The Light of Scarthey: A Romance

  CHAPTER XXIX

  THE LIGHT GOES OUT

  The light of Scarthey had not been shining for quite an hour over thewilderness, when Lady Landale, suddenly breaking the chain of herrestless tramp, ran to the door and called for Moggie.

  There was so shrill a tone of anguish in the summons that the youngwoman rushed into the room in trembling expectancy: yet it was to findher mistress alone and the place undisturbed.

  "Moggie," said Lady Landale, panting and pressing her hands upon herside as if in the endeavour to control the beating of her heart,"something is going to happen; I know it, I feel it! Tell CaptainSmith that I must speak to him, here, at once."

  Infected by the terror upon her mistress's face, Madame Lapotre flewupon her errand; a moment later, Captain Jack entered the room andstood before Lady Landale with a look of impatient inquiry.

  "Oh, it is wicked, it is mad!" cried she passionately; "it is temptingGod to remain here!"

  "Of whom are you speaking?" he asked, with an involuntary glance ofcontempt at the distracted figure. "If it is of yourself, I entirelyconcur. How often these last days, and how earnestly have I not beggedof you to return to Pulwick? Was not the situation you placed me inwith regard to Adrian already odious enough that it needed this addedfolly? Oh, I know--I know what you would say: spare it me. My safety?You fear for me? Ah, Lady Landale, that you could have but left me inpeace!"

  He had waxed hot with anger from his first would-be calmness, as hespoke. This dismal life of close but inharmonious proximity, startedupon the seas and continued under his absent friend's own roof hadtried his impetuous temper to the utmost. Upon the morrow of theirreturn he had, indeed, exercised all his powers of persuasion toinduce Lady Landale to proceed to the Priory; but, impelled by herfrantic dread of the separation, and entrenching herself behind theargument that her mysterious re-appearance would awaken suspicionwhere people would otherwise believe the _Peregrine_ still in foreignparts, she had declared her irrevocable determination not to quit theisland until she knew him to be safe. And he had remained, actuated bythe dual desire, first to exonerate himself personally in herhusband's eyes from any possible suspicion of complicity in Molly'sflight--the bare thought of which had become a horrible torment tohim--then to encompass through that good friend's means an interviewand full explanation with Madeleine, which not only the most ordinaryprecaution for his life, but likewise every instinct of pride forbadehim now to seek himself.

  Thus began a state of affairs which, as the days succeeded each otherwithout news of Sir Adrian, became every moment more intolerable tohis loyalty. The inaction, the solitary hours of reflection; themaddening feeling of unavailing proximity to his heart's dearest, ofimpotency against the involving meshes of the present false andhateful position; all this had brought into the young man's soul afever of anger, which, as fevers will, consumed him the more fiercelybecause of his vigour and strength.

  It was with undisguised hatred and with scorn immeasurable that he nowsurveyed the woman who had degraded him in his own eyes. At anothertime Molly might have yielded before his resentment, but at this hourher whole being was encompassed by a single thought.

  "It is for you--for you!" she repeated with ashen lips; "you must gobefore it is too late."

  "And is it not too late?" stormed he. "Too late, indeed, do I see mytreachery to Adrian, my more than brother! Upon my ship I could notavoid your company, but here--Oh, I should have thought of him and notof myself, and done as my honour bade me! You are right; since youwould not go, I should have done so. It was weak; it was mad; worse,worse--dishonourable!"

  But she had no ears for his reproaches, no power to feel the woundshe dealt her woman's heart with such relentless hand.

  "Then you will go," she cried. "Tell Rene, the signal."

  He started and looked at her with a different expression.

  "Have you heard anything; has anything happened?" he asked, recoveringself-restraint at the thought of danger.

  "Not yet," she replied, "not yet, but it is coming."

  Her look and voice were so charged with tragic force that for themoment he was impressed, and, brave man though he was, felt a littlecold thrill run down his spine. She continued, in accents of the mostpiercing misery:

  "And it will have been through me--it will have been through me! Oh,in mercy let me make the signal! Say you will go to-night."

  "I will go."

  There followed a little pause of breathless silence between them. Thenas, without speaking, he would have turned away, a loud, peremptoryknock resounded upon the door of the keep and echoed and re-echoedwith lugubrious reverberation through the old stone passages aroundthem.

  At first, terror-stricken, her tongue clave to her palate, her feetwere rooted to the ground; then with a scream she flung herself uponhim and would have dragged him towards the door.

  "They have come--hide--hide!"

  He threw up his head to listen, while he strove to disengage himself.The blood had leaped to his cheek, and fire to his eye. "And if it beAdrian?" he cried.

  Another knock thundered through the still air.

  "It is but one man," cried Rene from his tower down the stairs. "Youmay open, Moggie."

  "No--no," screamed Molly beside herself, and tighter clasped her armsround Captain Jack's neck.

  "Adrian, it is Adrian!" said he. "Hush, Madam, let me go! Would youmake the breach between me and my friend irreparable?"

  Both his hands were on her wrists in the vain endeavour to disengagehimself from her frenzied grip; the door was flung open and RupertLandale stood in the opening, and looked in upon them.

  "Damnation!" muttered Jack between his teeth and flung her from him,stamping his foot.

  Rupert gazed from one to the other; from the woman, who, haggard anddishevelled, now turned like a fury upon him, to the sailor's fierceerect figure. Then he closed the door with an air of gravedeliberation.

  "What do you want?" demanded Molly--"you have come here for no goodpurpose. What do you want?"

  As she spoke she strove to place herself between the two men.

  "I came, my dear sister-in-law," said Rupert in his coldest, mostincisive voice, "to learn why, since you have come back from yourlittle trip, you choose to remain in the ruins rather than return toyour own house and family. The reason is clear to see now. My poorbrother!"

  The revulsion of disappointment had added to the wrath which the verysight of Rupert Landale aroused in Jack Smith's blood; thisinsinuation was the culminating injury. He took a step forward.

  "Have a care, sir," he exclaimed, "how you outrage in my presence thewife of my best friend! Have a care--I am not in such a hurry to leaveyou as when last we met!"

  Mr. Landale raised his eyebrows, and again sent a look from Molly backto the sailor, the insolence of which lashed beyond all control thedevils in the sailor's soul.

  "We have an account to settle, it seems to me, Mr. Landale," said he,taking another step forward and slightly stooping his head to look theother in the eye. Crimson fury was in his own. "I doubt much whetherit was quite wise of you, assuming that you expected to find me here,to have come without that pistolling retinue with which you providedyourself last time."

  Rupert smiled and crossed his arms. Cowardice was no part of hischaracter. He had come in advance of his blood-hounds, in part toassure himself of the correctness of his surmises, but also to feastupon the discomfiture of this man and this woman whom he hated. Tohave found them together, and thus, had been an unforeseen anddelicious addition to his dish of vengeance, and he would linger overit while he could.

  "Well, Captain Smith, and about this account? Lady Landale, I beg ofyou, be silent. You have brought sufficient disgrace upon our name asit is. Nay, sir," raising his voice, "it is useless to shake your headat me in this furious style; nothing can alter facts. _I saw._ Who hasan account to demand then--you, whose life is already forfeit for anaccumulation of crimes; you, screened by a conspiracy of bribedservants and ... your best friend's wife
, as you dare call yourparamour; or I, in my brother's absence the natural guardian of hisfamily, of his honour? But I am too late. One sister I saved from theignominy you would have brought upon her. The other I could not save."

  With a roar Jack Smith would have sprung at the speaker; but, oncemore, his friend's wife rushed between.

  "Let him speak," she cried, "what matter what he says? Butyou--remember your promise. I will make the signal."

  The signal! The mask of Rupert's face, sternly and sadly rebuking, wasnot proof against the exquisite aptness of this proposal. His menoutside were waiting for the signal, surrounding the island from landand seaward, (for the prey was not to be allowed to escape themagain); but how to make it without creating suspicion had not yetsuggested itself to his fertile brain. Now, while he held her lover inplay, Molly would herself deliver him to justice. Excellent,excellent! Truly life held some delightful jokes for the man ofhumour!

  The light of triumph came and went upon his countenance like a flash,but when the life hangs upon the decision of a moment the wits becomeabnormally sharp. Jack Smith saw it, halted upon his second headlongonslaught, and turned round.--Too late: Molly was gone. He brought hisgaze back upon his enemy and saw he had been trapped.

  Their gleams met like duelling blades, divining each other's purposewith the rapidity of thrust answering thrust. Both made a leap for thedoor. But Rupert was nearest; he first had his hand on the key andturned it, and, with newly-born genius of fight, suddenly begotten ofhis hatred, quickly stooped, eluded the advancing grasp, was free forone second, and sent the key crashing through the window into thedarkness of the night.

  Baffled by the astounding swiftness of the act, the sailor, wheelinground, had already raised his fist to crush his feebler foe, when, inthe midst of his fury, a glimmer of the all-importance of every secondof time stayed his hand. He threw himself upon the heavy ladder thatrested against Sir Adrian's rows of books, and, clasping it by themiddle, swung it above his head. The battering blow would, no doubt,have burst panel, lock, and hinges the next instant, but again Rupertforestalled him, and charged him before the door could be reached.

  Overbalanced by the weight he held aloft, Captain Jack was hurled downheadlong beneath the ladder, and lay for a moment stunned by theviolence of the fall.

  When the clouds cleared away it was to let him see Rupert's facebending over him, his pale lips wreathed into a smile of malignantexultation.

  "Caught!" said Mr. Landale, slowly, pausing over each word as thoughto prolong the savour of it in his mouth, "caught this time! And it isyour mistress's hand that puts the noose round your neck. That is whatI call poetical justice."

  The prostrate man, collecting his scattered wits and his vaststrength, made a violent effort to spring to his feet. But Rupert'swhole weight was upon him, his long thin fingers were gripping him byeach shoulder, his face grinned at him, close, detested, infuriating.The grasp that held him seemed to belong to no flesh and blood, it wasas the grasp of skeleton hands, the grinning face became like adeath's head.

  "I shall come to your hanging, Captain Jack Smith, or rather, Mr.Hubert Cochrane of the Shaws."

  These were the last words of Rupert Landale. A red whirl passedthrough the sailor's brain, his hands fell like lashes round theother's neck and drew it down. _If Hubert Cochrane dies so does RupertLandale: that throat shall never give sound to that name again._

  Over and over they roll like savage beasts, but yet in deathlysilence. For the pressure of the fingers on his gullet, fingers thatseem to gain fresh strength every moment and pierce into his veryflesh, will not allow even a sigh to pass Rupert's lips, and Jack canspare no atom of his energy from the fury of fight: not one to spareeven for the hearing of the frantic knocks at the door, the calls,the hammering at the lock, the desperate efforts without to prise itopen.

  _But if Rupert Landale must die so shall Hubert Cochrane, and by thehangman's hand, treble doomed by this._ The same thought fills boththese men's heads; the devil of murder has possession of both theirsouls. But, true to himself to the last, it is with Rupert acalculating devil. The officers must soon be here: he will hold thescoundrel yet with the grasp of death, and his enemy shall be foundred-handed--red-handed!

  His hatred, his determination of vengeance, the very agony of theunequal struggle for life gave him a power that is almost a match forthe young athlete in his frenzy.

  The dying efforts of his victim tax Jack's strength more than theliving fight; but his hands are still locked in their fatal clutchwhen at last, with one fearful and spasmodic jerk, Rupert Landalefalls motionless. Then exhaustion enwraps the conqueror also, like amantle. He, too, lies motionless with his cheek on the floor, face toface with the corpse, dimly conscious of the voluptuousness ofvictory. But the dead grasp still holds him by the wrists, and itgrows cold now, and rigid upon them. It is as if they were fetteredwith iron.

  * * * * *

  Lady Landale's dread of her once despised kinsman, now that she knewwhat a powerful weapon he held in his hands, this night, was almostfantastic.

  As she darted from the room, she fell against Rene, who, with a whiteface and bent ear, stood at the door, eavesdropping, ready to rush tothe help of Sir Adrian's friend upon the first hint of necessity. Buthe had heard more than he bargained for.

  The scared, well-nigh agonised look of inquiry with which he turned tohis mistress was lost upon her. In her whirlwind exit, she seized uponhim and dragged him with her to the ladder that led to the tower.

  "Quick, Rene, the signal!"

  And with the birdlike swiftness of a dream flight she was up the stepsbefore him.

  Panting in her wake, ran the sturdy fellow, his brain seething in achaos of conflicting thought. Mr. the Captain must be helped, must besaved: this one thing was clear at any rate. His honour would wish itso--no matter what had happened. Yes, he would obey My Lady and makethe signal. But, what if Mr. Landale were right? Not indeed in hisaccusation of Mr. the Captain, Rene knew, Rene had seen enough totrust him: he was no false friend; but as regarded My Lady? Alas! MyLady had indeed been strange in her manner these days; and evenMoggie, as he minded him now, even Moggie had noticed, had hinted, andhe had not understood.

  The man's fingers fumbled over the catch of the great lantern, heshook as if he had the palsy. Goodness divine, if his master were tocome home to this!

  Impatiently Lady Landale pushed him upon one side. What ailed thefellow, when every second was crucial, life or death bringing?Medusa-like for one second her face hung, white-illumined, set intoterrible fixity, above the great flame, the next instant all wasblackness to their dazzled eyes. The light of Scarthey was out!

  She groped for Rene; her hot fingers burnt upon his cold rough handfor a second.

  "I will go down to the sands," she said, whispering as if she feared,even here, the keenness of Rupert's ear, "and you--hurry to him, stopwith him, defend him, your master's friend!"

  She flitted from him like a shadow, the ladder creaked faintly beneathher light footfall, and then louder beneath his weighty tread.

  His master's friend!

  Ay, he would stand by him, for his master's sake and for his own saketoo--the good gentleman!--And they would get him safe out of the waybefore his honour's return.

  * * * * *

  Out upon the beach ran Molly.

  It was a mild still night; through veils of light mist the moon shonewith a tranquil bride-like grace upon the heaving palpitating watersand the mystery of the silent land.

  A very night for lovers, it seemed; for sweet meetings and sweeterpartings; a night that mocked with its great passionless calm at thewild anguish of this woman's impatience. Yet a night upon which soundtravelled far. She bent her ear--was there nothing to hear yet,nothing but the lap of the restless waters? Were those men false?

  She rushed to and fro, from one point to another along the sands in adelirium of impotent desire.

  Oh, hurry, hurry, hurr
y!

  And as she turned again, there, upon the waters out in the offing,glimmered a light, curtseying with the swell of the waves; the sailsof a ship caught the moonbeams. She could see the vessel plainly andthat it was bearing full for the island. Alas! This might scarcely bethe little Shearman boat manned by two fishermen only; even she,unversed in sea knowledge could tell that. It was as large as the_Peregrine_ itself--certainly as large as the cutter.

  The _cutter_!

  She caught her breath, and clapped her hands to her lips to choke downthe wild scream of fear that rose to them.

  At the same instant, a dull thud of oars, a subdued murmur of a deepvoice rose from the other side of the island.

  They were coming, coming from the landward, these rescuers of herbeloved. And yonder, with swelling canvas, came the hell ship from outthe open sea, sent by Rupert's infernal malice and cleverness, to maketheir help of no avail; to seize him, in the very act of flight.

  She ran in the direction of the sound, and with all her strengthcalled upon the new-comers to speed.

  "Here--here, for God's sake! Hasten or it will be too late!"

  Her voice seemed to her, in the midst of the endless space, weak as achild's; but it was heard.

  "Coming!" answered a gruff shout from afar. And the oar beat camecloser, and fell with swifter rhythm. Stumbling, catching in herskirts, careless of pool or stone beneath her little slippered feet,Lady Landale came flying round the ruins: a couple of boats crashed inupon the shingle, and the whole night seemed suddenly to become alivewith dark figures--men in uniform, with gleams upon them of brassbadges and shining belts, and in their hands the gleam of arms.

  For the moment she could not move. It was as if her knees were givingway, and she must fall.

  None of them saw her in the shadow; but as they passed, she heard themtalking to each other about the signal, the signal which they had beentold to look for, which had been brought to them ... the signal _she_had made. Then with a wave of rage, the power of life returned to her.This was Rupert's work! But all was not lost yet. The other boat wascoming, the other boat must be the rescue after all; the Shearman'sboat, or--who knows?--if there was mercy in Heaven, the _Peregrine_,whose crew might have heard of their captain's risk.

  Back she raced to the seaward beach, hurling--unknowing that she spokeat all--invectives upon her husband's brother.

  "Serpent, blood-hound, devil, devil, you shall not have him!"

  As she reached the landing-place, breathless, a boat was landing invery truth. Even as she came up a tall figure jumped out upon thesand, and crunched towards her with great strides.

  She made a leap forward, halted, and cried out shrilly:

  "Adrian!"

  "Molly--wife! Thank God!" His arms were stretched out to her, but hesaw her waver and shudder from him, and wring her hands. "My God, whathas happened? The light out, too! What is it?"

  She fastened on him with a sudden fierceness, the spring of a wildcat.

  "Come," she said, drawing him towards the peel, "if you would savehim, lose not a second."

  He hesitated a moment, still; she tugged at him like one demented,panting her abjurations at him, though her voice was failing her.Then, without a word, he fell to running with her towards the keep,supporting her as they went.

  The great door had swung back on its hinges, and the men werepressing, in a dark body, into the dim-lit recesses, when Sir Adrianand his wife reached the entrance.

  The sight of the uniforms only confirmed the homecomer in his ownforebodings anent the first act of the drama that was being enactedupon his peaceful island. He needed no further pushing from thefrantic woman at his side. Lost in bringing her back, perhaps, hisonly friend! Lost by his loyalty and his true friendship!

  They dashed up the stone stairs just as the locked door of theliving-room burst with a crash, under the efforts of many stalwartshoulders; they saw the men crush forwards, and fall back, and herd onagain, with a hoarse murmur that leaped from mouth to mouth.

  And Rene came running out from the throng with the face of one thathas seen Death. And he caught his mistress by the arm, and held her bymain force against the wall. He showed no surprise at the sight of hismaster--there are moments in life that are beyond surprise--but criedwildly:

  "She must not see!"

  She fought like a tigress against the faithful arms, but still theyheld her, and Sir Adrian went in alone.

  A couple of men were dragging Captain Jack to his feet, forcing hishands from the dead man's throat; it seemed as if they had grown asrigid and paralysed in their clasp like the corpse hands that had now,likewise, to be wrenched from their clutch of him.

  He glanced around, as though dazed, then down at the disfigured purpleface of his dead enemy, smiled and held out his hands stiffly for thegyves that were snapped upon them.

  And then one of the fellows, with some instinctive feeling of decency,flung a coat over the slain man, and Captain Jack threw up his headand met Adrian's horror-stricken, sorrowful eyes.

  At the unexpected sight he grew scarlet; he waved his fettered handsat him as they hustled him forth.

  "I have killed your brother, Adrian," he called out in a loud voice,"but I brought back your wife!"

  Some of the men were speaking to Sir Adrian, but drew backrespectfully before the spectacle of his wordless agony.

  But, as Molly, with a shriek, would have flung herself after theprisoner, her husband awoke to action, and, pushing Rene aside, caughther round the waist with an unyielding grip: his eyes sought her face.And, as the light fell on it, he understood. Aye, she had been broughtback to him. But how?

  And Rene, watching his master's countenance, suddenly burst outblubbering, like a child.