CHAPTER XXIX.
Tangier, the wildest, quaintest, most savage spot on the face of theglobe, was to me the most enchanting. Our impressions take theircolour from the passing mood; we like or loathe a place according tothe temper in which we view it. I was so utterly and foolishly happyin this most Eastern city located in the West that I have loved itdeeply ever since. After the trying and eventful episodes of the pastweek I had passed into a tranquil haven filled with perfect peace. Thewhole tenor of my life had changed, the feverish excitement was gone,no deep anxiety vexed or troubled me, all my cares were transferred tostronger shoulders than mine. I could calmly await the issue, contentto enjoy the moment and forget the past like a bad dream.
It was sufficient to bask in the sunshine, revelling in the free air,rejoicing in the sweetness of my nascent love. We were much together,Basil and I; we walked together, exploring the recesses of the nativetown, and the ancient citadel, with its memories of British dominion;we lingered in the Soko or native market, crowded with wild creaturesfrom the far interior; we rode together, for his first care was tosecure horses, and scoured the country as far as the Marshan and CapeSpartel. I sometimes reproached myself with being so happy, while mydarling Henriette still sorrowfully repined at her past, with littlehope of better days. But even she brightened as the days ran on andbrought no fresh disquiet, while her boy, sweet little Ralph,developed in health and strength.
A week passed thus, a week of unbroken quiet, flawless as theunchanging blue of a summer sky; not a cloud in sight, not a suspicionof coming disturbance and unrest. It could not go on like this forever. To imagine it was to fall asleep in a fool's paradise, lulledinto false serenity by the absence of portents so often shrouded andunseen until they break upon us.
One day a cablegram reached me from Philpotts. She had arrived atMarseilles on her return voyage from Tripoli, and was anxious that Ishould know without delay that we had not shaken off Lord Blackadder.They had recrossed the Mediterranean together in the same ship, the_Oasis_.
"So far all well," she said, "but am watched closely, will certainlyfollow me--send instructions--better not join you at present."
This message fell on us two poor women like a bolt from the blue.Basil looked serious for a moment, but then laughed scornfully.
"His lordship can do us no harm. There is not the slightest fear. Hemay bluster and bully as much as he pleases, or rather, as far as heis permitted to go. We will place ourselves under the protection ofthe Moorish bashaw. I always intended that."
"Not seriously?"
"Indeed, yes; I have already consulted our Minister. Sir Arthur is anold friend of mine, and he has advised me, privately, of course, andunofficially, to be on our guard. He can do nothing for us, but hewill not act against us. If Lord Blackadder should turn up here, andsooner or later he will, most assuredly he will not assist him. Hepromises that. At the same time he can give you no protection. We musttake care of ourselves."
"You believe that Lord Blackadder will find his way to Tangier?"
"Most certainly. He has Philpotts under his hand, but he would nottrust only to her. Diligent inquiry at Marseilles would be sure toreveal our departure for Gibraltar. He will follow with his men, theyare well-trained detectives, and it will be mere child's play for themto track us to Tangier. You may look for them here any day. We must beready for them at all points."
"There is no saying what Ralph Blackadder may not attempt."
"Indeed, yes, he is equal to anything, guile of course, treachery,cunning, stratagem, absolute violence if the opportunity offers. It isof the utmost importance not to play into his hands, not to give himthe smallest chance. The child must be watched continually in thehouse, awake and asleep, wherever he goes and whatever he does."
"Then I think Henriette must be warned not to wander about the townand on the sands in the way she's been doing with Victorine and thechild, all of them on donkey back. I don't think it's at all safe."
But when I cautioned her she was not particularly pleased. Was she tohave no fresh air, no change of scene? I grudged her the smallestpleasure, while I was racing up and down flirting and philanderingwith Basil Annesley all day and every day; she was to sit indoors,bored to extinction and suffering torments in the unbearable heat.
Basil and I agreed that it was cruel to restrict her movements evenwith such a good excuse, and had she been willing to accept theirksome conditions, which she certainly was not. We arranged asurveillance, therefore, unknown to her. The Colonel, his man, ormyself invariably accompanied her or followed her within eyeshot; andwe hired two or three stalwart Moors, who were always to be nearenough to render help if required.
Then came confirmations of our worst fears. L'Echelle, who had beenunaccountably absent one morning, returned about midday with news fromthe port. Lord Blackadder and his two henchmen had just landed fromthe _Jose Pielago_, the steamer that runs regularly between Cadiz andAlgeciras, Gibraltar, and Tangier. He had seen them in thecustom-house, fighting their way through the crowd of ragged Jewporters, the Moorish egg merchants, and dealers in luscious fruit.They had mounted donkeys, the only means of conveyance in a town withno wheeled vehicles; and l'Echelle made us laugh at the sorry picturepresented by the indignant peer, with his legs dangling down on eachside of the red leather saddle. Their baggage was also piled ondonkeys, and the whole procession, familiar enough in the narrowstreets of Tangier, climbed the hill to the Soko, and made for theShereef Hotel, reputed one of the best in Tangier, and lying outsidethe walls in the immediate neighbourhood of the British Legation.
L'Echelle, who seems an honest, loyal fellow, thought he would serveus best by marking them down, and, if possible, renewing hisacquaintance with the detectives, one or both of whom he knew. Afterhanging about the outside of the hotel, he entered the garden boldlyand went up to the shady trellised verandah where they were seatedtogether, smoking and refreshing themselves after their journey.
L'Echelle was well received. Falfani, my friend of the Calais train,believed he had suborned him at Aix, and now hailed his appearancewith much satisfaction. L'Echelle might again be most useful; atleast, he could lead them to us, and he wisely decided to let Falfaniknow where we were to be found in Tangier. The fact would surely bediscovered without him. It was better, he thought, to appear frank,and, by instilling confidence, learn all there was to know of theirplans and movements.
My lord had gone to the Legation, Falfani told him at once,bombastically boasting that everything would yield before him. He hadbut to express his wishes, and there would be an end of the hunt. Butmy lord came back in a furious rage, and, regardless of l'Echelle's--acomparative stranger's--presence, burst forth into passionatecomplaint against the Minister. He would teach Sir Arthur to showproper respect to a peer of the realm; he would cable at once to theForeign Office and insist on this second-rate diplomatist's recall.The upshot of it all was that his lordship's demand for help had beenrefused pointblank, and no doubt, after what the Colonel had heard, inrather abrupt, outspoken terms.
All this and more l'Echelle brought back to us at the Atlas Hotel. Hetold us at length of the outrageous language Lord Blackadder had used,of his horrible threats, how he would leave no stone unturned torecover his son and heir; how he would bribe the bashaw, buy theMoorish officials, a notoriously venal crew; how he would dog ourfootsteps everywhere, set traps for us, fall upon us unawares; and inthe last extreme he would attack the hotel and forcibly carry off hisproperty. As the fitting end of his violent declamation, RalphBlackadder had left the hotel hurriedly, calling upon his creatures tofollow him, bent, as it seemed, to perpetrate some mad act.
I confess I shuddered at the thought of this reckless, unprincipledman loose about Tangier, vowing vengeance, and resolved to go to anylengths to secure it. My dear Basil strove hard to console me withbrave words inspired by his sturdy, self-reliant spirit.
But even he quailed at the sudden shock that fell upon us at the verysame moment. Where was Henriette?
Af
ter the first excitement, we desired to pass on the news brought byl'Echelle to her, and renew our entreaties for extreme caution in hercomings and goings; and with much misgiving we learnt that she was notin the hotel. She had gone out with Victorine and Ralph as usual, butunattended by any of us. One Moor, Achmet El Mansur, was with her, wewere told, but we did not trust him entirely. It had been l'Echelle'sturn to accompany her, but he had been diverted from his duty by thepressing necessity of following Lord Blackadder. Basil and I hadridden out quite early on a long expedition, from which we onlyreturned when l'Echelle did.
We dismissed our fears, hoping they were groundless, and looking to bequite reassured presently when she came back at the luncheon hour.
But one o'clock came, and two, and two-thirty, but not a sign ofHenriette, nor a word in explanation of her absence.
Could she have fallen a victim to the machinations of Lord Blackadder?Was the boy captured and she detained while he was spirited away?