it was late in the afternoon when captain verinder and his nephew arrived at withington chase. under the circumstances, sir gilbert could not well do otherwise than invite the captain to dine and sleep there, and when verinder, although secretly overjoyed, pleaded that his dress clothes were in his portmanteau at the cloakroom of the london terminus, his excuse was at once overruled. "if that is your only objection, sir, you shall be kept in countenance by my grandson and myself. for once in a way we will all wear tweeds at dinner."
retaining luigi's hand in his for a few seconds, sir gilbert gazed somewhat wistfully into the young man's face. "you have not brought back much of the tan of travel on your cheeks," he said. "how is that, i wonder? not for years have we had so hot an autumn as the one now drawing to a close."
"my face never either tans or freckles, sir, however hot the weather may be," explained luigi with a touch of heightened colour. "it is a fact for which i am unable to account."
"humph! at all events i'm glad to see that your cheeks can take a blush. i am glad, too, judging from your letters, that you seem to have enjoyed yourself while away, although that was by no means the object i had in view in sending you abroad. i trust that your experiences during the last month will not be thrown away upon you, but that they will be productive of benefit to you in more ways than one." with that he turned away, murmuring to himself: "what can be the reason why he never looks me straight in the face? why do his eyes always flicker and drop when i try to fix them with my own? it is a bad trait, a very bad trait, and it fills me with a vague sense of mistrust. if he would but confront me with lisle's open unflinching look! that young fellow's eyes are as clear and honest as the day."
it was an immense relief to luigi to find that his grandfather made no mention of miss jennings. his fear had been lest, during his absence, that young person might have sought out sir gilbert and have enlightened him as to the absurd offer which he, luigi, had made her on her birthday night when under the insidious influence of veuve cliequot. when, therefore, his grandfather turned away without mentioning "miss j.'s" name he felt that a great danger had passed him by.
but while one weight had been lifted off his mind, another crushed him down with a force from which he found it impossible to free himself. ever before him loomed the black shadow of the deed to which he had become engaged. sleeping or waking, it held him with a nightmare grip. he ate his dinner not because he wanted or cared for it, but because not to have done so would have laid him open to question and remark. after dinner came whist, captain verinder making up the quartette, vice everard lisle. ethel and luigi, being free to follow their own devices, engaged in a desultory conversation, chiefly anent the latter's recent travel experiences, which before long began to languish and presently died out. then, with a muttered excuse that he was altogether behindhand with english news, luigi seized on a batch of illustrated papers and buried himself among them, while ethel's face brightened perceptibly. she saw before her not merely the prospect of a cosy hour with a favourite author, but an escape from a tête-à-tête with mr. lewis clare.
next morning the captain routed luigi out of bed at an untimely hour. "i want you to show me sir gilbert's study," he said, "and the desk in which he keeps the key of the strong room."
there was no difficulty about doing that, because the study door was never locked overnight, in order that the servants might have access to it betimes, their orders being to have it in readiness for sir gilbert by ten o'clock to the minute.
the room was empty when luigi opened the door and went in, followed by his uncle. "that is the door of the strong room--iron, as you see--and this is the drawer in which the key of it is always kept," said the former.
"and where is the key of the drawer kept?" queried the captain. "it is one of a bunch grandfather carries about with him and rarely lets out of his own keeping."
verinder glanced at the door, then he tried the drawer, which, as a matter of course, was locked, and then he stooped and examined the keyhole.
"as far as i can judge," he said, "the lock is of quite an ordinary kind, and you ought not to experience much difficulty in picking it."
"but what will grandfather think when he finds the drawer unlocked?" questioned luigi.
"why, merely that he must have omitted to lock it overnight. of course the key of the strong room will be there just as he left it, and there will be nothing to arouse his suspicions that it has even been touched. he will simply tell himself that he must be more careful in future, and there will be an end of the matter."
it was too early for breakfast, so they left the house and went for a stroll in the grounds.
"i wish, lewis, my boy," remarked the captain cheerfully, "you would try not to look quite so glum and down in the mouth. if you had a murder on your mind you could hardly look more wretched than you do. do, for goodness sake, assume a cheerfulness; even if you can't feel it--though what cause you have for being anything else than cheerful, i cannot for the life of me imagine."
"oh, i'm not like you; i haven't nerves of cast iron; i wish i had," retorted luigi. "be cheerful, indeed! it's all very fine, but how is it possible for me to look other than down in the mouth when i remember the desperate business i'm booked to go through with three nights hence?"
"desperate business, indeed! what nonsense is this? there's nothing desperate about it, nothing whatever. here's the affair in a nutshell: you wait in your room till the clock strikes midnight; then you kick off your shoes, steal downstairs in the dark, and make your way to the study. then you open the slide of your dark lantern and proceed to manipulate your picklocks. after a minute or two the lock yields to your coaxing; you open the drawer and there lies the key you want, ready to your hand. five minutes later the bonds are yours. by half-past twelve you are not merely back in your own room, but in bed and asleep. voilà tout! desperate business, quotha!"
for sole reply luigi shrugged his shoulders and spread out the palms of his hands with one of those indescribable gestures which an englishman may perhaps caricature, but cannot even passably imitate.
although captain verinder had had no intimation to that effect, he was quite aware that his visit was expected to come to an end some time between breakfast and luncheon. accordingly, as soon as the former meal was over, he proceeded to make his adieux. having said goodbye to lady pell and miss thursby, he turned to sir gilbert, who had already rung the bell and ordered the dog-cart to be brought round, and who now accompanied him as far as the entrance hall, with luigi bringing up the rear. while waiting they chatted about the weather and other indifferent topics. presently the dog-cart drove up and luigi flung wide the door. then sir gilbert, drawing himself up and putting on his most grandiose manner, said, "we shall look to see you again at withington chase before very long, captain verinder." it was vague and yet sufficiently courteous. then, as the captain bowed and murmured his thanks: "i need scarcely tell you how very much obliged i am to you for the care and attention you have lavished on my grandson during the time he has been under your charge, and, as a proof that such is the case, i trust you will do me the favour of accepting this trifling recognition at my hands."
as the baronet turned back into the house after favouring verinder with a parting wave of the hand as the latter was being driven off, he muttered to himself: "i can't help it, i really can't, but i do not like that man. of course it's the sheerest prejudice on my part, and, knowing it to be such, i am all the more bound to do my best to get the better of it."
when captain verinder opened the envelope which the baronet had pressed into his hand at parting, he found inside it a cheque for thirty guineas. "a thousand thanks, my dear sir gilbert!" he exclaimed with a chuckle. "i don't mind how often you employ me on the same terms. you are obliged to me for the care and attention i have lavished on your grandson, eh? what a pity, in one sense, it is that one dare not enlighten you about the little brussels episode!"
in accordance with the plan agreed upon between himself and his nephew, the captain took the first train up to town, but only to return to mapleford in the course of the forenoon of the following day, bringing with him a set of picklocks, a dark lantern and an old portmanteau. he again took up his quarters at the crown and cushion hotel, where luigi called upon him in the course of the afternoon. then was the purpose for which the portmanteau had been brought from london made manifest, which was to enable verinder to give his nephew an object-lesson in the art of lock-picking, in which the latter proved himself no inapt pupil.
the day was saturday, and it was decided that the attempt should be made the following night, because it was an understood thing at the chase that on sundays the house should be shut up and every one retire an hour earlier than on week-day nights. supposing that all should go off successfully, luigi would conceal the stolen securities in his own room till the morrow, taking the first opportunity that should offer to make his way with them to the crown and cushion, where his uncle would relieve him of them, and at once hurry off to london, there to negotiate the sale of them through that "safe channel" of which he had previously made mention to his nephew. the captain did not let luigi go without once more impressing on him that, if he only carried out to the letter the instructions laid down for him and did not lose his nerve, he ran absolutely no risk of detection. on the other hand, should the scheme, through some blunder on his part, prove abortive, he must be prepared to accept the consequences. in that case, the whole discreditable transaction with mr. henriques, and what gave rise to it, would inevitably be brought to sir gilbert's notice, with a result which it was impossible to foresee, but which, in any case, must prove nothing short of disastrous.
never before had luigi rispani spent so miserable a sunday, and yet it came to an end all too soon for him.
at the usual hour everybody retired; indeed, luigi had crept away some time before without bidding goodnight to anyone. with his ulster wrapped round him--for the autumn nights were chilly--and lighted by a solitary candle, he sat shivering and quaking in his bedroom, waiting for the stroke of midnight. it came, after what seemed an interminable time, a thin tinkle of sound from the old case-clock on the gallery staircase. with the last stroke he stood up, dropped the ulster off his shoulders, and slipped his feet out of his patent shoes. then he unlocked his portmanteau and took therefrom the bunch of picklocks, the dark lantern, and a travelling flask filled with brandy, into the cup of which he poured a liberal measure of the spirit and drank it off without drawing breath. then he set light to the wick of the lantern, shut the slide, and put it into one of the pockets of his velvet lounging jacket, and the picklocks into the other. that done, he blew out the candle, crossed to the door, opened it and stood listening intently for fully a couple of minutes. then he stepped out into the pitch-dark corridor and drew the door to after him. traversing the corridor with noiseless footsteps, he emerged on the gallery which overlooked the entrance hall. here he paused to listen again, but darkness and silence had the mansion to themselves. it was the work of a minute to cross the gallery, pass swiftly down the broad old stairs and so into the right-hand corridor on the ground floor, the second door in which was that of sir gilbert's study. by this time luigi's heart was palpitating at such a rate that he was compelled to pause for a few moments with his fingers on the handle of the door till its beatings had slackened. then he pushed open the door and went in.
again he waited, scarcely breathing, while one might have counted six slowly. then, drawing forth his lantern, he pushed the slide halfway back and shot a gleam of light around. all the familiar features of the room were there just as he had seen them last.
thus far everything had gone so well with him and so exactly as his uncle had predicted it would, that he began to gather courage, and even caught himself smiling at his own exaggerated fears. well, it was his first attempt in that particular line of business, so that every excuse ought to be made for him, and in all sincerity he hoped it would be his last.
by this he had placed the lantern on his grandfather's desk and had begun to manipulate the picklocks. as the captain had inferred, the lock was only an ordinary one, and after labouring for about three minutes luigi succeeded in picking it. his heart gave a great bound as he heard the click of the bolt.
two seconds later the key of the strong room was in his hand. taking the lantern in his other hand, he crossed the floor, lifted the metal flap that covered the keyhole, inserted the key, turned it and pulled open the massive iron door. drawing a deeper breath than common he stepped across the threshold, lifted the lantern above his head and stared around.
the strong room at the chase had at one time formed part of the room now used by sir gilbert as his study. it was his father who had caused the dividing wall to be built, and had turned the smaller chamber into a depository for family papers, leases, deeds, securities and what not. one side of the room was occupied by a row of shelves having a series of cupboards and drawers below them, while two large japanned boxes took up a considerable portion of the floor space; but, even then, there was room enough and to spare to stow away all the archives of the clare family for generations to come. the room was lighted by a small, barred, oval window high up in the wall.
the drawer in which luigi had put away the american bonds, on the occasion when his grandfather had claimed his assistance owing to the temporary absence of everard lisle, was labelled b, and after his preliminary glance round, he at once made straight for it. placing his lantern on the nearest shelf, he pulled open the drawer, which was without lock or fastening of any kind.
yes, there lay the identical bundle of papers which he had placed there several weeks before, and which, in all probability, had never since been touched. the bonds, which were tied together with green tape, must have numbered a score at the least, but it had been decided by verinder that it would be unadvisable to abstract more than four of them, so that, even should sir gilbert have occasion to handle the bundle, he would scarcely discover the loss, unless he should happen to count those that were left. the proceeds of the sale of the four bonds would not only suffice to clear off the note of hand held by the executors of mr. henriques, but would, in addition, provide uncle and nephew with a welcome supply of ready money.
luigi, with the bundle of bonds between his fingers, was stooping over the lantern and examining the knot in the green tape which held them together, when he suddenly became aware that he was no longer alone. he had not heard a sound, and yet, with an indescribable creeping of the flesh and, as it seemed, a stoppage of all the pulses of his being, he felt, he knew, although he could not have told through what channel the knowledge had been conveyed to him, that he was being watched by someone or something from behind. with a gasp that constricted his heart like a vice, he slowly turned his head, to see standing on the threshold, clearly outlined in the semi-darkness, and seeming from the depths of its cowl to be gazing fixedly at him--the figure of the grey monk!
a cry of terror broke from his lips, the bundle of bonds dropped from his nerveless fingers, his knees gave way under him, and sinking to the ground, he covered his face with his hands, and so shut out that dread appearance. an instant later he heard the heavy door swing sullenly to, and its bolt shoot into the socket. he was a prisoner in the strong room.
