OCR Text |
Show The Secret Adversary CHAPTER X Continued. 13 "Can you give us any reason why we should nut put you to death?" asked the German. "Several," replied Tommy. "Look here, you've been asking me a lot of questions. Let me ask you one for a change. Why didn't you kill me off at once before I regained consciousness?" conscious-ness?" The Herman hesitated, and Tommy ael.ed his advantage. "Hecause you didn't know hov) much I knew and where I obtained my knowledge. If you kill me now, you never will know. How did I get Into this place? Remember what dear old Conrad said with your own password, pass-word, wasn't It? How did I get hold of that? You don't suppose I came up those sleps haphazard and said the first thing that came Into my head?" "That Is true," said the working man suddenly, "Comrades, we have been betrayed !" An ugly murmur arose. Tommy smiled at them encouragingly. "That's better. How can you hope to make a success of any Job If you don't use your brains?" "You will tell us who has betrayed us," said the German. "lint that shall not save you oh, no! You shall tell us all that you know. Boris, here, knows pretty ways of making people speak I" "liah!" said Tommy scornfully, fighting fight-ing down a singularly unpleasant feeling feel-ing In the pit of bis stomach. "You will neither torture me nor kill me." "And why not?" asked Boris. "Because you'd kill the goose that lays the golden eggs," replied Tommy quietly. "What do you mean?" "What do you think I mean?" parried par-ried Tommy, searching desperately In bis own mind. Suddenly Boris stepped forward, ond shook bis fist In Tommy's face. "Speak, you swine of an Englishman English-man speak I" "Don't get so excited, my good fellow," fel-low," said Tommy calmly. "That's the worst of you foreigners. You can't keep calm. Now, I ask you, do I look ns though I thought there were the least chance of your killing me?" He looked confidently round, and was glad they could not hear the persistent per-sistent beating of bis heart which gave the lie to his words. "No," admitted Boris at last sullenly, sul-lenly, "you do not." "Thank God, he's not a mind reader," thought Tommy. Aloud he pursued his advantage: "And why am I so confident? Because Be-cause I know something that puts me In a position to propose a bargain." "A bargain?" The bearded man took him up sharply. "Yes -a bargain. My life and liberty lib-erty against " He paused. "Against what?" "The group pressed forward. You could have heard a pin drop. Slowly Tommy spoke. "The papers that Danvers brought over from America In the Lusitanla." The effect of his words was electrical. elec-trical. Everyone was on his feet. The Oerman waved them hack. He leaned over Tommy, his face purple with excitement. ex-citement. "Himmel ! You have got them, then?" With magnificent calm Tommy shoe's his head. "You know where they are?" persisted per-sisted the Gerninn. Again Tommy shook his head. "Not In the least." "Then then " angry and baffled, the words failed him. Tommy looked round. He saw anger an-ger and bewilderment on every face, but his calm assurance had done Its work no one doubted but that something some-thing lay behind his words. "I don't know where the papers are but I believe I can find them. If I produce the papers you give me my life and liberty In exchange. Is It a bargain?" "And if we refuse?" said the German Ger-man quietly. Tommy lay back on the couch. "The 2!)th," he said thoughtfully, "Is less than a fortnight ahead " For a moment the German hesitated. hesi-tated. Then he made a sign to Conrad. "Take him into the other room." For five minutes Tommy sat on the bed lu the dingy room next door. His heart was beating violently. He had risked all on this throw. How would they decide? At last the door opened, and the German called Imperiously to Conrad to return. Th German was seated once more behind the table. He motioned to Tommy to sit down opposite to him. . "We accept." he said harshly, "on terms. The papers must be delivered to us before you go free." "Idiot !" said Tommy amiably. "How do you think I can look for them If you keep me tied by the leg here ?" "What do you expect, then?" "I must have liberty to go about the business in my own way." The German laughed. "Do you think we are little children to let you walk out of here leaving us a pretty story full of promises? One of our number will carry out your Instructions In-structions minutely. If the operations are complicated, he will return to you with a report and you can Instruct tdm further." "Vou're tying my hands." complained com-plained Tommy. "It's a very delicate ffalr and the other fellow will muff It np as likely us not. nnd then where By Agatha Christie Copyright Dodd. Mead & Company shall I be? I don't believe one of you lias got an ounce of tact" "Those are our terms. Otherwise, death !" Tommy lenned back wearily. "I like your style. Curt, but attractive. at-tractive. So be it, then. But one thing Is essential I must Bee the girl." "What girl?" "Jane Finn, of course." The other looked at him curiously for some minutes, then he said slowly, and as though choosing his words with care: "Do yon not know that she can tell you nothing?" Tommy's heart beat a little faster. Would he succeed In coming face to face with the girl he was seeking? "I shall not ask her to tell me anything," any-thing," he said quietly. "Not In so many words, that Is." "Then why see her?" Tommy paused. "To watch her face when I ask her one question," he replied at last. Again there was a look in the German's Ger-man's eyes that Tommy did not quite understand. . "She will not be able to answer your question." "That does not matter. I shall have seen her face when I ask It." The German looked at him seareh-Ingly. seareh-Ingly. "I wonder whether, after all, you know as much as we think?" he said softly. Tommy felt his ascendency less sure than a moment before. His hold had slipped a little. But he was puzzled. What had he said wrong? He spoke out on the Impulse of the moment. "There may be tilings that you know which I do not. I have not pretended to be aware of all the details of your show. But equally I've got something "Wo Accept," He Said Harshly, "on Terms. The Papers Must Be Delivered De-livered to Us Before You Go Free." up my sleeve that you don't know about. And that's where I mean to score. Danvers was a d d clever fellow fel-low " He broke off as if he had said too much. The German's face bad lightened a little. "Danvers," he murmured. "I see " He paused a minute, then waved to Conrad. "Take him away. Upstairs you know." "Wait a minute," said Tommy. "What about the girl?" "We will see about It. Only one person can decide that." "Who?" asked Tommy. But he knew the answer. "Mr. Brown" "Shall I see him?" "Perhaps." ' "Come," said Conrad harshly. Tommy rose obediently. Outside the door his Jailer motioned to him to mount the stairs. He himself followed close behind. On the floor above Conrad Con-rad opened a door and Tommy passed Into a small room. Conrad lit a hissing hiss-ing gas burner and went out. Tommy heard the sound of the key being turned In the lock. He set to work to examine his prison. It was a smaller room than the one downstairs, and there was something peculiarly airless about the atmosphere of It. Then he realized that there was no window. He walked round It. The walls were filthily dirty, as everywhere else. Four pictures bung crookedly on the wall representing represent-ing scenes from "Faust." Marguerite with her box of Jewels, the church scene, Siebel and his flowers, and Faust and Mephistopheles. The latter brought Tommy's mind back to Mr. Brown again. In this sealed and closed chamber, with its close-fitting heavy door, he felt cut off from the world, and the sinister power of the arch-criminal seemed more real. Shout as he would, no one could ever hear him. The place was a living tomb. . . . With an effort Tommy pulled himself him-self together. He sank onto the bed and gave himself up to reflection. His head ached badly; also, he was hungry. hun-gry. The silence of the place was dispiriting. "Anyway," said Tommy, trying to cheer himself, "I shall see the chief the mysterious Mr. Brown, and with a bit of luck In bluffing I shall see the mysterious .Tane Finn also. After that" . , After that Tommy was forced to admit the prospect looked dreary. The troubles of the future, however, how-ever, soon faded before the troubles of the present. And of these, the most immediate and pressing was that of hunger. Tommy had a healthy and vigorous appetite. He regretfully recognized rec-ognized the fact that he would not make a success of a hunger strike. He prowled aimlessly about his prison. Once or twice he discarded dignity, and pounded on the door. But nobody answered the summons. Finally a bright Idea flashed across his brain. Conrad was undoubtedly the tenant of the house. The others, with the possible exception of the bearded German, merely used it as a rendezvous. Therefore, why not wait in ambush for Conrnd behind the door, and when he entered bring down a chair, or one of the decrepit pictures, smartly onto ids head. One would, of course, he careful not to hit too hard. And then and then, simply walk out. If he met anyone on the way down, well Tommy brightened nt-the thought of an encounter with his fists. Such an affair was infinitely more In ills line than the verbal encounter en-counter of this afternoon. Intoxicated by his plan. Tommy gently unhooked the picture of the Devil and Faust, and settled himself In position. His hopes were high. The plan seemed to him simple but excellent. Time went on, but Conrad did not appear. Night and day were the same In this prison room, but Tommy's Tom-my's wrist-watch, which enjoyed a certain degree of accuracy, informed him that it was nine o'clock in the evening. Tommy reflected gloomily that if supper did not arrive soon It would be a question of waiting for breakfast. At ten o'clock hope deserted de-serted him, and he flung himself onto the bed to seek consolation in sleep. In five minutes his woes were forgotten. for-gotten. ' The sound of the key turning In the lock awoke him from his slumbers. slum-bers. Not belonging to the type of hero who Is famous for awaking In full possession of his faculties, Tommy merely blinked at the ceiling and wondered won-dered vaguely where he was. Then he remembered. The door swung open. Too late, Tommy remembered his scheme of obliterating the unprepossessing Conrad. Con-rad. A moment later he was glad that he had, for It was not Conrad who entered, but a girl. She carried a tray which she set down on the table. In the feeble light of the gas burner Tommy blinked at her. He decided at once that she was one of the most beautiful girls he had ever seen. There was a wild-rose quality about her face. Her eyes, set wide apart, were hazel, a golden hazel that again recalled a memory of sunbeams. A delirious thought shot through Tommy's mind. . "Are you Jane Finn?" he asked breathlessly. The girl shook her head wonder-ingly. wonder-ingly. "My name Is Annette, monsieur." She spoke In a soft, broken English. "Oh !" said Tommy, rather taken aback. "Francaise?" he hazarded. "Oui, monsieur. Monsieur parle francaise?" ,lNot for any length of time," said Tommy. "What's that? Breakfast?" The girl nodded. Tommy dropped off the bed and came and Inspected the contents of the tray. It consisted of a loaf, some margarine, and a Jug of coffee. "The living is not equal to the Rltz," he observed with a sigh. "But for what we are at last about to receive the Lord has made me truly thankful. thank-ful. Amen." He drew up a chair, and the girl turned away to the door. "Wait a sec," cried Tommy. "There are lots of things I want to ask you, Annette. What are you doing in this house?" "I do the sendee, monsieur." "I see," said Tommy. "You know what I asked you Just now. Have yon ever heard that name?" "I have heard people speak of Jane Finn, I think." "You don't know where she is?" Annette shook her head. "She's not In this house, for Instance?" In-stance?" "Oh, no, monsieur. I must go now they will be waiting for me." She hurried out. The key turned In the lock. "I wonder who 'they are," mused Tommy, as he continued to make Inroads In-roads on the loaf. "With a bit of luck, that girl might help me to get out of here. She doesn't look like one of the gang." At one o'clock Annette reappeared with another tray, but this time Conrad Con-rad accompanied her. (TO BE CONTINUED.) |