_ CHAPTER XVIII. BEATEN BACK
The moment Nell Darrel felt herself lifted from her feet she uttered a wild cry, which was smothered in its inception by the hand of her captor.
"Quiet, child; nobody's going to hurt you if you behave yourself."
Nell was young and vigorous, and she made a desperate struggle for liberty. It was with the utmost difficulty that the man made his way to the room occupied by Mrs. Scarlet.
"Bring the chloroform," said the villain. "We can't do anything with the girl without it."
"I'll fix her!" answered the woman, in a voice that sent a shudder to the heart of poor Nell.
Then a subtle fume filled the girl's nostrils, and soon her senses faded out upon a sea of nothingness--her troubles were over for the time.
Then the man, who was none other than Professor Ruggles, bore his insensible burden after the steps of Mrs. Scarlet, to a room in a gloomy basement beneath the building.
As we have before remarked, it was in a disreputable part of the city, and it was not likely that the friends of the fair Nell would look in such a quarter for her.
"Now, then," said Professor Ruggles, when the twain were once more in the room above, "I shall hold you responsible for the girl's safe keeping, Mrs. Scarlet."
"I'm ready to do my part," answered the woman. "How long will you keep her here?"
"As long as suits my purpose. I am not sure. I may conclude to wait until Dyke Darrel is put off the trail before I take the girl to Gotham; that city will be my ultimate destination. I must leave you now, my dear, but I shall call to-morrow and see how my girl is getting on."
He turned then as if about to depart.
"See here Professor!"
"Eh?"
He faced about once more.
"Haven't you forgotten something?"
"I think not."
"The girl must eat!"
"Certainly."
"And do you imagine
I am going to pay the bill?" demanded the woman, tartly.
"Well, I had forgotten that a little of the root of evil was necessary in your case."
A smile, deepening into a disagreeable laugh, followed, as Professor Ruggles laid a greenback in the hand of his tool.
A moment later he was gone.
As the door closed on his retreating form, the countenance of Madge Scarlet underwent a change. The wrinkled face flushed with wrath, and the skinny hands were raised on high.
"Professor Ruggles, you may have successfully duped the girl, but you cannot make one of me. I can read you like a book, and it maybe that I shall conclude not to permit you to have your way in this matter. Through this girl I shall be able to wring the heart of the man I hate, and I mean to do it. Ah! Dyke Darrel, venomous scoundrel! The hour of my revenge draws nigh! I shall willingly cast my soul into Hades for this one drop of satisfaction."
There was an awful glitter in the woman's eyes at the last, and her fierce emotions caused her frame to tremble visibly.
In the meantime, how fared it with poor Nell Darrel, who had gone thus blindly to her doom? She did not awake from the stupor caused by the chloroform, until another day had dawned upon the world, although but little light was permitted to find its way into this underground apartment, whose stone walls were damp with ooze, and from whence no voice could penetrate to the busy world above.
A faint light entered the place from between iron bars that spanned a narrow window, far above the head of little Nell Darrel.
The only furniture in this cellar was a straw cot, on which Nell had been laid, and a low stool. The girl felt terribly sick and weak when she came to realize her condition.
She could understand now the truth, when too late, that she had been enticed from home by a villain, and naturally enough her thoughts reverted to Harper Elliston.
Yet, why should she think of that man? Surely he was not wicked enough to stoop to anything of this kind.
Nell was not to be left long in suspense, however. The door to her prison creaked on its hinges, and a man entered and stood confronting her in the gray light.
It was Harper Elliston.
There was a smile on his sinister countenance, and he stroked his beard with the coolest insolence imaginable.
"How do you find yourself this morning, my dear?" questioned Elliston in a low voice.
"This is your work, villain!"
"Hush; don't speak in such a harsh tone, Nell," answered Mr. Elliston, with a deprecatory wave of the hand. "I cannot permit you to impugn my motive, Miss Darrel. I claim that all is fair in love and war. You know from repeated assurances on my part that I love you; once I wished to make you my wife. Blame me not if I have changed my mind on that score; it is you who have driven me to it. Nevertheless, I am constrained to deal justly and kindly with you, my girl, and again offer to share my New York palace with you. Could anything be more generous?"
The infamy of his proposition roused all the fire in the nature of Nell Darrel.
"Harper Elliston, how dare you insult me in this way? Do you imagine that I would for one moment countenance anything so base? You have missed your mark if you imagine you can frighten me into consenting to my own ruin."
"It may be accomplished without your consent."
Such a look as swept his face startled the girl. The hideous nature of the man was now revealed in all its naked deformity. She shrank from him as she would have shrunk from a venomous serpent.
He continued to smile and stroke his glossy beard.
"You see how it is, my dear," he proceeded. "The wisest thing you can do is to submit to the inevitable."
He advanced as lie spoke.
She recoiled with a shudder of wild alarm.
"Back, scoundrel! Do not touch me!" she cried, warningly, an indignant, perhaps dangerous, fire blazing in her eye.
Again the demon laughed.
"You seem to take my love-making hard, Miss Darrel."
"Not another step," warned Nell.
"Ho! ho! ho! Would you try to frighten me? You can't do that, I've tamed more than one such as you. Come, be sensible, and let me have one kiss at least."
Again he advanced.
CLICK!
Harper Elliston uttered a low yet startled cry and shrank back in alarm.
A cocked derringer gleamed in the hand of Nell Darrel, and the open muzzle was pointed at his breast.
This was as disagreeable as it was unexpected.
A low-muttered oath fell from the lips of the baffled villain.
"Girl, have a care, that weapon may go off," he cried, in a voice husky with disappointment and rage.
"It WILL go off if you do not depart at once," she answered, with all the sternness she was able to muster.
"Hand that pistol to me."
"Never! Its contents you will get if you dare advance another step."
Harper Elliston realized that he was baffled for the present. He had never suspected the presence of a weapon on the person of Nell Darrel, else he would have disarmed her at the outset.
After a moment of hesitancy the villain turned and strode from the place. When Nell attempted to follow she was confronted by a solid oak door that Elliston had quickly closed and locked behind him.
With a low moan Nell retreated and sank weak and trembling on the miserable cot, and for the next few minutes gave free rein to her alarm in tears.
In the meantime Elliston hurried above, and confronted Madge Scarlet with a terrible frown on his brow.
"You and that red-headed Professor have played a smart trick on me, old woman, a mighty smart trick; but let me tell you it won't go down for a cent. I don't like it much, neither."
"Eh? I don't understand," said Mrs. Scarlet.
"I'll make you understand," and Elliston advanced angrily upon the woman, and raised his hand.
"Strike if you dare!"
She looked ugly at that moment.
"You're just capable of strikin' a woman," sneered Madge Scarlet. "I've seen such critters before. God never meant them for men, however."
Mr. Elliston held his hand. He saw that he had come near making a mistake.
"Forgive me, Mrs. Scarlet," he said in a subdued voice. "I was beside myself, but I had reason to be. Do you know that Nell Darrel is armed?"
"No."
"She IS, nevertheless, with a pistol. She's a perfect tigress, and would as soon shoot me as not. I shall leave it for you to get the weapon from her."
"I can do it easy enough."
"I hope so. To-night I will have more definite plans. I may conclude to take the girl away then."
Mr. Elliston passed from the room. He had been gone but a few minutes when another person entered--Nick Brower, the tool and friend of Mrs. Scarlet and the Professor.
"Well, what's the news, Nick. My nephew is still in durance vile?"
"Yes," answered the low ruffian, "and what's more, Dyke Darrel, the detective, is in Chicago!" _