CAPTAIN LINK’S APPEARANCE
While Mr Falcon had been scheming in Sussex, Harry Goodall, on
returning to the Crystal Palace, found that as his first ascent had
proved such a great success, he would immediately try to guard against
public gossip respecting the diabolical attempt which had been made to
damage his balloon, in case the palace authorities might be induced to
stop any further experiments.
Unquestionably, the erratic visits of the mysterious spy and his little
satellite showed that the delinquent on the Essex marsh, the “shadow
man” and the man on the North Tower with Eben Croft, were one and the
same. The aeronaut felt sure that if these men were seen to be dogging
his footsteps, the palace directors would not feel disposed to allow
another aerial trip.
Tom Trigger and his master had well considered what had taken place,
and Miss Chain and her mother were duly cautioned against alluding
to the suspicious strangers, and were also requested not to tell
Hawksworth the detective anything that had taken place.
On thinking over the matter, it then had occurred to Trigger that he
had seen someone very like Ebenezer Croft at the place where Lucy was
in service, and he had mentioned this to Warner, who was sent down by
the palace police inspector to pick up what information he could at
Wedwell Park, the results of which were given in Chapter VII., and
which led to the discharge of Croft as a matter of expediency; so that,
notwithstanding the disparaging remarks of Hawksworth, Warner had
obtained something like a clue or two and had turned them to a good
account, after he left Wedwell.
On Harry Goodall’s next visit to the Crystal Palace, it was found that
little damage had been done to the workroom stores, beyond the theft
of a paper on “Flight.” This trifling plunder was doubtless owing to
Warner’s watchfulness, who, in his quiet, unpretending manner was
always on the alert.
There being nothing, therefore, to prevent the making of a second
ascent, the aeronaut was determined to proceed with it forthwith, so
that not more than a fortnight elapsed before the balloon was again
brought out for inflation; and as the former trial trip had created
such general admiration, the manager quite regretted that these aerial
exploitings were to be made without public announcement. There was,
however, no moving the amateur from his decision. He had so little of
the showman in his composition that he did not care for spectators of
his skill, though he was ready to study the gratification of those who
honoured him with their presence, and this he considered to be a proper
return for the advantages afforded him at such an admirable spot for
ballooning, as the palace proved to be.
While preparations were being made in the glass-room, a gentleman
presented himself, not a “shadow man” or Tower sneak this time, but
a welcome guest. He was no other than Captain Link, who had seen his
young friend’s balloon when it passed over the _Neptune_ as she was
going up the Thames, and who now came to have a chat with Harry, not
only on his own account, but as the representative of Mr William
Goodall, who believed that the straightforward, outspoken seaman would
do more to convert his nephew than the Quixotic performances of Mr
Falcon, of whom the merchant had formed an unfavourable opinion.
Captain Link suggested that whilst Tom Trigger and a gang of the palace
gardeners were making arrangements for the filling, that he and Harry
should take a turn round the gardens, and have a cigar together.
“I want to know, Link,” said the delighted aeronaut, “if my uncle saw
the balloon as we crossed your mast heads?”
“Of course he did, long before you recognised us, which I suppose you
did; but he was depressed about a matter which has been troubling
us, and just as the tug’s black smoke rose up to you, I gave him a
letter to read which I had in my pocket, and it brightened him up
considerably. However, I was requested not to say anything to you
about family matters. Your uncle said that I was to be strictly silent
on that point, for he felt sure that nothing I could say would stop
you from accomplishing whatever you had engaged to do, so for to-day,
Harry, we won’t allude to anything but your favourite ballooning,
please, and your proposed companions, of whom I am curious to hear
something, if you have no objection. I was told before I spoke to you
that you were going to ascend this afternoon.”
“Yes; stay and join me, Link.”
“What do you mean, Harry?”
“Well, join me at luncheon and see me off; I shall rely upon your doing
that much, at anyrate, and perhaps more, eh?”
“Very pleased, but I must tell you candidly that your uncle is still
dead set against ballooning; however, he thinks that you should not
break faith here with the palace people, although he did ask me to try
and persuade you not to continue your ascents after to-day, as a Mr
Falcon is making a mess of his mission to you.”
“I was not aware that anyone had been here in the character of
a missionary. The only persons I have noticed are two downright
scoundrels who have been hanging about and haunting me, if I may use
the expression, and not only me, but also Miss Chain and her mother,
two ladies who are assisting me in my work, and who are really above
this kind of thing. You noticed Miss Chain, probably?”
“Do you mean that demure and lady-like girl I saw at needlework,
sitting near that smart-looking man?”
“Yes, I do, Link; but I must give him the cold shoulder, as he is
becoming a nuisance, and is a detective, I hear. The Chains are most
industrious, but were robbed of all they possessed by an unprincipled
financier.”
“What a shame! If this young lady is a sample of your employees, I am
agreeably surprised, Harry, for they were described to your uncle as
being very different kind of people to this specimen I happen to have
seen. Couldn’t something be done for such a lady-like girl?”
“I have been thinking on that point myself; the poor girl has been
terribly bothered by an inquisitive fellow, who has made himself most
obnoxious. By the way, he is a fine, aristocratic-looking man, not
unlike you in build, Link, but he has such an evil expression of face,
whilst you have a good one--but I must not flatter you.”
“No, pray don’t descend to that, Goodall.”
“Situated, however, as I am, Link, I cannot very well raise a complaint
here to the manager, but I am all ready for the fellow if he should
show up again, and we fortunately have an obliging but humble-minded
policeman on the lookout. I don’t mean that fussy, amateurish
detective, but a quiet, practical man, who has already made an example
of one fellow. His name is Warner, and look here, Link, if you can
find an opportunity of having a word or two with the Chains, I should
appreciate the attention, as they have been so much traduced to my
Uncle Goodall.”
“All right, Harry, and I have made up my mind to stay and see who goes
up, as I should like to be able to speak as I find of your associates.”
“As to those going up--Miss Chain will accompany me for one, and
my assistant, Trigger. I promised the young lady a trip for her
indefatigable work and general assistance.”
“Don’t tell me any more of this prodigy, Harry. Remember that I am a
bachelor and a sailor,” said the captain, laughing heartily.
“I don’t forget that, old friend, but I want you to know that Miss
Chain is a much-maligned young lady; she and her mother were in a state
of downright want when Tom Trigger introduced them to me.”
“And you will never regret having done them a good turn, and now that
I am reminded of your sterling qualities, Harry, I really must tell
you something your uncle asked me last evening. He wanted to know if I
could bring you to think more about commercial and matrimonial affairs.”
“Oh, yes, I know very well what he and my father want me to do, but I
don’t see it at present.”
“I told him that I didn’t much care about speaking to you on such
subjects, and that I was more likely to be converted by you, as I had
always had a desire to go up in a balloon.”
“And what did my uncle say to that, Link?”
“He said he didn’t mind what I did, even if I took you to sea with me,
so long as I led you out of the way of ballooning.”
“And suppose that I lead you away into the upper regions over land and
sea, what would my uncle say then?”
“Why, I should lose my character and my ship, too, very likely,”
replied Link, with consternation plainly written on his face.
“Not you, captain; you’ve too much mettle in you to be cast aside for
preaching to me in cloudland.”
“By Jove! I never thought of that idea, Harry--I mean as a reason for
going up.”
“How do you know, Link, what experiment I am going to try this very
day?”
“I don’t, and that’s a fact.”
“Can you answer this question, Link? Where are marriages made?”
“Up aloft, they say.”
“Then how do you know that I am not going aloft, with you, for all I
know, to invoke Cupid’s aid as to the knotty matrimonial problem?” said
Harry, jokingly.
“I don’t profess to understand your lofty intentions, Goodall; they
present such a romantic and fascinating aspect that I must agree to
join you in testing them--if you will give me a lift up for that
purpose; but you are solely responsible, mind, for raising such a
spirit of inquiry.”
“There, for goodness’ sake, Link, let us stop joking. Here comes Miss
Chain. I expect she has something to say to me about ascending.”
“Do introduce me, Goodall. I saw her coming before you did, and also
that detective party who is not far astern of Miss Chain--perhaps he is
her admirer.”
“Can’t fail to be that, Link; but just now Hawksworth is looking at a
photograph, and now he is looking at us.”
“So he is. Perhaps he is wondering who I am. He is sheering off
now--but who is this trying to catch your eye on the other side, Harry?”
“Oh, that’s Warner; he comes from the palace, where I am wanted, most
likely. However, I will introduce you to the young lady.--Miss Chain,
may I introduce to you an old friend of mine, Captain Link?” added
Harry, as she came up to speak to him.
“I feel it a great honour, Captain Link, to become acquainted with a
friend of my esteemed employer,” said Miss Chain.
“I shall have to leave you, Link, for a short time,” said Mr Goodall,
“as the general manager wishes to see me. You will be back in time to
ascend, Miss Chain?”
“I shall not be gone long, Mr Goodall,” was the reply.
Captain Link strolled on with Miss Chain, listening with delight to her
conversation, and did not observe that they had passed the turnstiles
and were going down the Anerley Road, towards where Mrs Chain lived.
Presently, when close to the Thicket Hotel, they noticed two men coming
towards them, whom Miss Chain at once recognised as her tormentors,
and, strange to say, their faces seemed also familiar to Captain Link.
This coincidence puzzled the young lady greatly, as she had thought
at first that there was some personal resemblance between the taller
one and her escort. When the men caught sight of Captain Link, they
hurried away, much to his annoyance, as he wished that they had stopped
long enough for him to remember their names and where he had seen them
before.
Whilst talking on this subject, Miss Chain observed her mother, who was
on the lookout for her return, and wished that Captain Link would say
good-bye; but in that respect she was disappointed, as he presently
remarked that he should very much like to be introduced to Mrs Chain,
and after that he would go to the Thicket Hotel and try to find out who
those men were, and would return in half an hour’s time to walk back to
the palace with Miss Chain and her mother, if agreeable to them.
On this understanding, Captain Link exchanged a few words with Mrs
Chain and then went on to the hotel, where he met Warner, who had
himself been looking for the two spies, as there had been a police
rumour that Hawksworth was expecting the arrival of some such men, and
Warner inferred that they had actually been in the palace before, but
that Hawksworth had failed to spot them. However, not finding them at
the Thicket as he expected, Warner remarked that they might possibly
have popped over the palings, or through a side gate, into the palace
grounds, and he asked the captain, if he saw him at the entrance
turnstile, not to take any notice of him, as he might be on the lookout
for suspicious visitors.
On returning to the Chains, Captain Link remarked that it had flashed
across his mind that the two men must have been passengers on board the
_Neptune_, the last ship he came to England in, but he could not recall
their names, being a bad hand at that sort of thing.
“Do you know,” asked Miss Chain, “if Filcher was the name of the more
gentlemanly one of the two men?”
“No, I don’t think that was it.”
“Was it Croft, Captain Link?”
“Well, one of them answered to the name of Croft, and now I recollect
that it was the name of the little man; but his master’s--let me see, I
have it now--he was called Falcon, and he was my employer’s friend--or,
I should say, he passed as such for some time after the owner of the
ship had left Sydney. However, we will not say more about them at
present.”
“I am so glad,” said Mrs Chain, as they drew nearer to the palace,
“that you were with my daughter, Captain Link, when those suspicious
men turned up again.”
“Indeed, I am proud to have met Miss Chain; and, do you know, I have
some idea of ascending this afternoon?”
“Indeed!” said the mother, “that will be nice, and I hope you will all
have an enjoyable trip.”
“I want to ask you,” said the captain, “as we are getting near to the
balloon, not to say anything to my friend, Mr Harry Goodall, about this
man Falcon, or Filcher Falcon as William Goodall styles him--or of any
family accident or bereavement in the Goodall family of which you may
have heard.”
“We certainly will not,” said Miss Chain.
“By the way,” said the sailor, “did you notice a man walking near you,
just before we met in the grounds?”
“I did,” replied Miss Chain. “He was Hawksworth, the gentlemanly
detective, but not, I should say, a clever one.”
“Then Warner is only an ordinary policeman, I suppose?” said Captain
Link.
“Yes,” said Mrs Chain, “he is in plain clothes to-day, at present,
however; he never parades about or makes so much of himself as this
stranger Hawksworth does.”
“Indeed!” replied the captain--“but dear me, time has been on the wing.
Why, the balloon is nearly full.”
“Yes, we must hurry on, dear,” said Mrs Chain to her daughter. “I’m
afraid we are much later than we promised to be.”
“I see,” cried the captain, “that my friend Harry Goodall seems to be
chatting with several gentlemen who are much interested in what he is
going to do.”
“I wonder,” said Miss Chain, “if they are candidates for a trip?”
“I hope not,” replied the anxious mariner.
“I will ask,” said Miss Chain, “a palace official, who is coming our
way, if any of them wish to go up.”
“I think not,” was the reply. “Some of them are distinguished visitors,
who are delighted with Mr Goodall and his balloon.”
“Do you know them personally?” asked Captain Link.
“Oh yes; that portly, good-looking gentleman, speaking to the aeronaut,
is Sir Joseph Terry, J.P., four times Lord Mayor of York; next to him
is Sir William Ingram, Bart. The other gentlemen are Mr T. Hanson
Lewis, a barrister, Mr John Holah, an artist, and Mr Charles Bucknell,
an amateur aeronaut. The other aeronauts are Mr T. Wright, Mr Beatson,
of Huddersfield, and the Brothers Spencer, of Holloway.”
“Thank you very much,” said the captain; “and now just one more
inquiry, who is that tall, inquisitive looking man?--I have seen him
before, eyeing me rather attentively.”
“Oh, never mind him--you would not care for his acquaintance,” said the
official with a smile, as Hawksworth moved aside.
Miss Chain thought so too, though she refrained from mentioning his
name, when they drew near the enclosure.