"Whoever has put all these silly ideas into your head, darling, is responsible to me!" he said in a hard voice.
"Well, Jack, I--I really can"t help it. I--I love you, as you know; and I can"t bear to think that you are running into danger, as you undoubtedly are."
He looked into her pretty face again.
"Now look here, darling," he went on: "aren"t you getting just a little too nervous about me? I quite admit that in these days of wars, of terrible ma.s.sacres, of barbarism and of outrages of which even African savages would not be guilty, one is apt to become unduly nervous.
You"ve been reading the papers, perhaps. They don"t always tell us the truth nowadays, with the Censor trying to hide up everything."
"No, Jack," she said boldly. "I haven"t been reading the papers. I"m only anxious to save you."
"But how do you know that I"m in any danger?" he asked quickly. "Why be anxious at all? I a.s.sure you that I"m perfectly safe. n.o.body will lift a finger against me. Why should they?"
"Ah! you don"t see," she cried. "There is a motive--a hidden motive of revenge. Your enemies intend to do you harm--grievous bodily harm. I know that."
"How?" he asked quickly, fixing her splendid eyes with his.
That straight, bold question caused her to hesitate. She had intended to prevaricate, that he knew. She did not wish to reveal the truth to him, yet she feared lest he might be annoyed. Nevertheless, so serious was he, so calm and utterly defiant in face of her grave warning, that a second later she found herself wavering.
"Well," she replied, "I--I feel absolutely certain that it is intended that some harm shall come to you."
"Then I"d better go to Scotland Yard and say that I"m threatened--eh?"
he laughed merrily. "And they will put on somebody to watch me, well knowing that, if the whole of Scotland Yard--from the a.s.sistant Commissioner downwards--were put on to shadow me, the result would be just the same. I should surely be killed, if my enemies had seriously plotted my death."
"That"s just my very argument," she said sagely, her pretty head slightly inclined as she spoke. "I feel convinced that some evil is intended."
"But why, darling?" he asked in surprise. "What causes you all these silly notions?"
"Several things. Frankly, I don"t believe that Dr Jerrold took his own life. I believe that he was a victim of the dastardly spies of the Great a.s.sa.s.sin."
Jack said nothing. The mystery in Wimpole Street was great. Yet, how could they dispute the medical evidence?
"That"s another matter," he remarked. "How does that concern my safety?"
"It does, very deeply. Your enemies know that you a.s.sisted Jerrold, and I am firmly convinced that you are marked down in consequence."
"My darling!" he cried, drawing her closer to him. "You really make me feel quite creepy all over!" and he laughed.
"Oh, I do wish, dear, you"d take this grave danger seriously!"
"But I don"t. That"s just it!" he answered. "I quite understand, darling, that you may be anxious, but I really feel that your anxiety is quite groundless and hence unnecessary."
The girl sighed, and then protested, saying--
"Ah! if you would only heed my warning!"
"Haven"t I promised to do so? I"m going to carry my revolver in future."
"You take it as a huge joke!" she said in dissatisfaction, disengaging herself slowly from his embrace.
"I do. Because I can"t see why you should warn me. Who has put such thoughts into your head? Surely I know how to take care of myself?" he exclaimed.
"Perhaps you do. But that a grave danger threatens you, Jack, I happen to know," was her serious reply.
"How do you know?" he asked quickly, facing her. He had, all along, seen that, for some unaccountable reason, she was hesitating to tell him the truth.
"Well," she said slowly, "if--if I tell you the truth, Jack dear, you won"t laugh at me, will you?" she asked at last.
"Of course not, my darling. I know full well that you love me, and, as a natural consequence, you are perhaps a little too apprehensive."
"I have cause to be," she said in a low voice, and, taking from the breast of her low-cut gown a crumpled letter, she handed it to him, saying: "A week ago I received this! Read it!"
He took it and, opening it, found it to be an ill-scribbled note, upon a sheet of common note-paper such as one would buy in a penny packet, envelopes included.
The note, which was anonymous, and bore the postmark of Willesden, commenced with the words "Dear Miss," and ran as follows:
"Your lover, Sainsbury, has been warned to keep his nose out of other people"s affairs, and as he continues to inquire about what does not concern him his activity is to be cut short. Tell him that, as he has disregarded the advice given him by letter two months ago, his fate is now sealed. The arm of Germany"s vengeance is long, and reaches far.
So beware--_both of you_!"
For a few seconds Jack held the mysterious missive in his hand, and then suddenly he burst out laughing.
"You surely won"t allow this to worry you?" he exclaimed. "Why, it"s only some crank--somebody we know who is playing a silly practical joke,"--and folding the letter, he gave it back to her with a careless air. "Such a letter as that doesn"t worry me for a single minute."
"But it contains a distinct a.s.sertion--that you are doomed!" cried the girl, pale-faced and very anxious.
"Yes--it certainly is a very cheerful note. Whom do you know at Willesden?"
"Not a soul that I can think of. I"ve been puzzling my brains for days as to anybody I know there, but can think of no one."
"It was posted out there on purpose, no doubt!" he laughed. "Well, if I were you, Elise, I wouldn"t give it another thought."
"Ah, that"s all very well. But I can"t get rid of the distinct belief that some mischief is intended," answered the girl very gravely.
"No, no, darling?" he a.s.sured her, placing his arm again round her slim waist, and kissing her fondly upon the lips. "Don"t antic.i.p.ate any such thing. Somebody"s having a game with us. They think it a huge joke, no doubt."
"But do look the facts in the face, Jack!" she urged. "These spies of Germany, swarming over the country as they do, will hesitate at nothing in order to gain victory for their barbarous Fatherland. Not only have we to fight the unscrupulous army of the Kaiser, remember, but another army of pro-Germans in our midst,--those pretended Englishmen who have their `spiritual homes" in Berlin."
"True. But don"t let that letter get on your nerves, darling. Burn it, and then forget it."
"Did you ever receive a letter warning you?" she asked.
"Yes. I"ve had several. One was, I believe, in the same handwriting as yours," was his rather careless reply.
"You never told me of them!"
"Because I discarded them," he said. "I believe I"ve had quite half a dozen at various times, but I pay no attention to people who don"t sign their names."
Elise Shearman sighed. In her fine blue eyes there was a distinctly troubled look.