The White Virgin Part 59

"You here, gentlemen?" he said; "have you seen my daughter?"

"No, but we have been no farther than this," said the Doctor.

"I'm growing uneasy about her," said the Major; and a curious sensation of mingled dread and jealousy attacked Clive.

"Did she go out--come this way?" said the Doctor.

"Yes. Martha told me she struck off over the mountain in this direction."

He looked sharply about him, but the path curved suddenly before toward the mine, and backward in the direction of the river, forming out there a natural terrace in the huge rampart of limestone.

"Perhaps you have missed her," said the Doctor. "She may have returned home another way, without she has gone on toward the mine."

A spasm shot through Clive, who stood up firmly now, nerved by the bitter thoughts which suggested to his jealous mind Dinah seeking his brother once more.

"She would not go there," cried the Major angrily. "Ah, what's that?"

For at that moment the cry they had before heard came faintly to their ears.

The Major stepped quickly to the edge of the path, protected only by a rough parapet of loose stones, looked over, and then, leaping back, threw off his coat, leaped over the rough protection, and began to lower himself down the steep precipice.

For a moment or two Clive could not stir; then, weak, trembling, and with his mouth hot and dry, he walked to the edge, and looked down to see, quite two hundred feet below, a portion of a woman's dress, and directly after, as she clung there desperately, Dinah Gurdons white upturned face; and he knew now whence came the wailing sound.

"Clive! what are you going to do?"

"Get down to help," he said hoa.r.s.ely.

"Madness! You have no strength. You could not hold on for a minute."

Clive groaned, for even as he stood there a sensation of faintness came over him, to teach him that he was helpless as an infant.

"Good heavens! what a place!" cried the Doctor. "I cannot--I dare not go down. It would be madness at my age."

Then he stood speechless as his companion; and they craned over, and watched the Major, active still as a young man from his mountain life, descending quickly from block to block, making use of the rough growth of heather for hand hold, and now quite fifty feet below where they knelt, while the look of agony in Dinah's eyes as she clung there, apparently unnerved and helpless, was as plain through the clear air as if she were close at hand.

"Your work, Clive," cried the Doctor furiously, but in a low whisper.

"The poor girl in her misery and despair has thrown herself over, and lodged where she is. Thank G.o.d, I am down here. I can be of use when we get her home. If we get her home alive," he added to himself.

Clive made no reply, but knelt down panting and enraged against the weakness which kept him there supine, when, in spite of all, he would have given a dozen years of his life to have been able to descend and bear the poor girl up to a place of safety.

But he could only gaze down giddily with heart beating as he watched the Major slowly and carefully descending, now making good progress, now slipping or sending down a loose stone. Once they saw him hanging only by his hands, again losing his footing and seeming to be gone. The next minute, though, he was still descending, and in the silence of the mountain side, they could hear his words, short, sharp, and decisive, as he called to his child, bidding her be of good heart, for he would be with her directly; and that she would be safe.

Then, to Clive's horror and despair, he saw the starting eyes which had looked up so wildly, gradually close, and the sun gleamed on them no more. He knew only too well what it meant; that Dinah was turning faint and weak; and once more unable to bear the agony, he made a rapid movement to descend.

"Madman!" cried the Doctor, and he flung himself upon Clive, mastering him directly, for the sudden strength flickered away at once. "Don't you see," he panted, "you cannot do it, and your fall would be destruction to them both. Keep still and silent. The Major will reach her directly. Yes: look: he is as active as a goat. Ah! great G.o.d!

No: saved--he has her!"

The Doctor shrank away unable to bear it, for as they stared below with dilated eyes they saw Dinah begin to glide downward just as her father was steadying himself, holding on by one hand to a tough root. Then he seemed to make a dart with the other, and his child suddenly became stationary while he s.h.i.+fted his position, got his feet against a piece of rock, and they saw him draw her up to his side and hold her there.

The rest of that scene was dreamlike to Clive, as he lay with his breast over the edge looking down, till nerved and urged on by her father's strong will, Dinah seemed to recover, and began to climb up under his directions and with his help, step by step, and inch by inch, till at last she was so close that Clive stretched out his hands to help her, while the Major supported her from below. But their eyes met, and she did not touch those hands, but gave her wet and bleeding fingers to the Doctor, who drew her into safety on the path, where she rose now to stand s.h.i.+vering while the Major sprang to her side.

"I did not think I could have done it," he panted. "Oh, Dinah, my child, don't say you threw yourself down there."

"No," she said, giving him a piteous look, and then turning slowly to face Clive. "I went down to fetch this--to give to Clive Reed before he left us for ever. I thought it must be there."

She took from her breast, where it had evidently been thrust, a stained sc.r.a.p of reddish paper, made more ruddy where she held it, for her fingers bled freely.

"A telegram," cried the Doctor.

"Yes. Take it, Clive," said Dinah slowly, but evidently rapidly recovering her strength. "It is the message I received from you that day."

"I sent no message," he cried, as he hastily read the stained slip, and caught the words "come"--"meet me"--some figures "P.M.," and his name in full--"Clive Reed."

"A forgery!" he cried wildly, as the truth flashed upon him. "There is no postal mark upon it. I did not send this lie."

"No?" said Dinah faintly, as the look of despair grew more marked in her eyes. "I have thought since that I had been deceived, but I felt that I would sooner die than you should not know the truth." Then she turned pale and shrank to her father's side, as a spasm of rage shot through Clive Reed.

"Jessop again!" he whispered hoa.r.s.ely to the Doctor; and his fingers crooked, and he held out his hands as if about to spring at another's throat. Then he reeled, but recovered himself with an exultant cry, for a voice came loudly to their ears from round the b.u.t.tress toward the mine.

"Curse you! I will. The police shall stop that."

"No; you don't get away," cried another voice; and Dinah turned of a sickly white. "Stop, you! and let's have it out, or I'll heave you down below. Blast you! I tell you she was my la.s.s--before you and your cursed brother came in the way. Mine, I tell you.--Ah! just in time!"

Sturgess uttered a savage laugh, and he stopped short facing the little group upon the shelf, and holding on by Jessop's collar, in spite of the latter's struggles to get free.

"Look here, all of you. This man, my servant--you are witnesses--he has threatened my life. I go in fear of him. I'll have him in charge. I go in fear, I tell you."

"Yes, so much," cried Sturgess, with a mocking laugh, "that he was off down again to the cottage to see pretty little Miss Gurdon here, only I stopped him, for I've had enough of it. Master or no, he don't go poaching on my estate. I'd sooner break his cursed neck."

"Silence, sir!" roared the Major.

"Silence yourself!" cried Sturgess savagely. "Who are you?"

"The father of the lady you insulted, and but for her sake you would have been sent to gaol."

"For courting a pretty girl," cried Sturgess, with a mocking laugh.

"But I'll have no more of it. Do you hear, both of you--you too, Clive Reed? You call yourselves my masters. I'm yours. Keep off, both of you, if you value your necks. I tell you she's my girl--my la.s.s--my very own to marry or leave as I please."

Dinah uttered a piteous moan, and turned her agonised face to Clive, who stood there with jaw dropped and the paper trembling in his hand.

"Yes. You see. She don't deny it."

"Dinah!" cried Clive wildly, and there was so agonising an appeal in his voice, that his cry thrilled her, and sent the blood flus.h.i.+ng into her pale cheeks, as she now stood up unsupported.

"Yes, all of you; it's all right. I used to meet her on the hill side, and we used to go courting among the heather before these white-faced hounds came down. She don't deny it. She daren't. Dinah, my la.s.s, come here."

Clive made a movement to fling himself upon the ruffian, but the Doctor pa.s.sed a hand across his chest.