Omaha daily bee., 1919-08-01
CHAPTER XXXVIII.
The Escape.

by the way, l may tell you this;
in the extremely unlikely contlng.
ency of Mrs. Henderson remaining
awake and so putting out OF the
question my escape by way of her
window, had planned simply to
remain where | was a few hours,
and then, not speaking to her, to
leave the house quickly and quietly
by the ordinary way. Martin would
have been in bed by that time.
might have been heard to leave, but
not seen. | SHOULD have done just
as | had planned with the body,
and then made the best time | could
in the car to Southampton. The
difference would have been that
couldn't have furnished an unques-
tionable alibi by turning up at the
hotel at $50. | should have made
the best of it by driving straight to
the docks and making my ostenta-
tious inquiries there. | could in any
case have got there long before
the boat left at noon. | couldn't
see that anybody could suspect me
of the supposed murder i'll any case;
but if any one had, and if | hadn't
arrived until 10 o'clock, say, |
shouldn't have been able to answer
1t is impossible for me to have got
to Southampton so soon after shoot
ing him | should simply have had
to say | was delayed by a break
down after leaving Henderson a,
1890, and challenged any one to
produce any fact connecting me with
the crime. They couldn't have done
it. The pistol, left openly in my
room, might have been used by any
body, even if it could be proved
that particular pistol was used. No
body could reasonably connect me
with the shooting so long as it was
believed that it was Manderson who
had returned to the house. The
suspicion could not, was confident,
enter any ones mind. All the
same, l wanted to introduce the
element of absolute physical impos-
sibility; | knew | should feel lC
times as safe with that.
so when l knew from the sound
of her breathing that Mrs. Mander-
son was asleep again, l walked
quickly across her room in my
stocking feet and was on the grass
with my bundle in 10 seconds.
don't think | made the least noise.
The curtain before the window was
of soft, thick stuff and didn't rustic
and when | pushed the glass door,
further open there was not sound"
+ Tell me-" said Trent as the other
stopped to light a new cigarette
why you took the risk of going
through Mrs. Manderson's room to
escape from the house? l could
see when l looked into the thing on
the spot why it had to be on that
side of the house; there was a dan
ger of being seen by Martin or by
some servant at a bedroom window
if you got out by window on one
of the other sides. But there were
LII &C uilOtSuplSu iooillo oii lliot oiuS
two spare bedrooms and Mrs. Man
derson's sitting room. l should
have thought it would have been
safer, after you had done what was
necessary to your plan in Mander-
sons room, to leave it quietly and
escape through one of those three
rooms. The fact that you
went through her window, you
know" he added coldly, might have
suggested, if it became known, a
certain suspicion in regard to the
lady herself. l think you under
stand me-"
Marlowe turned upon him with a
glowing face. "And think you will
understand me, Mr.. Trent" he said
in a voice that shook a little, when
l say that if such a possibility had
occurred to me then, | would have
taken any risk rather than make my
escape by that way. Oh
well!' he went on more oOolly, II
suppose that to any one who didn't
know her the idea of her being
privy to her husbands murder
might not seem so indescribably
fatuous. Forgive the expression.
He looked attentively at the burn
ing end of his cigarette, studiously
unconscious of the red flag that flew
in Trent's eyes for an instant at
his words and the tone of them.
That emotion, however, was con-
quered at once. "Your remark is
perfectly just" Trent said with an
swering GOODNESS. Il can quite be-
lieve, too, that at the time you didn't
think of the possibility l mentioned
But surely, apart from that, it would
have been safer to do as | said:
go by the window of an unoccupied
ROOM"
DO you think so?" said Marlowe
"All l can say is | hadn't the nerve
to 90 it. l tell you, when l entered
Manderson's room | shut the door
of it on more than half my terrors
| had the problem confined before
me in a closed space, with only one
danger in it, and that a known dan
ger: the danger of Mrs. Henderson
The thing was almost done: l had
only to wait until she was certainly
asleep after her few moments OF
waking up, for which, as l told you
| was prepared as a possibility
Rarrinp accidents the way wa.