CHAPTER XIII--AN ENFORCED REST CURE
They kept him two days in the padded room on Dickie's recommendation,who made Bob out as highly dangerous. "Powerful and vicious," hedescribed him to the suave individual in charge of the "sanatorium."That particular apartment was somewhat remote from the other rooms, sothat any noises made by the inmate of the former wouldn't disturb theothers. Becoming more reconciled to the inevitable, Bob found the quietof the padded room rather soothing to his shaken nerves. He didn't haveto talk to hardly a soul. Only an attendant came around once in a whileto shove cautiously something edible at him, but the attendant didn'task any questions and Bob didn't have to tell him any truths. It was ajoyful relief not to have to tell truths.
Bob's eye was swollen and he had a few bruises, but they didn't count.He had observed with satisfaction that Dickie's lip had an abrasion andthat one of his front teeth seemed missing. Dickie would have to waituntil nature and art had repaired his appearance before he could oncemore a-wooing go. Bob didn't want the temperamental young thing himself,but he couldn't conscientiously wish Dickie success in that quarter,after the unnecessarily rough and unsportsmanlike manner in which Dickiehad comported himself against him (Bob).
At first, it had occurred to Bob to take the attendant--and through him,the manager of the institution--into his confidence, but for two reasonshe changed his mind about doing so. The attendant would probably receiveBob's confidence as so many illusions; he would smile and say"Yes--quite so!" or "There! there!"--meaning Bob would get over saidillusions some day, and that was why he was there. He was being treatedfor them. Again, if he unbosomed himself fully, as to the fundamentalcause of all this trouble and turmoil, he would lose to the commodore,et al., and have to pay that note which he didn't very well see how hecould pay.
Bob gritted his teeth. Would it not be better to win now to spite themand in spite of everything? About the worst that could happen, hadhappened. Why not accept, then, this enforced sojourn philosophicallyand when the time came, he would walk up to the captain's (orcommodore's) office and demand a little pay-envelope as his hard-earnedwage? There would be a slight balm in that pay-envelope. With thecontents thereof, he could relieve some of dad's necessities which soonwould be pressing. Why not, with a little stretch of the imagination,tell himself he (Bob) was only taking a rest cure? People paid bigprices for a fashionable rest cure. They probably charged pretty stiffprices here, but it wouldn't cost him a cent. His dear friends who puthim here would have to pay. He wasn't a voluntary boarder. They wouldhave to vouch for him and his bills. So Bob made up his mind to have asgood a time as he could; in other words, to grin and bear it, as best hemight.
It was a novel experience. Maybe he might write an article about it forone of the Sunday newspapers some day--"How It Feels for a Sane Personto be Forcibly Detained in an Insane Asylum, by One who Has Been There."The editor could put all manner of gay and giddy head-lines over such anexperience. Bob tried to chronicle his feelings in the padded cell, buthe couldn't conjure up anything awful or harrowing. There weren'tspiders, or rats, or any crawly things to lend picturesqueness to thesituation. It was only deadly quiet--the kind of quiet he needed.
He slept most of those first two days, making up for hours of lostsleep. His swollen eye became less painful and his appetite grew largeand normal. He had to eat with his fingers because they were afraid totrust him with a knife and fork, but he told himself cheerfully thathigh-class Arabs still ate that way, and that all he had to do was tosit cross-legged, to be strictly _comme il faut_--that is, from theArab's standpoint. Since he had adopted truth as his mentor, Bob hadlearned, however, that "what should be" or "what shouldn't," or"mustn't," depends a great deal upon the standpoint, and he wasbeginning to be very suspicious, or critical, about the standpoint.
The third day the doctor in charge thought he could trust him in a roomwithout pads. Bob had a good color, his eye was clear and his appearancegenerally reassuring, so they gave him now the cutest little cubby-hole,with a cunning little bed and a dear little window, with flowers outsideand iron bars between the inmate and the flowers. The managing-medicoproudly called Bob's attention to the flowers and the view. One gazingout could see miles and miles of beautiful country. The managing-med.talked so much about that view that Bob chimed in and said it waslovely, too, only, it reminded him of the bone set just beyond reach ofa dog chained to _his_ cute little cubby-hole; or the jug of water andchoice viands the Bedouins of the desert set before their victim afterthey have buried him to the neck in the sand. Bob was going on, tryingto think of other felicitous comparisons, when he caught a look in themanaging-med's. eye that stopped him.
"I wonder if you are well enough, after all, to appreciate this cozy andhome-like little apartment?" said the med. musingly.
Bob hastily apologized for the figures of speech. The padded place wasvery restful, no doubt, but he was quite rested now. Any morepadded-room kind of rest would be too much. He looked at the view andexpatiated upon it, even calling attention to certain charming detailsof the landscape. The flowers made a charming touch of color and theywere just the kind of flowers he liked--good, old-fashioned geraniums!He could say all this and still tell the truth. The medico studied himattentively; then he concluded he would risk it and permit Bob to stayin the room.
But he didn't stay there long. Several nights later a pebble clickedagainst his window; at first, he did not notice. The sound was repeated.Then Bob got up, went to his window, raised it noiselessly and lookedout. In the shadow, beneath the window, stood a figure.
"Catch," whispered a voice and instinctively Bob put out his hand. Buthe didn't catch; he missed. Again and again some one below tossedsomething until finally he did catch. He looked at the object--a spoolof thread. Now what on earth did he want with a spool of thread? Did theperson below think some of his garments needed mending? It was strong,serviceable enough thread.
For some moments Bob cogitated, then going to the bureau, he picked up atooth-brush, tied it to the thread, and let it down. After an intervalhe pulled up the thread; the tooth-brush had disappeared and a file wasthere in its stead. Then Bob tied to the thread something else andinstead of it, he got back the end of an excellent manila rope. Afterthat he went to work. It took Bob about an hour to get those bars out;it took him, then, about a minute to get out himself. Fortunately someone in a near-by room was having a tantrum and the little rasping soundof the filing couldn't be heard. The louder the person yelled, theharder Bob filed.
When he reached the earth some one extended a hand and led him silentlyout of the garden and into the road beyond. Bob went along meekly andobediently. Not far down the road was a taxicab. Bob got in and his fairrescuer followed. So far he hadn't said a word to her; language seemedsuperfluous. But as they dashed away, she murmured:
"Isn't it lovely?"'
"Is it?" he asked. Somehow he wasn't feeling particularly jubilant overhis escape. In fact, he found himself wondering almost as soon as he hadreached the earth, if it wouldn't have been wiser, after all, to havespent the rest of those three weeks in pleasant seclusion. The presenceof the temperamental young thing suggested new and more perplexingproblems perhaps. He had regarded her as somewhat of a joke, but shewasn't a joke just now; she was a reality. What was he going to do withher, and with himself, for that matter? Why were they dashing madlyacross the country like that together?
It was as if he were carrying her off, and he certainly didn't want todo that. He wasn't in love with her, and she wasn't with him. At least,he didn't think she was. It was only her temperamental disposition thatcaused her to imagine she was in love, because she thought him somethingthat he wasn't. And when she found out he wasn't, but was only a plain,ordinary young man, not of much account anyhow, what a shock would bethe awakening! Perhaps he'd better stop the machine, go back into thegarden, climb up to his room in the crazy-house and tumble into bed? Hisbeing here, embarked on a preposterous journey, seemed a case of leapingbefore looking, or th
inking.
"Why so quiet, darling?" giggled the temperamental young thing,snuggling closer.
"Don't call me that. I--I won't stand it."
"All right, dearie." With another giggle.
"And drop that 'dearie' dope, too," he commanded.
"Just as you say. Only what _shall_ I call you?"
"I guess plain 'darn fool' will do."
"Oh, you're too clever to be called that," she expostulated.
"Me, clever?" Scornfully.
"Yes; think how long you have fooled the police."
"I wish you wouldn't talk such nonsense." Irritably.
"I won't. On condition!"
"What?"
"If you'll put your arm around me."
"I won't."
"Oh, yes, you will." She adjusted it for him.
"All right! If you want some one to hug you when he doesn't want to!" hesaid in aggrieved tones.
"That makes it all the nicer," she returned. "There are ever so many menthat want to. This--this is so different!" With a sigh.
"There you go, with some more nonsense talk!" grumbled Bob.
"Well," she giggled, "there's always a way to make a poor, weak,helpless little thing stop talking."
"Of all the assurance!" he gasped.
"I love to have some one I can command to make love to me."
"I'm going back." Disgustedly.
"Oh, no, you're not. You can't."
"Why?"
"You'd be arrested, if you did. They are coming for you. That's why Icame--to circumvent them!"
"They?"
"All has been discovered."
"I fail to understand."
"What did you do with it?" she countered.
"It?"
"The swag."
Bob started to withdraw his arm but she clapped a small warm hand on hisbig warm hand and held his strong right arm about her slim, adaptablewaist. Her head trailed on his shoulder, while she started floating offin dreamland.
"I just love eloping," she murmured.
"What was that last word?" he observed combatively.
"Elope! elope! elope!" she whispered dreamily, her slim, young femininefigure close to his big masculine bulk.
"So you think you're eloping with me?" said Bob ominously.
"I know I am." In that musical die-away tone. "We're headed straight forold New York and we're going to get married in the little church aroundthe corner. Then"--with a happy laugh--"we may have to disguiseourselves and flee."
"May I kindly inquire--that is, if I have any voice in our futureoperations--_why_ we may have to disguise ourselves?"
"In case they should want to capture you. The police, I mean."
"Police?" he said.
"Didn't I just tell you they were coming for you?"
"Indeed?" He looked down in her eyes to see if she was in earnest. Hebelieved she was. "For what?"
"Oh, you know." She raised her lips. "Say, that was a real stingy one,under the oak."
"You say all has been discovered?" went on Bob, disregarding her lastremark.
"I say that was a real stingy--"
"Hang it!" But he had to. He knew he had to get that idea out of herhead, before he could get any more real information from her.
"And think how you deceived poor little me, about it!" she purredcontentedly. After all, thought Bob, it didn't take "much of a one" tosatisfy her. She had only wanted "it," perhaps, because "it" fitted in;"it" went with eloping. Perhaps "it" would have to happen about once sooften. Bob hoped not. She was a dainty little tyrant who let him seeplainly she had sharp claws. She could scratch as well as purr. Somehow,he felt that he was doubly in her power--that he was doubly her slavenow--that something had happened which made him so. He could not imaginewhat it was.
"They're keeping it very quiet, though," she went on. "The robbery, Imean!"
"There has been a robbery at Mrs. Ralston's?"
"Of course. And you didn't know a thing about it?" she mocked him.
"I certainly did not."
"You say that just as if it were so," she observed admiringly. "I don'tsuppose you are aware that some one did really substitute a counterfeitbrooch for Mrs. Vanderpool's wonderful pink pearl and bronze diamondbrooch, after all? Oh, no, you don't know that. You're only a poorlittle ignorant dear. Bless its innocent little heart! It didn't know athing. Not it!" She was talking baby-talk now, the while her fingerswere playing with Bob's ear. He was so interested in what she wassaying, however, that he failed to note the baby-talk and overlooked theliberties she was taking with his hearing apparatus.
"By jove!" he exclaimed. "That accounts for what I thought I saw in thehall that night when I left your room. Imagined I saw some one! Believenow it was some one, after all. And that door I heard click? Whose dooris that on the other side of the hall from your room and abouttwenty-five feet nearer the landing?" Excitedly.
"Gwendoline Gerald's," was the unexpected answer.
Bob caught his breath. He was becoming bewildered. "But nothing wasmissing from Miss Gerald's room, was there?" he asked.
"Don't _you_ know?" said she.
"I do not."
"My! aren't you the beautiful fibber! I'm wondering if you ever tell thetruth?"
"I don't tell anything else." Indignantly. "And that's the trouble."
"And how well you stick to it!" Admiringly. "If you tell such ones_before_, how will it be _after_?"
"After what?" he demanded.
"The church ceremony," she giggled.
"Don't you worry about that. There isn't going to be any."
"It's perfectly lovely of you to say there isn't. It will be such fun tosee you change your mind." She spoke in that regular on-to-Washingtontone. "I can just see you walking up the aisle. Won't you look handsome?And poor, demure little me! I shan't look like hardly anything."
Bob pretended not to hear.
"You say they are keeping it very quiet about the robbery at the Ralstonhouse. How, then, did you come to know?"
"Eavesdropping." Shamelessly. "Thought it was necessary you should knowthe 'lay of the land.' But never mind the 'how.' It is sufficient that Imanaged to overhear Lord Stanfield say he was going to send for you.Gwendoline Gerald knows about the robbery and so does her aunt and LordStanfield, but it's being kept from all the other guests for thepresent. Even Mrs. Vanderpool doesn't know. She still thinks the broochshe is wearing is the real one, poor dear! Lord Stanfield discovered itwasn't. He asked her one day to let him see it. Then, he just said: 'Aw!How interesting!'--that is, to her. But to Mrs. Ralston he said it wasan imitation and that some guest had substituted the false brooch forthe real. Mrs. Vanderpool is not to know because Lord Stanfield says thethief must not dream he is suspected. He wants to give him full swingyet a while--'enough rope to hang himself with,' were the words he used.It seems Lord Stanfield anticipated things would be missing. He said heknew when a certain person--he didn't say whom"--gazing up at Bobadoringly--"appeared on the scene, things just went. That's why LordStanfield got asked to the Ralston house. Then when he said he wascoming after you, I thought it would be such a joke if you weren't thereto receive him. And that's why I came to elope with you. And isn't itall too romantic for anything? I am sure none of those plays comes up toit. Maybe you'll dramatize our little romance some day--that is--"
Miss Dolly suddenly stopped. "Isn't that a car coming up behind?"
Bob looked around, too, and in the far distance saw a light. "Believe itis," he answered.
She leaned forward and spoke to the driver. They were traveling withonly one lamp lighted; the driver now put that out. Then he went onuntil he came to a private roadway, leading into some one's estate, whenquickly turning, he ran along a short distance and finally stopped thecar in a dark shaded spot. Bob gazed back and in a short time saw a bigcar whir by. Idly he wondered whether it contained the police, or themanaging medico and some of his staff. Between them, he was promised aright lively time--altogether too lively. He wondered which ones wo
uldget him first? It was a kind of a competition and he would be firstprize to the winners. Well, it was well to have the enemy--or half ofthe enemy--in front of him. Of course, the other half might come up anymoment behind. He would have to take that chance, he thought, as theynow returned to the highway. Meanwhile Miss Dolly's eyes were brightwith excitement. She was enjoying herself very much.