"He came--you couldn"t believe--to beat me!"
"Richard! I don"t understand. When?"
"Yesterday". (In reality it was four weeks before.)
"But what about?"
"Revenge! Blind, murderous revenge for turning him neck and crop out of Lagden!"
"You _are_ in a temper! But I can"t understand a word of it!"
"Well, that is what I had to tell you. He came to my house--And how good have I been to this man! Didn"t I send him the fifty pounds--?"
"Well, that _was_ kind. But I must tell you, Mr. Frankl, that Richard knows nothing of the fifty pounds--"
"Well, then it is _your_ fault! Oh, he did not know of the fifty pounds? Then it is your fault entirely, this rage of his against me--He threatened to shoot me dead--thrice he threatened--soon, he said--"
"Not Richard?"
"Yes, Richard!--your nice Richard! But what did I want you for to-night?
It was to let you see that I have it in my power to let your brother in for three months hard--not less. But you know, my dear, don"t you, that I wouldn"t do anything to give you pain? That is why, so far, I"ve taken no steps. But your brother must be unarmed. I can"t have my life exposed, after his threats, and all".
"Unarmed...."
"Yes. I have it on good authority that your brother has guns. I must have those guns put into my own hands by you..."
"But I couldn"t! He would find out..."
"Then I must act, that"s all. Or no--I give you another chance--tell him of the fifty pounds I sent--that may disarm him in another way--"
He was sure that this she would not now do, yet felt relieved when she cried out: "I couldn"t! Not now! Can"t you see?"
"Well, there is nothing to be done, then. I must act, that"s all".
"But don"t be _hard_! What can I do? Sooner or later he"d be sure to miss them!"
"Poh! he is not always shooting, I suppose? And after a few weeks I"d give them back. Anyway, think it over: and I"ll be here on Tuesday night next at nine to receive them. Good night--"
She looked palely after him, her feet in a net, new to her, woven of concealments and deceit.
At eleven that night she was sitting in their diminutive parlour,--Hogarth at a table inscribing the a.s.sociation"s names received by post that evening; and at last, bending low over her sewing, she said: "Richard, is it true you have been to the Hall?"
He started! "Yes. Who told you?"
"I heard it".
He looked at her piercingly. "_Answer!_"
"I heard it", she said with a stubborn nod, quite pallid.
He turned upon her a stare of displeasure; but in that second they heard a shouting down the village, ran to the front, and saw heaven all like cancer and cracked window-panes, for from a central plash of pa.s.sion the shattered asteroid had shot long-lingering ribbons of lilac light over the bowl of the sky.
X
ISAAC
On the Tuesday was the inquest on the murdered Mephibosheth; ending in a verdict of wilful murder against some person unknown.
The same night at nine Frankl had Hogarth"s two guns from Margaret on the towing-path, she now well inveigled into his net, and under his commands.
"I want you", he said, "to meet me-here again on Thursday night, at 7.30".
"But you will tell one why, I suppose!"
"When you come you will hear. And don"t let anything keep you away--not _anything_, mind--if you take my hint".
She left him with her head hung, praying for deliverance, but consenting.
The next (Wednesday) morning Frankl was in a high room of the Hall, in a corner of which cowered the Arab, Isaac, and he said in his strong ba.s.s in Arabic: "Well, Isaac, well".
A groan broke from the obese heap of grief; down each side of his kefie streamed waves of trembling; on his square-cut beard of ritual flecks of foam.
"Isaac, why did you kill Mephibosheth?"
Vigorously sputtered Isaac, spitting out the ill-omened words. He said: "Your servant did not kill Mephibosheth".
"Well, there was an inquest to-day, the Court decided that you did, and has sentenced you to be hanged by the neck like a dog".
The Arab sprang up, his thick bluish under-lip shivering.
"An eye for an eye", said Frankl solemnly: "it is written in the Torah".
"_Mercy_ My father served your father--"
"I have remembered that: that is why I have saved you from hanging like a dog at the hands of these _Goyim_ vermin: but, Isaac, you must die--"
"G.o.d of--!"
"You dare raise your voice! Blood for blood--"
"_Mercy_!--I did not mean to kill--!"
"Blood for blood, you dog! Raise it, and I fell you! Raise it, and the noose sinks into your fat swine"s-throat! Can"t you understand?--you have been tracked by the avengers of blood! and you may swing lingeringly, with a crowd of Christian boys and girls mocking round you, or you may shoot yourself in one painless flash. Which shall it be?"
Isaac, again dropping a-heap, covered his face, without answer.