going to happen next?
The Mystery of the Ravenspurs Page 44