Adam nodded.
"But what can we do, sir--it seems a most difficult problem."
"We can do nothing, my boy--that is the important part of it. It wouldbe impossible to take action--all we can do is to keep careful watch,especially as regards Lady Arabella, and be ready to act, promptly anddecisively, if the opportunity occurs."
Adam agreed, and the two men returned to Lesser Hill.
CHAPTER IX--SMELLING DEATH
Adam Salton, though he talked little, did not let the grass grow underhis feet in any matter which he had undertaken, or in which he wasinterested. He had agreed with Sir Nathaniel that they should not doanything with regard to the mystery of Lady Arabella's fear of themongoose, but he steadily pursued his course in being _prepared_ to actwhenever the opportunity might come. He was in his own mind perpetuallycasting about for information or clues which might lead to possible linesof action. Baffled by the killing of the mongoose, he looked around foranother line to follow. He was fascinated by the idea of there being amysterious link between the woman and the animal, but he was alreadypreparing a second string to his bow. His new idea was to use thefaculties of Oolanga, so far as he could, in the service of discovery.His first move was to send Davenport to Liverpool to try to find thesteward of the _West African_, who had told him about Oolanga, and ifpossible secure any further information, and then try to induce (bybribery or other means) the nigger to come to the Brow. So soon as hehimself could have speech of the Voodoo-man he would be able to learnfrom him something useful. Davenport was successful in his missions, forhe had to get another mongoose, and he was able to tell Adam that he hadseen the steward, who told him much that he wanted to know, and had alsoarranged for Oolanga to come to Lesser Hill the following day. At thispoint Adam saw his way sufficiently clear to admit Davenport to someextent into his confidence. He had come to the conclusion that it wouldbe better--certainly at first--not himself to appear in the matter, withwhich Davenport was fully competent to deal. It would be time forhimself to take a personal part when matters had advanced a littlefurther.
If what the nigger said was in any wise true, the man had a rare giftwhich might be useful in the quest they were after. He could, as itwere, "smell death." If any one was dead, if any one had died, or if aplace had been used in connection with death, he seemed to know the broadfact by intuition. Adam made up his mind that to test this faculty withregard to several places would be his first task. Naturally he wasanxious, and the time passed slowly. The only comfort was the arrivalthe next morning of a strong packing case, locked, from Ross, the keybeing in the custody of Davenport. In the case were two smaller boxes,both locked. One of them contained a mongoose to replace that killed byLady Arabella; the other was the special mongoose which had alreadykilled the king-cobra in Nepaul. When both the animals had been safelyput under lock and key, he felt that he might breathe more freely. Noone was allowed to know the secret of their existence in the house,except himself and Davenport. He arranged that Davenport should takeOolanga round the neighbourhood for a walk, stopping at each of theplaces which he designated. Having gone all along the Brow, he was toreturn the same way and induce him to touch on the same subjects intalking with Adam, who was to meet them as if by chance at the farthestpart--that beyond Mercy Farm.
The incidents of the day proved much as Adam expected. At Mercy Farm, atDiana's Grove, at Castra Regis, and a few other spots, the negro stoppedand, opening his wide nostrils as if to sniff boldly, said that hesmelled death. It was not always in the same form. At Mercy Farm hesaid there were many small deaths. At Diana's Grove his bearing wasdifferent. There was a distinct sense of enjoyment about him, especiallywhen he spoke of many great deaths. Here, too, he sniffed in a strangeway, like a bloodhound at check, and looked puzzled. He said no word ineither praise or disparagement, but in the centre of the Grove, where,hidden amongst ancient oak stumps, was a block of granite slightlyhollowed on the top, he bent low and placed his forehead on the ground.This was the only place where he showed distinct reverence. At theCastle, though he spoke of much death, he showed no sign of respect.
There was evidently something about Diana's Grove which both interestedand baffled him. Before leaving, he moved all over the placeunsatisfied, and in one spot, close to the edge of the Brow, where therewas a deep hollow, he appeared to be afraid. After returning severaltimes to this place, he suddenly turned and ran in a panic of fear to thehigher ground, crossing as he did so the outcropping rock. Then heseemed to breathe more freely, and recovered some of his jauntyimpudence.
All this seemed to satisfy Adam's expectations. He went back to LesserHill with a serene and settled calm upon him. Sir Nathaniel followed himinto his study.
"By the way, I forgot to ask you details about one thing. When thatextraordinary staring episode of Mr. Caswall went on, how did Lilla takeit--how did she bear herself?"
"She looked frightened, and trembled just as I have seen a pigeon with ahawk, or a bird with a serpent."
"Thanks. It is just as I expected. There have been circumstances in theCaswall family which lead one to believe that they have had from theearliest times some extraordinary mesmeric or hypnotic faculty. Indeed,a skilled eye could read so much in their physiognomy. That shot ofyours, whether by instinct or intention, of the hawk and the pigeon waspeculiarly apposite. I think we may settle on that as a fixed trait tobe accepted throughout our investigation."
When dusk had fallen, Adam took the new mongoose--not the one fromNepaul--and, carrying the box slung over his shoulder, strolled towardsDiana's Grove. Close to the gateway he met Lady Arabella, clad as usualin tightly fitting white, which showed off her slim figure.
To his intense astonishment the mongoose allowed her to pet him, take himup in her arms and fondle him. As she was going in his direction, theywalked on together.
Round the roadway between the entrances of Diana's Grove and Lesser Hillwere many trees, with not much foliage except at the top. In the duskthis place was shadowy, and the view was hampered by the clusteringtrunks. In the uncertain, tremulous light which fell through the tree-tops, it was hard to distinguish anything clearly, and at last, somehow,he lost sight of her altogether, and turned back on his track to findher. Presently he came across her close to her own gate. She wasleaning over the paling of split oak branches which formed the paling ofthe avenue. He could not see the mongoose, so he asked her where it hadgone.
"He slipt out of my arms while I was petting him," she answered, "anddisappeared under the hedges."
They found him at a place where the avenue widened so as to let carriagespass each other. The little creature seemed quite changed. He had beenebulliently active; now he was dull and spiritless--seemed to be dazed.He allowed himself to be lifted by either of the pair; but when he wasalone with Lady Arabella he kept looking round him in a strange way, asthough trying to escape. When they had come out on the roadway Adam heldthe mongoose tight to him, and, lifting his hat to his companion, movedquickly towards Lesser Hill; he and Lady Arabella lost sight of eachother in the thickening gloom.
When Adam got home, he put the mongoose in his box, and locked the doorof the room. The other mongoose--the one from Nepaul--was safely lockedin his own box, but he lay quiet and did not stir. When he got to hisstudy Sir Nathaniel came in, shutting the door behind him.
"I have come," he said, "while we have an opportunity of being alone, totell you something of the Caswall family which I think will interest you.There is, or used to be, a belief in this part of the world that theCaswall family had some strange power of making the wills of otherpersons subservient to their own. There are many allusions to thesubject in memoirs and other unimportant works, but I only know of onewhere the subject is spoken of definitely. It is _Mercia and itsWorthies_, written by Ezra Toms more than a hundred years ago. Theauthor goes into the question of the close association of the then EdgarCaswall with Mesmer in Paris. He speaks of Caswall being a pupil and thefellow worker of Mesmer, and states that though, when the latter leftFrance, he took away with him a vast quantity of philosophical andelectric instruments, he was never known to use them again. He once madeit known to a friend that he had given them to his old pupil. The termhe used was odd, for it was 'bequeathed,' but no such bequest of Mesmerwas ever made known. At any rate the instruments were missing, and neverturned up."
A servant came
into the room to tell Adam that there was some strangenoise coming from the locked room into which he had gone when he came in.He hurried off to the place at once, Sir Nathaniel going with him. Havinglocked the door behind them, Adam opened the packing-case where the boxesof the two mongooses were locked up. There was no sound from one ofthem, but from the other a queer restless struggling. Having opened bothboxes, he found that the noise was from the Nepaul animal, which,however, became quiet at once. In the other box the new mongoose laydead, with every appearance of having been strangled!
CHAPTER X--THE KITE
On the following day, a little after four o'clock, Adam set out forMercy.
He was home just as the clocks were striking six. He was pale and upset,but otherwise looked strong and alert. The old man summed up hisappearance and manner thus: "Braced up for battle."
"Now!" said Sir Nathaniel, and settled down to listen, looking at Adamsteadily and listening attentively that he might miss nothing--even theinflection of a word.
"I found Lilla and Mimi at home. Watford had been detained by businesson the farm. Miss Watford received me as kindly as before; Mimi, too,seemed glad to see me. Mr. Caswall came so soon after I arrived, thathe, or someone on his behalf, must have been watching for me. He wasfollowed closely by the negro, who was puffing hard as if he had beenrunning--so it was probably he who watched. Mr. Caswall was very cooland collected, but there was a more than usually iron look about his facethat I did not like. However, we got on very well. He talked pleasantlyon all sorts of questions. The nigger waited a while and thendisappeared as on the other occasion. Mr. Caswall's eyes were as usualfixed on Lilla. True, they seemed to be very deep and earnest, but therewas no offence in them. Had it not been for the drawing down of thebrows and the stern set of the jaws, I should not at first have noticedanything. But the stare, when presently it began, increased inintensity. I could see that Lilla began to suffer from nervousness, ason the first occasion; but she carried herself bravely. However, themore nervous she grew, the harder Mr. Caswall stared. It was evident tome that he had come prepared for some sort of mesmeric or hypnoticbattle. After a while he began to throw glances round him and thenraised his hand, without letting either Lilla or Mimi see the action. Itwas evidently intended to give some sign to the negro, for he came, inhis usual stealthy way, quietly in by the hall door, which was open. ThenMr. Caswall's efforts at staring became intensified, and poor Lilla'snervousness grew greater. Mimi, seeing that her cousin was distressed,came close to her, as if to comfort or strengthen her with theconsciousness of her presence. This evidently made a difficulty for Mr.Caswall, for his efforts, without appearing to get feebler, seemed lesseffective. This continued for a little while, to the gain of both Lillaand Mimi. Then there was a diversion. Without word or apology the dooropened, and Lady Arabella March entered the room. I had seen her comingthrough the great window. Without a word she crossed the room and stoodbeside Mr. Caswall. It really was very like a fight of a peculiar kind;and the longer it was sustained the more earnest--the fiercer--it grew.That combination of forces--the over-lord, the white woman, and the blackman--would have cost some--probably all of them--their lives in theSouthern States of America. To us it was simply horrible. But all thatyou can understand. This time, to go on in sporting phrase, it wasunderstood by all to be a 'fight to a finish,' and the mixed group didnot slacken a moment or relax their efforts. On Lilla the strain beganto tell disastrously. She grew pale--a patchy pallor, which meant thather nerves were out of order. She trembled like an aspen, and though shestruggled bravely, I noticed that her legs would hardly support her. Adozen times she seemed about to collapse in a faint, but each time, oncatching sight of Mimi's eyes, she made a fresh struggle and pulledthrough.
"By now Mr. Caswall's face had lost its appearance of passivity. Hiseyes glowed with a fiery light. He was still the old Roman ininflexibility of purpose; but grafted on to the Roman was a new Berserkerfury. His companions in the baleful work seemed to have taken onsomething of his feeling. Lady Arabella looked like a soulless, pitilessbeing, not human, unless it revived old legends of transformed humanbeings who had lost their humanity in some transformation or in the sweepof natural savagery. As for the negro--well, I can only say that it wassolely due to the self-restraint which you impressed on me that I did notwipe him out as he stood--without warning, without fair play--without asingle one of the graces of life and death. Lilla was silent in thehelpless concentration of deadly fear; Mimi was all resolve andself-forgetfulness, so intent on the soul-struggle in which she wasengaged that there was no possibility of any other thought. As formyself, the bonds of will which held me inactive seemed like bands ofsteel which numbed all my faculties, except sight and hearing. We seemedfixed in an _impasse_. Something must happen, though the power ofguessing was inactive. As in a dream, I saw Mimi's hand move restlessly,as if groping for something. Mechanically it touched that of Lilla, andin that instant she was transformed. It was as if youth and strengthentered afresh into something already dead to sensibility and intention.As if by inspiration, she grasped the other's band with a force whichblenched the knuckles. Her face suddenly flamed, as if some divine lightshone through it. Her form expanded till it stood out majestically.Lifting her right hand, she stepped forward towards Caswall, and with abold sweep of her arm seemed to drive some strange force towards him.Again and again was the gesture repeated, the man falling back from herat each movement. Towards the door he retreated, she following. Therewas a sound as of the cooing sob of doves, which seemed to multiply andintensify with each second. The sound from the unseen source rose androse as he retreated, till finally it swelled out in a triumphant peal,as she with a fierce sweep of her arm, seemed to hurl something at herfoe, and he, moving his hands blindly before his face, appeared to beswept through the doorway and out into the open sunlight.
"All at once my own faculties were fully restored; I could see and heareverything, and be fully conscious of what was going on. Even thefigures of the baleful group were there, though dimly seen as through aveil--a shadowy veil. I saw Lilla sink down in a swoon, and Mimi throwup her arms in a gesture of triumph. As I saw her through the greatwindow, the sunshine flooded the landscape, which, however, wasmomentarily becoming eclipsed by an onrush of a myriad birds."
By the next morning, daylight showed the actual danger which threatened.From every part of the eastern counties reports were received concerningthe enormous immigration of birds. Experts were sending--on their ownaccount, on behalf of learned societies, and through local and imperialgoverning bodies--reports dealing with the matter, and suggestingremedies.