it was as easy to leave the house as it had been to enter it. no sooner were uzali and his companion off the premises than goatley appeared all excitement.
"i could not make you hear," he said. "i whistled till i was afraid to whistle any longer. jansen has gone away. he went up the street in a tremendous hurry as if he had some most important business on hand."
"oh, we know about that," russell explained. "you have done a very good evening's work and we shall not want you any more."
russell hastened to overtake his companion who was striding down the street as if he wished to overtake jansen. his manner was abrupt and irritable. he had little to say as russell rejoined him.
"has anything gone wrong?" the latter asked.
"well, things are not as i expected," uzali admitted. "and the worst of it is we are bound to lose time in picking up information. we shall have to go to my rooms to get bradshaw. my dear friend, don't ask any unnecessary questions. the loss of every moment annoys me. what an extraordinary thing it is that you never see a cab in the street when you want one."
at length they reached the flat where uzali immediately consulted his bradshaw. when he came to what he wanted, something like an execration broke from his lips as he glanced at the clock on the mantel-piece.
"we have missed the down express by ten minutes," he exclaimed. "if we had been a quarter of an hour earlier we might have had the pleasure of travelling in the same train as mr. jansen. but it can't be helped. now here is the position of things. it is half past one. london is fast asleep, and we are thirty miles from maldon grange. what i want you to tell me is this. how are we to get there in an hour and a half?"
russell shook his head. he was bound to confess that the problem was beyond him. the feat could not be accomplished. uzali glanced at him with something like contempt in his narrow dark eyes.
"i thought it was always your boast," he said, "that day or night this london of yours could produce anything you required. don't you know any place that you could ring up on the telephone and get a motor-car? mind, i don't care what i pay for it. the only stipulation is this—it must be here in a quarter of an hour and i must drive it myself. we cannot afford to have any curious outsiders in this business. can you manage that? i have plenty of ready cash and am prepared to put it down if you find the owners of the machine at all suspicious."
russell thought for a moment. surely the thing ought not to be impossible. he might learn what he wanted at the nearest police or fire station. he strode out of the house and accosted the first policeman he met. a judicious half-crown produced the desired information.
"oh, that is an easy enough matter, sir," the officer said. "there are one or two livery-stable-keepers hereabouts who have been investing in motors lately, and no doubt you could hire one, providing your references are right. come with me, sir, and i'll see what i can do."
the thing was not so easily achieved as the policeman had prophesied. the livery-stable-keeper listened suspiciously, but was won over by the sight of a five-pound note and an offer to pay for the hire before it left the yard. at the end of half an hour russell was back at uzali's flat with a smart-looking car, which was handed over on receipt of twenty pounds in hard cash. all uzali's irritation seemed to disappear. he threw himself heart and soul into the management of the car which, before long, was speeding citywards.
"this isn't the way," russell protested. "you ought to have taken the hampstead road."
"and so i will," uzali said gaily. "we are not going to maldon grange alone. i will take those countrymen of mine with me. they'll be all right in the bottom of the car. we'll just slip round to the back of the house in gray's inn road and you shall go up to jansen's room and hand them down to me as if they were sacks of flour. i admit there is an element of risk in the job, but it must be done. i can't get on without them."
the car stopped presently. it stood silent and motionless on the waste ground behind the little bird-shop, where, once more, russell climbed into the house and made his way into jansen's sitting-room. he was not afraid of interruption. he walked towards the fire-place, then stopped and rubbed his eyes. he had even cause for astonishment, for the little men had vanished, leaving no sign behind them.
"extraordinary!" russell muttered. "i wonder if this amazing tangle will ever come straight. now what can have become of those chaps? three quarters of an hour ago they lay drugged into insensibility and now they have vanished. well, i must look for them if i have to search the house from top to bottom."
uzali was waiting impatiently in the yard when russell reappeared after the lapse of nearly a quarter of an hour.
"where have you been?" the former exclaimed. "and why have you come empty-handed?"
"for the simple reason that there was nothing to bring," russell said grimly. "those fellows have vanished. did i search the house? why, of course, i searched the house. but what was the good of doing that? it was only a waste of time. you saw what a state of insensibility they were in. you must know it was impossible for them to get away without assistance. somebody has been to the house and carted them off. if you wish it, i will go back and have another look."
uzali shrugged his shoulders impatiently.
"absolute waste of time," he said. "let us get into the country as soon as we can. it is not worth while to run the risk of some policeman coming along and asking our business, and goodness knows there is enough to do before daylight."
russell stepped into the car without another word, and for some time they flew silently through the london streets. when the open country was gained they took the risks of the road, travelling at as high a speed as the car permitted. uzali drove like a man who had been accustomed to cars all his life. not once did he make a mistake, not once did he swerve from the straight path. by the light of the acetylene lamps russell could see his eyes glowing, his face gleaming with excitement.
"you seem to like it," russell murmured.
"there is nothing in the world so exhilarating," uzali exclaimed, "and it is none the less fascinating because of the danger of it. if my eye were to deceive me, if i were to swerve even as much as a hair's breadth, what should happen in consequence would have no interest for us. given luck we shall be at maldon grange in time to spoil the plans of our friend jansen."
the car pulled up at length under russell's instructions, for the ground was new to uzali. they turned in through the lodge gates, going more cautiously, until they came to a thicket of trees in which they hid the car.
they were in front of the house, which was all in darkness with the exception of two windows on the first floor. it wanted no great foresight to infer that it was here where samuel flower was lying. for some time uzali gazed up at the windows, as if hesitating what to do next.
"i wish i knew who was there," he muttered. "it is necessary that we should get into the house and, what is more, we must do so without alarming the servants. it is a desperate chance, of course, but do you think it possible that your friend, dr. mercer, is there? i meant to go through oldborough to ascertain for myself, but in the excitement of the moment i forgot about it."
"it is possible," russell said. "i don't suppose he would very much care for miss galloway to stay in a house like this at present. he may have induced miss galloway to go to his mother's whilst he remained here. but can't you invent some story about having lost your way. we shall be able to find out then. throw a handful of gravel at the window and see what comes of it. it can't do any harm."
on the impulse of the moment uzali stooped and raised a handful of pebbles and tossed them gently at the window. the experiment was repeated twice before the blinds were pulled up and somebody looked out and demanded to know what was the matter. at the sound of the speaker's voice russell gave a cry of triumph.
"it is all right," he said. "what a tremendous slice of luck! it's mercer himself. wilfrid, come down and let us in. we must see you for a few moments."
