They started, however, and Jenny's fears were not realized. Doria
showed no levity and did nothing suspicious. He kept close to
Brendon, offered him an arm at steep places and advanced a dozen
theories of the incidents reported. He was deeply interested and
reiterated his surprise that the unknown's shot should have missed
Brendon.
"It is better to be lucky than wise," he declared. "And yet who
shall not call you very wise indeed? That was a great ruse--to fall
as though dead when the bullet had missed its billet."
Brendon did not reply and little was said as they proceeded to the
scene of his adventures; but presently Doria spoke again.
"One eye of the master sees more than six of his servants. We shall
hear how Pietro Ganns understands all this. But I am thinking of the
red man. What is in his mind this morning? He is very savage with
himself and perhaps frightened. Because he knows that we know. He is
a murderer still. He does not repent."
They scoured the scene of Brendon's exploit presently and it was
Jenny who found the shallow grave. She was very pale and shivering
when they responded to her call.
"That is where you would be now!" she said to Mark.
But he was occupied with the mould piled beside the pit. Here and
there were prints of heavy feet and Doria declared that the
impression of the nails pointed to such boots as the mountain men
habitually wore. Nothing else rewarded the search; but Giuseppe was
full of theories and Brendon, occupied with his own thoughts,
allowed him to chatter without interruption. For his part he felt
doubtful whether any further apparition of Robert Redmayne might be
expected. This failure would probably put a period to his activity
for a time.
Mark determined to take no action until Mr. Ganns came back to
Menaggio. Meanwhile he proposed to occupy himself with the husband
and wife and, so far as possible, preserve an attitude of friendship
to them both. That relations were secretly strained between them
appeared clear enough; and the results of casual but frequent visits
to the Villa Pianezzo were summed in the detective's mind before Mr.
Redmayne and Peter returned. He believed most firmly that Doria was
in collusion with the secret antagonist, and intended ultimate
mischief to his wife's uncle for his own ends; and he was equally
convinced that Jenny, while conscious enough that her husband could
not be trusted and meant evil, as yet hardly guessed the full extent
of his infernal purpose.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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