Part 17 (1/2)
Turning from the dismal scene, I tried the door, to find, as I had expected, that it was locked. It was evident from this that though a decided change had come over my affairs, I was still a prisoner. The situation was both dispiriting and perplexing; my head, however, ached too much to allow me to worry over it for very long. I accordingly climbed back into my bunk and composed myself for sleep once more.
Success must have crowned my efforts, for when I woke again, the comparative steadiness of the vessel convinced me that the weather had taken a turn for the better. From a ray of sunlight that danced in and out through the port-hole, it was plain that clouds, which had hitherto covered the sky, had disappeared, and that there were hopes of better weather. My headache had almost left me, and I felt that if I could procure something to eat I should be almost myself once more. On looking at my watch I found to my annoyance that it had stopped at five minutes to six, so that I was unable to tell what the hour was. Once more I climbed out of the bunk, and this time seated myself upon the settee.
I had not been there many minutes before the sound of voices reached my ears. The speakers were in the saloon, so I gathered, and one of the voices sounded strangely familiar to me. I tried to locate it, but for a time was unable to do so. Then in a flash it occurred to me, and I wondered that I had not recognised it before. It was the voice of Senor Sargasta, the Countess's father, or at any rate her reputed father.
”I am still in their clutches,” I said to myself, with something that was very like despair, as I realised the meaning of this new discovery, ”but how on earth did they get me aboard this boat, and what are they going to do with me now that they have got me here?”
The question was beyond me, however. I was compelled to leave it unanswered.
A few seconds later I heard the sound of footsteps approaching my cabin.
Then the door was unlocked and opened, and the grey-haired, military-looking man, who had driven up with the Countess to the hotel in Paris, and who had been introduced to London society as her parent, entered the cabin. Behind him was the young Count Conrad, with the same supercilious smile upon his face.
”Good-morning, my dear Sir George,” said the elder man, with one of his extraordinary bows. ”I am rejoiced to find that your adventure of last night has had no ill effect upon you. Allow me to offer you a hearty welcome to this gallant vessel. I fear that she has not behaved herself altogether as she might have done since you have been on board, but the North Sea is at the best of times a discourteous host.”
”So I am in the North Sea, am I?” said I to myself, as I registered that piece of information in my mind. Then I continued aloud, ”You have played me a scurvy trick between you, and one that, if I ever get out of this, will be likely to cause you a considerable amount of trouble.”
The smile widened on Conrad's face. Evidently he thought the possibility of my regaining my freedom was a very remote one.
”I am desolated to think that we should have so much inconvenienced you,” Sargasta replied. ”But, alas, we had no option. However, we must do our best to make your stay with us as pleasant as is compatible with the circ.u.mstances. Doubtless you are hungry after your long fast. If so, will you permit me to conduct you to the saloon, where you will find that a meal has been prepared for you.”
”You give me my liberty on board, then?” I said, with some surprise.
”Since we are clear of the coast, and provided of course that you do not abuse it, we will do so to a certain extent,” he replied. ”Should you give us a cause to regret our decision, nothing will remain but for us to confine you to your cabin once more. Pray let me lead the way.”
With a feeling of vague bewilderment, almost impossible to describe, I followed them into the saloon, where I discovered, as he had said, that a meal had been arranged for me. In spite of my sorry position, I found that I possessed an excellent appet.i.te and, in order that they might not think that they had overawed me, I fell to work upon the joint before me with an avidity that I flatter myself considerably surprised them. Meanwhile the steamer rolled incessantly, until it looked as if even the fiddles upon the table would be unable to keep my plate and gla.s.s in position. Fortunately, I am an excellent sailor, otherwise I am doubtful whether I should have been able to continue my meal. During its progress the older man had seated himself near me, as if to make sure that I did not cut my throat, or do myself any other mischief with the knife I held in my hand. When I had finished he pointed to the deck above.
”Perhaps you would like to take a little fresh air,” he shouted politely, for the noise below was such that we could scarcely make each other hear. ”If so, permit me to be your escort.”
In reply, I bowed and followed him along the saloon to the small companion ladder which led to the deck above. It was a fine scene that met our gaze as we opened the door and stepped out. I have already said that the violence of the gale had abated somewhat, but there was still a sufficiently high sea running, to make it difficult to retain one's footing without holding on to something. After the stuffiness of my cabin, however, the pure air was vastly refres.h.i.+ng. As I stood in the hatch I took stock of the vessel. She could not have been more than fifteen hundred tons, and was as ancient a tub as could be safely trusted to put to sea. She was the possessor of an old-fas.h.i.+oned p.o.o.p, from which two bra.s.s-railed ladders led down on either side to the deck below. On the small bridge forrard I could catch a glimpse of the officer of the watch, pacing to and fro, but at the distance I was from him, it was impossible to say whether I was acquainted with him or not.
”Let us walk aft,” bellowed the old gentleman in my ear.
I accordingly turned and staggered with him as far as the taffrail, then forward again to the sheltered side of the deck. Here a surprise, to which my discovery of the Countess in that suburban house was as nothing, was in store for me. You will realize what I mean when I say that, comfortably stretched out on deck-chairs on the lee side of the hatch were three men, who one and all uttered exclamations of astonishment on seeing me. As for me, I stood clutching the rails, and staring at them as if they were spirits from the grave come to mock at me. The man nearest to me was none other than the Commander-in-Chief, who had disappeared so mysteriously from Lord Beckingdale's residence on the night before the Aldershot review; next to him, with a rough sou'wester tied under his chin, was the Honourable Benjamin Castellan, Secretary of State for the Colonies, who had vanished shortly after I had said good-night to him in c.o.c.kspur Street, and whom I had thought never to see again; while furthest from me, and nearest the p.o.o.p ladder, a stubby grey beard covering his usually well-shaven chin, was my old friend, General Woller, who had apparently been caught up into s.p.a.ce at Paddington Station, after his return from audience at Windsor. The Colonial Secretary was the first to speak.
”Good Heavens, Manderville,” he shouted, ”is it you, or your ghost?”
”It is I, Manderville,” I answered, as if the a.s.sertion were necessary.
”But you--we thought you were dead. How in the name of all that's wonderful, did _you_ get here?”
By this time they were all on their feet, holding on to the rail of the hatch by one hand, shaking my hand by the other.
”That's too long a story to tell you now,” said the Commander-in-Chief.
”The question is, how did you get here?”
I could furnish them with no answer to that question, but referred them to the men who had kidnapped me. Meanwhile, the old Italian stood a few paces away, holding on to the rail and watching us. Even by this time I had not recovered from my surprise. In London we had all looked upon them as dead men, and now to find them my companions on a small steamer on the high seas, was almost too great a surprise.
”It seems beyond belief to find you here,” I said, as we made our way back to the shelter of the companion hatch, where there was comparative silence. ”The almost universal belief in England is that you have been murdered by Anarchists.”
”We might as well have been,” Woller replied gloomily. ”Until Castellan came, I was alone upon this tub, and you can imagine the sort of life I led.”
”I can imagine all sorts of things,” I replied. ”But I want to hear your story. The others have doubtless told you how completely your disappearance puzzled us, Woller? We traced you as far as Paddington, and then lost sight of you altogether. It was said that you had taken a cab in the station yard and had driven away in it, but no trace of the driver could ever be discovered, in spite of the large rewards we offered.”