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52 chapters
Chapter One.
Chapter One.
“There’s some mystery about that girl—I’m certain of it.” “What makes you suspect that?” “Well, first, she’s evidently a lady—the daughter of a man who has come down in the world most probably: and secondly—” “Ah! You mean the secret lover—the man who was here yesterday and bought a twenty-guinea evening gown of her to send to his sister—eh?” exclaimed Mr Warner, “buyer” of the costume department of the great drapery house of Cunnington’s, in Oxford Street, that huge store which, as everybody kn
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Chapter Two.
Chapter Two.
“Most certainly,” was the young Englishman’s reply, though somewhat surprised at his friend’s sudden change of manner. It was true that he had known Dr Michael Petrovitch for quite a number of years. Long ago, when he had first visited Belgrade, the Servian capital, the man before him, well-known throughout the Balkans as a patriot, was occupying the position of Minister of Finance under King Milan. Both his Excellency and his wife had been extremely kind to him, had introduced him to the smart
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Chapter Three.
Chapter Three.
“Yes, but you know how dangerous it is,” replied the pretty girl, glancing round. “Somebody might pass, recognise me, and tell dad.” “And what then, dearest?” he laughed. “Why your fears are utterly groundless.” “I know, but—” “But what?” “Well, dad would be annoyed—that’s all—annoyed with both of us.” “He must already have seen, darling, that I love you. He isn’t blind,” said Charlie Rolfe, moving slowly along at her side. Hers was, indeed, a face that would attract attention anywhere, oval, de
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Chapter Four.
Chapter Four.
And yet he—the man who was to be her husband—lived in that ease and idleness which an income of twelve thousand a year secured. Had Petrovitch not told him that Marion was dining at Cromwell Road and going to a concert with Maud afterwards, he would have wired to her to meet him. But he knew how devoted the two girls were to each other, notwithstanding the difference of their stations, and how Maud welcomed Marion’s company at concerts or theatres to which her father so seldom cared to go. Sudde
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Chapter Five.
Chapter Five.
“If the man on duty saw any removing vans in the evening, he would certainly report it,” the constable added politely, and Barclay then went in the direction he indicated. A quarter of an hour later he stood in the police-office, while the inspector turned over the leaves of the big book in which reports of every untoward or suspicious occurrence are entered for reference, in case of civil actions or other eventualities. At first he could find nothing, but at last he exclaimed: “There’s somethin
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Chapter Six.
Chapter Six.
He was standing behind her before she turned suddenly, and blushed in surprise. Warner, sitting in his little glass desk, noticed the look upon the girl’s face and fully realised the situation. He liked Marion’s brother, while the girl herself was extremely modest and an excellent saleswoman. He knew that Charles Rolfe and this Mr Evans were friends, and that fact had prevented him from forbidding the flirtation to continue. Evans was evidently a gentleman. Of that he had no doubt. “Why!” she ex
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Chapter Seven.
Chapter Seven.
“The police could not have seen any of our vans removing furniture from Cromwell Road last night,” protested the manager. “See here for yourself. Yesterday there were four removals only—Croydon to Southsea, Fitzjohn’s Avenue to Lower Norwood, South Audley Street to Ashley Gardens, and Elgin Avenue to Finchley. Here they are,” and he pointed to the page whereon the particulars were inscribed. “The goods in question were removed by you from Cromwell Road, and stored in your depository at Chiswick.
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Chapter Eight.
Chapter Eight.
There was but little comfort about the room. Artistic taste and luxury are commonly associated with Park Lane, therefore the stranger would have been greatly surprised if he had been allowed a peep within. But there was a curious bet about the house. No stranger had ever been known to pass beyond the big swing-glass doors half-way down the hall. No outsider had ever set foot within. Levi, the hook-nosed old butler, in his well-cut clothes and spotless linen, was a zealous janitor. No one, upon a
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Chapter Nine.
Chapter Nine.
“Ah!” he cried to himself, “I was a fool when I disbelieved them. I thought that blackmail was their object in telling me the story of how that man was alive and had been seen. Therefore I only laughed at them and took no precaution. Ah! I was a fool, and my foolishness must end fatally. There is no way out of it for me—only death. I’ve been a fool—a confounded fool. I ought to have made certain; I ought not to have taken any risk. I’m wiser now than I was then. Age has brought me wisdom as well
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Chapter Ten.
Chapter Ten.
He had, however, used it for good. His contributions to charities were many and handsome. Among other things, he had built and endowed a wing of the London Hospital, for which his Majesty signified his intention of conferring a baronetcy upon him. But that honour he declined. To his brother in the City he had said, “I don’t wish for any honour, and I’ll remain plain Sam to the end of my days.” There was a reason—a secret reason—why he was unable to receive the distinction. None knew it—none even
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Chapter Eleven.
Chapter Eleven.
Had he discovered the truth regarding the strange disappearance of the Doctor and his daughter? “Why did you lose the train last night, Rolfe?” asked the great financier. “You did not go to Charing Cross,” he added. Rolfe held his breath again. Yes, as he had feared, his departure had been watched for. “I—well, it was too late, and so I didn’t attempt to catch the train.” “Why too late?” asked Statham, reprovingly. “In a matter of business—and especially of the magnitude of yours at this moment—
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Chapter Twelve.
Chapter Twelve.
“Oh, yes! I forgot. I wrote to Cunnington myself regarding her, didn’t I? I hope she’s comfortable. If not, tell me. I’m the largest shareholder in that business.” “You are very kind,” replied the young man. “But she always says she is most comfortable, and all the principals are very kind to her. Of course, it was hard for her at first when she commenced to earn her own living. The hours, the confinement, and the rigorous rules were irksome to a girl of her character, always been used as she ha
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Chapter Thirteen.
Chapter Thirteen.
“I began to fear, old chap, that you couldn’t come,” Adams exclaimed, as he hung his friend’s coat in the narrow hall. “You didn’t acknowledge my wire.” “I couldn’t until too late. I was out,” the other explained, in a tone of apology. “Well,” he asked, with a sigh, as he stretched himself before he seated himself in the proffered chair, “what has happened?” “A lot, my dear fellow. We shall come out on top yet.” “Be more explicit. What do you mean?” “What I say,” was Adams’ response. “I’ve seen
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Chapter Fourteen.
Chapter Fourteen.
“I think he dare,” Adams replied. “You don’t know him as well as I do. His whole future now depends upon his bluff, and he knows it. We can ruin both the house of Statham Brothers and its principal. In the circumstances, it is only natural that he should assume an air of defiance.” “Which we must combat by firmness. We are associated in this affair, and my advice is not to show any sign of weakness.” “Exactly. That’s the reason I asked you here to-night, Lyle—to discuss our next step.” The hunch
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Chapter Fifteen.
Chapter Fifteen.
More than once Max had wanted to take her to the stalls of a theatre in an evening gown, but she had always declared that she preferred wearing a light blouse. As a man generally is, he was a blunderer, and she could not well explain how, by the purchase of evening clothes, she would at once debase herself in the eyes of her fellow-assistants. As was well-known, her salary at Cunnington’s certainly did not allow of such luxuries as theatre gowns, and from the very first she had always declined t
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Chapter Sixteen.
Chapter Sixteen.
The disappearance of the pair was an enigma which, try how he would, he could not solve. His efforts to find Rolfe had been unavailing, and Marion herself had neither seen nor heard from him. At Charlie’s chambers his man remained in complete ignorance. His master had left for Servia—that was all. Max had been trying in vain to lead the conversation again up to the matter over which his mind had become so much exercised; but, with her woman’s keen ingenuity, she each time combated his efforts, w
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Chapter Seventeen.
Chapter Seventeen.
“Ah, if he knew—if he only knew!” murmured Rolfe to himself, his face growing pale and hard-set. “Sam Statham believes himself clever, and so he is! Yet in this game I think I am his equal.” And he smoked on in silence, his frowning countenance being an index to his troubled mind. He was reviewing the whole of the curious situation. In a few years he had risen from a harum-scarum youth to be the private secretary, confidant, and frequent adviser to one of the wealthiest men in England. Times wit
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Chapter Eighteen.
Chapter Eighteen.
“And how much have we gained over the Pekin business, Ben?” Mr Samuel was asking of the man who, though slightly younger, was an almost exact replica of himself, slightly thinner and taller. Benjamin Statham, Sam’s brother, was the working manager of the concern, and one of the smartest financiers in the whole City of London. He was standing with his back to the fireplace, with his hands thrust deep in his trousers-pockets. “Ah!” he laughed. “When I first suggested it you wouldn’t touch it. Didn
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Chapter Nineteen.
Chapter Nineteen.
The couple of hours Max had spent with Marion proved delightful ones, as they always were. Promenading in the lounge above were many men-about-town whom he knew, and who, seeing him with the modest-looking girl, smiled knowingly. They never guessed the truth—that he loved her and intended to make her his wife. “Charlie is back from Glasgow,” she was saying. “He came to the shop this afternoon to ask if I had seen you, and to explain how the other night he, by a most fortunate circumstance, misse
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Chapter Twenty.
Chapter Twenty.
“Why?” “Well, if you do, you’ll queer all our plans—both yours and mine,” he mused vaguely. “How?” “Sam Statham has agents in Constantinople—agents who could offer Muhil double the price immediately, and the ground would be cut from under our feet. Statham knows a good thing when he sees it, you bet, and if he knew anything about this he wouldn’t stick at a thousand or two.” “Then he doesn’t know?” “At present he can’t know. It is a secret between Muhil, Osman, and myself?” “And what about the F
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Chapter Twenty One.
Chapter Twenty One.
A thousand times, as Rolfe had gone in and out of the place, he had glanced up the broad, well-carpeted stairs, at the foot of which stood the fine marble Aphrodite, holding the great electrolier, and at the head, to the corner out of sight, was the locked door upon which half London had commented. Had Samuel Statham thrown open his house only once, and given a reception, all gossip would be allayed. Indeed, as Rolfe sat with his master in the library the morning following Adam’s meeting with Ma
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Chapter Twenty Two.
Chapter Twenty Two.
“Yes; but we’ve not yet quite established the facts yet, you see,” Statham said. “Why, mon, isn’t it as plain as plain can be? What mair d’ye want?” “A good deal,” Levi chimed in in his squeaky voice. “We can’t act on that. It’s too shadowy altogether.” “I tell ye it isn’t!” cried Duncan, shaking his clenched fist again. “Mr Statham is in sair peril, I tell ye he is, an’ I’ve proved it.” “Mr Statham must be allowed to be the best judge of that,” Levi said, placing his hands together, and holding
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Chapter Twenty Three.
Chapter Twenty Three.
“Of course. If it is anything against her reputation—her honour—then it is certainly best left unsaid,” he replied quickly. “Only—well, I—I thought, perhaps, it might give us a clue to the motive of their unaccountable flight.” “Perhaps it might,” she admitted; “and yet I cannot tell you.” “Does Charlie know? Would he tell me, do you think?” “I don’t think Charlie knows. At any rate, she would not tell him. If he does know, it must be through some other source.” “And you anticipate that what Mau
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Chapter Twenty Four.
Chapter Twenty Four.
“What? And haven’t you endeavoured to find out her whereabouts?” cried Max, staring at him. “If Marion had disappeared, I think I should have left no stone unturned in order to discover the truth.” “I have tried to solve the mystery, and failed,” was his rather lame response. “But where are they—where can they be? It’s most extraordinary that the doctor should not send me word in confidence of their secret hiding-place. I was his most intimate friend.” “Well,” he said. “The fact is that until th
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Chapter Twenty Five.
Chapter Twenty Five.
“Then all I can say is that you saw somebody who resembled me. Tell me exactly what you did see.” Max was for a moment silent. He never expected that Rolfe would flatly deny his presence there. This very fact had increased his suspicions a hundredfold. “Well, the only person I saw, Charlie, was you yourself—leaving the house. That’s all.” “Somebody who closely resembled me, I expect.” “Then you deny having been at the house that evening?” asked Max in great surprise. “Why, of course I do. You’re
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Chapter Twenty Six.
Chapter Twenty Six.
“But cannot we join forces in endeavouring to solve the problem?” Max suggested, his suspicion of his friend now removed. “That is exactly what I would wish. But how shall we begin? Where shall we commence?” asked Rolfe. “The truth that it was not you whom I saw leaving the house in Cromwell Road adds fresh mystery to the already astounding circumstance,” Max declared. “The man who so closely resembled you was purposely made up to be mistaken for you. There was some strong motive for this. What
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Chapter Twenty Seven.
Chapter Twenty Seven.
“Well, the missing of such a chance would be unfortunate, even to a Rothschild,” he said. “There’s hundreds of thousands in the deal, if you’ll only go out with me. You’re not a man of straw. You can afford to risk a thousand or two, just as well as I can—even better.” “I would willingly go if it were not for the fact that I find I must remain in London.” Adam laughed, with just a touch of sarcasm. “Ah! the lady! I quite understand, my dear fellow. The charming young lady whom I met with you the
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Chapter Twenty Eight.
Chapter Twenty Eight.
“But they may talk! This house has already got a bad name, you know.” “Well, that’s surely not my fault,” cried the old man with a fiery flash in his eyes. “It’s more your fault for acting so infernally suspiciously and mysteriously. I know quite well what people say of me.” “A good deal that’s true,” declared old Levi in open defiance of the man in whose service he had been so long. Sam Statham grinned. It was a subject which he did not wish to discuss. “You can go to bed, Levi. I’ll open the d
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Chapter Twenty Nine.
Chapter Twenty Nine.
“I ought never to have come here,” she declared uneasily. “I will have to go before Mr Cunnington to-morrow for being absent all night, and shall certainly be discharged. He will never hear excuse in any case. Instant dismissal is the hard and fast rule.” “Not in your case, Miss Rolfe,” replied the old millionaire. “Remember that it is not Mr Cunnington who controls Cunnington’s, Limited. I have asked you here in order to speak to you in strictest confidence. Indeed, I want to take you into my c
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Chapter Thirty.
Chapter Thirty.
“I know.” “Why?” “Because,”—and she grew confused—“well, because something has happened.” “To interrupt pure friendship?” She did not reply. He had craftily led up the conversation to Maud, and was, as he had openly told her, seeking information. He watched the flush upon her cheeks, and the nervous manner in which she picked at her skirt. “And yet, though you are friends no longer, you are in favour of your brother’s marriage with the lady? That appears strange. I suppose he loves her. Every ma
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Chapter Thirty One.
Chapter Thirty One.
“You have told me that you will refuse to assist me further!” she said. “In other words, you decline to preserve the secret of my visit here, although you made a promise that my absence to-night from Cunnington’s should not be noted!” “I have given you a promise, Miss Rolfe, and I shall keep it,” was his quiet and serious response. She looked at him with distrust. “You have asked me a question, Mr Statham—one to which I am not permitted to reply,” she said. “Why not?” “Because—well, because I ha
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Chapter Thirty Two.
Chapter Thirty Two.
“Then isn’t it genuine?” she asked anxiously. “Genuine! Why, of course not! Nothing that Jean Adam has anything to do with, my dear young lady, is ever genuine. Depend upon it that his Majesty the Sultan will never grant any such concession. He fears Bulgaria far too much. If it could have been had, I may tell you at once I should already have had it. There is, as you say, a big thing to be made out of it—a very big thing. But while the Sultan lives the line will never be constructed. Pachitch,
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Chapter Thirty Three.
Chapter Thirty Three.
One girl, a saucy, dark-haired assistant in the ribbons, exclaimed: “Hullo, Rolfe! What are you up for?” Marion flushed slightly, and answered: “I—I hardly know.” “Well, I’m going in for a rise, and if the guv’nor don’t give it to me I’m going to Westoby’s to-morrow. I’ve got a good crib there. My young man is shop-walker, so I’ll get on like a house on fire.” “Westoby’s is a lot better than here,” remarked a pale-faced male assistant. “I was there for a sale once. I only wish they’d have kept m
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Chapter Thirty Four.
Chapter Thirty Four.
He glanced at her inquiringly. “I—I really haven’t the pleasure of your name,” he said, still upon the doorstep of the office. At all events, she was rather good-looking and well-bred, even if her stature was a trifle diminutive. Her gown was in excellent taste, too. “My name really doesn’t matter,” she laughed. “I know you quite well. You are Mr Charles Rolfe, old Mr Statham’s secretary.” Then, in an instant, the troth flashed across his mind. This girl must be one of old Sam’s friends—one of h
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Chapter Thirty Five.
Chapter Thirty Five.
“I mean the tragic story of your love,” was her slow, distinct reply. “Pray forgive me, Mr Rolfe, for mentioning a subject which must be most painful, but I have only done so to show you that I am aware of the secret of your affection.” “Then you are a friend of Maud?” She nodded, without uttering a word. “Where is she? I must see her,” he said quickly, with a fierce, anxious look upon his countenance. “This suspense is killing me.” She was silent. Slowly she turned her fine eyes upon his, looki
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Chapter Thirty Six.
Chapter Thirty Six.
“You knew nothing of him prior to that?” Rolfe hesitated. “Well, no,” he replied. “He made pretence of being friendly with you.” “Yes. But to tell you the truth I was somewhat suspicions of him. What do you know of him? Tell me.” “I happen to be well acquainted with him,” the girl responded. “It is he who has arisen like one from the grave, and intends to avenge the wrong which he declares that Mr Statham had done him.” “No, years ago, when they were abroad together—and Mr Statham was still a po
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Chapter Thirty Seven.
Chapter Thirty Seven.
“With you?” “Oh, dear no. She was called down to the counting-house yesterday morning, and she did not return.” “Then she’s been discharged—eh?” asked Max in a hard voice. “I believe so, sir. At least, it would appear so.” “And are they in the habit of discharging assistants in this manner—throwing them out of a home and out of employment at a moment’s notice? Is Mr Cunnington himself aware of it?” “It would be Mr Cunnington himself who discharged her,” was the buyer’s answer. “No other person h
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Chapter Thirty Eight.
Chapter Thirty Eight.
Max Barclay was both surprised and interested. He knew quite well that Statham could if he wished, give him previous knowledge that would enable him to make a considerable coup. Ignorance of Marion’s visit to the old man or the cause of her dismissal allowed him to regard the millionaire with feelings of friendliness, and to reflect that, after all, he had no power to dictate to Cunnington. “You know, Mr Barclay,” he said, “I frequently obtain confidential knowledge of what is transpiring in the
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Chapter Thirty Nine.
Chapter Thirty Nine.
There are more spies in Belgrade than in any other city in Europe. So much foreign intrigue is ever in progress that the Servian authorities are compelled to support a whole army of secret agents to watch and report. Hence it is that the stranger, from the moment he sets foot in Belgrade to the moment he leaves it, is watched, and his every movement noted and reported. Yet all is so well managed that the foreigner is never aware of the close surveillance upon him, and Belgrade is as gay a town i
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Chapter Forty.
Chapter Forty.
Within a small room off the drawing-room, which was Sir Charles’ private den, many a diplomatic secret had been brewed, and many an important matter affecting the best interests of Servia had been decided. Surely the post of Belgrade was one of the most difficult in the whole range of British diplomacy abroad. Before Charlie rose to go Sir Charles entered, a middle-aged, merry, easy-going man, who greeted him cheerily, saying:— “Hullo, Rolfe! Who’d have thought of seeing you here? and how is Mr
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Chapter Forty One.
Chapter Forty One.
“Very much. His enemies would reap a large profit.” “His enemies in the Skuptchina, you mean?” “Those—and others.” “He had private enemies also—secret ones that were even more dangerous than the blatant political orators.” “Then private vengeance was the cause?” “No—not exactly; at least, I think not,” Sir Charles replied. “But please ask no more. I will tell you the truth when I have established it.” “I wish I could discover where Maud is. Surely it is strange that the Prime Minister’s wife sho
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Chapter Forty Two.
Chapter Forty Two.
According to the servant’s description. Mademoiselle Maud looked very wan and pale, as though she had passed many sleepless nights full of anxiety and dread. The Prime Minister’s wife had no recollection of telling her husband about meeting the Doctor’s daughter. Somebody else must have mentioned it to the grey-bearded statesman, who, full of the cares of office, had forgotten who it had been. A third person who had seen Maud, however, was one of the agents of secret police on duty at the railwa
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Chapter Forty Three.
Chapter Forty Three.
“Very well, my dear fellow,” replied Adam lightly. “I don’t want to persuade you. There are a thousand men in the City who’ll be ready to put up money to-morrow morning.” And the pair finished their luncheon and parted, Adam, of course, entirely unsuspicious of the part Statham had played in upsetting his deeply-laid plans. To every address which Marion’s brother had furnished he had gone at post-haste, only to draw blank every time. Charlie had, at Statham’s instructions, gone first to Constant
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Chapter Forty Four.
Chapter Forty Four.
“Perfectly, sir.” And the man set about packing up his master’s traps. “You may as well put in a dinner-coat Max may have friends,” Rolfe said. “Very well, sir.” His master dressed quickly and went alone to the club for a late dinner. Most of his friends were away shooting, therefore he idled alone for an hour over the paper and then returned to his chambers. Next morning he scribbled a hasty note to Mr Statham, making an excuse for his sudden absence, and directly after ten was seated in the Sc
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Chapter Forty Five.
Chapter Forty Five.
Patent fastenings were also upon the windows of the study, looking forth upon Park Lane, while often at night the heavy oaken shutters were closed and barred. He had never before noticed how every precaution had been taken to exclude the unwelcome intruders. Through the whole morning his brain was actively at work to discover some means by which an entry might be effected, but there seemed none. The secret, whatever it might be, was certainly well guarded. He went across to the club to lunch, an
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Chapter Forty Six.
Chapter Forty Six.
At last one evening, after both men had dined at the St. James’s, of which Max was a member, they resolved upon a bold move. Charlie suggested it, and the other was at once ready and eager. So after Max had been round to his rooms to put on a suit of dark tweeds, he went to Charlie’s chambers where the various implements were produced and laid upon the table. It was then nearly ten o’clock. Rolfe, having sent Green to the other end of Jermyn Street out of the way, drew out the whisky decanter fr
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Chapter Forty Seven.
Chapter Forty Seven.
She leaned her elbow on the arm of the chair, and, bending towards him, was speaking again, uttering slow, decisive words, each of which seemed to bite into his very soul. His countenance again changed; from mock humour it became hard, drawn, almost haggard. Charlie, who knew the old man in every mood, had never witnessed such an expression upon his face. Beneath it all, however, he detected a look of unrelenting, almost fiendish revenge. He longed to rush forward and grasp his loved one in his
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Chapter Forty Eight.
Chapter Forty Eight.
But with an expression of defiance she tore it into four and cast it upon the floor with a gesture of disgust. And in triumph, before he could prevent her, she opened the door, and disappeared from the room. “We must follow her?” whispered Charlie eagerly. “But, my dear fellow, we can’t! We’re locked in!” Rolfe, realising the truth that they were prevented from overtaking his well-beloved, for whom they had been so long in active search, and that she must again dip from them into oblivion, gave
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Chapter Forty Nine.
Chapter Forty Nine.
At last, Max, who was the more athletic and nimble of the two, decided that the only way by which to reach the roof of the conservatory was by the spouting at the side. The ascent was a difficult one, but he resolved to attempt it. Taking a small coil of thin but very strong rope which Charlie produced from the capacious pocket of the shooting-jacket he wore for that purpose, he mounted upon his friend’s shoulders, and then climbed slowly up, with an agility which surprised his friend. Once upon
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Chapter Fifty.
Chapter Fifty.
Charlie asked breathlessly what it could be, whereupon his friend turned on the light, and the truth stood revealed. By an ace he had escaped with his life! At the door, in order to prevent the egress of any intruder, a cunning but dastardly mechanical device had been placed. A long iron lever, to which was attached a keen-edged Japanese cutlass, had come forth from its hiding-place in the lintel of the door, and, descending with terrific force, had only just escaped cutting Max down. Both men s
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Chapter Fifty One.
Chapter Fifty One.
The noise wakened old Levi, who appeared at the head of the back stairs, full of surprise. A reassuring word from his master, however, caused him to at once retire again. Within the library old Sam switched on the light, and invited both his unwelcome visitors to be seated. Then, standing before them, he said: “I presume, gentlemen, that your curiosity led you to break into my house?” Max Barclay nodded. “I can understand you acting thus, sir; but I cannot understand Rolfe, who knows me so well
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Chapter Fifty Two.
Chapter Fifty Two.
Sam Statham’s enemy—the man whom they had presumed was already in his coffin was dead! Yet what was the meaning of it all? The whole affair was a complete enigma. Why had Jean Adam, the adventurer who had lived by his wits for years and the hero of a thousand thrilling adventures, taken his own life beside his own coffin? Rolfe and Barclay turned away from the gruesome scene, and in silence descended the stairs, where, standing back in the shadow, trembling like an aspen, stood old Levi. As they
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