Detective and mystery stories; England -- Fiction; Inheritance and succession -- Fiction; Nobility -- Fiction; Romanies -- Fiction
However, it appeared that she was duly informed of the hour when Pine
would probably arrive to prevent the pretended elopement, and also
learned that he would be hanging about the blue door. When Silver
retired for the night he watched the door of her bedroom--which was in
the same wing of the mansion of his own. Also he occasionally looked out
to see if Pine had arrived, as the window of his room afforded a fair
view of the blue door and the shrubbery. For over an hour--as he told
Lambert--he divided his attention between the passage and the window. It
was while looking out of the last, and after midnight, that he saw Miss
Greeby climb out of her room and descend to the ground by means of the
ivy which formed a natural ladder. Her window was no great height from
the ground, and she was an athletic woman much given to exercise.
Wondering what she intended to do, yet afraid--because of Pine's
expected arrival--to leave the house, Silver watched her cautiously. She
was arrayed in a long black cloak with a hood, he said, but in the
brilliant moonlight he could easily distinguish her gigantic form as she
slipped into the shrubbery. When Pine arrived, Silver saw him dash at
the blue door when it was opened by Garvington, and saw him fall back
after the first shot. Then he heard the shutting of the door;
immediately afterward the opening of Lady Agnes's window, and noted that
Pine ran quickly and unsteadily down the path. As he passed the
shrubbery, the second shot came--at this point Silver simply gave the
same description as Lady Agnes did at the inquest--and then Pine fell.
Afterward Garvington and his guests came out and gathered round the
body, but Miss Greeby, slipping along the rear of the shrubbery, doubled
back to the shadow at the corner of the house. Silver, having to play
his part, did not wait to see her re-enter the mansion, but presumed she
did so by clambering up the ivy. He ran down and mingled with the guests
and servants, who were clustered round the dead man, and finally found
Miss Greeby at his elbow, artlessly inquiring what had happened. For the
time being he accepted her innocent attitude.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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