The Delta independent., 1915-11-26
up peIore.


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 l got out
through the foundations, because you
know all about the hole / made my
self as a 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 nanhole door and to squirm out
over the slab; and thought they rang
like a peal of bells, but / put them
all back again, and apparently :.
nobody overheard in the scullery.
THE big dog barked at me like
blazes-he did again the other day
but nobody seemed to hear him either
l got to my boat, tipped a fellow on
the towing path to take it back and
pay for it-why haven't the police got
hold of him?-and ran down to the
bridge over the weir. l stopped big
car with smart shaver smoking his
pipe at the wheel. l should have
thought he'd have come forward for
the reward that was put up; but pre-
tended l was late for dinner l had in
town, and I let him drop me at the
Grand Hotel. He cost me a flyer. but
/ had on waistcoat lined with notes.
and I'd more than five minutes in hand
at Charing Cross. If you want to
know, it was the time in hand that
gave me the whole idea of doubling
back to Genoa; l must have been half
way up to town before l thought of
it,"
He had told the whole thing as he
always could tell an actual expert
ence; that was one reason why 1t rang
SO true to one listener at every point.
But the sick mans sunken eyes had
advanced from their sockets in cumu-
lative amazement. And Hilton Toye
laughed shortly when the end was
reached.
You figure some on our credulity!"
was his first comment.
81 don't figure on anything from
you, Toye, except a pair of handouts
as first installmentl"
Toye rose in prompt acceptance of
the challenge. Seriously, Cazalet,
! you ask us to believe that you did all
this to screen a man you didn't have
time to recognize?"
I've told you the facts"
We'll, l guess you'd better tell
them to the police" Toye took his
hat and stick. Scruton was struggling
from his chair. Blanche stood petri-
| fed. dove under a serpent's spell, as
| Toye made her a sardonic bow from
the landing door. You broke your
side Of the contract, Miss Blanche! l
guess it's up to me to complete"
Watt"
1t was scruton's raven croak; he
had tcttered to his feet
thing you want to say as an interested
party"
only this-he's told the truth"
well. can he prove it?"
II don't know" said Scruton. But
can!"
your" Blanche chimed in there.
Yes, I'd like that drink first. II you
don't mind. Cazalet." 1t was Blanche
who got it for him, in an instant
Thank you! I'd say more II my bless
ing was worth having-but here's
something that is. Listen to this. you
American gentleman: / was the man
who wrote to him in Naples. Leave
1t at that minute; 1t was my second
letter to him; the first was to Austria
liza, in answer to one from him. 1t
was the full history OF my downfall. l
got a warder to smuggle it out. That
letter was my one chance"
81 know it by heart" said Cazalet.
1T was that and nothing else that
made me leave before the shearing."
'"To meet me when / came ort."
Scruton explained in a hoarse whisper.
Toto keep me from going straight
to that man, as I'd told him ! should
in my first letter! But you can't hit
these things off to the day or the
week; he'd told me where to write
to him on his voyage, and ! wrote to
Naples, but that letter did not get
smuggled out. My warder friend had
got the sack. ! had to put what I'd
got to say SO that you could read 1T
two ways So / told you, Cazalet, | was
going straight up the river, for row
and you can pronounce that two
ways. And | said / hoped / shouldn't
break a scull-but there's another way
of spelling that, and it was the other
way / meant" He chuckled grimly.
81 wanted you to lie low and let me
lie low If that happened. / wanted
just one man in the world to know I'd
done It. But that's how we came to
miss each other for you timed it to a
tick, If you hadn't misread me about