XXII
Trapped
It was a sound so slight, so very small and still, that only a super-subtle sense of hearing could have discriminated it from the confused multiplicity of almost inaudible, interwoven, interdependent sounds that make up the slumberous quiet of every human habitation, by night.
Lanyard, whose training had taught him how to listen, had learned that the nocturnal hush of each and every house has its singular cadence, its own gentle movement of muted but harmonious sound in which the introduction of an alien sound produces immediate discord, and to which, while at his work, he need attend only subconsciously since the least variation from the norm would give him warning.
Now, in the silence of this old mansion, he detected a faint flutter of discordance that sounded a note of stealth; such a note as no move of his since entering had evoked.
He was no longer alone, but shared the empty magnificence of those vast salons with one whose purpose was as furtive, as secret, as wary as his own; no servant or watchman roused by an intuition of evil, but one who had no more than he any lawful business there.
And while he stood at alert attention the sound was repeated from a point less distant, indicating that the second intruder was moving toward the library.
In two swift strides Lanyard left the shelter of the screen and took to cover in the recess of one of the tall windows, behind its heavy velvet hangings: an action that could have been timed no more precisely had it been rehearsed; he was barely in hiding when a shape of shadow slipped into the library, paused beside the massive desk, and raked the room with the light of a powerful flash-lamp.
Its initial glare struck squarely into LanyardтАЩs eyes, dazzling them, as he peered through a narrow opening in the porti├иres; and though the light was instantly shifted, for several moments a blur of peacock colour, blending, ebbing, hung like a curtain in the darkness, and he could see nothing distinctlyтБатАФonly the trail traced by that dancing spotlight over walls and furnishings.
When at length his vision cleared, the newcomer was kneeling in turn before the safe; but more light was needed, and this one, lacking LanyardтАЩs patience and studious caution, turned back to the desk, and, taking the reading-lamp, transferred it to the floor behind the screen.
But even before the flood of light followed the dull click of the switch, Lanyard had recognized the woman.
For an instant he felt dazed, half-stunned, suffocating, much as he had felt with GreggsтАЩ fingers tightening on his windpipe, that week-old night at TroyonтАЩs; he experienced real difficulty about breathing, and was conscious of a sickish throbbing in his temples and a pounding in his bosom like the tolling of a great bell. He stared, swaying.тБатАКтБатАж
The light, gushing from the opaque hood, made the safe door a glare, and was thrown back into her intent, masked face, throwing out in sharp silhouette her lithe, sweet body, indisputably identified by the individual poise of her head and shoulders and the gracious contours of her tailored coat.
She was all in black, even to her hands, no trace of white or any colour showing but the fair curve of the cheek below her mask and the red of her lips. And if more evidence were needed, the intelligence with which she attacked the combination, the confident, businesslike precision distinguishing her every action, proved her an apt pupil in that business.
His thoughts were all in a welter of miserable confusion. He knew that this explained many things he would have held questionable had not his infatuation forbidden him to consider them at all, lest he be disloyal to this woman whom he adored; but in the anguish of that moment he could entertain but one thought, and that possessed him altogetherтБатАФthat she must somehow be saved from the evil she contemplated.тБатАКтБатАж
But while he hesitated, she became sensitive to his presence; though he had made no sound since her entrance, though he had not even stirred, somehow she divined that heтБатАФsomeoneтБатАФwas there in the recess of the window, watching her.
In the act of opening the safeтБатАФusing the memorandum of its combination which he had jotted down in her presenceтБатАФhe saw her pause, freeze to a pose of attention, then turn to stare directly at the porti├иre that hid him. And for an eternal second she remained kneeling there, so still that she seemed not even to breathe, her gaze fixed and level, waiting for some sound, some sign, some tremor of the curtainтАЩs folds, to confirm her suspicion.
When at length she rose it was in one swift, alert movement. And as she paused with her slight shoulders squared and her head thrown back defiantly, challengingly, as one without will of his own but drawn irresistibly by her gaze, he stepped out into the room.
And since he was no more the Lone Wolf, but now a simple man in agony, with no thought for their circumstancesтБатАФfor the fact that they were both housebreakers and that the slightest sound might raise a hue-and-cry upon themтБатАФhe took one faltering step toward her, stopped, lifted a hand in a gesture of appeal, and stammered:
тАЬLucyтБатАФyouтБатАФтАЭ
His voice broke and failed.
She didnтАЩt answer, more than by recoiling as though he had offered to strike her, until the table stopped her, and she leaned back as if glad of its support.
тАЬOh!тАЭ she cried, tremblingтБатАФтАЬwhyтБатАФwhy did you do it?тАЭ
He might have answered her in kind, but self-justification passed his power. He couldnтАЩt say, тАЬBecause this evening you made me lose faith in everything, and I thought to forget you by going to the devil the quickest way I knewтБатАФthis way!тАЭтБатАФthough that was true. He couldnтАЩt say: тАЬBecause, a thief from boyhood, habit proved too strong for me, and I couldnтАЩt withstand temptation!тАЭтБатАФfor that was untrue. He could only hang his head and mumble the wretched confession: тАЬI donтАЩt know.тАЭ
As if he hadnтАЩt spoken, she cried again: тАЬWhyтБатАФwhy did you do it? I was so proud of you, so sure of you, the man who had turned straight because of me!тБатАКтБатАж It compensatedтБатАКтБатАж But nowтБатАКтБатАжтАК!тАЭ
Her voice broke in a short, dry sob.
тАЬCompensated?тАЭ he repeated stupidly.
тАЬYes, compensated!тАЭ She lifted her head with a gesture of impatience: тАЬFor thisтБатАФdonтАЩt you understand?тБатАФfor this that IтАЩm doing! You donтАЩt imagine IтАЩm here of my own will?тБатАФthat I went back to Bannon for any reason but to try to save you from him? I knew something of his power, and you didnтАЩt; I knew if I went away with you heтАЩd never rest until he had you murdered. And I thought if I could mislead him by lies for a little timeтБатАФlong enough to give you a chance to escapeтБатАФI thoughtтБатАФperhapsтБатАФI might be able to communicate with the police, denounce himтБатАФтАЭ
She hesitated, breathless and appealing.
At her first words he had drawn close to her; and all their talk was murmurings. But this was quite instinctive; for both were beyond considerations of prudence, the one coherent thought of each being that now, once and forever, all misunderstanding must be done away with.
Now, as naturally as though they had been lovers always, Lanyard took her hand, and clasped it between his own.
тАЬYou cared as much as that!тАЭ
тАЬI love you,тАЭ she told himтБатАФтАЬI love you so much I am ready to sacrifice everything for youтБатАФlife, liberty, honourтБатАФтАЭ
тАЬHush, dearest, hush!тАЭ he begged, half distracted.
тАЬI mean it: if honour could hold me back, do you think I would have broken in here tonight to steal for Bannon?тАЭ
тАЬHe sent you, eh?тАЭ Lanyard commented in a dangerous voice.
тАЬHe was too cunning for meтБатАКтБатАж I was afraid to tell youтБатАКтБатАж I meant to tellтБатАФto warn you, this evening in the cab. But then I thought perhaps if I said nothing and sent you away believing the worst of meтБатАФperhaps you would save yourself and forget meтБатАФтАЭ
тАЬBut never!тАЭ
тАЬI tried my best to deceive him, but couldnтАЩt. They got the truth from me by threatsтБатАФтАЭ
тАЬThey wouldnтАЩt dareтБатАФтАЭ
тАЬThey dare anything, I tell you! They knew enough of what had happened, through their spies, to go on, and they tormented and bullied me until I broke down and told them everythingтБатАКтБатАж And when they learned you had brought the jewels back here, Bannon told me I must bring them to himтБатАФthat, if I refused, heтАЩd have you killed. I held out until tonight; then just as I was about to go to bed he received a telephone message, and told me you were driving a taxi and followed by Apaches and wouldnтАЩt live till daylight if I persisted in refusing.тАЭ
тАЬYou came alone?тАЭ
тАЬNo. Three men brought me to the gate. TheyтАЩre waiting outside, in the park.тАЭ
тАЬApaches?тАЭ
тАЬTwo of them. The other is Captain Ekstrom.тАЭ
тАЬEkstrom!тАЭ Lanyard cried in despair. тАЬIs heтБатАФтАЭ
The dull, heavy, crashing slam of the great front doors silenced him.