She came at length breathless with running to the end of the garden. A little green gate led to the lane which divided Lytton Avenue from the corner house. It was absolutely quiet there. Leona Lalage could catch just the faintest humming noise, then a glaring white eye flamed out.
Behind it was a black motor and the form of Balmayne.
"Never can trust a woman as to time," he growled3. There was not the faintest shadow of politeness in his manner now. "Didn't I say twelve sharp?"
"I was detained," the Countess gasped4. "After all, what are a few minutes?"
"Everything. Maitrank reaches Charing5 Cross in a little over half an hour, and it is absolutely imperative6 that I should see the arrival and find out where he stays. I suppose you can see that?"
The Countess had no more to say. She held out her hand silently. She tore all her long train of lace and silk away as if it had been rags, she buttoned a cloak over her dress; a blonde wig7 and lace shawl over her head completed the disguise.
"Come along," she said. "I've got the key of the courtyard. Not that we are in the least likely to find anything there?"
"And why not?" Balmayne growled. "Stranger things have happened. I know a poor man at this minute who owns one of the richest gold mines in the world. He won't work it because when the gold was found he quarrelled with his partner on the spot and killed him. That's a fact."
"I'd get it out of him," Leona said between her teeth. "I'd like to bind8 him and torture him bit by bit until he yelled out the truth. Well, Charlton was always a strange man, and the jewels may be there yet. That is one of the reasons why I took up my abode9 in Lytton Avenue."
"One of the reasons," Balmayne said sardonically10.
"Never mind that, we know too much about one another to say much. I'll open the door whilst you push the motor in. Quiet as the grave."
It was very quiet and still there when once the gates were closed. Balmayne took one of the lamps from the motor and extinguished the other. In the centre of the place was the well, partially11 covered over by a flat stone. There was a windlass, but no rope. Balmayne produced one. Very carefully he fitted it to the windlass. His dark eyes gleamed and dilated12.
Quickly he lowered the rope till the bulge13 of it showed that the bottom was reached. He wound up the rope again, and as he did so a grunt14 of satisfaction escaped him. It was far better than he had expected.
"Here's a piece of rare good luck," he exclaimed. "Why, the well is dry."
"I always heard that there was only a foot or two of water in there," the Countess said. "It was never used in my time--people don't care to drink well water in London. Still, it is a slice of luck, as you say."
"Got to get down there all the same," Balmayne grunted15. "I'll make a loop in the rope and put my foot in it. You used to be pretty strong at one time. I suppose you can manage to let me down safely?"
Leona smiled with contempt as she surveyed the slim figure before her. She was always proud of her strength. She bared her beautiful white arm and showed the strong sinews and muscles under the skin.
"You need not be afraid," she said. "If I couldn't--ah!"
She broke off, her voice rose to a scream. She grew whiter far than the linen16 about her shoulders. Balmayne laid his hand on her mouth in an instant.
"Fool," he exclaimed, hoarsely17. "Do you want to bring the police upon me?"
Leona pointed18 to the window, against which Charlton's face had been pressed a moment before. The dimness of it, the stern accusing eyes made up a picture so grim, so ghostly, that the woman's heart turned to water within her. The fear of yesterday took the strength out of her limbs.
"The face," she gasped, "the face of Charlton. At the window. It was just for an instant, and seemed to read my soul. Can't you see it?"
Balmayne could see nothing, and said so bluntly. As a matter of fact, the face was gone. But the terror of the Countess still remained.
"Of course, there was no face there," Balmayne flared19 out. "That's the worst of doing this kind of thing with a woman--one never knows when she's going to have an attack of nerves. The idea of Charlton standing20 at the window and knowing what we are going to do is too good. Pull yourself together."
The trembling fit passed away, the woman was herself again. All the same, Balmayne was not without misgiving21 as he put his foot in the loop. But the crank of the windlass turned steadily22 and smoothly23, the stone walls slid by, and presently the adventurer stood at the bottom of the well. There was no water, nothing but a slight dampness underfoot.
A moment later and Balmayne was up again. Leona Lalage looked at him enquiringly. He had no breath to speak. With gleaming eyes Balmayne held two rusty24 old cases over his head. Leona grasped the motor lamp, and Balmayne forced back the clasps of the cases.
"Got them," he croaked25, "What do you think of this, my noble Countess?"
A stream of living fire, a ripple26 of all the colours of the rainbow. Balmayne shut the cases as if jealous of the eyes of the night.
"Saved," he said. "Take these and hide them, take the rope and hide that. I must be off to Charing Cross like the wind. This is, perhaps, the best night's work I have had in my experience. Now begone." A moment later and the courtyard was deserted27.
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1
drooping
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| adj. 下垂的，无力的 动词droop的现在分词 | |
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2
heed
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| v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心 | |
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3
growled
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| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
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4
gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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5
charing
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| n.炭化v.把…烧成炭，把…烧焦( char的现在分词 )；烧成炭，烧焦；做杂役女佣 | |
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6
imperative
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| n.命令，需要；规则；祈使语气；adj.强制的；紧急的 | |
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7
wig
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| n.假发 | |
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8
bind
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| vt.捆，包扎；装订；约束；使凝固；vi.变硬 | |
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9
abode
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| n.住处，住所 | |
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10
sardonically
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| adv.讽刺地，冷嘲地 | |
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11
partially
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| adv.部分地，从某些方面讲 | |
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12
dilated
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| adj.加宽的，扩大的v.（使某物）扩大，膨胀，张大( dilate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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13
bulge
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| n.突出，膨胀，激增；vt.突出，膨胀 | |
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14
grunt
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| v.嘟哝；作呼噜声；n.呼噜声，嘟哝 | |
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15
grunted
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| （猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说 | |
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16
linen
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| n.亚麻布，亚麻线，亚麻制品；adj.亚麻布制的，亚麻的 | |
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17
hoarsely
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| adv.嘶哑地 | |
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18
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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19
Flared
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| adj. 端部张开的, 爆发的, 加宽的, 漏斗式的 动词flare的过去式和过去分词 | |
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20
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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21
misgiving
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| n.疑虑，担忧，害怕 | |
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22
steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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23
smoothly
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| adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地 | |
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24
rusty
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| adj.生锈的；锈色的；荒废了的 | |
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25
croaked
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| v.呱呱地叫( croak的过去式和过去分词 )；用粗的声音说 | |
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26
ripple
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| n.涟波，涟漪，波纹，粗钢梳；vt.使...起涟漪，使起波纹； vi.呈波浪状，起伏前进 | |
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27
deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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