"No, you don't, young man," said the big man firmly. "You're going
straight to your room in the White Horse. And I'll tell you why. From
what I have heard about the Fenleys, they were a lonely crowd. Their
friends were business associates and they seem to own no relatives;
while Miss Manning, if ever she possessed any, has been carefully shut
away from them. The position of affairs in The Towers will be strained
tomorrow. The elder Fenleys are dead; one son may be in jail--or, if
he isn't, might as well be--and the other, as soon as he feels his
feet, will be giving himself airs. Now, haven't you a mother or an
aunt who would come to Roxton and meet Miss Manning, and perhaps help
her to get away from a house which is no fit place for her to live in
at present?"
"My mother can be here within an hour of the opening of the telegraph
office," said Trenholme.
"Write the telegram now, and the constable on night duty will attend
to it. When your mother arrives, tell her the whole story, and send
her to Miss Manning. Don't go yourself. You might meet Robert Fenley,
and he would certainly be cantankerous. If your mother resembles you,
she will have no difficulty in arranging matters with the young lady."
"If I resemble my mother, I am a very fortunate man," said the artist
simply.
"I thought it would be that way," was the smiling comment. "One other
thing: I don't suppose for a minute that Miss Manning is acquainted
with a reputable firm of solicitors. If she is, tell her to consult
them, and get them to communicate with Scotland Yard, where I shall
supply or leave with others certain information which should be acted
on promptly in her behalf. If, as I expect, she knows no lawyer, see
that she takes this card to the address on it and give Messrs. Gibb,
Morris & Gibb my message. You understand?"
"Yes."
"Finally, she must be warned to say nothing of this to Robert Fenley.
In fact, the less that young spark knows about her affairs the better.
After tonight's adventure that hint is hardly needed, perhaps; but it
is always well to be explicit. Now off with you."
"I'm not tired. Can I be of any service?"
"Yes. I want you to be ready for a long day's work in Miss Manning's
interests. Mr. Furneaux and I may be busy elsewhere. Unquestionably we
shall not be in Roxton; we may even be far from London. Miss Manning
will want a friend. See to it that you start the day refreshed by some
hours of sleep."'
"Good-by," said Trenholme promptly. "Sorry you two will miss Eliza's
dinner. But that is only a feast deferred. By the way, if I leave
Roxton I'll send you my address."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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