Part 24 (1/2)

”H'm! The dyed beard and stained skin might fool any one but me, Mason.”

Mason! Forbes' hand shook violently.

”I have seen you with a beard before, in the days when we hadn't time for razors. I knew you the instant I laid eyes on you. Now, then, a few words. I do not care to stand in your debt. Haggerty is down-stairs. Upon two occasions you saved my life . . . Keep your eye on your man, Forbes! . . . Twice you saved my life. I'm going to give you a chance in return. An hour's start, perhaps. Forbes, come over to me. That's it. Give me the automatic. There. Now, go through their pockets carefully, and put everything in your own. Leave the money. Mason, a boat leaves to-morrow noon for Liverpool. I'll s.h.i.+p your trunks and grips to the American Express Company there. Do you understand? If I ever see you again, I shan't lift a finger to save you.”

The late Lord Henry Monckton shrugged. He had not lived intimately with this quiet-voiced man for ten years without having acquired the knowledge that he never wasted words.

”You're a dangerously clever man, Mason. I noted at dinner that in some manner you had destroyed Haggerty's photograph of your finger-tips. But I recognize you, and know you--your gestures, the turn of your head, every little mannerism. And if you do not do as I bid, I'll take my oath in court as to your ident.i.ty. Besides,”--with a nod toward the suitcases--”if you're not the man, why this hurry? An hour. I see, fortunately, you have already changed your clothes. Be off!”

”All right. I'm Mason. I knew the game was up the moment I saw you.

Any one but you, Mr. Crawford, would pay for this interruption, pistol or no pistol. An hour. So be it. You might tell that fool down-stairs and give him the papers you find in my grip. Miss Killigrew's sapphires, I regret to say, are no more. The mistake I made in London was in returning the Nana Sahib's ruby.”

”There is always one mistake,” replied Crawford sternly. He felt sad, too.

”Off with you, Tibbets! We can make the train for New York if we hustle.”

The man-servant's brilliant eyes flashed evilly.

”Will you make it an hour and a half, sir?” asked Mason, as his valet slid over the window-sill.

It sounded strange to Forbes. Mason had unconsciously fallen into the old tone and mode of address, and he himself recognized him now.

”Till nine-thirty, then. At that time I shall notify Haggerty.”

”The boat?”

”Oh, no. I'm giving you that chance without conditions. It's up to Haggerty to find you. There's one question I should like to ask you.

Were you in this sort of business while you were serving me?”

Mason laughed. The real man shone in his eyes and smile. ”I was. It was very exciting. It was very amusing, too. I valeted you during the day-time and went about my own peculiar business at night. I entered your service to rob you and remained to serve you; ten years. I want you always to remember this: to you I was loyal, that I stood between you and death because you were the only being I was fond of. You are the one bit of sentiment that ever entered my life. Well, I must be off. But I've had a jolly time of it, masquerading as a t.i.tled gentleman. What a comedy! How the fools kotowed and simpered while I looked over their jewels and speculated upon how much I could get for them! But I had my code. I never pilfered in the houses of my hosts.

I set a fine trap for that simple young man down-stairs, and he fell into it, head-first. Trust an Englishman of his sort to see nothing beyond his nose. I'm off. Good-by, Mr. Crawford. I'm grateful.” The man stepped out of the window and vanished into the night.

Crawford glanced at his watch; it was eight-ten.

”Do you hope he'll get away?” asked Forbes breathlessly.

”I don't know what I hope, Mort. I'm rather dazed with the unexpectedness of all this. Let's see what you took from their pockets.”

A large diamond brooch, a string of fine pearls, and a bag of wonderful polished emeralds.

”Mort, the man couldn't help it. Why, here's a fortune for a prince; and yet he remained here for more. Well, he's gone; poor beggar.”

They burrowed into the suit-cases and trunks. A dark green bottle came to light, Forbes took out the cork and carelessly sniffed. A great black wave of dizziness swept over him, and he would have fallen but for Crawford. The bottle fell. Crawford put Forbes out into the hall and ran back for the bottle, sensing a slight dizziness himself. He recognized the odor. It was Persian. He and Mason had run across it unpleasantly, once upon a time, in Teheran. He was not familiar with the chemistry of the concoction. He corked the bottle tightly. Forbes came in groggily.

”Well! Did you ever see such an a.s.s, Crawford? To open a strange bottle like that and sniff at it!”

”Here's an atomizer. They must have used that. Never touched their victims.”

”It evaporates quickly, though. But the effect on a sleeping person would be long. Now, who the deuce is this chap Webb? A confederate?”