The Man from Brodney's
CHAPTER XVI
TWO CALLS FROM THE ENEMY
Deppingham was up and about quite early the next morning--that is, quiteearly for him. He had his rolls and coffee and strolled out in the shadypark for a smoke. The Princess, whose sense of humiliation had not beenlessened by the fitful sleep of the night before, was walking in theshade of the trees on the lower terrace, beyond the fountains and theartificial lake. A great straw hat, borrowed from Lady Agnes, shaded herface from the glare of the mid-morning sun. Farther up the slope, one ofthe maids was playing with the dogs. She waved her hand gaily and pausedto wait for him.
"I was thinking of you," she said in greeting, as he came up.
"How nice you are," he said. "But, my dear, is it wise in you to bethinking of us handsome devils? It's a most dangerous habit--thinking ofother men."
"But, Deppy, dear, the Prince isn't here," she said, falling into hishumour. "That makes quite a difference, doesn't it?"
"Your logic is splendid. Pray resume your thoughts of me--if they werepleasant and agreeable. I'll not blow on you to Karl."
"I was just thinking what a lucky fellow you are to have such a darlingas Agnes for a wife."
"You might as well say that Agnes ought to feel set up because Pong hasa nice coat. By the way, I have a compliment for you--no, not one oftheir beastly trade-lasts! Browne says your hair is more beautiful thanPong's. That's quite a compliment, Titian never even dreamed of hairlike Pong's."
"You know, Deppy," she said with a pout, "I am very unhappy about myhair. It is quite red. I don't see why I should have hair like that of ared cocker. It seems so animalish."
"Rubbish! Why should you complain? Look at my hair. It's been likenedmore than once to that of a jersey cow."
"Oh, how I adore jersey cows! Now, I wouldn't mind that a bit."
They were looking toward the lower gates while carrying on thisfrivolous conversation. A man had just entered and was coming towardthem. Both recognised the tall figure in grey flannels. Deppingham'semotion was that of undisguised amazement; Genevra's that of confusionand embarrassment. She barely had recovered her lost composure when thenewcomer was close upon them.
There was nothing in the manner of Chase, however, to cause theslightest feeling of uneasiness. He was frankness itself. His smile wasone of apology, almost of entreaty; his broad grass helmet was in hishand and his bow was one of utmost deference.
"I trust I am not intruding," he said as he came up. His gaze was asmuch for Deppingham as for the Princess, his remark quite impersonal.
"Not at all, not at all," said Deppingham quickly, his heart leaping tothe conclusion that the way to the American bar was likely to be openedat last. "Charmed to have you here, Mr. Chase. You've been mostunneighbourly. Have you been presented to her Highness, the--Oh, to besure. Of course you have. Stupid of me."
"We met ages ago," she said with an ingenuous smile, which would havedisarmed Chase if he had been prepared for anything else. As a matter offact, he had approached her in the light of an adventurer who expectsnothing and grasps at straws.
"In the dark ages," said he so ruefully that her smile grew. He hadcome, in truth, to ascertain why her husband had not come with her.
"But not the forgotten variety, I fancy," said Deppingham shrewdly.
"It would be impossible for the Princess to forget the greatest of allfools," said Chase.
"He was no worse than other mortals," said she.
"Thank you," said Chase. Then he turned to Lord Deppingham. "My visitrequires some explanation, Lord Deppingham. You have said that I amunneighbourly. No doubt you appreciate my reasons. One has to respectappearances," with a dry smile. "When one is in doubt he must do as theMoslems do, especially if the Moslems don't want him to do as he wantsto do."
"No doubt you're right, but it sounds a bit involved," murmuredDeppingham. "Now that you are here you must do as the Moslems don't.That's our Golden Rule. We'll consider the visit explained, but notcurtailed. Lady Deppingham will be delighted to see you. Are you readyto come in, Princess?"
They started toward the chateau, keeping well in the shade of the boxedtrees, the Princess between the two men.
"I say, Chase, do you mind relieving my fears a bit? With all duerespect to your estimable clients, it occurs to me that they are likelyto break over the traces at any moment, and raise the very old Harry atsomebody else's expense. I'd like to know if my head is really safe.Since your experience the other night, I'm a bit apprehensive."
"I came to see you in regard to that very thing, Lord Deppingham. Idon't want to alarm you, but I do not like the appearance of things.They don't trust me and they hate you--quite naturally. I'm rather sorrythat our British man-of-war is out of reach. Pray, don't be alarmed,Princess. It is most improbable that anything evil will happen. And, inany event, we can hold out against them until relief comes."
"We?" demanded Deppingham.
"Certainly. If it comes to an assault of any kind upon the chateau, Itrust that I may be considered as one of you. I won't serve assassinsand bandits--at least, not after they've got beyond my control. Besides,if the worst should come, they won't discriminate in my favour."
"Why do you stay here, Mr. Chase?" asked the Princess. "You admit thatthey do not like you or trust you. Why do you stay?"
"I came out here to escape certain consequences," said he candidly."I'll stay to enjoy the uncertain ones. I am not in the least alarmed onmy own account. The object of my visit, Lord Deppingham, is to ask youto be on your guard up here. After the next steamer arrives, and theylearn that Sir John will not withdraw me in submission to Rasula'sdemand, with the additional news that your solicitors have filedinjunctions and have begun a bitter contest that may tie up the estatefor years--then, I say, we may have trouble. It is best that you shouldknow what to expect. I am not a traitor to my cause, in telling youthis; it is no more than I would expect from you were the conditionsreversed. Moreover, I do not forget that you gave me the man-of-waropportunity. That was rather good fun."
"It's mighty decent in you, Chase, to put us on our guard. Would youmind talking it over with Browne and me after luncheon? You'll stay toluncheon, of course?"
"Thank you. It may be my death sentence, but I'll stay."
In the wide east gallery they saw Lady Deppingham and Bobby Browne,deeply engrossed in conversation. They were seated in the shade of thewisteria, and the two were close upon them before they heard theirvoices. Deppingham started and involuntarily allowed his hand to go tohis temple, as if to check the thought that flitted through his brain.
"Good Lord," he said to himself, "is it possible that they areconsidering that demmed Saunders's proposition? Surely they can't bethinking of that!"
As he led the way across the green, Browne's voice came to themdistinctly. He was saying earnestly:
"The mere fact that we have come out to this blessed isle is a point infavour of the islanders. Chase won't overlook it and you may be sure SirJohn Brodney is making the most of it. Our coming is a guarantee that weconsider the will valid. It is an admission that we regard it as sound.If not, why should we recognise its provisions, even in the slightestdetail? Britt is looking for hallucinations and all--"
"Sh!" came in a loud hiss from somewhere near at hand, and the two inthe gallery looked down with startled eyes upon the distressed face ofLord Deppingham. They started to their feet at once, astonishment andwonder in their faces. They could scarcely believe their eyes. TheEnemy!
He was smiling broadly as he lifted his helmet, smiling in spite of thediscomfort that showed so plainly in Deppingham's manner.
Chase was warmly welcomed by the two heirs. Lady Agnes was especiallycordial. Her eyes gleamed joyously as she lifted them to meet hisadmiring gaze. She was amazingly pretty. The conviction that Chase hadmistaken her for Lady Agnes, the evening before, took a fresh grasp uponthe mind of the Princess Genevra. A shameless wave of relief surgedthrough her heart.
Chase was presented to Drusilla Browne, who appeared sudd
enly upon thescene, coming from no one knew where. There was a certain strained lookin the Boston woman's face and a suspicious redness near the bridge ofher little nose. As she had not yet acquired the Boston habit of wearingglasses, whether she needed them or not, the irritation could hardly beattributed to tight _pince nez_. Genevra made up her mind on the instantthat Drusilla was making herself unhappy over her good-looking husband'sattentions to his co-legatee.
"It's very good of you," said the Enemy, after all of them had joined inthe invitation. There was a peculiar twinkle in his eye as he asked thisrather confounding question: "Why is it that I am more fortunate thanyour own attorneys? I am but a humble lawyer, after all, no better thanthey. Would you mind telling me why I am honoured by an invitation tosit at the table with you?" The touch of easy sarcasm was softened bythe frank smile that went with it. Deppingham, having been the first tooffend, after a look of dismay at his wife, felt it his duty to explain.
"It's--it's--er--oh, yes, it's because you're a diplomat," he finallyremarked in triumph. It was a grand recovery, thought he. "Saunders isan ass and Britt would be one if Browne could only admit it, as I do.Rubbish! Don't let that trouble you. Eh, Browne?"
"Besides," said Bobby Browne breezily, "I haven't heard of your clientsinviting _you_ to lunch, Mr. Chase. The cases are parallel."
"I'm not so sure about his clients' wives," said Deppingham, with a vasthaw-haw! Chase looked extremely uncomfortable.
"I am told that some of them are very beautiful," said Genevra sedately.
"Other men's wives always are, I've discovered," said Chase gallantly.
The party had moved over to the great stone steps which led down intothe gardens. Chase was standing beside Lady Deppingham and both of themwere looking toward his distant bungalow. He turned to the Princess withthe remark:
"That is my home. Princess. It is the first time I have seen it fromyour point of view, Lady Deppingham. I must say that it doesn't seem asfar from the chateau to the bungalow as it does from the bungalow to thechateau. There have been times when the chateau seemed to be thousandsof miles away."
"When in reality it was at your very feet," she said with a bright lookinto his eyes. For some unaccountable reason, Genevra resented that lookand speech. Perhaps it was because she felt the rift of an undercurrent.
"Is that really where you live?" she asked, so innocently that Chase haddifficulty in controlling his expression.
At that instant something struck sharply against the stone column aboveChase's head. At least three persons saw the little puff of smoke in thehills far to the right. Every one heard the distant crack of a rifle.The bullet had dropped at Chase's feet before the sound of the reportcame floating to their ears. No one spoke as he stooped and picked upthe warm, deadly missile. Turning it over in his fingers, an ugly thingto look at, he said coolly, although his cheek had gone white:
"With Von Blitz's compliments, ladies and gentlemen. He is calling onme, by proxy."
"Good God, Chase," cried Browne, "they're trying to murder us. Get back,every one! Inside the doors!"
The women, white-faced and silent for the moment, turned to follow thespeaker.
"I'm sorry to bring my troubles to your door," said Chase. "It was meantfor me, not for any of you. The man who fired that did not intend tokill me. He was merely giving voice to his pain and regret at seeing mein such bad company." He was smiling calmly and did not take a singlestep to follow them to safety.
"Come in, Chase! Don't stand out there to be shot at."
"I'll stay here for a few minutes, Mr. Browne, if you don't mind, justto convince you all that the shot was not intended to kill. They're notready to kill me yet. I'm sure Lord Deppingham will understand. He hasbeen shot at often enough since he came to the island."
"By Jove, I should rather say I have," blurted out Deppingham. "'Pon myword, they had a shot at me every time I tried to pluck a flower at theroadside. I've got so used to it that I resent it when they don't have atry at me."
"Think it was Von Blitz?" asked Browne.
"No. He couldn't hit the chateau at two hundred yards. It is a native.They shoot like fury." He lighted a cigarette and coolly leaned againstthe column, his gaze bent on the spot where the smoke had been seen. Theothers were grouped inside the doors, where they could see without beingseen. A certain sense of horror possessed all of the watchers. It was asif they were waiting to see him fall with a bullet in hisbreast--executed before their eyes. Several minutes passed.
"For heaven's sake, why does he stand there?" cried the Princess atlast. "I can endure it no longer. It may be as he says it is, but it isfoolhardy to stand there and taunt the pride of that marksman. I can'tstay here and wait for it to come. How can--"
"He's been there for ten minutes, Princess," said Browne. "Plenty oftime for another try."
"I am not afraid to stand beside him," said Lady Agnes suddenly. She hadconquered her dread and saw the chance for something theatrical. Herhusband grasped her arm as she started toward the Enemy.
"None of that, Aggie," he said sharply.
Before they were aware of her intention, the Princess left the shelterand boldly walked across the open space to the side of the man. Hestarted and opened his lips to give vent to a sharp command.
"It is so easy to be a hero, Mr. Chase, when one is quite sure there isno real danger," she said, with distinct irony in her tones. "One canafford to be melodramatic if he knows his part so well as you knowyours."
Chase felt his face burn. It was a direct declaration that he hadplanned the whole affair in advance. He flicked the ashes from hiscigarette and then tossed it away, hesitating long before replying.
"Nevertheless, I have the greatest respect for the courage which bringsyou to my side. I daresay you are quite justified in your opinion of me.It all must seem very theatrical to you. I had not thought of it in thatlight. I shall now retire from the centre of the stage. It will beperfectly safe for you to remain here--just as it was for me." He wasleaving her without another word or look. She repented.
"I am sorry for what I said," she said eagerly. "And--" she looked up atthe hills with a sudden widening of her eyes--"I think I shall notremain."
He waited for her and they crossed to the entrance together.
Luncheon was quite well over before the spirits of the party reactedfrom the depression due to the shooting. Chase made light of theoccurrence, but sought to impress upon the others the fact that it wasprophetic of more serious events in the future. In a perfectlycold-blooded manner he told them that the islanders might rise againstthem at any time, overstepping the bounds of England's law in a returnto the primeval law of might. He advised the occupants of the chateau toexercise extreme caution at all times.
"The people are angry and they will become desperate. Their interestsare mine, of course. I am perfectly sincere in saying to you, LadyDeppingham, and to you, Mr. Browne, that in time they will win outagainst you in the courts. But they are impatient; they are not the kindwho can wait and be content. It is impossible for you to carry out theprovisions of the will, and they know it. That is why they resent thedelays that are impending."
Deppingham told him of the scheme proposed by Saunders, treating it as avast joke. Chase showed a momentary sign of uneasiness, but covered itinstantly by laughing with the others. Strange to say, he had beeninstructed from London to look out for just such a coup on the part ofthe heirs. Not that the marriage could be legally established, but thatit might create a complication worth avoiding.
He could not help looking from Lady Deppingham to Bobby Browne, acalculating gleam in his grey eyes. How very dangerous she could be! Hewas quite ready to feel very sorry for pretty Mrs. Browne. Browne, ofcourse, revealed no present symptom of surrender to the charms of hisco-legatee. Later on, he was to recall this bit of calculation and toenlarge upon it from divers points of view.
Just now he was enjoying himself for the first time since his arrival inJapat. He sat opposite to the Princess; his eyes were re
freshingthemselves after months of fatigue; his blood was coursing through newveins. And yet, his head was calling his heart a fool.