Under Cover Part 46

"All right, then," her host answered. "Come, Alice, I need a drink badly."

"My dear," she said affectionately, "under the circ.u.mstances you may have an all-night license."

He had turned to go when Lambart approached him. "I beg your pardon, sir, but can I have a word with you?"

"What is it?" Michael demanded anxiously. The news evidently affected him, and Taylor looked suspicious. "What's this mean?" the deputy-surveyor asked.

"A long distance from my partner," the agitated Harrington returned. "I stand to lose nearly a million dollars if something isn't done. Excuse me, Alice--I'll use the upstairs 'phone." He hurried upstairs.

"Well," said Monty to Taylor--Nora was hanging on his arm and he felt he would never again be afraid--"do you want me any longer?"

"I thought I sent you back to play," Taylor snarled.

Ostentatiously Monty turned his back and walked leisurely to a door.

"You are perfectly splendid," Nora exclaimed with ecstasy in her voice.

"I'd no idea you were so brave."

"Oh, you can never tell," Monty returned modestly.

Alice joined them in retreat. "Michael's thirst is catching," she a.s.serted. "I'm for some champagne, children, are you?"

"Sure," said Monty. "What's a quart amongst three?"

Taylor watched them depart, sneeringly. He hated the idle rich with the intensity of a man who has longed to be of them and knows he cannot. The look he flung at Miss Cartwright was not pleasant.

"What did you mean by telling them upstairs that you had never seen me before?" he cried vindictively.

"You said under no circ.u.mstances was I to mention your name."

He looked a trifle disconcerted at this simple explanation. He was in a mood for punishment, and rebuke.

"Yes," he admitted, "but--"

"You said it was imperative your ident.i.ty should not be disclosed," the girl reminded him.

"I suppose that's true in a way," he conceded; "but when you saw me wanting to prove who I was, why didn't you help?"

"I was afraid to do anything but follow your instructions," she said earnestly. "I remembered that you swore you'd put my sister in prison if I even said I'd ever seen you before."

"Well, then, we won't say any more about it," he returned ungraciously.

"How did you find Denby had the necklace?"

"I got into his room and caught him," she explained. "He had it in his hand."

"Yes, yes!" he cried impatiently; "go on."

"And when the lights went out and there was a shot, I screamed, and naturally I couldn't see what happened in the dark. I thought you had killed him and I was frightened."

Taylor frowned. He did not like to remember that directly the flash of his gun had disclosed his position Denby had sprung on him like an arrow and knocked him down. Denby had scored two knock-downs in one night, and none had ever done that before. There was a swelling on his jaw and three teeth were loosened. Denby should pay for that, he swore.

While he was thinking these vengeful thoughts, Duncan hurried in through the French windows.

"Say, Chief," he shouted, "Denby didn't leave the house. He's up in his room now."

"How do you know?" Taylor cried eagerly.

"Gibbs climbed up on the roof of the paG.o.da; he can see the room from there and Denby's in it now."

"Now we've got him sure," his chief cried gleefully.

"And Harrington's with him," Duncan added excitedly.

"What!" Taylor e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed, stopping short on his way to the stairs. The two men talking together spelled collusion to him, and opened up complications to which he had hardly given a thought.

"Gibbs said they were talking together," his subordinate continued.

"I was right at first," Taylor exclaimed; "I thought that might be the game, but he fooled me so that I would have sworn he was innocent.

Denby's smuggling the necklace through for Harrington. Jim, this is a big job, get out there to make sure he don't escape by the balcony. Have your gun handy," he warned; "I've got mine." He looked over to Ethel, whose face betrayed the anguish which she was enduring. "And I'll get the drop on him this time."

"No, no," she cried, "you mustn't!"

"You knew all the time he was back in his room and you've been trying to fool me--you're stuck on him."

"No, no, you're wrong," she said desperately.

"Am I?" he retorted; "then I'll give you the chance to prove it. Send for Denby and ask him what he did with the necklace, and where it is now. Tell him I suspect you, and that he's got to tell you the truth, but you won't turn him over to me. Talk as if you two were alone, but I'll be there behind that screen listening." He took out his revolver and pointed to it meaningly. "If you tip him off or give him the slightest warning or signal, I'll arrest you both, anyway. Wrong, am I?"

he sneered. "We'll see; and if you try to fool me again, you and your sister will have plenty of time to think it over in Auburn. Now send for him."

There was a big screen of tapestry in one corner of the hall near the stairs. Behind this he had little difficulty in hiding himself.

The girl watched him in terror. It seemed she must either offer the man she loved bound and helpless to his enemies, or else by warning him and aiding him in escape, see him shot before her eyes. There seemed here no way out with Taylor watching her every look and movement from his hiding-place.

She stretched out her tremulous hand to grasp the table for support and clutched instead the silver cigarette-box, the same she had offered earlier to Denby. Her deep dejection was banished for she saw here a chance to defeat her enemy by a ruse of which he could not know.

Watching her, Taylor saw her returning courage, and congratulated her.

She knew, he thought, that her only chance was to play the square game with him now.

"Well," he called from his concealment, "why don't you send for him?"

"I'm going to!" she answered, walking to the bell and then coming back to the table. "You'll see you've been all wrong about me."

"I guess not," he snarled, adjusting the screen so as better to be able to see her from between its folds. He noticed that Lambart pa.s.sing close to him as he answered the bell had no suspicion of his presence.

"Mr. Denby's in his room," she told the man, "please say I'm alone here and wish to speak to him at once."

"Yes, madam," Lambart said, and a few seconds later could be heard knocking at a distant door.

"I can see you perfectly," Taylor warned her. "When Denby comes in, stay right where you are and don't move, or else I'll--" He stopped short when Lambart descended the staircase.