CHAPTER XXII
A FAMILY REUNION
Matilda's shaking hand unlocked the door. Jack lunged in, behind him Mr. Pyecroft and Judge Harvey, and behind them Mary. On Jack's face was a look of menacing justice. But at sight of the trembling turnkey the invading party suddenly halted, and Jack's stern jaw relaxed and almost dropped from its sockets.
"Matilda!" he exclaimed. And from behind him, like a triplicate echo, sounded the others' "Matilda!"
"Good—good-morning, Mr. Jack," quavered Matilda, locking the door again.
Then the four sighted Olivetta.
"What, you, Olivetta!" Jack and Judge Harvey cried in unison.
"Yes, it's I, Jack," she said with an hysterical laugh. "I just thought I'd call in to express—it's no more than is proper, my being her cousin, you know,—to express my sympathy to your mother."
"Your sympathy to my mother?"
"Yes. To—to tell her how—how sorry I am that she's dead," elucidated Olivetta.
A little hand gripped Jack's arm.
"Jack!"
He turned his head and his eyes followed Mary's pointing finger.
"Mother!" He walked amazedly up before Mrs. De Peyster's palsied figure. "Mother!"
In the same instant Judge Harvey was beside her.
"Caroline!" he breathed, like one seeing a ghost.
"Ye-yes," she mumbled.
"Then you're not dead?"
"N-no," she mumbled.
The Judge and Jack and Mary gazed down at her in uttermost astoundment. To them was added Mr. Pyecroft. His bewilderment, for the moment, was the greatest of the group; for the likeness between the black-garbed, fled Angelica, and this real Mrs. De Peyster in lavender dressing-gown, was more remarkable than he had ever dreamed.
"Thank God!" quavered Judge Harvey. And then, voicing the general amazement: "But—but—I don't understand! What has happened? How do you come here?"
Mrs. De Peyster, with a shivering glance at them all, and one of particular terror at her recent confederate, Mr. Pyecroft, made a last rally to save herself.
"My explanation—that is, all I know about this affair—is really very simple. I—you see—I very unexpectedly returned home—and—and discovered this—this situation. That is all." She gathered a little more courage. "I do not need to inform you that I have been away."
"Of course, we know you've been away!" said Jack. "But that Mrs. De Peyster at the pier—who is she?"
"She's nothing—but a base—impostor!" cried Olivetta indignantly, lifting her face for a moment from her woe-soaked handkerchief. "Don't you believe a word she says!"
"But we're all ready for the ceremony!" exclaimed Jack. "There are a dozen reporters downstairs, and no end of friends are coming from out of town to be present. And that person, whoever she is, will be here—"
"I tell you she's an impostor!" cried Olivetta frantically. "Don't you let her in!"
"Caroline, I can't tell you how—" Judge Harvey's voice, tremulous with relief at this unbelievably averted tragedy, broke off. "But what are we going to do?" he cried.
"Yes, what are we going to do?" echoed Mary.
Concern over this new, swiftly approaching crisis for a moment took precedence of all other emotions. Judge Harvey and Mary and Jack gazed at each other, bewildered, helpless. Something had to be done, quick—but what?
"I tell you, don't let that impostor in!" repeated the frantic Olivetta.
The three continued their interchange of helpless gaze.
"Pardon me if I seem to intrude," spoke up the even voice of Mr. Pyecroft.
Swiftly, but without appearing to hurry, he stepped to Mrs. De Peyster's writing-desk, and began running through the pages of the telephone book. With terrified apprehension, Mrs. De Peyster watched him: what—what was that terrible man going to do?
The telephone was now in his hand, the receiver at his ear.
"Central, give me Broad 4900.... Is this the French Line? Then connect me with the manager.... This the manager of the French Line?... I am speaking for Mr. Jack De Peyster, son of Mrs. De Peyster,—you know. Please give orders to the proper authorities to have Mrs. De Peyster held at the dock. Or if she has left, stop her at all cost. There must be no mistake! Further orders will follow. Understand?... Thank you very much. Good-bye."
He turned about.
"It will be all right," he said quietly.
With a wild stare at him, Mrs. De Peyster sank back in her chair and closed her eyes.
"She's fainted!" cried Mary. "Her smelling-salts!"
"A glass of water!" exclaimed Jack.
"No, no," breathed Mrs. De Peyster.
But the pair had darted away, Mary into the bedroom, Jack into the bathroom. From the bathroom came a sudden, jangling din like the sheet-iron thunder of the stage.
Mary reappeared, fresh amazement on her face.
"Somebody's been using the bedroom! The bed's not made, and your clothes are all about!"
The next moment Jack rushed in behind her.
"What a stack of empty tin cans I kicked into in the bathroom! What the deuce has been going on here?"
Mrs. De Peyster looked weakly, hopelessly, at Olivetta.
"There's no use trying to keep it up any longer. We—we might as well confess. You tell them, Olivetta."
But Olivetta protested into her dripping handkerchief that she never, never could. So it fell to Mrs. De Peyster herself to be the historian of her plans and misadventures—and she was so far reduced that even the presence of Mr. Pyecroft made no difference to her; and as for Mr. Pyecroft, when the truth of the affair flashed upon him, that wide, flexible mouth twisted upward into its whimsicalest smile—but the next instant his face was gravity itself. With every word she grew less and less like the Mrs. De Peyster of M. Dubois's masterpiece. At the close of the long narrative, made longer by frequent outbursts of misery, she could have posed for a masterpiece of humiliation.
"It's all been bad enough," she moaned at the end; "what's happened is all bad enough, but think what's yet to come! It's all coming out! Everybody will be laughing at me—oh!—oh!—oh!—"
Mrs. De Peyster was drifting away into inarticulate lamentations, when there came a tramping sound upon the stairway. She drew herself up.
"What's that?"
There was a loud rap upon the door.
"I say, Judge Harvey, Mr. De Peyster," called out a voice. "What's all this delay about?"
"Who is it?" breathed Mrs. De Peyster.
"That infernal Mayfair, and the whole gang of reporters!" exclaimed Jack.
"Oh, Jack,—Judge Harvey! Save me! Save me!"
"The hour set for the funeral is passed," Mayfair continued to call, "the drawing-room is packed with people, and the body hasn't arrived yet. We don't want to make ourselves obnoxious, but it's almost press-time for the next edition, and we've got to know what's doing. You know what a big story this is. Understand—we've simply got to know!"
"Judge—what the devil are we going to do?" breathed Jack.
"My God, Caroline, Jack,—this is awful!" Judge Harvey whispered desperately. "We simply can't keep this out of the papers, and when it does get out—"
"Oh! Oh!" moaned Mrs. De Peyster.
"Judge Harvey," called the impatient Mr. Mayfair, "you really must tell us what's up!"
Judge Harvey and Jack and Mary regarded each other in blank desperation; Mrs. De Peyster and Olivetta and Matilda were merely different varieties of jellied helplessness.
"Judge Harvey," Mr. Mayfair called again, "we simply must insist!"
"Caroline," falteringly whispered Judge Harvey, "I don't see what we—"
"Pardon me," whispered Mr. Pyecroft, gently stepping forward among them. Then he raised his voice: "Wait just one minute, gentlemen! You shall know everything!"
"Oh, Mr. Pyecroft, don't, don't!" moaned Mrs. De Peyster. "Judge Harvey—Jack—don't let him! Send them away! Put it off! I can't stand it!"
But Mr. Pyecroft, without heeding her protest, and unhampered by the others, stepped to Olivetta's side.
"Miss Harmon," he whispered rapidly, "did you obey Mrs. De Peyster's instructions on your voyage home? About keeping to your stateroom—about keeping yourself veiled, and all the rest?"
"Yes," said Olivetta.
"And Mrs. De Peyster's trunks, where are they?"
"At the Cunard pier,"
"What name did you sail under?"
"Miss Harriman."
In the same instant Mr. Pyecroft had lifted Olivetta to her feet, had drawn from her boneless figure the long traveling-coat of pongee silk, and had drawn the pins from her traveling-hat. Released from his support, Olivetta re-collapsed. In the next instant Mr. Pyecroft had Mrs. De Peyster upon her feet, with firm, deft, resistless hands had slipped the long coat upon her, had put the hat upon her head and pushed in the pins, had drawn the thick veil down over her face—and had thrust her again down into her chair.
"Matilda, not a word!" he ordered, in a quick, authoritative whisper. "Miss Harmon, not a word! Mrs. De Peyster, call up your nerve; you'll need it, for you know that Mayfair is the cleverest reporter in Park Row. And now, Mrs. Jack De Peyster,"—for Mary stood nearest the door,—"let them in."
Mrs. De Peyster half-rose in ultimate consternation.
"Oh, please—please—you're not going to let them in!"
"We don't dare keep them out!" Mr. Pyecroft pressed Mrs. De Peyster firmly back into her chair. "Keep your nerve!" he repeated sharply. "Open the door, please,—quick!"
Mary cast a questioning glance at Jack, who, bewildered, nodded his consent. She unlocked the door.