Detective and mystery stories; Murder -- Investigation -- Fiction
"My dear, nothing can happen to you," said Dan, decidedly, "cheek by
jowl, as it were, with Mrs. Jarsell, you are perfectly safe. Queen
Beelzebub confines her doings to London and keeps the name of Mrs.
Jarsell clean in Hillshire, for obvious reasons. The Grange is her
place of refuge, and no one would connect an innocent country lady
with criminal doings in London. If she is what we think her to be, she
will not hurt a hair of your head in Hillshire."
"All the same, I don't intend to see her," said Lillian, determinedly.
"There is no reason that you should. She may call and try to learn why
you are staying at the Peacock Hotel, and, if so, will probably ask
you to The Grange. Don't go," ended Dan, emphatically.
"Of course not," put in Mrs. Bolstreath, equally decisive, "leave that
to me, since I am responsible for Lillian."
"You can say that I am ill with nerves or consumption, or something,"
said the girl, vaguely. "I don't want to meet the woman if she
murdered my father."
"If you do," said Dan, impressively, "don't reveal your suspicions,"
and then he went on to instruct the two ladies how they were to behave
in the enemy's country. That they were safe there, so long as they
pretended ignorance, Dan did not doubt, but, should Mrs. Jarsell learn
that they knew so much about her, she might adopt a counsel of despair
and strike. It did not do to drive so dangerous a woman into a corner.
For the rest of the journey very little was said. The subject had been
thoroughly threshed out. Lillian had been informed of what was going
on, and all plans had been made for the future. The girl was to live
at the Peacock and see Miss Vincent, and chat with Mrs. Pelgrin, and
take walks and admire the country, and to conduct herself generally as
one who came simply for a change of air. If she did not go to The
Grange--and on the plea of illness, she could excuse herself from
going--Mrs. Jarsell could not harm her in any way. And, indeed, even
if Mrs. Jarsell did succeed in getting her to come to afternoon tea,
Dan had a plan in his head whereby to ensure Lillian against any use
being made of the Sumatra scent. It was a daring thing to take Miss
Moon into the jaws of the lion, yet that very daring would probably
prove to be her safeguard. But Halliday had done what he could to
guard against the events of a threatening future, and now could only
wait to see what would take place. At the moment there was nothing
more to be done.
In due course the train arrived at Thawley Station, and Dan singled
out George Pelgrin to convey luggage to a cab. Mindful of his last
tip, George displayed great alacrity in performing his duties as
porter, and, what is more, when he received another half-crown gave
inadvertently a piece of valuable information, which Halliday was far
from expecting.
"That's the second two-and-six since yesterday," said George, spitting
on the coin for luck. "Mrs. Jarsell gave me the same when she came
back yesterday evening."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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