The Devil's Cocktail (18 page)

‘Who – who was behind her?'

Miles purposely took a long drink, watching the other over the rim of his glass. Then he leant back in his chair with a sigh of regret.

‘I couldn't get her to tell me that!' he said.

An expression of the utmost relief replaced the terror-stricken look on Hudson's face. He sank back.

‘I think I will have that brandy,' he murmured. ‘I do feel pretty bad!'

The brandy was forthcoming, and he gulped down the neat spirit without a pause. Then he tried to smile.

‘Do you feel better?' inquired Miles, who looked the picture of anxiety.

‘Much, thanks! I – I must be off, if you'll excuse me!' He rose unsteadily to his feet.

‘I had better come with you in case you're taken bad again,' said the American.

‘Not at all! I'm quite all right now. Can't understand what has happened to me this morning!'

Miles thought he could, but did not say so.

‘I'll tell Shannon how pleased you are that the scandal has been cleared from his name,' he said pleasantly.

‘No; please don't! I'd much rather you didn't,' said Hudson earnestly. ‘Shannon hasn't much regard for me. He – he might resent it. Goodbye!'

He made his way out of the refreshment rooms, and as soon as he had gone Miles lay back in his chair and laughed so loudly that the waiters in the vicinity thought he had gone mad. Presently he called for his bill and, having paid it, wandered off to the entrance of the great bare station, where Cousins was still waiting for him with the car. The little man wore a look of pain on his usually cheerful face.

‘What on earth have you been doing all this time?' he asked resentfully.

‘Jerry, I've been having a dandy time,' chuckled Miles.

‘Stop grinning like a Cheshire cat, and tell me the joke!'

‘No time now, my son; I'm beginning to feel sadly in want of some eats!'

‘Look here—' began Cousins.

The other slapped him on the back.

‘Home, James!' he said.

The ideal valet climbed into the seat beside the driver with a frown on his face, which promised a searching inquiry later.

‘
Quantum mutatus ab illo
!' he muttered.

‘Oh, say!' said Miles suddenly. ‘I left a tonga at the Northern India – I forgot all about it. Better drive there first. I owe the driver a pony!'

When eventually Miles and Cousins reached the bungalow, they found Joan eagerly awaiting them on the veranda.

‘Well?' she asked, and at the sight of Miles' beaming face the look of trouble began to leave her own.

‘Has Hugh come back yet?' he inquired.

‘Yes; he came home ages ago. They know everything at the College and he was asked to resign, but he refused. He is in an awful state about it!'

‘Well, Miss Joan, just you go right along to him and tell him that Olive Gregson has been before an emergency committee at the Club, and confessed everything; that I have seen her leave for Bangalore, and that she has asked me to request you and your brother to forgive her.'

‘Oh, Oscar!' she cried, her eyes shining with such happiness that Cousins felt an uncomfortable lump in his throat. ‘Is this really true?'

‘Sure! And not only that, but the chairman of the Club has asked me to convey his sympathies, and those of the other committeemen
to Hugh, and to assure him that everything will be done to clear the scandal from his name.'

‘Oscar, you dear!' she cried, and ran off to tell Hugh the good news.

Cousins looked at Miles in perplexity.

‘Good heavens!' he exclaimed. ‘Can it be possible that a lean, ugly, grinning specimen of what a man might come to, like you, has found his way into that dear girl's heart!'

‘Gee! If only I could think so!' sighed the American.

‘Do you mean to say—?'

‘I just mean to say that I would sell my soul for Joan!'

Cousins held out his hand.

‘I wish you luck, old chap. You make sentiment rise in my breast, and I can almost feel the weight of years rolling away from my shoulders. I also love Miss Shannon!'

‘You what?' demanded Miles.

‘As a father, of course,' said the little man hastily; ‘though I must confess that even I, in spite of all the cold, calculating reason that inhabits my cranium, am capable of feeling
la grande passion
. “A warmth within the breast would melt The freezing reason's colder part, And, like a man in wrath the heart, Stood up and answered ‘I have felt'.”'

Hugh was sitting moodily on the bed, when Joan burst into his room, her face all aglow with delight. She repeated what Miles had told her without stopping for breath. He started up and caught her by the shoulders.

‘What is this?' he demanded.

She told him all over again, and then threw her arms round him and kissed him.

‘Oh, Hugh!' she said. ‘I am so happy!'

He was a different man as he returned her caress.

‘By Jove!' he said. ‘How splendid!'

‘And it's all due to Oscar – every bit of it!' she cried.

He looked at her and smiled.

‘Oscar!' he remarked. ‘Since when—?'

She blushed and hurried from the room.

For a few minutes he stood looking after her, and then he followed. He found Miles explaining to Cousins and Joan how careful one should be in mixing a cocktail and, without regard for cocktails or the interested listeners, he clasped the American's hand and interrupted him.

‘Miles!' he said, with deep gratitude in his voice, ‘I'm a rotten hand at expressing my feelings, but—'

‘Shucks!' interrupted the other. ‘Don't say anything more about it! Besides, Jerry here had as much to do with it as I!'

Cousins got behind a table.

‘If you do the gratitude stunt to me,' he threatened, ‘I'll burst into tears! Go away! Anyhow the man's a confirmed liar – I had nothing to do with it, except act the ideal valet as usual. And a pretty time I've had,' he complained.

Tiffin was late that day. The bearers and cook became plaintive over the fact that the viands were getting cold. But no one heeded them. Miles told the whole story of the morning's doings right up to the appearance and subsequent torture of Hudson. The laughter was unrestrained as the American described how he had baited the civil servant, and Cousins magnanimously forgave the narrator for the long wait he had had while the process was going on.

A happy party sat down to luncheon, the only jarring note being the necessary absence of Cousins from the table. The cold food tasted delicious to them all, and they declared that they had seldom enjoyed a meal more. They discussed the change in Olive Gregson
at great length, and Joan decided that, if she could only discover her address, she would write and tell her that everything was forgiven and forgotten, and thank her for what she had done.

‘Say,' put in the American, ‘I can make a good effort at remembering the address. She told me when I first met her on the way from Bombay to Port Said!'

‘Splendid!' cried Joan and Hugh together.

A few minutes before six that evening Shannon drove away from the house and made a leisurely tour of the Lawrence Gardens, all the time watching through the mirror attached to the windscreen to see if he were followed. He soon decided that there was no doubt about it as, a hundred yards or so behind, a large touring car glided along in his wake, slowing down and accelerating when he did. He smiled to himself.

‘Clumsy!' he murmured.

Entering on to a circular road, running round the cricket ground, he suddenly increased his speed, but as soon as he got among a grove of trees which hid him from sight, he pulled up dead, and waited at the side of the road with his engine running. Almost immediately the big car tore round the corner; there was a jarring of brakes, and it stopped almost alongside. Hugh grinned at the success of his manoeuvre, and looked curiously at the two occupants of the other car, both of them very uninteresting-looking Indians wearing bright coloured turbans. They were obviously surprised, and consulted hastily together then one got out and lifting up the bonnet proceeded to make a great show of examining the engine. Hugh puffed placidly at his pipe, and watched the performance.

‘Something gone wrong?' he inquired presently.

The driver looked at him uneasily, but the other man glanced round.

‘It missing one cylinder, sahib!' he said.

Hugh got out of his car and joined him.

‘Which one?' he asked.

‘I think this one!' replied the other.

‘Better take out the sparking plug and have a look at it,' said Hugh casually.

The man shook his head.

‘It not matter, sahib,' he remarked uneasily.

‘Well, of course, that's up to you, but I should. By the way,' he added, ‘you're right in the way here. If another car comes round the corner there'll be an accident!'

He helped the other man to push the vehicle in front of his own.

‘Now, let us have a look at that plug!' he said in an authoritative voice.

Apparently the fact that their car was directly in front of his made the two Indians feel that he could not very well get away from them, for they produced a spanner and went through the performance of taking off the sparking plug and examining it. Hugh took it into his own hand and looked at it critically.

‘There doesn't seem to be much wrong with it,' he said. ‘Try the next!'

That also was unscrewed, and Hugh held them both.

‘This one is perfectly all right!' he said. ‘We had better look at the lot. Well, it's no use letting my engine go on wasting petrol. I'll shut it off, and assist you to put this matter right!'

He took off his coat as he spoke to lend colour to the remark that he would help, then strolling back to his car, the two plugs still in his hand, he threw the coat in, and suddenly jumped in himself. He put the car into gear, and swerved by the other. There was a shout of fury from the two men, and Hugh smiled.

‘Catch!' he cried, and threw the sparking plugs towards them.

In a moment he had swung round the bend and out of sight, and
a few minutes later entered the main gates of Government House.

‘What absolute fools!' he laughed, as he drove up the beautiful avenue that led to the Governor's residence.

He found the Deputy Commissioner awaiting him on the terrace in front of the house. Hugh rather expected a cold welcome, considering that Rainer had been present at the incident of the night before. Instead he received a very warm greeting from the alert, sharp-featured man upon whose tact and ability the peace of Lahore and district depended to such a great extent.

‘Sorry I'm late, sir,' said Hugh, ‘but as I expected, I was followed, and it took me some time to trick my shadowers.'

Rainer looked interested.

‘Of course I'm eager to hear all about it,' said he, ‘but His Excellency will be waiting.'

They sent their names in by a secretary, who returned almost immediately and ushered them into a large, softly carpeted and quietly furnished room where Sir Reginald Scott sat before a desk writing. He threw down his pen and rose as they entered.

The Governor was over six feet in height, and powerfully built. His features were cast in a large mould, his complexion was as fresh as that of a man on the very threshold of life. His mouth was humorous, but at the same time incisive, and he possessed a pair of kindly grey eyes, which nevertheless suggested great strength of character. He shook hands with Rainer, then turned to Hugh.

‘I don't think you have ever met Captain Shannon, sir,' said the former.

‘No!' replied His Excellency. He held out his hand. ‘I am glad to make your acquaintance, Captain Shannon,' he said.

He invited them to be seated and, pulling round the chair at his desk, sat down facing them.

‘If you would care to smoke, gentlemen,' he said, ‘you will find cigars and cigarettes on that table. I prefer a pipe.'

Hugh asked and obtained permission to smoke his own pipe, whilst Rainer helped himself to a cigar.

‘Before we discuss the matter which brought you here, Captain Shannon,' went on Sir Reginald, ‘there is a certain question I wish to ask you. I heard, in quite a roundabout way, that an unsavoury incident occurred at the Club last night which reflects on your honour. Would you mind telling me the facts of that incident?'

‘Certainly not, sir,' replied Hugh promptly. ‘In fact, I had intended to tell you the whole truth of the matter.'

Rainer looked at him appraisingly.

‘If I may be allowed to say a word relative to that affair, sir,' he said to the Governor, ‘I happened to be present and saw what took place. I came to the conclusion that there was more behind it than appeared on the surface, and felt perfectly certain that Shannon was the victim of a vile plot.'

His Excellency nodded.

Hugh at once plunged into an account of Miss Gregson's accusations, and then went on to tell how Miles had made her confess that the whole thing was a fabrication. Both the Governor and the Commissioner laughed heartily over the account of the American's busy morning.

‘I am very glad,' said Sir Reginald, ‘very glad indeed that the matter has been put right so promptly. And who do you think these people are who were so obviously behind the woman?'

‘They are the men whom we are watching, sir,' replied Hugh.

‘Indeed! Then you have actually discovered something with reference to the real object of your visit to India?'

‘We have discovered a most amazing plot, sir,' replied Hugh quietly.

‘Before you go into that, Shannon, I must tell you that I received a communication from the India Office in which I was informed that certain things had been discovered which pointed to the fact that there was a Russian plot against India, and that Lahore was apparently the centre of activity. I also had a letter from Sir Leonard Wallace telling me of the real reason for your presence in Lahore. I was greatly surprised, and am naturally eager to know what you have found out.'

‘It is a long story, sir,' said Shannon, ‘and first it is necessary to let you know that I have with me, presumably as a valet, one of the astutest men in the Intelligence Department. He has already done a considerable amount of first-class work, and I have him to thank, and Miles, for what I know.'

‘Miles!' exclaimed His Excellency. ‘Do you mean to say that he is also a member of your Department?'

‘No, sir! He belongs to the American Secret Service.' He went on to explain how Miles had become associated with Cousins and himself. ‘He is absolutely invaluable,' he concluded, ‘because he is unsuspected, while Cousins and I are watched from morning to night!'

‘I must say you have astonished me,' said the Governor. ‘I have seen the gentleman once or twice and it occurred to me that he was merely an American on the lookout for amusement.'

‘Most people think that,' smiled Hugh, ‘even the very energetic representatives of the Russian Government!'

‘Who are they?' demanded Sir Reginald, and Rainer leant forward.

‘One is a man named Kamper, who was deported from England, and who, I think, followed me out here. His position is rather mysterious. The others you know by name. They are Novar, of the firm of Novar and Company; Rahtz, the Principal of Mozang College, and—'

His Excellency sat back and looked dumbfounded; Rainer started to his feet.

‘Are you absolutely certain of this?' demanded the former.

‘Absolutely, sir!'

Sir Reginald's face became stern.

‘Who else?' he asked.

‘Hudson of the Secretariat!'

‘What!' gasped the Governor. ‘Why, he is a man in whom I have always put the greatest reliance! You must be mistaken!'

Hugh shook his head.

‘There is no mistake, sir,' he said emphatically.

The Deputy Commissioner clutched the back of his chair like a man who was not sure whether he was dreaming or not.

‘But,' he stammered, ‘Hudson is an Englishman!'

‘He appears to be,' said Hugh sternly; ‘I sincerely hope that he turns out to be something else.'