Detective and mystery stories; London (England) -- Fiction; Murder -- Investigation -- Fiction
Mildred gave a cry of shame, and her face crimsoned. With a shout
Eustace dashed forward, and before Darrel knew what he was about he
swung him up in his mighty arms, and pitched him clean over the gate
into the roadway, where he sprawled like a huge toad. Mildred caught
Jarman by the hand, panting.
"Oh, you are a man--a man!" she said.
Darrel picked himself up, but did not show fight. His face was
more like that of a negro than ever, and Eustace believed he was a
half-caste, seeing how the racial type came out.
"You bully!" growled the man, fiercely, but keeping well in the
roadway. "I'll be even with you. I can guess where Lancaster is hiding
now, and I'll hunt him down--I'll hunt him down! He shall hang, and
you, Jarman, shall go to prison for having assisted him. As for
you"--he turned fiercely on the girl, who stood beside Eustace,
shaking and white--"you shall be my wife. I'll break your spirit.
I'll--I'll--" He could speak no more for sheer rage, and his hands
trembled with excitement. Finally he gave a roar like a wounded lion,
and dashed away. Mildred wrung her hands in dismay.
"He will hunt down Frank--he will hunt down Frank!"
"Nonsense!" said Eustace, roughly, helping her to a seat. "It's all
bluff on his part. He can't know where Frank has fled to. So long as
the boy is with Tamaroo, I am sure he will be safe."
"Did they say where they were going?" asked Mildred.
"No. There was no time. Berry, in a most wonderful way, smashed in the
window. I expect he used his coat to avoid being cut by the glass.
Before we knew where we were he was in the middle of the room, and
covering Frank with his Derringer. The only thing that occurred to me
was to overturn the lamp, which I did. Then I made for Berry, but
found him already struggling with Natty. I managed to light a candle,
and discovered that Tamaroo had disappeared with Frank."
"What did Berry do?"
"He accused me of sheltering a criminal. I would not let him leave the
room, so that the two fugitives could get a start. Then I turned him
out. I expect he joined Darrel, although I never knew that Darrel was
outside, and they went away."
"But if Mr. Darrel was outside he must have seen the direction in
which Frank went."
"I doubt it, the night was so dark and stormy. But, even if he did, he
could do nothing. Berry, afraid of the law, as I thought he would be,
did not bring a policeman with him, nor did he have a warrant. Frank
can escape by half-a-dozen stations round about. They are all within
walking distance. Depend upon it Tamaroo will take him to some safe
place, and then we shall hear. I trust the negro."
"But about the will--the--"
"There is no time to talk about that now," said Eustace, brusquely.
"There is much to be done if Berry is to be thwarted. He'll hunt Frank
down with all his heart and soul, and now Darrel, out of sheer hatred,
will join in. I want to save Frank--" He paused, and looked directly
at Mildred. "I wish to save him for--"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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