The Man Who Fell Through the Earth

Instead, he turned to Zizi, and seemed to address himself to her.

He couldn’t have done better if he wanted helpful sympathy, for the black eyes that gazed at him were soft and tender with something like a maternal sweetness.

This mood of Zizi’s, rarely shown, was one of her chiefest charms, and Manning gratefully accepted it, and let it help him.

“Shall I tell all, – now and here?” he asked, glancing at Pennington Wise.

“Yes,” said the detective, after a moment’s thought. “Yes, if you will.”

“Very well, then.” Manning was entirely composed now, but it was evident he was holding himself together by a strong effort. Also, he carefully refrained from looking in Olive’s direction.

This alarmed me a little, for to my mind, it argued him a guilty man, and, that, in fact, he had declared himself to be.

Norah and I exchanged glances of understanding, – or, rather, of not understanding, – and Manning began his story.

“I think I will begin right here,” he said, in a slow, methodical way, and with the air of one who has a disagreeable duty to perform, but who has no intention of shirking any part of it.

“I remember everything – everything, – and it is not all pleasant remembrance! But it must be told, and then I must go at once and report to my superiors.

“I am Amory Manning, a special agent in the Secret Service. I was detailed by the Government to hunt down a certain branch of the enemy spy system in New York City, and in pursuance of my duty, I learned that Amos Gately was the man I sought.”

Manning still kept his glance averted from Olive, indeed, he looked almost constantly at Zizi, whose dark little face, lovely in its sympathy, seemed to drink in his every word.

“I knew all about Rodman, I was on the trail of Sadie, ‘The Link,’ and I came here, that afternoon, primarily to get an incriminating paper, which would have been positive evidence against Gately, and I had orders to arrest him if he was unable to clear himself.

“We had a stormy interview, and I found the man was guilty of the blackest treason. He had been a receiver of the stolen information sold by ‘The Link,’ and had transmitted it, by secret channels of his own, to the enemy government. I charged him with this, and he put up a fight. I tried to overcome him, and take him peaceably, but he was desperate and evaded my grasp. He ran toward that map in the other room, and I stood just here, where I am now sitting. I had overturned the chair in our struggle and as I suddenly saw him push aside the map and enter what was beyond all doubt a secret mode of exit, I fired at him. Of course, I meant merely to wing him, – merely to prevent his escape, – but as I fired he turned and received the bullet in his heart. Of course, I didn’t know this at the time, nor did I know where he had gone. But I heard the car descend, and knew that it must be a private elevator.

“I ran into that room, and finding the elevator entrance, behind the map, fastened, I flew out to the hall and downstairs. In my haste, there being no car waiting, I thought I could get down faster by the stairs. But after running down two flights, I saw a waiting elevator and got in. I had dropped my pistol somewhere when trying to stuff it into my overcoat pocket as I ran downstairs. But I gave no thought to anything save preventing the escape of my prisoner. Of course, I didn’t then know how seriously he was hurt.

“I failed to find the exit from the private elevator, and never dreaming it was in the building next door, I hunted this building for quite a time. I investigated the ground floor, the basement and sub-basement, but couldn’t find it. Greatly puzzled, I began the search all over again, and then, Olive, – Miss Raynor, came, and – later, I found that others had discovered the dead body of the man I had shot.

“I waited only to be sure of this, and then started at once to report to the Federal Bureau.”

“I know it,” I interrupted, unable to keep quiet, as the recollection surged over me, “and you went down Third Avenue on the street-car – ”

“I did,” Manning’s face showed only an intense effort at reconstructing the scene, “I was going to stop at my rooms on the way, for something I needed, and – ”

“Wait a minute,” Wise said, “I’m interested in the Case Rivers phase of your existence. Don’t forget you’re the Man Who Fell Through the Earth.”

A strange smile passed over Manning’s face.

“I’m just coming to that,” he said; “I am that man, and I can tell you right now, how, where, and why I made the trip!”

All eyes were upon him. This strange talk, – and he had been so sensible up to now. Was the hallucination of falling through the earth destined to mar his newly returned sanity?

“Go on,” repeated Zizi, and the calmness of her voice restored Manning’s poise, and also raised my hopes of a plausible explanation.

“You were with me, Brice,” Manning looked at me, as if for corroboration.

“Yes; I was in the car with you, but we were not near enough to speak. There was a big crowd, – and I was standing at the rear end, while you were well forward. But I say, Rivers, it’s hard to believe that man in the car was you! Why, you’re not the same type – ”

“Wait a minute,” the speaker waved his hand as if to check interruption, “I am Manning, – I’ll explain later, – but now I want to get that occasion well in hand. I got off the front end of the car, – I don’t know what you did, – and as I stepped off, a sudden fierce blast of wind nearly took me off my feet. I was right in the middle of the street but it seemed the middle of a howling blizzard, and as I took a step, – I went down an open manhole into the sewer.

“This I distinctly remember, – the street cleaners were working there, shoveling the snow into the sewer. They had no business to leave the manhole open and unguarded, but that black squall was so sudden and terrific, no one could see or know anything for the time being.

“However, I knew perfectly well, as I fell in, what had happened, but then, – and I remember this, too, – I fell and fell, – down, down, – it seemed for miles; I was whirled dizzily about, – but still I fell – on and on, – interminably. I felt my consciousness going, – at first, abnormally acute, my senses became dulled, and I had only a sensation of falling – ever falling – through the earth!

“There my memory ceases. And as I next remember finding myself in a bed in Bellevue Hospital, and as I have had detailed to me the full account of my being found floating, nearly dead, in the East River, I can only accept the inevitable conclusion that I was carried by the rush of the sewer, straight out to the river, and picked up for dead.

“That a sign of life was found, after I was taken to the morgue, was of the nature of a miracle, and only the most desperate efforts fanned that little spark into resuscitation. The rest you know. The shock, the exposure, the cold, and perhaps a blow or two on my head, all combined, resulted in a total loss of memory as to my identity or to the events of my former life.

“I had only remaining the positive recollection of that fall – ” Manning shuddered, – “that interminable, that never-ending fall through the earth.”

“But you fell through water,” said Wise, his eyes staring at the narrator of all this.

“Not to my knowledge. My realization of falling only lasted until I struck the water in the sewer. That, doubtless, knocked me out for good and all, – mentally, I mean. I have to thank my wonderful vitality and strong constitution for the fact that I really lived through the catastrophe. Think what it means! Hurtled through that rushing torrent of a sewer half filled with melted snow and water, – flung out into the river, dashed about among the floating cakes of ice, and all with sufficient force to tear off my clothing, – and yet to live through it!”

“Going some!” cried Zizi, and the sparkle of her dancing eyes and the delight on her small, smiling face, made the rude phrase seem quite fit for the occasion.

“And so,” Manning went on, quietly, “I have accomplished my quests. I have been working hard to discover three things, – my own identity, the whereabouts of Amory Manning, and – the slayer of Amos Gately. I, myself, am the answer to all three questions.”

A silence fell; and then Olive spoke.

“You are no slayer, – you are no murderer. You shot Mr. Gately by accident, in the pursuance of your duty. You are not only exonerated, but you did a deed, in freeing the world of a traitor, that entitles you to a Distinguished Service Cross! I respected my guardian, – I was fond of him, – but now I know what he was. I have only contempt and hatred of him! You, Amory, are a hero! – my hero.”

Olive held out her hands with a beautiful gesture of affection, and Manning strode across the room to her side.

“Now I have the only forgiveness I care for,” he said, and his face was radiant. “Now, I must go at once, and report. My duty lies to my country, – to my government! Oh, there are so many things yet to think of! They, – the Government, – offered a reward for me!”

“Which you have won yourself!” exclaimed Penny Wise.

“Yes,” chuckled Zizi, “and you’ve won the reward offered for Mr. Gately’s – ” she hesitated, – “for the man who freed the world of one more traitorous viper!”

“And, incidentally,” I added, “you’ve cleared up the puzzle of the man who fell through the earth!”

“It is well that Gately is no more,” Manning said, musingly; “he was especially dangerous because he was in such a high position and so trusted by everybody. Rodman was an equal scoundrel, but he worked inconspicuously. Gately banked on his reputation for honor and probity, – used his own well-earned fame to further the meanest cause on earth!

“Whatever happens, I’m glad he is unable to do further harm. I didn’t mean to kill him – it was an accident, – but the world is well rid of him.”

“Amen,” said Olive, softly.

“Well, the end justifies the means,” said Mrs. Vail, a little hysterically. “Why, once I heard of – ”

Ruthlessly, I shut her off.

“Accept my greetings, Mr. Manning,” I said, offering my hand to our new-found friend. “I’m proud to know you!”

And then there was a scene of handshaking and smiling welcome such as any hero might be proud to receive.