Having committed that murderous and suicidal act, Marmaduke Hesketh
crept back to the coping and seated himself directly opposite me, with
the opening of the chimney between. For a long while we gazed upon
each other in silence, then with an exultant laugh he burst forth:
‘You look agitated, my good sir, and yet I scarcely think you have
taken in the full significance of the performance you have witnessed.
Your intellect, unless I do you injustice, is somewhat obtuse. I will
therefore make clear our position to you. You and I are alone upon this
chimney-top, and for any particular choice in the matter, we might
just as well be in our tombs. Neither of us will ever again tread the
earth beneath; for all connection with it being, as you perceive, cut
off, it can only be reached by a leap, upon which, I fancy, we shall
not be inclined voluntarily to venture. Attempts, I have no doubt,
will be made to rescue us; but they will of necessity only be of such
a character as can be easily frustrated—and _I_ shall frustrate them.
My own life, I assure you, is perfectly valueless to me. I have brought
you here to die, and to die of a slow lingering death, aggravated by
mental torture. It is a felicity I have long anticipated, and I am not
likely to allow myself to be balked of it.’
‘O man, man!’ I cried in mortal agony, ‘are you indeed a human being,
or a fiend in human shape?’
‘A highly melodramatic question, upon my word,’ he sneered.
‘Nevertheless, with my wonted good breeding, I will endeavour to
answer it. I am, I believe, gentle youth, a man; and yet, to own the
truth, I have been impelled to my present course of action by certain
sentiments popularly attributed to the Enemy of mankind—to wit,
hate, jealousy, and despair. Yes, Mr Frederick Carleton, I hate you,
and I have hated you from the very first hour of our acquaintance!
Your death had been determined upon by me long before this plan for
securing it, with an additional piquant flavour of enjoyment to myself,
had suggested itself. You have not, as I have before hinted, a very
active or capacious mind; but possibly your imagination may have been
sufficiently stimulated by alarm to have already suggested to you that
it was _I_ who sent, or caused to be sent, that telegram which so
opportunely prevented our friend Mr Middleton from accompanying us to
this elevated and delightful spot. So far as I am aware, you will be
relieved to hear that Captain Middleton is in perfect health.’
‘Oh, can this horrible iniquity be permitted?’ I groaned, raising
my hands in frenzied supplication. ‘Can this monster be actually
permitted to carry out his fiendish purpose?’
‘Curious, isn’t it, the selfishness of the human heart?’ meditated
my tormentor, affecting to regard me with a studious air. ‘This
individual, I dare to aver, thinks that this act of mine is the very
worst act ever committed. The individual in question has read, of
course, of the painful deaths of thousands of his fellow-mortals by
famine, pestilence, and war; of the sufferings of his own countrymen
in the Black Hole of Calcutta; and of other terrible atrocities. But
of all atrocities, the most atrocious and unequalled is the one that
aims at depriving the world of his presence, of extinguishing the puny
spark of his life, even though he has the consolation of knowing that
his enemy will perish in his company! A very curious exhibition of
selfishness indeed! Fie, fie, young man; I am ashamed of you!’ With
these words and with a sneer upon his lips, Mr Hesketh turned his face
from me and fell into silence.
By this time the men who had worked the windlass, and several others
engaged about the adjacent building, had gathered below, and were
excitedly gesticulating and shouting. Of what they said I could not
distinguish a syllable; but from their gestures, I gathered that they
were inciting me to courage, and that they knew Mr Hesketh to be the
cause of our calamitous situation—no doubt deeming him mad. And with
the conviction that they so far comprehended the state of affairs, and
would use endeavours to rescue me, hope sprang up in my breast. It was
impossible, I thought, that I should be going to perish, to be cut off
in this awful manner in the midst of youth and bliss. _I_, who loved
and was beloved; who, that very afternoon, had been so full of ecstatic
happiness, and had thought myself the happiest of God’s creatures. No;
it wasn’t in the nature of things. It couldn’t, couldn’t, couldn’t be!
Repeating to myself this assurance, I watched with eager attention the
further proceedings of the workmen below, and noted presently that
several of them were running off in the direction of the town, whilst
others were making across some fields by a footpath which led to Holm
Court.
I was trying to think what means could be adopted for our salvation,
when my cruel foe again addressed me. ‘I hope, my friend,’ he said,
‘that you are not allowing yourself to be buoyed up by false hopes.
The fools below (who no doubt consider me demented) think, perhaps,
that they may succeed in helping you down again to _terra firma_—but
you and I know better. By-the-bye, I wonder that you have not yet had
the curiosity to inquire in what way you have earned my by no means
impotent ill-will. Another proof, I fear, of defective phrenological
development—Wonder and Acquisitiveness very small. However, you shall
hear, if you will kindly favour me with your attention. I will give
you in a few words the history of my life. At a very early age—don’t
let the fact distress you—I was left an orphan, and was brought
up by a maiden aunt, who, I fancy, was not very fond of boys. At
anyrate she did not exhibit her fondness for me in such a manner as
to inspire me with any return of affection, and at twenty-eight I had
never known what it was to care for, or to be cared for by, any of
my fellow-creatures. At that age I paid a first visit to my distant
relative Mr Middleton, and saw his daughter, then about fifteen
years old. With her I fell in love, as it is called; that is, I gave
her the strong concentrated devotion of a wild passionate nature. I
determined to marry her; but I was poor and her father was mercenary.
I would not ruin my cause by speaking _then_, and in another week I
was upon my way to America, bent, with iron purpose, upon making a
fortune. Of my life in America I will not trouble you with an account,
lest, mayhap, I might shock your virtue and sensibility. Suffice it
to say, that during the seven years I remained in that country, I
was by turns a gold-digger, a back-woodsman, and a merchant. During
those seven years I heard regularly from Miss Middleton’s maid, who
received from me an annual honorarium for keeping me informed of all
that concerned her mistress. At different times I had sent me by that
young woman a lock of Clara’s hair and a likeness, and by her I was
constantly assured—false jade!—that Clara had as yet had no _affaire
de cœur_. So, full of hope, I toiled on towards the accumulation of
wealth, praying night and morning one simple prayer, namely, that my
darling might be kept for me. And at length, with a fortune of one
hundred thousand pounds, I returned to lay it and myself at the feet
of her I loved—loved with a love which you, weak beardless boy, cannot
even comprehend—a love which, compared with yours, is as the restless
tossing ocean to a placid mill-pond, the fierce flames of a burning
forest to the feeble flicker of a lucifer-match! And what did I find
when, full of joyous anticipation, I arrived at her father’s house?
Why, I found her for whose sake I had gone through incredible labours,
for whose love I had yearned night and day for seven long years,
engaged, and upon the very point of marriage with an empty-headed,
aristocratic stripling, six months her junior! And worst of all, I
found that she absolutely loved the noodle! And now, Mr Frederick
Carleton, do you wonder that I determined to frustrate your marriage?
Do you wonder that I hate you with a mortal hatred? Do you wonder that
I regard my own life as of no more worth than a withered autumn leaf?’
‘O Hesketh, I am very, very sorry for you!’ I said, as he ceased to
speak; for his story and the agony of his face as he related it, had
touched me. ‘But you are mistaken in asserting _your_ love to be
superior to mine. It is inferior—_infinitely_ inferior. For I tell you,
man, that if Clara had loved _you_, I would not have stirred a finger
to injure you; and that rather than rend her heart, as it will be rent
by the knowledge of what has happened, I would willingly suffer the
cruel death you have designed for me, but which I feel confident will
somehow be prevented.’
‘You do, do you? Well, wait and see. I imagine your confidence will
soon die out. And in the meantime, keep your snivelling pity to
yourself. Don’t speak another word to me unless you are spoken to!’
‘I will not,’ I replied; my compassion vanishing, and giving place to
the horror with which I had previously regarded him. And averting my
face from this dreadful companion, I awaited in my perilous position
the issue of events. It declared itself thus. In what must in reality
have been an incredibly short period, although to me it appeared of
immense duration, a large crowd had collected around the chimney, and
I presently saw a kite ascending from its midst. Slowly it rose into
the air, higher and higher, borne by a gentle breeze in the direction
of the chimney. The object of its flight I had readily guessed; but Mr
Hesketh, to my extreme astonishment, did not appear to have noticed it.
He had taken a cigar from his case, lighted it with a fusee, and was
now calmly smoking with his eyes in a contrary direction. At length the
kite was upon a level with us, and by a dexterous movement on the part
of the man who held it, it fluttered to my feet. I stretched out my
hand and seized it. A thrill of pleasure passed through my frame as I
felt the string tugging from beneath, and knew that, though only by a
line of twine, a communication was established between me and those who
were planning my rescue.
But my gratification was not of long continuance. Glancing furtively
the while at Mr Hesketh, I commenced rapidly to draw in the string,
to which, as I guessed, a rope would be attached, wondering if it
were really possible that he had not observed what was taking place.
For a moment or two he smoked on in affected ignorance or unconcern,
then knocking the ashes from his cigar, and replacing it in his
mouth, he approached me, deliberately opened a penknife, and with a
satirically polite, ‘Allow me,’ held out his hand for the string. At
imminent danger of a fatal slip from my seat, I struggled to prevent
the accomplishment of his purpose, but in vain; and having severed the
twine with a sardonic laugh he retreated to his former position. A cry
of execration rose from below, so loud and wrathful and prolonged, that
I thought, as directed against himself, it must surely make my foe
tremble. But no; his composure, real or pretended, remained, I saw,
unruffled.
And now, with what intensity of solicitude I waited for the next
movement below! With what maddening impatience I watched the crowd
continually augmenting, noted groups consulting together, saw people
running hither and thither, gesticulating, looking upwards, shouting
constantly but doing nothing! And with what unutterable misery I
presently perceived on the outskirts of the crowd, a form, which by
the instinct of love I could have picked out from a larger assembly
and at a greater distance. Her arms stretched upwards, as though to
lessen the dreadful gulf which divided us, Clara stood upon a little
mound of débris; and by the agony of her attitude I could judge, though
I could not distinguish her features, of the agony of her face. Mr
Hesketh saw her too; for I heard him groan deeply, as though in pain,
and glancing towards him, I perceived his eyes fixed in the direction
where she stood. But from the expression of his countenance, I knew
well that the sight of her anguish had not shaken by one iota his
pitiless resolve. Twilight fell, after a period of indefinite duration,
shrouding Clara from my view; but not before I had seen her joined by a
man, who had taken her in his arms and strained her to his bosom, and
whom I conjectured to be Mr Middleton, returned from the fool’s errand
upon which he had been sent.
Upon the night of horror which succeeded I shall not dwell. All through
its interminable hours, my horrid companion and I sat sleepless and
silent, watching the red bonfires which blazed below, illuminating the
base of the huge chimney and the figures of a considerable number of
people who remained around it. By dawn the crowd had reassembled more
numerously than upon the previous day, and again and again attempts
were made to convey to me a rope by means of a kite, but only to be
each time defeated by my powerful antagonist. Then one by one, other
means of reaching us were tried; but all proved to be either infeasible
in themselves or impracticable for lack of co-operation from above. By
degrees every hope of rescue was extinguished in my breast, and I could
only resolve to meet my fate like a man, and to pray that Clara might
not suffer too keenly upon the consummation of the event. That she
suffered keenly now, I could not avoid seeing, as with my despairing
gaze riveted upon her, I faced the spot where with her father and
mother she remained for most part of the day.
At length—it was getting towards the close of the afternoon, and unable
longer to bear the sight of my beloved one’s torment—I turned away,
and as my eyes fell upon the crowd, I noticed within it a movement of
renewed excitement. I remarked, moreover, that Mr Hesketh had also
observed it, for I saw him remove his cigar (he had been smoking almost
unintermittingly since daybreak), and I heard him murmur: ‘What are
they up to now?’ They were the first words he had spoken that day, and
as they left his lips he started violently, for a bullet had whizzed
past his ear, actually grazing it. The rifle had been discharged from
behind him, and from the top of a wall belonging to the mill in process
of building, and which stood quite separately and at some distance from
the chimney.
‘Oh, that’s the game, is it?’ exclaimed my reckless and now sullen
enemy, speedily recovering his nonchalance of bearing. ‘Well, that can
easily be put a stop to. My dear fellow, I must seek protection beneath
your wing. They won’t shoot at me now.’ And resuming his smoking, he
offered me a cigar. ‘Better take one,’ he said sulkily, as I refused
the weed with disgust. ‘Smoking is a good preventive of hunger; and I
daresay you are beginning to feel hungry.’
I was not hungry in the least; but I had for some hours been consumed
with a terrible thirst; and as it presently occurred to me to produce
an increase of saliva, by chewing a corner of my handkerchief, I felt
for it in my pocket. But instead of my handkerchief, my hand lighted
upon another object, cool and round, and in an instant my heart ‘leaped
into my throat.’ I managed, however, to remain motionless, though the
blood tingled through my veins with excitement, and I was obliged to
keep my face turned from him, least the inspiration of hope upon it
should be visible to my intended murderer. But he had fallen again into
the sullen, brooding taciturnity which he had preserved all day, and
did not even glance in my direction.
Thus we sat together till the slow hours had dragged themselves away,
and the second night had fallen upon us in that awful situation.
Then Mr Hesketh spoke again. ‘Carleton,’ he said, in a tone equally
determined with any he had yet used, but not so expressive of hate
and satire—‘Carleton, I am tired of this, and I think you have now
suffered enough. Your hair, I have observed, has turned quite gray. I
shall therefore put an end to your torture and my own sooner than I
had intended. To-morrow morning, as soon as the gaping crowd below has
re-assembled in sufficient numbers to give zest to the exhibition of
our agility, we will take a leap together into their arms. Meantime,
I purpose to spend this last night of my existence in sleep, and with
this object shall now retire to the opposite side of our airy castle.
Do not, however, delude yourself with the hope, which I fancy I detect
in your quickened breathing. I am a light sleeper, having long been
accustomed to sleep with one eye open, for fear of wild Indians, or
worse; and at a touch, or even a movement on your part I should awake.’
If ever I prayed in my life, I surely prayed upon that awful night
when I saw Marmaduke Hesketh stretched out around the parapet of the
chimney, with his head resting upon one arm, doubled under it for a
pillow. And surely I may believe that it was in answer to that prayer,
and to the prayers for my safety of one dearer to me than myself, that
the sound sleep was sent which I presently perceived to have fallen
upon him. Down below flickered the red bonfires, and faint from the
distance came the sound of voices; but above that sound I heard the
sweet music of heavy breathing. And now, with the utmost caution,
I commenced to creep round towards my enemy’s head—pausing at each
step to listen if he still slept. Upon the success of the plan I was
about to try depended my life, and in each moment of uncertainty which
intervened until I was assured of that success, I lived an eternity. At
last I was quite close, and he had _not_ awaked! I drew from my pocket
the bottle of chloroform which I had bought for Mrs Middleton—_could_
it have been only two days ago!—and saturating my handkerchief with it,
held it before his mouth. The breathing grew quieter. I pressed the
handkerchief closer, and it became inaudible. I touched him, and he did
not move. I grew bolder, and shook him, yet he did not awake. And now
I was assailed with a strong temptation to hurl him over the chimney’s
side. I could have done it, I felt, easily; and I know the act would
have been justified in the eyes of most people. But I resisted the
temptation—for which I shall be thankful all my life—and carried
out instead my original plan of disarming him as far as possible
for the present, and waiting, until absolutely compelled to it in
self-preservation, before I would attempt to cause his death. My method
of disarming him was to bind together as firmly and tightly as I could
his arms and legs, using for this purpose the two large balls of twine
which Master Charlie had so urgently impressed upon me not to forget
to purchase for him. Ah, how little I had thought when selecting them
to what a use they would be employed!
Having effected my purpose, and finding my foe still motionless and
unconscious, I returned to my former position, and bending downwards,
shouted with all my might to attract the attention of those below.
But the effort was fruitless. I could not make myself heard, neither
could I, in the darkness, be descried from below. It was only when
the faint streaks of coming day began to appear in the horizon that
my figure could be made out standing alone and defined against the
gray sky; and then I could see that a rapid search was made inside and
around the chimney for the body of the man who was supposed to have
fallen thence; for in his recumbent position and hidden by the low
parapet, my companion could not be discerned from beneath. At length I
had the happiness of perceiving that the gesticulating figure above,
wildly imploring aid, was recognised as mine; and then once more I
saw ascending towards me on that early summer morning a white-winged
messenger of salvation. And still my dreaded enemy slept. He slept on,
when I had seized the kite, and whilst I drew in with eager rapidity
the string. He slept on, whilst with growing excitement I hauled up a
slender rope, and then a stouter one attached thereto, dropping them
both into the interior of the chimney. He slept on whilst I pulled
up, hand over hand, a strong iron chain, at the end of which, when
it reached me, I found affixed a horizontal iron bar. And he still
slept on whilst I passed this iron bar beneath my legs as a seat, and
feeling the chain held firmly from below, grasped it with both hands
and let myself over the side. Then, whether or not he slept I thought
no more, as with closed eyes and heart full of thanksgiving, I felt
myself gradually lowered against the chimney’s smooth side, down, down,
down, until in the end I touched the firm earth, saw a sea of faces
gathering around me, heard a hubbub of congratulation, and sank into
unconsciousness.
When I recovered from an illness which supervened, and which lasted
several weeks, I found myself in the chamber I usually occupied when
visiting at Holm Court, with Clara by my side, pale and worn with
anxiety and watching. My nerves had been so unstrung by the mental
shock I had endured, that for a long time no allusion was permitted
in my presence to the events I have recorded. But eventually, on my
insisting on being informed of Mr Hesketh’s fate, I was told, that
after waiting several hours for any movement on the part of the
supposed madman, a brave bricklayer had volunteered to ascend the
chimney by the same means as I had used in its descent, and had found
him stone-dead, with his limbs bound, and in the position I had left
him. By the administration of the chloroform I had unintentionally
slain him.
Two words in conclusion. The unfortunate man was brought to the ground
in the car in which, two days before, he had ascended with me intent
upon his murderous purpose—a couple of mechanics having ascended by
means of the chain and bar and readjusted the machinery. He was buried.
And six months afterwards I was married—not as the gay, sprightly
youth I had been before that awful adventure, but as a gray-headed,
prematurely aged man. But Clara loves me in spite of my white hairs,
and Time with his healing hand is gradually effacing the mental scar,
and restoring to me my youthful health and spirits.