It suddenly occurred to Robert Cairn that Ferrara was making in the
direction of Mr. Saunderson's house at Dulwich Common; the house in
which Myra had had her mysterious illness, in which she had remained
until it had become evident that her safety depended upon her never
being left alone for one moment.
"What can be his object?" muttered Cairn.
He wondered if Ferrara, for some inscrutable reason, was about to call
upon Mr. Saunderson. But when the cab ahead, having passed the park,
continued on past the lane in which the house was situated, he began
to search for some other solution to the problem of Ferrara's
destination.
Suddenly he saw that the cab ahead had stopped. The driver of his own
cab without slackening speed, pursued his way. Cairn crouched down
upon the floor, fearful of being observed. No house was visible to
right nor left, merely open fields; and he knew that it would be
impossible for him to delay in such a spot without attracting
attention.
Ferrara's cab passed:
"Keep on till I tell you to stop!" cried Cairn.
He dropped the speaking-tube, and, turning, looked out through the
little window at the back.
Ferrara had dismissed his cab; he saw him entering a gate and crossing
a field on the right of the road. Cairn turned again and took up the
tube.
"Stop at the first house we come to!" he directed. "Hurry!"
Presently a deserted-looking building was reached, a large straggling
house which obviously had no tenant. Here the man pulled up and Cairn
leapt out. As he did so, he heard Ferrara's cab driving back by the
way it had come.
"Here," he said, and gave the man half a sovereign, "wait for me."
He started back along the road at a run. Even had he suspected that he
was followed, Ferrara could not have seen him. But when Cairn came up
level with the gate through which Ferrara had gone, he slowed down and
crept cautiously forward.
Ferrara, who by this time had reached the other side of the field, was
in the act of entering a barn-like building which evidently at some
time had formed a portion of a farm. As the distant figure, opening
one of the big doors, disappeared within:
"The place of which Myra has been dreaming!" muttered Cairn.
Certainly, viewed from that point, it seemed to answer, externally, to
the girl's description. The roof was of moss-grown red tiles, and
Cairn could imagine how the moonlight would readily find access
through the chinks which beyond doubt existed in the weather-worn
structure. He had little doubt that this was the place dreamt of, or
seen clairvoyantly, by Myra, that this was the place to which Ferrara
had retreated in order to conduct his nefarious operations.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account