A knock on the door of the room interrupted the conversation at this
point, and startled Doctor Bonsal and his guests. It was only the
old black servant who had admitted Hawley to the house. He handed
his employer an envelope. “Your pardon for interrupting, master,” he
whispered, “but it is from the hospital and you said it should be
brought to you at once.”
“Quite right, Pedro,” the physician responded eagerly tearing open the
envelope. As he read its contents he uttered a joyous exclamation.
“Here is good news,” he said, turning to the señora. “This is from my
good friend Doctor Picard. He tells me that an operation has just been
performed on General Replife, and the bullet removed. It had lodged
in the chest, narrowly missing the heart. Doctor Picard says that
the minister of war’s condition is still very grave, but there is no
immediate cause for alarm. It will be several weeks before he will be
out of danger, but he has a fighting chance of pulling through.”
“Thank God,” the woman murmured fervently. “There is hope now--unless
that which we dread has already happened,” she added, with a shudder.
“Of course it hasn’t!” declared Doctor Bonsal reassuringly. “You can
depend upon it that Portiforo wouldn’t dare take extreme measures until
he was quite sure that Replife wasn’t going to get well and call him
to account. He will await the result of the minister of war’s injuries.
And, in the meantime, our dearest hopes may be realized. Doctor Picard
tells us that even though Replife’s injuries prove fatal, he may linger
for several weeks--and within that time much may happen,” he added
significantly.
He turned eagerly to the Camera Chap. “I trust, sir, that if anything
was lacking before to convince you of the necessity of giving up your
venture, this will remove your last doubt. We have, now, new reason to
hope that the life of our beloved president will be spared for some
days. Portiforo will not take any desperate step unless he is spurred
on to do so by the fear that his secret has leaked out. We can truly
say that our fate lies in your hands, and we throw ourselves upon your
generosity.”
“And upon your sense of honor as well,” the señora supplemented
quickly. “You gave us your promise, Mr. Hawley, that if we could assure
you that we had a plan more promising than yours, you would leave
Baracoa immediately.”
“But I am not sure that your plan is more promising than mine,” Hawley
replied, with a smile. “Don’t think that I’m trying to evade you, but
I must remind you that your friend Rodriguez has tried his revolution
once and failed. What guarantee have we that he will succeed this time?
And even if he does make good with his revolution, how is he going to
get President Felix out of El Torro? I don’t see why there wouldn’t be
just the same objection to his plan as to mine. The revolutionists may
capture the fortress, but----” He paused significantly.
The señora was about to make a reply when there came a startling
interruption. Pedro, the aged servitor, who had departed from the room
after delivering Doctor Picard’s note, now came rushing in, without
going through the formality of knocking. He was in a state of great
excitement. His eyes were rolling, and his face was almost white.
“Master,” he gasped, “the house is surrounded by soldiers. There are
two of them knocking at the front door now.”
A faint cry of alarm escaped from the señora. She seemed to be on the
verge of collapse. Doctor Bonsal’s face had turned very pale, and the
Camera Chap saw that he was shaking as though suddenly seized with a
chill. His lips moved as though he were about to speak, but no words
came from them.
Hawley, the only cool member of the group, was the first to break the
silence. “Pardon me for suggesting it, doctor,” he said, as a sound of
a violent pounding came to his ears, “but wouldn’t it be a good idea to
find out what those fellows want? From the way they are going at it, if
you don’t answer them pretty soon, they’ll have the door in splinters.”
The physician made a heroic attempt to pull himself together. “I think
I know what they want, without asking them,” he said, with a grim
smile. “But you are right; nothing is to be gained by keeping them
waiting. I will go and attend to them.”
He made a step toward the door, but the señora intercepted him. “Not
you!” she protested frantically. “You must not go to them. It is for
you that they have come. You must find some way of escaping from the
house.”
The old man shrugged his shoulders. “I’m afraid that won’t be possible,
my dear friend,” he replied, now quite calm. “Did you not say, Pedro,
that the house was surrounded by soldiers?”
“Yes, master,” the panic-stricken servant replied. “The garden is full
of them. There are more than twenty of them, and they have every means
of escape covered.”
Doctor Bonsal turned with a sad smile to Señora Felix: “You see! To
attempt flight would be useless. Besides, even if it were possible for
me to get away, it would be most unwise. It is necessary that I go to
those men at the door before they come in here. It is our only chance
of preventing them from discovering the presence here of you and Mr.
Hawley--and that, of course, must be prevented.”
“But I cannot let you go,” the señora cried, still clinging to him. “It
means your doom. That tyrant will show you no mercy. You----”
“Hush, my child,” he said gently. “After all, I am an old man, and my
days upon this earth are numbered. It does not matter much what becomes
of me--we must think only of the cause that is so dear to us. If only
we can get those men to depart without learning that you are here, I
shall be satisfied.”
He gently disengaged himself from her grasp, and turned to the Camera
Chap. “Whatever happens, Mr. Hawley, I am going to ask you to remain
in this room with Señora Felix, and not attempt to leave the house
until you have made sure that the soldiers have gone. I would try to
conceal you both, but there is no time for that. Besides, it would be
useless; if they insist upon searching the house they would find you
anyway, and----”
A crash and a shout of triumph interrupted him. “They’ve broken down
the door. I must go at once,” he whispered, and hurried out into the
hall.
“What do you wish, gentlemen? What is the meaning of this violence?”
the Camera Chap heard him demand, with great dignity.
“You are Doctor Gaspard Bonsal?”
“At your service, señor.”
“We have an order for your arrest,” came the startling announcement. “I
regret to say, señor, that you must go with us at once.”
The Camera Chap made an impulsive move toward the door, but Señora
Felix stopped him with an imploring gesture. “You can do nothing,” she
whispered, the tears streaming down her face. “I beg of you not to make
matters worse by interfering.”
“But what does it mean?” Hawley demanded. “Why are they arresting
that----”
“Listen!” the woman interrupted tensely.
“I am at your service, gentlemen,” they heard the venerable physician
say again. “But might I inquire the nature of the charge against me?”
“You are accused of aiding and abetting General Rodriguez to escape
from the arsenal prison,” came the grim reply. “If you are innocent,
doctor, you have no cause to fear. You will have a fair trial.”
“Very good, señor,” exclaimed the aged man, his voice trembling. “I am
ready to go with you.”
The Camera Chap, an expression of astonishment on his face, turned to
the señora. “Is it true?” he whispered.
She nodded, and, sinking into a chair, covered her face with her hands.
Then, suddenly, she jumped to her feet, and stood quivering like a
hunted animal as another voice reached them: “How about searching the
premises before we go, captain?”
The Camera Chap glanced almost instinctively toward the heavy portières
which draped the window. They did not offer a very promising chance of
concealment for himself and the señora, but they appeared to be the
best that the room offered. Fortunately, however, it did not come to
that. He and the woman exchanged a glance of congratulation as they
heard the man addressed as captain reply carelessly: “No; we need not
bother to search the house. We had no orders to do so. All we want is
our prisoner.”
“I am ready to accompany you, gentlemen,” said Doctor Bonsal.