Part 48 (2/2)

”Now you are looking more like your old self, my dear Mr. Dunster,” he remarked. ”I don't think that I need repeat what I said when I first came, need I? You have just to utter that one word, and your little visit to us will be at an end.”

The man looked around at all of them. He raised himself a little on his elbow. For the first time, Hamel, crouching above, recognised any likeness to Mr. John P. Dunster.

”I'll see you in h.e.l.l first!”

Mr. Fentolin's face momentarily darkened. He moved a little nearer to the man upon the bed.

”Dunster,” he said, ”I am in grim earnest. Never mind arguments. Never mind why I am on the other side. They are restless about you in America.

Unless I can cable that word to-morrow morning, they'll communicate direct with The Hague, and I shall have had my trouble for nothing. It is not my custom to put up with failure. Therefore, let me tell you that no single one of my threats has been exaggerated. My patience has reached its breaking point. Give me that word, or before four o'clock strikes, you will find yourself in a new chamber, among the corpses of those misguided fishermen, mariners of ancient days, and a few others.

It's only a matter of fifty yards out to the great sea pit below the Dagger Rocks--I've spoken to you about it before, haven't I? So surely as I speak to you of it at this moment.”

Mr. Fentolin's speech came to an abrupt termination. A convulsive movement of Meekins', an expression of blank amazement on the part of Doctor Sarson, had suddenly checked the words upon his lips. He turned his head quickly in the direction towards which they had been gazing, towards which in fact, at that moment, Meekins, with a low cry, had made a fruitless spring. The ladder down which they had descended was slowly disappearing. Meekins, with a jump, missed the last rung by only a few inches. Some unseen hand was drawing it up. Already the last few feet were vanis.h.i.+ng in mid-air. Mr. Fentolin sat quite quiet and still. He looked through the trap-door and saw Hamel.

”Most ingenious and, I must confess, most successful, my young friend!”

he exclaimed pleasantly. ”When you have made the ladder quite secure, perhaps you will be so good as to discuss this little matter with us?”

There was no immediate reply. The eyes of all four men were turned now upon that empty s.p.a.ce through which the ladder had finally disappeared.

Mr. Fentolin's fingers disappeared within the pocket of his coat.

Something very bright was glistening in his hand when he withdrew it.

”Come and parley with us, Mr. Hamel,” he begged. ”You will not find us unreasonable.”

Hamel's voice came back in reply, but Hamel himself kept well away from the opening.

”The conditions,” he said, ”are unpropitious. A little time for reflection will do you no harm.”

The trap-doors were suddenly closed. Mr. Fentolin's face, as he looked up, became diabolic.

”We are trapped!” he muttered; ”caught like rats in a hole!”

CHAPTER x.x.xIII

A gleam of day was in the sky as Hamel, with Mrs. Fentolin by his side, pa.s.sed along the path which led from the Tower to St. David's Hall.

Lights were still burning from its windows; the outline of the building itself was faintly defined against the sky. Behind him, across the sea, was that one straight line of grey merging into silver. The rain had ceased and the wind had dropped. On either side of them stretched the br.i.m.m.i.n.g creeks.

”Can we get into the house without waking any one?” he asked.

”Quite easily,” she a.s.sured him. ”The front door is never barred.”

She walked by his side, swiftly and with surprising vigour. In the still, grey light, her face was more ghastly than ever, but there was a new firmness about her mouth, a new decision in her tone. They reached the Hall without further speech, and she led the way to a small door on the eastern side, through which they entered noiselessly and pa.s.sed along a little pa.s.sage out into the hall. A couple of lights were still burning. The place seemed full of shadows.

”What are you going to do now?” she whispered.

”I want to ring up London on the telephone,” he replied. ”I know that there is a detective either in the neighbourhood or on his way here, but I shall tell my friend that he had better come down himself.”

She nodded.

”I am going to release Esther,” she said. ”She is locked in her room.

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