Mexico Missouri message., 1915-11-25
CHAPTER xlv-continusd.

ton and answer, but inclined II QUICK
1y as Cazalet turned to him before
proceeding.
Il went In and found Henry Craven
lying in his blood. That's gospel-it
was so found him-lying just where
he had fallen in a heap out Of the
leather chair at his desk. The top
right-hand drawer of his desk was
open, the key in 1t and the rest of the
bunch still swinging! A revolver lay
as 1t had dropped upon the desk-it
had upset the ink-and there were
cartridges lying loose in the open
drawer, and the revolver was loaded.
swept It back into the drawer, turned
the key and removed it with the bunch.
But there was something else on the
desk-that silver-mounted truncheon
and a mans cap was lying on the
floor. picked them both up. My
first instinct, / confess 1t, was to re-
move every sign of manslaughter and
TO leave the scene to be reconstructed
into one of accident-seizure-any-
thing but what it was!"
He paused as If waiting for a ques-
ton. None was asked. Toye's mouth
might have been sewn up, his eyes
were like hatpins driven into his head
The other two simply stared.
ut was a mad idea, but had gone
mad" continued Cazalet. II had hat
ed the victim alive, and It couldn't
change me that he was dead or dying;
that didn't make him a white man.
and neither did it necessarily blacken
the poor devil who had probably suf-
.fered from him like the rest of us
and only struck him down in self
defense. The revolver on the desk
made that pretty plain. 1t was out
of the way, but now / saw blood all
over the desk as WE'LL it was soaking
into the blotter, and 1t knocked the
bottom out of my idea. What was to
be done? had meddled already; how
could give the alarm without giving
myself away to that extent, and God
knows how much further? The most
awful moment of the lot came as
hesitated-the dinner-gong went off in
the hall outside the door! l remem.
Der watching the thing on the floor
70 see il It would move.
"Then lost my head-absolutely |
turned the key in the door, to give
myself few seconds grace or start;
it reminded me of the keys in my
hands. One Of them was one Of those
little round bramah keys. 1t seemed
familiar to me even after so many
years. looked up, and there was my
fathers Michael Angelo closet, with
its little, round bramah keyhole.
opened 1t as the outer door was
knocked at and then tried. But my
mad instinct of altering every pos
sible appearance, to mislead the po-
lice. stuck to me to the last. And |
took the mans watch and chain into
the closet with me, as we'll as the
cap and truncheon that | had picked
up before.
Il don't know how long was above
ground. so to speak, but one of my
fathers objects had been to make his
retreat sound.tight, and could scarce
ly hear what was going on in the room.
That encouraged me; and two of you
don't need telling how | got out
through the foundations, because you
know all about the hole | made my,
self as boy in the floor under the
oilcloth. 1t took some finding with
single matches; but the fear of your
neck gives you eyes in your finger.
ends. and gimlets, too, by Jove The
worst part was getting out at the
other end, into the cellars; there were
heaps of empty bottles to move, one
by one, before there was room to open
the manhole door and to squirm out
over the slab; and thought they rane
like a peal of bells. but | put them
all back again. and apparently
nobody overheard in the scullery.
"The big dog parked at me like
Oiazes-he did again the other day
but nobody seemed to hear him either
got to my boat, tipped a fellow or
the towing path to take it back anC
pay for it-why haven't the police go
hold of him?-and ran down to the
bridge over the weir. ! stopped a bis
car with smart shaver smoking hi
pipe at the wheel should hav,
thought he'd have come forward foI
the reward that was put up; but pre-
tended ! was late for dinner ! had IL
town, and | let him drop me at thu
Grand Hotel. He cost me a flyer bu
had on waistcoat lined with notes
and I'D more than five minutes In han,
at Charing Cross. If you want t,
know. It was the time in hand tina
gave me the whole idea of doublin
back TO Genoa; must have been hall
way up to town before l thought O
IT,"
He had told the whole thing as h
always could tell an actual exper
ence; that was one reason why it ran
so true to one listener at every point
But the sick mans sunken eyes ha
advanced from their sockets in cunt
latlve amazement. And Hilton Toy
laughed shortly when the end wa
reached.
"You figure some on our credulityl
ryaa his first comment