CHAPTER XL
THE ADVENTURERS' RETURN
The Banker, lying huddled in his chair in the clubroom, awoke with astart. The ring lay at his feet--a shining, golden band gleamingbrightly in the light as it lay upon the black silk handkerchief. TheBanker shivered a little for the room was cold. Then he realized he hadbeen asleep and looked at his watch. Three o'clock! They had been goneseven hours, and he had not taken the ring back to the Museum as theyhad told him to. He rose hastily to his feet; then as another thoughtstruck him, he sat down again, staring at the ring.
The honk of an automobile horn in the street outside aroused him fromhis reverie. He got to his feet and mechanically began straightening upthe room, packing up the several suit-cases. Then with obvious awe, anda caution that was almost ludicrous, he fixed the ring in its framewithin the valise prepared for it. He lighted the little light in thevalise, and, every moment or two, went back to look searchingly down atthe ring inside.
When everything was packed the Banker left the room, returning in amoment with two of the club attendants. They carried the suit-casesoutside, the Banker himself gingerly holding the bag containing thering.
"A taxi," he ordered when they were at the door. Then he went to thedesk, explaining that his friends had left earlier in the evening andthat they had finished with the room.
To the taxi-driver he gave a number that was not the Museum address, butthat of his own bachelor apartment on Park Avenue. It was still rainingas he got into the taxi; he held the valise tightly on his lap, lookinginto it occasionally and gruffly ordering the chauffeur to drive slowly.
In the sumptuous living-room of his apartment he spread the handkerchiefon the floor under the center electrolier and laid the ring upon it.Dismissing the astonished and only half-awake butler with a growl, hesat down in an easy-chair facing the ring, and in a few minutes more wasagain fast asleep.
In the morning when the maid entered he was still sleeping. Two hourslater he rang for her, and gave tersely a variety of orders. These sheand the butler obeyed with an air that plainly showed they thought theirmaster had taken leave of his senses.
They brought him his breakfast and a bath-robe and slippers. And thebutler carried in a mattress and a pair of blankets, laying them with asigh on the hardwood floor in a corner of the room.
Then the Banker waved them away. He undressed, put on his bath-robe andslippers and sat down calmly to eat his breakfast. When he had finishedhe lighted a cigar and sat again in his easy-chair, staring at the ring,engrossed with his thoughts. Three days he would give them. Three days,to be sure they had made the trip successfully. Then he would take thering to the Museum. And every Sunday he would visit it; until they cameback--if they ever did.
* * * * *
The Banker's living-room with its usually perfect appointments was inthorough disorder. His meals were still being served him there by hisdismayed servants. The mattress still lay in the corner; on it therumpled blankets showed where he had been sleeping. For the hundredthtime during his long vigil the Banker, still wearing his dressing-gownand slippers and needing a shave badly, put his face down close to thering. His heart leaped into his throat; his breath came fast; for alongthe edge of the ring a tiny little line of figures was slowly moving.
He looked closer, careful lest his laboured breathing blow them away. Hesaw they were human forms--little upright figures, an eighth of an inchor less in height--moving slowly along one behind the other. He countednine of them. Nine! he thought, with a shock of surprise. Why, onlythree had gone in! Then they had found Rogers, and were bringing him andothers back with him!
Relief from the strain of many hours surged over the Banker. His eyesfilled with tears; he dashed them away--and thought how ridiculous afeeling it was that possessed him. Then suddenly his head felt queer; hewas afraid he was going to faint. He rose unsteadily to his feet, andthrew himself full-length upon the mattress in the corner of the room.Then his senses faded. He seemed hardly to faint, but rather to driftoff into an involuntary but pleasant slumber.
* * * * *
With returning consciousness the Banker heard in the room a confusion ofmany voices. He opened his eyes; the Doctor was sitting on the mattressbeside him. The Banker smiled and parted his lips to speak, but theDoctor interrupted him.
"Well, old friend!" he cried heartily. "What happened to you? Here weare back all safely."
The Banker shook his friend's hand with emotion; then after a moment hesat up and looked about him. The room seemed full of people--strangelooking figures, in extraordinary costumes, dirty and torn. The VeryYoung Man crowded forward.
"We got back, sir, didn't we?" he said.
The Banker saw he was holding a young girl by the hand--the mostremarkable-looking girl, the Banker thought, that he had ever beheld.Her single garment, hanging short of her bare knees, was ragged anddirty; her jet black hair fell in tangled masses over her shoulders.
"This is Aura," said the Very Young Man. His voice was full of pride;his manner ingenuous as a child's.
Without a trace of embarrassment the girl smiled and with a prettylittle bending of her head, held down her hand to the astonished Banker,who sat speechless upon his mattress.
Loto pushed forward. "That's _mamita_ over there," he said, pointing."Her name is Lylda; she's Aura's sister."
The Banker recovered his wits. "Well, and who are you, little man?" heasked with a smile.
"My name is Loto," the little boy answered earnestly. "That's myfather." And he pointed across the room to where the Chemist was comingforward to join them.