Graham came out of the telephone box in the drug store. Dr. Harding was
unable, he said, to leave his office for an hour and a half, when he
would drive to Nellie Pope's address and meet Graham in her apartment.
But as he was hurrying back to Peter's bedside, Graham drew up suddenly.
The rage that had entered into his soul when he had gathered that Kenyon
was responsible for his brother's condition broke into a blaze. Almost
before he knew what he was doing or what he was going to do when he got
there, he hailed a passing taxi and told the man to drive to Kenyon's
apartment. He remembered that the liner was not due to leave until
two-thirty. Kenyon would therefore be at home for some time yet. He told
himself that he _must_ see him--he must. He owed it to Peter first, and
then to himself as Peter's brother and pal, to make Kenyon answer for
this dirty and disloyal trick. Yes, that was it, he told himself as the
cab bowled quickly to its destination. Kenyon must be made to answer,
or, at any rate, to offer some extenuating explanation if he could. It
would be something that would make him wake up in the middle of the
night and curse himself if he let the opportunity slip out of his hands
to face Kenyon up before he went immaculately, unquestioned and perhaps
unpunished out of their lives. How could he face Peter when he was well
again? How could he look at his own reflection in the looking-glass if,
for reasons of his personal admiration of Kenyon and disinclination to
force things to an issue, he let him escape without finding out the
truth?
The cab stopped. Graham sprang out, paid the man, ran up the flight of
stone steps and rang the bell. None too quickly it was answered by a
girl with a mass of black hair and a pair of Irish eyes which had been
put in with a dirty finger.
"Is Mr. Kenyon in?"
"Yes."
The hall was filled with baggage. A very distinct "K" was on all the
baggage tabs.
"All right!" said Graham. "I know my way up."
Rather sharply Kenyon called out "Come in!" when Graham knocked on the
door of the sitting-room.
In a much-waisted suit of brown clothes, a brown tie and a pair of brown
shoes which were so highly polished as to look almost hot, Kenyon was
standing with the telephone receiver to his ear. He was saying
"Good-bye" to one of the men to whom Graham had been proud to introduce
him and whose pockets he had already lightened by a fairly considerable
sum. He finished speaking before turning to see who had entered, and
hung up the receiver.
"Oh, hello, my dear fellow!" he said. "I didn't expect to see you. How
extremely and peculiarly pleasant!"
Graham wondered if he would think so by the time that he had done with
him. But, with a strong effort of will, he kept his self-control. He
intended to let Kenyon give himself away. That seemed to be the best
plan.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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