May 15, 2025 • 21 mins
When Juliet Byrne, an adopted child, finally uncovers the truth about her familys mysterious past, her father is shockingly murdered. Its up to the brilliant and eccentric Detective Gimblet, with his penchant for chocolate, to untangle the enigmatic Ashiel Mystery.
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Chapter twenty of The Asheyl Mystery. This is a LibriVox recording.
All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more
information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Recording
by Mary Herndon Bell. The Ashey Mystery by Missus Charles Bryce,
(00:22):
Chapter twenty. It did not occur to Juliet to deny
that she had overheard their talk. She had been found
in the act of spying on them, and it was
inconceivable that they should believe she had not done so. Besides,
she was raging at the thought of what she had heard,
and her anger gave her a courage she might otherwise
(00:42):
have found it hard to maintain. I have been here
all the time, she declared, stoutly. I heard all you said.
You wicked, wicked man, a murderer. Oh how horrible it
all is. Julia laid a hand on Mark's arm. She
will tell what she knows, she said, trembling. She shall not,
(01:05):
Mark stammered furiously. He seemed to be half suffocating with rage.
She shall not go unless she swears to say nothing.
Swear it I say. He seized Juliet by the shoulder
and shook her violently to emphasize his words. I won't
swear anything of the kind, she retorted, trying to break
(01:25):
from his grasp. Do you suppose you can kill me
too without being found out? There is a detective here now,
and Sir David Southern is not at hand to lay
the blame on you, coward? How dare you touch me?
The truth of her words seemed to strike home to Mark,
for he left go of her suddenly and stood biting
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his nails and scowling, the picture of irresolution and malignance.
Juliet lost no time in following up any advantage she
might have gained. I can't help knowing that you care
for him, she said, addressing herself to Julia. Though I
wouldn't have listened to that part if I could have
helped it. But how can you? How can you? I
(02:08):
can't understand how you can feel as you do about
killing people. But at least if you did such a thing,
you would imagine it was for the good of your country. Well,
this man thinks of nothing but his own selfish ends. Money,
that is all he wants. How can you condone such
a crime as his to kill Lord Ashwell, that good
kind man who had treated him like a son all
(02:31):
his life, who did everything for him, and just for
the sake of money. It's not even as if he
wanted it. Really, he's not starving. He had everything in
reason that he wanted. If he needed more urgently, I
believe he had only to tell his uncle and it
would have been given to him. Oh, it is beyond
all words. He must be a fiend. Indignation choked her.
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She spoke in bursts of trembling anger, her words sound
tamely in her own ears. All she could say seemed
commonplace and inadequate. Beside the knowledge that this man was
her father's murderer. Even Julia, indifferent to every aspect of
the case that did not touch upon her relations with
her lover, was shaken by the scornful disgust with which
(03:18):
the broken sentences were poured forth. And if her infatuation
for Mark was too complete to allow her to consider
any action of his unjustifiable, still she realized, perhaps for
the first time, the feelings with which other people would
view the thing that he had done. You don't understand him,
she faltered. He didn't want money for himself alone. It
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was for me he did it. He was too proud
to ask me to marry a poor man. You could
never understand his love for me. How can I blame him?
How many men would run such risks for the girl
they loved. I am proud, yes, proud, to be loved
like that. You believe his lies, Juliet cried contemptuously. You
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believe he loves you so much? Why it is not
two days since he came to me and asked me
to marry him? What? Julius spoke in a panting whisper.
Her face had suddenly lost every particle of color. Say
it's not true, she begged, turning miserably to the man.
He made an effort to deny the charge. Of course,
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not a word of truth in it. Damned nonsense, he blustered,
But his eyes fell before Juliet's scornful gaze, and Julia
was not deceived. It can't be true, Oh it can't,
she moaned. No man could be so vile, No other
man could. Juliet amended. In spite of herself, she was
(04:52):
sorry for the girl, whose stricken face showed plainly the
anguish she was undergoing. Forget him, Julia, He he is
not worthy to tie your shoe lace. He came to
me after they had taken David away, and asked me
first if I would take his inheritance, even though I
couldn't prove my birth, which he must have known perfectly
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that I should never dream of doing, and then proposed
I should marry him, saying that he was very fond
of me, and that in that way justice would be
done as regards Lord Ashele's money. However things turned out
for me. I thought it was honorable and generous at
the time, and so did Lady Ruth when I told her. Oh, yes,
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she knows about it and can tell you it is true.
But now I see that all he wanted was to
be on the safe side, and if I had accepted
him and had turned out to have no claim upon
his uncle's fortune, he would have broken the engagement on
some easy pretext. Can you deny it? She demanded of Mark,
but he could not face her. Though he made an
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effort again to brazen it out. Every word she had
spoken seemed to strike Julia like a blow. She shrank,
quivering away, and threw herself down on to a chair,
her face hidden in her hands. Juliet went to her
and touched her gently on the shoulder. Don't think of
him any more, she said. Presently you will hate yourself
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for having cared for a murderer. Just now. I know
your love for him makes you gloss over his crimes.
But when you are yourself, you will see how odious
they are. Poor Julia, I hate to hurt you so,
but it is better, isn't it that you should know?
You will forget this madness. He is not worth your
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wasting another thought on. Think how shamefully he has deceived you.
Think of all his lying words, of how he told
you he had never looked at another woman. Julia raised
her head and showed a face whiteish chalk, in which
the great brown eyes seemed to burn like fires of hatred. Yes,
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she said, in a hard, even voice, I am thinking
of it. I shall not forget him. No. Instead, I
shall think of him day and night. Be sure of that.
I shall laugh as I think of him, laugh at
the thought of him in his place in the dock
or in his prison. Cell I shall laugh when I
(07:22):
give my evidence against him, And most of all, I
shall laugh on the day when he is hanged, if
his grave is to be found, I shall dance upon it. Oh,
it will be a merry day for me that day
when the cord is tightened round his false neck. She
went near to Mark and hissed the last words into
(07:42):
his face, leaning forward with one hand on her own throat.
But he seemed to shrink less before her vindictive passion
than he had under the colder scorn of Juliet's denunciations. Come, Juliet,
said Julia, calming herself a little, although hate was still
blazing in her eyes. Let us leave this place. We
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must send for the police, Julia said, Mark, stepping forward
and speaking with some of his former assurance. You condemn me, unheard.
Why should you believe this girl before me? It is
not like you, Julia, It is not like the girl
I love for. I do love you, darling, in spite
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of what you may think, And till a few moments ago,
I thought you loved me too. But I see now
what your love is. One whiff of suspicion, one word
of accusation, and without proof or evidence, you condemn me,
and your so called affection disappears. Julia, I think you
have broken my heart. Juliet gave vent to a derisive
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sound which can only be called a snort. But it
was plain that his words, and more especially the manner
of sad yet tender reproach in which they were uttered,
were not without their effect on the other girl. Her
eyes wavered uneasily. She twisted and tore it her handkerchief.
I have heard what you have to say, she murmured.
(09:11):
I saw that you could not deny what Juliet told me.
I did deny it. But what is the use of
talking to you when you are in such a state.
You are determined beforehand to disbelieve me, and I have
no wish to justify myself to miss Byrne, though I
am willing to swallow my pride and do so to
you well, she said, after a moment's hesitation. Justify yourself
(09:37):
if you can. No one shall say I would not listen.
God knows I shall be glad enough if you can
clear yourself to begin with, said Mark. I admit that
superficially there is truth in what you have heard, but
only superficially, for the person I deceived was not yourself
(09:57):
but this young lady. I certainly, as she suggests, never
had the slightest intention of marrying her. For one thing,
I was absolutely certain she would refuse me, but it
seemed a good precautionary move to make what might appear
a generous proposal, and at the same time get a
sort of mandate from the possible heiress herself to stick
(10:19):
to my uncle's fortune. You may be sure I should
never have given it up in any case, but it
is as well to keep up appearances. The business was
only a move in the game I am playing, and
no more affects the sincerity of my love for you
than any of the social equivocations we all find necessary
from time to time. I love you, Julia, and you alone.
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How can you doubt it? I love you so much
that I am willing to overlook your want of confidence
in me, and to forgive the cruel things you said
just now? Darling, How can I tell you before a
third person what I feel for you. You are everything
to me, and if you no longer love me, I
don't care what happens. Give me up to the police
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if you like. The gallows is as good a place
as another without your love. Long before he had finished,
all traces of resentment had vanished. When he ceased speaking,
she gave in completely and threw herself upon his breast,
sobbing passionately and begging his forgiveness for having doubted him
for an instant while he soothed and comforted her in
(11:28):
a low tone. Juliet did not know what to do
or which way to look. The two stood between her
and the door, and she felt an absurd awkwardness about
trying to pass them. Was it likely she would be
allowed to go out free to denounce them? She was
afraid of trying. At last, Julia was calm again, and
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there came a silence, during which the pair glanced at
Juliet and then at each other. What's to be done?
Julia asked at length, and then suddenly, without waiting for
an answer, I have an idea mark that will save you.
If her mouth can be stopped for a time, will
you be able to get clear away? I shall have
(12:10):
to try, I suppose, he replied, with a trace of
his former sulkiness, to think that everything should miscarry because
of a slip of a girl. You had better go
to Glasgow and get on board some ship there which
will take you to a place of safety. I shall
have to stay behind till the matter of the list
is settled. One way or the other. But then, when
(12:30):
I have reported to my superiors, I can join you
and we can begin life together in some far off country.
I shall be as happy in one place as in
another with you, Mark, and you are sure you will
be two with only me. Mark hastened to reassure her
on that point, but his tone, as he said it,
did not carry conviction to Juliet. Julia, however, seems satisfied.
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Miss Byrne can choose, she continued, either she swears not
to say a word till we are both safely away,
or else we can shut her in the dungeon of
the castle. I know where it is, in the wall
of this tower. She will never be found there, and
I can take her food from time to time till
I am ready to join you. Isn't that a good plan?
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Mark considered. I don't think we will give herm the
option of swearing not to tell, he said, presently, as
if I would ever promise such a thing. Juliet interrupted, indignant,
but he went on, ignoring this outburst. Otherwise, I think
your idea is good. Where is this dungeon? We may
(13:37):
be disturbed at any minute, and enough time has been
wasted already. I will go first and show the way,
said Julia. I have an electric torch, and she stepped
into the clock and lowered herself through the trap door.
Mark motioned to Juliet to follow. Ladies first, he said
with a sneer. Juliet turned and made a dash for
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the door. I won't go, I won't, I won't, she
cried desperately, though in her heart she knew she could
not resist if he chose to use force. Perhaps if
she screamed, some one would hear. Oh, where was Gimblet?
Why did he leave her to the mercy of these people? Help? Help?
She lifted up her voice and shrieked as loud as
(14:21):
she could. With a vicious scowl. Mark sprang upon her
and clapped a hand over her mouth. Then, as she
still continued to produce muffled sounds of distress, he stuffed
his handkerchief in between her teeth, and, lifting her bodily
in his arms, thrust her before him into the clock
and pushed her roughly down the hidden stair. Half way down,
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she lost her footing and fell to the bottom, where
Julia was standing with her little lamp in her hand.
Mark was following close behind and between them. They picked
her up and hurried her, limping and bruised along the
narrow passage. She was allowed to take the handkerchief out
of her mouth, for cry could penetrate the immense thickness
of these blocks of stone. At the point where there
(15:05):
was a break to right and left in the walls
of the passage, Julia came to a standstill. Here it is,
she said, turning her light on the opening in the
wall on the left hand side. The door is gone,
so you will have to fetch something to block it
up with. It seemed to be a small cell like
chamber built into the side of the tower. It may
(15:28):
have contained a dozen cubic yards of space and had
neither door nor window. There are some slabs of stone
at the end of the passage, said Julia. They are heavy,
but you are strong. You will be able to bring them.
We must leave a little space at the top of
the door to admit some air and for me to
pass food through to our prisoner. She laughed with a
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feverish merriment. It will be like feeding the animals at
the zoo, she said. Mark signified his approval by a nod,
and is this the way, he asked, turning round and
starting off in the opposite direction. No, no, Julia cried,
laying a detaining hand upon his arm. I don't know
what there is down there. I think it is a well. See,
(16:12):
you are on the very edge. She cast the light
on to a round, dark opening in the ground some
six feet in front of and below them. From where
they stood. The floor began to slant suddenly and steeply downward,
so that if Mark had taken another step, it looked
as if nothing could have prevented his sliding down into
the gaping circle of blackness at the bottom. Julia shuddered violently. Oh,
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she cried, if you had gone over, come away, Do
come away. It's a funny sort of well, he says,
looks to me like something else. Did you ever hear
of ubleetz? Julia Juliet as she heard him, grew white
with terror. Julia, Julia, she cried, You won't let him
(17:01):
throw me down there? No, no, said Julia. He would not.
There's no reason, Mark, she urged, come away from here,
but he only laughed shortly. Don't be so hysterical, he said,
and continued to bend his gaze upon the hole at
the bottom of the slope. It seemed to have a
(17:21):
sort of fascination for him. Finally, he picked a piece
of loose mortar from the wall and threw it down
into the gap. A second later there was a dull
sound which might have been a splash. Perhaps it is
well after all. Did you think it sounded as if
it had fallen into water? Yes, said Julia, I am
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sure it did. Do come away. I hate being here,
And indeed she was shivering from head to foot, and
not Julia herself seemed more anxious to leave the place.
Just one more shocked, said Mark. Here, Julia, stoop down
and roll that bit of stone slowly down the slope
while I hold on to our prisoner. We shall hear
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better that way. Give me your lamp. Anxious to satisfy him,
Julia picked up the fragment he had knocked from the
rough wall, and, stooping down, stretched out her hand to
set the stone in motion. But as she did so,
Mark loosened his grip on Juliet, and, bending quickly behind
this poor girl who loved him, seized her by the
(18:26):
shoulders and threw her forward on to her face. The
steep pitch of the floor finished what the impetus given
by his onslaught had begun. Julia shot head first down
the slope and disappeared into the black chasm of the well.
One long, agonized scream came up to them out of
the darkness and rolled its echoes through the lonely passages.
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Then the distant sound of a splash in silence. Back
against the wall, Juliet cowered, her whole body shaken by
great sobs. She was petrified with terror of this fiendish man,
but her fears for herself gave way before the horror
of what she had seen. Oh what have you done?
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What have you done? She wept. Mark tried to summon
up a jeering smile. The lantern threw no light upon
his white and twitching face. You don't suppose I meant
to let her go free after the taste she gave
me of her temper, he asked, in a voice he
could not keep from shaking a little. Do you suppose
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I like having to do these things? You women have
never the slightest sense of common justice. The whole thing
is perfectly beastly to me. But how could I live
with a girl who would be ready to threaten me?
With the gallus every time she got out of bed
wrongfoot first. It's not fair to blame me for other
people's faults, he spoke querulously, with the air of a
(19:52):
much injured man, though Juliet was beyond any coherent reply.
He seemed afraid of meeting her eyes, and looked resolutely
away from her, his glance shifting and wavering from the
walls to the floor, from the floor to the stones
of the low roof, up, down and sideways, but never
resting on her. At last, as if drawn there irresistibly
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and against his will, they fell once more on the
dark circle of the mouth of the pit, and he
started back, shuddering violently, as if I hadn't enough to
bear without being saddled with hideous memories for the rest
of my life, he cried, with bitter irritability. If you
had an ounce of common fairness in your composition, you
(20:37):
would admit I could do no less. Why any day
she might have got jealous or something and flown into
a passion again and denounced me to the police. Besides,
I have no wish to be obliged to fly the country.
Why should I? She was the only person who knew
the truth except you. That is why you must follow her. No, No,
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cried Juliet despairingly, but without avail, for her feeble strength
could offer him no effective opposition, and he thrust her
easily on to the slope. She felt instinctively that at
that angle the merest push would make her lose her balance,
and sank quickly to her knees, catching him round the
ankle with one hand and clinging desperately. He swore furiously
(21:23):
and bent down to unclasp her fingers from his leg.
Then he flung her hand away from him and cut
off from all assistance. She began instantly to slide backwards,
slowly but irresistibly. End of Chapter twenty
Chapter twenty of The Asheyl Mystery. This is a LibriVox recording.
All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more
information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Recording
by Mary Herndon Bell. The Ashey Mystery by Missus Charles Bryce,
(00:22):
Chapter twenty. It did not occur to Juliet to deny
that she had overheard their talk. She had been found
in the act of spying on them, and it was
inconceivable that they should believe she had not done so. Besides,
she was raging at the thought of what she had heard,
and her anger gave her a courage she might otherwise
(00:42):
have found it hard to maintain. I have been here
all the time, she declared, stoutly. I heard all you said.
You wicked, wicked man, a murderer. Oh how horrible it
all is. Julia laid a hand on Mark's arm. She
will tell what she knows, she said, trembling. She shall not,
(01:05):
Mark stammered furiously. He seemed to be half suffocating with rage.
She shall not go unless she swears to say nothing.
Swear it I say. He seized Juliet by the shoulder
and shook her violently to emphasize his words. I won't
swear anything of the kind, she retorted, trying to break
(01:25):
from his grasp. Do you suppose you can kill me
too without being found out? There is a detective here now,
and Sir David Southern is not at hand to lay
the blame on you, coward? How dare you touch me?
The truth of her words seemed to strike home to Mark,
for he left go of her suddenly and stood biting
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his nails and scowling, the picture of irresolution and malignance.
Juliet lost no time in following up any advantage she
might have gained. I can't help knowing that you care
for him, she said, addressing herself to Julia. Though I
wouldn't have listened to that part if I could have
helped it. But how can you? How can you? I
(02:08):
can't understand how you can feel as you do about
killing people. But at least if you did such a thing,
you would imagine it was for the good of your country. Well,
this man thinks of nothing but his own selfish ends. Money,
that is all he wants. How can you condone such
a crime as his to kill Lord Ashwell, that good
kind man who had treated him like a son all
(02:31):
his life, who did everything for him, and just for
the sake of money. It's not even as if he
wanted it. Really, he's not starving. He had everything in
reason that he wanted. If he needed more urgently, I
believe he had only to tell his uncle and it
would have been given to him. Oh, it is beyond
all words. He must be a fiend. Indignation choked her.
(02:56):
She spoke in bursts of trembling anger, her words sound
tamely in her own ears. All she could say seemed
commonplace and inadequate. Beside the knowledge that this man was
her father's murderer. Even Julia, indifferent to every aspect of
the case that did not touch upon her relations with
her lover, was shaken by the scornful disgust with which
(03:18):
the broken sentences were poured forth. And if her infatuation
for Mark was too complete to allow her to consider
any action of his unjustifiable, still she realized, perhaps for
the first time, the feelings with which other people would
view the thing that he had done. You don't understand him,
she faltered. He didn't want money for himself alone. It
(03:41):
was for me he did it. He was too proud
to ask me to marry a poor man. You could
never understand his love for me. How can I blame him?
How many men would run such risks for the girl
they loved. I am proud, yes, proud, to be loved
like that. You believe his lies, Juliet cried contemptuously. You
(04:05):
believe he loves you so much? Why it is not
two days since he came to me and asked me
to marry him? What? Julius spoke in a panting whisper.
Her face had suddenly lost every particle of color. Say
it's not true, she begged, turning miserably to the man.
He made an effort to deny the charge. Of course,
(04:29):
not a word of truth in it. Damned nonsense, he blustered,
But his eyes fell before Juliet's scornful gaze, and Julia
was not deceived. It can't be true, Oh it can't,
she moaned. No man could be so vile, No other
man could. Juliet amended. In spite of herself, she was
(04:52):
sorry for the girl, whose stricken face showed plainly the
anguish she was undergoing. Forget him, Julia, He he is
not worthy to tie your shoe lace. He came to
me after they had taken David away, and asked me
first if I would take his inheritance, even though I
couldn't prove my birth, which he must have known perfectly
(05:13):
that I should never dream of doing, and then proposed
I should marry him, saying that he was very fond
of me, and that in that way justice would be
done as regards Lord Ashele's money. However things turned out
for me. I thought it was honorable and generous at
the time, and so did Lady Ruth when I told her. Oh, yes,
(05:35):
she knows about it and can tell you it is true.
But now I see that all he wanted was to
be on the safe side, and if I had accepted
him and had turned out to have no claim upon
his uncle's fortune, he would have broken the engagement on
some easy pretext. Can you deny it? She demanded of Mark,
but he could not face her. Though he made an
(05:57):
effort again to brazen it out. Every word she had
spoken seemed to strike Julia like a blow. She shrank,
quivering away, and threw herself down on to a chair,
her face hidden in her hands. Juliet went to her
and touched her gently on the shoulder. Don't think of
him any more, she said. Presently you will hate yourself
(06:19):
for having cared for a murderer. Just now. I know
your love for him makes you gloss over his crimes.
But when you are yourself, you will see how odious
they are. Poor Julia, I hate to hurt you so,
but it is better, isn't it that you should know?
You will forget this madness. He is not worth your
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wasting another thought on. Think how shamefully he has deceived you.
Think of all his lying words, of how he told
you he had never looked at another woman. Julia raised
her head and showed a face whiteish chalk, in which
the great brown eyes seemed to burn like fires of hatred. Yes,
(07:01):
she said, in a hard, even voice, I am thinking
of it. I shall not forget him. No. Instead, I
shall think of him day and night. Be sure of that.
I shall laugh as I think of him, laugh at
the thought of him in his place in the dock
or in his prison. Cell I shall laugh when I
(07:22):
give my evidence against him, And most of all, I
shall laugh on the day when he is hanged, if
his grave is to be found, I shall dance upon it. Oh,
it will be a merry day for me that day
when the cord is tightened round his false neck. She
went near to Mark and hissed the last words into
(07:42):
his face, leaning forward with one hand on her own throat.
But he seemed to shrink less before her vindictive passion
than he had under the colder scorn of Juliet's denunciations. Come, Juliet,
said Julia, calming herself a little, although hate was still
blazing in her eyes. Let us leave this place. We
(08:04):
must send for the police, Julia said, Mark, stepping forward
and speaking with some of his former assurance. You condemn me, unheard.
Why should you believe this girl before me? It is
not like you, Julia, It is not like the girl
I love for. I do love you, darling, in spite
(08:24):
of what you may think, And till a few moments ago,
I thought you loved me too. But I see now
what your love is. One whiff of suspicion, one word
of accusation, and without proof or evidence, you condemn me,
and your so called affection disappears. Julia, I think you
have broken my heart. Juliet gave vent to a derisive
(08:49):
sound which can only be called a snort. But it
was plain that his words, and more especially the manner
of sad yet tender reproach in which they were uttered,
were not without their effect on the other girl. Her
eyes wavered uneasily. She twisted and tore it her handkerchief.
I have heard what you have to say, she murmured.
(09:11):
I saw that you could not deny what Juliet told me.
I did deny it. But what is the use of
talking to you when you are in such a state.
You are determined beforehand to disbelieve me, and I have
no wish to justify myself to miss Byrne, though I
am willing to swallow my pride and do so to
you well, she said, after a moment's hesitation. Justify yourself
(09:37):
if you can. No one shall say I would not listen.
God knows I shall be glad enough if you can
clear yourself to begin with, said Mark. I admit that
superficially there is truth in what you have heard, but
only superficially, for the person I deceived was not yourself
(09:57):
but this young lady. I certainly, as she suggests, never
had the slightest intention of marrying her. For one thing,
I was absolutely certain she would refuse me, but it
seemed a good precautionary move to make what might appear
a generous proposal, and at the same time get a
sort of mandate from the possible heiress herself to stick
(10:19):
to my uncle's fortune. You may be sure I should
never have given it up in any case, but it
is as well to keep up appearances. The business was
only a move in the game I am playing, and
no more affects the sincerity of my love for you
than any of the social equivocations we all find necessary
from time to time. I love you, Julia, and you alone.
(10:43):
How can you doubt it? I love you so much
that I am willing to overlook your want of confidence
in me, and to forgive the cruel things you said
just now? Darling, How can I tell you before a
third person what I feel for you. You are everything
to me, and if you no longer love me, I
don't care what happens. Give me up to the police
(11:06):
if you like. The gallows is as good a place
as another without your love. Long before he had finished,
all traces of resentment had vanished. When he ceased speaking,
she gave in completely and threw herself upon his breast,
sobbing passionately and begging his forgiveness for having doubted him
for an instant while he soothed and comforted her in
(11:28):
a low tone. Juliet did not know what to do
or which way to look. The two stood between her
and the door, and she felt an absurd awkwardness about
trying to pass them. Was it likely she would be
allowed to go out free to denounce them? She was
afraid of trying. At last, Julia was calm again, and
(11:49):
there came a silence, during which the pair glanced at
Juliet and then at each other. What's to be done?
Julia asked at length, and then suddenly, without waiting for
an answer, I have an idea mark that will save you.
If her mouth can be stopped for a time, will
you be able to get clear away? I shall have
(12:10):
to try, I suppose, he replied, with a trace of
his former sulkiness, to think that everything should miscarry because
of a slip of a girl. You had better go
to Glasgow and get on board some ship there which
will take you to a place of safety. I shall
have to stay behind till the matter of the list
is settled. One way or the other. But then, when
(12:30):
I have reported to my superiors, I can join you
and we can begin life together in some far off country.
I shall be as happy in one place as in
another with you, Mark, and you are sure you will
be two with only me. Mark hastened to reassure her
on that point, but his tone, as he said it,
did not carry conviction to Juliet. Julia, however, seems satisfied.
(12:55):
Miss Byrne can choose, she continued, either she swears not
to say a word till we are both safely away,
or else we can shut her in the dungeon of
the castle. I know where it is, in the wall
of this tower. She will never be found there, and
I can take her food from time to time till
I am ready to join you. Isn't that a good plan?
(13:16):
Mark considered. I don't think we will give herm the
option of swearing not to tell, he said, presently, as
if I would ever promise such a thing. Juliet interrupted, indignant,
but he went on, ignoring this outburst. Otherwise, I think
your idea is good. Where is this dungeon? We may
(13:37):
be disturbed at any minute, and enough time has been
wasted already. I will go first and show the way,
said Julia. I have an electric torch, and she stepped
into the clock and lowered herself through the trap door.
Mark motioned to Juliet to follow. Ladies first, he said
with a sneer. Juliet turned and made a dash for
(13:59):
the door. I won't go, I won't, I won't, she
cried desperately, though in her heart she knew she could
not resist if he chose to use force. Perhaps if
she screamed, some one would hear. Oh, where was Gimblet?
Why did he leave her to the mercy of these people? Help? Help?
She lifted up her voice and shrieked as loud as
(14:21):
she could. With a vicious scowl. Mark sprang upon her
and clapped a hand over her mouth. Then, as she
still continued to produce muffled sounds of distress, he stuffed
his handkerchief in between her teeth, and, lifting her bodily
in his arms, thrust her before him into the clock
and pushed her roughly down the hidden stair. Half way down,
(14:43):
she lost her footing and fell to the bottom, where
Julia was standing with her little lamp in her hand.
Mark was following close behind and between them. They picked
her up and hurried her, limping and bruised along the
narrow passage. She was allowed to take the handkerchief out
of her mouth, for cry could penetrate the immense thickness
of these blocks of stone. At the point where there
(15:05):
was a break to right and left in the walls
of the passage, Julia came to a standstill. Here it is,
she said, turning her light on the opening in the
wall on the left hand side. The door is gone,
so you will have to fetch something to block it
up with. It seemed to be a small cell like
chamber built into the side of the tower. It may
(15:28):
have contained a dozen cubic yards of space and had
neither door nor window. There are some slabs of stone
at the end of the passage, said Julia. They are heavy,
but you are strong. You will be able to bring them.
We must leave a little space at the top of
the door to admit some air and for me to
pass food through to our prisoner. She laughed with a
(15:49):
feverish merriment. It will be like feeding the animals at
the zoo, she said. Mark signified his approval by a nod,
and is this the way, he asked, turning round and
starting off in the opposite direction. No, no, Julia cried,
laying a detaining hand upon his arm. I don't know
what there is down there. I think it is a well. See,
(16:12):
you are on the very edge. She cast the light
on to a round, dark opening in the ground some
six feet in front of and below them. From where
they stood. The floor began to slant suddenly and steeply downward,
so that if Mark had taken another step, it looked
as if nothing could have prevented his sliding down into
the gaping circle of blackness at the bottom. Julia shuddered violently. Oh,
(16:39):
she cried, if you had gone over, come away, Do
come away. It's a funny sort of well, he says,
looks to me like something else. Did you ever hear
of ubleetz? Julia Juliet as she heard him, grew white
with terror. Julia, Julia, she cried, You won't let him
(17:01):
throw me down there? No, no, said Julia. He would not.
There's no reason, Mark, she urged, come away from here,
but he only laughed shortly. Don't be so hysterical, he said,
and continued to bend his gaze upon the hole at
the bottom of the slope. It seemed to have a
(17:21):
sort of fascination for him. Finally, he picked a piece
of loose mortar from the wall and threw it down
into the gap. A second later there was a dull
sound which might have been a splash. Perhaps it is
well after all. Did you think it sounded as if
it had fallen into water? Yes, said Julia, I am
(17:43):
sure it did. Do come away. I hate being here,
And indeed she was shivering from head to foot, and
not Julia herself seemed more anxious to leave the place.
Just one more shocked, said Mark. Here, Julia, stoop down
and roll that bit of stone slowly down the slope
while I hold on to our prisoner. We shall hear
(18:05):
better that way. Give me your lamp. Anxious to satisfy him,
Julia picked up the fragment he had knocked from the
rough wall, and, stooping down, stretched out her hand to
set the stone in motion. But as she did so,
Mark loosened his grip on Juliet, and, bending quickly behind
this poor girl who loved him, seized her by the
(18:26):
shoulders and threw her forward on to her face. The
steep pitch of the floor finished what the impetus given
by his onslaught had begun. Julia shot head first down
the slope and disappeared into the black chasm of the well.
One long, agonized scream came up to them out of
the darkness and rolled its echoes through the lonely passages.
(18:49):
Then the distant sound of a splash in silence. Back
against the wall, Juliet cowered, her whole body shaken by
great sobs. She was petrified with terror of this fiendish man,
but her fears for herself gave way before the horror
of what she had seen. Oh what have you done?
(19:10):
What have you done? She wept. Mark tried to summon
up a jeering smile. The lantern threw no light upon
his white and twitching face. You don't suppose I meant
to let her go free after the taste she gave
me of her temper, he asked, in a voice he
could not keep from shaking a little. Do you suppose
(19:30):
I like having to do these things? You women have
never the slightest sense of common justice. The whole thing
is perfectly beastly to me. But how could I live
with a girl who would be ready to threaten me?
With the gallus every time she got out of bed
wrongfoot first. It's not fair to blame me for other
people's faults, he spoke querulously, with the air of a
(19:52):
much injured man, though Juliet was beyond any coherent reply.
He seemed afraid of meeting her eyes, and looked resolutely
away from her, his glance shifting and wavering from the
walls to the floor, from the floor to the stones
of the low roof, up, down and sideways, but never
resting on her. At last, as if drawn there irresistibly
(20:16):
and against his will, they fell once more on the
dark circle of the mouth of the pit, and he
started back, shuddering violently, as if I hadn't enough to
bear without being saddled with hideous memories for the rest
of my life, he cried, with bitter irritability. If you
had an ounce of common fairness in your composition, you
(20:37):
would admit I could do no less. Why any day
she might have got jealous or something and flown into
a passion again and denounced me to the police. Besides,
I have no wish to be obliged to fly the country.
Why should I? She was the only person who knew
the truth except you. That is why you must follow her. No, No,
(21:00):
cried Juliet despairingly, but without avail, for her feeble strength
could offer him no effective opposition, and he thrust her
easily on to the slope. She felt instinctively that at
that angle the merest push would make her lose her balance,
and sank quickly to her knees, catching him round the
ankle with one hand and clinging desperately. He swore furiously
(21:23):
and bent down to unclasp her fingers from his leg.
Then he flung her hand away from him and cut
off from all assistance. She began instantly to slide backwards,
slowly but irresistibly. End of Chapter twenty
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