Part 10 (1/2)
dining-room and told him I would talk to him here.”
”What does he call himself?” Deering asked.
”Torrence is the name the Drakes gave him,” she answered with faint irony. ”He's a ranchman in Wyoming and was in Bob Drake's cla.s.s in college.”
He knew perfectly well that the Drakes were not people likely to countenance an impostor. His first instinct had been to protect his sister from an unknown scamp, and he was sorry that he had spoken to her so roughly. Her distress and anxiety were apparent, and he was filled with pity for her. Since childhood they had been the best of pals, and if she loved a man who was worthy of her he would aid the affair in every way possible. He was surprised by the abruptness with which she stepped close to him and laid her hand on his arm.
”Billy, who _is_ Hood?” she whispered.
”I don't know!” he e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed, and then as she eyed him curiously he explained hurriedly: ”I was in an awful mess when he turned up, Connie.
I'd gone into a copper deal with Ned Rans...o...b..and needed more money to help him through with it. I put in all I had and touched one of father's boxes at the bank for some more and lost it, or didn't lose it; G.o.d knows what did become of it! It would take a week to tell you the whole story.
Rans...o...b..disappeared, absolutely, and there I was! I should have killed myself if that lunatic Hood hadn't turned up and hypnotized me. But what--what--” (he fairly choked with the question), ”in heaven's name are you doing here? Why did you cut out California? I tell you, Connie, if I'm not crazy everybody else is! I nearly fainted when you came into the dining-room.”
Constance smiled at his despair, but hurried on with explanations:
”We can't talk here, but I can clear up a few things. Father read that woman's book, and it went to his head. Yes,” she added as Deering groaned in his helplessness, ”father's acting a good deal like those people in the drawing-room. He's got the May madness, and I'm afraid I've got a touch of it myself! Father started off to have adventures like the people in that book and dragged me along to get my mind off Tommy----”
”Tommy?”
”Mr. Torrence!”
Billy swallowed this with a gulp.
”But, Billy,” Constance continued seriously, ”there's really something on father's mind; he thinks he's looking for somebody, and I'm not sure whether he is or not. That's how I come to be here. He made me answer an advertis.e.m.e.nt and take this position to spy on these people.”
”My G.o.d!” Deering gasped, ”gone clean mad, the whole bunch of us. Who the deuce are these lunatics anyhow?”
”I don't know, Billy; honestly I don't! You know nearly as much about them as I do. Their mail goes to a bank in town, and I met my employer at a lawyer's office in Hartford. Father suspects something and made me do it, so I might watch them. The mother and daughter have been abroad a great deal, and just came home a month ago. I never saw this man Hood until to-night. The mother and daughter and the old gentleman call each other by the names you heard at the table, and the books in the library are marked with half a dozen names. Even the silver gives no clew. I've been here a week and only one person has come to the house” (she lowered her voice to a whisper), ”and that was Ned Rans...o...b..”
He clutched her hands, and the words he tried to utter became a queer, inarticulate gurgle in his throat.
”Ned came here to see a girl,” she went on: ”an artist who made the pictures for 'The Madness of May.' He's quite crazy about her. I did get that much out of Pierrette. This artist's a victim of the madness too, and seems to be leading Ned a gay dance!”
”Took my two hundred thousand and got me to steal two more,” he groaned, ”and then went chasing a girl all over creation! And the fool always bragged that he was immune; that no girl----”
”Another victim of the same disease, that's all,” answered Constance with a wry smile.
”Not Ned; not Rans...o...b.. That settles it! We've all gone loony!”
”Well, even so, we mustn't be caught here,” said Constance with decision as the music ceased.
”Tell me, quick, where can I find the governor?” Deering demanded.
”If you _must_ know, Billy,” she replied, her lips quivering with mirth, ”our dear parent is in jail--in _jail_! Tommy collected those glad tidings at the garage.”
Having launched this at her astounded brother, she pushed him from her and ran away through the conservatory.