The Romance of the Secret Service Fund by Fred M. White (top ebook reader .TXT) đź“–
- Author: Fred M. White
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continued.
Meanwhile Moore was not altogether idle. He had marked Hermann’s unsteady
eye and the weakness of his mouth. He sized him up as a man who would
have scant consideration for others where his own personal safety was
concerned.
“Anyway I’m going on that line,” Moore muttered. “If Hermann discovers
that he has been hoaxed without betraying his knowledge to Nobel, he will
be certain to say nothing to him, but will as certainly abandon him to
his fate. Nobel’s deafness will be an important factor in this direction.
Hermann’s walking into the house as he did seems to indicate the absence
of servants here. That will be in my favour later on. Doubtless Nobel has
taken this house as a blind-much safer than rooms in London, anyway.
There is probably little or no furniture here, so that Nobel can slip off
at any time. And now to see if I can find some way of getting into the
house.”
Whilst Moore was working away steadily with a stiff clasp-knife at a
loose catch in one of the panes of the hall window, a conversation much
on the lines Moore had indicated was taking place inside.
The hall was comfortably furnished, as was also the one sitting-room,
where the brilliant light was burning. Over a table littered with plans
and drawings a ponderous German was bending. He had a huge head,
practically bald, a great red face, and cold blue eyes, and his mouth was
the mouth of a shark. There was no air of courage or resolution about
him, but a suggestion of diabolical cunning. A more brilliant rascal
Europe could not boast.
Nobel looked up with a start as Hermann touched him.
“You frightened me,” he said. “My nerfs are not as gombletely under
gontrol as they might be. Is anything wrong, my tear friendt?”
“Wrong?” Hermann cried. “Why, you sent for me.”
Nobel shook his head, for he had not heard a word.
“I was goming to see you to-morrow,” he said. “I should have come to -
night, but you were engaged at the theatre. Eh, what?”
Hermann turned away to light a cigarette. His hands shook and his knees
trembled under him. He had been hoaxed; in a flash he saw his danger
before him. Perhaps he had been tracked and followed here. And Nobel knew
nothing of it. He was not going to know, either, if his accomplice could
help.it.
“I came to warn you,” he touched off on his fingers.
“Oh,” Nobel cried, “there is tanger, then? You have heard something?”
Hermann proceeded to telegraph a negative reply. He had seen nothing
whatever; only the last few hours he had a strong suspicion of being
followed. He discreetly omitted to remark the absolute conviction that he
had been shadowed this evening. He had deemed it his solemn duty to come
and warn Nobel, seeing what compromising matter the latter had in his
house.
“You are a goot boy,” Nobel said, patting Hermann ponderously on the
shoulder. “By the morning I shall have gomitted all the plans of that
weapon to my brain. Then I will destroy him and the plans. After, I go to
Paris, and you shall hear from me there. Meanwhile there is branty and
whiskey.”
Hermann signalled that he would take nothing. It was of first importance
that he should return to London without delay. He had come down there at
great inconvenience to himself. As a matter of fact every sound in the
empty house set his nerves going like a set of cracked bells. Moore had
only just time to plunge into the darkness as the front door opened and
Hermann came out. Moore smiled grimly as he heard the lock turned, and
saw Hermann hurrying away.
Things had fallen out exactly as he had anticipated. Hermann had told his
big confederate nothing. He meant to abandon him to his fate. Nobel was
in the house, where he meant to remain for the present. Hermann had given
him no cause for alarm.
It was going to be a case of man to man; brains and agility against
cunning. Doubtless Nobel was not unprepared for an attack. There would be
nothing so clumsy as mere fire-arms-there were other and more
terrible weapons known to the German, who was a chemist and a scientist
of a high order.
But the thing had to be done and Moore meant to do it. There was no need
for silence. He worked away at the window catch, which presently flew
back with a click and the sash was opened. A moment later and Moore was
in the hall. As he dropped lightly to his feet it seemed to his quick ear
that a deep suppressed growl followed. There was darkness in the hall
with just one shaft of light crossing it from the room beyond, where
Moore could distinctly see Nobel bending over a table. The low growl was
repeated. As Moore peered into the darkness he saw two round spots of
flaming angry orange, two balls of flame close together near the floor.
He gave a startled cry that rang in the house, then paused as if half
fearful of disturbing Nobel. But the latter never moved. He would never
hear again till the last trumpet sounded.
The flaming circles crept nearer to Moore. He did not dare to turn and
fly. He saw the gleaming eyes describe an arc, and then next moment he
was on his back on the floor, with the bulldog uppermost.
A fierce flash of two rows of gleaming teeth were followed by a stinging
blow on the temple, from which the blood flowed freely. Then the dog’s
grip met in the thick, fleshy part of the shoulder. As the cruel saws
gashed on Moore’s collarbone he felt faint and sick with the pain.
But he uttered no further cry; he knew how useless it was. There was
something peculiarly horrible in the idea of lying there in sight of help
and yet being totally unable to invoke it.
Moore’s hand went up to his tie slowly. From it he withdrew a diamond
pin, the shaft of which, as is not uncommon with valuable pins, being
made of steel. His hand thus armed, crept under the left forearm of the
bulldog, until it rested just over the strongly-beating heart. With a
steady pressure Moore drove the pin home to the head.
There was one convulsive snap on Moore’s collarbone, then the teeth
relaxed. A shudder, a long-drawn sigh, and all was still. Some minutes
passed before Moore had strength to recover his feet, A queer, hysterical
laugh escaped him as he raised the carcase of the dog in his arms. A
sudden strength possessed him, a sudden madness held him. With the dog in
his arms, he staggered into the room where Nobel was so deeply engrossed,
and flung the carcase with a crash upon the table.
A frightened cry came from Nobel as he staggered back. His great red face
grew white and flabby, his blue eyes were filled with tears. He looked
from the carcase on the table to the slight man with the blood on his
features. On the table lay the object of Moore’s search, the Mazaroff
rifle.
“A ghost!” Nobel cried. “A ghost! Ah! what does it mean?”
Moore pointed to the rifle and the drawings on the table.
“Those,” he signalled upon his fingers.
“I do not understand,” he muttered.
“Not now,” Moore replied. He was proficient with that code used by the
deaf. More than once he had proved its value. “But you hope to understand
that rifle before morning. I have come to take it away. You need not
trouble to go into explanations. I am perfectly aware how you and Hermann
managed the thing between you.”
“My servants,” Nobel muttered,” will—”
“You have no servants, you are quite alone in the house.”
Nobel smiled in a peculiar manner, and, as if to disprove the statement,
laid a finger on the electric bell. At the same time he seemed to be
caressing his nostrils with a handkerchief. Moore was conscious of a
faint, sweet smell in the air, and the next minute a giddy feeling came
over him. A terrible smile danced in Nobel’s eyes.
Some infernal juggling was at work here. Moore glanced towards the
electric bell. Then he saw that the white stud was no longer there ďż˝
there was nothing but a round hole, through which doubtless some deadly
gas was pouring. With a handkerchief held to his face, Moore snatched up
the plans from the table and crushed them into the heart of the fire. He
gripped the Mazaroff rifle by the barrel, and held it over Nobel’s huge
head. “You scoundrel,” he muttered, “you are trying to murder me. Open
the windows, open the windows at once, or I will beat your brains out.”
Nobel, understood enough of this from Moore’s threatening gesture to know
that he had been found out and what was required of him. With his huge,
flabby form trembling like a jelly, he pulled up the curtains and opened
one of the windows. It was close to the ground, the lawn coming up to the
house. In a sudden paroxysm of rage, Moore’s left hand shot out, catching
Nobel full on the side of his ponderous cheek.
There was an impact of flesh on flesh, and Nobel went down like a
magnificent ruin. As he staggered to his feet again he caught a glimpse
of a flying figure hurrying at top speed down the road.
“My kingdom for the Edgware Road and a cab,” Moore panted. “I’m going to
collapse, I’m played out for the present. Thank the gods there is a
policeman. Hi, Robert, Robert. Here’s a case of drunk and incapable for
you. And, whatever happens to me, don’t lose my rifle. Give me your arm,
don’t be too hard upon me, and we shall get to Cricklewood Police Station
all in good time.”
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