CHAPTER XX
THE GENEVA ROAD
The car had nearly reached Annecy before Celia woke to consciousness.And even then she was dazed. She was only aware that she was in themotor-car and travelling at a great speed. She lay back, drinking inthe fresh air. Then she moved, and with the movement came to herrecollection and the sense of pain. Her arms and wrists were stillbound behind her, and the cords hurt her like hot wires. Her mouth,however, and her feet were free. She started forward, and AdeleRossignol spoke sternly from the seat opposite.
"Keep still. I am holding the flask in my hand. If you scream, if youmake a movement to escape, I shall fling the vitriol in your face," shesaid.
Celia shrank back, shivering.
"I won't! I won't!" she whispered piteously. Her spirit was broken bythe horrors of the night's adventure. She lay back and cried quietly inthe darkness of the carriage. The car dashed through Annecy. It seemedincredible to Celia that less than six hours ago she had been diningwith Mme. Dauvray and the woman opposite, who was now her jailer. Mme.Dauvray lay dead in the little salon, and she herself--she dared notthink what lay in front of her. She was to be persuaded--that was theword--to tell what she did not know. Meanwhile her name would beexecrated through Aix as the murderess of the woman who had saved her.Then suddenly the car stopped. There were lights outside. Celia heardvoices. A man was speaking to Wethermill. She started and saw AdeleTace's arm flash upwards. She sank back in terror; and the car rolledon into the darkness. Adele Tace drew a breath of relief. The one pointof danger had been passed. They had crossed the Pont de la Caille, theywere in Switzerland.
Some long while afterwards the car slackened its speed. By the side ofit Celia heard the sound of wheels and of the hooves of a horse. Asingle-horsed closed landau had been caught up as it jogged along theroad. The motor-car stopped; close by the side of it the driver of thelandau reined in his horse. Wethermill jumped down from the chauffeur'sseat, opened the door of the landau, and then put his head in at thewindow of the car.
"Are you ready? Be quick!"
Adele turned to Celia.
"Not a word, remember!"
Wethermill flung open the door of the car. Adele took the girl's feetand drew them down to the step of the car. Then she pushed her out.Wethermill caught her in his arms and carried her to the landau. Celiadared not cry out. Her hands were helpless, her face at the mercy ofthat grim flask. Just ahead of them the lights of Geneva were visible,and from the lights a silver radiance overspread a patch of sky.Wethermill placed her in the landau; Adele sprang in behind her andclosed the door. The transfer had taken no more than a few seconds. Thelandau jogged into Geneva; the motor turned and sped back over thefifty miles of empty road to Aix.
As the motor-car rolled away, courage returned for a moment to Celia.The man--the murderer--had gone. She was alone with Adele Rossignol ina carriage moving no faster than an ordinary trot. Her ankles werefree, the gag had been taken from her lips. If only she could free herhands and choose a moment when Adele was off her guard she might openthe door and spring out on to the road. She saw Adele draw down theblinds of the carriage, and very carefully, very secretly, Celia beganto work her hands behind her. She was an adept; no movement wasvisible, but, on the other hand, no success was obtained. The knots hadbeen too cunningly tied. And then Mme. Rossignol touched a button ather side in the leather of the carriage.
The touch turned on a tiny lamp in the roof of the carriage, and sheraised a warning hand to Celia.
"Now keep very quiet."
Right through the empty streets of Geneva the landau was quietlydriven. Adele had peeped from time to time under the blind. There werefew people in the streets. Once or twice a sergent-de-ville was seenunder the light of a lamp. Celia dared not cry out. Over against her,persistently watching her, Adele Rossignol sat with the open flaskclenched in her hand, and from the vitriol Celia shrank with anoverwhelming terror. The carriage drove out from the town along thewestern edge of the lake.
"Now listen," said Adele. "As soon as the landau stops the door of thehouse opposite to which it stops will open. I shall open the carriagedoor myself and you will get out. You must stand close by the carriagedoor until I have got out. I shall hold this flask ready in my hand. Assoon as I am out you will run across the pavement into the house. Youwon't speak or scream."
Adele Rossignol turned out the lamp and ten minutes later the carriagepassed down the little street and attracted Mme. Gobin's notice. MartheGobin had lit no light in her room. Adele Rossignol peered out of thecarriage. She saw the houses in darkness. She could not see thebusybody's face watching the landau from a dark window. She cut thecords which fastened the girl's hands. The carriage stopped. She openedthe door. Celia sprang out on to the pavement. She sprang so quicklythat Adele Rossignol caught and held the train of her dress. But it wasthe fear of the vitriol which had made her spring so nimbly. It wasthat, too, which made her run so lightly and quickly into the house.The old woman who acted as servant, Jeanne Tace, received her. Celiaoffered no resistance. The fear of vitriol had made her supple as aglove. Jeanne hurried her down the stairs into the little parlour atthe back of the house, where supper was laid, and pushed her into achair. Celia let her arms fall forward on the table. She had no hopenow. She was friendless and alone in a den of murderers, who meantfirst to torture, then to kill her. She would be held up to execrationas a murderess. No one would know how she had died or what she hadsuffered. She was in pain, and her throat burned. She buried her facein her arms and sobbed. All her body shook with her sobbing. JeanneRossignol took no notice. She treated Celie just as the others haddone. Celia was LA PETITE, against whom she had no animosity, by whomshe was not to be touched to any tenderness. LA PETITE hadunconsciously played her useful part in their crime. But her use wasended now, and they would deal with her accordingly. She removed thegirl's hat and cloak and tossed them aside.
"Now stay quiet until we are ready for you," she said. And Celia,lifting her head, said in a whisper:
"Water!"
The old woman poured some from a jug and held the glass to Celia's lips.
"Thank you," whispered Celia gratefully, and Adele came into the room.She told the story of the night to Jeanne, and afterwards to Hippolytewhen he joined them.
"And nothing gained!" cried the older woman furiously. "And we havehardly a five-franc piece in the house."
"Yes, something," said Adele. "A necklace--a good one--some good rings,and bracelets. And we shall find out where the rest is hid--from her."And she nodded at Celia.
The three people ate their supper, and, while they ate it, discussedCelia's fate. She was lying with her head bowed upon her arms at thesame table, within a foot of them. But they made no more of herpresence than if she had been an old shoe. Only once did one of themspeak to her.
"Stop your whimpering," said Hippolyte roughly. "We can hardly hearourselves talk."
He was for finishing with the business altogether to-night.
"It's a mistake," he said. "There's been a bungle, and the sooner weare rid of it the better. There's a boat at the bottom of the garden."
Celia listened and shuddered. He would have no more compunction overdrowning her than he would have had over drowning a blind kitten.
"It's cursed luck," he said. "But we have got the necklace--that'ssomething. That's our share, do you see? The young spark can look forthe rest."
But Helene Vauquier's wish prevailed. She was the leader. They wouldkeep the girl until she came to Geneva.
They took her upstairs into the big bedroom overlooking the lake. Adeleopened the door of the closet, where a truckle-bed stood, and thrustthe girl in.
"This is my room," she said warningly, pointing to the bedroom. "Takecare I hear no noise. You might shout yourself hoarse, my pretty one;no one else would hear you. But I should, and afterwards--we should nolonger be able to call you 'my pretty one,' eh?"
And with a horrible playfulness she pinched the girl's cheek.
Then with
old Jeanne's help she stripped Celia and told her to get intobed.
"I'll give her something to keep her quiet," said Adele, and shefetched her morphia-needle and injected a dose into Celia's arm.
Then they took her clothes away and left her in the darkness. She heardthe key turn in the lock, and a moment after the sound of the bedsteadbeing drawn across the doorway. But she heard no more, for almostimmediately she fell asleep.
She was awakened some time the next day by the door opening. Old JeanneTace brought her in a jug of water and a roll of bread, and locked herup again. And a long time afterwards she brought her another supply.Yet another day had gone, but in that dark cupboard Celia had no meansof judging time. In the afternoon the newspaper came out with theannouncement that Mme. Dauvray's jewellery had been discovered underthe boards. Hippolyte brought in the newspaper, and, cursing theirstupidity, they sat down to decide upon Celia's fate. That, however,was soon arranged. They would dress her in everything which she worewhen she came, so that no trace of her might be discovered. They wouldgive her another dose of morphia, sew her up in a sack as soon as shewas unconscious, row her far out on to the lake, and sink her with aweight attached. They dragged her out from the cupboard, always withthe threat of that bright aluminium flask before her eyes. She fellupon her knees, imploring their pity with the tears running down hercheeks; but they sewed the strip of sacking over her face so that sheshould see nothing of their preparations. They flung her on the sofa,secured her as Hanaud had found her, and, leaving her in the oldwoman's charge, sent down Adele for her needle and Hippolyte to getready the boat. As Hippolyte opened the door he saw the launch of theChef de la Surete glide along the bank.