Later in the day Gerald escorted Tod to Selbury, and saw him off to
London. Macandrew left with the impression that Gerald would carry out
his prearranged programme and travel to St. Ives on the ensuing day.
But when Haskins walked back to Denleigh he was far from having made
up his mind to such a course. It seemed incredible that the sender of
the message should have homicidal tendencies. All the same, if she had
not, the law would certainly have prevented her incarceration in the
old Leegarth mansion known as the Pixy's House. That she could not
read or write was quite possible, since she had used the phonograph,
and yet, in this age of education, it appeared improbable that anyone
could be so ignorant. The wording of the message was that of an
imaginative, but not of a weak, brain; and the spirit of poetry it
breathed appealed to the young man, himself a poet of no mean order.
"On the whole," decided Gerald, "I shall go to Exeter to-morrow and
get that canoe."
On that same evening, when Geary went for his usual walk, Haskins
again slipped the record into the machine, and again drank in the
music of that perfect voice. Then, for the sake of hiding his secret,
since the landlord unexpectedly returned, he set the phonograph to
grind out the godly hymns which were Geary's delight. These were
dismal enough in words and tunes, but all through them sounded in
Gerald's charmed ears the silvery lilt of the Fairy Princess' tones.
The owner of such a voice could not possibly be crazy.
Haskins rather regretted that he had not asked Major Rebb about the
Pixy's House and its occupant. Rebb doubtless knew the village of
Leegarth excellently well, since he came down occasionally to see his
elderly relative. For the moment Haskins was tempted to write and ask
questions, but on second thoughts he made up his mind to explore for
himself. He was even glad that Tod had departed, for now the secret
was entirely his own, and he wished to share it with no one. He
therefore abstained from talking to Geary on the subject, for he had
learned all that was possible from that source. And what he had
learned was so decidedly unpleasant that he did not wish to hear more.
As it afterward turned out his reticence was wise.