The rail swung loose at the same instant, and Tony, who had been leaning heavily against it with his arms folded, was precipitated backwards into the sea!
Screams of horror and consternation broke from all the women, and Myra sprang to her feet and made a dash towards the side of the yacht.
Whether or not she intended to fling herself into the sea in the hope of rescuing Tony, she could not afterwards have told. As it was, Don Carlos seized her, hurled her aside, and flung off his coat.
"Man overboard!" he yelled at the top of his powerful voice, and as he did so he dived overside.
His cry was heard and repeated instantly by several of the crew. There was a clang of bells in the engine room as the chief officer on the bridge shot over the indicator, signalling "Full Speed Astern," at the same time shouting orders that sent men racing to swing out a boat from the davits, while others ran with life-buoys to the stern of the vessel, ready to fling them to the men in the water if the opportunity presented itself.
The _Killarney_ had been going full speed ahead when Standish went overboard, and at first Myra, when she began to recover her scattered wits, could see no trace of either Tony or Don Carlos. Then she glimpsed a black head, and saw Don Carlos swimming strongly towards a fair head, which she knew was Tony. A pair of hands shot up and the fair head disappeared just when Don Carlos had almost reached it, and a sob of anguish broke from Myra"s white lips.
"He"s gone down! He"s drowning!" she gasped, and as the words pa.s.sed her lips Don Carlos also disappeared--to reappear, however, a minute later, swimming on his back and supporting Tony.
He seemed to be having difficulty in keeping afloat, and it seemed to all those anxiously watching that he might go under before help could reach him. Again the engine-room bells clanged, and this time the signal from the bridge was "Stop"; the boat, fully-manned, was lowered with a run, and at the same time one of the sailors at the stern of the yacht slung a lifebuoy overside with such force and accuracy that it hit the water with a splash within ten yards of Don Carlos, who propelled himself towards it, and with its aid succeeded in supporting himself and Tony until the boat reached him and he and Tony were safely hauled aboard.
Orders were shouted from the bridge, sailors scurried to let down the accommodation ladder and stood by with ropes, awaiting the return of the boat, which was being rapidly rowed back to the _Killarney_.
The boat came alongside at last, and Tony, who appeared to be exhausted and almost unconscious, was with difficulty hoisted up the ladder to the deck, where the ship"s doctor was already waiting with restoratives.
Someone started a cheer as Don Carlos, dripping wet but smiling, came up the ladder, and the cheer was taken up by practically everyone around, save Myra, who was standing tense and white, her brain in a turmoil.
"Bravo, Don Carlos, bravo!" shouted an excited and enthusiastic youngster, rushing forward and trying to shake Don Carlos"s hand; but Don Carlos waved him off with an impatient frown and bent over Tony, who had opened his eyes and was making an effort to sit up.
"Is he all right, doctor?" he asked.
"Yes, I think he is only suffering from shock, sir," the doctor answered, unfastening Tony"s collar, which seemed to be choking him.
"Thanks," gasped Tony faintly and painfully. "I--I"ll be all right presently. Think I must have hit my head on something. Give me a drink, will you?"
The doctor gave him brandy, had him carried to his cabin, where he examined him carefully and discovered that he was not injured. He surmised that Tony had probably been partly stunned by falling flat on the water when he toppled overboard, and "knocked silly"--to use Tony"s own expression--and he was able to tell the pa.s.sengers that their host would probably be all right again within an hour or two.
"Thank heaven for that!" exclaimed Lady Fermanagh fervently. "Myra, darling, you look ghastly. Doctor, please give Miss Rostrevor something to pull her together."
"I"m quite all right, thanks," said Myra--and promptly disproved her own statement by dropping limply into a deck-chair, covering her face with her hands, and bursting into tears.
She speedily recovered herself, however, after she had been helped to her state-room and persuaded to swallow some sal volatile, but she still felt shaken and unnerved.
"Better lie down and rest for a little while until you have quite recovered from the shock, Myra dear," advised Lady Fermanagh. "Don"t worry. You heard the doctor say that Tony will be quite all right and isn"t hurt."
"I don"t understand it," said Myra, more to herself than to her aunt.
"Don Carlos meant to kill Tony, and yet he saved him. Does he want to make himself out to be a hero simply to flatter still further his own vanity, or is he trying to frighten me?"
"My dear Myra, what on earth are you talking about?" inquired Lady Fermanagh in concern.
"Don Carlos undid the bolt of the rail against which Tony was leaning,"
explained Myra. "I saw him do it, but had no time to warn Tony. He threatened this morning that he would murder Tony rather than let me marry him. What can I do, Aunt?"
Lady Fermanagh shook her grey head, looking greatly concerned.
"I heard Don Carlos say something about being in a murderous mood, and perhaps the accident to Tony was only an unfortunate coincidence," she said.
"It was not an accident, Aunt," insisted Myra. "I tell you I saw him slip back the bolt that holds the rail."
"But that may have been accidental, Myra," suggested her aunt. "Don Carlos was talking at the time, and he may not have realised what he was doing. You know how often one fiddles with something while one is talking or thinking. Why, you are twiddling your necklace now, Myra, without knowing you are doing it, and a minute ago you were twisting your engagement ring round and round your finger. If Don Carlos had been in earnest about murdering Tony is it likely he would have gone to his rescue immediately the accident happened and risked his own life as he did? Why, he could easily have let Tony drown?"
"Yes, that"s true," agreed Myra, with a despairing gesture. "I don"t know what to make of it. I don"t know what I should do. I feel now that Tony"s life is actually in danger. Should I warn him, tell him of Don Carlos"s threat?"
"No, I think not, Myra, unless he says something more which leads you to believe he meant the threat seriously," said Lady Fermanagh, after a thoughtful pause. "Oh, my dear, I do wish you had taken my warning not to play with fire, and I do hope Don Carlos was not in earnest!"
CHAPTER X
When Myra, having recovered herself, went from her state-room into the saloon a little later, it was to find that Don Carlos had, so to speak, "spiked her guns," had she intended to denounce him as being responsible for the "accident" to Tony.
The captain of the _Killarney_, it appeared, had held an inquiry as to who was responsible for having left the rail unfastened and charged two members of the crew with neglect. On learning this, Don Carlos had at once interviewed the captain and taken the blame upon himself, explaining that he remembered fingering the bolt while he was talking, and doubtless unfastened it.
He had told his fellow guests the same thing when they praised and complimented him for his gallant rescue.
"Don Carlos is a true sportsman," said one of the men of the party to Myra. "My own opinion is that he has made up the yarn about unfastening the bolt, just to prevent us making too much of a hero of him and to save any of the crew from getting into trouble. He has been in to see Tony, I hear, told him it was all his fault and asked him to accept his apologies. Of course, his idea is to try to prevent Tony from thanking him. But I guess you will thank him, Miss Rostrevor!"
"Perhaps it would please him better if I reproached him," responded Myra, whereat her companion laughed.
Don Carlos was seated opposite her at lunch, but Myra did not attempt either to thank or blame him, deciding to wait until he himself referred to the "accident," and discover, if possible, what was in his mind.
After lunch, most of the other members of the party settled down to spend the afternoon playing bridge, but Myra went on deck and ensconced herself in a comfortable chair in a sheltered spot to read and think.
She had not been there more than a few minutes when Don Carlos appeared beside her chair with a cushion in his hand. Without a word he tossed the cushion down on the boat-deck at Myra"s feet, sat down on it, and rested his dark head against Myra"s knees. He did it all so deliberately and with such calm a.s.surance that Myra was somehow amused in spite of herself and laughed involuntarily.
"Evidently the poor man is so overcome by sea-sickness that he doesn"t know what he is doing and needs a nurse!" she exclaimed. "Shall I call for a steward?"
She slewed her chair round as she spoke, and laughed again as Don Carlos, suddenly deprived of the support of her knees, fell backward.
He did not seem in the least disconcerted, however, and merely rolled over on his side, supported his head on one hand, and gazed up at Myra quizzically.
"That was rather the equivalent of unfastening the bolt of the rail, was it not, Myra?" he drawled. "I hope you will now proceed to rescue me from the slough of despond by telling me that you love me and will marry me?"
"You said once that I would be a suitable mate for El--er--what"s his name?--El Cojuelo Diablo, isn"t it?--your pet brigand, I mean,"
retorted Myra. "Now you are presumably suggesting that I am a fit mate for a man guilty of attempted murder!"
Don Carlos smiled enigmatically.
"El Diablo Cojuelo is the correct name, Myra," he said in the same lazy, unmoved tone. "If I fail to conquer you and teach you the meaning of love, perhaps El Diablo Cojuelo will. Beloved, I should love to rest my head against your knees and feel your fingers caressing my hair."
"Don"t be so utterly ridiculous!" exclaimed Myra.
"In novels, as you know," went on Don Carlos, paying no heed to her protest, "the fair heroine usually marries the gallant who rescues her, or her half-witted brother, or her aged parent, from drowning. You can give the plot a new turn by marrying me for saving your lover from drowning. Mr. Standish was good enough to say that it was "demmed sporty of me" to rescue him and that he owes me his life. Why not suggest to him, Myra, that he can best show his grat.i.tude by surrendering to me his greatest pride and treasure--you?"
"Your audacity is only equalled by your conceit," Myra commented. "Let me warn you----"