Foul Play

by Charles Reade

  CHAPTER LVI.

  UP to this time Helen's sex, and its attributes, had been a greatdisadvantage to her. She had been stopped on the very threshold of herinquiry by petty difficulties which a man would have soon surmounted. Butone fine day the scale gave a little turn, and she made a littlediscovery, thanks to her sex. Women, whether it is that they are born tobe followed, or are accustomed to be followed, seem to have eyes in thebacks of their heads, and instinct to divine when somebody is after them.This inexperienced girl, who had missed seeing many things our readershave seen, observed in merely passing her window a seedy man in thecourtyard of the hotel. Would you believe it, she instantly recognizedthe man who had opened her cab door for her in Lincoln's Inn Fields.Quick as lightning it passed through her mind, "Why do I see the samefigure at Lincoln's Inn Fields and at Charing Cross?" At variousintervals she passed the window; and twice she saw the man again. Shepondered, and determined to try a little experiment. Robert Penfold, itmay be remembered, had mentioned an expert as one of the persons she wasto see. She had looked for his name in the Directory; but experts werenot down in the book. Another fatality! But at last she had foundUndercliff, a lithographer, and she fancied that must be the same person.She did not hope to learn much from him; the newspapers said his evidencehad caused a smile. She had a distinct object in visiting him, the natureof which will appear. She ordered a cab, and dressed herself. She camedown, and entered the cab; but, instead of telling the man to drive, shegave him a slip of paper, containing the address of the lithographer."Drive there," said she, a little mysteriously. The cabman winked,suspecting an intrigue, and went off to the place. There she learned Mr.Undercliff had moved to Frith Street, Soho, number not known. She toldthe cabman to drive slowly up and down the street, but could not find thename. At last she observed some lithographs in a window. She let thecabman go all down the street, then stopped him, and paid him off. Shehad no sooner done this than she walked very briskly back, and enteredthe little shop, and inquired for Mr. Undercliff. He was out, and notexpected back for an hour. "I will wait," said Helen; and she sat downwith her head upon her white hand. A seedy man passed the window rapidlywith a busy air. And, if his eye shot a glance into the shop, it was soslight and careless nobody could suspect he was a spy and had done hiswork effectually as he flashed by. In that moment the young lady, throughthe chink of her fingers, which she had opened for that purpose, not onlyrecognized the man, but noticed his face, his hat, his waistcoat, hisdirty linen, and the pin in his necktie.

  "Ah!" said she, and flushed to the brow.

  She lifted up her head and became conscious of a formidable old woman,who was standing behind the counter at a side door, eying her with theseverest scrutiny. This old woman was tall and thin, and had a fine face,the lower part of which was feminine enough; but the forehead and browswere alarming. Though her hair was silvery, the brows were black andshaggy, and the forehead was divided by a vertical furrow into twotemples. Under those shaggy eyebrows shone dark gray eyes that passed forblack with most people; and those eyes were fixed on Helen, reading her.Helen's light hazel eyes returned their gaze. She blushed, and, stilllooking, said, "Pray, madam, can I see Mr. Undercliff?"

  "My son is out for the day, miss," said the old lady civilly.

  "Oh, dear! how unfortunate I am!" said Helen, with a sigh.

  "He comes back to-night. You can see him to-morrow at ten o'clock. Aquestion of handwriting?"

  "Not exactly," said Helen; "but he was witness in favor of a person Iknow was innocent."

  "But he was found guilty," said the other, with cool frankness.

  "Yes, madam. And he has no friend to clear him but me, a poor weak girl,baffled and defeated whichever way I turn." She began to cry.

  The old woman looked at her crying, with that steady composure whichmarks her sex on these occasions; and, when she was better, said quietly,"You are not so weak as you think." She added, after a while, "If youwish to retain my son, you had better leave a fee."

  "With pleasure, madam. What is the fee?"

  "One guinea. Of course, there is a separate charge for any work he may dofor you."

  "That is but reasonable, madam." And with this she paid the fee, and roseto go.

  "Shall I send any one home with you?"

  "No, thank you," said Helen. "Why?"

  "Because you are followed, and because you are not used to be followed."

  "Why, how did you find that out?"

  "By your face, when a man passed the window--a shabby-genteel fellow; hewas employed by some gentleman, no doubt. Such faces as yours will befollowed in London. If you feel uneasy, miss, I will put on my bonnet andsee you home."

  Helen was surprised at this act of substantial civility from the Gorgon."Oh, thank you, Mrs. Undercliff," said she. "No, I am not the leastafraid. Let them follow me, I am doing nothing that I am ashamed of.Indeed, I am glad I am thought worth the trouble of following. It showsme I am not so thoroughly contemptible. Good-by, and many thanks. Teno'clock to-morrow."

  And she walked home without looking once behind her till the hotel was insight; then she stopped at a shop window, and in a moment her swift eyeembraced the whole landscape. But the shabby-genteel man was nowhere insight.