CHAPTER XXX
THE CONTEST FOR THE PAPERS
Laverick, sitting with Zoe at dinner, caught his companion lookingaround the restaurant with an expression in her face which he didnot wholly understand.
"Something is the matter with you this evening, Zoe," he saidanxiously. "Tell me what it is. You don't like this place, perhaps?"
"Of course I do."
"It is your dinner, then, or me?" he persisted. "Come, out with it.Haven't we promised to tell each other the truth always?"
The pink color came slowly into her cheeks. Her eyes, raised for amoment to his, were almost reproachful.
"You know very well that it is not anything to do with you," shewhispered. "You are too kind to me all the time. Only," she wenton, a little hesitatingly, "don't you realize--can't you see howdifferently most of the girls here are dressed? I don't mind somuch for myself--but you--you have so many friends. You keep onseeing people whom you know. I am afraid they will think that Iought not to be here."
He looked at her in surprise, mingled, perhaps, with compunction.For the first time he appreciated the actual shabbiness of herclothes. Everything about her was so neat--pathetically neat, asit seemed to him in one illuminating moment of realization. Thewhite linen collar, notwithstanding its frayed edges, was spotlesslyclean. The black bow was carefully tied to conceal its worn parts.Her gloves had been stitched a good many times. Her gown, althoughit was tidy, was old-fashioned and had distinctly seen its best days.He suddenly recognized the effort--the almost despairing effort--whichher toilette had cost her.
"I don't think that men notice these things," he said simply. "Tome you look just as you should look--and I wouldn't change placeswith any other man in the room for a great deal."
Her eyes were soft--perilously soft--as she looked at him withuplifted eyebrows and a faint smile struggling at the corners of herlips. A wave of tenderness crept into his heart. What a bravelittle child she was!
"You will quite spoil me if you make such nice speeches," shemurmured.
"Anyhow," he went on, speaking with decision, "so long as you feellike that, you are going to have a new gown--or two--and a newhat, and you are going to have them at once. They are going to bebought with your brother's money, mind. Shall I come shopping withyou?"
She shook her head.
"Mind, it is partly for your sake that I give in," she said. "Itwould be lovely to have you come, but you would spend far too muchmoney. You really mean it all?"
"Absolutely," he answered. "I insist upon it."
She leaned towards him with dancing eyes. After all, she was verymuch of a child. The prospect of a new gown, now that she permittedherself to think of it, was enthralling.
"I might get a coat and skirt," she remarked thoughtfully, "and asimple white dress. A black hat would do for both of them, then."
"Don't you study your brother too much," Laverick declared. "Hisstock is going up all the time."
"Tell me your favorite color," she begged confidentially.
"I can't conceive your looking nicer than you do in black," hereplied.
She made a wry face.
"I suppose it must be black," she murmured doubtfully. "It is muchmore economical than anything--"
She broke off to bow to a stout, red-faced man who, after a rudestare, had greeted her with a patronizing nod. Laverick frowned.
"Who is that fellow?" he asked.
"Mr. Heepman, our stage-manager," Zoe answered, a little timidly.
"Is there any particular reason why he should behave like a boor?"Laverick continued, raising his voice a little.
She caught at his arm in terror. The man was sitting at the nexttable.
"Don't, please!" she implored. "He might hear you. He is justbehind there."
Laverick half turned in his chair. She guessed what he was aboutto say, and went on rapidly.
"He has been so foolish," she whispered. "He has asked me so oftento go out with him. And he could get me sent away, if he wanted,any time. He almost threatened it, the last time I refused. Nowthat he has seen me with you, he will be worse than ever."
Laverick's face darkened, and there was a peculiar flash in his eyes.The man was certainly looking at them in a rude manner.
"There are so many of the girls who would only be too pleased to gowith him," Zoe continued, in a terrified undertone. "I can't thinkwhy he bothers me."
"I can," Laverick muttered. "Let's forget about the brute."
But the dinner was already spoiled for Zoe, so Laverick paid thebill a few minutes later, and walked across to the stage-door of thetheatre with her. Her little hand, when she gave it to him atparting, was quite cold.
"I'm as nervous as I can be," she confessed. "Mr. Heepman will bewatching all the night for something to find fault with me about."
"Don't you let him bully you," Laverick begged.
"I won't," she promised. "Good-bye! Thanks so much for my dinner."
She turned away with a brave attempt at a smile, but it was only anattempt. Laverick walked on to his club. There was no one in thedining-room whom he knew, and the card-room was empty. He playedone game of billiards, but he played badly. He was upset. Hisnerves were wrong he told himself, and little wonder. There seemedto be no chance of a rubber at bridge, so he sallied out again andwalked aimlessly towards Covent Garden. Outside the Opera House hehesitated and finally entered, yielding to an impulse the nature ofwhich he scarcely recognized. While he was inquiring about a stall,a small printed notice was thrust into his hand. He read it witha slight start.
We regret to announce that owing to indisposition MademoiselleIdiale will not be able to appear this evening. The part of Delilahwill be taken by Mademoiselle Blanche Temoigne, late of the RoyalOpera House, St. Petersburg.
Ten minutes later, Laverick rang the bell of her flat in Dover Street.A strange man-servant answered him.
"I came to inquire after Mademoiselle Idiale," Laverick said.
The man held out a tray on which was already a small heap of cards.Laverick, however, retained his.
"I should be glad if you would take mine in to her," he said. "Ithink it is just likely that she may see me for a moment."
The servant's attitude was one of civil but unconcealed hostility.He would have closed the door had not Laverick already passed overthe threshold.
"Madame is not well enough to receive visitors, sir," the mandeclared. "She shall have your card as soon as possible."
"I should like her to have it now," Laverick persisted, drawing afive-pound note from his pocket.
The man looked at the note longingly.
"It would be only waste of time, sir," he declared. "Mademoiselleis confined to her bedroom and my orders are absolute."
"You are not the man who was here earlier in the day," Laverickremarked. "I wonder," he continued, with a sudden inspiration,"whether you are not Mr. Bellamy's servant?"
"That is so, sir. Mr. Bellamy has sent me here to see that no onehas access to Mademoiselle Idiale."
"Then there is no harm whatever in taking in my card," Laverickdeclared convincingly. "You can put that note in your pocket. Iam perfectly certain that Mademoiselle Idiale will see me, andthat your master would wish her to do so."
"I will take the risk, sir," the man decided, "but the orders I havereceived were stringent."
He disappeared and was gone for several moments. When he came backhe was accompanied by a pale-faced woman dressed in black, obviouslya maid.
"Monsieur Laverick," she said, "Mademoiselle Idiale will receiveyou. If you will come this way?"
She opened the door of the little reception-room, and Laverickfollowed her. The man returned to his place in the hall.
"Madame will be here in a moment," the maid said. "She will be gladto see you, but she has been very badly frightened."
Laverick bowed sympathetically. The woman herself was gray-faced,terror-stricken.
"It is Monsieu
r Lassen, the manager of Madame, who has caused agreat deal of trouble here," she said. "Madame never trusted himand now we have discovered that he is a spy."
The woman seemed to fade away. The door of the inner room wasopened and Louise came out. She was still exceedingly pale, andthere were dark rims under her eyes. She came across the room withoutstretched hands. There was no doubt whatever as to her pleasure.
"You have seen Mr. Bellamy?" she asked.
Laverick shook his head.
"No, I have seen nothing of Bellamy to-day. I came to call uponyou this afternoon."
She wrung her hands.
"You understand, of course!" she exclaimed. "I did not trustLassen, but I never imagined anything like this. He is an Austrian.Only a few hours ago I learned that he is one of their most heavilypaid spies. Streuss got hold of him. But there, I forgot--you donot understand this. It is enough that he laid a plot to get thatdocument from you. Where is it, Mr. Laverick? You have brought itnow?"
"Why, no," Laverick answered, "I have not."
Her eyes were round with terror. She held out her hands as thoughto keep away some tormenting thought.
"Where is it?" she cried. "You have not parted with it?
"I have not," Laverick replied gravely. "It is in the safe depositof a hotel to which I have moved."
She closed her eyes and drew a long breath of relief.
"You are not well," Laverick said. "Let me help you to a chair."
She sat down wearily.
"Why have you moved to a hotel?" she asked.
"To tell you the truth," Laverick answered, "I seem to havewandered into a sort of modern Arabian Nights. Three times to-dayattempts have been made to get that document from me by force. Ihave been followed whereever I went. I felt that it was not safein my chambers, so I moved to a hotel and deposited it in theirstrong-room. I have come to the conclusion that the best thing Ican do is to open it to-morrow morning, and decide for myselfas to its destination."
Louise sat quite still for several moments. Then she opened hereyes.
"What you say is an immense relief to me, Mr. Laverick," shedeclared. "I perceive now that we have made a mistake. We shouldhave told you the whole truth from the first. This afternoon whenMr. Bellamy left me, it was to come to you and tell you everything."
Laverick listened gravely.
"Really," he said, "it seems to me the wisest course. I haven'tthe least desire to keep the document. I cannot think why Bellamydid not treat me with confidence from the first--"
He stopped short. Suddenly he understood. Something in Louise'sface gave him the hint.
"Of course!" he murmured to himself.
"Mr. Laverick," Louise said quietly, "in this matter I am no man'sjudge, yet, as you and I know well, that paper could have come intoyour hands in one way, and one way only. There may be someexplanation. If so, it is for you to offer it or not, as you thinkbest. Mr. Bellamy and I are allies in this matter. It is not ourbusiness to interfere with the course of justice. You will run norisk in parting with that paper.
"Where can I see Bellamy?" Laverick Inquired, rising and taking uphis hat.
"He would go straight to your rooms," she answered. "Did you leaveword there where you had gone?"
"Purposely I did not," Laverick replied. "I had better try and findhim, perhaps."
"It is not necessary," she announced. "No wonder that you feelyourself to have wandered into the Arabian Nights, Mr. Laverick.There are two sets of spies who follow you everywhere--two sets thatI know of. There may be another."
"You think that Bellamy will find me?" he asked.
"I am sure of it."
"Then I'll go back to the hotel and wait."
She hurried him away, but at the door she detained him for a moment.
"Mr. Laverick," she said, looking at him earnestly, "somehow orother I cannot help believing that you are an honest man."
Laverick sighed. He opened his lips but closed them again.
"You are very kind, Mademoiselle," he declared simply.
Laverick, as he entered the reception hall at the Milan Hotel,noticed a man leaning over the cashier's desk talking confidentiallyto the clerk in charge. The latter recognized Laverick with obviousrelief, and at once directed his questioner's attention to him. Kahnturned swiftly around and without a moment's hesitation came smilingtowards Laverick with the apparent intention of accosting him. Hewas correctly garbed, tall and fair, with every appearance of beinga man of breeding. He glanced at Laverick carelessly as he passed,but, as though changing his original purpose, made no attempt toaddress him. The cashier, who had been watching, gave vent to alittle exclamation of surprise and sprang over the counter. Heapproached Laverick hastily.
"Do you know that gentleman just going out, sir?" he asked.
"I never saw him before in my life," Laverick answered. "Why?"
"Is this your handwriting, sir?" the man inquired, touching withhis forefinger the half sheet of note-paper which he had beencarrying.
Laverick read quickly,--
To the Cashier at the Milan Hotel,--Deliver to bearer document deposited with you. STEPHEN LAVERICK.
"It is not," he declared promptly. "It is an impudent forgery.Good God! You don't mean to say that you parted with my propertyto--"
The cashier stopped his breathless question.
"I haven't parted with anything, sir," he said. "I was justwondering what to do when you came in. I'd no reason to believethat the signature was a forgery, but I didn't like the look of it,somehow. We'd better be after him. Come along, sir."
They hurried outside. The man was nowhere in sight. The cashiersummoned the head porter.
"A gentleman has just come out," he exclaimed,--"tall and fair, verycarefully dressed, with a single eyeglass! Which way did he go?"
"He's just driven off in a big Daimler car, sir," the porteranswered. "I noticed him particularly. He spoke to the chauffeurin Austrian."
Laverick looked out into the Strand.
"Can't we stop him?" he asked rapidly.
The porter smiled as he shook his head.
"Not the ghost of a chance, sir. He shot round the corner there asthough he were in a desperate hurry, and went the wrong side of theisland. I heard the police calling to him. I hope there's nothingwrong, Mr. Dean?"
The cashier hesitated and glanced at Laverick.
"Nothing much," Laverick answered. "We should have liked to haveasked him a question--that is all."
Bellamy came out from the hotel and paused to light a cigarette.
"How are you, Laverick?" he said quietly. "Nothing the matter, Ihope?"
"Nothing worth mentioning," Laverick replied.
The cashier returned to his duties. The two men were alone.Bellamy, most carefully dressed, with his silver-headed cane underhis arm, and his silk hat at precisely the correct angle, seemedvery far removed from the work of intrigue into which Laverickfelt himself to have blundered. He looked down for a moment at thetips of his patent shoes and up again at the sky, as though anxiousabout the weather.
"What about a drink, Laverick?" he asked nonchalantly.
"Delighted!" Laverick assented.