The Secret of the Earth
*IV.*
Now, the Mustapha is among the very swellest hotels of London; indeed Idoubt if there is any place of public entertainment in the whole ofEurope, which is more magnificent, or whose rates are more exorbitant;and when I found myself standing in one of its superb corridors, Inaturally wondered why we had come.
In a few moments we were shown an apartment consisting of three largecommunicating rooms; two bed-chambers with a _salon_ between and allfurnished palatially.
"Do you think it will do?" inquired Torrence, looking around with acritical air of indifference.
"For what?" I inquired.
"For us."
"The devil!" I exclaimed.
"No, not for the devil but for you and me."
I looked at him in dumb amazement, and then without another word, mybrother dismissed the attendant, saying that he thought the rooms wouldanswer the purpose, and ordered our luggage sent up immediately. Wasthe fellow losing his head? I feared he had already lost it.
When left alone, we stood for a moment taking in the grandeur thatsurrounded us, from the gorgeous frescoes on the ceiling, to thesumptuous carpets beneath our feet; and then unable to contain myself, Iasked Torrence if he were really going mad. The earnestness of mymanner, and the dead serious look upon my face, made him laugh until herolled over upon one of the Turkish divans.
"Yes! can't you see it?" he cried, "why don't you send for a doctor?But no, you couldn't afford the expense, find this is better than anyasylum I'm sure. Don't fret, old boy; if I am mad there's a method init, and a devilish good one too. Now you make yourself at ease, foryour brother's madness will never hurt you. But it is rather neat,isn't it?" he added, getting up and looking around the room. "You knowI searched all over London before I could find apartments to suit meexactly; and I'm glad you admire my taste!"
"Well!" I answered, drawing a long breath, "you certainly must be makinga fortune, and rapidly, too; but all the same I don't approve of yourextravagance. But tell me, have you paid for all this? and how much isit to cost us?"
"_Us_! I admire _that_, when you are my guest. Why it is to cost younothing, of course! But wait here a few minutes, as it seems to worryyou, I will satisfy your mind on the money question. I am going to theoffice, and will be back immediately."
While he was gone I interested myself in a further inspection of therooms. The more thoroughly I went into their equipment, the more amazedI became at the lavish disregard for money displayed upon every hand.The beds were regal; the chairs and other furniture of the most costlytype imaginable, and even the walls were adorned with paintings, which Isaw at once were of a very high order of merit. The bathrooms, of whichthere were two, were on a scale of princely magnificence, and everywherewere mirrors, bronzes, and decorations which appeared to me quite toocostly for a public house; indeed there could be few palaces moresplendid.
Presently I heard Torrence returning, and as he entered the room he helda paper toward me.
"There now read this, and make yourself easy!" he cried.
It was a receipt in full for the rent of the rooms for two entire monthsin advance, three hundred pounds.
"Well!" I exclaimed, looking first at the paper, then at my brother,"wherever you got this money, I can't guess, but I will say, thatalthough my fears for the immediate future are relieved, I consider it awicked waste for people in our circumstances to throw away their meansas you have done."
I was provoked and showed it.
"Wait, old man, until you know what you're talking about," was his onlyrejoinder.
"I suppose you've sold some interest in your air ship," I suggesteddoggedly.
"How absurd! I haven't even thought of such a thing."
He seemed to enjoy my perplexity, and walked about the room whistling.
"You have sold the invention out and out, then?" I persisted.
"Guess again, dear boy, for I shall never part with the air ship to anyhuman being!"
"And will it ever be built?"
"Rather! I am working on it now. What did you suppose I'd been doingat Gravesend all this time? Courting old man Wetherbee's daughter, eh?Well, you're mistaken, for I've been doing nothing of the kind; but theair ship is begun."
I might as well have pumped the clerk in the office for information, andso decided to ask no more questions. But my resolution was short-lived,for in the next breath I inquired how long it would probably take tocomplete it; to which Torrence answered that he thought six weeks wouldprobably suffice, and had therefore only taken our rooms for two months,but that the time required for such delicate workmanship as would benecessary on the air ship, was difficult to estimate, and he hadtherefore stipulated for the refusal of our apartments, should we needthem longer, at the expiration of the term, as he did not wish to go insearch of lodgings again. He rattled on about contracts he had signedfor work upon the air ship, involving such large sums of money that Icould only stand with my mouth open and gasp.
At 8 o'clock we sat down in our _salon_ to such a dinner as could hardlybe surpassed by the royal board itself. The table was loaded withflowers and silver, and lighted with candles. Two men were inattendance; one behind each of us. The wines were of the choicest; eachcourse being accompanied by its appropriate beverage. Such Burgundiesand Tokays, such champagnes and liquers, and all dispensed with theutmost prodigality, bottles being opened, merely tasted and set asidefor a better vintage. I sat and ate and drank like one in a dream, andearnestly prayed that the money would not give out before we had settledthis bill. For our credit, I will say that neither of us drank toomuch. Indeed the glory undermined my appetite, and I perceived thatalthough there was quite an array of bottles and decanters, mere wastedmaterial, Torrence was also extremely moderate.
After dinner the attendants were dismissed, while we continued to sitaround the table, smoking and talking. Our cigars were of the finest,and our conversation consisted mainly of questions upon my part; someanswers, and many evasions on Torrence's.
"And where have you located your workshop?" I inquired.
"The air ship is building in Wetherbee's barn; at least the parts, whencompleted, will be put together there under my supervision," answeredTorrence.
"Do you expect to go to Gravesend every day to superintend the work? Itstrikes me as rather a long journey. Won't it take up a lot of yourtime?"
"It would under ordinary circumstances," he answered; "but you see Ishall travel by private conveyance. In fact I have purchased a steamlaunch; she is very fast, so that I can run up and down withouttrouble."
"Oh!" I ejaculated, unable entirely to conceal my surprise even at thisminor, and perhaps more reasonable extravagance.
"I suppose you will keep a crew on board then?"
"Oh, yes."
"And the thing will always be waiting for you?"
"Exactly!"
"Couldn't we have saved a lot of money by sleeping on her?" I asked.
"Probably; but I don't think it would have been so comfortable. Surely,Gurt, you're not dissatisfied with our quarters already?"
"Dissatisfied! Heaven forbid! I was only thinking of your purse."
"That, my dear boy, can take care of itself. By the by, do you know weought to have more clothes, and a couple of men--_valets_, I mean; forwhoever heard of people in our position, dressing themselves? I think Ishall put an 'ad' in the _Times_ to-morrow."
"I hope not," I answered; "for my part I should feel like a fool to havea fellow tinkering about me, holding my trousers while I stepped intothem, and washing my face--why I understand that even the Prince ofWales puts on his own clothes!"
"That ought to settle it then," said Torrence; "but a greater variety ofwearing apparel is necessary; for the servants that wait on us arebetter clad than we are."
I didn't offer any objection to the clothes, feeling that they were atangible asset, which in the event of failure might be turned to someaccount. But the _valets_ were quite superfluous
, a money sink, as wellas an affectation which I swore to eschew.
The transition from poverty to opulence had been so sudden, that itmight have been unnerving were it not for my brother's extraordinaryinfluence. I had always regarded him with unswerving confidence, andeven now the relief from monetary anxiety quite outweighed any misgivingI might have felt concerning the manner of this suddenly acquiredwealth. As it was, while my wonder was stimulated, my curiosity partookmore of the nature of a child's toward a parent's resources, and myefforts to unravel the mystery being so successfully thwarted, I soonbecame, in a measure, satisfied to receive and ask no questions. I say,in a measure, for of course it was impossible at times to help thinkinghow this sudden change in our circumstances had been achieved.
After dinner I went down into the lower corridor of the hotel, andadmired its superb finish, and elegant appointments, as well as the gaythrong that constantly gathered there. Thence wandering into thereading room, I indited a number of letters to friends at home, feelinga peculiar satisfaction in using the gorgeous note paper with the words,Hotel Mustapha, engraved upon the top of each sheet. While I waswriting Torrence amused himself in the billiard room, where he hadalready made acquaintances. When through with my letters, I joined theparty, a bevy of fashionable men, who evidently looked up to Torrence astheir leader. They were playing pool for stakes, and when the game wasover, my brother, putting his hand in his pocket, pulled out a hugebundle of bank bills, and settled the score. The amount lost could nothave been large, as he received several gold pieces and some silver backin change, out of a single bill. I marked this fact with interest, asit tended to show that Torrence was not gambling to any excess. Heintroduced me to the men as his twin brother; and then we went into thesmoking room and drank some hot Scotches, and smoked very expensivecigars, my brother again paying the bill.
We soon became looked upon as the Yankee millionaires, no distinctionbeing made between us, and being well supplied with funds myself, I wasalways able to appear as a gentleman.
A few days after our arrival, I was informed that one of the best boxesat a neighboring theater was reserved for us. Torrence had taken it forthe season. "Not that I expect to go there every night," he said, "butit is pleasant to have one's own corner to drop in upon, when onehappens in the mood. To-night, for instance, I think it would be niceto take a peep at the ballet; don't you?"
I agreed that it would, and after our usual sumptuous dinner, we entereda very handsome closed carriage, and were driven away. There were twomen upon the box in livery, and as we rolled noiselessly on upon rubbertires, I remarked that it was quite the swellest public rig I had everseen. My observation was received with scorn.
"Public rig be blowed!" said Torrence; "surely you know better than totake this for a hackney coach!"
"What then?" I inquired.
"Private, of course. I bought the entire outfit, horses and all thismorning. This is my maiden trip with them; and they--I mean theanimals--are a pair of spankers, I can tell you!"
"And how much did the whole outfit cost?" I inquired, unable to restrainmy curiosity on the money question.
"Eight fifty!" said Torrence, in an easy off-hand way, as if fourthousand two hundred and fifty dollars were the merest bagatelle. Iwould have been stunned had I not been growing gradually accustomed tothat sort of thing. As it was, I simply remarked that I couldn't seehow he was going to find time to exercise his purchase.
"Oh, I'll leave that to you," he answered, "I don't want you to go abouttown in a manner unbefitting the role; savey?"
We were ushered into the theater with all the deference that could havebeen heaped upon her majesty, so I thought; and I half expected theaudience to rise as we entered our box.
The play was one of those dazzling effects of lights and legs, asTorrence expressed it, with little or nothing beside, and I soonobserved that a pretty little soubrette was the principal attraction.Before the second act was over, an attendant was summoned and despatchedwith a five pound bill, and an order for the prettiest basket of flowersto be bought, which at the first opportunity found its way upon thestage. At times it made me sick to see the money my brother wasted, butI was a more puppet in his keeping, and could do nothing to deter him.I fully expected he would be going to the green room after theperformance for an introduction, but to my amazement he did nothing ofthe kind, and instead we got into our carriage, and driving to afashionable restaurant, had supper.
"And why did you throw away your money on those flowers?" I asked him,lingering over a bottle of Pomard.
"Do you call that throwing money away? Why the poor little thing lookedas if she needed all the encouragement she could get. I think ofleaving an order with the florist to-morrow to send her half a dozenevery night. Take them in from different parts of the auditorium, youknow, so that she will never suspect they came from the same person."
"And you won't send your card?"
"Decidedly not!"
"And you don't want her to know it is you?"
"Decidedly not!"
"Have you taken leave of your senses?"
"Decidedly not! Why, Gurt, don't you know it would give her a lot morepleasure to think she was a general favorite than a special one?"
"Decidedly not!" I answered, taking up his cue, "any girl wouldrather--but no, on further consideration, I believe you're right." Andit seemed to me that Torrence was always right.
Later we got into our carriage and were driven to the hotel. The nightwas wet and cold, and I was glad to find myself once more in thecheerful Mustapha. We had a game of billiards, followed by some hotScotch and a cigar, and then went to our rooms, and to bed.
Once in the dark and alone I kept revolving in my mind the events of theday, and of the time since our change of fortune; and naturally fell tospeculating as to the most probable manner in which all this wealth hadbeen acquired. Nothing I could think of was satisfactory, and one ideaafter another was set aside as equally improbable. I suppose I musthave fallen asleep when I began to wonder if the receipt he had shown mewere genuine. It was an unreasonable doubt, and at variance with myfaith in Torrence, and yet it took hold of me as sleeping thoughts sometimes will. Had I not seen his money? Why should he not have used itfor hotels as well as anything else? And yet the thought annoyed me, sothat I could not dismiss it; and finally I found myself sitting up inbed, brooding over it. Lighting my candle I walked quietly across theroom and entered the _salon_. Listening at my brother's door for amoment, and making sure that he was asleep, I returned to my own roomand dressed. The lights were still burning brightly all over the house,and looking at my watch, I saw that it was only a little past midnight.There could be nothing extraordinary in going to the hotel office andinquiring in a casual way if the rooms had been paid for. It would setmy mind at rest to have the verbal assurance of the proprietor that theywere. I could not help feeling that it was an underhanded advantage totake of my sleeping relative; but I was driven by a great fear, andafter a moment's hesitation, I sped down the stairway into the lobbybelow. I sauntered into the billiard room, not so much to see if therewere any players left, as to assume an appearance of merely loungingabout the premises without definite purpose. Half a dozen men werestill plying their cues, and I recognized the one to whom Torrence hadintroduced me. I was invited to join the game, but dread of being ledinto a carouse deterred me, and after looking on for a few minutes, Isaid good-night and wandered back toward the office. I walked up anddown a couple of times with an unlighted cigarette between my teeth, asif merely seeking diversion, and then going up to the desk, asked someirrelevant questions about the arrivals during the day. My questionanswered, I turned carelessly as if about to depart, and then as thoughthe thought had suddenly presented itself, looked back, and said:
"Oh! by the by; did I understand correctly that my brother, Mr. TorrenceAttlebridge, had settled for our apartments?"
The clerk did not have to refer to his books, but answered promptly witha
pleased smile:
"Oh, yes, sir. Everything is settled for in full. Your brother haspaid in advance for two months. He has our receipt for theamount--three hundred pounds. They are our very best apartments, sir;decorated by LeBrune, and furnished by Haltzeimer entirely regardless--Ihope Mr. Attlebridge finds everything satisfactory!"
I assured him that everything was just as we desired and went awaycomforted, with the exception of wishing that I had the money instead ofthe rooms. But such thoughts were idle; I was in Torrence's hands.
After loitering about the smoking room for a few minutes, I returned tomy room, and to bed.