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Lake Mystery

[239] <h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XVIII DUX FACTI FEMINA</h2></div> ROY was aroused to sudden consternation, when a lull in his ecstatic emotion let him once again think of mundane things, for it flashed on him that the explosive to which the fuse had been attached still remained in Saxe’s chamber. In a word he explained the matter, and the two hastened to the cottage, where after a quick embrace they separated, May going to her room, to change into dry clothing, and Roy running to his friend. He entered Saxe’s chamber cautiously, yet moving rapidly, lighted the lamp, and looked about him. At once, his eyes fell on the bomb, which rested on a bureau, near the head of the bed. From it extended the remnant of fuse, which ran out through the open window. Roy drew this in, took up the bomb carefully, for he was not sure how sensitive it might be, and made his way out of the room, without awakening the sleeper. Within a minute, the instrument of crime was reposing innocuously on the bed of the lake, whither Roy had tossed it from the[240] cliff. On his return to the house, he aroused his friend, and told of the latest attempt on the part of the engineer. Saxe was profoundly impressed by the narrowness of his escape from death, or mutilation. Nevertheless, his feeling was less by far than it must have been, but for his midnight discovery concerning the miser’s cipher. Without pausing to dress, he hurriedly related the fact to Roy, who was equally impressed. To make the matter wholly clear, Saxe would have exhibited the music to Roy, showing the place occupied by the hold, but the manuscript had mysteriously disappeared. The two hunted through the room thoroughly, although Saxe was sure that the sheet had been left on the bureau when he returned from Billy Walker’s room. There was no trace of it anywhere, and presently they abandoned the search, to stare at each other in bewilderment. It was Roy who first reached a solution of the puzzle: “It was Masters took it—of course!” he declared, savagely. “He’s been snooping around, heard us talk of it probably, and, when he got here tonight, he simply swiped it.” “But it’ll do him no good.” Saxe protested. [241]“But he thinks it will,” Roy retorted. “Anyhow, he’s made off with it. Perhaps he thought it would tie us up—and so it will. We must have it back.” His jaw shot forward, and his eyes grew hard. Saxe, however, smiled, and shook his head in denial. “Not a bit of it,” he asserted. “I can reproduce that music in ten minutes, every mark on it. I know where the hold was, exactly. For that matter, I don’t need the music. The chart will do just as well, for I know the place on it, too. But I’ll do the music over for Bill and the rest of you. I’ll do it as soon as I’m dressed, before I come down to breakfast.” And as he said, so was it. When he appeared at the breakfast-table, he carried with him an exact duplicate of the old miser’s manuscript. There was much lively interest on the part of all, when the adventure of the night was made known, and May on her appearance was hailed as a heroine of melodrama. To the astonishment of all save Roy perhaps, the girl was more radiant than they had ever seen her hitherto, and the color in her cheeks and the brilliance of her charming eyes, now undisfigured[242] by the businesslike lenses of the secretary, rendered her beauty so striking that the men regarded her with new admiration, while Margaret West, from the instinct of a woman whose own heart is full of tenderness, regarded her friend with a gentle suspicion that there remained something of the adventure yet untold. Roy was eager to devote the day to a search for the capture of Masters, but the others were opposed to this. It was finally decided that the quest for the hiding-place of the treasure must be carried on without a moment of delay, since the matter of the short time now remaining, only a week, could not be ignored. As to the evil devices of the engineer, it would be sufficient to take precautions against them by keeping watch through the coming night and afterward until the end of the hunt for the gold. So, as soon as breakfast was done, the four friends set out in the launch with Jake for a survey of the territory indicated by the hold. This, as was clearly apparent from examination of the manuscript, was on the lake shore at a point opposite one of the low peaks. It was easily distinguished by its nearness to[243] the second of the highest summits, as it was at the first point of rise after a long descent. The course brought them again to the north end of the lake, to a place close to the extreme end. There was a cove here, which ran inland for a half-mile. Within the curve of the shore, a few small islands were scattered, and outside the miniature bay a larger island stretched, one of the chief on the lake. It was Roy who now assumed charge of the expedition, by right of his varied experience in wild places, which had included the tracking of cattle-rustlers and outlaws. He directed that first a landing should be made, and the shore at the point indicated gone over carefully for any slightest trace of footsteps, or other marks, which might show operations in connection with the removal of the treasure. If found, such a trail would doubtless guide them in their further quest of the gold at the bottom of the lake. They spent three hours at the work, and finally abandoned it in despair, for their investigation had been exhaustive, without revealing aught. Billy Walker delivered himself forcibly, when at last a council was called. Since he had[244] toiled steadfastly with the others, notwithstanding his distaste for physical exertion, there could be no question as to his sincerity when he argued against any further effort in this direction. “I’ve learned from Jake,” he explained, “that the late Mr. Abernethey understood the management of his boats perfectly, and on occasion used them without taking any one along to help him. It is, therefore, reasonable to suppose that he would have transported the money to its hiding-place in one of the power-boats. He had no horse, and his feebleness was such that he could not have lugged all that weight of gold, even if he divided it into small amounts, for this place is four miles from the cottage—almost as far as we walked the other day. Now, we know that the treasure is at the bottom of the lake. That was the first thing the manuscript taught us. I’m sure he brought it here in the boat. There is no reason why there should be any mark on the shore. I say this: We’ll go back, and have luncheon. Then, we’ll return here, and institute an orderly, exhaustive search of the lake bottom. We must rig up some sort of grappling[245] irons, and anyone so wishing can become a diver, and search the bottom that way. Anyhow, we know the gold is down there. It’s up to us to find it. I will say, I think the old man has done his part.” This plan was duly carried out. As soon as the young men had left the luncheon-table, they scattered to gather the necessary materials for their equipment in the next stage of the undertaking, following the suggestions of Billy Walker. Saxe had just descended the steps of the porch when he heard his name called. He turned, and saw Margaret West, standing half-way between him and the shore, a little to the south from the cottage. At the moment, there was no one else visible. Saxe hurried toward her, his face flushed with pleasure at the summons. Recently, she had seemed a bit more distant in her attitude toward him, and he had been tortured by those alarms that are the heritage of all lovers. At this moment, however, her face was radiant, and her limpid blue eyes were sparkling with eagerness. As he came near, she spoke, and there was a thrill of delight in her voice, which set his heart bounding. [246]“Oh,” she said, clasping her hands on her breast in a quaint gesture of emotion, “I hope, I really believe that I may be able to help you.” “You!” Saxe exclaimed, in manifest surprise. “Why, what do you mean? Help me—how?” “It’s about the gold,” Margaret answered. There was timidity in her tones now, as if his evidence of astonishment had distressed her. “I think, I’m almost sure, that I know something you ought to know.” Saxe’s amazement increased. Somehow, at the back of his mind, there had always lingered the abominable statement made by Roy as to this girl, that she was his natural enemy, that she must be such by the circumstances of the case, since his success would be her direct loss of a large sum of money. He had scorned the idea when it was presented to him; he had never for a moment allowed it entertainment; his love for the girl was sufficient to deny the possibility of her being in any way influenced by sordid things. Yet, always, the thought had lurked in the background for the reason that it had once been voiced by his friend. Now, at her display of interest in his behalf, his first[247] emotion was wholly of surprise from the unexpectedness of the event, and this was followed swiftly by joy that thus she should have proved Roy’s saying false. The new feeling was undoubtedly shown in his face, for, as she regarded him intently, Margaret’s expression grew lighter again. She went on speaking with new animation: “You know, I was here once before, when I was a little girl, visiting my cousin. He was different then—not lively, or gay, or anything like that, but I don’t think that the miserliness had got such a hold on him. Anyhow, he went about with me a great deal, and we really had ever so good times together. He often took me out in the launch. One time in particular is the thing I must speak to you about, for he took me up in the neighborhood where you were today. I’m sure of that, for I know just where you went from what you said at luncheon. Do you wish me to go on?” “Do I wish you to?” Saxe cried. “We need all the help we can get. Of course I wish you to. The only thing is that I wonder you’re willing. It doesn’t seem right that you should rob yourself by giving assistance to your natural[248] enemies.” He smiled whimsically, as he thus paraphrased Roy’s accusation against the girl. “Nonsense!” was her energetic retort. “I’m not quite so poor as to worry over the money part of it. It seems to me that you ought to win—I think my cousin meant you to. Besides, I’d like to see you do it, just to disappoint Mr. Masters. But let me tell you, I’m still afraid of him. He’s a desperate man, who’ll stop at nothing, even murder, as you know. And he’s mad to get that money. So, I want to help you, and to beat him. But, of course, my idea may amount to nothing, really—after all.” “Tell me,” Saxe said, simply. He was beamingly happy, and the fact showed plainly enough in his eyes and smile. The girl flushed a little under his glance. “There’s an island up there,” she said presently; and her voice was strangely soft for a statement so prosaic. “It lies in the entrance to the cove, before you come to the other islands. They are smaller, too. You noticed it, perhaps?” She glanced up at Saxe inquiringly, then her eyes drooped again, as he nodded assent. [249]“That,” she continued briskly, “was one of the places to which my cousin took me. What I learned that day may be just the thing you need to know now: There’s a cave on that island.” Saxe regarded the girl in dismay. This information was not what he had anticipated. He did not know just what he had expected, but certainly it had been nothing like this. “A cave!” he exclaimed, weakly. “But the gold’s at the bottom of the lake, you know.” Margaret moved her head in assent. “Yes, I know,” she agreed. She was not in the least disconcerted by the obvious disappointment on the part of her listener. On the contrary, a mischievous dimple pitted the rose of her cheek. “Just the same, the cave might have something to do with your affair.” “I don’t understand,” Saxe objected. “The cave runs downward,” she said; and she waited for the meaning of her words to penetrate his consciousness. They did so, presently. “Oh, the cave runs downward,” he repeated, thoughtfully. “I begin to understand.” Margaret met his gaze frankly, and nodded[250] assent to the idea that had arisen in his mind. “Yes,” she went on, “the cave is really larger than you might fancy from the size of the island, and the passage slopes downward, though not very steeply. We didn’t go far. I don’t know the length of it. Cousin Horace didn’t know—then. In the cave, there are plenty of places where the gold could have been hidden. So, I thought I’d tell you.” “Bless your dear heart!” Saxe cried. “I believe you’ve saved the day for us. The chances are, we’d never have got to searching the island even, without your help.” “You might have missed the cave, if you had gone over the island,” Margaret said. “It isn’t at all easy to find, I can tell you. I don’t know how my cousin happened on it. He told me that, as far as he knew, there was no one else aware of its existence.” A great volume of sound shattered the air. The two turned toward the boat-house, and saw Billy Walker, who made an imperative gesture, and shouted again: “All ready! Hurry along!” But, as Saxe turned to the girl, to say good-bye, she stayed him. [251]“Wait!” she commanded. “I don’t wish the others to know—yet. You see, it might come to nothing, after all. How would it do, if I were to go with you in the canoe? Then we could land on the island, and investigate, and afterward, if you found things promising, you could tell the others. What do you think?” Saxe was in a whirl of delight. Thus far, he had never enjoyed the like opportunity to be with the girl whom he loved. His heart leaped at the thought of it, and his eyes were tender and happy as they met hers. “What do I think of it?” he repeated. His voice was so charged with adoration that the rich color flooded Margaret’s cheeks. “Why, I think it will be splendid! Shall we start right away?” The girl laughed, in some confusion, and her glance wandered from him. “Not this very second,” she protested, “for I must change into something different for paddling. Go down and send the others along, and I’ll be with you in ten minutes—no, fifteen.” Saxe, waiting on the dock with the canoe already launched, smiled a trifle grimly, and admitted that the dearest woman in the world[252] was essentially feminine, for his watch indicated the half-hour since their parting. It was just as he slipped the timepiece back into his pocket that he heard the laughing voice behind him: “I’m just on time to the second, am I not?” Saxe turned, to see Margaret, in workman-like gray sweater and short skirt. His gaze, though fond, was mildly reproachful. “It’s been just half an hour,” he declared. “Then, I’m on time, to the second as I said.” The girl beamed on him, quite unabashed. At this astonishing statement, Saxe opened his eyes in wonder. “But you said—” he began. “I said fifteen minutes,” Margaret interrupted. “Of course, you know that you must always double a woman’s time.” “I didn’t know,” the young man confessed, smiling. “Yes,” Margaret continued, as she knelt in the bow of the canoe. “The time estimated must always be doubled. The trouble is that some women make the time triple, or worse, with no certainty about it. They bring the sex into disrepute, and we others, who are exact,[253] get included in the general condemnation.” Saxe, in the stern, watched the graceful swing of the girl’s arms as they plied the paddle, the litheness of the slender body as it swayed slightly to and fro, watched the sheen of the sunlight that touched to new glories the gold of her hair, watched the wonderful curve of white, softly radiant from the pulsing blood beneath, which ran from the low neck of the sweater to lose itself within the wind-tendriled, shimmering splendor of her locks. And she, this girl so magically beautiful, so wholesomely sweet, so divinely complex, so heavenly simple, this adorable creature had come to aid him at her own loss—she, his natural enemy! They came at last to the island, where the canoe was beached on a sandy slope. The launch was out of sight, somewhere beyond the islands, within the cove. Margaret led the way without hesitation up the steep ascent that lined the shore, and then over a boulder-strewn level toward the center of the island. Presently, the ground became uneven, with sharp rises, and gullies running between these. Within the ravines, there were small cliffs, rugged, disposed topsy-turvily. Saxe began[254] to see the possibility of caverns within the confusion of stone. Finally, the girl halted, and looked about her dubiously. “I’m not quite sure,” she confessed. “There have been landmarks all the way, until just here. But I think this is the ravine—if not, it’s close by.” She went on slowly, with roving eyes. Then, of a sudden, her expression lightened. “Ah, I know now,” she exclaimed joyously. “Yes, it’s here—see!” While speaking, she had hastened forward, and now, as she finished, she pointed to where a clump of bushes grew against the north cliff of the ravine. Above the tops of the branches showed a rift in the stone. It was less than a foot in width, a splotch of blackness hardly more noticeable than a deeper shadow. Saxe, beholding, was filled with gratitude to his guide. “We’d never have found it in a thousand years,” he declared. “Besides, why should we ever hunt for the bed of a lake on the top of an island?” “Mr. Walker would have evolved a reason for it in the course of time,” Margaret said,[255] in a voice charged with profound respect for the sage. “Yes, I believe Billy would have worked it out—in time,” Saxe agreed. “But,” he added, with a smile, “perhaps not in time—according to the terms of the will.” “There’s another entrance, on one of the ridges near the shore,” Margaret explained. “Cousin Horace stumbled on that first. He showed it to me. But he found this way out, and it is better. He said the other was very hard climbing.” The two had gone forward, and now they were close to the cliff, beside the bushes. Here, Margaret thrust aside the branches, and, advancing a step behind them, showed the entrance to the cave, which was a slit less than a yard in width at the base, narrowing to the apex a rod above. It yawned blackly. Saxe was reminded that he had taken no thought as to the need of candles or lantern. He began the confession of his carelessness, but the girl stopped him. “I brought a pocket-torch,” she said. “See!” As she spoke, she drew the tube from a pocket of her sweater, pressed the spring, and lighted[256] up the entrance to the cave. “What a girl you are!” Saxe cried. There was that in his voice which set Margaret a-tremble. “Come!” she commanded hastily. With the word, she walked forward into the cavern. Behind her in the narrow passage, Saxe followed obediently. <hr class="chap" /> <div style="break-after:column;"></div>

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