VI.

"We made a late start the next morning, and did not reach the farmhouse

before four o'clock. I had little opportunity of speaking to Kate on the

way; in fact, the presence of Slurk, who sat on the box of the vehicle,

and once in a while threw a glance at us over his shoulder, irritated

me to such a degree that more tender sentiments were temporarily pushed

into the background. Kate herself, though she attempted to appear

cheerful, betrayed signs of inward anxiety and nervousness; while Mr.

Birchmore conversed with a volubility and discursiveness greater than I

had ever remarked in him before.

"The farmhouse stood quite alone, on an unfrequented by-road, in a

little angle of the hills. It was not exactly a picturesque building,

with its four walls covered with rough plaster and pierced with dozens

of small windows, and its enormous red-tiled roof, with those quaint

narrow apertures, like half-opened eyes, disclosing a single pane of

glass, which do duty as dormers. It stood flush with the road, as German

houses are fond of doing; but behind was a large enclosed farmyard,

roughly paved with round stones and well walled in. The front door,

though rather pretentiously painted and ornamented, with some religious

versicle or other written up on the lintel, was not used as a means of

entrance or exit. It was, as I afterwards discovered, not only locked

and bolted, but actually screwed up on the inside; and the only way of

getting into the house was by a side door opening into the courtyard. As

the courtyard itself was provided with a heavy gate, you will see that

the farmhouse, close to the road though it was, was by no means so easy

of ingress or egress as it appeared, supposing, of course, that it was

the humour of the inmates to declare a state of siege. I mention these

particulars merely by the way: they are common to three houses out of

five in this region.

"The Birchmores' luggage had, it appeared, already been carried over

from the hotel; but a man, in rough peasant's costume, who announced

himself as the master of the house, now came out to take charge of my

trunk. I was, or fancied myself (as you may have noticed), a quick judge

of faces, and this peasant's face failed to commend itself to me. It was

at once heavy and gloomy, while a scar at one corner of his mouth caused

that feature to twist itself into a perfunctory grimace, grotesquely at

variance with his normal expression. In person he was much above the

common size, and to judge by the ease with which he slung my heavy trunk

over his shoulder, he must have been as strong as Augustus the Stark

himself, whose brazen statue domineers over the market-place in

Dresden.

"'Guten Morgen, Herr Rudolph!' said Slurk, hailing this giant affably.

The two seemed to be on some sort of terms of comradeship, having,

perhaps, struck up an acquaintance during the previous negotiations for

lodgings. I must say they looked to me to be a not ill-matched pair.

"We alighted, and were welcomed in with surly courtesy by Herr Rudolph.

Kate, confessing to a headache, went at once to her room, whence she did

not again emerge; Slurk disappeared into the kitchen regions with the

landlord; Mr. Birchmore presently went out for a stroll before dinner:

and I, finding myself thrown temporarily on my own resources, decided to

make a virtue of my loneliness by writing some letters which had been

long owing. I accordingly groped my way up the darksome stone staircase,

and so along an eccentric passage to my room.

"I did not know then, nor could I, even now, accurately describe the

arrangement of rooms in that farmhouse. There were at least three

separate passages, not running at right angles to one another, but

seeming to wander about irregularly, now and then turning awkward

corners, descending or ascending short flights of steps, or eddying

into a little _cul-de-sac_, with, perhaps, only a closet door at the

end of it. The consequence was, it was nearly impossible to say whose

room adjoined whose. It might be a long distance from one to another,

measured along the passage, and yet they might actually be separated

only by the thickness of a wall. Where the farmer and his family slept

I know not, but I have reason to believe that all our party, including

Slurk, were accommodated upon the same floor.

"On opening the door of my room, I found someone already there. This

person was a comely young woman, the farmer's daughter evidently, busy

in the benevolent occupation of putting things in order. She had moved

my trunk beneath the window, she had put fresh water in the ewer, she

had straightened out the slips of drugget on the rough-board floor,

she had placed some flowers in the window, and she was now engaged in

tucking a clean sheet on the bed. I said she was comely; on second looks

she was better than that. She was positively pretty, with the innocent

blonde prettiness of some German peasant-girls. Her fair hair, smoothed

compactly over her small head, and wound up in a funny little pug

behind, possessed a faint golden lustre; her eyes were of as pure and

serene a blue as any I ever looked upon; her smooth cheeks, slightly

browned by much sunshine which had rested on them, were tinged with

healthful bloom; her mouth might have been smaller, but the full lips

were well-shaped, and there were white even teeth behind them. Her

figure, like that of most Saxon peasant-girls of her age, was robust and

vigorous; she wore a simple bodice and skirt, and her feet and legs were

bare. Altogether I thought her a very agreeable apparition.

"'Good-morning, honoured Herr Gainsborough,' she said gravely, in

German, as I entered.

"'Good-morning, pretty maiden,' returned I gallantly. 'You seem to know

my name, though I don't know yours: what is it?'

"'I am called Christina--Christina Rudolph. It is some time that I have

known Herr Gainsborough's name,' she added.

"'Really! how comes that?' I asked, by no means displeased.

"'The honoured Herr has been kind to a relation of mine--a very near

relation,' replied Christina, with the same gravity.

"'Have I? I'm glad to hear it! Was she as pretty as thou?' inquired I,

venturing upon the familiar form of address.

"She blushed, and answered: 'It was not a woman--it was my brother.'

"'Oh, thy brother! And where did I meet thy brother?'

"'In Paris, Herr Gainsborough.'

"'In Paris! Rudolph! What, art thou the sister of Heinrich Rudolph, who

lives in the Latin Quarter, and is considered the cleverest jeweller in

the city?'

"'Yes, honoured Herr,' returned Christina, smiling for the first time,

and showing her pretty teeth and a dimple on either cheek. 'My brother

Heinrich cut and arranged the diamonds in the parure of the honoured

Herr's mother.'

"'So he did, Christina, and he did it better than anyone except him

could have done it. And so thou art really his sister! How did he tell

thee of me?'

"'He wrote to me while you were still in Paris, and described the pretty

stones, and told how Herr Gainsborough used to come and sit with him,

and see him work, and talk a great deal with him.'

"'Yes, he was well worth talking with! And I remember now that he said

he was born in this neighbourhood, and that he had a sister and a father

living here. It was stupid of me not to have thought of that when I

heard your name. Well, Christina, I'm afraid I wasn't of much use to him

after all. I tried to get him customers, but I knew very few people in

Paris; and the only person I did succeed in introducing to him--by the

way! it was this gentleman who is with me now.'

"'Herr Birchmore; yes, my brother spoke also of him,' said Christina,

her gravity returning. 'But he did not speak of the young lady, or of

the servant.'

"'No, I believe they weren't with him at the time. I only met them

myself since I came to Schandau.'

"'The young lady is Herr Birchmore's--wife?'

"'His wife? Dear heavens, no! His daughter, of course, Christina.'

"Christina said nothing, being occupied in neatly smoothing out the

pillow, and laying the wadded counterpane over the sheet.

"'Will Herr Gainsborough stay with us long?' she asked, after a pause.

"'As long as Herr Birchmore does, I suppose,' said I carelessly.

"'And Herr Birchmore's daughter?' subjoined Christina, with a twinkle of

mischief so demure that I could hardly be sure whether she meant it or

not.

"'Thou art as clever as thy brother, Christina,' I laughed, colouring a

little too however, I daresay, 'It is true I have not known them long,

but--but people see a good deal of one another in travelling together.'

"'I have heard it said that travelling makes people acquainted with----'

she paused, and looked down thoughtfully at her bare feet. Presently she

lifted her blue eyes straight to mine and asked:

"'Herr Gainsborough has his diamonds with him?'

"'Undoubtedly! They are never away from me.'

"'In going about this place, the Herr should be cautious. Some of these

hills and valleys are very lonely. There are spots, not far from here,

where no one goes for sometimes many months.'

"'Well, I'll be very careful, Christinchen,' I rejoined laughing, and in

truth not a little amused at the care my friends took of me. 'But thou

must remember that no one in Germany, except Herr Birchmore, and his

daughter, and thyself, knows that any such diamonds as these are in

existence--much less that they are in my pocket!'

"Christina raised her finger to her lips, as if to caution me to speak

lower. 'There is at least one other who knows--the man Slurk!' she said.

"'Well, perhaps he may,' I replied, somewhat struck by her observation;

'and as I see thou hast taken a dislike to the fellow, I will confide

to thee that I consider him an atrocious brute. But brute though he is,

there's no harm in him of _that_ kind. He is an old servant of Herr

Birchmore, I believe, and would of course be dismissed at once if there

were anything serious against him.'

"'Naturally!' was all Christina's answer; she made no pretence of

arguing the point with me. 'Adieu, honoured sir!' she said at the door.

But with her hand upon the latch she paused, turned round, and added

rather confusedly:

"'Will Herr Gainsborough go on any expedition with his friends to-day?'

"'Why, I hardly think so, Christina.'

"'But to-morrow, perhaps?' she persisted, lifting her blue eyes to mine

again.

"'Perhaps,' I admitted, with a smile.

"'Then--if he can trust me--would the Herr mind leaving the diamonds

with me, until he comes back again?'

"'Nay, Christinchen, I cannot give them up, even to thee--and although

I trust thee as much as thy brother, or myself. But thou mightst

lose them--and if they are to be lost at all, I would rather the

responsibility should be mine. Besides,' I continued, showing my

revolver, 'I go always with this. But I thank thee all the same,

Christinchen, and I would like to do something--to----'

"I stepped towards her: the fact is, I suppose I meant to kiss her. But

her expression changed in a manner not encouraging to such an advance;

she looked both grave and hurt, and I paused.

"'I was going to say--if thou wouldst like to see the diamonds, it would

give me great pleasure to show them to thee.'

"'Many thanks, honoured sir! I would rather not.' And with a formal

curtsy the fair-haired little maid opened the door and disappeared,

leaving me feeling rather foolish.

"'The pretty peasant has a pride of her own!' I said to myself, as

I opened my trunk and got out my writing materials. 'She's actually

offended because I wouldn't constitute her guardian of thirty thousand

pounds' worth of diamonds. Good gracious! why, that father of hers, if I

know anything of faces, would cut all our throats for as many groschen.

But what an unmistakable scamp my friend Slurk must be to have aroused

the suspicions of such an innocent unsophisticated little creature as

Christinchen! By Jove, though, anybody might be suspicious of a leer and

a slouch like his! What if there should be anything in it? Just suppose

such a thing for a moment, eh? It's impossible, to be sure; but the

impossible does sometimes happen. How on earth did Birchmore ever happen

to have such a fellow about him? I tell you I've always had a notion

that he may be at the bottom of all this mystery that Birchmore and Kate

are so much exercised by. Now, what if he--but pshaw!

"'There is one thing I'm resolved to do, however,' I continued to

myself, as I settled down with paper, pens, and ink at the table in the

window. 'I'll buttonhole Birchmore this very afternoon, and get out of

him everything he knows about his precious valet. It can do no harm to

have the matter cleared up. The thing is absurd, of course; still, the

situation out here is rather lonely; and with two such lovely neighbours

as Papa Rudolph and Slurk--_par nobile fratrum_--it may be as well to be

on the safe side. Yes, that shall be cleared up to-day!'

"Having arrived at this sapient determination, I set to work writing my

letters, and scribbled away diligently for an hour or two. At length,

as I was looking vacantly up from my paper, at a loss for something

interesting to set down upon it, my eyes happened to rest upon the pane

of my open window.

"Like nearly all German windows, it opened inwards on hinges, instead of

running up and down in grooves. The pane on my left, therefore, having

the dark room as a background, acted as a mirror of the sunlit landscape

outside on the right, showing me a portion thereof which was directly

invisible to me from where I sat, and to any person standing in which I

must myself be invisible.

"Now my window was on the southern side of the house, which fronted

westward on the road. On the opposite side of the road was a narrow

strip of land planted with vegetables, and above this rose the abrupt

side of a hill, ascended by a winding path partly hidden by the trees.

I could not see this hill and path without leaning out of the window and

looking towards the right; but a considerable part of it was reflected

in my window-pane mirror, and could thus be readily observed without

rising from my chair. Happening, then, as I said, to cast my eyes upon

this mirror, I saw two persons standing together on the path upon the

hillside, and conversing in a very animated manner.

"I had no difficulty in recognising them: they were Mr. Birchmore and

his valet. So far there was nothing surprising in the spectacle. That

which did surprise and even astonish me, however, was the mutual bearing

of the two men towards each other.

"I have already mentioned the peremptory tone in which Mr. Birchmore

uniformly addressed the man Slurk, and the generally overbearing

attitude he assumed towards him; but in the conversation now going

forward all this was changed. To judge by appearances, I should have

said that Slurk was the master, and Mr. Birchmore the valet. The former

was gesticulating forcibly, and evidently laying down the law in a very

decided and autocratic way. His square ungainly figure seemed to dilate,

and take on a masterful and almost hectoring air; while Mr. Birchmore

stood with his hands in his coat-pockets, undemonstrative and

submissive, apparently accepting with meekness all that the other

advanced, and only occasionally interpolating a remark or a suggestion,

to which Slurk would pay but slight or impatient attention. Both were

evidently talking in a low tone; for though they were not more than

fifty or sixty yards from where I sat, I could not catch a single word,

nor even so much as an inarticulate murmur, unless by deliberately

straining my ears. But I did not need nor care to hear anything: what I

saw was quite enough to startle and mystify me.

"After a few minutes the two interlocutors moved slowly on up the path,

and were soon beyond the field of my mirror. But the unexpected scene

which I had witnessed did not so soon pass out of my mind.

"I got up from my table and began walking about the room, with the

restlessness of one who cannot make his new facts tally with his

preconceived ideas. Who and what was Slurk, and how had he obtained

ascendancy over a man like Birchmore? Certainly it could not be a

natural ascendancy. Birchmore must have put himself in the other's

power. In other words, Slurk must be blackmailing him. And this

was the trouble, was it?--this was the mystery? It was an ugly and

awkward business, certainly; but the main question remained after all

unanswered. What was it that Birchmore had done to give Slurk a hold

upon him? and had that act, whatever it was, compromised his daughter

along with him? For now that I gathered up in my memory all the hints

and signs which had come under my notice in relation to this affair,

I could not help thinking that Kate's attitude had in it something

suggestive of more than mere filial sympathy with her father's

misfortune. In that misfortune or disgrace she had a personal and

separate in addition to a sympathetic share. And yet, in what

conceivable way could a low villain like Slurk fasten his gripe upon a

pure and spotless young girl? and what a hideous thought--that such a

girl should be in any way at his mercy! The more I turned the matter

over in my mind, the more ugly did it appear. No wonder that father and

daughter had warned me away. Some men in my position, having seen thus

far, might have shrunk back and given up the enterprise. But I was not

in that category. I was more than ever determined to see the adventure

to its end; nay, to gain my own end in it too. The conditions of the

contest were at all events narrowing themselves down to recognisable

form. It was to be a trial of strength mainly between myself and

Slurk--between an educated plucky Englishman, and a base German

ruffian--between one, moreover, who had right, moral and legal, on his

side, and love as his goal--and one armed only with underhand cunning

and terrorism, and aiming at nothing higher than the extortion of money.

This was the way I read the situation, and I flattered myself that I was

equal to the emergency.

"Upon consideration, however, I decided to alter my intention of asking

Mr. Birchmore about his valet. It was tolerably clear that he was not in

a position to give me any information; and besides, I had already learnt

everything except the particulars. Those particulars, if I did not

succeed in discovering them unaided, must be extracted from Kate. She

would not withhold them from me, if I questioned her resolutely and

directly, enforcing my inquiries with disclosure of the knowledge I

had already obtained. This then should be my next step. I sealed up my

letters, locked them in my desk, and, it being now nearly seven o'clock,

I went down to supper.