THE PRODIGAL HUSBAND
The unlucky Brock, wild with rage and chagrin, had paced his temporary
prison in the top storey of the Tirol from eleven o'clock till two,
bitterly cursing the fools who were keeping him in durance more vile
than that from which they had generously released him. He realised that
it would be unwise to create a disturbance in the house by clamouring
for freedom, because, in the first place, there already had been scandal
enough, and in the second place, his distrustful bondsmen had promised
faithfully to seek out the devoted Connie and apprise her of his
release. He had no thought, of course, that in the mean time she might
be duped into paying a bribe to the guard.
Not only was he direfully cursing the trio, but also the addlepated
Medcroft and his own addlepated self. It is to be feared that he had
harsh thoughts of all the Medcrofts, as far down as Raggles. His dream
of love and happiness had turned into a nightmare; the comedy had become
a tragic snarl of all the effects known to melodrama. Bitterly he
lamented the fact that now he could not go before the assembled critics
in the morning and proclaim to them that Constance was his wife. From
this, it readily may be judged that Brock was not familiar with all the
details of the vigorous Miss Fowler's plan. As a matter of fact, he did
not know that he was expected to fly the country like a fugitive. She
had known in her heart that he would never agree to a plan of that sort;
it was, therefore, necessary for her to deceive him in more ways than
one. Plainly speaking, Brock had laboured under the delusion that she
merely proposed to bribe the gaoler into letting him off for the night,
in order that by some hook or crook they could be married early in the
morning--provided her conception of the State marriage laws as they
applied to aliens was absolutely correct. (It was not correct, it may be
well to state, although that has nothing to do with the case at this
moment.) If he had but known that she contemplated paying ten thousand
crowns for his surreptitious release, making herself criminally liable,
and that he was expected to catch a night train across the border, it is
only just to his manhood to say that he should have balked, even though
the act were to cost him years of prison servitude--which, of course,
was unlikely in the face of the explanation that would be made in proper
time by the real Medcroft. It thus may be seen that Brock not only had
been vilely imprisoned twice in the same night, but that he was very
much in the dark, notwithstanding his attempt to make light of the
situation.
It occurred to him, at two o'clock, that pacing the floor in the agony
of suspense was a very useless occupation. He would go to bed. Morning
would bring relief and surcease to his troubled mind. Constance was
doubtless sound asleep in her room. Everything would have been explained
to her long before this hour; she would understand. So, with the return
of his old sophistry, he undressed and crawled into the strange bed.
Somehow he did not like it as well as the cot in the balcony below.
Just as he was dropping off into the long-delayed slumber, he heard a
light tapping at his door. He sat up in bed like a flash, thoroughly
wide awake. The rapping was repeated. He called out in cautious tones,
asking who was there, at the same time slipping from bed to fumble in
the darkness for his clothes.
"'Sh!" came from the hallway. He rushed over and put his ear to the
door. "It is I. Are you awake? I can't stay here. It's wrong. Listen:
here is a note--under the door. Good night, darling! I'm heartbroken."
"Thank God, it's you!" he cried softly. "How I love you, Constance!"
"'Sh! Edith is with me! Oh, I wish it were morning and I could see you.
I have so much to say."
Another querulous voice broke in: "For heaven's sake, Connie, don't
stand here any longer. Our reputations are bad enough as it is. Good
night--Roxbury!" He distinctly heard the heartless Edith giggle. Then
came the soft, quick swish of garments and the nocturnal visitors were
gone. He picked up the envelope and, waiting until they were safely down
the hall, turned on the light.
"Dearest," he read, "it was not my fault and I know it was not yours.
But, oh, you don't know how I suffered all through those hours of
waiting at the café. They did not find me until after two. They were
drunk. They tried to explain. What do you think the authorities will do
to me if they find that I gave that horrid man bribe money? Really, I'm
terribly nervous. But he won't dare say anything, will he? He is as
guilty as I, for he took it. He took it knowing that you were free at
the time. But we will talk it over to-morrow. I've just got back to the
hotel. I wouldn't go to bed until Edith brought me up to hear your dear
voice. I am so glad you are not dead. It is impossible to release you
to-night. Those wretches have the key. How I loathe them! Edith says the
hotel is wild with gossip about _everything_ and _everybody_. It's just
awful. Be of good heart, my beloved. I will be your faithful slave until
death. With love and adoration and kisses. Your own Constance.
"P.S. Roxbury has not made a sign, Edith is frantic."
Several floors below the relieved and ecstatic Brock, Mrs. Medcroft was
soon urging her sister to go to bed and let the story go until daylight.
She persisted in telling all that she had done and all that she had
endured.
"We must never let him know that we actually gave that wretch nearly
twenty-five hundred dollars, Edith. He would never forgive us. I admit
that I was a fool and a ninny, so don't tell me I am. I can see by the
way you are looking that you're just crazy to. It's all Roxbury's fault,
anyway. Why should he get up and make a speech in London without letting
us know? Just see how it has placed us! I think Mr. Brock is an angel to
do what he has done for you and Roxbury. Yes, my dear, you will have to
confess that Roxbury is a brute--a perfect brute. I'm sure, if you have
a spark of fairness in you, you must hate him. No, no! Don't say
anything, Edith. You _know_ I'm right."
"I'm not going to say anything," declared Edith angrily. "I'm going to
bed."
"Edith, if you don't mind, dear, I think I'll sleep with you." After a
moment of deep reflection she added plaintively: "There is so much that
I just have to tell you, deary. It--it won't keep till daylight."
Bright and early in the morning, the tired, harassed night-farers were
routed from their rooms by a demand from the management of the hotel
that they appear forthwith in the private office. This order included
every member of Mr. Rodney's party, excepting the Medcroft baby.
Considerably distressed and very much concerned over the probable
outcome of the conference, the Rodney forces made their way to the
offices--not altogether in an open fashion, but by humiliatingly unusual
avenues. The Rodney family came down the back stairs. Brock was solemnly
ushered through the public office by Mr. Odell-Carney and Freddie
Ulstervelt. It is not stretching the truth to say that they were sour
and sullen, but, as may be suspected, from peculiarly different causes.
At last all were congregated in the stuffy office, very much subdued and
very much at odds with each other. Mr. Githens was there. Likewise the
gentleman from the bank and a prominent person from the department of
police.
Miss Fowler glanced about uneasily, and was relieved to discover that
her treacherous gaoler was not there to confront her with charges. It
had occurred to her that he might, after all, have tricked her into
committing a crime against the government.
It was quite noticeable that Mrs. Rodney and Katherine did not speak to
the Medcroft contingent--in fact, they ignored them quite completely.
Mrs. Rodney was very pale and very deeply distressed. She cast many
glances at the red-eyed and sheepish Mr. Rodney,--glances that meant
much to the further torture of his soul.
"I am sorry to inform you, Herr Rodney, that the rooms which you now
occupy, and those of your friends, are no longer at your disposal. They
have been engaged for from sometime this day by a--"
"Look here," interrupted Odell-Carney bluntly, "if you mean that we are
not wanted here any longer, why not say so? Don't lie about it. We are
leaving to-day, in any event, so wot's the odds? Now, come down to
facts: why are we summoned here like a crowd of school children?"
The manager looked at Mr. Githens and then at the police officer.
"Ahem! It seems that Herr Grabetz of the police department desires to
ask some questions of your party in my presence. You will understand,
sir, that the hotel has been imposed upon by--by these people. It seems,
also, that the bank insists upon having some light thrown upon the
methods by which Mrs. Medcroft secures money on her letter of credit."
"You are welcome to all that, sir," declared Mr. Odell-Carney, "but I am
interested to know just why my wife and I are brought into this affair."
"Because you are guests of Mr. Rodney, sir, I regret to state. We have
no complaint against you, sir. _You_ are well known here. The--the
others are not. They are--what you call it? Humbugs! It may be that they
also have swindled you!"
Mr. Rodney, at this point, leaped to his feet and rushed over to shake
his fist in the face of the insulting hotel man. But Edith Medcroft
arose suddenly, like a tragedy queen, and spoke, her clear, determined
voice stilling the turbulent spirit of her outraged host.
"One moment, please," she said. "This all can be satisfactorily
explained. No wrong has been done. It will all be cleared up in time.
We--"
"In time?" interrupted the manager. "Madam, _this_ is the time. You are
here with a man who is not your husband, yet who purports to be such."
"It may throw some light on the matter if I announce that the gentleman
in question is _my_ affianced husband." It was Miss Fowler who spoke.
Every one stared at her as she moved over to Brock's side.
"If you will look in the office, you will find a telegram there for me,"
went on Mrs. Medcroft, pale but absolutely confident. The manager called
out through the door. Absolute silence reigned while the reply was
awaited.
"No telegram for Mrs. Medcroft last night or to-day," announced the
manager sternly, as he glanced through the slim bunch of blue envelopes.
"There are four here for a Mr. Brock, who has not yet arrived in--"
"Brock!" shouted three voices in one.
A tall man, forgetting his English and his eyeglass, sprang forward and
grabbed the telegrams from the manager's hand. "Holy mackerel! Give 'em
here!" he shouted. Two eager, beautiful young women were hanging to his
elbows as he ruthlessly broke one of the seals. "The chump! It's from
Rox! They're all from Rox--and they are two or three days old!"
Just then the unexpected happened.
The office door opened with a bang, and the real Roxbury Medcroft
stepped into the room. He halted just inside the door and looked about
in momentary bewilderment.
"This is a private--" began the manager, stepping forward. A flying
figure sped past him; a delighted little shriek rang in his ears. He saw
Edith Medcroft hurl herself into the arms of her own husband. At the
same moment Brock bounded across the room and pounced eagerly upon the
welcome intruder.
"Good Gawd!" gasped Odell-Carney. "Wot's all this?" His wife suddenly
began fanning herself, searching for breath.
"_This_ is my husband!" cried Edith, triumph in her voice, tears in her
eyes, as she faced the astonished observers. "Now, what have you to
say?"
It was a perfectly natural but not an especially obvious question. The
little manager threw up his hands and cried out in a sad mixture of
French, English and Helvetian,--
"What? Another husband? Madam, how many more do you propose to inflict
us with? We cannot allow it! The management will not permit you to
change husbands the instant a new guest arrives in the house. It is not
to be heard of--no, no!"
"Are you afraid that the books won't balance?" asked Brock with a joyous
grin, a great load off his heart. "Ladies and gentlemen, permit me to
introduce Mr. Roxbury Medcroft, my friend and fellow conspirator. He is
the husband of this lady, not I. I am to be the husband of _this_ lady,
thank God."
There was a moment of absolute silence--it may have been stupor. The two
audiences faced each other with emotions widely at variance. It was Mrs.
Rodney who spoke first.
"Is this true, Edith?" she quavered.
"Yes, yes, yes!" cried Edith, her eyes dancing.
"Then, what are you doing here with a man who isn't your husband?"
demanded Mrs. Rodney, suddenly aflame.
"I can explain everything to you later on, Mrs. Rodney," interposed Mrs.
Odell-Carney calmly. She had divined at least a portion of the truth,
and she was clever enough to put herself on the right side. Edith cast
an involuntary look of surprise at the Englishwoman. "I have known
everything from the first. Mrs. Medcroft and I are closer friends than
you may have thought." She gave Edith a meaning look, and a moment later
was whispering to her in a private corner of the private office: "My
dear, I don't know what it means, but you must tell me everything as
soon as possible. I am your friend. Whatever it all is, it's ripping!"
There was a great deal of pow-wowing and chatter, charges and
refutations, excuses and explanations. Mr. Medcroft finally waved every
one aside in the most _dégagé_ manner imaginable.
"Don't crowd me! Hang it all, I'm not a curiosity. There isn't anything
to go crazy about. My friend, Mr. Brock, has just done me a trifling
favour. That's all. The whole story will be in the London papers this
morning. Buy 'em. I'm going up to my wife's room to see my baby. I'll
come down and explain everything when I've had a bit of a breathing
spell. It's annoying to have had this fuss about a simple little matter
of generosity on the part of my friend, who, I've no doubt, has been a
most exemplary husband. I'll see to it, by Gad, that he receives the
proper apologies. And, for that matter, my wife may have something to
say about the outrage that has been perpetrated."
He took it all very much as if the world owed him an explanation and not
_vice versa_. As he was stalking from the room, Brock bethought himself
to ask,--
"When did you arrive, old man?"
"Last night on the 12.10. I registered as Smith. It was so late that I
decided not to disturb Edith. They said in the office that you'd gone to
bed, Brock. Now that I recall it, they said it in a very odd way too.
In fact, one of the clerks asked if I had it in for you too."
"You were here all night?" murmured Constance in plaintive misery.
"Well, not precisely all night, Connie. Half of it," replied Roxbury.
"Brock, you ass, I telegraphed you I was coming and asked you to meet me
at the station. I telegraphed twice from London and--"
"Don't call me an ass," grated Brock. "Why didn't you send 'em to me as
Medcroft? I haven't been Brock until this very morning."
"'Pon my soul, Brock, it was rather stupid of me," he confessed
sheepishly. "But, you see," with an inspired smile, "one of 'em was to
congratulate you on winning Connie. By Jove, you know, I _couldn't_ very
well address that one to myself."
"But--but he hadn't won me," stammered Constance Fowler.
"Edith," said Roxbury, deep reproach in his voice, "you wrote me that a
week ago!" Edith merely squeezed his arm.
Odell-Carney came forward and extended his hand. "Permit me to introduce
myself, sir. I am George Odell-Carney. It has given me great pleasure to
serve you without knowing you. In my catalogue of personalities you have
posed intermittently as a demmed bounder, a deceived husband, a betrayed
lover, a successful lover, and a lot of other things I can't just now
recall. Acting on the presumption that you might have been a friend in
distress, I worked hard in your interest. Now I discover, to my
gratification, you are a perfect stranger whom I am proud to meet.
Permit me to offer my warmest felicitations and to assure you that Mr.
Brock will make a splendid brother-in-law." He hesitated a moment and
then went on: "So _you_ are the chap that really put in those c'nfended
memorial windows. 'Pon me word, sir, they are the rottenest--"
"Carney!" came the sharp reminder from his wife.
"I should have said," revised Mr. Odell-Carney, "you are the chap who
played the deuce with the building grafters in the County Council.
Remarkable!"
"Yes," said Roxbury, striving to grasp something of the situation as it
appeared to the other. "We beat them. The bill is lost. It will never go
to the Council. The sub-committee will not recommend it. Thanks, Brock,
old man; you have saved London a good many millions, I daresay. It was
you who did it, after all."
Before noon the hotel was agog with the full details of the remarkable
story. Cabled despatches in the newspapers gave the gist of the clever
trick played by the Medcrofts, and the whole of England was to ring with
the stories of Mrs. Medcroft's pluck and devotion. Everybody was buying
the papers and staring with admiration at Mrs. Medcroft.
The management of the Tirol implored the Medcrofts to remain--forever!
The bank and the police were profuse in apologies and explanations, and
Mr. Githens departed by the first train.
Freddie Ulstervelt, killing two birds with one stone, arranged a
splendid dinner for that night in honour of the prodigal husband of
Edith and also in open compliment to the vivacious Mademoiselle Le Brun.
Later in the day, it occurred to him that he might just as well kill
three birds as two, so he planned to announce the betrothal of Miss
Fowler and Mr. Brock, the wedding to take place a fortnight hence in
Mayfair. The Rodneys were invited to "stop over" for the spread. It is
left for the reader to supply the answer to this simple question,--
Did they stop over?