i took leave of my love reluctantly at ten o’clock, just outside bringhurst village. she was anxious to be back at the farm before the return of purvis, who had gone that morning to london on some secret errand, and was returning by the last train.
she had entirely enchanted me. the more i saw of her, the more graceful, the more charming, she seemed. there was nothing loud or masculine about her; she was a sweet, modest woman, yearning for love, sympathy, and protection.
the manner in which she was bound to this clever gang of rogues was still a mystery. in me she had confided many things during those two calm hours of our new-born love, but from me she still concealed the real reason why her interests were bound up in those of purvis, bennett, and their two accomplices. i guessed, and believed that i guessed aright. the tragedy at kilburn held her to them irrevocably. she was entirely and helplessly in their hands, to fetch and carry, to do their bidding; indeed, to act unlawfully at their command.
if that were so, surely no woman could be in a more horrible position—compelled to be the accomplice of assassins.
i thought it all over as, in the darkness, i walked back to caldecott.
true, i had gained her affection that night. yet, together with the perfect bliss that comes in the first hour of true love, there had also come to me the hideous truth of her bondage.
the last train from rugby having rushed past, sparks flying from the engine and awakening the echoes of the night, stopped for a moment at rockingham station and then continued its journey eastward. and presently, as i walked onward in the darkness, i encountered a man whose face i could not see, for we passed each other beneath the shadow of some trees. i saw he was tall and thin, and wore a long light overcoat. he was whistling to himself, as a lonely man sometimes whistles to keep himself company.
his silhouette stood out distinctly in the gloom, and although i saw not his countenance i knew well that it was my enemy purvis—the man who held my love in bondage.
back at the manor i found everything prepared for siege. seal was not a man to stand idle if there was any chance of a scrimmage. like all giants in strength, he loved fighting. his hesitation to face black bennett had now entirely disappeared, and over his rum that night he expressed a most fervent hope that the “white-livered swabs,” as he termed them, would appear in the secret passage.
on the table between us lay three revolvers, and as we took counsel together each of us smoked furiously. i told them something of what dorothy drummond had related to me, how our enemies meant to raid us, and of their firm belief that the treasure was concealed there. but i said nothing of my tender passion, nor did i allow them to suspect the real object of our clandestine meeting.
“ah!” remarked reilly. “if you could only get miss drummond, or bristowe, or whatever is her real name, to secure that parchment of old knutton’s, then the game would be entirely in our own hands.”
“that’s unfortunately impossible,” i answered. “the man purvis has it securely put away. i have already mentioned it to her, and she tells me that she has no idea where it is.”
“well,” remarked the skipper, “black bennett and his men are just as much in the dark as we are. let ’em come. they’ll get a warm reception. how many of ’em are there?”
“four. bennett and the other two are lodging in kettering.”
“the only reason of the secret attack upon us, as far as i can see, is in order to gag and secure us while they make a thorough search of the premises. they surely wouldn’t dare to kill the whole three of us in our beds!” said reilly.
“they won’t kill job seal, you can bet your sea-boots on that,” remarked the skipper with a grin upon his great furrowed face.
but my mind was running upon the tragedy at kilburn, and i was trying to devise some means by which we might denounce the whole gang, and hand them over to the police.
there was, alas! one fact which would ever prevent us taking such an action. if we boldly charged them with murder, dorothy must be implicated. to arrest them would mean arrest for her. she had acted as decoy, and could not deny it!
so i was compelled to abandon all hope in that direction. by sheer force we would be compelled to combat this quartette of unscrupulous adventurers, and to that end we awaited their coming.
so thoroughly and carefully had we examined every hole and corner of the house that all three of us were beginning to despair of ever discovering the hidden hoard. in an old-fashioned mansion of that character there were a thousand and one places where gold might be stored. in chimneys, under stairs, beneath the flags of the big, vaulted cellars, behind the large, open fireplaces—some of which still had their quaint iron dogs of ancient days—all these places we had investigated in vain. not a single room was there but bore traces of our chisels, picks and crowbars. the result of our search consisted in two or three copper coins, an old letter dated in 1796, a skeleton with rings upon the fingers, an old leathern mug, and two or three articles not worth enumeration.
we were sorely disappointed. we could not conceal from ourselves the bare fact that at any rate in the manor house the treasure of bartholomew da schorno was non-existent, and, furthermore, we feared that some one in generations past had been before us and secured it in secret.
nevertheless, the careful and ingenious actions of our enemies in order to gain entry into the place puzzled us. from what my love had told me, they were evidently in possession of some information of which we were in ignorance—information which made it plain that, after all, the treasure was actually there.
they meant mischief; we had no doubt about that. but, being forewarned, we calmly awaited their coming, seal chuckling to himself at the reception they would receive.
the church clock struck midnight. we had moved into the room from which the secret way opened, and, reilly having produced a pack of cards, we played nap in under-tones, our weapons lying at hand in case of need.
now and then—indeed, after every game—one or other of us rose and listened within the secret chamber for the approach of the invaders. one o’clock passed, two o’clock, yet no sound save the familiar thumping and squealing of the rats and the dismal howling of the wind in the wide, old-fashioned chimney.
seal had lost five shillings, and had therefore become engrossed in the game, when of a sudden we heard a low grating noise. in an instant we were on our feet, revolver in hand, and according to our pre-arranged plan our light was at once extinguished.
it was our object to watch and take the intruders by surprise.
without a sound we all three moved across the room and out into the corridor, concealing ourselves in a big cupboard upon which reilly had placed an inside fastening. our bedrooms we had locked and had the keys in our pockets, intending that our enemies should believe us to be asleep. in the cupboard door reilly had bored holes that enabled us to see without being seen, while beside us were lamps ready to be lit in case of emergency.
boxed up there, we waited, scarce daring to breathe lest we should betray our presence. we could hear low, gruff whispers and expressions of surprise as the invaders crept out of the secret chamber into the room. from their muffled tread we knew they had stockings pulled over their boots, and from our spy-holes we saw bennett, lantern in hand, emerge into the corridor and look up and down to see that all was clear. then he crept out, followed by three others, one of whom, i saw, was tall and gaunt, with fair moustache—the man who held my love beneath his thrall.
creeping along quietly, they passed us in procession, carrying chisels and picks, and taking every precaution against surprise. having traversed the corridor, they descended the wide oaken stairs to the ground floor, where the uncertain light of the lanterns was quickly lost to view.
as soon as they had passed out of hearing, reilly took up the hurricane lamp and opening the cupboard let us out, whispering:?—
“watch them, doctor. see where they try, but don’t give the alarm until i return.” then he left us, and we heard nothing more of him. his quick disappearance was a surprise to both of us, for he had previously told us nothing of his intentions, and had apparently acted on the spur of the moment.
at first seal had been inclined to meet them at their entrance and drive them back, but to me such a proceeding seemed useless. my idea was to watch and ascertain where they went. their own actions would betray the spot where they believed the gold was concealed. our council had been a long one, but my suggestion had been adopted. hence our retirement into the cupboard.
job seal had no love for black bennett, and as we crept along the corridor after them he gave vent to a strong nautical imprecation between his teeth. at the top of the staircase we listened, but could hear no sound. therefore we crept down, fearing every moment the creaking oak might betray us, for the thin-worn old stairs were loose in places and gave forth sounds that in the night awakened the echoes of the empty place.
we arrived safely in the stone hall and halted, our ears strained to catch the slightest sound. we, however, heard nothing. all was silent as the grave. indeed, the invaders with their swinging lanterns had passed by us silently in single file and seemed to have disappeared.
“they must have gone down to the cellars,” i whispered to seal. therefore we passed through the big stone kitchen into a small scullery beyond, from which a flight of stone steps led into the deep vaulted basement. the stout door was closed, but listening at it we heard voices quite distinctly. our enemies were below, apparently divided in opinion as to the exact spot to open.
we heard one authoritative voice, which the skipper at once recognized as bennett’s, saying:?—
“i tell you that it’s here, in this side wall. don’t you remember that the old fortune-teller said three times three from the bottom of the steps. look!” and we heard him count one, two, three—to nine, as he measured the paces. “it’s in this wall, here. come, let’s get to work, and don’t make any noise, either. is the door above closed?”
somebody gave an affirmative response, and soon afterwards we heard the sound of chisels upon the stones. they worked with very little noise, so little, indeed, that had we been asleep the sound would not have reached us.
with seal standing beside me, his fingers itching to come in contact with bennett, i think i must have stood there nearly half an hour. the work went on unceasingly, silently, hardly a word being spoken. reilly’s absence surprised me, but soon we heard a low whisper inquiring where the intruders were, and our companion stood beside us listening.
“they evidently know something of the right spot,” i whispered to him. “they’re taking down part of the foundations. hark!”
a man was speaking—probably purvis.
“now we’re here, we ought to see whether they’ve made any investigations. come, harding, let’s go up and have a look round while they’re getting those stones out. we’ll only be ten minutes or so. have you got the torch?”
“all right,” responded the other, and i knew by the name and the voice that it was the seaman of the thrush who had read those documents and who had been insolent at my remonstrance.
the instant, however, we heard their intention we sprang out of the kitchen and upstairs to our previous hiding-place. the cupboard was not in the least suspicious—one of those generally built in old houses for the storage of linen. if they found it locked they would not risk awakening us by forcing the door.
up came the two men a few minutes later, passing from one open room to the other, taking a general look at the place with an electric torch, and expressing whispered surprise at the havoc we had played with the walls. finding the doors of our two bedrooms locked, they did not touch them for fear of disturbing us.
seal was impatient to make an attack upon them, but i considered that discretion was best, and that to watch was more politic than to show fight. so we waited in silence, until the grey dawn shone through the long corridor. then at last we heard a slight movement, and the men re-passed in procession as noiselessly as they had come, and disappeared into the room.
reilly opened the cupboard and listened. we heard a bang as the door in the flooring was shut down after they had descended to the underground burrow; then in a moment he was all excitement.
“come, help me quickly!” he cried, rushing forward into the secret chamber. “quick! pile up these stones so that they cannot re-open the flap! they will return very soon. quick!” and he began frantically heaping upon the trap-door the stones that we had taken from the wall, a work in which seal and i assisted with a will.
when at last we had secured it by wedging two crowbars across the heap of stones so that it could not possibly be opened from below, reilly burst into loud laughter and danced with delight, saying:?—
“we’ve trapped them, doctor! trapped them all like vermin! when i left you i rushed down the passage to the well and found it bridged. i drew the boards away and tossed them down into the water. they can’t get across by any means. come! let’s close the door!” and he pulled back into its place the stout, iron-studded oak with the supreme satisfaction of knowing that he had entombed the invaders in that damp, dismal burrow which they themselves had discovered.
