Show BANNER SERIAL FICTION She Se Painted Her race Pace It 4 op e. id YATES O C Dornford Yates Yalta CHAPTER X X Continued 21 21 r Im firm not quite ready I Ill I'll tell you you when to begin I called up up to Eli Eliza Eliza- a- a beth With that I pulled the screwdriver screw lver lv- lv er out of the crack in the wall and splashed my way to beneath the ladder ladder lad lad- der of dogs And there with a frightful effort I scratched away the filthy jacket of slime in search of another i interstice between the stones I had not the strength to reach each as high as I wished and for two or three desperate moments I IJ IT J T could not discover a n joint but at last my trembling fingers encountered encountered the ghost of a n cra crack k and I managed to put up the blade and to push it a little way in I hardly hoped that it hold me rue but I could do no more and andI I sank down and let the steel take my weight When I had bad rested a moment I Iwas Iwas Iwas was able to push it further into the crack Are you ready my darling Yes Im I'm ready I said and hoped for the best As will have been guessed my primitive plan was this thIs thIs-t this to drive the th tire levers between the stones of the well and so climb up by them to the loot foot of the ladder above I watched my ladys lady's stocking pass r out of the thee light of the lamps wi with h the levers jingling within it it- to tell me how far they had come come and nd three or four seconds later laterI I guid guided g them into the pocket adorning the Hie I breast of my coat As I felt for forthe forthe forthe the he head d of the stocking to to cast cast it loose I found round that it had been tied to a piece of flexible wire At once I lifted my voice enough How much cord have you left About eight feet my darling What is it made of Elizabeth Two pieces of cord the strap and some flexible wire The The last was in the to toolbox tool ox on an tion I could have cried out for joy Flexible wire will bear a considerable considerable considerable consider consider- able weight Again I addressed my lady I want you to move Ui the car car caio BO so that one of at its wheels is directly in inline in inline inline line with the ladder ladder say five feet away from the welL Before you do doU U this s hitch the cord round a statue BO so that it doesn't fall i Very well Whilst she was yas doing my bidding my-bidding bidding I unfastened the end of Ui the flex Then a shaking hand I got it about my mj body under my arms As AsI i I made it fast I heard E Elizabeths Elizabeth's zabeth's voice Yes Richard The car is there T Take Ike your end of the ord cord and thread it between the spokes s and so round the tire Then ver very slowly draw it as tight as you can carl When you ou hear me shout make it fast by taking two or three turns turns turns' Ver Very well r fj r A moment later the X x Dei began began be- be i gan to move I dared not ask too m mih h of so frail a rope and directly the the strain I called to my ladi to stop but though it could not ha have e borne me it held me up and what whit was a thousand times better it freed fi-eed m my hands Before she was ba back bak k at the head of that that cursed cursed well I had hammered hammered ham ham- hammered one of the levers into nto the i wall N Now ow I was not out of the wood by bya a Very avery long way but I knew kne that the lever would bear the whole of my weight and this meant that if I could manage to plant my other levers levers lev lev- ers as rungs I could emerge emerge from the water which threatened me rue After working the ma matter out I called upon my lady to 10 loosen seIi the J I cord Somehow I planted a lever beneath beneath be be- neath the water Since I had but three this seemed a terrible waste but I simply hp i I not the strength to drag mys myself U clear of the water without some support below And when the busin business ss was I done and the slack of the cor cord l tak taken n up it was all I could do t to rea reach h the first lever I drove An And there 1 hung like a man cast up on n son some shore who knows what still lies before before before be be- fore him if il he is to save his life and doubts that he has the strength to get to his feet and stagger stagg r landward landward land land- ward out of the reach of the the For I had to set one of my on the lever below and when it was there I had to haul myself up up-a up a terribly difficult movement at any time Stand at the foot of a ladder of seven rungs rungs rungs-of of which all a are are missIng missIng missing miss miss- ing except the second and fourth Then take hold of the second and mount the fourth And AndI I I was not standing and I was ver very tired Of course the trouble was was was' this this- l k that my levers were much to too toe close And yet I could not plant the them farther far far- ther apart for without some sonic foothold foothold foot foot- hold I could not work higher up up a and andin d I in my exhausted condition I L could not work lower down It was a very near thing I never could have done it if with with- 11 G out Elizabeths Elizabeth's help for sh handled han 1 dIed the cord with such skill always always always al al- al- al ways just taking the strain b i never never never nev- nev er taking my weight that I depend I ed upon her from first to last When after liler a frightful convulsion I got get a afoot afoot foot on to the lever to hang bent double halt half in and half out of the flood when the water clung to my body as though reluctant to let go its lawful prey when I made my ray last desperate effort to leave myself clear of its clutches and keeping my foot toot on on the lever lever- to straighten my ray knee when I was up and was standing against the wall of the well and all the handhold I had was the lever a bare two inches above my knee when I dared to let go of this and bracing my thigh against it put up my hands above me to search the wall At these times that poor cord saved me rue and and noth nothing nothing noth noth- ing else An And yet it must have braken broken bro bra ken if il once it had taken my weight Trembling I straightened my back and put up my hands and met the last rung of the ladder shoulder Reaching up as far as I could I could actually grip the last but two I I e I Im Jm Not Quite R Ill I'll Tell Ten You Yon When to Begin of the dogs driven into the side of the well Be sure I tested the three as well as-well well as I could Then I mounted my second second sec sec- ond and lever and tested the fourth and th the e fifth filth Though rust had corrupted them all they seemed to be sound and since they were very thick and were almost certainly grappled behind the stones stones' of f the wall I wasted I-wasted no nomore nomore more time but swung myself up Once I was on the ladder I called my lady by name and when she replied I told her to drop the cord corci Tm rm on the ladder I 1 said But ButI I vant want to know know- he where it stops Just Just clear of the parap parapet t RichardJ Rich Rich- ard Stand still where you are said I. I Ill come up and see sec It was as she said The last of the dogs dogs or or the first was first was set perhaps six inches below belo the true irue rim of the thew w welL l. l Draw Dr w the cord tight t I said and then give me your end I passed this round my body and then threw then threw it bac back P Put Nit t it ft round the wheel again and give it to me Again she did as I said Isaid and again I pa passed sed it about me and pitched the end of it back Now make that fast to the wheel and then stand clear There was wasa a a moments moment's silence Then Then- Then Then- All AU right Richard she said Are you standing well back I 1 am i 1 I took the he five strands strand in n my hand and a took a s step ep up The dogs I were taking my weight but the cord was holding me the into the he side p of the the- well I mounted step by step and hand over hand As my head rose above the parapet I saw Elizabeth st standing with one one of her hands bands to her throat Three more steps more steps t Then I flung a leg over over r the y walland wall ll lland and pulled m myself seU in I was lying flat on the cobbles with my head in Elizabeths Elizabeth's ap p It was very near three o'clock when I berthed the car in the shadows shadows shad shad- which masked the entrance entrance- drive at Brief for or now the moon w was s up and w was s' s refining the country country coun coun- try on on which iris t we both believed we had looked our last an hour and anda a quarter quart r before Ten minutes later perhaps perhaps- we entered her staircase staircase- turret and climbed its steps Now I had advised that Elsa be told to dress and to be beyond Briefs Brief's s 's verge verge- before six o'clock o'clock- unless she preferred to be charged with attempted murder and almost certainly sent to prison for lor life lile but to our surprise and relief relic her hered bed ed yas ys s untouched and she was not within the suite In fact it was very soon clear clear that because shedid shedid she shedid did not trust Virgil Virgil and and there she can scarcely be blamed s she blamed she e had discarded the role which she had been ordered to play and had selected selected selected se se- se- se a better and safer part To be short Monna Lisa had fled taking fled taking with her the best of at all that Elizabeth had Her disappearance suited us very well for we had our secrets to keep and such a wolf in sheep's clothing was far better out of our way and though the things she bad had taken were worth a good deal their loss but served to remind us of what we had saved that night I made the most of the bathroom be before ore I I. I did anything else but of at course I had no dry clothes and though I begged for my shirt Elizabeth Elizabeth Elizabeth Eliza Eliza- beth would not allow me to put it on Instead when I reappeared she put a flask Into my h hand nd and bade me do as she told me or else go off to my bed Since some things remained to be settled I let her have her her way but I could not help thinking thinking thinking think think- ing of the strictures which would h hive have ve been passed if the Duchess of Whelp had suddenly entered the room I suppose that one treasures for forever forever forever ever the gift of forbidden fruit but butI I know that as long as I live I shall never forget the short most intimate intimate inti inti- mate scene which brought to an end th the drama In which we had played that night Less than an hour before before before be be- fore I had been fighting for life in Palfreys Palfrey's terrible well and now I II Iwas Iwas I was in Elizabeths Elizabeth's exquisite bedroom bed bed- bedroom room sitting with a flask In my hand on the foot of at Elizabeths Elizabeth's bed while Elizabeth stood to her pier- pier gla glass s putting her hair to rights I 1 met he her eyes in lii the glass and the the- two of us srn smiled led and I saw myself myself my my- self beyond her looking like any miner about to begin his bis toil High time tune I 1 was gone said I I. I and got to my feet Elizabeth spoke over her der As a matter of fact I love loveto to see you there When were we're married you must always sit there there when Im I'm brushing my my hair Old Harrys Harry's words rang in my ears and andI I turned away I I- I must request your assurance upon one point That Is that you are aware that you cannot possibly marry the Countess of Brief I put the put the flask to my my lips lips and and when I drained it dry I put it back It-back back in the cupboard from which she she had had taken it down What about tomorrow I saidI said I mean HI mean if we can wed we'd better keep out of the wet Not that I care If the thep the police police lice knew knew knew-I'd Id I'd bumped him off oil they'd put their arms around my neck But I cant can't bear anyone knowing that tha t you were involved And yet yet yet- My darling what are you sayIng saying say say- ing I turned to meet Elizabeths Elizabeth's startled startled star star- tied eyes Then Thea she laid down her brush and came and put her hands on my shoulders Can you get what Im I'm saying Richard Or are you all in Im all right my my beauty but Im I'm too tired to make plans Ill make them for you she said and now listen to me When you leave this room you must go goby goby goby by the way that you came That is is by the picture There you must pick up Winter Whiter and enter the tower And so to bed At seven Winter cancels the horses you gave him that order last night by my request He calls you again at nine but beca because se there is no one oneto oneto oneto to call me I sleep till ten Then I find that Elsa has gone and after alter a little I find that she's taken some of my things But you dont don't even know that that because because neither you nor your servant were o out t of the tower all night Yes I Ive I've ve got that I said Its vital Richard Richard vitaL vitaL If we say anything weve we've got to say ev ev- And except for tor Old Harry Harry Har Har- ry and Herrick no Ino one must ever know what happened tonight She raised her eyebrows there and md gave a little shake of her head I dont don't know what t stuff Im I'm Imade made ade of but it hasn't upset me at all Neither was fit to live quite live quite apart from the fact that you did it In self But the fact fact- remains that youve you've been the death of two men and one of those men was the cousin with whom I have been brought up My darling listen to me It simply must not be known that the theman theman theman man whom I am to marry put Percy Percy Per Per- cy Virgil to death Yes I see that I said some some- how All right Ill I'll keep my counsel coun coun- sd sel and Winter will hold his tongue I put my arns about her herand and held her close Kiss ss me goodnight goodnight good good- night my lady The dawn will be becoming becoming becoming coming up and I want you to get getto getto getto to bed As I t kissed her mouth she took my my head in her hands Good night I whispered night Good my beautiful girL I let her go slipped Into my sodden sodden sod sod- den coat and laid my shirt over my arm Two minutes later we stood in the picture By the light of the staircase tur ret I set up the eloquent harp Then I turned to her standing beside me picked up her little hand and put its palm to my my- lips Sleep well sweetheart J J. whis whis- And you my dear Look Ill I'll I keep my door open until you get to the llie hall I So she lighted me mc on my way I When I came to the head of the staircase I p purposely bore to the left and an Instant later a torch torch was flashed into my eyes Well done Winter said I. I And now well we'll go back to the tower That's enough for tonight In my room I gave him his or or- ders One of these concerned the suit which I I Iwas was so glad to take off Let no one see you do it but when you can tomorrow conceal I this suit in the Rolls And the next time I send you for petrol stop 1 In 1 some som lonely place cut my name out of the jacket and burn the lot lot Very good sir sir sir- said Winter blinking And And and what about this My shirt oh that doesn't mat mat- ter Hang it out on on- on And there I stopped dead He was not holding my shirt What he was holding was one of Elizabeths Elizabeth's dainty chemises with which I had rubbed myself down TO BE DE CONTINUED |