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Hiotographic

Sciences

Corporation

23 WIST MAIN STREIT

WIBSTIR.N.Y. MSSO

(716) S73-4S03

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1 2 3

■I

"TS,

■.',«(*«

DR NIKOLA'S

EXPERIMENT

GUY BOOTHJ^Y

11777/ rWENTY IVLL-PAGR ILLUSTRATIONS
BY SYDNEY CO WELL

TORONl^O :
THE COPP, CLARK CO., LIMITED.

Entered ac«ording to Act of the Parliament of Oanada, in the year
one tliousand eight Imndml and ninety-nine, by Tiih Copp,
Clark Company , Limuki), Toronto, Ontario, in the Office of the
Minister of Agriculture.

»*«.'

CONTHNTS

CHAPTER I

TIRED OF LIFE . . , .

PACK

. I

CHAPTER II

A NEW IMPETUS

• •

CHAPTER III
THE MYSTERIOUS CHINAMAN . , • • 79

CHAPTER IV
THE chinaman's ESCAPE

• <i

119

CHAPTER V

ALLERDEYNE CASTLE

ill

»53

CONTENTS

CHAPTER VI

LIFE IN THE CASTLE

PAr.H
189

CriAPTKR VII

LOVE REIGNS

221

CHAPTKR VIII
THE RESULT OF THE EXPEKLMKNl'

. 267

CHAI'TEk IX

WAR AND PEACE

305

l! i

M t..-

fr " ^•

r-IXj^

".i

ILLUSTRyVTIONS

PAGE

"'welcome to allerdeyne casti-e!'" Frontispiece

(( c

YOU ARE JUST THE MAN I WANT TO SEE

((

I WAS AliOUT AS SORRY A SPECIMEN OF THE
PROFESSIONAL MAN AS COULD HE FOUND " .

LIKE A MINISTERING ANGEL SHE HALF LED,

HALF SUPPORTED ME INTO THE HOUSE"

" 'it's INGLEBY THIS AND INGLEIJY THAT FROM
MORNING TILL NIGHT ' " . . . .

" I INQUIRED FOR THE SKIPPER "

"he lay in his bunk JUST AS WHEN I HAD
FIRST SEEN HIM "

(t (

DR. INGLEBY, YOU ARE IN DR. NIKOLA's CON-

, ) »

FIDENCE, I BELIEVE

COULD THIS BE THE INDIVIDUAL OF WHOM I

HAD TO BEWARE?" ....

" TO MY AMAZEMENT HE WAS A CHINAMAN "

((

TRYING TO STIFLE THE SOBS THAT WOULD NOT
KEEP back"

25
32

37
82

lOI

III
144

177

ILLUSTRATIONS

PAGE

« .rr

IT CONTAINED A THICK RED MIXTURE" . . 185

((

FOUND HERSELF STANDING BEFORE THE OPEN

DOOR OF THAT DEMON-HAUNTED ROOM " . 2x6

" A FIGURE WALKING ON THE SANDS "

237

" * LOOK HERE ! ' SHE SAID "

241

"we WERE INTERRUPTED BY AH-WIN "

255

{( (

lor' BLESS YOU, YES, SIR,' THE MAN

REPLIED

. 281

" I THREW MYSELF UPON THE MAN " .

. 318

she ran to greet me with outstretched
hands" 325

" AGAIN AND AGAIN THE SCREAM RANG OUT "

333

CHAPTER I

TIRED OF LIFE

T T is sad enough at any time for a man to be
A compelled to confess himself a failure, but I
think it will be admitted that it is doubly so at
that period of his career when he is still young
enough to have some flickering sparks of ambi-
tion left, while he is old enough to be able to
appreciate at their proper value the overwhelming
odds against which he has been battling so long
and unsuccessfully.

This was unfortunately my condition. I had
entered the medical profession with everything in
my favour. My father had built up a considerable
reputation for himself, and, what he prized still
more, a competency as a country practitioner of
the old-fashioned sort in the west of England. I

DR. NIKOLAS EXPERIMENT

was his only child, and, as he was in the habit of
saying, he looked to me to carry the family name
up to those dizzy heights at which he had often
gazed, but upon which he had never quite been
able to set his foot. A surgeon I was to be, willy-
nilly, and it may have been a throw-back to the
parental instinct alluded to above, that led me at
once to picture myself flying at express speed
across Europe in obedience to the summons of
some potentate whose life and throne depended
upon my dexterity and knowledge.

In due course I entered a hospital, and followed
the curriculum in the orthodox fashion. It was
not, however, until I was approaching the end of
my student days that I was burnt with that fire
of enthusiasm which was destined in future days
to come perilously near consuming me altogether.

Among the students of my year was a man by
whose side I had often worked — with whom I had
occasionally exchanged a few wo/ds, but whose
intimate I could not in any way have been said
to be. In appearance he was a narrow-shouldered,
cadaverous, lantern-jawed fellow, with dark, restless
eyes, who boasted the name of Kelleran, and was
popularly supposed to be an Irishman. As I

TIRED OF LIFE

discovered later, however, he was not an Irishman
at all, but hailed from the Black Country — Wolver-
hampton, if I remember rightly, having the right
to claim the honour of his birth. His father
had been the senior partner in an exceedingly
wealthy firm of hardware manufacturers, and while
we had been in the habit of pitying and, in some
instances I am afraid, of looking down upon the
son on account of his supposed poverty, he was,
in all probability, in a position to buy up every
other man in the hospital *vvice over.

The average medical student '.s a being with
whom the world in general has by this time been
made fairly familiar. His frolics and capacity — or
incapacity, as you may choose to term it — for work
have been the subject of innumerable jests. If
this be a true picture, then Kelleran was certainly
different to the usual run of us. In his case the
order was reversed : with him, work was play,
and play was work ; a jest was a thing unknown,
and a practical joke a thing for which he allowed
it to be seen that he had not the slightest
tolerance.

I have already said that my father had amassed
a competency. I must now add that up to a

DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

certain point he was a generous man, and for
this reason my allowance, under different circum-
stances, would have been ample for my require-
ments. As ill luck would have it, however, I had
got into the wrong set, and before I had been
two years in the hospital was over head and ears
in such a quagmire of debt and difficulties that it
looked as if nothing but an absolute miracle could
serve to extricate me. To my father I dared not
apply: easy-going as he was on most matters, I
had good reason to know that on the subject of
debt he was inexorable. And yet to remain in
my present condition was impossible. On every
side tradesmen threatened me ; my landlady's
account had not been paid for weeks ; while
among the men of the hospital not one, but
several, held my paper for sums lost at cards, the
mere remembrance of which was sufficient to send
a cold shiver coursing down my back every time I
thought of them. From all this it will be surmised
that my position was not only one of considerable
difficulty but that it was also one of no little
danger. Unless I could find a sum either to free
myself, or at least to stave off my creditors, my
career, as far as the world of medicine was con-

TIRED OF LIFE

■(i
3

cerned, might be considered at an end. Even now
I can recall the horror of that period as vividly as
if it were but yesterday.

It was on a Thursday, I remember, that the
thunder-clap came. On returning to my rooms in
the evening I discovered a letter awaiting me.
With trembling fingers I tore open the envelope
and drew out the contents. As I feared, it proved
to be a demand from my most implacable creditor,
a money-lender to whom I had b'^en introduced
by a fellow-student. The sum I had borrowed
from him, with the assistance of a friend, was only
a trifling one, but helped out by fines and other
impositions it had increased to an amount which
I was aware it was hopelessly impossible for me
to pay. What was I to do? What could I do?
Unless I settled the claim (to hope for mercy from
the man himself was, to say the least of it, absurd),
my friend, who, I happened to know, was himself
none tf)o well off at the moment, would be called
upon to make it good. After that how should I be
able to face him or any one else again ? I had not
a single acquaintance in the world from whom I
could borrow a sum that would be half sufficient to
meet it, while I dared not go down to the country

6 DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMKNT

and tell my father of my folly and disgrace. In
vain I ransacked my brains for a loophole of escape.
Then the whistle of a steamer on the river attracted
my attention, filling my brain with such thoughts
as it had never entertained before, and I pray, by
God's mercy, may never know again. Here was a
way out of my difficulty, if only I had the pluck to
try it. Strangely enough, the effect it had upon me
was to brace me like a drau-^ht of rare wine. This
was succeeded by a coldness so intense that both
mind and body were rendered callous by it. How
long it lasted I cannot say ; it may have been only
a few seconds — it may have been an hour before
consciousness returned and I found myself still
standing beside the table, holding the fatal letter
in my hand. Like a drunken man I fumbled my
way from the room into the hot night outside.
What I was going to do I had no notion. I
wanted to, be alone, in some place away from the
crowded pavements, if possible, where I could have
time to think and to determine upon my course of
action.

With a tempest of rage, against I knew not what
or whom, in my heart, I hurried along, up one street
and Jown another, until I found myself panting, but

TIRED OF LIFE

unappeased, upon the Embankment opposite the
Temple Gardens. All round me was the bustle
and life of the great city : cabs, containing men
and women in evening dress, dashed along ; girls
and their lovers, talking in hushed voices, went
by me arm in arm ; even the loafers, leaning
against the stone parapet, seemed happy in com-
parison with my wretched self. I looked down at
the dark water gliding so pleasantly along below
me, and remembered that all I had to do, as soon
as I was alone, was to drop over the side, and be
done with my difficulties for ever. Then in a flash
the real meaning of what I proposed to do occurred
to me.

"You coward," I hissed, with as much vehe-
mence and horror as if I had been addressing a
real enemy instead of myself, ** to think of taking
this way out of your difficulty ! If you kill your-
self, what will become of the other man ? Go to
him at once and tell him everything. He has the
right to know."

The argument was irresistible, and I accordingly
turned upon my heel and was about to start off in
quest of the individual I wanted, when I found
myself confronted with no less a person than

DR. NIKOLAS EXF^P:RIMENT

Kelleran. fie was walking quickly, and swung
his cane as he did so. On seeing me he stopped.

"Douglas Ingleby!" he said, 'well, this is
fortunate ! You are just tlie man I wanted."

I murmured something in reply, I forget what,
and was about to pass on. I had bargained with-
out my host, however. He had been watching
me with his keen dark eyes, and when he made
as if he would walk with me I was not altogether
surprised.

" You do not object to my accompanying you
I hope ? " he inquired, by way of introducing what
he had to say. " I've been wanting to have a talk
with you for some days past."

" I'm afraid I'm in rather a hurry just now," I
answered, quickening my pace a little as I did so.
"That makes no difference at all to mc," he
returned. " As I think you are aware, I am a fast
walker. Since }'(hi are in a hurry, let us step
out."

We did so, and for something like fifty yards
proceeded at a brisk pace in perfect silence. His
companionship was more than I could stand, and
at last I stopped and faced him.

'•What is it you want with me?" I asked

TIRED OF LIFE

angrily. "Cannot you see that I am not well
to-night, and would rather be alone?"

" I can see you are not quite yourself," he
answered quietly, still watching me with his grave
eyes. "That is exactly why I want to walk
with you. A little cheerful conversation will do
you good. You don't know how clever I am at
adapting my manner to other people's require-
ments. That is the secret of our profession, my
dear Ingleby, as you will some day find out."

"I shall never find it out," I replied bitterly.
" I have done with medicine. I shall clear out of
England, I think— go abroad, try Australia or
Canada— anywhere, I don't care where, to get out
of this ! "

"The very thing!" he returned cheerily, but
without a trace of surprise. "You couldn't do
better, I'm sure. Vou are strong, active, full of
life and ambition ; just the sort of fellow to make
a good colonist. It must be a grand life, that
hewing and hacking a place for oneself in a new
country, watching and fostering the growth of a
people that may some day take its place among
the powers of the earth. Ah ! I like the idea. It
is grand ! It makes one tingle to think of it."

*%*

DR. NIKOLAS EXPERIMENT

He threw out his arms and squared his shoulders
as if he were preparing for the struggle he had so
graphically described. After that we did not walk
quite so fast. The man had suddenly developed
a strange fascination for me, and, as he talked, I
hung upon his words with a feverish interest I can
scarcely account for now. By the time we reached
my lodgings, I had put my trouble aside for the
time being, but when I entered my sitting-room
and found the envelope which had contained the
fatal letter still lying upon the table, it all rushed
back upon me, and with such force that I was
well-nigh overwhelmed. Kelleran meanwhile had
taken up his position on the hearthrug, whence
he watched me with the same expression of con-
templative interest upon his face to which I have
before alluded.

" Hullo ! " he said at last, after he had been
some minutes in the house, and had had time
to overhaul my meagre library, "what are these?
Where did you pick them up ? "

He had taken a book from the shelf, and was
holding it tenderly in his hand. I recognised it as
one of several volumes of a sixteenth-century work
on Surgery that I had chanced upon on a bookstall

TIRED OF LIFE

in Holywell Street some months before. Its age
and date had interested me, and I had bought it
more out of curiosity than for any other reason.
Kelleran, however, could scarcely withdraw his
eyes from it.

" It's the very thing I've been wanting to make
my set complete," he cried when I had described
my discovery of it. " Perhaps you don't know it,
but I'm a perfect lunatic on the subject of old
books. My own rooms, where, by the by, you
have never been, are crammed from floor to ceiling,
and still I go on buying. Let me see what else
you have."

So saying, he continued his survey of the shelves,
humming softly to himself as he did so, and pulling
out such books as interested him, and heaping
them upon the floor.

" You've the beginning of a by no means bad
collection," he was kind enough to say, when he
had finished. "Judging from what I see here,
you must read a good deal more than most of
our men."

"I'm afraid not," I answered. "The majority
of these books were sent up to me from the country
by my father, who thought they might be of

DR. NIKOLAS EXPERIMENT

service to me. A mistaken notion, for they take
up a lot of room, and I've often wished them at
Hanover."

" You have, have you ? What a Goth you are! "
he continued. "Well, then, I'll tell you ^vbat I'll
do. If you want to get rid of them, I'll buy the lot,
these old beauties included. They are really worth
more than I can afford, but if you care about it,
I'll make you a sporting offer of a hundred and
fifty pounds for such as I've put upon the floor.
What do you say?"

I could scarcely believe I heard aright. His
offer was so preposterous, that I could have laughed
in his face.

" My dear fellow," I cried, thinking for a moment
that he must be joking with me, and feeling in-
clined to resent it, " what nonsense you talk ! A
hundred and fifty for the lot : why, they're not
worth a ten-pound note, all told. The old fellows
are certainly curious, but it is only fair that I
should tell \ou that I gave five and sixpence
for the set of seven volumes, complete."

"Then you got a bargain such as youU never
find again," he answered quietly. " I vvish I could
make as good an one every day. However, there's

i!!'|.!

I!!

TIRED OF LIFE

my offer. Take it or leave it as you please. I
will give you one hundred and fifty pounds for
those books, and take my chance of their value.
If you are prepared to accept, I'll get a cab and
take them away to-night. I've got my cheque-
book in my pocket, and can settle up for them on
the spot."

" But, my dear Kelleran, how can you afford to

give such " Here I stopped abruptly. " I

beg your pardon — I know 1 had no right to say
such a thing."

" Don't mention it," he answered quietly. " I
am not in the least offended, I assure you. I have
always felt certain you fellows supposed me to be
poor. As a matter of fact, however, I have the
good fortune, or the ill, as I sometimes think, since
it prevents my working as I should otherwise be
forced to do, to be able to indulge myself to the
top of my bent without fear of the consequences.
But that has nothing to do with the subject at
present under discussion. Will you take my price,
and let me have the books, or not ? I assure you
I am all anxiety to get my nose inside one of
those old covers before I sleep to-night."

Heaven knows I was eager enough to accept,

DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

! |!l

and if you think for one moment you will see
what his offer meant to me. With such a sum I
could not only pay off the money-lender, but well-
nigh put myself straight with the rest of my
creditors. Yet all the time I had the uneasy feel-
ing that the books were by no means worth the
amount he had declared to be their value, and that
he was only making me the offer out of kindness.

" If you are sure you mean it, I will accept," I
said. " I am awfully hard up, and the money will
be a godsend to me."

" I am rejoiced to hear it," he replied, " for in
that case we shall be doini,'^ each other a mutual
good turn. Now let's get them tied up. If you
wouldn't mind seeing to that part of the business,
I'll write the cheque and call the cab."

Ten minutes later he and his new possessions
had taken their departure, and I was back once
more in my room standing beside the table, just as
I had done a few hours before, but with what a
difference ! Then I had seen no light ahead,
nothing but complete darkness and dishonour ;
now I was a new man, and in a position to meet
the majority of calls upon me. The change from
the one condition to the other was more than I

diL

TIRED OF LIFE

could bear, and when I remembered that less than
sixty minutes before I was standing on that ante-
chamber of death, the Embankment, contemplating
suicide, I broke down completely, and sinking into
a chair buried my face in my hands and cried like
a child.

Next morning, as soon as the bank doors were
open, I entered and cashed the cheque Kelleran
had given me. Then, calling a cab, I made my
way with a light heart, as you may suppose, to the
office of the money-lender in question. His sur-
prise at seeing me, and on learning the nature of
my errand, may be better imagined than described.
Having transacted my business with him, I was
preparing to make my way back to the hospital,
when an idea entered my head upon which I
immediately acted. In something under ten
minutes I stood in the bookseller's shop in Holy-
well Street where I had purchased the volumes
Kelleran had appeared to prize so much.

" Some weeks ago," I said to the man who came
forward to serve me, " I purchased from you an
old work on medicine entitled 'The Perfect Chi-
rurgeon, or The Art of Healing as practised in
divers Ancient Countries.' "

DR. NIKOLAS EXPERIMENT

'; 'Ml

. r i
ii

" Seven volumes very much soiled —five and
sixpence," returned the man immediately. " I
remember the books."

" I'm glad of that," I answered. " Now, I want
you to tell me what you would consider the real
^/alue of the work."

" If it were wanted to make up a collection it
might possibly bo worth a sovereign," the man
replied promptly. " Otherwise, not more than we
asked you for it."

" Then you don't think any one would be likely
to offer a hundred pounds for it ? " 1 inquired.

The man laughed outright.

" Not a man in the possession of his wits," he
answered. " No, sir, I think I have stated the
price very fairly, though of course it might fetch a
few shillings more or less, according to circum-
stances."

" I am very much obliged to you," I said ; " I
simply wanted to know as a matter of curiosity."

With that I left the shop and made my way to
the hospital, where I found Kelleran hard at work.
He looked up at me as I entered, and nodded, but
it was lunch time before I got an opportunity of
speaking to him.

TIRED OF LIFE

" Kelleran," I said, as we passed out through the
great gates, "you deceived me about those books
last night. They were not wortli anything hke
the value you put upon them."

He looked me full and fair in the face, and I
saw a faint smile flicker round the corners of his
mouth.

" My dear Tngleby," he said, " what a funny
fellow you are, to be sure ! Surely if I choose to
give you what I consider the worth of the books
I am at perfect liberty to do so. If you are
willing to accept it, no more need be said upon the
subject. The value of a thing to a man is exactly
what he cares to give for it, so I have always been
led to believe."

" But I am convinced you did not give it be-
cause you wanted the books. You knew I was
in straits and you took that form of helping me.
It was generous of you indeed, Kelleran, and I'll
never forget it as long as I live. You saved me
from— but there, I cannot tell >'ou. I dare not
think of it my.self There is one thing I must
ask of you. I want \-ou to keep the books and
to let the amount you gave me for them be a loan,
which I will repay as soon as I possibly can."

DR. NIKOLAS EXPERIMENT

I was aware that he was a passionate man :
for I had once or twice seen him fly into a rage,
but never into a greater one than now.

" Let it be what you please," he cried, turning
from me. " Only for pity's sake drop the subject :
I've had enough of it."

With this explosion he stalked away, leaving
me standing looking after him, divided between
gratitude and amazement.

I have narrated this incident for two reasons :
firstly because it will furnish you with a notion of
my own character, which I am prepared to admit
exhibits but few good points ; and in the second
because it will serve to introduce to you a queer
individual, now a very great person, whom I shall
always regard as the Good Angel of my life, and,
indirectly it is true, the bringer about of the one
and only real happiness I have ever known.

From the time of the episode I have just des-
cribed at such length to the present day, I can
safely say I have never touched a card nor owed a
man a penny-piece that I was not fully prepared
to pay at a moment's notice. And with this
assertion I must revert to the statement made at
the commencement of this chapter — the saddest a

TIRED OF LIFE

man can make. As I said then, there could be no
doubt about it that I was a failure. For though I
had improved in the particulars iust stated, Fate
was plainly against me. I worked hard and passed
my examinations with comparative ease ; yet it
seemed to do me no good with those above me.
The sacred fire of enthusiasm, which had at first
been so conspicuously absent, had now taken
complete hold of me ; I studied night and day,
grudging myself no labour, yet by some mischance
everything I touched recoiled upon me, and, like
the serpent of the fable, stung the hand that fos-
tered it. Certainly I was not popular, and, since
it was due almost directly to Kelleran's influence
that I took to my work with such assiduity, it
seems strange that I should also have to attribute
my non-success to his agency. As a matter of
fact, he was not a good leader to follow. From the
very first he had shown himself to be a man of
strange ideas. He was no follower or stickler for
the orthodox ; to sum him up in plainer words, he
was what might be described as an experimentalist.
Ip return, the authorities of the hospital looked
somewhat askance upon him. Finally he passed
out into the world, and the same term saw me

DR. NIKOLAS EXPERIMENT

S !

appointed to the position of House Surgeon.
Almost simultaneously my father died ; and, to
the horror of the family, an examination of his
affairs proved that instead of being the wealthy man
we had supposed him there was barely sufficient,
when his liabilities were paid, to meet the expenses
of his funeral. The shock of his death and the
knowledge of the poverty to which she had been
so suddenly reduced proved too much for my
mother, and she followed him a few weeks later.
Thus I was left, so far as I knew, without kith
or kin in the world, with but few friends, no
money, and the poorest possible prospects of
ever making any.

To the circumstances under which I lost the
position of House Surgeon I will not allude. Let
it suffice that I did lose it, and that, although the
authorities seemed to think otherwise, I am in a
position to prove, whenever I desire to do so, that
1 was not the real culprit. The effect, however,
was the same. I was disgraced beyond hope of
redemption, and the proud career I had mapped
out for myself was now beyond my reach for good
and all.

Over the next twelve months it would perhaps

TIRED OF LIFE 23

be better that I should draw a veil. Even now I
scarcely like to think of them. It is enough for
me to say that for upwards of a month I remained
in London, searching 1 igh and low for employment.
This, however, was easier looked for than dis-
covered. Try how I would, I could hear of no-
thing. Then, wearying of the struggle, I accepted
an offer made me, and left England as surgeon on
board an outward-bound passenger steamer for
Australia.

Ill luck, however, still pursued me, for at the
end of my second voyage the Company went into
liquidation, and its vessels were sold. I shipped
on board another boat in a similar capacity, made
two voyages in her to the Cape, where on a friend's
advice I bade her goodbye, and started for Ashanti
as surgeon to an Inland Trading Company. While
there I was wounded in the neck by a spear, was
compelled to leave the Company's service, and
eventually found myself back once more in
London tramping the streets in search of employ-
ment. Fortunately, however, I had managed to
save a small sum from my pay, so that I was not
altogether destitute ; but it was not long before
this was exhausted, and then things looked blacker

DR. NIKOLAS EXPERIMENT

than they had ever done before. What to do I
knew not. I had long since cast my pride to the
winds, and was now prepared to take anything,
no matter what. Tiien an idea struck me, and
on it I acted.

Leaving my lodgings on the Surrey side of the
river, I crossed Blackfriars Bridge, and made my
way along the Embankment in a westerly direc-
tion. As I went I could not help contrasting my
present appearance with that I had shown on the
last occasion I had walked that way. Then I had
been as spruce and neat as a man could well be ;
boasted a good coat to my back and a new hat
upon my head. Now, however, the coat and hat,
instead of speaking for my prosperity, as at one
time they might have done, bore unmistakable
evidence of the disastrous change which had taken
place in my fortunes. Indeed, if the truth must
be confessed, I v/as about as sorry a specimen of
the professional man as could be found in the
length and breadth of the Metropolis.

Reaching the thoroughfare in which I had heard
that Kelleran had taken up his abode, I cast about
me for a means of ascertaining his number. Com-
pared with that in which I myself resided, this

JL mgil ' i j"

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I I

TIRED OF LIFE

was a street of palaces, but it seemed to me I
could read the characters of the various tenants
in the appearance of each house-front. The par-
ticular one before which I was standing at the
moment was frivolous in the extreme : the front
door was artistically painted, an elaborate knocker
ornamented the centre panel, while the windows
were without exception curtained with dainty ex-
pensive stuffs. Everything pointed to the mistress
being a lady of fashion ; and having put one thing
and another together, I felt convinced I should not
find my friend there. The next I came to was a
residence of more substantial type. Here every-
thing was solid and plain, even to the borders of
severity. If I could sum up the owner, he was a
successful man, a lawyer for choice, a bachelor,
and possibly, and even probably, a bigot on
matters of religion. He would have two or
three friends — not more — all of whom would
be advanced in years, and, like himself, successful
men of business. He would be able to appreciate
a glass of dry sherry, and would have nothing to
do with anything that did not bear the impress
of a gilt-edged security. As neither of these
houses seemed to suggest that they would be

ir'1

DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

; !

-II 'i^i

i :■■'■

likely to know anything of the man I wanted,
I made my way further down the street, looking
about me as I proceeded. At last I came to a
standstill before one that I was prepared to swear
was inhabited by my old friend. His character
was stamped unmistakably upon every inch of
it : the untidy windows, the pile of books upon
a table in the bow, the marks upon the front
door where his impatient foot had often pressed
while he turned his latchkey : all these spoke of
Kelleran, and I was certain my instinct was not
misleading me. Ascending the steps, I rang the
bell. It was answered by a tall and somewhat
auste/e woman of between forty and fifty years of
age, upon whom a coquettish frilled apron and
cap sat with incongruous effect. As I afterwards
learnt, she had been Kelleran's nurse in bygone
years, and since he had become a householder
had taken charge of his domestic arrangements,
and ruled both himself and his maidservants
with a rod of iron.

"Would you be kind enough to inform me if
Mr. Kelleran is at home ? " I asked, after we had
taken stock of each other.

" He has been abroad for more than three

TIRED OF LIFE

months," the woman answered abruptly. Then,
seeing the disappointment upon my face, she
added, " I dont know when we may expect him
home. He may be here on Saturday, and it's
just possible we may not see him for two or
three weeks to come. But perhaps you'll not
mind telling me what your business with him
may be ? "

" It is not very important," I answered humbly,
feeling that my position was, to say the least of
it, an invidious one. " I am an old friend, and I
wanted to see him for a few minutes. Since,
however, he is not at home, it does not matter, I
assure you. I shall have other opportunities of
communicating with him. At the same time, you
might be kind enough to tell him I called."

"You'd better let me know your name first,"
she replied, with a look that suggested as plainly
as any words could speak that she did not
for an instant believe my assertion that I was a
friend of her master's.

"My name is Ingleby," I said. " Mr. Kelleran
will be sure to remember me. We were at the
same hospital."

She gave a scornful sniff as if such a thing would

i. :: 1

I !

I in

DR. NIKOLAS EXPERIMKNT

be very unlikely, and then made as if she would
shut the door in my face. I was not, however, to
be put off in this fashion. Taking a card from my
pocket, one of the last I possessed, I scrawled my
name and present address upon it and handed it
to her.

" Perhaps if you will show that to Mr. Kelleran
he would not mind writing to me when he comes
home," I said. "That is where I am living just now."

She glanced at the card, and, noting the locality,
sniffed even more scornfully than before. It was
evident that this was the only thing wanting to
confirm the bad impression I had already created
in her mind. For some seconds there was an
ominous silence.

" Very well," she answered, at length, " I'll give
it to him. But — why. Heaven save us ! what's
the matter? You're as white as a sheet. Why
didn't you say you were feeling ill ? "

I had been nnning it rather close for more . an
a week past, an».l the news that Kelleran, my last
hope, was absent from England had unnerved me
altogether. A sudden giddiness seized me, and
I believe I should have fallen to the ground had
I not clutched at the railings by my side. It

■ !:ll;!

would
;ver, to
3m my
led my
ided it

elleran
comes
t now."
reality,
It was
incf to
:reated
as an

11 give

what's

Why

e . an
ly last
ed mc
e, and
id had
le. It

( ''

|: I '
i'

• ' -

i^'

I' < ' I

UIU

TIRED OF LIFE

was then that the real nature of the woman became
apparent. Like a ministering^ angel she half led,
half supported me into the house, and seated me
on a chair in the somewhat sparsely furnished hall.

" Friend of the master, or no friend," I heard
her say to herself, '* I'll take the risk of it."

I heard no more, for my senses had left me.
When tlie)' returned I found myself lying upon
a sofa in Kelleran's study, the housekeeper
standing by my side, and a maid-servant casting
syniputhetic glances at me from the doorway.

" I'm afraid I have put you to a lot of trouble,"
1 said, as soon as I had recovered myself suf-
ficiently to speak. " I cannot think what made
me go off like that. I have never done such a
thing in my life before."

"You can't think?" queried the woman, with
a curious intonation that was not lost upon me.
" Then it's very plain you've not much wit about
you. I think, young man, I could make a very
good guess at the truth if I wanted to. How-
somever, let that be as it may, I'll put a bit o*"
it right before you leave this house, or my name's
not what it is." Then turning to the maid, who
was still watching me, she continued sharply, *' lie

i'ii i^r

I '

ll I

^R. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

off about your business, miss, and do as I told
you. Are you going to waste all the afternoon
standing there staring about you like a gaby?"

The girl tossed her head and disappeared, only
to return a few minutes later with a tray, upon
which was set out a substantial meal of cold meat.

On the old woman's ordering me to do so I
sat down to it, and dined as i had not done
for months past.

" There," she said, with an air of triumph as I
finished, " that will make a new man of you," Tli jn,
having done all she could for me, and repenting,
perhaps, of the leniency she had shown me, she
returned to her former abrupt demeanour, and
informed me, in terms there was no mistaking,
that her time was valuable, and it behoved me to
be off about my business as soon as possible.
While she had been speaking, my eyes had
travelled round the room until they lighted
upon the mantelpiece (it was covered with pipes,
books, photographs, and all the innumerable odds
and ends that accumulate in a bachelor's apart-
ment), where I discovered my own portrait with
several others. I remembered having given, it to
Kelleran two sears before. It was not a very

ii I

TIRED OF LIFE

as I

nting,
;, she
and
iking,
ne to
jsible.
had
hted
)ipes,
odds
part-
with
it to
very

good one, but with its assistance I proposed to
estabHsh my identity and prove to my stern
benefactress that I was not altogether the .'mpostor
she believed me to be.

" I cannot tell you how grateful I am to you
for all you have done," I said, as I rose and
[jicpared to take my departure from the house.
" At the same time I am very much afraid you
do not altogether believe that I am the friend of
your master's that I pretend to be."

" Tut, tut ! " she answered. *' If I were in your
place I'd say no more about that. Least said
soonest mended, is my motto. I trust, however,
I'm a Christian woman, and do my best to help
folk in distress. But I've warned ye already
that I've eyes in my head and wit enough to tell
what's o'clock just as well as my neighbours.
Why, bless my soul, you don't think I've been
all my years in the world without knowing what's
what, or who's who ? "

She paused as if for breath ; and, embracing
the opportunity, I cros.sed the room and took
from the chimneypiece the photograjjh to which
1 have just alluded.

"Possibly this may help to reassure you," I

DR. NIKOLA'S EXPEKIiMENT

said, as I placed it before her. " I do not think
I have changed so much, since it was taken, that
you should fail to recognise me."

She picked up the photo and looked at it,
reading the signature at the bottom with a
puzzled face.

" I leaven save us, so it is ! " she cried, when
the meaning of it dawned upon her. "You are
Mr. Ingleby, after all? Well, I am a softy, to be
sure. I thought )-ou were trxiiig to take me in.
So many people come here asking to see him,
saying they were at the hospital with him that
you've got to be more than careful. If I'd
have thought it really was )'ou, I'd have biUcii
my tongue out before I'd have said what I did.
Wh)', sir, the master talks of }ou to this day :
it's Ingleby this, and Ingleby that, from morning
till night. Many's the time he's made inquiries
from gentlemen who've been here, in the hopes
of finding out what has become of ye."

"God bless him!" I said, my luart warming
at the news that he had not forgotten me. *' We
were the best of friends once."

"But, Mr. Ingleb)'," coiitinueil the old woman
after a pause, "if you'll allow me to say so, I don't

'1 \)r'k

I'll J'::

I'll

•H't

i?i

r I.

TIRED OF LIFE

like to see you like this. You must have seen a
lot of trouble, sir, to have got in such a state."

"The world has not treated me very kindly,"
I answered, with an attempt at a smile, "but I'll
tell Kelleran all about it when I see him. You
think it is possible he may be home on Satur-
day ? "

" I hope so, sir, I'm sure," she replied. " You
may be certain I'll give him your address, and
tell him you've called, the moment I see
him."

I thanked her again for her trouble, and took
my departure, feeling a very different man as I
went down the steps and turned my face city-
wards. In my own heart I felt certain Kelleran
would do something to help me. Had I known,
however, what that something was destined to be,
I wonder whether I should have awaited his
coming with such eagerness.

As it transpired, it was on the Friday following
my call at his house that, on returning to my
lodgings after another day's fruitless search for
employment, I found the following letter awaiting
me. The handwriting was as familiar to me as
my own. and it may be imagined with what

! 'iii

si: *!

'Ill; Jlli

w ,

I, a,!;:

I" '■• ,1

I !l

DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

eagerness I tore open the envelope and scanned
the contents. It ran : —

"My dear Ingleby,

" It was a pleasant welcome home to find
that you are in England once more. I am
sorry, however, to learn from m\' housekeeper that
affairs have not been prospering with you. This
must be remedied, and at once. I flatter myself
I am just the man to do it It is possible you
may consider me unfeeling when I say that there
never was such luck as your being in want of
employment at this particular moment. I've a
billet standing ready and waiting for you ; one
of the very sort you are fitted for, and one that
you will enjoy, unless you have lost your former
tastes and inclinations. You have never met Dr.
Nikola, but you must do so without delay. I tell
you, Ingleby, he is the most wonderful man with
whom I have ever been brought in contact. We
chanced upon each other in St. Petersburg three
months ago, and since then he's fascinated
me as no other man has ever done. I have
spoken of you to him, and in consequence he
dines with me to-night in the hope of meeting

TIRED OF LIFE

you. Whatever else you do, therefore, do not
fail to put in an appearance. You cannot guess
the magnitude of the experiment upon which he
is at work. At first glance, and in any other
man, it would seem incredible, impossible, I might
almost say absurd. When, however, you have seen
him, I venture to think you will not doubt that
he will carry it through. Let me count upon you
to-night, then, at seven.

" Always your friend,

"Andrew Fairfax Kelleran."

I read the letter again. What did it mean ?
At any rate, it contained a ray of hope. It would
have to be a very curious billet, I told mysel''
under present circumstances, that I would refuse.
But who was this extraordinary individual, Dr
Nikola, who seemed to have exercised such a
fascination over my enthusiastic friend ? Well,
that I had to find out for myself.

A NEW IMPETUS

llltf

I I

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1 ' "

' r

CHAPTER II

A NEW IMPETUS

'T^HE clocks in the neighbourhood had scarcely
-■■ ceased striking as I ascended the steps of
Kelleran's house and rang the bell. Even had he
not been so impressive in his invitation there was
small likelihood of my forgetting the appointment.
I had been waiting for it, hour by hour, with an
impatience that can only be understood when I
say that each one was bringing me nearer the only
satisfying meal I had had since I last visited his
abode.

The door was opened to me by the same faith-
ful housekeeper wlio had proved herself such a
ministering angel on the previous occasion. She
greeted me as an old friend, but with a greater
respect than she had shown when we had last
talked together. This did not prevent her, how-
ever, from casting a scrutinising eye over me, as

■* tl

*
1 t

I '1:*

1:1^'

DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

Ik'

M' 1:

much as to say, " You look a bit more respectable,
my lad, but your coat is very faded at the seams,
your collar is frayed at the edge, and you sniff the
smell of dinner as if you have not had a decent
meal for longer than you care to think about " ; all
of which, had she put it into so many words, would
have been perfectly true.

" Step inside," she said ; " Mr. Kelleran's waiting
for you in the study, I know." Then sinking her
voice to a whisper she added : " There's duck and
green pea-j for dinner, and as soon as the other
gentleman arrives I shall tell cook to dish. He'll
not be long now."

What answer I should have returned I cannot
say, but as she finished speaking a door farther
down the passage ojjened, and my old friend made
his appearance, with the same impetuosity that
always characterised him.

" Ingleby, my dear felkjw," he cried, as he ran
with outstretched hand to greet me, " I cannot tell
you how pleased I am to see you again. It seems
years since I last set eyes on you. Come in
here ; I want to have a good look at you. We've
hundreds of things to say to each other, and
heaps of questions to ask, haven't we ? And, by

A NEW IMPETUS

Jove, we must look sharp about it too, for in a few
minutes Nikola will be here. I asked him to
come at a quarter past seven, in order that we
might have a little time alone together first."

So saying, he led me into his study, the same in
which 1 had returned to my senses after my faint-
ing fit a few days before, and when he had done
so he bade me seat myself in an easy chair.

" You can't thint how good it is to see you again,
Kelleran," I said, as soon as I could get in a word.
" I had begun to think myself forgotten by all my
friends."

" Bosh ! " was his uncompromising reply. " Talk
about your friends — why, you never know who
they are till )'ou're in trouble ! At least, that's
what I think. And, by the way, let me tell you
that you do look a bit pulled down. I wonder
what idiocy you've been up to sinct I saw you last.
Tell me about it. Vou won't smoke a ci<j:farette
before dinner ? Very good ! now fire away ! "

Thus encouraged, I told him in a few words all
that had befallen me since wc had last met.
While I was talking he stood before mc, his face lit
up with interest, and to all inte»us and purposes as
absorbed in my story as if it had been his own.

* '/I

DR. NIKOLAS EXPERIMENT

"M
,i:'^'

'1 *

" Well, well, thank goodness it is all over now,"
he said, wh' ii I had brought my tale to a con-
clusion. *' I think I've found you a billet that will
suit you admirably, and if you play your cards
well there's no saying to what it may not lead.
Nil ola is the most marvellous man in the world,
as you will admit when you have seen him. I, for
one, have never met anybody like him ; and as for
this new scheme of his, why, if he brings it off, I
give you my word it will ic olutionise Science."

I was too well acquainted with my friend's
enthusiastic way of talking to be surprised at it ;
at the same time I was thoroughly conversant with
his cleverness, and for this reason I was prepared
to believe that, if he thought well of any scheme,
there must be something out of the common in it.

"But what is this wonderful idea?" i asked,
scarcely able to contain my longing, as the fumes
of dinner penetrated to us from the regions below.
" And how am I affected by it ? "

"That I must leave for Dr. Nikola to tell you
himself," Kelleran replied. " Let it suffice for the
moment that 1 envy you your opportunity. I
believe if I had been able to avail myself of the
chance he offereil me of going into it with him, 1

A NEW IMPETUS

should have been compelled to sacrifice you. But
there, you will hear all about it in good time, for if I
am not mistaken that is his cab drawing up outside
now. It is one of his peculiarities to be always
punctual to the moment. What do you make the
right time by your watch ? "

I was obliged to confess that I possessed no
watch. It had been turned into the necessaries of
existence long since. Kcllcran must have realised
what was passing in my mind, though he pretended
not to have noticed it ; at any rate he said, " I make
it a quarter past seven to the minute, and I am
prepared to wager that's our man."

A bell rang, and almost before the sound of it
had died away the study door opened, and the
housekeeper, with a look of awe upon her face
which had not been there when she addressed me,
announced *' Dr. Nikola."

Looking back on it now, 1 find that, in spite of
all that has happened since, my impressions of that
moment are as fresh jukI clear as if it were but
yesterday. I can see the tall, lithe figure of this
extraordinary man, his sallow face, and his piercing
black eyes steadfastly regarding me, as if he were
trying to determine whether or not 1 was capable

>- . '* Si]

. -^Sl

(':!

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DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

' > ■

.': i^ r'i

I: ::fi-:

f-'r:

it^

of assisting him in the work upon which he was
so exhaustively engaged. Never before had I seen
such eyes ; they seemed to look me through and
through, and to read my inmost thoughts.

'* This gentleman, my dear Kelleran," he began,
after they had shaken hands, and without waiting
for me to be introduced to him, " should be your
friend Ingleby, of whom you have so often spoken
to me. How do you do, Mr. Ingleby? I don't
think there is much doubt but that we shall work
admirably together. You have lately been in
Ashanti, I perceive."

I admitted that I had, and went on to inquire
how he had become aware of it ; for as Kelleran
had not known it until a few minutes before, I did
not see how he could be acquainted with the fact.

" It is not a very difficult thing to tell," he
answered, with a smile at my astonishment, "see-
ing that you carry about with you the mark of a
Gwato spear. If it were necessary I could tell
you some more tliinj^s that would surprise you :
for instance, I could tell you that the man who cut
the said spear out for you was an amateur at his
work, that he was left-iianded, that he was short-
sighted, and that he was recovering from malaria

A NEW IMPETUS

at the time. All this is plain to the eye ; but I see
our friend Kelleran fancies his dinner is getting
cold, so we had better postpone our investigations
for a more convenient opportunity."

We accordingly left the stud)' and proceeded to
the dining-room. All day long I had been looking
forward to that moment with the eagerness of a
starving man, yet when it arrived I scarcely
touched anything. If the truth must be confessed,
there was somethincf about this man that made me
forget such mundane matters as mere eating and
drinking. And I noticed that Nikola himself
was even more abstemious. For this reason, save
for the fact that he himself enjoyed it, the bounti-
ful spread Kelleran had arranged for us was com-
pletely wasted.

During the progress of the meal no mention was
made of the great experiment upon which our host
had informed me Nikola was emir jd. Our con-
versation wa^ mainly devoted to travel. Nikola,
I soon discovered, had been everywhere, and had
seen everything. There appeared to be no place
on the face of the habitable gk)bc with which he
was not acquainted, and of which he could not
speak with the authority of an old resident. China

*/.'''

I i

DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

India, Australia, South America, North, South,
East, and West Africa, were as familiar to him as
Piccadilly, and it was in connection with one of
the last-named Contments that a curious incident
occurred.

We had been discussing various cases of ccita-
lepsy ; and to illustrate an argument he was
adducing, Kelleran narrated a curious instance of
lethargy with which he had become acquainted in
Southern Russia. While he was s^oeaking I noticed
that Nikola's face wore in expression that was
partly one of derision and partly of amusement.

" I think I can furni«h you with an instance
that is even more extraordinary," I said, when
our host had finished ; and as I did so, Nikola
leaned a little towards me. " In fairness to your
argument, however, Kelleran, I must admit that
while it comes under the same category, the
malady in question confines itself almost ex-
clusively to the black races on the West Coast
of Africa."

" You refer to the Sleeping Sickness, I pre-
sume?" said Nikola, whose eyes were fixed upon
me, and who was paying the greatest attention to
all I said.

A NEW IMPETUS

"Exactly — the Sleeping Sickness," I answered.
" I was fortunate enough to see several intances of
it when I was on the West Coast, though the one
to which I am referring did not come before me
personally, but was described to me by a man, a
rather curious character, who happened to be in
the district at the time. The negro in question, a
fine healthy fellow of about twenty years of age,
was servant to a Portuguese trader at Cape Coast
Castle. He had been up country on some trading
expedition or other, and during the whole time
had enjoyed the very best of health. For the
first few days after his return to the coast,
however, he was unusually depressed. Slight
swelling of the cervical glands set in, accom-
panied by a tendency to fall asleep at any
time. This somnolency gradually increased ;
cutaneous stimulation was tried, at first with
comparative success ; the symptoms, nowever,
soon recurred, thi periods of sleep became
longer and /lore frequent, until at last the
patient could -carceiy have been said to be ever
awake. The case, so my informant said, was an
extremely interesting one."

" But what was the result ? " inquired Kelleran,

:ll|'

DR. NIKOLAS EXPERIMENT

a little impitiently. " You have not told us to
what all this is leading."

" Well, the result was that in due course the
patient became extremely emaciated — a perfect
skeleton, in fact. He would take no food,
answered no questions, and did not open his
eyes from morning till night. To make a long
story short, just as my 'nformant was beginning
;o think that the end was approaching, there
appeared in Cape Coast Castle a mysterious
stranger who pat forward claims to a knowledge
of medicine. He forgathered with my man, and
after a while obtained permission to try his hand
upon the negro."

" And killed him at once, of course? "
" Nothing of the sort. The result was one that
you will scarcely credit. The whole business was
most irregular, I believe, but my friend was not
likely to worry himself much about that. This
new man had his own pharmacopoeia — a collection
of essences in small bottles, more like what they
used in the Middle Ages than anything else, I
should imagine. Having obtained possession of
the patient, he carried him away to a hut outside
the town and took him in hand there and then.

ji!

A NEW IMPETUS

The man who told me about it, and who, I should
have said, had had a good experience of the
disease, assured me that he was as certain as
any one possibly could be that the chap could
not live out the week ; and yet when the new
comer, ten days later, invited him to visit the
hut, there was the man acting as his servant,
waiting at table, if you please, and to all intents
and pu) pose:?, though very thin, as well as ever he
had been in his life."

" But, my dear fellow," protested Kelleran,
" Guerin says that out of the 148 cases that came
under his notice 148 died."

" I can't help what Guerin says," I answered, a
little warmly I am afraid. " I am only telling you
what my friend told me. He gave me his word of
honour that the result was as he described. The
strangest part of the whole business, however, has
yet to be told. It appears that the man had not
only cured the fellow, but that he had the power
of returning him to the condition in which he
found him, at will. It wasn't hypnotism, but what
it was is more that I Cc^n s.y. My informant
described it to me a^ being about the uncanniest
performance he had ever witnessed."

\ I

i- llvi^

• r ,'7(1

i i: ' 2*1

'Mi

t '

§\i

DR. NIKOLA'S E^'.FHRIMENT

" In what way ? " asked Kelleran. " Furnish us
with a more detailed account There was a time
when you were a famous hand at a diagnosis."

" I would willingly do so," I answered ; " un-
fortunately, however, I can't remember it all. It
appears that he was always saying the most
mysterious things and putting the strangest
questions. On one occasion he asked my friend,
as they were standing by the negro's bedside, if
there was any one whose image he would care to
see? Merton at first thought he was making fun
of him, but seeing that he ..as in earnest he con-
sidered for a moment, and eventually answered
that he would very much like to see the portrait
of an old shipmate who had perished at sea some
six or seven years prior to his arrival on the West
Coast. As soon as he had said this the man
stooped over the bed and opened the sleeping
nigger's eyes. * Examine the retina,' he said, * and
I think you will sec what you want' My friend
looked."

"With what result?" inquired Kelleran. Ni-
kola said nothing, but smiled, as I thought, a
trifle sceptically.

" It seems an absurd thing to say, I know," I

iiii

A NEW IMPETUS

continued, " but he swore to me that he had before
him the exact picture of the man he had referred
to ; and what is more, standing on the deck of tlie
steamer just as he had last seen him. It was as
clear and distinct as if it had been a photograph."

" And all the time the negro was asleep ? "

" Fast asleep ! " I answered.

" I should very much like to meet your friend,"
said Kelleran emphatically. " A man with an
imagination like that must be an exceedingly
interesting companion. But seriously, my dear
Ingleby, you don't mean to say you wish us to
believe that all this really happened ? "

" I am telling you what he told me," I answered.
*' I cannot swear to the truth of it, of course, but I
will go so far as to say that I do not think he was
intentionally deceiving me."

Kelleran shrugged his shoulders incredulously,
and for some moments an uncomfortable silence
ensued. This was broken by Nikola.

" My dear Kelleran," he said, " I don't think you
are altogether fair to our friend Ingleby. As he
admits, he was only speaking on hearsay, and
under these circumstances he might very easily
have been deceived. Fortunately, however, for

i i

J-'

DR. NIKOLA'S EXFEKIMENT

life ^

the sake of his reputation I am in a position to
corroborate all he has said."

" The deuce you are ! " cried Kelleran ; while I
was too much astonished to speak, and could only
stare at him in complete surprise. " What on
earth do you mean ? Pray explain."

" I can only do so by saying that I was the
man who did this apparently wonderful thing."

Kelleran and I continued to stare at him in
amazement. It was too absurd. Could he be
laughing at us? And yet his face was serious
enough.

" You do not seem to credit my assertion," said
Nikola, quietly. "And yet I assure you it is
correct. I was the mysterious individual who
appeared in Cape Coast Castle, who brought
with him his own pharmacopoeia, and who
wrought the miracle which our friend appears
to have considered so wonderful."

" The coincidence is too extraordinofy," I
answered, as if in protest.

"Coincidences are necessarily extraordinary,"
Nikola replied. " I do not see that this one is
more so than usual."

" And the miracle ? "

A NEW impf:tus

"Was in reality no miracle at all," he answered ;
" it was merely the logical outcome of a perfectly
natural process. I'niv do not look so incredulous,
I am aware that my statement is difficult to believe,
but I assure you, my dear Ingleby, that it is quite
true. However, proof is always better than mere
assertion, so, since you are still sceptical, let me
make my position right with you. For reasons
that will be self-evident I cannot produce the effect
in a negro's eye, but I can do so in a way that will
strike you as being scarcely less extraordinary.
If you will draw up your chairs I will endeavour
to explain."

Needless to remark, we did as he desired ; and
when we were seated on either side of him waited
for the manifestation he had promised us.

Taking a small silver box, but little larger than
a caid-case, from his pocket, he opened it and
tipped what might have been a teaspoonful of
black powder ir.to the centre of a dessert plate.
I watched it closely, in the hope of being able to
discover of what it was composed. My efforts,
however, were unavailing. It was black, as I
have already said, and from a distance resembled
powdered charcoal. This, however, it could not

! I

H ?:»

.1'

(ft

■ i '.J I

n .,

DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

have been, by reason of its strange liquidity, which
was as great as that of quicksilver, and which only
came into operation when it had been exposed to
the air for some minutes. Hither and thither the
jtufif ran about the dish, and I noticed that as it
did so it gradually lost its original sombre hue
and took to itself a variety of colours that were as
brilliant as the component tints of the spectrum.
These scintillated and quivered till the eyes were
almost blinded by their radiance^ and yet they
riveted the attention in such a manner that it was
well-nigh, if not quite, impossible to look away or
to think of anything else. In vain I tried to calm
myself, in order that I might be a cool and
collected observer of what was taking place.
Whether there was any perfume thrown off by
the stuff upon the plate I cannot say, but as I
watched it my head began to swim and my eyelids
felt as heavy as lead. That this was not fancy
upon my part is borne out by the fact that
Kelieran afterwards confessed to me that he ex-
perienced exactly the same sensations. Nikola,
however, was still manipulating the dish, turning
it this way and that, as if he were anxious to
produce as many varieties oi colour as possible

A NEW IMPETUS

given time, it must have been upwards of
five minutes before he spoke. As he did so he
gave the plate an extra tilt, so that the mixture
ran down to one side. It was now a deep purple
in colour.

" I think if you will look into the centre of the
fluid you will see something that will go a long
way towards convincing you of the truth of the
assertion I made just now," he said quietly, but
without turning his head to look at me.

I looked as he desired, but at first could see
nothing save the mixture itself, whicli was fast
turning from purple to blue. This blue grew
gradually paler; and as I watched, to my astonish-
ment, a picture formed itselt Hjfore my eyes. I saw
a long wooden house, surrounded on all sides by
a deep verandah. The latter was covered with a
beautiful flowering creeper. On either side of the
dwelling was a grove of palms, and to the rii;lit,
showing like a j^ool of da/,/.ling (juicksilver between
the trees, was the sea. And pervading ever}thiiig
was the .sensation of intense heat. At first glance
I could not recall the house, but it was not long
before I recognised the residence of the man who
had told me the story which had occasioned this

>if

■ ■*;

DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

tif

miracle. I looked at it again, and could even
see the window of the room in which I had re-
covered from my first severe attack of fever, and
from which I never tliought to have emerged
alive. With the sight of it the recollection of
that miserable time came back to me, and Kel-
leran and even his friend Nikola were, for the
moment, forgotten.

"From the expression upon your face I gather
that you know the place," said Nikola, after I
had been watching it for a few moments. "Now
look into the verandah, and tell me if you recog-
nise the two men you see seated there."

I looked again, and saw that one was myself,
while the other, the man who was leaning against
the verandah rail smoking a cigar, was the owner
of the house itself There could be n(j mistake
about it. The whole scene was as plain before
my eyes as if it had been a photograph taken
on the spot.

"There," said Nikola, with a little note of
triumph in his voice, " I ho|)e that will convince
you that when I say 1 can do a thing, I mean
it."

So saying he tilted the saucer, and the picture

A NEW IMPETUS

vanished in a whirl of colour. I tried to protest,
but before I had time to say anything the liquid
had in some strange fashion resolved itself once
more into a powder, Nikola had tipped it back
into the silver box, and Kelleran and I were
left to put the best explanation we could upon
it We looked at each other, and, feeling that
I could not make head or tail of what I had
seen, waited for him to speak.

" I never saw such a thing in my life," he cried,
when he had found sufficient voice. "If any one
had told me that such a thing was possible I
would not h.ive believed him. I can scarcely
credit the evidence of my senses now,"

" In fact, you feel towards the little exhibition
I have just given >'C)u very much as you did to
Ingleby's story a quarter of an hour ago," said
Nikola. '• What a doubting W(jrld it is, to be
sure ! The ime world which ridiculed the
notion that the;e could be anything in vaccina-
tion, in the steam engine, in ciiloroform, the
telegraph, the tclepi\onc, or tiie phonograph. For
how many years has it scoffeil at the power of
hypnotism ! How many of <jur cleverest scientists
fifty years ago could have fori't«j!d the discovery

'it fn

DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

of argon, or the possibility of being able to tele-
graph without the aid of wires? And because
the little world of to-day knows these things and
has survived tiic wonder of them, it is convinced
it has attained the end of wisdom. The folly of
it ! To-night I have shown you something for
which less than a hundred years ago I should
have been stoned as a wizard. At my death
the secret will be given to the world, and the
world, when it has recovered from its astonish-
ment, will say, 'How very simple! why did no
one discover it before ? ' I tell you, gentlemen,"
Nikola continued, rising and standing before the
fireplace, "thr^t we three, to-night, are standing
on the threshold of a discovery which will shake
the world to its foundations."

When he had moved, Kclleran and I had also
pushed back our diairs from the table, and were
now watching him a if turned to stone. The
sacred fire of enthusiasm, which I thought had
left me for ever, was once more kindling in my
breast, and I hung uj)on his words as if I were
afraid I niiglil h)se even a breath that escaped
his lips. As for Nikola himself, his usually pallid
face was aglow u itii cxcilcnicnt.

A NEW IMPETUS

"The story is as old as the hills, he began.
" Ever since the days when our first parents trod
the earth there have been men who have aimed
at discovering a means of lengthening the span
of life. From the very infancy of science, the
wisest and cleverest have devoted their lives to
the study of the human body, in the hope of
mastering its secret. Assisting in the search for
that particular something which was to revolu-
tionise the world, we find Zosim/us the Theban,
the Jewess Maria, the Arabian Geber, Hermes
Trismegistus, Linn.Eus, Berzelius, Cuvier, Ray-
mond Lully, Paracelsus, Roger Bacon, De Lisle,
Albertus Magnus, and even Dr. Price. Each in
his turn quarried in the mountain of Wisdom,
and died having failed to discover the hidden
treasure for which he sought. And why "* Because,
egotistical as it may seem on my part to say so,
they did not seek in the right place. They
commenced at the wrong point, and worked
from it in the wrong direction. But if they
failed to find what they wanted, they at least
rendered good service to those who were to
follow after, for from every failure something
new was learned. For my part 1 have studied

■i

]iy>'

r ill

•^R. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

the subject in every form, in every detail. For
more years than I can tell you, I have lived
for it, dreamed of it, fought for it, and overcome
obstacles of the very existence of which no man
could dream. The work of my predecessors is
known to me ; I have studied their writings, and
tested their experiments to the last particular.
All the knowledge that modern science has
accumulated 1 have acquired. The magic of the
East 1 have explored and tested to the utter-
most. Three years ago I visited Thibet under
extraordinary circumstances. There, in a certain
place, inaccessible to the ordinary man, and at
the risk of my own life and that of the brave
man who accompanied me, 1 obtained the in-
formation which was destined to prove the cop-
ing-stone of the great discovery I have since
made. Only two things were wanting then to
complete the whole and to enable me to get to
work. One of these I had just found in St.
Petersburg when I first met you, Kelleran ; the
other 1 discovered three weeks ago. It has been
a long and tedious search, but such labour only
makes success the sweeter. The machinery is
now prepared ; all that remains is to fit the

A NEW IMPETUS

various parts together. In six months' time, if
all goes well, I will have a man walking upon
this earth who, under certain conditions, shall
live a thousand years."

I could scarcely believe that I heard aright.
Was the man deliberately asking us to believe
that he had really found the way to prolong
human life indefinitely? It sounded very much
like it, and yet this was the Nineteenth Century
and . . . But at this point I ceased my specu-
lations. Had I not, only that evening, witnessed
an exhibition of his marvellous powers ? If he had
penetrated so far into the Unknowable — at least
what we considered the unknowable — as to be
able to work such a miracle, why should we doubt
that he could carry out what he was now pro-
fessing to be able to do?

•* And when shall wc be permitted to hear the
result of your labours?" asked Kclleran with a
humility that was surprisin<; in a man usually
so self-assertive.

"Who can say?" asked Nikola. "These things
are more or less dependent on Time. It may be
only a short period before I am ready ; 011 the
other hand a lifetime may elapse. The process

ill

1 Iff*

DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

is above all a gradual one, and to hurry it might
be to spoil everything. And now, my dear Kel-
leran, with your permission I will bid you good-
night. I leave for the North at daybreak, and
I have much to do before I go. If I am not
taking you away too soon, Ingleby, perhaps you
would not mind walking a short distance with
me. I have a good deal to say to you."

" I shall be very pleased," I answered ; and the
look that Kelleran gave me showed me that he
considered my decision a wise one.

" In that case come along," said Nikola.
"Good-night, Kelleran, and many thanks for the
introduction you have given me. I feel quite sure
Ingleby and I will get on admirably together."

He shook hands with Kelleran, and passed
into the hall, leaving me alone with the man who
had proved my benefactor for the second time in
my life.

" Good-night, old fellow," I said, as I shook him
by the hand. " I cannot thank you sufficiently
for your goodness in putting me in the way of
this billet. It has given me another chance, and
I shan't forget your kindness as long as I live."

" Don't be absurd,' Kelleran answered. " You

A NEW IMPETUS 69

take things too seriously. I feel sure the
advantage is as much Nikola's as yours. He's
a wonderful man, and you're the very fellow he
requires : between you, you ought to be able to
bring about something that will upset the calcu-
lations of certain pompous old fossils of our
acquaintance. Good-night, and good luck to
you ! "

So saying, he let us out by the front door, and
stood upon the doorstep watching us as we
walked down the street. It was an exquisite
night. The moon was almost at the full, and
her mellow rays made the street almost as light as
day. My companion and I walked for some
distance in silence. He did not speak, and I
already entertained too much respect for him
to interrupt his reverie. More than once I
glanced at his tall, graceful figure, and the admir-
ably shaped head, which seemed such a fitting
case for the extraordinary brain within.

" As I said just now," he began at length, as
if he were continuing a conversation which had
been suddenly interrupted, " I leave at daybreak
for the North of England. For the purposes of
the experiment I am about to make, it is vitally

t II

i!^''

■ 1f1

DR. NIKOLAS EXPERIMENT

necessary that I sliould possess a residence far
removed from other people, where I should not
run any risk of being disturbed. For this reason
I have purchased Allcrdeyne Castle, in North-
umberland, a fine old place overlooking the North
Sea. It is by no means an easy spot to get at,
and should suit my purposes admirably. I shall
not sec you before I go, so that whatever I have to
say had better be said at once. To begin with,
I presume you have made up your mind to
assist me in the work I am about to undertake ? "

" If you consider me competent," I answered,
" I shall be only too glarl to d so."

" Kelleran has assured me that I could not have
a better assistant," he replied, " and I am willing
to take you upon his recommendation. If you
have no objection to bring forward, we may as
well consider the matter settled. Have you any
idea as to the remuneration you will require ? "

I answered that I had not, and that I would
leave it to him to give me whatever he considered
fair. In reply he named a sum that almost took
my breath away. I remarked that I should be
satisfied with half the amount, whereupon he
laughed good-huniouredly.

A NEW IMPETUS

" I'm afraid we're neither of us good business
men," he said. *' By all the laws of trade, on
finding that I offered you more than you expected,
you should have stood out for twice as much.
Still, I like you all the better for your modesty.
Now my road turns off here, and I will bid you
^ood-night. In an hour I will send my servant to
you with a letter containing full instructions. I
need scarcely say that I am sure you will carry
them out to the letter."

" I will do so, come what may," I answered
seriously.

"Then good-night," he said and held out his
hand to me. " All being well, we shall meet
again in two or three days."

"Good-night," I replied.

Then, with a wave of his hand to me. he sprang
into a hansom which he had called up to the
pavement, gave the direction to the driver, and a
moment later was round the corner and out of
sight. After he had gone, I continued my home-
ward journey.

I had lot been in the house an hour before
I was informed that some one was at the door
desiring to see me. I accordingly hurried down-

1 Vi

DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

stairs, to find myself face to face with the most
extraordinary individual I have ever seen in my
life. At first glance I scarcely knew what to
make of him, but when the light from the hall
lamp fell upon his face, I saw that he was a China-
man, and the ugliest I have ever seen in all my
experience of the Mongolian race. His eyes
squinted terribly, and a portion of his nose was
missing. It was the sort of face one sees in a
nightmare, and, accustomed as I was by my pro-
fession to horrible sights, I must admit my gorge
rose at him. At first it did not occur to me to
connect him with Nikola.

" Do you want to see me ? " I inquired, in some
astc ishment.

He nodded his head, but did not speak.

"What is it about? " I continued.

He uttered a peculiar grunt, and produced a
letter and a small box from his pocket, both of
which he handed to me. I understood imme-
diately from whom he came. Signing to him to
remain where he was until I could tell him
whether there was an answer, I turned into the
house and opened the letter. Having read it,
I returned to the front door.

A NKW IMPETUS

"You can tell Dr. Nikola that I will be sure to
attend to it," I said. " You savee ? "

He nodded his head, and next moment was on
his way down the street. When he was out of
sight I returned to my bedroom, and, lighting the
gas, once more perused the communication I had
received. As I did so a piece of paper fell from
between the leaves. I picked it up, to discover
that it was a cheque for one hundred pounds
payable to myself. The letter ran :

"My Dear Ingleby,

" According to the promise I made you
this evening, I am sending you herewith by my
Chinese servant, your instructions, as clearly
worked out as I can make them. To begin with,
I want you to remain in town until Monday next.
On the morning of that day, if all goes well, you
will be advised by the agent of the Company in
London of the arrival in the river of the steam-
ship Dofia Mercedes^ bound from Cadiz to New-
castle. On receipt of that information you will
be good enough to board her and to inquire
for Don Miguel de Moreno and his great-grand-
daughter, who are passengers by the boat to

A ft.

DR. NIKOLAS EXPERIMENT

England. I have already arranged with the
Company for your passage, so you need have
no anxiety upon that score.

"Vou will find the Don a very old man, and
1 beg that you will take the greatest possible care
of him. For this reason I have sent you the
accompanying drugs, each of which is labelled
with the fullest instructions. They should not be
made use of unless occasion absolutely requires."

(Here followed a list of the various symptoms
for which I was to watch, and an exhaustive
risunU of the treatment I was to employ in the
event of certain contingencies arising.)

" On the arrival of the vessel in Newcastle " — the
letter continue d — " I will communicate with you
again. In the meantime I send you what I
think will serve to pay your expenses until
we meet.

" Believe me,

" Your sincere friend,

" Nikola.

" P.S. — One last word of warning. Should you
by any chance be brought into contact with
a certain Mongolian of very sinister appearance,
with half an car missing, have nothing whatsoever

A NEW IMPETUS

to do with him. Keep out of his way, and above
all let him know nothing of your connection with
myself. This, I beg you to believe, is no idle
warning, for all our lives depend upon it."

Having thoroughly mastered the contents of
this curious epistle, I turned my attention to the
parcel which accompanied it. This I discovered
was made up of a number of small packets
evidently containing powders, and two-ounce
phials of some tasteless and scentless liquid,
to which I was quite unable to assign a name.

Once more I glanced at the letter, in order to
make sure of the name of the* man whose
guardian I was destined for the future to be. De
Moreno was the name, and it was his grand-
daughter who was acconii)anying him. In an idle,
dreamy way, I wondered what the latter would
prove to be like. For some reason or another I
found myself thinking a good deal of her, and
when I fell asleep that night it was to dream
that she was stajiding before me with outstretched
hands, imploring me to save her not only from
a certain one-eared Chinaman, but also from
Nikola himself.

l.'

V
t

THE MYSTERIOUS CHINAMAN

•

CHAPTER III

THE MYSTERIOUS CHINAMAN

A FTKR my meeting with Nikola at Kelleran's

-^ *■ house, it was a new prospect that hfe opened

up for me. I confronted the future with a smihng

face, and no longer told myself, as I had done so

often of late, that Failure aiul I were inseparable

couipanions, and for any success I might hope to

achieve in the world I had belter be out of it.

On the contrary, when I retired to rest after the

receipt of Nikola's letter, as narrated in the

preceding chapter, it was with a happier heart

than I had known for more than two years past,

and a fixed determination that, happen what

might, even if his wonderful experiment came to

nought, m\' new employer should not find me

lacking in desire to serve him. As for that

experiment itself, I scarcely knew what to think

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DR. NIKOLAS EXPERIMENT

of it To a man who had studied tl human
frame, its wonderful mechanism combined with
its many deficiences and limitations, it seemed
impossible it could succeed. And yet, strange as
it may appear to say so, there was something
about Nikola that made one feel sure he would
not embark upon such an undertaking if he were
not quite certain, or at least had not a well-
grounded hope, of being able to bring it to a
favourable issue. However, successful or unsuc-
cessful, the fact remained that I was to be
asst)ciated with him, and the very thought of such
cooperation was sufficient to send the blood
tingling through my veins with new life and
strength.

During the two days that elapsed between my
meeting with Nikola and the arrival of the vessel
for which he had told me to be on the look out,
I saw nothing of Kelleran. I was not idle, how-
ever. In the first place it was necessary for me to
replenish my wardrobe, which, as I have already
observed, stood in need of considerable additions,
and in the second I was anxious to consult some
books of reference to whici/ Nikola had directed
my attention. By the time I had done these

i:i

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THE MYSTERIOUS CHINAMAN

things, I had not, as may be supposed, very
much leisure left, either for paying visits or for
receiving them. I was careful, however, to write
thanking him for the good turn he had done
me, and wishing him good-bye in case I did not
see him before I left.

It was between eight and nine o'clock on the
Monday morning following that I received a note
from the Steamship Company, to which Nikola
had referred, advising me that their vessel the
Dofia Mercedes had arrived fiom Cadiz and was
now lying in the rivtM', and would sail for the
North at eleven o'clock precisely. Accordingly
I gathered my luy^gage together, what there was
of it, and made my way down to her. As Nikola
had predicted, I found her lying in the Tool.

On boarding her I was confronted by a big,
burly man with a long brown beard, which blew
over either shoulder and met behind his head as if
it were some new kind of comforter. I inquired
for the skipper.

"I am the captain," he answered. "And I
supjjosc you are Dr. Ingleby. I had a letter from
tlie owners saying you were going North with us.
You may be sure we'll do oMf l^^est to make you

1>.l'

DR. NIKOLAS EXPERIMENT

■■{,''

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comfortable. In the meantime the steward will
show you your berth and look after your luggage."

As he said this he beckoned a hand aft and
sent him below in search of the official in question.

" I think you have a lady and gentleman on
board who are expecting me ? " I remarked, after
the momentary pause which followed the man's
departure.

" That I have, sir," he answered with emphasis ;
" and a nice responsibility they've been for me. I
wouldn't undertake another like it if I were paid
a hundred pounds extra for my trouble. But
perhaps you know the old gentleman ? "

" I have never seen him in my life," I replied,
" but I have to take charge of him until we get to
the North."

" Then I wish you joy of your work," he con-
tinued. " You'll have your time pretty fully
occupied, I can tell you."

" in what way?" I irKjuired. " I shall consider
it a favour if you will tell me all you can about
him. Is the old gentleman eccentric, or what is
the matter with him ? "

" Eccentric ? " replied the skipper, rolling his
tongue round tlie word as if he liked its flavour.

THE MYSTERIOUS CHINAMAN

«5

••Well, he may be that for all I know, but it's not
his eccentricity that gives the trouble It's his
age! Why, I'll be bound he's a hundred, if he's
a day. He's not a man at all, only a bag of
bones ; can't move out of his berth, can't walk,
can't talk, and can't do a single hand's turn to
help himself. His bones are ali ost through his
skin, his eyes are sunk so far into his iicad that
you can only guess what they're like, and when he
wants a meal, or when he's got to have one, I
should sa\ , for he's past ivantina^ anything, why,
I'm blest if he hasn't to be fed with pap like a
baby. It's a pitiful sort of a plight for a man to
come to. What do you think ? He'd far better
be dead and buried."

I thought I understood. Putting one thing and
another together, the reason of the old mar.s
journey North could easily be guessed. At that
moment the seaman, whom the skipper had sent
in search of the steward, made his appearance
from the companion, followed by the functionary
in question. To the latter's charge I was consigned,
and at his suggestion I followed him to the cabin
which had been set aside for my accommodation.
It proved to be situated at the after end of the

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(716) 873-4503

DR. NIKOLAS EXPERIMENT

saloon, and was as small and poorly furnished
a place as I have ever slept in. To make use of
the old nauticial expression, there was scarcely
room in it to swing a cat. Tiny as it was, how-
ever, it was at least better than the back street
lodgings I had so lately left ; and when I reflected
that I had paid all I owed, had fitted myself out
with a new wardrobe, and was still upwards of
fifty pounds in pocket, to say nothing of being
engaged on deeply interesting work, I could have
gone down on my knees and kissed the grimy
planks in thankfulness.

" I'm afraid, sir, it's not as large as some you've
been accustomed to," said the talkative steward
apologetically, as he stowed my bags away in a
corner.

" How do you know what I've been accustomed
to ? " I asked, with a smile, as I noticed his desire
for conversation.

" I could tell it directly I saw you look round
this berth," he answered. " People can say what
they please, but to my thinking there's no mis-
taking a man who's spent any time aboard ship.
What line might you have been in, sir ? "

I to'd him, and had the good fortune to discover

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THE MYSTERIOUS CHINAMAN

that he possessed a brother who had served the
same employ. Having thus established a bond
in common, I proceeded to question him about
my future charges ; only to find that this was a
subject upon which he was very willing to enlarge.
"Well, sir," he began, seating himself familiarly
on the edge of my berth and looking up at me,
" I don't know as how I ought to speak about the
old gentleman at all, seeing he's a passenger and
you're, so to speak, in charge of him ; but this I
do say without fear or favour, that who ever
brought him away from his home and took him to
sea at his time of life did a wrong and cruel action.
Why, sir, I make so bold as to tell you that from
the moment he was brought aboard this ship
until this very second, he has not spoke as much
as five words to me or to anybody else. He
just lays there in his bunk, hour after hour, with
his eyes open, looking at the deck above him, and
as likely as not holding his great-granddaughter's
hand, not seeming to see or hear anything, and
never letting one single word pass his lips. I've
known what it is to wait upon sick folk myself,
having spent close upon eight months in a hospital
ashore, but never in my life, sir, and I give you my

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DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

•tf

word it's gospel truth I'm telling you, have I seen
anything like the way that young girl waits upon
him. You'll find her a-sitting by him after break-
fast, and if you go in at eight bells she'll be still
the same. She has her meals brought to her and
eats 'em there, and at night she gets me to make
her up a bed on the deck alongside of him."

" She must indeed be devoted," I answered,
considerably touched at the picture he drew.

" Devoted is no name for it," replied the man
with conviction. " And it's by no means pleasant
work for her, sir, I can assure you. Why, more
than once when I've gone in there I've found her
leaning over the bunk, her face just as white as
the sheet there, holding a little looking-glass to
his lips to see if he was breathing. Then she'd
heave a big sigh of relief to find that there was
still life in him, put the glass back in its place,
and side down beside him again, and go on hold-
ing his hand, for all the world as if she was
determined to clirg on to him until the Judgment
Day It would bring the tears into your eyes,
I'm sure, sir, to see it."

"You have a tender heart, I can see," I said,
" and I think the better of you for it. Do you

THE MYSTERIOUS CHINAMAN

happen to know anything of their history — where
they hail from or who they are ? "

" There is one thing I do know," he answered,
"and that is that they're Engh'sh and not
Spaniards, as the cook said, and as you might
very well think yourself from the nam.e. I be-
lieve the old gentleman was a merchant of some
sort in Cadiz, but that must have been fifty years
ago. The young lady is his great-granddaughter,
and I was given to understand that her father and
mother have been dead for many jears. From
one thing and another I don't fancy they've got
a penny to bless themselves with, but it's plain
there's somebody paying the piper, because the
skipper got orders from the office, just before we
sailed, that everything that could be done for
their comfort was to be done, and money was to
be no object. But there, here I am running on in
this way to you, sir, who probably know all about
them better than I do."

" I assure you I know nothing at all, or at
least very little," I answered. " I have simply
received instructions to meet them here, and to
look after the old gentleman until he reaches
Newcastle. What will become of them then I

DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

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can only guess. I presume, however, I may rely
on you for assistance during the voyage, should
I require it?"

" I'll do anything I can, sir, and you may be
very sure of that," he replied. *• I've taken such
a liking to that young lady that there's nothing
I wouldn't do in reason to make her feel a bit
happier. For it's my belief she's far from easy
in her mind just now. I remember once hearing
an Orient steward tell of a man what was t'ed up
with a sword hanging over his head by a single
hair; he never knew from one minute to another
when it would fall and do for him. Well, that's
the way, I fancy. Miss Moreno is feeling. There's
a sword hanging over her head or her great-grand-
father's, and she doesn't know when it'll drop."

" What did you say her name was ? " I inquired,
for I had for the moment forgotten it.

" Moreno, sir," he replied. " The old gentleman
is Don Miguel, and she is the Dofla Consuelo de
Moreno."

" Thank you," I said. " And now, if you will
tell me where their cabin is, I think I will pay
the old gentleman a visit."

" Their cabin is the one facing yours, sir, on

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THE MYSTERIOUS CHINAMAN

the starboard side. If it will be any cciivenience
to you, sir, I'll tell the young lady you're aboard.
I know she expects you, because she said so only
this morning."

" Perhaps it would be better that you should
tell her," I replied. "If you will give her my
compliments and say that I will do myself the
pleasure of waiting upon her as soon as it is
convenient for her to see me, I shall be obliged.
I will remain here until I receive her answer."

The man departed on his errand, and during
his absence I spent the time making myself as
comfortable as my limited quarters would permit.
It was not very long, however, before he returned
to inform me that the young lady would be
pleased to see me as soon as I cared to visit
their cabin.

Placing my stethoscope in my pocket, and
having thrown a hasty glance into the small
looking-glass over the washstand, in order to
make sure that I presented a fairly respectable
appearance, I left my quarters and made my way
across the saloon. Since then I have often tried
to recall my feelings at that moment, but the
effort has always been in vain. One thing is

,' )

DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

; k

certain, I had no idea of the importance the
incident was destined to occupy in the history
of my life.

I knocked upon the door, and as 1 did so
heard some one rise from a chair inside the cabin.
The handle was softly turned, and a moment
later the most beautiful girl I have ever seen in
my life stood before me. I have said " the most
beautiful girl," but this does not at all express
what I mean, nor do I think it is in my power
to do so. Let me, however, endeavour to give
you some idea of what Doiia Consuelo de Moreno
was like.

Try to picture a tall and stately girl, in reality
scarcely twenty years of age, but looking several
years older. Imagine a pale, oval face, lighted by
dark lustrous eyes with long lashes and delicately
pencilled brows, a tiny mouth, and hair as black
as the raven's wing. Taken altogether, it was
not only a very beautiful face, but a strong one,
and as I looked at her I wondered what the
circumstances could have been that had brought
her into the power of my extraordinary employer.
That she was in his power I did not for a moment
doubt.

iPh

THE MYSTERIOUS CHINAMAN

Closing the cabin door softly behind her, she
stepped into the saloon.

" The steward tells me that you are Dr. Ingleby,"
she began, speaking excellent English, but with a
slight foreign accent. Then, holding out her tiny
hand to me with charming frankness, she con-
tinued : " I was informed by Dr. Nikola, in a
letter I received this morning, that you would
join the vessel here. It is a great relief to me
to know you are on board."

1 said something, I forget what, in answer to
the compliment she paid me, and then inquired
how her aged relative was.

" He seems fairly well at present," she answered.
" As well, perhaps, as he will ever be. But, as
you may suppose, he has given me a great deal
of anxiety since we left Cadiz. This vessel is
not a good sea boat, and in the Bay of Biscay
we had some very rough weather — so rough,
indeed, that more than once I thought she must
inevitably founder. However, we are safely here
now, so that our troubles are nearly over. I
don't want you to think I am a grumbler. But
I am keeping you here when perhaps you would
like to see grandpapa for yourself? "

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DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

r >■■

I answered in the affirmative, whereupon she
softly opened the door again, and, beckoning
me to follow, led the way into tlie cabin.

If my own quarters on the other side of the
saloon had seemed small, this one seemed even
smaller. There was only one bunk, and it ran
below the port-hole. In this an old man was
lying with his hands clasped upon his breast.

"You need not fear that you will wake him,"
said the girl beside me. *' He sleeps like this
the greater part of the day. Sometimes he
frightens me, for he lies so still that I become
afraid lest he may have passed away without
my noticing it."

I did not at all wonder at her words. The
old man's pallor was of that peculiar ivory-white
which is never seen save in the very old, and
then, strangely enough, in men oftener than
women. His eyes were deeply sunken, as were
his cheeks. At one time — forty years or so
before — it must have been a powerful face ; now
it was beautiful only in its soft, harmonious white-
ness. A long beard, white as the purest snow,
fell upon, and covered his breast, and on it lay
his fleshless hands, with their bony joints and

THE MYSTERIOUS CHINAMAN

long yellow nails. The better to examine him,
I knelt down beside the bunk and took his
right wrist between my finger and thumb. As
I expected, the pulse was barely perceptible.
For a moment I inclined to the belief that the
end, of which his great-granddaughter had spoken
only a few moments before, had come, but a
second examination proved that such was not
the case. I gently replaced his hand, and then
rose to my feet.

" I can easily understand your anxiety," I said.
" I think you are wonderfully brave to have
undertaken such a voyage. However, for the
future — that is to say, until we reach Newcastle
— you must let me share your watch with
you."

"It is very kind of you to offer to do so," she
replied, " but I could not remain away from
him. I have had charge of him for such a long
time now that it has become like second nature
to me. Besides, if he were to wake and not
find me by his side, there is no saying what
might happen. I am everythini^ to him, and I
know so well what he requires."

As she said this, she gave me a look that I

ill

<)6

DR. NIKOLAS p:XFERIMKNT

V '

could not help thinking was almost one of defi-
ance, as if she were afraid that bv attending to
the old man's wants I might deprive her of his
affection. I accordingly postjioned consideration
of the matter for the moment, and, having asked
a few questions as to the patient's diet, retired,
leaving them once more alone together. From
the saloon I made my way up to the poop. The
tide was serving, and preparations were being
made for getting under way.

Ten minutes later our anchor was at the cat-
li^ad, and we were steaming slowly down the
river, and I had begun one of the most extra-
ordinary voyages it has ever fallen to the lot of
man to undertake. During the afternoon I paid
several visits to my patient's cabin ; but on no
occasion could I discover any change in his con-
dition. He lay in his bunk just as I had first
seen him ; his sunken eyes stared at the wood-
work above his head, and his left hand clasped
that of his great-granddaughter. To my surprise,
the motion of the vessel seemed to cause him
little or no inconvenience, and, fortunately for
him, his nurse was an excellent sailor. It was
in vain I tried to induce her to let me take her

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'V;

THE MYSTERIOUS CHINAMAN

place while she went up to the deck for a little
change. Her grandfather might want her, she
said, and that excuse seemed to her sufficient
to justify such trifling with her health. Later
on, however, after dinner, I was fortunate enough
to be able to induce her to accompany me to
the deck for a few moments, the steward being
left in charge of the patient, with instructions
to call us should the least change occur. By
this time we were clear of the river, and our
bows were poinded in a northerly direction.
Leaving the miserable companion, which ascended
to the poop directly from the cuddy, we began
to pace the deck. The night was cold, and, with
a little shiver, my companion drew her coquettish
mantilla more closely about her shoulders. There
was something in her action which touched me
in a manner I cannot describe. In some vague
fashion it seemed to appeal to me not only for
sympathy but for help. I saw the beautiful face
looking up at me, and as we walked I noted the
proud way in which she carried herself, and the
sailor-like fashion in which she adapted herself to
the rolling of the sliip. It was a bi.iutiful moon-
light night, and had the \ essel remained upuii an

lOO

DR. NIKOLAS EXPERIMENT

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even keel, it would have been very pleasant on
deck. To be steady, however, was a feat the
crazy old tub seemed incapable of accomplishing.

We had paced the poop perhaps half a dozen
times when my companion suddenly stopped, and
placing her hand upon my arm, said :

" Dr. Ingleby, you are in Dr. Nikola's con-
fidence, I believe. Will you tell me why we are
going to the North of England ? "

Her question placed me in an awkward predica-
ment. As I have said above, her loneliness, not to
mention the devotion she showed to her aged rela-
tive, had touched me more than a little. On the
other hand, I was Nikola's servant, employed by
him for a special work, and I did not know
whether he would wish me to discuss his plans
with her.

" You do not answer," she continued, as she
noticed my hesitation. " And yet I feel sure you
must know. It all seems so strange. Only a few
we.^ks ago we were in our own quiet home in Spain,
without a thought o^ leaving it. Then Dr. Nikola
came upon the scene, and now we are on board
this ship going up to the North of England : and
for what purpose ? "

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THE MYSTERIOUS CHINAMAN

103

" Did Nikola furnish you with no reason ? " I
inquired.

" Oh yes," she replied. « He told me that if I
would bring my grandfather to England to see him
he would make him quite a strong man again. For
some reason or another, however, I feel certain
there is something behind it that is bdng kept
from me. Is this so?"

" I am not in a position to give you any answer
that would be at all likely to satisfy you," I replied,
I am afraid a little ambiguously," for I really know
nothing. It is only fair I should tell you that I
only met Dr. Nikola, myself, for the first time a
few days ago."

" But he sent you here to be with my grand-
father," she continued authoritatively. " Surely,
Dr. Ingleby, you must be able to throw some
light upon the mystery which surrounds this
voyage ? "

I shook my head, and with a little sigh of regret
she ceased to question me. A few minutes later
she gave me a stately bow, and, biddn.g "^e good-
night, prepared to go below. Knowing that I hcd
deceived her, and hoping to find some opportunity
of putting myself right with her, I followed her

111

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DR. NIKOLA'S EXPKRIMENt

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down the companion-ladder and along the saloon
to her cabin.

" Perhaps I had better see my patient before I
retire to rest," I said, as we stood toi^cthcr at the
door, holding on to the handrail and balancing
ourselves against the rolling of the ship.

She threw a quick glance at me, as if for some
reason she were surprised at my decision ; the
expression, however, passed from her face as
quickly as it had come, and opening the door she
entered the cabin, and I followed her. She could
scarcely have advanced a step towards the bunk
before she uttered an exclamation of surprise and
horror. The steward, who was supposed to have
been watc'iing the invalid, was fast asleep, while
the latter's head had slipped from its pillow and was
now lying in a most unnatural position, his chin in
the air, his eyes open, but still fixed upon the
ceiling in the same glassy stare I have described
before. In her dismay the girl said something in
Spanish which I am unable to interpret, and lean-
ing over the bunk, gazed into her great-grand-
father's face as if she were afraid of what she
might find there. The steward meanwhile had
recovered his senses, and was staring stupidly from

* i

THE MYSTERIOUS CHINAMAN

lo:

one to the other of us, hardly able to realise the
consequences of his inattention. Though al! this
has taken some time to describe it was in reality
the action of a moment ; then signing to the
steward to stand back, and gently pushing the
young girl to one side, I knelt .down and com-
menced my examination of my patient. There
could be no doubt about one thing, the old man's
condition was eminently serious. If he lived at all,
there was but little more than a flicker of life left
in him. How to preserve that flicker was a ques-
tion that at first glance appeared impossible to
answer. It would have been better, and certainly
kinder, to have let him go in peace. This, however,
I .vas in honour bound not to do. He was Nikola's
property, whose servant I also was, and if it were
possible to keep him alive I knew I must do it.

" Oh, Dr. Ingleby, surely he cannot be dead ? "
cried the girl behind me, in a voice that had grown
hoarse with fear. " Tell me the worst, I implore
you."

" Hush ! " I answered, but without looking round.
" You must be brave. He is not dead. Nor will
he die if I can save him."

Then turning to the steward, who was still with

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DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

US, I bade him hasten to my cabin and bring me
the small bag he would find hanging upon the peg
behind the door. When he returned with it I took
from it one of the small bottles it contained, the
contents of which I had been directed by Nikola
to use only in the event of the case seeming abso-
lutely hopeless. The mixture was tasteless, odour-
less, and quite colourless, and of a liquidity equal
to water. I poured the stipulated quantity into a
spoon and forced it between the old man's lips.
Somewhat to my surprise — for I must confess,
after what I had seen of Nikola's power a few
nights before, I had expected an instantaneous cure
— ^the effect was scarcely perceptible. The eyelids
flickered a little, and then slowly closed ; a few
seconds later a respiratory movement of the thorax
was just observable, accompanied by a heavy sigh.
For upwards of an hour I .remained in close
attendance upon him, noting every symptom, and
watching with amazement the return of life into
that aged frame from which I had begun to
think it had departed for good and all. Once
more I measured the quantity of medicine and
gave it to him. This time the effect was more
marked. At the end of ten minutes a slight flush

THE MYSTERIOUS CHINAMAN

107

spread over the sunken cheeks, and his breathing
could be plainly distinguished. When, after the
third dose, he was sleeping peacefully as a little
child, I turned to the girl and held out my hand.

" He will recover," I said. " You need have no
further fear. The crisis is past."

She was sihnt for a moment, and I noticed that
her eyes had filled with tears.

" You have done a most wonderful thing," she
answered, " and have punished me for my rudeness
to you on deck. How can I ever thank you ? "

" By ceasing to give me credit to which I am
not entitled," I replied, I fear a little brusquely.
" This medicine comes from Dr. Nikola, and I
think should be as good a proof as you can desire
of the genuineness of his offer and of his ability
to make your grandfather a strong and hearty man
again."

" I will not doubt him any more," she said : and
after that, having made her promise to call me
should she need my services, I bade her good-
night and left the cabin, meaning to retire to rest
at once. The stuffiness of my berth, however,
changed my intention. After all that had trans-
pired, it can scarcely be wondered at that I was in

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DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

"i-

* ■■

a state of feverish excitement In love with my
profession as I was, it will be readily understood
that I had sufficient matter before me to afford
j)lenty of food for reflection. I accordingly filled
my pipe and made my way to the deck. Once
there, I found that the appearance of the night had
changed ; the moonlight had given place to heavy
clouds, and rain was falling. The steamer was
still rolling heavily, and every timber groaned as if
in protest against the barbarous handling to which
it was being subjected. Stowing myself away in a
sheltered place near the alley-way leading to the
engine-room, I fell to considering my position.
That it was a curious one, I do not think any one
who has read the preceding pages will doubt. A
more extraordinary could scarcely be imagined,
and what the upshot of it all was to be was a thing
I could not at all foresee.

Having finished my pipe, I refilled it and con-
tinued my meditations. At a rough guess, I should
say I had been an hour on deck when a circum-
stance occurred which was destined to furnish me
with even more food for reflection than I already
possessed. I was in the act of knocking the ashes
out of my pipe before going below, when I became

THE MYSTERIOUS CHINAMAN

109

aware that something, I could not quite see what,
was making its way along the deck in my direction
under thfj shadow of the starboard bulwark. At
first I felt inclined to believe that it was only a
trick of my imagination, but when I rubbed my
eyes and saw that it was a human figure, and that
it was steadily approaching me, I drew back into
the shadow and awaited developments, From the
stealthy way in which he advanced, and the trouble
he took to prevent himself being seen, I argued
that, whoever the man was, and wha*:ever his mission
might be, it was not a very reputable one. Closer
and closer he came, was lost to view for an instant
behind the mainmast, and then reappeared scarcely
a dozen feet from where I stood. For a moment
I hardly knew what course to adopt. I had no
desire to rouse the ship up necessarily, and yet, for
the reasons just stated, I felt morally certain that
the man was there for no lawful purpose. How-
ever, if I was going to act at all, it was plain I
must do so without loss of time. Fortune favoured
me, for I had scarcely arrived at this decision before
the chief engineer, whose cabin looked out over
the deck, turned on his electric light. A broad
beam of Hght shot out and showed me the man

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DR. NIKOLAS EXPERIMENT

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standing beside the main hatch steadfastly regard-
ing me. Before he could move I was able to take
full stock of him, and what I saw filled me with
amazement. T/ie individual was a Chiiunnaii, and
his head presented this peculiarity, that half his left
ear was missing.

As I noted the significant fact to which I have
just alluded, the recollection of Nikola's letter
flashed across my mind, in which he had warned
me to keep my eyes ojjen for just such another
man. Could tiiis be the individual for wiiom I was
to be on the look-out? It seemed extremely un-
likely that there could be two Mongolians with the
same peculiar deformity, and yet I could scarcely
believe, even if it were the same and he had any
knowledge of my connection with Nikola, that he
would have the audacity to travel in the same ship
with me. It must not be supposed, however, that
I stayed to think these things out then. The light
had no sooner flashed out upon him and revealed
his sinister personality, than the switch was turned
off and all was darkness once more. So blinding
was the glare while it did last, however, that fully
ten seconds must have elapsed before my eyes
became accustomed to the darkness. When I could

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THE MYSTERIOUS CHINAMAN

113

see, the man had vanished, and though I crossed
the hatch and searched, not a sign of him could 1
discover.

" Whoever he is," I said to myself, " he has at
least the faculty of being able to get out of the way
pretty quickly. I wonder what . . . but there,
whit's the use of worrying myself about him?
He's probably a fireman who has been sent aft on
a message to the steward, and when I see him in
the daylight I shall find him like anybody else."

But while I tried to reassure myself in this
fashion I was in reality far from being convinced.
In my own mind I was as certain that he was the
man against whom Nikola had warned me as I
could well be of anything. The chiet engineer
at that moment stepped from his cabin into the
alley-way. Here, I thought to ni)self, was an
opportunity of settling the matter once and for all.
I accordingly accosted him. I had been intro-
duced to him earlier in the day by the captain, so
that he knew who I was.

" That is not a very pretty fireman of you-?," I

began, " that Chinaman with half an ear missing.

I saw him a moment ago coming along the deck

here. Where does he hail from ? "

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The chief engineer, who, I may remark en
/yassant, was an Aberdonian, and consequently
slow of speech, hesitated for a moment before
he replied.

" That's mighty queer," he said at length. " Ye're
the second mon who's seen him the night. D'ye
tell me ye saw him this meenit? And if I may
make so bold, where might that have been ? "

" Only a few paces from where we are standing
now," I answered. " I was smoking my pipe in the
shelter there, v\ hen suddenly I detected a figure
creeping along in the shadow of the bulwarks.
Then you turned on your electric, and the light
fell full and fair upon his face. I saw him per-
fectly. There could be no doubt about it. He
was a Chinaman, and half his left ear was
missing."

The chief engineer sucked at his pipe for
upwards of half a minute.

" Queer, queer," he said, more to himself than to
me, " 'tis vera queer. 'Twas my second in yonder
was saying he met him at eight bells in this alley-
way. And yet I've been officially acquented
there's no such p- son aboard the ship."

" But there must be," I cried. " Don't I tell you

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THE MYSTERIOUS CHINAMAN

I saw the man myself, not five minutes ago? I
would be willing to go into a court of law and
swear to the fact."

" Dinna swear," he answered. " I'll nae mis-
doubt ycr word."

With this assurance I was conducted forthwith
to the chart room, where we discovered the sk!pper
stretched upon his settee, snoring voluminously.

" Do you mean to tell me that you really saw
the man ? " he inquired, when my business had
been explained to him.

I assured him that I did mean it. I had seen
him distinctly.

"Well, all I can say is that it's the most extra-
ordinary business I ever had to do with," he
answered. "The second engineer also says he
saw him. Directly he told me I had the ship
searched, but not a trace of the fellow could I
discover. We'll try again."

Leaving the chart room, he called the bos'un to
him, and, accompanied by the chief engineer and
myself, commenced an exhaustive examination of
the vessel. We explored the quarters of the crew
and firemen forrard, the galley, stores, and officers'
cabins in both alley ways, and finally the saloon

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DR NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

aft, but without success. Not a trace of the mys-
terious Mongolian could we find. The skipper
shook his head.

" I don't know what to think about it," he said.

I knew that meant that he had his doubts as to
whether I had not dreamt the whole affair. The
inference was galling, and when I bade him good-
night and went along to my cabin, I wished I had
saiu nothing at all about the matter. Nevertheless,
I was as firmly convinced that I had seen the man
as I was at the beginning. In this frame of mind
I prepared myself for bed. Before turning into
my bunk, however, I took down the small bag in
which I kept the drugs Nikola had given me and
of which he had told me to take such care. I was
anxious to have them close at hand in case I should
be sent for by Dona Consuclo during the night.
To assure myself that they had not been broken
by the rolling of the ship I opened the bag and
looked inside. My astonishment may be imagined
on discovering that it was empty. The drugs were
gone.

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THE CHINAMAN'S ESCAPE

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THE CHINAMAN'S ESCAPE

■1

CHAPTER IV

■II
11

THE night on which I discovered that Nikola's
drugs had been stolen was destined to prove
unpleasant in more senses than one. The sweetest-
tempered of men could scarcely have failed to take
offence had they been treated as the captain had
treated me. I had told him in so many words,
and with as much emphasis as I was master of,
that I had distinctly seen the Chinaman standing
upon the main deck of his steamer. The second
engineer had also entered the same report ; his
evidence, however, while serving to corroborate my
assertion, was of little further use to me, inasmuch
as I had still better proof that what I said was
correct — namely, that the medicines were missing.
Under the circumstances it was small wonder that
I slept badly. . Even had the cabin been as large

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as a hotel bedroom, and the bunk the latest in-
vention in the way of comfortable couches, it is
scarcely possible I should have had better rest.
As it was, the knowledge that I had been out-
witted was suflficient to keep me tumbling and
tossing to and fro, from the moment I laid my
head upon the pillow until the sun was streaming
in through my porthole next morning. Again and
again I went over the events of the previous day,
recalling every incident with photographic distinct-
ness ; but always returning to the same point
How the man could have obtained admittance to
the saloon at all was more than I could understand,
and, having got there, why he should have stolen
the bottles of medicine when there were so many
other articles which would have seemed to be of
infinitely more value to him, scattered about, was,
to say the least of it, incomprehensible. Hour
after hour I puzzled over it, and at the end was
no nearer a solution of the enigma than at the
beginning. At first I felt inclined to believe that
I must have taken them from the bag myself und
for security's sake have placed them elsewhere. A
few moments' search, however, was sufficient to
knock the bottom out of that theory. Hunt high

THE CHINAMAN'S ESCAPE

121

and low, where I would, I could discover no traces
of the queer little bottles. Then I remembered
that when I had sent the steward for them to the
Don's cabin the previous afternoon, I had taken
them from the bag and placed them upon the deck
beside the old man's bunk. Could I have left them
there? On reconsidering the matter more care-
fully, however, I remembered that before leaving
the cabin I had replaced them in my bag, and that
as I carried them back to my berth I had bumped
the satchel against the corner of the saloon table
and was afraid I might have broken them. This
effectually disposed of that theory also. At last
the suspense of irritation, by whichever name you
may describe it, became unbearable, and unable to
remain in bed any longer, I rose, dressed myself,
and prepared to go on deck. Entering the saloon,
I found the steward busied over a number of coffee-
cups.

"Good morning, sir," he said, looking up from
his work. " If you'll excuse my saying so, sir,
you're about early."

" I was late in bed," I answered, with peculiar
significance. " How is it, my friend, that you
allow people, who have no right here, to enter

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DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

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the saloon and to thieve from the passengers'
cabins ? "

" To thieve, sir ! " the man replied in a startled
tone ; " I'm sure I don't understand you, sir. I
allow no one to enter the saloon who has no right
to be there."

I glanced at him sharply, wondering whether
the fellow was as innocent as he pretended to
be.

" At any rate," I said, " the fact remains that
some one entered my cabin last night, while I
was on deck, and stole the medicines with which
I am treating the old gentleman in the cabin
yonder."

The man looked inexpressibly shocked.

" God bless my soul alive, sir — you don't mean
that ! " he said, with a falter in his voice. " Surely
you don't mean it ? "

"But I do mean it," I answered. "There can
be no sort of doubt about it. When I left the
old gentleman's cabin yesterday I carried the bag
containing the medicines back with me to my own
berth, locked it, and hung it upon the peg beside
the looking-glass with my own hands. After that
I went on deck, returned to my cabin an hour or

THE CHINAMANS ESCAPE

133

so later, opened the bag, and the bottles were
gone."

" But, sir, have you any idea who could have
taken them ? " the man replied. " I hope you
don't think, sir, as how I should have allowed
such a thing to take place in this saloon with
my knowledge ? "

" I hope you would not," I answered, " but that
does not alter the fact that the things are missing."

" But don't you think, sir, the young lady herself
might have come in search of you, and when she
found you were not there did the next best thing
and took away the medicines to use herself? "

" ^\t present I do not know what to think," I
replied with some hesitation, for that view of the
case had not presented itself to me. " But if there
has been anything underhand going on, I think
I can promise the culprit that it will be made
exceedingly hot for him when we reach our
destination."

Having fired this parting shot, I left him to the
contemplation of his coffee-cups and made my
way up the companion-ladder to the deck above.
It was a lovely morning, a brisk breeze was blow-
ing, and the steamer was running fairly steady

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DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

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under a staysail and a foresail. It was not the
sort of morning to feel depressed, and yet the
incidents of the previous night were sufficient to
render me more than a little uncomfortable.
Nikola had trusted me, and in the matter of the
medicines at least I had been found wanting. I
believe at the moment I would have given all I
possessed — which was certainly not much, but still
a good deal to me — to have been able to solve
the mystery that surrounded the disappearance of
those drugs. Shortly before eight bells the skipper
emerged from the chart room and came along the
hurricane deck towards the poop. Seeing me he
waved his hand, and, after he had ascended the
ladder from the main deck, bade me good morning.

"I'm afraid our accommodation is not very
good," he said, "but I trust you have passed a
fairly comfortable night. No more dreams of
one-eared Chinamen, I hope ? "

From the tone in which he spoke it wai plain
that he imagined I must have been dreaming on
the previous evening. Had it not been for the
seriousness of my position with Nikola, I could
have laughed aloud when I thought of the shell
I was about to drop into the skipper's camp.

THE CHINAMAN'S ESCAPE

" Dreams or no dreams, Captain Windover," I
replied, " I have to make a very serious complaint
to you. It will remain then for you to say
whether you consider that the assertion I made
to you last night was, or was not, founded upon
fact. As I believe you are aware, I was instructed
by my principal. Dr. Nikola, to join this vessel in
the Thames and to take charge of Don Miguel de
Moreno until his arrival in Newcastle-on-Tyne.
Dr. Nikola was fully aware of the difficulty and
responsibility of the task he had assigned to me,
and for this reason he furnished me with a number
of very rare drugs which I was to administer to
the patient as occasion demanded. In the letter
of instructions which I received prior to embark-
ing, I was particularly warned to beware of a
certain Chinaman whose peculiar characteristic
was that he had lost half an ear. In due course
I joined your vessel, and attended the Don, used
the drugs to which I have referred, and afterwards
returned them to my cabin. A quarter of an hour
or so later I made my way to the deck, where I
found myself suddenly brought face to face with
the Asiatic of whom I had been warned. On
the recommendation of the chief engineer I

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DR. NIKOLAS EXPERIMENT

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reported the matter to \'ou ; you se.irched the
ship, found no one at all like the m;in I described,
and from that lime forward set down the story I
iiad told )'oii either as a fabrication on my part,
or the creation of a dream."

'* Pardon me, my dear sir, not a fabrication," the
skipper bc<^an : *' only a "

" Pardon me in your turn," I replied : " I have
not quite finished. As I have inferred, >ou treat
the matter with contempt. What is the result?
1 return to my cabin, and, before retirin^^ to rest,
in order to make sure that they are ready at hand
in case I should rc(iuire them during the m't^ht,
open the bay in which the medicines until that
moment had been stored. To my consternation
they are not there. Some one had entered my
cabin during my absence and stolen them. I
leave you to put what construction on it you
j)lease, and to say what that some one was."

The captain's face was a study. " But —
but " he began.

"Buts will not meiul the matter," I answered,
I am afraid rather sharply. *' There can be no
getting a\ ay from the fact that they are gone, and
that some one must have taken them. They
could .scarcely walk away b\' themselves."

THE CHINAMALS ESCAPE

127

*' But supposing: your suspicions to be correct,
what possible use could a few small bottles of
unknown medicine be to a man like that, a China-
man ? Had he taken your watch and chain, or
your money, I could understand it; but from what
you say, I gather that nothing else is missing."

" Nothing else," I replied, in the tone of a man
who is making an admission that is scarcely likely
to add to the weight of the argument he is
endeavouring to adduce.

" Besides," continued the skipper, "ther" are half
a hundred other ways in which tlie things might
have been lost or mislaid. Last night the ship
was rolling heavily : why might they not have
tumbled out and have slipped under \ our bunk
or behind your bags ? 1 have known things like
tliat occur."

" And would the ship have closed the bag again,
may I ask?" I answered scornfully. "No, no!
Captain, I am afraid that won't do. The man 1
reported to you last night, the one-eitj-ed China-
man, is aboard your ship, and for soire reason
best known to himself he has stolen so.ne of my
property, thereby nt)t only inconvemen jing me but
placing in absolute danger the life of the old man

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DR. NIKOLAS EXPERIMENT

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whom I was sent on board to take care of. As
the thief is scarcely likely to have jumped over-
board, he must be on board now ; and as he would
not be likely to have stolen the bottles only to
smash them, it stands to reason that he must have
them in his keeping at the present moment."

" And suppose he has, what do you want me to
do?"

" I want you to find him for me," I answered,
" or, if you don't care to take the trouble, to put
sufficient men at my disposal and :^l'ow me to
do so."

On hearing this the captain became very red
and shifted uneasily on his feet.

" My dear sir," he said a little testily, " much as
I would like to put myself out to serve you, I must
confess that what you ask seems a little unreason-
able. Don't I tell you I have already searched the
ship twice in an attempt to find this man, md
each time without success? Upon my w i\: I
don't think it is fair to ask me to do so again."

" In that case I am very much afraid I have no
alternative but to make a complaint to you in
writing and to hold you responsible, should Don
Miguel de Moreno lose his life through this

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THE CHINAMAN'S ESCAPE

129

robbery which has been committed, and which
you will not help me to set right."

What the captain would have answered in reply
to this I cannot say ; it is quite certain, however,
that it would have been something sharp had not
the Dofla Consuelo made her appearance from the
companion hatch that moment. She struck me as
looking very pale, as if she had passed a bad
night. The skipper and I went forwaid together
to meet her.

" Good morning," I said, as I took the little
hand she held out to me. " I hope your great-
grandfather is better this morning ? "

" He has passed a fairly good night, and is
sleeping quietly at present," she answered. " The
steward is sitting with him now while I come up
for a few moments to get a little fresh air on deck."

The skipper made some remark about the
beauty of the morning, and while he was speaking
I watched the girl's face. There was an ex-
pression upon it I did not quite iiiiderstand.

*• I am afraid you have not passed a very good
night," I said, after the other had finished.
" Yesterday's anxiety must have upset you more
than you allowed me to suppose."

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UR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

" I will confess that it did upset me " she
answered, with her pretty foreign accent and the
expressive gesticulation which was so becoming to
her. " I have had a wretched night. I had such
a terrible dream that I have scarcely recovered
from it yet."

" I am sorry to hear *:hat," the skipper and I
answered almost together, while I added, "Pray
tell us about it."

"It does not seem very much to tell," she
answered, " and yet tlie effect it produced upon
me is just as vivid now as it was then. After
you left the cabin last night. Dr. Ingleby, I sat for
a little while by my grandfather's side, trying to
read ; but finding that impossible, I retired to rest,
lying upon the bed the steward is kind enough to
make up for me upon the floor. I was utterly
worn out, and almost as soon as I closed my eyes
I fell asleep. How long 1 had been sleeping I
cannot say, but suddenly I felt there was some one
in the room who was watching me : who it was I
could not tell, but that it was some one, or some-
thing, utterly repulsive to me I felt certain. In
vain I endeavoured to open my eyes, but, as in
most nightmares, I found it impossible to do so ;

THE CHINAMAN'S ESCAPE

131

and all the time I could feel this loathsome thing,
whatever it was, drawing closer and closer to me.
Then, putting forth a great effort, I managed to
wake, or perhaps to dream that I did so. 1 had
much better have kept my eyes closed, for leaning
over me was the most horrible face I have ever
seen or imagined. It was flatter than that of a
European, with small, narrow eyes, and such cruel
eyes."

"Good heavens!" I cried, unable to keep silence
any longer, "can it be possible that you saw him
too ? "

Meanwhile the skipper, who had been leaning
against the bulwarks, his hands thrust deep in his
pockets and his cap upon the back of his head,
suddenly sprang to attention.

"Can you remember anything else about the
man ? " he inquired.

The girl considered for a moment.

" I do not know that 1 can," she answered. " I
can only repeat what I said before, that it was the
most awful face I have ever seen in my life. — Stay,
there is one other thing that I remember. I
noticed that half his left ear was missing."

" It is the Chinaman ! " I cried, with an air of

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DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERLMENT

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triumph that I could no longer suppress. And as
I said it I took from my pocket the letter of
instruction Nikola had sent me the week before,
and read aloud the passage in which he referred
to the one-eared Chinaman of whom I was to
beware. The effect was exactly what I imagined
it would be.

" Do you mean to tell me I was not dreaming
after all ? " the Dona inquired, with a frightened
expression on her face.

" That is exactly what I do mean," I answered.
" And I am glad to have your evidence that you
saw the man, for the reason that it bears out what
I have been saying to our friend the captain
here."

Then turning to that individual, I continued :
" I hope, sir, you will now see the advisability
of instituting another search for this man. If I
were in your place I would turn the ship inside
out, from truck to keelson. It seems to me
outrageous that a rascal like this can hide him-
self on board, and you, the captain, be ignorant
of his whereabouts."

"There is no necessity to instruct me in my
duty," he answered stiffly, and then going to the

THE CHINAMAN'S ESCAPE

133

companion called down it for the steward, who
presently made his appearance on deck.

"Williams," said the skipper, "Dr. Ingleby
informs me that a theft was committed in his
cabin last night. He declares that a man made
his way into the saloon, visiting not only his berth,
but that of Don Miguel de Moreno. How do you
account for this ? "

" Dr. Ingleby did say something to me about it
this morning, sir," the steward replied : " but to tell
you the plain truth, sir, I don't know what to think
of it It's the first time I've ever known such a
thing happen. Of course I shouldn't like to say
as how Dr. Ingleby was mistaken."

" You had better not," I replied, so sharply that
the man jumped with surprise.

" Anyway, sir," the steward continued, " I feel
certain that if the man had come aft I should have
heard him. I am a light sleeper, as the saying is,
and I believe that a cat coming down the com-
panion-ladder would be enough to wake me, much
less a man."

" On this occasion you must have slept sounder
than usual," I said. " At any rate the fact remains
that the man did come ; and I have to ask you

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134

DR. NIKOLAS EXPERIMENT

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once more, Captain, what you intend to do to find
my stolen property ? "

" I must take time to consider the matter," the
captain replied. "If the man is aboard the ship,
as you assert, I will find him, and if I do find him
he had better look out for squalls — that's all I can
say."

" And at the same time," I added, " I hope you
will severely punish any member of your crew who
may have been instrumental in secreting him on
board."

As I said this I glanced at the steward, and it
seemed to me his always sallow face became even
paler than usual.

" You need not bother yourself about that," said
the skipper : "you may be sure I shall do so."

Then, lifting his cap to the Dofia Consuelo, he
went forward along the deck ; while the steward,
having informed us that breakfast was upon the
table, returned to the companion-ladder and
disappeared below.

"What docs all this mystery mean, Dr. Ingleby?"
inquired my companion, as we turned and walked
aft together.

"It means that there is more at the back of it

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THE CHINAMAN'S ESCAPE

135

than meets the eye," I replied. " Before I left
London I was warned by Dr. Nikola, as you heard
me say just now, to beware of a certain Asiatic
with only half an ear. What Nikola feared he
would do I have no notion, but there seems to
be no doubt that this is the man."

"But he has done us no harm," she replied,
" beyond frightening me ; so if the captain takes
care that he does not come as far as the saloon
again, it does not seem to me we need think any
more about him."

"But he has done us harm," I asserted —
"grievous harm. He has stolen the medicine
with which I treated your great-grandfather so
successfully yesterday."

On hearing this she gave a little start.

" Do you mean that if he should become ill
again in the same way that he did yesterday, you
would be unable to save him?" she inquired, almost
breathlessly.

" I cannot say anything about that," I answered.
**I should of course do my best, but I must confess
the loss of those drugs is a very serious matter for
me. They are exceedingly valuable, and were
specially entrusted to my care."

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DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

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" And you think that Dr. Nikola will be angry
with you for having lost them ? " she said.

" I am very much afraid he will," I answered.
" But if he is, I must put up with it Now let us
come below to breakfast." With that I led her
along the deck and down the companion-ladder
to the saloon.

" Before we sit down to our meal I think it would
perhaps be as well if I saw your great-grandfather,"
I said. " I should like to convince myself that he
is none the worse for his attack yfjsLerday."

Upon this we entered the cabin together, and I
bent over the recumbent figure of the old man.
He lay just as he had done on the previous day ;
his long thin hands were clasped upon his breast,
and his eyes looked upward just as I remembered
seeing them. For all the difference that was to
be seen, he might never have moved since I had
left him so many hours before.

" He is awake," whispered his great-grand-
daughter, who had looked at him over my
shoulder. Then, raising her voice a little, she
continued, still in English, " This is Dr. Ingleby,
grandfather, whom your friend Dr. Nikola has
sent to take care of you."

THE CHINAMAN'S ESCAPE

137

" I thank you, sir, for your kindness," replied the
old man, in a voice that was little louder than a
whisper. "You must forgive me if my reception
of you appears somewhat discourteous, but I am
very feeble. A month ago I celebrated my ninety-
eighth birthday, and at such an age, I venture to
assert, much may be forgiven a man."

" Pray do not apologise," I replied. " I am
indeed glad to find you looking so much better
this morning."

" If to be still alive is to be better, then I suppose
I must be," he answered, in a tone that was almost
one of regret ; and then continued, " The days of
our age are threescore years and ten ; and though
men be so strong that they come to fourscore
yeai , yet is their strength but labour and sorrow ;
labour and sorrow — aye, labour and sorrow."

" Co le, come, sir," I said, " you must not talk
like this. You are not very comfortable here, but
we are nearly at our journey's end. Once there,
you will be able to rest more quietly and in greater
comfort than it is possible for you to do in this
tiny cabin."

" You speak well," he answered, " when you say
that I am nearly at my journey's end. God knows

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DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

I am near it — very, very near it. The wonder is
I have not reached it long since. But it will come
at last, and when it comes I shall rest, as you say,
more quietly than in this tiny cabin."

Seeing that in his present humour there was not
much to be done with him, I completed my
examination, gave certain instructions to his
great-granddaughter, and then left the cabin,
feeling very much as if I had stepped into the
nineteenth out of another and quite different
century. Breakfast was laid in the saloon ; and
as the steward informed me that the skipper
invariably had his sent forward ''o the chart
room, while the Dofia Consuelo 'ly partook

of hers by the old gentleman's bedside, I sat down
to it alone. The steward waited upon me, a trifle
nervously I thought, and with an obsequiousness
that told me he was anxious to make up to me for
the robbery of the night before. Whatever he
might think, however, I had not the smallest
intention of allowing myself to be drawn into a
discussion with him on the subject. The matter
would have to be settled some way or another
when we reached our destination, and then, in all
probability, Nikola would look after it for himself.

THE CHINAMAN'S ESCAPE

»39

Whatever else may be said of the good ship
Dofia Mercedes, her warmest admirers could scarcely
assert that she possessed a wonderful turn of
speed. Even with everything in her favour it
was as much as the chief engineer could do to
knock nine knots out of her, but on the present
occasion seven was somewhere nearer the mark.
For this reason, instead of reaching our destination
at midday, as I had hoped we should do, night had
closed in on us before we had crossed the bar and
could count ourselves safely in the river, while
five bells in the first watch had been sounded
before wc lay at anchor in the Tyneside.

As soon as I heard the cable rattling out through
the hawse hole I made my way to the deck. The
night was a dark one, but a more interesting
picture than I had before me then could scarcely
be imagined. Around me on every side were
ships : colliers, tramps, passenger-vessels and
merchantmen of every possible sort and descrip-
tion. The lights of the city could be plainly
distinguished, and innumerable tongues of fire
containing all the colours of the rainbow flashed
up continually from factory chimneys. A couple
of steam-launches were lying alongside, with at

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DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

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least a dozen small boats ; and thinking Nikola
might be in one of them, I went forward to the
gangway in search of him, but though I scanned
the faces below me, his was not among them. For
the reason that we were so late getting into the
river, and knowing that the vessel would be likely
to remain for some time to come, I argued that in
all probability he had put off boarding her until
the morning. I accordingly turned away, and
was about to walk aft when a hand was placed
on my shoulder.

*" Well, friend Ingleby," said a voice that there
was no mistaking, and which I should have known
anywhere, " what sort of a voyage have you had,
and how is your patient progressing?"

" Dr. Nikola ! " I cried in astonishment, as I
turned and found him standing before me. "I was
just looking for you in the boats alongside. I
had no idea you were on board."

" I came up by the other gangway," Nikola
replied. " Hut you have not answered my
question. How is your patient?"

" He is still alive," I answered, " and I fancy, if
possible, a little better than when we left London.
But he is so feeble that to speak of his being well

THE CHINAMAN'S ESCAPE

141

seems almost a sarcasm. Yesterday for a few
moments I thought he was gone, but with the help
of the drugs you gave me I managed to bring
him round again. This morning he was strong
enough to converse with me."

" I am pleased to hear it," he replied. " You
have done admirably, and I congratulate you.
Now we must think about their trans-shipment."

"Trans-shipment?" I replied. "Is it possible
they have to make another journey ? "

" It is more than possible — it is quite certain,"
he answered. *' Allerdcyne Castle is a matter of
some fifty mMcs up the coast, and a steam yacht
will take us there. A bed has been prepared for
the old gentleman in the saloon, and all we have
to do is to get him off this boat and on board her.
You had better let me have those drugs and I'll
mi.x him up a slight stimulus. He'll need it."

This was the question I had been dreading all
along, but the die was cast and willy nilly the
position had to be faced.

" I should like to speak to you upon that matter,"
I said. " I very much fear that you will consider me
to blame for not having exercised greater care over
them, but I had no idea they would be of any

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DR. NIKOLAS EXPERIMENT

value to any one who did not know the use of
them."

" Pray what do you mean ? " he asked, with a
look of astonishment that I believe was more than
half assumed. To what are you alluding ? Have
you had an accident with the drugs ? "

While we had been talking we liad walked along
the main deck, and were approaching the entrance
leading tlierefrom to the cuddy, the light from
which fell upon his face. There was a look upon
it that I did not like. When he was in an affable
mood Nikola's countenance was singularly pre-
possessing : when, however, he was put out by
anything it was the face of a devil rather than a
man.

" I exceedingly regret having to inform you that
last night the drugs in question vver^ stolen from
my cabin.

In a moment he was all excitement.

•* By the man of whom I bade you beware, of
course — the one-eared Chinaman?"

" The same," I answered ; and went on to inform
him of all that had transpired since my arrival
on board, including my trouble with the captain
and the suspicions I entertained, without much

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THE CHINAMAN'S ESCAPE

foundation I'm afraid, against the steward. He
heard me out without speaking, and when I had
finished bade me wait on deck while he went
below to the Morenos' cabin. While he was gone
I strolled to the side, and once more stood watch-
ing the lights reflected in the water below. On an
old tramp steamer a short distance astern of us a
man was singing. It was one of Chevalier's coster
songs, and I could recognise the words quite
distinctly. The last time I had heard that song
was in Cape Coast Castle, just after I had re-
covered from my attack of fever ; and I was still
pursuing the train of thought it conjured up, when
I noticed a boat drawing into the circle of light to
which I have just alluded. It contained two men,
one of whom was standing up while the other
rowed. A second or two later they had come
close enough for me to see the face of the man
in the bows. To my amazement he was a
Chinaman ! So overwhelming was my astonish-
ment that I uttered an involuntary cry, and,
running to the skylight, called to Nikola to come
on deck. Then, bounding to the bulwarks again,
I looked for the boat. But I was too late. Either
they had achieved their object, or my prompt

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DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

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action had given them a fright. At any rate,
they were gone.

"What do you want?" cried Nikola, who by
this time had reached the decl<.

"The Chinamen!" I cried. "I saw one of them
a moment ago in a boat alongside."

" Where are they now ? " he inquired.

" I cannot see them. They have disappeared
into the darkness again ; but when I called to you
they were scarcely twenty yards away. What
does their presence here signify, do you think?"

" It signifiiis that they know that I am on board,"
answered Nikola, with a queer sort of smile upon
his face. " It means also that, although this is
the nineteenth century and the law-abiding land
of England, if we were to venture a little out
of the beaten track ashore to-night, you and I
would stand a very fair chance of having our
throats cut before morning. It has one other
meaning, and that is that you and I must play
the old game of the partridge and its nest, and
lure them away from this boat while the skipper
transfers Don Miguel and his great-grand-
daughter to the yacht I have in waiting down
the river."

THE CHINAMAN'S ESCAl^E

«47

" That is all very well," I interrupted, " but I
am not at all sure the skipper would be willing.
To put it bluntly, he and I have already had a few
words together over this matter."

" That will make no difrcrcnce," Nikola
answered. " I assure you you need have no fear
that he will play us false : he knows me far too
well to attempt that. I will confer with him at
once, and while I am doing so you had better get
your traps together. We will then go ashore
and do our best to draw these rascals rif the
scent."

So saying, Nikola made his way forward
towards the chart room, while I went through the
cuddy to my own berth. The steward carried my
bags out o!i to the main deck, and, after I had
spoken a word or two with Dofta Consuclo, I
followed him. Five minutes later Nikola joined
me, accompanied by the captain. I had bidden
the latter good-bye earlier in the evening, and
Nikola was giving him one last word of advice,
when I happened to glance towards the alley-way
on the port side. Imagine my surprise — nay, I
might almost say my consternation — on beholding,
standing in the dark by the corner of the main

148

DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

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hatch, the same mysterious Chinaman who I felt
certain had committed the robbery of the drugs
the previous night.

" Look, look," I cried to my companions ; " see,
there is the man again ! "

They wheeled round and looked in the direction
to which I pointed. At the same moment the
man's right arm went up, and from where I stood
I could see something glittering in the palm. An
inspiration, how or by what occasioned I shall
never be able to understand, induced me to seize
Nikola by the arm and to swing him behind me.
It was well that I did so, for almost before we
could realise what was happening, a knife was
thrown, and stood imbedded a good three inches
in the bulwark, exactly behind where Nikola had
been standing an instant before. Then, springing
on to the ladder which leads from the main to the
hurricane deck, he raced up it, jumped on to the
rail, and dived headlong ''nto the water alongside.
By the time we reached the deck whence he
had taken his departure, all we could see was
a boat pulling swiftly in the direction of the
shore.

''That settles it, friend Ingleby," said Nikola.

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THE CHINAMAN'S ESCAPE 149

"We have no alternative now but to make our
way ashore and do as I proposed. If you are
ready, come along. I think I can safely promise
you an adventure."

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ALLERDEYNE CASTLE

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CHAPTER V

ALLERDEYNE CASTLE

HEN, nowadays, I look back upon the
period I spent in Nikola's company, one
significant fact always strikes me, and that is the
enormous number of risks we managed to cram
into such a comparatively short space of time.
During my somewhat chequered career I have
perhaps seen as much of what is vaguely termed
life as most men : I have lived in countries the
very reverse of civilised ; I have served aboard ships
where there has been a good deal more sand-
bagging and hazing than would be considered
good for the average man's Christian tempera-
ment ; and as for actual fighting, well, I have seen
enough of that to have learnt one lesson — one
which will probably cause a smile to rise on the
face of the inexperienced — and that is to keep out

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DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

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of it as far as possible, and on all occasions to be
afraid of firearms.

I concluded my last chapter v/ith an account of
our arrival in Newcastle, and explained how we
were preparing to go ashore, when the one-eared
Chinaman, who I felt convinced had committed
the robbery of the previous night, made his
appearance before us and came within an ace of
taking Nikola's life. Had it not been for my
presence of mind, or instinct, by whichever term
you please to call it, I verily believe it would have
been the end of all things for the Doctor. As it
was, however, the knife missed its mark, and a
moment later the man had sprung up the ladder
to the hurricane deck and leaped the rail and
plunged into the river. Being desirous of prevent-
ing the Chinaman from following us and by that
means becoming aware that we were leaving for
the north in Nikola's yacht, we determined to
make our way ashore and permit them to suppose
that we were remaining in Newcastle for some
length of time. Accordingly we descended into
the wherry alongside, and ordered the boatman to
pull us ♦^o the nearest landing-stage.

" Keep your eyes open and your wits about

ALLERDEYNE CASTLE

155

you," whispered Nikola, when we had left the boat
and were making our way up to the street.
" They are certain to be on the look-out for us."

As you may be sure, I did not neglect his
warning. I had had one exhibition of that
diabolical Celestial's skill in knife throwing, and
when I reflected that in a big town like Newcastle
there were many dark corners and alley-ways, and
also that a knife makes but little or no noise when
thrown, I was more determined than ever to
neglect no opportunity of looking after my own
safety. When we reached the street at the rear of
the docks Nikola cast about him for a cab, but for
some minutes not one was to be seen. At last a
small bo) obtained one for us, and when the
luggage had been placed on the roof we took our
seats in it. Nikola gave the driver his instructions,
and in a short time wc were bowling along in
the direction of our hotel. Throughout the drive
I could see no signs of the enemy. I was in the
act of wondering how such a game as we were
then playing could possibly help us if the
Celestials had failed to see us come ashore, when
Nikola turned to me, and in his usual quiet voice
said :

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156

DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

" I wonder if you have noticed that we are being
followed ? "

I replied that I certainly had not, r.or could I
see how he could tell such a thing.

" Very easily," he said : " I will prove that what
I say is correct. Do you remember the small boy
who went in search of a cab ? "

I answered that I did, whereupon he bade me
examine our reflection as we passed the next shop
window. I did so, and could plainly distinguish
a small figure seated on the rail at tiie back.
Save this atom, ourselves, and a solitary police-
man, the street was deserted.

" I do see a small boy," I answered ; " but may
he not be coming with us to try and obtain the job
of carrying our luggage?"

" He is engaged upon another now. When he
came up from the river he was on the look-out
for us, although, as you may have noticed, he
pretended to be asleep in a doorway. He ob-
tained the cab for us, and as you stepped into
it he ranged up alongside and handed something
to the driver. When we alight he will wait to
see that our luggage is carried in, after which he
will decamp and carry the information to his

ALLERDEYNE CASTLE

157

employers, who will endeavour to cut our throats
as soon as the opportunity occurs."

" You look at the matter in an eminently cheer-
ful light," I said. " For my own part I have no
desire to give them the chance just yet. Is
there no way in which we can prevent such a
possibility occurring ? "

" It is for that reason that we are here," Nikola
replied. " I can assure you I am no more anxious
to die than you are. There would be a good deal
of irony in having perfected a scheme for pro-
longing life, only to meet one's death at the hand
of a Chinese ruffian in a civilised English town."

" Then what is your plan ? " I inquired.

" I will tell you. But do not let us speak so
loud : little pitchers have long ears. My notion
is that we make for the hotel, the name of which
I was careful to give the driver in the hearing
cf the boy. We will engage a coui)le of rooms
there, order breakfast for to-morrow morning,
still in the hearing of the boy, and afterwards
get out of the way as quietly as possible."

" It sounds feasible enouj^h," I replied, " if only
we can do it. But do you think the men will
be ao easily fooled ? "

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DR. NIKOLAS EXPERIMENT

" Well, that remains to be proved. However,
we shall very soon find out."

" A pretty sort of thing you've let yourself in
for, Master Ingleby!" I thought to myself as
Nikola lapsed into silence once more. " A week
ago you were starving in a back street in London,
and now it looks very much as if you are going to
be murdered in affluence in Newcastle. However,
you've let yourself in for it, and have only yourself
to blame for the result."

Consoling myself in this philosophic way, I held
my peace until the cab drew up before the hostelry
to which my companion had alluded. As soon as
we were at a standstill, Nikola alighted and went
into the hotel to inquire about rooms. As we had
agreed, I remained in the cab until he returned.

" It's all right, Ingleby," he cried, as he crossed
the pavement again. " They're very full, but we
can nave the rooms until the day after to-morrow.
After that wc must look elsewhere. Now let us
get the traps inside."

The porter emerged and took our luggage, and
we accompanied him into tlie building. As we
did so I saw the ragged urchin who had ridden
behind the cab draw near the portico.

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ALLERDEYNE CASTLE

159

The manager received us in the hall.

" Numbers 59 and 60," he said to the porter.
" Would you care for any supper, gentlemen ? "

We thanked him, but declined, and then fol-
lowed the porter upstairs to the rooms in ques-
tion. Having seen my luggage safely installed
and the man on his way downstairs, Nikola
showed himself ready for business.

"When you get into these sort of scrapes," he
said, " it is just as well to have a good memory.
I know these rooms of old, and directly I saw
the position we were in I thought they might
prove of use to us. I once did the manager a
good turn, and when I explain matters to him
I fancy he will understand why we have taken
up our abode with him only to leave again so
suddenly. Have you a sheet of notepaper and
an envelope in your bag?"

I produced them for him, whereui)on he wrote
a note, and having placed a bank-note inside,
addressed it to his friend.

" I'll leave it on the chimneypiece, where the
chambermaid will be certain to see it, ' he said.
" I have told the manager that we are obliged
to leave in this unceremonious fashion in ordei

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to rid ourselves of some unpleasant fellow-
travellers, who have been following us about with
what I can only think must be hostile intent.
Until we return I have asked him to take charge
of your baggage, so that you need have no fear
on that score. I am sorry you should have to
lose it, but I can lend you anything you may
require until you get possession of it again. Now,
if only we can get out of this window and down
to the Tyneside once more, without being seen,
I think we may safely say we have given Quong
Ma the slip for good and all."

So saying he crossed the room and threw open
the window.

" We are both active men," Nikola continued,
" and should experience small difficulty in drop-
ping on to the roof of the outhouse below ; thence
we can make our way along the wall to the back.
Are you ready ? "

" Quite ready," I answered ; whereupon he
crawled out of the window and, holding on by
both hands, lowered himself until his feet were
only a yard or so above the roof of the outhouse
to which he had rcfcMred. Then he let go and
dropped. I followed his example, after which

ALLERDEYNE CASTLE

i6x

we made our way in Indian file along the wall,
passed the stables, and dropped without adven-
ture into the dark lane at the rear of the hotel.
It was the first time in my life I had left a
building of that description in such an uncere-
monious fashion, yet, strangely enough, I re-
member, it caused me no surprise. In Nikola's
company the most extraordinary performances
seemed commonplace, and in the natural order
of things.

" From now forward we must proceed with the
greatest caution," said my companion, as we
regained our feet and paused before making our
way down the dark lane towards a small street
at the farther end. " They are scarcely likely
to watch the back of the hotel, but it will be
safer for us to suppose them to be doing so."

Acting up to this decision, we proceeded with
as much caution as if every shadow were an
enemy and every doorway contained a villainous
Celestial. We saw nothing of tiic men we feared,
however, and eventually reached the thoroughfare
leading to the docks, without further adventure.
But, fortunate as we had been, we were not
destined to get away as successfully as we had

1 62

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hoped to do. We were within sight of the rive*
when something, I cannot now remember what,
induced me to look back. I did so just in time
to catch a ghmpse of a figure emerging from
the shadow of a tall building. At any other
time such a circumstance would have given rise
to no suspicion in my mind ; but, worked up to
such a pitch as I was then, I seemed gifted with
an unerring instinct that told me as plainly as
any words that the man in question was following
us, and that he was the Chinaman we were so
anxious to avoid. I pointed him out to Nikola,
and asked whether he agreed with me as to the
man's identity.

" We will soon decide that point," was his reply.
" Slacken your pace for a moment, and when I give
the word wheel sharply round and walk towards
him.

We executed this manoeuvre, and began to walk
quickly back in the direction we had come. The
mysterious figure was still making his way along
the darker side of the street ; and our suspicions
were soon confirmed, for on seeing us turn he
turned also, and a few seconds later disappeared
down a side street.

ALLERDEYNE CASTLE

163

" He is spying on us, sure enough," said Nikola,
"and I do not see how we are going to baffle him.
Let us hasten on to the river and trust to luck to
get on board the yacht without his finding out
where we have gone."

Once more we turned ourselves about, and in
something less than five minutes had reached the
landing-place for which we were steering. Then
pulling a whistle from his pocket, Nikola blew three
sharp notes upon it. An answer came from the
deck of the yacht out in the stream. It had
scarcely died away before a boat put off from
alongside the craft and came swiftly towards us.

'* It is only a question of minutes now," said
Nikola, throwing a hasty glance round him.
"Time versus the Chinaman, and if I am not mis-
taken " — here the boat drew up at the steps — "time
has the best of it. Come along, my friend ; let us
get on board."

I followed him down the steps and took my
place in the dinghy. The men pulling bent to
their oars, and we shot out into the stream.

" Look," said Nikola, pointing to the place we
had just left : " I thought our friend would not be
very far behind us."

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I followed with my eyes the direction in which
he pointed, and, sure enough, I could just dis-
tinguish a dark figure standing upon the steps.

" They would like to catch me if they could,"
observed the Doctor, with a slirug of his shoulders
and one of his peculiar laughs. "If they have
tried once they have done so a hundred times. I
will do them the credit of saying that their plans
have been admirably laid, but Fate has stood by
me, and on each occasion they have miscarried.
They tried it first at Ya-Chow-Fu, then at I-chang,
afterwards in Shanghai, Rangoon, Bombay, Lon-
don, Paris, md St. Petersburg, and 1 can't tell you
how many other places ; but as you see, they have
not succeeded so far."

" But why should they do it ? " I asked. " What
is the reason of it all ? "

" That is too long a story for me to tell you
now," he replied, as the boat drew up at the accom-
modation-ladder. " You shall hear it another day.
Our object now must be to get away from New-
castle without further loss of time."

I followed him along the deck to where a short
stout man stood waiting to receive us.

" Are you ready, Stevens ? " asked Nikola.

ALLERDKYNE CASTLE

165

" All ready, sir," the other re[)lied, with the
brevity of a man who is not accustomed to waste
his words.

"In that case let us start as quickly as possible."

"At once," the man replied, and immediately
went forward ; while Nikola conducted me down
a prettily arranged and constructed companion-
ladder to the saloon below. As we reached it I
heard the tinkle of the telegraph irom the bridge
to the engine room, and almost simultaneously the
screw began to revolve and we were under way.
After the darkness outside, the brilliant light of the
saloon in which we now stood was so dazzling
that I failed to notice the fact that a bcdplace had
been made up behind the butt of the mizzen
mast. Upon this lay the old Don, and seated
by his side, and holding his hand, was the Dofia
Consuelo.

" My dear young lady," said Nikola in his kindest
manner, as he advanced towards her, " I fear you
must be worn out. However, we are under way
again now, and I have instructed my servant to
prepare a cabin for you, in which I trust you will
be fairly comfortable."

Dofia Consuelo had risen, and was standing

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lookinj^ into his face as if she were frightened of
f^omething he was about to say.

" I am not at all tired," she said, " and if you
don't mind, I would far rather remain here with my
great-grand father."

" As you wish," answered Nikola abstractedly.
Then, stooping, he raised the old man's left hand
and felt his pulse. The long, thin fingers of the
Doctor, indicative of his extraordinary skill as a
surgeon, seemed to twine round the other's emaci-
ated wrist, while his face wore a look I had never
seen upon it before — it was that of the born enthu-
siast, the man who loves his profession more than
aught else in the world. While, however, I was
observing Nikola, you must not suppose I was
regardless of the Dofta Consuclo. To a student of
character, the expression upon her face could
scarcely have been anything but interesting.
While Nikola was conducting his examination,
she watched him as if she dreaded what he might
do next. Fear there was in abundance, but of
admiration for the man I could discover no trace.
The examination concluded, Nikola addressed two
or three pertinent questions to her concerning her
great-grandfather's health during the voyage, which

ALLERDKYNE CASTLE

167

she answered with corresponding clearness and
conciseness. The old man himself, however, though
conscious, did not utter a word, but lay staring up
at the skylight above his head, just as I had seen
him do on board the Doila Mercedes.

Fully five hours must have elapsed before we
reached our destination ; indeed, day had broken,
and the sun was in the act of rising, when a gentle
tapping upon the skylight overhead warned Nikola
that our voyage was nearly at an end. Leaving
the old man in his great-granddaughter's care,
Nikola signed to me to follow him to the deck.

"It may interest you to see your future home,"
he said, as we stepped out of the companion into
the cool morning air, and looked out over the sea,
which the rim of the newly risen sun was burnish-
ing until it shone like polished silver. At the
moment the yacht was entering a small bay, sur-
rounded by giant cliffs, against which the great
rollers of the North Sea broke continuously. The
bay itself war in deep shadow, and was as dreary a
place as any I have seen. I looked about me for a
dwelling of any sc t, but not a sign of such a thing
could I discover : only a long stretch of frowning
cliff and desolate, wind-swept tableland.

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DR NIKOLAS EXPERIMENT

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"At first glance it does not look inviting," said
Nikola, with a smile upon his face, as he noticed
the expression upon mine. " I confess I have seen
a more hospitable coast-line, but never one better
fitted for the work we have in hand."

" But I do not see the castle," I replied. " I have
looked in every direction, but can discover no trace
of it."

" One of its charms," he continued triumphantly.
" You cannot see it because at present it is hidden
by yonder headland. When we are safely in the
bay, however, you will have a good view of it. It
is a fine old building, and in bygone days must
have been a place of considerable importance.
Ships innumerable have gone to pieces in sight of
its turrets ; while deep down in its own founda-
tions I am told there are dungeons enough to
imprison half the county. See, we are opening
up the bay now, and in five minutes shall be at
anchor. I wonder what result we shall have
achieved when we next steam between these
heads."

While he was speaking we had passed from the
open sea into the still water of the bay, and the
yacht was slowing down perceptibly. Gradually

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ALLERDKYNE CASTLE

i6q

the picture unfolded itself, until, standing out in
bold relief upon the cliffs like some grim sentinel
of the past, the castle which, for some time to come
at least, was destined to be my home came into
view. Who its architect had been I was never able
to discover, but he must have been impregnated with
the desolation and solemn grandeur of the coast, and
\n his building have tried to equal it As Nikola
had said, a place better fitted for the work wc
had come to do could not have been discovered in
the length and breadth of England. The nearest
village was upwards of twelve miles distant ; farms
or dwelling-houses there were none within view of
its towers. Tourists seldom ventured near it, for
the reason that it was not only a place difficult
of approach, but, what was perhaps of more im-
portance, because there was nothing of interest
to be seen when you reached it. As I gazed
at it, I thought of the girl in the saloon below,
and wondered what her feelings would be, and
what her life would be like, in such a dismal place.
I glanced at Nikola, who was gazing up at the
grim walls with such rapt attention that it was
easily seen his thoughts were far away. Then the
telegraph sounded, and the screw ceased to revolve.

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170

OH NIKOLA'S KXPKRIMKNT

The spell was broken, and we were recalled to the
realities of the moment.

" I was miles away," said Nikola, looking round
at me.

** I could see you were," I answered.

" You would be ver>' surprised if you knew of
what I was thinkinj^," he cofitinued. " I was re-
calling; ;». place not unlike this, but ton thousand
miles or more away. It is a monastery, similarly
situated, on the top of enormous cliffs. It was
there I obtained the secret which is the backbone of
the discovery we are about to test. 1 have been in
some (juccr places in my time, but never such a
one as that. But we haven't time to talk of that
now. What we hrve to do is to ^ct the old man
ashore and up u> yonder buildinjj. If anything
were to hapijen to him now, I think it would break
my heart."

*' And his great-jrranddaughter's also," I put in ;
'* for you must admit she is devoted to him."

He threw a quick [jlance at me, as if he were
trying to discern how far I was interested in the
beautiful j^irl in the saloon below. Whatever con-
clusion he may have come to, how«'ver, he said
nothing to me upon the subject. Having ordered

ALLERDKYNE CASTLE

171

the captain to sec the boat — which had been
specially j)repared for the work of carrying the old
gentleman ashore — brought alongsirle, he made his
way to the saloon, and I accompanied him.

" We have reached our destination, Dona Con-
suelo," he said, as he approached the lx:d, beside
which she was sitting.

As he spoke, there leapt into her eyes the same
look of terror 1 had noticed before. It reminded
me more than anythiiiji^ else of the ('.\|)rcssion one
sees in the eyes of a rabbit when the snare has
closed upon it. As i noticed it, for the first time
since I had known him, a fi'clinjr of hatred for
Nikola came over me. It was not until we were
in tl'.e boat and were making our way ashore that
I found an op|)ortunity of sj)caking to her without
Niko.a overhearing us.

"Courage, my dear young lady, .ourage!" I
«»aid. " Believe me, there is nothing to fear. I
will |)ledge my life for your safety."

She gave me a look of gratitude, and stooped as
if to arrange the heavy travelling-rug covering her
aged relative. In reality I believe it was to hide
the tears with which her eyes were fdled. From
that moment there existed an indefinable, real bond

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DR. NIKOLAS EXPERIMENT

between us ; and though I did not realise it at the
moment, the first mark had been made upon the
chain with which Nikola imagined he had bound
me to him.

On reaching that side of the bay on which there
was a short strip of beach, the boat was grounded.
The four sailors immediately took up the litter
upon which the old man lay, and carried it ashore.
The path up to the castle was a steep and narrow
one, and the work of conveying him to the top was
by no means easy. Eventually, however, it was
accomplished, and we stood before the entrance
to the castle. Moat there was none, but in place
of it, and spanned by the drawbridge — a ponderous
affair, something like fifty *ect long by ten wide —
was an enormous chasm going sheer down in one
drop fully two hundred feet. At the bottom
water could be seen ; and at night, when the
tide came in, the gurgling and moaning that rose
from it was sufficient to appal the stoutest heart.

"Welcome to Allcrdeyne Castle!" said Nikola,
as we crossed the bridge and entered the archway
of the ancient keep. Then, bending over the old
man on the litter, he added : " When you cross
this threshold again, my old friend, I hope that

/*V^

ALLERDEYNE CASTLE

»73

you v/ill be fully restored to health and strength —
a young man again in every sense of the word.
Dofia Consuelo, I am all anxiety to hear your
opinion of the apartments I have caused to be
prepared for you."

Moving in procession as before, we crossed the
great courtyard, which echoed to the sound of
our footsteps, and, reaching a door on the farther
side, entered and found ourselves standing in a
well-proportioned hall, from which a staircase of
solid stone, up which a dozen soldiers mi^dit
have marched abreast, led to the floors above.
With Nikola still in advance, we made the ascent,
turned to the right hand, and proceeded along a
corridor, upwards of fifty yards in length, out of
which opened a number of lofty rooms. Before
the door of one of these Nikola paused.

"This is the apartment I have set aside for
your own particular use, my dear young lady,"
he said ; and with that he threw open the door,
and showed us a large room, carpeted, curtained,
and furnished in a fashion I was far from
expecting to find in so sombre a building,

" Should there be anything wanting," he said,
•'you will honour me by mentioning it, when 1

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»74

DR. NIKOLAS EXPERIMENT

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will do all that lies i my power to supply
it"

Her face was very pale, and her lips trembled
a little as she faltered a question as to where her
^reat-grandfather was to be domiciled.

" I have come to the conclusion that, for the
future, it would be better," said Nikola, speaking
very slowly and distinctly, as if in anticipation of
future trouble, "that you should entrust him to
my care. Inijjleby and I, between us, will make
ourselves responsible for hi* safety, and you may
rest assured we will see that no harm comes to
him. You must endeavour to amuse yourself as
best you can, consoling yourself with the know-
ledge that we are doing all that science can do
for him."

As he said this he smiled a little sarcastically,
as if her reading of the word science would be
likely to differ considerably from his.

" Hut surely you do not mean that I an* to
give him up to you entirely?" she cried, this
time in real terror. '• You cannot be so cruel as
to mean that. Oh, Dr. Nikola, I implore you
not to take him altogether from me. I cannot
hear it."

ALLKRDEYNE CASTLP:

175

"My dear youny lady," said Nikola, a little
more sternly than he had yet spoken, '* in this
matter you must be guided by me. I can brook
no interference of any description. Surely you
should know mc well enough by this time to be
aware of that."

"But he is all I have to live for -all I have
to love," the girl faltered. "Can you not make
allowance for tiiat ? "

Her voice was piteous in its pleadiii;^^ and when
I heard Nikola's chilling tones as he answered
her, 1 could h;ive found it in my heart to strike
him. To have interfered at aU, however, would
have (lone no sort of good ; so, hard as it seemed,
I was perforce compelled to h<»ld my tongue.

If )'ou love your great-granilfather,

aid,

you will offer no opposition to my scheme.

Have I not .ilready assured you that I

return him to you a different man? But. we are
wasting time, and these stone corridors are too
cold and draughty lur hitn. If you will be guided
by me, )OU will rest a little after your exertions.
There is an «»ld woman below who shall come to
you, and do her best to make herself u.seful to you."
Seeing that to protest further would Ix* useless,

) -

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176

DR. NIKOLAS EXPERIMENT

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the girl turned and went into the room, tryinpj to
stifle the sobs that would not be kept back. The
sight was one which would have grieved a harder
heart than mine, and it hurt me the more because
I knew that I was powerless to help her.

All this time the four sailors, who had carried
the litter uj) from the beach, had been silent
spectators of the scene. Now they took uj) their
burden once more and followt^d Nikola, along the
corridor, up some more steps, down still another
passage, t'ntil I lost all count of the way that we
had come. The greater portion of the castle had
been allowed to fall into disrepair. Heavy masses
of cobwiibs stretcherl from wall to wall, a large
proportion of the doors were worm-eaten, and in
some instances had even fallen in altogether,
revealing desolate apartments, in which the wind
from the sea whistled, and the noise of the waves
echoed with blond mrdling effect. Reaching the
end of the .sc ifnid rorridor, Nll<nla pniisofl before
a heavy curtain which was (hawn rlonBly from
wall to wall, and ordiM'd IIip iriwn to .set down
their burden. They obeyed ; and, on being told
to do HO, took thoir dppnrhire with as tntiili upc^d
as thi'V ((Mild pill liilo IIm' m|umiiIIm|), H i Ihiow

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ALLERDEYNE CASTLE

179

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anything of the human face, they were not a little
relieved at receiving permission to clear out of a
place that had every right to be considered the
abode of a certain Old Gentleman whom it
scarcely becomes me to mention.

When the sound of their footsteps had died
away, Nikola drew back the curtain and displayed
a plain but very strong' wooden door. From the
fact that the workmanship was almost new I
surmised tiiat my host had placed it there himself,
but for what purpose i could only conjecture.
Taking a kc)- from his pocket, lie slipped it into
the patent lock, turned the handle, and the door
swung open.

"Take up your end of the litter," he said, "and
help me to carry it inside."

I did as I was ordered ; c.nd, bearing the old
man between us, we passed into that portion of
the castle which, as I soon discovered, he had
fitted up in readiness for the great experiment.

Having passed the door, we found ourselves in
a comparatively lofty room, or perhaps I had
better say hall, the walls of which were covered
almost entirely with anatomical specimens. From
what I could see of them I should say that many

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DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

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of them were quite unique, while all were extremely
valuable. Where and by what means he had
collected them I wao never able to discover,
although Nikola, on one or two occasions, threw
out hints. There they were, however, and I
promised myself that during my stay in the place
I would use them for perfecting my own know-
ledge on the subject.

At the end of this hall, and looking over the
sea, was a large window, while in either wall were
several doors, all of which, like that in the corridor,
were heavily curtained. The carpet was of cork
and quite noiseless ; the lights were electric, the
batteries and dynamos being in a room below.
The heating arrangements were excellent, while
the ventilation was of the most modern and
improved description. I noticed that Nikola
smiled a little contemptuously at my astonish-
ment.

'You were unprepared for this surprise," he said.
" Well, let me give you a little piece of ad"ice, and
that is, never be astonished at anything you may
see or hear while you are with me. The common-
place and I, I can assure you once and for all, do
not live together. I have homes in all parts of the

ALLERDEYNE CASTLE

i8]

world ; I am in England to-day, engaged upon
one piece of work, and in six months' time I may-
be in India, Japan, Peru, Kamtschatka, or if you
like it better, shall we say playing tricks with
niggers in Cape Coast Castle ? But see, we are
keeping our old friend waiting. I will find out if
all the preparations I have ordered are complete ;
if so, we will convey him at once to the chamber
set apart for him."

With that he touched a bell, and almost before
he had removed his finger from the button, a
curtain at the farther end was drawn aside, and
the same Chinese servant — the deaf-and-dumb
individual, I mean, who had brought the letter
to me at my lodgings in London the previous
week — entered the room. Seeing his master, he
bent himself nearly double, and when he had
resumed his upright posture as curious a conver-
sation commenced as ever I have known. I use
the word " conversation " for the simple reason
that I do not know how else to describe it. As a
matter of fact it was not a conversation at all,
for the reason that not a word was spoken on
either side ; their lips moved, but not a sound
came from them. And yet they seemed quite able

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182

DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

to understand one another. If, however, it was a
strange performance, it had at least the merit of
being an extremely successful one.

" He tells me that everything is prepared," Nikola
remarked, as the man crossed the room and drew
back another curtain from a doorway on our left.
" This is the room ; but before we carry him into it
I think we had better have a little light upon the
subject."

To press the electric switch was the work of a
moment, and as soon as this had been done we
once more took up our burden and carried it into
the inner room. Prepared as I had been by the
outer hall for something extraordinary, I was
perhaps not so much surprised at the apartment
in which I now found myself as I should other-
wise have been. And yet it was sufficiently
remarkable to fill any one with wonder.

It was upwards of twenty feet in length by
possibly eighteen in width. The walls and the
ceilings were as black as charcoal, and, when the
electric light was extinguished, not a ray of any-
thing would be visible. In the centre was a strange
contrivance which I could see was intended to serve
as a bed, and fok some other purpose, which at the

ALLERDEYNE CASTLE

183

moment was not quite apparent to me. In the
farther corners were a couple of queer-looking
pieces of machinery, one of which reminded me
somewhc t of an unusually large electric battery ;
the other I could not understand at all. A
machine twice the size of those usually employed
for manufacturing ozone stood opposite the door ;
thermometers of every sort and description were
arranf^ed at intervals along the walls ; while on
one side was an ingenious apparatus for heating
the room, and on the other a similar one for cooling
it. At the head and foot of the bed were two brass
pillars, the construction and arrangements of which
reminded me of electric terminals on an exag-
gerated scale.

We placed the old gentleman on the bed. The
litter was thereupon removed by the servant, and
Nikola and I stood facing each other across the
form of the man who was to prove, or disprove,
the feasibility of the discovery my extraordinary
employer claimed to have made.

" For twenty-four hours," said Nikola, " he must
have absolute peace and quiet. Nothing must
disturb him. Nor must he taste food."

"But is he capable, do you think," I asked,

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184

DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

"of going without nourishment for so long a
time?"

" Perfectly ! On the draught I am about to

administer to him, he could do without it, were

juch a thing necessary, for a much longer period.

Indeed, it would not hurt him if he were to eat

nothing for a month."

He left the room for a moment, and when he
returned he carried in his hand a tiny phial of the
same description, though much smaller, as those
which had been stolen from me on board the
steamer. It contained a thick, red mixture, which,
when he removjd the stopper, threw off a highly
pungent odour. He opened the mouth of the
patient and poured upwards of a teaspoonful into
it. \s before, I expected to see some immediate
result, but my curiosity was not gratified. Deftly
arranging the bed-coverings, Nikola inspected the
thermometers, tested the hot and cold air ap-
paratus, and then turned to me.

" He will require little or no supervision for some
hours to come," he said, " so we may safely leave
him. To while away the time, if you care about it,
I will show you something of my abode. I think
I can promise you both instruction and amusement."

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CHAPTER VI

LIFE IN THE CASTLE

LEAVING the room in which we had placed
Don Miguel de Moreno, as described in the
previous chapter, we returned to the hall, the same
in which was contained the magnificent collection
of anatomical specimens already mentioned. Tired
as I was, — for it must be remembered that I had
had but little sleep during the first night I had
spent on board the Dofia Mercedes, and none at all
on that through which we had just passed, while I
had had a great deal of excitement, and my fair
share of hard work, — I would not have lost the
opportunity of exploring Nikola's quarters in this
grim old castle for any consideration whatsoever.
Nikola himself, tnough one would scarcely have
thought it from his appearance, must havo
possessed a constitution of iron, for he seemed

189

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190

DR, NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

as fresh as when I had first seen him at Kelleran's
house in London. There was a vitality about him,
a briskness, and, if I may so express it, an enjoy-
ment of labour for its own sake, that I do not
remember ever to have found in another man. As
I was 30on to discover, my description of him was
not very wide of the mark. He would do the
work of half a dozen men, and at the end be
ready, and not only ready but eager, for more.
In addition to this, I noticed another peculiarity
about him. Unlike most people who are fond of
work, he po sessed an infinite fund of patience ;
could wait for an issue, whatever it might be, to
develop itself naturally, and, unlike so many
experimentalists, betrayed no desire to hurry it
by the employment of extraneous means. In thus
putting forward my reading of the most complex
character that has ever come under my notice, I
do so with an absolute freedom from bias. In-
deed, I might almost say, that I do so in a
great measure against my own inclinations, as
will be apparent to you when you have finished
my story.

" As I informed you in London," said this
strange individual, after he had closed the door

LIFE IN THE CASTLE

191

of the patient's room behind him, had drawn the
heavy curtain, and switched off the electric h'ght,
" I purchased this famous castle expressly for the
experiment we are about to try. The owner, so
my business people informed me, was amazed that
I should want it at all ; but then, you see, he did
not understand its value. If I had searched the
world, I could not have discovered a better. While
we are near enough to civilisation to be able to
obtain anything we may require in the way of
drugs or incidental apparatus, we have no prying
neighbours ; such household stores as we require
the yacht brings us direct from Newcastle ; an old
man and woman, who take care of the place when
I am absent, have their quarters in the keep ; my

Chinese servant cooks for me personally, and
attends to the wants, which are not many, of the
other people under my care."

" Other people under your care ? " I echoed.
* I had no idea there was any one in the house
save yourself and your servants."

" It is scarcely likely you would have any idea
of itf" he observed, " seeing that no one knows of
it save Ah- Win, who, for reasons you have seen,
is unable to talk about them, and myself, who

192

DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

would be even less likely to do so. Would you
care to see them ? "

I replied that I would very much like to do so,
and he was about to lead me across the hall
towards the door, throuLjh which the Chinese
servant had entered sunie little time before, when
a curious circumstance happened. With a bound
that was not unlike the spring of a tiger, an
enormous cat, black as the Pit of Tophet, jumped
from the room, and, approaching his master,
rubbed himself backwards and forwards against
his legs. Seeing my astonishment, Nikola conde-
scended to exphiin.

" You are going to say, I can tell, that you have
never seen such a cat as Apollyon. I don't
suppose you have. If he could talk, he would be
able to tell some strange stories ; would you not,
old man ? He has been my almost constant
compatiion for man\' years, and more than once
he has been the means of saving my life."

Replacing Apollyon, whom he had picked up,
on the floor, he conducted me towards the
entrance of another corridor which led in the
direction of the keep. Half-way down it was
& rough iron gate, which was securely padlocked.

LIFE IN THE CASTLE

193

Nikola undid it, and when we were on the other
side carefully rclocked it after him.

"Though you might not tliink so," he said,
" these precautions are necessary. Some of my
patients are extremely valuable, and I have not
the least desire that they should escape from my
keeping and fall over the battlements into the sea
below. Follow me."

I accompanied him towards yet another door,
which he also unlocked. The scene which met
my gaze when he threw it c;^en, to employ a
hackneyed phrase, beggars description. The
room was about the same size as that occupied by
the Dofia Consuelo, but it was not its proportions
that amazed me, but its occupants. Accustomed
as 1 had necessarily been, by virtue of my pro-
fession, to what are commonly called horrors,
I found that I was not proof against what I had
before me now. It was sufficient to make my
blood run cold. Anything more gruesome could
scp.rcely have been discovered or even imagined.
Try to picture for yourself the inmates of a dozen
freak museums, and the worst ot the monstrosities
of which you have ever read or heard, and yon
will only have some dim notion c/f the folk whom

■m^gBt.

194

DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

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'!li:ii

Nikola so ironically called his patients. Some
were like men, but not men as we know them ;
some were like monkeys, but of a kind I had
never seen before, and which I sincerely hope I
may never see again ; there were things, dull,
flabby, faceless things — but there, I can go no
farther. To attempt to describe them to you in
detail is a work of which my pen is quite
incapable.

" A happy family," said Nikola, advancing into
the room, " and without exception devoted to
their nurse, Ah-Win, yonder, who, as you are
aware, in a measure shares their afflictions with
them. Some day, if you care about it, I should
be only too pleased to give you a lecture, with
demonstrations, such as you would get in no
medical school in the world."

Though I have attempted to set down his off'er
word for word, I have but the vaguest recollection
of it ; for, long before he had finished speaking,
I had staggerec', sick and faint with horror, into
the corridor outside. Not for the wealth of
England would I h?ive remained there a minute
longer. To see those loathsome creatures fawning
round Nikola, clutching at his legs and stroking

LIFE IN THE CASTLE

*95

his clothes, was too much for me, and I verily
believe an hour in that room would have had the
effect of making me an idiot like themselves.
A few moments later Nikola joined me in the
passage.

" You are very easily affected, my dear Ingleby,"
he said, with one of his peculiar smiles. " I should
have thought your hospital experience would have
endowed you with stronger nerves. My poor
people in yonder "

" Don't, don't," I cried, holding up my hand in
entreaty. " Don't speak to me of them. Doii't
let me think of them. If I do, I believe I shall
go mad. My God ! are you human, that you can
live with such things about you ? "

" I believe I am," he answered with the utmost
coolness. '* But why make such a fuss ? Do like
I do, and regard them horn a scientific standpoint
only. The poo • things have come into this world
handiccpped by misfortune ; I endeavour as far as
possible to ameliorate their conditions, and in
return they enable me to perfect my knowledge of
the human frame as no other living man can ever
hope to do. Of C(jursc, I know there are people
who look askance at me for keeping them ; but

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DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

that does not trouble me. At one time they lived
with me in Port Said, which, when you come to
think of it, is a fit and proper place for such a
hospital. Circumstances, however, combined to
induce me to leave. Eventually we came here.
Some time, if you care to hear it, I will tell you
the story of their voyage home. It would interest
you."

I protested, however, that I desired to hear no
more about them ; I had both seen and heard too
much already. That being so, Nikola led me
along the passage and through the iron gate,
which he locked behind him as before, and so
conducted me to the hall whence we had first set
out. Once there, he went to a corner cabinet, and
from it produced a decanter. Pouring me out a
stiff glars of brandy, he bade me drink it.

'* You look as if you want it," he said. And
Heaven knows he was right.

" And now," he said, when I had finished it, " if
you will take my advice, you will lie down for an
hour or two. For the convenience of our work,
I have arranged that you shall occupy a room near
me. This is it. Should I want you, I will ring
a bell.'

LIFE IN THE CASTLE

197

The room to which he alluded adjoined his
own, and was situated at the far end of the hall,
the door, like those of the others I have described,
being concealed behind a curtain. Never was
permission to retire more willingly accepted, and
within five minutes of leaving him I was in bed
and asleep.

It must have been between ten and eleven
o'clock in the forenoon when I retired ; and the
afternoon was well advanced before I woke again.
Heavenly as I slept, he n\ ever, it had not been
restful slumber. All things considered, I had
much better have been waking.

Over and over again I saw the Dona Consuelo
standing before me, just as she had done before
Nikola that day ; there was this difference, how-
ever — instead of askincr to be allowed to remain
with her great-grandfather, her prayer was that
I should save both him and her from Nikola.
While she pleaded to me, the faces of the terrible
creatures I had seen in that room down the
passage peered at us from all sorts of hiding-
places. It was night, an hour or so before dawn.
I had acceded to the Dofia's request, and was
flying from the castle, carrying her in my arms.

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DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

At last, after I appeared to have been running for
an eternity, we reached the shore, where I hoped
to find a boat awaiting us. But not a sign of one
was to be seen. While I waited day broke, and I
placed my burden on the sand, only to spring
back from it with a cry of horror. It was not the
Dofta Consuelo I had been carrying, but one of
those loathsome creatures I had seen in that
terrible room. A fit of rage came over me, and I
was about to wreak my vengeance on the unhappy
idiot, when I woke. I looked about me at the
somewhat sparsely furnished room, and some
seconds elapsed before I realised where I was.
Then the memory of our arrival at the castle, and
of all that had happc^ned since, returned to me.
I shuddered, and had it not been for that poor
girl, so lonely and friendless, I could have found it
in my heart to wish myself back in London once
more. Having dressed myself, I went out into
the hall. Nikola was not there. I waited for
some time, but as he did not put in an appearance
I left the room and made my way down the
corridor in the direction of the Dofia Consuelo's
sitting-room. Not able to get any answer when
I knocked, I continued my walk, ascended another

LIFE IN THE CASTLE

199

flight of stairs, and eventually found myself upon
the battlements. A better place for observing the
construction of the castle, and of obtaining a view
of the surrounding country, could not have been
desired. On one side I could look away across
the moorland towards a distant range of hills, and
on the other along the cliffs and across the wide
expanse of sea. In the tiny bay to my riglit the
yacht which had brought us from Newcastle lay at
anchor ; and had it not been for that and a column
of grey smoke rising from a chimney, I might
have believed myself to be living in a world of
my own. For some time I stood watching the
panorama spread out before me. I was still
looking at it wh°n a soft footfall sounded on the
stones behind me. I turned to find Dofta
Consuelo approaching me. She was dressed
entirely in black, ?*nd wore a lace mantilla over
her shoulders.

" Thank Heaven, I have found you. Dr. Ingleby,"
she cried, as she hastened towards me. " I had
begun to think myself deserted by everybody."

"Why should you do that?" I asked. "You
know that could never be."

" I am certain of nothing now," she answered.

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200

DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

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" You cannot imagine what I have been through
to-day."

" I am indeed sorry to hear you have been
unhappy," I continued. " Is there any way in
which I can be of service to you ? "

" There are many ways, but I fear you would
not employ them," she replied. '* I am hunger-
ing to be with my great-grandfather again. Can
you tell me why Dr. Nikola takes him away from
me?"

" I fancied that he had told you," I answered ;
" but if it be any consolation to you, let me give
you my assurance that he is tenderly cared for.
His comfort is secured in every way ; and from
what Dr. Nikola has said to me, and from what I
have seen myself, I feel convinced he will be able
to do what he has promised and make your great-
grandfather a hale and hearty man once more."

" It is all very well for him to say that," she said,
"but why am I not permitted to be with him?
If he needs nursing, who would be likely to wait
upon him so devotedly as the woman who loves
him ? Surely Dr. Nikola cannot imagine his
secret would be unsafe with me if he reveals
it to you, a rival in his own profession ? "

LIFE IN THE CASTLE

20T

" It is not that at all," I answered. " I do not
fancy Nikola has given a moment's consideration
to the safety of his secret." Then, seeing the
loophole of escape she presented to mc, I added:
"From what you know of him, I should have
thought you would have understood that he has
no great liking for your sex. To put it bluntly,
Nikola is a woman-hate of the most determined
order, and I fancy he would find it impossible to
carry out his plans if you were in attendance upon
the Don."

"Ah well! I suppose I must be content with
your assurance," she said with a sigh.

" For the present, I am very much afraid so," I
replied.

At this moment the old woman whom Nikola
had appointed to wait upon us made her appear-
ance, and informed the Dona that her dinner
awaited her. About my own meals she knew
nothing, so I concluded from this that I was
to take them with Nikola in our own portion
of the castle. Such proved to be the case ; for
when we reached the Dona Consuelo's apart-
ments on the floor below, we met Nikola
awaiting us in the corridor.

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DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

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" I have been looking for you, Ingleby," he said,
with a note of command in his voice. " You are
quite ready for dinner, I have no doubt; and if
you will accompany me, I think we shall find it
waiting for us."

As may be supposed, I would rather have par-
taken of it with Doiia Consuelo ; but as it was
not to be, I bade her good morning, and was about
to follow Nikola along the corridor, when he stopped,
and, turning to the girl, said :

" I can see from your face that you have been
worrying about your grandfather. I assure you,
you have not the least cause to do so ; and I think
Ingleby here, if he has not done so already, will
bear me out in what I say. The old gentleman is
doing excellent'y, and almost before you know he
has been taken away from you, you will have him
back again."

" I thank you for your news," she replied ; but
there was very little friendliness in her voice. " I
would rather, however, see him and convince myself
of the fact." Then, bowing to us, she retired into
her own apartments, while we made our way to
the hall in search of our meal.

" To-morrow morning," said Nikola, as we drew

LIFE IN THE CASTLE

203

our chairs up to the table, " we must commence
work in earnest. After that for some weeks to
come I am afraid you will see but little of your
fair friend down yonder. You seem to be on
excellent terms with one another."

As he said this he shot a keen glance at me, as
though he were desirous of discovering what was
passing in my mind. I was quite prepared for
him, however, and answered in such an uncon-
cerned way that I flattered myself, should he
have got it into his head that there was any-
thing more than mere friendship in our intimacy,
he would be immediately disabused of the notion.

As he had predicted, the following morning saw
the commencement of that gigantic struggle with
the forces of Nature, upon the result of which
Nikola had pinned so much faith and v/hich was
destined, so he affirmed, to revolutionise the world.
The most exhaustive preparations had been made,
the duration of our watches in the sick-room were
duly apportioned, and a minute outline of the
treatment proposed was propounded to me.

On entering the dark room in which the old
Don lay, I discovered that the two bronze
pedestals, the use of which had puzzled me so

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DR. NIKOLAS EXPERIMENT

f ■!

much on my first visit, had been moved near
the bed, one been placed at its head and the other
at its foot. These, as Nikola pointed out to me,
were the terminals of an electric conductor for
producing a constant current, which was to play
vv^ithout intermission a few feet above the patient's
head. A peculiar and penetrating smell filled the
room, which I had no difficulty in recognising as
ozone, though Nikola's reason for using it in such
a case was not at first apparent to me. The old
Don himself lay just as we had left him the
previous morning. His hands were by his sides ;
his eyes, as usual, were open, but saw nothing. It
was not until I examined him closely that a slight
respiratory movement was observable.

" When I am not here," said Nikola, " it must be
your business to see that this electric current is
kept continually playing above him. It must not
be permitted for an instant to abate one unit of
its strength." Then, pointing to an instrument
fixed at the further wall, he continued : " Here is
a volt meter, with the maximum and minimum
points plainly marked upon it. Your record must
also include temperature, which you will take on
these dry and wet thermometers once every quarter

LIFE IN THE CASTLE 205

of an hour. The currents of hot and cold air you
can regulate by means of these handles. The
temperature of the patient himself must be
noted once in every hour, and should on no
account be permitted to get higher or lower than
it is at the present moment."

Taking a clinical thermometer from his pocket,
he applied it, and, when he had noted the result,
handed it to me.

" If it rises two points above that before the
same hour three days hence, he will die— no skill
can save him. If it drops, well, in eighty per cent,
of cases, the result will be the same."

" And suppose I detect a tendency to rise ? "
" In that case you must communicate instantly
with me. Here is an electric button which will
put you in touch with my room. I hope, however,
that you will have no necessity to use it." Then,
placing his hand upon my shoulder, he looked me
full in the face. " Ingleby," he said, '' you see how
much trust I am placing in you. I tell you
frankly, you have a great responsibility upon
your shoulders. I am not going to beat about
the bush with you. In this case there is no
such thing as certainty. I have made the

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DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

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attempt three times before, and on each occasion
my man has died simply throui^h a moment's
inat'ention on the part of my assistant. If the
love of our science and a proper appreciation of
tlie compHment I have paid you in asking you
to share with nie the honour of this groat dis-
covery do not weigh with you, think of the girl
with whom you talked upon the battlements
yesterday. You trietl to make me believe that
she was nothing to you. Some day, lu>wever,
she may be. Remember what her grandfather's
death would mean to her."

" Vou need have no fear," I replied. " I assure
you, you can trust mc implicitly."

•' I do trust >ou," he answered. " Now let us get
to work."

So sajing, he crossed the room and opened a
square box, heavily clamped with iron, from
which he took two china pots of ointment.
Then, disrobing the old man, we anointed him
with the mi^st scrupulous care from head to foot.
This we ditl t'nree limes, after winch the second
curious apparatus I had seen stauviing in the
corner was wheelcil up to the bcvlsiile. That
it was an electrical instrument of .some sort was

LIFE IN THE CASTLE

plain, but what its specific use was I could not
even conjecture. Nikola, however, very soon
enlii^htemxi me \\\^o\\ the matter. Takinj^ a
number of large velvet pads, each of which
was moulded to fit a defit\ite portii>n of the
human boily, he placed them in fwsition, at-
tached the wires that cotmected them with the
machine, and when all was ready turned on the
current. At first no effect was observable.
In about a minute and a half, however, if my
memory serves me, the usual deathly pallor
of the skin i;ave place to a faint blush, which
presently increased until t.ie skin exhibited a
healthy ^low; little by little the temporal veins,
until then so prominent, i;radually disappeared.
In half an hiMir, dvu'ing which the current bad
bcH!n slowly and very ijratlually increased, another
dressint; of both ointments was applied.

"Take this glass and examine his skin," said
Nikola, whose eyes were gleaming with excite-
ment, as he handed me a powerful magnifying
gla.ss. When I bent over the patient and did as
he directeil, it w.is iiulced a wonderful thing that I
beheld. An hour Ix^fore the skin had been soft
and hung in loo.se foUls upon the bone.s, while the

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208

DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

pressure of a finger upon it would not leave it for
upwards of a minute. Now it had in a measure
regained its youthful elasticity, and upon my softly
pinching it between my fingers I found that it
recovered its colour almost immediately.

" It is wonderful," I whispered. " Had I not
seen it myself, I would never have believed it."

When it had been applied for an hour, the elec-
tric current was turned off and the pads removed.

" Now watch what happens very closely," said
Nikola, " for, I assure you, the effect is curious."

Scarcely able to breathe by reason of my excite-
ment, I watched, and as I did so f saw the flush
of apparent health gradually decrease, the skin
become wliite and loose once more, while the
superficial veins rose into prominence upon the
temples. I glanced at Nikola, thinking that some
mistake must have occurred and that he would
show signs of disappointment. This, however, he
did not do.

"You surely did not imagine," he said, when I
had questioned him upon the subject, "that the
effect I produced would be permanent on the first
application ? No ! we may hone to achieve a more
lasting result in a fortnight's time, but not till then.

LIFE IN THE CASTLE

209

Mearmhile, the effect must be produced in the
same fashion every six hours, both day and night.
Now give me those rugs ; we must cover him care-
fully. In his present state the least draught would
be fatal. Record the state of 'ne volt meter, read
your thermometers, and see that your ventilating
apparatus is working properly. As I said just
now, should you need me, remember the bell.
One ring, when you have recorded your results,
will inform me that all is progressing satisfactorily,
while three will immediately bring me to your
assistance. Do you understand?"

When I had assured him that I did, he left me.
I accordingly switched off three of the electric
lights, and sat myself down in a chair in semi-
darkness, the centre of light being the patient on
the bed. There was no fear of my feeling dull,
for I had a great deal to think about. Taken
altogether, the situation in which I found myself
was as extraordinary as the most inveterate seeker
after excitement could desire. Not a sound was
to be heard. The stillness was that of the tomb,
and yet I smiled to myself as I thought that, if
Nikola's experiment achieved the result he ex-
pected of it, the simile was not an appropriate

' 'V;u

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DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

Uril J 'Si'.

one, for it was not the silence of the tomb but of
perpetual life itself. I looked at the figure on the
bed before me, and tried to picture what the
mystery he was unravelling would mean to man-
kind. It was a solemn thought. Should the
experiment prove successful, how would it affect
the world ? Would it prove a blessing or a curse ?
But the thoughts it conjured up were too vast, the
issues too great, and to attempt to solve them
was only to lose oneself in the fields of wildest
conjecture.

For four hours I remained on duty, noting all
that occurred ; reading my thermometers, regu-
lating the hot and cold air apparatus, and at
intervals signalling to Nikola that everything was
progressing satisfactorily. When he relieved me,
I retired to rest and slept like a top, too tired even
to dre?.m.

Of what happened during the fortnight follow-
ing I have little to tell. Nikola and I watched by
the bedside in turn, took our exercise upon the
battlements, ate and slept with the regularity of
automata. The life on one side was monotonous
in the extreme ; on the other it was filled with an
unholy excitement that was the greater inasmuch

LIFE IN THE CASTLE

211

as it had to be so carefully suppressed. To say
that I was deeply interested in the work upon
which I was engaged would be a by no means
strong enough expression. The fire of enthusiasm,
to which I hav*^ before alluded, was raging once
more in my heart, and yet there had been little
enough so far in the experiment to excite it.
With that regularity which characterised the
whole of our operations, we carried on the work
I have described. Every sixth hour saw the skin
tighten and become elastic, the hue of the flesh
change from white to pink, the veins recede, and
the hollows fill, only to return to their original
state as soon as the electric current was withdrawn.
Towards the end of the fortnight, however, there
were not wanting signs to show that the effect was
gradually becoming more lasting. In place of
doing so at once, the change to the original con-
dition did not occur until some eight or ten
minutes after the pads had been removed. And
here I must remark that there was one other point
in the case which struck me as peculiar. When I
had first seen the old in;ui, l.is finger-nails were of
that pale yellow tint so often obscvable in the
very old, now they were a delicate shade of pink ;

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212

DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

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while his hair was, I felt convinced, a darker shade
than it had been before. As Nikola was careful
to point out, we had arrived at the most critical
stage of the experiment. A mistake at this junc-
ture, would not only undo all the work we had
accomplished, but, what was more serious still,
might very possibly cost us the life of the patient
himself.

The night I am about to describe was at the
end of the fourteenth day after our arrival at the
castle. Nikola had been on watch from four
o'clock in the afternoon until eight, when I re-
lieved him.

" Do not let your eyes wander from him for a
minute," he said, as I took my place beside the
bed. " From certain symptoms I have noticed
during the last few hours, I am convinced the
crisis is close at hand. Should a rise in the
temperature occur, summon me instantly. I shall
be in the laboratory re idy at a moment's notice to
prepare the elixir upon which the success we hope
to achieve depends."

" But you are worn out," I said, as I noticed the
haggard expression upon his face. "Why don't
you take some rest ? "

LIFE IN THE CASTLE

213

" Rest ! " he cried scornfully. « Is it likely that
I could rest with such a discovery just coming
within my grasp ? No ; you need not fear for me ,

I shall not break down. I have a constitution of

* II
iron.

Having once more warned me to advise him of
any change that might occur, he left me ; and
when I had examined my instruments, attended
to the electrical apparatus, and taken the patient's
temperature, I sat down to the vigil to which I
had by this time become accustomed. Hour by
hour I followed the customary routine. My watch
was early at an end. In twenty minutes it would
be time for Nikola to relieve me. Leaning over
the old man, I convinced myself that no change
had tak^'n place in his condition ; his temperature
was exactly what it had been throughout the pre-
ceding fortnight. I carefully wiped the clinical
thermometer, and replaced it in its case. As I
did so, I was startled by hearing a wild shriek in
the hall outside. It was a woman's voice, and the
accent was one of deadly terror. I should have
recognised the voice anywhere : it was the Dofia
Consuelo's. What could have happened? Once
more it rang out, and almost before I knew what

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214

DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

:,i

I was doing I had run^ the bell for Nikola, and
had rushed from the room into the hall outside.
No one was to be seen there. I ran in the direction
of the corridor which led towards the Dofia's own
quarters, but she was not there ! I returned and
followed that leading towards that terrible room
behind the iron gate. The passage was in semi-
darkness, but there was still sufficient light for me
to see a body lying upon the floor. As I thought,
it was the Dona Consuelo, and she had fainted.
Picking her up in my arms, I carried her to the
hall, where the meal of which I was to partake at
the end of my watch was already prepared. To
bathe her forehead was the work of a moment.
She revived almost immediately.

" What is the matter ? " she asked faintly.
" What has happened ? " But before I could reply,
the recollection of what she had seen returned to
her. A look of abject terror came into her face.

" Save me, save me, Dr. Ingleby ! " she cried,
clinging to my arm like a frightened child. " If
I see them again, I shall go mad. It will kill me.
You don't know how frightened I have been."

I thought I was in a position to understand
exactly.

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LIFE IN THE CASTLE

217

** Hush ! " I answered. " Try to think of some-
thing else. You are quite safe with me. Nothing
shall harm you here."

She covered her face with her hands, and her
slender frame trembled under the violence of her
emotion. Five minutes had elapsed before she
was sufficiently recovered to tell me everything.
For some days, as I soon discovered, she had been
left almost entirely alone, and having nothing to
occupy her mind, had been brooding over her
enforced separation from her aged relative. The
more she thou i> lit of him the more became her
craving to see him, in order to convince herself
that no harm had befallen him. A semi-hysterical
condition must have ensued, for she rose from her
bed, dressed herself, and, taking a candle in her
hand, started in the hope of finding him. By some
stroke of ill-fortune she must have discovered a
passage leading to Ah-Win*s portion of the castle,
and at last found herself standing before the open
door of that demon-haunted room.

" What does it all mean ? " she cried piteously.
"What is this place, and why are these dreadful
things here ? "

I was about to reply, when the curtain at the

end of the hall, covering the door of the laboratory,

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218

DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

was drawn aside, and to my horrified amazement
Nikola, who I imagined had taken my place in the
patient's room, stood before us. As I saw him
and realised the significance of the position, a cold
sweat broke out upon my forehead. What construc-
tion would he be likely to place upon my presence
there? For a few seconds he stood watching us,
then an expression that I can only describe as
being one of terror spread over his face.

" What does this mean ? " he cried hoarsely.
" What have you done ? " Then running to the
door of the Don's room, he drew back the curtain
and entered. Leaving the Dofia where she was,
I followed with such fear in my heart as I had
never known before. I found Nikola fumbling
with the case of the clinical thermometer, and
trembling like a leaf as he did so. Thrusting it
into the old man's mouth, he hung over him and
waited as if his whole life depended on the result.
Withdrawing it again and holding it up to the
light, he gazed at it.

" Too late ! " he cried, and I scarcely recognised
his voice, so changed was it. " His temperature
has dropped a point ! Ingleby, this is your doing.
For all you know to the contrary, you may have
killed him."

LOVE REIGNS

1"' <1

}>•!

i i

CHAPTER VII

LOVE REIGNS

T N the preceding chapter I made you ac-
^ quainted with the calamity which befell our
patient, and of the serious position in which I
found myself placed with Nikola in consequence.
While knowing in my own heart that I was quite
innocent of any intentional neglect of duty, I had
yet to remember that had I remained on watch,
instead of leaving the room to ascertain what had
befallen the Dona Consuelo, it would in all pro-
bability never h v^ happened. On the other
hand, I had signalled Nikola and called him to
my assistance before abandoning my charge.
Hov/ it was he had not answered my summons
was more than I could understand. As it tran-
spired afterwards, however, and as is usual in such

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DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

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things, the explanation was a very simple one.
In the last chapter I said that when he left me to
go to the laboratory, he was quite exhausted ; he
had eaten nothing for many hours, and as a
natural result the fumes of the herbs he was dis-
tilling had overpowered him and he had fallen in
a dead faint upon the floor.

As long as I live I shall retain the recollection
of the next fourteen hours. During the whole of
that time Nikola and I fought death inch by inch
for the body of the old Don. From midnight
until the following afternoon, neither of us crossed
the threshold of the sick-chamber ; and during
the whole of that time, save to give me brief
directions, Nikola spoke no word to me at all.
It was only when the mercury ''n the clinical
thermometer was once more established on its
accustomed mark that he addressed me. Re-
arranging the bed-covering and wiping his clammy
forehead with his pocket-handkerchief, he turned
to me.

" I think he will do now," he said. " Provided
he does not lose ground within the next halt-
hour, we may take it for granted that he is out
of danger."

LOVE REIGNS

223

This was the opportunity for which I was
waiting : I accordingly seized it

" I am afraid, Dr. Nikola," I said, mustering
courage as I progressed, " that yoa consider me
to blame for what has happened." He looked
sharply at me, and then said coldly :

" I fail to see how I could very well think
otherwise. I left you in charge, and you deserted
your post."

" But I assure you," I continued, '* that you are
misjudging me. I could not help myself. 1
heard the girl scream, and ran to her assistance.
At the same time I took care to ring the bell fur
you before I left the room."

" You should not have left it at all until I had
joined you," he answered, still in the same icy
tone. " As a matter of fact, 1 did not hear your
summons ; I had fainted. And one other
question, What was the girl doing in this portion
of the castle ? "

" She was hysterical," I answered, " and was
searching for her great-grandfather. She did not
know, herself, how she got here ; but, as ill-luck
would have it, she saw your terrible people, and
was frightened nearly to death in consequence.

iW^

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224

DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

For common humanity's sake I could not leave
her as she was. Having rung for you, I naturally
thought you were with the Don, and tha*- I was
free to render her what assistance I could."

" Your argument is certainly plausible ; but
supposing the man had died during your absence ?
How ould you have felt then ? "

" I should have regretted it all my life," I
answered. " But surely you must admit that
would have been better than that a young girl
should have been driven mad by fear."

" You do not seem to understand," Nikola
replied, " that I would willingly sacrifice a thou-
sand girls to accomplish the great object I have
in view. No ! no ! Ingleby, you have been found
wanting in your duty ; you have checked the
progress of the experiment, and if that old man
had died " — here he took a step towards me, and
his face suddenly became livid with passion — " as
I live at this moment you would never have seen
the light of day again. I swear I would have
killed you with as little compunction as I would
have destroyed a dog who had bitten me."

So menacing was his attitude, and so fiendish
the expression on his face, that I instinctively

LOVE RKIGNS

225

Ive

lid

Ish

recoiled a step from him, and yet I don't think
my worst enemy could accuse me of being a
coward. Was the man a lunatic? I asked my-
self; had the magnitude of his discovery turned
his head? If so, 1 must be careful in my dealings
with him.

" I am afraid I do not understand you, Dr.
Nikola," I said, trying to appear cahncr than I
felt. " You talk in an exaggerated fashion, and
one which I cannot {permit. I confess to being
in a certain measure to blame for what has
happened ; but if you feel that you can no longer
repose the trust in me that you once felt, I would
rather resign my post with you, and leave your
house at once."

For a moment 1 thought I had detected a sign
of fear in his face. Then his manner changed
completely.

•' My dear Ingleby," he said, patting me on the
shoulder and speaking in cjuite a different tone,
"we are wrangling like a pair of schoolboys. If
I hurt your feelings just now, I hope you will
forgive me and ascribe it to my anxiety. For
the last two days, as }ou arc aware, I have been
overwrought. When I stated that I considered

tU'

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226

DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

you to blame, I said more than I meant ; for, of
course, I know that you had no intention of
injuring our patient, or of doing anything to
prejudice the end we have in view. It was a
combination of unfortunate circumstances, the
ill-eflfects of which by good luck we have been
able to remedy. Let us forget all about it."

" With all my heart," I said, with a momentary
friendliness I had never felt for him before, and
held out my hand to him. He took it, when to
my surprise I found that his hand was as cold as
ice. In this fashion the cloud between us ap-
peared to have been blown away ; but though it
was no longer visible to the naked eye, it still
existed, for I was unable to dispel from my mind
the recollection of the threat he had used to me.
If he were not in earnest now, he had at least
been so then ; and, for my own part, I put more
faith in his threats than in his protestations of
friendship.

" Come, come, this will never do," said Nikola,
after the few moments' silence which had followed
after our reconciliation. " It is nearly three o'clock.
You had better go to your room and rest for a
couple of hours, after which you can relieve me."

LOVE REIGNS

227

»;7.i

ola,
,vcd
)ck.
ir a

Seeing his haggard and weary face, I offered
to remain on duty while he went to lie down, but
to this he would not consent. It was plain he was
still brooding over what had happened, and that
he did not intend to trust me any further than he
was absolutely obliged. Accordingly, I did not
press him ; but, as soon as I had noted the
various temperatures, and had done what I could
to help him, I left him to his vigil and went to my
own apartment. I had had nineteen hours in
the sick-room, and in consequence was completely
worn out. During that time I had heard nothing
of the Doiia Consuelo. But when I laid my
head upon my pillow and closed my eyes, her
terrified face, as I had seen it the previous night,
rose before me. Even then I could feel the thrill
which had run through me as I took that lovely
body in my arms. What place was this terrible
castle, I asked myself, for such a woman ? How
dreary was the life she was compelled to lead in
it ; without companions, and cut off from the one
person who only a week before had been all her
world to her. This suggested another and a
sweeter thought to me. Was there only one
person she loved ? I remembered how she had

Mii*

228

DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

w tf

clung to me in the hall, and how she had appealed
to me to save her. The mere thought that there
might be something more than simple liking in
her attitude was sufficient to set my heart beating
like a sledge-hammer. Was it possible I could be
falling in love? I, who had thought myself done
with that sort of thing for ever ? I smiled at the
idea. A nice sort of position I was in to con-
template such a thing. And yet I was so lonely
in the world that it soothed me to think there
might be some one to whom I was a little more
than the average man, and that that some one
was a beautiful and noble woman. With these
thoughts in my brain I fell asleep. A moment
later, so it seemed, the electric bell above my head
brought me wide awake again. One glance at
my watch was sufficient, however, to show me
that I had been asleep two hours. I dressed as
quickly as possible and returned to the Don's
room, when, much to my relief, Nikola informed
me that there had been no relapse, and that all
was progressing as satisfactorily as he could wish.
Bidding me exercise the greatest vigilance, he left
me and staggered from the room.

" A little more of this sort of thing, my friend,"

LOVE REIGNS

229

iend,"

I said to myself, as I watched him pass out of
the door — " only a little more, and you will be
unfit for anything."

But I had yet to learn the strength of Nikola's
constitution. He was like a steel bow : he might
often be bent, but never broken.

It was not until the following morning that I
saw Doiia Consuelo again. We met upon the
battlements as usual.

" Dr. Ingleby," she said, after we had been
standing together some time, " I feel there is
something I should say to you. I want to tell
you how sorry I am for what occurred the other
night. But for my folly in wandering about the
castle as I did, I should not have seen" — she
paused for a moment, and a shudr' r swept over
her at the recollection — " I should not have seen
what I did, and you would not have got into
trouble with Dr. Nikola."

"But how did you know that I did get into
trouble with Nikola?" I asked

" Because Dr. Nikola spoke to me about it," she
replied.

On hearing this, I pricked up my ears. Had
Nikola taken her to task for what she had done?

l¥M

■111 i

a30

DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

, i

I i': I

'n i

In all probability he had blamed her. I tried to
catch her on this point, but she would tell me
nothing.

" You will accept my apology, won't you ? " she
asked ; " it has made me so unhappy."

"You must not apologise to me at all," I
answered ; " I assure you none is needed. I
would have given anything to have prevented
your seeing — well, what you did, and still more
to have prevented Nikola from speaking to you.
He had no right to do so." Then, drawing a
little closer to her, I took her hand : " Dofia
Consuelo/' I said, " I am very much afraid your
life here is a very unhappy one."

" I was happier in Spain," she answered. " But
I do not want you to think that I am grumbling ;
you have given me your promise that no ill
shall befall my great-grandfather, and for this
reason I have no fear. If he is well, what right
have I to complain of anything that may happen
to myself? Some day perhaps Dr. Nikola will
allow us to go back to Spain, and then I shall
forget all about this terrible castle."

I wondered if the hope she entertained would
ever be realised. But I was not going to permit

LOVE REIGNS

as I

her to suppose that I entertained any doubt at all
about it. I felt I should like to have said more,
but prudence restrained me. She looked so
beautiful that the temptation was almost more
than I could withstand. Whether she knew any-
thing of what was in my mind, I cannot say ; but
somehow I fancied she must have done so, for,
though I have no desire to appear conceited, I
could not help thinking, when we bade each other
goodbye, there was a look of sorrow in her face.
Once more a fortnight went by. A month had
now elapsed since our arrival at the castle, and, as
I could plainly see, Nikola's experiment was at
length achieving a definite result. The changes
effected by the use of the electric batteries and
the constant anointing which I have already
described having ceased within a short time of
the removal of the means by which they were
occasioned, were now almost permanent, and were
becoming more so every day. The patient's flesh
Was firmer and his skin was more elastic, while his
usual pallor had given place to what might almost
be described as a healthy tint. So far success had
crowned Nikola's endeavours ; but whether the final
result would be what he desired was more than I

1^1
IP

iV'

I!
m

I 'fill
iili

t ^. •

•■A\

! i

1 ■(

)^t

232

DR. NIKOLAS EXPERIMENT

•-■1

could say. After the little contretemps which
followed my mistake, already described, Nikola
and I had agreed fairly well together. I was
aware, however, that he was suspicious of my
intimacy with the old Don's great-granddaughter ;
and from the way in which he glanced at the
patient and the various instruments whenever
he relieved me in the sick-room, I could tell
that he was always anxious to satisfy himself
that I had not done anything to prejudice
the work he had in hand. It may easily be
supposed therefore, that our partnership was
far from being as pleasant as it had promised
in London to be. To live in an atmosphr
of continual suspicion is unpleasant at dmy
time, but it becomes doubly so when another's
happiness depends in a very large measure
upon it. Of course, the reason was apparent
to me ; but there must have been some-
thing more in Nikola's mind than I could
fathom, for I think I can assert most truthfully
that never for a moment did I allow an effort to
be wanting on my part to show how much I had
his interest at heart. There was yet another
thing which puzzled me. It was this : what was

LOVE REIGNS

«33

to happen when the required result had been
achieved, and the old Don was transformed into
a young man again ? And more important still,
what would become of his great-granddaughter?
The whole thing seemed so absurd — so unnatural.
if you like it better — that I could see no proper
conclusion to it. Still, there was time to talk of
that later on. The old Don was already, I am
prepared to admit, in a certain sense, younger ;
that is to say, he did not present that appearance
of great age which had been noticeable on board
the Dofla Mercedes ; at the same time, he was still
very far from being a yorng man.

One day I found sufficient courage to speak on
this point to Nikola.

" That is one of the most remarkable points in
my argument," he answered. " If he were to
change his state so quickly, I should despair of
success. As it is, I am more than hopeful, I am
sanguine. To-morrow, if he continues to progress
so favourably, we shall enter upon the third stage
of the experiment. Granted that is successful,
I shall be within measurable distance of the
greatest medical discovery of this or any other

century."

:M}!

I si

■^m,

234

DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

ii 1 f J*.

Knowing it was useless attempting to question
him further, I was compelled to possess my soul
in patience until the time should arrive for him to
enlighten me. The following morning, as soon as
I had finished my period of duty in the Don's
chamber, I informed Nikola of my intention of
going for a short stroll. The time, he hatl
decided, was not ripe yet for the third phase ;
and as I knew that I should be kept closely
employed as soon as it was, I was anxious to
obtain as mi'ch exercise as possible while I had
the opportunity. Accordingly, I placed my hat
upon my head and descended to the courtyard.
Strangely enough it was the first time I had set
foot in it since our arrival at the castle. It was an
exquisite morning (or walking, and the sky was
blue overhead, a brisk breeze was blowing, and
when I had crossed the drawbridge and looked
down into the little bay where the waves rolled
in and broke with a noise like thunder upon the
beach, 1 felt happier than I had done for some con-
siderable time past. I watched the white gulls
wheeling above my head, and as I did so the
recollection of the time when I had last seen them
rose before my mind's eye. It was the day that I

I;':

[i:n n

LOVE REIGNS

«35

had come so near speaking words of love to Dofla
Consuelo upon the battlements. I remembered
the look I had seen on her sweet face, and as I did
so I realised how much she was to me. With a
light step and a feeling of elation in my heart, I
made my way down the path towards the beach.
Not a soul was to be seen, for I remembered having
heard Nikola say that the yacht had gone south
for stores. R aching the water's edge, I stood and
looked back at the castle. It was a sombre
encugli place in all conscience, and yet there was
something about it now which affected me in a
manner I can scarce describe. I looked at it for
a few moments, and then, turning my back upon
it, I set off along the beach at a brisk pace,
whistling gaily as I went Eventually I reached
the further side of the bay, opposite that on which
the castle was situated. Here the sand gave place
to large rocks, which in their turn terminated in a
tall headland. The view from these rocks was
grand in the extreme. Night and ilay the rollers
of the North Sea broke upon them, throwing
showers of si)ray high into the air. Clambering
up, I struggled for fifty vards or so, and finally
seating msself upon a rock somewhat larger

1' 1

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236

DR. NIKOLAS KXPKKIMKNT

than the rest, prepared to enjoy the view. A
surprise was n store for me. Looking back
upon the way I had come, I caught sight of a
figure wiilking towards me on the sands. Need-
less to say, it was the Dofla Consuek). Whether
she was aware of my i)resence upon the rocks, I
cannot say ; I only know that as soon as I saw
her I rose from where I was sitting and hastened
to meet her. How beautiful she looked, and how
her face lighted up as I came closer, are things
which I must leave to the imagination of my
reader.

" You are fui ther abroad than isual to-day, are
you not ? " I said, as we shook hands.

••Might I not say the same of you?" she
answered with a smile. •'The morning was so
beautilul that 1 could not remain in that terrible
old building. Kvery coi'ner seems to suggest
unhappy memories to me."

•• Do you really think all the memories con-
nected with it will be unpleasant?" 1 iiujuired.

She looked up at me in a little startled way,
and blushed divinely as she did so.

"Could you expect me to regard the time I
have spent in it with any sort of pleasure?" she

■■I i

rest

:on-

irc(

'ay,

she

m^\

» i

LOVK RKKiNS

239

inquired, fencing with my mcining, and givinp; me
a Roland for an Oliver. " Only think what I have
suffered in it! "

Hy this time we were strolling back together
towards the rocks I have already described. The
beach at this point narrowed considerably, and for
some reason or another we walked a little nearer
the cliff than I had done. Suddenly my com-
panion stopped, and, pointing to the sand, said :
" You had a companion this morning?"
" I ? I had no companion," I answered.
"What makes you think so?"

" Look here," she said, and as she spoke she
pointed to some footmarks on the .sand before
us. •* As you went up the beach you walked
near the water's edge, and as you came to meet
me you passed midway between your former
tracks and the cliff. If you did not have a
companion, whose footpri" i are these? They
must have been made this morning, for, as you
are aware, when the tide is full, it comes right up
to the cliffs, and would be certain to wash out
anything that existed before."

I stooped and examined the tracks carefully
before I answered. They were evidently those

■!l;

it!;

■ >. . :'•

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240

DR. NIKOLAS EXPERIMENT

of a man, and from the fact that the sand was
hard the outh'ne could be plainly distinguished.
The foot that was responsible for them was a large
one, and must have be^'n clad in an exceedingly
clumsy boot.

" I don't know what to think of it," I said
" One thing, however, is quite certain : I had no
companion this morning. What about the old
man and his wife at the castle ? "

" I happen to know that they have both been
hard at work all the morning," she answered.
" Besides, v/hat object could they have in
following you ? The beach leads nowliere, and
from here to yonder point there is no place
where you can reach the land above."

I shook my head. The problem was too much
for me. At the same time I must own it dis-
quieted me strangely. Who was this mysterious
person who had dogged my footsteps ? and what
could have been his object in following me ? For
a moment I inclined to the belief that it might
have been Dr. Nikola, who was anxious to
discover hov/ I spent my leisure. But on second
thoughts the absurdity of tlie idea became apparent
to me. But if it were not Nikola, who could it
have been ?

iii

]tf

If I I ■

LOVE RKIGNS

?43

On reaching the rocks we seated ourselves, and
fell to criticising the picture spread out before our
gaze. There was something in my companion's
manner this morning which, analyse it as I would,
I could not understand. She was by turns light-
hearted and sad ; the two expressions chased each
other across her face like clouds across an Ajjril
sky. At last she returned to the topic which I
knew must come sooner or later — that of her
great-grandfather's condition.

"I seem cut off from him for ever," she said with
infinite sadness. " I he^ir nothing of him from
week's end to week's end, and I see nothing of
him. He is gone completely out of my life."

"But only for the time being," I answered. "Dr.
Nikola has assured you that he will restore him
to health and strength. Think what that will
mean, and how happy you will be together
then."

" I know it is very wrong of me to say so," she
continued ; but I cannot keep it back, Dr. Ingleby
— I distrust Dr. Nikola. He is deceiving me ; of
that I feel sure."

Knowing what 1 did, I could not contradict her ;
but I saw my opportunity, and acted upon it

;:{L

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244

DR. NIKOLAS EXPERIMENT

i I

fi'lfl

" But if you do not trust Dr. Nikola," I said,
" am I to suppose that you do not trust me ? "

She was silent, and I noticed that she turned her
face away from me, as if she were anxious to study
the castle and the cliff. What was more, I noticed
that her hand trembled a little as it rested on the
rock beside me.

Once more I put the question, and as I did so, I
leant a little towards her.

"I do trust you," she answered, but so softly that
I could scarcely hear it.

" Consuelo," I said, in a voice but little louder
than that in which she had addressed me, "you
cannot think what happiness it is to me to hear
you say that. As I have tried to show you, there
is nothing I would not do to prove how anxious I
am to be worthy of your trust. We have known
each other but little longer than a month. In that
time, however, I have learnt to know you as well
as any man could know a woman. I have learnt
more than that, Consuelo ; 1 have learnt to love
you better than life itself."

" No, no," she answered, " you must not say that.
I cannot hear you."

" But it must be said," I answered, " My love

! ■ -II

LOVE REIGNS

245

said,

Iber
tudy
ticed
1 the

i so, I

y that

louder
"you
hear
there
ious I
nown
n that
s well
learnt
o love

ly that.

Ly love

will not be denied. You do love me, Consuelo ; I
can see it in your face. Don't you think that I
watched and longed for it ? "

Instead of turning her face to me, she turned it
still further from me.

I took her little hand in mine.

"What is your answer, Consuelo?" I asked.
"Be brave and tell me, darling."

" If I were brave," she said, " I should tell you
that what you ask must never be. That it is hope-
less — impossible. That it would be madness for
us to think of such a thing. But I am not brave.
I am so lonely in the world, and have lost so much,
that I cannot lose you also."

" Then you love me ! " I cried, in such triumph
as I had never felt for anything else in my life
before. " Thank God, thank God for that ! "

" Yes, I love you," she answered ; and the great
waves breaking on the rocks seemed to echo the
happiness we both were feeling.

Over the next half-hour I must draw a veil. By
the end of that lime it was necessary for me to
think of returning to the castle. Nikola's watch
would be up in an hour, and I knew it would
not do for me to keep him waiting. I said as much

i 1

246

DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

:■■ ' S

ih;

.11!'

to Consuelo, and we immediately rose and set out
on our return. As I walked beside her, I would
not have changed position with any living man, so
happy was I. My peace of mind, however, was
destined to be but short-lived. We had crossed
the greater number of the rocks, and were ap-
proaching the sand once more, when I received a
shock which I shall not forget as long as I can
remember anything. Clambering over the sharp
and slippery rocks was by no means an easy
business. It was, however, delightful to hold my
sweetheart's hand in the pretence of assisting her.
Occasionally it became necessary for us to make
considerable detours, and once I bade her remain
where she was until I had climbed a somewhat
bigger rock than usual in order to find out whether
we could proceed that way. I had reached the
top, and was about to e :-end my hand to her
assistance, when something caused me to look
behind me. Judge of my surprise and consterna-
tion at finding, in the hollow below me, a man
crouching on the sand, watching me. It was the
Chinaman I had seen on board the Dofla Mercedes^
the man who had thrown the knife which had so
nearly terminated Nikolas existence. How I

LOVE REIGNS

247

the

I her

)ok

rna-

lan

the

\des.

managed to retain my presence of mind at that
trying moment, I find it difficult now to under-
stand. I only know this, that I realised in a flash
the fact that it would be madness to pretend to
have seen him. Accordingly, I stood for a moment
looking out to sea, and then with a laugh that
must have sounded far from natural, I rejoined
Consuelo on the rock below and chose another
path towards the sands.

"What is the matter?" she inquired when we
had proceeded a short distance. " Your face is
quite pale."

" I did not feel very well for a moment," I
answered, making use of the first excuse that
occurred to me.

" I am afraid you are not telling me the truth,"
she answered. " I feel convinced something has
frigntened you. Can you not trust me ? "

Under the circumstances I thought it would be
better for me to make a clean breast of it.

" I will trust you," I answered. " The fact of the
matter is, I have discovered an explanation for the
footsteps you pointed out to me upon the beach.
We are being followed. When I jumped on the
top of that rock, I found a man lying on the other
side of it."

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248

DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

^ :

" A man ? Who could he have been, and why
should he be spying upon us ? Did you recognise
him ? "

" Perfectly ; I should have known him any
where."

" Then who was he ? "

" The Chinaman we saw on board the steamer
The man who stole the drugs Nikola entrusted to
my care."

" Do you mean the man who entered my cabin
and bent over to look at me ? " she cried in
alarm.

I nodded, and threw a quick glance back over
my shoulder to discover v/hethcr we were still
being followed. I could see nothing, however, of
the man ; a circumstance which by no means
allayed my anxiety.

" What do you think we had better do ? " in
quired Consuelo.

" Hasten home as fast as we can go, and tell
Nikola," I answered. " It is imperative he should
know at once."

We accordingly continued our walk at incrccsed
speed, every now and th-^n throwing apprehensive
glances behind us. it is possible some of my

LOVE REIGNS

249

" in

tell
lould

:csed
Insive
my

readers may regard it as an exhibition of cowardice
on my part to have sought refuge in flight ; but
when ail the circumstances connected with it are
taken into consideration, I am sure every fair-
minded person will acquit me of this charge. Had
I been alone, it is possible I might have turned
and risked an encounter with the man ; but Con-
suelo being with me rendered such a course im-
possible. For the first time since we had known
it, the grim old castle, perched up on the clifis,
seemed a desirable place, and it was with a feeling
of profound relief that I led my sweetheart across
the drawbridge, and was able to tell myself that,
for the time being at least, she was safe. On
reaching the hall, I found tl t I had still twenty
minutes to spare. I had no desire, however, for
further leisure. What I wanted was to see Nikola
at once, in order to tell him my unpalatable news.

On entering the room, I found him engaged in
taking the old man's temperature. Me looked up
at me as if he were surprised to see me return so
soon, but said nothing until he had finished the
work upon which he was engaged.

" I can see from your face that you have had a
fright, and that you have something to say to me

I' '

\ '.'

250

DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

concerning it," he began, when he had returned
the thermometer to its case. " Our friend Quong
Ma has turned up again, I suppose ? "

" How did you know it ? " I asked : for I had no
idea that he was aware of the man's appearance in
the neighbourhood.

" I guessed it," he answered, with one of his
peculiar smiles. "You are the possessor of a
most expressive countenance. Consider for a
moment, and you will understand how it is I am
able to arrive at a conclusion so quickly. In the
first place, you have been for a walk with the
young lady whom you love and who loves you
in return."

" Perhaps you saw me," I replied sharply, feeling
myself blushing to the roots of my hair.

" I have not left this room," he answered.
" There is a long black hair on your collar, which
would not have been there if you had spent your
liberty by yourself. The same thing tells me that
you love her, and she loves you. As for the other
matter, the caretaker and his wife have been busily
employed in the castle all the morning, while Ah-
Win never leaves his own portion of the premises.
There is only one person outside the walls who

LOVE REIGNS

251

could have put that expression into your face, and
that person is Quong Ma. Am I right ? "

"Quite right," I replied. "He followed me
along the sands, and hid himself among the rocks.
In recrossing them from the point, I, as nearly as
possible, jumped on him."

" I am very glad you did not quite do so," he
ans\. ered. " Had you experienced that misfortune,
you \ lid not have been here to tell the tale. But
enough of him for the present. Take your place
here and watch our patient. In an hour's time his
temperature should have risen two points. When
it has done s'>. give him ten drops of this fluid in
twenty drops of distilled water. A profuse per-
spiration should result, which will herald the return
of consciousness and the new life. In twenty-four
hours he should not only be conscious, but on his
way to the commencement of his second youth ;
in forty-eight the improvement should be firmly
established ; wlule in a week we should have him
on his legs, a living, moving, thinking man, and of
my own creation. Watch him, therefore, and
whatever happens do not leave this room. Mean-
while, I will have the drawbridge raised, and if
Quong Ma can leap the chasm, and make his way

!^:j

I'l'
'■I'

'ill

lit

252

DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

into the castle, well, all I can say is, he is a cleverer
man than I take him to be."

With that, Nikola left me, and I sat down to
watch beside the aged Don. Apart from my duty
towards him, I had plenty to think about, and
over and over again I found myself recalling the
incidents of the morning. Consuelo loved me, and
happen w hat might I would prove myself worthy
of her love. At the end of the hour, as Nikola
had predicted, the j)atient's temperature had risen
two points. I accordingly measured out the stipu-
lated quantity of the medicine he had placed in
readiness for me, added the necessary quantity of
water, and poured it into the old man's mouth.
Then I sat myself down to wait. Slowly the
hands of the clock upon the wall went round, and
sixty minutes later, just as Nikola had prophesied,
small beads of perspiration made their appearance
upon his forehead. It was an exciting moment,
and one for which we had been eagerly waiting,
I immediately rang the bell for Nikola, and upon
his arrival informed him of the fact.

" At last, at last," he whispered. " It is certain
now that I have made no mistake. From this
moment forward his progress should be assured.

lovp: rp:igns

253

)on

Klin
Ihis

In a week you will be rewarded by a sight such as
the eye of man has never yet seen. He faithful to
me, Ingleby, and I pledge my word your future
with the woman you love is assured."

For the remainder of that day, and, indeed, until
eleven o'clock on the morning following, there was
but little change in tlu old Don's condition. The
casual observer would have seen but little differ-
ence from the day on which I had first taken
charge of him on board the steamer. To Nikola
and myself, however, who had spent so much time
with him, and who had noted every change, there
was a difference so vast that it seemed almost
incomprehensible.

My watch next morning was from four o'clock
until eight. At eight I breakfasterl, and afterwards
repaired to the battlements above ii. the hope of
meeting Consuelo. Since Nikola had ordered the
drawbridge to be raised, we had been compelled to
make this our meeting-place, and, as it happened,
Consuelo was first at the rendezvous.

" You have good news for me ! " she cried, after
I had kissed her. " I can see it in your face.
What is it? Does it concern my great-grand-
father?"

t SI

im^

"-4^.
f

254

DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

"M'

'* It does," I answered. "It concerns him inas-
much as I am able to tell you that what Nikola
promised you should haj)|)cn has in reality come
to pass. Itlverything has been satisfactory beyond
our wildest hopes."

" And do you mean that all need of anxiety is
over ? " she cried.

" I do not mean that exactly," I answered.
" But I think it very possible we shall soon be
able to .say so. Nikola is certainly the most
wonderful man upon this earth."

What she saitl in reply it would be vanity on
my part to recall, and would be only another
instance of the folly of lovers* talk. Let it suffice
that for upwards of an hour our converse was of
the sweetest description. Hand in hand we sat
upon the battlements, looking out across the sunlit
sea, and building our castles in the air. We were
interrupted by Ah- Win, who suddenly made his
appearance before us ami beckoned me to follow
him.

l^idding Consuelo good-bye, I followed the
fellow to the hall, where he pointed to the old
Don's room and left me. J found Nikola in a
state of the wildest excitement.

■fice
of
sat
inlit
■were
his
How

the

old

lin a

1 -ll

• il

•is?

,. . ^- -i.'

I31

LOVE REIGNS

257

" I sent for you because the crisis is close at
hand," he whispered. " At any moment now I
may know my fate. Little by little I have built
up this worn-out frame, strengthening, renewing,
revivifying, and now the object of my ambition is
almost achieved. A thousand years ago the
secret was guessed by a certain secret sect in
Asia. After working a hundred years or more
upon it they at length perfected it. But by the
law of their order only one man was permitted
to derive any benefit from it. I obtained their
secret — how it does not matter, added to it what
I thought it lacked, and here is the result."

As he spoke a visible tremor ran over the form
on the bed before us. The excitement was well-
nigh unbearable. For the first time in more than
thirty days movement was to be detected, the eye-
lids flickered, the mouth twitched, and little by
little the eyes opened. Nikola immediately
stooped over him, and concentrated all his atten-
tion upon the pupils. Then, placing his finger-
tips so close that they almost touched the lashes,
he drew them away again in long transverse
passes.

" Do you know me ? " he asked, in a voice that

i;f:-'

fl(

258

DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

f I)
t

i ■

-Si
4

..rf;-

■:;?(^

;:,ii'-

tii^

■

lili

shook with emotion. Almost instantly the man
replied :

" I know you."

" Do you suffer any pain ? "

" I do not."

" Sleep then, rest and gain strength, and in two
days from this hour wake again a strong man."

Once more he placed his hands before the
patient's eyes, and as he drew them away the lids
closed. Nikola bent over him and listened, and
when he rose he nodded reassuringly to me.

" It is all right," he said. " f lis respiration is as
even and unbroken as that r^'" a sleeping child."

As usual, my watch that night was from eight
o'clock until midnight. From the fact that Don
Miguel continued to sleep as quietly as at the
moment when Nikola had hypnotised him, it was
neither as difficult nor as anxious as before. Nor
was I altogether discontented with my lot. I was
in love, and was loved in my turn ; I was engaged
in deeply interesting employment, which, should
the experiment terminate successfully, would in all
probability ensure my being able to start for a
second time in my profession, and with an added
knowledge that would bring me to the top of the

LOVE REIGNS

259

■fb'i

nan

two

I the
i lids
, and

I is as

•

eight
Don
it the
lit was
Nor
1 was
Igaged
Lhould

all

for a

ladded

)f the

tree at once. The room in which I sat was warm
and comforteible ; outside, however, a violent storm
was raging. The rain and wind beat against the
window in the hall with wildest fury. Now, ever
since I had "atched b)- the Don's bedside, I had
made it my habit to carefull}' lock the door as
soon as Nikola had left the room. On this par-
ticular occasion I had not departed from my
custom. The hands of the clock on the wall
stood at ten minutes past eleven, and I was re-
flecting that I should not be sorry when my watch
was over, and I at liberty to retire to bed, when to
my astonishment I saw the handle of the door
slowly turn. At first I almost believed that my
imagination was playing me a trick ; but when the
handle revolved and was afterwards turned again,
I was satisfied that this was not the case. Who
was the person on the other side ? It would not
be Ah-Win, for the reason that he had been
particularly instructed on no account ever to
touch the door ; Consuclo would not venture into
that portion of the castle again on any considera-
tion whatsoever ; while Nikola himself, being
aware that 1 always kept it locked, would have
knocked before attempting to enter. Whoever

■()■

^i^^

'SI!

260

DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

•]k;.

■I

P
't

fa I

it was must have been satisfied that the task was
a hopeless one. At any rate he desisted, and I
heard no more of him. A few moments later
the ventilator required my attention, and I was
too busy to bestow any more thought upon the
matter. Indeed, it was not until Nikola knocked
upon the door and relieved me that it entered
my mind again. It became apparent immedi-
ately that he attached more importance to the
incident than I was inclined to do.

" It's very strange," he said, " but it accounts for
one thing which I must confess has puzzled me."

" What is that ? " I inquired.

" I will show you," he answered, and led the way
to ^he hall. At the farther end, near the window,
he paused and pointed to a mark upon the floor.
Not being able to see it very distinctly, I went
down upon my hands and knees.

" Do you know what it is ? " asked Nikola.

" I do," I answered. " It is the print of a naked
foot"

" Yes," said Nikola, " and that foot was wet. It
was more than that." Here he took a magnifying
glass from his pocket, and also went down upon
his hands and knees. "The chimney leading

LOVE REIGNS

261

for

Ukcd

Ifying

[upon

iding

from Ah- Win's room," he said, "is almost ex-
actly above our heads. In consequence, as you
may have noticed, the battlements at that point
are invariably covered with smuts. The naked
foot which made this mark brought some of
these particles with it, which tells us that there
was only one way in which the owner could have
come, and that was down a rope and through the
window. Let us examine the window.

We did so, but, so far as I could see, there
was nothing there to reward us. The rain was
pelting down, and the wind blew as I had never
heard it do before.

" The man, whoever he was, was certainly not
deficient in pluck," said Nikola. "I shouldn't
have cared to lower myself over the battlements
on a night like this."

" Are you sure that he did so lower himself? "
I inquired.

" I am quite sure," Nikola answered. "How else
could he have come? The old Don is safe for
half an hour at least ; get your revolver, I will
get mine, and we will go upstairs in search of the
intruder."

I did as he directed, but with no great willing-

fib

BKi-E;

262

t)R NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

' *?'

'\ 1

.Jim

^'h

ness. As you may suppose, I was quite convinced
as to the identity of the mysterious visitor; and
knowing his proficiency in the art of knife-throw-
ing, I had not the smallest desire to become better
acquainted with him. However, I was not going
to allow Nikola to think I was afraid ; so, putting
the best face I could upon it, I did as he directed,
and having assured myself that my weapon was
loaded in every chamber, followed him along the
corridor, up the stone staircase, and so out on to
the battlements above. Of all the storms in
my experience, I think that particular one was
certainly the worst. The rain beat in our faces,
and so great was the strength of the wind that
the very castle itself seemed to shake and
tremble before it. Revolver in hand, expecting
every moment to be confronted by the man of
whom we were in search, I followed Nikola in the
direction of the engine-room chimney. I knew
very well for what he was looking. He thought
he would find a rope there, but in this he was dis-
appointed. Nor were we able to discover any
traces of human beings. We searched the whole
length of the battlements in vain, and at last were
perforce compelled to give up the hunt as hope-

that

and

ting

n of
the

rnew

ught
dis-
any
^holc

iwere
lope-

LOVE REIGNS

263

less. Returning to the stairway once more, we
were about to descend, when I saw Nikola stoop
and pick something up. Whatever it was, he said
nothing to me until wo had reached the light of
the corridor below. Then he hcU\ it up for me
to see. It was a grey felt hat, the same that I had
seen upon the Chinaman's head that morning.

" Mark my words," .said Nikola, " we shall have
trouble with Quong Ma before very long."

!■' i

j^i

If ':

■Hi. .1 ' '^

THE RKSULT OF THE EXPERIMENT

'J.

CHAPTER VIII

TIIK RESULT OK THE EXPERIMENT

' M

WHICN we had returned to the corridor
below the battlements, after our search
for the man who had lowered himself down to
the window of the hall, Nikola brought with him
the s(jft felt hat I had observed upon the head
of that villainous Chinaman, Quon^r Ma, that
morning. Though neither of us was altogether
surprised at finding that he was the man we
suspected of being in the castle, we were none
the more pleased at having our suspicions con-
firmed. The thing which puzzled us most, how-
ever, was how he had obtained admission, seeing
that he had not been in sight when I had entered
the castle that morning, that I had informed
Nikola of my meeting with him within five

minutes of my arrival, and that the drawbridge

207

368

DR NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

If"!

V *

1! ;'!

- ... ,,
11. »

11 ; i:

'ii!i

had been raised, if not at once, certainly \. ithin a
quarter of an hour of my making my report. And
yet it was plain, since he had been upon the battle-
ments, that he was in the castle, and that his
being there boded no good was as apparent as
his presence.

" I always knew they had original ideas," said
Nikola, " but I had no idea they were as clever as
this. We shall have to be very careful what we
do for the future ; for from what I know of them,
they v/ould stick at nothing. To-morrow morning
we must search the castle from dungeon to turret."

" And if we find them ? "

" In that case," said Nikola, " I fancy I know a
way of dealing with them. Dona Consuelo locks
her door at night, I suppose ? "

I informed him that I had advised her to do so.

" It would be better that we should make
certain," he answered, and, proceeding to the
door in question, he softly turned the handle. It
was securely fastened from the inside.

" It seems all right," said Nikola. " Now we
will return to our own quarters, and make every-
thing secure there."

We did as suggested, and when everything was

THE RESULT OF THE EXPERIMENT 269

made fast, securely locked the door in the corridor
behind us. Reaching the hall once more, we made
a careful survey of the various rooms, including
not only the apartments leading out of it, but also
the passage leading to Ah-Win's quarters. No
sign, however, of the man we wanted was to be
seen there. Returning to the hall, we assured
ourselves that our patient was still sleeping
quietly, and then I bade Nikola good-night, and
prepared to go to my room.

" I should advise you to lock your door," he said,
as we parted. " You cannot take too many pre-
cautions when Quong Ma and his companion are
about. Should I require your assistance during
the night, I will ring for you."

I promised to answer his call immediately, and
was about to turn away, when it occurred to me to
ask him a (jucstion to whii h he had promised me
an answer upwards of a month before.

** On the night that we left Newcastle," I said,
" you were kind enough to say that when a fitting
opportunity occurred you would tell me what has
induced these men to follow you as they are
doing."

*' There is no reason why you should not hear,"

270

DR. NIKOLAS EXPERIMENT

.•ff

Nikola replied. " To tell it in full, however, would
be too long a story, but I will briefly summarise it
for you. In order to obtain the information neces-
sary for carrying out the experiment upon which
we are now engaged, I penetrated, as I think I
have already informed you, into a certain monas-
tery situated in the least known portion of Thibet.
My companion and I carried our lives in our
hands if ever men have done so in the history of
the world. The better to carry out my scheme,
I might explain, I impersonated a high official
who had lately been elecced one of the rulers of
the order. At a most unfortunate moment the
fraud was discovered, and my companion and I
were ordered to be hurled from the roof of the
monastery into the precipice below. We managed
to escape, however, but not before I had secured
the precious secret for which I had risked so much.
The monks traced us on our journey back to
civilisation, and two of the order, who Imve had
special ewpt^rience in this sort of work, wero
(Iclnlled to follow us, In the hope that they might
not only regain possession of a book which con-
tained the secret, but. at tin* sfune time leveijge thji
insult whicii had bueii offuruil In ihulll/'

THE RESULT OF THE EXPERIMENT 271

" And you still have that book ? "

" Would you care to see it ? " asked Nikola.

I replied that I should like to immensely, where-
upon he retired to his own apartment, to presently
return bringing with him a small packet, which he
placed upon the table. Untying the string which
bound it, and removing a sheet of thin leather, he
exposed to my gaze a small book, possibly eight
inches long by four wide. The materials in which
it was bound were almost dropping apart with age;
the backs and corners, however, were clamped with
rusty iron. The interior was filled with writing in
the Sanskrit character, a great deal of which had
faded and was barely decipherable. 1 took it
tenderly in my hands.

" And it is to regain possession of this book that
these men are following you ? " I asked.

" To do that," he answered, " and to punish me
for the trick I played them. They have not, how-
ever, accomplished their task yet ; nor shall they
do so if I can help it. Let me once get hold of
Quong Ma, and he'll do no more mischief for some
time to come."

As Nikola said this, his great cat, which for the
mat few moments hud been si .tiny upon his knees,

:i. J

aya

DR. NIKOLAS EXPERIMENT

suddenly stood up, and, placing its forepaws upon
the table, scratched at the cloth. Nikola was
watching my face, and what he saw there must
have considerably amused him.

" You are thinking that Apollyon and I are
not unlike. When we ^et out our claws, we are
dangerous. It would be well for our Chinese friend
if he understood as much. Now you had better
be off to bed, and I to my watch."

When Nikola relieved me at eight o'clock the
morning following, it was plain that there was
something important toward.

" Get your breakfast as soon as you can," he
said, " and when you have done, we will search the
castle. You heard nothing suspicious during your
watch, I suppose ? "

" Nothing," I replied. " Everything has gone on
just as usual."

As soon as I had finished my breakfast, Ah-Win
was summoned, and together we set off on our
errand. Beginning with the battlements, we took
the castle corridor by corridor, floor by floor,
examining every corner and staircase in which it
would be possible for a human being to hide him-
self. Having exhausted the inhabited portion of

i!*l

THK KKSULT OF THE P:XPKRIMP:NT 273

twin
our
took
loor,
:h it
Ihim-
m of

the build ini:^^ we searched the rooms into which no
one had penetrated from year's end to year's end.
Tliese we also drew blank. Then (lescendin<^
another fliy^ht of stairs, we reached the basement,
explored the j^reat kitchens, once so busy, and now
tenanted only by rats and beetles, and examinf*d
the various domestic offices, inckulincr the buttery
and armoury, still without success. If Quon^' Ma
was in the castle, it hooked as if he must certainly
possess the power of rendering himself invisible at
will. At last we reached the keep, where the )ld
couple who, as Nikola had said, officiated as care-
takers during his absence, had their quarters. At
the moment of our arrival the woman was bitterly
upbraidin<; her husband for some misdeed.

"I tell 'ee," she was saying, slapping the table
with her hand to emphasise her words, " that when
I went to bed last nii;ht they vittals was in yonder
cupboard. What I want 'ee to say is where they
be now ? Don't 'ee say *ee never saw them, or that
it was the cat a •, stole 'em, for *ee may talk till 'ee
be black in the face and I'll not believe 'ee. Cats
don't turn handles and undo latches, and mutton
don't walk out of the front door on its own leg. If
'ee be a man, 'ee'll tell the truth an' shame the devil."

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v['si:i

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274

DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

I must leave you to picture for yourself the
vehemence with which all this was said. The
words poured from her mouth in a torrent,
and every sentence was punctuated with slaps
upon the table. So engaged were they in their
quarrel that some moments elapsed before they
perceived Nikola and myself standing in the
doorway. When they did, the tumult ceased as if
by magic.

" You seem to be enjoying yourselves," said
Nikola drily ; " j)crhaps you will be kind enough
to tell me what it is all about."

He had no sooner finislied than the irate old
lady recommenced.

" It's just this way, my lord," she said, though
why she should have bestowed a title upon Nikola
I could not understand. " Last night I was
troubled with the rheumatiz mortal bad, and went
to bed early. My old man there, beggin* your
pardon for the liberty I'm takin', was a-sittin' by
the fire smokin' his pipe, such bein' his custom of
an evening. He had had his supper, and as I
se'd with my own eyes when he'd a finished there
was the end of a leg of mutton in yon cupboard.
When I comes this mornin' to take it out for

THE RESULT OF THE EXPERIMENT 275

the
The

rent,
ilaps
their
they

the

as if

said
iiough

te old

hough
likola
1 1 was
went
your
tin' by
torn ot

there
)board.
)ut for

breakfast, it's gone, and with it the bread as 1
baked with my own hands but yesterday. An J he
stands there, savin' your presence, my lord, and
wants I for to believe as how he's not touched it,
and the latch of the cupboard down, as you can
see for yourselves, honourable gentlemen both,
with your own eyes. I've been married these
three-and-forty years, and I don't know as how

you will believe it, my lord "

Seeing that she was getting up steam once more,
Nikola held up his hand to her to be silent.

" What you tell me Is very interesting," he said,
fixing his dark eyes upon her ; " but let me under-
stand you properly. You say you went to bed
leaving your husband smoking his pipe in this
room. Before retiring you convinced yourself
that the food which is now not forthcoming was
in the cupboard. Is that so ? "

" Yes, my lord, and honourable gentlemen both."
Then, addressing her husband, Nikola con-
tinued :

" I suppose you went to sleep over your pipe ? "
The question had to be repeated, and his wife
had to admonish him with, " Speak uj) to his lord-
ship like a man," before he could answer. Even

i r

276

DR. NIKOLA'S E:XPERIMENT

I-

>;:A

^ f

then his reply was scarcely satisfactory ; he
thought he might have fallen asleep, but he was
not at all sure upon the point. He admitted he
was in the habit of doing so ; and, as far as Nikola
was concerned, this settled the matter.

" Quong Ma," he said, turning to me. " Now I
understand where he gets his food from." Then,
turning to the woman, he said, " Your husband is a
heavy sleeper, I suppose?"

" Why, bless you, sir," she replied, " he sleeps
that heavy you can't wake him. And, as for
snoring, why, the rattling of that old bridge out
yonder, when they're a-drawin' of it up, ain't to be
compared with him, as the sayin' is. I did hear of
a man, when I lived down Sunderland, as did snore
so that, when he woke up, the folks next door sent
in to ask him to go on again, the stillness bein' that
lonesome that they couldn't bear it."

Nikola peremptorily bade the old woman be
silent, and ordered her for the future to see that
her door was locked at dusk every evening. Then,
addressing her husband, he mquired if the latter
was conversant with the subterranean passages ot
the castle, and when he had replied in the affirma-
tive, bade him light a lantern, and show us all he

he
was
i he
ikola

ow 1
rhen,

d is a

sleeps

IS for

re out
to be

icar of
snore
ir sent
' that

Ian be
te that
Then,
latter
Iges ol
Iffirma-
all he

THE RESULT OF THE EXPERIMENT 277

could. The man did so, and havinfr conducted us
across the courtyard, entered a long, low chamber,
which might once have been used as a bakehouse.
In this was a large wooden door, secured with
many bolts, but now falling into considerable dis-
repair. These bolts he drew one by one with an
air of importance that was indescribably comic.

" I don't quite understand how these bolts come
to be fastened if the man is down below,'' said
Nikola, addressing me. I shook my iicad, where-
upon he bade the old man inform him whether
there were any otlier entrances to the vaults in
question.

" Lor', sir," the man replied, ** the castle be fair
mazed with them. If 'ee likes, I can take 'ee into
most any room m the place from down below."

" I should have thought of that," said Nikola,
more to himself than to me. " I am sorry I didn't
question our friend here before. Quong Ma has
evidently mastered the situation, and is playing a
game of hide-and-seek. However, we'll examine
the dungeons first, and the passages afterwards.
So lead the way, my friend."

The old man going ahead carrying the lantern,
Nikola following, and Ah-VVin and myself bringing

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DR. NIKOLA'S EXPKRIMEX l'

up the rear, we made our way down the clammy
stone staircase into the subterranean portion of
the castle. It was an experience that would have
b' en worth anything to a novelist seeking colour
for a historical tale ; but knowing what I did about
the man we were after, I cannot say that I appre-
ciated the incident so much. In addition to my
nervousness, my head was aching, while hot and
cold perspirations alternately contributed to my
general discomfort. What was the matter with me
I could not think. As it was, I was the only
member of the party, I believe, who felt any
symptoms of fright. The old man with the lantern
knew nothing of his danger. Ah-Win was an
Asiatic and a fatalist, and in his master's presence
appeared not to care whom or what he faced ;
while, as for Nikola himself, I believe most im-
plicitly that cold-blooded individual would have
faced certain death as coolly and contentedly as he
would have tossed off a glass of wine. Lower and
lower we descended, glancing into dungeons into
which no light of day had ever penetrated, and
stooping to make our way along passages in
which the moisture from the roof fell drip, drip,
drip, upon our heads. Search as we would, how-

THE RESULT OF THE EXPERIMENT 279

ever, we could discover no trace of that villainous
Celestial.

" We be close down alongside the sea now, your
lordship," said the old man, " and when I tells 'ee
that, I tells 'ee summat as not many folks as has
bided in this 'ere castle ever knowed."

" Most admirable of men," said Nikola, " you are
telling me exactly what I want to know. Do you
mean that it's possible for us to reach the sea from
where we are now standing without crossing the
drawbridge ? "

" That is exactly what I do mean, my lord," he
answered. " And if your lordship and the honour-
able gentleman will come wi' I, I'll let 'ee see for
your own selves."

Forthwith the old fellow, holding his lantern
aloft, turned down a narrow passage, leading to the
right, and a few minutes later brought us up to
some steps, at the bottom of which the light of
day could be plainly seen. To reach the bottom of
the steps was the work of a moment, and once
there a curious scene was revealed to us. The
doorway opened into the chasm which I have
described earlier, and was situated almost directly
beneath the drawbridge and the keep. Kneeling

28o

DR. NIKOLAS KXf'KRIMENT

down, Nikola and I looked over the edge and
could plainly see a ninnljer of iron steps let into
the rock one above the other. At tlic botlcjin —
for it was now full tide — the sea washed and
dashed with terrific force. Rising to his feet again,
Nikola addressed the old man.

" Is it possible at low tide," he said, " to reach the
sands from here?"

" Lor' bless you, yes, sir," tlie man replied.
** When the tide is down, 'ee can get along from
rock to rock without as much as wetting shoe
leather."

" That accounts for everything," said Nikola with
considerable satisfaction. " I understand exactly
how Quong Ma got into the castle now ; he must
have laughed to himself when he saw that we had
raised the drawbridge in the hope of keeping him
out. However, forewarned is forearmed, and this
place shall be bricked up this morning. You, my
old friend, had better see to it, and be sure that
you make a good job of if"

The man promised to do so, and seeing that
there was nothing further to be gained by remain-
ing where we were, Nikola bade him conduct us
back again to our own portion of the building by

my
that

that
ain-
t us
by

mi
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THE RESULT OF THE EXPERIMENT 283

a secret passage if possible. The man assured us
that he could do so, and was as good as his word.
We climbed, crawled, and scrambled our way up
the narrow steps and along a rabbit warren of a
small passage behind our guide. At last he
stopped.

" Would your lordship be kind enough to say
where 'ee think 'ee are now ? " he added.

" I have not the least notion," said Nikola.

" Nor I," I added.

" Well, sir, I will show 'ee," said the man, and
after a little hunting he found and pressed some-
thing in the wall. There was a grating noise, a
sound as of rusty hinges being slowly unfolded
and then a portion of the wall swung outward
and we found ourselves standing at the top of the
great staircase within a few yards of Consuelo's
apartments.

" This is uncanny, to say the least of it," re-
marked Nikola. " Pray do any of these interest-
ing passages open into the young lady's room
opposite, or into the ;mallcr hall occupied by this
gentleman and myself? "

" Not now, my lord," the man replied. " Time
was when they did, but the old lord didn't take

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DR. NIKOLAS EXPERIMENT

kindly to 'em, and they was bricked up as much as
five year at^o."

" I am glad to hear it " said Nikola ; and you
may imagine that I echoed the sentiment. Nikola
thereupon thanked the old man and dismissed him,
at the same time reiterating his order that the
opening in the chasm below the drawbridge should
be made secure.

The excitement of the search for Quong Ma and
the damp of the passages had been too much for
me, and by the ^ime we reached the hall I could
scarcely stand.

" Good heavens, Ingleby " said Nikola, as I
dropped into a chair, " you're looking awfully ill.
What is the matter? "

" I can't exactly say," I answered. " T fear I
must have caught a chill on the battlements last
night."

" And yet you accompanied me down to those
damp passages this morning. Was that wise?"

" I was not going to let you go alone," I
replied.

He glanced sharply at me, as if he would read
my thoughts.

" Well, well, I'll tell you what you must do :

THE RESULT OF THE F:XPER!MKNT 285

" I

jad
lo:

you must be off to bed at once. There can be
no doubt about that."

I tried to protest : I explained my desire to
see the end of the experiment ; but Nikola was
adamant. To bed I must go, willy-nilly ; and to
bed I accordingly went, but not in my own room
off the hall. An apartment farther down the
corridor, next door to that occupied by Consuelo,
was arranged for me ; and when I was safely
between the blankets, Nikola prescribed for me,
and my sweetheart was duly installed as nurse.
My indisposition must have been more severe than
I had supposed, for before nightfall I was in a
high state of fever, and by midnight was delirious.

I remember nothing further until I opened my
eyes and found Consuelo sitting by my side.

" What does this mean ? " I inquired, surprised
to find her there.

" It means that you have been very ill," she
answered, " and that I am your nurse, and am not
going to permit you to talk very much."

To do this was a feat of which I was incapable,
but I was not going to be silent until I had learnt
something of what had happened.

" How long have I been ill ? " I inquired.

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DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

\:ui

" More than a week," she answered ; and then
added, "You naughty boy, you little know what
a fright you have given me. But you must not
talk any more, or Dr. Nikola will be angry."

She poured out some medici.ie for me, bade me
drink it, and then reseated herself beside me. In
five minutes I was wrapped in a heavy slumber,
from which I did not wake for several hours.
When I did, I found Dr. Nikola installed as nurse ;
Consuelo had disappeared.

"Well, Ingleby," said Nikola cheerily, as he felt
my pulse, " you have had a sharp bout of it, but I
am glad to see we have managed to pull you
through. How do you feel in yourself?"

•' Much better," I answered, " though still a bit
shaky."

" I don't wonder at it," he said. " Do you feel
hungry ? "

" I feel as if I could eat anything," I answered.

" Well, that's a good sign. I'll see that some-
thing is sent you. In the meanwhile keep as
quiet as possible. When I leave you, I'll send
your sweetheart to >'ou ; she has been a devoted
nurse, and between ourselves I rather fancy you
owe your life to her."

THE RESULT OF THE EXPERIMENT 287

bit

feel

id.
lome-

\P as
send
^oted
you

" God bless her ! " I answered fervently. " But
you call her my sweetheart. What do you mean
by that?"

*' My dear fellow, I know everything. One night
the young lady in question was rather concerned
about you, and In her agitation she allowed the
cat to slip out of the bag. You young people
seem to have managed the matter pretty well in
the short time you have known each other. Now
keep quiet for a few moments while I see if I can
find her."

He was making for the door, when I stopped
him.

" You have not told me how the Don is," I said.
" How does the experiment progress ? "

His face clouded over.

" It has proved successful," he answered, but
with a sudden sternness that surprised me. It
was for all the world as if he were trying to con-
vince me that what he said was correct, although
in his own heart he knew it was not so. When
he spoke again, it was very slowly.

"Yes, Ingleby," he said, as if he were weighing
every word before he uttered it, " the experiment
has proved a success. I have made the Don a

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DR. NIKOLAS EXPERIMENT

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young man, but — well, to tell the truth, I have
made a mistake in my calculations — a mistake
that I cannot explain and that I can in no way
account for."

•* And the result ? "

" Don't ask me," he said, " for I am afraid I do
not know myself. By the time you are on your
feet again, I shall hope to have come nearer an
understanding of the situation. Then I shall be
able to tell you more of what I hope and fear.
At present I scarcely like to think of it myself"

To my surprise, as I watched him, I saw great
beads of perspiration start out upon his forehead,
and, for the first time since I had known him, I
saw a look of terror in Dr. Nikola's face. I tried
to question him further upon the subject, but he
bade me wait until I was stronger, and, presently
repeating that he would find Consuelo, he left me.
When my sweetheart entered the room, looking
more beautiful than I had ever seen her, I forgot,
for the time being, about Nikola.

" You are looking much better," .h*^ said, as she
came toward me and put down upon the table the
tray she carried in her hand. *' Here is some beef-
tea which I have made for you myself. If you

^king
[rgot,

IS she

le the

Ibeef-

you

THE RESULT OF THE EXPERIMENT 289

don't drink it all up, I shall let the old woman in
the kitchen make it for you in the future and bring
it to you herself."

" You had better not," I answered. "In that
case, I should refuse to touch a drop of it, and
should die of slow starvation in consequence."

With a gentleness that was infinitely becoming
to her, she lifted my head and held the cup while
I drank. If I took longer over it than I should
have done at any other time, the fact must, of
course, be attributed to my weakness.

" Dr. Nikola says he is very pleased with the
progress you have made," she said, when she had
replaced the cup upon the table. " But you are
to be kept very quiet for some days, and to sleep
as much as possible."

"And when am I to get up?" I asked.

" Get up ! " she cried in mock horror. " You
must not even think o:' such a thing for a week at
least."

"A week!" I replied. "Do you think I've to
stay here for a week ? "

" So Dr. Nikola says."

The remainder of our conversation is too sacred

to be set down in cold-drawn type. Let it suffice

\ \

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DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

that, when I fell asleep again, it was with her hand
in mine. I was more in love even than I had
been before.

As Consuelo had predicted, more than a week
had elapsed before I was permitted to leave my
room. Even then I was not allowed to return to
my duties at once, but spent the greater portion
of my time with Consuelo on the battlements
gaining strength with every breath of sea air that
I inhaled.

Nikola I saw but little of He examined me
every morning, and on one or two occasions
honoured us with his company for a brief period
on the castle roof. At the best of times, however,
he was not a good companion. He was invariably
absorbed in his own thoughts, spoke but little, and
struck me as being anxious to say goodbye almost
as soon as he arrived. Since then I have learned
the true reason of it all, and I have been able to
see that complex character in a new light. It
never struck me how lonely the man's life must
be. During the whole time that I was associated
with him I never once heard him speak of kith or
kin. Friends he appeared to have none, while his
acquaintances numbered only such men as were

THE RESULT OF THE EXPERIMENT 291

necessary to the particular work he happened to
be engaged in at the moment of their meeting.
His very attainments, his peculiar knowledge of
the world, of its under and mystic side, were
sufficient to make him hold aloof from his fellow-
men. In al). matters of comfort a rigid ascetic, the
good things of life had no temptation for him.
To sum it all up, of this I feel certain, so certain
indeed that at times it becomes almost a {)ain, that
Nikola, with all his sternness, his self-denial, his
genius and his failings, hungered for one thing,
and that was to be ioved. Why should I say this,
considering that the only evidence I have to offer
tends to lead one's thoughts in a contrary direction ?
I do not know, but as I remarked just now, I feel
convinced that my hypothesis is a correct one, as I
am that I love Consuelo. But to return to my story.
It was not until nearly a fortnight had elapsed, since
my return to consciousness, that I was permitted
to take up my duties again. When I did, I
returned to my old quarters leading out of the
hall, and I think Nikola was pleased to once more
have my co-operation, — at any rate, he led me to
suppose that he was.

♦' When you think you are up to the mark, I

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DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

shall be pleased to show you the Don," he said,
" and to hear your opinion of him."

I expressed myself as being quite equal to
seeing him at once.

" Very good," he answered, " but I warn you to
be prepared for a great and somewhat unpleasant
change in the man."

So saying, he led me across the hall towards the
room in which I had, before my illness, spent so
many hours. Inserting the key in the lock, he
turned it and we entered. I had expected to find
it exactly as I had last seen it. A surprise, how-
ever, was in store for me. The bedplace in the
centre was gone, as were both the electrical appli-
ances. The clock and thermometers had been
removed, the only things that still remained being
the electric lights which were suspended from
the ceiling and the enclosed fixtures for regu-
lating the supply of hot and cold air. In point
of fact, it was as bare a room as well could be
imagined.

" Don Miguel," said Nikola, " I have brought an
old friend to see you."

I looked about the room, but for a moment
could see nothing of the old man in question.

THE RESULT OF THE EXPERIMENT 293

Then my eye lighted on what looked like a heap
of clothes huddled up on a mattress in the corner.
On hearing Nikola's voice, a face looked up at me
— a face so terrible, so demoniacal I might say,
that I invoh'.ntarily shrank from it. What there
was about it that caused me such revulsion, I can-
not say It was the countenance of a young man,
if you can imagine a man endowed with perpetual
youth, and with that youth the cunning, the cruelty,
and the vice of countless centuries.

" Steady, my friend," I heard Nikola say, and
as he did so he placed his hand upon my ami.
" Remember, Ingleby, this is nothing more than an
experiment."

Then addressing ^he crouching figure, he bade
him stand up. With a snarl like that of a dog, or
rather of a wild beast, who is compelled to do a
thing very much against his will, the man obeyed.
I was able then to take better stock of him. Accus-
tomed as I was to the old Don's face, I found it
difficult to realise that the healthy, vigorous man
standing before me was he, and yet I had only to
look at him carefully to have all doubt upon the
subject removed. He was the same and yet not the
same. At any rate, he was an illustration of the

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294

DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMP:NT

marvellous, nay, the almost unbelievable, success
of Nikola's experiment.

"You remember the Don as he was, and you
can see to what I have been able to bring him,"
said Nikola sadly, and for one moment without a
trace of triumph. This, however, was soon forth-

commg.

" Out of an old man tottering on the brink of
the grave, I have manufactured a young and
vigorous creature such as you now see before you.
I have made him, I have transformed him, I have
subjected Nature to science, I have revolutionised
the world, abolished death, and upset the teach-
ings, and the essential idea, of all religions. I
have proved that old age can be prevented, and
the grave defied. And — and— I have fail ;d.'*

Under the intensity of his emotion his voice
broke, and something very like a sob burst from
him. Never since I had known Nikola had I seen
him as he was then. To all appearances he was
well-nigh broken-hearted.

"If you have done all this," I asked, "how can
you say that you have failed ? '*

Are you so blind that you cannot see?" he
answered. " Examine the man for yourself, and

THE RESULT OF THE EXPERIMENT 295

you will find that he is a human being in animal
life only. I have given him back his youth, his
strength, his enjoyment in living, but I cannot
give him back his mind. In his body I have
triumphed ; in his brain I have completely
failed."

" But cannot this be set right ? " I inquired. " Is
the case quite hopeless ? "

" Nothing is hopeless," he answered ; " but it
will take years, centuries perhaps, of work to find
the secret. I thought, when I built up the body,
I should be building up the brain as well. It was
not so. In proportion as his body renewed its
youth, his brain shrunk. Let me give you an
illustration."

He went forward towards the man, who was
now once more crouching upon the floor, watching
us over his right shoulder, as if he were afraid we
were going to do him harm.

" Well, Miguel," said Nikola, patting him upon
the head, and speaking to him in the same tone he
would have used to a favourite monkey, " how is it
with you to-day ? "

The man, however, took no notice, but bending
down played with the lace of Nikola's shoe, now

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296

DK. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

and again looking swiftly up into his face, as if
he dreaded a blow, and as swiftly looking away
again.

"This should prove to you what I mean," said
Nikola, addressing me. *' In his present condition
he is less than a man, and yet where would you
find a finer frame? His heart, his lungs, his con-
stitution, all are perfect."

While he had been speaking, he had turned
his back upon the beast upon the floor, and as
he uttered the last words he moved towards me.
He had not taken a step, however, before the
Don was half on his feet. From childish idiocy
his exprecsion had changed until it was a fiendish
malignity that surpasses all description in words.

In another moment he would have thrown
himself on Nikola. As it was, he glared at him
until he turned, when in an instant the wild ex-
pression had gone, and he was crouching upon
the floor once more, picking at his fingers and
smiling to himself

"You can see for yourself what he is," said
Nikola : " an imbecile ; but for one ray of hope
I should despair of him."

" There is, then, a ray of hope," I said eagerly,

THE RESULT OF THE EXPERIMENT 297

clutching like a drowning man at the straw he
held out. " Thank God for that ! "

" There is a ray," he answered, " but it is a very
little one. I will give you an example."

Turning to the wretched creature on the floor,
he extended his hand towards him, and, gradually
lifting it, bade him rise. The effect was instan-
taneous. The man rose little by little until he
stood upright. Once more pointing his hand
directly at him, Nikola moved towards him, until
the points of his fingers were scarcely an inch
from the other's eyes. Then, slowly raising his
fingers, he made an upward and a downward
pass.

The eyes closed, and yet the man still re-
mained rigid against the wall. Turning to me,
Nikola said :

"You can see for yourself that he is absolutely
under my influence and control."

I approached and made a careful examination.
Therv'^ could be no doubt about his condition : it
was one of hypnotic coma ; and, on raising one
of the eyelids, I found the ball turned upwards
and wandering in its orbit.

"You are satisfied?" inquired Nikola.

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298

DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

" Perfectly," I answered.

** In that case let us proceed."

"To whom am I speaking?" asked Nikola,
addressing the man before him.

" To Miguel de Moreno," was the answer, given
in a perfectly clear and strong voice, and without
apparent hesitation.

" Do you know where you are ? **

" I am with Dr. Nikola."

" Before )'ou came to me, with whom and where
did you live ? "

" I lived w'ih my great-granddaughter in Cadiz."

" Have you any recollection of coming to
England ? "

" I remember it perfectly."

" Now lie down upon that mattress, and sleep
without waking until eight o'clock to-morrow

mornmg.

The man did as he was ordered without hesita-
tion. Nikola covered him with the blankets, and
as soon as we had made sure of his safety, we left
the room, carefully locking the door after us.

"You can have no idea, Ingleby, what a dis-
appointment this has been to me. Three times
before I have tried and failed, but this time I

THE R?:SL LT OF THE EXPERIMENT 299

made sure I had success within my grasp. I have
progressed farther now than I have ever done
before, it is true ; but it is the brain that has beaten
me. As long as I Hve I will persevere, and the per-
fect man, who shall retain his youth through all ages,
shall eventually walk the earth. Now good-night."

He held out his hand to me, and as I shook it
Apollyon came up, and rubbed himself against my
leg, as if to show that he too appreciated my sym-
pathy. I was about to retire to my room, when
it struck me that I had heard nothing of our friend
Quong Ma since we had searched the subterranean
portion of the castle for him. I asked Nikola if
he had anything to tell me concerning him.

" Nothing," he answered, " save that last night I
felt certain that I saw a man cross the courtyard.
It was just before midnight, the moon was about
:he building, and I am ready to stake anything
that I am not deceived."

" But who could it have been ? "

" That's exactly what I want to know," he
answered. "You were safe in bed and asleep.
It was not the caretaker, for I tried his door and
found it locked, and from the sound that greeted
me I had good proof it was not he."

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300

DR. NIKOLAS EXPERIMENT

"But midit it not have been Ah-Win?" I
asked.

" I thou.^ht so, and before going in search of the
figure I hastened to his room, only to find him also
asleep."

" In that case it must have been Quong Ma.
But how does the fellow live? and why does he
not strike?"

" Because he has not yet fdund his oj)i)ortunity.
When he docs, you may be sure he will avail him-
self of it. Now once more good-night. You need
not trouble about our jjatient ; I shall take a look
at him about midni<dit."

" Good-night," I said, arid went to my room, the
door of which I carefully locked. My last waking
thoughts were of Consuelo. and my speculations as
to what her feclinus would be when she realised
the terrible change that hail taken place in her
great-grandfather were sufficient to give me a
nightmare. Over and over again I was afflicted
with the most horrible dreams ; and when I was
roused by a loud thumping on my door, and
Nikola's voice calling for admittance, it seemed so
much part and parcel of the horror my brain had
just pictured for ine, that for the moment I took

THE RESULT OF THE EXPERIMENT 301

no notice of it. It sounded again ; so, springing
from my bed, I ran to the door, and oj)ened it.

"What is the matter?" I askec', when he was
standing before me. His usual pale face was now
ghastly in its whiteness.

" Good heavens, man ! " he cried, " you have no
notion of what has hapi)encd. Dress yourself
immediately and come with me ! " He sat upon
my bed while I huddled my clothes on; then,
when I was read)-, he seized mc by the wrist, and
haIf-dragL;ed mc, half-led me into llic hall. Once
there, he jiointed to the figure of a man stretched
out before his door. It was Ah-\Vin • and his
throat teas cut from (-(if to car !

The sight was so sudden, and so totally unex-
pected, that it was almost too much for mc. Re-
covering my presence of mind, however, I knelt
down and examined him.

" Look at his hands ! " said Nikola. " They are
cut to the bone by some sharp-hladed instrument.
The murderer must have come here in search of
me. Ah-VVin must have met him, tried to ()revent
iiim reaching the door, was unable to warn us, and
so have met his fate."

We were both too much overcome to continue
the discussion. Quong Ma had struck at last !

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WAR AND PEACE

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i*'' ' -H

CHAPTER IX

WAR AND PEACE

AT the conclusion of the preceding chapter, I
described to you the terrible discovery we
had made of the death of Ah-Win. That he had
met his fate in an endeavour to prevent Quong Ma
from rep.ching his master's room seemed quite in
accordance with the evidence before us. Small
wonder was it, therefore, that Nikola was affected.
But even in his grief he proved himself unlike the
average man. Another man would have bewailed
his loss, or at least have expressed some sorrow at
his servant's unhappy lot. Nikola, however, did
neither, and yet his grief was plain to the eye as if
he had wept copious tears. Having satisfied him-
self that the poor fellow really was dead, he bade
me help him carry the body down the passage tc

an empty room which adjoined his former quarters.

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We la'd it upon a bed there, and Nikola followed
me into the passage, carefully locking the door
behind him. When we were back in the hall
once more, Nikola spoke.

" This has gone far enough," he said. " Come
what may, we must find Quong Ma. The fellow
must be in the castle at this minute."

"Shall we organise a search for him?" I said.
" The man must be captured at any hazard ; we
are risking valuable lives by allowing him to remain
at large."

Though I used the plural, I must confess I was
thinking more of my darling than of anybody else.
How did I know that, when Quong Ma found it
impossible for him to get hold of Nikola, he would
not revenge himself upon Consuelo?

'* That we must find him goes without saying,"
Nikola replied. " I doubt very much, however, if
it would be prudent for you to take part in the
search. In the first place, )'ou j'.re still as weak as
a baby ; and in the second, the damp of the sub-
terranean passages might very easily bring on a
return of the fever."

" You surely do not imagine that I should per-
mit you to go alone," I said.

WAR AND PEACE

307

Nikola gave a short laugh.

" I do not want to appear boastful," he said, " but
I am very much afraid you do not know me yet,
my dear Ingleby. However, I will confess that if
you really do desire it, and feel equal to the exer-
tion, I shall be very glad of your company."

" When do you propose to start ? "

"At once," he answered. "I shall not know
a minute's peace until I have revenged Ah-
Win."

" And supjwsing we catch the fellow, what do
you propose to do with him? It is a long way
from here to the nearest police station."

" I don't fancy s(3mehow I shall trouble the
police," he said. " But we will talk of what we will
do with him when w- have got him. Now, if you
are ready, come along."

Thereupon, for the second time we searched the
castle for Quong Ma. As before, we first visited
the battlements and the rooms on the next floor,
the basement offices followed, and still being un-
successful, we unboltea the door leading to the
dungeons and entered the subterranean portion of
the building. Cool as I endeavoured to appear, I
am prepared to confess that, when the icy wind

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DK. NIKOLAS KXPERIMP:NT

came up to p^rcet us from those dark and dreary
passages, I was far from feel i 111; comfortable. I
don't set up to he a braver man than my fellows,
but it seemed to me to re(iuire more pluck to enter
those dismal regions than to take part in a forlorn
hope. With our revolvers in our hands, and
Nikola holding the lantern above his head, we
explored passage after jiassage and dungeon after
dungeon. Kats scuttled away from beneath our
feet, bats flew in the darkness above our heads;
but, as before, not a sign of Oiiong Ma.

" I cannot understand it," said Nikola at last,
and his voice echoed akjng the rocky passages.
" We have explored every room in the castle and
every dungeon underneath it, and not a trace of
the man can we discover. We have bricked up
the opening into the chasm, and lifted the draw-
bridge that connects us with the outside world,
and yet we cannot catch him. He must be here
somewhere."

" Exactly ; but where ? "

" If I knew, do you think I should be standing
here?" Nikola replied sharply. "But let us try
back again. I want to explore that secret passage
the old man showed us the other day. I remember

War and peace

509

now that there was something that struck me as
being rather peculiar about it."

We accordingly retraced our steps, found the
passage in question, and ascended it. Reaching
the point where, on the previous occasion, we had
turned off to find the trap-door, opening at the
head on the great staircase, we found, as Nikola
had supposed, a second and smaller turning half
hidden in shadow and which bore away to the
right, that is to say in the direction of the keep.
Fortunately, it was now level going, but so narrow
was the passage that it was still impossible to walk
two abreast.

" Hark ! what was that ? " Nikola suddenly
cried, stopping and holding the lantern above his
head.

We stopped and listened, and sure enough a
shuffling noise came from the passage in front. A
moment later the same sound we had heard when
the old caretaker had opened the secret door
reached us.

" If I am not mistaken, we have found his lair at
last," my companion shouted and ran forward.

But certain as we felt that it was Quong Ma we
had heard, we were too late to convince ourselves

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t)R. NIKOLA'S EXl'ERlMENt

if,

of the fact. The secret door stood open ; the
man, however, was not to be seen in the passage
outside.

" Where are we ? " I asked, for I was not famih'ar
with the corridor in which we found ourselves.

" Between the keep and Ah-Win's quarters,"
Nikola replied. " Now I understand how that
fiend has found his way into the hall. But let me
think for a moment : there is the gate between us
and the hall, and I have the key in my pocket.
There is no other exit in either direction, so it
seems to me that we have got our man at last. Is
your revolver ready ? "

" Quite ready," I replied.

" Come along, then. Bnt remember this : if he
attacks you, show him no mercy. He'll show you
none. Remember Ah-Win."

With that we made our way along the corridor
in the direction of the room where Nikola's — well,
where the murdered man had been quartered.

Nikola unlocked the door and looked in, while I
remained in the passage outside. I really believe I
was more afraid of what I should see in there than
of Quong Ma himself.

" He is not there," said Nikola when he rejoined

WAR AND PEACE

me, and then went to the gate and tested it. "And
he can't get out here. We've missed him some-
where, and must look back again."

We accordingly retraced our steps, examining
room by room and preparing ourselves every time
lest, when we turne' the handle, Quong Ma should
jump out upon us. But in every case we were
disappointed.

" I was surprised just now," said Nikola, after
we had left the last apartment and stood in the
corridor once more, " but I am doubly so now.
What on earth can have become of the fellow ?
He seems to vanish into thin air every time we get
near him. There must be another secret passage
hereabout of which we are ignorant. Before we
return, however, I want to make quite certain of
one thing ; let us continue that passage by which
we ascended from the dungeons just now."

We did so, Nikola once more going ahead with
the lantern.

" Just as I thought," he cried. " Look here ! "

He stopped, and stood with his back to the wall.
At this point the passage came to an abrupt
termination, and on the floor before us was an old
blanket, a quantity of straw, about a loaf and a

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(

half of bread, and an earthenware pipkin contain-
ing a quart or so of water. Under the blanket was
a half- used packet of candles, and from the grease
that bespattered everything it was easily seen how
he had obtained his illumination.

"We have found our bird's nest at last," said
Nikola, " but I am afraid we have driven him away
from it for good and all. But we will have him
yet, or my name's not Nikola. Now let us go
back to the hall ; we can do no good by staying
here."

We returned, but not before we had taken
possession of the things we had found, and had
carefully marked the position of the secret door,
in case we should want to use it again.

" After breakfast we will have another try," said
Nikola. "In the meantime we had better take a
little rest. You look as if you stood in need of it."

It would have been better for me had I aban-
doned any thought of such a thing, for with Ah-
Win lying dead only a few yards away and Quong
Ma still at large, the drowsy god was difficult, if
not impossible, to woo. Every danger that it
would be possible for a man to imagine, I pictured
for Consuelo ; and when at last I did fall asleep,

A] ME

WAR AND PEACE

3^3

the dreams that harassed me were of the most
horrible description. Right glad was I when
morning broke and it became necessary to attend
to the duties of the day.

" If I were you, I should say nothing to your
sweetheart either of her great-grandfather's con-
dition or of the tragedy of last night," said Nikola.

I agreed with him, although I knew that it
could not be very long before the former would
become known to Consuelo.

" But surely she will hear about Ah-Win before
very long? " I said. " Will it not be necessary for
you to communicate with the county police, and
for an inquest to be held ? "

"Ingleby," replied Nikola, "ask me no questions
I have no desire to draw you into the matter. It
is sufficient for you to know that Ah-Win is dead,"
— he paused for a minute, and then added,
significantly — " and buried^

Try how I would, I could not contain my
surprise. How, when, and by whom had the poor
Chinaman been buried ? Had Nikola carried it
out himself? It seemed impossible, and yet.
knowing as I did the indomitable energy and
working powers of the man, I felt it might very

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DR. NIKOLAS EXI'EKIMKNT

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well be true. I would have questioned him
further, hut 1 could see that he was not in the
hum(Hir to permit it. For this reason I iield my
peace, thout;h I knew full well at the time that by
so doini;" I was cjiviiii; my cH)nsent to what was
undoubtedlv an illeiral act.

From what I have said, I fancy it will be readily
aL;reed that the past two or three da\s had been as
full of incident as the i;rcatest craver after excite-
ment couiil desire. I had recovered from a serious
illness, had witnessed the result of one of the most
extraordinary experiments the world had seen,
Ah-\\'in had been murdered, we had discovered
Quong Ma's hiding-place in the castle, and had
had a most excitinij chase after him. Now Ah-
Win hail been buried secretly by Nikola, and if
what had been done was discovered by the
authorities, there is no sayiny^ in what sort of
trouble we mii;ht not find ourselves. As soon as
we had seen the Don, who was still wrapped in
the same hypnotic slumber, and had breakfasted,
we organised another search, only to meet with
the same result Later, I spent an hour with
Consuelo upon the battlemc its. I was careful,
however, to tell her nothing of the death of Ah-

WAR AXn I'KACE

31S

Win, nor of the rcajipoarancc of the detestable
Chinaman in the castle. It would have served no
L:^ood pur{)ose. and would only have frii;htened her
needlessly. When she reiterated her desire to see
her great-i;randfather, I found myself, if possible,
at a still i^reater disadvantaj^e. On returning to
Nikola in the hall, I placed the matter before him.
To my surprise, he did not receive it in the same
s|)irit as I had expected he would do. I had
anticipated a direct refusal, but he gave me
nothinj^ of the kind.

"Why should she not see him?" he said.
" Provided she give me pri>per notice, I fancy I
can arrange that he shall behave in every way as
she would wish him to do."

" When, thiMi, may the interview take place ? "

"Let us say at mitlday. Will th;it suit you?
Hut before we arrange anything defmitely, let us
examine him ourselves, anil .see how he is likely to
conduct himself"

We accordingly made our way to the patient's
room. I had noticed b)- the hall clock that it
wanted i>nly three minutes o( the hour at which
Nikola had ordered the Don to wake. On
approaching his bedpiice, we found him still

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DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

111 '

ml'

sleeping peacefully, in exactly the same position
as when we had seen him last. With his eyes
closed and one strong arm thrown out upon the
floor, he looked a magnificent specimen of a man.
If only Dr. Nikola could perfect the brain, here
was a being seemingly capable of anything. But
would he be able to do so? That was the
question. Watch in hand, Nikola knelt down
beside the bed, and for some time not a sound
broke the stillness of the room. Punctually,
however, as the long hand of the clock pointed to
the hour, the Don gave a long sigh. I jumped
to the conclusion that he was about to wake in
obedience to Nikola's command ; but, to our
surprise, he did not do so.

"Strange," I heard Nikola mutter to himself,
and, stooping over the patient, he lifted the eyelids
and carefully examined the pupils.

Five minutes went by, and still he did not
wake.

" Don Miguel,** said Nikola at last, " I command
you to wake. You cannot disobey me."

A slight movement was visible, but still the
sleeper did not comply with the order given him.
It was not until a quarter of an hour had elapsed

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WAR AND PEACE

319

that consciousness returned to him. With the
opening of his eyes the animal look which I had
noticed on the previous day came back to him.
Instead of rising to his feet as he was ordered, he
crouched and cowered in the corner, pulling at his
bedclothes, and watching us the while, as if he
would do us a mischief on the slightest provoca-
tion. Dangerous as the man had appeared the
day before, it struck me that he was even more
so to-day.

" It is very plain that we shall have to keep an
eye on you, my friend," said Nikola. " I am not
quite certain that you are going to be docile much
longer. Let me feel your pulse."

He stooped, and was about to take hold of the
other's wrist, when the man sprang forward, and,
seizing the Doctor with both hands, laid hold of
his arm with his teeth, just below the elbow.
Fortunately, Nikola was wearing a thick velvet
coat, otherwise the injury might have been a
severe one. Seeing what had happened, I threw
myself upon the man, and, tearing him off, forced
him down upon his bed. He struggled in my
grasp, snapping at me and foaming at the mouth
like a mad dog ; but I had him too secure, and

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DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

did not let go my hold until Nikola had fixed his
arms behind him.

" Good heavens, Nikola ! " I cried, scarcely able
to contain my emotion, " this is too terrible !
What on earth are we to do with him ? "

" I do not quite see what we can do," Nikola
replied, wiping the perspiration from his forehead
as he spoke. " However, I must try my hand on
him once more. If you can manage to keep him
still, and I can get him under my influence, we
ought to be able to keep him quiet while we have
time to think."

I did as requested, while Nikola made slow
mesmeric passes before the man's eyes. It was
fully ten minutes, however, before he succeeded ;
but as soon as he did, the patient's heartrending
struggles ceased, and he lay down upon h'.s bed,
sleeping quietly.

" I began to be afraid I was losing my influence
over him," said Nikola, as he rose to his feet.

" One thing is quite certain," I answered, " and
that is, Consuelo must not see him while he is in
this state. It would frighten her to death."

" And she would never forgive me," said Nikola ;
and I thought I detected a note of sadness in hjg

voice,

WAR AND PEACE

321

" Are you going to leave him as he is ? " I
inquired.

" For the present," Nikola answered. " I must
make up something that will have a soothing
effect upon him. You need have no fear; he
will be quite safe where he is."

The words were scarcely out of his mouth
before a movement on the bed caused us both to
look round. Little as we had anticipated such a
thing, Nikola's influence was slowly but surely
working off, and the man was returning to his old
state again. Even now, I never like to think of
what happened during the next ten minutes.
Before we could reach him, the Don was on his
feet and had rushed upon me. Nikola ran to my
assistance, and, strong men as we both were, I
assure you that at first we could not cope with
him. The struggle was a terrific one. He fought
like the madman he certainly was, and with an
animal ferocity that rendered him doubly difficult
to deal with. When, at last, we did manage to
force him back on to his bed and make him
secure, we were both completely exhausted ; we
could only lean against the wall and pant:
conversation was out of the question,

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DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

" This will never do," said Nikola, when he had
sufficiently recovered to speak ; " if this sort of
thing goes on, he will murder some one."

" But how are you going to prevent it?" I asked.
" It is plain that your influence has lost its effect."

" There is nothing for it but to administer an
opiate," he answered. " Do you think you can
manage to hold him while I procure one ? "

I fancied I could ; at any rate, I expressed myself
as very willing to try. Nikola immediately hur-
ried away. He informed me afterwards that he
was not gone more than a minute, but had I been
asked I should have put the time down as at
least a quarter of an hour. To describe to you
my feelings during that wait would be impossible ;
the loathing, the horror, and the abject personal
fear of the man writhing below me seemed to fill
my whole being.

" I don't think we shall have very much more
trouble with him for an hour or two to come," said
Nikola, when the drug had taken effect, and we
were on our feet once more.

" But we cannot go on administering drugs for
ever," I answered ; " what do you propose to do
later on ? "

WAR AND PEACE

323

lore

laid

for
do

" That is what we've got to find out," he replied.
" In the meantime we must keep him up like this,
and take it in turns to watch him. You had better
go out now and get a breath of fresh air. If you
see your sweetheart, pacify her with the best
excuse you can think of."

"Are you quite sure you are safe with him
alone?" I asked.

" I must risk it," he replied. But as I moved
towards the door, he stopped me.

" Ingleby," he said, speaking slowly and sadly,
" I don't know whether you will believe me or not
when I say how deeply I regret what has happened
in this case. I would have given anything, my own
life even, that things should not have fallen out in
this way. And what is more, I do not say this for
my own sake."

" You are thinking of Consuelo, ' I said.

" I am," he answered. " It is for her sake I feel
the regret. As a rule, I am iiot given to senti-
ment, but somehow this seems altogether difierent.
But there, go away and tell her what you think
best."

I left him and went in search of Consuelo. She

was in her usual place in the tower above her room,

324

DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

111:

.1 I

and when she saw n 2 she ran to greet me with
outstretched hands. Something — it might have
been my pale face — frightened her.

" My darhng," I said, " you are not ill, are you ?
What makes you look so alarmed ? "

" I have been frightened," she answered ; " more
frightened than I can tell you."

For a moment I thought slie must have heard
about her great-grandfather, but such was not the
case.

" I have only been up here a few moments," she
answered. " The caretaker's wife was in my room
when I left. The door was open, and, as I climbed
the turret stairs, I thought I heard her call me.
Turning round, I was about to descend again, when
I saw, standing at the foot of the stairs, a man.
He was looking up at me. For a moment I could
scarcely believe my eyes. Who do you think it
was ? "

Though I could easily guess, I managed to force
myself to utter the word " Who? "

" He was the man you saw behind the rock, the
same I saw bending over me in my cabin on board
the Dofla Mercedes, that terrible Chinaman with
half an ear."

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WAR AND PEACE

327

I feared that she might see from my face that I
knew more than I cared to tell ; but, as good
fortune had it, she failed to notice it.

"Surely you must have been mistaken," I
answered. " What could the man be doing in
the castle?"

" I do not know," she answered. " But I am as
certain I saw him as I am of anything. He was
standing at the foot of the stairs, watching me.
Then he began to move in my direction ; but before
he could reach the bottom step, I heard a door
open along the corridor. This must ha /e frightened
him, for he fled round the corner, and I saw no
more of him."

" It must have been my opening the door that
saved you," I said. " Thank God I came when I
did ! "

" But what does it mean ? " she asked. " Why
did that man come on board the boat, and why
has he followed us here?"

" I think the reason is to be found in the fact
that he is Dr. Nikola's enemy," I replied. " They
had a private quarrel in China some years ago, and
ever since then this man has been following him
about the world, endeavouring to do him harm.

328

DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

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The case is a serious one, darling, and as you love
me you must run no risks. Be on your guard
night and day. See that your door is locked at
night, and never venture from your room after
dusk, unless I am with you. It makes my blood
run cold when I think of your running such risks
as you did this morning."

"But what about you?" she said, looking up
at me with her beautiful, frightened eyes. " Oh,
why cannot we take my grandfather and go away,
and never see this dreadful place again ? "

" We must wait patiently," I answered ; " the
Don is not fit to travel just yet."

She gave a little sigh, and next moment it was
time for me to leave her.

For the next two or three days following, Nikola
and I took it in turns to act as sentry over the Don.
If it was not difficult work, it was the reverse of
pleasant ; for as soon as the effect of each suc-
cessive o{)i.ite wore off, his evil nature invariably
reasserted itself. Sometimes he would sit for an
hour or more watching me, as if he intended
springing upon me the instant I was off my guard.
At others he would crouch in a corner, tearing into
atoms everything within his reach. More than

WAR AND PEACE

3^9

once he was really violent, and it became necessary
for me to signal to Nikola for assistance. The
horror of those days I shall never forget. When I
say that, not once but several times, I have left
that room dripping with perspiration, the pure
sweat of terror, my feelings may be partially
imagined. It was not madness we had to contend
with ; it was worse than that. It was the fighting
of a lost soul against the effect of man's prying
into what should have been the realms of the
unknowable.

" This sort of thing cannot last much longer,"
said Nikola, when our patient was lying drugged
and helpless upon his mattress on the third night
after the death of Ah-Win. And I knew he
was right. Outraged nature would avenge her-
self

When Nikola had bade me good-night, I ex-
amined the Don to make sure that he was not
shamming sleep in order to try and get the better
of me directly I was alone. Finding him to be
quite helpless, I seated myself in my chair and
prepared to spend my watch in as comfortable
a fashion as possible under the circumstances.
During the day I had passed a considerable por-

330

DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

tion of my time with my sweetheart in the open
air, and, in consequence, i found myself growing
exceedingly sleepy. Knowing it would never do
to allow slumber to get the better of me in that
room, I rose from my chair and began to pace the
floor. This had the effect of temporarily rousing
me, and, when I reseated myself, I thought I had
dispelled the attack. It soon returned, however,
and this time it would not be denied. I rubbed
my eyes, I pinched myself, I got up and walked
about. It was no good, however, I returned to my
chair, my eyelids closed, and, almost without
knowing it, I dozed off. When I woke again, it
was with a start. I rubbed my eyes and looked
about me. Heavens ! what mischief had I done ?
T^e Don was not in his corner^ the key was gone
from the hook npon which it usually hung, and,
worse than all^ the door stood open !

For a moment I was so overwhelmed with
horror that I could do nothing. But only for a
moment. Then I knew that I must act, and at
once. I rang the bell for Nikola, and, having
done so, dashed into the hall. Almost simul-
taneously Nikola made his appearance, coming
from his room.

WAR AND PEACE

33X

"What is the matter?" he cried. "Why do
you ring for me ? "

"The Don has escaped!" I almost shouted.
"Like the fool I am, I fell asleep, and during
that time he must have recovered his wits, stolen
the key, and escaped from the room. Oh, what
have I done? If she should see him as he is,
it will kill her ! "

For a moment it looked as if Nikola would have
swept me off the face of the earth, but the look
scarcely came into his eyes before it was gone
again.

" We must find him," he cried, " before he can
do any mischief, and, what is more, we must not
separate, for he would be more than a match for
us single-handed."

Accordingly we left the hall and proceeded
towards the Dotia Consuelo's apartmervts. I
thanked Heaven when I found that the door
was locked. Calling to her, in answer to her cry
of " Who is there ? " I told her that I only desired
to assure myself of her safety, and after that we
passed on up the turret stairs and along the
battlements, but no sign of the Don could we
discover there. Returning to the corridor again,

332

DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

t
B I

we descended to the great entrance hall and
searched the courtyard and basement.

The moon shone clear, and the courtyard was
as light as day. Had there been any one there,
we must certainly have seen him. Suddenly there
rang out the most unearthly scream it has ever
been my ill-luck to hear. It came from the direc-
tion of the chapel, which lay between the keep and
what had once been the banqueting hall. From
where we stood the interior of the latter was quite
visible to us. On either side it had tall windows,
so that the light shone directly through. The
scream had scarcely died away before we dis-
tinctly saw a short figure dash into the room, and
out again upon the other side. An instant later
and a taller figure followed, and also disappeared.
Again and again the scream rang out, while
Nikola stood rooted to the spot, unable to move
hand or foot.

" I sec it all ! " cried Nikola. " That was Quong
Ma and the other was the Don. They'll kill each
other if they meet."

I thought of Consuelo, and of the terror she
would feel should she hear that dreadful noise.

" They must not meet I " I cried. " It is too ter-

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WAR AND PEACE

335

rible. At any cost we must prevent \t. Where
do you think they are now ? "

As if to let us know, another scream rang out.
This time it came from our own quarters.

" Come on ! " cried Nikola, and dashed into the
building. As you may suppose, I followed close
upon his heels. In this order we flew up the stairs
and along the first gallery, intending, if possible.
to reach the small hall by the staircase near the
kitchen in which Ah-Win had worked, and thus
cut them off. As we crossed the threshold how-
ever, a wild hubbub came from the passage ahead,
and told us that we were too late. I knew what it
meant, and, if I had not been by that time quite
bankrupt of emotions, I should certainly have
been doubly terrified now.

Leaving the kitchen, we dashed along the pas-
sage, only to find that the room usually occupied
by Nikola's unfortunate's was empty. With the
exception of one solitar/ specimen, who by reason
of his infirmity was ur.nble to fly, they had all
vanished. Leaving him to his own desires, we
passed the iron gate, now thrown open, and a
moment later had entered the hall itself. Once
more the cry sounded, this time coming from a

336

DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

11 'J

In i

■* * '.1 if rrtm

spot somewhat nearer Consuelo's apartment. On
hearing it, my heart seemed to stand still. What
if she should imagine that I was in danger and
should open her door? The same thought must
have been in Nikola's mind, for I heard him say
to himself —

" Anything but that."

Side by side we raced for her door, only to find
it was still shut and locked.

Almost at the same instant a scream, louder
than any we had yet heard, sounded from the
battlements above.

" At last ! " I cried, and led the way up the stone
stairs. I can only say that of all the horrid scenes
I have ever witnessed, that I saw before me then
was the very worst. In the centre of the open
space between the parapets, fighting like wild
beasts, were the two men of whom we were in
search. Their arms were twined about each
other, and, as they swayed to and fro, the sound
of their heavy breathing could be distinctly heard.
Having reached the top of the stairs, we paused
irresolute. What was to be done? To have
attempted to separate them would only have been
to draw their anger upon ourselves, and to have

WAR AND PEACE

337

in
ach
Lind
ard.
sed
ave
een
ave

made the fight a general one. The moon shone
down upon us, revealing the smooth sea on one
side and the many turrets of the castle on the
other. From fighting in the centre of the open
space, they gradually came nearer the parapet
of the wall. Quong Ma must then have realised
how near he stood to death, for he redoubled his
energy.

" They will be over ! " shouted Nikola, and
started to run towards them. He had scarcely
spoken before they reached the edge. For a
moment, locked in each other's arms, they paused
upon the brink ; then, with a wild shriek from
Quong Ma, they lost their balance and dis-
appeared. I clapped my hands to my eyes to
shut out the fearful sight. When I took them
away again, all was over, and both Nikola and
I knew that Quong Ma and Don Miguel de
Moreno were dead.

I suppose I must have fainted, for when I
returned to my senses oncpt more, I found my-
self seated on the top of the stairs, ina Consuelo's
arms about me.

■■I

. . i f

338

DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

There remains but little more to tell.

At the time of that dreadful scene upon the
battlements it was full tide ; and though Nikola
and I searched every nook and cranny along
the coast-line for many miles, the bodies of the
two men could not be found. In all probability
they had drifted out to sea. The same day I
summoned up my courage, and prepared to tell
my sweetheart everything ; but when I sought
her out, and was about to commence my con-
fession, she stopped me.

" Say nothing to me about it, dear," she began.
" I cannot bear it yet. Dr. Nikola has told me
everything. He exonerates you completely."

" But what of ourselves ? " I asked. " Consuelo,
you and I are alone together in the world ; will
you give me the right to care for your future
happiness ? My darling, will you be my wife ? "

"When and where you please," she answered,
holding out her hands to me and looking up at
me with her beautiful, trusting eyes. I told her
of my straitened means, and how hard the
struggle would be at first.

" No matter," she answered bravely, " we will
fight the world together. I am used to poverty

(•*

will
;rty

WAR AND PEACE 339

and with you beside me I shall know no
fear."

A hour later I had an interview with Nikola in
the hall.

" Ingleby," he said, " this is the end of our inter-
course. I have tried my experiment, and though
I have succeeded in many particulars, I have failed
in the main essential. How much I regret what
has happened, I must leave you to imagine ; but
it is too late — what is done cannot be undone. I
have given orders that the yacht shall be prepared.
She will convey you to Newcastle, whence you can
proceed in any direction you may desire. One
thing is certain : Dona Consuelo must leave this
place, an'^, as you are to be her husband, it is only
fit and proper that you should go with her. I
have only one wish to offer you : it is that you
may be as happy as these past weeks have been
sad."

He held out his hand to me, and I took it.

" We shall meet no more," he said. " Go away
and forget that you ever met Dr. Nikola. Good-
bye."

" Goodbye," I answered. Without another word
he turned and left the room

340

DR. NIKOLA'S EXPERIMENT

Shortly before midday we boarded the yacht
Steam was up when we arrived, and within a
few minutes we were steaming out of the little
bay. Consuelo and I stood together at the taffrail,
and looked up at the grim old castle on the cliff
above our heads. Standing on the battlements we
could distinctly see a solitary figure, who waved
his hands to us. Then the little vessel passed
round the headland, and that was the last we
saw of Dr. Nikola.

'in

THE END.

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I v; i' s *' 51

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