it was a cruel dilemma for the girl, but her courage and intelligence returned and she began to see how to act. nothing was to be gained by rousing mrs. rent. possibly before she woke arnold would be found. but where to look for him, and which way to turn, ethel did not know. perhaps the best thing would be to go at once to rent's workshop on the shore. no doubt what was troubling him was in some way connected with his researches, and it was an obvious inference that he had gone in that direction. ethel slipped into a wrap and, without waiting to put on a hat, walked into the darkness.
she knew which way to go, because the workshop had already been pointed out to her. she did not mind the dark and lonely journey. she flew swiftly over the broken ground and gave a gasp of relief when she saw a light in one of the offices. her search seemed to be finished almost before it had begun. taking her courage in both hands, she opened the door of the office and walked in.
but she did not, as she had expected, see rent. the office was not deserted, for swift was present. there were strange appliances on the table, weird-looking apparatus and receptacles which conveyed nothing to the girl, and over one of these swift was bending with a critical eye. in spite of her trouble ethel saw that his face was deadly pale. she saw how horribly his features were twitching, and how the pupils of his eyes were dilated. she had never in her life before been face to face with a man verging on delirium tremens. but she instinctively recoiled, feeling that something was very wrong. it flashed across her mind how arnold rent had said that swift was given to prolonged bouts of drinking. she wondered if the repulsive aspect of his face had anything to do with the dreadful weakness. the girl was frightened. she knew there was something akin to danger here. but it was not the time to hang back, not the time to show the terror which set her trembling from head to foot. she had to find rent. she had to forget her own risk.
"i beg your pardon," she said firmly, "but i am looking for mr. rent. has he been here?"
a queer sort of laugh came from swift's lips. he pushed his curious-looking appliances aside and came a pace or two nearer to the questioner. she stood her ground.
"do my eyes deceive me?" he said hoarsely, "or is this a vision that i see before me? speak again, bright spirit, and let me know that i am not dreaming. i swear if these delusions only came in this form i would never willingly be sober again. but you can never tell. sometimes it is a swarm of bees, sometimes an army of pink rats, or an array of black and grinning devils. but in the shape of loveliness like this——"
the speaker paused and his features twitched horribly. ethel remembered having read of such cases. the man was on the brink of collapse, though he had sense enough to know what was going on. his madness might take a dangerous form. at any rate, it would be perilous to show fear.
"my name is hargrave," ethel said. "i live with mrs. rent. mr. rent has disappeared and i came to see whether he was here. i am sorry to intrude——"
"don't mention it," swift said. "it is not often that i have a pleasure so charming as this. and so you have come to look for my master. fortunate arnold rent, who can command the services of so fair a friend. i suppose that you and he——"
"certainly not," ethel said. the colour flamed painfully into her cheeks. "nothing of the kind. i am merely a friend of mr. rent's. i am helping to nurse him and am concerned at his disappearance."
"i beg your pardon," swift said, with some show of humility. "and i congratulate you. don't have anything to do with arnold rent. keep him at arm's length, for, between ourselves, he is a precious scoundrel, as a good many people have found out to their cost."
"has he been here?" ethel demanded.
"oh, no, he hasn't. and, what is more, i don't think he is in the least likely to come. i am sorry to disappoint you. it cuts me to the heart to see that anxious expression on a fair face. if you want arnold rent, why don't you try john charlock's place? i know it is late and the grounds are lonely, but i am giving you good advice."
swift accompanied this remark with a leer so malicious that ethel recoiled in disgust. in spite of the man's muddled brain and besotted intellect, he had certain information of which ethel was ignorant. it would not do to show that he filled her with disgust.
"i am greatly obliged to you," she said. "i will go there at once. there is no time to be lost."
"no, don't go," swift pleaded. "give me your company a little longer. i am all right if i am not alone. but directly i am by myself those grinning faces peep at me out of every corner—there, can't you see them? don't you notice their ugly heads sticking out of the row of bottles along that top shelf? horrible! horrible! don't go."
the few last words rose to a wailing cry, which filled ethel with pity, frightened as she was. she could stand it no longer, but turned and made her way to the door. she flew along the passage into the open air, glancing over her shoulder to see if swift were following. it was good to be alone, to feel the fresh breeze blowing on her face, and to know that she had escaped that danger. for swift had made no attempt to follow. she could see his lank shadow crossing and recrossing the blind. she could hear him singing hideously to himself.
"poor wretch," she murmured. "surely, he is more to be pitied than blamed. and now what am i to do next? i suppose i had better follow his advice. fancy being involved in an adventure like this! i should have smiled at the mere suggestion a month or two ago. still, my duty is plain."
it was, indeed, a strange position for a young and unprotected girl. she found herself presently walking up the avenue to john charlock's house, with no definite plan in her mind. what she expected to see and what she expected to gain it would have been impossible to explain. but rent might be wandering in the grounds. it occurred to ethel in a fantastic way that his trouble might be connected with the sundial. everything seemed to centre round that mysterious monument, and it was possible that arnold rent's state of mind might be due to the tragic death of mrs. charlock. the notion might be illogical and absurd, but ethel could not get it out of her mind. she passed round the garden twice without any sign of the object of her search. then, half ashamed of herself and her own simplicity, she turned to leave.
as she passed the house she saw, to her surprise, that a light was burning in one of the windows upstairs. perhaps rent was there. possibly in his madness he had elected to call upon john charlock. ethel knew that the latter was camping in the empty house for the present.
acting on the spur of the moment, she crossed the drive and rang the bell. even now she was half inclined to go back, but she forced herself to remain until a light appeared in the door and charlock in person answered the summons. he held a candle, the light of which fell on ethel's pale, anxious face. he staggered.
"miss hargrave!" he said. "what does this mean?"
"what must you think of me?" ethel asked unsteadily. "what excuse can i have for knocking you up at this hour? i can only plead that i am in trouble."
"you need not say more than that," charlock murmured. "now, tell me how i can help you."
"it is arnold rent," ethel stammered. "he has disappeared from the house. i was looking after him while his mother was asleep, and i dozed in my chair. when i came to myself he had vanished. i did not know what to do or how to act. it seemed to me that my best course was to try to find him before he was missed. from something he said in his delirium i fancy he was anxious to see mr. grey. then it struck me that perhaps he had gone off to his workshop. i went there and saw a man called swift. i don't know, but i think he had been drinking, for his manner was strange and wild. he frightened me terribly. and i was glad to get away. i should not have come here, only he made a strange remark to the effect that i could not do better than look for my patient here. there was such an expression of cunning on mr. swift's face that i felt bound to come. for the last quarter of an hour i have been wandering about the grounds. then i saw your light and some irresistible impulse forced me to ring the bell. i know it is much to ask, but i am sure you will help me."
"help you!" charlock exclaimed. "of course i will. i will do anything in my power. wait a moment till i go in the house and get an overcoat."
