Captivating Mary Carstairs | Page 6

it. In fact, I made him put that in the form
of a promise--he's to give me an absolutely free hand, subject to the
conditions, and not interfere in any way. In return I ended by swearing
a great iron-clad oath not only to go, but to bring the child back with
me. The swear was Uncle Elbert's idea, and I didn't mind. Confound
it!--this is getting rather intimate, but here is Mrs. Carstairs's letter
giving a partial consent to the thing. It just got in this afternoon; he sent
for me the minute he'd read it, I believe, and I never saw a man more
excited."
He pulled a scrawled and crossed note-sheet from his pocket, and read
in a guarded and slightly embarrassed voice:
HUNSTON, 25th of September.
MY DEAR ELBERT,--I hardly know how to answer you, though I
have been over and over the whole subject on my knees. As you know,
if I could send Mary to you, I would, sadly as I should miss her, for the
wish lies close to my heart to have her know her father. But she will not
hear of leaving me and there is an end of that. What you suggest is so
new and so dreadful in many ways that it is very hard to consent to it.
Of course, I realize that it is not right for me to have her always. But
the utmost I can bring myself to say is that if you can succeed in what
you propose I will do nothing to interfere with you, and will see that
there is no scandal here afterwards. Of course, I am to have no part in it,
and no force is to be used, and everything is to be made as agreeable
for her as is possible under the circumstances. Oh, I am miserable and
doubtful about the whole thing, but pray and trust that it is for the best,
and that she will find some way to forgive me for it afterwards.
A.E.C.

"H'm. No force is to be used," said Peter. "May I ask just how you
expect to get Mary on the choo-choo?"
"Now we are getting to the meat of the matter," said Varney. "We shall
not have to get Mary on the choo-choo at all. We are going to use a
yacht, which will be far more private and pleasant, and also far easier to
get people on. Uncle Elbert's Cypriani lies in the harbor at this moment,
ready to start anywhere at half a day's notice. It will start for Hunston
to-morrow afternoon, with me on board. I'll need another man to put
the thing through right, and I'd rather trust a friend than a servant. So
would Uncle Elbert. When I came in here just now, I was at once taken
with your looks for the part, and I have been authorized by 'phone to
give you first refusal on this great chance."
Peter said nothing. Varney feared that he looked rather bored.
"At first," he went on promptly, "I'll confess that I didn't see so much in
the thing. But the more I've thought of it the more its unique charm has
appealed to me. It is nothing more nor less than a novel, piquant little
adventure. Exactly the sort of thing to attract a man who likes to take a
sporting chance. Look at the difficulties of it. Go to a strange town
where there are thousands and millions of strange children, locate Mary,
isolate her, make friends with her, coax her to the yacht--captivate her,
capture her! How are we to do all that, you ask? I reply, the Lord
knows. That is where the sport comes in. We are forbidden to use force.
We are forbidden to use Mrs. Carstairs or bring her into it in any way.
We are forbidden, of course, to let the child know who we are.
Everything must be done by almost diabolical craft, while dodging
suspicion at every step. Can you beat it for a fascinating little
expedition?"
Peter relit his pipe and meditatively dropped the match on the floor.
"How old is Mary?"
"Old?" said Varney, surprised at the question, "Oh, I don't know. The
separation took place--h'm--say eight years ago, and my guess is that
she was about four at the time. From this and the way Uncle Elbert
spoke of her, I daresay twelve would hit it fair and square. A grand age

for kidnapping, what?"
"On the contrary," said Peter, "it makes it mere baby-work. Turn it over
as you will, it all boils down to spanking a naughty child."
"Never! Think of slipping a cog in our plans--making a false start,
having somebody get on to us! Why, man, there may be jail for us