"It was more than surprise--it was consternation," she said. "I had been anxious at receiving no word from Henry. I suppose you got my notes. And when I saw you I was torn with doubts, wondering whether anything had happened to Henry, whether he had sent you in his stead as a practical joke, whether you knew much or little or nothing of our affairs--in short, I was overwhelmed."
"I didn"t suppose I was quite so poor an impostor," I said apologetically, with a qualm at the word. "Though I did get some hint of it," I added, with a painful recollection of the candid statement of opinion I had received from the daughter of the house.
"Oh, you did very well," said Mrs. Knapp kindly, "but no one could have been successful in that house. Luella was quite outraged over it, but I managed to quiet her."
"I hope Miss Knapp has not retained the unfavorable impressions of--er--" I stammered in much confusion.
Mrs. Knapp gave me a keen glance.
"You know she has not," she said.
I felt the subconscious impression somehow that after all Mrs. Knapp would have been better pleased if Luella had kept nearer to her first impressions of me.
"Well," continued Mrs. Knapp, "when I saw you and guessed that something had happened to Henry Wilton, and found that you knew little of what was going on, I changed the plan of campaign. I did not know that you were one to be trusted, but I saw that you could be used to keep the others on a false scent, for you deceived everybody but us."
"There was one other," I said.
"Mother Borton?" inquired Mrs. Knapp. "Yes, I learned that she knew you. But to every one else in the city you were Henry Wilton. I feared, though, you would make some mistake that would betray you and spoil my plans. But you have succeeded marvelously."
Mrs. Knapp paused a moment and then continued slowly. "It was cruel of me. I knew that it was sending you to face death. But I was alarmed, angry at the imposition, and felt that you had brought it on yourself.
Can you forgive me?"
"I have nothing to forgive," I said.
"I would have spoken when I found you for what you are," said Mrs.
Knapp, "but I thought until the Livermore trip that you could serve me best as you were doing."
"It was blind work," I said.
"It was blind enough for you, not for me. I was deceived in one thing, however; I thought that you had no papers--nothing from Henry that could help or hurt. The first night you came to us I had Henry"s room thoroughly searched."
"Oh, I was indebted to you for that attention," I exclaimed. "I gave our friends of the other house the credit."
Mrs. Knapp smiled again.
"I thought it necessary. It was the chance that you did not sleep there that night that kept this paper out of my hands weeks ago."
"I have always kept it with me," I said.
"I did not need it till Sunday," continued Mrs. Knapp. "I have been worried much at the situation of the boy, but I did not dare go near him. Henry and I decided that his hiding-place was not safe. We had talked of moving him a few days before you came. When I found that Henry had disappeared I was anxious to make the change, but I could not venture to attempt it until the others were out of town, for I knew I was watched. Then I was a.s.sured from Mother Borton that they did not know where the boy was hidden, and I let the matter rest. But a few days ago--on Sat.u.r.day--she sent me word that she thought they had found the place. Then it came to me to send you to Livermore with the other boy--oh, I hope no harm came to the little fellow," she exclaimed anxiously.
"He"s safe at my rooms in charge of Wainwright," I said. "He got back on the morning train, and can be had for the asking."
"Oh, I"m so glad," said Mrs. Knapp. "I was afraid something would happen to him, but I had to take desperate chances. Well, you see my plan succeeded. They all followed you. But when I went to the hiding-place the boy was gone. Henry had moved him weeks ago, and had died before he could tell me. Then I thought you might know more than you had told me--that Henry Wilton might have got you to help him when he made the change, and I wrote to you."
"And the key," I said, remembering the expression of the note, "Did you mean this diagram?"
"No," said Mrs. Knapp. "I meant the key to our cipher code. I was looking over Henry"s letters for some hint of a hiding-place and could not find the key to the cipher. I thought you might have been given one.
I found mine this afternoon, though, and there was no need of it, so it didn"t matter after all."
The pitching and tossing of the boat had ceased for some minutes, and at this point the captain of the tug opened the cabin.
"Excuse me," he said apologetically, uncertain whether to address Mrs.
Knapp or me, and including us both in the question, "but where did you want to land?"
"At Broadway," said Mrs. Knapp.
"Then you"re there," said the captain.
And, a minute later, with clang of bells and groan of engine we were at the wharf and were helped ash.o.r.e.
On this side of the bay the wind had fallen, and there were signs of a break in the clouds. The darkness of the hour was dimly broken by the rays from the lines of street-lamps that stretched at intervals on both sides of Broadway, making the gloom of the place and hour even more oppressive.
"Tell the captain to wait here for us with fires up," said Mrs. Knapp.
"The carriage should be somewhere around here," she continued, peering anxiously about as we reached the foot of the wharf.
The low buildings by the railroad track were but piles of blackness, and about them I could see nothing.
"This way," said a familiar voice, and a man stepped from the shadow.
"d.i.c.ky Nahl!" I exclaimed.
"Mr. Wilton!" mimicked d.i.c.ky. "But it"s just as well not to speak so loud. Here you are. I put the hack"s lights out just to escape unpleasant remark. We had better be moving, for it"s a stiffish drive of six or seven miles. If you"ll get in, I"ll keep the seat with the driver and tell him the way to go."
Mrs. Knapp entered the carriage, and called to me to follow her.
I remembered Mother Borton"s warnings and my doubts of d.i.c.ky Nahl.
"You"re certain you know where you are going?" I asked him in an undertone.
"No, I"m not," said d.i.c.ky frankly. "I"ve found a man who says he knows.
We are to meet him. We"ll get there between three and four o"clock. He won"t say another word to anybody but her or you. I guess he knows what he is about."
"Well, keep your eyes open. Meeker"s gang is ahead of us. Is the driver reliable?"
"Right as a judge," said d.i.c.ky cheerfully, "Now, if you"ll get in with madam we won"t be wasting time here."
I stepped into the carriage. d.i.c.ky Nahl closed the door softly and climbed on the seat by the driver, and in a moment we were rolling up Broadway in the gloomy stillness of the early morning hour.
CHAPTER XXIX
THE HEART OF THE MYSTERY
In the tumult of conflicting thoughts that a.s.sailed me as we entered on the last stage of our journey, the idea of the perils that might lie ahead fixed my attention for the moment, and I began to feel alarm for the safety of my companion.