This direct question nonplussed me entirely. To explain all the facts without exposing Vera--which I was determined not to do--at first appeared a sheer impossibility. Bob watched my vain endeavours to think it out with clearness for several minutes.

Neither of us spoke. Leaning back in his chair he watched the smoke from his cigarette curl upwards. Then he rose again, and said in a tone of voice very sad for me to hear:

"Well, don't trouble to reply to that last query of mine, Frank, if it causes you pain. I was a fool to make it. Good-bye," and he held forth his hand.

"Stay," I urged, "I'll explain it as well as I can, if you'll have patience."

I had made up my mind to tell Bob as much as I could of the mystery surrounding the dead man, and ask his a.s.sistance.

Silently and almost incredulously he listened to my statement, as I briefly ran over the events of the night I had spent with the stranger.

When I had finished, he asked,--

"And did you leave the body there, and not utter a word to any one?

That was scarcely like yourself, was it?"

"But what was I to do? I should have been mixed up in the scandal again; and the question arises, where would it have ended?"

"And did you not search that box for further proof of his a.s.sertion?

There might have been valuable evidence there."

"There might! What an idiot I must have been not to think of that at the time. Supposing there were letters from--from--"

"From the murderer? That is quite possible. Why not go and look at once?"

After discussing the matter at some length, it was decided that as soon as night fell I should go to the house alone, so as to lessen the risk of detection, and search the box. With this arrangement we separated, a load having been taken off my mind by this even partial confession to Bob.

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE.

A MIDNIGHT SEARCH.

The hours crept on very slowly that day. To me they seemed interminable. A thousand times I glanced at the little clock that ticked so sharply on the mantelshelf, but its small hand sullenly, as it seemed, refused to move any faster.

Feeling that the suspense was becoming unbearable, I tried a short walk in the Strand. Scarcely had I gone a hundred yards along that busy thoroughfare before I espied Demetrius. He was strolling along in the same aimless fashion as myself. At first my impulse was to go and salute him, for his cheerful companionship might do much to arrest my melancholy feelings, and make the time pa.s.s rapidly. My next thought, however, was to avoid him, for he would be certain to notice my preoccupation, and might put me to trouble in framing evasive answers.

While I was thus debating with myself, he settled the point by catching sight of me and coming cheerfully up.

"Hey-day! and why so cheerless?" he cried, as he clasped me warmly by the hand. It was a favourite expression of his, and one which he very frequently used, in spite of its antiquated ring.

"Did I look cheerful?" I responded, purposely answering his inquiry oppositely. "The fact is I've come out to kill an hour or two, and when one is seeking amus.e.m.e.nt it's not difficult to find it in the streets of this great city of ours, is it?"

He glanced at me with a curious expression in his eyes, and I wondered whether he saw through the forced flippancy of my reply.

"That's it, is it?" he remarked. "Well, come along, and we'll do our best to destroy some of your dread enemy, Time, for a while," and forthwith he hurried me along several miles of streets, bustling among the people right and left, and keeping up a constant chatter which did much to relieve me, as all I need do was to return a fragmentary answer when occasion offered.

Presently, when we had reached a quiet corner, where conversation was much easier, I said,--

"By the way, now I think of it; where are you `hanging out'?"

He burst into a loud laugh as he asked,--

"Is it possible you don't know?"

"'Pon my honour, it never occurred to me to inquire till this moment.

Where are you staying?"

"Number 171," he answered, still laughing.

"Number 171 where--why don't you speak plainly, and not keep a fellow waiting when he wants to get to his hotel to keep an appointment?"

"What! another engagement!--with the lady whose photograph you were pa.s.sing to the fellows at the Junior Garrick last night, eh? I heard about it, old fellow," he exclaimed, evidently thinking he had a fine chance to chaff me. Seeing my frown at the reference, he continued: "Seriously, it is curious you did not know of my whereabouts. My room is 171 at the Charing Cross Hotel, and yours is 172--now do you see why I laughed?"

"Your room next to mine!" I said in concern, the thought that perhaps he might have overheard my interview with Frank that morning suddenly occurring to me.

"Well, there's nothing to be alarmed at, is there? I've not escaped from quarantine. By the way, I took an opportunity of calling upon you this morning, and as you did not notice my timid rap--you know I always give a timid rap, for you've often laughed at it--I peeped in. You were, however, so deeply ingrossed in conversation with your friend Nugent that I did not think fit to disturb you, and came away. He's an old friend of yours, isn't he?" he asked, carelessly.

When Demetrius told me this my heart stood still; yet what was there to fear? I could have as well trusted him as Frank. Yet somehow the idea of Demetrius knowing about this was intensely disagreeable, especially after his ironical reference to the photograph, which had been uttered in a rather threatening tone.

Hastily muttering something about being sorry he had not come in as Bob was very good company, I looked at my watch and bade him an abrupt adieu. He seemed inclined to walk back with me, but seeing his intention I called a cab and bade the driver hurry to the hotel.

There is an indistinct recollection in my mind of having eaten a hasty dinner, but whether I really did so that eventful evening or not is a matter of speculation. At all events, I wrapped up warmly, for it was a wet night and the prospect was anything but inviting.

Determining to have a sharp walk in order to set my blood in circulation, I had started out, when it occurred to me that, having a good round sum in notes in my pocket, it would be policy to leave them behind. Hurrying back I did this, and turned out sundry valuables from my pocket-book. Then the seal, on its blood-stained and crumpled paper, became apparent in the depths of the wallet and the question arose, should I leave that also?

Since the night when it was given me by the trembling hands of the man whose room I was now about to invade, it had rested securely there, for I had been afraid to let it out of my possession on any account. It would perhaps be best to leave it at the hotel, under lock and key, so I put it in a little cash-box in my portmanteau. But the next moment a superst.i.tious dread seized me, and I replaced it again in the pocket-book, and then once more started on my adventurous errand.

Before long I reached the spot. It was a rather tall house, uninhabited apparently, for its lower windows were covered with h.o.a.rding, and generally the structure bore a grim, uninviting appearance. On the first occasion, when the poor fellow had dragged me there in a kind of mad frenzy, I had not taken particular notice of the manner in which we effected our entrance, but, as there was no one about, I made a careful scrutiny of a side-door.

As I gave it a violent push the noise resounded through the empty place with such a hollow clamour that a chill fell upon my heart, and, save for the intense curiosity which possessed me, I should have come away, leaving the place unexplored.

But this was rendered impossible, for, although the moment had been carefully chosen when there was not a person in sight, my indecision, lasting for several minutes, brought other consequences in its train.

The corner where the door was located was a dark one, it was true, yet, as the measured tread of a constable fell upon my strained ears, I saw immediate action was imperative. The prospect of a bull's-eye lantern being suddenly flashed upon one was not at all encouraging, and was not to be faced.

Another and stronger jerk at the door proved that it was fastened, or that something so obstructed its opening that more force, and therefore more noise, was needed. This would not do; therefore, summoning up some of my old courage and resolution which had unaccountably deserted me of late, I speedily clambered in by a small window, through the broken upper panes of which it was easy to put one's hand to turn the catch.

Having done this, and replaced, as well as possible in the circ.u.mstances, the piece of h.o.a.rding, I allowed the constable to pa.s.s on before moving further. My heart beat high for a moment as the glare from his lantern flashed through the c.h.i.n.ks and lighted, like the gleaming of a fire, the miserable and musty-smelling apartment; but he pa.s.sed on unheedingly, unsuspicious of the stealthy intruder near him.

When he had gone, all was dark. Never will the memory of that miserable _contretemps_ be surpa.s.sed by a more disheartening experience. It required several minutes' careful search to find the stairs, and my hands encountered all sorts of horrible recesses, as, painfully and slowly, I felt my way about.

The only occasion like it was when, in that dreary Russian dungeon, my hands had discovered the fatal seal. My thoughts instantly reverted to that night, then many months ago, and it felt to my excited and over-wrought nerves, that every crack my fingers found were portions of the occult inscription.

As I at last ascended the stairs my memory endeavoured to recall the position of the room in which I had left the body. It was certainly at the top of the house, for our ascent, in his weak state, had occupied some time.

Arrived at the top landing I struck a match, for it was evident that it would not be observed at such a height. To my surprise there were only two rooms, both entirely empty, one so small that it certainly could not have been the one in which that eventful night had been spent. The other was also small, and had not the shape that I remembered.

Obviously there was some mistake in my calculations, and dropping the burnt match upon the carpetless boards, I resumed my search, this time in a downward direction.

And now an event happened which added increased risk to the adventure, and which, even after the lapse of many months since its occurrence, I cannot think of without a thrill of excitement.

In treading upon the match my face in some way became reversed, so that my next steps, carefully guided as I was by the wall, were in the wrong direction. The first indication I had of this was a collision, with some force, with the bal.u.s.trades of the stairs. These appeared to be very old and rickety, for as my heavy frame dealt them a blow they shook and rattled ominously.