Jacob's Ladder Part 34

"Pratt," he said, "you will forgive my intrusion, but you are a guest in my house, and I feel that I have a somewhat painful duty to perform."

"Painful?" Jacob repeated.

"Painful because it will seem like a breach of hospitality, which it is not," the Marquis continued. "I am here, Pratt, to beg that you will leave my house early to-morrow morning."

"But I have only just arrived!" Jacob exclaimed. "What have I done?"

"You have done nothing," his host a.s.sured him. "Your deportment has been in every respect exemplary, and believe me I regret very much the position I am obliged to take up. But let me add that it is entirely in your own interests. I have become aware of certain designs on the part of Mr. Dane Montague and his friend, which would make your further stay here, to say the least of it, dangerous."

"This is very kind of you, Lord Delchester," Jacob said, "but doesn't it seem to you that, if this is the case, the persons who ought to leave are Mr. Dane Montague and Hartwell?"

"You are quite right," the Marquis acknowledged. "You are absolutely right. But I will be frank with you. I am under great obligations to Mr. Dane Montague, obligations which I expect will be increased rather than diminished. I am exceedingly anxious not to quarrel with him. I cannot possibly countenance the scheme which he and his friend have on foot against you, so under the circ.u.mstances my only alternative is to beg you to leave by the first train to-morrow morning."

Jacob sighed. Somehow or other, the dangers which had failed to materialise had become small things.

"I can only do as you desire, Marquis," he consented. "For myself, I am not afraid. I am perfectly content to take my chance."

The Marquis shook his head.

"There is too much cunning on the other side," he declared. "The struggle would not be equal. You will be called at six o'clock, and I shall give myself the pleasure of breakfasting with you at half-past six downstairs. And, I have a further favour to ask you. I do not wish my wife or daughter to be aware of the circ.u.mstances which have led to my having to make you this regrettable request. I should be glad if you would write a line, say to my daughter, regretting that you are compelled to return to town on business."

Jacob sighed once more, sat down and wrote as desired. His host thrust the note into his pocket.

"I wish you good night," he said. "We shall meet in the morning, and, if I might ask it, would you make as little noise as possible in your movements? I do not wish those fellows to know that you are leaving until you are safe in the train. Your luggage can be sent after you."

The Marquis made a dignified exit, and Jacob, with a shrug of the shoulders, undressed and tumbled into bed. On the whole, he was surprised to find that his chief sensation was one of disappointment.

When he was called in the morning and found the suns.h.i.+ne filling the room, he felt half inclined to make a further appeal to his host's hospitality. The Marquis gave him little opportunity, however. He was fully dressed and presided with dignity at a bountiful breakfast. He was looking a little tired, and he confessed that he had slept badly.

"I find myself," he told Jacob, as the meal was concluded, "in an exceedingly painful situation. I have never before had to ask a guest to leave my house, and I resent very much the necessity."

"I am willing to take my risk," Jacob suggested.

The Marquis shook his head.

"You do not know what the risks are," he answered. "I do. Come and walk outside with me, Mr. Pratt. We have half an hour before we leave.

My people were more than ordinarily punctual."

They strolled down towards the sea. Jacob asked curious questions about the little tower, and the Marquis unfastened a rope which held a flat-bottomed boat.

"I will take you across the channel," he proposed, "and we will visit it. We have never had a visitor yet who has departed without seeing the keep. As a matter of fact, it is far older than the house, and quite a curiosity of architecture."

They crossed the tidal channel, the Marquis paddling with slow but graceful strokes. Arrived on the other side, he secured the boat and led the way up a precipitous ledge to a nail-studded door, which he opened with a key from a bunch which he had drawn from his pocket.

"The downstairs rooms are scarcely safe," he said, "there is so much fallen masonry, but the one I am going to show you is our great pride.

You will find our visitors' book there."

He preceded his guest up a circular staircase, lit only by some narrow slits in the walls. At the top he opened another door and Jacob stepped into a great bare room. At the further end, through a broad aperture, was a magnificent view of the open sea. Jacob stepped forward to peer out. As he pa.s.sed across the room, through another aperture, facing landwards, he saw the dogcart driven out of the stable yard, down the avenue, towards the moorland road which led to the station.

"Hullo," he called out, "isn't that my carriage over there?"

He turned around. He was alone in the room, and from outside came the ominous sound of the key turning in the lock. He strode towards it and shouted through the grating which was let into the top part of the door.

"Hi! Lord Delchester!"

The Marquis's face appeared on the other side of the grating. He carefully shook the door, to be sure that it was locked.

"Mr. Pratt," he said, "you enter now upon a new phase of your stay at Kelsoton Castle. If you look around the walls, you will find the initials of your predecessors carved in many different forms. I trust that you will make yourself as comfortable as possible under the circ.u.mstances."

"Am I a prisoner?" Jacob asked.

The Marquis coughed.

"I prefer to follow the example of my ancestors and look upon you as a hostage awaiting ransom."

"Then all that talk of yours about getting me out of danger was bunk.u.m?"

"Your phraseology is offensively modern, but your conclusions are correct," the Marquis acknowledged. "We could think of no other way in which you might be induced to enter the prison tower of Kelsoton, bearing in mind your suspicions of Montague and Hartwell."

Jacob stood on tiptoe and looked through the bars. The mien of the Marquis was as composed as his tone. A paste stone in the buckle which fastened his tartan glittered in the dim light.

"Lord Delchester," he said, "I have only a commoner's ideas of hospitality. Is it in accordance with your sense of honour to decoy and imprison a guest in order to subject him to ill-treatment from a couple of curs like Montague and Hartwell?"

The Marquis was unperturbed.

"My dear Mr. Pratt," he replied, "conduct which would perhaps not commend itself to you, with your more limited outlook, has been hallowed to the members of my family by the customs of a thousand years. The great Roderick Currie, my grandfather many times removed in the direct line, invited here once seven lairds of the neighbouring country for some marriage celebrations. You will find their initials carved somewhere near the right-hand window. Four of them escaped with the loss of half their estates. The remaining three, I regret to say, were unreasonable. Two of them were drowned and one was stabbed."

"What are the terms of my release?" Jacob demanded.

"It is not within my province to discuss financial details," the Marquis answered stiffly. "Mr. Montague will probably visit you during the day. I bid you good morning."

CHAPTER XXI

Jacob watched the departure of his host, through a slit in the wall, with fascinated eyes. First of all he saw him paddle across the channel to the other side, secure the boat and pause to light a cigarette. Afterwards, on his way back to the Castle, he entered the walled gardens, plucked a peach from the wall and ate it. Finally he disappeared down one of the yew-bordered walks. The house still seemed wrapped in slumber. Jacob took stock of his surroundings. The walls which, to judge from the slits, were about three feet thick, were of rude granite. There was no fireplace, no chair, no furniture of any sort. The floor was of cold stone. The place in itself was enough to strike a chill into one's heart. One huge aperture looked out upon the open sea, sloping down towards it. The other, much narrower, commanded a view of the house. There was nothing else to discover. He counted his cigarettes and found sixteen, with an ample supply of matches. He lit one, and, taking off his coat for a seat, sat upon the floor and leaned back against the wall.

In about two hours and a half the house began to show some signs of life. In about three hours, Jacob's heart gave a little jump as he saw Lady Mary scramble down the little piece of shelving beach and examine the rope by which the boat was secured. She lifted one of the oars, which was still wet, and then without hesitation turned and hurried back to the house. In less than half an hour, he saw her mounted on a rough but useful-looking pony, cantering down the drive. Somehow or other, she seemed to him, even at that moment, like a messenger of hope. An hour later, Montague and Hartwell came strolling down, smoking huge cigars. The latter unfastened the rope and paddled clumsily across. A few minutes later, Jacob heard the turning of the keys in the lock of the outer door and their footsteps ascending the stairs. Montague peered in through the bars. A little cloud of tobacco smoke blew into the place.

"Well, Jacob, my Napoleon of finance, how goes it?" he enquired lightly.

"If you'll step inside for two minutes, I'll show you," Jacob answered.

Mr. Dane Montague chuckled.

"I have never graduated in the fistic arts myself," he confessed.

"Besides, once bit, twice shy, you know. We are going to put this little thing through without any unnecessary risk."