It was about the middle of May when Sir Everard Clinton, to whom any long stay in London had always been distasteful, suddenly made up his mind to revisit Garion Keep. It was a matter of course that his nephew and his nephew's wife should accompany him, for Burgo and Dacia had been married early in the new year, and had spent a short honeymoon1 in the Riviera. Sir Everard's home, wherever it might be--and he had always been of a somewhat roving disposition--was theirs also. He liked to have Burgo under the same roof with him; only then did he feel safe, only then could he rid himself of an uneasy fear that at some unexpected moment he might be confronted by his wife, who, he seemed to think, was ever on the watch--lying perdu, like a spider in a corner of its web--to take him unawares. What might or would have happened in case such an eventuality had come to pass, he did not try to imagine. The bare possibility of such a thing was enough to scare him.
But indeed there seemed no valid2 reason for anticipating any such unwelcome proceeding3 on her ladyship's part. She seemed to have vanished as completely beyond the horizon of Sir Everard's life as if she had never existed. After their parting that night at the Keep, so far as was known, she made no attempt to trace his whereabouts; neither, later on, when he was back in Great Mornington Street, if she knew he was there, did she make any effort to intrude4 herself on his presence. One token, and one only, of her existence was forthcoming in due course. A lawyer, instructed by her, waited one day upon Mr. Garden with the view of ascertaining5 the nature of the baronet's pecuniary6 intentions towards his client. That they proved to be satisfactory may be taken for granted, seeing that no complaint to the contrary was ever lodged7 with Mr. Garden. From certain private information which reached Mr. Brabazon some time later, he had reason to believe that her ladyship had taken up her permanent abode8 in Florence, the English colony of which delightful9 city was greatly exercised in its mind as to whether it ought to welcome her with effusion as an unquestionable acquisition, or quietly turn towards her that shoulder which is termed cold.
Sir Everard's sixty-fourth birthday came and went in due course. It was kept by him, not as a festival, but rather as an occasion for devout10 thankfulness, as on the part of one who had providentially escaped a great danger. When, a little later, Mrs. Macdona's legacy11 of fifteen thousand pounds was paid over to him, he at once gave instructions for the whole amount to be transferred from his own banking12 account to one which he caused to be opened in the name of his nephew. When telling Burgo what he had done, he added: "Had it not been for you, my boy, I verily believe my span of life would have run out by now. In no case would the money have come to me: it would have gone to her, and after that--Mais parlous13 d'autres choses. I want you to regard the money as a thank-offering from your old uncle--a very inadequate14 one, he admits, considering all he owes you. Besides, you are a married man now."
Mr. Garden had been right in his supposition that Sir Everard had engaged another lawyer to draw up the fresh will rendered necessary by his marriage, in which, with the exception of a legacy of five thousand pounds to his nephew (which he had made a point of insisting upon) everything he might die possessed15 of was bequeathed to his wife. But Sir Everard had not been many hours at Hazeldean before he telegraphed to Mr. Garden to join him there, and next day a final will was drawn16 up, the provisions of which were widely different from those of the previous one.
So Sir Everard, together with his nephew and niece, journeyed down to Cumberland.
But Burgo had not been more than a couple of hours at the Keep when he received a telegram from Mr. Garden which recalled him south without delay. Mr. Denis Clinton was dead. He had died at Worthing, whither his doctors bad ordered him some months before. Mr. Brabazon, as a legatee under his uncle's will, was invited to the funeral, as also to the subsequent reading of the will. The dead man's lawyer, not knowing where a letter would find Mr. Brabazon, had communicated with Mr. Garden.
Sir Everard was not invited to the funeral, and he decided17 not to attend it. His brother and he had virtually been strangers to each other for the last twenty years or more, and he saw no reason why he should undertake a journey of three hundred and fifty miles--and the same distance back--in order to be present at the obsequies of a man who had shown no brotherly regard for him while alive. So Burgo went alone.
Greatly to his surprise, when the will came to be read he found himself a legatee to the tune18 of five thousand pounds. The reason given by his uncle for thus remembering him was an eccentric one; "Because he has never sought me out to flatter me, or sponge on me," ran the clause, "and because he has never asked me to lend him a sixpence." With the way in which the remainder of the property was left we are not concerned.
The demise19 of Mr. Denis Clinton left Burgo Sir Everard's direct heir both to the title and the entailed20 estates.
Burgo got back to the Keep late at night after Sir Everard had retired21. At breakfast next morning, after he had pretty well exhausted22 his budget of news, he said; "By the way, sir, have you been over the Wizard's Tower since you came down here?"
The baronet shook his head. "My exploring days are over," he said. "Still, I have heard so much about the place, that I should not object to go over it with somebody who knows the ins and outs of the old pile; in short, if I visit it at all, I must be personally conducted."
"Then I'm the man for the job, sir, for who should know more about it than I? Indeed, if you will go over it after breakfast this morning with Dacia and me I shall be glad. I have a special reason for wishing you to do so."
Accordingly the three of them presently set out for the tower by way of the underground passage. When they emerged from it into what might be termed the entrance-hall of the tower, where, it may be remembered, was the door by which admittance was gained from the outside, Burgo, having pointed23 out the gap in the wall made by Marchment's men, conducted his uncle and Dacia upstairs to the room which had served for his prison. Everything apparently24 was just as he had left it. One of the window-bars lay on the floor; the other, nearly filed through, was still in its place. The crockery, containing the remnants of the last meal Mrs. Sprowle had brought him, was still on the table. And there were the few poor sticks of furniture, and the oaken door with its sliding panel and broken lock. The eyes of Burgo and his wife met more than once. What memories the room and its contents brought back to them Sir Everard was intensely interested in everything.
Then they went back downstairs. But first Burgo pointed out another flight of stairs, which doubtless led to a room over the one he had occupied; but they left the exploration of that for another time.
"And now," said Burgo, when they were once more on the ground-floor, as he proceeded to light a hand-lamp he had brought with him, "I must ask you to follow me through this hole in the wall, which is at the head of a flight of steps leading down to a cavern25 open to the sea. There can be no reasonable doubt, as it seems to me, that the underground passage leading to the Keep and this other passage leading to the cavern were bricked up, and all traces of them as far as possible obliterated26, at one and the same time; but by whom, and for what purpose, it would now be useless to inquire."
Having passed through the gap, Burgo led his uncle slowly and carefully down the steps--for since his illness Sir Everard had not been so active on his feet as he had been before it--while Dacia brought up the rear, till they came to the chamber27 of which mention has been already made as being hollowed out of the body of the cliff. But this chamber, as Burgo proceeded to prove to the others, was but the ante-room to another nearly twice as spacious28. "I think," he said, as he held his lamp aloft, "that it is not difficult to guess as to the use this place was put to in bygone days. At all events, I can come to no other conclusion than that it was used as a storage place for smuggled29 goods."
"You axe30 right, my boy; it could have been intended for nothing else," said the baronet emphatically.
"In that case," remarked Dacia, "bearing in mind that this place had an opening into the tower, and that there was an underground passage from the latter to the Keep, it would almost seem as if the owners or tenants31 of the Keep, whoever they may have been, must themselves have been in the smuggling32 line of business."
"By Jove!" laughed the baronet, "you seem to have hit the right nail on the head, my dear. But I believe that in those days smuggling was regarded as a very venial33 offence, whether indulged in by gentle or simple. Probably, if we had lived a hundred years ago, we should have been tarred with the same brush ourselves."
Burgo now led the way down the remaining flight of steps which led directly into the cavern. The iron grille was still open as he had seen it last.
It had been night when Burgo was there before. It was now broad daylight outside, and the cavern was pervaded34 by a faint yellowish twilight35 which might be in part a reflection from the sandy floor. It widened out from a narrow mouth, but was neither very large nor very lofty, and probably its existence was due in part to Nature and in part to man's handiwork. It was nearly ebb36 tide, and from the mouth of the cavern to low-water mark there intervened a stretch of yellow shining sand. Noticing this, Sir Everard said: "The smugglers, if such they were, can hardly have considered their hiding-place a very secure one, seeing that whenever the tide was out it must have been open for any one to enter it from the beach."
"It seems to be so, but it was not so in reality, neither is it now," replied Burgo. "That beautiful, innocent looking stretch of beach on which the sun just now is shining its brightest, is neither more nor less than a treacherous38 quicksand which would inevitably39 engulf40 any one who might be rash enough to attempt to reach the cavern by way of it when the tide is out. Many a grim secret lies buried in its unfathomed depths."
Dacia shuddered41.
"All this is news to me," said the baronet. "Dacia, my dear, you were talking the other day about going for a ramble42 along the sands, but after what your husband has told us about them I hope you will think twice before doing so."
"I shall indeed, uncle." Then, turning to Burgo, she said, "You have told us a great deal about this old building and the uses to which it was put in days gone by. I suppose you will be telling us next that Mr. Marchment was a smuggler37?"
Burgo laughed. "That's just what he was, my dear--after a fashion. Singularly enough, Marchment and I tumbled across each other yesterday at the London terminus. He had half an hour to spare and we spent it together. Now, when I said this morning that I had a special object in asking you to explore the tower with me, it was that I might tell you here on the spot, in order that you might be able to realise the facts more clearly, that which he told me yesterday. Of course it was he who introduced the subject, not I. He began by asking after each of you, and he did not fail to congratulate me on my marriage. Then he went on to say that doubtless we had often wondered and speculated as to the nature of the business in which he was engaged at the time he made our acquaintance after so singular a fashion. Although the affair was still a secret from the world and would continue to be so, the necessity for the same amount of secrecy43 no longer existed--at least, as far as we three were concerned although he was desirous that whatever he might confide44 to us should go no further. It appears, then, that the Naiad's errand at Crag End was to take on board, secretly of course, a considerable quantity of arms and ammunition45 which for some time past had been stored up in that chamber in the cliff which I showed you just now, awaiting Marchment's arrival."
"Arms and ammunition! God bless my heart!" ejaculated Sir Everard.
"I may say at once that he did not tell me by whose or what agency the arms and ammunition had first been stored in the chamber, nor did I conceive it my business to ask him. His part of the affair was to convey the articles in question to some pre-arranged point on the Irish coast and there land them with the same amount of secrecy with which he had taken them on board."
"But why couldn't he do all that quite openly? demanded Dacia.
"Because it is forbidden to land arms and ammunition in Ireland except at certain specified46 ports, and then only with the knowledge and sanction of the Customs officials. As Marchment explained, they were needed for the 'Cause'--whatever the term may mean--and could only be obtained secretly and surreptitiously."
"We owe a great deal to our friend Marchment, Burgo, my boy," said Sir Everard, "but for all that I shall consider it my duty to take such steps as will secure the tower from being used as a depot47 for the storage of any kind of contraband48 goods in time to come."
"I hope you made Mr. Marchment promise to come and see us when we get back to town?" said Dacia.
"At the present moment, my dear, Marchment is en route for South America. He is longing49 for a little quiet fighting, he says, and he thinks there's a chance of his meeting with it there."
THE END.
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1
honeymoon
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| n.蜜月（假期）；vi.度蜜月 | |
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valid
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| adj.有确实根据的；有效的；正当的，合法的 | |
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proceeding
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| n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报 | |
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intrude
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| vi.闯入；侵入；打扰，侵扰 | |
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ascertaining
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| v.弄清，确定，查明( ascertain的现在分词 ) | |
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pecuniary
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| adj.金钱的；金钱上的 | |
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lodged
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| v.存放( lodge的过去式和过去分词 )；暂住；埋入；（权利、权威等）归属 | |
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abode
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| n.住处，住所 | |
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delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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10
devout
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| adj.虔诚的，虔敬的，衷心的 (n.devoutness) | |
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11
legacy
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| n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西 | |
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12
banking
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| n.银行业，银行学，金融业 | |
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parlous
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| adj.危险的，不确定的，难对付的 | |
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14
inadequate
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| adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的 | |
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15
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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tune
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| n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整 | |
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19
demise
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| n.死亡；v.让渡，遗赠，转让 | |
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entailed
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| 使…成为必要( entail的过去式和过去分词 )； 需要； 限定继承； 使必需 | |
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retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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cavern
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| n.洞穴，大山洞 | |
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obliterated
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| v.除去( obliterate的过去式和过去分词 )；涂去；擦掉；彻底破坏或毁灭 | |
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chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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28
spacious
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| adj.广阔的，宽敞的 | |
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29
smuggled
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| 水货 | |
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30
axe
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| n.斧子；v.用斧头砍，削减 | |
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31
tenants
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| n.房客( tenant的名词复数 )；佃户；占用者；占有者 | |
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smuggling
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| n.走私 | |
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33
venial
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| adj.可宽恕的；轻微的 | |
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pervaded
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| v.遍及，弥漫( pervade的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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twilight
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| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
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ebb
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| vi.衰退，减退；n.处于低潮，处于衰退状态 | |
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smuggler
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| n.走私者 | |
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treacherous
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| adj.不可靠的，有暗藏的危险的；adj.背叛的，背信弃义的 | |
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inevitably
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| adv.不可避免地；必然发生地 | |
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40
engulf
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| vt.吞没，吞食 | |
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41
shuddered
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| v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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ramble
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| v.漫步，漫谈，漫游；n.漫步，闲谈，蔓延 | |
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43
secrecy
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| n.秘密，保密，隐蔽 | |
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44
confide
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| v.向某人吐露秘密 | |
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45
ammunition
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| n.军火，弹药 | |
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46
specified
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| adj.特定的 | |
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47
depot
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| n.仓库，储藏处；公共汽车站；火车站 | |
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48
contraband
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| n.违禁品，走私品 | |
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49
longing
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| n.（for）渴望 | |
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