Blindfolded, Earle Ashley Walcott [non fiction books to read .TXT] 📗

Street grimly, pausing in the doorway, "but things don't always happen as they ought."

As I remembered that if things had happened as they ought Doddridge Knapp would be in jail, I gave a hearty assent to the proposition as the door closed behind my retreating employer.


CHAPTER XX

MAKING PROGRESS

"You really don't mean it," said Luella severely, "and it's very wrong to say what you don't mean."

"In society?" I asked blandly. "I'm afraid you're a heretic, L----- Miss Knapp."

I blushed as I stumbled over her name. She was Luella to me by night and day, but I did not consider myself on a footing to use so thrilling a word in her presence.

"Don't be rude," she said. "Everything has its place in society."

"Even prevarication," I assented.

"Even a polite consideration for the feelings of others," corrected Luella.

"Then you might have some consideration for mine," I said in an injured tone.

"But we're not in society,--not just now, that is to say. We're just friends talking together, and you're not to say what you don't mean just for the sake of pleasing my vanity."

"Well, if we're just friends talking together--" said I, looking up in her face. I was seated on the footstool before her, and it was very entertaining to look at her face, so I stopped at that.

"Yes," said Luella, bending forward in her interest.

"It was the bravest and truest and most womanly girl I ever knew or heard of. It's the kind a man would be glad to die for."

I really couldn't help it. Her hand lay very temptingly near me, and I don't think I knew what I was doing till she said:

"Please let go of my hand."

"But he'd rather live for her," I continued boldly.

"If you don't behave yourself, I'll surrender you to Aunt Julia," said Luella, rising abruptly and slipping to the curtains of the alcove in which we were sitting. She looked very graceful and charming as she stood there with one hand raised to the lace folds.

"Has she recovered?" I asked.

"What a melancholy tone! The poor dear was in bed all Tuesday, but she took advantage of her rest to amplify her emotions."

"She has acquired a subject of conversation, at least."

"To last her for the rest of her life," laughed Luella, turning back. "'Twill be a blood-curdling tale by the time she reaches the East once more. And now do be sensible--no, you sit right where you are--and tell me how it all happened, and what it was about."

I revolved for a moment the plan of a romance that would have, at least, the merit of chaining Miss Knapp's interest. But it was gone as I looked into her serious eyes.

"That's what I should like to know myself," I confessed candidly. Then I added with pardonable mendacity: "I think I must have been taken for somebody else, if it was anything more than a desperate freak of the highbinders."

"Are you sure they had no interest in seeking you?" asked Luella gravely, with a charming tremor in her voice.

Before I could reply, Mrs. Knapp's voice was in my ear, and Mrs. Knapp's figure was in the archway of the alcove.

"Oh, you are here," she said. "I thought I heard your voices. Luella, your father wants to see you a minute. And how do you do, Mr. Wilton?"

I greeted Mrs. Knapp cordially, though I wished that she had delayed her appearance, and looked regretfully after Luella.

"I want to thank you for your heroism the other evening," she said.

"Oh, it was nothing," I answered lightly. "Any one would have done the same."

"Perhaps--but none the less we are all very grateful. If I had only suspected that anything of the kind could have happened, I should never have allowed them to go."

I felt rebelliously glad that she had not suspected.

"I blame myself for it all," I bowed. "It was very careless of me."

"I'm afraid so, after all the warning you have had," said Mrs. Knapp.

"But as it turned out, no harm was done," I said cheerfully.

"I suppose so," said Mrs. Knapp absently. Then she spoke with sudden attention. "Do you think your enemies followed you there?"

I was taken aback with the vision of the Wolf figure in the grimy passage, a fiend in the intoxication of opium, and stammered for a reply.

"My snake-eyed friend made himself a little familiar, I'm afraid," I admitted.

"It is dreadful that these dangers should follow you everywhere," said Mrs. Knapp with feeling. "You must be careful."

"I have developed eyes in the back of my head," I said, smiling at her concern.

"I fear you need more than that. Now tell me how it all happened, just as you saw it. I'm afraid Luella was a little too hysterical to give a true account of it."

I gave her the story of the scene in the passage, with a few judicious emendations. I thought it hardly worth while to mention Doddridge Knapp's appearance, or a few other items that were more precious to me than to anybody else.

When I had done Mrs. Knapp sighed.

"There must be an end of this some day," she said.

"I hope the day isn't far off," I confessed, "unless it should happen to be the day the coroner is called on to take a particular interest in my person."

Mrs. Knapp shuddered.

"Oh no, no--not that way."

Then after a pause, she continued: "Would you not rather attack your dangers at once, and have them over, than to wait for them to seek you?"

I felt a trifle uneasy at this speech. There seemed to be a suggestion in it that I could end the whole matter by marching on my enemies, and coming to decisive battle. I wished I knew what she was hinting at, and how it was to be done, before I answered.

"I haven't felt any particular disposition to hunt them up," I confessed, "but if I could cut off all the heads of the hydra at once, it would be worth while. Anything for peace and quiet, you know."

Mrs. Knapp smiled.

"Well, there is no use challenging your fate. There is no need for you to act, unless the boy is in danger."

"Oh, no, none at all," I replied unblushingly.

"And we'll hope that he will be kept safe until the danger has passed."

I hoped so devoutly, and said as much. And after a few more words, Mrs. Knapp led me, feebly resisting, to Mrs. Bowser.

"Oh, Mr. Wilton," said that charming dame, "my heart goes pit-a-pat when I see you, for it's almost like being among those dreadful highbinders again, and how could you bring the horrid creatures down on our dear Luella, when she might have been captured and sold into slavery under our very eyes."

"Ah, Mrs. Bowser," said I gallantly, "I ought to have known what to expect on bringing such a temptation before our Chinese friends. I do not see how you escaped being carried off."

"Oh, now, Mr. Wilton," exclaimed Mrs. Bowser, retreating behind her fan; "you are really too flattering. I must say, though, that some of them did make dreadful eyes at me, till I felt that I should faint. And do they really hold their slave-market right in the middle of San Francisco? And why doesn't the president break it up, and what is the Emancipation Proclamation for, I should like to know?"

"Madam," I replied, "the slave-market is _sub rosa_, but I advise you to keep out of Chinatown. Some temptations are irresistible."

Mrs. Bowser giggled behind her fan and was too pleased to speak, and I took advantage of the lull to excuse myself and make a dive into the next room where I espied Luella.

"Yes, you may sit down here," she said carelessly. "I want to be amused."

I was not at all certain that I was flattered to be considered amusing; but I was willing to stay on any terms, so we fell into animated conversation on nothing and everything. In the midst of this entertaining situation I discovered that Mrs. Knapp was watching us, and her face showed no easy state of mind. As I caught her eye she moved away, and a minute later Mr. Carter appeared with,--

"Excuse me, Miss Knapp, but your mother would like to see you. She and my wife have some conspiracy on hand."

I was pleased to see that Luella did not take the interruption gratefully, but she surrendered her place to Mr. Carter, who talked about the weather with a fertility of commonplaces that excited my admiration. But as even the weather has its limits as a subject of interest and the hour grew late, I suppressed a yawn and sought the ladies to take my leave.

"Oh, must you go?" said Luella, rising. And, leaving Mrs. Carter to her mother, she walked with me to the hall as though she would speak with me.

But once more alone, with only the hum of voices from the reception-room as company, she fell silent, and I could think of nothing to say.

"It's very good of you to come," she said hesitatingly.

My mind went back to that other evening when I had left the door in humiliation and bitterness of spirit. Perhaps she, too, was thinking of the time.

"It's much better of you to wish me to come," I said with all my heart, taking her hand.

"Come on Saturday," she said at last.

"I'm at your service at any time," I murmured.

"Don't," she said. "That's conventional. If you are to be conventional you're not to come." And she laughed nervously. I looked into her eyes, and then on impulse stooped and kissed the hand I still held.

"It was what I meant," I said.

She snatched her hand away, and as she did so I saw in the dim light that hid the further end of the hall, the figure of the Wolf, massive, dark, threatening, and my mind supplied it with all the fires of passion and hate with which I had twice seen the face inflamed.

Luella's eyes grew large with wonder and alarm as she caught on my face the reflection of the Wolf's coming. But as she turned to look, the figure faded away without sound, and there was only Mrs. Knapp appearing in the doorway; and her alarm turned to amusement.

"Oh, I was afraid you had gone," said Mrs. Knapp. "Would you mind, Luella, looking after the guests a minute?"

Luella bowed me a good night and was gone.

"Oh, Henry," said Mrs. Knapp, "I wanted to ask you about Mr. Knapp. Is your aid absolutely essential to his success?"

"I presume not, thought it would probably embarrass him somewhat if I should take ship for China before morning."

As I held in the bank securities worth nearly three millions of dollars, I believed that I spoke within bounds.

"I suppose it would do no good to try to dissuade him from his plans?"

"It would take a bolder man than I," said I with a smile at the audacity of the idea.

Mrs. Knapp smiled sadly in response.

"Do you think, Henry," she asked hesitatingly, "do you think that Mr. Knapp is