Part 66 (1/2)
”Tell him to come here at once!”
”Y-yes, sir, very good, sir. But I fear he'll be afraid to come out, sir. Mr. Blake--he ordered 'im to stay in, sir.”
”Blake ordered him! Why? Speak out, man! Why?”
”He--he said the bridge--that it was about to fall, sir.”
”Bridge--about to fall?”
”Yes, sir. So he pulled Mr. Ashton across the desk by 'is neck--manhandled 'im awful, and 'e told 'im--”
”What! What! Tell Ashton I'm here--Mr. Leslie! Tell him to come at once--at once! D' you hear?”
As the valet vanished, Genevieve darted to her father, her eyes wide with swift-mounting alarm. ”Papa! Didn't you hear him? He said the bridge--it's about to fall!”
”He did! He did!” cried Dolores, catching the alarm. ”Oh, and Jimmy's gone out, too!”
”'Jimmy'!” echoed Mrs. Gantry, staring.
The girl ran to the windows in the end of the room, which afforded a full view of the gigantic bridge.
”Hurry! Hurry, papa! Do something!” cried Genevieve. ”If the bridge falls--!”
”Nonsense!” argued her father. ”There can't be any danger. It's still standing--and all those men remaining out on it. If there was any danger--Must be some mistake of that fool valet.”
”Then why are there no men ash.o.r.e? Why are they all out there?”
questioned Genevieve with intuitive logic. ”Oh! it's true--I know it's true! He's in danger! And James--both! They're out there--it will fall!
He'll be killed! Send some one--tell them to come ash.o.r.e! I'll go myself!”
She started toward the door.
”No, no, let me!” cried Dolores, darting ahead of her.
”Stop!--both of you!” exclaimed Mrs. Gantry. ”Are you mad?”
”Stop!” commanded Mr. Leslie.
Genevieve paused and stood hesitating before the vestibule door.
Dolores darted back to the windows.
A voice across the room called out: ”That's--that's right! There's no need to go. It's all a fake--a pretence!”
Staring about, Mr. Leslie and the ladies saw Ashton beside the inner door. He was striving to a.s.sume an air of easy a.s.surance, but the doork.n.o.b, which he still grasped, rattled audibly.
”You!” rasped Mr. Leslie. ”What you doing in here--skulking in here?”
Ashton cringed back, all the a.s.surance stricken from his face.
”You--you believe him!” he stammered. ”But it's not fair! You've heard only his side--his lies about me!”
”Whose lies? Speak out!”