AT THE ADMIRAL
This and last night's affair was asking too much of coincidence. They
must be related and instigated by the same hand, and I decided to
finish the rest of my homeward trip by taxi. I had been foolish not to
return in the one that brought Mr. Hannay and myself to the Tombs.
As I reached the sidewalk, on the opposite side of the street, somebody
stepped up quickly behind me and, my nerves being jumpy by this time, I
whirled round with ready fist, thinking another play was being made for
my life. Indeed I had almost swatted the man before I recognized him as
Tommy Ashton. The relief was so great that I burst out laughing.
I may pass over our initial greeting; Ashton, of course, was delighted
to see me, but not greatly astonished, for news of my miraculous return
was pretty well over town by this time and, no doubt, would appear in
the evening papers.
"Yes, I've a story to tell, but I don't want to tell it here," I said,
anxious to get away from the scene of my recent "accident" before
Ashton got wind of it. "I've told it three or four times already
to-day so it's getting pretty monotonous. Suppose you come home with me
and then we'll call up Hewitt----"
"Bob's in Florida on business and won't be back for a month or
more--the plans of that new hotel at Ormond, you know. I'm leaving for
Philly myself in an hour or so. Let's beat it to the Admiral for a bite
and your story; that's all I've time for."
"My story will keep, Tommy, and you'll see it in the papers----"
"I want it at first hand--now. I'm entitled to it. Come on."
So we hopped a taxi--I said I wanted to dodge reporters--to the huge
new hotel where Ashton, a bachelor, had recently installed himself, and
secured a quiet corner table in the grill. He received a shock when I
turned down the wine card but, a true friend, climbed up on the wagon
beside me.
"Far be it from me to add to your temptations," he said as I protested.
"And it's really no sacrifice on my part. I know what it is to have
that stuff shoved under your nose. I must say you're looking prime,
Pete, whatever you've been doing with yourself. If you're really on
this water-wagon game for good----"
"I am, booked through for life. I mean it, Tommy."
"Shake hands on that!" he exclaimed. "I believe you _do_ mean it and
that you're capable of pulling it off. You've changed a whole lot; even
the loss of that alleged mustache is an improvement. And now let's hear
all about it."
"Well, to begin with, if I didn't win that bet I came mighty near it. I
earned my keep by the sweat of my brow for three whole weeks, if not a
month. You see----" And I proceeded to tell the whole thing over again,
omitting, as heretofore, all reference to the Black Company.
"Well?" queried Ashton as I finished.
"Well what?"
"Your adventures are all very interesting, but what about the rest?"
"There isn't any more; I've told you everything."
"Oh, no, you haven't; you've omitted the most interesting part."
"I don't know what you mean."
Ashton raised his eyes and they met mine over the planked steak.
"You're a poor sort of liar, Pete; you always were, even if an
industrious one, and you forget I'm a lawyer. Also, my friend, I saw
what happened on the subway platform."
"Oh, that accident? Was it you who called me? There was such a crowd,
and you see I fell----"
"Naturally, after such a shove. It's no use, Pete; I was there and saw
the whole thing. Yes, I was on my way up here. I couldn't get near
you, and the fellow who did it escaped in the crowd."
"He didn't mean to shove me; it was an accident, or he was drunk."
"Neither one nor the other, and you know it. Why, when I overhauled
you, you almost smashed me! You thought I was going to jump you.
Somebody's after your life, Pete, and you can't tell me anything
different. Aside from all else, the way you keep looking round as
though expecting----"
"I'm looking at Frean," I said. "He has just come in. I hope he doesn't
land over here."
But he did, seeing that I observed him. "Killing the fatted calf, eh,
Ashton?" he greeted.
Ashton received him coldly and didn't ask him to join us; nor,
naturally, did I. Frean didn't appear to notice this; he draped his
elegant person over the back of a chair and smiled at us, particularly
at me. There was something very irritating in his smile.
"Lawton's been having a wonderful time," he continued. "I suppose he
has been telling you all about it? Romantic rural drama, you know, with
me for the villain of the piece. Only for me, he'd still be down in Sea
Bright washing automobiles and paying court to the cook. I turned up at
the wrong time."
"I thought," said I, keeping my temper, "you'd have spread the joyful
news of my being alive. It seems you didn't. I wonder why?"
"Why should I?" he asked blandly. "I'm not your press agent, no, nor
your conscience either. It wouldn't have been a very friendly act to
set the police after you. I knew you'd give yourself up; better late
than never. I don't suppose you're hiding here, eh? Oh, no offense,
Lawton; don't get excited now, it's so dangerous for a man of your
build. I'm afraid you'll have a stroke some day. Well, cheerio; I've
got to amble. Sorry I can't partake of the fatted calf."
"Rotter!" muttered Ashton, as Frean smiled himself off. "It's clear he
doesn't believe your car was stolen, so I didn't say anything about
your satisfactory interview with the district attorney. Let him find it
out for himself; it'll make him mad. He never liked you, Pete, even at
college. I've always felt that."
"I suppose he didn't, and yet I hardly knew him."
"No, but he knew you, of course. That little set of decadent highbrows
he flocked with had no use for Brokaw Field; they were jealous of any
reputation made there. There's a set like that at every university,
more's the pity; fake highbrows who pretend to scoff at athletics, fake
high priests of culture. He has turned out just what I expected."
"I'm sorry for his people, yes, and for him too. I mean, Tommy, I know
what it is to have too much money; believe me, it's worse than having
too little. Oh, I don't mean in a physical sense; but if you aren't
mighty careful, it rots you body and soul. I've been through it and you
haven't. I think Frean's people are to blame in a way; they shouldn't
have allowed him all that dough----"
"You're too soft, Pete. I've tried to help Frean but I'm through, like
all his friends, and you are too, if you've any sense. Cut him out;
he's a total loss. I haven't even words to waste on him, for I want to
hear about this enemy who's trying to measure you for a wooden kimono.
Who is it? Come, out with it!"
"I'd rather not, Tommy, if you don't mind. Of course, it isn't a
question of not trusting you or anything like that; aside from all
else, I don't want you to get mixed up in it. It isn't any little
simple affair--no, I won't tell you----"
But I did; I had to. He gave me no peace until I had told him
practically everything. Ashton was like that, pertinacious and dogged;
he would have stuck to me all night, canceled his Philadelphia
engagement, until he had got the truth out of me. Nor was it simply
curiosity on his part, though he had seen and guessed so much that he
was dying to hear all; no, he had a very real regard for me and wished
to be of service. After all, I couldn't have had a better adviser; he
was junior member of a noted criminal law firm and well on the way to
making a name for himself. All the same I didn't want to tell him.
"Well, that's the queerest thing I ever heard, and I've heard some
queer things in my time," he said as I finished. "The Black Company! No
relation, I suppose, to Conan Doyle's 'White Company?'"
"I knew you'd laugh, Tommy, but----"
"I'm not laughing; not a bit of it. But if I hadn't actually seen that
fellow shove you--and at that I never got a good look at him. I think
I was the only one who saw him do what he did. What sort of a combine
is it? And the Black King! It must be some political conspiracy, not
necessarily against America. I mean actively. For instance, there may
be a plot brewing to put a new ruler on one of the tottering thrones of
Europe; they're all pretty wabbly these days. And, of course, if wind
of this plot got known--you see it may mean a new ally for the Central
Powers----"
"I've thought of all that, but Varney could have nothing to do with it."
"You never can tell; he's living at Sea Bright and that's Washington,
you may say, for the next three months. Every political adventurer will
make it his stamping ground. Intrigue is in the air; everybody seems to
be engaged in it and the country is overrun with secret agents. It may
not be a coincidence that this summer Varney should be a neighbor of
President Wilson. No, you can't tell, Pete; he may have more interest
in world politics than you or any one imagines. Why, if I'm not
mistaken, his brother has some political job. This alleged disease may
be only a blind, something to keep him under cover----"
"I don't believe Varney has anything to do with the Black Company; I
mean he's not a member but a potential victim, though I don't know in
what way."
"And yet he's intimate with Frean who, you say, is a member?"
"Yes, on probation--according to the man Corby. You see I really know
nothing for certain; I can't find out anything. It's all guesswork, but
after those two attempts on my life I can't think the thing a joke; at
least I fail to see the humor. The whole thing is so bizarre that the
police would only laugh at me; you know they would. I haven't any real
evidence to give them."
Ashton nodded and fell silent. "You were wise in keeping this to
yourself," he said at length. "I understand why you didn't want to tell
even me. Of course it won't get past me. But it's far too big a thing
for any amateur handling; it may prove bigger even than we suspect. And
we've got to do something, Pete. Now there's only one man to handle a
case like this--Lisping Jimmie."
"I agree with you. He's the very man I had in mind from the first, the
only man I meant to tell. I've got the money and can give him a free
hand till the cows come home. That's one advantage of wealth."
"Well, see him first thing to-morrow," said Ashton with decision. "I
would say to-night only that I happen to know he's in Washington and
won't be home till to-morrow. See him as soon as you can. Meanwhile
I'll see what I can find out in Philly. As it turns out, it's a
providential thing that I've got to go there to-night, that I met you
and had this talk. You drew blank in Philly, but I should have better
luck; I mean that I'm educated to the investigating business and you
aren't. I think I'll be able to find out something for Blunt to work
on, put him that much ahead of the game."
"Well, for Heaven's sake, be careful, Tommy! You don't know these
fellows. I'd much rather you stood out of it; I do indeed----"
"Rats!" laughed Ashton. "I've legitimate business there and they'll
never suspect me. Anyway, I'm a match for these cowardly highbinders.
You'll see."