CHAPTER XXIII
THE DISAPPEARANCE OF THE PROFESSOR
The Prince and the Professor sat up in the smoking-room for aconsiderable time after Nitocris had retired. Oscarovitch was doing hisutmost to persuade his guest to revoke his decision as to the creationof the aerial warships. Franklin Marmion's simple announcement, which henever thought for a moment of disbelieving, had filled his mind with newideas, which were rapidly taking the shape of gorgeous dreams of anempire such as mortal man had never ruled over before. All his presentdesigns faded away into mere trivialities in comparison with thissplendid conception. He pictured Nitocris, as his consort, Empress ofthe air, and himself Lord of earth and sea and sky. But all his subtlearguments, all his delicately-put suggestions, and his skilfully framedpromises failed to produce the slightest effect upon the geniallyinflexible man, who quietly turned them all aside, as a grown man mightdeal with the arguments of a boy.
The thought that this man who was lying back in his deep-seatedarmchair, holding a cigar in a white, delicately-shaped hand which wasstrong enough to shake the world to its foundations, should possesssuch a tremendous power and yet refuse to use it, as quietly as he mighthave declined an invitation to dinner, exasperated him almost beyond thebounds of patience. If he would only join forces with him what gloriesmight they not achieve, what splendours of power and possession mightnot be theirs! Here was universal empire, in one sense, only a couple ofyards away from him! In another it was more distant than the suns whichflame in Space beyond the Milky Way. It was maddening, but it was true,and he knew the man well enough now to feel absolutely assured that noextremity of mental or physical torment would wring the priceless secretfrom him.
Well, if it had to be, it must be. If he could not learn the secret, atleast no one else should. Before morning it would be buried for everunder the waters of the Baltic, and he would revenge himself on thedaughter for that which the father refused to do. If Franklin Marmionwould not give him the sceptre of the World-Empire, then Nitocris shouldbe his wife and Empress if she would, and if not, his slave andplaything, as he had sworn to Phadrig the Egyptian. The fortress-castleof Oscarburg, on the lonely wooded shore of Viborg Bay, had kept many asecret safely before now, and it would keep this one. Every retainer inthe Castle, every man, woman, and child on the estates for leaguesaround, was his, body and soul, as their fathers before them had beenthe blind, unquestioning serfs of his fathers. There his word was law,and his will was fate. There was no "liberty" within his domains, sinceno man wanted it, or would have understood it had it been given to him.
When their argument was over they parted, apparently the best offriends. Franklin Marmion went to bed calmly curious as to what wasgoing to happen, and Oscarovitch paid a visit to his captain.
A little after three that morning he opened the door of the Professor'sstate-room very gently and looked in. The room was dark, and helistened. A soft, just audible sound of breathing came from the bed. Itwas the breathing of a man fast asleep. He pressed the spring of hiselectric lamp, and turned the thin ray on to the water-bottle in therack over the wash-stand. It was half-empty, and a glass stood on thetable in the middle of the room. Then the ray fell on the face of thesleeping man. It was as Prince Zastrow's face had been the last night hewent to sleep in the Castle of Trelitz--rather the face of a corpse thanthat of a living man. His captain stood behind him, and he turned andwhispered:
"He is ready. Are the men below?"
"All, Highness, save Grovno at the wheel and Hartog on the look-out.They will see nothing, as they did before," came the whispered reply.
"Very well, then. You and I can manage this between us. You have theline?"
The captain nodded, and they went into the room, softly closing thedoor. In a few minutes they came out again, carrying between them a longbundle of blankets lashed from end to end with thin line. They took itaft along the alloway and out on to the lower deck by the stern. Twoiron doors of a port used for coaling stood open on the starboard side.On the deck lay a couple of pigs of iron lashed together. These thecaptain made fast to one end of the bundle and lifted them towards theport. Oscarovitch took hold of the other end. They lifted it. Theweights dropped outside the port, and the bundle followed them. Thecaptain started up, clasped his hands to his forehead, and said in agasping whisper:
"Holy God, Highness, what have we done?"
"What do you mean, Derevskin? You have obeyed my orders; that is all. Isit not enough for you?"
"Yes, Highness--but who or what was that man? Was he really a man?"
"Are you mad, Derevskin?"
"No, Highness, I hope not: but did you hear--or, rather, did you nothear?"
"What, you fool?"
"He--it--the body--it made no splash when it touched the water!"
The stammered words struck Oscarovitch like so many puffs of frozen air.No, the body of Franklin Marmion _had_ made no splash. It had vanishedthrough the port into silence. That was all. He beat back his own terrorwith the exertion of all his will-power, and said in a sneeringwhisper:
"Derevskin, you are either mad or drunk; but I will forgive you thistime because you have obeyed. Go to bed, and don't forget to be eithersober or sane when I come on deck."
The captain bowed his head, and went forward with shambling steps andshaking limbs. Oscarovitch closed the port with hands which all hisforce could not keep steady, and betook himself to bed, to lie awake forthe rest of the short summer night wondering vainly what really hadhappened.
He had had his bath and dressed soon after six, and went on deck. Thecaptain was on the bridge, and he joined him.
"Good morning, Derevskin!"
"I have the honour to wish Your Highness good morning!"
"Nothing happened during the night worth reporting, I suppose?"
"No, Highness, nothing."
"Very good: but I have slept badly, and you look as if you had been onthe bridge all night. Perhaps it is necessary among all these islands,and I am pleased that you are so watchful, especially as I have guestson board. Come down to your room now and send your steward for a bottle.It will do neither of us any harm."
There was a somewhat lengthy conversation over this early breakfast ofchampagne and biscuits after the door had been closed and locked, andwhen it was finished, Oscarovitch and his captain understood each otheras completely as was necessary.
An hour later he saw Nitocris walking about the upper deck looking paleand anxious. He went to her and said in a tone which intentionallybetrayed his own nervousness:
"Good morning, Miss Marmion! Have you seen anything of the Professor?"
"No, Prince, I have not. I went to his room just now and knocked. Therewas no reply and I opened the door. The room was empty, but he hadevidently been to bed. Is he not on deck?"
"No, Miss Marmion, he is not. He said last night that he would like hisbath about six, and the steward I sent to valet him went to his room andfound it as you say. I have had the ship searched high and low, and fromstem to stern, and there is no sign of him. I have had every onequestioned, and no one has seen anything of him since last night."
"Oh, my poor, poor Dad, I have lost him! Yes, I suppose it must havebeen that. He has walked overboard."
"Walked overboard, Miss Marmion?"
"Yes, yes, it must be that. Prince Oscarovitch, my father, like mostvery clever men, had one dangerous failing. He walked in his sleep anddid things unconsciously. That was why he told you about the ghost at'The Wilderness' just as though he really had seen it. Yes, he must havegot up in the night and come on deck, and walked overboard, and so Ihave lost the best friend I ever had, or shall have. You must excuseme, Prince. I must go to my room. The very sunlight seems horrible now.Jenny will look after me. Good morning!"
Her face was white and her eyes were staring at nothing. She spoke witha horrible, stony calm which, crime-hardened as he was, sent a thrillingshiver through his nerves. A spasm of remorse shook him; then hisself-control came back, and he offered her his arm in
silence. He ledher down to the saloon, and gave her into Jenny's charge. Then he wenton deck again, lit a cigar, and proceeded to congratulate himself on thegreat good fortune which had, from his point of view at least, sohappily explained away the disappearance of Franklin Marmion.