Abduction -- Fiction; Americans -- Europe -- Fiction; Love stories
Eleven o'clock that night found Castle Craneycrow wrapped in the
stillness of death. Its inmates were awake, but they were petrified,
paralyzed by the discovery that Dorothy Garrison was gone. Scared
eyes looked upon white faces, and there was upon the heart of each
the clutch of an icy hand. So appalling was the sensation that the
five conspirators breathed not nor spoke, but listened for the
heartbeats that had stopped when fears finally gave way to complete
conviction. They were as if recovering from the fright of seeing a
ghost; spirits seemed to have swept past them with cold wings,
carrying off the prisoner they thought secure; only supernatural
forces could be charged with the penetration of their impregnable
wall.
The discovery of the prisoner's flight was not made until Baker
knocked on Lady Saxondale's door and inquired for Miss Garrison at
bedtime. Then it was recalled that she had left the others at nine
o'clock, pleading a headache, but she did not go to her room.
Investigation revealed the fact that her jewelry, a cape and a
traveling hat were missing. Remembering her first attempt to escape
and recalling the very apparent nervousness that marked her demeanor
during the day, Lady Saxondale alarmed the house.
Ten minutes later the conspirators and a knot of sleepy servants
stood in the courtyard, staring at the great gate. It was closed but
unlocked. There were but two known keys to the big lock, and since
the arrival of the party at the castle they had not been out of Lord
Saxondale's possession. The girl could not have used either of them
and the lock had not been forced; what wonder, then, that in the
first moments of bewilderment they shrank back as if opposed by the
supernatural?
No one present had seen her leave the castle, and there was no way
of telling how long she had been gone, except that it was not longer
than two hours. After the first shock of realization, however, the
men came to the conclusion that assistance had come from the
outside, or that there was a traitor on the inside. They were
excitedly questioning the long-trusted servants when Lady Jane made
a second discovery.
“Where is Turk?” she cried, and every eye swept through the group.
“Gone, by God!” exclaimed Quentin, in helpless amazement. No one had
given thought to his illness in the excitement of the moment. He had
been called forth with the rest, and when he coughed not even he
took note of the fact. This was no time to think of colds and fevers
and such a trifling thing as death. He shivered, but it was not with
the chill of a sick man; it was the shiver of fear.
“Good Lord, he can't be the one! Turk would die for me!” he cried,
almost piteously.
“He is gone, and so is she,” grated Lord Bob. “What are we to infer?
He has sold us out, Quentin; that's the truth of it.”
“I'm damned!” almost wept Dickey Savage. “They'll have a pack of
officers here before morning. I don't give a hoot for myself, but
Lady Saxondale and--”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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