"It's rather difficult to say," answered Teddy, rising also and
leading her to a seat, "but we'll send at once for a doctor and,
meantime, you must have a glass of wine. Dentham, get some wine for
Miss Maunders."
Dentham disappeared and, meantime, Teddy comforted Olive as well as he
was able.
"I'm sure he's in a trance," he insisted quietly, "look how firm and
healthy the flesh looks. If he were really dead he would not look like
this after three weeks."
Here Dentham returned with the wine and Teddy made the girl take a
good glass of it.
"Dentham," he said, when Olive grew more composed, "go down to the
police station and send the police here. Then come back with a doctor
as hard as you can."
Dentham took the money Teddy held out towards him, and, putting on his
hat, left the house chuckling quietly to himself.
"Yes, I'll get the police and the doctor," he muttered, as he walked
rapidly down the road, "and I'll telegraph to the old cove at Marlow.
It's just as I thought. He's killed Mr. Lancaster, so as soon as he
knows the body is found, I'll be able to fix him up, and I won't let
him off unless he pays me jolly well."
Chapter XIV.
Dentham Makes Terms
Jintle's Hotel was situated in that very unfashionable neighbourhood,
The Seven Dials, and Mr. Jintle, the proprietor thereof, was a friend
of Dentham's. On the evening of the day upon which the strange
discovery had been made at Hampstead, Dentham was seated in a small,
stuffy back room of the hotel, talking eagerly to no less a personage
than his master, Dr. Michael Roversmire, who had come up from Marlow
to Jintle's by the four-o'clock train in answer to a telegram sent by
Dentham.
Adrian was in a terrible dilemma, as he did not know which way to
turn. The telegram which warned him not to go back to Hampstead or he
would be arrested, had fallen upon him like a thunderbolt, and he had
come up to town at once to see Dentham. That gentleman had gained his
reward from Olive Maunders, and was now the happy possessor of one
hundred and twenty-five pounds, but not satisfied with even such a
sum, which represented wealth to him, he was now trying to make terms
with his master. All his cringing manners had disappeared, and he sat
opposite to Adrian with his elbows resting on the table and a look of
coarse triumph irradiating his mean-looking face.
"I knew how it would be," he was saying in a sneering tone. "If you'd
only trusted me about the young man I could have helped you, but now
it's too late--unless you make it worth my while."
"What do you want me to do?" asked Adrian hopelessly, fully aware that
he was in the power of this man and quite at a loss what course to
pursue.
"What do I want you to do?" said Dentham jeeringly. "I want you to
give me a cheque for two hundred straight off."
"And if I do that?" queried Adrian, fixing his eyes on Dentham's face.
"Well, I'll do my best to help you to get off," retorted Dentham with
a silky smile.
"And suppose I refuse?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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