Red Masquerade Part 43

The scorch of flames stung her cheek, but she forgot that when their broken light made visible the features of Karslake above the arms wherein she lay cradled.

Turning aside from the staircase, Karslake bore her to the ladder leading to the skylight, whose broken gla.s.s crunched beneath his heels at every step.

In the open air he pulled up for a moment's rest, but continued to hold Sofia in his arms. The wind raved about them, buffeted them, tore their breath away, rain pelted them like birdshot; but they clung to each other and were unaware of reason for complaint.

Presently, however, Karslake remembered, and anxiously endeavoured to disengage from these tenacious arms.

"Let me go, dearest," he muttered. "I must go back--I left your father to take care of Victor, and--"

As if evoked by his very solicitude Lanyard emerged from the skylight hatch, waved a hand in gay salute, then turned to stare down into the flaming pit from which he had climbed.

After a little he fell back a pace. Then slowly, with the laboured movements of exhaustion, Victor worked head and shoulders through the opening and dragged himself out upon the roof.

On all fours he held in doubt, his head moving from side to side like the head of a stricken beast, seeking his enemy with dazzled eyes. Then he made Lanyard out and, pulling himself together for the supreme effort, launched at his throat with the pounce of a great cat.

Lanyard met him halfway, caught him in the middle of his bound, wound wiry arms round the man and held him helpless.

His voice rang clear above the crackle of flames:

"Victor! have you forgotten how you threatened one night, twenty years ago, to follow me to the very gates of h.e.l.l, and what I promised you--that, if you did, I'd push you inside? Or did you think I would forget?"

He cast the man from him, backward, down into the hungry maw of that inferno....

Books by Louis Joseph Vance

CYNTHIA-OF-THE-MINUTE

JOAN THURSDAY

n.o.bODY

NO MAN'S LAND

POOL OF FLAME

PRIVATE WAR

SHEEP'S CLOTHING

THE BANDBOX

THE BLACK BAG

THE BRa.s.s BOWL

THE BRONZE BELL

THE DARK MIRROR

THE DAY OF DAYS

THE DESTROYING ANGEL

THE FORTUNE HUNTER

THE ROMANCE OF TERENCE O'ROURKE

TREY O' HEARTS

_Stories About "The Lone Wolf"_

THE LONE WOLF

THE FALSE FACES

RED MASQUERADE

ALIAS THE LONE WOLF