A DISCOVERY
Next morning I sent a boy to the Monastery with a note.
"DEAR COUNT,--
"I regret to have to inform you that I was forced to leave your
roof abruptly at an early hour this morning in consequence of the
unwarrantable intrusion into my bedroom of a person who came, I
fancy, with no very good intent. May I suggest that your present
domestic arrangements are liable to cause your known hospitality to be
misjudged. I return herewith the key of my room, having been simple
enough to suppose that locking my door would secure privacy. Please
make my apologies to my hostess for my unceremonious departure."
I had scarcely dispatched the note when Strode came in. "Ah! I was just
starting to look you up," I said.
He nodded and sat down as I ordered some refreshment. "Lucky I just
caught you," he replied, "or we might have missed one another in the
woods. I'm not one for keeping to the path."
It was evident from his manner that he had something to tell me. When
we were alone, he said:
"Lucky your friend, Von What's-his-name, got off when he did. There was
a fellow after him at my place last night."
I had thought that not improbable, and asked him all about it.
"Chap loafed in, said he had lost his way; jaw enough to make a bagman
sick, agreeable though, but a deuced scoundrelly cut to his jib."
"I ought to have warned you."
"Thanks, old fellow, it didn't matter. I totted him up and set him
down, thereafter keeping an eye on him. Thinks I, my friend, you're
on the track of Von T'other-chap, and I'll have some fun with you. So
I made out I was worrying about a friend, a German friend, who was
staying with me and who must have lost his way. That was just what my
swivel-eyed Johnnie wanted, and he hung on for all he knew, gassing
away enough to blow the windows out. Well, it struck me that was just
what we wanted; to cross the scent and let our man get away while the
hounds were at fault. So I let the fellow jaw away for all he was worth
while I was all the time thinking out the best trick to play him. I
asked the fellow if he'd have something to drink, slipped out under
pretence of fetching it, gave the office to the boy who helps his
grandmother, the old woman who keeps house for me, and in a few minutes
he brought in a gun and a message from the Herr, that he was going to
stay in Carlzig that night, and would join me in the morning. Now as
our friend is making tracks in just the opposite direction from Carlzig
that seemed good enough."
"Quite. You ought to have done him a good turn there. Strode."
"Hope so. Of course I shammed to be much relieved at hearing he hadn't
come to grief, and, as I expected, my lippy friend suddenly discovered
it was getting late. I put him on his road for Pattenheim, and then
watched. No need to say when he thought he was out of sight he doubled
back and went, stretched out, for Carlzig. That's all. Thought it might
interest you."
"Very good of you, Strode. Now, shall we be getting off? And on the
way I will tell you my story."
We were just starting when, somewhat to my surprise, a reply to my
note came from the Count. It was full of the most profuse apologies,
with an explanation to the effect that an inmate of the Monastery had
been suddenly seized in the night with a fit of insanity to which he
was subject, and it was he who had so unfortunately disturbed me. The
writer regretted that the expected arrival of a visitor prevented his
waiting upon me at that moment to express his regrets in person, but
he hoped to do so later in the day. A very pretty piece of humbug;
the surprising part was that the Count should have given himself the
trouble to compose it. But perhaps it was intended to serve for a
diplomatic explanation.
I flung the precious note across to Strode. "Come along," I said, "and
I'll tell you what it all means."
We shouldered our guns and set off towards his shooting ground. On
the way I related the whole story, more particularly that part which
concerned Asta von Winterstein. When I came to my adventure of the
previous night he was greatly excited.
"By Jove! That was a tight corner. I shouldn't have kept my head as you
did. I should have emptied my revolver among the scoundrels and then
gone under."
"Chance stood my friend, as it has done all through," I said. "No doubt
the fellow I knocked into the moat was the man who had been holding
forth to you earlier in the evening, and was just home from Carlzig."
Strode laughed. "I envy you that drive. I could have throttled the
brute as he sat jawing away at me; only that was not my line of
country."
We then discussed the situation, and agreed that we were bound to do
our utmost to help the imprisoned girl. If only we could be sure she
was there.
"Perhaps we two may be able to make more of the business than one,"
Strode said. "Anyhow, if I'm not intruding, and you want me, I'm your
man."
I thanked him, and before parting that afternoon it was arranged that
he should come over to the Geierthal after dusk, and we would survey
the possibilities together. So I left him and took my way back alone
through the wooded hills.
Now chance, that had been so faithful to me, was not to jilt me yet.
There was plenty of time before the hour at which my dinner was
ordered; so to relieve my nerves by not taking matters too seriously,
I strolled along the crest of the hills looking out for any shots that
might come in my way. I brought off a good many, and after a while
began to descend from the high ground towards the Geierthal, my path
being now one leading eventually almost direct to the Monastery, that
is to say, a good mile below my inn. With what I determined should be
my last shot I knocked over a hare, but puss struggled up again and
tried to make off. I ran after the animal to put it out of its pain,
and, after some search and twistings, came up with her, threw down
my gun, and catching up a handy stick gave her the _coup-de-grâce_.
Then I turned to take up my gun. It was nowhere to be seen. I had not
gone five paces away from it, yet now, to my utter astonishment, it
had mysteriously disappeared. I could hardly believe my senses, for I
was surely alone in that spot. Anyhow, the gun was not visible, and
I thereupon began to search the place more closely, not without an
uncomfortable feeling at the apparent mysteriousness of the thing. The
ground was rough and broken. I carefully determined the spot where the
gun must have fallen and proceeded to examine it methodically. Suddenly
the explanation came to me in uncomfortable fashion. My foot slipped
unaccountably, slipped so far that I fell. Hastily picking myself up,
the cause became apparent. There was an unnoticed cavity in the ground.
I examined it and was relieved to find my gun, which had lodged a short
way below the surface. But the hole itself was deep; it was more than
a chance fissure in the earth. It was curious enough at least to call
for further investigation. Clearing away with considerable trouble the
earth and stones I enlarged the aperture sufficiently to be able to see
what it really was. To my great astonishment I came presently upon a
deep hollow space beneath. As it was quite dark I threw a stone in and
listened. It struck and seemed to reach the bottom a few feet down. It
was a passage, then.
Resolving to explore it, I worked away to enlarge the hole so as to
afford some means of entrance, also of getting out again when I should
be in. In about twenty minutes I had broken away enough round the hole
for this purpose, and at once proceeded to let myself down.