Frere stood perfectly still for a moment after Hetty had spoken, then
without a word he turned and left her. Everett was still standing in the
porch. Everett had owned to himself that he had a decided penchant for
the little rustic beauty, but Frere's fierce passion cooled his. He did
not feel particularly inclined, however, to sympathize with his friend.
"How rough you are, Frere!" he said angrily; "you've almost knocked the
pipe out of my mouth a second time this evening."
Frere went out into the night without uttering a syllable.
"Where are you off to?" called Everett after him.
"What is that to you?" was shouted back.
Everett said something further. A strong and very emphatic oath left
Frere's lips in reply. The innkeeper, Armitage, was passing the young
man at the moment. He stared at him, wondering at the whiteness of his
face, and the extraordinary energy of his language. Armitage went
indoors to supper, and thought no more of the circumstance. He was
destined, however, to remember it later. Everett continued to smoke his
pipe with philosophical calm. He hoped against hope that pretty little
Hetty might come and stand in the porch with him. Finding she did not
appear, he resolved to go out and look for his friend. He was leaving
the Inn when Armitage called after him:
"I beg your pardon, Mr. Everett, but will you be out late?"
"I can't say," replied Everett, stopping short; "why?"
"Because if so, sir, you had better take the latchkey. We're going to
shut up the whole place early to-night; the wife is dead beat, and Hetty
is not quite well."
"I'm sorry for that," said Everett, after a pause; "well, give me the
key. I dare say I'll return quite soon; I am only going out to meet Mr.
Frere."
Armitage gave the young man the key and returned to the house.
Meanwhile Frere had wandered some distance from the pretty little
village and the charming rustic inn. His mind was out of tune with all
harmony and beauty. He was in the sort of condition when men will do mad
deeds not knowing in the least why they do them. Hetty's words had, as
he himself expressed it, "awakened the very devil in him."
"She has owned it," he kept saying to himself. "Yes, I was right in my
conjecture--he wants her himself. Much he regards honor and behaving
straight to a woman. I'll show him a thing or two. Jove, if I meet him
to-night, he'll rue it."
The great solemn plain of Salisbury lay not two miles off. Frere made
for its broad downs without knowing in the least that he was doing so.
By and by, he found himself on a vast open space, spreading sheer away
to the edge of the horizon. The moon, which had been bright when he had
started on his walk, was now about to set--it was casting long shadows
on the ground; his own shadow in gigantic dimensions walked by his side
as he neared the vicinity of the plain. He walked on and on; the further
he went the more fiercely did his blood boil within him. All his life
hitherto he had been calm, collected, reasonable. He had taken the
events of life with a certain rude philosophy. He had intended to do
well for himself--to carve out a prosperous career for himself, but
although he had subdued his passions both at college and at school, he
had never blinded his eyes to the fact that there lived within his
breast, ready to be awakened when the time came, a devil. Once, as a
child, he had given way to this mad fury. He had flung a knife at his
brother, wounding him in the temple, and almost killing him. The sight
of the blood and the fainting form of his only brother had awakened his
better self. He had lived through agony while his brother's life hung in
the balance. The lad eventually recovered, to die in a year or two of
something else, but Frere never forgot that time of mental torture. From
that hour until the present, he had kept his "devil," as he used to call
it, well in check.
It was rampant to-night, however--he knew it, he took no pains to
conceal the fact from his own heart--he rather gloried in the knowledge.
He walked on and on, across the plain.
Presently in the dim distance he heard Everett calling him.
"Frere, I say Frere, stop a moment, I'll come up to you."
A man who had been collecting underwood, and was returning home with a
bagful, suddenly appeared in Frere's path. Hearing the voice of the man
shouting behind he stopped.
"There be some-un calling yer," he said in his rude dialect.
Frere stared at the man blindly. He looked behind him, saw Everett's
figure silhouetted against the sky, and then took wildly to his heels;
he ran as if something evil were pursuing him.
At this moment the moon went completely down, and the whole of the vast
plain lay in dim gray shadow. Frere had not the least idea where he was
running. He and Everett had spent whole days on the plain revelling in
the solitude and the splendid air, but they had neither of them ever
visited it at night before. The whole place was strange, uncanny,
unfamiliar. Frere soon lost his bearings. He tumbled into a hole,
uttered an exclamation of pain, and raised himself with some difficulty.
"Hullo!" said a voice, "you might have broken your leg. What are you
doing here?"
Frere stood upright; a man slighter and taller than himself faced him
about three feet away. Frere could not recognize the face, but he knew
the tone.
"What the devil have you come to meet me for?" he said. "You've come to
meet a madman. Turn back and go home, or it will be the worse for you."
"I don't understand you," said Awdrey.
Frere put a tremendous restraint upon himself.
"Look here," he said, "I don't want to injure you, upon my soul I don't,
but there's a devil in me to-night, and you had better go home without
any more words."
"I shall certainly do nothing of the kind," answered Awdrey. "The plain
is as open to me as to you. If you dislike me take your own path."
"My path is right across where you are standing," said Frere.
"Well, step aside and leave me alone!"
It was so dark the men only appeared as shadows one to the other. Their
voices, each of them growing hot and passionate, seemed scarcely to
belong to themselves. Frere came a step nearer to Awdrey.
"You shall have it," he cried. "By the heaven above, I don't want to
spare you. Let me tell you what I think of you."
"Sir," said Awdrey, "I don't wish to have anything to do with you--leave
me, go about your business."
"I will after I've told you a bit of my mind. You're a confounded
sneak--you're a liar--you're no gentleman. Shall I tell you why you
interfered between me and my girl to-night--because you want her for
yourself!"
This sudden accusation so astounded Awdrey that he did not even reply.
He came to the conclusion that Frere was really mad.
"You forget yourself," he said, after a long pause. "I excuse you, of
course, I don't even know what you are talking about!"
"Yes, you do, you black-hearted scoundrel. You interfered between Hetty
Armitage and me because you want her yourself--she told me so much
to-night!"
"She told you!--it's you who lie."
"She told me--so much for your pretended virtue. Get out of the way, or
I'll strike you to the earth, you dog!"
Frere's wild passion prevented Awdrey's rising.
The accusation made against him was so preposterous that it did not even
rouse his anger.
"I'm sorry for you," he said after a pause, "you labor under a complete
misapprehension. I wish to protect Hetty Armitage as I would any other
honest girl. Keep out of my path now, sir, I wish to continue my walk."
"By Heaven, that you never shall."
Frere uttered a wild, maniacal scream. The next instant he had closed
with Awdrey, and raising a heavy cane which he carried, aimed it full at
the young Squire's head.
"I could kill you, you brute, you scoundrel, you low, base seducer," he
shouted.
For a moment Awdrey was taken off his guard. But the next instant the
fierce blood of his race awoke within him. Frere was no mean
antagonist--he was a stouter, heavier, older man than Awdrey. He had
also the strength which madness confers. After a momentary struggle he
flung Awdrey to the ground. The two young men rolled over together. Then
with a quick and sudden movement Awdrey sprang to his feet. He had no
weapon to defend himself with but a slight stick which he carried. Frere
let him go for a moment to spring upon him again like a tiger. A sudden
memory came to Awdrey's aid--a memory which was to be the undoing of his
entire life. He had been told in his boyhood by an old prize-fighter who
taught him boxing, that the most effective way to use a stick in
defending himself from an enemy was to use it as a bayonet.
"Prod your foe in the mouth," old Jim had said--"be he dog or man, prod
him in the mouth. Grasp your stick in both hands, and when he comes to
you, prod him in the mouth or neck."
The words flashed distinctly now through Awdrey's brain. When Frere
raised his heavy stick to strike him he grasped his own slender weapon
and rushed forward. He aimed full at Frere's open mouth. The stick went
a few inches higher and entered the unfortunate man's right eye. He fell
with a sudden groan to the ground.
In a moment Awdrey's passion was over. He bent over the prostrate man
and examined the wound which he had made. Frere lay perfectly quiet;
there was an awful silence about him. The dark shadows of the night
brooded heavily over the place. Awdrey did not for several moments
realize that something very like a murder had been committed. He bent
over the prostrate man--he took his limp hand in his, felt for a
pulse--there was none. With trembling fingers he tore open the coat and
pressed his hand to the heart--it was strangely still. He bent his ear
to listen--there was no sound. Awdrey was scarcely frightened yet. He
did not even now in the least realize what had happened. He felt in his
pocket for a flask of brandy which he sometimes carried about with him.
An oath escaped his lips when he found he had forgotten it. Then taking
up his stick he felt softly across the point. The point of the stick was
wet--wet with blood. He felt carefully along its edge. The blood
extended up a couple of inches. He knew then what had happened. The
stick had undoubtedly entered Frere's brain through the eye, causing
instant death.
When the knowledge came to Awdrey he laughed. His laugh sounded queer,
but he did not notice its strangeness. He felt again in his
pocket--discovered a box of matches which he pulled out eagerly. He
struck a match, and by the weird, uncertain light which it cast looked
for an instant at the dead face of the man whose life he had taken.
"I don't even know his name," thought Awdrey. "What in the world have I
killed him for? Yes, undoubtedly I've killed him. He is dead, poor
fellow, as a door-nail. What did I do it for?"
He struck another match, and looked at the end of his stick. The stick
had a narrow steel ferrule at the point. Blood bespattered the end of
the stick.
"I must bury this witness," said Awdrey to himself.
He blew out the match, and began to move gropingly across the plain. His
step was uncertain. He stooped as he walked. Presently he came to a
great copse of underwood. Into the very thick of the underwood he thrust
his stick.
Having done this, he resolved to go home. Queer noises were ringing in
his head. He felt as if devils were pursuing him. He was certain that if
he raised his eyes and looked in front of him, he must see the ghost of
the dead man. It was early in the night, not yet twelve o'clock. As he
entered the grounds of the Court, the stable clock struck twelve.
"I suppose I shall get into a beastly mess about this," thought Awdrey.
"I never meant to kill that poor fellow. I ran at him in self-defence.
He'd have had my blood if I hadn't his. Shall I see my father about it
now? My father is a magistrate; he'll know what's best to be done."
Awdrey walked up to the house. His gait was uncertain and shambling, so
little characteristic of him that if any one had met him in the dark he
would not have been recognized. He opened one of the side doors of the
great mansion with a latch key. The Awdreys were early people--an
orderly household who went to roost in good time--the lamps were out in
the house--only here and there was a dim illumination suited to the
hours of darkness. Awdrey did not meet a soul as he went up some stairs,
and down one or two corridors to his own cheerful bedroom. He paused as
he turned the handle of his door.
"My father is in bed. There's no use in troubling him about this horrid
matter before the morning," he said to himself.
Then he opened the door of his room, and went in.
To his surprise he saw on the threshold, just inside the door, a little
note. He picked it up and opened it.
It was from his sister Ann. It ran as follows:
"DEAREST BOB.--I have seen the Cuthberts, and they can join us
on the plain to-morrow for a picnic. As you have gone early to
bed, I thought I'd let you know in case you choose to get up at
cockcrow, and perhaps leave us for the day. Don't forget that
we start at two o'clock, and that Margaret will be there. Your
loving sister, ANN."
Awdrey found himself reading the note with interest. The excited beating
of his heart cooled down. He sank into a chair, took off his cap, wiped
the perspiration from his brow.
"I wouldn't miss Margaret for the world," he said to himself.
A look of pleasure filled his dark gray eyes. A moment or two later he
was in bed, and sound asleep. He awoke at his usual hour in the morning.
He rose and dressed calmly. He had forgotten all about the murder--the
doom of his house had fallen upon him.