There was not a servant to be found in the entire house! What in the world could that mean? Used as she was to heartrending suspense, she was none the less terrified. Something had taken the servants from the house. From whence was the danger to come this time? Where was Jones?
Why did he not return as he had promised? It was long past the hour when he said he would be back.
She went into the library and picked up the telephone. She was told that Mr. Norton was out on an a.s.signment, but that he would be notified the moment he returned. She opened the drawer in the desk. She touched the automatic, but did not take it up. She left the drawer open, however.
Earlier, at the newspaper office that night, Jim went into the managing editor"s office and laid a bulky ma.n.u.script on that gentleman"s desk.
"Is this it?"
"It is," said Jim.
"You have captured them?"
"No; but there is a net about them from which not one shall escape.
There"s the story of my adventures, of the adventures of Miss Hargreave and the butler, Jones. You"ll find it exciting enough. You might just as well send it up to the composing room. At midnight I"ll telephone the introduction. It"s a scoop. Don"t worry about that."
The editor riffled the pages.
"A hundred and twelve pages, three hundred words to the page; man, it"s a novel!"
"It"ll read like one."
"Sit down for a moment and let me skim through the first story."
At the end of ten minutes the editor laid down the copy. He opened a drawer and took out two envelopes. The blue one he tore up and dropped into the waste basket. Norton understood and smiled. They had meant to discharge him if he fell down. The other envelope was a fat one.
"Open it," said the editor, smiling a little to himself.
This envelope contained a check for two thousand five hundred dollars, two round-trip first-cla.s.s tickets to Liverpool, together with innumerable continental tickets such as are issued to tourists.
"Why two?" asked Jim innocently.
"Forget it, my boy, forget it. You ought to know that in this office we don"t employ blind men. The whole staff is on. There you are, a fat check and three months" vacation. Go and get married; and if you return before the three months are up I"ll fire you myself on general principles."
Jim laughed happily and the two men shook hands. Then Jim went forth to complete the big a.s.signment. Five minutes later Florence called him up to learn that he had gone.
What should she do? Jones had told her to stay in the house and not to leave it. But where was he? Why did he not come? What was the meaning of this desertion by the servants? She wandered about aimlessly, looking out of windows, imagining forms in the shadows. Her imagination had not deceived her; she had heard doors close softly.
"Susan, Susan!" she murmured, but Susan was in the hospital.
_Oliver Twist_! What had possessed her to start reading that old tale again? She should have read something of a light and joyous character.
After half an hour"s wandering about the lonely house she returned to the library, feeling that she would be safer where both telephone and revolver were.
And while she sat waiting for she knew not what, her swiftly beating heart sending the blood into her throat so that it almost suffocated her, a man turned into the street and walked noiselessly toward the Hargreave place. He pa.s.sed a man leaning against a lamp-post, but he never turned to look at him.
This man, however, threw away his cigar and hot-footed it to the nearest pay station. He knew in his soul that he had just seen the man for whom they had been hunting all these weary but strenuous weeks--Stanley Hargreave in the flesh! Half an hour after his telephone message the chief of the Black Hundred and many lesser lights were on their way to the house of mystery. Had they but known!
Now, the man who had created this tremendous agitation went serenely on. He proceeded directly and fearlessly to the front door, produced a latchkey and entered. He pa.s.sed through the hall and reception room to the library and paused on the threshold dramatically. Florence stepped back with a sharp cry of alarm. She had heard the hall door open and close and had taken it for granted that Jones had entered.
There was a tableau of short duration.
"Don"t you know me?" asked the stranger in a singularly pleasant voice.
Florence had been imposed upon too many times. She shook her head defiantly, though her knees shook so that she was certain that the least touch would send her over.
"I am your father, child!"
Florence slipped unsteadily behind the desk and seized the revolver which lay in the drawer. The man by the curtains smiled sadly. It was a smile that caused Florence to waver a bit. Still she extended her arm.
"You do not believe me?" said the man, advancing slowly.
"No. I have been deceived too many times, sir. Stay where you are.
You will wait here till my butler returns. Oh, if I were only sure!"
she burst out suddenly and pa.s.sionately. "What proof have you that you are what you say?"
He came toward her, holding out his hands. "This, that you can not shoot me. Ah, the d.a.m.nable wretches! What have they done to you, my child, to make you suspicious of every one? How I have watched over you in the street! I will tell you what only Jones and the reporter know, that the aviator died, that I alone was rescued, that I gave Norton the five thousand; that I watched the windows of the Russian woman, and overheard nearly every plot that was hatched in the council chamber of the Black Hundred; that I was shot in the arm while crossing the lawn one night. And now we have the scoundrels just where we want them. They will be in this house for me within half an hour, and not one of them will leave it in freedom. I am your father, Florence. I am the lonely father who has spent the best years of his life away from you in order to secure your safety. Can"t you feel the truth of all this?"
"No, no! Please do not approach any nearer; stay where you are!"
[Ill.u.s.tration: THEY WERE TUMBLING THROUGH THE LIBRARY AND READING-ROOM]
At that moment the telephone rang. With the revolver still leveled she picked up the receiver.
"h.e.l.lo, h.e.l.lo! Who is it? ... Oh, Jim, Jim, come at once! I am holding at bay a man who says he is my father. Hold him where he is, you say? All right, I will. Come quick!"
"Jim!" murmured the man, still advancing. He must have that revolver.
The poor child might spoil the whole affair. "So what Jones tells me is true; that you are going to marry this reporter chap?"
She did not answer.
"With or without my consent?"
If only he would drop that fearless smile! she thought. "With or without anybody"s consent," she said.
"What in the world can I say to you to convince you?" he cried. "The trap is set; but if Braine and his men come and find us like this, good heaven, child, we are both lost! Come, come!"
"Stay where you are!"
At that moment she heard a sound at the door. Her gaze roved; and it was enough for the man. He reached out and caught her arm. She tried to tear herself loose.
"My child, in G.o.d"s name, listen to reason! They are entering the hall and they will have us both."
Suddenly Florence knew. She could not have told you why; but there was an appeal in the man"s voice that went to her heart.
"You are my father!"
"Yes, yes! But you"ve found it out just a trifle too late, my dear.
Quick; this side of the desk!"