CHAPTER XXVII--THE PHANTOM'S RUSE
The doctor placidly finished his cigarette. The sleek, genial smile hadnot left his face for an instant, and his eye still held the sametwinkle of languid amusement.
"Miss Hardwick is a very plucky young woman," he murmured, "butevidently the spook chamber, as you so aptly termed it a little whileago, has proved too much for her nerves. The cry we just heard seemed toindicate that she was in great distress. Being alone in a dark room withnothing but skeletons for company is not a very pleasant experience fora woman."
The Phantom's face turned a shade whiter. For a moment he was dazed bythe realization that Helen was undergoing the same excruciating ordealto which he himself had been subjected. The ghostly spectacle had causedeven his strong nerves to writhe and he shuddered at thought of theeffect it must have on her more delicate organism.
"I gave you a little taste of it just to enable you to appreciate MissHardwick's predicament," continued the doctor in matter-of-fact tones."The arrangement is simplicity itself. My excellent Jerome fixed it up.The scenic effects are so simple that a child could have handled them.Yet you will admit, I think, that they serve their purpose. I once knewa person--not a weakling, either--who went mad under similar pressure.It is strange how----"
Another shriek, not so loud as the first, but long-drawn and hoarse,interrupted him. He paused for a moment, eyeing the Phantom with a levelglance while the scream lasted, then fell to polishing his lenses.
"As I was about to remark," he went on, "it is strange how darkness anda touch of the grewsome affect one's mind. The soul seems to shrink fromsuch things. The reason, I think, must be atavistic. The poor wretch Iwas telling you about, the one who lost his mind----"
"Stop it!" cried the Phantom. His voice was husky. "Get her out of thatroom before she goes mad!"
Doctor Bimble seemed suddenly interested. "Do I understand that you arewilling to listen to reason? Are you ready to reconsider the suggestionI made a while ago and which you so grandiloquently rejected? In otherwords, are you willing to tell me where your treasures are hidden?"
"Yes--anything! I'll do whatever you ask. Only stop that infernalhocus-pocus at once!"
"Oh, very well." There was a smile of keen gratification on Bimble'slips as he got up and left the room.
The Phantom, every limb shaking, stared at the door through which he hadpassed. Suddenly his blood-streaked eyes grew wide. He rememberedsomething that was almost as terrifying as the shrieks he had justheard. His thoughts went back to the moment when he had awakened in thedark room, and he recalled the snatches of conversation he hadoverheard.
One of the two speakers, he was now almost certain, had been DoctorBimble. The voice had sounded familiar, and he would probably haverecognized it but for the dazed condition he was in. One of the doctor'ssentences had burned itself into the Phantom's brain:
"The young lady is here to serve our purpose. After that----"
He saw it all in a blinding flash that scorched like fire. With theirusual cunning the Duke's men had perceived that neither by torture norby threats of death could the Gray Phantom be forced to comply withtheir desires. They had known that he held his life lightly and couldsuffer personal punishment like an Indian. And so their diabolicallycrafty minds had conceived the idea of letting Helen Hardwick's agonizedcries pierce his armor of pride and obduracy, thus accomplishing whatcould never have been accomplished by other means.
They had judged him accurately, was his grim reflection. Rather than seea hair of Helen's head harmed he would gladly make any sacrifice. Butthe sinister significance of the doctor's words had been plain. ThePhantom would not insure Helen's safety by accepting Bimble's terms.Evidently, Miss Hardwick had come into possession of information whichthe gang feared she might divulge if set free, and consequently she wasto be silenced forever as soon as Bimble's purpose had been attained.
While he awaited the doctor's return the Phantom thought quickly. Byaccepting Bimble's terms he would only be hastening Helen's doom, forthe gang, having no further use for her after they had gained theirends, would probably put her to death quickly. On the other hand, byrejecting the conditions, he would at least gain time. In the meanwhileBimble might inflict cruel suffering upon her, but his selfish interestswould restrain him from taking her life, for, once he had done so, hissole hold upon the Phantom would be gone.
The reasoning was plain, but he found it hard to reach a decision.Perhaps death would be merciful in comparison with the tortures thatBimble might subject her to. He was caught between the jaws of a fearfuldilemma, and the only sane course he could see was to play for time.
Doctor Bimble returned. "Why do women never swoon until the worst isover?" he questioned in whimsical tones. "Miss Hardwick is a surprisingyoung lady, but she is not free from the foibles of her sex. She had nosooner been taken out of the dark room than she promptly collapsed."
The Phantom held back the biting words on his tongue, but he could notforego a look of withering contempt.
"Do you know," the doctor went on, "I am almost certain that MissHardwick knows where your retreat is located? In fact, she let slipsomething that convinces me she does. But do you suppose the stubbornlittle beauty would tell? Not she! I don't believe the fear of eternalfires could force her to speak."
He had guessed correctly, but the Phantom carefully refrained fromsignifying by a look or a word that it was so. Miss Hardwick knew aboutSea-Glimpse, and it was with mingled feelings the Phantom heard of herrefusal to reveal the secret. Had she become aware, through some processof divination, that her life would be forfeited the moment theinformation was in the doctor's possession, or had she been guided byother reasons?
"So you see," continued Bimble in smooth tones, "that you will save thelittle lady from all sorts of unpleasantness by acceding to my veryreasonable terms. It would be a shame if such a charming woman shouldbecome a gibbering maniac as a result of obstinacy on your part. Wheredid you say this place of yours is situated?"
"I haven't said yet." The Phantom forced a laugh. "Before I do, you andI must have a definite understanding. Do you agree to set Miss Hardwickfree the moment I have given you the information?"
"What an unreasonable question, my dear Phantom! I agree to do nothingof the kind. I shall keep Miss Hardwick here until I have satisfiedmyself that you have been dealing with me on the square and that thedirections you have given me are accurate."
"Fair enough. But after you have satisfied yourself in regard to my goodfaith, what then?"
"Then," said the doctor, and there was not a trace of guile in his face,"Miss Hardwick shall be immediately released."
"On your word of honor?"
"On my word of honor."
"Snake!" the Phantom was tempted to say, but he pretended to besatisfied. Already his mind was inventing a ruse. He would gain severalhours of valuable time by inveigling the doctor into a search for aplace that had existence only in the Phantom's imagination. In themeantime several things were likely to happen. It was just possible thatGranger had been able to trace the movements of the limousine and wouldcome to the rescue. At any rate, the Phantom believed that if he couldbut stave off the crisis for a while his customary luck would once morereassert itself.
His mind worked fast. Doubtless the doctor knew that he had arrived inNew York less than twenty-four hours after the Gage murder. Allowing forslow and infrequent trains and the time required for news to reachout-of-the-way places, he would have to choose a point that was not morethan ten or twelve hours removed from New York. With a mental picture ofthe map before his eyes, he outlined a highly imaginative route to thedoctor.
Bimble made a few notes. Then he looked up, and for once there was anominous glint in the usually placid eyes.
"My men will start at once," he announced. "They will be instructed towire me as soon as they have reached their destination. I hope, for MissHardwick's sake, that you have not tried to deceive me."
With that he was gone; but the softly s
poken words, edged with just thefaintest trace of a sinister note, lingered for a long time in thePhantom's memory.