Jack Harkaway and his Sons Escape from the Brigands of Greece | Page 8

that prudent?"
"Of course she did not see me, only we must get a thorough hold over this girl, so as to have her as an accomplice in the enemy's camp always."
"Good."
"Now let us get back to the ball-room, and see what is to be picked up there."
Back they went, and arrived in the large ball-room just as a dance was being got up.
The three diabolical companions deemed it prudent now to separate, that no undue attention might be drawn upon their movements.
And they went sauntering about the rooms, each upon the look-out for any slice of luck which might turn up.
Hunston had added a long red cloak to his costume, so as to envelope his figure and cover his arm, for fear of accidentally running across Harkaway or Harvey, or in fact, any of the party.
In this cloak he was wrapped, and silently watching two young and lovely girls, whose grace and elegance were commanding universal admiration,
One was fair as a lily, with light, golden, wavy hair, and full blue eyes.
This beautiful girl it was who excited Hunston's curiosity
"Who can she be? Perhaps Harvey's daughter," he thought
Now these two were equally lovely to gaze upon, the beauty of each being of a totally different character.
"If we can but spirit little Emily away to the mountains," said Hunston to himself, "I shall be able to repay them for all I have suffered. Nay, more, I shall be able to satisfy the greed of Mathias and the band, by making the accursed Harkaway disgorge some of his enormous wealth."
A hand was placed upon his shoulder.
"Hah!"
"It is I," said a voice in his ear.
And looking up, he beheld the devil in the red feather.
"Mathias."
"Hush! I have to rejoin a lady now, to whom I am engaged for the dance."
"The dance!"
Mathias nodded.
"She accepted at once a dance with the devil; I'll lead her a devil of a dance."
And the brigand captain laughed hugely at his own conceit.
But Hunston was not in laughing humour.
"I'm glad to find you so merry, captain."
The Greek did not observe his gloomy manner; he only replied--"You will be merry, too, when I tell you the cause."
"I have no thought for the pleasures of these fools," said Hunston, gruffly; "I only think of business."
"I too."
"And yet you are going to dance, Captain Mathias."
"For business reasons, solely," said the Greek.
"Ho ho!"
"My partner is positively bristling with diamonds," said the brigand, significantly.
Hunston was interested immediately.
"Diamonds?"
"Aye! diamonds; and such diamonds, too. There is one as big as a nut, I swear."
"I must see this lady."
"You shall."
"Where is she to be seen?"
"Come with me," said the captain.
Away they went, squeezing through the crowds of dancers and maskers, until they came to the smaller ball-room, where a lady stood in conversation with a big man, admirably got up as a knight of the olden time.
The lady Hunston recognised at a glance, from the description which Mathias had given of her jewels.
Her finely-rounded arms were encircled by bracelets, set with the richest diamonds, that matched a necklet of priceless worth apparently.
She wore a tiara, too, of the same costly making and setting.
The dance began.
It was a waltz.
Now the gallant Mathias acquitted himself to perfection in the dance, carrying his fair and richly-attired partner through the crowded room without getting at all jostled by the dancers.
Hunston followed their movements with the greatest possible interest, and as they shot past him for the third time round the room, he contrived to take from the Greek captain's hand one of the lady's bracelets which he had with some dexterity removed.
The next round he was less successful.
As they shot past, the brigand's hand was outstretched, but Hunston missed it, and a glittering object dropped to the floor. Hunston stooped to recover it, when--
"The lady has dropped something," said a voice in his ear.
"What lady?" he demanded, recovering himself quickly,
"The contessa."
"Ah! I see. But was it the contessa?" he asked.
"Yes."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. It is the lady dancing with your half-brother."
"Eh!"
Hunston started a little after these words.
They sounded very unpleasantly in his ear.
He had evidently been associated with Mathias by the speaker.
Now the latter was a strange-looking little being.
A stunted man, with broad, square shoulders, and got up to represent the description which Victor Hugo has given us of his creation of Quasimodo.
"That is the contessa?" said Hunston, recovering his presence of mind.
"Yes."
"I am very glad of it, for I shall be able to restore this to its proper owner."
"Of course."
Hunston arose, and with a slight inclination of the head, crossed the room, as if in search of the contessa.
The dwarf regarded him eagerly as he went.
"That's a rum one," he said to himself. "He means to pocket the contessa's bracelet. What a swindle! I thought there was something more devilish about him than his dress."
* * * * *
Hunston fled precipitately to