The Thousandth Woman

of corresponding intelligence. His travels were mysteriously but enviably interwoven with business; he had an air of enjoying himself, and at the same t

nces had no idea how he made his money, and the other half wondered how he spent his time. Of his mere interests, which were many, T

aled to his mental subtlety. And subtle he was, yet with strange simplicities; grave and dignified, yet addicted to the expr

ted without compunction at the time. It had taken him, he said, about two minutes to make up his mind; but the following summer he had laid more deliberate siege, in accordance with some old idea that she had let fall to soften her first refusal. The result had been the same, only more explicit on both sides. She had denied him the

s surprise. He found his man frankly divided between kidneys-and-bacon and the morning paper, but in a hearty mood, indicative of amends for his gre

oye, what do you

ou think o

at you thought, but I gues

rotters for not settin

rut

ek, but they oughtn't to wait for that. They've no right to deta

were searching for." Toye looked nonplused, as well he might,

watch and keys, and the silver-mounted truncheon that killed him. But they found them

th great interest. "My paper only sa

I can tell you, becaus

don't

continued Cazalet. "In the f

s every minute of that crowded hour brought home to him. He also had seen the original writing-cupboard in Michelangelo's old Florentine house; he remembered it perfectly, and said that he co

und floors. They led into one another by a lot of little manholes-tight fits even for a boy, but nearly fatal to the boss policeman yesterday! I used to get in through

ection. Hilton Toye, edging in his word in a pause for a gulp of coffee, said

s from the first one under

ou fin

cheon, but Drinkwater dug it up.

re they

and brick-dusty stuff th

ust have known something, or else

follow yo

id those things right down, he'd have left the pri

wild man from the woods, and only know of these things by the vaguest kind of hearsay and s

nward on the tablecloth. "Lay your hand on that, pa

unburnt hand lay still as plaster under their eyes until Toye told him he

I came up from those foundations

nd putting it out of harm's way in the empty toast-rack. "You can't see

ha

I snow a little French chalk over it, the chalk'll stick where your hand did, and blow off easily everywhere else. The rest's as simple as all big things. It's hanged a few folks already, but I judge it doesn't

one of the partners, to get them either to take up Scruton's case themselves, or else to recommend a firm perhaps more accustomed to criminal practise. Cazalet was always apt to be elaborat

Scruton, too

wanted first to know if it were not possible, by the intervention of a really influential lawyer, to obtain the prisoner's immed

nge. "Only think: our old gardener saw him run out of the drive at half past seven, when the gong went, when the real mur

rdon-was getting out some cigars when the man, who

e cried. "Then the gong went-there may even have come a knock at

floor that might hav

h like a rat in a trap, you see; and there

aimed Hilton Toye, and he lighted t

laughing and looking at his watch. Toye had never heard him laugh so often. "By the way, Drinkw

u mean to

re you won't. You knew so much already, you may just as well know the re

eely and discovered it too late. But he had been perfectly delightful to Hilton Toye, almost too appreciative, if anything, and now very anxious to give him a lift in his taxi. Toye, however, had shopping to do in th

with her second refusal) that she was not, and never had been, engaged. And a fellow who only wrote to her once in a year

about the murdered man, leading to all that talk of the old grievance against him, and culminating in his actually finding the implements of the crime i

yards from the hotel; then he thought of something else, and retraced his steps. He retraced them even to the t

nu that was in that toast-rack? There was so

t that admirable hotel. Toye, however, prepared to ta

that, and you

he menu in his pocket, behind your back as you were getting up, b