England -- Fiction; Impostors and imposture -- Fiction; Love stories; Mystery fiction
“I don’t care anything about that,” said the Doctor, obstinately, “and
I’m not going to tell you more. I know that there are two—that one is
dead, and t’other living; that’s all.”
“But, my good man—I implore you to relieve my anxiety. Can’t you see
my position? Which of these men is it who committed the murder of which
the living one is accused; and which has been my friend—and my lover?”
The Doctor shook his head helplessly. “The Lord only knows,” he said;
“_I_ don’t!”
CHAPTER XXII
OGLEDON PLAYS HIS LAST CARD
Philip Chater, after being tumbled so unceremoniously out of the fly,
lost no time in scrambling to his feet, with the aid of Captain Quist
and the man of the melancholy visage. He found some difficulty in
getting up on his own account, by reason of the handcuffs which still
adorned his wrists. The Captain, now that his first lament was over
concerning the wonderful silk hat, picked up the wreckage of his
headgear out of the dust, and became in a moment the resolute man of
action.
“Phil, my lad,” he said, briskly—“we ’aven’t got a moment to throw
away. At the rate that there ’oss is a goin’, they’ll be in Chelmsford,
with the town roused, in about ’arf an hour; and then they’ll begin ter
scour the country, if yer like. Luckily it’s dark, an’ the moon ain’t a
showin’ ’er face as much as she was; so we’ll cut straight across these
’ere fields, an’ lie close for a bit at the circus. Lor’—wot a lucky
thing it is that I took to ’osses an’ sawdust!”
Philip was hurried along so rapidly, and assisted over stiles and
through gates and hedges at such a pace, that he found it quite
impossible to ask any questions. The Captain kept an arm tightly locked
in his, as though he feared Philip might escape again, on his own
account; while the melancholy man scouted in advance, on the lookout
for possible surprises. In this order, after going at a great rate for
some half hour or so, they came to a place where a few lights were
gleaming among trees, and some shadowy figures moving to and fro. In
the pale light of the moon, a huge tent stood up as a background to the
picture, the front of which was occupied by one or two smaller tents,
and a couple of caravans. Without stopping for anything, the Captain
dived in amongst these, pulled open the door of one of the caravans,
and motioned to Philip to go in.
The place was dimly lighted by a little oil lamp hung at one side;
Philip recognised it, at the first glance, as the caravan in which he
had escaped from Chelmsford. The Captain and the melancholy man
following him in, the latter closed the door carefully, while the
former produced from a little locker, various bottles and glasses with
a smiling face.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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