By Lola's attitude I became more than ever mystified. I tried to induce her to tell me the exact position of affairs, but she seemed far too nervous and unstrung. The fact that Craig had found out her hiding-place seemed to cause her the most breathless anxiety.
That he knew some guilty secret of hers seemed plain.
It was eleven o'clock before I rose to go, after begging her many times in vain to tell me the truth. I felt confident that she could reveal the strange mystery of Cromer, yet she steadfastly refused.
"You surely see, Lola, that we are both in serious peril," I said, standing before the chair upon which she had sunk in deep dejection. "These daring, unscrupulous people must, sooner or later, make a fatal attack upon us, if we do not deliver our blow against them. To invoke the aid or protection of the police is useless. They set all authority at defiance, for they are wealthy, and the ramifications of their society extend all over Europe."
"I know," she admitted. "Vernon has agents in every country. I have met many of them--quite unsuspicious persons. My uncle has introduced me to people at whose apparent honesty and respectability I have been amazed."
"Then you must surely realize how insecure is the present position of both of us," I said.
"I do. But disaster cannot be averted," was her sorrowful response.
"Unless you unite with me in avenging the attack made upon us at Spring Grove."
"What is the use?" she queried. "They have all left London."
"What?" I exclaimed quickly. "You know that?"
"By an advertisement I saw in the paper three days ago," she answered. "They use a certain column of a certain paper on a certain day to distribute general information to all those interested."
"In a secret cipher--known only to the friends of M'sieur Vernon," she said. "They always look for his orders or his warnings on the eighteenth of each month. My uncle is back at Algiers."
"Ah! I do not know. Perhaps he is with my uncle."
"But the young man, Craig. Why is he watching you? It can only be with evil intent."
She drew a long breath, but said nothing. And to all my further questions she remained dumb, so that when I bent over her outstretched hand and left, I felt annoyed at her resolute secrecy--a secrecy which must, I felt, result fatally.