"Freer will go with you," said Lorina.
This seemed fatal to my hopes--I had to keep command of my face though.
I made believe it was a matter of indifference. To give Freer credit,
he did not appear to relish the assignment, but he dared not object
either.
"As soon as you get back you will both come direct to my house," said
Lorina.
Such were our instructions.
We went to take the seven-thirty train as ordered. As Freer never left
my side I had no opportunity to call you up. I know now that you
weren't at the hotel anyway. In the station Freer went to buy the
tickets. I waited on a bench in plain sight of him. Next to me sat a
nice, sensible looking girl, and I had an inspiration.
"Will you send a telegram for me?" I asked smiling at her.
Naturally she was somewhat taken aback. "What do you mean?" she asked.
"Don't look so surprised," I said, smiling still. "There's a man
watching me. He mustn't know. It's terribly important--a question of
a life, maybe."
I was lucky in my girl. She had an adventurous spirit. She smiled
back. "Who to?" she asked.
"Have you got a good memory?"
"First-rate."
"Miss Farrell, care Doctor ----'s Sanatorium, Amityville."
"I have it."
"Just say: 'Do not leave the house to-night.'"
"Right. Signature?"
"'B. Enderby.' You'll find the money to pay for it on the seat when I
get up."
Freer, having secured the tickets, now came towards us. I met him half
way. He look at me hard.
"I made a friend," I said, grinning as men do.
"Humph!" he said sourly. "I shouldn't think you'd be in the humour
now."
I went out to the train with him, giving an amourous backward glance
towards the girl.
An hour and a half later we were crouching among the young juniper
trees at the edge of Dr. ----'s pond. I was reminded of that other
night in Newport. Certainly I have led a full life this past week.
Once more I waited with my heart in my throat fancying that I heard her
approach in all the little sounds of night. Freer was no happier than
I, I believe. While we waited in the dark I quietly unloaded the
magazine of the pistol to guard against accidents.
Once we did hear steps approaching along one of the paths, and held our
breaths. But they passed in another direction. If she had come my
plan was to secure Freer with her assistance, if she were not too
frightened. But she did not come.
Freer had a tiny electric flash with which he consulted his watch from
time to time. He said at last:
"We can just make the train. It's the only train to-night."
"Come on," I said. "It isn't our fault if she didn't come."
"Thank God she didn't!" he said involuntarily.
I shook hands with him. He was a traitor to me, and a thief, but I
forgot it at the moment.
The trip home was without incident. We got up to Lorina's shortly
after midnight. The whole gang was there: Foxy, Jumbo, Jim, Blondy,
several of the young fellows, a dozen in all besides Freer and me.
They were all gambling in the dining-room.
Lorina jumped up at the sight of us.
"Well?" she demanded.
"No good," I said. "The girl never came."
"Hm!" said Lorina. That was all.
It struck me that she must have known already that we had failed.
Lorina asked for her pistol, and I handed it over.
"Boys," said Lorina, "we'll go up to the office and have a council. I
was just waiting for these two to come in. We've got to decide what
we're going to do about this bull Enderby. He's active again."
There was something in the tone of this speech, or in the look which
accompanied it, that caused the scalp behind my ears to draw and
tingle. I began to wonder if I had not risked too much in venturing
back into the lion's den this night. However, it was too late for
regrets. I put the best face on it I could.
We trooped up-stairs. Some of the boys had been drinking. There was a
good bit of noise. The office as I have already explained is the front
room on the second floor. It extends the width of the house, and it
has three windows. That on the left is over the portico and stoop.
At the right of the room is a large flat-topped desk. Lorina sat at it
with her back to the fireplace. She motioned me to a seat at her
right. The men lounged in chairs about, some of them with their elbows
on the desk. Lorina ordered the door closed. I was wondering if I'd
ever leave that room alive.
Lorina rapped on the desk for attention.
"Boys," she said bluntly, "we've got a spy among us."
Instantly every pair of eyes turned on me. I jumped up. My back was
in the corner. I bluffed them as best I could.
"What's the matter with you?" I cried. "I didn't ask you to take me
in. You came after me. You gave me your work to do. Haven't I done
it? Didn't I deliver the goods at Newport? Didn't I undertake a nasty
bit of work to-night? Ask Freer there. And now you turn on me!"
"Keep quiet!" commanded Lorina. "You'll have your hearing."
To the men she said: "For a week I've known there was a leak somewhere,
and I wanted to test him. I gave him a job out at Amityville, and I
sent Freer with him. I had an agent in the house out there. Well, he
didn't pull the job off."
"Was that my fault?" I cried. "Ask Freer."