CHAPTER IX
PRESTO CHANGE: "OUT OF THE NIGHT THAT COVERS ME!"
Herrick excused himself to Mrs. Hope and followed Joe Patrick out of thebox. "But are you sure, Joe?" he asked. "Could you swear to it?"
"Sure I could! Why couldn't I?"
"And you couldn't tell the coroner that that man was as slim as a whipand as dark as an Indian, about middle height and over thirty, and of avery nervous, wiry, high-strung build."
"Well, now I look at him close again I can see all that. But he didn'tstrike me anyways particular."
Herrick had an exasperated moment of wondering, if Joe considered Dennycommonplace, what was his idea of the salient and the vivid. Was thewhole of Joe's testimony as valueless as this? He stood now and watchedtheir man with wonder. Had Denny recognized him? Had he seen Joe Patrickrooted upright there, behind his chair, with staring eyes? If so, afterthat first flicker of blindness, not an eyelash betrayed him. He wastriumphantly at his ease; his part became a thing of swiftness and wit,with the grace of flashing rapiers and of ruffling lace, so that fromthe moment of his entrance the act quickened and began to glow; the manseemed to take the limp, stuffed play up in his hand, to breathe life init, to set it afire, to give it wings. And all this so quietly, withmerely a light, firm motion, an eloquent tone, a live glance! He had, asHerrick only too well remembered, a singularly winning voice, anutterance of extraordinary distinction, with a kind of fastidious edgeto his words that seemed to cut them clear from all duller sounds. ButHerrick recalled how, after the first pleasure of hearing him speak, hehad disliked a mocking lightness which seemed to blend, now, with thesomething slightly satanic of the wicked marquis whom Denny played. Heremembered Shaw's advice, "Look like a nonentity or you will get castfor villains!" Truly, they didn't cast men like that for heroes! And inthe light of that sinister flash, Herrick was aware of vengeance risingin him. He rejoiced to be hot on the trail, and when he and Joe partedit was with the understanding that he was to allay suspicion byreturning to the box and Joe was to telephone the police. Rather to hissurprise the performance continued without interruption and he somehowmissed Joe as he came out.
Now at the ungodly hour of one-thirty in the morning, Christina wasexpected home. She was to take the midnight train from some Connecticuttown, and the thought of her approach began gradually to overcome, inHerrick's mind, the thought of justice. As he walked to meet her throughthe beautiful warm, windless dark, he told himself, indeed, that he hada great piece of news for her and took counsel of her how he shouldcarry it to Kane.
But when, under the night lights of the station, he saw how she wasready to drop with fatigue, he simply changed his mind. He hadsufficiently imbibed the tone of her colleagues to feel that nothing wasso necessary as that she shouldn't be upset. It was bad enough thatto-morrow she must be told of Nancy's message and add her identificationof that curly hair; let her sleep to-night.
In the cab she drooped against him with a simplicity of exhaustion thatwas full, too, of content. "I was afraid I should never get you back!"she said, and again, "I thought, all the evening, how you hadbeen--hurt; and how all that theaterful of women could see that youwere safe--and I couldn't! Do you know how I comforted myself?" And shebegan to murmur into his shoulder a little scrap of song--
"Careless and proud, That is their part of him-- But the deep heart of him Hid from the crowd!"
"You know where my heart was!" he said. He had forgotten how large apart of it had been excited by the apparition of Denny.
Still humming, she drew back a little and let her look shine up to his.
"Simple and frank, Traitors be wise of him! Are not the eyes of him Pledge of his rank?"
"Christina!" he said, humbly. "Don't!"
"You don't like it!" she softly jeered. And though when he put her intoher mother's arms her little smile was so pitiful that it frightenedhim, and he would have given anything that to-morrow night were past,yet she turned on the stairway and cast him down, with a teasingfondness, a final verse.
"Vigor and tan! Look at the strength of him! Oh, the good length of him! There is my man!"
"Christina!" cried Mrs. Hope, scandalized. And Christina, with ahysterical and weary laugh, dragged herself upstairs.
Herrick went forth into the street bathed in the sense of her love andwith a soul that trembled at her sweetness. He was himself veryrestless, and, sniffing the fresh dark, he dismissed the cab. He hadbegun to be really in dread lest Christina should break down; after hehad crossed the street he turned, with anxious lingering, to look up ather window, and he saw the light spring forth behind it as he looked. Itwas so hard to leave the sense of her nearness that Herrick, like a boy,stood still and there rose in his breast a tenderness that seemed toturn his heart to water. He had no desire, ever again, on any blind, tosee a woman's shadow. Yet he hoped that she might come to the window topull this blind down; in case some one else did so for her, he steppedbackward into a little area-way in the shadow of a tall stoop. But shedid not come. The hall light went out, and then hers. He gave up, andjust then the front door opened and Christina, not having so much asremoved her hat, appeared upon the threshold. He remained quite stillwith astonishment; and the girl, after glancing cautiously up and downthe street, descended the steps and set off eastward at a brisk pace.
When she turned the corner into Central Park West, the explanation wasclear to him. In some way or another, she had got into communicationwith the blackmailers and made a rendezvous which she was determinedthis time to keep alone. For the first time, Herrick felt angry withher. He had a sense of having been trifled with and he was reallyfrightened; now, indeed, he cursed himself for continuing to go unarmed.He knew that it would be worse than useless to reason with her, and theinstant she was out of sight, he merely followed. Gaining the avenue, helooked up the long line of the Park without seeing her. Ah! This timeshe was going south. He went as far as he dared on the other side of thestreet but he knew her ears were quick and, reaching the Park side hevaulted the wall, and gained the shelter of the trees.
He had scarcely done so when Christina turned sharply round; and shecontinued to take this precaution every little while, but he could seethat it was a mere formality. She no longer thought herself followed andnever glanced among the trees; his steps were inaudible on the softturf. At the Seventy-sixth Street entrance she turned into the park;pausing, wearily, she took off her hat and pushed up her hair with thebacks of her hands. She looked as if she were likely to drop; but thenshe set off rapidly again, and Herrick prayed they would meet apoliceman. But no member of the law put in an appearance, and presentlyHerrick smelled water, and knew that they were near the border of thebig lake. Under the white electric light Christina stopped and looked ather watch; she frowned as if her heart would break; and then, in a fewsteps, she paused on the threshold of a little summer-house that stoodwith the lake lapping its outer edge. The doorway was faintly lightedfrom an electric light outside, and Christina glanced expectantlywithin. But there was no one there. She uttered a little moan ofdisappointment and entering dropped onto the bench beside the lake; sherested her elbow on the latticework and Herrick could see her dear,outrageous, uncovered head mistily outlined against the water.
Never in his life had he so little known what to do. A wrong step nowmight precipitate untold disaster. His instinct was merely to remainthere, like a watchdog, and never take his eyes off her till the timecame for him to spring. But reason insisted that on the drive, less thana block away, there must be policemen, and that the quicker he soughtone the better. He had not even yesterday's stick, his right arm was nowuseless, and in a struggle by the water the odds against him weredoubled. Moreover, he had no reason to think that the blackmailersintended Christina any violence. They had come to her yesterday in orderto deliver a message. This failing, they had allowed her to departunmolested and, on her side, her only thought was to do as they asked.He perceived that the meeting would at least open with a p
arley; if hecould return with reinforcements in time to prevent foul play or toeffect a capture! But he simply could not bear to try it! And then thenearness of the roadlights and the sense of his own extreme helplessnessoverbore his instinct, and kicking off his shoes, he sped noiselesslyover grassy slopes. It seemed to him his feet were leaden; his hearttugged at him to be back; his senses strained backward for a sound andwhen he burst out on the drive he could have cursed the officer he sawfor being fifty feet away. It did not occur to him until afterwards thatif his likeness had not been in every paper in New York he might himselfhave been immediately arrested. But the policeman listened with interestto his story and then ambled out with the circumstance that thesummer-house was not on his beat, but that Herrick would find anotherofficer near such and such a place! With the blackness of death in hisheart, Herrick sped back as he had come, and then, hearing nothing,slackened speed. There, still, thank God, was that dim outline of anuncovered head against the lake! But so motionless that Herrick wasstabbed by one of those quick, insensate pangs of nightmare. Supposethey had killed her and set her there, like that! He controlled himself;but he was determined, now, at all hazards to get her away and steppinginto the path before the door, "Christina!" he said.
The figure rose, and as it did so, he saw that it was not Christina atall, but a man. A slight man, not over tall, who, as he stepped forwardtoward the light, turned upon Herrick the pale, dark, restless face ofthe actor, Will Denny.