He did not appear to notice anything, however, and without another word
he left the house. I considered that I had allayed his suspicions, but
I dared not make too sure, for that man possessed a more admirable
control of feature than any other I had ever known. I determined,
therefore, to be careful and remit no precaution, however small or
troublesome, in order to secure myself. To that end I took an early
opportunity of confiding my trouble to Nurse Hargreaves, and I almost
made her weep by the touching manner in which I described my mother's
death.
Sir Charles returned punctually at twelve o'clock and he put five
sovereigns into my hand as I admitted him. He was also kind enough to
tell me that I might leave the house at once, in order to conduct my
mother's funeral arrangements. I took him at his word. My first thought
as I stepped into the street was this:--"Am I to be shadowed? And if
so, how shall I discover the spy?" The pavement was dotted with
pedestrians who all appeared to be minding their own business. I walked
briskly towards Piccadilly. Before long I knew that I was followed, I
cannot explain how I knew, for although I seized every opportunity I
could to look back, I could not locate my shadower; but I felt that I
was shadowed, felt it in my bones. I was thrilled, exhilarated!
Difficulties and dangers always delight me, and always call, as with a
trumpet blast, my best faculties to action. I considered what to do. I
might easily have shaken off my pursuer had I wished, but to even
display such a desire would inevitably convert Sir Charles Venner's
suspicions into convictions. It was my ambition, on the other hand, to
destroy his suspicions altogether. An inspiration came to me at
Piccadilly Circus. I smothered a cry of delight, and entered an Oxford
Street omnibus. The end seat was vacant. I took it, and gazed
watchfully behind me. To even a trained observer like myself, it was no
easy task to pick out of the great moving throng that followed my
conveyance the man whose business was wrapped up in my own. But I did
not despair, and set steadily to work. At Oxford Circus I was sure that
he had not entered my 'bus. There I alighted and took another to London
Bridge. In which of the omnibuses and cabs trailing behind me was he
then seated? Nearest of all was a Bank 'bus; I did not believe it
contained him. Beyond that an empty hansom rolled along, then a
fourwheeler, then a greengrocer's cart, with a smart looking pony
between the shafts. I thought he might be in the fourwheeler, but no,
it turned down Museum Street. This brought the greengrocer's cart
nearer to the empty hansom, and gave me a chance to examine some of the
passengers on a Chancery Lane 'bus beyond. At Red Lion Street we pulled
up, and the Bank 'bus passed us with a good start, also the empty
hansom. I had now a good view of the Chancery Lane 'bus over the
greengrocer's cart, and of another 'bus behind that, bound for Gray's
Inn Road.
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