The Little Nugget

e himself. Once the idea had come, the rest was simple. The negotiations which had taken place that morning in the stable-yard had been brief. I suppose a bo

penses came from her. Perhaps he had been expecting something of the sort. At any rate, he grasped the essential points of

my plan was that h

ternoon, go to my roo

th travel to his mo

ding him be in readin

he scheme as I had map

d it a little by gra

bear him company, he

cc

had arisen. My one desire now was to undo

the anxiety in her eyes. If I had struck her, I could not have felt more

en, and turned to fi

uld like to

. The tension of the situation

an ever. 'White has just bade an-ah-extraordinary cobbudicatiod to me. It seebs he is in rea

oncealment, the fear of making Mr Abney nervous, was removed. An inrush of Red Indians with

I suppose?' I said. I

his actiod-dispatched White to apply for the post of butler at this-ah-house, his predecessor having left at a bobedt's

the reason

h he had been sniffing with the tense concentration of a dog at a rabbit-hole, 'is bes

ha

accompany me, my chance of bringing Ogden back was gone. It had been my intention to go straight to my

ecessary, Mr Abney,'

this affair

id the invalid sententiously, buryi

f the conversation was to consist of copybook

he intellectual leve

other. I had seldom heard him speak so sharply. White's revelation had evidently impres

ny you, Bister Burd

well,'

ld get an opportunity of giving hi

b arrived, and White and I

th my thoughts to volunteer remarks, and White, ap

that he found speech. I had provided myself with a book as a barrier against conversa

ing book,

,' I

interesting

is profound observation

after the silence had

es

ll. These train-journ

he hall. I glanced up and met his eye. He was looking at me in a way that struck me as curious. There was something in those bright brown eyes of

than that book, even if it's the darnd

O

a cig

me around on th

nnecessary for both

, perhaps two heads a

hat do you propose t

nd

d and tapped m

label on a bottle, sonny,' he sa

do you

e effect of a guilty conscience, to me

ss you gave the Ford kid this

ed that mine had actually done so. The illusion of some solid object blocking up my throat was extraordinarily vivid, and there certainly seemed to be a vacuum in the spot where my

tly prepared to continue th

he was to take it and break for London, and go to the address on this card, and your pal Smith would look after him. I guess there had been some talk befor

eemed to end everything. I imagined I was already as good as under arrest. What a fool I had been to discuss such a matt

in my fellow-man as a rule, but it had never occurred to me for a moment that you could be playing that game. It only shows,' h

educe my mind to working order, to

the tightest corner of my life, I see

umed his

tonight, and I saw that, whoever you might be working in with, it wasn't Buck. And now I've placed you. You're not in with any one. You're just playing it by yourself. I shouldn

ritating in the action. As one who has had experience, I can state that, while to be ar

'we must get together

e words in the mouth of Buck MacGinnis that

it. You've got the kid, and I've got you. I can't get away with him without your help, and you can't get away with hi

t takes to select a cigarette and light a match. Then, blowing

issed the cold truth by about a mile. But you caught me shootin

d it dreamily till it melted in

Sam Fisher