Chapter XXVIII:
In the Hands of the White Slaver
Upon leaving the waiting room Lucretia noticed a middle-aged gentleman who had been watching her slowly following. He wore a military mustache, was of medium height, blonde complexion.
In her effort to keep on the alert for a sight of Mr. Wilson and elude the obnoxious stranger, she unconsciously walked towards a group of women who were awaiting their trains in a room near the ticket office.
The stranger still followed and winked his eye, as Lucretia thought, at her. True to her feminine instinct she crossed from her seat and sat near a well dressed and bejewelled middle-aged blonde, whose face and hair bore the traces of expensive cosmetics and blondine dyes. Madam Maza had been smiling at Lucretia and therefore addressed her in French as soon as she came in: "He is a detective who is following you because of your masquerade, but I shall speak to him and tell him that you are under my protection. Where are you going? To Paris? Ah, that is fortunate. Have you relatives who are expecting you? No? Well, you must surely come along with me. Where is your ticket? Wait a minute, while I speak with the detective."
She crossed over to the gentleman and engaged in an animated conversation.
Returning with her face radiant with smiles, she said to Lucretia:
"Come, my little friend, the gentleman will not annoy you any longer. I shall arrange for your ticket and we must take the 5:15 train for Paris."
Just as Lucretia passed from the ladies' waiting room, she caught a glimpse of Mr. Wilson, who was searching for her.
She gripped the arm of her protectress, who hurriedly hastened her away, supposing that Lucretia had recognized a relative.
On entering the first class carriage of the train Lucretia recognized the military gentleman, who travelled as their only companion. At the station the gentleman hailed a taxicab and politely assisted Madam Maza into the same.
Lucretia did not see him follow in another cab, but weary with her exciting experiences, she partly leaned against Madame as they drove away.
The taxi drove down the Boulevard d'Italian and stopped before an imposing stone front residence about 10 p.m.
Madam Maza ushered Lucretia into a gorgeously furnished three-story residence, and conducted her personally to a very handsomely furnished bedroom upon the second floor.
She spoke very kindly and administered to Lucretia's comfort before leaving the room.
Lucretia soon fell into an uneasy slumber, during which she sighed in her sleep, although unconscious of the two conspirators in another room who discussed and planned her fate.
Early the next morning Lucretia found a beautifully embroidered Japanese kimona in the place of her suit of clothes.
Madame soon appeared wreathed in smiles and remained chatting as she coaxed Lucretia to eat the dainty breakfast a chic French maid brought upon a tray.
"Will you be so kind as to send out and order for me a street costume? I must not remain longer upon your kind hospitality. I want to secure a quiet and moderately priced room and send a telegram for my African maid. I thank you so much, my kind friend and hostess, but you will do me a greater kindness by assisting me in this matter," Lucretia remarked.
"My dear little friend, you pain me greatly when you express a desire to leave me so early. It is impossible for you to go out with your hair cut like this. Did you bring the braids along? Ah, how fortunate; oh, what beautiful and heavy braids. I shall have ma petite a very lovely wig made that will have you soon looking again like your own beautiful self. Give me the name of the African maid and the address. I shall send the telegram immediately.
"Has ma chere petite any money? Shall I put this away for you, ma chere? Au revoir," Madame Maza ended as she kissed Lucretia upon the cheeks before retiring.
Madame went into her apartments upon the first floor. After closing her boudoir door she counted the money and examined the hair again. "What wonderful hair!" she exclaimed aloud. "Let me think, Madame Rene would pay so Louis for these two braids. I might get more from Mous'ier Jacques, perhaps too Louis. But le Comte D'Attone is very particular and says I must have the best wig made to match her hair that money can buy. Ah, these rich men are so unreasonable! If I should sell this hair and buy a real hair wig like he says, it will cost more than the profit I should make from this. So I must have this made up. Ah, me! No one thinks of the poor. I must be satisfied with the 125 louis in her purse. Le Comte must know nothing of these braids, however, and I must have Jacques send a bill for 200 louis." Madame spoke aloud as she finally decided how she would dispose of the wig problem, shaking her head with an injured look.
Lucretia was sitting in her bedroom dressed in the kimona and looking anxiously and expectantly towards the door. This was the third day after her interview with the madame and she had had no word from Zina nor had she been able to secure the outdoor clothes.
The door was suddenly opened and to her surprise and fright, the military looking stranger of the train walked in unannounced.
Lucretia jumped up and tried to run by him and escape through the door as she called for the madame. Le Comte D'Attone firmly but smilingly caught her, drew her within his arms and tried to kiss and caress her.
Lucretia showed surprising strength as she fought and screamed for help.
The resistance only excited her assailant to more desire and, losing his former persuasive manner, he almost roughly pinned her arms to her sides and was about to overcome her now feeble resistance when the door was suddenly opened and a young brunette of about twenty whose enraged and angry features failed to disguise her natural beauty, walked into the room and demanded the meaning of the scene before her.
Her presence acted strangely upon the Comte. Turning loose the almost fainting victim he fairly hissed, "Elaine, what are you spying upon me for? Go away! You have no claim upon me. You are not my wife, do you understand?"
Elaine turned from Lucretia, whom she had gently placed upon the bed, and turned a face full of outraged dignity as she said, "Ah, Monsieur le Comte D'Attone, we will settle that point very shortly between ourselves, but you will not succeed in your plans with this innocent child."
Le Comte cowered before her almost too calm deliberation and slipped out of the room. After locking the door she turned her attention to Lucretia, and succeeded in calming the hysterical state in which she was. She obtained an account of the flight and kidnapping by the polite and generous stranger.
"So that you have only the kimona that you have on, and no money or means of communicating with your friends? Poor little innocent, you should never have run away from your parents to a strange and large city like Paris alone. Did you say that the aviator was an American? What, Wilson from Chicago? You did wrong to run away from him. I know of him, and I am sure that he could be trusted.
"I am a Chicago girl myself, and you may trust me implicitly. I will remove you from here, have no fear. Give me the maid's name and address. You can bet your last cent that Madame what's her name never sent that telegram. I would take you with me now, kid, if I had to fight my way through this whole outfit, but you see it would be impossible to take you out in that rig. Don't worry about that man, I shall attend to him. Look for me soon, au revoir, be good."
Elaine unlocked the door and left her little charge in a quiet and reassured state of mind.
Her influence upon the Comte and her assuring manner of speaking inspired complete confidence in Lucretia, who felt for the first time since her flight that she had found a sincere friend.
Madame Maza had quite a time persuading Lucretia to unlock the door and admit her into the room.
"Why do you lock yourself in and refuse to admit your friend, ma chere?" Madame asked in an assumed surprise.
Lucretia related the assault and rescue by the beautiful American. But some instinct prevented her from discussing the conversation between them, although the madame used all of her arts and tricks to surprise Lucretia into confiding the same to her.
"Ah, the wretch! to come to my house when I was absent and try to take away my guest because of a little masquerade. To kiss you, did you say? Oh, the dog! I shall have him arrested.
"Where does the beautiful American live? She must be my witness. What a pity she did not tell you, but I will be protected.
"It is fortunate, my friend, that the wig will be finished tomorrow and your maid will be over on the day after," Madame Maza announced as she gushingly tried to regain Lucretia's lost confidence.
The next afternoon Madame's private telephone rang.
"Ah! M'sieur le Comte, you were too impatient. Why didn't you wait a week as I warned you? Le petite has no confidence in me now, she locks herself in the room. La American beauty? I don't know where she lives but I am afraid she will bring trouble upon poor me. Ah yes, so we poor people must suffer for your pleasure.
"Oh! you have arranged for my protection. How cavalier, mon cher le Comte! Yes, the lovely wig is finished and cost me a fortune. But you can afford to pay the small sum of 200 louis for such a lovely creature. Bring her over? When? At 4.00 p.m. to the Chateau? Yes, that will be better for me also. Au revoir till then, mon cher," Madame repeated over the phone in response to a message from le Comte.
"Ma petite looks too charming in the beautiful wig. How lucky it was that you saved the hair. No one could ever tell that it was cut off. But you need a little rouge to brighten up those pale cheeks. Non? What harm is it to use a little? All of the lovely ladies use it. Yes, you must have just a little. Now that is perfect. Your costume fits you perfectly. Now we will go and select the rooms you are to move into to-morrow when your maid arrives," Madame said to Lucretia as she arranged her toilet at 3.30 p.m.
After placing a very chic and becoming hat upon Lucretia's head she pulled a thick veil over her face and led her to the sidewalk, where they both entered a taxicab and drove away after Madame directed the chauffeur.