"’I am delighted, Mr. Sydney, that you should have come to me,’ he said,
rubbing his hands. ’There is fate in it; had you gone elsewhere, a large
price might have been asked. With my information, and if you leave
yourself in my hands, we can secure a bargain for you, a real bargain.’
Here he dropped his voice as if imparting a great secret. ’Lord Vancome
is pressed for money, and the mortgagees are threatening to foreclose.’
(All this of course I knew, but I thought it better to appear ignorant.)
’We must advance money--we must get his bills--press for
payment--threaten bankruptcy--pay off mortgagees--take estates.’
"I besought him not to trouble me with details, but whilst keeping my
name from appearing in the matter, act as he thought best. My
solicitors, I told him, would supply whatever funds were required. Then
once more calling his attention to the fact that I was entirely at his
mercy, and having read in his thoughts various ways by which he intended
to profit by the transaction, without fleecing me beyond the limit of
his conscience, I went away satisfied.
"On entering my rooms after this interview, I found Mr. Soudin waiting
to see me. He appeared in good spirits; told me he had been in London
the last three days; and I perceived from his thoughts, that he had
found out all he wished to know, and had quite decided to accept me as
his future son-in-law. It was just as well that he could not see into my
mind as clearly, for I had also discovered that he was in even worse
difficulties than Lord Vancome. Not contented with a comfortable income,
he had put some of his capital into an unlimited bank, which, if my
information proved correct, was about to fail.
"He seemed anxious for me to return with him to Scotland, and his wishes
evidently inclined towards an early marriage. Moreover, he suggested
the advisability of having the engagement publicly announced in the
papers. At this point it seemed necessary to inform him that at my last
interview with his daughter, we had quarrelled, though I did not mention
the cause; at the same time I told him that if Vera was willing, I had
not the slightest objection to his making our engagement public. He
pooh-poohed the idea of any objection coming from this quarter,
declaring that his daughter was devoted to me, and took his departure,
saying he would write to her and settle everything.
"The door had scarcely closed behind him, when a deadly faintness began
to steal over me. With some difficulty I managed to get into my
bed-room, and had hardly thrown myself on the bed before I lost
consciousness."
My companion paused for a moment.
"I have at last brought you to the point of my narrative," he continued,
rising, "where the chief interest may be said to begin. It has seemed
best to touch on many points which may have appeared of little or no
importance, and to leave out a few which you might have considered more
interesting. It is a far more difficult matter than you can well
understand, to deal in an intelligible manner with the forces brought
into play through an unrecognized sense; especially as we have at
present no names either for its effect upon the mind, or for the
subjects of which, through the medium of its power, we are for the first
time conscious. I propose, therefore, before continuing my story, to
show you a few experiments, and to throw as much light as possible on
the remarkable changes in our whole life, which a perfect knowledge of
this sixth sense would bring about."
"First," he continued, throwing back the curtain, "you, in your
condition, are permanently tied to what we call the body, and bound down
to its limitation. You can see only by the aid of light, and your
vision cannot pass through what we call opaque substances. The reason
why the animal eye is thus constructed must be obvious. Had it been
formed in such a way as to enable it to focus only on the object it
wished to observe, and were able to disregard any material obstruction
which lay in the way, an animal would dash into the intervening
material, even as a bird strikes itself against a clear sheet of glass.
"It was doubtless for this reason that nature mercifully deals but
seldom in transparent solids, allowing the eye only to penetrate matter
in its liquid or gaseous forms. But you must not for a moment suppose
that there is anything more miraculous in a vision which is constructed
in such a way that it can reverse the process, one form being as easily
developed as the other. Moreover, what we call solid, is only the term
for describing matter which in its present condition resists the
pressure of other material bodies to a certain extent. For as we know,
heat, electricity, sound, etc., can pass even through steel.
"Now, if you will come this way, I will show you an instrument which was
perfected by me some years ago, but which I no longer require to use; it
may possibly explain my meaning more fully.
"Here," said Sydney, pointing to a small instrument which looked like a
very delicate binocular telescope, "is an invention of lenses which
neutralizes the effect of the greater part of the services of the eye on
the brain. It is very imperfect, but it will do as an example. I will
focus it at twenty yards from here, and turn it in this direction. Now
what can you see?"
I looked through, and saw a servant in the dining-room removing some of
the things off the table.
"That is a wonderful invention," I said. "Why have you never made it
known?"
"Can you ask?" he replied. "Just fancy what misery such power would
cause in our present condition; what temptation it would be to evil;
what an aid it might give to cruelty. But I do not fancy it will ever
be required, for as soon as a man is fit to use the power, he will not
require the aid of any instrument. The powers of vision are slowly
changing from generation to generation, in the direction here indicated.
It is the same with regard to hearing. Ask any man who is acquainted
with the roar of London, if it strikes with the sense of confusing
sound. No, he is capable quite unconsciously of listening to a whisper,
or some soft strain of music, and being quite oblivious to the uproar
going on around. If we for one moment were able to hear, as people
fancy they do, all sounds in proportion to their magnitude, we should
that instant be struck deaf by the thunder of universal movement, the
tumult of unceasing vibration. But we hear only just as much as our
natures are fitted to make use of. With the aid of the sixth sense, we
hear just as much or just as little as we will."
He led me to another instrument. "Put your ear to that," he said. "It
is not a telephone, but it answers the purpose far better. Now
concentrate your thought on some distant sound you would like to hear."
I thought of my own hall clock, which has a peculiar, solemn,
old-fashioned tick. I could hear it distinctly, and even now there came
the familiar rattling sound, then slowly it chimed a quarter past
eleven.
"Try again," my companion said.
I thought of my cottage by the sea, and wished to hear the waves on the
beach as I hear them from my bedroom window. I listened, but could
distinguish nothing.
"There is no sound this time," I said.
"It is low tide," he replied, "and the sea is calm. You must will to be
upon the sand."
I did so, and in a moment the little wavelets seemed tumbling over my
feet, splashing and trickling back over the sand. It seemed impossible
that I could be thirty miles from the sea, and nearly a hundred from
that sandy beach; for the sea on nearly all our southern coasts,
breaking as it does on shingle, can give forth no such sweet sounds as
these.
*CHAPTER V*
In this way Alan Sydney gave me an idea of the limitations of our
present sense-organs, and how, by superior knowledge, they may be
altered and varied. I was able to feel things at a distance that I did
not touch, and touch things near me without being able to feel them.
"It is curious," he said to me at last, when he had been showing some
rather singular experiments with regard to perfumes, "that the sense of
smell has been allowed to die out so much through lack of cultivation.
I once taught a person to read quite easily by various scents. I made
an alphabet first of all, which he soon learned, and then by arranging
the perfumes in order he soon was able to read by this means quite
easily. But there is a still more curious fact that, notwithstanding
our present scientific knowledge, people talk of having five senses,
even as I have done to you for fear of confusing matters, for there is
no such thing as the sense of taste."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Taste," he replied, "is simply the combined effect of two senses, touch
and smell. If a person loses his sense of smelling he can only taste by
feeling; he can detect oil from water, or alcohol from vinegar, sugar
from lemon, through the effect that any of these substances have on the
more delicate nerves of feeling which are connected with the palate.
But we will not waste time in discussing the matter. A few experiments
will prove it to any one who is doubtful. I only mention it to show why
I had not referred to taste as a means of perception."
He then took me to that part of the room fitted up as a chemical
laboratory.
"Now," he said, "I am going to show you some experiments that will
surprise you far more than anything which you have seen hitherto. But
as I do not wish you to look upon them from the marvellous side, it will
be well to explain some of the reasons why quite natural causes may lead
apparently to miraculous results. For instance, you look upon your body
as an inseparable condition of life upon earth. It is even a question
whether you do not really regard it as an essential part of yourself
instead of seeing it is nothing more important than a suit of clothes
well fitting and adapted to the present conditions and circumstances of
your spirit. This latter view, though professed by most people, is but
seldom really believed in. From the lowest to the highest every body is
formed in one way; the life, or spirit, by its force of attraction
drawing certain material elements to its aid for the purpose of growth
and development. As the spirit thus grows and develops, its needs, and
consequently its outward shape, alter. These elements, so gathered, we
call our bodies, and it is as easy to cast off these bodies and put them
on again as it is to take off or replace our clothes. If, however, the
experiment is tried with an imperfect knowledge it is attended with
great danger, probably with what we call loss of life. I will, however,
show you an experiment on an animal."
He whistled, and a small bird that I had not noticed, flew down from the
top of one of the cupboards and settled on his shoulder. It was a tame
robin. As my companion poured out a number of liquids from various
bottles into a glass dish, he told me that he had tamed it about six
months ago, and that it lived chiefly out of doors and found its own
food, but that it now nearly always slept in one of the rooms.
Taking it in his hands, he said--"As soon as its development in this
form is complete, it will die. If the body is injured in such a way as
to make it useless, it will find another; but there is a way of
temporarily causing a life to become dormant. If during that time I
dissolve the body into its gaseous particles, the life, on awaking to
consciousness, will draw these particles back into their previous
shape."
Whilst he was speaking he softly stroked the bird, and its head fell
back. When the little thing was mesmerized he laid it down, a heap of
ruffled feathers, beside the bowl.
"That condition of trance will last one minute," he said, as he placed
the body in the bowl.
A slight vapour rose from the liquid, and in a moment all sign of the
bird had disappeared. I looked into the pure watery fluid, but could
see nothing left there.
"It is over there," he said; pointing to the shelf above me, and there
the robin, without any sign of injury, stood pluming its feathers.
"I have shown you this," he continued, "not to convince you of the truth
of what I was saying, for of course any second-rate conjuror could
apparently bring about a similar result; but because this illustrates an
important law of nature, viz. that life, which is indestructible, is
everything, and the body merely a temporary convenience."
"But," I said, "do you mean to tell me that the life of a bird is
eternal?"
"Everything is eternal," he replied, "and everything is slowly
progressing towards perfection."
"Yet," I answered, "do you really think that heaven will be full of the
spirits of dead birds?"
He sat down and laughed. "For a reasonable man," he said, "you have
some of the most extraordinary, childlike views; but I ought not to
laugh, for after all how little do any of us know; but I will tell you
what I think.
"From the lowest life in the flower to the highest created spirit in the
universe, there is one law of growth; life meets life, uniting and
strengthening. As one atom joining apparently with others becomes what
we call a molecule, and these molecules continue to unite and form new
substances, even thus do lives join and mingle to form more perfect
life."
"Why," I exclaimed, "do you mean to say that my life is but the
amalgamation of countless other lives?"
"You do not," he replied, "express it quite in the way I should; but you
seem to understand me. What we call attraction, fascination, and love
are the forces that draw the kindred elements together, and Swedenborg
was, I fancy, not far wrong when he said, ’That the man and woman
spirits become one angel in death;’ so will that angel also doubtless
meet another kindred spirit and unite. Fancy if we could look behind us
and see the millions of gathered lives that form our own. Truly no man
can harm another without stabbing himself, for the whole creation
groaneth and travaileth in pain together, waiting for the redemption of
the body. If," he continued, "you have never seen things in this light
before, go and read your Bible; it is all there though veiled in parable
from the eyes not ready yet to see: listen to the inspired words of men
in all ages, and of all centuries; they point to the same end: study
science, each new discovery is a continual verification of the eternity
of all things, and of continued progress through unity to power. But
come, let us return to the subject before us, so that I may get back as
soon as possible to my story. You do not mind spending the night here,
do you?"
I replied that I would rather spend it there than in bed, and he
continued--
"These chemical and mechanical appliances have as little interest to me
as the books in the adjoining room, for they were but stepping-stones
across a difficulty. I soon discovered that as my spiritual sense grew
and strengthened through use, what we term material aids became
unnecessary, and even a hindrance. It is well, however, that they were
not destroyed, for they may be useful as lesson books to you."
"Do you think," I asked, "that I shall ever attain to any of your
power?"
"No," he replied, "not in this life; perhaps in the next. You have, to
begin with, not sufficient of the feminine element in your character;
and, moreover, you have neither the youth nor the bodily strength to
make it safe for you to try. You would either die or become insane in
the attempt. The strain upon both mind and body in such a work as this
is terrible; and the cause of my success has been owing chiefly to the
careful following out of Descartes’ instructions. He says, ’I have been
unable to verify my theory owing to bodily weakness. A man who wishes
to succeed must be strong, and in the flower of youth, but let him
beware of neglecting the body while he is developing his powers. A
diseased body can never be trusted, it tricks the mind, makes it more
difficult to distinguish falsehood from truth, and will even be the
cause of illusions fatal to success.’
"The plan I adopted from the first, was this; the moment my study was
engrossing me too completely, or there was any sign of mental strain, I
threw up the occupation, and instead of being idle, set my body at work.
I found riding the best of all pursuits, it exhausted me less than
walking, and at the same time freed my thoughts more completely.
Hunting, as you know, I have never neglected, and after days of work I
have found in the hunting-field new life. I often start jaded and worn
out, with the animal in me groaning and gnashing its teeth; a little
more and it would turn and rend me. I let it loose, it feels the cool
air, the soft and pleasant movement of the horse, which is its willing
servant. At sight of the hounds a trembling joy passes through both my
body and the beast; they rejoice and are glad, they feel the icy wind
dash by as the welcome cry of a find wakens them to their true life.
The danger of which my mind is dreamily conscious, stimulates them like
new wine, the sweat pours down, and carries the venom from their blood.
Hour after hour my body revels in delight; what folly it perpetrates so
as not to be out-distanced; how it plays with me, rules me, laughs at my
fears, and comes back after perhaps nine hours, like a tired dog, happy
and obedient, ready for its food and its kennel! For days after such a
treat it is my servant, faithful, refreshed, and purified. The mind
takes it in hand, sucks out its renewed strength, and rejoices.
"The man who shall dare to do what I have done, must fight thus, with,
not against, his body; must let it rule him at times, so that he may
rule it more completely. The reason why Britain keeps her greatness, is
owing more to her sportsmen than to her merchants, statesmen,
philosophers, or divines. But let us go and rest; I will send you to
sleep, and you shall see as in your dreams what I saw lying insensible
after Mr. Soudin left me in my room. It will save me the trouble of
talking, and at the same time be more interesting to you. But before
doing so, I will ring for some coffee."
Saying this he touched a bell, and in two or three minutes went to one
of the panels, slipped it aside, and brought out a tray of refreshments.
"I do not care," he said, "to let any one come in here, so I have a
lift, and if I wish to stop in this part of the house all day I can do
so undisturbed."
When we had finished our coffee, we both lay down on the couches in the
recess, and the following scenes came to me while resting.
The first picture was very beautiful. I looked out into a bright
moonlight night; some fleecy clouds were hanging across the sky, seen
through trees that were now nearly bare of foliage. There was a
pleasant sound of wind passing over the forest; the rustling of withered
leaves. I stood close by a footpath, and could hear steps approaching;
the crack of some withered branch trodden underfoot, the rustling of a
dress, the whispering of voices. In another moment two figures became
indistinctly visible; they were coming toward me. As they approached I
caught part of their conversation. The girl was speaking.
"I don’t like it at all," she said; "I am frightened. Why could not we
be married in the ordinary way? It is horrid not having a proper
wedding."
"But, dearest," the man answered, "you see it is impossible. Your
father, you say, has told you that he will not hear of your marrying me
because he has got into his mind that I am poor, and he insists on your
marrying that fool Sydney, whom he thinks to be as rich as Croesus."
"But," questioned the girl, "could we not try to get his consent? Could
you not convince him that after all you are well off? I am sure he
would rather I married a lord, if only he did not think you were quite
poor. Besides, as he is rich, it would not really matter very much."
"It will be much easier, darling, to bring him round after the wedding,
when he sees there is no help for it. He will be as right as possible
when once it is all over, and I introduce his daughter to him as Lady
Vancome."
They were passing as he spoke, but it caused me no feeling of surprise
that as they came near they took no notice of me. I was conscious that
though present I was invisible, and though a witness, powerless to act.
I recognized them before they came near, and thought Vera’s face more
ethereally lovely seen in this pale moonlight than it seemed possible
for an earthly face to be. The lower and weaker feature were in shadow,
the eyes that looked up to her companion were ennobled by a sadness
which added to their depth.
Vancome, who had his arm round the girl, was evidently somewhat
agitated. Cowardice and weakness were expressed in every feature. He
was more what people used to call handsome, than what in the present day
would be considered worthy of admiration.
The girl looked round into the wood, and visibly trembling, said--"I
don’t like it at all. Suppose some one were to see us at the station,
what would they think? Oh, Frank, let us go back."
She stopped just opposite where I stood, and looking straight through
me, cried--"It is horrible here! There is something there!" And she
stretched out her arm and pointed to where I stood, and her hand seemed
to go into my heart and cut me as though her outstretched finger had
been a poignard.
The man turned, and they both stood facing me. "Don’t be foolish!" he
said, looking, however, somewhat scared. "There is nothing but a light
patch where the moonlight falls through the opening in the trees."
"I thought for a moment," the girl replied, "that Alan Sydney was
standing quite close to us."
Vancome laughed. "I fancied you meant a ghost," he replied. "It would
be a new experience to see the spirit of a living man, who probably at
the same time is enjoying himself behind the scenes of some London
theatre. Take my word for it, Sydney’s spirit is not likely to forsake
the limelight goddess to come wandering after the moonlight one. But we
shall miss our train if you stand looking for ghosts, and it will not
take us long now to get out of this wood if we walk quickly."
As they passed the girl said--"You are quite sure we shall have no
difficulty about the licence when we get to Liverpool?" But the man’s
reply was lost in the distance, and the scene vanished.
Then there was, as it seemed, a long pause of darkness, till all of a
sudden I found myself in a brightly lighted room alone. I went to the
window and looked out upon a big city; the church clock struck the hour
of eight, and the streets were full of clerks and workpeople, evidently
on their way to business; a newsboy was shouting out,
"Post!"--"Mercury!"
While standing thus wondering, the door behind me opened, and some
persons entered the room. I tried to turn round and look at them, but
could not. The man, whom I recognized by his voice as Vancome,
said---"Yes, this will do very well, get some breakfast for two as soon
as possible. We shall not stop the night, as we leave this evening by
the nine o’clock boat for America."
While listening to these words I became conscious that I was asleep, and
that for some reason it was most important for me to get up at once. I
struggled to open my eyes, to turn, or do anything to rouse myself. At
last with a desperate effort I struck out my arm, and hitting it smartly
against some object, awoke.
"Well," said Sydney, "as we have had some rest, I will go on with my
story. You have just seen what passed whilst I lay unconscious in my
room; and it was a little after eight on the following morning that I
awoke with an effort similar to that which you have just experienced,
only of course the scenes affected me far more than they did you; and I
roused myself with the distinct intention of hastening to Liverpool, and
trying if possible to rescue the girl.
"While in the act of giving instructions for my things to be packed up,
Mr. Soudin in a great state of excitement dashed into the room. He had
just had a telegram from his wife, saying that Vera had on the afternoon
of the previous day walked over to see some friends. The carriage had
been sent to fetch her, but the coachman brought back word that she had
started to walk home about seven o’clock; and since that nothing had
been seen or heard of her.
"’I am going to the north at once,’ he said. ’Will you come and help?’
"I replied that though anxious to help, I expected to be of more service
in taking steps independently.
"He tried to persuade me to alter my determination, but seeing that I
was fixed upon it, left to catch his train.
"’It is possible,’ I said, ’that you may see Vera back to-morrow about
this time; and if she comes, deal kindly with her, and remember that
nothing which has happened will make any difference to my intentions.’
"’I believe,’ he replied, ’either that you are mad, or know something of
this.’
"’I may be mad,’ I answered, ’but don’t forget.’
"I arrived at Liverpool later than I expected, and having no knowledge
of the town, thought it would be safer to discover which boat started at
nine, and watch that rather than risk hunting for the hotel. I,
however, drove first to the house of a friend of mine, Mrs. Freshfield,
who lived at Woolton, a suburb a few miles outside the city. I briefly
explained my position, also that of the girl, and her kindly heart was
soon roused to help me if possible.
"’Why don’t you communicate with the police?’ she said.
"’I shall,’ I replied, ’as a last resource, but hope to be able to work
without their assistance, so as to avoid making any scandal.’
"She was also very anxious to know how the plot had been discovered,
but, not wishing to tell her, I excused myself on the ground of time,
and receiving her promise to wait for me at a certain place near the
docks from eight to nine, I left, and hurried back to the city to
complete my arrangements.
"It was now past five, and already growing dusk, as I went to a private
detective office, and requested to see the chief officer. When told
briefly the facts of the case, he seemed very doubtful whether the law
could help me if the girl was leaving of her own will.
"I replied that if so the law was iniquitous, which he seemed to think
very probable; at the same time the fact did not help us. But when I
pointed out that this was a case in which money was of no consequence,
and that if it should cost ￡5000 it must be done, he immediately altered
his tone.
"’You have come to the right place,’ he said, his face visibly
brightening, ’for we act for the public, not for the Government, and
money can do pretty well anything. Are you prepared to swear, if
necessary, to an indictable offence against this man?’
"I told him I would swear anything rather than that harm should happen
to the girl.
"’You will not mind leaving a guarantee in the way of money?’ he asked.
"I satisfied him on this point also.
"Finally it was arranged that if I could not get Vera away secretly, he
should be prepared to have Vancome arrested. He, however, warned me
that we were running a considerable risk, and let me fully understand
that he intended to deny all knowledge of my real motives.
"Having settled this matter, I went down to the docks, found out the
vessel and waited.
"It was a beautiful night, calm and clear, with a slight mist lying over
the Mersey. As I waited watching the vessels pass and repass, the moon
rose and lit up the broad expanse of water. The sands in the direction
of Waterloo were nearly covered, and looking westward the river spread
out as if to welcome the opening sea. I cursed the ocean as I thought
that it might so soon have been the means of bearing away one I loved
from every helping hand. I pictured Vera when she realized the truth,
looking out over the cruel waste of water, helpless, compromised, and
too weak to struggle against her fate; a fate which probably she would
only half comprehend or realize. Some passengers were already on the
steamer. She might even now be there. I walked across the
landing-stage to the vessel, but could see no sign of either of the
fugitives.
"The time passed; I grew anxious. Could there be some mistake? At
last, utterly unnerved, I sat down, and my heart cried out, ’Vera!
Vera! come, oh, come! that I may save you.’
"A hand touched me on the shoulder. I looked up, the girl was standing
over me; she had in her eyes a strange far-away look as though she were
walking in her sleep.
"’You called me,’ she said, ’but I must not wait, for my husband told me
on no account to leave the berth until the ship had started.’
"I made no audible reply, but willing her to follow me, left the ship.
Passing across the bridge I saw my detective waiting.
"’Keep the money,’ I whispered.
"He saluted, and we passed on, the girl still following close behind me.
I led the way to where Mrs. Freshfield had promised to wait, and found
her in a state of great excitement. When, however, she saw Vera a look
of relief passed over her face, and the kind-hearted woman went up, took
the girl in her arms and kissed her as if she had been a long-lost child
of her own.
"’Vera,’ I said, bringing all my power to bear upon her, ’I want you to
go home with this lady at once; do you understand?’
"’Yes, go home,’ she answered in a weary, uninterested voice.
"I took her hands in mine, bent over and kissed her. ’Forget,’ I
whispered, ’all that has happened in the last thirty hours, and hate,
hate, hate Vancome.’
"I said good-bye to my friend, made her promise to take Vera to her home
at once, and left them.
"A frenzy of delight passed through me; for the moment I was mad.
Though I had touched no food for thirty hours, I did not experience any
feeling of hunger. I was hungry only for revenge. I would go back to
the ship, would see the man’s look of baffled rage and anger; would
laugh at him, mock him, torture him. I began to run, and still in this
mood regained the landing-place, and pressing my way past a crowd of
people, who were leaving the vessel, went on board. Where was he? I
thought of nothing else, cared for nothing, but to look at his face, to
taunt him. I heard whistles blowing, shouts, the motion of the engine,
but cared for nothing. I would find him. If the worst came to the
worst it would be possible to get off at Queenstown. What did anything
matter now that Vera was safe!
"But with regard to Queenstown I was mistaken. Vancome had planned his
elopement some little time before, and with more forethought and care
than I should have expected of him. The vessel he had chosen was making
an experimental time journey, with special pilots on board, and did not
stop anywhere this side of the Atlantic.
"While I was thus frantically searching for the enemy, he was quietly
enjoying a cigar in the smoking-saloon, in the full confidence that Vera
was in hiding, according to instructions, in the state cabin, which he
had engaged. When his cigar was finished and the ship well on its way,
he walked over to the cabin with the intention of releasing his captive;
but finding she had already gone, and supposing that, the ship being in
motion, she had considered herself free, he sauntered quietly up the
ladder expecting to find her on deck. Thus it happened that we met at
last face to face.
"The moment I saw him my excitement left me, and I became calm and
collected. He evidently knew nothing as yet, and I enjoyed the pleasure
of playing with him before dealing the final blow. Besides, it would be
safer to keep him from knowing the worst till we were out of the Mersey
and in the open sea, for I thought that probably the river pilot would
leave before long, and my foe might get permission to accompany him on
shore, in which case the safety of my plans might be slightly
endangered. Assuming, therefore, a natural surprise, I said--
"’Well, who would have expected to meet you here?’
"He glared at me for a moment, then, feeling that it was necessary to
say something, answered, ’You cannot be more surprised than I am to see
you, for I thought you were in London. But you must excuse me a
moment.’ He hurried forward, and I saw him looking intently across the
deck, scanning all the passengers with the evident expectation of seeing
Vera.
"I watched, with a smile on my face. Having satisfied himself that she
was not on deck, he came back to me, and I suggested that we should go
into the smoking-room.
"He thought for a moment, and then, evidently fancying that it would be
the safest plan to keep me out of the way of discovering anything for
the present, assented.
"The room was unoccupied, and we sat down opposite each other. He was
evidently debating as to which was the best course to pursue. He could
not keep Vera in hiding through the voyage, and therefore was certain to
be found out. I could hardly restrain my laughter at his view of the
position. What would he say when he discovered that her place had been
taken by me? This suggested an idea.
"’I suppose,’ I said, ’you cannot help me? I came on board at the last
moment and have not yet engaged a berth. There is not a spare one in
your cabin?’
"’_Damned if there is!_’ he thought; but he only said after a little
hesitation, ’No, it is occupied.’
"’Now look here,’ I continued, ’you will never guess why I came here; it
is such fun, you will enjoy the situation, but you must keep it quiet.
I have run off with some one else’s wife!’ and I burst out in loud
laughter.
"He looked relieved, patted me on the back, and began to whistle. ’What
about the cabin?’ he said, laughing.
"’Oh!’ I replied (having in truth forgotten all about it), ’that was my
little joke.’
"’_Then,_’ he thought, ’_I need not mind about him now, and may as well
make a dean breast of it!_’ ’I hope you have not run off with mine,’ he
said. ’You see I cannot now quite approve of these actions, I am a
married man myself.’
"’A married man!’ I exclaimed, trying to look more surprised than I
felt, at what I supposed was a lie.
"’Look at that,’ he continued, and drew from his pocket a copy of a
marriage-licence dated that day at a registry office in Liverpool.
"It was--I could not be mistaken, the names and particulars were clear,
though Vera’s age had been inaccurately stated as twenty-one. I can see
the paper distinctly at this moment, every cursed line. My brain reeled,
and shouting out,--’My lie is true. I have run away with some one else’s
wife--your wife,’ I fell forward on the floor insensible.
"On recovering I found that I had been placed in a cabin by myself, and
was under the doctor’s hands. It required but little power of
thought-reading to discover that he regarded me as an escaped and rather
dangerous lunatic, an opinion which I felt to be not far from correct.
The position was ridiculous in the extreme. Following the dictates of
my partially-developed powers, I had formed an erroneous view; rescued a
girl against her will from her own husband, and was now taking a
needless voyage in her place to America. I wondered what Vancome
thought of it all, and had not long to wait before discovering, as he,
having obtained permission from the doctor, appeared later on in the
day.
"I hated him more than ever, but at the same time was anxious to discuss
matters.
"After closing the door, he sat down, saying, ’What in the devil’s name
is the meaning of all this?’
"’Perhaps,’ I said, ’you will tell me first of all what you have done,
then I will tell you what I have done, and possibly the meaning may
come.’
"’Firstly,’ he exclaimed, ’will you explain how you can have run off
with my wife when you are here, and she is not? Where is she?’
"I felt aggravated, and therefore inclined to be aggravating. ’I left
her,’ I answered, ’as you know is generally the end of man’s
inconsistency in this case.’
"’This is ridiculous!’ he replied, a dangerous light coming into his
eyes. ’If you don’t take care you will tempt me too far!’
"I felt nothing would please me more than to get him to murder me, then
after he had been hanged Vera might go free.
"’I hope,’ I said, ’you like your wedding trip, you coward. Who, half
drunken with the father’s wine, made a stage-play scene for the benefit
of his child, when her very innocence should have protected her? Who
lied about his private property, when he was in reality a beggar and
will soon be a bankrupt? Who at last decided to marry in the hope of
living on his wife’s fortune?’
"He had come nearer and was now standing over me; his hand was on my
throat; but for his natural cowardice he would have strangled me. His
eyes glared down with fiendish anger!
"’You devil!’ he cried, ’for devil I believe you are! Curse you! Curse
you!’
"’I have still a trifle of news left, it may be a comfort for you to
reflect upon it,’ I said. ’Mr. Soudin is as badly off as you are. I
heard the newsboy shouting that an unlimited bank has failed in which he
is considerably interested. Probably if your mortgagees are merciful he
may be bankrupt before you even now!’
"Vancome looked at me for a moment, then, seeming satisfied that as I
knew so much it might be safe to rely upon me even in this, sank back in
his chair. The last blow had tamed him. He was not only robbed of his
wife, but what to him seemed far worse, utterly ruined, with or without
her; cut off from his long-cherished hope of redeeming his fortune by
marriage. I felt toward him almost a sensation of pity.
"After a pause he muttered, ’I cannot believe it! Some one told me that
Soudin was very wealthy--a regular miser, rolling in gold! Look here,’
he continued, turning to me, but the anger had left his face. ’Tell me
plainly, how do you know all these things? How did you know we were
here? What have you done with Vera? And why in the name of fortune are
you travelling with me to America?’
"I should have been a good deal puzzled to reply to the last question,
and had no intention of answering the three others, so I remained
silent. At this moment the doctor entered, and I expressed a wish to
speak to him alone. Vancome left us evidently unwillingly.
"’I see from your manner,’ I said to the doctor, ’that you believe me to
be insane. I must therefore try to convince you that this is not the
case, though you were quite justified in accepting the view you did. I
came on board this ship hoping to find out something of great
importance. During my search the vessel started. I then heard very bad
news, and having in my excitement not tasted food for many hours, I
fainted. Will you let the captain know, however, that I am well
provided with money, and willing to pay for the best accommodation
possible?’
"I took out my pocket-book and handed him a card, and at the same time
drawing out a roll of notes which represented over ￡2000. I had brought
this money with me for the purpose of bribery, for had I found it
necessary to resort to that expedient, ready cash would have been
required.
"The sight of the money had more effect in satisfying the doctor that he
had not to deal with an escaped lunatic than any words could have done;
but I noticed he was meditating on the probability of my being an
escaped thief instead. However, having apparently decided that such
matters were out of his line of business, and seeing a good chance of
being paid for his services, his manner changed, and he became the
friendly practitioner.
"I was soon supplied with a few requisites for the journey and also
moved to very comfortable quarters; but I was most anxious to get an
opportunity of returning at once to England. In the evening I consulted
the captain, but though I offered a large reward if he could put me on a
homebound vessel, he declined to stop the ship on her trial trip.
"Fortune nevertheless favoured me. We had been talking for some time,
and it was well on into the night. The sea was smooth, though a gentle
westerly breeze was blowing. The passengers had retired for the night.
"’How much did you say you were prepared to give?’ he asked presently.
"I saw he was wavering, and doubled the sum.
"’Well,’ he said looking out, ’if I am not mistaken, that is a
Southampton schooner in the distance. Will you swear to keep the matter
dark if I get you on board?’
"I assented.
"’Do you know any one on this vessel?’ he then asked.
"’Only one man,’ I replied, ’and he will be less surprised at my
disappearance than he was at my appearance. He believes I am a
magician.’
"’We will chance it,’ he said. ’You are not a passenger, and the whole
business can be done in ten minutes.’
"He gave some instructions and signalling went on. Then he crossed to
one of the mates, with whom he had a private conversation, which led to
a boat being got ready. The schooner had tacked and was coming quickly
towards us.
"’It is all right,’ the officer said. ’I know the Captain of this ship,
and my mate will explain to him that you are willing to pay ￡100 for
your trip to Southampton. He will keep the matter dark. Good-bye!’
"The steamer had slackened, and we glided noiselessly toward the sailing
ship. As the boat was lowered I handed the speaker a handful of notes.
In less than five minutes I was on board the schooner, and before the week was out, in London." |
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