Chapter XXVIII: Nick Carter’s Little Counterplot

Nick Carter recalled vividly his first encounter with Mercedes Danton. He remembered that it had been in the early morning and among the roses at Linden Fells; and he remembered also that he had learned in other ways that she was fond of rising early in the morning, and upon this habit he had calculated to afford him an opportunity for an interview with her before her father and mother should appear on the deck of the steamer.

Indeed, he argued that it was extremely doubtful if they appeared at all before the ship was safely docked at her pier, and so there would be the time occupied in traversing the distance from Quarantine, during which he could perfect his plans for the future.

It may seem strange to the reader that he should have adopted the disguise he did, in order to see and talk with Mercedes Danton, but there was a distinct method even in that move. He had no desire to conceal his identity from the young lady herself, although for the present and for reasons that were perfectly obvious to himself, he did not care, as yet, that either old Peter Danton or his wife should be made aware that Nick Carter was meddling in their affairs.

Nick had taken the conduct of the case on his shoulders entirely because of his own wish to do so, and was, therefore, acting in a manner which might be deemed officious by the old man, who was cranky and difficult to deal with at the best.

The detective knew that the financier would pooh-pooh any idea that a conspiracy had been organized against the peace of his family. If he had been told that there was a conspiracy against his bank accounts he would have believed the report without question, on the principle that it would be an act of wisdom to guard against such a contingency in any event; but a conspiracy against the happiness and peace of his family, or even against his own life, unless it were formed somewhere in the Street and aimed in reality at one of his deals, he would refuse to comprehend or believe.

But with Mercedes it was different.

She had already been through one experience of the kind, and had promised, upon Nick’s advice, to keep the matter a secret from her father and mother. Hence, while she was in a measure prepared for what Nick had to impart to her, her father and mother were not.

And there was another reason why the detective believed it wise to disguise himself as effectually as possible.

He had no doubt--if the story told to him by Tom Morgan was true--that there could be emissaries of Paul Rogers at the pier when the ship was docked, for he reasoned that they would not waste time in beginning their operations.

He naturally did not wish to have any of these agents of the murderer-conspirator recognize him nor suspect that he was present, and he most certainly did desire to see without himself being seen.

Mercedes did not depart from her usual custom on that particular morning.

Soon after the appearance of dawn in the east, and sometime before the sun was up, she appeared on the deck, and as soon as she did so, the captain, acting upon Nick’s request, approached her and said a few words to her in a low tone.

Almost immediately thereafter she crossed the deck to the spot where Nick was standing leaning against the rail, and in a position he had selected so that they would be sufficiently apart from other passengers who might appear on the deck. He did not care to be overheard in what he had to say.

“The captain told me that you wished to speak with me,” she said in a low tone. “He said that you had something of importance to communicate to me. Please tell me who you are, sir, for I do not know you.”

“Don’t you recognize my voice?” asked Nick, smiling, and speaking in his natural tones.

Mercedes started back with a little cry of pleased surprise, and then again looked at him doubtfully.

“Sure,” she said, “you are not--no, you cannot be--Mr. Carter.”

“Nick Carter; no other; and wholly at your service,” he replied.

“Why have you come here in this disguise? Has anything happened to my brother?”

“Oh, no. I think not. At least, nothing of which I am informed. I have come to meet you hidden behind a disguise because I had good reasons for desiring that you should be the only person aboard this ship--aside from the captain, of course--who would know me.”

“But why?”

“First tell me that you are glad to see me.”

She smiled brightly at him, and then said demurely:

“But I do not see you. I see only a man who is past fifty, who looks as if he had just come in from feeding the stock and milking. I don’t call that seeing you, because it is not in the least like you.”

“At least you hear me,” said Nick.

“Well, I’m not so sure of that, either. Your appearance is so at variance with my conception of the manner of your meeting me----”

“Ah!” said Nick. “Then you did expect me to meet you?”

She bit her lips in momentary vexation, and then said, with a smile:

“Certainly I expected to meet you somewhere, at some time, again.”

“All right,” replied Nick. “We will let it go at that, but in the meantime please remember this fact: If you cannot see me, I can see you quite plainly, and----”

“And, of course, you are glad to see me. Let it go at that, Mr. Carter.”

“All right,” he said, again. “Now to business.”

“Is there business?”

“Yes; serious business. Paul Rogers has escaped from prison, and Isabel Benton has been released from prison. Both of those interesting events took place yesterday.”

“Indeed! Well, Mr. Carter, have I anything to fear from them? Is that why you are here?”

“Yes; that is why I am here. I will not say that you have anything to fear, because it is not in you to fear things--is it?”

“Not especially, I think.”

“But you have much to guard against--much to make you watchful--much to keep you on the alert lest your enemies again find an opportunity to make trouble for you, and I fear that they are contemplating a renewal of their machinations.”

“And that is why you are here?”

“That is why I am here.”

“It seems too bad that we have to meet a repetition of all that trouble, is it not?”

“Yes; and I want to arrange so that there will be no possibility of a third effort on their part, after we have headed them off on this one. I have made up my mind that there is only one way to accomplish that thoroughly, and at the same time to be sure that I am affording you, as well as the other members of your family, all the protection possible, and so I have come here to-day to make a strange request of you.”

“Say, rather, a command,” she said brightly, “for I already see that you will insist upon it.”

“Very well; put it that way. Is it true that you have taken the cares of the conduct of your household equally from the shoulders of your father and mother? In short, that you are the one who is consulted when there is any change to be made in the personnel of your service at home?”

“Quite so. My father never did bother with the home part of his existence, and my mother leaves it all to me.”

“How do you like your present butler?”

“I am afraid that I do not understand.”

“That’s easy. I want you to fire him and give me the job.”

“Mr. Carter, I----”

“Well, you need not fire him; just give him a vacation. Let him go home and see his parents, or something like that. I want to fill his place. Don’t you understand?”

“I don’t think I do understand.”

“I want to become, for a time, a member of your household, and to be your butler seems the only available plan that is worthy of adoption. I want to watch over you, and to be your butler. I’ll wager that this is the first time in your life when a confessed admirer has offered to become your butler, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” she replied coolly, “and it is also the first time in my life when I have felt it my duty to grant what one of them has asked. You shall be my butler, Mr. Carter. Could I say more?”

“Good,” said Nick, chuckling audibly. “You will have no trouble in sending old Simmons away on a vacation for a time. Now, I want you also to engage a new stable-boy.”

“You are not expecting to serve in both capacities, are you?” she asked.

“Oh, no. I have a young friend who is sometimes handy to have about. I want him there.”

“Consider the new stable-boy engaged. I will give directions about him as soon as I reach home.”

“Excellent. You can let it be supposed that he came over on the same ship, if you care to do so. I’ll guarantee that he will be sufficiently Irish to fool the best of them.”

“Is there anything else?”

“Yes; one more. I want to put one more man in your house. Where shall I put him?”

“Bless me! Are you going to fill Linden Fells with men?”

“Not quite. Only three. I want another place inside the house for my assistant, Chick.”

“How would he like to serve as valet?”

“Valet to whom?”

“My father. We always keep a valet for him, and he never in the world knows that he has one, for if there is a commodity in the world for which he hasn’t a particle of use, it is a valet; so you see the position is a sinecure; perhaps your assistant would like it--or, perhaps, you would prefer it to the somewhat arduous one of butler.”

“No, thank you. I’ll stick to the butler.”

“And when do you propose appearing on the scene with your assistants?”

“At once. To-day. I will report within two hours after I know that you are safely at home, and Chick and Patsy will be there before night. And now, as there are other passengers coming on the deck, I’ll leave you. Please do not speak to me or notice me again, no matter what happens. When I appear at the Fells, you can call me by the name of the old butler--Simmons; will that do?”

“Very nicely, indeed. There is only one question I can think of which I would like to ask you, and that is, when shall I have the pleasure of seeing you in person?”

“Before very long,” replied Nick, as he turned away.