En Voyage
Mr. Graham's congratulations next morning quite overwhelmed me.
"I never expected such complete and speedy success, Mr. Lester," he
said warmly. "You've done splendid work."
I pointed out to him that, after all, my success was purely the result
of accident. Had I been really clever, I should have instantly
suspected what that sudden seizure on the station platform meant, I
should have hurried back to the scene, and followed Martigny--as I
still called him in my thoughts--to the hospital, on the chance of
securing his first address. Instead of which, if chance had not
befriended me, I should have been as far as ever from a solution of
the mystery. I trembled to think upon what a slender thread my victory
had hung.
But my chief would not listen; he declared that a man must be judged
by his achievements, and that he judged me by mine.
"Let us find out how our friend is," I said at last; so the hospital
was called up. We were informed that the patient was stronger, but
would not be able to leave his bed for two or three days.
"The Jourdains may tell him of my call," I said. "They'll suspect
something when I don't return to-day--yet they may wait for me a day
or two longer--they have my money--and one day is all I want. It's
just possible that they may keep silent altogether. They've nothing to
gain by speaking--it's plain that they're not in the conspiracy.
Anyway, to-morrow I'll be out of reach."
Mr. Graham nodded.
"Yes--that's plainly the next step. You must follow them to
France--but where in France will you look for them? I didn't think of
that before. Why, the search is just beginning! I thought it
impossible to accomplish what you have accomplished, but that seems
easy, now, beside this new problem."
"Yes," I assented; "still, it may not be so hard as it looks. We must
try to find out where the women have gone, and I believe Rogers can
help us. My theory is that they're from one of the towns which the
Holladays visited when they were abroad, and Mr. Holladay must have
kept in touch with his office, more or less, during that time."
My chief sprang up and seized his hat.
"The very thing!" he cried. "There's no luck about that bit of
reasoning, Mr. Lester. Come, I'll go with you."
"Only," I added, as we went down together, "I very much fear that the
search will lead to Paris, for Martigny is undoubtedly a Parisian."
"And to find a person in Paris...."
I did not answer: I only shut my teeth together, and told myself for
the hundredth time that I must not fail.
Rogers had been carrying on the routine work of the business since his
employer's death, and was supervising the settlement of accounts, and
the thousand and one details which must be attended to before the
business could be closed up. We found him in the private office, and
stated our errand without delay.
"Yes," he said, "Mr. Holladay kept in touch with the office, of
course. Let me see--what was the date?"
"Let us look for the first six months of 1876," I suggested.
He got down the file covering that period, and ran through the
letters.
"Yes, here they are," he said after a moment. "In January, he writes
from Nice, where they seem to have remained during February and March.
About the middle of April, they started north--here's a letter dated
Paris, April 19th--and from Paris they went to a place called
Etretat. They remained there through May, June, and July. That is all
the time covered by this file. Shall I get another?"
"No," I answered; "but I wish you'd make an abstract of Mr. Holladay's
whereabouts during the whole time he was abroad, and send it to our
office not later than this afternoon."
"Very well, sir," he said, and we left the room.
"But why didn't you let him go farther?" asked Mr. Graham, as we left
the building.
"Because I think I've found the place, sir," I answered. "Did you
notice--the time they stayed at Etretat covers the period of Miss
Holladay's birth, with which, I'm convinced, these people were in some
way concerned. We must look up Etretat."
A map at the office showed us that it was a little fishing hamlet and
seaside resort on the shore of the English Channel, not far north of
Havre.
"My theory is," I said, "that when the time of her confinement
approached, Mr. Holladay brought his wife to Paris to secure the
services of an experienced physician, perhaps; or perhaps a nurse, or
linen, or all of them. That done, they proceeded to Etretat, which
they may have visited before, and knew for a quiet place, with a
bracing atmosphere and good climate--just such a place as they would
naturally desire. Here, the daughter was born, and here, I am
convinced, we shall find the key to the mystery, though I'm very far
from guessing what that key is. But I have a premonition--you may
smile if you wish--that I'll find the clew I'm seeking at Etretat. The
name has somehow struck an answering chord in me."
The words, as I recall them now, seem more than a little foolish and
self-assured; yet, in light of the result--well, at any rate, my chief
showed no disposition to smile, but sat for some moments in deep
thought.
"I don't doubt that you're right, Mr. Lester," he said at last. "At
any rate, I'm ready to trust your experience--since I have absolutely
none in this kind of work. I don't need to say that I have every
confidence in you. I'll have a letter of credit prepared at once, so
that you may not want for money--shall we say five thousand to start
with?"
I stammered that I was certain that would be more than enough, but he
silenced me with a gesture.
"You'll find foreign travel more expensive than you think," he said.
"It may be, too, that you'll find that money will help you materially
with your investigations. I want you to have all you may need--don't
spare it. When you need more don't hesitate to draw on us."
I thanked him and was about to take my leave, for I had some packing
to do and some private business to arrange, when a message came from
Doctor Jenkinson. Mr. Graham smiled as he read it.
"Royce is better," he said; "much better. He's asking for you, and
Jenkinson seems to think you'd better go to him, especially if you can
bring good news."
"Just the thing!" I cried. "I must go to bid him good-by, in any
event," and half an hour later I was admitted to our junior's room. He
was lying back in a big chair, and seemed pale and weak, but he
flushed up when he saw me, and held out his hand eagerly.
"I couldn't wait any longer, Lester," he began. "It seems an age since
I've seen you. I'd have sent for you before this, but I knew that you
were working."
"Yes," I smiled; "I was working."
"Sit down and tell me about it," he commanded. "All about it--every
detail."
The door opened as he spoke, and Dr. Jenkinson came in.
"Doctor," I queried, "how far is it safe to indulge this sick man? He
wants me to tell him a story."
"Is it a good story?" asked the doctor.
"Why, yes; fairly good."
"Then tell it. May I stay?"
"Certainly," said Mr. Royce and I together, and the doctor drew up a
chair.
So I recounted, as briefly as I could, the events of the past two
days, and the happy accident which had given me the address I sought.
Mr. Royce's face was beaming when I ended.
"And you start for France to-morrow?" he asked.
"To-morrow morning--the boat sails at ten o'clock."
"Well, I'm going with you!" he cried.
"Why," I stammered, startled by his vehemence, "are you strong enough?
I'd be mighty glad to have you, but do you think you ought? How about
it, doctor?"
Jenkinson was smiling with half-shut eyes.
"It's not a bad idea," he said. "He needs rest and quiet more than
anything else, and he's bound to get a week of that on the water,
which is more than he'll do here. I can't keep that brain of his
still, wherever he is. He'd worry here, and with you he'll be
contented. Besides," he added, "he ought to be along: for I believe
the expedition is going to be successful!"
I believed so, too; but I recognized in Jenkinson's words that fine
optimism which had done so much to make him the great doctor he was. I
shook our junior's hand again in the joy of having him with me. As for
him, he seemed quite transformed, and Jenkinson gazed at him with a
look of quiet pleasure.
"You'll have to pack," I said. "Will you need my help?"
"No; nurse can do it, with the doctor here to help us out," he
laughed. "You've your own packing to do, and odds and ends to look
after. Besides, neither of us will need much luggage. Don't forget to
reserve the other berth in that stateroom for me."
"No," I said, and rose. "I'll come for you in the morning."
"All right; I'll be ready."
The doctor followed me out to give me a word of caution. Mr. Royce was
still far from well; he must not over-exert himself; he must be kept
cheerful and hopeful, if possible; above all, he was not to worry;
quiet and sea air would do the rest.
I hurried back to the office to make my final report to Mr. Graham,
and to get the abstract which Rogers had promised to have ready, and
which was awaiting me on my desk. Our worthy senior was genuinely
pleased when he learned that his junior was going with me, though our
absence would mean a vast deal of extra work for himself. The canvass
of the city stables had been completed without result, but I suspected
now that Martigny himself had hired the carriage, and had, perhaps,
even acted as driver--such an easy and obvious way to baffle our
pursuit would hardly have escaped him.
I finished up some odds and ends of work which I had left undone, and
finally bade Mr. Graham good-by, and started for my rooms. My packing
was soon finished, and I sat down for a final smoke and review of the
situation.
There was one development of the day before which quite baffled me. I
had proved that there were, indeed, two women, and I believed them to
be mother and daughter, but I could not in the least understand why
the younger one had so completely broken down after the departure of
the elder with Miss Holladay. I looked at this point from every side,
but could find no reasonable explanation of it. It might be, indeed,
that the younger one was beginning already to repent her share in the
conspiracy--there could be no question that it was she who had struck
down Holladay in his office--that she had even refused to go farther
in the plot, and that her companions had found it necessary to
restrain her; but this seemed to me too exceedingly improbable to
believe. And, as I went over the ground again, I found myself
beginning more and more to doubt the truth of Godfrey's theory, though
I could formulate none to take its place; I became lost in a maze of
conjecture, and, at last, I gave it up and went to bed.
* * * * *
I called for Mr. Royce, as we had agreed, and together we drove down
to Morton Street. He, too, had limited his baggage to a single small
trunk. We secured a deck-hand to take them into our stateroom, and,
after seeing them disposed of, went out on deck to watch the last
preparations for departure. The pier was in that state of hurly-burly
which may be witnessed only at the sailing of a transatlantic liner.
The last of the freight was being got aboard with frantic haste; the
boat and pier were crowded with people who had come to bid their
friends good-by; two tugs were puffing noisily alongside, ready to
pull us out into the stream. My companion appeared quite strong, and
seemed to enjoy the bustle and hubbub as much as I did. He flushed
with pleasure, as he caught sight of our senior pushing his way toward
us.
"Why, this is kind of you, sir!" he cried, grasping his hand. "I know
what the work of the office must be, with both of us deserting you
this way."
"Tut, tut!" and Mr. Graham smiled at us. "You deserve a vacation,
don't you? I couldn't let you go without telling you good-by.
Besides," he added, "I learned just this morning that two very dear
friends of mine are taking this boat--Mrs. Kemball and her
daughter--the widow of Jim Kemball, you know."
Mr. Royce nodded. I, too, recalled the name--Jim Kemball had been one
of the best men at the New York bar twenty years before, and must
inevitably have made a great name for himself but for his untimely
death. I had heard a hundred stories of him.
"Well, I want you to meet them," continued Mr. Graham, looking about
in all directions. "Ah, here they are!" and he dragged his partner
away toward the bow of the boat. I saw him bowing before a gray-haired
little lady, and a younger and taller one whose back was toward me.
They laughed together for a moment, then the last bell rang, and the
ship's officers began to clear the boat. I turned back to the pier,
but was brought round an instant later by Mr. Graham's voice.
"My dear Lester," he cried, "I thought we'd lost you. I want to
introduce you to Mrs. Kemball and her daughter, who are to be your
fellow voyagers. Mr. Lester's a very ingenious young man," he added.
"Make him amuse you!" and he hastened away to catch the gang-plank
before it should be pulled in.
I bowed to Mrs. Kemball, thinking to myself that I had never seen a
sweeter, pleasanter face. Then I found myself looking into a pair of
blue eyes that fairly took my breath away.
"We'll not neglect Mr. Graham's advice," said a merry voice. "So
prepare for your fate, Mr. Lester!"
There was a hoarse shouting at the gang-way behind me, and the eyes
looked past me, over my shoulder.
"See," she said; "there's one poor fellow who has just made it."
I turned and looked toward the gang-plank. One end had been cast
loose, but two deck-hands were assisting another man to mount it. He
seemed weak and helpless, and they supported him on either side. An
involuntary cry rose to my lips as I looked at him, but I choked it
back. For it was Martigny, risen from his bed to follow us!