October 13, 2025 • 23 mins
15 - The Best Man by Grace Livingston Hill.
Cyril Gordon, a young and handsome secret service agent is running from pursuers who desperately want the information he holds. He hides out from them in a church, and then finds himself married to a woman he’s never seen before. A sweet and sometimes, funny, romance, with several exciting chases.
Cyril Gordon, a young and handsome secret service agent is running from pursuers who desperately want the information he holds. He hides out from them in a church, and then finds himself married to a woman he’s never seen before. A sweet and sometimes, funny, romance, with several exciting chases.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Chapter fifteen of The Best Man. This LibriVox recording is
in the public domain. Recording by Gail Mattern The Best
Man by Grace livingstone Hill, chapter fifteen. Meantime, Gordon was
speeding away to another part of the city by the
fastest time an experienced chauffeur dared to make. About the
(00:22):
time they turned the first corner into the avenue, two
burly policemen sauntered casually into the pretty square in front
of the house which lived the Chief of the Secret Service.
There was nothing about their demeanor to show that they
had been detailed there by special urgency, and three men
who hurried to the little park just across the street
from the house could not possibly know that the leisurely
(00:45):
and careless stroll was the result of a hurried telephone
message from the chief to police headquarters immediately after his
message from Gordon. The policemen strolled by the house, greeted
each other, and walked on round the square. Across the
little park. They eyed the three men sitting idly on
a bench, and passed leisurely on. They disappeared around a corner,
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and to the three men were out of the way.
The latter did not know the hidden places where the
officers took up their watch. And when an automobile appeared,
and the three stealthily got up from their park bench
and distributed themselves among the shrubbery near the walk, they
knew not that their every movement was observed with keen attention,
(01:31):
but they did wonder how it happened that those two
policemen seemed to spring out of the ground. Suddenly, just
as the otto came to a halt in front of
the chief's house, Gordon sprang out and up the steps
with a bound, the door opening before him as if
he were expected. The two grim and apparently indifferent policemen
(01:52):
stood outside like two stone images on guard, while up
the street, with rhythmic sound, rode two mounted police, also
coming to a halt before the house, as if for
a purpose. The three men in the bushes hid their
instruments of death and would have slunk away had there
been a chance, But turning to make a hasty flight,
(02:13):
they were met by three more policemen. There was the
crack of a revolver as one of the three desperadoes
tried a last reckless dash for freedom and failed. The
wretch went to justice with his right arm hanging limp
by his side. Inside the house, Gordon was delivering up
his message, And as he laid it before his chief
(02:36):
and stood silent while the elder man read and ponded
its tremendous import it occurred to him for the first
time that his chief would require some report of his
journey and the hindrances that had made him a whole
day late in getting back to Washington. His heart stood
still with sudden panic. What was he to do? How
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could he tell it all? What right had he to
tell of his marriage to an unknown woman, a marriage
that perhaps was not a marriage. He could not know
what the outcome would be until he had told the
girl everything. As far as he himself was concerned, he
knew that the great joy of his life had come
to him in her. Yet he could not hope that
(03:18):
it would be so with her, and he must think
of her and protect her good name in every way.
If thea should be such a thing, ever, as that
she should consent to remain with him and be his wife,
he must never let a soul know. But what the
marriage had been planned long ago. It would not be
fear to her. It would make life intolerable for them
(03:40):
both either to gather or apart. And while he might
be and doubtless was perfectly safe in confiding in his
chief and asking him to keep silence about the matter,
still he felt that even that would be a breach
of faith with Celia. He must close his lips upon
the story until he could talk with her and know
(04:01):
her wishes. He drew a sigh of weariness. It was
a long, hard way he had come, and it was
not over. The worst ordeal would be his confession to
the bride who was not his wife. The Chief looked up.
Could you make this out, Gordon, he asked, noting keenly
the young man's weary eyes the strained, tense look about
(04:24):
his mouth. Oh yes, sir, I saw it at once.
I was almost afraid my eyes might betray the secret
before I got away with it. Then you know what
you have saved the country, and what you have been
worth to the service. The young man flushed with pleasure.
Thank you, sir, he said, looking down. I understood it
(04:45):
was important, and I am glad I was able to
accomplish the Errand without failing. Have you reason to suppose
you were followed? Except for what you saw at the
station in this city. Yes, sir, I am sure they
were detective after me. As I was leaving New York,
they were suspicious of me. I saw one of the
men who had been at the dinner with me watching me.
(05:08):
The disguise and some circumstances threw him off. He wasn't sure.
Then there was a man, you know him Balder at Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh. Yes,
you wonder how I got to Pittsburgh. You see, I
was shadowed almost from the first I suspect, for when
(05:30):
I reached the station in New York, I was sure
I recognized this man who had sat opposite me a
few minutes before. I suppose my disguise, which you so
thoughtfully provided, bothered him, for though he followed me about
at a little distance, he didn't speak to me. I
had to get on the first train that circumstances permitted,
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and perhaps the fact that it was a Chicago train
made him think he was mistaken in me. Anyhow, I
saw no more of him after the train left the state.
Rather unexpectedly, I found I could get the drawing room
compartment and went into immediate retirement, leaving the train at daylight,
where it was delayed on a side track, and walked
(06:12):
across country till I found a conveyance that took me
to a Pittsburgh train. It didn't seem feasible to get
away from the Chicago train any sooner, as the train
made no further stops, and it was rather late at
night by the time I boarded it. I thought I
would run less risk by making a detour. I never
dreamed they would have watchers out for me at Pittsburgh,
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and I can't think yet how they managed to get
on my track. But almost the first minute I landed,
I spied Balder stretching his neck over the crowds. I
bolted from the station at once, and, finding a carriage
drawn up before the door just ready for me, I
got in and ordered them to drive me to East
Liberty station. I am afraid I shall always be suspicious
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of handy closed carriages after this experience, I certainly have
reason to be. The door was no sooner closed on
me than the driver began to race like mad through
the streets. I didn't think much of it at first
until he had been going some time, fully long enough
to have reached East Liberty, and the horse was still
rushing like a locomotive. Then I saw that we were
(07:18):
in a lonely district of the city that seemed unfamiliar.
That alarmed me, and I tapped on the window and
called to the driver. He paid no attention. Then I
found the doors were fastened shut and the windows plugged
so they wouldn't open. I discovered that an armed man
rode beside the driver. I managed to get one of
the doors open after a good deal of work, and
(07:40):
escaped when we stopped for a freight train to pass.
But I'm satisfied that I was being kidnapped, and if
I hadn't gotten away just when I did, you would
never have heard of me again or the message either.
I finally managed to reach East Liberty Station and jumped
on the first train that came in. But I caught
a glimpse of Balders stretching his neck over the crowd.
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He must have seen me and had Hale and Burke
on the watch. When I got here. They just missed
me by a half second. They went over to the restaurant,
didn't expect me on a special but I escaped them,
and I'm mighty glad to get that little paper into
your possession and out of mine. It's rather a long
story to tell the whole, but I think you have
the main facts. There was a suspicious glitter in the
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keen eyes of the kind old Chief as he put
out his hand and grasped Gordon's in a hearty shake.
But all he said was, and you are all worn out.
I'll guarantee you didn't sleep much last night. Well, no,
said Gordon. I had to sit up in a day
coach and share the seat with another man. Besides, I
was somewhat excited, of course. Of course, puffed the old Chief,
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coughing vigorously and showing by his gruff attitude that he
was deeply affected. Well, young man, this won't be forgotten
by the department. Now you go home and take a
good sleep, take the whole day off if you wish,
and then come down tomorrow morning and tell me all
about it. Isn't there anything more I need to know
at once that justice may be done, I believe not,
(09:13):
said Gordon with a sigh of relief. There's a list
of the men who were at the dinner with me.
I wrote them down for memory last night when I
couldn't sleep. I also wrote a few scraps of conversation
which will show you just how deep the plot had gone.
If I had not read the message and known its import,
I should not have understood what they were talking about. Hum. Yes,
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if there had been more time before you started, I
might have told you all about it. Still, it seemed
desirable that you should appear as much at your ease
as possible. I thought this would be best accomplished by
your knowing nothing of the import of the writing when
you first met the people. I suppose it was as
well that I did not know any more than I did.
(09:57):
You are a great chief, sir. I was deeply impressed
anew with that fact, as I saw how wonderfully you
had planned for every possible emergency. It was simply great, sir.
Pooh pooh, Get you home into bed, said the old chief,
quite brusquely. He touched a bell and a man appeared.
Jess up, is the coast clear? He asked, Yes, sir,
(10:20):
declared the darky. They've just had a couple of shots
into park, and now they took the villains off to
the police station to offices. Is out there waitin to
escort de genmen. Get home with you, Gordon, and don't
come to the office till ten in the morning, then
come straight to my private room. Gordon thanked him and
left the room, preceded by the gray he had servant.
(10:43):
He was surprised to find the policeman outside, and wondered
still more that they seemed to be going, one in
front and the other behind him. As he rode along,
he was greatly relieved that he had not been called
upon to give the whole story. His heart was filled
with anxiety now to get back to the girl and
tell her everything, And yet he dreaded it more than
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anything he had ever had to face in all his life.
He sat back on the cushions, and, covering his face
with his hands, tried to think how he should begin,
But he could see nothing but her sweet eyes filled
with tears. Think of nothing but the way she had
looked and smiled during the beautiful morning they had spent
together in the little town of Milton, Beautiful little Milton.
(11:28):
Should he ever see it again? Celia at her window
grew more and more nervous as an hour and then
another half hour slipped slowly away, and still he did
not come. Then two mounted policemen rode rapidly down the street,
following an automobile in which sat the man for whom
she waited. She had no eyes now for the men
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who had been lurking across the way, and when she
thought to look for them again, she saw them running
in the opposite direction as fast as they could go,
making wild gestures car to stop for them. She stood
by the window and saw Gordon get out of the
car and disappear into the building below. Saw the car
wheel and curve away, and the mounted police take up
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this stand on either corner. Heard the clang of the
elevator as it started up, and the clash of its
door as it stopped at that floor, heard steps coming
on toward the door, and the key in the latch.
Then she turned and looked at him, her two hands
clasped before her, and her two eyes yearning, glad and
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fearful all at once. Oh, I have been so frightened
about you. I am so glad you have come, she said,
and caught her voice in a sob as she took
one little step toward him. He threw his hat upon
the floor wherever it might land, and went to meet her,
a great light glowing in his tired eyes, his arms
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outstretched to hers. And did you care, he asked, in
a voice of almost awe, dear, did you care what
became of me? He had come quite close to her now, Oh, yes,
I cared. I could not help it. There was a
real sob in her voice now though her eyes were shining.
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His arms went round her hungrily, as if he would
draw her to him in spite of everything. Yet he
kept them so encircling without touching her, like a benediction
that would enwrap the very soul of his beloved. Looking
down into her face, he breathed softly, Oh my dear,
it seems as if I must hold you close and
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kiss you. She looked up with bated breath and thought
she understood. Then, with a lovely gesture of surrender, she whispered,
I can trust you. Her lashes were drooping now over
her eyes. Not until you know all, he said, and
put her gently from him into the great arm chea
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with a look of reverence and self negation. She felt
she would never forget. Then tell me quickly, she said,
a swift fear making her weak from head to foot.
She laid her hand across her heart as if to
help steady its beating. He wheeled forward the leather couch
opposite her chair and sat down, his head drooping, his
(14:19):
eyes down. He dreaded to begin. She waited for the revelation,
her eyes upon his bowed head. Finally, he lifted his
eyes and saw her look, and a tender light came
into his face. It is a strange story, he said.
I don't know what you will think of me after
it's told, but I want you to know that blundering, stupid,
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even criminal, though you may think me, I would sooner
die this minute than cause you one more breath of suffering.
Her eyes lit up with a wonderful light, and the
ready tears sprang into them, tears that sparkled through the
sunshine of a great joy that illumined her whole face.
Please go on, she said softly, and added very gently,
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I believe you. But even with those words in his ears,
the beginning was not easy. Gordon drew a deep breath
and launched forth. I am not the man you think,
he said, and looked at her to see how she
would take it. My name is not George Hayne. My
name is Cyril Gordon. As one might launch an arrow
(15:28):
at a beloved victim, and long that it may not
strike the mark. So he sent his truth home to
her understanding, and waited in breathless silence, hoping against hope
that this might not turn her against him. Oh, she
breathed softly, as if some puzzle were solving itself. Oh,
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this time not altogether in surprise, nor as if the
fact were displeasing. She looked at him expectantly for further revelation,
and he plunged into his story headlong. I'm a member
of the Secret Service headquarters here in Washington, and day
before yesterday, I was sent to New York on an
important errand a message of great import written in a
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private code, had been stolen from one of our men.
I was sent to get it before they could decipher it.
The message involved matters of such tremendous significance that I
was ordered to go under an assumed name and on
no account to let any one know of my mission.
My orders were to get the message and let nothing
hinder me in bringing it with all haste to Washington.
(16:35):
I went with the full understanding that I might even
be called upon to risk my life. He looked up.
The girl sat wide eyed with hands clasped together at
her throat, he hurried on not to cause her any
needless anxiety. I won't weary you with details. There were
a good many annoying hindrances on the way, which served
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to make me nervous. But I carried out the program
laid down by my chief and succeeded in getting possession
of the message and making my escape from the house
of the man who had stolen it. As I closed
the door behind me, knowing that it could be but
a matter of a few seconds at longest before six
furious men would be on my track, who would stop
(17:17):
at nothing to get back what I had taken from them.
I saw a carriage standing almost before the house. The
driver took me for the man he awaited, and I
lost no time in taking advantage of his mistake. I
jumped in, telling him to drive as fast as he could.
I intended to give him further directions, but he had
evidently had them from another quarter, and I thought I
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could call to him as soon as we were out
of the dangerous neighborhood. To add to my situation, I
soon became sure that an automobile and a motorcycle were
following me. I recognized one of the men in the
car as the man who sat opposite to me at
the table a few minutes before. My coachman drove like
mad while I hurried to secure the message so that
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if I were caught, it would not be found, and
to put on a slight disguise some eyebrows and things
the chief had given me. Before I knew where I was,
the carriage had stopped before a building. At first I
thought it was a prison, and the car and motorcycle
came to a halt just behind me. I felt that
I was pretty well trapped. The girl gave a low moan,
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and Gordon, not daring to look up, hurried on with
his story. There isn't much more to tell you that
you do not already know. I soon discovered the building
was a church, not a prison. What happened afterward was
the result of my extreme perturbation of mind. I suppose
I cannot account for my stupidity and subsequent cowardice in
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any other way. Neither was it possible for me to
explain matters satisfactorily at any time during the whole mix up.
On account of the trust which I carried and which
I could on no account reveal even a confidence or
put in jeopardy in the slightest degree. Naturally, at first,
my commission and how to get safely through it all
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was the only thing of importance to me. If you
keep this in mind, perhaps you will be able to
judge me less harshly. My only thought when the carriage
came to a halt was how to escape from those
two pursuers, and that more or less pervaded my mind
during what followed, so that ordinary matters, which at another
time would have been at once clear to me, meant
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nothing at all. You see, the instant that carriage came
to a standstill, some one threw open the door, and
I heard a voice call, where is the best man?
Then another voice said, here he is. I took it
that they thought I was best man, but would soon
discover that I wasn't. When I came into the light,
there wasn't any chance to slip away, or I should
(19:52):
have done so and vanished in the dark. But everybody
surrounded me and seemed to think I was all right.
The two men who had followed were close behind, eyeing
me keenly. I'm satisfied that they were to blame for
that wild ride we took in Pittsburgh. I soon saw
by the remarks that the man I was supposed to
be had been away from this country for ten years,
(20:14):
and of course then they would not be very critical.
I tried twice to explain that there was a mistake,
but both times they misunderstood me and thought I was
saying I couldn't go in the procession because I hadn't practiced.
I don't just know how I came to be in
such a dreadful mess. It would seem as if it
ought to have been a very easy thing to say
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I had got into the wrong carriage, and they must
excuse me that I wasn't their man. But you see,
they gave me no time to think nor to speak.
They just turned me over from one man to another
and took everything for granted. And I, finding that I
would have to break loose and flea before their eyes
if I wished to escape, reflected that there would be
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no harm in marching down the aisle as best man
in a delayed wedding. If that was all there was
to do, I could disappear as soon as the ceremony
was over, and no one would be the wiser. The
real best man would probably turn up, and then they
might wonder as they pleased, for I would be far away,
and perhaps this was as good a place as any
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in which to hide for half an hour, until my
pursuers were baffled and well on their way seeking elsewhere
for me. I can see now that I made a
grave mistake in allowing even so much deception, but I
did not see any harm in it then, and they
all seemed in great distress for the ceremony to go forward.
Bear in mind also that I was at that time
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entirely taken up with the importance of hiding my message
until I could take it safely to my chief. Nothing
else seemed to matter much. If the real best man
was late to the wedding and they were willing to
use me in his place, what harm could come from it.
He certainly deserved it for being late, and if he
came in during the ceremony, he would think some one
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else had been put in his place. They introduced me
to your brother Jefferson. I thought he was the bridegroom,
and I thought so until they laid your hand in mine. Oh,
she moaned, and the little hand went to help its
mate cover her face. I knew it, he said bitterly.
I knew you would feel just that way as soon
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as you knew. I don't blame you. I deserve it.
I was a fool, a villain, a dumb brute, whatever
you have a mind to call me. You can't begin
to understand how I have suffered for you since this happened,
and how I have blamed myself. He got up suddenly
and strode over to the window, frowning down into the
(22:41):
sunlit street and wondering how it was that everybody seemed
to be going on in exactly the same hurry as ever,
when for him life had suddenly come to a standstill.
End of chapter fifteen h
Chapter fifteen of The Best Man. This LibriVox recording is
in the public domain. Recording by Gail Mattern The Best
Man by Grace livingstone Hill, chapter fifteen. Meantime, Gordon was
speeding away to another part of the city by the
fastest time an experienced chauffeur dared to make. About the
(00:22):
time they turned the first corner into the avenue, two
burly policemen sauntered casually into the pretty square in front
of the house which lived the Chief of the Secret Service.
There was nothing about their demeanor to show that they
had been detailed there by special urgency, and three men
who hurried to the little park just across the street
from the house could not possibly know that the leisurely
(00:45):
and careless stroll was the result of a hurried telephone
message from the chief to police headquarters immediately after his
message from Gordon. The policemen strolled by the house, greeted
each other, and walked on round the square. Across the
little park. They eyed the three men sitting idly on
a bench, and passed leisurely on. They disappeared around a corner,
(01:10):
and to the three men were out of the way.
The latter did not know the hidden places where the
officers took up their watch. And when an automobile appeared,
and the three stealthily got up from their park bench
and distributed themselves among the shrubbery near the walk, they
knew not that their every movement was observed with keen attention,
(01:31):
but they did wonder how it happened that those two
policemen seemed to spring out of the ground. Suddenly, just
as the otto came to a halt in front of
the chief's house, Gordon sprang out and up the steps
with a bound, the door opening before him as if
he were expected. The two grim and apparently indifferent policemen
(01:52):
stood outside like two stone images on guard, while up
the street, with rhythmic sound, rode two mounted police, also
coming to a halt before the house, as if for
a purpose. The three men in the bushes hid their
instruments of death and would have slunk away had there
been a chance, But turning to make a hasty flight,
(02:13):
they were met by three more policemen. There was the
crack of a revolver as one of the three desperadoes
tried a last reckless dash for freedom and failed. The
wretch went to justice with his right arm hanging limp
by his side. Inside the house, Gordon was delivering up
his message, And as he laid it before his chief
(02:36):
and stood silent while the elder man read and ponded
its tremendous import it occurred to him for the first
time that his chief would require some report of his
journey and the hindrances that had made him a whole
day late in getting back to Washington. His heart stood
still with sudden panic. What was he to do? How
(02:56):
could he tell it all? What right had he to
tell of his marriage to an unknown woman, a marriage
that perhaps was not a marriage. He could not know
what the outcome would be until he had told the
girl everything. As far as he himself was concerned, he
knew that the great joy of his life had come
to him in her. Yet he could not hope that
(03:18):
it would be so with her, and he must think
of her and protect her good name in every way.
If thea should be such a thing, ever, as that
she should consent to remain with him and be his wife,
he must never let a soul know. But what the
marriage had been planned long ago. It would not be
fear to her. It would make life intolerable for them
(03:40):
both either to gather or apart. And while he might
be and doubtless was perfectly safe in confiding in his
chief and asking him to keep silence about the matter,
still he felt that even that would be a breach
of faith with Celia. He must close his lips upon
the story until he could talk with her and know
(04:01):
her wishes. He drew a sigh of weariness. It was
a long, hard way he had come, and it was
not over. The worst ordeal would be his confession to
the bride who was not his wife. The Chief looked up.
Could you make this out, Gordon, he asked, noting keenly
the young man's weary eyes the strained, tense look about
(04:24):
his mouth. Oh yes, sir, I saw it at once.
I was almost afraid my eyes might betray the secret
before I got away with it. Then you know what
you have saved the country, and what you have been
worth to the service. The young man flushed with pleasure.
Thank you, sir, he said, looking down. I understood it
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was important, and I am glad I was able to
accomplish the Errand without failing. Have you reason to suppose
you were followed? Except for what you saw at the
station in this city. Yes, sir, I am sure they
were detective after me. As I was leaving New York,
they were suspicious of me. I saw one of the
men who had been at the dinner with me watching me.
(05:08):
The disguise and some circumstances threw him off. He wasn't sure.
Then there was a man, you know him Balder at Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh. Yes,
you wonder how I got to Pittsburgh. You see, I
was shadowed almost from the first I suspect, for when
(05:30):
I reached the station in New York, I was sure
I recognized this man who had sat opposite me a
few minutes before. I suppose my disguise, which you so
thoughtfully provided, bothered him, for though he followed me about
at a little distance, he didn't speak to me. I
had to get on the first train that circumstances permitted,
(05:51):
and perhaps the fact that it was a Chicago train
made him think he was mistaken in me. Anyhow, I
saw no more of him after the train left the state.
Rather unexpectedly, I found I could get the drawing room
compartment and went into immediate retirement, leaving the train at daylight,
where it was delayed on a side track, and walked
(06:12):
across country till I found a conveyance that took me
to a Pittsburgh train. It didn't seem feasible to get
away from the Chicago train any sooner, as the train
made no further stops, and it was rather late at
night by the time I boarded it. I thought I
would run less risk by making a detour. I never
dreamed they would have watchers out for me at Pittsburgh,
(06:34):
and I can't think yet how they managed to get
on my track. But almost the first minute I landed,
I spied Balder stretching his neck over the crowds. I
bolted from the station at once, and, finding a carriage
drawn up before the door just ready for me, I
got in and ordered them to drive me to East
Liberty station. I am afraid I shall always be suspicious
(06:55):
of handy closed carriages after this experience, I certainly have
reason to be. The door was no sooner closed on
me than the driver began to race like mad through
the streets. I didn't think much of it at first
until he had been going some time, fully long enough
to have reached East Liberty, and the horse was still
rushing like a locomotive. Then I saw that we were
(07:18):
in a lonely district of the city that seemed unfamiliar.
That alarmed me, and I tapped on the window and
called to the driver. He paid no attention. Then I
found the doors were fastened shut and the windows plugged
so they wouldn't open. I discovered that an armed man
rode beside the driver. I managed to get one of
the doors open after a good deal of work, and
(07:40):
escaped when we stopped for a freight train to pass.
But I'm satisfied that I was being kidnapped, and if
I hadn't gotten away just when I did, you would
never have heard of me again or the message either.
I finally managed to reach East Liberty Station and jumped
on the first train that came in. But I caught
a glimpse of Balders stretching his neck over the crowd.
(08:02):
He must have seen me and had Hale and Burke
on the watch. When I got here. They just missed
me by a half second. They went over to the restaurant,
didn't expect me on a special but I escaped them,
and I'm mighty glad to get that little paper into
your possession and out of mine. It's rather a long
story to tell the whole, but I think you have
the main facts. There was a suspicious glitter in the
(08:26):
keen eyes of the kind old Chief as he put
out his hand and grasped Gordon's in a hearty shake.
But all he said was, and you are all worn out.
I'll guarantee you didn't sleep much last night. Well, no,
said Gordon. I had to sit up in a day
coach and share the seat with another man. Besides, I
was somewhat excited, of course. Of course, puffed the old Chief,
(08:49):
coughing vigorously and showing by his gruff attitude that he
was deeply affected. Well, young man, this won't be forgotten
by the department. Now you go home and take a
good sleep, take the whole day off if you wish,
and then come down tomorrow morning and tell me all
about it. Isn't there anything more I need to know
at once that justice may be done, I believe not,
(09:13):
said Gordon with a sigh of relief. There's a list
of the men who were at the dinner with me.
I wrote them down for memory last night when I
couldn't sleep. I also wrote a few scraps of conversation
which will show you just how deep the plot had gone.
If I had not read the message and known its import,
I should not have understood what they were talking about. Hum. Yes,
(09:36):
if there had been more time before you started, I
might have told you all about it. Still, it seemed
desirable that you should appear as much at your ease
as possible. I thought this would be best accomplished by
your knowing nothing of the import of the writing when
you first met the people. I suppose it was as
well that I did not know any more than I did.
(09:57):
You are a great chief, sir. I was deeply impressed
anew with that fact, as I saw how wonderfully you
had planned for every possible emergency. It was simply great, sir.
Pooh pooh, Get you home into bed, said the old chief,
quite brusquely. He touched a bell and a man appeared.
Jess up, is the coast clear? He asked, Yes, sir,
(10:20):
declared the darky. They've just had a couple of shots
into park, and now they took the villains off to
the police station to offices. Is out there waitin to
escort de genmen. Get home with you, Gordon, and don't
come to the office till ten in the morning, then
come straight to my private room. Gordon thanked him and
left the room, preceded by the gray he had servant.
(10:43):
He was surprised to find the policeman outside, and wondered
still more that they seemed to be going, one in
front and the other behind him. As he rode along,
he was greatly relieved that he had not been called
upon to give the whole story. His heart was filled
with anxiety now to get back to the girl and
tell her everything, And yet he dreaded it more than
(11:04):
anything he had ever had to face in all his life.
He sat back on the cushions, and, covering his face
with his hands, tried to think how he should begin,
But he could see nothing but her sweet eyes filled
with tears. Think of nothing but the way she had
looked and smiled during the beautiful morning they had spent
together in the little town of Milton, Beautiful little Milton.
(11:28):
Should he ever see it again? Celia at her window
grew more and more nervous as an hour and then
another half hour slipped slowly away, and still he did
not come. Then two mounted policemen rode rapidly down the street,
following an automobile in which sat the man for whom
she waited. She had no eyes now for the men
(11:50):
who had been lurking across the way, and when she
thought to look for them again, she saw them running
in the opposite direction as fast as they could go,
making wild gestures car to stop for them. She stood
by the window and saw Gordon get out of the
car and disappear into the building below. Saw the car
wheel and curve away, and the mounted police take up
(12:12):
this stand on either corner. Heard the clang of the
elevator as it started up, and the clash of its
door as it stopped at that floor, heard steps coming
on toward the door, and the key in the latch.
Then she turned and looked at him, her two hands
clasped before her, and her two eyes yearning, glad and
(12:32):
fearful all at once. Oh, I have been so frightened
about you. I am so glad you have come, she said,
and caught her voice in a sob as she took
one little step toward him. He threw his hat upon
the floor wherever it might land, and went to meet her,
a great light glowing in his tired eyes, his arms
(12:54):
outstretched to hers. And did you care, he asked, in
a voice of almost awe, dear, did you care what
became of me? He had come quite close to her now, Oh, yes,
I cared. I could not help it. There was a
real sob in her voice now though her eyes were shining.
(13:14):
His arms went round her hungrily, as if he would
draw her to him in spite of everything. Yet he
kept them so encircling without touching her, like a benediction
that would enwrap the very soul of his beloved. Looking
down into her face, he breathed softly, Oh my dear,
it seems as if I must hold you close and
(13:36):
kiss you. She looked up with bated breath and thought
she understood. Then, with a lovely gesture of surrender, she whispered,
I can trust you. Her lashes were drooping now over
her eyes. Not until you know all, he said, and
put her gently from him into the great arm chea
(13:57):
with a look of reverence and self negation. She felt
she would never forget. Then tell me quickly, she said,
a swift fear making her weak from head to foot.
She laid her hand across her heart as if to
help steady its beating. He wheeled forward the leather couch
opposite her chair and sat down, his head drooping, his
(14:19):
eyes down. He dreaded to begin. She waited for the revelation,
her eyes upon his bowed head. Finally, he lifted his
eyes and saw her look, and a tender light came
into his face. It is a strange story, he said.
I don't know what you will think of me after
it's told, but I want you to know that blundering, stupid,
(14:43):
even criminal, though you may think me, I would sooner
die this minute than cause you one more breath of suffering.
Her eyes lit up with a wonderful light, and the
ready tears sprang into them, tears that sparkled through the
sunshine of a great joy that illumined her whole face.
Please go on, she said softly, and added very gently,
(15:05):
I believe you. But even with those words in his ears,
the beginning was not easy. Gordon drew a deep breath
and launched forth. I am not the man you think,
he said, and looked at her to see how she
would take it. My name is not George Hayne. My
name is Cyril Gordon. As one might launch an arrow
(15:28):
at a beloved victim, and long that it may not
strike the mark. So he sent his truth home to
her understanding, and waited in breathless silence, hoping against hope
that this might not turn her against him. Oh, she
breathed softly, as if some puzzle were solving itself. Oh,
(15:48):
this time not altogether in surprise, nor as if the
fact were displeasing. She looked at him expectantly for further revelation,
and he plunged into his story headlong. I'm a member
of the Secret Service headquarters here in Washington, and day
before yesterday, I was sent to New York on an
important errand a message of great import written in a
(16:12):
private code, had been stolen from one of our men.
I was sent to get it before they could decipher it.
The message involved matters of such tremendous significance that I
was ordered to go under an assumed name and on
no account to let any one know of my mission.
My orders were to get the message and let nothing
hinder me in bringing it with all haste to Washington.
(16:35):
I went with the full understanding that I might even
be called upon to risk my life. He looked up.
The girl sat wide eyed with hands clasped together at
her throat, he hurried on not to cause her any
needless anxiety. I won't weary you with details. There were
a good many annoying hindrances on the way, which served
(16:56):
to make me nervous. But I carried out the program
laid down by my chief and succeeded in getting possession
of the message and making my escape from the house
of the man who had stolen it. As I closed
the door behind me, knowing that it could be but
a matter of a few seconds at longest before six
furious men would be on my track, who would stop
(17:17):
at nothing to get back what I had taken from them.
I saw a carriage standing almost before the house. The
driver took me for the man he awaited, and I
lost no time in taking advantage of his mistake. I
jumped in, telling him to drive as fast as he could.
I intended to give him further directions, but he had
evidently had them from another quarter, and I thought I
(17:39):
could call to him as soon as we were out
of the dangerous neighborhood. To add to my situation, I
soon became sure that an automobile and a motorcycle were
following me. I recognized one of the men in the
car as the man who sat opposite to me at
the table a few minutes before. My coachman drove like
mad while I hurried to secure the message so that
(18:02):
if I were caught, it would not be found, and
to put on a slight disguise some eyebrows and things
the chief had given me. Before I knew where I was,
the carriage had stopped before a building. At first I
thought it was a prison, and the car and motorcycle
came to a halt just behind me. I felt that
I was pretty well trapped. The girl gave a low moan,
(18:25):
and Gordon, not daring to look up, hurried on with
his story. There isn't much more to tell you that
you do not already know. I soon discovered the building
was a church, not a prison. What happened afterward was
the result of my extreme perturbation of mind. I suppose
I cannot account for my stupidity and subsequent cowardice in
(18:46):
any other way. Neither was it possible for me to
explain matters satisfactorily at any time during the whole mix up.
On account of the trust which I carried and which
I could on no account reveal even a confidence or
put in jeopardy in the slightest degree. Naturally, at first,
my commission and how to get safely through it all
(19:08):
was the only thing of importance to me. If you
keep this in mind, perhaps you will be able to
judge me less harshly. My only thought when the carriage
came to a halt was how to escape from those
two pursuers, and that more or less pervaded my mind
during what followed, so that ordinary matters, which at another
time would have been at once clear to me, meant
(19:30):
nothing at all. You see, the instant that carriage came
to a standstill, some one threw open the door, and
I heard a voice call, where is the best man?
Then another voice said, here he is. I took it
that they thought I was best man, but would soon
discover that I wasn't. When I came into the light,
there wasn't any chance to slip away, or I should
(19:52):
have done so and vanished in the dark. But everybody
surrounded me and seemed to think I was all right.
The two men who had followed were close behind, eyeing
me keenly. I'm satisfied that they were to blame for
that wild ride we took in Pittsburgh. I soon saw
by the remarks that the man I was supposed to
be had been away from this country for ten years,
(20:14):
and of course then they would not be very critical.
I tried twice to explain that there was a mistake,
but both times they misunderstood me and thought I was
saying I couldn't go in the procession because I hadn't practiced.
I don't just know how I came to be in
such a dreadful mess. It would seem as if it
ought to have been a very easy thing to say
(20:36):
I had got into the wrong carriage, and they must
excuse me that I wasn't their man. But you see,
they gave me no time to think nor to speak.
They just turned me over from one man to another
and took everything for granted. And I, finding that I
would have to break loose and flea before their eyes
if I wished to escape, reflected that there would be
(20:56):
no harm in marching down the aisle as best man
in a delayed wedding. If that was all there was
to do, I could disappear as soon as the ceremony
was over, and no one would be the wiser. The
real best man would probably turn up, and then they
might wonder as they pleased, for I would be far away,
and perhaps this was as good a place as any
(21:17):
in which to hide for half an hour, until my
pursuers were baffled and well on their way seeking elsewhere
for me. I can see now that I made a
grave mistake in allowing even so much deception, but I
did not see any harm in it then, and they
all seemed in great distress for the ceremony to go forward.
Bear in mind also that I was at that time
(21:39):
entirely taken up with the importance of hiding my message
until I could take it safely to my chief. Nothing
else seemed to matter much. If the real best man
was late to the wedding and they were willing to
use me in his place, what harm could come from it.
He certainly deserved it for being late, and if he
came in during the ceremony, he would think some one
(22:00):
else had been put in his place. They introduced me
to your brother Jefferson. I thought he was the bridegroom,
and I thought so until they laid your hand in mine. Oh,
she moaned, and the little hand went to help its
mate cover her face. I knew it, he said bitterly.
I knew you would feel just that way as soon
(22:21):
as you knew. I don't blame you. I deserve it.
I was a fool, a villain, a dumb brute, whatever
you have a mind to call me. You can't begin
to understand how I have suffered for you since this happened,
and how I have blamed myself. He got up suddenly
and strode over to the window, frowning down into the
(22:41):
sunlit street and wondering how it was that everybody seemed
to be going on in exactly the same hurry as ever,
when for him life had suddenly come to a standstill.
End of chapter fifteen h
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