I brought myself up sharp. This was grumbling already, and establishinga grievance. I, who had myself proposed the state of things to Marjory,to my wife. She was my wife; mine against all the rest of the world. Mylove was with her, and my duty was to her. My heart and soul were in herkeeping, and I trusted her to the full. This was not my wedding day inthe ordinary sense of the word at all. This was _not_ my honeymoon.Those things would come later, when our joy would be unfettered bycircumstances. Surely I had reason to rejoice. Already Marjory hadcalled me her husband, she had kissed me as such; the sweetness of herkiss was still tingling on my lips. If anything but love and trust couldcome to me from sitting still and sentimentalising and brooding, thenthe sooner I started in to do some active work the better!...
I rose straightway and went across the headland to my house, unpackedthe box of tools which had come from Aberdeen, and set about my task oftrying to make an opening into the cave.
I chose for various reasons the cellar as the spot at which to make thefirst attempt. In the first place it was already dug down to a certaindepth, so that the labour would be less; and in the second, my workingcould be kept more secret. In clearing the foundations of the house theworkmen had gone down to the rock nearly all round. Just at the end ofWitsennan point there seemed to be a sort of bowl-like hollow, wherethe thin skin of earth lay deeper than elsewhere. It was here that thecellar was dug out, and the labour of cutting or blasting the rocksaved. With a pick-axe I broke and stripped away a large patch of theconcrete in the centre of the cellar, and in a short time had dug andshovelled away the earth and sand which lay between the floor level andthe bed rock. I cleared away till the rock was bare some four or fivefeet square, before I commenced to work on it. I laboured furiously.What I wanted was work, active work which would tire my muscles and keepmy thoughts from working into channels of gloom and disintegration.
It took me some time to get into the way of using the tools. It is allvery well in theory for a prisoner to get out of a jail or a fortress bythe aid of a bit of scrap iron. Let any one try it in real life; underthe most favourable conditions, and with the best tools available, hewill come to the conclusion that romancing is easy work. I had the verylatest American devices, including a bit-and-brace which one could leanon and work without stooping, and diamond patent drills which could,compared with ordinary tools of the old pattern, eat their way intorock at an incredible rate. My ground was on the gneiss side of thegeological division. Had it been on the granite side of the line mylabour and its rapidity might have been different.
I worked away hour after hour, and fatigue seemed to come and go. I wasnot sleepy, and there was a feverish eagerness on me which would not letme rest. When I paused to ease my muscles cramped with work, thoughtcame back to me of how different this night might have been.... And thenI set furiously to work again. At last I took no heed of the flyinghours; and was only recalled to time by the flickering of my lamp, whichwas beginning to go out. When I stood up from my task, I was annoyed tosee how little I had done. A layer of rock of a few inches deep had beenremoved; and that was all.
When I went up the steps after locking the cellar door behind me andtaking away the key, I saw the grey light of dawn stealing in throughthe windows. Somewhere in the village a cock crew. As I stepped out ofthe door to return home, the east began to quicken with coming day. Mywedding night had passed.
As I went back to Cruden across the sands my heart went out in lovewithout alloy to my absent wife; and the first red bolt of dawn over thesea saw only hope upon my face.
When I got to my room I tumbled into bed, tired beyond measure. In aninstant I was asleep, dreaming of my wife and all that had been, and allthat was to be.
Marjory had arranged that she and Mrs. Jack were for the coming week atleast, to come over to Cruden every day, and lunch at the hotel; for mywife had set her heart on learning to swim. I was to be her teacher, andI was enthusiastic about the scheme. She was an apt pupil; and she wasstrong and graceful, and already skilled in several other physicalaccomplishments, we both found it easy work. The training which she hadalready had, made a new accomplishment easy. Before the week was overshe was able to get along so well, that only practice was needed to makeher a good swimmer. All this time we met in public as friends, but nomore; we were scrupulously careful that no one should notice even anintimacy between us. When we were alone, which was seldom and never forlong, we were good comrades as
before; and I did not venture to makelove in any way. At first it was hard to refrain, for I was wildlyin love with my wife; but I controlled myself in accordance with mypromise. I soon began to have a dawning feeling that this very obediencewas my best means to the end I wished for. Marjory grew to have suchconfidence in me that she could be more demonstrative than before, andI got a larger share of affection than I expected. Besides I could seewith a joy unspeakable that her love for me was growing day by day; thetentative comradeship--without prejudice--was wearing thin!
All this week, whilst Marjory was not near, I worked in the cellar atWhinnyfold. As I became more expert with the tools, I made greaterprogress, and the hole in the rock was becoming of some importance.One day on coming out after a spell of afternoon work, I found Gormalaseated on a stone against the corner of the house. She looked at mefixedly and said:
"Be yon a grave that ye thole?" The question staggered me. I did notknow that any one suspected that I was working in the house, or eventhat I visited it so often as I did. Besides, it did not suit my purposethat any one should be aware, under any circumstances, that I wasdigging a hole. I thought for a moment before answering her:
"What do you mean?"
"Eh! but I'm thinkin' ye ken weel eneuch. I'm no to be deceived i' thesoond. I've heard ower mony a time the chip o' the pick, not to ken itthough there be walls atween. I wondered why ye came by yer lanes tothis dreary hoose when ye sent yon bonnie lassie back to her hame. Ayeshe is bonnie though her pride be cruel to the aud. Ah, weel! The Fatesare workin' to their end, whatsoe'er it may be. I maun watch, so that Imay be nigh when the end cometh!"
There was no use arguing with her; and besides anything that I could saywould only increase her suspicion. Suspicion abroad about my presenttask was the last thing I wished for.
She was round about the headland the next morning, and the next, and thenext. During the day I never saw her; but at night she was generally tobe found on the cliff above the Reivie o'Pircappies. I was glad of onething; she did not seem to suspect that I was working all the time. OnceI asked her what she was waiting for; she answered without looking atme:
"In the dark will be a struggle in the tide-race, and a shrood floatin'in the air! When next death an' the moon an' the tide be in ane, theseein' o' the Mystery o' the Sea may be mine!"
It made me cold to hear her. This is what she foretold of Marjory; andshe was waiting to see her prophecy come to pass.
CHAPTER XXVII
ENTRANCE TO THE CAVERN
One night, when I had got down a considerable depth into the rock, Itook the pick to loosen out some stone which I had drilled. As I struck,the sound of the rock was hollower than I had before noticed. My heartleaped into my mouth, and I had to pause. Then I struck again harder,and the sound was more hollow still. Whether or no it was the place Iwas looking for, there was some cave in the rock below me. I would havegone on working straightway had there been anyone with me; but beingalone I had to be careful. I was now standing on, evidently, only alayer of rock, over an opening of whose depth I was in ignorance. Shouldthis piece of stone break away, as was quite possible from my workingon it, I might be precipitated into a living tomb. The very secrecy inwhich I had kept my work, might tend to insure my death. Therefore Imade all preparation for such a casualty. Henceforth I worked with roundmy waist a short rope the other end of which was fastened to a heavystaple in the wall. Even if the rock should give way underneath me, afoot or two would limit my fall. This precaution taken, I worked morefuriously than ever. With a large hammer I struck the rock at the bottomof the shaft, again and again, with all my might. Then I heard a dullsound of something rattling below me; the top of the cave was fallingin. I redoubled my efforts; and all at once a whole mass of rock sunkbeneath my hammer and disappeared into a black chasm which sent upa whiff of cold air. I had seized my rope to scramble out, fearingasphyxiation; but when I smelled salt water I did not fear. Then I knewthat I had got an opening into a sea cave of some sort. I stuck to mywork till I had hammered an irregular hole some three feet square. ThenI came up to rest and think. I lowered a rope with a stone at the end,and found that the depth was some thirty feet. The stone had gone intowater before it touched bottom. I could hear the "plop" as it struck thesurface. As I thought it better not to descend by myself, lest thereshould be any danger of returning, I spent the rest of my stay for thatevening in rigging up a pulley in the roof over the hole so that I mightbe lowered down when the time should come. Then I went home, for Ifeared lest the fascinating temptation to make the descent at once wouldovercome me.
After breakfast I rode over to Crom, and when I was alone with Marjorytold her of my discovery. She was wild with excitement, and I rejoicedto find that this new pleasure drew us even closer together. We agreedthat she should come to help me; it would not do to take any one elseinto our confidence, and she would not hear of my going down into thecave alone. In order to avoid comment we thought it better that sheshould come late in the evening. The cave being dark, it was of courseimmaterial whether day or night was appointed for the experiment. Thenit was, I could not help it, that I said to her:
"You see now the wisdom of our being married. We can go where we like;and if we should be found out no one can say a word!" She said nothing;there was nothing to say. We decided that she had better slip out,as she had done before, in the footman's dress. I went off and madepreparation for her coming, bringing in food for supper and plenty ofcandles and matches and lamps and rope; for we did not know how long theexploration might take.
A little before nine o'clock I met her as before in the wood. Shechanged her livery coat for the flannel one, and we rode off toWhinnyfold. We got into the house without being noticed.
When I took her down to the cellar and turned into the hole thereflector of the strong lamp, she held on to me with a little shiver.The opening did certainly look grim and awesome. The black rock wasslimy with sea moisture, and the rays of the light were lost far belowin the gloom. I told her what she would have to do in lowering me down,and explained the rude mechanism which I had constructed. She was, Icould see, a little nervous with the responsibility; and was anxious toknow any detail so thoroughly that no accident of ignorance could occur.
When the rope was round me and I was ready to descend, she kissed memore fondly than she had ever done yet, and held on to me as though lothto part. As I sank into the opening, holding the gasoline bicycle lampwhich I had elected to take with me, I saw her pretty forehead wrinkledup in anxiety as she gave all her mind to the paying out of the rope.Even then I was delighted with the ease and poise of her beautifulfigure, fully shown in the man's dress which she had not changed, as itwas so suitable for the work she had to do.
When I had been lowered some twenty feet, I turned my lantern down andsaw through the sheen of water a bottom of rock with here and therea cluster of loose stones; one big slab which stuck up endwise, wasevidently that which had fallen from the roof under my hammer. It wasmanifest that there was, in this part of the cave at any rate, notsufficient water to make it a matter of any concern. I called to Marjoryto lower slowly, and a few seconds later I stood in the cave, with thewater just above my knees. I moved the new-fallen slab to one side lestit might injure any one who was descending. Then I took the strong ropefrom me, and knotted round my waist the end of the thin rope which Ihad brought for the purpose. This formed a clue, in case such should benecessary, and established a communication with Marjory which would tendto allay her anxiety. With the cord running through her fingers, shewould know I was all right. I went cautiously through the cave, feelingmy way carefully with the long stick which I had brought with me. When Ihad got some distance I heard Marjory's voice echoing through the cave:
"Take care there are no octopuses!" She had been thinking of all sortsof possible dangers. For my own part the idea of an octopus in the cavenever crossed my mind. It was a disconcerting addition to my anxieties;but there was nothing to do. I was not going to abandon my project forthis fear; and so I went on.
Further inland the cave shelved down on one side, following the line ofthe rock so that I passed through an angular space which, though widein reality, seemed narrow by comparison with the wide and lofty chamberinto which I had descended. A little beyond this again, the rock dipped,so that only a low tunnel, some four feet high, rose above the water. Iwent on, carefully feeling my way, and found that the cave ended in apoint or narrow crevice.
All this time I had been thinking that the appearance of the place didnot quite tally with the description in de Escoban's narrative. Nomention had been made of any such difficulties; as the few men hadcarried in what must have been of considerable bulk and weight therewould have been great difficulties for them.